We’ve lived in Fremont for the aforementioned year now. In that time we’ve explored our little corner of the Bay, made several tourist trips to San Francisco and managed a few beach excursions. With so many new things to see and do it almost feels like an extended stay-cation. With work. And homework. And laundry. Rather, it feels like home, and it’s good to be settled.

Tommy is one week away from First Grade. He is missing one of his front teeth and there aren’t enough hours in the day for him to create all the Lego masterpieces he has buzzing around in his brain.

Annalise begins preschool this fall. She’s already a whiz with scissors and a gluestick. She loves drawing, dancing and dressing her stuffed animals in all kinds of crazy outfits.

James still works with a local client, whose office is not terribly far from our home. He’s recently rekindled his love for photography, which just might benefit this blog.

I signed on as the leader for Tommy’s Tiger Cub Scout den. For a girl who hasn’t been camping in a decade, it should be quite the adventure! On the home front, I’ve become obsessed with more interested in sewing and quilting, making little dresses for Annalise and beginning a quilting project based on The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt, (many thanks to Peggy). This one will take me a while — perhaps a generation — to complete. I see it as a challenge to slow down, stop rushing, and do something well.

I hope we can post some pictures soon of the journey…I definitely have some and I know Andrea has many more. Thank you to our friends on both ends who helped us load and unload the truck. It all worked out and at least the inside of the house is coming together although we still have a garage full of boxes.

7 years and 364 days ago Andrea and I were married in Las Vegas. Last night we celebrated with a great Thai dinner in San Francisco followed by seeing Wicked. Dinner was rushed  complimentary of Bay Area traffic adding an extra 30 minutes to the drive, but we stuff ourselves with chicken Pad Thai, beef pumpkin curry and other treats before rushing off to see the show. The parking gods smiled upon us and we made it into the show in plenty of time. The kids were good for our babysitter, and so another great anniversary outing is complete. Tomorrow night on our anniversary day I’m sure we’ll crack open a great bottle of wine to go with whatever wonderful food we decide to whip up. Maybe a good barbeque roast should be on this menu.  Yummm…

Tommy starts school in just a week, and we got him enrolled here in soccer too so he gets to play each week with his friends. It’s not competitive at this point, but still lots of fun. Annalise is itching for dance classes, so we’re exploring our options and trying to find the right place for her.

I promise I’ll write more soon and include some pictures next time!

In June we celebrated my 31st birthday at Disneyland. Joined by Aunt Cindy, Aunt Michele, Uncle Derick and his girlfriend, Cintia, it was one of the best days of my life.

Then onto Bozeman for July 4th and a wonderful visit with Grandma Norma & Papa Rick. 

 

Over to Mt. St. Helen’s to visit Grandpa Rick & Grandma Peggy.

Then a nice, long stay at Aunt Denise and Uncle Joe’s in Portland.

Many, many pictures below if you are interested in looking at all our vacation photos. Better than being trapped watching a slideshow, right? I’ve also added pics taken way back in, oh, April. I have to apologize for the lack of updates… mostly to my kids, as this is for their benefit more than anything. It’s just that we’ve led such exciting lives in the past few months I’ve found it difficult to carve out proper blog writing time. Ha ha. Not really… your mom’s just a slacker. Love to you all and happy summer.

One at a time, starting with James. The leader of the pack has been a busy, busy man. He’s been working his tail off in real estate, which is no small feat considering the state of the economy. Prior to the holidays he was studying like mad for the GMAT exam, which he passed in mid-December with a promising score. His first days of ’09 were spent writing application essays for MBA programs at UCLA, USC and Stanford. He’s also working on an app for UC Berkeley. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he’s accepted into at least one program, but feeling confident as he’s already received an interview request for the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. Hooray! This is a very exciting time for our family, and we’re looking forward to figuring out which part of California will be our next stop.

As for me, when I’m not editing James’ essays, tending to the kids or mopping the floors, I’m dreaming about Annalise’s quilt. I’m so excited to have finally started this project for her. That makes me an honorary granny long before my time, doesn’t it? I completed Tommy’s right before Christmas and it really was a fun endeavor. There were never enough hours in the day for me to work on it…if only the house would clean itself! I put together a design for our little lady’s quilt last week, shopped for fabrics (love this local boutique) over the weekend and this week I hope to get started on cutting the pieces (which is my least favorite part). In other news, my dad was very sick upon his return home from his Christmas visit with us. It was really hard to be so far away while he was ill, but he’s on his way to healthy now. Thanks for all the prayers.

Now onto the kiddos (the real reason you check this page!). Tommy started at a new school earlier this month, Faith Lutheran Preschool. It is much closer to our house (3 miles and no traffic instead of 10 miles and a million stoplights), and he’s fitting right in like he’s been part of the class all year. The program is much more tolerant of his wiggly nature and we love that it is a faith-based program. It’s like he’s going to Sunday School every day! Instead of three 6-hour days per week he now attends for three hours each morning. It’s shaping into a nice routine and he is genuinely happy with the change. He’s still obsessed with planes, mac & cheese and a new fave, WordGirl. We anxiously await his 4th birthday…they magically become obedient and pleasant at age 4, right?

Annalise is still grins and giggles 90% of the time. She’s been dealing with a rough bout of teething this month…#11, #12, #13, #14, #15 and #16 have made their appearance since Christmas (those numbers don’t correspond to a teething chart, all you dentists, just calling them out chronologically). It’s been a misery for our poor girl (her only relief is a splash of Tylenol and teething tablets), but now all she has left are her two-year-old molars. She’s pretty much running at this point, gleefully chasing Tommy from room to room. We need to invest in some climbing gear for her (think carabiners), as her newest hobby is scaling the couch like a nimble ninja. She loves to climb up there with her brother, notably standing on the end tumbling distance to the tile/head injury. And she grins. The sense of pride that beams from her face is absolutely amazing. She’s picking up a new word here and there, too. Lately she’s been focused on “D,” such as doggie, duckie, daddy. Oh, and she’s very good at “No” while shaking her head. I think Tommy had more words by this point, but this girl is too busy laughing at her brother’s antics to worry about what to say.

That’s 2009 for the Wedewers thus far. I’ll work on posting some recent pictures in the not-too-distant future, and I’ll try to do so thoughtfully. The picture purges are a great way to get it done quickly, but not the best way to document our family history, which is the primary purpose of this site. Making a note to add “historian” to my list of hats. Nighty night!

I’ll add captions as time allows, but seeing as it’s taken me a month to post this much it might not be right away!

Tommy the back seat driver.

Enjoying dinner at Mimi’s in Victorville. Tommy can’t get enough of the meal-spoiling bread before his food arrives.

Annalise enjoys her “Busy Bread” before our meal.

Playing in Aunt Cindy & Uncle Jeremy’s living room before we head down to the beach.

Enjoying Hermosa Beach in the shade.

Bottled water is funny!

Not much of a swimmer…he prefered burying the stroller wheels in the sand.

Taking her first dip with Uncle J.

Lots of giggles when the waves came up.