It Done Blew Up...

So... Christmas decorating.  It kind of took over there for a little minute.  And it was complete and utter chaos with a tornado of glitter, shattered bulbs and discarded pine needles. 

I don't know why it was all encompassing.  Well, just kidding, I totally do.  I feel it.  The pressure to make one of my favorite holidays become a favorite of my littles... full of lights and magic and tradition and all kinds of yumminess for their little memories to gobble up.  I know that the moment we put a mini tree in each of their rooms - they were sold, but what is a mama good for if not stressing over the details to ensure that "Christmas is Awesome" thoughts run through their little heads?  Am I right?

Anywho... we shoved in a couple of "Do it yourself" projects because - well, we can "do it ourselves" y'all and it's fun to get my project on with my little task oriented soldiers.  The little troops gathered and spray painted pine cones with me for the tree and I made a wreath courtesy of Pinterest using those nasty peppermint disks that everyone hates to eat except after the occasional over-garlicky restaurant meal when one of them is welcomed.  

And tada... We done finished decking the halls.
Hallelujah.

After a couple of days of unloading bins and decorating and redecorating and then packing and restacking empty bins.... oh geez, these little kids deserved a sweet reward and we all needed to guzzle an icy bev and kick up our heels.

Soooo... off we went.  For a couple of blue ocean waters and one Diet Coke
and a pony ride... or Twelve.

  

   

And it's done... the decorating and the shopping - it's all history.  And so I say, bring it, December.  We've got "pretty lights" to see and Santa to chat with and hot chocolate to drink and reindeer jammies to wear... maybe with our Sunnies... we're cool like that.

And I, for one... CAN NOT wait.  

:)

The Littlest...

Meet the littlest lawn mower in all the land.

He takes his business a little bit seriously.

I love this baby...

Way more than a little.

Thanks - Give it to Me Baby...

I am thankful that Kaelster can and does peel his own Cuties.  Not only that, I practically melt when he peels and separates one for his bestie, Dax Man.

I am thankful that Acey has rad nicknames like, "Boo" (long story) and that Daximus screwed it up to create a hilarious new nickname, "Boobie".  And so it begins...

I am thankful for two whole days... Christmas shopping and talking NON-FREAKING-STOP with my bestie, sans babies, while our amazing hubs' held down the home fronts.

Addendum to that...

I am thankful for a bestie.  Seriously, does anyone get all nostalgic and giddy and generally sound like a Positive Action song when they get to hang with a friend from high school?  I know, right?!

Are you totally wondering about these pumpkin carving pics?  

Oh yeah, I am grateful to have toddlers that want to carve their pumpkins on November 18th while I bake pies. 
Calendar?  Where we're from, we don't need any calendar...

I am thankful for a hubs.  Not just any hubs, my hubs.  My kids adore him.  He is the best kisser (ya heard me) and he totally appreciates what I do all while doing what he does and providing for us so that I can do what I do.  (Did we just come full circle?)  He's a little Nicholas Sparks novel masculine hero-esque.  Or a lot - depends on the day.  :)

I am thankful for our home.  It is frequently disheveled and almost always loud, but it is our place in this world and let's just go ahead and say it... the people I share it with rock my socks off.

I am thankful for Acey who cruises around our house like a little Turrets babe.  His latest tricks are Patty Cake and "No, No, No" along with "SIT DOWN!" and "Buh Bye".  He randomly shares these tricks in the most unfitting moments and it makes me laugh.

I am thankful for the Holidays.  I know it sounds super cheese, but don't you think that traditions and the focus on love and our blessings just bring out the best in most people?  Pretty soon Christmas is going to vomit all over our house and I can barely contain myself!

I am thankful to be a mama.  I know that sometimes you're like, "No shoot, Sherlock", that's basically all you ever write about.  But you know what?  These little people make me smile every single day.  And holla.  And smile.  And for some reason, the Heavens put us all on the same team.  And I love it.

I am thankful for cinnamon bears.  Because, it's nice to have something soft and cinnamon and the way they stick to your teeth to provide a much more substantial snack than they actually are?  Genius.

I am thankful for family.  More than just my silly little troop, but Ry's parents and my parents and our siblings.  I appreciate all they do for us and I can't tell you how comforting it is to be surrounded by people that love us and want what is best for us.

I am thankful for DVR.  Every night when RyGar and I get some "us time"... we just watch and fast forward and watch and pause and watch and - OH - we have been spoiled by a silly little TV technology.  Bless you, DVR.

And I guess some of these are trite, but the usual feelings of gratitude still apply for our freedom and our comforts of life and our religion and our able bodies and healthy minds.  The gravity of our blessed life is not lost on me.  But sometimes, it's the little things too.... a series of lots of little seemingly insignificant things throughout the day that leave you feeling full and happy and blessed.

So, there it is.  My grateful list for 2012.  And it doesn't hurt that my life is, literally, the greatest.  I was born lucky so I can't really take any credit for it.  And I have RyGar now, who steers this ship like a seasoned Cap-ee-Tan... but since it is indeed MY life, I'm gonna brag, just a smidgeon, and bask in it... 'Cause I can.

Trophy Hubs...

I do believe I made mention that RyGar was out of town.  Oh yeah, I think that came up when I listed off the reasons I was slowly pulling out my hair last week?

Anyway, I digress... RyGar was out "in the mountains wooking for ewk" as the littles would tell you.  And of course, the hunt began with temps like -8 and mountain blizzards.  So the hunt obsessed men of the family bundled in camo and sported fuzzy facial hair.  This is all getting downright titillating, right? :)

But blizzards and chasing animals the size of Clydesdales that can scale mountainsides through whipping winds and make it look like a walk in the park was no excuse for coming up empty handed.  My man and his posse just wouldn't be who they are if they didn't bring home a trophy.

Here he is, my Marlboro man, (Oh he's gonna die that I wrote that!) looking ruggedly handsome and totally successful...

RyGar told me he was fine with this big mature bull but that it wasn't massive. 

I told him I thought it was reminiscent of a dinosaur.  

So... potato, po-taught-o... or however the saying goes....

And for the record, the littles are with me... "Daddy's ewk is UGE!"

Congrats, RyGar!

Ramblings...

Awesome little Ramblings...  

So, hold the phone because this post is pretty much for this mama and her hubs and our future posterity.  Yep, a long old drawn out journal entry that you should only read if you're stuck in line for a caramel apple beverage at Starbucks and you're hard up for a little humor or something.  I promise... it's kinda lame if you're anyone but me.

OK, now that I got that out.... Here are some of my most favorite recent little ramblings from our littles. Let's face it - 1 + 2 + 3 = Hilarious.  Downright goof ball, crazy one-liners that make me swoon at my mama status.  Here goes nothin'...

In the car, "Hold on Cheetos, we're gonna go up a hill!"  Way to take care of your little orange BFFs, Kaelster.

In the backyard, before we commenced play, we had to, um, "clean up" after Coop as always, if you know what I mean... "Come on guys!  Wets go scoop the poop!  Mom, der's one right der!  OOOHHH That's a freshy, babe!"  Seriously, Dax... who are you?

At Grampa's red house while we were visiting the horse, "Horsey, see Kael's hand?  Come a get a treat!  It's a apple horsey!  It's yum yummy see?"  This after he takes a big old bite to prove his point.

We took a drive the other night and drove by Ryan's brother's lot.  Dax observed, "Oh man, Mike's house is all dirt.  That's cwazy!  Ya can't wive in dirt!"

In the car on the way to preschool as Dax was crying over his lack of juice, Big K asked, "What's your prob, Daxi?"

In the bedroom while the boys were chattering/trying to fall asleep, "Kael, did ya make a pway doh poop today?  Ewww Gross, Kael."  Commence barrels of laughter.

Meet Bill Gates, the mini version...

As I was folding laundry Kaelster came running downstairs from the playroom, "I'm goin to the rodeo, Mom.  I got my hat but I need my car keys.  I be right back.  Wove you, bye."

The ongoing debate in the car is one of life's deep questions... the lyrics to "Skip to My Lou".  Dax insists it goes, "Woo, Woo, Skip to my Woo... Skip to my Woo my Gardner."  And Kaelster is certain the words are, "Woo, Woo, Skip to my Woo... Skip to my Woo my Darmin."  This is a heated debate that we have yet to work out.  Go figure.

While watching a Little Einsteins movie, Kael shouted out, "There's Grampa Hooky!" The screen showed a shot of Mount Rushmore.  Oh, Grandpa, you presidential old gem, you!  And Aunt Kim, you are THE Mona Lisa.  Flattered or not?  Hey, you can't make this stuff up.

In the car, Kenny Chesney's song, Come Over came on.  Dax Man yelled, "Yay, Kael it's 'Come Oh'!  Wets sing 'Come Oh', Kael.  Mom, do you want Daxi and Kael to sing 'Come Oh'?" Uh, HECK YES I do.

In the play room, "Oh Acey you got a booger?  Oh, I know, Acey... I get you a tissue."  What a sweet and empathetic brother you are, Dax Man.

As I was doing dishes Kaelster asked, "Hey Mom what does a turkey say?"  After I answered he said, "What does another turkey say?  What does a bwu turkey say?  What does a yewow turkey say?"  And on and on through the rainbow...

In the drive through, "Mom, I don't want a corn dog - I want a whart hog!"  Where, pray tell, did you learn about whart hogs, Dax man?

Kaelster's giant, "uge" tower tipped over and he exclaimed, "OH MACARENA!"

In the car after we sipped on some "Bwu Ocean Water" from Sonic Big K burped and Dax said, "That was a good burp my friend!"

Our big boy likes to take an apple to preschool teacher, "Miss Cimi"

And just to keep it Real...

In between these little golden nuggets of humor, there is real life in the form of,

Things that sort of Blow...

Placing your order at the drive thru only to find out between placing said order and actual pick up that you forgot your wallet.  WHO does that?  I wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out.  SO embarrassing.

Ramming yourself in the gut/reproductive organs with a snow shovel for the first time of the season.  As if I really even needed to shovel our first skiff of the white stuff.  I was just playing along with my little buddies.  Dang cracks are gonna be the death of me and my ovaries.

Spending Friday night with a head lamp and a hoodie on as we screwed metal to our trampoline frame.  Are we dedicated to the safety of our kids or what?  Fetch, if I knew it would be that cold the weekend we chose to sink the tramp, I'd have thought twice before I bought the dang thing.

The hostile planet that is Utah.  This dry winter air is already giving me the "itchy woochies" and my first split fingertip.  Do you get those in the winter?  I'm shriveling up like a raisin here.  I think the only fix might be a trip to a tropical climate.  Right?

So... I just might trolley on off to Hotwire or somewhere to toy with the idea of a Hawaiian getaway.

Rambler, out.

Up to No Good...

Where did the week go?

Seriously what the what have we been doing?

...Playing nurse to a little snot rocket baby boy as he battled his first "real" cold...

...Chasing after "Swiper" and Nacho Libre as they perused through every drawer of Daddy-Os looking for "treasures" like his specs and creating stunning little get ups...

...Considering hibernating with my little warm bunkin as we awoke to the first significant snows of the season...

...Coloring with "Crains" and painting "Wif water and toof-brushes".
We're regular art-Eests around here...

...Watching election results and feeling a little miffed when our man, Mitt lost.  But we all applauded him as one of those politicians who fought a good fight and bowed out graciously.  

P.S. Kaelster heard "boating" instead of "voting" and was ticked at the false advertising when we left the premise and still no swimsuit...

...Started Christmas shopping - Oh that first gift, Right?  That first gift just makes me smile!...

...Cheered on the Jazz to victory in the not cheap seats (but free to us)... free is the best...

...Bubbled our cares away as we made ourselves look like Santa (or George Washington)...

So here's the real deal.  

RyGar is out of town and that makes me the single mama to two toddlers and a sick baby plus there was a snow storm which put us squarely stuck inside for the bulk of the weekend plus there was our dryer that kicked the bucket which meant a constant line of crusty drying things hanging all over the house.... and you know what?  I am ready for a long afternoon of absolutely nothing.

No, really, I would probably do something super stellar like drive to the library and stare at a wall and feel like it was paradise.

But alas ("Glass half full.... Glass half full... Glass half full...) I am realizing how grateful I am to have a hubs who doubles as a bacon bringer-homer and a killer dad.  I am grateful for my mostly healthy and happy toddlers and a baby who makes the coldest wintery day warm and hilarious.  A brand spankin' new washer and dryer will be delivered to yours truly on Wednesday AND I have a date with an old friend (she's not old... just our friendship is old and cozy like that long lost sweat shirt) coming soon. 

Take that.  No really, stick it where the sun don't shine crappy last week.  

Onward and Upward, Ya'll.

On a Chilly Night...

You might need to snuggle.

And give hugs & kisses...

Like an Adorable Little Bear Cub...

Infatuated with his Papa Bear.

-xoxo-