thank you, jack & liley...

Sometimes, I just need to look at pictures of these two to remind me to be happy. Seems strange…it shouldn’t be something that I have to remind myself to feel…but when stresses are overwhelming, and I can’t see clearly, I look at my favorite people and everything else melts away.

Lila & Ava

Can you see the cousin resemblance? The nose...the eyes...the cheeks and chin?! There's def. the Greffet side coming out when I see Lila with her cousin Ava...

But it's strange because Lila also looks exactly like how my sister looked as a baby...once while holding Lila, my sister even received the compliment, "Well you've got one that looks just like you!" (jeal)

So I can't say with certainty exactly where Lila gets her good looks from...but when that little girl smiles...my goodness it lights up the room...and Jack, well, he's just a miniature version of my dad...except with hair...

boring.

It was a long 4 hour trip into KC on Friday. Jack was too wound up to relax. His little mind was racing with all of the fun and excitement he would soon be having with his cousin, Ava. Nothing would calm him down...not even the old standby: The Little Mermaid.

3 hours into it, I jumped on the internet to read Jim this blog post by my girlfriend, because she is hilarious and I needed some comedic relief after 3 straight hours of failing to be entertaining. It took roughly 2 minutes. By the time I finished, I realized that all was quiet in the back seat. I turned around to see Jack peacefully passed out. Success!

I immediately texted Laura to let her know that she was the answer to all of Jack's sleeping issues. She suggested that from now on, I sit outside his room reading her blog and he would soon train himself to sleep/pass out from boredom. I think this might be counter-productive, however, because I cannot read her blog without laughing out loud...and if Jack heard me outside his room laughing hysterically, my efforts might be counterproductive.

The next day, I received a text from my friend with the following:
“Just so you know, youre boring as shit too.”


Even distance cannot keep us, sisters in motherhood, from helping one another out. Thank you, Laura. And, you're welcome.

snapshots of the weekend...

Trashed

“The leprechaun trashed our room! And he left footprints everywhere, and turned our tables over, and he left us gold coins and bouncy balls…that stinky leprechaun!”
(Lila looks suspiciously at Jack here..."What's this boy gonna do, Mom?!")

Jack had a magical St. Patrick’s day: green popcorn, green juice, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, and a bunch of shenanigans from that silly leprechaun.

It made me so happy because for holidays like Christmas and Easter, Jack expects visits from the respective mascots. But St. Patrick’s day was unexpected and magical, and he and his friends had so much fun with the wonder of it all! I love to see him with such belief…it makes me believe a little more too…

Plus, I told Jack that the stink leprechaun must have trashed my house, too and that’s why it’s in such disarray!

PS: Jack goes to an awesome daycare and I love that they take such wonderful care of my babies...they are the best!

Nani's Girl!

Lila loves her Nani. My Mom was away for a week and by the time she came back, Lila was sitting up by herself, clapping, waving, and reaching for her best Nani to hold her...hello development!

Lila, you're amazing! Nani...you are too!

It hadn't occurred to me, until last night when my Mom said, “She needs a bow in her hair!” that Lila’s hair was indeed long enough to satisfy a bow.

When did my baby girl get so big? I have a mindset that she’s still my little baby: with fuzzy, barely-there hair that can’t sustain a bow. But in reality, she’s my almost 8 month old baby girl, who astounds me everyday with all she knows and does.

When did she get to be so big? Where has the time gone? Why is the fast forward button stuck on...slow down life! Soon, she’ll be asking me to braid her hair. In which case, I can either give her a wonky-looking braid, or send her to Nani’s…cause Nani can do it all!

Clappy McClapperson

Lila claps now...

and holds her little precious hands together...

And Jack pretends he's eating her face...

Also, Jack is pretty good at wrangling Lila so she doesn't hurdle off the couch! Hold on tight, Buddy-boo!

Lila also waves which is adorbs! I love her. And hims.

library house.

I have a thing for vintage books*. Like, a bad thing. Luckily, I also have a cheap thing, so my moderate obsession isn’t breaking the bank. However, soon, I will be like the old woman who lived in a shoe…except I will be the woman who forced her family to live in a house made of vintage books…which will probably fall down when it’s raining because they’re old…and they’re books!

A few weekends ago I took Jack to a bookfair. He sat perfectly enthralled in his book picks while I browsed…he makes me so proud: a little reader! Since it was almost closing time, I got all of my books for $0.10 each! 15 books for $1.50. That little victory made me all giddy inside for a good 3 days! I get a cheap thrill!

My most rEcent purchase was a small lot of vintage Readers Digest Condensed books from etsy…they are adorable. I’m especially excited about the 1961 version which includes To Kill a Mockingbird!!! I’ve never read the “condensed versions” so I hope they're not too condensed!

Speaking of books, someday, I hope to have a pretty bookshelf with color coordinated books, like these:

(via here)

*Truth be told, I have a "thing" for all books: vintage...children's...whatever! Jack's room is slowly becoming a library (a big toybox full, a bookshelf full, and three storage baskets full...and I've already moved the "baby" books that Jack has outgrown to Lila's room). I just cannot help myself when it comes to books...it's my thing.

Picture day, again...

Jack had another picture day. I heard he did fabulous! I will have to wait for the official results to ensure this…however, to me, anything he does is fabulous (EXCEPT refusing to shut his eyes at night…but even that turns endearing when he says, “But Mommy I just really like you.”)

Before heading to school for picture day, I asked Jack to show me how he was going to smile. He proceeded to break out in some growling moves (is this even a thing?!), muscle poses, and flat out angry-looking faces…basically just a hodge-podge of hilarity that made me smile early in the morn! Here we go...

Ta-da!

RAWR!

Here he's showing off his bowling follow through...

muscle man...

Such a ham...

PS: I made that lamp in the background...I mean I didn't "make" it, but I spray painted an old brass base and stenciled the shade with a French quote. I did this all last summer, and finally got around to putting a light bulb in it! Just one of my half-finished projects I can mark off on the finished list!