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!

Very bad day.

Today was an awful, good for nothing, waste of time, crying, screaming, kicking and shoving kind of a day. I shouldn't have even gotten out of bed. I also shouldn't have picked up the house for the 1,923 time just to have the same damn book shelf torn apart. But, I did. I got out of bed. I cleaned the house, I made dinner and I attempted to be a good mommy. Just like every day. Some days are good, some a great and some a just down right terrible.

I didn't get to vacuum, sweep, mop, or wipe anything down. Though, I did get to pick up the same toys and put them away several times, make lunch for a very cranky bunch of children, unload the dishwasher and try to make two teething babies happy.

I did get to spend the day with my kiddos (though, cranky, stinky and sassy).

Trying to spin a terrible day into a good one when you are still bent about the day, listening to Clayton threaten Jack with timeout for the millionth time just makes one more bitter about the day.

I also attempted to craft during nap time only to get more frustrated with the damn thing.

Just a bad day.

Now, I'm going to sew something - I have no idea what and try to forget that today happened.

Tomorrow will be better.

It has to be.

New Year!

Well, it's January 16th and I'm just now getting serious about thinking about New Year Resolutions (like how I can't even commit to thinking about getting serious about them?!). I'm really liking the idea of family resolutions and resolutions for both Clay and I as a couple. Really, these are just life goals - but for some reason folks don't like calling them goals so resolutions it is.

For me - I'd like to spend more time focusing on me. Simple things really - making sure I put makeup on instead of worry about weather Jack's shoes are organized, paint my toes instead of fussing with the laundry, etc. I'm also going to start sewing more. I'm in love with creating things! I made both Jack and Owen dinosaur hats, and though FAR from perfect they are still VERY adorable.

For Clay and I - a romantic get away. Or just a get away. Hell, we could go stay at a motel 6 in Boise and I'd be ELATED. I don't remember the last time I got to wake up in his arms. Oh the things having two children will do to you! We also need to be better about how we spend our date time - We usually rush through dinner and then go to the grocery store. Anyone with more than one child knows that going to the grocery store with children and having to actually get things that are breakable (chips, eggs, etc) or that are food (I mean really, Jack tries to eat EVERYTHING I put in the cart) is a nightmare so Clay and I usually go to the store on our dates. Not very romantic.

As a family - We need to get out of the house more. With staying home I feel like I'm missing SO much of the outside world. Buildings are completed and I didn't even know they cleared that corn field 6 months ago for that new store. I really should put that as one of my goals...Get out of the house more.

Jack at the aquarium, I'd love to go back!

I'm sure Clay's goal would be to lose weight, but he looks so handsome and I love him with a little meat on his bones. He can get so thin!


In other news, there really isn't much else to report. EXCEPT...

Owen is crawling. All over the place. He follows me everywhere and gets so frustrated when I'm busy going from room to room and he has to crawl after me just to have me change directions. Poor baby. He will be walking soon though, he's already scaling back and forth on the couch and pulling himself up against anything - chairs, walls, his crib, anything really. And will stand with only one hand balancing himself. It's crazy. I'm not ready for my baby to be a toddler. I must stop thinking about it or I will cry!!

And now for some pictures!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

This time of year is so busy, for everyone really, and then I went and added a husband and two children to the mix. It's funny, I yearn for this time of year (well, December, I'm fully aware it's January and I'm just now blogging about Christmas) all year long and when it gets here I become a worrying, panicking, bossing, plan making mess.

All of Clayton's siblings were together for Christmas, so it was insane to try to plan anything but, like always, it came together and we got to spend some really great time with everyone. I love being apart of the family and always enjoy a good chaotic Lowder holiday!

Jack isn't quite old enough to get Christmas, but he did love opening presents. He got a kitchen, shopping cart and mega blocks from Santa (100pc. of mega blocks - THANKS Santa, those are hidden in the garage now!) Owen got a educational singing dog that Jack loves more than Owen. Babies are so difficult to shop for - especially a second child who already has all of his big brothers toys!

My wonderful husband got me a sewing machine that I am looking forward to spending some quality time using! I've gotten it out during nap time a couple of times and made both boys some p.j. pants (though nothing like the wonderful pants Alyson has made and passed down) and mittens for Jack (though not very functional he likes playing with them). I'm looking forward to finding the time to make curtains for Owen's room, our room and the living room as well as learning how to make shirts for the boys. I'm lucky enough to have Clay's mom to teach me.

We spent New Year's Eve at home, playing Phase 10 with Clay's wonderful mom and then New Year's Day we went to my mom's for dinner. Clay and I have been off this past week and have enjoyed some good quality family time. We went to the Idaho Aquarium and Jack loved it. He ran back and forth and told the fishes what to do, where to go and tried to poke them through the glass. There was one shark in the pool where you could touch them that kept swimming the outside of the pool and would jump up on the side, kinda trying to get out and Jack thought it was so funny.

Now, after a week straight of children I think Clay has vowed never to have any more. Jack is going through a very defiant phase and refuses to do anything that he is asked or told to do. I was going to potty train him this week but he's been so naughty that I think he'd just use it against me, he'd probably figure it out and pee all over the couch or something. So, we'll wait until the summer I think and see if he's ready then.

Owen is getting so big. I think I say that every time I update. He's seriously growing up so fast. I can't believe that he is going to be one year old in May. I can't believe that time has gone by so fast. I remember time going by fast with Jack but not this fast. It's crazy what two kids will do to you. I swear Clay has gray hair! Owen started crawling this week, but hasn't mastered the art - I think he forgets that he can crawl so when I put him down he fusses and starts crawling and then remembers and gets happy. It's really funny to watch. I didn't think he was going to crawl, he doesn't really have any reason to. I spoil him and Jack will bring him toys. He really wants to walk but he doesn't quite have the balance yet. I'm sure it'll only be a few months. After MONTHS of Clayton pressuring me to move Owen into his crib I've finally done it. Last night was Owen's first night and he did really well. He slept for 6 hours, woke up to eat - slept in bed with me for three hours, woke up to eat again and then slept in bed for another 3 hours. Today he napped there all day.

Speaking of bed, I should get both kiddos off to bed. Poor Clayton is out there with Jack covered in yogurt and Owen screaming. Best. Husband. Ever.

Hope all is well. <3

Quick update!

These little boys melt my heart. Jack is such a good brother!

He's got so many more teeth! I think we are at a total of 8 now. 

We went to the Idaho Botanical Gardens Winter Garden A'Glow. It was okay, the lights were beautiful but Owen was cold and Jack used up all of his patience waiting in the line to get in.

Jack and I decorated cookies. Or, I should say, we decorated a cookie - one for each of us. I made the cookies while he napped and then the frosting shortly after he woke up. I'm fairly certain he ate half of the frosting I made. Sneaky toddler.

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Sigler's! Yes, the got him a super awesome tricyle and badass helmet. And no, his feet cannot reach.

Oh Christmas p.j.s How I love thee! However, getting a two year old to 'sit in front of the tree and say cheese!' at 9:30pm Christmas Eve results in the above and below. 

They match!

And then there is Owen. He should really be a model. He just will smile and ham it up when a camera is in front of his face. Unless he's being attacked by Jack, in which case getting either of them to look happy is impossible.

Oh! and the before and after Christmas shots. 

This was taken as we were rushing out the door to breakfast with Clay's family. Yep, I got to come home to this! 

I'll write more later, I must go help Clay with the screaming children.