“Stupid ducks!”
Before I even get into what the title of this post is about I have to say one quick thing.
She actually came home in a good mood from school yesterday which is a rare thing these days. School is a constant fight with this kid and I’m already counting down til summer break. I hate to want to rush her childhood but I also find myself counting down til she graduates high school and the school fight will be over…..until I realized that the hormones have begun to rage and my child is slowly enterting Tweendom. She ran upstairs as soon as she came home to get her purse before we went to Nana’s for our daily coffee date while the cousins play.
Her play purses used to have toys and junk in them. Her real Coach purse now has her iPhone, make up, and perfume in it. When I think of this, it kind of balances my whole hurry up with school mentality. By balance I mean knocks it straight to the ground.
So today it’s just me, Liv, and Mr. Mans. I decided that since it’s a gorgeous, clear, 70 degree day we needed to be outside doing something…anything. I remembered that we haven’t been to the little lake by our house in ages and that there are ducks there. Livie has a strange obsession with ducks lately..well with all animals really…so off the 3 of us went to feed the ducks.
I gave Livie the last of our hotdog buns and as I carried the baby in one arm I followed behind her with my camera in the other. We hollered for the ducks. We tempted them with a few little bread scraps. I threw those stupid pieces of bread as far as I could without throwing me and the baby in the lake with it. Did the ducks even look at us once? Nope. Our duck feeding was a major fail.
Little bastards.
At this point I told Livie “Come on. Let’s just go back home and watch Toy Story. They don’t want the food.” She looks at them, throws the rest of the pieces of bread in the water and says “Stupid ducks!”
And the baby? Well all he cared about was the toy on the blanket next to him that he couldn’t quite reach.
We packed up our stuff and on the way back to the car Livie tells me “Mama, I loved feeding the ducks!!!”
Coulda fooled me, kiddo.
Lesson of the day: Ducks don’t give a crap about bread.
Midweek Instagram holla:
At least it’s a pretty day.
Rainy day post
I had plans of Starbucks this morning with the girls in the family and a couple friends and a late morning grocery store trip and then maybe a quick nap with Livie.
It’s pouring rain outside so we DID make Starbucks but the store will have to wait. I figured it’d be a good time to catch up on some editing and get a blog post up for y’all. Yes, all 5 of you.
After my last post I decided to make a concious effort to pick up my camera more this weekend…to take more pictures like I used to. Whether I’m home with my girls or not all day, I still find myself scrolling through pictures on my phone of them. I love pictures and I wouldn’t have had to move 1000 pictures from my phone to Flickr if I didn’t. It’s time to get back to that me, even if I have to think about it more now than I had to before.
When I get shots like this I get happy because it’s not every day that your baby just stands there perfectly in the sunlight at just the right angle.
It’s my usually boring, mundane life that I love the most. It’s the life I craved…days like this where it’s rainy and I don’t have to leave the house but instead can edit photos and laugh at my silly girl.
Guess who’s crawling now?
Nannying this tiny man has been such a fun reminder of when my girls were this little…with Livie it seems like it was just yesterday.
It’s been unseasonably warm here the past few weeks. It’ll get chilly for a couple days and the temps go right back into the mid to upper 70s. That’s warm for January but I’m not complaining. I hate the cold and snow. I’ll take sun and shorts any day over that. So will my girls.
Especially when they can play outside all day and take ice cream breaks without needing a jacket.
And now something I kind of bit off of Kelle Hampton’s blog. I love sharing my Instagram photos. Y’all know this. I’ve been posting them on my blog for a year now. I’m kind of a freak though for uniformity and it bugged the crap out of me that the IG pictures were square and grainy looking while my camera pictures were rectangle and clear. Kelle starting putting her IG pictures in a collage and after months of seeing her do this every week I decided that I needed to do that too. She only does it once a week but I’m an Instagram fanatic so I’ll be doing it every post.
You’re welcome. And Kelle, thanks for the idea. You know you inspire me, woman. Also, a sidenote to the pic of me with the jersey on, the Texans had their first ever play off game and they WON it!!!! Enthusiastic, happy Texan fan = me. YAY!
Something else awesome about Instagram- you can now make phone cases for your iPhone with the pictures you take on there. I have this one coming to me and I can’t wait til it gets here! Casetagram.com. Check it.
Just heard another rumble of thunder in the distance. Livie just had me put on Toy Story 3 for the 100th time…and I’m gonna watch it with her under a blanket.
Happy Monday.
Happy
Hi, I’m Becky and I’ve neglected my blog.
A sad admission but the truth, nonetheless.
It was a busy holiday season for us as it is with most of you. Usually during the holidays I take a ton of pictures and I have a hard time sorting through them to pick ones to blog.
That was not the case this year.
I realized why.
Taking pictures was always a cathartic thing to me. A good way to end a long, bad day at work. A way for me to see pictures of my babies all day when I was away from them. A way to sort of make up for crappy days or guilt or whatever bothered me. Now that I’m not working and I’m home with my girls all the time…well, I’m happy.
Like ridiculously happy.
I stress about money A LOT. But who doesn’t? I did before I quit too. At least now I’m stressing while I’m home and not at a desk I hate.
I thought I’d be more like Kelle Hampton and take ridiculous amounts of photos and instead I find myself reaching for my camera less. Maybe this will change. Maybe it won’t. I’ve come to realize that this is ok. I adore Kelle and her blog so much and while some of you think that it’s TOO happy or not real… well, that sucks for you. I like being happy. I like reading happy things. There is enough bad in the world…why focus on it? I refuse to blog about bad things in my life day in and day out. The happiness I display here? It’s real. It’s me. It’s not made up or exaggerated. Yes, I have bad days. Who doesn’t? I have close family and friends or The Man that I vent to. I don’t feel like I need to vent here all the time. Yes, Hannah and I still have tension between us some days. Yes, Livie is still a sometimes hyper kid who I sit and watch and wonder if she’ll ever just relax. Yes, there are still days when I think I might want to run away, even if it’s just for a few hours. That’s all normal and ok. It doesn’t mean I’m not happy even when all those things occur.
I am very blessed in life and I thank God for all I have. I have everything I’ve ever wanted in life and that is the truth. Times have been hard along the way. We’ve struggled and I’ve cried and squeezed my fists in anger. But now? That all seems so far away.
I’m grateful.
I only hope that the people that read this blog and people I care for can be happy.
It’s real. It’s me.
*******************************************************************************
And because it wouldn’t be a post from me without SOME pictures, here are a few recents. We’re finally back into a routine and while I will never embrace the sound of an alarm clock, I do embrace routine and habit.
Playing outside in 75 degree weather in January when plenty of people are bundling up makes me grateful and happy.
My sister finally giving birth to my first niece last week made me grateful and happy.
Getting back to daily coffee with my mother in law makes me happy.
Seeing Hannah happy to get my old iPhone 4 after I upgraded to a 4s makes me happy.
Watching this little man grow up also makes me happy…and quenches my thirst for a new baby. I will always miss being pregnant and smelling the head and kissing the cheeks of my own newborn baby. I don’t think I’ll ever NOT miss that. It’s not in the cards for us to have another baby right now…or ever really but I have to admit that I will forever miss having my own babies in my arms. But this one? He helps that a lot. Grateful and happy for him.
Happy.
Christmas wind down
I hate that Christmas is over.
I gladly admit that.
Yes, my decorations have been up for 6.5 weeks now. Yes, all the presents are opened and the kids are overwhelmed with new toys to play with. Yes, it was a good Christmas and I’m not quite ready to let it go.
There’s just 1 lonely gift left under the tree that I forgot to give to my friend even though I saw her yesterday. That’s how awesome I am.
The girls opened gifts for what seemed like days and days. It was only two but at 3 separate times and when it was all said and done, the smiles on their faces said it all.
Yes, that’s a go kart. Santa is very giving at Nana’s house. And Livie with this kitchen cracks me up. She tells me she’s going to make lunch and then brings me my coffee.
The best part besides watching my kids light up a million times over was just being with people that I love. Nothing in the world beats that. Again, blessed.
And what did I get you may ask? The Man surprised me with an iPad 2.
Best. Husband. Ever.
We wrapped up our long Christmas weekend with cleaning up toys, purging out old things for the new, and even purging long hair for short hair instead.
She’s happy to have her old style back complete with feathers.
Cheers to a fabulous Christmas!
Happy Christmas
Just a quick post while my girls nap…
And my corn casserole bakes…
(Not pictured: Sugar, butter, and eggs that are also used to make this delicious casserole)
To tell all of you to have a VERY Merry Christmas tomorrow. We are off to do family things tonight and tomorrow morning and I’m excited. I told The Man this morning that I’m sad that after tomorrow it’ll all be over. All the gifts will be unwrapped. The radio stations won’t be playing Christmas music. The stores will start putting up Valentine’s decorations. But as I sipped on my coffee I snapped out of it because hello, it’s Christmas Eve and there is celebrating to do this weekend.
Happy birthday to Jesus.
Happy time with family and friends.
Happy Christmas.
Birthdays…and more Christmas
This weekend we celebrated Christmas some more.
Our annual trip to the Festival of Lights did not dissapoint.
Also included? A night out with friends.
Livie had a Christmas program at church. The cute overflowed.
And then? My baby turned 9.
We woke up Sunday morning to a 9 year old who was wide awake and whispering “It’s my birthday!!” to us. She opted out of a big party in exchange for money to go shopping. It’s official. My baby is not a baby anymore.
Did I mention she asked for Coach purses for her birthday or Christmas?
It’s been a busy week with birthdays and Christmas and last minute EVERYTHING. It’s exactly the kind of busy I want to be. Hope your week is just as eventful.
One last thing? Someone has big girl panties on.
Potty training has begun. Hold me.
Almost there!
Christmas is 9 days away.
NINE.
Coincidentally Hannah will be 9 on Sunday so the number 9 is engraved in my brain at the moment. I again had plans to bake some cookies this afternoon with the girls and while I was in my closet I spotted the pile of presents. I’m easily distracted. I’m the person who went into the kitchen for garbage bags but noticed the dust bunny so before I know it I’m sweeping the entire house and the garbage is still full in the bathroom. It doesn’t surprise me that the cookies still aren’t baked BUT I wrapped almost all of our gifts.
I did get some baking done Wednesday though for Hannah’s little class party for her birthday today.
I baked easy things like cupcakes. My mother in made freakin fudge and it was all I could to while it cooled do to NOT just eat it while it was liquidy and hot.
Some fun Christmas extras?
Livie asked for coffee yesterday. We gave her chocolate milk in a coffee cup. She sat there with a smirk on her face…she was so happy to be just like Nana and Mama.
And like last year, I made Hannah a little Santa video from the Portable North Pole website. If you have kids that still believe in Santa, you HAVE to do this.
She sat there holding her elf, Greer, amazed that Santa once again sent her a video telling her he’s proud of her for being so nice. She believes in Santa and believes that her elf really does come alive at night, eats the crackers she sets out, and hides in new places. It’s magical…YES magical to watch your children believe in something so much and see their faces light up when they find their elf or see Santa on the computer.
It was a busy but good week. Next week is Christmas week.
I can hardly stand it!
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