And Then, Life Happened

I suppose that having my days filled with children, and "work" and getting ready for the holidays, isn't a bad thing. And that I'm so busy that when I finally sit down at night, the very last thing I want to do, is write a blog post. My cup is full, and it's spilling over the edge, forming a pool around the base. But, now that holidays are over, I can loosen my collar a little bit, and maybe just maybe, slump into the corner of the couch, with a nice big cup of coffee, and have a little time to relax and catch up.

The condensed version of it though, is that life is good. I feel like I say that so often in my posts that I may sound a little hokey, but it's so true. Our month has been busy with cookie parties, visiting with family, photo sessions, making and shopping for Christmas presents, holiday decorating, and all that life throws our way.

Justin and his sisters

(Ben and his Godmother/Aunt Emily)

And The boys, well, they are just splendid. Ben's a sitting champ, and trying so hard to pull those little chubby knees up under himself so that he can just go and catch his big brother who never seems to slow down. Ben's starting to eat some soft foods, and if he had his way, he would eat all day. I have yet to find a food that he doesn't like!

And Wyatt, man oh man, how on Earth did I get lucky enough to have such a sweet, fun, handsome and personable son. I may be bragging just a little, but he just makes my heart burst. He is so polite, always saying his "please" and "thank yous", and I wish that I could bottle the energy that he possesses and use it on my tired days, because it seems that Wyatt is drinking coffee instead of water all day by the way he acts. His imagination is limitless and he is always looking for dinosaurs around our house.

This year, as soon as the snow was on the ground, I couldn't wait for Christmas.

I knew that Wyatt would be into it, and understand, be so much fun, and he certainly was. His excitement on Christmas was contagious. He kept saying "awesome, thank you Santa!" He even shared all of his toys with Ben, and was pretty sure that Ben's toys were his as well.

We spent the holiday with both of our families, Justin's family does Christmas on Christmas Eve, so we never have dueling families on Christmas day.

And this was my special project for the boys this Christmas. I have 25+ hours of work into it, but I know it will bring years of fun in return. Wyatt even spent most of Christmas morning hanging out inside. Each piece is an applique individually sewn on, the mailbox has mail inside, the watering can comes off to water the flowers, and the tree has four different types of fruit that you can interchange and pick off the tree and put in the basket!

Now that the presents have all been unwrapped and are starting to find their way to the homes in Wyatt and Ben's rooms, and we are all starting to come back down from our sugar high, life is starting to find its way back to a normal pace, a more relaxed livable pace. But still...life is good.

The Unsaid Thanks

It's so easy to say "I'm thankful", like spouting off an auto-programmed I love you. And maybe sometimes there isn't the meaning it deserves backing it up. So while taking my shower this morning, the hot water raining down on me and clearing my head, I thought about it. I think it's a given that I'm thankful for my health and that of my family and friends. A given that I'm thankful for my loving supportive husband, and my beautiful little boys, and a given that I'm thankful for a roof over our head and food on the table.

But what's not always a given, auto-programmed answer, is that I'm thankful for the downs. The curve balls that life throws my way. The times when you are so blinded by what you don't have to be thankful for what you do. Yep, I'm thankful for those times. They put into perspective the blessings that I have in my life, and make me even more grateful and thankful for times when life is good.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to chase my dreams, to live in a country where the sky is really the limit, and I have the chance to do what I have always dreamed of doing. And right along with that, I'm thankful for my two brothers and many friends who serve this country so that it may continue to be the land of dreams. And so thankful that at this point in time, every single one of them is home on U.S soil, safe and sound. Of course there are many who are overseas right now, and I'm so thankful that they are willing to put their lives on hold, and even sacrifice it like one of my brave childhood friends, to defend our countries honor.

I'm thankful that my two boys have a father who comes home every night, and would rather wrestle around on the floor with them then go out on the town. And that, that father is also an amazing husband who respects and values me as a wife and a mother and always makes me feel like a partner and an equal to him, because I know as husbands go, that isn't always the case.

These things may seem simple, but hey after all, it's the simple things that make my heart sing. The simple little joys that define who I am, that make me grateful and thankful day in and day out. And though we only designate one day to give thanks. Every morning, when I get up with the sun, to two little groggy, bed-headed boys. And see their smiles cutting through the dim of the early morning, I give thanks.

Busy Bee

I've been busy, very busy, with this: www.erinotnessphotography.com

More on kids, life, home, and everything else under the sun later!

Something To Be Proud Of

I felt like my eyes were deceiving me today when I glanced at the calendar while passing through the kitchen. I did a double take followed by running my finger down the line of numbered boxes, yep, November somehow slipped by me. Can Thanksgiving really just be next week? I guess that's what happens when your everyday seems like a roller coaster ride (the good kind where you are laughing and happily screaming because it is thrilling your socks off and not the kind where your stomach is lurching and your eyes are shut tight, while silently praying that the cart stays on the tracks and please for the love of God, stops soon!) Yep, things are in full-kids-keep-you-busy-swing. Time to sit in front of the computer and type for more then a two minute block has been limited to after bedtime. And still then sometimes my hands find better things to do, like work on the boys Christmas present, and so our blog sits idle. And I think some days "oh that would be great to write about" then when I finally sit down, those thoughts are long gone, and I look at the blank page with the eagerly blinking cursor for what feels like an eternity, before I click away to etsy to see what goodness I can find.

But lately there is something that just melts my heart and makes me beam with pride. It's seeing the little man, and the awesome big brother that Wyatt has become. Of course he has been a big brother for four months now, but just like I had to find my groove with two kids, he had to find his brother groove. And it took him a little while, but now he is rocking it. We've started letting Ben sample some "solid" foods here and there, and Wyatt jumps at any opportunity to feed his little brother. He loads the spoon up with just the right amount of goopy orange sweet potatoes, navigates the spoon through the obstacle course of Ben's grabby hands, and lands it right in his happily awaiting mouth.

We also have had frequent requests for "brother dance" and "brother play trains" Of course those are also balanced out with the "ahh no touch Wyatt's toys brother!" But the "please dos" are starting to out number the "please don'ts" and it makes me so proud to see the brother that Wyatt has become.

His imagination these days is like someone just suddenly lit the fire underneath it, and sparked this amazing amount of creativity that pops up and fills our days with endless laughter and smiles. The past two nights Wyatt has been scouring the house trying to find himself a pair of roller skates. He tried binoculars on his feet, blocks, train tracks, a toy seahorse, and finally found tonight that he can take two foam bath letters, set them on the floor and stand on top of them. Yep, those work nicely for roller skates. We've also been instructed on several occasions over the past week that he is a baby dinosaur, and not Wyatt. And any following questions have been answered with little baby dinosaur roars. I love having such an imaginative dinosaur for a son!

And, big doings going on over in this house. Brother has learned to sit up on his own! There was no fiddling around with it, trying it out for a couple days, testing the waters. Nope just hello, I think today I shall sit. And he's a pro to boot! He'll sit on his own for 5+ minutes, talk about jumping in with two feet.

When Wyatt was little, these type of milestones were almost bittersweet because it meant he was, more quickly then I wanted him to, growing out of the baby stage. With Ben though, things are slightly different. There isn't the slight little sigh that accompanies a step out of infant life. This time around there is just happiness, anticipation and excitement. See now I've seen what the months to come have in store, and I know that each passing month only brings more fun and joy as he will start to transform and play and interact with us. I can't wait for the day when I can chase both of my boys through the grass in the front yard and hear both of the shrieks and whoops as I scoop them up and throw them in the air. Of course it will be then that I find that sigh creeping up when I realize how big they both are.

But for now, I'm loving the stage that they are both in. Enjoying every moment as Mama dinosaur.