So Thankful
Here is my post-Thanksgiving post (haha)
We had our Thanksgiving meal with the Johannsens this year, which included all of the local extended famil - great grandmothers, great aunts & uncles, and our immediate families. I contributed my lemon and garlic green beans to the meal plus a bottle of red and a bottle of white (cue Billy Joel... j/k). The meal started at 1pm so we had a mellow morning together at the house before heading over.
This was Oliver's second visit to the Johannsens. I've been slightly nervous about how he will do in new places lately but he was such a champ on Thanksgiving! He was completely mellow the entire time! He slept on the car ride over and then woke up soon after we got inside and sat down for the meal. I thought, Oh, great... I won't be able to enjoy the meal with everyone. Not the case! This little guy just sat quietly in his car seat watching us all. Not one single fuss. (*DREAM BABY!*)
After the meal, he met his great grandmother and some of his great aunts and uncles. We celebrated some extended family birthdays and then the extended family left. Our immediate family stuck around for dinner to celebrate Becca's birthday. It was super low key.
Audrey, in the mean time, got all the attention she so desperately wanted! This week has been hard having her home. While on one hand I love it, on the other hand, it is exhausting. Every time I find a minute to just sit down, she is asking me to play with her. She even asks me when I'm nursing Oliver! That is what is so exhausting. I don't get a lot done because I have to take care of Oliver and then feel guilty if I don't pay attention to Audrey. Thankfully Jeff was also around to help balance the load but there were times when both of us just need a minute to relax... Regardless, on Thanksgiving, she had her cousin Evelyn to play with and then when Evelyn left to be with Jeremy's family for Thanksgiving, Audrey had Papa or Gramma's attention. And Jeff got to shoot the breeze with Jonathan the whole night long. I still focused on Oliver but was happy to pass him off to anyone who wanted to hold him.
It was a really great visit. Here are some photos:
First, let me just say that this is how Oliver woke up from each of his naps yesterday. No crying. Just lying there smiling at the world around him! Such a cutie!
I know this is really nerdy of me but I get excited when I find gender neutral clothes Audrey wore that Oliver can also wear! The "Mommy Little Turkey" outfit was Audrey's in November 2011 when she was four months old (see how the arms are a bit short for her?) Now here's Oliver in November 2016 wearing the same onesie only it fits him much better since he's only a little over 2 months. Love my two little turkeys!
Here's the outfit he actually wore to the meal. I LOVE his little turkey shoes! So what if they're a one time wear and came off his feet almost immediately! I got this picture so the memory will last forever! Audrey loved the Thanksgiving meal. The only things I don't think she cared for were the turkey and stuffing..... which is seriously the best part of the meal but oh well! Haha!
Oliver got lots of cuddles from his Great Grandma Arleen (Jeff's dad's mom) and his Great Aunt Lynne (Jeff's dad's sister).
A lot of pretend cooking happened with these two cousins after the meal. Also Gramma got lots of post-Thanksgiving-Day-hosting cuddles from Oliver - perfection!
These two cutie cousins celebrated their first Thanksgiving together! That's Caroline, who will be one in just a few weeks and Oliver. Caroline is so fascinated with Oliver - always wanting to touch his face or feet and getting super excited around him. Oliver loves watching her too!
The next day we planned to head down to Encinitas in the morning. I told Jeff I'd like to be on the road by 7:30am. Guess who slept in until 7:30am? Me! Plus Audrey and Oliver! Oh well... It didn't take us too long to get ready and after nursing Oliver, we were on the road by 8:30am. This was Oliver's first long car ride - we've done twenty/thirty minutes to the Johannsens or running errands around town but never one long haul. So I sat in the very back with Audrey so I could keep my eye on him. He just slept the whole way! Haha! Audrey and I finished reading "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator" and she read me stories from her "5 Minute Palace Pets Stories" book or we played a game of "Eye Spy." It was a fun drive with her!
When we got to Encinitas, the Christmas decorating was in full swing! Charlie was there with her daughter Libby, who we met for the first time. Jim, Cassie, Jackson, and Griffin were there too and of course my dad. We jumped right in and introduced Oliver to Charlie and Libby and helped with the decorating. I kept my eye on Oliver so I could keep to his schedule. He was a little fussier than yesterday - over stimulation? gassiness? Who knows but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. We had lunch together, played in the backyard, and went for a walk. We headed back to Pomona a little after 5pm so we could be home by bedtime. We had a late dinner but Audrey was still in bed with lights out by 8pm. Oliver went down early too - around 8:45pm (early for him!). Jeff and I sat and had drinks and watched "Heathers." What a weird movie...
Here are some pictures from Encinitas!
Mini-Road Trip Time! Encinitas - here we come!
Oliver meets Charlie! Audrey had fun helping Uncle Jim set up the Christmas Village... well, she mostly had fun playing with the little figurines!
Jackson loves Oliver so much! He is always wanting to hug and kiss him! Here he is playing a silly game with Oliver - stacking magnets on Oliver's chest! Oliver loved all the attention and gave lots of smiles and coos back, especially to Aunt Cassie!
(I love dressing my kids in character hats! haha!)
My little nephew, Griffin, is ready for a walk! He will be two in January and already knows all his colors! Audrey and Jackson had fun walking on the walls during our walk around the neighborhood.
Dad is really excited about Oliver's baptism. Mom hung this frame near the kitchen and Dad continues to use it by putting up different scrapbook pages she made of our family for different seasons of our life. Here is one she made from Jim and my baptism. Dad pointed out that in the picture from my baptism, the only ones that are still alive are him and me. That made me sad.... I miss my mom and my grandparents....
I realize now that I didn't get ANY pictures of Dad during our visit! :( He was pretty busy being the host to a lot of people AND setting up all the decorations. But he had some special time with Audrey hanging ornaments and he got to cuddle Oliver. It was a really nice visit!
I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for my family. I love the season we are in and look forward to the seasons to come, even if there are a few storms on the way, we have each other so I know we'll make it through!
We had our Thanksgiving meal with the Johannsens this year, which included all of the local extended famil - great grandmothers, great aunts & uncles, and our immediate families. I contributed my lemon and garlic green beans to the meal plus a bottle of red and a bottle of white (cue Billy Joel... j/k). The meal started at 1pm so we had a mellow morning together at the house before heading over.
This was Oliver's second visit to the Johannsens. I've been slightly nervous about how he will do in new places lately but he was such a champ on Thanksgiving! He was completely mellow the entire time! He slept on the car ride over and then woke up soon after we got inside and sat down for the meal. I thought, Oh, great... I won't be able to enjoy the meal with everyone. Not the case! This little guy just sat quietly in his car seat watching us all. Not one single fuss. (*DREAM BABY!*)
After the meal, he met his great grandmother and some of his great aunts and uncles. We celebrated some extended family birthdays and then the extended family left. Our immediate family stuck around for dinner to celebrate Becca's birthday. It was super low key.
Audrey, in the mean time, got all the attention she so desperately wanted! This week has been hard having her home. While on one hand I love it, on the other hand, it is exhausting. Every time I find a minute to just sit down, she is asking me to play with her. She even asks me when I'm nursing Oliver! That is what is so exhausting. I don't get a lot done because I have to take care of Oliver and then feel guilty if I don't pay attention to Audrey. Thankfully Jeff was also around to help balance the load but there were times when both of us just need a minute to relax... Regardless, on Thanksgiving, she had her cousin Evelyn to play with and then when Evelyn left to be with Jeremy's family for Thanksgiving, Audrey had Papa or Gramma's attention. And Jeff got to shoot the breeze with Jonathan the whole night long. I still focused on Oliver but was happy to pass him off to anyone who wanted to hold him.
It was a really great visit. Here are some photos:
First, let me just say that this is how Oliver woke up from each of his naps yesterday. No crying. Just lying there smiling at the world around him! Such a cutie!
I know this is really nerdy of me but I get excited when I find gender neutral clothes Audrey wore that Oliver can also wear! The "Mommy Little Turkey" outfit was Audrey's in November 2011 when she was four months old (see how the arms are a bit short for her?) Now here's Oliver in November 2016 wearing the same onesie only it fits him much better since he's only a little over 2 months. Love my two little turkeys!
Here's the outfit he actually wore to the meal. I LOVE his little turkey shoes! So what if they're a one time wear and came off his feet almost immediately! I got this picture so the memory will last forever! Audrey loved the Thanksgiving meal. The only things I don't think she cared for were the turkey and stuffing..... which is seriously the best part of the meal but oh well! Haha!
Oliver got lots of cuddles from his Great Grandma Arleen (Jeff's dad's mom) and his Great Aunt Lynne (Jeff's dad's sister).
A lot of pretend cooking happened with these two cousins after the meal. Also Gramma got lots of post-Thanksgiving-Day-hosting cuddles from Oliver - perfection!
These two cutie cousins celebrated their first Thanksgiving together! That's Caroline, who will be one in just a few weeks and Oliver. Caroline is so fascinated with Oliver - always wanting to touch his face or feet and getting super excited around him. Oliver loves watching her too!
The next day we planned to head down to Encinitas in the morning. I told Jeff I'd like to be on the road by 7:30am. Guess who slept in until 7:30am? Me! Plus Audrey and Oliver! Oh well... It didn't take us too long to get ready and after nursing Oliver, we were on the road by 8:30am. This was Oliver's first long car ride - we've done twenty/thirty minutes to the Johannsens or running errands around town but never one long haul. So I sat in the very back with Audrey so I could keep my eye on him. He just slept the whole way! Haha! Audrey and I finished reading "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator" and she read me stories from her "5 Minute Palace Pets Stories" book or we played a game of "Eye Spy." It was a fun drive with her!
When we got to Encinitas, the Christmas decorating was in full swing! Charlie was there with her daughter Libby, who we met for the first time. Jim, Cassie, Jackson, and Griffin were there too and of course my dad. We jumped right in and introduced Oliver to Charlie and Libby and helped with the decorating. I kept my eye on Oliver so I could keep to his schedule. He was a little fussier than yesterday - over stimulation? gassiness? Who knows but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. We had lunch together, played in the backyard, and went for a walk. We headed back to Pomona a little after 5pm so we could be home by bedtime. We had a late dinner but Audrey was still in bed with lights out by 8pm. Oliver went down early too - around 8:45pm (early for him!). Jeff and I sat and had drinks and watched "Heathers." What a weird movie...
Here are some pictures from Encinitas!
Mini-Road Trip Time! Encinitas - here we come!
Oliver meets Charlie! Audrey had fun helping Uncle Jim set up the Christmas Village... well, she mostly had fun playing with the little figurines!
Jackson loves Oliver so much! He is always wanting to hug and kiss him! Here he is playing a silly game with Oliver - stacking magnets on Oliver's chest! Oliver loved all the attention and gave lots of smiles and coos back, especially to Aunt Cassie!
(I love dressing my kids in character hats! haha!)
My little nephew, Griffin, is ready for a walk! He will be two in January and already knows all his colors! Audrey and Jackson had fun walking on the walls during our walk around the neighborhood.
Dad is really excited about Oliver's baptism. Mom hung this frame near the kitchen and Dad continues to use it by putting up different scrapbook pages she made of our family for different seasons of our life. Here is one she made from Jim and my baptism. Dad pointed out that in the picture from my baptism, the only ones that are still alive are him and me. That made me sad.... I miss my mom and my grandparents....
I realize now that I didn't get ANY pictures of Dad during our visit! :( He was pretty busy being the host to a lot of people AND setting up all the decorations. But he had some special time with Audrey hanging ornaments and he got to cuddle Oliver. It was a really nice visit!
I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for my family. I love the season we are in and look forward to the seasons to come, even if there are a few storms on the way, we have each other so I know we'll make it through!