All Growed Up...

I've been reflecting about Jacoby a lot the past couple of weeks, thanks in part to our adventures in potty training boot camp and the fact that he is suddenly out-growing almost every piece of clothing he has! I'm not sure if it's because he's nearly mastered the art of going potty like a big kid or if it's because he's going to be three in a few short weeks, but he's suddenly very interested in doing a lot more things on his own like putting on his shoes or his mittens, washing his hands, drinking from a cup with no lid, picking out clothes, etc. And we've also been holding these wonderful conversations at night time after we sing our songs together. He'll tell me that he wants to "talk about some things", and then we do! We talk about his day, things that he likes doing, things that are coming up, things that he's worried about. He went to the dentist for the first time on Monday and was very mature about the whole thing even though he didn't like it. Before we went in to the appointment he said, "Mommy, I'm going to cry a little bit", as if he was prepping me for the appointment. And later he said, "Mommy, I did cry a little bit at the dentist's office". He's very perceptive and I can't believe how grown up he's becoming!

Ok, so reflections aside, the main thing we're up to right now is chasing bugs in our house (i.e., GERMS!). We survived a stomach bug that zipped through the house last week. Morgan and Justin were the lucky winners of not just one bout of the bug, but two phases! Somehow Jacoby and I escaped, but Jacoby decided to one-up his brother and dad by coming down with pneumonia this week! Are you kidding me?!! So, we're just hunkering down trying to keep everyone happy and comfortable. I keep reminding myself that even though we've had some major bugs since the fall, we're still doing tons better with illnesses than we were last year at this time. I'm also always surprised by what little troopers they are even in the midst of not feeling well.

Morgan is toying more and more with the prospect of walking. He's taken a few tentative steps by himself over the past week. He's finally getting a second tooth and is all about the dishwasher, climbing steps, and hanging out with Jacoby. Jacoby is doing so well with potty training (although being sick isn't that helpful when you're trying to learn something new). I think the last piece of the process is getting him comfortable using the potty at school. Once that happens we'll be able to close the chapter on potty training boot camp. He's even staying dry during naps and night time. It seems that having a little perfectionist has really helped move us along this milestone.

The boys are really into mimicking each other these days, so here are a couple of quick videos showing what they're up to:

Our jumping beans

Having a good time

All About The Potty

You can probably guess from the title what is happening around our house these days. Yes, Potty Training Boot Camp is in full swing. We have been talking with Jacoby about how after Christmas we would begin going potty like a big kid. And since he is both a perfectionist and loyal to the toddler school of thought that trying out new things must not be done at any cost, I decided to just let him know that we are all done with diapers and that we don't use them anymore (except if you're Morgan). I also took advantage of being home extra days over the weekend due to the MLK holiday to really start our potty routine. And Jacoby is doing great! We've of course had a couple of accidents, but he is really doing well and learning fast. We're only using pull-ups during nap time and overnight, and that seems to be going well. He gets to pick a treasure out of the "treasure bag" (thank goodness for cheap matchbox cars/trucks!) whenever he successfully uses the potty. We are very proud of him, but I will tell you that we have done nothing but live and breathe potty time for the past four days! Everything is centered around the potty, and I've been surprised by how much energy this takes! But I have no doubt that he will be a pro in no time.

In other non-potty-related news, I've been enjoying the extra time at home and Justin has been taking advantage of a little extra study time. We cleaned carpets this weekend, which was not difficult in and of itself, but definitely hard to have parts of the house off limits to two energetic little boys who are used to having the run of the place. We also enjoyed a play date with some friends. We've been going for walks in the afternoons and Morgan is big enough now to ride in the wagon with Jacoby. Jacoby thinks this is really cool until Morgan passes the invisible boundary line and accidentally touches Jacoby's side of the wagon! Morgan is all about feeding himself these days and shovels in just about anything we give him. Besides that, he's into everything right now. I'm just about finished with a really good book on food allergies. It has been very helpful and informative as we continue to navigate the world of food allergies.

I promise to spare you all from potty-time pictures!

Riding in the wagon together

Working on a little duet

We do supervise this child, I promise!

Happy Christmas Tales & The Start of 2010

Our annual holiday trip to Montana was wonderful. The boys were such good travelers and excellent troopers during all of the activity and moving around. They thoroughly enjoyed our visits with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Here are a few highlights:

Visiting Grandma Pam, Grandpa Bill, and Aunt Kenzie in Great Falls, MT.

Attending the Christmas Eve candlelight service. Both boys were completely enthralled by the lights and music, and Jacoby held a candle all by himself.

Jacoby's mantra during present-opening time was: "What's It Going To Be!?!?

Visiting Grandmanette, Grandpa Barber, Uncle Jared, Aunt Jill, Uncle Marc, and Cousins Des and Jax in Billings, MT.

Hours of playtime with Cousins Desmond and Jax. Jacoby and Des opened a "bookstore" in Grandmanette and Grandpa Barber's living room.

Jacoby enjoyed a trip to the Lockwood Fire Station with Cousin Des.

Visiting Uncle Mark and Aunt Megan in their new house in Billings, MT.

It was a super busy trip and we enjoyed the time very much but were also glad to get back to our home. We've dived right in to 2010 and are in full swing with our weekly routines. The boys enjoyed being back in school last week and everyone kept commenting on how much Morgan had grown! Besides following Jacoby around like a shadow, Morgan is practicing standing all by himself, walks with the walker, and tells us "night, night" when he's going to bed. Jacoby has a monstrous appetite right now and is very busy with his trucks and trains. Wherever we go, we have to pretend the Subaru is a garbage truck. Justin is doing two independent studies this quarter to round out his courses in his PhD program. One is in Hebrew reading (Judges) and he's learning Coptic for the other...yes, Coptic, another one of the ancient languages to add to his repertoire. Work is moderately busy for me and I'm also joining a bible study with some other moms.

What's on tap for 2010?

Here are some of our goals and hopes for the New Year:

Justin ~ Finish courses, pass comps, defend dissertation proposal, keep up a regular workout schedule, consume less sugar in diet, implement meditation into daily routine.

Jacoby ~ Start and complete Potty Training Boot Camp, maybe try skiing, maybe try itty bitty soccer in the spring, maybe try learning lower case ABC's, and maybe try writing his name.

Erin ~ Keep up practice of striving for balance with home and work life, foster some sort of social life with friends, continue to strive to be a good steward of our resources, keep up regular workout routine, continue to strive for healthy meals for the family.

Morgan ~ Master walking (Mommy predicts it will be before his first b-day), transition to toddler room at school, start jabbering with us, maybe start sharing a room with Jacoby.

Fun Things We're Excited About:

1. A skiing trip this winter.

2. More fun in the snow.

3. Birthday extravaganza now until March.

4. Summer break! Camping, hiking, and a trip to Montana.

5. U2 Concert for Daddy & Mommy in June (anyone want to babysit?)

6. Time with family ~ we're always excited to have visitors!

12 Days of Christmas

We're getting ready to embark on our road trip to Montana for the holidays. We actually will be gone for about 12 days and will be celebrating several Christmases over that time! We're really looking forward to the time with our families. We wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Christmas Preview

We've spent the weekend celebrating Christmas! Since we travel to Montana every year, we decided to start celebrating sometime before our trip as a family of four so that we can start establishing some of our own traditions. On Saturday, the boys received a few gifts, chowed down on monkey bread, visited a living nativity, and went for a drive to see Christmas lights. Monday is our much-anticipated visit to Denver Zoo Lights.

Jacoby received a train table and a few Thomas the Train accessories for his Christmas and birthday gift this year. It was a combined gift from Mommy & Daddy, Grandma Pam & Grandpa Bill, and Aunt Linda. Most of you know that I love to shop on Craig's List here in our area. Most of the gear we have for the boys (that hasn't come from the grandparents) has come from Craig's List. So, this summer I started looking for a train table for Jacoby. I found one up in Loveland, CO for a great price that came with a dozen or so engines, miles of track, and a bunch of accessories. Its been a big hit, and Jacoby has already logged quite a few hours playing with the trains. Morgan likes watching the trains go around the track and has taken it on as his personal mission to undo the track, much to Jacoby's dismay. We hear "I need help with Morgan!" a lot right now.

In other news from our week, Justin gave his final exam to his students. They all did very well in the end and he's officially done for the quarter. One of the professors he's worked closely with on a Dead Sea Scrolls project asked him to come in a couple of days this week to assist her with some things. He's also finalized classes for next quarter and is trying to prepare for his comprehensive exams.

I took Tuesday off from work while the boys were in school. I can't remember the last time I was home by myself...actually, Justin was allowed to stay home too only because it was 7 degrees outside or something like that. After we dropped the boys off at school, we went out for a quick breakfast together and then I spent the rest of the day getting caught up on a bunch of different things. It was a great day, but by the end I was definitely missing the noise of my little guys in the house. My "Mommy Mistake" of the week was accidentally leaving Jacoby's blanket at school Tuesday evening. He went to bed fine and I thought maybe he was ready to be without it...but I found him and Justin sleeping on the floor together in his room Wednesday morning!

Morgan Ethan turned 9 months old last week! He had a great appointment with our pediatrician and is weighing in at 22.5 pounds and is 30.25 inches long. We worked some some sleep issues out this past week, so he's back to sleeping almost 12 hours at night time and is taking longer naps during the day now that he's actively crawling. Morgan loves to clap, play peek-a-boo, wave, and shows us how big he is now. He also signs for "more" and is starting to say "uh-oh" and "ball". He is busy following Jacoby all over and loves it when his older brother plays with him. They currently enjoy emptying the kitchen cuphoards and chasing each other under the dining room table.

New cargo box thanks to b-day gifts from Grandma Pam & Grandpa Bill