Proud to be a CBI Kid!

I have always taught Religious School.  For the past couple of years Sophia would join me as we rushed out of the house on Sunday mornings, leaving Chloe and Henry at home to play with Seth.  But today, Chloe joined us!  Chloe started Religious School! 

When I explained to Chloe that she would now go with Sophia and I on Sundays, she gave me a huge smile and asked "will you teach me Hebrew?"  My heart melted. 

Chloe was all smiles this morning as we piled into the car and made our 1st stop at the Coffee Shop (a Sunday tradition).  When we entered into Services, I asked her if she wanted to sit with me or with her class.  She gave me a funny look and answered "with my class, of course."

Chloe is awesome!

Cooling Off

Summers in Sacramento are hot.  Hot weather makes cranky kids.  Cranky kids make me crazy.  So, to cool off I would start watering the lawns and "accidentally" spray the kids (who are fully clothed).  Henry fell in LOVE with this game.  As soon as I would turn on the hose, Henry would run INTO the water.  Water is spraying him in the face, and he is laughing.  And when the clothes and diaper start to weigh him down, he gets naked.

One afternoon our lovely neighbor across the street walked over and thanked us for the entertainment (she explained  her family loves to watch Henry running and squealing).

Great times.

Third Grader!

This week Sophia started 3rd grade! 

Seems like last year she was in kindergarten and I would have to drag her to school.  Now, she's taking the extra time to pick out her clothes and do her hair.  The days are long, but the years are fast.

My Favorite 5 Yahoos!

Seven years ago, Jenn and I started a "kid swap."  I would watch Eli (then 13 months old) one morning a week, and in exchange Jenn would watch Sophia (then 16 months old) a different morning.  It gave us the time to work, clean, shop, or nap without a kid.  A wonderful arrangement!

And we kept it going...all those years...Preschool* Birth of Austin* Birth of Chloe* Sophia starting school* Eli starting school* Birth of Henry.  We had fun - with no major accidents, temper tantrums, messes or tears.

But now as Austin enters Kindergarten (YEAH!), we are ending the weekly kid-swap.  It has been a joy to watch the Obersts and Atens play together for all these years!  I will miss it.

The Beginning

Last "swap day"

Snacks, Cookies, Smiles and Underwear

The Oberst kids have been BUSY!

We celebrated Chloe's 3rd Birthday with a Snack Party. The party consisted of a buffet of snacks, a custom goldfish cracker pinata, snack-themed games, lots of friends and ALL the cousins. It was a wonderful birthday party.

Sophia has been very busy selling Girl Scout Cookies for her Daisy troop #1647. I was especially impressed with her sales skills at the site sale; she was loud, confident and cute!

Henry has perfected his smile. He loves any/all attention and will reward you with a wonderful smile in return.
AND....Chloe decided she is done with diapers!! In one day she decided that she was "old enough" to wear underwear. As a special treat, she gets a couple of M&Ms when she uses the potty. To be fair, we have decided that the entire family should also be rewarded with M&M treats!

Sisters

The other night during bath time Sophia and Chloe kicked Seth out of the bathroom (he happily left). We checked on them periodically. But, they were getting along so nicely that we took advantage of the free time.

10ish minutes later, I noticed that the girls' bedroom door was shut. I walked over to the room to find the girls dripping wet putting on their PJs. They yelled "surprise" and started giggling. Sophia explained that she washed hers and Chloe's hair and was "taking care of everything." After I helped with the dressing, the girls ran off to the kitchen table. Sophia and Chloe then started playing "school." Sophia was teaching Chloe how to add and subtract. Amazingly enough, Sophia was able to explain it so Chloe understood. Cool.

It seems that the girls having been fighting a lot lately. So, on the occasions that they are playing together, it is especially sweet and fun to watch.

He Weighs How Much?!

Today Henry had his 2-month check-up. He's happy and healthy, and developing "on track." the biggest surprise was his weight. Henry weighs 12 lbs 12.2oz! He's in the 75th percentile for weight. Wow. No wonder my arms and back have been aching!

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!