Single Dad Christmas

Adam prepared this treat for Santa

We should have taken our 2013 Christmas photos early, because we didn't take any pictures on Christmas Day.  I was in bed with a sinus infection and reoccurring migraine Christmas week and Matt was on his own with the kids.  Matt kept the holiday fun going for Adam and Aurora.  They had a great time opening gifts with Matt and trying out their new toys. 

The day after Christmas Matt took me to urgent care and I was able to get antibiotics.  A couple of days later, I was feeling much better and was able to rejoin the family.  One of the first things I did with the kids was paint.  Aurora has surprised me with how much she enjoys painting or drawing with crayons.  When it's time to take her out of the high chair and let our paintings dry, she cries to get back to painting.  In fact, she whines and cries while I'm trying to set up their paper and paints.  She has no patience at all! 

Painting on left is Berta's, middle is Aurora's and the two on the right are Adam's

Adam's big Christmas gift from us is a Spider Man bike.  A few days after Christmas, Matt assembled the bike and Adam was able to try it out for the first time.  It was so exciting to see him start this new experience.  I loved riding my bike and for me, it symbolized adventure and freedom and whole days of fun and play. 

Go Adam!

Now that I've put a limit on how much overtime I'm working, it seems like I have a lot more time to spend with the kids.  Imagine that!  In these times, I'm trying to think of everyday things that they can do or help with.  Aurora started her first chores with putting toilet paper away (stacking them in the bathroom cabinets) and dusting in the living room.  Both kids really like helping around the house and I'm happy to have the extra bits of time with them.
 

Adam helped make cinnamon rolls for Aurora

Every year for Christmas, we take the kids to pick out an ornament.  I wanted to make sure I captured the year for each of their ornaments before I start to confuse and forget them.

Adam, 2010

 (darn it.  where is 2011?)

Adam, 2012

Aurora, 2012

Adam, 2013

Aurora, 2013

Photo Drop

Gingerbread house Adam made at preschool

Smile!

Aurora trying to sit on the controller while Adam plays

Aurora is quite the bully and since she has started walking more, she has started chasing Adam around, trying to take things away from him and sometimes even hitting.  In the above picture, she is trying to interrupt his game by sitting on the controller.  He is telling her to stop, but also trying to be careful with her.  He is a sweet brother.

Sleeping through her cold

Aurora is Walking!

Today, she walked around the house, more than ever before.  From today on, it's official.

Birthday at the Zoo

We celebrated Aurora's birthday with both sides of the family throughout the week before her birthday.  On her birthday, Matt and I took her and Adam to the zoo.  We had a wonderful time together and will need to make it a regular family outing.

Happy Birthday Girl, ready to start the visit

Duck pond

Aurora and Mommy

Adam feeding giraffe

Aurora feeding giraffe

Adam laughing with Daddy at lunch

Aurora sleeping through lunch at the zoo

First Field Trip

Adam is going to a great in-home preschool.  Just down the street from us, he attends class twice a week with 7 other kids.  The curriculum is organic, so each student help define the learning content based on their interests and their needs.  Adam loves going to preschool and a few weeks ago was his first field trip (Lowes and Pump It Up).  At Lowes, the kids picked one vegetable or herb plant and one flower plant to grow at home. 

Flowers and Herbs

Watering the plants

Adam's Thyme

Happy Birthday

Baby Girl

It's hard to believe our baby girl is a year old.  It has been a fun year and it went by so, so fast.

Aurora, we still have not written about your birth day.  It's one of the best days of our lives.  Yet, we are so busy living our family life, we don't get much time to write about our family life.  Even now, I am stealing time away from you, Brother and Dad to blog.

Your birth day post is pending, but I won't delay writing that we are so grateful to have you in our lives.  We love you every moment and watching you grow and smile and laugh and display your personality continues to be the greatest joy.  Your whole life and beyond, Mom and Dad love you.

When we brought Aurora home, we slept on the futon in the living room with our newborn sleeping next to the futon in her little bassinet.  We kept a strand of Christmas lights on and hanging from one of the windows' curtain rod.  Actually, I slept in the glider in the living room for the first week at home, because after cesarean, it was easier for me to get out of the glider than stand up from the futon.  Matt and I took every other night feeding, but we so wanted moments with Aurora that we often stayed up with each other to both care for her.  And when family went home after the first few weeks, the four of us would stay up late together watching Disney Junior with Adam.  We were always meant to be together.  I could feel it even that first night home.

On the third night home, in the middle of the night, while you slept in my arms, you laughed in your sleep.  I was sure I imagined it or hallucinated it.  I was on pain medication and I certainly had a couple of weird instances in the hospital when I had Adam.  But you laughed again and as spooky as it was, I was sure the second time.  On the fifth night, you did it again while everyone else was asleep and I really was weirded-out.  I mentioned it to Dad and Cho.  Cho said she'd heard you laugh in your sleep the day before, but didn't tell anyone, because she didn't think anyone would believe her.  How odd it was!  You continued to laugh in your sleep off and on for the first month.  I'd never heard of another baby doing it.

Our little girl smiles and laughs a lot.  Sometimes, it's her fake laugh, but most of the time it's her real one.  She has the cutest smile.  At nearly age 1, she is learning to blow kisses.  She waves and yells hi/hey to everyone she sees.  She also says wow and whoa and uh-oh.  She gets a little jealous when big brother spends too much time on Mom's lap and she will try to bite him when they are fighting over a toy.  When Adam naps too long, she tries to hold his hand or pat it to wake him up.  She loves going outside and dancing.  Ending either will result in a full-on tantrum.  She loves music and has been overheard singing to Aqualung (Jethro Tull), Run to the Water (Live) and a British rock song that neither Matt nor I can remember. 

We call you Party Girl.  It used be because you kept us up so late at night and still do sometimes.  You love music and dancing and well, being festive all around.  I joked that all we needed to do was go clubbing for your birthday.  I actually think that if the music wasn't too loud, you really would like it.  Instead, we are taking you and Adam to the zoo tomorrow.  We celebrated your birthday with family over the last two weekends.  Imagine a baby so loved that her family will celebrate her arrival over TWO weekends!  That's you.  

Your first cake tasting was red velvet.  You hated it at first then you rubbed into your face and your hair.  You clapped and said yay several times during our cake outing and enjoyed all the cheer sent your way.  You made a horrible mess of the high chair and the floor, but the server was so enamored by your cuteness she didn't mind at all (I also tipped her extra for the mess).  

Having cake and eating it too!

Happy Birthday Aurora L Winston.  We cannot say it enough, Daddy and Mommy love you so very much!

Preschool

Seed Investigation at Preschool