My first day of Winter Break - a Photo Essay

Not pictured:

A lot of running in circles (literally)

Impromptu Christmas Song dance parties

Intense house cleaning - like so intense my house has never been so clean.

A visit from our two favorite babysitters with some special goodies (goodies are pictured above).

The gift of sleeping in until 7 am the next morning. (yeah!)

Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland

Hey!  There's a bear on my back!  (no? okay, not funny.)

Our area forest preserve had an awesome event this Christmas called the Candlelight Stroll.  We thought we'd get adventurous last Friday and take the boys to it.  We loved it.  There were candles lining the trails, with hot chocolate stops and bonfires.  (Granted we only made it to the first stop, but I'm assuming there were others.)  There was also live music inside with some goodies.  I highly recommend it to anyone that is from my area...next year.  You missed the boat on this little gem this year.  :)

We brought Mater along....very important that Mater see the lights.

The candles lining the trail.

The ONLY picture with Dustin's eyes open.

Mama's Boys

I love having boys.  They are crazy and rambunctious, unorganized and loud, fast and sneaky, but they are so much fun.  Lately I've been thinking a lot about the phrase "mama's boy."  The reason is because neither of my sons are really "mama's boys".  Sure, they love me and they prefer me over strangers (most of the time - Miles still has an affinity for middle-aged to elderly men), but they don't necessarily need me.  Usually I don't feel too bad about it.  They still get excited when I pick them up from the sitter's and yell "Mama" through the window the whole time I'm coming up to the door.  They still wave at me from the picture window when I'm leaving home.  They even call for me in the middle of the night.  But it's not just me.  They do the same for their dad.  In fact, sometimes they prefer their dad. 
That's been hard for me. 
If I really think about it and actually kept track, I'm sure that they would seek either of us out evenly - which seems fair.  Unless you're the mom.  Aren't moms supposed to be the lifeline - especially for boys?  I remember that my brothers were huge mama's boys - at least from my perspective.  It used to hurt a little when my sons called for their dad, or pushed me away to go to Dustin - even though they do the same thing to him (it's easier to remember the negatives sometimes than the positives). 
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was wrong with me and trying to balance my nurturing side with my strict side.  I've analyzed it over and over again.
This is what I've come up with...
My husband is just a really good dad.  I mean, he's REALLY good.  It isn't about my shortcomings or my inability to smother my children with motherly overbearing love, it is just that they have an awesome dad.  A dad that will change diapers without complaining, and will get down on the floor with them to play with trucks.  A dad that will chase them around the kitchen table screaming like a child.  A dad that will read them stories and give them kisses before bedtime.  That will teach them to yell "touchdown" and take them outside to stomp around in the snow.  A dad that adjusts his working hours so that he can stay home with them at least one day a week.  A dad that is never really off duty. 
So, to all you awesome dads out there - you're really doing a number on us over-analyzing, super sensitive moms.  But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Oh No You Di'int

Oh yes I did.  That's right, I did something I never thought I would do.  Something I swore I would never do.  I am now the proud owner of a pair of Jeggings - and I'm pretty pleased about it.
What are jeggings some of you might ask?  Think leggings meeting Jeans.  Stretchy jeans.  Fake jeans.  REALLY tight jeans.

A little background: I've been cursing the person who brought back leggings for almost two years now.  First of all, they're glorified stretch pants.  Remember those from 20 years ago?  I love how everyone else looks in them, but to be honest, I've always felt as though I looked like an upside down triangle in them.  Seriously.  That is the reason I always give.  Until last Saturday and O*ld N*avy with their "spend $50 get $15 off".  I was 2 dollars away.  What does one buy for around $2?  Some really cheap leggings - black ones.  I thought I had nothing to lose for that price.  I didn't even try them on. 

On Tuesday I pulled on glorified stretch pants for the first time since third grade and it was love at first wear.  It is seriously like wearing pajamas to work.  I'm not kidding.  And my upside down triangle shape?  Just put big boots on and it turns into more of a rectangle.  Problem solved.

So where to the jeggings come in?  Let me just say stretchy jeans with an elastic waste.  After wearing maternity pants I mourned the thought of never wearing elastic wasted pants again.  I bought my first pair yesterday.

So Miles and Liam, when you're reading this many years from now, looking back at pictures of your mom in RIDICULOUS jean stretch pants, just remember: In my mind they are pretty freakin awesome and I'm not the only one that thinks so.

You can just add these to my long list of things I swore I would never wear, and then end up loving more than anything else, along with capris, peeptoe shoes, Uggs, burmuda shorts, and of course messy ponytails.

**I should point out that I do not wear them with a bodysuit like the model above.  No one wants that.

Foiled Plans

On Sunday Miles was scheduled to perform in his first ever Christmas program.  Our house has been ringing with the sound of "Jingle Jingle Happy Bells" and "Happy Birthday to Jesus" like it's going out of style in preparation (granted it was usually just me following Miles around and belting it out in hopes that he would utter one syllable).  On Sunday morning we all showered and got ready.  Miles wore his new jeans and Christmas sweater (it was a super stylish Christmas sweater so don't hate). Liam was decked out so that he could sit in the nursery all morning, miss his nap, eat cheerios off the floor that other babies dropped, and inevitably fill his diaper.  To make a long story short we were READY FOR ACTION.
Miles' Sunday School teacher told us that he may not stand up there, that he may not sing.  She warned me that most of the kids his age will probably just walk around the sanctuary aimlessly and may not even stay on the stage for both songs.  I was totally prepared for that.  She even warned me that there was no reason to be embarrassed because everyone would think that these kids were cute no matter what they did.
I was totally prepared for anything that could be thrown my way as a respectable church-goer and new mother-of-a-performing artist.
How did I handle it?
We'll never know.  There was a huge snowstorm here between the times of 8 and 10:30 and since we are the only people that live out of town and don't drive a now-coveted 4-wheel drive vehicle church went on as scheduled.  Just without us.  OH WE TRIED.  I made Dustin pack everyone up into our tiny little snow-hating car and battle it out.  We got onto the interstate and after about 3 miles of driving 30 mph on the interstate Dustin finally asked me if it was worth it and I had to come to my senses.  I was heartbroken.  My little future Christmas Program Star couldn't have cared less.  We pulled off and drove VERY slowly back home.  sigh.  Maybe next year.

Our defeated drive back home. This is our downtown.  Can you believe I thought this was okay for us to drive in?

Back in the safety of our own home.  Great opportunity for a Christmas Tree Photo Shoot.

Wordless Wednesday. The Family Xmas Card

Of course, with a beautiful (card-front worthy) picture by the talented and before-mentioned Katie Zeller.

Some pictures....

Since I've been so busy talking that it's been awhile since I've posted any. :)