The love of my life

The hair growing adventure

I'm embarking on a journey that is going to take a tremendous amount of patience. I'm trying to grow my hair out! Going from super-short to any longer is proving to be incredibly hard so far. It looks so awkward, like a mop on my head. Anyone who knows me knows how crazy my hair is. I've always had about 10x more than a normal person, it's totally unruly and so thick I always had a hard time getting it in a pony without breaking the band. If I didn't dry it, it would (no joke) still be wet at bedtime.

Losing my hair through cancer treatment was the best part of that ordeal. I so hoped it would grow back different, preferably thinner and straight, but of course it ended up just the opposite of that. Even thicker now, more wave and curl (but not the good kind). Ugh.

Anyway, the picture on the left is what I'm going for. Top right was Christmas Eve. Yes, I was taking a puff of cigar by the way! And below that is what I feel I look like, hence the need for change ASAP!

If you see me and it looks like I have a mop on my head you'll know why. This will definitely be a test of my patience.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013 from our family to yours! Usually I get all sentimental at the end of a year, especially as the ball starts dropping, but this year I was so exhausted from staying up so late the night before, sleep took over. Yep, that's right. Slept through it! If that's not a sign of getting old, I'm not sure what is. :)

We had an amazing time at the beach. Every trip is always "the best trip yet."
It gets better and better each time we go.

Liam and Sophie (and all of us for that matter) are going to have so many great memories. I love it!

Here's to hoping 2013 is a great one. Two big highlights will include: Joe and I both turning 30 (yikes!!) and FIVE years being cancer free. If I can make it till that date, the chance of it coming back (what I had anyway) are slim to none. I can do it, I can do it!

Happy 2013!

Mama's little jokester

Liam has become quite the little comedian.  He's really learning what makes people laugh and will try his hardest to make sure it happens.  His latest thing, actually it's been going on for at least two months now, is adding the word "poo-poo" after everything.  Like, "I want some chocolate milk....poo-poo!" The last time he saw his GG (my grandma) he said, "Hi GG poo-poo."  He thinks it's hilarious and usually everyone who hears it does as well.  Which is why he keeps on doing it.  We had a Christmas party at our house and Santa came to visit the kids.  When he asked Liam what he wanted, Liam looked at him and said "poo-poo!" 

His latest thing is pretty hilarious.  He ran to me yesterday and said, "This is a joke" and then spit his tongue out at me!  Of course I busted up laughing and then he continued to do it the rest of the day.  I feel a little like we are failing as parents though.  Where is he getting this stuff?!  I don't want Liam to be the little kid who teaches his friends naughty things and then I get calls from their angry parents.  There is never a dull moment with him around.  Everyday with him gets more fun.  Even if he has a little naughty in him, he has an equal amount of sweet.  He has so much love for so many people and a smile that lights up the room and something about him attracts people to him.  I don't know what it is, but ever since he was a newborn, total strangers are always making comments.  Jayne and I went shopping with him and we walked in the Coach store and the greeter fell in love.  She gave him a hug before we left!  She was so taken with him I thought she was going to tear up.  Now that I sound like  a bragger....

In other news, we got home from Tacoma and it looked like Christmas exploded in our house.  I was really sad to see Christmas come to an end this year, but when we walked into our house and saw our sad looking tree, presents everywhere and a huge mess greeting us, I was ready for it to be over.  Joe and I spent all day working yesterday and there's no trace of Christmas now.  Joe even was out last night taking the lights off the house!  I'm kind of missing my morning coffee by our tree but it feels good to have a fresh start.  We also made a huge Goodwill run.  Out with the old, in with the new.  Feels good!

Happy (almost) New Year!

A wonderful Christmas

We had the best Christmas! It was so magical with Liam this year. We've been going non-stop for the last month. Feeling a little let down, we are driving home from the in-laws as I write this. Looks like Liam has a holiday hangover in the back!

We are so blessed and so lucky to have such an amazing family and so many equally amazing friends in our life. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

"My binky, my binky..."

Liam has been giving me a run for my money the last couple of weeks.  I'd stay the "terrible two" stage has officially started.  The discouraging thing?  Everyone says the 3s are worse than the 2s.  I need a nap just thinking about it!  I don't know if he's just going through major developmental changes or just showing his stubborn streak (he gets it from his dad)!  Needless to say, whatever I say or do, he wants opposite.  I turn right while driving, he cries that he wants to go "the other way, the other way!" I give him Cheerios, he wants KIX.  I try to go play outside, he wants to stay inside...  And most recently, he is addicted to his binky.  As you can see in this picture, he wont let them out of his sight.  He was so good, only using one at bed and for a nap, all of a sudden he has regressed and has to have it constantly.  Whines, cries, and will let it ruin his day if we try to resist giving it to him.  Being lazy and not wanting to deal, I usually give in.  So now he knows that he'll get it eventually if he just begs long enough. Ugh.  Manipulation at its finest.  Part of me says not to sweat it, he wont be taking it to kindergarten with him (or will he?!), the other part wants to fight and not let him have it.  But then the other part of me thinks we are evil resisting what we so badly wanted him to use for so long.  It's a catch-22.  Today he wasn't happy with just one, he found the other two and had to have them.  One in each hand, one in his mouth.  On his tray, with him on the edge of the bathtub, everything we did.  If he dropped one, you'd think the world was ending the way he was acting!

Today, everytime he hears the word vote, he says, "@(DJLLS."  (who we are voting for).  No joke.  I don't even feel like we have talked about it around him.  They catch on to EVERYTHING.  Oh, and since the only thing I ever write about is him, one last thing.  The other morning I asked him if he had good dreams.  He answered, "yeah" so I asked what he dreamed about.  His reply?  "Dream I flew to the moon."  I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.  Joe asked him later what he dreamed about and he told him the same, but added an airplane to it.  I think he's going to be a pilot! :)

Halloween success

Liam loved Halloween and had no apprehension trick-or-treating. It probably helped that Sophie was really in to it this year. It was a fun evening, brought back a lot of memories from when I was young. It's exciting again seeing Liam experience it!

Here's a video of him at the mall. It was pouring so my sister and I decided to check it out. After the mall , we continued our tradition of using our house as "home base" and had pizza and then went around our neighborhood. A lot of times Liam would say, "please" instead of trick-or-treat. So cute! At the end of this video he was so excited and was saying, "look what I got mama!"

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween. Happy November!