Tales of Me and the Husband - Page 141 of 207 -

February 20, 2012

the hunt happenings.

nordstroms-mirror-instagrammin’ // learning to crawl a la william! // kissing // teaching gracie a thing or two about not pooping on rugs

being vain while the baby sleeps! // making good on my chocolate covered strawberries promise // again, teaching gracie a thing or two // a pretty day walk

nekkid-roll-around-the-floor time! // slippered baby feet // the delicious chicken divan // domestic goddess in her domain

twins! // checking out mod podge and chattin’ on the phone // swedish pancakes, yum // learning to read (also known as eating books)

that’s just some of what’s goin’ on here these days.

February 17, 2012

i mean, if i could freeze time, i think i would. this six month stage is sweet as can be. this kid is such a joy to be around and i truly enjoy almost every minute of it. when he goes to bed for the night, i crave his little body close to mine after a few hours apart. sometimes, when i get in bed, he wakes up and i’m not too sorry about it because it gives me a chance to put him on my chest where he falls right back to sleep on me. sometimes we stay that way for hours. i breathe those moments in because i know he won’t be doing it forever. but, if i’m being honest, i wish he would.

i’m a sap. you can stop gagging now.

February 15, 2012

the valentine’s day that wasn’t.

oh guys, you’re gonna love this.

you know those times when the day just turns out crappy and you chalk it up to, well, a crappy day?

but then, there’s the times when it’s a crappy day but the expectations were higher for that day… the expectations were the day would be extra special… and then it’s a crappy day made crappier because the expectations weren’t met?

this is why i purposefully don’t go big on new year’s eve. because if that holiday doesn’t meet your expectations… well, your whole year is screwed. so the whole ‘go big or go home’ on new year’s eve? i’d rather just go home (this new year’s eve i was in bed by 10 pm and it was one of the best. put that in your pipe, new year’s eve and your stupid expectations!).

but, i was hoping valentine’s day would fall under the extra special category. is that too much to ask?!?

i started the day with a happy and kickin’ baby boy between my husband and i. “happy valentine’s day!” i said to the both of them with a big smile on my face. bring it, day of love! i thought to myself.

i made coffee, made steve some breakfast, we shared a hug or two. the kids left for school and i got a pork roast in the crockpot. all of this by 9 am! i planned on sauteeing squash and making quinoa to go with. look at me go!

steve gave me a present! my favorite girl scout cookies (samoas, duh.) and a little something from victoria’s secret (is this for him or for me? whatever! he got me a present! day of love is going well!). william gave me dove chocolates, my favorite, and lindsey gave me a handmade necklace. v-day! go you! exceeding my expectations!

the night before i had taped a big heart to his steering wheel and made a love song cd mix. he was going to discover it momentarily when he got in his car to go to work. he’ll wonder when i did that. then he’ll listen to the songs the whole way to work with stars in his eyes because his wife is so sweet. points for being uber-sneaky and romantic. cupid’s got nothing on steve and bridget! i said to myself.

parker took a nap, woke up, and with a skip in my (our) step we went to the grocery store to grab the ingredients for chocolate lava cake and chocolate-covered strawberries. check us out! making fancy desserts for the day of love! on the way home, i stopped at the liquor store to grab a bottle of champagne. champagne, some lingerie, chocolate covered strawberries… we’ll always remember this valentine’s day!

parker and i returned home, smiles on our face. the kids will be home soon! i’ll give them their little valentine’s day presents, and we’ll make dessert together to be eaten after dinner. that dinner that i started making hours ago! remember?!

upon entering the house, i smelled it. dog poop. no, dog shit. dog shit everywhere. gracie had apparently lost control of her bowels in the 45-minutes we were gone and pooped everywhere. in multiple rooms on the first floor. on wood, on rugs, on her own bed (what? pooping where you sleep, gracie? really?). said rug being one of the only places on the first floor where i confidently put parker down knowing it’s clean, new, and frequently vacuumed. he can tumble around and go all face-down-mouth-open on that rug. the rug that now had shit, soft shit, in multiple places on it.

all the vim and vigor i was feeling for this day was gone in an instant, my friends.

i called steve, almost crying. “we are getting rid of gracie.” (don’t judge me.)

then, i proceeded to clean it all up. all eighteen pounds of it.

the rug, a fairly shaggy rug, would be impossible to clean without a professional. when steve came home, instead of being presented with chocolate covered strawberries, a bottle of chilled champagne, and a wife who was wearing some black lacy undergarments (underneath my clothes, people), he got me: a frazzled, pissed wife who’d entirely forgotten it was valentine’s day at this point. he patiently took every book off our book shelf, rolled up the rug (nearly brand new rug, remember?) and put it in the car for it to be taken to the cleaners. the champagne stayed in the fridge, the chocolate covered strawberries weren’t made, and the chocolate lava cake sort of sucked.

then we drew up a contract (literally, a contract. that was typed up and signed by the kids.) about how they are going to walk her (until she poops, dammit! what a novel idea!) every morning so that gracie will hopefully leave her poop outside instead of inside. on everything.

i fell asleep putting parker down at 8 pm. sexy. and then when i woke up at 10:30 and realized i fell asleep, i went downstairs, steve and i emptied the dishwasher together, and then we went to bed together. this day needed to be put behind us.

so, it was very much the valentine’s day that wasn’t.

this song feels appropriate. cause folks, love needs a holiday sometimes. i know, that’s two country songs in one week. what of it?!

February 14, 2012

happy valentine’s day.

well, it’s valentine’s day. as you already know, our day will be low-key, it’s still a good a day as any to talk about love and how awesome it is. SO LET’S DO THAT.

i love mrs. meyers’ products. love it all. makes doing dishes a little spa-like. that was a stretch. whatever.

i love this song lately. i’m kinda sappy since giving birth. tears come easier than they used to. and when i hear this song and think of steve and how knowing him has been the hugest blessing, well, it gets me emo! and this song accompanies it perfectly.

i love nathaniel. that boy! man! man-boy! (i mean, he’s 18… so…) he was home this weekend and it was really nice to have him. he’s just becoming more caring, more intentional… leaving the teenage years behind (hurrah!). he’ll even go in for a hug these days without me prompting. gah. makes me weepy. and i just want to share one of the sweetest moments ever with you. after last week’s post, nathaniel called my cell phone and said thanks and that he’s grateful for me. i don’t think he’ll mind that i shared it. it was just too sweet not to.

i love gracie. i mean, she can drive me crazy at times (like every time i pass the front door she’ll to it expectantly like i’m about to fetch with her. it’s NOT ALL ABOUT YOU GRACIE.). but nevertheless, she’s a lover. and parker can’t get enough of her. if he starts to fuss while i put him in his carseat i just say, “where’s gracie?!” and he’s all, “FORGET FUSSING, WHERE IS SHE?”

i love taking pictures. recording memories. journaling. blogging.

i love indoor house plants. they really do a lot for a home. i’m just learning this?

i love my friend shannon’s stationary. it’s sweet and simple. i think the light pink be mine might be my favorite (and it’s her handwriting. shut the front door.).

i love pandora. every morning i’ve been putting a classical music station on while the kids get ready for school, while the kitchen gets straightened up, while parker rolls around, while i drink my coffee. it’s really quite lovely. you think i’m pretentious?! bring it!

i love watching the bachelor. I LOVE IT. and live tweeting during it??? it’s hilarious. a veritable party happening, people! #winning (that was a #courtneyism for you).

i love my family. my husband, the kids. my sisters, parents. i feel like a lucky girl having all these loved ones around me.

i love being a baby-mama. it’s really agreed with me (it sounds like i’m talking about a food: “cucumbers really agree with me.). but, really! it does. and it helps that parker is a seriously sweet guy.

so, today is a good a day as any to write down the things that we love in our life. cause, i think that quote is really true: happy people aren’t thankful. thankful people are happy.

happy valentine’s day everybody!

February 13, 2012

it would appear…

…that parker sleeps a lot if you are an instagram follower of mine (itsahuntlife, ya’ll!). every other picture is pretty much… you guessed it, parker sleeping! he’s just so gosh dern edible (and quiet and still and peaceful) during those times. so, sleeping pictures it is!

but, if you think, “man, that parker hunt sleeps a lot. how she get him to do that?”

truth is, he ain’t.

well, that’s not totally true. no. i’ll give him some credit. the dude is getting more predictable with nap times and, we’re trying a new bedtime routine that has him partying way less between the hours of 3 and 5 am.

anyway, i love me some instagram sleeping baby pictures. and here may be my fave of all.

holy crap! don’t you want to just bite his nose?! and the lashes! why aren’t mine so lustrous?!
and he’s mine? mine? gah!

this one! don’t even get me started!

sunny day sleepin’. enough said.

it’s sooo exhausting being a sports-star.

mom’s got me runnin’ laps in between naps! i rhyme! that’s exhausting too!

he got tired of watching me vacuum.

sometimes she sleeps with me. my mama.

sleeping with his mouth open. LIKE HIS FATHER.

don’t even TRY to take my sophie.

like i said, HANDS OFF.

just me and mah boy.

the lips! i want to suck them right off his face!!

(what? i don’t really want me a lipless baby, now do i?)

alright alright, that was more than enough.

but gah! babies! sleeping! sleeping babies!

February 10, 2012

a boy in love with his baby brother.

William is a lover. We always knew this about him. He’s a nurturer, a comforter. He’s the one who runs outside to help you in with the groceries (every single time). He’s Steve’s right-hand man when he’s working outside in the yard, or cleaning the attic. He’s happy to help you find your keys or run upstairs and grab your slippers for you (we try not to take advantage of this fact!). He says goodnight about four times each night just as an opportunity to get one more hug. He’s one of the sweetest boys I know. He’s got a good soul. So, it was only natural, that when Parker came along, the nurturing would extend to him as well. He’s always jumped at the opportunity to change his diaper, grab his pajamas. He hears him on the monitor and begs to go up and get him. He wants desperately for Parker to sit still long enough for them to really cuddle (we tell him that day will come!). He will play with him while I cook dinner, and when we joked (after some poor night’s sleep) that William was going to take the night-shift with Parker he says happily, “OK!”. The kid is a dream. And, it’s pretty evident, Parker loves him too. He reserves some seriously wide-mouth grins for his brother William.

It’s really pretty sweet to see.

And, we’re talking far into the future here, but some woman is going to be really lucky to have him (and he’s handsome too).

February 8, 2012

then & now.

then.

a wee little girl!

now.

a mama of five pushing a stroller through the aisles of costco: bulk food at its best.

then.
google: cheap plane ticket to florida
now.
google: post-pregnancy constipation.

then.
at the barnes & noble, i peruse the magazine stacks and grab an us weekly, in style, and vogue.
now.
the no-cry sleep solution, barefoot contessa’s how easy is that?, and pride and prejudice.

then.
start a movie at 10:00.
now.
end the movie by 10:00. get in bed.

then.
changing the sheets when they’re the least bit dirty.
now.
just a little bit of spit up? that’s ok. a little baby poop? well, did it leak through to the mattress pad? what is the circumference of the yellow spot? how much are we talking? 3 inches? the sheets stay on!

then.
lingerie.
now.
nursing bras.

then.
madonna.
now.
disney’s lullabies.

it would appear that life got more… boring? but, i quite like it this way. there’s a lot of sweetness happening all around, even with early bed times and baby-poo sheets. it’s life and it’s good stuff, say i!

February 6, 2012

the first food!

superbowl sunday? who cares! the big news is that parker tried his first food! i bought some avocados the other day and they were ripe for the eatin’ by sunday morning. alas, the time had come. this mama had to stop dragging her feet and let her baby grow up! a diet of breastmilk alone would not suffice forever (but, there’s a part of me that wants it to. don’t judge.). so, i cut an avocado in half, and mushed some of it up for my little man. did he like it? i’m not sure. he made some funny faces, mostly played with the spoon, and got maaaaybe a half a bite in. but, since i’ve heard lots of times that before one year food is mostly fun, i didn’t have high expectations.

and, by the way, gracie is totally delighted with the newest chapter in the life of parker.