Goodbye 2013, Happy Birthday Steven

Happy birthday to my fifteen year old Steven.  You are a peacemaker in our dysfunctional family. You are sunshine on a cloudy day. You bring laughter and joy to our home. You show sympathy to those who are suffering around you. You show great courage when faced with difficult situations. You stand up for what is right. You respect those around you. You always seem to know when I need help. You are a true friend. You are a hero to many children. (It's so adorable that so many 5 year old boys invite you to their birthday parties.) You set goals and keep them. You love holding Lonetta even when she's crying. You forgive your older brothers over and over. You are a protector. You are LOVE!

My sister and her daughter, Kamea, came out to spend a couple of weeks with us from Minnesota. Having them arrive on Steven's birthday was a wonderful present for him.

We kept with tradition by blowing up the gingerbread houses. The kids also made New Year's Eve party hats. Then Steven attended our stake's dance while the rest of us rang in the new year on Minnesota time. 

Dentist Visit

The dentist told us that Dave-o would probably keep his tooth. If a bump formed above the injured tooth or Dave-o's pain increased than we were to bring him back in. 

On the bright side, Dave-o can't suck his thumb. This just might be the thing to get him to stop his four year habit. 

Christmas

Christmas was over as quick as it came.

We enjoyed a delicious brunch together with our family.

Mike holding Lonetta.

Emily with Lonetta

Stacy and I.

Dave-o and Owen

In the evening, we drve to Atherton to have dinner with Mom and Dad Zinn

David and James got the same BYU sweatshirt for Christmas.

The evening ended with a bang. Literally...while we were eating, we all heard a loud bang. Dave-o had fallen and hit his mouth on a chair knocking his front tooth loose. Poor guy. None of us could enjoy the rest of the evening knowing that Dave-o was in so much discomfort. Looks like we'll be calling the dentist.

Back to Church

Loni went to church for the first time. Contrary to what this picture shows, she did great during Sacrament. She actually slept through the entire meeting.

Christmas Festivities

This afternoon we were busy attending different Christmas festivities. We first went to David's work party. There were many activities like, face painting, cookie decoration and jump houses. And of course Santa visited. Dave-o and Owen had a lot of fun together. 

Then we got to listen to Steven and the San Jose Youth Symphony perform their Christmas concert. During the Prelude Orchestra's concert, Loni had a HUGE explosion in her diaper. Yikes! And gross! I was really impressed with the Intermezzo group. Steven even had a short solo in the Ukrainian Bell Carol. The crowd favorite seemed to be the Charlie Brown Christmas song that the group ended with.

Star Wars

Along with loving Ninjago, Dave-o enjoys Lego Star Wars. The above picture is a drawing that he made of Obi Wan Kenobi.

Sometimes Dave-o is a Jedi, but other times he turns to the dark side and imitates Darth Vador or a sith.

Thursday's Thoughts

Loni slept through the night! I laid her down at 10pm and she woke at 6:15am. She's such a good baby.

 I finally got a picture of her smiling.

 Steven's violin teacher, Mrs. Rumsby, had a Christmas recital. Steven played "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach. 

 His teacher played 2nd violin and a guy (who I don't know the name of) played a viola. I love watching Steven play. He moves with the music and looks relaxed and confident. It was a great evening. 

A Child's Wrapping

What two things don't look like the others?

Dave-o excitedly ran down the stairs with his dinosaur blanket in his arms. He told me that he wrapped my Christmas present and preceded to place it under the tree. He repeated this with Dad's present wrapped in his baby blanket. Since Dave-o is unable to be without the blanket for long stretches of time, Dad got to open his Christmas present early. 

A Wet Surprise

Doing chores and other household tasks are being done one handed these days. Including the laundry. While taking the clothes out of the dryer, Lonetta started to fuss in my arms. So, I put her in the basket and surrounded her little body with the warm clothes. She was happy as a clam for quite a while. When she wanted out, I discovered a wet surprise that she left on the clothes. Loni had quite the explosion while enjoying the warm basket. Needless to say, there were a few articles of clothing that needed to be washed again. 

One Month

Lonetta is 1 month old! Now that I have a routine in motion, time has gone by fast. Loni is an easy going baby. Except for when she's in her car seat, which she loathes. Her eyes are lightening up; turning more blue. Her eyebrows are filling out. She's losing some of her hair, but gaining baby fat. I'm plumping her up! Smiles come easier and more frequently. Her newborn size clothing is a bit snug on her now. Loni loves the sound of water and the vacuum cleaner. Her cry is soft and sweet. My only worry is that she'll never learn to roll, sit up, crawl or walk because our house is full of people wanting to hold her.

Decking out the Tree

After church, our tree got all decked out. 

 Justin and James are too cool to decorate the tree.

Our house is feeling so Christmasy.

On a Tree Hunt

 The older kids were thrilled when we told them that we would get our tree from Orchard instead of driving to the mountains. (They think they're too cool for family bonding experiences.)

So, we drove two blocks, picked out a tree, loaded it on the car, and drove two blocks home. Piece of cake.

Dave-o was concerned when he saw the trees all wrapped up in the twine. He said that he didn't like these Christmas trees. 

Reading with Mom

Dave-o read his first book. Bob Books are great for children just learning to blend their letters together. I used them with all of my children.

Speaking of reading...
Loni enjoys our morning scripture reading.