kitten breath

N: "Mom, have I eaten a kitten before?
Me: "No!"
N: "Then why do I always have kitten breath?"

School Days coming soon

Throughout our move, I kept telling Nolan that once we were in our new house he would be starting school.  So, on the second morning in our house, he asked me if he was starting school that day.  When I told him no, he decided to make his own school.  He filled up his backpack with some of his favorite toys and books and packed his lunchbox with a snack, and headed out into the front yard to have his school.  He sat out there for at least a half hour several mornings in a row.  He's so excited for real school to start.  The other day I told him that I was going to miss him while he was in school and he said, "I'll miss you too, Mommy.  But don't worry because kids come back." (Quoting the Daniel Tiger song I always sing to him when I leave - "Grownups come back.")  Melt my heart, kiddo.

Dear Olivia

Dear Olivia,

My sweet baby girl!  I can't believe you're already two!  Your Daddy and I are smitten with you and your hilarious antics.  You never want to be left out of anything, so we hear "Livi, too..." a million times a day.  But you also want to make sure Nolan gets everything that you do - so if you get a snack, you make sure Nolan gets one, too.  Same goes with a baba, or a cup, or just about anything else.  You just want everything to be fair. 

You are both tenacious and confident, which can be a fierce combination!  You know what you want and will find a way to make it happen.  When you achieve something, even something small, you exclaim, "I Diiit!" (I did it!) so excitedly that it can't help but make us smile along with you.  You are determined and don't give up easily.  This is sometimes a challenging quality for Mommy and Daddy to handle, but we know that this will make you a strong, brave, and capable woman someday and we can't wait to see who you become!

Nolan is your whole world, so I'm a little worried for you about when he starts school this fall.  It will be an adjustment.  But, I'm excited for the opportunity to get some one-on-one girl time with you! 

You are hilarious and make us laugh constantly.  Somehow, even at 2, you understand the timing of jokes and deliver your knock knock jokes flawlessly every time. 

You love animals, especially puppies, "see-sahs" (kitty cats) and "Or-sees", though you tend to get a little nervous when up close and personal.  Lately you've been playing pretend a lot, and like to crawl around and meow like a kitty cat.  It's absolutely precious.

Little Noodle, we couldn't possibly love you more.  The best birthday gift I ever received was YOU!  Happy 2nd Birthday, sweetheart!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Buddies

I'm so happy that these boys have each other.  There's nothing quite like growing up across the street from your best pal.  <3

birthday girl(s)

Today was the second birthday I got to spend with my little Lu Bear, and I must say that birthdays just feel more special with her here.  We started the morning with a special treat: our good friend, Katie, brought us birthday donuts! 

Sad that I made her wait to eat them while we sang "Happy Birthday"

Eric surprised me at lunch with some gorgeous flowers (arranged by Sandy, of course) and a cool arrow hook that I'm going to hang in our bedroom.   The Lindners came over later in the afternoon and played with the kids, while Katie and I got to have some kid-free talking time.  They brought me a cool letter board and  Livi a sweet little puppy that barks.  More phone calls and cards arrived in the mail, and all in all, I felt very loved on my special day.

Livi was so cute because this was the first time she really seemed to understand birthdays.  Every time anyone mentioned the word birthday, she got a big grin and said, "Birthday cake."  Later that night when it was time to open presents, she kept chanting, "presents!" over and over.  I love how excited she was.  Nolan picked out a Minnie Mouse remote control car for her, which she thought was hilarious.  Eric and I gave her her very own bike!  She was so excited to bike with Nolan in the driveway that night.  I can't believe how big my little peanut is getting!  Happy Birthday, sweet birthday buddy!

Flippy Froggerson

The other day I was weeding around our big pine tree in the front yard when I saw a hole in the ground.  At first I was unconcerned, thinking it might just be a gopher hole. But then my mind started to race and I started thinking that I might be weeding right next to a friend of a more slithery nature.  My heart started to race a bit and I was internally talking myself off the ledge when this giant toad popped out at me.  I screamed and fell backward into the grass in my frantic attempt to get away.  (I'm sure the new neighbors were all impressed.)  He and I came to an understanding that if he didn't pop out at me again, he could sit there and I would just go about my weeding business.

About that time, the Lindner kids came over and since they are frog and toad catching extraordinaires, they caught my new friend within seconds of hearing the story.  Despite his peeing protest, the kids continued to play with him and love on him for the next hour or two.  They named him Flippy Froggerson.  Assuming he lived to tell the tale after his kiddo encounter, I'm sure he will think twice about popping up and surprising me again...

Sixth Anniversary

Six years. Two kids. A dog. Multiple career changes.  Homeowners twice. The last six years have gone both gone by in an instant and feel like it was forever ago.  I so often hear marriage described as hard work, but honestly I just don't relate to that at all.  That's not to say we don't fight or disagree (we do, and often!), but with the confidence and certainty that we will work it out and will never give up on each other. 

I feel like our anniversary this year really encapsulated the reality of marriage and our role together as parents.  It started out with Eric's idea to make this homemade Italian feast.  When I was in Europe last year, I brought back some Olive Oil and Limoncello, which we intended to save for a special occasion.  This was it!  Eric got really ambitious and decided to even make the pasta from scratch.  Well, after hours of making, chilling, and kneading the dough, he put it through the pasta roller and it turned into a globby mess.  Just a total disaster.  In the meantime, the balsamic reduction he had simmering on the stove burned and he was getting understandably frustrated.  But truthfully, I didn't care at all that things weren't going all that smoothly - the simple fact that my husband wanted to go through that amount of work and frustration just to make something special for me says everything.  

When it was time to eat, Nolan lost it.  A major tantrum, caused largely by being overtired and out of routine for the past few days, pulled Eric and I away from the table for an hour and a half of negotiations with a four year old.  Throughout this, Eric and I worked together like a well oiled machine.  We took turns trying to calm and reason with him.  We made sure the other got something to eat, and some birthday cake, despite the stormy and hysterical preschooler losing it in the sunroom.  We didn't get rattled and stuck to our guns.  We stood behind each other and offered support to one another.  And after all that work, our son was able to get his anxiety under control and join us for the rest of the gathering.

THIS is marriage.  Working together.  Teamwork.  Standing up for our values together.  Taking care of each other.  Putting the needs of the other first.  It may not have been the most glamorous of anniversary celebrations...no candlelit dinner or romantic evening out, but to me, it affirmed that there's no one else on earth I'd rather work through problems with, support, and stand behind for the rest of my life.  I love you, Eric.  Happy Anniversary.