A few more pictures from the past 6 months...

Kids say the sweetest things...

Tonight we (Jonah, Jackie, and I (Jess)) were driving home from Jon's work. We had a nice evening meeting Daddy for a dinner break and then driving by his work because he had a surprise for me ( I love surprises-and Jon is so good at them). Anyways, I was talking to Jonah about his Uncle Stevie and how happy I am for him because he just found out he was accepted to medical school. Jonah proceeds to ask me about medical school and then chimes in that sometimes he wants to be a doctor but sometimes he wants to be a garbage man. "Mommy, what kind of school do I need to go to to become a garbage man?" I am really not sure, but I told him we could figure it out.... :)

I am sorry it has been so long between postings. I have been playing with the idea of starting a new blog but it isn't ready yet so I figured I had better update the current blog. Jon has been working a lot, so we have really been trying our best to enjoy our times together when he isn't working. We spent a day at Live Earth Farm picking apples and strawberries, eating fresh homemade ice cream and pressing apple cider. We've been to the city for a fun concert (one for us and one for the kids), we spent a restoring weekend in Big Sur where we saw two beautiful beaches, Uncle Stevie has moved into our house, and that is all that comes to mind right now... but hopefully these pictures will give a glimpse of the past few months.

Jackie is all better!  Thank you everyone for your prayers and support.  She has taken off to make up for lost time.  She is pulling to stand after only being out of the brace for a week and today she was trying to cruise along the coffee table.  She is definitely a mover that loves to chase "da-nah" (I think that is Jonah) which she says all the time!

I love life as a mom.  Sure, I have to say no when they do something dangerous, I have to keep the house clean ( I try :)), I have to pay the bills, and I have to buy groceries, but I get to do all of these things in the company of two wonderful little people (and be supported by a wonderful husband).  Their smiles and laughter bring so much joy to my life.  Lately we have been enjoying the wonderful weather, actually we've been enjoying the rainy weather too, riding bikes, taking walks, and cooking with lots of fresh veggies.  I take joy in our adventures and daily rituals, like breakfast where Jonah gets syrup (he calls it dip it) all over his face and hands and Jackie pants until I let HER feed ME.  (On a side note, I think almost all of our breakfast foods use syrup: french toast, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal....hmmmm).  Or our bike rides together to pick up our vegetable box or to Jonah's school.  It is so cute to see Jonah and Jackie interact inside the stroller/bike trailer.  Being a mom has been about experiencing these years with my children along with teaching them.  I look forward to each day, even when I am deliriously tired from my baby that likes to nurse throughout the night! (I just want to note that so that I don't forget what a little nurser Jackie was).  Here are some recent pictures:

Grandma and two of her GRAND babies!
Jonah is wearing his train outfit at his school.  Jackie is crawling quickly towards mama (which she now can say).  


Sometimes the best days are unplanned!  Jon, Stephen, and I snuck away for a mountain bike ride while my mom was visiting a few weeks ago.

 

A Day in the East Bay

We had a really nice morning in the East Bay.  We started out with a hike near Walnut Creek with our good friends Rob, Lucy, and Scout (their redhead Vizsla, who Jonah adores).  We have known Rob and Lucy since the first year of law school in Virginia and they live in SF now.  We don't see them enough considering how close we live.

After a great hike, we went to the Berkeley Thai Brunch at the Buddhist Temple.  It is a Berkeley tradition, with plenty of good vegetarian food.

Happy Easter!

This is the first Easter that Jonah actually understood what was going on.  He probably had 5 Easter egg hunts and ate way too much candy (which left him with a tummy ache by the end of the weekend).  Jonathan worked most of the weekend, but he was able to make it to one Easter egg hunt and to church on Sunday.  See below for a pic of the kids in our backyard (with our garden project in the background).

Blooming Palo Alto

The weather here has been beautiful.  This is a picture from Jonathan's office window overlooking a small duck pond.  These trees bring back good memories of the cherry blossoms in DC. . .

Santa Cruz

It was a beautiful day in Santa Cruz with family.  The girls (Jessi, Aunt S, Jackie) took a walk on the beach and Jackie loved crawling in the sand.  The boys (Jonathan, Jonah, Stephen, GP) took a ride at Wilder ranch and got a little lost and a little in over their head.  We finished the day off with some good burritos in downtown Santa Cruz.  If only we could have more Saturdays in Santa Cruz. . .

(Aspen and Devon are going to love it here.)

We love Caltrain

Earlier this week, Jess took the kids on the Caltrain.  Below are a few pics, and Jonah's narration as I post this blog:

I love donuts.  I have trains.  I ride on top on Caltrain. Yeah. Yeah.  I love my car carrier.  I love going on train rides.  You are making lots of words dad.  Yeah.  Well, that's it.  Yeah, that's it. That's it dad.  I say that's it.  

I say I love my cars dad.  I say I love my cars.  Cars.  My cars.

That's it.

Thanks Stephen

Jessi's brother has been a huge help over the past two weeks cleaning, cooking, and serving as our personal sherpa. He left for a few days while my brother and his family are visiting from Seattle, but Uncle Stevie may be back for more adventures next week. Life has been crazy enough with him at the house; I can't imagine what the past two weeks would have been like without him there.

See below for a picture of Stephen pushing both kids in a stroller at the mall.

Jackie Update

I often think of things to write in the blog while I am swimming very early in the morning.  The pool where I swim is surrounded by tall redwood trees that are so majestic.  I almost feel like I am at a National Park campground when I swim. Now that I have digressed a little....

While I swim I think of writing blog entries with titles like "What's wrong with this picture," and telling a funny story of how Jon and I were laying on the couch at 5:30 am while Jonah and Jackie were sound asleep in our bed. I also thought that I could write a list of all the things that happen before 9 am in our house.  We all seem to wake up early, except Jon, who has had to become someone who wakes up early.     

Maybe I will get back to some of those funny stories at some point. But this morning I am going to give a Jackie update.  Our sweet Jackie seems back to her energetic, happy self again.  About 1 week after the accident, she started trying to bend her left leg in the harness.  She is so smiley and it is almost impossible to keep her still.  The doctor said to let her do whatever she can do as long as she is wearing the orthosis (As an Orthotist, I have to call the brace an orthosis).  She seems to be able to move pretty well in the orthosis and doesn't seem to be in pain anymore when her leg is moved.  Someone at Jonah's pre-school suggested feeding her kale to help with bone growth.  Jackie loves Kale!  Her temperament has always been to be a mama's girl, but she has been exceptionally attached since her accident.  As her mother it has been difficult for me to work through the accident, but I feel so much better now that she is feeling better.   My brother has been staying with us for the past two weeks to help out.  Most afternoons, we take Jonah and Jackie outside for some fresh air.  Jackie sits in the stroller while we are getting a square plot in the backyard ready to garden.  This has become such a special project that was started after Jackie's accident.  She seems to like to sit still in the fresh air.  

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support.  She will get another x-ray in 4 weeks, so we will be sure to update everyone.  

Baby Jackie's Bad Break

As some of you have already heard, on Saturday evening as Jessi was putting Jackie in the baby carrier Jackie arched her back and started to slip out of the carrier.  Jessi reached around and grabbed Jackie to stop her from falling to the ground, and then heard a pop.  Jackie was whimpering and did not want to crawl or move, so Jessi brought her to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation immediately.  They took some x-rays and determined that Jackie's left femur was broken.  It broke all of the way through at about a 45 degree angle mid-thigh, but it was not displaced.  They put her in a splint on Saturday.

It is tough because she doesn't understand what is going on, but at the same time she is smart and doesn't try to use her left leg.   She hasn't slept well since the accident and kind-of whimpers on and off during the night, but she is really tough and hasn't cried much at all.  She is such a sweet little girl.

We saw a pediatric orthopedic doctor at PAMF today.  The doctor was so great with the kids and was very reassuring.  Because the break was relatively high on the leg, Jackie's leg was not cast; instead she was placed in a brace that attaches across her chest and to each leg to keep her legs at approximately ninety degree angles.  Jessi actually wore the same type of brace for a year when she was a baby to treat her hip dysplasia.  If all goes well, then Jackie will be in hers for six weeks.

Thanks for all of the well wishes.  Jessi's brother is going to stay with us for a few days and help out, and Jonathan is avoiding work for at least a few days.

See below for some pics of our little princess.

Jackie with the brace (and her favorite baby doll).

Jackie with a splint (the day after the break).

Baby Brendan McFarland

The McFarlands gathered in Seattle to meet Ben and Laurie's new baby.  What a cute little boy.  Jonah had such a great time playing with his cousins.  Aidan (the other redhead) and Jonah have many similar interests and play well together.  Sam was really good with Jonah as well.  Ben had a big weekend too, as SPU gave him tenure while we were there.  Nana and grandpa came in from Florida and spoiled all of the grandkids.  Jason and Marnie (Jonathan's cousins) came up from Portland with their kids, who are four months older than Jonah and Jackie respectively.  We had a full house and a lot of fun.

 

Oakland Zoo

Jonah playing in Daddy's toy barrel

Jackie 6 1/2 months

Bedtime!

Jonah's train (one of his many wonderful creations - see how far it stretches)

Just one of those days.....

Today I had just one of those days where nothing seems to go completely right and you just have to keep smiling.  Jonah's third birthday is coming and I have a very large to do list with not enough time to do it all.  This morning I made a grocery list while Jonah made a train with every laundry basket, toy basket, and Tupperware bin he could find and Jackie was taking her morning nap.  It's 10:15 and I'm headed out the door to run three errands:  the post office, the children's library, and the grocery store.  I knew I was a little ambitious to try to get all of this done and get home in time to feed the kiddos lunch and get them down for a nap by 1.  The post office trip was successful, we got our package mailed and saw two cal trains to top off the experience, and got several very cute looks and awe's as Jonah pushed Jackie in the umbrella stroller.  We head to the library, get everyone out of the car, walk up to the door and realize that the library is closed until 12 on Thursdays.  Bummer because now I will have to come back because we have several books on hold that will expire very soon!  We go ahead and put our books in the book drop and head back to the car.  At this point I realize that Jackie has a dirty diaper.  I didn't have any diapers in the diaper bag.  Double bummer, but that is fine because I will just buy some at the grocery store (even though they are more expensive there, it's an emergency).  On the way to Piazza's I decide to stop by another library to pick up some books on hold there (now why I have books on hold at two different libraries is another story).  This library is closed until noon too.  I guess I should have assumed, but I didn't, and now Jonah has to go pee pee.  I do what any mother that doesn't want wet pants does and let him pee on a tree.  Now we are at the grocery store and I am thinking do I have everything?  Nope, I accidentally put my grocery list in the book drop at the library.  Luckily I had a pretty good mental note of what I needed but didn't remember eggs until after I had checked out.  On a positive note, I did remember to bring our reusable bags into the store from the trunk of our car (I think this is the first time since we moved to CA that I remembered).  It was 12:15 when we  checked out, Jackie was crying and grabbing my face because she was hungry and Jonah was begging me to open the smoothie I bought for him.  Everyone was fed and sleeping by 1:45.  Not too bad.  Maybe when Jon comes home I will leave Jackie with him and Jonah and I can bike to the library.   When I told my mom this story she said I should write it down so that I remember it.  What better place to write it down than on our blog.  Now to make mini carrot cupcakes for Jonah's birthday celebration at preschool tomorrow.  He is so excited to wear the crown.