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!

Jennifer's Many Adventures

hello world! this is jennifer writing. momma has been very busy and says she wishes she could blog more. well, i decided to tell you my adventures because they are so fun!

i am almost 11 months old, and momma and dadda have started talking about how i am going to turn 1 soon. i think they are confused because after 11 is 12, not 1, but i let them think what they want.

i have very busy lately! first, i started crawling, but i decided that wasn't enough. so i also pulled up on furniture and started cruising around. at first, i was wobbly, but i am now awesome, and i even let go sometimes! i don't think it is very tricky, but it impresses the Grown Ups, so i humor them and smile when they cheer.

i also decided that words are cool, and i use them all the time. my favorites are: hi (which means hi, dog, and other words i am learning), momma, dadda, bobba, and nanna. i also make funny noises with my mouth.

i love dogs! well, i love our dog, sydney, and mama and papa's dog rawley. i do not like cousin henry's dog, buddy, and i really don't like great aunt suzanne's dog, rocky. rocky is small and looks like my stuffed animals, so when he jumps around, it is scary. i love to pet sydney, and she lets me. we also go on walks and play outback.

speaking of outside, i love being outside! just today, i went for a long walk with mommy and sydney, and i went swimming in my pool. mommy says to say the pool is a little kiddie pool, but  i don't know why. the pool is very big to me.

when i am not out walking sydney or swimming, i love to play around the house. i like to see my options, so i pull everything off the coffee table shelves and play with them! i love my books and my puzzle. my favorite animals are giraffes, ducks, monkeys, frogs, and dogs. i also like to help momma on her tablet.
in march, we visited cousin henry, aunt daisy, uncle tim, and baby carson. baby carson is new, but he already knows how to talk in grunts! at first, i was unsure and suspicious of him, but after a while, i realized he is pretty cool. i started talking to him   in grunts. next time i see him, i will start teaching him all my bi words.

well, mommy says we are going for a night night drive for nap time. i will have her post pictures soon. i don't know how to do  that yet.

bye bye,
jennifer

Sunday Morning

All is peaceful and quiet. The coffee pot is quietly brewing, the birds are peacefully chirping outside, and I am sitting by the back door.
The fog outside quiets my heart and calms my soul. I am most at peace and most inspired at the same time.

It's these moments where I reflect on how thankful I am for the life God has blessed me with.

Jennifer continues to grow and learn and bring joy to everyone she meets. Her personality is shining through more and more. She likes to discover and do things on her own time and in her own way. She is a lot like her parents, but she also has some things that are just her.

My students make me laugh and teach me new things daily. They love to be creative, and they love to learn.

Dave and I are going on 5 years of marriage. It seems like both an eternity and like a day. I enjoy every moment we have, and I am so thankful for Dave and all his love.

Well, the baby is stirring, so I must go.

So much going on!

Sorry I haven't posted more over the past few months...I have intended to post, but I have distractions call me away.
So, travel back in time with me:
Christmas: We enjoyed a quick holiday season. We went down to my aunt and uncle's house on Christmas Eve and celebrated with the Odell family in r1ememberence of Grandad. After a rough start due to Jenny not napping, we had a good time visiting with family and watching all the kids run around. On Christmas morning, Dave and I exchanged presents, helped Jenny open hers, and enjoyed a visit with Dave's Grandma. The following week, we celebrated Christmas with my parents, Tim, Daisy, Henry, Eric, and Eric's girlfriend Emily. This was also fun, and Henry showed Jennifer ho to play with her new toys!

January, Jenny started eating "solid food," which really means baby food. So far, she loves carrots and fruit! Sadly, peas do not agree with her system, so we take a break from th
Jennifer continues to grow and amaze Dave and I. She lives up to the meaning of her name: Fair One Full of Life. She is a momma's girl currently, and she loves Sydney. Jenny enjoys sitting up by herself, and is starting to really love books!

Reflections on motherhood:
- On the days my child is most clinging, I find myself wanting to hold her longer after she's gone to sleep.
- I love when my daughter flaps her arms and smiles while we walk through a store.
- I do not love when my daughter can only function with me holding her 5 minutes after I hop in the shower.
- If I pump before bed, Jenny will wake up and be STARVING
- The giraffe that Dave's Grandma's friend makes Jennifer happy...even 1after getting shots. Can you say, Magic Giraffe?!
- Farting noises are instinctively funny...it doesn't need to be taught