Our Christmas Tree

Since we've been married we have had a tiny, cheap fake tree that we bought for like $20 dollars or something. This will be that little tree's 8th Christmas. Needless to say, we are in need of a better tree. Every year we say we are going to buy a pre lit tree after the holidays on a really good deal. But, we get lazy. This year Scott's sister invited us along to get a real tree from this cute lot near our house. Perfect! We like it so much that I'm not even sure if we will get a fake tree again. The whole experience was so charming. It was just like the movies. 

Thanksgiving 2012

My last post was one that I had written awhile ago and I put it to post on a random, unimportant day. It's funny that it fell over Thanksgiving weekend because that post isn't an indicator of how our holiday week went at all. It was quite opposite actually.

We were looking forward to Thanksgiving all week. We were so excited for the chance to spend time with family and especially for daddy to get to hang out with us all day for 4 days straight! What more could you ask for? It was exactly what we were wanting, lazy mornings, family time, fun traditions, and of course, yummy food.  

Olive started off by having a feast at preschool. She was very excited because they had been talking about it all month. She learned quite a bit about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims. She would do something and occasionally ask "Was that showing gratitude mom?" She knew that they were going to get to wear bonnets like Pilgrims and her teacher made them each a boys Pilgrim hat cookie to take home. It was definitely a highlight for Olive. 

 

That night we had an FHE about all the things we are thankful for. I love some of the things that made it on the list from Olive. Pretty classic. 

Like I said, our mornings all weekend were very relaxed and chill unlike regular mornings of getting ready and out the door. After getting dressed Olive and daddy had a blast playing video games. We have a game called Little Big Planet and Olive thinks it's hilarious. I kept hearing so much laughter coming from downstairs. It was very heart warming. 

We remembered to take some pictures while we were all gussied up and before we were all smothered and covered in food. I posted this one just because I think Milo looks so cute. I never want to forget his little "cheese" smile. 

It's tradition that we get new sweaters to wear on Thanksgiving. Obviously we like stripes!!

I'm so lucky to have these two adorable munchkins!

Olive showing off her cute turkey shirt. She was very excited to wear it. I love that Olive loves that small things in life :) 

See those plantation shutters? Milo played with them literally all day. He was obsessed with opening and closing them. Oh, and climbing on that little stool. I guess he loves the small things in life too. 

The whole crew before dinner. We always go around and say 3 things each that we are thankful for. Olive's were: princesses, turkey and rainbows. In that specific order I'm sure. 

Then it was time for the feast!

After we stuffed ourselves silly, we all went to see a movie. Unfortunately it was really lame and boring. Scott ended up taking Milo on a drive, I fell asleep, and Olive was quiet confused. But it's tradition!

These two got lots of time to "play" together. 

And so did these two. I couldn't get a picture of Olive with Lizzie because they wouldn't hold still for one. We stayed late and played games. Olive layed in the bear bed as it got later and later. She was a good sport since we left almost at midnight and she was still awake. The next day was brutal, but it was worth it! Such a perfect holiday weekend in every way! 

Sometimes I Feel Like This

Last week Scott texted me in the middle of the day asking how things were going. I replied not great and it had been a hard day. He asked what had happened. Nothing really.  It was a typical day but for some reason everything felt so hard. Sometimes I think that I am failing. I don't know at what but, just that its not working. I don't feel like that all the time. But sometimes.

 I read a post that really expressed what I had been thinking, you can read it here. She says it so elegantly and captured all that I have recently been thinking about. There are days when it feels like I have done nothing except feed the kids. I might love nap time too much. It sucks being pushed to your limit. 

 I have lots of room to grow. My inadequacies are daunting. Being a parent is hard. I worry that I am making all the wrong choices. But at the same time it does feel peaceful and happy and somehow complete.

Sometimes I wonder what else is out there. I read another blog post about the choices we make. You can read it here. Not that I don't love this life, and it IS what I have always wanted, but I do wonder.  I made my choices and have no regrets.  I chose to work to support my husband through school instead of get my masters. I chose not to continue my professional career. I just wonder.  A friend recently said to me how lucky I am that I don't have to work and although I do consider it a true blessing I still believe that it was a choice that Scott and I made. I don't think that aspect would make my life more fulfilling. But there is a part of my brain that tugs at me saying I didn't amount to much. I'm just being a parent and I'm not always good at that. We knew what sacrifices we would have to make to have the blessing of raising my kids full time. A bigger house or more expensive cars or lots of things isn't what I want. I don't think that those things would make us happier and it doesn't entice me to go work. I have a small life and it is also precious.

Sometimes I feel guilty because some people's struggles are so deep and hard and heart breaking. I have watched people be open with some of their challenges, and how they've handled them with such grace and strength. I am sure I don't see those moments of devastation and tears when they are on their knees in prayer. I don't have it all together or figured out, but I don't have those heart wrenching trials right now either. What are my struggles? I don't even know. So why does it feel hard? I am a worrier. I am a planner. I am sometimes an obsessor. But I don't have big or hard things to obsess about. People might get annoyed talking to me because I talk about the same stuff. Repeat repeat obsess obsess. I should be more grateful. 

I don't want anything to come of this. I am just putting it out there. Don't read into this, especially you Scott, if you read this, which you might not. 

I am so Grateful

I have so much to be thankful for and I love this time of year that helps us focus on how blessed we are. I feel like this past year has been a big one. Not much has changed but for some reason it feels important.

 I sometimes look at my life; my cute house, my adorable children and wonderful husband. I never imagined it being such a full life. I never imagined it being so complete. I have all I ever wanted and know that I couldn't ask for more.

We feel at home here. We feel settled and comfortable. We have so much support and love around us. Things are stable and happy. My kids are thriving and growing and I can't get enough of watching them or listening to them. It is a happy life and I am grateful.

Milo wants to be big

One beautiful fall day before our giant storm we went on a walk in the afternoon. I told you that Milo wants to keep up with his sister and do everything she is doing. It was never more evident than on this walk.

I did it mom! Oh wait, where did Olive go?

Look at those leaves! I told you it was an amazing fall!

I can do this! Balance, balance! 

 

These two really are becoming pals. Olive has such a sweetness with him and really tries to help him and get him what he wants/needs. And as you can see, Milo thinks she is the bees knees. 

Olive Loves the Snow

Last weekend it snowed for basically 2 days straight. As much as I don't always like the snow, I am usually excited for the first snow storm, especially if it is a big storm. Olive was very excited to play in the snow. She hasn't really played in the snow because last winter there was no snow, and before that she as so little that she would play for 5 minutes and then be cold and want to come inside. My prediction was that she would love getting all bundled up and then tire out or get cold fast but boy was I wrong. She lasted for hours and still wanted to play more!

She had outgrown ALL of her other snow clothes so we spent most of our Saturday morning trying to buy her all new everything.

She was so excited and I must say looked rather adorable.

Good thing Olive has a daddy that loves the snow too!

Off to the park to go sledding. Scott sent me a cute video of them going down the hill where Olive is squealing. In the past she hasn't been a fan of the speed and snow flying in your face but she loved it this time. She is just becoming such a big girl!

Olive had been asking for months to build a snowman and we had to keep telling her that she had to wait until winter. She was so proud of herself. 

Look at that tongue sticking out! Oh how I love her!

Olive named her snowman Huggy because she "can't stop giving him hugs". Huggy was a good snowman other than he kinda leaned and looked on the verge of toppling over.

He is cute though isn't he? I think it is the mini carrot nose. 

One day as some friends were leaving we noticed that Huggy had actually fallen forward. Olive was devastated and ran inside. When I walked in I found her in her snow boots and gloves and with the remains of her tears still in her eyes she said "Mom, I have to go revitalize Huggy!" Poor girl was so heart broken when I explained that Huggy was melting and he probably wont be revitalized. 

For a storm that was predicted to drop 3 inches we received probably over 18 inches!  Where we live we don't usually get as much snow as the benches or other areas so we were blown away when we looked outside and saw how high it had piled up. Pretty awesome first snow storm of the year!

Milo is 18 Months

 I know I've said this before but in some ways it seems like Milo has been with us for a long time and in some ways its flown by and I can't believe that he is 18 months. Having him changed everything. Delivering him changed my life and me as a person forever. His birth made me feel so powerful and it was such a moving and spiritual experience. Those feelings are very close to the surface when I think about him being born or about the first time we saw him. It seems like it was yesterday. And yet, as a baby he struggled with reflux and some other challenges that feel like they were years ago because he is so different and easy now. It's hard for me to reconcile and put it into thoughts, this funny dichotomy of how time feels.

He is getting so big and is such a toddler these days. On the form at the doctors appointment for his check up one of the questions was how would you describe him. It was kinda hard for me to think about how to describe him. I sometimes feel bad for Milo because he is the second kid. He is inevitably compared with Olive whether that is good or bad. What I wrote down was independent, coordinated, expressive, and determined. I don't know what kind of picture that paints of him because he is also so sweet and loving. But it is all definitely on his terms. If he doesn't want to give you a hug, or say something it is not going to happen. He knows exactly what he wants and he is determined to get it. He has this intensity about him. I know that is going to be a huge blessing to him at lots of stages of his life.

Milo LOVES his blankie. He likes to lay on it and snuggle in it after he wakes up from nap. It is one of my favorite times of the day as I get him from his crib and snuggle for the two minutes he will let me before he is off to explore. 

He likes to take his blankie with him. He was also very very attached to his binkie. He would walk around with it all the time and find ones around the house that he had either stashed or dropped. When he went to one nap a day I started only letting him have his binkie at nap time. Then one day last week I couldn't find a binkie before nap time and he was exhausted so he went down without one. I forgot about it until bed time came and I still hadn't found a binkie at night. The next day I figured he went down twice without a binkie so he can do it again and he has been binkie free since. It is probably a good thing too because if he had one you could not get him to give it up and it was a major tantrum. 

Milo also really loves this airplane. It was a hand-me-down from our cousins who I think got it at a garage sale. We have these little figures that fit perfectly in it. I think he likes it so much because a) it has a handle so he can carry it around and b) because he can open the cockpit door and put the people in and out. There is another airplane and a train that he carries around quite frequently. 

Not only does he like to climb on things, especially our chairs at home now that he knows how to use the rungs as a ladder, but he also loves to push buttons to see some kind of cause and effect. All of those things are combined in the drinking fountain at gymnastics and it is really hard to keep him away from those things. 

Here he is carrying around a computer mouse and opening and closing the soap compartment on the dishwasher. I can't do anything with the dishes if he isn't strapped into his high chair because he wants to take it all out and it gets crazy. 

more latches and opening and closing things. 

Little man and his light saber. Milo somehow already knows about swords and weapons. Scott has some speakers downstairs and Milo put a whole bunch of toys in. When we got them all out we found and old lost toothbrush in there. Milo took it and was examining it. He figured out how to turn a flashing light on and as soon as the toothbrush started flashing he used it as a light saber and started making the noise. I don't know where he learned that. 

Milo has a crazy sweet tooth and is very very motivated by treats or sweets. He is still a huge daddy's boy and if he leaves the room Milo follows him. Milo thinks he is just as big as his sister and can do anything she can. He loves to climb on anything and everything and is surprisingly sure footed. That being said he has taken a few pretty serious tumbles. 

I love that these two love each other so much. Milo loves being with Olive. Just a few weeks ago he said Olive for the first time and Olive went running around screaming because she was so excited. He thinks she is so funny and wants to keep up with her. And she likes helping him and getting him things. That being said they can for sure drive each other crazy. But they really do love each other so much. 

 

He used to go on walks with me and hold my hand. But now he goes "uhhhg!" and pushes it away which is a real problem when we are crossing the street or in the parking lot. If Olive is there he will hold her hand but not mine. 

Now our walks look like this...Milo leading the way.

He is such a fun and feisty little guy. He makes every day fun and different. I sometimes worry that I won't be enough for Milo. That I won't help him be what he needs to be or know how to cultivate who he is. I know I don't always have enough patience, and it is usually nothing to do with Milo, it's just having 2 kids who can annoy each other. Milo has so much in him and I know he has something great to accomplish. I just hope that I can help him get there. 

Olive LOVES Birthday Parties!

Olive had a couple of friends that had birthday parties in October and they were so fun I thought I should document them. 

The first one was a Pixies and Pirates costume party. It was an amazingly beautiful day since we had such a warm and lovely fall this year. Olive is wearing her Barbie Fairytopia wings/skirt. Perfect for a pixie. 

At the last minute we decked Milo out in the best pirate costume we could throw together but he actually looked pretty awesome. 

I should have taken pictures of all of the decorations and cute touches that were at this party but I was so focused on stopping Milo from destroying them all that I didn't. They had some yummy treats and one was dirt and worms. Olive was nervous at first, asking "mom, is that real dirt?" But Milo didn't care at all and went around eating worms and handfuls of dirt from any random cup that was left of the ground. Here is Olive with her friends. The birthday girl Lucy is in the cute pink fairy costume. 

After painting their own pixie fairy house (which was adorable!) and making flower crowns, they did this cute scavenger hunt where they got pirate coins, pixie dust and flower seeds. 

Olive also really liked the bags that everyone got to put their treasures in. Olive insisted that we go home and spread the seeds so that pixies "know to come to our house and it is safe".  She also had to resist the urge to spread pixie dust everywhere and on everything she saw.  

Then this adorable girl from the place that Olive took her ballet class came to do a pixie dance and show all the kids how to. Her name is Chelsea. Chelsea was already a celebrity to Olive but this really made it a fact. 

The party and accessories were such a hit that Olive needed to eat breakfast as a fairy the next morning with her wand and flower crown. 

A few days later Olive's friend Brighton had a princess tea party. Princess Tiana came to visit and tell them a story. Olive really really liked talking to her and asked her a million questions.

She got so many fun party favors at this party too. She leaves other kids birthdays with as many presents as the birthday kid!! She came home and examined her loot for an hour looking at every detail of every princess thing she got. Plus, the tea party was a huge hit with her.