Missing Daddy...

Ben has been in Belize for the past two weeks for work.  I am so ready for him to be home and so is Naomi.  She keeps saying, "daddy home?" everyday.  It breaks my heart when she doesn't understand where he is and why he is gone.

We manage to keep pretty busy when Ben travels.  Sometimes too busy for our own good. We started with a trip to Steamboat with my parents and Celsey and Morgan.  Celsey and Morgan quit their jobs, bought an airstream and are heading out to travel for 6 months before starting grad school in the fall.  This was the last time we would spend quality time with them before they take off for their journey.  Read more about their journey here. 

Naomi turns TWO in a couple of weeks.  She is still super tiny weighing in right at 20lbs.  Most people think she is about 12 months and often comment on how smart she is for her age.  I get sick of explaining that she is actually two years old, so most times I let people think she is a genius.  It's kind of fun.  This is Naomi and Trey playing at the park (same size, 1 year apart).

She is finally getting some hair.  I can't put it in piglets yet, but hopefully that day is coming soon. Until then a mohawk will have to work.

Not much else is new around here.  We are still basement dwellers but are getting anxious to look for a house soon.  Thankful we haven't been kicked out yet (jk).  I am ready to have my own home again soon but want to make sure we find the right house.  We would love to be in the downtown Littleton area again, but the houses are so small!  I don't want a big house at all, but I also want some wiggle room for more kiddos. 

Kicking Ass

Those words describe our January:

For the last three weeks we have been pounding our favorite drink, Kick Ass Immune Activator, by Wish Garden Herbs (although I am not receiving compensation for this advertisement, I should because this stuff rocks!)  Luckily it is on major sale at Vitamin Cottage, so I just stocked up on more.  Naomi got her first cold of the season three weeks ago and ever since then has been fighting something.  It seems like everyone around us is super sick and so far we have been spared from the dreaded winter cold/flu season with only a few sniffles here and there.

Ben has also been kicking _ _ _, during busy season at EKSH.  Luckily we enjoyed a few sane weeks after he completed his CPA exam, before busy season started. It was so nice to have a "normal family" who actually gets to see each other every night and hang out on weekends.  Although I sound slightly bitter, I am actually very thankful Ben is able to provide so well for our family during this rough economic time.  I know this is just a season that will pass.


Ben and I have been trying to kick _ _ _ at parenting, but realized we needed a few more tools in our bag.  Somehow in the last year Naomi went from being our sweet little baby, to our sweet strong-willed toddler.  While we both agreed we want our children to be well behaved, we also agreed that we didn't want to spend our days constantly spanking her.  Let me say this first, we have nothing against spanking and believe it can be very effective is certain situations, but not for every misbehavior.  We want Naomi to grow up learning how to think logically about the choices she makes and the consequences that follow.  We also believe that theologically speaking, this is how our loving God interacts with us most times as well.

Because it is almost impossible to sit down on a regular basis and discuss parenting philosophies and techniques, I talked Ben into taking a Love and Logic Class with me for 5 weeks!  I thought it would be like pulling teeth to get Ben there every week, but guess what he told me last week at class?  He said to me, "Cori, we should take this class every year just to freshen up on our skills."  I have also been blabbing to my other mama friends about how great this class is.  Anyways, I know it is not for all, but we have really enjoyed learning about Love and Logic and have had fun implementing some of the strategies with Naomi.  Anyways, if you are a parent, I highly recommend taking a parenting class.  It is a great investment you won't regret making. 

Here is a Love and Logic moment waiting to happen

Snow day + Sick Day = Rest

Sometimes God allows things to happen that force to take a step back and slow down for the day.  Naomi woke up feeling under the weather and it happened to be a snow day.  I thought today would be a great day to stay home, catch up on the silly things and rest.

Tennessee Christmas

 This was my first Christmas away The Svenson Family and although they were missed, we had a great time visiting Nick, Katie and Emily in Tennessee.  What do you give to your in-laws who have everything?  How about a family photo shoot!

We had planned to take our pictures at the convention center, but due to inclement weather in Tennessee (2 in of snow) it was closed so the Holiday Inn was our only option.   We did sneak outside to get a few pics but we forgot Naomi's coat, so that didn't last long. 

Merry Christmas

This is our first year we haven't done a Christmas Letter and it kind of makes me sad.  To be honest, we don't even have a good family photo to use, but hopefully that will change soon as we recently purchased a deluxe camera!

As I look back over the year, I realize most of our year was filled with learning how to parent and care for our sweet, but spirited Naomi!  She sure keeps us on our toes as she is constantly learning and exploring the world around her.  I am fortunate enough to stay home with her and focus my time and energy on the homefront!  I do work a few hours per week doing bookkeeping and property management for my dad which helps our pocketbook.

Ben is still working for EKSH as a Senior Auditor and can finally claim those three letters, CPA!  He officially passed his fourth and final test last month after almost a year of studying.  I honestly forgot what it was like to have Ben home in the evenings and I love it!  We sure missed him while he was studying so hard, but we are thankful he passed and that chapter is over!

We are still basement dwellers and will probably be until Spring.  Ben and I are going to South Africa for over two weeks in April and plan on doing some house hunting upon our return.  Of course, if something amazing comes up before then, we'd be open to that as well.   

On a sad note, Ben and I both lost our grandmothers this year.  It was hard saying goodbye to them, but we know they both are walking with their Lord! 

We are spending Christmas with the Hamilton's in Tennessee this year.  Katie is expecting a little boy and is due at the beginning of February.  It was best for her not to travel, so we decided to go have a Tennessee Christmas.  I am really excited as this will be my first Christmas outside of Denver!  I am also excited for Naomi to spend the whole week with her cousin Emily Grace who just turned 2!

Here are some pictures from 2010:

January- First ER visit

January-Swimming with Ben

January- Fish Creek Falls, Steamboat

February-Still small enough to fit inside a bucket

March 22, 2010- Happy 1st Birthday Naomi!

April- Being goofy with Ben

May- Naomi was invited to her first Birthday Party

June - Naomi's friend Elyse and her family moved in with us for a couple of months.  We miss them.

July- Loves Summer!

August- Western Welcome Week Parade

September- Ava's Fairy Birthday Party

October- Halloween

November- Naomi learning where real food comes from

  

December 2010, Ben and Naomi

Goodbye House, Hello Basement

After much debate and debacle, we sold our first house this Fall and moved into my In-laws basement. It took Ben over a year of convincing me that living with my In-laws could be a good thing. Not only does it free us financially to pursue other things, it allows us the much needed time and energy to think about where God wants us going in the future. Ben and I graduated from college, got married, started working “real” jobs, bought a house and had our first baby all in the first couple years of marriage! We never took the time much needed time to figure out what our vision was for our family.

We have been living here for almost two months and so far it has been great! Other than missing my old neighborhood and walking paths, we are far from suffering. In fact, we have more space in this basement than our entire our house! Also, most of our “stuff” is packed away and without all that “stuff” to maintain, I have much more time to slow down and get back to the basics in my faith and family. Speaking of “stuff”…if we have so much “stuff” that we are able to pack it away and not miss it for 2 months, don’t you think we have too much “stuff”? (That is a whole other topic for discussion though).

Anyways, life is good as a basement dweller, for the time being. And, NO, we are not planning on staying here long term. Just long enough to not wear out our welcome and give us time to think about what’s next.