Us Right Now & Weekly Update – November 12

jake
This week was full of professional ups and downs for Jake and then he had to leave for a trip to San Diego. Even though he stayed with a friend, our car ended up being broken into overnight and he had a few small items stolen. The scariest part, of course, was the broken window. Not the greatest way to end the week but we’re all safe and sound and that’s really what matters, of course.

karen
I spent most of this week feeling sick. I’d like to say that I’m all better but I still feel quite ill and I can’t wait for it to be gone. I ended up taking a sick day on Thursday and a day off on Friday. Work was relatively quiet except for some excitement on Friday. I had book club which was really fun for a change, and also got to watch Sir Ken Robinson earlier this week which was entertaining and interesting. The last few days of the week was all about resting, watching TV and reading a book. Trying to get well as quickly as I can.

david
David had a good week at school. Nothing super-eventful. He read more books about Origami Yoda and and Darth Paper and he now has a spy club at school called Mouse Hole Spy Club. I am not sure what they do but I am grateful he seems to be making more and more friends. He’s been coming home with fortuneteller things, too (not sure what those are called in English) and we have started our 2012 project already so it’s been a fun week. He also got his first desk in his room this week which he loves. I am so proud of my big boy.

nathaniel
Nathaniel’s really enjoying looking through all my notebooks and art journals. He loves looking through the scrapbooks and naming everybody. He’s becoming even more vocal and I love listening to him talk. I love that he likes looking at my art and that he’s interested in the scrapbooks. He no longer sits in the high chair and has to eat at the table off of plates and bowls just like David. I hope this means potty-training will be easy, too.

Here are some of my favorite captured moments from this week:

Nathaniel is still obsessed with trains:

loves having them all over the house:

last week’s family night was smath: scrabble math.

there was also a lot of playing on his own for Nathaniel since I was so sick.

He found many ways to entertain himself.

and, thankfully, he was happy most of the time.

he also spent a lot of time looking through my notebooks.

he begged not to eat the meatballs and veggies (but had to anyway).

David got his first desk this week. He loves it.

He also got some books from the library that he loves (and Nathaniel wanted to read, too, of course).

My super-beautiful boy.

On Friday, I was really sick and had an emergency at work. David was upstairs in his room. So Nathaniel decided to make a bed from all of his diapers so he could sit and read.

Later, David came down to tell me a story.

And I just snapped photos as he talked.

Today, Nathaniel went through my scrapbooks.

and David played Wii.

most of the day was just relaxing since I am still sicker than I’d like.

and there was hugging of course.

I love the way David’s looking at Nathaniel in this picture:

And those are some of the moments from our week. All in all, despite the sickness and break-in, another good week. We’re all healthy and safe. That’s all that matters.


Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Reading with David – The Mystery of the Fiery Eye

David says:
I gave this story five stars because I liked how the fiery eye was mysterious and cool.

I liked that there was trick with the statues and even after they figured out the right statue, it was still not in there. I liked that the real one was buried.

I liked the part where Jupe broke the chair to be able to get out and save his friends. And I also really liked that Jupiter buried a coin so that he could find the spot with a metal detector when they came back at night. He’s so clever!

The best part was how the guy from the temple paid Gus a lot of money for the eye and how Gus gave some of it to the investigators and some of it to the car company so they could keep using the Rolls Royce.


Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Us Right Now & Weekly Update – November 5

jake
I’d say a quieter week for Jake. Though he still went into the city several times to have meetings. We also went to David’s school for Nathaniel’s interview (for next year) and went out to a social even in David’s school. So overall, I’d say it’s still been a busy week. Running around, getting work done, having a few date nights and getting a lot of work done.

karen
This was a long week for me. Besides my parents being here and my wanting to spend a lot of time with them, I felt really ill all week between my allergies and jaw aches. I just didn’t feel right all week. I ended up going to bed around 7:30 almost every single night. Even the 10-hours of sleep didn’t make me feel better. I’ve also been way off my schedule which often stressed me out so I am assuming all of that together didn’t help. However it was wonderful to have my parents here and I am really really sad that they are already gone.

david
David had an excellent week at school and at home. He got to have a wonderful Halloween where he got to be venom (black Spiderman). He played a lot with my parents and got to eat out way more than usual. He got new legos, books, toys, and even a new desk for his room which he’s very excited about. He’s been doing great at school and reading every single night like a champ. We’ve already started thinking about our 2012 project together, too. I am so excited for us to do something crafty together.

nathaniel
Nathaniel also had a wonderful week. He had his first Halloween at school and he was a dinosaur. He got to go on a little parade with his class and loved going trick or treating in the neighborhood. He did ok during his interview, too. At first he was all shy but then he opened up and I am hoping it went well for him. He really got attached to both my parents and I am not sure how he’ll handle it tomorrow when he realizes they’re gone.

Here are some of my favorite captured moments from this week:

There was a lot of reading in our house all week:

and Nathaniel made sure to be a part of it too:

the boys loved sitting with my dad and doing their thing.

I finally snapped a shot of Nathaniel right before he went to school:

I snapped a few shots of the boys in the backyard on halloween.

david was the black spiderman (venom) and Nathaniel was a dinosaur (david’s costume from when he was 2.5).

Nathaniel wasn’t a huge fan of the hat and did a lot of this all night.

but he was super-cute with it on:

all the kids in our complex met up at the part to go trick or treating. My two boys took a moment to sit and hug each other.

David even gave Nathaniel a kiss.

Nathaniel spent playing a lot this week while I worked.

he has this new thing where he puts his hands together behind him. He’s so cute.

He’s been super-happy lately, too.

David, too.

Lots of posing.

and laughing.

and a ton of sitting together with the grandparents which was definitely my favorite moments.

and I’ll end with a tickle-time shot from today.

And those are some of the moments from our week. All in all, a truly wonderful week. Hope yours was, too. Thank you for your patience with me this week. I hope to be more responsive and post more this week.


Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Reading with David – The Dragons of Blueland

David says:
I gave this story five stars because I I really liked that Elmer got to see all the dragons that are in Boris’ family and save them.

I liked the part where Boris told Elmer about the things he and his family do during the week. I also liked how the cat told Elmer that the dragon came to ask for help. But I thought it was a bad idea that the dragon let the men on the ship see him while he was flying even though I know he was trying to save his family quickly. I thought it was really mean that the men were trying to catch the dragons so they could sell them to zoos.

I liked how all the dragons escaped in the end and Elmer was able to go back home safely and the sand storms started over so the men would leave. And I really liked that Elmer didn’t tell his father that it was actually him in the paper.


Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Us Right Now & Weekly Update – October 29

jake
It’s going to be surprising to read that Jake had more meetings this week. All over the place, both during the day and night. He also went out with our neighbors for dinner this past week. We even got to go on two date nights together since my parents have been here to babysit. We drove all the way to the city and had a wonderful Italian dinner together. It was so nice just to walk around and chat with him. I love my husband so much.

karen
This week flew by for me. It was hectic and stressful and lovely all at once. I had my parents here all week so whenver I wasn’t working, I tried to spend my time with them. I also went to David’s school both on Monday and on Friday. I had to go to work on Friday because my computer didn’t upgrade properly so I had to take it in and get it fixed. Between family time, pushing a new build out, David’s school, date nights, and crazy computer issues, it felt like a whirlwind week.

david
David had a great week. He was the school reporter for Chapel on Monday morning and he did an excellent job reading clearly and enunciating well. He got to play with my parents all week and then had a Halloween parade at school on Friday where he was black Spiderman. And just yesterday, he got a new ribbon in his swimming class cause he moved to level 3 which means he doesn’t have to wear fins anymore so he’s super excited. I am so very proud of the person he is and how hard he tries and how kind he is.

nathaniel
Nathaniel is doing great, too. Talking more and more everyday and in fuller sentences now, too. He wants to be just like David so refuses to sit on the high chair so he just sits on a normal chair right next to his brother. They are so cute together (when they aren’t shrieking). He is still refusing to say six or seven but can go all the way up to twenty (skips sixteen and seventeen too of course.) He’s such a happy, mischievous boy.

Here are some of my favorite captured moments from this week:

David’s getting a little tired of the nonstop photo taking:

and Nathaniel is upping the drama:

the boys got a lego set and built them:

and the David played on the electronics set with my dad.

Nathaniel sat next to them and watched.

here’s the set.

and one more smile from the little boy.

he read to opapa:

while David built the other lego

which nathaniel immediately took over.

There’s also been a lot of choo choo playing.

and more reading.

and more trains.

some snuggle and chat and play time with my dad.

And then today’s shot of my three boys.

Nathaniel’s devastation when I take the remote away.

and the best we could do today.

And those are some of the moments from our week. Hope yours was wonderful.


Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Reading with David – Elmer and the Dragon

David says:
I gave this story five stars because I thought it was nice that the dragon tried to get Elmer home to his parents.

I liked the part about Feather Island and how he ran into his old pet bird, Flute. I thought King Can’s story was interesting and I liked that they dug up the treasure and all the things they found in it. It was nice of the King to give some of it to Elmer and to the dragon and even to Flute. I thought it was nice of Elmer to give some presents to Flute.

I liked that when they got home the dragon gave the watch to Elmer so he could give it to his mom, My favorite part was that Elmer made it home safely and gave presents to his dad and his mom and even played the harmonica for his father. And that the dragon is going home. It was a very happy ending!


Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Us Right Now & Weekly Update – October 22

jake
Good week for Jake. A few meetings, a lot of traveling back and forth between the city and Berkeley and here so long days. He was also nice enough to go get my parents from the airport and to get our carseats fixed. We moved them so Nathaniel’s now facing forward. Jake took the car to the professional installation place and ended up installing the whole thing by himself. A lot of work but now it’s done.

karen
Crazy week for me. I spent all of early this past week trying to get a new build done and then I pushed it out and we found some last minute issues so I had to work feverishly to get them all resolved and fix and push again. I also didn’t do as much art journaling as I am used to. And now that my parents are visiting, I imagine it’s going to quiet down even further for a while. But that’s ok. I really am so glad to have them here.

david
David had a great week at school. He took his gratitude journal to share. He got a bunch of books and he seemed to have a lot of fun. He didn’t have school Monday so it was a short week for him. With my parents’ arrival he‘s also been super-happy. He got a LEGO book, a science set and a Batman cave so he’s been playing the whole time and he’s just thrilled to have my father to play with and tell stories to. Monday he gets to talk in front of the whole school, representing his class.

nathaniel
Nathaniel is his happy, jovial self. He’s really into counting lately but refuses to say six or seven. So he goes one, two, three, four, five, eight. And no matter how much I say six or seven, he will not say them. He’s still loving school. As soon as he walks in he kisses me and says bye and goes off to play. I am so grateful that he’s so happy there. He’s also super-happy my parents are here and loves his new train set and cars. He’s been playing with and kissing and hugging my parents non stop. Wonderful week for all of us.

Here are some of my favorite captured moments from this week:

Last sunday’s family shot:

and tickle-time:

on Monday we played with stamps:

Nathaniel adored doing it.

So did David.

And then they colored them in, too.

Here’s Nathaniel’s “don’t take my photo” face.

and a smile from David:

Nathaniel played with his trains a lot while David was at school

I love this smile.

I love this one, too because David’s reading so much now. He loves to read all the time.

Little boy and his blankie.

David’s don’t-take-my-photo face.

I tried to snap one with my dad and Nathaniel but he wasn’t cooperating.

And it was even harder to get one of the four of them.

And here we are at the last few hours of the weekend. I hope yours was well.


Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Reading with David – Akimbo and the Elephants

David says:
I gave this story five stars because there are a lot of elephants in the book and I find them interesting and I liked that he lived in Africa.

I liked the part where Akimbo ran into the ranger camp in the middle of the night so he could get his dad and the rangers to catch the poachers. His plan was sneaky. I like that he stole the ivory because with it he was able to trick the bad guy into joining their gang.

I liked his plan of joining in with them so he could follow exactly where they went. It was scary that the rhino almost charged at him and the lion roared at him. It was very brave of him to scare the elephants so he could make sure to save them.

The best part was in the end when he saw that the little elephant was taken care of and when all the poachers were caught.


Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Us Right Now & Weekly Update – October 15

jake
This is going to come as a surprise but, yes, it was another week full of meetings for Jake. He’s been working hard and working a lot. This week was also doing the company taxes, moving the Roth accounts around and a bunch of paperwork in general. He also took both the cars in because one was due for maintenance and the other needed a recall fix. He’s been playing video games a bit which makes me happy. And he’s been helping out so much more with the kids and the house, too and I am so happy to have him around a bit more.

karen
A lot going on for me this week. I had a lot of work at work but felt like I was being productive and useful. I got my hair straightened and dyed again finally. I went out to a mom’s night out with David’s class and it was lovely. I also met a friend for coffee which was lovely, too. I finally bought a new pair of jeans and I am ready to clean up my closet of all the excess. This next week will be stressful, too but hopefully less busy.

david
David has a short week this week because he had no school on Friday. He’s been playing hockey during PE and recess lately and enjoying that. He also seems to be making friends at a good pace and still really liking his school. We went for his first teacher’s conference on Friday and everything we heard was great. He’s adjusting well socially and doing great academically. He’s above level on almost everything but still loves to learn and looks forward to going to school every day. I couldn’t ask for more.

nathaniel
Nathaniel is enjoying school very much, too. On days when he’s home, he’s bored more easily than he used to be and misses David a lot. He’s getting better and better at numbers and can count from one to ten (except six and seven which he can’t pronounce and likes to skip over.) He is still super-cute and mischievous. He loves sitting right next to me and leaning in to see what I am doing on the computer and eating peanuts with me.

Here are some of my favorite captured moments from this week:

I love how Nathaniel loves to sit on David:

I got to have a kiss during Sunday’s shoot:

Nathaniel really likes using this step lately. I think he likes being as tall as David:

He also sits on it to play.

He’s really into numbers a lot lately so this toy’s getting a lot of use:

And here’s my handsome boy:

Nathaniel loves this UFO, too especially cause it has a piece that lights up:

I love this shot of David, too:

The boys playing together (drawing together) while I was in a video conference meeting:

And one more from today’s tickle-time.

The boys are sleeping now and Jake and I are just winding down and relaxing. Here’s to another wonderful weekend.


Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Reading with David – My Father’s Dragon

*****CLICK HERE FOR THE HALLOWEEN HOP*****

David says:
I gave this story five stars because I thought it was cool that there was a dragon in the book and how clever the father was about saving it.

I thought it was really sad that the animals captured the dragon and made him cross back and forth. I liked how Elmer gave all the animals things they wanted. Like the rhino whose tusk needed cleaning. I thought the lion looked funny with the ribbons and bows on his mane. And it was awesome that he was able to cross the river by making the crocodiles suck the lollipop and it was funny to see the tiger chewing gum and that he accidentally stepped on a whale while getting to the island.

My favorite part is when he saves the dragon and they fly away as all the other animals are stuck in the crocodiles’ backs.


Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Us Right Now & Weekly Update – October 8

jake
This was another busy week for Jake. He had client meetings and long proposals to work on. Trading, meetings, conferences. On and on. He also attempted the contact lenses a few more times but I think we’re pretty sure these lenses are not going to work for him. They make his eyes too dry so he needs to try another brand which we ordered and are now waiting to receive from the doctor. Let’s see if those work better.

karen
Things are still hectic for me but are quieting down a little bit more each week. I’ve spent most of the week doing the regular things on my schedule. I also scrapped a bit and went out to book club. I managed to take some down time and go to bed early almost every day this week. I sketched, journaled and art journaled daily. I also exercised of course. I’ll consider this week a success.

david
David had a good week at school. He did a lot of reading at school and at home this week. He’s been bringing a book home every night so he can read it to me. He made some new friends at school He got to play with legos. He helped me clean out the living room of all the crazy amount of toys. We all went to the farm this weekend and he rode a pony, rode the train, and played with the excavator. He also made numerous creations with his legos which are now officially all over the house, in every nook and cranny. It’s quite amusing actually.

nathaniel
Nathaniel is also doing great. He’s talking more each day. He loves it when we drop off David because he knows he’s next. On the days he’s home, he likes me to pay attention to him and plays right next to me while I work. He’s also a lot more talkative and likes to make sure he’s acknowledged so he will say the same thing endlessly until he can get a response. He loves tackling and chasing David all around the house and he loves to say all of our names again and again. He’ll say Mommy, Nay-nay, Daddy, Dee-dee. Many times a day.

Even though I stopped doing the daily updates, I’m still taking the daily photos and will share them weekly here so these posts will be long and full of photos, feel free to skip. Here are some of my favorite captured moments from this week:

Nathaniel watching the rain:

A smile for mommy:

The boys playing and running together into the room:

Nathaniel sits next to me with all of his legos while I work.

A smile to fill my heart:

And one from the little one:

and one more:

silly faces are never too far:

Sometimes, he also plays at his table wile I work:

Today we went to the farm for our yearly Halloween fun. We rode the train, David rode a pony:

Nathaniel’s asking Daddy what he wants him to do (he wanted Nathaniel to look at me and smile.)

My awesome boys:

Nathaniel loved feeding the goats, but the goats weren’t very hungry. we had to wait a long time for them to come and eat a bite.

David fed a few, too.

And then we got to go inside and pet them. I love how loving and gentle he is here.

And some more hugs.

We have a photo in this exact spot from last year with the three boys, too.

And on the way out David got to play with the excavator.

All in all it was a wonderful morning and we left before it was too crowded.

Now we’re all resting and enjoying the rest of the weekend. Hope you are all well, too!


Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Reading with David – Pee Wee’s Tale

David says:
I gave this story five stars because I liked that Pee-Wee was free in the park and made friends with Lexi and found the sweet apple.

I liked the part where the bird took him but he was clever enough to bite him just when he was over the water. And how he read the story in the paper and was able to warn all the other animals in time so they could escape. I loved that he started reading to all the other animals and how much they liked it. And how he became friends with all the other animals so they watched out for him and looked for Robbie for him.

I also really liked the ending how Pee-Wee actually realized he was so free now and had a good friend like Lexi and was living a better life and how he saw that Robbie, too, had gotten his wish and had a puppy now so it was happy for both of them.

Another recommendation from our librarian. What a sweet little tale. I know there are sequals to this one and I think we will likely check those out, too since it was so delightful.


Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.