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
 

Happy 5th Birthday to my Big Boy!

Birthday Boy

This is a belated post (I am in a lazy funk) but the birthday itself was not!  

Happy 5th Birthday Aaron!  You're my big boy now!!  It's so exciting to watch you grow and become older.  While Josh and I are always nostalgic for our chubba baby boy, we're also proud and happy to watch you grow and learn!

Aaron wanted a dinosaur themed party and Aaron gets what he wants for his birthday!  Since Josh had to work on Aaron's actual birthday it worked out to Aaron's advantage because he got a full birthday weekend instead of just one day.  On Friday at school it was kind of a party day anyway since it was the last day before Christmas vacation and they had an easy day watching The Polar Express.  They made Aaron a birthday crown and sang him Happy Birthday and I brought mini cupcakes for his class.  On Saturday he had a special day with his grandparents and tia Eva all by himself.  They took him to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time and then to Leatherby's for some yummy ice cream dessert where the entire restaurant sang him Happy Birthday and a young lady who shared a birthday with him bought him a Leatherby's t-shirt!  

Birthday Ice Cream!

On Sunday Aaron had a movie date with just Josh and I.  We took him to see Walking with Dinosaurs in 3D and he loved it!  

Notice the dino t-shirt too?

While we were out watching the movie, the rest of my family was at our house setting up a surprise party.  When we got back Aaron was greeted with a big surprise of family, balloons, streamers, presents and a dino cake!  

Freeport Bakery does the best cakes!

He was super excited and a bit overwhelmed I think but he loved all the gifts and ate part of his cake (he was too excited about the gifts and had to go back to playing with all his new toys, abandoning his cake!).  

So much dino fun!

Josh and I try super hard to make Aaron's birthday stand out since it's so close to Christmas (that's why it's always themed) and even though this year was kind of thrown together at the last minute I think it worked out really well and we all made him feel special.  Thanks so much to my parents, sister and cousin Susie who helped with all the birthday activities.  

Happy Birthday Buddy!  We all love you!  
 
 

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

I'm not gonna lie, this year has been a bit rough.  But I still have plenty to be thankful for.  Let me just preface this post by saying that I pretty much had this entire post written in my mind late last night when I was trying to sleep but of course, I'm sure I won't remember half of it.  

First off, this year was Elizabeth's first year and it was the best.  She is so wonderful and joyful and perfect.  Everyone loves her.  Aaron loves her and she is so in love with him.  I am thankful for my daughter for sure.

Aaron has started preschool with the Head Start program and it's really been great for him.  AND for me, of course.  He's growing so much and so fast.  This past year has been a bit difficult for him too.  He's started a new school, has had to realize that he's not the only baby anymore and has had to deal with his dad's new job.  But I'm hoping his new found attitude this year is a phase.  He's learning new things at school though, including how to socialize.  But he's my big boy now and I'm thankful for my son.  

If you've been keeping up, you'll know that Josh lost his job earlier this year because his plant closed.  When he couldn't find a job in Sacramento after a few months and we were in a pretty bad spot, I encouraged him to look outside of Sacramento.  We've been talking about living close to the water, so why not look, right?  

Josh applied for a job with Tesla and he was really wanting to get it.  For the first time in the 10+ years I've known him he was actually excited about a job!  We were all rooting for him and he got it!  Josh got a job with Tesla in Fremont, CA which is 2 hours out of Sacramento.

At first the job was temporary and we agreed that we wouldn't think about moving until he was brought on permanently.  He stayed in Fremont during the week and because we need the money, he has also been working the overtime on Saturdays.  So he comes home for basically a day and a half before he heads back again.  This has been hard on all of us, but Aaron the most (hence the new found attitude mentioned earlier).  Of course seeing this and also the fact that I knew Josh would be brought on permanently, I was looking at places anyway.  

And then we realized that the South Bay Area and the East Bay Area are both double in rent than what Sacramento is.  So the search has been tougher than expected.  We've not only tried Fremont but Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, Concord and Palo Alto.  We even applied for a place a few weeks ago but they gave it to someone else.  

Honestly, the whole process has been rather discouraging.  But I still have faith that things will work out for us and for that, I'm thankful.  And I'm thankful for my husband Josh and that he has a job in the first place to give us this issue to work on!  And so the search continues......

I am so happy to have my little family.  We have issues and fights and bad days just like anyone else, but at the end of the day we love each other - Josh and I are best friends - and we both love, love, love our babies.  And the dog.  Don't forget our first baby!

So while we've had some bumps in the road this year, like I said earlier, I still have plenty to be thankful for.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and yours!  I hope you are all having a year to be thankful for as well.

 

Our Vegas Birthday Trip

Happy 1st Birthday!

Well we are back from Vegas and I finally have some time to sit and blog.  Unfortunately when we got back Elizabeth came down with a stomach virus and then Aaron and mama and finally dada.  SO, needless to say we didn't get much done that first week back.  

The trip to Vegas was great though!  We had a wonderful time with both families.  We visited with my dad's tia Conchita who turned 90.  She was so happy to see us.  And though our visit was short (it was hard to fit all 9 of us in her small room) it was emotional I think, for all of us.  For me personally, visiting with her reminded me of my own grandfather (tia Conchita's brother) and when she was playing her guitar and singing to us, I got a bit teary eyed.  I miss my grandpa and thing of him often.  

Coblentz Ladies

We also got to visit Josh's mom and aunts.  His aunt Lillian lives in Vegas so we were lucky to have another place to feel welcome and visit with loved ones.  Lillian and her husband Evan were so welcoming and invited us to their home not only for meals and visits, but they were gracious enough to host Elizabeth's birthday party!  

Elizabeth & Aaron getting their fingers in the cake!

Elizabeth had an owl themed birthday party that was catered by Lillian herself!  The food was super delicious (my favorite was the lamb and middle eastern salad).  The cakes were from Whole Foods (just like Aaron's were) and everything was wonderful.  

Lillian and Evan were also kind enough to treat Josh, my sisters and I along with Josh's mom Tina and aunt Polly to a limo tour of the strip and downtown Vegas.  No stripper pole, but it was still awesome!  I joked that the driver probably thought we were the tamest group ever but it was fun!

And for one night Josh and I were able to sneak out on our own to walk and explore the strip, have dinner at The Venetian and visit one of my favorite places in Vegas - The Bellagio Conservatory!  They had a beautiful Fall theme with pumpkins, a scarecrow, talking trees and all sorts of autumn flora.  It was lovely.  The Venetian and Bellagio are my absolute favorites.  Though I super love the check-in lobby at Paris.

We also took Aaron to the Shark Reef at The Mandalay Bay.  He thought it was so awesome.  It was actually a really great, although small, aquarium.  All in all, the trip was great.  I only wish we had more time to spend with each of the families.  

When we got back, it was time to get ready for Halloween but like I said, my poor bubba came down with a stomach virus the day after we got back.  I literally went shopping the on the eve of Halloween for costumes with Aaron.  We came back with a minion and Agnes (the little girl with the stuffed unicorn who says "IT'S SO FLUFFY!!") costume for Aaron and Elizabeth.  Elizabeth seemed to be on the mend, but at the end of the night she ended up getting sick again.  Poor bubbas!!  

Minion Dave & Agnes

Thankfully now everyone is back to being healthy and we're back to our normal routines.  Today I took Elizabeth in for her 1 year check up and she is 24 lbs (95th percentile) and 32 inches long (100th percentile!).  She's definitely keeping up with her brother in that respect!  

Next up is Thanksgiving and it's just right around the corner!!  I can't believe it.  We're getting so close to the holidays and Aaron's birthday --- it's all going by too fast.

I'm trying to enjoy it while I can!  Happy 1st Birthday Elizabeth.  We all love you!

 

 

Happy October!

Elizabeth Grace 11 months

Elizabeth Grace loves giving herself kisses in the mirror

Elizabeth Grace is 11 months old and officially in her birthday month!  I can't believe she's going to be a year old soon!  The time has gone by so quickly with her it's unbelievable.  Elizabeth weighs 24 lbs and is just getting into 18 month clothing.  She still only has 8 teeth - 4 on top and 4 on bottom.  She crawls, she stands and she walks while holding onto furniture.  

Elizabeth has recently added grandpa to her vocabulary and is almost saying "reloj" ("watch" en Espanol).  She can give high-five and she actually talks to her dad on the phone.  I mean, literally, I put Josh on the phone with her and as soon as he starts talking she smiles big and says "dada!", babbles some and then tries to lick the phone!  Haha - I think she's trying to give him kisses.    

Elizabeth is a big people watcher.  She loves to stare and study people.  Trust me, she will check you out and up and down and sideways!  Elizabeth claps and yells "yeeeeeah!" and if I'm watching a show with an audience (like Ellen) she claps whenever the audience does!  It's so cute.  I can't believe she'll be ONE YEAR OLD!!!!  

But get this - she's going to have a super one year birthday party in, of all places, Las Vegas!  Two families, three birthdays and two mini reunions means a super awesome fun family time!  We can't wait!

Coolest kid in preschool.

Aaron has started public preschool.  Every day there is a morning struggle to get the slowest turtle ready for school and out the door.  But no matter how much of a struggle it is to get out the door, it's the same struggle to get him out of the classroom at the end of the day.  

The first day of school we had a meeting with his teacher and she told us he was already holding hands with some girl!  So we asked Aaron if he had a girlfriend and he said yes!  Josh and I were cracking up!  He told his dad secretly that they were probably going to get married.  Since then, sadly, they have broken up and he is currently back on the market.  :)  It doesn't surprise me since before preschool he said he wanted to marry Pocahontas and have five children.  And he's going to support his family by being a veterinarian.  That's not surprising either since he loves animals and won't even eat meat sometimes because of it.  Unless it's bacon, of course.  

We have been struggling with Aaron's listening and attention skills.  I think there has been a lot of changes in his short life and there are more to come.  These changes I think took a larger toll on him than we anticipated and one of them is not being the only child (and grandchild) anymore.  Not getting the same attention is hard on him.  We are trying our best but if any of you have any tips, please send them our way! 

But the kiddos are well and we're all looking forward to our trip, our visit with Grandma Tina, Elizabeth's birthday and Halloween!!!!  Aaron wants to be a mummy but the jury is still out on Elizabeth.  I was thinking a black cat.......

What's your October going to be like?

 

The Happiest Place On Earth

Aaron meeting Mickey for the first time!

 Well, after talking about it and wishing for it we finally got to take Aaron to Disneyland for the first time!  It wasn't under the exact circumstances we wanted and it was only for one day, but we had a wonderful time!

In the beginning of May Josh got laid off from his job.  We knew it was coming because they are closing their Sacramento location and it was just a matter of time.  So when it finally happened I think there was a mixture of emotions.  After we let it sink in for a few days, I decided to make some lemonade with our lemons and spoke to Josh about going to SoCal for a week.  This was the time if any (besides not having the funds) to go down and visit family, introduce the kids finally, and if we were lucky..... take Aaron on his first Disney adventure!

After talking with family we made our plans and off we went!  We had a really great time visiting with family.  The kids got to meet most of my mom's family for the first time including my grandma GG!  And they got to meet a cousin on my dad's side too.  Aaron had so much fun with his cousins and so many people to pay attention to him he was in heaven!  We took the kids to the beach.  Elizabeth's first time ever!  And even though Aaron has been to Golden Gardens in Seattle, I'd consider this his *real* first trip to the beach.  Elizabeth was so relaxed and Aaron was having so much fun he didn't want to leave!  

Thankfully, I have a wonderful family who were kind enough to let us stay with them (in fact, we got multiple offers) and my aunt Bea was so super awesome to babysit Elizabeth on the day we took Aaron to Disneyland.  AND, since we were newly unemployed (and HOLY CRAP THE PARK HOPPER ONE DAY PASSES ARE RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE) my grandma GG very graciously paid for the 3 of us to get in.  

Now, as a 35 year old California native, I still love Disneyland.  Like, I love it for myself.  I want to go and ride every. single. ride.  I want to visit the parks multiple days in a row.  I want to eat 5 churros a day and eat crappy food at the park for outrages prices.  YES.  I want it all.  I want the Mickey Mouse sweatshirt for $75 (I call that being swindled and pimped) and that neon light stick thingy that swirls so I can wave it around during the light parade.  I want to race around and grab Fast Passes for all the cool rides like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain (OK -- all the mountains) and then in between ride all the cute nostalgic rides like Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the Storybrook Ride.  YEAH.  I know that park like the back of my hand, yo.  I'm excited just writing this damn paragraph.  But I digress.....

Aaron.  We took our son to experience the wonderful world of Disney for the first time.  Before we got there I was thinking to myself... Man, I hope I don't get annoyed that all I'm doing is riding kiddy rides.  But as soon as we got off that freeway I knew it was all for him.  He was so excited to be there!  We never told him we were going so when we got off the freeway I asked him "Hey, do you know where we are right now?" and as he looked around he said "No, BUT THAT WAY IS DISNEYLAND!".  It was so cute.  

We went to California Adventure first because we knew he'd love Radiator Springs and all the Cars rides.  Which he did!  (PS - The main car racing ride.... Definitely a fast pass ride if you can get it).  We actually spent more time in Cars Land than we'd planned to so we went to Disneyland a bit late and didn't get to ride as many rides that I would have liked him to experience but we seemed to get the important things in.  He wanted to met Mickey and we did that successfully in Toon Town.  And he got to see a character parade and he absolutely loved it!  The look on his face was priceless!  

I am so glad (and grateful to my family for helping us make this happen) that we got to take him - just me and Josh - to make this memory.  It's something I'll always remember and I hope he will too.  

Here are all the pictures on our California Adventure:  FLICKR.  

Thanks to all my family for helping us out in all sorts of ways.  Can't wait for our next adventure!  

Mater!

Valentine's Day in Pictures

Valentine's Day Card from us to Aaron.  It read: I love you with every appendage I have.

Aaron's Valentine's Day Lunch.  Heart-shaped PB&J and some of his favorite fruit.

Aaron enjoying his lunch.  His card and Sweetheart Candies (from Elizabeth) are waiting to be opened!

Elizabeth Grace wore her Valentine outfit for Daddy!  Isn't she the cutest?!

And after a wonderful afternoon, I dropped the kiddos off to spend the rest of their Valentine's Day with their grandparents.  Josh and I had a date to see A Good Day to Die Hard (my choice!) and eat some yummy dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill.  Yeah, I know it's basically a step up from the Olive Garden but .... we poor, y'all.  And you know what?  It was the best date we've had in a super, super long time!  

The movie was kick-ass and the theater basically empty (bonus!).  And after we were told the wait at the restaurant would be an hour and a half, I situated us right between the front door and the bar seating area (first come, first serve of course).  After 10 minutes of using my super awesome stealthy observation skills, we had procured ourselves a small booth!  Seriously, bar seating is like a sport to me!  And I rarely lose!!  Haha!  

We had a really good appetizer of fried mac n' cheese with truffle sauce & fresh bruschetta.  Josh had a beer and the chicken parmesan and I had a peach bellini (yum!) and the lobster ravioli.  Then we split the quattro cannoli for dessert and I had a vanilla latte.  Everything was delish and our waiter was pretty awesome considering he had some douchebag asshat who had been sitting by the bar waiting for his own table (drinking the entire time) who decided he wanted to yell at our waiter because it was taking so long for OTHER RANDOM PEOPLE HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW to be served.  He went on about he could "run the joint", etc.  You know - that guy.  PS - we got our table at the bar while this guy was busy being an asshole.  So there!

Then we went to pick up our munchkins and I was able (ok, I tried) to take this fun family photo before everyone was sent to bed!  

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope your Valentine's Day was just as awesome!  

Growing and growing

Aaron saying good morning to Elizabeth.

These kids keep growing.  Someone should tell them to slow down, seriously.  I looked at both my babies yesterday and at different times thought, when and how did he/she get so big?  Elizabeth is just..... I mean..... it's crazy!  She's not even 3 months yet and I'm putting her in 6 month clothing because she's too long for the 3 month one-piece outfits.  She went from being so skinny we could feel her spine to having a double chin!  Oh believe me, I think it's fabulous!!!  But holy crap, when did it happen?!  She's getting chubbs!  I mean, I doubt she'll ever reach her brother's previous chubb status (evidenced here and here) but you never know.

And speaking of Aaron, I mean - he's not even a baby anymore!  He's a boy!  A (little) big boy!  He's got the biggest eyes and these long eyelashes that he bats at you........  He's just beautiful but sometimes I look at him and miss the little chubby baby he used to be.

Aaron is still out of school but he's doing much better health-wise and I'd like to keep it that way!  The rest of us are doing well too.  I just ordered a scale on Amazon and should be back on Weight Watchers by the end of the month.  This time around I'll be doing the online version only since I've been through the program once before (and reached my goal weight!).

Right now I'm enjoying the time with the kids at home though.  I often think of starting up some crafts.  I know I promised 3 other people I would send them something homemade last year and I never got around to it with the baby and all.  SO, perhaps I'll complete it this year instead.  I'm also following the Fat Mum Slim's Photo A Day Challenge, which is fun.  I post all the photos on her Photo A Day Facebook Page.  

Thinking ahead, I'm hoping this year brings plenty of NEW & HAPPY adventures, trips and visits.  I'm taking in the small moments and making them into memories.  I love my family.  

 "Collect memories, not things"

 

 

Babies & Lyrics

This is my family.  Not perfect, but loved & loving.

With both my kids, I have associated some DMB lyrics for one reason or another.  With Aaron, the first lyrics I can remember that came to me with him are (ironically) from "Grace is Gone".

I could never love again
So much as I love you
Where you end, where I begin
Is like a river running through 

With Aaron, it was as if he was the Eve to my Adam.  As if someone had literally removed a limb or body part from me and from that, came Aaron.  He is a part of me as if he IS me.  

And I remember vividly the first time he kissed me on his own.....  I was sitting on the floor eating a PB&J and he was waddling around the living room with his toys.  He'd come over every once in awhile to get a bite of my sandwich and one of the times, he placed his lips on mine instead.  I thought it was so sweet of course, but figured it was sort of an accident.  I mean, babies don't know how to really kiss, right?  Then he did it a second time and he stayed there for quite awhile, just laying a big smooch on me.  At first I laughed and kissed back, and then my laughter turned into a giant sob-fest because I was so overwhelmed by the love he just gave me.....  Kissing him back through my salty tears of joy and peanut butter.  And for that I remember these lyrics from "Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back)":

Ride my bike down that old dirt hill 
First time without my trainin' wheels
First time I kissed you I lost my legs
Bring that beat back to me again  

With Elizabeth, DMB lyrics also came naturally.  For one, I actually had an iPod playlist for the labor & birth that was mostly DMB.  The first song on the playlist is "Baby Blue" and although all babies have blue eyes when they are first born, her blue just seemed so vivid.  They are still a steely, grey blue.  So from her and her blue eyes, I got: 

Read more: DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - BABY BLUE LYRICS

Into your blue, blue eyes
Your blue, blue world
You're my baby blue

But really, the lyrics that kept playing over and over again in my head the first few days I had her home was from "Alligator Pie".  Though the song is really about Stella, it has these lyrics:

Grace is all I'm asking
When will Grace return
Grace is all I'm asking

If you haven't figured this out yet about Elizabeth Grace, her middle name is a tribute to Dave (DMB).   Grace is all I'm asking.........  

into your blue, blue eyes, your blue, blue world, you're my baby blue.

Read more: DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - BABY BLUE LYRICS

I have a poster from Blue C Sushi in Seattle with Dave in it and as soon as I get it framed, it's going in Aaron's room.  And I'm hoping to put something in Elizabeth's room too.  So far, I'm liking this handmade wall piece from Etsy: Little Feet Little Hands, which are lyrics from "So Much To Say".  

Yes, I think about lyrics a lot.  Not always Dave lyrics, but music is always in our house, our minds and our hearts.  
  
My family & Dave = Happiness.  

into your blue, blue eyes, your blue, blue world, you're my baby blue.

Read more: DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - BABY BLUE LYRICS