Liam Says {December}

Liam wanted a piece of candy so I knelt in front of him so that he could ask for it.
Liam: "Can I have a piece of candy Mama, please?"
Me: "Huh?"
Liam reaches out and gently grabs my face.
Liam, while kissing me: "I love you Mama. You're not mad Mama, you're happy. Can I have a piece of candy now Mama?"

Liam's current phrases:
"I'm on it!"
"That's what I'm talkin' about!"
"Right away!"

He has also taken to calling Will and I "Maude", a cute mixture of Mom and Dad.

Liam while eating stir fry that I cooked: "I ate a green bean."

Me: "That's good. Green beans are good for you."

Liam: "It's healthy. This is delicious!"

Liam: "Stop looking at me like that."

Liam to Will: "You have a big head."
Will: "I have a big head?"
Liam: "Yeah, you have a big face. It's like a square."
Will: "A square?"
Liam: "Yeah, like a rectangle."

Will to Liam: "You need to pick up your toys now."
Liam: "Then I can watch "Team UmiZoomi"?"
Will: "Yeah, if you pick up your toys."
Liam, enthusiastically: "No problem. No problem Dad. Look at me go!"

Liam, while running around the living room: "Whoa, I can't stop. My feet are too fast. Whoa! I can't stop. I'm just too fast!"

Liam to Will: "Boys don't wear panties."

Will: "No. Who wears panties?"

Liam: "Natalie!"

Natalie is a girl in his class. I think someone has a crush. 

Later on that day.

Will to Liam: "Who's your best friend at school?"

Liam: "Umm, umm. Not Natalie."

Liam to me: "Where's your penis?"

Me: "I don't have a penis. Ladies, Mamas and girls don't have penises. Boy, Dads and men have penises."

Liam: "Mama, you don't have a penis?"

Me: "Nope because I'm a girl. Do girls have penises?"

Liam: "No. I'm a boy."

Me: "Do boys have penises?"

Liam: "Yeah but I'm just a kid."

2013 Recap...

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?

Moving thousands of miles away from home was definitely new. This is the longest (and furthest) I have ever been away from Kansas.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I think I did, in a way. I only had one and I think I improved a bit as a person by not as much as I could have.
You can read more about my 2013 resolutions here.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister gave birth to her first son in February and I had Asher in April!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

We have been very blessed this year but Will lost his (maternal) grandmother. They weren't very close though.

5. Did you visit anywhere exciting?

Germany, of course! Although, I will admit that we haven't seen too much but that will change (I hope) next year.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?

I would like to have more motivation, more dedication. I definitely lacked both in 2013.

7. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April 21st - Giving birth to Asher in a German hospital without an epidural. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I think making it through a (relatively short) deployment with two kids under two and a dog was a pretty big achievement. I mean, everyone survived so that's a plus. 

9. What was your biggest mistake?

My biggest mistake of the year has been not taking advantage of being in Europe. I plan to change that though.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Thankfully, no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My iPhone 5c...and cloth diapers.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

 
My boys (all four of them, if you include Artemus). They have adjusted to moving, deployments, homecomings and a, at times, cranky momma.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Hmm...I don't think anyone's behavior had me appalled and/or depressed this year. 

14. Where did most of your money go in 2013?

Bills, little people (aka kids), food and gas.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Asher! And everything that goes along with having a little baby (although he was eight pounds at birth).

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?

Pompeii - Bastille
Drunk in Love - Beyonce
Roar - Katy Perry

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:

1. Not pregnant

2. Not in Texas

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish I would have focused on myself more. I tend to put myself aside a lot and this is something that needs to change.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

I wish I would have worried less. I gave myself so much anxiety that I shut down quite a bit.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

I spent Christmas at home with my boys, and I loved it.

21. Did you fall in love in 2013?

I didn't fall in love but I think I grew in love, if that makes sense.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

The Mindy Project

Orange is the New Black

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope, hate is a very strong word and a very strong feeling. I don't think I feel that way towards anyone.

24. What was the best book you read?

 

I hate to admit this but I did not read an actual novel this year (only books about parenting). I did buy The Lowlands. So maybe that will be the best book I read in 2014.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I didn't have any musical discoveries this year. I rarely even listened to music, well, besides our Frank Ocean cd that played all year in our car.

26. What did you want and get?

I wanted a healthy baby and I got that (and he's pretty awesome too).

27. What did you want and not get?

A stand mixer...but there's always next year

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Oh man. I don't even know. It was spent at home and I was super pregnant (I gVe birth to Asher a week and a half after my birthday). I turned 28 (aka old).

29. What’s one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If I went out exploring more and took pictures. 

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?

I literally spent most of my time in leggings and big shirts. It was a really unfashionable year for me. 

31. What kept you sane?

Haha, sane?!?! I don't think anything kept me sane this year. That will be one of the things I work on.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Man, this year I didn't really fancy anyone.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

I ignore/avoid politics as much as possible. It helps that I never watch the news and being in Germany is like living in a bubble.  

34. Who do you miss the most?

My family. This is the longest I've gone without seeing my mom. Yeah, I know I'm an adult but that doesn't make it any easier especially when I think about the fact that she's hasn't had the opportunity to meet Asher in person.

35. Who was the best new person you met?

I met two good friends here in Germany. It makes things a lot better when you have someone in a similar situation to talk to.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013?

If there's anything I've learned from 2013, it's that I am not the person I want to be. I need to grow as a person, as a mother and especially as a wife.

37. What are your new years resolutions for 2014?

You can read about those here.

I found this survey on Ok, Dani. If you have time, check her recap out!

2014, whoop whoop!

Source

There are only two things I want for 2014: less and more.

Okay, I know those two things are the exact opposite of each other but just bare with me for a bit. 

I want less clutter, less struggle, less distractions, less worry. I want more enjoyment, more smiles, more quality time, more experiences, more motivation. I want to look back on 2014 and see all the things I did, not regret the things I didn't do. I want this year's motto to be "quality not quantity".

Frohes neues Jahr!

Happy New Year! 

An Uncertain Future

I am a creature of habit. I hate change and I hate uncertainty. When something in my life (especially something I had planned for the future) changes, I worry non-stop. I go over numerous situations in my mind, thinking of every possible outcome (and usually the bad outweighs the good).

Our future is up in the air right now. We'll be in Germany for another two years but after that, we don't know. Will is leaning towards getting out of the Army but honestly, life outside of the military scares the living crap daylights out of me. The military has always been a part of my life. My dad enlisted when I was two and even though he only stayed in for four years, I grew up right outside of an Army base. I enlisted into the Air Guard at 18 and stayed in for 10 years only getting out because we were moving to a completely different country. When Will and I got married in 2010, he had already in the Army for almost three years. No matter where my life has taken me, the military has always remained a constant, a certainty.

I understand that being military gives you a false sense of security at times. You feel as though you can't survive in the civilian world when in reality, people survive everyday. I don't know if I could. I just don't know if I'm ready to leave the world I know to enter a world of unknown.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours!

From Will and Jaye and the Boys

O Tannenbaum (O'Christmas Tree)

I must admit, I'm pretty proud of our tree this year. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing crazy awesome but I love it. It has a really rustic feel to it which normally isn't my style, however, it just works for our house right now. I made a few of the ornaments and plan to have the boys "help" me make a few more but other than those soon to be crafted ornaments, our tree is done.
So, did you try something new with your tree this year? Or do you have a traditional tree-scape (I think I just made that word up, I like it)?

To Liam, On His Birthday

Dear Liam,
From the moment our eyes locked three years ago, I knew you were going to be special and you are. You are a smart, loving little man who can drive me batty but fill me with so much love at the same time (which means you're pretty talented too). As you grow over this next year, I hope that you keep that sparkle in your eye, that curiosity, that spunk but most of all, I hope that you keep your heart.

Love,
Momma

Here are a few birthday party pictures fro you guys :)
 

Three is a Magic Number

Cars/Cars 2 Birthday Party

Creepy smile

The Birthday Boy

Cars Cupcakes and Cake c/o Eat Cake Love
We'd like to thank everyone who came to over to make Liam's birthday extra special. It was hard being here without family around but you guys made us feel loved. We can't thank you enough.

Jaye's Christmas Wishlist 2013

I know Christmas is right around the corner but just in case anyone was wondering, here is my Christmas Wishlist!

1.2.3.4.

At This Moment...

I am fighting the urge to scream. Like an "at the top of my lungs" scream. So much is going on all at the same time that I feel caught in a tornado, spinning round and round with no end in sight.

I've lost myself. "Finding" myself has been on the top of my "To-Do" list for awhile now (along with mopping my floors) but it's hard to feel normal or "myself" (whoever that may be) when for the last three years, I have either been pregnant or nursing. My body and mind have been so dedicated to taking care of my tiny loves that I've almost forgotten how to take care of myself. It probably doesn't help that I am currently in the midst of deployment drama (Will's mother was sick and he came home on emergency leave but now we're trying to figure out if/when he's going to be heading back) as well as the Liam's pre-terrible three stage.

Ugghh. Oh, and I feel like horrible about complaining because I know our situation could be a lot worse. Now, I know this doesn't explain why this blog's neglected but I promise (pinky swear) that I will be back soon with updates on the boys and pictures from our flight back to the states to see Nana Shanna.

In the meantime, I'm going to try to relax and watch as many episodes of True Blood with my love. I may just need to watch while drinking lots of wine.

Liam Says {September}

Liam, at 7:30 in the morning: "Mama, I want you make apple pie."

Liam every time he hears the Skype ding from my computer: "Is that my Daddy?"

"I'm on it Mom!"

"Oh, boy! Oh, boy!"

Liam was dancing and when he turned around, one of his butt cheeks was hanging out.
Me: "Booty!!"
Liam turns around to face me: "Penis!"

Two things Liam says at least once a day:
"I so hungry!"
"Alright, fine!"

After waking up from his nap, Liam wanted a fruit snack. I gave him one and told him that it was the last one.
Liam: "I want to share with you."
Me: "You don't have to share it. You can have the whole thing."
Liam while pouting: "No, I want to share with you."

Liam Says {August}

Pretending to talk to on the phone.
Liam to Asher: "It's my PawPaw, baby. Not your PawPaw."
Me to Liam: "It's Asher's PawPaw too."
Liam: "Well, it's my MarMar."

Liam: "Baby has a booboo on his forehead. I wanna take him to doctor!"

Liam: "What's that on my card, Mama?"
I take the card to look at it.
Liam: "Tada, it's a dinosaur."

Liam: "My dad go bye bye on airplane by himself. He take the Kindle with him. Mama drive the car."
The entire time we've been in Germany, I hadn't driven the car. I think it's pretty funny that he realizes that change.

Me to Liam: "I love you."
Liam: "I love Asher."

Liam while pooping on the potty: "This make Momma happy?"
Me, awkwardly: "Yeah, that makes Momma happy."
Liam: "This makes me happy. This makes Momma happy. This makes Baby happy.....I like poop."
Me: "Umm...you like pooping or you like poop?"
Liam: "I like poop."
Me, trying not to laugh: "That's disgusting."
Liam: "Digusting! What you laughing at Momma? What's funny?"

Liam, while pooping on the potty: "You hear my poop Momma?"

Liam: "I wanna go to the store."
Me: "Okay, we'll probably go to the store tomorrow."
Liam: "And the park and the library and the doctor."

Liam sits down with a bowl full of hot wheels: "I'm taking a seat with a bowl of popcorn."
This may not seem all that funny but we never eat popcorn, like ever. Liam has a new game on the iPad and the main character mentions popcorn. He's been obsessed ever since.

Commercial on television: "...gift cards are valued at 50 and 100 dollars..."
Liam: "100 dollars? Nooooooooooo!

Liam, at least every other day: "Austin's momma have two babies."
Liam's self-proclaimed BFF's mom is pregnant with twins.

 

Blog Changes

So, I have some changes coming to the blog soon. We'll be using a new name (although our web address will stay the same) since our life no longer revolves around (only) Liam. I also want to be a bit more candid on the blog. I really want this to be a place where I can express myself openly and honestly, even if that means revealing flaws and weaknesses within myself.

I'm excited to see a difference in the blog and I hope the few readers I have enjoy them as well! Thanks for following along with our journey as a young family!

What the Focus Photography

Liam Says {July}

"I wanna go to commissary (the military grocery store) and get apples!"

Liam pooped in his pull up but I changed Asher's diaper first.
"Oh, Asher's getting a new diaper. Well, Momma needs to change mine."

Liam while we were dropping Will off before his deployment.
"I wanna go in airport with Daddy."

While taking Liam out of his carseat, a fly flew into our car and Liam freaked out.
"There's a bee in there! Get that baby (Asher) out of there!"

I was putting makeup on for the first time in forever while Liam was downstairs watching tv. All of a sudden I heard a loud scream and, of course, dropped everything. Liam was coming up the stairs and I asked him what was wrong.
"There's a bug in the bathroom!"

Life and Hair.

Ten months ago, I made one of the most impulsive decisions of my life (I may be exaggerating just a little). I talked a little about my hair here but if you haven't read that post (and don't feel like reading it now), I'll just go over my hair really fast.
A little over a year ago, I decided to stop chemically straightening my hair. After about four months of no chemicals, I decided to have all my relaxed hair chopped off (leaving me with about two inches of hair growth).

Now, after having your hair look and feel a certain way for 10+ years, it took awhile for me to figure out my hair. There were points were I felt I should just go back to being relaxed but there was one major reason I didn't: I was pregnant with Asher. I wore braids during a majority of my pregnancy but once I took the out, I did not know what to do with my hair. Luckily YouTube saved me and I have started to play around with it more.
If you see me now, I most likely have my hair in a twist-out, which turns me hair into a big, curly afro. Liam and I are hair twins now!
It feels great to enjoy my hair although I have had many trials and moments when I question my decision but then I remember my ultimate goal: to live a natural, healthy life (plus my afro is lovely).

Liam Says {June}

Liam while jumping: "1...2...3...go to timeout"

Me to Liam: "Remember: If you go pee-pee in the potty today, you get stickers."
Liam: "I want candy."
Me: "Oh, you want candy...well, if you go pee-pee in the potty, you can have candy."
Liam: "And kisses."

Will to Liam: "Go build a driveway for your airplane."
Liam: "Airplane don't drive."

Me to Liam: "You'll get a treat if you use the potty."
Liam:  "No! I'm not a puppy. Artemus is a puppy."

Me while smelling Mrs. Meyer's cleaner in the store: "I'm pretty sure this makes me happy while cleaning."
Liam tried to grab a can of air freshener off the shelf.
Will to Liam: "What are you doing?"
Liam: "I wanna make Momma happy.

Liam Says {May}

Will: Baby Liam.
Liam: I not baby Dad.
Will: Oh, who's the baby then?
Liam: Ash-her.
Will: Oh, what are you?
Liam: I Liam.
Will: Oh, you're "Lee-Lee" (Will's nickname for Liam that doesn't seem to be catching on)?
Liam: I not "Lee-Lee" Dad.

Liam: Dad peed bed.
Me: Dad peed in your bed?
Liam: Yeah.
Me: Well, you should tell him not to do that.

Will while playing with Asher: Big boy Asher.
Liam: He not big boy Dad!

Liam: Baby eat Mama's boob.

Life and Liam.

I can't even remember the last time I did an update on Liam. Let's just say he's changed massively since then.

Liam is now two and a half years old. He's crazy (but in a good way)! He loves to laugh, run and just be a boy. I remember people saying that they have a "boy-boy" and I now I know exactly what they mean. Liam loves cars and dinosaurs and more cars (seriously, the kid has at least 150 hot wheels). You know you're the mother of a boy-boy when you find cars everywhere (I found five in my bed this morning).

He has started to pretend play on his own a lot more as well. He plays with his cars and sometimes I see him making little scenarios while pushing them around on the floor. It's so neat to watch because I can see him developing and learning (which is even more exciting for me). He likes to make up little stories too, most of them involve horses or dinosaurs eating random things. The kid talks so much and says so many random things that I've decided to start a series on this blog called "Liam Says". This will just be a fun way for me to document different things that Liam says during the month.

Another neat thing about Liam is his love for Asher. The first time I ever heard Liam sing was when Asher was crying and Liam started singing to him. It shocked me (1. because I'd never heard him sing before and 2. because he was singing a song that I would sing to him). I think that he'll be a great older brother once he realizes that he needs to be gentle with Asher. I really hope that the two of them grow up to be best friends.

Liam will always be my "lovebug" even though he's decided that Dad is just a little bit cooler than I am. That's okay though. I know that I will always have a special place in his heart, just like he'll always have a special place in mine. Here are a few more pictures of my lovebug.

Life and Time.

Just a few of our Photo Booth pictures

Time...it really goes by fast, you know. I mean, I should be used to it by now. I am 28 years old but sometimes it still takes me by surprise when I look around and realize that time has slipped by. So much has happened in our lives over the last few months (especially the arrival of our little baby Asher).

We arrived in Germany five months ago. In this time we've settled into a sort of normal life (although our sense of normalcy will be turned upside down once again). It still baffles me a little that Liam will know this as home. He's already forgotten our life in Kansas, the life that I seem to be holding on to. It's so weird to realize that when we leave Germany, he'll actually have to adjust to living in the US. He'll be used to bright colored homes with houseplants in every window, bike/walking trails that can take you from one town to another, dogs in restaurants/stores, and of course, being surrounded by the German language and culture. I really wish that I could say I have adapted as well as he has but I guess I still have time on my side (if it would slow down a bit).

Over the next few days, I plan to have more updates on our lives since moving to Germany. I'll have each post relate to a specific topic (such as Life and Liam) so you can skip over them if you're not interested. Hopefully this will get me caught up and I can start posting on a regular basis! I really do have lots of plans for this blog and I hope that they come through and this can be a place where I can share and feel at home.

I'm back!

Hi everyone!
It has definitely been awhile since I've sat down and focused on this blog. I am back now and have so many things that I want to share with you all. It's actually a bit overwhelming but I want this blog to be a place where I can come and be myself so I am dedicated to being consistent with posting. I do have a few changes planned for the blog which I hope to implement over the next few months. Until then, I will be posting on a regular basis. I have a lot of catching up to do since we've been in Germany for a few months now so expect lots of posts about what we've been up to. Oh, and I will definitely be posting about the newest addition to our family (little baby Asher).

Thanks you to anyone out there that has taken the time to read this little blog!

Update!

Hi everyone!
We're still alive and kicking (literally, Baby C. #2 is kicking me right now) in Germany. We have had the hardest time finding internet service at our house. We just had some luck though! We should have internet service next week. I have so many posts that I want to put up soon. Oh, and of course, lots of pictures. Please bare with me and we should be back soon!

Jaye

We're Still Here!

Hi Everyone!
I'm so sorry for the lack of posts but our lack of consistent internet is to blame. We are in our lovely house (which feels far to big for me right now but we have three years to fill it up) and it is awesome, except we have pretty much zero options for internet out here. We've contacted a company about satellite internet and that seems to be the best option for us right now. I plan to get on post soon to put up a few posts about our month here in Germany (as well as pictures!). Please bear with me while we get things figure out.
Thanks!!

Texas: Dallas Zoo

While in Texas, we decided to take another trip to the zoo. I really wanted to go to the Dallas zoo (even though it is smaller than the Fort Worth zoo) for one reason: You can feed the giraffes. I love giraffes! They are absolutely one of my favorite animals (besides Artemus, of course) so just the thought of feeding one made me practically burst with excitement.
This time we hit the zoo up with Will's dad, step mom and grandparents. We had a great time. The bird area was amazing! One bird flew and landed on top of Liam's head. He, understandably, freaked out and was done with the birds but that memory alone made this one of my favorite zoo experiences ever. Here are some pictures from our second zoo trip!

This bird flew up to me and started checking my pockets

Liam's new friend with the adorable gold Cowgirl boots