Bedtime Chat

As a preschool teacher, I can see firsthand the huge difference it makes when parents simply have conversations with their children. Sam and I love talking to Jaden and Elijah and do it very often. We ask questions, tell stories, role play, and sing songs regularly! Tonight while tucking Jaden into bed (and while waiting for daddy to bring up a cup of water), I asked Jaden several questions just for fun, to see what kind of answers he would give. They are cute:

1. What is your favorite food to eat?
"Pizza."

2. What is your favorite color?
"Blue. No, I like red."

3. What is your favorite animal?
"I like the dinosaur with lots of colors, like that one (pointing to a painting of dinosaurs that his Uncle Jeremy made him with his name on it). That one says Jaden."

4. How old are you?
"Two."

5. What is your name?
"Jaden Cordova."

6. When is your birthday?
"Jan-ary eighteen."

7. What do you like to drink?
"Juice and water."

8. What place do you like to go to?
"I want to go to the Shamu show again!"

9. Who do you like to give hugs to?
"Grandma and Nana and all the Papa's."

10. Who are your friends?
"Taylor and Whitney and Cody Joe and Caleb and Gueda and Nando and Stephie and Connor..."

11. Who do you like to play with?
"Mommy and daddy."

12. What clothes do you like to wear?
"My Spiderman shirt."

13. What toy do you like to play with?
"Ummm... my jets."

14. Do you like to help mommy and daddy?
"Yea, I can clean my playroom and put Lijah's diaper in the trash."

Muscles

A recent conversation Jaden and I had while in the car:

Jaden: "Mom, do you have muscles?"
Me: "Yes, of course." (Ha!)
Jaden: "Let me see your muscles."
Me: I show Jaden my "guns"
Jaden: "Oh, wow! (sounding halfway impressed)" "Now look at my BIG muscles."

When I Grow Up

After reading Jaden a cute little book called, "When I Grow Up" by Mercer Mayer we had a nice talk about the kind of job he could have when he gets bigger. I talked about what mommy does; what daddy does; what nana and papa do; what papa Sam does...and EVERYONE else that he inquired about.... Then we talked about many other careers that people have and what they do, like a doctor, a firefighter, a farmer, a zookeeper, a chef, and on and on as his interest continued. I was thrilled about the amount of enthusiasm and curiosity he was already showing towards his future at the young age of two! Then I went ahead and asked the big question, "Jaden, what do you want to be when you get bigger?"

And his answer was... (click here to find out)

Elijah's Half a Year Old!

What I love about you:

• That you're sleeping through the night (mostly)!
  

• Taking road trips with you. You are such a good little travler and do really well in the car.

• How adorable you looked when you ate your rice cereal and avocado for the first time.

• Your big, beautiful smiling eyes.

• How adorable you looked all bundled up in your winter clothes for our Albuquerque trip. You may not get too much use out of them at home, so it was fun to see you in them at least once this season.

• Watching you grow and develop. It's amazing to watch you learn new things and to show your sweet little personality.
  

• How you adore your big brother. You just love him so much! And it's so sweet to watch Jaden love you and want to help do things to take care of you. And he absolutely loves giving you kisses and can't wait for you to start playing ball with him.

• The way you suck your thumb, which is super cute right now.
  

• Seeing you sit up all by yourself.

• How easy going and fun you are.

• Watching you and your cousin Aubrey play together.
  

• Bathtime! It's such a special part of our day and you love it so much!

• The way you snuggle with me and lay your head down on my shoulder when you are sleepy.

• That we have lots of family close by who get to see you often and love all over you too!

• Being a family of four! It's so wonderful having you as a part of our family!

Balloon-less Festival

We anxiously headed to Albuquerque, NM, as we do around this time just about every year, for the International Balloon Fiesta; something that's become somewhat of a family tradition for us. It's exciting to finally unpack the winter clothes (hats and scarves included!) and just spend the weekend away from home with family! We were sure to check the weather from weeks, to days, to hours before our trip, because last year's festival was cancelled due to rain...luckily, no chance of rain this time, so we were super excited!

We headed to the balloon glow on Saturday evening and unfortunately, after sitting in traffic for a good 30 minutes, we got there just in time to see the last balloon go down...bummer. But we did get to see an amazing fireworks show. Poor Jaden was terrified and shut his eyes and squeezed his ears so tight, while Elijah and cousin Aubrey were mesmerized. In fact, Elijah had been screaming and crying (probably wondering why he was outside in the freezing cold instead of warm and cozy in his bed) until the moment he started watching the fireworks, and then...silence.

So we were a little bummed that we missed the balloons that night, but were so anxious for the launch on Sunday morning. We knew we had to get to bed early(ish) because part of the whole balloon festival experience is to get up at (actually, before) the crack of dawn to get there in time to watch all of the balloons lift off. And with two kids to get ready, that means getting up even earlier to get ready. So at 4:00am, we were up and at 'em, rushing around the hotel room (in the dark so we wouldn't wake the boys, yet) getting everything ready. Coats...check, gloves...check, hats...check, sweaters...check, sunscreen...check, sunglasses...check, spare clothes in case of an accident...check, spare clothes in case it gets warm...check, diapers...check, snacks...check, socks & leg warmers...check. It's amazing how much "stuff" kids require, especially when weather is an issue! And by 5:00, the kids were up, layered, bundled, and ready to go. Jaden couldn't believe we were really letting him get up already!

We were so excited for Jaden to get to see all of the amazing balloons and were thrilled when we arrived and hadn't missed the balloon lauch. We bopped along, headed to the huge field to get the perfect spot, and quickly noticed that none of the balloons were even unpacked. Then we started to notice that some of the balloonists were leaving! What's going on?? We then overheard that if the wind picked up by one degree (or however they measure wind), then the balloons would not be able to go up. Noooooo, not again! But we stayed hopeful and tried to convince ourselves that at least one balloon would go up (to test the wind, or something), and our experience wouldn't be a total loss. And then, over the loud speaker, a man announced that the balloons would not go up due to weather, "but please stick around, visit the booths, get some food, blah, blah, blah..." And Jaden insisted that we couldn't leave yet because "We not see any balloons go up in the sky." Poor guy, he was so looking forward to seeing the balloons. And luckily, just then we spotted a helium balloon drifting away into the air, and he was sold. Happy little camper...he got to see a balloon.

So two years in a row, we missed it! But, it wasn't a total loss. We definitely enjoyed some awesome family time together. We went to a duck pond and Jaden fed the ducks, went to the aquarium, and I got to go to Trader Joe's for the first time. I'd make another trip just to go there again! So even though our trip to the balloon festival ended up being balloon-less, it was well worth a weekend away!

At the UNM Duck Pond...

Cousin-ly love...

All Bundled Up and No Balloon Show...

Yummy Snack from Trader Joe's (his VERY OWN container of grape tomatoes - lucky guy!)...

Yummy Toes

Elijah found his feet, and shortly after, his feet found his mouth. It is just the cutest thing ever to watch him lift those chubby little legs up to stick his big (little) toe in his mouth.