The Final 24

How I spent my last day of 2012:

Waking up at my parent's house next to a slightly damp 2.5year old
Grocery shopping with Jon and H- finally, we'd been living on take out and xmas cookies for too long
Cleaning the house like a mad woman- did you know in many cultures this is a customary New Year's practice? Rids your house of old-chi, ready for a clean slate
Eating tuna melts that Jon grilled up
Drinking an entire pot of coffee
Sledding on an infant-sized sled with HP on my lap- we were a sight! Although, I really should have gotten a picture of Jon as he balanced on that little blue sled while flying down the hill
Watching Jon and H snuggle while watching Toy Story 3
Wearing my new polka-dot sweater from Katie, comfy slippers from Mom and Dad, my Abuelita's plastic yellow necklace, and feeling extra-snug in my jeans (Xmas cookies....)
Watching season 2 of the Walking Dead, not really sure this is a great NYE movie choice, but I'm too far in to stop now
Drinking half a bottle of red wine
Watching the ball drop from my little t.v. screen in GR
Waiting for Jon to come home after his evening shift to wish him a Happy New Years
Bed time

Happy New Year! 

onwards and upwards

I am not abandoning my blog! However, I've been busy with the new job. And not in a terrible, worked-to-death way.

I'll update you with some goodies :)

What a peach :)

HP's Halloweens

I was emptying pictures off our camera and came across some of HP's greatest Halloween hits :)

2010: Baby Scarecrow 

2011: Tiny Parrot 

HP and his best friend cowboy Eli

2012: Little Boy Buzz

Good Tidings

So much has happened around here this last month. All of it good! HP got to spend a lot of quality time with his cousins and aunties from the west coast. He greeted Katie who returned from Yellowstone by giving her the name Keke. I was offered a new job! Which I happily accepted and will begin this coming week. We're all feeling pretty happy around here :)

Harrison and I posing for a pre-Trick or Treating picture. He (or rather his daddy) chose to be Buzz Lightyear.

I said goodbye to my little friends at my charter school a week ago. I am starting a new job at the corporate headquarters this coming Monday. Eeek.

One thing I have to figure out, and fast, is what to wear! For the first time in 6 years I don't have to do calisthenics in front of a mirror to make sure my outfit is school appropriate while sitting, standing, bending and sitting on the floor.

I am already sad to think I wont see my normal groups on Monday morning.

My pride and joy, my bulletin board!

My sweet boy. 

Fall

 Tis the season for running through leaves, chasing squirrels, playing hide-and-seek, picking pumpkins and eating our weight in apples and doughnuts. We are on our game. That is probably the best explanation for my lack of updates. That and the less exciting, simpler events that mark the passage of time. The soccer practices and games, the adult ESL tutoring, the general up-keeping of the house, all those things that I can do by heart now. It keeps me moving.

But instead of being weighed down by the fact that all these littles add up to a big day I feel good about almost everything that I do. And that is a great feeling. Kind of like registering for college courses and finding you've gotten into all your top choices and they all start after 10am with no Friday class. I think I registered my semester of life well this time.

There is still a laundry list of Fall to-dos, but I'm not stressing. I'll get to it if I do. Right now I'm relishing in these bits of lovliness: a friend's baby announcement, a possible career shift (trying not to hold my breath), a baby shower, two completed knit projects, dinners with friends, and the fact that TODAY my little HP looked at me and said 'Mama'. He decided this morning to actually address me by that name (after all this while!) and I could not be happier to hear his sweet voice.

Art Prize 2012

2012

I love seeing Grand Rapids at its best, and I think Art Prize is one of those times. I was geeked to start planning my house party. And true to form, I changed all plans at the last minute. I decided to play it cheap and delicious instead of pricey and delectable. So instead of buying my weight in cinnamon rolls from my favorite GR bakery (Wealthy Street) I spent Friday night listening to Adele and making baby quiches and a cinnamon swirl bundt. Gotta love a quiche that you can fill with a bunch of yumminess, some of which that came right out of the backyard. Pinterest also helped me out with a recipe for pumpkin spice latte, yum.

2011

Oh man what was I wearing here? Crazytown. You know, you can tell me when I'm looking a less than sweet. Keep that in mind Jon :)

 All three of these pictures are in front of the Eberhard Center, the site of our 2008 wedding reception. How cute :)

Oh, yes. I did chop my hair this past week. As these pictures will tell you it has been more than 3 years since I've had short hair. It's looking a little Momish right now...still working it out. I did donate 12 full inches to Locks for Love. Whew.

2010

Fun Friday