An assortment of holiday-related thoughts:
- Nothing brings out the worst in me than working with contact paper (necessary for a Christmas project). I always experience brief bursts of irrational rage as it sticks to itself and gets all tangled. Grrrr.
- My parents are here until Christmas Eve! It's always nice to have extra arms that are eager to hold a baby or two.
- Bash got dedicated at church on Sunday! We're excited to see what God has in store for our little man, and our most fervent prayer is for Sebastian to strive to glorify God in everything he does. We covet your prayers as we try to raise our kids the best that we can, despite our many failures.
- Bash hit the 8 week mark yesterday! He seems to be mellowing out some, and is sleeping really well, only getting up once! That's a huge improvement from his sister! He finally started smiling, and he's got the cutest lopsided, dimpled grin.
- I'm pretty sure Rory's never going to walk.
- In one week we fly to Cleveland and I'l get to see all of my best college friends at the wedding of one of them! I'm so excited, except for the flying-with-babies part!
- We're finishing up our homemade Christmas presents, and I'm so pleased with them. More on that after the holiday!
- Eggnog is soooooooooooo good.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Life's a Beach
This past weekend we had the privilege of venturing to San Diego for the wedding of one of my dear friends. This entailed two ten hour car trips in a minivan with my babies and inlaws and husband...I am thankful for marrying into a family that finds pleasure in hour after hour of madlibs!
Highlights of the weekend included:
- Rory's first trip to the beach (Bash's too, but it wasn't as thrilling for him)
- Deciding not to pay the $4 for parking in the empty lot, then freaking out every time a car drove by, sure that it was the parking authority (is there any such thing?) and that we were going to be found out. We determined that the worst part about being a criminal would be suspecting everyone of suspecting you.
- Rory's first time being a flower girl- she did great!
- Eating. Way too much.
- Watching the moon rise from the lovely reception venue.
- Teaching Rory to say "fish-" "Iiishhh!!"
- Listening to conversations between Rory and her Auntie Bethany: "Say Auntie!" "Dada." "Auntie!" "Dada." "Auntie!" "Dada. Hahaha."
- Watching the history channel with my sister-in-law: Bethany (critically), after scrutinizing a photo of a rally in WWII Germany: "Not only is that lady in the front forever going to be remember as a Nazi, she's going to be remembered as a sweaty Nazi!"
Highlights of the weekend included:
- Rory's first trip to the beach (Bash's too, but it wasn't as thrilling for him)
- Deciding not to pay the $4 for parking in the empty lot, then freaking out every time a car drove by, sure that it was the parking authority (is there any such thing?) and that we were going to be found out. We determined that the worst part about being a criminal would be suspecting everyone of suspecting you.
- Rory's first time being a flower girl- she did great!
- Eating. Way too much.
- Watching the moon rise from the lovely reception venue.
- Teaching Rory to say "fish-" "Iiishhh!!"
- Listening to conversations between Rory and her Auntie Bethany: "Say Auntie!" "Dada." "Auntie!" "Dada." "Auntie!" "Dada. Hahaha."
- Watching the history channel with my sister-in-law: Bethany (critically), after scrutinizing a photo of a rally in WWII Germany: "Not only is that lady in the front forever going to be remember as a Nazi, she's going to be remembered as a sweaty Nazi!"
| Me, trying to point excitedly at the blimp |
| Better |
| Bethany: "Let's get a picture of us and the ocean!" Or rather, "lets get a picture of our teeth with a tiny bit of water in the background!" |
| Aurora and Grandpa strolling on the beach |
| Me and my son |
| Rory and Grandpa |
| Bowen Women |
| This picture is cooler than it seems: my mother-in-law timed it so a couple walking in the background was exactly behind us, and thus is not ruining the picture! |
| What a sweet flower girl! |
| Me with the flower girl and Leah's sister-in-law with her little baby ring bearer |
| Sparkly red shoes! |
| The row of illustrious bridesmaids |
| Mr. and Mrs. Lundgren! |
| Sand isn't as tasty as it looks |
| Leah and her ladies |
| Drew's mom's house made for a terrific reception venue |
| Loving Auntie's stylish boots |
| Little nordic Christmas baby |
| Rory refused to smile prettily for a nice sunset shot |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
My Big Girl
Tomorrow is Aurora's 18 month birthday! What a milestone for my baby to reach! Before becoming her mama, I never imagined how delightfully entertaining a little girl could be; it's such a joy to spend these days with her, despite the challenges. Here are some things my sweet Rory has been up to:
- Last weekend we saw three of her great grandparents, and Rory was beyond affectionate with all of them. It was such a blessing to see her love them in her own little Rory way, and to know how much they all adore her.
- She's adapting well to life with a baby brother. Generally she is very sweet with him, trying to give him his pacifier and attempting to burp him. Sometimes she is TOO affectionate, and at times she does try to steal the spotlight, but we're nonetheless encouraged.
- So many words! Rory has lots of words now that she uses to various degrees of consistency. She mimics much of what we say and surprises us with her proficiency. We hit a milestone today when during her bath I asked her what noise a duck makes and she didn't meow- she quacked! We'll see if that sticks or not! Her current favorites are uh-oh, and cocoa.
- Rory's very skilled in removing her clothes, and tries valiantly if futilely to put them back on.
- She's quite the ham and is a pro at reading her audience and entertaining them.
- She loves music and always dances along, and when a song is over she claps politely (even if it's me singing to her).
- Rory LOVES books and could read all day long! She especially loves books about babies and dogs.
- She's a sweet little snuggler who still refuses to walk, even though we know she can do it. This is getting really old, and I'm considering bribery.
- We're having to disciple and teach her more often, which is no easy job- who'd have thought it would be so unintuitive to know how to react to certain behaviors? We're trying to figure it out as we go, and are praying our way through. I guess that will last the next eighteen plus years!
- Last weekend we saw three of her great grandparents, and Rory was beyond affectionate with all of them. It was such a blessing to see her love them in her own little Rory way, and to know how much they all adore her.
- She's adapting well to life with a baby brother. Generally she is very sweet with him, trying to give him his pacifier and attempting to burp him. Sometimes she is TOO affectionate, and at times she does try to steal the spotlight, but we're nonetheless encouraged.
- So many words! Rory has lots of words now that she uses to various degrees of consistency. She mimics much of what we say and surprises us with her proficiency. We hit a milestone today when during her bath I asked her what noise a duck makes and she didn't meow- she quacked! We'll see if that sticks or not! Her current favorites are uh-oh, and cocoa.
- Rory's very skilled in removing her clothes, and tries valiantly if futilely to put them back on.
- She's quite the ham and is a pro at reading her audience and entertaining them.
- She loves music and always dances along, and when a song is over she claps politely (even if it's me singing to her).
- Rory LOVES books and could read all day long! She especially loves books about babies and dogs.
- She's a sweet little snuggler who still refuses to walk, even though we know she can do it. This is getting really old, and I'm considering bribery.
- We're having to disciple and teach her more often, which is no easy job- who'd have thought it would be so unintuitive to know how to react to certain behaviors? We're trying to figure it out as we go, and are praying our way through. I guess that will last the next eighteen plus years!
 |
| Eighteen months ago...how can that be?! |
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Thanksgiving and Winter Travels
WARNING: This is a tedious account of family happenings that are probably only interesting to the people who were there (if even to them). And, there a lot pictures. Unless you're one of the grandparents, you should probably turn back now.
We had SUCH a GREAT Thanksgiving! My sister and brother-in-law and five month old niecey came to visit us from Seattle- we soooo wish they lived closer to us! Thanksgiving itself was quite the affair, involving lots of friends and family and food. Oh, and Christmas crafting (the girls crafted, anyway). The next day was spent playing board games: Wise or Otherwise, which is awesome, and an intense round of Trivial Pursuit, which is a Thanksgiving tradition. We also ate tons more, crafted more (again, the girls), and Blake and Matt enjoyed hours of bonding over Skyrim (videogame). We did absolutely ZERO shopping, since I hate crowds and getting up early to spend money we don't have seemed like an entirely unpleasant idea. We watched Evie on Saturday so Lindsay and Matt could take the train to the Grand Canyon- Matt had never been before! Just in case I've never said it before, I really don't want triplets. But we had a good time! Evie is such a happy little girl- She and Bash and Rory all seemed to enjoy the weekend immensely.
Matt had to go home on Sunday, but Ev and Linds joined us on an adventure to Palm Springs to see Granddad. We rented a minivan to hold all three babies and three adults and the ridiculous amount of stuff that three babies and three adults require (2 adults, really, since Blake's packing job consisted of a plastic grocery sack). I really enjoy car rides (even with the kiddos). We watched/listened to movies and sermons and chatted and somehow the time passed. We had a great visit with Granddad and were able to see Blake's uncle too. Evelyn and Rory and the mamas went swimming, and Linds and I got to partake of a hot tub for the first time in ages, since we weren't pregnant (whoo hoo!). On Wednesday we drove from Palm Springs to Coolidge, AZ to spend a couple days with Blake's grandparents there. Lindsay and Evie flew home out of Phoenix, and we made record time home to Flag despite a snowstorm.
We had SUCH a GREAT Thanksgiving! My sister and brother-in-law and five month old niecey came to visit us from Seattle- we soooo wish they lived closer to us! Thanksgiving itself was quite the affair, involving lots of friends and family and food. Oh, and Christmas crafting (the girls crafted, anyway). The next day was spent playing board games: Wise or Otherwise, which is awesome, and an intense round of Trivial Pursuit, which is a Thanksgiving tradition. We also ate tons more, crafted more (again, the girls), and Blake and Matt enjoyed hours of bonding over Skyrim (videogame). We did absolutely ZERO shopping, since I hate crowds and getting up early to spend money we don't have seemed like an entirely unpleasant idea. We watched Evie on Saturday so Lindsay and Matt could take the train to the Grand Canyon- Matt had never been before! Just in case I've never said it before, I really don't want triplets. But we had a good time! Evie is such a happy little girl- She and Bash and Rory all seemed to enjoy the weekend immensely.
| My sister-in-law making her fabulous mashed potatoes |
| Auntie and Rorykins being ridiculous |
| Oh, much better! |
| Sebastian at 4 weeks old! |
| Miss Evelyn enjoying the swing! |
| Bethany and Bash |
| Me and Bud-o, after realizing I hardly have any pictures of me with him |
| Three baby girls and one little man |
| A poor picture of Matt and Blake |
| Cousin love! |
| This is Aurora's version of a hug- so sweet! |
| Rory and Evie |
| My one and only niece! |
| A truck full of babies |
| Bud-o taking a siesta with Papa |
| Water Baby |
| Mama Kisses! |
| Pretty little thing |
| She'd try to put a shoe on, toss it aside when it wouldn't work, grab the other one, and repeat, over and over |
| Granddaughters and great grand kids...I love that my grandma's picture is in this too |
| Sibling Love |
| Not sure what Rory's plan was... |
| Trying to hug her brother |
| My cutie babies! |
| Pile O' Cousins |
| This image does not do justice to the chaos. |
| Just over a year apart |
| Playing with Papa |
| Snoozing on Great Grandpa |
| Getting to know Great Grandma |
| Wake-up Cuddles |
| Bash and Ev |
| Getting ready for an adventure |
| Ha! |
| Oh, little fella... |
| She's becoming quite the bookworm. We're thrilled! |
| So sweet |
| "I know you!" |
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