Stuff.

I will never be able to catch up or remember all the things we did and fun we had without a camera, so here's what I do have.

The last week of school we had a bucket list of things like going to the library, getting snow cones at the park, and all sorts of other things.

I laugh, because they had been begging for snow cones all summer long and once they finally got them... they hated them!  So I ended up eating two snow cones in one afternoon and crossed that off MY bucket list ;)

Emory started 2nd grade in September.  She was excited and nervous because, once again, she was going to be at a new school.  She loves learning, but is a little bored at school.  She never complains about going, but I can tell she's like, "I already know this stuff, Mom."  The reason why we started her at a new school was because we knew we'd be moving a couple weeks after school started and wanted to avoid too many big changes at one time.  Too bad her teacher didn't get the memo.  He resigned a week and a half after school began.  Luckily, the transition with the new teacher worked out well and Emory really likes her because they both "LOVE books," as Emory would tell you.

Emory also did a month of Karate, with her friend Merrick.  She loved it, but us moms weren't to psyched about the teachers and the moolah required.

Tessa continues to love ballet and she and her bestie, Berkleigh, are the Prima Donnas of the group.  They actually have some sweet skills!

Fischer grew and grew and grew.  He went in for his 6 month appointment and weighed 19 lbs. 7 oz. (75%) and was 28 1/2 inches long (97%).  He is scooting all over the place and it scares me to death.  He's still wobbly at sitting up, but is getting better.  He continues to love food and tries really hard to keep up with his sisters.  He's had a sick spell but hopefully we're on the road to recovery.

Never gonna get it.

The "it" in that sentence is everything.  Every night I tell Cory, "I know I did stuff all day long, I can't remember what it was and you can't even tell I did anything, but I know I did 'it'."  Don't get me wrong, I love the new house and my cute kids, but all this organizing and unpacking and driving back and forth from school and activities and grocery shopping and cooking and cleaning and being some little person's food source and painting and . . . it's hard for a person to breathe.

I promise we've been doing tons of fun Halloween and Fall activities, but I have no proof of it.  In the midst of all the chaos, my camera broke.  It makes me feel naked, not being able to run and grab it for a cute picture of the girls or a video of Fischer's amazing rolling and scooting skills.  But add camera to the LONG list of things we "need" right now.  I think blinds might trump camera ;)

And the cherry on top is the stomach flu that's been wreaking havoc on us and our friends. 

When will life slow down?

When did I get a 7 year old, 5 year old, and 5 month old?

When was the last time I showered?

Oh, life.

I better go eat a bowl of ice cream.

Updates on the Fam:

Emory has been loving school.  She is so dang smart and continues to love to read.  She also loves creative writing and is turning into a math wiz.  We battle the ever-peeling palms of a Monkey-Bar Lover.  The other night I was discussing what in the world I could make this family that was coming over for dinner.  The mother is a vegetarian and I rarely do meatless meals, unless you count cereal.  Emory heard me and said, "WHAT?!? A vegetarian is coming over?  Well, I'm a meatatarian.  Acutally, I'm a dessertatarian."

Tessa turned 5 a few weeks ago and continues to be an amazing helper.  She helps with laundry, cleaning, cooking, and most of all, entertaining Fischer.  I really don't think I'd get anything done without her.  She also started her last year of preschool and looks forward to Tues. and Thurs. all week long.  She is loving her ballet class and is constantly asking me, "What's on the schedule for tomorrow?"

Fischer is our Joy.  We all can't get enough of his smiles and delicious belly.  He's a rolling machine, and even practiced some scooting skills, trying to pull himself to Cory the other night.  He is *finally* sleeping through the night!  He's such a good boy and loves to sit at the table in his chair while I make food and the girls eat or do homework, etc.  He started eating some solids, and so far loves yogurt mixed with rice cereal and wasn't a big fan of sweet potatoes.  I wasn't quite ready for him to eat, but when he started diving after forks and spoons that were headed toward my mouth, I figured I'd give it a try.  He is a monster, weighing in at 17 lbs. 7 oz.(75th %) and 27 1/2 inches tall (95th %) at his 4 month appointment.

Cory is doing amazingly, juggling Residency and all the clinic work, studying, lectures, and tests that are included in that, as well as being Young Men's 1st counselor, taking care of the new yard, and moonlighting every other Saturday.

Blessed

We are so Blessed to have family that loves us enough to drive 13 hours to visit.  We had back to back visitors from both sides of our family.  Cory's family left early Monday morning and my sister and her boyfriend arrived that night.  We showed them around town the next day, picked berries and played in the creek, walked around Salem, smelled soap, and ate at one of our favorite places.  

There was a "special" kid hanging around, chatting with us.  That branch leaning against the tree, nearly decapitated Emory as he dragged it around the creek.

Napkin hats at Word of Mouth.

The rest of my family (minus Adam, who came later) arrived Tuesday evening.  

Wednesday morning we packed up for a trip to the beach, but first we had to pick some amazing Oregon fruit.  These peaches were so juicy and delicious, some of us couldn't resist eating them right off the trees or ground!  

Once we got out to the coast we settled into the awesome condo that my parents rented in Depoe Bay.  

Thursday, we went to Pacific City and it was seriously, one of the most beautiful days I've seen on the coast. 

Josh attempting.

Todd, Cory, and Josh.

The Death of Todd.

The boys surfed and we all played in the sand and hiked the sand hill {again}.  No Christiansen vacation is complete without obligatory jumping shots.

Emory has been wanting to carve her name in this cliff for the last few visits.  Wish Granted.

Friday, we went to Newport.  Josh had to head back to Richmond for rotations and Adam took his place, flying in that morning.  We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium which I'd heard amazing things about.  It was fairly mediocre for the price, I thought.  

Fisch with the Fish.

These puffins were splashing the crap out of us.

Spider Crab.

Tess was being braver than usual.

We also ate at my favorite seafood restaurant before heading to the Ward Campout for Fischer's Blessing.  I know, it sounds weird, but it was the only time we could get most of our family and friends in the same place, and we wanted to have the blessing of our last child a memorable one.  (Now we just need to stick to the theme and have him baptized in the ocean ;)  It was so cool to be in this super serene forest setting.  Cory picked out this amazing, little, mossy meadow where we all gathered around the Bishop, Cory, my dad, my brother Adam, and our friend Nate for a sweet Baby Blessing.  

Fischer, of course, started to squawk, but luckily the bishop was able to pop the pacifier back in and saved the day.

He was in a bad mood, but looked cute nonetheless, thanks to Grandma Chris' sewing skills.

Adam and Tessa thought sharing a shirt sounded like a fun idea.  We had some good time hanging around the condo.

Saturday, we hung around Depoe with the Pirates, got put in the stocks, and hung out at Otter Rock, with a fire and marshmallows. 

Cory and Adam. 

This walk to me was described as "wading through spinach" by Emory.

The view from the Condo.

The Blessed Boy.

(Tie made of silk from my wedding dress.)

Sunday, we headed back to Salem and mostly relaxed and played games and cooked 30 lbs of steak and corn on the cob.

Thanks for dropping everything and coming to visit!  We had a blast and are sad our next trip to Utah won't be until next summer.