Our future Scout. His shirt says Mud Scout.



Feeding the ducks during the winter



Fort building

The second time around

The second time around, for me at least, feels like for...e...ver. At least now I'm finally four months and I feel a few flutter kicks to make me actually feel pregnant. It just so happened that family, friends, and co-workers all found out only about two weeks after I did, which means the pregnancy feels even LONGER because the only milestone after telling everyone is when you get the gender ultrasound which is not until 20 wks (in my case, that means another month). After that, I'm guessing the next milestone is when you start showing and then the final milestone...your delivery.

With X, I felt motion sick for the first 15 weeks and all I wanted to eat was potatoes (mashed, baked, french fried, etc). This time, I had only very minor (evening-only) sickness and I went through a short phase of craving Cheerios nightly. I did have a week where I actually did want to eat pickles and this baby loves when I eat cheddar cheese. The most noticeable thing for me this time, though, is mood swings. The last week or so I've started having shooting back pain into my right leg (sciatica?), which is not fun because I hold my back and hobble around like I'm ninety. I think it might be exacerbated by the tiny kindergarten-size chairs I sit in all day.

Speaking of kindergarten...no, maybe I should wait to talk about that part of my life for when I have a better day. Well, I think I've calmed down enough to write somewhat fairly. Currently, I help teach two extended day kindergarten classes to twelve kindergartners each that are either underachieving or need behavioral/social skills help or both. Each child is lovable but very needy. It is challenging, to say the least. The hardest thing is realizing (remembering, really) that not all families are like mine or Joe's. We were really blessed growing up. Most of the kids in my classes are smart, quick learners but family situations or inappropriate behavior often distract from school and learning. Parents are divorcing/remarrying, even having custody battles in the school office, some are in jail, some are busy with other siblings-one family has a boy who is terminally ill, some parents don't speak any English and can't help their little ones, and some don't take their kids to school whenever they drink too much the night before. It is a truly amazing mix of students and experiences we have despite living in a place where outsiders think everyone is the same. This work is a huge test of patience for me, which I often fail, but I pray for understanding, insight, and patience every day to help me through.

Winter Fun

Xavi's first winter with snow.
He made snow angels...

wore lots of winter gear...

convinced mom and dad to get in the snow...

and made lots of snowmen...

who have since melted away just like the song said they would!
(Below: a change of clothes for Mr. Snowman)

Christmas morning

We got to sleep in until 7:30am...

Whoa! Santa ate the head and foot of the gingerbread man, took bites of the chocolates, and drank all of the milk. He left a thank you note and a couch full of presents! Xavi was pretty disappointed that he didn't get to see him, though. Maybe we'll have to explain that better next year. This year he learned that Santa's bag is full of toys!

He was very happy with Santa when he opened a Cars umbrella.
"This is what I wanted!"

Neen & Grandpa are helping his music skills along this year with a nice red guitar, an electric drum pad set, and lots of accessories. Thank you! X sways and wiggles his hips as he dances around like a rock star and makes up songs, usually a cross between Yellow Submarine and original lyrics about the new baby. :)

Yummy lunch with family at Little America. X and D had a good time together. X even asked me if he could "share" his coloring book and crayons with D. What a sweetie!

Technically not Christmas Day but it was Xavi's last present (or should I say "bribe"...he was upset that they weren't taking him to California with them)...$20 to spend on any toys he wanted. What did he buy? Cars, of course!

Merry Christmas!

Getting ready for Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here is our undoctored five-minute family photo shoot, finger smudge on the lens and all (sorry, dear! You do look angelic...). What you can't see, however, is the fourth member of our family, the one we found out about just after Thanksgiving...baby #2, due early August. X is very excited about being a big brother and we are very happy to add to our little family.

Picture below: The AmeriCorps members at our school (that means me) were given one week to gather clothing and coins to help families from the school get needed winter clothing. The students and staff at the elementary brought in close to $1,000 in coins with which we bought boots, socks, underwear, coats, hats, gloves, and gift cards to add to the donated clothing. Old Navy donated the racks which made it look like a store and some reporters came and put the event in the local newspaper! We held what we called "A Warm Winter's Night" for families in need with over 30 families attending the event. Volunteers colored and played games with the kids while parents found the items they needed. Wal-Mart donated bags and candycanes and there were books from our "toy library" and puzzles for gifts as well. A nearby elementary school took the clothes left over and did their own similar clothing event. The short timeframe made it stressful but I think it was a helpful and successful service to the community, especially during this cold winter!

Since waiting to open presents all month is hard on kids, Xavi's grandma put the pieces to a nativity into different boxes, one labeled for each day. It's intended as the twelve days before Christmas but it was easier for X to see that the calendar said Dec. 1, so he could open Box #1. He loved it and made sure to take pictures of it when he opened the last box with baby Jesus (see below).

X also loves being an honorary member of the Cub Scouts. Since we are the leaders, he makes sure he gets to do everything the boys do. This time it was making gingerbread houses. His funny pose is because he has frosting all over his fingers and hands (he was eating most of it!)

Joe and I were a little humbuggy(new word?) at the beginning of December, mostly because we were both swamped with work. But as X kept pointing out everywhere we went that "this store (or building or house) is ready for Christmas" because it had a tree, we finally went and got ready for Christmas, too. I should have taken a picture of the lopsided tree when X had put all his decorations in one spot, but we rearranged and that's the shot I took. Xavi also helped me put together a Christmas puzzle that we put in the picture frame. We spent the whole week before Christmas visiting relatives and attending talent nights. Lots of fun and lots of talent! We sang "In a Little Stable" from Xavi's preschool and he was great at remembering when to pick up and ring the bells and when to put them down again. So proud!

Dinosaurs are real

We were so lucky to go to the Dinosaur Park with some of our favorite people--Duane & Kirsten! What I learned there right off is that three-year-olds think everything is real. X was terrified of the dinosaurs and clung to his dad or to me (see below). It probably didn't help that we started in the animatronics section where the dinosaurs move a little in threatening ways to other dinosaurs and make loud noises...

After a while, though, he understood that they were not going to get him and even liked being the brave one in the animatronics section when we met up shortly after with Hannah (also 3) who was scared of the dinosaurs. He didn't go up to the dinosaurs, in fact, he stayed as far back as the wall let him and held securely to me, but he did bravely point out the baby dinosaurs to Hannah and told her they weren't scary. :) He still believes there are some real dinosaurs somewhere (we couldn't fully convince him that they were all dead).

Walking around the Dinosaur Park was a lot of fun and X's fear disappeared quickly. He loved climbing on everything and running around. It was hard to tear him away from the excavation area, our last stop, where you can use brushes to "find" dinosaur bones in the sand. Such a fun day!

"Whoa"

Jurassic Park flashbacks anyone?

The family dinosaur...

Just a sample of some of those dangerous humans...

Joe and I were a little creeped out when we saw something small swimming in the water.
We thought it was a drown-proof rat or an otter (our minds still in CA, I guess)
It turns out it was a muskrat, so we were close! It seemed cuter after the mystery was solved.

Future archeologists (sp?)

Oh, boy...I've got joy!

X is in a little preschool where the moms take turns teaching two lessons each. It is a wonderful couple of hours and I felt lucky to get to take the kids on a field trip when it was my turn to teach. We were learning about rules and how things turn out well when we follow the rules. We went to Great Harvest to see how their bakers follow the rules (recipes) to make good bread. They gave an excellent short presentation, just right for young kids. The kids were patient while they waited for the tour to start and seemed to like the field trip.

Learning about the five main ingredients in bread:
flour, water, yeast, honey, and salt (I think)
Seeing the giant mixing bowl was my favorite part.

A gigantic mix of dough getting cut into smaller loaf pieces.
The workers showed off by throwing the dough up and over
the black rafters (see below) trying to land them right on the baking tray.

The kids watching the workers knead the dough

Waiting for their free bread samples

Enjoying the bread samples--thanks!

It was a fun field trip and the kids were given a picture to color
which let the moms get a free loaf of bread later! Yum!

The first day of school--thanks Miss Jesi for putting it all together!

X enjoys school and the kids enjoy playing with each other.

There are great moms and great kids! Who could ask for anything better?!