Think...

Katy Perry "Fireworks"

This song/video will always be a constant reminder of my Friend, who's Daughter "M", is fighting for her life. And, as a little girl, has more strength, determination, and motivation than most anyone I know!
She will win her battle, and so will the rest of us who are struggling in one way or another.

c.h.a.n.g.e.s.

Some gorgeous Fall Pictures, I was able to capture last week! Loving the color of the trees...but, now comes the SNOW!

Wow... seems like a lot of changes have occured since my last blog post... ;). I guess that is what happens when you are a piece of a busy family of 4, with two of them being toddlers/preschoolers.

JACK

First, our guy, Jack, now being 3 - has shown us what 3 is all about. And, that is sometimes good, and sometimes... well, difficult and frustrating. I think for not only Brian and Myself, but also for Jack. He is very independent, and trying so hard to do everything himself, and sometimes that tends to get him into a bit of mischief. We have, with the constant discussion with his teachers, decided to take Jack out of preschool for a while. He is having an incredibly difficult transition there, and it has become more of a negative place for him to be than positive. I feel sad when I think that his adjustment is not as I imagined it being, but mostly I feel sad for him, in that, I know he enjoys being there when he is not in "thinking time", or getting into trouble. But, it seems that most days that is not the case. I, believe he is just truly not ready.

He just turned 3, he has had many different changes (that we may view as small, but to a 3 year old, they are huge), and Jack isn't big on change... At.All.
Some changes for example being, that now that Maggie is mobile, more talkative, more active - we are seeing the ambivalance he has had towards her changing into, at times, jealousy and that in turn leads to aggressive behavior on his part towards her. He has also transitioned from his crib to a toddler bed this summer, and that is something that we are still struggling with. He also is beginning potty training and I think I don't even need to give an explanation on that one :).
He is such a sweet, caring, thoughtful, intelligent, adventurous and loveable guy. I hate to hear that he has spent a portion of his time at school in "thinking time" AKA "timeout", or that he isn't adjusting well, that he seems to not have the attention span that the other children have, etc. So, rather than leaving him in an environment that is fun (sometimes), but not the best (most times), we have made the decision that he will take a break from preschool, and re-enter when we think he is ready. We are not sure if that will still be Sweet Peas, or elsewhere.

In the meantime, I am going to start a weekly Gymboree Family Gym class with both Maggie and Jack. As, well as in January, enroll Jack in either soccer or swimming through our local Parks and Rec., and have him do that with Brian. I do think that he needs an outlet for all of his energy, and that school is where that outlet is for him right now. We are hoping that these changes will be positive, and we will have a happy boy - and that the time spent at Sweet Peas won't affect him negatively in any way.

They both love eachother dearly, and even with "disagreements"... when one is not home, the other is always looking, asking, wondering where brother or sister is... that makes my heart happy!

MAGGIE

Onto, Maggs....
We met with the Pediatric Orthopedist last week to have her feet looked at. We were referred by Maggie's Pediatrician (see past post for more info.), and the Orthopedist believes that the reason Maggie is having difficulty walking alone is due to hyperflexibility. Unfortunately, this is something I have passed on to our little princess. The Orthopedist had me do a few exercises - and then said "Yes, I'm sorry to tell you Mom, but you have passed down your incredible flexibility to your little girl"...

Showing her "flexibility" in the tub... with the way she is sitting... somewhat hard to see in this pic, but all others would need to be sensored ;)

She is also doing some deep reading in the tub... you know reading and telling me about Cookie Monster (note the book is upside down :p)

Oh Dear.... is all I could think! And, of course, that I was so thankful that it wasn't something much worse, and this is something that with Pediatric Physical Therapy, and shoe inserts she can work through... but, it is something she will most likely deal with throughout her life. As in, having to wear proper shoes, etc.
So, tomorrow we head to have her feet casted for the inserts, and hoping to start Physical Therapy next week!

Definitely NOT a morning girl :)

Thanksgiving...

Lastly, Thanksgiving is this WEEK! I cannot believe it is already that time! I look back at pictures of last years Thanksgiving, and how much the kids have grown, and it's amazing to me how much they have changed... along with how much our lives as a family has changed in just one year.

Jackson - Thanksgiving 2009 (only 1 year ago...)!

Having fun with Family, and Reading Books at Nana Bette's house...

and, now...

Our Guy - November 2010

What a year a difference makes!!!

Maggie - Thanksgiving 2009 (she was a whopping 4.5 months old)!!!

Hanging out, and playing with Daddy at Nanna Bette's house...

and now...

OUR GIRL! November 2010

I think when they go from infant to toddler, it really shows a HUGE difference!!!

We will be home this year, it will be the first year that we won't be spending it with extended family. However, we do have Brian's good friend, Jay from Law School - and Jay's cousin coming to have dinner with us. So, it will be nice to have some guests.
But, to say that being without extended family will be easy or forgotten is not the case.
It may be a difficult day in that regard, but we plan on making it the best day for ourselves, Jack and Maggie. And, also, reflecting and remembering all we are thankful for. There is so much!
(There will be a post on this, I hope, later this week)....

Until then, I am posting a video below, above (the posting is a bit difficult sometimes, with the settings - ie. why the video is not in THIS post)... I'm not usually one to post a "pop music" video - especially on our blog... but, I have an aquaintance who's 6 year old daughter is going through some extremely SEVER and LIFE THREATENING health issues. They will be in the hospital in San Francisco over Thanksgiving (as their daughter had yet another surgery today - it was successful), and she had posted this video. After watching, it truly made me think about all of our attitudes/thoughts/opinions, etc. of others. And, how our actions affect others. Just as possibly, Jack being in the wrong environment (preschool) may have made him feel as if he was a "bad boy", etc. That example is so minute to what others are or have gone through, but after thinking about Jack, Maggie, Brian and My own struggles (again, no comparison), I really realize how my actions and attitudes towards others, not only affect them - but are an example to my children. 

And, although some of us may be struggling in one form or another, we CAN get through it. And, we CAN come out of difficult situations as Postive and Healthy People, that in turn, can pass that on to others (most importantly our own children, or the children that are in our lives).

yes.we.can.

I find this so inspiring. As, I know... yes.we.can.

Rough week, but some fun for you added in...

ATTENTION: THE WEEKS' HOUSE HAS BEEN QUARANTINED!

DATE TO RE-OPEN TBD!

We have all had a rough week here at the Weeks' house... as myself, Brian and Maggie have all been really sick with the flu! YUCK! Thankfully, Jackson didn't get it... but, poor guy... he's been completely housebound with a bunch of sickies who have had no energy to do anything!

BUT, again, Thankfully we all seem to be on the mend. Maggie is taking a bit longer than Brian and I - and we are praying she wakes up tomorrow feeling much much better! She has been such a trooper through all of this, as I'm sure it must be scary and she must wonder what is going on, and why does she feel so icky!

Again, we are also so proud of Jack, as he really has been such a great kiddo, with us all being under the weather, and sleeping/resting a lot... he had a lot of wonderful, new fun things to play with from his birthday, which was a LIFESAVER! But, on his actual birthday, we were all so sick, we didn't get to celebrate! We are hoping to make it up to him this weekend... of course, depending on how Maggie is feeling!
I gotta say, we have 2 little troopers, and they are the absolute best!

We didn't do much this week, but I did manage to capture some fun pics, etc. this week - and today. Enjoy!

LET'S GO DUCKS!!!

We're getting excited to see some DUCK Action tomorrow!!!

With the DUCKS playing Cal tomorrow, we couldn't let this #1 fan's message be missed!

GO DUCKS!!!

(now, we just need to get Maggie saying it!!! :p)

And, here are the cuties...

 

 Having a "jammie" day, but still having fun!!!

 Poor Guy... 1st time out of the house in days... to go to Target with Mama... and wearing his new winter coat... a bit difficult to fit him and his coat in his carseat... but, we made it work! ;)

 Serious Bed Head... but, still so incredibly GORGEOUS! Happy Morning, Maggie!

 A bit unsure about starting a "real" day ... AKA: out of jammies, what?

 Happy Afternoon!

Funny Face!

On a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOTE... this happened about a month ago, I had left my purse on the counter, and was loading the dishwasher... the monkeys in the house, got out my receipt holder, from the other side of the counter (in the playroom), and this is what occured in the matter of the few minutes it took to finish the breakfast dishes...

It's a good thing that I'm quite fond of Monkeys! :)

 Take a BIG GUESS how THIS (below pics...)

 Went from THIS to...

THIS!!!!

 

Two Guesses... I bet you'll get them both right... they start with J and M, and put together,

sometimes they = T.R.O.U.B.L.E.! ;)

Apparently, they found my receipt holder unorganized, so after much taping, it came to THIS :)

Everyone seems much happier!

 Of course, all it takes is a little "I'm sorry", and a BIG...

 and Mommy's ok with the taping, labeling, etc. that was to come...

We wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and just like we say to our munchkins, this is a great one to read to ourselves from time to time....

All our Love,

Brian, Brooke, Jack and Maggie

xoxo

Jackson's BIG changes! Halloween, Preschool, and a Birthday Party!!!

ALL ABOUT JACKSON... and a little about MAGGIE too :)

JACK has had some BIG and FUN changes over the past week! He started preschool last Tuesday and went again on Thursday. He seems to be loving it! He is the youngest in his class - as he is just turning 3 - and the rest of the kiddos are all 3... so he is adjusting and his teacher, "Teacher Laura" is just magnificent with him and all the rest of her students. She says Jack needs a lot of redirection at this point, but it's totally normal, and he'll get used to the routine soon enough! He really loves school, and didn't have any separation issues either days he went last week, it was Mommy who had a bit of separation anxiety. But, after seeing his happy, smiling face and hearing about all the fun he had - I know that it is the right fit for him, and he needs to go! He is already learning so much, and it's so fun to hear him tell me everything he has done that morning at school!
Now, we just need to get the little man interested in the potty and we'll be good to go!

On his way to preschool - Day 2! Day 1, no pictures were wanted to be taken by Jack... we think he was a bit nervous, anxious and excited all at the same time. However, day 2, he was happy and couldn't wait to get to school!

We hope he continues to love school, and we can get the potty training down! It has been really fun for me (Brooke) to spend some extra time with Maggie! She definitely shows me more of her little personality when it's just her, but she also seems to be wondering where Jack is. By the way, she is saying "Jack". It's very cute, and very sweet! She definitely LOVES her big brother... and he LOVES her back!!! It is so fun to see them interact with oneanother, because they are finally really interested in eachother and love playing together, not that it always goes over well, but most of the time, they have a great time together... and are the best of friends! xo to my little munchkins!

Taking Brother to school... such a sweet girl! Sweet Peas (Jack's preschool) has a really fun play structure that we went to during the summer a few times, so she is always a little sad that she doesn't get to stay and play... and of course, doesn't really like to say good-bye to Jack, who barely will run over and say good-bye!



HALLOWEEN!!!

Jack and Maggie also had Halloween fun to experience! Jack was a GREAT Tiger and Maggie was the SWEETEST ballerina. Both did great with their costumes, and seemed to have fun wearing them... well, besides the ballet slippers I had Maggie in, that seemed to be a bit too small, and a lot too uncomfortable - needless to say, they didn't last long.

TIGER aka Jackson... he's really scary, right? No, he's pure cute and sweetness! He loved his Tiger costume, and has been wearing it since August when we purchased it! HA! So, actually wearing it for Halloween was so fun for him, as he had been anticipating it for a looooong time!

BALLERINA aka Maggie... pure cuteness! She was fun to dress up... and the outfit was easy and she didn't mind it at all!

 

Had fun trick or treating, and even more fun tasting some treats... as she would take a little bite of one, and move on to the next... of course, her brother found her remnants and had no problem finishing them off for her! HA!

We had big plans to go to an outdoor mall in the afternoon and let the kiddos trick or treat the shops, and play on the play structure they have there, but with the Pacific Northwest, we should have known better! It was so cold and rainy - that we veto'ed that one right away. Instead, we just went to the houses in our little cul-de-sac (about 7 houses total that we went to), and then the kiddos were ready to go home! :) So, all in all, it was probably for the best that we didn't hit a BIG Halloween Trick or Treating Adventure this year....
They were happy with the treats they got, and Jack had more fun with handing out candy and waiting at the window for incoming trick or treaters. Maggie on the other hand, was pooped, and ready to enjoy her treats and relax! :)

D.O.N.E. and enjoying treats!

He wasn't blind the next day... :) He could see just perfectly fine... but insisted on shining this in anyone and everyone's eyes... as well as you can see... HIS OWN!

 How most of our pictures go of trying to get the both of them together! :) Maggie was hating her shoes and Jack was getting very frustrated that she wouldn't just focus and let Mommy take the picture, so that the trick or treating could begin!

and.... the BIGGEST event thus FAR....

Jackson is turning 3! He had his party this past weekend, but doesn't technically turn 3 until tomorrow, November 9th!

JACKSON'S 3rd BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

Party Time... Monkey Style!

Jack was a great helper, getting the house ready for his BIG party! He also sported his Oregon Ducks Jersey for a bit, until his party - and then he wore his Birthday Monkey shirt! :)

Mommy had so much fun with all of the decorations! There was so much more I wanted to do, but ran out of time, and most likely for the best!

Jack had a fabulous and wonderful 3rd Birthday Party! It was a "Curious George/Monkey" Theme... and couldn't have been more fun for our guy! He had a lot of friends and family here to celebrate with him, and he seemed to love every second of it! We are so grateful for all of our wonderful and amazing friends and family who were able to attend (and definitely REALLY missed those who weren't able to make it), and made his 3rd Birthday so incredibly special! I had fretted over this party for months, but in all honesty, once again, he was so happy just having his friends, a fun cake and lots of playing!!!

The Table was the most fun for me to decorate, and we loved how the "Cupcake Cake" turned out... it's actually all cupcakes under there!

THE CAKE! (well, cupcakes!) We absolutely think it turned out fantastic, and to think that all I did was show the baker a picture of what I had in mind (the picture of George at the top of this post)... it turned out better than I could have ever envisioned... not to mention, it was DELISH!!!

Lighting the candles on the cake... very exciting!!!

Jack had been anticipating his cake for some time, and was so excited to blow out the candles! He did a wonderful job, and blew all 3 out all by HIMSELF!!!!

And, of course, opening presents was pretty fun too! He seemed a bit overwhelmed with the gifts, but did great in opening them, and was excited with each and every one of the gifts. We have very incredibly generous friends and family - and that was definitely shown in the present deparement for Mr. Jack!

All the presents went in the wagon... and this was just the beginning... they were overflowing everywhere, again, Jackson was blessed and has some incredibly generous, thoughtful and loving people in his life! 

Present Time... not sure quite what to do... but, he gets the hang of it VERY quickly!!!

Lots of friends to help :)! So MUCH FUN!!!!

Jack got so many amazing gifts... one of Mommy's favorites, were these GREAT Curious George Sheets!

Daddy had fun too... playing with Jack and helping out with EVERYTHING!!!

We can't forget Maggie! She had a wonderful time, and was a total social butterfly! I have no idea where she gets that from... :p She also enjoyed a 1/2 of a mini cupcake... YUMMMMM!!!!

D-LISH!

Maggie had so much fun playing with Camden, our great friends, Katy and Justin's sweet little guy! He is 8.5 months old, and he and Maggie really hit it off! Maggie kept saying "baby, baby, baby"... you know, because she is so much older, wiser and bigger than him :)

I had big plans for the kiddos to play a game... have each of them blind-folded (or not, if they didn't want to) and give them a paper banana to give to a monkey... well, needless to say, they were all having so much fun just playing with eachother... the game never happened...

Maybe we'll have another monkey party sometime, and I can live out the dream of this made up game... or maybe we'll just play it as a family.... :)

Of course, all of J's friends needed a fun little something to take home... so I had made some fun party bags for each of the kiddos... and inside were...

A fun little book with monkey pictures, coloring pages, pictures of Jack and more fun stuff that I can't really remember, as I finished the last one around 1am the night before the party!!! :p

A few other fun things inside the Fun Bags... bubbles, book, monkey bookmark, crayons and a sucker. All simple, but fun for kiddos... I hope they all enjoyed them!

I had to take a picture of the bags when they were FINALLY finished... again, late into the night Friday night... all assembled, with many thanks to my wonderful Hubby and Mother in Law!

Speaking of wonderful Mother in Law... a GREAT picture of her with the munchkins when she got here Friday afternoon. She was so wonderful and beyond HELPFUL! She truly knows how to pull things all together last minute, and help me in any way I need! Thank you!!! xoxo

ps. Grandpa couldn't make it, as he was very ill with a tummy virus. Jack took the news fairly well, but was still wanting Papa to be here ... we're hoping we get to see him soon... and that he is feeling much better!!!

Again, it was such a fun party. Jack had such a great time, as did the rest of us. I hope all that came had a good time as well. A huge thank you to EVERYONE for your thoughtfulness and generosity towards our little man. He had the best birthday party ever, and it was all because of each and every one of you in his life! He may not always show it, but I know he loves you each so much, and it means so much to Brian and I that you are all a part of both Jack and Maggie's lives! Our family is lucky to have you all!!!

Lastly, poor little Maggie came down with a yucky virus Saturday night after Jack's party. :( She spent most of Saturday night throwing up ... slept most of Sunday, and is continuing to sleep today. She hasn't had any more throwing up (THANK GOODNESS & knock on wood!!!), and we sure hope she is one the mend. I also hope that she didn't pass anything on to anyone at the party. So far, everyone else in our house is healthy.

But, please keep sweet Maggs in your thoughts for a speedy recovery and back to her fun, wild, adventurous, smiley self VERY VERY soon! xo

ps. This was taken last week, she was just playing around... but thought it was cute, and would share :)

JACKSON

xoxo