National Babywearing Week

Next week begins National Babywearing Week. I know I posted a picture of Sam in the Moby already, but to celebrate NBW, I thought I might post another one:



I love our Moby! Sam is so comfortable in it, and I use it all the time. My mom had the opportunity to see firsthand how great it is when I visited my parents in St. George. I wore Sam pretty much everywhere - the mall, the airport, the playground, and walks around the neighborhood. I must have been stopped at least 5 or 6 times by people- young and old - interested in it. There is something so right about carrying your child to your chest, and the Moby makes it comfortable and easy!

Nick also uses the Moby. Sometimes Sam gets fussy at night, and all he wants to do is be walked around the house. It can get pretty tiring on your arms, so Nick just pops him into the Moby and goes about his business. I wish I had a picture of the two of them!

I assume eventually I will move on from the Moby. Right now I am contemplating the Ergo next. Pricey, but I've heard some pretty great things about it. We already have the Bjorn, but I really want to try something new, and many people I know have raved about their Ergo. Any thoughts?

Jacob's thoughts...

Jacob is hilarious. He really keeps us laughing, and we appreciate it so much! Here is just a taste of what we get everyday:

• Today, when he was driving in the car with Nick, he noticed the stars in the sky. He made a wish on them. His wish? "I wish that I may have a beard." When Nick asked him why he wanted a beard, Jacob replied, "So I'll be handsome."

• When Nick and I were discussing our family, and laughing at something, Jacob walked by and said, "this is no laughing matter." What? So great.We love him so much!

Dar Williams Part II

Here is the promised link to the beautiful Dar night. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to Hil.

October catch-up

Here are a bunch of posts that I wrote to catch-up. Hope you enjoy!

Tagged by Jasmine

Here are six random things about me:

1. When playing the game "Two truths and a lie," I like to steal other people's truths and make them my lies. This makes my lies seem more authentic. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget who I've played it with, or who's experiences I am borrowing and end up stealing someone's truths at the wrong time. Sorry, Autumn.

2. I like to play Sudoku. A lot. Pretty much every night before I fall asleep I play at least two games in bed.

3. I have a pretty awesome memory. It amazes my husband, and I am quite proud of it.

4. I have tiny sneezes. For this I blame my sister. When I was a child I was traumatized by her loud, scream-like sneezes and have repressed my sneezes ever since. Nick likens them to the sound you hear when you step on a mouse.

5. I have monkey toes. I can pick up many objects using just my toes, and Jacob seems to have inherited the same talent.

6. I love snow, dislike hot weather, and still enjoy living in Texas. Go figure.

Thanks Jasmine - this was fun!

I tag my local peeps plus one:
Hil, Jamie, Chow and Sarah O.

Dar Williams

Last night I went to a Dar Williams/Shawn Mullins concert in Austin with my great friends Hilary and C. It was so amazing. I admit, I kind of forgot who Shawn Mullins was until midway through his set when he referenced his "monster hit" - Roackabye. Remember? Yeah. It was pretty good, though I must say I am glad he went first so that I could fully enjoy Dar, and leave with the glow of her music on me.

She played some wonderful songs - notably such favorites as "The Christians and the Pagans," "As Cool as I Am," and "After All." I actually can tell you her whole set list - in order. And not just from memory. My amazingly brave friend Hilary went up to the stage after the concert was done and retrieved not one, but two set lists - one for me and one for her. Her bravery was born of experience - eight years ago she attended a Dar concert and received a set list there too. So great.

The venue was awesome. The concert was presented by the Cactus Cafe at UT and took place in the Ballroom - an intimate setting that added to the wonderful overall feel of the concert. Hil laughed at me during the second half of the concert - I most definitely had perma-grin.

After the concert we waited around and Dar signed our set lists and took a picture with us. I admit, I was a little star-struck when it was my turn to speak to her. I think (and I am sure that Hil can correct me on this) I said something like - "I'm so happy and I can't find any other words." It was silly, and true.

Ah, beautiful music, a beautiful night, and wonderfully beautiful friends. Thanks Hil and C. And a big thank you to Nick who stayed home (though he loves Dar too) to watch the boys so I could enjoy the evening out.

Oh, and as soon as Hil posts the picture on her blog I will steal it and post it here.

Halloween 2008

This year I was determined to do family-themed Halloween costumes. Back in June we asked Jacob what he wanted to be for Halloween. He said Captain Hook so we went from there.

We found Jacob's costume at the Disney store (an ebay version of it, at any rate) and my blue nightgown was discovered at Kohls. When I was in Utah visiting my family, my mother, sister-in-law Emma and I all tackled Sam's Peter Pan costume - we dyed a white t-shirt and tights green and fashioned a hat out of green felt. My favorite part? Brown booties made from felt and rubber bands.

Nick's Mr. Smee outfit was constructed from pants and a cheap t-shirt we bought at the store, and I sewed him a red sleep hat out of an old t-shirt. The finished family product was something I was extremely proud of.

It was good we were actually prepared in advance, as we had lots of fun Halloween obligations this year - we attended a BBQ party at our friend's house, had the church's trunk-or-treat on Wednesday night, Jacob's pre-shool party on Thursday and went trick-or-treating this morning. It was a very successful, if drawn out, Halloween. And Jacob has fully embraced the concept of candy. Oh, well.

Aunt Meggie

We love Aunt Meggie so much! Megan is my best friend and former next-door neighbor from Long Island. She works really hard and her job takes her all over the United States organizing different conferences. Thankfully, some of these take place in Austin and we had the pleasure of her company a few weekends ago after she finished working in the city. We had fun shopping, talking and just visiting. Thanks for coming, Meggie!

Here are some photos from her visit:

Megan and Sam

The girls and Sam

Megan and the boys

Funny faces

Weekend in St. George

The second weekend in October my mother and father flew me, Sam, my sister Susan and her son Asa, my sister-in-law Emma and her youngest James all to St. George for a long weekend of spoiling and good times. We were also happy to have Emma's sister Elizabeth and her daughter Megan join us from northern Utah.

We shopped, ate delicious food prepared by Dad (thanks, Dad!), relaxed and enjoyed each other and all of the children. It was a beautiful weekend, and it was a great time with family. Thank you so much Mom and Dad!

Me, Sam, my sister Susan and her awesome son Asa

My adorable and generous parents

The girls and their boys

Emma's sister Elizabeth and daughter Megan (so much fun!)

My sweet nephew James (Mike and Emma's youngest)

My beautiful sister-in-law Emma

My sister and Asa again

Random Photos

My mom wanted to see what the Moby wrap looks like, so I thought I would share! I love it so much, and Sam is certainly cozy in it. We use it a ton - going food shopping, picking up Jacob from preschool- everywhere. I highly recommend it!



I just really like Jacob's eyes in this photo:

The Children's Museum

On Friday we met up with some friends at the children's museum. We had a blast! We drove down with Jamie and JT, and met Jacob's friends from church and preschool. Jacob was really excited - it had been too long since we had last visited. All morning long he kept on proclaiming it the best day ever.

It really is a neat place - it is pretty much one big room with different exhibits, so Jacob had some freedom. The museum is set up as a little community - there is a hospital, house, grocery store, outdoor area, bank, newspaper office and outer space area just to name a few exhibits. Here are some photos of the fantastic day:

The many faces of Sam

Some of these photos were taken awhile ago and some were taken today. I thought you might enjoy!

Sam's six week photo shoot:


I caught this one mid-sneeze:



And here he is a little over twelve weeks old:




Seriously, how adorable is he?

Samuel Asher's Blessing Day

Sam was given a name and a blessing on September 7, 2008. It was a lovely day in San Marcos, and we were very happy to have our friends and family with us. Nick blessed Sam, and Bishop Currit, Nick's dad Byron, Nick's uncle Mike, and our friend Jay (Hannah's dad) assisted him. We missed our great friends the Morgans, but we were happy to see the Adams and the Pattersons come from long distances to celebrate with us. Grandmother and Grandfather (Nick's mother's parents) came too, as did Progiagia (Byron's mother - the name means "great-grandmother" in Greek) and Uncle Mike, Aunt Sally and cousin Charlie. It was a beautiful and very special moment for our growing family.

Afterwards, we had a luncheon in our home. We ate some delicious food (thanks to everyone who helped/contributed!) and visited with our friends and family.




Sam didn't seem to impressed with the whole thing. He slept through the beginning of church, awakening to smile and stare during the blessing, only to fall quickly asleep after and pretty much stayed that way until the whole shindig was over.

I wish I was smart enough to get a ton of pictures of that day, especially of Sam in his cute blessing gown (not dress - Nick told me that I was not allowed to call it a dress since our son was wearing it). I even forgot to get any family photos. Thankfully, we visited Byron and Lisa a few weeks later and recreated the moment, thus the picture at the top of the post.

Cloth Diapers

We recently switched to cloth diapers for Sam. It wasn't a hasty decision. We (I) did tons of research online, went to a cloth diapering class, and considered all of the different options. Cloth diapering sure is different nowadays!

The cloth diaper switch has been fun. After attending a class a few weeks ago, we received a bunch of great information. Nick and I discussed which route we wanted to take (there are so many options -pre-folds, all-in-ones (AIOs), pocket, etc.) and we decided to go with fuzzibunzs (FBs), which are a specific type of pocket diaper. I was ok with the pre-folds (kind of what you imagine them to be like back in the day - a folded cloth with a cover) - they were cheaper - but Nick really liked the ease of the FBs. They are most similar to disposable diapers, and I really liked the snaps. They were a little price-y, but we consider it an investment. We bought 16 diapers, and I do a load every other day.

http://www.fuzzibunz.com/why_choose_fuzzibunz.php

Taking care of them is so easy. We bought a diaper sprayer that attaches directly to our bathroom toilet. After we change Sam's poop diaper, we just bring it to the toilet and spray it with the water, flushing the water down when we finish.There is also an insert in the diaper that goes in the tupperware tub that we keep in the bathroom where we store the diapers until it is time for laundry. Oh, we also spray the poo diapers with bac-out, an environmentally friendly
cleaner that deodorizes and treats the dirty diaper.

http://www.diapers.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=6098&&cm_mmc=cse-_-googlebase-_-null-_-null&cvsfa=912&cvsfe=2&cvsfp=BU-009

http://www.bi-o-kleen.com/general.htm

On laundry day I just throw the diapers in the wash and run a cold water cycle with out any detergent. I then run a hot water cycle using Allen's detergent (safe for cloth diapers). I pop the diapers in the dryer and run it on low. When they come out, I re-stuff the diapers with the insert. It is really easy! Oh, you only use around a tablespoon of the powdered detergent, so it lasts a long time.

http://www.babycottonbottoms.com/allens_naturally.htm

We also bought an extra pkg of inserts. At night time we double up on the inserts, increasing the absorbency of the diapers. The diapers themselves are amazing. They are so soft (the inside is micro-fleece) and we are both impressed with the absorbency. They really keep the bum dry, even when the diaper is full! That is because the fleece wicks the moisture away, filling up the insert.

When we first started this journey, Nick was not completely sold on the idea but supportive. Now he is totally converted. We originally decided to use disposable diapers for errands and church. Yesterday Sam had a blowout diaper after church, and the disposable could not contain it. We have never had that issue with the cloth diaper, even though Sam has been gassy lately (I need to avoid nuts!). Nick now wants us to use cloth all the time. I understand his sentiments.

There are so many different cloth diapers out there, and I really believe that they address all different needs. We love this brand, and really enjoy using it. The staff at the store we bought them at were incredibly helpful, and they are available for any questions we may have.

http://www.austinbabyonline.com/ClothDiapering101.html

I am so glad we made the switch, and I can't believe how easy it was! I only wish I had done it with Jacob, but I am glad to be doing it now. We are now preparing to make the switch to cloth wipes!

Jacob's Preschool

Jacob started preschool this year! We found a great preschool run by the Presbyterian Church that we absolutely adore. The school has a board certified teacher, Ms. Pat, and two parents who volunteer every day. If your child is enrolled in the preschool, you are required to volunteer two days/month. It is a great opportunity to participate in Jacob's education, and I love meeting all of his classmates.

Jacob goes to school Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-12. He plays at the playground, makes beautiful art, learns new songs, and practices social skills. It is an incredibly loving environment, and Ms. Pat is the perfect teacher. Before school even started she came to our house and played with Jacob for two hours! What a great preschool.

My boys

I love being the mother of boys - it is so much fun. Trucks, swords and lego "shooters" have taken over my life. The colors blue, green and red dominate our home, as does kara-tay, wrestling and soccer. The volume in our home is consistently loud, and we have yet to make it into church with Jacob's shirt still tucked in.

And the hugs. The kisses, the smiles and the knowledge that I am the girl of the house, and I have three males to defend my honor - that I cherish.

Just a few reasons to love my guys:
Jacob-

• his love of knowledge. When we go to the library, he bypasses the nice picture books and stories and heads straight for the non-fiction section. He wants to learn things, and he goes through phases with it. So far this summer our family has learned about: lobsters, crabs, whales, germs, viruses, volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and dinosaurs. I love that he loves learning, and I am being taught by him too.
• his persistence. Ever since we studied lobsters (my personal favorite library book? Lobsters: Gangsters of the Sea), Jacob has had a desire to go to the restaurant Red Lobster. We pass by it on the way to church, and he shouts with joy. He knows that we will be going there to celebrate Daddy's first paycheck from his new job in two weeks, and he has even gone so far as to make a paper chain (with my help). When Jacob decides something, he keeps with it.
  
• the way he comes into our bedroom to shower me with kisses before I am officially "awake." He gives me hugs, says "I love you" a minimum of 30 times a day and sings songs for me. I love his stories, and I love his love. I hope to be worthy of it.

Sam-

• has the cutest sneezes, followed by the best sighs of relief. His sneezes come in packs of five, and they take a lot out of a little man. After they are finished, he always sighs with such relief that it makes me laugh.
  
• has the most hilarious grunts. He has almost made up his own language, consisting solely of grunts, red/purple faces and fist waving. I love it, and try to communicate to him in his own language. Also, after waking up, Sam relishes his stretches so completely. I love that he stretches out each individual muscle, and does it with such contentment.
• is a content little boy. He radiates peace and love, and he has already made our home a better place. I can't imagine our life without him, and I am so grateful for his presence in our home. He completes our little family.

Nick-

• is always willing to get me a glass of ice water, regardless of the time of day or night. He answers every request of mine, no matter how frivolous, with a smile. He has even run out to the convenience store at midnight to buy ice because the water here tastes nasty. That is love.
• makes me laugh more than anyone else in my life (though Sarah O. is a close second!). He not only laughs at my silly puns, but responds with his own. He never courtesy laughs at my jokes - he genuinely thinks that I am funny, which is true love too.
• helps me live my dreams. He takes care of me, teaches me, laughs with me, leads me and makes me a better person. He challenges me, is more patient with me and is always willing to forgive. I hope to be worthy of his love.