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we're back in action. i'm back to work, jakey is back to school, ben is back to teaching twice a week on top of working full-time, and annabelle is approaching her first birthday. i feel a little like i'm in the middle of this tornado and if i should stop for a moment and look around, i might realize how crazy everything is around me! i feel like i am skimming the surface of many things, not really finishing anything, and just waiting for a day with some down time to "do it all." HAH!
I'm only working part-time (though I am technically working 3 part-time jobs if you include the photography blog and the realtor blasts) and I have put tutoring on hold for a couple of weeks (thank God!) so I should be able to handle it. There are moms out there who work full-time and have more kids than me. I honestly have no idea how they do it. And I have a lot of help!! my mother-in-law helps a ton when she's over here on tuesdays, and my neighbor down the street is awesome with the kids on wednesdays and thursdays... and still i feel very frazzled!
i also sound like a big, fat complainer. actually i like my job, so far, even though i have yet to meet with students. it's nice to be back on campus and part of that community. i love my daycare options, i'm very lucky with that, and i have always loved being busy. and Lord knows i'm busy. so hopefully i can remember to send out pictures and update this blog every now and again. i'm dying to write about our trip to arizona with the family (such fun!) and other summer outings, but that will happen on one of those "do it all" days. and i'm positive i'll have tons of those :)
holy moly.
it's already august, jakey is going into his second year of preschool, i am about to go back to work, and annabelle is almost 1!! we have had the craziest and busiest summer, but no one can accuse us of not taking advantage of the time, right? 
after pinecrest with ben's family, we headed up again with my sister, cat, and her family for her birthday. we spent a long weekend there and had a blast. We went kayaking, hiked around the lake, took walks and jogs and even swam. we usually don't brave the lake past our knees, so this was big! we spent one night around a campfire roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores. the weather up there was perfect.
the next weekend my other sister, steph, and her family came up to our house for the weekend. we had so much fun with them. we took the kids across the street to the park where stasia learned to ride her bike without training wheels - in about 10 minutes!! she was amazing! we also headed to osage park for more walking and biking, and steph and i thought it would be a good idea to go 5 miles in the blazing 95 degree heat in the peak of the afternoon one day. but we made it fun! the kids had a blast hanging out with each other... and the cat.
two days later my friend, jamie, and i took our kids (she has a 4 year-old, joey, who is one of jake's best buds), hopped in the car, and drove 8 hours down to poppo's. we swam a ton, hung out, ate some of poppo's fantastic cooking, and even went to Legoland with steph and her girls.
we had such a great time! we spent the night at cat's on the way back up and headed back home bright and early on saturday. it was such a whirlwind!
now we're back home for a week before we head out to the mountains of arizona for some glorified camping with my family. i'll be home for 4 days and then head back to work.
where on earth has the summer gone???
i love summer! even though it's still early july, though, i feel this sort of dreaded anticipation that it will be over as soon as it started. i know i shouldn't waste time that way, but i can't help it, especially since i will be going back to work part-time in the fall. the summer before last just bled right into fall because i wasn't working, didn't have any deadlines or anything like that. it was phenomenal. then last summer i was pregnant so i spent the summer waiting for annabelle to arrive. both years were relaxed, no anxiety about the end of summer... it was fabulous. and now it's back to reality for me. i really can't complain at all, since i was fortunate enough to find a part-time job, and it's a job i'm really looking forward to doing, i just hate, hate, hate, hate leaving my kids. even though i'll only be away for 1 full and 2 half days, i feel like i'm going to miss so much. i love the relationship i have with my kids, i love the time i get to spend with them, i love all the activities we do. i hate the thought of leaving them! and jake will be in preschool three mornings a week, so my only two days off he will be in preschool in the mornings. oh well, i can't dwell on the negatives. it will be a good thing, right? anyway!
our summer so far has been super busy, as per usual! we went down south for a week and to pinecrest for 5 days. we have been having a great time and definitely making the most of our summer. 
jacob is taking swimming lessons every week and just loves them. he hates leaving and tells me he "wants to stay at swimming lessons forever!" he had such an amazing time with all of his cousins and is excited to see his friends again, now that we're back. he has become quite the character lately. he says the funniest things and tries so hard to keep up with the adults. he is also so sweet and loving. he tells us he loves us all the time. last night he told me, "i love you and daddy and annabelle more than the whole world!" he is always hugging and kissing us, especially his sister. he is so good with her, i just love watching them crack up together.
annabelle just turned 10 months and is also quite a character. we've been calling her the velociraptor lately because she makes this crazy noise that sounds like some prehistoric beast! she is hilarious, and also very cuddly and smiley. she claps and waves (she's been perfecting her princess/parade wave), has two teeth finally, and is crawling all over the place. she loves to crawl up to my biggest plant and just pluck all the leaves off. poor plant. she just learned to sign "more" but will only use it when it involves cheese. that's my girl.
first day of preschool, August 2008 
last day of preschool, June 2009
today was jakey's last official day of his first year of preschool! he is finished in the 3s class and will start in the 4s class in the fall. the year went by so quickly! i was hugely pregnant when he started and he was so sad those first few weeks when we would drop him off. now he can't get in the door at school any faster and he has a sister who is almost 9 months old! he loves his teacher, mrs. tetzloff, and has made so many good buddies at school. we walk either to or from school almost every day (sometimes both) and have had a lot of good little chats on our walks. and jake has become quite a good walker - he can do a mile easily!a lot has happened this year and time has gone by far too quickly for my taste. but each end signifies a new beginning and i can't wait to see what's next.
jacob is in some of the demo videos for new leapfrog toys! in a post i wrote in april there's a picture of him holding a "Text & Learn" toy. he got that for "acting" in leapfrog's demo videos. i'm so proud of him! he even let me have a cameo. to see the demo, go to the leapfrog website (http://www.leapfrog.com/toys/)
click on the movie clapboard on either the Scribble & Write, the Text & Learn or the Learn & Groove.
He is the second or third demo for those toys. you have to click on the orange arrows on the right to scroll through the demos.
we sure had a good time!
may was such a busy month for us! we did have some headway with the living room project, but now it's at a bit of a standstill. we're waiting on crown molding, but i've no idea when that project will take place. but it's good for now.
on may 6th our little boy turned 4!! jakey is such a big boy now. he's a wonderful little helper and such a sweetheart. he loves to make annabelle laugh and loves to play with her. in fact, if he hears her laughing, even if he is across the house, he will come running and say, "what made her laugh? can i try?" and sometimes he'll cry when i have to put her down for a nap because he wants to play with her. cherish these moments, right? so precious.
for jacob's birthday my great friend, jamie, and i threw a carnival party. jake and joey are 11 days apart and this is the second birthday party they've shared. it was such a blast to plan with jamie (she was awesome! check out her ferris wheel cake below!) and the party was so much fun!
annabelle has been growing up way too fast for my taste. i'm pretty sure she's our last but she is just getting too big too quickly! she is sitting up and moving around, but not crawling. she scoots her way across the floor somehow and is really working on manipulating her little body. she is such a good little eater and is now working on finger foods. she rebelled for a month or so, but now she's pretty good. little lady LOVES shredded cheese! has to be sharp cheddar... so picky! :)
ben is working up at cal state hayward in some underground vaults for the time being. thank God he has a job. i am still doing boot camp, tutoring, blogging for my mom & prasad, fliers for dean souza (realtor) and all the fun stuff being a mom involves.
i feel like i'm writing one of those letters you send with a christmas card. we never send those letters. i guess now's as good a time as any for that!
enough for now... every time i blog i say i'll be better from now on... i really will try! things have been so busy, but so good. i truly love my life!
