Jacob is ONE

I promise that I have some posts coming about our big December adventures, but I want to take today to wish Jacob a very happy first birthday.

Jacob is so darling, so sweet, so mellow (not that he doesn't cry, but just that things pass more quickly than they did with sister).

Jacob isn't yet walking, though he is an expert crawler and pull-er-upper.

He doesn't cruise; he's still more tempted to drop down to all fours if he sees somewhere he'd like to go once he's standing. He's not at all frustrated by this, and he just takes off at a quick clip.

 He goes to school every morning. He loves his teacher. He's supposedly transitioning to a new class soon; once he starts walking, the baby room is no longer the best place for him. One of the other teachers from the baby class has just moved to the new room, so Jacob will already know one of the teachers once he moves.

He's not wild about most food. Fruit and veggies are pretty hit or miss (mostly miss). He likes bread, though. And he likes finely milled (industrially pureed) baby food; if I mash something, he often rejects it on the basis of its texture. And he doesn't just spit it out - he often dumps offending foods straight to floor, banished from sight. It's hilarious. Until you have to mop.

Cake, though, he likes.

Jacob will shake his head "no" (but not nod "yes" - never "yes"). He'll clap if you ask him to, and he'll also wave. We've been working on blowing kisses, but no dice yet. His only word is "Dada" - meaning Mike and, well, everyone and everything else! He still makes his dinosaur roars, although less frequently now, since he makes many more other sounds.

He's a joy and a love. Happy Birthday, Big Boy!

Icy Days in Texas

Remember when it was 112 degrees here? So do I, just a few short months ago. And all too soon, it will be 112 degrees again. So I was sort of determined to enjoy the winter weather. Unfortunately, I was also scheduled to be at a local conference Thursday and Friday. I went to the conference (over in Arlington) on Thursday, but watched the weather very carefully. When I left Arlington, it was misting; it was raining by the time I reached Fort Worth; and it was starting to sleet just as I pulled into the garage. Perfect timing! Although, it did take 1.5 hours to get home . . . . Anyway, I heard the ice hitting the windows all night long. I pretty much knew there was no way I was going to be able to get back on the road safely for the second day of the conference. Or you, know, the rest of the weekend.

 (Friday morning)

 (Saturday afternoon. Yes, those cars are all stuck!)

We snuggled and cuddled and did lots of cozy and wintry things.

Natalie finally got to try hot chocolate. She's a fan.

And, well, what's an ice storm without an injury? Tears were shed, cream was applied, and (a week later) the healing is nearly complete.

Jboy was no fool. He stayed inside, in his jammies. We did, of course, put the kid to work, both cooking and cleaning.

JBoy sez: NO WAY!

Monday, the kids' school was closed; our employer opened late. Mike had to go in since he was giving his final exam that day. I was, luckily, able to work my hours before he had to leave the house.Talk about juggling! Everything is back to normal now, although thanks to some cold nights, there are still patches of ice and snow around.

Here's Natalie in a too-small sweater she dragged out. But it is a hand-knit, so, thus, deserving of a picture. Second pic is just an ordinary day around here!

What else have we been up to? Here's Natalie pretending to be a raccoon (don't ask - at least no actual garbage-eating was involved. I think.). Also, this picture (with the short sleeves) was taken less than 24 hours before the storm began. Texas!

We also had a few lingering days of Chanukah here at home. This is Natalie with her banana-pretzel stick-marshmallow menorah. No burn danger there!

Here's Natalie with a few of her presents - tutu, headband, toy watch: 

 
Jacob color-coordinates:

Jacob also is now 11 months old. It blows my mind to think he'll be a year in less than a month! I don't have to wonder where the time went - there were plenty of sleepless nights, loads of laundry, giggles, smiles, and JOY. It seems short and long all at the same time. 

Jacob is so smiley, so happy, so full of love. He's, paradoxically, a more mellow baby than his sister, but also a less good sleeper. He loves to laugh. He's got the da-da-da sound down. He's not that into finger foods, but the boy can put some baby food away.

In advance of his 11-month anniversary (but on my birthday), Jacob got tubes in his ears. What can I say? We know how to party! Actually: it was the best birthday present ever - Jacob did great! We'd been through tubes deal before with Natalie, so, in that sense, it was less stressful; but Jacob was much younger, so that made it feel much more fraught.

Mike cooked me a very lovely make-up birthday dinner this week. SO YUM.
 

 (Not actual birthday dinner, but you get the idea)

We're headed off this week on a series of adventures. Or misadventures. We hope you stay warm (unless you're in Hawaii in which case, please), and we'll see you in 2014 (gulp!).

Thanksgiving 2013

We're currently iced in here in Texas, but we're comfy and warm, with plenty of food and intermittent internet. Pictures to come. But, first, speaking of wintry scenes, I have pictures and tales from our Thanksgiving visit to Michigan.

Pre-departure check:

One of the things we'd promised Natalie that she'd get to do in Michigan was to visit the Franklin Cider Mill. It was a super-cold day, complete with snow flurries (this narrative device is called foreshadowing). Luckily, the kids were warm in their new jackets from Bubbe and Grrr.

And, yes, cider and donuts were consumed. Delicious!

Hanukkah fell super-early this year - that has sort of taken the buzz out of the holiday season for me now. But, the lovely thing about the timing was that we got to celebrate Hanukkah with family.

Additional family shot:

We woke up Thanksgiving morning to snow on the ground (promises: kept). Driving conditions weren't ideal, my torn muscle hadn't healed (I'd already planned to drop from the 10k run to the 5k walk), and I was coming off a cold / asthma incident. So we decided to skip the much-anticipated Turkey Trot. Lesson: learned.

We made the best of it, however, by taking a little walk just the two of us to a nearby Starbucks. It was beautiful. The walk, I mean; the Starbucks was, well, Starbucks-y.

Thanksgiving day was serious cousin play time.

The dinner itself was lovely - food, family, festivities all around.

Hope your holiday was also full of sparkle!

Pre-Thanksgivukkah

We're always up for holidays here. First, before we move forward, a few last pics from Halloween:

Inspired, perhaps, by her teeth, Natalie drew this picture of a "vampire who makes bad choices and needs to go think about his bad choices." So there's that.

But, I mean, Natalie's plenty cuddly! (Also, my mom knit me that robe!)

Also, here's Big Boy, showing off his latest trick:

At the park:

In our yard:

Indoor playtime:

Here's Jacob in his little leisure suit. Jacob pretty much lives the leisure lifestyle.

Coordinating with daddy. Sort of.

I did manage to get Jacob's 10-month picture this month:

Don't let the pictures deceive you, Jacob still mostly only eats baby food.

 Check out these babies:

I said baby!

Chocolate cake + a princess plate = love forever.

Also, our old babysitter came over for a visit. It was so good to catch up with her!

Friday was the big Thanksgiving show at Natalie and Jacob's school. This year, there was a combined Chanukah + Thanksgiving theme. Thanksgivukkah. Bring on the Menurkey!

JBoy on the Menurkey Mobile:

Natalie doing her thing on stage:

She was also a butterfly in a song about miracles.

Of course, the best part of Thanksgivukkah is the food. Here she is post-sufganiyot, pre-pumpkin pie. I believe that is known as "the sweet spot."

Happy Thanksgivukkah to all! See you on the other side!