October Family Vacation

Well, this was the most successful family vacation yet. We didn't have to worry about dehydration, altitude sickness, and where to buy a humidifier for Luke to sleep with like we did when we were in Aspen and Vail, CO. We didn't have to fly on Easter with two lay-overs like when we went to Rosemary Beach, FL. We didn't have to go through customs every day like we did on the cruise. We spent every day enjoying each other. We would start the day at a five star spa and health club where I took a few exercise classes and enjoyed the three-directional shower. Dave enjoyed the fitness center, hot tub, the steam room, sauna, as well as the complimentary fruit and trail mix. Typically we would go to a park, go to the beach, or go on a hike and eat lunch out. Then both kids would nap and we would cook dinner at the condo. After dinner we went swimming in a pool that Luke actually liked. He went in the big pool but liked the hot tub the best. After the kids went to bed we had time to relax with no house work. I also liked having the kids contained in the condo, about 800 square feet While on this trip I noticed similarities between Luke and myself. I have always liked going to resorts, but Luke became quite a resort boy. At regular intervals Luke would say, "I love vacation, I like this hotel." He even said, "Wow, this bathroom is beautiful," as he could choose from one of 15 stalls with full walnut doors and marble floors. Fancy bathrooms are one of my favorite things about going to nice places. Then Luke wanted to walk in the lobby and shop in the gift shops. I also thought that was a fun activity. I would schedule time to walk around the lobby every day. Next Luke would turn on every light in our condo, including the fireplace and all the fans. I have always liked many lights on to create a good mood. Luke also in an ambiance man. We brought the lap top and downloaded photos and organized them and Luke would sit on my lap and look at every one. He and I both like photos. Lastly, he has developed this new way of asking permission that he must have learned from me. He says, "Mommy, I am going to go to play with my trains now (head tilt) ok (head tilt) mommy (eye brow lift) ok (head tilt)?" I know you don't have to ask your kids permission to do things, but I obviously must do that on a regular basis. Luke also regularly tells me that he loves me, and daddy and Eva just as I tell him the same.

Eva started walking while we were on vacation. After she took her first step she never stopped. Here she walked the entire length of six tennis courts.

Luke also enjoyed the spa. The spa had a child's hair cut for $12. Here is Luke in the relaxation room before his treatment. You can notice the water with lemons and cucumber and the apples, tea was on the other side of the room. The lights were very dim and the calm music was playing.

Luke enjoyed making all 40 birds fly away as he would run by them.

Here is a picture our free breakfast at a $45 dollar value. The first three nights of our trip the fire alarm went off twice a night when we were sleeping. The first time I rushed the kids out of the building and stood out in the cold in our PJs. The subsequent times we tried to prevent a permanent loss of hearing by covering our ears and I would go stand out side to make sure there were no flames. It was painful to say the least.

Our family was the only customer on the trolley the entire week. It looped the grounds and you could ride on it any time of day. Luke loved keeping track of where the trolley was going.

Happy Birthday Eva

Well, my baby turned one on October 23, 2009. I love her so much as a baby so I was slightly sad when she hit this milestone. She has been so friendly, loving, and accepting of her brother's hugs, tackles, smooches, etc. We celebrated her birthday four times so I have pictures from a few of the parties. First is Eva trying to look cute with a 103.0 degree fever.

Eva was so fun to hold in this outfit. I gave her to my sister-in-law, Beth, to hold and she didn't want to put her down.
Eva received two tutu(s) as a present and they were both charming.
Second row: Luke, Eva, Ethan, Sam, Bennett, First row: Aaron, Boden, Andrew. Well, Eva really does look like the only girl here. I really enjoyed my older brother and older boy cousin so hopefully Eva will do the same.

Jackie, my sister in law, is quite creative. She is an artist and musician who wanted to make Eva's first cake. Eva's cake was the bee hive and then everyone else got a cup cake. She made the flowers and bee's by hand. There is always a good reason for Jackie to get carpal tunnel syndrome. Thanks Jackie!

I was so thankful that a few of Eva's friends could come over for a party. Here she sits with Lily, Calvin, Luke, and Paeton.

One Fall Day

We have had an especially cold fall. Sunday was the first nice day in a long time. We went on a little hike with the family. I love living by these beautiful fields.

Luke

Luke has a special love for me. He is in that time that I might be his favorite female around. I know this will not last for a long time. I will enjoy it while it lasts. Some of my favorite moments are when he consoles Eva when she is crying. He always says, "Eva wants________" It may be her daddy, to see the train, to ride in the suburban, but it is always exactly what Luke wants. Luke also has started asking, "Why are you smiling at me? Why are you laughing?" It is hard to say why so I just have to say that I love him.

Here is Luke wading on the beach when it is 42 degrees outside. Four old fishermen commented they were getting cold just looking at him. A gentleman walking by in a parka and hat called Luke rugged. I appreciated that because that is the last thing I would call him. He is still in the mode where he needs his car blanket and needs it to be tucked in a certain way. (A bonus to the cold day is that I got to drink a chai at the coffee shop with the kids. It was the first time I had done this since Eva was born.)

Luke's usual.

Luke is Eva's motor. He pushes her in the walker at top speed. All of her shoes are completely frayed at the toes because she can't quite keep up with Luke's speed.

There's just something special about her...

Eva still has a little of her baby magic left. She only has 4 more days of being less than a year old. Since we can't communicate with words, I cherish every smile, laugh, clap, bounce, sway, and nuzzle. I enjoy being her companion as she travels with me to the grocery store, to pre-school and to chruch. I love her smile. I love wearing matching clothes. I love having two sporty winter coats, one big and one small. I love teaching her about how to live.

September 09

Luke was very excited to be at his friends', Nirav and Niati, birthday party. Luke is in the same class room with Nirav and they are good friends. As always, he said that his favorite part was the cup cake. I love to go hiking with the family, but we have not been to Lapham peak since one week before Eva was born. I used to take Luke all the time and he would happily run on the trails. I thought he may have forgotten how to hike. He did not forget. We took a few wrong turns and took the steepest trail possible and he did not get tired. I thought we would be giving him a piggy back ride out.

Here is a tee pee we found as we were hiking. Luke called it his little house.

Here is one other extra picture of Luke in his PJ's in the rain.

Toddler Insurance

A while ago I told Dave that we should save about $24 a day to cover the expense of the things the kids break. I thought this would be a reasonable way to not get mad at the kids. Dave quickly calculated that would amount to $8,760 a year. I agreed that amount was a little extreme. But right now, I just wanted to list a few of our recent expenses on behalf of the kids. First, we have the pantry wire rack that gets removed a few times a day, cost $0, but it is frustrating.

Second, Luke had thrown our old phone a few times. Pieces gradually kept falling off. At the end point you could completely open up the phone while you were talking on it and see the battery pack and other electronics. It was surprising that it still worked. So we bought a new phone, $75.









Third, and this wasn't really Luke's fault, was the busted dry-wall in the bathroom. How is a 3 year old suppose to know that you can not swing on towel bars. Luke pulled the towel bar out of the dry wall and tore out a 6 inch chunck. Normally we would just get a patch kit for about $4. However, this is the only room of the house we have not painted. The previous owners did a very uneven texturizing paint job, so the entire bathroom needs to be sanded if you are going to repaint it. I have been asking for a power sander to complete this task even before Luke broke the dry wall. Maybe I will get it for Christmas, about $80. The only problem is that I really want a dual vanity and bead board installed, so while we are at it we could add $700+.

This next one Luke had some help from the neighbors and his cousins. We had a basketball hoop downstairs which naturally lead to basketball throwing. As the balls bounced off of the ceiling before they hit the net they bounced on our fluorescent lights and drop ceiling. Then the kids were making shots off of the bed so they hit the light above the bed. Somehow a third light got hit. So we needed three ballasts to be replaced because they did not work. We also had some rips in the drop ceiling.

Instead of replacing just the broken lights we thought we should replace the entire basement with can lights instead of the fluorescent lights. And replacing all the ceiling tile, So... about $700 later I really like our new basement ceiling.

Maybe my original dollar estimate is more accurate than we thought. This is just another reason I am glad I do not live in a fancy home.