Family Thanksgiving

It's hard to believe but we were totally up for a second Thanksgiving meal a day later at my parents house. I got to make the pies this time instead of the turkey and mashed potatoes. I discovered that pecan pie really is incredibly easy to make and man, is it tasty! Why do we only make it around Thanksgiving?! It was so nice to spend time together as a family and we even got to play a few rounds of Yahtzee after the kids were in bed--a Yoder family favorite.

My parents kept Sasha for the rest of the weekend so we could have some down time with just Jack. It always makes me realize how much easier it is with just one, especially with just a baby. I never would have said that the first time around with just Sasha to care for, but my perspective has changed completely.

When we came down to Albuquerque to pick up Sasha on Sunday night, we went to the huge Christmas light show at the Botanical Gardens.

Friend Thanksgiving

This was our year to be with the Yoders for Thanksgiving; however, my dad was visiting his mom in Ohio on the actual holiday so we had our family Thanksgiving on Saturday. On Thursday we collaborated with 3 other families to put together a tasty traditonal meal at our house. The food was delicious and a good time was had by all.

The kids were seated at the table for 5 minutes at the most and then enjoyed "Curious George" in the living room.

Jack enjoyed his dinner several hours delayed. He slept while we ate--perfect timing.

Jack's First Road Trip

As with any place I've ever lived, if I stay in town too long I get antsy to take a trip. Since having Jack we've pretty much been laying low in Albuquerque and Santa Fe so we were due for a getaway. We drove 5 hours south to the Carlsbad Caverns for a long weekend. The cave was amazing, but what Sasha loved the most was the Holiday Inn express with the indoor pool and hot tub! We used both heavily every morning and afternoon. We all slept really well in a hotel room together--Jack had his longest stretch of sleep to date even! We also enjoyed a small zoo in the town where the animals were in their natural habitats.

Sasha is much more interested in artwork these days.

Indy visitors

I was thrilled to have my old nursing school pals, Jill and Michelle, out in Santa Fe for a visit last month. We did all the classic Santa Fe things like eat breakfast burritos, browse the shops around the plaza, relax at the Japanese spa in the mountains one afternoon, and hike. They were real troopers in spite of the high altitude. Thanks for coming out to visit, girls! The weather was perfect and it continues to be the warmest holiday season since we've moved here. 60 degrees and sunny today!

comparison picture

This is Sasha at 10 weeks. She and Jack definitely look like brother and sister I think.

Jack! Jack!

Jack is 2 1/2 months old. Word around town is that Jack is starting to look so much like his big sister. I'll post a picture of Sasha at a similar age and you'll see it's true.

Halloween

Sasha wanted to be a ghost for Halloween. Sounds easy, right? Except who has a plain white sheet lying around that they want to cut up? I decided to see if I could sway her with a purchased lion costume and sure enough, there was no mention of a ghost after one look at that hat with a mane.

Sasha LOVED trick-or-treating this year. We had been practicing for several weeks leading up to the event at our own front door, so she had the "Trick-Or-Treat" and "Thank You" routine down pat. I am pleased to say that the last of the treats were consumed last week. No more begging for a piece of Halloween candy--Yay!

Here is Jack around 6 weeks old. We are pleasantly surprised by what an easy-going baby he is. He is very content to be held and watch the goings-on around him without much bouncing, singing, shushing, etc. He's on a great sleeping routine at night where we put him down easily at 7 pm and he sleeps 5-6 hours before his first night feed. He goes right back to sleep and is up 1-2 more times for a quick feed before waking for the new day around 6. His dark hair is slowly starting to grow in an "old man" pattern around the bottom of his head and his grey eyes are turning brown--no surprise there. He was almost 11 lbs. at his 2 month check-up (75th percentile)--this kid is solid.

Indiana Visitors

Phil's brother Ben and his family came out for a quick visit in October. Sasha had so much fun with her cousin Mary and still talks about her every day. Too bad we don't live closer! We went on a great hike to Tent Rocks one day. The girls did the 2 1/2 mile hike that involved a lot of rock scrambling almost entirely by themselves--real troopers.

Pumpkin Patch and Birthday

We all enjoyed a day at the local pumpkin patch that is really more like a cross between a county fair, amusement park, and farm. Sasha loved riding the little cow train pulled by a tractor, the huge slide (below) and of course the hayride to the pumpkin patch to find a pumpkin.

Phil baked me a sinfully declicious cake the weekend before my actual birthday. It was peanut butter cake with chocolate filling, cream cheese frosting, and Butterfinger topping. I justify all the calories with breastfeeding! He also played a great host to a group of my friends who came over to help me celebrate.

October

I'm far behind in my blogging along with all other aspects of my life these days. It's just SO much busier with 2 kids but SO much fun too. I never find myself bored like I did sometimes when I was staying home with just Sasha when she was a baby. Jack is about 5 weeks I think in these 2 photos.

Sasha carving her first jack-o-lantern.

Sunday in the Mountains

Last weekend we met a group of friends up in the mountains for a potluck brunch. We all hiked up about a 1/2 mile from the ski lodge with our food and kids and spent a lovely sunny morning on the deck of one of the restaurants still closed for the season. It was such a nice way to enjoy the changing colors and crisp air of autumn.

After lunch we went on the chairlift up to the top of the mountain to enjoy even more of the changing leaves. Although it made us both a little nervous, Sasha LOVED her first chairlift and requests to go on another one daily. The only casualty was her bagel that Phil dropped accidentally about 1/2 way up. Jack enjoyed the ride from the comfort of my Moby wrap.

Jack after his first feeding at 12,000 feet.

Our little Jack is growing and changing so much. He is easy to please as long as he's in someone's arms. He's a great sleeper in the evenings, but hasn't mastered the longer stretches after 2 a.m. When he's awake he loves to sit and watch Sasha or lie on his play gym.