Penny

My beautiful niece. . .

It was such an honor to be there for her birth and to capture some of her first moments. Congratulations Melisa, Jay, and big brother Quentin.

I Got My Christmas Wish

Penelope June Oker
December 24th, 2008
8:00 a.m.
8 pounds, 13 ounces

And I was there to watch her being born! Check back for pictures tonight. . . .

His Royal Highness

When we were expecting William, even before we knew he was a boy, I just knew his name was William. Steve and I sat down one night to talk about names, and I had a list of approximately a million reasons why it had to be William. I swayed Steve easily with my conviction, but his main concern was that Caroline and William sounded too much like British royalty (duh, Caroline is Monacan royalty!). So of course I'm finding it hilarious that Caroline now calls her baby brother "Wills" almost exclusively. :)

Here they are playing their favorite sibling game, "rough house in William's crib."

Caroline's contribution to the photo shoot:

Three-year-olds. Can't live with 'em, can't drive all the way to Nebraska.

Time Out

This will have to be a quick post, as I am really busy babysitting the 6 sleeping Baby Jesus's upstairs while Caroline, I mean Mary, is at preschool.

Last Monday poor Doggy had a tough day. He just couldn't get things right. He was throwing things, hitting, not cooperating. He spent most of his day in time out. Luckily his patient mama kept giving him more chances and having conversations about how to make things better. I was quite amused by this little show. And quite pleased that the "mama" was gentle and loving instead of screaming and nasty. :) Their little minds are fascinating, aren't they?

Baby's First Christmas

I'm enjoying this Christmas season more than I think I ever have before. Caroline is at the perfect age to enjoy the music, decorations, and magic of the season without being totally corrupted by the commercialism. She and I have all sorts of plans for decorating gingerbread houses, making cookies for Santa, and drinking hot chocolate Christmas morning - I love that we can make plans to do things that we both enjoy. And let's face it, holidays are always extra-special with a baby in the house. William is absolutely in love with the Christmas tree. Here are a few shots of him checking it out.

Eating Baby Jesus:

Caroline's contribution to the photo shoot:

Two Is A Magic Number

Oh, Christmas Tree!

We headed to our wicked cool (you like that New England slang, Midwesterners?) local farm to pick out our family tree tonight. Not my most exciting pictures ever, but I had to get back in my blog groove, so here you go. Somebody who shall remain nameless wasn't in the mood for having her picture taken, so please attribute the lack of equality to three-year-old attitude and not to favoritism.

Caroline proclaimed every tree we saw "perfect" and "just right."

My monkeys.

William checking out the poinsettias.

Aren't these things supposed to be poisonous?

Please note my lame attempt at creating a banner. Someone have sympathy and tell me how to fix it!

My Sweet Boy

Oh, how I love this baby. Erin so beautifully captured his sweet personality in these portraits. Happy 8 months, Mr. Man.

Family Photo Shoot

It's been pretty quiet here at the old blog during the past couple of weeks. Practically every author of all the blogs I read has complained of feeling stale lately, so it must be contagious. I could say that I've been busy with our trip to AL or getting ready for Thanksgiving, but truly I just haven't taken many pictures lately. Which is funny because I just finished a 4-week-long digital photography class, so you would think I would have been taking tons. Oh well. :)

Anyway, I know many of you have seen these pictures on Erin's blog or at Facebook, but for those of you who haven't, here are some of the gorgeous family shots my bff took of us while we were in Huntsville two weeks ago. How lucky am I not only to have the most wonderful, generous, intelligent best friend in the world, but also one who is so incredibly talented? And to think I picked her before she even knew what she was doing with a camera. :) To have Erin in my life is one of the greatest gifts I could ever ask for, and to have her so artistically document my family's life is just icing on the cake. Love you, Miss Erin.

This last one cracks me up because it was like 35 degrees while we were taking pictures, and William was so unhappy sitting on cold bricks. Neither one of my children has ever cooperated much for poor Erin during photo shoots, so it is a true testament to her talent that she can still manage to create such beautiful works of art.

Next post, I'll share Erin's pics of my main man.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A cozy house. . .

A delicious meal. . .

The family I love. . .

Yes, I am truly Thankful.

family picture by erin cobb photography - Hope you don't mind, Erin - I didn't get around to taking a family pic today!

The Devil

No, not the baby. . .



My dear friend Lynda brought over her jumperoo for William to borrow - he thinks it is the best thing, ever.





Grandma sent a new Max and Ruby dvd for Caroline, and she would watch it all day long if I let her.

Why is it that the activities that my children would do all day, every day (and let me get other stuff done!) are supposed to be strictly limited? No fair.

We're Home!

I actually took my camera with me to Alabama, but it never made it out of the bag. Head on over to Erin's blog if you want to see pics from our weekend!

It was a great trip - it felt exactly like the olden days, except there were four loud, demanding little people, and the adults kept shaking our heads and wondering where they came from. It was crazy and chaotic with babies everywhere and little girls refusing to go to bed, and I wouldn't change one single minute. The girls slept together in Sarah's bed, which was just about the cutest thing ever. Erin and I snuck away for some much-needed girl shopping. Steve and I fueled up on Sonic, over and over. I spent a lot of time wondering why we live so far away from our best friends, and trying to figure out a way to move to Alabama. We love you, Cobbs.

Oh Blog Readers,

Don't you cry for me,
I'm off to Alabama
With a baby on my knee!

Best Friends

I think for so many moms, myself included, the second pregnancy is bittersweet. You spend a lot of time worrying about how the older one will adjust to the new baby. You mourn the special time you've had as a family of three. You wonder if you will ever love that second baby the way you love your first. You know you want another child, and you know you want your first child to have a sibling, but you worry about upsetting the apple cart. And then that second child is born, and your heart doubles in size, and you fall madly in love. You are more busy, more tired, and more stressed, but it is so very worth it. Everything has changed, and you can't imagine your life, your family, without this new person in it.

Ever since William was born, I've felt like I've had post-partum euphoria. Some days are hard and I sometimes get bogged down in the tedium of raising two small children, but most of the time it's just so good. I love the feeling of the four of us together. I feel so satisfied pushing two in the double stroller. I feel like my family is full, complete. And that is, I think, the secret of the second child: the incredible, unpredictable love. And perhaps the best part is knowing that you have given your children the best possible gift. Each other.

Caroline and William are really starting to bond and play together. He thinks she is the most entertaining, hilarious thing he has ever laid eyes on. She is, usually, sweet and loving towards him. I can't wait to see what relationship they will build with each other over the years. As a parent, it is pretty incredible to watch them together and to know that they have each other forever.

For Sale:

One baby. Male, seven months old. Wants to be held all of the time. Also going through a phase in which he wakes up multiple times in the night. Doesn't care that his Daddy is travelling and his Mommy might lose it if he doesn't return to his sweet, easy-going self soon. Accepting offers immediately.

PS: I tried calling in sick to Steve, calling his "emergency contacts" (my sister and BFF) to come pick him up from "daycare," AND asking Grandma to come over. Nobody took me seriously. I need new family and friends.

PS: if you offer enough, I would probably be willing to throw in a blond 3-year-old, as well.

PPS: he was screaming bloody murder until I pulled out the camera. Then he stopped and started smiling at me. Stinker.

PPPS: Dear Child Protective Services, I am obviously not really selling my child on the internet. This is obviously a joke. Don't come to my house.

It's Over

The church we attended in Colorado had a time during the service for worshipers to share "joys and concerns." You could raise your hand and share any kind of news, and ask the congregation to pray about it. Lots of people shared joys like a new baby on the way or the engagement of a young couple. Others shared concerns like the loss of a job or a serious illness. On the Sunday after the 2004 election, one member raised his hand and made a very opinionated comment about the outcome of the election. Our minister, however, completely changed the tone of the situation by praising God for a safe election and a country in which we all get a say in our leadership. It really made me realize what is truly important about election day in America: aren't we lucky that we live in a nation where we all get to vote? Aren't we lucky that we don't worry about facing violence as we head to the polls? Aren't we lucky that our children are safe, and that our female children will have a voice? As a mom, that's how I am feeling, more than anything, today. I'm proud to be an American.

God bless America and God bless President-elect Barack Obama. It is certainly a daunting task he faces as he takes leadership of this great nation.

Election Day!

We voted. Did you?

Happy Halloween!

Day 4 - The Day In Which we Princessed Ourselves Silly

On Wednesday we were yet again at the park before it opened - this time at Epcot, specifically to attend the "Storybook Princess Breakfast" at the Akershus Castle in Norway. There wasn't a lot in which we though Caroline would be interested at Epcot and we had left William back at the hotel with Nana and Papa, so it was nice to have a relaxing morning just the three of us without much of an agenda.

All week at Disney we kept hearing about how empty the park was, and to be honest, I didn't think it felt empty at all - until we were at Epcot. It was practically a ghost town. We were up against the rope at opening, and Mickey & Friends came right up to greet us.

As soon as the park officially opened, Caroline and I headed off to ride Nemo and Friends and to check out The Seas (an aquarium-like exhibit featuring manatees, dolphins, and other tropical sea life) while Steve rode Soarin' (Caroline wasn't big enough). We were literally the first people on the ride! Next we were off to the Character Spot to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy. Characters were definitely a high point for Caroline - you can see how much more comfortable she is with them by this day. :)

And finally it was time for the main event: The Princess Breakfast. Caroline had been dreaming about this since we first started planning our Disney trip. We got to eat in a castle with Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Jasmine, and Mulan. It was a little girl's dream come true. As a mommy, it was pretty awesome to watch. :)

Here's some free Disney advice for you: if you are taking a little girl who is obsessed with dress-up/princesses/etc. to Disney, make sure you bring a princess dress with you. Practically every little girl is dressed up like her favorite Disney princess throughout the parks. We managed to convince Caroline to save her dress for our breakfast, but I'm pretty sure we would be paying for her therapy someday if we didn't have it with us. Of course, you can always buy the $65 costumes there, too. :)

Caroline found some time for dancing outside the castle:

We ended our morning with a boat ride across the World Showcase Lagoon.

After lunch and naps at the hotel, the four of us headed back to the Magic Kingdom to try out some of the other rides. We rode the railroad, took a raft to Tom Sawyer Island, explored the Swiss Family Treehouse, and rode the Jungle Cruise and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin twice. We ended our day with the magnificent Spectral Magic Parade.

Final Thoughts On Disney: This was an awesome, magical trip. Although we've travelled quite a lot with the children, this was our first technical "vacation." It was absolutely wonderful to be together and to just have time as a family. Caroline has led a relatively sheltered life, and to watch her having all of these incredible first-time experiences was so special. This may shock some of you, but I can actually be a tiny bit uptight about naps, schedules, bedtimes, etc., but I was able to let go of that (a little) and just have fun. The kiddos were amazing the entire time - I am so proud of them. Finally, I want to thank Steve's parents for making this trip happen. From the groceries to the babysitting to the William-toting, we couldn't have done it without you. We love you so much.

Animal Kingdom

The next stop of our "magical tour" was the Animal Kingdom. Once again, we arrived before the gates opened and were able to see the opening show featuring Mickey and friends performing at The Tree of Life. We headed straight for the Kilimanjaro Safaris, and enjoyed seeing all of the awesome African wildlife. At one point, our vehicle had to stop and wait for several minutes until a giraffe moved out of our path! After the ride, we checked out the Maharaja Jungle Trek (more African animals) and the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (Asian animals). I usually find zoos a little depressing, but Disney has certainly done a gorgeous job creating Animal Kingdom - the exhibits are breathtakingly beautiful. The highlight of our visit was Festival of the Lion King, a stage show production featuring the songs and characters from the movie - Caroline absolutely loved it, even though she isn't familiar with the movie. After the show, Caroline wanted to "go see those squirrels" (Chip and Dale) so we visited with the characters.

After lunch and naps, the four of us headed for a swim at the hotel pool. Caroline is usually a little timid in the water, so it was great to see her really warm up to the gradual depth area. She also loved the splash park. William loved playing in the water, too.

Steve and I snuck off to Epcot to check out the World Showcase and to see the nighttime fireworks performance, IllumiNations after the kids went to sleep. My advice for going to Disney with young children: bring along the grandparents for free babysitting!