Noah's First Birthday Party

Noah turned 1 on January 31, 2009. I cannot believe that it has already been a year. Noah is a wonderful little boy, and we are lucky to have him in our family. He is very loving, friendly, and always happy. His attitude and love for life are infectious. It has been an adjustment for Garrett because he has been the only child for so long. He is learning to share and really loves his little brother.

We spent the day cleaning and preparing for the family party. Noah loves spicy food so we decided to include a Mexican dinner for those who came to his party. He really liked his chile verde and beans! After dinner, we sang happy birthday, and Noah had fun eating his own cake. Then it was time for Noah to open his presents. He really did not know what was going on, and he liked the paper more than presents. However, Garrett really loved his brother's presents and would have played with them if we did not need to leave to go to the hockey game.

We then went to watch the local hockey team play a game. Uncle Mike, Aunt Mary, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Amanda, Maya, and Marisa also came with us. Earlier in the week, Daddy went to the main office of the hockey team and arranged to have a happy birthday message to Noah put ont he jumboo tron. We have included the video we took of his birthday message!

Noah is 1, but what can he do?

1. Noah can crawl really fast.
2. Noah can sit up and pull himself up onto furniture.
3. Noah can stand a few minutes by himself.
4. Noah can walk along the couch and Garrett's bed by himself.
5. Noah can sit on his knees.
6. Noah likes to be held and cuddle with mommy and daddy.
7. Noah can feed himself puffers, cereal, rice, meat, fruit, and vegetables.
8. Noah only has four teeth (two on top and two on bottom).
9. Noah loves spicy food like taco soup.
10. Noah likes to look at family pictures.
11. Noah can smile and say "mommy" and "daddy."
12. Noah likes to turn pages while we read books.
13. Noah can brush his teeth.
14. Noah can take off his shoes and socks.

We love Noah!

2008 In Review

I thought the first post for this year should be a review of 2008.

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Jordan and I decided that we were going to tile our entire house. This meant putting all of the furniture in the shop, ripping up the carpet and linoleum, laying ply wood upon ply wood, painting and refinishing walls, knocking out other walls, putting in new blinds and baseboards. In general, creating chaos in my house only two months before Noah was to arrive. We finished laying the tile on Friday, January 25. We still had to finish some texturing and painting. Jordan wanted to put new base boards, and I wanted new blinds (I really wanted plantation shutters but next time). We figured we had enough time to finish the remodeling projects, move all of the furniture back into, organize our clutter, and put the nursery together. The following week, there was no school on Wednesday because it was in-service training for teachers. I decided to go because there was nothing for me to do at home or any way for me to be comfortable with all of the construction going on in my home. I attended my meetings, and I went back to school to make copies of my exam and prepare my classroom for the next day. On the way home, I stopped by Dr. Fernandes, my allergist, to get my allergy shot. I went to bathroom while waiting to see if I had a reaction when my water broke. At the time, I was not sure that it was my water because it did not gush. I knew, however, I had not wet my pants. I called my doctor’s office, and they told me to go the hospital. I then called Jordan who was on the way to professional basketball game and told him that he needed to go the hospital. (In hindsight, I should have picked up Garrett from daycare and gone home to pack my hospital bag). Jordan went home and picked up a change of clothes for me, picked up Garrett from daycare, and bought dinner. By the time he arrived at the hospital, Dr. Scott had already been in to see me. He conducted an ultra sound and found that I had plenty of amniotic fluid so he thought I had passed vaginal fluid. He sent me home. The nurses thought Dr. Scott was wrong because I was having contraction that I luckily could not feel. I got up to change my clothes, and the leak happened again. This time the nurses took a sample. They wanted to see it under a microscope. Amniotic fluid looks like ferns. Well, the nurses were correct. I was in labor 4 weeks early. My mom came to pick up Garrett who really wanted to stay in the “hostipal,” and Jordan went home to get my bag. Of course, we forgot my phone recharger and the camera recharger. This was no easy feat as many of my things were in piles. Jordan did a great job finding what I asked him to find. Luckily, I had eaten really well due to sugar problem and had lost 15 pounds. I also exercised throughout the pregnancy. I really felt so much better during this labor than I did with Garrett. Jordan was really tired so I entertained myself by watching three episodes of NCIS, talking to friends on the phone, walking the halls, watching episodes of 7 Days and CSI Miami, and sleeping. About 3 am, I asked for some medicine. They gave me a dose of fentanyl. I was able to sleep until about 5 am. I asked for a spinal bloc since Doctor’s Hospital does not give epidurals. It took about 2 hours to get an okay from the doctor, for me to go the bathroom, for me to be checked, and to find the anesthesiologist. About 7:00 am and dilated to a 6, the anesthesiologist came to give me the spinal block. I sat up and had the needle in my back when I could feel Noah’s head drop into the birth canal. I had gone from a 6 to a 10 in 15 minutes. The nurses delivered Noah before Dr. Scott arrived. Noah was born healthy at 7:11 am and weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and 19 inches long. Despite the drama, I was glad I did not have to endure the last four weeks of pregnancy and that Noah was healthy.

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This month we adjusted to having another child and baby in the house. Noah did have to return to the hospital because of jaundice. He only had to stay one more day. We also spent this month putting the house back together and the finishing the house remodel. I sure enjoyed being off work and spending time with my family!

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During this month, we celebrated Garrett’s 4th birthday party. We gave Garrett a new bike. It is green, and it has a red bell. Garrett also picked out a bright orange helmet. He really enjoys riding his bike up and down the street while Noah and I walk behind him. He also enjoys riding it on the bike path near Grandma Jeanne’s house.

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This month, I went back to work for the last 5 weeks of school. I really wanted to nurse Noah for a year, and I did not want to run out milk. By the end of this month, I had filled the freezer door with compressed backs of breast milk. I was pumping 30 ounces a day. Uncle Jimmy also married Aunt Katie this month. Much of our family came for the wedding.

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We celebrated Rachel’s birthday this month. It was also the end of the school year for her as well. Summer is just around the corner!

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This was the first month of summer. We enjoyed going swimming at the local aquatic center. Garrett also took swimming lessons this month from the local high school. He is really doing well in his quest to learn to swim.

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We took our family vacation to Idaho and Utah. We went to Rexburg to visit Jordan’s family. We went to the Rexburg Temple, and I saw our rentals for the first time. We then went to Bear Lake to visit more of Jordan’s family. We camped, swam, and ate good food. On the way home, we stopped by my grandmother’s home. I was really glad I did because she died the next month. I was really glad she was able to meet Noah. We also celebrated Jordan’s birthday.

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This month we went to my grandmother’s funeral. It was very hard to see her at the viewing. However, all of her children, grandchildren and their spouses, and all of her great-grandchildren were in attendance. The services were very beautiful. I really admired my grandmother, and the way she lived her life. I hope I can be half the woman she was.

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During this month, our new water vending machine arrived. However, we have had some problems pulling our permit. It has been sitting in our goat pasture since September. We are now waiting on PG and E. Once they have told us how the electrical end will be handled, we are good to go.

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This month is Halloween. Garrett was a dinosaur and Noah came along for the ride. We went trick-or-treating at Uncle John’s house. We are the only family (on our block) that has young children so no one buys candy for the kids.

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This was Noah’s first Thanksgiving. We ate dinner at Uncle John’s house. Grandmother Robison came to dinner as well. She spent one day with us. We at chicken soup, played games, and went to church. I also made my first turkey dinner. It turned out fabulous.

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This was obviously Christmas. This is my favorite holiday. We went on a hayride at Jackson Rancheria, made a gingerbread house, made treats, went shopping, and decorated the tree. We definitely had a good holiday season.

Christmas 2008

We spent Christmas Eve with Grandma Jeanne and Papa. My brother (and his family) and my sister (and her husband) were also in attendance. We ate dinner, read the Christmas story, sang songs (while Grandma Jeanne and cousin Lindsay played the piano). Then it was a free for all while all the of the young cousins opened their presents. To the left is a picture of Noah, Garrett, Molly, Natalie, and Aunt Mary. We had a great time. This was Noah's first Christmas. He really did not understand what was happening. All he wanted to do was crawl under the tree and play with the presents. I think he had more fun playing with the wrapping paper and boxes than he did with his own toys. Although, Garrett seemed to think all of the toys were his even Noah's toys. I do not remember doing that when I was Garrett's age, but I would have to ask my mother if I kept all of the toys for myself!

We went home and put the children to bed. Garrett really didn't want to go to bed until we told him Santa would not come until he and Noah were asleep. The next morning, the boys actually slept until 8:00 am. I should probably count my blessings because the older they are the earlier they will get up. Santa brought Garrett a light saber and Noah an explorer walker. The boys really liked their presents.

Noah enjoying his new discovery walker!

Garrett enjoying his light saber!

Since my family does not really do anything special on Christmas Day (all activities are done on Christmas Eve), I decided to make a Christmas dinner. We had turkey, rolls, salad, homemade mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, corn, and dessert. My sister, Mary and her husband, Mike came over to help. We were cooking and watching the first season on NCIS on the computer, when I discovered the dogs had escaped the backyard. Since they are miniature dachshunds, they usually do not stray from the yard. However, I could not see them anywhere. We drove around our country neighborhood and could not see hide nor hair of them. I even checked the goat pasture. No signs of the dogs chasing the turkeys, chickens, or goats. Jordan even began walking the levee. Garrett and Aunt Mary started walking the fence. They were spotted hiding under the Mr. Zippy's machine. They knew we were looking for them. They didn't want their adventure to end so soon. Needless to say, dinner was a little late. We had a great Christmas Day!

Christmas Holidays

As my children have gotten older, I have been thinking about how to capture the true meaning of Christmas. Garrett has been very concerned with all the things "he is going to get for Christmas." I have been reading and talking to friends to see what they do to instill compassion and service in their children during the holiday season. I have come up with some ideas and will continue to research ideas through the year so I can have a plan for next year. Please leave your ideas as comments.

We did do several new things this holiday season. First, the boys put the tree because Garrett was too excited to wait for mommy to come home from school. Daddy, Julius, Sean, Garrett, and Noah had the tree put up before I came home. Above you can see the tree behind Garrett. Garrett also played hockey too. Also, every time we went grocery shopping, we had to buy candy canes to put on the tree. I think we put about 30 candy canes on the tree.

Next, we also went on a hay ride at Jackson Rancheria. In hindsight, we probably will not necessarily make this a family holiday tradition because we waited in line for 1 hour for a 15 minute ride. It was fun, nonetheless. Garrett and Noah saw Santa Clause, ate Christmas cookies, and drank hot chocolate. Mrs. Dalton had over 1 million lights strung along the road that leads to her house. It was very amazing to see. It took a crew of 8 men, working 8 hours a day, over a month to put them all up. Could you imagine untangling that many lights? Not mention what you would have to go through to fix strains that had burned-out bulbs. I would not have the patience and probably would just buy new ones. Notice that I no longer have braces (although the green retainers do show through)!


We also built a gingerbread house. That was quite an experience, and we had the kit. It took many hours so I could not imagine how long one made from scratch would take. I am also not a very good cake decorator so putting on the icing was a challenge to me. It was far from perfect, but Garrett had such a good time putting it together it was worth doing (even though I had a sinus infection!). Please enjoy the grand finale of our gingerbread house adventure in the video posted below.

I also wanted to learn to bake more holiday treats. My children could help, and we could bring plates of goodies to our friends and neighbors. I was a little ambitious for my first time. I failed to cook Almond Rocha twice. I undercooked one batch and overcooked the other. I think if I did it a third time, I would probably be able to do it. I am hopeful this is true, however, we will not know for sure until I try it. maybe next year will do better!

I think next year we will also build the manger for baby Jesus. I will find a manager and a baby Jesus we can put on the dining room table. Baby Jesus will arrive on Christmas Eve night. Our job is to make sure that there is enough straw in the manger for him to sleep warmly. After doing something nice for someone, you can put some straw on the manger. This activity will hopefully help my children learn the value of service.

Thanksgiving 2008

It has been a while since I have had time to add a post. I thought I would go back to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thanksgiving was fun this year because all of the family was together including Great-Grandmother. I had the entire week off which was really nice. The week before Thanksgiving, Dr. Duong took off my braces. I picked my retainer color as green. In hindsight, I probably should have chosen a clear color because the green shows through my front teeth. This does show up in pictures! On Monday, I picked up my retainers. I have to wear them day and night for three months. I talk like I have lisp when I wear them. It sure has taken my students awhile to understand me when I talk while wearing them! I have gotten used to them so they are not too bad. I even talk better with them in now!

We had fun relaxing and preparing for Thanksgiving. Although, dinner was at my brother John's house, I did volunteer to feed the missionaries the following day. We ate a great dinner, had great conversations, watched the kids play the Wii, and walked to the park. Above is a picture of Garrett drinking soda with his cousin, JT. Below is a video of Noah with his Papa. I was in charge of the mashed potatoes and the pecan pie. This was relatively easy compared to cooking the entire Turkey dinner for the missionaries.

The day after Thanksgiving, I cooked for the missionaries. I cooked a full turkey dinner except for the homemade stuffing. I had no clue how to cook a turkey. I did however watch Martha Stewart on demand. It was very helpful. Julius also helped me clean and prepare the turkey. I also had found a really useful web page that helped me figure out how to cook my turkey. I cooked it on 450 for about 20 minutes. I then cooked it at 250 for about 5 hours. It worked really well because the meat was really juicy and fell off the bone. Of course, I had forgotten to buy a meat thermometer so I gave Jordan a good excuse to go to the Bass Pro Shop. I also cooked mash potatoes, dressing (from the box), salad, vegetables, rolls, and pies. Mary and Mike also ate dinner with use. Afterwards, we went to watch the Thunder play hockey.

We had a great time. I was really impressed with my ability to cook a turkey. I did not think it would turn out so well. I have been lucky that Thanksgiving was always at other family members' home. I never had to cook a whole turkey before this year. It worked so well that I cooked one on Christmas Day too! (that will be a post for another day).

My grandmother stayed the night with us on Saturday night and went to church with us the next morning. We had fun folding laundry and cooking dinner. She was able to read Garrett a story before bed. I shot video of Grandmother reading Garrett Hickory Dickory Dock. I tried up loading the video, but I think the file was too big to properly upload. I will try to do it again for another post. However, my Grandmother even survived going to church with a 4 year old and a 10 month old.

We had our big meal after church. After lunch, Grandmother played games with Garrett. They played Aggravation and Candy Land. Garrett thought it would be great to then play Catapult. This of course is a game daddy picked out for Garrett and is much too old for him to play the correct way. I think that Garrett really enjoys setting up the game and knocking it down.

It was really nice to have Grandmother visit us. We talked about memories she had as a child. She remembers that once year her father gave some of her dolls to a family that needed the dolls for their daughters. Grandmother remembers that the girls left the dolls outside and did not take care of them. That is always disappointing when once sacrifices for others, and the gift is not appreciated. Nonetheless, it was fun to listen to her stories.

We really liked our vacation especially since Jordan's days off corresponded with Thanksgiving. Garrett is really excited about the upcoming Christmas holiday. I would like to create some new traditions for our family. I have been talking to my friends to see what they do. I have found some new ideas. Some I will not be able to do this year. Maybe next. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.