Ben, Kristin, Abram, Aila, Emerson, and Liv: 2012

12.01.2012

Sweet Abram

It's high time I posted a few words (update: many words) about Abram lately:

(**I tried to post some pictures but it says I ran out of storage space...not sure what to do about that, but here's my Abram in words)

He Loves:
-Helping me in the kitchen (aka hangs on my pants until I hold him on my hip and let him help pour spices in the bowl...quite the feat)
-Spotting babies in public ("Babeeeyyy!")
-Bubble baths
-Playing with and spotting cars/trucks/motorcycles--anywhere and everywhere
-Singing songs with all the hand actions--he even pipes in when he knows the words! (eensie-weensie spider, wheels on the bus, the Sunbeam song, snowman song, popcorn popping, ABCs)
-Reading books...especially my I Spy book--"I Pie!!"
-Watching himself on video
-Going to my grandparent's house in Napa--he makes himself right at home!
-Brushing/flossing teeth (...not! But he's getting better about it)
-Getting a hold of something he knows he shouldn't, then saying "Bye!" and taking off around the corner
-Cracking himself up in his crib after he wakes up ("Eh bike!...yeah! Eh car!...Yeah!"...then laughs...)
-Playing ball
-Playing chase with daddy after work...usually at bedtime when he should be winding down. :)
-Cleaning up to the clean-up song
-Sitting on his potty ("pah-ee") when I go and "wiping" himself (with his pants still on--we have a potty for him but haven't started training yet)
-Helping fold the laundry (shaking it out, then scrunching it up and handing it to me)
-Doing animal sounds and naming body parts
-Stalling at bedtime (asking for water, then sipping slowly while peering over his sippy at me)
-Nursery at church
-Bringing me my shoes when we're getting ready to go somewhere (so sweet!)
-Giving hugs and kisses

Most-Used Words:
"marrrrr" (more)
"car" (car and Carter (Abram's favorite friend who's 3 and shares his cars :)
"duh" (truck)
"day-doo" (thank-you and here-you-go)
"mee-mee" (excuse me and amen)
"co-eey!" (cozy)
"boo!" (comes around the corner and tries to scare me)
"mie" (vitamin--he loves his gummy vitamin)
"ba-key" (blankie)
"warry" (water)
"go-gur" (yogurt)
"burrbry" (blueberry)
"ca-car" (cracker)
"owie" (owie--this means he wants a kiss)
"Daddy, wherr-you?" (when we wait for Ben outside of his office after work)
"Bett" and "Marrk" (Brett and Mark, my uncles that live out here)
"eye-bow" (eyebrow...a body part he's been interested in lately...?)
"two, two, GO!" (1-2-3 go)
"wet" (we've been getting a lot of rain lately)
"dark"
"yum" or "mmm"
"bess" (bless you, after I sneeze)
"Whoa! Eh big!" (when something is big or a lot--like giving him a big bowl of smoothie)

Favorite Snacks (most of the time he is a very good eater!):
bell pepper or carrot strips with hummus
banana with peanut butter
yogurt
frozen blueberries
crackers, of course
sunflower seeds
oranges

All in all, Abram is the sweetest little boy and I feel so blessed to have him. He is so easy-going, happy, and content. I love my baby boy.

11.12.2012

Our Latest...

This is a little movie of Abram I made a few months ago.

We sent it to our families then, and now I've decided it's time to share it with the world (aka the few readers we have of our blog, ha).

(I just watched it again and I'm shocked at how much older he already looks now!)

9.24.2012

Four Years and The Big Two-Five

July was a fun month for us.

The 18th is our anniversary and the 22nd is my birthday.

Plus, Abram turned 18 months old on the 16th!

This year Ben and I celebrated 4 years of marriage!

Ben brought home some yummy take-out on the way home from work (every place we've eaten here has been so yummy--even Chinese food is fresh and health(ier) than most),

Cream cheese wontons and cashew chicken with brown rice...so yummy!

and we made a fire in our fireplace and had s'mores

while we watched our wedding video and exchanged lovey-dovey cards.

I feel so so blessed to have such a wonderful man for my companion.

Here's to a billion kajillion more years!

My birthday was on a Sunday, so on Saturday we drove 35 minutes to Bodega Bay

and went to three different beaches.

We had crab sandwiches and award-winning clam chowder for lunch.

(And Abram had his first hot-dog. :)

This was our favorite beach. It's a popular spot for whale-watching in the winter.

Examining the sand...

Tasting the sand...

Loving the sand...

Hoarding the sand...

Oh, that face! How I love it...

On Sunday, my Grandma totally spoiled me.

I think the last time I had my birthday at my Grandparent's house was when I turned 8 and was baptized, so this was a total treat to celebrate with them!

After church, we drove down to Napa

and celebrated with my Grandparents, Uncle Brett, and Aunt Jessica.

We had DELICIOUS chimichangas and spanish rice for dinner

and Skor cake for dessert.
It was a wonderful day spent with wonderful people.
25 seems pretty old to me (I still think I'm 22 or something), but I try to use it to my advantage; like when I feel intimidated or when I'm going through something difficult, "Heck, I'm 25! I can do this!"

Abram gave us a lovely recital on his Grandma Lorna's (my mom) childhood piano.

Grandpa imitating the monkeys on Abram's jammies.

What fun great-grandparents Abram has!

We didn't get pictures of presents, but my mother-in-law sent me some lovely-smelling perfume and my mother made me a beautiful birthday quilt. I felt so loved! What a wonderful family I have.
Thanks, everyone, for a great birthday!

9.17.2012

Catching Up: Summer Tidbits

I always dreamed of living close to my grandparents. Never in my life did I think I would, but those dreams came true when we moved to CA! We're only an hour (or less) drive away from Napa, CA where my mom's parents live (and it's one of the THE most beautiful drives ever among all the vineyards and wineries). Abram is their only great-grandchild so far, and he is so lucky to be able to get to know them.
They're such good sports to play with him when we visit! It didn't take him long to warm up to them, of course, and now he gives them kisses when we say goodbye. :)

In June, Abram and I got to drive down to Napa to celebrate my Grandma's birthday!

We went to eat at a fun Mexican Restaurant. Abram was so well behaved.
My aunt Lesley, cousin Weston, uncle Brett, and aunt Jessica were there too (my Grandpa had to be at a scout meeting).

She opened presents and we had yummy ice cream cake afterwards.
Abram gets to follow in his mother and uncle's footsteps and play in the rocks in Grandma & Grandpa's backyard (and we do our best to keep the rocks out of the bird bath so Grandpa doesn't have to fish them out later, haha. :)

Happy birthday, dear Grandma!
What a wonderful life full of love and service she has led and continues to lead. I admire her so much and am so grateful I get to live close by right now! My Grandma & Grandpa's house still feels, looks, and smells magical to me. I have so many wonderful memories there.

Abram has also loved getting to know his great uncle Brett. :)

At the beginning of July, we went camping...for 24 hours.

My mom's family has gone camping at Grover Hot Springs in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (just South of Tahoe) for decades.

My first time there was over my 2nd birthday.

My family went as often as we could while I was growing up, and Ben and I have now gone a few times since we've been married...and Abram even went this year too.

...although afterward, I called it first AND last camping trip, haha.

The first night, he woke up around 10pm and would NOT go back to sleep until 4am, despite everything we tried... Easily the worst night since the night we brought him home from the hospital! It was crazy.
Ben had to leave camping early anyway to be back for work, so Abram and I ended up leaving early too.
We'll try the camping thing again next year...maybe. :)

We did have fun during our short time there though. I wish I would've gotten more pictures, but my mind was a little blurry...

The typical hackey-sacking...

Abram trying to get in on the fun.

Relaxing in Uncle Brett's ginormous camping chair.

Abram was so tired, poor thing, but luckily he had uncles to keep him happy.

My brothers loved playing hackey-sack with Ben.

On the actual day of July 4th, we drove down to Livermore, CA where Ben's Uncle Mike, Aunt Vicki, and cousin Jamie & her husband Jason live. We had a delicious BBQ in their lovely backyard. Abram loved playing in the kiddie pool (again, I forgot to take pictures!). We're loving being close to our extended families!

9.05.2012

Abram's Latest

-Sometimes he says his own prayers (he'll all of a sudden fold his arms and start talking quietly). Or he'll talk along with us when we pray.

-He likes to "fake sleep" where he lays down with his blanket and rhythmically blows air out of his mouth like he's snoring (but keeps his eyes open), and when I notice I say, "Oh, my baby's sleeping! I'll tuck him in so he's cozy. Should I give him a kiss and wake him up?" to which Abram replies, "Yeah!" So I give him a good wake-up kiss (I wonder how long he'll let me do that) and say, "He's awake!" And before I know it, he's sleeping again....and repeat...and repeat.... :)

-I frequently find him "reading" to himself in his room with lots of cute expression.

-Never, ever, ever gets sick of watching out the window for cars. It doesn't matter what we're doing; if he hears a noisy car or truck outside, he rushes to the window to see it. When he can't see it anymore, he waves and says, "Bye-bye, car!"

-Which reminds me of yesterday, when he threw peas on the floor during dinner, and I said, "Abram, it's not nice to throw food on the floor. It makes a mess." He sat still for a second and looked at me like he really understood it, but then quickly waved his little hand and said, "Bye-bye, pea!"

-His newest words are plane and sky. "Mane!! Guy!!"

My little beach boy

Happy as can be in the sand.

Sometimes he puts my shoes on.

He loved having Uncle Josef here for a week--couldn't wait to show him the cars going our apartment...

This was a no-shower day for me (haha), but this was at a BBQ our apartment complex put on. Abram loved the potato salad and was the center of attention.

7.23.2012

Letting Go

Abram-boy,

I can't believe you are officially 18 months old!

Yesterday was your first day in nursery all by yourself! As soon as we walked into the nursery room at church, you wiggled out of my arms, SO excited about all the toys and kids around. You spotted a car and ran over to it...I watched you for a minute before deciding I should leave. "Abram, mommy's going to class...you'll have fun in nursery...bye-bye!" But you were pretty oblivious to me as you concentrated on your car. I walked out, looked back, and caught a peek of your blonde, shaggy hair before the door closed. I wanted to cry! My baby's in nursery? Will he miss me? Will he even know I'm gone? Of course, your nursery leaders said you did great. Daddy and I were SO proud of you.

"Marching" in your new sandals!

Your latest obsessions:
-CARS (toy cars and real cars)
-DOGGIES
-Going to the park and observing people...and doing some playing on the side.

Your secret hiding spot...

You're saying a lot of new words lately! Here's the master list:
bye bye ("bah bah")
please ("pss")
thank you ("day-doo")
blankie ("ess")
sippy ("ess")
doggie ("dodder")
boat ("bow")
all gone/all done ("ga ga")
all better ("ah errer")
blueberry ("buh boo")
bubbles ("buh buh")
yeah ("yah" or "nah")
no ("no")
whoa ("WHOA!")
wow ("WOW")
mama ("ma")
dadda ("dadda")
hot ("hhhaa!")
amen ("men")
everything else: "errrrrarrr" (you're very good at the "r" sound)
...and you usually attempt anything we ask you to say!

Quite the morning hair...wish I had that much volume!

You're learning body parts. So far, you know:
head, nose, ears, mouth, eyes, belly, fingers, toes

Climbing on the table to snatch some fruit!

Other tidbits:
You refuse to wear a bib.
You're still in love with blueberries and overall a good eater. You feel like such a big boy when I give you your very own apple slice or carrot stick. You also love dissecting snap peas and eating the treasures you find inside.
You still LOVE to stare out the window at cars going by.
I call you my sweet baby boy about 100x / day.
You give mommy and daddy kisses.
When you get into something you know you shouldn't, you run to the bathroom and hide beside the toilet to play with it.

Playing laundry basket cars with Mommy

The other day you secretly found a granola bar in my purse...and before indulging, I caught you as you booked it to the trash can to throw away the wrapper! It was so cute, I let you eat the granola bar.
You love swimming in the pool.
Every time we spot a fish in a book we're reading, you turn around and wait for me to give you "fishie kisses."
You have a very calm, go-with-the-flow personality (although you have your moments, of course)
You are very independent and good at entertaining yourself--usually with a car.
You love playing peek-a-boo and hide-and-go-seek. Out of nowhere, you'll slap your hands on your face and "hide" or you'll go run behind the couch or curtain and wait for us to find you.