Hey Murph, get off my Lawn!!

Ah...Murphy's Law. Here's a peek at how Murphy's law manifests itself in my world.


-I wipe 3 butts daily, often more than once. Those 3 butts always need wiping within the same 30 minute period. This might be seen as a benefit to some, get it all over with at once; not for me though. Why, you ask? I have a raging case of eczema on my right pinky finger that is exacerbated by hand-washing. The 3 consecutive hand washes? No bueno.

-Caleb does not often wet the bed but you better believe the night it happens he has just had a bath and I've just put clean sheets on his bed. Every time.

-I've become somewhat of a ninja in my house as far as avoiding creaky floorboards in an attempt to keep sleeping babies asleep. On nights Gideon is completely conked out, no problem tiptoeing out of his room without a sound. On the nights he's been up for hours and he is only lightly sleeping when I finally get him down, of course I step on at least 4 creaky floorboards on my way out of the room. So frustrating!

-Matt is apparently physically incapable of stifling his sneezes (at least that's what he tells me). His sneezes are big and loud! Yup, you guessed it. A sleeping child nearby or in his arms? Matt just has to sneeze!

-Instead of making my usual choice to relax/nap during the boys' nap time, I decide to do something productive. Without fail, one of the boys wakes up earlier than usual and my productivity takes an abrupt nose dive.

-When one of the kids wakes up in the middle of the night, I lie back down only to be awakened by the other one moments later.

-This scenario can go one of 3 ways, none in my favor. 1) I go to the store for a specific item, I leave store without said item because I neglected to make a list.  2) I make a point to jot down a list, head to store, arrive at store without list and leave store without all necessary items. 3) I make the list and actually take the list with me, however I am confident I don't need to reference said list and I arrive home only to realize I did not purchase all necessary items. My memory is not what it once was. I blame sleep deprivation. (Yes, I realize this would be resolved if I were to use the list app on my phone. I haven't had a smartphone long enough for this to be instinctual yet. I'll get there eventually.)

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg folks. What's Murphy doing over at your place?

Lesser Known Reasons why I Love my Husband

Today, August 20th, marks Matt's and my (aren't you glad I didn't say "Matt's and I's" or is that just a pet peeve of mine?!) seventh wedding anniversary. It hit me a couple nights ago that instead of writing the expected syrupy-sweet post, I'd prefer to list out all the random things I love about Matt. On top of all the usual suspects (he's kind, caring, a good dad, etc) there are a million little things I love about my husband.

Without further ado...I love:

-the way Matt turns pages, particularly pages in children's books; he doesn't pinch the pages between thumb and forefinger, he rests the pads of his fingers on the top of the page and delicately flips it

-the way Matt hears odd things in song lyrics and rather than verifying that said odd lyric is in fact what the singer is belting out, he goes with it. Example: "One Hand in my Pocket" by Alanis Moirssette. The actual line is "one hand in my pocket, and the other one is playing the piano." Matt seriously believed she was saying, "one hand in my pocket, and the other one is sprayin' out B and O" (as in body odor, ha!).

-the way he yammers on about his job to anyone who brings it up to him because he truly loves it that much

-that he's a renaissance man; he can build a computer from scratch, install kitchen cabinets, lay tile, repair concrete steps, do plumbing and electrical work, sing. He does a mean boy's/men's haircut and quick mental math. Is there anything he can't do? Seriously!

-that he's great at doing impersonations and accents, ask him to do Hank Hill, that's a really good one. (side note: this is a slight point of contention because I feel this gives him a one-up on me in the funniness category, I'm a little jealous of this and I am TERRIBLE at impersonations/accents).

-that he loves babies

-that he can eat an entire package of Keebler Rainbow Cookies in one sitting

-his amazing work ethic and his dedication to finding a job he loves; 10 or so jobs in (that's a blog post in itself), he finally found what he loves and he's been doing it for 4 years quickly moving up to a principal position and technical lead of the group

-that he's a total nerd trapped in a cool dude's body/persona. The man plays a text-based role-playing computer game called a Multi-User Dimension or MUD for short. Do you even know what that is?! Of course you don't, because you're not a nerd nor are you married to one. But at the same time he can walk into a  room wearing jeans and a witty tee-shirt, looking all muscly, start chatting people up, and be loved immediately. Not at all the stereotypical geek.

I could continue but I won't. I love this man and I love that we get to do life side by side forever!

This past weekend before our anniversary date.

Caleb Turns 3

Back on August 1st, Caleb turned 3!! 3 whole years since I held my newborn baby in my arms and watched him slowly blink as he stared into my eyes.

Here's the current rundown:
Weight: 36 pounds
Height: 39 inches

Likes:  babies, fruit, riding his bike (he got a balance bike for his birthday)
Dislikes:  sharing, vegetables, being scolded/put in time-out

Milestones that occurred this past year:
-potty training
-moving out of a crib into a toddler bed
-switching car seat from rear-facing to forward-facing
-dental cleaning that involved actual dental tools rather than only the toothbrush and a visual exam

For whatever reason I'm struggling writing this post. So I'll say this: the past year has been equal parts wonderful and challenging. Caleb is extremely stubborn, persistent, and strong-willed. He's also sweet, funny, and ridiculously smart. My goal is to help shape him into a respectful, well-behaved child while at the same time not squelching his personality. It's a rough task. I question my parenting and discipline tactics daily, always praying my choices are fostering his spirited personality while also helping him tease out the undesirable behaviors. I'm sensing this could become a drawn-out post full of self-reflection. I'll avoid dragging you through that and instead leave you with some pictures of my handsome little boy!

Caleb at 1 week old

Caleb at 1 year old

Caleb at 2 years old

Caleb at 3 years old