That House

Using a ladder to attach Christmas lights to our home seemed like a really good idea when we were really excited about Christmas. 

But now we’re in the church season of Miss Tiffany, as in, “We’re taking down our Christmas decorations because Christmas is over.  Now it’s Epiphany.”  And Rush responds, “Miss Tiffany?  Barrett’s Mom?”  (If that doesn’t make sense, say it out loud.)  And now that we’re weeks into Epiphany/Miss Tiffany, we’re weeks into being that house who still has our Christmas lights up.

A plea to future Kelly and Trent:  If putting up Christmas lights with a ladder seems like a good idea next December, please take into account that you will also have to use a ladder to take them down.

You, Specifically

Trent told me about a conversation he had a few months ago with a grandfather.  The man was writing down things about his grandchildren that were simply them.  The things that they like, the people that they are, before they get older and inevitably start absorbing things from other people and the world in general.  I’m assuming he’s going to give them the notes one day, probably around the time when an identity crisis hits.

That’s one of the things I love about being around Rush and Tate, seeing who they are.  But in the midst of brushing teeth and 3 meals and snacks and sweeping the kitchen floor again and changing sheets, it’s easy to get caught up in the responsibilities of raising children.  What is the quintessential Rush, the quintessential Tate?

Of course, it’s 9:49 on a Sunday night so my brain isn’t quite up to analyzing all the qualities of my children.  I can get as far as Rush being gentle and Tate being energetic and then my mind starts wandering and I’m wondering why I just ate a bowl of pickles (Why?  Probably a bad idea.) and talking with Trent about how the Green Bay Packers got their name.  The good news is that every day I can learn more about these little guys and who they are, and even as they start getting more and more outside influences, it’s still going to be interesting to see the things that they like and the people they become.

One of my all time favorite books is Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Patterson.  I read it for the first time in 4th grade and read it multiple times that year.  The first time I reread it as an adult, I was so happy to not only still love it, but to recognize why 4th grade Kelly loved it so much.  It’s good to have a reminder of who I am.

While visiting my parents over Christmas I found a bag marked “KANGAROOS.”  I was really devoted to my kangaroo collection in elementary school.  I can’t figure out if having a collections was a big thing in elementary school or just something I thought was cool.  I know people had sticker collections and there was one girl who had hundreds of key chains linked together that she kept under her bed.  My own sister won a blue ribbon at the South Texas State Fair for her Coca-Cola Collection.  Yeah.  And we’re more let’s-eat-fried-boudin-balls fair people than entering-things fair people.  We certainly didn’t show any livestock.

So as I’m showing Trent all these stuffed kangaroos (oh yeah, he was impressed) and laughing about what a funny kid I was, I notice that Tate is holding a stuffed kangaroo that I bought for him the day after I found out I was pregnant with him.  Then I notice the kangaroo Pez dispenser that I bought myself as a Christmas Eve treat sticking out of my purse.  Hmmm.  I’m apparently still the same person.  The good news is that people change too, so we’re not surrounded with curio cabinets filled with ceramic kangaroos.

Yet.

More ONE

We had Tate’s first birthday party at the beach – family, a beautiful January day with the windows open, the sound of the surf,

and cupcakes.

Tate ate about six cupcakes, chomping off the top half, throwing the rest on the floor, then grabbing another.  He loved being the center of attention.

It’s a good party if you have to pause between cake and presents for a quick bath.

The party was part of a great weekend.  Both boys spent time with their cousin-

Rush started playing board games-

And we learned that Tate loves barbeque.

Falling Apples

Sometimes being both a mother and a messy person has its advantages.  Because when my child takes everything with small pieces out of the cabinet and dumps them all in a giant pile-

it doesn’t really stress me out as much as it could.  It is going to be a hassle to pick up all those toys with Rush, yet at the same time I get it.  I can totally appreciate wanting to sit in the midst of a big pile of all the things I enjoy.

I do the same thing, disguised as “re-organizing the bookshelf” or “going through my fabric.”

So the flip side to living in chaos and clutter is low stress levels. 

And I’m getting organized this year, right?

Number One

We have had so much fun with this guy over the past year.  He really pushed through the week leading up to his birthday, eating like crazy, noticeable growth spurt, and taking-off walking.

We realized over Christmas that Tate loves green bean casserole, so we had that as part of his birthday dinner.  He was still eating green beans when we sang Happy Birthday, but that didn’t slow him down.

First birthday are a big celebration for me too.  We did it!  The first year is intense, and Tate and I made it from January 11, 2011-

to January 11, 2012-

It’s a miracle in every way.  I love every minute with you, Tate.  Happy Birthday little guy!