I Hope This Works

In an effort to plan ahead and try to minimize the damage Tristan does to the Christmas tree this year I came up with an idea I hope will work like magic. Knowing my son as I do, if I made the tree totally off limits that would become his obsession and in turn would make me say "no" far too many times in one day. So... I found an extension cord where the only piece of it available to Tristan is one big red button that you can turn the lights on and off with. As parents we must pick out battles. If I can keep my ornaments in one piece and the real tree standing tall then I really don't care if the lights get turned on and off every now and then. We hooked it up tonight and T seemed to take to it pretty well. I think his only complaint would be that he can't carry the button around the room.

Getting the Tree

We picked out our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and had a fun time running around the lot. We went to the same place we have gone for the last 5 Christmases because they have the most beautiful trees and I can pick one out in under 4 minutes. After we picked it out, the tree man was nice enough to make the tree dance around a bit for Tristan and he thought that was very funny. After Tristan had the tree secured on top of the car, it was time to head home and let the real fun begin.

He's The Man With All The Toys

We past another mile stone this evening... Tristan's first Santa picture. Since we are not going to be celebrating Santa in the traditional way, I figured I would never wait in line and make a big deal out of sitting on his lap. We went to the mall tonight to let T burn off some energy and as we walked past Santa we noticed there was NO LINE. I figured it was now or never so we went for it. Santa sang songs to Tristan while he sat on his lap and I think he would have stayed with him for a while because he was so content. The elves were very nice and held him while he was waiting to see Santa. I was glad we got a good picture because we were all working hard to make him smile. Through our yelling and making noises and funny faces he just gave us the look in the picture like we were idiots. I knew the exact moment we were embarrassing him when he raised one eyebrow just like my mom does. Too funny!

Tristan and I had fun the other day playing around with the camera. He got sick right after that and it was not until today that I was loading pictures onto the computer and stumbled across these. It was just the smile I needed to see after a few days of fever and crankiness. In these pictures I had flipped the screen around so he could see himself while I took pictures. He started making these funny faces and had both of us laughing really hard.

Oh, the things they learn

This morning I am trying to decided if it would be a messier future if Tristan learned to climb out of his crib or learned to undress himself in his crib. Well, I guess it does not really matter what I think because Tristan chose for himself today. Neil walked into his room to find him naked and running around his crib as happy as can be. Free as a bird! Thankfully this little birdie didn't leave any droppings behind, but that morning surprise can't be too far in our future. Guess I better look into some different pjs because I bought him almost exclusively one style of really great ones. Maybe I will just install a padlock at the top of them...

Pumpkin Face

Tonight we carved a pumpkin for the first time in years. This year was so much fun going to the pumpkin patch and picking our perfect pumpkin, but as Halloween was quickly approaching I feared it would be another year that our little orange friend remained faceless. Neil did all the heavy scooping while Tristan flung strings of pumpkin goo in Cooper's face, and Cooper ate as much as he could (which could be really gross in the middle of the night tonight). We had to call it quits when T started to slip in the goo and he went off to the bath while I mopped the floor. As I type, Neil in true great dad fashion is carving the face of Mickey Mouse in our pumpkin while Tristan is fast asleep. I can't wait for him to see it in the morning!

Table For One

I had a lovely date with myself tonight. I went to the movies and saw a comedy that was not funny and a bit blasphemous. I followed that up with a nice dinner of salad and wine at CPK paired a good book (The Shack). Somewhere in the middle of dinner, I was so into my book that I tuned everything else out. When I "came to" for a drink of wine, I noticed that it was quiet in my corner of the restaurant. I thought everyone had left while I was in my own world, but actually the tables had all turned over. I was surrounded by people who probably looked at me and felt bad for me that I was by myself. There were people from all stages in life: a family of five, a mother and teenage daughter, and a couple in thier fifties. They did all have one thing in common... nobody was talking. I waited a few minutes to see if I had just caught them in a lull, but I hadn't. The silence at my table was the only comfortable one in the place. I made a little vow in my head to try to enjoy my times with my family as we grow. I hope we laugh and talk more than we sit and stare.

Pablo Conway- Rose Period

I took Tristan to his first art class today. I went with high hopes of bringing home a Rothko-like painting for my wall. Maybe I set the bar a little high, but I still LOVED watching him go!! The first activity was a class mural and T did really well. This was the first time he ever painted with a brush and when I dipped it in the paint and showed him how to drag it on the paper you could see the excitement start brewing! The picture of the painting is the section where he painted. He didn't paint the orange or pink, but the rest of it was all him. He was SO proud of himself. After story and snack there was another project to do. The kids were to make a ladybug out of different pieces. I let T do most of the work himself as I fetched him the pieces. He was happy and I was impressed. As we were leaving the room I saw, to my surprise, these PERFECT ladybugs being carried out. All the spots evenly spaced and beautiful antennas right on the top of the head. Two things came to mind:

1- I'm proud to have a son who does art in the style of Picasso and not Thomas Kinkade
2- These are all the moms that will be up until 2am doing science projects in 10 years

I was glad that I was there to see the sparkle in his eyes when he first dragged that brush across the paper, and I can't wait to see all the beautiful colors in his future!!

DON'T "say cheese"

Last weekend we did a little family photo shoot with a wonderful photographer, Morgan Trinker. There were no sqeaky toys, fake backdrops, or crying babies in the neighboring cubical. It was fun, easy, and totally relaxed. Because it was so smooth and we just hung out while she took photos with little direction, I had no idea how they would turn out. Well, I got the photos today and it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about them! I am beyond happy that we have captured how happy we are right now with our lives in these photos that we will have forever. I am truly blessed and I can't wait to see what life has coming our way! I think we will see more family pictures by Morgan in the future... she is SO talented and I am blown away!! I just wish she didn't live in Salt Lake City...

Come on Moms... give me a smile!!

Today at group therapy, I mean MOPS, I didn't say what I wanted to. I actually didn't say much at all, so I thought I would say it here. It was one big "woe is me" fest that I did not quite know how to participate in even if I had wanted to. I looked at these moms who had children young and old and they were still hung up on the disappointment that came with the birth and beginning of their relationship with their kids. I just want my kids to know that I like being a mom and not just a mom but their mom, well, just Tristan so far.

I thought I would hear horrible birth stories where mothers and/or babies almost died, but what I actually heard were stories not unlike my own. My one experience so far was scary and went not as planned. It was hard, I could not push hard enough or long enough to get Tristan out so they had to assist. Instead of being sad and feeling like a failure, I choose to look at it a different way. This was the first of MANY times in Tristan's life that God will tell me, "it's not always about you... this is between Tristan and I, and I know what is best." I'm thankful that I get to be a part of my kids life and that I have been entrusted to guide them for the first part of their life. I wanted to speak up today and say, "I love being a mom! It's hard, but did any of us really think it was going to be easy? It's going to go fast, so laugh a little more." I didn't say any of that because, well, I just didn't. I think the only people that need to know that I am/was happy are my kids!!!