My Babies {4/52}

“Crafty Concentration” :: I like to buy the little wood crafts at Michaels for Elijah to paint. He really gets into it. We still have a bird house that we painted last year hanging on one of our Aspen trees. It’s green and orange paint is faded. The premises are vacant. I am not even sure if a little bird could even fit through it’s hole. I have to say that this new bird house’s colors are my favorite yet…I think they complement each other quiet nicely. And a certain little boy is insistent that we put some bird food in it before we hang it on a tree. I suppose it’s kind of like when a realtor encourages a homeowner to bake chocolate chip cookies before a showing…except not because I am not even sure if the prospective birdhouse dwellers could even smell the proverbial bird cookies through such a small opening. Nevertheless, the paint job is a darn good one. 😉

“Sleeping Beauty” :: Of course I would title Ella’s picture that, right? My girl is such a good little sleeper. I am SO thankful for that quality in her. She goes to bed at 730-ish and wakes up around 830-ish. Then she takes a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. She falls asleep easily and wakes up happy. It’s just the perfect combination. Oh, and she is one of those kiddos who you can actually transfer from the car to her bed during her nap. It’s truly a miracle. You know what else is a miracle? The blanket that she is sleeping with. It was mine when I was little. It still looks amazing AND I didn’t throw it away. I have a really bad habit of throwing/giving things away so that I am not even close to being a hoarder. But since the blanket somehow made it through…I can now listen to Ella talk about the animals that I remember studying when I was little. Priceless.

My Babies {3/52}

Elijah Michael::// This picture of my boy captures so much of our daily life. It’s somewhat a mess. He loves to wear his new Nike “golf ” shoes that are just really Nike shoes. He likes to use the stool in the corner to climb up on the counter to look for treats or access things he shouldn’t be touching. Several different toys are scattered around him. He isn’t really playing with any of them but if Ella even thinks about touching one then it is obviously the end of the world. Here he has put all the letters in order (somewhat) and is now intent on spelling his name.

Ella Lindsay::// She and Turbo have a unique relationship. Turbo usually hates his life when there are kids around. But I know that deep down in his 6 pound little body that he has a special place for Ella. Her sweetness has penetrated his heart… or maybe it is all the food she “drops” to him on a daily basis. Or maybe the handfuls of treats she gives to him while I am making dinner. Or even the way she asks where he is every morning. Or perhaps it is her concern for him when he goes outside and it is cold. Maybe Turbo only really knows… But whatever it is, he tolerates her grabbing and pulling and snuggling. She loves to pull on his paws so that he licks her. She loves to throw his toys around. She loves to squeeze him till he growls. And he keeps coming back for more. Just wait Turbo, someday, if Ella is anything like her mama, she will have you buckled in a baby stroller in no time. 🙂 

My Babies {2/52}

It is no secret that Elijah is a busy and inquisitive little guy. Finding toys that capture his attention for long periods of time can be a challenged. Then at Christmas one of his grandparents gave him a giant floor puzzle {a Doug and Melissa brand one}. The first time that we put it together, he was focused the entire time. He LOVED it. And then he loved it just as much every time we pulled it out after that. I think that he liked the challenge and the satisfaction he got when he figured it out. So for Valentine’s Day I got him another smaller puzzle and he loved that just as much. He woke up early in the morning to put it together in his bathroom {at 5 in the morning!}. He would let me work on the computer while he put it together {a true miracle}. I never really liked puzzles when I was younger but I have also found a new love for them. I  like the challenge but even more so, I like the quality time with my favorite little boy.

Ella loves milk.  Period. But she really only loves it one way…warm. And because she is my baby…we heat it a good 45 seconds in the microwave before giving it to her in one of two “Ella-approved” sippy cups. One of my favorite things to do is hold her while she drinks it, especially before she falls asleep. It reminds me of when she was a little baby. And now days, I find that her babyhood is slipping away more quickly than I would like. So I shall keep heating up her milk…until she leaves for college. 😉

 

My Babies

First Born {SOOC}

The Baby {SOOC}

Their eyes really are that blue. 😉

 

Monday’s

and I have a love/hate relationship.

I love them because I don’t have to go to work.

I *hate* them because I usually have to go grocery shopping.

Adventuring

Somewhere I read that it was supposed to be 60* today. Ha! I swear my iPhone weather  changes every minute. I have got to stop relying on that thing. 😉//^Elijah is obviously thrilled!^^^//

Today I planned an adventure. And every time I tell Elijah we are going on one, he worries that this is going to happen again. #momfail #scaredofbeesforlife #heloveshoneythough #irony #illstopnow

I grew up in Monument, CO and we lived on and near a bunch of land that I used roam upon {without fear} through out my childhood. I think my time exploring laid the foundation for my love of nature. Being outside, exploring, hiking, doing really anything {besides raking pine needles…} truly refreshes my soul. I even take the back roads to work these days because I pass along some open fields and clusters of trees instead of grocery stores and stop lights.

Nevertheless, my children happen to think that going “out” means a trip to Target or Walmart or Kohls. I feel sad about that. They don’t really have what I had {and still miss}. Therefore I am trying to make a conscious effort to give them opportunities to explore the world. We don’t exactly live close to the mountains anymore {they are more than an hour away} so today we paid $9 to go to a local state park.

The back story…

Now that our Christmas cards finally made it to their respective destinations, I can share the photos with you all!

The picture of love

My mom was married to my dad for almost 23 years.

She has been bringing flowers (twice a year) to his grave for 18 years.

This year, when she went, it was freezing outside and there was a funeral going on nearby so she couldn’t spend a lot of time trying to find his gravestone under the blanket of snow. Since I live closer to his grave than my mom, I offered to go back for her once it had warmed up. This past Sunday we went with the kids. We put the flowers on and I took the picture to send it to my mom.

The experience helped me to realize how lucky I am to have parents that loved each other like this.

18 years is a long time. Some people aren’t even married for that long. And still, she keeps going. Rarely do I hear about it or even know when she goes. She doesn’t Facebook or Instagram the photos. No one see’s the beautiful flowers or even praises her for going. My dad may see it from heaven or he may not. But she does it out of the overflow of love from her heart and to honor their relationship. 

Sometimes love is like the movies–passionate, fun, exhilarating and new. But more often it is seen in simple acts of monotony–cleaning the dishes, changing a diaper, fixing a meal, or putting flowers on a grave.

 

From his lips…

E: “Mom, are you going to work today?”

Me: “Yes. I am leaving now.” {dressed in scrubs}

E: “But you are still dressed in your pajama’s! You can’t leave yet.”

—–

Me: “Bye Elijah! I will see you later.” {wearing my red peacoat}.

E: “Bye mom. You look like Santa!”

—–

E: “Oh look! There is a dog. He is white because I like to pet him!”

—–

E: Ella say, “shhh!”

E: Say “shhhhhh Ella!”

Ella: “shhhh”

E: “Ella stop that. That’s bad.”

A little piece of my heart

Sometimes…when I think about my dad and that I really only knew him for 11 years, it feels like a long time. But when I think about how many years have passed since I last saw him {almost 19}, it really doesn’t feel that long at all.

But what it always does help me to understand is this: When you are loved, truly loved, by someone and you truly, deeply love them back in return, the amount of time you spend together doesn’t really matter.