{favorite things} of 2012

some of my favorite things and memories of 2012:

{my favorite app}

(is still instagram) but my NEW favorite is waze. it is a navigation app that talks to you while you drive. it also alerts you of camera lights, police, and accidents. and since my car navigation seems to be on a mission to get me more lost... this app has been a life saver.

{my favorite home item}

the living room area rug from rugsusa.com. they have big sales. we bought it for 75% off and free shipping. i couldn't find a big rug anywhere for the price we paid.

{my favorite hobby of 2012}

quilting.

{my favorite quilting accomplishment this year}

C Man's birthday quilt.

{favorite movie of 2012}

The Hunger Games or The Lucky One. worst movie The Grey. 

{favorite overall accomplishment of 2012}

potty training that snarky girl.

{favorite shoe boot}

{favorite trip}

vegas with family and friends... and no kids. like none at all. 

{favorite event}

well... a tie between D's first birthday and auntie M's gender reveal baby shower.

p.s. it is a ... BOY!

{favorite witch, shark, and pumpkin}

cheers!

as the dust settles

{a christmas round up}

it was pretty exciting this year. moo was old enough to be excited... about presents, NOT santa. all she wanted were 'pink things' and a 'pink goat' at one point.

so... a pink dollhouse seemed appropriate. 

 and some pink boots from her grandma.

there were magical moments... and more snarky moments than any mother would like to admit. 

it's as if she sensed it was the most spectacular day of the year... and decided to fight it.

 we did lots of traveling and eating and baby wrangling. 

and now... we've settled in and are enjoying our new found treasures. 

D prefers his old faithfuls. after opening all the new stuff christmas morning, he walked straight over to the toy box and pulled out his much loved items. 

my favorite... their fishing sets. made by hand by their loving auntie M.

they made out like bandits. we're going through old toys to donate. 

 and of course... eating treats... at 10am. it really is the most magical time of the year. 

have yourself a... happy little birthday

although... it's not so little. the big three zero. he is 30. a grown up. but... his brother would say he's been a grown up since he was 12. 

15 years ago my heart skipped a beat when i noticed him. as in stared into la la land during biology noticed him. he was a baby. so was i. 

today he is the best version of himself. he's smarter. he's braver. he's my favorite. 

ask anyone who really knows him and they will agree... he's just straight up a good guy. nothing up his sleeve, no ulterior motives, authentic and genuine. makes a deal with a handshake. keeps his word. in all areas of his life. 

i couldn't be prouder. or more fortunate to have him by my side. 

happy birthday sweet boy. 

xoxo 

elf on a shelf 2012 {week 1}

his name is noddles. she came up with that herself while eating dinner. and maybe because she had a little pile of noodles on her plate. ryan wanted his name to be elvis. luckily it's not. 

{day 1}

she found him happily brushing his teeth... with her toothbrush.

{day2}

he was eating honey nut joe O's. 

{day3}

he seems to want a pirate ship for christmas. she loved that he was sitting in her chair.

{day4}

using the frog potty and a little light reading.  

{day5}

noodles LOVES see's candy like gg, mama, and moo!

{day6}

he found a tasty ornament. he loves the christmas tree.

{day7}

roasting marshmallows... and one lucky girl helped him eat them up. 

hard realities

eating cookie dough, NOT running or even walking, indulging in nightly bowls of ice cream will not magically keep you in the state you worked so hard to get in. and i hate this reality. i hate it, i hate it, i hate it.

so... after a painful conversation with someone i love dearly. who told me the truth. who normally does not... {and this was me asking a lot of questions. and him kindly answering}

i will face the facts now.

again... i hate it, i hate it, i hate it. but i know better. so now i will strap on those running shoes and do better.

{today i took them for a long, hard walk. and it was hard. and i will have to do it again tomorrow. blah.}

santa 2012

i'm having mixed feelings about our santa experience. a little bit of mommy guilt for clearly torturing BOTH of them. and a little bit of... someday they'll laugh. i hope?

moo was on the fence in line. i kept telling her she was getting a treat from santa. when she peeked into the little house she turned and was ready to take off. i had to pick her up. she let out a blood curdling scream. which we hear very rarely. lots of whining daily... but not this scream. then nizzy started crying. and i looked at ryan with panic in my heart.

santa calmly told me to set them down. i did. this is what we saw.
i felt like i earned the 'parent of the year' award. you know... those emails with pictures of terrible parental choices. perhaps ryan and i are the new poster child for 2012 edition.

the ups and the downs...

of marriage.
i'm in an up right now. as in... stare at him from across the room and daydream like i did 13 years ago. in biology class. when my heart skipped a beat when he borrowed that blue pencil. that i may or may not have saved for years.
I just want to be right next to him. listen to him talk. hold hands in the car. i love that this feeling still exists in the same relationship. that i still get nervous.

i look at him and see the slightest changes. and they make him more handsome.  

i steer clear of broadcasting my feelings when we're in a low. and i hate that there are lows. perhaps a necessary evil.

he is so easy to love. he is easy to talk to. he is easy on me. kind. loving. even when i don't deserve it. sometimes i think i just get in the way of myself.

i use to tell him i wanted to marry him.
then... i want to have babies with you.
now... let's run away together. {is that terrible?}

 

from the mouth of *MY* babe {2}

her: i can't like it.
me: why?
her: because it's too big
me: huh?
this is her reason for disliking anything. and it rarely makes sense. and it always makes us laugh.

while camping last weekend in the trailer...
i'm in the shower. the radio is on. i can barely make out the song. but i clearly hear:
'i hate this song'
i nearly fall out laughing. i turn off the water only to recognize that it's rage against the machine. and i couldn't agree more.

we made cookies for her teachers. i handed them to her to pass over. she looked up and in the silliest voice said, 'you like your cookies?' {the way cookie monster says 'cookies'} it's my new favorite sentence to imitate. until i realize i just said 'cookies' and she's demanding one.

my silly goose. i love her. a lot.

preschool

i suppose the end-of-the-week preschool bill is a little less painful when:

she sings 'God is good, God is great' in the bathtub

i walk through the door in the late afternoon and she says 'i don't want to go home!'

when she comes home with this:

she tells me 'i had a good day today'

i ask her 'what did you learn today?' and she quickly says, 'i learned about... fire or pumpkins or bears or turkeys'

what warms my heart the most and takes the sting off the tuition the most is watching her eyes light up for her teacher. and when the kids say... 'goodbye maquwren' and she yells back... 'bye guys!'

chicken hominy soup

this is currently my favorite meal.

{chicken hominy soup}
tastes like a mexican vegetable soup

add:
a few teaspoons olive oil to the bottom of your pot
4 teaspoons cumin
2.5 teaspoons paprika
one diced onion
sauté until the onion is soft

add 10 cups chicken broth

add 4-6 freshly sliced zucchinis
a handful of baby carrots
4-6 frozen chicken legs {i use the costco prepackaged kind}
one can diced tomatoes {do not drain} or 2 freshly diced tomatoes
one large can of hominy {do not drain}. target- mexican food aisle.
4 teaspoons tabasco

cook on high for 20 minutes
let simmer until chicken is fully cooked

serve in a bowl. add crushed tortilla chips and an avocado on top. heaven. and it's fairly healthy ;)

halloween... and a few tears

the weekend before halloween we hit up the {mostly} unsuspecting campers at san elijo. they were so kind to scramble around their trailers and tents looking for the perfect treat. chips ahoys, licorice, popcorn. 

on the actual day we went to ryan's sister's. 

she was brave. a little too brave perhaps. 

this weekend i looked at that pile of orange and black. the hat with the dangling spider, the stockings, her skirt. i got choked up. wiped a few tears. 

this will be their last year wearing these costumes. the memory of buying that sweet witch costume with my mom at UTC. the debate between the dragon and the pumpkin. 

this will be the last year ryan will be able to carry nizzy the entire time. maybe the last time she will eagerly hold my hand as we go house to house.

it's funny that i thought she was going to be scared. and cry. and i ended up being the one who did that.

 

i know this little boy

who:
wiggles to the music
likes loud noises

who refuses to walk or eat bananas

who throws toys. who throws food.
kicks and
occasionally bites

who has a scream that is unbearably loud
painful at times

and who:
wants what she has
loves the tub
adores his dad

heaven in a cup

since i do not have a starbucks close enough. and because at over $4.00 a cup {more than a gallon of milk} i searched pinterest for the perfect pumpkin spice latte recipe. i found many. tried a few. sticking with one.
this one:

homemade pumpkin syrup:
1.5 c water
1.5 c sugar
2 tbsp pumpkin spice {target - spice aisle}
3 tbsp pumpkin {trader joe's organic canned}

combine water and sugar. heat until sugar has dissolved. add pumpkin spice and canned pumpkin. whisk together. do not let boil.

this makes about 20 oz of syrup. plenty to last for however long it lasts.

latte:
2-4 tbsp strong coffee {target brand archer farms pumpkin flavor is fun}
6-8 tbsp milk, very hot
2 tbsp homemade pumpkin syrup
whipped cream {i currently am out... but it would be even more heavenly}

enjoy
:)

{my syrup is now in the fridge ready for a week of morning happiness}
and... it drinks like a milkshake. probably has the calories of one too.

panic

goodbye jumperoo. goodbye swing. they are officially off to be enjoyed by a new family. a new baby. i have long awaited this day. a day to clear a few things out.

and then... as i walked by that spot upstairs, where the lines are still in the rug, i stopped. and i looked at it. and i felt a sense of panic come over me. and tears. how are my babies done with that? how are my babies this big? how is that already gone?

and i sat down and wanted to cry. {okay... i did} and not because it is gone. we haven't used it in months. but because we just keep moving forward. and in the craziness and chaos i feel like it's passing me by. like it's almost too hard to enjoy.

i say things to myself like... 'phew... i survived that day'. and that week. and that month. and now i'm looking around saying... stop.

i worry that this is going to keep happening.

and deep down i already know it is.

i always want to remember

i always want to remember...

the day i picked her up from preschool and she introduced me to her friend 'maggot'. i did everything humanly possible to react like a grown up. if that's even possible. the teacher gently rephrased her name. it's maddix.

the way she will stop and look at me. and tell me she misses daddy.

i always want to remember...

the way nizzy pounds his feet in his crib. right above our bedroom. and the day ryan said... 'he's like Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories.' and i laughed so hard i cried.

the way he convinces most every female in trader joe's to stop and talk to him. and then gets all shy and puts his head down.

i always want to remember...

the sound of them laughing together in the backseat. in the bathtub. on the floor with ryan.