thrifty.

if you ask me, i will tell you that i am a deal hunter. if you ask my husband, he will tell you, simply, that i am a money spender. i suppose i cannot disagree with him, but shopping is therapeutic & so to my husband i say 'bring on the therapy'. {lets not mention that fact that i may actually need therapy nor that it might actually be cheaper to see someone weekly than the damage that i do sometimes}

in an effort to be easier on the pocketbook & make the husband rest easier i told him that i was determined to shop exclusively second-hand. i committed that for the remainder of september i would restrict myself shop at second-hand or consignment stores. theeeeeeeeeeen i received my free people catalog. i quite literally dog-earred every. last. page & found myself coveting a few too many items for my moral & spiritual wellness.

i love their easy, boho, rocker edge for fall {for all the time, really} & it brought me back to my hippie upbringing in portland, oregon. hence, i am determined to have each piece. but haaaaaaaaaaaaaail no! am i willing to fork out four-hundred bones for one single item, ever. that is  where my september challenge comes in.

enter: mediocre thrifted boots for $7.99

enter: studs $8

enter: a few episodes of dateline & elbow grease

result: knock off rocker boots $15.99

tunes for tuesday

if you know me well, you know that in a past life i was a singer. not like 'mariah carey' style, but a trained, state champion, opera & vocal performance singer. i may have ditched voice lessons & competitions may be in my distant past, but my passion for good music has never left me.

with that said i open up 'tunes for tuesday' to the blogger world & ask you readers for your current favorite bands, songs, records & i will post the links of those 'fan favorites' on the side bar under "hear ye". i have been updating my playlist & have even revived an oldie (black eyed peas - request line) back into my jogging rotation.

i am certain that i am not the only one who, upon hearing a song with a great beat, wants to dance like there is no tomorrow. or when hearing a slow rhythmic & lyrical song feel like the words & tune speak to you directly & you feel as though that song is the soundtrack to your life. or after dragging your feet to the gym you know you can motivate yourself with some heavy metal or hardcore rap. am i the only one?

check out my favorites right now, under the sidebar "hear ye", drop me a line with a few of your favorite tunes & lets share our playlists!

signing out - DJ kayti

responsibilty

today, my dearest monroe, i am overwhelmed. i am so immensely overwhelmed by my love for you & for the ever-growing testimony that your heavenly father knows you, knows me & put you & i together for so many beautiful reasons. today, out of the blue, you got very, very ill. i panicked - per usual. and for a split second i questioned my capacity; my tolerance for vomit, my patience for crying, my ability to care for you in the way you need. however, in my moment of weakness, you, my little 17-month old, looked at me with the confidence that i was lacking. you trust me to know what is right, to do what is best for you & to be strong when you cannot be. there is no way for me to communicate to you how heavy yet how enlightening that responsibility is. i feel so honored to be your mother; to be the person who you trust here on earth, while you are away from your heavenly father. rest assured that i will always care for you & do my darnedest to always do what is right by you.

one & a half

today marks the nugget's eighteen month milestone.

sweet monroe,

what character you have become. just the other day you strolled into the living room with just a diaper on & your winter fur hat on your head. upon realization that you had our full attention you proceeded to run around & around the ottoman while punching the air with your fist & saying "shhh, shhhh, shhhhhh". thats right, you're running now. you're jumping now, you're sword fighting now, you're throwing balls now - you, my friend, are a full blown boy now. you are obsessed with motorcycles, trucks & trains, but when asked you call everything "truuuuh" - 'A' for effort kiddo. as we drive, you stare intently out the window & at the mere sound of a motorcycle revv you squeal & yell "truuuuuh!". on our walk to the library you point out every, single truck that pops into view & yell until i acknowledge your seemingly rare & shocking discovery. while mimi was visiting she turned a costco produce box into a train for you & that has become one of you favorite toys. you will simply sit down inside it & sweetly demand a ride around the house by saying "chooo?". and when we are outside & you hear the far distant train you point and yell "chooo-chooo!!". each word you say, makes me beam with pride. i feel as though i have turned into one of those really annoying mother's who pushes their kid to perform in front of friends, family & even strangers so everyone can witness what a smart kid you have become. 

we work on your animal sounds daily because currently the two animals you favor are dogs & ducks, both of which you can pronounce. you know what sound a horse, elephant, snake, monkey, chicken, dog & duck make & upon the sight of them you exclaim that sound with joy. dad is working on your car/truck/motorcycle sounds because we all know you will never learn those from me. the other day he was sitting with you on the couch teaching you the difference between a road bike, street bike, dirt bike, sport bike etc & i've gotta say you've got the dirk bike sound down pat - "rrrring-ng-ning-ning" - it is probably one of the more adorable things you have done as of late. i take no credit for your genius, but it sure makes me proud.

i love your recent independence probably more than you do. you can feed yourself during each meal, you can tell me if your thirsty by saying "juice", you can bring me a book if you want to read it or (on the heart melting occasion) i will find you reading to yourself in your bedroom, you can throw your diaper away after you are changed & pick up tissues off the floor saying "trash?" & promptly take them to the garbage bin, when asked, you will go get your shoes from your room for us to put on you & while marching back, shoes in hand, you will say "shoo? shoo!", you are able to tell me if you want to go outside("side") or if you would like to take a bath("bapf!"), if you are hungry you can grab your own snack or simply ask me for a "nack?", you can even feel when your nose is runny, then find a tissue, dishrag or whatever cloth is in sight & blow your own nose, you amuse yourself by putting on my hats & running around the house saying "hat! hat!", you check with us first to make sure that what we are giving you to eat is not too hot by saying "hah? hah?" & have the notion to blow on your food if we tell you to wait, you are able to communicate if you want  help to sit in a chair & when asked "do you want help?" you will promptly say "ya". i love this age. more importantly i love you.

with everything that i am, i love you. - your proud mama

day of labor

this labor day we spent our day outside & hosted a few close friends for home made pizza. roe played with his pal archie & we laughed with our pals while enjoying great pizza topped with fresh ingredients brought by our gracious guests. the dough recipe we use is beyond - check it out here & thank me later. 

our nuggets' first birthday has come & gone & we have nothing to show for it {here in the blog world that is}. our little manchild, on the other hand, has more than a little to show for it. we went from crawling to walking, we went from a few words to a constant babble & we went from clingy dependence to glorious independence; he has truly gone from a baby to a toddler &a has won my heart over each & every step of the way.

ketchup.

our nugget will be a whole year old in less than a week & i have yet to document . . . . a lot. after reading this beautiful post, i recognize that the little milestones are trivial in the grand scope of little monroe's life. however, as a first time mother i cannot help but glorify is those tiny, yet ever so monumental & victorious, achievements.

to my baby roe,

month 10 was a rough month for you. i cant say i blame you since you were fighting with all your tiny might to beat the awful ear infection that has plagued you for two whole months thus far. but in true fashion to your cheerful demeanor, you, were quite the champion.

on top of being a champion of sorts, you are the most tender & loving babe. now when i gather you in my arms, either to carry you to bed or to force you into snuggling, you lay your head on my shoulder & gently pat my back with your tiny palm. you & i then take turns patting each other on the back, until you get bored with that game & move onto the next. however, amidst the game playing, booking reading & regular non-sense that consumes our day you find those brief moments to drop what you are doing, climb into my lap & either lay your sweet head on me or plant a big-wide-mouthed kiss on me. you just came out with a sweet disposition & for that i thank my heavenly father each day.

as all mothers do, i wonder if i am doing a good enough job; teaching you the right things, feeding you the best ingredients & raising you in the proper way. & you do a perfect job of confirming that my efforts are not in vain. you have learned how to sort & stack toys. you hand me toys when i ask for them & are willing to share with others. you throw a ball out in front of you & scoot after it. you know what a dog says & what noise a car makes. you flip through books feverishly & then insist that we read them again saying 'boh! boh!'. you shake the maracas & bang on the drum, just like the musician son your papa & i always hoped for.

among other news, you learned how to sip through a straw, prefer to feed yourself, love watching cats, adore baths in the kitchen sink, your first & second teeth poked through, you squeal at the sight of dogs, finally figured out how to crawl, perfected your fake cry.

your ear-to-ear smile is the bright sonshine in my life.

i'll love you forever, i'll like you for always. as long as im living, my baby you'll be, mama

enthusiasum

our boy has energy. like so much energy that as soon as he picks up one toy he is ready to move on to the next. so much energy that his favorite activity is wrestling & he will literally never tire of it.

we have started bathing rodeo in the kitchen sink & if you cant tell he kinda-sorta likes it a little. i love that these images capture just a hint of his crazy zeal for life. his smile is mostly open-mouthed & his laugh is squealing uncontrollably.

my joy & my song

life has handed us its fair share of trails. the manchild has been combating four ear infections within three months, has cut his two bottom teeth & is simultaneously working on the remaining four top teeth all while being slightly sleep deprived. all combined with my tumultuous personal emotional roller-coaster has resulted in a filthy, unorganized home & literally no home-cooked meals.

amidst all the mayhem, that has become my life, the silver lining remains constant & that is that we oldhams live a beautiful life, share a wonderful home & love each other unconditionally. because even with reoccurring ear infections, teething & sleepless nights our nugget brings us joys that we cannot express. he is, in every sense of the word, my happy place, the apple of my eye, my joy & my song.

i am fully aware that the majority of these pictures generally look the identical. i am still obsessed with each of them equally.

little people.

big world.

i love rodeo's sweet, inquisitive, little hands all over these toys that we revived, over Christmas break, from the time when my tiny hands were playing with them.

the little people have come full circle.

once upon a time.

like, around december of 2011, we, family of three, headed off to my hometown. portland treated us well & thanks to our trusty ole' phones we have a few candids to prove it.

i stopped by the local walgreens in the ush portlandian garb - stocked up @ trader joes - took the max train to visit the tree at pioneer square downtown - snuggled with my boo - caught a crawler exploring mimi's house - enjoyed cinnabons on christmas morning - ate dinner with the family christmas evening - enjoyed a little christmas concert a'la cousin style - mowed down on burgervilles fish & chips & fresh berry shake - let the nugget stay up after bedtime to watch some football - snuck in a little date night with the mr. - took the mr to my secret spot in portland - licked my plate with the mr @ papa haydens - hiked multnomah falls with nugget on board - watched old movies while eating peppermint ice cream, by the light of the christmas tree - visited cafe' yumm twice & walked out with my cravings fulfilled

book worm.

never mind the fact that i have about a zillion photos to edit & document here from the holidays. never mind the fact that my carpets need to the cleaned, my couch needs to be vacuumed & the cushion covers need to be washed. never mind the fact that i have a load of laundry to fold & put away & a few more waiting anxiously to be started & dried. never mind the fact that there are toys strewn about my house & remnants from a certain someone eating breakfast is all over the kitchen floor. never mind the fact that the dishwasher needs to be unloaded & re-loaded.

never mind all those facts because, all of those are irrelevant when it comes to caring for our dearest nugget bebe.

aaron said sarcastically to me this morning, "good thing Roe has a million books." my cheerful reply, "ya it is." but really though. & everyone knows that you can never have too many books - duh. & it really is a good thing because our child has become quite the 'reader'. he would much prefer pull a book off the shelf & flip through its pages than mess with the slew of toys that are all over our living room. so, no thanks to aaron & i {both self-proclaimed non-readers} our son has become quite the book worm. not only does he flip through the pages on his own, but he will toss a book on the floor & chuck it my way while saying "bo, bo" & insist for me to read.

the best part of all of this though, is that all the while the nug sits like this:

also, never mind that all the above photos are blurry. you get the idea & in true mom form, i still love. every. single. image.

on the ninth month.

to my milkdud, the master of the house, my heart & my world,

you have truly changed my world for the better. i have never known the trials that i know now, but when you smile at me, find comfort in my arms or willingly plant a slobbery, open-mouth kiss on me i know, that it is all worth it. this ninth month {that has now come & gone} has been my very favorite thus far. you have learned & accomplished so very much.

you have perfected the art of standing & walking-while-holding-on-to-furniture. grandma oldham watched you the other day & counted the 30 times that you made your way around the ottoman in our living room. like i said, you've perfected this art. you are so proud of yourself & excitedly breathe in & out so quickly that your dad & i are certain that one of these days you will in fact hyperventilate. you can pull yourself up on anything {furniture, the wall, drawer handles, cabinet doors, the oven, our legs} & i thoroughly enjoy the freedoms that this has allotted both you & i. exhibit a - i can stand at the kitchen sink doing dishes & you can find your way into the kitchen & turn the lazy suzan to your hearts content.

although many moms complain about messes that their children make, unless you are coloring on walls, i am thrilled with messes. messes mean that you are finding a way to entertain yourself & that makes me a happy mama. you tear down just about anything that is stacked or sorted within your reach. me & your dad got quite a kick out of this just the other morning when we stacked small piles of dvds on each corner of the ottoman. sure enough, after flinging one stack on the floor you made your way to the next stack & then the next & then the next making certain that every last dvd was swiftly cleared off the ottoman. it was hilarious. you are hilarious.

when you first learned that you could rip the books off the shelf you seemed on a die-hard mission to removed every last morsel off the shelf, but you have now graduated to a much less manic removal of the books & now take breaks from creating mayhem to sit & flip through your books. you have always had an affinity for turning pages while we read to you, but you have mastered holding & flipping on your own now & it is thrilling to watch you. you turn the book upside down & read it backwards & will then turn it over & read it again. you repeat this process over & over as if it were a new book each time you turned it. i certainly hope that you love books as much as you do know when you finally realize that they are more than just pictures {something that is lost on your father & i}.

you have become quite the conversationalist & a fabulous mimic'er. 'mamamamama' means you want food, you want more food, you want mom or you want to nurse {all of which are geeeenerally the same thing}. just in the past few days you have been saying 'yes'. not just 'ya', but 'yes' with an S. it has alarmed us a few times, but me & your dad are certain that you are now saying 'yes'. besides your usuals, 'dada', 'bye' & 'hi', you mimic every little thing that we do. any sound effect that we make while feeding you, while we are driving around town or while we are reading books you mimic to the very best of your abilities. i dont know why i am even slightly surprised that you want to be talking so much, you are in fact your fathers son.

you still love it most when you are outside. you love bananas & green beans best. you love music & playing anything as if it were a drum. you love waving at strangers & clapping for yourself. you love, love, love bathes. you love spending time with your dad. you love being tickled & wrestling with us. you love scooting around the house on your tummy, getting into the fireplace & attempting to climb into the tub. you love sleeping in your own bed. you love watching older kids play. you love the attention of both parents at once & we love giving it to you.

forever, your mama