December/January/February Recap

The last three months have been a whirlwind of hibernation/holidays and we are finally back to standard operating procedure around here. If there is such a thing. In other words, after realizing that we have been in our house now nearly a year we decided to re-unpack by going on a major organization binge room by room as well as finishing up unfinished house projects like the kids closets, garage shelving, hanging pictures etc. Sunny days and an impending birth have that affect on people I guess.

One thing I didn't get done as planned was sending out "holiday" cards even though I got them printed and even though I put Happy New Years instead of Merry Christmas just so I wouldn't have any time constraint. I can't remember who I have already given/sent these to and not sure if March is still considered the New Year so maybe I'll just save these for next year and have a baby photoshopped in. So Happy New Year from the Westbrooks everyone!

Ben - Probably the highlight of Ben's last few months was finding a suitcase full of clothes that he packed when we moved almost two years ago. It was like Christmas is February discovering all of those khaki pants and Not Guilty shirts. Not to mention a ton of socks, which is good because I often snag athletic socks from his drawer instead of just buying my own.

Miles - Miles has probably had the most eventful new year as he graduated from nursery and became a sunbeam at church. He also started gymnastics and swimming lessons. I don't know why I didn't do these things sooner since they are free at the gym. I guess I had waited till he was three to sign up for the swimming lessons so that we could skip the mommy and me thing cause I don't even like gearing up for swimming when I am going to go for myself much less for a 30 minute sing song drag your kid around the pool event and nevermind that I don't exactly feel great in a swimsuit right now. But they encouraged me to start him in that class anyway, so I did it and we had fun. He seemed really scared at first but was a pro by the end and he has now moved on to the next class which doesn't require me to get wet and can now float on his back unassisted and do a bit of paddling.

He's also become a wizard on the computer (starfall.com, pbskids.org) which gives me some free time now and then, although we do seem to go through printer paper rather quickly.

The thing I am most excited about is that he his sleeping in his own bed (that he shares with his sister) without a struggle now and for the most part staying there all night. This needed to happen before the baby came because bedtime was always the least favorite part of the day for me but now it's not so bad.

Avery - Started a gymnastics class at the gym and is finally in a class where they actually learn the equipment and real technique instead of just doing obstacle courses. Got her some music books with the intention that Ben could start giving her a weekly piano lesson - or grandma when she's in town - but since I try not to overschedule the kids (or Ben) it may have to wait until summer. In the meantime the only music I'll hear from the keyboard is the awful programmed stuff that the kids love to dance to.

Avery finished her first Sparks book for Awanas which means she has memorized 25 verses and the books of the Bible.

Me - Besides growing a baby I have just been up to the usual - cooking, cleaning, yardwork and whatever other things I signed up for all those years ago. And I am now Avery's sunday school teacher at church.

Books:

I've also managed to read some and a book I thoroughly enjoyed was Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. It's about Reichl's years as a food critic for the New York Times and it is delicious! I always thought that being a food critic would be the best job in the world but now I think that being a food critics friend would be even better. All the perks, none of the responsibility. Reading this book is no substitution for the food she gets to experience but it's about as close as I will ever get to eating at any of these restaurants and far fewer calories.

Movies: I thought Sherlock Holmes was a fun movie in the theater - and I don't think it's just because I don't get to the theater often. And from the handful of DVD's we watched I thought Paper Heart was excruciating, (500) Days of Summer was forgettable, Hurt Locker was exciting enough, and The Invention of Lying was extremely clever and fun. Ben fell asleep midway through all of these but that's not saying much.

The kids have been loving the Pippi Longstocking movies via Netflix and it has been so fun to rewatch her escapades with them. And Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was pretty funny too.