Three Somethings Cheerful (And A Bonus 1990s Mark/Erin Story)

Look, I can be cheerful. Three times, even! Ready?

1.) Anneliese sang in chapel choir again last week. She was as adorable and delighted as the first time.

And what's sweeter than a choir full of four-year-olds anyway?

Anneliese is tall* so in the back row, to the right.

*Side story: one of Mark's first memories of interacting with me was when we were taking some group picture for school (band! fine! it was for band! we were at BAND CAMP okay?) and they told us to stand by height and I hopped up into the back row, because apparently part of my self-image is that I am tall? And apparently I am actually... not that tall? (I feeeeeeel like I am tall.) 

So anyway Mark watched as they moved me down a row and then down another and then apparently it happened again (!) later in the school year and he kept wanting to yell at me (in his best Seinfeld-to-George "you're bald" voice): YOU ARE AVERAGE! But he didn't, because he is Mark, and that is just not a very Mark thing to do. But! He does like to bring up this story every time I mention that I am tall, which is apparently still fairly often. Because I am! I mean, not a giant! But fairly tall! Really! 

2.) Charlotte has a new purple peacoat. In my opinion (as the shopper), it is perfection.

3.) Nathan was telling me some story the other night about something that happened at a Boeing parts factory (I don't even know) and he thought it was the best most hilarious mishap ever, and even though the story was actually suuuuper boring, his perfect smile and giggling about it enchanted me anyway.

lampshade on head?

I'm glad I got a picture though so I never have to get him to tell me that story again though. Yawn.

(Y'all hush, I am a good mom, take a seat and stop clutching your pearls.)

Daily Nathan, Suddenly Older

We took advantage of the pre-snow snow day a couple of weeks ago to go pick out new glasses for Nathan, whose old ones were getting a mite small. He found some he liked, and even though I am still getting used to how much older he looks in them, I like them too.

But really. So old. How is this my baby??

Unrelated to anything (except maybe to getting older? kinda?) he also came home from school with this completed "how-to" assignment on jumping into a pool:

His schoolwork is all, oh jumping in the pool is easy. You just get a pool. And jump in it. I can do that. Is he for real? He absolutely cannot do that. (I mean, not by himself.)

So anyway, yeah, growing up and stuff.

Daily Goettsch, December Edition with a Lost Tooth

This is how you blog when you're in a December frenzy: already-shared happy moments from the month!

Gray days have nothing on Anneliese.

Charlotte apparently thinks my driving needs a two-handed ridealong grip. Okay kid. Okay now.

And Nathan finally lost his first tooth! (Confession: we barely knew it was loose.)

He has been waiting for this since halfway through last school year, and finally he joins the ranks of his friends with a hole in his mouth and a matching lisp which makes me both happy and sad at the same time. We have had a rough weekend with this one, but glad for his moment tonight and ready to start fresh tomorrow. Parenting, man.

Daily Me

I found this drawing of me in the back of one of Nathan's (many) notebooks:

Brb, going to change all my social media profile pics now.

The Library Floor

Every few weeks when we go to the library to get new books, Nathan goes straight for children's nonfiction (guess which prehistoric creatures live there?) makes himself comfortable for a while.

Flopping down on the floor next to his favorite shelf in the library? That, he gets from me.

My Boys

Mark took Nathan to (another) Clemson football game last weekend. I don't care what they're doing or what they're wearing or where they are, as long as these happy smiles are part of it.

Aw. My favorite dudes.

Happy Face for a Monday

I tweeted this picture of Nathan last week, and it keeps making me smile every time I see it.

Who wouldn't want to see this happy face on a Monday? (As Anneliese would say, you're welks.)

Your daily Nathan: happy.

(Yes, he loves my new scarf too.)

Three Way Thumbs

I looked in the backseat the other day and saw this:

Yup, all three of our children share a common vice.

(And yes, that's all the kids, across the backseat of Mark's car... barely fits.)

Selfies With Kiddies

In case anyone is curious, I still can't quit the inward-facing camera on my new phone. The kids are fully on board too.

(I would be embarrassed for anyone to see exactly how much of this type of thing actually exists in my camera roll. Don't judge.)

Creeper Mommy Blogs By Night

One of our tactics for reining in the recent bedtime naughties has been to put Nathan in our room for an hour to read before he goes upstairs. (He's at that age where he doesn't really need to go to bed so early, but we need him to be done for the day. Grownup time after the kids are down is still a sanity priority for us.) It protects our quiet time, and lets him stay up a bit later, and keeps him at a safer non-giggly distance from Anneliese.

I cringe at the added "complication" to our bedtime routine, but it's been going much better this way. Except for the occasional night when he falls asleep in our bed, and we don't find him until hours later. Tonight was one of those nights. Since Mark is working, I decided just to let him stay in here with me.

Which means I'm now That Creeper Mommy, sneaking pictures of my sleeping child, then huddling next to him under the covers to write a blog post about it.

Earlier when it was thundery and Nathan was nervous, we cuddled together here and watched videos of him as a baby. Like this one as a toddler brushing his teeth in a DC hotel room. And this one meeting Anneliese. And he got a kick out of this one from the day he was born where I talked to "future Nathan" -- the Nathan in my bed right here right now tonight! (It's enough to blow a preschooler's mind.)

He thought it was hilarious that I still think he looks just like then. That when he sleeps, I still see his newborn lips and his toddler nose. That my long lanky boy is really still a curly squishy baby.

We talked about it before he fell asleep and he agreed not to grow up anymore.

Just kidding he totally insisted he has to turn five in a few weeks. Oh, fine. If you must. *sigh*

But for tonight, we snuggle.

G'night.

T-Rex Hug

The other day Nathan was busy making his t-rex arms and then suddenly proclaimed I should do it too, and then "we should t-rex hug."

So we did.

your daily Nathan

Remind me never to say four-year-olds are anything less than awesome, ever again.

Nathan in the Grass

For those of you who don't have a family best friend who's around occasionally with an extra set of hands and an extra camera, be jealous. My latest favorite from the files of Another Nathan's iphone:

your daily Nathan: by Another Nathan

I can't stop looking at this picture. I'm reminding myself to love this summer and love it hard, because come fall we will be a family with school kids (!) and somehow that feels like a whole new life season or something.  My time of mommying babies and toddlers is already ushering in a new era.

But for now, summer.

We Never Catch Them Sleeping Anymore

So when we do, we take pictures.

When I see them sleeping, they still look exactly like they did in my arms on the days they were born. Same mouths, same lashes, same perfect cheeks. I can't blink or it will turn them back into big kids. And they're definitely not big kids because they're still my tiny babies. And never more beautiful than when they're sleeping.  Well, maybe laughing. But sleeping is a close second. And right now this makes me want to freeze time.

Okay sappy mommy... out.

Freckles

Our kids have a slew of freckly relatives (including yours truly), so it's no surprise that fair-skinned Nathan has a few starting to peek through.

Your daily Nathan

Because his nose wasn't cute enough already?

Sunglasses in Winter, Duh Mom

My two budding fashionistas have suddenly decided, here in the dim of winter, that they need to wear sunglasses.  All the time.  On every car trip. Even when the shades are up in the car and it's not that bright.

I don't mind, really, but they frequently need help getting the arms on over their ears. And they frequently need help with this after I have started driving. (There is lots of eye rolling from the front of the car.)

And when I keep asking why the sudden interest, I get brilliant answers like:

- they match this shirt (Nathan)
- sungasses, yeah! (Anneliese)
- it's good to wear them (Nathan)
- sungasses do it self! (Anneliese)
- mommy, I just like to wear them (Nathan)
- SUNGASSES, YEEEEAH! (Anneliese)

*sigh*

Whatever. It makes them happy.

Your daily Nathan, and daily Anneliese: rockin the shades

And it is, after all, a cute fashion choice.  They're not wrong about that.

My Boys

I love this picture, and both dudes in it, and that they also happen to be my two favorite snugglers (when they're not busy hugging each other).

Your daily Nathan: happy with Daddy

Nothing much, just an easy moment at home. We're thrilled when it happens!

Santa Babies

Your daily Goettsch (and a Grice):

Santaliese

Jolly St Nate

Charlotte the Sleepy Elf

Merry F-ing Christmas and a Very Screamy New Year!
Love, Charlotte and Liam
(Why would my mom reject my brilliant holiday card suggestion?)

Santa babies!

Pehistoric Lego Creations

Legos never get old around here.  True story.
Nathan is dawning on a new age of dinosaur love (an era I was told to expect, an apparent requisite phase for all little boys).  So of course he has been very busy building the perfect prehistoric creature. 

Your daily Nathanosaurus

Look I made a lego dinosaur!  It's a brontosaurus and it has six legs.

Um, yeah. Of course it does. Points for effort?

Chorister Nathan

Part of Nathan's preschool is a weekly worship service, and part of that worship service is teaching the older kids (whoa. mine is now one of the older kids) to lead in singing.  In a choir.

I guess it goes without saying that his favorite part of this is wearing a robe (like mommy! awww).

But the truly unexpected amazing thing is this: Y'all! He actually sings! I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.  But our little social wallflower... he totally sings. Out loud!  (While avoiding making eye contact with anyone he knows, before during or after.  Whatevs.  Baby steps.  He sings!)

And it's maybe the sweetest thing I have ever seen.  I might or might not have cried.

Your daily Nathan: sweet choirboy

It is almost incomprehensible to me that my child is standing in the sanctuary wearing a robe and singing anthems when he was just born... like, a couple weeks ago or something, right?  Whoa.

Nathan Brings It On

So apparently my mom took Nathan and Anneliese to a Davidson basketball scrimmage last weekend when they were visiting.  Nathan wasn't a huge fan of the basketball (word on the street is the buzzers were far too loud and startling and and after some time he was basically crumpled in his seat with his hands over his ears) but... he did like the cheerleaders.

Um, people dancing around and spelling things?  That's basically Nathan's happy place.

He's recently convinced himself that Charlotte's squirms and wiggles are dancing.  Oh and that he taught her to do it.  With his pom-poms.

Your daily Nathan: bringing it on

Somewhere out there, my uncle and aunt (former Wildcat cheerleaders) are doing a happy dance themselves.