auntie jen's visit to san diego

as a birthday gift to herself, auntie jen flew back to san diego
to relax and visit family and friends!  she visited with friends
and old coworkers during the week and spent the weekend with
our family watching an outdoor movie {pele}, attending scout's
soccer game, visiting sea world, celebrating her birthday with
krispy kreme donuts, and visiting belmont park the night before
she flew back to florida.


i didn't get near as much time as i would have like
{the boys either} but we were grateful for the time we had.
the day after she left, out of the blue, scout said "i wish aunt
jen hadn't moved away. i like hanging out with her and i miss
the sleepovers we used to have".


it's only been 2 years since she has lived here, and though it
doesn't seem like that much to an adult, to a kid, it can seem
like a lifetime.


i reminded him that auntie jen loves him LOTS... no matter
how far away she lives.  i also reminded him that we will be
seeing her very soon, along with grandma and grandpa, auntie
and uncles, and cousins!  we are overdue and are all excited.

birthday girl in texas

today i'm thinking and celebrating of someone living in texas.

{that someone is my little sis jen}.

 

this is the first birthday in many years that she hasn't been
here in san diego.  it's a little strange to think about...probably for her too.

she is loved and missed.

Auntie Jen - we're sending lots of b-day wishes your way!!! XO

  

via

 





a new adventure for aunt jen

i've been trying to find time to post about my sisters recent move to texas!
after moving to san diego right after college and living here for 9 years,
she was ready for a change and took the opportunity to start anew when a job
offer came her way.

she moved just south of austin this past weekend but before she made her
trek across the western states, we visited kate sessions park for a little photo shoot.
i have some wonderful shots of her, but as a courtesy need to get her permission.
i will share one i snapped of her and her nephews.  it was the only one where all
three were smiling. {getting scout to cooperate was near impossible}.

finn {10}, aunt jen, and scout {6}

 

we will miss aunt jen.

she's been a constant in the lives of the gerber family for so long.

beyond c and i, she has been the boys' biggest supporter.

 

when i shared the news of jen's move with finn oliver,

he frowned and responded "but jen is my favorite aunt."

i let him know that she can still be his favorite aunt.

she just won't be physically here in san diego anymore.

we can and will stay in touch with her regularly.

 

then he said "but she basically raised me mom".

i chucked and thought, where was your father and i the past
10 years?  australia?  *grin* 

 

what finn was trying to say is that aunt jen has been there for him

through every special occasion in his life since birth - for every one of his birthdays,

exhibition nights at school, piano recitals, skate nights and they've enjoyed many
sleepovers.  auntie jen is like a second mother to him. 
{and definitely a more fun one}

 

as jen settles into her new life,

there are empty places in all of our hearts as we will miss her.

all those happy memories we have will remain with us and

skype sessions and phone calls will hold us over until we see her again.

 

to make aunt jen's move to texas easier on everyone,

christopher and i only spoke of her move as one big exciting adventure.

our family loves adventures, so the boys could relate to jen wanting one.
 

jk rowling, the boys' favorite author, 

says it so well in her book, harry potter: the half blood prince:

 

"let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure".

 

here's to many adventures ahead for aunt jen!

 

explorer skate night: 2014

i'm not sure who was more excited about this year's skate night - me or the boys.
c took them to the one earlier in the school year and i couldn't join because of a work event.

with auntie jen moving to texas in just a few days, i knew this would be our last
time to skate together for a while so we invited her to join us and she said YES.
she braved skating in a rink full of elementary kids falling left and right.

i rented the 'skate mate' for scout, but after just 15 minutes with it, he opted to put it
aside and skate on his own.  he is improving and still has one speed - fast.
{i'm trying to work with him on skating slower and smoother but he wants
nothing to do with that}.

i managed to capture just a few videos on my phone.
forgive the shakiness or blurriness.
i was dodging little people the entire time.
here's my big 1st grader rockin' in his retro skates.

auntie jen, finn {10} and scout {6}

on the drive home, finn shared that he is much more stable on
skates than he used to be, and scout shared that he made it around the
rink 6x without falling, 4 more than he did the last time he went with dad.
now that's progress!

we are already looking forward to our next skate night.
{i don't think i'll ever outgrow my love of rollerskating!}

feliz cumpleanos auntie jen

i missed posting on my sister's actual birthday
but i didn't forget her.  i swung by her office before
i went to work to surprise her with some goodies.
it was fun and she was unsuspecting.

had i not gone to bed at 9:15pm the night before,
i'd have had this little birthday message up on 10/3.
i asked her nephews, finn and scout, why auntie jen is
so special.  here are their responses:

aunt jen...
- is nice to me
- makes me laugh
- comes to my soccer games
- pushes me on the swing
- comes to my school events
- lets us sleepover
- is a good listener
- plays games with me
- listens to me read and she reads to me





scout {6} and jen, august 2013

not every kid is lucky to have an auntie that truly takes an interest

in their lives. my two are pretty fortunate and i think she'd say she's
fortunate to have them.  happy birthday auntie J!



~ the boys and i will be celebrating with her manana!



 

at the jobsite

while c and i spend our weekends scraping layers of linoleum off floors
and popcorn from ceilings off our new {old} home,
the boys have had to entertain themselves alot.

we brought their bikes to the jobsite and gave them
boundaries and let them explore the neighborhood.
because finn is older and has always been a great
rule-follower, we've given him a pretty long leash these days.
{he's earned it...and keeps scout close and safe}

when the boys aren't riding their bikes,
they are running around in the backyard and playing in
their HQ {headquarters} which is currently a tree base on the hill,
but will someday be a clubhouse their dad will make for them.

first thing first, we've got to finish house projects.

even with these diversions, they have been getting a bit
tired of hanging out at the jobsite, so this past sunday,
their auntie jen took them to see wreck-it-ralph and
then to sea world for a few hours.

they rode the water roller coaster, journey to atlantis and
played in SNOW.  apparently sea world of san diego
is making snow and kids in the park get to sled down a small hill.
that's certainly something they don't do every day in socal.

jen shared these sweet photos with me during the day:

jen literally had the boys from 10am to almost 10pm -
a very very long day. we are so grateful for her help.
she went above and beyond.

not having little people asking for food, our phones or if we
could go home allowed c and i to get alot accomplished -
so much that we didn't have to push back the ikea kitchen
installers again. the kitchen was installed today...most of it.

there's still so much to do, we had to push our
move-in date to friday, november 30th.
we hope by the time we move in, we will no longer
be referring to our new home as "the jobsite".

{i see why so many move to cookie cutter homes in the burbs.
it's so easy compared to fixers. fixers take so much work and patience...
not as easy as it was in our little diamond street cottage when we had a
smaller home to fix up and one kiddo}. whew!!

to aunties!

an aunt is a joy to remember your whole life through.
-unknown

once again sweet jen answered my cries and took the boys overnight and gave me a much needed night with my hubby. i can't begin to thank her enough but i started with a chai latte the next morning. *smile*

as luck would have it, c was under the weather, so all my restaurant research was in vain (well not completely), but for this particular night at least.  we decided to make it an early evening and stick close to home. we ended up at our favorite neighborhood restaurant, isabel's cantina. it's just a few blocks from the house and serves up the best breakfasts and dinners in pacific beach!!  well i think so at least.  it's a place i recommend to anyone who visits. (christi: if you are ever in portland, isabel has a restaurant there called pearl that looks just as fabulous)

so here's what jen reported back from her night with the boys.  scoutie was easy to entertain, but finn was a bit more challenging since he's gotten older.  finn asked her why she didn't have toys and she responded that she didn't have children. he looked at her an in all sincerity and replied "if you don't have toys, then what do you do"?  he just couldn't understand how she could get by in a home without toys. *laugh* 

she used her creativity and playfulness and made FUN!  i've included some photos below of the 'human spiderweb' she made with green yarn, the fort she made out of sheets/covers and a few of the 'secret passage' which is basically a compartment in her built-in bookcase that has a passway between the living room and her bedroom.  the boys LOVED this. she said they spent a good hour hiding and crawling in and out.   

the boys adore jen. it's obvious as their eyes light up when she walks through the door.  there is something special about aunties and if you are lucky to have one (or someone like an auntie), you know this.  my aunt donna is that special person for me. she is a mother of 4 boys and throughout my childhood, she'd borrow for me on occasional weekends and take me as her 'adopted daughter' which i loved. i'm sure my mom enjoyed one less child around too. *laugh*. to this day, we are close and she holds a very special place in my heart.  i have no doubt auntie j holds and will always hold a special place in the hearts of finn and scout. (thank you jen for all the love you show the boys and to me).

here are a few photos taken by auntie j: