FIVE YEARS OLD

Today William is a five year old. No longer a preschooler as he is in Transitional Kindergarten (and extra grade for those who have fall birthdays and missed the school cut off). He loves it! He loves making friends; sometimes I'm surprised by how outgoing William is with new people. He will join anyone at the playground if it looks like fun. Even if they are a lot older or bigger. He loves learning new songs about the alphabet, sounds, animals, and ones that are just silly. He is writing more letters and numbers already after just 6 weeks of school. I can't believe how much he has learned in such a short time. He is a sponge!

William still loves reading. I hope this passion never goes away! We've graduated to chapter books for the most part but he still loves listening to any story I read. His favorites include the Magic Tree House Series and Heroes in Training series. He also really loves sitting on my lap still. Sometimes it feels like he wants to be even closer than that! Being gone from mom everyday has made him a little more attached in the afternoons. It's all good -- I like feeling loved!

He is really into super heroes and good guys vs. bad guys . . . and weapons, fighting, and wrestling. He has even taught his two year old brother to run around saying "pew, pew, pew" while holding up his hand-gun. Stephen and William play really well together for the most part! I'm so thankful for their brother-bond.

I haven't had him in for a check-up yet but at 4 1/2 years old he was 43 pounds and 3'8" tall. I know he has grown since then because 4T clothes no longer fit! But his feet are the hardest to keep up with!

In the past six months, he has learned to ride his pedal bike (no longer a balance bike!). He even rides a tag-a-long on the back of Chris's bike to school each morning. He has also gotten a lot more comfortable swimming! We gave him a pair of goggles to wear to his lessons and it was a game changer. He is like a fish now and has no fear about getting his face in the water. Such a brave big boy we have now.

This year he went to his first Giants game with dad! He also went on a few trips: a one-night camping trip with friends, a week in Wisconsin in June, two weeks in Texas in July, and a day spent apple picking.

Speaking of eating, we usually stick to a very routine meal plan for William as there are very few things he will eat without complaint. But his palate is growing for things like tacos and pizza! Broccoli is the only green thing he will eat and that takes some talking into and fruit is getting to be a challenge these days too. So what does he eat?  Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, yogurt with granola, cereal, cheese and meat with crackers, and broccoli... and milk. Lots of milk.

It's been a really fun year of watching this little guy grow, learn and change before my eyes. Now I just need to get some more photos of him before he grows some more!

** Check out his birthday party post: http://embabiak.blogspot.com/2018/10/super-birthday-boy.html

Today William is a five year old. No longer a preschooler as he is in Transitional Kindergarten (and extra grade for those who have fall birthdays and missed the school cut off). He loves it! He loves making friends; sometimes I'm surprised by how outgoing William is with new people. He will join anyone at the playground if it looks like fun. Even if they are a lot older or bigger. He loves learning new songs about the alphabet, sounds, animals, and ones that are just silly. He is writing more letters and numbers already after just 6 weeks of school. I can't believe how much he has learned in such a short time. He is a sponge!

William still loves reading. I hope this passion never goes away! We've graduated to chapter books for the most part but he still loves listening to any story I read. His favorites include the Magic Tree House Series and Heroes in Training series. He also really loves sitting on my lap still. Sometimes it feels like he wants to be even closer than that! Being gone from mom everyday has made him a little more attached in the afternoons. It's all good -- I like feeling loved!

He is really into super heroes and good guys vs. bad guys . . . and weapons, fighting, and wrestling. He has even taught his two year old brother to run around saying "pew, pew, pew" while holding up his hand-gun. Stephen and William play really well together for the most part! I'm so thankful for their brother-bond.

I haven't had him in for a check-up yet but at 4 1/2 years old he was 43 pounds and 3'8" tall. I know he has grown since then because 4T clothes no longer fit! But his feet are the hardest to keep up with!

In the past six months, he has learned to ride his pedal bike (no longer a balance bike!). He even rides a tag-a-long on the back of Chris's bike to school each morning. He has also gotten a lot more comfortable swimming! We gave him a pair of goggles to wear to his lessons and it was a game changer. He is like a fish now and has no fear about getting his face in the water. Such a brave big boy we have now.

This year he went to his first Giants game with dad! He also went on a few trips: a one-night camping trip with friends, a week in Wisconsin in June, two weeks in Texas in July, and a day spent apple picking.

Speaking of eating, we usually stick to a very routine meal plan for William as there are very few things he will eat without complaint. But his palate is growing for things like tacos and pizza! Broccoli is the only green thing he will eat and that takes some talking into and fruit is getting to be a challenge these days too. So what does he eat?  Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, yogurt with granola, cereal, cheese and meat with crackers, and broccoli... and milk. Lots of milk.

It's been a really fun year of watching this little guy grow, learn and change before my eyes. Now I just need to get some more photos of him before he grows some more!

** Check out his birthday party post: http://embabiak.blogspot.com/2018/10/super-birthday-boy.html

Keep Trusting and Waiting

A week ago, we had our first MOPS meeting of the season and it blew me away. We had the biggest turn out ever and everything seemed to go fairly smoothly. I'm the lead coordinator this year and was feeling a lot of self-driven pressure leading up to the morning. I could not have expected or hoped for a better meeting. I was riding on this high all day and then Chris came home and told me some news that turned my high into the lowest low.

Back in July we had applied for another condo through the Mayors Office of Housing (they have below market rate units for sale if you qualify). It's all done by lottery. The results came out in August and we were near the top. In tier 3 we were number 3 (total number 5, I think). There were a total of 6 units and we were super hopeful that they would get to our number and we would qualify and be approved for the mortgage and finally be able to move.

Well, I think you can see where this is going. After weeks of waiting for the applicants in front of us to be vetted we got an email last week that said everyone in front of us has entered into contract and they are moving on to the 4th tier (only the first two applicants were taken from the 3rd tier per all the rules that are too cumbersome to explain/understand.)

There were a number of reasons my hopes had been so high.
1) The location: 8 blocks or less from several friends, walking distance to church, in a sunny part of town, closer to Chris's work...
2) The size: although it wasn't huge and there wasn't a yard or community center to be seen, it was a two bedroom with plenty of storage and a decent kitchen. There was even a walk in closet that could be an office.
3) There was a washer/dryer in the unit, a parking spot and a bike spot.
4) For this year it would have been 3 blocks from William's school.

It seemed so perfect. I could be more active with my friends in that neighborhood, we could be super close to church and be a little more active there (not rushing home for naps all the time). We wouldn't have to walk 2 blocks to get to our car -- we wouldn't need to take our car everywhere! Strengthened community was the biggest pull. It sounds silly, but the effort it takes to get anywhere often deters me from leaving the house.

Another reason I had high hopes in this unit was that we'd been waiting for something just like this for so long . . . nearly 4 years! Actively looking, saving, applying and waiting . . . four years.

So, that was the news on Tuesday last week. And those are some of the reasons I found myself in such a low state. Giving up, letting go of dreams that had started taking root felt so hard. And it hit me at that moment that I didn't even know how much hope I had been leaning on until it was taken away. I fell hard.

Fast forward six days and I'm teaching children's church on Sunday to several 3-5 year olds. The memory verse was Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Words that Chris has often quoted in this process. The lesson that day was focused on Abraham and Sarah waiting on God's promise that they would have decedents more numerous than the stars. Can you picture that kind of waiting? To have decedents you have to have children. Poor Sarah is watching the months go by, becoming years and years . . . just waiting. Her husband so certain that God will make good on his word. But she is passed the age of bearing children. And then she has a son.

Every month the kids learn a catch praise. This month is "God keeps his promises." And although we haven't had an actual promise that we will get a 2 bedroom condo in San Francisco for less than half a million dollars (I would love if scripture were that direct!) he does promise that he will provide for us, that he cares for us, and knows what we need. So, as I was teaching these little children to trust in God's promises even if you have to wait a long time, God was reminding me to do the very same.

So, I'm letting go of those dreams I held so tightly and seeking God for new dreams and next steps and trying each day to remain faithful in trusting Him while I wait. If I have to chant the catch phrase like a 3 year old, so be it!

A week ago, we had our first MOPS meeting of the season and it blew me away. We had the biggest turn out ever and everything seemed to go fairly smoothly. I'm the lead coordinator this year and was feeling a lot of self-driven pressure leading up to the morning. I could not have expected or hoped for a better meeting. I was riding on this high all day and then Chris came home and told me some news that turned my high into the lowest low.

Back in July we had applied for another condo through the Mayors Office of Housing (they have below market rate units for sale if you qualify). It's all done by lottery. The results came out in August and we were near the top. In tier 3 we were number 3 (total number 5, I think). There were a total of 6 units and we were super hopeful that they would get to our number and we would qualify and be approved for the mortgage and finally be able to move.

Well, I think you can see where this is going. After weeks of waiting for the applicants in front of us to be vetted we got an email last week that said everyone in front of us has entered into contract and they are moving on to the 4th tier (only the first two applicants were taken from the 3rd tier per all the rules that are too cumbersome to explain/understand.)

There were a number of reasons my hopes had been so high.
1) The location: 8 blocks or less from several friends, walking distance to church, in a sunny part of town, closer to Chris's work...
2) The size: although it wasn't huge and there wasn't a yard or community center to be seen, it was a two bedroom with plenty of storage and a decent kitchen. There was even a walk in closet that could be an office.
3) There was a washer/dryer in the unit, a parking spot and a bike spot.
4) For this year it would have been 3 blocks from William's school.

It seemed so perfect. I could be more active with my friends in that neighborhood, we could be super close to church and be a little more active there (not rushing home for naps all the time). We wouldn't have to walk 2 blocks to get to our car -- we wouldn't need to take our car everywhere! Strengthened community was the biggest pull. It sounds silly, but the effort it takes to get anywhere often deters me from leaving the house.

Another reason I had high hopes in this unit was that we'd been waiting for something just like this for so long . . . nearly 4 years! Actively looking, saving, applying and waiting . . . four years.

So, that was the news on Tuesday last week. And those are some of the reasons I found myself in such a low state. Giving up, letting go of dreams that had started taking root felt so hard. And it hit me at that moment that I didn't even know how much hope I had been leaning on until it was taken away. I fell hard.

Fast forward six days and I'm teaching children's church on Sunday to several 3-5 year olds. The memory verse was Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Words that Chris has often quoted in this process. The lesson that day was focused on Abraham and Sarah waiting on God's promise that they would have decedents more numerous than the stars. Can you picture that kind of waiting? To have decedents you have to have children. Poor Sarah is watching the months go by, becoming years and years . . . just waiting. Her husband so certain that God will make good on his word. But she is passed the age of bearing children. And then she has a son.

Every month the kids learn a catch praise. This month is "God keeps his promises." And although we haven't had an actual promise that we will get a 2 bedroom condo in San Francisco for less than half a million dollars (I would love if scripture were that direct!) he does promise that he will provide for us, that he cares for us, and knows what we need. So, as I was teaching these little children to trust in God's promises even if you have to wait a long time, God was reminding me to do the very same.

So, I'm letting go of those dreams I held so tightly and seeking God for new dreams and next steps and trying each day to remain faithful in trusting Him while I wait. If I have to chant the catch phrase like a 3 year old, so be it!

Summer Reading

It's been a great summer for reading. Both for me and the kids. William has his favorites - The Magic Treehouse series and Stephen loves anything and everything to do with trucks. We visited the library often over the summer months and participated in their Summer Reading Program. It's a bit silly to track William's time in front of books since we read for at least an hour every day, but tracking it meant stickers and completing the challenge meant a new tote bag!

I also read a lot this summer and have failed to keep up with my usual review of each title. So, rather than try to wrack my brain as to what the books were actually about (and in the end just copying what other people said after I did a google search), I'm just going to list them here. Sort of a record for myself so I don't mistakenly pick up same title twice!

Here is what I remember reading:
I was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon (I really enjoyed this one, it had me tricked until the very end)
Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman
Love and Other Words by Christian Lauren (also a really good read, much different than I expected)
Eleanore Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I love that my family is a group of readers and cuddling up with a good book is enjoyed by all. Over the last three months my family has checked out 50 books from the library! I love that. 

What were some of your favorite reads this summer?

It's been a great summer for reading. Both for me and the kids. William has his favorites - The Magic Treehouse series and Stephen loves anything and everything to do with trucks. We visited the library often over the summer months and participated in their Summer Reading Program. It's a bit silly to track William's time in front of books since we read for at least an hour every day, but tracking it meant stickers and completing the challenge meant a new tote bag!

I also read a lot this summer and have failed to keep up with my usual review of each title. So, rather than try to wrack my brain as to what the books were actually about (and in the end just copying what other people said after I did a google search), I'm just going to list them here. Sort of a record for myself so I don't mistakenly pick up same title twice!

Here is what I remember reading:
I was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon (I really enjoyed this one, it had me tricked until the very end)
Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman
Love and Other Words by Christian Lauren (also a really good read, much different than I expected)
Eleanore Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I love that my family is a group of readers and cuddling up with a good book is enjoyed by all. Over the last three months my family has checked out 50 books from the library! I love that. 

What were some of your favorite reads this summer?