7 Quick Takes on Advent

I love Advent almost more than I love Christmas. There's sometimes more fun in the preparing I think. Nate and I are trying really hard to make this a prayerful time and not just a YAYCHRISTMASISCOMING time. However, Damian definitely understands "Christmas" and his excitement is contagious. He's so very ready to do everything--decorating the tree, going look at all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood, and, of course, making it to "Santa Day." We weren't even going to play up the whole Santa thing, but apparently it's born in them... Another day, another post... Anyway, I wanted to share some of the Advent-y things we are doing around the house in hopes that you could share some of your favorite advent traditions with me!

.1. 

Advent wreath

Pretty standard as far as Advent traditions go. We light ours every night at dinner, which may have been a bad plan because I don't know if this first purple candle will make it to Christmas. Damian loves it. Because fire. 

.2. 

Advent calendar

I found the free printable cards here. They're a little above Damian's level, but they have pictures so we can talk about the pictures and it's a good reminder for Nate and me. I had no intention of going all crafty and making one this year, but then slacker me missed out on all the not chocolate ones; so next thing you know I'm at Michael's buying small brown envelopes and tiny cloths pins (and ribbon and wreaths and and and.)

.3. 

Journeying Wise Men

These little guys are a favorite in this house. They're so jolly though! It makes me laugh. Anyway, they're slowly making their way around our house in hopes of not getting stolen by small hands/furry paws making it to Baby Jesus by the Epiphany. 

.4. 

Magnificat and Liturgy of the Hours

This is mostly something I'm doing, but I've really been enjoying saying the Morning or Evening Prayers out loud with the kids. It's also good practice for them in "being quiet." I let them  run around and play as long as their quiet, so far, so good. 

.5. 

St. Andrew Novena

I've always loved this one and have done it as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, I got the St. Andrew Novena holy card from a priest for St. Nicholas Day. Sadly that card has been lost but there are wonderful printable versions. And because I don't have 15 fingers, I made a little decade + 5 bead string to help me keep track. I usually do it while cleaning the kitchen because multi-tasking is my middle name.

.6. 

Slowly decorating

Ok, so this is only semi-intentional. Despite Damian's pleas to decorate all the things all the time, it's not as easy as he thinks to get that done. I won't point fingers at why that might be, but I'll let you guess. Anyway, we're trying to explain that we have 4 whole weeks before Baby Jesus is born and can use that whole time to prepare for it. He is not impressed. (Notice my thanksgiving gourds still hanging out in the lantern. Slow and steady. Slow and steady.)

.7. 

St. Nicholas Day

I LOVE St. Nicholas Day. It's always been one of my favorite memories of Christmas from growing up. Yesterday, we all made St. Nicholas ornaments to help me teach Damian (and Clare?) the story of St. Nick. He was intrigued by this "Bag of Gold" but was wayyy more interested in coloring his beard and the glue. Always the glue.... You can find the printable we used here. Also, feel free to guess who did which ornament.

So there you have it. What are y'all up to this Advent??

What We're Eating

Anyone else out there dread meal planning?! I must say it's one of my least favorite things to do. Thanks to this gal, I've started doing a month at a time using a mix of "Good Ol' Standbys" and new recipes giving me only one day a month of the dreaded "meal planning chore." However, with the month of December being full of holiday fun, I'm only doing a week at a time. And since I have to do it, I thought I might as well share it with you.

: Monday : 

Roasted Potato and Asparagus Lentil Salad with Tangy Lemon Mustard Dressing

: Tuesday :

  Foil baked Salmon with Leeks and Peppers and rice

::source::

: Wednesday : 

Blackbean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

: Thursday :

Cheap and Easy Pasta Night and salad

: Friday : 

Firecracker Cauliflower

::source::

: Saturday :

Go see the Lighting of the Christmas Tree-- Eat Out

So there you have it! Meals....

You cookin' anything good this week??

7 Thankful Takes

In the spirit of the now over Thanksgiving, and in an attempt to stem the tide of Christmas insanity just one more day, I bring you seven "quickish" takes of thanks.

1.

First I have to start with my husband. 

On any given day, I'm pretty darn thankful for this guy. He keeps me sane, provides for us, gets up approximately 80 times at night with the kids, and is all-around not too shabby. Sure... we have our fights, but usually he'll just concede that I'm right and we move on. ;-) But on Thanksgiving, this man single-handedly prepared two turkeys, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, brussels sprouts, mac n' cheese, and a pumpkin cheesecake. And it was all delicious. #keeper

2.

Next would have to be the kids. There are many days I'm not sure what I'm doing. I lose my temper so often. And sometimes I just down right stink at being a mom. But you know what, they love me and forgive me constantly. They've taught me so much. I'm also very grateful for their health. Damian is doing so well right now, and Clare is full of energy and spunk. They will inevitably send me to my grave, but I love them for it all the same!

3.

Keeping it in the family, I would have to say that having such a supportive extended family is at the top of my Thankful List. My family provided our lovely new table first used for Thanksgiving. Nate's family generously drove to Charleston to celebrate Thanksgiving with us because Nate had so little time off of work. Combined they've never turned down our request for help--from looking after the kids to offering advice to moving us in and out of homes. They've also been known to provide us with meals at foreign places commonly known as "restaurants." I believe Nate and I used to travel there much more often in our pre-kid days, but that's such a distant memory now... I know we probably don't say it enough, but we are very grateful to be surrounded by such love.

4.

Leaving the family, but not far from it, I'm thankful for my friends--both new and old. My old friends have seen me at my best and worst and yet still call me their friend. They're loyal, loving, and brilliant. And as for the new friends, they've made the move to a new city a little bit easier and a lot less scary. I don't know how I have all these wonderful people around me, but I'm not going to ask questions ;-)

5.

On a lighter note, it's no secret that I love my city. Walking around downtown, driving over one of the bridges, enjoying the warm weather, the beach... all these things are a blessing to me.

6. 

An understatement, but I'm thankful that all my necessities are met. Never do I go without food, running water, clothing, warmth. I have a bed to sleep in, a shower to bathe in, and a stove to cook my food. Hell, I can grow a garden for "fun." It's hard in America to not take those things for granted, but in comparison to most of the world, I live like a queen. If only I would remember that more often and not always want more...

7. 

Last, and certainly not least, I'm thankful for God's faithfulness. I'm not deserving, but I guess that's the point. He is the reason for all the things listed above and I try to live my life as a thank you to Him, although I fail so often. 

Hope you all had a wonderful and yummy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving will be here in approximately 5 minutes. I'm not sure how that happened, but despite my excitement, I feel... less than ready. Perhaps this is because we're hosting Thanksgiving for the first time so I actually have to do something other than show up and eat.

I should probably stop here and clarify something (on the off-chance Nate is reading this, which he is not, but I like to pretend.) I'm not doing anything for this Thanksgiving either. Nate, aka Husband of the Year, is cooking the Thanksgiving feast. I have no clue how I lucked out with this guy who likes to cook. He loves to cook, I love to eat. Basically we're perfect together.

And while he excels at dishing out elaborate and tasty meals, I'm not too shabby at (watch out, here comes humility) everything else that hosting entails. So while he's food prepping, I'll be cleaning and decorating... We're Martha Stewart when we combine forces. (Ignore the fact that I've left out who will be watching the children. They're almost 4 and 1--totally fine to be left unsupervised.)

I don't exactly have an entire warehouse stocked full of turkey decor, which is fine by me.... Never been a huge lover of turkey decor.

However, I do have a brand new, beautiful, handmade by my dad dining room table that only deserves to be covered in a Thanksgiving inspired "table scape." (Yep, the sarcasm runs strong in this post...)

ANYWAY....

I thought I would share some of my Pinterest inspirations with you, that way we can all laugh together later when I show you what my actual table turns out to be. Dream big Mary Helen, dream big.

{Inspiration 1}

For when I take my new table outside. Just look at those succulents! 

::source::

{Inspiration 2}

Subtle fall decor... Casually strewn apples, over sized basket. Burlap (classic.) It's like we just got home from apple picking and are sitting down to supper. 

::source::

{Inspiration 3}

For the inner child in all of us... or just Damian and Clare. 

::source::

{Inspiration 4}

Ok I just love this one... Neutrals, metallics, pumpkins... roses... be still my heart. be still.

::source::

I'll let you know what my final project ends up looking like (hint: see first picture in post...)

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

A few months later....

Well hello there! Nope, we aren't dead... It's been awhile hasn't it? Why not catch up with a few quick takes from the past few months. Perhaps this will start me blogging again... perhaps... (But let's not get ahead of ourselves.)

1.

 Since we last talked, Clare turned one! How is my baby not a baby anymore?! We had a "sweets" themed party for our "Sweet Cheeks," and I think it turned out really well. However, in typical second child-ness, I never took pictures of any of the decorations or food until after it was all said and done. Oh well... It was fun, and she had a BLAST opening presents. Once she got the hang of it, she was tearing through them. Makes me excited for Christmas!

2. 

Nate and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.  Two cities, two kids, and one house later-- I still love that guy more and more. *awww* I know, I know. How sweet. We celebrated by having a weekend to ourselves (and all our college friends) at our 5th college reunion. Not necessarily romantic, but a whole lot of fun! I must say I felt naked not having a kid touching me 24/7, but... I got used to it ;-)

3.

We then had Halloween. You may have seen on Instagram that the kids dressed up as a pumpkin (Clare) and a ghost (Damian.) Both costumes were chosen by Damian. I told him that next year Clare was going to have an opinion so not to get used to this level of control. The night before Halloween, Nate's office hosted a huge trick or treat party (Candy Land themed--so cute) so the kids were prepped and trained for the official Night of Candy. They clearly aren't related to me because the candy has very rarely been asked about or thought of... meaning I *have to* eat all of it.

 4.

Clare is walking and destroying everything she can touch. She climbs on everything and gets into everything. She loves to "help." Slowly, slowly I know my hair will be gray by the time we are out of this phase.
 As far as having two kids go, I love it. But it's busy.

Thankfully these two love each other 90% of the time. The other 10%? Well.... we just don't need to go there.

5.
We've been doing stuff around the house. Mostly painting and boring things like cleaning/fixing windows. My few fall decorations have my heart so ready to decorate for Christmas. Is it Advent yet?

6.
This past weekend, we went to Atlanta (and froze.)  Damian needed to have some procedures done to check on his liver's status. Thankfully, everything came back stable, and the doctors are remaining hopeful that he will have at least a few more years with his liver. Being in a children's hospital is always such a draining experience. We were there almost all day and the little man couldn't eat the entire time, but he was such a champ. I was cranky after an hour of not eating so I don't know how he does it. He makes me so proud with how brave he can be even when I know he's scared. #gushing

7.
And one last picture....

So how have y'all been?! Good? Ready for Thanksgiving??

The Balancing Act

It's been a little quiet around here recently. On the blog that is.

Life seems to be ever busier and busier. And as much as I hope God blesses us with more children eventually, there are days... Oh, there are days....

On the bright side, things seem to be doing a little better around here. It's almost as if Survival Mode has moved to Survival Mode Plus. It's where you're still hanging on for dear life, but the house gets cleaned every so often.

However, it does seem the blog has been put on the back burner some. I've taken on a few other writing projects, I'm trying semi-successfully to train for the marathon in December, and now that Clare is walking there's just constant something going on around my feet at all times. I'll be the first to admit that I do kinda love the chaos. But it's not super conducive to lengthy novels about the minutia of our lives.

Over the past few months, I've seen quite a few mamas refer to this book. I read it back while in the early stages of pregnancy with Clare, and it didn't sit with me quite like I had hoped. Maybe it was first trimester-ness or perhaps the fact the I'm at a different stage of motherhood than the author. For the most part, the book overwhelmed even the most Type A part of me. I will say though, that if nothing else, the book did make me think and it has stuck with me. In brief, the premise is that structuring your life on a schedule, such as monastics do, allows your life to become more orderly and in turn more prayerful. Now who doesn't want a big heap of that?!

Sign. Me. Up.

Sadly, I've not been able to implement her plan for orderly perfection in my home. In fact, that last statement is an understatement to how this house runs. If the floors are clean, it's because the kids aren't. If I'm writing here, I'm not working on other projects. If I've actually run... well that never happens so I'll just stop there. But you get the point... If I'm doing something, it's because I'm obviously not doing something else. Yet when everything looks or feels to be of equal importance, how do you schedule time/stay motivated/ sleep, etcetcetc? I've not got the answer to that, and for the most part, my life rarely feels in balance.

Recently, I've been so proud of the fact that I've been keeping my house decently clean. I'm not talking about zero clutter, I just mean there is at least the appearance that I care about what's going on around here. I've found that I just have to do it despite my biggest desire to sit at the end of the day and veg or blog. But see... sometimes I need to veg, or blog, or read your blog and comment. I miss those things. I miss you. However, it seems I can't have my cake and eat it too.

There are the moms who do it all I suppose, but it seems they are a rare breed. We all have our moments where we have to slack on something to excel in another area. Or even just exist in another area. I hope there's a day when I can slow down some and make my life a habit of order and prayer. But right now, that seems like only an ideal worth striving towards that will never fully be realized. And I'm ok with that.

Damian-isms vol. 3

Oh Damian Damian Damian... From the mouths of babes or so they say.

Scene: Dinner table
Damian: Mommy, you're a dog. Clare, a cat. Damian, a dragon. Daddy. YOU'RE A DRAGONFLY!!
Me: *Deaddddd*
Daddy: *offended*

I have about 8945973498276 of these selfies on my phone

Scene: Me attempting to clean up because sometimes I like to pretend we don't live in a war zone and Damian trying to undo my attempts
Me: Damian, could you stop. I'm trying to clean up the house.
Damian: Who's coming over?!
Me: ..... no.one. ..... Thanks kid...... You know, sometimes we clean even when we don't have company coming over........ 

Making me proud by finding the Dr Who section of B&N

Scene: Damian having one of those *rare* moments of badness 

Me: YELL YELL YELL FUSS FUSS FUSS
Damian: Mommy, you are too loud. We don't yell inside, only outside.

Me:

Damian's offering to the Holy Family--a used lollipop and a washed out photo filter

Scene: In the lab about to give blood.

Lab tech: So I guess he ate today?
Me: Yea he did. They didn't need him to fast.
Damian (slightly enraged): I'M NOT EIGHT! I'm three!!
Everyone: *dead*

No really, why?

Scene: Dinner time when he was supposed to be in his seat but instead was over by me
Me: Ok bud, you really need to go sit back down.
Damian (in the sweetest voice ever): Mommy. You are the sweetest mommy ever!
Me: ok you can do whatever you want for the rest of your life... 

10 months...

Dear Clare,

Oh my girl. You really are such a fun little girl. Always happy and smiley. I love it! This month has been one of watching you go from a "passive" family member to a much more active participant. It's very clear you understand what's going on and what we're talking about. You love interacting with us and carrying on your own little conversations. It's been a great month...

As far as talking goes, you've started shaking your head no while saying "uh-uh." You usually do this when I ask "Are you ready for a nap?" or when you are about to do something you shouldn't... Like climb on the fireplace. You've also started meow-ing and woof-ing. And you love to say BOO to Damian during peek-a-boo. 

You've started taking more steps and can now stand yourself up without pulling up. We all know it's just a matter of time before you're running. 

We all got horribly sick this month. For almost a week, it sounded like you had been smoking a pack a day for the last 20 years. Thankfully we seem to all finally be better now. You got to come back in the bed with us while you were sick which kinda caused a regression on all the progress we had made on sleep. However...

Before that, we had kicked you out of the bed and were working on convincing you that you could sleep in a crib without nursing. I had changed up our bedtime routine so that nursing was not the last thing we did and instead would walk with you until you were asleep. And then one night you asked (pointed) to get in your crib. I thought I was going mad, but sure enough you happily played with your doll and animals. I sat on the floor for almost an hour but you finally just fell asleep. I thought it was a fluke but you kept doing it every night until you got sick...

You love to eat and so far like everything I've offered you other than eggs and blueberries. We still nurse about 5 times during the day, but you also love drinking from a straw. Especially if that straw is attached to Damian's cup...

Speaking of you and Damian, it's a constant game of "monkey see, monkey do" around here. Even when y'all are being bad, it's still kind of cute....

You love your daddy! Often you'll leap out of my arms for him and will give him a ton of kisses. You are very, very generous with the kisses. Unfortunately your favorite game is to smack us in the face and then when we tell you No to give us a big kiss as if to say "sorry." Over and over and over again.

You've graduated to the big kid tub with Damian. It was a little crazy at first, but now you both know the drill and no one is crying (usually) during bathtime anymore!

In typical girl fashion, you love having me do your hair. I hope this continues... But if you find a bow or hair tie on the floor, you will bring it to me and then point to your head. I'm always amazed by all the little connections you make. 

Alright my big girl, I love you and I'm looking forward to another month of adventures with you! 

Love,

Mama

Damian's Scope

Just a quick hello to let you know Damian is currently having his scope done to find the source of bleeding. Say a prayer for him that there are no "surprises" and anything they find is a quick fix! Thanks friends.

ps: I asked him to change into "something nice" for some pictures recently, and he refused saying his coordinated PJs were nice!! lol

Heartbroken

The blog community is a crazy thing. Back in the day (2 blogs ago and before I had even had Damian) I signed up for a Blogger Christmas Gift Swap. The idea was to help network and meet new people. I was paired with Julia Haney. She lived across the country from me in LA, and I'm not sure what she thought about being paired with a southern girl like me. But before we knew it, we had exchanged numbers and were texting almost daily.

Fast forward 3+ years and now we both have two kids. While we don't talk as much as we used to thanks to the craziness of our lives, she is still a dear friend to me and one I'm so thankful to have met. She's always been there when I needed her and encouraged me beyond no end when I've been worried about Damian.

So now it's time for me to return the favor. I'm sure you've seen me post about her on Facebook and on Instagram, but I need you guys. I need you to pray and pray and pray for her sweet little girl, Bailey.

Bailey is the cutest little 17 month old you could ever find. She's got the sweetest cheeks and the most beautiful blue eyes. However, this precious girl was just diagnosed with High Risk Stage 4 Neuroblastoma Cancer. I know a little bit about worrying for your child's life, seeing them in pain and hooked up to machines, and wanting so desperately to wake up from this nightmare you've suddenly found yourself in. It's a hard thing they're up against. She is blessed to have such a strong and loving family, but she still needs our prayers and a miracle.

So if you could tonight, say a little prayer for Bailey and her family. Pray for healing, positive responses to the chemo and other medicines, and for the skill of the doctors and nurses. If you're interested, you can follow along with her battle on her Facebook page. And if you can, you can also donate at their GoFundMe page.

Thank you friends! I know it will mean the world to her!

First Day of School

Today was Damian's first day of Pre-School!
We went to an open house yesterday so he could meet his teacher and plenty of my old teachers as he's attending my old Catholic elementary school. It's crazy to think I have a child old enough to be there. I guess time flies and all that jazz.

Anyway, let's get to some token "First Day of School Pictures."

So Excited!!

His beloved monster bookbag with even more beloved matching water bottle.

Mama hen with her confused chicks.

No really guys... What are y'all doing?

Happy First Day of School to everyone else starting the school year today! 

Why Am I Doing This?

...or  "A Post About Running"

If you are a stranger to these parts (first off, welcome.welcome.) let me start by saying, sleep is not happening in this house. If Clare is having a miracle stretch of sleep for longer than 2 hours, then Damian is waking up. If Damian is sleeping like the good boy he used to be, then Clare is all like HELLNO will I sleep.

It's a mess. I suggest you buy stock in Starbucks.

What does this have to do about running??

Well I may have signed up for my 4th marathon. In December. (That's in 4 months for those of you not counting down to Christmas. What? Only me?)

If you've ever been active before, and by active I mean "Do you chew your food??" you know how important sleep is.

Part of me is very excited to tackle the marathon yet again. Every time I've run a marathon, I've been injured or sick. I would love to get out there healthy and well-trained and see what I can do.

However, part of me is very worry this won't happen because I haven't been running as much as I would like and that's mostly because I can't seem to find the time or energy. I'm hoping as it gets cooler I will be able to take the kids with me more (never thought I'd say that.) Now that's I've actually signed up though I'm feeling more motivated. Sooo shall we say the runner in me is back?? Let's hope! (Otherwise it's going to be a long 26.2 miles...)

If anyone else is interested... You should sign up for the Kiawah marathon and come run with me! There's also a half marathon too.

What a Weekend

Hi friends. Can we just take a minute and talk about this weekend? What a mess.

Nate and I were so happy to have a weekend of "nothing going on" so that we could do all those things we haven't done in awhile (like finish hanging this light.) We are so silly.

As I'm sure most of you know if you follow the Instagram, we took Damian to the ER on Saturday. I had been painting the dining room when I realized it was all too quiet in the house. Nate texted me that Damian had decided to take a nap on the sofa. My mama sensors went off a bit at that, butttttt who doesn't love peace and quiet and the miracle of both children napping at the same time???? 

However, not only does my child not ever nap. He never turns off his beloved Curious George in order to take a nap, so the second he woke up we took his temperature--103.4. 

UGHGHHHHHHGGHHHHHHH

We asked him over and over "Does anything hurt??" and every time he responded that nothing did. 

UGHGHHGHHHHHHHH

For Damian, a sudden fever with no other symptoms means we need to rush him to the hospital.** So we did. He was pretty pitiful, but after some Motrin, IV fluids, (a lollipop,) and blood work he seemed to be doing much better. It was a long couple of hours waiting for answers.

At first I was all over it-- "Clare you can't touch anything!!!" But after an hour of being in a little room and having brought her two different shoes (both the left feet--oh the irony,) I decided I was fighting a losing battle. She's probably horribly diseased now too, but at least she had a milestone moment and said "bag" while trying on her new bookbag. Apparently she's 13.

Four hours later we all cheered that the labs said his liver looked fine but showed positive for RSV. Probably not the norm, but nothing ever is with Damian. It's hard to explain what goes on inside me as Damian's mom, it's a complicated mess of emotions. Let's just say no one has been so relieved for a virus.

As we go to leave Damian goes "WHAT'S THAT?!" 

Oh buddy... It's the GIANT picture of a sea turtle that's been on the wall behind you the entire time we've been here... Clearly little man wasn't feeling 100%.

Then we tried to leave, but we were flooded because downtown Charleston does that. 

So we hung out a little more until we could float drive our car out. 

Sunday consisted of a lot of Curious George watching and apple juice drinking and nothing else. He still had a bit of a fever but still no other symptoms. I kinda feel like this weekend was a waste, but at the end of the day, we're really happy that it's just a virus. That is until the rest of us get it... 

**Thank you to all who prayed for Damian! We know for most a fever doesn't seem like much, but for Damian repeated infections of the liver would speed up its deterioration and cause him to need a transplant much sooner. I try to not ever focus on the bad things, but when these little moments happen sometimes it can feel overwhelming. I know we are incredibly blessed by how well our Miracle Boy is doing.

9 months...

Dear Clare,

I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to do these letters if you continue to crawl straight at me every time I go to take your picture. I have 100 pictures of your forehead and only about 2 that were sort of acceptable representations of you. You are a mess, and that is why we love you so much! All this to say--your personality is really starting to come out! I know in a few short months you'll be officially a toddler, and as sad as I am to see my baby growing up, I'm so excited to get to hear you talk and watch you do new things. Every day is an adventure. You're always on the move, into everything, and keeping us very, very, very busy. However, you are still so sweet and love to cuddle. I'm not sure which of the three of us you have more wrapped around your little finger. 

This month...

You've discovered your ability to climb stairs and you LOVE them! I cannot carry you up the stairs without you trying to jump ship and crawl up them yourself. You will also walk up them if we hold your hands. I respect your attempt, but it's hilarious seeing your little legs climb stairs. 

Speaking of climbing, I think we have our "climber." You will climb anything and everything you can. And even if it's still too tall for you, you will at least give it a shot. I bought bumper pad things for the fireplace, and your favorite activity is to peal them off and then climb up and thrown them down. Clearly they don't work very well. Time to invest in so many more gates.

You say MaMa now!!!!! Music to my ears. You also say Day-Day for Damian too, which is also pretty cute. Most mornings I will get you up from your nap, ask if you want to go downstairs to see Damian, and you happily cheer Day-Day the whole walk down the stairs. 

The two of you have really started having fun together. Damian loves to fuss at you when you're "being bad," and you love to destroy anything he's working on. Neither of you understand sharing, and Damian hoards all the toys you want. BUT when none of that is going on, you two seem to really love each other. I will occasionally catch Damian giving you kisses and you will attempt to hug Damian despite his new hatred of "kid hugs."

You still love giving kisses and hugs. When Daddy comes home, you hop in his arms and give him lots and lots of love. 

Your hair is still the topic du jour. It's crazy, in the best way possible. It's also really long and getting pretty curly. But unless I put it up, it just goes in any and every direction. You're a baby, so it's precious. When you're older, I will buy you hair products.

We had started solids awhile back, but you're really getting into trying new foods. I usually give you a little bit of what we are having each night unless it's spicy. However, your favorites are carrots and corn. You've started saying the Ka sound for corn and typically bounce excitedly until I give you some. And you've been known to get carrots out of the fridge if I leave it open too long. Also, this probably goes without saying, but Cheerios are our new treat for Mass, going out to eat, keeping you awake in the car so you don't nap, etc etc. And along the lines of eating, I guess you are going to be a baby who never took a bottle because it seems we've jumped straight over that and on to straw sippy cups. Oh well...

You still nurse a few times during the day and a few times at night. Night time sleep still stinks, but you've started giving me two solid naps during the day and that's lovely. 

I'm not convinced it wasn't a fluke since it's only happened once, but you took your first step. We have yet to be able to get you to replicate it. You will stand without holding on to anything for as long as you don't need to go anywhere. The second you realize you need something you sit down and crawl. Hopefully since you seem to have good balance now and can walk holding just one of our hands, you will be toddling around here soon. 

Well that is all for now sweet girl. I love you so very much!

Mama

7QT - The 7 Steps of Home Improvement

In this house, DIY home improvement always goes a little something like this...

1. 

The Dream-- We find something on Houzz or Pinterest and are like YES WE CouLD TOTallLYYY dO THAT!!!!!

Contemporary Bathroom by Denver Architects & Building Designers Ashley Campbell Interior Design

2. 

Then we look at our hall bath and realize... okkkk maybe that's a bit ambitious considering we have approximately a 5ft x 5ft to work with. Anndddd 8 foot ceilings. Sighhhhh We then scale back the dream and think...

3. 

We could start by replacing the light fixture.
Yea. Let's do that!

4. 

We go light hunting and end up at World Market where we find this beauty. 

It has some minor damage (see upper right corner) and so we ask if they have another in the back. They say no but that they will give it to us for 75% off. An $18 light? Yes. Please.

5. 

We come home feeling all rich and ready to do this.

But then the kids are hungry. We are hungry. Pause this project to end the starvation we are all experiencing.

6. 

A two whole weeks go by before we attempt the light project. Most of the delay is because we bought the wrong light kit for it and getting to Lowe's twice in one weekend is harder than running an ultramarathon, blindfolded, and drunk.
ANYWAY, so now we are really ready.
Nate takes down the old light only to realize the bracket to the old light is barely big enough for the new light. And the ceiling is all broken around it. And the bracket keeps moving every time Nate tries to screw the new light in. And all the frustrations are happening. And the kids are falling apart because once again someone is hungry.

7. 

And so the the light sits and waits for another day when maybe it will get hung. Maybe next weekend. Maybe next month. And until then, we have this... and no light.

Happy Friday y'all!!

Linking up with Jen