pre-christmas fun

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better late than never.

alex recently finished micah's first year recap video. to be fair, i didn't ask for him to do it until after micah's birthday, so it wasn't all his fault that it took until micah's half birthday to get it done ;)

i cry every time i watch it. i love it so so much and i love that we have it now. micah loves to watch it and point out his family and friends! just a warning, it's LONG!

Micah's first year from Alexander T. Pavone on Vimeo.

happy half birthday little man.

happy half birthday (yesterday) to my favorite little guy! i can't believe we're already here! look for an update post about all that this busy guy is up to...but not today, i'm late for work!

micah and ryder.

micah and ryder are only 5 weeks apart. they are little buddies, and so much fun to watch. they couldn't be any more different which only makes it more fun to watch the two of them together. alex put a video together of the little guys last Sunday at a progressive dinner that we did. There were pictures taken for the next Faith Community HomeFront Monthly, and it was a fun night all around.

decorating fun.

i've been having so much fun making things for our house. with halloween behind us and thanksgiving on the horizon, i had fun taking down the halloween decorations and putting up the thanksgiving things i made. the only halloween thing that was different this year than last year's "boo" banner was the candy corn i made...again via pinterest. i don't have a pic of mine, but they look pretty much exactly the same as the ones in the pin :) here's a look at the thanksgiving decor up in our house...it's only two things, but it makes our home feel so festive.

thankful tree :: via pinterest

i don't have a specific pin to thank for this, just was inspired by all of the awesome burlap banners!

i am now super excited to start working on christmas...both decor and presents! i am proud to say that i have already purchased several gifts, and i'm excited to actually have time to make some gifts this year too! it's amazing what happens when you start planning in september :)

a day in the life.

inspired by this post, alex decided to document a day in his life. it was funny to watch him set up each shot, but the outcome is pretty cool. check it out ::

one last halloween post.

i made micah a lined bag for trick or treating. i found the tutorial via pinterest and changed it up to add his first initial instead of the candy corn. i love it, and micah liked carrying it around. total win!

one of the seams started coming apart, and i even learned how to make invisible seams to fix it up! it was a fun project, and helped me learn a little more about sewing.

happy halloween.

l to r:: foofa, muno, plex, and dj lance rock!

halloween was such a fun day! our RH offices are moving, and monday was the big move day and they asked that no one be in the building(s), so i ended up having it off! i woke up before my boys and made pumpkin shaped pumpkin pancakes for them. it's rare to have a hot breakfast right when you wake up in this house so we all felt pretty awesome having that!

we just hung out at home most of the day and then after dinner, we met up with some of my cousins and their kids for trick or treating. it was the first time trick or treating with micah. it was so much fun watching him go up to each house. he didn't like the idea of leaving each house so quickly though. my little social guy wanted a little more interaction or something :)

 

as for costumes, we wanted to do something as a family (i'm ALL about coordinating costumes), and i wanted it to be something that he would recognize so naturally we landed with his fav...yo gabba gabba (or as micah likes to call it, yay-yay). my brother joined in on the yay-yay party! all in all we had a super fun day and i am already thinking of costumes for next year!

 

 

halloweenie '11

a super fun fall tradition for us is our Halloweenie party! the first year was super last minute, but i absolutely love that it's become a tradition! Here's a fun video that alex made to recap our night! (oh, and it's halloweenie because we eat hot dogs every year ;)

the 4th Annual Halloweenie from Alexander T. Pavone on Vimeo.

i was super happy to be feeling a little better so that i didn't have to miss out on the fun! and just because i love memory lane, here are the halloweenies of the past ;)

2010 ::

2009 ::

2008 ::

 

pumpkin patch

a fun fall tradition for our little family is going to the pumpkin patch. last year, we had a blast creating our own pumpkin patch.

 

 this year, we went to irvine park for their pumpkin patch. we had fun with family, and micah loved getting to run around...it's what he does best! this weekend really felt like the start of the holiday season and i am thrilled! it's definitely my favorite time of the year, and i'm excited to experience it all with a toddler this year!

                     

family date night.

a couple of saturdays ago, i took a day off of work. most families have regular days off together, but for this season, our family does not. it definitely gets hard at times, but for the most part, we make the best of it. i know that something that is really hard for me personally is that anytime that i take a day off, it's for a reason...someone's birthday, or wedding, or event. i wanted a day just for us. a day to do whatever we wanted...all three of us. so, i requested a saturday off, and we made no plans! what ended up happening was a beautiful thing!

we woke up and had a normal morning, followed by an extra long nap for micah, and mama too! I can't remember the last time I napped! When we woke, we packed up and headed to venice beach. Alex had never been there and had been wanting to go for a long time. Micah was pretty much a dream in the car even though it took forever to park! We took him for a walk, and found the best little playground on the beach...seriously, the. Best. Playground. It's hard to find great parks for him because he loves to climb, but I really dont want to have to climb behind him every second because he's climbing up so high! Anyway, this park was the perfect mix of a challenging climb and still low enough to the ground to be able to give him some space! After, we took a long walk to the pier and then back to the car to head to Santa Monica for dinner. We had a late dinner and gelato which was heavenly. By the time we left it was almost 10pm and Micah was still happy :) there were literally no meltdowns, and it was a dream day!

 

(funny mom moment captured here: we (I) had it in my head that he was a week away from his half birthday so i made him a crown so that we could take some pictures...then i got home and realized that he was a week away from 17 months!)

welcome fall!

happy fall!

the months of September-December are my favorite. i love fall a LOT. a lot, a lot. but i also LOVE Christmas, so that's why fall isn't exactly my favorite, so I have to include december :) last fall i didn't have Pinterest, so this year i have way more inspiration. a couple of days ago, i made a yarn wreath for our front door. i got the idea from the one below. i'm kind of in love with mine! i hope to be posting more projects soon!  
 

Source: suzescorner.blogspot.com via Angelina on Pinterest

his first time.

hanging with papa at the urgent care.

today my boy had his first of what i am sure is going to be many urgent care visits. he fell off of a kitchen chair this morning. it's something he does confidently several times a day. today just wasn't his day! he fell right as i was walking out the door to go to work. with a call in to a friend, and the pediatrician, i went on my way (he stopped crying within a few minutes and was acting normal). a few hours later, the pediatrician's office called back (yeah, i was a little ticked that they hadn't called earlier!) and recommended that i take micah in to urgent care. so, off we went...i made my dad come with me because alex works too far, and i was too afraid to go alone!thankfully, the doctor said he would put a stitch in if i wanted it, but that he didn't really need it since the cut is on the back of his head and nobody will ever see it. 

after an eventful day for micah (and who am i kidding, me too!), all is well. i am thankful that i got to leave the doctor's office with my healthy and very active child and i thought about the mamas and daddies who don't get to do that. the ones who have to carefully fill out the paperwork because their 17 month old does actually have a long medical history. today, i am thankful for wounds that don't need stiches, and a baby boy who is healthy enough to climb. 

sixteen months.

micah,

somehow i blinked and my baby became a full on toddler. i need to remind myself not to blink too often! you are tall for your age, and most people think you're already 2. you are a ball of energy. literally. you run always and only slow down to sleep! the only calm awake time we have with you is during your "yay-yay," which is micah-speak for yo gabba gabba. it's the only thing you'll slow down for. you love it.

you run from thing to thing. there is no walking. only running. you love to run and climb and dance. active is an understatement. you are also extremely social. you make friends wherever we go. when we're out and about, you are SO happy. you love to say (or yell) "hi" to everyone we meet, and you also are persistent in your friendliness...if someone doesn't acknowledge you when you talk to them, you will repeat yourself even louder until they say hi! on the flip side, you don't stay in the nursery anymore, you just cry for mama. lucky for you, mama is usually right on the other side of the door :) i have to say, because you never had separation anxiety at any point, it's strangely comforting when you cry for mama and daddy.

your current favorite thing to do is to take someone's keys and stick them in the holes on the baby gate. when you get them to hang, you are SO proud of yourself. you back up and laugh and look at what you've accomplished. it's very cute. you have also figured out which keys fit into the doorknob on the front door. you can get them in. you will stand at the door and play with keys for longer than you do anything else.

food wise, you still love all fruits and veggies. if i would let you, you would live off of cucumbers and tomatoes! you do however still love everything your gongi makes you. recently, her shells are your fave. the rice and beans are also standing faves :)

one really fun thing about your budding personality that most people don't get to see too often, is that you have a very sweet side to you. you love to give kisses (just to family. you're a little stingy with them) and are very protective of your mama. if daddy tries to hug or kiss mama, you come right over and push us apart and then want up in mama's arms. it's pretty funny.

micah, it is our hope that you know that you are loved beyond words. you are a joy and every day with you is an adventure. we talk about your craziness and you know what? we wouldn't want it any other way. you are you. 100%. and that's all we want. you.

love,
mama

trying.

that word. 

busy.

i hate that it is used so commonly to describe our life right now. 

fall is always a crazy time for most churches. for us, september is always a blur. this year, i have a new position which only adds to the amount of things that fill my calendar. last year, micah was only 4 months old during september, and i wore him in his beco at most events or evenings out. this year, he's a LOUD toddler on the move and he no longer loves his beco (he actually hates it). sad day for mama. he also no longer loves his stroller, but he'll at least tolerate it.

(side note:: i keep trying, and he just hates being confined. is there any hope that he might one day at least be content again in a baby carrier??) 

what that means is that now micah can't really hang at most events that are all church events where he would need to be at least a little quiet. last week we had our annual week of setting aside the normal routines for a more dedicated pursuit of God...prayer, fasting, and worship. the night gatherings were great, however, it meant 4 nights away from micah. that's never happened for me before and it probably won't happen again until next year, but it was hard. really, really, hard. 

this whole working mama thing is juggling act. really. there are times that are easier than others, but most of the time i feel like i'm lacking somewhere. i just don't ever want micah to feel like he isn't my priority, because he is. 

i am learning that there are things that are just beyond my control. i can't make someone volunteer. i can't will the holes in my schedule to be filled just because i am working on filling them on my days off. what i can do, is to use my time well while i'm at work. to maximize my work hours, and pray that God will do the rest. i can commit to not working on my days off unless it is absolutely unavoidable. i can make sure to take comp days for the days that i do have to work on my off days. there are things i can do, and there are things that i can't. but the thing is, i want to be great at everything. i want to make everybody happy all of the time. i love to please my husband, my baby, and my co-workers. i want to do it all, but i just can't. today i shared some of these struggles with someone i really admire and she shot me an email this afternoon that has encouraged me immensely. She said::

"I want you to know that I think you do an amazing job of being a mom, working full time, and being a wife.  Don't buy the lies that you are not doing enough.  God will fill in where you cannot."

There is so much peace and comfort in hearing that. God will fill in where you cannot. God WILL fill in where you cannot. He just will. Because he is THAT good. i have to remember that God knows. He knows when i am struggling with leaving my baby. He knows that i need him to be strong where i am weak. He knows how to minister to my husband and son more than i ever could. and for that i am thankful. for that, i am eternally grateful. i feel so humbled to know my God will fight for me. and when i fail, he WILL fill in. he will be there in ways that i cannot. i love that. 

so this next week, things kind of go back to normal. kind of. i am happy to be walking forward knowing and repeating to myself that God will fill in. because my God is SO good.

eeew!

oh, hello there brown widow. i don't care for you OR your spiky eggs, so please, please, PLEASE go away! and, if you must come back, i would really appreciate if you would stay off of my baby's toys!!

GROSS!!

fifteen months.

*i just saw this sitting in my drafts...was originally meant to be posted on August 12.

we stopped doing a specific monthly photo, but this one shows how much he's grown!
at 15 months, he weighed in at 24.8 lbs and 32 inches. yowza!

at fifteen months, my little guy is still running everywhere and climbing on everything. he is non stop action and definitely keeps us on our toes. saying he loves to be outside is such an understatement. he's OBSESSED with being outiside! he also loves his milk and even fakes tiredness because he knows he gets milk right before naps! he just dropped his morning nap which is very sad for mama ;) He's talking more and more. he FINALLY said "mom!" micah's current list of words ::

da-ee = daddy
oww
oh
mom
dye-dye = bye bye
toe-toe = coco (my parent's dog)
nigh-night
hi
yah
na-nah-nuh = banana

i might be forgetting one or two because it seems like he's adding words all the time now! as his language skills grow, so does his love for being around people...specifically adults :) he has always been outgoing, but the whole talking thing takes it to a new level! thankfully, he hasn't discovered "no." he'll shake his head, but he hasn't said the word yet ;)

he loves music and dancing and will start swaying the minute he hears some music. he has 10 teeth including 2 molars. his hair is as curly and crazy as ever, and it's probably time for a trim, but we just can't bring ourselves to do it! he hands out the kisses like crazy and we are SO in love!

micah man, your mama and daddy love you more than you will ever know. you are a joy to be around, and we couldn't imagine our lives without you!!

a couple more.

here are two more things that have made it into our home recently...the pillow i made, and the print i downloaded from this blog. The print hangs in our kitchen and i wish it was a little larger, but both things make me incredibly happy!

labor of love.

this project was a labor of love. hours and hours went into it. mostly because i'm crazy and had to score each line before i folded it. yah. it was inspired by this post...from pinterest of course ;)

i wanted something for above our tv, and alex agreed to make the frame so that i could have a base for all of the papers. the "P" was cut on my Cricut (which i've since sold for a Silhouette). i was giddy when i finished this project. i am in love, and even my picky hubby loves it...okay, maybe love is a strong word, but he definitely likes it!

kitchen projects #2 and #3

this was another pinterest project for me. the tutorial for the zinc inspired letters is insanely easy and i literally completed this project in 15 minutes (uncluding drying time!)! i didn't take any process pics because i am really bad at that, but trust me when i say this was EASY! oh, and did i mention that all three letters cost less than one letter at anthro?! score!

for the next burst of color in our kitchen, i used left over fabric from the bunting, and put it in embroidery hoops. they are fun little pops of happiness above the sink, and above the doorway into the hall. super simple and super cheap...my favorite combo!!