January Post

Geez! I wondered if I should have done a post half way through this month, but then I thought, "it's not December! I won't have much to post about!" WRONG.

So let's begin.

January was a great month. I'm beginning to see the light! We decided I would no longer get up with Lydia at night. Brian only. And guess what?! After a few nights, she's SLEEPING! Why didn't we do this earlier?!? Sleep changes everything. I've even started thinking about art again. I've started looking into Everett having at least one full day of preschool a week so I can make ART!

And we're in a pretty good groove right now with Everett. We're communicating well. We're all happy most of the time. Things are really clicking with him at school. He's started to calm a bit and is being invited to do work with other kids.

Lydia is so close to walking. A couple times, she's taken a tiny step unsupported, but she's not so sure about the whole idea.

Dixie and Jason visited, and we went to the zoo.

Aww. Lydia loves her Grandpa and his silly characters!

We opened their gifts in the park. Lydia loved them, despite her faces.

She puts this play knife in her mouth and crawls/cruises. My little pirate. Arrrr. So funny.

Silly just waking up from a nap.

Cleaning up for a morning of taking pictures of her at 11 months for her 1st birthday invitation!

She looks like she could be a hobbit in a Peter Jackson movie here.

This is the one I used on the invitation. Sweet.

I was trying to get her to smile, so I put on a video of a porcupine eating a pumpkin. Cute but no smiles.

I made a pinafore dress with my new sewing machine! I guess this is what I get for using a free pattern from the internet. It's HUGE! Maybe she can wear it when she's three-and-a-half. :(

Sometimes, when we're desperate to get Lydia down for a nap, it works well to have Everett play PBS Kids (dot ORG) games in his room. He's getting shockingly good!

Lydia loved the bounce house at Westley's birthday party. She slipped in there when the big kids ran to make their own Ninja Turtle pizzas.

Everett playing dress-up. Nice cravat!

The first time I ever saw her stand up straight from the floor, I happened to have my camera, and I caught it! Lucky!!

Lydia hanging with bunny from Dixie and Jason. "What's up bunny?!?"

Luckily we weren't sick much in January, but they did fight a few things hard! This day, Everett fell asleep watching TV on the couch. Strange sight, Lydia awake and Everett asleep.

Normal sight out our back windows. Our neighbors.

Just a normal day in California in January. Popsicles on a dry, dead lawn.

Earlier in the month, Phil and Gion took Everett to Morro Bay.

A few weeks later, we went to Morro Bay. We basically did the same exact things they did. We walked on the boardwalk near the estuary and visited the museum. He was SHOCKED to discover buying things at the gift shop was not obligatory.

Gretchen and Mark visited the weekend of the 25th and 26th. The weekend! They usually come during the week. It was really nice that Brian was able to spend so much time with them.

Sweet Daddy putting on a shoe.

We went to Rosa's princess fairy 4th birthday party. Lydia was sooooo tired. Everett had a fun time wearing his sorcerer hat and doing the fairy scavenger hunt.

Brian got in trouble for giving Lydia cupcake! I'm planning to give her a corn muffin on HER birthday!!

I almost added in Julie's birthday. Keep the birthdays coming!! But it was in February, so I'll save it!

Phil and Gion took Lydia to gymnastics for the first time. They said it took her a while to warm up, but then she had a blast.

Everett's been asking to play with play dough a lot lately. It has been awesome! During Brian's garden work day (have I mentioned Brian's now the coordinator for his school's garden?), Everett played with play dough for OVER two hours! Amazing.

From Facebook:

"Everett just left with Gion and said, 'Happy Balance Time Day, Mom and Sis!!' Haha. I guess they've talked about Valentine's at school?"

Until next month!