Santa

Last week was our Church Christmas party. Santa was there to see all of the kids. Zoe was on his lap just long enough for us to take this picture. She had a look on her face like, "who is this stranger and why are you so willingly handing me over too him?" We tried to get Jacob to sit on his lap but it was a not happening. As we carried him over, his body went rigid and he would not bend at the waist. It's ok, we have a book that we read every night about Santa. Jacob doesn't call him Santa. Instead, his name is "toys".

Zoe was so good at the Christmas party and Jacob was having a great time running around with the other kids. I don't think I got a good picture of him because he was always on the move.

We are leaving tomorrow for Texas. We are so excited to see everyone!! I have been counting down since Christmas and think I am about to jump out of my skin!

Flu Season

Well it is that time of year...flu season. Yesterday we went out as a family to get the last necessities before we leave next Saturday for our Christmas vacation. Unfortunately, Zoe and I got a cold. Nothing too serious at this point but we are trying to rest up so we are healthy for our holiday travels. I am just glad that we got sick now and hope we will be healthy while we are in TX. I really don't want Zoe's first Christmas to be like Jacob's first. For those who don't know, we all had the flu and didn't celebrate Christmas as a family until after the new year. Happy Holidays to all and I hope everyone is healthy!!!

Oh the joys of parenting.

Yes, that is a fire truck and yes it is parked in front of our house. I had a very fun filled afternoon yesterday. After getting the kids up from their naps, I was in a hurry to pick Brandon and one of our friends up from school. I had to get the usual things in the car...purse, diaper bag, coats, and of course the kids. My usual routine is to get everything but the kids in the car then come back in the house for the kids. Everything was going as planned. The car was ready Zoe was in the car and I told Jacob to go get in his seat. He now knows how to open the door, climb up and sit in his seat. We are still working on him being able to buckle himself in. Anyway, I realized I had forgotten my coat, so I went back inside and got it. In the 20-30 seconds I was inside, Jacob turned my very well planned outing into chaos. He likes to play with the buttons on the driver side door and sit in the driver seat. In literally 20-30 seconds, he opened the driver door, pressed the lock button, then closed the door. This wouldn't have been that big of a deal except for the fact that I had already gotten everything in the car and ready to go...including the keys and Zoe. If Jacob had stayed in the car it wouldn't have been as bad because I could tell him to unlock the door or just wait till he hit the button again, but no, he got out of the car and was playing in the carport. Once I tried all of the doors (on the shear chance one of them didn't lock) I went to my neighbors house and asked him if he knew how to break into a car. When he told my the only thing he could think of was to break the window, I called the fire department here on base. When I told them my son had locked my 6 month old daughter in the car with the keys, they simply asked for my address and said they were on the way. When the got here Jacob was so impressed with the fire engine he just stood in the driveway pointing. They had Zoe and my keys out in just a couple of minutes. The Firemen were very nice and took pictures for us so we will always remember this day...yay. After all of that, I was only 20 minutes late picking the guys up from school.

Fun Times

While I was putting laundry away in Zoe's room, Jacob pulled over a stool and climbed into Zoe's crib. He decided that the doll needed to take a nap. He tucked her in and gave her a kiss goodnight. It was so cute!

Zoe sat and watched Jacob. Every once in a while she would fall over, but she is getting pretty good at sitting up.

One of Jacob's favorite things to do right now is build leggo airplanes. He will pull out the box of leggos while constantly saying "pwain! Pwain Daddy, Pwain." Brandon made a small plane for Jacob, then got a little carried away when making one for himself.

This past Saturday we put out all the Christmas decorations and listened to Christmas music all day. Brandon thought this outfit was appropriate for the festivities. She had so much fun kicking off the little boots while Brandon was fighting to keep them on her to take this picture.

Thanksgiving

This is the first Thanksgiving I have ever spent without my family. Luckily I survived. We went to our friends, the Bushmans', house. Jess and I split up the cooking and ended up with waaay too much food. Dan kept asking me how many people I expected to be eating and if I knew that a recipe could be cut in half. They are from Utah and don't know the Texan philosophy, more food is always better. I am thankful for so many things that I know I couldn't name them all. I can't believe how happy we are with the life we are living. I am so grateful for my family and how we have stayed close even though we are far apart. I am also grateful for our friends who have made California feel like home.

Trick or Treat

This year Zoe was a Chinese Doll. We got this outfit in China Town when we went to San Francisco last month. I wanted to put make-up on her but I decided it would be way too hard to get it off.

Jacob was Buzz Lightyear. He absolutely loves the "Toy Story" movies.

We had two Halloweens this year. On the Saturday before Halloween we went to a Trunk-or-Treat at our church. We were supposed to be there at 5:00 but didn't get there until 6:15. We thought we allowed plenty of time to get the kids in their costumes but were not prepared for Jacob's complete melt down. When Brandon started putting his costume on, Jacob screamed and went into the fetal position. I don't think I have ever seen him get so upset. We finally got him to calm down by letting him play driver in the van (his favorite thing to do). Once we got to the Church he was fine and ended up not wanting to take his costume off. He figured out that when he wears it, he gets treats. On Halloween night we went to a friends house for a party. There were a lot of kids running around in costumes, so he had a really good time. On the way home, Brandon drove Zoe and I trick-or-treated with Jacob. He thought that every house we went to, was a party. He would ring the door bell and as soon as the door opened, he would run past the person and the candy. He almost got to the living room at one house before I caught him. When we got home we realized that Jacob hadn't gone to the bathroom since we put him in his costume. We also found out that there isn't an easy way for him to us the bathroom with the costume on. He started saying tee-tee and running to the bathroom, but when Brandon tried to take his costume off, he got mad. It was a very interesting catch 22. No need to fear, we got the costume off in time. I hope every one had a Happy Halloween.

Our First Earthquake

Well, tonight we had our very first earthquake. Brandon tried to tell me it was just the wind so I wouldn't freak out...Ha! The light fixtures were swinging and the mirror on the wall was shaking. Jacob and I were on the bed and the bed was shaking too. We could hear the rumble come and go. Immediately after, a friend of mine called to make sure we felt it too. It was a 5.6 in San Jose which is about an hour North of us. Well, it is nice to say that I have felt and lived through a real earthquake.

messy food

Here is Zoe's first time having baby food. She was eating sweet potatoes.

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend we went to Borchard Farms, a pumpkin patch. They had pumpkin art, a 1200 pound pumpkin, a corn maze, and of course lots of pumpkins.

Jacob's friend Bryce and his Mommy got to come with us. They had these wagons to take your pumpkins to the car but it was perfect for the kids. Zoe was so cute in her bumbo seat.

There were rows and rows of pumpkins. Jacob and Bryce liked to run through them. Brandon would also chase them.

We got a couple of pumpkins and this was our finished product. I have never used a pumpkin carving kit. They are really cool. I carved the witch and Brandon did the sail boat. Jacob's favorite part was pulling the guts out of the pumpkin. Zoe sat in her bumbo seat the whole time talking to us. It was like she was telling us what to do.

Kids

Zoe has found her feet!! She is constantly grabbing her feet and trying to eat her toes. I think it is her favorite pass time.

Jacob thought it would be fun to play in the cabinet in the bathroom. This is one of the things he found and decided it would be a good toy. He later peeled off the paper and stuck it to his chest.

Jacob has a great grip and wanted to help Brandon work out.

What can I say...she is a very happy baby. Brandon isn't a fan of her big bows, but I love them!!

Rice a Roni...the San Francisco Treat

Jacob wanted to make sure we didn't forget him!


A couple of weeks ago we went to San Francisco for the weekend. We went to celebrate Brandon's 25th Birthday. He has been wanting to go to China Town for a while. We left early Saturday morning and were able to make to the Temple book store and the Babies 'R' Us. Two of the must stops when we go to the Oakland/San Francisco area. That afternoon we were able to check into our hotel which was about 15 minutes South of downtown. It was really nice and a lot cheaper than staying anywhere downtown. We were able to get a suite so that the kids could sleep in the living room and Brandon and I could stay up in our room. That makes it a lot easier than having to go to bed at 8:30 with the kids. Saturday late afternoon/evening we went downtown, and let me tell you driving downtown is not easy with all of the trolleys, buses, cable cars, and people who walk out in front of cars without a care in the world. We rode the trolley all the way down to the Pier. The view was incredible. The trolley was a bit crowded but I met a couple from Australia who had been sight seeing all over the continent for 6 weeks. They didn't go to Texas so I couldn't let them go home with out learning how to say "y'all". Down at the pier we saw a WWII submarine and a beautiful view of Alchatraz. We didn't get back to the hotel that night until 10:30. Jacob was running on fumes. He ran around doing anything and everything to stay awake. Once we got him to lay down and be still, I swear he was asleep in less than five minutes.

On Sunday we spent all day in China Town. I was so proud of Brandon! We went into a shop that had the Chinese style dresses and Brandon started having a conversation in Chinese with the guy in the shop. I hear Brandon speak Chinese quite often but never to someone he doesn't know and never a full fledged conversation. Needless to say, I was impressed. We walked around all day looking in shops and at the scenary. We found a guy who writes Chinese Calligraphy. Brandon asked him to write "Ma Jia", which is basically "The McCain Family". We hung it up in our dining room. At sunset we went to the Golden Gate Bridge Park and took some pictures. Then we had the two hour drive home. I was very glad that we did this on a holiday weekend because we had all day Monday to rest before Brandon had to go back to school.

Airplanes, airplanes and more airplanes

A couple of weekends ago we took Jacob to the Salinas Air Show. He was in heaven!!! As we were driving up he could see and hear the planes flying and would continuously point to the sky. There were some pretty crazy performers. Elvis jumped out of a helicopter, a man stood on top of a plane while it did all sorts of death defying acts and of course, the Blue Angels. It was so fun to watch Jacob's excitement! He got to see how big airplanes really are because there were a ton parked to view. He even got to climb in a helicopter and act like he was driving (one of his favorite things to do). I think we got the absolute best souvenir ever!! I don't really know who was more excited about it, Brandon or Jacob. We got a toy airplane that can fly around Jacob's room on a string. Brandon likes that it flies around the room but Jacob would rather run around the house with it.

Our Newest Adventures

I don't even know where to begin with our newest adventures! I will try to start from the begining. For those of you who don't know, we are officially adults now because we own a van. I never thought I would enjoy having a van so much!! I love having the extra space and we have two built in car seats! Jacob is in one of them and when Zoe is atleast a year old, she will be in the other one. It is so awesome!





Last weekend, we sold our Mazda. It was a good little car but it was on its last legs. Brandon decided he wanted to get a road bike and ride to school every day. We found a really good deal, so Brandon and I both got bikes. Jacob's favorite thing about the bikes is wearing the helmet and gloves. He saw a helmet while we were in target and I let him wear it while we were shopping. When I tried to take it off of him before we left he got really made at me. Now, my helmet is one of his favorite toys at home.

Well, Brandon started riding his bike to school and is doing really well. For those of you who don't know, that is about a 7 mile bike one way. This past Monday, I went out for a ride after Brandon got home from school. I was looking down at the gears and not paying attention to the road. I hit a bump, and up onto the curb I went. I fell with my hands out in front of me and ended up fracturing a bone in my elbow. The good thing is that I don't have to wear a cast and I should only be in a sling for a week and a half. The bad thing is that it is pretty difficult being at home alone with 2 kids, one of which is nursing. You never realize how much you need your arm until you can't use it. Brandon had to do my hair for a few days...that was interesting to say the least. My arm is much better now but I still have limited mobility. I am hoping that I can get back on my bike in a couple of weeks.

This weekend we went to Coastguard pier which is pretty close to Cannery Row. It was amazing how many sea lions we saw! There were some that were close enough to touch if you really wanted to (I wouldn't recommend it though). They were barking quite a bit and if you barked at them they would bark back. Jacob's new favorite words are bowa(boat), pwai(plane), and baaaaaaaw(ball). While we were on the pier there were several boats and planes that went by and he would continuously point and call them by name...I was so proud! It has taken Jacob a long time to talk but now I think he is getting the hang of it!


Ok. This is a picture of the street in front of our house. I needed to show proof. It rained here on Friday night through Saturday morning. That is the first time it has rained here in over 6 months!! When I say rain, I mean more like sprinkle but it was a constant sprinkle. People here don't know what real rain is. Anyway, it was nice to hear the rain. I never thought I would miss thunderstorms so much. We have yet to hear thunder since we have lived here.

Moss Landing

A few weeks ago, at one of our favorite beach spots, a surfer was attacked by a shark. He survived, but was bitten once in the leg and once in the torso. While that beach was closed, we found another one called Moss Landing. There is a little marina where Jacob loves watching boats come in and out. There are a lot of Sea Lions and otters swimming all over the place! Some of the scenary isn't as pretty but it will work for now.

Jacob's new favorite game is playing hide and seek. Me or Brandon hides, and Jacob seeks. Jacob hasn't really gotten the concept of hidding yet. He will stand behind a door but stick his head out so he can watch your every move. Every time he finds us, he squeals so loud and runs away. The best is when he runs past you 3 or 4 times and doesn't even know you are there, then jump out at him the next time he comes by. His face is a priceless look of terror and delight all mixed together.

Zoe watches Jacob's every move. She laughs at him when he tries to play peek-a-boo with her. Zoe rolled over today for the first time. She rolled from he stomach to her back but couldn't roll the other way. I think one of Zoe's favorite times to play is when she is on the changing table and I am trying to get her dressed. She kicks so much and squeals with delight at me trying to get her legs in her clothes.

Jacob loves playing outside in the afternoons. Most of the time he eats lunch on his little picnic table out side and runs around. It is a great way to get him tired enough to take a nap. He loves playing on his Harley Tri-cycle or pushing around this big dump truck.

It is official! Brandon and I will be in Texas on Dec. 22 - Jan 1. We are so excited to see everybody!

Zoe thinks it is hilarious when I put here feet up to her face when we play Patty-cake.

Lauren's Visit

This past week my friend Lauren came to visit. We took the kids out sight seeing everyday and had a great time. We went to the aquarium on the last afternoon she was here with Brandon. The aquarium is very interactive for kids, so it was fun to watch Jacob running around looking at and playing with everything. Lauren and I went to the Farmer's Market on Tuesday night in downtown Monterey. It was my first time to go even though there is a Famer's Market every Tuesday night. I think I will be getting all of my produce from there from now on. It was incredible! I bought several things but I think my favorite was the 2 lbs of roma tomatoes that I brought home and dehydrated to make sundried tomatoes. They were sooooo good! I bought a dehydrator from a friend of mine at the post wide yard sale a few weeks ago and having a great time trying all the different fruits and veggies. I think my favorite are apple chips and bananas. Lauren and I also bought a bunch of strawberries and tried to make jam. It tastes really good but didn't really jell right. Well we had a fun filled week but I am ready to get back to a schedule next week. Lauren wore me out.

Jacob and his totally awesome mohawk. He was "bad to the bone" for two whole days!

Jacob and Daddy playing.

My baby girl! Zoe is growing so fast and developing a little personality of her own.

Summer Days are SO awesome

This is for all those living in Texas. The weather here is beautiful. It stays in the 70s, bright and shiny, with a lite breeze. I love it!!

Things are going well. Brandon's Mom and Jack came out to see us this past weekend and we were able to do some sight seeing with them. They also got us a freezer as a house warming gift. I am amazed at how nice it is to have the extra room! I don't have to grociery shopping as much because I can stock up and freeze it.

For the 4th of July we got together with some friends and grilled. We kept our kids up until 9 to watch the fireworks over the Bay, but unfortunately from where we were, we couldn't see them. It made me really miss the annual 4th of July party at Ernie and Andrea's.

Zoe was Blessed at Church this past weekend. She was adorable! I'm glad we were able to do it when Johnelle and Jack were here.

For those who don't know, we will be in Texas for Christmas. We are planning to be there from Dec 21st thru Jan 1st. I hope we will get to see you all!!

Jacob decided to help make Daddy's favorite Poppy Seed Cake for Father's Day. He is just like his Father!!













This is Zoe's first skirt!


















We went to the beach last Saturday and Jacob just had to play in the water. By the way, the water is really cold! Brandon and Jacob played for about fifteen minutes. I decided it was time to stop when I could see Jacob physically shaking because he was so cold. He was mad that I made him stop playing in the water.








Jacob and Zoe cuddling before nap time. Jacob was posing for the camera.

















Jacob seems to think that Zoe's bloomers look better on his head.

Family Time

Ok, I am trying to get all hi tech and create a page to let everyone know what is going on here in California. I don't know how disciplined I will be at keeping it updated but I will do my best.

As you all know, Zoe McCain was born on May 25th at 11:32 PM. She was born 32 minutes after we arrived at the hospital and unfortunately for me, without any pain medication. She is absolutely perfect and Jacob has learned to love her. I say "learned" because about two weeks ago I think he realized she wasn't going to be leaving. I think his favorite part about having a little sister is all the cool new toys he gets to play with...the swing, the vibrating chair, and watching Mommy's face when he wants to "love" on her. Jacob has also figured out that when Zoe cries Mommy is going to hold her. So, as soon as Zoe starts to whimper, Jacob runs to me and crawls in my lap. I think he is trying to "mark his territory".

Brandon is doing very well in class. It is amazing how fast he is picking up the language. I've never seen him apply himself to something like this. He is starting to speak Chinese to Jacob and Zoe. It would be wonderful if he could teach them the language, although it makes me nervous to think that one day my kids may be able to talk about me and me not have a clue what they are saying. I will just have to learn as much as I can with them.

California is awesome! Although, contrary to what some people believe, it isn't always sunny here. Today was very foggy and chilly all day but yesterday was beautiful and about 75 degrees. The produce is incredible! We have made a lot of freinds and are having a great time!