thoughts lately

just some thoughts to get out about life lately:

I started a book club! I'd been thinking about it for a while, but I finally did it. We had our first meeting this week and it was everything I hoped for. Plus, I left with a huge list of book recommendations!

We tried keto for two weeks and are pulling the plug. It's just not sustainable and eating all that heavy cream and cheese just doesn't seem healthy. So now we're moving to low carb/low sugar/high protein but just healthier than keto. We'll see!

Deciding where to send Rhett for school is a bigger decision than it should be. Obviously we're first-time school parents because I got a bigger thrill from picking up his kindergarten registration forms than I should have.

I'm so behind the times, but grocery pick-up is amazing. I'm not sure if I'll still use it once I have to pay for it after the three free orders at King Soopers, but I'm loving it now. Having someone bring my groceries to the car is so much better than pushing a shopping cart and two kids through a snowy parking lot.

Colorado weather, man. 70 degrees and sunny to 30 degrees and snowy within two days.

We had a stake conference broadcast today with President Ballard and it was great, of course. I left feeling inspired and encouraged--yeah, life can be hard sometimes, but we can do it!

We watched the movie Lion this weekend, and combined with reading the Orphan Keeper a few months ago, I'm thinking about horrible things that happen kids around the world. 80,000 children are lost in India every year. It's just adding to things I've been thinking about for a while--how can I help? What good can I do?

just some thoughts

I've gotten some creepy/weird robo-comments on my posts lately, so I'm going to take the blog private for a bit. If you're one of the five people who reads this thing and want to keep reading, comment or send me your address and I'll put you on the VIP list.

Second child syndrome is real. We just have so much more going on now than we did when Rhett was a baby (which is kind of crazy, because that was the middle of law school). That, combined with Tessa being super small (10th percentile, baby!) means I just can't believe how fast she is growing. We transitioned her from her pack and play newborn napper to a crib this week. There were some long nights, but we survived. And she tried her jumper and is starting solids this week and soon she'll be driving. Seriously, where has the time gone?

Our new water softener is the best thing we could have purchased for our house. Yes, it is the least glamorous thing to spend a ton of money on, but we can actually drink the water in our house now and the dishes are getting clean!

We went out to dinner the other night to celebrate Andre's promotion and I ordered sushi. This is a momentous occasion. I was inspired by the sample I tried at the grocery store and liked, so I decided I should be a sophisticated person who eats sushi. It was good, but I don't think I'll ever go to a sushi restaurant. Except if it comes on conveyor belts, because that sounds awesome.

Freelancing is awesome and I feel so blessed to have built a "career" of it where I can do what I love, work with some awesome clients, and help support the family. But a few of my long-term clients are moving to internal writers, which stinks and means I'm on the lookout for more projects. It's a roller coaster for sure.

Christmas is so soon! I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I've got big plans and most of the shopping done and I'm addressing Christmas cards this week, but seriously, when did this happen? How is it almost the end of the year?

I've started doing a weekly pilates class with some ladies from church, and it is killer. And awesome. Half way through every class I vow to never do it again, but by the end I'm feeling good and can't wait to come back next week.

I found a few gray hairs this week. It's not adding to my worry that I turn 29 in a few months, which is basically 30.

Rhett is hilarious and way too smart for his own good. Today he asked me what invasion means and then told me his plan (with actions) of what to do if there was an invasion and animals took over the world. He's also recently gotten terrified of porcupines, which is hilarious and endearing all at once. I'm trying to convince him that his chances of getting attacked by a porcupine in the suburbs are pretty darn low.

Every post needs pictures--the two cutest kids around! 

good things lately.

The weather is changing and it's been rainy and cold this week and I mostly love it. Mainly because I can finally wear my favorite sweats and hoodies at night and also because Tessa wore baby tights to church for the first time on Sunday and it was adorable. Other good things I want to remember:

• We scored two Tessa-sized zuchinis from our neighbor and have been slowly working through them. I've made zuchini parmesan a few times, at least three double batches of muffins (our freezer is stocked), bread for the home teachers, and zuchinni pizza. And there's still half a zuchini left! I think I may have met my match.
• Watching my kids become friends is one of the best feelings I've had as a mom. I didn't expect it to happen until they got older, but Rhett and Tessa are becoming best buddies. She loves watching him and gets the biggest smile when he is around. Rhett smothers Tessa with kisses and loves to play with her. "She's just so adorable"--Rhett, about five times a day.
• We're almost done with No-Spend September. This is the second year we've done it and it is so so good. No extras, just spending on essentials for the entire month. A few things came up (like a broken sprinkler valve and as wasp attack), but our bank account has enjoyed the much-needed rest about all the house projects, furniture, etc. But what I'm really excited about it re-evaluating our finances and being more strategic in our saving/investing. So adult! Definitely still on the lookout for good personal finance tips, so sent them this way!
• We're getting really excited for Halloween around here. It's Rhett's favorite holiday, and I want it to be extra special for him this year. It's also the first year he is going to help make his costume, and I'm super excited for us to work on it together. (But please, send patience when it actually happens. Preschoolers + spray paint + hot glue could be a trying combination).
• I'm officially a soccer mom and I don't hate it. I volunteered to be the "team mom" aka treat organizer and put way too much thought into putting together healthy snacks for the first game. It is seriously hilarious to watch--we spent half of the first game laughing and the other half yelling at the kids to kick it towards the other goal. But Rhett was so so happy. The parents made a tunnel for the kids from both teams to run through after the game, and their little smiles were so worth it.
• I'm getting back in my workout groove and it feels good. I've switched to night workouts after the kids are in bed, except for weekends and a few mornings where I just started working out with friends from church. Cranky babies and preschoolers aren't anything some endorphins can't fix!
• Tessa is the sweetest baby. We put her in the bumbo for the first time this week and I think she loves the new perspective. She'll just hang out there and watch everything for the longest time. And smile--she is so smiley. 

I could go on and on about exciting work projects, furniture shopping, holiday plans, the great shows we're watching, Andre's new side hustle, and so much more. But that's for another time. 

The two faces of Tessa--she's either super smiley or super serious

things to remember lately

Life is speeding by...there is a lot of craziness and a lot of big life changes coming soon (I feel like this is just how we do things, with lots of huge things every few years with calmness in the middle). Here are some snippets I don't want to forget:

Rhett's job for helping set the table is to put the napkins on the table and clear them when we're done eating. He didn't want to do it one night, so Andre said he could either do the napkins or wash the dishes. It was supposed to be punishment, but Rhett really wanted to do the dishes and now he's an expert--a messy, slow expert, but he does it all the same.

I love serving in young womens. The girls are getting ready for trek (I volunteered to bring a newborn along for authenticity, but for some reason no one went for that) and we spent last week at the fabric store picking the perfect print for their matching skirts. They are so sweet and great and laugh at my dumb jokes.

Andre shaved his beard out of the blue a few weeks ago and surprised us when he came out of the shower clean shaven. It took Rhett a few minutes to realize what was different until he said "Dad, I can't see your beard!"

I need to accept the fact that I just can't make no bake cookies. I tried again on Sunday and after the fact remembered that I haven't successfully made them since we've been married. They taste great, but just never harden and stay a gloopy mess. Time to cut my losses.

But! Andre got me a bundt pan for my birthday and I've been making bundt cake for any reason I can lately. This is totally my jam--easy to make, looks fancy, tastes great. Just call me the bundt queen.

Rhett slept in our closet the other night because the Richardsons were staying with us for the night. We were a little worried he would be traumatized, but he loved it and was sad when I had to take the air mattress down. This kid.

My slow attempts at making a baby quilt continue. Finding the motivation is hard, but I finally cut the squares and will (maybe) pin it tonight. My goal is to finish it this week (ha) before works gets ultra-crazy next week.

Paint samples and carpet and appliances and furniture and everything else!

currently...

Long time, no blog. So much has been happening and I have so much to say and also nothing to say. So to help get my groove back, a canned post...

Watching: Bones, again. It started as watching season one so I would know the backstory for the current season (Andre has seen them all but I joined in the middle of the show), but it's grown and now we're on season five. Also, Superstore. And March Madness in the background, obviously.

Listening to: the Moana soundtrack. We finally watched the movie in the cheap theater a few weeks ago, and we've all been hooked on the soundtrack ever since. Lin-Manuel forever. Rhett requests it during breakfast every morning and just sings "You're Welcome" to himself all day.

Wearing: Not maternity clothes. It's a love/hate thing that I don't need them yet--I have some super cute dresses I want to wear, but now it's a pride thing to see how long I can make it. I'm getting closer to needing a rubber band on my jeans, so that's something.

Working on: Freelance articles about AI in the workplace, the impact of Brexit, and computing technology. Trying to muster up the strength/energy to work on a baby quilt--I may have gotten in over my head.

Eating: Grapefruit everything, cereal, granola. I would call them pregnancy cravings, but honestly, this is just slightly exaggerated versions of what I normally eat.

Loving: The gorgeous spring weather (that is supposed to turn to a blizzard soon), fresh-baked banana bread, podcasts during workouts, re-reading old general conference talks, and purging our belongings...again.

Looking forward to: A house?! We just kind of went for it and got a lender and a realtor and now our lives are consumed with looking for a house. The market here is brutal, which means falling in love with a house, putting in an offer, and getting squeezed out by other people. But someday we will find a house and it will all work out, and wow are we looking forward to it.

Unrelated, but cute. Rhett's preschool art show was tonight. Quite the swanky affair--note the fancy glass of "champagne" Sprite in his hand. And a donut hole, obvs. 

just some thoughts

How is Thanksgiving seriously next week? Bring on the stuffing and pie!

It is taking all my energy to not put up Christmas decorations yet. I caved the other day and listened to Christmas music, and I'm slowly wearing Andre down--last night he said I could bring in the Christmas bins. A step in the right direction!

Potty training, man. We finally just went all in and Rhett is rocking it, but there are some days I'd rather not deal with it and just want to put him in diapers again. Constant vigilance!

The weather this fall has been unreal. I'm a little sad I haven't had a chance to wear a coat or scarf yet, but kids in shorts in November is pretty great. Too bad I have a feeling we'll pay for it this winter.

I'm writing this on my phone while Rhett is in story time and I can distinctly hear his laugh through the door. A sign of things to come.

Earnings season finished last week (praises!), so I have my evenings back. But how is it that I'm still scrambling to get everything in?

My new calling in young women's is a major blast from the past. I see teenage me in all these girls and am trying to not to tell too many stories that start "when I was your age..." It's a fine line between being the cool, young leader and still having some authority, you know?

This clock has been a great investment for Rhett's room. He's getting pretty good about not coming out of his room until the clock turns green, which is awesome because naps are now far and few between. 

But seriously, all that is on my mind is Christmas...just get here, already!

just some thoughts

Elder Christofferson visited us for a special stake conference on Sunday and it was just the boost I needed. You're going great, God watches over you, and President Monson loves you! Elder Christofferson wanted to meet all the children after the meeting, and Rhett marched up like he owned the place. My heart burst when they shook hands (and then Rhett gave Sister Christofferson, our stake president, and the visiting 70 each a high-five).

Someday I might get tired of everything that comes with kids in school, but I am eating it up so far. Yesterday Rhett brought home his first book order catalog and poured over the pages--a child after my own heart.

My new favorite things is carb cycling and wow, is it great. It means I get awesome workouts and that I have a reason to make allll the protein shakes and feel great! 

We're more than half-way through No Spend September (only spending money on essentials and nothing else), and it is amazing! I feel like we do pretty good about not buying unnecessary things, but the first few days it was hard not to buy something small just because it was a great deal. After a few days, it has become so much easier, plus we have more time to play and do fun things instead of running to the store because we "need" something. Highly recommend!

Our camping plans have been foiled again. We tried to go in August but the weather was terrible, so we moved our reservation to our only other free weekend, which is next Friday night. But thanks to a cultural celebration practice, we have to move it again. Just let the kaisers camp!

We've been loving living across the street from the farmers market this summer and getting a huge bag of fresh produce every week. It will be a sad day when the market closes in a few weeks.

Fall! Halloween and pumpkin patches and boots and soup and everything good.

little moments: september

It didn't seem like a huge month, but looking back, September was full of fun memories and simple moments. Here are some highlights:

Cashier in training

Rhett and Andre in a garbage truck--turns out Rhett was more enthusiastic in theory than in practice

Randomly bought a pack of PopTarts and this is what we found!

Highlight of Rhett's month=meeting George. Andre kept saying "Hey George, look over here!", but apparently gazing off in the distance with his arms awkwardly out is part of George's schtick.

 One last ride on the Pearl Street train before summer faded away

Growing up too fast and riding the big swing

Rhett's first hike! He was a champ.

Fire station story time. Heaven for toddler boys.

 A true Kaiser--he's a runner in the making

Andre earned Top Dog for winning the 5k!

Just a boy with his animals in a box.

Opened the window early one morning to find a deer wandering through our courtyard, just munching on the neighbors' garden like he's the boss.

Two year olds, just wanting to read the instructions instead of playing a game.

Pizza date night...soaking in the outdoor eating weather while we can.

We inherited a car-shaped tent from friends in the ward, and Rhett is obsessed. He's already moved in all of his blankets and books.

Perfect early fall weather--we spent lots of afternoons by the creek in our "backyard" throwing rocks and watching the ducks.

good for her, not for me

[i'm not really sure why i'm sharing this with the internet and it totally grew out of control as i was writing, but there's something cathartic of getting it all out on (virtual) paper]

This has been my motto lately: "Good for her, not for me". Thanks, Amy Poehler. Apparently I have a lot of thoughts on the subject brewing in my head, so bear with me.

Women can be so hard on each other. And on ourselves. The comparing, the judging, the gossiping. Sometimes (all the time) it seems easier to complain about things together than to celebrate our successes. The women I know are wonderful and talented and doing great things, but sometimes those accomplishments and skills get buried under a female-wide cloud of negativity and we feel ashamed to share important things.

But what about when things are awesome? Why can't we share our successes when we climb a mountain or have a good hair day or do something amazing at work? Let's be happy for each other. Just because someone else has something good happen doesn't mean you are any less of a person. Good for her (seriously, great job making that gorgeous cake/running a marathon/planning the perfect birthday party) not for me (I'll develop other talents). Just because something is a good idea for someone else doesn't mean it is the right thing for you or your family. I see you feeding your kids all the organic things and taking three pilates classes and traveling the world, but that's just not in my budget or schedule right now.

A teacher in high school read us a short story (which I can't find on the Internet for the life of me) about a society where successful people were given things to carry so they were literally weighed down and wouldn't leap higher than everyone else. The result was everyone leaping at the same level--mediocrity. Everyone has something that makes them an awesome leaper. When we compare ourselves to other people, we're weighing them down and keeping us all at the same mediocre, judgy level. Good for her for leaping! This one's not for me, but I'll go leap high on something else!

If we're being honest (we are), I'm not a fan of the mentality of many young, LDS moms that life is so hard and babies are so cranky and we should just watch Netflix all the time. Good for you, but not for me, sister! Let's get out there and do something and show all the amazing things women can do. It comes down to how we prioritize things differently from each other. For me, crossing things off my to-do list and adventuring with Rhett and meeting work deadlines are important. Making amazing holiday decorations and social media and long phone conversations aren't. But that's ok! We can all do our things and be happy and share our successes and be happy for each other! Life is good! Females are strong as heck!

Go, ladies! Leap!

be happy with this moment

It's a beautiful Saturday morning and I had big plans for this three-day weekend,  but instead of enjoying the day, I'm here with a toddler who refuses to go outside (seriously--what happened to him?) and a husband who is off for another looong day at the law library. Blah. So instead I'm reminiscing about the good little moments in life recently:

+ On my run this morning (I'm a runner now...what?) the sun shown through the trees and there was a slight fall chill in the air and the creek bubbled along and my running playlist was killing it and there were less homeless people camped along the path than normal and it was perfect.

+ Rhett is talking in more sentences these days. He'll say things out of the blue like,"I love butterflies", "I'm a fish blub blub blub", and "I have Percy and Gordon. Yay you did it!" It's fascinating and cute and rewarding all at once to watch his little brain develop and put things together.

+ Work has been crazy the last few weeks with buckets of freelance projects, plus covering tons of editing shifts. But you know those days when things just click and you feel awesome about what you're doing? Those are pretty great, and I had a few of those this week. That and the paycheck definitely make the extra hours worth it.

+ Rhett is an early bird these days, so "sleeping in" on weekends is out of the question. No matter how early I get up to get things done, he always gets up soon after or even before me. But last Sunday when everyone was a little sick, I managed to get him to snuggle in bed with Andre and me for a solid five minutes. This is a super rare occurrence and it was pretty great.

+ Andre miraculously had an evening this week that he didn't have to study after dinner, so he got to play the ukelele for a while (that made him happy) and Rhett got to dance and sing along while he played (that made him happy) and I got to clean the kitchen and watch the two boys together (that made me happy).

just some thoughts

+ While André was big-whigging it at the UN in New York this week, my claim to fame was finding out House Hunters went to a home in my parent's neighborhood. What does that tell you about our respective lives?

+ Our quest for a break maker may be complete! We scored one (almost new) at a garage sale yesterday for $10 and now I want to make alllll the bread. and jam. Who knew you could make jam in a bread maker? Hello, carb city!

+ Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful spring Saturday in Boulder? I submit there is not. We have been loving our neighborhood lately and the fact that we can walk anywhere downtown. Yesterday's adventures took us to the farmer's market (forget the kale, we were there for the free samples) and to Pearl Street to check out the tulips with the tourists.

+ Rhett is obsessed with saying things are hot, like his food, the playground on a sunny day, and his bathwater. He even says "noodles hot" over and over throughout the day when there are no noodles in sight. But my favorite is when he sees me with hot food and says "Mommy hot" over and over. Is it weird that its a confidence booster that he (subconsciously) thinks of me as a hot mom?

+ While André was gone I planned about seven vacations to various places before realizing we are poor and don't have the time or money to travel like we want right now. Wanderlust is kicking in, people!

+ We just found something on ESPN that is a college video game tournament with commentators, a live audience, and instant replay. Is this real life? People really do this? I have so many questions.

This is André rocking it in NYC, because of course he did. 

all the good things

Kaiser fam, Easter 2015

spring blossoms

sunny park days

green smoothies

early morning workouts

general conference

actually getting to sleep in on a saturday

long walks

meeting deadlines

staying awake for movies

farmers markets

tan lines

ice cream

free ice cream

hilarious sleep talking toddlers

an organized closet

making summer plans

finding good deals

a clean house

febreeze

chocolate covered cinnamon bears

good talks with family near and far

friends having babies

paychecks

late night giggles

good hair days

binge watching hgtv shows

journal writing

nearly complete to-do lists

currently...

eating/drinking: water and a homemade granola bar. you know, the usual.

listening to: playlists of my college years. In an attempt to clean out my iTunes, I'm giving some songs a final listen to determine if they stick around or not. I'm more of an internet music listener these days, so my iTunes is like a time capsule from my senior year of high school to my sophomore year of college when I had a few questionable music interests. 

working on: freelance articles for a parenting website. things like how to stop a kid's ears from popping on a plane and how to get ready for baby swim class. riveting topics. 

anticipating: The holidays! We are so excited to my parents to come for Thanksgiving and for Rhett to get a little more out of Christmas this year. Plus paper snowflakes! Christmas goodies! Wrapping presents! Turkey bowls! So much excitement!

baking: Pumpkin everything! Seriously, though: I made this pumpkin pie dip for a Halloween party and found an excuse to make this pumpkin bread for some ladies in the ward. 

reading: I'm finally getting around to my 2014 goal to read "Jesus the Christ". André is reading when he gets a spare moment so we discuss it together. I feel like it's a rite of Mormonism to read this book, but it is definitely spiritual/intellectually stimulating/inspiring/slightly overwhelming all at once.

loving: Flea Market Flip is new to Netflix and it's been my go-to background binge. And now I have the serious urge to go to a flea market/ have my own HGTV show.

buying: Christmas presents. It's a disease. I have to calm myself down so I don't buy them all tomorrow. 

wanting: to take family pictures before the beautiful fall leaves are gone, the royals to win the world series, a tropical vacation, and a gold herringbone iphone case. Is that too much to ask?

a day in the life

I've been meaning to do this for a while, and finally got around to it. It might not be that interesting to you, but I think someday I'll look back and laugh at how I spent my days with a one-year-old. So sorry for the overload, but stalk away. Here is a typical day in my life:

5:45am: The alarm comes way too early, but I've learned that I feel so much better if I can get a few things done and be showered before Rhett gets up. I exercise, read scriptures, and shower just in time to get Rhett from his crib.

6:50am: We take André to the bus (pray on the way because we're running late again) and discuss current events and our schedules on the way. The morning drive is a favorite moment together, and the mountains are especially beautiful this morning.

7:10am: Rhett and I read stories, then it's time for breakfast. I try to get some work done for my social media clients while Rhett gets picky about what he wants to eat (today he's all for cheerios and zucchini muffin but not a fan of pancake)

8:00am: I get ready while Rhett plays in destroys the bathroom. We play, then I try to squeeze in a little piano practice for the choir, but Rhett decides he wants to play too. He's quite the prodigy.

8:45am: We're out the door to check out a sale before we go to the library. We score some good deals and make it to the library just in time. Rhett loves story time and Miss Abby.

10:00am: Home from the library, we sing a song and Rhett takes a nap. I head downstairs to work. Nap time is precious for meeting those freelance deadlines and trying to cross things off my to-do list. Today I'm writing about commercial garden hedges and editing pieces on parenting.

12:30pm: Rhett's awake and it's time for lunch! We gobbles grapes like it's his job.

1:15pm: We head out for our daily adventure--getting out of the house every day is so important for our sanity. Today we are running a few errands and checking out a new park. Rhett is a maniac and gets in everyone's business. He loves it and I love that he loves it.

3:30pm: Home for a snack. Rhett plays while I throw dinner in the crockpot. Then it's time for a few stories and nap time.

4:00pm: Work time. It's earnings season, so the editing load should be a lot heavier than normal, but tonight is fairly tame.

5:30pm: Rhett wakes up and eats dinner in between editing assignments. Somewhere in this time, I work, eat dinner, and Rhett plays.

7:00pm: I sign off from work and we go pick up André from the bus. We chat and play while he eats dinner, then it's bedtime for Rhett: brush teeth, read books, scriptures, song, prayer.

8:00pm: André studies and I work, but that soon deteriorates to "work" (as in the kind of work you do with an episode of Parks and Rec in the background), catch up on blogs, email, and do a little online shopping.

9:30pm: We're done for the night and officially exhausted. It's Chuck time, so we watch an episode but I fall asleep for the last 10 minutes and André has to wake me up and fill me in. A glamorous life, people.

10:45pm: In bed and it feels so good! We are seriously turning to old people with an early bedtime.

things we learned this weekend

• there is no such thing as pumpkin overload. we made pumpkin chocolate chip bread and pumpkin better than cake and have been in a delightful pumpkin coma all weekend. no regrets. 
• college football is a thrill-ride (just kidding, we already knew this)
• apparently people actually go to the movie theater early saturday morning. we went to see Meet the Mormons at 9:45 and there was a showing of almost every other movie. let's just say we were in a strange saturday morning movie-going crowd. 
• making friends with store employees=more samples. We checked out the new Oil and Vinegar store and chatted up a worker to get the inside scoop, the best flavors, and the freshest sample bread. win win win. 
• wet playgrounds mean wet babies. and wet babies can smell like wet dog. We literally got to the park just as a freak rainstorm dumped for 10 minutes. I still let Rhett play when it was done, but it turns out babies can get soggy and stinky really quickly. lesson learned.
• sewing flowy fabric is harder in real life than it is in your head. but look at this dress that I whipped up while Rhett was napping! Aren't I so domestic?
  
  (jokes. in real life Rhett wasn't actually sleeping, just crying in his crib. this Pinterest project claimed to take 15 minutes but took more than an hour and I skipped some steps and the sash became a necessity to cover the flaws. and I'm still on the fence about the fabric--it's one of those things that can just as easily be cute or ugly, but I got it for like 8000% off, so it would be a shame not to wear it.)

friday favorites

This Friday feels like a Monday: I accidentally saved over a few writing assignments and have to start over, a cranky baby started crying in the middle of his nap, and I just realized I triple-booked myself one day next week. Naturally, the only responsible thing to do is to stop facing this problems and blog instead.

Here are a few things we've been loving lately:

When I had a long-ish drive by myself a few weeks ago, André jokingly asked me "Are you just going to download Shake it Off and rock out again and again?" It ended up being a great idea. Thanks, Taylor Swift, for our daily dance party anthem.

I think I mentioned we've been binging Chuck lately, thanks to Netflix and that pesky/handy auto-play feature. This clip always makes me giggle.

Confession: I strayed from my fitness goals this week when I made these delicious M&M bars. I tried to hold back, I really did, but I kept thinking about them and finally caved. I'm weak (but it was totally worth it.

The fact that this picture showed up in my email. Just the fact that the Mariners are even in contention for the postseason makes my heart happy (though they're slipping fast, but it's a fun ride)

Rhett does peek-a-boo and somersaults like it's his job and it's just about the cutest thing you've ever seen.

Happy Friday!

Thursday Thoughts

+ the Olympics, all day every day. One of my favorite parts about the winter games is critiquing the outfits. US snowboard outfits? snooze. Russian figure skating costumes? creepy. US figure skating dresses? spot on. Norwegian speed skating orange? yes please.

+ so far the winner of the favorite Olympian award are Meryle and Charlie of course. Because they are the greatest and the only reason people actually care about ice dancing.

+ My birthday last week marked my official move into my "mid-twenties". oh boy. Naturally we celebrated with lots of delicious food, the Olympics, and the most perfect baby-free dinner out with my dear husband.

Glazed eyes after eating allll the food. 

+ Sleep training. Woof. Here's hoping Rhett gets it soon and can pull together some decent naps.

+ The best part about winter in Colorado is the near constant sunshine. The worst part about winter in Colorado is the constant dryness that is attacking my cracking fingertips.

+ One of my freelance projects has me searching stock photos to match my articles. There are some serious gems in there. These poor models:

you know you are a new mom when...

• you get sad when your baby grows out of their cute 0-3 month clothes
• you don't know what to do with yourself when your baby takes a 30 minute nap in his crib
• your workout routine doesn't involve arms--you'll get your workout hauling the carseat around
• you rejoice when you can sleep in til 6am. baby sleep habits, oh boy!
• loud noises make you jump, even if your baby isn't asleep
• you wonder why you get weird glances in the aisles of Target, until you realize talking to your mute baby makes it look like you are talking to yourself
• "little red caboose" and "4 little ducks" are stuck in your head, not the popular songs on the radio
• you get more excited to shop in the baby department than in the lady's department
• you feel happy, excited, grumpy, and frustrated all within a five minute period
• you can't be bothered to use punctuation or capitalization on a regular basis due to exhaustion. this makes some of your freelance writing projects a little difficult.  

but i guess this guy is worth it all.