Friday, January 30, 2009

The Jumpy Jumpy

Noah, Penelope and I had a play date today at a indoor moonwalk gym (for lack of a better description). Or, as my step-mom calls them, the "jumpy jumpy." Noah impressed me so much with his bravery and independence. Normally, he won't jump without Mommy or Daddy and he most certainly has never climbed up to a slide all by himself! Yet another example of how my little toddler is becoming a big boy preschooler. Sigh.


Penelope had her four month doctors visit this week. Noah loves visiting Dr. Patti's office when it's not for him, b/c he gets a lollipop with no strings attached! Penny is growing beautifully. A bit too well actually! She's about 17 lbs and 26 inches. Wow! I really am convinced that 5 lbs of it is all in her cheeks.


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Something different

I recently stumbled upon Stephanie's blog, A Little Birdie Told Me So (see sidebar) and I now visit the blog regularly. Stephanie posted an interview that she volunteered to do and invited others to participate. I volunteered. Stephanie sent me the following questions, and here are my answers. They were excellent questions, they really made me think and I have to admit, I've been working on this interview for more than a week! Thanks, Stephanie, for stretching my mind.

If you would like to be interviewed by me, please let me know in the comments section and I'll email you your five questions!

1. I know from reading your blog that your children are still very young. What values would you most like to instill in them? How will you go about doing that?

Christianity/Spirituality. A desire to have a close relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and to fulfill the Lord's calling for their lives. How to instill this in them? Talking to them about our savior, praying together and always giving thanks and praise . Finding a home church to be a member of is also something I would like to do. I wasn't raised in a religious home, and I feel that being part of a church family would be a positive influence in my children's (as well as mine and Andres') lives. Currently I am researching the Episcopal faith. I must make a resolution to more actively pursue this goal and start attending different services to find what suits us.

Empathy. Which leads to kindness and compassion. These values remind a person not to treat or judge others harshly and never to be cruel. I think the most effective way of teaching them these values is to bestow them with the same. If they are being treated kindly and with compassion, they will hopefully learn to value this behavior. Of course no one is perfect, and I believe it is important to always apologize the moment that you realize you've done something wrong or hurtful. I live by this rule and will teach it to my children as well.

Confidence. The conviction to think for themselves, follow their instincts and stand up for their beliefs. Not blindly follow someone else's perspective. I think the key here is always listen to their ideas and encourage them, allow them to talk about their feelings and to let them know that I believe in them and accept them for who they are. No bullying, teasing or putting them down. I will treat them with respect and dignity.

There are so many more. Education, family & respect for the Earth are high on the list. The best way to instill important values in my children is to be a good example for them to follow. Andrés and I are the biggest role models in their lives, and ultimately we will play the biggest part in shaping their views and attitudes about the world and themselves. I pray that we will always provide an environment in which they can thrive.

2. List 3 things about your husband that make you love him.

Just three? Okay, here goes.
1) He gets me. And he doesn't try to change a thing about me.
2) He is so easy to get along with, so very charming.
3) He lets me sleep in on the weekends. And he never, ever complains.

3. Being a wife and a mother is hard work. What do you do for yourself to refresh your soul and keep your batteries charged?

I love to sleep and need plenty of it. Andrés is so wonderful to allow me an extra hour (or three) of sleep on the weekends while he plays with Noah. A long, hot shower is very relaxing and does wonders for my soul. When I can manage to spend quality time with my girlfriends, it's the absolute best, with the exception of a date with my hubby! I hit the gym a few times a week, which gives me a good hour or two of "me" time. I really appreciate this time to focus on myself, and when it's over I feel energized and ready to refocus on the kids. I think all in all, I've got it pretty darn good!

4. Name one secret desire and explain why it is one of your aspirations.

I have always wanted to learn to speak Korean and visit Seoul to meet my mother's family. I think it would be so nice to get to know them, ask them questions about what my mom was like growing up and learn about our family history. I might learn something about myself in the process, or find out that some idiosyncrasy I have actually came from that side of the family. How cool that would be!

5. What possession of yours is most symbolic of your personality?

My collection of music would probably be the possession that reveals the most about my personality. I listen to almost everything and enjoy so many different types of music, which symbolizes my appreciation for different cultures and perspectives. I am open minded and love to meet people who expose me to new or different ways of thinking. I feel this is a great way to learn and grow.


Here are the instructions for passing the interview along.

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the
questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview
someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Not a baby anymore

Noah came up to me earlier and started saying what sounded like the word "towel," over and over again. But he was looking at the box of tissues. So I asked him, "Do you need a tissue?" and then he repeated "tissue." So I gave him one, very proud of him for taking the initiative to wipe his nose. He grabbed the tissue and walked over to the living room, where he had accidentally knocked over his cup of milk, spilling some. He then wiped up the milk with the tissue! Wow.

Just this morning, when he was whining at 6 a.m., I was reminding myself that he is only two years old and I must be patient. And now I find myself thinking, he's already two, and close to three! My baby has become a little boy. I am so proud of him! And, yes, a little sad for me.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

So Darn Cute.

Noah really wanted to play outside the other day. So badly, in fact, that he made his first attempt at putting on his shoes all by himself. Not bad for his first try!


Noah loves jumping from the top of his slide down to the floor. Correction - Noah loves jumping on or off of anything. Here is our little athlete in action.



And here are the spectators.



Penelope wore this to a birthday party yesterday. I'm totally loving the tights. Girls are so much fun to dress up!!!





Thursday, January 8, 2009

One Little Monkey

...jumping on the bed, and making his little sister laugh! For all of the boundaries and rules that I am a stickler about, jumping on the bed is just too much fun to forbid. Yes it's unsafe, and it scares the crap out of me when Noah gets too close to the edge. But hey, I figure I get some cardio points for running from one side of the bed to the other trying to keep up with him. And I score major "fun mommy" points too. Also, today we discovered that Penelope thinks it's funny. The three of us were hanging out in the guest room today and when Noah started jumping, Penny immediately started laughing. She watched him the whole time. She's going to L-O-V-E moonwalks!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Penguins and Clownfish and Sharks, Oh My!

This was Noah's third trip to Moody Gardens Aquarium and by FAR the most exciting yet. The most obvious reason is that Noah is older now. But also, he was recently turned onto a couple of movies of the sea creature variety - Happy Feet and Finding Nemo! Characters that we identified included Lovelace, Nemo, Dory, Mr. Ray, Crush and best of all, Bruce the shark! We all had a great time, even little Penelope!

He loved the hermit crabs in this tank.


I love this one. Noah was really mesmerized by the sharks.


In the shark cage...


"Sleeping with the fishes"

Sound asleep, yet still holding on tight to his shark and fish. These toys are about as close as he has come to a lovey.

This is a photo of the very first time that Penelope (sort of) sat up all by herself. With Nemo's help, of course.
Look at that grip! She actually picked this up all by herself and held onto it for several seconds. And only three months old!!!
Uncle Adam, 2nd Cousin Marcelo, Noah and 2nd Cousin Abby. Marcelo and Abby were visiting from San Antonio. Abby is so sweet and loving, she wouldn't let go of Noah the whole time she was here! He likes her a lot more than this picture makes it seem. :)
Finally! A handyman in the house!