{My Last Day}

It's my last day of being a twentysomething.

Wow--what a decade.

I started this 10 year span in my life a single-college-sophomore with a perm. I end it a wife-and-mom-of-two with two tattoos. 

Time flies when you're having fun!

On that note, boy, did I have fun today. Joshua came home from his "First Friends" class at the YMCA in a fairly good mood. (That is, after he got done crying from hitting his head on the car door. He quite often walks right into that thing...)

I had water boiling for Mac 'n' Cheese--our Friday favorite--and "Word World" was on PBS. (LOVE that cartoon.)

He ate "gock kees" and peas {toddler food}, while I ate various veggies with rice and chicken {mommy food}.

Feel good moment of the day: My son asked for seconds on peas. And ate them. Whoot Whoot! 

I threw together some cornbread muffins for dinner tonight, and Joshua helped. Then he fell off the kitchen table bench (seriously kid--for real??) so we cuddled.

I thought more muffins seemed like fun, so I thought I'd try my hand at making some from scratch. I didn't have the right ingredients though, so we made M&M cookies instead. And by "we" I mean Becca and me. Joshua didn't want to--he played downstairs with his toys. Quite nicely I might add!

He'd check in every once in  while, and we had a couple nice conversations. I chased him with the camera, got some cute shots of Becca, and thoroughly enjoyed hanging with my children.

My children. They teach me so many lessons. Here are just a couple:

Stop and smell the roses. Even the dried ones hanging in the kitchen.

Pants are unnecessary. Joshua is often without them when we are home alone. Much to his father's chagrin.

 Zoos are the best. BIG zoos are even better.


Pictures don't have to be perfect. This one captures my Joshua perfectly--independent and energetic. Won't always take a picture just because I ask--but loves me all the same.

{Shots are icky. But Becca is still my happy happy girl. She teaches me daily the importance of faith--and reminds me of the miracles that God has done in my life.}

A tickle fest is ALWAYS the right thing to do.


Yellow is the best--and only--color. According to Joshua.

 

 


{Giggling is the most fun thing. Giggling while chewing on plastic rings and sitting in a Bumbo. It's important to giggle.}

They will copy you. Every little thing, they do. So make sure to play. And be silly. And be imperfect--and be okay with it.



 


"Cheeeeeese Mama!" 
Then he turns the fake camera around and says, "Wook Mama! Cuuuute!"

Cookies should be savored. Slowly. With lots of little bites.

{Bottles are yucky. ~Becca}

  

Milk is yummy.
{Becca agrees with this.}


Mornings are awesome, rhinos are the best, Spiderman bubble bath in the cool Spidy bottle is meant to be carried around and slept with, but not actually used in the tub, airplanes are wonderful playgrounds ... and most of all: 

Motherhood is amazing. That is what my children teach me, day in and day out. Through the giggles and the tears, the tantrums and the discoveries. The doctor's appointments and diaper changes; the sleepless nights and power struggles. Through it all, motherhood is amazing. I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Single-sophomore-with-a-perm ME didn't know how good life could get. 

Here's to turning 30!

Two, Three, One

Months ago, I started counting. I'd count raisins. I'd count socks. I'd count cars on the road and ducks in the sky. I'd count. And count. And count.

It just seemed like the right thing to do. And guess what? Joshua has started counting.

He doesn't quite have the words down yet, or really the sequencing. But he's counting! This morning, in his adorable little voice, he'd ask, "Mama? Ta-tas? [aunties] Thfree?" (He does have three aunties here in Colorado.) Then he'd hold up his little fingers, tilt his head to the side, squinch up his face and ask, "Twoo? Thfree? Won? Ta-tas?" (Only two aunties were here--one was at school.)

That's, like, kinda some addition! And subtraction! Heck, the kid will be multiplying fractions in no time!!

Then later today, he counted fish in the tub. And blueberries in his bowl. And rocks in the Mancala game.

He's counting! 

It's worth it! Since Joshua is my first child, I just didn't know. I didn't know that it was worth it to start counting when he was so young, even though I felt crazy. I didn't know that it was actually working--I just assumed it was what a mommy is supposed to do.

So what did I learn from this little lesson? Couple of things:

1. My gut instincts are good. And often right. {What?! Who woulda thought.}

2. My son is smart. And adorable. {Pretty sure I already knew that, but the reminder is always refreshing.}

3. I'm created to be a mommy. This is what I'm designed to do. It's exhausting and exhilarating. It's rewarding and sometimes revolting. It's humbling and honoring.

My son is learning. He is listening and he is learning. Everything I do he sees, hears, mimics ... what an honor and a responsibility. Good to know, good to remember: I am so blessed by my son.

I am MOM {don't breathe on me!}

the diet for everyone right now

I can hardly type--the chaffing red skin on my fingers is quite painful. Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes the culprits. 

Now I know! Now I know what it's like to be a mom and have a stomach bug enter my home. I've been a mom for over 2 1/2 years, and this was my first (and still is I guess...) experience with a nasty virus like this. Luckily for me, not so luckily for them, Joshua's bug hit hard on Grammie and Grandad's watch. But what I thought I missed out on followed us from Minnesota home to Wisconsin. 

acting sick with mommy

 In the past 48 hours I've cleaned up puke, wiped up splatter, washed down cupboard doors, rinsed off Legos, sanitized light switches, mixed up Pedialyte (kid still won't drink it...), said many prayers, changed messy messy MESSY diapers in the tub to contain the mess, done lots of laundry, avoided my husband like the plague because, well, he sure sounded like maybe he had it while he was puking in the bathroom at 1am. 

trying to touch our tongues to our noses

And I've found myself avoiding my son. It's so sad! I see him huddled on the couch with his tigers and blankets, or half heartedly doing a puzzle downstairs and I smile at him and keep my distance. 

I do it for myself, and for my 3 month old. But let's be honest--I really do it for myself. :) 

smiling big to make the germs go away

And yet, when that little boy shuffled over to the chair I was sitting in and wiggled his way onto my lap, I let my defenses down. At first I stiffened, and tried to turn my face and body away from him so as to not catch his germs. But as he muttered softly under his breath something about Mama and tummy, my heart melted. I reached for the sanitizing wipes, held my breath, gave him a kiss on the head and cuddled in close. I am a MOM ... now let's hope I don't get sick.