Everyday Fun

The newest thing in our house these days is the appearance of Caleb's first tooth, finally! Boy was that a long, drawn out process. So it's working it's way out and I think the second one is about to break through soon too. 

Caleb has also become a very fast crawler. His favorite things to go for are Tucker's food and water dishes, and the backyard if the slider is open. Once he's outside, he finds either the dog's water bowl out there or some dirt. 

Hannah's in the middle of a 6-week soccer class and loves it. She is a fast runner so I think soccer is a good fit for her, as much as I would love to live vicariously and put her in dance. 

 I walked upstairs the other night to find this:

 I think I foiled a jail break

My silly girl and her big, beautiful eyes (and loose tooth, she's very excited for it to fall out soon)

Eating his first aebelskiever

A trip to the zoo last Monday. Caleb was very focused on all the sights, especially whatever Hannah was doing. Hannah's favorite part of the zoo is the play area with the big hill to slide down. Makes me wonder why we bought a membership instead of just taking her to the park...

Shameless Plug

I just realized I haven't said anything on here about Chris' CD, "Still Small Voice". I'm sure the five of you who read this already know about his CD, so I'll just remind you how fantastic it is. The album is all original songs, except for one hymn. I am so proud of Chris for all the hard work he put into making this CD a reality. 
If you haven't already, be sure to check out his website where you can download the album for FREE. It's also on iTunes and various other places. He's also periodically posting in the blog section with the story behind each song and how it came to be. We hope you are blessed by his album!

9 months - New Accomplishments

The big news for Caleb this month is that he is crawling! You may have thought it would be teeth, but no. We're still enjoying those gummy smiles. I think I'm going to have to puree his food until he's 16. 

 

But Caleb is off and crawling and loving this new-found freedom. In the mornings after breakfast, he will happily cruise around the living room for about an hour, just checking everything out. He especially wants to see/eat whatever Hannah is playing with. This has resulted in massive reorganization of her toys. Most of them are now up in her room, which also makes me happy because the play corner no longer looks like tornado wreckage. I would love to do a massive purge, but Hannah would probably disown me. 

It's so fun to watch Caleb's personality come out. He loves to "growl" and shake his head back and forth, then he'll wait for you to do it. Once you do, he'll smile and shake his head again. I'll have to get video of this, it sounds weird in writing.

Super Baby on the go. Notice the backwards bib/cape

*SNOW*

Snow has to be one of my favorite things. That probably seems weird for someone who is cold most of the time, but bundle me up and I am set to go! I am so grateful to my parents for all the trips I had to the snow as a child, at the time I didn't realize how fortunate I was. Living far from the snow and the mountains has made me miss it that much more.

 The last week of January we were blessed to have the opportunity to use a friend's cabin up at Shaver Lake for 3 glorious days. We had never been to Shaver before, other than driving through on our way to camping at Dinkey Creek (another fabulous place). We had such a great time as a family, and the kids were exceptional travelers.

We all enjoyed some sledding behind the cabin

 

 

Love these boys

My two snow bunnies

Getting ready for a snowball fight with Daddy

A highlight of the trip was getting to ski and snowboard again. We were trying to remember the last time we hit the slopes and I think it's been two years. Sigh. I was so excited to be on the mountain again, however my body had lost all confidence in my skiing abilities. I probably looked ridiculous making my way down the run. Thankfully that disappeared on the next one. Whew! I can still ski.

Hannah getting ready for her first ski lesson at China Peak

While Hannah was in her lesson Chris hit the slopes and I got to hang out with this little bear. So thankful for the parent pass lift ticket!

After the lesson I got to go down the hill with Hannah. She LOVED skiing and wanted to go up the chair lifts. I told her we'd have to wait until next time. I'm one proud Mama. :)

Eight

Eight months have gone by fast! Caleb is a loud, happy little man. He LOVES to eat, and strips of toast are his favorite snack. So far he has eaten every food I've given him, except bananas. Go figure. 

No crawling yet, which I am thankful for. Hannah was 7 1/2 months when she started crawling, and we're in no rush to push Caleb into it, although he's close. He will go from sitting to all fours, and then down to his tummy and scoot backwards. After a few minutes he gets frustrated and I sit him back up and the whole process starts again. 

No teeth yet either, the drool factory is in full operation. He practically bathes himself.

More Family Time

We had more family visit over the new year, Hannah and Caleb's Mimi, Papa and Aunt Megan. It's always fun to have so much family in town, and sad when they leave.

Caleb having fun with Aunt Megan

Papa having a tea party with Hannah and her new tea set

Hannah playing on Mimi's iPad

Reading with Mimi

New Year's Eve pizza dinner

Sisters

New Year, new thoughts

I have been inspired by my friend Amy to create a list of goals this year. The hardest part so far is figuring out how to make them attainable, instead of just abstract. I've been thinking it over, and here they are:
1. Take and pass the California Supplemental Exam for my architecture license. This is the VERY LAST test I have to take to obtain my license, and I'd like to have it done by Caleb's first birthday.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables daily. This is one of those very general statements that needs some specifics. I'm going to make it a point to keep more fruits and veggies in the house that I like to eat (and that the rest of the family will eat), so when I get that snack urge I have something that I like on hand that is also healthy. This is not a problem during strawberry season, but is more of a challenge the rest of the year.

3. Waste less. In particular, waste less food. In America, we waste up to 40% of our food in a year. That's just ridiculous. We could make a big dent in world hunger with all that waste. I want to make a point of being a good steward of everything I purchase, which in turn is being a good steward with our finances.
3.5 This goes along with the food waste item above, but on a much larger scale. I saw a news segment a while back about different food bank type programs that collect food that grocery stores are going to toss out and redistribute it to those who can't afford it. I want to look into whether or not there is something like that in our area, and if not see if one can be started.
4. Run a 5k. As I mentioned last time I ran a 5k, I am not a runner. But, having a goal of finishing a race and getting a better time gets me motivated to exercise. Not to mention it's one of the more less expensive forms of exercise.
5. Pray for my kids more. Again, another vague statement. But if I set a time of day or activity to it, then I think it will be more attainable. Something like praying for them when I brush my teeth in the morning or am washing the dishes.

Now, there are no guarantees these are going to happen, but I sure want to try. And #1 is a must, this license thing has been hanging over my head for way too long.