December - It's The Most Busy Time Of The Year!

December!  This month is always crazy for us!  Our anniversary, Aaron's birthday, Christmas and now that Aaron's in school - TONS of school activities!  But, I think we did ok with all the stuff thrown our way this month.  

Besides having a school holiday party, Aaron was in his first school performance!  The kindergarten classes sang Christmas songs together in the auditorium for parents & family.  It was so adorable!  And he was so excited about it, which of course was the best part!

This year Aaron also turned 6 (OMGIHAVEASIXYEAROLD) and we had a Lego themed birthday for him.  Legos are a new found enjoyment for him and he loved the Lego Movie so I went back to the same bakery that we got Elizabeth's cake at and ordered him a cake shaped like a Lego block in green (his favorite color).  Side note: you'd be surprised at how hard it is to find Lego party supplies!  Hello party people!  Legos are year round fun!

Aaron got Legos of course and a Lego t-shirt and sweatshirt that he loved.  His tia Eva sent him a Hot Wheels toy he'd been asking for and his Gramma & Grandpa Weigel sent him birthday money!  I asked my parents to help send him to the East Bay SPCA Winter Camp so for the two days after his birthday Aaron got to spend time learning about animals at a local animal shelter!  He absolutely loved it and came home happy and excited both days!  It's something I'm hoping to continue in the Summer.  One of the best things about his birthday though?  His tia Eva got to sing Happy Birthday to him with the rest of us all the way from Costa Rica via Facetime!  (Thank you Steve Jobs!)

And then there was Christmas.  This was our first Christmas where it was just the four of us.  It didn't really *feel* like Christmas leading up to it.  But we got the tree, we decorated it.  We didn't really put much else up though.  And we didn't get to go see lights because we're down to one car right now (the other car needs some fixin') so Josh takes mine to work at night.  Then 2 days before Christmas I realized that this would be the first time in my 36 years that I would not be spending Christmas with my parents & sisters.  I might have been a little emotional about it.  But I talked to Josh and and I know that it was bound to happen.  I guess just the sudden realization of it caught me off guard.  I always thought I'd have a village to raise my children in, but I guess my villagers are all long distance and that's ok.

We had a good Christmas though!  After me working so hard on Thanksgiving dinner (which was redic because there are only 2 adults and then 2 picky kids which meant TONS of left overs that didn't all get eaten) I decided to go an easier route for Christmas dinner.  We ordered tamales that I picked up for Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day I made a one pot meal (whole chicken, carrots & potatoes).  We took the holiday easy and we tried (ok, I tried - Josh just kept shopping) to keep the kids gifts to a minimum.  We are forever on a budget, but also I don't want them to think Christmas is all about getting tons of gifts.  We did get Aaron everything on his list though between his birthday and Christmas.  Elizabeth is really too young to have a list but trust me, she got enough!

Christmas Eve they got to open their Christmas pajamas (matching Christmas elves!), they got Christmas cookies their dad ordered for them and fleece blankets that (I made) they gave to each other.  That night after the kids went to bed Josh wrapped all the gifts and put the kitchen together so the next morning we were all ready for them.  Elizabeth ran straight for her kitchen exclaiming "MY KITCHEN! MY KITCHEN!".  It was adorable.  We even got mini pots and pans for her.  She's always playing with mine when I cook and saying "Mommy!  I make!" so I knew we had to get her her own set.  She got a bunch of dolls from various cartoons and movies, clothes and a movie.  Aaron got board games, another Hot Wheels toy, movies, clothes, books and more Legos of course.

I do want to say this - I am very grateful for all our family that helps us make the kids' birthdays and holidays special.  All the gifts you send, the fact that you think to include them at all in your giving fills me with gratitude.  Sometimes Josh and I think we aren't doing enough all by ourselves but then we'll receive a note or gift for them and I remember they have other people out there for them too.  So thank you.  You are truly appreciated.  

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday Season!!  And that 2015 brings you the best of everything!

Also: GO SEAHAWKS!

~The Herrings
 

Holidays, Birthdays & The New Year!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

Thanksgiving was celebrated at my parents house with the entire family, including the Coblapoli's cats, which Aaron spent the entire night chasing around the house and under the bed!  A few times we had to rescue him after hearing him from the bedroom "Help!  Help!  I'm stuck!".  Dad made his famous turkey and it was the best one yet!  We hung out, ate, played games, ate, watched movies, ate, took naps, ate........ You get the idea.  The next day we took Aaron to Old Elk Grove because they were having a Dicken's Christmas Street Faire and they had supposedly trucked in tons of snow for the kiddies to play in.  And by tons, as you can see, they meant a small truck bed of snow to dump in a small business parking lot with concrete parking barriers hidden under the snow and a brick wall on one side.  Totally safe and kid friendly.  What you see in the picture is pretty much the entire area.  Also, the street faire had absolutely nothing to do with Charles Dickens.  So...... yeah.  But nonetheless, Aaron had fun playing in the snow for the first time!  And he took a picture with Santa and even sat on Santa's lap and told him that he wanted Flo (from the CARS Movie) for Christmas.  And so begins the "If you're good, Santa will bring you...."

Aaron's 3rd Birthday at The Old Spaghetti Factory

Aaron's 3rd Birthday was next.  I am still struggling to figure out how to celebrate his birthday so close to Christmas without any Christmas influence.  It's super hard because every place is decorated for Christmas, starting in like, oooooh, NOVEMBER.  So, being that his birthday is December 21st, he's pretty much screwed on that point.  The first year I wouldn't even let Josh decorate the house until after Aaron's birthday.  I had the party at his great-aunt Kathy's house and she was kind enough to follow that rule too.  Do you know how hard that is?!  So the 2nd year we had it at our apartment complex' community center.  Which was ok, but it's kind of a big space for such a small group.  Not to mention NO ONE SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PRIVATE PARTY MEANS.  But I digress.  So this year I decided to try a restaurant.  They still had decorations, but mostly in the lobby.  We went to The Old Spaghetti Factory because, well, who doesn't like pasta?  Especially kids!  The party was ok.  He loved his cake (from Freeport Bakery) and all of his gifts, but I think he couldn't have cared less about the lunch portion.  So, next year I'll be back to the drawing board on that one.  The important thing is that he had family and friends there and that he felt like he was the center of attention.

Nordstrom's Breakfast with Santa 2011

For Christmas we started off with our annual Nordstrom Santa visit.  I thought he'd be going to the fabulous Nordstrom in downtown Seattle for most of his childhood, but that didn't happen.  I decided to keep the tradition though and so for the past 2 years he's had breakfast with Santa at the Nordstrom in Sacramento.  This year was the first year he would really be old enough to ask Santa for something so I was pretty excited about it.  He did so well with the Santa at Old Elk Grove and I was hoping for a repeat on that.  Unfortunately for me, that didn't happen.  He wanted to be shy Aaron, not even really wanting to go up to Santa and just talking to him from a distance.  Eventually, we got the picture above, but I really wanted something that was just him and Santa for our card.  Luckily, this Santa was super patient and nice and he came to visit us at our table after we ate and eventually got Aaron to take a picture with him there, which is what ended up on our Christmas card.  Hopefully next year will go a little smoother!  

We spent Christmas morning at our house opening all of Aaron's gifts from us, The Herring Family and Santa, including of course, Flo!  He was so happy to get that car!  Then we all got dressed and headed over to my parents with the whole family again (yes, even the cats).  This year the "adult children" decided to do Secret Santa (best idea ever!) and stocking stuffers for everyone else.  Except for Aaron, of course.  Christmas gifts are really all about the kids anyway!  I think this is one of the better Christmases we've had in awhile!  We were all relaxed, all enjoyed the gifts we got and had fun watching Aaron tear into all the packages!  He was definitely Santa's Little Helper this year!  Eva got a Wii for her Secret Santa gift so we all had fun dancing to Just Dance (all except my grumpy grumperton husband Josh, who won't do anything he considers embarrassing, even if it is just family!).  Even mom and dad got in on it!  It was a good time with great family and good food.  

Then, on December 29th my sister-in-law had a baby!!  So now I'm an auntie!  I was SO excited!!!  I only wish I could see him in person!  

And now the New Year is upon us.......

I think things are starting to look up for us and most people I know.  I can only hope that this trend continues and grows in the new year.  

I wish all of you a wonderful, happy and prosperous 2012!  

2 years old and already getting 95%

Aaron at his 2 year old check up

Aaron had his 2 year check up today.  The Chubbas is 34 lbs, 6 oz and 33 1/2 inches (2 3/4 feet) tall.  No surprise he's in the 95th percentile for weight & head circumference but less than 50th percentile for height.  But with a mom who is 5' and a dad who is 5'7 we're not really surprised!  

The doctor appointment went well and besides his cold, he's a healthy, happy boy.  She also said he's on the fast track with his language skills so that was awesome to hear.  

Further stats: he's currently in between sizes sort of.  In Gymboree and Gap he can still wear 2T, but I think most other brands he's closer to getting into a 3T.  He's a size 6 in diapers.  We've got both a potty and a potty seat for the regular toilet, but he's not really telling us yet that he's got to go.  He wears a size 8 extra wide in shoes!  We've only had luck at Stride Rite so far!  

So now that we've got all the "turning 2" stuff out of the way, we can concentrate on Christmas.  Christmas Eve will be celebrated at tia Eva's with mom's yummy enchiladas and Christmas Day will be here at our home with a delicious Honey Baked Ham (courtesy of tia Diane). 

We hope you and your family have a wonderful and happy holiday!  Merry Christmas!

11 months old!

My Chubbs is 11 months old! Can you believe it? The countdown to 1 has begun! I'm already thinking of scheduling a 1 year photo and what theme his party will be. He loves Elmo and Mickey Mouse so that's pretty narrowed down. :)

I've gotten a few inquires already (I'm guessing since the bday and Christmas are coming up) on his sizes and likes. So here it goes:

Aaron is currently in 18-22 month year old clothing. He runs warm like me so keep that in mind. He can't fit shoes because he's feet are too fat so he wears socks or I've found these Nowali moccasins that work perfectly in size 12 months (or 21-22 in Swedish sizes).

He wears size 5 in Pampers diapers (he gets a weird skin rash if we use another brand) and he's really into Mickey and Elmo. He can always use pants (elastic waist is best) because he seems to outgrow those first.

He has TONS of blankets so he doesn't need those. As far as toys go, we'd love for him to have a lot of toys, but we just don't have the room right now, especially for the big stuff. What would really be nice actually is a toy chest. Something softer or made of plastic so that if he bumps his head on it, the injury won't be that bad!

Aaron is pulling himself up now, standing with only one hand gripping onto something, crawling, army crawling and occasionally, still rolling. He's learned to shriek now, which is awesome (not) but he's totally cute so I guess I'll over look it. He still loves his bath time (if you'd like to see a bath time video and you're on You Tube, let me know) and he still uses the bouncer occasionally.

I'm planning on having a small birthday for him at aunt Kathy's but I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures, of course!

I hope you're all doing well and that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Aaron's pics from Thanksgiving are up on my Flickr site!