What Are They Up To?

I imagine the conversation went something like this: "Listen sister, I'm taking charge of the driving today". "Well then Baby, I'm going to bite your arm".

Viva Las Vegas

I was going to post a few pictures from our Anniversary weekend in Las Vegas but then I remembered the old saying: "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". Ok, we weren't really THAT bad... the photos definitely were though. After sifting through them I decided that it best no one ever see them... then I changed my mind, sorry guys! So here are some very scary pictures:

Mr. & Mrs. Drunky celebrating their 5th wedding Anniversary... are we both wearing lipstick?

Jenny and Mark give a little cheer of excitement after having sent their dinners back...

Tracy and Kristen patiently await more booze

Nick and Mark enjoy a few Margaritas at Margaritaville...

and later on that evening Mark showed up with his new bird...

Luckily she was called back to the mother ship before he had a chance to drink her pretty!

Looking very tired the morning of departure

Strollin'

Since we've had some nice weather lately, our new favorite after dinner activity has been strolling around the neighborhood in the little red wagon. Annabelle and Jack have a grand ole time kicking each other, and having competitions to see who can laugh and scream the loudest! The day this picture was taken (Friday) we made the mistake of letting them take the balls along for the ride... that day we had the "who can make Mommy and Daddy run the farthest" competition!!

Locks of Love

Today I had almost all of my hair chopped off and donated it to Locks of Love , a non-profit organization that provides wigs for bald children. Nick really wanted to do it, but since he is follicle-ly challenged I volunteered. The last time I remember my hair being this short was after I had the "Dorothy Hamill" cut when I was 7! At least it's not as bad as that. It's actually sort of stylish now, if ever I get a chance to style it I'll post a picture.

Sleepy Monkeys

A rare and beautiful thing.

Why So Pouty Jack?

Looks like Jack was still a little upset after having made a visit with Dr. Pam for his 1 year check up. Once again, the second he caught a glimpse of the scary german nurse he broke down in tears... this from the boy who rarely cries!

Tears aside, all is looking good with Jack. He was lucky enough not to have to have any shots this time and is right on track with his growth. His new stats are:
Weight: 24lbs 10oz
Height: 30-1/4 inches
Head Circ: 46cm

Angel in Disguise

How appropriate that she be wearing a shirt that says "Angel in Disguise" whilst she went on a Sharpie spree throughout the house. I was away from her for maybe 3 minutes while I cleaned Jack up after lunch. That was long enough for her to climb on top of the computer desk, grab a red sharpie, and a black one, and then put a few nice red and black markings on the back of the loveseat, the banister, the wall, the floor, the dining room table, her new turtle ball that we got at the Aquarium yesterday, her clothes, hands, AND color her new white shoes (that we just bought this morning) RED. Oh, and just this very minute she handed me 2 of Jack's new cars and said "uh oh mommy, look"... they are covered in black marker.

Happy Birthday Jack!!!

The past year has gone by so quickly it's almost hard to believe... one year old today!! Welcome to a world of whole milk and forward facing car seats! Jack has had a very busy 1st year: moving across the country, traveling abroad, growing, learning, and becoming very mischievous... wonder where he got that from?

Here are a few pictures of Jack from his party on Sunday... he sure did like his cake!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Annabelle and Jack were wrestling each other for these silly shaped red and blue cups. Right in the middle of it all they suddenly stopped and discovered the reflective quality of sun light!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Completely Bonkers!

... just one of the many phrases Nick uses to describe Annabelle. Her latest fixation is a song by the Pet Shop Boys called Home & Dry. Every time we've been in the car lately she whines and cries "Ho, He, Yi, Yi, Yi-Ho, He, Yi, Yi, Yi!!!" (that's home & dry in mad language) until I play the song... and then we listen to it and she sings. And when it's over she cries and whines until it is played again. This goes on until we exit the car and she fixates on the next thing... this week it's "big rock" in front of our neighbor's house.

Syca-NO-more

Well, it's official Sycamore house... you've been put up for sale. Hopefully your departure will be quick and painless, much like your acquisition. I still remember when I first saw you on the mls... it was then and there that I knew you would be ours. So much so that I forced Nick to skip traffic school and drive 480 miles with a 2 month old Annabelle just to see you in person. You were the first house we looked at, and although your walls were covered in crayon with bad drawings glued to them, I still thought you had potential. You've been with us for many good times (and a few bad) and we will miss you... especially your lemon trees.

Big Girl

Growing up way too fast... I know I've said it a thousand times but every day I notice something new. The last time we were at this playground, which was maybe 3 months ago, she could not get across this balance beam.

Go Jack Go!

Jack has been zipping around like a madman lately. He is trying desperately to get up on those feet and take off running, but hasn't quite gotten there yet. Recently he has taken up knee walking (some may call it crawling) where he is upright on his knees and uses one of the little tikes chairs to support himself like a walker... a creative substitute if I do say so myself!

Frosty the Snow Lump

Finally, a day where there is snow on the ground and Annabelle is NOT sick. She has been looking forward to playing in the snow for ages but coughs and colds always seem to interfere with her plans. Today nothing was going to stop her, not even the fact that it was 23 degrees out!! Here are some pictures of her and Daddy building a "snowman".

Jack in the Box

A box arrived on the door step yesterday and much to my surprise out popped our Jack! Here I thought he was upstairs napping!! OK, not really, but he did enjoy playing inside the box.

Thanks for the presents Jackson and Grace!

Jack Henry is 11 months old today!!

Family Resemblance

I took this picture of Jack a few days ago and it's been bugging me because I couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar... until I sifted through the archives and found this picture of Annabelle taken last Easter- Aha, balloon ribbon!

Hypnosis

I think I've discovered the subliminal message hidden in the Baby Einstein dvd.

My Funny Valentine

Annabelle and Jack had a little fight over the "ball", which is actually a candle, that Annabelle is holding. Jack tried to remove the "ball" from Annabelle's clutches and wasn't too happy when she fought back. This picture was taken just after I pried them apart.

Shortly after the beef the candle went away and all was right with the world.

...and later that day

it's business as usual.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Birthday Annabelle!!!

I just looked at the time stamp on this post and noticed that it said 8:27pm eastern time which means it is 5:27pm in California... the exact time Annabelle was born 2 years ago... very freaky!!!

Thinking back to that Thursday in San Francisco I could never have imagined what life (or Annabelle) would be like 2 years later... what an amazing & crazy ride it has been!

10 Months Old Today!

In his 10 short months of life, among other things, Jack has:

• mastered reading upside down
• learned to say Mama, Dada, and a bunch of other gibberish
• learned to wave, clap, and quack like a duck
• aquired 2 teeth
• been crawling all over the place
• started pulling himself up to almost standing
• attacked the CD rack on numerous occasions
• managed to find and pick up (and try to eat) all of the left over pine needles from the christmas tree

Teddy's Hair

Last night Annabelle insisted that her Teddy Bear be allowed to dine with her. At first she tried to sit him in the highchair but he was too short to reach the tray, so he ended up sitting on top of the tray while she was eating. Occasionally she would hold a piece of food up to his mouth so that he could have a bite. About half way through dinner I noticed that she was piling bits of steak on top of Teddy's head. When I asked Annabelle why she was putting meat on Teddy's head her reply was: "Teddy's hair, mommy" as if I should have known.

Here is a picture of Teddy with his new hair.

Oobi

Oobi, Oobi, Oobi, Oobi, Oobi, Oobi, he's got a lot to see and a lot to do and he's always with you! Oobi, you, friend.
Actually, Oobi is a hand, with eyes... and a very catchy theme song.
Well, Annabelle thinks so anyway... Yesterday while playing in the living room Oobi came on the t.v. and Annabelle broke out in a little dance. Very impressive for someone who is supposed to be sick (note glistening nose).

Feeling Better

Jack seems to be back to his old self. Still coughing a bit with a drippy nose... yet happy as can be!

The Competition Continues

I think Annabelle was feeling a little neglected with all the attention being on Jack because she went and got herself an ear infection! I suspect she is happy now that she also gets to take Amoxicillin twice a day, which is what she really wanted... seriously. Whenever I give Jack his medicine she asks for some. She loves to take medicine, I don't know why, always has... should I be worried?

As far as the Jack update goes he is still not 100% but the Doctor thinks that his lungs sound a little bit better and that he is wheezing and coughing a bit less. Hopefully another week on the Nebulizer will do the trick.

The Nebulizer

Jack's follow up exam didn't go as well as we would have liked. His breathing had become more labored so we were sent off to the hospital for a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. X-ray was negative (phew). Jack was sent home with a Nebulizer (crazy contraption kind of like an oxygen mask but delivers medicine in the form of a mist to the airways) which he unhappily has to use 3 times a day in hopes that his bronchial tubes will clear. He goes back to the Doctor tomorrow to see if there is any change.

(Un)Happy New Year!

Poor Jack has had a nasty cough for all of 2006. Yesterday I took him to see the Doctor and it was discovered that he has what looks like the beginning of baby bronchitis, as well as an ear infection. He has been so good, one would never suspect that he was sick at all if it wasn't for the occasional hacking cough/wheezing and the terrible sleeping pattern. Jack's been put on 2 medications and has a follow up exam on Sunday (yes, a Doctor's office is actually open on Sunday). Hopefully it will all have cleared up by then and that his new year's resolution was not to gain more attention by being sick!