personalized.

i love personalized shirts so much. the boys got some santa shirts from mama this christmas, personalized of course.i cannot say enough good things about this shop .

http://www.etsy.com/shop/smittenandcompany

eve.

'twas the night before christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring. not even a mouse.

well maybe a busy mommy and daddy elf were up helping santa get the G house all ready for a great christmas morning. every hour of missed sleep was worth it. all for THIS.

fa la la la la.

happy holidays and merry christmas from my family to yours!

2009 rewind.

well it's that time of year again, the very end. man that was quick. looking back, it always is.

you know, like when you're due in 11 days and your best friend, coworker, or some random acquaintance from your toddler's preschool class exclaims "wow, just 11 days that went quick".
oh really the past 38 weeks was quick? insert sarcastic eye roll HERE
it's never quick, unless your looking back.

so let's do that; let's look back at our year.
we can reminisce each little memory from this january to now. it reminds me of the andy davis lyrics, ''well rent a comedy, rewind the best parts and we'll memorize the lines". i'm going to rewind our year.
2009 was quite a year for us.
there are too many lines to memorize, but a lot of memories nonetheless.

january: we recuperated from a fun holiday season with lots of laziness. in fact, i think the only eventful, productive thing that happened in all of january (besides michael's birthday) was mason was in a mommy & me art class and learned paint masterpieces, with colored pudding and his fingers. hello yale.

february: mase turned two, it wasn't terrible in the least. we had sprinkles and a bouncehouse and wrapping paper for days. we also found out max was a boy!
february was FUN.
march: here in texas, march starts summer. mase, you got a new life jacket that doesn't attack your neck, but you still don't love it. we spent a lot of time on the boat, at the lake, at the pool. the sun was back in action. march is when mason started talking a LOT.

april: 2 words: beach trip! 3 words: easter egg hunt! 4 words: lots of park dates!may: may was a blur. i was 9 months pregnant and it was 90+ degrees every.damn.day.
so sue me.

june: happy birthday maximo, all 7 lbs of perfection. mason, you're a big brother.
HOLY FAMILY OF FOUR. lots of sleepless nights followed.july: my motto for july "try to hold it together, you just have two kids not ten". we didn't leave the house much, we did puzzles and i drank coffee, in mass amounts. max slept all day, because he wanted to party all night. sometimes i'd have mommy photoshoot's with less than willing subjects to photograph.

august: mason back to school & max smiles. life is looking a lot more exciting and eventful than july, eh? it was brutally hot, so we swam, at the lake, the pool, the beach, hell even the bath tub was a pool; we just swam a lot.september: celebrate good times c'mon. it's my birthday month sans bounce house and sprinkles. hmph. i did move max to his crib and bout velcro baby a carrier. so happy birthday mama you can sleep alone, but when your awake don't expect a solo potty break.october: we went to the pumpkin patch. by this time i was blogging so this is all a major repeat. we should've but didn't carve pumpkins. it rained like 20 days of the month and mason had the flu :(

november: happy turkey day peeps! max stole a lamb chop and went to town. hello teething. mason is totally potty trained, score. GO MASE. max isn't digging avocado, but he'll eat a few bites here and there.december: here we are. see how quick it goes? max has a tooth and he army crawls. he laughs and tries to play with mason (although mason doesn't play with him). and to think at the start of this year we didn't even know max!

just like that, a whole year can flashed by.
i'm excited for 2010. i really am. i have a feeling it's going to be a fabulous, fun, busy year. who knows what will happen; but i bet you whatever happens will happen quick. and a year from now i'll be saying "man that went quick". again.

and then i'll wish i could rewind back to my favorite parts. like when i first met my new baby boy. when i first kissed max's sweet new forehead and cuddled him all night. like when mason first saw his baby brother and blew out his birthday candles (200 times). and when i first looked in my review mirror and saw two babies sleeping in the back seat instead of just one.
when we all first snuggled up cuddled tight, baby lotion overload smell and freshly bathed babies in our bed.
all four of us.
can i get just a little rewind, please?

pneumonia.

max has it.

but it isn't phasing his i'm-the-happiest-baby-alive attitude.

adventures of a gingerbread house.

'tis the season to be...making gingerbread houses. mason was stoked, i was a little apprehensive and thank you to the make it easy kits we were set.

here are the marci & mason 5 simple steps to gingerbread house failure.

disclaimer: your toddler will have sticky hands and excess energy for approximately 68 hours after creation of gingerbread wonderfulness.

step 1:

ice roof and walls together with loads of icing, while licking your fingers deliciously. let "foundation" sit as long as possible.

step 2:

again use insane amounts of icing, glob on roof stickiness and spread with cheese knife (or any utensil that's not dirty in your dishwasher/sink).

step 3:

bust out the candy and release toddler in all of his or her excitement. try to limit amount that is eaten but don't be a grinch. what'd you expect? them to really decorate without eating it? riiight.

step 4:

toddler has lost interest. hope your roof doesn't collapse, like ours.

step 5:

if mommy didn't eat half the icing you're sweet house would be whole. maybe.

daddy m ended up fixing our house and decorated it himself. oh to be a kid again, even for thirty minutes while decorating your child's gingerbread house. that's what the holidays are for.

bliss.

my bliss list:

1. two well napped babies. preferably at the same time.
2. clean sheets.
3. a long, hot, steamy shower.
4. a frothy caramel latte that i had nothing to do with "cooking".
5. sushi takeout.
6. capturing the perfect picture.
7. christmas tree smell, REAL tree, that I don't have.
8. the way your skin feels when you sunbathe; warm, yummy, intoxicating.
9. a pedicure.
10. NOT having to listen to the Little People CD in the car. on repeat, times 100.

i'm going to create bliss lists for the boys, based on my super power of infant and toddler mind reading. i created them so i can read their minds. kind of. basically.

mason's bliss list:

1. mcdonalds.
2. orange juice mixed with apple juice. "mix it mommyyyyy, mix it"
3. toys, the smaller the better; 1,000 pieces fantastic, let's clutter our not so huge house a little more, greaaaaat.
4. CHOCOLATE. LOTS OF CHOCOLATE.
5. no napping. ever. no bedtime, please and thanks.
6. dips. ranch plus ketchup with a side of mustard and queso, pronto.
7. dinosaurs and trains. thank you PBS for Dinosaur Train. genius.
8. being naked.
9. screaming. shrieking. laughing like a wicked munchkin from charlie and the chocolate factory. any noise making in decibels that will wake up his napping brother.
10. listening to LITTLE PEOPLE CD ON REPEAT. times 100.

incidentally our number 10s don't exactly mesh. how ironic. i mean listening to mason sing "she'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes, yee haw" is precious, really it is. you know who wins this battle. he does, we listen over and over and over and OVER AGAIN. but after the tenth time, not so much. i'd really like to shove chopsticks in my ears by then.

can't we listen to some third eye blind or dave matthews? i'd even settle for miley cyrus. BUT PUHHH-LEASEEE NO MORE LITTLE PEOPLE SOUNDTRACKS, NO MORE KID MUSIC.

a long way.

mason,

this was your year. you've changed SO much from last december. first off simple things, you've gained about 8 lbs, yet still manage to wear last year's winter wardrobe. ok, a few things look a little snug, but it works. you've grown 3 inches, your now hovering barely under disneyland's minimum ride stature, c'mon baby you've only got like 80 days to grow that half inch. your hair. oh your hair is awesome, it's grown about hmm 30 feet.

last year you were an only child, with a sibling on the way. you didn't get the change that was oncoming; i don't think any of us did. you've handled your role as big brother with grace, ease and perfection. there are some days when max is forbidden to touch any toy you "own", even the toys you played with two christmases ago. i get it; they're yours. and your mine.

and you are awesome.

a lot of people contemplate ever loving someone like they love their first born. you were my first and you taught me so much about love and the insanity that comes with motherhood and through you i grew 100 feet. you humbled me on every level of my life and you made my life so much better. you fufilled a void i didn't know existed. you made me want more babies, because you were so fun, so perfect, so you.

this year brought on more fun, more perfection, the best you yet. last year year you talked, you said "no" a lot, you said "more juice" and sometimes even a nice "peas mommy" when you really wanted something. this year you communicate. i can sit with you and have a full on, two-way conversation about god knows what, trains, happy meals, why it's time for bed, how much longer those delicious cookies are going to take and of course how much i love you.

i love you more than i'll ever be able to tell you, more than i can ever show you.

i love you more than 100 kisses and 1000 hugs and 2 million bedtime stories. you're so awesome i can stare at you while you sleep and feel like i won the noble peace price or an oscar.

one of the best parts of me is you. you made me a mom, which is what i enjoy most, being a mom, to you and max.

a lot more happened this year where you kicked ass. goodbye pampers hello big boy undies. however, you've successfully protested giving your pacifier to the "binky fairy", the new baby or in exchange for one hotwheel per pacifier. ok, i give up. i've never met a highschool senior with a pacifier; but if you choose to go to prom with yours, well good for you.

you are so independent. you want to pick what shirt you wear, you need to zip and unzip and rezip you own jacket (a hundred times) and get in your own carseat, "all by meself". but one thing you still refuse to do alone is sleep. we never planned to cosleep, but it fell in our laps, and we value our sleep, crazy huh? some nights when your elbows and feet are knee deep in my ribs, i second guess my love of how cozy it is. majority of the nights your spooned beside me and you fit perfectly just like you did 34 months ago when i first held you chest to chest. it's a miracle considering you've grown rougly 34 inches, but i'm not arguing.

talking about 34 months ago; i will never forget when i first saw you. you were so tiny. so wrinkled. you had this pissed looked on your scrunched little face, sometimes i think you still make that sour little face...all this time later. i remember walking up to your plastic nicu incubator that housed you for the first eight days of your life, everyday in the third week of february, you've always been petite yet feisty as they come. i think their was more pizazz and personality in your 19 inch frame than in many grown adults. you were born awesome. but this year you grew a lot; a lot more awesome that is.

you had a good year mason. you turned two and indulged in sprinkles, but no cake. you went to the beach and caught your first fish. you bravely conquered jumping off ever rocky ledge of each swimming pool we swam at all summer. you became a brother. a fabulous, wonderful, maybe not sharing, but loving big brother. you went to school (again) tear free this time. you slide down the tallest slides. you laugh at cartoons. you sing along to roughly five songs on the radio, your voice is precious. you traveled to boston and did it like a champ. you lost the diapers and any baby face you ever had. you kept your sweet, contagious, captivating belly laugh.

i can't say it enough; everyday you grew and matured and became this little kid. the person you are becoming is someone i'm madly in love with. every endless hour with you is an adventure. this was your year, two was fabulous not terrible. two was you.

you've come a long way baby.

love,

your mama

da boyz.

i always had a feeling that my kids would be boys. i love tutus, obnoxiously over-sized hairbows, smocked dresses from every walk of life, embellished tees, glittery ballet flats and those precious little pearl bracelets. so naturally i grew penises, double time; i mean that does make sense, right? apparently so.

when i was pregnant with mason i had no motherly instinct for gender. i took every gender quiz under the moon online and most of them pointed towards blue. that was confirmed at 24 weeks. HELLO TURTLE HEAD. that kid had an appendage and he was NOT shy about it. once he was born, i couldn't imagine not having a boy. the blue slowly took over my life, as hard as it was to find cute clothing, i searched high and low, alas i'd built an adorable wardrobe for my little boy blue. adorable in my opinion, which is all that matter, right?

a year and a half later we found out we were expecting again. yay. my motherly instinct was shot, again. yay. michael was SURE it was a boy; after all he only makes boys. i went back and forth toying with the idea of waiting until deuce was born to find out who he/she was. the minute they put the warm ultrasound jelly on my belly i knew i wasn't waiting 20 more long, agonizing weeks to know if i needed to stock up on tutus. surprise, another TURTLE HEAD. again, a baby with a third leg, who was NOT shy. i still remember finding out max was a boy, michael literally jumped for joy, like out of his seat in the ultrasound room. so much for "i really have no preference with this baby marce". apparently he did. he was so precious in that ultrasound, he was going to be another adorable boy.

max joined us late june of this year and they were right..he was a boy. i don't know why i'm so surprised still that i have TWO boys. i mean i always knew i'd have boys, brothers, little dinosaur loving, train fanatic, boys.

that's exactly what i got. boys.

sure i mourn the loss of those adorable tutus and smocked dresses. everytime i walk in to gap or gymboree i sigh at all the pink masses that i don't get to browse through. my checking account however sighs in relief, my husband too i'm sure.

but boys are fun. so incredibly fun. i never realized how lucky i'd be to be shopping in the understocked side of gap, to paint two nursery's two incredibly different shades of blue, and to not own a tutu (yet). i have boys. two beautiful son's. i feel like i own the world. i'm the luckiest person ever, to have these two boys call me mommy.

santa success.

we saw santa; they cautiously liked him. mason was a little confused as to why he couldn't get his toy he requested now. i mean after all he's been so good all year, even with the occasional meltdown. see mason, santa comes ONE night, not all of december, or all year like you may think. trust me, your getting what you asked for, just not today.what you didn't really think i got them to smile...did you?
by success i meant no one escorted us out of santa's workshop with screaming children.

oh christmas tree!

thursday night we got our tree all set up. mason had a blast helping this year, i love that he's getting old enough to partake in all the fun seasonal events and really gets it. he kept telling me while pointing to our fire place "that's where santa is coming down to bring me presents!" eh something like that huh? ;)nough talking here's the pretty tree and our cute new pottery barn stockings! i went traditional and simple because that's our style. i decided we'd start an annual tradition of letting the boys pick one ornament each year to add to our tree. this year mason picked a fireman santa, pretty fitting since he loves fireman stuff. max hasn't "picked one" i guess mason gets to pick one for him too! then mason hung some ornaments for us. like this. and this.

we "made" cookies. better yet, pillsbury made it easy. but they're JUST as yummy!

i got extra festive and had christmas music playing, on youtube. we're so 2009.
santa, we're ready!

oh, speaking of santa we're going to see him in a few hours. mason's already protesting sitting on his lap. this oughta be interesting.

monday.

monday was rainy, cold and gross. like really, really, really stay-home-on-your-couch all day-gross.

so we did just that. the three of us stayed in our jammies, on the couch. cuddling, snacking, snoozing.

happy december.

dear december,

yay, december you're here and we're excited about it.

we're excited for advent calendar chocolate. stocking and santa claus. supposedly. we're excited for hoodies and cold weather. snuggling with fuzzy blankets on the couch and hot cocoa with marshmellows. we are excited to bake chocolate chip cookies for santa, hold the milk. we're excited to open presents and wear matching christmas jammies. excited for tree decorating and light hanging. excited the four of us will have our first christmas as a foursome.

we're excited.

love & excitement,
us