Merry Holidays!

From everyone here on the west coast, we hope that the Christmas and holiday seasons were/are still bright and joyous in your homes. Since we arrived, there have been so many opportunities to keep busy. We have found that even keeping straight what day of the week it is seems like work. I think that with the extra hands and eyes 'Ma' and I have made available, the Pugh house is a little bit easier to manage, especially with the new +1.

Daniel worked hard on preparing and eventually delivering a gorgeous sermon on Christmas Eve at church. Underneath his humor and charm (which both the old and young eat up!), he addressed the true meaning of Christmas as a celebration of birth, family, and the non-tangible gifts in our lives. Both Daniel and Ashley have done a great job making sure that Jacob recognizes Christmas as a special time to open presents, but to also be nice to each other and love what you already have. This year’s Christmas was special in that Jacob was able to happily and actively participate ,essentially this is Jacob’s ‘first real Christmas’, as well as Thomas’.
Ashley just recently checked her work e-mail, so she’s acknowledging the real world and getting back to work, but surely she's in no rush. Transitioning to work will be a tough adjustment after spending almost a whole year 'with child', but having Ma here will continue to be such a blessing. Both parents have been doing such a fabulous job balancing quality time and attention with Jacob and with Thomas. For example, I witnessed a morning where both Mommy and Daddy both wrestled Jacob on the living room floor. Post battle, they (being Mom and Dad) were both winded.
Ma, like Ashley and Daniel, is playing her tail off with Jacob, from the early a.m.- to late p.m. on a daily regimen. Meanwhile, I am holding Thomas, relaxing a bit, dancing, puzzle constructing with Jacob, and eating the TONS of pounds of desserts and goodies that Daniel brings home from work after the announcement of the birth of Thomas. Ashley and Daniel have minimal time to themselves, as most parents with a two year old and a newborn. The available time together is spent picking up, cleaning up, putting little ones to sleep, waking the little ones up, etc. As you can see, Jacob enjoys helping out in some daily chores. He's participating in a semi-nude/Risky Business kind of style.

The following is a synopsis of some of the fun(ny) things that we do here in our home:
-Jacob loves constructing his new, 24 piece dinosaur puzzle (almost mastering this alone), creating ‘snowmen’ and balls out of playdough, reading favorite books, playing with Mega Blocks (making towers and tunnels), racing the new Hot Wheels cars, playing the games Memory, Candyland, and Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Thanks to aunt Emily, we are attempting (on day 4) to continue to monitor the growth of a water growing alligator in the bathroom sink. Needless to say, we all have been sleeping whenever we get the chance. That being said, Ashley was napping with Thomas and apparently he smiled knowing what his diaper situation would be when Mom woke up.

-The weather has been quite enjoyable, on the chilly side, but by no means winter weather like the snowy south. One day, Ashley, Thomas, Jacob, Ma and I even got to go to the pool. For me, the ‘heated pool’ was still rather cold; the hot tub was too hot for Jacob; but the pool for Ma was juuust right. Jacob spent the rest of the time bouncing back and forth from pool to hot tub. Ashley and Thomas sat in the sun to stay warm. You know, it's hard to celebrate winter here, especially when I am spending time at an outdoor pool…
-At the dinner table one evening, Jacob and Daddy [accidentally] started a new game. Daniel was trying to get Jacob to understand that he has to make sure that everyone finishes their dinner before they can leave the table. Daniel insisted that Jacob ask everyone if they were finished before he dismisses himself. Jacob individually asked, 'are you all done?'. Finally, the round made it to Daniel and he joking paused and said, ‘…NOPE’. Jacob threw his head back and laughed. Jacob asked, ‘are you all done, Daddy?’. Again, Daniel continued to respond with pantomiming typing on a computer, texting on his cell phone, even asking Thomas, while Jacob continued to laugh as if it were the first time he’d ever heard it. Each and every day's little moments are what allow us to "keep on truckin' ".

The next day, The Pughs and Chells were so happy to welcome Uncle T-Bone for a much overdue visit. We all sat down, ate dinner, and then as slowly cleared our plates. Jacob then asked, ‘are you all done, T-Bone’. As we all burst out in laughter, I came to the realization that Jacob could possibly follow in Daddy and Uncle T-Bone’s thespian footsteps. I say this because Jacob was able to recall the whole scene from the previous night and remember his appropriate 'lines'...OR he could always just follow in Mommy’s footsteps and show interest in dancing. There is no denying it, the kid’s got moves. Just sayin’.


Finally Christmas day came! Ma and I woke up to Jacob cracking our door in a ‘here’s Johnny’ thriller/ adorable kind of way, with a loud tone saying: ‘Grayson and Ma, wake up, it’s Christmas!’. We walked out into the living room where our stockings were. For those of you that do know Ashley, know that one of her favorite part of Christmas IS the stocking. Knowing this, Daniel went on a mission to obtain the largest stocking he could. Use your imagination- the stocking itself could swallow Jacob standing up (and Thomas for sure).
Later that day, we all went over to Didi and Yaya’s house to eat and open presents. It only took 4+ hours, through wrapping paper and laughs, but we accomplished it all. It was a great time had by all, for sure. Thomas may have been the best present that was...well, present. He made his rounds and everyone got to hold the bundle. I understand the lyrics, "the warm and fuzzy time of year" a little better now. New baby Thomas and Jacob are, as of now, the only men in my life that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

It is hard to imagine that ‘Ma’ and I have been here for two weeks now. Thomas is getting bigger each day, literally, while Ashley is adjusting back to some normalcy in her body. Daniel continues to leave the family early in the morning to go to work. The rest of the group runs little errands to stay busy and feel accomplished. On Daniel's day off, we were fortunate enough to take a family hike. Most of the gang made it to the peak, while Ashley and baby Thomas decided to take a little breather.

It is hard to imagine that we are soon approaching the New Year. This got me thinking, " if you can't be with [all] the ones you love, love the ones you're with...". Hope y'all have a safe and happy beginning to a new year.