a little [surprise] break {picture heavy}, Christmas update and super surprise at the end.

I did not intend to take a break from writing, but life was crazy busy for the last month. I went back to work, was overwhelmed with Christmas, make one too many sweets, and way too much food. We ran around on Christmas eve and Christmas, visiting with all our family in the area and the boys have so many toys, I don't know what to do with them. It was a pretty good Holiday season. 

 Easton put up our [annoyingly hard to put up] tree. He managed to do most of it by himself.

 He was pretty proud.

Hudson rode piggy back while I shoveled, he was less than impressed.

This is a thing now. Crawling and standing, and pulling everything down and participating in mess making..

My favorite holiday tradition!

Goofy face

Homemade garlic cheese bread. This was so easy and delicious. Like crazy good.

Sorry, not sorry it's upside down. If it was right side up you'd try to eat the screen.

Santa came!

Before present opening

Mr. Cool and his tool bench

Mr. Truck man.

The handsomest men I know.

We had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending a lot of time with family. We had a very busy, busy December including a *surprise* birthday party for Travis. I didn't get very many pictures, but it included a salsa bar, homemade decorations, a pinata, taco salad bar, and lots of great people.

Salsa Bar, with 6 different types of salsas

Decorations!

Delicious cake

 The pictures don't do it justice but the party was great and these are the most important pictures of all:

Travis pulled off the ultimate surprise and made the cutest DVD, under the guise that his mom made it for him for his birthday. It started with school pictures and memories and a birthday song. Katie and Travis were seated up front and we were all gathered behind them. All of a sudden on of Katie's favorite songs comes on and it switches to pictures from the last couple years. If I claim I wasn't crying before this exact moment, my pants would be on fire. Photos flashed of them on cruises, at family events, parties, all the great memories they have made together. Then this jam came on and people started to figure it out. Travis did a great job pulling off the best surprise not surprise birthday but oh wait it is a surprise engagement! It was beautiful and we are so excited they are getting married! They couldn't be more perfect for each other!

Over all, it was a great Christmas season. Looking forward to celebrating tonight the start of the new year.

pictures and words.

Things have been pretty solid around here lately. 

"We gotta situation here" 

"What's going on in here"

"Mom..I'm really upset.." followed by something trivial

"Let me go pee alone, I not need your help" followed by "MOM HELP!"

Just a few recent Easton gems.

Ignore the dirty shirty.

 Hudson looked pretty dapper in gray this Turkey day.

'whats easton doing?!?'

 Easton was handsome too.

taking toys away from Huddy, because "these are too dangerous for hudson"

Making a break for it

Hudson has an interesting way of getting his crawl on. 

 Busted out the tunnel-o-fun [aka the just put this damn thing up i am sick of it, seriously easton I am not picking it up again ughh imma throw it awayyyy!!]

Huddy loves it though

 We changed rooms with the boys this weekend. They needed more room and we had a bigger room, so switcheroo it was!

Huddy's Buddies.

Living room nap time, can you spy a little hand in there

 Boys new room. 

done moving, cleaned carpets, papa wrestling time on Eastons bed

 Our much smaller room, snug as a bug. 

ignore the laundry and crap..

A list of this.

This picture has nothing to do with this post. Nor does outside currently look like this...Its more covered in a foot or so of Snow..

Making: A pretty sad excuse for a blog lately..

Cooking : Crock pot verde salsa Chicken: 3 boneless skinless chicken breast, 1-16 oz jar od verde salsa, crock pot on high 4-6 hours, shred and serve with tortillas, (optional additions: Fajita seasoning packet, bell peppers and onion) Easiest and most delish ever.
Drinking : Aqua. 
Reading : reviews on some gift ideas for the husband, he almost always returns the Christmas gift I give him and I want this year to be different.
Wanting : A nice, long vacation.
Looking: for everything. We switched rooms with the boys and now I can't find the important stuff, like blankie...
Playing: the no-I-don't-hear-the-baby game in hopes of someone else attending to him. [yeah right]
Wasting: time on the interwebz and not cleaning the living room, which needs it bad.
Sewing: absolutely nada, because that is just silly.
Wishing: that I had been more diligent about Christmas saving this year!
Enjoying: the fruits of our labor today, the boys room is put back together and we are moved into the smaller back bedroom 
Waiting: for Christmas because even with all the stress, I love love love it.
Liking: that my sister lives less than 2 miles away. Actually, scratch that, I'm Loving that.
Wondering: when I will get around to buying a bra that fits. This is getting redic, buy a bigger one lady!
Loving: Sundays, they mean all of us are home.
Hoping: that I can pull off some of my life goals over the next couple months. 
Marveling: at how magic Christmas is to Easton. It is amazing to relive that magic,
Needing: a solid nights sleep again
Smelling: like a mexican resturante, the one down side of cooking salsa chicken [ok not a downside at all it smells delicioso]
Wearing: comfy shorts and a t-shirt, it might be winter but I needed shorts for the job today.
Following: Grace's lead.
Noticing: that I forgot to start laundry.
Knowing: that tomorrow is Monday and I wish it wasn't. 
Thinking: about bedtime
Feeling: like I ate way too much, per usual.
Bookmarking: Christmas traditions to start.
Opening: my eyes, just barely
Giggling: at Easton's new phrase: "Mom, I'm really upset" followed by a trivial, yet super important to toddler, issue. Such as "I'm really upset about not being able to bite Huddy"
Feeling: Pretty accomplished today.

Apparently all I've got going on lately is Christmas thoughts. Well 'tis the season... Thanks Grace for a reason to sit down and type it out! I needed something like this to come along! 

Wordless Wednesday

These two photos were taken exactly 2 years apart: 

Hudson September 4, 2013

Easton September 4, 2011

The old 4-legged baby of the family meets the new 4-legged baby of the family

Not even 3 and looking like a CHILD, where has my sweet baby gone?!?!

Oh, theres my baby! 

Physical Therapy appointment, wooing all the old ladies

Housewarming gift for my sister

Before the dump

After the dump, maybe an hours worth of snow.

Changing 'yellow guy'

Hard knock Life?

Instead of kisses, we get kicked.. So fitting for any parent working on a diaper change.

I have my fair share of days where my poor, darling husband receives text upon text upon text upon the dreaded phone call about how awful the boys have been. And thats omitting quite a few texts...

Most days I function right on the line of sanity, tip-toeing through each screech and whine directed at me, cuddling and wiping tears over the wrong type of crackers, removing the now mobile baby from yet another possibly dangerous situation [please don't chew on the wires Hudson, I am pretty sure thats going to end poorly...] I let the dogs in and out 197 times each, I corral the cat from going out because he forgets he is an indoor cat. I explain to Easton that there are only so many ways to combine cheese and bread/tortilla/pizza dough/noodles that I am capable of. I pull Huddy out from under a table or the dog or as of today out of the bathroom (you gross baby). I clean and clean and clean, only to have the house look worse than it did before I started. I pray for a simultaneous nap day which is as illusive as a leprechaun on a unicorn these days. I break up fights because my youngest is an instigator at only 9 months. I do laundry, usually the same load four or five times, and bathe boys and dress boys and snuggle boys and dance with boys.

And is it so bad....?

Yes and no.

Yes:  There are so many days that I would like to just sleep in and get up, shower, grab my purse and hop in the car; just spend the day by myself doing what I want, going where I want, not having to figure out nap times/what to feed kids. There are times when I just give up and turn on some brain rot tv and don't fold the clothes and ignore the kitchen floor that needs mopped.There are days when no one will nap. No one will listen. And we have to go to the doctor and the grocery store and no we arent buying a cart full of chocolate (idk why not, we could use it) Somedays I can't handle breakfast, or lunch, or anything that comes after lunch. There are days I can't remember when I washed my hair last, I don't know where the favorite toy is and I can't calm down the almost three year old whose heart is broken because papa took the car to work and not the truck and somehow that not only matters but makes or breaks the day...? There are days when I text and text and call because I am overwhelmed. And if we're being totally honest because I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING. 

Like none whatsoever..

So yes, sometimes it is that bad.

But other days it isn't. Other days, both boys nap. They both just eat what I give them. They play quietly on the floor and not that scary quiet where you know they've manager to empty and entire box of rice on the floor and ground crayons into the carpet that needs deep cleaning. Other days I take a shower by myself and maybe even shave!?! Other days I know whats for dinner before someone gets home and asks. Other days I am surrounded by a wish that I has that I didn't know would come true, I have a family of my own that I take care of and love more than anything. Other days, they laugh more than cry, they hug more than hit, they are happier than they are sad. I am lucky that I have these days with them, I am lucky we have these two wonderful boys. Lucky they have health, laughter and each other. I am lucky I have a husband who takes care of us, lucky that he has a job, lucky we can make it work like this. I am so thankful for those days and these moments and this luck I have stumbled on.

So no, sometimes it isn't that bad.

Mama confessions

Following a trend via Grace and Ana and every other mom out there who has some things to say..

• Easton has spent most of his time as a TV zombie this week. This have been kind of rough around here lately and somedays it has just been easier to throw on some Neverland Pirates and Doc and get a hot second to myself. 

Having a must-bear

• As exciting as it is for Hudson to be a crawler, I could do with out it. It makes me super neurotic and I am constantly in fear that he is choking on one of the million things in the house left on the floor by Hurricane Easton. And the getting under things, and the crawling on the dog.... 

• I don't pick up the boys toys in their room...like...ever... I clean their room once a week but on the days it doesn't make the cut, it looks like a disaster zone.

• Josh and I need to take a serious moment to ourselves sometime soon. I think every married couple has that moment where they just need to reconnect. We have managed to avoid it for some time and now it is more than just wanted, it's needed. 

• This happened today and I'd be a liar if I didn't say I loved it:

• I failed as an adult today and was foiled by the interwebz. I never pay bills and today when I did today managed to pay the wrong amount across the board...What is current usage vs billed usage?!??? I dont know PAY THEM ALL!!!! ....yay me, I'll send in my adult card as soon as I can find one to help me..

• I'm pretty sure the dog peed on the deck and I don't care. 

• Easton constantly asks "whats all this crap?" aaaaannndd I'm pretty sure I know where he picked that up.

• I am beyond coveting this dress, this one too, these boots, this in both gunmetal and toffee, along with a laundry list of other goodies for the holidays. But I have no place to wear a fancy dress, my calves are too big for any type of boot and while I do need a new bag, those ones will sit on the back burner until the lottery is won.

• Hudson has found his voice these days and KNOWS how to use it. I am guilty of letting him test it out longer these days...

• I'm pretty excited that Hudson can finally feed himself because I do not enjoy feeding baby. I don't know what it is about feeding babies that is crazy annoying to me but I do not like it. They get so messy and don't open their mouth at the right time...I dont know maybe the baby feeding nostalgia wore off early this time around..

• Also, I really really hate laundry.

• Looking forward to more of these easy days, pretty sunsets, and the holidays

Aunt Kiki and Easton, bffs since 2011