New look!

I changed my look! (The look of my blog, that is.) A new look for a new year. I've gone pink! Away with the green - that was SO last year... ;-) So, any votes? Do I keep the pink, or return to retro-green? Should I go with the newer blonder model, or stick with what's always been there for me? Okay, my apologies for the melodrama. Is this the blog equivalent of a mid-life crisis? Or maybe I'm just being relevant. So, any votes?

Return to tradition

Soon, very soon indeed, our family will be welcoming a third generation into our home. Really, the second and third generations are already here - we'll be welcoming the first generation to join us. Eugene's parents will be moving in with us as soon as we can get them here. Their paperwork was approved, and it's just a matter or getting everything in order on our side.

This is the way it should be, and the way it used to be ages ago in this country, but still is in other places. There are practical reasons for it - more hands on the farm means greater productivity (not that we live on a farm though...); the older generations can pass down valuable knowledge to the younger generations - how to nurse a baby, how to make sarmale (cabbage rolls, for all you non-Romanian speakers out there)... and there are relational reasons. How enriching it will be for the kids to live with their parents and their grandparents! In the US today, most kids don't even grow up living with both of their biological parents. How blessed ours will be that they'll be under the same roof with their parents and grandparents!

Not only that, but I'll be able to get my 'mompreneur' groove on. It's perfect - income opportunity, but flexible enough that I can still be the Cozonac taxi service (and rock Sofia at naptime, and be around for Liam's first word, all that fun stuff!). And yet, my mother-in-law can be responsible for the kids most of the day - they'll actually have to speak Romanian, instead of just co-existing with it. And this will be great for my in-laws - everyone knows that being around kids keeps you young. They'll have such fun getting to know the kids. This is really the perfect thing for us.

Almost new year!!!

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and I think I'll be a bit of a dud this year. Bad cold, feverish, sleeping all day... I don't think i'll be able to muster the strength to stay up all night. Hope my dear hubby doesn't mind. (Sorry, babe, just can't do it this year...)

So that leads us to New Years revolutions. No, resolutions. Sorry - really tired right now. So I think the first is to know the Bible better, and that means taking the time to read it more. Time is a precious commodity in my life, so prioritizing Bible reading will be a tough one, but that's why I put it first. Also, I want to make a list of family rules. My friend Kristin has these posted on her fridge for her family, and with 4 nearly teenage boys, they actually come in really handy for her. They're things like Respect each other and each other's property, Be quick to forgive, etc. They're all backed up with scripture, and they define the tone of the family. I like that. My kids are a bit too young to understand that right now, but that's when it's best to start - the earlier the better, right?

Resolution #3 is a bit more me-focused. Exercise more. That's an open-ended one on purpose. I know that if I decide to walk for 30 minutes three times a week, the first time I fail I'll give up completely. But this way, I can play ball with Sofia, run after Liam, or dance to the Doodlebops - and it all counts! I've already signed up f0r a *free* Dancercize class with my health insurance company (I love Kaiser!).

Resolution #4 is to start my own company (and make a profit in 2007). I'm well on my way to being the mompreneur I've been dreaming of! The business plan is drafted, the P&L statement is done, 12 month sales prospective is done... I just need to take it to the SBA for advice and then to a bank to get my loan! (I'd tell you what I'm doing, but I'm afraid you'll steal my idea... Stay tuned. This is a good one!)

And to end, here's a couple pictures of my little ones.

Little man Liam is desperate to walk!

And Sofi has entered a new age: doing everything by herself, being adventurous outside, and suddenly affectionate towards her brother! (She's no longer afraid!!!!!)

Woo hoo!

Roll out the red carpet! I did it! Finally, I got the recognition I always knew I deserve! I am Time Magazine's Person of the Year! Come on, I blog. I google something or other at least daily. I have a My Space account (that, by the way, I designed myself). And finally, someone noticed ME! (and you, too... shhhh...) So, where's my publicist? Where's my stylist? How about endorsements? Think Nike would take me? How about Coke? No, I need something more glamorous... Nordstrom! Starbucks! Tiffany's!

Come on! Get real! Was there no one else Time Magazine thought was worthy? Hasn't someone in the world done something greater than the undereducated masses using My Space and You Tube? Is that really the best that Time magazine thinks we have to offer? And do we really need our egos stroked by Time Magazine bestowing some bogus title on the web-savvy masses? Is that what we've come to? That's right, let's satisfy people's need for self-gratification by applauding them for wasting their leisure time in front of a computer screen. If you're going to applaud the masses, at least applaud them for doing something worthwhile.

Liam's birthday

So, correction to the previous post... Liam did not, indeed, turn 2. He had his first birthday yesterday. We celebrated with our good friends Jennifer and Jack, whose youngest (of 4) also had her first birthday yesterday. Their little girl, Cami, loved the cake. She dove right in and smeared it everywhere, getting plenty in her mouth. Liam on the other hand put a couple fingers into the icing, but it took him a good 10 minutes to realize that he could then put his fingers in his mouth and eat it. Even once he realized that, he didn't really shovel it in as I'd expected. He really wasn't that into it. He had fun anyhow. We kept him up until almost 9:00 - a fully 2 hours past his bedtime, and he didn't notice the difference. I did though - he actually slept past 7 AM this morning. I wish I had pictures from his birthday, but all we have right now is video. When we get some photos from jennifer I'll post a couple. In the meantime, here are his stats from his doctor checkup this morning:

Weight: 20 lbs 5 oz (15th percentile)
Height: 28 inches (20th percentile)
Head: 19 inches (90th percentile)

More on NightLight (and the kids)

Ambata had their very first sale of NightLight jewelry! It wasn't from Perimeter Church, so it must have been one of Ambata's regulars. We're hoping to get a nice launch here at Perimeter, with full color fliers and events and all, but until then we'll just have a gradual trickle of orders I suppose. But still, one order is better than no orders.

Sofia had her first 'performance' today - the 2 year olds at her preschool did a little choir performance. They sang "We wish you a merry Christmas," "Jingle jingle happy bells," and a couple others. Sofia did great - no tears (lots of the kids cried), she sang the songs, did the hand movements, sat still in her seat... She was brilliant! (except for the little nose picking incident...) I was proud. You should have seen the auditorium though - I think there were more cameras there than at a presidential press conference! It was fun. Here she is last night - hamming it up for the camera.

And Liam turns 2 tomorrow - I'll update on Thursday with his new weight and height. I don't think he'll have any idea what's going for his birthday. We'll have cupcakes and candles, and a few presents, but I think it'll be a bigger day for Sofia than for Liam! I'm a bit worried that she won't understand why Liam is getting presents and she's not, especially with the Christmas tree up and a few presents underneath... Maybe we can distract her with cake.