christmas catch up!

oh my poor little blog!  is anyone still out there?

in case you haven't noticed, i took a bloggy breather.  christmas with my little family was spent just the four of us at home & takin it easy & just being together.  it was perfect!

and oh man, now 2012 is over?  what the heck.  the fact that it's 2013 hasn't hit yet... that usually takes a while.  i'd love to sit & write out a reflective 2012 post, you know, all the highlights & wonderful things that happened in the last year?  but i dont have it in me at the moment, mostly because i'm sitting here typing this while watching LOTR return of the king.  or, "geeking out" as sam likes to call it.  ha!  i am a sucker for some lord of the rings.  i've been watching the movies while i stay up late editing & it's like i'm seeing them for the first time all over again because it's been so long.  i'm getting all excited to go see the hobbit one of these days. anyone seen it?  can't wait!

but seriously, i'm sure you'll all forgive me if i don't take a trip down memory lane at the moment... i suppose most the highlights are here in the blog anyway, right?  but i will give a shout out to the biggest event of the year, little elliot oliver's birth.  basically the best part of 2012 in my book.  that little boy has made my whole year.

2012 was good to us.  p-ray turned two, i had my big 3-0 & elliot made his big debut.  and sam & i just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary last weekend!  we celebrated by going out on our first date in seven months & stuffing our faces at ruth's chris steakhouse & eating the best meal of my life.    it's the stuff dreams are made of.

i have a feeling 2013 is gonna be a good one.  i'm gonna spend the year not being pregnant & we have some pretty exciting family goals.  i hope to continue to grow my business & take it to the next level.  good things friends, good things.

anywho, i hope everyone had a good holiday & got some rest & are ready to make 2013 a good one. i really do hope to find some more time to blog & get back into a regular posting routine.  i love this little corner of the internet of mine!

and in closing, a few scenes from our christmas morning.  freaking love my boys.

santa baby! and other christmasings.

our christmas check list is coming along.  with christmas less than a week away, time is ticking!  a couple highlights in our last week's festivities?  seeing santa & decorating cookies to deliver to our local firemen.

i've really been talking santa up this year.  not so much in the whole "he knows if you're naughty or nice" way but more just like, hey parker, this guy is nice & brings you presents, he says "ho, ho, ho!" and has a sleigh with reindeer... that much parker gets.

so i hoped with his new love for santa, sitting for pictures might go better than last year's... classic crying santa fail.  and you know what?  he did great.  despite the fact that he told me beforehand he was going to cry & ask to go home... and about ten minutes before we got to the mall he told me we were all done with santa pictures.  oh, & that "we need to go to target first." yes, he was pulling out all the best excuses.

anywho, once he saw snowmen & christmas trees he got excited... but then at the sight of santa?  he freaked his freak.  i thought elliot would be flying solo in the santa pics this year & then one of santa's elves pulled out a rocking horse!  and parker was in.

he wasn't quite happy to be there but he was putting his best brave face on & i love it.

and you saw elliot's bow tie + cardigan number, right?  because let me tell you what, my baby can rock a bow tie.

and cookie decorating with friends?  pretty awesome.  thanks for hosting linds!

maybe next year, elliot.  maybe next year.

oh baby. a random post.

four months has gone by since my littlest bug was born & life is starting to get good.  he's starting to sleep some solid hours & i'm starting to feel human again.  i'm ready to hit the road running as soon as these holidays are over... and here's what is randomly on my mind.

-->  how can i not mention newtown, connecticut?  i can't.  but there really are no words.  here's what i've taken away from this.  it's time for change.  whether you think the focus ought to be stricter gun laws or a focus on better treatment for the mentally ill, for heavens sake let's do something.  and you know what?  the answer is not keeping your kids locked in your closet & to never leave the house.  we have to keep on living... because while no one knows what tomorrow brings, the chances are greatly in your favor that everything will be fine. so why waste your time thinking it won't be?  and also?  go out of your way to be nice to people.  give 'em a break.  smile at strangers.  you never know what someone is going through & maybe a kind face could turn a day around.  my heart is broken for the grieving families who have presents under their trees & 6 to 7 year old babies who will never open them.  i can't imagine.  it's every parents' worst nightmare.  their lives while on this earth will never, ever feel complete again & i hope they can find some comfort in knowing that at least their babies are not suffering at all.  and i really don't know what else to say.

-->  i love the holidays, don't get me wrong.  LOVE christmas-time.  but i always tend to overindulge in all the goodies & it's right about now every year that i am just ready for january 1st.  ready to set some new year's resolutions, kick the sugar addiction & rededicate myself to my fitness.  that's where i'm at right now.  eager to go cold turkey no-sugar for a week at a time & see how long i can go.  i'm gonna do it... who's with me?

-->  so elliot has started sleeping like a rockstar.  we're talking 8-9 hours at a time before needing to eat. he's still waking up at least once in that block but usually fusses just a minute or two & then is back out.  i've been getting the best sleep i've gotten since probably around five months pregnant.  glorious.  and i tell ya what, that kid has never been cuter.  his coos, his giggles & his dimply little smiles just melt me.  his four month check up is today & i can't wait to see the stats.  this kid has rolls on top of rolls... he is so squishy & scrumptious!  four month update coming soon.

-->  i'm also overdo to write a post on parker lately.  he's over 2.5 now & growing up into a big kid.  he loves puzzles, trains & the alphabet.  unfortunately he doesn't get much face time on the blog because one thing he doesn't like?  having his picture taken.  aaaarrrrgh.

-->  sam & i are going on a date this weekend!  i can hardly wait.  wanna know how long it's been?  since MAY, people.  when we traveled to st. louis alone.  we'll be in portland & doing some sort of fancy-pants dinner.  i'm thinking maybe melting pot?  if anyone knows the portland area & has a favorite restaurant that is best visited without kiddos, let me know.  i wanna feel like an adult for a couple hours!

and i think that's about all i have to say about any of that.  happy one more week til christmas-day!

let's do this, christmas.

ok, so we still may not have our christmas tree up {we will by the weekend!} and maybe i have a few loose ends to wrap up with my christmas shopping but i actually think i'm doing pretty dang good so far this year with all the christmas stuff.  considering i'm doing good to brush my teeth on a daily basis, put on mascara from time to time & maybe even sneak in a shower once in a while {you don't want to know just how "once in a while" that really is}.  i mean as a new mom, you're given a pass on a bunch of this stuff for like, the first year right??  hope so.

anywho, i've had our christmas stuff up around the house for a couple weeks now & christmas music is basically the only thing we've been listening to around the house & in the car so in my opinion?  we're winning at christmas this year.  oh!  and my christmas cards were mailed a week ago.  i'm awesome.  {hey, you gotta recognize your wins where you can, right??}

so here are the rest of my essential christmas celebratory items.  these are a few things that i have to do each year in order to feel like i really got into the christmas spirit... i mean what is the holiday season without a glass of eggnog or new christmas pj's, am i right?

a few are already crossed off.  and if i could cross them off multiple times to show that we've done them more than once, i would.  in which case you'd see "charlie brown christmas" crossed off about eleven-billionty times because parker wants to watch it at least twice a day.  which i don't really mind.  super cute classic cartoon, great message regarding the true meaning of christmas.

it's so fun sharing these traditions with parker this year.  he actually gets it.  he runs through the stores pointing out every christmas tree, santa, reindeer & baby jesus he sees.  i told sam it was like he's seeing christmas for the first time... i LOVE it.

we had our third annual gingerfest with friends last monday & parker was so into decorating his gingerbread house.  he picked out where the wreath should go, where the snowman went & giggled as he placed candy carefully on the roof.  ugh, why do the holidays ever have to end??  christmas is 13 days away & i want it to slow down!!

it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

a couple weeks in iPhotos

per the uge, i'm a little behind in the iPhoto dump.  these last couple of weeks have been crazy... thanksgiving followed by another road trip to the eastside of the state for my 98 year old grandma's funeral.

and while you may be inclined to say "i'm sorry for your loss," there really is no need to be sorry.  she was 98, she had lived an amazing life & died peacefully in her sleep while snuggling my grandpa, her husband of 66 years.  we all knew she would be going soon & are so happy she went exactly as she would have planned it.  the funeral was a great reunion of family & friends & while i am sad she is gone, i know she is in a better place, has her eyesight back & no longer needs her walker.

and bonus!  all of my sisters who live in utah & hadn't met elliot yet were there & got to see him!  that's the good news.  bad news is that somewhere along all of our holiday & funeral travels, elliot & parker both picked up colds.  lame.  'tis the season, right?  so that's resulted in some {what feels like} sleepless nights & rough days.  and a relapse in my cookie dough habit.

anywho, here's what all those travels {and everything in between} looked like in iPhotos.

wordless{ish} wednesday: like brother, like brother.

elliot - circa yesterday, three months old.

parker - circa july 2010, three months old.

baby smiles are kinda the best thing ever.  am i right or am i right?