You Capture: Feet

I have a baby foot fetish. I love baby feet and could nibble on them all day long, so when Sarah Viola took off Eli's sock, it was all I could do to not bite them right off his feet. Luckily, I restrained myself and snapped a photo instead.

Aren't those the most divine little toesies ever? I can't believe that just a week ago, I was feeling them kick in his mama's belly.
It made think of when Tommy's feet were that size, and how as each day passes, they seem more like a boy's feet and less like a baby's.


And then there's this boy, whose feet are so big that he informed me tonight that he can go down the big slide ALL BY HIMSELF now. Oh, these feet. I can't wait to see where they go.


You Capture: Feet (new location for this week and next!)

A Final Letter to the Fine People at International Delight

Since Sweet Buttercream first came into my life, I've been pondering whether it is truly better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Would the void in my life created by a limited edition creamer be too much to handle? Or should I just be thankful to have shared this sweet time with my new love?

In the end, I'm certain it's been better to have loved, because my life has been infinitely richer for the delicious love affair I've shared with Sweet Buttercream. I'm sure I'll never love another quite the same as Sweet Buttercream, but I'll be strong and move on. Maybe I'll find another flavor, but it'll never quite be the same. I'll sip it and sigh wistfully, remembering the good old days. Mornings snuggled in bed, late nights around the kitchen table, the way he always kept me warm.



The most fabulous thing about this whole love affair is that it was really just a silly topic, but what I love is that so many of you out there have tweeted or commented that you sought out Sweet Buttercream. And! That you loved it almost as much me. THEN, in the apex of my blogging career (just kidding, I don't have a blogging career. Why DO you people read this thing?), I was contacted by someone who works with International Delight (shout out to Heather with Horizon Media!) and last weekend, a package with SIX QUARTS of Sweet Buttercream showed up on my doorstep, along with a handwritten card from the Associate Brand Manager. I didn't even know that it was available in quarts! I never expected anyone from International Delight to read this or even care, yet they've shown that, actually, they DO care about their consumers.

So, Fine People at International Delight? Maybe you didn't arrange that warehouse full of creamer or make it permanent, but you have gained yourself a customer for life. (And if you ever need a product tester? Well, you know I'm your girl.)

Here

I found out that Beth was pregnant the day after Tommy was born. The two have been tied together in my head since: her growing belly, my growing baby.

My wonderful friend Julie told me that yesterday was the first day of Passover, in which those of the Jewish faith leave their doors open to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah. The Elijah of the Hebrew faith was said to promise relief and redemption, to restore hope in hearts and to lift spirits.

Yesterday? We welcomed our Beth's Elijah. Open doors, open arms. Sighs of relief at his perfection. Redemption in the promise of life. A restoration of hope and faith and belief in greatness. Our spirits soaring higher than we could ever imagine.

He is here.

Howlin' Good Time

Shane, Luke, and I first visited Great Wolf Lodge last year over spring break.We wanted to do something special with Luke, since this would be our last trip as a family of three. It was a spur of the moment thing, so I basically googled Wisconsin Dells and went with the best deal. We ended up loving it so much that on our last day, we didn't want to leave. The food was great, the staff was amazing, and it was so perfect for a toddler.

We'd planned on returning for spring break this year, but we were so excited that we ended up going President's Day weekend. It was so wonderful that when I received an email inviting us to be a part of the Great Wolf Lodge WaterSlideaThon, I immediately wrote back and said YES! Okay, so I had to wait two days for Shane to get on board, but then I wrote back and said YES! If I weren't such a nice wife, it would've been immediate. We ended up at the King's Island location, which is awesome because my sister lives nearby. Great Wolf Lodge is excellent about allowing you to purchase guest passes in cases like this. In fact, all my sister had to do was go to the front desk and say she was with our family. How easy is that?

I just honestly cannot rave enough. We arrived at 1:30, although check-in time isn't until 4. When I checked in, I was told that our room wasn't quite ready yet, but that if I left my cell, they'd call as soon as it was ready and until then, we were welcome to go to the waterpark. Being that we were 2.5 hours before check in time, I didn't expect it to be ready. However, by the time Shane moved the car from the front entrance to the door near our room, they called to say it was ready! I'm not sure how they did it, but could you ask for better service? Not only was the suite spotless (and sporting bunk beds, which Luke LOVED), but the General Manager had left a hand written card for me, along with a box of FUDGE.

I'm pretty sure we all know the way to my heart is through dessert, right? I quickly devouredsampled all four flavors, and then we made our way to the waterpark. Now, we've only ever been to the Dells location. Kings Island is actually newer than the Dells, and they've made a lot of changes. One of the best improvements that I saw is that the toddler slides are wide open. At the Dells, they're built in such a way that kids are out of your sight for a brief while, which neither Shane nor I liked very much. They have made a huge improvement on that and the slides for smaller kids are now completely open, so that your child never leaves your sight. I love this, and I think it shows that as a company, they are always striving for better.
Luke was having so much fun that the only photos I got looked like this:

He ran and played and ran some more until it was time to go to bed. The next morning, we were treated to an amazing breakfast where we got to meet with the General Manager and the head of Marketing, both of whom have such an evident amount of pride for their work. I learned that Great Wolf Lodge has some pretty amazing things in store, and I hope you'll follow along with them over the next few months to see what's going to happen.

Although I was there as a blogger, obviously I didn't go around broadcasting this to the staff--so when I say that we received excellent service and found all of the employees to go above and beyond, I say this as a GUEST. Every employee we encountered smiled, greeted us, asked if we were enjoying our stay, and so on.
Oh, and the Water SlideaThon? Not only did Great Wolf Lodge make it into the Guinness Book of World Records, but they raised money for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program. How wonderful is that? I'll end this post the way that we've ended every stay at Great Wolf Lodge: I can't wait to return.

I was provided with a complimentary suite (and fudge, mmm), but was not paid to blog about it, nor was I even asked to blog about it. All opinions are mine and would remain the same had we paid for the stay ourselves, as we have in the past

Sister Sue {Etsy Giveaway}

Random.org chose Sarah as the winner. Congrats to her!

Continuing on the theme of I ♥ Etsy, I have another fabulous Etsy giveaway for my fabulous readers!

First of all, I just want to say that I capital L LOVE Jen from Sister Sue Designs. She even offered to come dust my house. Unfortunately, she lives a few states away, but I'm working on that!
I am pretty much in love with everything in her shop, but I was so happy when she sent me these cloth play blocks.

As a mom of two boys, I'm a huge fan of anything that can't potentially cause bruises or concussions. Seriously, I'm only half-joking here. So, I love these because they're soft, but still FUN. I love them, also, because both Luke and Tommy can enjoy them. Tommy loves that there's a bell in the block, so they jingle, and Luke loves that he can stack and kick and throw them--without mom saying, "CAREFUL, LUKE, WATCH OUT FOR YOUR BROTHER."

Normally when I'm snapping photos of Tommy, the clicking of the camera distracts him from whatever it is he's doing and he abandons it. This time, though, he was like, "MOM, STOP it. I'm trying to play!"

And play he did. He rolled and stacked and threw and squished and has every day since I got these blocks.


Not only are these blocks great for babies and toddlers, but they'd make a great nursery decoration, too! I think it'd be so sweet to see these sitting on a shelf, just waiting for baby to be big enough to play.

Because Jen is fabulous, she's offered to give a set of cloth blocks to one of my lucky readers (that's you). Check out her shop and let me know something that catches your eye, just for fun! Good luck!

giveaway ends Friday

Painted

Every day, the sun rises and sets.

Sometimes we sleep through it. Sometimes we're busy through it. Sometimes the clouds get in our way (the ones in the sky and the ones in our lives). Sometimes we just forget to look.
The other day, I remembered. And it took my breath away.

You Capture: A Moment

For this week's You Capture, I wanted to capture a moment from each day this week that made my soul sing, alongside the lyrics from one of my most very favorite soul and heart lifting songs. I hope your moments were beautiful and full of music this week, too.

What a beautiful face I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun
What a beautiful dream
That could flash on the screen
In a blink of an eye and be gone from me
Soft and sweet
Let me hold it close and keep it here with me, me

And one day we will die
And our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea
But for now we are young
Let us lay in the sun
And count every beautiful thing we can see
Love to be
In the arms of all I'm keeping here with me, me

What a curious life we have found here tonight
There is music that sounds from the street
There are lights in the clouds
Anna's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me
Soft and sweet
How the notes all bend and reach above the trees, trees

Now how I remember you
How I would push my fingers through
Your mouth to make those muscles move
That made your voice so smooth and sweet
Now we keep where we don't know
All secrets sleep in winter clothes
With one you loved so long ago
Now he don't even know his name

What a beautiful face I have found in this place
That is circling all round' the sun
And when we meet on a cloud I'll be laughing out loud
I'll be laughing with everyone I see
Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea--The Neutral Milk Hotel

Covered

It's true that in the throes of labor, you can often lose any sense of modesty. While I would definitely not want an audience during a pap smear (if it were possible to remove myself from the room during that, I'd be happy), when I found myself pushing Luke out with my dad somewhere near the foot of the bed, I didn't care. At all. I was just focused on getting the nine pound baby with a head in the 90th percentile OUT OF ME. Of course, after he was born, I retained some sense of decency and couldn't wait to get out of the hospital gown and in real clothes.

With Tommy, I remember hunching my body over and around him to keep him warm, but also because with each strange man who walked into my kitchen, it became embarrassingly clear how very naked I was. I know I've talked before about the two EMTs who were such angels, because they understood that I wasn't comfortable sitting there completely naked and told Shane to "get mom a blanket!" He did, but only this little afghan that barely covered my shoulders. Still, it was enough that I felt a little bit more comfortable.

Until it was time to leave. They asked if I felt okay walking up the stairs to the stretcher in the kitchen. I said yes, of course, but then I realized that I had a choice. I could either hand off my brand new baby, pressed so perfectly against me and wrap the blanket around me to ensure a little more modesty... or I could hold tight to him and MAYBE keep the blanket over my shoulders. I chose to hold tight to Tommy, dropping the blanket halfway up the stairs. Of course, a seven pound baby doesn't do much to cover all your bits and pieces, especially when you've just given birth and are a hot mess. At this point, I wasn't sure how we were going to ride to the hospital. I didn't know if they'd let me hold him the whole time, or if he'd be taken away, so I certainly wasn't going to give him up.

But isn't that kind of what parenting is? The lengths we go to for our children. We'd walk through fire for them, over hot coals, and yes, we'd walk naked into a room full of strangers just to know they're safe.

These Storms

The other night thunder shook the house

and lightning slashed brilliant blue across the bed.

I slept in bits, my heart raced with each explosion of noise and rain.

And though he held me, my breathing was ragged and exhausted.

I may never sleep through these storms.

Light A Candle by Luci Tapahonso.

Most days, I don't even think of what happened to me. To paraphrase Maya Angelou, I am changed by it, yes, but I am not reduced by it.

But then every so often, on even the sunniest and happiest of days, there are nightmares. They've changed over the years. As my life has grown, so have they. They've gone from him hurting me, to him hurting my family. Those are the worst. I can handle him hurting me. I have handled it. But the nightmares of him hurting my babies? Those are the worst. Those leave me shaking and gasping for air and wondering if they will ever go away? Will I be 80 years old and stilll be shaken to the core by this fear? When I'm 80 years old, he'll be gone, but I wonder if I'll still be afraid?

It's always in the darkest hours of the night. I hate being alone when there's no light outside. Shane plays poker once a month, and I dread those nights. I have my boys with me, but when they're in bed and all is quiet, my mind and heart race. I'm afraid to fall asleep because I don't want to dream. I'm afraid to stay awake because I don't like to look at the dark. I don't hate what happened to me and I don't hate him, but I hate that I can't get rid of the fear.

Will I ever sleep through the storms?

You Capture: Reaching

Flowers reaching through the still cold ground for the sun. I love Daffodils for how hardy they are, for how they reach up while all the other flowers are still hiding.


Before I took the above photo, I had to get a photo of my little Leprechaun. It was a little hard, though, because every single time I tried to snap a photo, he kept reaching out for me. Every single time.

I love when he reaches for me.

The Rusted Chain {Giveaway}

Congratulations to Erin, who said she'd choose the blessed necklace! Thanks to everyone who entered... I'm so glad I could share Beki's designs with you.


If you know me, you know that one of my favorite types of jewelry to wear would be handstamped sterling silver necklaces. I love them and could get lost on Etsy for hours, browsing all the beautiful necklaces.

So when Beki approached me about doing a giveaway, I said YES, OF COURSE! I already own one of Beki's beautiful necklaces, and I can't rave enough about it. I love that Beki uses steel ball chains on her necklaces, because it gives them a unique look. And what I really love about her necklaces is how they're simple, yet say so much.



I own the let love grow necklace, OF COURSE, and I adore it because it makes me think of one of my very best friends, but also because it's just a gentle reminder of how I need to live my life. The blessed and soar necklaces speak to me, too, because they're such powerful words. But if you were to be shopping for me, I'd probably tell you to buy me the believe necklace. Like Beki says, it can mean so much. A belief in a higher power. Believing in yourself, your potential. Or simply just believing in something, ANYTHING, to get you through tough times. That makes my soul happy.

Beki is so wonderfully generous that she's offered to give a $30 gift certificate to one of my readers! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment letting me know what piece of jewelry you'd choose if you won. (Oh, and my birthday is in a month and a half. Just a thought.)

Giveaway ends Saturday

Moo With Me

I compare myself to a cow on a fairly regular basis. Pumping three times a day, five times a week makes me feel rather like a dairy cow. The way I'm really like a cow, though, is with my separate stomachs. I don't have four stomachs, though, only two.

Yes, two. You should mark today down as the best day of your life, because I'm going to introduce you to the existence of the dessert stomach. You may already be aware of it, if you are so smart like me. Or this post may change your life AS YOU KNOW IT.

What is the dessert stomach? The dessert stomach is the most beautiful part of your anatomy, I promise. The dessert stomach enables you to stuff yourself so full of dinner food that you can't imagine eating another bite. OF DINNER FOOD. Follow?

So, you eat a steak dinner. I don't really eat much steak, but I'm using that as an example because many people eat steak. So, you eat your steak and your potatoes (if you're smart, they're of the fried version). If you're really gross like my husband, I guess you'll have mushrooms on top (SORRY MUSHROOM LOVERS, YOU'RE JUST NOT NORMAL). You eat your steak and drink a glass or two of wine, and then you think to yourself that you just can't eat another bite. Of steak. If someone put another steak in front of you, you would have a heart attack and explode all over the table.

And yet, when the waiter comes around with dessert options, you find yourself thinking, "Hmm. Maybe a creme brulee would be nice. Or, ooh, that cheesecake looks divine," and then suddenly, you find yourself devouring dessert. Still full from dinner, but able to fit in dessert. You might be reading this and shaking your head and thinking that you can't possibly eat like that, but YOU CAN. Next time you go out to eat, I want you to eat like I'm sitting next to you. Pretend that you HAVE to order dessert, otherwise I'll disown you (and, friends, this isn't too far from the truth. I take dessert seriously), and I can promise that you'll find that your dessert stomach really, truly does exist.

You might find yourself eating this:


Only to finish and think to yourself, "Hey, I could TOTALLY eat this!":


And then you'll think to yourself, "Man, Erin is SO SMART. I should totally send her a thank you card because she has CHANGED MY LIFE."

You're welcome.

Bonus points to anyone who can name the song reference in my title. Extra bonus points to anyone who goes out right now and tests out their dessert stomach.

You've Got To Stay Bright

Last week was so very trying. Between standardized tests and then spending two days in bed with a migraine and the flu, I felt like a shadow of myself.

But this week. This week was all about rejuvenation. About brightening that shadow. Did you find rejuvenation this week? I hope you did.

I found it in new Easter jammies, for our very first Easter this side of the belly.

In running at the park, finally, finally, after all these months of cold.

In playing with friends and laughing so, so hard.

In driving home from that playdate and stopping in the pouring rain at Walgreen's to buy a gift for Daddy, a very special gift. A pink bouncy ball, which he has assured Luke is just what he always wanted. We never go out on school nights, but I am so glad we did, and when Luke asked if we could bring a present home for Daddy, how could I say no?

This week I loved the world.
And the world loved me back.

You Capture: Quiet

I really didn't think there was a lot of quiet in my life, but it turns out that there's more quiet than I ever realized.

Although my mixer isn't exactly quiet, last Friday, Shane was using it to mix cheesecake. He was making chocolate covered cheesecake squares--Beth's favorite. Since it was for her surprise shower, I couldn't email her that he was making it or twitpic that he was making it. I had to be quiet, when really, I wanted nothing more than to tell her what Shane was making.

Every night we have the same routine with Luke. We get him warm milk, brush his teeth, and read three stories. We kiss and say our I love yous, then Shane and I go downstairs. About five minutes later, Luke comes down for a second cup of milk. He cuddles on the couch while we get his milk, then we go back upstairs, read one more story and that's the last we see of him until the sun comes up. Sometimes I find myself wanting to rush this time because I need to shower and clean and get ready for the next busy day, but mostly, I love these quiet moments.


The best kind of quiet came last night. The weather has been beautiful this week, finally bringing a glimmer of hope for warmer weather. I found a quiet longing in my soul for beautiful weather, for nests and baby birds, for first swing rides, for the quiet joy that shows up in the eyes of a three year old who has been waiting for so long to stretch his legs into the air and fly.

A Follow-Up Letter to the Fine People at International Delight

I know that you haven't yet responded to my first letter. That's okay. I understand that arranging a warehouse full of creamer is not a task that can be done overnight. Please know that I would be willing to travel up to one hour in any direction to access this warehouse.

I am really hoping that you've reconsidered your decision to make Sweet Buttercream a limited edition. See, since I last wrote to you, he's become very despondent over his seeming unemployment. While he used to have such a zest for life, he now sits on the couch all day with his friend, Fat Tire, mouth slack and remote nearby.

When I go to the grocery store where we first met, I'm greeted with nothing but emptiness. An empty spot on the shelf where he once stood proudly, an empty spot in my heart.

I'm asking you to think not just of my beloved Sweet Buttercream, but won't you please think of the children? Yes, the children. We have so many of them, you see, and as a teacher, I know that children need strong role models. With their daddy out of a job and their mother weeping all day long about the day their father will leave her, it's just not creating a very positive home environment. And as I'm sure you know, children ARE our future. Just look at these beautiful, shining faces.

See, fine people at International Delight? No one loves your products more than me. I am almost certainly responsible for any sort of upswing you've had in product sales lately, so the LEAST you can do is repay me by not taking away my one true love.

International Delight did not pay me for my slightly obsessive ramblings. They may be looking into the logistics of a creamer warehouse. Or they may be looking into the logistics of a restraining order.

Let's Chat

I feel like I've been a bad blogger lately, because I've been busy and sick and oh, did I mention busy? The kind of busy that never seems to stop, where every single weekend fills up, and we find ourselves just wishing we could stay home--just for one day.

But yet, we are out living life and that is never a bad thing, either. But tell me, friends, what's going on in your world? How was your weekend? Tell me something, anything.

As for me, I'm working a few fabulous Etsy giveaways. I love Etsy so much. Pretty much anything I buy these days comes from Etsy, except for makeup. I don't buy much makeup these days, though, because I own enougn makeup to have all of you over and do your makeup and not even make a dent in what I own (wouldn't that be fun?).

Tommy is growing in leaps and bounds. He's pulling himself up and cruising along the furniture. Every so often, he forgets that he can't stand and lets go, only to do a faceplant on the floor. I know someday, all too soon, he'll let go and stay standing. I'm not ready for that day. He crinkles up his nose and snorts at me. If I snort back, it only encourages him to do it more. I spend a lot of time snorting these days.

Luke is three and that's good and bad, but I'm learning to love and cherish the good. There is so much good. He is big and little all at once. Every morning, he bounds out of bed and picks out his outfit, then he proudly shows it to me. Sunday morning, I was trying to sleep in and my sleeping in went like this:

Luke: Mommy, look at my shirt!

Me: That's really nice. Go show Daddy.

Luke, two minutes later: Mommy, I brought you these ho-hos.

Me: Thanks buddy!

Luke, two minutes later: Here are your glasses, Mommy!

Me: Thanks!

Luke, two minutes later: Mommy, here's your book!

Me: Oh, I needed that.

Luke, two minutes later: Here Mommy, I brought you my moose to cuddle.

Me: Thanks Luke!

Luke, two minutes later: Mommy, here's a chocolate chip cookie. I hope you feel better.

Me: Sighs. Gets out of bed.

Shane was awake and downstairs through all of this, so I kind of wanted to strangle him for letting Luke come upstairs over and over, but also, Luke was being so sweet that it was okay that I didn't get the extra sleep I so badly wanted. Then Shane took him to church, and he proceeded to act like a three year old terror, but we went out for dinner and he was angel. Three year olds.

And finally, every time I am sick, my house falls apart. Last week was no exception. It is a disaster, and I really, really wish my husband would just cave and let us hire someone to help clean, but he puts his foot down. I love him so dearly, but it is absolutely maddening to me that we don't see eye to eye on this one little thing. So anyway, my house is really messy and when I go completely insane and end up crying in the corner, then maybe my husband will let me hire someone. But probably not.

Showered

I'm going to put this out there: I love surprises. Love them. So much that I will never find out a baby's gender, because it's the greatest surprise there is.

But also, I am REALLY bad at surprises. So bad. As a kid, I was always the one who handed someone a wrapped present, then blurted out what it was. As an adult, I frequently want to give Shane his birthday or Christmas gifts well before the date because I just cannot wait. This past
June, when we threw Crooked Eyebrow a surprise shower, I nearly gave it all away with only a few hours to go.

So to say that I've spent the past week and a half holding my breath while planning Beth's surprise shower would be an understatement. Every time I sent an email about it, I checked and rechecked to make sure I didn't accidentally type in her address. Then after I hit sent, I went to my sent mail folder and checked AGAIN, each time fearing that her email address had somehow magically appeared. It didn't.

Somehow the stars aligned, and it went off without a hitch. We had friends and family traveling from afar, people Beth never dreamed would show up at what was to be a simple coffee date.

We anxiously refreshed emails and paced slightly, waiting for Beth to show up--in a complicated scheme that involved her picking up Steph, meaning that Steph showed up to decorate, then drove home to wait for Beth to pick her up. So anxious that I didn't have Tommy in the sling right, but I was afraid to adjust him and miss the email from Steph letting us know that they were on their way. How did people plan surprise parties before technology?

And then, WE DID IT.

(Plus Crooked Eyebrow, who was behind the camera!)
It was more than I ever could have imagined. There was laughter, lots of belly touching, some tears, disgusting amounts of food, and love. So much love.

All I could think was how lucky I am to know such people who would all come together out of pure, beautiful selflessness. Who would spend hours in a car and tell little white lies to keep the surprise unspoiled. Who would think of no other way to spend a Saturday afternoon than to celebrate a baby boy who will be joining us so soon, before we know it. At the end of the day, everyone showered Beth with presents (oh, seriously, the cute owl themed baby things? TOO MUCH CUTE), but what was so overwhelming to me--and still is--was the sheer amount of love in one room. It was indescribable and so, so beautiful.

Gorgeous photos courtesy of Crooked Eyebrow, more can be found here.

Today

I was going to write this funny post about how my husband is really 80 years old. I was. I had it all planned out. Except I'm just so burned out right now. For reasons that I can't talk about.

For reasons that I CAN talk about, I'm burned out because I miss my boys. Nine days out of ten, I've come to terms with being a work outside of the home mom. But when that one day out of ten rolls around, it's like a knife twisted in my heart. I miss them. I miss them with every core of my being. I miss their smells, their hugs, their kisses. I miss playdates and coloring and the frustration of missed naps. I have a hard time coming to terms with the sheer amount of energy I extend on 100 children each day, only to be so zapped that I have no energy left for my two. That I turn on the TV instead of reading a book to them just so I can fold clothes because I am so, so behind. Always behind.

I know this too shall pass, and I'll feel renewed again. I'll feel okay with leaving just as they're waking up, with not being the one to straighten up their sleep mussed hair and fight with naptimes, with having to say, "I'm sorry, Mommy can't pick you up right now. I have to leave." (I hate that one. Nothing is harder than turning down a sleepy child who just wants to be held, who is holding his hands up at you and saying "Pick me up!" because you have to leave.) I know it'll be summer soon, and I know if I don't say this, someone will comment and tell me that at least I have summer off with them. And I do. I'm lucky to have that, but you know what? That doesn't make TODAY any easier, it doesn't make today hurt any less sad.

Today I just want to go home and never come back.

I Love You More Than...

First of all, thank you SO MUCH to everyone for the sweet comments assuring me that my three year old is not actually some mini-version of Hannibal Lecter. Your comments helped so much, so much in fact that I came home and told my husband about it. Unfortunately he was all confused and said, "What's a blog?" (More on this later this week.) Although we had a very trying weekend because BOTH BOYS woke up multiple times overnight, making for some crabby kiddos, it's nice to know that he's normal, if sometimes monstrously so.

And now on to the cute... Every night when I tuck Luke in, I tell him I love him more than chocolate. {Which is a lot.} At first, he would just tell me he loved me, too, but then he started telling me what he loved me more than. In the past few weeks, I've been told that I'm loved more than:

• Ice cream
• Christmas lights
• Doors
• Candles
• Vacuum cleaners
• School buses
• Mountains
• Booboo candy (when Luke gets a bad booboo, he gets a piece of chocolate. I stole this idea from Harry Potter, when Professor Lupin would give chocolate after Dementor attacks. I'm such a nerd.)
  

It's the best. Every night, I see his little brain searching for something new to say, something that he loves. His loves are so random, but they are all things that he talks about at some point each and every day. I adore it. I adore him, and each night, I tuck him in and carry with me in my heart that my son loves me more than mountains. I hope he always does.

{Blurry and overexposed, but so.much.love.}