I'm thankful for...

FAMILY!

(How cute is he?)

This weekend I had so many family and friends over! It was AWESOME! The first to arrive was Uncle Levi. He's my little brother which makes him Zeke's youngest uncle. Then after hours of traffic from the Bay area, our good friends Lindsey, Kurt and little Chase got here. As soon as they got settled in my older brother Casey got here with his family: Laurie, Henry, and Miles. It was a party. Sorry Jacqui. She couldn't make it due to the new baby. Whatever. Laurie took a lot of pictures with her awesome camera, but I still snapped a few.

So the first night we all got settled in. Sort of. It was a tight squeeze at my house, but everyone had a bed of sorts. Then around 1am, Kurt and Lindsey decided they needed to leave. Chase doesn't sleep well away from home, and I guess he had been screaming since we went to bed. We all felt terrible, and they were greatly missed.

The next day, we all woke up to "Run to feed the hungry." It's the 5k I've been training for. We didn't get out of the house on time, and by the time we finally found parking, the race had started. Casey jumped out early, and made it with the 10k start, but Laurie and I just jumped in a few blocks from the start. We still did most of it, and by the time you count the hike to and from the car, we walked way farther. The problem was that with the jogging stroller we could barely move. It ended up being a really tight walk the whole way. It was so festive though. People were holding signs thanking us for donating, and it was through a cute neighborhood in downtown, so people were out front drinking mimosas and bloody mary's for thanksgiving cheering us on.

Then we got home, and I started cooking. I made some of my famous deviled eggs (can you really mess them up?) And by the time I was finished with the appetizers, it was time to cook! I had brined the Turkey in a very herbal mixture, and it turned out AMAZING! I was so proud of myself. Casey said that it was the best thanksgiving food spread ever. Josiah had requested I make a ham, so we bought a small spiral sliced, and that went over HUGE also. Here is the before. Don't mind the GHETTO ness. Paper plates, and patio tables. What-ev. We had fun. Josiah's cousin Brice came over for thanksgiving dinner too, since he lives like 2 blocks away.

The next day, the boys went shooting. They actually drove eastward up into the mountains to shoot in the morning, and then to San Francisco on the west to go to a japanese knife store in the afternoon. They pretty muched circled the width of California.

Laurie and I decided to take the boys to Old Sacramento. Miles LOVES trains, and so I knew it was a must see. They have a train that runs all summer for rides, but it closes in September, so we thought we had missed it. However, for the Thanksgiving weekend, they had a Polar Express! It was SO fun. I find myself getting misty at holiday thoughts. I LOVE the HOLIDAYS!

So Excited to see the trains!

Finally all snuggled up on board!

Miles couldn't even look at us for the pictures!

Henry just sat like this the whole trip. I couldn't believe how quiet they both were!

The next day was Saturday, and it was time to say goodbye to Thanksgiving, and HELLO to CHRISTMAS! We all went in the morning and got a tree at a fun little farm, and then in the evening we decorated. Josiah hung the lights on the house. Casey couldn't resist helping once he found out someone was going to have to get on the roof.

What good boys!

Then we decorated gingerbread cookies that I had made from scratch! They were pretty delicious. Miles kept putting buttons on, and then taking them off and eating them. And Henry and I put shorts on one gingerbread boy, and he was a fighter. His words, not mine.

Later that night, I decorated the Tree. It was SO fun.

My baby rolls!

I haven't gotten it on video, but I wanted to make it official. He actually did it once last week, and then again while I was in Oregon, and now this week he's been doing it a lot. He's rolling from his back to his tummy. I think he's forgotten how to roll back to his back though. Once he figures that out he's gonna be pumped. Then the floor's the limit!

Crazy Baby!!

Today my sweet boy took a nap that started out regular and when I went to check on him he was sound asleep in this position:

I didn't know anyone could sleep like this, but apparently it's comfy!

And then when I went to get him after his nap, he was completely turned around into this position:

I guess he kicked his way all the way around. Isn't he cute?

Husband of the YEAR!!!

Since I had my baby, my wedding band has been too small, and my solitaire fits, but I don't wear it a whole lot since I stab my baby with it and what not. When I got home, Josiah told me he had a present for me...

I LOVE IT!!! Now I need to get my chubby hands a manicure and we'll be set! It's perfect because it doesn't get tangled in my hair and my baby is safe too!

Oregon 2008

This past week I went to the OR (Oregon) to visit my family and help out Jacqui. I had SO much fun. Basically I got a taste of 2 kids for a week. I'm not ready yet. I mean, I could do it, but I'm still too selfish/lazy. Baby Paolo had a chance of pneumonia, so they had to give him intravenous antibiotics, which kept both he and Jacqui in the hospital until Wendesday. That wasn't so fun. The first couple of days I was there, Lincoln and I would wake up, go hang out at the hospital for a few hours, and then go out to lunch and then go back to the hospital, and then go home and play legos. Legos are so much fun. Now I want to go buy a really intricate project and put it together. On Wednesday, Jacqui came home, and it was so neat. We kind of had to keep out babies sequestered so as not to cross contaminate, but nothing says bonding like simul-nursing. Poor Dan. I hope he didn't have to see more than he wanted. Anyhoo, I am so happy for them, they have been praying for this little miracle baby for a long time. Oh, and by the time I got there, Jacqui was just walking around like no big deal. Of course it was kind of a zombie walk from lack of sleep.

Here's Lincoln and Paolo. What a good big brother!

This is Casey's garage/mat room. Perfect for letting some little boys burn off energy. Every house needs a padded room! Miles, Lincoln, and Henry!

I didn't know 5 month olders could really get bored, but this one did. Zeke was getting so stir-crazy, so I took him to Laurie's and let him play for an hour or so. He LOVED IT! Oh, and I got to hang out with Laurie too, so win/win!

And my precious baby taking a nap in our bed. He did SO amazing with his sleeping. I can't say the same for when we got home. Cribs just aren't the same!

I got tagged!

Thanks Ashley! It's my first tag ever. I think. Anyhoo, here is my 4th picture of my 4th folder. It's from my trip to Los Angeles. Jacqui came down from Oregon last spring, and we took an EVENTFUL trip down to Burbank to visit her sister in law Mary Jane. She is so much fun. She took us shopping downtown and we went out to lunch. This picture is my nephew Lincoln, and Mary's little girl Scottie.

We're in a fancy baby store, and the kids loved this giraffe. Ironically Jacqui just bought a different huge giraffe for her nursery. She must have been inspired!

Oh yeah, now I tag Kelsey, Kristin, Ivette, Thera and Haya.

Congratulations Reichs!

My awesome sister Jacqui had her baby, Daniel Paolo Reich Jr today. Her water broke this morning, and by this evening he was out. The little guy came 4 weeks early, and still weighed 7lbs 6oz. Good thing she didn't go full term! We're so excited for you and Zeke's so pumped to have a little cousin to play with. Paolo will probably pass him in weight by January.