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?

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.