I don’t know about your house, but at mine, stickers are a big deal. A very big deal people.

My Bitzy is a sticker fanatic. There are stickers on windows, floors, furniture, baby dolls, you name it, it has a sticker on it.

As we have been s-l-o-w-l-y gearing up for potty training (that’s a whole ‘nother Oprah), I’m excited for stickers to be her treat, rather than candy.

Naturally, when PrintRunner contacted me about hosting a sticker giveaway I was thrilled! Now, thanks to PrintRunner, I will receive a set of stickers for hosting this along with the winner! Hooray!

I plan to design a “potty training” sticker for Bitzy. t’s super fun and easy to create custom stickers for your family as well. Try PrintRunner’s stickers printing through their online printing services.

My darling girl has been very into Dora lately, so I’m thinking this one will be a big hit. What do you think? Do you think it will entice her to give up the diapers once and for all? {please say yes}.

Want some too?

You can enter to win 250 Full Color Standard Stickers from PrintRunner! These custom stickers are over a $40 value!

To enter simply leave a comment below telling what kind of awesome stickers you would like to design.

In order to earn extra entires you must “like” PrintRunner on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.

Also, you can tweet the following for an extra entry, just leave a comment telling you did with your Twitter Name, “@Littlestories and @Printrunner are giving away stickers!!! Enter to win by May 27th at 11:59pm!”

Deadline of submission is May 27 at 11:59pm. *Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above.

Good Luck!

 

This was the sickest day of all, last Wednesday. Brother even watched a full 2 minutes of TV show before trying to jump off the bed.

Ya know those Facebook posts that says things like, “Everyone in my house is sick. Prayers needed,” or “Sickness is everywhere in my family, I’m the last man standing.” My newsfeed seems to be full of these kinds of status updates. I see them and don’t think much about them. I mean, kids get sick, right? No big deal.

Well, that is, until MY kiddos get sick. You see, we have been blessed with extremely healthy babies. In fact, Bitzy hasn’t even been to the doctor once since her 2 year well check-up 6 months ago! I love, love, love taking care of my little miracles in sickness and in health, but I gotta tell ya, I’m not used to the sick stuff. It’s tough.

A few weeks ago I had this whole guilt thing about how they weren’t be socialized enough and what a terrible mommy I was, yada, yada, yada. So I made plans to have a play date every single day of that week.

Silly me. 

I forgot about the small detail of GERMS.

I know, I know…it’s good for them and all of that. But after being in the sick trenches for a week I’m really doubting it.

They don’t know how to handle it and I surely don’t either. When they get sick, it’s a doozy.

My sick little sweetheart Bitzy. 

So last Monday afternoon they both seemed a little, “off.” Then, cue the snot. Oh, the wondrous snot. It came out of nowhere and is still pouring like rain.

So basically for 8 days straight we’ve been in this house. That’s right. We did try a “nature hike” on Saturday and a walk today, but mainly we’ve been at home. You see, I’m a firm believer in keeping kids home when they have any kind of disgusting goo coming out of their bodies. I don’t want other kids goo on my babies or vice versa. Goo is gross.

I know that other people (ahem) do not subscribe to this, and for that, I would like to ask you to reconsider. Please remember that next time you want to take your snotty children to the library (aka: germ factory), the nursery at church, the playground, wherever, please remember the 8 days, 8 DAYS PEOPLE, that I have been trapped in this house.

Last Friday (Day #4 of sickville), I took them to the doctor just for fun. I mean, I know it’s “just” a cold, but they seemed to be particularly miserable.

Lo and behold for the first time ever my Bitzy had an ear infection. I couldn’t believe it. Brother was perfectly fine, well, except for the green snot pouring out of his perfect tiny nose. “Just a cold,” the doctor said. First of all, there is no “just” in this childs cold. Secondly, didn’t you go to medical school? Give my precious little nugget something to make all the yuckies go away.

I mistakenly thought that getting the magic pink medicine  for Bitzy would be a cure-all for my sweetheart, but alas, she’s still a sicky. Granted, she’s MUCH better than she was, but she’s not quite herself.

This was a real low point for me. I actually allowed my children to eat ice cream for dinner since they’ve been on an eating strike. 

For example, she slept 14 hours straight last night: that’s NOT herself (normally, she’s good for a solid 12). Or today when we tried walking to the park and I carried her most of the way there and back: that’s NOT normal. Or the fact that the child has barely eaten at all for a week: NOT normal.

On top of all this she’s cutting her 2 year molars and her hands are constantly in her mouth. That’s not great for the whole germ issue.

So there you have it…I’ve been in sick mode.

BTW: On top of my precious ones being sick, Zach and I have been sicker than dogs as well. But as they say, misery loves company.

The good news? I think we’re mostly out of the woods. Despite the neverending snot, I do think the worst is over, thank Jesus in heaven.

The silver lining here is that I realize how much I take all of our health for granted. What a gift it is! There is nothing like being super sick and missing being healthy so much to make one appreicate the joy of feeling great.

Well, and the snuggles. I’ll take the snuggles any day of the week.

Baby girl,

Today your Daddy said that you were 2 and 1/2 years old. Of course I corrected him and said, “She is NOT 2.5 yet.” We still have 1 more day until you’re officially 2.5 darling.

I used to hate when people would tell the age of their children in months after they turned a year old. You see, I knew much more about parenting before I actually became a parent. It’s part of the irony of parenting I have come to realize.

But then, when I had you I couldn’t bear to just say “She’s 1!” Because there is a lot of difference between 12 months and 23 months. And now there is a lot of difference between you being 24 months and 30 months.

I think I’m going to start saying, “She’s 2.4.” As in, you are 2 years and 5 months. Is that weird? Do you think people would think I’m crazy?

Regardless, you are magical as per usual these days. You say the most fantastic things all day long. Here are a few examples…

“I’M A JOEY! A BABY KANGAROO MAMA! THAT’S ME! A JOEY. I LIVE IN AMERICA AND SOMETIMES SAN FRANCISCO. AND YOU ARE KANGA. A JOEY’S MAMA. WE ARE A FAMILY IN AMERICA!”

“IS GAMMY YOUR MAMA? AND YOU ARE MY MAMA? WHO IS DADDY’S MAMA? AND WHERE DID BROTHER COME FROM AGAIN?”

“I LOVE MY BEST FRIEND ANNA. SHE PICKS ME UP WHIRLS ME AROUND LIKE A LITTLE PTERANODOM.”

I’m clinging with all my might trying to keep you as tiny, fragile and young as possible. But time, my love, just won’t stand still. You keep growing, learning and becoming less like a baby every single day. In fact, you are quickly moving from being a baby to a little girl.

This is both heart warming and heart breaking in one fell swoop.

Yet, one thing remains, your pure and beautiful heart continues to amaze me. You are so kind and loving and your gentle spirit inspires all those around you.

You, my love, are something special.

I pray each day that God will not only protect you and keep you safe, but that He will anoint you to do His work all over the world. That you will be a part of a movement to remind people that God made each of us for His glory and renown.

So now only one day away from your half birthday I want to remind you that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You were carefully knit together in my womb for a purpose sweet girl. A beautiful, mysterious plan that only God knows. He has gone behind you and ahead of you to prepare your way into this world and honey, I am so thankful and proud to see what all He has in store for you.

Someday when you read this I want you to hide these words in your heart. To know that your Daddy and I have prayed for you every single day of your life, that you are worth praying for. That you are amazing, important, smart and kind. That you belong to us, and most importantly that you are loved by so many baby, so many.

I honestly do not think it’s possible that I could be more proud of you. My heart bursts with pride and love for you darling.

Happy half birthday sweetie pie delicious, I love you to the moon and back.

Mama

One box of spaghetti noodles: $.99

One jar of spaghetti sauce: $1.99

Watching these two little miracles eat spaghetti = PRICELESS.

Meet our new addition.

No, we aren’t pregnant nor did a stork mysteriously land on our doorstep and deliver a baby into my arms.

Although I wouldn’t really mind Mr. Stork paying us a visit. Someday, that is.

Anyway, there is a new little one in our house.

She shall be named,  To-To.

You see, it began innocently enough.

On Saturday Zach had a great idea for what to do after naptime. He wanted to go to a nearby outdoor mall, walk around and eat dinner. It would be a change of pace for our little family.

We N-E-V-E-R do things like this. I literally could count on both hands the times that we’ve been out to eat with our babies. We just don’t do it. #1. As I’ve said before, eating out is a total waste of money. #2. It’s risky. My babies are very well behaved and happy little people almost all the time…but I’ve been in enough restaurants where kids start losing their minds and screaming their ever lovin’  heads off to know that things can get ugly very quickly. #3. It takes too long. I don’t know about your kiddos, but mine require a lot of physical activity. They both needs lots of running around/crawling around time. Restaurants are generally too slow for us.

We opted for a quick option and went to Five Guys for dinner = Delish. Then, carried onward to one of the greatest marketing schemes I’ve ever witnessed: Build a Bear.

Bitzy was smitten from the first moment, what with the big solider bears out front. She’s a sucker for Teddy Bears and soliders. The combo pack was almost too much to handle.

When we explained that she could pick out any animal she wanted she immediately went for the kitty, as she dismissed my plea for the 50% bunny rabbits. Go figure.

So she got the kitty and we took her to get her stuffing and her little kitty heart put in. Of course it was a mere $5 for the kitty noise and ONLY another $4 for the thumpety heart beat.  Since we had already been sucked into the magical world of Build a Bear, why not?

As the nice lady put the heart into the kitty she said, “Okay Bitzy, what is your Kitty’s name?” Without skipping a beat Bitzy said, “TO-TO OF COURSE.”

Of course! Remember that this child has never seen The Wizard of Oz so I have no clue where the name To-To came from.

So, friends, we have a To-To.

But wait! To-To would not be complete without a very cute outfit now would she?

When we went “to the mall” as Bitzy said to pick out her clothes it was declared that “TO-TO NEEDS PINK. PINK IS HER FAVORITE COLOR EVER!”

Hence, what To-To wants, To-To gets.

Bitzy picked out a very cute pink ensemble of a pink shirt and matching pink skirt. I was actually impressed at how well the outfit matched. My girl has got style!

As we were checking out the genius saleslady said, “Now did you remember To-To’s panties?”

Bitzy says, “MAMA, TO-TO NEEDS HER PANITIES! WE MUST GET THEM SO SHE CAN GO POO POO PEE PEE IN DA POTTY!”

Of course she does.

There went another $3.50.

Although I will say that since Bitzy has been fairly resistant to potty training, I was willing to pay $3.50 for a pair of kitty panities if it would encourage Bitzy to give up her diapers.

I’m happy to say that when we got home Bitzy “taught” To-To how to go on the potty, but since I’m getting a firm “NO FANKS,” in regards to going again. Ha!

The best part? My Bitzy was beaming the entire time. She was so thrilled with this little kitty. And really, she has barely let go of her since.

Money well spent friends, money well spent.

I vaguely remember a time when I was fearless. I would ride my bike as fast as I could down the steepest of driveways as my handlebars were literally shaking. I would normally crash, end up with a bloody knee and climb the hill once more to do it all over again.

I drove fast, laid in the tanning bed (gasp), and felt incredibly invincible. 

I’m not sure if this is a product of youth, or my own special combo pack of ignorance and negligence. Whatever the case, I didn’t worry about anything. Well, except for boys. I do admit being a bit boy crazy back in the day. 

Anyway, I’m not sure what happened. Or when it happened really. The worry, I mean. When did I become a worrier?

But really, the term worry to me brings up thoughts of old women biting their nails and pacing around the house, so let’s call it anxiety instead shall we? When did I become so anxious?

I’m gonna blame pregnancy.

Growing a tiny human turned my carefree heart into an anxious one. The second I saw the word “pregnant” the panic began. And really, the “what ifs.”

Ah, the “what ifs.”

I am infamous for the “what ifs” and “you just never knows.”

For that, I will blame Google.

In fact, Zach has banned me from Google altogether.

Literally.

I am banned from looking up any kind of illness, disease, infection, horror story, accident, child sickness/death/syndrome. You name it, I am banned from it.

Know why? Because for some reason I am very impressionable. The words of the stories stick with me. And not in a good heartwarming way. In a panicky, unhealthy way.

Now that I’m a mama I realize that I’m not exempt from the troubles of this world. Anything could happen to me and mine at any time. And it may not make sense…and the kicker: I have absolutely no control over it.

I think more spiritual people than me probably find comfort in this. But honestly? It scares me to death.

At the same time, I hear some stories and think that they could never happen to me. Like the tragic story of a 12 month old baby who drowned in the bathtub last year after being left alone for 15 minutes while his mother was downstairs checking her Facebook.

To me, that’s simply neglect and it really doesn’t scare me because I would never do that.

However, the stories of stillbirth, childhood cancer, ALS, heart attacks, car accidents, and all the “what if” stories that are completely out of my control can put me into a panic if I let them.

So yesterday afternoon Bitzy, Brother and I were playing outside. I filled their little turtle pool with water and put the water table up and sat with them as they splashed and played. We were having a blast.

We had been out for awhile and I saw a spider gliding through the air as it was building a web. It was actually fairly interesting to see. Brother had pulled up on the water turtle and Bitzy was at the water table. They were about 3 ft. apart and I’m in the middle of the two. I pull Gracie over to me, kneel down and show her the spider. I had my back turned from Brother for about 5 seconds. Literally.

When I turned around, he had gone head first into the pool with his legs still up on the side and his arms down. I immediately pulled him out as he coughed and cried. As I wrapped him up I began sobbing and thinking of all the “what ifs.” Meanwhile Bitzy began hugging my leg and said, “It’s okay Mama, don’t cry. It was just an accident.”

And that’s the thing. Accidents happen. I get that. I just don’t want one to happen here. Ever.

I would love to end this little story with some kind of inspiration or silver lining, but friends, today terrified me in a big way.

Do all Mamas struggle with this? Is it just me? Do I just need to trust God more? Fix me people! I’m driving myself bonkers and really today did me no favors with the water incident.

Help!

My children are animal lovers. They both are completely obsessed with animals, animal noises, looking at animal pictures, petting animals, watching mommy and daddy act like animals (which I’m sure the masses would love in all it’s ridiculousness). If it’s an animal of any kind my babies are smitten.

So, last fall we got a zoo membership on a whim and honestly, I think it’s the best (baby related) money we’ve ever spent. On average we go once a week and love every minute.

Recently we discovered the tapir at our zoo and Bitzy is tapir crazy now. She wants to watch tapir videos, make tapir noises, color them, act like them. Her favorite game is that I’m the mama tapir and she’s the baby. It’s actually quite hilarious.

Meanwhile, my laid back baby boy sits in the stroller eating his snacks, just as happy as can be.

The zoo? It’s always a big hit.

But on days like today when it’s 70 degrees and breezy with the sun shining brightly, it’s absolute heaven.

Everyone seemed to have a skip in their step today at the zoo, we all were walking on sunshine. It was wonderful to see everyone so happy!

Anyway, here are some pictures from our zoo excursion today.

 If you have a zoo near you, do yourself a favor and check it out. I bet you won’t regret it!

PS: Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE being a stay-at-home mama lately? Ah, I love it more than words can say. 

 

There will come a day when there aren’t boxes of toys placed in nearly every room of this house.

There will come a day when Bitzy doesn’t ask me to give her “milk and books” several times a day.

There will come a day when Brother will not press his face into my neck to snuggle when he wakes up in the morning.

There will come a day when they will be able to dress and entertain themselves and won’t need me quite so much.

Honestly, I find this truth heartbreaking. I love supplying for all of their needs.

But the thing that I find the most heart wrenching? Someday they will worry. They will worry about what to wear, boys and girls, dances, colleges, friends, jobs, money, wars…they will worry.

Now? They worry for nothing. They live a fun and carefree life, full of joy and hugs and love and play.

Can I tell you how much I love that?

I am so blessed and thrilled that God has allowed us to give them such a wonderfully worry free life. And how I wish that I could freeze time and keep them tiny forever. Oh how I wish. Since time refuses to freeze, I’m gonna soak it up. Every bit of it.

I’m soaking up a random ladybug purse laying on the chair in the living room.

I’m soaking up the footed pajamas that line my washing machine.

I’m soaking up the seemingly hundreds of paci’s that are hidden in every pocket of my jeans and every drawer in the house.

I’m soaking up the giggles, peek a boos and endless kisses that are freely given throughout the day.

I’m soaking up the babbles, clapping and “firsts” from my baby boy.

I’m soaking up the songs from “Yo Gabba Gabba” that run on repeat in my head.

I don’t want to miss this friends, not even one second. Because, this life? It’s good. Really, really good.

Bitzy: “I NEED A NAP IN BRODDERS BED. CAN YOU TURN THE LIGHT OFF MAMA? PEASE MAMA? CAN I? CAN I? CAN I?”

Me: “Actually, I was wondering if you want to go to the zoo today! It’s a beautiful day in the Hundred Acre Wood.”

Bitzy: “UM NO FANKS MAMA BEAR. JUST STAY HOME.  I TIRED AND READY FOR A GOOD NAP!”

Me: I pick up Brother and put in safely on my hip. We turn off the light and close the door and count 1-2-3-4-5.

Bitzy: “GOOD MORNING MAMA, I AWAKE! BABY LION TOOK A FANTASTIC NAP!”

Me: I walk in, turn the lights on, “Oh yay baby lion! Did you have sweet dreams? What did you dream about?”

Bitzy: “I DREAMED ABOUT MAMA, DADDY, BRUDDER AND FLAMINGOS AND BLANKETS OF COURSE.”

Me: “Wow, that sounds like a great dream. What happened in your dream?”

Bitzy: Tapping her chin…”WEEEELLLLL, YOU SEE, THE FLAMINGOS WERE TRAPPED AND I HAD TO SAVE THEM. BUT DON’T WORRY, I SAVED THE DAY! I’M SUPER BITZY!”

Me: “I’m so proud of you! You’re so very brave.”

Bitzy: “YES, I AM. AND SMART AND PRWETTY TOO MAMA. AND ALSO? I LOVE BABY TAPIRS. THEY ARE MY FAVORITE. THEY ARE SO PRECIOUS. I LIKE TO HOLD THEM AND PET THEM AND TELL THEM THEY ARE MINE.”

Me: “Oh, yes, baby tapirs are precious. I love them. Wanna go to the zoo today and visit them?”

Bitzy: “UM…NO FANKS. JUST STAY HOME.”

Me: “But it’s so nice outside. Maybe we can go outside at our house and play with our playground. Or maybe take a walk? What do you think?”

Bitzy: “NO FANKS MAMA. JUST STAY HOME. I’M TIRED, I NEED ANOTHER NAP IN BRUDDER BED.”

Me: “Are you sure? It’s lovely outside. Jesus made the most glorious day for us to go on an adventure.”

Bitzy: “NO FANKS MAMA. I GOTTA GO TO SLEEP. CAN YOU GO AWAY PWEASE AND TAKE LITTLE BABY WIT YOU? I TIRED AND NEED A NAP.”

Me: “Sure thing. Good night, I love you.”

Bitzy: “GOOD NIGHT MAMA.”

Me: Same routine, close door and count 1-2-3-4-5.

Bitzy: “I’M AWAKE! GOOD MORNING MAMA. I HAD THE BEST DREAM EVER!”

Me: “Oh wow, what did you dream about?”

Bitzy: “I DREAMED THAT WE STAYED HOME ALL DAY AND PLAYED WIT OUR VERY OWN BABY TAPIER NAMED BROTHER BEAR. NOW, WE NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE HOME AGAIN. YAY!”

Me: “Oh, okay. I love you baby lion and I love baby boy tapir but I think leaving home sometimes is so fun! Maybe the zoo?”

Bitzy: “I LOVE YOU TOO MOMMY TURTLE. I’M TIRED AND READY FOR A NAP. WE JUST STAY HOME, OK?”

It’s looking like the zoo ain’t gonna happen today!!! Ha! Such a fun life!

It is no secret that sleep has been a real struggle in our house. From Bitzy’s first days until now, sleep just doesn’t come easily. In fact, the days of sleep training her I still recount as some of the hardest days/nights of my life. Something about watching your 9 month old scream for hours every night for a solid month has left scars. Just on me mind you. She’s the happiest little thing, sleeping 12-13 straight every night. Naptime, on the other hand, is a constant struggle. One day she’ll sleep for 3 hours and the next day she will play in her crib and not nap at all. Which is fine with me except for the fact that at 5:00pm she completely melts down, begins running into the walls and becomes completely delirious due to exhaustion. So, we end up putting her to sleep at 6:00pm rather than 7:00pm.

Sleep? It’s tough stuff.

And Brother? He’s getting better. Those dang teeth have given us fits, but for the past week he’s been sleeping from 6:00pm-12:00am (then I feed) and then from 12:00am-6:00am. I consider that amazing. Especially considering we really haven’t done major sleep training with him.

You see, he’s just an easy baby. Or maybe Bitzy is just super high maintenance? Either way, sleep around here is coveted and much appreciated.

That leads me to a scene that has literally never ever happened in this house. We have a motto around here. Never, ever, ever wake a sleeping baby. Not ever.

So here’s the story:

It was 12:00am last night and I was nursing Brother. With his eyes closed he suckled as the moon glistened on his cheek. It was like something out of a movie. He is just so dang beautiful. And he smells delicious. As I traced the outline of his face I was so moved by love for him. So amazed at the blessing of this baby.

Then, my mind wandered to my sleeping Bitzy in the room next door. “Is she really 2 years old?” I wondered. It seems like she was just a baby, just like Brother. I vividly remember when her tiny body wrapped around me as I nursed her to sleep when she was only 8 months old.

And then, I did the unthinkable.

When I laid Brother down and walked out, I opened the door to my Bitzy’s room. I looked over her crib and whispered, “I love you baby girl.” She immediately woke up obviously. She probably thought she was dreaming because I have never, ever entered her room in the middle of the night. Sure, I stalk her video monitor, but I never go in there.

She got up and said, “Oh Mama, I love you too, so much.”

I picked her up and rocked her. She clung to me in the wee hours of the night and I smelled her hair and neck and recounted the zillion ways that she enlists me to love her.

I remembered her as a tiny baby and tried to memorize every detail of her face. I don’t want to look back in a few years and not remember her as a 2 year old. I want to memorize her every detail. To burn it into my heart and memory and tell her someday all the ways that I have loved her at every age and stage. To remind her that I have loved her completely. Always. Forever.

I cannot promise that this will not happen again. There is something magical about holding a sleeping toddler that is rousing, playful and wild during the day, but at night is limp with sleep and snuggles up closely for protection and love.

In fact, maybe I will again tonight.

Yes, please.

Happy Valentines Day my friends!

Now that I’ve got a very crafty toddler we’ve been talking a lot about Valentines Day and cutting out zillions of heart (to later tear apart, dip into water and to destroy), coloring hearts and reading lots-o-books about this blessed day of love.

What my little Bitzy Boo doesn’t know is that I’ve got quite a bit of sugar planned for her tiny future. You see, while I’m not AS psycho as I once was about her eating sugar, I’m still a little nuts, so treats in general are a real rarity around here (well, for her anyway. I cannot confirm or deny having icing stashed all over the house for my eating pleasure).

But tonight, oh tonight. We will feast on PINK!

The pink cupcakes are made and ready with 4 different varieties of sprinkles, and clearly strawberry icing awaits as well.

I also made a new deliciously easy batch of cookies and I would love to share the recipe.

This recipe is from way back when my friend Bethany and I first moved to Louisville. We ate these…um…a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. They are SO GOOD- and so very easy. Here it goes.

The ingredients:

One box of cake mix (any kind will do)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

food coloring is optional

Do not read the directions on the back of the cake mix…do this instead- Mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil and baking powder. Mixture will be thick. Then, if you want add food coloring. I wanted purple cookies so just like my Kindergarten teacher Miss Patsy taught me, I added red and blue together. Easy Peasy.

Then, roll into round balls and cook at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

They will look something like this:

Then, decorate however you’d like. Bethany and I used strawberry cake mix with strawberry icing a lot, or lemon cake mix with lemon icing. Amazing. Also, this receipe makes KILLER chocolate chip cookies using a Yellow cake mix with chocolate chips. Check it out!

Here’s the finished product!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

I have rediscovered Pop Tarts. It was circa 1984 the last time I had one of these amazing rectangles of awesome and boy are they delicious. This could be a very, very, very bad thing.

Thanks to a certain Hulu Plus, I am all caught up on One Tree Hill. There was a time that I wondered how it would survive without Lucas and Peyton, but now I wonder no more. It is freaking fantastic.

Two words that I couldn’t spell if my life depended on it (this how I would spell them without the help of spell check)- Nessisary and Nessisarily. I just can’t seem to get it right!

I am loving NBC’s The Voice right now. Although, I could really do without Cee Lo Green’sequined jumpsuit and creepy white cat. It’s just plain weird.

Also? Is Christina sort of a cartoon character? I want to see her once without make-up. Survey says that she would look at least a zillion times better. Plus, when a gal wears that much lipstick doesn’t it get all over her kids face when she kisses him all day everyday?

Anyway, back to how I can’t spell. What about disentary? I realize that this is a word that you would only see when playing Oregon Trail back in 1991, but still, I would love to know how to actually spell it.

I cannot express to you the joy it brings me to find tiny little princess shoes scattered throughout the house. There is something so beautifully heartwarming about finding Bitzy’s pink ballerina slippers in my closet. I’m so grateful to have a little girl.

Then, tonight as I was folding clothes (my least favorite chore), I matched two itty bitty baby boy socks and told Zach, “I can’t believe that there is a person so tiny that lives in this house who can wear these wee little socks.”

Another word? Fanactical.

I want another pop tart.

I confess that these two exhaust me in a way that I never thought possible…but I confess moreso that I have never been more in love with these tiny little humans than I am right now.

Have a fun Friday ya’ll!

My Bitzy? She’s a talker. And she’s never met a stranger, well that is if said stranger is 3 feet or under. Adults? She’s more weary of, much to my pleasure. This exact scene has happened numerous times where she is begging a child to love her forever and it never fails to bring many smiles to my face. This current situation occurred at Chick-Fila’s playground with a girl around 3 yrs. old.

Bitzy: “HI! MY NAME IS BITZY. WHAT’S YOUR NAME. WANNA PWAY WIT ME?”

Girl: Stares at her. No flinches. No smile. Just stares, ignores her and goes up the steps to the slide.

Bitzy: Eagerly following her. “OKAY. YOU CAN BE MWARY AND I WIT BE JOSFPH AND MY BABY BOY BE JESUS. WE GO TO BEFWEHEM AND SHE MANAGER. OKAY? SOUND GOOD WITTLE FRIEND?”

Girl: Long gone down the slide, hasn’t heard a word.

Bitzy: Still talking to girl, “MWARY, SEE THE BWIGHT STAR? THE ANGEL SAYS ‘HI! DON’T BE SCARED, I NOT A MONSTER!”

Girl: Flies down the slide and is out the door.

Bitzy: “MAMA! WHERE MY FRIEND GO? SHE A NICE FRIEND. WHERE SHE GO, MAMA?”

Me: “I think she needs to finish her lunch with her Mama. Maybe you could go down the slide again.

Bitzy: “BUT I MISS MY BEST FRWEND! I NEED SHE. CAN I SHARE SHE NUGGIES, MAMA? PLLLLEEEASSSEEE MAMA? CAN I? CAN I? CAN I?

Me: “Well, those are her nuggies. Your nuggies are in the bag and when we get in the car you can finish them, OK?”

Bitzy: “BUT WHAT ABOUT MARY? SHE RIDING ON DA DONKEY AND NEEDS A MWANGER MAMA! BABY JESUS IS COMING OUT OF HER BELLY NOW! WHERE DA ANGEL? SHE CAN’T HAVE NUGGIES NOW! SHE NEEDS DA MWANGER?” (She begins banging on the glass yelling at the little girl through the glass). “GURL! GURL! YOU ARE MARY REMEMBER? I BE JOSPEH AND WE BE BEST FRIEND! REMEMBER, DON’T BE SCARED MWARY, GOD IS WIT YOU ALWAYS AND FOREVER. THE MONSTERS WILL NEVER GET YOU. OKAY?”

Me: It should be noted that the girl is not even looking at her, and the Mama is looking at me like my baby girl has lost her ever loving mind. “Okay sweetie. I think the girl needs to finish her lunch. Wanna go down the slide one more time before we go home?”

Bitzy: “I DON’T UNDERSTAND MAMA. WHERE THE DONKEY? BUY WHY MAMA? WHY MARY GONE? SHE GO POO POO PEE PEE IN DA POTTY?”

Me: “Well, I think Mary is finishing her lunch. Do you wanna go down the slide one more time Joseph before we go home?”

Bitzy: “MINE NAME NOT JOSFPH! MINE NAME IS FANCY NANCY. REMEMBER MAMA? MWARY GO POO POO PEE IN DA POTTY RIGHT MAMA?”

Me: “Oh yes, of course. Okay fancy pants, let’s go home, OK? Baby boy needs a nap.”

Bitzy: “MINE NAME NOT FANCY PANTS, IT’S ‘BEHOLD A CHWILD IS BORN’. RIGHT MAMA?”

Me: “Um, sure. That’s your name today. Come on, Behold a Child is Born, let’s go.”

Bitzy: “OKAY MAMA. LET ME GO SAY BYE TO MY BEST FWRIND MWARY.”

Me: “OK, let’s go.”

As we’re walking out the door of the playplace she yells (loudly), “OKAY MWARY, HAVE A GOOD POOPY!”

Never a dull moment!

In the wee hours of the morning as I was rocking and nursing my sweet Brother Bear, his nightlight cast a glimmer on my beloved wedding ring. Oh how I love this ring…and oh how I love the man who gave it to me.

As I watched it glisten I recalled this story and I had to hold back my thunderous laughter as to not wake up my baby boy. Because friends, this real life story still makes me laugh.

Let’s revisit this old goody together…{originally written in February ’10}.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My Bitzy is a mere 3 months old so the real truths of my horrible pregnancy haven’t vanished into sweet romantic memories.

Me: “Guess what?! It’s a beautiful day today and we get to go outside and play!”

Bitzy: “NO FANKS. I HAVE JAMMIE DAY TODAY.”

Me: “But look! It’s really pretty outside and we can go to the park! Do you want to go to the bird park or walk to the park in your stroller?”

Bitzy: “NO FANKS MAMA. I STAY HOME. IT IS JAMMIE DAY TODAY.”

Me: “What if we look for a Huffalump?”

Bitzy: “NO FANK YOU MAMA. HUFFALUMP IS WIT WINNIE DA POOH. HE’S TIRED AND READY FOR A NAP. HE NOT WANT TO PLAY.”

Me: “Oh, okay. What if we go to the bird park and look for duckies and birdies? Maybe we could even go down the big slide!”

Bitzy: (taps her chin), “HMMMM, OH OKAY. WIT YOU AND BROTHER BEAR?”

Me: “Yes, only me and Brother bear.”

Bitzy: “WHAT ‘BOUT DADDY-O?”

Me: (the most dreaded part of the morning when I break it to her that daddy is at work) “Well, unfortunately Daddyo had to work today. I’m so sorry, it’s so sad.”

Bitzy: (Lips quivering, head in hands) “NO! I WANT DADDY-O TO GO TO BIRD PARK WIT ME AND YOU AND BROTHER BEAR. IT’S NOT FAIR!” (as she crosses her arms. She learned this trick from a friend of hers who is 4 years old. Lovely isn’t?).

Me: “The fair isn’t coming here for a few months. They’ll be cows, bach-bach chickens, piggies, horses and lots of other animals. Are you excited for the fair?”

Bitzy: (confused), “UM, SURE. CAN WE GO TODAY? PWESE MAMA, CAN I? CAN I? CAN I?”

Me: “I’m sorry baby, the fair isn’t for a few months. Maybe we could go to the bird park instead?”

Bitzy: (taps her chin), “UMM, OKAY. CAN LILLY BELLE COME?” (one of our puppies).

Me: “I’m sorry honey, she can’t. Maybe next time when Daddy comes with us she can.”

Bitzy: “OH, OKAY. MAYBE WE SEE A SQUIR? (getting the spelling right on how she says squirrel is tough. Just imagine the cutest pronunciation possible).

Me: “Oh yes! And maybe even a goose!”

Bitzy: “NO FANKS MAMA. GOOSES ARE SCARY. THEY SAY “HONK, HONK, HONKEDY HONK!” (runs away laughing hysterically).

Me: “No, geese are very nice. Let’s get dressed and we’ll go try to find one.”

Bitzy: “UM, NO FANKS. IT’S JAMMIE DAY REMEMBER?”

Me: “Are you sure? It’s so nice outside! We can run and jump and play like Hannah” (in one of her books).

Bitzy: “OOOHHHH LIKE HANNAH? (taps chin) INTERESTING. OKAY LET’S DO IT DUDE!”

After finally convincing her to take her jammies off the above outfit is what she insisted on wearing…which clearly was much too cold for our “beautiful day” of 50 windy degrees.

Oh well, who needs the park? We stayed inside and had a “COWGUR DAY” instead.

She better go into politics someday. She’s quite the salesman.

Have I mentioned lately how much this child slays me? Ah, I just want to eat her up!

Have you ever read something that really struck a cord with you, whether good or bad, and weeks later it would randomly pop into your mind and force you to reconsider it once again?

This has happened to me many times, but this time, I feel like what is brewing in my heart must pour out. Like the words are bubbling up whether I want them to or not.

Because friends, what is brewing isn’t very popular. In fact, it’s convicting my heart to the core and I hope/fear that it will do the same to yours.

But ya know what? I started this blog to tell my little stories so that’s what I’m gonna do.

You see a few weeks ago, I read this blog by a stranger whom I will probably never meet. It made the rounds on Facebook and Twitter with mommies everywhere cheering and shouting “Hooray!”

It was a chant for mommies everywhere to join in, to admit that each day isn’t filled with sunshine, love and happiness. To admit that maybe, just maybe, motherhood is tough.

She mentions being in a store and older women encouraging her to “enjoy every minute because it goes by too fast.” (Which has happened to me many times as well). She admits the panic in living that way, suggesting that having a Carpe Diem approach to life is too frantic and too exhausting to execute everyday.

She reasons that parenthood is like climbing Mt. Everest, that you don’t truly appreciate the journey until you reach the summit. Only then can you look back and see all that you’ve accomplished.

And ya what? I get it. I really do.

I get why the Huffington Post picked it up and thousands of people read it and elbowed each other with a twinkle in their eye.

And to be honest, the reaction from so many people to the blog really bothers me more than the writing itself.

It seems everyone wants to feel justified in their frustrations with having children who are wild and crazy and don’t listen and who God forbid, act like children.

I know that I do. There are nights that I recount all the ways to Zach that Bitzy challenged me and how Brother refused to nap and how I am just so tired. I just want someone, anyone to feel sorry for me and my tiredness. But then, there are nights where I am practically dancing around the house with joy that I get to live this life and I am devastated that my babies had to go to sleep because I’ll miss them so.

It’s like the valley verses the summit. Every day can’t be the valley and every day can’t be the summit. I totally get that.

But this blog was almost a permission slip to settle for “good enough” and I have a real problem with that.

My intense reaction to this kind of thinking also stems from seeing mommies out with their littles at the indoor playgrounds and parks. I am continuously baffled at how parents ignore their children in public. The first time I experienced this was when Bitzy was around 12 months old. She was newly toddling along and we went to a local park where there are two playgrounds. One is for small children (1 and 2 year olds) and one is for older kids. As Bitzy was walking on the tiny bridge of the jungle gym I followed her and helped her up the steps, down the slide, etc. I mean, the child was barely a year old for goodness sake, she couldn’t do it by herself. As I was helping her up the steps there was a little boy. He was around 18 months. Bigger than Bitzy, but still a tiny guy. He bravely climbed up the steps and flashed me a smile. I innocently said, “Good job buddy!” as I helped Bitzy go across the bridge. As I scanned the area for his caregiver I didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t concern me too much because I was certain they were watching. After 15 minutes of playing and helping him maneuver the playground, his mommy finally appeared with her phone in hand texting. He ran up to her and hugged her and she non-chanlantly patted his back and then resumed texting. She didn’t even look at him, or me for that matter. I hadn’t seen her the entire time we were there, she just appeared out of thin air.

This was my first interaction with mommies who act like their children are a burden.

And truth be told, this situation is rare. Mostly, it’s much more subtle. Like a mommy looking at Facebook instead of playing with her kid at the playground. Or who barely looks up when her child yells, “Mommy watch this!” Or in this case, a mommy who settles in the knowledge that when the summit comes someday far away from today, then she will enjoy. Then, she will relish in her children, rather than enjoying the climb- today.

I always wonder how I would behave, parent, love, speak and spend my time if this were my last day on earth, because well, it could be. You just never know, ya know?

I don’t want to settle friends. I want the BEST. The very, very, very best. I want to lay down on my pillow every night knowing that I loved hard and spoke encouragement into the hearts of those around me. And on days I fail, I want to regret it and ask forgiveness rather than sighing and saying, “Oh well, it was good enough.”

I’m better than that, and so are you.

I don’t just want a few fleeting moments of amazingness throughout the day, I want a full day of amazingness. I want to cultivate a home where there is so much love and fun and encouragement and JOY that is springs forth in our speech and our dances and our hearts.

And when older women stop me and tell me to enjoy my babies I want to sincerely say, “I do and I will, every single minute of the day, even on the hard days.”

Because I’ll say it again, “How you spend your days is how you spend your life.” I don’t want to spend MY life complaining about the hardness, I want to relish the miracle of this life, even if I have to say it with gritted teeth as a manta over and over again to convince myself that it’s true on the hard days. I want to appreciate the opportunity to love without limits and to enjoy the moments.

But the reality is that this kind of intentional living with joy is tough stuff. It’s much easier to lazily skate throughout the day begging for bedtime. I know that, I’ve been there.

That’s why I’m so challenged/convicted/invigorated by this thought that although life/parenthood/friendship/whatever is a climb to the summit of a mountain, the climb is where we learn to take one step at a time and enjoy ourselves. We have to consciously take one step at a time and choose joy. It’s not easy, never is, but our attitudes determine the joy of the climb.

I want to love my time up the mountain, don’t you?

Brother: “Hey you, get outta my toy!”

Do you ever look at your life and think you’re dreaming? Do you look at the pictures of your spouse and/or your babies and think that there’s no way that they’re yours?

No? Just me?

As if I needed another confirmation that I am completely crazycakes.

Sometimes at night when all is quiet and the babies are nestled snug in their beds I look at the pictures on the walls and think, “Are those my babies? When did that happen? Could it be?”

You see, they are my dream come true. Really and truly, they are.

The messes and diapers and tantrums and nap strikes and books and hair bows and vomit, are part of that dream. Granted, some of those things aren’t exactly fun, but they are part of the job. And now, at this very moment, I’m living the dream.

Bitzy is currently choosing to jump in her crib shouting “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom” rather than taking a nap, while Brother is sleeping soundly in his crib snuggled with his lovey. As I watch them on the video monitor my heart swells with gratitude.

I have always dreamed of being a Mama, but now that it has come true, it’s almost more than my heart can bear. It’s too wonderful, too amazing. I am simply in awe of how magnificent they are.

When I sit back and really think about the intricacy involved in creating a human being, I am stunned into thankfulness. How God so masterfully knit these beautiful creatures together in my womb and so generously gifted them to Zach and me. We are not worthy of such amazing gifts. But by God’s grace He continues to help us love and care of these babies.

I am humbled by the gift of them, I really am.

Life is so precious, I want to soak them up and memorize them every single day.

Thank you Lord for the gift of my children, You are so good.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this little story. Just thought I’d share some eye candy.

Ha! You thought I was going to say that I just started running again didn’t you?

Now THAT would be very sad story.

Because friends, that means that I would have died.

I think I’m too old to run.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Anyway, my sweet little precious ones have given me a run for the money this week.

Between Brother teething and Bitzy struggling with being very off schedule since Christmas and trying to get back on schedule, it’s been a doozy of a week.

This Mama is very excited for Daddy to be home with us this weekend.

But then, in the midst of the exhaustion, as I nursed and rocked sweet Brother bear to sleep, as his eyes got heavier and heavier he unlatched, locked eyes with me and smiled the most beautiful smile. Almost as if to say, “I love you Mama, goodnight.”

What a gift.

And then, as I tucked Bitzy into her crib with her blankies after rocking and reading, she sleepily whispered, “Goodnight Kanga, I love you.” And I smiled and said, “Goodnight Sweet Roo. I love you.”

And that my friends, is what it’s all about.

Have a great weekend friends!

The culprit

My very first post about poop was many moons ago. Read it here.

It’s sweet that I thought I was a Poopologist then. Ha, aha, ahahahahaha. Since then, I have earned several doctorates in the subject. In fact, almost every single day I wake up with a nice stew of pee and poop all over me.

Nice, eh?

You see, my sweet Brother bear has gone from being the best little sleeper ever, to, well, NOT the best little sleeper ever. Sure, he’s no Bitzy. He doesn’t hate sleep with the sincere hatred that she did as a baby, but still, I feel like we’re on a slippery slope.

{more to come on that later}.

All that said, he normally wakes up ready to eat, snuggle, cuddle around 6:00am. If I just feed him and lay him down in the crib he’ll scream his brains out, however, if I bring him into bed with me (Zach is long gone at this point) then he’ll eat and go back to sleep for another hour or two.

And clearly I don’t mind the snuggles, not one bit.

What I do mind? Him waking up every 3 hours during the night. You got that right. The child is 7 months old and he goes to bed at 7:00pm and wakes to eat every 3 hours until 6:00am.

What I mind more? The fact that his tiny little size 3 diapers simple cannot hold the massive amounts of excrement coming from his sweet little booty. I’ve tried double diapering, bigger sizes, changing him during the night…nothing works.

No matter what, ever single morning as I breathe him in and try to memorize the way his chest rises and falls, I also smell the sweet smell of baby poop as it oozes all over me.

Yummy, no?

Ah, motherhood.

Someday when I’m old and grey I will miss many things about my babies being tiny…but I have a feeling I will not miss being pooped on every.single.day.

There are many things about this picture that I love…and then some others that I find extremely disturbing.

As I always try to find the silver lining, let’s start with the positive. In fact, my friend Bethany has taught me the rule of PNP (Positive, Negative, Positive). So here we go:

Positive: Bitzy is having a blast. She’s a sucker for the playground. And the swing? Around 8 months old she began her love affair with swinging. Then, as suddenly as it started she banned all swings everywhere. Just the sight of them started her saying, “No, no, no!” Just recently she has shyly ventured back in. We’re starting slowly but surely. Kids are so strange and funny about things…

Negative: Will you look at me? I look like a frumpy Mommy. I may as well have on mom jeans. If I ever needed some motivation for Weight Watchers this is it. Well, and maybe a makeover from What Not to Wear. And I look old? When did I get so old?

Positive:  The owl hat. The cuteness just makes me die and go to heaven. Whoever came up with the concept of the owl hat needs a Nobel Prize. It just slays me. In case you need more evidence, here’s a picture of Brother wearing his too.

My Mama, AKA: Gammy got the sweet owl hats for my babies for Christmas. If you’d like to order one go here. (Linda has no idea that I’m doing this, so, SURPRISE Linda! I love the hats!!!).

Me: “Hey Bitzy Boo, would you like some water baby?”

Bitzy: “NO THANK YOU MAMA, JUST A POLAR BEAR.”

Me: “Hmmm…OK. Well, I don’t have a polar bear, but I do have some water. Would you like some?”

Bitzy: “LET ME SEE,” as she taps her chin, “NO WATER, JUST A POLAR BEAR.”

Me: “Okay, I just need to run into the dining room for a minute and pick up our new polar bear, one second.” (I walk into the dining and count 1-2-3). “OK, here’s your very own polar bear named Polly! Hooray for Polly the Polar Bear!” as I hand her a pretend polar bear.

Bitzy: “NO MAMA, A REAL POLAR BEAR, NOT A TEND ONE. PLEASE MAMA. CAN I, CAN, CAN I?”

Me: “Here’s the problem. Polar bears live in the North Pole with Santa. It would be really hard for our family to have a pet polar bear. But I do have a pretend one named Polly. Wanna play with her?”

Bitzy: “NO THANK YOU.” Then she sits in the floor and puts her face in her hands. “I’M SO, SO, SO SAD. I MISS MY BABY POLAR BEAR.”

Me: “I know baby, it’s hard. I wish we could have a pet polar bear too. Maybe we should move to the North Pole with Santa.”

Bitzy: She totally brightens up and says, “GREAT IDEA MAMA. ME, YOU, SANTA, LEONARD, DADDY AND BROTHER WILL LIVE AT POLLY POLAR BEARS HOUSE WITH HER GRANDMA. IT WILL BE AWESOME. I SO CITED!”

Me. “Of course it will be. I’m so glad we worked that out. Now, how about some water?”

Bitzy: “SURE MAMA. SOUNDS GREAT, I VERY THIRSTY.”

Whew.

Bitzy is a baker!!!!

Every single day I wonder why in the world God has blessed me so incredibly. I am selfish and prideful and rude and arrogant and many more horrible sinful flaws. I do not deserve these little angels.

They are so perfect, so innocent.

They rely on Zach and I for everything. In a way it’s incredibly comforting to know that I am able and willing to provide for their daily needs, but also their need for love, comfort and encouragement.  But in another sense it scares me to death. I am not qualified for this position! I didn’t take a test or study for this job. Somedays I feel so unprepared.

Brother all snuggled at the park!

This week as Zach has been on “staycation,” my job as a stay at home mommy has been exponentially easier. Right now we’re playing a man-to-man defense which is WAY easier than my usual zone defense Monday-Friday.

To tell you the truth I’m so nervous for Monday! Including the weekends he’s been off for 9 whole days!!!! Even though we didn’t go on a fancy vacation, it has been amazing.  We went to the park (even in the freezing cold), the zoo, the science center, and even had a few PJ days (my personal favorite).

An added bonus was that Brother decided this week that he hated taking naps. So, unfortunately we had a few days that he screamed his ever lovin’ brains out for an hour. If I were here without Zach I cannot promise that I would have let him cry…but with Zach I was strong, and yesterday our sweet baby boy slept for 3 hours straight for nap!!! Amazing.

So tomorrow to further increase my nervous nerves we’re heading back on the Weight Watcher train. It’s been a full month of debauchery, but it’s time to get back on the system. And, in case that wasn’t enough we’re going hard core on the Dave Ramsey Financial Freedom plan.

I’ll be writing more this week about all of these fun things:).

Hopefully I’ll still be in my right mind to write!!! Ha!

Have a happy Sunday!

In my mind, everything is a Hallmark moment.

So, obviously everything is set in candlelight. Apparently, in my mind it’s always dark outside, hence the candles.

Also? There are children laughing and tiny feet pit pattering all over the house. There are no naps in my mind and memories.

And there is always, and I mean always, pie. Any kind will do. Just pie. P-I-E.

While my life is beautiful and fabulous and I would not trade it for a zillion trillion bazillion bucks, it’s not always picture perfect. And sadly, there are hardly ever pies.

In fact, it’s more like a circus around here than anything. A wonderful and entertaining circus, but still yet, a circus.

There are tantrums and tears, messy meals and lots of screaming. Mainly the happy sort of screaming, but still, a scream is a scream. And when you multiply the happy screams with the sad screams with the hurt screams with the idon’tknowwhyiamsadijustam screams, that’s a whole lotta screaming.

I do it love though. Every single bit of it. It may not be perfect, but it’s perfect for me.

Have I mentioned lately how much these two slay me? So freaking precious.

I’d like to introduce you to someone. He is a very special addition to our family these days.

His name is Leonard.

You see, he’s a magic elf.

He has randomly visited our house over past few weeks, dropping off gifts and promises of what’s to come on Christmas morning.

While we’ve never seen him, as he prefers to visit during bedtime/naptime hours, we love him and speak of him fondly.

In fact, every time a certain man in a brown uniform comes to the door Bitzy asks if the boxes are from Leonard. Sometimes they are, and sometimes they are whisked away quickly to Gammy’s room (AKA: Santa’s workshop).

Talking about Leonard and Santa Claus is pure old fashion fun. Bitzy and Brother are still too young (in my humble opinion) for Elf on the Shelf, plus, I’m not so into the naughty/nice part of Santa. I prefer the anticipation of Christmas, the gifts, and the spirit of fun and giving. With all of our talk of Leonard and Santa we’ve been talking much more about how it’s Jesus’ birthday! We’re having Him a party full with balloons, a birthday cake and candles. We’re talking about how the wise men brought presents and that’s why we do too. I’m not sure how much they are actually soaking in, but seeing as how my Bitzy is such a little sponge these days, I’m hoping she’s getting it all.

Since our babies are so young we’re going to celebrate Christmas morning tomorrow, so tonight is our Christmas Eve. I have Jesus’ birthday cake baked, as well as cookies for Santa. We picked out a big round onion for Rudolph to eat too!  All the presents are wrapped and (I think) we’re ready!

So tonight when daddy gets home we’ll decorate the cake, cookies and party it up for baby Jesus. After it’s all done we’ll get cuddled, read the Christmas story of how Jesus was born in a manager and then read The Night Before Christmas.

While all of this has been a lot of work, I’m so overwhelmed and grateful for the opportunity to begin creating traditions and memories for our little family. In fact, today as I was mopping I thought, “We are creating memories for our children that they will always remember and cherish. We are the memory makers.” Tears stung my eyes at this opportunity and responsibility.

More than Leonard or parties or cookies, I want our babies to remember being loved and wanted and wrapped in our arms as we treasured the gift of the baby Jesus.

On this Christmas Eve Eve, may you snuggle close with you family and friends and soak it all up, every single bit of it. Because friends, this life, this beautiful, wonderful, mysterious, fun life is indeed a gift.

Classic Bitzy.

Me: “Hey! I have an idea. Let’s go downstairs and eat bacon and read books!”

Bitzy: “UMMM…MAMA, DO ME A FAVOR AND MAKE ME SOME OF PIGLETS HAYCORN COOKIES FIRST. AND MILK AND BOOKS. OKAY MAMA? RIGHT MAMA?”

Me: “Sure thing! I just made you some, here they are.” (we are playing pretend you see. In fact, we’re playing pretend about 95% of the time).

Bitzy: OH MAMA. THEY ARE DELCIOUS MOMMY DARLING. YOU GOOD BAKER COCO. MAMA IS YOU NAME COCO MOMMY?”

Runs in the other room laughing.

Me: “Yes! My name is CoCo for sure. Mommy CoCo needs you to come downstairs and eat bacon. I know that baby CoCo is hungry, right?”

Bitzy: “MINE NAME IS NOT COCO. IT’S PRINCESS DARLING DARLING. RIGHT MAMA?”

Me: “Okay Princess Darling Darling, would you like to eat some royal bacon?”

Bear in mind that I am pushing bacon harder than the meth addict at the Wal-Mart because…

A. Bacon is awesome.

B. Brother is fussy and ready for a nap. In order to feed him and give him said nap, I need for a certain 2 year old to be still for about 6 minutes downstairs while I get Brother to sleep upstairs.

C. She is starving even though she doesn’t know it. A sure fire way of knowing that she’s hungry is her incessant begging for milk. She’s ALWAYS been a milk addict, but when she’s hungry it goes from “I WANT MILK!” to “I WANT MILK MAMA, MILK, MILK, MILKY, MILK!” And if she’s really starving it goes, “I WANT BRUDDERS MILKY MILK. I WANT HIS CAKE.” You see, she insists that “Brudders milk” tastes like cake. Granted, she has barely eaten cake in her short life, but really? My milk tastes like cake? Maybe I should market my magic cake milk.

And I digress. Back to the story.

Me: “Listen baby, we really need to go downstairs because Brother is fussy and Mama needs to put him down for a nap.”

Bitzy: “NO WAY MAMA. MY BABY IS NO SLEEPY. HE IS HAPPY BOY! HE MY BABY BOY, BABY BOY, BABY BOY. BRUDDER AND SISSY ARE BEST BUDDIES. MAMA! I WANT MILK. MILKY MILKY. PWEASE MOMMY, I NEED MILKY. BRUDDERS MILK. NOW MOMMY PWEASE!”

Me: “Baby, let’s have a happy day, not a sad day, OK? Don’t make me put you in time out. I’m going to ask you one more time to go downstairs OK. Do you understand?”

Bitzy: “SURE MAMA. BABY COCO DARLING DARLING LOVES BACON AND BABY SOOOOOO MUCH. AND CINDERELLA TOO. WES BEST BUDDIES.”

Me: “Great! Let’s go Darling Darling.”

Bitzy: “NO NO NO NO NO NO! MINE NAME IS SISTER BEAR, NOT DARLING DARLING. YOU SILLY MAMA.”

Clearly, my method isn’t working. I try a different approach.

Me: “Oh Bitzy! I think that Santa may have left a very special prize for you last night. Let’s go downstairs and get it!’

Bitzy: “OH SANTA! I LOVE HIM. HE IS SOOOOO NICE! HE GOT RUDOLOP AND ELF TOO. HE IS SO SWEET MAMA! OKAY LET’S GO MAMA!”

Me: “Great idea! Let’s go!”

Meanwhile I scan the room for a toy, book, crayon, ANYTHING that she hasn’t played with for awhile and may have forgotten about, but I got nothing.

So we get downstairs (finally) and she says, “OKAY! WHAT MY PRIZE MAMA?”

Me: “Guess what?! Santa brought you a baby brother! Sweet Santa! He brought you the best Christmas prize ever!”

Bitzy: “YOU SNEAKY MAMA. YOU TRICKED ME AGAIN! HOW ‘BOUT BACON TIME?!”

Clearly, this ain’t our first rodeo.