Monday, March 29, 2010

Bishop


Aron graciously took on full-childcare the weekend before last so I could go to Bishop, CA to help my sister with her newborn, Stella. It was absolutely gorgeous, as seen from my car window here. I LOVED being able to have 2 days alone, away from life as a full-time mom. I don't think I realized how much of a break I had needed. I do take time each Saturday morning to get away, to refresh, and Aron and I get almost-weekly date nights, but there is something about being able to just be "me" for hours and days on end--not having to entertain kids on the car ride, or make sure they were fed, or dressed for bedtime. Of course, I love my kids, but I'm just saying the break was so incredibly refreshing. I was able to cook some for my sister, hang out with Jacob, and hold/change/play with Stella. And Shan and I were able to connect quite a bit, which was cool. I wasn't sure if she'd be super tired and want to nap a ton, etc. But, Stella is a super easy baby, overall, so Shan and I were able to leave her at home on a few occasions and grab coffee, run some errands, and get pedicures. Heavenly! Many thanks to Steve, too, for pulling childcare duty so we could get out and have some sister time. I hope to come back soon!

Beach play (and picnic!)

Today was AMAZINGLY gorgeous outside and I decided to head to Baby Beach for a picnic lunch. I didn't put the kids in their swimsuits as I figured the water was too cold to play in. I figured they'd wade around some, but not go in. I was wrong. Curren was ecstatic about the water and finally fell in, soaking wet, then proceeded to corn dog himself as he dug holes, sat in the sand, and ran (and fell) up and down the beach. Maggie could have kept digging holes for hours.



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

new cookbook

Because I love Trader Joe's and cooking (most of the time), I had to purchase this cookbook at the rec of my friend Casey. Just a few that are already catching my eye:

*Maui Beef on Coconut Rice with Macadamia Nuts and Basil
*Flat Tire Flammade
*Bourbon Balsamic Beef
*One-Pot Pesto Pasta, Potatoes, and Green Beans (with goat cheese)
*Sassy Peach Sweet Potatoes
*Silky, Sinful Chocolate Tart
*Almond-Agave Baby Cakes

Saturday, March 6, 2010

19 weeks preggo

Granted, you can't totally see my (big!) belly, but it's what I have for now.

Friday, March 5, 2010

maggie





Maggie is a simply wonderful, amazing 3-year-old little girl. She is full of excitement when she begins each day and usually, when we walk in her room, instantly gives Curren her blanket and asks for me to do "silly voices." Aron and I are pretty good at pretending to be a host of TV/book characters. Her favorites are usually Mater/Lightening McQueen/Sally/Flo/Ramon, Tinkerbell/Rosetta, Nemo/Dory, Woody/Jessie, and characters from "Little Einstens," Leo/June/Annie/Quincy. She LOVES to have conversations with them. It's hysterical, although some days I do have to "find joy" in doing these voices for her--it gets tiring! She loves to cook with me in the kitchen, play with Curren and make him laugh, do puzzles, read books, go on walks, and is learning to kick the soccer ball. Since a young age, she has been a sensitive girl (wonder where she gets that from?!), especially when others around her are hurting. And she still wants to be *everyones* friend when we go to the park or indoor play-area at the mall, and will walk up to kids and introduce herself and ask them to play. Daily, she spontaneously gives us generous hugs and says, "I love you!" She still dislikes cheese and tortillas, which I consider to be a crying shame as these should be a part of every child's diet. She is focused, passionate, playful, and creative.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

curren





Curren, at almost-14 months old, is a ball of energy and motion. He climbs all things, explores all things, and drags all things around the house. He loves his green blanket--he's very much a little Linus when it comes to the affection he shows it. He has a fantastic high-pitched squeal and laugh that only Maggie can illicit. He has about 8-10 words in his vocabulary, but TONS of sounds and animated baby language when he wants to communicate with us; very different than Maggie, who at 13-months was already speaking several short phrases. The differences between boys and girls is really quite fascinating to me. Curren can point his ears and head when asked, say something close to "meow" when asked what a cat says, loves to backup and sit on your lap when you are reading him a book, and can now climb OUT of the tub if you aren't watching. And let me tell you, this little boy loveslovesloves music, just like his sister...it runs in the family, I guess. He *instantly* starts to dance whenever he hears it and if he can't see the Itunes screen on the computer when a song is playing, he gets pretty upset and let's us know. He now runs everywhere and has recently discovered a new favorite food--hummus!

*All pics, minus the throwing-in-the-air one, are courtesy of Aron, who is, by far, the better photographer in our family. I LOVE the first shot of Curren's smiling face. It's so hard to get him to stand still and smile! :)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

"our new baby"--my first transition book!




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I first learned about the idea of writing "transition books" for your kiddos at a mothering group I was a part of late last year. The mom who shared with our group showed us one she'd written when she and her husband had gone to Paris on a trip without their children. She had written a simple story about how much they loved and how much fun they would have when mom and dad were gone, where mom and dad were going, and that they'd be home soon. It had pictures and was such a sweet story. She said her oldest, age 3 at the time, was totally enthralled with it. He carried it everywhere he went when his parents were gone, wanted his grandparents to read it to him multiple times a day, and even wanted to share the story with grocery clerks and random people in stores.

I LOVE LOVE the idea of such books. Think of the all the transitions or changes that occur in a young child's life--potty training, daddy/mommy out of town on business often, staying in teh church nursery alone, moving to a new city/church/school/house, friends moving away, getting a new sibling, moving into a "big boy/big girl" bed, the list goes on and on.

I wanted to make one announcing the gender of the baby to Mags and Curren, so I got to work. It took me a little over an hour to put the entire book together--no time at all! I sat down and quickly scribbled out a story, listing each page and what I wanted to say. Then, I referenced the story and browsed my picture files for pictures that fit what I wanted to communicate and ordered them online. And in the case of this book, I had Aron take specific shots of me and the kids (me holding up "5" fingers," a belly shot [which actually belongs on the empty page you see, it ended up not fitting in the book, so I need to retake it], some close ups of Maggie and Curren's sweet face, etc). I used my cutting board to cut the pics to fit, adhered them to the pages with photo splits, and lastly, wrote in my copy. It really WAS that easy and Maggie loveslovesloves the book! She asked to read it over and over when we first brought it out yesterday and after her nap, went to find it saying, "I want to see the pictures of my sister!" How great is that?!

Transition books help kids to tell "their story" of a current big event in their lives, even though they are unable to communicate as effectively and articulately as an adult. And ultimately children LOVE to see themselves in pictures and in words in a story.

I ordered my blank board books from an Etsy seller I highly recommend (she is actually located in Richardson, TX for all my Dallas friends!). She has the lowest price I've seen and outstanding quality and service. I ordered 5 blank board books late last year to have on hand. Alas, she is currently overhauling her shop, The Bookie, so I suggest ordering from: http://www.blankslatebooks.com/

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

and the sonogram says...


...we found out today that we will be adding another GIRL to the family!!