A Surprise Package!

Don't you just love it when something arrives on your door unexpectedly? Well that is exactly what happened to us last Saturday! My darling Aunt Pauline sent us a fun package that contained ELEVEN books for my kids. I just love getting packages like that! Seriously, as a Mom, books for my kids are my most cherished presents. Plus, the books that Aunt Pauline sends are always a HUGE hit; she worked with Kindergartners for many years and knows what kinds of books they are drawn too! Audrey has had so much fun looking through all the books and discovering what was inside. She already has her favorites (Find a Face & Things That Go) & Oliver thinks they are pretty cool too :)

Find A Face THE WHEELS ON THE BUS The Red Book Let's Go Camping with Mr. Sillypants Please is a Good Word to Say Circus Caps For Sale The Rain Forest Too Noisy! Silly Street Things That Go THE WIND BLEW

Thank you so much Aunt Pauline for spoiling my kids the way that you do. We love you so very, very much!

My Favorite New Recipe

The other day while I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner, I decided to log onto marthastewart.com to see if there was anything the jumped out at me. I don't generally do this. Normally I call up Anna or Alyssa to see what they are making for dinner. Yet, today I was feeling a bit adventurous. After scrolling through a couple of pictures I came across this yummy one:

Italian Pot Pies

(click here for the recipe)

Not only did it look good, but I had all of the ingredients! This recipe really was super easy to make. The only thing that took long was chopping the onion & carrots. Next time I make this I will chop them before hand. I definitely recommend giving this one a try. Especially on a night when you want something yummy but easy to make. Enjoy!

Ten Months = 40 Weeks

As I sat down to write this, it occurred to me that Oliver has lived on this earth the same amount of time that I carried him in my belly. It seriously is crazy to me how much our little guy has changed our lives, touched our hearts and how he has grown so very, very much. Oliver, you are my little man & I love you so much!

You are a quick little one who is getting into everything around the house. How you love to stand next to the couch, table, chair - anywhere the action is. You have finally mastered the art of crawling on your knees. Although I don't think that will be your preferred mode of transportation for long: you love walking with any toy on wheels, and yesterday you walked 7 steps by yourself!!

You LOVE your food. And I mean L.O.V.E your food. Trust me when I tell you that when we don't get it to you fast enough, you quickly, and noisily, let us know. When this happens, Josh tells you that you take after my side of family.

Your dreamy blue eyes are still a huge hit, almost as much as your hair - which is saying a lot. You have had three hair cuts to date, and you have been an angel at all three. People, mostly men, often tell you that your baby blues and curly hair is going to come in pretty handy when you get older. As one man said "They are going to get you into a lot of trouble, and probably out of a great deal more." Secretly, I think they are envious of you :) You adore your sister. The lovely thing is, she loves you just as much as you love her. You both play beautifully together, that is as long as she doesn't take a toy away from you. You love it when she sings to you, chases you, and fake sneezes for you. Ahhh-CHOOO! That is your favorite thing, I think. Truly my heart just sings when you two are laughing at each other. Lately, you are allowing other people to hold you, which I have to admit has been a relief to my sore arms. Yet, when you are tried, you find comfort in my arms. Papa tells you that you are a Mama's boy. I smile.

What a fun little guy you are Oliver. I can't wait to see what you will be doing next month.

Happy Valentines Day!

Audrey, My Little Big Girl

Audrey's first day at Pre-School was today. Words can't even describe how grateful I am that she went willingly, stayed & had a really fun time. You see, last August I tried to enroll her in this same pre-school. She lasted all of about 10 minutes - 10 minutes of high octave screaming. Dawn, the pre-school director & I agreed that we would give it another go at the beginning of the year. And today she did it! She was so excited to go today. I told her this morning that she was going to school at the church (where it is at) and she couldn't wait to get dressed. When I dropped her off, she left my arms willingly. While she was taking her coat off, she waved to me and said "Bye Mommy. Bye." Hallelujah! As soon as I walked out those doors, I didn't know what to do with myself. What do you do when you have 2 1/2 hours to yourself on a Friday? A trip to Starbucks was definitely in order. I kept my cell phone on me, just in case, but the call never came. When I returned to pick her up, Audrey was all smiles & couldn't stop talking about the snow. "Snow balls, Mommy. Throw it - whoosh! Ahhh Hahahaha!!!" Apparently the teacher had brought in two buckets of snow for the kids to play with (yup, this is California we live in!) The gleam on her face was priceless. As we walked out of the classroom with her hand in mine, she looked up at me and said "Had a good day at church Mommy." My heart just melted. Audrey, my sweet little big girl. How quickly you have grown up.

NINE

Oliver, Oliver, Oliver. I really can't believe that you are nine months old today. How our world has changed since you have arrived. Truly. These past nine months have been crazy, hectic, fun, interesting & challenging. But they have meant the world to me. You are certainly a busy little guy. Currently you have 6 teeth (four on top & two on bottom) and your favorite thing is chasing your sissy around the house. Not that you can do it yourself, yet, but you get the biggest smile on your face when we carry you around the house while running behind Audrey. Your laugh is infectious and brings a smile to every one's faces. To date you have had two hair cuts. People are enthralled by your hair. One woman even asked me if it was real! You are quite proficient at commando crawling, but have yet to get up on both of your knees. That doesn't slow you down though, you are quick! Right now your new discovery is pulling yourself to a standing position. You have learned that you can do that on anything. Which is making Mommy realize that the house is not as baby proofed as I may have thought it was... arg. Patty Cake is your favorite song, especially when someone claps your hands along with the rhythm. You eat like a champ, yet green veggies still emit a funny little yucky face from you. What a good little boy you are Oliver. My sweet precious child... Mommy loves you.

Good-Bye Christmas Tree

This year Audrey had her very first Christmas tree in her room. She absolutely loved it. Every morning she would say "Good morning Christmas tree" and when it was time to go to bed, she would say "Good night, see you in the morning." Her favorite thing to do during the day, and whenever anyone came over for that matter, was to take them to her room and show them her tree. Like a big girl she would turn it on (with the nifty little foot switch) and then run to turn the lights off in her room so that you would get the full effect. Many "Oohs" & "Ahhs" were followed by this demonstration. Most of them coming from her. "Oh Gosh!" was her common remark. It was clear that she felt like such a big girl to have her own tree in her room. Well, Christmas is now over and I knew that the tree had to come down. I was dreading it to be honest. I didn't quite know how she would react to it being gone. Would she throw a tantrum? I had thought about leaving it up for a while. Why not, sense she loved it so much? Would it be so bad to have a Christmas tree up in March? Finally, I got brave and told Josh that it had to come down. So today while I was out with the kids Josh took her beloved tree down. Before we left the house, I stood with Audrey in her room and told her to say good-bye to her tree. She held onto my leg as we waved goodbye to the the Christmas tree. "Good-bye Christmas tree" she said "see you next Christmas."