Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The box under the table

A million years ago I bought these jenky little tables to use as night stands. Throughout the course of many years, many moves and many passes with the monster trucks, one of the tables finally fell apart. It was actually propped up on two of its three legs, then one of its three legs and the point where two of the bedroom walls meet until this weekend when it finally cried uncle and collapsed.

When Morgan took the table outside (actually he just left it on the washing machine which is my FAVORITE thing) I discovered my keepsake box. Its not a fancy box, just an old cardboard hat box but its big and it houses all manner of things that I deemed sentimental for one reason or another.

I pulled it out and decided to take a quick peek through it before finding a new spot for it.

It was quite the trip down memory lane. I laughed at old birthday cards, cried at old condolence cards, and found an old Winter Formal picture from 1996. I was reminded of old friends I've lost touch with and reminded again of why some friendships last so long.

Out of the dozens of cards, notes and letters in my box (SHUT UP, MORGAN!) two really stuck out to me.

The first is a letter from my grandma sent right after Morgan and I got engaged. I am not a phone person and Grandma doesn't have email so for the year I lived in California and the two years I lived in Arizona, Grandma and I had a fairly regular correspondence. I'm so glad I kept this particular letter because I've thought of what she said in it many times in the years since Morgan and I got married. I hope she doesn't mind that I'm posting her words here:

"The way to a fulfilling and blessed marriage is to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interests of others." Phil 2: 3-4 

And its signed, as always, "Love you muchly, Grandma".

The second is a card that Morgan sent me in November of 2004 about two months after we had met.  I don't remember getting it from him and he doesn't remember sending it but inside I found an envelope for a Starbucks gift card.  The cards reads:

Babe-
This is for all the times I would love to have coffee in the morning with you.  So I thought I could at least buy you a few cups.  I love you more everyday and having you 1200 miles away kills me but soon it will all change.  I am so excited to start life with you, a whole new chapter for both of us.
I love you.
Morgan

We both read that and thought Whoa!  That was only TWO MONTHS after we met.  Considering I was a little gun shy about the whole "falling in love" thing (yes, in 2004 I would have definitely used air quotes when saying that) its a wonder I didn't head for the hills.

The box will eventually be relocated under another table or under the bed where it will collect dust and I won't think about its contents for another 5 years.  Every time I get a card or note I'll toss it in there and think nothing of it, until the next time I take a minute to look at these snapshots in time. 

Morgan thinks I'm overly sentimental for keeping all this stuff but I'm so glad I have.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the Winter Formal picture circa 1996.  Booya!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cop out

I have two posts half composed but I know they can both be more than what they are currently. However, I'm tired and running low on energy but I need to post. I think putting "however" and "but" is somehow grammatically incorrect but I can't think just now how so.

Today's little tidbit: both Conor and Finley have an adorable feature in which their little cheeks turn bright pink when they are tired. They both have pretty distinctive cues to let me know when they are sleepy but just in case I miss those, there is no mistaking the bright pink cheeks.

I love that while they are SO different in so many ways little similarities jump out from time to time.

Until tomorrow, friends, when I hope to have something of slightly more substance.

This daily posting is much more difficult than I had hoped it would be...


Sunday, November 28, 2010

Songs

I am not a particularly musical person but that does not keep me from singing all the live long day.  Whether its Lady Gaga, the Black Eye Peas or made up words to Beethoven's Ode to Joy, I'm always singing some sort of nonsense.

Over the course of my singing career (HAH!) I've made up several tuneless songs whose lyrics I would like to share with you now.  You should be very grateful that I am not subjecting you to a recording of me actually singing. You're welcome.

I made this song up in 2002ish for my sweet cat, Luna.

See, isn't she cute?


I like to lay on the bed with my baby,
I like to lay on the bed with my baby,
I love my baby,
She's so pretty,
That's because,
She is my kitty.

Are you amazed?  Yes, you should be.  Luna ran away on Halloween last year and I will not listen if you suggest something awful about her being a black cat and disappearing on Halloween.  I choose to believe that she was adopted into a whole house full of friendly cats where there are no wild animal style toddlers to yank on her tail.  And ears.  And whiskers.  (Dear Luna, sorry about all that.  Hope you're living a happy life out there somewhere.  Love, Mama)

After Conor was born, I made up a song for him too.
Oooh yuck. Please don't sing, Mommy!
Who's my beautiful baby,
Who's my beautiful boy?
You's my beautiful baby and
You's my beautiful boy.
You bring me so much happiness
You bring me so much joy
You's my beautiful baby and
You's my beautiful boy

Morgan was critical of this song not for the ridiculous way in which I sang it, but because "You's totally isn't a word, Erin!"

Most recently, I had to make up another song for Conor because I adapted the previous song for Finley.  I won't give you the full version but just imagine "girl" where there is "boy" and "brighten up my world" where there is "bring me so much joy".  Man!  I am wicked good at rhyming.

This is Conor's new song.

He used to be my baby, but he's a big boy now
He used to be my baby, I really don't know how
He's turned into a big boy, the biggest boy I know
He used to be my baby, but he began to grow.

Hey, Mommy!  I like it.  I mean as I long as I can play with my monster truck while I listen to it.

I would be lying if I told you that singing this song that I made up for him, doesn't make me cry.  Like, even as I was typing it out, I was getting that annoying eye-pricky thing that happens just before the tears start.  Its just that...well...he used to be my baby, but he's a BIG BOY NOW!

I mean, really, Conor?  Haven't I told you and told you?  Stop growing!  Damn!  These kids just don't LISTEN!  Hmm, maybe I should write a song about that.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

A Wii little game

Kristen and Keenan are letting us borrow their Wii for a bit because Conor loves to play "games". The last two days have been spent learning how to master bowling and golf. What fun its been to watch Conor picking up new skills right before our eyes.

I've been pretty against video game systems for Conor. I have this image of this pasty skinned, glassy eyed, overweight kid who has a permanent imprint of the game controller on his hands. Obviously I don't want that for Conor. Also, I've never really been into video games so its not like I'd want to sit down and play Grand Theft Auto with Conor or without him.  Not that I'd want him to play Grand Theft Auto at all.  It sounds like an absolutely horrific game.

The Wii however, has turned out to be a fun toy for the whole family. (And, we're not ALWAYS playing with Monster Trucks.)  We spent this morning bowling, golfing, canoeing, sky diving and enjoyed several rounds of table tennis. I'm telling myself that, in addition to time spent together as a family,Conor is learning such skills as sharing (he and I had to share our Wii controller), taking turns, hand-eye coordination, being a graceful winner and not being a sore loser.

Meanwhile, my shoulder is sore as hell from fake canoeing. Yeah, that's kind of an embarrassing sentence to have to write.


Friday, November 26, 2010

Thankful for

good dads.

Morgan is texting his friend Rob about meeting for a beer this evening.

Morgan: want to go have a beer and watch the Boise State Game?
Rob: I would but I promised Will a snuggle party tonight
Morgan: I though we were going to have a snuggle party tonight?  No, I wouldn't miss a snuggle party with Conor either.

I think its great when men aren't too manly to admit that they would rather have a snuggle party with their boys than go have a beer.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Narrated

Conor has recently began a campaign to narrate our lives. It sometimes goes like this:

"Mommy! Look at that tanker big truck! Oh, I think that is very interesting when the tanker big truck is on the ROAD. Ax-sool-lee, I don't want to to go Red Robin, I want to stay at home and you cook me dinner here or look! a squirrel and read the I Spy book to me Mommy? and Finley needs her passie....aaaaa-gooooooo, Finley. A goo, Mommy. Daddy is home now? Daddy is at work now. Daddy is at his NEW work now. Daddy fixed tractors and big trucks and I wear my work sweatshirt and Mommy? Where is Trocipal Funder? I love you Mommy.  I have a kiss Mommy?  I give Finley a kiss, Mommy? aaaaa-gooooo, Finley.  We go for a walk, I hold your HAAAAAAND, Mommy?"

Yeah, maybe that seems annoying, but its actually kind of cute.

Ok, on other days though, he sounds like this:

"Mommy, can I have a snack? Mommy, can I watch Monster Jam? Mommy, I WANT A SNACK please.  Mommy!  You need to LISTEN TO MY WORDS because I am very ANGRY at you.  Mommy, you go sit in timeout, RIGHT NOW!  Mommy?  Can I have a snack?  Mommy, can I watch Monster Jam?  Mommy, can I watch Sesame Street?  Mommy, where is Daddy?  Mommy, where is Opa?  Mommy, where is Nana?  Mommy, where is Tucker?  MOMMY!  I want a snack RIGHT NOW!  Ax-sool-lee Mommy?  I don't have to go potty in the big boy potty.  MOMMY!  NO!  You DON'T feed Finley right now!  What are you DOING Mommy? What are you DOING, Mommy?  What are you DOING, Mommy?  WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. MOMMY!!!! Mommy, Zack coming over today?  Ax-sool-lee Mommy, I'm not going to sit right now, I'm going to stand right now.  No, Mommy!  YOU go sit in timeout."

It is truly a never ending torrent of words around here.  It is both completely sweet and completely annoying.  Sort of like parenthood in general, I suppose.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I picked a winner

The other night I was all stuffed up and snuffly when I went to bed and Morgan, without me even having to ask, got up both times with Finley. It was wonderful to be able to get a full nights sleep and I felt much better in the morning.

Before he got out of bed I thanked him to taking the night shift for me and he goes "No problem, Babe. We need you to get better. You're our rock and we need you to feel your best."

Seriously?

Love him a real whole lot.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Does daily blogging apply to days when I don't feel well?

Perhaps, when I decided to blog every day, I should have picked a day when I wasn't feeling all head cold-y to start.

Today I am frustrated because I have a cold, a compulsion to clean my house, two toddlers who are behaving more like rabid squirrels than the sweet two year olds that they are, and an infant. I am tired because Finley was up from 11pm to 12:15am and then again at 3:44 and then up for the day at 5:50am.

Thank goodness there are two back to back episodes of Friends on TBS right now. Its the only thing keeping me going.

Aren't you glad I decided to post every day? This is just riveting, I'm sure.


Monday, November 22, 2010

Blocked

My blog posting has been pretty meager lately. Actually, its been pretty meager since Finley was born. You see, I had a routine that allowed me about a half an hour each morning to sit, drink my coffee, read my emails and blog if I was so moved.

But, with a new baby, my whole schedule has been thrown off. Instead of waking a half hour early, now I don't get out of bed until one, or both, of my children request (demand) it. Then, from the moment my feet hit the floor, its just go, go, go until nap time (and, by some miracle of nature, they both nap from about 1pm until 4pm - crap, now I've just jinxed it) which is when I should blog, but basically I throw my behind on the couch and stay there until, again, one or both of my children request (demand) that I get up.

Oh sure, sometimes I fold laundry or vacuum and I always (well, almost always) do the dishes, but those are the brainless, easy tasks that don't require anything more then the ability to match socks, sort lights from darks (who am I kidding, it all gets lumped together) or properly load the dishwasher.

I guess what I'm saying is my brain (I actually just spelled it branin. Super.) has TURNED TO MUSH. Which is actually all the more reason to force myself to sit down and write something, ANYTHING, every day.

Last year I decided that I would post every single day in December - I was not successful - and I've decided to do the same thing again this year, but maybe, as an exercise in self-discipline (any (and) typing! My tuping (typing) has become terrible! (SEE!??!)) I should start early. Perhaps I should also learn how to write short, concise sentences, not these comma heavy monstrosities I'm subjecting you all too. There I go doing it again!

But, here's the thing. I often have very little to say. Or maybe, I often have very little that gets said. See, I'm ALWAYS constructing blog posts in my head. In fact, the other night while I was nursing Finley I mapped out the most killer blog post EVER! But it was all in my head and by the time I was done with nursing and the rest of the nighttime routine, it was gone. Or, more accurately, the small, quiet room in which I had composed the post was replaced by the loudness of the rest of the house and the mood was gone.

Where was I going with that? See? I'm all over the place. Mush, I tell you. Mush.

OK! for the four of you that read this regularly, be prepared. Starting today, it's one post per day. You've been warned...


Sunday, November 21, 2010

Frost in the morning

We woke up this morning to the most beautiful frost.  Well, we actually woke up to darkness but that's neither here nor there.  Anyway, when the sun emerged I took advantage of the light and the frost and got to work with my camera.  Here are just a few of my favorites.




































Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Tiny Little Peanut

Finley is four months old today!  It was around this age that Conor whittled down his night wakings to only once a night.  So, I'm hopeful.  The last few nights have been...challenging.  Morgan is having a hard time breathing at night which leads to snoring which wakes me up which causes me to insist he roll over which makes his nose plug up which makes it hard to breath which leads to snoring which...well I think you get what I'm saying here.

In between our night time battle we have Finley waking up two or three times to eat and Conor bleating like a sheep caught in a fence several times a night and altogether we feel cranky and out of sorts and in desperate need of coffee.

Wait.  What's that you say?  This is the month in which to be thankful?  Mmmmleh.  That is the sound of me sticking my tongue out at you.

So anyway!  Fin is 12 pounds, 11 ounces and 25.5 inches long.  She's in the 25th percentile for weight and the 90th for height.  Our little girl is long and lean.  Ummm, I'm not sure where she came from but she doesn't get either of those attributes from either myself or Morgan. 

She is just the sweetest little peanut though.  So happy and content almost all the time.  And, while the night wakings aren't great, she goes to bed so easily.   She pretty much wants us to lay her down and walk out of the room.  No intricate bedtime routine, no hours of rocking her to sleep.  Just a swaddle and a kiss and good night.  Wow, I love that girl.

She's recently discovered her feet which is fun for Morgan and I to watch as this is a little trick that Conor, being, quite possibly, the most inflexible child on earth, never managed.  That sentence had an extraordinary amount of commas.  I think if we could all get our feet in our mouths the world would be a much happier place.  I mean, how can you really be upset with someone when they are sucking on their own toes?  There you have it, world peace according to us here at the Hootenanny.

Back to Finley...she's also FREAKING ADORABLE!




Don't you just want to kiss her face right off?

I apologize for the very disjointed, stream-of-consciousness of this post.  I am tired and cranky and really should have left this post until tomorrow but for some reason (possibly lack of sleep-induced) I was adamant that I post tonight!  on her birthday!  Lest we all suffer doom!  And peril!  and...other bad things?

Enough.  My DVR is calling.

Monday, November 8, 2010

More Halloweeeeeen!

 Super  boy!  Costume courtesy of Party City.  Cape courtesy of Aunt Josie.

 Our little baby Zebra




My friend, Erin, threw a Halloween party for the kids of her friends.  Lots of adorable little ones in adorable little costumes experiencing (not so) adorable little sugar highs.

 Ben, the cutest lil cowboy.
 Harper.  Those eyes are going to be her Daddy's undoing.
 Superboy.  Cake ball in hand, cake on teeth.  Dentists all over the world are dying now.
 Addie as Dorothy.  Look at that smile!
 Conor took one look at Marissa's makeup and said to Morgan, "Daddy!  She's bad to the bone!" We don't know what that means.

 Baby Zech as an octopus.
 Pretty impressive to get a group photo of nine kids in costumes and no one throwing a fit!  However I don't think even one kid is actually looking at the camera.
 This is one tired zebra.
 Conor, being goofy.
So long, lil darlin'