You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Rylee thinks the Grinch is scary (she thinks Santa and Cy are too though).  I was looking back at the blog posts I wrote last year at this time and was reminded that I was a super big Grinch last year!  Partly it was due to my having read several books about minimalism and not wanting to bring more stuff into my house.  It was possibly also partly due to having a baby who cried a lot and made the days long.  I'm sure there were other items contributing to my Grinchness as well.

This year, I have been mostly jolly and embracing the season.  I do love Christmas time so much and there really isn't any reason to be Grinchy.  I've even had some crazy things to deal with in the past few months that have caused great stress, but nothing has made me happier than the arrival of the 'most wonderful time of the year'.  We have been doing a lot of fun things this season.

First, decorating before Thanksgiving was fun because I feel like I extended the too-short season.  I know a lot of people frown upon this, but Thanksgiving just isn't that big of a deal to me.  I mean, shouldn't we be thankful every day and don't we spend plenty of other days with our families throughout the year?  Also, we host Thanksgiving at our house and then rarely see visitors again until after the new year.  I wanted my family to see all of my Christmas decorations, so putting them up before Thanksgiving made sense to me. 

I did at least wait until...oh...Thanksgiving night to put my tree up :)  I was so excited about my artificial tree this year!!  My husband has never had a fake tree in his life and is very much in denial about our not-so-real tree.  I really wanted a fake one because I can put it up whenever I want to and not have to worry if it will die before Chrismtas gets here, it doesn't need watered, doesn't shed, shouldn't cause a fire, and is pre-lit -- saving so much time of unraveling lights and getting them on just right.   Rylee did most of the tree decorating and we very quickly learned that we had to put all of the ornaments on the top half of the tree where little boy hands can't reach them. 

We attended our 2nd annual Disney on Ice show with my family.  This year we had really awesome seats where we were up close to the characters and had bubbles float down on us during "Under the Sea".  The kids loved that part!!  I hope we are able to continue this tradition for a long time...it's even fun for adults!

A new holiday show (well, new to me) I got to attend was The Blenders Christmas concert at the Civic Center.  My dad invited me and I had no idea who The Blenders were, but went anyway because I love Christmas music.  I enjoyed the group so much that I plan to make that a holiday tradition as well.  The group celebrated their 25th anniversary this year and have a holiday show in Des Moines each year. 

One my other favorite holiday things we did was take Rylee to ride the Christmas train at the mall (her request) and then drive around looking at lights.  We didn't make it over to the Jolly Holiday Lights (yet), but covered a lot of ground looking for that one awesome light display.  I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed in people's displays.....I swear when I was a kid there were awesome lights in nearly every neighborhood!

This past weekend while visiting my husband's family, we went to their local fire station to see Santa.  When I learned we would be doing this I thought, "oh great, my kids don't like Santa, this will be a disaster."  It turned out to be fun though.  Santa came into the station on a fire truck and he sang a Christmas carol (with the help of the kids) to break the ice a little bit.  They then had some coloring activities and milk and cookies for everyone while we waited to see Santa.  I had zero plans of making my kids visit with Santa, but my husband thought we should.  He took them over to Santa, and Rylee got as close as she was willing to get.  Santa was amazing and told her it was completely okay to be scared of him and he talked so calmly to her that she did get a few words out to him.....the only thing I heard her say was, "Wyatt has been naughty" :) 

 

Taking the kids to see Santa just isn't something that will ever be on my "must do" list (along with the Easter Bunny), unless they specifically ask to.  I don't remember ever being excited to see him, and to be honest I'm still not.  As my husband reminds me all the time, "it's not about me"...and I know that, but unless my child(ren) really want to see Santa, it's just one of those things I don't think we need to cram into our holiday schedule.  I much prefer having my kids write Santa a letter, because then I can see what they want.  Also, I don't have to worry about Santa making any promises I can't fulfill.  This fire station Santa asked Rylee if she would like a new coloring book....which is not something she is getting.  Luckily, he also mentioned Frozen, which happens to be the theme of every single gift she is getting.  I didn't even realize until I was wrapping all the gifts that EVERY single thing, including her stocking stuffers, is Frozen.  What was I thinking??

 

Yesterday we took part in another fun holiday activity as we celebrated the season with our playgroup friends.  We had a nice lunch and then the kids all got to open a present and attempted to sing a Christmas song together.  We (the moms) laughed about how fun it would be to let the kids "steal" gifts from each other like the common gift exchange game.  I imagine all of us moms slipping out the backdoor while the kids duked it out. 

 

Last night we had friends over to help decorate cut-out cookies that Rylee and I made the day before.  We did this with friends last year too and I have decided it's much more fun that way!

 

On Saturday we will celebrate the holiday with my family.  This is a little early this year as we usually get together on Christmas Eve, but had to rearrange this due to travel by some.  I'm looking forward to our celebration as I do every year.  My aunt has been hosting since I was a child and there are so many decorations in her house that remind me of my childhood Christmases and make the holiday that much more magical for me! 

 

Even more than Saturday's celebration, I am looking very forward to Christmas Eve night as we read Christmas books and set out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.  This is when the real magic of Christmas comes to life, at least as I remember it as a kid.  I swear I saw Rudolph's red nose high in the sky that night every year too...maybe we will look out all of the windows before bed and see if we see anything magical.  I probably won't sleep much that night, in anticipation for Rylee's excitement in the morning when she sees that Santa was in our home and left presents for she and her brother.  I just hope Mr. Santa doesn't forget to fill my stocking so Rylee doesn't wonder why Mommy is the only one with an empty stocking. 

 

After being in such a jolly holiday spirit this year, I too agree with Rylee that the Grinch is scary and I hope he never comes back disguised as me again!  (although I wouldn't mind if he captures our Elf on the Shelf next year so she can't make it back to our house....did I just say that??). 

 

I hope you all have been full of Christmas CHEER this season and are making the most of this magical time of year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Boyfriend

Okay, I'm admitting it...I have a boyfriend.  I do.  He's so special and I love him so very much.  He is my favorite person to cuddle, my favorite person to stare at, and my second favorite person to kiss.  His cheeks have that super kissable puffiness and his lips are just so perfectly shaped and soft.  His eyes are striking and he looks at me like I'm the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.  And his smile...it could melt all the ice in Arendelle!  He also has that extra bone in his body that I have...the one that causes him to dance any time he hears a good beat.  Can't 'beat' that!  And ladies, to top it off...he has a little"bad" in him.

Before you start texting my husband, don't worry...he knows all about my boyfriend.  In fact, he is the one who first started referring to him as my boyfriend.  His real name though, is Wyatt.  He is 17 months old, and he is my son.  If you are creeped out by this at all, you must not be the mother of a son. 

I know Wyatt gets a bad rap when I talk about how challenging he is to parent, but really, he is a sweet, adorably cute, little guy who I cannot imagine living without.  He loves his mama so much, that he sits on my lap 50+ times a day, for .00005 seconds each time!  He is a busy little guy who doesn't sit still, but he makes sure to stop by my lap for a super brief second to let me know he still loves and needs me.  I may only rank 2nd to his blankie when he's upset, but that's okay.  It's so fun to watch him be "all boy" and then want his mommy for a moment.  When he stops what he is doing to come give me a kiss without being asked....my world stops and every stressor from my day disappears.  He must know when Mommy needs a special Wyatt kiss.

All of my boy mama friends reading this...am I right, or am I right??  This quote just couldn't be any more true.....

Photo Friday #9

There were lots of overcast days this week, which are perfect for picture taking.  I made sure to have my camera with me every time I left the house....but only ended up taking a few.  I think my picture taking is going to be minimal over the winter months...I much prefer outdoor pictures, but I don't really enjoy standing out in the cold to take them. 

Wyatt had been strapped into his car seat almost 2 hours and was getting restless, so I let him out while we were waiting on James.  He was having so much fun "driving"! 

Santa managed to get presents wrapped while Rylee was gone overnight. This is the "Santa paper" being used this year.  Wyatt tried to help too...Santa got mad at him! 

 

I drive past this laundromat often and I always thought it would make a great picture subject.  This week I decided to stop and capture it. 

 

This rusty mailbox is another item I drive by frequently and have always wanted to photograph.  The lid is always down, but someone actually lives there...not sure why they don't replace it if it is broken.  It's probably just another one of those things I will never understand about true old-fashioned farm families.

Have a great weekend!!  We have Christmas #1 tomorrow.  Only 12 more shopping days left for those of you who aren't done.  I'm really enjoying being done with my shopping by Thanksgiving so I can just enjoy the season without the stress of shopping. 

Santa Should Get Paid

I was bummed when I showed up to college and saw that "Toy Making" and "Sleigh Driving" weren't majors the school offered.  My dreams of becoming Santa Claus some day were shattered.  I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather do than eat cookies, hang out with elves, and make all the kids in the world smile.  I guess I wasn't really cut out to live in the cold 24/7 for the rest of my life anyway.  I probably would have had a hard time growing a beard too. 

I realized tonight how glad I am that my life was led in a different path.  Santa really does have a very hard job!  I mean there is the obvious, making millions of toys and delivering them all in one night.  Beyond that though, is so many other difficult decisions and tedious details to remember.  For starters, the "wrap" vs "don't wrap" issue.  I mean, it would just be waaaay too easy for Santa to do the same thing for all kids.  By the way, I hear the Tooth Fairy gives every kid a different amount than their friends...what's up with that?? Anyway...I don't think I know any married couple who grew up with Santa doing the same thing for each of them, and thus, their first fight as parents is whether or not Santa should wrap the kid's presents.  Maybe this should be a required first date discussion. 

When Santa does wrap gifts, he has to use special paper and has to make sure that 1) there is enough of it to wrap all the presents in and 2) the kids don't see the paper anywhere in their house prior to Christmas.  And then to make it even more difficult, Santa has to know which gift tags Mom and Dad are going to use so he doesn't use the same ones....and sometimes he even makes sure to write in a different ink color than Mom and Dad too.  See what I mean about all the details?

In addition to finding out what each kid has on their wish list, Santa also has to know if the parents prefer his gifts to be more or less exciting than theirs.  Some parents feel that their own gifts to the kids should be more exciting than what Santa brings them, and some prefer Santa to bring the exciting gifts.  And on top of this, Santa also needs to find out if any of the child's other family members are getting them things from the child's list so he doesn't bring them a toy they are already going to be receiving...which could then make Santa's gift disappointing to the child.  I just don't know how Santa keeps this all straight...what a stressful job!

Anyway, don't get me started on the cute little elves he sends to houses to watch over the kids...that must be A LOT of work to coordinate the travel to and from the North Pole each night and A LOT of work for the elves to find a new place to hang out when they return to the homes in the morning.  I mean, Rylee gets so excited to jump out of bed each morning and go see where Elfie is.....what if she forgot to go to the North Pole one night and didn't move spots in our house...yikes!  I'm so glad I don't have the job of coordinating all of that!  Whew! 

Then there's the level of extreme quietness Santa has to possess to be able to haul all of the presents into a house and gently place under a tree without waking anyone.  How can he be really sure that everyone is asleep and he won't be seen??  This would be my biggest fear if I were Santa.

And finally, the cookies...ALL THOSE COOKIES Santa has to eat all night long.  I mean, I LOVE cookies and could probably eat five one every day, but I just can't imagine having to eat several at each house for an entire night...this has to cut into his productivity...he must have super efficiency skills.  I just had another thought...when does he go to the bathroom...and where??  Huh.  Maybe a little colored water test in my toilets this year..... But, back to the cookies...what if Santa doesn't like the ones set out for him?  I bet he's glad for houses like ours where the dad eats all the cookies and he has to have crackers instead.

Oh, so glad I didn't pursue a career as Santa Claus!  But seriously, he should get paid!  Instead of cookies this year, let's all agree to leave him a monetary tip instead...deal?? 

Let It Be Christmas

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the music.  I can't think of a single Christmas song that doesn't make me happy...except, maybe, "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"...how terrible of a thing to happen ;) 

My favorite Christmas song is Alan Jackson's "Let It Be Christmas".  This song tells of the Christmas season exactly how it is for me....it's a season of joy and happiness and people coming together.  I love the material parts of Christmas for sure...the lights, the ornaments, cookies, wrapping paper, etc....but nothing compares to the feeling of the season and the way the world seems to glow and radiate with love and happiness.  I only wish this feeling were alive all year long, but then I suppose it wouldn't feel as special in December. 

Each year I try to do something nice for a charity/family or two in December, the "giving season".  Last year I bought a couple of winter coats, hats and mittens for a family in my town that was sending their young girls to school without them due to low income.  I also dropped off a couple bags of things to the Ronald McDonald house.  I included Rylee in shopping for and dropping off these items and explained to her why we were doing it.  I want her to realize that there is more to Christmas than presents from Santa.

I've been searching for charity/giving things to do this holiday season with Rylee and when I heard the story of the dying 6 year old girl in Utah who wants homemade greeting cards for Christmas, I knew this was exactly the kind of thing that would strike a chord with Rylee.  I showed her the little girl's picture and told her that she was very sick and asked Rylee if she wanted to make her a card.  Of course Rylee said "yes", but then she asked me, with sad eyes, if the little girl would get any Christmas presents this year.  I loved where her heart was at.  Rylee immediately got her craft box out and started to make a beautiful card for the little girl, complete with...oh...100 stickers on it ;)  But what I loved the most is what she asked to do next.  She wanted to wrap the card in wrapping paper and put a bow on it so the little girl would have something to unwrap :)  I really wanted to fight the bow issue as it would make the envelope bulky, but I just had to let that one go after Rylee said, "now it is so beautiful and looks like a real present."  I love her heart!

To celebrate the "material" spirit of the season, James and I are taking Rylee on a date tonight to see Christmas lights and anything else "Christmasy" she wants to do.  This date might be a little for me too, but Rylee is long overdue for a date with Mommy and Daddy!  We will surely be listening to Christmas music all night too! 

If you haven't heard "Let It Be Christmas" yet this year (or ever), here is a link to the song and below that is the lyrics. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4YBHZ5Y7ZI

"Let It Be Christmas"

Let it be Christmas everywhere
In the hearts of all people
Both near and afar
Christmas everywhere
Feel the love of the season where ever you are
On the small country roads
Lined with green mistletoe
Big city streets where a thousand lights glow

Let it be Christmas everywhere
Let heavenly music fill the air
Let every heart sing
Let every bell ring
The story of hope and joy and peace
And let it be Christmas everywhere
Let heavenly music fill the air
Let anger and fear and hate disappear
Let there be love that lasts through the year
And let it be Christmas, Christmas everywhere

Let it be Christmas everywhere
With the gold and the silver, the green and the red
Christmas everywhere
In the smiles of all children asleep in their beds
In the eyes of young babies
Their first fallen snow
The elderly's memories that never grow old
Let it be Christmas everywhere
Let heavenly music fill the air
Let every heart sing
Let every bell ring
The story of hope and joy and peace
And let it be Christmas everywhere
Let heavenly music fill the air
Let anger and fear and hate disappear
Let there be love that lasts through the year
And let it be Christmas, Christmas everywhere

Let it be Christmas everywhere
In the songs that we sing
And the gifts that we bring
Christmas everywhere
In what this day means
And what we believe
From the sandy white beaches
Where blue water rolls
Snow covered mountains and valleys below

Let it be Christmas everywhere
Let heavenly music fill the air
Let every heart sing
Let every bell ring
The story of hope and joy and peace
And let it be Christmas everywhere
Let heavenly music fill the air
Let anger and fear and hate disappear
Let there be love that lasts through the year
And let it be Christmas, Christmas everywhere
Christmas everywhere
Christmas everywhere

Photo Friday #8

This week, most of my pictures were taken on one day.  On Wednesday I realized I hadn't taken any pictures in a few days and decided to see what I could come up with within a half mile of my house.  I had to get creative, but was very happy with the outcome!  We live in a very pretty part of Iowa and there is so much beauty if you stop and look around.  

 

 

Junior Bridesmaid at a wedding reception we attended on Saturday.

 

Not sure where Rylee got her love for baking, but I'm thankful for "just add water" muffin mixes :)

My 2 Blessings

A friend of mine recently asked if I like having a girl and a boy.  Yes, it's wonderful having one of each; we're blessed.  Not only do we get to experience all of the traditional differences between the two genders, but we are also cursed  lucky to experience having an angel and a, well, a boy! 

Rylee was the best baby a parent could ask for and has grown to be an equally amazing child.   She is quiet, well-mannered, obedient, and a joy to be around.  She is so easy (and Fun!) to take places and always has been.  I would have had 4 kids just like her if I got to choose their disposition.

Now, Wyatt on the other hand....well, as I said, he's a boy!  And not only that, but he is the son of a man who got in trouble a lot as a youngster.  From about 2 weeks old, I knew we had a long road ahead of us with this child.  Wyatt's whole first year consisted of crying, crying and more crying.  Luckily he was a good sleeper at least.  His past 5 months since he has been mobile have been full of "get down", "stay out of there", "NO!", "STOP!", etc.  I don't even remember a single day that I didn't have to yell at him for something.  The worst part is, he doesn't seem to care when he is getting yelled at, as he continues to do whatever he shouldn't be doing....and with a dimple-to-dimple smile that would melt anyone else's heart.  He has an "I'm cute, I'll get away with everything" attitude.....how do I break that now before it's too late?!?!?!  Rylee only sat in "time-out" twice in her life, but I see Wyatt spending a lot of time there real soon (although I have a feeling it won't work on him). 

Before Wyatt was born, James and I thought we were all-star parents and had all the answers to everything parent related.  As it turns out, we just had an unusually good child who made parenting super easy.  There are still some things I swear by when it comes to parenting, but mostly I have learned that there is so much truth to every child being different and needing different parenting tactics.  To give you specifics on just how different my children are:

The Christmas tree:
Rylee:  puts all the ornaments on (and never touched them at Wyatt's age)
Wyatt:  takes all the ornaments off

The produce isle of the grocery store:
Rylee:  helps me put the apples into the plastic bag
Wyatt: finds the most expensive apple, grabs it off the shelf and takes a large bite out of it

Vocabulary at 18 months:
Rylee: 50+ words (I wrote them all down on her 18 month birthday) and easy to communicate with
Wyatt:  3 words...and he doesn't use them regularly...which makes all his crying that much harder on us.

Cupboards:
Rylee:  Never opened the doors, didn't have to child lock anything
Wyatt:  Has opened every single door/drawer and makes cleaning house like eating Oreos while brushing your teeth!  (but I still refuse to child lock my house)

Leaving to go "bye bye":
Rylee:  Straight to the van
Wyatt:  Straight to the Gator or lawn tractor and if you don't let him climb up and drive them, you have a screaming, kicking, back-arching kid to wrestle into his car seat.

Library:
Rylee:  sits quietly in the designated area
Wyatt: Runs, squeals, pulls random books from shelves...5 at a time.  Oh, and plays with the fire extinguisher that is located just inches off the floor. 

Play Place at the mall:
Rylee:  Plays on the equipment
Wyatt: Runs out of the play area and makes me chase him

Park playground:
Rylee:  stays mostly on the ground and "safe" equipment
Wyatt:  climbs to the tallest point and leans out through the rails.  (I used to enjoy a relaxing outing to the park for Rylee to play...now it requires me to wear running shoe, climb ladders, crawl through tunnels, etc. to make sure Wyatt doesn't fall or get stuck).

Cries per day:
Rylee: 0-1, only when she gets hurt or does something she knows she shouldn't have -- she doesn't like to disappoint adults.  She has never been much of a crier.
Wyatt: 12+, approximately once an hour every hour that he is awake.  He cries when he gets hurt (which is a lot because he's a boy), cries when he can't have something or is taken away from something he was doing. 

Naps per day:
Rylee: 0 (It was a sad say when this went from 1 to 0)
Wyatt: 2 (1 because he needs it and 1 because I need him contained to his crib for a little bit)
Mommy: 1.  What?  Is something wrong here??

I'm very glad that Rylee was born first, because she may not have even been a thought if Wyatt came along first.  We didn't know what gender Rylee would be until she was born....and when I was told "its a girl", I was a little taken back...."what the heck am I supposed to do with a girl??" was my first thought.  James really wanted a boy and I was just sure we were having a boy.  But, I wouldn't send her back (or to the Indians, which is what she sometimes wants to do with her brother).  She is my best friend and I love that she likes lots of girly things...jewelry, painting her nails, princesses, dance, etc.  I didn't try at all to make her girly, and it's very interesting to watch each of my kids be interested in their traditional gender toys.  On Rylee's first birthday she received her first baby doll...it came with a bottle and she knew exactly what to do with it.  She held the doll like one would hold a baby and she put the bottle up to it's mouth before anyone showed her that's what it was for.  I was shocked!  From that day on, she has preferred all things girly. 

Another great thing about having my girl first, is that she is very motherly and protective of her baby brother.  I'm sure most older siblings are protective of their babies, but many of the things she does with him display her "maternal instincts" and it just melts my heart...not to mention, makes her a big help!  Speaking of help....I don't remember ever helping my mom with anything, sadly, but Rylee offers to help me with anything and everything all day long (except pick up toys).  And she always wants to bake, which she did NOT get from me!!

Wyatt, if I haven't mentioned yet, is all boy!  He loves toys with wheels and gets super excited when he sees tractors or construction equipment in action.  I have even started hearing him make "vroom" noises as he plays with his tractors.  I know I mentioned in another post or a Facebook status that he likes to make "fart noises"....he also gives me the tongue out, slobbery, fart noise (you know the one) when I tell him to stop doing something that he has no plans of stopping.  BOYS!!  I don't know why I have to be punished for my husbands naughtiness as a child....I was an angel like Rylee...so not fair! 

Wyatt does test my patience and makes me want to drink an entire bottle of wine, but he also has a sweetness to him that I hope will last forever.  I know there is a special bond between mothers and sons and I already feel that with Wyatt (even though he's a daddy's boy right now).  I feel really bad for my future daughter-in-law because I will be overly protective of him and not happy when she comes between us.  A former co-worker of mine, who had all boys at the time, said she wasn't looking forward to dealing with daughter-in-laws someday and now I understand what she meant.

How about potty-training a boy??  I'm so dreading that!  Even though Rylee was fairly easy (didn't seem like it at the time), potty-training has been my least favorite parenting activity so far.  When I found out I was having a boy, I was afraid of getting peed on....I've lucked out so far, but would take getting peed on over potty-training any day!  I may have to enroll him in daycare just so someone else can train him ;)

No matter their dispositions, both of my kiddos are blessings and I feel so lucky to have them.  I think most people's dream is to have at least one of each gender....it was mine.  I wouldn't have minded having 2 of the same gender either though because I love the special bond between brothers or sisters that I didn't experience having had a brother.  I once read that the most special gift you can give a child is a sibling.  I didn't grow up an only child, so I don't have that to compare it to, but siblings share something very special that I feel so fortunate to have been able to give my children.  They are already growing a bond that is so amazing to watch (as they are fighting right now, haha). 

I love my little family!!!  (Even Wyatt who has been pounding on my keyboard as I've been typing).  And with that, here is the Christmas card photo I took of them this year....this is by far my favorite picture yet!  I just can't stop looking at it :)

 

I realize this may have been better in the snow...but I just couldn't pass up a 60 degree day...and they loved being pulled through the grass just the same :)