So Very Thankful

I know I say this every year, but I have so many things for which to be thankful.

My boys, who become more similar every day 

New babies

This is my friend and colleague Sarah's new baby boy.

He is a true blessing, and I love that he's wearing Trey's hat ! 

Old friends

Adam and I have known each other since he started teaching at Nellie Muir in Woodburn in 2001.  Little did we know that we attended Willamette together but did not know each other.  We have been friends through our years together in Woodburn, his move to Walla Walla, his move to Tennessee, and his return to Portland in 2011.  He and his family recently moved to Colorado for Jenny's job, and I am still pretty much in denial.  Just a few weeks ago he surprised me by saying he was coming into town for just a few hours.  I picked him up at the airport and we got some beers at Horse Brass.  It was so good to see him, but it just reminded me of how much I miss him.

Beautiful sunrises like this

They almost make the commute in the morning okay.  

Almost, but not quite.

My darling nephew, Case 

It's hard to believe he's 10 months old. 

I'm so thankful that I live so close to Julie.

I love that we only live a mile from each other, 

and that I can swing by and babysit at the last minute.

I know it would make our mom happy too.   

For Thanksgiving we roadtripped to Eugene to be with my dad and Sandy.  Grady came in our car, and we met Julie, Tim, and Case at my dad's.  It was such fun to be together as a family for Thanksgiving.

Road trips and iPads/tablets

How did people parent before? 

Getting settled in with his "village" 

Grandpa Gerts and his three boys 

An all-American Thanksgiving 

Trey's "quiet time" (since he wouldn't nap) 

The boys relaxing before dinner 

Trey had his own place at the table. 

Erika, Julie, and Sandy in the kitchen 

Grady and Grandpa 

The trampoline was one of the few things to tear Trey away from the screen. 

The boys jumping around 

Trying to get my boy to cooperate for a selfie 

He wasn't really in the mood...

too bad because his shirt was super cute. 

Daddy and Trey relaxing after dinner

Randy, Trey, and I drove home on Friday, and it was really nice to have the rest of the weekend at home.  Friday night we went to watch the Civil War game at Julie and Tim's, and Saturday Randy went fishing.  Trey and I went to swimming lessons and then to Mindy and Camille's for a little birthday playdate.  

Camille in her tent 

These two play so well together, 

and Mindy and I love to hear them make up stories.  

This is on Saturday when my house was clean for about...

five minutes.   

I convinced Julie and Tim to go out for a beer on Saturday afternoon, 

so I got to spend some time with all three boys.

I forget how close of an eye you have to keep on a 10 month old.  I honestly do not know how mamas stay home with three kids.  It might kill me. 

I have had my fair exposure to children's television over the past few years.  There are a few shows and videos that I actually enjoy.  This Will.i.am video on Sesame Street is one of them.  And I also like this one by Train.  

Sunday we went to Plumper Tree Farm to see our realtor at her Christmas party.  We also got our Christmas tree.  It was the first year we haven't gone to the corner tree stand, so it felt a little grown up.  Also a lot more work.

Trey searching for the perfect tree 

Being silly 

Some day I'll have to make a collage of our self portraits. 

A picture at the tree farm seems as obligatory as a picture at the pumpkin patch.

Tonight we decorated the tree.  My main concern is that Bailey is going to piss on it.  Trey had such fun helping me hang the ornaments, and we had a special moment on the couch with the lights off looking at the tree.  I'm so excited to spend this Christmas with him when he definitely "gets it" more than before.  We are going to have a great time this month.  Stay tuned! 

Perfect Weekend

My favorite kind of weekend, hands down, is one that is a mixture of social time, productivity, and relaxation. This weekend fits all three of those, and it has been wonderful.

Waiting for Dad to come home

I can't even remember what we did on Friday night or if we even had dinner.  The weeks have been so long lately (even the fabulous four day work week) that I can hardly remember what happened 24 hours before.

Actually, now that I'm going through my pictures, 

I am remembering that this is what we did on Friday night.

I changed into my "comfy clothes," 

Trey sat on my lap (aka got as close to me as possible), 

and he watched tv for a while.  

Friday nights aren't the same anymore, and I'm okay with that.  

Saturday was so much fun.  Trey and I went to swimming lessons, and we got a lot of housework and errands done in the morning.  All because Vivi and Marika were coming over for a playdate.  Marika is Trey's old daycare provider (aka second mother), and Vivi is one of Trey's best buddies (aka twin sister).  Trey has been asking for Vivi to come over for months, so I was super excited to share with him that his dream had come true.  Vivi + playdate = paradise.

The funny part was that as soon as they got here, Trey went in his room, took off his clothes, put on his pjs, and said he was tired and wanted to take a nap.  WHAT?!?!?  We left Vivi and Trey on the bed and came out to the living room to talk.  Mimosas in hand + catching up with Marika = paradise for me too.   Pretty quickly we could hear them laughing and talking in the bedroom.  Sometimes I think it just takes a few minutes to warm up.

Cutting Marika's hair 

The kids had a great time, and they were not happy to say goodbye.  We are hoping to get them together again soon.

Saturday evening we went to visit the new growler store in the hood and then had some friends over for dinner.  Trey had a great time with the boys, and I loved when he came into the kitchen and said, "Mommy, I like these kids!"  We all had fun seeing our friends and especially enjoyed the growlers.  And here I thought three were going to be too much.  Silly me.

Today has also been a pretty perfect Sunday.  Randy and I were asleep by 10 last night (sad, I know), and Trey slept til 6, so we had one of the longest nights of sleep we've had in a long time.  I still felt super groggy this morning, so the fact that Trey spent TWO HOURS with me lying in the comfy bed watching shows (with me dozing off) and cuddling was pretty divine.  I loved my comfy time with my boy, and I really loved the few hours where I got to close my eyes and relax.  That, my friends, never happens.

Popcorn for lunch and football, naturally.

Randy was in charge of nap time while I went and ran errands.  I love a productive afternoon: pharmacy (flu shot accomplished), grocery store (meal plan for week actually completed), and library (new books for me and Trey plus some movies and a new audiobook).

I was pleasantly surprised that this was the book I got to pick up.  I'm almost done with my reread of Wild, and I really was hoping for something to grab my attention quickly. I think this has a good chance of doing just that.

As I sit here blogging, I'm finishing off the growler of Gigantic IPA while Trey naps.  Randy is off to work for a bit and then to happy hour with a friend.  I am looking forward to an afternoon of playing with Trey.  Sometimes Sundays at home are just what the doctor ordered.

Made with love

When Julie and I were little, one of our favorite Christmas decorations was the advent calendar.  We alternated years on who was evens and who was odds because the best ornament to put on the tree was Santa on the 24th.

My mom's calendar...the one we grew up with.

Somehow when we split up my mom's stuff, Julie got the calendar (hmmmm.....still not sure how that happened).  I have been wanting to make one of my own for a while now, and I started the project last Christmas when Randy's mom was here.  We went and bought the fabric, but our visit went too quickly, so Carmen took the fabric home with her and sewed the pockets for me.

I put the advent calendar on my summer "to do" list.  The end of August quickly approached, and I realized I hadn't started working on it yet.

I started on the numbers...

First the ones... 

Then the twos... 

This took longer than it looks... 

 Sandy helped by sewing on the tree for me.

Then October rolled around, and I realized I hadn't started on the ornaments yet.  I had already cut them all out, but sewing the sequins and beads on has taken quite awhile...

My first ornament 

A Bronco gingerbread man 

I've been told this one looks a little phallic...

(It's supposed to be a candlestick.) 

Halfway done with the ornaments! 

Julie came over one night to help with Santa's beard.  

It required a little yarnwork, and, really, when it comes to crafts, she is the pro.  

Santa
I think he looks a little cross-eyed.
If it continues to bug me, I may have to redo the eyes.

Two of my favorites from growing up 

(these are my version) 

Saved the hardest for last... 

Then I did the base of the tree and then the fun really started...

Sewing on each sequin and bead all around the tree.   

From base to tip on one side took me four hours 

with several parenting interruptions.

From tip of tree down the left side took two hours straight.

I thought I would finish, but I ran out of sequins.  

Hard to believe I'm making one more trip to Joann's Craft and Fabric. 

I'm getting really sick of that store.  

Finally finished!

It has been a lot of fun making this calendar.  At night, after Trey is down and Randy is watching tv, I have been plugging into my music working on the ornaments.  It makes me think about my mom and wonder what she was doing when she made ours.  What was she thinking about?  How old were we?  Did she bitch about the beadwork as much as I do?  

I can't wait to hang this on the wall on December 1st, and I can't wait to watch Trey hang each ornament. Lucky him - he won't have to share each year and will be able to put Santa on each and ever year.  

Happy Holidays everyone!

QT with my cutie

How is it possible that it's the middle of November already?  We are wrapping up a three day weekend, and I always say the only thing better than a three day weekend is a four day work week.

We had a good time on Halloween and are gearing up for the holidays.  I already have my Christmas cards and my stamps are on the way.  As soon as I get my advent calendar done, cards are next.  Whenever I start to get overwhelmed thinking about the holidays and all that there is to do, I remember that I did the holidays last year while we were selling our house and moving.  If I could pull that off, this year should be a cake walk.  

This was Trey's first year trick or treating, and he had a blast.  Randy, Trey and I walked up to Deena's house to meet Julie and Grady so we could all go trick or treating together.

Something about this picture makes him look like such a little boy to me. 

Trick or treating with Grady 

Trey was so cute because after every house he would come to me excitedly

 and say, "Mommy, I said trick or treat and thank you!" 

Being neighbors rocks 

Trey came home and immediately sat on the floor, 

dumped out his candy, and looked at it.  

How do they know at such an early age to do this?  

Trey got invited to a birthday party for one of his friends from preschool.  We skipped music class to go, and he was thrilled.  I think he was a little surprised to see his buddies outside of school.  He had a lot of fun, and I was very thankful Randy was there with me.

Last weekend when I asked Trey what he wanted to do on Sunday, he said, "Go to Camille's house and play."  Luckily, our friends don't seem to mind when we invite ourselves over (or at least they fake it well), so Randy, Trey, and I went to Mindy and Bill's for dinner.  The kids had a great time, and it was a great way to end the weekend.

I finished my book club book (Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks - it was okay), and the library book I picked up wasn't what I thought it would be, so I spent some time perusing my bookshelves to find something to read that I already owned.  Nothing really sounded good, so I am re-reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  I say "re-reading," but I actually only listened to it in the car, so this is my first real read.  I really really love this book, so I am very happy to be visiting with it again.

When I was looking through my books, I opened this up 

and found my mom's handwriting.  

Nothing like this to throw you off for just a second 

and simultaneously warm your heart.   

Trey and I went to my dad and Sandy's this weekend.  Randy had to work today (Monday), so he stayed home.  Trey and I had a nice time with Grandpa and Sanny, and it has been a great three days together.  For some reason, he hasn't been nearly as whiny as normal, and his meltdowns have been minimal.  I don't know if that's because I have been giving him more attention than normal or because we were away from the house, but it has been really nice.

So, Julie gave Case the middle name of Laine in honor of our mom, Elaine.  I was looking at this photo book she made for my dad and Sandy, and I noticed for the first time how it looks when you look at Case and Laine together.  Elaine just kind of jumps out at you.  Pretty awesome.  

Trey had a lot of downtime this weekend which was also good.  

Here he is vegging out while I'm sewing on my advent calendar. 

Sleeping next to my boy...

I must've had a magnet in me because the kid could not stay on his side of the bed.

This morning he woke me up by literally leaping on me.  

He thought it was hilarious.  Love him.  

Breakfast on the couch while watching some Disney.

The kid was in heaven.

We wrapped up the holiday weekend with lunch in Woodburn with Ardis and Dan and dinner tonight at my sister's house.  Trey went down easy (famous last words) and I'm enjoying some trashy tv while blogging.  I couldn't ask for much more.  And, don't forget, it's a four day work week.  Sweet!!!!