Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Christmas morning: Momma with Joseph the teething reindeer

It's never too early to start collecting educational tools :)

"Santa" and Nora

Nora with her new play kitchen (another "yeah for Craigslist" purchase stocked with old dishes and containers I've been saving for weeks)

Stephen and I agreed it was our best Christmas yet. The day included all the ingredients of a grand holiday: family (though we sorely missed grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, we enjoyed being together as a family without the pressures of school or any other responsibilities), good food made ahead of time (family favorites of both Stephen and Sarah along with some new taste traditions), relaxation, fun gifts (the "magic" of Christmas morning is new again with a toddler) and outdoor activities (with the 60 degree weather we were able to enjoy a walk, frisbee and tag in the park), a movie for the parents (Stardust was great fun) and extra sleep (in bed by 10pm, which never happens for us!) All in all, a fabulous day!

Happy days are here again *cough*

Am I in college? The clock reads 1:30am. I'm editing papers, listening to the likes of Coldplay and Michael Buble through headphones. Can I keep student hours and live mommy days?

Bring out your...

heavy coats. Finally! (Even though I know it won't last, I am excited.)

Christmas Extravaganza

We participated in a great community event yesterday. Complete with a tree lighting, fireworks (one of the best shows I'd ever seen!), a petting zoo, pony rides, hot cocoa, a band (Nora loved "playing" the bells; she kept looking at boy to her left to see what she was supposed to do), balloon art (check out Nora's penguin) and more that we didn't even have a chance to see (like a Santa visit and jumping house). We decided the ACLU and PETA would have had a field day there between the prayers and thanksgiving offered to Jesus Christ (by the Mayor!) and the animals contained in a small area with dozens of squealing kids (my favorite was the boy running after a flock of geese around and around the pin with his arms held out in front of him). We went with the Brownfields who had us over for pizza after the party. How great is that? It was a festive night, and really got me in the mood for Christmas. The last picture is of Nora in front of our Christmas tree (can you tell she's just a little excited?). Sigh. I love Christmas.

Little man's 4-month update

Our cute little man

His coordination gets better every day...he loves the ball ornaments from our Christmas tree

Joseph discovers the fun of peek-a-boo with big sister

He goes for his check-up this week, so I can't update weight and height, but really how interesting is that anyway :) Instead, I can report that he has his first tooth and can roll over from his tummy to his back. The tooth was a real surprise (discovered today). He can be a grumpy little guy, so crankiness didn't tip us off. On his 4-month "birthday" (Friday), we celebrated by giving him a taste of a banana. He loved it! I don't plan to start him on food until closer to 6 months, but I definitely think he'll be ready by then.

Pumpkin heads

There once were two children named Joseph and Nora. A kind lady bestowed a pumpkin hat of her creation upon baby boy to wear for Thanksgiving. Joseph wasn't sure what to think of it, but Nora fell in love with it. Their parents tried to take adorable pictures of them, but Nora was sad. She wanted a pumpkin head, too. So, when her brother was sleeping she stole away with the orange wool creation. She showed her friend, George. He wasn't exactly impressed. However, they were both very captivated when it began to SNOW even though, sadly, it didn't stick. Their chubby baby hands and faces remained glued to the window until they ganged up on Mr. Brownfield to read to them. Eventually, Nora relinquished the hat to her kid brother. He wore the beanie indifferently until he decided he didn't like it slipping over his eyes. He screamed. And that is the end of that.

Snippets

*The recent time change has affected me more than in the past. It's felt so much later at night than it is in reality. Currently it's 8pm, and I'm thinking, "Okay, this day has been long enough. It's dark, has been for a couple hours now, and I want to go to bed."

*I feel a sinus headache coming on -the downside of the cooler weather. Stephen's not feeling so great himself, but that could be because he has a paper due tomorrow and an exam on Tuesday.

*I keep a small stash of sweets to reward Nora when occasion calls for it. The stock now consists of candy corn and Reese's pieces (neither of which I care much for, which works out well for self-control purposes :-P). I've also used it to comfort her when she's had a fall or some other "tragedy". She's gotten smart on me. Today she tried out her best impression of injury and tears and said, "Mom, I need candy corn. I bonked my head, and that would make it feel better." It was a step up from yesterday when she tried to convince me she needed them because she had a tummy ache.

*Christmas is coming, and Nora couldn't be more EXCITED. She daily asks about our Christmas tree (we bought a used 7.5 foot artificial tree a couple weeks ago, and I made the mistake of taking her with me to pick it up while I talked it up because I was pretty excited myself...maybe you can imagine how "In a few weeks..." means absolutely nothing to a 2-year-old). I considered making stockings for the kiddos, but when I found cute ones at Target for $1, I decided that was the way to go this year. It's funny how children make logical mistakes. When we got home, Nora attempted to wear the "stockings," and seemed puzzled by my explanation of their real purpose.

*We're having a potluck Thanksgiving at our place with some friends this year, and I'm making the turkey. We'll see how that goes. Maybe with a good brine and lots of butter under the skin, it will be moist enough. I got some fallish decorations from Michael's today for 70% off and am pleased with how it all came together as a centerpiece for our table. It's great how even little things can go a long way in making the home atmosphere more festive.

*Last week we registered our car in the state of Texas, got our plates, driver's licenses and registered to vote. It's all official now...

*...which leads into my next asterisk about my new driving habits. Here's my new routine: after buckling two children in their car seats, throwing in all the things I try to never leave without, I get in and... buckle my seatbelt and put on my eye glasses. The first, I know you're thinking, "That's a new driving habit???" Shamefully, for the most part, yes. But, God in his grace gave me a wake up call in the form of a ticket for not wearing said restraint. I didn't know you could get pulled over for just that, but like I said, three weeks and counting and it's worked like a charm. It's just painful that it took that...The incident also proved that with children in tow, I will not be able to keep anything from my spouse (not that I want to, but... :-P) The first thing Nora said (or pretty close to it) when Stephen got home that night? "Policeman on motorcycle...momma seatbelt." Granted it was unclear, and I could have feigned ignorance, but those days are numbered. Her vocabulary and ability to communicate increases daily. And the eyeglasses? After wishing I needed glasses up through college, I got my wish the year after I graduated to help with driving, watching movies, working on the computer, etc. I've worn them half-heartedly because I viewed them as dispensable. Not so any longer. My license has been restricted to driving with the glasses. I failed the eye test at the DMV, and thankfully had the glasses in the car to allow me to pass. I am still surprised that my eyesight has changed that much in just three years. Kinda scary...

*Speaking of driving, you know how when you're in a new place you have to get over that hump of finding where everything is?...so last night, we drove around for an hour and a half trying to find a shopping center that was supposed to be only 20 minutes away. The problem was we thought we knew where we were going, and we didn't account for rush hour. So, actually we weren't really driving around, it was more like inching along in circles. Sounds maddening right? It was. We never did find the darned place (though I went back today -with printed directions- and found it in under 20 minutes and had a good long walk with the kiddos there). Instead, we went to Starbucks, used my birthday gift card and actually managed to have a nice time out as a family. I have to brag on my hubby (for whom being lost and wasting fuel are some of life's cruelest torments) because he was able to stay upbeat, which helped me and the kiddos do the same. He really is an awesome leader.

*Joseph has started laughing, and I love it. It really brightens my day whenever I'm able to make him laugh -tickling in just the right spot or surprise noises (boo! with smile, not too loud; yes, already my son is picky about loud noises and a million other things).

*It's been a couple weeks now, but Stephen and I reached the 5 year anniversary of our "thing-ness" (so maybe I'm tired, feeling foggy headed and should have gone to bed at 8pm because that's the word that comes to mind; you know the phrase "we're a thing now"...anyway). We had waffles for breakfast. It's the little things.

So, it's 9pm. My written smattering of happenings is running dry. The time change, you know? It's come full circle now.

Testing...

A walk in the park

Monday musings

Today is a "rainy, cool breezy, wear your comfy clothes with a messy ponytail, drink hot tea, eat candy corn because it now seems like fall and you want to celebrate childhood, watch a movie then ready books under a blanket, jump on the couch or bed" kind of day.

An artsy Stephen shot -"oh, love it" as Nora would say. The pic is of some sunflowers I bought last week. Sunflowers are a fun, friendly, bold flower. I love them, too.

Last week we joined Stephen for lunch at the University of Dallas. It was great to get out of the house and see him during the day. I definitely plan on adding that to my "list of things to do when I start to go stir crazy."

Our little girl is starting to loose her baby look.

This guy is growing into a new look as well; his own look, too, as he doesn't really resemble Nora at all as a baby.

Expired lettuces

So, I was at the grocery store tonight, trying to make a record for how quickly I could get in and out (have I ever mentioned that I DREAD the chore?), when I encountered something that gave me pause. A produce stock person was somberly throwing bags of lettuce and other greens into a cart. It was piled high and from what I could tell, it looked fresh enough. The guy grumpily said as if to himself, "This is what I hate about my job. Thinking about all the people in the world that don't have enough food and how much I throw away each week." I said something sympathetic and continued on with my list. But I continued to think about the incident as I finished shopping. Why don't grocery stores sell the food the day it's expiring rather than throw it out? As a person on a budget, I would appreciate that practice. More importantly, why is there shameful excess in America while so many across the globe live in poverty. I think, what can I DO?

Tales of hair and home

Joseph: proof of the poofy hair
The girls: with their new dos (If Stephen had a hair picture, it would be to show that he's in need of a haircut :-P)

Our thumb sucking boy, oh dear. The pacifer isn't working as a substitute.

Father-son time

That's all, folks.

From here to Chicago and back

...is a great city. My dad's family lives near there and I traveled there last weekend for a cousin's wedding. I have some great memories from time spent there, and had fun adding to those memories. The picture above is me with my lovely sisters before the reception. So, I'm curious, blog visitors, who would you say I look most like? As I said, I was there only a weekend. I flew there with Joseph, who was a good little traveler considering both flights were PACKED. The little guy has already flown twice and he's only two months old, but we'll really be slowing down with the travel now. It occurred to me when I got back that I have nothing planned for the next 3 months -no travel, no visits, no big events. WEIRD. I haven't decided if I'm excited or uneasy about that...or a little of both. And there is always the unforeseen. For the record, we welcome visitors. Hint, hint.

Of course, I hope to make Thanksgiving and Christmas special for our family. So, there's a couple things on the calendar. I've begun to think about traditions and which old ones I want to keep or new ones I hope to create. And I have no lack of unscheduled things to do... including getting a Texas driver's license.

Or maybe I'll just never drive. It is a hassle to load the kids up and so scary to drive around here. But that's not realistic. If I hadn't lived in St. Andrews where not having a car was possible, I wouldn't know how great it is to not have to worry about a vehicle -insurance, repairs, general maintenance, cleaning because someone (I suspect a stupid or malicious kid from the nearby high school) spilled something sticky all over the driver's side door. But I did live car free, and now it is harder to deal with those things.

There is an upside to my car grumblings. It puts other things into perspective. Whenever I am tempted to wish we owned a home, I remind myself how great it is to be a renter. When the faucet won't turn off because a screw came off somewhere inside the handle, you can call the office and they send their competent handy man over to fix the problem. All you have to do is endure the dripping for a night and then maybe let Mr. Handyman borrow your tweezers so that he can recover the loose part and then "voila" problem solved with no nagging to the spouse. It's been really great for our marriage.

Speaking of marriage, Stephen and I are going on a date on Saturday. Seriously, this is newsworthy stuff. It's been a little while and I am sooo excited. More kids= more appreciation for times to get out of the house away from crying, whining, pee, poo and spit-up. (for non-parent readers I apologize that I have given up the fight and given in to talking about bodily functions. it's what parents do.) Believe me, I LOVE my adorable children, but I like to think it's healthy that I am looking forward to getting away from them with the man I love.

Speaking about the kids, they continue to make life fun and interesting. Joseph has been sleeping through the night now for a couple weeks now (yeah!!!) and Nora is potty trained aside from a few accidents here and there. Though it's been a fairly easy process, I don't think there's a room in the apartment that hasn't been christened, and I've gotten really good at cleaning up after her. (or at least I tell myself that to feel better about my house). Nora's imagination is growing by leaps and bounds; today she ranged from Cinderella to Wendy to a bird to an alligator and on from there. Joseph is as sweet as can be. He has hints of personality developing, but it's still a little early to pinpoint exactly. He has a winsome smile and funny poofy hair (hopefully a picture of that soon), that makes me laugh. He can also be a grump, but it's so pathetic and (usually) half-hearted that it mostly just makes me laugh, too.

The daily routine

involves swimming and cooking (among other things). I love that Nora is interested in helping with chores even if it takes me longer...may her excitement never cease. A few years down the road maybe her help will actually be saving me time. For now, I just try to remind myself to have fun with it. She is so funny in how seriously she takes her work. Check out the butter knife she's using to "cut" the peppers. She eventually gave up and just started ripping pieces off. Haha!

The hat club...I can't believe that it's almost October and still in the 90s. It's weird to be seeing fall gourds and pumpkins at the grocery and realize that it is technically fall on the calendar, but still seems like summer to me. Maybe I'll make a pumpkin or apple pie in...January.

Come on back now, ya hear?

FYI: Next week (when I have a bit more time), I'll be making the blog private. We want you to keep visiting and posting comments, so please don't be deterred by the extra step of requesting access! We love our blog friends (besides I'll also have the pleasure of finding out those of you who visit but never comment...which is what I do 99% of the time with others, so that's not a criticism :0)

Milestones

A big day for these bath times buddies. "Joefish" (Nora's rendition) turned eight weeks and Nora...
...bought big girl panties because she went all day -the first day of potty training -with only 1 accident! I can't believe how little I did. She seems to have just decided that she's ready. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Now for the random pictures.

I'm not sure if this is normal or not, but when he's mad, Joseph scoots -far. I can't put him on our bed without making sure pillows are snug around him. In the picture above, he protested tummy time for about 15 minutes before stopping -seemingly exhausted -several feet from where I put him. I wonder if that is any indication he might be an early crawler?

And last, but not least, the adorable pouty face. If he's trying to make me feel sorry for him, it doesn't work. I just crack up every time. Poor guy.

Tuesdays are my Mondays

...for this semester anyhow. Stephen has class ALL day. His carpool departure is 7AM; his evening class ends at 9:45PM. Thankfully, he's able to come home for an hour at supper time. Still, a long day for both of us. So, as I wait for him to come home, too tired to do anything else, I added links to my blog. I've been wanting to do that for a while. It wasn't the priority on my to-do list. Far from it, but I didn't have the energy for my to-do list tonight. Maybe tomorrow. We'll see.

In other news, Joseph had a doctor's appointment today and he weighs 11 pounds. He's outgrowing his newbie baby clothes, so I had confidence he was gaining weight just fine.

Nora LOVES swimming in the pool. Each group of apartment buildings in the complex (we live in the French style buildings) has a shared pool and laundry facilities (yes, I cart my dirty laundry, my quarters, my detergents and softener and two kiddos to do laundry -I'm beginning to think maybe I'll do alright without a gym membership, sanity aside). The pool is almost always empty, so it's like having our own pool. Yesterday, the pool man kicked us out so he could clean it, but we weren't bothered. We just went and had a picnic on the lawn...in 90 degree heat. Okay, so maybe we were miffed. But it didn't take too long and we were back again cooling off. Thankfully, the pool area is surrounded by trees, so there is lots of shade for the kiddos. On a side note, it's more green here than I had expected. We have a number of old, lovely trees around our building. Well, Stephen is home now. So, that's all there is for now.

In my khaki pants...

And today

Momma with her 6 week old boy

Our little girl -painted and pigtailed

Brother and sister

The second-born's fate

Two weeks old with my brother, Nathan

Three weeks old being fed by sister

Five weeks old with a smile that melts our hearts

Five weeks old just one of the bears

It's true. I wanted to believe it wouldn't happen, but it has. Joseph will have less pictures in his baby album than his sister. Here are a few from the slim pickins of the past weeks. There is no proof of week four (moving week) whatsoever. A tragedy. No doubt he will be scarred for life.