My new little venture!

Happy Little Olive has been sitting here getting dusty so it was definitely time to check back in.  I feel the same guilt I do when I look at those baby books.  I pull them out, put them right next to my bed, my keys, my phone anything to get my attention but day after day they just stay blank.  Oliver's is in pretty good shape but Sullivan's is just sad.  So I started this week trying to fill in some of the blanks and hopefully it won't e another year before I do it again.  But, I have also been neglecting my little blog here due to a new project I have been working on.  I am so excited to share my new blog that is going to (hopefully) be a little more public and really loved.  Please check it out when you get a minute!

MOMSIE

I will post more on what we've been up to here later this week!

Not cool, not cool at all.

See those high waters up there?  They belong to Oliver and are making me real sad today.  Not because he could pass for Erkel but because its proof he is getting so big.  I bought these jeans for him not even a month ago and he is already outgrowing them.  I don't know what happened but overnight he has sprouted up about 2 inches.  Maybe a diet of Poptarts and Cheezits really do supply all the nutrition they need?!

Little by little his baby features are going away and being replaced by this smart, funny, grown up little boy.  Sometimes I can look at his fingers and toes and see what they are going to look like on the 15-year-old version of him.  I can almost picture his lanky, little legs hanging out of the bottom of athletic shorts after a sweaty baseball practice.  Is this how my mother-in-law still sees her "little boys"?  Do you forever see them as just a bigger, hairier version of the 4 year old them?  I think I will.  

I want to just stop the clock for a little while.   Take all the to-do's off my list and just be able to really appreciate where we're at.   I don't want to be caught up in cleaning, cooking, driving, stressing, and doing but instead focus on those (not-so-) little (anymore) hands and feet and remember that one day I won't have them around my house anymore.   I guess its the same as how you see your spouse every day but life is so busy that you don't even realize how much you both have changed until you look back at that photo album from the first year you were dating.  You both die at how much older you've gotten and how happy and naive you look back then.  Not to mention how shocking it is that your husband fell in love with you at all considering your hair then!!   

Distractions help you miss the subtle changes so you can really appreciate the mornings when clothes don't fit and tiny hands don't fit as tiny in yours.  They give you a chance to really see how far things have come but, its still not cool.  My little Oliver is about to leave little boy land for good and it'll be no time before he strolls down to breakfast listening to his iPod and texting on his Blackberry.   I won't even realize how much time has gone by the morning I wake up and help him move into a dorm.  Not cool at all.  So when we go to the mall to replace his jeans once again I will try not to focus on how irritating it is to shop with children.  I will not lose it when I have to ask him for the 5th time to stand still and look in the mirror.  I will try my hardest to enjoy the moment even when its not enjoyable, remembering that these times are as fleeting as the jeans I bought him a month ago.  And speaking of fleeting so were these Oreos...pure, chocolate joy.

Crafty Time

If you looked up the word procrastination in the dictionary.  Well, wait a minute does anyone even use the dictionary anymore?  I guess I should say if you googled the word procrastination you would see my picture pop up.  I guess I like the adrenaline rush of doing things last minute or something.  Or maybe its just I don't like doing things that I don't like doing.  For instance putting pictures in albums, dusting, cleaning out the coat closet, or buying socks (see previous post).  But give me a crafty project and I can't wait to start.  Over the last month I have had a couple of opportunities to put my crafty-ness to work and I loved it!! And even better these projects were basically free.  My first idea came from some old sweaters I was about to take to Goodwill.  I was sick of staring at the basket of clothes that I intended to take to Goodwill for weeks.  Again I was procrastinating so it had been sitting in my dining room but all that staring gave me an idea.  I could use the sleeves of the sweaters to make a cool covering for a vase.  The cable-knit would look very Fallish and cozy.  One problem: the vases were in the basement which I only enter if there is an emergency.  So far the only emergency has been to grab a spare bottle of ketchup from the fridge down there and even that caused full body shivering that lasted well after I had shut the door back and checked my hair for spiders.  These vases were no where near that level of necessity.  "Dip dip" is crucial in this house.  Vases not so much.  Turns out I had three empty soup cans sitting on my counter that would work perfectly.  I added a little ribbon and voila...cute Fall vases and a cute (if I do say so myself) way to display some photos.  Oliver happily collected some branches from our yard and I simply clipped the pictures and a little note to them.

My first project was for a special opportunity I get every few months.  I volunteer at a great place here that houses young girls and their babies.  It offers these girls a place to live and assistance while they go to school and get on their feet.  The girls are all under 18 and would not otherwise have a stable environment to raise their kids.  I just kind of stumbled across this place and immediately felt like I wanted to do something to volunteer.  Even though our lives couldn't be more different, at the end of the day we are all moms and I can't imagine doing that job without the help of a husband or just having basic necessities.  I tried to think of something out of the ordinary that they wouldn't normally have and to me that was having pictures of your kids.  So now I go and just take casual fun pictures since I am NOT a professional and they get to have little keepsakes.  So my cheap-y vase project was the perfect way to gift them their pictures.

*dust bunnies not included

My next project was to crate some kind of cute center piece for my brother-in-law's rehearsal dinner.  I just re-vamped this idea and it was all still pretty much free.  I got a roll of burlap ($3) and covered some wine bottles (supplied by my in-laws) and again raided the yard for branches.  They were a fun, easy personal touch that night!

BONUS: I kept the wine bottles for a cool Thanksgiving centerpiece!

My last project has been really fun.  I originally made them for a birthday brunch for my mom and oldest sister.  I cut scrapbook paper into rectangles, glued it to cardboard (that I had from two UPS deliveries that week) and then glued questions on the card.  The questions were things like "My favorite thing about you is..." or "When I think of you the word that comes to mind is..." and other fun things that were all about the birthday girls.   It was a great way to make the day all about them!  I re-used this idea at the rehearsal dinner and made the question about the happy couple.  The answers ranged from sentimental to hilarious to downright racy.  The perfect combination for a wedding weekend if you ask me!  Oh, and most importantly I placed a box (purchased for cheap at Homegoods) at the guests of honors seats.  The cards were placed in there so that they can read them anytime they want a stroll down memory lane.  Unfortunately I can't find my pics from the bday but you get the idea...

A mind is a terrible thing to waste...

Does anyone else out there do things that make no sense sometimes?  Sometimes I amaze myself at how illogically my brain works.  For instance, when I walk by a pile of folded laundry that needs to go upstairs but I just don't take it.  I guess this could be called good old fashioned laziness but its not that.  I look at the pile and know that I should pick it up bc I am going upstairs anyways but I don't.  I tell myself I will just get it the next trip.  Does that make sense to anyone?!  Absolutely not.  Or how about when I go to Target, like I did today, to stock up on cleaning supplies.  This doesn't happen a lot bc lets face it my cleaning supplies have been lasting a loooong time since Sullivan came along.  But anyway I go to buy things for cleaning and I know that we are low on trash bags but I just don't get them.   Not for any real reason other than I figure I will just make another trip when they actually run out.  Because who in their right mind would just buy them today?!   Or heres one....I only own two pairs of tall socks (I have the ankle ones which is another illogical thing since I don't work out).  Dead serious...2 pairs.  I wear boots all the time so why wouldn't I just buy more.  Like, when I am in Target?  Today?  And my favorite stupid thing I do is not getting gas.  I hate pumping gas.   Its boring and I hate just standing there waiting for it to finish.  I only go when my light is on (and has been for a day or 2) but never just when its getting low and I am passing a gas station.  And sometimes, gasp, I don't even fill it all the way up because I hate waiting and again I hate getting gas. So obviously I would rather have smaller increments of time between pumping.  Wow, I am smart!!
I guess all of these habits fall under the same category with being late everywhere I go.  I assume that I can get anywhere in "10 minutes" : the doctor's office that is 15 minutes away, my son's preschool that is about 12, Target that is a good 25, and anywhere else that is within the state of North Carolina.  And I forget that not only do I need more than 10 minutes to get there, I need more than 25 seconds to get me and the two boys in the car.   Some days I feel horrible when I think of their little frazzled faces as I scream at them to "put on your shoes!!", "hurry up and buckle!!",  "move your arm so I can buckle you!!" (this is at my 11 month old!)   Poor guys.  They looked shell shocked most days after we finally get on the road.  And baffled that this crazy woman that just made them flee the house like it was on fire can now be saying "ooh, look boys a fire truck."
I wish I was normal.  Or at least a little more logical in my thinking.  But these are the cards I am dealt so I will just try to do a little better tomorrow and in the meantime I will get up, walk right past the bathroom without putting away the toilet paper I bought at Target and get on with my life.

Mission Accomplished

My little Oliver, or 007 as he was know the next day for Halloween (more on that in a minute), performed as ring bearer and did not cause a scene!  I didn't even talk to him about the wedding until right before we got to Georgia to downplay it all as much as possible.  Because my first-born is precious and smart and adorable but he is also what you'd call "strong-willed" which any parent knows just means "can be a complete jack a** at times."  I love him but its true.  And obviously he gets that from his Dad.   For Oliver the more encouragement you give him on something the more it seems to tip him off that whatever you are talking about is important therefor must be painfully boring.  So we didn't say much and at the rehearsal there was a little gift from God named Mrs. Anne.  She was the teeny tiny wedding coordinator who could scare grown men with her "mean look"...jackpot!  I gratefully handed all control of Oliver over to her and it worked like a charm.   The day of was hectic and I barely even saw Oliver between getting beautified myself but I did see him just long enough to hear that he hadn't taken a nap.  Seriously. NO. NAP.  I honestly considered canceling on the bride but I decided to chance it.   If you have ever been around Oliver on a day when he has not napped you understand my concern.  Not that I thought the bride wouldn't love to have her vows drowned out by the groan he does when he is tired I really was more worried about the chance of him going into the delirious crazy mode.  But he hung in there with a lot of bribery and gentle "love squeezes" from me on his upper arm.  (Don't act like you haven't done it yourself).

He walked down the aisle with the flower girl (not me or Daddy) and took his place: sitting at Daddy's feet with his thumb in his mouth.  We did send him to sit with  Grammy and Papa about half way through when he discovered this little metal outlet cover right next to the bride and groom's feet but he stayed there with them quiet as a mouse.  Usually when I have been in a wedding I have made an effort to glance at my husband during the vows to give him that look like, "Hey remember when we did this..."  but this day I looked at a different guy.  My little guy.  I thought about the day when he is the groom and I am bawling dabbing my eyes in the pew.  I can't even imagine things that far away but it made me want to snatch him up and shove him back in the baby Bjorn!

Tux- Part 2:  

Why let a good tux go to waste?  Especially when you decide to stay in Georgia one more night and you didn't bring a costume?!  He didn't care what he was wearing as long as you filled his bucket with treats!

handsomest trick or treater!

And I can't leave out my other little boo boo.  The cutest pumpkin in the patch!  

The Fair!

With Fall officially here it is only right to attend a fair.  So thats just what we did this weekend.  With Taylor off to Vegas for his brother's bachelor party (complete with a tiger in the bathroom and a baby in the closet I am sure)  I decided to ditch single-motherhood for South Cackalaki with my sister and her family.  Complete with rides, funnel cakes and carnies (as well as a large number of mullets) this fair was just what the doctor ordered.  And the rest of the weekend measured up just fine to Oliver too.  He was bossed around, slathered with glittery lipgloss, and locked in the "craft room" for hours on end...in other words utter heaven.  And I got my girl fix which is always a good thing because I leave thankful that I have nieces to play with but even more thankful that I don't have girls to dress for school everyday.  I got all excited to dress my nieces but by the fifth outfit change and at least two of them in tears (this includes me) I realized that females + clothes are a deadly mix starting at a very young age.  I had no idea that little girls already care about sleeve length, the pattern on the shirt, the wash of the denim, the texture of the tights, and the ability to be able to run in shoes (not sure why Gracie always needs to be able to run??).   On the other hand I threw clothes on Oliver that morning and smoothed his hair down with a baby wipe.  He never even looked down.   Boys are fine with me!
But girls are fun and make excellent shopping buddies and the best part of my weekend was spent with Gracie in Old Navy.  She loves clothes the way I do and was game to be my little dress up doll.  Her and I picked out complete outfits and then both died over them while she tried them on.   I mean skinny jeans?!  Seriously?  (She kissed them before she put them on!)   And to seal my place as favorite aunt I found her these little grey ankle boots.  She loved, loved, LOVED them!  So much so that she slept in them!  Yes I am serious.  It warmed my heart and gave me an idea for when I got home and found my new boots that had been delivered over the weekend :)
Also delivered when we got home was...Daddy!  In one piece and able to recall most of his weekend.   We all took one day to recover;  Oliver from his cold, Sullivan from the arrival of his 1st tooth (there may be a whole other post just about how big he is looking now) and me from traveling with two kids alone.  But one day was all we got because we leave tomorrow for my brother-in-law's wedding.  That means I did the mountain of laundry and didn't even have to put it away, just back into a suitcase.  With one very precious addition...a tiny tux!  Yes, my sweet little Ollieman will be ring bearer which is heart warming and terrifying at once.  Please don't let my kid be the one who runs the wedding!!  No, but seriously 3 of the 4 of us are in the wedding so it will be fun and at the very least a good family picture with all of us showered and dressed in our fancy duds.  A feat in itself these days!  I am bringing lots of tissue because not only will I be watching the bride come down the isle which always ensures an ugly cry, I will be truly ecstatic because she is awesome and I can't wait for her to add a little more estrogen to this family!  And to top that all off I am going to see my little man wearing a tux!  As if weddings aren't emotional enough people!!

Oliver and Molly

Wagon buddies: Sullivan and Finley

Just spotted the funnel cakes :)

His favorite ride

Me and my sweet Sullybug

Bet you can't guess which one is Gracie!!

The trooper of the night...my Mimi!

Along with yesterday's post...

I had to include this little tidbit after yesterday's post since this awesome lady is blood related.  My sister was featured on a website for designing her own baby bedding.  The website itself, Make Room For Baby is really cool if you are looking for a way to make your own custom bedding instead of going with patchwork Pooh :)  Check out Lauren's design for my sweet nephew Nash!

When I Grow Up...

Hopefully other moms reading this can relate, but sometime after having kids I realized that I kind of forgot who I am.  I knew that I was really awesome at wrestling a 9 month old on a changing table.  I knew I could whip a dinner together out of spaghetti noodles and a dusty can of green beans.  I knew for sure that I could run on 2-3 hours of sleep, and that I could pack a diaper bag with my eyes closed.  But I started wondering, what was it that I used to like to do??  Like, back before I gave up my personal space and the luxury of sleeping in??
Luckily for me there is this little thing called the internet that has helped me pass endless nap time hours and has provided an escape from motherhood (even if that escape has usually led me to blogs about...motherhood).   For some reason it is so comforting to read about other moms and their lives.  I could cut and paste most of the posts I read and place them right on my blog because the stories, feelings, and complaints are the same ones I go through.  Ok, maybe not Mandy's obsession with narwhals (?) or the tough road Blair has faced but for the most part these girls know exactly what I'm talking about and they say it way funnier than me.   These blogs have become a new "girls night" I can have right here at my computer (in the comfort of my ugly fleece pants).  That might sound creepy but its not single white female syndrome or anything I am just happy that I have found girls that, through their blogs remind me that being a mom doesn't mean giving up your hobbies even if your hobbies are now writing about your kids.  These blogs give me tons of inspiration to be creative with crafty projects, try new recipes, and to laugh through the days that make me feel certifiable.  Most of all they remind me that females are awesome and I don't know what I would do without them (online and in real life).  In honor of that I am going to start a little award of my own as a way to say thanks for your blog and the inspiration it brings me!   Listed below are my most favorite blogs that I regularly stalk follow.

Harpers Happenings...the absolute best place to laugh out loud (or LOL as the kids are saying these days).

You Paid More Than Me...she doesn't talk about motherhood but she can make you want to redo your entire house in just one visit.

Letters to Ames...just a fun family to read about.

Heir to Blair...funny Carolina girl.

Samster Mommy...I feel like I would be friends with her if I knew her.

***There are tons more in my bookmarks folder that I am sure I will reference down the road or I may even have their button over there to the left.


Grab a button and give it to your top 5 faves.  Just cut and paste the link.

    

<a href="happylittleolive.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="happylittleolive.blogspot.com/button.jpg

" alt="happylittleolive.blogspot.com" width="125" height="125" /></a>

3..2..1...goodbye

There is something creeping into our house very quietly.  No it’s not the Spirit of Halloween although I am very excited about my Jersey Shore themed costume.  And no I am not talking about the growing population of those cricket-spider things.  That is a whole other problem that causes me to act irrationally.  I beat one so many times today with my Swiffer mop that Oliver finally said "Mommy its dead." His look was part confusion part terror as he looked at me.  

No, what’s creeping in is this distinct feeling of losing something. My mind has been gone so I know it’s not that.  And as I look around and see everything in its place, i.e. scattered in piles, I know its not something but someone.  I have seen the signs and pretended I didn’t.  I caught the stolen glances and looked the other way.  I act like its not happening because I simply cannot go there again. 

I.am.losing.him.

This is not the first time and I fear it won’t be the last.  And yet there is nothing I can do to stop it.  My friends, I am losing another son to Daddy.  Oh Sullivan still reaches for me and still gives me big gummy kisses but I see him light up when Daddy enters the room.  It’s a different look of recognition.  One that says, “hey you’re that really fun guy!  The one who is loud and wrestles and lets me crawl off the side of the porch!”  I can’t compete with that.  Loud gives me a headache and wrestling is a good way to end up in the emergency room.  And you crawling off the side of the porch is a good way for Mommy and Daddy to have another talk about how Daddy needs to pay more attention and not say things like “aww it’ll make him tough” unless Daddy wants to go over the side of the porch himself!!

I try to act cool and act like it doesn’t bother me when you leave my lap to crawl over to Daddy.  I act like I am thankful for the reprieve because of a pressing matter I have going on in the kitchen but really I go in the other room and swallow a big lump in my throat.  Unfortunately I have seen this little show before with Oliver and I know the ending.  I know that you will love me in a different mommy kind of way but it won’t be the same as these last 10 months.  You won’t just have eyes for me anymore.  I won’t be the first one you look for through the crib slats in the morning and I won’t be the one you choose when we ask who you want to put you to bed.

So I will watch from the sidelines and pretend I really don’t want to get dirty anyways or like I really have to go check that casserole in the oven or something but please remember that there once was a day that you looked at me with that awe.  You stared at me for hours in a dimly lit room and silently thanked me for being comforting.  You gave me those eyes when I laid you down with your blanket and passy all snug just like you like.  You breathed all content while I held you just a little longer than I needed to.  You won’t remember…but I was your first love. 

So I will loosen my grip just enough for you to crawl into Daddy-land knowing somewhere deep down that its just a guy thing and that I am eternally grateful that you have a Daddy who loves you but I swear if you don’t come crying to me after your first heart break I am never speaking to any of you again! 

The weird apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

It makes me proud how weird my son is.  Is that weird to say?  Maybe its just because my husband says he gets it from me and considering both of my children are clones of their dad I will take what I can get.  At least once a day he makes me laugh...a sincere laugh...not one of those fake ones I have to do when he says "I dove you" or "I glove you" or "I bove you."  He is actually funny sometimes.  From early on he has had some interesting names for people.  I have always been "Bobby."  No clue why, we don't even know anyone named Bobby, and clearly I am not a man so I have no idea why thats what he calls me.  And to make it even weirder its not all the time.  For the most part I am good ole Mommy but out of the blue sometimes I am Bobby.  He has also made up his own slang word: dontch.  I am pretty sure its a cuss word.  As in "You're a dontch mommy" when I don't do something fast enough.  Disrespectful: yes.  Genius: absolutely.
The other day Oliver was going through the usuals before bedtime...I am hungry, I need a drink, ruv my back, read me another book...when he pulled out a name I hadn't heard before.  He couldn't find his stuffed dog and wanted a replacement friend to sleep with so he asked for "Barry."  Something about that name just sounded odd.  I mean its one thing to call me Bobby but now you want to sleep with Barry?!  I was about to google "kids naming things weird man names" to see if in fact my kid could be a future psychopath when he found Barry!

                                                         a.k.a Beary

Phew.  

Are you there blog, its me Beth?

Why am I blogging? I'll tell you why. Because my kids are cute (obviously), funny (of course) and growing faster than I can document so this is my attempt to keep track of the memories.  Its for me, family, and friends because lets face it the more kids you have the less likely you are to pick up the phone and call anyone. Unless of course you are calling to complain about your kids!


I will do my best to post pictures and keep you in the loop of our crazy life.   I will spare you the details of diapers, boogers, and what I find between their toes.  Everything else is fair game!  


We had a very nice low key weekend that was needed by all.  It gave us a little time to regroup from all the traveling (weddings, girls trips, etc.) to just enjoy the little things.  At lunch we were entertained by Sullivan deciding to suck the grapes off the table instead of picking them up.  Look ma no hands!  We went to the pumpkin patch to get punkins and Oliver was terrified of the inflatable "ghostess."   And today we had a good lazy Sunday.  As I laid Oliver down tonight and said our prayers I made sure to ask God to help heal his nose and lungs (allergies and wheezing!) and when I finished Oliver said, "thanks mommy for praying for me."  I told him he can pray anytime because God lives in his heart and he said, "So he just fwoats along wif me?"  Thats right buddy, he just floats right along with us everyday.  And again I am reminded that its just the little things that really matter.  Hopefully I won't forget this before we are out of jay jays tomorrow!

Happy Little Olive

Happy = Because this page will include all things that make me happy

Little = Because Sullivan (my 2nd) means little dark eyes

Olive = Because Oliver (my 1st) means olive