Many many adventures!

Hello out there!
Sorry it has taken so long to update our blog...I have now found an App for my tablet that is working better than the blogger website.

Instead of writing a long recap of our past year, I will give highlights.

The end of January of 2013 was exciting and crazy. We moved and went to Disneyland all in the span of 2 weeks! Disneyland was a blast, and Jennifer's favorite rides included Dumbo, the Carousel, and the Submarines.

We moved 2 miles from our old house into a bigger and nicer house (still renting). With Dave working from home and a baby on the way, we needed more bedrooms. With our 4 bedroom house, one room is Dave's office.

On September 6, we welcomed William Matthew into our family! He is an easy-going baby who smiles more and more every day. Jennifer and William have a sibling connection that is surreal. She loves to be near him, hug him, and kiss him, and he loves having her play with him.

Jennifer has enjoyed doing "Tot School" most days. We learn about the calendar and weather, and we make projects based on monthly themes and Bible stories from abcjesuslovesme.com. She loves doing arts and crafts, so Tot School is right up her alley. I usually try to time our activities during William's morning nap, but some days, he gets to participate in Tot School as well.

For Christmas last year, we equipped Dave's parents to have weekly Skype calls with us. It has been a great way for Grandma and Grandpa to watch Jennifer (and now William) grow and develop. It has also helped Jennifer build a relationship with them and Uncle Chris.

As of this week, I am back to watching Andre and his new baby sister, Liliana! It has been great seeing Jennifer and Andre pick up where they left off and get along really well. Liliana is 2.5 months old and as cute as ever!

OK, I think that's all the updates. Here are the kids' current stats:
Jennifer:
2 1/2 years old
3 feet tall, about 30 lbs.
Clothes: 3T for tops, 2T for pants
Shoe size: 6.5
Favorite activities: Tot School, taking care of her baby dolls, playing with William
Favorite foods: "Treats" (Halloween...ugh), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and applesauce

William:
5 months old
Clothes: 6 months
Shoe size: 1 (He has big feet)
Favorite activities: grabbing toys, rolling from back to front, sitting with support, playing in the exersaucer, eating baby food
New "skills": eating baby food, sticking his tongue out, watching everyone play

So, I was going to post pictures, but it doesn't like the format of my phone pictures. When I get Dave to help me with this, I will post pictures. :)

Busy, busy, busy!

As the title says, we have been busy Hubbells lately!

Cousin Sippy Cup time!

My brother, Chris, and his family moved back from Kenya at the beginning of November (they are now living in Seattle, WA). We had a family reunion upon their return at my parents' house in mid-November. Jennifer enjoyed playing with all her cousins: Kai and Mika, Henry and Carson. Dave and I enjoyed reconnecting with Chris and Sarah and getting to know Mika (she was 2 months old when they moved). It was joy to see how much Kai has grown, physically and developmentally, and he is a sweet boy to play with!

Sesame Street time!

 
On Thanksgiving, we feasted at my parents' house. There were 11 adults and 3 toddlers! It was a full house and very fun! We helped my parents cut down a Christmas tree that Saturday, as well. Jennifer still talks about it whenever we see Christmas trees.

Dave with Jennifer and niece Mika while Christmas tree hunting

Family picture!

Looking stylish with Aunt Sarah!

Dave and I are enjoying teaching Sunday School again this year. We have a big group of active 1st and 2nd graders. Last Sunday, we enjoyed watching the elementary choir perform their annual Christmas musical at church, and we were very proud of our little ones! We are looking forward to teaching them about Christmas this season!

Dave is working hard these days. He is finishing his second of three weeks in the Philadelphia area on a business trip. With the weather turning cold, he has not been riding his bike as much, but hopefully Santa can help with that!

Last month, I went in to business for myself! I am now an Arbonne independent consultant. Arbonne sells health and beauty products that are safe, pure, and beneficial. I am enjoying building a business where I can sell premium quality products! Visit Arbonne.com to see what amazing products we sell - there is something for everyone!

I continue to watch Andre 3-4 days a week, and Jennifer and Andre are playing together more and more. Jennifer likes when she can hug Andre and play with his hair, and Andre likes any toy that Jennifer is playing with.
With the weather turning cold, wet, and rainy, Jennifer is learning fun indoor activities! We have started building forts, water color painting, and dancing! Jennifer is a very curious and busy toddler, and she is a lot of fun to play with. Her personality is coming out more and more, and it is a joy to watch her continue to grow into the girl God created her to be!

A rainy day fort

Jennifer and friend walking around Sprouts one rainy evening.

When her hair is wet and combed, it reaches her shoulders!

Eating spaghetti with a big girl fork!

Jennifer is loving the Christmas tree and all the ornaments she can touch and see! She loves the lights as well, and asks for them to be turned on in the morning! We will be celebrating Christmas with Dave's family at our house this year, and I am looking forward to seeing her reaction to presents and family fun!

Loving the tree!

A brief update

I am trying to get better at blogging regularly. Here is a quick update of our adventures:

Dave continues to work from home. He has an upcoming conference in the bay area, and Jennifer and I are going to accompany him. We are looking forward to a mini-vacation!

I am enjoying being home with Jennifer. I have started watching a 9 month old little guy named Andre. Jennifer has come to enjoy having him around and is learning how to treat friends nicely.

Jennifer is around 23 pounds and wearing 12-18 month clothing. She loves being outside and plays with rocks and dirt and the exercise bike. She also loves books, putting things on/off/in/out, and her musical toys. She is learning her body parts and how to say, "Please," using sign language. 

She is full of smiles and giggles, and she is constantly entertaining and surprising us.

Dave and I are enjoying taking a Bible study class together on Wednesday nights at church. It is called A Taste of Health, and we are learning to look at food through God's eyes.

Well, that is my short update. Next week, I will try to post pictures.

Enduring

This last Saturday, Dave and I participated in the Endure Event which raises support for The Source for Youth Ministry, an online website that holds free resources for people serving in youth ministry and for parents of teens.

We started out with the goal of raising the first level of fundraising. Thanks to many gracious family members and friends, we both blew past that goal quickly. Dave then aimed for the 2nd level of fundraising. However, he didn't quite make it. Surprisingly, I did end up raising enough money to hit the 2nd level of fundraising, which came with an added prize (a gift card to a local running store).

We both trained for the event daily, and throughout the process we enjoyed encouraging one another and sharing in each other's successes. Dave chose to do the 100K cycling race, and I signed up for the 10K run.

On "race day," Jennifer, Dave, and I all got up early to head down to Discovery Park for the start of Dave's race. His race started at 7:00, with check-in time at 6:30. After Dave left, Jenny and I ate breakfast and chatted with the ladies that were running the event.

My parents graciously came down to the park around 8:30 with their dog, Rawley. My race began at 9:30, so Jennifer got to spend time with Mama and Papa and Rawley Dog. She had a great time and even napped a little to catch up after waking up early!

As I mentioned, my race began at 9:30. My goal was to finish in about an hour and to run the whole way. I was very excited to finish in 1 hour and 8 minutes, and I stopped for a moment at the turn-around spot to tie my shoe. I count it a success!

Dave finished his event in 4 hours and 8 minutes, which was a great time! Dave did very well!

After a delicious BBQ, there was a raffle, where I was lucky and won a 1-hour massage!

All-in-all it was a very fun event, and we are looking forward to participating again next year! (Hint: We might hit you up for money!)

Thank you again to everyone who donated their money, and thank you to my parents for hleping out with Jennifer!

Life in the Hubbell House

Jennifer here. Since my parents have neglected to update our family blog ONCE AGAIN, I am doing it. It's important to keep in touch with the outside world! Will someone please explain this to my mommy and daddy?

Well, Daddy still works in his office at home. I enjoy this because I like to make silly faces at him while I eat. I am discovering that Daddy offers some things that Mommy doesn't. He is a lot of fun to play with, and he knows just how to make me laugh (especially when I'm sad).

Mommy still plays with me all day, but I guess she felt I wasn't entertained enough because some days Andre, a baby, comes over and plays. He is pretty cool, I guess. I like his hair, and I LOVE to tickle him. Mommy says I can't tell him "no" when I feel he shouldn't be doing something. Does she not see he's a baby? My toys are advanced, and he isn't using them right!
Mommy also goes to a Mommy group on Thursday mornings. She drops Andre and me off in the nursery and we play with our friends. I still get sad when she leaves the nursery on Sundays, Wednesday nights, and Thursda mornings. What can I say? I LOVE MOMMY!

Anyway, enough about Daddy and Mommy. I know what you're really thinking: What has Jennifer been up to?
I love reading books, and I will pick up anything that resembles a book and read it. Of course, it's much better when Mommy reads the books - she's very good at reading! When I'm not reading, I enjoy talking, putting necklaces on Sydney dog, playing with toys, and playing outside.
Outside is the BEST, and I really don't understand why Mommy and I don't play outside all day. There are rocks and bamboo and (stationary) bicycle wheels and chalk and Sydney's toys and sometimes laundry! Oh, and I check on my green beans (Mommy has pictures that we will write about when it's all done) and the other plants in the garden.
I am almost 15 months old, weigh 23.5 pounds, and enjoy wearing 18 month clothes. I love to accessorize my clothes with hates, shoes, socks, and hair bows! I walk everywhere, and Mommy wants me to tell you I am starting to RUN. I say many things, and sometimes Mommy and Daddy understand me.

OK, well, I must be off. There are stuffed animals that need to practice their jumping! I will remind Mommy to post pictures soon!

Jennifer's Thoughts

hi there, this is jennifer and i wanted to tell you about vbs.
now, everyone says vbs is fun, and mommy signed me up. she wanted to teach the big kids about Jesus. i don't understand why, they are big and have heard about Jesus. she needs to teach me! at home! have i mentioned I LOVE MOMMY!? i want to spend all my time with her.

well, the 1st day, i cried a little when she left...it makes her feel loved. don't tell her, but i actually have fun in the nursery while she is gone! anyway, i figured if i was good during the day and was happy to see her when she came back, mommy wouldn't leave me the next day. boy.was.i.wrong.
i had to step it up! so, the 2nd day, i choked on 2 goldfish...maybe if she saw my life was in danger, she would stay home and play with me! no, mommy still brought me back.
well, on the 3rd day, i decided to really get her attention by eating my hair tie. alas, even this wasn't horrible enough to keep mommy at home!
since physical pain wasn't phasing mommy, i had to fight dirty and go for emotional pain. so the last 2 days, i cried really hard when she left and fussed when she picked me up. i knew i had to be subtle and wear her down slowly. oh, and i was having lots of fun, so i secretly wanted to go back.
well, my plan worked! on sunday, mommy didn't leave me in the nursery. in fact, she played with me and even got daddy to come and play, too!

oh, while i was secretly having fun, i made fun crafts, played with my friends, ate yummy food, and even napped! i learned how to say, "fooey," and i got to ride to and from church with my friend rachel everyday! well, mommy and i are going to go to the library now.

- jennifer

A Picture One

Hello family and friends. A quick update, and then lots of pictures!

Dave continues to work for SPK and Associates, and he enjoys working from home with occasional travel. Dave was getting into super bicycling shape until one of his tires conspired against him...so he is now exercising by running.

I (Megan) am now and full-time Mommy. So far, Jennifer and I have been keeping busy. We enjoy going to the library and playing at the park. We also have fun with friends on Thursday mornings by going to various fun places in the Sacramento area. Besides taking care of Jennifer, I am a table facilitator for Bible Study, attempting to craft while Jennifer naps, and enjoying figuring out life. :)

Jennifer will be 1-year-old tomorrow! She enters her second year of life with 4 teeth, a lot of babbly words, and 7 steps! Jennifer loves to read, play outside, pet the dog, and play in water. She continues to bring joy and laughter to Dave, me, and everyone she meets!

OK, I promised pictures, so here they are.

Helping Mommy bake...

This is so funny!

Daddy and I love to go in the backyard

Ducks!

My cabinet

See my gate?

Playing in the water at Mama's house

At Uncle Tim and Aunt Daisy's House - just cruisin'

Conquering Cousin Henry's blocks

Mommy's doll is so cool!

Sitting in my toy basket

What's outback, Sydney? We should go play with your frisbee!