What We've Been Up To

It's been far too long since I've done a proper post. That's due to a combination of factors - mostly, I've had a few consulting events this fall that have kept me busy during afternoon nap. Also, Ruthie has gone down to one nap now which means during Jonah's morning nap, I still have a very active almost 2 year old who tells me "All done, puter, Mommy" any time I sit down here.

But, November and December promise to be less filled with work and more filled with family, time to write and think, and HOLIDAYS! As you know, I love celebrating, and this season is like my Mecca. I can't wait for next week and all the fun that the weeks ahead hold. Bring it on, baby!

Just to get you sort of caught up, here's what we've been up to:

Ruthie and Jonah, learning how to play together. 

They are beyond cute together and I LOVE watching them interact. Jonah has started noticing Ruthie and smiles every time she comes into sight. He is also starting to reach for her toys, which promises to be an interesting new twist in our day. Ruthie has adored him since day one and now says that everything is "Nonah's turn" after she has done it.

Ruthie, being the weirdo that she is.

This girl is awesome. She makes everything fun.

Homemade salsa from tomatoes from our garden. 

I think we might be the only state where the tomato vines are still producing. Our plants have a few final juicy red tomatoes on them and they are amazing with some cilantro, garlic, onions and jalapenos. Delish! Our avocado tree is also in a bearing season so last week we ate some yummy guacamole. Here's to homemade dips you can eat with chips!

Disneyland and Aquarium trips, still big favorites.

Ian's been sick this week but last night I took the kids and met up with my parents and Mike & Mary's family for a Friday night at the Magic Kingdom. Ruthie LOVES Disneyland. She asks to wear her Minnie Mouse shirt everyday and if I agree, she then asks if we're going to Disneyland. I love it when I can answer with an excited "Yes!" When we go over the bridge and down toward the parking structure, she starts to shout with glee. I think it's so awesome. She especially loves going if cousins will be there.

Here she is with Abbie, and then Sam and Clare are below.

And we love the Aquarium, too. On days where we don't quite feel up to a whole Disneyland adventure but still want an outing, it's the perfect place. Here she's enjoying the Parakeet Pavilion. Ruthie and Ian go every other week on Tuesday afternoons when I meet with my discipleship group from church. It's a great new tradition for them and they both really enjoy it.

More to come. I have an awesome new video of Ruthie's talking. Watching her language progress has truly been one of the most exciting things in my life.

Happy Saturday!

Guess She Doesn't Know

About the hands free law. :)

Happy Halloween!

It's Come to This

Mostly, Ruthie is doing a really good job at being gentle with Jonah. But some days, I need back up.

Working on Vacation

I am doing some work this afternoon, but it's okay, because this is my view while I do it:

A Few Funny Stories from Mary's Kids

I don't do too much babysitting anymore, with our two kids keeping me pretty busy. But I was able to help out a tiny bit one day last week while Mary and Mike had to work. While I was at their house, I had a conversation with each of their two oldest kids which cracked me up. 

Here's the one from Sam -

Sam - "Aunt Esther, remember last year at family vacation, when we played games on the grass and you told everyone what to do?"

Me - "Yeah, bud, I do."

Sam - "Let's do that again."

I agree, man. A scenario where I'm telling everyone what to do? I'm in. =)

And here's one from Abbie -

Me - "Did you have fun this weekend with your Uncle Ben and Aunt Rebecca in town?"

Abbie - "Yes! Rebecca is my favorite uncle."

Me - "You mean your favorite aunt?"

Abbie - "Oh, yeah, my favorite aunt."

Me - "Hey, what about me?"

Abbie - "Well, you're my favorite Esther."

Wow, thanks. I'll try not to let the fact that I'm the only Esther she knows lessen the impact of that compliment. 

Love those kids!

Our Week in Huntington Beach

A few weeks ago, our little family of four got to spend a week at our extended family's place in Huntington. If you know me or you've hung around this blog for a while, you know this place is one of my favorite on earth. Even though it's not far from where we live (and we do love where we live), it feels so special and different. As soon as we pull up and park our car, my soul is refreshed, at rest and happy.

We were a tad worried about going with a newborn and a very busy 19 month old, since the place is super small, but we had a GREAT time. We even extended our stay by one day. It was wonderful.

And here are the pictures to prove it.

We did a lot of this - relaxing, holding Jonah.

And we did a lot of this - playing with Ruthie on the sand.

Jonah hung out (read slept) on the sand quite happily in this sun shade Mary and Mike loaned us. It was so helpful! 

I felt a little like a circus show, getting to the sand with all our gear. Our stroller is so huge, then we stacked a blanket, beach chair, sunshade and beach towels on top of it - as you can see, I could barely see over the top. But it made it possible for us to stay at the sand for 2 hours, which is more than I had hoped for. We went to the sand each day we were there and it was so much fun.

We also did a lot of walking - at least two walks on the pier each day. And we came every day to the little grassy area just off the sand, so Ruthie could have some extra run around time. Our family really enjoyed all the exercise and time outside!

And we left at just the right time. You can't really tell from this photo, but the pier is PACKED out with folks watching the US Open. We left the day it began and were really grateful for our timing. 

It was a great trip and we hope to get to go at least one more time before the cabins sell!