countdown to christmas

image: supermommoments.com

this morning at the crack of dawn,
scout came into our bedroom announcing he was going to "cut the chain".

he was referring to the paper chain that we made 2 weeks ago to
help the boys {scout especially}count down the days until christmas.
time is a tricky concept for young children and this chain has helped so much.
i only wish i would have thought of this years ago when finn was his age.

the boys are enjoying it so much, this might become a new tradition for our family.
we can keep as simple as this year's chain {all white}or fancy it up using  variety
of papers, patterns and colors. oh how i love this idea!

only 2 chains remain as i sit and type this post tonight.
by 6:30am tomorrow, scoutie will have cut another one,
and one will remain. it will be christmas eve.

with my shopping done, cards out, and presents wrapped
{only possible with help from auntie jen tonight},
i'm relaxed and am ready for christmas.

i'll end with a sweet photo i snapped of scoutie at his
preschool class christmas party last week.
he was really enjoying this sprinkled covered cookie!

feliz navidad

just 2 more days until the BIG day!!

i think santa is almost ready to visit the gerber casa.

he's been busy preparing to visit 2 good little boys who are patiently awaiting his arrival.

we've been enjoying this week without any soccer practices in the evenings.
{just piano which has been a treat as all the practice songs have been christmas carols}
which we all love. last night the boys and i put together a german gingerbread house i picked
up at trader joes, and tonight we all watched miracle on 34th street, one of my favorite holiday movies

before c and i called it a night, he found a website and made a funny holiday video with the boys.
it's ridiculously silly and perfectly suited to two silly sprouts who love mexico and dancing

i hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

feliz navidad amigos!!

my guy's going to ghana

a month ago christopher tells me he'll be going to ghana {africa} in january.
i think i my response was really? and before he could respond i said "i wanna go!"

then he explained how it all came to be.

recently he gave a tour of the high tech high (HTH) liberty station campus {5 schools total} to a director of a private school organization in africa. because the hth system is unique, giving tours to folks
from all over the world is nothing new for christopher.  he leads tours of some type almost monthly.

getting invited to come to the country of someone he's toured {all expenses paid} IS something new!

the ceo of this organization is american, and his school's headquarters is based in ghana.
he wants to replicate some of the 'big ideas' he saw at high tech high during his tour there
a few weeks ago - specifically on the flexibility of the spaces {example: classrooms have walls
that roll up or move to the side so the rooms can be flexible for other uses}. he was thrilled.

so c's been researching construction methods so he understands the standard building method there
and his goal is to be able to bring the organization better building techniques, as well as better design.

he heads to ghana in early january for a week. i can hardly wait to hear all about his experiences there. i also want to see lots of photos. c has promised me he'd be more of a shutterbug than normal.
i'm counting on it.

~ we finished signing holiday cards tonight - we're up to 150 now so it took a while!
{one of the joys of having large extended families}. it feels good to have that checked off,
but there's still more to do before the big day! i better get to it. xoxo

santa and soccer weekend

my goal is to be in bed by 10pm tonight so before i turn in,

i wanted to be sure i posted about this past weekend.

it was special for two reasons:

first, this saturday morning was the annual breakfast with santa at the pb recreation center.
it's my annual tradition - we support the community, and get a chance to see santa and avoid the malls.
{i do however love online shopping}. it's so easy - saves time.

unfortunately, finney couldn't join us this year as he had a 9am soccer game in scripps ranch, 

so auntie jen and i took scoutie. 

before we left the house, scout announced he was not going to sit in santa's lap. 

i encouraged him by explaining santa loves children and it only had to be for a minute - 

just long enough for santa to ask what he wanted and for him to tell him
{and for mom to snap a picture of course}.

he thought about it a bit longer and told me he would do it IF patches {his sock dog}could come.
i remembered how in past years finn was always by his side on santa's lap and since he wasn't coming,
'patches' worked as the next best substitute.

while we were eating pancakes and drinking tang,

finn was playing and winning his first all-star game! 

auntie jen and i joined him at the field that afternoon for his second game.

his team lost, but finn played hard. he didn't seem too upset and reminded
us that soccer wasn't his passion, science was {how could we forgot!} 

and remember the UGLY sweater party i mentioned?

the big party was saturday pm and c and i couldn't find sweaters anywhere. 

apparently these are extremely popular parties and all the thrift stores sold out a month or so ago. 

{note to self: buy a few UgLy sweaters this summer to be prepared}.

c and i considered making our own sweaters with gaudy decor loaned and purchased, 

but our energy was low and we decided instead to blow off the party and have a date night,
just the two of us.  

we saw this heartfelt movie.
though we left the theater feeling a bit melancholy, it made us reflective on life.
the story was beautifully written and beautifully acted. 

i wouldn't be surprised if george clooney is nominated for an oscar for his performance.

we were up at 6:15am this morning and on the soccer field at 7:15am!
our team {riptide}gave it their all, but didn't advance.
regardless, we all so enjoyed watching these 7 and 8 old boys.
they played well and with such heart.  a few pictures from our weekend:

~ with soccer completely behind us, christmas preparation is now in full swing!

our holiday cards arrived in the mail last week and i spent a few hours
making and printing labels today.  now they all just need signed. 

{c and i won't let them get out the door without a hand-written note on each of them}
we divide up by families since both of ours are large. 

soccer season is over

this past saturday was bittersweet for me.

it was the last soccer game of the season coaching my little sharks.
though i am happy to see this 3 month commitment come to an end and
will enjoy having some of my time freed up, i am sad to say goodbye to these
children who now occupy a very special place in my heart.
{our weekend games were truly one of the highlights of my week}

and though we didn't win on saturday, we had so much fun on the field!
at the end of the game, every player enjoyed a special treat - cupcakes baked by ME.
they weren't fancy {from a box mix} but i did put these cute toppers on them.

if you have ever witnessed a soccer game with 4 and 5 year old players,
you know that 'end of game' treats are very important to them,
this and the 'tunnel' the parents create for them to run through.
{i admit, i probably enjoy this as much as them}

the gang: nicole, scout, curren, logan, jaycee and jake

AND each kiddo received a trophy, many of them their first ever.

scout (4) - first soccer trophy
PLSA U6 League

the night before our final game, scout asked if we could sign him up for soccer again because 

he LOVES soccer". "of course" was our response.  it was apparent to c and i just how much
he enjoyed playing from day one, so we are already looking into neighborhood leagues that have
spring soccer. {the y only offers soccer in fall}. 

i won't be coaching this spring, {and the jury is still out about next fall}, 

but i will be on the sidelines cheering for this sweet lil' guy. i'm already excited.

finn ended his season with plsa this same day too, but because he's gotten lots of blog posts over 

the last few years with his soccer and because i'm short on time {i still need to post mexico photos}, 

i wanted to be sure that scout was represented, especially since this is his first season playing.

finn's all-star team has their big tournament this saturday and sunday - 2 games each day. *whew*

after sunday, i can really focus on getting ready for christmas which i'm happy about. 

our tree went up this past friday.and auntie jen came over to help decorate it with us,

but i still have holiday cards to get signed and mailed and a bit more shopping to do. 

{i need an ugly sweater for an 'UgLy SwEaTer' party this weekend too and am having no luck finding one}

finn's first piano recital: 2011

today was a BIG day for finn oliver {and for me too}.
for the past 2.5 months, he has been taking piano lessons,
and today he performed in his first recital,
an annual christmas recital hosted by his teacher, nancie mclees.

for the past few weeks, i've been a bit concerned about his readiness.
he's only been playing since the first of october,
and we were gone for 2 of those weeks for our family vacation.
also, with him playing on another soccer team,
it was really hard to find time to practice mid-week.

since we committed to both of these activities as a family,
we worked hard to squeeze in 15 minutes of piano practice most evenings
{even if it was right before bedtime}.
for the last few days, finn has been at the piano practicing the two christmas songs
he was assigned from this book.  he also practiced the proper way to bow *grin*

so mid-morning today, auntie jen and the family watched finn perform (2) songs:
jingle bells and deck the halls which he actually sang to {his teacher's request}.
he did well and was so proud of himself.
and yes, his family was too.

the very best part for me was seeing him enjoying himself at the piano.
{he even came home and played his songs again}.
i said to c, he may never be mozart or even perform beyond an annual recital,
but my hope is he will continue to play for years to come, and always enjoy it.




~ morning scare: we changed vehicles at the last minute at
home and left finn's sheet music in the other car.
we noticed this when we were arriving at the recital,
and i experienced something close to what i imagine a panic attack
must feel like! his teacher said he probably knew the songs by heart,
and when i asked finn if he did, he responded "i think so".
he showed no signs of anxiety {he is his father's child in this way},
and for the most part, he did know his songs by heart. *whew*

baby alert

just when i thought all or most of my girlfriends were done having babies,
lucky for me {and them}, this isn't the case at all.

in the past 2 months, 2 dear girlfriends shared their happy pregnancy news.
i posted about shannon, and almost forgot to share about the other.

marty and bonnie are also expecting a little one.
and i was happily reminded of this when an email showed up yesterday.
it read:

so Bons and I are at the doctors for her checkup
and start checking out their bulletin board...

and if it isn't the Gerbers with Finn!!

{these two pictures were attached}

i smiled from ear to ear.
that was the first photo we ever sent to dr. o'hara
i was elated that our friends were there in the same doctor's office
we were when we were preparing to become first-time parents.
it took me back...to all the jitters and excitement that come with it.

i remember the day that photo was taken.
it was beautiful summer day and we were at my company picnic on mission bay.
i had just recently gone back to work after a few month's off for maternity leave.
we were happy new parents i was excited to show off my lil' white bald baby boy.

oh it doesn't seem possible that photo was taken 7.5 years ago.
*sigh*

my lil soccer players

i've been meaning to post this picture of my little sharks, the ymca soccer team i'm coaching.
this photo was taken about a month ago or so, on a day scoutie was sick.
he was sweet to pose for pictures,but he didn't feel well enough to play.

bottom {from left}: logan, jake, curren, nicole, scout + jaycee
top: coach cameron and coach angela

though i was having a wonderful time south of the border with my kiddos
i missed these little ones.  they popped up in my mind more than once.
i've certainly grown attached to them over the last few months,
and it feels like i haven't seen them in forever.

we got rained out the saturday before our family left for mexico,
one game was played while we were away,
and with the thanksgiving holiday last week,
the y didn't hold games this past saturday.

it's been 3 long weeks since i've kicked the ball around with my lil' sharks.
i'm having some serious withdrawals! 

i'm looking forward to this week's practice and saturday's game.

~ soccer update for finney:
while we were down south, we received an email letting us know that finn
was selected to play in the y's under 8 All Star Soccer Team.
with this honor, comes 2 practices a week and a weekend game -
this is in addition to his other standard team {piranas} and their saturday game. 

now i wasn't up for adding anything more to his or our schedules,
but c really felt finn should be given this rare opportunity.
when c said he would be responsible for shuttling finn to and from these
additional practices, i was on-board. 
finn is excited to play.

so for the next 3 saturdays we will literally live at the field until the season is over.
{and somewhere in there i need to squeeze in time for finding a tree and present shopping}.

thanksgiving 2011, part 2

while this momma was getting settled back in the real world
my 3 were having a grand time in california's central valley with aunties, uncles and cousins.

the boys arrived back home to sd sometime in the wee hours this morning,
but that didn't prevent finn and scout from waking up at the crack of dawn
and jumping into our bed.

after lots of squeezes and kisses and "i missed you mommy"
{it was hard to be mad at them after all this lovin'},
then they told me all the exciting things they had done over the last 2 days.

it seems the boys spent a fair amount of time playing wii.
we purposefully don't have any video game consoles in our home,
so this was SUCH a treat for finn and scoutie.
{i can picture my two like little crack attics glued to their television}

scoutie also told me uncle chad took them to a REAL airplane hangar and to see his fighter jet.
i can't recall at the details he shared with me, but he loves planes and he had quite an experience.
he went on and on {with big brother giving lots of specific}, as i coaxed them both out of our
bedroom so c could get some much needed sleep.  he was exhausted.

c remembered to take a few pixs and even some video for me.
so without further adieu, the photo highlights of their thanksgiving:


cousins: left/clockwise: scout (4), chloe (2),  maya (8), isaac (5), and finn (7)

enjoying chloe's playroom

inside the hangar

the F18 jet uncle chad flys
if you look closely it says "decaf" {his call sign }



according to my boys, uncle chad has THE coolest job ever!!

the boys had a wonderful time and chad + anissa were such great hosts.
i almost forgot, auntie anissa made personalized embroidered craft aprons for each of the kids.
{picture coming...}

~ i can't tell you how much i wanted to see chloe.
i contacted her mommy to see if auntie a can come up for a visit.
i'll be taking a solo trip in february. i can hardly wait!

thanksgiving 2011

before i dive into my cozy cama (bed in espanol),
i wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on today
and some of the things i'm grateful for.
{i mean that's what this holiday is all about right}

i could literally list hundreds of things here,
but i plan on printing this blog someday, 
so i'll just share the first things that pop into my head.
i am grateful for:

1. my boys {for christopher's devotion to our marriage, family and his work and
    for finn + scout for making me laugh every day and reminding me what life is all about}.

2. family {both the one i was born into and the one that i married into}.
    i am especially grateful for barby's recent move to the western u.s.
    having her closer means we will see her more now that she is just one state away.

3. friends {old + new}
    the bookclub i joined in january introduced me to a group of lovely and intelligent woman who all share  
    a passion for reading.  i'm so grateful for these new found female friends.

4. my pillow {i've been without mine for over a week and i can't express how much i've missed it}

~ my turkey day was anything but traditional.
just last night, c decided to drive to california's central coast to spend the holiday with
his brother chad and his sweet family {anissa + chloe who is 2.5}. it had been a while
since he'd seen them and the utah gerbers were going to be making the trek down there too.

we just arrived home from our vacation at 7pm last night but c was determined to go.
he got up at 3am {with the little guys}and drove north for several hours. whew - he is an animal!
unlike him, i couldn't muster up the energy for another trip so soon, so i stayed home.
{i did help unpack and pack to get them ready for their next journey}

so what did i do all day?
well, i went on a nice morning run, caught up with family/friends on the phone,
did lots of laundry, grocery shopped, watched this chick flick {very sweet},
and tried out a new receipe. i didn't want turkey, but i was craving pumpkin,
so i made pumpkin curry soup.  it was delicious and almost this perty too.

image: pumpkinsoup.org

i hope you and yours had a terrific thanksgiving {gobble gobble}.
xoxo

~ mexico vacation pictures to come!