Lies, Lies, Unintentional Lies.

Before I became a Mom I told all kinds of unintentional lies.  I didn't realize I was doing it at the time but it happened.  Here are a few examples:

• Lie: I won't ever put my child in front of a television so I can get something done around the house.
• Reality: Landon watches Elmo every morning while I shower.  Does that make me a bad Mom?  Hell NO!  That makes me innovative and efficient.  Obviously.

• Lie: I won't co sleep with my child.
• Reality: I do whatever it takes to sleep.  My kid sleeps next to me every night and I spend the majority of the night removing his tiny, dagger like feet from my ribs.

• Lie: I won't ever take my child in public unless he's totally presentable.
• Reality: He gets all kinds of messed up on the ride to places sometimes.  We've  had to clean him up on arrival on more than one occasion.  There was even this one time, we were at the store and he was covered in orange crap from his bunny crackers and he wasn't wearing shoes.  I'm talking orange all over his hands and white shirt.  He was a little over a year old, which explains the lack of shoes.  Right?  Anyway, don't judge. 

 

• Lie: I will walk away before ever losing my cool with my perfect little angel.
• Reality: My kid is not a perfect angel!  Sometimes he's the exact opposite of an angel.  I can think of another word that starts with "A" which would be a much better description.  You're thinking "A-hole" aren't you?  I was thinking "animal".  Shame on you.  He throws tantrums and thrashes around like a total idiot, following me around and clinging to my clothing (at times with his teeth!) like a deranged animal.  I TOTALLY LOSE MY COOL!  Thank God for Time Outs.  For him and for me!

• Lie: I will use only organic products and feed our child nothing but organic, pure foods.
• Reality: Psshhhaaaw!  Yeah right!  We do really well with the food stuff, however, when it comes to bath time, he's getting washed with the cheap crap.  It smells good and washes down the drain anyway.  If it doesn't irritate his skin, it's good enough.

• Lie: I will keep my house totally clean and all the laundry kept up for our angel.
• Reality: He's not an angel!  Also, my house is a wreck a lot of the time and my husband does a lot of the washing and drying of said laundry with our non-organic laundry soap.

• Lie: I will value and soak in every single moment, even the not so pleasant times.
• Reality: Although I truly do make an effort to live in the moment and appreciate my time with Landon, there are days when I am so glad it's bedtime.  Even if that means toddler feet in my ribs.  At least it's quiet.  Mostly.

• Lie: I will NOT have a bratty child.
• Reality: While I do not believe my child is a total brat, he definitely has his moments.  Sometimes even *gasp* in public!  Guess what?  We survive and move on.  It happens and the world actually doesn't end.

  
The moral of this blog post?  Even the BEST parents (like my husband and I, duh.) sometimes lie.  Even if it's not on purpose. 

Another moral of this post?  It's ok.  In then end, as long as you love your kids, do right by them and are honest after they are born, you're most likely gonna be ok. 

One more thing.  Scott and I aren't perfect but Landon is totally stuck with us anyway.  The joke is on him!   

    

Current Food Addiction

I may or may not have eaten an entire bag in one day.



Landon + Camera = FUN!

My husband thought it was a good idea to hand our two year old a camera.  Ok, in Scott's defense, Landon did ask to play with it.  I said no, Dad said yes.  I'm glad Dad said yes.   

 

I want to add, Scott is lucky I didn't post the nakey Daddy pics Landon got!  I had them all loaded and everything.  I mean, they really didn't show the naughty bits.  But anywhoo, Landon had a really good time running around the house snapping photos, mostly of himself.  It's a good thing Scott is around otherwise our kid would never have any fun.  You know, seeing how I like to say no and all.    

 

 

 

 

Haaaaayyy!

I actually took this one.

That's talent right there!

I think he centered this one well!

Now you're understanding where he got the idea for self portraits, right?

Artistic talents of a two year old thumb partially covering the flash

Do I have any boogers? 

 

He wanted to show off his painting too!

Who doesn't need a photo of a Wallflower and nasty step stool?  You ALL need this!

Happy Kid.  Success!

Here's the G Rated version of the Nakey Daddy photos

Messy rooms make for happy kids

Look at those chompers!

 

 

Drive Me Home

Nothing like a little Funkytown blastin' through the speakers on the drive home from work. Epic WIN! Duh.

FALL! Where are you?

I am beyond ready for Fall!  It's one of my most favorite-est times of the year with the sight of gorgeous leaves, turning and changing every day.

I'm ready for chili.

Comfy, cute sweaters.

Pumpkin Bread.

Hoodies!

Please, Fall, if you're listening...I'm here...waiting...and I love you.

What's In Yours?

Coffee mugs. They are versatile and I feel like I'm getting something done when I have one in my hand.

What's in my coffee mug, you ask?

Wine, of course. What else? If you make it a dark red almost nobody will notice. Not that I care if anyone knows what's in my mug. Obviously.

Cheers!

Silver Lining

After a day with a pukey 2 year old, I am definitely feeling thankful for a lot.

- hardwood floors and leather furniture...easy to clean!

- the forethought of purchasing a spare blanket and froggy. Both sets have been through the wash today.

- being off work today so I could be home to care for my little Love Bug.

- a carseat cover that is removable and can be machine washed.

- snuggles in the recliner.

- our washer and dryer!

- my very sweet, resilient child.

- bedtime.

Weekend Wrap-Up

I had a birthday. 

Yep.

Thirty something.

My super awesome Sister took me for the pancakes I've been craving for months now.  She talked 90 miles and hour because of the copious amount of coffee we drank.  It was wonderful to catch up with her, sans kids.  You see, she has twins, so to have time together without children hanging from our pant legs, well it's seriously special. 

After brunch I picked up my kid and went home to pack for the lake house. 

Husband arrived home from work with a gorgeous bunch of roses and an uber sweet card.  He's good like that. 

I was visited by my friend Steph and my sister Stef and then we were on the road!

We picked up my BFF (I think it's so funny when grown women use that acronym!) and her sweet family.  Road trip!  I heart my mini-van.

We did some real relaxing, laughing, playing and catching up.  Good family time.

We enjoyed a little time on the lake.

We were visited by the rooster across the way. 

We rode 4-wheelers.

We got rained on while in the boat for a land and water poker run.

We wore hoodies.  In August. 

Our kids played...and played...and played....

We had an adult beverage or two.

We listened to live music at the marina.

We laughed! 

All in all, it was a beautiful weekend with some of my favorite people!  BIG Thanks to my sis and bro-by-love for having us all out to their place.  Good times were had by all.

Logan

Logan James.  My first born nephew.  He is heading off to college today.  I know it's hard on his Mother.  He is the first one to leave the house.  I cannot imagine what it must feel like to have a child separate from you.   

I am incredibly proud of him.  To say his life has been challenging is an understatement.  He has been thrown more curve balls than I care to count.  He dodged each and every one with an amount of grace that I only hope my own son is able to exhibit on down the road.

From the day he was born, I was smitten.  I was finishing my Senior year of high school and was beyond thrilled to finally have a nephew!  He was always happy and I was always willing to hang out with him.  We spent a lot of time together when he was young.  Through the years we remained close.  There were a lot of sleepovers, family gatherings, trips to the park and quality time just enjoying life.  He always amazed me with his ability to keep moving forward, even in the face of adversity.  I gathered strength from watching him.

Logan is one of the most level headed, intelligent 18 year olds I know.  He is an amazing writer, hysterical to the point of nearly making his Aunt's (yes, more than just this Aunt) wet themselves, he is kind, compassionate and real.  Yes, he's very real.  If he's feeling it, you'll know it.  He has never pretended to be someone other than his genuine self, which is saying a lot considering he just graduated high school.  He is a supportive, loving and caring brother to his two younger siblings.  He's had his bumps in the road but he's chosen the path of excellence.  I genuinely like who he is and what he stands for.  He's the guy who will root for the underdog.  He's the guy who will state his opinion and back it up, even when nobody else agrees.  He's the guy you want on your side.

I have no doubt that he will do something great in this world.  It is an honor to be his Aunt and to witness as he embarks on this new chapter in life.

Remember, Logan for President!   *wink, wink*

He's gone from this.....



To this.....



To this.... the best is yet to come!