Milo's birthday recap

Milo's birthday was fantastic. I'm going to give you a quick recap. Yes, we got Milo a Jeep. A tiny Jeep. Hopefully he's not expecting anything similar on his 16th birthday. Oh my word, I can't even think about him being that old, so let's move on. It's a two-seater, which means it's practically a gift for both of these little people. Look at Lucy's face - she knows it.

Milo drives, Lucy works the radio. It's a good trade-off.

Look at these sweet faces!

Milo's breakfast request - donuts and bagels with cream cheese. 

 We took the Jeep over to the Foys' house because Ezra and Eliora both have their own vehicles (Milo's word, thank you). Ethan organized a race for the kids, and Lucy was happy to ride along with Eliora. In a race situation, I felt best about this because Eliora's car has doors. Enough said.

Waiting for Ezra... Ethan decided to jump on his tractor.

AHA! Ezra made it out and the kids were ready for action.

After the kids drove around in the cold for a while, we all headed inside for pizza. After lunch, we went home for Lucy's nap... Then Milo headed to gymnastics with such joy in his heart that he spent the first few minutes of class winking at his (very pretty) teacher. She was, of course, delighted, and he had a fantastic class.

We had a little "come and go cupcakes" party for Milo that evening. A lot of his favorite people got to stop by (just missing a few...) for his request - a cake covered in fruit. That's how you know he's exactly like Nate, because I personally feel that adding fruit negates it from being considered a dessert. 

Why yes, I did spell Milo's name in blueberries, and I was indeed very proud of myself.

Two of Milo's favorite ladies.

SUCH A BIG BOY!!! And so ridiculously handsome.

Pre-party family picture.

So Milo had a fantastic day. He's four. I made it the whole day without weeping openly, so we're doing pretty well. 

Milo is 4!

Last night I kissed my three-year old son goodnight for the last time.

And then I promptly walked into my room and cried. You see, when Milo wakes up today, he will be four. (Well, technically he won't be four until 10:04, but am I one to split hairs? As a matter of fact, I am...) While I absolutely adore birthdays and think that everyone should be the center of the world on theirs, something about my babies getting bigger hurts my heart.

It's bittersweet, these little people growing older. I can't believe what a smart, funny, genuinely compassionate and sweet-natured little man Milo is becoming (or I guess he's been that all along and it just manifests more and more as gets older). And let me mention briefly that he is by far the handsomest little boy I have ever seen. But I still look at his baby pictures and tear up, and I think it's because I know that the older they get, the more I have to let go. And that's natural and right, but it doesn't make it any easier.

When we brought Milo home from the hospital, I remember thinking that there was no way this perfect little creature was ours. I also remember thinking, "So I can just walk out of here with this little person? Should I be allowed to?" Sweet Milo. He has survived. He has thrived, in fact, and so have we. And I'm not sure who has learned more over the last four years, Milo, or Nate and I.

I'll tell you what I've been singing to Milo every day since he was teeny tiny. "Oh Milo Milo, my little peanut, I love you more and more every day. Oh Milo Milo,  you're getting bigger, but my little peanut you will always stay." It's true, and I am the luckiest lady alive.

Happy birthday, Milo!

Baby hands

Over the years I've made a lot of projects for other people. This year I've been working on projects for me and my little people (Nate - do you need more stuff?). I made myself some fingerless gloves (this is Texas, after all), and I found a pattern for adorable little girl ones. How could I resist? Lucy is pretty delighted with them and wears them all over the house. Oh! And for the record, I made her legwarmers, too, and she literally asks to wear them. I guess her love for socks extends to legwarmers.

See? She's impressed with her own hands. I would be, too. Milo and Lucy both have perfect little hands!

Gloves (and a runny nose) on the go.

And I made Nate's hat!

I'm such a sucker for tiny little hands.

My tiny little lady

Have you ever wondered how tiny Lucy really is? Well, yes, she does fit in this little drum. And yes, she is wearing a diaper. Happy weekend!

These delightful little people

It's no secret that I'm constantly delighted with my little people. So it should come as no surprise to you that Lucy has decided she loves walruses, and it's completely adorable to me. Want to hear her say it?

I know, I know. Cutest thing ever, right?

And then there's Milo. I'm pretty sure he's well on his way to being a genius. Take our conversation yesterday...

"Here you go, Milo. How many crackers did I give you?"

"You gave me three, Mommy, and I really wanted four."

"Okay, well how many more do you need to make four?"

"Just one."

I gave him the cracker, and remarked, "So now you know that three plus one equals four, right?"

Without missing a beat he replied, "Well, that is true, Mommy, but two plus two ALSO equals four."

Here's my little smarty with his latest creation. For the record, Nate did help.

December Family Photo

Every now and then we actually get the chance to have a family photo. The opportunities are few and far between, so I'm super grateful when they happen!

Mia's Adoption Ceremony

Our sweet niece Mia's official adoption ceremony was last week, and I have the photos to prove that she is now officially a Jackson. Hooray! Look at this little nugget.

Here she is again. Don't be fooled - she doesn't really have a mullet.

A little shot of the next generation Jackson cousins. Things are looking a little more well-rounded around here, don't you think? 

Non-twin twins and a little diva

Have I mentioned recently enough how much these two look alike? They crack me up.

But they both have their own look, too.

And then there's this girly girl. I love that she is so dainty but so scrappy. Perfect blend.

My darling, it is early.

I can't resist. I have to show you this video. In case you were wondering what my little people do all day... I couldn't quite get to them when they were both standing on the slide singing at the top of their lungs (because, believe me, Lucy sings with her whole heart and complete lung capacity), but you can still hear Lucy singing in the background. And, of course, my dramatic little man manages to steal the show on this one anyway. Don't ask me where he got all that spunk. Or the hand waving. Or honestly why he wrote this particular song. Just enjoy!

Milo is like the bubble man...

Is there anything better than the sound of little people laughing? Every time I watch this video I have to join in. Milo is the most amazing big brother in the world and will do just about anything to make Lucy giggle. And Lucy is the most doting little sister you'll ever see. There is nobody in her world like Milo. Don't get me wrong - they know exactly how to push each other's buttons (especially lately), but most of our days sound a little more like this, which I personally think is pretty near perfect.

Milo-isms

Milo had a frustrating evening the other night. We were at our friends' house for Bible study, and the kids who usually play so well together were struggling. He usually spends several hours playing with the kids and enjoying life, but everyone was fighting and Milo's peace was disturbed.

He pouted around the house getting ready for bed, so as we were praying before he went to sleep I told him, "Well, just tell God what you are upset about."

It went a little something like this. "Yahweh, I'm having a bad night. Everyone was fighting tonight and it made me so tired. And I just got overwhelmed."

Yes, this is my three-year old son using the word overwhelmed. And then me trying to keep a straight face through the rest of the prayer.

He also looked down at himself while he was riding his bike yesterday, donned in blue track pants and a blue hooded sweatshirt, and told me, "Mommy, I'm just a vision in blue."

Yes, yes you are, my sweet.

BOW

Happening this week at our house - the giant bow. Lucy picked it out. Nate loved it. I couldn't adore this little nugget more. But the bow makes her extra snuggable.

CHEESE!!!

December is here

Happy Monday and happy first day of December. I can't believe this year is drawing to a close, and that Milo will be 4 at the end of the month! EEEEEEK!

On a side note, when Lucy was born, nobody really said she looked like Nate or I. What they said was that she looked like Milo. I wholeheartedly agree.

Same face, anyone?

Breakfast in bed

Milo has had it stuck in his head for a long time now that he should be getting breakfast in bed. I think we read it in a book at one point, and he's asked for it on and off for months. I've never given in before because, let's be honest, mommies feel like servants a good deal of the time anyway.

Then Milo woke up yesterday feeling yucky. He told me he had a headache, and with Lucy up throwing up through the night before, I was concerned. When he told me the one thing that would make him feel better was breakfast in bed, I caved. Breakfast devoured, problem solved. He was chipper as can be for the rest of the day. But you tell me - could you have resisted this face?

Lucy and Lala

I would consider myself a fairly girly girl. I appreciate makeup, love fashion, and enjoy crafting and knitting and sewing and whatnot... But I also love playing soccer, running, and watching sports. I guess I'm a good mix, and when I try to think about what I played with as a kid, I'm drawing a blank. I remember cutting the hair off of Sarah's Barbies (surely I had some of my own?). I remember dragging around a stuffed dog named Brownie and using the non-working radio in his tummy to pretend like I was a spy. I remember digging for fossils in our yard and burying Tic-Tac containers filled with treasures to find later...

All that to say, I haven't done a great job of giving Lucy girly toys. Not that girls have to have girly things. But we have a super-girly little sprout here. Well, a super-girly little sprout who would jump a five-year old for her baby doll, so I'm not sure how that fares.

We did buy her a play kitchen for her birthday, but aside from that, she mostly plays with Milo's toys... Granted, we have a big bin of Little People, which I would consider gender neutral. And we have blocks. Good for us. I was fine with all of this until Lucy started carrying things around pretending to shoot people as if they were guns, and I gave in. We bought Lucy her first baby doll. She carries her around wrapped in a blanket, takes off her little diaper and tells me she has poops, and just cuddles her in general. They spent their first 20 minutes in the Target shopping cart staring deeply in to each other's eyes. In all, we should have done this long ago. Lucy and "Lala" are two peas in a pod.

For his participation in the Target trip, Nate got Milo a new Lego set. So a good time was had by all.

A Salvaged Thanksgiving

If there's something I will say about 2014, it's that everything has been hard. Nothing is ever what I expect, and if you know my personality, you know that I prefer things to go according to plan. My plan, actually... I'm working on changing this about myself...

Anyway, Nate got a horrible stomach bug Tuesday night. He was sick all night long and most of the day, and by the end of the day Wednesday he had said there was no way he could travel to Houston to Ann and Matt's for Thanksgiving. Milo, Lucy, and I would go without him, and while that felt awful, we didn't want to disappoint Ann and Matt because they were hosting for the first time this year. My brother and Diana already couldn't go because they work retail.

Cut to Thanksgiving morning. I had gotten up at 4 a.m. to start lentils and rice in the crockpot, went back to sleep for a bit, and started the day bright and early with a shower. Just as I was getting ready to put on makeup, Mom called. She was sick, too. And not only was she sick, but Sarah's little people Kaylee and Braylen were sick, too. I panicked a little. Talked to Sarah. Sarah talked to Ann... And just like that, family Thanksgiving was cancelled. I understand - who wants to cook a huge turkey for just a vegetarian and her two small children? I sat on the floor with Lucy, who had also gotten up bright and early, and cried my disappointed little eyes out. No family Thanksgiving. A husband sick in bed. A super cranky little Lucy. The day wasn't boding well.

When Milo got up, we spent some time talking about what we're thankful for and writing those things on the thankful turkey feathers. He cried when I told him we weren't going to Ann and Matt's house, but I just told him to let the disappointment out and be done with it. And then he was. And I realized that I was going to have to make Thanksgiving special for my little people. There couldn't be any sulking. If Milo could let go of his disappointment at the age of 3, I guess I could let go of mine.

Nate ended up waking up feeling a little better, and we decided to use the food I had prepared to take to Houston (lentils and rice, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin cheesecake, corn, and chocolate-dipped pretzels) and supplement it with some turkey from the store. I ran to Brookshire Brothers and found a rotisserie turkey breast. Bingo. We were in business.

And so we spent the day as a family. We ate a Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey. We made a thankful turkey craft and went to a movie (Penguins of Madagascar - I wouldn't recommend it for any sensitive little people and am regretting that we let ours watch the whole thing). Thanksgiving was far different than what I had expected, but you know what? It wasn't bad. It was different, but not at all bad. Yes, I missed my family. I don't know if I've ever had a Thanksgiving without at least some of them. But we enjoyed ourselves anyway.

I'm thankful that my little people are happy and well, despite recent obstacles.
I'm thankful for my amazing husband who manages to give me perspective, even when he's sick.
I'm thankful for my two little rays of sunshine, Milo and Lucy.
I'm thankful for my home, and the fact that I get to stay home with these little people.
I'm thankful for tough times that make me see the joy and beauty in the simplicity of life.
Happy Thanksgiving, the day after.

This is our thankful turkey. Milo and I saw the idea on Pinterest and BOTH fell in love with it. I tried to call him Henry, but Milo was insistent that his name simply be Thankful Turkey.

He literally carried this around with him all day, and when he wasn't holding it, Lucy was.

Here's Lucy planning her strategy to get that turkey...

Thanksgiving selfie 2014

Completely spontaneous perfection

Even though these pictures seem a little on the posed side, this was actually happening. My little people were watching Jungle Book (in their undies, of course), and even though Lucy is usually all over the place, she kept coming back to snuggles with Milo. Completely spontaneous perfection.

Small world

We saw our mailman the other day, and as I waved to him I told him, "Milo, we don't really know him, but Mommy has made cupcakes for him before because Daddy works with his girlfriend. Isn't it a small world?"

Silence.

Silence.

Silence...

"Mommy, it's actually a really big world."

Figs and pigs and horses, oh my!

We've been having camera difficulties around here. Anyone know anything about a Nikon DL 3200? I'm having trouble with the auto-focus. As in, it won't. And then it won't take a picture because nothing's in focus... I may have to suck it up and take the camera back in.

That said, let me just tell you a story or two instead of sharing pictures. I know you're distraught with longing to see my little people, but this will have to suffice.

Every now and then, I find myself NOT on top of things. It's a pretty strange feeling to me because I normally have things relatively under control. Well, today when I ran bathwater for Milo and Lucy, I realized we were out of babywash. Okay, no need for concern (although these sensitive-skinned little people might say otherwise). I decided to sub some of my shower gel for their normal wash and made a big bubbly bath. I reassured Milo with these words, "It's okay, buddy. You're going to smell so nice - like brown sugar and fig."

Milo wrinkled his little nose at me, cocked an eyebrow, and asked, "Mommy, do I want to smell like a pig?"

Once I finished laughing, I reassured him that a fig was nothing like a pig and he'd be just fine.

After bathtime, I put Lucy in a new pair of tights that we bought recently - first wearing on these little purple tights with pink horses (Or is it the other way around? You get the idea.). I told her to go into the bathroom and show Milo her "horse pants" as I referred to them. She stepped around the corner shyly and said, "Milo. Neigh." That's all. Then she looked down at the tights and pointed one little toe. Perfect.

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

It's the little moments...

I know, I know. Yesterday was a little heavy. So I thought I'd make it up to you with a few funny stories about these tiny people.

The other day I was explaining to Milo that I had found a single-serving container of plain cream cheese, and I referred to it as "mini-sized." Milo thought for a moment and replied, "I think I'd rather have Mickey-size, Mommy."

Also, a few minutes after we laid our little people down the other night, we heard Milo screaming at the top of his lungs. Nate ran over to his door wondering what was wrong, and he realized that he was shouting, "I can't hear anything at all! I can't hear anything at all!" Nate burst into the room to check on him, and Milo was startled.

"Daddy, what is it?"

"Milo, I heard you shouting. What's going on in here?"

"I was shouting? I couldn't hear it. I had my fingers in my ears like this." (Insert one pointer finger in each ear.)

I don't lack for Lucy stories, either. My little sprout loves socks, and, in fact, digs through her dirty laundry basket to find them and carry them around with her. The other day she was furious with me because I wouldn't put dirty socks on her (she already had socks on, mind you), and she glared at me, shaking her head and saying, "ZzzzzzzzzzOCKS!" in her frustration. She was so angry her s's had turned to z's.

She's also learned the concept of "stuck." Never mind that she usually gets herself stuck on purpose, just to tell us and let us get her un-stuck. When she was finished with her lunch today she looked at me from her high chair and told me over and over, "Mommy, I stuck." Imagine her face when I explained to her that I wanted her to be stuck in the high chair - that it's kind of the point of it.

So we are still laughing around here. These little people make it impossible not to.

The worst moment

I'm working on doing a little processing today, so indulge me... You see, in life, there are things that you can't un-see, moments that you can't un-live. And along those lines, these moments seem to be the ones emblazoned the most strongly upon your memory.

Lucy woke up Monday morning a little cranky and with a low fever. She was coughing a croupy cough, but she was uncharacteristically cheery for not feeling well. We snuggled most of the morning and made plans for the rest of the day. 

She woke up from her afternoon nap with a higher fever, and Nate stayed home with her while I took Milo to gymnastics. We decided to have a chill evening, with a fire and a movie. Nothing major, just rest for all. As her fever climbed a bit more, I thought a cool bath might help her before bedtime, but I wasn't worried.

And then, in the midst of all this, my biggest fears came to life. Lucy had a seizure. She's never had a seizure. I've never seen someone have one. And because I am desperately trying to forget what it's like to hold your baby as she seizes, speaking soothing words for your three-year old as your husband speeds the family to the hospital, I'll spare you the details. But we spent the rest of the evening in the ER.

Lucy's seizure was a febrile seizure caused by a sudden spike in her fever. They leave no damage, and these are apparently quite common in children. We were sent home with a prescription for antibiotics (ear infection), Motrin and Tylenol to bring the fever down (caused by a viral upper respiratory infection - viral = just run its course), and a baby on a three-hour through the night medicine schedule (like having a newborn all over again). Milo spent the night at the Foys (so grateful that Amanda raced to the hospital to snatch him up and take him home). And Nate and I were left with an awful memory and a lot of questions. 

I'm grateful that Lucy is just fine. In fact, she's downright cranky and extra feisty today, coughing away and marching herself around after me. I'm also downright teary when I think of people with epileptic children who go through this all the time, but times a million (Lucy never stopped breathing, never turned colors and again, was completely undamaged). And I guess I just had to tell you that this happened, and I am trying not to be a mess about it. 

Sleep feels impossible (for a myriad of reasons aside from being emotionally traumatized). My little people are still a bit unsettled. We thought Milo was unaware of the whole thing, but he cried for probably an hour after we laid him down for bed last night. He's a sensitive little guy and I should have known that he sensed more than he let on. And Lucy was up until 1:30 a.m., crying if we laid her down and staggering around like a drunken sailor from sheer exhaustion. We are going to get back to normal, but first I have to stop trying to forget it happened and let my brain work through it. So thanks for listening (reading, whatever). Say a little prayer for all these Jacksons when you can.

Minnie hats

Have you ever tried to take a picture of two busy, determined little girls at the same time? It doesn't work so well...

Two babies, two Minnie hats, and some serious stankeye.

They were both a little concerned about this...

And my beautiful niece Mia Ann.

A Mommy's Life

Have you seen anything that describes a mommy's life more accurately? (I found this at http://weheartit.com/entry/22566165)

 

Falltastic

These little people are incredibly fun (almost) all the time. We've been enjoying our "occasionally you can wear long sleeves" kind of weather. Then again, today we broke a sweat walking (and Milo bike riding) back from the park. I'm not complaining. Just casually observing... Let's just get back to how adorably fun my little nuggets are.

"Hooray! Mommy put me down on the trampoline all by myself!"

I've never known such a good-natured big brother as Milo.

That is some intense jumping right there.

Poor Lucy Jane inherited my hair's propensity for static.