The "T" List...

This list is all about my recent discoveries, and things I love....A lot like the "O" List (www.oprah.com), but WAY more practical....




1.  New Rug.  First I'll start with my snazzy new rug.  Recently when my mom came to visit she explained to me that getting rid of my trendy, cute, old rug would really simplify my life.  The problem was that although incredibly cute, and given to me by my own mother, it shed more than any pet I've ever owned.  It might work well in a home that doesn't have animals walking all over it, and babies running on it, dragging little wool hairballs throughout my house (now my sister-in-law isn't going to want it), but for our crazy household it was a disaster.  If I actually vacuumed everytime that I SHOULD have, I would have been vacuuming everyday.  I knew this when I took it from my mom (it was the same reason she got rid of it), but it was just too cool to pass up.  HOWEVER, I've found a rug that I like just as much, and I've had it for four days now and haven't had to vacuum because it yet.  PLUS, it has cool roads for Miles' cars and trucks to drive on.  I got it on Overstock.com and it was here in three days!

The Before Rug

The After Rug

2.  Mylicon.  This is a totally new discovery to me, and something that I'm sure all seasoned moms already know about, but to quote my friend Lara, "this stuff is liquid gold."  Last night after fifteen minutes of crying Liam stopped in 30 seconds after taking this stuff.  PLUS, it says its safe to take after every feeding (although we only use it at night).  I hope it's right. :)

3.  Kiddy Rocking Chair.  Who doesn't love homemade things?  Especially if they are made for you by your own grandfather.  This year for Christmas my grandpa made all of his grandchildren with children these cute little rocking chairs.  We have a big family, so it was A LOT of rocking chairs.  Then, on top of that, my grandma painted all of them.  

4.  Homemade Hat and Mittens.  Speaking of homemade gifts.  My friend Kimberly sent me these super cute hat and mittens for Liam before he was born.  I love them and have gotten tons of compliments on them.  I thought she had ordered them from somewhere, but come to find out, she made them herself.  She is so talented.  I told her she should start selling them, so if you would like to order a pair, just contact me.  (Kimberly we'll talk finders-fee later:))

5.  Liam's New Vibrating/Rocking Chair.  He LOVES it and it is somewhat stylish.  'Nuf said.

6.  Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.  You should definitely read this if you are a woman, Mennonite, and own a little black dress.  Actually you should read this witty memoir even if none of the above apply to you.  It made me laugh out loud because her parents remind me of so many of my friends parents, (I guess mine are too progressive to fit the Mennonite mold??)  and she even mentions Goshen!  

7.  Homemade Quilt by MonaLeisa.  I ordered two of these for the boys because they are funky and fun, yet also stylish at the same time.  Get yours at her Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/monaleisa.  We love ours.

8.  Light blocking curtains.  Glaring sun and snow forced me to get these in order for Miles to even consider laying down for a nap.  I can't believe how dark they make the room.  

9.  Cute baby-wearing husband who fixes lunch for you while you're writing on your blog.....Sorry, you'll have to find your own. :)

31 things I didn't know a year ago.

1.  I will do almost anything so that my one year old won't fall asleep for 5 minutes in the car before his nap.
2.  The reason the last month of pregnancy is so miserable is so that you aren't hyper-focused and freaked out by the fact that you are actually going to have a baby to take care of after it is all over.
3.  It feels good to graduate and know that you are done with school indefinitely.
4.  It doesn't feel good to get your Direct Loans statement in the mail and realize you could be a medical doctor instead of a starving artist and probably have the same loan amount.
5.  Babies don't sleep just because you ask them to.
6.  It's impossible to reason with a one year old in a parking lot when all you really want him to do is walk and hold your hand.
7.  If you make your legs really really stiff, it is close to impossible for your mom to buckle you into a carseat against your will.
8.  It is possible to breastfeed a baby, and fix lunch for your other child at the same time.....not easy, but possible.
9.  I am not above eating hotdogs and macaroni....for many meals in a row.
10.  90% of maternity clothes are not meant to be flattering, rather, just tent-like and "cute".
11.  Don't give your husband a kick-butt electronic Christmas present in the MORNING of Christmas.  Instead, act like you forgot to get him anything and then bust it out after everyone has gone to bed.  It's the only guarantee for a productive day.
12.  You must PRETREAT all stains, or they never go away.
13.  Children are messy and make a lot of stains.
14.  There is no shame in going to bed at 9 p.m...... or earlier.
15.  That I would have no need for an alarm clock. It's replacement is a cute little Korean boy with a giant teddy bear and stuffed monkey.
16.  That I would someday use my hand as a kleenex, and then wipe the accumulated snot on my own pant leg.
17.  I am the only parent in the world that doesn't LOVE going to the park.
18.  I may also be the only one that doesn't live for bathtime
19.  People have a really hard time pronouncing, spelling, or remembering the name "Liam".
20.  You CAN be in labor for over 60 hours.
21.  There are times when no amount of labor education classes, labor education books, will power, and chiropractor appointments can actually help you.
22.  Sometimes you just need an epidural and pitocin.
23.  Closing a business can feel like just as much of a success as it does a failure.
24.  Sometimes babies just don't burp.
25.  It DOES matter if you give a one year old sugar before bed.
26.  Morning sickness is not a myth.
27.  Your social life really does change once you have kids.
28.  Maternity pants are REALLY comfortable AND you don't ever have to worry about your zipper being down.
29.  When you go to Korea, try NOT to be five weeks pregnant - it will really help when you're considering climbing up to Seoul Tower.
30.  Just when you think there is no more room left in your heart to love another person this much, your heart will always make room.
31.  There is a reason why God doesn't usually give you two babies in eight months, but when he does he makes you love them an EXTRA lot so that you can survive it.

Obsessed??

Last night we walked in the door at around 5:04 p.m. from the Fisher family Christmas. At 5:05 we got the mail out of the mailbox, and at 5:06 this was the scene for the remainder of the ENTIRE night. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the awesome tractor and thingy-majiggers that go behind it (I'm sure Dustin knows the actual name of these particular implements).

Then today we went out to run some errands and decided to take the boys to Barnes and Noble to use their gift cards from Nana and Papa. Miles insisted on taking his cars and trucks book with him everywhere we went. Eventually he fell asleep clutching it for dear life.

Then when we got to Barnes and Noble Miles immediately found the cars and truck books and made himself at home for quite a long time. The only way I could get him out of that section was to show him the train track table in another section.

And finally we ended up with a couple of awesome truck books, but the most important one had to go into Panera with us.

Thanks Nana and Papa for an awesome opportunity to pick out an awesome book!

And I must throw in one picture of Liam from this morning when he was enjoying the early morning sunshine.  If there was a neck and leg strength contest for 3.5 week olds he would be the bomb diggity.

Snowed in and Nose Jobs

This weekend we got some major snow and were snowed in for just about two days.  The first day was a lot of fun, and to be honest no one got out of their pajamas until well after lunch.  When we could finally make it down our street we finally went and bought Miles a pair of snowboots so that he could go outside and help shovel the driveway.  How many more years until these kids are actually more usefully than just acting cute for the neighbors outside to admire from their windows??  Mama's sick of shoveling snow and is gearing up for years of being pampered by her boys. :)

Now you are probably wonder what "Nose Job" is all about.  Well, someone in our household underwent some major reconstructive surgery.  Most of you that either know Miles, or follow the blog regularly, realize that we have a VERY special friend that, according to Miles, goes "OOOOOHHH, Ah Ah Ah!"  That's right, after months of chewing, sewing back on, and then chewing some more, Monkey has officially lost his noes.  Actually, to be honest, I cut it off as it was hanging on by a thread (literally) and I didn't want Miles to choke on it.  Well, the nose is apparently the MOST important part of Monkey since that is the part Miles chews on, mostly when he is running around the house and needs both hands.  I channeled my fifth grade 4-H sewing project self to try and fashion a new nose out of harmless thread, and you can see the results below.  I thought it looked pretty good, but apparently it was obvious because Miles wouldn't quit staring at Monkey's face.  You'll be happy to know that the new nose is just  as useful as a chew-toy as the old one.

Well, I haven't written anything in awhile because we've been pretty busy, with a new baby, my thesis project last Friday, and then the holidays on top of all that.  So this is a super long post to update everything pretty much since Liam has been born.  

Miles helping me and my mom with Liam's first bath.

The week after Liam was born my parents came out and stayed with us for a week.  It was so great to have them here to help us out, play with Miles, and to fix us great meals.  Miles loved having them here, and I must admit that I did too. :)

After my parents left on Sunday I had to figure out how to take care of two little boys by myself while Dustin went back to work part-time for the week.  It was quite the adventure, but we made it and had lots of visitors that kept us occupied, entertained, and fed.  Then on Thursday we left for Ohio - where I would be with the boys for an entire week.  On Friday I presented my Final Thesis Project to a board at AAU via teleconference and PASSED!  This means I am officially done with my MFA.  This is such a relief and I am not sure what I'm going to do with all of my free time now...(umm, maybe raise two children??).  The rest of the week was filled with fun family activities with Uncle Isaac, and Grandma and Grandpa, and then even Uncle Collin and Aunt Becca eventually.  Dustin had to fly home for three days to finish up school, and it was obvious that Miles was missing him (and Liam as well - and me for that matter).  I have a whole new appreciation for single parents.  

So, instead of boring you with more details of the week with my family, I will just include some photos of what we did and the fun we had.  

Liam sitting up in my Dad's hand - so strong!

Miles having a laugh with Uncle Isaac.

Opening presents at Grandma and Grandpa's House

Liam sitting with his Dad watching presents being opened.

Miles sharing a snack with his cousin Morgan.

We got home late last night (on Christmas Day) and woke up this morning to A LOT of snow - and it hasn't stopped!  We had our little family Christmas and enjoyed opening presents together for our first Christmas!

The three of our checking out the great snowfall outside.

Miles playing with just some of his new tractors that he got for Christmas.

Miles' new quilt.

Liam trying out Miles' new barn. :)

Miles testing out his new barn after Liam.

Now, we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas with a preview of the Christmas Card/Birth Announcement that we sent out this year.  Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays!

Welcome to the World Little Liam Douglas

Born: December 6th, 10:36 pm

Weight: 7 lb. 4 oz.

Length 20.5 inches

Status: Favorite little bro to Miles who loves to give him kisses, feed him crackers and show him his trucks. :)

This baby is NEVER coming! But Miles is keeping things interesting.

Well, the baby bean called to say that it has changed its mind and it isn't ever going to come out - at least not on my time schedule. Therefore I have decided to embrace these days with Miles that are just the two of us, and that I never really thought I would get again. The only problem is that I'm over nine months pregnant and EVERYTHING is hard. Just a small problem though, right?? In fact, the little stinker didn't take a nap today. I am upstairs and just heard him come out of his room after almost three hours of singing, crying, and laughing. As I write this he is downstairs stomping around loudly and laughing at how funny he thinks he is.

As proof that he should be tired, I'm including a video of Miles that I took this morning the SECOND time he woke up - at 5:30am. It's pretty cute how he wakes up every morning and comes over to get us in our room. Now that he is in a toddler bed he will get up either A.) as soon as he sees one of us turn on a light, or B.) At what he feels is an appropriate hour (his definition of an appropriate hour and mine are VERY different). The cutest part, which I couldn't actually capture in this video is that when he comes out he ALWAYS has to bring monkey and bear (we get real creative with names around here). Bear is about as big as Miles. The movie is sort of long because I also included some predawn playtime that Miles and I shared while Dustin slept blissfully in the other room. Luckily I can't sleep in right now anyways so I don't mind getting up with him. Eventually this may change. :)

Miles just came upstairs and when he saw me he laughed/smiled really big like he is the most clever little guy around - what a turkey.

Also today I decided that if I did some serious cleaning and mopping it might jump-start some labor. All it really did was give Miles something to play in. I was mopping the bathroom and when I turned around this is what I found. It only took him about 2.5 seconds, but the boy loves bubbles - especially rubbing them in his hair. Luckily I was only using dish soap because I couldn't find any actual mopping solution. :)

Well, that is all I really have to share today. Maybe the next post will be about a new little baby - if it really does exist and I haven't just been having a weird stomach flu for the last nine+ months.