For Grandpa Bob

Christmas in Redwood City

We had a wonderful Christmas this year in Redwood City.  I love being surrounded by family.  It's just the best thing ever and it always makes me want to live closer to our siblings/parents.  Our trip was shorter than I would have liked (only five days), but those days were packed full of fun and memory making.

The night that we arrived Parker helped Grandpa John get his sleeping bag and air mattress out of the attic.  Beginning early the next morning, Parker started asking if he could go back up in the attic because he saw lots of fun toys up there.  Being the wonderful grandpa that he is, John consented and they did indeed find some fun toys.  The boys spent several hours playing with these slot cars.

I think the kids woke up around 7:00 Christmas morning and we kept them at bay until 8:00 when we began the morning with a little Christmas program.  Grandma Trudy told the story of baby Jesus with her kid-friendly nativity, we sang a Christmas song and then it was time for presents.

 Uncle Thomas and Aunt Angela won Parker over by giving him The Lego Movie.

Trudy really has an eye for kid clothes- she keeps Parker and Kate in high fashion.  I love this dress and if they had it in my size, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

The next day we went to Happy Hollow.  It's a small zoo that also has a little amusement park and play area for kids.  Parker wanted to be brave and feed the goats, but he still hasn't worked up the courage.  It was sort of a repeat of the last time he tried over two years ago.

Kate, on the other hand, had no problem feeding the goats and even tried to eat the goat food herself.

I think this was Parker's first roller coaster and I was surprised that he was willing to ride it.  He's kind of a timid fellow.

Not too fond of the first plummet, but he was smiling again soon enough.

On Saturday we got together with some friends from BYU who live in the Bay Area.  It was so nice to be around them.  Our lives have changed dramatically since we were all together in Provo (mostly in the form of progeny), but it was so easy to pick up right where we left off.

On Sunday (our last day there) we took some family pictures.  Or rather, John took some family pictures of us.  Thank goodness for John!!!  His love of photography (which I think to some extent is tied to his love for family history and wanting to document special moments in the lives of his family) is truly a blessing for the rest of us!  And he really has a talent for it.  Looking through these pictures (nearly all in this post were taken by John), I am just astounded at how he has captured Parker's facial expressions and at three years old, what's on his face is what's in his heart.

Halloween

Parker opted to be a dragon again this year.  What he really wanted to be was a Ninja Turtle (which I find hilarious because he doesn't even know what that is), but we couldn't find a costume his size and after searching two stores I decided that was all the effort I was willing to expend.  We have a dress up box full of Halloween attire and I thought Parker might choose a costume more fitted to his stature, but I was wrong.  We made him sag the pants, otherwise they came to about three inches above his ankles.  I was a pirate, Kate was my parrot.  Paul dressed up as Clark Kent (Superman shirt under his white dress shirt), but we don't have a picture.   

The Air Show

While my dad was here we went to an air show at the naval base here in San Diego.  There were some acrobatic plane and helicopter performances that were really fun to watch.  Parker loved watching the helicopter fly backwards.  They also had a bunch of planes and helicopters on display that you could sit in and walk through.  Even though it was hotter than Hades, both Parker and Kate kept it together pretty well and we were able to stay a long time, but not quite long enough to see the Blue Angels, which flew later in the afternoon.  We're planning on going next year though, and this time we'll plan our trip around their flying time.

This is a V-22 Osprey.  It's a helicopter/plane hybrid.  In situations where there isn't a runway for takeoff, it can takeoff as a helicopter and then in mid flight the propellers can rotate and then it flies like a plane.

Inside the Osprey:

The Osprey cockpit:

Notice Parker's appropriate shirt choice:

This is a Vought F4U Corsair.  It was flown primarily in WWII and the Korean War.  From my understanding, there aren't any other planes that have this signature wing shape.  It's also the plane Skipper, from the movie Planes, was modeled after.  

 

Chula Vista House

Our move to San Diego was a rather rushed one.  Remember how I toured and submit an application for our condo on Tuesday, we were told that it was ours on Wednesday night, then started packing on Thursday and moved on Saturday?  (And then Kate was born on Monday.)  Well, because it all happened so quickly we had talked about possibly moving again after our lease was up a year later if we could find something better/cheaper/bigger.  Our lease was up in August and we didn't find anything that would make a move worthwhile, so we decided that we'd just stay here for another two years.  We're hoping that in two years from now we'll know where we'll be permanently and then maybe we can buy a house.  Well, a few weeks ago I got an email from our property manager saying that the owner of our condo was selling and we would have to move out.  I nearly cried.  Moving is the worst!  Apparently I'm okay with it if it's on my terms, but when I get caught unaware and thrown out on my keister, I change my tune.

Before we start packing and turning our home into a disaster area, I wanted to make a movie to remember this condo.  This is Kate's first home!  I wish we would have done this for our Tustin apartment, but again, we moved like it was going out of style.

My 28th Birthday

We had a great celebration this year.  First, my dad was here!  And thank goodness he was.  That morning my back spasmed and I was utterly useless for the next several hours and pretty useless for several days.  The same thing happened to me when Parker was a little younger than Kate.  I guess babies just don't mix well with my weak back.  On the up side though, I remembered that even though the pain was excruciating initially, Tylenol and Advil did wonders.  So while I was tempted to have Paul call in a prescription of Oxycontin (he later reminded me that back pain is out of the scope of dentistry, which I would have argued is debatable), I made do with the OTC stuff, remained immobile and let Grandpa take care of stinky diapers and hungry children.
I had been looking forward to dinner at an Indian restaurant that our Indians friends recommended and I wasn't going to let a little paralysis get in the way, so off we went.  While we were there, we realized that Parker was not his usual happy self.  He came and sat on my lap and was burning up.  Poor kid finally got the fever that Kate had a week earlier and he was pretty subdued during dinner.  Kate, on the other hand, had a great time.  She loved the food and ate like a champ.

After dinner we went home and had cake.  My request this year was a pumpkin roll.  I was getting over a cold, so Paul blew out the candles for me.

I really felt the love- lots of calls, texts, cards and gifts.  Paul got me tickets to see Wicked in December!  I'm so excited I could squeal!!!
So while it was perhaps not exactly the way I would have chosen for the day to play out, it really was a nice day.

Happy Birthday Kate!

*Written awhile ago, not posted until now.  Also, I have awesome videos, but can't figure out how to post them... I think it's something to do with our geriatric computer... Hoping to figure things out this week when Grandpa Bob comes to visit!*

My little darling turned one on August 26th, but the festivities began long before that date.  We had a celebration in Idaho at the beginning of the month while we were there  for my high school reunion, then Paul's parents flew in for a visit the week before her birthday where we had another party, and then on her actual birthday we partied even more. It was so fun to celebrate with so many people and for such an extended period of time and I have therefore declared that I too shall have not just a birthday, but a birthmonth.  The celebration will begin on Monday! ;)

Do you remember how Parker just sort of picked at his birthday cupcake and wasn't really into it?  I thought Kate would feel the same way about her chocolate cake, but no sirree, she loved it and double-fisted her way through the entire slice.

Eating the remains from her trough:

Modeling her outfit from Grandma and Grandpa:

Here are a few characteristics about Kate from my totally unbiased viewpoint that make her the best baby ever.  She:

* is not a picky eater.  She'll eat anything that's put in front of her and a lot of it- in addition to finger snacks, she eats almost three pounds of baby food a day!

* gives hugs- real ones with both arms and a squeeze!

* loves playing with Parker.  They giggle together all the time.

* always wakes up happy with a big smile on her face.

* has eight teeth!

* loves taking baths

* dances to music

* claps when she's excited.

* can walk while holding onto furniture

* hardly ever cries except for when you take something away from her that she's playing with (like toys, trash cans, toilet bowls, etc.).

* loves being held by other people.  I'll walk up to someone else and she'll open her arms and throw herself at them.

* takes two 1.5-2 hour naps each day and sleeps through the night

* loves to snuggle soft things.  

* has stood unassisted a few times

* mimics noises.  It's really funny to watch her talk louder when Parker starts talking loudly.  

* cleans up any food messes she's made at mealtimes by crawling under her highchair and eating what's fallen to the floor.

* can play by herself for long periods of time.

* rests her head on my shoulder while I'm putting her to bed.

See what I mean?  She really is the best baby ever.  I was telling my visiting teaching companion about Kate's awesomeness and she said that every mom deserves an easy baby.  Her's came first and then the next three were... less than easy.  So, I'm living up having an easy baby and knowing full well that the next babies may not be as easygoing.  Speaking of other babies, Kate makes me want to have lots more of them!  Paul and I aren't in agreement about how many more, so our subsequent children might end up being "accidents."  (wink!)