Weekend Recap

Winter with small children can be complete magic. The first snowfall of the season, movie nights in front of the fireplace and sneaking in some precious family time by hunkering down under layers of blankets with endless stacks of books.

On the flip side? Winter with those same small children can also be nothing short of torture. Eventually the holidays pass and with them goes the excitement of snowmen, sledding and hot chocolate. The temperatures dip into the double digit negatives and the daycare germs that so kindly attached themselves to my little guys in November get cozy and decide that a weekend visit isn’t quite enough and an extended stay is absolutely necessary.

Soon, it’s nearly the end of January and you realize that you haven’t left the house as a family in what feels like half a year. That is where I found myself last weekend. However, this particular weekend, unlike all the others, showed signs of a light at the end of the tunnel. All 4 members of our family were relatively healthy for the first time since Thanksgiving  and we had no big plans on the calendar.

On Friday night, I got home from work and announced that it appeared to be a perfect night for a living room sleepover. And living room sleepovers? They are Tyler’s version of gold. That kid loves nothing more than an air mattress, sugary snacks and back to back episodes of Curious George. Turns out Matty feels the same way. 

Saturday morning brought with it waffles, an intense wait for the mailman and big plans for the Children’s Museum. Tyler was looking forward to it and to say that I was excited would be a complete understatement. Hello! I hadn’t left the house in FOREVER and a day with my three favorite guys sounded like absolute bliss. We picked up the house, packed up the kids and got ready to go. Except? About 10 minutes before we were set to walk out the door, Tyler had the ingenious idea that our bed needed to be moved from its current location to a much more appropriate location under the window. The problem? Tyler is 5 years old and no matter how dead set he was on turning his vision into reality, the chances of that bed moving even an inch was slim to none. He ended up pulling a muscle in his neck and while I admire his extreme determination, I was pretty bummed out that we had to cancel our outing and spend yet another day at home.

That day ended up looking a whole lot like this {sweats, video games & a nice warm heating pad.} 

And even Harley seemed a tad disappointed.

On the plus side? That extra time at home provided Ryan and I with the opportunity to finally figure out what was really happening to all of those missing waffles. 

And to think, we've been blaming that poor cat all this time.

Mom Fail? Check!

A few days ago {I can’t even remember which one}, I finished up some last minute emails, shut down my computer and quickly left the office to pick up the boys from daycare. I arrived on time {mom WIN in my book}, got a quick synopsis of the days’ events and buckled the boys into their carseats for the 6 minute drive home. This short car ride began like any other, but unfortunately, didn’t end that way.

Me: “So, how was your day Ty?”

Tyler: “It was good. I colored a lot of pictures.”

Me: “Fun! How was Matty?”

Tyler: “He was good. He cried a lot.”

Insert 45 seconds of silence here.

Tyler: “Mom, Do you remember that other day?”

Me: “What other day?”

Tyler: “You know, that other day.”

Me: “What other day, Tyler?”

Tyler: “That OTHER day, when Aubrey and I were bitching at each other all day.”

Me: “Ummm…what?”

Tyler, completely unfazed, repeats himself.

Me: “Ah, yeah buddy I do remember that day. That day when you and Aubrey were BICKERING at each other all day.”

{Which happened to be the same day that he told me that he and this girl just weren’t meant to be friends…God just didn’t make them that way.}

Awesome. 

Random Wednesday

Bear with me, this post is all sorts of random {hence the title.}

Parenthood. Hands down the best show on TV right now or ever. Last night? I cried for Julia, laughed for Max, then cried again for Drew. If you’re not watching it, you’re seriously missing out.

 

Have I mentioned that Tyler is hilarious? He keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure. Recently, on our drive home, he told me all about a new kid at daycare. “He punches people a lot. And he has an in-crowd. You know, like that Berenstain Bears book? He has one of THOSE in-crowds and he doesn’t let anyone join. And if Joey can’t join?! Well, then…”

 

Smart kid. Avoid those in-crowds, they’re nothing but trouble.

 

This conversation came only days after another in which he threw a bunch of questions about heaven at me and I struggled to find answers that made even a shred of sense. He was adamant that people do NOT go to Heaven. "Mom...people are buried in the ground." It's not easy trying to explain to a 5 year old how people who are buried under six feet of dirt end up in the sky. I fumbled with words for a good twenty minutes before he  finally said, “Ooh, I get it. So the skin and the toes go in the ground, but the spirit….the person, really goes up to Heaven.” Yes, exactly little buddy. Whew.

 
I made a resolution to get my butt in gear and start running. I REALLY want to do the Color Run this summer and in order to do it, I figure I better be able to get beyond the first block. I made a deal with Ryan that I would do Couch to 5K with him. It only requires that you get on the treadmill 3 days a week…who can’t do that? Me apparently because I bought new shoes, downloaded the app and ran exactly once. On January 1^st. As a result, he’s on week three and I pretty much haven’t begun. Wonderful.
 
The next few months are again jam-packed with activity. There are birthday parties and fishing trips, best friend visits and photo shoots. It’s nuts, really. We’re also in the midst of planning a Disney vacation. I’m hoping to surprise Tyler. He’s going to be ecstatic.
 
In the middle of all of the activities mentioned above, I’m beginning a new photography course soon. It’s focused solely on editing and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ve also begun booking for Spring/Summer 2013.  Now if only the snow would melt a little quicker. I can’t speak for the other two but Tyler and I are beyond ready for some warmer weather.

And a photo, albeit blurry. Because photo-less blog posts? Lame.

Christmas: Many Photos, Few Words

I think that this was the first year that Tyler really understood Christmas. In the past, he knew that Christmas meant frosted sugar cookies, presents and a long stretch of "at home" days. And he knew that if mom asked what the day was REALLY about, he better answer with "Jesus." But, he never got all that excited about it.

This year? Completely different story. December 25th could not come soon enough.

A couple of days before Christmas, Tyler decided that he wanted to make homemade ornaments. Once again, thank you Pinterest; you never let me down.  

That same afternoon, we whipped up an extra large batch of oats and glitter Reindeer Food. Tyler wanted to be sure that Rudolf would guide his buddies our way so he hand delivered some to each of our neighbors. He wasn't taking any chances.

We woke up (very early) to a letter from Zippy Charlotte. He had gone back to the North Pole, but assured us he'd be back for more mischief next year...

Apparently the Reindeer Food did the job because Santa delivered! I'm not sure who was more excited about opening gifts...Ryan or Tyler. Either way they were all opened and being put to good use by 7AM. 

 If I was forced to choose, I'd say Tyler's favorite gift was his fancy new RC car. Matty's? The wrapping paper. 

 
After an egg bake breakfast (that is quickly becoming a tradition for our little family), we spent the afternoon with Ryan's parents and siblings, eating far too many cookies and watching as our children were spoiled rotten.

A Christmas success? I'd say so!

 

Elf Central

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law Molly and I took the boys to Macy's 8th floor holiday display. The theme this year (which I believe was a repeat of last year and maybe even the year before that) was "A Day in the Life of an Elf." 

It had been a while since I took a day off of work to spend with Tyler that didn't involve refilling sippy cups of Pedialyte and disinfecting doorknobs, so I was really looking forward to it. I bundled up the boys, gathered what was likely the entire contents of our house (minus the Garmin) and made the 40 60 minute trip to pick up Molly. We may or may not have missed our turn and taken a 20 minute detour, but all was well as Matty napped and Tyler chatted about how excited he was to see the real life home of Zippy Charlotte.

We made it to Molly's and after a quick diaper change for Matty and a not so quick "re-bundling" for everyone, we were on our way. I would love to say that we strolled into Santa Land twenty short minutes later and learned all there is to know about elf education and candy cane making, but that would be a complete lie. Long story short, we circled a four block radius no less than 12 times, got stuck in an underground parking garage straight out of a horror movie, stopped for directions to the skyway (not even kidding) and had to carry Matty in his stroller up a flight of stairs in order to avoid the one man death trap they called an elevator. 

Nevertheless, we made it.

We watched as Zippy's pointy-eared counterparts baked cookies, wrapped presents, delivered Christmas letters and trained Comet for his upcoming adventure. 

 

 

 

We even made a quick stop to see Santa. Tyler recited his Christmas list while Matty tried with all of his might to get ahold of that beard. Oh, so tempting.  

 

 

Tyler dropped a quick note in Santa's mailbox for good measure. You never can be too sure.



 

It was pure magic minus the snow filled two hour commute back home.

 

Matty: 10 Months!

I used to find it incredibly annoying when parents referred to the ages of their toddler children in months. “She’s 26 months old!” No, no she is not. She is two. Two YEARS old. She is not a baby; she’s a toddler. A tiny human being who runs and jumps and who traded pureed sweet potatoes for Mac & Cheese a long time ago. 

I still find it a bit annoying, but I get it now. I understand the desire to count the months and avoid the years. It is a means, for me at least, to reside in baby land  just a little bit longer. You have to wrap your arms around those months and hold on tight because they slip by oh so quickly.
  

Sweet Matty, I cannot believe it, but here we are. Another four weeks have passed and you’ve reached the 10 month mark. 10 months? How did that even happen? It’s as if we rang in the New Year, took a cat nap and woke up to Halloween. It’s ridiculous, really.

You’re getting around much faster these days and you’re into absolutely everything. The artwork that adorns our refrigerator has gradually moved to higher ground and I find myself running to beat you to the cat dish several times a day. And if I happen to be a second late? I’ll inevitably find you with a tiny fistful of kibble and will be forced to spend the next five minutes fishing pieces from your mouth. I told you, you’ll eat anything. 

You have two little teeth now, both on the bottom. I don’t check for new teeth nearly as often as I once did because the ones you do have are pretty darn sharp. They come in handy for all of the cat people food you are eating these days. You’ll eat most anything; chicken, cheese, lunch meat and veggies. We still give you the occasional container of baby food but somewhere along the line you realized that spewing it all over mom and dad is much more entertaining than actually consuming it. 

You’re sleeping a bit better and spitting up a lot less, both of which make us very happy! What else? We introduced you to cookies, snow and Santa! When meeting the big guy, you didn’t even cry. In fact, you did exactly what we knew you would—gave him a big happy grin and a tug of the beard. While so many things about you have changed, that has not. You still LOVE to pull hair and grab people’s faces. You also still suck your thumb and yank on your ear when you’re sleepy…that one melts my heart. 

When you wake up, you grip the railing of your crib and scream until somebody comes to rescue you. There are rarely tears; you simply know that the louder you scream, the faster we respond. You are sweet to your core and you have the most infectious giggle. And your brother? He is completely smitten with you. Have I mentioned how much you lucked out in that department? Last night, as he wallpapered his bedroom in artwork, you sat on the floor and rifled through his books. I suggested taking you out into the living room and away from his things but he stopped me, saying “no mom, I like having him in here with me.” I realize that might not always be the case, so I’m soaking in that morsel of sweetness while it lasts. 

We are still learning so much about you, sweet Matty, who you are and who you will become. Granted, it's bittersweet, but it has been such a joy to see you grow and watch as your little personality evolves. Sometimes, in the midst of a cheerio tornado, after half a dozen dirty diapers and 4 wardrobe changes, I find myself losing sight of how very fortunate we are. But we are. We are so very blessed. 

Love you to a thousand planets.

-Mama