A tribute to summer

 This will probably upset a lot of pro-fallers but I just don't care! Every year for as long as I can remember I have welcomed fall with open arms: crisp morning air and soft afternoon sun, crunching through leaves on afternoon walks, sweaters and leggings, soups, stews, and of course, pumpkin spice lattes ( Starbucks told me pumpkin spice is the true marker of fall so it must be true, right?). 

 For some reason this year I can't let go of the long, sweet summer days we enjoyed for the past couple of months.Making breakfast with the kitchen door wide open, playing in the dirt, splashing in the gutter on the days too hot and sweaty to do anything else, 1 or maybe 3 popsicles every day held in sticky little hands, shorts, tank tops, bare feet, picnics with friends, and late nights spent grilling and playing at the park. Summer days are so FULL, so endless, so timeless, and so fleeting. Not every day was wonderful but every day was good. Maybe it's because my babies are growing too fast and next summer they will all be another year older or maybe it's just because I'm not looking forward to the coming months of being indoors with small (very loud) children. Either way, I'm not ready to move on to fall, don't make me do it.

Haircuts!

Yesterday was a day for haircuts. When Samson and Lewis have short hair I look like a good mom because their hair isn't all wild and crazy when we go out. I always forget to brush their hair! Most days they both have perpetual bedhead. Here is the before:

On the left: we had 30 minutes to kill before the appointment so I thought going into Pier 1 would be a good idea....not so. What was I thinking?? Luckily we made it out without having to pay for any broken merchandise.
On the right: Sams face, haha. He's trying to get his jacket off

 And the after pics:

Lewis's got about 4 inches cut off, his hair was so long!

December in the Odell house

The infrequency of my posts makes me sad. I know you have all been anxiously awaiting an update on our day to day lives here in Fort Collins, Co.

December and all that comes with it is in full swing in our house. We've been decorating, playing, movie watching, and adventing (yup, just made that one up). Somehow, in the midsts of all of this celebrating and fun I still manage to be in a bad mood most of every day and the boys are the whiniest they've been in months. Behind all of the decorations and special crafts I've been doing with the boys each day there is a very tired mamma and a couple of  tired boys. I've always wanted more than anything to give the boys (and ultimately myself) the coziest, most fun filled Christmas in the whole world but I'm coming to realize that dream can not be a reality.
The boys are loving the activities we've been doing for advent this year. However, I think next year all of our advent activities will be simple things that the boys love to do but that we rarely do together. Play with cars, build a train track together, paint a picture, read all day, etc. Ultimately my boys just want to be with me, they don't care what we do! I know that they would have a lot more fun if I weren't rushing around trying to create a special moment for them. Special moments abound when I stop holding so tightly to my vision for each day. Today for example, we made a felt Christmas tree with felt ornaments. We went to the store this morning (all of us enduring Anni's blood curdling screams for 15 minutes - she still hates her carseat), came home, I nursed Anni, made the boys lunch, put Anni down for her nap, and was finally able to cut everything out for the boys. They played with it for 3 minutes maybe. I have to laugh because it was so hard getting everyone out the door and the end result was not as magical as I was hoping!

Here are some sweet pics of our days lately:

A little impromptu lunch in the back of the car after our home depot run

Special ornaments for the tree! I could not for the life of me get sam to look at the camera lol

Sweet Annibel, just because :)

Every year we go to the lights at the Gardens on Spring creek and every year it is FREEZING. We pretty much just speed walk through all of the displays and take some pictures by the lights. Anni was nice and warm in Jeff's jacket  :)

Anni girl all warm and cozy

Here are a few of our decorations this year. The boys have been all about decorating this year which has been really sweet.

Our awesome felt tree!

Advent calendar 

Christmas tree

Lately happenings

Life has been pretty hectic around here, lots of house construction going on and a couple of very sick boys! Thankfully we have been having some beautiful sunny days which means lots of playing outside. There has also been a lot of sleeping and painting going on around here.

Future laundry room 

Little cuties on their way to the park 

Little artist

Loving his new dump truck and back hoe loader

Little sicky hanging with Grandpa

Lazy cat taking a nap

Lewis is 3!

Lewis is 3 today and I can hardly believe it. I had no idea how bittersweet parenting is before we had Lewis and Samson. So heartbreaking and at the same time joyous to watch the boys grow and change and become more independent.

We celebrated him yesterday with family. We all met at the trampoline park and then came back to the house for lunch and cake/presents. The trampoline park was AMAZING. Lewis had a blast and jumped non stop for an hour. It was so sweet watching Lewis play with his cousins and open presents. He desperately wanted a purple cake for his bday and I desperately tried to make him one though it turned out more bluish.

Lewis has such an adventurous spirit (just like his dad). He loves chasing and fighting and running and riding his scooter and digging in the dirt. He is non stop action. He also has a really sweet quiet side. Many days we do crafts, puzzles, paint, bake, and just sit and read books together. I love him

Favorites:
Kung fu panda
the color purple
noodles
everything sweet
bubbly water
trains
helping dad work
playing in the dirt

trampoline park fun

painting on his new easel

french toast bday breakfast

Halloween fun

We had such a fun time trick or treating yesterday. Every year Lee Martinez Farm has a treatsylvania but this is the first time we have gone. There were tons of kids and it was so fun seeing all of the adorable costumes. Vendors from around town (dentists, sporting goods stores, etc) had little booths with doors that the kids got to knock on to trick or treat. There was even a hay ride! Lewis was a little hesitant at first but was having so much fun by the end of our time there. The best part was spending time with our sweet friends

Sammy's 10 month update & recent happenings

My sweet little baby is already 10 months old! Time is rushing past more quickly than I ever thought possible. I love this precious boy to death. He is so happy and cuddly and playful. He is also extremely laid back and hardly makes a sound when we are out and about. Sam is constantly exploring and discovering new things. He has 6 teeth and is pulling himself up and standing for long stretches of time on his own! He is a pro stair climber, super fast crawler, and loves to splash around in the bath tub with Lewis. We just can't imagine life without you Sam!

In other news: we have been loving this fall season. Each day has been gorgeous and super warm. Last Friday we rode bikes down to the CSU homecoming parade and had a blast! I just love seeing the boys together in the bike cart (Lewis with his fireman jacket on of course)

This week we have been blessed to spend time with some much beloved friends! Hannah and her girls are here from Utah and it has been so awesome to have play dates with her and Tara. Love these girls and their sweet babies!

The kids

Lewis and Madelyn on their scooters

It's been a while

So many sweet memories and new life are associated with this little blog. Its been too long since I've written, too long since I've even thought about writing. So much has changed! Of course we have increased our numbers and are no longer two plus one but two plus two. My boys grow sweeter and sweeter every day and I can't imagine life without them. Now I write from Colorado and though we've been here for over a year I still long for the quite, soft air of the Pacific NW and the lush and beautiful landscape. It still feels like home to me there.

The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous. We take walks every day and I'm reminded why I love fall so much. Crunchy leaves! Crisp air. Light jackets, brisk walks, bundled babies, and warm drinks.

Adventures of late

Its about time for an update over here at the ol' blog. We have had some absolutely fantastic weather here for the past week or so. It has been unseasonably warm and sunny. Usually we don't get "summer" weather until well after the Fourth of July (last year not until August) so we are enjoying the sun as much as possible.
This past Saturday we spend the day with our friends Ian and Karin at their cabin up north. Lew had so much fun exploring and investigating the new scenery and playing with rocks

I've been making sun tea like a maniac. Brewing in the sun gives the tea a much much better flavor than when brewed with boiling water, never tastes burnt. I use decaf English Breakfast for mine and add 1.5 Tbs sugar to the jar before putting it in the sun. Such a perfect summer drink

Lots of afternoon & morning walks going on around here. Lewis is in full on toddler mode and hates being strapped into the stroller for walks. Its so fun to watch him explore. He points with his little finger when he wants to know the name for something or when he wants to show us something

Zoo time! We have a season pass at the Woodland Park Zoo here in Seattle and have been trying to take advantage as much as possible. Its super close and such a huge/beautiful zoo. This was our third time going and we got to see so many animals!

We are loving life with this little guy

On another note - if you have been missing the weekly meal plan/loving lately posts head on over to Mothers Mouthful. I post a new menu each Sunday!

A day in the life: 14 months

Its been way too long since I've done one of these posts. Last time Lewis was only 10 months old!
Lewis is truly a toddler now. Gaining more and more confidence in his own independence every day he is constantly exploring and zooming around the house. Here is what a typical day looks like for us:

Our day begins between 7/7:30 when we head down stairs to eat some breakfast. Lewis LOVES frozen pineapple and blueberries these days so he always points to the freezer first thing when we get into the kitchen. While he snacks on his frozen fruit I prep his breakfast which usually consists of an egg or two and some toast with coconut oil and almond butter on it.

After breakfast we head up to his room to play and get ready for the day. Sometimes we take a walk in the mornings before his short (45-60 min) nap. After nap: snack time. His latest obsession are Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. Pretty sure he would eat the whole box if I let him

We usually try to get out in the afternoons if possible. Some days we play outside if its sunny. Some days we play inside. Occasionally we will meet up with friends at the park (loves going down the slide!) or the zoo.

Lunch time is pretty fun these days as he is eating pretty much everything we are. He is also getting very bold and thinks its hilarious to stand up in his high chair when I don't buckle him in

After lunch and play its afternoon nap time. He sleeps for a couple of hours usually and wakes up very refreshed and hungry for another snack

New things:

• 12 teeth! and is getting several more (new: 3 molars and 1 canine)
• Food Loves: black olives, frozen pineapple & blueberries, toast, cheddar bunnies
• A natural in the water. Loves to be in the pool
• Plays hide and seek
• Points at pictures in books when he wants to know the name
• Says "hi" and waves
• Toy Loves: shape sorter, a big stick we use to keep the sliding door closed, legos, his plastic animal figurines (bear, tiger, zebra, bernese mnt dog)
• Disobedience! Loves throwing food off his tray and standing up in his high chair when we tell him not to

Adventures lately

With the busyness of life I've gotten out of the habit of posting about our daily lives (riveting) so I thought an update would be nice!
This past week my mom flew in from AZ for a visit. She came at the perfect time, we've had the best week of weather so far this year. Here are some of the things we did this past week:

We went to Juanita bay park in Kirkland and had an amazing time looking at wildlife (turtles!) and playing in the grass. Afterwards we grabbed lunch downtown and got more paint for our little project

I've been wanting to repaint my old dresser for Lewis for quite a while now. It was so great to have my mom here to help! We also painted a night stand and a little stool. Can't wait to put them in his room!

Date night! Jeff surprised me with a romantic date night on the space needle. It was a gorgeous day and we could see forever in all directions from where we ate and the observation deck. If you look really closely you can see Mt. Rainier behind us. Such a perfect night!

Shopping at University Village in Seattle (such an awesome outdoor mall!). Lewis had so much fun walking around and playing by the fountain.

It was such a fun week with good company and beautiful weather. Not pictured: the massive amount of cleaning and re-arranging that took place in our new home! Pictures soon to come

A weekend to write home about

This past weekend was perfect; a weekend to write home about

Watching the ducks on our morning walk

The blossoms appeared in the span of only 1 day! They are in full bloom right now and each tree branch looks like it has fluffy pink clouds on it

 On Saturday we took advantage of the clear skies and warm weather and headed down to eat some lunch at Greenlake. We grabbed some sandwiches in Fremont at Paseo and headed over to the lake for some people watching. Lewis had so much fun crawling around in the grass

 Easter morning was bright and sunny. Lewis has been loving his sunglasses and wears them around the house

 Opening his Easter present (sitting on his little chick haha)

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous with clear skies as far as the eye could see and temps around 70!

 View of Rainier on our way home from Easter dinner with friends

A beautiful day here in Washington is worth more than pure gold. Spring here is like magic and it makes you feel so alive and free! I have never enjoyed the sunshine or the outdoors more