The things he says

Recently little man has been cracking us up!  Everything will be quiet or tense and then all of a sudden he will break the mood with a bit of comic relief.  Just what we need lately!  His favorite lines right now are:

That's not fair!
Oh maaaaan
Peeeeaaase
OooooKaaay
And of course he enjoys mimicking all bodily noises (especially anything associated with gas . . .)

Anyway, he is also totally into the things his big sis likes.  So he talks a lot about the color pink, princesses, barbie, and panties.  He spends plenty of time playing with his trains and cars too.  But big sis lights up his world.  He gets sad when we have to split them up for activities because he just wants to be included in everything. 

Pretend play is becoming a bigger part of little man's activities, which we all find entertaining to watch.  We have a bunny "doll house" that he gives a lot more attention to lately.  And tonight his cheese at dinner had a conversation:

Cheese stick #1:  Mommy pick me up!
Cheese stick #2:  No. I'm tired.

(I promise I don't always tell him I'm too tired to pick him up ;)

Final Fall Pictures

Here is the last of the fall pics . . . tomorrow I begin the posts of our recent Santa baby photo shoot.  The kiddos are so cute all dressed up for Christmas.  Of course they are so cute in all of these fall pics as well.  :).  These are the pictures in front of our tree that took us 3 days and 5 quick photo sessions to capture the right lighting and smiles and attitudes.  I think some of these will become some of my favorite family photos . . .


I love his laugh!






















I love his cheesy grin!























Random silliness ;)






















The photographer appears . . .



Dad and daughter - cute pair!



And another pic with little man






We always smile the same ;)















It just cracked me up that she HAD
to wear the princess dress for
FALL pictures - little diva ;)



Recreating a Moment

They say you can never "go back" - and obviously in the photo world that is correct!!!  This is my favorite fall picture of me and the kiddos:



2008



So I thought it would be a neat idea sit in the same area every other year or so and get an "updated" photo.  OMG!  The kiddos hardly stopped moving, whining, running toward the road, crying, etc.  And we tried different days and different times to attempt to help with moods, attitudes, and lighting. We did get some cute shots in between the silliness.  Here is the one most like the original:



2010





















I'll post the last of the "fall" pictures soon.  And then on to Christmas.  Really?  The year is almost over?  Good news for school (so ready to be finished), but bad news for mommy.  The kiddos are growing up SO FAST!!!

Turkey Baby

I am a "turkey baby".  I wasn't born on Thanksgiving in 1974, but my birthday follows a cycle where every 5, 6, or 11 years I actually celebrate my birthday and Thanksgiving on the same day.  It is a more complicated pattern than I listed here that depends on which year you were born.  But I am too tired after all the turkey to re-calculate the exact pattern . . .

Thanksgiving centerpiece. 
Simple pine cones collected from morning walks. 

This year was a birthday/Thanksgiving extravaganza!  Little man and I have been feeling a little bit under the weather - he has a fever and I had/have a tummy ache.  But otherwise it was a lovely day where Disco cooked, family came to visit, everyone ate too much, big sis opened everyone's presents (Disco's b-day is soon too) and we did a little Skyping with family far away.  Couldn't ask for a better day!



Olive Hands!

Copying Olive Hands



Pitiful little man fell asleep while playing. 
Sweet picture of a feverish boy . . .



Sleepy little man!











Thankful Crew

Here is the beginning of our Thanksgiving pics.  We were off all day today and enjoyed prepping for turkey day tomorrow at a leisurely pace.  Aunt K and big sis posed for a quick Thanksgiving themed photo:

Notice the fridge DID get into its place today - thankful for a handy husband!  :)

Little man declined his invitation for Thanksgiving themed photos.  But we were able to catch him in a "GQ moment" later on with his sweater vest, jeans, and his favorite choice of shoes - flip flops:

Did I mention it was in the 70's today - and then we have a chance of snow and ice Thanksgiving night? Crazy weather.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Out with the old . . .

... and in with the new!  We purchased the "beer-ater" when we first bought the house.  It was intended to be a "starter" fridge and was pretty much all that would fit in our tiny kitchen before the remodel.  At the time we remodeled the house in 2008 we were cutting non-necessities to keep the construction costs under control.  So no new appliances :(

Some of our friends recently updated their appliances through a 0% interest store card (thanks catlady for the tip!).  So we decided we are done utilizing only half of the tiniest fridge around.  We could only use the front half of our fridge, anything in the back would freeze

The plan was always to keep the "beer-ater", if it was still running, for Disco's beer making hobby.  But the rebate was still available to recycle the fridge and the "beer-ater" was too big for the current state of the shed.  In the end Disco chose the rebate and a future option for a "beer-ater" that actually will serve his needs better. 

Bye bye "beer-ater "- you served our young family well!!!  And HELLO ice maker and interior water dispenser - I've been dreaming of your services!  :)

Notice how much extra space
we had just on this side of fridge . . .



And this one is too big right now . . .
darn old floor!



Thankful for 2 and 4

We had another beautiful fall weekend!  But we keep forgetting to take a camera with us on our adventures.  So no cute pictures of the kiddos tonight.  Hoping for a picture filled week of Thanksgiving!

Big sis lives in "pretend play" these days.  She is always dressing up, teaching school or being a princess, and stretching her imagination.  It is a fun stage that I wish I was enjoying more.  Many times I have to remind myself to stop and just forget about chores/work/school and be a part of the fun!

Little man is cracking us up with what he says lately.  Pretty much everything he says ends with "right now!"  He sings many more songs which are a jumbled mess of words and cuteness.  And he is cracking himself up which is hilarious to all of us.  Of course he is still very busy.  He is two and on the move.  No time for naps.  No time to eat.  No time for potty training.  He is just too busy for those things to slow him down!

We went to a birthday party this weekend at a local gym and both kiddos were SO EXCITED about moving and jumping and being at the gym.  Big sis and I arrived first while Disco and little man drove around a bit so little man could finish a nap in the car.  Big sis jumped right in and she was doing great.  Until she got scared or concerned about something that I didn't witness and she wouldn't talk about.  This is a typical reaction big sis has in group settings, so she and I just sat down for a bit and watched the other kids play.  Soon afterward little man arrived at the gym and big sis was thrilled!  She jumped up and got him involved immediately.  The timing was perfect - somehow little man helped big sis get over her "moment" and she was so sweet and made sure he was involved the rest of the time.  They are so sweet together - I just want to bottle being two and four and save all their cuteness!

I'm thankful today for 2 and 4 . . . wonderful ages and wonderful kiddos!  :)

Solving Problems

To say this was an unexpected or stressful week would be an understatement.  I didn't feel good all week (just sore and grumpy).  Disco got stuck with dealing with a SLOW insurance company, bad timing, and a grumpy wife.  The kiddos seemed to do well . . . except for little man staying up late one night for a puking party.  Much fun!

Anyway, we finally have a rental car for Disco.  So that has eased a bit of stress.  The wheels are in motion to fix his car (pardon the pun).  Even though it would have been nicer NOT to have a car accident this week at least we are finally moving in the right direction again.

AND . . . I finally told the leadership team for our project that I want to give up a responsibility at work.  Those were unexpected conversations this week as well - but we all have been talking "around" the issue for a while.  It is no secret that I've been struggling with balance issues this past year.  The problem was I just didn't know what "next step" to take.  Both women have been encouraging me to look into what I want to do for a while.  I finally just decided that even though I don't know what I WANT to do I definitely know what I DON'T want to do.  Thankfully I work on a project where there is some flexibility in job responsibilities.  It isn't a quick fix.  It might be 6 months to a year before I can make some changes we talked about today.  But getting the idea out there and the conversations started makes a big difference in my attitude . . .

Hanging of the . . . pink feather boas

No fall themed colors or leaves in our living room. We aren't even preppin' for the hanging of the greens for Christmas.  Oh no!  We've got "tea party" themes goin' on these days.  It started with a random table I found by the side of the road that I thought could be refurbished for big sis' tea parties.  And then she RAN with the idea.  Below is such a simple arrangement she has created - I think she has potential as a tea party event planner and decorator ;)

Everything is ok

Everything is ok.  That is what the assistant director at the daycare would say to me every time she called about one of the kids.  It was a very soothing way to calm a mother because NO ONE wants a call from the daycare.  Those calls usually meant a sick kiddo or that something was wrong . . .

So everything is ok.   But we had a wreck today.  Thankfully no one was injured.  Both kiddos started to react with a few tears but as soon as Disco and I turned around to comfort them and let them know everything was ok they calmed down immediately.  Then big sis' first words were "did we have a wreck?"  I think it also helped that aunt K was right there to help out as well.  We were all on our way back from a short hiking adventure when the accident happened.  And I can't even imagine how she felt following behind us and watching the events unfold.

After we figure out what is going on with the damage I might post more details.  For now I am just thankful.  All over blogs and facebook people are posting what they are thankful for each day of November.  I think it is a cool idea but I never got organized enough to create that kind of series this month.  I'm sure I'll post more about our blessings as Thanksgiving approaches.  But here is what I am thankful for today:

1)  No injuries
2)  Family who are 2 car lengths behind, a phone call away, and eager to help out (or listen to my tired self ask question after question).  My sister and both sets of grandparents were very supportive this evening.
3)  Seatbelts and carseats
4)  Having been 16 years old and remembering what it is like to learn difficult lessons as a teenager
5)  Police officers and Fire Fighters
6)  Police cars and fire trucks (to entertain the 2 and 4 year old while everything was getting sorted out)
7)  Beautiful fall days and hiking adventures
8)  Auto insurance
9) My sister.  We went through a period during childhood where we weren't that close (read "we fought like cats and dogs").  But she gets me without even having to ask a question.  When I am upset and can't say the words without tears she just takes the phone and finishes what I am saying.  My mom always told me that someday I would be thankful I had a sister - and she was right!   
10) Disco, Big sis, and Little Man - our amazing little family!

Downtown

This weekend we spent our downtime downtown.  Friday night Disco and I had a date thanks to some very generous friends who invited us to a wine tasting and grandparents who watched the kiddos.  I even fit in an hour sitting on the couch watching TV and eating chocolate before we left.  Score!

Saturday we all went downtown to shop, eat, and visit the children's museum.  The kiddos had a great time and it was fun just wandering around without definite plans for once.  Both kiddos were so tired after two days of big adventures that they went to bed early tonight.  Still lovin' November!  :)

Pumpkin Patch

Annual pictures from the pumpkin patch.  Always a favorite activity!  This year Bondo, Gaga, and Aunt K were able to join us for the petting zoo, hayride, play areas, candy, train ride, pig races, and oh yeah - pumpkins.  We are already looking forward to going back to pick out our Christmas tree in a few weeks!


Little man LOVED feeding the animals!

 

Weeeeee . . . . .






















Both kiddos loved the "cow train"




Little man and daddy - so cute!




yup, she's my daughter.  watch out for hams on the cow train ;)

















obligatory posed picture of the kiddos























Pig races - a fan fav!

Separation of Work and Family

While the world of politics and religion continues the debate of separation of church and state . . . my world revolves around the separation of work and family.  This week I am trying much harder to have Family Time at home (when the kids are awake at home) and Work Time at work.  It isn't perfect, and it may never be completely separate.  One of the reasons I get some flexibility to leave work early on Mondays and Fridays is because I can bring work home.  But being completely accessible while I am at home and answering emails and taking phone calls while spending time with the kiddos was contributing to my frustration.

In our current "technology age" it is so easy (and almost expected) to respond immediately to phone calls, texts, and emails.  At least that is how I have reacted to work related messages for three years.  My therapist pointed out that I don't need to always take immediate action.  And she is right.  I just never thought about how I was giving the control of personal family time away to work.  Practice makes perfect . . . so Monday while little man was playing at the park I left my work phone in the car.  It felt really nice just to be outside on a beautiful fall day with our two year old.  Another baby step on the road to balance . . .

An Eventful Day

Big sis went to the pediatric dentist today and got her hair cut . . . again.  The pediatric dentist was awesome and it was a much more comfortable visit for everyone!  There was a bit of a fix for work started yesterday at the not so productive dental appointment.  And quick x-ray.  Just watching all the cavity issues for now . . . if things progress there will be more work in the future.

A big thanks to Miss Amy for trimming big sis' locks today.  Here is her new new new do:

Little man was running around busy as a bee all day.  Then he wanted a snack.  Then he wanted to play hide and seek . . .

Hide and Seek ???

. . . or so we thought . . .

 

Sleeping little man . . . during his snack . . . on his chair








Boo at the Zoo

"Boo at the Zoo, everybody say Boo at the Zoo!  Boo at the Zoo, everybody say Boo at the Zoo!"  This is what our family chants as we go through Boo at the Zoo.  I think this will be my last "catch up" Halloween post.  There are some pictures from Disco's camera that I can't get to yet.  But they are mostly of the pumpkin patch.  And well, pumpkins work for November too so I don't feel bad posting those later. Mmmmm, pumpkin pie! 

I posted about my love of the new and improved boo at the zoo on facebook.  But since this is also the only scrapbook my kiddos will be getting and a journal for the grandparents/family I will re-cap.  Usually we are frustrated about boo at the zoo.  Cute idea but in the past it was very disorganized with long lines and loud noises/rides.  This year there were more entrances, more signs, and more helpers directing the crowd.  They also moved the "fair rides" outside of the exit.  So there was much less over-stimulation for the kiddos (and us!).  It was peaceful walking through the zoo at dusk and picking up some candy.  The kiddos loved the haunted train ride, ghost stories and smores, fire truck, and the little disco dance party under the "echo" pavilion.  All in all it was a fun experience!  I have yet to email the zoo my praises but that is on my November to do list.  :)

Elmo was NOT interested in having his
picture taken with a bat!

 



















Scary bat ;)



Rare pic with the household photographer



Quiet moment





Elmo needed a black nose just like the bat . . .
it was actually really cute :)

 





Heading into "candyland"





Trick or Treat





Pumpkin patch boo at the zoo style



Catching up on Halloween Pics

November is here and I AM LOVING IT!!!  We are still busy and I am playing catch up at work and with classes.  But the pace of November does not even compare to October.  Also I get to take some vacation time and have a few weekends at home with the family.  Score!  The rest of this semester will still be pretty busy.  And then there are the holidays.  But by the end of January there will be several things off my "to do" list forever.  Hello light at the end of the tunnel . . . I'm getting a small glimpse and you are looking pretty good!

So here is the beginning of the Halloween picture posts.  There are more to come . . . but these will get us started :)



"Pinkalicious"
Big sis' favorite character for her school party



Pinkalicious and Elmo's Skeleton

Little man at his school party























This one just cracked me up ;)



Trick or Treating on Halloween night



Off With Their Hair!

I have so many fall/Halloween pics to post.  BUT . . . big sis pulled a "junie b" as Disco called it.  She cut her hair and little man's hair.  I was out of town, Disco was busy at the house, and big sis was hyped up on candy from her school party.  And we knew that the power of suggestion from one of our favorite Junie B. Jones books would catch up with us sooner or later.  So for Halloween this year, big sis took 'role playing' to another level.  Everyone's hair will grow back . . . eventually. 




Big sis' new new do . . . yet to be fixed



Big sis' chopped at little man's hair too






Disco 'fixed' little man's hair with a quick shave . . .
obviously little man enjoyed his 'distraction' sucker as well :)