As if snow day wasn't enough! The kids all walked to Stafford Park after school to celebrate Lily's birthday. I seriously sometimes worry that these kids' lives are too idealic.
As if snow day wasn't enough! The kids all walked to Stafford Park after school to celebrate Lily's birthday. I seriously sometimes worry that these kids' lives are too idealic.
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Clean up time
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Elliot & Jordan continue to be best buds. Here, they took turns reading each other stories. Of course, Jordan is just making up a story and Elliot just listens with a sweet smile.
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This video looks insignificant but for Andy & I it is representative of what has become known around here as "The Change" - Jordan's seemingly sudden awakening from a long, difficult period of disequalibrium. Several months ago when Morgan came over, their interaction wasn't so great and Jordan's feelings were really hurt. But as she's gotten more confident and more willing to take chances, we see her handling situations so well that she would have avoided before. Here she is playing with the "train traps" (Simon) with Morgan, trying to connect with him. When he doesn't respond to her "Circles are easy, huh? Don't ya think?" she tries another chummy strategy to playfully connect with him. (Didn't work, by the way, but it was heart-warming to see her putting herself out there and feeling ok about it.)
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We've been planning this for so long . . . for years and years really! Here is our 1st planting at the new house: 3 Apples, 2 Asian Pears, 1 Santa Rosa plum, 2 cherries and 4 blueberries. Still to be planted: Thompson grape, blackberry, pineapple guava, avocado, 2 lemon, mandarin satsuma & lime. We still have a few years before many of these trees yield fruit but after years of picking off of our Redwood City fruit map, it's so exciting that we might finally be able to put ourselves on the map!
Plum
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Jordan has been communicating with me a lot lately on the days that I go into my office. Here, she asked Andy to send me a video to tell what was going on. Simon apparently woke up a little cranky from his nap and she cheered him up.
Then Simon insisted he send a video
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While Jordan has been making funny faces her whole life, these poses make me think of a switch that has flipped in her during the past couple of weeks. Andy & I don't know exactly the cause (although we've had lots of theories), but Jordan has been generally challenging for the last many months. -Also loving and joyful and funny and adorable. But alternatingly whiney, irrational,, high-need. -Like needing to be carried around after her nap. For an HOUR! And yelling at us if we sit down with her to "GO!" We've heard this called "disequilibrium" although that seemed like a cop-out to us. Still disequilibrium supposedly lasts about 6 months (and alternates with equilibrium) and sure enough, it's been about 6 months and something seems to have shifted. Her confidence is way up and she recovers from little setbacks so much faster (stubbing her toe, getting her hair wet in the shower, Elliot getting to the left side of my bed in the morning to cuddle before her.) She's been more happily participating in school, playing with friends, being so sweet and nurturing of Simon (and patient of his new habit of pulling her hair!) and cooperative with Andy & I. It's been such a pleasure to have all that wonderful Jordan.
Here's 2 seconds of disequilibrium:
Posted at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Simon is just doing a great job with the potty. He has figured out a trick to avoid getting it "all over the place" and he almost always remembers to wash his hands and to wash out the potty. Here, he is wearing one of Jordan's barretts, which he requested.
At the grocery store with his cart - he took the whole thing so seriously and did such a good job. When he bumped into a stranger, he looked at him and said "Sorry."
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Having Eggnog ("Nutmeg" and Jordan and then Simon called it) in front of the fire.
One New Years morning, we took Savta to the airport in our pajamas and then went straight to Bonnie & Andre's house. Elliot & Jordan usually put on dress up clothes with Clare right away and Elliot has been putting on this mermaid costume for about a year. He really doesn't realize how ridiculous he looks.
Elliot, Clare & Jordan
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December was a really great month for us. We had tons of visitors - Saba and Uncle Keith in early December and Savta & Doda Neeli at the end. Andy & I decided to stay here and take 2 weeks of rather than our usual visit to KY. We really missed seeing all of our family and seeing friends. But it was also nice to be able to be home and not worry about work.
Playing UNO with Doda Neeli, of course
Holiday lights on Eucalyptus Street
Making cookies for our neighbors
Savta & Simon had a tradition of playing together at night in the living room, after Elliot & Jordan went to sleep and while Andy & I were tidying up or reviewing our lists. Typical games were UNO (played like open-hand GO Fish), Wedgits and "Pot."
Quiet time
Mom helped us with our holiday cards
Andy & I can't understand it but somehow even though we now have 3 kids, life has recently been feeling easier. Case in point, for years Mom has been talking about playing games whenever we have visits and it just never or very rarely happens. But during this visit, we played Bananagrams multiple times! (Note: "ya" is NOT a word!)
Mom also spent a lot of time reading on her new Kindle
Representative scene: Savta & Simon playing on the living room floor, Elliot reading (either Magic Treehouse or the Fairy Series) and Andy & Jordan asleep on the couch.
Playing Khet
Another morning tradition - Jordan running to Savta's bed to watch movies on her portable DVD player - usually an old musical or campy movie. This trip it was Hallmark's The Borrowers.
Reading Simon books before bed.
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This was definitely the funnest Chanukah since Elliot was born. I started singing Chanukah songs to the kids the day after Thanksgiving and within a couple of weeks, they were inviting people to their "Chanukah concerts" in the playroom - Elliot on the piano, Jordan on drums and vocals and Simon on sticks / dancing. We had a 2nd annual gelt making party with the Bennett-Ackermans a few days before and Savta arrived on Monday night. So by the time Chanukah started on Tuesday night, they were ready! They got really into the candle-lighting and the songs, especially Simon who is still singing the Dreidel song and Chanukah O Chanulah one month later.
Besides houseshoes for the whole family, Jordan got an art projector and Elliot got an electronics kit. (Sorry Simon.)
Elliot LOVES his electronics kit and gets to work on it first thing every morning.
The Ehrlichs came over to celebrate the 5th night of Chanukah with us. I wish I had pictures of Brett & Andy doing karaoke duets after dinner.
Julia reading to Jordan - their friendship has really gotten sweet in the past 6 months (Julia is 7 1/2; Jordan is 4 1/2)
Minutes after we delivered holiday cookies to the Mylods and minutes before Doda Neeli passed out on the couch.
Simon playing dreydel with Andy
Singing some Chanukah songs - these are the first songs Simon has really sung
Posted at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Elliot was hiding from Simon and Simon loved it. He would shriek every time he spotted him.
Jordan plays with both Elliot & Simon but the two boys connect less frequently. Elliot is really sweet to Simon and genuinely enjoys making him happy. He's just less interested than Jordan and as a result, Simon seeks out Jordan a lot more. When Simon has the opportunity to hang with Elliot (not easy when Jordan's with them), he loves it.
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The kids wore pajamas to school, drank hot chocolate in their Polar Express boxes and broke open a pinata.
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One night while Jordan & I were lying in bed together, she said that she wished she had a sister. I said that I always wished I'd had a brother. She had a great idea - how about we trade Elliot for Doda Neeli! Then Neeli could be her sister and Elliot could be my brother! I agreed. Here she is telling Neeli about it a few days later.
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