Asher woke up on the morning of his birthday saying, "I'm four!" His theme of choice for his special day was pirates. He was most excited about presents and cake, as any other four-year-old would be. We had a fun day enjoying our son, playing with new toys, and of course, eating cake!
A common conversation that I have with other moms is discussing which is more challenging, going from one child to two, or going from two to three. My response? Going from one to two was MUCH HARDER than going from two to three. Cora is a very easy baby, so that is part of it...and having two older children that can keep each other entertained is a major plus, but it is also about my attitude and the experience I've gained. It amazes to see how much my children have grown and changed over the years, but I'm also amazed at how I've grown and how much they have changed me.
Friday is Toby's last day of Kindergarten. I find it hard to believe that I will be the mom of a first grader! His teacher, Mrs. White, who he had for the majority of the year and is a phenomenal educator, advised us to encourage our kids to write often, but not to correct their spelling. I love reading Toby's writing and I have been wanting to include some excerpts on my blog. It isn't quite as cute when you can't see it in his own handwriting, but here it is just the same:
The ocean is very big. The ocean haev abowt amileyin difit cins of animls. The pusific ocean is the bigis ocean in the world. The bigis animl is a blou wayl.
I've lost five tethe. I sartid baseball. I love animls. I like socer. My favrit sesin is sumer. I am six years old. I haev dogs thet come to my yard behid the fens.
One day he asked if I could text daddy this message:
Dere Dad will you git me a dog on yor waye home from werc?
We have been so delighted to watch Asher in his new role as big brother. He is so tender and sweet with Cora and already protective of her. He loves to learn and completes pages in a workbook while Toby does his homework. In fact, he seems to like "homework time" much more than Toby does. Hope it lasts!
What can we say about Cora? She's perfect! She is almost 12 weeks old and is weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces. She is small, but very healthy and happy. She is generous with her smiles and loves "face time", interacting with anyone who would care to have a little chat with her. She is the sugar coating that makes our lives extra sweet.
One thing that makes a mommy's heart glad is to watch her children interacting together (in a loving, peaceful way...the sibling rivalry type of interaction drive me nuts!). Here are a few pictures I took of the kids spending some precious time together:
Our baby girl, Cora Marydith Bundy, arrived via scheduled C-section on March 18th, weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces. We couldn't be happier. She is sweet as sweet can be. We are smitten.
We named her Cora, which means "girl" or "maiden". We also saw the word "heart" as one of the meanings for her name. To us she is, "the little girl who filled our hearts." Cora is also a nice combination of Tim's parents' names: Craig and Mora. (We can't wait for them to meet her! When are you coming????)
Marydith is my grandma's name on my dad's side. Mary is also my mom's name, so Cora's middle name is a tribute to my parents and my grandma. I can't describe what my grandma means to me. Every year, for twenty years, she made the long trip down to Guatemala or Ecuador to visit our family. I also lived with her for several summers during high school and college. Her home was a welcoming and comforting place for me when I was homesick, especially when I first moved back from Ecuador. My grandma has advanced Alzheimer's now and doesn't recognize us, but my mind is still filled with memories of the person she was, her funny sayings, and her warmth.
Doting on her, the boys are delighted with their sister. They often ask to hold her. Toby will stop every once in awhile and pat her head and Asher talks to her in a tender voice. They have both expressed to us many times how much they love her. Our family feels more complete with Cora here. We are so thankful.
Just had to document on my blog that we officially moved in to our new house on March 7th, 2010. We are excited that we were able to pull off the move before the arrival of our baby girl. Kristi Bundy, my incredible sister-in-law, was here helping us through the packing and move. She has a gift for organization and we just couldn't of done it without her...or at least we couldn't of done it as efficiently as we did with her awesome help!
My C-section is scheduled for this Thursday, the 18th! We are looking forward to meeting the little maiden who is going to help her mommy bring some balance to this male dominated household.
Toby had his second "First Day of Kindergarten" on Wednesday as we switched him to a school in our new community. He seems to be adjusting quickly to his new school and friends. His favorite recess pastime? Playing chase the girls. Except I hear sometimes the girls chase the boys at this new school. Good for them!!
Asher is hanging in there through all the transition. He is proud to be three-and-a-half. We celebrated his half birthday back in January, but I didn't get a chance to post a picture, so here it is:
Speaking of birthdays, Tim turns 34 tomorrow! Happy Birthday to the man of life! He is an incredible husband and daddy. He is the center of our family and we can all be pretty demanding of his time. I loved watching him play soccer outside with the boys this week in our new backyard. I feel so privileged to be Tim's wife and to be able to have a family and "do life" with him.
Asher is definitely exerting his power to make his own decisions, to be very particular about how things are done, to be stubborn, and independent. I can't say that I always keep my patience. A lot of his behavior is really, in fact, driving me CRAZY, but there is a cute side to it all.
For example, after a shower, even after he is in his pajamas, he likes to keep his hooded towel on his head and pretend it is a cape. He then turns in to his alter ego: EVERYTHING SUPERHERO! His motto is (and Asher proclaims it in a very serious, superhero-like voice), "I'm strong, I'm mighty and I can do EVERYTHING by myself!!"
It doesn't matter that his hooded towel has bunny ears on the hood and doesn't give the impression of a tough superhero. To him it is a mark of his incredible power to have things HIS WAY.
I can't really blame him for wanting to have control. Although he is not completely aware of all the changes to come, he is going to very soon have a baby sister and our family moving to a new house. The transitions will be a lot for the little guy to manage. We may be in for even more power struggles with Asher, when the world as he knows it begins to fall apart. Maybe I'll just keep his hooded towel handy so he can be reminded that Everything Superhero rules the world!
You gotta love three-year-olds. I sure love my resident Everything Superhero.
As my tummy gets rounder and my unborn baby's rolling around gets more pronounced, the reality of this little being that is going to join our family is setting in. Even as I type I feel the occasional kick or shifting as if baby is saying, "Hi, Mom!"
The plan is for baby to be born via c-section on March 18th. My last two births didn't go according to "plan", though, so I'm just trying to stay ready for anything. As the time draws nearer I am looking forward more and more to meeting this little girl. I wonder what her hair color will be... What her temperament will be like... Will she be a good sleeper?! (Oh, please, yes!)
FYI: The pictures below were taken in November. I am much bigger now, and not so sure I want to be photographed. :)
I am not much of a blogger anymore, but I still want to try to get at least one post up a month so I have a record of our quickly growing boys and their active lives.
Toby had a fun soccer season, which wrapped up in November. His team was full of talented and motivated players - a great group of kids! Toby scored goals almost every game. He loves the sport and is very driven when he is on the field. We loved watching him play.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving, just the four of us, but somehow that made it extra special. We are so thankful for our little clan. Asher flashed a huge smile for me AFTER his Thanksgiving program at preschool, but spent the actual program feeling shy and hiding his face behind his hands. (It was still cute.)
Matt, Sara and Bella visited the first week of December. Having a baby in the house was so fun for all of us and we all fell in love with Bella.
School Christmas programs (this time Asher sang confidently), parties, and shopping carried us through most of December. Toby got one of his Christmas gifts early: tickets to Disney on Ice from Uncle David and Auntie Kristi! It was neat to drive in to LA and go to a show at the Staples Center (where the LA Lakers play). The boys were captivated by the amazing performances, costumes, and music.
I love Christmas! So glad my parents could spend it with us!
We spent the morning of New Year's Day watching the Rose Parade, but not on TV! With Debbie living so close to the parade route and the boys being old enough to sit through it, I decided this was the year to be there in person. It was totally worth it! It was a beautiful day. Looking forward to 2010. Happy New Year!
Some years call for a big birthday bash, and others are for going somewhere special as a family. For Toby's sixth birthday this year (November 4th) we decided on a family trip to Disneyland!
On the tram - ready for our big adventure.
One of the highlights for Toby was participating in the "Jedi Training Academy". He was chosen to be a padawan learner and taught a series of movements with the light saber. Then everything got really exciting when each child had a chance to fight Darth Vader or Darth Maul (not pictured). Toby fought Darth Vader bravely! In the second picture he is using "the force" to make the stormtrooper to the left fall back. Definitely a memorable experience for our little Jedi.
The force is strong in this one.
Toby is still a big fan of Peter Pan. Here he is enjoying the Peter Pan ride with Dad and Asher. Debbie and I were in the pirate ship ahead of them.
We all really enjoyed the Jungle Cruise!
It was a fun, fun day - also an exhausting day! The kids were asleep practically before we pulled out of the parking lot. Before we left Toby declared it the best birthday he has ever had, which is what a parent wants to hear.
The following day we did have cupcakes and ice-cream and Toby opened his presents. His favorite gift was the Nerf dart guns that we bought for him and Asher. As if having footballs and light sabers flying around the room isn't enough, now we have darts going all directions. This is my life.
Recently we were going around the table saying what we like about our family and Toby said he liked that we love him. He certainly got that right. He is very loved in this family and we have treasured watching him grow up and are excited to see him continue to change and learn.
Hurry!! Must get pumpkin pictures on the blog before the end of October! (Phew. I made it.)
This year we decide to keep it real and go to an actual pumpkin patch. We drove to Oak Glen, an area of California famous for its apple orchards (we were too late to pick apples - that happens in September - maybe next year!), for a day in the country. Debbie and Andy piled in to the van with us and we were off to enjoy some scenery and fresh air. Our day's activities included a corn maze, picking pumpkins straight off the vine, visiting a petting zoo, and drinking apple cider. It was a fun way to celebrate Fall.
Cooking a little pumpkin in the oven!
A little late, but still heartfelt: Happy Birthday Dad! Our little family loves you very much!
The first day of school fell on the same date for both Toby and Asher, and today was the BIG DAY. Toby, especially, has been looking forward to starting kindergarten for a long time. He was ready! After milling about his new classroom for awhile, he finally asked me, "Mom, when are you leaving?" I could tell he was waiting for kindergarten to really begin. He had a great day and we are very proud of him!
Asher has tagged along to either drop off or pick up Toby from preschool for the last few years, so it was neat to see him finally get to stay and play himself. One of my favorite things has been hearing Toby, the expert on his old preschool, give Asher advice...like to make sure to be first to get the blue shovel in the sand yard. Really important stuff.
Asher also had a great day. I expected him to be quite tired, and maybe quite cranky, after his exciting morning, but he was happy as can be, even singing a little song he had been taught. Such a big boy.
I usually try to get in at least one or two blog posts per month, but August kind of slipped by me. We did have a fun month, though! Here are some of the highlights:
We fit in several visits to the local children's museum, called Kid's Space, including this fun visit with friends: Nana & Papa, and Uncle David & Auntie Kristi visited! The pictures below are from our day at the arboretum. We all loved having so much family around! Aunt Debbie took a day off from work to hang-out with her nephews. We went to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. In the summer the museum has a butterfly pavilion, which we visited first. Butterflies of every color - it was amazing. Indoors, it was dinosaurs! Unfortunately the very end of our summer, the last few weeks, were spent mostly indoors due to wildfires in the foothills near us. The smoke and ash made it unhealthy to be outside. But that only made us more ready for the fall routine to set in.
Speaking of birthdays, Tim turns 34 tomorrow! Happy Birthday to the man of life! He is an incredible husband and daddy. He is the center of our family and we can all be pretty demanding of his time. I loved watching him play soccer outside with the boys this week in our new backyard. I feel so privileged to be Tim's wife and to be able to have a family and "do life" with him. 
School Christmas programs (this time Asher sang confidently), parties, and shopping carried us through most of December. Toby got one of his Christmas gifts early: tickets to Disney on Ice from Uncle David and Auntie Kristi! It was neat to drive in to LA and go to a show at the Staples Center (where the LA Lakers play). The boys were captivated by the amazing performances, costumes, and music.
I love Christmas! So glad my parents could spend it with us!
We spent the morning of New Year's Day watching the Rose Parade, but not on TV! With Debbie living so close to the parade route and the boys being old enough to sit through it, I decided this was the year to be there in person. It was totally worth it! It was a beautiful day. Looking forward to 2010. Happy New Year!
On the tram - ready for our big adventure.
The force is strong in this one.
Toby is still a big fan of Peter Pan. Here he is enjoying the Peter Pan ride with Dad and Asher. Debbie and I were in the pirate ship ahead of them.
We all really enjoyed the Jungle Cruise!
Asher has tagged along to either drop off or pick up Toby from preschool for the last few years, so it was neat to see him finally get to stay and play himself. One of my favorite things has been hearing Toby, the expert on his old preschool, give Asher advice...like to make sure to be first to get the blue shovel in the sand yard. Really important stuff.
Unfortunately the very end of our summer, the last few weeks, were spent mostly indoors due to wildfires in the foothills near us. The smoke and ash made it unhealthy to be outside. But that only made us more ready for the fall routine to set in.
