Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving is the big holiday in the Markwort household. Every year, all the family comes in from all around the world (Now that Uncle Carmen is in Mexico and G, Monica and Baleen are in Hawaii.) The rest of the family comes in from San Diego, Santa Barbara and the central coast. It is wonderful to see everyone once a year, and this year Mark's family came too. It was great to have Grandma Lee, Doug, Kathy and Matthew there to celebrate with us.


This is Sarah, Jeromy's cousin's maternal grandmother. She is so special to us. Even though we aren't related, we feel like we are and cherish our visits with her. She was happy to meet Ellie.


I am usually busy in the kitchen with Beverlee every year. This year Sally joined us and we so enjoyed her company. She didn't know what she was getting herself into I am sure and we are not willing to let her go in years to come. You are stuck with us now, Sally!


Bennett's mischievous grin.


A look at dessert time. There were about 25 people this year. Somehow everyone fits in the house and gets fed. It is amazing.


The yearly Markwort family picture.


Our little family.

Everyone Loves A New Baby!

Ellie got lots of wonderful attention while we were in California. Her Pop and Popgrandma were happy to meet her and give her some cuddle time.


Ellie and Pop


Ellie and Popgrandma


Ellie and Great Grandma Lee


Who wouldn't love that little face.


She is so smiley now. I love 8 weeks old. It is my favorite baby age. She is so aware and observant and smiley, and she still sleeps all day. I love 8 weeks!

Great News!

My awesome husband just got himself a new job at his company complete with a great raise! He has done so well there the last two years and has not gone unnoticed. He will be working as a wireless network engineer, and he is excited to learn a new skill and the challenges that it presents. Good job, honey!!

The First Snow

Snow is so amazing to me. The fact that you can be outside and there is no snow and an hour later you look outside and there is an inch of it is so cool. It falls silently so is always a surprise. It fell last night, and I knew the kids would wake up and be so excited to see it. They got all bundled up and headed outside for some fun before breakfast. They lasted about 20 minutes before needing to come inside to defrost. The sun has come out now, and it is supposed to be in the 40s, so it will probably all melt. It has been overcast here since we got home, so the sun is a nice change. Hopefully we will get more snow. Last year we didn't get very much, but some years that we visited my parents before moving here, they got lots. It was enough to excite the kids at least!

What Did We Do?

We had a wonderful time in California. The weather was amazing, so warm and even hot some days. I got a tan in November, crazy! The kids travelled really well. They are so excited to fly and were easily entertained during the flights. The baby slept the whole trip it seems. Every time we leave the house, she sleeps the whole time. She loves her carseat and passes out any time she is in it. Bennett and Rachel had colds most of the trip, but they were troopers and had so much fun. So, what did we do?


We visited a dear friend, Maria (Ria to Bennett). I worked with Maria at Lifeline Crisis Pregnancy Center, and she is now the director of that center and Choices Pregnancy Center in San Luis Obispo. I love her and miss her so much!


We visited the Schaefers. Elizabeth is two weeks older than Bennett, and they had such a great time with each other. Our visit was way too short, but we hope to see them again soon if they pass through Washington.


They just built an amazing new house. Erich is a contractor and built it himself!


This is their beautiful 360 degree view! It was breathtaking!


Pop and Popgrandma took the older two to the Morro Bay Natural History Museum (I think that is what it is called?) and to Avila Valley Barn while Jeromy and I spent some time in San Luis Obispo together. We ate at our favorite Thai Restaurant (YUM!) and did a little shopping. I even splurged on the world's best cinnamon roll at The House of Bread!


Jeromy's best friend, Arthur, came to see us after he and Jeromy spent the day together. He has a bad knee/ankle so walks with a cane, and Bennett loves playing with his cane. He did get it confiscated though!


We met Kristen and her boys at the Atascadero Zoo. It was so good to visit amidst our 5 little ones ages 4 and under. Between Rachel falling down a dirt hill and skinning her knee, crying and whining, we did get to catch up a little! Miss you Kristen!


They loved the zoo!


This is what Ellie did everywhere we went. ZZZZZZZZZ

We also visited our dear friends, the Coles, and went to the beach a couple of times with the kids. I can't seems to find those pictures right now, so I will post another blog later with Thanksgiving pics too. It is nice to be home and I might even catch up in the next two weeks! Laundry, argh!!

Home Sweet Home

Ahhhhh, my own bed!

California

We are off to CA in the morning! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! This is where we will be!

6 1/2 Weeks

Our sweet little baby is so much fun. She is so happy and starting to coo and make noises. She is becoming aware of her surroundings and knows when she is away from home and mama isn't the one who is holding her, unfortunately for the family members we are going to be visiting. A couple of weeks ago she didn't care who was holding her, but she sure does now.





We are leaving for San Luis Obispo this week for our yearly visit to our old town and Jeromy's parents. We will be there for Thanksgiving and are really looking forward to seeing all of the family that comes into town that we only get to see once a year. Any of you central coast people that would like to see us while we are in town, let us know. Here is a list of things we want to do while we are there. (Don't be surprised that most of it has to do with eating!!)

-The Beach!!!
-Atascadero Zoo
-Avila Valley Barn
-Farmer's Market
-In-N-Out at least a couple of times!
-Firestones
-Thai Palace for Pad Makeur (Our first year here, Jeromy had his parents freeze an order of it and overnight it to us in WA. It was sweet of him, but it didn't taste quite right!)
-Taco Roco for chicken tacos (They fry the meat with the tortillas and are the best we have ever had because ordinarily chicken tacos can be rather bland and lackluster.)
-Most importantly visit family and friends we don't get to see often enough!

HELP!

I need YOUR advice on which boots you like the best, 1, 2, or 3. They are pretty similar and all cost about the same, so I need help.

My Little Helpers

It is pretty amazing how much a 4 year old can help with a new baby, and really just help in general. Bennett is such a wonderful helper and is always eager to do whatever I need him to do. He runs up and down the stairs to put things away and bring things up that I need. He loves getting the laundry when it is done and bringing it upstairs. I wish we had a front loader washer like my parents have because when we lived with them, he could put the wet laundry in the dryer, start it, and get it out when it was done. He wasn't even 3 yet either! Now his helping is so wonderful with Ellie. He is so helpful when I am trying to get dinner or lunch ready. He will bounce her in the bouncy chair, make sure she has her binky, and will talk to her sweetly. He also loves holding her on the couch and even shares his blanket with her which is very special to him. I can see how having more children gets easier as your children get older. They are able to contribute to the family and hold more responsibility. Bennett loves being "responsible" for things too. He is 4 going on 30! We'll try to keep him a little boy for a little longer, but he can't wait to be 16 so he can drive. He talks about it all the time!

Fall

Get a load of our backyard. The leaves are getting so deep that I am afraid that I am going to lose Bennett and Rachel out there. I don't know if Jeromy has a plan for them, but they are definitely getting out of control! The trees are sure nice in the summer for the shade, but wow, they drop ALOT of leaves!

Random Stuff

Nothing hugely exciting going on here. Just normal day to day stuff. The most fun new thing is Ellie smiling now. She has been smiling a little for a week or two which seemed really early to me, but she is really smiling now. She is starting to get chubby and is just so cute! She looks alot like Bennett as a baby still except for the dark hair. My mom thinks it is starting to thin out a bit. I hope she doesn't lose it all like my other kids. She is such an easy baby and with the aid of the binky, she never cries or fusses! It is actually kind of weird because I am used to some crying and evening fussies.

I had an eye exam on Saturday and got a new prescription. I usually know when I need a stronger prescription, and I didn't think that I needed one this time, but I was wrong. It just got a little stronger, but what a difference it made with my new contacts. Everything was so clear. I always have the hardest time finding glasses frames that look good on me and this time was no different. The rectangular style that is so popular right now doesn't look good on me, but that is almost all that they make. I don't know if I just have a strange shaped face, but the only frames that are flattering on me are the weirdest shaped ones. I mean really strangely shaped. Like there is no name for the shape, not square, rectangular, round, oval, just a strangely bent pentagon or hexagon, I can't remember. I wanted pink glasses, but had to settle for red. I wanted something fun this time, and I am pretty happy with them. I will post a picture when I get them next week.

My lower back started hurting me pretty badly last Thursday and hasn't gotten better on its own, so I went to the chiropractor today. I am really hoping that does the trick because I have had a hard time picking up even Ellie without shooting pain. I love to be cracked. I know some people really don't like it, but I love it. I used to crack it all the time myself, but broke the habit when I went to the chiropractor in college and didn't want to waste the 40 bucks I spent to get it back in alignment.

I can't believe how much more laundry a family of 5 makes than a family of 4. It is staggering! Maybe doing laundry downstairs and having to bring it upstairs is why my back hurts? How do large families stay on top of it all?! Brianna, you must be up to your eyeballs in little clothes!

I have lost my mind since having Ellie. I have a severe case of mommy brain. I had it in my mind that we needed to get the kids to bed an hour early on Saturday night to get them on the new daylight savings time instead of an hour later. We kept them up all day with no naps and put them to bed early only to realize that they went to bed at 6:30 on the new time instead of 8:30 like I was thinking. Duh! They have adjusted fine despite my interference. I told Jeromy not to trust anything I tell him these days!