Two Wise Men.

We are still singing Fawn's favorite Christmas songs at our house.  I know February arrives tomorrow (and December has long been over), but Fawn just doesn't quite get it.  We've tried telling him that Christmas is over, it will be back next year, December is in eleven more months, etc.  This week, while we were celebrating his birthday, I tried explaining that Christmas was Jesus's birthday -- and Jesus only has a birthday once a year, just like Fawn only has a birthday once a year.  Still, no luck.  Needless to say, we sing Christmas songs.  A lot.

Fawn's favorite Christmas song is Frosty the Snowman -- it shouldn't really count as a Christmas song, perhaps a "holiday" or "winter" song.  But, Fawn loves it just the same.  And, he has put a little religion in his version of Frosty.  My mom deciphered his singing this weekend -- instead of singing "and two eyes made out of coal", Fawn sings "and two wise men out of coal."  Ha! 

John Deere Tractor Party.

A few weeks ago, I asked Fawn what kind of birthday party he wanted.  I think deep down I was expecting a blank stare or something along the lines of "a presents party Mommy."  But no.  Fawn's answer:  "John Deere Tractor birthday party Mommy."  I confirmed what I had heard (just in case my mind was playing tricks on me), but I heard Fawn correctly.  In his mind, he was having a John Deere Tractor birthday party.  While I have to admit that if I had my way we would have somewhat of a repeat of the first birthday (super-cutesy invitation, polka dots, fun balloons, pastels), I felt that I owed it to Fawn to embrace his vision for his second birthday.  (And, I really don't want to turn into one of those parents who asks their child their opinion and then totally disregards it -- if I'm dead set on a certain way I simply don't present my toddler with an option.)

Why John Deere Tractor you ask?  Well, there are lots of John Deere toys out now -- and we are the proud owners of a handful of tractor toys.  And, Fawn is obsessed with farms and farm equipment.  He's only made one trip to Buck's farm, but was in awe -- huge, saucer eyes, gaping mouth awe (especially at the tractors).

So, what's a mom to do when faced with the prospect of a slighty tacky, yet right on the money birthday party?  Head to Party City, of course.  And Buck and I lucked out -- all the John Deere items were on clearance (because, according to the store manager, "people around here want classy parties" -- thanks for that, really).  Needless to say, we walked out of Party City with invitations, thank you cards, party hats, plates, napkins, forks, and farm animal candles for the cake, for less money than we spent last year on invitations!


And, the cake -- of course, the cake.  Fawn was specific about the cake as well -- only chocolate chip for him (Fawn loves anything with chocolate chips -- cookies, muffins, waffles, pancakes, and now cake).  There's nothing I love more than a homemade birthday cake.  I know that store bought cake often tastes better (and most definitely looks better) than homemade.  But, to me, nothing says love and Happy Birthday like a homemade cake.  My mom always made me a homemade cake.  In fact, I cannot remember ever having a store bought cake.  And, I want to do that for Fawn.  I'll fill you in on a secret -- I'm not a baker.  I love to cook, not so much to bake.  So, when I say homemade I mean start from a box.  I spiced it up a bit -- added a box of instant vanilla pudding mix to the cake mix before adding the wet ingredients -- then added a cup of sour cream and chocolate chips at the end.  Still easy (no sifting!), but so tasty.  I made buttercream frosting -- yummy -- and decorated the top of the cake with farm animal candles and a toy John Deere Tractor I bought at Walmart.  It was a fantastic cake, if I do say so myself.  And, most importantly Fawn LOVED it!

I also scored some equally tacky John Deere material at the local fabric store -- along with a much more traditional coordinating green stripe.  I made Fawn a pair of pull-on pants from the striped material and used the John Deere fabric to make an applique for a t-shirt.  Total cost of birthday outfit -- about $10 (including t-shirt).  And, I'm sure Fawn will wear it again (I may even recycle the pants for a cute St. Patrick's Day outfit).

And then there were the decorations.  There were balloons (yellow and green of course), signs and pictures.

We invited Fawn's family (he's got four grandparents, six aunts and uncles, and two great grandparents who can get out and about all in his hometown -- lucky fellow) -- and served Fawn's guests parmesan onion dip with Fritos, Buck's famous turkey chili, and cheddar cheese biscuits.  It was an evening of fun and fellowship (and lots of presents of course).  I know Fawn will soon reach an age where he wants friends to join in his birthday celebrations, but for now it's just us -- our precious cocoon of a family.  A huge thank you to them (and to dear Buck who cleaned up the mess) for making the day so special for Fawn (and me too!).  It exceeded all expectations!

Happy Birthday Fawn!

Two years ago today, you came into the world . . .

and I knew I would love you forever.  I also knew that you'd always be my baby.

Last year my baby exited infancy and turned one...

And now, in the blink of an eye, he's two...

Happy Birthday sweet angel!  You are the light of my life and the joy in my heart.  I am so thankful that God chose me to be your mommy.  No matter how big you get, you will always be my baby.  And, I will love you more each and every day.  I hope you have your best year yet!

Kiddie Long Johns.

Have you ever shopped for long johns for your little one?  Not from a catalogue or in some fancy ski shop, but at the mall or Target or Walmart?  Well, if you have (like me) you've been met with zero success.  Oh yes, they do make long johns, for grown-ups and big kids.  But not for toddlers -- and don't ask me why not -- I have no idea. 

I do know that Fawn needs them in the winter -- on those days that we brave the cold and are the only residents of our mid-sized city at the zoo or the park.  Especially on the days that I dress him, because if he's not going to school (where he always comes home disgusting -- never an article of clothing without food or art supplies adorning it), I put him in cutesy clothes.  Not girly, just cutesy.  But the problem with cutesy clothes is that they're not warm.  They're "singly-ply" if you will.  One layer of gingam, plaid, or polka dot material -- and if you're really lucky one thin layer of lining.  Fawn's not usually so lucky; when I sew his clothes I generally omit the lining (which I view as totally optional).  So the boy needs some long johns!

My solution: little girl leggings.  (Don't tell Buck -- he's not a fan of girly clothes on his little man, and certainly would carry on if he knew I was putting his son in leggings.)  $3 a pair at Walmart -- cheap and works like a charm!

By the way, this is also my test to see if Buck is actually reading this blog.

All About Buck.

Ok, here's the deal.  I bought a bottle of tequila and made margaritas one night and apparently agreed to a blog.  I don't even really know what a blog is, or why someone would read one.  So, let me give this blogging thing a shot; surely I've got something to say that someone not captive in my house would be interested in hearing. 

Before that, I'm supposed to tell you a little about me.  Number one, I'm better looking in person than in photos, but I didn't get to pick out the "couple photo."  Whatever.  I'm an almost-thirty lawyer with a great wife and hilarious son.  My problem is that I've got too many hobbies and not enough time in the day.  In future blogs (that I'm told I'll be making) I'll share with you stories ranging from "how to make your 2 year old do yard work and not feel bad about it" to "hunting trophy deer in Alabama" to "baby advice for the dad." 

As I'll do in closing on all posts, let me provide a quote from Fawn.

Fawn:  "Mommy stay home.  Mommy cook.  Mommy clean.  Daddy go to farm.  Daddy shoot big bucks." 

Handknit with love.

I love to knit.  My paternal grandmother taught me while I was in law school.  She attempted to teach me when I was little, but it didn't stick.  This time it stuck.  Maybe the timing was just right.  Before law school my favorite hobby was reading.  I soaked up books.  But, all you do in law school is read.  So, reading didn't seem relaxing to me anymore.  Yarn and needles, though, that's relaxing.  And creative.  And fun.  It's also a great way to make gifts for people you care about. 

Nothing beats baby yarn -- the soft weight, beautiful colors.  And, nothing says "welcome to the world" like a handknit garment.  Baby hats are my specialty.  I also love baby blankets and sweaters.  But, nothing beats a tiny hat to cover a precious head.

We must be in the middle of a baby boom, because I delivered three baby hats last week.  I hope that yarn feels as soft on those heads as it did on my hands.

Cabin Fever.

If you live south of the Mason-Dixon line with a small child, you've probably had cabin fever this past week.  We have!  (If you're from the north, you're probably either (a) way more willing to be outside with ice on the ground or (b) way more creative at passing the hours inside.)  Though snow and ice is exciting in theory, it's totally overrated (just like New Year's Eve). 

One note about Fawn -- he's all boy.  He loves to be outside, running around, getting dirty and sweaty.  Basically he's Buck minus 3 feet, 140 pounds, and 28 years.  So, generally Mommy saying it's too cold to go outside just doesn't cut it.  After one "hike" through the snow and ice to the cul-de-sac at the end of our street, though, even Fawn was ready to put back on his pjs and call it a day.

So, what did we do?  Nope, no Thomas the Train, Curious George, Handy Manny for us (though I'm definitely not opposed to some PBS Kids or Playhouse Disney).  We played -- and we had a ball.  Here's some of the fun we had to pass the hours while the southern sun attempted to melt the snow.

Art, art, art.  We magnadoodled (yes, it's a verb), played with playdough (put it in your big pyrex dishes moms -- keeps it contained and super-easy to wash), drew with crayons, markers, and the all-time favorite dry erase markers.  We even used our dry erase markers to work on our letters (we made it through A, B, and C before Fawn decided enough with the education).  Don't worry though, we did N yesterday.  Only 22 letters to go!

(As a disclaimer, I am not a professional photographer and I have no desire to be one.  If you are looking for a photography blog, keep looking.  I'm a mom -- and while my subject is as cute as they come, most of the time I am simply trying to capture a moment before it disappears.)

Then it was on to money -- pennies for Fawn's piggy bank.  I give Fawn all of the pennies I receive as change.  I've found it's a great way to keep my wallet cleaned out, get some small motor exercise for Fawn's fingers, and practice counting (really just to keep my wallet cleaned out -- but the others are good too, right?).  And Fawn loves it -- "more monies mommy."

When we were out of pennies, we moved on to puzzles.  To spice things up a bit, I dumped all of Fawn's puzzle pieces into a box and we made it a game to sort the puzzle pieces into their correct piles and then put the puzzles together.  We only have four puzzles, so this didn't take too long.  But, Fawn loved it and has already requested a repeat of this activity.

Since we still had not made it to nap time, I broke down to Fawn's request for his fishing pole.  While there is a creek in our backyard -- there are no fish (and it's freezing people!).  So, we "fished" over our banister.  We fished, and we fished, and we fished.  We got the fishing line tangled (to the point of a near meltdown) -- but we kept fishing.  And, you know what?  The orange plastic fish tied to the end of the fishing pole kept getting caught.  Too bad for him, pure excitement for an almost two-year old.

Ten minutes of mommy yoga later (though it's hard to concentrate on warrior pose when you're being tackled by 23 pounds of energy) and it was time for lunch and nap.  Fawn slept well -- I guess even the boring indoors can tire him out.

All About Belle.

My first question as I read blogs is usually "who is this woman?"  I want to know what she's like -- and what similarities we share -- as I read her perspective on life (and especially on mothering).  So here goes -- all about Belle in a few paragraphs.

I'm a Christian.  While I usually fail, I strive each day to draw closer to God.  I'm proud to say I've read the Bible from cover to cover.  Not because that makes me a good Christian (it doesn't), but because it makes me realize that if I put my mind to something I can do it with God's help.  And, I share it because if I can do it you can too.  Pick it up -- Genesis 1:1; read for a few minutes a night and you will finish it too (in less than one year!!!).  What better way to be equipped for this world than to have actually read God's instruction manual for it.

I'm a wife and a mom, both of which are full time jobs.  I'm blessed to share my life with two of the most wonderful men on the planet -- one of which I chose to marry and one of which I brought into this world.  Both are immense blessings from God.  They drive me batty, test my limits, and challenge me to do better each day.  But, they also both love completely, shower me with affection, and are the source of the perma-grin I wear on my face.  I am happy and honored to care for them.  I also have two part-time jobs -- one for real (attorney) and one for fun (ballet teacher). Yes, I said attorney and ballet teacher in the same sentence.  Don't believe stereotypes -- about either.

I love to cook, sew, knit and read.  I love "projects" -- and tapping into my inner creativity (which I seemed to have lost for my three years of law school and four years of full-time law practice). 

My posts on this blog will cover a little of all of the above.  Faith, family, work, hobbies.  It won't be controversial, though -- if you're looking for that, this is not good reading material for you.  I won't discuss politics, discipline or the benefits/dangers of vaccines (or fill in the blank for the next big parenting decision of our generation).  It will be about love, laughter, and fun -- it will be about small successes and big joys.  It will be the things I want to remember and share.  Come along for the ride.

Beginnings are scary. Endings are sad. It's the middle that counts.

So here we are at the beginning.  I never in a million years thought my husband (known here as "Buck") would agree to a blog.  He doesn't read blogs.  And, when we welcomed our first child into the world two years ago (our son, "fawn") -- he put his foot down when I suggested a baby blog.  We compromised on a Shutterfly Share Site for our family and close friends, but now here we are starting a blog together.

Buck turned to me this evening while we sat watching the BCS National Championship Game (by way of background, Buck is a huge Alabama fan -- having spent seven years in Tuscaloosa getting his undergraduate and graduate degrees).  Thus, Auburn's presence in the big game was a little too much for Buck.  "I mean, what do you read online?" Buck asked, trying to pass the time.  I gave him the names of a few of my favorite blogs (mostly cooking and parenting related) and suggested that Buck search for some hunting blogs.  When Buck didn't find what he was looking for, we started discussing the possibility of our own blog.  I had been contemplating starting a blog on my thirtieth birthday chronically my adventures in attempting domestic dominance.  Buck and I decided that a his and her's blog was perfect for us.

While we united in our love of our child and for each other, to be quite frank our interests are as varied as they come (in this regard, we are your typical southern couple).  Buck loves hunting, fishing, grilling, fiddling, and piddling.  Belle loves cooking, baking, sewing, and knitting.  We'll cover all of our favorites, plus our trials and joys of parenting.