Two! And a Little Fam-Damily...

Well, way back at the close of September our littlest rascal turned two.  

You remember, right?  I was all, "I guess I need another baby," all of a sudden?  It basically threw me for a loop.  And I scheduled family pictures for the earliest time slot I could get after that, which meant, you know, mid-October.  But to my credit I had lofty plans to have his two-year-old pics taken along with our family pictures.

And it all started out so nicely.

And then our little two-year-old turned up the sass and turned off the charm.  This one.  He is either hot or cold.  And I really mean that.  It's like he had his big bash and woke up the next day feeling the mantle of two-year-old-ness upon his shoulders and he just really started acting the part with gusto.  He is an opinionated OR affectionate little being.  He is either happy and content OR ticked off at the world.  Delivering a ginormous hug & a slobbery kiss to the lips OR arching his back and kicking up a storm in a complete tantrum.  

He loves to eat cookies, chips, cucumbers & "Choca Milk".  He hates to be left behind or out of the action but he loves to be the baby and he'll say, "Acey so tie-od" and lay right down in his crib.  He is a fantastic sleeper and a brilliant little talker.  He likes Mickey Mouse and Little Einsteins but loves his dog and his red bike above all else in this world.  He has the best manners when he isn't fully immersed in a spicy moment and he loves to sing and bop to the music.

And he loves his dad... which is evident.

We still consider him to be the cherry on top of our little family sundae... even if that cherry is occasionally sour.  :)

And now moving on to the photo rock stars in my life.  Would you just look at these little men of mine?  Why do I gotta be the one with bangs flying up to the Heavens and dry mascara flecks beneath my eyes, meanwhile all my big boys, RyGar included, just show up and smile and look like they should be starring in an ad for a department store near you.  It's really just not fair in the slightest.

Baby Gap...  Are you catchin' this?  I know.  Just have your people contact his people.

What's that you say, Old Navy?  You want Dax in your next Christmas catalogue?

Two words... Book early.

And then there's this.  If this were America's Next Top Model Tyra would be all, "Where's your smize?" and "I hate that I can't see any neck" and "You've got to find your angles."

I know, Tyra, I know!  I need coaching.

But oh, do I love a good family picture despite the sweaty, unraveling few minutes of complete chaos during the actual inevitably freezing outing.  Not to mention the marathon of prepping and dressing and talking about how "totally rad those new shoes are" just to get a little buy in before hand.  

But seriously, how big are they already?

And I'm completely addicted to the final product, even though, they sometimes look like the one below.  THIS is life, y'all.  Complete with raw freakin' emotion.  Cracks me up every single time I look at it and captures us... this stage... these little people caught in tiny bodies with big ideas of their own that sometimes don't quite align themselves with reality.  I adore it.  Every single inch of it.

Poor little two-year-old Acers.  Life can be such a bundle of trouble.

But I'm clearly the very luckiest girl in the entire Universe.

Did you make it this far?

You deserve a cookie.  And a happy, happy weekend.

One... Uno... Un...

Did I mention the fact that I got to go on a little road trip with RyGar last week for business mixed with pleasure?  It was ah-mazing because, hello, I had him in the car for ten hours straight almost entirely to myself (he does have a phone, dang it) and I kind of just talked AT him and laughed with him and dined on gas station delights the entire time and I was one happy girlie!

Anyway, we made it to Phoenix where Ry had meetings and I had a date with the sunshine and on the first day there was golf.  To the women of the world, men totally have this whole "business travel" thing figured out.  Golfing in the sun with a side of food for the first day of meetings to break the ice?  Genius.

So there I was at the Botanical Gardens and I get a text message from the hubs saying, "I just got a hole-in-one!"  Wait, what it actually said was, "I JUST HIT A HOLE-IN-ONE!"  Oh my gosh, I could feel his excitement so I quickly responded back, "Babe!  That's amazing!  Congrats!"  Then I got thinking, or maybe my brain cells were actually just shriveling up in the unseasonable sun and heat, and I said, "Wait, is this your first one?"  Oops.

When I made it back to the resort I ran into him and his colleagues and friends who were STILL whooping and hollering and reliving every detail and I listened and watched my other half just grinning like a school boy and they all really let me have it for momentarily derailing his golfer's high.  

"That is SUCH an elite club he just joined, Amber!"  

"169 Yard Par 3 in one shot... I still can't get over it!"

"Do you realize you'll get to bring your family back here when you're old and gray and Ryan's name will be on the plaque forever noting this day in his life and in history?"  

"I've been golfing for forty years and I have NEVER seen a hole-in-one until today."

"OK, OK, I get it!  RyGar is a stud.  I'm a clueless golf wifey.  I owe him favors.  You decide the variety of said favors."  And that is how I redeemed myself.  :)

SO, without further ado, I introduce you to Ryno, the Great.  Golfer Extraordinaire.  Handsome Outlaw.  Patient Husband.  Rad Dad.

And since I have learned a few things courtesy of google, I'll spread some Hole-In-One Factoids with you... you know, I'm a giver:

-Sometimes a hole in one is known as an ACE.  I'm pretty sure our third-born is a good luck charm.

-Holes in one are extremely rare and the odds for an average golfer to make a hole-in-one are approximately 12,500 to 1.  So, since RyGar is clearly better than average, his odds are more like 10,000 to 1.  

Since he's clearly on a bit of a roll, I'm thinking we might just hit Vegas next.  But not the greens if you know what I mean.  I'm seeing three cherries that magically roll together on a slot machine.  Whose in?

The Thankful Month...

If you have tiny people in your house you've probably seen a good friend of ours, Daniel Tiger.  Daniel Tiger is the sweetest little buddy for toddlers you could ever invite into your home courtesy of PBS.  His manners are impeccable, his giggle is adorable and he only occassionaly gets into trouble, but always he turns it around into a little learning moment.

Well, yesterday my kiddos saw a Daniel Tiger episode about being Thankful.  And I just got sucked in.  Mostly because Lawd knows I'm a stickler about showing gratitude.  I mean, come on, I'm one Thank You note shy of a million or so, but you know what... my kids will know we're grateful.  For plentiful food, for a safe home, for good health and a free country and cool toys and loving family and friends.  It's so dang important to me, it really is.

But I don't want it to be just "done" you know, like rattling off "I love you" before you hang up the phone every single time, which in a way depletes it of it's real meaning, but can't be overlooked all at the same time?  I want it to be felt in their bones and not fade away over time.  How do you do that?  Because I've noticed in myself, that being thankful is tied symbiotically with being happy.  And if I can earn my "happy and grateful kid" mama merit badge, I'll definitely take the necessary steps to sew that patch onto my uniform.

One of my favorite memories of gratitude in my life was after Kael was born.  I don't think I've ever felt more lucky or more aware of every bit of good in my life.  I was a mom.  I had a beautiful, healthy baby who came to us through the greatest succession of miracles one could ever imagine.  I basically wanted to run through a field of daisies and skip and leap and scream to the world, "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!"  And I kind of did for, oh, about three plus years there...  :)

RyGar and I would sit late at night with our babe snuggled between us and we'd top each other with our statements of gratitude...

"I love his chubby cheeks," I'd say.

"I love how he wraps his little fingers around my thumb... look,"  Ry would say.

"I love when he yawns and then smacks his milky little mouth as he falls back to sleep," I'd say.

"I love the way he smells like the best dessert ever."

"I love how soft his skin is."

And this would go on and on -- too long -- until we'd used up every beautiful observation we could make about our dreamy baby and we were laughing because neither of us wanted to "lose" by not having anything else to say.  Those moments, of being so fully aware that we were blessed and happy -- that was gratitude in its purest form.  Everything in our life these past few years, with the addition of these amazing babies of ours, seems more vivacious, more purposeful, more pleasurable; because we have been so acutely aware of how lucky we are.

So, maybe this month we'll do a thankful tree a la our little friend Daniel Tiger.  Maybe we'll buy some stationery and write some thank you notes which is a goodie but an oldie.  Maybe we'll just enthusiastically praise the world around us and make sure our kids have an impressive collection of adjectives with which to describe the blue sky they love, an ice cream cone they're enjoying or a good book and a tight hug at bedtime.  

November has unwrapped some sweet moments for us so far, and while I'm coming too late to the game to do a "30 days of Gratitude" or something along those lines, it is felt no less.  I am happiest when I am most grateful... so, November, you're looking mighty fine.

Exponential Coolness...

You guys, I'm just going to have to come right out and say it.
My kid is cool.

Listen to him sing the good stuff by Johnny Cash.  These twenty seconds or so are worth it, I promise.  And I dare you, just try not to smile.

He knows every single word and keeps a tune like it's his job.  Now if the little stink would just sing to the camera we wouldn't have such poor, covert cell phone video of cutest thing in the Universe and we just might be getting our million and second hit on YouTube.

I'll work on that.
Happy Weekend!

Right of Passage...

I did something magical with the boys the other day.  We were loading the car full of groceries at Costco and we heard the familiar, adrenaline-inducing sound (for a little boy) that is a train.  The train tracks are just south of Costco and those boys moved faster than lightning to "lock and load" into their car seats to watch the train pass and request a "Honk Honk".  

I drove the car and parked facing the tracks and there the train stopped and the conductor exited.  {It should be noted that train conductors do NOT wear the typical striped overalls that one might envision.  I might recover from that realization, but then again, I might not.}  

Anyway, he saw me, my car full of little boys with smiles plastered all over their faces and tiny limbs hanging out the windows with waves and honk signals, and he generously came over to the car to explain he would be a few minutes as he was grabbing his lunch.  

{Who knew you could just park your train and head on in for takeout?  This whole thing is just incredibly insightful, yeah?} 

I asked him if we could put pennies on the tracks to get "shmooshed" while we waited for him.  OK, I really asked him, "Will the department of Treasury come hunt me down if I shmoosh pennies on the tracks or is that still legal?  Or was it ever legal?"  He laughed and gave me the green light.  So disclaimer, if it is indeed illegal, the actual train conductor did not know that... or he had total disregard for such silly little things like laws.  And I'm a lemming.

One by one I unloaded each excited little bundle of energy and gave them a handful of coppery colored pennies to be placed thoughtfully on the tracks.  I explained what would happen, and I'm tellin' you, You could FEEL their anticipation.  

It was SO much fun to watch them.  Probably, in large part, because I myself remember climbing on top of the haystack at Grandpa's farm and then seeing the train coming in the distance which required an Olympic decent and subsequent race to the tracks to strategically place my own pocket full of pennies.  I loved seeing the pennies' imprints on the track after the train had passed and looking at the surrounding gravel between the old railroad ties to find my flattened prize.  I loved feeling the heat the massive, thundering train produced on my hot little discs.  I adored seeing the different shaped ovals and circles the train created out of my tiny round coins.  And there is something about the thrill of standing where just moments ago, you could not have been standing.

And isn't there something "Circle of Life-ish" about doing a long forgotten something awesome from your childhood with your own kids?  It's like, all this time, tucked deep into that gray matter of your brain, that was something that really meant a lot and you didn't even remember how much until you relive it thanks to those little bundles that are yours.  It kind of rocks my socks off.

Dax asked me if I wanted to make a "mecklace" out of his smooth discs.  Not a bad idea, really.  A good luck charm for this mama.  Kaelster shoved them deep into his pockets and told me he was going to show his buddy and Daddy as soon as we got home.  Acey tried to eat them.

So... you know, two outta three ain't bad?

To Da Boys...

I swear, I'm not doomsday - but if I were to unexpectedly pass tomorrow - (you know, maybe as I take an epic road trip with the handsome hubs) I would want a message to come to my most loved lovins' posthumously - maybe, because I'm always one to want the last word, but mostly, because... I adore them so much my teeth hurt.  And they should know that... and get my best bits of advice for them... the best things I've ever done.

So, just to cover my bases....

To My Darling Boys... Including RyGar, the Great,

The main thing to this "life stuff" is just to try to be a nice, happy person.  You already are.  All of you, with just a tiny streak of temper which you've got to learn to only let loose at the right times.  In competition, let that streak drive you, and only in the odd confrontation, where you must stand up for what is right, let that streak give you gusto.  Other than that, be Nice with a capital N.  Yes, just be happy and nice and people will want to be near you.  You will be bright and constant in a world full of dark and muck.

Second, always remember that when you can't think of something to say to someone, ask a question.  We have two ears for a reason, and part of being a good conversationalist is listening.  This will not only help you garnish loads of information quickly and in an interesting manner, but it will let people know that you are someone who can be turned to for a listening ear.  Besides, think of all the amazing stories you'll hear if you simply ask questions... which lead to most peoples' "Once upon a times", and everyone knows that a story beginning with "Once Upon a Time" is going to be downright entertaining.

Third, choose your friends because you feel most like yourself when you're around them.  Choose your love the same way.  Choose someone who the jokes come easily with & with whom you feel like you're in a James Bond tuxedo, when in fact, you're just in a t-shirt.  The people you surround yourself with will either lift you up or bring you down.  That is a fact.  Choose the former.

Life is comprised of two extreme segues:  Amazing and enjoyable times and appalling experiences that will make for amazing anecdotes.  You can get through anything if you can imagine yourself, in the future, telling your family and friends about it around the table as they squeal with increasing disbelief and laughter... "No!  NO!"  Seriously though, your reaction to the most mundane, most awful, most disgusting situations will determine your happiness.  You are all powerful in that regard.  React positively, or as Grandma Gail says, B+.

Work hard.  Stretch your muscles.  Employ your great minds and your strong bodies and don't do anything to poison them.  Sweat in the sun.  Grit your teeth with exertion.  Get mud on your brow.  Then, when you look back at what you accomplished at the end of the day, feel fulfilled and proud.  You will succeed in this life if you just work hard and learn to enjoy doing it.  You've been hard workin' little gents since before you could even toddle around.  I am so proud of your happy-to-be-busy mentalities and your goal-oriented minds.  Keep it up.  There is so little competition.

Be present... like ditch that damn cell phone when you're talking to a friend in the flesh.  Look at your babies' faces as they babble incoherently and memorize the way their little lips curl.  Talk to your love at the end of the day instead of watching some lame rerun.  It all goes so quickly and someday, you'll want nothing more than to be with a friend who tunes you in, or a baby who wants nothing more than your animated response, or your lover whose body you can almost feel radiating heat next to you on the couch in the still of the evening.

And lastly, do little things, big things, anything healthy that makes you feel alive and happy.  For me it was a run in the rain.  A trip to the park with you to feel the sun on my skin and the breeze in my hair.  An ice cold diet coke running down my gullet.  A quiet moment at night to tuck y'all in and then recount the day's highlights as I wrote them all down for you to read with your families some day.  A kiss from your soft lips and your arms around me.  A good scrubbing of a bathroom.  A laugh so hard I cry moment when my stomach muscles ache from exertion.  A thunder storm on a mountain top.  A snuggle in cold winter linens.  A wild and carefree dance to loud music with you.  All of it and then some.  Do it if it makes you happy.  Then do it again just for kicks.

And take care of you.  Because, oh, if you only knew how much my heart jumps at the very thought of each of you.  The way my eyes smile with the mention of your names.  The way my mind rolls through countless happy moments with each of you like a card catalogue being flipped in the wind.  I will always love you - you are with me forever.

Love,

Amber

Mom

P.S.  See you soon!  :)

Of Little Super Heroes...

You know what is funny?  People can say all they want about gender roles and traits, but I'm telling you, little boys are drawn to action figures and trucks and little girls are pulled toward princesses and babies.  And that's a fact here at this house.

These guys have never even seen an episode of Spiderman anything, but they know all about "saving people from bad guys".  Which is just so masculine and adorable of them, if you ask me.  I tried pretty hardily to convince one of them to go for Superman or Captain America to expand our Halloween horizons (not that they know anything more about either of them) but to no avail.  Spiders and all things webbed are cool right now, so our trio of super heros has a little redundancy... big deal.  :)

It's kind of perfect because these boys have formed a solidly-inked alliance to cause chaos and catastrophe wherever they go, but when they fervently work together to get themselves out of their collaborative conundrums... there is no greater power.  So... three heads, two of which happen to be arachnid heads, in this case, are definitely better than one.

And this Halloween stuff?  I used to kind of shrug indifferently about the whole thing - but to see the little twinkle in their eyes as they dawn their foam six-packs and capes?  Outta this world.  

And to not have to physically lug them from house to house but to stand back on the sidewalk as they confidently shout, "Trick or Treat!" followed by a chorus of "Thank Yous" ranks dang high on life's scale of cool little things.   So, Halloween... carry on with your good self.

We'll totally come along for the ride.

And holy November... where did you come from so quickly?