Costco vs. Sam's Club

I love "Buy-in-Bulk" stores! Unfortunately, the annual fees keep us from purchasing two memberships since the stores are pretty similar. When we lived in Marysville, we let our Costco membership expire and opted for a Sam's Club membership, and immediately fell in love with their "Click N' Pull" service, which allows you to purchase your items on-line (the "click"), and then schedule a day to pick up your "pulled" items. Shopping was a breeze, and we had so much time to browse the fun stuff in the middle of the store. Now that we're in Roseville, we let our Sam's club membership expire and have resumed our Costco membership. We love Costco, but alas, that they don't offer "Click N' Pull"! I miss looking at the socks, dvd's, and garden hoses! They do however offer the best bargain meal in town, as seen above!

The Money Shot!

Most of you know that when we received Owen's ultrasound they declared that the sex of the baby was a girl. Well, we all know how that turned out! This time around, the results are clear as seen from the photo above. This is our son from the bottom up, and yes, that's his...you know.
His pictures are absolutely beautiful, and our kiddies are all excited and have adamant views on what we should name him. Isabella proposes Max, Ava likes Dash, Soldier, & Mantis, while Iris is dead-set on naming him Sabrina! Owen has yet to express his opinion on a name, though he loves to give his new brother kisses, and always ends with a gentle bite! As for Sam & I, we'll continue the tradition of keeping the name under wraps until he's born. To be honest though, we have no ideas yet!

Thank you for all the best wishes!

Ultrasound Results!

We had quite possibly the best ultrasound experience ever! Our technician, Annette, was amazing and she even became teary as she watched our little baby moving around on the monitor. I think my favorite part of the whole experience, is watching Samuel's face. He has the luxury of seeing the screen the entire time, and I love his expressions as he watches what our little one is up too.

We'll enough is enough!

The Elmer Family's 5th child is...

a...

BOY!

We are all thrilled!
With love,
The Sam Elmers

P.S. I'll post photos soon but we left them at my grandma's house!

New Kaiser Women & Children Center

On Saturday, Kaiser held an open house for their new Women and Children Center in Roseville. Among other things, we were able to tour the Labor and Delivery rooms and the Recovery floor. As we walked through the halls I started to cry...and I was so grateful to be able to deliver our baby in such a beautiful building!

The kids were invited to have their face painted, and as we were thumbing through the book I saw this kid whose face was all red to the tune of Spiderman. I tried to turn the page really fast because I did not want that much paint on Ava, but of course she saw it and that's the one the she wanted. The lady was great though, and left Ava's mouth area clean so she could still function for the rest of the activities.

They also had a fun area for the kids to enjoy, with a bounce house, music, healthy snacks, and other entertainment. We had a great time, and enjoyed the beautiful and unseasonably warm weather.

Ava and Jacob LIVE

Well, the kids aren't really "angry" per se, but the passionate way they're belting it out reminds me of a singers angst. This is Ava and her cousin Jacob...letting it ALL hang out.

New Years Brunch

I love New Years Brunch! This year, Sam and I crawled into bed at 4:30 AM from the New Years Eve Party, and family started rolling in for another round at 8:30 AM New Years Day. What I love best about this post-party celebration, is that it's another chance to be with family, but in a more relaxed setting. And who doesn't love relaxing over a nice plate of ham, bacon, egg bake, strawberry crepes, french toast, hash browns, & English muffins!

Owen at the breakfast table.

Yes, this picture is a little dark. But I thought it captured the overall lethargy of the moment. After breakfast, we played some more, talked some more, and then slowly people trickled home. What made this day especially nice was that the Green Beans, Sam's older sister Rachel and her family, were present after being out of town the previous week in Utah. We're so glad they made it home safely.

Samuel's up to bat. You'll see that Owen's close by, and yes, several kids did get cracked in the head! Everyone's fine, but thank goodness for the gel covers on the remotes!

New Years Eve Extravaganza

It's become a beloved tradition for Sam and I to host a New Years Eve Party and New Years Day Brunch every year with Samuel's family and we love it! Actually, I use the term "host" lightly, because it really is a family affair, with everyone helping out.

Around 7 PM aunts & uncles, cousins & grandparents come pouring through the door bearing yummy appetizers and treats to last through the night.

This year, was the year of the Wii, and all ages had a chance to play some really fun games! Most notable was Grandma & Grandpa who boxed several times just before midnight. This is huge, especially considering "Big Gar" usually heads to bed at about 8:30 pm!

Every year we always almost miss the countdown to the New Year. We never keep the T.V. on until those few moments when the ball drops, but when it does the air is littered with party popper streamers.

Here's a photo of Elizabeth, Sam's baby sister, her husband Houston, and their new baby, Veronica-only weeks old. Houston is Owen's favorite, favorite uncle. And Veronica is my most favorite new baby!


And last but not least, the kids party pretty hard right along with the adults. This year they started falling asleep at about 2:30 PM and they just kind of passed out all over. This little guy is Mason, he's the son of Sam's sister Leah, and he took a fancy to our Sleeping Beauty dress and wouldn't take it off. Now this is a photo to keep and share with his future fiance!

Happy New Year everyone!
We love you!

Nerf Guns...2 Grown Men...Need I say more?

This year Santa brought Nerf guns to our home. Was this to the delight of our children? Of course, but I think Sam was even more excited. And when his brother's family came to visit, one thing led to another, and then there was all out war!

Cha-Ching!

Yes, my Ava is missing some teeth now, and it made me a little sad to know that my baby is not so much a baby anymore...at least, she doesn't have as many of her baby teeth. Several weeks ago, when her tooth was getting increasingly loose, Sam tried to convince her that we should pull it out on Christmas Eve so we could get the Toothfairy and Santa to visit on the same night. Ava agreed to let him try, until she realized that "pulling it out" means "pulling it out!"-and she made him stop. We did miss the Christmas Eve deadline, but two days later it popped out, and then several days later another one came out too! Cha-Ching!

Christmas Night Appetizers with the Elmer Clan

Christmas Night we gather with Samuel's family for some wonderful appetizers, more gift-opening, and just plain ol' visiting. Samuel's brother Joe played Santa this year, and soon the living room was a mass of wiggling kids and crunchy wrapping paper.

Here is my mother-in-law, Clista, holding the newest grand-baby, little Veronica Wyllie. We joke that all the babies love to take snooze on Grandma, or the "Serta Perfect Sleeper".

The crowning glory for the night, was when Samuel's mom presented each of the families with blankets featuring our Alma Mater, "The Highlands Highschool Scots"! Go Highlands!