November Post

It's been another great month! 

We kept busy with our normal activities: Everett playing at Grandma Gion and Grandpa Phil's house on Tuesdays, me going to OB appointments (when Everett is at Phil and Gion's), Mommy and Me on Wednesdays, dinners at Phil and Gion's on Wednesday nights, playing with Grandpa Kathie on Thursdays, play dates at our house on Fridays, Sunday dinners at my parents', family activities on the weekends, Brian working around the house (bathroom!) and yard on the weekends. 

But we had new things to keep us busy: Katie was here to add extra excitement to visits with Gion and Phil, I helped get ready for Baby Sadie's first birthday (made invitation, volunteered our kitchen for Rachel's baking), we said "bye" to Cousin Jason (he moved back to Southern California), Brian had a week off, Aunt Sue, Cousin Bill, and his girlfriend Marissa came to visit for five days around Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at Phil and Gion's, we took pictures for our holiday cards, we've planned a little for our shower coming in early December (although Gion and Rachel are doing most of the planning), and we said "bye" to Katie when she went back to Chicago.

The new, fun toy at Phil and Gion's! Everett was pretty obsessed the first several weeks it was there. He would ask to go see "the new train" or "the big, new train." Not "the big train." It had to be "NEW!"

Everett being a "tunnel bridge" in his tight jeans.

Katie went to LA on the train for her 10 year college reunion. When she came back, we came along to pick her up and watch the trains.

Reading with Grandma Kathie at Grandma Kathie and Baba George's house.

Looking at the iPad with Auntie Katie. Singing "California Sun" and watching the USC marching band. Oh yes, he can make a "V" with two fingers and say "fight on!" Before my in-laws taught him, I thought he was incapable of holding up two fingers and taught him to say "I'm two years old" holding up his pointer on both hands. Lesson: never underestimate what your toddler can learn to do in two weeks.

I told him not to put anything on the floor so I could vacuum. This is what he did. Silly/helpful boy.

Playing in the leaves. He was so sick that day with a stomach thing. )':

Helpful raking boy.

Thanksgiving morning we made cookies. The mixer was too loud!!

While the cookie dough was chilling, we went outside to play on the play structure we got free (!!!) from a mommy on the SLO County Mommies Forum.

He loves to poke his fingers through the roof and have you try to touch/catch them.

beautiful boy with bed-head

Snuffleupagus eyelashes

Cutting the cookies. They were TOUGH! He needed a lot of help.

Look! Aunt Sue came over to watch the cookie making. Bill and Marissa were there too.

Thanksgiving dinner. He didn't eat anything except a few olives. His stomach was still a bit upset.

puzzles with Bill and Marissa

Reading with Baba George. Aunt Sue cracking up for some reason. (;

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went wine tasting. We got sandwiches at Hush Harbor and took them for a picnic at Carmody McKnight (where Phil pours--he was working that day). We then went to Calcareous to enjoy the view.

Everett loved spinning Bill around in his chair.

then spinning Baba George

Oh yes! Ben joined us that day! Ben, Brian, Marissa, Bill, and the beautiful view of Templeton.

Here are some pictures from our holiday photoshoot with our friend Julie Erb. None of these are on our card, so I feel ok sharing them. I'll post more after the cards have gone out.

He was pretty "done" by this time. Lovely scenery, though. Our favorite park: Heilmann. Why is it our favorite? Well, it has a disc golf course, of course!

my silly guys "reading"

He's such a sweet and funny boy. Always talking and thinking. We get comments all the time on how well he talks and how big his vocabulary is. We think he's above average, but we might be biased.

Here are some recent conversation-related Facebook posts:

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"Everett: (holding a cylindrical block) This is a blue marshmallow.

Me: Yes it is. 

Everett: (same cylindrical block) This is a basketball. 

(with the squirreliest look on his face) 

Me: No it's not!

Everett: Of course it is!!


He was so excited and proud of himself when he said "of course it is!" And he LOVED our reaction: Laughter. (:"

*********

"Everett was almost asleep when we got home from visiting Phil and Gion. I took him out of his car seat. He looked back in the car and said, 'oh, don't forget your purse, mommy.' Awwww. He's the sweetest!"

*********

"Everett and I just had a conversation about the Olympics, and he thinks the only event in the Olympics is beach volleyball. An easy mistake for anyone who watched NBC's coverage. And yes, 2.5-year-olds have VERY good memories. (;"

His imaginary play has increased a lot lately. He'll stand at his table and talk to his cars and trains. One will fall, and we'll hear him say, "are you ok? Are you ok? Yeah, I'm ok." One morning he stayed in his room for 30 or 45 minutes after he woke up talking to an imaginary cat about the things in his room (the cat was in his dirty clothes hamper).

So, this was me at nearly 30 weeks. The pictures below were from 28 weeks.

So fun to take these pictures in different seasons. Last one it was kinda cold, but the one before he was in shorts and I was wearing flip flops!

As of this month, I'm in my third trimester: Home Stretch! I'm starting to do appointments every two weeks now. I took my glucose tolerance test and passed! I can still eat chocolate ice cream and GORGE on oranges!

I started feeling hiccups around the 27th. They are so weird! And I feel bad for baby girl because they are so close together! It would drive me insane if I had hiccups so close together.

It will be so amazing to see Everett as a big brother! He's already so affectionate to his friends and his family, I'm sure his sister will get even more love and protection. He talks about "baby sister" from time to time. "Baby sister's in mommy's belly" or "baby sister is little. I was little but I grew." But he can not possibly know what's in store for him. Heck! I don't even know!

October Post

I've been looking forward to "the holidays" (Halloween through New Years) being a great distraction from pregnancy. And this month has certainly delivered!

As a mom who (so far) has handmade (hand crafted?) costumes yearly (with help from the dad), Halloween starts in (at least) the beginning of October. Planning and scheming starts well before that. I'll post more detailed descriptions of the costumes on my craft blog, but I'll just say, they went over VERY well this year.

It's been another amazing month where Everett blows us away with his genius at every turn. He's a little chatterbox. He's turned into a great mimic too. Meaning, his speech is so good he can say basically everything we can. Not just mimicking easy stuff, but EVERYTHING! 

Yes, it can be quite funny hearing a (white) two-year-old say, "I'm black and I'm PROUD!" Haha. 

We started watching more Blue's Clues lately, and he's so engaged it's adorable. He calls it Gnu's Canoes. I don't know why. He could say Blue's Clues if he wanted. Silly guy. I loves following along with all the clues, and he's stared calling his burt orange chair his "thinking chair." When he's not watching the show, he'll sometimes say things like, "first clue, a clock. Second clue, a train." So cute. 

Earlier in the month he was saying "no" twice. Every time he said "no" it was "no no." He's stopped that now, but it was fun. 

I made a note that on the 12th, we cuddled on the couch, and when I put him down in this bed for his nap, he said, "good night mommy." Awww . . .

Also on the 12th, at night, we put him to bed. He came back out. Brian said, "go back to your room. It's bed time." He closed the pocket door, closed the door to his room, got in his bed, pulled the covers over himself, and fell asleep! Amazing! That's not a regular occurrence around here, but bed times have gotten easier. 

'Tis the season for cracking up when your toddler wears funny adult costume pieces.

And for pumpkin patches. This first pumpkin patch trip was with Playtime Discoveries (our parent participation class). We went to Blue Sky Gardens in Garden Farms. Cute and small.

Thanks to Phil and Gion frequently taking him to visit various farms in the area, Everett is an expert goat feeder.

I felt bad for Teacher Dorothy because it rained and scared away the two classes after ours, but we really liked playing in the rain and mud. How much better is a pumpkin patch picture with mud on the knees (especially when the mud came out of my new favorite maroon pants)?!?

We've been having play dates. Here's Everett with the lovely and fun Paloma.

How cute and loving are these friends?!?

Our next pumpkin patch trip was to the AWESOME San Marcos Ranch. Wow! That place is beautiful. 

little family portrait

We got the first pictures of Everett in his Bob Ross costume there.

October 20th was Colony Days Parade. Our usual companions, the Hunters, were actually IN the parade with Julie's soccer team.

But we found other friends! The Milnes and the Thompsons were great company. Gion, Katie, and Tiffany (along with Brian and the Thompsons eventually), smartly sat in the shade of Molly Pitcher Brewing Company's outdoor seating area and enjoyed a few pints. I stayed away, since I'm not drinking, but next year, I think our whole group will sit there. (;

Everett saw the little train go by in the parade, and that's all he could talk about afterward. When we finally got to the train, he got in and gave me the face below. As the train pulled away, he stared SCREAMING. Brian and I ran along side it, and thankfully he calmed down and enjoyed the ride.

Zoo Boo is the Saturday before Halloween. And here are my guys and our costumes: Curious George and the man with the yellow hat. See the tiger back there?

We met some friends there. Here they are with "Baby Sadie," although she's WALKING now! Not such a baby.

Being "scared" by Andy the cowboy making his dinosaur rawr.

With Grandma Kathie and Julie, Andy, and Sadie's Memere Ann.

Our Power Ranger friends Paloma and Max got there a little late because they actually took a NAP! Their mom (my friend Anna) was pretty surprised by that.

We carved pumpkins the Sunday before Halloween, which ended up being a very good procrastination since it's been so warm (I guess that's why) everyone else's Jack-o'-lanterns rotted away before Halloween.

Our little OCD boy thinks pumpkin "guts" are pretty gross. My super simple pumpkin with two cookie cutter heart eyes (and that's it!), my lovey boy, and my baby bump.

I wasn't super happy with the first Bob Ross pictures, so I dressed him up again. I tell ya, I'm not cut out to be a toddler photographer. "Look at me. Turn your eyes toward me. Smile. No, don't say 'cheese.' Just look happy . . ." Haha. Oh well. We got some good ones.

It was actually Bob Ross's birthday the day we took these pictures (and Grandpa Phil's!). October 29th. He would have been 70. RIP you joyful painter you. "Everyday's a good day when you paint."

This picture just cracks me up. Brian wants us to save it for Everett, see if he looks anything like this when he's 50. (;

And here are the guys on Halloween Day before trick or treating!

"Monkey" in the tree.

Our first trick or treat, at Phil and Gion's house. Everett kept saying, "trick or treating!" It was SO CUTE!

Walking down San Pedro to the Bonifas's.

Then we went to Santa Margarita to trick or treat with the Hunters.

We trick or treated all the way to the other side of town (it's a small town--not even a town, really) to go to the Margarita Carnival. Everett actually did the ring toss and (eventually) won a sucker. Julie and Andy are much more practiced at the games.

And we came back tired and sore from walking (at least prego me) to see our simple jack-o'-lanterns flickering away (artificial Xmas candles inside).

So, as I type, I'm 26 weeks pregnant. Feeling good but a bit sore. Much more sore than I was with Everett at this point. Oh well. It's normal. We're getting more and more baby girl hand me downs. It's exciting. Girl clothes are just so cute! Makes me mad they don't make cuter boy clothes. It's not fair!

I think this first one shows pretty well how big I am.

Like Everett's orange and grey?! It won't fit for much longer.

This was Brian's favorite of Everett.

Until next month! Which will be another big one! 

P.S. We've had two big losses this month. Brian's Grandma Ramona and my Grandpa's partner Mary. I plan to write a post just about them. Soon. Ramona's service is this Saturday. After that might be a good time to post.