Thanksgiving

Many of you have been writing on your Facebook wall this month everything you are thankful for. Of course, many of those things I am thankful for too.... My family, my friends, my job, my house, running water, etc....

But let me be honest... This year I was really looking forward to something spectacular. Something I missed last year. Stuffing. Yep, call it what you want folks, stuffing, dressing, delicious goodness.... It is beyond my favorite part of Thanksgiving. And my Dad's is amazing.

I missed this favorite little side dish last year. You see, last year I had to work on Thanksgiving and even though I gave SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS to save me some stuffing.... It was gone when I got home. I was devastated.

This year.... I was so excited when the HUGE bowl of stuffing got put on the table right in front of me. Of course, I loaded up on the little delicacy. There was only one problem.... Appetizers. I had eaten so much freakin' appetizers I only got about 3 bites of this wonderful thing called stuffing before I filled up.

Lola called me to assist her after my 3 bites and I remember someone asking me, "Browyn, are you all done? Can I clear your plate?"  Thinking back to that big bowl of stuffing that was in front of me I of course said, "yes," knowing I could eat stuffing later as well as bring some home for leftovers.

As you can imagine my complete surprise when I walked into the kitchen as my father was dumping my fabulous stuffing into the "compost pile"!!! I immediately jumped to its rescue and..... Though I'm not proud, started grabbing the stuffing with my bare hands out of the compost and back into the bowl. Don't worry, there was enough to save to make me a couple good plates of my favorite dish. However, I'm not that proud that my husband now calls me the "caveman lady" for scrounging out stuffing out of the trash.....

**** Update****

After writing this blog on Friday morning, I began to salivate,  and opened up the refrigerator for a tasty morning treat.  I pulled out bags full of turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and even apple & pumpkin pie.... but no stuffing.  I immediately started hyperventilating and couldn't text my family members fast enough.....  but this text did manage to get out to those that counted....

"So, apparently one of you fools took my stuffing last night in your leftovers.  Just so you know... Dad threw it in the compost pile and I dug it out with my bare hands to save it.... So you probably don't want it.  Text me back ASAP so it can be returned to its proper owner."

Luckily, the thief fessed up and it is now safely hidden in my refrigerator... or tummy.....

Motherhood.

Recent events in my life has got me thinking back to when I first had Brady.  Don't get me wrong, after trying for 7 solid months I was ecstatic that the boy decided to join our family (and yes, I realize this isn't a "long" time for many of you out there...), but there is a certain feeling that comes over you when you see that plus sign in the window of the pregnancy test.  Most of it was "FINALLY".... but there was still a lot of it that said "oh no, there is no going back now, am I REALLY ready for this?!?"  And, there is really nothing left to do, but move forward.

After having my first child, I remember sitting at home and being SO EXCITED that he was here, but being lost in this new role of being a mother... and not quite knowing WHAT to do with these emotions.  I was a completely different person then I had ever been before.  The crazy girl I was in college was not here anymore, and I immediately didn't not want my child to ever know about that person I used to be.  I was no longer my husband's "cute wife", but now a "mother."  Did he now see me in a different light?   My friends often commented (and still do from time to time) about how they miss the "old Browyn."  In be beginning of my "motherhood" this comment really bothered me.  I remember thinking, "What??  The old Browyn is gone?  No she's not!  I just need to go out with them and show them she's still here!"  The thing is though, when I would go out and party like I DIDN'T have a baby waiting for me at home, I felt judged by everyone around me.  I felt like they were all looking at me saying, "Doesn't she have a kid at home?  Why is she up so late/drinking so much/acting so crazy like?"  There was no happy medium for me.  I was either sad at home thinking everyone thought I was lame, or out thinking everyone thought I was a bad parent.  AND.... my kid wasn't old enough to help me out sort out any of these emotions.

Somewhere I read it takes a full year for you to fully become "comfortable" with being a parent.  I agree with this.  It wasn't everyone telling me what or how to do things regarding my baby..... It was feeling like I lost myself.  Somewhere between my "old self" and getting that plus sign in the pregnancy test.... I lost myself.... my whole world changed.  It is a huge adjustment not living your life for just yourself.... but knowing that someone else's life would directly be affected if anything happened to you or if you made bad decisions.  Just the responsibility of it in itself was almost devastating to think about in the beginning. 

I say this all now, because I was fully expecting to go through some sort of similar emotional roller coaster when Lola was born.  I didn't.  I know that my friends that don't understand where the "old Browyn" went do not understand that I have two amazing children that have taken center stage, who make me a much better person then the "old Browyn" ever did or was.  I know the people that judge me when I go out with my friends do not know what a wonderful mother I am to both my kids every waking moment.  How I tuck them in at night, thanking God for all our blessings and singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star not once, but twice, every night.  How Thanksgiving hasn't even come but I can't help but give my son an early Christmas present because I know how much he is going to love it.  How I sit up at night thinking of all the fun things that they would love when they wake up in the morning.... and how when I get home from a long day at work I have to go in and wake them up, just to give them a kiss and tell them I love them, and that they are my world, because they are.  They may not know that I don't go out often, and that when I do, they that must mean they are very special people, to get me away from the people that I hold closest to my heart.  And if they are the kind of people that don't understand who the "new Browyn" is, they aren't people that I care to know their opinion anyway.

Being a parent changes you.  Forever.  Yes, the "old" you may leave, but the "new" you that is coming is so much more spectacular then you ever thought you could imagine.  There is nobody else in your life that can make you want to be a better person then your own child.  There is nobody else in the world that you can love more.... and nobody else in the world that I would give up the "old" for the "new" in a heartbeat.

Lolzapalooza

For those of you that don't know, my littlest sister, Bridget, has been watching Lola since I've gone back to work.  It's been wonderful for me, knowing that Lola is in the care of her Auntie, and getting a million pictures throughout the day.  Thing is, Bridget was only watching Lola temporarily for us until she found a "real job."  Well, that time has come, and Bridget starts her "real job" on Monday.  Ho hum.  It was good while it lasted..... especially because Lola has been so terrible.  Okay.... not terrible... just refusing to eat from a bottle.... at all.  When I first went back to work, it would be a good day if Lola ate 6oz during my 12-13 hour shift.  Now, she's a pro at the bottle.  I'm not going to lie though, if Lola had started daycare and they told me she only ate 6oz all day, I would have freaked out.  Knowing that she had one-on-one with her Aunt Bridget... I knew that it wasn't because she wasn't trying.  Anyway... here are just a few tidbits of our text conversations over the last 3 months.....

"ive been sitting on the ground for almost an hour now trying to get her to eat this bottle"

"lolzapalooza is sad."
"liiiiiike nothing makes her stop crying"
"I feel like a bad babysitter because I'm just watching her cry"
"I think she's asleep but she is still crying"

"Lola has a spider crawling on her!! I hope its not radioactive!" (It was Brady's fake spider)

"I don't understand your daughter. she's hard to read"

"won't eat. won't go in any of her chairs. was only happy when I held her a certain way"

"I'm gonna put some of your boob milk in my coffee"

"she pooped as I was taking off her diaper, so fun"

"lolz hates tummy time"

me: "has she pooped today?"
"oh yes.  yes she has.  I heard gurgling noises from her butt"
me: "Did you clean it?!?"
"saving it for Austin"

"come home"

"your daughter is crying"
"make her stop"
"save me"

"I think Lola misses you.  come home"

"she looks real sleepy now.  but she is on tummy time. and not enjoying life"

"your daughter is a mess"

"do you have any alcohol"

"dreaming of tequila"

"your daughter hates me"

"I taught Brady how to say GOP criminals"


"Lola loooooooooves scrubs"

"tell Lola to sleep because I could use a nap"

"your daughter will not drink. she is starving tho. stares at bottle.  opens her mouth for it. but when i put it in her mouth she just cries and just moves her tongue around, not sucking. (that's what she said)"

"I think your daughter is bipolar"

"Lola is insane."
(5 minutes later)
"insane."

"why doesn't ryan gosling love me??"
(5 minutes later)
"sigh."
(3 hours later)
"sigh"

"watching BUffy.  she's REAL into it!"

"episode ended.  no more episodes.  she's real upset"

"guess who pooped on me.  I'll give you a hint.  the name starts with "lo" and ends with "la""
"today is going to be a long day.  just come home now."


She also sends me tons of pictures like these.......  :)

 

 

 

 

Love you Aunt Bridget.  Thanks for helping us out for the last few months.  xoxo.

 

A new take to a Wedding Gift

So a few months ago some great friends of ours got married. We were unable to make the wedding because we were having a baby instead. We wanted to get them a special present besides the generic gifts from Bed Bath & Beyond. (especially since not only did we not make the wedding & Austin was the best man, but now it was PAST the wedding & we still hadn't sent them anything!)

I saw this awesome idea in Pintrest that I wanted to give a go at, but the link did not link up to the picture I had pinned, so I had to figure it out for myself.

We found the lyrics to the first song they danced to at the wedding. This song was especially important because it was Phish, and they spent their honeymoon going to Phish concerts.

I went to Hobby Lobby & got some heavy duty drawing paper and tried my best to make a tree like the picture had shown. Trust me, this took many tries to get it too look even somewhat like a tree.

Once I got the tree, I made lines all across it so I would be writing in a straight line.

Then, of course, I filled in the lyrics on the line with pen.

Then, I realized I 1.) ran out of room for all the lyrics and 2.) I wrote way too big for it to look neat.

So, I re wrote it all out with pencil on a new "tree", but started at the trunk of the tree and wrote all the lyrics in reverse. Since they would really be able to pick up on The lyrics on the trunk of the tree, I wanted to make sure the trunk looked great and you could read the lyrics good. This part took me the longest. I wrote them all out in pencil, but imagine writing a sentence by writing the last word first, and writing right to left.

Once it was all done in pencil I went over it in ink, let it dry, and erased all my pencil marks.

Then I cut out my tree.

After my tree was cut I put it on another piece of paper like I saw in the picture. I got a couple opinions and decided that I was going to do a blue border around the tree to make it stand out a little more and give the tree more definition.


Then I cut out hearts and experimented on where they would look the best "hanging" from the tree.

In the picture they had the initials of the bride and groom written on each heart, but I liked their names and wedding day written on the bottom better instead.

Then, I ordered a picture frame off Amazon. I normally would have just bought a frame from the store, but I wanted to keep all the shipping materials that amazon would supply so we could safely send it up to Nebraska where the bride & groom live.


I was originally going to make one of these with me & Austin's wedding song because I thought they looked so cool, but this project was a little more time consuming than what I had originally thought, so that will have to wait for another day!

 

 

 

 

Where's Waldo?

Austin & I attended a Halloween Party this past weekend. I really wanted us to have coordinating outfits, but apparently I spent too much time on the kid's costumes and didn't leave myself enough time for us. So, Austin was in charge of finding something for himself as was I.

What better couple then Pee Wee and Waldo?

And what better thing to do at a party then taking pictures in crowds of people when your dressed as Waldo?

 

Fourteen Years.

My sophomore year of high school there was a tall, lanky guy that sat behind me in Biology class.  I didn't know him, but it didn't take long before just about everyone was telling me that he "liked" me.  I had no idea who this tall basketball player was, but it wasn't long before I found out he was the most caring and the funniest person I have ever met.

Then, 7 years ago, on this day, I found an engagement ring in a pumpkin I was carving and my future husband on one knee.

Austin, every day I love you more. I love the way you love me when I am not so pleasant to you. I love the way you tell me that I'm being ridiculous when I do something dumb. I love the way you can make me smile even when I'm in the worst of moods. I love the way you sit and read books to Brady and Lola until the bookshelf is empty, and have different voices for each character in every book. I love your salt and pepper hair. I love the way Brady looks up to you and wants to be just like his daddy and how Lola's whole face lights up when she sees you. I love how you work so hard to make sure your family is taken care of. I love that God brought us together.

I love you, babe. I look forward to many more years of "dating".

Xoxo,
GG

Potty Training 2.0

As you may remember from a previous post, we tried to potty train Brady once before, with little success.  I'm not sure if it wasn't a hit because I was 8 months pregnant, him not being "ready", or that I was too grossed out by him eating urine soaked marshmellows.  Yep, that's right.  You can read all about it here.

Anyway, we decided to retry potty-training the weekend before I went back to work from maternity leave.  It went much better this time.  We loaded Brady up with lots of juice (he never gets juice so he sucked it down like candy) and set the timer for every 15 minutes.  Sure enough, every 15 minutes Brady would go to the bathroom in his little Elmo potty.  After he went, he would get a sticker for his sticker chart and a piece of candy (out of a Thomas the Train PEZ dispenser) after he washed his hands.  It was going swimmingly.  We still put him in a pull-up for his nap, but did great otherwise.

The next day he was getting a little bored (despite 4 accidents the previous day, he still used the potty 30 times!!).  We had to spice things up by making the 15 minute timer a "motorcycle" sound that he thought was pretty cool, and by the afternoon we were having him tell us when he needed to go.  Granted, it is much scarier when you are waiting for a 2 year old to give you this information, but he had to learn somehow.

All in all, it wasn't near the headache that I thought I was going to be (especially after our first attempt!!)

After a few days though, we noticed Brady was still having #2 accidents in his pants.  We had no idea how to fix this problem, since we couldn't bribe him with PEZ or stickers anymore.  That's when we decided to re-introduce the marshmellows.  By this time, Brady could see in the cupboard that there was two different sizes of marshmellows, and he knew if he did something REALLY COOL it would mean a larger marshmellow.  Now, after being potty trained for nearly 2 solid months, he still expects a treat when going #2.  Just the other day he announced he needed to go potty and started running to the bathroom, then stopped in his tracks (while holding his bottom), looked at me and said, "I get a BIG marshmellow, Momma.  I get a BIG marshmellow.  I go BIG poop."

Oh man......

 

 

DIY Finding Nemo Costume

When Brady told me that he wanted to be Nemo for Halloween, I was ecstatic.  What could be cuter then dressing up a 2 year old as a fish for Halloween?  Nothing.  But.... then when I got online to buy one, the only sizes available were in 4T or above.  Now, Brady's tall, but let's be real, I don't need a Halloween outfit to last him for years to come, so I needed to get one that actually fit him.

So, that led me to a dilemma that I did not want to deal with.  Making the costume myself.  Let me be honest, first, I tried to talk this kid out of being Nemo time after time, but somewhere along the line Brady got himself a memory, and refused to back down.  Nemo it was.  First, I looked into trusty Pintrest.  I found this DIY Nemo outfit.  It was adorable... though, I knew I needed to put my own spin on it to make it more "Nemo-ish". 

So, I first started with these items:

A 3T zippered sweatshirt and matching sweatpants (I found mine at Kohl's... thanks KK for helping!)
A hot glue gun
6 orange felt squares
6 yellow felt squares
6 white felt sqaures
2 black felt squares
2 orange starched banners (for Nemo's crown)
Scissors
A tin can that was bent into an oval for tracing all the scales

First, I cut out Nemo's tail with 2 of the felt squares.  I folded it in half when I cut to make sure it was symmetrical.

Then, I traced out what seemed like hundreds of scales in each color and aligned them in a Nemo-like pattern.  I made 2 stripes of white to make it like a clown fish.

Then, I took the black felt and made oval-like "lines" to separate the white stripe like a clown fish has.  I will be honest, I tried to just marker in these lines with a Sharpie and it did not work, so I had to go this route.  What's nice about working with felt it the lines don't have to match up exactly with each scale because they are flexible once you start gluing.  I was nervous that I was going to have to spend 4 hours making these pieces, but it was pretty simple once I realized that it would form to the bend of the scale.

When making the front of the sweatshirt, make sure not to glue on the zippered part.  On the front of this one, the middle scales are all glued to the left side of the sweatshirt (when looking at it) and "hide" the zipper."

Next, I made the eyes.  You can use a drinking glass or some other bigger oval to make the white part of the eye if you like, I just cut and it turned out okay.  The orange part of the eye is the same size as the scales, and the black part was a scale that I just took off the edges so it would fit inside the orange part.

The crown is made from the stronger, starchy banner felt.  It is made from 6 rectangular pieces that are all the same size.  I bent the bottoms and glued them on opposite sides of the hood so they work with each other to hold each other up.  Then I covered the parts glued to the hood with the softer orange felt to make it look nicer.

Luckily, Brady was at daycare when I was making this so my only breaks were to tend to Lola.  I was worried that Brady wouldn't like the costume when he got home and tell me that it looked nothing like Nemo.  But..... I was wrong!  He immediately started petting it and kept saying (excited) "It's Nemo!  It's Nemo, Mom!  It's Nemo!  Nemo has a tail!"  And.... my heart was filled with joy.  We, of course, had to take it out for a spin to make sure it looked okay too.  :)