life lately

I have been woken up the last few mornings at the early hour of 6:00 A.M. after also waking to cries every half an hour through the night to a very sad and sick little boy. So needless to say, I'm finding myself thinking ... is it really only Wednesday?? Both last week and this week have seemed FOREVER long. Last week it was because Nic had classes every day and worked longer hours than usual and this week it has been because of sickness. I feel like this is the first time that Liam has really gotten sick and it has been hard not having the nutritional benefits and soothing comfort for him that comes from nursing. He has had runny noses in the past but had his first 100 degree fever and nasty cough this week and I just feel so helpless, like any parent feels when their child is sick, I wish I could take it away! We finally went to the doctor this morning and my poor little guy has his first ear infection so I hope the antibiotics help! On top of that I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday with that debilitating throbbing pain in my neck that you get when you sleep on it wrong. So moving in general has been a real struggle the last day and a half. haha We're a mess okay! Poor Nic is such a saint. He works these long hours and then comes home to me looking like a train wreck and Liam feeling like one. If I haven't said it already here, we're ready for Spring!!

ANYWAY, it has been a minute since I last shared some pictures from the camera roll on my phone and I have SO many so I thought I would share some today and tomorrow. Since I have SUCH a hard time deleting a single one no matter how grainy and blurry they might be, it makes me happy to have a place to share those memories. Onward ...

If you've ever heard of the reality T.V. show, The Bachelor, I am its biggest fan! Tease me all you want, I'm not ashamed about it. haha At the beginning of January I was invited by a neighbor and friend to attend a viewing party for the first night and it was so much fun! It made watching that crazy drama that much better in a room full of girlfriends who love it just as much as I do! haha

I caught Liam's new signature face that I talked about here. Is it not the best you've ever seen?! It had to be documented because it cracks us up every time! He may not have learned the word "no" yet but this is the face we get when we are not doing what he wants us to do. haha Stubborn I tell you what!

My mom got Liam this radio flyer wagon for his birthday back in October and it has become his favorite most dangerous toy yet! We usually keep his stuffed animals in it and at first he would push them around the house all day long and I loved it! Now is a very different story. First he figured out how to bail over the top of the fence part and sit inside of it. From there, the new game became "push me all over the house mom and dad". Cute the first couple of days ... exhausting the next 30. haha Then he figured out how to take the fence part off, pull out all of the stuffed animals, stand up inside of it, and either use it as a scooter or a diving board. I saw a trip to the ER in my near future and had to put the kabosh on that real quick. At least until he gets a little bit more stability. We've had enough bruises and bumps on the head as it is so far.

Speaking of bumps on the head ... Liam's first goose egg was a real doosy. That darn slippery Costco floor and metal shelves got him good! It was terrifying just watching his forehead swell within seconds. He was recovered emotionally by the time we made it out to the car, I on the other hand took a good week.

Another favorite toy of Liam's are these magnetic Tegu blocks. Who needs to build stuff when you can just throw one block at another on the floor and watch them connect themselves! Genius!

Remember how I said we are ready for Spring?! We were going completely stir crazy the other day so I decided to bundle Liam in his snow suit and walk to our neighborhood park. The fun lasted for about 5 minutes tops before we were both totally frozen. Also, I can not get over how much he looks like my brother as a baby in the picture below!

When it's lunch time and he is already over it before you've even sat down with your meal, give him a measuring cup! Add this to the category of things I do to have 3 minutes to eat around here. Turns out it makes a pretty good drinking glass too, who knew. haha

Liam loves finding the over sized stuffed animal bins whenever we go to a store. This particular evening we happened to be in Fredmeyer and I pulled out this ninja turtle to show him. He grabbed it from me and strapped it over his shoulders like a backpack!

I apologize if the next picture completely grosses you out but it was another right of passage that had to be documented as a parent. Trust me when I say, looking at is much better than actually sitting in it. Yes, you read that right. One second were having fun drawing pictures on the side of the tub and the next everything has gone to crap. Literally! I have never in my life felt more disgusting than sitting in that mess. The worst part about it was, there was literally nothing we could do until it all drained and we could wash and clean it off our bodies. Thank you VERY much Liam.

We went to a different library a couple weeks ago and instead of having iPads they had desktop computers. He was in heaven! He loved them even more than the iPads because he got to use his very own keyboard and mouse! I couldn't get him to leave.

Liam gave himself a new nickname, the remote thief. Another thing he is obsessed with. We now have NO IDEA what happened to that remote. I'm pretty sure its fate was the garbage can.

Just a few of the ups and downs at the Williamson household lately! If you come back tomorrow, I'll be sharing a few more. :) Have a wonderful day!

10 things I don't want to forget about 15 months

one :: He points at everything he sees and patiently waits for you to tell him what it is. Hopefully mimicking follows soon! 

two :: His three favorite foods right now ... banana, peanut butter toast, and yogurt! If he refuses to eat anything I have made for him, I always know he will eat those three things.

three :: Twirling, using a spoon, and saying woof woof when he sees a puppy are his newest tricks! And when the spoon thing gets old, dipping the opposite end in or drinking your yogurt works too, in case you were wondering. ;) 

four :: He started showing an interest in trucks and cars and will point to them and gasp whenever we are outside! 

five :: He learned to scrunch up his nose, lips, and eyebrows and make the grumpiest face you've ever seen. haha

six :: Remember how I mentioned I had an emotionally hard time with the end of nursing?? Well ever since then I suddenly have the most snugly baby in the whole world. I think Liam secretly knew I was struggling and this was his way of showing me that he still adores me and I'm so grateful! He just randomly runs up to me throughout the day and climbs in my lap and throws his arms around my neck. My heart breaks every time in the best way!!

seven :: Speaking of another positive thing about not nursing anymore, it has caused a change in the bedtime routine that I love just as much as what he used to do. After giving his dad a hug, I put his blanket on my shoulder and he giggles and jumps into my arms. Then he immediately turns himself around so he can see his dad again and gives him a big cheesy grin followed by a wave. Melt my heart. After Nic closes the door and leaves us in the dark room together, for the briefest of moments, he lays his head on my shoulder and suddenly becomes my baby all over again. I always try to sing to him too but he usually pops his head back up and points to his crib. 

eight :: He is OBSESSED with technology. Obsessed! And is able to point out T.V.'s, phones, etc. no matter where we are but the best part is, the ginormous excited grunt/exhale sound he makes as soon as he spots one! I wish I could describe it better for you. I'm just going to have to make sure I get it on video before he quits doing it because it is seriously THE BEST!

How he talks on the phone ....

Just throw it over your shoulder and talk into your elbow! haha

nine :: Ask him any question in the world right now and his response will be "yeah!" "Liam, am I the best mom in the world? ... YEAH ... Is dad the best dad in the world ... YEAH ... Do you love us both so much ... YEAH" I mean, it's a real self esteem booster!!

ten :: He jabbers ALL day long with every other word being, you guessed it, "YEAH."

Besides the massive molars he is getting right now, I LOVE THIS AGE!!!

Valentine's Day weekend 2016

Being the hopeless romantic that I am, Valentine's Day is a day that I really look forward to! Holiday weekends in general are so fun but when the holiday also allows you to spend every moment showing the people in your life how much you love them, it's a special day for sure! 

On Saturday we woke up without any plans for the day but after getting ready, Nic told me he had an idea and off we went. We drove to the mall and on the way there he explained that we were going to start by window shopping for things we liked and would eventually pick out something for one another before leaving. It was so much fun! The most entertaining part of course was watching Liam. I swear that kid is programmed to locate any piece of technology wherever we go. His favorite store in the mall for example is a phone store with a TV in it, go figure. haha 

Anyway, after wandering around for a while and sharing a pretzel, we decided on what we were going to get each other. You will probably think that I am far from the hopeless romantic that I said I was after hearing what I got him versus what he got me but I promise I have a good reason for it. Nic bought me a beautiful pair of earrings and I got him, wait for it ... a TOASTER. haha In my defense, I tried to encourage him to find something for himself but a new toaster was what he wanted so that's what he got! We've had the same little red toaster that I've had since college and the poor thing has been falling apart for a while now and was needing to be replaced and even upgraded to something that fits more than 2 pieces of toast for a growing family. The sentimental people we are, we considered stowing it away and keeping it for Liam to take to college someday but then thought better of it and ended up taking it to the DI. I'm sure Liam would have been so grateful 17 years from now to have an old, beat up toaster handed down to him from his parents. haha NOT! 

  

Nic and his littler helper opening a couple of surprises from me ...

Before grocery shopping last week I asked Nic what he wanted for breakfast on Valentine's Day morning. I offered the sun and the moon people, heart shaped pancakes, french toast, crepes, the world was his oyster and I kid you not, he turned to me and said, "cereal please." bahaha He had to assure me that he wasn't in fact insulting my cooking in any way and that he really just wanted to have cereal. Well, cereal was what my Valentine wanted and cereal is what he got! (We don't really eat cereal anymore, especially of the sugary variety) so we each chose our favorite to eat for one day. Frosted cheerios for him and Capn' crunch berries for me. It took me straight back to my childhood! Yum!

Liam got to have his favorite breakfast too (he eats it every day) and I got the chance to make something heart shaped! ;) Win win! Heart shaped banana and peanut butter toast for my little Valentine.

I love this picture of him pointing at me when he realized I was taking his picture!

Pretty much like every other morning, Liam was COVERED in peanut butter from head to toe by the end of breakfast so Nic took a bath with him before church. They even wrote a Valentine for me on the side of the tub! I loved it!

The beautiful earrings and gorgeous bouquet of pink roses I got from my Valentine ...

Happy Valentine's Day from my littlest Valentine!

I'm such a lucky girl to be loved by these two boys of mine. Hope your day was filled with love and heart shaped everything! Maybe even with a side of cereal for breakfast! ;) XO

making valentines

One of my favorite things about being a stay-at-home mom besides spending my days with Liam has been having TIME. There were so many things I just didn't have time for when I was working. Like time to make homemade bread every week for my family for instance, or time to try a new dinner recipe even if it takes 2 hours to prepare, time to help my neighbors during the day when they are in need, and time to craft and make special gifts for family, to name a few. Last week I had a little photo shoot with Liam to make Valentine cards for Liam's grandparents. My favorite picture from that day ... 

Oh this little blue-eyes boy you guys, he is such a dream boat! 

And a few outtakes ...

I got the card idea from Pinterest of course. A little red hand print that folds back to show his picture with, "blowing kisses your way"! They turned out adorable and I hope they made them smile as much as they made daddy smile when he opened his on Valentine's morning. He loved it so much that it found a new home in his office. :)

After I posted the picture above to Instagram, a friend of mine commented on it with the sweetest compliment, "you are such a fun mom!" It made my day but also at the same time I had to laugh because I get these crazy ideas thinking they will be totally fun but let me just give you a glimpse into the reality that was doing a craft with a toddler ... I plopped Liam in his high chair so he was contained with the marker I handed him. The FIRST thing he did was TRY TO EAT IT!!! Needless to say, Liam's role in the craft lasted a mere minute. Haha Look how big he looks holding that marker though! Where did my baby go?!

So Grandparents, I'm making a prediction right now about two year old Liam and next year you can expect some Valentine's COVERED in glue. Haha You're welcome in advance! Here's to letting the fun mom activities continue no matter how messy they get because I love every minute of it!!!

5 tips for encouraging your toddler to love reading

I have always loved reading and from the time I found out I was pregnant with Liam, I couldn't wait to share that love with him. Up until now, Liam hasn't had any interest in sitting down and reading with me (He is 15 months). In fact, his only interest with books has been to knock them off the shelf and watch them crash to the floor. haha I know he is a busy little guy and it is hard to get any baby/toddler to sit still for more than 30 seconds at a time but that hasn't stopped me from encouraging him. After trying a few things over the last several weeks, I have some strategies that have been so helpful and have watched his love for books grow to the point that now he sits down and looks at them even when I am not right beside him! So I wanted to share a few tips I have found that have really helped instill a love of reading in my toddler.

| M A K E    I T    P A R T    O F    T H E I R    D A I L Y    R O U T I N E |

Try reading with your toddler every day at a similar time of day. Kids thrive off of routines and schedules and do well when they know what to expect. At first, I would plop him in my lap and grab a book to read together and within seconds he was already squirming out of my lap. Not right away but over time it became a part of his daily routine. Now whenever he wants to read a book with me he'll go grab one and almost pull me to the ground and plop himself in my lap. He does it with Nic too and it is our favorite!!

| P A I R    I T    W I T H    S N A C K S |

The way to my son's heart is through food, particularly of the fruit snack variety right now. haha I've started pairing reading time with snack time and he loves it! It seems like his snack keeps him busy and content enough that he is way more willing to sit down with me and read a book. I am loving the Annie's organic brand of fruit snacks by the way ... they are healthier than other brands and even better, they come in a big box at Costco! Who doesn't love a snack while they're reading?! ;)

| C H O O S E    B O O K S    T H E Y    L O V E |

There are about 5 books that are Liam's favorite right now and we read them over and over and OVER again. Do I sometimes get sick of them and want to read something new, yes. But, every time I try to pull something else off the shelf, he immediately notices and pushes it aside to reach for one of his favorites. I know there will come a day when he understands the plot of stories better and will then become interested in more books but until then, I will happily read him the ones he loves most.

| M A K E    T H E M    A C C E S S A B L E |

I know this one seems like common sense but for a while I only really kept books in Liam's room and I realized that we spend way more time together throughout the day in our living room than we do in his room so naturally there weren't any books around him. He would play with the toys in the toy basket that we keep in the living room instead. Realizing this, I designated the bottom shelf of our console shelves solely to some of his books. Now he goes over and pulls them off the shelf multiple times a day whereas the books in his room still don't get touched a lot. You can even go as far as putting a couple books in each room of your house so that your toddler always has book accessible to them. For right now, the living room is working well for us. Since Liam is a toddler, I only put board books on that particular shelf so that I don't have to worry about them getting ripped/eaten/destroyed if he looks at them on his own. haha I made the mistake of putting one paperback book on that shelf that he carted out of his room one day and that book is goner now! haha oops.

| C H O O S E    I N T E R A C T I V E    B O O K S |

Books have come a long way since I was a child. They have become so much more interactive now and I love it. For toddlers, choose books with touchy feely fabrics and patterns, things that slide, or flaps that open. Vtech also has some great interactive books that light up and make sounds! All 5 of Liam's favorite books right now fit into these categories. He loves a couple animal books where you can feel their hair/skin like October the Octopus. It even has a big flap to pull open at the end of the book when the Octopus sneezes into a tissue. haha It's cute! 

If you have a toddler at home who isn't showing much interest in reading, try a couple of these tips! I hope they are helpful. The biggest thing is simply just to keep trying. Like the first tip, make it a part of their daily routine. I'd love to hear how it is going so feel free to share in the comments below or share any other tips you have with me too! It's just as much a work in progress over here too! XO  

finding a new normal

I think several people would agree with me that January can be a rough month. While it holds so much promise for the new year ahead, it also represents the passing of fun filled holidays with lots of family time and leaves you with long days stuck inside from cold temperatures. I struggled getting back into the routine of things after we said goodbye to December and the holidays this year. For those reasons but also because I knew it was time to wean Liam. I went into the process knowing full well that it would be a hard thing for the both of us to let go of but it took a pretty serious emotional toll on me. You women out there, hormones are sure something else aren't they?! I tend to hold back when sharing about experiences that have this kind of effect on me so I'll just say this ... there is a bond that is so profoundly special between a mother and a child when nursing and I feel incredibly blessed to have shared that bond with my son for 15 months. At first, I had a hard time not only letting go of that bond but finding it elsewhere. But, it was as if he intuitively knew and Liam has become the most cuddly boy since. Each day is filled with so many hugs and it is absolutely what I have needed. I will truly cherish all of those moments we shared. So where have I been the last 3 weeks (most of January) since I last hit publish on the first of the year? Finding a new normal. And I'm happy to say we are finally there! 

(from the last night he nursed) 

On a lighter note, this is what we've been up to ...

One of Nic and I's new year's resolutions is to work on one house project a month. While truthfully this was a project that began way back in November, our kitchen table is finally refinished! We got it as a wedding gift from my mom and it was originally painted black. Over the last five years it has been well loved and was showing it big time. Lots of chipped off paint and dings. It also didn't really match our kitchen in our house. It is amazing what A LOT of sanding, some stain, and several coats of paint can do! Now it is a beautiful two-tone and we LOVE it! It feels like a brand new table and definitely has some life left while our family is still small.

Before ...

(picture from our old apartment)

After ...

We've been spending quite a bit of time at the mall lately. They have a great play area with a slide that Liam adores and while I cringe at the idea that it is likely infested with germs, there is nothing I love more than seeing him light up and have so much fun playing. It has also become the second best place to enjoy those "summer walks" that we love so much!

When we aren't at the mall we find ourselves visiting the library. We are still working on a love for books with Liam because of his short attention span but he will now pull them off the shelf, sit, and look at the pictures for a few minutes. The library has a tiny little table with a few iPads on it that of course draw in my little technology loving guru like a moth to a flame. It is amazing how well he knows how to work them! He even has the finger swipe down! haha And those ginormous headphones on him that squish his cheeks together are my favorite! 

Once, sometimes twice, a week we have lunch at daddy's work where Liam discovered his love for both hot dogs and water falls! 

Occasionally we visit the pet store which is Liam's favorite place. If you want to hear the BEST sound in the whole world, you will want to watch this video of Liam and the birds!! I think I've watched it a bajillion times by now!

So January, finally by the third week we have you down. Daddy sleeps in with us until 8 and we have breakfast together every morning as a family. One of my favorite times of the day! After he leaves for work, Liam trashes our bedroom and bathroom while I finish getting ready for the day (haha!) and we go out and about together in the morning. Then comes lunch followed by a solid 2 to 3 hour nap for my little side kick where I get some much needed me time. Sometimes I clean, sometimes I craft, sometimes I fold laundry, sometimes I just take a bath but I am always ready to play again by the time he wakes up. We play blocks, look at books, play in his teepee, watch Home, etc. until daddy gets home for dinner and we spend the evening together as a family. And at 8:00 every night, when it is time for Liam to go to bed, he lays his head on my shoulders and we spend the briefest of moments, just the two of us once again. Even though it isn't the same, it is a special new bond and I hope he always hugs me like that before bed time. We finally found our new normal and it is a normal to be just as cherished as the last.

Cheers 2015!

Happy New Year!

We had some fun plans to ring in the New Year with dinner and games at a neighbors house but a darn fever and stuffy nose for Liam kept us at home. Instead we laid low with extra snuggles during the day and shared some pizza delivery for dinner. Once Liam was asleep, I had a date at home with my favorite guy watching the movie New Year's Eve, sharing some chocolate dipped strawberries, and stealing a kiss under the mistletoe about an hour shy of midnight because let's be honest, this gal rarely stays up that late anymore.

Another year full of some of my most favorite memories came to an end. I wanted to share a quick look back at some of those memories during the last 365 days ...

January - I savored the first couple of weeks with three month old Liam in my arms before heading back to work at the end of my maternity leave. Liam was just starting to smile and giggle then and it broke my heart to leave him!

February - Right after the excitement of Liam learning to roll over ... we experienced our second house flood in our brand new home. Our dishwasher hose blew off the valve in the middle of the night causing a flood in the kitchen, half the living room, the hallway, the guest bedroom, the laundry room closet, and rained down into the basement. It led to a month long reconstruction of our kitchen and so many days spent either living in my mother-in-law's basement or huddled up all three of us in our master bedroom because it was the only room in the house untouched by it all. (This is starting to sound like a very depressing beginning to this year but I promise it gets SO much better!)

March - In the midst of the house flood, my grandma and mom came to visit during Spring Break. We spent a lot of time enjoying their company at their hotel. It was fun to have visitors and even better to have a week off from work with Liam! 

April - We came off the high of Spring Break and back to reality for what felt like the long 6 week push to the end of the school year.

May - This was a big month!! We celebrated Easter weekend with our little bunny. I celebrated my first Mother's Day and took Liam on his first swing ride, I finished my second year of teaching, packed up my classroom, and became a stay at home mom! We went out to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate and Nic surprised me with several days off from work in a row to enjoy the start of summer as a family! Nic and I shared our 4th Anniversary this month!

June & July - Summer! We went on an evening walk as a family almost every single day. Liam spent the days "swimming" in his duck pool and eating endless amounts of blueberries! haha We squeezed in a day trip to Salt Lake to visit the infamous IKEA.

 August - Our family took a trip to Seattle & Mount Vernon, Washington to visit extended family. I had so much fun introducing my boys to family they haven't met before at our reunion and showing Nic the city I spent a lot of time experiencing as a child. We made new memories together going to the Seattle Aquarium and eating at Ivar's (yum!). When we got back home, Liam got his first haircut because he was starting to look like a ragamuffin, it grows so fast! AND, we finished landscaping our yard, yay!  

September - Liam was officially walking and was rewarded with his first pair of Nike's! haha Our family spent Labor Day at the fair eating our weight in corn dogs and riding a rocking horse. We finally got a chance to visit the new Wellness Complex that was built in our town complete with a swimming beach, our favorite part!

October - We celebrated Liam's first birthday and gave him a Where the Wild Things Are party! I still can't believe I have a one year old! We dressed up as a family for Halloween as a lion, a tiger, and a bear ... OH MY! ;)

November - We celebrated Turkey Day in Boise and decorated for Christmas a little early.

December - The days were filled with as much holiday cheer as possible! We baked Christmas treats, watched The Grinch on repeat, and enjoyed focusing more on our Savior. We took Liam to see Santa for the first time and were not surprised when his reaction was totally neutral. haha We played in the snow several times throughout the month of December but the snow was too powdery for snowman building. I finally had our family pictures taken and love how they turned out even though I can't seem to replace the ones of newborn Liam hanging on our wall.  We celebrated an early Christmas with my family in Boise, We had the best Christmas yet sledding and enjoying Christmas morning at home making new traditions. We soaked up every last ounce of joy that filled the room as Liam played with his new toys on Christmas morning.

Can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for our family! Cheers you guys! XO