2012 Ladies Christmas Friendship Dinner

This was my first year of being a table hostess at our church's annual Ladies Christmas Friendship Dinner. Thanks to my Mom and sister-in-law who completed my set of teacups and saucers last Christmas, I had enough Lenox Holiday china to set a table of 8.

 

This year's dinner theme was "Let Heaven and Nature Sing." I immediately thought of the Byers Choice figurines that Uncle Don and Aunt Judy have given to our family (each figurine represents one of us - Amy's figurine will arrive this Christmas probably) and how appropriate the carolers would be for this year's theme.

 

 

Take a tour of some of the other 50+ tables that were so creatively and beautifully decorated.

A picture of my table guests!

We thoroughly enjoyed The Three Wiseman - our entertainment for the evening.

(Timothy James Meaney is our talented worship pastor and tours with these guys this time of year.)

And some after dinner photos of some of my friends!

It was a very fun evening. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Amy - 3 months old!

Amy is three months old today!

To mark this day, we had a mini photo shoot.

 

And here is a short video clip of her showing off her latest new thing - blowing bubbles!

"Worker Man" David and Helper Jay

"Worker Man" David showed up last night. I was a little disappointed he didn't talk much so you could get a good taste of his deep voice (he uses a deep voice when explaining heavy things, or important work projects, etc.). His outfit consists of a firefighter's hat worn backwards, his construction worker vest, and brother Jay's Lightning McQueen rain boots - or in this case, "his work boots."

I see this several times a day. (see picture below) Jay sure enjoys helping take care of his baby sister Amy. He makes me nervous when he picks her up to hold her, but she LOVES it and he loves caring for her. Jay's recent thing to do is spread out a blanket on the floor, then bring Amy (like this) to lay on it. He'll then play right by her on the floor and she is the happiest little girl for quite a long time for a girl her age.

Family Weekend

Friday afternoon, November 2, we loaded the van and made the drive south to see Matt's side of the family for the weekend. The last time we were there was this spring, I think.

 

We stopped for dinner at the Rush Road exit, which has become a tradition. It seems that exit comes at just the right point in our journey to and from Oregon. The extra added bonus is that the Burger King there has an indoor play structure which is just perfect for helping get out the wiggles of our wee travelers.

 

We arrived at Mike and sister Shawn's home at 7:30 p.m. The boys had a great time playing with cousin Alex and Joshua's Legos, cars, and Cars/Cars2 toys. Matt and I visited for a bit, then left with Amy to head to Mom and Dad's for the night. Yes, the boys did a sleepover with their cousins and had a GREAT time. They went to bed late Friday night and woke up right on schedule (6:15 a.m.!), so Shawn had her hands full. :) They ate their cereal and played on the Wii for a while that morning, too. They arrived at Mom and Dad's around 10:30 or 11:00.

Alex, Matt, Shawn, and Amy looking at photos on the computer.

PopPop holding happy 2-1/2 month old Amy.

Nana getting some hold time with Amy.

Mom (and Dad) fixed a terrific pulled pork, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad for our Saturday family lunch/dinner. Everything was so delish, as usual.

We all played, napped, and chatted - living life together all afternoon. It was wonderful. Mom had fixed a layered taco dip and Shawn brought veggies and hummus - so that is what we snacked on for dinner (after a big meal at lunch, dinner was just the perfect thing).

The Griffiths headed home and we enjoyed a lazy evening together (and turned our clocks back one hour since it was Daylight Savings).

Sunday morning we packed up and attended Mom and Dad's church's first service. Above is Amy in her church outfit. (Love this photo!) Following the church service we ate brunch/lunch at nearby Panera Bread and got on the road. We stopped in Kelso and visited long time family friends of my family growing up which included yummy homemade pumpkin cookies for us by our host and a good nursing session for Amy.

Thanks for the photos, Dad! (I didn't even pull out my camera - shame, shame.) This post would not have been near as interesting had he not forwarded me these in documentation of our good time together.

We had a wonderful time and we're looking forward to coming again to celebrate Christmas together!

Pumpkin 2012

I asked the boys what they wanted to carve on their pumpkin this year. A funny, happy (traditional) pumpkin face? A spider? (We've been talking about those around here recently.) They liked those ideas initially, but they both agreed this is what they wanted me to carve:

 Lightning McQueen!

They wanted me to carve Tow Mater on the other side of the pumpkin, but I didn't get around to doing that. (My bad.)

It was fun to see the pumpkin lit up with the candle inside and see the smiles of delight on their faces. It turned out better than I thought! (Thanks to the template I used!)

2012's Reverse Trick-or-Treating

Today we visited Dad (Matt) at his office and did our annual "reverse" trick or treating. This means we go around his office and hand out pieces of candy (this year fun sized Twix and Snickers) to his co-workers.

Ice Cream Sandwich 4 year old Jay

Pea in the Pod 2-1/2 month old Amy

Superman 2 year old David

 Thanks for the family photo, Andrea!

We had a great time! See you all next year!

Helpful Brother Jay with Sister Amy

 

I was busy in the kitchen, or down the hall doing laundry, or...I don't remember. But I do remember Amy was crying and fussing in her chair and then the next thing I knew, she was quiet. Quiet in this condo of ours makes me suspicious, so I went to investigate and this is what I found...

Jay is such a great big brother to Amy!

October Visit to Grandma's

Matt left on Thursday, Oct. 11th to the Phoenix area for his annual golf guy's weekend. There was no way I was going to stay at home with all three kids with no break (especially with a 2 month old), so off we went to Grandma's house in Eastern Washington Thursday morning. (Thanks Mom!)

 

The road trip went well. I started the trip with a treat for myself - a drive-thru Starbucks chai and a breakfast sandwich - since I rushed out the door without breakfast. The caffeine from the chai tea latte gave me just the necessary oomph I needed to stay alert while driving. We stopped in Ellensburg for a potty break, diaper changes, snack, and nursing session which took about one hour and arrived safely at my Mom's doorstep by early afternoon.

 

Friday late morning we took the opportunity to visit friends at the Bar U Ranch near Benge. What a pretty drive through the country with a lovely, relaxed visit with friends. We packed our lunches and ate those at their home before loading up and heading home. Shortly after arriving home Mom and I were in the living room watching Amy interact with Jay (photo below).

It was suspiciously quiet in the kitchen where David had been playing with the toy barn and farm animals, so I went in there to see what he was up to (hoping he was staying out of trouble). Lo and behold, this is how I found David (it was past his normal nap time).

What the photo above doesn't show is the pool of drool on the floor. :)

Then I was able to capture Amy "talking" after laying David down for his nap in a more proper location.

Late Friday night my brother Scott, sister-in-law Mandy, and my nephew Payson arrived. After enjoying a relaxing Saturday morning together (my brother built Lego vehicles pretty much all day), late in the afternoon we made sure to stop in for a visit with my 98 year old Grandma (my Dad's Mom) so she could see her 4 great-grandkids.

 

I really like this next photo of Great Grandma, 2 mo. old Amy, and 9 mo. old Payson.

(In the background on the wall you see my Dad's graduation photo and three photos of him when he was about 1 or 2 years old.)

 Grandma with Payson (such a cute, big boy)!

And I'll end with a couple group photos:
2 yr old David, Great Grandma, 2 mo. old Amy, 4 yr old Jay, 9 mo. old Payson, and Grandma

I had a successful drive back home on Monday morning and Matt arrived back home late Monday night. Thanks for all your help, Mom, loving on me and my kids. I couldn't have done it without you - especially with Amy on an eating/growing kick that weekend.

Amy's 2 month Stats

Amy had her 2 month old well baby check-up appointment Tuesday, October 16th (reminder that her birthdate was August 15). I had the last appointment of the day so Matt was able to come home early from work to watch the boys so it was a nice, quiet appointment, just Amy and me.

2 month old stats
Weight: 8 lbs, 13 oz. (10th percentile)
Length/Height: 23-1/4 (90th to 95th percentile)
Head Circumference: 15-1/4 (50th to 75th percentile)

You can read my blog entry two years ago when I compared Jay and David's stats at two months here.

Yes, Amy is a tiny little peanut in her weight, but she has made up for it in both her length (4" growth in 2 months - ouch!) and in the size of her head. (However, I've been wondering how accurate the nurse's measurement was of Amy.) The pediatrician said she'd maybe be a little concerned about her weight and we did touch on the possibility of supplementing Amy, but because of Amy's huge gain in length and head, she wasn't concerned yet. Babies grow in length first, followed by head, and then chub. So hopefully by the next check-up at 4 months we'll see a good increase in the chub department. My "mom sense" tells me everything is okay. Amy has the right number of diapers each day, she is a content and happy baby, and is just plain a joy to care for/mother. She consistantly sleeps great at night (10 or 11 p.m. to 5 or 6 a.m.) and takes her naps during the day on schedule (typically ready for a nap at 1-1/2 or 2 hours after the start of a feeding session). She occasionally goes on an eating kick and wants an additional feeding between bedtime and 5 or 6 a.m., and I'm FINE with that since I know it'll help her in the chub department.

Amy is making lots of cooing noises and likes to especially "converse" with Matt and I when we change her diaper after her feedings. She can focus her vision on a face for several seconds and follows a moving target a bit. She pacifys herself with her fingers/fist and with a pacifier. She smiles and responds to conversation and seems to "enjoy" people. It is especially fun to watch her interact with 4 yr. old brother Jay. He can sure get her to respond to him and his antics. When her 2 yr. old brother David decides to give her his attention, she tends to perform and "talk" to him, too. It just warms this mother's heart to see the interaction and the bond that is growing there.

All in all, the pediatrician gave me a "HEALTHY!" report. Praise the Lord!!

Amy then received 5 immunizations. She first received an oral "sweet tasting" dose of Rotavirus (she smiled and smacked her lips while taking that). Then she received PCB (Pneumococcal Conjugate) in one thigh and Pentacel in the other thigh (which is a combination DTaP - Hib - IPV -- dipththeria-tetanus-acellular pertussis, haemophilus influenza type b, and inactivated poliovirus). Of course she let out a couple good cries with each shot but she quickly calmed down when I swooped her up in my arms. By the time I was finished buckling her into her car seat for the trip back home she was fine again. I'm grateful to say her body seemed to handle the immunizations just fine - she didn't even seem hot or bothered the next 24 hours. (Phew!)

Her next check-up is at 4 months (mid-December) followed by a 6 month check-up (mid-February).

Fire Station Open House

This past Saturday, Oct. 6, our city's fire departments opened up their stations for visits by community members. We visited our nearby station for 30 minutes. They even had our city's SWAT armored vehicle on site to see along with the various fire station vehicles. The boys loved it and you could just see them soaking it all in.