Lovely Things

from Country Living

 

i want this garden.  desperately. 

 

from Peachey Photography

i know i'm already married and don't plan get on getting married again, but damn, i love this dress.



from Pinterest



i want a fox now.

 

from Pinterest

how awesome are these pictures of the moon?!  i want to do this now.


this post on dear baby on raising a three year old girl.  ky's only two but it really struck some chords deep inside of me about the mom i want to be. thank you melissa.

 

i'm seeing these people on valentine's day at the san antonio stock show and rodeo with my better half, his sister and her boyfriend.  we don't do the whole lovey dovey dinner thing in this house.  we go country!

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Kylie

 

I know I say this every time, but I cannot believe how much you are growing up.  Gone is my little girl who toddled around and babbled in Kylie talk and here is a little girl who runs and jumps and tells me she doesn't like the clothes I picked out for her.  I love watching you grow and learn and laugh (you're the most ticklish under your chin).

 

Mama doesn't work two jobs anymore, so we have been spending a lot more time together and I'm really getting to know you better.  I haven't realized how much I missed you this past year when I was working anywhere from seventy to eighty hours a week. We sometimes drive each other crazy with just the two of us at home during the week with daddy at work, so we visit Auntie Steph, Brian, and Baby Kaid or we invite Auntie Lou over dinner. 

 

I love how much you stretch when you wake up in the morning, you have done this since you were a wee, bitty baby.  You are extremely picky about your clothes now (sad face).  You are not afraid to tell me what you think about my outfit choices.  "Mama, I don't like this," is usually what I hear as you race to your room to get new clothes.  Lately your favorite outfit has been a ruffly dress, jeans, and the cowboy boots daddy and me got you for Christmas.  I am finally allowed to do your hair in the mornings now, which is especially helpful now since we are growing your bangs out.

 

You gag on broccoli, but can stomach green beans and avocado.  You love mandarin oranges, strawberries, and blackberries.  This winter I introduced you to hot chocolate with whip cream and you are totally smitten with it. 

 

Books are still very dear to you, at bedtime we read no fewer than three, and oftentimes in the afternoon I find you holed up in your room, amidst an ocean of books on the floor, chattering away with yourself as you flip through them.  You'll even get mama's books and flip through the pages, reading away. 

 

But don't get me wrong, you still love your "TV" time on mama's ipad.  This is what you call Netflix, you silly little girl.  I think you already can use my ipad better than your dad and I combined.  I have to keep it out of your reach or I find you sneaking away with it to play Toca House or watch Wallace and Gromit. 

 

You are such a smart little thing.  You can count to ten, know your colors and shapes, are getting pretty darn good at coloring, and love to sort stuff.  You absolutely love music. Daddy's heart about burst the first time you sang all the words to the Distiller's "Beat your heart out" in the truck.  Besides punk rock, you will dance to just about anything.  If a good tune comes on your hips start swinging and then you're bouncing around like a crazy person.  The other day at school to get out of taking a nap you sang "Jesus loves me" complete with the signs to Ms. Jenny (by the way, it didn't work, you still had to take a nap).

 

You are a wonderful little helper.  When we get home from school you help me take out the dogs on their leashes.  You always walk Dakota and Mimi for me.  You'll help with the dishes, but I think most of the water ends up on us and the floor.  You especially love helping me outside with the flowers and garden.  You pull weeds, rake leaves, and help plant flowers.  And you help me decide where to put any new additions.

 

Lately you are classifying everything into daddy's, mama's and baby's.  Rocks, bikes, cups, everything.  You let me know who is who and which one belongs to who.  Silly goober.

 

I love you with all of my heart and then some.  I am in awe that God created such a beautiful daughter for your daddy and me.  I thank him everyday for you.

 

Love, Mama



Kylie Says

"Mama, I eat the pop pop wit my mouf."

As she points to the picture of the lollipop on her block and then to her mouth.

Kylie Says

In response to a classmate who says he wants a big truck.

"Pay Pay, you too young."

And upon seeing my blue headband and my pink cardigan.

"Mama, you no match."

And upon discovering that I sewed up her beloved little bear while she slept.

"Mama! You fix my bear! Thank you!"

I'm Alive (and so are Rex, Kylie, and our six chihuahuas)

Wordy title, I know, but it is an apt description. I just realized that I haven't done anything here since October. Poor, sad, neglected blog. Insert multiple sad faces here. Needless to say, life has gotten in the way, but mostly with good things so I'm not complaining. Since its late and I'm lazy I'm just going to make a list of stuff that's been going around in our neck of the woods.

Kylie was an owl for Halloween. We got our truck stuck in sand that night too and had to have Rex's brother in law pull us out.

Rex got a Harley and Ky's in love with it. Like gives it kisses every morning love.

I quit my job at the restaurant. I actually get to spend time with my family now.

Kylie pooped on our bedroom wall. Don't ask, you do not want to know.

We cut our own Christmas tree. It only took us two hours and about three miles of hiking around the Christmas tree farm to find the right one.

Rex turned 27. I baked him two cakes because the first one crumbled into a horrible cake blob. The second one turned out perfect because my mom figured out that my oven's thermostat was off.

I have the most adorable, albeit a bit rambunctious, group of one year olds in my class at the day care. I mean, one little boy does the whole up high, down low, too slow high five thing. They kill me.

My mom and dad came out for Christmas and spoiled us rotten with their gifts and company.

We took some big steps towards being debt free!

And goodnight for now...

Here and There

a. swiffering in her underwear, with a chihuahua audience b. sick baby c. painting her way d. purple fingers e. nakey sandbox time f. gathering the garden troops

Smell

I find that smell is often the most underrated of our five senses.  We see, we hear, we touch, we taste, and, oh yeah, we smell.  With food, oh that sure smells good, but we really don't appreciate the food until we taste it.  With flowers, they may smell good, but we usually don't sit around smelling them all day, we put them in a special place where we can see them.

I can tell where Kylie has been by the way she smells.  Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that, but it's true.  I know she has been with my husband because she will smell like his deodorant which she loves to put on and will have a faint scent of his cologne if they went out anywhere.  Kylie smells like Banana Boat sunscreen when she's been spending time with my dad, who wears the stuff religiously.  She's been doing doing crafts and will smell of tempera paint.  What my husband has cooked that night for dinner.

Sometimes it's much subtler.  How certain houses will have certain smells.  I won't be able to pinpoint an individual one, but am able to recognize the source.  My sister in laws' house.  Day care.

As I've gotten older I've started to realize how much I associate certain memories with smells.  The smell of DEET bug spray always reminds me of the summers I spent as a kid at my grandparent's cabin in Northern Idaho.  Picking daisies in the front field, searching for wild strawberries among the ferns in the forest in the back.  Feeding the neighbor's horses carrots and then walking down the road to swim in the Pack River.

Spending the week before school started at my grandparents' house in San Fernando Valley.  The smell of my grandma's walk in pantry, of the mulberry tree in their back yard.  The smell of dust and books in the small library that we would walk down the back alley to.

How my husband smells after coming home from a long night of work.  Slightly of sweat, Monster Absolute Zero, diesel fuel, and grease.  How Kylie smells of Burt's Bees and Tide when I put her to bed with her freshly washed hair and jammies warm from the dryer. 

I love how these smells can comfort me and ultimately take me back to a place in time when no photographs are to be seen.