I'm Beat

We are all finally back home, to an almost completely repaired house. John and Jacob came home on Monday, so repairs could continue, and I drove home yesterday, through the rain, with Aaron. Just today, the men finished hanging the new drywall, mudding and taping, and plastering. They will paint on Saturday.

We had a great Christmas at Nana and Papa's house. We have pictures, but I just haven't seemed to get my bearings yet, after being gone for 12 days, and then coming home to more construction, along with all the sorting of Christmas toys and stuff.

2009 was a big year for us. A wet year. We had four different water-intrusion issues this year, plus our big move. But most important, we have Aaron. And we are thankful. We are thankful for our healthy, beautiful children, a newly-repaired roof over our head (and insurance to cover the damage), a fantastic job for John, and loving and supportive extended family.

We are looking forward to 2010, but we're hoping that it's a little drier (inside our house, outside is fine), and a whole lot less construction. We have a very busy month in February, and some other trips planned. It should be fun.

Happy New Year, everyone!

First Library Trip

My mom and I took the boys to the library for the first time yesterday. (I know, bad Mama. At least I finally did it, right?) We were in need of a change of scenery, but also wanted a place where Aaron can move around, and the library was a perfect spot.



The Paso Robles Public Library is a great library with a bright, clean area for the children. They even have puzzles and assorted building toys (blocks, lincoln logs, etc.)



And, the ever popular fish tank, with stools, so children can get up close and watch:



I read both the boys some stories, Jacob asked the library volunteer to help us find some dinosaur books, and we even checked out two books to take home.





Yes, I will have to do this more often. Maybe even attempt story time.

The Annual Santa Visit

This time, we visited Santa in Paso, which means the pictures were free! Hooray! No Orange County mall prices (or lines).



I love how Aaron is looking at Santa just like Jacob did in this picture, and Jacob was much more willing to sit on Santa's lap, unlike last year.

Taking a Little Time...

(Aaron's first swing ride!)

... to relax, play, and have fun during the holiday crazies!

Change of Plans

The boys and I are headed out tomorrow, off to Nana and Papa's house for Christmas. They were supposed to come here, but since our walls will be ripped out tomorrow, and there will be a containment area (for the mold and asbestos removal, making it difficult to climb our stairs), we decided to go there instead. John will join us on either Wednesday or Thursday.

But, I thought I would leave you all with one question before we go.

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What do you do with stockings?

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Why, you wear them, of course!

Christmas House Tour

(Very, very long post! *grin*)

Christmas is my favorite time of year. The sights, the sounds, the smells; it truly is a season for the senses.

And every year, as I'm listening to my vast quantity of Christmas music, a song speaks to me. Stops me in my tracks. Causes me to pause amidst the crazy hustle-bustle of the month's never-ending to-do list. (This year, the song was Mary, Did You Know. I think it's this song about every other year.) And I think about the absolute, incredible miracle that occurred 2,000 years ago. For God loved us so much, that He sent His Son, as a little baby, to save us (John 3:16, Isaiah 9:6)! God incarnate! How amazing is that!

I want my children to experience this same awe and wonder. John and I have started some traditions and have special decorations to help celebrate this most miraculous birthday. Plus, some things are just for fun.



So, come on in, and see how we celebrate our Savior's birth. (And we'll just avoid the part of the house that has leaky roofs, and soggy, moldy, asbestos-filled walls, okay? Remember, from this post?)

Our first stop is here at the advent wreath.



I think that the church season of Advent is important for children. It's an important time as we prepare our minds and hearts for celebrating His birth, and encourages patience. Of course, if you remember from last year, Jacob ties the advent wreath into birthdays.

My mother also made this beautiful Christmas Countdown Calendar, which Jacob looks forward to every day in searching for his "treat."



The Christmas tree is also an important part of our Christmas tradition.



Yes, we do use an artificial tree. For me, it's a matter of safety more than anything, but to each their own, right? Anyway, ever since children, the tree has made me laugh, because I still put my breakable keepsakes up top out of reach. Then there is a line with no ornaments, and the bottom foot or so has fabric ornaments that the boys can't destroy. This year, Jacob also decided to decorate the tree with some coasters from India.

If you notice, there are no presents under our tree. This is because I do not want that to be the focus during the advent season. Presents do not arrive until Christmas eve. What you will find under our tree is the very cool Fisher Price nativity set. Jacob loves to set up the characters, and Aaron loves to chew on them. Perfect.



You will also find lots of other nativity sets around our home.



These are just a few. If you notice, one has Santa kneeling in front of the manger. We do have Santa in our house, but focus on how Santa only wants to bring glory to Jesus. And of course, you can't have Santa without stockings!



My mother made these for us. Aren't they beautiful? She's amazing. If you notice, there are stockings for all four of us. We exchange gifts amongst all of us, and not just for the kids. It's important in our house that the children understand that it isn't all about them, and to give gifts to others, including Mama and Daddy.

One of our gifts this year is the gift of cookies, so i've been busy.



This is just a small sample. I love to bake, and love to include my children. We will also be making cupcakes on Christmas eve. Since Christmas is a birthday celebration, we make birthday cupcakes, and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Jacob and I also made this (with a little help from Daddy), just for fun.



And, our house is never complete without a vast quantity of books.



This is only some of our children's Christmas books. Most are about the nativity story, but some are just for fun.

And finally, this is the beginnings of our Christmas card door. For we love to hear from all of you, too.



As I head out the door, I pause, and say a prayer for each of the people represented in those cards. For you are all such blessings in our lives!

May you find special and meaningful ways to celebrate our Savior with your family. Merry Christmas!

Some Belated Thanksgiving Photos

On a walk with Grandma and Grandpa, one chilly afternoon.



Aaron was all bundled up.



Jacob and Grandma head down the slide. (Just looking at John in short sleeves is making me cold!)



Must... try... to... touch... that... big.. furry... thing!



Aaron was having a great time with his beautiful second cousins, G and E.

Aaron crawling

What a weekend!

With the heavy rain on Saturday, we discovered that our new house--even with its brand new roof--is not, as hoped, impervious to water. Apparently the roof does not slope correctly in one place, so water can pool up and eventually penetrate into the walls. Long story short, we had a big roof leak; lots of drywall is soaked, and we currently have three dehumidifiers in the house running 24/7. Moreover, because it's probably been leaking in the wall ever since the new roof was put up (or even earlier), there's mold. Pfft. All the trouble and expense of moving, and it's just like the old house. Fortunately, our homeowners insurance sent out emergency crews within a few hours, put a tarp on our roof, and set up the aforementioned dehumidifiers. Still, I'm a little worried that Jacob is going to grow up thinking that it's normal to tear out drywall and call out a construction crew every time it rains.

Fortunately, we managed to make up for lost time on Sunday and get a bunch of Christmas-related chores done. So if all goes according to plan, our friends and relatives will be receiving their Christmas cards before the new year. And even better, Grandma and Grandpa were in town for work, so they got to swing by this evening and play with the grandkids. Fun!

This evening, Aaron figured out a new trick—actual crawling. Up until now he's been an expert at "Army crawling," where you drag your body along the ground as you move. Now, it's the real deal:

(Geek note: I love my new phone. It's so easy to take video now. The camcorder was okay, but it was never handy when I needed it, the process of transferring video from the camcorder to computer was slow, and the video files were gigantic. With the phone, it's always in my pocket, it's three clicks to start recording, and the files are reasonably-sized and transfer from the phone to the computer in just a second or two. Apple products are amazing.)

Leafblower

The family is in Paso Robles for the weekend, and Papa decided it was time to do some leafblowing. Naturally, Jacob had to help:

It Makes A Noise

Last night, the family was staying and Grandma and Grandpa's house, and we needed to wake up early to drive back home. Aaron was acting cranky and so I decided to sleep in Jacob's room since I wanted to be well-rested for the drive. So I snuck into Jacob's room and managed to get into bed without waking Jacob up, but shortly afterward Jacob woke up crying. I climbed down and asked him, "what's the matter?"

Jacob told me, "it makes a noise."

I figured he was having a bad dream or something, so I calmed him down and told him the noise was all gone, and he went back to sleep. Then I went back to bed. Right as I was about to drift off, Jacob started fussing again. "It makes a noise again! Daddy, it makes a noise again."

After going and comforting him a second time, I realized what the noise really was. It was me, snoring.

I tried sleeping in a different position and we made it through the rest of the night without incident.

I told Mandi this story and she asked Jacob what the noise sounded like; he did an absolutely hilarious impression of snoring.

Babywearing Mama Wearing Baby

Babywearing is one of my most favorite parts of parenting a baby. To be able to wear my baby close to me, to have him happy and content as he watches me go about my tasks is a special and intimate bonding experience between mama and child. I've acquired several babywearing apparatuses (and will happily admit that I'd like to try a few more). Each one is good for different situations.

The Moby Wrap was my second purchase, and continues to be my favorite. It's great if I want Aaron to sleep while I am out and about, or if I know I need to wear him for long stretches of time.



I know we have posted this picture before, but I started Aaron in the Moby Wrap when he was just three or four days old.



The Maya Wrap (or ring sling) was recommended by a mama friend and is perfect when Aaron just wants to be held. It's quick and easy to put on.



My newest contraption, the Kokopax (lightweight frame backpack), has been very handy with meal prep. This isn't a great picture, quality-wise, but you can see Aaron loves being near Mama.



John has also worn the Kokopax, and finds it easy and comfortable. Apparently, Aaron finds it comfortable as well, because last week while I was cooking dinner, I realized that he was fast asleep on my back (sorry, I'm still learning about the flash on my camera):



I love wearing my baby! I wear Aaron often, and will probably wear our next child even more. I didn't wear Jacob all that much, mostly because all I had with him was the very uncomfortable Baby Björn. In fact, I don't think I have any pictures with either of the boys in the Baby Björn (and if I did, I'm too lazy to scroll through photo archives to find them *grin*).

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

We had a great day and pray that you have had the same! Aaron ate a bunch, and Jacob ate cereal with milk (not traditional Thanksgiving fare, but he was happy). More pictures from the last week or so will be coming soon, but for now, I've got to get to bed. Black Friday is only hours away...

It's (Almost) Always a Gorgeous Day

So let's go outside to play!

(Happy Eight Months Birthday, Aaron! You pulled up to stand today!)

The Hills are Alive...

... with the sound of music!



Okay, so maybe not the hills.

But our house is.

Which has lots of levels. So, I guess our house is like hills.

Maybe.

Okay, well, anyway.

Jacob is busy with music class and playing instruments and singing songs and reading books about music. If he's not gardening (leaf-blowing, lawn-mowing, weed-wacking, and the like), then he's usually creating music of some sort. And of course, Aaron loves to play with anything Jacob is playing with.

Goodbye Crib!

Jacob has recently transitioned to his "big boy bed!" He was very excited to switch, and has so far been very cooperative in the transition. We explained to him that he gets a happy face on his chart if he stays in bed all night (or all throughout naptime), and so far he's done a perfect job.

For the first few days, we did have a problem where he'd lose his snuggle-toy because it'd fall off the front of the bed onto the floor, and he couldn't reach it, so he'd cry until we retrieved it for him. We've since rearranged his room so there's no longer a gap between the head of his bed and the wall, which solved the problem (and the layout makes more sense in general now that there's one fewer piece of furniture in the room).

We're leaving the crib disassembled for a few weeks, to make for a smoother transition. Eventually, once Aaron is no longer sleeping in our room, we'll put the crib back together again in Aaron's rom.

Happy Halloween '09!

Here they are:



For those of you who can't figure them out, they are Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat!



I didn't get a good picture of Jacob, because he was a tad bit grumpy from having been woken up early from his nap. We'll try to get more tomorrow.

isn't this little man the cutest thing?



And another one, just because I can't resist.



Happy Halloween, everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Bad Nights

This was just last night, which wasn't as bad as the previous several nights.

5- The number of times I got out of bed
2- The number of times I fed Aaron
1- The number of times I went to help a crying, sick Jacob
1- The number of times John went to help a crying, sick Jacob
4- The number of times Aaron woke up
3- The number of days Aaron has woken up earlier than normal (getting earlier every day)
4- The number of days until time changes, which means Aaron will be getting up even earlier
23- The number of minutes I lay in bed with Aaron this morning, hoping and praying that he would go back to sleep, before John gave up and got up with him.
142- The longest stretch of sleep I got last night, in minutes.

We really need both kids (and Mama and Daddy, too) to not be sick by Friday. We have a really busy weekend and don't want to miss out. Their costumes are really cute and it would be a shame to not use them.

Tanaka Farms

This morning we went with Jacob's preschool to Tanaka Farms. Tanaka Farms is a u-pick farm right in the middle of Irvine, which is great for all these suburban city kids who have no real exposure to farms and how foods really grow. Jacob was very excited to go the the "Pumpkin Farm" but really wanted to see some cows, pigs, and horses. Sorry kiddo. This wasn't an animal farm. But he still had a great time, and is currently taking a nice, big nap.

*Since there are so many pictures, I posted them in an album this time. To see all the pictures, click on the picture below, which will take you to the whole album.

Tanaka Farms

The Big Kahuna; Including Crawling AND Teeth

This post should really be like 4 or 5. Oh, well. Here goes. It's LONG...



Nana and Papa came to visit for several days last weekend. We finally got to show them "the new house" as Jacob still calls it. Of course, we put Papa to work almost immediately with a number of "fix-it, please" items, which he totally rocked on. Everything from building a gate, building a canopy, building and installing shelves, hanging lattice, and many other things. Jacob, of course, wanted to help with everything, so Nana and I were busy coming up with things to keep Jacob out of the way as much as possible. Jacob got to learn how to use the apple peeler-corer-slicer to help Nana make pie, and play in his freshly filled sandbox.





Aaron has had the biggest changes in the last couple of weeks. Not only did he start crawling 2 weeks ago (yes, at only 6.5 months, he began army crawling), but then 4 days later, he began popping out teeth. In 7 days' time, he cut his first 4 teeth! Of course, of the many pictures, there is not a single one of his little teeth, yet, but we'll get one soon. He is getting pretty adventuresome already as he discovers his new world, and so John has been working like crazy to get the gates installed. We finally got the last one up tonight.





Nana and Papa left on Monday, and then Grandma and Grandpa stopped by to visit this morning. Aaron got a new hat:





So did Jacob. But I don't have any pictures of Jacob with his hat.

Jacob and Grandpa (and Daddy, too) played a little pinball on the playstation and Jacob and Grandma drew some pictures.





During the past week, Jacob also decided he wanted to learn how ice was made.



Jacob really wants to help feed Aaron. We let him help with water.



And he wants you to know that watching tv is always better with a dustpan and brush set.



And of course, one more picture of Aaron, because he's so darn cute!