Pink, Red, and Orange

Yeah, my new charm for Henry has arrived. I'm a proud happy mom of three kids!

Let me introduce you

to Rabbit and Duck. These are Chloe's stuffed animal friends. They usually take naps with her and keep her company at bedtime. And when Chloe wakes, she has them with her and insists I say hello and give them kisses too.

I Can Fall Asleep Anywhere!

Here are some cute pictures of sleepy Henry on the bedroom rug, on our bed, on the chair cushion, and at the coffee shop. I guess the 3rd kid gets sleep wherever and whenever!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub...Not all Three in One Tub!

The time has come that Sophia does not want to share the bathtub with Chloe; she now likes to take showers.

Of course Chloe likes having the entire tub to herself. More room to play and she doesn't have to share any of the toys!

And Henry...his umbilical cord just came off, so we celebrated by giving him a bath. We set up the baby tub in the kitchen sink. It took him a little bit of time to get used to it, but he soon relaxed and enjoyed the warm water.

Lesson learned for night: bathing 3 kids takes a lot of time!

Can we still call him Cookie?

On November 20, 2010 our son was born.

Name: Henry Harrison Oberst

Time: 9:10am

Weight: 7 lbs 11 oz

Length: 20 inches

Location: Kaiser Roseville

As soon as Henry was born Seth called our families and friends to share the news. Within hours the grandparents were there and the girls met their brother. We had special "big sister" gifts for each of them, but they only wanted to pay attention to "Cookie." Very sweet to see how quickly and deeply they adored him.

I find it amusing that after lots of discussion about what to name him, we all still lovingly refer to Henry as Cookie!

B.C. (Before Cookie)

Over the past week Seth and I took extra care to spend quality time with the girls. We played family games, went out for dessert, and read extra books at bedtime. On Friday November 19, 2010, we had a special family dinner to celebrate Cookie's impending arrival. We gathered at the restaurant and then the girls spent the night at Savta's. Seth and I finished the evening with dessert at Tower Cafe and last minute packing for the hospital. We set the alarm for 4am and left (anxiously) for Roseville Kaiser at 4:30am. On the drive we discussed boy names and reminisced about the births of Sophia and Chloe.

Overall, it was a nice transition to becoming a family of five.

FREEDOM!

Yes, Chloe is livin' it up!

Last weekend we took apart Chloe's crib and replaced it with a toddler bed. She wasn't very excited about the change, until she discovered that she can goof off during nap time!

This past week I have been experimenting with how to encourage (force) Chloe to actually nap during nap time. I've set timers; I've bribed her; I've been strict; I've begged. So far nothing is working. On the positive side, she stays in her room for about 90 minutes playing quietly. And, she then easily falls asleep at bedtime. Negatives: the room is a complete mess after "nap"time and she is extra crabby around 5pm.

I'll keep trying to figure what works.

P.S. She actually did fall asleep yesterday afternoon...after a week of partying she was so tired!

Mommy and Chloe Field Trip

Feeling a bit guilty about not taking Chloe along on Sophia's school field trip to the pumpkin patch, I decided to take Chloe on her own field trip

Last week, a few friends joined us at a nearby pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patch was perfect for the 2 year olds - complete with a climbing hay tower, bouncy hay, animals, tractor ride, slide, and a large gathering of pumpkins. The weather was ideal and the company fun.

We had a great morning!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Party

When it came to choosing Sophia's birthday party theme this year, it was easy. She has been obsessed with watching Mary Poppins and listening to the Soundtrack at every opportunity.

So this year we threw a Mary Poppins inspired Tea-Party.

Here's the breakdown:

1. 2 goofy parents 2. 1 BEAUTIFUL birthday girl 3. 16 friends
4. One large table set with tea-cups and saucers

5. Canopy of hanging umbrellas
6. Apple cider tea with cream and sugar cubes, mini bagels and cream cheese & strawberries
7. Home-made teacup centerpiece filled with animal crackers and a cool teacup pinata

8. Clean-up Game
9. Roof-top canyon blasts
10. Sugar cube spoon race
11. Sidewalk chalk art
12. Carousal cupcake display12. Themed gift bags

We had such a fun time. When I asked Sophia what her favorite part of the party was, she answered: "The Clean-up Game. And seeing all my friends."

Much thanks to all the family and friends who helped put it together.

Newest Family Member

For MONTHS Sophia has been nicely reminding Seth and I that she would like a pet mouse. When given the choice of what to do an a random weekend while sister naps, Sophia would ask to go to the pet store to look at the mice.

So, for her 6th birthday, Seth and I bought her a mouse. We chose a gray and brown spotted mouse who needed to be adopted (he was picked on by the other mice in the store).

Sophia was so excited to see her birthday "gift."

She LOVES her mouse. And so does Chloe. And so does Seth. And kinda me....

Welcome to the Oberst home, Joey (mouse)!

WHAT?! Not already...

This week Sophia was assigned her 1st "Report" project. She needs to research her favorite animal and present findings to the class. She's expected to answer questions about habitat, diet and unique qualities. Sophia has chosen to research elephants (reasoning: because she has a stuffed elephant that she can "bring into class to show everyone what an elephant looks like").

I suggested to Sophia that she ask daddy to help her do the research on the computer. I knew Seth would love spending that time with her. I walked in 25 minutes later to see Sophia sitting on Seth's lap taking notes about their findings. Very sweet.

As a side note: Seth and I were trying to remember when we first had to do an oral presentation. We think it was around Jr. High age. NOT 1st grade. Crazy.

Kisses for Cookie

Chloe LOVES to kiss and hug my belly. She has affectionately named the baby "cookie." Every day she asks to kiss and hug Cookie. Adorable!

Hey! When did you learn that?

Usually when Chloe and I go for a bike ride, it starts with me pushing her and inevitably ends up with me carrying the bike and Chloe following behind me crying. Yesterday was different! She actually pedaled the whole time. Honestly, I'm not sure how long she's been able to pedal. The trike has been on the front porch for a couple of weeks and she has been "practicing" each time we leave and come home. Maybe I've been too busy to notice. I'm glad I was there to witness her ride yesterday!

Troop #1647 Newest Member

Over the summer Sophia and I talked about her joining a Girl Scout Daisy Troop. She knows a couple of the girls from school, and the other troop members are from the neighborhood. After checking out a meeting, she decided it was "perfect." So we went to the official Girl Scout Store to purchase the required vest and patches (thanks Seth for ironing it all).

We just had our first meeting of the year. The girls reviewed the Girl Scout Law and Promise and discussed what it means to be a friend. Very cute.

My biggest concern is trying to memorize the following:

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to

respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Back to School

Sophia is officially a 1st grader! Her teacher this year is Ms. McBride in Room 2-A. It's a longer day (till 3pm) but she gets a longer lunch and an extra recess! Sophia was excited that there are a few girls from last year's kindergarten class in the same class with her this year.

When I asked Sophia how her first day of school was, she answered "o.k. all we did was review the rules." She followed up with "some of the kids didn't follow the rules so they had to stay in at recess. They were boys of course." Of course I will never have to worry about Sophia not following the rules.

I look forward to the 1st grade experience!

What's Wrong?

This has been Chloe for the past week. I wish we could figure out how to make it better. Is it just being 2 years old?

Good thing she's still so cute even when crying/fussing.

"The Tooth Fairy came and left something!"

"I could smell it when I woke up!" exclaimed Sophia.

It FINALLY happened.

Sophia lost her first tooth (on August 29th)! In true Sophia fashion, the tooth (bottom center) was loose for months but she wasn't ready to loose it. After much complaining that her teeth hurt, I looked inside and saw that her permanent tooth was already coming in behind her baby tooth. I explained that it will probably feel better once her baby tooth came out. And, so the next night after bath she said "dad, here" and handed Seth her tooth. She just casually pulled it out. No big deal.

The tooth fairy was not prepared. "He" ran out to the store for a package of gum and wrapped it with some crisp $1 bills. Sophia was so happy!

Look closely....something's missing!

That's right, Sophia doesn't need training wheels anymore! After just an hour in the park with dad, she figured it out. She is so proud of herself, which makes me so happy.

I said no forks allowed!

On January 31, 2010 we celebrated Chloe's 2nd birthday with a no-utensil spaghetti dinner. It was a joint birthday party with a sweet little friend (who turned 3 years old earlier in the week). Here are the details.

As each kid guest arrived, she/he was handed an oversized white t-shirt (that had the custom party invite on it) to wear during dinner. The kids then proceeded with make colored-pasta necklaces and play toss-the-meatball game till dinner was served.

For dinner, we set up a kid sized Italian-restaurant table for 18 kiddies. There were red carnations, parmesan cheese shakers, and the finest white paper plates and red napkins. The only thing missing...utensils! So, all the kids (there were some protesters) and adults enjoyed eating salad, garlic bread and spaghetti with their fingers! Those white shirts got dirty!

After dinner the kids were given large platters of slimy noodles to rummage through to find hidden gummy candies. Super fun and kinda gross.

Lastly, the party ended with a decorate-your-own cupcake activity.

Overall, the party was a huge success. A great way to celebrate Chloe (and friend).

Stop crying AND sit still AND look at the camera AND get your hand away from your face!

When my sister's family came into town, we decided to get some family portraits taken. We tried to pick a time when the kids would be cooperative. But, of course, once we got there, there were some technical difficulties with the camera, so we got a very late start. By the time the camera was fixed, the kids were a wreck. After many attempts, these are the BEST ones we got of the "cousins" (the photographer gave up too):

Whatcha reading?

A couple of weeks ago we went to the neighborhood 2nd Saturday Playgroup. As usual, Sophia ran off with her friends and Chloe clung to Seth. Trying to entertain her, Seth got a book out and started reading. Very soon after, ALL the kids wanted to hear the story! Sophia and Chloe have a great daddy.

January 1, 2010 Costume Party

too funny to not post!

A Family That Roars Together

Stays Together!

P.S. It all started with Chloe's adorable roar. I think was competing for attention one evening at dinner.

Too Busy to Blog

I'm not sure who regularly reads this blog, but I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in months. Here's a brief update with pictures:

* Sophia is now an expert school-bus rider. In fact, she is now showing a fellow classmate how it's done.

* Chloe is talking A LOT now. She easily puts words together for phrases. Her latest is "singing" a song that Seth chants to the girls when he pushes them down the Extreme Coaster at Grammy's house. The chant is "1 for the money, 2 for the show, 3 to get ready and 4 to go." Chloe says "1, 2 sho, 4 go." It's super cute. Another favorite Chloe phrase of mine is "ok mommy."

* Sophia was chosen "kindergarten student of the trimester" in her class. Sophia was rewarded with a special luncheon (sweet treats included) with her teacher and school principal. It makes me happy that Sophia enjoys school.

* Chloe has learned how to do a thumbs-up. It makes me smile each time.

* The girls got to spend quality time with cousins over the past two months.