Kimber & Chad... and our little men

On the move

2012-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

My dudes

2012-01-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

Feliz Navidad

2012-01-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

We drove down south of the border for Christmas this year and it was great! It was a really quick drive and we had a quiet place on the beach for super cheap. We didn't even get robbed, mugged, or carjacked like everyone was warning us about before we left. We are kicking ourselves for not having taken more trips down there in the past.

Unfortunately we had to leave the christmas tree behind....
But we got a pretty nice view instead.

This is called "La Bufadora." It is a pretty impressive blowhole about 15 mins from where we stayed.

These boys are easily pleased.
Hot wheels (and Koko the train) all lined up to watch us eat christmas breakfast burritos.
Giving the hot wheels a view of the ocean.
Abe playing on the beach with no pants while Chad reads on the deck.

New Year's Resolution

2012-01-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

Eat more doughnuts!

Thanksgiving in New York

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

I've been trying for a week to add some more pics to this post but blogger hates me. Anyway these a some from our trip to central NY to have Thanksgiving with Chad's family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-12-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

Big River

2011-12-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast this guy is growing up. 5 months and he is doing things I am not prepared for. Our little man is getting teeth already, rolling over and moving around in a worm like fashion. If we leave him on the floor and leave the room he will have wiggled his way across the room in a few minutes. Since Abe didn't move a muscle til he was 10 months old, this is quite unexpected.

One of my favorite things about him is that he laughs really hard, especially when I change his clothes. I really have no idea why he thinks it is so funny, but he does...every time.

Here is a video that took me a day to upload. It is long and probably boring to most, so may be just for big River fans.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Halloween was really fun this year...

...until the last 10 minutes.

Kelsey & Karly

2011-10-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my nieces, Karly and Kelsey came to visit. We had such a fun time. We went to the beach on the foggiest day ever. Karly's dream of going to the American Girl store was fulfilled. We decorated Halloween cookies and made pizza. Abe had a lot of fun with the girls and it was fun that they could meet River.

pumpkins and tractors

2011-10-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

So happy to be on the tractor ride.

River was moderately amused.

Chad and Abe were on the edge of their seats during the pig races.

What the hay!

I'm not sure who enjoyed the antique tractor show more between Chad and Abe. But I think it was probably Chad.

Abe spent a long time helping the goats get primped.

Train Ride!

Last weekend we went to the Harvest Festival at Underwood Farms. Abe was so much more into all the pumpkin patch festivities than last year and it turned out to be fun for everyone.

Afterwards we went to visit our friends the Lee's. We somehow convinced a babysitter to watch 3 two-ish year old kids, and we went out on the town.

Montana

2011-10-13T23:32:00.001-07:00

After British Columbia, we got to go and visit our former LA buddies, the Pulsiphers, in Montana. We all picked up right where we left off, especially Abe and George, and we began to facilitate a friendship between River and Ed. The boys played with trains, went swimming and we did a lot of eating, and sitting around talking, and Ashley and I toasted to our birthdays of course. We miss them!

British Columbia

2011-09-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a hodge podge of pictures from our trip to British Columbia. We rented a house just north of a town called Kaslo on Kootenay Lake. We had an amazing time there. In fact if you can't find us someday, check here - we might have moved.

These are the views from the back porch. Fortunatly we got to watch the sun rise every morning since Abe woke up at 5am every day.

2 months

2011-09-07T15:50:00.001-07:00

Somehow he gets cuter everyday.

Mambas please!

2011-09-07T15:14:00.001-07:00

Does anyone know where I can find Mambas? I've been craving them and looking for them since the beginning of my third trimester of pregnancy and I've looked everywhere (every gas station, grocery store and target). If you see them please let me know where! I'm dying here and starburst are not cutting it.

Celebrity Boys

2011-08-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well I'm not trying to brag here, but.....

Friday morning River and I spent some quality time together in the emergency room. My little 8 weeker busted a fever of 102 along with a really weak sad cry and cough so we were sent to get him checked out. While there we found out the little monster weighs 13 lbs 12oz! I think every nurse in the place peaked in to see the 2 month old 13 pounder. I'm glad we could give them something to talk about back at the nurses station. Just trying to do our part for childhood obesity.

In other news...Abe has been discovered! He is going to start earning his keep around here. Some ladies at Whole Foods stopped and said they would pay us $100 if they could use Abe for a photo shoot for their kids shopping cart covers (and they will even give us a free one). I said sure. Is that bad (I mean that will buy a lot of fruit snacks)? Hopefully this won't lead to more exploitation of my kids - but Chad said he is into child labor anyway. Maybe they won't pay us once they realize that he probably won't sit still in that shopping cart. Ha ha!

Thriving

2011-08-22T15:12:00.001-07:00

Catching up with Abe and River

2011-08-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Not enough of this (above)

Aunt Kari came and rocked Abe's world by introducing the word "treat" to his vocabulary.

Smiling has started (though probably not very intentional)

Since Abe has to share attention now, he likes to get in everyone's face to make sure they know he is there.

No need for words on this one.

River has been exploring his goals and aspirations already.
Lots of love.

All the grandparents have come to spoil the boys....

1 month!

2011-07-30T13:36:00.001-07:00

We love this guy!

4th of July

2011-07-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

This year was a surprisingly nice 4th of July. We usually like to get out of town but with a baby 1 week old we stayed pretty close to home. We went for a drive in the mountains - a little barfing from Abe in the car didn't get us down. We went for a walk to some falls and threw rocks into water and dipped our heads and feet.

In the evening we had dinner in Culver City and we let Abe bring his little car to drive around before we watched fireworks from the Baldwin Hills.

Abe's birthday party

2011-07-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

So luckily we had a little party for Abe the weekend before his actual b-day (and before his brother arrived). It was pretty casual, but had all of Abe's favorite things. Trains, fruit, friends, pizza, balls. I can't believe he is already 2!

Abe getting down

2011-07-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Abe really likes shopping if stores are playing music he can hear from the door. This was about the 6th store that had music he liked and he still had it in him to get down.

River Watson Nelson

2011-06-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

So here is the man of the hour... Born July 27th at 7:03 pm. Just 5 hours shy of being full term and of sharing a birthday with his brother. He weighed in at 7lbs 1 oz and was 19inches - not bad for technically being premature. He has enormous feet and fingernails that rival Lee press-ons. I can't get over the fact that he is already here, and is unbelievably adorable. We've decided to keep him.

Abe seems to like him too and was marveling at his eyes and toes and giving him kisses shortly after introduction. River gave him a bus for his birthday (one of Abe's current obsessions) and so I think that took the edge off of any anxiety Abe may have initially experienced. Abe's attempt at saying River sounds like "woowoo" which I think is pretty cute and was one of the options for names anyway. (that is a joke for any of you who may think the name River is just as out there as Woowoo)

After a traumatic delivery and recovery with Abe, I had a lot of anxiety about how this guy would make his appearance. Fortunately it was like night and day, and this time I was home and feeling pretty good less than 24hours after delivery.

Yosemite

2011-06-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we met Chad's parents at Yosemite. If you read our last camping post you may ask why I agreed to do this even later in pregnancy. The answer is ...huge tent. Chad picked us out a new tent that is enormous (2 rooms) and he even brought our queen size inflatable bed. It was SOOOO comfortable!

Despite some rain we had a great time and Abe was in heaven with rocks and water everywhere.

Vegas vs Mountains

2011-06-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I somehow convinced my awesome friend Brit to go to Vegas with a huge pregnant lady to see the Cirque Du Soleil Beatles Love show. She even agreed to lay out at the pool with me. We had so much fun and the show was amazing.

Meanwhile the boys decided to head to the mountains to throw rocks while mom was gone.

BFF

2011-05-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

(waiting for the bus, passing time eating raisins)
(Beckett and Abe were sous chefs for head chef Porter)

(making up after one of many toy stealing episodes)

Last month Abe and I went to visit my best friend Sage and family. We had a great time hanging out and Abe loved playing with Beckett and Porter. A few times I thought I had died and gone to heaven because the boys just played in the back yard while we made dinner and talked. This may not seem so amazing to everyone else, but for someone who lives in an apartment complex (and only gets to see her best friend once a year) this was a real treat.

One day we took the boys on the bus to go to the pet store and out to lunch. Both Abe and Becks are obsessed with busses right now so it was really enjoyable for them.

Sage is also an amazing photographer and took some shots of Abe and the belly.

Photo Shoot

2011-05-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

We finally had some family pictures taken. These are a few of my favorites. The ones of just Abe are the cutest I think. But at 27.5 wks along in this pregnancy (at the time of the pics) I'll cut myself some slack for not looking my best.

The nutty professor

2011-05-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here is Abe on Easter sporting the bowtie I made him, post nap obviously.

Egg Hunting

2011-04-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hunt #1

Abe really enjoyed decorating cookies after our first hunt (if you can't tell)

Hunt #2

I didn't realize that easter egg hunts would be so fun with Abe this year. Thanks to other moms for planning and hosting the hunts, Abe has made quite a easter candy haul. Today, Abe found 9 eggs before one dropped, opened up and he realized there was candy inside. He couldn't go look for any more until all those jellybeans were inside his belly.

Surprise!

2011-04-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

At 26 weeks I finally had my official ultrasound for measurements and gender. Prior to this I had 2 other unofficial ultrasounds where I was told it looked like I was having a girl. I was pretty sure it was a girl. I bought things for a girl; Chad and I had a really good list of girl names we agreed upon. I had been doing a lot of convincing to Chad about how great it would be to have a girl. I was a little timid about telling everyone it was a girl, but I didn't really have doubts.

Then yesterday they told me it was a boy. And when they showed me the boy parts - it was undeniable.

It's hard to remember a time I've been more shocked.

Now that the surprise has set in, we are excited for another sweet, funny, and cute boy, and a wrestling buddy for Abe. We just need to come up with some names.

(just a reminder of what a little baby boy nelson looks like)

Camping in Death Valley and the Eastern Sierra

2011-04-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is a pit stop to stretch our legs at Fossil Falls on the drive up.

We got to Eureka Dunes in the evening and set up camp (Abe was really helpful in this department)

Chad retrieving tent after it blew away - dang that desert wind.

Hiking the dunes in the morning...

A stop for bananas and playing in the sand.

Then as the day started heating up we made a run for it.

Took a little hike up in Big Pine Canyon to escape the heat of Death Valley. (note the granola bar in each hand...and there was another one that was being rotated in)

Camp #2 was a back up plan when our next destination proved to be too much for the Volvo to handle.

After a windy and rainy night we enjoyed some Cream of Wheat (as displayed on Abe's chin) and then packed up and hit the road with a few stops to throw about 9000 rocks in water.

The verdict on camping with kids between 1 1/2 and 2 years old: day=fun, night=not fun.

It's super hard to see through this thing!

2011-04-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

California boy

2011-04-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Abe and I took a quick trip to see my sister Kari. We decided to go take the kids sledding. Abe was fascinated with the snow at first, but given our lack of appropriate shoes his feet were freezing in about 20 mins and he was ready to go back to his home where it is warm and there is no need for snow boots.

Every 2 years

2011-03-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

March 2009
March 2011

It has been brought to my attention that I have never mentioned on my blog that I am great with child. I was waiting until we knew the gender for sure. Almost 2 months ago we had an ultrasound that looked like we had a little girl growing in there, but it wasn't for sure. Since then I've had a lot of hassle changing doctors because of my insurance and still haven't had another ultrasound. So here is a picture of me in mid-march of 2009 and again in 2011. I am 22 weeks along and am due July 19th, 2 days and 2 years after Abe was due. We will let you know when there is a gender confirmation.

Muscle Beach

2011-03-11T12:47:00.000-08:00

Rocks

2011-03-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

Abe and I went for a little walk the other day. I wasn't sure we would make it to our destination because he was hoping to pick up and throw every rock on the road. He didn't want any to feel left out.

Valentine's Day

2011-03-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

I know this blog post is about a month behind here, but better late than never. This year I got really into Valentines day. I threw a little V-day dinner with a few friends. I had been on an antisocial string and it was nice to come out of that. I guess Abe thought so to. He was quite the host. He had people laughing as he would steal food from their plate or wait until they would give him some - then do a little dance. A pretty even trade I'd say.

Pulsipher visit

2011-02-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

During their visit, Ashley and I did our best to wipe the boys out every day by doing lots of fun things and eating lots of good food like the old days. I was in heaven since I haven't found a sufficient replacement to Ashley and George to do these everyday things with since our separation.

We ordered great weather to try and entice them back from the bitter cold of Bozeman.

Abe got tons of hugs and snuggles from the whole Pulsipher clan. We miss them a ton and can't wait to see them again.

I only wish I had a picture of all the Forever 21 purchases that were made during the visit. I hope they never build one in Bozeman so that Ashley has to come here to go.

Can't get enough

2011-02-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

I'm at work, it's raining, I'm missing my little buddy and I was looking at these pics on my cellphone. Thought I'd share, I mean how could this face not cheer you up on a rainy day.

Totally worth it

2011-02-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

My friend Melissa said these little carts are so 2004 in China (or maybe 2006). But I can tell this may be the best 45$ I've spent in a while, even if we are behind the times.

Abe has been obsessed with all things with wheels lately (trying to ride bigger kids scooters and bikes on the playground-with lots of goose eggs on his head to prove it), but good options seemed limited for his size.

He could totally move around on this from the second we put it together...and it can hold up to 200lbs, so I think we can plan on using it for a while. He is happy as a clam on it, and didn't want to come in even when it started raining.

The Grotto

2011-02-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

We went for a little hike this weekend in the Santa Monica Mountains called the grotto. We thought it would be a nice day but it started raining right when we got there. After waiting out the heaviest rain in the car, we decided to brave the wet hike.

Noah's Ark and cow bells

2011-02-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

I went to the Skirball Noah's ark exhibit the other day with my friend Erica. We have boys the same age and they had a great time. Abe's favorite was playing the cow bell during the music time. I think he might have found his calling. This video is after the fact, so he wasn't playing at his best given all the pressure of the camera and the audience, but you can see his head bobbing at least. He had everyone laughing when he was playing it earlier, he was really getting into it and loved the sound. This was his inspiration...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mie9hhQTUM

Beach in January!

2011-01-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Abe and I hit the beach. It was so warm and was just what the doctor ordered. I hear it snowed a lot on the east coast yesterday, sorry about that.

Making a comeback

2011-01-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

So far 2011 hasn't been that good to us. The flu hit me hard and I've been sick the entire year so far, and Abe and Chad have also had their turn with various infirmities. Now that we are all coming out of it, things are looking up. Abe and I have had some fun outings and even went for a swim the other day (it was 75 degrees!).

Here are some other things we have been up to...

Phone-camera self portrait on a super nice day at Cloverfield park

Abe is back in the kitchen (and so am I)
Chad and Abe celebrated MLK day with a bike ride in the mountains.
Lots of snuggling. The next best thing to eating cookies is reading about them.
Abe looking stylish before church (we were even all well enough to make it to all 3 hours finally)

With his ear infections just about cleared, he is feeling back up to lots of games. He has become quite the jokester these days. I've got a bad feeling about the food in the ear trick though.

Christmas in Portland

2011-01-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

There were a lot of yucky stomach bugs going around during this trip, so we didn't get to spend as much time with everyone together as usual, but we had a good time.
(Abe with Cade and Cole while I was sick)

On our first full day in Portland we went to Burgerville to show Abe what real burger is like. This was the first time we had ever bought him his own burger, but he did not look like a rookie. It's always nice to wash it down with a chocolate peppermint shake too.

CHRISTMAS DAY...

We probably could have stopped at the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup from the stocking and he would have been happy. It also went quite well with his banana!

Abe had an abundant Christmas with a train, books, a talking dog, and a ukulele. He really got the hang of opening presents and started showing interest in helping everyone else out.

DAY TRIP TO SEATTLE.....
Dining at Virginia Inn. Abe and Hatton acted like such big boys!

At Pike Street Market with Heidi and Hatton.
Swinging in the freezing cold at Green Lake with new buddy Burl, just before a delicious dinner with some of Chad's old friends he grew up with.

BACK IN PORTLAND...

Abe met up with his buddy Jack and had band practice while Azla and I got to catch up. Jack showed Abe the ropes on his new drums, and I think Abe might be a natural. . .Not to brag or anything (you can see it in the way his eyes roll back in above picture-he is a slave to the music).

Our farewell breakfast of abelskeivers. Abe tried to sample each one before serving.

Hawaii!

2010-12-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

We went to Hawaii at the beginning of Dec for my brother, Dane's wedding. Things were really busy leading up to the trip so we didn't have much time to anticipate it, but we had such a great time...it was traumatic to come back to real life after that.

Feast

2010-12-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was delicious. Here is abe gorging himself on a roll. Shortly after this he escaped from the table only to be found eating the dogs thanksgiving feast. He was beside himself as we pried the dog food from his jaws.

I can't help myself

2010-12-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

I love this picture. I love his crossed legs. Sorry. I had too. There were more revealing ones that I have withheld.

This is our morning routine after breakfast. Not actually potty training, just saving a diaper a day.

Honest Abe

2010-10-31T19:41:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, I did not get any really good pictures to capture how cute my little honest abe looked, but hopefully you can get the idea from this series of bad ones. Hopefully next halloween he will be a little more cooperative for a photo shoot. Amazingly he didn't mind the beard...I guess he gets that from his dad.

Boo!

2010-10-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of abe's artistic skills when he came home from daycare with this one! Our first art project on the fridge.

"pumpkin patch"

2010-10-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

look at the lil monster on his shirt and then look at his face...a little resemblance (you may have to look close)?

the "hay" ride (notice there is no hay, but the bench is painted yellow to trick us into thinking it is hay)

this was a small miracle that all the kids were sitting for this one.

A few moms took our kids to a "pumpkin patch" the other day. Even though we didn't actually experience any patch of pumpkins we had a lot of fun...

16 months

2010-10-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

Last week we had Abe's 15 month appt (even though he was almost 16months) and here are the stats...

Weight: 27lbs 15 oz (somewhere between 75-80%) yikes!

Height: 31 in (50%)

What can we say, the guy likes to eat. These pictures are from today when Mr. Abe and I went to the beach as a celebration of his girth!

NASHVILLE!

2010-10-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

Bath time choke hold.
A little hide and go seek on the bed after the tub.
Lucy looks good in anything!

Marissa and Lucy rolled out the red carpet for Abe and I in Nashville. (Sean even made a brief cameo). Lots of playtime, eating and a little shopping. Marissa and I even went to listen to some real country music at The Bluebird Cafe. We can't wait to go back and visit again (especially because 48 hours wasn't enough time to eat everywhere we needed to eat)!

Southern Man - Kentucky

2010-10-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Abe and I just took a little trip to visit friends in Nashville and my brother and his family in Kentucky. It is such a pretty time of year out there and we had a great time. These pictures are from the Kentucky leg of the trip....Nashville's coming up.

Swinging with Zack

Enjoying some grapes with Kris in the backyard.

Below are pictures from the pumpkin patch...

We went to have a little picnic at the reservoir, but a little rain moved us into the car to dine. It didn't get anyone down as you can see in the video...

Funny Mama

2010-10-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

We actually have a really good video of Chad making Abe laugh hysterically, but it didn't work to upload. I guess it was too long. So this will have to do. The only thing better than a sleeping baby is a laughing one.

Tahoe

2010-09-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids while Dan & Sunny and Chad & I went on a hike. It was beautiful, and as usual when Chad plans it, took a lot longer than we thought. Sunny got tricked into the hike while 25 wks pregnant.

Sela and Abe making OJ with Grandma

Apparently they were having quite reading time.

We drove up to Lake Tahoe a few weeks ago and met up with Chad's family. I think I could live there, it is amazingly beautiful. We had a great time, and Abe enjoyed his cousin Sela's undivided attention the entire weekend.

a real toddler now

2010-09-23T07:59:00.002-07:00

Our little bookworm

2010-09-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

When things get quiet around here, either Abe is doing something naughty or we find him sweetly reading books. I really prefer the latter. It is pretty cute. Sometimes he will sing or babble as he reads, which melts me every time.

Legoland with Kari and Dylan

2010-08-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

Grandpa fun

2010-08-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

St. George Rendevous

2010-08-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

Partying it up in the Super 8.

As our summer flying solo was winding down, Abe and I decided we couldn't wait the almost 2 more weeks left until Chad came home, so we planned a little rendevous with him in St. George. It was worth it. Even 30 hours of not being a single mom felt relieving and Abe was very happy to see his dad. It was incredibly hot and so most of the daylight hours were spent in water as you can see.

Will Stand For Food

2010-08-13T16:44:00.001-07:00

While he still won't walk, he will stand unassisted if food is involved. (watermelon not pictured is being held by aunt Kari)

Hollywood Bowl

2010-08-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Ashley organized a little outing to a summer musical kids thing at the Hollywood Bowl. And while it wasn't exactly what we thought, we had a good time hanging out.

Destructos

2010-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Trip to Utah

2010-07-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Practicing walking with Papa's walker.

Cole and Abe at raging waters.

Kari gave Abe his first sucker - and he really enjoyed it while his nana held him at the parade. You may think that he is trying to share it with you - but don't be fooled. He had no intention of sharing it.

He fell in love with the trampoline. We use chip clips to keep the screen around it closed so he could play by himself.
Reunited with his dad

The kids all made tie dyes.

Raging waters was actually a lot of fun. (tube picture above also from raging waters)

We made sure to make several trips to Costco while in Utah.
Dylan crawled around and yelled and growled just like abe. Abe thought he was hilarious!

As I mentioned in the last post, we were in Utah for Abe's birthday, but we stayed for 2 weeks (mostly at my sister Kari's house) including the 4th of July. Here is a random assortment of pics from the trip, mostly from Kari's camera since I forgot my charger and the battery died at Abe's b-day party the first weekend. My parents and my sister Kecia and her family all came out too, and we had a lot of fun hanging out with family and friends.

Our monster is one!

2010-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

So our little (big) guy turned one. It has been a few weeks, but we were out of town for the big day and we just had his 1 year appointment today. So the stats are in...

25lbs 12oz = 75% (and he has the thighs to prove it)

This guy has been cracking me up so much lately, and life would be so dull without him. Some current notables are...

-he still shows enthusiasm with his arms (a jumping rope kind of arm movement)

-above enthusiasm exhibited every morning when his banana is presented

-he can down a stick of string cheese in 10 sec

-he leans into my face so that I will kiss his cheek

-he smacks his lips when he sees something he would like in his mouth

-he shakes his head "no" with a huge grin on his face (even when he doesn't really mean "no")

-he is taking his crawling very seriously now and doesn't have time to try and walk or stand when I try to encourage it anymore, but (on his own time) he reassures me by letting go of the couch or my leg and stands for 5-10 secs just to let me know he can do it.

-currently his favorite pasttimes are pulling books off the bookshelf and opening and closing anything (doors, books, cupboards, dishwasher, etc)

summer bros

2010-06-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

This summer, my friend Ashley and I are doing a little baby swapping. We both work 2 days a week, so we alternate watching either other's little monster. Abe and George are becoming quite the pals as a result. One moment they are stealing each other's toys, the next they are swapping binkys or giving each other hugs and kisses. Overall, I think they really enjoy each the other's company. Sadly, George is moving at the end of the summer, but don't tell Abe, he doesn't know yet. I'm not sure he'll take the news too well.

Chad and Abe's new toy

2010-06-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

This was a father's day gift/Abe's birthday gift. Chad and Abe both love it. And, I'm aware that we need to tighten his helmet.

Somebody's finally....

2010-05-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Crawling! I know, not exactly an overachiever, but I think he wanted to get it in there before he turned 11 months. He has concentrated so much on his eating skills (and standing splits-see photo) that movements took a back seat for this little guy. For a while now, he would only crawl backwards and in circles. He can now officially go forwards. This is a good thing, because I have been starting to think that maybe he was getting too fat, so now that he is crawling we've got him on a strict exercise routine. Obviously I'm just kidding, but maybe with a little more moves he can burn off a few of those bananas he's been pounding.

Of note is his signature move (not yet caught on camera) as he transitions from hands and knees to sitting. He does it very deliberately with one leg outstretched and the same arm off the ground, it looks very technical. Chad calls it the Apollo Ono. If you can image how he looks taking a corner while speed skating---that is pretty much Abe's pose. He needs a little more training to get up to Apollo's speed, but he's working on it.

He thinks its fun to just sit up and hang out during nap time. Today he was having so much fun he fell asleep that way.
Standing splits-still hasn't totally figured out how to recover from it.
the closest we've come to catching his signature move

Happy Mother's Day to me...

2010-05-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Our excited guy

2010-04-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

morning jumping jacks

Best Friends in Colorado

2010-04-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Abe and I flew out to Colorado to celebrate Beckett's 1st birthday this month. We had so much fun. Abe was in love with Sage! A few times I thought maybe he liked her better than me. But it is understandable, she is a pretty great best friend. Abe also enjoyed pulling Beckett's glasses off, right after Beckett pulled Abe's binky out of his mouth. They were pretty funny together.

swimsuit model or beached whale?

2010-04-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Ashley and I took the boys out for a quick trip to the beach. Abe did a lot of snack eating and posing while George crawled around and ate sand. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of this this summer.

Happy Birthday Chad!

2010-03-28T22:22:00.001-07:00

We took off for a little camping weekend to celebrate Chad's birthday and the wildflowers put on quite a show for him. The Carrizo Plain and the Antelope Valley were probably close to peaking for the the wildflower season. Abe liked to eat the flowers. He didn't seem to care that there is a hefty fine for picking California Poppies.

We also checked out Taft and the oil museum there. I think I'm pretty sure I don't want to live in Taft.

Abe and I think we are pretty lucky to have a guy like Chad around. Happy 33!

Abe and Lucy sitting in a tree

2010-03-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

Abe with the owl Marissa made for him
sweet shades lucy
k.i.s.s.i.n.g.
Seaner doing double duty

Our good friends Marissa and Sean came out to visit and brought their little cutie, Lucy, to meet Abe. They hit it off....big time!

Uncle Dane - Spring Break 2010

2010-03-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dane and Leah made a spring break road trip out to visit Abe. We went to the beach, Griffith park, and attempt to get on Let's Make a Deal. We can't wait for them to come back!

making sure we don't get lost

2010-03-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

spring time with my boy

2010-03-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

8 months

2010-02-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

Our little guy is 8 months old already. When he was born I thought it couldn't get better...but it did. I think this may end up being one of my favorite stages. Lucky for us he still doesn't crawl, so he can sit and play and laugh (and eat and do push-ups) and he doesn't get into anything yet! I think we are gonna keep him.

The wave and the proud mama

2010-02-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

Bubba's night to cook

2010-02-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

He's available for weddings and parties if you are interested. But he books up fast.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

I've been sick.

LA in January

2010-02-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

I know I complain about where I live more than I should. I realize that abe probably wouldn't be barefoot in the park, at farmer's markets or out on bike rides most other places in the country at this time of year.

Our little cowboy

2010-01-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

Someone has a sweet tooth

2010-01-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

His sweet teeth

He worked up an appetite after a walk with dad

In position

Likes:

Prunes

~~Green Beans~~

Sweet Potatoes

Bananas

Pears

Butternut squash

Sweet Peas

Dislikes:

Avocados

Green Beans

Peas

For those of you who know Chad, you know that he is not a veggie lover. I thought that maybe we could avoid that with Abe by starting him off with green beans. I think he was so excited to eat that he downed the whole jar in no time (well actually in 3 days), and I was hopeful. But after sampling bananas and sweet potatoes, he has made it clear that he no longer wants anything to do with such green offerings, with the exception of sweet peas. I guess it is still early, so I'm crossing my fingers.

More from our Christmas in St. John

2010-01-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

Sela, Sunny, and Dan

Abe found every chance he could to go shirtless

Hike out to the beach
Swinging with uncle Dan
Dress rehearsal for the real family picture
Lunch on the porch...not a bad view
Picnicking at the sugar plantation ruins
Abe's Christmas suit from Dan & Sunny

The ferry from St. Thomas to St. John

Juicing on Christmas morning

Lots of hot tub time
Our bathing beauty
Chad snorkeling to find his wedding ring (wearing rain coat for jelly fish protection)
Grandma and Grandpa, thanks for the trip!

Our baby is 6 months old!

2009-12-30T05:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe he is already 6 months old. Sorry to everyone who I rolled my eyes at when you said "it goes by so fast." You were right.

I think he has felt the pressure of his old age lately because in the last week he finally decided he could roll over (although still reserved for special occasions), he has 2 teeth coming in on the bottom, and he is sitting up (albeit a little unsteady). He is very busy working on all his new laughs and sounds (gargling is his latest), sticking everything he can in his mouth, and waving his head around in the "shark attack" fashion.

I keep trying to tell him to slow down, but he doesn't seem interested. I'll keep trying.

KKW + CEN 6-12-04

2009-12-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

This is my very first blog posting and the subject is not so cheery. On Christmas day we were snorkeling out in Little Lameshur Bay on St. John Island, part of the US Virgin Islands, and I lost my wedding ring. I think it came off just a few feet off shore in the middle of the beach. I was getting stung by a jellyfish as I was coming in and thrashing around in the process of getting my stuff off when it probably slipped away. The search and rescue failed. I had figured I would grow old with that ring. So I am hoping against the odds that someone someday will be looking for fishies, or perhaps combing around with a metal detector, and come up with my symbol of eternal marriage. There is an inscription that reads "KKW + CEN 6-12-04". It turns out I don't have many good photos with me and my ring, but here are a few. Hopefully if someone finds it they'll google the inscription, find this blog post, and email me at cen9@hotmail.com. Until then I'll be wearing a paper ring.

Merry Christmas from the Virgin Islands!

2009-12-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

Apparently we haven't been feeding him enough...

2009-12-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Exponential Suprises

2009-12-12T14:38:00.001-08:00

One of the biggest shockers of getting married was the amount of laundry that could accumulate for two people versus one. No one dishing out marriage advice had prepared me for this change. When I had a baby I got a lot of warnings about how I would never sleep again, and various other changes a baby would bring to my life... but, again, no one said anything about the laundry.

Family time in Portland

2009-12-11T10:00:00.001-08:00

What?

2009-12-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

Shamefully few thanksgiving pictures

2009-12-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

We were in Portland for an entire week. All 5 of my brothers and sisters plus significant others and my parent's 12 grandkids were there, and I have very few pictures to show for it. We ate, we played games, there was a talent show, movies and shopping, but apparently little picture taking. Very sad. But don't worry, I got a picture of the food...which is obviously the most important thing and shows you where my priorities lie. I wonder how Abe will feel when this is all I have to show for his first turkey day. (If you are my sibling and you took pictures, please send them to me!)

Stretches

2009-11-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

Abe likes to stretch, especially when he wakes up. It is one of my favorite things he does, maybe because I am a sucker for those thighs!

Halloween costume winner

2009-11-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

It was a close race for the costume winner, but the frog won out....

(froggy abe with his gnome friend george)

But wait...not so fast, it looks like we had a froggy skeleton underneath!

sela hugs

2009-11-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

Abe's uncle Dan and cousin Sela came to visit last month from New York. Sela couldn't keep her hands off Abe. Abe has been missing her hugs ever since.

Why is Abe so happy?

2009-11-05T18:18:00.001-08:00

Because his mom passed her boards! Now she is a real PA!

This calls for a vote

2009-10-29T17:04:00.001-07:00

What should Abe be for Halloween? We need some help here.

Diggin' the water these days

2009-10-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hmm

2009-10-22T11:01:00.000-07:00