new snow and a skiing adventure

Happy Monday everyone! It's been snowing here for the last couple days and has barely stopped since it started. We are LOVING it! Friday, when it was just starting to snow, we went over to the Matanuska River Park for sledding and skiing.

For my fellow Alaskans who love to ski, the Matanuska River Park is a great place to take kids or to go and ski with dogs off leash. It's an RV park in the summer, but in the winter, they don't plow the roads and when the snow is deep enough they groom them for skiing. We just discovered it this winter, and have already made great use of it.

Anyway, Riggs has been loving his skiis, so we took him over to stretch our legs, throw the ball for the dog, and let Riggs practice his skiing. It was a blast! Steve also brought a sled and we had fun taking Riggs sledding down a hill for the first time! We actually bought a downhill ski helmet for Riggs at Costco last weekend, and we plan to use it for sledding in the future. Sledding accidents are really scary and can cause serious brain injury for kids (and adults too)!

skiing in the driveway while the truck warmed up:

 and at the Matanuska River Park trails:

 like his 'mittens'?

I put my wool socks over his little wool mittens

because I couldn't find his heavier mittens at the moment

why are mittens always missing?

(or is it just me...lol)

video of our little skiier:

He has been doing so good at skiing by himself.

The first couple of times we went he wanted me to hold his hand,

now he wants to go by himself, and he says "Go, go go" as he skis along.

fun sledding with mama and daddy:

I know it's been blizzarding all around the country, what have you been doing to get out and enjoy it?

our week in pictures

We had a strange mix of busy and low-key this week that left little time for blogging. I've got to get back in the groove of blogging everyday, and I think now that I'm nearly back to normal it will happen.

I was looking at pictures on my phone (which is full as of today because my computer is also full and I've been putting off 'fixing' it all...ugh) and I thought I'd share our week in photos for you.

changing the sheets monday.

I step away for a moment and come back to this.

both boys in the bed right on the pile of sheets I'm trying to get to.

good thing I was washing them anyway! haha

I finally felt well enough to do some baking

we make banana bread muffins, so yummy!

 Daddy brought the boom truck home from work for a few projects

he had a little helper who was obsessed with the entire process

trying on daddy's hardhat after the work was done

his smile just melts my heart into a big puddle

Anchorage trip and lunch with some of our favorite people at Nordy's

Riggs and Lyla both did so good while we ate!

I can't believe it's already Friday and a new week will be starting again soon. I'm hoping for more snow and maybe a family skiing trip! Happy weekend!

how can it be?

The snow is softly falling outside as I sit in complete silence during Riggs' nap time. I pull out my computer to get some work done for the PropagandaAK blog, and to hopefully squeak out a post for my own blog. I'm finally starting to feel back to normal, although I'm still coughing quite a bit.

I deep cleaned Riggs' room this morning and got all the laundry done. There aren't any dishes on the counter and I'm still feeling motivated. I must be starting to feel better.

And then as I'm typing away I glance down and see the date: December 12. I actually gasp out loud. Today, Riggs is 23 months old. He will be two years old in a month. And I sit here in shock, wondering, how did this creep up on me so fast? How have I let two years with him go by so fast? It just doesn't seem real that he will be two, truly it doesn't. I remember the moment he was born as if it were yesterday.

When I stop to look back, I feel like I can see every moment with him flashing through my memory as if they were little flashcards, and as time goes by they flash by too fast for me to see them clearly. I'm already forgetting, I realize in a panic. I'm already forgetting little moments I swore I'd remember forever, little things baby Riggs did that were so precious to us at the time, the way he felt when I held him. And it hurts. It makes me feel guilty. It makes me want to run in his room, wake him up and hold him close.

There are so many unknowns when it comes to having a child, so many things you just have to wait and experience as your child grows. This is one aspect of parenthood that just completely blind sighted me. I never, ever imagined how hard the passing of time would be on me as a mother. Whenever I stop and notice how fast things are going, I feel a heart-wrenching panic, like nothing I've ever felt before. It frightens me. It hurts me. It terrifies me.

Riggs at 23 months is so different than he's ever been before. He has grown into a person, separate from Steve and I, with his own likes and dislikes. He's so busy everyday just living his little life, learning and growing and exploring. He loves us so much, by his own choice, and we feel humbled and blessed. His hugs and kisses feel better than anything in the world. His smile lights up a room and brings a smile to every face in it.

He talks and gestures and his expressions are so incredibly funny. His love for reading is just growing every day, and sometimes he wants to read more books than mama can handle. When I stop reading aloud to him at twenty, twenty-five, thirty books, he sits and 'reads' them on his own.

He laughs often and loudly, and his laughter is often contagious. We have had to cut his hair twice since his first hair cut a few months ago, and it already needs it again. He's a good eater, and when we go out to eat will sit at the table next to us to eat his meal, usually very content to quietly color or play with his car until his food comes.

I'm so selfishly happy that he still breastfeeds before his nap and before bed. It's our time together and I cherish it more than he will probably ever know. He runs and jumps and dances all day long and Tutka is his best friend in the whole world.

His growth has really slowed down while he masters other skills, and he weighs in at 25.3 pounds as of this morning (putting him in the 30th percentile). He is 34.5 inches tall, putting him in the 74th percentile for height. He still wears some 18-24 month clothes, but we are slowly transitioning to all 2T clothes, which are long enough but pretty baggy. He has all his teeth except for his two year molars, and we are expecting those at any moment.

Everyday is truly an adventure with him, and everyday it seems he masters a new skill. Every night Steve and I seem to talk about how smart he is, how much we love him, and how in awe of him we are. We just can't get enough of him! I sometimes find myself thinking, I can't wait until he--- and I try to stop it as soon as it starts. Of course I can't wait for all the joys and experiences that life will bring him, and yet I want to cherish every single day as much as I possibly can with him.

Riggs. We love you right up to the moon and back, and always will. xoxo

6 gift ideas for toddlers

I've been scouring my brain trying to think of good gifts to get for Riggs this year, both for Christmas and for his birthday in January. There are quite a few factors that go into picking out gifts for children, especially toddlers. Of course I want him to like whatever gifts he gets, but I also want them to educational in some way, aesthetically pleasing to the entire family, as well as something that I consider to be a good investment. I don't want to feel like I'm just throwing away money on a plastic toy he'll play with once or twice and then permanently discard.

I've found that with nearly all purchases for our family and our home, I'd rather spend a little bit more money to get a quality item that will stand the test of time, and I feel like toys are no different. Riggs is at a hard age for toys, I think. He's outgrown most of the toys he has (which isn't many, about 8-10 things at most) and so we spend nearly all our time reading his books or playing with his train - the only two things he hasn't outgrown (and hopefully won't for a long time). When making his 'wish list', I tried to think of things that will not only last a while for him, but for future siblings as well, since some of these items are definitely an investment.

one | wooden play kitchen

I think play kitchens are often thought of as girls toys, but Riggs LOVES helping me in the kitchen and any time he's been around a play kitchen he loved it. I'm considering getting this as a joint Christmas/birthday gift, since it's the last year I can really do it (I don't think it's fair when a child's older to combine gifts for holidays/birthdays, unless they're old enough to really understand if they really want a more expensive gift).

two | cut&peel fruit set/kitchen utensils/fresh fish food set/homemade pizza play kit

All of these choices are great accessories to go along with the kitchen. It would be a great way to still give him a gift on his birthday that tied into the kitchen.

three | Rocker Board

These are amazing toys that last for years and years. This is probably the highest on our list of things we want for Riggs. They have them in stock in our local Waldorf school, and that saves a lot on shipping them. Visit the link above to learn more about these awesome toys.

four | My First Zoo & Photo Safari Duplo sets

Riggs has really been showing an interest in Duplos lately and he has none, so I thought this would be a great gift for him. I really prefer toys that go together, like trains sets, kitchen stuff, and things like legos and playmobil. It makes it really easy for family members to purchase gifts as well as long as they know the general 'play set' your child would like more pieces to.

five | books

Riggs just loves reading. We literally read at least 10-20 book every day, usually multiple times. On top of that, he looks at his books by himself many times a day. Books are always a great gift for him. Some of my choices:

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

The Little Island

any Berenstain Bears books

any Little Critter books

six | art supplies

Riggs is definitely getting more into coloring and painting, so I thought some art supplies would be a perfect gift to grow into for him.

Felt Crayon Roll

Stockmar crayon sets

crayon sharpener

blank paper

So there you have it, Riggs' Christmas and birthday wish list. He'll be two in January, and I know some of these gifts might seem a little old for him, but like I said, I want them to be things he can grow into, rather than things he grows out of too quickly. Any other great ideas are welcome here!

25 things to do this December

I can't believe it's already been December for five whole days! This month is already getting away from me and I feel like it just got here. Christmas is far and away my most favorite holiday of the year, and there are so many ways I want to celebrate this year. I thought I'd share my list here and hopefully inspire some Christmas cheer for all of you as well!

1 make cinnamon rolls
2 Christmas crafts with Riggs
3 go skiing as a family
4 go on a Christmas date with Steve
5 make a type of cookie I've never made before
6 take Riggs to see Santa
7 read lots of Christmas books
8 go sledding
9 put up a wreath
10 send out Christmas cards to family and friends
11 sing Christmas carols
12 donate to a local charity
13 decorate a tree in the yard for the birds
14 drive around in the dark looking at lights
15 visit the reindeer farm's Christmas festival
16 attend a candlelight Christmas church service
17 spend a day sewing
18 start (and finish) a new book
19 write a letter to Santa with Riggs
20 make a snowman
21 finish my Christmas quilt
22 horse drawn carriage ride
23 take lots of pictures
24 put out milk and cookies for Santa
25 spend Christmas day with family

So there's my list! What are you making sure not to miss this Holiday season? We watched the lighting of the tree in NY last night and will definitely be watching the Sound of Music tonight. There's just something about TV specials this time of year I love too:)

weekending

People. Let me tell you a little long story about being ridiculously sick and barely remembering the entire Thanksgiving weekend. Wednesday morning, I woke up with a horrible raw/sore throat. I figured it couldn't be anything too bad though since I didn't have a runny nose or anything, so we went along with our plans to go to Homer for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with Steve's family.

Thursday morning, I felt so sick. We packed up the truck and started driving, and by the time we got there and checked into our room, all I wanted to do was lay on the bed and go to sleep. But it was only about 3:30 and we still had the big Thanksgiving feast to attend, so I peeled myself from the bed and off we went.

 1 | Steve sandwiched between his mom and dad

2 | Riggs provided much of the music

3 | reading with daddy

It was so great to see everyone, family and friends that we don't get to see nearly enough, but I was on my last leg. Trying to keep an eye on Riggs (the only child there) and make sure he got enough to eat (he was being picky and didn't want any of the food ugh) and eat myself (I didn't want any of the food ugh), was pretty tricky. I felt so bad when I finally had to peel Steve away from his oldest friends and family to go back to the hotel. Riggs and I took a bath in the big soaker tub and then everyone went to bed.

I slept horribly, waking up every two hours or so to cough painfully and guzzle more water, but I was so thankful that Riggs slept well. We stayed for one more night and the rest of the time is kind of a blur. I was so thankful to have my FIL and his wife help out a bunch with Riggs, taking him around the Islands and Oceans Visitors Center and then having us over the rest of the day where I alternated between the recliner next to the woodstove and laying on the couch. Dorle made amazing food and it felt so nice to be so well taken care of!

We got home Saturday afternoon and after getting all settled in and having some dinner, I went to put Riggs down to bed. He was burning up with a fever! He's never had a fever over 99, but as soon as I held him I could tell he had a pretty high temperature. Sure enough, it was 102.3. I would normally just BF him and try to let the fever run its course naturally, but I was so tired and needed a good night of sleep (in my own bed yay) so badly that I gave him Tylenol. About an hour later, I felt a little funny, so I took my own temp, and sure enough, I had a fever of about 100.1. It was Tylenol and bed for me too.

Sunday Riggs was feverish all day, ranging from about 102-103.5, but we let it run it's course. Steve was literally the best dad and husband ever the entire weekend and took such good care of us. Then Monday my sister came out to help me with Riggs, and today I'm finally feeling somewhat normal again, although I'm still coughing nearly every time I breathe in too fast and bringing up some pretty nasty stuff. UGH. Being sick is soooo not fun.

We were going to pick out a tree and decorate Sunday, but Riggs was too sick to go out into the -9 degree temps and we were all pretty tired so I decorated as much as a could without the tree. We'll pick one out next weekend. I hope your Thanksgiving was just amazing! Despite being sick, mine was actually still pretty good. I felt so blessed to spend it with my two guys and some dear family and friends.

I did have it together enough to have Riggs' advent books/dvds wrapped,

and he has been excited to open them every morning so far.

Happy December Friends!

9 small business picks for black friday

Today is Black Friday. You were probably up at 3am getting read to go shop till you drop. This year I encourage you to shop local this year for the whole shopping extravaganza. I've chosen 9 shops with amazing black friday, small-business saturday, and cyber monday sales, I hope you take some time to go check them out!

1 | Little Hip Squeaks
2 | Keal Designs
3 | Kindred Oak
4 | Hello Apparel
5 | Arrow and Aspen
6 | Ryan and Wren
7 | Freshly Picked
8 | Salt City Emporium
9 | Bip & Bop

turkey time

love,
Riggs

weekending

It's Wednesday and I'm just now posting a recap of our weekend. So much going on! Plus I woke up this morning sooo very sick. Sore/raw throat and a horrible wracking cough that I feel all the way down in my chest. Yay Thanksgiving, lol.

We did have a fabulous weekend, filled with fun family (on both sides!) visits. Steve's dad and brother spent the weekend hanging out with us at our house, and Sunday we went to Anchorage to welcome my little sister home from college with a lovely lunch a my parents house.

bonfire yay!

Monday we went to Anchorage for new tires (worst way to spend money!) and shopping with my little sis. I nabbed some perfect leather boots at Nordstroms by Sam Edelman. I'm so excited to finally have a pair of neutral brown boots that I can wear both in winter and summer.

Tuesday Riggs and I did our normal Monday chores and ran a few errands. I got to wear my new boots and Riggs had so much fun getting to walk by himself at Target. I wasn't in any hurry and it wasn't nap time so we tried the whole walking thing out. It actually went really well! I just can't believe Riggs is old enough to be walking in the grocery store with me:(

For the last half of our shopping at Target, Riggs tugged this wicker basket behind him, and I let him fill it with a few things that he really wanted and we 'needed' anyway. Mostly Christmas candy (that was discounted using the cartwheel app) and a letter 'R' ornament. The funniest part was watching other shoppers reactions as I pushed the cart with Riggs trailing behind dragging his basket. So funny!

I hope everyone has a lovely (and safe!) Thanksgiving holiday filled with good food, family and laughter. And also, I hope every one is ready for Christmas taking over my blog space...I've been waiting soo patiently!

five friday favorites

Somehow it's Friday again already and I'm here to share five of my favorite things from the week. Time just gets lost in some magic vortex at this time of year and I wish it would slow down just a little. I still can't believe it's November, and yet in reality it's nearly December! Crazy!

ONE | FAVORITE PHOTO

I simply love this photo, everything about it. Mama's baggy tshirt, baby in only a diaper, their hands meeting between them, and that sweet squishy kiss. I am so very thankful I get to be a mama and I savor moment just like this and hold the memories of them close to my heart.

TWO | FAVORITE PRETTY

These earrings, just gorgeous! I want them, like now! I think I would wear them all the time.

THREE | FAVORITE DIY

I love the idea of a neutral pinecone garland. It can carry you from autumn all the way through Christmas. This DIY is so simple and sweet. Love!

FOUR | FAVORITE RECIPE

These 'energy balls' (as we call them) are a favorite around here. Both Riggs and I just love them! A single batch never lasts more than two days. We get kind of piggy with our granola bites :)

FIVE | FAVORITE POST

This post is a great reminder this time of year to make time for things that are truly important. Go read it!