Sheridan Family

Emily is a child of God!

2009-01-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

** Emily accepts Jesus as her Lord and Savior!!!
My parent dog Kelsie passed away. Since we had just been up at their house during Christmas time, Emily was quite aware of Kelsie. When I explained to her that Kelsie had died because he had gotten old, Emily referred to it being like when Jesus died. We had spent a lot of time talking about Kelsie dying. A few days later when Rex and Emily were driving in the car, she again brought up Kelsie dying. She talked about how Jesus died for our sins and we need to ask Him into our hearts. Whenever Emily had talked about Jesus in the past we had talked about the need to ask Him into our hearts, but we never pushed the issue. However on this given night, in the car talking about Keslie dying, she told Rex very adamently that she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart so that when she died like Kelsie she too would go to heaven. When asked about why Jesus died so sad "He died for my sins and he doesn't want me to do bad things" There the two of them sat and asked Jesus into her heart. Emily was so excited, she couldn't wait to tell me. She wanted to ask Jesus into everyone's heart (Jacob, our cat Scooby). That took some explaining. Through this whole experience, it was just so heart warming as a parent. I never knew how I would feel if my children wanted to ask Jesus into their heart at a young age, it they really could understand what they were asking, if it was genuine...if it really counted so to say. But in that moment, I knew. I knew it counted. I knew it was for real. Emily, with the true faith of a 3 year old child knew. She knew that Jesus died for her sins and that He wants nothing from us other than to believe that HE is who He says that He is and that He wants her to live her life in His knowledge and will. And that through His grace, she is now saved. HALLELUJAH! We are so blessed. Thank you Jesus!

Getting to Church on Time

2009-01-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

One of Rex's pet peaves (he doesn't have very many) is getting to church late. He wants to be on time WITHOUT rushing. He would like to be in the car pulling away each Sunday at 8:30. With 3 kids to get buckled into carseats, this means starting the car process at 8:15 since Emily likes to buckle herself and I have to act surprised each time, Jacob now says "self" meaning he wants to climb in by himself, and Taylor has to get all strapped into the infant car seat ( I have a love-hate relationship with those things). In addition each Sunday it is Jacob's blanket, check, paci: Check, backpack with diaper and sippy cup with label: Check, Taylor's blankie: Check, paci: check, diaper bag with wipes, diapers, change of clothes, burp cloth, bottle with label: Check. Emily's hair brushed: check. Bible: check, (You get the point). This morning we did so good. We were in the car pulling out at 8:32 with EVERYTHING ready. When we got to church Rex was carrying Jacob and Taylor and I was holding Emily's hand and the 2 diaper bags. When Rex handed Jacob off to me to take him and Taylor to their classes we discovered something VERY embarrassing.... Jacob was still in just his socks!!! Being that the ground was wet from the night rain we had to carry him and embarrassing explain to his teachers that we left his shoes at home. I keep almost a spare everything in the car, I just never thought of the need to leave a spare pair of shoes...maybe I need to start. The poor middle child issues have already begun, YIKES!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

YEAH for 2009!

I can't believe how quickly 2008 went! As we were driving home from Northern California Rex and I were talking about 2008 (highs and lows) and looking forward to things in 2009. It was then that we realized that this is the first year in 5 years that we weren't expecting any major life transitions (no attempts in getting pregnant, no babies being born, no Master's program to graduate from, no baby being born, no licensing to study for, no new job transition, no relocation, no surprise pregnancy, no new house to move into, and no new baby being born). What a GREAT year we are anticipating. To only have to manage the life that we are current;y used to is looking so absolutely amazing to us. We are crossing our fingers that is going to be all that we are hoping it to be.

To ring in 2009 we went to a Rock Band themed pa

rty hosted my our neighbors the Palmer's. We were supposed to dress up like rock stars. Being that I am not of the rock star type I chose to dress up like Britney Spears and Rex agreed to dress like K-Fed (he is such a good sport). We haven't had a reason to get dressed up on New Years Eve since our friend Colleen's 30th b-day party 4 years ago. Last year we were so tired from working to get our house ready for us to move in and Jacob still not sleeping through the night that we gave each other our New Years kiss long before midnight and slept our way into 2008. We had a GREAT adult night away from the kids and again we felt so grateful for our neighbors and the great community that it has offered to us. Rex has played Rock Band with them all on numerous occasions however I am much too shy and insecure to subject myself to such scrutiny...however, I felt brave enough to give it a

try. Singing, (no way), drums (too many things going on at the same time), guitar (we already have a guitarist in our family) so I had to try the bass. It was challenging to concentrate (I was trying to listen to every one's conversations as I was playing) however if I was able to focus I realized it was actually very fun. What a way to start the year!

Us as Britney and K-Fed

The Girls of Mount Way

Emily's a Star!

2009-01-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

Emily's 1st day of Preschool

Emily & Her teacher Mrs. Slankard

Emily started preschool at the beginning of December.

My baby is officially attending school! It took us a few months to decide where would be the best fit for Emily and for our family and we decided upon Lambs of Faith in Vista. It has been great for all of us. I think for Emily it has given her an outlet where she can keep herself busy and for myself it has given me a break that allows me to be more patient when we are together. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity that we finally have to allow this to happen. The first week that Emily was in school everytime w

e went somewhere while Emily was at school Jacob would stop at the car and say "Mimi, mimi" in fear th

at we had left her behind. When we are at home he often walks around the house calling her name, it is very sweet to see the relationship that they have and how they are growing so close at such a young age, I hope it lasts forever~
On December 14th Emily was in her first stage pe

rformance. Our family won a raffle for the front pew (YEAH). Which meant that we didn't have to get there early to save seats (DOUBLE YEAH) and that we were able to have a good seat to take pictures and video. The pew was ENORMOUS so we were able to share it with our good friends the Jarrett's (TRIPLE YEAH!). I was so nervous of how Emily was going to act while she was on stage. I figured that she was going to get so shy she would just smile and watch everyone else, but to our surprise she was waving a way and was super excited when she saw us in the audience. She sang along and based upon her per

formance I think " We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was her favorite song. After the show we went to Chili's for dinner with the Jarrett's in celebration of our babies on stage! Way to go Emily, we are so proud of you!

Walking in for the show

Our little angel

Emily and Malachi after the show

Christmas Season is Here!

2008-12-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

All done decorating the tree YEAH!!

As I am sitting at my in-laws house I am getting some much needed quiet time and I have quickly realized that updating my blog has been on my to-do list for a month now. How quickly time flies and life is just passing me by without a moments rest. I guess I will start with Chrismas and see if I can add the things prior!!!!
Christmas time this year has been just amazing, everything I hoped it would be with small children (minus all the chaos that comes with 3 little ones!). This was our first Christmas in our house and it has been everything I dreamed that it would be. Spending 7 Christmas seasons in a small apartment was very limiting, I just never knew how much. We kicked off the season by getting our Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving. We got real size Christmas tree, no more Charlie Brown Christmas trees for us. It was so fun getting to put ALL of our ornaments as have instead of just a few. We got the tree after church and set it up with the lights while the kids napped so that when they woke up all we had to do was decorate. We put on some Christmas music, put the kids' Santa hats on and just sat back and watched as the kids danced endlessly in the Christmas lights. As we decorated the tree, Jacob of course was more excited to dance and less escited to put his ornaments on the tree (I think that is a typical boy). Emily however was SO excited. She wanted to know where each ornament came from (so me being a talker and loving talking about the past, I shared with Emily the story behind each ornament). Each morning following she would run downstairs while Jacob waited at the landing and would turn on the tree lights. Jacob would say "AAWW" with excitement and Emily would look at him so proudly to have gotten the response she was looking for.

As far as decorating the outside of the house, I was very eager as this would be our first year. Luckily our neighbors are very eager as well so we were all out there together decorating for the holidays. In this moment as I walked the cul-de-sac and watched my hubby on the roof with a neighbor I realized that we truly do live in the best neighborhood and that God has gi

ven us far more than we ever could have imagined in our house. It sounds so cheesy, however this holiday season with the indoor and outdoor decorations, trimming the tree and all that encompasses the Christmas time of year, I truly am so grateful for all of God's blessings however especially for the gift of our house, which truly is our HOME!

For our Christmas holiday we drove up to Northern California for 10 days. We spent one day with my best friend Allie and her 3 kids, one day with my Grandpa, 4 days with My Parents and sister and 3 days with Rex's parents and brother and sisters and neice and nephew. It was alot of traveling but well worth it. I was so excited to have a chance to get to go see all of the people who are so very important in my life and that I want to have a vital role in the lives of my children. I was unsure of how the kids would do in the car that long but they all surprised with great attitudes (we are very grateful for a car DVD for those times when everyone is just about at their end). Jacob who is known as our more restless sleeper did GREAT everywhere we went. Of course being the early riser that he is kept up with his trend but atleast he slept through the night. One of my more memeorable moments was Jacob getting up with my dad each morning at 5:0o and my dad would share his breakfast with Jacob and let Jakie pal around with him while he got ready for work: Brushing teeth together, feeding the dog etc all to allow Rex and I an extra hour of sleep...THANK YOU DADDY! At my Grandpa's house the kids were spoiled with so much attention, toys and fun activities including a truck bed full of snow! Jacob quickly learned the reward of asking each adult for milk in order to receive more milk in one day than most kids have in a week! Taylor was her typical content self allowing everyone to enjoying holding her so peacefully. With my girlfriend Allie I was just so content enjoying sitting on the couch visiting while all 6 kids played so well together...I live for those moments! When we arrived to my parents house we drove there in the dark and when we arrived their beautiful newly built home was all lit up and you could see it from the main road. It was just beautiful! With wreaths lit up all along the porch and a Christmas tree in each of the big windows facing the front it just looked amazing! Of course it was late at night and all 3 kids were awake but we needed to get the complete tour. I felt such a sense of pride as I walked through the house and saw all of the detail and design that my dad created for his very own 5300 sq ft house. Yeah for him. IT was such a blessing to see his gifts and talents and to get to see him live out his dream. To top it all off, Rex and I had our very own room (our first in 7 years of marriage at my parents') and nobody had to be kicked out of their room or office for us or the kids YEAH!!!! Emily LOVED baking cookies with Grandma and decorating them with Auntie Laura. Emily even offered Grandma an icing covered cookie that she didn't want herself (trust me just looking at this cookie gave you a tummy ache). To end the trip we were at Rex's family's house for Christmas weekend. I couldn't believe the kids' excitement to be going to yet another house. While there Emily and Jacob got ot play with their cousins Eli and Bryn. It was so special watching them play with each other and wow, it made our jobs a lot easier! Our weekend was complete with Christmas carols, a Happy Birthday Jesus cake (although Emily was quite confused as to why we were singing to Jesus if he wasn't there), tons of games each night and just some great time with our family. It was a long trip, our kids were so resiliant and we drove home feeling so extremely rich with the amount of love, support and many, many blessings we have received this Christmas Season.

Taylor sneaking in a nap!

Playgroup is the best!

2008-12-20T21:38:00.000-08:00

The kids and I have been so extremely blessed by our weekly playgroup. My friend Dana so graciously extended an invitation to us a year ago last Halloween and my life has never been the same! We usually take turns hosting all of the kids or we do an activity to get out of the house. This month when I hosted the kids we did a sticker activity where they each created a manger scene and the kids participated in a book exchange. It was a great way to kick off the Christmas season. A few weeks later the kids decorated Christmas cookies at Dana's house (she is VERY brave!). I have enjoyed sharing this holiday with my closest friends and their kiddos!

Emily decorating her cookies...yummy!

The book exchange

Elijah (6 months old) and Taylor (4 months old)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we made an important decision that we were not going to be traveling up north for this holiday. This is the first time in our 7 years of marriage that we decided it was better for our family to stay here. Each year we drive up on Wednesday with half of southern California and then back again Sunday with those same half! To turn around and do that drive 3 weeks later for Christmas is always rough and this year with three kiddos we decided to stay here. It was Rex's parents year for Thanksgiving so we invited them down and to our excitement they CAME! Jim, Sandi, Heidi and Troy... it was so GREAT! It was my first year ever having to provide an entire Thanksgiving meal and I was TERRIFIED! People look forward to the Thanksgiving meal all year long and I was scared I was going to dissapoint. Luckily everything turned out great (I wouldn't know about the stuffing, or sweet potatoes since I don't eat those two things :)). For the weekend Emily, Jacob and Taylor got to enjoy spending time with their Grandparents, and Auntie and Uncle (Taylor got to meet Troy and Heidi for the first time). It was just so great getting to stay home for the weekend that I think we have agreed, this is going to be our new Thanksgiving tradition!

And She FINALLY Has Painted Toenails

2008-11-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Everytime I get a pedicure, Emily is fascinated with my toes. It used to be that she just liked to touch them. Then...as she has gotten older and VERY vocal her interest has turned to begging for hers to be painted. Of course my response always was "no, not today, you're still too little". Then one day it dawned on me, why can't she have painted nails. I think I imagined her with these wet nails jumping on the couch and nail polish getting everywhere, or my mind would jump to her all of a sudden being a 13 year old girl. Well, last Saturday when both her and I were recovering from a bout of the flu, she asked me once again for painted toes. I know she was waiting for the normal response of "no" but this time I gave a "sure". The look on her face and twinkle in her eyes were priceless. She sat so still as I painted her toes and giggled as I stroke each toe. As I looked at her toes more closely I realized she has my same feet, a high arch, narrow feet, and HUGE toenails! She could not wait to run downstairs and show her daddy. I know I opened a whole new can of worms, but it was so fun sharing this big girl moment with my little girl.

Jacob loves apples!!!

2008-11-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

Jacob is not the best eater in the world, as I have been known to say he has ruined my dining experience on many occasions with throwing his food, spitting it out and many, many tantrums at meal time. The one thing that he loves it fruit. All fruit. One day I was letting him eat an apple in the stroller to occupy him while we were out and this is what I found when he was done. Nothing but a stem and a tiny core with one seed yet. YUCK! I guess next time I should cut the apple up for him??

Happy Halloween

2008-11-07T14:03:00.001-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I love Halloween and all of the fun around getting the kids dressed up and all of the strangers commenting on how adorable each of the kids are. For some reason it is so affirming! This year Emily's friend Drew joined us for pizza and trick or treating. Of course the kids were way to excited to eat. At 6:00 (after Rex was getting really frustrated with my for ruining the moment with all of my picture taking) we started on our way. We went for about an hour around the neighborhood. The kids had a blast. Jacob was so cute carrying his spider bag around like a purse and he was SO excited when the people would put things in his bag. He had no idea it was candy. NOW he knows it is candy and the spider bag has had to go away! After we were done we sat in our driveway in our lounge chairs and let Emily and Drew eat their dinner and of course candy while we handed out treats. I think that quickly became Emily's favorite part, handing out the candy and seeing all of the other people in their costumes and giving them candy. Two memorable moments from the might. 1) When a mom and dad holding a baby would come up and say trick or treat with all 3 of them having bags! (that happened on more than one occasion). and 2) when Emily was going potty and needed to take off her costume she says, " I like my doggy costume. I am cute, I am nice and cozy, and I am just pretty". I think I must have over done the compliments for the night! Thanks to our amazing neighbor Amy for making 3 great costumes for the kids. Emily's was custom made with no zipper and no hood over her head, just a headband with ears. They were just so cute!

Our litter of 3 of the cutest doggies!
"Who let the dogs out?"
Taylor 3 months old

Jacob showing his candy!

Emily has 20 teeth!

2008-11-07T13:48:00.001-08:00

Emily watching cartoons on the TV up above.

Well, I thought it was time for Emily to take a trip to the dentist (maybe it is because I have a few cavities that are needing to be filled so dentist was on my mind!). I didn't tell her ahead of time because she get SO worked up. She has been reading the book the Berenstein Bears Go To The Dentist. That is not a good preparatory book since it shows sister bear terrified and they talk about YANKERS. Anyways, luckily we went on Halloween because all of the dental assistances were dressed up like princesses, so she thought it was SO cool. The pediatric dentist we visited was so great, very kid friendly and of course were very complimentary of her beautiful teeth. I was so proud of how brave she was and what a big girl she is.

A Hot Fall Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Jacob LOVED climbing on the pumpkins!

I have learned to love the Fall season and Halloween now that I have kids. It is so fun. The only damper is living in southern California where it is 85 degrees in October. Chili just doesn't taste the same when you are in a tank top!! After our mishap at Bates Nut Farm a week prior when Emily was stung by the bee we chose not to return, so we happened upon a little pumpkin patch closer to home (thank you Dana for the info). The kids were allowed to pick out a pumpkin of their choice and of course (just like last year) Emily wanted to take home all of the sad looking pumpkins. The ones that were already getting soft, misshapen and lots of dents. After I butted in way to much I finally decided I was going to let her get whichever one she wanted. And of course, she wanted the tiny one she can put by her bed (with every other stuffed animal and blanket that we own). Whatever, it was only 99 cents! Jacob on the other hand was only allowed to get the little one because we couldn't get him to stop throwing the pumpkins as he said "ball". It was a VERY hot day but we let the kids jump in the jumper and go down the slide while all of the rude women commented on how Taylor was going to get sunburnt.

Oak Glen Apple Farm with Playgroup Families

2008-10-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Taylor 12 weeks old, and first time facing forward in the bjorn

Finding the Perfect Apple with Daddy

Emily and the boys (Malachi,Jacob,Lucas and Drew)

Well, we did our first official family outing with other San Diego families since living here a year and 3 months. I have been a part of a great play group for a year now but we have never done something all together as families. We decided to do a very festive Fall activity by going apple picking. I know...many have commented on their anticipation of us slowing down our lives, and to me, we have, Doing this activity with Rex too rather than just me and kids is quite a step up. After the hour and half drive north east (I thought Rex was going to kill me when he found out how far we were REALLY having to drive) I was so excited to arrive at the Oak Glen Family Farm. We started out the day with a picnic lunch with the Jarrett's (Dan, Dana, Malachi (3) Elijah (5 mo), the Davis' (Michele and Drew (4)) and the Todd's (Mike, Jami, Lucas (3)). Some brought lunch and others got a tri -tip sandwich. Although the wait for the sandwich was extremely long, it was worth the wait... it was delicious! Then we went to start the festivities. We went on a 20 minute hay ride where we learned all about the apples they grow there, we went to petting zoo where I was afraid a goat was going to eat Jacob's hand and a chicken was going to peck Emily's leg and then sometime simply crawling on the hay, playing on a wagon and getting VERY DIRTY! And then finally came the apple picking. Due to the large amount of little stickers that were everywhere in the dirt, I opted to let Rex take just Emily because I could already see it... Jacob stumbling onto the ground and falling right into the stickers. Emily was so proud of her bag of apples! We ended the day with a trip to the gift shop where of course we ended up with pumpkin bread mix, apple pie and fresh apple cider. At the end of the day we were all so tired AND DIRTY! It was so fun to spend a day with other families, doing activities that the kids really enjoyed. Although it was a lot of work and our kids are so little to really enjoy all Oak Glen has to offer, I think it was definetly an activity I would like to do again!

The Davis'

The Jarrett's

It was a sad day!

2008-10-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am a part of an amazing playgroup that gets together on Wednesday mornings. For the most part our activities consist of lunch for the adults (always a delicious treat) and of course pb& j for the kids. In this group there are pretty much always 4 of us girls ( I guess we are women) and sometimes there are more. When it is just the 4 of us, Emily is the only girl (next to Taylor now). Emily usually plays well with the boys and Jacob just follows everyone around (all of the other kids are 3-4) and tries to be apart of the group. Anyways, for something different we decided to have our playgroup this week at the pumpkin farm. It sounded so fun: pumpkins, pony rides, petting zoo, hayrides, and a picnic lunch. Once arriving to the pumpkin farm I had to feed Taylor, change her diaper, change Jacob's diaper and get everyone set up (Taylor in the wrap and Jacob in the wagon). After 20 minutes of getting everyone settled for the pimpkin farm we make our grand entrance. Right away the kids wanted to go on the pony ride. I didn't have Jacob ride because I didn't want to have stand next to him on the pony (I know, I am mean mom). As the ponies are going (and stopping every minute for the workers to pick up another ponies' droppings) I see a bee hovering around Emily. In my head I am wishing the bee would go away and leave her alone. And then I see th ebee land. Right above her lip. I find myself saying out loud, "that bee is going to sting her" and before I could tell Emily not to touch, she tried moving the bee off of her lip. Instantly the bee flies away, I see blood on her face and the tears start coming. I was SO MAD AT THAT BEE! I was so upset because I couldn't even get to her. I had Jacob running around climbing on the hay and Taylor in the wrap. My friend Jami took her off the pony (yes they had to stop the pony ride) and handed her to me. I really couldn't hold her the way she wanted me to because I had Taylor in the wrap up against me. Emily's lip was swelling by the minute. The tears stopped, we went into the petting zoo (Jacob was VERY excited) and the tears started coming again. They just came and came and couldn't stop. In that moment I felt very sad. Emily was in terrible pain but I couldn't take the pain away. I couldn't even hold her because I had Taylor. Taylor was now crying because Emily was squishing up against her (not to mention with all of the commotion Taylor fell out of the wrap and I caught her before falling to the ground). And then there was Jacob that was lost in the shuffle walking around wanting to pet the animals and yet he couldn't because I couldn't be there with him. All of this happened in the first 10 minutes we were there. In that instance I looked at my friends and announced I was going home. With tears in my eyes I packed up the kids, all three were crying at this time and headed to the car. While at the car I took a moment to comfort each of my children individually before buckling them in. It was very sad. It was one of the first times since having the three kids that I realized that I couldn't meet the needs of all of my children when they were needing me. Lesson learned: don't try and be super mom. It is OK to say "no" to things for the simple reason that it will be too hard. For now, I will be staying in confined areas when by myself with the kids, or even with playgroup. I will save the big outings for when Rex is home with us. Here is a picture before the big bee sting event!

Our Family Pics

2008-10-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

We spent some much needed time this weekend with our dear friends Ryan and Kim and their two kiddos Dylan and Hillary. As we were attempting to all eat dinner together, chasing kids aorund the house with chocolate cookies in their hands and playing referee as the kids fought over every toy imaginable, our conversations quickly went to the good ol' days of college life where our responsibilities were so minimal and we had endless energy and....how young we all really did look even only a few years ago when we each only had one child! Wow! Children really do change your life. Of course, for the better and how enriched our lives are now that we have children. However, I sure am glad I had those college years and year married years to look back on....if only I didn't take life so seriously! Here are some precious pictures of our family...thanks Ryan for being so willing to take some pics for us! You are so awesome!

The Wild Animal Park...Just where our family belongs!

2008-10-07T08:52:00.001-07:00

Although these days staying at home is A LOT easier than going out, I agreed to make my husband happy and get out and do a family outing to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It really was a perfect fall day, crisp and cool enough that all of the animals were out, but not too cool for us to enjoy. Emily and Jacob loved seeing all of the animals. Jacob's favorite part was riding the carousel, Emily's favorite part was the tram ride, Taylor was content to sleep next to mommy in her wrap, and Rex and I were completely entertained by the gorillas! They really are very interesting animals!

The Life of The Middle Child

2008-10-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, all of my anxieties of Jacob being a middle child and what typically happens to a middle child becoming of my sweet little boy are actually unfolding before my very eyes!!! Here are some pictures to show for it. This is what happens when you leave a little boy at the table too long by himself, and I guess he got lost in the shuffle and really needed a nap but mommy didn't notice. I am so bad! In actually, his napping on the floor was a result of Jacob having the stomach flu and really not being able to do much of anything other than throw up, cuddle mommy and sleep anywhere he could. It was quite sad. I am proud to report that at Jacob's 18 months check up he was in the 5th percentile for weight and 25th for height....still a little peanut. The real question is...How long until his little sister Taylor who is in the 67th percentile for weight and 72nd for height catches up to him?

A New Journey Begins

2008-09-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well... a year ago, when we first moved to San Diego ( and I wasn't pregnant with Taylor, or planning on being pregnant for that matter) I applied for a "virtual teacher" position where I would be assisting families that were participating in home school through an online school and I would be the credentialed teacher that would oversee their work and attendance as well as be available by phone and email as questions arise. After a year of not hearing anything they finally called, interviewed me and offered me a position. The timing couldn't have been any crazier with Taylor only being 7 weeks old and us still adjusting to our new life as a very busy family of 5! However, as Rex and I talked about it we decided to give it a shot. The nice part about this job is that I get to do 90% of my work from home. I also get to keep maintaining my credential and contributing into CalSTRS (a retirement program). In addition, we have a little extra money where I can get a babysitter once a week in the afternoons where I actually get away for a few hours. It is so glorious. I am not going to lie, it has been weird telling people I have a job, and all of the thoughts and ideas that surround a working mom, however I do feel like this opportunity has made me more aware of spending intentional time with my kids rather than just letting them "be" throughout the day. The first few weeks really did kick my butt as I had to be away from the house for training for a few days (luckily I could take Taylor with me) and I had to meet all of my families face to face in a short time window. However now that those things are done, I am just maintaining a regular schedule and it is much more manageable! We're hoping it all works out!

Taylor is 6 weeks Old!

2008-09-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Taylor is already 6 weeks old, however at the same time, I can't believe she is only 6 weeks old! We have made it this far! Rex and I kept telling ourselves that this next year was going to be a real challenge (and we have already survived 6 weeks and have 46 more to go!). She is doing so well, sleeping, eating and smiling like all little newborns "should". I say "should" because we have experienced with Jacob that not all newborns do :) We are so excited because so far her spitting up has been minimal and we are crossing our fingers that she won't have acid reflux like both Emily and Jacob did. It is so nice not always wearing a burp cloth on my shoulder and not being fearful of her spitting up on someone as they hold her. I can't wait for her appt next week to see how much this chubby little girl has grown!

Our Labor Day Traditions

2008-09-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our friends Jeff and Jodi who have had an annual tradition of a San Clemente beach trip for Labor Day, we too have followed suit and taken part in their tradition. With 3 kiddos under our belt (we first started going when Emily was only 4 months old) and Taylor only being 5 weeks old, we weren't sure what our weekend was going to look like. Thanks to my AMAZING hubby who took charge of Emily and Jakey, I was just left to hold Taylor under the umbrella and make sure everyone had plenty of snacks and drinks. I definetly got the better end of the deal. Many people have asked how we managed to get all of our stuff down to the beach AND all of us too. Well, once again, my AMAZING husband did it all. He took all of the chairs, blankets, beach bags, snacks everything down, set it all up for us as we waited in the car. As we waited, I lathered the kiddos up with sunscreen so we would be ready to play as soon as we got down there. And upon heading home, we did it the same way, I cleaned the kids up at the car while Rex was the work horse getting everything back to the car. Emily is at the perfect age for the beach. She loved going in the water and played it very safe so we really didn't have to worry about her too much. She played in the water and sand for HOURS!! Jacob on the other hand was a real challenge. He just isn't big enough. Even if the waves came up to his shin it would knock him over, so poor Rex had to shadow him all day long. Taylor did amazing sleeping most of the day enjoying the sounds of the ocean. It seems that whenever Rex and I are worried about how the kids will do, they always surprise us. After 10 hours at the beach over 2 days, I came home feeling so excited for the many beach days that are going to come and all of the fun that our family is able to have now, and is going to continue to have being only 20 minutes from the beach. Driving home from our long weekend, I was so grateful to the Moreno's for always extending an invitation to their family tradition, to the Johnson's who allowed us to stay at their house making sleeping for our family a success and for my amazing husband who always goes above the call of duty to maintain a happy wife and a GREAT time for the kids!

Taylor's Visitors

2008-09-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about having a new baby is getting to celebrate her arrival with lots of friends and family that get to visit. Over the past two weeks I have had the Palm family here from Colorado, the Tkach family from Pasadena, and my Point Loma girlfriends come for a lunch playdate. I feel so very blessed by the friends that God has given to me. I am who I am because of my friends (and of course my family). Each one of my friends knows me in such a special and unique way that I just love each one of them!

GO PADRES!!!

2008-08-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

In our attempts to attend at least one baseball game a season, we decided to go to the Padres vs. Diamondbacks on their half price day. We bought the cheapest seats possible unsure of how long Jacob would be able to sit for and how Taylor as a 4.5 week old would really do. Well... they all did GREAT! Jacob was mesmorized by the jumbo tran, watching more TV than he will ever sit and watch at home. Emily was enamored by all of the music.I think it was mainly a successful day because of all of the snacks and junk the kids were able to eat over a 2.5 hour period! Even though it was pretty warm and Rex and I were ready to leave, we of course had to stay for the 7th inning stretch for Emily to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". A video of Emily singing will be up here as soon as I get it uploaded :)

The Mount Way Olympics

2008-08-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know Rex and know him well, he LOVES the Olympics. He even watches every minute of the opening ceremony, including the flag carrying from the different countries. You also probably know that Rex is a very creative thinker with some crazy ideas. For our neighborhood's last BBQ of the summer before all of the older kids started school, Rex created an Olympic event for all of the girls (Taylor makes the 10th girl on the street, poor Jacob!). The girls were paired in groups of 2, created a flag for themselves, and walked around the "track" carrying their flag. After each event (shot put with beanbags, long jump, soccer goal kick and relay race) there was a medal ceremony playing the national anthem and medals given (candy necklaces of different kinds). To say each of the kids LOVED the activity would be an understatement. As the other families were thanking Rex and I for putting it together I had to confess that the logical thinker that I am did not think the Mount Way Olympics would really be pulled off, however once again, Rex has succeeded!

Jacob gets a haircut!

2008-08-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

Well...my baby boy is officially a big boy. At 16 months, he finally got his first haircut. I think it was more prompted by Grandma Rebecca who was starting to think his hair was getting just a little bit too long. While Emily was at VBS we took him on a special date for his big moment. He sat so still and LOVED being able to sit in a car, one of his favorite things!

Taylor Michelle has FINALLY arrived!

2008-07-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

Taylor Michelle FINALLY arrived bringing us BIG surprises on July 28th at 7:25 pm weighing in at 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. I never would have thought that I would be able to deliver a baby that size, especially being that Emily was 6.14 and Jacob was 7.7. No wonder I was just so much more uncomfortable this time around! I felt a sense of relief when they told me her size, it made me feel like maybe I wasn't such a wimp after all. I will have to admit though that the first few thoughts that went through my mind were "Is that a result of all of the icecreams that I ate" and "I guess that not working out a single day of my pregnancy, unlike the other 2 really did make a difference" and "She isn't going to fit in her ADORABLE coming home outfit".Of course none of those things even matter, I am just grateful to have a very healthy little girl. Many of you all have been asking to hear the labor story... so here you go. My doctor was on call Saturday all day at the hospital and being that I was almost 40 weeks, dialated at 2 and was 70% effaced for almost 3 weeks she was willing to induce us if we wanted. Rex and I really didn't want to be induced, we loved how Jacob's labor was natural and everything happened on it's own and went so smoothly. However it was reassuring to think we could let Rex's family know and they could come down and my family could finally get back to their normal life back home if we did schedule the delivery. We arrived at the hospital and started pitocin around noon. Nothing happened for 3 hours until my doctor broke my water around 3. After getting the epidural (which I think is one of the greatest "medicines" that exists) things still seemed to be going slow. At 5:30 I was still only dialated at 3. My parents and sister left to get Emily and Jacob from a friends house and the plan was for them to feed them dinner and put them to bed and one of our fabulous neighbors was going to come over and be there at the house. Our hopes was by doing this early in the evening, my family could still be there later for when all of the real excitement happened. Well, at 6:30 the pressure was increasing and the doctor quickly declared that it was time for Taylor to come. I frantically called my parents had them throw the kids in the car and quickly come to the hospital... as it always happens, there was an accident on the freeway and they were stuck and I was just waiting. Literally as my mom and sister walked into the labor and delivery room, the doctor followed behind and Taylor was born just a few moments later. We should have learned our lesson from Jacob's delivery where I went from a 3 to a 10 in just a few hours, but who would have thought it would happen in just 1 hour? It was so great to have Rex by my side and to be able to share the experience with my mom, sister, mother in law and dear friend Jodi. There is no words to explain what an awesome moment in life. Since the kids were in the waiting room they got to meet their new baby sister a bit sooner than I had anticipated, but Emily couldn't have been more thrilled. I am so grateful to my family and Rex's family for helping so much with the kids, giving Rex and I two days in the hospital for a mini retreat with not only baby Taylor, but just with each other as well. Oh... it feels so good to not be pregnant anymore!

Waiting for Taylor to arrive

2008-07-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

On Monday the 21st (9 days before my due date) my mom and sister headed down to our house to help with Emily and Jacob as things were starting to get increasingly more difficult for me. (The kids were really needing a bit more positive attention as I was REALLY getting cranky!). I think they came down with hopes that Taylor would come a bit early. Monday night I was having contractions 3-4 minutes apart for almost 4 hours when Rex and I decided to go to the hospital. Once we got there and was monitored it was determined I was just extremely dehydrated. Being only dialated at 2, I was sent home. However, in all of the excitement my mom booked my dad a plane ticket for first thing Tuesday morning. Those of you who know my dad, this was not an easy thing. Being a workaholic and a busy body, sitting and waiting for a baby to be born was not easy... so we busied ourselves on San Diego activities. We went to the zoo (walking like crazy in hopes of bringing this little girl out) and to the beach where my parents were EXHAUSTED chasing Emily and Jacob in and out of the water. Doing things like this helped take a little bit of the pressure off as we waited. It sure was nice though having the help with the kids, the house work and enjoying some unexpected time with my parents and sister. Rex and I were even able to sneak in a date!

Del Mar Fair proves to be a big moment!

2008-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Rex had free tickets to the Del Mar Fair so we decided to take his poker winnings and spend it on a family day at the fair. After delicious deep fried corn dogs and a good ol' fashion pig race, we ventured over to the kiddie ride section. Of course Emily had stars in her eyes and wanted to ride a few rides...BY HERSELF! I was very nervous (as carnival type rides don't seem that safe to me), Rex as usual thought it was no big deal. As I looked at the screen of the camera as she zoomed past us on the elephant, I had a little tear in my eye as I saw how happy she was to be doing such a big girl activity all by herself! She was so proud and I was sad that my little girl is getting to be so big. Wow, I didn't think it would come so soon! Jacob just loved all of the animals and all of the people that were around us. We didn't stay too long as warm weather, big crowds and lots of walking doesn't appeal to a 9 months pregnant lady too much!

Allie's Baby Boy is Here!

2008-06-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

My dearest friend Allie had her third baby Friday, June 20th, he was 4 weeks early. Andrew MIchael weighed in at 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 19 inches long. It has thrown off my pshyche since we were supposed to be due 2 weeks apart. Drew has been in the NICU since the day after he was born, but seems to be making progress each day. We are hoping he can come home really soon!

Our Last Trip to Disneyland

2008-06-23T14:38:00.001-07:00

We made our last trip to Disneyland before this little baby comes and our passes expire on Sunday. It was such a fun family day. It was blistering hot, we weren't even sure if we were going to go, but we figured with it being 91 degrees in our house upstairs, being at Disneyland couldn't be much worse! We got there at 8:30 and wow, the park was almost empty! We went on 8 rides, did the princess coronation and saw 6 characters all in 4 hours, not bad! After the kids took short naps in the air conditioned car we went back for round 2. We went to California Adventure for a few rides and a show and then went to Disneyland for Emily to go on her favorite ride two last times.... the Toon Town roller coaster. Jacob and I sat and waited for the parade on a bench in the shade while Rex took Emily on the roller coaster. Both the kids LOVE the parade. Jacob is always mesmerized and we have found the perfect place to watch it, they stop right in front of us on 2 occasions! It was such a great day even though it was so hot, and being 35 weeks pregnant. I love family days like that where I get to have such a fun time with my kids!

Jacob is a walker!

2008-06-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it has finally happened...Jacob has decided to join the upright world and chase his sister around on his feet. In one day he took 2 steps in the morning, and by the end of the day was walking across the room. He has already mastered chasing the cat, and holding his milk while he walks. He even tries to walk in the blow up pool in the front yard. Big sister is very proud, always telling us "Look mommy, Jacob is walking all by himself". The first day it happened she mulled him over with hugs of excitement. Wow, my life is a lot easier now that he isn't getting as dirty crawling around the ground! Another one of Jacob's favorite things... his shoes. He LOVES having his shoes on, he tries to put them on himself, but gets quite frustrated. Doesn't he look like such a big boy??

Our Trip the Strawberry Fields

2008-06-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

We tried to enjoy a local tradition of going to the Carlsbad Strawberry Fields to pick our own strawberries. I went during the week with my Women of Faith group from church. Without Rex there to help it was quite a challenge. It was literally in the fields, so bringing a stroller would have been silly, however it was quite dirty and muddy being that it was just fields and so if I put Jacob down, he would have gotten extremely dirty. I am too pregnant to carry him around in the baby bjorn, so that left the only option of carrying Jacob, holding the bucket to collect the strawberries, trying to take pictures (you all know how much I love taking pictures) and of course meticulously examining the strawberries Emily was picking to make sure they were actually red and of decent size rather than the green pea size ones that she was drawn to. Jacob loves all fruit and so he kept signing "more" over and over again wanting to eat everything in the bucket. Due to the nature of the fields we had to wash all strawberries before eating so this was just torture for Jacob! All that hard work... and it pays off. Those strawberries were the sweetest ones I have ever tasted!! We have all been enjoying the fruits of our labor... literally!

More of our Nor Cal Trip

2008-06-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

While we were in Concord, the kids got to enjoy going to the park, playing outside, and enjoying Grandpa and Grandma Covalt's pool. It was such nice weather, we just had a blast!

We're having another girl, and she got to be showered with love!

2008-06-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

I got to go up to Nor cal for a few days to visit my family and while I was there our upcoming arrival of baby girl Sheridan (no, I can't tell the name, Rex would kill me) with a wonderful shower given by my mom and my sister. Since this pregnancy came as such a surprise, and with 2 little ones I often forget to take the time and enjoy being pregnant, it was so fun to actually take a moment and celebrate this new life that is coming into our family. We were blessed by so many amazing family and friends that were able to come and by an outpouring of everyone's generosity. I can't wait to get her room ready (she will be sharing with big sister Emily) and to start getting everything washed and ready. 6 more weeks to go!

Emily Turns 3!!

2008-05-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

My little baby girl is a talking, jumping, very active little girl who loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse, loves the Disney Princesses (although she has never watched one of their movies) and LOVES to talk. She is a great big sister, already bossing Jacob around and being a great little helper. She can count to 20, backwards from 7 and knows all of her letters and their sounds (can you tell her mommy is a teacher?). She can spell her name and Jacob's (thanks to the bathroom towels that hang in our bathroom that have their names on them. For her birthday we got her a big girl bike (so she could keep up with all of the girls on the street) and it brought tears to my eyes as I took her picture because in that moment I saw what a big girl she has already become! We went to Disneyland with her best friend Rebekah for a special lunch with the Princess' and then on her birthday she had a small playdate with a few friends from church and the neighborhood. At the play date Emily came down with a fever, didn't even want to eat her cupcake, and went up stairs to take a nap while the party was still going. It was very sad! Only Emily however would choose to go to bed rather than eat a cupcake with her friends! I can't believe she is already three and what a blessing and gift she is to our family each day!

Jacob Turns 1!

2008-03-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

My little baby boy has very quickly turned one year old! I cannot believe it. He went from being such a challenging baby that didn't like to sleep and was very uncomfortable because of his reflux to a very happy, joyful and full of life little boy! He can crawl around, push things along as he walks behind and he loves to laugh. We were surrounded by family and friends to dedicate Jacob to the Lord, as well as celebrate his first year of life. Thank you God for Jacob and the special gift that he is to our family!

A Major Catch Up of 2007

2008-01-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

It has been over 6 months since I blogged anything, life was just CRAZY for the Sheridan family. I thought I would start back in September of 2007 and go from there!
September...we did our first trip to Disneyland as a family. Emily was in awe the entire day... from the moment we went on our first ride (the tram from the parking lot). Disneyland has quickly become a family treat as with our passes we try and go once a month.Dumbo and It's a Small World are the 2 favorites. October was a crazy month. We had to be evaluated due to all of the San Diego wild fires. Rex slept with his kids at their evacuation site for a week. The kids had to stay there over 3 weeks while they cleaned up the campus and got things ready for them to return to after several buildings had burned. It was a hard week for all of us. Rex was working around the clock, and I was up in Northern California for the week with the 2 kids. Jacob HATES the car! He cried for 5 out of the 8 hours home. That is not an exaggeration, just a sad reality! We had to cancel a weekend away that we had planned with our dear friends the Moreno's for Rex's birthday due to the wildfires and all of the work that Rex was needing to be around to do for the Academy. Halloween was a blast this year at the Pumpkin Farm and with all of the Emily's understanding of what could possibly happen when she said "Trick or Treat" to someone. The kids looked adorable as Mickey and Minnie (of course I am bias). November... Thanksgiving with the Covalt's was nice. It was a real treat being able to fly up there rather than do the drive ( I think Jacob was especially thankful for that). We went to my parents' new house, scheduled to be finished in June. We FINALLY started escrow on our very first house! We can't believe it, we are just so excited however there are so many issues around the loan that we don't want to get too excited yet! December... We started off the month finding out that we are PREGNANT with baby #3! Quite the surprise to us. It took a few days before we could even think about it as it all seemed too shocking to be true. Jacob is just 8 months old. He is still my little baby! It makes me sad to think about, but of course excited to be able to bring another life into this world. Christmas time was great. The music, the decorations, the stories, the thoughts of Jesus... it's the most perfect time of year! We closed escrow December 22nd! We can't believe it. Almost 7 years of marriage, a small 800 sq ft apartment, and finally our own house!

Our trip to Nor Cal

2007-08-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

I took both kids on the airplane to visit Allie, my childhood friend up in Sacramento. The kids did great on the airplane, even after the embarrassment of 2 business men having to change seats because the plane was so full there were no 2 seats together. Someone actually asked me if I HAD to have 2 seats together (like Emily could sit alone!). Emily had a blast playing with her friend Caleb and Jacob was already putting the moves on Bella!

Our New Life in San Diego

2007-08-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

We have lived in San Diego for 4 weeks now. We have all adjusted ( I think). Emily no longer asks to go home and seems to be back to a normal sleeping schedule. Jacob is also back to his 3 times a night wake up (this is just a phase... right?). Emily likes to get the mail with Rex on his skateboard, there is a park right at the beach, and we had a family festival in the park by our house where Rex won the top prize of a DVD player and 3 months worth of TimeWarner services YEAH for him!! Emily had a blast jumping as well as getting Mickey Mouse painted onto her arms.

Our first trip back to Pasadena

2007-07-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

We went back to Pasadena for Alex's 1st birthday 3 long weeks after moving down to San Diego. It was great to be back seeing our dearest friends. Emily was SO excited to see Rebekah, squealing in delight when we got to the park. Jacob went on his first ride in the swing with his friend Corinne, who is 6 weeks older than him.

Our First Blog

2007-07-31T12:03:00.001-07:00

Molly, a friend of mine motivated me to start a family blog, mainly so our out of town family and friends can stay up to date with all that goes on in the lives of the Sheridan family! Emily is a 2 year old in the biggest of ways, wanting to do everything herself and yet at the same time wanting Mommy to hold her. Jacob is 4 months old and is getting to be so big. I am sure he is as big as Emily was at 6 months old! He is rolling over back to front and has just started grabbing at things. He loves to watch everything Emily does. Rex's new job is going well, he is working alot, but is really enjoying what he is doing.