And the Mother of the Year goes to. . .

It's been awhile since I have awarded myself with the coveted "Mother of the Year" or MOTY.  Traditionally, this prestigious recognition is given out when acts of delinquent parenting, obscure rationalizations, or other forms of parenting debauchery have been committed.  In the past the MOTY has been presented when I did not realize that Miles had a double ear infection, I mistakingly thought we were flying out of Sacramento instead of Oakland, I completely forgot to seatbelt a child, perhaps deducted the mortgage twice, washed a poopy (or five) diaper in the washing machine, and there was also a chance that Carter did fall off of the bed, not once but twice.

Last night as the boys wanted to look through photo albums I realized my grave mistake.  Each year I take time to document the birthday celebrations in a soft cover photo book.  There were Carter's.  First birthday, 2nd birthday, 3rd birthday, and 4th birthday.  All perfectly in order, all painstakingly created by yours truly.  Suddenly I realized that I couldn't find Miles' two birthday books.  I scoured the shelves multiple times, went to the bookshelves, and even searched inside of drawers.  No books to be found.  Thinking I could order them again online I checked my two online photo accounts for the books.  No books to be found.

I realized it.  I NEVER MADE OUR YOUNGEST SON HIS BIRTHDAY BOOKS!!  How awful is that?  Our eldest has four different books.  Our youngest?  Zero!  Deciding to make up for my mistake. I sat down last night and uploaded all of his 1st and 2nd year b-day pics onto Snapfish.  To make up for my perceived favoritism I created a book.  That's right, I decided to combine the first two years into a single book.  Insert another MOTY here.  I'm sure I'll have to have this conversation when the boys are much older.  "Geez Mom, how come Carter has ALL of his birthdays in books and mine are combined?"  I will easily respond with, "Because you're the youngest child and I lost my brain when you turned two."

This was all on the heels of an entire weekend gone crazy.  I ended up with the flu bug in the middle of a romantic (and expensive) dinner.  The next day Bradley took the boys fishing with their buddies and I spent the ENTIRE day on the couch.  Come Sunday I was back to about 75%, but the boys were beginning to get sick.  I stayed home with them on Monday.  However, I was tempted by a screaming holiday photo card deal that ended that day.  Deciding to push my luck with the two sicko grumpos I put them in their finest attire and forced them outside.  With the help of some amazing apps, a Costco size amount of M&Ms, and sheer luck, I got about four decent photos.  The rest of the time a passerby might have thought I was torturing my children.  I pushed my luck, but the photo cards were ordered at a heck of a deal.

Let's just hope that I didn't include more pictures of Carter than Miles or I might have some explaining to do.

To the Moon and Back With No Pauses

Every last pumpkin has been picked up, the ground is tilled, and a cover crop is planted.  Each Halloween decoration has been put away, and the costumes put in the dress-up box.  Today the leaves were scooped up, the hanging baskets drug into the compost, and the Turkey Trot supplies were moved into full view as the patio furniture was stored away.  

As one season ends, another slowly moves in.  Or, in the case of Christmas, a holiday such as Thanksgiving is almost forgotten for the sake of the ever prosperous month of December.  This household has seen the changing of the seasons, but we often forget to pause.  I wrapped up my last project for my administrative credential on Friday.  (Four different professional development sessions, designed by yours truly, delivered at four different sites), and ran a full trail marathon on Saturday morning.  

Bradley made sure that the last pumpkin was picked up, and the soil was immediately turned.  Carter and Miles finished up their night of trick-or-treating, in order to enjoy the new Toys 'R Us Holiday catalog in the mail.

It's not even New Year's and I know that our family's resolution should be to remember that it's okay to pause.  I wish I knew how to do that without losing drive.  Perhaps the drive won't be lost, but the time gained more appreciated.

It seems that lately the boys have been able to play more "together".  Carter is quick to answer his brother's questions, almost wanting to show everyone he knows the answer.  However, in most moments, Miles is able to steal the show without trying.  In the two pictures here, Miles takes center stage.  Smitten with Tania, and then below wearing his Superhero mask in a cousin pic.  He's always willing to just be himself.  Tonight he called down to let me know that he needed to give me another kiss and a hug.  "I love you to the moon and back Momma!"  To which Carter replied, "I love you to the moon and back a million times!"

This last week when my mom was watching the boys Miles woke up from what we think was a nightmare.  He was inconsolable.  Carter went up to his room and got a picture of himself and Biyah and gave it to Miles.  When that didn't work, he went and got his brand new soccer trophy because he thought it might make his brother feel better.  Even if they seem to argue over every single toy, or movie, or towel, or snack, or cup, or pumpkin, or piece of sand, I know they love each other to the moon and back. 

The following is Miles' rendition of "Five Little Pumpkins".  You can't see it, but they like to end the shows with bowing and proclaiming, "Encore, encore.  .  . You're too kind."