Happy Birthday 'Merica

I've been holding back from writing as of lately. I'm not sure why. Our lives are in one of those transitional periods where there are a few open doors and not enough information to make an easy sure-footed decision. Even in the midst of this chaos I find that I am really happy right now. I've stood up for myself in a few hard ways, I've managed to let go of things that should have been lifted from my shoulders months ago, and I'm trying to appreciate the knowledge that I'm nowhere where I imagined myself to be but I'm happy for where I've landed. And the best way of finding these things out for myself was to step away from the world of technology which has an uncanny ability to suck us into a vortex of comparison. And how refreshing it's been to not wake up judging my life again someone who I only "knew" through a internet footprint. 

I'm finding by living a life of less comparison I've become more appreciative for the here-and-now. Little things like playing in the backyard and visiting the farmers market seem to be readily enjoyed instead of looking for the next photo opportunity for Instagram or my blog. And surprisingly enough, by removing myself from behind the camera I seem to be capturing more of those instantaneous moments with my family too.

I, however, am a victim of holidays and the need for overindulging in the picture taking department. The morning of the Fourth Brecken asked me why we were celebrating Captain America's birthday. He never seems to miss a beat in the department of leaving me tongue tied. I'm sure it's been said over and over again but I'm enjoying this stage of Motherhood more than the last (and I'm sure I'll say it about the next one too). My babies are communicators and both of them tend to wear their feelings on their sleeves, which makes for more than their fair share of dramatic moments, but it also means that they tend to express their feelings of love, excitement, and enjoyment more readily too. 

John, on the other hand, has never been known to show emotion but he remarked late into the night on the Fourth how this holiday was his favorite. There's no real commercialized market that goes on for months,  it's simply a time to eat good food, be with family, and (his words) "blow things up." And I guess that would make good ol' Mother 'Merica proud. She is a she right? I think she is. She must be. 

I hope y'all had an amazing holiday. I'm back. My head is a bit cloudy these days with house building and all, and exciting things are happening! 

The day(s) Addy thought Santa was an ax murderer

So we are in fact sure that Addy does not care much for Santa. I guess we should have learned that bearded man was not clearly her favorite person the first time we went to see Santa, but we thought we would do our due diligence and take her again.

//Has begun to see her life flash before her eyes. And I am sure Santa is thinking the same thing..//

 

And there you have it folks. I think she's still skeptical and completely scared out of her mind. I could be wrong.

ten useless facts plus one.

 

Have you seen that viral post going around Facebook? You know the one where you get a random number and then you tell that many things about yourself. If you're on Facebook I'm sure you avoided liking at least 50 posts....give or take.

 

Here's ten utterly useless facts.

 

1//I get nervous when I'm not talking. Kind of like I have to be talking or else things get awkward and then things get really awkward anyway because I'm usually talking when I'm not suppose to.

 

2//I once dreamt I was married to Eli Manning. The following week he won the Super Bowl. Coincidence? I think not. (No worries John, your man candy job is safe).

 

3//I have a thing for chapstick and colorful vintage books and globes AND shoes.  I also have a thing for ugly sweaters. Isn't this shirt from Skip N' Whistle awesome? Ugly sweaters year around they said! I agree. Basically, what I'm trying to say is I have a lot of "things." John would whole-heartedly agree.

 

4//I always wanted to be the karate kid. still do. it's weird I know. But if that doesn't pan out I would like to go back to law school.

 

5//I like to cook, but these hands are useless when it comes to baking.

 

6//I once met the Russian version of Oprah...or so they say.

 

7//Restlessness is commonplace for me. I always have this nagging feeling like I'm missing out on a party or event. It's always been that way. A life of travel  would be ideal, but I married a homebody so I'm sure you can imagine how that worked out.

 

8//Waffles and pancakes taste like crap. Along with cantaloupe.

 

9//I have always wanted to live on a street with sidewalks. When it finally it happened I missed gravel roads. go figure.

 

10//I have a thing for food too. Good food. Food that tells a story and not only presents itself with love but you can tell it was made with love. yeah, that's that type of food I like. Obviously, McDonalds doesn't fall under this realm, but my favorite bar does, it's delish.

 

11// I don't follow rules or even my own rules.

 

Hey. It's also CyberMonday and SkipN'Whistle is offering 20% off from now until Christmas. They have some stellar ugly sweaters and shirts...think dinosaurs-meet-Santa. Just use promocode: SANTA

 

shop away my friends. shop away.

'Merica, we love you!

Everyone has to write a obligatory Fourth of July post, right? I mean it's only fitting to inundate the blog world with pictures of food, families in matching red/white/ n' blue, and grown boys letting their inner 12-year-old selves out for a day to have a legitimate excuse to play with fire. Anyway, my post is only a week late because who can write about all the festivities the day following? I needed to let it marinade a little, take in the fact that my my baby does not enjoy fireworks and the sound of even the faintest one sends her into a fit of convulsions. It made for a picture-less and dramatic ending to our Independence Celebration. 

I don't know what your Fourth was like but ours was an all-American affair full of parades, BBQs, slip n' slides (it deserves a post of its own), homemade firework launchers, and of course turkey. It's only fitting in our family that turkey should be consumed whenever possible. Turkey is like the awkward step-brother of the Eagle. Maybe...?

||Our only attempt at a family photo. With, of course, a photo bomb by our nephew||

||We spent the morning at the local fireman's pancake breakfast|| It may be the best $7 dollars you'll ever spend|| And in the wake of the poor tragedy in Arizona it felt so nice to show respect to those men and women who put their lives on the line||

||And there are still ten cousins missing from this picture...||

||I told you. Boys will be boys||

We hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July. We are so truly grateful for this beautiful country we live in and for the sacrifices so many have made so we can raise our children in a place we call home.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day. You were cold. But that didn't stop my babies from enjoying your wonderful parades and endless hours of park-going fun. And when it all comes down to it you really deserve a big "Thank you." This weekend was a real reflection of the freedoms we have and all those that have given their lives to protect those rights. You may be cloaked in BBQs and shopping sales, but deep down you aspire as a gem of our nation and all those that have fought to call this place home.

Happy Memorial Day.  

p.s. Today is that last day to enter the Skip N' Whistle shirt giveaway!

Easter Weekend.

Did I ever tell you about that one time when I was eight or nine-years-old and my older cousins made us hold hands and then one of them would grab the electric fence. The electric shock would slowly ripple from hand hold to hand hold until it surged out of the tips of the last child. Those of us that were younger were usually placed at the end--a sign of submissiveness to the older kids I suppose. It wasn't traumatizing because we were naive (or dumb enough) to believe that no matter what kind of pain was placed on us we were still cool enough to be in the presence of the older kids. Twenty years later, I can still feel the shock. 

Anyway my tangent does relate to Easter, I promise. 

My family, which includes a whole bundle of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and anyone who decides to marry into our brooding mess, is never satisfied who mediocre celebrations. If there is a party to be had, we hold it. If there is a celebration in order, we go above and beyond. If there is something completely ridiculous and almost life threatening to be tried, it has happened. Easter is no exception. Of course we do the typical things like Easter egg hunting and making enough food to feed a small country, but my family also enjoys a wide array of non-traditional events too. The before mentioned electric fence game being one of them. And have you heard of a cash calf. It's simple--tape gobs of money to a calf and left it go. Then send every kid (adult included) after said calf to retrieve the money. I presume we're just like every other God-fearing American family out there. There really is no end to the things my family will concoct in the name of celebratory fun.

I savored this Easter holiday a little bit more and it's low-key nature. Somewhere the roles switched from being the recipient of Easter tidings to becoming the giver of magic for my son. His eyes that morning were satisfaction enough of a job well done. How great is it as parents that some of our greatest joys resonate out of the excitement and complete wonder in our children's eyes. 

Here's some pictures of our weekend. 

//Sharpies were the medium of choice this year for egg decorating//

//The stickers were a "meh" idea. They kind of created a filmy residue on the eggs, but the design turned out neat//

//Clothes were optional while dying eggs--just for the kids of course//

//He was skeptical of this elusive Easter Bunny fella//

//This was the best shot I could get of the two of them together. When they get within two feet of each other they kind of go psychotic//

//And as luck would have it the Easter Bunny showed up during our Easter egg hunt--our skeptical little guy may be a believer// 

//And when we got back to Bozeman during the Bishop family Easter egg hunt John's nephew proposed to his girlfriend. He's a real Casanova. Let the ohh and ahh's begin//

 //Hopefully your Easter was amazing and (of course) electrocuting-free...//