My awesome and extremely talented cousin-in-law (is that a thing?) is hosting an amazing giveaway that I would be absolutely delighted to win. Seriously, this girl has some amazing sewing skills and I'm sure that's an insult to her since her talents lie in so much more than just sewing. At any rate, check out her blog and enter her giveaway:
http://cathgrace.com/2014/02/its-my-birthday-so-i-have-an-exciting-present-for-you
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
10 Things about James
Oh James. Where do I start with this kid?
1. He turned four at the end of November. I have no idea if he is a typical four-year-old or not. All I know is he is about the most creative, imaginative little guy I know, which is awesome but often frustrating. When we're trying to do something that should be basic black and white, he finds ways to mix in a million shades of gray. For instance, I've been working on reading with him. Every day during Livy's nap we have our "reading lessons." James' ability to be distracted by anything else other than what we're working on makes me want to pull my hair out. Instead of just sounding out the sounds like he knows he's supposed to, he'll find ways to make the words do silly things, make little characters out of each one, find various patterns within the letters, etc. Each day I try to stay calm, only feeling my blood pressure rising more and more as we get further into it. Since Brian and I long ago determined that he'd help the kids with math and I'd help them with reading/writing, I've been excited to share with them my love for reading, but some days I want to throw in the towel and tell myself he can learn in kindergarten from someone more patient than myself who can deal with him unleashing his creative shenanigans.
2. I can't believe how fast this kid is growing up. Not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. He's always been verbal and expressive but he's reached such an astounding level that sometimes I mistake him for a 12-year-old rather than my sweet little four-year-old. Brian went out of town last week and told James man-to-man that he was in charge of the family while he was away and had to take care of us. James really took this to heart and every day would help me out with Livy and do kind things for me. At the end of every day he'd remind me that he took care of us that day.
He is so loving (most of the time). He still loves to give hugs and kisses and I dread the day this stops. He tells me at least once a day "Mom, I love you so much that I can't stop loving you." Sometimes I think he says it to butter me up when he's done something wrong, but I love to hear it anyway.
3. This kid is such a social creature. He loves being with other people, young or old. He's the youngest in his primary class by quite a few months (some days it's more obvious than others) but you can tell the kids in his class look up to him and adore him. As a mom, that makes me so happy. I've already been told by several moms that their daughters have a crush on my son. I don't know what he does to warrant this, but it makes me laugh.
4. He's starting to really get into spiritual things, is super inquisitive (just now he asked me why Jesus didn't live in Israel anymore and if he would now be considered an angel). I don't know if it's just him growing up, me being more conscious of teaching him concepts, or primary, but he talks about God and Jesus all the time and requests primary songs to be played on the piano or sung to him daily. The other day he was playing with some blocks and was quite serious about building a temple (pictured below). When Livy destroyed it out of retaliation later that day, he was quite distraught about it and was worried he wouldn't be able to rebuild it just like he did before. Now he requests that I take pictures of everything he builds in case it needs to be rebuilt later.
6. He's getting to be quite helpful with housework and, luckily, is still quite enthused about helping. Laundry is his favorite. He loves for me to ask him to be the delivery boy and he delivers the laundry piles with great pride. If he knows something is helpful for me, he'll happily do it.
7. For the most part, he's pretty well behaved in public and we don't even have to worry about him anymore. Although he still has his moments, I feel like I can now count on him to be the dependable, helpful one and I love that. So while I have to wrestle Livy at the grocery store, hurry and get my shopping done while she screams with me holding her down with one arm while I push the cart with the other arm, I can totally depend on James to sit quietly and patiently until I'm done. If I ask him to help make Livy happy, he'll do it the best he can (with her it's sometimes an impossible task) and try and talk her into calming down. Sometimes all it takes is him holding her hand and there is instant peace. He has that effect on her and it's amazing.
8. He still goes to bed around 8 and wakes up around 7:45 on the dot every morning. Some days he'll come stand by my bed until I wake up. Other days, if I'm up before him, he'll sneak out and hide from me then jump out and pretend to scare us. Naps are almost nonexistent, although maybe will happen once every couple of weeks or so. I can't decide which is worse though, him not napping on days I wish he would, but then going to bed early, or him falling asleep for a nap, being happy the rest of the day but not being able to fall asleep for bed until after 10 or 11 and then being grouchy the next day because of it. It's a vicious cycle. I know on the days driving home from preschool that it'll be a nap day when he sits in the back and says "Mom, my head is too exhausted to hold itself up."
9. He's finally out of his super picky toddler nightmarish eating phase. As Livy's getting progressively worse, he's getting that much better. He likes meat now, eats salad like its candy, and can pretty much be convinced to try anything and finally loves healthier food more than sweets. There is hope in the world.
10. He's super into "I Spy" books and mazes right now. Unfortunately, he could also play games on the iPad all day if we let him (which we do not--Andrea, I know you're worried). He loves playing games, too. Nothing fancy. Candy Land and Operation are favorites. But even more than games, he loves anything we all do together, whether it be going to the park, watching a movie, playing sports (bowling is a new favorite, if you can call that a sport), etc.
That's our James. Thank goodness for him.
1. He turned four at the end of November. I have no idea if he is a typical four-year-old or not. All I know is he is about the most creative, imaginative little guy I know, which is awesome but often frustrating. When we're trying to do something that should be basic black and white, he finds ways to mix in a million shades of gray. For instance, I've been working on reading with him. Every day during Livy's nap we have our "reading lessons." James' ability to be distracted by anything else other than what we're working on makes me want to pull my hair out. Instead of just sounding out the sounds like he knows he's supposed to, he'll find ways to make the words do silly things, make little characters out of each one, find various patterns within the letters, etc. Each day I try to stay calm, only feeling my blood pressure rising more and more as we get further into it. Since Brian and I long ago determined that he'd help the kids with math and I'd help them with reading/writing, I've been excited to share with them my love for reading, but some days I want to throw in the towel and tell myself he can learn in kindergarten from someone more patient than myself who can deal with him unleashing his creative shenanigans.
2. I can't believe how fast this kid is growing up. Not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. He's always been verbal and expressive but he's reached such an astounding level that sometimes I mistake him for a 12-year-old rather than my sweet little four-year-old. Brian went out of town last week and told James man-to-man that he was in charge of the family while he was away and had to take care of us. James really took this to heart and every day would help me out with Livy and do kind things for me. At the end of every day he'd remind me that he took care of us that day.
He is so loving (most of the time). He still loves to give hugs and kisses and I dread the day this stops. He tells me at least once a day "Mom, I love you so much that I can't stop loving you." Sometimes I think he says it to butter me up when he's done something wrong, but I love to hear it anyway.
3. This kid is such a social creature. He loves being with other people, young or old. He's the youngest in his primary class by quite a few months (some days it's more obvious than others) but you can tell the kids in his class look up to him and adore him. As a mom, that makes me so happy. I've already been told by several moms that their daughters have a crush on my son. I don't know what he does to warrant this, but it makes me laugh.
4. He's starting to really get into spiritual things, is super inquisitive (just now he asked me why Jesus didn't live in Israel anymore and if he would now be considered an angel). I don't know if it's just him growing up, me being more conscious of teaching him concepts, or primary, but he talks about God and Jesus all the time and requests primary songs to be played on the piano or sung to him daily. The other day he was playing with some blocks and was quite serious about building a temple (pictured below). When Livy destroyed it out of retaliation later that day, he was quite distraught about it and was worried he wouldn't be able to rebuild it just like he did before. Now he requests that I take pictures of everything he builds in case it needs to be rebuilt later.
5. He wants to be just like his dad. He's constantly reminding me that he wants to grow up to be a doctor and fix people's faces "just like dad." When Brian is gone, I can tell how much he misses him. The bright spot of his day is when Brian comes home and rough houses with him. Those two have a special relationship and I love to watch it unfold.
6. He's getting to be quite helpful with housework and, luckily, is still quite enthused about helping. Laundry is his favorite. He loves for me to ask him to be the delivery boy and he delivers the laundry piles with great pride. If he knows something is helpful for me, he'll happily do it.
7. For the most part, he's pretty well behaved in public and we don't even have to worry about him anymore. Although he still has his moments, I feel like I can now count on him to be the dependable, helpful one and I love that. So while I have to wrestle Livy at the grocery store, hurry and get my shopping done while she screams with me holding her down with one arm while I push the cart with the other arm, I can totally depend on James to sit quietly and patiently until I'm done. If I ask him to help make Livy happy, he'll do it the best he can (with her it's sometimes an impossible task) and try and talk her into calming down. Sometimes all it takes is him holding her hand and there is instant peace. He has that effect on her and it's amazing.
8. He still goes to bed around 8 and wakes up around 7:45 on the dot every morning. Some days he'll come stand by my bed until I wake up. Other days, if I'm up before him, he'll sneak out and hide from me then jump out and pretend to scare us. Naps are almost nonexistent, although maybe will happen once every couple of weeks or so. I can't decide which is worse though, him not napping on days I wish he would, but then going to bed early, or him falling asleep for a nap, being happy the rest of the day but not being able to fall asleep for bed until after 10 or 11 and then being grouchy the next day because of it. It's a vicious cycle. I know on the days driving home from preschool that it'll be a nap day when he sits in the back and says "Mom, my head is too exhausted to hold itself up."
9. He's finally out of his super picky toddler nightmarish eating phase. As Livy's getting progressively worse, he's getting that much better. He likes meat now, eats salad like its candy, and can pretty much be convinced to try anything and finally loves healthier food more than sweets. There is hope in the world.
10. He's super into "I Spy" books and mazes right now. Unfortunately, he could also play games on the iPad all day if we let him (which we do not--Andrea, I know you're worried). He loves playing games, too. Nothing fancy. Candy Land and Operation are favorites. But even more than games, he loves anything we all do together, whether it be going to the park, watching a movie, playing sports (bowling is a new favorite, if you can call that a sport), etc.
That's our James. Thank goodness for him.
10 Things about Livy
My awesome sister-in-law did a "10" things about each of her kids post awhile back and I liked that idea so now it's my turn.
My little girl will be two-years-old in a couple more months. She's getting so tall and when I actually take the time to fix her hair (and she'll keep it in) she looks so grown up. I've long thought this about my Liv, but especially lately it seems that I can't help but think what a gift from God she is and that I need to treasure each moment.
1. She's getting to be so beautiful. Her facial expressions are priceless. I could stare at her all day long. She readily offers hugs and kisses and has such a sensitive soul. If she knows she's done something to make me angry (like dumping the entire bottle of fish food out on the counter), her lower lip gets so pouty, tears well up, she'll run off and then come back a minute later so apologetic. I sometimes wish I could freeze time with her and don't know what I'd do without her.
2. She is always on the go. Everything is a jungle gym to her (furniture, even people, etc.). A couple weeks ago we went to our first hockey game. She wouldn't sit still for a second. During the breaks they had a bounce house set up for the kids. When the breaks were over and they'd shoo everyone out, she'd sob uncontrollably and scream, "JUMP! JUMP! PLEEEEASE!"
3. This little lady loves animals (as well as her new baby cousin Marin). One week she'll be obsessed with dogs, the next week bunnies, the next cats, etc. During last week's arctic tundra cold freeze, I took the kids to Pet's Mart because it was too cold to go to the zoo. She could have sat in front of the cat cages all day pretending that cat was her best friend. Again, she screamed when we had to leave. I really think she thought that cat wouldn't be okay without her.
4. As with James when he was her age, we are moving toward a slow but steady potty training. Livy's is mostly self-motivated. She hates having a wet diaper, will take it off herself if I don't get to it fast enough and most importantly, this girl will do anything for M&Ms. Anything. We've had a pretty awesome week with the M&M's bribing. I'm hoping she'll be as great as James with the night training too (knock on wood--he hasn't wet the bed in a year and a half now).
5. She is so concerned whenever someone is sad whether it be in real life, on TV or in stories. If someone is sad, so is Livy. It's quite sweet. When reading stories, she is not satisfied until I can convince her that the once sad character is happy now.
6. She is still super shy and totally attached to her mama. I both love this and am frustrated by this. I love that she is my girl and loves me so much but sometimes I wish she would open up and love others a little more, too. See #7. But for as attached at the hip as she is to me, she's also super independent. "I do! I do too" is a phrase heard constantly at our house. If James can do it by himself, Livy has to do it by herself, too.
7. Even mentioning the word "nursery" gives her anxiety. She will scream like she's being tortured the second we walk near the nursery room. Luckily, after peeling her away from me and handing her off to a nursery leader, she is usually fine after a few minutes . . . unless she sees me peeking in on her from the hallway. She'll hyperventilate and have a meltdown and climb over anyone and anything to get to me. Last week when I went to pick her up she squealed with delight, jumped into my arms, put her head on my shoulder, squeezed me tight and repeated over and over "Happy! Happy! Happy!" It melted my heart.
8. She loves to be outside. It doesn't matter how cold or wet it is, she will beg to go outdoors until I give in. We just can't move fast enough. Of course, being the finicky toddler she is, she'll want me to hold her most of the time and then beg to go back in 15 minutes later. Go figure. She also has a really strange fetish for putting things down her shirt, food mostly.
9. She used to sleep from around 8 p.m.-8:30 a.m. every day and then have a 2.5 hour nap. Lately, she'll only sleep from 8-7:30 and take a 1.5 hour nap. It's driving me nuts. I miss those later mornings and longer naps. I'm praying that she doesn't stop needing naps early like James did. She's also not quite as picky as James was at this age, but I fear she is getting there. She's starting to resist foods she once loved and sometimes is perfectly content not eating anything at all. She's refused to sit in a high chair (or thrown complete tantrums and refused to eat if we've forced her) for at least six months now. Needless to say, mealtime is an adventure with her.
10. I asked James what he likes best about Livy and he said playing with her and that "she makes me laugh." The girl has quite the contagious laugh and sense of humor. She loves to be chased and will laugh and squeal in the cutest way whenever you get close to catching her. James is her best buddy. Often, the first thing we hear from her in the mornings is a scream for her "JAAAAYY!"
How we love our little miss Liv.
My little girl will be two-years-old in a couple more months. She's getting so tall and when I actually take the time to fix her hair (and she'll keep it in) she looks so grown up. I've long thought this about my Liv, but especially lately it seems that I can't help but think what a gift from God she is and that I need to treasure each moment.
1. She's getting to be so beautiful. Her facial expressions are priceless. I could stare at her all day long. She readily offers hugs and kisses and has such a sensitive soul. If she knows she's done something to make me angry (like dumping the entire bottle of fish food out on the counter), her lower lip gets so pouty, tears well up, she'll run off and then come back a minute later so apologetic. I sometimes wish I could freeze time with her and don't know what I'd do without her.
2. She is always on the go. Everything is a jungle gym to her (furniture, even people, etc.). A couple weeks ago we went to our first hockey game. She wouldn't sit still for a second. During the breaks they had a bounce house set up for the kids. When the breaks were over and they'd shoo everyone out, she'd sob uncontrollably and scream, "JUMP! JUMP! PLEEEEASE!"
3. This little lady loves animals (as well as her new baby cousin Marin). One week she'll be obsessed with dogs, the next week bunnies, the next cats, etc. During last week's arctic tundra cold freeze, I took the kids to Pet's Mart because it was too cold to go to the zoo. She could have sat in front of the cat cages all day pretending that cat was her best friend. Again, she screamed when we had to leave. I really think she thought that cat wouldn't be okay without her.
4. As with James when he was her age, we are moving toward a slow but steady potty training. Livy's is mostly self-motivated. She hates having a wet diaper, will take it off herself if I don't get to it fast enough and most importantly, this girl will do anything for M&Ms. Anything. We've had a pretty awesome week with the M&M's bribing. I'm hoping she'll be as great as James with the night training too (knock on wood--he hasn't wet the bed in a year and a half now).
5. She is so concerned whenever someone is sad whether it be in real life, on TV or in stories. If someone is sad, so is Livy. It's quite sweet. When reading stories, she is not satisfied until I can convince her that the once sad character is happy now.
6. She is still super shy and totally attached to her mama. I both love this and am frustrated by this. I love that she is my girl and loves me so much but sometimes I wish she would open up and love others a little more, too. See #7. But for as attached at the hip as she is to me, she's also super independent. "I do! I do too" is a phrase heard constantly at our house. If James can do it by himself, Livy has to do it by herself, too.
7. Even mentioning the word "nursery" gives her anxiety. She will scream like she's being tortured the second we walk near the nursery room. Luckily, after peeling her away from me and handing her off to a nursery leader, she is usually fine after a few minutes . . . unless she sees me peeking in on her from the hallway. She'll hyperventilate and have a meltdown and climb over anyone and anything to get to me. Last week when I went to pick her up she squealed with delight, jumped into my arms, put her head on my shoulder, squeezed me tight and repeated over and over "Happy! Happy! Happy!" It melted my heart.
8. She loves to be outside. It doesn't matter how cold or wet it is, she will beg to go outdoors until I give in. We just can't move fast enough. Of course, being the finicky toddler she is, she'll want me to hold her most of the time and then beg to go back in 15 minutes later. Go figure. She also has a really strange fetish for putting things down her shirt, food mostly.
9. She used to sleep from around 8 p.m.-8:30 a.m. every day and then have a 2.5 hour nap. Lately, she'll only sleep from 8-7:30 and take a 1.5 hour nap. It's driving me nuts. I miss those later mornings and longer naps. I'm praying that she doesn't stop needing naps early like James did. She's also not quite as picky as James was at this age, but I fear she is getting there. She's starting to resist foods she once loved and sometimes is perfectly content not eating anything at all. She's refused to sit in a high chair (or thrown complete tantrums and refused to eat if we've forced her) for at least six months now. Needless to say, mealtime is an adventure with her.
10. I asked James what he likes best about Livy and he said playing with her and that "she makes me laugh." The girl has quite the contagious laugh and sense of humor. She loves to be chased and will laugh and squeal in the cutest way whenever you get close to catching her. James is her best buddy. Often, the first thing we hear from her in the mornings is a scream for her "JAAAAYY!"
How we love our little miss Liv.
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