Thursday, May 28, 2015

The best day of Milo's life

Milo has adored Lucy from the moment she was born. And Lucy has adored him back. There's been a little hitch, though...

You see, my little man is an early riser, and he wakes up ready to go, with a plan on his mind and fun in his heart. Lucy, on the other hand, needs her morning juice like most people need a cup of coffee. Until then, she only wants Mommy (I don't hate that.) and a stack of books. If I hadn't lived with Nate for so long before we had her, I might be a bit more impatient with her, but he wakes up the exact same way. To each his own, eh? Anyway, every single morning for the last almost two years, Milo has begged to hold Lucy as soon as she rolled out of bed. She, in turn, has screamed and cried at his efforts every single morning for the last almost two years. Poor Milo.

Today, after lunch, the two of them were running around playing zoo animals, and all of a sudden, Lucy gave Milo a hug and told him, "I love you, Milo." He, in true boy fashion, made a silly face and ran away, to which she began chasing him, shouting, "Milo! Tum back! I want to hold you!" (which is Lucy code for "I want you to hold me.") Milo soaked it up for a good minute or two before he gave in and held her, and they snuggled on the couch for probably fifteen minutes. I will never forget how happy the two of them were all cozied up there. (That's a good thing, because they are both in their own rooms as we speak after a hardcore tussle over a stuffed lamb.) No joke, Milo has been waiting for this day for as long as Lucy has lived.

Oh, and just a note. We ate spaghetti for lunch and I stripped these little people down and let them run around, as Lucy says, "lay-ked" (which in this prude house means diaper or undies).


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The King of New York (or Lufkin, at least)

I haven't been able to stop singing Newsies songs since I've been back from Houston. Milo asked me this morning what was so great about Newsies that I kept singing the songs... So I decided to show him a clip from the show, a song called "King of New York." Needless to say, he is now a believer and spent the morning dancing around the house and singing the one line he knew, "Look at me, I'm the king of New York," over and over and over. 100% worth it to listen to that for several hours on end.

He was really offended that Lucy wouldn't play newsies with him, and I finally suggested that we go outside for a puddle-splashing walk. Milo was skeptical until I told him we could all wear newsie hats and go for a newsie walk, and then he got it into his head that the only thing he could possibly do this morning that would make him happy was to dance and sing in the street like a newsie. Done. Anything to stop the squabbling we were having around here (Seriously - it's like I'm raising two little rabble-rousers all of a sudden. Is it the weather?). I got a few shots of him in action. He was a happy little dancing man.


Tap dancing, in case you were wondering.

And an amazing 80s jump for the finale!
Milo had a fantastic time on our walk. Lucy turned into the poky little puppy and crept along until I let her splash through the puddles on the side of the road and we rescued a drowning worm. Then she was ready for action, albeit serious-faced action.


Then I, of course, made these people pose together.


And made Milo look like a vintage newsie...


Anyway, the good news is that, while it feels like a Monday, it is indeed Tuesday, so we've got a leg up on the week. Here's to a good one!

Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day

Hi! It's been a busy week, as last week was our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY (that makes me feel ancient) and we took a little trip out of town. My first time ever leaving Lucy overnight. And Milo has only been away from me one night when Lucy was born and one night when Lucy had her seizure. So there's that. All in all, it was a much-needed trip, we saw an amazing show in Houston (Newsies - so fantastic), and we just relaxed.

On top of that Nate gave me a ton of glitter for an anniversary present (and a shopping budget for Houston...) - does this man know me or what? I've been pinning glitter crafts left and right, which is the real reason I haven't had time to blog (haha). All this to say, Happy Memorial Day, and look at my beautiful baby who is getting so big.


I couldn't pick just one favorite, so I included all three.


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Catch-up

When I was a kid in school, I remember my teachers always having "ketchup days." I couldn't ever figure out why they called them that, but I guess I assumed it was for a grown-up to know. Just recently I realized what they were really saying. "Catch-up days." Funny how much more sense that makes.

I forgot to tell you that when we went to visit the Hopkins, Paul took Milo and Lily fishing. Milo was super excited, especially since he actually caught something. He has talked about it ever since...

How cute are they?

See that tiny little fish? Extra tiny compared to Milo's GIANT smile...

This is how they got to the lake. Lol. Maybe we'll bring Milo's bike next time?


Lucy was just content to hang out, play with Lily's toys, and gaze at baby Hannah a bit. My sweet girl loves a baby.



And, as a side note, here's a day 2 capsule wardrobe photo. I'm not going to lie - I chose this photo because it made my legs look the best. And I found the exact denim shorts I needed to complete my wardrobe, so there you go. Full disclosure. My legs looking good are more important than you seeing my face. And I bought a pair of shorts (actually, my sweet, wonderful, ridiculously handsome husband bought them) on my first day of capsule wardrobe. How about that.


Monday, May 18, 2015

Monsoon Monday

Happy Monsoon Monday! Seriously, we have had the most intense spring. I think it's my fault because I'm trying to grow plants, and whenever I do, something goes amuck with the weather. The first garden I had there was a massive drought. Now I've got a container garden and it's all I can do to dump out the soggy pots when it stops raining long enough. I will say, though, that all-day thunderstorms are much more pleasant in my book than a record year for consecutive days in the 100s...

Anyway, all the playing inside has made my little people a little tired of their toys, so we're having to get creative. Today we got out some costumes and they wrestled and ran in them for a while. Thank you, Auntie Jen, for these fabulous hand-me-downs!

This little outfit was so huge on Lucy that we had to double roll the legs up.


This is Milo's monkey face. I think he's trying to channel Curious George.

Nothing but love.
Also, today was day 1 of reaching into my bare-bones closet, and I didn't mind a bit. Granted, my outfit is less than life-changing, but no worries. I've had this shirt since right after Milo was born, and I never fail to reach for it, regardless of the season. I think I'll wear this one until it gives up.

Monsoon hair, don't care.


Sunday, May 17, 2015

Capsule Wardrobe: An Experiment in Progress (a.k.a. Go-Time)

I think you knew this was coming...


Yes, my friend, this is the amount of shirts I have left in my closet after I finally went ahead and did the full purge. Fifteen shirts, and while I'm slightly nervous about this fact, I'm also ecstatic. I've been thinking and thinking about capsule wardrobes, reading about what works for whom, donating clothes left and right, and after a lot of deep dis-satisfaction with my clothing and tendency toward excess, I just sucked it up and cleaned it (the closet) out today. (I think a "jigga-woo-woo-woo!" is in order.)

I had a lot of wearable stuff in there. I just wasn't wearing it. You've heard this story before from me. Plus I'm kind of a clothing hoarder, always saving my favorite pieces for a special event instead of just wearing the things I really like in my everyday life. So I took some inspiration from Caroline and whittled down my wardrobe. She chooses 37 pieces (breakdown - 15 tops, 9 bottoms, 9 pairs of shoes, 2 dresses, and 2 jackets/coats) each season, or every three months. I chose the pieces that I intend to work with for the next few months and packed the rest away. Like, vacuum-packed it away and shoved it behind my headboard. And now here's what I have:
  • 3 pairs of jeans (2 skinnies and 1 distressed flare)
  • 3 pairs of shorts (I'm not going to lie - I am without a good pair of denim shorts, so if I find some during the next few months I'll have to snatch them up.)
  • 3 skirts (One of these is a wildcard that I've been hanging on to - if I don't wear it during this go-around, I'm going to donate it.)
  • 6 dresses (because I live in Texas and it's about to be H-O-T)
  • 15 shirts
  • 3 cardigans (over-air conditioning is a very real issue here)
  • 1 denim jacket
So the grand total for me is 34 pieces. I know some people who do capsule wardrobes include shoes in their number of pieces, but considering I just kept a few pairs of sandals and a pair of booties out, I didn't figure it would be a problem (a.k.a. I didn't feel like I was cheating). And full disclosure - I kept a drawer full of layering tanks. I am a mommy and I require them. Enough said. Oh, and I kept a few pairs of sleep shorts and a running shorts, but I solemnly swear to stop wearing them as legitimate clothing pieces (stay-at-home-mommy problems).



There you have it. Capsule wardrobe experiment in progress. I'm sure I'll keep you updated here and there. Maybe you'll think about trying this experiment with me?

Friday, May 15, 2015

The end (of the week) is near

Yuck. It has been one of those weeks. Little people not sleeping, heat rashes, Texas fleas (which, if you've never lived here, you can't even begin to understand), and non-stop rain. After I had a breakdown and cried about it to multiple people on Wednesday, Thursday was a new day and things started to work themselves out.Thank goodness, because lack of sleep was beginning to wear on me and make me more than a little irrational.

All that to say, thank goodness it's Friday. Tomorrow is a day of rest and I intend to do exactly that. And now I have to show you the cutest pictures that Amanda gave me this week of our little people at the rodeo last month. These were worth the wait.

Lucy's amazing picture face. She's saying, "Cheeeeeeeese!"

I panicked and thought Milo was trying to kiss Eliora. He was actually trying to measure who was taller. I question his methods...

CUTIES!

And the three amigos.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus by Cliff Graham

I’ve always liked the Biblical character Caleb. He was amazing to me because he didn’t go with the crowd and he trusted God enough to have faith in His promise that the Children of Israel would take the land. After reading Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus by Cliff Graham, I ended up liking Caleb even more.

Don’t get me wrong – I read the author’s note that he had taken extreme liberties with the tale of Caleb. Usually this irritates me, but given the lack of facts concerning Caleb in the Bible, I didn’t mind this time. Plus the fact that he used artistic license in creating this character meant that we got an Egyptian view of the 10 Plagues, something that I have honestly never considered. He painted Caleb as a young artist who found himself enrolled in Pharaoh’s army, working his way through many grueling tasks to become one of Pharaoh’s elite.

The author was a soldier. That is very evident in the graphic battle scenes throughout this book. If you don’t want a little violence, don’t read this. I was a little startled by some of it, but let’s be honest – I’m a baby when it comes to that. None of it spoiled the book for me, though, and I didn’t think he included gratuitous violence. It all had a purpose.

Something I loved about this book was that it was told mostly in flashback, but also gave insight to the mature adult Caleb. The author pointed out that he and Joshua were the only “old men” that any of the children entering into the promised land knew, since the rest died before they were allowed to go in. I liked that he considered these facts when he wrote the book and crafted the characters around this knowledge. Plus he included battles with the Nephilim. Who isn't interested in that?

Go get this book. It’s another quick read, but it’s insightful enough that you’ll be 100% glad you did.



Friday, May 8, 2015

Hannah Beth

Remember when I mentioned last week that Emily had her baby? The gorgeous Hannah Hopkins is here, looking a lot like her big sister Lily, and I couldn't be happier for the whole Hopkins family. Lucky me, I got to snap a few shots of her when we went to visit and play around with editing. I thought I'd share a few (because the lovely and gracious Emily said I could show HER baby off a bit). I'll leave the full face shots off until she can flash them all over first. What a sweet little babyloaf this one is!






Thursday, May 7, 2015

Holy (Wedding Day) by The City Harmonic

I can't remember if I've shared this before... But here you go. One of my favorites.


Little people on the go

We've been a trio on the go this week (meaning me, Milo, and Lucy). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like these little people have been having an okay time, wouldn't you say?

Milo ate most of his ice cream OUT OF the cone before he realized that Uncle Matt could just take off the wrapper on the outside...




Lucy's face cracks me up here.



This is how I look when I shop, too.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Two peas in a pod

I have a lot of things. None of them compare to the fantastic joy I find in how much these two little people adore each other. 

Sweet faces and pigtails.


Milo picked out his own outfit here. And Lucy insists that this baby always be "lllaked."

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Beep and honk

One of my favorite times with Milo is first thing in the morning. He always rolls out of bed before Lucy, and when he does, we curl up on the couch and snuggle for a while. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we're just still and quiet. Yesterday he was especially cozy, all curled up in a ball with his head against my (since having children VERY cushy) bosom.

Then he turned and patted both girls with open hands and said, "Mommy, I really like these."

I tried to brush his hands away, but before I could he added, "They're like two horns. This one says beep, and this one says HOOOOONK!"

No keeping a straight face after that one. At least he's honest!

Friday, May 1, 2015

Birdies singing ha-lu-lah

This morning Lucy woke up and told me, "Mommy, you hear those birdies? They saying ha-lu-lah." She was so delighted, and I was so pleased that she had woken up cheery (she normally takes a bit...).



Lucy has also been telling me, "Mommy, I hold you like a baby." Which clearly means that I should hold her like a baby, before you get too concerned. Milo's dream has come true, though, in that she will let him hold her like a baby, too (no joke, he asks me at least three of the mornings in a week to let him hold Lucy right when she wakes up, to which she immediately screams, "NO, Milo!"). Last night we had a "holding Lucy like a baby" pile-up.