stickyfeathers

dude one + dude two.

dude one update:

• he is having his first 'summer vacation'.  he doesn't get it yet, as he wants to be in kindergarten like RIGHT NOW.  i have to document this as i'm sure it won't be long before he can't wait for summer vacation.
• he is playing t-ball in the recreation program this summer.  because of our work schedules, there isn't much else we can bring him to.  so, one day a week a family member (mom/dad/brother) will bring him and then matt is taking thursday afternoon's off for the entire seven week program.  i'm so happy we were able to make this work out.  tucker is LOVING it.  i'll have to do a t-ball post soon.  you know, because we just spent $70 in new equipment to 'practice' with at home.
• likes to tell me how bored he is.  OMG.  it has already begun.  my goal is to get him (and his brother) outside on every single nice day there is.  playground, backyard, walk ... anything just to get out of the house. 
• he totally loves to camp.  he is anxiously awaiting for our next big camping trip in july to bemidji. 
• loves to go fishing just as much as camping (they do go hand in hand).  he got a new pole and a new lifejacket so he's all jazzed up about getting out on the lake with dad and derek. 
• he always has his baseball cap tipped a bit to the side. 
• he is totally OBSESSED with the weather.  last month i bought him books about hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, lightening, and floods.  they are his top choice for bedtime stories almost every night.  he loves when i bring up the weather radar on the computer.  he laid in bed one night with his blinds open so he could watch the lightening (thunderstorm) pass through.  he LOVES to talk about the weather.  future meterologist?  perhaps not.  he wants to be a cop.  :)
• also loves talking about the planets, the solar system, astroids, hot lava and volcanoes.  totally going to be a science nut at this rate.
• loves watching the history channel with his dad.
• his favorite toys are his tinker toys, legos, matchboxes, and other random things he happens to bring together in some imaginary cluster.  it's so interesting to see how their minds work.
• still loves his brother even though levi is able to basically RUN after him.  oh, and levi has also learned how to crawl up onto tucker's bed if the stool is down.  EEEK.

dude two update:

• totally LOVES his big brother.  wants to do everything he does.  even when he can't.  he growls and tries as hard as he can.
• is such a big boy.  at his one year check up, he weighed 24.13 pounds and was 30.5 inches tall.  he was in the 75th percentile across the board.  his brother was usually in the 25th percentile. 
• he is sporting a baby mullet.  i want the FRONT of his hair to grow before i get it cut, but he's starting to look like a 80's rocker. 
• loves to eat.  he loves just about anything you put in front of him. 
• he has not had a bottle since he turned one.  that night, he fell asleep without his bedtime bottle and i never looked back.  it is SO weird to have cleaned out my bottles, liners, etc.  my cupboards are more bare and my wallet is getting thicker - bwaahaa!
• he loves to play in the dirt.  he's pretty good about not eating it.  however, the other day he did find a piece of colorful chalk in the sandbox and figured it must have been candy.  whoops.  ick.
• he's been walking really well since the week of his birthday.  in fact now, he RUNS from me when he has something he's not supposed to.  i can tell when he's tired in the evenings because his walking skills start to resemble those of a frat boy on a saturday night. 
• he says the basics (mama, dada, baba) but also says a few other things like, 'baaaa' for ball, 'haaaa' for hat, 'baaaa' for bat ... you get the picture right?  i swear he's said cup before too.  i don't know, i feel like i'm not documenting his words as good as i did with tucker.  does it count that levi likes to growl a lot? 
• i swear i will kick myself for even mentioning this (knock on every piece of wood in the house) but he sleeps through the night.  pure heaven.
• he still loves his binkie. 
• new favorite toy: the couch.  wants to play on the couch ALL THE TIME.  he tries to crawl onto it, but can't.  YET. 
• loves to cuddle.  and loves the same exact blankies that tucker did when he was little.

i'm so lucky to have dude one + dude two! 

i still have a million things that i want to blog about: both of their birthdays, easter, camping (levi's first camping trip last july and fishing opener), holidays, and other random things we've been doing.  this summer i'm going to take my time and probably give you a bunch of 'old but not forgotten' posts about life around the cook house over the past ... year.  geesh, sounds like i've just told myself i'll be blogging a lot more this summer. 

i want to remember.

this past weekend, i was able to celebrate the end of my twenties with some of my best friends.  i'm not going to write a ton about it, but i did want to just write down a few things that will help jog this old memory of mine when i look back on this weekend.  this might not make a lot of sense to anyone else, but those who were there will know what i'm talking about.  :)

* the frosting roll.  one of my husband's highlights of the weekend. 

* house and his cake cutting and eating ability. 

* the homeless couple.

* the full time job it was to kill the thirty kajillion bugs that joined us.

* a shot of plink at silver island.

* drinking at 950AM, drunk at 1200PM, hungover by 500PM.

* high/low.  eight?  five.  DUH.

* raining as soon as the boat went in at silver island. 

* corey and his 'leather pants' and boozy shoes.

* the cop arrives and we have to 'clear the road'.  david tells him he'll wait until he leaves, thankyouverymuch.

* hello sun. hello burn.  hello sunburn.  poor ashley!

* dinner at the trestle with the girls.

* new wine glasses from my besties!

* shine! 

* jody fell in?  omg.  that would suck.

* laughing so hard i nearly peed my pants more than once.

* house and the two hour long whiz.

* a nap.  even if it was only because i had the spins.

* boones.  mudslide.  vodka.  apple pucker + buttershots.

* finally getting to see jen and her baby bump.

* thumper creepin' around the sites.

* a nurse costume?  not exactly!

* house blew a tire!

* good weather.  good friends.  good times.

i am so thankful that my mom and matt's parents were able to take our kids during the long weekend we enjoyed.  i was really missing them towards the end of the weekend and couldn't wait to see them!  how weird is it that we were able to sleep in on any given day and yet, i still was awake early?  maybe that is a sign i'm getting old.  :)

i took two pictures during the entire weekend.  my camera never left the bag.  i snapped these with my phone. 

 

 

thanks again to everyone that made this weekend possible. 
i love you guys. 

thirty.

today, i turned thirty years old. 

i've been thinking a lot about getting older lately.  i feel like it fits.  that hitting this milestone right now makes perfect sense.  i don't feel old, but just like i see things in my life more clearly.  making the things that really matter in my life a priority and letting go of things that could take a backseat for a bit.  i feel like i'm finally becoming a real GROWNUP. 

what are my priorities right now?

myself.  i took the beginnging of the year to try to make myself more of a priority.  i've been working hard at doing just that.  it hasn't been easy, but i've improved my health (losing 30 pounds by the time i turned 30!) and my self confidence quite a bit since the beginning of this year.  i still have a lot of personal goals to reach, but i'm working at it. 

my husband.  taking care of myself has improved my attitude at home.  each of my boys (matt, tucker and levi) are so very important to me.  i am so lucky to have them.  this past year i have read a couple blogs (and matt's book) that made me step back and reevaluate how important my husband is to me.  he is the co-pilot on this journey and i know i would be lost without him.  i think it's easy to just start taking your spouse for granted ... and i think i was at that point.  i want our relationship to be a good example for our boys.  so, going the extra mile for my husband is on my list of totally important thigns.  i'm pretty sure my husband would be pumped if i just started cooking a bit more to show him my love and appreciation.  :)

my little dudes.  tucker and levi are my loves!  they are growing up so terribly fast.  i am so excited for every new milestone in their lives, but at the same time it really squeezes the heart!  i love them with every cell in my body and could not imagine what my life would be without them in it.  the best thing matt and i ever did was bring these two little guys into the world.  i am trying to dedicate more time to just being in the moment with them ... boosting their imagination, holding their hands, giving them as many hugs and loves as i can.  soon, they will be the one turning thirty and i want to enjoy every minute i can while they are still all mine. 

family + friends.  i really have the best family and group of friends ever.  hoping to spend more time with each of them in the days, months and years to come.  so many memories made, so many more to create.

i'm thankful for my thirty years + for everyone and everything that has been in this life of mine.