Catching up

I have been meaning to post...but we have a mobile baby on our hands which means life as we once knew it has ended! But chasing after Joel is a pretty fun way to spend our time :)

Joel started 'scooting' on his belly in late January, which quickly became 'army crawling' (very fast army crawling!), which soon became crawling. He also figured out how to pull himself to standing around mid-February. After a few tumbles, he figured out how to get up and down pretty well, and he is still obsessed with pulling up on everything, cruising along the furniture, and looking for trouble. (As this post is being composed, he managed to pull the hardware off of the end table drawer in the hopes of eating it...) We have done some redecorating in the style of baby gates. :)

Looking for Trouble!


Good Morning Mommy


Music time


Learning to stand with help from daddy


One of Joel's true loves is eating. He is eating lots of table foods now in addition to his fruit and vegetable purees. He loves graham crackers, bananas, chicken, cheese, yogurt, grilled cheese sandwiches and those Gerber Puffs (what is it about those things? Babies can't get enough!). He is kind of a bottomless pit when it comes to food, yet he remains tall and slim like his daddy. So unfair...

Pureed green peas...yum!


Meal times = play times of course


Grilled Cheese..."nom nom nom" (he actually says that while he eats these)


Another favorite activity is bath time. Even a terrible mood can be cured by a dip in the tub. He likes to play with his bath toys and splash as much water on mommy as possible.



Keith is in a very busy season. He took his advanced mixed choir to San Francisco for a choir tour in mid-February. Joel and I drove up with my parents to join them. The kids had a great time bonding with one another, and had a memorable musical moment singing in the beautiful Grace Cathedral. Keith does such great work with the students and they sound fantastic. He is really enjoying the group of kids he has this year. They sang beautifully in their spring concert this past week which is all classical music. I loved every minute of it :) Tesoro is also in the middle of rehearsals for "Fiddler on the Roof", which will be performed in late April. Keith is doing the vocal direction for the show.

Keith is also busy as always with his job directing the Women's choir at Chapman University, and leading worship at Mountain View Church. With Easter approaching he is very busy preparing for a small choir to sing at church which should be fun :)

With whatever spare time Keith does find, he is usually learning more about photography, and practicing by photographing Joel (and sometimes me, the cat...his hand, the salt shaker...whatever happens to be around :D ). My favorites are those of Joel though. He has taken some really beautiful shots. Here are a few of my favorite ones that he took of me and Joel at the park last weekend.



















Most of my time these days is spent trying to keep up with my little pal Joel. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I get to stay at home with him, and the days just fly by. On Tuesdays and Fridays I am enjoying teaching K-3 music at my three wonderful schools. I have really loved my kids this year, and am thankful for the time I get to spend bringing music into children's lives. I am preparing my first graders at Tijeras Creek Elementary for a concert in a few weeks. The concerts are a ton of work, but I enjoy them so much. At the end of the year I will have concerts for the Kindergarteners and 2nd graders at Tijeras Creek and Reilly Elementary Schools, as well as all of the kids I work with at Bathgate Elementary School. I am not counting on having my job back next year, as budget cuts have hit education really hard, but it is a possibility, and I am hoping for the best. We trust that God will provide for our family and that He will make His path for us known in His timing.

In addition to my job with the school district, I am teaching voice lessons on Tuesday afternoons. I have some lovely young ladies that I am working with currently, and it is a joy to help them discover their potential.

We are really looking forward to Spring Break which starts next week. Keith and Joel and I will be taking a couple of days to go down to San Diego and spend some much needed time as a family. This time of year is SO busy, and we are eager to focus on each other for a while. I am hoping we can take a day trip to Carlsbad Flower Fields while we are down there.

Today we spent time at a memorial service for our dear friends whose baby was stillborn early this month. At their request and in honor of baby Arianna Grace I am off to give Joel an extra hug and kiss...if you think of it, take a moment to cherish those you love a little extra tonight.

Thanks for reading :)

Happy Holidays!

The holidays were especially fun this year. It was so fun to have so many "firsts" for Joel. In early November Dale and Laurie were in town, so we celebrated an early Thanksgiving with them, Grandpa Jerry, Kevin, cousin Jessy, and my parents. Laurie cooked up a wonderful thanksgiving meal, and we had fun being together. On Thanksgiving Keith participated in the church "Turkey Bowl"...defeated by the Rodarmel team once again. Then we had Thanksgiving dinner over at my Uncle Bill and Aunt Barb's house. Another wonderful meal. Joel got to have sweet potatoes...but plain ones :) .


Spending time with Great Grandma Hopkins on Thanksgiving



Smiling for Great Grandma Frenzel on Thanksgiving

The Christmas season was so special this year. Joel and I attended Keith's Christmas concerts at Chapman, and Tesoro. The music was beautiful, and we were so proud of Daddy's work. I had a couple of concerts myself. My 3rd graders performed their end of session concert at Tijeras Creek Elementary School on December 11th. The kids did such a wonderful job, and I was so very proud. the parents were really impressed by all the kids had learned. I also had Christmas concerts starring my kindergarten students at Bathgate Elementary School, and Tijeras Creek Elementary School. the kids were just darling, and they performed so well. These concerts always put me in the mood for Christmas!

We spent December 23rd with the Hancocks, and Robin, Jeff, and Jessy Barnes. We enjoyed a wonderful meal (on our new dining room set, yay!) some present opening, and an entertaining game of Christmas charades :)
Joel opening his baseball toy from Robin and Jeff



Giggling at baby-charmer Jeff


Playing with his baseball with Grandpa

Christmas Eve is always busy for us, and this year was no exception. We had two lovely services at Mountain View Church. I sang "Here With Us", and Keith sang his beautiful rendition of "O Holy Night". I also led the little ones in a song called "Hosanna". So precious!

After the church services we had dinner back at our house with Dale, Laurie and Kevin, then some gift opening. It was so fun to open gifts with Joel. Of course at 7 months old, he was not able to open them himself, but he did try to pull at the paper on his gifts. We finished the evening with 2 of my favorite Christmas movies, "It's A Wonderful Life", and the Charlie Brown Christmas Special :)


Trying very had to open his gifts!

Christmas morning was perfect. Keith and Joel and I were together at home. We had a nice breakfast, and then opened our gifts and stockings (more and more great things for Joel!). I loved having that time to focus on our little family, and all that God has blessed us with. Now that we have a son of our own, I can't help but feel as though I can understand God's love for us a little bit better. The sacrifice He made for us when He sent his only Son to save us seems a little more real to me.





Opening gifts with Daddy


Many musical toys, of course





"Spin, spin a letter..."

Christmas day was spent with the extended Frenzel family. It means so much to me to see my Grandma, Aunts and Uncles, and Cousins (and my parents of course) on this day. Every Christmas I can remember has been spent with them, and they are so special to me. This year my cousin Boone's boy Isaiah is almost 2, and he was SO fun. He is such a cutie, and loves to entertain. It was great seeing the boys with their toys. Next year I hope Joel and Isaiah will be able to play together on Christmas.


Playing with Great Grandma Frenzel on Christmas


Christmas night we came home and shared a quiet evening with all the Grandparents :)

On the 26th we spent some time with my Grandma Hopkins and my parents at Grandmas Assisted Living Place. We exchanged gifts, and then Keith played some Christmas music on the piano while the folks were coming in and waiting for dinner. They were so happy to hear beautiful live music (and to see sweet baby Joel). Seeing the joy that brought them was one of my favorite moments of the season. Grandma was so proud :) Afterward, we went back over to my parents' house to have a wonderful dinner and open more gifts and stockings. So many fun toys for Joel. The house looked SO beautiful, and it was so nice to have a quiet evening with my Mom and Dad. I wish that my brother Rob and Sister-in-Law Amanda could have spent the holiday with us, but I enjoyed chatting with Rob on the phone.



New Years Eve was spent at our house with some friends from College: Francisco and Andrea Calvo and their daughter (our god daughter) Isabel, Ray and Alissa Medina and their son Isaiah, Brian and Chelsea Dehn and their boys Ethan and Caleb, and Adrien and Jeremy Gonzalez. We had a lot of fun talking and playing games (after the babies were asleep)!



New Years Eve



Our Christmas Card Photo

6 Months..

Joel turned 6 months old on November 16th. He had his well-baby check-up with Dr. Ball, and everything is looking great. He had fallen behind in weight gain, but gained 2 pounds in the last month! At his check-up he weighed 15 lbs and 9.5 oz. (20th percentile) and was 27.5 inches long (80th percentile!). He is a happy and healthy guy.

He is very chatty these days. He loves to say mmmmmmummmm, and explore his voice from top to bottom. He can get up there :) In the mornings he sighs sweetly cuddled up with mommy.

I am making my own baby food, which has been really fun. He has tried quite a few things now: rice and oat cereals, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocados, green beans, carrots, pears, and bananas. Pears are definitely his favorite, and he can't get enough of them. He really loves carrots and sweet potatoes too. He can't stand the green beans....can't really blame him, they are pretty awful in pureed form!

Given the opportunity to "feed himself" this is what happens:




At least we have fun! He is pretty giggly these days, and you never know what will get him going.
Here he is post-meal watching mommy clap her hands....pretty funny :)


We are looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow, and enjoying a lovely week off of school. It is so nice to be home together.

Happy Halloween

Joel's first Halloween was fun...probably more for us than for him :) He dressed as the cutest little Charlie Brown we have ever seen!

On the 30th we went to the carnival at Knott Ave. Christian Church with Joel in his costume. He enjoyed looking around and seeing all the activities. On Halloween we stayed home with our little "Charlie" and passed out candy to the Trick-or-Treaters. We had a ton of them!

October fun!

This has been an eventful month. I had a birthday on the 15th, and Joel turned 5 months on the 16th. The 16th was also Joel's first experience with solid foods (hooray!). He started with rice cereal, which he seems to like. He impressed Keith and I, and Nana and Papa with his eating. He took to the spoon like he had always been doing it! Since then he has also tried to "help" us with his feedings by grabbing at the spoon and guiding it toward his mouth. Last week I started making my own baby food. I steamed and pureed a ton of sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash. It tastes wonderful, and is so much fun. We have a whole shelf in the freezer for Joel's food. We started him on Sweet Potatoes on Saturday...so far so good, although he does seem to like the cereal more. In a few days we will add one of the other veggies to his diet.




On the 17th we went to the pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms. It was busy and hot, but really fun to see Joel with all the pumpkins.



Halloween is just around the corner, and we are excited to dress our little guy up in his first costume. Pictures to follow!

Welcome To Our Blog

Now that we are three, there is so much to share with friends and family.

God has blessed our family beyond measure. I feel that every day (even the tough ones) is filled with blessings, in our marriage, our work, our home life, and now in our precious son.

Joel is nearly 5 months old already, and it is true what everyone tells us...it goes so quickly! He is more of a joy than we ever could have imagined. Nothing could have ever prepared us for the overwhelming love we feel for him. He loves to smile, and singing a tune for him is a good way to get one of those smiles! He giggles from time to time as well...the most joyful sound I have ever heard! Lately he has really been discovering his voice and carries on sweet "conversations" with us. He loves to "stand" with support, dance, and play in his jumperoo. He is quite fond of his hands and feet, and anything he can get into his mouth. Mostly he just loves to be with people.


Keith is enjoying another year of teaching at Tesoro, and Chapman. Fall concerts will be soon, and Joel and mommy are eager to hear the progress the students are making. I am teaching part time this year: Kindergarten-3rd grade music at Bathgate Elementary on Tuesdays, and at Tijeras Creek Elementary and Reilly Elementary on Fridays. I am also working with 10 private voice students. The other days I get to be at home with Joel. I love having the best of both worlds.

We are happily attending Mountainview Covenant Church where Keith leads the worship, and I serve by singing on the worship team, and leading some children's music. We meet with our Home Group every Wednesday evening. This is a group of seven young families from church. We are incredibly blessed to be a part of this fellowship, and we are so happy to have found these awesome friends.

So much is happening each day. Stay tuned!