Happy Holidays!

It's been hard to find some quiet time these days to update the blog but I figured I better do it soon before we do too many more activities!  The Lyman ohana is still here and we've been having a lot of fun together.  They helped us celebrate Chan Chan's first Christmas and he had a lot of fun ripping up the wrapping paper.  Esme, Charlie and Malia also enjoyed their visit from Santa.  It was an early morning but we were able to take a few breaks from presents and open them over the course of two days.

All dressed up for Christmas Eve dinner

Chan Chan trying on Charlie's hat

The kids playing with their Santa gifts

Presents, round two, once the sun was up.

Oh Christmas tree!

This was a popular gift this year and Chan got 4 of them!

Cousins

We also had a visit from some friends of ours who used to live up here in WA but moved back to Maui a few years ago - Aunty Lynn, Uncle Garrett, Cade, Kendyll and their Gammy.  Esme has only known Cade and Kenny from their Christmas cards so she was so excited for her new friends to show up.  Everyday she'd ask me to tell her about her "friends" on her Christmas cards.  

Esme, Kenny and Addy

So many kids - Charlie, Kenny, Cade, Malia, Esme, Addy and Chan

More kid shots

Countdown To Christmas

We're counting down to Christmas!  We got Esme a wooden advent calendar and Esme was very particular about where we put it in the house.  She got VERY upset at me when I tried to move it.  Every morning she likes to come down the stairs and stop in the hall to put a magnetic ornament on the advent tree.   

The lonely advent calendar

 

We also got some snow the other night!  Esme woke up in the morning and said "mom , it looks like a snow globe."  I drove really slow to school that morning since the roads were still snowy and icy and Esme asked me why I was driving so slow.  I told her that I didn't want the car to slip and hit another car and get in an accident.  She said "yeah, cause then we'd have to say sorry."  Ha ha!  

This was our backyard in the snow

Aunty Amy, Malia and Charlie just missed the snow!  They flew in to spend the holidays with us but the snow was gone by the time they arrived that same evening.  The cousins have been having a lot of fun playing together and we've even managed a few outings to the children's museum near our house, the Bellevue Botanical Gardens light show, and the Ballard Farmer's Market.  We met up with our cousin Shyla and Tabby too for some family fun at the market.  Esme and Tabby are really into dancing and they had a blast getting their groove on after lunch that day.  They made their own dance floor right in the middle of the café!

The Lyman Ohana minus Uncle David

Our trip to the market

 

Family Photos

Well as you can see we FINALLY updated our blog photo above.  We had family photos taken right before Thanksgiving and got some great shots, mostly of the kids together.  Here's a few of them:

Allen's been working a lot of weekends lately so that leaves me with the kids most weekends.  Now that they're both feeling better we try to find lots of activities to fill our days.  It's a little more challenging in the winter as we can't just go outside and play whenever we want.  This weekend we made goodies for our neighbors and delivered them.  Esme insisted on carrying each plate to our neighbors doors and miraculously she didn't spill one of them!  She said "this is just like trick-or-treat right?"  Ha ha!  I guess that was the last time we knocked on our neighbors doors ;)  We also took some walks to the post office for last minute Christmas mailing and then we stopped at Starbucks on the way home for a coffee date.  This is how Esme's learned all about hot chocolate and vanilla scones.  Prior to this the only things she ever got there was the oatmeal and a milk steamer.  

Scared Of Santa

We attempted to get the kids picture with Santa today but only one kid made it into the photo - Chan.  Esme wouldn't let go of me no matter what I coaxed her with so we decided that one was better than none.  The funny thing was, before we took the photo I was thinking that Chan would never have any pics with Santa by himself since his big sister would always be in it with him.  But I guess I was wrong - he got his own pic with Santa this year!

Chan popped out his second tooth last week - the lower left central incisor.  We had a few rough nights following that along with his cold.  He was waking up about every hour at night and would only sleep with Allen or I rocking him or with him laying on our chest.  Then miraculously this Friday night he just stopped and slept fine.  We're not complaining but with Chan we never know what his sleep schedule will be like.  He still puts his hand in his mouth a ton and is loving eating solid foods.

Esme must be going through a growth spurt cause she's been eating a lot more than usual lately.  She's still enjoying her grapefruit in the morning and has recently discovered toast and jam.  This weekend she had 3 servings of tomato soup and rice for lunch!  And at dinner we can always count on her to eat her broccoli too.  She really is a great eater!  But don't get me wrong, she's also been enjoying a piece of candy or two off her gingerbread house everyday.  This weekend we have waffles and bacon for breakfast and she kept saying, "I need some more bacon in my mouth."

Getting Ready For Christmas

Well we made it through Thanksgiving but it was a looooooooooooong weekend.  Allen worked the entire time and both kids were sick which wasn't fun.  They've both had a wet cough for almost 2 weeks now and got runny noses over the weekend.  I was convinced they'd do better if we could get some fresh air but it was too cold to take them outside.  Chan's also continuing to teeth so he's been waking up a lot at night.  Needless to say, Allen and I are very tired but thankfully Esme seems to be on the mend.  We just need to get Chan-Chan better!

We did manage to get our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving.  We asked Esme what kind she wanted and she said "a itty bitty tiny one."  We managed to convince her otherwise and brought home a nice 7 foot tree.  It took us about 3 days to get it all together since Esme's attention span for decorating was just a few minutes at a time.  But now she loves lighting it up every night and talking about the presents underneath it.  We have to keep Chan Chan far away from it though cause as soon as we put him on the floor he goes straight for it.

Esme was very serious about decorating her gingerbread house

Esme picking out a tree at a church near our house

Oh Christmas tree........

Bundling Chan up for a walk

Chan's first ride in a shopping cart on Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Chan sprouted his first tooth just 2 days ago in hopes that we might feed him some yummy food today.  Ha ha!  He's still chowing down on his cereal and veggies and I've got a batch of zucchini and peas to puree this weekend so he can try those next week.  We decided to lay low this weekend since both of the kids are a little under the weather.  They're both coughing, mostly at night, and Esme had a low grade fever the other day so we kept her out of school.  Otherwise no congestion or runny nose.  So hopefully the long weekend will give them some time to recuperate and they'll be ready for school next week.  

Time For A Haircut

All of a sudden I realized that it was time for Esme to get another haircut.  She got her first one just a week before Chan was born and this past weekend she got her second.  She was much more hesitant to sit in the chair this time as compared to last but after some coaxing she sat down and let the lady do her job.  I mostly just wanted her to even out the ends again so that it will be all one length soon.  Esme has two layers of hair - one from birth which is the longest and then the new growth.  Looking back she had a ton of hair at birth but by 5 months it was very sparse and then it started growing back from there.

At the rate Chan's going he won't need his first haircut till well after his second birthday too since he still has no hair ;)  At least we don't have to worry about him getting all his food in his hair now.  His most recent new foods have been broccoli, sweet potato, squash, avocado, and pear.  And as long as he's in the mood he's always willing to eat.  He's also sitting up unassisted for much longer periods of time when he's on the floor.  He still throws himself backwards though and so we always have to be right there.

Riding in the double sit-n-stand stroller without the carseat

She was so serious the whole time

Getting a little excited about the braid in her hair

Chan's sitting up!

Celebrating dad's birthday a little late

While we were out getting Esme's haircut we decided to celebrate Allen's birthday at the Cheesecake Factory.  On the way there we were walking through the middle of Macy's junior department where the music is a little louder than normal.  Esme was riding on Allen's shoulders and all of a sudden she says, "Stop!  I need to dance."  And so Allen put her down and she danced a little number in the middle of the aisle for a few minutes.  It was hilarious!  Apparently Faye said she's been dancing more at school lately too.  Not sure 

 

Six Months Old

Chan Chan got to celebrate his 6 month birthday while we were in Hawaii and today he had his checkup.  He met all his developmental milestones - tracking things with his eyes, laughing, smiling, talking (ba and da sounds), recognizing his name, rolling over, sitting up, reaching for objects in front of him and transfering things from one hand to the next.  He weighed in at 19# 0.5oz (exactly 12 pounds over his birth weight!), 26 inches, and his head circumference was 17 1/2" which placed him in the 80th percentile for everything.  He also got 4 shots and handled them like a champ.  He started to cry as the second one was going in but was done as soon as the fourth one was over with.  Esme, Chan and I all got our flu shots today so hopefully we're covered for this year.  Esme also took her flu shot like a champ.  She didn't even flinch but later talked about how it hurt.  I think this is the first time she'll remember what shots are since it's been so long since she's had one prior to this.  I think it was her flu shot last year which she obviously didn't remember so I'm glad this was a good experience for her.      

Brrrr...It's Cold In Washington

Chan and I made it to Hawaii and back.  It was a short trip, just 5 days, but it seemed like a long one so that was nice.  We saw lots of family and got lots of things done, including a job interview for me so we're keeping our fingers crossed!  Chan enjoyed the warmer weather and not having to bundle up everywhere we went.  He also got to try apple bananas and papaya while we were there.  He wasn't too keen on fresh poi as it's a little more sour tasting than the powdered stuff he has here in the mainland.  While we were there he started to get up on all fours and then this weekend he started rocking on all fours.  Yikes, that means crawling is around the corner sooner than we thought!  He's been army crawling and pivoting on his belly for awhile now but I guess that wasn't good enough.  He can roll over both ways but doesn't use that as his method of movement very often.  And he's still not sitting up without support so we have to help him there.  It's so different this time around because Esme sat up early and then army crawled almost until she walked.

Ready for takeoff!

Feeding the fish with Nana but Chan was interested in the dog instead

Chan LOVED his new foods in Hawaii!

It looks like he's singing here.  Ha ha!  Hanging out with cousin Mahina.

Getting up on all fours at Liliuokalani Park

One last day of no clothes

On the plane back to Seattle

It was hard to be away from Esme while we were in Hawaii, as I've only ever been away from her for a night before, when Chan was born.  Her and Allen had lots of fun though.  They celebrated Allen's birthday, went to the library, went shopping at Costco and Trader Joes and just stayed home and played. 

Since I've been back Esme has been on a satsuma/tangerine kick.  She eats about 8 of them a day.  And today she ate almost an entire avocado with her lunch.  She's always been a good eater but it's not always like her to go to such extremes! 

The candles were more for Esme than anything else

Esme requested watermelon on her shopping trips

Esme got to dress herself completely while mommy was gone ;)

More Food Please

Chan's really been enjoying his baby food this past week.  We were only feeding him at night but then we also started sending food to school for him to try there too.  He dives for the food as soon as he sees it and usually ends up with either poi or rice cereal up his nose.  Esme still enjoys eating his leftovers and is always very eager to help feed him.  Chan and I are flying to Hawaii tomorrow so he might get to try either mashed avocado, papaya, or apple bananas while we're there.  He'll also get to celebrate his 6 month birthday there this Sunday!

Esme's latest food craze has been grapefruits.  I think she just likes how different they are and how we have to cut them for her.  She'll eat a whole one plus her entire meal at breakfast or dinner.  While Chan and I are in Hawaii, her and Allen will be having lots of fun together.  They plan to go to the Children's Museum, the library, and probably out to eat a time or two.  I can't wait to hear the stories!

Food For Chan

Chan's been thriving on momma's milk since he was born as you can tell by all his rolls!  However in the past few weeks he's really been watching us as we eat.  He's even started licking his lips when he sits down to dinner with us.  Since he's gonna be 6 months next week we decided to go ahead and start giving him solids this weekend.  He had some powdered poi mixed with my milk and he didn't even make a funny face.  He was just trying to figure out what to do with his tongue and the spoon in his mouth.  Esme was insistent that she feed him and then she ended up polishing off all the poi that Chan didn't eat.  Ha ha!

What A Week!

Thanks to all the Halloween celebrations this week Esme will never forget this holiday!  Ha ha!  We trick-or-treated at the local outdoor mall last weekend and then they dressed up at school most of the week.  And then tonight she got to officially trick-or-treat in our neighborhood.  Esme liked seeing all the kids walking around in costumes and by the end of the night she finally started saying "trick-or-treat" when she knocked on doors.  Then once she was done walking around she enjoyed handing out candy to the kids.  Chan isn't much of a night owl and was asleep by 6:30pm so he missed out on everything

Both of the kids wore their bones outfits to school.

Chan Chan's been rolling over for awhile now but all of a sudden he's started doing successive rolls and really moving across the floor.  We've had to put away his bouncer and swing, since he can buck out of them, which frees up a lot of space in our house now.  Thank goodness!  We still have his jumper which he continues to love and helps us to keep him upright after feeding since he's such a spitty baby.

Esme's also continuing to grow up right before our eyes.  Her language keeps getting exponentially more advanced and she tells us things we have no idea she's learned all the time.  She's enjoying pretend play and make believe a lot more and likes to tell us all kinds of stories.  Her memory continues to amaze us too.  She's really good with names and remembering people and events.  When I come home from work everyday she always asks "How was your patients today mom?"  And when we give her medicine she always asks "And what does this one do?"  Only the daughter of a pharmacist and nurse practitioner would ask such a thing!  She gets Zyrtec for her runny nose, Zarbees for her cough, and Motrin for any owies when she's sick.

Esme made this owl out of a toilet paper tube at school.  I asked her to tell me about the body parts and she said it had eyes and a mouth (I asked if it was a beak and she said "NO, it's a mouth!").  Then when I asked her what was on the side she said 'it's hips."  Ha ha!

Let The Holiday Weekends Begin!

This past weekend we opted for some R&R after our busy weekend in Oregon the weekend prior.  The kids enjoyed just hanging out at home, eating and sleeping on their normal routine, and going to the parks nearby.  We put Chan Chan in the swings for the first time and he LOVED it when we barely pushed him!  He also loved watching his sister go back and forth next to him.

Esme also got a trial run at Halloween since the outdoor mall near our house had a trick-or-treating event for kids.  She thought it was pretty awesome to dress up in costumes and go around while people just gave you candy for free!  I didn't know how she'd react to her garden gnome costume that I bought on clearance after last year's Halloween but she was super excited about it.  She even wore the hat the whole time we were walking around!  We also met up with some neighbors, friends and even cousin Tabby!  Chan Chan wasn't too into it and slept in the stroller most of the time.  Luckily his tiger suit kept him covered up.