The Month of November

The month of November is awesome because the heat---supposedly---turns on the first day of November. Our government controlled radiators are only a little warm this year--they are old and need some serious work or replacement--and only some are actually working. But those that are warm are definitely warm now...though it's November 10th.

November 7, Noah turned 3 months.
November 8, Willow turned 4 months + 2 years
November 15, which is coming up, is Adam's 27th birthday

Yesterday, we were able to skype with family who was gathered for Emma's birthday. It was fun to watch her open presents (including a new bed--which she needed because no one knows how old the mattress she used to sleep on actually was), laugh over youtube videos, and since happy birthday to her. I can't believe she's 15! 

These pictures were from a few nights ago when we went outside at dusk. The pictures aren't the most impressive since it was VERY dark. I turned the ISO up and tried to get Willow and her friends in focus. What an IMPOSSIBLE task since they were non-stop movement. I also got a few cute pictures of Noah for his mini-three-month-photo-shoot. But I'll post those separately.

Willow, with her Buzz Lightyear and Woody action figures. She's pretty attached to them.
Noah, chilling in the double-stroller. It was a COLD night, maybe below freezing by the time the sun had fully set.

The little girls on the right are siblings. They are also bi-racial; not to mention super cute and intelligent. The four of these kids (below) together are all approximately a year apart. Ages 3, 2, 1, and 3 months old! It's fun to have little friends! The little girls are part of the play group that Willow and Noah are in.

These are all varying stages of blurry-ness, but I think their expressions are fun!

The cool blue of twilight.

The San Hao bridge outside of our complex. Seeing the moon, without smog, seems rare these days!

26.

Birthday Thoughts

Last week, I turned 26 years old. It was one of those uneventful days, in that I spent the majority of my time changing diapers and wiping spit-up off my shirt. But I am learning to find joy in those seemingly mundane, tiresome, gross tasks. These little people have added many blessings to my life.

As a brand new mom, I used to pray that the days would go by faster. I was so bored or tired or exacerbated by being a stay-at-home mom. Even though I've always loved this role, sometimes I just wanted a break! Okay, honestly, I always want a break. This constant need-for-a-break leaves me feeling lazy...but breaks are awesome. Life was SLOW.

Now, caring for an infant with many needs while I have a toddler with many demands has lead to non-stop action. There's rarely time for housework, sleep, or any kind of down time.

The days go by FAST. Every year, time seems to grow shorter.

At 26 years old, with two little ones, I pray not that time would go by fast (because I need a break!), but that I would be able soak in the joy of each moment. I don't want time to slow down or stop. I don't want my babies to stay babies forever. I want them to grow up and move-on with their own lives (sniff, sniff!). What I really want is the wisdom to find peace and joy in each present moment.

Wow. Both of my kids just woke up at the same time. Two crying kids...I'm already being put to the test with my lofty aspirations of finding joy in each moment.

I know I fail at this ambition often. But the times when I have been able to enjoy life unconditionally, time doesn't seem too slow or too fast. It seems just right.

Sorry to be gross, but I had to go get my screaming baby....and this is how he thanked me. Real life testing out my recently typed idealism mid-post: this is real life.

Birthday Happenings

My birthday started like other days: battling Willow to a) eat breakfast, and b) eat at the table and not the couch. Also....the lighting in our apartment makes all the pictures look weird.

Willow and I baked pumpkin dream cupcakes with maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It took forever with my very helpful helper. Adam bought a kitchen aide mixer from some departing friends this summer. He totally surprised me with this purchase! How fitting that I used it for the first time on my birthday. I didn't think about the perfection of that until afterwards--it was a great present to have smooth frosting without breaking my arm. I was in shock with how easy it was...cutting down the mixing time by an hour, I am sure.

I look forward to using this mixer a lot!

We made these for my birthday, but also for the group of friends that comes over every Tuesday.
I didn't get a picture of all the completed cupcakes, or of the delicious chocolate cake with creamcheese frosting (also made from scratch) that Adam had a friend bake for me. Adam is full of surprises! Thank you for the cake, Kirstin. If you are reading this, I could have eaten the whole cake.

Besides being the first person to tell me happy birthday, in the middle of the night when Noah was crying...Adam also gave me jewelry. He thinks of everything.
The earrings and necklace are the gemstone for Noah's birth month. Last year, Adam gave me earrings with Willow's birthstone.

It was super hard to take these pictures since we have terrible lighting in our apartment. I couldn't really manage a good picture of the earrings. And I couldn't decide which picture of the beautiful necklace to share...so...