so long, farewell

Goodbye 2011. You've been quite the year. 

While you were loads of fun, I'm kinda happy to see you go. The boys have been sick all of the holiday... I was sick just prior to the week before Christmas and I just feel happy to slowly getting everyone back to their semi-normal selves. Ringing in the new year without anyone throwing up and everyone sleeping through the night sounds like a great way to start the year.

I wish I had more time to reflect about what made this year great. Most of all, I realize just how grateful I am for my Ryan who is my gravity... my sun to which my world rotates, my saving grace. And of course for my three little mugwhumps who are aging me faster then I'd like, but who I worship, love and adore.

I hope this new year brings more patience on my end, more movies cozied up on the couch with my boys, more moments for just me and ry, more chances to become someone better then I am and more quiet moments to take in all that I have. 


So goodbye to the end of the year, and hello to all that is to come.

hello, I'm still here

Max is back to sleeping... thank the heavens and everyone in them. A combination of not liking regular milk (I just took him off formula) with the teething made for an insane couple days.

I hope to see you all tomorrow night at the Lower Lights holiday concert. It is going to be fantastic. 

Saturday Jack is hosting a gingerbread house decorating party... any excuse to have friends over and gobble up candy. Here are the invites I made. Most the kids started trying to eat them... I can see my design efforts are totally lost on 6 year olds.

 

 

 

why did we do this?

Our favorite line to say to each other when one of our kids won't sleep is, "Who's idea was it to have kids?" Of course we are kidding. I couldn't love my mugwhumps more. My heart and world revolves around them... but oh! These last few days with Max have been brutal. 


We are in a major teething episode. Last night I was up until 4am, trying so hard to keep him cozy as possible... and trying even harder to not fall asleep standing up while I rocked him back and forth. The best moment of the night/morning, was when just minutes after getting him finally down and crawling into bed, my three year old came wandering in our room, announcing he had wet the bed. Of course he did. 


But now tonight it looks like it is round 2. 


I feel I have prepared myself mentally that I will not be going to be anytime soon, but I am desperate for him to be able to relax enough to get into a deep enough sleep. Poor little man.


Why does growing up can be so rough?

in case you didn't know

The Lower Lights are playing their Christmas show, Thursday, December 15th, at the Salt Lake Masonic Temple.

Tickets are on sale here.


I hear the venue is pretty amazing. Add the Lower Lights singing holiday songs... it should make for one killer night.

I hope I see you all there.

If you haven't heard the Christmas album yet... your holiday isn't complete. You can buy it here. I love it. The boys love it. We listen to it all day long.

You can watch this little diddy about the making of the album:


The Lower Lights: Come Let Us Adore Him from The Lower Lights on Vimeo.

holiday craft party

My cute friend Sarah Sample hosted a holiday craft party this weekend. We got to make mini matchbook advent calendars, reuse books into festive trees, sew adorable paper garlands, and munch on lots of delicious snacks and treats.

I had so much fun, I went out and bought supplies to make a whole bunch more to decorate the rest of my house.

Thanks Sarah!

advent calendar for the boys

I've spent all of November gathering ideas for a homemade advent calendar I could do... but have found myself in December now and no time to do it. Have no fear. I found this wrapping paper at Target to help me out. I can be uber creative and make something more long term when the boys aren't so young and I have all sorts of time to kill (does that ever happen?). 


I just cut out each number, glued it to some adorable mini envelopes - and day I hide the envelope somewhere around the house for the boys to find. They take turns finding each day - and it is fun to have it happen at random times. They get so excited when they suddenly take notice of it on the shelf with their toys or next to their milk in the fridge.


So far the treats have been tickets to The Festival of Trees (yesterday), and going to the Movies with Grandma and Grandpa (today). I have little holiday candy and treats, some craft projects for them to make and color, and other activities like making hot chocolate and reading Christmas books, or driving around to see the lights around the neighborhoods and getting malts afterwards. 

I figure the only time this will be as cheap and as fun will be now while the boys are still young. The uber cool designed homemade well thought out and crafted advent calendar can come another year.

i heart this

Come December first, I can't resist going out and picking the wrapping paper for Christmas. I love wrapping paper! And absolutely love this one from Paper Source. I want to frame it to hang during the holiday season. So adorable.

 

blah

Cash got sick the day before Thanksgiving. We spent most of Thanksgiving morning in the only insta-care open that day... the weekend continued on, he stopped throwing up thank goodness, and then Saturday, Max woke with a fever. Sunday I woke with a fever and a nasty cough and then this morning, Jack joined the group with a twin cough to mine. Ugh! I hate getting sick, having sick little ones - or having both of those scenarios at the same time. It makes you realize just how lovely life is when everyone is well. 
 
I'm hoping this virus has made it's rounds on our house and will move on come the weekend. It wasn't how I planned our big holiday weekend would go, but that is life.

Here's crossing our fingers, eyes and toes that tomorrow we will all start feeling better.





 

happy birthday maxamillion

It's crazy to see Max's first year go by so quickly. Today we celebrated him turning the mighty one. One year ago today, he was so small, saggy and baggy with his 2 week early debut. Now he seems so big. It really does go in a blink of an eye.

Oh, how I love my little Max. He is such a happy little guy. 

Happy Birthday Max. We couldn't love and adore you more.

 

mmmm, pie 1

If Thanksgiving couldn't rule any more then it does... making pies the day before has become my new favorite tradition. This year I attempted this molasses-pecan pie. It is cooking in the oven as we speak. I smells just heavenly. I hope it tastes just as good. Next in line, apple-pear spice and my first ever attempt at a home made pumpkin pie using pumpkin NOT from the can. 

the best week ever

In the words of Spongebob, here we are at the start of "the best week evvvveeeerrrr". Today the pies begin. Tomorrow the rolls and prepping of the sweet potato spoon bread and corn bread stuffing and the homemade cranberry sauce. Thursday morning is crazy with cooking and a day of non-stop eating. Max's birthday is Friday. Saturday we will get our tree. Ry has work off. The kids have school off.

It's going to be a pretty good week. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

come let us adore Him

The Lower Lights Christmas album released yesterday and it is fabulous.
You can get it here.

Happy Weekend everyone.

max's wishlist

Max will soon be turning the mighty 1 years old. Where has the time gone? Here are a few items I've had my eye on. I'd love to give him any of these things for his birthday:

Ikea Slide

I love the look of this. It's not just a slide, it is a piece of furniture I wouldn't mind having around in any room. I can see it being a great race track for Jack and Cash Hotwheels as well.

Kid o tip truck

I love how minimialistic this truck is. I want... I mean Max wants it in green.

Tobbles

These just look cool - and I kinda like toys and kid items you can keep out on the coffee table that look cool and not just like they haven't been put away yet.

Robeez R2D2 shoes

These shoes will always be my favorite. Max is the master of curling up his toes so I can't get any regular shoes on. He can't fight me on these though. I just stretch them right over those crazy toes. And I love the StarWars tribute version of these.

Wishbone Flip rocker and scooter

How cool is this rocker slash scooter. I love the design of it - and that it has two functions for as your kid gets older. 

Carters Bulldog beanie

I think the colors and the design of this beanie is super adorable.  

Ikea Finger Puppets

These are cool - and I like the little stage they come with - although Max would rip and destroy it in seconds. At least it could be a cool display for when they were put away in the playroom. The guy in the canon is my favorite.

 

Gap Polar Bear sweater

I want this for Max's Christmas outfit. The collar on this rules.

 

Does anyone else know some really great items for a one year old?

jack's heartbreak

Each year after Halloween, there is the horrible day the pumpkins have molded to the point of becoming a health hazard and I tell the boys it's time to throw them away. I try to wait as long as possible. Jack is devastated every time. He gets very attached to his jack-o-lanterns. I try to take pictures for him to keep, but forgot to do it right after Halloween this year, so his pumpkin had turned into a grandpa pumpkin who was missing his dentures.


We had some tears, and then said our good byes. I always feel like the bad guy when it is said and done. 
Poor little man. Poor me.

rake, jump, rake, jump

I am so happy old man winter gave me one last day this week to rake up my leaves. This is the final week for the year, of our green waste garbage-can pick up, so I was happy to finally get around to it. 

Cash was my helper... by jumping in every pile I would create. As much as I wanted to tell him no so I could get done quicker, I couldn't help it - there is not much fun in raking leaves if you can't jump in them. Max surveyed the whole project from his baby walker and ate a few leaves here and there I'm sure.

We picked out our favorite leaves to smash in books and then headed in just as the temperature began to turn. It was a nice couple of hours.

we're not worthy

Sometimes when I'm around Jon Canlas, I feel like throwing my arms up and down chanting, "we're not worthy, we're not worthy". That guy oozes with talent and is one of the nicest humans on this planet. He kindly let our family be apart of his Film Is Not Dead workshop again this year... and I was so excited because our family shots from San Francisco are some of my favorites of our little clan. Now that Max has joined, I was happy to do this all over again. 

Now, they are no all-denim-family portraitures like what I grew up with, but I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. This was just a few he posted on facebook. I can't wait to see them all, and I hope to get to see some from the other photographers that were attending the workshop. Stay tuned I guess.

people

The boys and I first discovered and fell in love with Blexbolex back in September of last year. We kept checking out his book, Seasons, for about two months straight. Then this week, we found People. The illustrations are so wicked. I want to make something inspired by the colors and look of this book. I think I might buy these for Max (me) for Christmas. Next time you are at the bookstore of library - give it a look. It is so hip.