The Year In Review

Once upon a time I was a very good mother who wrote Finley notes every few months on what his life was like. Then Dash came along and I tried to do it a few times a year. Then Kell took up residence and, well, it's been a while. So, the harried mother is reduced to posting a whole year in review. I'd make keeping up a new years resolution, but that would be like swearing off In N Out. Not going to happen.

Dearest Finley, you've grown up so very much this year. When I look back at pictures of you at this time last year I can still see traces of the baby you were and now when I look at you, as I am right now (you're playing Little Big Planet with Daddy and doing GREAT), I see a small man-child. You are in the afternoon three-day program at school and you love it. On the rare occasion that I keep you home with me, you get very angry for having missed a day. You are also quite the surly child and generally too smart for your own good. When your father and I told you that bad boys get coal for Christmas, you asked what coal was. Daddy explained that it was dirty rocks. After careful consideration, you told us that if Santa brought you dirty rocks you would just clean them up and paint them pretty. Smart ass. This past summer you learned to swim. You were nervous about it at first, but by the end of your two week session, you were like a little frog. You swam around underwater so much that I'd have to ask you to stop being afraid that you were going to exhaust yourself. You also started playing organized sports, starting with TBall and Soccer. You were more interested in socializing than playing either, but you were also the youngest on your teams by a good amount. We're trying Football in a month so we'll see how that goes! You've learned to write your name this year and your penmanship improves daily. You signed all the Thank You notes for your birthday gifts and did a great job. You're also getting way too good at decoding the words I spell to your father. We're going to have to resort to speaking in french soon if we want to keep anything from you! One day a few months ago, you came to me and started talking about addition. Not sure how you picked it up, but once the concepts of addition and subtraction were explained you took them and RAN. Your ability to learn new things is just astounding. You continue to love anything Star Wars and have fallen deeply in love with all things Super Hero. You enjoy Hot Wheels too and have quite the car collection. You earn a dollar for doing various things to help Mom around the house and then you can either save them or use them to buy cars on our frequent trips to Target. You are your fathers son and will sit through nearly any movie and you seem to prefer live action adult movies to the animated variety. You went to see Star Trek and Twilight in the theater with Mommy this year and Daddy and Uncle Brandon took you to see Avatar in 3D - you wore the glasses and everything. You've proven yourself an excellent big brother and although you argue constantly, you are an excellent friend and playmate to Dash. You're great with Kell too, always making him laugh. You love to eat out with us and are quick to suggest Sabor or Sisley as your choice dining out spots, although I think Johnny Rockets might still be your favorite. You've learned how to get into and out of your own carseat, which makes Mommy's life MUCH easier since Kell's arrival has pushed you to the back of the car, and in a few months when we move Kell out of the bucket, you'll move up to a booster seat. Seems like yesterday it was you that I was hefting around in that bucket. How did you get so very big?

My Sweetest Dash, you've grown from a toddler to a little boy this year. Hard to imagine that this time last year you were just mastering walking. Now the space between you and Finley seems so small - and I don't think you realize that there is ANY as you fully believe you are the same size. When asked your age, you will readily tell them you're three. You don't believe me when I remind you that you're only two :) You're learning in leaps and bounds and can count reliably to 10 and at times to 15. You're working hard at learning how to sing your ABC's too. I just wish you'd apply some of your desire to learn and grow to using the potty. I even made you Gabba Gabba underwear and you wanted to wear them - OVER your diaper. You're barely two though so I'm sure by the time I write a note next year, I'll be praising you for your potty-using abilities. We made many trips to Six Flags this year and my goodness are you FEARLESS. You wanted to ride everything and when I told Fin to sit with you on the little roller coasters, you wanted no part of it preferring to do it "by yourself". We also had a bevy of parties at places like Sky City and Scooters Jungle and you were all about going down the largest slides and doing it all on your own. I was exhausted after just a few runs but you just kept going up and down and up and down. I got tired just watching you! You got to see your first big snowstorm this Christmas with Mommy while Finley and Daddy were in Nashville. You LOVED watching the snow fall and when we were able to go out and play, you couldn't wait to sit in it and throw snowballs and you had no fear of getting snow everywhere. At one point you actually laid down on your stomach and put your whole face in it. Daddy took a funny video of you eating it. You're such a funny kid! Speaking of eating, you're a bottomless pit and there's nothing you won't try. You love all fruits and have recently started loving juice too - a change from Fin who still only does milk or water. You moved into a room with Finley this year, sleeping on a trundle. We talked about a bunk bed, but Fin didn't want anything to do with top bunk and you were all over it. Which would have been ok I guess if you weren't already the most accident prone kid on the planet! I think you both love having a buddy and Daddy and I love hearing you chat when you wake up in the morning. You're working on dressing yourself. You've been putting your own shoes on for a while now and you're getting better with your shirt. We're a while off of pant mastery. Like Fin, you're fantastic with Kell and delight in making him laugh. We're working on keeping you gentle, which doesn't really seem to be in your vocabulary. You are still the sweetest child I've ever met - snuggling and hugging at every chance you get. Often I find myself wishing I could just hold you at this age forever. Between my desire to do that and yours to grow up in a blink, hopefully we'll cancel each other out.

Little Kell, it's so impossible for me to grasp that you weren't even around this time last year. Well, I guess you were, but not really. You joined us fast and furiously this August and you are proving to be quite the force in our household. You are certainly not the easy baby that Dash was, but I'm not totally convinced that you're as challenging as Fin was. You are loud and extremely demanding. I think if you could talk you would tell us that you prefer to be carried. All the time. You're not rolling yet but you are DESPERATE to sit up. Indeed you spend most of your day either sitting on someones lap or propped up close by. You just want to watch all of the action! You love watching your brothers and laughing at anything they do - especially if it's dancing. You are starting to beg for whatever Mommy is eating and I can't wait to be able to give you everything. You just started sleeping in your own room and although it makes Mom and Dad sad to miss you, I know it was time and that we all sleep better. Well, at least Mommy does since it's Daddy who gets up to soothe you when you wake.

Speaking of Daddy, this Christmas he surprised me with the most amazing camera. And while I treasure all of the jewelry he's gifted me with on Christmases past, I can't tell you how much this present - and of his constant encouragement - means to me. Daddy also started a new job this year. I'd like to say more about that, but it's complicated and confidential, so we'll just leave it with how proud we all are of him! We ended the year by celebrating 8 years of marriage. Seems like it was just yesterday that we met at a bar. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful partner in life!

Well, I must off to bed so that's all for now. Hopefully I won't wait another year to do this! I love you boys all so very much and feel so privileged to be your mom!

Have Yourself...

A Merry Little Christmas. Or Happy Holidays if you prefer. We're headed East - catch you in 2010!

(And wow, I can remember being in grade school and having a conversation - or maybe it was writing a paper - on where we'd be in 2010. I think I wrote "old". Sigh.)

Christmas

A few scenes from Christmas in CA...Ornament & decor storage. A gift from Uncle Bud the year we got married.
Angels. Made with love from Uncle Bud :)This years photo ornament.
This year's mini-tree. Being East, I was not sure I'd decorate at all, but then I decided that the kids needed some spirit so we opted for the small tree :)
Mantle Angels.
...and on to Christmas in DC!

Photography Maybe

I can remember getting our wedding photos back and finding one that was marked "photographers favorite" on the back. It was a simple shot of Brooks' parents looking at him and at the time I didn't at ALL get why it was a "favorite" picture. I mean, I guess I thought it captured a nice moment, but no one was looking at the camera, it was completely unposed and nothing I'd ever want to frame. And don't forget that we got married before the era of digital photography and light years ahead of the journalistic narrative style that is popular today.

All of a sudden, lately, I get it. My love of photography grows daily and with it my interest in photographing things other than my kids. Ok, so more often than not, it's just other people's kids, but still. And I'm finding more and more that I like the shots that are off-kilter, not so sharp, not perfectly exposed and certainly not anything you'd frame. And since I am still a few weeks ahead of my new years resolution to keep up with, well, life better, I thought it might be a good time and place for a photo share. So here are a few of my favorite recent snaps.
My 50mm lens sometimes decides that it wants what it wants. And it wanted to focus on the chair. And I agreed.
This face? I just love this face. Little Briar is just the sweetest and when her Mama asked me to catch some pictures of her, I jumped at the chance. The only problem was what a hard time I had taking pictures of anything BUT her face :)
But I did get this one, which I love. Little girl, new to the walking scene and ready to take on the world.

The next three are from a party where SANTA came to visit! So much fun to watch the kids meet the Big Man and get to hear all his stories...
Fin...total joy...
Dashel getting ready to open his meticulously wrapped gift from Santa.
And oh how I love this one. Jenna stepped up at dang near the last minute to host the shindig and here she is, looking relaxed and having fun. I love the wrapping paper stuck to her leg and the children mulling about. If you ever saw a picture of me on a day where I had 22 (or more?) children running around my house, assorted parents, an array of sweets to be consumed and spilled and SANTA, I can PROMISE you I would not look anywhere near this composed. I can also promise you that the above scenario would likely never happen :)

By the way, that picture, the "photographer's favorite"? I framed it a few years ago.

'Tis the Season

So I know, I'm totally sucking at blogging. But I HAVE THREE KIDS PEOPLES!!! On that note, if we're friends and you feel like I blow you off or never call you...for the love of all that is holy, please do not take it personally. I HAVE THREE KIDS! And they know that Mom is much less likely to scream or swat if she's on the phone. I swear it takes all of two seconds while I'm on the phone for them to do something awful and rotten.

Also, it's Christmastime so I've been busting ass to get stuff done. Which is a challenge when you HAVE THREE KIDS!! Did I mention that Dash is still not over the whole "wow it's fun to run and hide from mommy in stores" thing? Yeah. And wrapping presents while holding Kell? Not enjoyable either.

Over the past few weeks, one thing has become glaringly obvious - some people need a refresher course in holiday etiquette. So today, I present some simple holiday guidelines.

It's the season to be jolly, and thankful, and for those who are religious, to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It is NOT the season to drive like an asshat. Speed limits exist for a reason. As do laws against cell phone use and texting while driving. And that makeup? You'll be sorry when the eyeliner pencil has to be surgically removed from your eyeball. Tailgating does not, in fact, cause the person in front of you to speed up. That car you bought, it came with this super cool function called a turn signal. It magically lets people know when you intend to - get this - make a turn. You should totally try it. Amazing, I know.

While we're on the subject of driving, it's important to remember that no parking spot is worth risking your life. I think after Thanksgiving (and in preparation for Christmas cookies) we could all use a little more walking in our daily lives. Plus, you're probably going to SAVE time by just taking the spot that's open but a little farther away. If you must try for a closer spot, remember that the "expectant mothers" or "mothers with small children" spots are for..."EXPECTANT MOTHERS" or "MOTHERS WITH SMALL CHILDREN". So if you're a dude, I'm pretty sure you don't qualify. And being fat doesn't qualify you either. Some people seem awfully fond of stalking. If there is a trail of 200 cars behind you and there are available spaces father away, just fucking take one. Also, if you're stalking a woman with lots of bags, kids, or maybe even a woman with three kids who look young enough to require carseats and a stroller AND lots of bags, you DO NOT get to be PISSED OFF when it takes more than a few minutes to load the car. I will not jepordize my kids safety by rushing so that you get my spot sooner. As a matter of fact, if I see you getting huffy while waiting, I will take longer. Intentionally. And if you get increasingly irritated, I will get EVERYONE BACK OUT OF THE CAR just to be a bitch. I can always find something to go back and shop for.

Now let's talk about shopping. Do everyone a favor and GET OFF THE PHONE when you get to the checkout. These people are providing you a service and you're being an ass. McDonalds even as a sign up in the drive through asking you to get off the phone while ordering. If McDonalds knows better than you, you should be ashamed. I personally think that everyone should have to work some kind of food service and some kind of retail in their lives. I think those experiences would definitely cut back the number of people who scream at workers for little reason. If only "Santa is watching you" worked on adults. Experience should also alert everyone to the fact that inventory runs low close to the holidays. If little Jimmy really HAD to have one of those, you should have bought it sooner. Screaming at a store employee is not going to make whatever it is you want magically appear. For those of you who don't have kids, you should know that it is dangerous to walk in front of a moving stroller. I mean, if you value your ankles. Especially if it's a double stroller. I haven't had the electric cattle prod attached to the front of mine yet, so you may consider this your grace period.

I also feel the need to discuss restroom issues. Hands? Let's wash 'em. Doors? Don't forget to lock them please. Pregnant Ladies? Front of the line. And if you're not handicapped, and there are options available, DO NOT TAKE THE HANDICAPPED STALL! If you have a stroller, go for it but don't take too long since there might just be an actual handicapped person who has to go. Just because you'd like some more space while taking your daily constitutional, does NOT mean it's acceptable to take the larger stall. If I walk into another restroom where the only occupied stall is the handicapped one and the inhabitant is NOT handicapped, I will "forget" to control my small man children who think sneaking under the stalls is great fun. And you will have asked for it.

Now get out there and have a great holiday!