Sorry, Downton...I Tried.

Finn. The kid gets a little crazier everyday.

(Dear Finn, I mean it in the best way possible. Promise)

But really, his favorite hangout spot is inside his toy box:

Sometimes, when I can't find him anywhere in the house...he'll just be chillaxing in there. Reading a book, lid down, just doing his thing.

And now, he's developing his somewhat maternal (?) instincts by taking care of a random bear he found in said box/house/retreat. He gives it a bottle, changes his diaper, puts it down for a nap...the whole shebang.

Yep, that's Isla's laundry hamper, now bear crib.

Did I mention that none of this was anybody's idea but his?

Or that he takes care of this bear so well but still pushes Isla over everytime she looks at his toys. Oy. Children.

So that's Finn for you. Right now he's battling yet another killer ear infection. Here's hoping his fever quits its business tonight because getting him to take antibiotics is like wrestling a walrus that then pukes on you when you finally get the medicine down its throat.

No joke. He walked over to me specifically to barf in my lap/ all over my brand new Banana Republic sweater. I'm sympathetic and everything, but really? Really??

And then there is Isla...my happy, rotund little chica. Not only ahead in the clothing department (I had to buy 18 month size shirts and leggins. She's just tall. And a little chubby, maybe?) but she only turned 7 months old today and crawls like a boss and can pull herself up an almost anything.

Cool your jets, Isla... she''ll be juggling, next. Cartwheels? Somersaults? All that jazz.

I'll post a video of that circus when it happens, don't worry. But for now here's an old fashioned picture:

And she still doesn't sleep ever. Yay!

As for moi, I'm trying...trying to watch Downton Abbey (that until VERY recently I thought was called DownTOWN Abbey. Whoops). I. Just. Can't. Get. Into. It. Sorry, Dowtonians, no disrespect, it's just not my bag.

I'm also using Luke's work computer because Isla spit up on my laptop and it killed that sucker dead.

Fin. Kaput. Done.

When I type it looks like this E%*FT)Stjh...and I'm like, nope, that's not what I meant.

Christmas Stuff and Whatever...

See that tree? That's a pretty big step up from the ol' charlie brown tree of last year, right?

That bad boy is over 8 feet tall and I got it into the stand and into the house by. my. self.

Bam. You can just call me 'Muscles'.

Or not. That might be weird.

On second thought, you should call me that. It'll give me a little street cred or something.

So, the company I work for has another company that sells trees online so I got a smokin' deal. So much so that I was giving out Christmas trees out like candy.

Well, I sent one to Luke's parents and one to my brother...but I'm pretty stingy with my candy so that analogy still totally works.

Go with it.

Anyway, now that the tree has been hauled into the house I'm totally amped up for holiday-time this year. Where I used to be a little whatever about the whole affair, this year I'm a total Christmas/Channukah  aficionado (I even have a wrapping paper theme! A theme!). Kids will do that to you. They make you excited about things. It's great.

Finn even believes in Santa and everything. Do I want to tell him the cold, hard truth about the fat man in the suit?  Ummm. Yes. Kids are never too young for reality. Bahumbug and all that.

I won't tell him yet, though. Let someone else crush his fantasies. That's what I say.

I even went all out with stockings:

Thank you, Pottery Barn

My photography skills are seriously lacking. And we don't really have a fireplace so our random shelves are just gonna have to cut it this year.

To cap off my random surge of festive celebrating, I've sent out Christmas cards...which most of you will get pronto. I'd post the picture right now but y'all are gonna have to be patient and wait it out. I'm not one to ruin a surprise, here. 

Before and After...

This really isn't that exciting, but we painted Isla's room...

...and oh, is it gorgeous! Long gone is that tan and brown combo that is just not right for a girl's room.

Am I right?!

I am right...let me show you guys whats up:

Before:

After!

I don't know what the color looks on that ol' computer of yours, but over here those walls are the most perfect mauve-y purple and cream you ever saw.

Also,I made those curtains, yo. 

Curtain Closeup!

And with that, we have painted EVERY. SINGLE. ROOM. in this freaking house (excluding Finn's room and the entry way...those are groovy just the way they are).

I can rest easy now, knowing that I have exploited my mom's painting skills to the max...yeah, she painted Isla's room, too. In addition to almost every other room and hallway here.

I'm ashamed. Really, I am.

How We Spent Black Friday...

This year we got all zen about life and instead of joining the masses in a probably-unnecessary shopping spree, we went and chilled out with the llamas and zebus at the Hare Krishna Temple.

I can honestly say it is one of my favorite places to be.

(Except when the peacocks start to get all up in our business like they did today. Those guys make me nervous.)

And now they have a playground there?! Well, that's perfect, isn't it?

6 Months And A Turkey Stand-Off

First up: Isla. 6 months. Half a year! Check out this cutie:

The fact that she has survived being around Finn all day is an honest to goodness miracle.

Seriously.

He likes to push her over and yell, “Roll Isla!”

Its terrible. Kinda funny. Mostly terrible.

We blame him for the fact that she’s already crawling at 6 months.

Getting herself anywhere with all that chub is a modern miracle, I tell you!

So yes, the standing theory over here is that she had to start crawling early to get away from him. 

She’s also sitting up all on her own, no problem. She can reach and grab things without falling over and she can sit up from a crawling position.

She's an overachiever, this one.

Other Fun Stuff: She likes to steal Finn's spoon while he's eating breakfast and suck the yogurt off (I might even put their chairs close together to facilitate this).

Basically, Isla is totally happy and lovin' life.

As for the rest of the la famille Rebarchik?

Finn is still loud and crazy. And now, instead of saying ‘No’ he yells, “NOT funny!” But here’s the thing, Finn...it is funny. 

His protests are usually hilarious and about something totally ridiculous. Like wanting to play with his trains in Isla’s crib. It makes no sense...

Two year olds are way too dramatic. Its a fact.

And Luke? He is currently trying to convince me to let him get a turkey for Thanksgiving. I haaaaate Thanksgiving. So American. So gluttonous. Mostly, I don't particularly want to cook a turkey for 1400 hours.

Update: We bought a turkey. Damn.

And me? I’m still working and whatever...and the best update on my life ever?? I’ve lost all my Isla-weight (40 pounds!)...which means I weigh LESS than I did before I had kids.

Wham bam, thank you m’am.

Where I Fall on My Face...Like Always.

I did it.

I ran my first race in six years.

That’s basically a lifetime. Especially when you consider the kids, marriage, house, and ensuing mental breakdown that comes when I take time to realize all that happened in 6 years and all before I turned 25.

This is why I act like such an old lady. It’s because I feel like I should be 85 years old right now.

I need to go quilt to cope with all this…

But really, I jest. It was a total blast. It was a 9 mile trail run and it was hilly. I kept thinking, “Well, this will all level out eventually. I probably won’t die”…

…1 million feet of climbing later…

“I’m certainly going to die.”

And the biggest problem that comes with running up an honest-to-goodness mountain? Having to go down the freaking thing.

I’m notoriously bad at running downhill…imagine the opposite of a mountain goat. Or a mountain goat with no legs.

Something like that. Either way there is a hell of a lot of swearing involved.

So as I’m clumsily trouncing my way down, my mom (who patiently waited for me at the top and bottom of every hill. She’s a saint. A really fast saint.) tells me to watch out for a rock.  So I watch that rock as I trip over it and slide down the hill, on my face. My head missed a tree by like, an inch.

It was epic. In a really embarrassing kind of way.

I’m still enamored with the bruises I got as a result. Those bad boys look ferocious.  

Anyway, we finished in a slightly embarrassing time of 1:20. My madre mentioned off-hand that she probably could have beaten someone who finished 10 minutes ahead of us…so that’s cool minus the part where I couldn’t run any faster.

(I admire her speed and the fact that she obviously has no feeling in her legs...)

In any case, we had fun and it gave me an excuse to slack off running for a couple of days afterward. Only problem now is that I can’t stop slacking off…

I could honestly not run for a week and just sit and eat potato chips all day, that’s the kind of mood I’ve been in all week. Somebody save me from myself.

I'm in pink (not the blonde one. duh.). I thought bright colors would minimize my chances of getting shot by a deer hunter. Because when I don't wear pink I look a lot like a deer, I'm sure. Photo from the peeps at Cascadia Trails 

My Heart Grew Two Sizes Tonight...

Luke calls me the Halloween grinch.

Every year I complain like the crotchety old lady I am about loud kids, stupid costumes and having to stay up past 9pm to give out candy to teenagers who are way too old to be trick-or-treating.

If I ever dressed up (which I won't ever. Am I older than 16? Yes. Then I'm too old to dress up) I'd totally don the green fur and snarl...Halloween grinch, indeed.

It was a sad state of affairs in any case.

And while I still think kids are too loud and I don't like the houses with the creepy music and people outside, Halloween totally grew on me this year. And why?

Because this year I paraded my costumed kids around our neighborhood like it was going out of style. I was into it in a big way, guys. I hardly recognized myself.

There is something so freaking adorable about a kid figuring out that they can knock on strangers' doors and get candy (Any other day that is totally not legit. Finn, don't do it...you know he's going to try it tomorrow, too).

And once he figured out what was up Finn was dragging us to all the house as quick as those lil' legs would go.

They get so amped up about it, you can't help but share the enthusiasm. Plus, y'all know I'm going to be sneaking his candy come night fall. Perks of being a parent. Its my privilege.

I feel no guilt about this.

(Luke has just informed me that it is not my privilege. His parents (obviously) didn't know what they were doing when it came to Halloween. Six boys?! That's a jackpot, right there!)

As for costumes, I sewed some yellow fabric strips onto Finn's only plaid shirt. Voila! Scarecrow. He thought it was totally groovy.

And Isla? She wore Finn's lion hat from years ago and made the least scary lion ever. Rawr.

Luke would have made a great Dorothy but alas, he refused.

His costume looked a lot better when he was struttin' his stuff...

Halloween? Meh. It's alright, I guess...