silent thursday: my almost 2 year old

Thursday, December 29, 2011 | | 0 comments
in less than two weeks, my little sparkle will turn TWO. i can't even wrap my brain around the idea that i will from here on out measure her life in years.  as far as i'm concerned i'd always rather count each and every little minute that she makes me smile from the inside out :)  we did a little photoshoot to commemorate the upcoming birthday....and just because we just can't get enough of capturing all of these sweet moments.

here are a few that make me smile just like the little girl in the picture does.














love you little bean.


sweet surprise

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 | | 0 comments
my mom and I took Emma to the salon today. she's been in need of a trim for a while. i've trimmed her hair twice on my own...the first time more successful than the second. ;)

i've put off taking her to the "big girl" salon mostly just because of time but I also think a small part of me doesn't want to accept that my little baby is actually old enough to do things like that!! how did my newborn princess suddenly become almost 2 years old???

prepared for her to be, what we say in the medical field, "noncompliant" with some stranger near her head with scissors....my mom and I came armed with a lollipop, her favorite book, and her new play makeup. we ooh'd and aah'd over the "princess haircut" Emma was about to get. we dressed he in her favorite princess shirt and told her how special this "big girl" trip would be.

well, apparently she bought it! where I was expecting a meltdown....i got laughter and excitement instead. she was on top of the world. she sat happily in my lap and watched proudly as little bits of hair sprinkled down. when all was said and done...she got her "princess haircut" and her lollipop.




i got one sweet surprise :)

happy merry: a post on christmas

Monday, December 26, 2011 | | 0 comments
over as quickly as it came, it's hard to believe christmas happened so quickly.  the buildup to the day itself is half the fun, though, and we've really enjoyed our first holiday season with a toddler in tow.  ben is happy go lucky as always...content to stare into your eyes and smile coo....while emma usually requires a little more distraction. she's at a deliciously fabulous age....the occasional temper tantrum completely offset by her fierce curiosity about the world around her coupled with her sparkly attitude on life.  i know the two's are notoriously hard but so far, save those fleeting meltdowns, she's just a joy. they are both just little lovebugs.

it was totally magical to experience christmas through their eyes and i so look forward to christmases to come, especially after this one.  ben spent hours chirping and smiling and studying twinkly lights....i could see those little neurons firing and that little personality starting to come out.  he is such a chill little dude and we just eat him up. emma was willing to accept the concept of "santa claus" and frequently called out his name but i'm sure she still hasn't wrapped her brain around it. she was, in true form, more interested in "kissmas lights" {all things sparkly!} and "fosty the snowman!".  the overwhelming spirit in the house has just been happy and festive....dancing to holiday music, eating homemade yummies, and while they may not completely comprehend it yet, living in the magic of the season.



we spent our christmas eve together as a family and let the munchkins dive into one present.....holiday pjs and some stocking stuffers.  note to self, glowsticks are a hit! best target $1 find in a long while! ryan and i made and ate dinner together and emma played with the playdoh jackpot that adam and lee gave to her :)  haven't seen her sit still for that long in ages!


after both kids were tucked in and down for the night {which, might i add has happened pretty seamlessly & at the same time for the past few nights....a possible trend??}, ryan performed his first of many fatherly christmas eve duties.....toy assembly!

i dutifully handed him piece after piece of this pink kiddie kitchen that "santa" was to deliver and said my "thank the lord"s that i wasn't the one trying to figure out how to put this thing together!


i was so proud....he even read the instructions ;)  before long and after a couple glasses of wine daddy's handy work was ready to be admired!



santa hung streamers on emma's door and ate some cookies that she and her brother carefully selected for him....



i couldn't sleep later than 7 on christmas morning. in fact, i was literally pacing in front of emma's room asking ryan "when is she going to get up?".  he and ben talked me down from going in and waking her up. i was so excited for her to see all her goods ;)

she finally woke up and her reaction did not disappoint. she walked confused through the streamers into the living room where she stumbled upon the half eaten cookies and milk.  she finally eyed the kitchen and went beserk! her first order of business was to find a cup and announce "emma making coffee".  that's my girl!







one of her early morning gifts was a set of her very own {fake} makeup.  she is constantly in my bathroom asking "emma play makeup?" so this was the perfect little gift. emma played with her new beauty set and even treated her brother to a little blow dry ;)







after our family time, the grandparents and uncles/aunts arrived for brunch and emma and ben got spoiled to high heaven. they got more toys and clothes and goodies than they could ever need.  emma was very thoughtful and while i was worried she would get overly spoiled and just rip through presents one by one....she carefully played with each one as she opened....so much so that we had to encourage her along. ben slept through the whole thing....clearly not impressed yet ;)




like any obnoxious parent would, we captured about 8 million photos of the gift opening process...but i'll spare everyone the pain of having to look through them all ;)

after all the action, emma went down for a nap and we got some quiet moments with little ben.  and of course, more pictures ;) for all those folks that say "oh you'll never take as many photos of your second as you did your first"....i challenge you. seriously. i'm so photo happy i think i may put that comment to shame.





i mean, what's not to love??? i could just kiss that sweet little face all day! i seriously cannot get enough of this child. he is the sweetest little dude around. such a charmer, i tell you. and as a side note, why is is my 2 month old wearing 6 month old clothing? holy moly!

we headed to my parents for christmas dinner, playtime, and a few more gifts. we enjoyed a delicious meal stocked full of our family's holiday favorites.  those dishes that while i know the recipe and could probably recreate them will forever taste better the way my parents prepare them. we enjoyed one another's company, yummy cocktails, and the calm after the storm of christmas craziness. lots of warm fuzzy.

it was a good day. a great day in fact. and while there is fun to be had in the watching the gift opening, the moments really worth remembering were the funny comments made by my almost 2 year old princess, the quiet time snuggles with my little ben, and couch cuddling with my sweet husband.



the gift really worth opening is one i get to open every single day. the smiles, the laughs, the "mommy hugs! mommy kiss!".

from our family to yours, i hope your day was filled with the realization that the holiday spirit is in the everyday moments that fill our lives.  wishing you a new year filled with an abundance of those :)

christmas wishes.

Sunday, December 25, 2011 | | 2 comments
to my family & to my friends,

merry christmas.

there would be nothing in this life were it not for your love. may the holidays remind us of all that is good and true in our lives and inspire us to cultivate more of it in the new year.

cheers!




...i can't wait to share stories and photos of our day. but for now. to all a good christmas and to all a good night!...

two whole months

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 | | 0 comments

my sweet benjamin,

 today you are two months old. can you believe it? mommy can't!  tomorrow we will take you to the doctor and find out just how much you weigh....based on the amount you eat and the way your cute little tummy fills out your 3 month old clothes....i'm guessing the number is quite impressive.  you are such a sweet little one.  you are still so brand new but you look at the world through a set of wise little eyes.  you smile alot and coo at the sound of soft voices. it gives me goosebumps and makes my heart swell to see the corners of your mouth turn up and those gurgly newborn noises come out.  i still can't believe you are all ours.

 you are sleeping so well these days.  most nights you go to sleep around 9 and sleep until about 4....sometimes even 5! we are grateful for this and even though we'd love you regardless, appreciate a little help in the snoozing department.  when you do get up, you are ravenous! you don't give us much warning when you are hungry.....and during your awake hours, you eat pretty much around the clock.  you love spending time in your playmat and will giggle and coo when we make bicycles with your chubby little legs.  you kick and squirm like you've really got somewhere important to be!  you put up with your energetic boisterous sister and don't shy away from getting involved with the conversation :)  you put up with her obsession with touching you & i think you're enjoying just how much she loves you.  you are getting so good with your head and smile extra wide when you are upright and taking the world head on.

i can't really put into words how much we love you. no matter how much i tried. i had visions of you before you arrived and you are way beyond anything i could have ever imagined. you are perfect. your sister is so in love and mommy and daddy....well, you've got us wrapped around your fingers.  you and your big sister, i tell you.

my little {big} man, we love you so.  more than you will ever know. two months ago you arrived.  you arrived and the world, our world, has been a better place ever since.

i love you. to the moon and back and even more than that. and promise that i always will.
mommy

monday ramblings

Monday, December 19, 2011 | | 0 comments
i can't believe christmas is less than a week away!! i've got a few more little things to pick up but am otherwise done with any kind of shopping i plan to get done before christmas. good thing, too. it's craaaayzay out there!

we decided that this year, instead of buying gifts for the adults, we wanted to "adopt a family" and really go all out for them.  we did just that, adopting a family that has been victimized by domestic violence.  there are two young children in the home and their mother has worked hard to get them out of a bad and dangerous situation. and it has been the most meaningful special experience and i look forward to doing this for many more holidays to come. we have way more than we could ever EVER need and it has meant so much to participate in this with my own family for whom i am so grateful.  i only wish i could be a fly on the wall and watch them open their gifts.


my little munchkins are keeping me very very busy!  i definitely underestimated the difficult juggle that this would be, i'll fully admit that! i've had to return to work this week....long story there as i wasn't planning to do so until after xmas....so i've had a glimpse of the challenge ahead.  i'm constantly on the go from before sun up to after sun down and life has become all about making the most of the fleeting moments in the day!  i'm looking forward to the middle of this week when my holiday break starts. i full back full steam on the 29th. lookout!!

my little sparkle, emma, is turning 2 in early january. we did a mini photoshoot to try and capture her in all her spunky sparkly glory over the weekend. i bought a pair of pink converse and had so much fun bedazzling them to go along with her outfit.  she calls them her "sparkle shoes" and wears them proudly!


hey there mister...how YOU doin?  mr. b will be 2 months old tomorrow and i'm trying to figure out where the time has gone. he is the sweetest little thing with such a calm mellow temperament {for now! fast forward a year and i may be singing a different tune, right?}.  he eats everything in site {well not really but the dude loves to grub}, is sleeping through the night, and loves to cuddle and give his mama eskimo kisses.  we got great news in the form of his acceptance to Baby Gator so come January, he'll start daycare with his sister. we had put our deposit down on another daycare the day before we found out....luckily they were nice to give us a full refund.  emma is looking forward to "bring baby ben school"....she'll be so proud to show him off.


my dad stepped down from his position of chair in the department of clinical and health psychology earlier this year.  emma and i attending the department holiday party where they unveiled a beautiful portrait of "danpa!" and even santa made an appearance.  emma ate candy canes and eye'd "santa" suspiciously.  she was interested him but only from afar. when we got within 10 feet all she could say was "no santa!!!!".  at least i got to get her in this cute outfit with sparkly red shoes and a satin bubble skirt. man do i love to dress this child. ;)


here she is cuddling with her grandpa. she loves her grandparents to death. we used our iPhones to do Face Time for the first time last night and emma was going through the grandparents on repeat...."hi gandma"...."i love you danpa!".  sooooo adorable.


yawn. this mommy is very very tired. i suspect i will be for many many more moments, days, weeks, months to come. right, ben? right mom. thank goodness for coffee, energizing workouts, and all things caffeinated.


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