Our Family of Five

Halloween 06

2006-11-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

the only part missing from the picture is the tail that was attached to luke's belt. if you're over at the house, you'll have to see the video. despite being pretty cold outside, everyone got their fair share of candy.

Emma Bemma

2006-11-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

for anyone who wants to catch up on the kids and some pictures from the summer, i've attached pics for each one below. going forward, i'll be able to start posting more random, recent pictures of the family...

starting with emma, she started 2nd grade this year and turned 7 in august. she loves school and is fortunate to have a nice teacher and is actually starting a new school year with many kids she knew from last year rather than having to move and start over. she has lost quite a bit of teeth over the last few months and while she enjoys the money gained from them, she has secured a new theory that the tooth fairy looks a lot like dad.

Luke Nathaniel

2006-10-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

luke turned 3 last august and has taken off with talking and expressing himself and is enjoyable because most of his words aren't pronounced quite right, although we know exactly what he is saying, most of the time. as pictured in one of the pictures below, he is a master on the razor scooters which he has ridden on since he turned 2. some neighbor kids gave him a skateboard which he has also started trying out. there isn't a day when he doesn't have a cut, scrape, or bruise somewhere though. quite an extreme guy, but still very sensitive and loving. the last picture is from his birthday party when he mysteriously turned a 100+ temperature the morning of his party. luke also enjoyed this summer spending the night at his "mamu's" house occasionally, something that had only been previously done by his big sister.

Joshua's Birthday

2006-10-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

in august, joshua turned 1 and wasn't shy about the cake. as you can tell, he isn't really shy about any kind of food. he actually weighs more than jasmine who is a year older than him. he is crawling everywhere and pulling up on things to stand. he's starting to let go and stand there for a few seconds, not quite sure what to do next, but he's on pace to start walking when luke did (14 months). besides not getting his food fast enough, joshua has been one of the most content babies i've been around and it has been really fun to see his personality come through in his beautiful smile.

Jasmine's Summer Visit

2006-09-29T01:54:00.000-07:00

this summer, my niece jasmine, (emily's daughter) came to stay with us for a few months. it was so good to get to know her and as you can see from the pictures, she has a smile that is one of a kind. during the time she was here, she had her 2nd birthday so in addition to emma, there was a 1, 2, and 3 year old that cindy took care of during the days and a lot of nights when i was working. jasmine and luke were perfect for each other as they daily sought new adventures and ways to find trouble. she went back home to florida in the middle of august, but she will be coming back to visit with my mom next week for a few days. yay!!

Fireboys

2006-03-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

Ja-shua

2006-02-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

i've had some issues being able to post pictures lately, and i know that i have much catching up to do. this was actually taken back in december if you can believe it. first thing that anyone comments about when they first see joshua is about his size. can you say middle linebacker?!

from left to right: my niece, jasmine...joshua...and luke

Quick Updates

2006-02-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

since my last post was sometime last year, here's the quick updates. emma is 6.5 and doing well in first grade. she's finally in a class with a group of core people who she'll go through school with. she won't have to be transferring anymore. she is doing well with reading/spelling and learning the realities of having a little brother who is constantly pushing her buttons.

luke is learning to play the role of little brother well and loves to follow emma around. he loves his trucks and balls. he'll sit on the floor and run his hot wheels and cars all around the floor. he's 2.5 and all boy. he likes to be thrown up in the air, stand in his high chair, jump of the coffee table, and climb up the refrigerator.

joshua is about 6.5 months old. he is sleeping through the night. rolls around on his back and front. and he loves to eat. the first thing anyone comments on is his size. if he maintains this pace, he'll be playing right guard in the nfl and he'll be my little 401(k).

as we've been unpacking our moving boxes, i found my video camera which i'm trying to use a little more. our normal camera itself hasn't been used as often, but i want to keep that up too since they change from week to week and month to month.

The Projector

2005-11-25T11:39:00.000-08:00

things are said and done on a daily basis with the kids in our house, that i tell myself over and over that i want to write down for blackmail purposes one day or at least for a good laugh. so, i'm going to start doing that. yesterday, emma was helping cindy dredge the sweet potatoes in flour and somewhere along the process emma asked or was appointed the "boss" of the kitchen for the day. i suggested she be a "director" instead since it sounded nicer and i explained what a director was. later in the day, in her most official and proudest voice, she kept proclaiming herself as the "projector". "guess what mamu?! i'm the projector today!"

Identical?

2005-10-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

we hope to never compare our kids against each other, but as far as baby pictures goes, it's fun to compare joshua and luke. the picture on the computer screen is of luke when he was 9 weeks old. cindy is holding joshua here at 9.5 weeks.

Quiet Alert State

2005-10-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

for a few minutes each day, joshua is content to hang out in his baby einstein playground from grammy. i can't prove it, but he's already smarter because of it, i'm sure.

Luke Eating Cereal

2005-10-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

luke feeds himself cereal in the morning which is always entertaining. from when luke first started eating solids, every great picture or video involved him and food. the daily price of admission is getting to clean him, the chair, and the floor up. i'm not sure if the look on his face is "am i in trouble" or "i like squeezing the cereal in between my fingers, is that a problem" or "don't take a picture, just get this sticky mess off my face"

Let's Roll

2005-10-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

when he squirms in his chair or sometimes when laying on the floor, joshua always turns to his right. one of these days, he'll figure out how to roll all the way over. a year from now when he's running all around, this is the shot we'll think back to and think, "gosh, remember when he just started trying to roll over?!" lotsa fun times.

Cats and Sacs

2005-10-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

tommy, our cat, likes the sac too...

Lovesac! Lovesac Babee...

2005-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

this is our lovesac that often swallows up one of us for a nap. the top 2 pictures were taken yesterday of joshua and today of luke. when luke fell asleep today (bottom right), i compared it to a picture i found of joshua (bottom left). we're amazed at how many things that joshua does where he looks just like luke does or did at that age.

He Aint Heavy...

2005-09-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

it's crazy that luke himself was just this small and now he is suddenly big enough to want to and be able to hold his brother. i love his smile!

2005-08-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

joshua always seems to fall asleep with one hand against his cheek. i wish i could sleep 20 hours a day.

2005-08-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

today, emma visited the dentist with 2 very loose teeth. she left with 2 very big holes.

2005-08-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

a golden smile

2005-08-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Emma pokin her tongue through

2005-08-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

joshua evan niel

2005-08-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

proud parents!

2005-08-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

emma looks on proudly. being a little older than she was when luke was born, her understanding and excitement of having a new little baby in the house, definitely comes through as she is very eager to compliment, ask to hold him, and just be overall ready to help.

2005-08-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

these were all taken in the hospital recovery room. trying to keep luke occupied and quiet in the small room was a task, but overall, luke has definitely responded well to his brother. there hasn't been a sense of jealousy on his part. in fact, luke's sensitive side is showing through with the gentleness in which he acts and talks around joshua. by the way, the haircut was kind of an accident. we didn't mean to go so short, but that's another story.

2005-08-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

look at the little legs!

2005-08-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

i founds some props from the house to give some size perspective on this little guy. i'll never be able to eat a hamburger again without smiling to myself.

2005-06-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

A mom and her children

Working On It

2005-02-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

This page will be updated with news and updates of our family.