2009 in Review

If 2008 was a year of upheaval, then 2009 was a year of settling in and focusing on family and friends. Here are some of my favorite moments that made this year so special.

- New Baby. Jacob is such a joy, and after all of the heartache and stress of trying to conceive him, I'm so so thankful that he is here: happy, healthy, and beautiful. It was really exciting leaving his gender a surprise, and I highly recommend it for the SECOND time around.

- New friends. Ok, maybe they aren't all brand new to 2009, but we definitely grew closer this year and started hanging out on a regular basis. I've really enjoyed my walks, talks, and lunches with Jill, family dinners and playtime with the Vugrin's, and breakfast, shopping, and pregnancy adventures with Stephanie. I would be at such a loss without my friends. As would Jo seeing how she's friends with their kids as well :-)

- Preschool. Whoever invented part-time preschool was a GENIUS. Jordan loves preschool, Mama loves preschool, it's a win-win for everyone. Jordan has learned about community in a classroom, best friends, sharing (still a struggle), and how wonderful teachers are.

- New skills. "Skill" may be a stretch, but I did take a few classes at the end of the year and it reminded me how fun it is to learn new things. I hope to continue the trend in 2010 with some photography classes.

- Hiking. We have become quite the hiking family. It's a cheap replacement from our normal travels, and it's very convenient that we have such great places practically at our backdoor.

- Family visits. Just about everyone came to see us this year at least once, and it was great. It's the last time we'll be able to host visitors comfortably, given that our guest bedroom disappears in about 5 days :-) Hotel Kropka will become Hostel Kropka in 2010.

Predictions for 2010? I really don't know. More of the same I Hope!!!

1st Christmas in the ABQ

Boy, Christmastime in this house must mean LAZINESS!! I can't believe how much I haven't accomplished this week, cooking and eating aside, and it's been great. Here's the rundown of how we celebrated:

- Jordan entertained us with her singing at her preschool's Christmas program. It was really cute; both the 2's and 3's class performed, and then served hot cocoa and cookies on the playground.

- Jordan and Mama did some Xmas shopping together at the mall, where we picked up a tag on the Giving Tree and I tried to teach her about giving to other people. She doesn't get it yet. What she did get was there's a Carousel at the mall, and she can ride it when Auntie Katherine comes to town.

- Great day, Auntie Katherine comes to town for a whole week! We did lots of stuff with her: family pics, trip to the mall to ride the Merry-Go-Round, and Supper with Santa at the Aquarium. Supper with Santa was a bit of a bust. Jo was under the impression that Santa would actually sit down to eat with us. Instead, he just did a few walk throughs of the restaurant. And the food was bad. But, it was still festive, and set us up for the walk through the River of Lights.

- The River of Lights was awesome! This will definitely become a family tradition. We didn't get to stay too long b/c it was cold and Jacob woke up hungry and pissed. But the lights were really neat and imaginative.

- We had a decent snowfall on the 23rd, and Jordan got to build her first snowman. I think this made a big impression on her, and she didn't seem to care that Daddy hadn't picked up dog poop in several days. When the snow started to melt, Frosty took a head dive into a big frozen pile of poo, and my scarf and beret are still laying tainted in the garage.

- Christmas Eve was about fun and games and eating. We ate so much junk these past two weeks, it shames me to even think about it. Jamie coerced me into the poker games going on between himself, Katherine, and my Dad. Big mistake. I had no cash of my own, so Jamie covered my debts, which were considerable after 3 fateful rounds of Knock. I left to go pick up Karen from the airport, and made a small comeback upon my return. Santa mysteriously repaid all of our losses the next morning....

- Karen arrived late Xmas Eve and met Jacob for the first time. Before we knew it we were back up, opening presents and going through stockings. Jordan and Jacob are spoiled rotten. We all had a nice Christmas.

- My Grandma arrived on the 26th, and hasn't put the baby down yet.

- My parents Birthdays are both on the 28th, and it was my Mom's big 60th this year. We left Jamie with the kids and headed to the Sandia Casino. Mom's present was gambling money, but she wouldn't spend it. Karen and I had a good afternoon on both the slots and the blackjack table.

- New Year's Eve we were all asleep by 10:30 :-)

- New Year's Day Mom cooked the big dinner, but we forgot the black-eyed peas!! So the next day we did the big dinner again WITH the peas and champagne. We also went to the sledding play area on the mountain on New Year's Day. Jordan had a blast, and liked checking out all the other kids' sleds.

- And today is everyone's last day together :-( My family leaves tomorrow morning and Jamie goes back to work. It's going to seem so quiet and lonely. I'll be sure to plan something fun for the kids and I so we're not too bummed.

Merry Christmas to Me

I have the house to myself!! For like an hour! Such luxury, what shall I do? Nap? Wrap presents? Not waste it on my blog!!

Latest Jordan Goofiness

Jordan's got some new games and sayings we find amusing. Here's a sample:

- she lines her library books up, propped open, on the floor and calls it a castle

- she mixes up her propositions "to" and "for". She'll say "Is this cookie to Mama?" (why, yes it is); "Are we going for the grocery store?"....I wonder if she's thinking "two" and "four" instead of "to" and "for".

- she's into labeling people her best friend. There's a little girl at school she calls her best friend, and they are attached at the hip. But she'll also say Nana is her best friend and Mama can't be her best friend. Huh.

- sometimes when Jacob starts crying, she'll grab his little elephant toy and wave it an inch from his face. She says she's making him happy. I asked her to entertain him this way one day when he was sounding off and I couldn't get to him. Now this is her go-to (or her go-for?) solution anytime he cries and she's feeling maternal.

- I think Jo may have figured out how to fib. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Yesterday was my turn to provide the snack at preschool, and the drink was apple juice. When we got home for lunch, Jo was thirsty. She told me they had milk at snack that day. Then she asked to drink juice.

- when Jo wants something she thinks the answer will be No for, she whispers the request.

- Jo likes to start off by saying "Mama, Mama, I have to ask you a question." When I say "OK, what is it?" sometimes she's already forgotten and responds with "What??"

- our threats to withhold certain privileges, toys, etc for poor behavior are failing. If Jordan won't pick up her toys (a daily battle) and that means she can't go to the park, then she just tells us "I don't want to go to the park." Lately she also hasn't wanted a cookie, to watch her Xmas shows, or Santa to bring her presents.

- Jordan says some really amusing things, and we laugh. We're not laughing at her, we're just tickled by whatever she's blurted out. She doesn't like it, and will hold up her hand and say "Don't laugh, Mama, it's not funny."

- Jordan's hooked on Christmas music. Every time we're in the car, we have to listen to the Christmas station on the radio. I don't mind, but they do play the same songs OVER AND OVER. Yet I still don't know all the words. Frosty the Snowman came on, and I was requested to sing along. When it got to the part I didn't know, I went "dah dah dah", and Jordan says, all serious, "You need to learn this one, Mama."

Girls' Afternoon

We had a fun girls' day out this afternoon. My Grandma is in town for the weekend, and Jordan and I went with her to get pedicures. It was Jo and Grandma's first time. to get a pedicure (well, they just painted Jordan's toes). Grandma liked it, and Jordan seemed a little unsure about the whole thing. I really thought she'd be more into it, especially since it was an activity without her brother along. But I let Jo pick whatever color she wanted, and she chose a super sparkley bright green,right away without hesitation. She has Grinch toes. Grandma liked Jordan's sparkles so much, she had them put red sparkles on her red polish. I guess I'm the conservative, I got plain red. So we're all Christmas-y.

One Month Gone By

My baby boy is a month old today. It's the last time I'll ever have a one-month old :-( I try not to think about all of the "last times" too much, just enough to make sure I pay attention to the moment and not wish him to grow up too fast. Jordan and I are on our own during the day now that Nana and Pa went back to Austin after their month-long visit. It was so nice! I got so much help and so much sleep! And Jordan had not-stop entertainment. We're adjusting, the world is full of moms who do it (and much harder things), but there's no doubt that we've been spoiled.

We took Jacob to the doctor for a weigh-in yesterday, and that pork chop is already almost 9 pounds! He's doing really well. Honestly, he's an easy baby, but he's going to eat me out of house and home by the time he leaves for college. He must be going thru a growth spurt now because he's eating a full meal every 2 to 2 1/2 hrs, with the poopy diapers keeping pace. Costco needs to come up with even bigger boxes of supplies....

Jordan's adjusting pretty well to having a new baby brother. She's very affectionate to him, is interested in what we do to take care of him (oh, I hope she doesn't talk about her Mama pumping breast milk to her schoolmates!!!), and she gets just as frustrated as we do when Jacob cries and we can't figure out how to get him to stop. She likes to say all of the things Jacob can't do because he's too little, and she really likes all of the extra TV she's getting to watch while I feed and clean and redress baby boy.

All in all we're doing ok. More sleep would be wonderful, but at least no one has gotten run down and sick, which is a miracle given preschool germs, cold weather, flu season, and visitors.