The Adventures of Gabi, Maya & Jacob: February 2014

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Semi-Retirement :)

These are my new breakfast buddies...

I am loving my part-time work status. My principal refers to me as the semi-retired teacher (in good fun) and many people have commented on how much happier I appear. (Was I really that bad before?!) It has been good for ALL of us. Our mornings are so much less stressful...it was REALLY hard to get all FIVE of us out of the house dressed nicely, fed, packed, and ready for the day by 7:45 each morning.

Maya is loving it. We play games every morning (our latest favorite is Sorry!) and just spend time together. She loves that I'm able to take her to school and that I'm able to slow down and do things with her. I still can't believe that she is going to go to Kindergarten next year. This was really my last chance to have her with me at home.

Jacob loves it as well. There's nothing better than extra snuggles from mommy and getting to sleep in a little longer in the morning. An added bonus is that I only have to pump milk once a day now instead of three! Score!

Gabi is even reaping some benefits. I'm able to help out in her classroom and eat lunch with her every Friday now and the sight of her huge smile when I walk in the door makes it all worth it!

I'm also able to keep up with the house chores better. I can do a load or two of laundry each day instead of doing what seemed like 200 loads each weekend. I do a little cleaning each day instead of trying to clean the entire house each weekend. We are able to enjoy our weekends more now instead of trying to play "catch up".

It is also helping with my guilt issues. On one hand, I feel guilty when I am not with my kids. On the other hand, I feel guilty when I am not working because I have SO MUCH time invested in my training to become a teacher and I really like my job. (Can you tell I'm Catholic?! Ha!)

So for now, Part-time Mommy/Part-time Teacher seems to be pretty good fit.

Life is Good

Here are some more pics from the last month or so...

We usually get a Bountiful Basket every Saturday and then spend some time prepping veggies and planning meals for the week. Both girls are getting pretty good at peeling carrots. Maya thought the Brussels sprouts were sooooo CUTE! Too bad that didn't mean she would want to eat them. At least Gabi liked them! That girl eats anything!

Waiting "patiently" in front of the oven for the Valentine's heart cookies to get done baking. :)

A Maya and Mermaid "selfie" I found on my phone. :)

Gabi is such a good helper! Jacob loves when she feeds him.

On a hike

We took Gio on a hike and showed him some of our favorite spots!

And last, but not least.....GABI LOST HER FIRST TOOTH! She pulled it out all by herself and was soooooo excited! The Tooth Fairy brought her a dollar covered in fairy dust and a tooth receipt. :) Good stuff.

The new tooth has already started to grow in behind it.

Snow Bunnies

I took the girls up to Meadowlark last Sunday while Joe stayed home with Jacob. I met my friend, Katie, and her kids up there. The snow was great and everyone had a blast!

The crew!

Maya and Mommy selfie on the lift

Maya had a breakthrough day. Her balance is great and she is getting better at making turns. I'm afraid to turn her loose from the harness because she still needs to work on her strength doing the snowplow. She is so silly and giggles the whole way down the hill. Everytime. It is awesome!

Gabi is in the green coat. Her buddies are in front and behind her. The were unstoppable!

Maya was sad because we had to be done and go home

We finally got a chance to try out the snowshoes. It has either been too cold, not enough snow, or one of the kids has been sick every weekend since Christmas. There reallly wasn't enough snow around the house to really need them, but it was fun anyways.

Snow Castle :)

Best Wishes from Wild, Wonderful, Wintry Wyoming!

8 Months

I swear this little boy has to be the happiest little guy around. It seems like he is ALWAYS smiling and wanting cuddles.

He is getting SO big! He is about to outgrow his 12 month clothes just because he is so long. I'm excited for his 9 month check-up just to see how long he is. Maya was a chubby and squatty little one. Jacob is just long and hefty! He is sitting up by himself very well now. He studies things in his hands and is just content to chill out and play with his toys. He really loves his jumperoo and can kind of push himself in his walker. Of course his favorite thing to do is cuddle.

My students and I were joking about taking selfies and they were daring me to take one of myself. So, I used the tips they gave me and took some of Jacob and I together. (I'm sorry but I think it is silly to take a picture of just yourself...maybe I'm just too old school). Anyways, they turned out pretty cute and even my students thought they were good. :)

I really want to crawl, but haven't figured out how to move my legs and arms forward. It shouldn't be too long!

Checking out the cat. Rocky loves Jacob and uses every chance he gets to cuddle up to him.

I like to roll onto the concrete floor and don't seem to mind one bit that it is so hard. At least it is warm! Crazy boy!

Lots of love! Tara

Christmas with the Halls

After returning from our ski trip, we celebrated Christmas with Joe's family. :)

Just what she wanted...a monkey!!

All the cousins and an impostor...another monkey that Maya received!

At our home, in front of the Christmas tree, fresh from bath time, dressed in their new jammies and robes from Auntie Manda and Uncle Greer. And Maya's even has monkeys all over them. :)

Merry Christmas from the Halls!

Christmastime Fun!

We all did lots and lots of skiing while we were in Winter Park. We spent a couple of days at Granby Ranch, a smaller ski area that was perfect for the girls. Maya took lessons and then spent an afternoon skiing with me. Gabi is a little ski bum already and just bombs down the mountain. By the end of the week she was riding the lift by herself and beating Joe and I down the hill. It is so fun to ski with her!!

We met Santa in the ski lodge as we were meeting for lunch!

Joe and I even had a day to ourselves while my Mom and Dad watched all the kiddos! This was a rare treat and we took full advantage of it!

Maya and Joe riding the lift. This picture makes it look like there wasn't much snow, but actually the snow was pretty good! It snowed a lot while we were there as well.

Ski Buddies!

My Mom, Gabi, and I skied together one afternoon

Nice pizza slice Gabs!!

My Mom and Dad on the bus to Winter Park!

We also went tubing with Tom and Angelene. The girls had a great time! It was even more fun when we tied all the tubes together and raced down the hill all at once.

My dad brought these awesome marshmallow guns that he had at his office. They were super fun and brought lots of laughs one evening after the kids went to bed. The girls got in on the fun a couple of days later. We need to figure out how to make these because they are hilarious!

Nice helmet, Joe

Great times were had by all!

Christmas

On Christmas Eve, we went to the base of Winter Park for a lighted skiier parade and fireworks show. There were lots of carolers, a huge bonfire, and lots of merriment.

With my mom and dad waiting for the show to begin

The parade of skiiers coming down the mountain and the fireworks display set to Christmas carols.

Maya received a huge set of legos!

Both Maya and Gabi received snowshoes from Grammy Mary and Papa Gary

Gabi picked out an Elmo CD player for Jacob from the Christmas Shoppe

Angelene and Tom adopted a seal and sea lion from the Marine Mammal Center near San Francisco for the girls. They received a picture of their own adopted animal and a special book and stuffed animal. They love them and have even shared the with their classmates on show and tell days.