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| Mommy got this shot early in the morning since I had been up since 3:00 AM Stupid insomnia |
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| Unlike his sister's 1st, Nolan cared more for the paper |
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| Post aftermath |
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| And the nap that follow |
Monday, December 30, 2013
Christmas Recap
I'm a SAHM for two weeks...and I am enjoying this time. Enjoy a little photo recap of a thing called Christmas :) Now how to put away and regain my house....and HIDE a bunch of toys the grandparents made us take back home from the normal toy pile. I guess they've forgotten they're grandparents ;)
Friday, December 20, 2013
Santa's Super Sleigh
Here we are, soon to be celebrating our 3rd Christmas with children.
HOWDIDTHATHAPPEN?!
Now that Eliza is a little older and can express her interests better, it has given us as the parents a better idea of what thoughtful gifts she might like. This year, we were unexpectedly able to do some shopping for the kids from us as parents. I had a pretty strict guideline to follow as for our budget and what would/could get the most shelf life with ever changing development milestones. Hence why I've been skipping some toddler clothing sizes in hopes of getting another season or two of wear out of them.
As I am planning and packing for the trek to grandma and grandpa's, boxes from my mother are coming in for the kids which have to be sorted and packed for the car ride. In doing this, I can't help but notice a substantial difference in the amount of gifts.
My thoughts then start with...
Do they really need X amount of X kind of toy?
Am I helping foster unrealistic expectations of what brings happiness and joy by letting them have this?
Should I tuck some of this away for a birthday in the spring?
Where are we going to store all the kid stuff in our small place?
And then turn into...
Is this from emotional shopping?
Will she have enough to fly out next summer to visit?
She is retired....how can she afford this?
What if she outlives her retirement?
Get the picture?
How do you as parents handle those times when the spoiling goes a little too far for your comfort level? Do you turn a blind eye; enjoy it and see it as less money you have to spend? A verbal agreement?
I am quite curious as to handle this for future years, as I don't want my children to think happiness/joy comes from what people buy you, but a LOVE that can't come from a store or wallet.
HOWDIDTHATHAPPEN?!
Now that Eliza is a little older and can express her interests better, it has given us as the parents a better idea of what thoughtful gifts she might like. This year, we were unexpectedly able to do some shopping for the kids from us as parents. I had a pretty strict guideline to follow as for our budget and what would/could get the most shelf life with ever changing development milestones. Hence why I've been skipping some toddler clothing sizes in hopes of getting another season or two of wear out of them.
As I am planning and packing for the trek to grandma and grandpa's, boxes from my mother are coming in for the kids which have to be sorted and packed for the car ride. In doing this, I can't help but notice a substantial difference in the amount of gifts.
My thoughts then start with...
Do they really need X amount of X kind of toy?
Am I helping foster unrealistic expectations of what brings happiness and joy by letting them have this?
Should I tuck some of this away for a birthday in the spring?
Where are we going to store all the kid stuff in our small place?
And then turn into...
Is this from emotional shopping?
Will she have enough to fly out next summer to visit?
She is retired....how can she afford this?
What if she outlives her retirement?
Get the picture?
How do you as parents handle those times when the spoiling goes a little too far for your comfort level? Do you turn a blind eye; enjoy it and see it as less money you have to spend? A verbal agreement?
I am quite curious as to handle this for future years, as I don't want my children to think happiness/joy comes from what people buy you, but a LOVE that can't come from a store or wallet.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Funnies
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| Eliza's interpretation of the Nativity |
Have you ever noticed that a lot of Christmas songs sound like mental illnesses? aka Schizophrenia "Do you hear what I hear?"
As we were approaching the entrance of a Chinese restaurant, a group of teens were at the door about to go in. Some of them were not pleased with a particular member and were cursing loudly.
Random teen in group: hey you guys, there's like little kids around...watch your language!
Eliza: thank you!
Eliza: thank you!
Even this little one got their attention and they all laughed.
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| Visiting a church while away on a Sunday |
Monday, December 9, 2013
Do we Dare?
Mr. G and I have been wondering if it would be a wise choice to purchase a home for a short term period (10 or less years) in order to gain a larger place and also reduce some debt in controlling our monthly rent. Not to mention trying to find a bigger place to rent that was safe/clean/affordable in our area. There are a lot of double occupancy homes with apartments, which is frustrating when you don't want another apartment. I've NEVER considered buying a home or even looking at those for sale, just since it seemed kinda silly with where we were wanting to go in life.
Over the weekend, we went to an open house that was being sold directly from the owners. It was an old house built in 1915. Old houses like these are always a bit strange when the layout is concerned (only bathroom right next to the kitchen sink)
As I walked from room to room, I tried to even think about which room would be who's and so forth. Could the kids still share a room...could we have an office AND a guest room?
The folks seemed nice and oddly encouraged our daughter to enjoy the cookies on the bar table, even after we second guessed their permission. (They would later complain to us about the mess of crumbs upstairs on the follow up phone call)
This is where my ADHD can come in handy. I pay 100% attention to 100% of the stupid stuff. If cabinet drawer handles are not installed at the same height of each other, I'll notice it. I've had friends flip houses before and the place we rent now was even a flip that never sold. A good portion of the time, when a house is flipped, corners are cut in order to preserve any potential profit. Or workmanship is shoddy, only for the new owners to get stuck fixing it after the ink has had time to dry on the mortgage docs.
I can see why it is best for the owners to not be around during an open house. It hadn't occurred to me until the very end that this had been a nearly year long project flip. Any comments you made are taken personal and then you see a mean side come out. Mr. G had to hang up on the sellers today after they went on and on complaining about us and that we "scared" off a potential buyer who had cash in hand.
After we left, I didn't get a good vibe about this house. They seemed a bit pushy in saying we'd have to be crazy not to buy this house, as if it was casually buying a used car. If these minor things I kept noticing were to be added up...what does this mean in the bigger picture that we might not know. Buying a house is a BIG deal, especially for where we are in life and want to head.
Lord, please reveal some of your plan for our lives and guide us in the right direction. Oh and that we will be paying attention when you do, lol. We are trying very hard to live within our means, but the desire for more space only grows. I can only convert so many closets into extra space ya know ;) Amen
Over the weekend, we went to an open house that was being sold directly from the owners. It was an old house built in 1915. Old houses like these are always a bit strange when the layout is concerned (only bathroom right next to the kitchen sink)
As I walked from room to room, I tried to even think about which room would be who's and so forth. Could the kids still share a room...could we have an office AND a guest room?
The folks seemed nice and oddly encouraged our daughter to enjoy the cookies on the bar table, even after we second guessed their permission. (They would later complain to us about the mess of crumbs upstairs on the follow up phone call)
This is where my ADHD can come in handy. I pay 100% attention to 100% of the stupid stuff. If cabinet drawer handles are not installed at the same height of each other, I'll notice it. I've had friends flip houses before and the place we rent now was even a flip that never sold. A good portion of the time, when a house is flipped, corners are cut in order to preserve any potential profit. Or workmanship is shoddy, only for the new owners to get stuck fixing it after the ink has had time to dry on the mortgage docs.
I can see why it is best for the owners to not be around during an open house. It hadn't occurred to me until the very end that this had been a nearly year long project flip. Any comments you made are taken personal and then you see a mean side come out. Mr. G had to hang up on the sellers today after they went on and on complaining about us and that we "scared" off a potential buyer who had cash in hand.
After we left, I didn't get a good vibe about this house. They seemed a bit pushy in saying we'd have to be crazy not to buy this house, as if it was casually buying a used car. If these minor things I kept noticing were to be added up...what does this mean in the bigger picture that we might not know. Buying a house is a BIG deal, especially for where we are in life and want to head.
Lord, please reveal some of your plan for our lives and guide us in the right direction. Oh and that we will be paying attention when you do, lol. We are trying very hard to live within our means, but the desire for more space only grows. I can only convert so many closets into extra space ya know ;) Amen
10 months
We are FINALLY crawling traditionally and even decided to pull ourselves up on things! Photos are becoming increasingly hard to get of him sitting still...especially in low light and long exposure shots. I despise flash and use it when I have absolutely no choice but to use it.
Thanksgiving in Pictures
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| first time free range bath time for Nolan...when his sister wasn't busy trying to wash him! |
Lots of excitement and activity for our first time celebrating it together as a family with Grandma and Grandpa. I was entrusted to do the Christmas decorating this year as a gift to my MIL as she has been busy working on her dissertation paper for her Doctorate in Ministry.
Nolan was happily exploring all that he could with new found mobility. Eliza took to her usual favorite spots around the house. It was a blessing to have a vehicle that gave more room and luxuries this time around for the 3+ hour car ride down to the city. I even wrapped most of the kids Christmas gifts ahead of time and brought them down early. One less thing to pack and worry hiding for the next drive down!
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