3.5 and 1.5 years

So I figure if I average one blog post per year then I can still say I have a blog right? Do people even read blogs still? I love reading other peoples blogs but never take the time to write in my own! I just spent an hour looking back at all my old blog posts and I'm so sad I have t kept up more. I love looking back and reading just the day to day of our lives. So even if no one else is reading, this post is for the future me! Ha!

The boys are 3.5 years and 1.5 years. Three has been a good year for Sawyer. Two was a big of a rough year, I'm not going to lie. We are happy to have that year behind us. Three is full of THE most hilarious phrases, the most thoughtful and encouraging words, tough questions daily (more like by the minute) that I don't always know the answer to, and lots of laughter and faith. What mama doesn't love hearing "you are the most beautiful mommy!" Or "you are my best friend Cashy!" I thank The Lord daily for Swayer's sweet, forgiving, and loving heart. I certainly lose my patience with them and when I apologize to him he always says "it's ok mommy, it was just an accident". Bless his little heart. I now feel a thousand times worse for losing my cool with you! He is, of course, still 3. So we still have meltdowns because his banana broke in half  or his shoe has ONE grain of sand in it...you get the picture. But overall I have to say I am just loving three. I am convinced there is nothing sweeter on this earth than 3 year old little boys!

Now that I have sung the praises of 3, let me come back and just tell you the reality of 1.5 years. Any mama of a 1 1/2 year old will understand, these are just some hard months. They are ridiculously cute and hilarious and they think they are full grown humans and know what is going on in life, which makes for some full blown tantrums when you try to tell them they can't do something. 18 months has been full of testing, introduction of time outs, learning to share with brother, and most importantly , learning that life will indeed go on if someone says no. I remember this stage with Sawyer and I remember being terrified that our sweet Sawyer we had known was gone forever haha. With the second kid, I can see it's just a developmental stage they go through and if I stay consistent this stage will pass and a new set of parenting challenges will come with it. I think that's what 2 kids has taught me the most, is to not stress so much about each stage or current challenge. With each stage there is a new set of joys and a new set of parenting challenges  and I'm learning to just take what is in front of me and find the joys in that day. Cash Walker truly is a joy to this family. He can make all of us laugh. He adores Sawyer and his goal in life is to get Sawyer laughing with him. He has lots of words, lots of hugs, and lots of fake burps to get sawyer to laugh!

David and I are doing well. We have officially lived in one place for the longest amount of time ever in all 7 years of our marriage. We moves out here 3 years ago today when my mom got sick. Up until now we have never made it past the 2 year mark! Though we love being by family and (I) love the beach, we don't love the price tag that comes with living in Southern California! But The Lord has us here for now and we are grateful for all the family time we get because of it. David's busy with work and teaching once a week and being a full time daddy and hubby. The poor guy never stops working! I'm busy sewing like crazy for my etsy business I do with my sister and staying home with the 2 boys. Life is crazy, busy, and seriously fun! That's all the recap I have in me for tonight!

 Ps I'm writing from my phone so pardon any typos. Autocorrect hates me and I don't always catch when it does it. My bad. Try to read between the errors and guess what I'm saying if it doesn't make sense! Haha

blog format help!!

Ps, I am having major blog drama! Anyone who knows me knows I am no good with computers. I cannot figure out how to change the color or font of the writing or headings on my blog. I changed the background but can't get the labels and such to change. Every time I look it up online it has this like 10 step process that might as well be in Chinese of all these codes and things. Surely there is a way to just click "edit" and change the color or font right??? Anyone who uses blogger that can help a sister out?!!

Christmas 2013

 

 

 

We had such a fun Christmas with our sweet boys and family. This was Cash Walker's 1st Christmas, it's hard to believe this little guy hasn't always been apart of our family. He seems like he has always been here! Cash was almost 9 months and Sawyer will be 3 in 3 months. Very fun ages for Christmas. Sawyer is just at the age where he is starting to get what Christmas means and gets excited anytime he sees Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Christmas lights, a snowman, Santa. We took our tree down and he said "I no want Christmas to go bye byes!" I hear ya kiddo, I wish the Christmas season lasted longer too! Everyone has been asking us if we do Santa or not, I never realized there was such debate around the big jolly man! Our number one emphases on Christmas to Sawyer (and ourselves!)is that it is Baby Jesus' birthday and we are so thankful he was born because he grew up one day to save us from our sins on the cross. We get gifts for people we love to celebrate the joy of Jesus's birthday. We tried to really make the joy and excitement of Christmas be about the joy and excitement of our King being born (Sawyer thought it was pretty cool that Jesus is a KING!). Sawyer definitely knows who Santa is though, he sees him everywhere we go, along with frosty the snowman and Christmas lights and Christmas trees. It's fun to see his eyes light up and get excited over these fun things he recognizes. We didn't run with the Santa story of "he's watching you all the time to see if you are good, he brings you gifts if you are good.." We got excited with him when he saw Santa but we tried to always bring it back to the joy of Jesus being born. I grew up leaving cookies and milk out for Santa until well into my teenage years because it was a fun tradition we did but I knew he wasn't real by 4 years old. I don't run and hide my kids from Santa and the Santa story but we also don't want Christmas to only be about him. So we tried to find a fun balance of the two for our 2 year old!

David's family spent Christmas week with us, we had so much fun! The plan was to go to Disneyland with them but I got the stomach flu right before and my mother in law was getting over a nasty head cold and we just weren't up to braving the crowds. Instead we had breakfast with the Disney characters in downtown Disney. It was SO fun and cute! All the food was shaped like the Disney characters and they had 6 characters walking around to the tables and signing their autograph and giving hugs. Sawyer couldn't believe he was getting to eat with his buddies. He is still talking about it. A big thanks to David's parents for that very special treat. We also went to the live Nativity Scene here in Ladera Ranch. We did this last year too and it was so special. They have real camels and donkeys and sheep and goats. People dress like wisemen and Mary and Joseph and an Angel and baby Jesus. It was really special to see after 3 weeks of talking all about the Nativity, Sawyer's eyes lit up! I'm so thankful we have our 2 sweet boys to make these fun memories with. I really feel like my faith has grown in new ways since becoming a mom. Specifically this past year as I have been explaining a lot of things in a way a 2 year old would understand, I feel like things are clicking for me at 27 years old! I am seeing things through my kids eyes and realizing just how precious the gift of salvation is! I am so thankful for God's grace on me and for the birth of our Lord and Savior!

 

 

At the live Nativity with David's parents and his brother's fiance

Grammie (David's mom) with the boys

I mean really. Such a fun Dad. He is a kid at heart. Playing Star Wars.

This little ham is SUCH a Mama's boy. He wants to be with me 24/7

"Goofy's Kitchen"

Sawyer has a little Pluto he sleeps with, when Pluto gave him a hug,
he snuggled right in like he was ready for bed!

Cash wasn't too sure about the giant characters...

One tired boy, resting his head on Opa after a long day.

We were all taking our picture in front of this huge Christmas tree.
When we were done, Sawyer came running up and plopped down
on one of the gifts and said "you pease take my picture?" haha such a ham!

Doing our Christmas felt Nativity Scene before gifts on Christmas morning.

Opening stockings (I made Cash's stocking!)

Cash is obsessed with Sawyer's special blanket so Sawyer wanted to make Cash his own. I of course forgot to finish it until the last minute, so I was sewing at midnight on Christmas Eve finishing it haha
Sawyer was so excited to give this to Cash on Christmas morning.

I made Sawyer a Santa pancake and a Reindeer pancake on
 Christmas morning. He thought it was pretty cool!



All Sawyer wanted for Christmas was a spray bottle and candy canes hanging on his tree.
 He has been obsessed with this spray bottle. Best 89 cents I ever spent. (Spraying the fountain with Grammie)

Sawyer and David have a cute connection with the show/books "guess how much I love you?" Sawyer calls David "Daddy nut brown hair" from the show and he will always so sweetly tell David "guess how much I wub you Daddy? To moon and back!" So we got him a "Guess how much I love you" box filled with little things from Sawyer. Sawyer insisted on putting FOUR rocks in the box. Sorry hun!

Cash opening his gift from Grammie and Opa (excuse the paci in all the pictures.
We had to keep it in because he kept trying to eat all the wrapping paper and small pieces of plastic!)

He loves banging on his new toy Grammie and Opa!

Soy got a T-stand from Uncle Dan

Cash is a little bit obsessed with Elmo. It's very cute!

Mommy is one happy lady! That is a silver box under the tree for me!
A little Nordstrom love from my boys!

Since it was 82 degrees out on Christmas day we headed to the park
 to play with our new toys and practice some Tball

I had to get in on the fun too!

This is about as good of a family picture as we can get these days. Sawyer's laughing because he kept sticking his stinky foot in my face, David always has his eyes closed, and Cash can't take his eyes off his big brother! I'm the only one looking and smiling! hahaha but this depicts our crazy life beautifully! Love from the Mansdoerfers