Christmas Card Pictures

Well, its that time of year again... you know, where you're freaking out because you realize that you need to send out photos for Christmas but you didn't plan far enough ahead in advance to schedule your hair appointment for BEFORE your photo rather than after so you have really bad black roots that emphasize the fact that your blond hair is really artificial. Not to mention the fact that you also failed to pick out your 'outfits' until 30 minutes BEFORE you're getting the photos done so you're just HOPING that you have clean pants/shirts/socks/whatever.
Or maybe that is just the Lesiw household.

Anyway, our little 'photo-shoot' actually went really well, and Claire did a good job of being pleasant, even though it was around nap time. A big shout-out and thank you to the Moulton's who took our pictures and made us feel like our procrastination wasn't an issue. Christmas cards should start going out next week, and if you're reading this, and haven't been contacted by me via email for your mailing address, its probably because I DON'T HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS and would love to get it! So just leave me a comment with your email address and I'll contact you! (and I'll delete your comment so it's not floating around in cyber space)

Hope everyone is enjoying the countdown to Christmas!


This was actually a close 2nd. The photo we went with 'showcases' Claire more. And when it comes down to it, isn't that all that really matters? I doubt people are disappointed if Bob and I aren't in it. (and seriously, no 'pitty comments' about how you'd love to see us in the picture because then I'll know that you really are a liar.)

We didn't use this picture for many reasons...
but honestly, I laugh really hard every time I look at it.
And that has to be worth something!

Someone got a new camera

For my birthday I got a new camera so I'm trying to learn how to use it. So of course I turn to my favorite 'model' - dear little Claire. Granted, these aren't the most interesting pictures, but they sure are pretty cute!

Grace Group Christmas Party

So we just got back from the Grace Group Christmas Party and I have to hurry and get my photos posted as Sara and I have many of the same ones! The costume theme was 'entertaining Christmas attire', or something to that effect. Not everyone dressed up (and you know who you are!) but a lot of people did. I don't have full representation of all the costumes since my computer won't let me load some of the photos and I don't have the time, nor the patience to figure out why. So here is a small taste of what was there.

The Host and Hostess.
They came as 'The Night Before Christmas' and got to wear their pajamas.

'Three French Hens'
You know, it was a pretty clever costume. And I have to admit that I'm rather jealous of their creativity skills. The small details that you may not be able to see are the little scrolley french mustaches. Seriously, double click the photo for a full-sized view. You won't regret it!

I know. I think they're ridiculously cute too. Kind of makes you want to throw up a little.

We went as a 'Gingerbread Couple'.
Looking at this photo makes me think, 'Is it funny? Or just kind of sad?'

(Its amazing what you can do with felt and a glue gun.)

It's been a while...

Well... it's pretty crazy how time can pass by quicker than you think. I was giving Sara a hard time about never updating her blog, and here I am, a few 'events' behind. Let's see.. what did you miss...

1. Thanksgiving. Not that special. Claire was super sick, and I forgot my camera at my parents house so I never got around to posting pictures. Of course there was excellent food, fabulous family (to hang out with) and we received these super cool blankets from my cousin Genalee. (Go to the Garate blog to see a photo.)

2. Christmas Decorating. Again, not that special. I opted to use a 4 1/2 foot tree that sits on top of a table. No, it isn't real, but from the outside of the house you'd think that it was 'full size'. We'll probably have Bob pick up a 'real' tree from Longs and stick it outside by the front door. That's what we've done in years past (okay, so only two other times) and it works out pretty good. With Claire moving around so much (and trying to pull herself up) I figure that a full size tree in the house is WAY more trouble than it's worth. I'm actually pretty happy with this set up. We can put gifts on the table and I don't have to teach Claire the meaning of 'No Touch'. I can save that for another glorious day.

3. My Birthday. Not bad, but not that special either. HAHA. I mean, I turned 32 and I feel like I'm REALLY an adult now. (in the 'old' sense of the word) Bob and I went to Reno for one of his continuing education classes/my birthday (but mostly his continuing education class) and once we got up there I realized that I forgot my ID, and credit cards. I had taken them out of my purse when I was using a smaller one earlier in the week. Anyway, I was slightly freaking out about being in the casino (while he's in class) and not having my ID and getting kicked out and me not having any place to go while he's learning about diabetes. Bob just looked at me and said, 'I don't think you have anything to worry about.' Hmmmm. I guess what he's really trying to say is 'You don't look like you're under 21, and no-one is going to mistake you for a teenager or ask for your ID so I think you're making a big deal out of nothing.' Of course I prefer his 'gentler' version. Maybe what he really meant was 'You're so stunningly beautiful that all the casino workers will be too intimidated to ask you if you're actually old enough to be gambling'. Yeah... I think I like that one best. To be honest, I did have this little plan in my mind that if by some chance some-one DID ask for my ID I was going to act like I couldn't speak english.

Okay, one more casino story and then I'll shut up. When we checked in The Peppermill (yes, I know you're all jealous right now) Raelin at the counter was giving us 'tips' as she was also a self proclaimed VIP gambler there. She said that we should sign up for a players card and then bill everything to your room. When you're playing slots, use your card, and then before you check-out go to the information booth and ask what you're eligibility is for comps. She said, it doesn't matter how MUCH you spend, it's how LONG you play, and to 'take it from her, because she's VIP'. So Bob and I go to a decently expensive steak dinner, which was decent - not great, but decent, and then we start to gamble. Bob's super tired and he has to get to registration for his class at 7:30am. So I say that I'll take one for the team and keep gambling so we can get our comps, because obviously I won't have time to gamble in the morning before we check-out since I'll more than likely be sleeping. Anyway, to make a long story short, I gamble until 3am, only to find out the next day that our comps equal $13. Yeah. That was TOTALLY worth my time. Thanks Raelin, you're the best! Good news, is I made $100. So I'm cool with it.

The best part of my birthday was going swing dancing. There's a place in downtown Sac that has dancing on Friday nights with free lessons. So the Garates and a few other couples all went down for a night of fun. And honestly, it WAS pretty fun! For those of you who remember, I used to be really into swing dancing back in the day. I think it was at least 8 years ago since I went dancing last. No joke. Well, there was this guy there (think mid-50's) that was really good and I knew my 'style' of dancing would work with his, so I asked him to dance. It was great to see that some of the moves came back. I would say like 'riding a bicycle' but I really stink at riding bikes, and I'd like to think I was half-way decent that night. Anyway, it inspired me to get 'back into it' and I think Bob and I will end up taking lessons. Bob actually is a natural. (at least I think so!) Its also a great cardio workout. As soon as the second song started I thought my heart was going to explode. But I survived.

Okay, enough babble. I'll post pictures soon. Of what, I have no idea.

New Milestones

Our dear, sweet Claire is definitely growing. I can't believe that its already been 7 months since she was born. I remember bringing her home, and dealing with the sleepless nights and asking Sara when it would end. She said around 12 weeks, and I thought that sounded like FOREVER. And here we are, sleeping through the night like a pro, and becoming more and more MOBILE!

Yes, Claire started moving across the floor at 6 months, which turned into an army crawl, which is now a full-fledged-on-hands-and-knees crawl. A couple of nights ago Bob was on the floor and Claire crawled over and started to pull herself up on his legs. We moved her back to see if she would do it again, to which she did. Not bad. Kind of cool even. Well, now what we thought was just 'cute' is apparently going to be an 'issue'.

I put Claire to bed and went downstairs so Bob and I could finish watching 'The Next Great American Band' (don't laugh, its a cool show: Friday nights, 8pm, Fox) and we're startled to hear Claire crying. And not just crying, but the I-hurt-myself-really-bad-so-come-help-me crying. I literally run upstairs (which is actually pretty hard for me and I don't like to make that a habit) to find Claire holding onto the end of her crib in tears. I'm guessing that she bonked her head or face or mouth somehow while trying to pull herself up. Bob was only a few strides behind me, and we just look at our cute little munchkin and think 'well.. now what?' Realizing that the crib mattress will now have to be lowered (but there's no way Bob is tackling that job tonight) we try and figure out what to do. The easiest and quickest answer is to set up the pack and play. So for tonight, Claire is sleeping in there and if she tries to pull herself up and falls, at least it'll be a soft landing.

So now a new phase of motherhood is starting for me. The whole 'make sure your kid doesn't hurt themselves too bad since they're trying to learn how to balance themselves' phase. I used to think (in the not so distant past) that things would just be easier with Claire once she started moving. Hmmm. Guess I was totally wrong on that.


Oh yeah... my house still isn't finished.

It's Monday...

... and there are no photos to post. But the good news is that we ALMOST reached our goal. For the most part, all the big furniture pieces are moved. The floors are finished, and look pretty FANTABULOUS if you ask me, and now its just getting all the 'extras' put away or thrown away, or destroyed.

So hopefully we can still work on this stuff, but Bob is back at work and will be working this weekend. The positive, is that he should have next Monday and Tuesday off.. so worst case scenario is things get done early next week. We'll see what happens.

I'm taking Claire to get her 7 months photos done tomorrow. I can't believe she's already that old, and that another month has just flown by. Crazy. Christmas will be here before we know it.

Anyway, it's after 10pm and I really need to take a shower.

Taking a break...

Sorry, but there will be no pictures in this post, so some of you may want to pass on this one.

I'm just sitting at the computer, procrastinating. So I figure I'll be some what productive and update the ol' blog. Bob and I are in the middle of re-organizing the house. This is a project we've been talking about for months, but now we're finally getting the time to do it. Bob had a couple of extra days off of work so it's worked out nicely. Claire has been more than cooperative, so we've been able to get a bunch done. Well... at least it seems like a ton. But we still have a ton to do. I was explaining the process to Sara and I said that yesterday we were like.. 25% done. Today, we're like... 27%.

We decided to switch up the layout of quite a few rooms. The 'bonus room' is now our office/workspace, the old dinningroom/livingroom is now just a big livingroom, the familyroom/breakfast nook, is now a dinning room/sitting area, and the old office is now a play room for Claire. The only thing that looks partway done is the play room, and that's because - for the most part - it's empty. Currently we're working on finding a place for everything that was in the office. Which is actually a HUGE job considering you could barely walk into the room before all this started. Bob has been doing a ton of filing, and I'm finally organizing all my scrapbook paper. (but I still have all my ribbon, so I think I have my work cut out for me)

Our goal is to have this all done by Monday morning when the installer comes to take the CARPET OUT OF ALL THE BATHROOMS! I'll be so glad when we have NORMAL floors in there. We're skipping the tile option (too expensive) and we're doing lenolium. (not sure how to spell that) Its nice stuff, really hardy, 'tear proof' or something like that, but it's also a really good price. The next project will be getting the bathrooms either re-painted, or wallpapered, or something. But that's for another time... no rush on that.

Well, Miss Claire woke up and its now time for her to eat dinner, so I shall bring this post to a close. When everything gets finished and filed away, I'll post a few pictures. If it's not up by Monday, then you know we didn't reach our goal.

Claire in Corning

Well, the Lesiw's have arrived home after attending my cousin JD's wedding. The location of the big event was Corning, Ca. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, it is a major truck stop off of I-5. Also, word on the street is that it's the olive capital of... the world? Okay, so maybe I'm not too positive on that last part. The weather was FANTASTIC and it was a beautiful autumn day. JD and his bride, Terri, married in a small white church surrounded by family and friends. It was really fun to see family who traveled far (Uncle Matt, Aunt Pat, and cousins Ben & Lindsay w/adorable little Caleb, and Luke - who's representing NJ!) and meeting new people as well. I can't believe that it's already over. Another family wedding. Gotta love 'em!

Claire did pretty well on this trip too. She slept the whole way home, which was nice since she didn't get good naps in while we were gone. This trip also made me realize how much stuff you have to pack with an infant. Seriously, it took us two trips to unload the car to get into the hotel. But the nice thing, is that Claire is a pretty good traveller. Not that we plan on making this a habit, but if the need/want should arise that we need to hit the road again, at least we know we can bring the girl along too!

Halloween fun

So it's hard to believe that Claire's first Halloween has come and gone. I actually don't mind because I found that trick-or-treating with an infant really isn't that much fun. We didn't take the stroller so we had to carry her everywhere and honestly, after a little bit 14lbs starts to feel like 20. Fortunately I had friends who were willing to 'switch off' with me.

Wednesday morning we went to our moms group Halloween party. Since it was a potluck, I brought the only logical choice and stopped by the local KFC and picked up a bucket of chicken with all the fixin's. Believe it or not, it was a total 'hit'. Nothing says classy like KFC.

That night we went over to the Garate's house where Sara treated us with homemade stew! (My job was to drive by Raley's and pick up bread... are we seeing a pattern here?) Two other families joined the festivities and while the moms took the kids around the block, the menfolk stayed back and passed out candy. All in all it was a fun night and I really think Claire enjoyed herself. Even though she'll have no recollection of what we put her through, she'll always have pictures!

Oh yeah... Claire DOES have 2 costumes. I couldn't decide between the two... fortunately we had 2 events to go to. Hope you all enjoy!!!

Is this the cutest elephant you've ever seen?!?! This one is SO not going to the zoo!

See! She really DOES like it!

And to think that this wasn't even ALL of the babies there.

The motley crew that roamed the streets in search of tasty morsels.

This is one spider I'm NOT going to squash! Too cute, if I do say so myself!

It's a small stash, but a stash nonetheless. Mom is just stoked to eat free candy!

The Pumpkin Experience

I belong to a 'moms group' and for our outting this week we decided to go to the pumpkin patch. This is the first thing we see, so of course we all bust out the cameras and hold our babies up. Because as you all know, there are just a million and one things that a 6 month old can do at a pumpkin patch.

Everyone else was doing it. Therefore, so must I.

This is a close-up of Claire in that pumpkin sign thingy. The funny thing, is I actually have a picture of me in a somewhat similiar pose when I was little.

I took this picture while on the train ride that drove us in a large circle. We were going through the tunnel as I snapped this. I think it was totally relaxing for the both of us. Wouldn't you agree?

SCARECROW = PHOTO OP.
Enough Said.

Here is a delightful photo of Claire with her friends:
Ethan (on the left) and Dillon (on the right).

I think this picture exemplifies the passion Claire felt about sitting next to a half-way rotting pumpkin. Good times. Good times.

It was quite the day, and just after 1pm Claire konked out before even getting to the car. Guess all that pumpkin stuff wore her out.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures (okay.. so maybe only 4)

Okay, so this was SO not meant to be the first picture you see, but hey, I guess things happen for a reason, right? haha. Anyway, this is a photo from a 'Britney Spears' themed birthday party I went to. The blonde on the right is my friend Mary (and birthday girl). And believe it or not, she was ACTUALLY MISTAKEN FOR BRITNEY SPEARS while we were out. Hmm. I mean, I think she had a great costume and all... but really... if we're being honest here, I think I AM the most authentic Britney. Who doesn't love an Asian Brit -right?!?!?! It's believable. Yeah... Sure it is.

I was doing hair the other night and I walked into the room to see Bob and Claire lying on the floor watching football. This had to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen in my entire life, so of course I had to go run and get my camera. Fortunately they were willing to hold their 'pose'. SO CUTE - and so is my daughter.. (hee-hee, love you Bob!)

This is our little munchkin that we know and love. It's photos like this that make me just want to squeeze her!! I'm proud to say that she is now just about 14lbs. I know, she's just bigger than a large infant. But at six months, she's has doubled her birth-weight, so it's all good.

Sweet little Claire. So unhappy. I know the 'quality' of this photo is totally lacking, but I just had to post this as I love her 'big lip' as we call it. See.. the girl DOES get upset! She's not perfect all the time!

Ahhh... another beautiful wedding!

So the Lesiw family just returned from a weekend up in Little River. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, Little River is just outside of Mendocino, which is just outside of Fort Bragg. Basically, its up on the Northern California coastline.

My best friend Krissie, who I've known for 27 years (yes, that DOES make me feel old) just married the love of her life, Adrian. They were married on a bluff overlooking a rocky coast. There were clouds spread through-out a blue sky, with the sun shinning down on all of us. The day before was wet and grey, so we were all thrilled to wake up to sunshine on Saturday. Krissie looked absolutely gorgeous in a white dress that literally floated down. During the ceremony, a slight breeze softly blew her hair and veil in such a way that you felt like you were watching a movie.

We stayed at 'the Mallory House' at Little River Inn. Our room was lined with windows that allowed us to look out onto the ocean. There was a deck that had 2 rocking chairs and even a hot tub. (note to self, always pack a bathing suit, just in case. oh well.. lesson learned)

The reason I'm explaining all this is because we LOST OUR STUPID CAMERA AND WASN'T ABLE TO TAKE A SINGLE PHOTO THE ENTIRE TRIP SO I HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW OF THIS WEDDING. Can you tell I'm a bit frustrated? On a bathroom stop on the way home we found the camera. Hidden in a compartment in the diaper bag. I literally had to breathe and just 'let it go'. I'm sure I can get pictures from her family members, but its still a bummer. I'm really disappointed about that.

I'm still here...

Okay.. so I was GREAT for 2 days posting. Not bad, but then I just got really busy and now I feel like I'm so far behind

I have some random pictures to post, but I had to email them to myself from Bob's computer. But my email hasn't received them yet, so I guess I'll have to wait. We're leaving tomorrow morning for Krissie's wedding, and I'm REALLY hoping that we aren't going to be too late. I have a million things to do still.. (hense the after mid-night posting) so I guess I should get off this thing.

If any one cares, I'll be posting pictures soon.

Lesson Learned

You know, I'm starting to think that the whole 'motherly instincts' thing is over rated.

Claire is in the middle of her first cold. I think I'm rather lucky, actually, because she's basically six months and I'm just dealing with this now. Although she did end up in the ER at 2 months due to a high fever, but I still think that was a fluke. Anyway, the night before last I awoke to the sounds of Claire crying at 1:45am. I go into her room to find her WIDE awake and after a series of 'tries', I get her to fall back asleep around 3 am. She wakes up again just after 6, where I promptly just bring her to bed with me. (I know, its highly suggested that you don't have a 'family bed' but I really enjoy my sleep and since I don't have a nanny that will allow me to sleep in all morning, I figure this is the next best thing) It works for a bit, but then we have to start our day. I'm tired, but figure I'll get to lay down at some point. Well, to make a long story short, I never got a nap, Claire was fussy ALL DAY LONG, and I've never been so thankful to see Bob walk through the door as now I'm calling the 'first alternate' up to duty.

As night approaches, I figure I'm going to be REALLY prepared this time. Okay, so I thought about being 'prepared' after Claire got up at 11pm with absolutely NO signs of wanting to go back to sleep. I decide to sleep in the spare room with her. Might as well just start us together since I know that's how we'll end up in the morning. I get the bed all ready with pillows to surround her; I have a 'bottle making station' set up next to me in case it actually gets to that point (which I'm more than willing to do if it means a few more minutes of sleep for me in the end) and of course her nose squeezy thing and burp cloths. As Bob sets up the humidifier I'm actually kind of smiling to myself at being so organzied in dealing with this cold. So we all say good night, turn off the lights, and settle in.

And then all heck breaks loose.

Claire is scratching my eyes and face and starts this crying/screaming thing. I try singing to her, but realize its hard to sing quietly while laying on your side, so I switch to a half whistle that I think really annoyed her. So then I try sitting up and rocking her, patting her bum, ANYTHING I can think of. Totally not working. After I don't know how long, I take her into our room and tell Bob I need his help. (poor guy, he has to get up early in the morning, but I figure a few minutes of awake time now, is better than lots of minutes of her crying) As Bob holds her in our dark room, I run downstairs and make up the couch so that I can hold her through the night as she sleeps. Yes, I actually thought that I could just cradle her in my arms and let her sleep. I think, 'she can't breath through her nose, so she wants to be elevated'. I grab the 'bottle making station', the nose thingy, burp cloths and all, and have it all set up next to me on the couch. Bob brings her down and thats where we notice that Claire is SUPER happy. Weirdly happy. She's wired and we have NO idea why. So we just look at her. I'm actually debating putting on the TV at this point. After a bit Bob goes back upstairs while Claire is just sitting next to me on the couch. We turn on a light so its not too dark, and I try and start to settle Claire down for the night.

Again. No good.

She's crying, arching her back, rubbing her snotty nose all over my shoulder. Its miserable. For both of us. Annoyed that yet another one of my clever ideas didn't work, I take her upstairs and put her in her crib. To which she promptly rolls over, grabs her blanket, and goes to sleep.

Hmm. All she wanted was to be in her bed.

She wakes up one more time right before Bob's alarm goes off, but she goes back to sleep pretty quickly. So fortunately I get a bit more sleep. Now a new day is here, and I'm hoping that this cold is on its way out the door. Because really, I don't want to have another night like the last, and I'm sure you all don't want to hear it again!

Umm... ah.... hello?

So... I guess this is the beginning of the Lesiw Family Blog. Bob of course thinks this is lame, but since I'll be the one updating and managing this blog, I figure it doesn't matter what he thinks! Hardy har har. Anyway, I'm basically jumping on this bandwagon of blogging only... what... 10 years after the craze started? My hope and intent is that I will be able to update this thing more often than I call, and post more pictures than I send. So, with my posting a few pictures today, I'll already be ahead of the curve.

Okay. I'm off to figure out how this thing works.