wonderful christmas time

i added peppermint simple syrup to my life, and the season has never felt merrier.

actually, despite all my favorite mom-bloggers' sternest warnings, our season has felt more busy than merry, although i know it's possible to be merry and busy at the same time. for me, it's more like lists of things to buy at joann fabric running through my mind in the middle of the night -- and that really happened.

i found myself in christmas craziness again last night, and i think my brain exploded, because suddenly i was surrounded by the cutouts of millions (well, eight) paper snowflakes and then a few minutes later they replaced the autumn leaves on our kitchen window mobile and then a few minutes later i was asleep. yep.

so, this morning, when i asked joseph if he wanted to put on his jeans so that we could go to old navy (followed by joann and goodwill and maybe hobby lobby) (seriously), and he said no, i went with it (telling him, of course, that technically the correct answer was "yes, mama."). watching him play michael jordan in his thomas underwear, running the entire length of our apartment to dunk and fall on the floor dramatically (or run back to the kitchen to try again when he missed) was a lot more fun.

then, this afternoon, i got to spend the second half of jude's nap with him. is there anything more glorious? i'm not sure. that cuddly little but actually really big babe is growing on me. :)

in reflection, we did have an event/friends hang out/errand/the like every day of last week, and some of those days had multiple happenings. that's a tiring week without presents and holiday plans to think about. after reading this post, i've been thinking a lot about what our weeks look like -- what's best for mama and boys and husband and family and friends. i don't know that i'll go down to one event a week, but this past week was definitely too many.

i'm thankful today's slow down and breathe day of the pre-christmas season happened on december 12th. because i don't really want to spend the remaining time of anticipating christmas in anxious anticipation. christmas is celebrating Christ coming to be with us. and He has taken away my reason to be anxious!

also, at the request of my dear friend, jamie, i'm rereleasing (what i think is) the greatest christmas mix ever mixed, the one and only, it's all christmas! in this special edition, i'm including both the hillary duff and paul mccartney versions of wonderful christmas time to delight both classic and contemporary fans alike. who wants one? for real, i might be so well-rested and merry after today that i may send you a copy.

happy tuesday, friends :)

(yep, this is real. i don't believe it either.)

some moments from this week:

joseph methodically grouping all of his cars and trucks. one night, jeremy found joseph reading stories to all of the vehicles. order to the two-year-old chaos is so fascinating.

an afternoon of (finally) folding (overflowing baskets of) laundry so vigorously that i (nearly) started sweating, all the while finding myself rehearsing fighting words to be had between laundry and me -- my favorite: "alright laundry, let's dance." does taking pictures of laundry make it go away faster? no. no, it does not.

baby jude and big boy joseph take a bath. separately. adorably.

i'm not sure this moment was anything but a mama wants a picture of herself with jude moment. still, a good moment.

happy tuesday, friends. :)

thankful for:

two little boys asleep around mama on the twin-sized dot bed
the thankful tree full of circles of thankfuls
stuffing with gravy
peppermint mocha creamer coffee date with amy
jude in his owl hat perfectly coordinated with aunt meliss
tractors in big red barns
aunt rach
paper snowflakes
grilled cheese sandwiches
come thou fount of every blessing
$14 jeans -- ahem, $14 skinny jeans (thank you, steph, for your inspiration)
a week off with jeremy
the every once in a while full-circle feeling of driving jeremy linneman's 4runner with his sons in back

mitten garland (inspired by this)

mama time away

this boy:

also, my husband is putting up our christmas tree. it looks so beautiful. and i'm about to (tomorrow) make more paper source inspired but not purchased garland for it -- i love ideas that are free. and a few minutes ago, my sweet husband said to me (kindly), "from now on, just think of me like this: my husband who doesn't eat cheese. or sausage. for at least the next six months. for the sake of our marriage." so...you're saying you don't like sausage? so...you're saying you didn't like that sausage pasta we had last night? nngulp.

additional thankfuls:

fresh joy

my home feels full of joy.

it's been full of friends the past couple of days.
and i moved joseph's kitchen set from our kitchen to his room.
and in its previous location, now a cafe-style table area in a somewhat-more spacious kitchen is possible.
and it's sunny outside.
and i've got a thankful tree in progress.
and i just feel the Lord's presence here.



i like it.

there was a wonderful moment this morning in which joseph, who had been immersed in lego-land while i picked up his rocking chair and removed it from his room, stood up from lego-land, stood in the spot where the rocking chair usually sits, stared straight ahead, looked at me in confusion, failed to get out the words rocking chair in said confusion and instead started making a rocking chair gesture, and finally was able to ask "where'd the rocking chair go?" after i prompted "are you looking for the rocking chair?" so amazing. i don't even know why. but it was.

i hope your day is filled with similar wonderful moments.



p.s. my home is also filled with laundry. will somebody please tell me how to win the jessie vs. basket of unfolded laundry that shuffles from room to room but neglects to be folded battle?

favorite boys

i've been attempting to document the massiveness that is jude victor after a mama from playgroup said to me, in utter awe at his size, "i hope you're documenting this." here's a sample of what i've got so far:

seriously. this kid is huge.

i've also wanted to document some of the amazingness that is joseph bourne's growing talkativity, but it seems unless i write it down immediately, all of the things i found so hilarious are completely forgotten by the end of the day. here's what i remember from today:

joseph: mine wants to watch thomas.

me: we just watched thomas; want to go for a walk outside?

joseph: mine wants an ice cream cone.

joseph: (holding stomach after breakfast) i don't feel very good.

me: you don't feel very good? what's the matter?

joseph: i need to go turn on the fan in my room. mine will touch it.

me: the fan in your room? you'll touch the fan you're not supposed to touch?

joseph: mine will feel much better.

such a mom post :)

i've been waiting to get it together to post.

hence, the delay. :)

the Lord has used this season of life to point me with dramatic clarity to this fact: i don't have it together. i don't. not even a little bit. and by dramatic clarity i mean oh my am i tired from all the learning and growing and stretching He's been doing in my heart.

but i'm thankful. i'm more thankful for Jesus than i've ever been.

and i'm thankful for these little guys.







p.s. wanna make one of these with me?

admittedly:

using raisins as going potty motivation works a lot better than force. i suggest you learn this lesson outside of the panera restroom.

a two-year-old incorporating pronouns into their vocabulary may be one of the cutest things in the entire world. also amazing: adverbs, such as, "mine (pronoun) was eating this, too (adverb)" spoken by sweet boy when i found him sitting on my bed sqeezing air into his nose with the nasal aspirator as he held up jude's pacifier with the other hand.

yes, yes, i did in fact google "parts of speech identifier" for that last one. annnd my degree is in journalism. oops.

i could live in fall forever. also, i'm a little terrified of winter coming soon but not too soon, right? being outside in the fall is just so wonderful. and it keeps toddlers pretty happy, too. joseph and eeny have way fewer incidences of one making the other cry when we're playing outside. my theory is that it's because nothing belongs to either of them so the whole sharing thing is taken out of their interactions. the whole sharing thing..i'm wondering what material possession in my life that i really like i'm always happy about sharing. hmm..

sometimes as a mom, my main perogative is to keep my son from hitting other kids. sometimes i spend most of playgroup attempting to prevent joseph-attack from the sidelines. i suspect a lot of it is that i think good moms have kids who never hurt other kids. not true. but a lot of it is also that i'm responsible for the little guy, and i have to teach him not to hit. or bite. or tackle. well, tackling is okay in certain contexts.

i think it would be kind of amazing if the facial expression a person thought communicated "i care about & understand what you're saying" actually communicated the opposite except that they never knew. i was just thinking about that today for some reason, probably unadmitted fear that i'm that person. oh no, am i? :)







i'm off to (attempt to) transform a green hoodie into a snap-snap (some sort of green reptile with teeth and horns..most likely a crocodile but could be a dinosaur) for joseph's halloween costume. happy tuesday, friends!