Hello Everyone,
It’s Christmas time again!!! Here is a little bit about what we did this year and how we are doing now.
Miriam
Not long after this we got the wonderful news that we were expecting a new little addition to our family!!! We couldn’t wait to meet our new baby and Eric was looking forward to having a little brother or sister.
As the snow began to melt, Eric was very sad as his favorite pastime was shoveling with the small shovel my mom gave him. He also really enjoyed our trips up the mountain to ski and “snowbobile” as he says it. Joe got several snowmobiles this year and has really enjoyed playing with them. His brother Jes and his family came to visit and we all took snowmobiles up to the top of the mountain, rode the lift down to a restaurant for lunch, then took our snowmobiles back home. It was so great to see them and a great activity to do together with kids and adults.
In June we decided to take a family vacation and ended up making it a road trip. We took my sister Monica along and she was a great help with Eric. Joe arranged for us to stop in Vegas to stay in a luxury suite in the Venetian to celebrate our 5th anniversary. Since we had our honeymoon in Italy, the hotel was reminiscent of that with St. Mark’s Square, the gondola rides and dinner at Mario Batali’s restaurant. We even found a family friendly magic show that Eric really enjoyed. Since our hotel was a mall, theatre, and restaurant all in one, we didn’t really go anywhere else. Most of the Vegas attractions don’t really appeal to us anyway!! We finally arrived at my grandparent’s house in S. California where we spent a wonderful week visiting with them and other relatives. We had fun taking Eric and Monica to Disneyland, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and San Diego Zoo. After saying goodbye to my wonderful grandparents we decided to head up along the coast to see Hearst Castle and stop in N. California to say hi to my cousin. The drive was beautiful with gorgeous views of the ocean and later Mt. Shasta and Mt. Rainer. We stopped in Tacoma to see Joe’s grandparents and sister Tiffany. We had a lovely evening with them. His grandparents got to meet Eric and we got to catch up. We only wish the visit could have been longer.
Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Randy & Aunt Sarah and cousin Hannah.
In front of our hotel in Vegas
Disney land
Universal Studios
Monica and Marilyn Monroe
Newport Beach
Hearst Castle
We stopped to see my cousin Heather in Redding.
Tiffany and Joe's Grandparents
San Diego Zoo
Because I was pregnant the summer seemed hotter than any other summer!! The pregnancy went well besides a few things: I sprained my ankle, had a horrible allergic reaction to antibiotics and had to use an inhaler for some severe chest congestion. That part was not fun!! I stayed pretty active though and Eric and I would take little walks and bike rides almost every evening.
Silverwood Theme Park with Mom and the kids.
Floating in the lake at Family Camp
A Beached Whale
About a month before the baby was due, we embarked on the adventure of adding on to our house. The addition includes a living room, four bedrooms, an office, and family room. And then in the middle of construction…I had the baby!! Thankfully our existing house was not really affected by the construction yet so I was still able to have a home birth. Labor started off a little chaotic as I ended up going to the bank to sign closing documents on our loan while having contractions!!! It ended up very calm and relaxed at home with my mom who is a midwife, my sister Martha who is a doula, my sister Maria who is an RN (who ended up hitch-hiking to get to the birth!!) and Joe. The labor was about seven hours and went much faster than Eric, which I was so thankful for. Little Shawn Joseph was born weighing 8 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long. Eric is the proud big brother and has adjusted very well. He loves to help with the baby and runs to him every time he whimpers!!! Joe was so wonderful and pampered us. When he finally went back to work he’d come home at noon every day to make us lunch, make sure I was drinking water, do the laundry and clean the house.
Meanwhile the construction continued. It was a race against time to get it done before Thanksgiving but we did!!! We were able to have my family and Joe’s here for dinner and we fit all 28 people!!! The new house is such a blessing and makes it so much easier to have family over. Everyone spent the weekend here and helped us finish moving things and completing all the small projects. There are still little things to be finished but the list is dwindling thanks mostly to Joe. I don’t seem to get much done besides the meals, feed baby, laundry, feed baby, change baby, sleep(haha), feed, change…
All the Grandkids at Thanksgiving
Besides the house projects, Joe stays busy at work as usual. The business is still growing which is a huge blessing in this economy. I am so proud of what a wonderful father and provider he is. I can’t thank God enough for giving me such a wonderful husband.
Eric is a pretty active little four year old. This summer he learned to ride bike, took a month of swimming lessons and spent a lot of time playing outside. We are doing the preschool co-op again and he’s really enjoying it. He surprised me a couple weeks ago by starting to read simple sentences. I got a Kindergarten reading curriculum and he’s is breezing right through it!!! One of his other favorite pastimes is playing the Wii. He loves doing the sports and Wii fit and is so good at it that he gives me pointers. I love it because we can do it together and are active while playing. He loves singing and will be performing in a Christmas program with his preschool. He also loves to play the piano and tries new songs all the time.
Shawn is such a good little baby. He only fusses if he needs to eat, be changed or sleep. Otherwise he’s content to play or smile and talk to us. He is smiling a lot, cooing, and even giggling a little. He is happiest when he’s propped up and can see everything. At almost three months, he just started rolling over!!! Now he just has to figure out how to get back over onto his back.
I am staying busy with the kids and getting my new house organized. I love Christmas and all the snow we have. It makes me want to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and enjoy a good black and white movie or book. My sister Mishael had a baby girl, Eliza Grace only nine days before I had Shawn and we have such fun taking pictures of them and watching them go through the same stages together. The babies complain to each other in their baby language about the hardships of their lives and how they have to put up with all these photo shoots and change of outfits…so tough!!
When I think about my family, my heart overflows with happiness at all the blessings God has given me. While there have been some difficult times, this year has been filled with so many gifts.
I hope that all of you are doing well and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!
We love you,
Moriah, Joe, Eric and Baby Shawn
