Stuck

Stuck.

That's what we've been for seven days now. Stuck under lots and lots and lots of snow.

This has been awesome for one reason: Jack is potty trained!! Woohoo!! I had no idea he would be so easy to potty train! Yippee for no more diapers!!!! 

This "being stuck" has also been not-so-awesome. Why? I'm in the middle of training for a 10K. My plan requires 3 runs a week. Ugh. Also, my children and I have extreme cabin fever. I'm not gunna' lie...the television has pretty much been on all day nonstop. Of course, the boys' school has been canceled, and I feel like I'm literally flushing (a.lot.) of money down the toilet. Oh, and I have this little thing called a "job." A full-time, high-stress job that doesn't stop because I'm stuck inside with my kiddos. 

Yesterday, at the frenzied height of cabin fever, I said, "Boys, to the kitchen! We're baking cookies!"

...because when you can't get to the gym, why not consume tons more calories?? Geesh!

Snow Day! (Er, week!)

Well, we're stuck inside...and I'm afraid for the whole week! We're expecting a foot of snow today, and the temperature isn't going to get above freezing until Saturday! 

I'm determined to finish potty training Jack, if indeed we are stuck inside for several days.

The boys and I ventured outside to play in the snow. We only lasted about twenty minutes, since it's about fifteen degrees outside! Jack said, "I freezing cold!!" 

Nathan's Bedroom

Well, it has been a labor of love {okay, and a lot of fun}, but I am finally finished with Nathan's bedroom! {No, sweet husband of mine, that's not to say if I don't find a cute throw pillow or picture frame, I won't purchase it!}

I wanted Nathan's room to be navy, grey, and white/eggshell. I've seriously {slowly} worked on his room for over a year now. Anywhere from painting the walls to re-painting and waxing his entire bed, I've put some blood, sweat, and tears into this project.

Enjoy!

In case you're wondering why it took me over a year to put together a child's bedroom, I will tell you: I NEVER pay full price for anything. So, I knew I wanted Pottery Barn bedding and a nice rug and a blue armchair and a window bench and Annie Sloan paint. And, I wasn't willing to go out and spend stupid amounts of money on those things. So, I waited, looked for coupons, deals, and sales, and I can absolutely say that everything in this room fit into my REGULAR budget! Woohoo!

And, for the sake of honesty, Nathan was SCREAMING while I took these pictures because Jack {as you can see} was in his room. Gasp! Am I the only one who has an older kiddo who goes to pieces when his younger sibling enters his room!? Please say no.

Here's a cute picture of Nathan, matching his bedspread. Hehe!

Valentine's Day Party!

Today was a first for me. I got to be a party mom at school! Whoa, I feel old.

{Well, I should have technically been one last February, but the party got snowed out.}

So, I give you Nathan's Valentine's Day party at school! It was so precious!

Can I pause for a quick sec and tell you about Nathan's Valentine's Day box? Literally ALL of the other children's boxes were red and pink and covered in stickers. And while the TOP of Nathan's box is covered in stickers, the sides are cutouts of animals from his National Geographic Kids magazines. So yes, my child has a tarantula on his Valentine's Day box.

I love you so much, Nathan James! How did I ever get so lucky to have you as my precious son!?

These Two

These two.

I love them and they drive me crazy.

While you {and, what feels like, the rest of the world} are blessed with children who wake up between 7:00 and 8:00, my firstborn has for his entire life felt that 5:30-6:15 was a good time to wake up. He also feels that it's a good time to go into his brother's room and get him up, too.

Four little feet running into my room. The dark, cold, quiet of my room.

And then they're tossing their blankies in my face, elbowing and kicking and punching my boobs, and saying, "Applejuice! Waffles! Sausage!" "I wanna' watch Wild Kratts!" "NOOO! Toy Story!" "NOOOOO! Wild Kratts!"

You get the picture.

My mornings are anything but peaceful.

They're wild, crazy hooligans.

I love them more than life itself. I cover them with prayer every single day. I would die for them.

But good Lord they could not have gotten out of the car in that blessed carpool line fast enough this morning.

Every day is filled with moments of sweet hugs and kisses, precious moments, laughter. And every day has not-so-sweet moments, too. Moments of, "Hurry up! We're late!" And moments of time-outs. Moments of I'm-trying-to-get-my-work-done-and-chase-a-career-and-mommyhood. Moments where I lose my patience.

I want to remember these days because they're hard. And good. They're challenging, exhausting, and sometimes frustrating. They're also rewarding and beautiful.

Last night, after a long, long day, Nathan and Jack hugged each other. "I love my brother!" Nathan shouted. "Brother," Jack said as he nuzzled into Nathan. No punches. No pulling of hair. No fighting over a toy. I guess they'd exhausted all of that from the day.

Just a sweet moment that said, "It's okay, Mommy. We really are best friends. We really do love each other. We just like giving you a run for your money. It's extremely entertaining."

We're messy and loud--occasionally clean and loud. But mostly messy and loud. We're imperfect. We're figuring out life together. I'm so grateful to have these two buckaroos along for the adventure.