Happy Christmas Dance

This is for those excited for Christmas. Bug wanted to share his feelings!

Yesterday, I was rushing hurriedly from a meeting to pick Monkey up from school. I had just enough time to run into Walmart and pick up the last few things we needed for a Young Men's activity at our house. As Bug and I were leaving, the store the greeter gave him a bright blue sticker. I got our few bags and Bug into the car and buckled him into his seat. Which is when he decided that I needed to wear the blue sticker on my right cheek. I was so worried about being on time for pre-k picked up, I didn't even stop to pull it off....

Two hours later, after pre-k pick up, the taco bell drive thru, and at least half an hour in the tire repair shop, the nice man at the counter says, "Excuse me, did you know that you have a sticker on your face?"

oops.

Halloween 2010

Charlie Brown ("Brownie Brown") and Joe Cool. 

 

Trick or Treat!

Check out those super cool trick or treat bags. They hold WAY too much candy.

Zee and I walking around the neighborhood with the boys.

Monkey had his heart set on being Snoopy this year for Halloween. Which of course meant that Bug (and his perfectly round head) had to be Charlie Brown. Zee went above and beyond and made these fabulous costumes. I helped out by making the snoopy pants. She even made herself a coordinating Lucy costume. We had big plans to make Wil and I costumes too (Linus and Sally), until we realized we would be out of town for the ward Trunk or Treat. Then it just seemed like too much to try and sew. Wil stuck with his trusty "costume" t-shirt, which he loves (also Zee's creation) and at some point I pulled out my witch's hat.  The boys' loved Trick or Treating in our little neighborhood. There were only about 10 houses with people home handing out candy. But that was more than enough. They had a great time knocking on doors and remembering to say thank you. Of course, Monkey says his favorite part was getting candy.

Your my little chu-chi face

During those few precious quiet moments with Bug, when he was still tiny, sometimes I would hold his hand to my face while he was nursing. It was rare, since Monkey was usually trying to get my attention, but for me it was important... my link to my new baby boy.

Now it's been almost three years and I'm not sure when it happened, but Bug needs my face. Now that we've taken away his sippy cup and his pacifier, he wants his "mama cuggles" even more. I'm not so happy about that when his need for comfort means he's rubbing his hands all over my face at 3am, but I think it's worth the sacrifice. He's still my baby and I know that the day will come when he decides he's too big to cuddle with his mommy. So I'll take those "mama cuggles" for as long as I can get them.

Six!

Today is our sixth wedding anniversary. Sometimes I can't believe how far we've come and sometimes it still feels like we're just starting.  Here's my list of six* things that I love about my husband (in no particular order):


1. He does the dishes. All of them. Almost every night. Without complaint, even when the kitchen is trashed.
2. His geekiness is rubbing off on me to the point that I was SUPER excited when I saw he had gotten us Wii Lego Harry Potter for our anniversary.
3. He is always willing to serve.
4. He understands my need to have time to myself, which is usually spent shopping.
5. If you pay attention when you watch a show with him (TV, movies, commercials), he will tell you the brand and model of computer in use. Lately, this has also branched out to cell phones.
6. He doesn't complain when I burrow my feet under his leg, even when they are ice cold.

I love you, William.

*there are a lot more than six things, but Lego Harry Potter is calling my name.

"I blub you real real much"*

Friday we said goodbye to our very last pacifier. It's been a long weekend, with some good nights and some struggles (naptime). But our Bug is doing better than I had expected. Isn't he a sweet boy?

*This is Bug's version of "I love you very much" and it melts my heart every time.

Baby Jaguar

Last week I pulled out the Halloween bin and began to decorate the house. This was my helper:

Ears, tail and pumpkin cup... he's adorable

He spent most of the morning wearing this, following me around the house and growling. He was convinced that he was Baby Jaguar.

 

Do you see the resemblance?

How do you know it's Fall?

My mums are in full bloom (honestly, my flower beds are happier and healthier than they've been in months). Monkey has adjusted to school. I've pulled out my slippers and put another blanket on the bed. Zee is making Halloween costumes. My favorite hoodie has emerged from the closet. And yesterday at the store, I found this:

I wanted to buy a whole case, maybe even a year supply, just so I wouldn't be without canned pumpkin again. But, yeah,  I settled for one and it's already half gone. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies.... the choices are delicious.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

My friend, Heidi, is really into doTerra essential oils. A few weeks ago she sent me some samples after hearing my whining about my boys and their inability to sleep. It didn't take long for me to be converted to lavender oil. It's amazing in it's ability to help Monkey calm down. It's been helpful at night, but the true miracle is on Sundays for church. We've gone from full blown tantrums in sacrament meeting to rarely having to remind him to quiet down.



So... when Heidi suggested I try the OnGuard (a blend of cinnamon, clove and orange to help boost your immune system) to help us all stay healthier this winter, I was all for it. This weekend my samples came in the mail and I've been putting it on the boys' feet when they get dressed.

This was the plan until Bug grabbed the sample and tried to get the cap off with his teeth, while getting his diaper changed.

Now he smells like Christmas...

Success?

I made it one month into the school year before dropping Monkey off for school in my pjs. I'm counting this one as a success.

Somebody in our house loves to play Rockband....

Labor Day on the "Root Canal"

The boys love to take their trikes to the C&O Canal to ride on the towpath. A few weeks ago, Monkey overheard Wil and I talking about his need for a root canal. Now whenever we drive over the bridge above the canal... you can hear two little boys yell, "ROOT CANAL!"

Speed Racer

Wil checking our location and pushing Bug's trike.

 

 

Ode to Sleep

This is where I would write my "Ode to Sleep".

Extoll the virtues of a full night's rest,
Wax poetic on how I wish the monster would sleep past dawn,
But, alas, I am too tired.

*the monster, my inspiration for this post

Africa

For months now Monkey has talked about going to Africa. (I have no idea where he got this idea, but it's stuck in his head for a long time.) Since my parents had come up on Saturday to celebrate my Dad's birthday, we decided this would be the perfect time to visit Africa (aka Wilson's Wild Animal Park).

When we pulled in, it was a bit questionable (part wild animal park/part junkyard)... but once we headed inside. The boys loved it (so much so that we couldn't get them to stop long enough to take a picture, unless it was the back of their heads).

Checking out the tortoises -"Hey, Mom!!! There's THREE!!"

Bug kept yelling at the rooster to "Be kiet, da yions are leeping!"

Billy Goat Gruff - this guy was mean

Why, hello, emu...

Feeding the fallow deer

What's next?

The Tortoise and the Hare

Check out my new look

Just in case you read the blog through Google Reader, you should click on over and check out the new look. My sister put it all together and I think it's fabulous.

Create your own Monster in 7 easy steps

Things you will need:
a happy healthy 18 month old
a pacifier
a sippy cup

1. Pack up all your earthly belongings and move.
2. Take your happy healthy boy and move him to a big boy bed in the new house
3. Let him sleep in your bed when he wakes up in the middle of the night, placating him with alternating pacifiers and sippy cups of milk.
4. Drag this on for almost a year.
5. Decide you've had enough.
6. Begin excruciating steps to remove child from your bed, wean him from pacifier and then the 4am milk sippy.
7. Realize that you have made this decision just as your happy healthy boy has hit his terrible two's with full force.

Ta da! You too will have your very own sleep deprived 2 year old. But watch out... cause they bite.

ps. Don't let this adorable face fool you.

righteous desires

You know how there are things in life that you struggle with for a while because they seem like really good things but it just isn't working and then you come to terms with whatever it is and then you are ok with it for a while and then you come really close to resolving the problem/attaining the goal and you realize that you can't resolve the problem/reach the goal after all and that thing you were fine with yesterday becomes a HUGE deal all over again and you feel like you have to start all over...

Yeah.

It's only taken 20 years to learn this lesson

I remember clearly my mom's frequent requests to clean my room and make my bed as I was growing up. More often than not they went unheeded and resulted in me being stuck in my room until it was clean (usually missing out on something else I had really wanted to do). I'm sure I'm not the only one who spent parts of their childhood/teenage years in the same situation.

Fast forward 20 (plus) years. Now I get it. I love my bedroom. The little details are all coming together. I'm in love with that color. I've been slowly sneaking more pillows on the bed over the last 5 years and Wil has even stopped complaining about them (he's a champ). BUT... our bedroom is the dumping place for everything without a place, along with all of the unfolded laundry. Slowly I've been able to get this more under control (except, of course, the laundry, which might always be a step ahead of me*), but it's still the last room in the house to get cleaned.

Except for the bed... it's the one thing I can accomplish quickly, without having to go in search of cleaning supplies or missing parts. And especially when it's been a no good, horrible day - walking in the room and seeing that the bed is made, makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

I'm coming to terms with the fact that my room may not ever be uncluttered beyond the time it took to take those pictures, but you can bet the the bed will be made.

*I was complaining about my plight to my mother the other day and in her wisdom she said, "Do you remember growing up and going to the M's and the G's and C's and the W's? Can you think of a time when there wasn't a pile of laundry waiting to be sorted, washed, folded or put away? Probably not, because once you have kids... it just doesn't happen. Thanks, Mom, for keeping it real.

My Mirror - a birthday update

Last month we had friends coming to visit and see our house for the first time. The chaos and clutter had been driving me crazy and knowing that friends were coming... it was the last straw. I called babysitters, Wil had a day off and we cleaned. We unpacked, organized and finished projects that have been waiting a year. It was fabulous. It didn't last long, but I now know that it can be clean.

While doing all of our projects I hung my new mirror. It's the perfect addition to the two mirrors that were already there - and I love, love, love it. I love my lamps from the Christmas Tree Shops, that look like glass, but are really just plastic. Also my super cute annilygreen pillow, that Zee surprised me with for my birthday.... and of course that little monster is adorable too.

First Day of School

Showing off his backpack (above) and nametag (below)

Peeking in the classroom with Bug

Hanging up his backpack

In the last 36 hours Little Man has...
- taken 5 lbs of sugar from the kitchen to the playroom
- snuck a pump bottle out of the bathroom and used it to give his stuffed animals a bath (this was while we were trying to clean up the first mess)
- climbed in to the pedestal sink and used it as a toilet
- emptied the canister of the vacuum, the one full of SUGAR, back onto the floor
- spilled a 12 oz berry smoothie across the kitchen floor (this one was an actual accident)

The next two weeks can't go quick enough. Last week, I wasn't looking forward to him starting school, but now... I would be happy to send him tomorrow.

I'll try that again...

Wil and I are off to pick up the boys from a friend's house. But I have to take a minute to document this occasion: my WHOLE house is clean. At the same time. This hasn't happened since we walked in the door after closing on the house, before we moved anything else in... a year ago (almost exactly). So next time I think that there's no way it will happen, I now know that it isn't impossible.

Somehow I missed the last 4 days

Saturday morning my very first migraine hit. Unfortunately, I didn't realize what it was until I couldn't bear it anymore. No over the counter medicine I tried even touched the pain, so I spent as much time as possible with my head on a pillow, hiding from my children (cause, wow, they are REALLY loud). By Tuesday, I couldn't handle it anymore and headed to the doctor... 2 visits, a CT scan and a nasty shot later, I feel human again. Someone has taken the 100lb weight out of my head and I feel like I can function. I love modern medicine. I also love my husband and my sister, because they put me to sleep for 12 hours straight and then made sure the boys were taken care of while I was out of it.

While I was in my haze, I did discover a few things....

If you have the recipe for spaghetti pie and love it as much as we do, then you should try this. Little Man asked for thirds and said, "Wow, Mom, this is YUM!". It's quicker and easier than spaghetti pie and even has less fat (because you skip the eggs and butter). I made mine in a oven safe skillet, put the cheese on top and threw it in the oven until the cheese melted. This one is a keeper.

I had peaches from the farmers market in my fridge that needed to be used and found this recipe. It is divine. (and can you tell where I've been going for new recipes? I'm kind of hooked) I added some blueberries we had in the fridge and substituted the maple cream with some vanilla bean ice cream. I might have had the leftovers for breakfast, but it was fruit... right?

My mirror is on it's way!

My boys have alter egos:

We are very serious about saving the world.

As we were pulling out of the hospital parking lot yesterday Bug asked me, very seriously, "Mommy, you feel better now?" That boy will melt your heart.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm feeling indecisive... or maybe a bit overwhelmed by the choices.

For the last few years, instead of a birthday gift, my mom gives us money for our birthday. She says it's easier that way and I L.O.V.E. having something I can spend on me without having to worry about which budget I'm taking it out of. But because I know it's coming sometimes I spend months dreaming of what I'm going to use my money for. This year is no different... unfortunately, my dreaming has left me with too many decisions. Now I'm having a hard time deciding how best to spend my money.

This is where you come in. Check out my wish list below. Let me know which items you would get me for my birthday. You have $80 to spend (including any tax and shipping charges).

1. wrought iron vintage mirror - $15 (plus $10 shipping)

2. Mom's Line a Day Journal or Quotable Kids journal
3. shoes - I can not decide which one of these I like best. The flats ($30) are by far the most comfortable shoes I have ever tried on but the flip flops ($25) would be perfect right now and I'm sure would last me for years.4. I'm in love with these and these and these. Similar ideas but VERY different applications. I can't narrow it down to just one. But I do need something to hang in the entryway of our house. It would have to be at least 8x10 but bigger would be better.

5. this sign: ($54 + $12.50 shipping)

6. a half tee - perfect for layering when I don't want the seam from the bottom of the tank to show through. (2 for $26 + shipping)

Have fun shopping!

ps. this money is burning a hole in my pocket, so you have until Sunday evening to vote.