toddlerhood, sweet toddlerhood...

Today, Declan has:

-poured a nearly full bottle of honey all over the kitchen floor while I was in the next room for 45 seconds.
-ran away from me at the park chasing after a bird. I tripped and fell where the playground rubber floor meets the concrete and barely caught him before he hit the street. All the while, I'm yelling STOOOOOOP at the top of my lungs. Freakshow (me, that is).
-thrown his ball in the sink at least 10 times.
-dumped my new container of powder in the sink while I, um, went potty 3 feet away. (Who goes to the bathroom sans toddler?!)
-thrown an entire serving of watermelon on the ground except for the piece that landed in his bib. That piece, he was squeezing like it was a towel full of water. (I was changing the laundry...maybe 2 minutes being gone- while he was in the high chair of course)
Speaking of water, he dumped an entire glass of it on one of our dogs. Lovely.

Never a dull moment, eh?

...10 things I love about being a mom...

I ripped this idea off of my sister-in-law's blog because I think it's really easy to complain about the daily grind. Instead, I'm trying to narrow down what I love about being a mom to TEN things. Hmm. Tough one.

1...I love that, no matter how big he gets, I'm still Declan's comfort. I love rocking, cuddling and snuggling with him. These times are rare with my active boy but fabulous when they happen.

2...I love listening to Declan talk about his favorite joy in life (balls) in the monitor every night and morning. Some samplings: "I'll get the ball", "kick the ball", "ball- the ball", "I see the ball". It's hysterical.

3...I love watching Declan learn new things every single day. This morning we were talking through body parts- eyes, nose, ears, teeth, etc. and I taught him knees, fingers and toes. Tonight- he proudly stated all his learnings without prompting. Craziness.

4...I love being a family. From running around the park to creating new traditions, it's amazing to be a part of our own little family unit.

5...I love it when Declan climbs up on my lap face-to-face demanding every other bite of what I'm eating. I'm a germaphobe but could care less when my son is open mouthed like a bass after bait.

6...I love watching Mark be the beloved Daddy. Declan adores him and he adores Declan. We will sit at our favorite restaurant, childless, and look at pictures of Decs on our phones and tell stories and laugh about him until our faces hurt. It's indescribable to watch him be such a proud, tender, loving and fun Daddy.

7...I love the fact that genetics totally don't matter. Rarely do I even think about the fact that Declan is not genetically linked. I am an overly doting mama. My son is the cutest 2 year old in the world and it's not because he has my eyes and Mark's lips. It's because he's simply Declan...that Charlie Brown smile, bright eyes, missing tooth, big fat cheeks, skinny string bean body and long toes. I kiss him a 100 times a day until he belly laughs and leans back in for more.

8...I love being able to help shape a little person to be enthusiastic, happy, secure and LOVED child. Discipline is often frustrating but so important. I'm constantly on repeat- "go tell Mae Mae (our dog) you're sorry, hitting is not kind". Sounds dumb, but the foundation we're trying to set is what matters.

9...I love the love Declan gives. His eyes shine for me as mine for his. 'Nough said on that one, I'm choked up already.

10...The 10th thing I love about being a mom is the fellowship with other parents. I hated listening to people talk about their kids before Declan. It was salt in some deep infertility wounds for years. We had vowed to not be "those people" that go on and on about kiddos/parenting but we've waved the white flag and realized it's necessary to survival. Not only is it necessary, but it's a way to go deep with friends and a way to share laughs with strangers.

I'd love to hear...what is something YOU love about being a mom (or- if you're TTC, adopting or in the middle of fertility treatments- what do you look forward to about being a mom)?

The New Dinner Party

Both sides of our families enjoy getting together to eat (who doesn't?) I count myself lucky that we all enjoy meals off the normal grill-out/pasta/mexican food path. Yesterday? Spring rolls!! Yum!

I couldn't help but steal a few sweet moments with the hubs and Declan and the other cousins:

I call this one "precious princess in the front, troublemakers in the back"- ya know, because captions are fun:

Wordless Wednesday

Life marches on...

...toothless and happy:

Boo.

Here's my silly boy earlier today:

Here he is before bedtime. He lost a battle with the wood floor today and lost his tooth:

I'm so bummed. 

Bummed he's hurt. Bummed his cute tooth is gone (and will until his permanents arrive in 5ish years).  

Ug. Boo.

heat

this heat is sucking the life out of me.
actually, it's the humidity.
the 7 day forecast looks like more yuck.
i miss riding bikes.
i wish i had a pool.
frozen lemonade is delicious.
all for now.

Wordless Wednesday

feed the boy!

We had a great time celebrating my dad's 54th this weekend at our favorite Mexican restaurant. 

Declan ate the following:

-an entire basket of chips

-a full bowl of salsa

-full serving of rice and beans

-almost all of my niece's fries

-part of a tostada

Yet, he's still a string bean. Who knows?! 

Could it be the constant running after any and every ball in sight? 

Probably so.

adoption costs

I have crazy dreams. Last night, in dreamland, we won the lottery and I was thrilled.  If you knew my stance on the lottery you'd know I wouldn't ever want to win one. I firmly believe you change, the people around you change and your life changes--more for the bad than good. My husband and I disagree on this but, regardless, that's how I feel. So when we won (in my dream) I was thrilled. I quit working and concentrated on my photography. My husband quit working and went to school full time to get a physics degree. The dream got odd was when we chose our first big "spend" to be international adoption. Not a house (which I'd love a bigger house + yard), not a car, no big vacay. We wanted to adopt internationally and, now that money was no issue, we wanted to pursue that immediately.

I have a serious problem with this dream. Why in the crap does international adoption have to be so expensive? I'm mad about it. There are costs incurred no doubt but why $25,000+?! There are so many loving families that can not wait to add to their families through adoption and they can not afford to do so. As Declan started to near 2 years old we had the "domestic vs international" talk severals times. My heart burst when I think of children in orphanages waiting for a family. We deeply desire to adopt internationally and hope in the future that may financially be in our cards. Until then, I will sulk over my dream and hope that some day- maybe someday- adoption will be more affordable.

Wordless Wednesday

little fishy

Decs started swimming lessons last night with a few of his buds. I'm NOT surprised that he loved them. For the first time in a pool, I think this is a pretty happy camper:

And, in true Declan fashion, he tossed my keys in the deep in of the pool before we left. I think it was just to see Miss Jessica (his teacher) swan dive for them. Who knows, just a guess. ;)

:fireworks with daddy:

Sometimes there are precious moments that you want to freeze and re-visit often. 

Tonight held many of those moments.

Declan was filled with so much awe and wonder over the fireworks.

      This picture chokes me up. I love my boys:

    Happy Independence Day!!!