Lamjav Family

NEW YEARS AND VISIT WITH GRANDPA AND GRANDMA

2011-01-10T20:07:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since I have posted on my blog. I feel awful about it and I hope that I can get better at posting more on here. It really seems like life has been busy the past few months. We have had a few sick bugs in our home and just life in general keeping us busy. Right after Christmas we made a quick trip over to Palmyra, New York to visit my parents who are serving a mission for our church. It has been a long time since I have seen my parents. The girls had a wonderful time seeing Grandpa and Grandma. Milan cried when we left she was so sad knowing it was going to be awhile until we saw them again. I'm really proud of my parents for taking this time to serve a mission and it is such a self-less thing they are doing. I truly feel blessed for them doing this.

We got a special VIP tour of the log home by my father. Milan loved it. Our family is doing really well. The past few months have been a time of pondering and thankfulness for family. Munich and I have been making some choices recently about life and some changes are coming soon for our family. They are exciting changes and along with that they are also hard changes for us. Lots of thought and tears and prayers. We truly feel like the choice we are making will be hard but also wonderful in the long run for our family. I hope to post on here soon about what these changes are. I am so thankful for family and feel like God has lead Munich and I to where we should be in life. I have really learned a lot about trusting in God lately and faith that things work out. I am excited about our future and thankful for all that Munich and I have been blessed with.

MY GIRLS CHRISTMAS MORNING

2011-01-10T20:04:00.001-05:00

CHRISTMAS MORNING

2011-01-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

CHRISTMAS EVE

2011-01-10T19:58:00.001-05:00

After the girls went to bed we wrapped all the gifts. We couldn't wait until the girls woke up to see what santa brought them.

RANDOM PICTURES

2011-01-10T19:56:00.000-05:00

FALL TIME ON THE MILITARY BASE

2011-01-10T19:53:00.001-05:00

A good friend and I took the kids to the military base by our home and had a little snack and played in the leaves.

LUNCH

2011-01-10T19:49:00.002-05:00

A couple of my good friends and I have tried to get together a few times and teach something yummy to make. This is my turn. I did dumplings, wonton soup, sushi. It was yummy.

VIENNA

2010-10-17T22:03:00.002-04:00

Vienna turned 3 months old today. I went out this last week and purchased this chair. It's a bumbo chair/high chair for when she can sit at the table with us. I still can't get over she is big enough to sit in this. She likes it for a little bit and then when she is done she screams at me and throws her whole body. She is funny. She has been screaming from the moment she was born. She is growing up to fast. It is sad that my baby won't be a baby for long. Munich and I have been talking and we don't know if she is our last child or not. It just depends on things and how we feel in a year or two. It does make me sad to think she might be our last baby. She is such a good baby. She now sleeps through the night! She goes to sleep at 7 or 8 and does not wake up until 7am. It is amazing.

SOFIA

2010-10-17T22:02:00.001-04:00

Almost everyday after school Sofia comes home and this is what she does. Love this little girl. She is my light and joy.

HALLOWEEN COOKIES

2010-10-17T21:57:00.002-04:00

We had Megan, Henry and Kim over one afternoon and the kids decorated Halloween sugar cookies. They had a lot of fun.

VIENNA BABY BLESSING

2010-09-28T10:35:00.002-04:00

On Sunday at church Vienna was blessed by her father. It was a wonderful blessing she was given. I am so thankful for my family and my 3 beautiful girls. They are mine and Munich's whole world. We are so blessed to have them and they bring us so much joy.

DSANV BUDDY WALK

2010-09-28T10:20:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we attended the annual DSANV buddy walk. This walk helps raise funds and awareness for Down Syndrome. It was a great event and we were so happy to be apart of it. Here is Vienna trying to stay cool. It was a hot day.

Here is our little princess Sofia! Mommy and daddy felt really bad because we drove about 40 minutes to the event and when we went to get out of the car we realized we had forgotten Sofia's shoes. :( Sofia is such a happy girl she never complained she had to walk around in her socks. It was such a great event and I got a little emotional during the opening ceremony. Munich and I both agree Sofia has brought a little something special to our home. We love her so much and can't imagine our life without her. If we were asked would we do this again we would both say in a heart beat. We celebrate her and every little thing she does.
We were happy to have Jessie and her 2 girls join us on the walk.
WE LOVE YOU MISS SOFIA!

APPLE AND BERRY PICKING

2010-09-28T10:13:00.002-04:00

We went with our good friends to an orchard in Maryland to pick apples and raspberries. It was a lot of fun and the girls enjoyed it as well. Sofia taste tested a lot of raspberries.

FALL CUPCAKES

2010-09-28T10:09:00.001-04:00

The girls and I made some fall cupcakes and they were able to decorate their own and eat after. Sofia had a lot of fun.

BABIES

2010-09-28T10:02:00.001-04:00

A couple Sundays ago Munich and Milan thought it would be fun if we all got wrapped up like Vienna. Here is Sofia taking care of baby Milan.
My three babies.
Sofia feeding baby Milan.
Mommy is now a baby.
Daddy is a baby.

FUN PICTURES

2010-09-11T22:39:00.002-04:00

Funny close up of Vienna.
Sofia 2nd day of preschool. She has her new backpack that actually is not bigger than her. She is so excited.
This outfit Sofia is wearing was given to her by Becca. Samantha used to wear this cute jumper.
My little Milan is such a big helper. Munich was out of town to L.A. for a night and day. So Milan helped feed baby while I was getting Sofia ready for the bus. I love my girls so much. It's such a wonderful blessing to be a mom.

SOFIA FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

2010-09-11T22:22:00.003-04:00

Sofia also started school this week. She has the great opportunity to start a preschool program through the county. Munich and I debated if we should drive her or let her take the bus. After talking to many people and getting every one's opinion we decided letting her take the bus would be best. It is scary thinking putting a 2 year old on a bus to a half day preschool program. It has turned out great with transition for Sofia from home to school. She has some time to relax before school and gets out most of her cries. After a few days she is getting better about not getting to upset about leaving us. She is such a big girl. I am so very proud of her. She is doing so well even going potty on the toilet at school. She is one amazing little girl. I love her dearly and can't say enough of how much I truly love her. She is my joy.
Big sister cheering her on. "You can do it Sofia!" I love you and will see you soon.
The whole family waiting for the bus. Momma didn't sleep very well the night before. I had butterflies thinking about sending off my baby to school.
Still waiting for the bus.

Silly momma got the wrong size backpack again. We have since changed that backpack to a minnow size. It is much better. I feel terrible not thinking about that when I bought it.
We love you Sofia! We are excited for you and can't wait to see all the wonderful things you learn this school year.

MILAN FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

2010-09-11T22:11:00.002-04:00

Milan waiting in line in the gym before she can go to her classroom. They have the parents drop the kids off the first day in the gym. In theory it's the best way to say goodbye.
We made it a family event and all walked together to support Milan on her big day.
Several neighbor friends were also starting Kindergarten so we all walked together.
Milan making friends. She is not shy at all.

Milan and Megan walking together. If you notice momma bought a backpack just a little to big. I have since gone and gotten a smaller back pack that isn't bigger than her. Milan is happy about this and so is daddy.
We found this cute outfit. Was perfect for the first day of school. I can't believe how big my baby is getting. Love this girl and miss her during the day.

IN HONOR OF MONGOLIA

2010-09-11T22:04:00.003-04:00

We were out doing some school shopping and I saw this driving by. I had to get a picture. We had to get a look of the driver and yep two Mongolians in the front. Munich and I got a kick out of it. There is a large population of Mongolians in the DC metro area. Lots of fun for Munich---an added plus he gets to eat Mongolian food on a regular basis for that very reason.

LABOR DAY BBQ

2010-08-30T21:39:00.006-04:00

For Labor Day I had big plans to go and do something fun. But sometimes with a new baby it doesn't always mean leaving the house to far. We ended up spending the day getting some much needed cleaning and yard work done. We then had a wonderful get together with good friends and a last summer BBQ. It was a lot of fun and a beautiful evening. This is Sofia going over to our neighbors to say hi.
Milan and Spencer hiding in the flowers.
Munich and Joe and new babies. They are about 3 weeks apart.
The cute kids. When we all first moved to DC area we only had 1 child each. Now we each have 3. These kids are a lot of fun and great friends.
Little miss Sofia showing her award winning smile.

LAST 2 MONTHS

2010-08-30T21:39:00.005-04:00

This pictures makes me think of what the last 2 months have been like for our family! I thought I would post the happenings of what we have been doing. In July Vienna was born. Because Milan was breach I had to have a c-section and I tried so hard to do a v-back with Sofia. But it didn't work out that way. So with Vienna I had another c-section. I went into labor early and had my c-section. I prayed so hard that it would go well with no problems. Well the recovery was a lot harder than I had thought. Instead of getting better each day I got worse. I had a fever of 103! I was in a lot of pain and ended up being in bed and pain until week 3 of recovery. It was not fun. Luckily my little sister came and stayed with us for 2 weeks. She was a life saver and helped my family out in many ways.. During the time she was here my incision got a fluid pocket and opened up. It was scary. I was on the couch when it happened and at first my sister thought I was bleeding out. (I was scared)... Thanks to a good friend and neighbor who is a nurse she came over and saved the day. She knew what to do and helped me get to the doctor. Found out I had a fluid pocket which was causing all the pain and all the pressure finally opened up my incision to help it to drain. That was a wonderful day. Because that is when the pain went away. Also during this time both Milan and Sofia got the croup cough. I was so worried the baby might get it. I kind of locked the baby and I in my room so the girls could not pass what they had to the baby.

During this time Vienna has done a lot of crying! I thought it was due to colic baby. She has been crying day and night. Does not leave much time for momma to get anything done. I feel so lucky to have a husband at home to help out. Vienna has been doing a lot of spitting up. This week on Tuesday I was home alone in the evening with the girls. Vienna was on the boppy and I was rocking her to stay calm. At one point she spit up a lot of milk. It went out her mouth and nose. At first I thought she was okay. I picked her up and realized she was having difficulty breathing. I started to panic when she got that panic look in her eye. Then I realized it was pretty serious. I thought in my mind call 911? Then I thought go to Kim's house now. I left the two girls and ran with baby to Kim's. I knocked and she came to the door. I explained baby isn't breathing well. Kim took her from me. Told me to get the green bulb to suction out the mouth. We ran to my house and Kim stayed calm and helped with getting everything out. What seemed like FOREVER! She finally started breathing normal. So thankful for Kim and her nursing skills. I was so scared! We took Vienna to the doctor and she has reflux. We now have her on medicine and adding rice cereal to breast milk. I pray this experience never happens again. Pretty scary. Vienna has been a little happier the past 2 days. I hope it lasts. She has even slept through most of the night.

I am so thankful to having good family, friends to help me during this difficult time. It has been a time of happiness and trial all in one. So thankful to all the meals that were brought in and to friends for all the help. I am so thankful to a wonderful husband who has let me get lots of sleep. I couldn't have done it alone.

OUR NEW STROLLER

2010-08-30T21:39:00.004-04:00

It has been a long time yet again since I have posted on here. I keep getting requests for pictures of Vienna. So go down and you will see some pictures. I hope now that things are getting better I can get to blogging again and get more pictures of the girls up. After much looking and trying out strollers at the store we finally found one we both loved. It's a phil and ted stroller. They are a bit pricey but it was so worth the buy. Wish I would have bought it years ago. Love how you can take the back seat off and on. It is a smooth ride and very light weight. The girls love it. It will be perfect for all the walking I plan on doing when the girls start school next week.

OUR FAMILY

2010-08-30T21:39:00.003-04:00

VIENNA CHILLIN

2010-08-30T21:39:00.002-04:00

NEW BUNK BEDS

2010-08-30T21:39:00.001-04:00

VIENNA

2010-08-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

PROUD SISTERS

2010-07-22T21:26:00.000-04:00

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY VIENNA

2010-07-22T21:20:00.001-04:00

Vienna Olivia Lamjav was born on July 17, 2010 at 9:18am

Vienna weighed 7lbs and 1oz and was 19 1/2 long.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY MILAN

2010-07-22T21:16:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY MILAN

2010-07-22T21:12:00.001-04:00

FINALLY I AM BLOGGING AGAIN

2010-06-09T21:24:00.002-04:00

On the last day we saw Heidi we sort of just got in the car and ended up going to the LDS temple visitor center with the girls. We went in the morning and not very many people were there. While walking around Heidi happened to run into an old friend from Utah she hadn't seen in a few years. How crazy is that. She had just moved to the area. We both felt like it was one of those things that was supposed to happen. It was fun meeting her friend and we went to lunch after with her. Small world.

I just posted a ton of pictures from the last couple months. So make sure you check out older posts. There are a lot of pictures! We are doing good. Baby is growing and I am growing. We are getting excited to meet this new baby and can't wait to see what she looks like. We feel almost ready for her to get here. We have a name picked out and clothes. Now we just need to get a new car seat. I feel so much more ready this time around. It's a good feeling. Munich and I are very happy with life and feel so blessed.

PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

2010-06-09T21:21:00.001-04:00

I felt really lucky to find some great moms to do a home preschool program with Milan and I. It was a wonderful thing and Milan loved it so much. We decided to do a little graduation for the kids.

MEMORIAL DAY

2010-06-09T21:14:00.001-04:00

Besides being able to go to the outer banks with my really good friend Heidi she was able to stay in the DC area for a whole month. We had many opportunities to spend time with her. She spent Memorial day with us and since we live so close to Arlington Cemetery we walked with the girls from our place to there to see all the flags they place by each grave. It was a great site to see. So proud to be an American and proud of all those who gave their life for my freedom.

OLD MINE RANCH

2010-06-09T21:10:00.001-04:00

We finally made it to old Mine Ranch. One of Milan's little friends had his birthday party here. It was a lot of fun and the highlight was Milan getting to go on a pony ride. Sofia enjoyed petting and feeding the goats.

MORE VACATION

2010-06-09T21:04:00.002-04:00

Sofia and her always happy face.
Great family friendly beach. Sofia enjoyed watching kites fly.
This is a great shot of Milan playing in the sand.
Milan relaxing. She got a great tan. Love this girl.

THE SOUND

2010-06-09T14:29:00.000-04:00

TURTLE

2010-06-09T14:13:00.001-04:00

One afternoon we went for a ride and this is what we saw. Milan wanted to take it home for a pet.

CRAB CATCHING

2010-06-09T14:11:00.000-04:00

BEACH

2010-06-09T14:06:00.000-04:00

VACATION

2010-06-09T14:02:00.000-04:00

MORE VACATION FUN

2010-06-09T13:59:00.000-04:00

HOT TUB ON OUR DECK

2010-06-09T13:53:00.001-04:00

During down time we turned the heat down on the hot tub and Milan used it as a small swimming pool.

JETTED TUB

2010-06-09T13:50:00.001-04:00

Munich being the great dad he is put bubbles in the jetted tub for the girls. This is the outcome. They loved it.

OUTERBANKS VACATION

2010-06-09T13:42:00.002-04:00

This year we finally took a family vacation to the beach. We went with a really good friend and we rented a place close to the beach for a week. It was an amazing trip. We stayed in Corolla NC. The fence in the picture stops the wild horses from getting on the beach where all the vacationers hang out.

DSANV SPRING PICNIC

2010-06-09T13:37:00.001-04:00

Milan loves animals. This was a great time for her.
SNAKE!

RE-CHECK AT DOCTORS

2010-06-09T13:35:00.000-04:00

TWO MONTHS LATE!

2010-06-09T13:27:00.002-04:00

I realized I am 2 months behind in blogging. It has been a busy 2 months for the Lamjav family. And we have been busy enjoying the beautiful weather. And being further in pregnancy I just want to go to sleep early.
These are pictures of the girls at the doctors office. Poor Sofia got really sick and me being the paranoid mamma to her to the doctor. While we were there her hands and feet went purple and blue. Scared me to death. Come to find out she had two Popsicles and ate them to fast. :- KIDS! Lets just say I lost it and cried my eyes out. Love those pregnancy hormones.

We ended up being in the office 5 hours. (Observing miss Sofia) And this is how Milan passed the time. Making silly faces for the camera.

KENWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD

2010-04-05T14:21:00.002-04:00

We went to a beautiful neighborhood last week to see the cherry blossoms. It was beautiful. I felt like I was in a whole different world. Every street was lined with cherry blossoms. It was amazing. I took the preschool group with me. Thanks to my friend Kim who helped out. It was a fun field trip for the kids.

SATURDAY

2010-04-05T14:11:00.001-04:00

We met up with our friend Becca and her daughter Samantha this weekend. She took these pictures of the girls. They turned out great. Thanks Becca!

IT IS A........................................

2010-03-27T19:24:00.001-04:00

Wednesday was the big day! I went to have my ultra sound to make sure baby is healthy as far as they can tell in the ultra sound. I got there a few minutes early and drank the 24 oz an hour early like they ask. Well I think I actually drank more than that. I waited and waited and waited. I started to think I was going to die if I didn't get into the appointment. Finally 15 minutes past appointment I ran up to the lady at the desk and said I am not going to make it if you don't get me in now. Have you ever had this feeling? It is not fun while being pregnant. She made a quick call and said 2 more minutes. I thought to myself I hope we don't have an accident. I took deep breaths and finally he came and got me. I thought those 5 -10 minutes of him checking were the longest ever in my life. I hope I never have to experience that again. After I finally was able to use the ladies room I was excited to see the baby and find out if we were having pink or blue. And the verdict is PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe we are going to have another little girl running around the house. I am happy. Girls are what I am used to. The rest of the ultra sound the tech took his time making sure everything was okay with baby. After what seemed like forever I started to get really sleepy thinking this is taking forever. Finally I asked is everything okay? Can you even tell me? He did say, "what I can tell you is your baby is fine." What did that mean? He then said I will be right back. He was gone for a little bit. That gave me some time to panic. Something is wrong. I check my watch-- It was almost 5:30pm. I got into the room at 3:50. That is a long time! What is wrong? He finally came back with the Dr. Not a good sign! The Dr. said baby is measuring larger that what they thought. Asked if my babies were big. No-- Milan 6lbs and Sofia 5lbs. Maybe this will be a bigger baby. I hope. I have actually gained weight this pregnancy. With the last two I lost weight the entire time. Dr. didn't seem to alarmed about that. Then he asked the tech to help him and the Doctor was using the ultra sound. Finally he tells me they are concerned because the cord is like a tie around her neck. That really scared me! Doctor then said my OB will want to follow this close and monitor rest of pregnancy. Then the Doctor left. I was pretty upset about it at this point. The tech tried to make me feel better and said he doesn't see this all the time but no worries and it does happen and he has seen worse wrapped around several times. I was still nervous about it when I left. I have never heard of this happening this early in pregnancy. I have done some research and found it does happen and most of the time baby is healthy and fine. So the best I can do is stay positive and have my OB monitor closely. This is something as a shock but I pray that all will go well with her. And pray she can be safe and or get the cord off her neck while she moves around so much. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

DULLES AIR AND SPACE

2010-03-16T22:47:00.002-04:00

We took the girls to the Dulles Air and Space Museum on Saturday. We had a lot of fun.

They had these fun kites that other kids had made and Milan and Sofia both got one. They had fun running around with them.

PICTURES

2010-03-16T22:33:00.002-04:00

My cute Milan.
Mongolian New Year Celebration, Milan dancing with one of the girls.
Munich's sister and brother in law who were visiting us from Mongolia.
Milan, Sofia and 2 girls of one of Munich's students.

SOFIA

2010-03-16T22:20:00.000-04:00

Some fun faces of Sofia. She is such a happy girl.

RAMBLINGS

2010-02-24T13:57:00.002-05:00

So it has been forever again since I have updated my blog. I think I have been in a funk so that is why I have not posted much. I am happy to report my morning sickness is finally gone and I am feeling like a normal human being again. This winter has been long and the Lamjav family is looking forward to spring. Milan and Sofia are both doing well and keep me busy most days. I am going to try and take more pictures so I can post them on here. Munich's sister and brother in law are visiting us from Mongolian and Milan is having a lot of fun with them. I will get some pictures taken of them. They will be here until March 10th. That is about all that is going on with us right now. I hope to have a fun post with pictures soon.

MY CUTE FAMILY

2010-02-04T19:36:00.002-05:00

This week on Tuesday our local ice rink has a wonderful deal. You can get skates and skate for only $1.00. Amazing. We went with a couple friends. Since I am pregnant I didn't think it would be a good idea to attempt. So I stayed with the little ones. Milan loved every minute of it. Munich even had a few minutes to stop by and he put some skates on. I highly recommend if you live in the area to take advantage of this deal.
Miss Sofia was not happy she wanted to join the kids. She had fun walking around and watching the kids through the glass. While watching through the glass a cute girl with down syndrome was skating by us. I said hi and her younger brother was helping her go around. I talked to him for a few minutes. You could tell the brother just loved his sister so much. I thought it was very cute he was holding her arm and helping her skate around.
Miss Sofia playing with her toys this morning. By the way these pictures are taken with my new camera. Can you tell the difference from older posts?
Love this face!

LONG OVERDUE POST

2010-01-29T14:04:00.003-05:00

What we have been up to this month:

1. Sofia got croup the end of November and had a difficult time getting over the virus.

2. The beginning of January Sofia ended up in the hospital with an ear infection and RSV. She had a temp of 106 while in the pediatricians office and the doctor scared me to death when he said call 911 right now!

3. After getting over RSV, she got the stomach bug that was going around.

4. I about lost my mind being sick and having sick kids.

5. Milan got sick with the stomach bug.

6. Milan got bronchitis and an ear infection.

7. I got sick with a sinus infection and ear infection.

8. I got the stomach bug.

9. I am 14 weeks pregnant and have had extreme morning/afternoon/night sickness.

10. I had to go to urgent care and get IV fluids for being dehydrated.

11. Our car died TWICE! (glad we have a great mechanic friend).

12. Our dishwasher died and it took 2 weeks to get fixed.

13. Our refrigerator is on its last leg. Waiting to get a new one. It is beyond being fixed. Sad thing is they are having a hard time finding one to fit in the small space.

As you can see I have good excuses for not posting on my blog. I am happy to report things are looking up for us. I am now getting over morning sickness and food looks good again to me. Milan is on the mend and we hope she will be back to her normal self soon. Sofia is healthy again and we hope she stays that way!

At one of my doctor appointments my doctor really wanted me to get the early testing for T-13, T-18, and T-21. Munich and I have debated the issue wondering if we should get the test. Most of our reasons for not getting it is because we would not abort if the baby has T-21 again. Sofia is a big joy in our life and we would never change who she is. We love her for who she is. She is such a blessing to us in our life. Since we have experienced T-21 in its fullness we embrace it and love it. We have everything we need to get the help we need if in fact this child does have T-21. After talking to friends about this and family and doctor. I finally decided hey lets do the early ultra sound. Who would give up a chance seeing the baby at an early part of pregnancy. So this week at 14 weeks I went to an IVF/Genetic clinic and had the ultra sound. It was great seeing the baby and amazing at just 14 weeks you could see the baby formed. AMAZING. The baby was moving around putting hands and feet up. Very cute. It really was a great moment for me to see the baby and realize yes I am actually pregnant again and how exciting is that.

After the ultra sound they had me meet with a genetic counselor. She gave me some information and talked about my results and that after the blood test and factoring in everything they will give me a round about number of my odds of having another child with down syndrome. She then said when they call me back in about 5-7 days we can go from there and maybe schedule an amnio. I politely said I would not be interested in an amnio. If my baby has T-21 I will not change my mind about pregnancy. She said they are not asking me to do amnio for that reason, they just want me to be able to know so I can be prepared for baby if in fact he/she does have T-21. Hello- am I not already prepared by already having a child with down syndrome? I yet again declined saying no I would not be interested in an amnio. She then said well lets wait and see what your results are and we can talk about it then. I again said no, I am not interested in an amnio. She didn't want to accept my answer. CRAZY. I truly feel that no matter what we will love this baby the same like Milan and Sofia. I am going to stand my ground and will not be getting the amnio.

That is what has been going on in our life. I truly feel like this last month was very hard for me. There were a few times I thought is this ever going to end. I am thankful for my faith and I know that God and everyone's prayers is what helped us get through this. Our church family has been wonderful! I had many calls and prayers in our behalf. As well as meals brought into our family. I am so thankful for the many blessings in my life. I am very thankful for my health my husbands health and my children and their health.

Some Christmas Pictures

2009-12-28T16:05:00.000-05:00

SNOW STORM

2009-12-19T14:30:00.001-05:00

This is the 2nd batch of pictures I have taken. As you can see Munich and Milan will have to get back to work soon. :)

AMAZING SNOW STORM

2009-12-19T14:23:00.002-05:00

We have been experiencing some crazy snow storm. This is our back door we can't open it. That is the outline of the snow outside.
Munich and Milan outside cleaning the cars. They are yet again already covered back up with snow.

Our little snow angel. This is the kind of snow storms I saw all winter growing up in Utah.

FUNNY PICTURES

2009-12-19T14:14:00.002-05:00

Milan really loves animals especially elephants. One day at costco we found this great stuffed pillow that is an elephant. You can close it so its a stuffed animal or it can be a pillow. Both girls like getting wrapped up in it. It almost looks like the elephant is giving birth to a Milan and Sofia.
Munich is such a great dad. He is very creative and can make anything out of something. One afternoon when I took a nap and woke up this is what I found. Milan the robot. If you look close enough each of her fingers are covered with brown paper bag. Very cute.

DSANV HOLIDAY PARTY

2009-12-19T14:03:00.003-05:00

We were able to attend the DSANV annual holiday party this year. It was a lot of fun to see friends and celebrate our beautiful children. Sofia and Milan had fun and Sofia enjoyed sitting on Santa's lap. Both girls received some cute gifts. We have good friends here in Arlington whose daughter has DS and is in her late 20's. While she was growing up her father was Santa for many years. This holiday season we feel truly blessed to have 2 beautiful girls. Milan is a fun girl and brings much happiness to Munich and I and Sofia adores her. Sofia is doing so well and started walking steps last month. She is now walking all the time at home. We are having fun taking her out and watching her learn to walk outside. We truly feel blessed. We wish all our family and friends a happy holiday season.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

2009-12-19T13:51:00.002-05:00

For the holidays we always make a trip to the DC Temple to see the festival of lights. The girls had a lot of fun seeing the beautiful lights on the grounds. Milan had fun riding this camel. We were also able to listen to a high school madrigals group. It was a good way for our family to get into the Christmas spirit. If you haven't ever seen lights at the temple you should check it out. They are amazing.

US BOTANICAL GARDENS

2009-12-02T19:58:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Milan. If you look close she was hugging the plant. She thought they were beautiful. Love little kids.

THE US Botanical Gardens

2009-12-02T19:49:00.002-05:00

   Sofia enjoyed walking around with daddy.
   The beautiful flowers
   Milan making a wish.

   My Sofia and her always happy face.

OUR CUTE FAMILY

2009-12-02T19:42:00.001-05:00

We got the girls matching Christmas dresses and we decided to have our pictures taken right after church a few Sunday's ago.

MY GIRLS SLEEPING

2009-12-02T19:38:00.002-05:00

The other morning when I woke up this is what I found. Milan is such a great sister she told me that Sofia made some noise in the middle of the night so she got in bed with her to give her some kind words. Look how much room Milan has and how little Sofia has. Very cute.

TRIP TO THE ZOO

2009-12-02T19:30:00.002-05:00

I have been behind in my blogging so here are a bunch of pictures of what we have been doing the last month. We took a trip to the zoo with friends. It was a beautiful day.

FAMILY PICTURES

2009-11-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

This weekend our friend took us on a family photo shoot. Here is a picture. They turned out great! Thanks so much Chris. Here is his website with more photos if you are interested in seeing them. www.christianjlewis.com

MONGOLIAN BEEF STIR-FRY

2009-11-05T20:57:00.002-05:00

In honor of my husband this is what I made for dinner tonight. It was very yummy. We have actually had this many times but I have not been the one to make it. We have had other friends make it for us.

3 ounces bean thread noodles

1 pound of flank steak, cut across the grain into 1/4"-thick strips.

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, steemed and thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced diagonally

12 scallions, chopped

1/2 cut slivered almonds

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce

1. Prepare the noodles per the package directions, drain, and coarsely chop.

2. Combine the steak, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and the cornstarch in a bowl and mix well.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the steak and cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Transfer to a plate and reserve.

4. Return the skillet to the stove top and heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil over high heat. Add the ginger and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mushrooms start to soften. Add the carrot, scallions, and almonds and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the noodles and reserved steak and cook for 1 minute longer or until heated through.

5. Pour in the oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve immediately.

KOREAN BEEF IN LETTUCE LEAVES

2009-11-04T17:44:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel like your in a food rut? Well I do all the time. So today I pulled out my cookbook I have never used and this is what I found. I have to say they were so tasty. I am going to put the recipe on here so you can try it out for yourself.

3 tablespoons 100% fruit orange marmalade (I missed this when I went shopping so I used crushed up Mandarin oranges and a little of the juice)

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I added more than this after for taste)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup canola oil

1 pound 93% lean ground beef

8 scallions, sliced

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

12 Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves

1. Whisk together the marmalade, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef, scallions, carrots, and pepper for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, or until the beef is browned and cooked through. Add the soy mixture and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until well blended.

3. Spoon the beef mixture into the lettuce leaves and serve, or roll like a wrap to eat. (I also added some almonds on top for a crunch effect)

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-04T17:34:00.001-05:00

Milan going for it during the donut eating contest.
Our cute little fishy.
Milan and the neighborhood kids trick or treating.

MOPS HARVEST FESTIVAL

2009-10-24T14:30:00.002-04:00

I joined the local MOPS group (mothers of preschoolers) and today they had their annual harvest festival. The girls had a lot of fun. It was rainy so they had to move it indoors. This is sofia climbing through the cute tent.
They had the children do a little parade around with their costumes. It was very cute, they had decorated little brown bags. As they were walking around in the circle they were given treats in the bags.
Milan looked so cute in her unicorn outfit.
Milan getting her face painted.
Sofia the little goldfish.

MORE PUMPKIN PATCH

2009-10-24T14:15:00.002-04:00

There was a really cute corn maze we went through this is the girls at the end.
The little girls hiding from us.
The loves of my life!

PUMPKIN PATCH

2009-10-24T13:58:00.003-04:00

This week we also loaded up the car and took the kids to a pumpkin patch. It was called Hollian Farms. This picture of Sofia was my favorite. She enjoyed getting out of the house and seeing the country side.
Here is Kim trying to take the kids down a very step hill in a cart.
My little pumpkins.
Sofia checking out the goat.
Great picture of the pumpkin patch and country side.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

2009-10-24T13:44:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday Munich and I had a Halloween costume party. It was a lot of fun. We had a fire pit in our backyard and played Mafia, which by the way was a lot of fun.
This was the best costume of the night: John and kate=== LOVED IT.
We had a donut eating contest. (Kim cheated) :)
My cute husband the pirate. I am sad I didn't get a picture of the whole group.
The yummy food we ate. Thanks everyone for coming and making this a fun night without the kids!

BUDDY WALK

2009-10-24T13:34:00.002-04:00

This year we participated in the local buddy walk to support Down Syndrome. It ended up being a very rainy day. Even though we had cold and rain it was still a lot of fun. I didn't get the best pictures because I didn't want to get my camera all wet. We had fun and want to thank all those who planned this event and all the hard work they put into it.

Little Miss Sofia stayed very warm we had her wrapped up in many layers. She was the warmest of our group.

GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE

2009-10-24T13:23:00.003-04:00

I have been very behind in my blogging. So yet again be prepared to look at a lot of pictures. Last month my neighbor friend and I loaded up the kids and went to Georgetown and tasted the best cupcakes ever. They are so pretty you don't want to touch them.
Milan chose her favorite Chocolate.
Sofia had to get in the action as well.
The cute kids. Happy to get a treat.

UNCLE ADAM IS THE BEST

2009-09-28T20:37:00.002-04:00

While visiting my brother Adam and his family we took Milan to see the dentist. She has two back teeth that never had enamel on them. My brother just got into the pedo program and Milan was the first family member to be lucky enough to have uncle Adam work on her teeth. Milan loves pretending to be an elephant and this was her being one.
Milan got her teeth cleaned as well. Uncle Adam did a great job and Milan was so happy to have her uncle Adam be her dentist. Notice the ribbon on her eye, well this is her elephant nose she wears most of the time.

Grandma has the best sugar cookie recipe ever! So the kids were treated to making their own cookies. We went to a 5 and dime store the day before and each child picked out their own cookie cutter. Milan picked out a giraffe. The kids also made had prints in a cookie as well. Did I mention these are the best sugar cookies ever.

SOFIA

2009-09-20T17:29:00.005-04:00

We drove out to Buffalo, NY to see my brother and his family. My sister in law has a nice camera and here are a couple pictures she took of Sofia today. She is going to take some of Milan before we leave as well.

SATURDAY FUN

2009-09-05T21:10:00.005-04:00

We went to the National Zoo on Saturday morning with the girls and some friends. It was a lot of fun. Now that Milan is older this type of activity was a lot of fun for her. She was so excited to see the elephants. For our home preschool program this year we are learning about zoo animals. She is always pretending to be an elephant. Sofia was excited to see all the animals as well. We had a great time and the weather was wonderful. After the zoo we went to a great restaurant in Rosslyn- Munich and I had discovered a few months ago. We ended our day with a late afternoon swim. Milan had a blast. There were a lot of Mongolian kids at the pool. Most times we go out in our town we run into Mongolians. It is so great for Munich to be around his culture.

FRIDAY NIGHT FUN

2009-09-05T20:57:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful Friday night. Our great neighbors/friends had us over and some other friends for a backyard camping experience minus the sleeping out. It was so much fun- we did tin foil dinners and our friends made peach cobbler with fresh raspberries. The kids watched a movie in the tent. It was a great kick off to the holiday weekend. Munich and I hope to buy a tent in the near future. We are still looking for the best one to fit our family needs.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-09-02T21:20:00.000-04:00

FAIR TIME

2009-08-30T16:35:00.002-04:00

We took the girls to the local county fair. It was a great time. Milan enjoyed the rides. She had to go on this spinning dragon ride with me. I love this time of year. I am excited for fall to come.

MY GIRLS

2009-08-30T16:22:00.003-04:00

Both Milan and Sofia are doing so well. Milan has really grown up a lot since the past 6 months. I love this age and we have a lot of fun together. In a couple more days we are going to start our home pre-school program. She is counting down the days. I think it should be a lot of fun and we are going to try and get out and do a few field trips. Sofia is doing so well. About 3 weeks ago she would not really crawl. She gave the PT a hard time about it and didn't want to do anything but complain about being up on her knees. Well I had in my mind it wasn't going to happen for awhile. Munich and I decided to work extra hard with her and make sure she went up the stairs with us every time we went. The PT told us by going up the stairs it would help build her muscles more. Well we are proud to say that 2 weeks ago she proved me wrong and crawled. Now there is no stopping her. She even crawls up the first step on the stairs. Sofia is doing great!

FUN TIMES

2009-08-30T16:11:00.002-04:00

Munich and I decided to attempt making sushi. It turned out pretty good. We decided it wasn't as hard as we thought it would be. The local Asian market is great with lots of fun things to chose from. And if you are looking for cheap produce its the place to go. The other pictures are of the girls having fun. I finally broke down and bought Milan some dress up clothes. While we were in Utah it was a big hit with her while we were playing with cousins. It has been a great way for her to use her imagination.

PICTURES UPDATE

2009-08-05T20:12:00.002-04:00

Okay finally I have added all my pictures from our month and a half vacation. Make sure you look at older posts because I have put on a lot of pictures. We are so happy to be back home with Munich. The girls are getting back into the groove of things and I feel so blessed to have spent so much time with my family in Utah. It was a lot of fun. Milan and Sofia are doing well and growing up so fast. Sofia is now a year old and doing so good. She had her year check up today and she is just about 18lbs and 27 inches. She can now pull herself up to the couch and anything else she wants and is doing some side walking along the couch when she wants. She is also sitting up on her own from being on belly. She can say ma ma and da da. She also started to point at things. She can now suck out of a straw. It is so wonderful. I can't say how pleased I am with her development. I am a true supporter of early intervention and so thankful for the wonderful opportunities Sofia has in store for her because of all the wonderful people in our area willing to help her be her best self. I love my baby girl and think her extra chromosome has made me a better person.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY BABY SOFIA

2009-08-05T20:06:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY BABY SOFIA

2009-08-05T20:00:00.000-04:00

PLAY TIME

2009-08-05T19:55:00.002-04:00

Milan and Sofia had a lot of fun with cousins in Utah. This is a picture of cousin Adrianna. Adrianna was such a big helper while she stayed with us at my parents house. We had a lot of fun.

FUN TIMES

2009-08-05T19:48:00.001-04:00

We had the opportunity to visit a friend in Utah who has a son that has Down Syndrome. It was a fun visit and Milan had a blast dressing up like Spider man with my friends child.

FIRST

2009-08-05T19:42:00.002-04:00

While in Utah Sofia discovered food she had never tasted before. I am so excited because Sofia has had no problems moving to regular food. She can pick up anything with her fingers. It is amazing. She is amazing. She loves blueberries, strawberries, hot dogs, cheese, and anything else she can get her hands on.

EARLY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

2009-08-05T19:30:00.002-04:00

While visiting my sister Julie we celebrated both her and Sofia's birthday. It is fun because they share the same birthday.

MORE BEACH

2009-08-05T19:23:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of Milan, Megan and Kaylee. They had a lot of fun together.

CANNON BEACH

2009-08-05T19:14:00.002-04:00

We went to a couple different beaches while visiting my sister and her family. We went to a beach called Cannon beach. This is the beach that was featured in the movie Goonies. The town my sister lives in is where they filmed Goonies, kindergarten cop and free willy. It was so beautiful there.

TRIP TO ASTORIA OREGON

2009-08-05T19:05:00.002-04:00

The girls and I drove up the Oregon Coast with my parents to visit my sister Julie and her family. It was so beautiful.

VISITING GREAT GRANDPA IN IDAHO

2009-08-05T18:57:00.000-04:00

4TH OF JULY PARADE IN KAYSVILLE UTAH

2009-08-05T18:51:00.000-04:00

EATING OUT

2009-08-05T18:44:00.001-04:00

We went to Provo and met up with Marla (Munich's niece) and her new baby and Munich's brother. It was a fun visit.

MUNICH'S SISTER AND FAMILY VISIT FROM CANADA

2009-08-05T18:35:00.001-04:00

Munich's sister Sara and her family drove from Canada to Utah for a fun visit. It was so nice to see Sara and her family. It had been 4 years since we had seen them. We had fun walking around downtown SLC with them. This is at temple square in SLC.

VISITING GREAT GRANDMA IN GREENVILLE UTAH

2009-08-05T18:31:00.000-04:00