My new alarm clock

I got a new alarm clock guys. It's weird to make an announcement about that...most people would talk shoes, purses, maybe even a car every once in a blue moon. I absolutely adore my little alarm clock. It is small, really cute, and has tons of sweet features. Only problem is that it is set for a time that is much earlier than I would like, I call this time of morning ungodly....most people call it getting up for work time (between 6 & 6:30) but I mean if it could just hold out until like 6:45 or 7 am, like in the good old days (two weeks ago). Ryan says the time change is here to stay. Take a look at it and tell me what you think, is there anyway to push back his wake up call? If there is please do not delay in letting me know! I know I will keep my little alarm, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to take a lot more coffee and a slightly crankier mommy until I get some of it in me. Check it out!

Here's what I wake up too....

...in the scheme of things, not to shabby....and with bed head, down right hilarious!

life's sweet....

When was the last time you had a really sweet moment? You know the kind, the melt your heart, ouooie goouie, down right sappy moment that makes it all worth while. It's the last scene in all of my favorite movies, and the only reason I am able to get through a book so fast...anxious as all get out for that sweet moment to savor. It's crazy to think that most of mine these days come from a living creature that is no more than 30 pounds and speaks very little English. Most moms will confess that they are desperately in love with their little ones they are, and I am no different, although I am the first to admit that my peanut and I have our moments...like when he plays in the toilet, kicks the contents of his diap. onto our play dates floor, or chucks a toy at another kid in the nursery's head. In those times, I am not remembering sweet moments I am contemplating tearing my hair out. He feels the same way about me though, make no mistake...he has no idea why I can't just throw open the latch to the great out doors so we can go play in the freezing cold, can't imagine who doesn't consider gold fish a major food group, and what honestly is so great about socks. What can I say, we don't always see eye to eye. But we do spend enough time together that every once in a while our eyes meet in the same spot and we savor every delicious second of each other. Yesterday while waiting for my beloved dog to do her business I sat tiredly against the sliding glass door to our back yard. Griffin has been desperate to have a play date with the grass out there. He gingerly toddled over to me, the way only he can, bopping his head along the way. I figured he was coming to hang on the door in protest to redeem his play date dreams when instead he shimmied his way onto my lap holding his tiny box of raisins. He struck up a very stimulating conversation in which we covered many serious and controversial subjects all summed up in his favorite word....."daughton daughton"....over and over again. He then forced his chubby little hand down into the crevice of his raisin box and came back up with one. He held it high in the air...marveled at it, "ohhhhhhhh" and then held it out to me. I opened my mouth and before I knew what was happening I had a fist full of gooey Griffin half way down my throat. When he was satisfied it was fully in, he took his hand out (wiping it down my chin first) and smiled at me, as though we had just shared something really special. And you know what, it occurred to me that we had. Sometimes life's sweetest moments are the ones covered lovingly in drool and forcefully shoved in your mouth. It's not necessarily what you pictured, but then again its unexpected and unscripted and better than you imagined. And when the day, and motherhood, and life just seem overwhelming I am trying to remember how blessed my life really is...I have a tiny person who will share their slimy raisins with me...isn't that the sweetest thing?

February...fly-by style

Here are the 3 reasons I didn't get to much blogging in Feb...my FAVORITES...

So once again, another month is here and gone. I wish that I had the time to sit and write really creative and cutsie posts...which most of you would probably skim and roll to the next picture, but I do love to write, I just never seem to find the moment. And honestly people, at the moment I have only 1 small boy, 1 small dog, and a guy I like to refer to as Ryski...all of who need lots of attention, snuggling, and meals throughout the day(what will I do if the numbers ever increase??). I guess writing and posting pics on your blog don't seem to be of upmost importance to someone with a soggy diaper and a serious need for some teddy grahams. So I will steamroll through this month for you (and promise you that my little man is tucked safely into bed with a dry diaper and a tummy full of t. grahams!)...I would skip this kind of post, but I think I would have some very cranky far away relatives if I tried to do that:)!

I like to think of February as my favorite month. Even before Ryan it was my birthday month and it is the month of love...honestly, I know Valentines Day may have been created so that Hallmark and Walmart can sell more chocolates and cards, but if you know me, you know that I think this holiday was created by sheer geniuses who completely understand the very core of me. Then I married a V-day baby and it was confirmed...Valentines Day is just the cutest holiday there is. If you feel differently, just don't mention it to me. I am serious about cards, and chalky conversation hearts, and red glittery XOXO signs, and chocolate...and hearts filled with chocolate, could there be anything better??!!

So now that the month of love is almost over, I am now taking down the hearts, sparkly red decor, and trying to eat all the left over V-day candy(we have to make room for the marshmallow eggs:)!) so that we can open the door to Spring, who any day I am sure will be knocking. G & I had a taste of it in early Feb when we went walking with our friends, on one of those day spring is teasing us.... Erin & Charlie, our favorite buddies to hang out with during the day.

G's little buddy Charlie! They see each other weekly at our bible study nursery and last week when I dropped off Griffy he saw Charlie and ran over to give him a hug...it was adorable!

Happy boys after play time in the park!

We celebrated Valentines Day and our birthdays in mid Feb and enjoyed some me & Ry time, celebrating with both sets of parents, and friends too! Ryan's parents came on my birthday for the weekend and they got to have lots of uninterrupted play time with Griffin, which I know was huge for them.

Griffin and Grandma Lori having some water

In February I also felt that I was officially initiated into motherhood with my first trip to the ER. The trip included lots of stress, tears, and trauma and that was just me. Poor Griffin fell while we were out running errands and bit into his bottom lip and hit his top front teeth. Needless to say there was a lot of blood(from Griff) and tears(from us both) but I am happy to report that he is up and cruising again, with virtually no sign of trauma left. I can't believe how hard it was to see my baby in so much pain, and I thought I had a good low key perspective on things. I fell apart...but I think I will do better if and when it happens next (the ER nurse assured us we will be back 3 or 4 times before kindergarten, and if you have met my little monkey, you would probably agree)!

Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the snack bar please??

To wrap up February Griffin and I packed up our suits and sunscreen and headed to Arizona to visit my G & G Sapp! My Aunt Cindy and cousin Max, and mom and sister joined us and we all escaped a week of lingering winter in exchange for some sunshine and sheer delight in no coats or long sleeves. The weather was blissful, the pool was warm, and the only reason we didn't exit the plane when the pilot announced that there were flurries in Chicago and this was our last chance to change our mind and get off is that we missed daddy so much!

2 car seats+ 2 grandparents+ 3 moms + 1 Al = 1 packed mini van!

4 generations having dinner together....

Pool time with Grandpa and the boys!

This is either prom 2009...or just Al & I posing pretty cosy!

Out acting like RASCALLS!

So, here we are...imagine all 5 of us in a sedan on a little road trip...the topics discussed were broad, music was played from every genre, and deciding on the place to eat wasn't easy, but we had a great time. For Christmas Al got us all tickets to the Rascall Flatts concert in Champagne, IL...a "do something together" gift and so off we went! We had lots of great bonding time and once again affirmed to me that having siblings is one of the biggest blessings life has. Who knows you better than your sibs...and loves you anyways, takes your good...bad...cranky...or otherwise and chalks it up to one of those days...and does get annoyed with you but would come to your defense at any moment...your siblings. The faces that you have and will endure all the joys and hard things about life with. I am so blessed to have not only siblings of my own but sibling in laws on both sides who I love and adore! Thanks Al, "Here's to you!"

Aren't they cute??!!

The concert stated with a small firecracker blast that scared Ali so much she jumped out of her seat!

Part 2 of the night...out on the town, pretending we fit in with all the college kids!

...and here's to more sibling adventures!

.....IT happens....

Ole Griffy and I have had our moments these past few weeks...the kind that only a mother and child can have together. That shared embarrassment/awkwardness that you put each other in out in public. There's the classic "mom forgot my jacket" and we're out in the freezing cold, or "I just knocked mom's really hot coffee drink all over her in a long line at the grocery store while buying unmentionables", or the everyday "mom didn't pack any extra diapers and I am smelly in the nursery" type incidents...then there are the ones I would give him the responsibility for like "I just got on the airplane and puked all over my mom right before take off" or "I pooped in my diaper and then when my mom was changing me to get in the tub my diaper strap came off and all the contents landed on her bare foot".... Yes, these are all actual events in the day to day life of Griffin and as he calls me "AB", and I have put myself up for some kind of mothering award with this evidence I am sure. Today my friends, we have topped them all. I am sure I will always remember Griffin's sweet face, the way it looked today in Macy's....

Pants have never really been Griffin's thing. In fact when he was littler he would throw a tantrum when the pants were about to be put back on after a diaper change so we made up this little "pants dance" number that we would sing and shimmy them back on without him knowing. Our main problem with pants is that Griffy's legs are long and his waist is tiny, so finding ones that fit are difficult, which was the root of our problem today. After bible study I was determined to get to the make up counter at Macy's before Griffin fell asleep for a nap. We pulled up to the mall, and success! He was awake and happy, so we both gingerly bounced into the store holding hands in the parking lot. I was actually thinking about how good he was being, keeping a hold of my hand and stopping sweetly to peer into windows at the jewelry counters. I spotted the counter I need to get to and guided Griffin in the direction, focused on the destination. We had to cross an isle that opened up into the rest of the mall and just as we were about to make a move for it a woman from another counter approached little Griffin and started to talk with him. I, still "eyes on the prize" was expecting her to say how cute he was, hi little buddy....you know the usual when I hear really loudly, "what happened to your pants little boy??" I quickly surveyed the area for little boys with pants issues and decided against looking down until I could confirm she was talking to us. Dread filled me....no little boys in sight...Oh my gosh....what could be the issue with his pants, just 5 steps back they were fine???!!!??? I looked down and to my horror my little boy is standing in the middle of Macy's, straight up pants around his ankles, little white chicken legs and diaper hanging out for all to see. (Ironically I was getting new blush and let me assure you that I didn't need any after this) I scooped him up, giggled awkwardly and head held high made it to the Clinique counter. My poor baby, at least he will never remember this. He smiled so innocently at me as I pulled up his pants and tried to pretend I did not just pull my child in front of a department store full of people with no pants. Seriously...how did that happen? It couldn't have been for more than 30 seconds but it still happened...I still looked like a totally untogether mother...

As I was driving home I called my mom to tell her and she said, well look at it this way you probably made someone elses day. And if I had seen it, it would have been my smile for the day too, so chalk it up to that. I will never be the perfect have it all together mother, I will always forget something obvious, or do something to hastily but that's just me...and just real life I think, and hey at least God allows for some comedy right in the middle of everyday.

ehhhh....it's January......

Well, well, well here we are smack dab in the middle of January, which always seems to be a month for me that not only brings a lot of snow, but also literally feels like trudging through a blizzard in my swim suit. After almost a month and a half of life on a sugar high I always feel like it's hard to get dropped off in the frigid month of January...but every year we end up in the same place, fighting through the blowing winds and freeeeezing temps dreaming of short sleeves, days at the park, and flip flops. Every January I seem to be fighting the same set of winter blues that I can't seem to shake until I can see that the snow is starting to melt, the suns out a little longer and that Spring is on it's way. Especially now with Griffin it's hard to be cooped up all day and even if we can go out, we have to bundle him up so much he can barely walk. So I decided to fill you in on what's been going on and help bring up my moral I would make a list of positives that January brings...

1. snowy day activities and hot chocolate

2. birthdays of my sister Ali and our friend Erin that we got to celebrate...

3. this year, a trip to Florida with the Richards

Grandpa and Griffin making juice with Florida oranges

One day we rented a boat and the whole family cruised around...

I love to drive!!

and

4. it's a new year FULL of new adventures to come and if we wait long enough...warmer weather:)

HAPPY JANUARY!!!

Holiday Fun and 2009 to boot!

Just as fast as the snow has came and went from our yard, the Holidays are here and gone! Went by in a blur, and we jammed a lot in! On Christmas Eve day we trekked across Illinois and Iowa at 5:30 am! My sweet neighbors who had to dig me out of our driveway the night before thought we were a little crazy but it wouldn't be Christmas without a treacherous drive to Nebraska for us....been doing it all my life! Christmas eve we got ready at Ryan's parents house and then we to his Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner and wrapped up the night at my G & G's. The next day we celebrated at the Eccleston's and then drove to Lincoln for the Richard family celebration. I was once again bad about getting enough pics but I have a few...

gg & grandpa

toting around his new "travel luggage"

The Eccleston Clan

My beautiful Sister in laws!

Auntie Kelly

We had a great few days in Nebraska visiting with friends and hanging with family. We even squeezed in a wedding of our dear friend Michaela from college and had so much fun reuniting with the college crew...

The boys reliving the "glory days"

Mckay, the GORGEOUS bride and friends

Another night of Super Couple BLISS

Acting strange...things fall back into place so easily!

And we wrapped up our holiday binge with our friends the Mick's for the New Year...

Erin, in the middle is my friend from church and Griffin's favorite playmate too:)! Her son Charlie is now 1 and we spend a lot of time strolling around together!