A Natasha and Jon update

So there are always these posts about Nicholas. I don't know who that kid is :) but he sure is cute. And awfully important to his parents.

Well, Natasha is working from home now. It has been a rough start. She has gotten sick with a sinus infection (if she never has one again it will be too soon for all of us). But she's getting on a schedule, which means everything will get better. She got the only paid TA position at CSUS in the Government program for Fall and Spring. So that is a good. She's also a research assistant for the head of the Center for Governmental Studies at CSUS. All of these things are building her academic credentials. Her literature review for her thesis is due Tuesday, and she's taking a break right now. It's all written. Hopefully all 50+ sources will be enough for the literature review. If not, I am sure her professors will tell her.

Jon is still working at Finance. He's enjoying it, but looking to gain more managerial experience. We don't know where that path will lead.

We are both enjoying our time together. Although right now is March Madness so we don't really talk to each other - we mainly see each other as Jon is watching basketball and Natasha is getting work done.

We survived one year of Nicholas, for which we will be holding our own celebration.

Jon's family is coming into town this week, so that will be fun.

Anyways, until next time.

The climbing gene

This is our climber. He's really a climber. Anything and anyone is fair game for him to climb. He likes to get on the sofa, and then try to get on the bookshelves or the piano. We really have to stop him.

However, there is not point to stopping him when all he wants to do is climb on boxes. It really is a treat to have him climb on them instead of dumping them out. At least this way there is less clean up for Jon and I to do.

He really does climb people. If you are holding him, he sometimes sticks his butt out and starts to try to climb up you. If you are laying on the floor, sofa, a chair...whatever....he is just going to climb over you. He has no notion of what a neck is, or that eyes are fragile. He simply like to climb.

He didn't get the climbing gene from me. I don't like to climb. I am scared of heights. He must have gotten it from his father....just like the punk gene :)

Nicholas' actual birthday

Nicholas woke up on his birthday to lots and lots of presents! Most were practical things - like new shoes and stuff. But he also got a farm and a train.See the fire truck in the back ground? He really likes that.

After Nicholas opened his presents, we went to breakfast. There was a fireman there who gave Nicholas a fireman hat (plastic). When he sits on his truck and wears his hat, he looks so cute.

We also went to the Sacramento Zoo. There were no cougars, so Jon and Nicholas got a picture by the leopards. Nicholas was annoyed that the tigers and lions were lazy. He liked the animals that were busy. Although the monkeys scared him with all their noise and stuff. But he and Jon loved the leopards. Nicholas also got to play with a fake crocidile. He and I had fun there. Our little climber tried to get on it, but it was too slippery.

Then we went to Fairy Tale Town. He loved to play there -and eat the dirt. He really liked the cheese (below). He crawled into it, and then to the other side (it's like a tunnel) and then turned around inside the cheese - he wouldn't get out - and crawled back the other way.

And thus ended Nicholas' birthday.

A BYU fan

I play with Nicholas all afternoon. We really have fun. And sometimes there is more fun than other times.

We fingerpainted recently - and here are the results:

We have 3 wonderful new masterpieces to grace our walls (and family's walls). I had a new, and very colorful kitchen floor. He wanted to paint the floor, not the paper. Why not?! Crayloa is washable with warm water.

And just for his father, he used blue fingerpaint to put a "Y" on him. A BYU fan already. All the rest of the body art is Nicholas' work. He really liked fingerpainting on his legs. And his hair. My child already wants to dye his hair colors.

I also was very colorful. My feet were green and blue, and I had nice red, green and blue (and all mixtures of those colors) all over my face. He thought I needed some make up. I also was able to get my glasses tinted green. How he knew that was something I wanted I did not know, but he did. Good thing I put on play clothes before we started. Because we were a mess.

He is learning his colors. He knows red, blue and green - at least he knew them while we were fingerpainting.


Isn't my new kitchen floor great? At least he refrained from the walls and cabinets this time. Although my oven and dishwasher did get colored. Guess he doesn't like stainless steel.

Nicholas' Second First Birthday Party

We also had a first birthday party here in Sacramento with everyone we know and all the family up here. Nicholas was a pro at eating cake by now, and he had a blast. We had a blast with all the people who came and helped us celebrate. Here are some of the pictures. I didn't get to take a lot of pictures - but as soon as other people give me all the pictures they took, I will get them on here somehow!



Nicholas liked playing outside at his party. He really liked chasing after the ball, and pouncing on the guests - like poor Brian here.

He was also much better at his cake the second time around. He got it all over himself, and ate some too. A special thanks goes to Steve and TJ who were showing him how to get it in his hair. I will have revenge when your children turn 1.

A very special thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Wunderlich for letting us use their backyard. Otherwise Jon and I would've been cleaning the floor for weeks.

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Nicholas' First First Birthday Party

So there were a series of birthday parties for Nicholas. The first birthday party was in the Bay Area with my family. It is so wonderful that everyone showed up. We don't often get together - but we did for this occasion. Nicholas was spoiled by everyone, and he just blabbed and had a great time. He was so exhausted on the ride home - and so were Jon and I.



Nicholas likes to share his cake. After the destruction job he did on it, I am not sure that anyone else wants to share it with him.

This is a picture of his first, tentative taste of the cake. He first tested the frosting. Once he decided that the cake was edible, it was eaten - and smeared all over - by the fistfull. He really liked to play in it. And drop some on the floor so Max (the dog) could even get some. Lucky for us, Savemart gives you a small cake for the kid when you buy a bigger one for the adults.

My mom was helping Nicholas learn what was in the bag of presents. It had books and flash cards and all kinds of cool things. Nicholas got mad at her for doing it for him. Then we put everything back in and let him do it himself. The bag has been a toy at our house ever since. See the yellow fringe on the bag? That's made of tissue paper and is extremely fun to pull off - evidently - and very hard to clean up.

Nicholas loves helium balloons. He hugs them, beats them, tugs on the strings, and even eats them. Give him a balloon and he's happy for days.

Aren't they cute?

The First Birthday!

Ah - Nicholas' First Birthday has come and gone. It was yesterday - although the celebrations will continue.

Jon and I took the day off work and we went to the Zoo, Fairytale town, the park and the store. We had a blast - although Nicholas was very tired. He only liked the animlas that were moving. The leopards and otters were moving and were a favorite. The lions and tigers were lazy, and he didn't have as much excitement for them. At Fairytale town he liked crawling through the cheese (from the Farmer and the Dell rhyme) and sliding down the slide - on his stomach. At first he didn't like that. But then he went for a second time and couldn't get down fast enough. We did the swings at the park - which he loved.

Jon and I are proud that we have made it past the 1 year mark. I think this is a celebration for us as much as it is for him. We both agree that we cannot remember what it was like to live with just the two of us, not have to worry about carrying a diaper bag and food everywhere, and making sure the carseat was in the right car.

And buying diapers. Clothes. Toys. Blankets. Finding the right size shoes. etc.

These are all things we didn't have a year ago, but we have now.

And we wouldn't trade it for the world.

Pictures to come.