December In Review

I know, I know, it has been over a month since I blogged. My excuse? I'm a mom of a 5 month old and I work full time: enough said. So, December. Wow it went fast. Since Thanksgiving was earlier than normal this year, I totally thought I had time to do all the celebrating/decorating/baking/picture taking that I wanted to do. But alas, I blinked and it was Christmas. So these are the festivities we did fit in.

I started baking a little early to get ahead of the game. Since I want quality time with Taylor while I'm home from work, but I also need to get stuff done, I learned to multi task and involve him in the process. I put him in the Baby Bjorn facing out and baked cookies. He had a fabulous time helping me dump all the ingredients in and watch them swirl together as the beaters buzzed. He was waving his arms all over the place like it was the most exciting thing he had ever seen. I told him someday when he is older I would let him have a taste of the cookie dough. He also had a great time rolling out the dough and cutting out different shapes. It was such a fun mommy/Taylor time, though my back was killing me by the end. Just a side note, we were going to take the cookies to the neighbors to spread Christmas cheer, but Jason and I got to them before they were delivered. Merry Christmas to us!

Taylor helping with cookie cutting

Ready for the oven!

Also early in the Christmas season, I received my Christmas present. It was supposed to be a big surprise that I was to open on Christmas morning, and Jason was all excited about watching the expression on my face as I freaked out. But I spoiled the fun on accident. So what was my big present? A sweet camera: Sony Alpha with all the accessories! I listened to a message on his cell phone, not realizing it would reveal the big secret. He was super disappointed that he couldn't surprise me, but in a way it was nice because I had time to mess with it before Christmas and kind of know what I was doing. We've both been having fun playing with the different settings and taking pictures of Taylor. Because it has a fast shutter speed, we can actually catch Taylor's great expressions and smiles. We are still dealing with some blurriness, but it is hard to get any good light in Seattle in the dead of winter.

Playing with my new camera

Since Jason and I work opposite a lot of the time so one of us can be home with Taylor, days off together are pretty rare. So finding a day to get a Christmas tree was hard. We finally got around to it a week and a half before Christmas. We went to a tree farm with my parents on what turned out to be a very cold and rainy day. The trees were picked over at that point, so it took lot of searching, but we finally found one. Jason did the honors of cutting it down, and by the end of the wrestling match he was all covered with mud. My hero! We got home and despite it being super wet, promptly put it up in the house so we could enjoy our time with it before Christmas was over. I did wait to put the lights on it, though. :)

Jason battling the tree

Warming up from the cold

In fact, finding time to decorate it was also another difficulty. We finally got around to it on the 22nd. Taylor was very helpful, finding spots for all the ornaments. Actually he just wanted to put them all in his mouth. But it was a fun family tradition to start, decorating the tree together. When I was younger, my dad was always the one to put the lights on the tree, but in our family I seem to have become the one who is stuck with the job. I have learned a great trick to make it go much faster: instead of circling the tree 100 times, I just zig zag it up and down the tree. So much easier.

Taylor helping decorate the tree

More fun with the camera

We were excited about plans to go up to the mountains a few days before Christmas to have some time just the three of us since I had to work Christmas. But unfortunately the mountain passes were hit with multiple snow storms, and we don't have chains or 4 wheel drive from our cars. So instead we attended Jason's work Christmas party. It was great because they had a Santa, so Taylor got his first Santa picture. We weren't planning on getting one, but it was free, so we thought, "Why not?". We backed Taylor into the Santa, seeing as how he gets a little frightened being held by just the average person he doesn't know. I don't think he realized he was even being held by anyone, because he just looked ahead blankly. We even had time to get in two shots! The Santa held him like he had never held a baby before, though. Obviously not a professional. After the party, Jason had gotten us a room at the Embassy Suites near by since the cabin thing didn't work out. It was nice to just be away from the night. The room had a king sized bed, so Taylor slept in between us, which he enjoyed. Sure made it easier when he woke up and wanted his pacifier in the middle of the night because I didn't even have to get out of bed. We enjoyed a nice breakfast in the morning, went swimming, then took off to hit up the mall and do some shopping. Later we returned home to do Christmasy stuff together.

That night we decided to introduce Taylor to solid foods. He was about 5 1/2 months at that point, and they recommend around 6 months of age that you start. I might have waited a little longer, but he was getting extra hungry in the evenings, and I didn't have enough milk for him. He also stares us down when we eat, and tries to grab it out of our hands, so we thought he seemed ready. I made rice cereal, a nice starting point because it can be mixed with breast milk, and it is not usually a food that people are allergic to. We got him all settled into his high chair, then got the camera and video camera all ready for the big event. First bite, he slurped it up, got big eyes, then reached out to the bowl for more. He really wanted to help guide the spoon into his mouth, then would smile really big after he got a bite. He likes it! Taylor likes it! He has been hooked since, enjoying his evening meal around 5 or 5:30 pm. We'll wait till after his 6 month appointment before we start vegetables and fruit. And I'm excited to try and make his food myself. Sorry Gerber. We'll see how it goes.

Reaction to first bite

Wanting to try all by himself

He likes it!

My sisters and their new husbands were in town this year for Christmas, so we went to my parents Saturday to all hang out. Taylor had changed a lot since they had seen him last, so he was showing off all his new tricks, and enjoying getting passed between all the aunts and uncles. We enjoyed a nice dinner, had a sharing time, then we headed home to keep Taylor on his bedtime schedule.

Family dinner

Having fun with the jingle bells

Sunday we all went to church together, though we left early because Jason had to work. Then that afternoon we headed to my aunt Luellen and Uncle Doug's house for the big family Christmas. Taylor was in a much better mood than Thanksgiving, so he willingly visited with people, and did some more showing off of his rolling over. We had a fabulous dinner, which I actually got to enjoy warm, and Taylor was patient as he sat in his bouncy chair. We used to all fit in the dining room, but now with so many additions to the family, there were two tables to fit us all. My aunt had us draw numbers to determine who would sit at which table. After dinner was present time. Taylor got to open the first one, so everyone watched him take the tissue paper from the bag, and promptly put it in his mouth. Once he realized there was a toy inside, he was very mesmerized by it, and entertained till the next present came along. It was so fun to watch him open presents. I'm sure next year he'll be able to do it all by himself, but it was nice helping him this year. I had many more presents to open! Overall, it was a nice evening with family, and Taylor behaved like an angel.

Four Generations

Taylor opening his gift

Taylor hanging out with Auntie Mary & Uncle Rob

All the grand kids with Granddad

Taylor & Peggy

The immediate family celebration was Christmas Eve morning. Gone are the days when we would get up early, drag my parents out of bed, and rush down in our PJ's to open presents. Now we sleep in, get ourselves all dressed up, and then about 11am we open presents. Jason and I, of course, had to drive over to my parent's as well. Funny how things change so quickly. We had the video camera going and the cameras were flashing as we all opened presents, and watched Taylor try to get into his again. Jason got hooked up with a new Padres hat, an autobiography by Tony Dungee, a year subscription to Surfer Magazine, some cologne, and a Hurley zip up sweatshirt. Taylor got some fun new toys, a cloth book that has animal sounds, Robeez, some clothes, and some CD's. I got some lotion, a CD, and a gift card to In Spa. I was most excited about the gift I got for my parents, though. I had gone to My Publisher and made a photobook with pictures of Taylor over his first 5 months. I had captions next to some, and others were blown up to the size of a whole page. It is bound just like a real book, and all the pictures turned out really well. Now they have a brag book. :) My aunt Mary and uncle Michael came over later for some brunch. They hadn't met Jason or Taylor, so it was nice to make all those introductions. For Christmas they gave Taylor some hand crafted toys from an art fair they went to. Taylor loves them, though we have to be careful he is playing with them while on his tummy or sitting, because while on his back he dropped one on his face, and it is made of wood, so that didn't go over too well. Kind of nice to have some toys that don't flash, make noise, or require batteries. After a little more visiting, it was time to head home so I could get rest before work.

Taylor & Grandpa

Playing with his new drum

Tay with Auntie Sarah & Uncle Mark

Capturing all the memories

Taylor, the present opening pro

I wore an elf hat all night at work. Yes, an elf hat. And that was Christmas Eve at work in a nutshell.

The next morning was very sad because Jason got hit with a terrible cold, and I was super tired from work. So poor Taylor on his first Christmas morning had two out-of-it parents. There were a few things from us for him, and also from friends and Jason's dad and wife. His big present from us and also my parents was a Kindermusic class. It meets once a week, and we sing songs, play with instruments, dance, and learn some baby sign language. I'm so excited to have a fun activity to do with him, and also meet some other moms and babies. Anyway, I slept most of the rest of the day, and Jason just laid low and tried not to infect Taylor.

And then it was all over. I still can't believe how fast it all went. I didn't get to everything I wanted to, and my Christmas cards didn't even get sent out till January 3rd, but it was still fun to be with family, experience Christmas through a child's eyes again, and celebrate the birth of Jesus with our own baby boy. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season as well.

Merry Christmas!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

It snowed! Last Saturday we got our first taste of winter with a beautiful snowfall, a first for Taylor. We didn't actually get to get him out in it and roll him around, but he had fun looking out the window. By Sunday afternoon it was gone as the temperatures spiked. Hopefully next time we will have some pictures of our little snow bunny making an angel or a snowman.

Christmas Countdown

Did you say Christmas is almost here?!

Woohoo!!!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

He did it! After many weeks of hard work and frustration, Taylor was able to roll from his back to his belly. He had rolled from back to belly about a month before and does that occasionally, but he'd been working on this latest trick for a while. Leading up to it, he would have himself almost turned over, but get stuck on the arm that was underneath him. He would grunt and scream in frustration. Now when he does it, he smiles because he is so proud of himself. We are very proud as well. It all happened as I was getting ready for work, so in the midst of getting the milestone on video and cheering him on, I was a smidge late for work. Oh well. He did it! Now when he is rested and happy, he will get himself on a mission and roll from belly to back to belly to back, as if he is trying to get somewhere. Time to start baby-proofing!

First Trip to Disneyland

While we were down in Anaheim for the wedding, we were able to meet up with our good friends at Disneyland! We had planned on meeting Lenny, Amy, Abbey, Matt, Vanessa, and Evan at Disneyland on Sunday morning and spending the day together. Since we didn't get home till late and had to pack up all our stuff first, we didn't get there till 1pm.

Disneyland is not cheap, especially after we'd spent a lot on wedding expenses. We were hoping we could get in free with Rob's uncle, who works at Disneyland, but he didn't have his free passes yet. Then there was a chance for us to get in free with Matt and Vanessa (who's cousin is Jasmine at Disneyland), but we had to be there by 10am. So we were a bit frustrated that we were going to have to spend so much money just for a few hours. We contemplated having them just meet us at Downtown Disney, but we had made the plans long before and didn't want to go back on our word. So we got in line and tried not to stress. We were next up in line when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to find a couple standing there. They asked if we wanted to go into Disneyland with them for free! The husband worked for Disney, and since he can take three people in with him, they always stop and try to find people that want free tickets. What a miracle! Jason and I were so speechless! We asked if we could buy them lunch, but they said no and to just enjoy our day. Is God awesome or what! It was like he was telling us, "See, I will take care of all your needs".

We had an awesome day with everyone, and loved the 90 degree weather. We did all the rides that you can do with the little ones like the River Ride and the Tiki Room. Then we headed over to California Adventure to enjoy some ice cream and a few rides. Jason and I dared to go on California Screamin' and it was so much fun. After dinner we headed back to Disneyland and went on the new Finding Nemo Submarine ride, then watched the evening fireworks show. We had such a perfect day that we didn't want it to end, but we were flying out early the next morning, s we had to say our good-byes. There were lots of hugs, and some tears. It is hard parting ways when there is no planned time that we'll be seeing them again. but I'm sure Jason and I will come up with a good reason to need to go back to San Diego. We love you guys and miss you a lot!

Jason and Taylor in front of California Adventure

Taylor with Auntie Vanessa and Abbey

Taylor with Auntie Amy

Lenny, Abbey, Matt & Evan

The Whole Crew

Having a blast!
On California Screamin' roller coaster

Me, Vanessa, & the Boys

Me and Taylor

Family Shot

Taylor got his wings on the flight home

Wedding #2 Recap

Sorry, it has taken a few weeks to get pictures together and to find the time to blog, but here is a recap of my older sister Sarah's wedding.

Thursday, October 25, 2007: We had a wonderfully relaxed flight from Seattle to Long Beach. However, while waiting for our luggage, Taylor decided to have a huge explosion in his diaper, thus his cute outfit that I picked for the day was gone, along with about 20 wipes that it took to clean up the mess. Got picked up from the airport by my good high school friend Kristy! Spent a brief 2 hours with her and her husband Joe, enjoying some delicious tamales and introducing Taylor to them. Then took off to Santa Ana to brother-in-law Rob's grandma's house. Tried to hurry and unload the car, get changed, and get Jason and Taylor organized for the evening, as I would be going out. Taylor on the other hand decided to be super crabby and started crying uncontrollably. I was trying to rush because Mary (younger sister) and I were late at that point for the Bachelorette party, but I tried to stop and feed Taylor to calm him. Finally had to tear myself away, leaving Jason with a very unhappy Taylor. Sped to Downtown Disney with Mary, and thankfully we still had our reserved table at the Rainforest Cafe. Had a fun evening with the bride, bridesmaids, and a high school friend of the bride in town for the wedding.

Friday, October 26, 2007: Up early to try and get us out the door on time for breakfast with family and friends at Ruby's on the Newport Beach Pier. Caravaned behind Mary and Rob, trying to keep up amid LA morning traffic. Got the the restaurant late, but only two minutes behind the bride, so all was well. We all sat up on the second floor, and since we had a stroller, got to take the secret elevator the size of a port-o-potty upstairs. Had a wonderful breakfast overlooking the ocean, which Jason and I have missed terribly. It was such a beautiful day, I just wanted to lay at the beach and soak up the sun which has disappeared in the Seattle area.

Breakfast at Ruby's

After breakfast Jason and Rob returned to the grandma's house to hang out, while Mary and I met Sarah at her place to pick up stuff for the reception site. Made the drop off at The Catch of Aneheim, where the reception would be held, then hurried to the mall for mani's and pedi's. Biggest pet peeve, when you go to those places, and the ladies start talking about you in their language. And you can tell they are talking about you because they look right at you, then look to their friend and say something. Occasionally they will point at you, and at one point two of them were gawking at my small pinkie toe nail. Then they speak to you in English, but you have to have them repeat themselves about 6 times before you understand what they are saying. I was a bit scared on the cleanliness of the place as well. Overall, it was fun just being together as sisters.

Mary and Sarah getting Mani's and Pedi's

After that we were off again, this time to hurry and get ready for the rehearsal. We made it on time, thankfully. A few run throughs of the walking and all that and we were good to go. Well, actually, I sat out the last walk through because I had to feed Taylor before he made a scene. The church wedding coordinator looked a bit annoyed, but what are you going to do. This being my fourth bridesmaid appearance, I was sure I had the whole walk slowly/ smile/ fluff the train thing down.

The Bridesmaids

Sarah and Mark

Then it was off to the rehearsal dinner at this great steak and seafood place. There was a private room all set up for us, which was great. Because it was so close to Halloween, all the waiters/waitresses were dressed up. Kind of funny at a rehearsal dinner. We enjoyed great steaks, delicious strawberry lemonade, and lots of laughs. The waiter made Sarah and Mark a ball and chain out of aluminum foil, and also a great balloon hat for them to sport. Lots of fun. The restaurant also had a nightclub, so the music was really bummin' each time I walked by to the restroom. Supposedly we could have gotten in for free since we ate dinner at the restaurant. Sweet! Maybe next time. :)

The crazy couple

Saturday, October 27, 2007: The big day arrived! I slipped out early in the morning while Jason and Taylor were still sleeping. Mary and I hurried to the salon where we would all be getting our hair done. When we arrived, Sarah was already getting curled and pampered, and my mom was getting shampooed. We spent the next few hours there as each of us went through our beauty transformation. Sarah's hair and makeup turned out very pretty. What a glowing bride! (Note the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cup in the background. Yes, it was my idea to go get some since I love it and they are not in Seattle).

The Glowing Bride

Next it was off to the Nixon Library, where we helped Sarah into her gown and freshened up for her photo shoot. Once she was prepped and off with the photographer, the rest of us kicked it into high gear and got our makeup done and dresses on. Mary helped us all with our eye makeup since she is a pro.

Mary helping Tara with eye makeup

Then it was to the gardens to meet Sarah and family for pictures. There was a threat of rain showers, but I think it barely sprinkled for 10 seconds. Great for pictures because we weren't all squinting. The gardens were beautiful. The perfect place for pictures. Rob, Jason, and Taylor showed up a bit later for family picts. All was well till Taylor decided to spit up all over Jason's pants. Photographer not too thrilled. Good thing for Shout Wipes!

Posing for pictures

"Everyone bunch up close!"

Family shot

Jason and Rob getting Taylor ready

And finally it was off to the church for the big event. When we got there the parking lot was full. Early guests? No, just the congregation having a gathering. Nice and peaceful you may think, but this was a Danish church with lots of Europeans, so there was lots of drinking and yelling over a soccer game. Thankfully they kicked everyone out just in time for the ceremony, though some of the lingering people gave the bridal party a loud round of applause as we walked through the auditorium to the sanctuary. The music was beautiful, none of the bridesmaids tripped, the pastor did a fabulous job, and I didn't fall out of my way-too-big-on-top bridesmaid dress as I fluffed Sarah's train. There were vows, an exchange of rings, communion, lighting of the unity candle, and then finally the kiss! Hurray! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Sarah Fitzpatrick!

The Kiss!

Off to the reception to party! But first, I had to finish my speech. Once again, I procrastinated and was working on it on the way to the restaurant. I was struck with a very creative idea while we were taking pictures at the Nixon Library, so I'd been working on it frantically since. Once at the restaurant, I sneaked in to the banquet room and asked the DJ to help me out with some background music. A few minutes after they let all the guests in to sit, we were all introduced, and then it was my time. "Alright everyone, it is time for tonight's Top 10 Countdown!" (Like Letterman, get it?) I counted down the top 10 reasons why Sarah was the best older sister in the world with memories like her welcoming me home from the hospital by nearly biting my hand off, and when she would get frustrated with me, only digging her nails into my arm deep enough to make a mark, not break the skin. I ended it with some loving words and tears. Mission accomplished: I made them laugh, I made them cry, and hopefully it was memorable. I was glad when it was over.

After dinner was the slew of traditions, like cutting the cake, the bouquet and garter toss, first dance, and father/daughter dance. Taylor was getting his boogie on the dance floor a bit before the rest of us. But then we all danced the night away. Unfortunately as I was feeding Taylor in the bridal room, we missed out on a pretty fabulous conga line. When I returned many guests had left, so the sisters and all the husbands had a little boogie session on the dance floor. So fun. Taylor took a brief little nap in Nana's arms, but he held on strong till 11:30 pm when we finally said our good-byes. Hard to leave, since we wouldn't be seeing Sarah and Mark again till Christmas.

Overall it was a wonderful wedding with no mishaps to speak of and lots of great memories. Welcome to the family, Mark! So long to the days of the Evans Sisters. You can call us Honer,Fitzpatrick, & Jenkins (just don't mistake us for a law firm).

The girls at the head table

Uncle Doug, Aunt Luellen, Sarah, cousins Cassie and Trevor

Father / Daughter Dance

Father / Son Dance

Cutting the cake

Rob and Mom doing the Conga

The Newlyweds Mary and Rob!

Nana & Grandpa with Taylor

One big happy family

Honeymoon time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We just wanted to wish all our family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for each one of you, and are blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Our Thanksgiving was a bit tiring, but good as well. In the morning, Jason had to work from 6:30 am to 3 pm. Thankfully it was busy with a wedding, so he wasn't completely bored. Taylor and I spent the morning playing and baking pumpkin pies. He took a very short nap in the morning, when he usually will sleep about 2 hours. We went for a walk a bit later to enjoy the warm sunshine and crunch through the remaining fall leaves. He had barely drifted off to sleep when we got back to the house, so i thought I'd just put him in his bed. Usually he has no problem falling asleep on his own, but today was a battle. Of course when I tried to make the transfer, he woke up. I thought he would put himself to sleep, but he wouldn't have it. I tried to let him cry it out, but he just got hysterical. So I resorted to feeding him early. The rest of the day he was a crab, and I couldn't even put him down to change him without him going haywire. We're thinking he's working on some teeth since he is drooling a lot and wanting to chew on something at all times. Well, with the craziness of the day, I was totally late getting ready for our family get together.

Dinner was to be at 5pm and my aunt and uncle's house, and we arrived around 5:15. Taylor had fallen asleep in the car, but it only lasted temporarily once the car stopped. I think with so many people, lots of noise, and being tired already, it was a rough night. Not the most social he has ever been. The first half of my dinner was consumed very rapidly, then I walked Taylor around to calm him down. The second half of my meal was eaten cold. I guess such is the life of a new mom. Not the most relaxed Thanksgiving meal ever.

It was good to be with family, though. Taylor got to meet his Great-Granddad for the first time. It was fun to watch my cousin go crazy over the USC vs ASU football game, as he is a freshman at USC this year. Jason got a few games of pool in with my uncle, one won and one lost. And Taylor had his few moments of calmness as he was passed around to all the open arms. Hopefully at Christmas he'll be a bit more rested and happily move from one person to another.

Once home, Taylor ate one last time, and has now crashed, hopefully for the night. I don't think he cares he missed his bath. He is just thankful for his bed right now. And I'm thankful that days like these are few and far between.

So what am I most thankful for this Thanksgiving? First, I'm thankful to the Lord for providing for us every day, even when unexpected things came up and we didn't know how we were going to get by. I'm thankful for our little Taylor, because he has brought such joy into our lives. I'm thankful for Jason, because he is the greatest dad, a wonderful husband, and my best friend. And I'm thankful for our home that, though not decorated to a tee, is so full of love and wonderful memories. We are so greatly blessed.