Merry Christmas

This year was London's first Christmas. We started with a great church service on Thursday night at Sea Coast Grace Church. The music was incredible. There was a beautiful rendition of the Wexford Carol, along with Stevie's annual "O Holy Night" that always gives me the chills.

We celebrated with the Van Leeuwen side of the family on Christmas Eve. We had a delicious lasagna dinner, family time and lots of gifts! The kids all had a great time opening presents. London was sleeping at 7, so I opened hers. :) We came home around 10 and left cookies and milk for Santa.

On Christmas Day, we stayed home. We did our gift exchange with the kids in the morning, and then Gramma Joan came over a little later. Brandon took care of our meal, and it was amazing! Roasted lamb shanks with herb butter and mire poir, leeks with bacon, and brussel sprout & red potato hash. For dessert we had Gramma's pumpkin cheesecake and my German Chocolate cake (Jesus' birthday cake that Hudson and I had made the day before). We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and Hudson blew out the candles. (A fun tradition we have done twice now.)

•   •   •   •   •

Late Thursday night, we got some sad news that Grammy Bobbie had passed away.  She had lived 95 wonderful years and was in great health for the most part. We had just celebrated Christmas with her last Sunday at Aunt Thelma's house with all the cousins. What a blessing that we had one last celebration with her. While we are sad for our loss, we are happy to know she is in Heaven and had the best Christmas this year with Jesus!

H is for Hudson. L is for London.

I am happy to report that Hudson is finally... (dare I say it?)... potty-trained! And when I say finally, I mean a-year-and-a-half-and-3-attempts-later, finally, potty-trained. My sister came over a few weeks ago and told Hudson that once he was potty-trained, he could spend the night at her house with Brody and she would take them to Chuck E. Cheese. Unfortunately, about an hour after she left, he was back to his old ways so I didn't think that was going to work. But for the last 2+ weeks, he has been going potty in the toilet every time! And he says, "I have to tell Auntie Danielle!" Whatever the reason, we are SO relieved that he has gotten the hang of it! Today is his first day back at school in undies, so I'm hoping for a good report back.

London is almost 8 months old now. Where the heck did the time go? She got tooth #3 last week, which was a surprise because she hadn't been fussy at all! But I see 2-3 more teeth about to pop through, and she has been really fussy over the last few days. I'm not sure what's worse... teething or potty-training?

Family Photos - 2011

A couple months ago we had some family photos taken by Rachel Lee Photography. We went to Santiago Oaks Regional Park and took pictures in the orange groves. It was so beautiful!

7 months

I'm a little behind, but here's London's 7 month pics. She can (finally) sit unassisted and she's pretty good at getting around, although she's not technically crawling. She's eating solids 3 times a day (6-8 oz each time) and we've now transitioned to formula. And she's back to being a great sleeper. In fact, putting her down at night is really easy and only takes about 10 minutes (4 oz bottle, song & lay her down with her little blankies).

That can't be comfortable...

How is it that kids can fall asleep like this? I just kept looking back and feeling so bad for him!

Sleep Training

See this little girl? She may look cute and innocent, but she is a little manipulator. You see, for the last couple months, she has been waking up a couple times a night and since we thought she was teething, sick and/or having issues with the newly-introduced formula, I would go in at night, pick her up, and nurse her back to sleep. We finally figured out that there was no real reason for her to be waking up. She was healthy, her teeth had broken through, and she was perfectly happy during the day. So last week we decided to show her some tough love and stop "rewarding" her for waking up. We were just hoping she wouldn't wake up her brother in the meantime...

Night 1: Woke up once, cried for about 10 minutes, and went back to sleep.
Night 2: Woke up twice, cried for about 7 minutes each time, and went back to sleep.
Night 3: Made it all the way to 5:15am, cried about 3 minutes, and went back to sleep.
Night 4: Slept all night!!

Luckily, she didn't wake up Hudson, which is amazing since she cries pretty loud and he sleeps in the next room. I guess he is a more sound sleeper than we realized! Since last week, she has been sleeping through the night pretty consistently. She might wake up, but within a couple minutes, she goes back to sleep. I am so happy to have my good sleeper back.

Thankful on Paper : week four

This week I wrote to the people I spent Thanksgiving with: my mother-in-law, my husband and my son. (Sorry London, you are a little young so I skipped you.) This year we spent Thanksgiving at our house with just our family and my mother-in-law, Joan. It was a nice, relaxing day. After dinner I gave everyone their cards, just listing a few things that I was thankful for:

Brandon- Always looking for ways to lighten my load- cooking dinner, giving the kids baths, reading stories; Always being my #1 fan and encouraging me to dream big and go out of my comfort zone; Being a wonderful dad and partner in life.

Joan- Being so generous with her time and resources; Being supportive of us no matter what we are doing; Loving our kids so much.

Hudson- Always having so much energy and enthusiasm; Being sweet and loving to everyone around him.

Obviously it is good to let others know that you are thankful for them and why, but I also found that it was good for me to stop and think about all the qualities I appreciate in the people I send cards to this year. It's so easy to get busy and take for granted all the people in your life. Taking the time to write cards reminded me just how lucky I am to have these people.

Thankful on Paper : week three

I met Monica about two years ago at Kiddie Gym at Saddleback Church. Actually, I met her son (Tyson) and her mom first... Monica was pregnant with triplets at the time and on bedrest. Hudson and Tyson became buddies, and I always enjoyed chatting with her mom. One day, after the babies were born, Monica came to Kiddie Gym and we instantly hit it off. We started meeting at the park with the kids, and then Monica invited us to her birthday party. Brandon and I decided to go, even though we didn't know anyone... but Brandon instantly hit it off with Monica and her husband too. Since then, we have had lots of family days together and a couple double dates without the kids (not an easy feat with 6 kids, collectively!) Monica is an amazing woman. She is so thoughtful and always has a great attitude. She has 4 young kids and works full-time, yet never seems frazzled or stressed out. (If she is, she certainly hides it well!) I really admire her, and even though we've only been friends for 2 years, I consider her one of my very best friends and couldn't imagine her not in my life.

Thankful on Paper : week two

This week I wrote to my Aunt Thelma, who is my dad's sister.  Growing up, it used to be such a treat to spend the night at her house. My cousin, Amber, and I would go together and we'd have girl time and play at the park, swim in the neighborhood pool, etc. Over the last few years, I have become close to my aunt, and she's always been there to lend an ear or offer advice and wisdom. She is extremely thoughtful and sweet. During each of my pregnancies, she threw me a wonderful baby shower and went all out to make it special for me. She is also a godly woman, and will be going on her first ever mission trip to Honduras in a few months! I have so much love and respect for my Aunt Thelma and wanted to write her a note this week to let her know!

Thankful on Paper : week one

Taken last year at the Pumpkin Patch

I decided to start by writing to my older sister, Danielle.  Danielle is the type of person who will bring you dinner after you've had a baby, then do the dishes and clean up your kid's toys. Oh, and bring you dessert to go with that dinner! She is one of the most thoughtful and generous people I know, especially with her time, which she doesn't have much of to begin with (with 3 kids in school and sports, working part-time and starting up her new cookie business!) She truly is a super-mom... she makes me tired just thinking about all she does! We've had our ups and downs- as I'm sure most sisters have- but I am so grateful for the relationship we have today. I love you, Danielle! :)

Sweet Boy

To say the threes have been a challenge with Hudson would be an understatement. It's funny how people refer to the twos as terrible... the threes have been much worse! He likes to challenge authority, negotiate everything, and it seems that "no" is his automatic response to anything we ask. Lately he has had a couple biting incidents at school, which has us puzzled since we've never seen him do that before.

However, in the midst of that, there are moments when Hudson is the most sweet and loving boy. He is so gentle with London, always excited to see her, and talks to her in a high-pitched voice (that I'm afraid he learned from me). Recently Hudson's teacher shared a story with me. Last week during the Harvest Festival, all the kids were sitting outside on the benches, waiting to take a photo on the hay bales. One of the kids was complaining that there was nowhere for him to sit, and no one was moving for him. Hudson got up and said "Here, you can have my seat!" and moved somewhere else so that friend could have a seat. All on his own.

It's stories like this that warm my heart and remind me that underneath the meltdowns, tantrums and defiance, there is a really sweet and caring boy. We may not do everything right as parents, but at least we're doing something right.

Hudson loves to cuddle with London in the morning.

Happy Halloween

This year I decided to make the kids' costumes. Yes, me- the mom who works 40 hours a week and can hardly keep up with the laundry, grocery shopping and cleaning at home. Hudson's favorite movie right now is Gnomeo & Juliet, and I have always been partial to garden gnome costumes, so it seemed like the perfect idea! I figured the costumes would be pretty simple to make. So I hit up the fabric store, dusted off my sewing machine, and started cutting and stitching shapes without a pattern, hoping for the best! All in all, I am happy with the way they came out, and Hudson loves his costume so it was a success. But it was a bit more work than I expected. Next year, remind me to buy costumes.

6 months

It's hard to believe London is already 6 months old... halfway to a year old!

Here's what she's up to these days:

-wearing 9-12 month clothes

-sleeping 12 straight hours most nights 

-eating solids twice a day (about 6 oz each feeding)

-rolls over both ways

-starting to scoot

-has her two bottom teeth

-her hair is starting to grow back (poor girl lost some of that hair she was born with!)

-LOVES her brother

And just as expected...

...tooth #2 made its debut today! London now has her two bottom teeth and is back to sleeping her usual 12-13 hours at night (since Monday, when her first one broke through). We should hopefully have about 3 months before the next teeth show up.

First Tooth

Ladies and gentlemen... we have our first tooth! 

Luckily with baby #2, you have a better idea of what to expect... so over the last 3 weeks, when London was waking up anywhere from 2-5 times a night, I knew it was probably because of a tooth. Hudson went through the same thing at this age, and once his teeth popped through (within 2 days of each other) he started sleeping through the night again. London's tooth poked through yesterday, and last night she resumed her normal 13 hour sleep schedule (yay!). I'm hoping she is back on track now, but I am expecting that second tooth to come through any day.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

This was Hudson's 3rd year going to the Pumpkin Patch, and London's 1st time! The first year, Hudson just wanted to run around and look at everything.  Last year, Hudson was hesitant to go on the rides, but loved the bouncy house. This year he immediately went to the HUGE inflatable slide. We were shocked, but went with it... and after one time down the slide, I think he realized how tall that thing was and he was done.  Then he moved on to the little John Deere tractor ride... and after halfway around the track, he was also done. But then we moved on to the smaller inflatable slides, and he was in heaven. And of course, he has asked every day to go back to the Pumpkin Patch.

London was nice and comfy in the Ergo and took a little nap while her brother was busy jumping and sliding.  (Last year, she was nice and comfy in my belly, as I was 2 months pregnant!)

5 months

London is 5 months old today. She is rolling over (back to tummy), eating solids and just as cute as ever! What's not so cute? Her waking up 5 times a night... like last night. I'm not sure if she's teething or if the rolling is interfering with her sleep, but it's been pretty brutal the last few nights, last night being the worst. We have gotten used to her sleeping 7pm - 7:30am, so it's a hard adjustment. I'm hoping this is temporary so we can all sleep again soon! Until then.... coffee donations are accepted!

30

This weekend, Brandon took me out to celebrate my 30th birthday (which is this Thursday... still 29 for a few more days!). He wouldn't tell me where we were going, but he instructed me to buy a new dress and pair of heels. (Go shopping? Oh, darn.) As we walked outside to go, there was a limo out front! Then we stopped at our friends Doug & Monica's house to pick them up, popped some champagne, and we were off to Mastro's Ocean Club in Newport Beach. The food was incredible and we left with tons of leftovers... except for the butter cake, which was consumed entirely at the restaurant! After dinner we went back to Doug & Monica's for a midnight swim. Aside from moving a bit slowly yesterday, it was a great 30th birthday celebration and Brandon did a wonderful job planning and keeping it a secret!

Happy Girl : 20 weeks

London is at such a cute age, because her personality is beginning to show. For the most part, she is a very happy, easy-going girl... as long as she is fed. And the girl can eat. We've been doing solids for about 2 weeks, and she's had rice cereal, green beans, squash & carrots. She has liked everything and has eaten as much as 4 oz in one sitting, which I think is a lot? I never thought my girl would be bigger (and a bigger eater) than Hudson was, especially since she started out 2 pounds smaller!

London rolled over (back to tummy) for the first time on Friday. She has been so close for several weeks, but she finally made it over. I'm so glad she waited until a Friday so I could be home to see it for the first time! Now she needs to figure out how to go the other way.

Hudson is such a good big brother. He really is so sweet with her. He'll talk to her in a cute little voice and say things like, "London, I love you SO much!" or "London, you are so cute!" And London loves her brother as well. She always has a smile on her face when he is talking to her. I am so blessed to have 2 great kids. As chaotic as life can be at times (like Saturday night when Hudson woke up at 2am, puking for the next 6 hours), I am very lucky.

Cereal

We have ventured into the world of solid foods, starting with rice cereal.  It's been about a week and London is doing pretty well! Some of it actually stays in her mouth, contrary to what these photos show! Once she gets the hang of this, we will start with veggies.

Last weekend, London was super fussy. She was drooling like crazy, sucking on her hands (or anything she could find) and just not her usual, easy-going self. Sounds like teething to me... and this is around the time that Hudson started too. Luckily that only lasted a few days, and she was back to normal toward the middle of the week. Still no sign of teeth, but maybe they move in spurts? Anyway, she's still been sleeping through the night, and the last 2 nights I dropped the dreamfeed and she's slept over 12 hours each night!!

4 months

Hudson & Mommy Date

A little park time + frozen yogurt with my boy.

Operation Round Head

Since she was born, London has favored her left side. When she sleeps, she almost always turns her head to her left, and now she's sucking her left thumb. While her preferences are all fine and dandy, we've noticed she's getting a flat spot on her head. I've heard if you don't correct it soon enough, your baby has to have physical therapy or wear a helmet. A helmet isn't the kind of accessory I'd like for London... so Operation Round Head is in full effect.

Last night I swaddled London with her left arm inside and her right arm out. She wasn't very happy that her newfound left thumb was unavailable, but my plan worked, and after a few minutes her head was turned to the right and she was going after her right thumb. I checked on her a few more times before I went to bed, and her head was still turned right. VICTORY!!

...and then London woke up 3 times throughout the night. 2 of the 3 times she was able to go back to sleep on her own, but she definitely made it known that she was not thrilled with my new plan. But, I'm sticking with it. She will thank me one day when she has a perfectly round head.

Daddy's Girl

That's better...

This weekend went much smoother than last. London got a new jumper, which she loves. She likes to be upright, so she is enjoying her new toy. She's also slept through the night for the last 2 nights. Hudson & I had fun during London's naps: picnic lunch in the front yard, scooter-riding and painting. On Saturday night, Brandon & I had a date night. We ate dinner at Opah. The food was delicious: tuna tartare, prosciutto-wrapped shrimp, salmon + butternut risotto for me and a double-cut pork chop + sweet potato fries for B. Oh, and a couple pear martinis for me (on the rocks... I think I'm the only girl who doesn't like those fancy glasses!) After dinner we got a coffee and browsed the bookstore. It was really nice. Yesterday we had some friends over for a BBQ. All in all, a great weekend!

Parenting is hard.

Life with 2 kids is definitely harder than with 1. Or maybe I should say life with a 3-year-old is tough! Hudson is really smart, and he has such a strong will... which I guess is a good thing, but it is difficult. Yesterday was a pretty tough day, and by early afternoon, Brandon and I were totally frustrated and exhausted. Brandon called his mom and said, "Today's the day. We need your help. We need to get out of this house!" Luckily she didn't have any plans and was willing to come over on the fly and rescue us! We went out to eat at BJ's, had a beer, and of course... talked about the kids (namely, Hudson). Just being able to sit there in peace and have an uninterrupted conversation really helped. (I'm sure the beer helped too. And the pizookie.)

It's funny how things change with the second child. After Hudson was born, we didn't feel the NEED to get out for date nights. We would just open a bottle of wine after he went to bed, eat dinner together, maybe watch a movie... and it felt like good, quality time together. Now we absolutely need to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. An overnight date may be in our near future...

Broken Camera

14 weeks old, wearing her brother's hand-me-down shirt (not for long, it's so tight!)

got his face painted like a puppy at tyson's birthday party

being silly at school

My camera was dropped a couple weeks ago, which means there are fewer pictures being taken around here. :( London is going to wonder why her 4th month wasn't very well documented! I even got my old camera out as a back-up, and after a day that stopped working too. So while my camera is being repaired, I have to rely on my camera phone to capture the moments.

The last 2 Sundays we have gone to the OC Fair. It was our first time going as a family and we had so much fun! I could hardly get Brandon to leave! They had farm animals, rides, games and of course, LOTS of food! One of our favorites was the Texas-sized smoked turkey leg... that thing was enormous! I had to try one of the deep-fried treats, so I got the twinkie, which was pretty good.

London has been sleeping through the night off and on. A few days ago, I attempted to wean her off the swaddle, so I left her arms out. She woke up twice one of the nights, so I have decided to postpone that plan. Now that I'm back at work, I need my sleep a little more!

3 months

London is 3 months old now, and for the last 2 nights, she has been sleeping through the night! Woohoo! She is really smiling a lot now and starting to laugh and coo. And have I mentioned how in LOVE her daddy is with her? Obviously we both are, but she definitely has a special place in her daddy's heart... he's so smitten with her. It's adorable.

Back to Reality...

This week my maternity leave ended and I returned to work. I had mixed emotions about it. On one hand, it was so nice being home with my little ones for 3 months, and I knew was going to be weird not being with London 24-hours a day. On the other hand, being home with 2 kids is hard work!! London is pretty easy, but having a 3-year-old who wants to GO-GO-GO made it challenging at times. During the last couple weeks I was home, I was feeling so exhausted by the end of the day and my patience was wearing thin. I feel like going to work is somewhat of a break (since I can sit at my desk the majority of the day). And I feel like getting away from the kids for a little while makes me a better parent, as it restores my patience and allows me to feel that excitement about seeing them again.

So I started back on Monday, bright and early. Luckily, London got to stay home with her daddy that day so that calmed my nerves about leaving her. They did really well together and since Hudson was at school, Brandon said he had a pretty relaxing day with his little girl. I am fortunate that London can be at home with family 5 days a week, and only go to daycare 2 days a week. We found a wonderful woman to watch her, and she lives very close to Hudson's school, which makes it convenient. So far so good... it's a little hectic in the mornings for Brandon when he has to drop off both kids, and for me when I have to pick them up, but we'll adjust. And Gramma Joan came by over the weekend and stocked us up with meals, so that is definitely helping too. :)

Our Wooden Anniversary

Today Brandon & I are celebrating 5 years of marriage! We had a very eventful wedding day: 111° in Temecula, thunderstorms, broken air-conditioner, con-artist photographers (one left prior to the ceremony due to "health problems")... but we still had a wonderful, fun (and HOT) wedding day. On that day, I didn't realize what a fantastic husband and father Brandon would be. I really lucked out, and I am so grateful for that night in July 2004, at Belmont Brewing Company, when our lives together began.