i'm playing a super fun game of catch up on here (not). i feel like a lame-o lazy ass blogger these days -- but my justification is that i am trying to spend as much quality time with these wonderful peeps i am proud to call my family. i've done a lot of traveling for work the last month or so, and i am doing this weird thing called "building a baby" that is kicking my ass hard.

easter weekend was a hit. we had the best weather -- 70s and absolutely gorgeous. blue skies, a pretty yard, and some good old fashioned family and friend time. i hosted a bridal shower for my sister in law that i'd say was a pretty decent hit. we had an extremely relaxing easter sunday - split between jenkey time, just us time, and extended family time.

i'm doing uuuuuh lot of reflecting these days, knowing that this little tripod of ours is about to have four legs. i'm soaking in our little man as much as i can. it's a weird feeling knowing that this little routine we have, the one that took, oh i don't know, 17 months to get right is about to be changed up again. it's exciting. and extremely f-ing scary. anyone with me?

until we shake things up again in 3 months, i am going to get this (growing at a fairly large rate) ass in gear and write more - document these feelings (and fears) so that i can look back at this time and remember exactly what it felt like. i know i have these thoughts for a reason - time to get them out of my head (and into the blogosphere!? right...).

keeps gettin' better

:: christmas morning, annoyed with daddy's flashing camera already :: 

we had a special christmas. this boy of ours may not quiiiiiite get it just yet, but he's having some fun with his new toys and he absolutely loved all of the attention the last few days. he loves his family, that's for sure.

i love the independence that comes with our walking boy. this stage is by far, my most favorite. i can remember when wyatt was 3 days old -- the hormones were full on to the right crazy mode, might i add. anyway, i can remember laying in bed with him praying time would stop. i was sad. i was frustrated that no one told me that i would feel that way. i wanted to freeze time. i wanted wyatt to be tiny forever. i remember texting lindsay and asking her if she felt that way when her sweet girl, caroline, was born. she said that she might have felt that way in the beginning, but that she loved every stage so much. she started to realize that she was saying "now, this is my favorite stage" a lot. and that with each passing month, and each stage, it just got better. i remember thinking how grateful i was for her in that moment, but still doubted her words. damn hormones.

she was right. like, big time.

:: went straight for his elmo. he's no fool. ::

i think this is my most favorite stage yet. wyatt's walking, and chattering, and learning, and soaking in this life around him. he is smart and creative and funny. he is silly. he is assertive. he watches us. he mimics us. he laughs with us. he loves elmo. and playing with daddy. and enjoys food and eating. he loves being chased and tickled. he loves playing with trucks. he is a sucker for music and any chance he gets to dance. he sings.

:: he's saying "da da da da" here, in case you were wondering ::

i love thinking about all that we have to look forward to with him. i look forward to every stage now. i think less about freezing time, and more about what's to come. as hard as it is to think about how fast time goes sometimes, i look forward to all of the stages of his life. we are lucky. and i am grateful.

this life is short. it's a blessing. it's about family. it's about living it.

:: and screaming with excitement here ::

 i hope you had a special christmas and found joy throughout your day. you deserve it.

we all do.

christmas card contenders

we sent our cards this week. i couldn't be more excited about the pictures we chose for them. they are so stinking cute. we had a few really cute contenders as well that i wanted to share because, well, i can't get enough of them either.

but the real winners couldn't be beat. 

we had fun. and we were cracking ourselves up as we drove home. sure, put your 1 year old on an old and busted tire swing. a tire swing filled with mucky water, and accompanied by a gigantic spider web. let go. he's fine just swinging there all alone. there might be a nasty muddy leaf covered hard ground below him, but he won't fall. he's holding on for dear life. he's doing his best to make his mom and dad proud by squeezing out a few smiles for a good photo opp.  look at his little hands gripping that rope so tight. such a big boy. 

we were proud little guy. you did good. 

merry christmas from us to you. hope it's the best yet!

cherish the season

'tis the season to trek to a tree farm in hopes of finding "the one". and by "the one" i don't mean our tree.

i mean our christmas card picture. 

the pressure was on. we always have a very small window of time in the morning to do anything outside of the house. our kiddo usually wakes up around 7:30, and is ready for a nap around 10. keep in mind, it usually takes us at least 45 minutes to get out of the house. this morning, wyatt was a mini crank, while i was mama crank. i even warned ty that my edginess had nothing to do with him and to consider himself warned. fun for ty. 

in the midst of all of the fun we were having getting ready to go, off we went. after a quick pit stop through the starbucks drive-thru (thank you Jesus), we headed down to snohomish - a mere 10 minute jaunt, if that. it pays to live in the boonies.

this, of course, was wyatt's first trip to the tree farm. i am loving how he sticks his tongue out when he's focusing. there just so happened to be a seriously large gathering of geese out yonder, so he nervously walked with us, every so often furrowing those soon to be bushy brows of his as he looked out into the distance. 

my heart skips a beat every time i feel him finding comfort in my arms. i am truly blessed to be this kid's mom. he'll squish his cheek into my kiss, and it is in that moment i know my smooch is welcome. he never pulls away from my kisses. yet. 

he loves his daddy's shoulders. i love seeing the expression on his face when he realizes that's where he is headed. it's like he's saying, "this is MY daddy". i remember that feeling too. i remember being little, and finding my way up on my dad's shoulders. there was always a little bit of nervousness up there, but the comfort of knowing i was with my dad always over powered it. 

as luck would have it, we did good. between ty and i, we got the money shot. make that two money shots. i already put my order in for our cards, and am counting down the days until i can get them out into the mail. dying, dying, dying over them. i love them so much, i even ordered a new personalized phone case. yah, that much. 

as if we haven't been productive enough today, we even picked up our tree. here's hoping it stays alive in time for christmas. and by alive i mean "just not brown". it can be dead as a doornail, dry as can be, but as long as it's still (sorta) green, then we're good.