Jason, Lori, Oakley, & Wyatt

Vacuum cleaners and new friends

2008-10-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Oakley and her new best buddy, Jenna. Jenna lives next door and the girls spend hours together. Wyatt isn't quite ready for best friends but he loves anything that makes a loud noise....leaf blowers, trucks, cars, chain saws, etc. His absolute favorite is the vacuum cleaner. He becomes absolutely giddy when it is time to vacuum!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning at a pumpking patch with friends Deirdre, Andy, and Brenden. It was complete with farm animals, hay ride, and picnic lunch. Fun was had by all. Wyatt LOVED the tracor pulling hay wagon and the goats literally made him jump up and down. Oakley had a great time playing chase with Andy and Brenden through the rows of corn. Happy Pumpkin Season!

He thinks he is talking.

2008-07-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

8 more days until Papa is home!!!

2008-07-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

We were playing the Wizard of Oz after a day at camp. Wyatt is now "allowed" to be a flying monkey. Previously he could only be a baby pig or goat. As you can see, he is quite happy with his new role.

Mad Wyatt

2008-07-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

Bar Review

2008-07-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

These books have been my life for the last 6 weeks and will continue to be for the next 3 weeks. It has not been fun, it has been challenging, and it will be worth it. It is hard to imagine that I am supposed to be able to cram all this information into my head. But 3 weeks from now it will be over and I will be flying back to the family. Then begins the next test of endurance - moving everyone to Cinci.

Wyatt laughing

2008-06-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

This was recorded while reading a bedtime book.

Enjoying summer break

2008-06-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Wyatt loves to bounce.

After dinner treats for everyone. Wyatt love his "mesh suckie." He sucks all kinds of fruit through it. Oakley is a sucker for a Push Up.

A trip to Fairytale Town with friends.

Look what I can do...2!

2008-06-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

He figured it out. We're so proud!

Pocahontas Pastoor Price

2008-06-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

No time to write...maybe next week!

Look what I can do!

2008-06-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

I CAN SIT!

Busy, busy kiddos

2008-05-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Wyatt's Redbud fan club.

at the Redbud Potluck

Oakley's first performance...she was Sonja the Duck in Peter and the Wolf.

Ahhhh.....My love bugs.

Jason Edward Price, JD !!!!

2008-05-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS Jason!!! We are so proud of your intelligence, hard work, and determination. This is a big accomplishment. Not only did you graduate from law school with honors and distinction but you maintained a great sense of balance your whole way through. You are a great dad and husband. Now go pass that Bar Exam!!

Skirball

2008-04-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

Again, I am way behind on the posts. All of these pictures are from our last excursion in LA before we headed home. We were lucky to get tickets to the Noah's Arc exibit at the Skirball Jewish Cultural Center. What an amazing exhibit! It is part children's museum...part art exhibit. Everything is interactive and beautifully done. It is an LA must see if you have you children...or not. We all had a wonderful afternoon!

Happy Birthday Big Girl!

2008-03-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

OK - I'm running a little behind on the blogging. Oakley's 4th birthday was March 5th. I can't believe my little baby girl is already 4 years old. She had a fantastic birthday week. It started with a family birthday dinner with Neanners, Opa, Uncle Pete, and Annie. These pictures are from her Redbud Birthday Celebration. Oakley brought in a fresh cut flower and photo for every year of her life. Then after sharing each photo, she carried a flower around the sun table to symbolize a year of her life. It was an incredibly sweet ceremony that celebrated Oakley in a meaningful way. Last Saturday was her actual party. She invited all of her Redbud friends. We had the party at a park in Davis. Oakley finally got her pinata which she had been asking for since last birthday. Unfortunately we took very few pictures at her party.

This week we are in Redondo Beach on spring break. Wyatt is recovering from yet another respiratory infection. We travel with inhalers and a nebulizer. I predict asthma in his future. Despite his illness, Wyatt is one happy baby. He has an infectious giggle that is easily elicited by peek-a-boo, patty cake, or bounca-bounca on the bed. We are all enjoying the family time and sunshine at the beach. Tomorrow we are going to head into LA to the Natural History Museum and Science Center. Stay tuned for photos!

Look who showed up....

2008-03-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

Govenor Schwartzenegger held a press conference at my elementary school this week. He was anouncing a plan to help the 97 CA school districts that are desribed as failing by NCLB. He chose our school because this year is a "make it or break it" year for us. We have been in "program improvement" status for many years. Our test scores went up last year and if they continue to improve and we meet our benchmarks this year we exit our "failing" status. If not, the state will step in and decide what to do with us. This could mean disbanding the entire staff and administration and turning the school into a charter school. As you can imagine, everyone is under intense pressure and scrutiny this year. It makes me very grateful that I am not a classroom teacher! Schwartzenegger's team asked that the special ed classes be present for the press conference (no other classes were). He then shook all of their hands. His aid told us that Maria would never forgive him if he didn't acknowledge the special ed group given their involvement in the Special Olympics. It was a very exciting day at Northwood Elementary.

Family Time

2008-02-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

Happy 3 months

2008-02-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 3 MONTH BIRTHDAY WYATT! We can't imagine our family without you!

Oakley using the Baby Bjorn for puppy.

Just like Papa!

Hi Again

2008-01-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

A day at the Nut Tree Family Fun Park.
Fantastic baby gift! Thank you Scott and Sue!
My dinner assisstant
Siblings "playing"

Wyatt is changing so fast! He is all coos, smiles, and kicking legs these days.....and oh what a snuggler. Can you tell that I'm smitten? He weighs over 11 pounds. Oakley continues to grow into her role as sister. Wyatt has become much more interesting to her now that he interacts. I return to work next Monday. We are prepared for a couple of very trying weeks. Jason is ploughing through his final semester of school. He found out this week that he was awarded a Witkin Award for highest grade in one of his classes last semester. Yeah Jason! Graduation is fast approaching.

We have finally and definitively decided that we are moving to Cincinnati this summer. What a decision! Jason has applied for the Ohio Bar and I am working on my Ohio SLP license. It is all a little overwhelming...new house, jobs, preschool, daycare, Bar exam..... (All of you in Cincinnati will soon be getting an email asking for advice, suggestions, etc.) Not to mention leaving family here! 2008 will be an exciting year for the Pastoor-Price family!

New Pictures

2008-01-27T21:30:00.000-08:00

Ready for our morning walk

This is what I think about taking my binky out. (Look at Oakley's hand.)

Ho Ho Ho

2007-12-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! We had a fantastic Christmas this year. Jason's parents came to visit and meet Wyatt last week. We spent a day in San Francisco and had an early Christmas with them. We had a great Christmas morning. Oakley is in the thick of Christmas magic. We left Santa cookies and milk and a key to come in our door since we don't have a chimney. Then Santa made a surprise visit to my parents' house later in the afternoon. I thought Oakley might faint when he walked through the door. She was speechless which is quite something for Oakley. Wyatt slept through all the excitement.

Wyatt is no longer "Quiet Wyatt". He is so much more alert and has given us a couple of true smiles. He weighs over 8 pounds already.

Have a Happy New Year!

Redbud Christmas Performance

2007-12-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

Ho Ho Ho

2007-12-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

A Day in San Francisco

2007-12-19T18:14:00.000-08:00

It's Good to Be Home

2007-11-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

Wyatt and Lori got to come home on Wednesday. Oakley has assumed the role of Big Sister with flying colors. She loves watching him make faces and wiggle. Lori is thrilled to be out of the hospital and is looking forward to a couple of "relaxing" days at home with our new family.

Our Baby Boy!

2007-11-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

It's a boy!! Wyatt Rhys Pastoor Price was born November 10, 2007 at 11:40 pm. He weighed 5 lbs., 8oz. Lori and Wyatt are doing great. Lori developed HELLP Syndrom again and she had to have a C-section. Unfortunately she had to have a general anesthetic; she was out of it and I was not allowed to be in the operating room. Lucky for us, though, one of Lori's friends did the surgery. Dr. Darwish even picked up Lori's mom on the way to the hospital.

Long Live the Belly!

2007-11-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

No baby this weekend. This is good news even though I had mentally prepared myself for a very eventful weekend. The baby made good growth gains this week and we are both healthy and happy. So here's to another week of incubating and another chance to go into labor naturally!

Dorothy and Big Mama

2007-11-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween. Oakley was in a parade, a preschool party, and trick-or-treating in downtown Davis. She loved being Dorothy all day. We ended the day by having dinner with Neanners.

A few weeks ago Oakley was going to have a sleep-over with Neanners and Opa so Jason and I could have an evening to celebrate my birthday. A few minutes after we finished dinner the cell phone rang. Oakley had a high fever. The evening ended with me covered in throw up and Neanners and Opa borrowing our carpet cleaner. The sleep-over was rescheduled for this weekend so Jason and I could celebrate our 5th anniversary. Late in the afternoon Opa came home from the doctor with bad news - the flu. Once again the sleep-over was postponed. I think our "alone" time will have to wait until the hospital. This might happen sooner than later. My doctor is talking about inducing labor as soon as this weekend!

More Dorothy

2007-10-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

OK...We promise maybe only one more Wizard of Oz related post after this one.

Lately, I am very busy counting down: Two more weeks of work; Four weeks until the baby's due date; Two days until Halloween; Three weeks until Thanksgiving festivities; Five days until our 5th anniversary; Three more weeks of classes before finals for Jason -then we have him all to ourselves for a month! It is a very exciting month!

Happy Halloween. Enjoy the excitement of the Trick-or-Treaters in your lives.

Oakley Is Dorothy!

2007-10-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Oakley has been fascinated with the Wizard of Oz story for a couple of months now. It started one evening when Jason told her the story of Dorothy and friends before bed. It has all the elements of a perfect story...good witches, bad witches, natural disasters, flying monkeys, and a cute dog. We played Wizard of Oz every day for weeks. Jason put the music on our Ipods and Opa printed pictures. Finally last week we rented the movie. It was everything Oakley could have hoped for and more. Today her Dorothy Halloween costume arrived. It was difficult to get the dress off of her for bed tonight!

More and more people are coming forward with predictions as to whether our baby is a girl or boy and when I will have it. Today Oakley and I were downtown with Neanners and Opa. A woman claimed she could definitively tell me whether it was a boy or girl. I took her up on the offer. She dangled a needle by a thread over the inside of my wrist. Supposedly the needle begins to move in circles if it is a girl and straight lines if it is a boy. My needle very clearly moved in a large circle. This woman claims she has been wrong only twice out of 70 or so predictions. We'll see! Only 5 more weeks to go.

The Skippy Dance

2007-10-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Oakley's cousin Anna sent her a Halloween card that plays the Addam's Family theme song. We've listened to it quite a few times. Oakley likes to dance her "skippy dance" to it.

Yesterday Neanners, Opa, Oakley and I went to the Full Belly Farm Hoes Down Festival near Guinda, CA in the Capay valley. It was a beautiful fall day. My parents get a produce delivery every week from this farm and we benefit because it is a lot of produce for 2 people. It was fun to see the fields that have grown our fruits and vegetables. This was a weekend festival to promote and celebrate organic, sustainable agricultural practices. It drew quite the Berkeley crowd. Oakley painted a prayer flag and a gourd. She also thoroughly enjoyed the hay bale house and puppet shows.

Have a great week.

New School Year

2007-09-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

All three of us are now on school schedules. We are about 3 weeks into the new school year and are finally settling into a nice routine after a relaxing summer. It is always difficult to leave summer behind, but by this point in the school year I am thankful for a job I love. I think all of us benefit from the structure it gives us. The weather's change to autumn coincided perfectly with our new schedules.

Oakley started preschool at Redbud Montessori and we braced for a rough adjustment period, but she loved it from day 1! She loves her new friends, teachers (especially Mr. NoWay Jose), and the whole Montessori routine. The picture is Oakley at Redbud's playground.

My position changed somewhat this school year; I am now the district's "Augmentative Communication Specialist." This is a new position for the district and I am enjoying the challenge of defining my new role.

Jason started his final year of law school; how time flies! He is very busy with 5 classes and work in a legal services clinic. He is supervising other students and helping to establish an Elder Law Clinic on campus.

First Post

2007-09-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

Given how much we enjoy reading our family and friend's blogs, we thought it was time to give ours' another try. Baby #2's approaching due date is another big motivation. I am 29 weeks along. The fact that a baby will soon be joining our family is just now feeling real. I am getting urges to make lists and get things organized (very un-Lori). This blog is part of that growing sensation of impending change. While lying wide awake at 3am recently, I was actually fretting over how we would let everyone know that the new baby had entered the world. And so, here we are.