Jude's first haircut

My little guy turned 2 in October! My how time flies. Jude got his first haircut last Saturday. He got to watch Jamin go first which we thought was a good prep. He was not excited about getting his haircut although he had been asking if he could cut his hair at home. After being handed a toy to play with he stopped crying and did pretty good. A little milestone and proud mama moment for me. I couldn't be luckier to have this amazing boy as my son. He is the sweetest guy. He says "No thank you" and asks nicely for things. He and his sister play great together but he is also content playing by himself. He gives great hugs and will just sit on my lap and watch a show with me if I want to rest without moving a muscle. At around 18 months he finally decided to talk and when he did he realized he knew english fluently. At 2 he decided he wanted to use the potty and now wears, "undies". I wish I could take credit for this amazing kid but he seriously just came that way. We love you Jude!

Skiing

The day after Christmas Jamin took the kids skiing for the first time. Even little Jude went down one run. Zoe was the real champ. She did awesome! I was surprised to see how tough she was and didn't want to stop for a long time. Jude tried to put Zoe's skis on when they stopped for a potty break so we thought "why not". He did OK considering he's only two. The kids both loved playing in the snow and even made some snow angels.

Baby Boy Duncan is coming!!

There is so much more to document but I fear that as long as I have a computer hidden in a room where I can't watch my kids, my alone time for blogging is few and far between. It is also spent doing things other than blogging. The fact that this is like a family journal is what motivates me. I must confess, I like snooping onto my friends sights and see what they are up to. I love a new post, so here is one from me. Many people I have seen in the past 5 months know that I am pregnant. Currently I am 22 weeks and we are expecting a baby boy sometime in April. There is a small abnormality where the placenta has only one artery where normal ones have two but so far everything looks normal. Sigh of relief.
I really contemplated whether or not to have anymore children for many reasons, but mostly on how poorly I react to not having any sleep when they are small. Jamin agreed to get up with the kids in the morning when the new baby comes so I can function better(one of the stipulations on having another child) Now that our little guy is on his way I am beyond excited I almost wish this wasn't my last. My legs of course are a mess but as long as I wear these REALLY sexy compression tights I can walk around without pain. So life is good. We decided not to take a job in Colorado. Although it would have been a good career move for Jamin neither of us really felt good about it. Zoe is finally in a preschool 3 days a week in the morning which she loves. 2 of her best buds are in her class with her. I just need to figure out what to do with her for the rest of the day...? She seems to thrive off of a schedule and having structure to her day. She is constantly asking me "what are we doing today?, how about after that?" I need a good chore chart/activity chart/ ect. My little Jude turned 2 in Oct. and deserves his own post for that one, but he is such a talker. I am amazed with the things he knows of which I never taught him. I mean, he seriously speaks in clear complete sentences(but he says "W" instead of "L"). Neither kid is a great eater so Jude is still taking formula a bit but basically it's in a sippy cup. He is still sucking on a pacifier. Every so often he'll spit it out and say,"I'm a big kid". Don't know where he got that from. I am slowly potty training him which is such a bigger pain with boys than girls simply because our toilet doesn't have a splash gaurd and he's to short to stand up and aim. My plan is to have him in a big boy bed in his room eating like a big boy and going potty like a big boy months before the new baby comes. Time will tell. At least I don't feel like I'm being drugged with sleeping pills like I did at the beginning of the pregnancy. I might actually accomplish some of my goals.

Yes, we were in Colorado

Not totally settled back in the swing of things but getting there. Jamin worked for 6 weeks in Boulder, Colorado. The kids and I tagged along. We lived in a Residence Inn. Here is proof. On the weekends he wasn't working we got out and saw the sights. We visited the Rockies and saw the largest animals I've ever seen in the wild. These elk were enormous! There was a rumor that the hotel "The Shining" was filmed in was in Estes Park so we had to see it. Turns out, it wasn't filmed there but conceived there by Stephen King. Jamin wasn't as impressed by that scenario. The best part of the whole trip for me was visiting with old roommates and friends that had moved there over the years. One of my old roommates who I hadn't seen in years had my kids spend the night at her house while Jamin and I went out for my birthday! Life saver!!! Jamin and I ate at one of the if not the best eating establishments. It was called Frasca. Yummy! we even made it to a ghost town. I really missed home while I was there and I became even more grateful for the great life I have back in Huntington Beach.

The Party

The party was a success!! We rented a bounce house which I thought was great. You get to have it all day long and adults can jump in it too. That's Robert Holmes doing a back flip. Who knew? It kind of turns out to be a big deal for me because my family comes from Bakersfield for the occasion so I stress probably more than I should. This year I was prepared. A few of Zoë's best buds came to celebrate with us. I got a pinata as an activity not really knowing how it would go with a bunch of little kids but even though it was more child proof than expected it was fun to watch the kids whack at it and it also gave them all lots of turns. After it was over Zoë said to me,"that was the best birthday ever!" All worth it, just for those words.

Zoë is 4!!

Four years ago I became a parent. Probably the most traumatic thing I've ever done. I have not slept the same since. It has also been the most fulfilling and rewarding one too.
Things my little 4 year old does:
She makes Jim Carrey faces and thinks she is the funniest thing ever.
She loves Scooby Doo, Dora, Princess, Hello Kitty, Strawberry shortcake and Barbie
She loves to sing. Loud.
She can sing the words to Scooby doo, and Princess and the Frog(there are others but these are her favorite right now)
She loves her friends
She loves to play with her brother
She loves Disneyland
She hates going underwater in the swimming pool
She loves popcorn
She loves to count
She loves to sit in the very back of the car with a friend
She loves to negotiate, nothing is ever "ok mom", it's ALWAYS "how about .......this or this instead"
She loves to play on the computer and is pretty good at it too.
She loves to play games, bingo, CandyLand, Old Maid
She is the shortest of all her friends
She only weighs 4 pounds more than her brother
She has the best laugh and the most painful whine
She is our little cutie and is so much fun to see her excited about things. She makes me laugh. She is growing up so fast. Happy Birthday ZoZo!