Christmas in Puerto Rico

Rather than stick around here in Portland to enjoy the white and cold Christmas we headed to Puerto Rico to enjoy a little different Christmas flavor. 

We had a blast staying in an authentic Puerto Rican house  near Rincon beach with all of Ashley’s family. We were thrilled with how well our kiddos traveled. Luke wasn’t too much of a surprise - eating and sleeping most of the way. And  Lydia, despite having to sit on my lap, was a good sport. Naturally, she loved the taking off and the landing. 

Each day we visited a different beach. At the first beach Lydia just stood still in the sand not wanting to move. It didn’t take her too long to get used to it. It was pretty funny to watch her in her floaty thingy in the water yelling to anyone who would listen, “I swimming! I swimming!” It reminded me of the sailing scene in “What About Bob?” 

Ashley and I were content to lounge around the house or the beach and make frequent trips to Pollo Tropical - a grilled chicken and rice and beans restaurant. We also gave boogie boarding a shot in the waves surrounded by real surfers. 

Now we’re back home safe and sound. Of course we’re cold, and we go to bed at 8 PM and wake up at 4 AM because we no longer have any concept of time. Here’s a link to some of the pictures taken on our trip. Enjoy!

It’s snowing! It’s snowing!

Snow in Hillsboro? And it sticks to the ground? Apparently so. It started snowing this morning, and for Portland standards, it built up in a hurry. The roads were covered enough that they actually cancelled our Sunday church meetings. Lydia had only ever been in the snow once before  (she was less than a year old and had just started walking) and wasn’t a big fan. But today she was in heaven. Of course, the most fun part was stuffing snow down mommy’s coat. Who knows where she got an idea like that. :)

Pious Lydia

Lydia said her first prayer all by herself the other day. We were sitting around reading a book when all of a sudden she looked down, folded her arms and said a prayer to Heavenly Father. I didn’t understand much of what she said other than, “Heavenly Father.” But I guess she just felt the need to pray. She looked up and smiled when she was done. It was so cute!

She prays all the time now - sometimes when we ask her to and sometimes just because she feels like it. Yesterday, she thanked Heavenly Father for the Cosby Show and that was it. She’s sincere, I’ll give her that.

Christmas lights

Earlier this week we pulled out some Christmas lights to make the house a little more festive, and Lydia has been in heaven ever since!  She loves to see them twinkle and takes me by the hand to look at them with her several times a day.  “Mommy, come here!  You sit right here,” she’ll say, patting the ground beside her.  “Look, oooh, so pretty...”  She also enjoys looking out the window at the neighbor’s outdoor Christmas lights, shrieking “Look, look at Christmas lights!  Whoa!”  Lydia isn’t much help putting up lights, but if you want someone to admire your work and make you feel like you made the best Christmas light display in the history of the world, she’s your gal.

Spit-up Happens

Oh, the joys of motherhood! But seriously, isn’t his spit-up the cutest looking mucus-bile-milk mixture you’ve ever seen? :)

This week’s potpourri

For me, it was a super busy work week that flew by way too fast. And so that I don’t forget the more meaningful happenings in life this week I’ll put down a few anecdotes here. 

It was a big week up in the nighttime sky. The bright and shiny moon (a new fascination Lydia picked up from her cousin Nick) returned in full force from its hiding place (not sure where it was hiding but it was). Each night Lydia made sure we knew it was out and told us exactly where to look to find it. 

Luke thought he could successfully pull off what few others have done before - The Gallon Challenge. Even after emptying Ashley he wasn’t satisfied. He didn’t care where we got it, he wanted more milk. He downed almost entire bottle of formula. He forgot one very important rule though ... to make the challenge count you have to hold the milk down. That one tiny detail proved too much to overcome. 

Luke has now added cooing and smiling to his list of activities. These bring a much needed balance to his tooting, burping and pooping - as cute as those things are. 

One night this week, on the way home from an activity, Lydia blurted out from the back-seat that she needed to check her email. I had to do a quick check to make sure it was still 2008 and that I hadn’t missed a chunk of years of her life. I’m not sure where she picked it up; I guess at some point she’s heard either Ashley or me say it. Kids grow up too fast.

Nap-time

So, as a mom I have to say I enjoy nap-time. Occasionally, when Luke cooperates, I can get them both to sleep at the same time and then I can actually do things that I want to do, like read email, read a book, sleep, or even go to the bathroom unattended by a little voice saying ‘”potty, potty, pee pee.” 

Lydia usually goes to sleep pretty easily as long as you follow her funny little routine.  It begins by her saying goodbye to everything she sees as we make our way to the stairs.  “Bye coloring, bye chair, bye apples, bye pears, bye food, bye couch, bye hanger, bye stairs.”  Once we reach her room, she asks for her “pa-pa” (pacifier) and blankie, then folds her arms for a prayer.  The prayer is said, she leans her head forward for a kiss, and then says “big hug?” with her arms out.  After the hug is given, she lays her head down and (usually) goes out pretty quickly.  It’s pretty endearing, I have to say, and usually I need her to do something endearing by nap-time.  So, now that you know the routine you’re qualified to babysit.  Any takers?

You thought you had a rough day...

The picture says it all ... Lydia is having a tough time adjusting to our new life. She hasn't been sleeping well at night for the last week and it shows in the morning. The challenge of going for a "stroller ride" (her term for pushing a stroller as well as riding in a stroller) on the uneven ground of our backyard was just too much for her today and she fell apart. There was "weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth" ... followed by a long nap. Upon awakening, all was right in the world, and Lydia was once again able to show her sweet smile that her mommy and daddy love.

The Joy of Pee

Yeah, I know, she’s not a boy, but a story about pee just fits with this picture. 

This morning Lydia was running around crazily as usual and just happened to be naked. (And only for a matter of seconds I should add.) Tyler came downstairs with her clothes for the day and noticed with the sun coming through the kitchen window some shiny footprints on the wood floor. And, of course, those footprints led right to a nice clear puddle a few steps away. He did the math...quick-pee Lydia had left her mark. She denied it. But she denies everything so that’s not saying much. I guess the floor needed mopping anyway. :)