My Heart....

This is proof that my heart beats every day outside of my chest

in the form of two little blue-eyed boys...

One of them just turned eighteen months old and he is more a toddler than a baby.

And I still can't believe it.

And the other has reached that point where he has been out in the great big world as long as he was comfy and warm inside his little nest.

And I can't believe that either.

They make me smile and they teach me patience and they have shown me that I am a mother bear with instincts to do anything for my little wonders.

And they?

Oh, they are overwhelmingly, powerfully capable and strong and tender.

They will run the world some day or cure it of all its madness. I have no doubt.

And with them, I have celebrated my very best days of life.

I've never met little men that whisper such enchanting things with their eyes and their dimples. Seriously.... Have you?

They say that love alone lightens every burden and makes the rough places smooth.

And I think that whoever "they" are - they're oh so right.

Happy Milestones, Babies...

Many, Many More to Come.

Because...

We tried finger painting with pudding the other day,

BECAUSE someone told us it was a freakin' fantastic idea.

Liar.

Who comes up with these little activities and why do I listen?

BECAUSE I'm a sucka... a rookie... a gullible little sponge.

Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted babes, BECAUSE

No More.

'Nuff Said.

What a Rip...

My Sis-n-Law and I were talking the other day and she mentioned she was vacuuming out her couch. She had removed the cushions and her little household task had produced two serendipitous side effects...

1) Her kids played for hours with the cushions &

2) She found almost 2 Bucks in change there in no-man's land. Well earned coke money if you ask me.

Today I was vacuuming and I decided it was high time I did the deed that Q (aforementioned Sis-n-Law who I am calling "Q" to protect her innocence) suggested. And here is what I got...

1) Zero interest in the cushions from the kiddos &

2) Four old Hot Tamales & a Pencil

Seriously?

RIP.OFF.

Is it sad that I was disappointed in my sorry findings? Damn right it's sad. I sort of expected at least a small little "mom tip" in the form of lost couch cushion change. How is no change in the couch even possible? Will someone please come over with full pockets and plant a little deposit for my sake? Sheesh!

On the bright side - my vacuum is vintage. And we all know that vintage is totally the rage right now. That's right, I scoff at shiny new Dyson's. Who would ever want such a "trendy" machine?

For the record, I totally want a Dyson. Or a roomba which vacuums without a vacuumer...

Like the Jetson's.

And my birthday is in March. And if a particular "someone" doesn't read the fine print here this just might happen to him... Just Sayin'. :)

Happy Weekend!

Onward and Upward...

Little Man is having a growth spurt. And cutting his top two teeth which makes for some random wake up calls. Last night after just two hours of blissful slumber he woke with a vengeance and a voracious appetite.

I grabbed the little lump from his crib and burrowed down with a bottle and my baby as he lay by my side in the big bed. I soaked in the heat that radiated from his little body and listened to his rhythmic suck and swallow. And then he was gone again... drifted off to dreamland right there in my arms in mere moments; his heavy eyelashes resting against the tops of his cheeks in the shadows of the night. And I held perfectly still and breathed him in and admired my little love.

It was all I could do to muster up the will power to perform one killer crunch and pull myself up and out of our warm cocoon. I cradled his head and tip toed down the hall and laid him gingerly back in his crib. And I lingered. And stared. And smiled. And finally, I clicked on the monitor and padded back to bed.

And I had to write it all down right then. As if I could capture his radiant heat and his lotioned smell and the weight of his little compact body with the strokes of my pen. Because, really, there won't be many more late night feedings. My baby is gettin' big. And it kind of pulls my heart in two in a happy way.

So, Dax Man, Thanks for the snuggle. And Thanks for the throw back to our early days together... I have loved them all. Now, onward and upward...

For Real?

I'm just gonna lay it all out there and I don't even care if someone knows someone who is someone's second cousin once removed and might be offended...

What is up with reality stars from Utah?

I mean, it was bad enough that the hippy haired dude and his Sister Wives became a huge hit, now we're faced with Michelle on the Bachelor.

Who is seriously CRAZE to the Y. Beautiful - But a total hot mess in my opinion.

I promise, America, this small reality population is not indicative of the people here in Utah. By and large we are normal, sassy, happy folk who don't thrive on taking multiple spouses or throwing elbows for no good reason.

Just wanted to clarify.

I feel better.

And yes, this is my confession. I, Amber, watch Reality TV.

But really, are you gonna tell me that you don't?

Liar. :)

My Jobby...

Do you have a "jobby"?

A jobby is that thing you do that has to be done (hence - job) but it is also that thing you do because you enjoy doing it (hence - hobby)...

Mix up that little formula and TADA - you have yourself a jobby.

Here is my little mix of business and pleasure.

It's my business to feed the hungry, clothe the nakey, and give water, juice or milk to those that thirst at our house. And tending to the every need of my little babies just happens to be the thing that I love the most... along with splashin' in the sink after a particularly messy lunch.

But let's be honest... it is a privilege to stay at home. A hard fought, sweaty, stressful privilege that in today's world is fetchin' hard. For a full decade I worked and it was wonderful and easy and get this; I got a sweet monetary reward on top of it all. Cinch-o. What I never have had to do in my life (and brace yourself cause it's gonna sound Snob-O) is budget. I didn't have to worry about mad money - it was just there and so was the cashola that kept adding up in the savings account. I'll be the first to say that the superfluous cash was completely under appreciated.

So,with the new year, I am hellbent on becoming a budgeting babe and ensuring that our little household lives off of our earnings AND still saves a significant hunk o' cash for a rainy day. (Did you just hear a huge applause from the Heavens? That was my husband who can now relax and stop moonlighting as an exotic dancer to make up the extra funds.... ha ha!)

Anyway - Ya'll are geniuses and you've had more practice and time to perfect this "Household Chief Operating Officer Job" - TEACH ME! Tell me your tips. Spill your secrets. You know, "Wax On, Wax Off" and all that... :)

Mmmm... I guess I'll start by sipping my Diet Coke at home sans plastic cup and pellet ice. Yuck.

There may be an unforeseen side bonus of Jobby 101: I might just start to ditch my usual nectar and drink that stuff that everyone raves about.... what's it called? Oh yeah, H2O. :)

Peace Out - My Jobby Calls...

Cabin Fever...

I could feel it setting in a bit after last week... also known as... the longest and pukiest week of our lives around here. You know the feeling....

GET ME OUTTA HERE?!

Well, mission accomplished on multiple occasions this week and the babies are LOVING it as much as I am.

First Stop - The Dinosaur Museum...

Presenting my very favorite exhibits....

Ahh - the Vanity of my children... I love it!

Our little paleontologist at work.

And a summative reason for this blog. I am a "saptastic" freak of nature just trying to preserve some sappy memories around here. :)

Now off to "Cabelly's" as we call it or Cabela's as ya'll call it. An automatic "must stop" for all the boys in my house and hence - me too.

This is how we roll at Belly's...

Until we get to the elevators and then it's each man for himself...

I would like to point out a major design flaw here. The ONLY button Kaelster can reach is the alarm. We've dodged that bullet so far, but it is only a matter of time.

And oh - the fish. How we love, adore and admire the fish time and time again.

Even the nasty, stinky ones outside of the tank and in the "not so fresh water" stream.

Kaelster loves on EVERY SINGLE stuffed animal he can get to VERY vocally.

And Dax Man is practicing "puttin' the sneak" on big bucks...

It brings tears to the eyes of his Daddy-o.

And a side bonus.... they are hungry,

and tired

and ready to simmer down for a LONG winters' nap after all our sightseeing.

And who doesn't love that?

Cabin Fever - you've been kicked to the curb!