I'm back on the blog!

Sorry for the long delay between posts; I can never seem to get a moment to blog.

It's been quite a month. Mom is here to help with the babies for 3 weeks--thank you Mom!!! She and I went on the road with Christian for a week, and we're going for another week beginning tomorrow. I'm visiting as many customers as I can in California.

We went to San Diego, and we were so happy to see Chris's dad and go over to Auntie Barbara's for dinner. Pam and Paul and Staci and Stella were there, too. We also got to see Chris's grandpa and Auntie Maureen, but all too briefly.

I had so much fun with friends from high school who were in town for the R-n-R marathon. Kiersten and Jurhee came over for dinner one night, and then a bunch of us went out to dinner on another night. I got to see Julie Lewis, Jean Robertson, and Kim Lewis, too. Wish I had more pics!

Gotta run, the twins need lunch . . .

xo, j&co

The Herb's with Santa and Mrs. Claus

We had a fun time at our public library, hearing Christmas stories and getting our picture taken with The Claus's. The twins were terrified and wouldn't go near them, so we had all of us in the picture. Maybe next year they won't be so scared.

Marjorie Paula Goodman, 1919 - 2009

My beautiful grandmother passed away this week. She was 90 years old, and she was ready to go; she was a devout Christian and she's now in Heaven with my grandfather who we lost in 2001. Grandma Marjie was my mom's mom, and I am so lucky to have been her granddaughter.

When I was growing up, they had a farm in Albany, Oregon, and I spent a lot of time there. My grandmother was a platoon leader for the local strawberry farmer, so every summer, my cousins, my uncle Wayne, and I would hop on the bus (it was parked at their house, and Grandpa drove it!) at a very, very dark early hour and head to the strawberry patch. We picked strawberries all day, and then got back on the bus for the long ride back to the farm. I loved picking strawberries, and I liked the spending money I made.

When Grandma and Grandpa retired, they bought a motor home and joined Thousand Trails. They'd take us grandkids with them camping each summer; we especially loved going over to Pacific City on the Oregon Coast.

Whenever we were all together as a family we ate lots of good food, and we were always telling stories and laughing. My grandma and grandpa were married more than 60 years; they had 4 kids, 9 grandkids, more great-grandkids than I can count, and two great-great-grandchildren so far.

We were blessed to be able to celebrate Grandma's 90th birthday this summer; we will all miss her so much.

We love you, Grandma.

j&c, m&t&c

Wonderful holidays!

Hello! Lots of wonderful things going on! Chris's dad, Frank, came to visit so it's been wonderful to spend time with him. He then went off to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with his sister Anita, and brother-in-law Bill. He had a great time there at The Villages. My dad came for Thanksgiving week and spent lots of time with Matt, Thomas, and Christian. They learned how to call him Papa right away, which was very cute. Frank is now back from Florida and will spend some more time with us before heading back home to San Diego.

On Saturday I got to have a spa day with my amazing friend, Amy! We met out at the Wild Horse Pass spa, Ajji, at about 8:30 a.m. First, we went for a walk along their gorgeous 2.5 mile interpretive trail that ran along the golf course. Then, we took a Pilates class (I'm still sore!), and then Amy had a massage, and I had a facial. We then had lunch by the pool. It was the perfect weather, sunny and clear and low 70s. Wonderful, relaxing day!!! Amy came over on Sunday to meet our little guys before she flew back home to the Bay Area.

I've posted lots of pics here.

Love, j&c, m&t&c

November update

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated our blog!! I don't have a lot of time available as you might imagine. This is my last week before I head back to work on Monday. It has gone so fast!! We've been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing. We're always trying to stay one step ahead of the twins to keep them in a safe place. They are climbing everything in sight! We basically moved everything out of the living room except the couch and chair and their toys. It's gated in, and they have the entire run of the room. Earlier this week we moved everything off the carpet and cleaned the carpet. We moved the bookcase into the family room, and I cleaned and organized that. Then, since I was in the cleaning mode, I cleared out 4 bags of clothes from my closet and took them to Goodwill. I still need to go through my dresser and get that cleaned out. I guess I'm still nesting!!

The twins went to the doctor last week for their 18-month check-up. They're doing great. They haven't gained much weight; they're still at about 27 or 28 lbs. They're tall, at 34". Christian had his check-up yesterday. He has gained 3 lbs since he was born and is now up to 10 1/2 lbs. He's grown 1 1/2 inches to 21 1/2". We blessed that they're all healthy and doing just fine.

That's all for now!

Love, j&c, m&t&c

First Haircuts!

I took the twins to get their first big-boy haircuts yesterday to a place called Cool Cuts 4 Kids. They got to sit in little cars and watch an Elmo video while they got their hair cut. They did great! No crying or anything, and they stayed fairly still during their cuts. They look so cute!!

New Little Baby Herb Arrives!

We are so happy to welcome Christian McCoy Herb to our family! He arrived a week early on Sunday, October 4, at 10:25 p.m. 7 lbs, 9 oz, and 20 inches long. He has a little bit of dark hair and is a sweet little guy!

Thanks so much to everyone for their prayers and well-wishes.

Love, j&c, m&t&c