life lately, according to my iphone

Wow, it's been a long time. Starting with Halloween-

Harper was Clark Kent. Landon was Batman. And I was Spidermom. We went to trunk or treat at church, then to see Grandma Ruth at work, then Aunt Cindy at her fun house.

We played with this handsome, dude Jeremiah aka Harper's birthday twin.

Harper had a birthday party and scored this cool wolf hat from his girlfriends. ;)

The boys went mini golfing for the first time and loved it.

"Polar Bear" the elf came and went.

 He ever-so diligently kept watch on the boys and had some fun, too.

Landon's been waking up and asking for some pretty fancy breakfasts.

He's not accepting my usual offers of cereal and toast,

so I've had to get all June Cleaver-like and throw down some mickey mouse pancakes,

 breakfast burritos, strawberry covered waffles, and pepper jack scrambled eggs.

I'm not gonna lie, I was getting kind of sick of cereal too.

Here the munchkins feel asleep on the way to the gym one evening. It was only 6:00.

 You may not know they don't take naps anymore. It's been MONTHS and I hate it.

We've started potty training, or not.

The only thing that's gone in the potty so far is half a roll of toilet paper.

One of three yarn wreaths I made this season.

They actually take a lot longer than I expected, but they're fun.

I spend a lot of time loving on this little man.

He's the perfect soft, chubby snuggler. I hope that doesn't change anytime soon.

Brothers watching a little too much Mickey Mouse House on Youtube,

but Anthony's in San Diego for the week, and sometimes mommas just need a break.

This is my emo hat and sad face for Anthony going to San Diego for the week without me.

Just be glad I'm not posting Farrah's Ugly Cry Face.

Okay, I'm posting.

And Kim Kardashian's.

It's just funny.

Poor things, they've had hard lives.

where a kid can be a kid

On Harper's actual birthday,

we went to Chuck E. Cheese.

Just our little family... and Anthony's entire soccer team. ha.

The boys had a blast and,

I just chased them around with my camera.

They really are growing up so quickly.

Older people tell you all the time, "It goes by so fast"and "I remember when mine were that little. Now they're in college". I didn't realize how right  they were, until now. Once you start having children, yes the nights are long and the days are challenging, but I believe these are some of the sweetest moments of our lives.

I was brushing Landon's teeth the other day and explained that the toothpaste helps kill the germs in his mouth. He looked very concerned and asked, "Are the germs crying?"

A few days later, there were two flies in my kitchen. I was about to make lunch and I haaaate flies. So I went on a swatting spree, killing one, picking it up with a paper towel, and throwing it away, unaware that Landon was watching me in shock. Still unaware, I swung again to kill the next fly, and Landon cried out. I looked up to see him, horrified. He yelled, "No, mommy, no! Don't kill it! It just a baby! He not big. He not big." (Um, yes the fly was huge) but he was literally on the verge of tears. So, I let the darn fly live. I'm so thankful for this sweet, sensitive boy, even if he is the most rambunctious one I know.

a birthday letter

Here I am about an hour before meeting Harper.

Here I am after one heck of an hour...

and enjoying the moment every mommy dreams of for nine months,

snuggling my sweet, cuddly baby for the first time.

I have such happy memories of that day.

Can't believe it's already been two years.

And a note for the birthday boy:

Dear Harper,

Two years ago yesterday, you joined our family. You were carefully planned and much anticipated. I couldn’t wait to meet you, to look into your eyes, to hold you, to kiss you, and to watch you grow. 

What would our family have done without you, these last two years? You have taught us so much. 

First, you taught me that I could survive on less than three hours of sleep for days in a row. You taught your dad that he can't take his eyes off you boys for more than 2 seconds. You taught your brother to share, to love, and to protect. 

Your wonderful spirit is much needed in our home. Here are some of the things that make you so special:

• You have very good manners and have the sweetest little thank yous I've ever heard. 
• You absolutely love to snuggle. Any time, day or night. I melt a little every time you climb into my lap, lay your head on my shoulder, and wrap those pudgy arms around me.
• You love hats! You have several, and make sure to put one on almost every time we leave the house.
• You love going to the basketball gym with daddy, and you love when he tickles you.
• You love to play (and get into trouble with Landon). You two are best friends and follow each other every where.
• You especially love playing cars and throwing balls.
• You love climbing on the counter tops and sneaking food (especially chocolate chips)
• You take all the DVDs out of the entertainment center at least four times a day.
• Your favorite shows right now are Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse Club, and "Do" (Scooby Doo)
• You love blowing bubbles and helping mommy make cookies.
• You love reading Daddy's Winning Hoops magazines. When things are too quiet, I often find you in my bed flipping through the pages and pointing out every ball and basketball hoop.
• You love building "castles" with Landon out of every blanket pillow, and sofa cushion in the house, then jumping on it or hiding under it.
• You loooove books. You ask for "one more" until we've read 14 stories before bed, and sometimes even ask to sleep with one. Some kids sleep with a stuffed animal or blanket, but you sleep with a book in your arms. 
• You have unusually soft and silky skin. I'm hoping it's awhile before grow out of that sweet, baby-like softness.
• You love gulping down daddy's Dr. Pepper when no one is looking.
• You dislike when mommy or daddy leaves.
• You also dislike bedtime and wearing a tie.
• But mostly, you love everything. You are so easy-going, for which I am grateful.

You really are a special kid, Harper. You fill my heart with happiness. 

We love you so much!

life according to my i-phone

If you're not following me on Instagram, you are missing out.

I've been a pretty lame blogger lately,

but I have a good excuse.

I've been going to the gym twice a day.

(you would too if you had two boys and unlimited daycare).

Here's where I profess my undying love for Toms shoes. 

Even the boys have ditched all their other kicks in favor of Toms.

Best of all, for every pair of Toms shoes purchased, a pair is given to a child in need.

As you can see, it's time for them to get new ones already. 

Harper's birthday's tomorrow, in case you were wondering what to get him... 

He's a size 9. Huge, I know.

The boys are so into Halloween this year. 

They've worn a different costume pretty much every day this month.

And change their minds about what they want to be every .05903 seconds.

 In the past week, I have had three completely different hair colors.

 I decided I was sick of my highlights and wanted to be a red head. That obviously did not work out. So, I had to quickly cover my obnoxious strands with the darkest hair color possible.

I'm lucky to still have hair.

From blonde

to red orange

to dark brown.

I'm channeling my Cherokee roots.

 Here is the one and only way to get my boys to sleep.

Push them in the jogger stroller for hours at a time.

It's true, no break for me anymore.

Naps, how I miss them.

Pinterest has made me quite the cook lately.

This may be my favorite recipe I've tried so far.

Chicken enchilada soup. Amazing.

 Harper's always been quite the ladies man.

He's submissive and easy to dominate. Girls appreciate that.

 Typical Harper and Landon.

Climbing on the counters and eating all the Reece's peanutbutter chips. Stinkers.

 Here's an example of dinner at our house. 

It's breaded tilapia (I tell the boys it's chicken fingers).

And yes, they love it.

 They love each other.

Harper's become obsessed with hats lately.

He's so funny, when we're getting ready to go some where,

he's always rushing around last minute saying,

"Wait, my hat! My hat!" 

Last of all,

Harper and Landon dumped out a 28 lb. bucket of laundry detergent this morning.

That was fun.

Oh, I love my boys. I really do.

meeting nie nie

You may or may not know that I am a huge NieNie fan. Who isn't though, really? I found out about her blog the same week that their plane crashed and have followed diligently ever since. Along with thousands of others, I was praying for her recovery, my heart aching for their family. I rejoiced when she came out of her coma and was so excited to see her blogging again. What a gift for us. Her words and stories have made me laugh, made me cry, and mostly have inspired me to try harder to be a better wife and mother, despite any challenges I may be going through. I love her positive attitude, sense of humor, testimony, and her willingness to share it. What a great example to us all.

Just a few days ago, she posted on her blog about an event she would be speaking at in Loomis. I bought tickets immediately. Because, it wasn't heavily advertised, there was a very small group of people. It was a nice intimate fajita dinner on a beautiful ranch.

Her speech was awesome, and here are a few things that really hit me. She was asked if she could go back to that day before the accident, would she still get in the airplane? She said she would. She said, "I am grateful for this trial. There are lessons I would have never learned otherwise, things I can teach my children." She said, "Do not let your trials define you... It's what we do with these hardships that matter."

She talked about how she felt knowing that she was probably going to die. She thought she lived a good life and tried really hard. That also stuck with me. I could be called home at any time. No one knows for sure when their mortal sojourn will end. I don't want to have regrets. I want a clear conscience. I want to know that I've tried really hard. I want the people in my life to know how much I love them. I have some work to do. :)

Overall, I learned that life can change in a second. I'm grateful for what I have now. And, I'm so grateful I got to meet Stephanie Nielson. She radiates goodness. Ohh, and did I mention she has the cutest little baby bump ever? And, that she hugged me twice? I told her I was going to bring a sign that said, "NieNie's #1 fan!" She and Christian laughed, and she said she wishes I would have, but since I didn't, she'll put it in her memory that I did. haha. Darn it, I should have.

I'm sure most of you read her blog, but if not, you are missing out! I have especially enjoyed reading her pre-accident archives. I hope I can be as strong a woman as her, so that when the winds of life come, I will not fall.

Thanks for coming to California, NieNie! xoxo

P.S. Don't you love how our outfits totally coordinate?

pucker

Yesterday was a no good, terrible, really bad day. I'm not even being the slightest bit dramatic. My kids didn't nap, they created one monstrosity of a mess after another, I had a million things to do and no energy to do them. By the time I was done cleaning up one disaster, they were on to the next. Because the boys didn't nap, they whined and cried all day. Seriously, all day. Does this sound familiar to you other moms? Or do I really have no control?

At one point, I decided to just turn on a movie for them, and *hopefully* relax. I figured I'd edit some photos, go read a book, or write in my journal (therapy). I made it half way through my room, when I just plopped on the floor. Yup, that tired.

I don't know how long I was sitting there with my back against the wall, staring into space, but I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself, a little inadequate for this motherhood job... okay, a lot.

Then Harper waddled in and puckered his sweet little drool-ey lips on my cheek. I beamed. He nonchalantly waddled back out (probably onto the next mess). But that sweet little kiss made me feel better. Much better. Things like that make this job oh-so-worth-it. I am blessed.

oh, happy day

Remember this post?

When a virus deleted all the pictures on my laptop? 

My wedding photos and all of Landon's baby pictures.

 I was devastated.

Well, I have the happiest news...

 My cousin, Steven fixed it for me!!!! He's a genius. 

I rejoiced when I saw all of the pictures of Landon as a baby.

He was kind of a chubby little guy. 

Anyone else remember how chubby he was?

It's okay, if you don't. 

 At four months, his head reached the size of his mother's.

(that's when you know you have a genius baby)

Check out those thunder thighs,

and behold...

 the chunkiest chunk in the world.

It's sad they have to grow up,

lose the chub,

and get all too cool for you.

But this stage is fun, too.

The kid still blows me away.

<3