Our Favorite Gals

Ava is not a huggy, cuddly kind of kid.  Now at almost four she is more snugly than she ever was as a baby with Larry and I.  It is hilarious however, to see her with her friends. They squeeze her with the biggest bear hugs and there is my girl frozen with this tortured look on her face.  I suppose someday I should get a picture of that!  So when Kristin and Hope headed north for a girls slumber party and Ava squealed “Hope!” and gave her the biggest bear hug ever my heart melted.  Despite the distance these girls love each other.  Months can go by but it is like no time had passed.  There have been many posts like this and there are never words for how much my heart sings that these girls are in our lives.  Thank you again for a wonderful weekend our cherished friends!

Love this kid!

Love these gals!

Tony II the Snowman

Tony II

Ava had been dying to make a real snowman. Since we ended up with at least 12 inches of snow I guess it was time. It should not be a surprise that our friendly snowy addition is of course, named Tony~

The whole family joined in the fun. Ella however watched from the sidelines and Lola was just about everywhere! And your eyes are not fooling you, that is indeed me in a picture!!!! (more photos in  my flickr account!)

Tony getting a nose job!

Snow Day: iphone style

Winter wonderland here in the Northwest! Ava, Lola and I have been out playing, sledding and sliding for the last three days and it looks like more still to come!!!  This was Ava’s first week of sledding and first official snow day from school!!!  I am not sure who likes the snow more Ava or Lola!  Lola however, ends up in white boots of snowballs.  Today on the way home Ava said, “We have to hurry mama and go home.  Lola is going to turn into a snowball dog and I do not have a magic wand to turn her back to my Lola bear.”

Our Snowy View

My Snow Angel

My Snow Dog and Snow Angel

Funny for the Day

I found a new parenting blog, Parenting illustrated with crappy pictures. HA just the title alone, right!  I have only read a few of the entries but cannot wait to read more.  Major belly laughs!  This one however caught my eye and I had to share.

For the entire artical, and you should read it, click here.

Before Coffee

After Coffee

Before Wine

After Wine

Christmas Gift Crafting: Travel Train and Car Mat

What would Christmas be without something homemade!  Since Ava’s favorite toys these days are Thomas and the characters from Cars what could be more fitting than a travel train and car mat.  If you remember last year I spent countless hours hand stitching a felt zoo and farm play mat.  I LOVE it but this time I decided to save time and order this very cool fabric on Etsy (which I can no longer find so no link) that had the scene already on it.  All that was left to do was back it with denim and create a side pocket area for all her friends.  I also sewed a ribbon on the end to roll it up, tie it shut and pack it away!

The True Story:  I totally bought the wrong Thomas trains for Ava’s wooden train set on Craigslist.  Feeling beyond dumb and taken I had to find a creative solution to use my un-usable trains and turn my major faux pas into crafting genius!  So now her wood trains stay home and her Take Along Thomas can travel where ever she does!!!  Plus it is pretty cute and I get to say, “Ya, I made that!”

 

Modern Art: Kid Style

There is no where in my house or even my car for that matter where you will not spy a random sticker. The wall, mirrors on tables. No matter how many times we tell Ava that stickers stay on paper she just cannot help herself. So when I saw pictures from the newest exhibit at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art I was enthralled.  The artist created a completely white living space and gave thousands of kids thousands of stickers.  Now, if only a local museum would steal this incredible idea Ava would be a thrilled and willing participant!

SNOW

Michigan disappointed me in the snow department this year. A couple flurries that was it! Just enough to build a mini snowman with coffee bean eyes and catch a flake or two on our tongues! I love that Ella tried to catch them too!!!

Tony the Snowman

A Michigan Christmas Morning

 

Her big gift Chaucer the dog

Garbage is more fun than toys

Sure mom I will smile for the camera!

Monet

One day in Paris I stopped at a smaller museum that was featuring Monet’s largest paintings. I was totally unaware of the shear size of some of the water lily pieces until I saw them. They never had been my favorite but no denying their beauty! What struck me was the vision behind them. Up close it was just a mess of color, shades, and texture. Until you stepped back and saw the larger image take form.

Today it struck me. I feel like a Monet. From far away I appear showered, organized and well, together. But up close I am just a big old mess. That is it.

Today I am a Monet.

Read This!

Sometimes you read something that not only speaks to your heart but is as if someone else was actually listening to your heart speak.  I know that I regularly post about motherhood its ups, downs and everywhere in between!  But I read an article from another blogger this week that must be shared.  Here is just one excerpt that really spoke to me but please, please click on the link and read the entire piece.

“My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn’t enjoying it enough. Double failure.  I felt guilty because I wasn’t in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn’t MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I’d wake up and the kids would be gone, and I’d be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here’s what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

 “It’s helluva hard, isn’t it? You’re a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She’s my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime.”And hopefully, every once in a while, I’ll add- “Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up- I’ll have them bring your groceries out.”

So Carpe Diem what ever minutes of the day you can but know that you are not alone.

I now am going to have a dance party with my girls, tell Ava to keep my kisses, nurse Ella off to nap and kiss her peacefully sleeping cheek and for an hour not worry about the thousands of things on my to do list!  And later… after I have cleaned the kitchen for the 500th time this week, Ava is having her afternoon no nap meltdown and Ella is pawing at me for more milk I will most likely be counting the minutes to daddy’s arrival and praying for bedtime.  Such is the perfectly exhausting job of motherhood.