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!