Star Spangled Silliness

Dude.
One whole month of 2013 is almost in the books, and I have TWO blog posts to show for it!
It's not that I don't have a whole stash of amazing prose in my brain...(that may be a slight exaggeration...)
It's just that, well, we're on potty watch 24/7 'round here.
You know how that goes.
"Kendall, do you need to go potty?"  "Kendall, let's sit on the potty!"  "Kendall, no!  Wait!  Let's get to the potty before you.....sigh."
As it is, my hands wreak of anti-bacterial hand soap, 409 and carpet cleaner are in the bullpen, and my eyes have been perpetually fixed on the aforementioned three-year-old.

So, there you have it...a whole blog post about why I haven't written more blog posts.  Awesome.

Here's a random tangent...
All of the media attention regarding Beyonce's alleged lip-syncing has been, in my opinion, silliness- silliness we'll have to relive in several days because I'm pretty sure Superbowl Halftime acts get a teeny weeny bit of recorded help, and the "controversy" will be kicked up all over again.  I'm okay with it.  There are plenty of variables that make a live, outdoor show quite challenging.  Just do your thing, Beyonce.  Do your thing.

I saw this and it made me laugh hysterically...I think even non-musicians can appreciate the humor in this:

I'm sure Alicia Keys will produce a similar rendition this weekend before the big game.
We'll enjoy watching it with good friends and good food :)

I'm a Fun Girl, I Promise!

I went out to lunch today.
Sound exciting?  Maybe not to you, but fairly monumental to me.  Let me tell you why.

It required me to get out of my pajamas and put on my makeup...before noon.

If I live in close proximity to you, chances are you haven't seen much of me in the mornings.  It's not that I'm a hermit...I'm not.  (But she is.  haha)  I used to be what's called a "social butterfly".  But these days I've been looking more like a recluse moth.

Having a child who doesn't sleep can be taxing on both the body and spirit.  After waking up multiple times a night with Carter, I learned very quickly that I couldn't recoup my energy in time to be functional in the morning.  (Some people are born with this gift, I am not.)  Coffee, even in abundance, is just no substitute for sleep.  So, I just took mornings OFF the calendar.  And, to be honest, it lifted some anxiety...the awful feeling of knowing you have to be up and out in an hour and you're still rocking a baby.  However, my spirit has been suffering as my inherent need for connection has been squelched.

I remember having a similar feeling a couple months after Kendall was born.  It was February in Duluth, and- uh- it wasn't warm outside.  The easiest scenario for me was staying bundled up inside and enjoying naps with my newborn.  But two months inside our little house (with a dog that drove me crazy, I might add...) gave me an intense case of cabin fever.  I remember making the decision one day to change it.  So, I started making daily outings to the mall, just to walk.  And walk.  And walk.  It was an empowering decision...accompanied by an "I can DO this" kind of freedom.

I had a similar epiphany recently, but have felt physically limited by sleep deprivation.  HOWEVER, and I'm a little afraid to report this because it could literally change overnight, Carter has been on a week-long slumber-fest, giving us stretches of five to eight hours a night!  Do you KNOW what a difference this can make to one's energy levels!?  I've actually felt fragments of my old self being uncovered slowly- a desire to get up, get going, spend energy on friendships because I have a little bit of excess to spend, finally.

I know life is all about seasons.  This has been one long, sleepless season and unfortunately, some of my new friends in Fargo know me as nothing other than a tired, frustrated Mommy.  I'm hoping we've turned a corner here in the sleep department.  And if not, I'm willing to summon all the energy I can to be more intentional with my relationship building.

My new friends here in Fargo have extended more patience and grace to me than they even know.  I'm excited about getting to know them better, and so SO grateful for long-time friends who have been rocks for me during this life transition.  Oh man, God is good.

This rock-solid group of friends has carried me through some tough times. I love you guys!

Christmas 2012- That's a Wrap!

Time for the ol' Christmas WRAP-up!  (See what I did there?)

For me, the Christmas season is always this weird dance between sentiment and stress.  After all, creating memories for my children usually involves some pretty hefty planning on my part.  I'm happy to do it, but I recognize my limits.  In anticipation of this, I completed all of my Christmas shopping prior to Thanksgiving.  It might seem over-ambitious, but it left room for me to enjoy my kids in the midst of the holiday chaos.  With Kendall's birthday (and now Carter's, also) falling between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have enough to keep me busy WITHOUT the added burden of wackos at the mall.  It works for me.

Here is a little sampler of what we enjoyed as Christmas drew near....
I FINALLY got around to this Pinterest project that I've been excited about completing.  Glad we did it this year, because these little hands aren't getting any smaller...

 

 We put together our Christmas tree and stopped to bask in the new living room ambiance.  My attempt to take an adorable picture of my children in front of the tree was, well...unsuccessful.

 Kendall finally made peace with Rudolph after watching the classic Rudolph movie on television.  "He's not scary!  He's nice!" thankfully, has been her mantra the better half of December.

 We took our kids for the first time to the Rheault Farm Santa Village, where Kendall was able to write a note to Santa (someone explain to me the logic of writing a note and mailing it to the NP when you'll meet Santa in five minutes...but whatever), decorate cookies with Mrs. Claus, and meet the jolly man himself!  Kendall was not at all apprehensive...plopped right up on his lap, asked for a "pink dolly" and was elated that she received a sucker at the end!

 

 (Above:  Kendall proudly displays her sucker, while Carter plans to swoop in for the kill...)

 Kendall also watched the classic version of "Cinderella" for the first time, ushering in the era of the princess :)

 Chris, Jamie and Donna enjoyed a Christmas concert featuring Kutlass at our church.

 Kendall, Mommy and Grandma did lots of baking this holiday season, and Kendall was an eager hostess :)

 We began Christmas Eve festivities with a candlelight service at Bethel.  It's kind of terrifying having a toddler with an open flame! After safely extinguishing our candles, we made our way over to the Stavenger home to celebrate Christmas with Chris' family. 

Christmas morning was spent at our home- a mellow, jammies-all-day kind of celebration (arguably the best kind!).  Kendall is at an age where she is pure entertainment when opening and enjoying gifts.  She is so expressive!  Oh, the magic of Christmas to a child!  Speaking of Christmas magic, Santa brought Kendall her very own tricycle...which she has yet to master but is totally excited to learn!  She also received a toy hair salon kit and opened her own "salon"...Mommy, Grandma AND Daddy were all willing customers.  Carter...not so much.

 And, as much fun as it was to watch Kendall open her gifts, it was equally as fun to watch Carter experiment with his newly discovered walking ability!  Toddle toddle toddle BOOM!  He is quite adventurous, needs no prompting, just takes off across the room!  We have, consequently, invested in some new gates. :) 

In the midst of all of that craziness, both kids had birthdays and parties...but I'll have to save that report for another post.  My fingers are bleeding... ;-)

We hope your Christmas was jolly!