Almost 2!

I cannot believe my little man is almost two! Where does the time go?

This age is so unbelievably fun. I am definitely a toddler mama. He cracks me up everyday with his expressions and his new sayings.

There are phases in motherhood. Tough phases where you are just barely hanging in through the tantrums & teething & sleepless nights, where that glass of wine and bath is calling your name at the end of the day. And then there are absolutely joyful phases, where you lay in bed at night just smiling, thinking about the beautiful and happy boy sleeping in the next room. Wondering just what you did to deserve such a blessing from above and treasuring each and every moment you share with them.

We are in a joyful phase.


He is very into his buddies right now.


Watching mowers and male bonding.

Being silly and singing songs!

This past month, he has really gotten into singing. He loves to sing the ABC song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Hickory Dickory Dock....really any kind of nursery rhyme. And then he claps afterward and says "Yay!". Sometimes he gets embarassed and kind of rolls his eyes and gives me this little shy smile. Especially if I have a camera pointed at him.

Oh man, is he into trucks. The dump trucks keep increasing in size. He can identify and name almost any truck or vehicle you show him.

We found these construction videos on You Tube that he is completely obsessed with. First thing in the morning when he wakes up usually, he looks at me and says "Dozers?" I always say that it's dark and the dozers are sleeping. We can only take so much of the dozer videos. Plus, they are a little creepy. The bulldozer song sounds like an auto-tuned Tpain song. The excavator song sounds like Josh Groban. The front end loader song....who am I kidding? They are extremely catchy. These and Fresh Beat Band songs are what is in my head all day. And the surprising thing is, I sort of like it.


He is usually good in the grocery store, as long as we get a cookie first thing from the Harris Teeter dinosaur. And plenty of samples. I can't tell you how much deli meat and cheese and bread I've bought because I've felt guilty my child has eaten so many samples. All the checkers are familiar with him because he is so loud! Not crying, just humming and singing and naming and so excited to be at the store. And if I can get a cart where he can drive, well I can be there for hours practically and he's happy as can be.

I am leaving out the time he threw a hysterical fit at the register and threw my car keys at the checker. Those are not the norm, thank goodness. I am lucky, I know.

He still loves books. We've started going to the library and have increased our trips to Barnes & Noble lately. Not only do they have books, but a train table and a stage to run around on. Huge.

In case you can't tell by his size, he likes to eat. Big fan of carbs. Noodles, OMG, they are the best thing in the world. Followed by cheese puffs and peanut butter & jelly, in that order.

He's off his old fave, scrambled eggs, but he will still put away some broccoli and cauliflower, so I cannot complain.

Favorite place- The Cul-de-sac (mine and his). I can actually sit and read a magazine or talk on the phone while he runs off all his energy.

Dad is already grooming him to love sports. He calls everything "bee ball" and likes to play throwing games. Yes, there is a football game on the laptop and the tv. We need a man cave in a bad way.

He's a big helper. The driveway did look like it needed a drink.

The pushing obsession continues.

He's really serious about it.


Boy's best friend.

Love my angel. It just gets better & better.

Love,

Lynds

The Renaissance Man

I've discovered a new artist on the rise in the under two year old set.

A true renaissance man, his interests run the gamut.

As far as his art goes, he works in paints of a shaving cream base in the four primary colors.

His paintings are of an abstract nature.

He works best in the bathtub while nude.


A cut up egg carton is his easel.


He's reaching new heights in the art world.

But do not disturb him while he is working! He can be mercurial.

Occasionally, he will branch into his mother's lipsticks to add a new element to the mix. The mailtruck looks so much better in rose pink, don't you think?


The artist enjoys aquatic pursuits as well. Blowing bubbles is his latest passion.

You can occasionally find him seeking out new inspirations in the mud puddles after a good rain. He's not afraid to get dirty.

He's not afraid to learn from his older peers. His latest mentors influenced him to run through the Birkdale fountains for the first time.

Invigorating!

Outside is where is he most happy. He always wants to be there. ALWAYS.

He is serious about his machines.

I am privileged to be a part of his creative process.

Can't wait to see what he does next!

Love,

Lynds

House Obsession

I am obsessed AGAIN.

It first hit me after we got married and started looking for our first house. Dreams of granite countertops and large spa bath tubs danced in my head. Oh, the books I would read in that tub and the meals I would plan out but never cook....ahhhhh.

It's back, with a vengeance.

Our Friday nights used to involve wine, take-out japanese, and a movie.

Replace "movie" with "House Hunters" and actually not much has changed. You know it's a good night when it's International.

The trick is to limit the wine to about a glass and a half. Otherwise, the House Hunters raving begins. Or at least it did for me last weekend.

You know the yelling involved when you watch a scary movie? Actually, I don't watch scary movies since it will frighten me for years afterward, but you know what I mean.

"Don't go in there!"
"He's got a knife. Run!"

House Hunters raving is the same, but relates to serious life decisions and such.

"Don't pick the dilapidated farmhouse in Italy! Idiot! The construction will take years!"
"One bathrooom? Are you kidding me?! What are you thinking?"
"You moved to Urugauy not knowing anybody and not speaking Spanish? Are you crazy?"

Marc picks up the remote & the wine. "I think you've had enough."

Hey, we can't control our passions, right?

I realize this is boring for some. So much so, that you could fall asleep with potato chips in your hands.

That's my boy.

And with the passion to move into a new place, comes the realization that we need to fix this joint up before we can even think about selling.

We finally took down the 80's white vertical blinds that plagued the back screen door. I wish I had a Before pic. They were BAD. Up goes the Lowe's Allen & Roth curtain rod and some old Pottery Barn outlet curtains that were sitting in the closet collecting dust. Pretty right?! Worth $17 fo' sho.

Aprons have a perfect hanging spot in the hallway. Thank you Heather Hucks for letting me copy you. They were sitting in a drawer doing nothing.


Lesson from all of this- I have a lot of stuff. Use it.

Question for you- What is the empty space that home builders put along the staircase? What are the purpose of these spaces? I struggle with this area. It's not finished. Marc said it looks like what you would discover if you found an old pirate ship. Not the look I was going for! I do love my map. I got it at a local store called Bebe Gallini's in Cornelius. It's a $3 sheet of wrapping paper that I cut down to fit one of my old frames. Looks like the real deal!

The guest room is finally suitable for guests and not just exercise bikes and old tv's. Come on over!

I found an old shelf at this adorable shop in Davidson called The Tuscan House. I go there every couple weeks and always end up finding a treasure. Perfect for family pics! But, first rule of house staging is to remove all the family pictures, right? That's the best part!

If I listened to this guy, the house would be decorated with strategically placed diaper piles.

He looks like he's done this before..

But, how can we ever leave this prized real estate view overlooking the cul-de-sac?! Betsy will never forgive us.

Love,

Lynds

Summer Hiatus

I am such a blogging slacker!

My summer malaise has set in. I have heard myself say that it is too hot to go the pool. The mosquitos have taken over the backyard and made it their home. Watering the plants everyday is a drag. I bought a tomato plant at the Farmer's Market for $1.00 but found myself too lazy to plant it.

I blame the heat, but taking care of an almost 2 year old will wear you out too!

You will find me every night after I put Henry to bed in my prone position laying on the couch watching the telly. True Blood and Curb Your Enthusiasm have started again, so that makes me very happy. I have also just recently discovered Friday Night Lights, like five years later than everybody else. This show is Texas personified! It reminds me of home so much. So You Think You Can Dance is heating up. Project Runway is back. HGTV is on rotation since we're back on the house hunting band wagon.

The words you are looking for are pathetic and sad. I have an actual real life that doesn't involve a flat screen, I promise.

We got back from a quickie beach trip down to Destin, TX to visit the Schroeder clan. MUCH too short, but we had a great time as usual. 3 and a half days, no way. Not enough.

I took a grand total of three pictures (see summer malaise above) but they highlight some of my favorite moments of the trip. Excluding me boogy boarding all the way to shore on some awesome waves covered in seaweed in the mannner of Swamp Thing. I just had to put it out of my mind or I would have never gotten in the water. My mental toughness reigns supreme.

Sunset on the dunes. Henry was not crazy about the beach..or the pool...or the sand. He tolerated it. As soon as we would step into the parking garage of the condo though, watch out! The eyes would light up and the talking would pour out. What can I say? He's easy to please. We could have just vacationed in our local Target parking lot.

"Big truck!"

"Mo-cycle!"
"Keekee!"- (There were stray cats in the parking garage. I didn't know cats hung around the beach that much, but ok.)

Reading time with Jojo. He LOVES his family! Anytime anybody left the condo, Henry would start look sad and start looking around for who was missing. He can say everybody's names ("Maw", "Paw", "Ash", and "Jojo") and definitely likes to have an audience.

View of the beach from Seaside. Seaside is this gorgeous beachfront community north of Destin. Mom, Ash, and I ventured out for a little bit of girl time to explore. If money and time were no object and I lived in a dream world, I would live here. No question.

Here's some more pics from the past couple of weeks around these parts.

The pushing obsession continues at Discovery Place.

He paused to amuse me and play with the sprinkler for 2 minutes. Our neighbor was fixing his car and this proved too hard to resist.

I am so smart!

Coming out of his secret hiding place in the backyard between the bushes.

Pickles! So good they'll rot 'yo teef! Looks like he's missing some! He is really not going to like me one day when he sees these.

Love,

Lynds