Here's Benjamin carefully mixing his paints.
And little Jacob! He's the smiliest baby I've ever known - it doesn't take much to get him to grin at you.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns!
On Saturday we had our annual pumpkin carving and painting fun! The younger kids paint while the grown-ups (and Adam this year) carve their pumpkins. These are some pumpkins we picked ourselves last weekend from a pumpkin patch!
Here's Anna having a ball painting her pumpkin.
Lizzy with a big grin as she starts painting away!
Adam has been slimed (either that or he just turned into Spiderman!)
My friend and co-worker Rajesh is visiting this month from India. Halloween is not observed much in India (he said he first heard about it reading our blog last fall) so we decided to invite him over for an American cultural experience. This is a shot of his first ever pumpkin carving. Great job!
We also had black bean burritos for dinner (I know -you'd think we could come up with something American to eat considering it was supposed to be an American cultural experience - oh well). He told me later that he learned from dinner that an Indian could live very happily in Mexico. We enjoyed having him in our home!
Here's Anna having a ball painting her pumpkin.
Lizzy with a big grin as she starts painting away!
Adam has been slimed (either that or he just turned into Spiderman!)
My friend and co-worker Rajesh is visiting this month from India. Halloween is not observed much in India (he said he first heard about it reading our blog last fall) so we decided to invite him over for an American cultural experience. This is a shot of his first ever pumpkin carving. Great job!
We also had black bean burritos for dinner (I know -you'd think we could come up with something American to eat considering it was supposed to be an American cultural experience - oh well). He told me later that he learned from dinner that an Indian could live very happily in Mexico. We enjoyed having him in our home!
Happy Halloween!
Jacob had a pumpkin suit on. I wanted to paint the top of his head to look like a jack-o-lantern, but Tammy wouldn't let me!
Ben was the dragon. Here he is with his friend Holly. When Adam had his face all painted and bloody like a vampire, Ben was very frightened. Adam handled it really well - every time Ben would cry out of fright, Adam would cry out of fright at Ben's "scary" dragon costume. That made Ben feel much more brave!
Happy Halloween!
Lizzy performed in her preschool Halloween program today. She sang out the loudest and really enjoyed acting in front of the crowd of parents.
Adam decided to be a vampire this year. He enjoyed it so much, it may become his full-time job when he is grown!
Anna was happy to have her glitter paint face with princess fairy costume.
The kids went trick-or-treating with the Jensen kids. It was strange this year with daylight savings time still around - it was light outside for trick-or-treating!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Jake's 2 month checkup
I took Jacob to the doctor this past week for his well check. Jacob is doing great! He weighed in at 11 lbs. 5 oz. which is 50th percentile. He was 23 1/2 inches long, which is 75th percentile (I have a friend who had a baby that was 23 inches at birth!). I can't remember the exact head size but it was also 75th percentile, which is small for a Finch. He has been smiling and cooing so much lately. He has been doing that since he was about 3 weeks old, but now it comes so much easier for him. It is really fun. He has the most pleasant temperment and is just easy going and quiet. He is sleeping really well still, getting up only once a night.
The saddest part of the visit, of course, were the shots. Maybe it is because he hardly ever cries, but it really bothered me when he was crying after his shots. I just felt so bad. You could just tell that it hurt. He has been fussier the last couple of days, but did better today. I have to say this was an uncomfortable visit for me as well. I chose not to get the prevnar, you know the pneumonocacal (sp?), or the new oral rotavirus vaccines. We have never gotten prevnar, and when Adam was a baby they had a rotavirus shot that they recalled, so I just would like to see how things go with this one for a while. Also, with both of these I feel like ther are not as serious as some of the other illnesses, anyway... the nurse practitioner seemed very concerned that I wouldn't get these vaccines (I know the shots are combined, but the poor child already was getting 4 or 5 vaccinations that day). I probably wouldn't get the varicella (chicken pox) either except it is required for school. I also had to sign this waiver "Refusal to vaccinate". I just felt terrible, but I felt like it was the right thing to do for us. I don't know, it felt like it harmed the relationship with my practitioner. The tension was thick and she tried to talk me into it and told me all these things I should do to prevent illness and how I should get the other kids vaccinated with flu shots (I said no to that too). I don't know people. Am I crazy? I seriously want some opinions, even differing ones. You folks with medical backgrounds.....hint, hint, and you moms out there, what do you think?
It was not my favorite visit to the doctor, but I guess most visits to the doctor are not enjoyable, it usually means something is wrong. I do have to say though, Lizzy and Ben were awesome! We had to wait about 35 minutes just to be called back there and then all the time spent in the room and the waiting time there. Our appt. was at 9:30 and we left the office at about 11. They did really well though, even the nurse practitioner commented on how well they behaved. That made me happy. Ok, yes, there was a promise of a treat involved, but I'm OK with that.
Anyway, Jake is doing great. He has been such a blessing to our family. I am always amazed at how much love you can feel from this little person that can't do anything for himself, that needs you for everything. He just lays there and smiles, but it fills our home with happiness to have him do that . We really do feel loved by him. It is pure love. Babies are such a blessing, and we are thankful to have one that is so amiable all the time, who loves us. We love him too of course!
The saddest part of the visit, of course, were the shots. Maybe it is because he hardly ever cries, but it really bothered me when he was crying after his shots. I just felt so bad. You could just tell that it hurt. He has been fussier the last couple of days, but did better today. I have to say this was an uncomfortable visit for me as well. I chose not to get the prevnar, you know the pneumonocacal (sp?), or the new oral rotavirus vaccines. We have never gotten prevnar, and when Adam was a baby they had a rotavirus shot that they recalled, so I just would like to see how things go with this one for a while. Also, with both of these I feel like ther are not as serious as some of the other illnesses, anyway... the nurse practitioner seemed very concerned that I wouldn't get these vaccines (I know the shots are combined, but the poor child already was getting 4 or 5 vaccinations that day). I probably wouldn't get the varicella (chicken pox) either except it is required for school. I also had to sign this waiver "Refusal to vaccinate". I just felt terrible, but I felt like it was the right thing to do for us. I don't know, it felt like it harmed the relationship with my practitioner. The tension was thick and she tried to talk me into it and told me all these things I should do to prevent illness and how I should get the other kids vaccinated with flu shots (I said no to that too). I don't know people. Am I crazy? I seriously want some opinions, even differing ones. You folks with medical backgrounds.....hint, hint, and you moms out there, what do you think?
It was not my favorite visit to the doctor, but I guess most visits to the doctor are not enjoyable, it usually means something is wrong. I do have to say though, Lizzy and Ben were awesome! We had to wait about 35 minutes just to be called back there and then all the time spent in the room and the waiting time there. Our appt. was at 9:30 and we left the office at about 11. They did really well though, even the nurse practitioner commented on how well they behaved. That made me happy. Ok, yes, there was a promise of a treat involved, but I'm OK with that.
Anyway, Jake is doing great. He has been such a blessing to our family. I am always amazed at how much love you can feel from this little person that can't do anything for himself, that needs you for everything. He just lays there and smiles, but it fills our home with happiness to have him do that . We really do feel loved by him. It is pure love. Babies are such a blessing, and we are thankful to have one that is so amiable all the time, who loves us. We love him too of course!
Funny Lizzy
Lizzy: Mom what does s-i-s-t-e-r-h-o-o-d-i-s-p-o-w-e-r-f-u-l spell?
Me: (I know what she is looking at so my response is easy) Sisterhood is Powerful.
Lizzy: Who is Sister Hood?
Of course I start laughing. Lizzy starts crying. When she realized I thought it was genuinely funny she said it over and over "Sister Hood" "Sister Hood" I will never think of that word the same again.
Me: (I know what she is looking at so my response is easy) Sisterhood is Powerful.
Lizzy: Who is Sister Hood?
Of course I start laughing. Lizzy starts crying. When she realized I thought it was genuinely funny she said it over and over "Sister Hood" "Sister Hood" I will never think of that word the same again.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Two Months
Well, our little Jacob is 2 months old now. In some ways it seems like the time has flown by and in other ways it seems like it has slowly crawled by. I was really tired at first, more tired than I remember being after the others were born. I seem to be coming out of it though. I was having some challenges nursing the baby for a while too, but that is going much better. He is just a sweet, wonderful baby. He has such a gentle, pleasant temperment. He does great at night too, just getting up once almost every night since he was born. The other night he even slept for 7 or 8 hours straight ! It was just one night, but I will take it. The kids love him. In fact he is practically smothered half the day with children in his face. He takes it all in stride though. I think Ben has had the hardest time. He has required extra patience. I think he is coming along though. My house is a mess and I always seem to be running late, but other than that things are going well. We were overwhelmed with kindness the weeks after Jacob was born. So many people brought us food and gifts. It was wonderful! We felt so loved and were so thankful not to have to worry about one more thing. One wonderful lady even took Lizzy and Ben for a day and had a "party" just for them. They still talk about it. Another lady brought them to the park and out for ice cream. I am so grateful for the church and all the good people we know who helped us.
We also had a stream of family visitors. First was Greg's mom and her husband, Jim. They came just 2 weeks after Jacob was born. I was still having nursing troubles and spent a lot of time in my room with the baby. Thankfully they took good care of Lizzy and Ben, or rather, spoiled Lizzy and Ben (the other kids too, but they are at school most of the day). The went to parks and the musuem and went to "playground restaurants" (Burger King) and even to climb on the tractors at John Deere. Jim spoiled me by making a lot of the evening meals. We were so glad to have them come. Here are some pictures of their visit:
As usual things were crazy while they were here. I celebrated my 32nd birthday. It was a simple affair. Dinner at home, yummy cake, fun presents, and Jim and Cherrie watched the kids so we could go out for a little bit, even the baby stayed with them. Greg also had to speak at Stake Conference, where several congregations from our church meet together, in front of about 1,000 people. We chuckled that his assigned topic was peace and harmony in the home, as our home seemed to be turned upside with this new little one coming home. He did a great job though, and since he told a story about his good dad, I think it was neat that his mom was there to hear that (Greg's dad passed away about 10 years ago).
Here is a birthday picture.
In between visitors, Ben had his 3rd birthday. We had two celebrations; one was with just our little family with spaghetti and a yummy cake and presents. The other was with Ben's cousin, Lawson, who was born on the same day as he was. Since the Ebberts are now living in Iowa City, it was a great chance for the cousins to celebrate together. The kids always enjoy playing with their cousins. We are so happy they are so close now. Enjoy the pictures:
These are the cool dump truck birthday cakes that Aunt Deanna made for the boys. (Delicious too!)
Our next visitors were my grandparents. They have been our most faithful visitors since we have lived here. They have come just about every year we have lived here and years like this where we have a baptism and a baby blessing, they have come twice. They haven't missed any of the kids' blessings. They are fantastic visitors to have because they just sort of go with the flow. My grandpa always keeps busy with house projects. Both Greg and I really appreciate that. It is great to get some of those nagging projects done. He was also the official tickle monster for the week. My grandma is great at reading to the kids and talking to them. Lizzy, especially always seems to have something to say. They also helped a ton with meals and cleanup. The took Liz and Ben out to the musuem and while the girls were at a birthday party, they took the boys out on the town while Greg and I ( and the baby, this time, so we could be gone longer) could go out on a date. They also came to see and participate in Jacob's baby blessing. Look, more pictures!
We also had a stream of family visitors. First was Greg's mom and her husband, Jim. They came just 2 weeks after Jacob was born. I was still having nursing troubles and spent a lot of time in my room with the baby. Thankfully they took good care of Lizzy and Ben, or rather, spoiled Lizzy and Ben (the other kids too, but they are at school most of the day). The went to parks and the musuem and went to "playground restaurants" (Burger King) and even to climb on the tractors at John Deere. Jim spoiled me by making a lot of the evening meals. We were so glad to have them come. Here are some pictures of their visit:
As usual things were crazy while they were here. I celebrated my 32nd birthday. It was a simple affair. Dinner at home, yummy cake, fun presents, and Jim and Cherrie watched the kids so we could go out for a little bit, even the baby stayed with them. Greg also had to speak at Stake Conference, where several congregations from our church meet together, in front of about 1,000 people. We chuckled that his assigned topic was peace and harmony in the home, as our home seemed to be turned upside with this new little one coming home. He did a great job though, and since he told a story about his good dad, I think it was neat that his mom was there to hear that (Greg's dad passed away about 10 years ago).
Here is a birthday picture.
In between visitors, Ben had his 3rd birthday. We had two celebrations; one was with just our little family with spaghetti and a yummy cake and presents. The other was with Ben's cousin, Lawson, who was born on the same day as he was. Since the Ebberts are now living in Iowa City, it was a great chance for the cousins to celebrate together. The kids always enjoy playing with their cousins. We are so happy they are so close now. Enjoy the pictures:
Our next visitors were my grandparents. They have been our most faithful visitors since we have lived here. They have come just about every year we have lived here and years like this where we have a baptism and a baby blessing, they have come twice. They haven't missed any of the kids' blessings. They are fantastic visitors to have because they just sort of go with the flow. My grandpa always keeps busy with house projects. Both Greg and I really appreciate that. It is great to get some of those nagging projects done. He was also the official tickle monster for the week. My grandma is great at reading to the kids and talking to them. Lizzy, especially always seems to have something to say. They also helped a ton with meals and cleanup. The took Liz and Ben out to the musuem and while the girls were at a birthday party, they took the boys out on the town while Greg and I ( and the baby, this time, so we could be gone longer) could go out on a date. They also came to see and participate in Jacob's baby blessing. Look, more pictures!
Jacob's blessing was beautiful. He was blessed with a strong mind, body and spirit. He was blessed that he would be a wise and compassionate man and that people would come to him for advice. He was blessed that he would desire to live the gospel, to be baptised and live worthy of the covenants he makes throughout his life.
We were really happy that Tammy's dad and wife Nancy were able to be here for the blessing as well. They stayed for a few days afterwards and we enjoyed having them with us very much. They took Ben out birthday shopping (and he LOVED that - not to mention the other kids who were suprised with gifts as well). We all got to go out to dinner the Monday evening they were with us. Tuesday Lizzy and Ben and Tammy and Jake enjoyed a trip to the zoo with Grandpa and Grandma. The older kids were sad they missed out on all the fun (school again!) but were all glad to be able to spend a couple of evenings enjoying their grandparents. Here are some pictures from their visit:
Finally, since we're catching up for two months of missed posts, we'll end with some pictures from this weekend at the pumpkin patch. It was a cold and very windy day so it made for a good day to be picking pumpkins. Enjoy the pictures.
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