Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving is such an exciting week of fun for our family. It seems that we have some sort of traditional family event each night of the week! This week was spent with family and friends that bring such love and joy to our lives. We are so thankful for all the blessings this year has brought us and wish each of you the best holiday season.

We are also thankful for our wonderful camera because it means that we have about 1000 photos to document all the little memories we are thankful for- enjoy!










almost perfectly balanced...







Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Art is DELICIOUS...

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Reason #453 why blue sidewalk chalk and a Gabriel should never mix.






I really attempted to document the bright blue tongue but it didn't happen. Think what it would look like if Gabe ate cookie monster... that is a pretty accurate image.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Dear Santa

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Today Molly made her Christmas list to mail to Santa. Molly also created Gabe's list.


Gabriel added the finishing touches to his list. His sister was not pleased.


Monday, November 24, 2008

Porch Swing

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We all have those few memories or items that take us right back to our own childhood. Every time you stumble across this familiar moment it becomes a rush of nostalgia that is irreplaceable. I love this. And while the smell of dial soap, taste of juicy fruit and nighttime road trips will always remind me of home, porch swings will always take me back to Grandma's house.


My grandma and grandpa have lived in the same home my entire life...well, to be honest, basically my mom's entire life too. Positioned right in the center of Dallas, Grandma's house was always the go-to place. One of the joys I think of having an ENORMOUS family is that someone is always over for a visit. This fact makes a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's always seem more like a party. And what kid doesn't love to party?!

Out front is a porch swing that can very easily be transformed into a "cradle". Perfect for a little rock-a-bye baby session if you ask me. I think that I might have spent 1/3 of my time at the house playing outside on the porch swing. There was always so much to do on it. It was a place to sit, to rock, to take care of your babies, to visit with your cousins, to fight with your siblings, to write in your journal or even just take a nap. I always knew the exact amount of oomph needed to get a great push going without hitting the brick wall. Although, sometimes that was the goal :)

So I cannot begin to tell you how amazing it is to have a picture of my children playing on the same swing that I played on at their ages. How many constants like that do we have in our lives? These days it seems that the longest you live in your home is 10-12 years. Most people change jobs at least 7-8 times in their lifetime and the reality of your entire family living in one place is quite obsolete. This is our generation. And while I think that there is so much excitement in change, I am thankful that I still have small moments to wrap myself up in the comfort of familiar.

So as a part of my prep for thanksgiving, I am going to really make an effort to reflect on often overlooked things that I am truly thankful for. I am so thankful for that porch swing and all the memories it continues to create for my little family.

*Survey: In efforts to change things up a little...feel free to comment about something that reminds you of home... ALL LURKERS OUT THERE ARE WELCOME!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The First Sleepover!!!

Last night Molly had her BFF over for a sleepover! Kids have sleepovers and Molly has definitely reached kid status! It was such a great window into the future filled with pajama parties! The girls had SO much fun... and Gabe definitely was the pesky little brother that had to be the center of the party... it was so funny!

On the way to dinner...
Color fest at Papa and Mama Sue's house...
Playbath with ponies and matchbox cars... They played for 40 minutes in the tub. Every time I would try to get them out one of the girls would say, "no, not yet." They were some serious bathing beauties.

Getting ready for bedtime...

Then it was SNUGGLEFEST! My favorite was how the talked and giggled to each other for like 45 minutes after we turned out the light. At one point when I was walking through the house I heard Molly tell Avery, "My mommy is coming". How old are they?

Averybug... Molly missed you this morning when she woke up to you gone!!! Come back soon!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Bundle Up...It is COLD!

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I guess it is never too cold to play outside...well, it was too cold for Mommy but I was clearly outnumbered.






Friday, November 21, 2008

Start to day

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We take breakfast seriously at our house... After all, it is SO important to start your day with a balanced meal. This goes for everyone in the house (including those with fluff for organs)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

out as long in...

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GUESS

WHO'S...

9 MONTHS!!!!


Can you believe it? Our little boy has now officially been "out as long as he was in". That is just unbelievable to me! It has just gone so fast! My ability to be a part of every one of his milestones has been such a blessing!
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Today we had Gabe's 9 month check up! Thank you Aunt Maxey for coming along to help and play!!! We sort of started the day at warp speed and really never quite recovered. To give you a glimpse into our life a little... the 5 minutes before we HAD TO LEAVE (which really means that we should have left 5 minutes before that) we were nowhere near ready. If you were to look in my windows (which I am thankful that our blog readers don't) you would have seen Gabe being stuffed into a pair of half dried pants, Molly running around in jammies and Mommy frantically trying to gather all our gear. Poor Maxey, you didn't know that there was a tornado in the forecast today did you?
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But we made it. Yes, we were minus formula, a pacifier and socks for Gabe. But we made it. Molly was definitely the waiting room bully...but we survived and had great opportunities to practice the "I'm Sorry". Gabe was VERY angry that he had to have a bag taped to his "little mister" for an hour and half but we did make it...unfortunately...the tee-tee didn't. So, we will try that portion again at his 1 year check up. No biggie.
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I am still completely in love with our doctor and Molly is too. She and Dr. Sue went on an expedition to round up all the stickers that they could find. Gabriel is still trying to figure out how he survived all the "trauma of the day" and Molly walked away with all the stickers. Gabe... I have no explanation for you.
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Here are the stats from the day:
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Head: 17.75 (40%)
Length: 28.5 (60%)
Weight: 19.3 lb (25%)
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Gabriel is so active that he is actually losing a little weight. Our doctor assured us that this is normal. He has just been on the go since he was 6 months and hasn't slowed for a second. There is just too much to see!
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So what does our 9 month old like to do these days? Well... Gabe's personal favorites include crawling up onto Molly's bed, chasing her down the hall and wrestling. At any time you can find Gabe trying to knock over something in his path. He is now a push toy walker, super kisser, garbage disposal of a boy.
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And we just love him SO much!!!!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Happy Times



Okay, so you might be wondering why I posted a picture of a giant mess in my closet. And while I agree that this most definitely is a daily mess (thanks to our shoe queen) - it also is a moment that made me SO incredibly happy.


You see it is very easy for me to remember life before kids…eating out WAY to much, frequenting our favorite local bar for darts and beer on a Wednesday night and sleeping in as late as we wanted on Saturday. Ahhh...sleep. I do remember what that was like. In a world of parenting, there is a lot of unknown. We are just at level 2. Just as in Mario World, I have learned that it gets exponentially more challenging the higher up you go...but that much more rewarding. There have definitely been those hard days where you find yourself clutching to the memories of before instead of embracing what is now. That is why this messy closet is SO important for me.


This picture represents one of the happiest things about my life right now and serves as a consistent reminder at how different things are nowadays. If you look really closely in the picture you might notice two tiny pink "shoe lights". Do you see them? I opened the closet last night on my way out to the gym and there they were. I knew that this was no random placement of shoes. It was very deliberate. More than likely our Miss Molly, after a long day of chasing Milo, scaling the slide and parading through the house in Mommy's shoes was ready to call it a night. When your day is done, shoes are put away...in the shoe closet of course.


Our life is very messy these days. I was at Kohl's returning a shirt last night and reached in my purse to pull out my wallet and out with it came a backup "just in case" pair of Dora panties. I have the secret stash of wipes in the trunk and about 15 little bows in my make-up bag. All this "clutter" serves as daily reminders of just how immersed we are in the world of our children. We would not have it any other way. It is really easy for me to focus on how tired I am or how much I long for a random date night without the effort of lining up babysitters. But it is the presence of the little shoes, the little bows, the little fruit snacks wedged in the seat of the car... these little things remind me how wonderful it is to have little Mays here in our lives.


Our "shoes" may be a little worn at times but our "soles" are full of joy.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Try a little harder.

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Does this picture look like a brother that is sorry for eating his sister's chocolate chip cookie right out of her hand?




Try a little harder to look sorry cookie monster.

Houseguest

Molly likes to have people over. It seems we never know who might be stopping by for dinner... or a visit on the potty...

Our guests always bring such wild delight!
They accessorize our home with style...
and keep company through the long parts of the day...

"Little Girl" thank you for stopping by. Tell me, how long are you planning on staying and when do you intend to return to the front porch?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

mmm... waffles.

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Gabe thinks that FROZEN waffles are the best...


Perhaps the yummiest thing EVER...

That is until they become too soggy and have to be taken away. So sad and SO SWOLLEN from his little cry fest.

Haven't we all had some form of post-breakfast blues?


Saturday, November 15, 2008

Soul Sisters


Molly and Norah have a very special relationship. This is very very interesting to me. While I was pregnant with Molly I was going through a very intense Norah Jones phase. I used to put my headphone splitters on and would listen to one pair and have the other around my HUGE belly for Molly to enjoy. There is so much great research on the benefit of prenatal stimulation that I figured it could maybe nice for Molly to listen to some Norah too. My goodness did she listen to Norah...in the car, in the shower, at night, in the morning...it was very much a Norah love fest at Casi Maggio. So of course when I was in labor and pushing out our beautiful gal...who do you think was serenading in the background? You guessed it... Miss Norah. The first music Molly heard entering to our part of the world was, "Come Away with me".
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So this is where it gets interesting for me. Molly is busy... you all know this. She likes pop and rock and can even bust a' move quite well. With that said, no matter what music Molly is listening to at the moment she can always come back to Norah. Molly can be at the peak of insanity and she will instantly calm if I play Norah Jones. It has been this way since she was a newborn... even through gassy times...take that MYLICON.
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How much do you think that it would freak Norah Jones out if years later Molly were to meet her at a concert here in Norah's hometown and explain to Norah that she was "born to her"? Hmm. Sounds a bit stalkerish to me.
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Perhaps Molly should just love her from afar.

Friday, November 14, 2008

molly hearts parker

Perfect day for a stroll through the mall with your boyfriend.

Potty Trauma

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So...here is a story for you. Imagine a bodacious mom and her vivacious crew hanging out at one of the grooviest area parks. We're chilling out and laughing it up on the swings when those few words ring clear..."I have to go potty."

You see pre-potty training you never notice whether your groovy park has incredible bathrooms or not. Why would you? But alas, now the search is on. After a detour past the slides, a loop around the tennis court and a close encounter with a squirrel we were there. Our luxurious bathroom... isn't she a beauty?


I can now tell you that it is NOT easy to convince a two year old that this box in the forest is in fact a potty. Molly has referred to it all day as the "yucky brown potty"... I hear ya' girlfriend. So after 5 minutes of helping Molly on the potty, 3 moments of dry heaving, about 16 prayers and several scans for scary bugs we were out of there... accident free. Thank the lord Gabe didn't try to lick the wall or something from his stroller.

Say it with me: PURELL

I think it will suffice to say that our groovy park is definitely a lot less groovy. Once we have the whole potty training thing down our next lesson will be how to pee on a tree. We definitely could have utilized that skill today.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Elmo to the rescue?



Today we are trying something new and Molly is very excited. It is our official kick off to Elmo panties ALL DAY. Mommy is feeling a slight bit nervous. I see lots of laundry ahead.
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Molly has decided that her pull-ups are just not cool enough (I have to give her some credit... Elmo sort of blows pull-ups out of the water). So in effort to provide her control with this whole potty training system she will be in panties all day except for sleep time.
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So we will have lots of play outside for the next couple days...after all, what plant doesn't need some watering?
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THINK GOOD THOUGHTS FOR US!!!!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Not so shy?

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So it seems our little quiet boy does LOVE to be the center of attention...


For the right crowd.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Southern Revelations

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Last Thursday Gabriel, Molly and I embarked on an adventure to visit my best friend Melissa (or as Molly lovingly calls her Aunt Balissa). Mel is expecting her first baby right around Gabe's first birthday!

It is so exciting to walk through such a familiar timeline to baby with her. Right now, Uncle Chris is off training for special agent superhero status and is unable to be with Melissa for all the prebaby fun! What a great excuse for the May family to live in San Antonio three days a month through February!!!! This month was the first three day stint. This was my first time to travel sans daddy with both kids in tow. Such an adventure. I really feel that I learned so much about the Mays and our traveling to San Antonio.

For instance, did you know that the smell of San Antonio is rosemary?

On Friday, we met up with our cousins that live in SA for a play date. The Severson and May children are exactly the same distances in age from one another. It is really fun to see them all together.



That is until it was time to go. ...Insert dun dun dun dun...
Our Molly was having too much fun with Rebecca's far better selection of babies and could not bare the thought of having to say goodbye to them. In effort to demonstrate her complete frustration with the impending departure, Molly preceded to throw the WORST tantrum of her life. She whipped out all the tricks. You know... the running, the falling, the rolling, the kicking and the crying. Right there in the middle of the rosemary bush (out front). The deer walking by felt nothing but shame for Molly. After the embarrassed mumbling to Molly, the subtle failing redirection, I knew that it was time to rely on my brute strength for escape. Driving away with a potent curly mess in tow, I suddenly had a craving for rosemary chicken... strange.
Several hours later Molly was once again lying in a rosemary bush after an unsuccessful attempt to climb the tree. Who knew that this would become San Antonio's smell?

Did you know that San Antonio promotes triangle sleeping?
This was my first time to share a bed with Molly for more than a couple hours. In the past I have referenced Molly's crazy sleeping style. To put it best, she sleeps like she fell out of a 15 story building. With her movement in the night and my repeated attempts to avoid a Molly foot to the face, a new sleeping position was born. Triangle sleeping. Basically wherever Molly was, I angled the other way and we met at the corners. It was surprisingly quite comfy. I do not think that Kelly would be willing to embrace it though. So alas...it is only for San Antonio.
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Did you know that in San Antonio butterflies go to the moon?
On Friday night we went to dinner at Beefy's. Do not be fooled by the frightening name because it was REALLY yummy! While we were there a balloon man asked Molly what she would like him to make for her. He started suggesting the basic doggie or kitty. Those were far too simple for our Molly. Her request- a pink and red butterfly. Pictured below is Molly and the beloved butterfly...may it rest in peace.
Immediately following this picture wing #1 popped. It took a little reassuring but Molly was soon okay with her three winged treasure. She was off to better things- like chasing 4th graders on the playground sans butterfly.
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I was so busy watching Molly on the playground and reminding her that she needs to play and leave the "big kids alone" that I barely noticed the distant popping of wings 2, 3 and 4. It was really hilarious to look up and see a guilty child backing away from the wounded balloon creature VERY SLLOOOWLLLYY. How I would have loved to hear the voice in his head at that moment. Little butterfly was now little light saber and it was quickly snatched up. I figured that Molly wouldn't even notice the absence of the butterfly. How could I forget that it was her beloved treasure? The first thing out of Molly's mouth as she comes off the slide was "Where is my butterfly?"
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Quick response: "Molly your balloon flew away...to the moon ." Well this just about rocked Molly's world. The whole way to Mel's house she yelled "Where did my butterfly go...to the moon...I see it...hahahahaha" The whole next day whenever there was a lull in conversation it was "Where did my butterfly go...to the moon...I see it...hahahahaha". On the way back to Dallas when she was supposed to be sleeping she whispered... "Where did my butterfly go...to the moon...I see it...hahahahaha". So when Kelly asked her about her butterfly this morning I almost choked on my donut.

Did you know that in San Antonio you can be whatever you want to be?
a painter...
a mommy grocery shopping...

a cashier...

you name it. There really is nothing better than good ole' San Antonio.

Reflecting back on the trip...

we had SUCH a great time!!! We miss you Mel!