Happy for No Reason

This is exactly where you'll find Zach these days: studying, talking about, and eventually squishing (usually by accident) all sorts of creep crawlers.

I've been reading for the past few months a book entitled Happy for No Reason.  Past few months???  Not because it is 5,000 pages long or because it's a difficult read, but rather I just don't get around to it much anymore (read: I would prefer to veg out in front of the tv after the kids go to bed over pouring over the classics -- some day I plan to change this, but it's not happening anytime soon).  Actually, I've read quite a few books since the boys have come into our lives, but they all involve handling difficult children and getting babies to sleep through the night - go figure!  Happy for No Reason caught my eye at Barnes and Noble on a day when I was feeling a little less than happy and a little more than guilty for feeling so.  Stepping outside and looking in, I have it made:  the most incredible partner and best friend who has a fabulously paying job that allows me to stay at home with our boys; a wonderful network of gal and guy friends; a loving and supportive extended family; healthy and spirited children; food on the table; a large house with running water and air conditioning; reliable cars that get us around...I could go on on on, but I'll spare us all.  The bottom line is although I am very aware of how fortunate I am, I find myself wanting more: I want the house to be completed with its renovations and decorated to my taste; I want my kids to learn to play by themselves; I want more time for myself and my interests like say, reading; I want to wear more fashionable clothing and "do" my hair more often; I want permanent hair removal -- oh, wait!  I scored that at Christmas -- thanks, Dad!; I want to justify buying $45 Keen sandals for the boys because those shoes are just too stinkin' cute; I want to travel more (with and without the kids); I want to eat sushi on a daily basis (cha-ching); I want to surgically remove my double chin, and although I'm down to a size 0/2, I'd still like to tone up my pork chops (I think my cousin Ashley uses this term to refer to that flabby area by one's armpit); I want to have a successful career; I want a limitless expense account here; I want a couple of these for my kitchen; and so forth.  Clearly my list of "wants" is ridiculous when paired with my "haves".  Spoiled, huh?  I hate that.

I know these wants are natural and completely human, but I still feel a bit ashamed.  I highly recommend
Happy for No Reason as it's written by Marci Shimoff who interviewed 100 people that were seemingly happy without necessarily given reasons to be so. Some have terrible health problems, others lost family members in horrific scenarios...and even worse, but these people still exude happiness. Shimoff finds the common factors that make these people happy which include spirituality, finding the good in the bad, choosing a healthy and balanced diet, and um, other things...remember, I'm still reading it. :)



I've found the book extremely helpful and prospective-building.  But I'm also learning to enjoy the joys in life and allow myself to be "spoiled" a bit without feeling riddled with guilt.  Like when these beauties arrived, I knew I'd instantly feel happier...

and I did. (shame!) :)

Until I started reading the labels -- true to my obsessive-compulsive nature -- and realized that 30 of the 90 boxes delivered were the WRONG COLOR wood!  Aaaaah!  And those 30 boxes were on the VERY BOTTOM of the pile, of course.  I looked on the bright side, feeling fortunate that we caught it early enough and in time to replace the boxes.  (Remember one of the Happy for No Reason tips? Find the good in the bad.) :)

I don't really know where I'm going with this, but I have friends and family asking for photos of the new floors, so here they are...

Who's that cute guy bending over? :)

Luke was trying to get in the picture.  Notice his leg on the right?  I refused.  Why?  One guess (starts with an "N" and rhymes with rude).

Clearly no staging was going on here.

We still have a lot to do, but we're very happy with how they turned out.  We debated where to start and stop the wood and ended up doing just about the entire first floor, including the kitchen (gasp!) and powder room (double gasp!).  So if you're looking for me I'll be wiping up ice chips fallen from the freezer and every drop of drool out of Mabel's mouth, trying to protect my new loves.  Not to mention what the boys do in the bathroom -- ick!

If you live locally and are look for a flooring company at an affordable price, I highly recommend Mr. Flooring in Austin.

While the floors were being installed, the lovely Julie and Gary Boese (aka JuJu and Grandpa Boese) hosted the boys and me.  I was far from prepared for our trip, throwing our clothes in a bag at the last minute.  My legs were unshaven (the laser hair removal will take a year, FYI), my toe nails were chipped, and I showed up empty-handed, but they are family and accepted me just the same.  The boys (and Mabel) absolutely love visiting their house.  It reminds me of when I was a child visiting my grandparents.  I remember how magical it all felt (and still feels).  Something about the familiarity, though infrequently seen, is so comforting. 

The boys absolutely adore going to their house.  Between the handmade sandbox, tractor and wheel barrow rides, golf ball game, requests for pancakes with Lil' Smokies, and more, those poor grandparents get a workout.  I failed to bring my camera (it must have been with my razor and nail polish), but Julie was kind enough to share these pictures...

In other news -- and an attempt to catch up on our family's happenings -- the boys and I visited our beloved Sweet Berry Farms this year to pick strawberries. 

I say beloved because every visit I feel like it's the quintessential mother/child thing to do.  What could be better than visiting a sweet little farm full of strawberries, with high hopes of picking tons of berries?  With plans to fulfill my expectations of making our own fruit leather and other berry concoctions?  What could possibly go wrong with this, you ask?  How about two boys that suddenly decide picking things is no fun?  What?!  These kids try to pick all of my flowers at home and now they go on strike?!  Actually, Zach enjoyed the picking, but then proceeded to take one bite out of each berry before throwing them back at the farm.  Nice.  Needless to say I did not end up with enough to make fruit leather or any other concoction.  Boo!  In fact, this was the hit of the day...

Yes, I know.  They're wearing matching shirts.  I said I wouldn't be go there, but I did.  Let's just say the shirts were cheap and they're easier to find when they match.  Maybe not, but what are you gonna do about it? :) 

The boys LOVED the goats!  They were entertained for a good thirty minutes.  Longer than I've seen anything else hold their attention.  I'm trying to convince Steve that our backyard is big enough for a goat or two.  So far, it's not working, but I'll keep you posted.  Making chevre could be fun, too. :)  And our tax appraisal went way up this year, so maybe we could get an agriculture exemption?  Anyhoo, here are a few more pictures...

Is that not a guilty (dirty) face and arm pose?

I really do enjoy trips like these.  I'm desperately hoping that the memories of these events will dull the pain of the others.  Like the time when Luke (completely naked, of course) ran out the door with a handful of my bras and underwear (I was working on laundry).  I was running behind in all my attractive morning glory (you know what I'm talking about if you've seen me at 7am -- rough, really ROUGH), shouting threats that I could never follow through with.  All while the neighbors were starting their morning commute.  True story.

I'll just go ahead and leave you with that image.  Come on, tell me you don't feel a little bit sorry for me. :)

xo,

Jess

Helmet Heads

Obviously I am way behind on this here blog.  I started writing a blog post to catch up on the past month, but I'm pretty sure it could have been patented as a cure for insomnia.  So instead I'll just post a bunch of nothingness:

We're thinking this one might have a future in modeling...

Don't you agree?  Can't you just picture him looking down at his watch to check the time? 

Pouty face...

Back to reality...

Yes, we're already talking orthodontia with his dentist.  Poor guy. 

This one most likely won't be modeling anytime soon.  At least not with this look...

Notice the waffle in his right hand.  Yum.

Swimming season is almost here.  Until then the boys have been cruising around the pool with these...

"What?", you ask.  Why is the four-and-under set riding bikes around the death trap in our back yard? 

 Um, they are wearing helmets. 

"Safety first" is our motto around here.

Luke took a little tumble on his bike yesterday...

Yep, that's a bloody nose, a fat lip, a chipped tooth, and a scraped chin.  Lovely.  Imagine how bad this could have been had he not been wearing a helmet.

That's all I've got.

xo,

Jess

Care to vote?

I'm very excited to be a bridesmaid in my cousin Ashley's wedding coming up in June, but I'm having a hard time deciding on a dress.  I'm the only out of town bridesmaid and older than the rest so I'd like a dress that's elegant yet fun, age appropriate, and flattering.  Not too stuffy and not too hoochie.  Oh, and it should be comfortable and affordable.  Is that too much to ask for in a dress? :)  If it could mask my double chin that would be super! 

I've purchased four and am trying to narrow it down.  I thought it would be a good idea to get Ashley's opinion.  Then my grandparents asked to see them.  Then my mom.  So here they are on my blog (weird?). 

Care to vote?

Dress #1:

Dress #2:

Dress #3:

Dress #4:

The headless ladies in black dresses are a little strange, no?  I was too lazy to do anything with my hair.  I wanted to get the best shots of the dresses. 

xo,

Jess

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Just in case I've led you to believe that Kid #2 is all sunshine and "beeg" hugs...

This was what I walked into after leaving the boys alone in the playroom while I answered the phone.  After a bunch of thuds and way too many giggles, I finally went upstairs to break up the party.

"Who, me?"

Love those crabby jammies.  Thanks, Mom!

In his defense, Kid #1 looked just as guilty...

Half nude, as usual.  It is hard work just keeping this kid dressed.

Love and Logic Mom would probably say something like, "How sad.  Kids who make a mess in the playroom can't go outside until they clean it up."  or "Bummer.  You have two choices: clean up the room now or first thing in the morning."

Real Life Mom snickered to herself and said, "Wait, don't move!  Let me get my camera!". 

And I wonder why they're so confused.  :)

But in all seriousness, things have gotten much better.  I've completed the Love and Logic course and have been okay-ed to start practicing it...and guess what?  It works!!!  Up next is assigning some contributions to our family (chores) and issuing an allowance (which can then be used to repay us when he chooses to act out or "drain our energy").  Seriously, it's in the program.  I couldn't make this stuff up.

Any ideas for age-appropriate chores for a four-year-old?  And I'm thinking maybe $1 a week for an allowance, paid out in quarters?  Suggestions?

Easter Week

We had a fun and exciting Easter weekend.  Easter week, actually.  It started the weekend before with a hunt at our friends' house.  Thank you to Jennifer, Luke, Andrew, and Grant Basey for hosting us.  As always, your home is lovely and we had a fabulous time. 

The boys had so much fun with their ginormous Easter baskets.  Yes, they're huge (purchased at PBkids online for a steal and a bit of a pain in the neck ***Remember, Barrett? :)***), but they had a blast dragging them around and hunting for eggs.  Zach's at that cute age where he would pick up an egg, open it, determine whether the contents were good enough to eat, and then eat it (or not) before moving on to the next.  Makes for a long session of hunting, but quite a few cute pics...

Then Luke had his school party and hunt on Wednesday.  I offered to bring the dessert since I felt the need to fulfill my bunny cake obligation.  Huh, what, you ask?  You see, the Easter after Luke was born I bought a bunny mold pan from Williams-Sonoma and decided it would be a fun tradition to make it every year.  I had already decided that I definitely didn't want to spoil my kids, but still wanted to provide that whimsy and magic that is so important in childhood.  This seemed to fit the bill.  However, I have a love/hate relationship with Williams-Sonoma:  I love their stuff (really, if I could I would scoop up every cake pan, off set spatula, and candle they own), but I hate that I then feel compelled to stay up late making the silly cakes.  Actually, if you know me well enough, you know I sort of geek out and enjoy this sort of thing. :)  I really wanted to do something different and cover the cake with chocolate ganache to replicate a traditional hollow chocolate bunny, but Luke insisted on the iced version.  This was definitely one of those pick your battle moments, so the bunny was iced.  Not with the delicious and oh-so-time-consuming-made-from-scratch butter cream icing that was supposed to be made, but rather the boring old store bought variety.  I do have my limits.  Mr. Sonoma would be so disappointed, I'm sure.  I actually struggled a bit with getting my tips to create the perfect bunny fur tufts, and I have to admit that bunny heard more curse words by 1am than any innocent bunny should have to hear, but I think it turned out just fine...

Yes, I'm a dork and had to take him outside to be photographed. :)

Two things occurred that made it all worth my time and effort:  The entire morning before the party as I was making the final touches, Zach kept pointing to the cake and practically screeching with delight, "Bunny rabbit, bunny rabbit!" and "See, see!" (which means pick me up and get me closer so I can see it, Mom!). Then after trying to explain to him that it was also a cake (what was I thinking?), it was, "Bunny rabbit!  Cake!  Bunny rabbit!  Cake!".  The second was at school when the kids asked where the bunny cake came from and Luke replied proudly, "We brought it!". 

Magic and whimsy.

There's just something a little disturbing about this one.  No?

Zach with Luke's teacher, Ms. Kendall.  We like her a lot.

                                           ^^^ Luke with his big ol' basket.  I think he could fit in it. 

By the way, notice that ALL of Luke's classmates are boys.  Don't you feel a little sorry for Ms. Kendall?  I'm not sure how she does it.

After the party, we headed out to the playground for an egg hunt.  The eggs were filled with little trinkets and not candy or snacks which kind of messed up Zach's game plan of stopping after each found egg to eat...

But he quickly got over it...

The future's so bright...

...you gotta wear shades...upside down.

The Friday before Easter we packed up the Sequoia and headed to Bardwell to visit Steve's mom, sister, brother, brother-in-law, and nephews.  This trip was long overdue and the boys were very excited about the prospect of another egg hunt, fishing, and the pool table at Aunt Sandra's house.  The visit did not disappoint.  As always we ate tons of great food, laughed a lot, and enjoyed the company.  And as always my camera spent too much time packed away in its case and not enough time snapping photos.  Though I did manage to take a few...

A budding musician, perhaps?

I'm not sure why,but I love this one.  Like he's walking down a country road by himself...

The boys loved Uncle David's cows...

While Zach napped (poor little guy missed out on the BIG fun), David took Luke on a tractor ride to his pond which was well stocked with catfish, blue-gilled something or others, and bass maybe?  Can you tell I'm not really up on my fish?  Anyway, I missed it while at home with Zach, but Luke caught a fish!  Well, I'm sure Luke stood their while Uncle David cast the line and pulled it back in, but whatever.  The boy was proud. 

Here's a picture taken from David's camera phone since the family photographer (me) was busy...

The bluebonnets didn't have a good year here due to all the rain, but we did manage to find a small patch...

Let's just say overexcited boy with no nap + mom asking for bluebonnet pictures = boy making nasty pig face.

We then headed over to Aunt Sandra's for an egg hunt.  Yes, this would be Egg Hunt #3 and it wasn't even the day of Easter yet!  And we had even missed our playgroup's and city of Georgetown's this year!  Geesh!  Lucky kids.

It was a fun trip and sad to leave, but we still had to get home to prepare for our own Easter.  We arrived home late and while I played Easter Bunny, Steve went to HEB to stock up since they were to be closed the next day.  I don't know why, but it always freaks me out when I hear they're going to be closed.  Like, how will I manage if I decide we need to make guacamole?  Or, what on earth will I do if I find we're running low on olive oil?  Anyway, I sent him with a very specific list as he's not really familiar with grocery shopping these days.  Two of the items were ONE DOZEN HEB CAGE-FREE EGGS (the ones I buy every week and he sees them in the fridge every day) and ONE DOZEN REGULAR EGGS (to dye with the boys in the morning).  What did he come home with?  ONE DOZEN FANCY SCHMANCY CENTRAL MARKET ORGANIC EGGS!  Yeah, the ones that cost twice as much as the ones I usually buy and four times as much as the regular ones...and they're brown (less than ideal for dying)!  I buy a lot of organics, but not eggs.  He also brought home a bunch of other "extras" like canned biscuits, a packet of gravy mix, and frozen pies.  Seriously, I love that man more than words can describe, but Steve, if you're reading this, you are banned from HEB until further notice. 

Can you say, "Off subject!"?  Back to Easter...

The Easter Bunny had already shopped at the dollar store and stocked their basket full of junky well-made items including sidewalk chalk, pinwheels, buckets, shovels, bubbles, and the like.  Anyone else sick of these overgrown rabbits, fairies, and old big-bellied men in red suits getting the credit for all of hard work? What a crock.  We placed their baskets on the front porch (I wasn't sure how to handle the inevitable How did the bunny get in our house? questions), and the boys were ecstatic to find their goodies the next day...

After their nap, Grandpa Tom came over for Hunt #4.  I think even they boys were looking a little hunted out at this point. 

Okay, not quite. 

Zach was happy to resume his open one, eat its contents routine.

Their eggs were filled with pretzels, goldfish crackers, and trinkets.  That's right, we had another no-candy Easter and not one complaint.  I am completely aware that there will come a time when this will no longer work, but until then, why not?  It makes me smile.

How's the parenting class going?  And the book?  And the first week's assignment?  The assignment that warned would be harder than it sounded, but which I quickly p'shawed thinking I could handle it with no problems?  That one?  Drats!  Those PhD authors were right.  I hate that.  Let's just say I tend to my children regularly, one could say all. the. time., but attending was harder than it sounded.  More on that later.  But in all honesty it is going very well.  I'm feeling better already.  And just in case I seemed overly dramatic in my last post, I should clarify that I know kids go through phases of misbehaving and lying, but believe me when I say that phase needed to be nipped.  As in nipped in the bud.  Steve and I have been using "nipped" a lot.  It's a great term when parenting the boys.  "That needs to be nipped."... "Steve, please go nip that."...  "Nip it!". 

Okay, I think it's time to nip this post.

xo,

Jess

PS-  I just reread my last post for the first time and have decided two things:  One, I should not post recipes on this blog.  What a snooze fest!  I mean really, who do I think I am?  Ina? No.  Giada?  Certainly not, though Steve probably wishes.  Rachel?  I hope not. :)  And two, my camera is FANTASTIC, but my photography skills are lacking.  Big time.  Maybe it's time to take a class.  Or maybe I should start by reading my manual?