O, Tannenbaum

On Saturday we made our annual trip to Lolo Pass on Mt. Hood to get our $5.00 Noble Fir. We thought it would be really cold, as it was freezing in Portland, so we bundled the kids, loaded blankets, coats, hats and food and headed up. It was a beautiful clear day and when we got out of the car we had to begin shedding clothing because it was so warm. There was not a single snowflake on the ground or in the air. Quite a contrast from our adventure last year.


We looked around for a while and finally decided on a tall, skinny Noble. Zane enjoyed being Dad's shadow and Nora spent most of the day like this.

We put the lights on and decorated it last night while Zane was in bed. His eyes sure opened wide when he came down for breakfast this morning. He loves to look at the tree and to turn the lights on and off.

Nora is such a good baby. Sometimes I worry that she should be a little more fussy, but then I remind myself to count my blessings. It is not unusual for her to sleep through the night. She does not nurse regularly, so I never really know if she's going to go for two hours or for four and a half. I use to worry that maybe she didn't eat frequently enough, but at her two week appointment she weighed 9 pounds 7 and 1/2 ounces, so I figure she's probably getting enough to eat. That and her healthy little double chin! She only cries if she is having her diaper changed or if she's hungry or gassy. She is even getting better at the diaper changes and bathing. Today she had her whole bath without crying. She even seemed to enjoy it!

I can't believe how much she is changing. She is beginning to look bigger to me. I even got a little smile out of her today. I feel like she is beginning to recognize me an know me.
Zane is getting along much better these days. He is finally getting use to this new life of ours. I'm getting used to it too. I even told Kevin the other day that I can't wait to have more kids! I know--crazy thought, huh? I think we'll wait a little while. . . Again, I'm so thankful for all the help I've received from moms, Adrienne and the ward Relief Society. What would I do without family and a ward family?

Today I took the kids to get pictures taken. They looked so cute! I made the appointment for 11:00 and took my friend Kim. They say to schedule your appoinment for the time that will work best with your children's schedule. So, that's what I did. Why? I'm not sure because we waited for over an hour to get in. Zane was a total delight and perfectly behaved the whole time and Nora slept, well, like a baby. Finally they call our name, after I tell them we've been waiting so long. Now it's lunch time, nap time and the meltdown begins. Zane's also always a little unsure about new things, so I finally just told her I had to leave, that it wasn't worth it. We rescheduled for Thursday morning. She assured me I could get right in and they would waive the sitting fee and I would get a free 10 x 13. Is it worth it?

Zane's new life

This is a post I started a week ago. I'm just now able to finish and post. I'll post some more pictures and an update of Nora soon!

I can't believe I actually have some time to blog. We'll see how long the quiet lasts, but things are actually going better than I anticipated. Yesterday was my first day alone with two kids. I was very nervous because Zane has really had a hard time getting use to sharing mom. He loves Nora, but just doesn't understand why mom can't pick him up but she picks that baby up. Why is everyone else spending all this time with him and mom has hardly seen him. We've had to deal with a lot of whining, and I admit that I have been lifting him (come on, it's impossible not to when he can't get in his chair to eat or in his crib by himself) but each day seems to get a little better.

Here are some good pictures of what the last two weeks have been like for Zane

Visited mom in the hospital after spending the night with Grandpa and Grandma Pickup.

Got his Christmas gift for no reason at all because everything new and exciting around the house if for "the baby" and he is to "not touch". (Now we have to find him a new Christmas present).
Got a new hat from Grandpa and Grandma Tolman (don't you love it) and took on the role of consoling Nora as she cries in her car seat.

Enjoyed a delicious chocolate sucker from See's candy that Grandpa gave him. Mom gave Grandpa strong warnings not to let him touch anything in Nordstrom. Spent A LOT of quality and bonding time with dad at the stores on Black Friday, on Saturday and spent a lot of time working on projects in the garage.Finally got to spend some time with mom at the park. With a break in the rain I thought a bit of fresh air and sunshine would do us both some good.

Zane loves to help out with his baby sister. He loves to read and be read to. His favorite books are "The B Book", "The Bike Lesson" (both Bernstein Bears books), "Go, Dog! Go!" and "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". He is learning new words all the time. Here are the words I think he knows as of today (just for my personal record): shoes, mama, dada, Nora, truck, bus, car, tractor, Adge (his favorite teenage girl), please, up, banana, socks, Jesus, amen, the end, hi, bye, no-no, night-night, plane, hot, hat, light, baby, sshhh.