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i can't believe november is already behind us. where has this year gone?
annabelle is over 3 months old already. 14 weeks yesterday! she's getting so big. she's full of smiles and even laughs from time to time. she adores her big brother. she can be screaming her head off and he'll walk up to her and she'll just stop. it's so sweet. she's still in a cradle in our room but our pediatrician says - get her out! she's also pretty reliant on the pacifier for sleeping and pediatrician also says - get that out! so we have some big transitions coming up with her. i'm not looking forward to either of them! she's such a good baby i hate to mess with anything, but i know we can't keep her crammed in the cradle forever. i guess now's as good a time as any to make some changes. it feels a little sad, though, because who knows if we'll ever have another peanut in that cradle in our room again. the end of another chapter, but that does mean the beginning of a new one, and it's always fun seeing what comes next.
jakey is 3 1/2 and walks around the house reciting thomas the tank engine stories all the time. he has also started walking around the house singing songs for his christmas program at preschool. it's so cute to hear him walking around singing, "peace on earth... peace on earth..." he is still obsessed with his trains but also likes to build with legos and tinkertoys. his brain is just like ben's: plan, build, perfect. he is the sweetest boy ever. he tells me, "you're the best mama i have never played with" or "daddy's the funnest daddy i've never known!" (we're working on the difference between ever and never... we love to hear it his way, though!) he is so loving and sweet, but has his moments of being a total stinker, so we know he can hold his own. 
we had a busy and fun month, celebrating thanksgiving and my birthday. ben has been working a normal schedule so he's had lots of time with the kids, which is awesome.
anyway, at the moment ben's hard at work and i'm procrastinating - I have to get christmas cards AND baby announcements out at some point. let's hope both will happen before christmas actually comes this year! I'll be sending new photos through kodak gallery soon - keep an eye out for them.
We had a very fun Halloween this year!
It all started with our non-pumpkin-carving-pumpkin-carving-party. We had our good friends Sage, Scarlett, Joey, Elliott, Khiara, Tyler and Julianna over to carve pumpkins. Instead we played. It was actually a lot of fun, even if no carving happened.
Then we had perhaps the most chaotic visit to JC Penney for portraits. Good Lord that was an episode. The kids went in their costumes - Jake was Eeyore and Annabelle was Tigger - and we met up with Joey the dragon, Tyler as Handy Manny, Julianna the chili pepper, and Elliott the firefighter ("fire-fire"). We had the slowest photographer on the planet and I'm pretty sure her experience with kids was, well, none. Then it took her 40 minutes to upload our pictures for viewing (we were told 10-15) and when we finally looked at the photos, none of us could find one we loved. Of course she left us with about 10 to choose from (Total!!!) and none were that great. Oh well, it was the experience that counts. We had fun together all in all and the kids did look really cute.
After that madness Jake got to go with his friend Joey to a Halloween Festival at his (Joey's) school! He had a great time. Again the boys got to dress up and this time Jake got to see what Joey's preschool is all about. He loved it!
Finally we went trick-or-treating with grandma, grandpa, and our neighbors, Jonna, Gui and Khiara. The kids were so cute! It was raining so we didn't stay out long, but no one seemed to mind too much. It ended up being a very mellow night and Jacob scored way too much candy. Guess who else benefits from that?
We love Halloween!
(**this post is dedicated to joyce**)
Wow, only 2 months after the fact and I'm finally introducing our new little girl, little miss Annabelle Millie Bidwell! The last 2 months have already flown by so fast. She was born on September 4, 2008, weighing in at 6 lbs. 15 oz and 20 inches long. At her 2 month appointment she was 11 lbs 4 oz and 23 1/2 inches long. She is growing quickly! Jacob is an amazing big brother. He loves her and always has kisses for her. He loves to get right in her face and say, "Are you talking? Tell me more!" in a high pitched voice. (wonder where he got that). It's so cute. They are both so amazing and we are so lucky to have two healthy, happy, beautiful children.
Also, a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us out. My sisters, my mom and my in-laws were absolutely amazing. I could not have gotten through those weeks (the "dark days") without all their help. My in-laws are still getting us through these not-so-dark days! My friends that came by and constantly checked in with phone calls, visits and emails are more appreciated than you know. Also, so many people brought us dinner and little gifts, I just can't begin to thank you all. It made the first 6 weeks fly by and made them much easier than they otherwise would have been. Merci mille fois!! Thank you a thousand times. We are so blessed and lucky!
Today was Jacob's 3 year check-up. We're only about 4 months late - could be worse! He did a great job, even though the doctor had to look in his ears (he HATES that). No tears, no drama or trauma. The only real argument was that he did not want to remove his clothes. That caused some consternation so we compromised. He would remove his clothes but have the honor of donning a lovely hospital gown.
He looked pretty cute and was very happy, kept saying, "This is so cute! This is so cute!"
He is 40 inches tall (83rd %) and 34 pounds (65th %). I swear he has been 33 pounds for a year so it was nice to see that number creep up, ever so slowly. (The nurse may have rounded up, but that's okay!) All in all, he's right on track and doing what he should (and then some). Phew! He starts school tomorrow, so I'm sure there will be more to say then!
We have had such a busy (and fun!) summer. We were in Southern California for almost a week, visiting my sisters, mom and dad. Then we came back up here with my sister and her family for a week, left for Pinecrest (see last post) then headed back down south again for almost another week! The day after we drove home my mom flew in for a few days. She left yesterday and tonight we leave for our last hurrah - another weekend in Pinecrest. My sister and her family will meet us up there for the short trip, but it should be relaxing and fun! I guess I'm trying to cram everything possible in since I can't travel in August and I think life in general will be one big, fat blur come September.
We had a checkup yesterday and the baby is head down (yay!) and everything is fine. I feel really good still but losing a little bit of energy. It's still not that bad. I'm not uncomfortable yet and sleep most of the night pretty well (if only I had a catheter). Jacob has been amazing. He is such a trooper for tagging along on all these trips and I know it must be crazy for him. He is such a homebody and is always eager to get back home "to see Gordon" (his train). He still kisses the belly all the time and likes to trade toys with his sister already. I'm sure it will be an insane adjustment for him, but we're all excited.
That's it for now - until the next adventure! Below is a picture of Jake with all his little lady cousins.
Last week we embarked on our annual trip to Pinecrest with the Bidwells and Little Vosovics. It was a much better visit this time than for our anniversary! We arrived late on Tuesday night and slept in a bit Wednesday morning. In a nutshell: we spent some time on the beach, swam a bit in the lake (Jake and Timber were really the only ones technically swimming), took a boat ride, went for a little kayak ride, hiked around the lake and spent a lot of time walking around or relaxing!
The lake hike was much different than years prior, what with Jakey walking for quite a bit of it (he walked about a mile and a half!!) and Juniper along for the ride. Both kids did amazingly well and the adults weren't too bad either! It got pretty hot but we stopped for a while to cool our feet at the inlet. The hike is 4 miles all the way around. Ben had to carry Jake in the backpack for the last 2 1/2 miles, but he did it! Trooper!The boat ride and "going really, really fast" was Jacob's favorite part of the trip. He got to help daddy drive the boat, which was really exciting!
Ben's favorite part was the wheeling, of course! We made it to Pinecrest Peak (beautiful view) but not quite to Eagle Peak (which is where he proposed 6 years ago!) We also went up to Dodge Ridge, the ski resort, and found a pretty awesome view from what will be a serious ski slope come winter. We also celebrated Auntie Gig's 30th birthday! Jakey loved helping her blow out her candles, open her presents and eat cake. Jon's parents and aunt came up to celebrate, as did Auntie Robin and Sarah's friends Paul and Sara. It was a full house but so much fun.
I couldn't pick a favorite part of the trip. It was just so nice to be so active and spend so much time outdoors and hanging with everyone. On the other hand, the naps in April and Marty's cozy room were quite a treat as well! Already I am looking forward to the next Pinecrest excursion!
