Halloween 2013

A couple months ago I decided that we needed to get more use out of Little B's ring bearer tuxedo than just the one wedding day.  Hence the idea for "The Great Little B-bini" was born!

Huge kudos to Auntie A for finding the hat and cape!

His magician name was inspired by one of the magician library books we checked out a couple weeks ago to help introduce Little B to the magician concept (in case you're wondering, the book was Zaba Zaba and the Great Zambini, cute story:)  Despite our crash course in magic, my little guy didn't really act like a magician.  He didn't wave his wand around or say abracadabra, but he enjoyed his costume and he enjoyed trick or treating and he enjoyed laying out all his candy when he got home (just like Brother and Sister Bear in his new Berenstain Bears book!)

And of course, what would a magician be without a bunny?

Huge kudos to Gramma for sewing together his bunny hoodie!

What a silly little bunny.  He hung in there through the whisker drawing and picture taking and walking around the neighborhood with his big brother.  No candy for him though so he ended the evening like this -

This was great until he woke up and I gave him a bath instead of feeding him.  He was none too pleased to have me scrubbing his face instead of filling his tummy, yikes!  Good things come to those who wait my son.  Like sleep for you and a glass of wine and last night's Nashville episode for this Halloween-ed out mommy:)

Mommy, why am I standing in a hat?

Happy Halloween!

Lesson learned

Dear Little B,

I thought it was pretty exciting when Mom-Mom sent you a Halloween card with a five dollar bill just for you!  You thought it was exciting too.

I thought it was cute when you insisted on storing your money in the Lego fort in your bedroom.

I thought it would be really fun to go to Barnes & Noble and pick out a new Halloween book to buy with your five dollars.  You thought it would be fun to go to "Barnes to Noble" too.

You thought the Berenstain Bears book we picked out (with bonus stickers!) was great.

You thought it was fun to hand the check-out lady your book and your money.

You didn't think it was fun to not get the money back.

You sobbed genuine tears of sadness and anguish all the way home.  "I want to put the book back!  I want my money back!"  If either of your grandmothers had been with us, they would have emptied their wallets in your lap to try and make you feel better.

I didn't realize I needed to explain the concept of purchasing to you ahead of time.  I thought you would focus on what you gained.  Instead you focused on what you lost.  My mistake.

I'll do better next time buddy.  Also, you better get used to it.  All of us "want our money back" when we buy things and it almost never happens.

Love, Mommy

P.S.  You not napping their week isn't good for either of us.  Let's do better next week, ok?

Post-meltdown

Birthday Peace

Some years birthdays are a big deal.  Other years not so much.  This was one of those years and it's exactly what I wanted - a break from our hectic schedule, time with those who give me life and, of course, a delicious cake.  Many thanks to all who sent me birthday wishes and presents and love.  My life overflows with joy from having all of you in it:)

Baby P's first visit to the pumpkin patch

Not really sure why Mommy made me stick my head in this hole...

Gramma love!

Making a leaf pile with Grampa - Grampa love!

Not quite ready to help Mommy blow out the candles;)

Sacraments

Merriam-Webster defines sacrament as a Christian rite that is believed to have been ordained by Christ and that is held to be a means of divine grace or to be a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality.  We have experienced two joyous sacraments in our family over the past couple weeks.  In the midst of everyday life, they have made the beginning of this fall a pretty special time.

We had four great-grandparents, four grandparents, and two aunts join us for Baby P's baptism a couple weeks ago.  I already knew in my heart that this baby belongs to God, but I still appreciate the ritual of dedicating him.  And all the friends who also came to our very early church service to witness it. 

Someday they'll be able to hug without my assistance!

Baby P and his nouna

And this past weekend we celebrated the wedding of Hubby T's brother, Uncle B, and his beautiful new bride.  This was the first family wedding since Hubby T and I got married six years ago and I've got to say, our family really knows how to throw great weddings!  I'm not going to lie - it was an extremely stressful weekend - but absolutely one hundred percent worth it to witness the beginning of a new chapter in our family's journey.  Plus Hubby T and I got two mini date nights out of the weekend, as my parents came along to babysit the boys in the evenings at the hotel.  It's amazing what wonders can happen to a tired mom who is liberated of a diaper bag and given a glass of wine instead!  But enough about me...Little B did a perfect job as ring bearer and Hubby T did a great job as best man.  

 And Baby P did a great job being quiet...

I try hard to see the Lord working in the ordinary, everyday patterns of our lives, but it's really special when you get to witness and participate in those extraordinary moments of life as well.  I'm so excited that my boys have a new aunt and that Hubby T and I have a new sister.  Congratulations again Mr. and Mrs. P!

Moment of time

I've been experiencing that feeling that comes across me every once in awhile, that feeling that this moment of time, the way my boys are right now, is not going to last long.  So here's my attempt to capture this moment and to share it with all of you who aren't living it with us.

I tried really hard to get a good picture of them in these adorable matching outfits my aunt gave them...between a wiggly 2 year old and a baby who can't hold his head up, this was the best I could get!

Baby P is now 3 months old (can you believe I've lost track of how many weeks old he is already?!)  He is well out of the newborn stage and into loveable baby stage.  I can put him down now for periods of time and he's content to just sit and watch, rather than needing to be held all the time (phew!)  He loves to grab his feet and there are a couple toys that he's starting to "play" with when we put them within reach. 

He also enjoys grabbing my arm and holding onto it surprisingly tight when I am changing his diaper.  This frequently brings out my favorite feature of this age - his smile.  He's developed a smile that lights up his whole face and says "You are the absolute best thing in the world to me."  Melts my mommy heart every time:)  Unfortunately he rarely holds this smile for the camera.  I'd say this picture portrays about 50% of the power of his full force smile.

Grampa love

He got to the point of only waking up once a night surprisingly quickly, but in the last week or two he's regressed and he's now up twice a night.  I can definitely notice a difference in how I feel each day (dragging) so I'm hoping he'll straighten himself out again soon. 

I love when he falls asleep by himself - even if it's on the floor!

He's wearing six month size clothes already.  His next check-up is in 3 weeks, I can't wait to see how big he is now and how much he's grown, and be given the go-ahead to start him on solid food!

Trying to sit up in his car seat - gravity can't hold me down!

My wonderful Little B continues to be a bundle of energy, joy, and occasionally two year old dramatic hysterics.  Although he's shy, he is still loving his music class, which gives Hubby T and I endless amounts of joy and amusement.  The toy of the week right now is a giant floor puzzle that his Yiayia and Papou brought a couple weeks ago.  He needs a little help putting it together to start with, but then he enjoys taking the pieces off one by one and then putting them back in.  But the most notable development in him lately is his imagination.  This kid's mind is so busy!!  A few days ago we put his new floor puzzle together, then he decided to build a road on top of it.  Then he decided the road needed stores, which he named.  Then we used blocks to build a playground.  I helped him pull all the pieces together but the ideas all came from him!  I think Little D wasn't sure what to make of it all when he arrived:) 

He's using another set of blocks in his room right now to make "pizza" with "pepperoni and vegetables."  I know he got this idea from a Curious George book but I love that he's transferred the idea to his blocks.  It's wonderful to listen to him talk to himself while he plays and hear how he incorporates the things we do into his imaginary play.

Most of all, I absolutely love how much he loves his brother.  He's generally very gentle with him, loves giving him hugs, and is very understanding when I have to stop something I am doing with him to take care of the baby.

  
I can't wait to see how their interactions change and become more meaningful as Baby P grows this fall.  Bring on pumpkin everything!!!