The End of NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo has come to an end. I think I only missed a day or two all month! It definitely made me realize that I make blogging out to be much more time consuming than it actually is. I suppose if I added pictures and such it might take more time, but this format is working for me for now. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with regular posting, even if it isn't every day.

Today was another snowy, snowy day. At this point in the winter, I still love the snow and how it makes everything so beautiful. We got studded snow tires on our new van yesterday, so now I feel a bit more comfortable venturing out in all the whiteness as well. Because of all the snow, we stayed inside all day. Landon went to school while Coleson and I ran some errands, but then we played in the house all afternoon. The boys played together so well today. It was a nice glimpse into the future when they will hopefully be great playmates. I will say, though, thank goodness for playdough and lots of playing in the sink. Those two things alone saved my whole day today. I did promise the boys some time outside tomorrow, though.

And now I am going to work on a new knitting project. I have been waiting to cast on for this one for a long time and today I decided to take the plunge. I can't wait!

The Night Out

Saturday afternoon, Tyson and I packed up the boys and braved the snowy roads to take them to my mom's for the night. Now, this was the first time that Coleson had ever been away from us all night. Really, it was the only time he had ever been away from me for more than about five or six hours. I was nervous about it, but everyone else was quite excited. Mixed in with being nervous, I was excited too. It would be the first time I had spent more than a few hours alone with Tyson since Landon was born over four years ago.

After dropping the boys off at Gram's house, we headed back into town. We stopped for coffee, we went shopping, we checked into our hotel. Then we did more shopping, had drinks and appetizers at a couple different restaurants, and had dinner at an hour when our kids have usually been in bed for a while. We had a nightcap and then slept all night with no nursing babies, no children crawling into bed in the wee hours of the morning, nothing but sleep. It was lovely. Then in the morning we treated ourselves to brunch (If you live in Spokane and haven't had brunch at the Davenport, go. Yes, it's expensive. Go anyway.)

So, it was about 24 hours without the kids and we can't wait to do it again. Of course, I was excited to see my kids the next afternoon, but we will be having some more nights with them at Grandma's house. We just might skip the hotel and stay in our own bed next time.

(Oh, and for the record, Coleson did GREAT at my mom's for the night. He didn't cry for me all night or any of the other things I had been worried about. Thank goodness!)

To Bed

I was going to blog about our nice night out on the town last night. But I feel like I am coming down with a cold so I am going to try Chelsea's suggestion of warming socks and go to bed on the early side. I DO NOT want to be sick.

Wonderland!

It is such a winter wonderland outside! We probably got almost a foot of new snow just last night alone. And we are about to head out into it to drop the boys off with my mom and then spend a night away from the kids at a nice hotel having drinks and sushi. Yippee! Hopefully we won't get stuck in the snow first!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am most thankful for my loving family, especially my husband and boys, and my lovely friends. I hope everyone out there has a lovely holiday, and gets to eat some amazing food!

Lazy Day

This morning the boys asked if they could stay in their pajamas all day. I couldn't help but say yes. What else do you do when the high for the day is forecast at 13 degrees? So, in pajamas they stayed, all day. It made getting ready for bed quite easy, actually. We spent the day watching movies, making paper airplanes (thanks for the book, Ivory!), popping popcorn, and generally being silly. Honestly, it was one of the best days I have spent holed up at home in quite a while. I finished the day by picking Tyson up at work, going out for beers while the kiddos visited Grammy, and then making Thai food for dinner. What a wonderful Thanksgiving Eve!

It's cold out there!

It sure is cold outside today. Apparently the high was supposed to be 13, but at our house it managed to make it up to 23. Tonight it's supposed to get down to -1, before hitting another high of 13 tomorrow. Brrrr!

Despite the chilly temps, I did let the boys play outside for a little while. They wore about four layers and they still got chilly. I shoveled snow so we could stand a chance of staying on top of it when we get more snow in the next couple of days. I love being outside, and my kids do too, so I'm glad we made it out for a little while today.

Coleson skipped his nap today and went to sleep immediately upon laying down this evening. I am looking forward to a long evening of knitting and wine drinking. First I have to go let the cats in, though, so they don't freeze!

SNOW!

I have always loved the first snow of the year, and often I love the snow even after the 10th snow of the year. It makes everything look so magical and beautiful. I think I get just about as excited as the kids do when it snows. Luckily, we are experiencing quite a bit of it in the last few days.

Tonight, though, it is supposed to get pretty cold and stay that way for a few days. A few minutes ago I went out to make sure the chickens were warm enough under their heat lamp and the outside thermometer said 18 degrees. Brrrr! Plus, the wind is blowing pretty good tonight too. I hope my cats make it inside!

I'm off to curl up under the electric blanket, knit, and watch some Bizarre Foods. I love that show and they just added it to Netflix watch instantly!

Kid Humor

Landon is at an age where he is finally starting to get some jokes and word-plays. Sometimes he will tell me a joke, that he has obviously made up, that makes no sense at all and he will still laugh and laugh. Today, though, he had a good one.

Me, looking at what he had put on to go to church: "Landon, you can't wear those pants to church."

Him: "Why not?"

Me: "Well, they're sweats and they have a hole in the knee and you just can't wear them to church. Sweats are too casual, and we don't wear holey clothes to church."

Him, smiling slightly: "But, Mom, you just said they are holy!"

We looked at each other for a second and both burst out laughing. I love it when these facets of his personality come out.

Not to leave Coleson out, he has been really adorable lately about watching TV. He loves to watch train shows, especially ones that also feature construction vehicles. So, asks often to watch TV.

Coleson: "Mama, watch TV-D."

Me: "Do you mean watch TV?"

Coleson: "No, TV-D. A show." (Show is said very long and drawn out, like I'm pretty dumb and need all the help I can get.)

Me (I can't usually help myself because his little voice saying TV-D is just too cute): "Wait, you want to watch a DVD?"

Coleson: "TV-D, please?"

Then I usually give in because he is just too cute.

Happy 4th Birthday, Landon!

My boy turned four today. It is so cliche to say, but the time has gone so fast. Landon has turned into such a dynamic little person. Among other things, he is sweet, tenacious, funny, a fantastic big brother, persistent, smart, a mama's boy, generous, loving, and so strongly him. At four, Landon loves trains and running around, he is starting to get jokes, and he makes me laugh at least once a day. He constantly wants to spend time with his friends, but he sure does love his family too. I have loved being his mama for the last four years, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead of us! Happy Birthday, sweet Landon, we love you so much!

Landon at three weeks.

Landon at 14 months.

Landon at two.

Landon just before turning three.

Landon two months ago at the fair.

Loved This

I really loved this guest post over on Kyrie's blog today. It summed up so wonderfully many of the thoughts I have on the importance of being a mother and a housewife. Thoughts I have been struggling to express to others lately, mostly because I feel so strongly about it. Somedays I get frustrated with my kids or annoyed that the floor won't stay clean, but there is still nothing in the world I would rather being doing with my days at this stage in my life.

Gearing Up

Landon's birthday is in just a couple of days and with his birthday comes "the holidays" for me. I am gearing up for a busy three months or so ahead of us. All of our birthdays fall between now and the end of February, sprinkle in Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and Valentine's Day and it gets a little crazy. I am looking forward to all the festivities this year with kids who will actually be really excited about it all.

We made our first batch of sweet treats today, to be Landon's birthday snack at school tomorrow. I also found a couple other recipes I want to try for the holidays this year. But with me and Tyson eating no grains, and our whole family eating very little sugar I am debating whether or not to even make anything sweet this year. Maybe I will just rely on other people's treats. Although, I love to cook and bake so I don't know if I can forgo it completely.

I used to have all my Christmas shopping done before November, but this year I have only bought stuff for the kids and knit a few things. I have no idea what I am getting most of the people on my list or how in the world I am going to find time to buy it. I may do a lot of internet shopping, which can be fun.

Mostly, I am just looking forward to everything. Sure, I get a bit overwhelmed at times, but this is one of my favorite times of year and I know I will enjoy it. So, taking cupcakes to Landon's school tomorrow starts another round of the holidays. Here we go!

The Most Important Person on Earth

A few years ago my mom gave me a little holy card with a beautiful picture of Mary holding baby Jesus on the front. On the back is a lovely quote about being a mother. I usually use it as a bookmark, and I thought I had lost it a few months ago. I found it the other day and was encouraged again by the quote on the back. It reads:

"The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral - a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body.

"The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creatures. God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation. . . What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"

-Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty

Somedays I just need to hear that I am doing something really worthwhile, even when it doesn't feel like it. I'm glad I found that little card.

Parenting

Lately I have been feeling out of sorts as a parent. I was snapping at my kids, yelling, and generally just feeling frustrated with everything. After some soul searching, I realized that there was a disconnect among the parent I wanted to be, the parent my children need, and the parent other people think I should be.

There are so many great ideas out there on how to be a "good" parent and it is easy for me to try to integrate all of them into my life, despite what my children actually need or what really works for my family. Plus, the things that come naturally to me as a person aren't necessarily what my children need from me. I've had to work on focusing on their needs and stepping out of my comfort zone. I've also had to give up on some things that just weren't working for us, despite how wonderful they sounded in a book or on a blog.

But I still feel like I could be doing so much better. I would love to be a calm, super-confident mother who never yells and whose children always do as she asks. But I guess that's not realistic, and when I think it should be is when I get into trouble. Still, there is so much room for improvement. For now, I am planning on doing my best to see the positives in my children and the way that I mother them. I am hoping to be patient with myself, but also hold myself to certain standards in my interactions with my children. Because I think they deserve a mom who is patient and kind and loving, and does her very best to teach them about this great big world and their place in it. Because they really are wonderful little people. And I'm a "good" mama.

"New" Van

Tomorrow we will be getting our new-to-us van. We didn't really plan on getting another vehicle this soon, but my mother-in-law's friend was selling a van and we couldn't pass up the deal she was willing to give us. So, as of tomorrow, we will be proud mini-van owners. The boys are excited to have a van of our own (they love riding in Grammy's), and I must admit that I am looking forward to having more space. We need to have a few things done to the van, so I think we will spend a good chunk of the day tomorrow driving around town getting that stuff done before Tyson has to start his new job on Tuesday. Yep, I'm going to be that mom. You know, the sexy one shuttling her kids around in a van.

First Snow

Today it snowed, just a little bit, for the first time this season. They boys were excited, but none of it really stuck around. Coleson even said "snow" and "snowman" for the first time today, too. Hopefully we will get some real snowfall soon. They boys are so excited to play in it, and I love how beautiful it makes everything look. Although, I would like to get a bit more winter preparation done on the yard and flower beds first. But I hope to get that done tomorrow, so then the snow can come whenever it wants!

This afternoon we also had a visit from our friends Kyle and Ellen, with their sweet baby Linnea. It was fun to see them, and we are actually meeting them this evening (minus children) for drinks and a casual celebration of Kyle's birthday. Speaking of which, I need to get going because my in-laws will be here soon and I should be a little more ready than I am!

Lunch Date

Today I took Landon out for a lunch date. His behavior hasn't been great lately, and I realized that I hadn't been spending much time alone with him. So today we made a lunch date. I took him to Red Robin, where he got to have pop with lunch and they gave him a balloon. After lunch, we went to Toys-R-Us at his request, where he played with the train table for as long as he wanted and then wandered around the store for a while. I didn't hurry him along and let him really enjoy being there. Then we ran a few other errands while I told him made-up train stories every single time he asked for them (which is really hard, by the way - my imagination isn't up to par!). I think it was pretty successful. It reminded me what a sweet boy he is and how much I enjoy the little person he is becoming.

Five Things

I'm not feeling very positive this evening, and I'm not sure why. So I decided to do a "five great things about today" post to get my thoughts going in the right direction again.

1. I got to take a long, very hot shower this morning. I even shaved my legs.

2. I was able to go to Mindful Mamas and be surrounded by my friends for a while. Sometimes that is exactly what I need.

3. Coleson went down easy for his nap and Landon spent that time over at his grandma's house.

4. I got to make a fantastic dinner while Tyson took the boys out for a while.

5. I got a lot of knitting done today, and more planned for this evening.

Ok, so lots of good things did happen today. I was just having a hard time seeing it.

Now, on to the knitting . . .

New Job

Tyson has the next five days off from work, and on Tuesday he starts a new job here! He is excited about it, and I am excited about him having a new challenge. The only problems are that he will no longer be working from home two days a week, and he will go back to working 8 to 5 instead of 7 to 4. But it was time for a change, and we are both looking forward to it. I know a few of you readers out there either work there or have a spouse that works there, so say hi to Tyson on Tuesday!

"I Baby"

Coleson frequently reminds us that he is still our baby. Sometimes he adds that he is big, but still insists on being called a baby. Mostly, he uses it to call dibs on sitting on my lap. "Nee?" he will ask, his word for nursing. "Nee, mama, nee. I baby!" Today, though, he was a bit out of sorts and being very whiny (I think he is still feeling a bit off from being sick last week). Every question I asked him was responded to with, "I baby."

Me: "Coleson, are you tired?"

Him: "No, I baby."

Me: "Coleson, are you hungry?"

Him: "No, I baby."

Me: "Are you sick?"

Him: "No, I baby."

I think that was the only straight answer I got out of him all day. I can't tell if it's his way of telling me he needs to be babied, or if he is just taking me way too literally. Either way, it's pretty cute!

Finished!

I finally finished Coleson's Christmas stocking!

I started it in September 2009, and it has been haunting me ever since. Last year at Christmas time I had it about halfway done. On Christmas Eve I finally gave up on trying to finish it, pinned the back on it, and hung it by the fireplace for Santa. This year I vowed it would be done with plenty of time to spare, and I did it! Landon has a stocking that is from a similar kit. They are, by far, not my favorite crafting project but they do turn out nice. They are just a bit tedious. I am really pleased with how it turned out, and very relieved to be done. *happy dance*

The Really Late Halloween Post

I never did the necessary Halloween post, so bear with me while I do it over a week after the fact. My boys both had a few costume options to choose from, thanks to their mama and their grandmothers.

Coleson chose to be a chicken, but he hated wearing the cute little hat that went with his costume. He was adorable anyway.

Landon chose to be Iron Man. He slept in his costume for about three nights leading up to Halloween. It ended up being the perfect choice because it was easy to dress him warm under it and sleek enough that he could run around easily while trick-or-treating.

I tried getting a really cute picture of them together in their costumes, and this was the best I could do. Yes, that is a wad of chocolate in Coleson's mouth. I don't think Landon was pleased that I was holding him back from running ahead with his friends.

They got a decent amount of candy, but not too much. They traded the bulk of it for toys from the Candy Fairy, and seem to have forgotten about the few pieces I let them keep. Coleson keeps asking, "Tee-Teet 'gain?" so I think he liked the whole experience. Overall it was a very successful Halloween.

Date Night

Even though we had to cancel our overnight get-away this weekend, Landon still wanted to spend the night with my mom. So we sent him off with her this afternoon. Then for dinner we made plans to drop Coleson off with Tyson's parents, and we were able to go have hamburgers and beer at a local pub while we watched some football and actually finished conversations with each other. It was really nice. After picking up Coleson we rented a movie and came home thinking we would put him straight to bed and have a nice quiet evening.

Well, that was about two hours ago and Coleson just fell asleep. So much for a quick bedtime and long evening together. Good thing I'm not opposed to being up until midnight watching a movie. After all, there will be drinks made and Tyson even offered me a foot massage. Date night resumes!

Budding Photographer

Landon is really interested in taking pictures lately. So much so that we are thinking of getting him his own camera. If I leave my camera laying around he is sure to snap a few shots with it. Usually they are blurry or close-ups of the furniture, but every once in a while he gets a good one. And it's always interesting to see things from his perspective. Especially when you realize all the shots are taken at hip-height, and you never realized that was really what that segment of your body looks like. And then you vow to go running more. Ahem. Anyway, here are a few of his more recent photos.

Coleson playing before bed.

A slightly blurry family portrait. The only one where my head wasn't cut off.

And, of course, the requisite hold-it-out-and-take-your-own-picture picture.

Sicky

All of a sudden, Coleson is sick. He's had a runny nose for a few days, but he's also been teething pretty hard-core (four incisors at once). Then this afternoon he woke up from his nap with a fever and a nasty cough. Poor baby. He spent all afternoon napping in my lap. He rallied a bit to eat dinner and play a little, but I know he will pretty much pass out again any second. I think tonight may be a rough one.

I hate it when my babies are sick, but this time it has another downside. Tyson and I had been planning a night away from the kids at the Davenport Hotel this weekend, and now we are going to cancel it. Luckily, we are going to reschedule for another night in a couple weeks but we were both really looking forward to it. Oh, well. Landon is still going to spend Saturday night with my mom, so maybe we will have a few drinks and have a nice night in.

Coleson is asking to nurse, again. Hopefully he falls asleep fast and gets some good rest. Poor baby.

Not the Greatest

Today wasn't the best. And I knew it would be a long one from pretty much the second I woke up. Landon and Coleson woke up about the same time and were being so cute giggling and being silly together. I was laying there thinking that I just wanted them to be quiet. Not a good start. That was pretty much my attitude all day. Although, I will say it turned around a bit right before Tyson got home. I finally got both the kids outside and playing in the leaves and then it was nice. Thank goodness tomorrow is another day. Hopefully my attitude will improve because I think my kids might like to have a nice mommy for a day.

Sunshine

Oh, sunshine, how we needed to see you today. I was in a funky mood yesterday, and seeing the sun come out today made it all just disappear. Landon went to school this morning and Coleson and I spent almost the whole two and a half hours he was gone enjoying the autumn sun. I went for a long run/walk (partly to take our ballots to the library drop box) and then Coleson played with his outdoor toys for quite a while. We spent some more time outside after Coleson's nap, and Tyson even joined us at the park before dinner. Lovely. Just lovely.

NaBloPoMo

So, Ivory's blog reminded me that it is once again time for NaBloPoMo. I have done it before, and actually blogged almost every day for a month. Since I would like to get back in the habit of blogging (was I every really in the habit, though?) I guess I will give it a shot again this year.

Oh, and how the heck did it get to be November already?