Eight is Great

My Munchman turned eight on Friday. I've been a Mama for eight years and it's been an amazing ride so far. 

Munch has always been the most laid back kid and unless he's super tired just goes along with the flow. 

He is the best helper and sometimes takes it upon himself to play third parent in the house. 

Munch loves books and would swallow them whole if he could. He always has his nose in a book and in second grade is reading books I was reading in fifth and sixth. 

Munch is my fussy eater and really would prefer if most fruits and veggies just didn't exist, but he LOVES pineapple. 

He loves history and is a super fan of all things ancient Egypt. It is so fun to watch him soak it in. 

He is a great friend, a Boy Scout, a huge hugger, an awesome kid and he is so so smart. He is so amazing in so many ways and I love being his Mama.

Eight is going to be fantastic.

On Nox Turning Six

Mr. Nox turned SIX on Tuesday.

Lately he's been craving alone time. I feel for him. Alone time is a rare and wonderful thing in our house; five humans and three animals can be hard to escape. There have been a few times that I've found him hiding in his closet. I wish I could find such a peaceful spot.

Nox wears his heart firmly on his sleeve. He loves fiercely and still believes the world should be a fair and just place. (Although, sometimes he gets fair for everyone and fair for himself confused.) 

 He mostly avoids snuggles and hugs unless he's saying goodbye or goodnight....breaks this Mama's heart, because this kid gives some awesome monster hugs. Forget holding hands anymore. He is WAY too big for that.

This Summer was the Summer of Wild Kratts. Happy requested every day and Nox soaked up every episode that we could get. It's so much fun hearing what new facts he picked up.

.He started First Grade last week and loves it so far. He is so excited to tell me all about his day when I go pick him up. He still has a few Summer cobwebs to brush from his brain, but he can't wait to learn more.

He is so smart and bright. He is quick to smile, with a side of fiery temper. He has a cheeky, crooked grin that lights up the room. He loves to read to his little brother. He enjoys playing endless games of Plants Vs. Zombies and building Bionicles with his older brother. For the third year running he's the Mixel Master.

LOVE this kid. 

Happy at TWO

On Monday my little ball of crazy happy chaos turned TWO. Every year when birthdays roll around I'm always in awe of how quickly time can pass. It's insanity. 

Happy is a pro at keeping everyone on their toes. If he can't do something he figures it out quickly. Fridge door? Mastered
Baby Gates? Pretty much pointless. 

Doors? Lock them, because he WILL get in...or let himself right out.
Sleep? Okay, this is a work in progress, but we WILL get there. 

The Doctor and I had been a little concerned about his speech, but in the last few months he has just blossomed. So many words and new ones everyday. Yay!!
AND he recently decided to officially start calling me "MA!" Loud and clear. It's usually when he is demanding something, but that and "Mama" are the best words ever. 

He is a HUGE fan of trains. He loves dinosaurs, dragons and anything else that has the ability to ROAR. The furkids are his best buddies and are insanely patient with him and all his love. His big brothers are his Idols and even though I don't think they realize it half the time, Happy watches everything they do with awe.

He loves dancing with Mickey Mouse, choo-chooing with Thomas, exploring the ocean with The Octonauts and learning about all things prehistoric with Buddy and The Dinosaur Train.

His biggest obsession, currently, is water (or really anything in liquid form). All drinks need to be pushed as far back on the counter as possible. Kaiser's water bowl is NOT safe. If Happy gets a drink you can be sure he'll turn it into a water toy and Daddy recently taught him how to work the water hose, so if you join Happy outside prepare to get soaked.

Happy is part monkey, part volcano and full of giggles. He is a puddle jumping, stick loving, outdoor explorer. He doesn't like strangers a whole lot, but once you win his affection he loves you fiercely. 

He is my littlest heart and at two he is ready to take on the world.
Happy Birthday sweet boy. I love you. 

Currently: 5.2.2016

Sorry I have been MIA lately. Happy has been having some serious sleep issues and as a result has turned our routine upside-down. Last Tuesday was the first night since Valentine's Day that he stayed in his own bed alone. We moved a twin mattress into his room and have been taking turns sleeping in there, slowly easing our way out. It has been exhausting to say the least. I'm hoping things will start getting back to some vague semblance of normal now.

This is what I've been up to during my brief free moments:

Watching: Murdoch Mysteries on Netflix

Reading: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Listening: Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men

Making: About to start on our yearly calendar which starts in June. Because I made a calendar when we moved in together in March of 2004 and then the next year we got married and I got behind...so now it's June. 

Feeling: Better. I was sore most of last week from going overboard on strength training and today is the first day I haven't winced when I stood up.

Planning: A certain little Mister's 2nd birthday. I can't believe he'll be TWO just one week from today.

Loving: The cool air and rain today. 

The Words He Says at 22 Months

Happy is a kid of few words. It used to be he would say something once and that would be the end of it, but just in this past month he's decided that using words isn't a bad thing. Very often he speaks in a low pirate growl and it makes me so happy that he's finally showing an interest. 

"Hel" - Help

"Choo-Choo" - Train (also new favorite thing)

"Tea-Ko" - Teacup/Teapot (I'm a Little Teapot is one of his favorite songs)

"Que" - Cute (he picked this up from his cousin J and I'm pretty sure has no idea what it means)

"ShUUU" - Shoe

"Show" - He loves all things Disney with Octonauts and Mickey topping the list

"Hea" - Head

"Ha" - Hat

"Coo" - Cool 

"No" - usually yelled angrily

"Cura" - Color

"Nooo" - Similar to "No" except his finger is squashing someone's Nose and he's super happy about it

"Carrrr" - Car...said in pirate

"Go, Go, Go!" - Rarely said just once...usually said when running is involved

"Here go." - Here you go.

"T" - Please

"Hi" and "Hey!'

"Da-Da" - Daddy

Animals - More sounds than words, but we are celebrating all things verbal!

 "RAArrrrr" - Can refer to a dinosaur, dragon or lion

"Mew-mew" - The saddest cat ever, like left out in the pouring rain with no love or food. SAD. 

"MMMMMMMM" - Cow. The "oo" is always left off. Happy's cows like to hum. 

"Hi, Uck! Wuack-Wuack" - Hi, Duck! Quack-Quack! We visit ducks on almost all our walks. 

"Cheep-Cheep" - Chicks 

"Hoo-ooo" - Owls

At his past couple of check-ups there was a concern about his lack of speech. I'm less worried now and can't wait to hear what new words he learns next. 

Project Life Tuesday: Week One 2016

Sorry if the lighting isn't fantastic. I waited till the last minute and most of my natural light was gone. Still doing really well on 2016. All the pictures are organized and ready to print, sticky notes are in place telling me what stories and which pictures go where. It's been pretty easy so far sticking to my plan and I really REALLY hope it stays that way.

My "week one" runs January 1st -3rd 

 This makes the week count a little off at the end of the year, but it works for me. 

Page One:

I organize my cards mostly by color and buy a lot of mixed lots...so I rarely know where anything comes from. The little boom box is a Studio Calico stamp and it's one of my favorites. The picture of hubby and I is an extra from our family pictures I used for my title page. It didn't work out there, but I had to include it. Three of the pictures on this page were snagged from my husband's phone. It's nice to have another person taking pictures.  

Page Two:

My father and I spent a night out eating BBQ and looking at Christmas lights. We drove through a neighborhood which is SO super busy during December, but not so busy January 1st, even though a lot of the houses were still decked out. The Star Wars lawn was my favorite. Our family also had the last of our FIVE Christmas celebrations. 

I think I did a good job of keeping it simple. Once all the pictures were in the protectors I think it took all of 15 minutes to complete, if that. It really feels good to simplify things this year.

Project Life Tuesday: 2016 Title Page

I'm going to be honest. White I have all the pictures printed for 2014, I'm not done with book two. 2015? Still on March. But I'm still plugging away...I have a good rotation and I'm getting those photos out of my computer and all our stories told. I'm slow, but I love it.

So far this year I've managed to stay on top of things. I clear our phones and cameras every Sunday. I check Facebook and Emails for important updates and add them to my super duper PL planner and I get to work. 

Here is my 2016 Title Page

Pretty simple and I enjoyed digging through my stash for the perfect cards. I think I have a mix of Elle's Studio, Freckled Fawn and Studio Calico. I know the W is an ancient find from Michaels.

My game plan for staying on top Project Life this year is to keep it SIMPLE. 

• I don't need to use EVERY picture I take. 
• I don't need to use ALL the things on every page. (Those can be saved for traditional layouts)
• I'm going to try and stick to Design A. In past years I've mixed it up and while I LOVE the look and I find it fun to work with the different layouts, sticking to this ONE should simplify things.

I know January tends to be my lazy month and then everything picks up and gets crazy, but hopefully I can keep on top of things. Would love to hear how other Project Life Scrappers stay current. 

Reading List for 2016

I thought I would share my reading list for 2016. My list of planned reads are literally overflowing and falling off my nightstand. It's a little ridiculous, but there is something about a surplus of books that makes me insanely happy.

In no particular order:

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (Followed by the rest of the series)
• Holidays on Ice - David Sedaris (Already halfway through this. It's not my favorite of his, but I am enjoying it and it's an easy read).
• Vintage edition of Edgar Allan Poe (Gifted to me by my father-in-law)
• The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin 
• The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
• Alice in Zombieland - Gena Showalter (SUPER excited to start this series!)
• Through the Zombie Glass - Gena Showalter (2nd in the White Rabbit Chronicles - need to purchase the 3rd and final.)
• Library of Souls - Ransom Riggs (The Graphic Novel of the 1st book in the series is pictured. It's a fun companion to the first book. LOVE this series!!)
• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China - Jung Chang (A book my grandmother enjoyed and one that looks like something I will enjoy as well. Looking forward to reading it.)

Not pictured but still on my list:

• The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker
• The Burning Times - Jeanne Kalogridis (Was given this YEARS ago and never picked it up...I need to. I hate having books unread.)

Anything I should add? What's on your list for the year?

Checking In With Plans for 2016

Not much has been going on here. We've been living and loving and figuring out routines.

 As is normal for the beginning of January I've been thinking a lot about my goals and plans for the year. 

 I plan to walk, run and be active. I plan to be healthier and stronger.  I plan to love myself more, because my guys deserve a happier Mama and wife.

 I plan to craft more. More sewing, more crocheting, more scrapbooking; but spend less and use what I have.

I plan on blogging more. Sometimes it might just be interesting to me, sometimes not. We'll just see where it goes.

I plan on purging what we don't need, so we can really enjoy what we have. 

So lots of more with a little less mixed in. I hope everyone is having and continues to have a wonderful 2016.