Big Bear's Goin' Off

Despite the late winter {aka, lack of nar nar pow pow} this year, I've been fortunate enough to hit the slopes twice; Utah in Jan {work travel} and Big Bear last weekend. I'm not gonna lie, I get nervous every time I gear up for a snowboard day...mostly because I'm afraid that I'll forget what to do when the lift drops me off onto the mountain and that one awkward foot out of the binding somehow makes it a million times harder to control the board...at least mentally.

As I was saying...we went to Big Bear last weekend with Mama Bear & Papa Bear {Sara & Garrett} and it was an amazingly fun time. Good company, beautiful sunshine, great snow {man made, but still good}, yummy food, and plenty of rest & relaxation...well, really just outright laziness {Thanks M&D for taking the kiddos}! Honestly, I almost forgot how to walk I spent so much time cuddled up on the couch...

So I hope Snow Summit is preparing for me to return very soon...because that was just way too much fun to only do once! :)

Cheesy Eggs and a Happy Girl

Jayden loves his cheesy eggs. And Gracie just loves life…this new smile kills me…

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

Awkward:

The "Great Hair Fallout" -  thank you post pregnancy hormones. How is there seriously any left on my head?

The "Great Hair Regrowth" - Those little baby hairs cannot be tamed.

When you strike up a convo with a stranger and she asks "Is the baby yours?" and after you say "Yes" {proudly}, you stare at her expectantly for the next logical response: "Oh, she is just adorable", but instead you get silence. Hellloooo, are we not staring at the same beautiful face??

Awesome:

Tax Returns. I know that a financially savvy person will withhold the right amount so that they aren't providing the government interest free loans, but I just love getting that lump payback in March!

Charming Charlies...Yes, I will take 100 pairs of earrings for a nickel! {okay, slight exaggeration, but definitely a great value!}

The hair bun. Who can be bothered with spending 30 minutes on the perfect blowout while the morning traffic is piling up with every passing moment???

Sockies on the Shelf

Christmas is only 11 months away, so I feel it's natural to get you all prepared in advance for a very special {okay, really just helpful} family tradition that we implemented this year {thank you Bliss'!}. Many of you probably already have the Elf on the Shelf; but if you don't, here's the dealy-o...dealy-yo...deal-yo? Um, here's the low down:

Santa sends this little helper/secret spy to watch over the house and reports all naughty or nice behavior to Santa every night. The elf magically flies to the north pole each and every evening and returns safely to the house every morning {and ALWAYS finds a new place to settle for the day}. Ok, so some days we forgot to move the elf it was just tooooo windy outside for Sockies (That's what Jayden named our elf} to safely travel, but you get the idear. So what's so great about little Sockies? You have leverage from Thanksgiving to Christmas to keep a toddler's behavior in check. "Uh oh, Sockies is going to tell Santa about this..."... "Oh no, you don't want to get on the naughty list...Sockies is watching!" Worked like a charm. Now where can I find me an Elf that sticks around all year long...?

And while we are on the whole Christmas/Santa Claus topic, when did the malls start charging $500 to get a picture with Santa Claus?? And I almost got my arm chopped off for trying to snap a pic of the ordeal on my phone {because I am waaayyyy to cheap to actually pay for the photos}...and they have basically setup every obstacle available in order to prevent you from getting a good angle on the moment. You can't tell me that hideous fan wasn't positioned perfectly in my view to keep me from getting a decent shot...and yes, I got yelled at for taking this photo {I am such a rebel!} With that said, Jayden's first experience on Santa's lap will have to live on in our memory's.

Anyhoo, we truly had a wonderful {and crazy busy!} Christmas full of fun parties, yummy treats and major family time...and ridiculous baby outfits, obvi...

You Know You Missed Me...

Or maybe you enjoyed staring at the toilet paper on my dining room table...well, the two people that actually read my blog might miss it :) So I apologize in advance if this breaks your heart, but I am going to try to not be the worst blogger EVER.

So here's a quick summary of what's happened over the past couple of months {to be expanded upon lata...}

Christmas happened {duh!} But the cool thing about this year was having a kid old enough to really understand how exciting it all is. Plus we started a new tradition with Sockies the Elf {best invention ever - current & future parents, get in on this immediately!}

I turned ancient thirty. It's the new twenty, just with lots more diapers, responsibilities and early bed times. I don't think Jay-Z remembered that in his anthem.

Jayden turned 3 AND started preschool. For a day. Then he got sick for two weeks...all that toddler stress and pressure finally caught up with him.

ALL of my friends got knocked up. Seriously...there will be a baby boom this summer and I couldn't be more excited!!!

Gracie decided that she is tired of being a baby. So she is now crawling, eating big girl food and talking up a storm. Heeellllooooo, I'm supposed to get a few more months of "I put you here, and when I come back in two seconds you are exactly where I left you".

Prepare for a boatload of pics to follow...It would be selfish to keep all this cuteness to myself ya know! :)

Potty Party

After several months of failed potty training attempts, we were about ready to let Jayden stay in diapers for life. As a last resort, I decided to steal this idea from Cakes Likes a Party: a Potty Party! We told Jayden a week before the party that his diaper days were quickly coming to an end, and that as of Saturday he would be wearing only big boy underwear.

I bought him some super cool undies and stocked up on lots of small gifts {cars, play doh, games, etc} for the party. Every time he went in the big boy potty he got to unwrap a new gift and get a little treat. He spent the day in his skivvies, and we spent the day persistently asking him "Do you have to go?"

I was honestly skeptical that this method would work on my "strong willed" child, but it totally did! He has {as expected} had a few accidents, but overall it was a huge success. So for all you parents out there struggling with this transition, I highly recommend the potty party!

Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise