Check this out

Okay, one more procrastination post. It has no pictures of kids or cute stories, but I need to drum up a little Uppercase Living biz by the end of the month or they're gonna cut me. I'm so not meant to be a salesperson! But, fortunately, they are having a sale on a bunch of soon-to-be discontinuted items: 40% off! Go to my Uppercase Living site (https://jentompkins.uppercaseliving.net) and click on the link on the bottom right. They'll pay for shipping & handling on orders above $50, and I will pay for shipping & handling on orders under $50!

*

And just to appease some of you who keep asking, here is a pic from our trip. This was Sydney's opinion of the snow. [Read: DISLIKE] This was also everyone's opinion of the snow after we were hit with a blizzard and got about 18 inches of snow in less than 36 hours. It was a MESS! (This pic was taken before the blizzard in the lovely, cold, dry weather with little patches of snow.)

Brain on overload

I have so many stories and pictures from our vacation that the thought of trying to condense it into a blog post makes my brain hurt. So, that will have to wait until another day. Besides, the event of yesterday trump even a great vacay: my new niece, Kaitlyn Ann (my middle name!) Bunch was born yesterday! It was a crazy day for me, and we had just arrived home late the night before, but Trent was kind and watched the kids (who were not allowed in the hospital) so I could go up and see her, meet her, hold her, kiss her. She's ridiculously adorable, just like her big brother Jack. Those Bunch C-section babies are almost too much perfection to handle. So I will leave you with this picture, as just the thought of it makes me smile even as I'm wading through the to-do list a mile long. (Click to enlarge and see her little face...and I'm just sorry for all of you that you cannot SMELL her! So amazing.)

Arizona

I don't have any pics yet, because I forgot to bring my cord that goes from the camera to the computer, but I wanted to give you a little update on our trip. Before we left, I'd been feeling stressed and very unprepared to leave town 2 weeks before Christmas, but now that we are here, we're having a blast. We have some great friends from college who live in Phoenix, AZ, but they have partial ownership in a cabin in a teeny town outside of Flagstaff, which is further north and MUCH higher altitude. So, we are up here with a few families from college that could squeeze into the cabin. There are 7 kids so far and 2 more coming tonight.

Last night we had a special treat and the local Santa Claus came TO THE HOUSE! It was a melee of joyful chaos. He came around to cabins that had signed up, arriving on the local fire truck, decorated in Christmas lights and sirens blaring. Carson. Was. Ecstatic. He led the pack onto the porch and was yelling and jumping and pointing: "IT'S SANTA! IT'S SANTA! IT'S SANTA!" The surprise was pretty special for everyone, and SC came in to say hi to all the kids and brought them a little stocking of candy and a teddy bear. (Pics to come, obviously.)

Sydney, on the other hand, was not remotely impressed. When everyone jumped up and ran to the porch, she stretched out on the couch with her Pinky Minky and sucked on her fingers, staring in the opposite direction. When everyone came back in with Santa, they were all gathered around him, and Syd stayed lounged on the couch, barely even giving SC and the Mrs. a second look. It was actually pretty funny to see the contrast of the bigger kids total elation and giddy excitement and Sydney's complete apathy. She DID express her opinion when we had Santa hold her for a picture, and let's just say she was not pleased.

It was a special little memory for our trip--just had to share!

Don't forget!

It's Christmas card time! Just to re-cap, I design Christmas photo cards with your pictures. See all the styles HERE. (That means click on the word "here" and it will take you to www.brazenlillydesigns.blogspot.com.)

I wanted to let you know that on Wednesday, we'll be going on vacation for 8 days...right in the heart of card making time! I still have time to do a couple before I leave, so if you're interested, contact me quick! Or email me while I'm gone and I'll work on it as soon as I get back.

All the info you need is at www.brazenlillydesigns.blogspot.com.

Here's a few more designs to entice you to CLICK!

(Was that overkill?) :)

It's beginning to look a lot like...oh, you know.

OK, this picture has nothing to do with this post, but it is just too adorable to ignore. I think it's pretty clear that Birdie has Grandpa Phil wrapped around her little finger! (She's pretty intrigued by both her grandpa's facial hair.) On Black Friday we went to get our tree with most of the other Tompkins. (Missed you, Chad & Jess!) Tara had worked a 12 hour graveyard shift in the Neonatal ICU the night before and still came along!
I forgot Sydney's hat, so she wore mine, which also was pretty cute on her. She's sporting her new puffy coat. Let's just say she's easy to spot from long distances with that thing. Don't look too long or it will burn your retina.
Gee, are these 2 related or what?!
Blurry Carson shows his tree of choice.

Blurry Sydney shows hers.

Another auntie! This one is Aunt Michelle, or "Shell."

We really like this tree farm, called Melcher's. It's less than 10 minutes from our house! They loaned Trent this snazzy jumpsuit, since he was the one laying on the ground to cut down trees. They also shake the trees and bind them for you. It's so helpful!

Here's Carson and his friend Hadessa, whose daddy, Lance, is Michelle's boyfriend. Carson has become good buds with Hadessa and her brother Landon.

I don't know if you remember this picture from last year, but I do! It is without a doubt my favorite photo of the season. It was the morning after we got our tree and Carson wanted to help in the garage, so he put his flip-flops on (wrong toes) and went on out in his unders and pj top. He posed proudly and unashamedly by the tree, with not a clue that his outfit was less than modest!

And surprise! This year the Pantless Wonder was there again as we put our tree up. He had grand visions of being the one to put the star on top, but when Daddy lifted him up, he chickened out b/c of the height. So they did it "together." [Trent did it whilst holding Carson.]

Huh. Just realized I don't have a picture of the final product....

Coming soon!

Little Moments

Our little Miss has been a handful lately. It's funny to me to see that she's becoming the more high-maintenance one. If you would have told me that a year ago, I would have never believed it would happen. They would never admit it, but I can see her gma's and aunties are coming to the same realization. For instance, she is at this very moment trying to pry my arms off of the keyboard, has pressed CAPS LOCK, Ctrl, and Shift about 20 times and is whining/screaming at me in a high-pitched squawk that could be recorded and used for torture technique to extract information from terrorists. Oh, what's that? Maybe I should get off the computer and pay attention to her? OK, maybe. I'll be back.

*

Now I'm back. She's been given a granola bar, her absolute favorite snack, and is currently picking small crumbs off and leaving a trail all over our carpet like Gretel, for me to step on with my bare feet for the next several hours until I finally give in and get the vacuum cleaner out. But I'm back to typing for a moment!

You see, I've come to the realization that caring for children is not that hard. Now, don't throw dirty diapers at me, hear me out. I mean, if all I had to do was sit around on the couch and WATCH them, simply keep them out of harm's way, let them zone out on TV all day--that would not really be that taxing. But, silly me, I actually try to DO something once in a while, and that's when the children revolt. And by "something" I mean ANYTHING, from putting a stamp on an envelope to pouring myself a cup of coffee to getting dressed. Don't even mention the trouble I get if I have the nerve to attempt something so lofty as taking a shower, making dinner or posting a blog post. That's when the little buggers show me who's really in control here. (FYI, granola bar has been demolished and I've had to leave the computer approximately 6 times while typing this post to try to distract Sydney.)

So, in light of this realization, I've lately been making an honest attempt to, well actually, go back to that easy concept: caring for the children. Actually BEING with them, instead of having them in the house while I try to accomplish things on my list. Now, this is a constant work in progress for me, as I always have a list and it is always long. But the other day I was trying to update my blog and Sydney wanted to be between me and the computer, of course. So, I abandoned all hope of posting and just let her sit there for a while. She was being delightful and funny and I happened to have my camera in reach, so I tried to take a covert vid of the special moment...not only for all of you, but also for me to remember that sometimes it's OK to let the list go. Even if that means I don't blog or cook...or shower.

Kissy kissy!

So I was totally called out today by my friend Becky (whom, BY THE WAY, is a blogger because I persuaded her to become one) that I haven't blogged in a week. Part of the reason I haven't been blogging is that I went on a three day retreat with our church (where, BY THE WAY, I hung out with said friend, Becky), and it was spiritually and emotionally rejuvenating, but physically exhausting! We stayed up late like college girls, and I've been paying the consequences for the last few days. But it was totally worth it!

*

When I got back, Sydney burst into tears when she saw me, and clung to my shoulder for a long time crying. It was very bittersweet! I could tell she had missed me. Carson also had told his Daddy that "My body is kind of sad. I'm not going to cry, but my body is just sad because I miss Mommy." Sydney also picked up a new little trick while I was gone. She's been giving baby-kisses for a while...you know, the slobbery, open-mouth things that only immediate family members can stomach. Well, she's learned how to pucker up--BIG TIME. If someone mentions a kiss, she walks around the room with her lips ready and waiting for an agreeable partner: Kisses for Daddy.
Kisses for Carson.
I would like to interrupt this post to tell you that Carson is standing right next to me. He said "I want you to write my name. Write that you love me. Write: 'I love Carson and so does Daddy.'" So, consider it written. ;)
*
On a totally unrelated note, we had a really fun afternoon yesterday when our new friends Jane (she's the mommy), Katelynn (she's 2) and Eli came over. Eli is 4 months older than Carson and they go to the same preschool (different class.) They seem to be very similar in personality and so far have had a lot of fun together. Jane and I seem to be very similar in personality and so far we have also had a lot of fun together. :) The feeling I get when I meet a new friend that I click with who has a kid that gets along with Carson is similar to finding an incredible deal on a the big Christmas gift you've been wanting to buy for months. It's so rewarding! The boys played hard then crashed on the couch to watch a movie...which was pleasant enough for us, then we could have a conversation that wasn't interrupted! I think you'll hear more about Eli in the coming months. Especially if all the playdates look like this:

Things today

Here's some randomness for Wednesday, November 11.

Tonight at dinner, we had Panda Express. The kids love it. We've been working on getting Carson to eat more vegetables, even salad or lettuce. Tonight he willingly tried a large piece of cabbage. (I didn't have the heart to tell him that in with fried noodles of chow mein it doesn't really count as vegetables.) He said, in ALL seriousness:
"Mom! I ate salad and I liked it! [pause] Huh. Maybe I'm a herbivore after all."
*
Here's a cute random picture of Sydney this morning. This is after the supersize-sleepsack has been removed, but pj's are still donned. I thought it might be the start of a cute little photo sequence...
...but then she did this, which is a big no-no. I had to put the camera down and go put the chair in time-out. But not before I snapped one more pic, of course. :)

And the big news of the day: I CUT BANGS. I'm still very unsure of how I feel about them. I haven't had real bangs since...4th grade. I spent years of my life trying to grow them out, actually. But a few weeks ago a friend commented on an old picture and said (as a compliment, I'm assuming): "You look exactly the same!" And it's true. I've looked very similar (plus or minus 35 pounds with pregnancies and plus or minus 3-4 inches on hair length) for the last 15 years. So I decided to switch things up a bit. It's a women's prerogative, right? Also my prerogative to hate it tomorrow, but then I can just start growing them out again. Then my hair will be back to normal...maybe by the time I turn 40.

School boy

Check out Carson's first school pic!

Christmas Cards!

Some of you remember last year I dabbled in making Christmas photo cards. It was a lot of fun, so I decided to try it again this year. (And no, I haven't been working on these while sick. Being sick has made me realize that I wasn't going to make any new ones in the next few days, so I should just go ahead and post these.)

There are several new styles, and instead of having interested parties scroll down my blog when they want to check them out, I created a new blog just for that kind of stuff. I'm going to keep the link over there to the right. It is:

http://www.brazenlillydesigns.blogspot.com/

So check it out and let me know what you think! Here's one of my new faves:

We're a hot mess over here.

Oh boy. I haven't been blogging much lately. Turns out there's a good chance I have carpal tunnel in my right wrist. Trent blames it on too much blogging and facebook, and yet here I am again! I'm working through the pain for you, my 4 readers. Also, our house is in a constant pendelum swing of health and illness. I had a 2 week battle with a throat/cough/hoarse voice thing, but it was isolated to between the shoulders and the chin. I could handle it, and then it seemed to be over! But now we're all trading back and forth these cold symptoms, toss in a fever here or there, a little vomit in the car on Halloween day (Carson), and then throw in a few 24 hour periods of NO symptoms, and it's just a confusing mess. Both kids have been vaccinated for H1N1, and the doc said they could still get the flu, just a more mild version of it. I'm not sure if that's what's happening, or if we're passing around another virus. One day, Carson will have a cough and fever...skip Bible study and then swimming lessons. But then, one whole day of feeling great! Back to preschool! Oh, but Sydney now has a high fever. Keep her home. Oh, and now Carson's cough is back and so is mine, along with other cold crap. But today is I think the first day ever when I've felt pretty sick AND both my kids feel sick. Especially Sydney. The last 2 days her fever led her to want to snuggle and be held all day. This worked, as I was able to finally watch the 3 hour movie, Australia. Today, her fever is leading her to scream. Bloody. Murder. It's a real delight. After 2 hours of carrying her around the house, losing my hearing, I gave up. She's in her crib right now informing me she disapproves of my choice. I'm sticking to my guns that she'll fall asleep.

*

But I wanted to get some pictures up of a more enjoyable scene: the Halloween costumes! Of course Sydney gets more airtime because she's small and cuddly, and it was her first real costume. She was a little leopard, purchased on eBay for $3! ($9 with S&H)

We've kind of started a tradition of going up to Beaverton to meet up with our little gang to have dinner at Nina's and then go to the church Harvest Party.

Oh, and don't forget the obligatory forced photo op with hot, sweaty & grumpy kids! Here's Jack, Syd and Carson as Spiderman. He was in heaven! Thanks to Shannan for the loaner.

"Who's under there?"

This is the only shot I got of all the kids actually on the couch and not escaping. Hilarious! Even though Carson tossed his cookies earlier that day, both my kids seemed to be feeling fine that night, and I'm so grateful. It's a fun chaos to be together with these precious kiddos.

Bird Talk

There has been a shift in the household during the last week or so, and that is that Sydney has become the more high-maintenance child. Now, Carson still completely takes the cake several times a day with complete and total tantrums, meltdowns, hissy-fits--whatever you choose to call them. But this last week Sydney has just been feeling slightly under the weather, and it showed. She doesn't have a lot of huge meltdowns like her brother, she just manages a constant, mid-level whine that doesn't stop. She knows a little bit of sign language, but doesn't talk, which makes the day a game of "What do you want, sweetie?" And after the whining continues, and she shakes her head no to any solace you offer, it turns into a desperate plea of "WHAT THE HECK DO YOU WANT LITTLE GIRL!?" I realize she probably doesn't even know what she wants, she just knows she doesn't feel good. It was lasting for so long that I was beginning to worry it was a permanent personality change, but yesterday she totally went back to being her normal self: a bit whiny like all toddlers, but much more self-entertaining and happy.

*

Another Sydney-centric issue we've been having is the temp in our house at night. For some reason her room is at least 7-8 degrees colder than the rest of our rooms. And she happens to be the only one who doesn't know how to keep covers on her. We have some fleece PJ's, and I was layering her up, but I wanted to find a sleep sack for her like we did when she was a baby. I ordered one online at Amazon that had high ratings. It is hysterical! It is labeled as 12-18 months, and it would totally fit Carson! It hangs around her ankles like she's wearing a sleeping bag.

But it keeps her warm! You can't see them, but it has little legging spots for her feet so she can walk. Sometimes she has to lift up the draping fabric like big dress so she can walk! This is one of the mornings she was NOT feeling well, as you can see. She's also adopted the method of carrying Pinky Minky in her mouth. It must be a comfort thing, because she does it all the time--even during waking hours when I can't sneak it away to wash it. Let me tell you: Pinky Minky is becoming Stinky Minky.

This is a pic from yesterday when she was feeling better. She was feeling so happy, actually, that she kept wanting to hug her brother. He thought it was sweet at first, but then would get a little annoyed with her. Here he's trying to watch TV and she's loving on him. I'm just glad to have my Birdie back!

The Patch & the Bling

Oi. What a week! I took a 4 day sub job, and this mostly-stay-at-home mama is not used to the juggle involved with full-time working outside the home. Especially since we have no routine for childcare on length like that, the day-to-day rush of getting them ready to go, figuring out when they needed to be there, who had the right carseats, picking them up and getting myself ready was tiring. I have a new respect for you moms who work full-time! Also, I started the week off with a sore throat and hoarse voice and it never got better. Sydney is also under the weather too. So, no pictures of this week, but these are from LAST week when Carson's preschool class went to the pumpkin patch.

*

It was a drizzly, chilly day, but we went anyway! The first thing they got to do was ride a pony! I cringed when I found this out, b/c I knew Trent would not be pleased that they rode without a helmet!

To make matters worse, this sweet older gal wasn't used to working with such little kiddos, and the teacher and I would have to trot over to them when they were sliding out of the saddle.
But everyone made it through unharmed!

Sydney was along for the ride. She seems happy enough here, but when it started to rain on the hayride, she was less than thrilled.I let her explore a bit. Clothes and shoes can be washed, right? Right!

Another parent offered a photo op.

Cool hay maze/mountain. Perfect for little monkey 4 year olds!

Carson is just young enough to still think it's cool that his mom tags along on field trips and wants to hug him. This picture was right before it started to rain and Birdie informed the entire farm she wished we had stayed in the car.

The class going through the corn maze.

So, I figured it was OK to post this picture since none of the kids are looking at the camera! Ha! This is most of the class. When we first met Mrs. M and she told us about the 13 boys, she was thinking of her other MWF class. It turns out Carson's class has only 9 kids, which is awesome. But they are still a handful!

Aaaaaaand, awkward segway into something totally unrelated. Remember those beads Carson got at his jogathon? Well, Sydney very quickly adopted them as her own.

She is fascinated by any necklaces (including Trent's marathon medals, those count too) and loves to put them on and off, on and off, on and off. She even found my headband and put that on herself too.

It kind of makes me excited for when she's a little older and we have more dress-up costumes and things. I think the two of them will have a blast together!

"How do I look?"

Jogathon

Carson participated in his first fundraiser last week. I don't think he had any idea! His school does a jogathon and raises money per lap around the track. He woke up and I told him he'd be doing a race at school. Okay! Any prep beyond that would be wasted. I had Bible study and Trent had to work, so my dad was able to be there to be a "parent" helper and cheer Carson on. He (Bapaw Roy) took some cute pictures of the day. I'm not going to post many, because I don't want to show the other kids before I ask their parents.

*

Here is Carson and one of his special friends. (wink,wink!) I'm not sure what they are discussing, but I'm familiar with the Tompkins' flirtatious look, and that's it. Carson specifically chose his "eagle shirt" because eagles are fast and maybe it would make him run fast. The kids got a bead necklace for every time they ran around the track. Yes, the big track! Here's a shot during one of the breaks.
My dad said Carson was just running and running. He didn't seem to want to walk. He would stop and look around and see if any of his friends were nearby, then just keep on going.

He ended up getting TEN necklaces! That's over 2 miles! I was bummed that I missed it, but it sounds like it was a special time for Carson to show Bapaw his class and his friends. I heard there was a game of tag with the old guy involved. We were really proud of Carson's hard work and go-get-'em attitude...even though he probably had no realization what he was running for!