Did you think to pray?

I only work 2 days a week, but every time I come home from work I am amazed at how much Wendy has grown. Maybe it's the guilt I feel for leaving her at all, but it's like I walk in the house expected to greet the 18 month old Wendy only to find a 3 year old. Just for that first second I am so shocked when she smiles big and gives me an endearing, 2-syllabled "HHHIIIIIiiiiiiiii!" Then opens her arms up wide and adds, "Mommy, hug?"

I could go on and on about the things she's recently started saying, but I'll just stick with my favorite. We have our bedtime routine down and it includes family prayers. Usually she just folds her arms and giggles through my ssshh's, then claps her hands when I say, "Amen," and looks around like, "Why aren't you guys clapping?" But Sunday night, when I finished she said, "Again?" So I told her, "Okay, again. You say the prayer." I did NOT expect her to really do it. She folds her arms and slowly rattled off:

"daddy

momma,

mommy,

blankie,

amen."

Then the next night, she got even more into it:

"foofa,

brobee,

plex,

muno,

toodee,

foofa,

brobee,

daddy,

momma,

ollie,

ruthy,

daddy,

amen."

Listening to her say her simple prayers makes me giggle and get choked up at the same time. I love that little girl and I absolutely love being her mom.

Getting Organized with Polaroids

For Christmas, my parents gave me this wonderful camera from photojojo (if you're gonna get one, get it there- it's way cheaper than getting it from urban outfitters). I love it! I quickly put it to good use and took some cute pictures to help me organize Wendy's toys. This way her toys won't take over my house, they were starting to suffocate me. Seriously, I was starting to feel claustrophobic.

I'm really happy with the finished product. I might have to go back to Ikea and get some more of these square baskets to accomodate the rest of her toys. Hopefully it actually works and keeps me organized.

Wendy's 1st Haircut

How to get a decent toddler haircut: a portable high chair, yo gabba on an iphone, a mom to hold your head in place AND an aunt who's been doing this for years and has a toddler of her own. I love Wendy's new haircut. Even if it does make her look like a little girl instead of a baby. Thanks Ruthy!

When Ryan Saved Christmas...

I had pretty bad procrastinator's remorse this year when I let the month of December get away from me. I really wanted to go with Ryan and pick out a Christmas tree, but our December evenings together were rare (thanks to his a'cappella group having so many Christmas gigs). And the eveinings we were both free were spent car shopping.

When the week of Christmas came, I was feeling pretty bummed about not getting a tree. I know that's not what the holiday is really about, but it just didn't feel like Christmas. I thought it would be silly of me to go out and spend the money to put up a tree 4 days before Christmas, but deep down that was exactly what I wanted to do. I let Ryan know I was sad about it and vowed to him that next year we'd get a tree the first week of December. The next day, when I came home from work at 5pm, my wonderful husband had gone out and bought a tree, set it up in our living room and started decorating it with white twinkle lights. What a man! It was like he had brought me flowers times ten! I can't even tell you how happy it made me. I just love him.

p.s. Notice the fact that it's a 5 foot tree up on a table and the ornaments don't even start for a least a foot off the bottom of the tree? We have successfully baby-proofed Christmas.

For a great message to get you in the true spirit of Christmas, go here.

I'm dreaming of a FELT Christmas...

This year I had lost my desire to decorate. With this active 19 month old, the thought of a live tree full of messy pine needles and glass orbs does not sound so enticing. So I have been procrastinating. Then when Ryan put up our Christmas lights last week, it made me start to get a little excited. I have decided that by NEXT year, I will be ready. I've been researching child friendly decorations. By Christmas 2010 I will be prepared to decorate in a timely manner (as in before December is already halfway over) without fear of constantly having to police my child away from anything. I've found a ton of great ideas.

I am going to follow my sister, Rachel's lead and get crafty. I am going to buy some felt and bust out my broken sewing machine. Here are some great ideas I'm going to attempt to re-create (or go out and buy when they go on sale after Christmas) clock wise, starting from top left:

Fluffy Felt Rosette Wreath

Felt Advent Calendar (Mine will have a nativity scene instead of a roof top. Each pocket will hold a piece of the nativity. #24 will have the star and #25 will have baby Jesus. My mom made one like that and I LOVED it growing up. We always used to fight over who got to place the baby in the manger.)

Felt Garland

Little Ella Ornament (I'll have to buy this, I'm not THAT crafty)

Felt Cheers Tree Skirt

Felt Ball Ornaments

Yo Gabba Gabba Live!

We recently had the amazing opportunity to watch our daughter experience the Yo Gabba Gabba Live show! The show was wonderful, but Wendy's response was priceless. She was going back and forth between sitting completely still with her jaw hanging open and dancing around like crazy. It's so fun to watch her grow and actually interact with the world around her!

We were a little star struck, or at least I was. I'm pretty sure Wendy cares more about the gabba characters and "Mama Hat" (as she calls DJ Lance) than the actual stars present. When I told Lance Wendy's name for him, he told me how another mother told him her son refers to him as "Jesus Lance Rock." I guess "D.J." is a little difficult for small children to enunciate.

Jellabee!

*rachel, me, melany, lana

road trip to Newman CA 1999

Melany has been one of my good good friends since high school. Some of my fondest memories growing up are the times my sister, Rachel, and I spent hanging out with Melany, and her sister Lana. We went to countless dances, shows, road trips to San Francisco, and just hungout at her super fun house. They had the BEST hangout house with an amazing/huge back yard and a trampoline that sat in a hole so it was level with the ground!!! (It's funny how I grew up with a pool in my back yard but would rather jump on her trampoline any day of the week).

*some of my favorites from jellabee jr.

Anyway, so back to Melany. She is crazy talented and crafty and has opened up shop to give everyone the opportunity to benefit from her skills. She has an etsy shop with handmade hair accessories: jellabee, and a shop for baby hair accesories and other goodies: jellabee jr. She also has a blog that I love to stalk, you can check it out here. You're welcome.

*wendy wearing one of her jellabee jr. hair clips! i love it! ps. how pretty is that pink/purple sunset outside my windows?!