Wahoo

We are in Utah! Well, techinically, Peter and I are in Utah and Robert is on a plane on his way to Utah. Seriously, we are! Totally last minute, last week (like on Wednesday) we decided, "Why NOT?!?!" and bought tickets to fly and be with the fam for the holidays. We were pretty depressed about not going home or being with our immediate families at all, and as soon as we decided to make the financial sacrifices necessary to let it happen... we couldn't stop smiling!

Seriously! So our plan is to stay with Robert's parents for a week, until the 21st, when we'll drive with my parents to California (here's hoping Peter's good! Usually he is; he was a gem on the flights here). We're staying in Cali until January 4, when we fly back to Virginia. THREE WEEKS!! Isn't that crazy and awesome?!?!?! Robert doesn't have a job this year, since he's a first year law student, and when is that going to happen again? (Not likely to happen again ever, unless he's unemployed and looking... in which case we probably can't afford the trip!) So basically, we have no commitments in Virginia now that school is out for winter break... meaning we can play for THREE weeks with our families!

Wahoo! Here's hoping your holidays are as happy as ours! I'll try to post some more... with pics of cute Peter playing (very happily) with his same-age cousins... but if I forget, know it's because I am having a fabulous time! Wahoo! (Oh and if you're in Utah or California and you're my friend, give me a call and we'll try to hang out!) (-Jocelyn)

Ahhh!

My ever-amazing, sweet, and wonderful husband, Robert, has his FIRST law school final tomorrow (Wednesday)! AHHH! How crazy is that? Finals are pretty much 100% of his grade, so it is a super stressful time, so he is studying like mad and we are praying with all we've got that he'll do well!

He has a final on Wednesday and Friday this week, then two more next week, on Tuesday and Thursday. Any good thoughts and prayers sent our way will be very much appreciated. :)

Peter is all over the place and it is freaking me out a bit! I can't believe in just a WEEK's time he is already crawling way fast, getting into everything, eating a ton more solid food (including biscuits, which he's started feeding himself), sitting up all the time . . . it is absolutely incredible how fast things can change and kids can grow! He is so adorable, though, and we love him sooo much. My favorite part of the day with Peter is the morning, actually. We have a tradition that when our alarm goes off (aka, when Peter wakes us up with his talking and/or crying), one parent goes to make a bottle and the other cuddles with Peter in our bed. Then we sandwich Peter between us and cuddle with him while he drinks his morning bottle. It is seriously one of my most favorite things, because he is so cuddly in the morning, and it is just great to start my day adoring my little love! :)

Well, I hope you are all doing well.... and that the Christmas spirit touches you soon! (-Jocelyn)

Christmas in the City

With the coming of December
Comes a time we all remember
As the leaves turn golden brown
Lights go up and snow comes down

Jocelyn makes wassail and cookies
(Emeril and Ray are rookies)
Peter eats some Christmas tree
And always wants to pee on me

Yes, every day is fun and joyous
There's just one thing to annoy us
Christmas time means finals too
And I have tests (and not a few)

So every day brings sights for seeing
Every day finds Peter peeing
Jocelyn's got her cookies singe-ing
I'm at school, sad and cringing.

THE END

Christmas Tree

Stockings hung by the fire. This is our first house as a married couple that has a chimney for Santa.

This is Peter when he thinks we're funny.

.

This is Peter when he thinks we're idiots.

-Robert

Teeth

We've got a lot of teeth problems around the Gibbons home. Robert's teeth are fine (for now), but mine and Peter's aren't feeling so good! I think I have a cavity... but I'm not sure whether it's a cavity or a bad canker sore (because I do have a canker sore back there, too). I've only had (don't beat me) two, maybe three cavities in my entire life... so I'm not all that familiar with what it feels like. My ear is starting to ache, too, so it may even just be allergies (because my back teeth ache sometimes when I have allergy stuff).

AND PETER... well, our superstar wants a big kid's mouth quick, apparently, because he is currently growing FOUR new teeth for a new total of EIGHT teeth. That's right, he almost has EIGHT teeth!!! Isn't that insane? The poor kid has been in some pain lately, but a bit of Infant Tylenol and a lot of distraction has helped him not be too grumpy (just somewhat). I'll have to get a picture of his teeth... if he lets me. He doesn't often let me see them (or touch them) so I'll just have to try.

I was thinking earlier, in a weird moment of musing, about how back in the day -- way back in the day, like during Queen Elizabeth I's time -- they didn't have orthodontists or anything like that. I am not an expert in any way, shape, or form on the Renaissance, but if this fantasy is how it really was, imagine with me meeting royalty -- the queen even -- and then looking into her mouth and seeing a set of very bad teeth (indeed!). Isn't that just a funny thought? The ruler of a powerful nation having crooked and even rotting teeth?

Okay, enough geekiness for now. I just thought I'd share. Have a good one! (-Jocelyn)

I'm Back from Being Blog Lazy...

My handsome boys (notice Peter is sitting up!).


Peter is crawling all over the place and getting into everything (basically trying to destroy everything in his path). Daaargh! I miss those good old "beached whale" days sometimes!


Isn't he SOOO cute? We went on an outing to the East National Gallery (we're on the metro in this shot) and had to bundle up. So cute, huh?

Two of Peter's favorite things: drinking his bottle ("ba ba") and reading with Dada.

Another outing.... this time we went to the West National Gallery of Art (where all the modern art is). We also went by the Ford Theater, where President Lincoln was shot, and we went into the room where he passed away. (BTW: Notice his huge gloves.... compliments of his Mama.)

We're cute, huh? :)

This is what happened after Robert fed Peter prunes.

Well, that's it for now. We're doing well. Our Thanksgiving was awesome; we spent the day at my cousin's house with aunts, uncles, and more cousins. And we had Robert home almost ALL of last week, so we miss him lots today! (-Jocelyn)

MEME!

My Dad and me in my younger, thinner days (at Tyson and Kathy's wedding reception!)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Kind of. My Mom got my name from my step-grandpa's daughter (never met either of them; he passed away before I was born) or something like that.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I really don't remember. I'm sure in the last few days, probably while watching Peter sleep (I love him SOOOO much!).
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes! One...
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Sometimes; not as much as I used to.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Uhhh... probably not. If you give me a million dollars, I'll do it!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Kix or Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Spiritually and mentally, yes; physically and socially, not so much
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? chocolate chip cookie dough or Haagen Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Smile, general feeling/mood
15. RED OR PINK? PINK!!!!
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? When I lose my temper and say things I later regret; my fears/anxieties
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Mom; but honestly, I miss everyone!
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Umm.. you can blog it, too!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I'm wearing a black and white houndstooth knee-length, a-line skirt with black, textured nylons. I took off my heels already.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Oatmeal with milk, sliced banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Yum.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The hum of my computer; my typing; the happy sound of "my boys" both sleeping (aka QUIET)!
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Bright, beautiful pink
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies; apple cinnamon candles; Peter (when he doesn't need a diaper change :)
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Probably my mom
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes! Megan is a wonderful sister and a great example to me of a fantastic mother.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Basketball; ice skating; dancing
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown
28. EYE COLOR? Brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yep, since I was 17 (though I only wore one contact then; I only needed a contact for my right eye for the first two years).
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Depends on my mood... chocolate chip cookies, waffles, steak, bacon, milk
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings EVERY time (I don't like scary movies).
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Live Free or Die Hard. Yeah. Robert REALLY wanted to rent it, so we did. It was actually pretty good, for an action flick. I love how Bruce Willis can play a tough, yet quirky and often funny, action hero.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? I have a love-hate relationship with both, depending on how long into the season I'm in
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses from Robert and Peter... but I love hugs, too.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Rice pudding with almonds
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? You?
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Peter?
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I just finished a reading binge (Goose Girl, Crow Lake, and When the Emperor Was Divine all last week), so I've just been reading The Book of Mormon as always, but I'm going to start Ahab's Wife by Sena Jester Naslund.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have a mouse pad...
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV? When? Last night? Uhh, probably Disney Channel something or another. Watched some of the BYU football game and the basketball game.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Peter's laugh; beautiful music
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? London; Ukraine; Czech Republic
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I love to sing and act
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Newport Beach, California
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Yours ;)

Screamer

Yeah. My child, particularly in the past week, has finally reached a crazy stage! His current favorite (naughty) activities are to:

• try to yank out our vertical blinds (seriously, HOW do you babyproof vertical blinds??? My current solution is to put a big pillow in front of them when they're closed together, but that only deters him for so long...)


• eat anything and everything in sight, including pieces of lint or dust or something on the carpet (I promise I vacuum!), pieces of carpet (ours comes off around the edges), and our coffee table legs


• wiggle and kick like mad whenever I try to hold him and he's soooo not in the mood (I miss my cuddle baby!)


• bite and bite hard (this one is mostly a shout out to Robert; for some reason, Peter's favorite way to say "I love you" to Daddy lately is to try to take a big chunk out of Robert's shoulder or arm, basically wherever his four little [but piercing] teeth can reach)


• kick and bang everything imaginable (the coffee table, the walls, the windows, the couch)


• and . . . (see video clips below . . . though the best is yet to come, because it wouldn't fit)

(-Jocelyn)

The Poky Little Puppy

It's time for another session of "Did you know?" about ME!

Did you know that my mother nicknamed me the Poky Little Puppy when I was little? Seriously. And funny enough, I wore the nickname with pride. I loved being associated with one of my favorite little kids books, even if the connotation was that I was, in fact, poky. (It's true; I get distracted easily and I do like to "smell the roses" along the way . . . just like the Poky Little Puppy! Plus I love dessert.)

I own this book and I have read it to Peter a number of times. It is quite a hilarious read, because the morale of 90% of the story is that if you're poky and thus don't get home until everyone else has been grounded and your mother is asleep, you get to eat all of the dessert--not just your portion, but everybody's!!! The other 10% (the last page of the book), the Poky Little Puppy is finally caught by his mother coming in late and he is the only one who doesn't get dessert this one time (which brings up parental issues, like, what is with the fact that the Dog Mom doesn't know that one of her puppies is missing? Does she not even know her own children? Is the group more important than the individual here? I mean, honestly . . .).

I love the old stories from back in the day when everything didn't have to be didactic and necessarily P.C. I mean, I love new kids books and I am all for pressing morality on my children when they least suspect it . . . but I do find a certain (maybe sick) pleasure in the now-taboo books of yesteryear. Like (in very small part) The Poky Little Puppy. And like The Tale of Peter Rabbit (talk about morbid! The second and third pages read: ". . . don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden./ Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor." Lovely!). There are so many gems out there; I find it hilarious. And yes, I admit now that I think of it, most of them are teaching morality. They just hit you over the head with it rather than gently persuade . . . (i.e., if you disobey, you'll be eaten in a pie. Yikes!).

ANYWAY, this whole post started because I ate rice pudding last night. Correction, I MADE (for the first time ever) and ate rice pudding. And I'm eating some now. You see, the first dessert in The Poky Little Puppy is rice pudding. That's where I got the craving to have it again . . . from reading. And yes, the rice pudding is delicious. SOOO worth the 3 hours or so of cooking and cooling time (1.5 hours of cooking; 1.5+ hours of cooling).

Yum!!! (-Jocelyn)

GoodReads

my 'read' shelf:

I Heart . . .

Rice Pudding!!!

Did you know that (despite my addiction to chocolate) my favorite dessert of all time is rice pudding? I know, weird, huh? Growing up, my mom would make it every Christmas and I LOVED it. Funny enough, I have never tried to make it myself . . . until now.

I'm going to try to put my mom's recipe together tonight. Yeah, I know it's not Christmas. But it was Halloween . . . that can count for something, right? Anyway, it's a Danish rice pudding recipe (I'm 1/4 Danish, so that's probably why I like it so much) and I'll let you know how it goes.

Halloween was fun. A little bit of a letdown to be honest. Our ward's trunk or treat was a blast, so that was a great activity. But on the actual Halloween day, we only got one trick-or-treater. How disappointing is that?!?! I admit, we weren't home until 6:30 pm, so younger trick-or-treaters and their parents may have come by when we weren't around . . . but I was still sad.

I even have my house decorated! And I even dressed up in my, uh, "maiden" costume (it's really a tavern wench; I own it thanks to Dave's How to Host a Murder parties from 2005 and 2006). And Robert was dressed in his knight costume . . .

Which brings me to a funny little story. Robert actually wore his knight costume all of Halloween; well, most of it anyway. As in, he woke up, got dressed into his knight costume, and then went on the bus and the metro. He said that people did in fact look at him funny, and that no one else was dressed up on the packed metro . . . until a Robot man came on. Naturally, the robot sat next to Robert, so they could "stick together" as Robert put it, and the rest of the metro ride was more comfortable.

Even funnier to me is that a ton of people at the law school dressed up (including law professors). Isn't that just funny? At law school? Dressing up? I was actually very proud of Robert for having the guts to go all out on the metro (even with the stranger stares). What a man.

Well, hope yours was a good one. And that you got more than one trick-or-treater. If you felt deprived, I could pretend to trick-or-treat right now and you could just mail me candy. I wouldn't mind . . . so . . .

TRICK or TREAT!!! (-Jocelyn)

Yes, I'm Naive

Well, I'm not having the fondue. Sorry, you didn't all get to comment. As I was looking at the ingredients list (and typing it all up for you in the comments), I came across the word "Kirsch" and wondered what the heck that was. A Google-second later... and I am now NOT having the fondue. Kirsch is brandy. So there are now TWO alcoholic substances in my fondue. I could deal with the wine... if it's a little bit and it's going to cook off... but it just seems like a bad omen to be okay with the wine (which is the second ingredient on the list, meaning it's got to be in there quite a bit)... and the BRANDY!!!

Darrgh. Well, eating locust bean gum didn't sound very appetizing anyway.

Does anyone have a good (non-alcoholic) cheese fondue recipe? I'm in need... (-Jocelyn)

Whinny for Wine?

As most of you know, I don't drink alcohol. Kind of a "no duh" if you know I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... since members don't drink alcohol. Anyway, I wanted to get some opinions from y'all. Robert and I are having our date night this Friday (at our apartment... with our son sleeping in his crib... since we don't have a babysitter, but hey, we can still have a "date," right?)... and I want to make a fun, special dinner, so I bought a fondue set (see the pic above of what I bought). Like, I was in the fancy cheese section at the grocery store, and there's a Swiss fondue package that you just have to heat up and voila, you're ready for dipping.

The problem is, I just looked at the ingredients and it says it has wine in it. I don't typically cook with any form of alcohol, but I also don't usually have problems eating something that has some in it, if it's been cooked so all the alcohol has worn off (like wine in a marinade). The thing is, I don't know if fondue counts. What do you guys think? Am I overreacting here? Can I eat my fondue??? I really want to... but I also don't want to be violating the Word of Wisdom or anything. Hmm...

Other than my serious fondue wine dilemmas, life is going pretty good. I have a writing buzz. As in, I've been thinking about writing and writing so much that my head is buzzing (the way it does for me when I've been consumed by a good book). I've set a goal to write every day, and I have so far. I'm going to throw out some of what I've written, I'm sure, but it still feels good to just do it and not be afraid to try.

Okay, I seriously need to take a break from any form of writing and just relax... so until next time... (-Jocelyn)

PS- Look at the cute pictures of Peter the Horsey! Isn't he ADORABLE?!?!?!

I Love Naptime!

Peter is napping right now, meaning I have a break, so I am blogging! Yay for us all! (BTW, isn't the above pic the cutest? Peter fell asleep on the way home from Church yesterday. I got him out of his car seat and carried him into the house and he was already back asleep, on my shoulder. SOOO sweet!)

Two facts you may not know. First, Peter is an amazing sleeper, and pretty much came to me that way. I can't take credit for it (though I do employ sleep strategies--put him down at consistent times, have a going to sleep routine, let him cry for 10 minutes if he cries, which he often doesn't) . . . but he sleeps through the night (7 pm to 7:30 am) and takes two naps a day (a morning quickie from 9-10 am and an afternoon longer nap from about 12-2 or 3 pm). How lucky am I? I know, I know, I am blessed to have such a talented sleeper. I am relishing it, because I am sure all of my children will not be this easy!

Second fact (and this one is hard to type): I have always had a somewhat secret dream to be a published (hopefully well published) author. I know, a lot of people say that. But I really mean it.

When I was eighteen and starting to really get into researching my favorite authors and their lives (I was an English major because I love literature and writing!), I saw a trend that is super arbitrary and somewhat forced: "most" (a lot of) major authors publish their first significant work of fiction between the ages of 24 and 28. Upon discovering this "fact," I came up with a personal challenge: I would publish my first book by the time I turned 28.

This was a dream and a goal I set with myself. I kept it mostly secret, for fear, mainly, that I wouldn't achieve it or I would change my mind about really doing it and thus feel dorky for having said it (too late now!). Very few people knew about it. And now, I'm telling all of you.

I figured I might as well, because my parents (see pictures above and below; love you guys!) got it out of me as they grilled me during their trip about my personal (non-Peter, just for me) goals. And they took me seriously. Robert did, too. They told me I could do it... I should do it... and they are now following up and encouraging me.

Two nights ago, an amazing thing happened. I sat down at my computer, and despite the fact that I almost always have writer's block when I write creatively and it takes me a long, long time to write ANYTHING because of it (the block comes from my perfectionism; whole other blog)... this time was different. I decided to just relax and write whatever came to mind. I did... and I liked it. Writing was really fun and surprisingly easy! I have now written three "chapters," and I feel like I have finally started this dream. This may not be the book that gets published, and I know the industry well enough to know that the chances anything I write will be read are slim... but I am still going for it.

So I want to throw it out there. What dreams have you been hiding? You know you have them. The secret desire to be a clothing designer... or an artist... or a singer (okay, another one of mine is to perform on Broadway, but that's probably not going to happen due to a lot of reasons, not fear)... or a politician... or whatever! Be brave and let me know! (-Jocelyn)

Historocity

It has fallen upon me to give a detailed report of the rad trip we took with Jocelyn's parents down to Yorktown and Williamsburg last week.

I must say that any of you who have not seen at least a couple of these sites need to make it a priority to go in your lifetime. They included some very memorable experiences and definitely made me appreciate the history of our country more deeply.

DAY 1

Manasses, the site of the first civil war battle. Both sides thought it would be the only battle, and both sides had spectators sitting on the hillside watching it as if it were entertainment; they thought that the other side would cave and the dispute would be ended very quickly.

Needless to say, all were wrong. The casualties suffered in this battle were catastrophic, with the union taking most of the blows. Both armies woke up after that, and began preparing their men to be better soldiers, thus ensuring a long and drawn-out civil war.






Shots from a campground in Shenandoah National Park

Day 2

University of Virginia. Established by Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson's Thinking Hut (Monticello)

Peter sleeping on a big bed

Day 3







Williamsburg tavern. Peter is ready to eat.




Soldiers marching down Main Street.







The women actors were crazy about Peter!






I got drafted!



Day 4


Yorktown. The Revolutionary War was won here. The tour guide told us I think 10 unbelievable things that happened at this spot to give the Americans the victory. It was an inspiring tale.





(-Robert)

100

Hello all! This is a quick hello! The parents, Peter, and I (Robert's in school) head to Annapolis today and I am beat! It was for sure fun (and delicious), though, thanks to my Uncle Russ and Aunt Sherrie.

Here are a few pics of our journeys so far. I'll explain later, when I have the energy! But yes, we are alive, and YES, we are having a wonderful time! I'm sad my parents leave tomorrow! What will I do without them?!? (-Jocelyn)

PS- Happy Post-Day to Me... this is my 100th post. Hope you liked it.

Spooky

On Saturday night, Jocelyn and I dropped Peter off with the babysitters, a couple in our ward that have agreed to take babysitting turns with us. They had set up a pack-and-play portable crib in their bathroom (because it's dark) and there Peter slept like an angel--well, at least the kind of angel that doesn't make any sounds, as opposed to the kind of angel that Alma the younger envisioned, the kind that would shake the earth and declare repentance with a loud voice (these are the kinds of things we hoped Peter would not do when we dropped him off with the babysitters).

Anyway, off we went to the Rosslyn Spectrum theater, where we saw an awesome adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher."


It was rad. Definitely a good Halloween treat, and something we could have only seen, I think, in the D.C. area.

(-Robert)

P.S. Here's some cute videos of Peter.