Good-bye

Dearest Summer Break,

I bid you a fond farewell. You have been so good to me and brought me many beautiful days of warm sunshine, outings with friends and endless hours playing with my babies. I will miss lazy mornings sleeping in, impromptu trips to the pool and priceless moments with my sweet Liv and baby Bubby.

But, tomorrow enter reality. I will head back to work, Liv to preschool and Andrew to daycare. So for now, bring on the fall days of school, football, pumpkin patches and Halloween. Please know in our hearts we will miss you and we anxiously anticipate your return next June.

Until then...
Heather ♥

Hello August.

It's August, people!

I was inspired by Marta Writes to blog my must-dos. A list of things that I am hoping to squeeze into summer, actually into the next two weeks. August signals back to work. And, the 16th is approaching all too quickly. Before I know it, I will no longer be a summer-SAHM and I will re-enter my life as a working mama. It is bittersweet... but, that might be another post, perfect for the eve of August 15th. So, on to my must-dos...

:: complete organizing and deep cleaning my house. 1st floor almost complete.
:: bachelorette. so you think you can dance. design star. oh, my favorite summer television.
:: read to kill a mockingbird for book club. (i technically have until the 25th, but let's face it, i'm not the best reader during the school year.)
:: james and the giant peach. the kids' first play and starring our friend, spencer spotts.
:: fun in the sun at the pool with our best buddies.
:: try a decorating project, like the fun suggested by our little band of brothers.
:: girls' night out at the tavern.
:: liv's first trip to the dentist.
:: surviving daddy's trip to san diego without us. single mommy for four days - yikes!
:: picnics in the park.
:: sleeping in. napping. staying up too late.
:: soak up every smile and giggle and moment with my precious babies.

Aren't they adorable? I mean, seriously, they are so deliciously cute
that I could eat them up for dinner! ♥

my friend

When I met my dear friend, Sara, I was immediately taken by her laugh, her eloquence and her animated story telling. She possesses an expressiveness that is so uniquely her and entirely charming and captivating. We first met over four years ago in Foundations of Librarianship, our first class at CU-Denver in the library program. And, now four years later, we are both librarians, mothers and the best of friends.

While I continue to love those qualities that immediately drew me to her, I am now even more appreciative to have someone who I can share my tales of motherhood and marriage and life with candor and honesty. And she also openly shares her adventures with me. Most importantly, I admire the diligent, thoughtful and loving mother she is. Not only is she an amazing mother to Cameron, but she loves and cares for my Liv and Drew with such warmth and adoration. Not surprisingly, Liv is absolutely crazy about her Auntie Sara. And, watching our children play and laugh and become friends is such a beautiful extension of our friendship.

Speaking of our darling children, Liv & Cam engaging in their routine "Jump!" at the pool and Bubby getting a little more confident and secure on his feet everyday.

Thank you, my buddy, SW... I love you!
xoxox

It's everywhere...

... and, yes, clearly I buy it!

My Olivia can spot a Disney Princess a mile away. I mistakenly thought that if I stayed in the grocery section of Wal-mart and steered clear of the snack aisle, then we would not see any Princesses. But, alas, they are even in the soup aisle and my little Princess Olivia spied them! So, here you have it - Disney Princess Chicken Noodle Soup! {Sigh.}

books. books. books.

Today is Wednesday... Daycare day! For the first time this summer, I headed over to Stellar to check on my library. And, let me tell you, it was like Christmas! I had at least 12(!) boxes of new books. I spent hours browsing and reading and inventorying these new gems. I'm so excited to share them with our teachers and students next month!

And, tonight I read some other fabulous books, picked up during a recent library trip, to my little Liv. These are some of my favorites - A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon and Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Both teach such important lessons of being true to yourself and the value of being independently and uniquely you. More than the books, I loved the sweet conversations I had with my little one as we read. Her curiosity and perceptive comments never cease to amaze me. I heart my Olivia!

Andrew

I was looking back through my posts and I realize that I post A LOT about Olivia. While I recognize that she is the older child and she is a 4-year-old and she commands (demands?) quite a bit of attention, I don't want to diminish my sweet little boy Andrew and the joy he brings to our life...

Andrew is pure sunshine! Joy and love and delight radiate from his chubby little body. When he smiles, he shows off his new front teeth, one that has come in a bit more than the other. And, oh, his giggles. A simple game of peek-a-boo or take away or pretty much anything Olivia does sends him into giggle fits and his whole body shakes with delight, his eyes crinkle in the corners and his tiny little nose scrunches up. Oh, if I could just bottle up his happiness.

In order to keep up with his verbal sister, Olivia, Andrew has become quite vocal too. He sings out the typical choruses of mamamama and dadadadada along with baba (bottle) and ba (ball). In true boy fashion, he grunts and shrieks and grrrs and tries to make sure that his voice is heard. With Mommy and Liv, sometimes it's hard to get a word in edgewise. Like his sister, he is also very expressive. He loves to clap and roll his arms (the motion from Patty-Cake). He is quite the flirt and often cocks his head to the side and bats his long eyelashes and smiles with his big blue eyes.

My mellow, easy going baby has quickly turned into a wiggly, rough, daredevil boy. He charges from here to there, still on all fours, feverishly exploring the world around him and trying to keep up with his sister. He loves to climb - stairs, furniture, tables, anything and everything. His favorite toy is any ball or car, which at any point in time he might just throw. Along with throwing things, he play hits (we're working on breaking him of that game). You know he loves you if he affectionately grabs your cheek or squeezes your nose while squealing with delight. And, changing his diapers or his clothes is a two-man job. Countless times a day he escapes and quickly crawls away naked! Just in the last few weeks, he started feeding himself snacks and bite-sized pieces of food and now we can't get him to stop eating! (It should be noted that I think Mommy was babying him a bit too much and didn't allow him the independence he needed, especially in the eating department. Once I let go, he began feeding himself!)

And, when he is tired or sad, it is me he wants. As I hold him, he snuggles up to me with his head on my chest sucking his thumb, and I think to myself, I wish he could stay my baby forever. It's difficult to put into words just how much I adore this little boy... I am beginning to understand the term, "Mama's boy."

He truly was the missing piece to our family and once he arrived we were complete.

Oh, Olivia...

My Olivia sure keeps me on my toes and turning four has only seemed to increase her flair for the dramatics, silliness and all around cuteness. I don't want to forget these little moments, so here are a couple of her latest shananigans... all in one day...

This morning, O came to me and very emphatically requested a band-aid, which is a frequent request since I purchased Princess band-aids at Target...
"Oh, no," I said with concern, "Did you hurt yourself?"
She looked at with with a puzzled expression and continued, "I need a band-aid for my head."
"For your head?" I asked confused.
"Yes!" she said with exasperation.
"Are you bleeding?"
"No, Mommy, for my hair..."
I suddenly realized she wanted a HEADBAND for her hair. Silly girl. With her highly developed vocabulary, I take for granted that she only just turned 4 and that sometimes she still mixes up terms.

Last week, we borrowed "Return of Jafar" from the Westminster Library. It instantly became a new favorite. She quickly renamed it to "Jafar Turner," (another example of her mixing words) and we joked that Jafar was related to Nana whose last name is Turner. Yesterday, during a day of errands, one stop was to the Westminster library to return books. And, yes, it was time to return "Jafar Turner." Once we returned it, she cried for at least 10 minutes with big, alligator tears streaming down her face and sobbed, "Jafar Turner... Jafar Turner... Jafar Turner," over and over again in the back seat of the car. After trying to settle her down, ensuring her that we could check it out again and on and on, I pulled out the Mommy big guns... I reminded her that our next stop was to buy her tap shoes for dance, BUT we would only be able to get her shoes if she acted like a big girl. Like magic, the tears turned off, she smiled a big smile and sweetly said, "Okay, I'm fine. I'm a big girl." Just like that and she was done. Sigh.

In the car on the way to the NEW library to check out books, Liv asked, "Where was I when you got married?"
I quickly responded, "You weren't born yet..."
And then the questions continued... Was I in your tummy? [No] So, where was I? [You weren't born yet.] But, where was I? [Sweetie, you weren't born.] So, was I with Nana? Did she watch me while you and Daddy got married? I was too little to go to the wedding? [No, you weren't born yet.] But, where WAS I? [We didn't know you yet...] Mommy, I had to be somewhere. Where WAS I? [Umm...] Heavy sigh. Oh, Mommy, never mind...

We recently added "Pocahontas" to our movie collection. (Actually, I picked up the VHS version at the Thrift Store for $2!) Liv has quickly taken to the movie and today I realized that she also loves the songs as illustrated by...
On the way into the shoe store, she stomped down the sidewalk singing, "Savages! Savages! Savages!" I know, very politcally correct. Yikes!
At the library, she stood on top of the foam play pieces with arms outstretched and began to sing, "Just around the riverbend..." When I asked her what she was doing, she said very matter of factly, "Mommy, I'm Pocahontas." Oh, right, I'm sorry, I forgot.

After rereading this post, it seems that Olivia does a lot of movie watching. She really doesn't watch movies ALL the time. And, while I'm thinking of it, I need to sign this child up for acting lessons...

i heart reuseable bags.

I'm obsessed with these cute bags. It started out with a little effort on our part to be more green. We purchased a couple of bags from Target and Kings to use for our grocery shopping. This move to be more environmentally conscious turned into all out hunt for the cutest bags available. And, my, have I accumulated a lot! Broncos. Chargers. Princesses. Breast Cancer Awareness. The list goes on and on. Trust me, not all are pictured. Thank goodness these bags are so inexpensive and we have even received some as gifts!

And today, I hit the jackpot. Little did I know, Ross carries these adorable bags and they are even more durable than the grocery store variety. Plus, they come with a smaller one that is perfect for a lunch sack. So, these are my latest additions to an ever growing collection. Check them out ladies... only $2.99 at Ross! Sometimes it's the little things!

Hello Wednesday. I love you.

Today is Wednesday. Summer Daycare Day. And, it might be my favorite day of the week. Don't get my wrong, I love summer because I get to be a full-time mommy for several months and run around with my kids - the park, playdates, the library and kiddo activities. But, as I settle into this new routine for summer, I have quickly realized that I am completely overwhelmed with being a stay at home mom to a 1 year old and an almost 4 year old. It can be exhausting and lonely and frustrating (after Olivia's 10th trip to time out). Plus, the selfish part of me misses my work buddies and my students and the regular routine of my life.

**I feel like I must take a quick moment to tell my SAHM friends - You are my heroes!**

This morning I was looking forward to a break and I anxiously anticipated the day and what I would do with no one to care for or feed or discipline. After I dropped off the kids at 7:00 am, I enjoyed... a run and a lift at the gym ~ pilates ~ reading/ sunbathing in the backyard ~ a shower (with NO interruptions!) ~ painting my toe nails ~ watching a movie. And, by about 1:00 pm, I missed Olivia and Andrew so much! What to do? What to do until 4:30 pm?

So, while I will thoroughly enjoy my Wednesdays and a little bit of "me" time, all the other days of the week are pretty darn fantastic because my days with Andrew and Olivia are also rewarding and fun and hilarious. Full of exploring and adventures and love. I adore you, Andrew and Olivia! And, I missed you today!

Running

I want to be a runner. To throw on my tennis shoes, jog out the front door and run like the wind. To enjoy every step and my beautiful surroundings and thank God that I am alive. But, alas, it is just not quite that easy. Each time I run, and I use that term loosely as jog would be the more appropriate term, I start with good intentions, but in no time at all, my breaths become shallow and labored. And, all that is running (no pun intended) through my mind is - At what point is it reasonable for me to begin to walk? It doesn't matter whether I'm outside or on the treadmill. It is hard. It hurts. And, I have to force myself to keep going.

I have a wonderful support system. My hubby agreed to let me get "real" running shoes from the Boulder Running Company, where I learned that I overpronate and I purchased a cute pair of pink Asics and a good running bra. My Sena took me to the BRC, helped me with a training program and finds to time to run with me after school and on the weekends. My friend, Sara, bought me the motivating and encouraging book Run Like a Mother and made me two running CDs - Run Fast I and Run Fast II. My friends, Karen and Tara, are also runners and we have shared stories and running mixes and encouraged each other.

So, because of their love and support and because I really want to be healthy and fit, I try again and again and again. I'm thinking that one day it will get easier. That my lungs won't fail me and I'll be able to sustain longer and longer runs. And, I hold on to the feeling that overtakes me when each run in completed - sheer bliss and relief, but also accomplished and strong! Another great motivator for my next run!


Thank you, my Sena, for logging another 3.5 miles with me around McIntosh Lake today. And, for letting me choose when we get to walk, but also pushing me by choosing when we start running again. I'm looking forward to more summer runs, but we'll have to make them early morning runs. You know how me and the heat don't agree, but that's another whole story!

Breaking the Rules

This blog has become a source of stress for me and I think about updating it daily. But, as time continues to tick away and days turn into weeks and then into months, I feel so far behind that I don't know how to catch up. Other life priorities creep in and this blog, once again, moves to the back burner. Ironically, I check other blogs practically on a daily basis and I often find myself jealous of those who diligently update with stories, pictures, life's joys and challenges. And, then I am sad that I have not maintained my own blog. I want to blog. To share my life, my loves, my thoughts with those who love me and my family.

To complicate my stress, when I created this blog, I also created rules. Unspoken rules. Rules that I expected myself to follow. While it sounds silly, I sometimes found myself unable to post because I might be breaking a rule. I won't bore you with all of the details, but some of the rules include... All posts must include Olivia (now Andrew and Olivia). Posts must be in chronological order. Posts must always include a picture (I have broken this rule on occasion). Important life events and really any cute pictures on the camera must be posted, and never skipped. This list of rules, only written in my mind and enforceable by me, has paralyzed me. I know, I know. I'm being overly dramatic.

But, now, I'm choosing to break the rules. To make this blog about my life. My husband. My children. My friends. And, really, whatever I want to post about. So this blog is evolving, changing and growing. Thank you for allowing me to move forward on a new blog journey.

PS - The rule follower in me has updated backwards through December 2009!