According to Gehrig

Time for some more Gehrig gems. I think I've laughed more in the past 3 months than ever before. How he comes up with some of this stuff, I'll never know. 

After Jason told him they could play a game once the kitchen was clean:

Gehrig: OK, Dad, but you better hustle!

{This one was told to me by my in-laws}

At a preschool party he kept lifting up his shirt to show his belly.

Grandma: Gehrig, why are you lifting your shirt up?

Gehrig: {Pointing to a girl in his class} Because she laughed, Grandma...

{Oh dear...}

Explaining what he learned at Sunday School:

Gehrig: Did you know that we live in a tree?

Me: Oh yeah? Hmm...

Gehrig: Yeah! We all live in God's family tree.

Doing down dog during a kids' yoga video:

Gehrig: Look, mom. I think I'm really getting the hang of this. {he was!}

While explaining to me that Santa rearranged our stockings on Christmas morning:

Gehrig: Mine was in the wrong spot. Milo's was in the wrong spot. Daddy's was in the wrong spot. And yours was in the wrong spot! {Shaking his head} Santa was just in over his head.

Find more laughs here.

Welcome Back

The past week has been incredible in the most boring sense of the word {if there is a boring sense of that word}. With both Jason and I on Christmas break and all of our holiday stuff done, we decided to pretty much lay low and do nothing for the week. It was amazing. I read two books, played board games with the boys {read: played with Gehrig while Milo tried to destroy all the pieces}, went to bed early, watched movies, and just enjoyed spending time with all my boys with little to no obligations.

Having all this time to enjoy my kids and husband made me realize just how crazy our Fall semester was. I didn't recognize just how distracted I was with 3 classes, 2 side jobs, Gehrig starting preschool, juggling sitter schedules, all while Jason organized a TEDx event at school {which I'm so proud of him for but I think we're still recovering from the seismic activity it brought on our life}. 

Basically I've just been reflecting a lot on how nice it is to focus on the things that make me happiest and as I get ready to start a new semester, I really want to keep this perspective. I'm a much more fun person/mom/wife when I'm not constantly thinking about the 80 papers I have to grade and the next thing we have to do. I have many goals for the new year, but the most important one, I think, is to remember this feeling of balance and true contentment in my house and with my family. I want to notice little things and appreciate the moments that make being a mom so great. 

Here's a little roundup of my observations this break:

Gehrig will be four in a couple weeks and he might be in one of his best phases yet. After a really tough summer with him and a somewhat trying fall, he all of a sudden seems so old and unbelievably well behaved. It might be preschool, the fact that he's just getting older, or our approach toward parenting him, but some huge shift happened recently and he is such a joy these days. He cracks us up with great delight, tries to direct his brother in all their games, loves to sing and dance, and rattles off animal facts like a zoologist. My favorite moments with him come when we're cuddled up reading books or I'm singing him to sleep because I see flashes back to when he was my baby. I also love {and loathe} how much he talks. He's always spoken in paragraphs, even when he was a babbling baby, but the kid almost never stops talking now. He wants to tell me everything and, while it drives me crazy sometimes, I never want that to end.

Milo is a clown. His brother makes us laugh through clever little jokes, but Milo's more of a slapstick guy. If people are looking at him, he puts on a show with a crazy walk or randomly falling on his face. He is a daredevil and thinks he's 4 already. But he's also in a super cuddly phase right now, probably because he's been sick with the flu, then an ear infection, then a horrid diaper rash from his antibiotic. Whatever the reason, it is sort of the greatest when he finally stops being so busy and just crashes on me. While he's more independent than his brother ever was, he is still nursing when Gehrig quit at 13 months. He's kind of a study in contrasts. My favorite moments with Milo are when he tackles us with kisses and when he says a new word for the first time. Some of the cutest include: "uh-oh", "smooo" {smoothie}, "Gehgeh" {Gehrig}, and the "WOH" sound he makes when he's excited.

Here's to the new year and keeping a healthy perspective {along with eating healthy and exercising and blogging more, blahblahblah}.

All photos by Kristy Ter Haar Photography.

So long, Summer

Fall’s sudden appearance seems to be monopolizing the blog world this week, doesn’t it? I maybe laughed for longer than necessary at this:

Because, seriously…

I did not document our Summer sufficiently here, so I’m about to do the quickest recap possible in an attempt to fit this in before it snows. This is more for my benefit than anyone else's, so feel free to skip or skim.

The Summer kicked off in mid-June after an extra week of school {Thanks, polar vortex} when we jumped in the car and headed to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for my brother’s wedding. We spent 5 days celebrating with backyard parties, picnics, playing lakeside, watching movies with cousins, boat rides,  LOTS of food, and a beautiful wedding. My brother and sister-in-law planned such a fun weekend for all their guests and we found out we can share a relatively small space with my sisters’ families and still really like them {and I think they like us too}. I sort of loved every minute of it. This event probably deserves its own post...

^Milo really loves Aunt Jamie. He just could not handle the cameras any longer...

And the following lovely photos are by Helios Photography:

^They basically looked the happiest for the entire weekend. Love, man. It's the greatest.

^The other happy couple. Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

The month of July was a complete whirlwind. I think we were home for maybe one weekend and about 10 days all together. It kicked off with a little kitchen reno project {new floors to replace our disgusting carpet and kitchen linoleum} and continued with several trips across state, tons of cousin time for the boys, the end of my summer class, our first-annual All Star Game party, a mud run, a surprise birthday party for my grandma, mom, & sister {80-60-40}, a camping trip, and a shower for my other new sister-in-law. July also brought sadness with the death of my sister’s father-in-law, so a lot of our focus was on supporting them and helping with my nephews any way we could. July had lots of ups, but was also pretty heavy on the down.

 ^I got home from my last day of class to find all these decorations the boys made. 

We do not take baseball lightly around here.

August didn’t offer much reprieve from the busy-ness as we traveled to Ohio again for my brother-in-law’s bachelor party/sister-in-law’s shower {which turned into a bust for Jason and I since Milo was sick and ended up in the ER with pneumonia. Going out of state for a night just to spend it in a hospital is really not ideal, but thankfully he didn’t have to be admitted and had a very quick turnaround to healthy!}. The next week we attended their wedding ceremony {an intimate ceremony in the backyard of a bar. Such fun!} and then went back across the state that weekend for a pig roast/barbecue/party to celebrate again. Whew.

I started fall classes the day after we returned and have since been acclimating to our new structured schedule. It’s actually been really nice to settle into some routine, even if it does mean missing my boys and saying farewell to beach days and late nights.

I’m so very thankful that Jason and I both have easy summer schedules that allow us to spend so much time together, traveling and seeing family. At the end of the school year, I always think I’ll cry when school starts back up again, but somehow the year’s patterns make me ready for it when the time comes. I know I’ll be cringing at the thought of this come May, but autumn really is great with its beautiful colors and comfort food. So, bring on the pumpkin spice, I guess. {But let it be known that I’m currently wearing jeans. NOT yoga pants}.

100 Happy Days

Back in March, I began this challenge to post a picture of something that made me happy every day for 100 days. At the time, I was feeling especially unpleasant and like I was constantly passing my bad moods onto the people around me. It was becoming clear that I was taking for granted the moments that really do make me happy. I wanted to become a more joyful person and pass that on to my husband and kids as well.

Here's what the website says about the challenge:

People successfully completing the challenge claimed to: 
 - Start noticing what makes them happy every day;
 - Be in a better mood every day;
 - Start receiving more compliments from other people;
 - Realize how lucky they are to have the life they have;
 - Become more optimistic;
 - Fall in love during the challenge.

What I liked most about this is that I had to start looking for those things that make me happy and deliberately reflect on them throughout the day. I chose one moment to post each day, but I started noticing so many more that I could have posted. Keeping my eye out for them made me notice more of them. It's all about a shift in perspective, I guess, which is what I really needed at the time.

The website says the challenge doesn't "count" if you don't actually do 100 consecutive days, but I call an audible because...watch me. {And, yes, I think I just made a football reference, which felt weird and unnatural}. So, I just posted my 100th photo today when technically I should have finished in mid-July, but, que sera {there, that reference felt better}.

Clearly, it doesn't really matter how long it took me to post 100 happy things on Instagram. What does matter is that it genuinely helped me feel happier. I have felt more content with my job, more focused on my kids, more loving toward my husband, and just grateful for these tiny moments that make each day a little more special. Watching out for the good takes the focus away from the not-so-great.

More than anything, this was fun. It took me almost 6 months to do, but I'm so glad I kept up with it. I also love clicking on the hashtag and seeing all 100 things at once. Some of them are huge {Milo starting to walk, my thoughts on motherhood, welcoming new sisters}, some are trivial {Pinterest, coffee, kitchen floors}, a lot are dance parties, and some are just silly reminders of how awesome my kids are {Gehrig singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"? Every day forever please}. 

I'm so thankful I followed through with this challenge. This new perspective is refreshing. And, although I'm all done with my hundred, I hope this more positive outlook sticks around for a while because life's way more fun this way.

Cheers to happiness!

You can see all my 100happydays photos if you follow me here.

Reality TV Confession

It's 10pm, so I should be heading to bed, or at the very least getting some work done, but So You Think You Can Dance just ended and I'm still a little jazzed about it {pun most definitely intended}. It's my very favorite summertime show and I'm sad that my Wednesday nights and Thursday mornings will no longer be filled with texts discussing standout performances and the impact of that night's contemporary piece with one of my favorite ladies:

It's so nice to share fandom with others. Until our husbands weighed in tonight and it looked more like this:

These are the moments that really strengthen friendships.

If I had to pick a favorite dance from this season {too many!}, it would be this one. It makes me cry every time and I kind of can't get over the image of women just helping each other out, picking each other up and supporting one other. Beautiful, right? 

Also, this:

And, Twitch, obviously:

Anyway, those are my thoughts at the moment and now I think I will go do some work {which really means go to bed}.

Parent of the Year {Today}

I'll level with you. Three has been tough in the age department around here. A year ago, I always told people the terrible twos were a silly myth. Gehrig was a dream at two. Most nights Jason and I would look at each other and say, "We got the best kid. He's so awesome!"

Then he turned three. The tantrums became epic. He learned how to hit. He learned how to kick. The naughtiness showed signs of spite. Boundaries were pushed and pushed and shoved. We've gone through some tough days and long weeks where he seemed to be fighting us on everything. 

Lately, though, things have been simmering down. We're in a time of peace {this week}, so naturally I'm feeling like I've finally mastered parenting and life from here on out is going to be a breeze. Want to hear what I've learned? Here are my best moves for getting through the threenager days:

1. Defend his sleep. Gehrig is a kid that requires a lot of sleep. He will sleep 12 hours at night and he can still take a 2 hour nap if he has to. We've been lax with bedtime this summer and I'm pretty sure this is the number one culprit of meltdowns.

2. Keep him fed. That blood sugar drop is deadly. Give him snacks between meals and meals on time. 

3. Pee the evil out. Gehrig is the king of holding it. He doesn't have to go potty until HE HAS TO GO POTTY. That's kind of the worst feeling ever, right? So when he starts to act cranky, I try to usher him into the bathroom as quickly as possible to avoid a battle later.

4. Give him attention. I am big-time guilty of trying to get things done at home and getting annoyed when my kids make it difficult. But when I close my computer, ignore the laundry, and just play for a while, it makes such a huge difference in all of our moods. I don't get anxious about what I could be doing {well, I try not to anyway} and they get to have my undivided attention.

5. Keep things in perspective. Three year olds are tough because they can reason with you to a point, so it seems like they should get your reasoning, too {like, "you have to brush your teeth because that's what we do every night."}. It can be easy to forget how little he still is because so much of the time he's talking like a big kid. One night, after a series of time outs and lots of frustration on our part, Gehrig went potty {see #3} and ran out of the bathroom as happy as a clam...with his underwear backward and inside-out. Jason turned to me and said, "And we're letting this person control our moods." Then we laughed, because, seriously...

Other random things that have been working lately: 

-Avoid "no." This sounds like I'm an annoying, "we just want to facilitate a positive environment" type of parent. I'm not. But if I change "No, we can't go to Grandma's today" into "Well, first we have to go to the grocery store" it holds off the argument and keeps him happy.

-Praise him when he's being good. It can be really easy for me to just point out his negative behavior rather than recognizing and rewarding the little things he does that are so great like, randomly kissing his brother or coming up with a new game for us to play.

-Give him a win. Everyone needs to feel like they're getting a win every now and then. If I'm fighting him on something that really doesn't matter to me, I try to just let it go. You really need to wear a baseball helmet into the grocery store? Fine. Gonna take that {probably-not-water-proof} toy into the bathtub? Knock yourself out.  

-Talk in an Australian accent. Seriously, if I use my "safari voice," the kid will do anything I tell him to. I think this has something to do with it:

So, there you have it. The magic answers you've been waiting for. You're welcome! I'm going to go enjoy my award and bask in the ease of parenting now.

One of Those Nights

Little did I know Wednesday night would be the first of a series of ridiculous, sleepless nights. This just happens to be the only one I documented, hour-by-hour.

This is what he looks like when he's sleeping. But not much of this happened that night.

12:30am - Go to bed later than I probably should, but that soy latte's keeping me up.

2am - Wake up to Milo's cries over the monitor. Get him. Hear Gehrig fussing as I'm leaving their room, so he comes with us to my bed. Nurse Milo. He doesn't fall back asleep.

2:30am - Wake up Jason who fell asleep on the couch and ask him to go in our bed with Gehrig while I rock Milo in the living room {because this baby of ours knows not the concept of falling asleep in his own bed}.

2:30-3:30am - Rock a spoiled baby.

3:30am - Milo won't let me set him down even though he's clearly asleep. Lay on the couch with him since it's the only way he'll keep his eyes closed.

3:45am - Milo is crying again. Let him flail around on my lap while I rub his back. He lets out two very faint toots and is out within seconds.

4am - Set Milo in his crib. Decide to sleep on the couch, but first check on Gehrig in our bed only to find him soaking wet.

4:15am - After much struggle with a boneless, protesting child, finally get Gehrig in dry clothes. Zombie mom can't change sheets right now. Strip the bed, throw down a towel, and try to sleep.

4:17am - Open eyes to see Gehrig 2 inches from my face saying, "Mom, sing to me." Sing to him.

4:18am - Gehrig interrupts, asking, "Where's Milo?" {because he always needs to know} "In his crib," I say. "Can I go in my bed?" asks Gehrig.

4:19am - Relocate to toddler bed.

4:30am - Tell Gehrig to close his eyes and sleep. He resists.

4:32am - Try to get comfortable in a bed that was clearly not made for someone of my height or weight.

4:50am - Wake up from a brief doze and find Gehrig still wide awake. Mutter inappropriate things.

5:15am - Remind him that it is not morning yet {even though at this point it is}.

5:17am - Threaten that I am going back to my bed unless he falls asleep.

5:20am - Mom and Gehrig are back in the big bed.

5:21am - Mom is asleep. Doesn't care what everyone else is doing.

8am - Gehrig announces, "The sun is up!" Mom hears, "The son is up!"

Just a little night-in-the-life for ya. It's a crazy life we lead.

But they're cute, right??