That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!

A short preface to this post: I hope never EVER to sound ungrateful here. I have SO, SO much to be grateful for-and I truly feel blessed on a daily basis. I also removed the Confessions of a Designer post because after further thought, I found it to be...rude. If the client were ever to come across it-I would be mortified-and you just never know who is reading...anywho.

*****

 My gratitude this Christmas was no different-I was happy for so many things...

Sleeping in until 9:15!!!  We literally THANKED Hudson for such a great gift when he woke up.
A beautiful breakfast with my gorgeous boys.
Hudson's reaction to his gifts Mr. B. worked late into the night assembling.
Walking our dogs in our favorite place, snow-covered and quiet.
Watching A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation cozy on the couch while the babe slept.

 This year we had a monumental build-up to the big day...Christmas tree hunting, cookie baking, decorating, carol singing, shopping, Santa visiting, wrapping, etc. 

As thankful as I was for a lovely quiet day with my boys, I felt lonely on the big day! I really really REALLY wanted my family!!! I wanted to be with them spending hours opening presents...each person one by one, prepping breakfast for hungry brothers with my mom in her robe and slippers, John Denver Christmas C.D. listening, turkey basting and mash potato mashing, laughing, chex mix snacking, game playing, snuggled on the couch movie watching...I wanted the Christmas Day WORKS! I wanted it for myself and Alex and especially for Hudson.

Our Christmas wasn't the WORST (I just love the song with the same title by Sufjan Stevens) ...I don't think I've ever had a bad Christmas because I refuse to not celebrate and carry on the traditions even if it is just for Alex and I...but it wasn't the same this year without my family. All the more reason to be appreciative for them and make sure they know it...and all the more reason to book our tickets home next Christmas!!!!!

How was your holiday??? xo

Merry Christmas!!!!

Well, I dropped the ball on getting cards out to everyone but the immediate family once again-so this little greeting will have to do. 

We wish you the very best Christmas and a happy & healthy 2013!!!

Favorite Holiday Albums

Mr. Brady is counting down the days...six (to be exact) left of...

 Christmas music in the house. 

Christmas music in the car. 

Christmas music at the mall. 

Christmas music at our favorite restaurants. 

Christmas music at Christmas parties.

Christmas music everywhere!!! 

While this is musical paradise to me, the only carol my hubs likes is The Christmas Song by Dave Matthews-which, as we all know, doesn't count. 

For indulging me and being such a good sport this year, I'm thinking about throwing him a "no-more-Christmas-music-for-a-whole-year-party". He kind-of deserves it. If I had to listen to country music for 30+ days, I'd want expect a prize too.

With six days left, I've been squeezing in as many festive tunes as possible and I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday albums...

FAVE Indie Christmas Album-Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, and Y La Bamba-LOVE!

Bing Crosby IS Christmas, this is my go-to-CLASSIC Christmas album. If I could only own one-this would be it!

My fave crooner-I love me some Nat King Cole any time of year! His version of the Christmas song is my idea of heaven.

I listen to this year-round....I call it inconspicuous Christmas music. It's quite lovely.

Nostalgia, Rockabilly and Christmas-what's not to love?

My pre-funk Christmas music-I start listening to this in October.

Next to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, this is my fave Classical Christmas music album.

My favorite Christmas song of all time is Judy Garland's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...which is melancholy, weird.

What are your faves???

A (finally) Snowy Week via Instagram

Din-din @ The Elk.

First time playing in the SNOW!

I've got my love to keep me warm.

Buy one get one free Starbucks made us extra merry!

How I see him...my pride and joy.

Chillin' with his animals...Sam-Dog included.

Pennants.

Loving the Santa bear.

Finding any excuse to visit the Garland District.

Emily Post's Etiquette.

Pretties

The list above that I created with my favorite baby names is evidence that: 

a. I have too much time on my hands tonight

b. I am feeling super creative digitally this week

c. I am ready to be pregnant, yesterday.

In other words, pay no mind to the completely-baby-crazed-woman behind the computer.

Happy almost-Friday!

Melancholy Madness

First there was Myspace music, then Project Playlist, then Pandora, now Spotify. I had twenty eight playlists on P.P. and the majority of these were pretty darn 100% emo, I even titled one "eviscerate"! Oh goodness, I don't know why but I am so naturally drawn to melancholy music that I have to restrict myself from listening to it too much! Luckily I tend to only listen to pretty upbeat/fun music when I have the babe in tow. I did however find a new band to add to my "melancholy madness" playlist...if you like somber folk music you're gonna go crazy-gaga over Low Roar. My personal faves? Friends Make Garbage (Good Friends Take It Out) and Patience.

Seriously, I would not suggest listening to it whilst depressed! I only listen to it after the baby goes to sleep, because like Patrick Watson, Nick Drake, or Radiohead, it's the kind that can break your heart & bring you to tears if you're on the verge (which I am luckily far from these days). 

14 months

OK so it's been 14 months and 5 days to be exact since little mister changed our lives for the better for-ev-er. It's also been a while since I've updated on all the cool new tricks Hudson amuses us with on the daily, so here goes:

• WALKING-H is 90% walking these days. He holds his arms up in the air drunk-monkey-style and walks from object to object barefoot on the wood floors. His favorite routes? The winding stairs to our second level and around the circular pathway of the house. He really thinks it's a bummer being confined to his room or playroom with the baby gate these days and lets us know. 

• TALKING-or babbling. He is a Chatty McChaterkins-mostly making his vowel sounds-EEEEEE. Oooo. The other night we took him for a drive around Corbin Park to look at the Christmas lights. We would stop in front of a house and he would say, "ooooooh. ooh. ooooooh." It was the cutest. 

• EATING-Hudson's faves are spaghetti, any fruits, cheese, and any breads. I gave him graham crackers and he nearly devoured his hand in the process of eating them! We sneak in veggies any way we can-but if it's green he steers clear. He also gets very upset if we don't share whatever we are eating with him-a real deterrent to us eating chips or cookies. He is completely weened off the bottle and is currently learning to use a spoon.

• SLEEPING-I'm not sure why we are suddenly so lucky, but over the past month or so, Hudson has begun sleeping until 8:30 on average. Sometimes he sleeps until 9:30 and the very earliest he woke that I can remember was 7:00. After being sleep deprived for so long, I almost feel guilty sleeping in so late. Almost. 

• ACTIVITIES-Hudson and I are trying to avoid cabin fever at all costs by getting out of the house on a daily basis. We go to the library once or twice a week. We visit the mall playland if it's not too crowded and reluctantly the drop-in-and-play together once in a while. If we are lucky enough to see sunshine we bundle up for a walk in the stroller. We have the occasional and much loved playdate with other moms. I need to join a mommy group to get Hudson around some other kids on a regular basis-he LOVES being with kiddos and will literally sit on their laps, touch their eyes, and "share" their toys. 

• MISC-Overall H is so good-natured, happy, & easygoing. He is outgoing, smart, and sweet. He loves his dogs, loves to read books, loves his bath-time. He loves being tickled by dad-his feet are finally ticklish. He loves snuggling his blanket. He loves the Christmas tree and the Christmas lights on our house-oohing and ahhing over them each time we come home. He loves learning new things and pleasing us in the process. He loves Curious George which we let him watch on occasion.

Reading a book in his new Christmas jammies

Making a mess with the spoon and avoiding the broccoli

Play date with Mila

Collect Moments

Mr. Brady keeps asking what I want for Christmas. 

A trip to Venice during Carnival is out of the question with our budget...so I say, "a pancake pen". 

Then I realize I've made pancakes twice in the past year, and I realize I don't really want or need that.

I would seriously rather forgo gifts for birthdays & holidays and save for an amazing experience.

My resolution for 2013...

On a slightly related note, my first happiness of the day (besides my son sleeping in until 9:30) was the delighted smile and giggle H gave me when I started singing "The Story" by Brandi Carlile. Whilst admiring my newest right undereye wrinkle I started belting out...

"all of these lines across my face

tell you the story of who I am

SOOOO many stories of where I've been

and how I got to where I am"

I tell you there is not a single human being on the planet besides my son who would appreciate hearing my tone deaf version of that song. For that and countless reasons, that boy is so dear to me.

Have You Seen...

Warning-I am about to report old news here...

But I haven't stepped foot in a movie theater since before I was preg, so I had to actually wait for these movies to hit the shelves at Hastings before I could finally watch them!

These two were SO well worth the wait. 

If you haven't seen Moonrise Kingdom yet, you must!!! I loved it! Not gonna lie-it's not my favorite-favorite Wes Anderson film of all time (that title still belongs to The Royal Tenenbaums) but still so great and so sweet and so innocent; it's worth owning and watching repeatedly in my humble opinion. In true Anderson style I couldn't look away for a single second as the sets/shots were so lovely. I loved the music, the costumes, the coming of age story...it made me want to dance to Francoise Hardy on the beach and paint trees on the walls of my stairwell...as if I needed more reason to!

Dancing to Le temps de l'amour

Moonrise Kingdom set

Moonrise Kingdom set

My hands down favorite movie of the YEAR is Safety Not Guaranteed. If you loved Little Miss Sunshine you will adore this movie-guaranteed! It's quirky, funny, sincere, and features a hilarious cast combo including Aubrey Plaza from Parks & Rec. Her dry humor MADE this movie for me! Loved it!

What was your fave movie of 2012?

Our week via Instagram

Learning to use a spoon.

We had to bundle hard for our winter walk.

One benefit of living so close to the mall...playland!

Pancakes.

Win-win. He played. I wrote.

Lunch in the festive Garland District-Ferguson's Cafe.

Hudson "coloring", then eating the crayon.

The amazing Davenport tree.

Changing

{here}

 This pin made me think of the book that has been blowing my mind every night for the past 2 weeks: Happiness by Mathieu Ricard. If I could recommend one book this year this would be the one-not because it is the most entertaining book I've read in 2012, but because of it's powerful message. Definitely one to add to our library so I can read it over and over again. If you want a peek and have a spare 20 minutes this Ted Talk's for you.

Wild Before Winter

Wild Before Winter

by Romulus Linney

In my meadow luxuriates the green world

Preening itself before the yearly catastrophe of frost

              and freezing

One green burst of curls flung forward like a boy's

              head of hair brushed over his face in football.

Now I, in my eightieth year, stripped of my defenses

Flying, drunken winds blow at my back, crashing

              gleefully, turn the green world dark too soon.

Now wild before winter, in my age, deserted by my sins

Cold words spoken to my children returning hot now

              to blister my heart

No more the nights with love, betrayal, obsession,

              devastation, abandonment.

Old man, wild before winter, still childish

My little river running past as if nothing will happen

As if ice will not encase it

Our week via Instagram

Greater Hudson Vintage Advertisement

Robert Frost Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening I really do love winter

A very Conan O'Brien hair-day

IN the drawer with the pots and pans

Jam-sesh Hudson and The Lids

Continuing the tradition of greeing Santa with a fur-lined cap

OUR FIRST TIME CUTTING A FRESH TREE!!!

You're coming with us on the Su-Su-baru!

Our happy little boy amongst the happy little trees

Mr. B and our beautiful Fraser Fir

Oh, we did and it was delicious!

Shadows on the living room wall-courtesy of sunny skies and a naked maple tree

He is fascinated by the tree and gets VERY excited when he sees it.

Our prettiest tree yet!