Northern Southern Mommy

So we made it to two years of this symbiotic relationship of parenting and childhood, and it amazes me how quickly two years has passed. It seems only a little while ago that this tiny little baby was put in my arms in the hospital, unable to even hold up his head on his own. And now he runs our house.... kinda. It's hit and miss some days as to who is really in charge, but I like to think that he knows that Mom knows what she's doing. (I really don't, but please don't tell him!)   So to celebrate us both making it two years (!!!!!!) we threw a little birthday bash for the monkey boy! And it was contruction themed because that is his big deal ever since he first laid eyes on a backhoe. And yes I actually do know the difference between a backhoe and an excavator and a front loader. My mother in law trying to help the birthday boy share the wrecking ball game with his friends. Sharing is a concept we're stil...

Hello internetians......... What do you call the people of the internet world? Eh, I guess I'll just stick with "Internetians", I grew up being an "Oregonian" so I'm gonna stick with what I know. It is currently hurricane season, and it lasts from June until November.... That's FIVE MONTHS! Almost half the year!! So before the likelihood of my internet going out gets too high, I'm going to write things down. So, I've been absent recently. I figure why write things down when I haven't photographically documented them, and since I started truly using and understanding my big girl camera, my phone uploads just seem to not cut it any more. So here's what else happened in May; We went to the library story time My sprained ankle didn't fully heal in record time Mr. A got the stomach flu We went to a new park We tried play dough We MADE play dough We tried to play outside as much as possible We got rained in ALOT Our frie...

As most moms do, I turn to Pinterest, when I feel like I need inspiration to entertain my son. It's amazing how you can have all these fun toys for them and yet, after 10-15 minutes they're asking for the TV to be turned on, or to go outside and play with bubbles, or they just hang off of you like some sort of strange growth until you play with them! Like, seriously! I buy toys for my son that I am also interested in, so playing with them isn't a drag for me. (He also has just random toys he likes, that I'm not a huge fan of...) And yet I feel like he's bored more often than not. So today I did something that I'm sure many mama's out there will cringe at.... I brought out beans.... AND RICE. Why? Why would I subject myself to the extra clean up and the chaos that definitely followed this decision to put down bowls, cups, a scoop, a measuring cup, and a funnel, along with several helpings of dried beans and rice? Here's the answer; BECAUSE GR...

So a month ago our little Monkey turned one, and we held a party for him. Because it's cute and probably one of maybe three birthday parties where I can choose more or less the theme and decorate how I want. As a mom I've found that I really love planning these little events and decorating for them. Not that I'm very good, but practice makes perfect! And on that note, better late than never in putting up the pictures of our little family party and his smash cake. I LOVED making his smash cake and his reaction to it was totally worth all the late nights, dirty diapers, and fits we've had this last year. So without further ado, here is my Monkey's first birthday pictures! Nothing better than sharing cake with your daddy!