Contentment

LOOK! A blog post!!  I know, its been so long, to be fair, I write about a blog post or two in my head every time I run... they just never make it out of my head.  Right now? I'm procrastinating... so I'm gonna write this one down.

Content doesn't sound like a magical word, not a whole lot of kids want to grow up to be "content" and I can't think of a single fairy tale that ends in "and they lived contentedly ever after".

Right now, I'm in a unique position, as so many of my family and friends are going through life changing moments.  Every single one of my friends, the wonderful ladies who have all banded together to do life together, help raise our children, have either had a baby in the last 6 months or are pregnant.  Oddly I only feel a little twinge, not jealousy, just reminiscent, there is no more magical, terrifying, at times uncomfortable feeling than growing life, growing family, growing love for this tiny human.  I'm lucky enough to be able to watch as they glow and grow, usually from behind, as I've had to stop to tell my 4 year old to "drop the 'tude and do what mommy tells you" or my two year old "I know you like to run and climb and jump and you are fearless, but mommy is not and you are scaring the pickles out of me... also please remove your finger from your nose"... not quite so magical.

But Ryan and I are so thrilled with our girls and our family, those two beautiful girls have such a wonderful bond and love, they squabble as siblings will, but they will always choose to be together rather than apart, and also... we are at the most magical of times, where both of them are potty trained (Hallelujah!). Also, we seem to be at a wonderful place in our marriage, where we enjoy spending time together, we've grown closer and love each other more now than the day we got married, and I couldn't ask for more.

With Granny being around more and helping out so much with the girls, I've been able to take more of a focus on my work, be able to delve into it.  I can once again enjoy the design process and be proud of the work I am doing.  Not just do it for monitory gain, but because I want to, because it can be fun and interesting and I am creating things that I didn't know possible.  I'm able to take a breath and see what I want to do and where I want to go, the goals I want to achieve, and I'm able to prepare myself for the triumphs and failures, and learn from them.  And it is a wonderful place to be.

We have worked hard for our home, and love it.  Not just a house or a dwelling, but a home.  There are so many things to be done, but we are enjoying doing them, we are not in a rush.  We are taking our time as we make this quirky house ours.

I feel like we are climbing our mountain, but we've found this ledge that we've paused at.  We can sit and watch our friends and family as they climb their own mountains, and cheer them on from our stationary ledge.  We can look down and marvel at how far we've come.  We can look up, and appreciate how far we have yet to go.  This may not be the most exciting or thrilling times in our lives, but we are enjoying it nonetheless. Once we start climbing again, LOOK OUT! Because you never know what we will accomplish, but for right now, we are so amazingly, blissfully, content.

con·tent¹

kənˈtent/

adjective

1. 

in a state of peaceful happiness.

noun

1.  a state of satisfaction.

My Tiny Ballerina

What is cuter than 3 year olds in tutus and tap shoes?  Answer: NOTHING. I mean, seriously, I couldn't even take it!  Harper has been taking ballet/tap classes at the community center for the last few months, today was the last class of this session, so we (me, Sawyer Belle and Nanny) got to go in and watch, and take so many photos! She did great, and only fell once! I do realize she looks very serious in most of these photos, but she was just really really concentrating... so don't think I am being the meanest of dance moms and forcing my child to take ballet classes, she actually LOVES it and pliés allover the place (why yes, I did just have to look up how to spell that).

Doubling Up!

Alright people, I have a couple of friends who are already prego with their second kids, or are thinking about it, so I've decided to go ahead and give my un-solicited advice, really, its more of a warning.

Expectations
Don't have any, I mean really, don't.  When I was pregnant with Sawyer, I told people that since Harper was such a good baby, probably my second would be a handful, but really, deep down, I was just expecting another Harper, a good, quiet, baby with a headful of dark brown hair. HAHAHA, ugh, I was funny.

From day 1 they could not have been more different, Harpers birth was horrid, induced, 18 hour process.  Sawyer, was like a quick 2.5 hour deal, with Harper I pushed for 2 hours, with Sawyer, 2 pushes and out popped this bald baby, sunny side up, with the cord wrapped 4 times around her neck, she has always been impatient, but also likes to make things difficult.

Sawyer temperament wis was more difficult, she cried, she wanted to be held, she fussed, but she was much much easier to nurse than Harper, and she snuggled, where Harper was never a smuggler until she was like 2.5.

Harper
(I know you can't see her hair... but I don't feel like turning on my other computer, so stop judging me!)

Sawyer

Double the kids, Quadruple the work
Here's the deal, cherish when your youngest can't go anywhere, and can't talk, and can't fight, because as soon as they can, holy cannoli.  You are thinking, well, if I have double the kids, I will have double the work. WRONG!  It's at least quadrupled going from 1 to 2.  Why you ask? because they gang up on you, that's why!

Sometimes, I'm working, thinking, wow, how wonderful, my kids are being so quiet, then I think NO!!! WHAT ARE THEY DOING!?  and I see that the youngest has pulled all the diapers out of the basket and she is wiping diaper cream all over her face, while I'm dealing with this, the oldest is ripping pages out of a coloring book and throwing them on the floor along with all the crayons and then decides that the wall is not colorful enough and smearing wet chalk all over, then I see that my youngest was really trying to let me know not only did she have a dirty diaper, but its going up her back, and is somehow in her hair... while I'm dealing with THAT Bailey (the pup) who has a fondness of crayons is munching on them like pringles and I have to let her go out so that she may get rid of her colorful poo, by now, the girls are fighting over who gets the 1 harmonica we have, and one is playing, one is crying, and Oscar is howling.

And because I'm crazy and work while I take care of my kids (seriously, whose idea WAS that!?) I'm trying to work out what silly snip-it of code is making that page not work correctly, and because I now have poo on the brain, wondering if it would be appropriate to put a poo icon in that info graphic...

So, by the time Ryan King gets home, I'm curled up in the fetal position muttering about jQuery, diaper cream, harmonicas and rainbow poop. Of course, at this time the girls and dogs are all being perfect angels, and I just look like an insane person. (no, I am not exaggerating, this is my life)

This is the girls play room, I've given up, they refuse to put all the toys in the baskets with the cute little labels of where they should go... maybe it would help if they could read?

Coffee, Wine, and Chocolate
No seriously... have them on hand.  I have hidden stashes of dark chocolate all over, and have been known to go sit in my van for a minute, eat a piece of chocolate and take a breather before I explode and get cranky mommy all over my children.

Coffee... I know a couple moms who don't drink it, I can't comprehend why or how.  The idea of that first sip of coffee, is what gets me out of bed at 6 am when Sawyer is screaming "MOOOMMM OOUT".  There have been times when I'm doing dishes in the afternoon (Ugh, do NOT get me started on how many more dishes you have with 2!) and I'm washing my coffee cup from that morning, I'm actually jealous of my morning self, who had coffee, because afternoon self has no coffee. (I really think they left the 8th day out of the bible, when God created coffee, I mean, technically, that 8th day was Monday -think about it-, and God looked down, and saw that mankind was having a bad case of the Mondays, and then created coffee to assist man in getting through the day, and we all saw that it was Gooood. Can I get an AMEN!?)

Then, when a REALLY bad day happens, I feel completely justified in that glass of wine with dinner, I deserve it gosh darn it!

Why in the world do I have 2!?
Because, as crazy as they drive me, its worth it.  I start every morning in the big chair, with a girl in each arm, and a puppy on each leg.

Even though my girls fight (who can blame them, other than the 5 hours a week Harper is in school, my girls are together, they play, eat, sleep and pee together, and they wouldn't have it any other way, I mean, just now, while picking up Harper from school, Sawyer saw Harper from the other side of the door and had a serious melt down because she wanted Harper and couldn't get to her). Then they hugged like they have been apart for years, and not 2.5 hours.) they really really love each other.  It is not rare for us to have to go into the girls room at night because of all the giggling and put Sawyer back in her own bed, because she has crawled into Harpers.

Sawyer looks up to Harper, and copies everything she does (although that might not always be good right now, since Harper is 3, whoever said the 2s were terrible... was a nincompoop), but sometimes it works out for the best, they look after each other ("Sawyer, you better pick up your mess before Mommy's face gets red"), and now that Sawyer is getting a bit older, they play and seeing their imaginations working together melts my heart.

Even though there is quadruple the work, there is also quadruple the love.
(but do NOT be expecting a third little King... because, just no)

Quilt: Part One

So, about 2 years ago, when I had a very little Sawyer Belle in my very rotund belly (I was pregnant, just incase anyone needed that spelled out... I didn't eat her, that would be cannibalism, and that is wrong.) Anywho, I was pulling out all of Harper's teeny tiny baby clothes (and crying like a crazy prego lady) and as I was putting them away I was thinking "WHAT DO I DO WITH THEM AFTER SB OUTGROWS THEM!" I mean, yes, there are some outfits that were just too cute and needed to be handed down (which reminds me... Cherie Robbins, I have an ever growing box of clothes for Miss Maisen). But those sleepers... the special onsies, what about those?

So then lightbulb! QUILT! but not just any quilt, I wanted one that they could keep and use, and would get worn in and even better, just like the quilt I made with Barb that I just love so much! So, I started throwing the outgrown pjs and the gowns and whatnot into its own pile, and I did a little research and decided on a puff rag quilt, eventually I started cutting hundred of 7in squares, it was actually emotionally difficult at first, cutting into these tiny clothes that I had so many memories of, but it got easier and less sentimental as I went. I even sewed 2 rows... and then left it for MONTHS. I have great ideas, and horrid horrid follow through.  Then this fall happened and I needed a project to keep my mind busy, and I gave myself a goal of 3/4 rows a week, and I did it and was able to finish it before we went to Iowa in December.

Now, I'm not usually a pat-yourself-on-the-back-er. But I think it turned out pretty cute and exactly what I had pictured, which is pretty good since I was just winging it!  I love that there are some that have the special embroidered characters, and even some with words like "Big Sister" and "I love daddy". It should fray more and be more rag-like the more they use it and wash it. I really hope the girls cherish it when they get older.  Now that I have one done... I have to do one more just like it for Sawyer.. so there's that, probably sooner than I thought since she thinks she is ready for a big girl bed.

good news... Tet Tet is the perfect quilt accessory!

The front, the cuteness!

The back is made mostly of the girls flannel receiving blankets and then some other bits of flannel

Harper also makes the quilt cuter.

It became a thing, lying in bed yelling cheese, and Sawyer really wanted in on the fun. and yes, I did take the front off of her crib, and yes, it is because she started climbing out of it, which is expected from Miss Sawyer Belle

Oscar, on the quilt that gave me the idea in the first place, my step mom and I made it when I was a girl and learning how to sew out of old pants... yes, I do still use it every day, its my comfort quilt.

Just because... I mean, look at her, SO CUTE!

Fetching Bailey!

^See what I did there? Yeah, you see, you chuckled, perhaps deep down. I'm live blogging as we go get our beautiful Bailey! Mainly for something to do. I actually hate road trips... So much. Also Ryan has sports radio on... This will not last long.

It's 7:30 and we are off! Oregon here we come!

And we made it 1.5 miles!! Yay!! Any excuse for bagels... Even oscar got a doggy bagel, seriously we are going now

9:00- first potty break! Oscar had some serious business to take care of... Also why is it so sunny?!?

9:50- Longview! Heeeeyyyy. Listening to some Frozen soundtrack (for the 1,000th time) "don't know if I'm elated or gassy, but I'm somewhere in that zoooone!" I hear ya Anna.

10:00- a bird just dropped a big one on the middle of our windshield ( I'll spare you the photo) it's really stressing hw out, "our car needs to be clean for Bailey! Why did that bird do that?!" It has been decided that daddy gets the honor of cleaning that up next time we stop.

While we are just sittin here... Let's talk about how I got a little excited and went etsy crazy and got Bailey and Oscar hand made tags and a collar (for when she gets bigger) and matching leash, I even made a kennel cover for the ugly kennel to pretty it up a bit!! Eeek!! 

10:30- Portland... I've never actually been to Portland before, still haven't.

11:30- lunch at a flying J that is 13 days new and the people were the friendliest and super happy and helpful, it was lovely and odd, also, you can't pump your own gas in Oregon... I've decided that's weird. Girls and oscar are still on great spirits!! Although oscar found the squeaky toy I brought for Bailey and is goin to town back there.

12:25: so close! So many sheep!

We are here!!

Sawyer with Baileys dad?

Let's play which one is oscar?!

Here she is!!! Beautiful bailey!!

She is just so sweet, really all of the pups were! It's just a farm and the mom is a pet, Bailey instantly went to the girls and gave them kisses, we could not be happier! She is snuggling in my arms right now as we head back. Oscar... Is unsure, I'm sure he will grow to love her

 

10.5 hours later we are home! We are sure that Bailey will fit into our family great. Now onto all the challenges and joys of puppydom!