One cabinet at a time

We're organizing our house one cabinet at a time.  I finished 2 cabinets today and Cory cleaned out the fridge.  He's awesome like that.  It's a perfect job for him because he likes to line everything up in perfect order.  It lasts about 3 days, but it sure looks purdy while it lasts.  I'll try harder to keep it neat and clean. Here is the outcome of our work today:

BEFORE:  Art supply cabinet

AFTER

BEFORE: My cookbook cabinet=hot mess

AFTER--Cory had 6 beer coozies hidden in there.  I made him throw out 3 but he insisted that we keep at least 3 for those special times when company is over.  Stay classy, babe!

 

 

 

The lovely fridge.  I'm a happy camper tonight!

Testing the waters

I have this big desire to see Tangled on the big screen. I've heard from so many people that it's such a cute movie.  I know better than to take the girls but sometimes I just like to ask to see what kind of response I'll get.  Let me tell you that they love the story of Rapunzel and the Tangled book we have is getting really worn, but still no desire to go to the theater.  Here's the response from Reese today:
Me: "I want to see Tangled in the movie theater.  Do you want to come with me?"
Ree: "No.  We'll see it when we grow up.....When I grow up I'll be able to eat popcorn."
Me: "What if we go and don't eat popcorn?"
Ree:  No. It's too dark in there."

That's what I thought.  Just testing the waters to see what kind of response I'd get.     

Snow Day

The girls had a snow day at school.  They trucked in some snow and the kids got to play in it for about an hour while they drank hot chocolate and ate some donuts.  They had lots of fun playing with their friends.  Let me just tell you that I am SO happy that we don't live where it snows on a regular basis.  It was a lot of work getting them bundled up and trying to make sure that they had their mittens and hats.  Thank goodness for 60-70 degree winter days where we live.

Ryan doesn't want to smile for the camera.

 So Reese decides she'll do some smile coaching. 
Ryan doesn't really want to hear it.

"Who can I throw a snowball at?"

Hot chocolate with friends.

It was warm so the gear came off and she wanted to strike a pose.

My Uggs

These bad boys were a Christmas surprise from my mom.  I used to give her a Christmas list, but I haven't done that for a few years.  (I know what you're thinking. The list should have stopped a LONG time ago and not when I was 29.)  My awesome mom decided I needed a pair of Ugg Boots.  I seriously had no idea what I've been missing out on all these years.  I'm now obsessed with my black boots and if you see me on a regular basis, you'll see me wearing these.  My feet are already molding to the bottom and they are so soft and cozy.  I'm really loving these cute and weird looking boots.

 

So now I want these brown ones.  I don't want them this very second, but I am really hoping that they'll make an appearance around Oct. 18th, just in time for the cool weather next winter.

A slice of heaven

With a date like today I shoulda known something great was going to happen.  We had a typical day of preschool, a little park playdate with friends, and then back home for some more playtime.  I had the kids playing outside for awhile because the housekeepers were working away inside.  After our outdoor play I bathed all 3 kids and that's when the magic started to happen. 

I got Reese and Ryan settled in their beds around 3pm and Ryder was down 5 minutes later.  The housekeepers were finishing up and my house was spotless.  All 3 kids were sleeping and my house was sparkling clean!  I swear I could hear angels singing.  I'm pretty sure it's only happened a few times where all 3 kids have napped at the same time.  Best part of it all is that they slept for 3 hours!!!  Best day I've had in awhile :)

Somebody likes the playground

I think Ryder boy has a new love.  The girls would go back and forth between the playroom and playing outside, but not him.  He wasn't going anywhere but down the slide.  He was mildly obsessed with the steering wheel, throwing balls down the slide, & cruisin' down the slide backwards on his belly.  Thought it was the greatest thing ever.  In true boy fashion he got SO dirty.  It was so much fun watching him play and explore today.

Let's party!

You know I love a good party.  So of course we had to throw a bash for Ryder's 1st birthday. We had all the family and close friends over to celebrate with us.  Since Ryder LOVES cars and trucks we decorated with the racecar/Disney Cars theme.  It turned out pretty cute.  Ryder loved the balloons and all the cars around the house. 

Loved this cake!!!  Tow Mater moved around a bit and smooshed the 'hd' in Birthday.  No biggie.

Birthday boy admiring his cake that we made for him.  He thoroughly enjoyed eating it.  Scary sugar overload, but it's part of the right of passage, right?

 

Birthday boy with Gramps.

 I'm so happy that we got a photo of the 3 of us together. It was a hectic day but this is one of my favorite photos of us with the birthday boy.

So much fun opening presents.  His car and truck collection is complete now :)

One

Ryder boy turned one today.  Despite my wishes to stop time and keep him in his little baby phase, he still went ahead and turned one.  It's hard for me to put into words what an amazing year it has been.  We have enjoyed every minute with our little man.  He is the sweetest, cutest, happiest baby boy.  I would keep having lots of babies if I was guaranteed they'd all turned out like him.

I have had fun reminiscing about this day one year ago.  Getting ready to go to the hospital and the anticipation of not only meeting our baby, but the excitement of finding out if we were going to have a boy or girl.  It was the surprise of a lifetime when Cory yelled out, "It's a BOY!"  Such a dream come true to have a perfect, healthy baby boy.

We visited the Dr. today and she said he's doing great.  He weighs 19lbs. 3oz (5th%) and 31 1/2 in. (75th%).  He's staying long and really lean, a "calorie burner" as the Dr. put it.  He eats everything in sight but I think he's just so mobile that he burns it off and he's got daddy's metabolism.  Lucky dude!

He's still standing on his own, taking 1 to 2 steps, but still really content with crawling everywhere.  I'm really content with this too.  I can only imagine how crazy it will be when he is running all over the house.  He's still nursing multiple times and doesn't show any signs of quitting.  I've introduced some whole milk but he's not really that interested.  I'm okay with this too :)  He's developing quite a vocabulary.  He likes to say dada, dog, nana (which is his universal food word, everything is nana, even nursing), ball, what's that?, bbbrrrr (for cars and trucks). He signs more, all done, doggie, milk.  We are starting a sign language class with William & Jess on Tuesday and we're really excited to learn some new signs.  

To my Ryder boy---you are such a joy and we love you more than you know.  You have brought so much fun, love, & laughter into this house in the past year.  We can't wait for all the adventures that lie ahead with you as we start this new year.  

Today's fun

The girls had preschool today and then we've been playing at home all afternoon.  A great day in my book.  Ryder took a really long nap this afternoon which was heaven.  Before he fell asleep he was crawling all over the house, on top of tables, chairs, anything he could climb on.  I heard a crashing noise when I was in the other room and found this:

 He climbed on the girls' 'helper' stool and pulled down my dish drying mat and the things drying on it.  Thankfully there were no breakable items or sharp knives.  He was so proud of his work.  Look at that smile!  Don't worry, that stool has already been moved.

The girls are little mommy copycats and they mimic my actions with Ryder.  They pretend to nurse their dolls, put them down for naps, and the best is this one below--putting their babies in their 'kangaroo pouches' as they call them.  They tucked their babies in their shirts and thought this was hilarious.  They kept asking me to take their photos.  Someday they will be great babysitters, I just hope they don't try to stuff a real baby in their shirts.

Progress

I just cleaned out 2 cabinets and it's nice to purge some items and reorganize what I'm going to keep. While I was cleaning out I found my most favorite book that I've had for years, Life's Little Instructions.  We actually have 2 copies because I gave one to Cory when we first started dating.  It's little pearls of wisdom that a father wrote to his son when he was leaving for college.  I just saw this one and it's my inspiration for the day:

#507) Your mind can only hold one thought at a time.  Make it a positive and constructive one.

11 things

I'm not going to make a New Year's resolution.  They last about 3 weeks and always get broken.  I have no interest in setting myself up for failure.  Instead I'm going to list 11 things I want to accomplish in 2011.  I am hopeful that if it's written down I will hold myself accountable and also have the opportunity to look back and reflect.  Here goes:

1)  More organic food and fresh foods.  I'm about 40/60 with the organic stuff.  I want to be about 75% organic/25% non, or better.  I'm a little worried about the cost and staying in our budget, but can you really put a price on your health?

2) Creating a budget and sticking to it.  This is a tough one because we don't have a steady income so it's really about saving and really living within your means.  Some months I'm really good, other months not so much.  This year is all about asking a very important question, "Is this a need or a want?"  If it's a want I won't be purchasing it.

3)  Back to the gym.  I was working with a personal trainer for awhile last year but I've gotten out of my workout routine.  Now that Ryder is older he can go to the gym day care.  I am excited thinking about getting back into shape.  I'm shooting for 3x a week.

4)  Learn more about my camera.  I've taken a class but I am craving more.  This is top of my list, maybe should even be #1.

5) Read more books.  I love reading but I haven't been making enough time for it.  I have a list of 20 books that I want to read this year.  I'm heading to the library this week.

6)  Do a whole house decluttering. We have too much stuff and I know much of it we can live without, so we'll be working room-by-room to remove all of the extra items that are taking over our house and to better organize what we do keep. "A place for everything and everything in its place" -- a rule to live by.

7)  Cooking one new meal each week.  Easy enough.  Just need to pick them out of my library of cookbooks.

8) Organize my photos.  This is going to take some time but it needs to be done.  I can't believe how many photos we have taken in the past few years.

9)  Create a chore chart.  It's about time for this.  Reese & Ryan are 4 and completely capable of doing basic chores around the house.  I don't need to be the only one who cleans a house that 5 people live in.  Must find some good examples online.

10)  Travel to 2 new places in AZ.   Cory jokes that I'm the worst native Arizonan.  I have barely been anywhere in the state.  This is a slight exaggeration but there are lots of places that we want to visit.  Top 2 are Bisbee and Grand Canyon.

11) Better time management.  I am always trying to juggle it all--kids, work, housekeeping.  I have got to get a better system in place so I can accomplish 1-10 listed above and feel good about how well I'm managing my time.  My time is so valuable and I want manage it properly.

I'm printing this out and posting it on my desk so I see it every day.  Wish me luck!

I don't know about you....

but this is how we roll on New Year's Eve.  

 I am not a big fan of NYE so this is what we choose to do---stay in and lounge.  Lori & Sean came over for pizza and Jared, Jessica, & William stopped by.  It was a fun, relaxing night surrounded by friends & family that we love.  What could be better?  Happy New Year!