Return of the really awesome

Bed Head!

Bram's hair gets some rockin bead head when I grow it out, and it's back in full force. John has begun asking when we are planning to cut it, and man alive if I didn't squelch that idea right quick. We all know how it ended last time. He is going in on Saturday for a trim, but a true cut...nope.

I sound like a broken record here, so sorry, but folks the WEATHER! It's amazing. So, we went out for a hike on Sunday. John brought along his worth-their-weight-in-gold  binoculars, and Ambrose brought along his thank-the-Lord-their-still-in-one-piece binoculars, and John taught the boys the art of scouting (for people, this was a pretty busy hiking trail and there was no hope of seeing any sort of wild life). It was a total blast!

You'll remember that Brams sleeping issues still (for the love of all that is holy...STILL) persist, and in desperation we moved him to a big boy bed. We (we being me, john was all about the big boy bed) were terrified, but thus far, the transition has been fairly smooth. It's been fun looking for ideas for the boys shared big boy room, and I look forward to seeing it come together in Florida!!

Ambrose's tubby bear continues to get tons of love around here, and with all that love comes an immense amount of dirt, blood, (Ambrose suffers from some hellacious middle of the night bloody nose episodes), and overall wear and tear. my grandma is helping me avoid the disastrous day ( I shutter to think) where tubby either gets lost or falls apart and she is making us Tubby's brother, that will hopefully be a back up/stand in for our current tubby. However, in the middle of the night, sometimes Ambrose's tubby and Brammy's tubby end up together, and to tell which one is his, he feels the face of the bear. I hadn't noticed, but Bram's tubby has a turned up smile, and Ambrose's tubby has more of a straight smile. Anywho, grandma is putting the finishing touches on the new Tubby's face, and she needs a quick pick of his face. Thanks a million grandma!!

7th Closing

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, this blog is completely redundant for you. Sorry! But since my some of my family (hi, grandma!) don't use Facebook or Instagram, and because this blog has replaced my boys baby books and my family scrapbook, I continue to post them on here and all those social media sites.

As I have said before, the squadron here in NM is closing the two raptor squadrons and replacing them with an F-16 squadron. John makes up a third of the pilots still here, so things really are shutting down around here. Yesterday was the final 4-ship (aka: the last flight with 4 jets), and they flew over the city a little lower than normal and did a few sonic booms right over the city to say good bye (which I'm sure there are many many citizens happy to see those going away!). This was John's last flight here and as a tradition the family of the pilot goes out to meet him at the jet, sprays him down with a water hose and champagne.

on the bus, headed out to the flight line

Ear protection, of course!

Ambrose is such a worrier, and he is constantly acting like a sheep dog, trying to herd Bram away from even the possibility of harm. Here he is ensuring he doesn't step even an inch too close to the airplanes. 

Ambrose's hands kill me here....

It was insane-o windy, Bram's hair tells the story.

The other 3 pilots that flew in the 4-ship.

Things I never tire of

1) The boys playing together. I've said it a million times, but hearing them laughing and playing together is as good as it gets. *both of these pics make life look deceivingly calm. Trust me, most of the time life is varying levels of loud around here.

2) Jets. nope, they never get old. I still stop and look every time I hear one taking off or flying overhead.

3) NM weather. The highs this weekend are in the low 80's and it is rockin my world. All windows open, curtains flapping in the breeze and I am loving every second of it. I will absolutely miss this amazing weather!

4) Amazon. I won't put in print the exact number of Amazon packages that arrive on our doorstep each month, but it's a lot. I've always had excellent customer service experiences with them, but a recent one took the cake. My Kindle has been acting fritzy lately...apps closing unexpectedly, WiFi not connecting all the time, videos not playing...just fritzy. Well, this week it went from fritzy, to really crazy, so after googling and attempting to fix it on my own, I called up Amazon hoping they could help me troubleshoot it over the phone. The person on the other line kindly reminded me that my warranty had expired, but they'd at least try to help me the best they could. They gave me a few things to try, to no avail. They put me on hold, and when the customer service person got back on, she informed me that they'd send me a new one in the mail, free of charge, all I needed to do was send in my old one. The new one should arrive today!  I tell you what folks, I'm an amazon customer for LIFE!

5) Christmas cards. I'd keep them up year round if John would go along with it. He doesn't, so I usually give in and take them down sometime around February. Here's this years display (after I took the first 7 cards down...).

6) Ted talks. I'm not exactly sure how I found Ted talks, but they are stinkin awesome. Ted talks center around the slogan "ideas worth spreading," and I've found that to be right on. They are videos that have presenters speaking on various topics aimed at inspiring and informing others on certain topics. I watch one every time I "get ready" (ie: do something other than solely brush my teeth to get ready for the day). Here's a few that I've really liked, but there are a zillion more...go browse
Schools kill creativity
Every kid needs a champion
Why 30 is not the new 20
How to use a paper towel
Puzzle of motivation.

state of the union

1) We didn't watch The State if the Union address last night. partly because we still use an antennae to receive our TV channels, and if the wind blows weird, a cloud shows up or the kids walk even remotely near it, the channels don't work (and right now, for some reason, the audio is out on the HD channels, so, if the stars align and we actually receive the channel, the audio is out...) so there was that... and partly because, well....we didn't really want to. I did however get a play by play from my friends and their comments on Facebook.

2) We are trying to sell our house, in a market that has 531 homes for sale. Not.ideal. folks. Not ideal at all. With that has come cleaning nooks and crannies of the house that have been...slightly neglected shall we say. vacuum behind the couch, lets see, we moved in 4 years ago...(squints and does math)carry the one....that means....yup, it's been a long time. Needless to say, living in a home with 2 boys that has to be show ready with 15 minutes notice is dicey.

3) I haven't complained about Bram's sleep in a while, but don't let that fool you, he still has his fair share of sleep issues. As of yesterday, we've kind of thrown our hands in the air and just decided to survive. I've done everything by the book. We don't rock, bounce, walk or feed our kids to sleep, as a matter of fact, we don't do any of the other "bad habit's" books refer to. We set a schedule and we live and die by it. We "protect" our kids sleep like nobody's business,  and we teach them to fall asleep independently from an early age, and yet.... So, since doing all the things "right" has failed us, we are going to do what works. I don't know what that is yet, but right now, what it looks like is me sitting at his door as he falls asleep. I am THAT parent, the one I said I'd never be. The parent I was then though, honestly never faced the likes of a black belt sleep fighting little boy. So, I hope that me sitting outside his door doesn't last forever, but for now, it's what we're doing. I tell you what, when we reach the "my kid reliably falls asleep without hours of shenanigans and crying and then sleeps through the night" finish line, it will most definitely NOT be a rocky-esque event with hands held high victoriously. Nope, we will be dragging our tired haggard selves across the finish line, thankful we all survived.

4) I can't remember if I've mentioned it on here before, but we are getting ready for our next move, which is to the sunny beaches of FL. We've been there for a few of John's trainings, and we look forward to living out there for a few years! Remember that resolution to make this "our most organized move yet." Well, I've started preparing now, to at least have a shot at making that happen in a few months. The plan goes something like this: Get rid of it. Quite literally, we are donating/throwing/handing down/selling things like people planning to live off the grid. It feels great!

5) In FL news, they had a snow day yesterday. Schools shut down, the base shut down and from what I can tell the city (based on the businesses that I'm trying to get in contact with) all but shut down. According to my phone, the high out there yesterday was 52...I ugh....am...confused...

6) Ambrose has become incredibly attached to a hand knitted bear from my grandma. He is affectionately called Tubby bear around here, and peace ceases to exist if Tubby is lost, specifically, at night. We are on the hunt for something that puts of a slight glow (ie: those glow in the dark stars that many teen girls in the 90's adhered to their ceilings), but doesn't need replaced every other day (think glow in the dark bracelet) but also lasts all night (which is the problem with the stars, they loose their glow within an hour or two of being in the dark). Any ideas? Thank you grandma for lovingly knitting Ambrose that bear. He is loved beyond belief in this house.

7) Yesterday, I sent Bram outside while I briefly wiped down the table from lunch. I go outside to get him for nap time, and he looks like this. I....how in the.....gah! This kid!

Whole lottanothin

going on around here.... but here's a few of the boring highlights..

1) I fired someone. Our house has been on the market for a while, and due to various reasons (that were completely justified, almost embarrassingly justified) I went in and fired her. Notice I said "I" and not "we" because per usual, John was busy that day, so non-confrontation me rocked a tweed blazer and red lipstick, and walked in with my well rehearsed speech and asked her to "terminate our contract." Which she willingly did. I'm not sure if I felt more like an adult the day I gave birth to my boys or the day that I fired someone twice my age. Needless to say I've done both, so, an adult I am!

2) Bram is making Uh-Mazing strides in speech (in all things really...but I think at the root of  it has always been his inability to truly communicate). He sees a developmental therapist and speech therapist for one hour every other week. I can't tell you how many people (who loved us and meant well) told me "boys are just slower to talk," "he'll get there, just give him time," and a million other positive things. But man oh man am I glad I listened to my worry wart self. Why oh why would someone wait? The evaluation is free, completely relaxed, play based and the worst thing they could say is "yup, he qualifies, lets work TOGETHER to get him to where he should be." Honest to goodness folks, I will sing the praises of the Early Intervention program until the cows come home. If you or someone you know has expressed even the slightest concern that their child is slow on the uptake in the speech department, lovingly encourage them take their child to be evaluated. Hands down, it ranks at the top (of a very short list) of "parenting things I did right."

3.) I took Ambrose on a run with me the other day, he rode his bike while I ran next to him. Something I noticed while on the run: apparently, kids don't look up while riding their bike. I shouted to Ambrose at least a dozen times, "LOOK UP," as he began to drift dangerously close to the edge of the sidewalk and into oncoming traffic. Clearly it's not a trait exclusive to Ambrose because Our friend experienced the same thing, and her warning came to late and her son ran right into a parked car. Self preservation doesn't kick in until later I'm finding out. The run was slooooow and super short, but like all change, it's happening gradually. Yay for the possibility of training for my next race with a single stroller and one child!

4) Sometimes Ambrose gets a hold of my phone, and while I'd never know otherwise, the camera roll completely rats him out.

Some things we're loving

Prior to purchasing anything, I research. Like a mad woman. I of course google, read reviews, check message boards, but it often comes down to a recommendation from a friend to really push me over the edge. So, I thought I'd give you a little nudge and show you a few things that have been rockin our world lately...

1)
 I read a blog, that regularly rocks my world. I could go on and on (and on and on and on) about how her honesty and openness on all things life have been inspiring, but feel free to head over there yourself. Sit down with a cup o coffee and a couple of hours, because you'll need it.  Here's a clip from today's blog (and had I written this post yesterday, last week or last month, I could have just as easily copied and pasted an expert from that day because she is spot on ALL.THE.TIME!)

Happily Ever After IS NOT A THING. We are all trained by Disney to believe that the wedding is the finish line – but the wedding is JUST ANOTHER STARTING LINE. In light of this fact- we should quit the huge, fancy, debt-inducing weddings. When I asked my parents to help pay for my wedding, they said they’d give me a little bit and then if Craig and I made it to our ten-year anniversary, they’d give us some more to throw a big party. “THAT’s the time to celebrate,” they said. My parents were right.* Celebrate AFTER hard work, not before. Young people: marry simply, start your life, and party later. THINK OF HOW MUCH BABYSITTING FOR YOUR FUTURE COLICKY BABY YOU COULD BUY WITH THAT WEDDING BUDGET. THINK OF HOW MUCH MARRIAGE THERAPY YOU COULD BUY. Invest in your marriage, not your wedding. Spending all your money on a wedding and leaving nothing for marriage is as irresponsible as foregoing health insurance for your baby so that you can throw her a kick-ass birthday party. It’s as backwards as circling the stadium with your arms in the air –  waiting for applause before you start the race. Sweat a little, then celebrate. And don’t forget the good news/ bad news – there is no finish line. Marriage starts over again every.single.day. 

Here's a few of her other posts that are favorites...
Don't Carpe Diem
Whack a mole

and there's a zillion more, but we are getting minutes away from the end of nap time, so go explore her blog...it's worth your time!

You can read more from her at momastery.com/blog/

2) Rhodes rolls.

 These puppies are found in the frozen food section, and while they look like a one trick pony,they are insanely versatile, and since they're frozen, I always have a bag in my freezer. They're small frozen balls of dough, and when thawed you can make a zillion things with them.
Here's some of our a favorite recipes!
Meatball stuffed rolls
Focaccia bread
Pretzel bites
Personal pizza crust
There's even entire Pinterest boards dedicated to the various things you can make with them!

3) Little Green Pouch

Bram would mow through 2-3 of those apple sauce pouches each day if I'd let him. It was costing us an arm and a leg, so I set out to find a more budget (and enviornmnetaly) friendly option.Many of the reusable pouches don't get good reviews, so I was having a tough time finding one that was fairly inexpensive yet held up. These fit the bill. They have been perfect for our family. They are BPA free, dishwasher safe, have a twist on spout. I've put applesauce, yogurt and thick smoothies in them, and they are just what I was looking for! Yay! We've more than got out money's worth out of them!

4) Ready for a random one... Mint Julep Mask

This mask...it's awesome. Hands down it is the only face mask that makes an immediate difference in my skin.

Welp, nap time has come to an end, and rather than let this post sit in the "drafts" pile and then completely forget about it, I'll just sent it out there short and sweet.

Christmas festivities

Our Christmas festivities began around the 1st of the month when Elfie came to visit. This is the first year we've ever "done" Elf on the Shelf and while there were many nights that I began peacefully drifting off to sleep only to remember that Elfie required some...ugh.... assistance,  the boys LOVED him and we look forward to having him around next Christmas. 

Christmas Eve we all piled in the car with our hot chocolate (that one boy dropped on the car floor) and Christmas light necklaces and drove around to look at Christmas lights. We have a significant amount of German families in our neighborhood (due to a German squadron that trains German pilots locally ) and they go all out when decorating for the holidays. They really pull out all the stops for Halloween (and not in the cute pumpkin and scarecrow kind of way, but a severed heads, blood splatters on the garage door and skulls everywhere kind of way ....family bike rides become quite interesting come October.) but Christmas is a close second. They rival Wal-mart in their enthusiasm and begin putting up Christmas decor shortly after Halloween passes. Ambrose started calling all the homes that were decorated with Christmas lights "Christmas houses" and would continually remind us that everyone else had Christmas houses, but not us. We were a giant disappointment in the outdoor holiday decor. We sure are glad that others carry on with the tradition because come Christmas eve, we drive around and enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

Ambrose was the first one up on Christmas morning, and he immediately noticed Santa's gift (Lego's...of course). Since Bram (and John) took a more leisurely approach to Christmas morning, I was able to enjoy some quiet time with my oldest boy while he built Lego's and I baked our cinnamon rolls. One Bram woke up standard Christmas excitement ensued and we all enjoyed opening gifts together. We truly are blessed upon blessed over here!