Jan. 11th-Welcome Payton Faith Giese

On Jan. 11th I was induced at 7am. I was very happy to been done being pregnant. Though the day did not unfold like I would have liked (like an epidural that only worked on one side, a baby's heart beat that was not staying consistent, and an emergency C-section) we did end up with a healthy baby girl. Payton weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. Payton is doing great and I am slowly recovering. Avery and Gavin are great with her and Avery is the best helper. We are so excited she is finally here and our family feels complete.

Avery's B-day/ Due Date-No Baby

Avery turned 4 on Jan. 7th, which was also my due date. I was very happy the baby was not born on this day. We had a fun family day with Avery. We took her to I-Hop for breakfast and she had chocolate chip pancakes then we were off to the park for a couple hours. Avery made her own Birthday cake. She thought it was a great day and told me that even though she was 4 she would still be my daughter.

Christmas-Things You can ride on

Christmas was a blast with the kids. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house which was a lot of fun because all the grandkids can run around now. We had 5 kids under the age of 4 running through the house. Christmas morning we were at our house and we enjoyed some fun family time and spent the morning outside riding bikes, scooters, and coasters. Christmas afternoon we were off to Dan's parents' house. We enjoyed an awesome Christmas dinner and the kids got to ride their new John Deere truck. I think we will be spending a lot of time outside this year riding on all the new toys.

Flower Girl

Thanksgiving weekend Avery was a flower girl in my cousin Jeremy's wedding in San Diego. Avery and Kiana did a great job making it down the aisle and loved being dressed up with their hair done. She looked very grown up!

Visiting Uncle Brandon at the Fire Station

I have not posted in a while and I have a lot to catch up on. In Nov. we visited Uncle Brandon at his fire station. We think Gavin may have found his career. He had so much fun we had to pull him out of the truck kicking and screaming.

Gavin Turns 2!

I know I have been a bad blogger. Our family has been sick since Oct. 13th. We have not had everybody well in over a month. We are still fighting colds and coughs. We have been busy settling into our new area here in San Clemente. We are very involved with our church (Compass Bible). The kids love going and whenever Gavin pretends to drive a car he tells me he is going to church. Avery is still in gymnastics. She goes on Monday and everyday she gets up and asks if it is Monday.
My camera has not been working very well, when I can figure it out I will take pictures of Avery at the gym and of our house. I also will have to post Halloween pictures when I can get them from my sister.
Gavin turned 2 on Nov. 2nd and we can't believe how big he is getting. He is talking in complete sentences and wants to keep up with his very verbal sister. Gavin completely adores Avery and wants to do EVERYTHING she does. Though Avery knows her physical limitations, Gavin thinks he can climb and jump off of anything. He gives his Mommy a heart attack a lot of the time.
Baby number three is due in about 7 weeks and I am ready to have this baby. Being big and chasing a very active two year old definitely has its challenges. I am not as fast as I am without the belly. Avery is very enamored with my belly. She talks to her sister all the time and wants to feel the baby move. We do not have a name for this little one but Avery calls her "sis".
Dan's rehab continues to go well, so we will see what God has in store for us next season!
We hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving! We are thanking God for all the blessings we have in our lives.
Love,
The Giese Family

Here are some pictures of the pumpkin patch, Gavin's Birthday, and just hanging out with the kids!

We have finally moved in.......

It has been a busy month for the Giese Family. We finished painting our house and moved in and we were very fortunate to sell our town home in Oceanside. We are slowly getting organized and trying to find a place for everything. We have been very lucky to have Dan's parents around the corner to help watch the kids so we can get more done or have a little break. The kids love the new house and love playing in the backyard. It has been nice to be closer to a lot of friends that I know from working at Stoneybrooke and many of Dan's high school friends live in the area.

We found out we are having a little girl and Avery's comment was, "See mom I told you." She has proceeded to remind me what I need to do to prepare for the new baby. One of the things she keeps telling me is that we really need to go to Target and get her some bottles and diapers. She has also told me she will share all her toys with her new sister, though we are still working on sharing with Gavin. Avery started gymnastics today and loves it!!!! She has mastered a somersault and I was very surprised to see her walking backwards on the balance beam. As for Gavin he is all boy and continues to play hard everyday. He is not sure about the baby thing. When we ask him where the baby is sometimes he points at my stomach and sometimes he points at his own.

Dan's rehab is going well. We both have been busy with house projects. It has been a blessing for us to spend this much time together as a family and we definitely are thanking the Lord for this amazing family time!!!

Here are some pictures of the kids at a friend's b-day party, the beach, Avery's 1st trip to the tide pools, and her 1st day of gymnastics.

Avery's first day of gymnastics with her friend Taylor.

Avery's trip to the tide pools-She was a great explorer and she was willing to touch some of the animals.

Hanging out at T-Street

Avery's friend Bella's B-day Party

Bella, Kiana, and Avery