Family picture- attempted...

On Saturday evening, we attempted to get a family picture of the four Peoples people and the two Peoples canine family members, all together. It was a funny event and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. In the event that you ever think it's easy to wrangle and photograph a toddler and a newborn together, and to also include two hyperactive dogs in said picture, think again- you're wrong. :)

Two weeks old today!

Yesterday Camden turned two weeks old! He is following the "normal baby routine:" he eats, he sleeps, he rolls around on the floor for tummy time. He's also been smooched by Alex- and Addie! Here are some cute pictures of both of the boys.

Alex wants to "help!"

Alex is curious about the baby. He is giving "besitos" to Camden in this picture! :)

First night home

Last night was our first night home, with all of us here. This morning we are all tired, but that's par for the course. Thank you to Laura for dinner last night! Alex was interested and seemed like he wanted to "help" by repeatedly giving Camden his pacifier (even if that meant poking it into the baby's eye). :)

These are two cute pictures: Alex looking into the bassinet and Camden sleeping this morning.

A New Arrival!

He's here! Camden Henry Peoples was born at 3:13 pm on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. He weighed 7 pounds and 10 ounces and is 21 inches long.

(He is almost exactly a week younger than his cousin Aidan, Brant and Bridget's new son, and almost a year younger than his cousin Makaylee, Mike and Stacy's daughter.)

We came home just this afternoon and tonight will be an experience because Alex has seen the "baby" (a word that Alex says now), but I don't think he realizes that the "baby" is coming HERE to STAY with us. :)

We are very thankful that Grandma Eileen is here to help us all adjust and that Erica was able to brave a night taking care of Alex while we stayed at the hospital!

So the adventure begins...

Company and cravings

We have been really lucky to have such fun (and patient) visitors over the past two weekends. During the Halloween weekend, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Jessica came out from D.C. and we all went to spend the night in Monterey (Our hotel was located on the beach and we could hear the waves crashing all through the night; it was fantastic!) on Saturday. We had fun and also really appreciate how patient they were with our "limited social capabilities!" Last weekend, my Grandma Jeanne was here and Dick and Betsy also came down for the day on Saturday (They were in The City for a business trip.). We played Euchre and cooked on the grill- and of course watched Alex repeatedly do his new trick... jumping off the laundry basket into a stack of pillows on the floor.

This week, I am waiting, waiting, waiting... and today I shared my "pregnancy cravings" with our dogs! I have been eating a LOT of frozen fruit smoothies (JAMBA JUICE!) and today, I bought some frozen treats for Addie and Malcolm- "Frosty Paws!"

A New Video...

Alex has a new "song and dance." See if you can recognize what it might be...

First haircut!

Oh, boy! Erica and I took Alex for his first haircut today; he did not love the experience. I've put in a "before" picture from not too long ago (so you can see his hair and curls) and a picture of Alex at the hair salon.

Pumpkins for the Munchkin

Last weekend, I took Alex to the pumpkin patch near our house. He ran through the hay tunnel, watched the bunnies, and picked out a tiny pumpkin. He was really cute, but it was not easy to convince him that it was okay to crawl through the haystack once he got some hay pieces on his hands!

Firsts...

First started crawling in December (same date and same place as I felt his first kick!), first started really walking in June/ July, first "real word" that he actually uses with purpose: DOGGIE!

Summer Vacation!

Last week, the three of us went to KC for a summer visit. At Grandma and Grandpa's house, Alex and his friend from across the street, Quinn, played in the sprinkler in the front lawn. During this trip, Alex also discovered "stairs" and spent a lot of time going up, down, up, down, up, and down any set of stairs that he could find! He also had his first trip to a "manageable" playground and loved it; he seems to love slides! Now that he is walking, he is exploring and really enjoying all kinds of new adventures.

During our trips, Addie and Malcolm go to "doggie camp" and when they get back home, they are usually pretty tired from their stay. I had to include this picture of Addie, asleep on our Elmo doll, because it was so cute!

Alex is on the move!

Ohh, boy! This short video is from early July. Alex has been walking a lot; he has even improved in the last two weeks!

More pictures

Alex in DC, June 2008

Alex enjoying the video game "Rock Band"

Getting caught up!

I am out of regular school for the year. Finals are finished and grades are entered. Only two weeks remain until I start summer school with the fifth graders! Since I last blogged, Andy's parents have been here for a nice visit and we have taken a weekend trip to visit Uncle Ryan and Aunt Jessica in Washington DC.

When Eileen and Chuck were here, we all went to the Farmers' market in Los Gatos and also to Lake Vasona park, where we all rode the miniature train. The Farmers' market is held near the park where there is a big fountain. Alex had a GREAT time crawling around in it with some other little ones! (Pix above)

This past weekend, we spent a long week

end in DC. The flights out and back were long (and we got home last night sans suitcase :), but we were glad to get a chance to see R and J and their dog, Sal. Alex didn't know what to do with a dog who would let him near enough to tug on his ears! Friday, we visited Alexandria, VA and then browsed the Eastern Market in DC on Sunday- and we hit every toy shop in those areas! Andy, Jessica, and Ryan all went for lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl on Saturday and I stayed in and napped with Alex- he was zonked that day and I was, too! He didn't seem to be feeling too well, soooooo... we all hopped in the car and checked out the "touristy spot" of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD, where the A-man was diagnosed with a continuing middle ear infection.

We had a really fun trip and are so thankful to R, J, and Sal for their hospitality!

Sites:

http://www.easternmarket.net/

http://www.benschilibowl.com/history.html

Birthday cupcake video!

1st birthday party!

Today was a fun first birthday party for Alex, held at Homestead Park. It was a BBQ hosted by Laura and Karen and it was really great! Here are some recent pictures: Alex opening his "Busy Ball Popper" from Michelle and Bill and then AFTER eating his first-ever cupcake! :)

What? A New Post?

Isn't this a surprise? A new post for the blog? I have been beee-hind on putting up any news! As of this moment, Alex:

a. has four teeth (2 on the top, 2 on the bottom),

b. can pull up to standing and then bounce around, while holding on,

c. has cute, curly (and possibly a little too long) hair, and

d. crawls very fast, but still drags one leg.

These pictures show him eating a dill pickle (He loves them!), having fun at bath-time, and showing what fun he can have with a paper bag!

A tooth, a tooth!

Last week, when we arrived in KS for a visit, we noticed the top of a tooth pushing through- one on the bottom- and of course it seems to be crooked :)

State Maps... where we've been

Since we are just past his 9-month birthday, I wanted to piece together an idea of where Alex has been and what he's been up to since his birth, so this is something kind of fun from that line of thought.

Our State maps- his 7-State map is on the top. (You'll be seeing plenty of red and blue maps this year during election season!!)

Fun with blogging...

My on-line "world-pin-map:"

Make your own:

http://douweosinga.com/projects/visitedcountries/

Oops!

I wrote a new post about Alex, but posted to the wrong blog. To read it, visit http://a2cajayhawks.blogspot.com

Wednesday nights at AVAC

Finally- more from the The Little Guy's swimming lessons, which are going "swimmingly"...

(This is the first time I am putting a video on the blog, so it's only a very short clip. You can get an idea of the Swim School pool and in addition to seeing Alex and Andy, you can see some of his classmates- cute!)

SWIMMING LESSONS!

We have had three swimming lessons with Alex and I still have not taken any pictures on my actual camera! I have some on Andy's cell phone, but I promise to post some real pictures soon. Our part of CA has had a LOT of rain in the past few weeks, so the warm indoor pool is nice. Alex truly seems to be enjoying his lessons; he smiles often during the thirty-minute sessions held on Wednesday nights. At this point, he has "learned" about entering and exiting safely, holding the wall, kicking, using "big arms," and floating on his back. He has three classmates who are all similar in age and his teacher, Sheena, is kind and helpful. This is a fun experience for all of us so far! Here is the link to the AVAC Swim School:

http://www.avac.us/club/scripts/section/section.asp?GRP=10273&NS=HOMEA

First Christmas!

For Christmas 2007, the Three As were busy! We travelled to Kansas and then made our annual journey to the beach in Siesta Key, Florida. We had a wonderful vacation with family and friends and we were both sad to leave the holiday season behind.

In Kansas, we were able to get together with Whit and Kirk, Mike and their new daughter Makaylee, Judy, Brant and Bridget, Beran, and even Andy's college roomie, Steve! On Friday, Alex was an adorable model for some professional pictures that we had taken in Lawrence. Chuck, Eileen, and I all went and had a really fun time trying to amuse the A-man! Now, we've seen the pictures and we are going to have some tough calls to decide which ones to order! (Dwight took our engagement pictures in 2000! Here's his website: http://www.ciphoto.net/indexxp.htm) On Saturday, we went to the KU/ Miami of Ohio game. It was snowing when we arrived at The Wheel before the game... it was a BLIZZARD when we left Allen Fieldhouse! We went downtown for lunch at Quinton's, where we thought we'd wait out the storm. Mass. Street was never even plowed, Chuck and Eileen were the kindest babysitters for the night, our bar tab grew exponentially, and we spent the evening at the Westminster Inn! Christmas in Kansas was chilly when we were outside, but was filled with warmth and fun everywhere inside!

On Monday, we headed south, for the warmer climes of The Sunshine State. In Florida, we were able to share special times with Grandma Jeanne, Ryan and Jessica, and Dick and Betsy. We spent the week enjoying each other's company at the pool, on the beach, at meals... and at Captain Curt's (where Andy karaoked Steelheart- more than once)! http://captaincurts.com/index.html

(Yes, we did also play some Euchre, but one of us would rather leave his record unmentioned.) All three of us had a relaxing and special time in Florida and we are already ready for next year!

I hope this posting finds all of you doing well in 2008!!