Hanging Memories

December 17, 2015December 17, 2015Leave a comment

When we were first married, we had the skinniest, fake Christmas tree. It was this sad little thing, but it was in the budget. I added big strands of garland to it to beef it up and disguise the fact that we didn’t have many ornaments.

See what I mean? (And yes, that is snow outside! Kind of miss that. For like a second.)

Every year since, I have bought an ornament with the year on it and popped our Christmas card picture into it. It’s so fun decorating the tree and pulling out those sweet memories. The little faces, furry faces and younger faces – all of them holding a little story of what life was like when they were created.

I’ve got the process down to a science now – as soon as I upload our Christmas card picture, I have one printed on ShutterFly in wallet size. Then I order the yearly ornament from Pottery Barn. I love the simplicity of the frame and how they are just a little different each year.

I think the part I love the most is when Auggie walks around the tree and exclaims “There’s me! There’s you, Baylor! There’s all of us!!”. It’s perfect.

And now that we have legit school pictures, I think we might need to start a new tradition with those…

So the Christmas tree this year is a bit better than that first tree…we had a very Griswold moment picking it out, getting it home and then getting it to stay upright. I still have sap on my hands.

The one that started it all

And finally the newest addition

Dear Home Buyer

May 7, 2015May 7, 20151 Comment

Dear Prospective Home Buyer,

Yea! You’re home shopping. Good for you. So fun. Just wanted to point out one thing to you; you know that cute house you just called and asked if you could have a last minute showing? Yeah, there’s a family that lives in that house. I know! Who knew. Well, that family is busy. Like crazy busy. And when they have to show their house, they have to spend an extra hour or so stashing kid stuff and vacuuming dog hair and making it look like they don’t live there despite the fact they do and pretty much losing their minds to make sure the house looks amazingly unlived in.

So, when you schedule that last minute showing the one thing should never, ever do? Is not show up to said house showing. And you should definitely not not call when you know you’re not going to show up. And then when the realtor calls you and says WTF, you should absolutely not not apologize and then reschedule for the weekend. Because when you schedule a last minute showing and then you don’t show and you don’t call you risk pushing the mother of the previously mentioned family over the edge. And when she gets pushed over the edge, she’s going to hunt you down and give you lice. And make you step on Legos. And while those things don’t sound awful, they are. They’re annoyingly awful. Much like cleaning and stashing and straightening and then fleeing a house for NO ONE TO SHOW UP.

Anyway, best of luck on a new house! Keep your eyes peeled for Legos!

Beth

The Mac Attack

May 5, 2015February 14, 2017Leave a comment

We all know I was not such a big fan of getting a dog. I love dogs, don’t get me wrong. But a 4 year old, a 1 year old AND a puppy?? It was a recipe made for a nice little rehab in Tucson.

Flash forward almost two years and I’ll give you one guess who this dog loves the best (I mean, besides Auggie). That’s right, yours truly. And secretly…I really love him too. I even kicked a kid out of the jogger for him.

And I’ve learned a lot about Labs. Like the fact that they have iron stomachs and can eat anything. Literally anything. I’ve picked up more poop with remnants of things that should never go into a dog, let alone come out of a dog. I’ve discovered that he’s eaten liquid ant bait, twice. And not so much as a vet visit. BUT. And there’s a big but…Labs have horrible skin. I realized the first summer we had him, he itched all the time. Like ALL THE DAMN TIME. It was loud. It was annoying and it made for extra dog hair everywhere.

After consulting friends, the Wag ‘N Wash and the internet, I found a great blog that recommended a brand of treat/vitamins called Cloud Star. They have a blend that is great for skin, especially Lab skin. After changing his food to totally grain free, adding coconut oil to his meals and trying to get him to drink water with nothing really working on the problem, I was skeptical to try the treats. But much to my surprise, they really worked! His fur was shiny, the scratching and itching was way down and the shedding seemed better too. Mac seems to be happy about it too.

You know, just having a lazy Saturday, watching the Masters

Do you have any good dog skin tricks to try? Let me know – there can always be less hair around here!

Little Whispers

January 26, 2015Leave a comment

I’m so grateful for little whispers from Heaven. The little messages from Mamie that let me know she’s still here. Still sees her Baylor. And that knows we talk about her, pray for her, think of her, and say her name every day.

From the moment Baylor was born, Mame would tell Baylor when you are a little bigger, you can walk down to my house and we’ll make biscuits with butter and grape jelly. We’ll put chocolate milk in tea cups and we’ll have a party.

When I got Baylor’s snack schedule for January, I nearly fell over my own feet reading it. Today is Baylor’s snack day and her assigned snack was biscuits, butter, grape jelly and milk. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh, cry or both.

Thanks Mamers. We miss you and love you too.

See Peter Run

January 20, 2015Leave a comment

A HUGE congratulations is due to Peter for finishing the 2015 Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon yesterday! He finished just over 2 hours (which he is supremely unhappy with, because he’s him) with minimal injuries; a large blister, sore muscles, etc.

The kids and I biked a few miles down the road to cheer him on as he ran by and then we went on to the finish line. It was a crush of humanity, but we miraculously we found him to congratulate him. And in true dad form, he immediately handed over his medal to the munchkins.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The race started out in the 50’s and the high was in the low 70’s. Perfection!

I drug him with me to yoga this morning to get him stretched out. He grumbled the entire way there but by the end, he was making plans to work in a class a week. I’m hoping he doesn’t find a yoga competition to sign up for next…!

A Mindful 2015

January 5, 2015Leave a comment

I hate new years resolutions. I get that it’s a good time to drop bad habits and gain some good ones, but I always struggle with doing it right after the let down of Christmas.

A few weeks ago, I had something hanging over my head. It was this crummy feeling that I couldn’t shake and no amount of talking it out, waiting it out, crying it out, dancing it out would make it go away. Finally, late one evening I just sat in silence. I realized what was at the heart of the issue and then made a decision to move past. Listening to my brain think (as odd as that sounds) and my heart talk was all I needed to loose that heavy feeling and feel better.

So for 2015, I’m resolving for more meditation. I’m not a quiet person (somewhere in downtown Phoenix, Peter is laughing in agreement) so sitting and or being quiet is not really in my nature. I did a little research on meditation and how to do it. Stupid, I know. But really, how do you meditate? What should I focus on? Not focus on? How should I breathe? For how long? I came across a really simple explanation of Mindful Meditation and how mindfully meditate. What I like most about this technique is that it’s very simple. At the basic level, it’s taking account of your body; how it’s feeling, moving, breathing. Letting thoughts flow in and out of your mind…or not at all. It’s enough thought for those time when sitting still is hard and not so much thought that it’s not easy to follow. Just enough instruction that I will actually be able to do it.

And so far? It’s been awesome. Maybe it’s just getting a few deep breaths in while the kids are napping, maybe it’s just a minute of calm, but it’s been so energizing. Something about those 5-10 minutes makes a huge difference.

Now if I can just get this guy out of my lap while I’m meditating, I’ll be in business.

We Don’t Need No Stinking Training Wheels

December 30, 2014Leave a comment

So this happened this weekend…

Much to our amazement, she nailed it 5 minutes after the wheels came off! It was far less traumatic than I thought it would be. Peter gets all the credit – I wasn’t even brave enough to go to the park until I heard it was going well. She even mastered starting herself by the time we left the park. Next up, turning.

And of course the little guy had to be part of it. He decided that he too needed a push. Do you hear him say “Me two three TOO!!” Translation: say one two three and push me too! I also love his glide and look back. Such a ham.

More Christmas

December 29, 2014December 29, 2014Leave a comment

I want more Christmas. I want more nights snuggled on the couch, watching holiday movies. More cinnamon candles. More holiday parties. More Christmas cards. More excuses to make and eat a lot of sugar cookies. I’m not ready for it to be over!

And here’s why…we had a great Christmas season:

We visited Santa’s workshop

Rode the camels at Zoo Lights Someone insisted on going by herselfBraved the lines at the Train Park with our friends, the D family, for the 4th (we think…) year in a row!

(I swear those kids were happier than they look in the picture…apparently waiting for an hour to ride the train took it’s toll…)

Made some super awesome cookies for Santa. Note the difference in Baylor and Auggie’s decorating technique.

And celebrated with the whole family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

I know by the end of the week I’ll be ready to pack it all up and be ready to be done. But for now, I’m soaking up every last minute.

Merry Christmas 2014!

December 24, 2014December 23, 2014Leave a comment

Wishing you and yours the very Merriest Christmas!

Oh How They Grow

December 15, 2014Leave a comment

We got the best surprise at Auggie’s school Christmas program last week – he sang! My money was on him crying his eyes out the entire time. But instead, he quietly sang along to 1 Little 2 Little 3 Little Reindeer and was particularly enthusiasic about the HEY! arm swing and all.

Sadly, his perfectly matched and pressed pants did not make it to the show. Sigh. Oh well. At least he was wearing pants, even if they were his back ups.

Please forgive my pictures – I was A. hiding from him and B. not using a flash so I didn’t distract them!

At this point my mom leaned over and said “Goodness they are tiny! I can’t believe B was this small at her first show!”. I dug around and sure enough, they were that small. It’s so cute to see all her buddies in these pictures were singing with her this year too.