A lot to be thankful for

If you are related to my Mom, then you know her love of planning vacations. She LIVES for it. We will be on the final days of a current out-of-town visit and she’ll already start thinking about the next time we will all be together again. So when I was back in Iowa with the kids a few months ago, we started talking about Thanksgiving and how we needed to have a Young-family celebration during the holiday. Especially being that we hadn’t all been together since Libba and Dirk’s wedding in May of 2010, and that Libba and Dirk had yet to meet Devon, Will’s super-sweet girlfriend of over a year. It was past due. We needed a get-together.

And because I threw in the I-don’t-want-to-travel-because-I-have-small-kids card, and because Asheville is just awesome, everyone decided to come to us. And I couldn’t have been happier, as were my kids. Who LOVE the spotlight. And because we are so far away from family, it’s always heartwarming to watch Taylor and Luke play with and be spoiled by all of these people who love them so much.

And even though Libba got the majority of the money-shots during the visit, here are a few of the moments my D40 captured:

It was epic. And I’m so thankful that everyone was able to be here. And now I’m just looking forward to whatever vacation my Mom plans next.

Why I'm sticking with sugar cookies this holiday season

An annual event that Asheville boasts about over the holiday season is the National Gingerbread House Display at The Grove Park Inn. People from far and wide bake and decorate visually stunning, edible creations that are judged and then viewed by whoever wants to wander around and look at them, with the winning gingerbread house earning an appearance on Good Morning America. It’s kind of a big deal. And when I mentioned to my friend, Jen, that in all my eight holiday seasons as a resident of Asheville I had never paraded around the Grove Park to look at the sugary masterpieces, she gasped and announced the we just HAD to go. With the kids. And so we all got dressed up in our fancy clothes and met up at the well-known resort to start our tour de gingerbread.

And what sounded like a fun afternoon in theory, was actually quite stressful, as I didn’t think about talking to Taylor about what we were actually doing before we got there. So instead of ogling the overly elaborate cookie creations, my time was spent chasing a wound-up three and a half year old through a maze of geriatric spectators, all while shouting phrases such as, SLOW DOWN!, and TAYLOR ELIZABETH, YOU NEED TO LISTEN!, and NO! DO NOT TRY TO PICK CANDY OFF THE HOUSES!

Oh yes, I needed to remind the Princess on a number of occasions that even though she could reach her arms through and over the little barricades they had set up between her and the mother-load of icing and gummy candy, it was strictly forbidden to actually eat the prized creations. And considering that the actual baked-wonders looked like this, you can understand why I was a bit stressed that Taylor would pick off a corner of cookie when I wasn’t looking.

And did I mention that the whole time I was chasing my daughter through busloads of really old gingerbread house enthusiasts, I was carrying Luke, Mr Nearly-23-pounds, in a carrier on my chest. You can guarantee that I had totally sweated through my sweater by the time we got half-way through the displays.

And since Jen was dealing with the same craziness with both of her kids, we barely viewed the winning collection before marching our circus out the front door. Because we were so over it. BUT. What I did see was impressive. However, I’m pretty sure Taylor, Miss Can’t-control-herself-around-candy, is banned from the annual Asheville tradition for at least a few years, so we’ll be watching it on GMA like the rest of you.

Seven months old

My baby boy is now seven months old. And I use that term, Baby, quite loosely, as he is clearly the size of a toddler. We got his updated stats at his six-month appointment last month - 22 pounds-7 ounces, 28 ½ inches long – Holding him steady in the 99th-percentile of all other boys his age. Um. Did you just read those numbers, y’all? TWENTY-TWO AND A HALF POUNDS. That I carry around all day, either in one arm or strapped to my chest. I am pretty sure I am the strongest woman alive.

And while he continued to hold steady at the top of his growth chart from weight and height, his giant noggin is still totally off the grid. And so under the suggestion of our pediatrician, Luke had to get an ultrasound done on his melon to rule out any sort of brain abnormalities. And I’m gonna cut the suspense right now and tell you that he is totally, absolutely, one-hundred percent fine. The kid’s just got a big head, as the ultrasound tech jokingly told Chris after she lubed up our son’s bald head with the goo.

And apparently my little man LOVES having strange women rub goo on his head. Chris said that while Luke was getting prepped for the ultrasound, he was so jazzed about his head massage that he squealed in delight and swung all of his limbs wildly in the air. He’s the biggest flirt in the world. And after laying down his swagger on the tech, she laughed and asked Chris, So WHY are you guys here getting him checked? And he was like, Well, the Doctor is concerned about his big head. And she answered back, Um. Yeah, his head is big. But so is the rest of him.

So after our doctor and a pediatric radiologist both viewed his brain-pictures, they unanimously agreed that Luke is perfect. He’s just got a big brain in a big head. And we are relegated to zip-front sweatshirts and cardigans as we enter the frosty season ahead, not to mention a Taylor-size stocking cap. And it’s easy to joke about it now, but we definitely prayed really hard during the week of his ultrasound. Because anytime someone thinks there might be something wrong with your kid’s brain, it’s super scary and makes you put things in perspective. But now that he has been checked we can breathe in relief, and reaffirm that we are indeed a very blessed family.

And those big brains have really kicked in this past month, with him starting to actually play with toys as opposed to just putting them in his mouth. And he’s also starting to produce those sticky-sweet, ear-pleasing baby sounds that fill the house with Dadadadadas and Bahbahbahbahbahs. Best noises in the world. If only he would start saying Mamamamama... Oh, then my heart would officially burst. I mean, with a face this adorable, my cuteness meter is already way past full.

He’s still not crawling, but has gotten so much more confident while sitting up. And I’m fine with him staying immobile for a while longer, because as I remember with Taylor, the minute they start moving the more chaotic everything becomes. Right now I am very happy that I can lay him on a big rug in the living room while I get dinner ready in the kitchen, knowing that the wildest he’s gonna get is rolling off the softness and getting too close to his sister’s toys. Yep. Once he starts harassing Taylor on a more constant basis, I have a feeling we’ll be eating more crockpot-style/no-fuss meals for dinner.

And he also made the big transition to sitting in the highchair for meals, getting his nightly dose of pureed goodness while hanging with us as we eat our own delicious food. And the first night we all sat there, I had to take a moment to reflect on how awesome it felt for all FOUR of us to be gathered around the table. It was almost like a little Amys-family initiation for our newest member. And we’re all thrilled about the new table-setting. Especially Luke.

And even though I feed and feed and nurse and feed this kid – I mean, almost 23 pounds! – we are STILL not sleeping through the night. And for a few weeks while battling sickness and funk, we were consistently getting up every two hours on the dot, with me deliriously rocking the little big man back to sleep, only to have him up again screaming a few hours later. Ugh. It got to the point where I just conceded that I will never, NEVER sleep ever again. And, DUDES! That stinks! Because sleep makes everything feel better, just as not sleeping makes everything a little big worse.

But then, after whining about this unfortunate sleeping pattern with a friend, she mentioned that she had the same problems with her son and had to finally put the ax on the around-the-clock feedings so he wouldn’t wake up just to get a boob. And I needed to hear this. Because at 23 pounds! he’s not going to waste away in hunger in the middle of the night. So we quit the latenight nursing, and while he definitely fought it and had to cry it out a bit the first few nights, he finally got it. And now we are, for the most part, only having to get him out of his crib once a night. And I’ll take that, because it’s a heck of a lot better than getting up four times. And the sun shines a bit brighter and the skies are kinda bluer as a result. Like I said, being well rested makes everything a bit sweeter.

So, Sir Luke. You are pretty much perfect except for this whole sleeping thing. And if you keep giggling and babbling and smizing at me with those big, blue eyes, I’ll stop complaining about being exhausted. I’ll just continue to fuel myself with coffee and cheek-smooches, and remember that I’ve got the best job, the best husband and the best kids in the entire world.

Fashionista

She says she's a Princess Cowgirl Fairy.

I just think she's awesome.

Luke's side of the story

He claims that his sister's hair just caught in his fingers by accident, and that it was all just a big misunderstanding.

Sawing logs

Of mice and footballs: Our Halloween

So about a month ago, when I started noticing all of the little kid Halloween costumes being displayed in stores, I asked Taylor what she wanted to be for the big dress-up holiday and, no surprise, her answer was, A PRINCESS! And you could have heard my over exaggerated groan in Iowa. Because I am OVER princesses. Here that, Disney? This mother is D-O-N-E being hijacked by your toddler-loving princess propaganda. Done.

And just as Disney has a knack for selling out, I also have a problem telling my daughter No. So I knew that to get her out of a glittery, princess costume, I had to come at her with something awesome. And lucky for me, we recently had an Angelina Ballerina movie through Netflix that she had WORN OUT. And because her precious Beeba had introduced her to the beloved dancing mouse last year, when I suggested she be the ballet-loving creature for Halloween, she jumped onboard.

And to make – Yes, I said MAKE – the costume was pretty easy. Especially because I am totally channeling my inner-craftyness via a new obsession with Pinterest. So I learned how to turn tulle and elastic into giant tutus, bend and hook pipecleaners into tails and manipulate felt, headbands and hot glue into mouse ears. And, TAH-DAH! I turned my daughter into the cutest Angelina Ballerina ever.

And Luke, my sweet, giant son, I dressed as a football. Brown hat, brown shirt, brown pants and athletic tape for the laces. And Chris, dressed in his high school football jersey, made the perfect receiver.

And because I realized how easy it was to make a tutu, and because I didn’t want to be the only Amys not in costume, I channeled Alice the mouse for the night.

So. While this was our family’s first time celebrating Halloween as a family of four, it was also Taylor’s first time ever trick-or-treating in her hometown. So when it came time to actually head out onto the streets and beg for candy, you can bet that our little girl was pretty excited.

And going into the trick-or-treating aspect of Halloween, I was thinking we could go either way with Taylor. She could maybe cry and act super scared to be around strangers, or she could channel her inner candy-lover and hold her bucket out like the other kids. And she was the latter.

And after about three houses, she stopped after eyeing her sugary-loot and grabbed my hand and said, I really, REALLY like Halloween, Mommy. This is so FUN! And I agreed. It was the best Halloween ever.