Random Superlatives 2012

I have 2 confessions.

(1) I was ready to box up Christmas on the 26th of a December (a far cry from my childhood days of whining while we took the tree down on New Years Day.  I could have kept Christmas year 'round back then.)

(2) I look forward to doing this and my goal post starting back in November.  I don't know what it is about wrapping up the old year and starting anew. 

So here we go with my Random Superlatives for this past year...


~Favorite book read (even though it took me for-e-ver to get through:) Memoirs of a Geisha

~Favorite movie checked out from the library and watched on a night S was working, just so he wouldn't harrass me: Memoirs of a Geisha

~Best deal that ended up costing me more money in the end: going to Downeast Basics for an $80 pair of capris...only to find that they were 40% off that day!  So I bought 2 pair...

~Most incredible new recipe tried (and to be shared on my craft blog at some point, don't worry:) Black and White Cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy

~Best use of a cooking appliance rarely ever used before: Slow Cooker (Seriously.  It's probably had more use this year than the last 10 years we've owned it.)

~Best personal trainer: Bean.  After my c-section, she took me on several walks to the juice station on the maternity floor.  She wanted juice.  I needed to get back on my feet.  Perfect solution.

~Favorite song:  Three-way tie between Adele 'Skyfall,' David Guetta 'Titanium,' and September 'Cry For You.'

~Best gift received (other than having S home for Christmas for the first time in 4 years...which was my facebook status update and which I very sincerely meant:) it could be the room (and desk and shelves...) that S built for me.  Or it could be my new iPhone Santa brought me.  Or it could be my kitty-cat footsie pajamas (there's a whole other story behind that one.)  But I would have to say my 4 stone birthstone pendant he gave to me on our 10th anniversary in the very spot where we first met.  One of the most memorable moments I've ever shared with him. 

~Scariest moment: being left home alone with 2 kids for a week while S went to some out of state training.  Boy was only 10 weeks old.  Nothing catastrophic happened but I sure was glad to see S again!

~Favorite movie I expected to like (and did:) a tie between The Hunger Games and The Avengers

~Favorite movie I didn't expect to like as much as I did: What to Expect when You're Expecting.  Might have just been the proximity between watching this and Boy being born, but I cracked up during almost the whole movie!

~Thing I didn't miss at all while I was home with the kiddos this summer: Work politics, obnoxious behavior, and the doomsday-ism that tends to come with my job.  (Wow, that makes it sound horrible.  It really isn't that bad...)

~Thing that I don't miss about being home all of the time: the constant poopy diapers and spit-up that comes with a new bundle of joy.

~Proudest moment at work: validating two new instruments in record time AND validating them both to do antibody identifications when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant.  (I can multitask.)

~Proudest moment at home: when Bean came to me and told me that she had written her own name down.  I kind of nodded my head, "uh-huh," and didn't think much more until I went in the other room and...she had written her own name.  She's three going on twelve.  Also, surviving potty-training at the first of the year.

~Favorite date with S:  I loved our trip to Atlanta together last January (even though I nearly slept through half of it.)  I also loved our first evening out without the kids after Boy was born--an anniversary dinner up at Log Haven and then milling around City Creek for a few hours.  But the thing I remember the most was when Boy started sleeping well enough through the night so that S and I could stay up after the kids went to bed and watch a movie.  (I may have actually fallen asleep then, too, but I was thrilled when S suggested the idea!  It's the little things that show progress...)

~Favorite new website: Houzz.  It's like Pinterest, but with home design and remodeling in mind.  Their weekly emails are full of fantistic ideas (that I then pin to Pinterest, haha.)

~Most unexpected reaction on Christmas morning: when Bean refused to come downstairs because she thought that Santa Claus was still there.  Nothing like starting off the morning with kicking and screaming...

~Best new addition to the family: Boy.

This Christmas...

...Bean decorated her own gingerbread house,

(I did one too)

...and a graham cracker house.

Boy found his toes.

All of our ornaments were hung on the same branch with care.

Bean finally got to play in the snow,

...we survived the shortest day of they year (and the end of the world,)

... and we had the prettiest house on the block (minus a few bows that were lost in a wind storm.)

We partied with family (Boy and baby M are 5 months apart.)

Boy played with some cousins,

...and Bean.

Bean was introduced to the gift-wrap wars that ensue every year at Grandma/Grandpa-great's Christmas party.

Boy met Santa Claus for the first time,

...so did Bean.

She became deathly afraid of the dear Old Man,

...even after he gave her a present.

We left a key on our door so Santa could leave us presents,

and fill our stockings.

He ate his treats and left us a note

...and lots of presents.

We played with our new toys,

...and Boy played with the box.

Bean dressed up in Grandma J.'s Santa hat...and Minnie Mouse ears, and sang Christmas songs at the top of her lungs.

Hoping your Christmas was as wonderful and magical as ours was!

I tried to write a post about our latest happenings today and I just couldn't.

I've been thinking about these sweet kiddos of mine a lot these last few days...

My heart hurts when I think of those sweet children lost this week, and those who died trying to protect them.  I find myself grieving for people I don't even know.  I cannot begin to imagine what they are going through right now.

We all have "those days," you know, the ones where nothing goes right and you rush out the door and lose your patience with your little one who is going just a little bit too slow.  At the H home, we had two of them this week.  My biggest fear is that one or more of those families might have had one of those days as well and that they will have to live with that being their last memory.  I pray that this isn't the case.

I found out on my way to work via radio (it had been one of "those days" and I hadn't so much as turned the tv on.)  The rest of the day all I could think about was wanting to go home and be with my little Bean (and Boy too, of course.)  They spent the day with Grandma H so when I got off work that night, I went into the room where Bean was sleeping, crawled into bed next to her, and was silently overcome with emotion.  I thanked God that I was able to be the mother of these precious children and asked Him to somehow comfort those who had lost theirs.

I highly suspect that I am not the only person who has felt this way: there are probably a lot more mommies and daddies who hugging their kiddos a little more tightly now.

Thanksgiving Week

With not so successful holidays in recent memory, you would probably have thought that I was crazy to host Thanksgiving this year.  I've always wanted to, but I chicken out when I think of all the preparation. 

What am I going to make?

Where is everyone going to sit?

How on earth do I cook a turkey?

When Thanksgiving was brought up a month or so ago, my father-in-law jokingly said he was coming to our house this year.  S and I turned to each other and said, "Okay!"  I think he felt bad at first but I was already considering it and we thought, what the heck, let's go for it. 

We kept the invite list very small.  (We will expand said list as I become more confident.)

We assigned out a lot of the food, including the turkey.  This made it a no-brainer preparation on our end.  It literally only took a few hours to get everything ready.  (Did I mention I worked the night before?)

Here is the setup (yes, we used paper plates...)

It was probably one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever!  It was so casual and the company was excellent.  I don't think I felt stressed once.  Another perk?  S goes into deep-clean-mode anytime he even knows someone is going to visit so our house was spotless!  Also, our Thanksgiving movie this year was Brave--after the kids had gone to bed. 

I want to try this again.  Maybe next year.  I might even do the turkey this time.

Riding on the back of such a successful holiday, I didn't even want to set a foot out of the door on Black Friday.  So I didn't.

I told Bean that we would decorate the house instead.

She loved decorating for Halloween (which, I admit, I didn't undecorate our house from Halloween until Thanksgiving morning) so you can imagine how she felt about Christmas.  The pictures are poor quality but (top) Bean literally didn't stop running around the entire time we decorated and (bottom) she had to arrange the nativity scenes so that they matched the box exactly.  OCD?

We had leftovers for dinner that night and, as is usually the case, they were even better the second time around.

I was in a particularly good mood at this point so when we woke up on Saturday and S asked what plans I had for the day, I suggested we go get our Christmas tree.  I called my parents to see if they were game and they were (they even took us out to dinner afterward!)  We didn't even know if the lot we usually purchase from would be open yet, but was it ever!  There were more people there than I had ever seen before.

It was the end of November but it felt more like mid-October.  I laugh at my recent post on my craft blog (written last May) because I didn't think it would still be so warm.  Truth be told I'm actually ready for snow this year.  But on this outing, it was nice not to have to bundle the kiddos up.  Boy seemed to really enjoy the stroller ride.  And Grandma.

I feel like putting up real Christmas trees is almost becoming a thing of the past so I was really excited to see so many people out that day.  There is nothing like the real thing...

S had to work the next few days, but Bean made a Holiday "honey-do" list for him while he was gone.  The first on the list was putting the lights up on the house.  I am so lucky that S likes to do this.  I climbed a teeny ladder to hang the bows up on our garage lights and about passed out; my knees were shaking so hard. 

S headed out around lunch and didn't finish until just before dinner.  I always hold my breath when S is perched on top of our roof.  He's such a good guy though; our house looks Beautiful!!

Second on the list was decorating the tree.  S and I had set up the tree a few nights prior while Bean was in bed but it remained bare for the next couple of days.  I think the anticipation nearly killed her.  Right after dinner we started emptying ornament boxes.  She was hanging them up so fast that I couldn't keep up with her.

Most of the decorations are on the bottom branches--and mostly on the same branch--but there is no way I'm touching it: it is the best our tree has ever looked!

We finished off the week by going to the Festival of Trees.  If you've read my blog for awhile then you know this is a beloved tradition of mine and my mom's.  It was fun to add another member to our party this year.  Boy loved the stroller again and didn't even whimper the entire time we were there.  Bean got a little tired walking around (those trees can all start to look the same after awhile.)  When I asked her if she was having fun she said, "No, but probably when I get a little bit bigger."  Well, at least she's honest.  But when asked if she wanted to go back again next year, her response was an overwhelming "YES!"

Bean's favorite part of the day was watching the kids "put on a show."  This is because she will be "putting on a show" this weekend (i.e. recital!!)  Also, if you know how much Bean loves Mickey Mouse then this picture will be obvious.

What a wonderful way to start of the Christmas season!  As of today I am over 75% done with my shopping and all from the comfort of my computer chair.  I love Amazon.

Here's hoping that my holiday luck has turned and that it will stay that way through January!

Bean's Dancing School: Observation Day

A few weeks ago they let parents come watch Bean's dancing class for the entire hour.  It happened to be my birthday so S was home to watch Boy, so I could go enjoy myself distraction free.  I think at first Bean was confused as to why I was staying there, but she quickly got over it. 

They started off with tumbling.  Poor girl is still the only one who can't do somersaults by herself, but compared to how she was a few months ago, I can see huge improvements!  (Especially in her backbends!)

Then they moved to the jazz portion.  It was so cute seeing these girls do their "dancing exercises."  It really took me back to my teaching days.  Their technique is pretty primative at this age, but I thought Bean did exceptionally well at her chaines and pirouettes {for a 3-year old.}  Her leaps were better, too.  Last time I saw her try, she'd run up to the doll they had on the floor (which was supposed to be leapt over) and just hop over it.  This time she did kind of a one leg hop, but it definately resembled a leap more than a hop.

The best part of the class was when all of the girls finished their exercises.  They curled up into little balls on the ground (Bean layed out flat like a pancake) and each one would take turns "waking" another girl up with a magic wand.  I have to admit I reverted back to my dancing days and anxiously thought please don't let her be last, please don't let her be last...  She wasn't, but the girl who was hopped up angrily and stomped off saying "I HATE BEING LAST!"  I guess nothing really changes.

I thought this was so nice being able to come watch what she's doing.  I can tell a difference in her at home so I know she's learning something each week.  But it's nice to be able to connect with what she's telling me now.  Although I still have no idea what a "bus chin" is...

Fall-idays

In case anyone out there thinks that our holidays are always sprinkle-coated bundles of fun...

Labor Day

S was working this year, but his Aunt and Uncle were having a big Labor Day bash at their house for the whole family.  I thought it would be a fun excuse to take the kiddos out, especially Boy.  (This would be the first time many of his relatives would meet him, after all.)

It kind of started off on the wrong foot.  Naturally, my non-napping Bean decided to take a nap that day.  I had to wake her up from a sound sleep to go and she was grumpy.  Then I went to pack up our leftover coleslaw from the previous night's dinner to use as our potluck only to realize there was hardly any left so I showed up empty handed.  Then my 3 hamburger buns intended for myself, Bean, and Aunt B ended up not being enough when MIL/FIL decided to do turkey burgers too.

We got there late, of course.  The house was awesome, though.  They literally have everything--including a two story play house which Bean wasted no time playing in.  Until she fell down the stairs and hit her head.  I didn't even know anything was wrong until I noticed her walking around dazed with a ginormous (!) goose egg on her head.  She hadn't cried until her mommy freaked out asking what happened.  Thank goodness there were willing hands to take care of Boy while I took care of Bean.  It was about this point I really wished S hadn't had to work.

Bean was back to her normal self, wanting to run around and play.  She loved the trampoline!  (I actually can't tell if these pictures were taken before her accident or after, can you?)  Well, I needed to get her and Boy home so I told her it was time to go and she started throwing a tantrum.  I counted her "1,2,3..." and when she still refused, I carried her kicking and screaming inside to have a timeout.  Awesome.

So after her timeout, she's still whining and crying and at this point Boy is starting to cry.  My now dazed in-laws helped us out to the car and I must have looked equally dazed because my MIL told me that "this too shall pass."  I went home utterly discouraged and promising I would never go out again with 2 kids on my own.  Which was quickly broken because I have short-term memory loss.

Halloween

I started off feeling rather optimistic about Halloween this year.  We bought our pumpkins in plenty of time.  I finished Bean's costume a week early.  I even stocked up on candy at the perfect time: not so early that S and I ate the whole bag and not so late that all the store had left were Dots and Tootsie Rolls.

Bean decided that she would be a Lion and Boy would be a Tiger.  After some discussion this led to a costume idea for S and me.  (Fittingly this is the only picture I have of mine and S's costumes...mine's a bear.  You can read S's.  Do you get it?  Hahahaha...)

Bean was unbelievably difficult the day of Halloween.  (This picture pretty much sums it all up.)  Like, we probably should have just cancelled the whole thing, but my inner guilty conscience kept thinking "you can't just cancel Halloween!"  So we gave it a go. 

The idea was that S would take Bean out again this year, with Boy in tow.  Should have been perfect, but Bean was/is now terrified of hills.  Our neighborhood has an awful lot of hills, including our driveway which, as it turns out, sparked a giant tantrum which had Bean back inside after only being out "trick-or-treating" for 30 seconds.  After Bean calmed down (and after I explained Bean's new phobia to S) they went out and tried it again but I guess every time they had to go up a driveway, Bean would freak out, leaving S to do most of the trick-or-treating himself, all with Boy in his arms.  Sounds like it was a party.

On top of that, we went out and realized that the 2 pumpkins we carved were half gone.  I automatically blamed it on wreckless teenagers and I was furious!  Hey, I was a teenager once, but I never messed with people's pumpkins.  That is just so mean.  I went out the next day to further investigate and I realized that they had teeth marks on them.  After a huge ah-hah moment I called S and told him I thought it was the deer instead.  It was later confirmed when we tossed the leftovers in our garden and noticed a deer eating it later.  So I guess if there is a silver lining in the whole thing, it's that we helped feed the deer.  Again.

The Summer of Baseball

If there is one thing that I believe epitomizes summer far above anything else,  it's baseball.

Every year S's family meets together to go to a game on or around the July 24th holiday.  This year S's brother and his family were in town.  Bean was in heaven to be able to play with her cousins the whole time we were there.  And eat their food.

We weren't sure whether or not we would go this year, since Boy had just been born, but I just felt like getting out and going to a game.  Boy surprised us: he was an absolute angel the whole time!  The only glitch concerning him was that I forgot diapers.  (I was only 3 weeks into this new experience.  I've learned...)  Luckily, a newborn bladder isn't too big so we squeaked by on that one.

My favorite part of that particular game is that they show fireworks at the end.  Bean has been before, but it has been a few years and so this was really her first firework display.  We moved a few rows forward to get a better view and I held her on my lap.  She loved them!  (How can you not?!  At this ballpark they are practically on top of us!)  Another favorite thing is that they choreograph the display to music.  This year was particularly exceptional. To this day, whenever I hear a song from that game it takes me back to summer. 

Boy also did very well for his first experience with fireworks: he slept right through them!

 I don't even remember who won the game.  I do remember that my 2 Chicago Dogs (standard fare) were delicious.  I can't wait to go again next year.

Bean's Dancing School: First Day

You may or may not remember that I made it a goal of mine to enroll the Bean in dance this fall.  Late last year I started looking into a school that is literally just down the road from our home.  I used to dance with a girl who was now teaching there (and as it turns out the owner actually knows the two previous owners of the school that I attended--which was sadly bought out by another school, otherwise I would have enrolled Bean there instead.)  It made perfect sense to enroll her there, but when it came time to submit her registration I found it was a little difficult to contact the owner.  Luckily a few weeks prior I was able to get her signed up--and just in time too.  When you own a dance company in a city where the majority of households have kids, classes fill up quickly! 

Initially I had planned on enrolling her in the tap/ballet class, but ultimately thought she would probably have more fun doing tumbling and jazz instead, so that's what we went with.  I was giddy with excitement on the day I took Bean shopping for her uniform.  A pink leotard, white tights, and white ballet shoes.  I opted for the pink skirt too.

The night before her first class, I told Bean that we would have to get up extra early (thinking, like, 9--which is actually early for this "usually sleeps until 10" girl.)  She woke up at 7:30.  Needless to say we got to the school before the owner had even arrived!

I told her it was tradition that, on the first day of school, we get our picture taken.  She was more than willing to oblige her mother.  Thank goodness.

She was excited to go the first day and has been excited to go every day since.  Possibly because she gets a sucker at the end of every class.  She struggled at first with somersaults and backbends (what 3-year old hasn't?!)  But it's been neat to see how much she has grown, both as a dancer and as a kid in general.  She is more confident and it's hilarious to see her running around the house doing leaps and turns.  The girl definately has it in her.

Her first recital is in a month.  And you thought I was excited to have her start dancing...

The Summer of the Umbrella

*NOTE*  I have so many fun things to post about from this last summer that I'm afraid my blog is going to be a nonsequential mismash for awhile.

Those of you who live in/have ties to Utah might remember this past summer as being one of the most hot, driest summers we've had in a long time.  Despite that fact, it seemed like we had a lot of awesome rainstorms.

And Bean danced in most of them.

One evening, on the week Boy and I returned home from the hospital, I asked Bean is she wanted to go with me to return some dishes to a neighbor from a fantastic meal we'd received the night before.  I just happened to grab an umbrella because the sky looked a little threatening.  I'm sure glad I did because by the time we reached our destination it was Pouring!!

Bean really wanted to hold on to the umbrella but I convinced her that her "twice-the-height-as-you" mommy should probably carry it.  I promised her, however, that she could play with it all she wanted as soon as we got home.

She took me up on it.  That rainstorm and every rainstorm after.

Sometimes the occasion called for her matching firefighter rain jacket and rain boots.  Sometimes she went as is.  Sometimes she hardly got a drop of water on her.  Sometimes she came inside soaking wet.  Whenever there was even a hint of a rainstorm, she would start asking me if she could go outside and play.  This was perfectly fine with me.  I, too, love playing in the rain.

About The Boy

I remember soon after Bean was born imagining what it would be like in a few years when she was the big sister.  I had such a hard time comprehending how I could possibly have two children, but I imagined it would be something like this (Seriously. I imagined the three of us snuggled up together on my hospital bed while daddy captured a picture of the moment:)

Those first few days in the hospital are such a blur.  I don't even remember taking this picture.

Nine days old:

Having S home in those early weeks was such a life-saver.  I would get to bed relatively early and actually get a full nights sleep before I'd get up at 4 in the morning.  I mentioned in a previous blog how much I loved those quiet, early mornings alone with Boy. 

I think those postpartum blues hit about the same time S went back to work.  Suddenly having 2 little kiddos to take care of hit me like a brick wall.  Plus, I was suddently going to bed at 10 and waking up again at 1 and 4 a.m.  I don't know how breastfeeding moms do it.  I had another meltdown with my mom again.  (incidentally: I'd actually just read this post I linked to not long before I had Boy...so at least I was aware somehow that I'd gotten through those early weeks before.)  Anyway, S was on shift for his first 48 back and I was so exhausted.  Thankfully, they were home this time.  Thankfully, my dad was able to give me a blessing.  Noncoincidentally (in my mind) things really started to improve within a week.

Three and a Half Weeks Old:

I got some terrific advice from my hubby: Just listen to him; he'll tell you what he needs. S may or may not know this, but I repeat that a lot even now. It's funny: you'd think the second time around would be easier, but in some ways it was harder because I knew it became easier to take care of the Bean and I felt very impatient (sometimes still do) that things just felt (/feel) like they are going a lot slower this time. Like, Bean slept through the night at 6 weeks and never looked back. Boy actually slept through his first night at 5 weeks and 1 day. But then the next night he was back up 3 times. That kind of stuff will really mess with you. (Even now he is pretty consistent in sleeping at least 8 hours--but there will be a 2 a.m. arousing every once in awhile. They are so painful!) Anyway, patience has been a well-learned lesson with this little one.


Having the Bean around those early weeks was actually a huge help.  She provided a needed distraction and was/is so sweet with her little brother.  She also loves to read to her animals when she wakes up so she will stay in her room until about 10 in the morning which is a HUGE deal.  Having that time to just deal with Boy and get him ready for the day is such a nice thing.  Of course, as soon as she's out of her room, she has to come help pick out his socks.

Boy 1 month old, Bean 10 days shy of her 3rd birthday:

That time when babies start becoming more alert is such a Magical time.  It's like Bean can be in the other room doing cartwheels and I'd be, like, "Oh, that's nice honey." But Boy follows me around the room with his eyes and I'm, like, "YESSS!!"  (Hey.  Don't judge me.)

4 weeks old:

7 weeks old:

I was lucky enough to catch Boy's first smile on the camera.  We were at Wheeler Farm and my mom decided to play Grandma while the Bean was playing on the slide.  I happened to look down at Boy and there was his first grin!  My father-in-law just told me the other night that babies smiles are a survival mechanism.  Whatever the reason, I sure do love them!  I don't think Bean smiled until after her 1st birthday (she was a serious baby.  But the above photo proves she's made up for lost time.)  Boy is such a flirt!  Particularly when he's having his fussy moments.  I'll be losing my patience and he'll flash me a smile. 
6 1/2 weeks old:

I promised myself that I would give him equal amount of attention that I did when Bean was a newborn.  I've actually done pretty good, but it's different kinds of attention.  He loves to stand up and "dance" on my lap (Bean didn't put weight on her legs till she was, like, a year old.  This kid is going to be a mover...I just have a feeling.)  I played with a lot more toys with Bean when she was a newborn.  This time I just play with Boy.  His favorite?  "Baby Boy is SOOOOO Big!" 

I do, however, have another child to take care of so Boy has had a lot of playtime on the big pink flower we bought for Bean.  (Funny sidenote:  She actually plays with it now far more than she did when she was a baby.)  He loves watching Bean's Word World and Clifford videos that we get from the library.  Oh, and he loves Jeopardy.  No joke.  Makes dinnertime a breeze...plus I have to be getting smarter from all of that useless trivia I'm picking up.
12 weeks:

This little (and I emphasize little) guy has brought more joy into my life than I ever thought possible.  He is such a sweet boy and so full of personality already.  I absolutely love him...