Christmas decorating!!

Christmas is by far my favorite Holiday. I love it. The lights, the presents, the giving, the cold, the snow, the music, the pretty decorated trees, the family time, the traditions. I just love it. 

I also love that I'm able to be crafty and make things so I don't have to spend the insane amounts of money for Christmas decor at the stores. I most certianly ripped the flowers off my summery/fall wreath and made the one you see above. Total cost? $0! Love a free craft for my door!

This is the back of my door, so my entry way (if you want call it that...). And yes, I still have framed subway art from Thanksgiving. I'm all out of printer ink so it'll be that way until the Husband remembers to buy some. I made the paper wreath last year and I added all the photos from Christmas cards to it. I absolutely adore making art with my boys and those snowman feet are SO stinking cute. 

Enjoying the virtual tour of my Christmas decorations? ;)

I love snowmen. This tin is never where it's supposed to be, or how it's supposed to be (see how he's on his side...Darn kids!) and the frame still has the store paper in it instead of a super cute photo of my kids because I want snow in said picture. Where is my snow?!

Our tree! It's so little but Husband said we can upgrade this year so I'm waiting for the after-Christmas sales. 

It's hard work knocking down ordaments! 

My Christmas card holder. I made this last year and I love it! It's just a piece of foam covered in fabric hanging from ribbon! 

Ribbon covered vase and pretty candles for my center piece. The flowers were off of my old winter door wreath that I took apart to make my pantry door wreath and this. So happy with how it turned out!

My pantry door! I love this wreath. Husband hates it. I've won the battle of keeping it up so far.

My plant shelf.

The other side.

Whew. That's about all of it. We have lights outside but that would be a pretty boring picture to take with the sun shining. 

Things have been really crazy around here. Busy, dramatic, stressful, etc. But, we are still managing to enjoy the season. Jack is loving Santa, our elf on a shelf and all of the lights. Owen is just going with the flow like he usually does. They are getting so big and grown up. Jack is so smart, and funny. He tells me this all of the time - 'Mommy! I'm funny!' I can't help but laugh most of the time. Owen is talking up a storm. He uses full sentences and knows exactly what he wants and how he wants it (even if I have NO idea what he is trying to get across to me). 

Jack was sick yesterday and this morning he refused to take off his pjs. 

But, look at that grin! And the bedhead. I'm not sure what Owen is doing, those are some sassy hands! 

Anyway, all is well here. <3

OMG.

Only 19 days to Christmas and I haven't wrapped anything.

....I'm panicking.

You are getting to that age...

My husband started out a sentence with 'You are probably getting to that age...'

Knife. In the heart. Please excuse me while I do some research on wrinkle cream, the best way to cover greys and go buy some old lady velcro shoes.

He won't hear the end of it for a very long time. If ever.

I feel like I should tell you the whole story. Yes, you. You need to hear about why my husband thinks I am an old lady. I got a kidney infection. Have you ever had a kidney infection? Have you ever been in labor? If you answered yes to just one of those two questions you feel my pain. Anyway, I got a UTI then it spread to my kidneys and we were talking about how I need to make myself go pee more often - yes, from talking about Halloween with my kids to talking about my bathroom habits - here you have it on this sweet random little blog. There are certainly days that I pee in the morning and then don't have another opportunity to do so untill Clay gets home (so, from about 6am to 6pm I don't pee). Yes, I know this is bad for me. You know what else is bad? Five toddlers three and under running around for two minutes alone while I go pee. It's just not worth it sometimes. So, he had a discussion with his boss at work (yes, about my UTI and kidney infection) and she said that she used to get them too and that I'm probably busy chasing around kids and need to make myself go pee. At least that's what I imagine her saying. My husband says she said 'She's probably getting to that age where she needs to make herself go pee'. No woman would say that about another woman. At least I'd hope not, unless she wants to be cursed in my household. ;)

I'm 24. I don't even realize I'm 24 until someone asks me how old I am and I have to think about it for a very long time. I lied to someone a while ago, and I didn't even notice until my mom just stared at me. I'm 24. Not 22. HA!

Anyway. I'm feeling much better. I just feel like someone kicked me in the back. But, I'm on the mend.

 

<3

Happy Halloween! And Welcome to November!

I hope everyone had a very happy, sugar-filled, safe and successful Halloween! 

Our little monsters were confused with the whole thing, but after two houses Jack really just wanted to run (like the other bigger kids in the neighborhood) house to house. Owen on the other hand, he just wanted to play in the dirt, leaves, and street. Needless to say, Clay and I had our hands full making sure Jack was waiting for Owen, Owen wasn't walking into peoples houses, etc and so on. Surprisingly enough, we trick-or-treated for well over an hour! 

And, boy, to we have the candy to prove it. We also missed most of the neighborhood trick-or-treaters so the insane amount of candy Clay bought is still living in our house. The picture is JUST the boy's trick-or-treating candy (they also went trunk-or-treating with their cousins on Saturday).

I'm excited to take down the Halloween decorations and put something new up. I found this bottle of spray 'glow in the dark' window decorations in my Halloween box from my mom. I sprayed little bats, skeletons and such on our front window...I'm SO ready to wash them off (cross your fingers it actually washes off).

Hello November! I can't wait for your cold days, hand-print turkey crafts and wonderful Thanksgiving meal! 

Wow.

I cannot believe that it's October. The end of October. It's more like November! And I haven't taken the time to write in this sweet little blog of mine since March. MARCH! So much has happened since March!

Owen had his birthday.
Clayton had his birthday.
Clay and I went to Jackpot for our fourth wedding anniversary!
Jack had a birthday.

There was other stuff, but honestly, I can't remember it all and I don't have the time to scroll through the millions of pictures I take to upload them.

So, we'll pretend like I didn't take 7 month blogging break and just pick up here.

HALLOWEEN!

I'm far more excited than anyone else in this house. Which, honestly, is normal for the majority of holidays and events.

Indeed, I made that wreath and the cute spider/pumpkin/ghost/Frankenstein hanging! SO CUTE!

I also in all of my glory created a craft/seasonal corner of my home. I love it. I'm a little nervous to ALWAYS find things for the kiddos to do to fill this space (I mean, how many hand flowers can one person make in the spring/summer?!), but I'm also excited for the walls of my home to be changing more often. I'm home all the time. ALL THE TIME. So, needless to say, I crave the change. 

We also got family pictures done. The photographer did a great job working with what she had (two cold and GRUMPY toddlers), I think we may try again for a family photo with Uncle Dustin (as long as he doesn't hate us for hiring a photographer this year). 

The pictures of just Clay and I are amazing. I'm in love. I can't wait to get some really nice framed prints for our bedroom (which is currently undergoing a makeover! LOVE what's happening in there and I can't wait to be done so I can share!).

Anyway. I'm alive. We are all happy and healthy (mostly, that's another post really!). 

<3<3

March!

Woah. It's already my birthday. I can't believe how quickly this year is going by. My kiddos are growing up so fast and the seasons are changing. It's an amazing time in our lives.

The weather has been warming up, though it's off and on, but anytime we can we take full advantage of it. We've been riding bikes, going for walks, playing in the grass, taking the dog out to play ball - anything to get out of the house. Jack is loving it and Owen, as always, is just a happy camper to come along for the ride.

Jack is proving to be a difficult toddler, terrible twos aren't an accurate description of our daily lives. Though, I'm sure lots of other people have it way worse, this is my blog and I'll cry about it if I want to (though, I'd love to hear other stories and any suggestions/advice). He can be such a great kid, he is such a great kid, but he's mastered the art of not listening, intentionally doing things he's not supposed to do, and when he gets mad he goes into this 10-15 second rage and needs to hit, throw, push or do something physical to clearly explain why he's mad. I don't know where he gets it from, Clayton and I are both pretty mild people. I'm hoping it's a phase. I know it's a phase. I just need to put myself in time out more - and eat more chocolate.

Owen is walking. And talking. He's huge. Where did my baby go? He says lots of things: More, Jack, Bella, Momma, Dada, nanana (banana), mmmMMMmm (as in 'delicious!'), whhaaachaaaaa (as in high five...it's the noise we make as the slapping happens. Don't judge.), uh-oh and good job (though, sounds more like goo jooo). He's only 10 months. He's a genius.

Clayton is such a great husband and spoiled me for my birthday. He took the day off (and tomorrow too!!) and made me my favorite breakfast (biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs - YUM!), he got me some brown converse (YAAY!), some circle mirrors for our bathroom that I've been eyeing for the past two years, a picture frame and a coupon organizer. He's amazing. We got ready and took the boys to Monkey Buizness (best three dollars spent! Jack LOVED it and Owen, again, was just happy to hang out). After lunch at Applebee's we came home and Clayton let me have time to sew! I made two skits, both of which I don't like (but hey, it was good practice!) and then we fentured back out to Fred Meyer so I could get some dairy free ice cream to go with the yummy cake Clayton is baking me!

Good day.

I'm a very lucky lady. Oh, and read this:  Read this. Be a better Parent.  It's worth the five minutes of your life. I'm not perfect, VERY far from it, but it makes me cry to think that a father, or mother, would treat their child like this. There are ways to go about telling your children no and belittling them isn't one of them.

And now, pictures!

He looks like a two year old in this picture.

Clayton asked me to document the first time Jack watched ninja turtles. He liked it for 10 seconds and then moved on.

Water and corn starch = solid 30 minutes of fun = solid 45 minutes of clean up. 

CHEEESE!

He's so big he can sit on a big boy swing this year! 

And so can Clay...

Snuggle muffin!

So cute!

<3

I'm crafty.

I think I've used up my alone birthday time. I can hear children causing a ruckus. Until next time. <3

Anything but Glamorous...

Motherhood is many things. It's also NOT a lot of things. Even though some Moms will lead you to believe that they can pull of changing a poopy diaper and still feel sexy, they are lying. To you and probably themselves.

Motherhood is not glamorous. When I imagined becoming a mommy I thought it would be sunshine and smiles, sweet butterfly kisses and silly dances, bubble baths and cuddly naps. I thought it would kind of be like Mary Popins, without the obvious acid trip in the middle. It is those things, 3% of the time.

The other 97%? It's poop from their toes to their armpits,  unidentifiable throw up (is that the cat's or the baby's?), tantrums, screaming, throwing, kicking, mess making, etc.

I spent last weekend reading a mommy blog (www.crappypictures.com) and I laughed so hard I cried. Several times. She knows what mommyhood is all about.

Then, yesterday I stumbled upon a different kind of mommy blog (parentingfromscratch.wordpress.com). That one made me cry and feel like a bad mommy.

I love my kids. My boogers. My loves. They are my walking, talking, car-playing, block-throwing, worlds. I wouldn't change anything for a million dollars (unless the million dollars meant no more I-am-two-hear-me-roar-throwing-a-fit-all-day stage, I'd probably change that).

Everyone has their own parenting style. Everyone does things VERY differently. When I think of staying home and raising my little people I think of teaching ABC's, counting, laughing, chasing, making cookies, painting, and everything being roses, rainbows and bliss. But, even when I don't have daycare kids and get to pretend that I am a simple stay at home mommy, bliss rarely occurs. And by rarely, I mean occurs once or twice that day for approximently 25 seconds.

The dog is barking, the dishes are dirty and stinky, the baby pooped, Jack fell, Jack pushed the baby, Jack wants to color, Mommy closed the door to pee (seriously, WHY does the bathroom even have a door anymore? I should just take it down and use it for a fun corner shelf or headboard like I see on pinterest all of the time). It just doesn't happen, at least not for me.

I can't help but wondering if I'm doing something wrong, am I not mommy enough? Are my expectations too high? Too low? Are my kids behind in development? Ahead? Slow? Out of control?

But, then they nap. I eat some chocolate and realize that I miss them and can't wait for them to wake up and that's when it happens.

Motherhood. It's such a confusing, hard, frustrating, rewarding, amazing, daunting, endless job.

And I love it.

Today is a good day!

See, I really do have good days!

Here is an update on each member of our little family, smallest to largest! ;)

Owen:
Our little booger is nine months old. Yes, NINE. It makes my heart ache to think of my littlest baby growing up so fast. I am so blessed to be able to be home with him all of the time. He looks more and more like his big brother everyday. He hasn't walked all by himself yet, but he sure did try. He was walking along the couch the other day and was watching Jack and some daycare kids play and I think he forgot that he didn't know how to walk because he just sort of threw himself into a walk and landed flat on his face. Poor baby. He does, however, use a walker to get around and can almost turn it to where he wants to go! (A walker that he pushes, not that he sits in - he won't sit in that kind of walker anymore, he's way to independent!) He is eating all kinds of foods, but would love to just have crackers all day! He loves apples, strawberries, celery, bananas and squash. He says momma, dada and something that sounds like more. He is sleeping in his own crib (mostly) but still wakes up three or four times a night. He just can't get enough snuggles in with mommy. Though I hate losing the sleep, I love the cuddling.

Jack:
Oh my dearest Jack-a-roo! He's two. And a handful. He is so smart and sweet, but he is two. Anyone that's got a two year old or ever had a child that's been two can understand. He LOVES Thomas the train and Elmo (but, he calls Elmo 'Alf Alf' - I have no idea where he got that). We live close enough to a train track that two or three times a day he can hear a train and he stops everything and just holds as still as he can until the noise is gone and then he'll yell 'BYE BYE CHOO CHOO TRAIN!'. He does the same thing with airplanes. He is still a blanket baby and refuses to have an owie or sleepy time without it. He loves 'brush tooth brush' and 'BAFS' (brushing his teeth and baths), especially in mommy's bathroom. He is such a good big brother and helps Owen with getting toys, wiping his nose and getting him a diaper. He also LOVES helping me cook. He has started talking in complete sentences - 'Mom, I want more juice', 'I fall down', 'I want more cookies' - It's so nice to be able to understand what he needs and help him!

Me:
I'm hanging in there. This staying-at-home-no-adult-interaction thing is a HUGE adjustment still after almost a year. But, I love it. I wouldn't ever want to give it up. I also love having other children around for my kiddos to play with and so the daycare thing isn't terrible (I just have one bad apple that seems to spoil things sometimes). I'm back to the pant size I was before kids, though not happy with where everything is...just is (and yes, I'm saying this as I'm baking chocolate chip cookies). We eat healthy, I run around with kids all day, I am comfortable with my skin and I have a husband who loves me. I will eat cookies until my heart is content! :)

Clayton:
Ooh my dear husband. Well, I know you are all dying to know (I say that like I have a huge following...HA) but his face is almost all better! Within the past two days I've noticed a huge improvement and yesterday he smiled at me. It gave me butterflies and stopped me mid sentence when I was talking to him. I almost cried. It's been so hard not being able to nurse him back to health (I mean, what could I have done? Face massages?) and having it be such an obvious thing, I'm just glad for it to be gone. He loves his job and is such a great daddy to our boys.


Other than all of that there really isn't anything new to report. We haven't taken very many pictures, and I could try to come up with a good reason as to why but there really isn't one. I'm committing to being better about that. I used to be so good with weekly updates of Jack and then life just has a way of sneaking up on you and laundry has to be folded and dinner has to be made!

We went to McCall for the Winter Carnival!

Clay and I look so mad, but we had a really great time, I swear. This is Zoe pulling Jack!

Trying to keep warm in the car!

Jack before...

Jack after! :)

<3

Monday.

I have a terrible case of the Mondays. The kind that involves tears, mental breakdowns, cleaning of random nooks and craneys of the house and an intense need to be left alone for longer than 20 minutes. 

Needless to say, it's nap time - I thought I'd update the blog with some beautiful update on how wonderful our lives are, share some pictures and forget about having to make dinner, change 12 more poopy diapers today and clean the living room for the millionth time - but Owen woke up and is DYING from not being held. So, enjoy the photos and captions. Maybe some day I'll update with something meaningful and not have to mention how terrible of a day I'm having. I swear, I do have good days. 

It snowed! It started around 7am and didn't stop until 2pm. Then, it turned to rain. As soon as Clay got home Jack was thrown outside to play in it for the first time this year. He LOVED it!

Owen is such a snuggler. I love nap time with him.

And Clayton. My poor husband. He has Bell's Palsy (a usually temporary paralysis of one side of your face). He forgot an eye patch (he can't close his eye all of the way so at night he has to wear one) so he fashioned one out of gauze. He, despite the suckiness of this stupid thing, loves being a pirate. 

So cute! I didn't teach him how to rock, he just did it!

Jack is such a good big brother.

Owen will be walking sooner than I'm okay with. He loves to scale the walls, chairs, etc - anything he can hold on to or lean on. 

This is how cool kids ride in the car. 

Clay got me flowers because he's a good husband. I cut up the lemon, I'm in love with how it looks!

Our new wall art. All for under $20!