Andy and Dori

Snow Day!

Teacher Andrea told the kids that she was going to use some magic to make it snow in the yard a few weeks ago.  I was surprised how many kids biught it (including Jordan!)  There was so much excitement at lunch.

Chris & Joe shoveling in the snow - brought in from the Redwood City ice skating rink

Getting their snow clothes on

  

Sonya cracked me up with this getup - it was probably 60 degrees outside

I was surprised at how willing Jordan was to leave her purple dress at home and wear Ella's snowbib.  Honestly - no way would she have worn this thing 2 months ago.  My camera battery died before the kids got out to the snow (so I ran home and got the video camera) but it was better than I could have hoped.  Jordan was screaming and throwing her body around on the snow.  She had a great time.  Simon & Lukie joined us from the nursery - Simon was as wowed by all the kids and chaos as he was by the snow.  The whole experience inspired Andy & I to rent a house with some friends in Arnold, CA (where there will hopefully be snow) in March.

Simon & Lukie in the nursery, with Katie

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.

More Open Gate pictures

Now that Open Gate has gotten so great for Jordan and she only has a few months left, I keep wanting to take pictures!

Jordan always starts her day in the art room and takes the art projects very seriously.  Here they're making dragon masks for the Chinese New Year.

Telling Apollo where Hailey is hiding

Play-doh with Soleil.  Last year, when I asked Jordan how school was, her answer was often something like "I asked Soleil to play with me and she said no."  It was so hard to watch - day after day, Jordan pursued Soleil and was never rewarded.  Andy & I kept trying to explain why she should move on to other friends but she never wanted to.  This year, she stopped trying but she also hated school altogether.  Then in the last month or two, coinciding with "The Change," they've suddenly become buds.

Charlie & Kaylin - the first real couple in Jordan's class.  She led him to these steps with her where they had a serious discussion about treating cuts.

Clean up time

Simon

 

 

 

 

He's crazy

 

 

Terry's glasses (which Elliot labeled for her with a Sharpie)

 

Andy loves it when Simon climbs on me etc. while nursing.

 

Dodes

Roni returned from Bangladesh while Neeli was visiting and she came down with authentic Bangladeshy clothes for all of us.

Elliot & Simon wearing their punjabis and doing an experiment together.

Neeli, Roni & I had a long skype call with Mom & Dad.

while Elliot read a Magic Treehouse

Ardenwood Farm

 

 

 

 

Siblings

Jordan & Simon's relationship has officially grown into something really sweet.  She really enjoys nurturing him now - helping him put his shoes on or getting something for him - and he seeks her out: "Come on, Jordan!  Come on!!  You wanna do the jumpy house with MEEE?!"  She still gets the fish face at times (violent urge) and tries to smother him in a not-so-loving way.  And he has started pre-emptive stirkes in the last month - hitting and pulling her hair.  But I guess he couldn't stay our absurdly easy-going baby forever.

Elliot is less interested than Jordan but he is such a sweet big brother.  He gets a kick out of the funny things that Simon says and the way talks - everything is yelled out with such exuberance!  Simon LOVES Bill Nye and he sees Elliot as his Bill Nye partner.  For about 2 months, the first thing said when he saw Elliot in the morning was "Oh, Elliot, you wanna watch Bill Nye with me??!!"  Yesterday, he kept telling Elliot he wanted to watch "Kemaction!"  After a while, we realized he wanted the chemical reaction episode of Bill Nye.  Unfortunately, because of all the sickness we've had recently, there has been a lot of Bill Nye so we'll have to wean him (again) once we're all healthy.

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.

Elliot

Elliot's first song lyrics - written at our friend Julia's house for Julia.  She's almost 8 years old and she was Elliot's first (and only, we think) crush.

He's not the first kid to love Magic Treehouse books but when he starts one, he goes until he finishes.  Don't try to interrupt him with details like flossing.

Sometimes I watch him switch positions 6 times because he gets so uncomfortable sitting down but doesn't want to stop.

The Change

 

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.)

Open Gate Share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got home, we set Elliot up on the couch with a blanket so Simon insisted on the same.

Trees at 267!

 

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

Some videos

 

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

Jordan

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:

 

Simon

 

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."

Chicken Pox Party

Sharing lollipops with Aidan & Erin, both infected with chicken pox.  It's currently 18 days later and still no Johnston chicken pox!

 

Soaking

 

 

Jordan had a hurt foot and was soaking in a warm bath so Simon wanted to do the same.  His feet were just stuffed into that little bowl.

 

A typical but uneventful minute in our morning.

Doing a "periment"

Experiments in the Lab

Happy New Year!

 

 

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

December 2012

 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.

 

 

 

Chanukah

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

Mr. Mac

By far, Elliot's favorite class is Rockit Science with Mr. Mac.  Here, they were lifting one another with puleys using mechanical advantage.

 

Mr. Mac begins and ends each lesson with a story on the white board.

Neighborhood walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Getting ready for visitors

 

Last day before the break

 

The kids wore pajamas to school, drank hot chocolate in their Polar Express boxes and broke open a pinata.

Minute in the life of the Johnstons

 

 

Trade

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.

 

Simon is 2!

Simon at 1 month (ugh)

One year

Two years!

Jordan is 4 1/2

Comf

Hanging with K

Uncle Keith!

We had such a great visit with Uncle Keith.  Elliot, Jordan & Simon were all comfortable with him from the start and lavished him with love.

"D-Rinking tea with Uncle Keef!"

Listening to one of Uncle Keith's stories

More U.K. original stories

Chutes and Ladders