Happy Birthday, Jacob!

*sorry for the horrible picture quality - it was super dark and I snapped before checking my settings!)

Yesterday was Jacob's 33rd Birthday!

It was a Preschool evening (Sawyer's co-op class goes until 7:30pm) so...we picked Jacob up from work (he usually bikes) and our whole family spent a nice evening at school with our big and little friends. During snack time, a chorus of cute little voices sang "Happy Birthday" to Jacob (aka Sawyer's Daddy :) Then, we scurried over to the Taco Truck which has a reputation for being the best Mexican food in Seattle. We brought our food home and it did not disappoint! We got tamales, fish tacos, gorditas, some rice & beans, and horchata. We couldn't eat it all!

Then, came time for the Birthday Cake. A carrot cake (my mom's recipe=THE BEST) with cream cheese frosting, by request. Sawyer, it seems, was slightly dismayed that we didn't make cupcakes. He kept talking about cupcakes for Daddy (maybe because most birthday parties he attends there are cupcakes involved). But he didn't mind that it was a slice of cake once he took a bite :) After we sang, Jacob blew out a candle to make a wish on, and Sawyer was sure excited about helping him blow it out. Aspen was just happily observing and enjoying the whole event. She was a little sad she didn't get cake...so we gave her some whole milk, natural maple flavored yogurt (pretty much tastes like melted ice cream) and she was a very happy girl :)

After helping me wrap presents, one night Sawyer told Jacob he was getting a coloring book for a present. Jacob laughed. I laughed "do you think I'd really give you a coloring book?" (I did, this one) I guess if I want to keep things under cover Sawyer can't help wrap things anymore. We also got him Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life. It's an amazing work of art. Our family are big fans of Charley Harper. The first real print we ever bought is a limited edition giclee, "New York Harbor, 1947". It hangs above our sofa. Anyway...the book was for fun and the coloring book was a cue for the "Big" gift, a gift from the heart.

I have to preface that our birthday present budget is small-ish. $50 to be exact. So even though the gift from the heart was a mix of lots of ideas and planning on my part, I had to secretly dip into our Little Red Wagon funds to make it (well, the going out part of it) happen.

Simply put: We never go on dates. Our entertainment budget for the month is about half of our birthday budget. Babysitters are $15-20/hr where we live and there are literally about 2 youth in our church congregation (and I can't just leave my kids with any ole' teenager). We could perhaps pay for a babysitter for an hour and take a walk if we wanted to stay in our budget. Also, having a nursing baby makes it just plain hard to leave. It takes me a long time to feel "ready" to leave my children with a sitter. Also, we've both been so busy with freelance and being parents lately we hardly have the energy to do anything once we have a minute to sit down (which is pretty much never - I kid you not we have not independently sat down to watch even a DVD since before Aspen was born -- wait, I lied. We have watched a couple episodes of The Cosby Show - they are only 20 minutes long and funny enough to keep us awake:). Anyway, there are lots of reasons and lots of excuses to just "give up" on date nights sometimes. Lately, though (or maybe for the past several months) Jacob has been saying "It would be nice if we could go on a date sometime"...and I did get the hint. I decided to just make it happen.

My gift:

A moleskin planner, full of DATES, 52 to be exact.

52 date nights.

12 are "going out" dates, all prepaid, over half of which already have babysitting arrangements (thanks SO MUCH to my friend who was willing to trade family photos for 6 months of babysitting!)

The rest will be "staying in" dates. Once a month we will have "late dinner" after the kids are in bed - and for the rest we have a date box full of ideas. Jacob can add a few he really wants to do as well. (That was where the coloring book came in...we are both of the "artsy" variety, so why not listen to some favorite playlist on iTunes while coloring Charley Harper's very-refrigerator-worthy birds?) I have gathered so many ideas - we are so excited to look forward to a date each week! If anyone is interested in some fun ideas, perhaps I will post some as we go.

Our first date is this coming Saturday night: A concert at the Triple Door. It will be so fun to get dressed up to go downtown with my man, and sit and eat scrumptious dessert while listening to live music. While this "Date" gift is for Jacob...I definitely get to reap the benefits!

Happy Happy Birthday, Jacob! I love you so!

If you didn't get a chance to wish him a happy birthday yesterday, feel free to do so today!

I Like Days Like These (...and Aspen is 9 months old!)

Today was Beautiful.

It was sunny.

It was warm.

It was a perfect day to spend all morning at the park,

by the beach,

bare feet and all.

It was the perfect day to...

gnaw on rocks

:)

(the best teething toy, ever, if you ask Aspen)

or, perhaps, just watch Sawyer

he likes rocks, too.

Skipping rocks (or trying to, anyway)

*I kid you not, my kids would be happy to get rocks for Christmas!

Yes, I like days like these.

*and*

Aspen turned 9 months old over the weekend!

She now says "Mama" and means it.

She signs "all done" after meals.

She loves to stand up, all the time.

She loves to giggle - especially at Sawyer.

She can make car noises, and girly squeals, too.

She can stick out her tongue, "neener neener" style.

She doesn't have any teeth...yet.

I honestly can't believe that when Sawyer was her age, I got pregnant with her. Yikes. I am understanding now why many people have the first two close together and then space the next one out a little. She's still a baby. And growing up way to fast. Strangely, people always ask me if they're twins. (Don't they notice one walks and talks and the other doesn't?) I want to soak up all of her baby-ness before we have another. I am loving our two babes and want to just breathe for a moment and enjoy them for a season. I'm sure we'll be gettin' that swagga' wagon soon enough. But for now, we'll keep on car dancin' in our beat up old Civic :)

We love to see the Temple

This past weekend we took a little roadtrip down to Portland. There, we met up with my parents. They babysat for us while Jacob and I attended the Temple. (If you would like to learn a little bit more about LDS Temples, click here.) We had not had the opportunity to attend the temple for quite a while. We truly appreciate my parents providing us with the opportunity to be together in the temple for a couple of hours. It was a good to be there together and reflect on our marriage, our family, and our relationship with our Savior.

Just last week, for our Family Night, we looked at a picture of the temple, sang a song about preparing to go to the temple, and then built our own temple out of legos. It was somewhat spontaneous and it cracked me up when Sawyer got out the little lego Sir Topham Hat and told me he was going to go to the temple, too. Seriously? Kids are sponges. They really do soak up what you teach them and the behavior and habits their parents and peers model. Anyway...it was fun that we could take Sawyer to the temple and let him explore a little bit of the beautiful grounds.

We had a great time, albeit pretty whirlwind, visiting with my parents. It's nice we are able to see them from time to time. Sawyer sure loves to see "Grammie and Granpa!" We also went to the pumpkin patch...but I'll save that for another post.

Whether of the LDS faith or not, would you all agree our temples are beautiful? Anyone have a favorite? I've always really loved the one in San Diego...it looks like a castle from a fairytale. But really, they are all beautiful in their own way.

Swingin' into Fall: 8 months old!

Has another month already passed us by? I swear every month I pose the same question: how does the time fly by so quickly?

The answer surely must be: when you're having FUN!

Fun we are having...but I still can never get over how fast time seems to be slipping through the hourglass these days. Does anyone else feel like it goes faster the older you get? I sure do. And according to wonderful people beyond me in years - it just keeps getting faster. Yikes!

I remember being a kid, when a day seemed like forever. I miss that. All the more reason, though, to be with my kids and love them and play with them and cherish them each day. I feel so blessed to be able to "stay at home" with them. Staying at home often means...walks to the park, playing at the beach, outings to the zoo, etc...lots of fun!

So on one of our walks to the park by our home this week, I snapped a few of Aspen (something I try to do each month the first year, if you haven't notice already :)

Dearest Aspen,

As you rounded the corner to 8 months, all of a sudden you just don't look like quite such a "baby" anymore. Well, of course you are a baby (and, just like your brother, you will always be my baby!), but you know - not quite like such a very young baby. Maybe it's the hair clip? Of course, I only put it in for pictures, because it's too small and you would surely eat it if you got your cute little chubster fingers on it.

I am thoroughly enjoying you being my baby.

A few things about you this month:

LOVE sucking on things and putting things in your mouth.

(there have got to be some teeth in there somewhere, anxious to erupt...but I'm not complaining - no teeth means no biting while nursing, ha ha!)

You have abandoned your army crawl for speed crawling.

You also decided you like to stand up. Any chance you get, you are pulling yourself up to stand. Please not yet! I just know I will blink twice and wish you a Merry Christmas and you'll be walking and we'll be serving you Birthday cake. Please wait to walk, just a bit longer? Pretty please?

You had your very first diaper rash. Poor girly. Poor little bum. Not sure if it was from changing the detergent I was your cloth diapers in, or from trying broccoli for the first time. Either way, diaper rash is the pits for cute girls like you!

You tried your first "real" solid food - finger food (oh, besides those puff things) - cute up banana. Yeah, having teeth will help with the table foods, but you sure enjoyed gumming the banana. Yummy stuff. This week I'm going to see how you like avocado. I have enjoyed making your baby food. And you seem to love all of it! You make the cutest little sounds, like it tastes just divine :)

Speaking of noises - you can be very noisy! I swear you are trying to imitate your brother - you have this cute gruff little voice and you try to make the car noises he does. You also make some really girly noises, which are quite delightful.

Overall, my sweet darling, you are delightful! We couldn't have imagined a happier girl. Or a cuter one, for that matter!

Doesn't she look SO BIG in the swing? Must be those 'jeggins. Yup. I can't believe I got a chubby infant a pair of skin tight jeans/leggins, but that I did. She has gotten many compliments - I mean, COME ON, peeps, they show off her curvy, sexy thighs so well!

Anyway...in case you think all I do is focus (pun intended) on my daughter - don't worry, her brother is always close at hand. He has discovered a way to "fly" on the swings.

Just call him SUPER SAWYER

and you'll get this big grin.

LOVE THIS BOY!!!

Yes, F-U-N. That is how time flies!

Seven Months

-The army crawl got her where she wanted to go, but she's traded it in now for her hands and knees. She actually does the "downward dog" really well, too...future yoga instructor, perhaps?

-She says "Mama" but I'm not sure she really means it...yet. She makes the cutest little noises and has such a sweet little voice. (I should also note that while some of her noises are cute, sweet, and little, she has also learned how to screech and make some pretty loud noises thanks to her big bro.)She now gets upset (and voices it) when Sawyer grabs a toy away from her. We've been working on sharing and trading. She now has a few of her own cars to share and trade with her brother (I tried to pick out girly cars...pink cadillac, purple cruiser...)

-She continues to be fascinated with her brother. She loves Sawyer. She watches him and laughs at him and follows him around, everywhere. It is sweet.

-Food has never been a problem with this girl! I started making homemade baby food and she loves everything from Asparagus to Organic Peaches. She also likes those little "puffs" and is really good at grabbing them and putting them in her mouth. She has also learned how to drink water from her sippy cup. No signs of teeth, yet.

-It is getting difficult to change her diaper and her clothes...we call her Miss Wiggles...she likes to wiggle and roll and crawl away.

-She loves water. She loves having bath time with her brother.

And she is SUCH a little FISH! This summer we went to family swim once a week and she has no problem being dunked or thrown up for a big splash or kicking or back-floating. She makes very happy noises in the water and she flirted with way too many lifeguards. I love that she loves to swim!

-She loves playing outside, and going for nice long walks. She loves singing and reading stories (still have to watch out that she doesn't eat the book...) She also loves dancing.

-She loves playing with her brother's cars...and the duplo legos are a big hit, too. The better to suck on, I suppose!

-She loves when Daddy comes home...she books it towards his voice as he comes up the stairs in his biking gear. She gets giddy to see him and it warms my heart. I think he likes it too :)

-Sleeping...she still sleeps and snuggles right between us. We love waking up to her big smiles and little legs a kickin' to start a new day!

Overall, she continues to be the happiest and most chill baby I've ever met. She is content and sweet and we love her bushels and pecks! (I hope she continues with her easy-going and lovable temperament through her teenage years as well!)