December 2009 Archives

We all made felt crowns with sequins for decoration.

We needed an excuse to get dressed up so we had a formal hors d'oeuvres party with the kids tonight. The kids liked most of the menu and we all had fun. I think we'll do the same next year and make it a tradition as long as they're into it. Now that there are five of us it really felt like we were having a party! The crackers I bought from Crate & Barrel were lame and didn't come with crowns which is why we had to make our own this year.

Making the "2010" look sparkly.

Sarah had the puzzle pieces between her toes until she saw my camera coming. Anna has wrapped up the puzzle in a medical bandage. Henry just thinks hanging out with his sisters is cool.

Sarah makes the best Hippopotamus Pie this side of the Pacific.

Sarah is so in love with her new pig pajamas we had a hard time convincing her to put on her clothes today!

Henry seemed to like having more space to stretch in his new full-size crib.

We really want to get Sarah "trained" to sleep in a regular bed before we move (probably by the end of February) so we decided she could "give" Henry the crib for Christmas. She thought this was a great idea but wanted to "wait until Saturday." I think she has matured a lot since we tried this six months ago so I'm hopeful that it will go well tonight (and I'm really glad we don't have to deal with a nap now!).

Solving some dinosaur puzzles.

We had a great Christmas morning. The kids were so excited that it was finally time to open their presents but they were also disappointed that Zamp (the elf that had watched them all month) had gone back to the North Pole with Santa in the night. We made Corrine's sticky buns for breakfast and spent a relaxing day checking out the new stuff.

Henry is five months old today! I think he is looking so much more mature here in these pictures now that he is sitting up a little better. He can sit for about 5 seconds on his own and at some point in the next month he will start eating solid food. I can hardly believe it is already time for that; it seems simultaneously like yesterday and like ages ago I started pureeing apples and pumpkin for him. I'll start letting him have some water out of a cup soon and then we'll probably start with avocado if Home Plus has some in stock (they usually do).

Henry still only rolls from back to tummy and he always rolls to the left. He is starting to get "stuck" on his tummy at night time which is frustrating. If I felt confident in his abilities to roll back onto his back I'd let him figure it out but until he does it (and does it consistently) during the day I feel compelled to go in in the middle of the night when he's fussing and roll him back over.

Henry loves to watch his sisters play and really loves it when they stop and talk to him or show him something. He loves to read books (he kicks his feet in excitement) and he likes to get out and about for a change of scene. It's too bad it's such a hassle getting three kids ready to go out in freezing cold weather or we'd probably go out every day but right now we're probably doing it every-other-day (there aren't that many places to go when it's this cold anyway!).

Henry's naps are getting better/more consistent which is great. He is taking three naps per day now and is still nursing 6 times per day (including one time in the middle of the night). He wakes up around 7 AM and goes down for the night around 6:30 PM.

On the bus.

Anna had a little booster to sit on.

Craig & Anna took the bus up to Seoul today to see the Nutcracker tonight. The bus left this morning at 10:20 AM and they got to Seoul at 3 PM. They Seoul Arts Center and their hotel were both within walking distance from the Seoul bus terminal so they had a little time to check things out and get some dinner before going to the 7:30 PM performance. Anna usually goes to bed by 7:45 so there was a little concern with how she'd handle the late show (they didn't get back to the hotel and to bed until 10:30) but Craig said she did great. She was so excited about their trip and about the ballet she could barely contain herself for the week before they went! I think it all lived up to her expectations, too.

Sarah & I made another batch of Opa's vanilla pretzels this morning. She went to taste the flour as I was measuring and knocked the bowl on the floor. Thankfully it was at the start of the recipe and not the end!

Button tree from my mom.

The girls & I made gingerbread cookies today for part of our Christmas cookie gift-giving. We used the cutters from my grandma. We also made Opa's vanilla pretzels this year so it is nice to have something from each of them on our cookie plate!

I had so many exactly like this one; I think his mouth was stuck open like this!

Craig went on sea trial on Monday with the plan to be back Friday. Thursday he said it would probably be Sunday but luckily today he called and asked us to come pick him up! Funny how he was technically late but we were all excited to have him home "early!"

The Wombats playing "Duck, Duck, Goose" while they wait for their turn to see Santa.

Henry rolled today! He rolled from back to front four times. The girls both rolled front to back first so I was a little surprised by this. I assume he'll add the other direction soon.

Sarah likes to hop around the house. Why walk when you can hop?

Vision is highly over-rated.

Sarah has been obsessed with collecting leaves this fall.

The boys at Prince Coffee.

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

Sarah spent a long time lining them up and stacking them before she wanted to actually get into the playdough.

The Wombats all lined up and ready to head upstairs.

This is how Craig took the following pictures!

The Wombats sang "The Penguin Polka" tonight at the Winter Concert for the lower classes. It was a really cute song and Anna even did the actions. We were pleasantly surprised. Sarah & Henry didn't make it much past the Wombats performance so I left a little early with them and Craig stayed for the rest of the show.

I ordered these stockings from an Etsy store. I need to get one more stocking hanger but Craig & I will have to share this year.

I set up the Christmas tree and a few decorations yesterday while Craig, Anna, & Sarah went to Costco in Busan. The girls were really excited to decorate it this morning but poor little Sarah was sick (I was, too, but she had it worse than I did) so after that we didn't do much else the rest of the day.

Transferring popcorn kernels with some little tongs.

Anna adores Henry and very often wants to hold him.

Anna stayed home from school today because she wasn't feeling 100% and hey, she's only 4 years old and it's preschool. We had a nice time at home and an extra bonus we didn't have to go out in the cold (read: "I didn't have to get three kids and myself dressed in winter clothing")!