Monday, January 31, 2011

The Brown Outfit



We've reached the stage of being able to embarass our kids far sooner than I imagined. Adrian was cleaning out his closet on Saturday night, while I did dishes and the girls soaked in the tub. He casually came out of the bedroom wearing his long lost "Brown Outfit", which I had not seen in a long time! The photo above is from 2004, and Adrian has probably lost 20 pounds since then, so he looks better than ever in it. Well, as good as one can look in such an outfit..

I remember vividly the day we happened upon "The Brown Outfit". We were browsing at the Goodwill in Missoula, and when Adrian found the pants, he suddenly became determined to find a coordinating shirt and shoes. I remember him being VERY disappointed that the shoes cost more than the pants and shirt together -- they were $2. They are probably actually old men's "house shoes" made of cheap brown vinyl with large loops in the back for ease of pulling on. Still, he made the difficult decision to purchase them, sure that he would have several years of use of them. And he has; they are still around!

We were laughing about how the outfit came together when Adrian said, "Do you think the girls would notice?" Sometimes they can be so entrenched in their playing that they won't even look up unless we draw their attention to something. Adrian sauntered into the bathroom and asked, "How are you girls doing?" Before the words were completely out of his mouth, Ella erupted into a very adamant tirade about how there was something wrong with that outfit, and that he had BETTER NOT wear it on the birthday date we are taking her on next Saturday!! Since she often comes up with clothing combinations that I would not personally wear, I didn't think she would care too much. I had to laugh though, because she is only 6 years old and somehow her parents' appearance has already become important.

I think The Brown Outfit will have to resurface when Adrian is preparing for Ella's Birthday Date on Saturday! ;)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

to wrap up January

Birthday Cake, New Hats, and Sister Love !!



Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Happy Birthday Baby Buddy!

One year ago, I was getting less sleep than I enjoyed last night! Aaron Rio arrived at 2:00 a.m. 1 year ago today. I remember being so excited after his birth, I didn't sleep all night. Around 5 a.m. I began calling my friends on the east coast to tell them the news, and then continued dialing numbers toward the west... We thought he was due on New Year's day, so waiting all the way to the 19th seemed like a really long time. Once he came, he was cute, healthy, and has been keeping us busy ever since!
This post is mostly for Adrian, who has to be out of town working until Friday night! Here are some ways your "Cook" celebrated his 1st birthday:

unloading tea bags from the cupboard:
(Today I added something to the "Favorite Things in Life" list: a little boy "working" in his overalls!)
Opened the presents that had arrived so far, in the presence of Grandma Mary and the rest of us ~ he got some Green Bay Packers PJ's, an awesome hand knitted hat, some socks, and a John Deere wagon!

Talked on the phone to several adoring grandparents and aunties, plus Daddy:

Walked around outside and at playgroup:
Ate mac 'n' cheese for lunch:
"Helped" with the dishwasher:
We love our baby Buddy! Or as Daddy affectionatly calls him, "Cook". That seems to be an abbreviation of Tessa's longer nickname for him, which is "Aaron Buddy Doodie Cookie Mommy". Baby buddy didn't quite make it to my prediction that he would weigh the same as Jaci by 1 year. She is steadily keeping 2 pounds ahead of him, which of course I think is great! Aaron began walking at 10.5 months, and has been more content to self entertain since then. He loves to go outside, and throws a fit whenever we shut an outside door. Or the dishwasher door. He loves his sisters, and already has a unique relationship with each of them. He loves dogs, the goldfish, and baths. He is a hefty bundle of joy, and we love him very much!!

amid the bustling

We have been busy traveling (we were away from home 16 weeks in 2010), working on the house (new & improved laundry room as of the weekend!), homeschooling (I count it a priviledge and am loving it!) and raising 4 children. Since Adrian said we aren't planning to travel again for a while, I committed to a few weekly activities, including a sign language class (Ella and Tessa attend with me), tumbling class (all 3 girls participate) and a playgroup that is refreshing for us all. The following photos are of fun times we've had amid the daily routine!!
New Years Welcoming Comittee 2011
(and time for bed for Aaron!)
Jaci is such a nurturing little girl!
A photo of the ONLY time we had all 4 in the bath at the same time:
Aaron Rio eating:
Had to pick up the camera in the moment that I had 4 little people helping me prepare dinner last week! The girls gladly peeled the carrots that night, saving me all sorts of time!
Ella fashioned this dress / baby sling out of a blanket!