Bed Rest and Three Kids

Gavin in is his soccer uniform

Sea World

Payton's 2nd B-day

Payton thought it would be fun to play with mascara until she got caught

Such a long time since I have sent out an update. We have been very busy since the New Year. Avery and Gavin have been playing soccer. Gavin got to sneak in a league that he wasn't old enough for, he ended up doing really well and scored three goals in one game. Avery LOVES soccer and is turning out to be quite the little player. Avery turned six and Payton turned two. We went to Sea World for their Birthdays and had a great time.

For those of you that don't know, we expecting our 4th child in May. I ended up in the hospital for 11 days and now I am home on bed rest. We are praying he/she will stay where they belong for at least a coupe more weeks. We are getting excited to be a normal family of six, where mommy can get back to doing all her mommy jobs.

Enjoying Summer

The Firefighters Olympics were held in Newport Beach so we tagged along with the Kents. They had face painting and all the kids got to learn how to use a real firefighter hose.

We went to the San Diego Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa. The kids LOVED the animals!

Avery's gymnastic performance.

Lots of swimming and hanging out together

It has been a Long time

Had to put this picture in-All these girls in our family-Poor Gavin

I guess I have been a little busy. The kids are keeping me very busy and Dan is two months into the police academy. So here is the short version of the last SEVERAL months...

In November Gavin turned 3 and he is ALL boy. He still plays every sport in our house and in the backyard all day. He is usually in full uniform for whatever sport he is playing and one time I caught him golfing in a full football uniform (helmet too). Too bad I did not get the camera in time.

In January Avery turned 5 and Payton turned 1. I cannot believe that Payton is already a year old, what a whirlwind. Payton has a very fun personality and loves to laugh. She loves keeping up with Avery and Gavin and she has the bumps and bruises to show she is giving it all her effort. She is talking a lot and loves baby dolls. Avery is five, she just finished up her pre-K program and LOVED school. She is busy trying to be a sponge, soaking up any and all information we give her. She has a great memory which helping me out since mine seems to be going. Avery played Spring soccer and got the hang of it. She learned how to be more aggressive, score a couple goals, and even learned how to defend the goal during her last game. She also loves gymnastics and has learned how to do a pretty good cartwheel and she also learned how to ride her bike with NO training wheels. One thing she said to me after she had practiced her cartwheel over and over again was, "So if I just practice over and over again, eventually I will get it." I told her yes, and she said, "I can do that."

Dan is in the police academy as an employee of the Port of San Diego. He will be a Harbor Police Officer where he will get to be on a boat, patrol the airport, and even put out boat fires. He is in the academy till Oct. 6th, so it is still a long haul.

I hope all of our friends and family are well, if you are coming to So. Cal anytime give us a call (we are here year round-what a difference a year makes). God has been AMAZING to us and has BLESSED in so many ways!

Payton 9 months

Here are some pictures of Payton that Tammy took. She is 9 months old today. I can not believe how fast she has grown.

The road not traveled/ Life without baseball

Sorry I have not posted in a long time. We have been busy with the three kids and moving back to San Clemente from San Diego. In July, Dan went on the disabled list with pain in his shoulder. He was pitching great so we were very disappointed that he was pitching in pain. We later found out in August that he had two tears in his labrum. Surgery was an option but there are no guarantees that Dan will be able to pitch well after surgery and at least a 12 month recovery period. So Dan made the hard decision to retire from professional baseball. So begins the road we have not traveled since Dan's brief six month break from baseball in 2005. He is actively looking for a job, while I am trying to pick up tutoring jobs. This is obviously a hard time to be looking for a job so we would appreciate your prayers. We know God has a plan for our family and we are trying to be patient in waiting for this plan to be reviled.

The kids are doing great. We are back full force into our home routine. Avery is in gymnastics one day a week. She attends Awanas at our church and loves memorizing verses. She also started soccer last weekend. She LOVES it but is still trying to understand why people take the ball from her and do not share. It is hard to explain to your child, who you have been teaching to share, to now take the ball from other kids.
Gavin is the kid that plays sports on the side. During gymnastics he jumps around and waves to Avery from the viewing window. When we go to soccer, he brings his ball, wears his cleats, and plays on the sidelines. We are waiting till he is 3 years old so he can be in some type of sport. He is dying to get in there and do ANYTHING Avery is doing. He is also too young for Awana, but he has memorized all of Avery's verses. He is a very fun and sweet boy.

Payton is almost nine months old. She has four teeth and is crawling everywhere. She seems like she will have a laid back personality, but we will see as she gets older. I am so sad that our baby is so big. I am trying to take in every moment I have with her as a baby because it seems like it goes so much faster with the third.

Eating food-Payton is so messy!

First Day of Soccer- A little nervous!

6 months old...

I can not believe that our baby girl is going to be 6 months old on Sunday! Time sure goes by at a rapid pace! Payton is getting so big, she is sitting up by herself and loves holding baby dolls and soft baseballs. She is very curious, she is always watching what we are doing and will even lean closer to get a better view. We have been in Sacramento with Dan for almost a month. The kids and I visited the Jelly Belly Factory with some of the other wives and kids while Dan was on a road trip. The big kids LOVE going to the games. Gavin has learned a lot of the players' names and even pretends to be be them when he is playing baseball. He loves singing Take Me Out To The Ball Game. Avery is constantly asking questions and remembers everything we say. Just recently while we were shopping she asked if a cereal was on "Recall." Two weeks ago we had to check our cereal because Kellogg's had recalled a couple of our cereals. Avery is also swimming all by herself and she is very proud that she can touch the bottom of the pool at our apartment complex. I love being a mom of three! I get tons of crazy looks as I walk into ballgames with the kids by myself. I have even been asked, "Isn't your husband coming?" and I have politely said, "No he's not."

At Dan's Game

Jelly Belly Factory

Gavin's Game Face

Watching Daddy

Passed out in the Exosaucer

4th of July in Reno-Fireworks on the Field with Daddy, so FUN!!!

Payton's First Pool Time

Payton had her first dip in the pool this weekend! She loved it!!!

Giese Family on the Go...

Sorry I haven't been able to add pictures to our blog. Dan has had the computer that we put the pictures on so I have had to wait to come back to Arizona to download them (last time I forgot the right cord). Dan is still rehabbing in Arizona but we think he might be leaving soon, maybe to Sacramento!/? The kids have been really busy, which keeps me extra busy. Payton is almost 5 months and she is getting to be a little character. She loves to smile and laugh! Avery can always get her to laugh and Payton watches her every move. We continue to remind Avery how she is going to have to be a good role model for her little sister. Avery continues to be our imaginative child. She can play forever with her dolls making up scenarios of what they are doing. She also likes to play waitress where she loves to take orders and claims that she is out of almost any food you want and that all the food she does have is served with chocolate on top! Avery is taking a break from gymnastics this summer since we are chasing Dan around. She is excited to start soccer in the fall! Gavin is my active boy!!!! He always has a ball, club, or bat in hand! He wants to be just like his daddy! He told me yesterday, "Ouch, my elbow hurts!" I asked him what happened, and he said, "My elbow hurts just like daddy's." He is now imitating big league batters and pitchers that he sees on TV. He still says his favorite sports are golf and football.

Writing all over their faces with chalk