Josh Boersma as Clark Griswold

It's times like these that I'm thankful for a husband who never does anything 'halfway.'

I've compiled a number of quotes from the past two days while Josh has been working on getting lights up on the outside of our house...

Yesterday morning while we were getting up and going:
"Well we only have six hours of daylight left. I don't think I'll get everything done today."

When he started hauling the lights inside from the garage attic:
"There was some mouse poop in this sack of lights...
...Hmm...I hope I didn't just bring a mouse in the house."

When I asked if he could PLEASE throw the strings of nonworking lights away:
"Mollie. It's just a simple fix."

As he was starting to plug in and test the first few strings of lights:
"Wow. We're three for three...that can't be right. It's too good to be true."

When he was sorting the working lights from the half working lights from the non-working lights:
"Okay let's see...this one goes in the 'To Be Repaired' pile."

While he inspected a strand of lights and discovered a squirrel had knawed through a couple strings last year:
"Wish I could have seen the squirrel that chewed through this string. *chuckles*"

When I said he shouldn't waste his time 'fixing' Christmas lights:
"It's so easy. See? I already fixed this one. Look...they're just live wires that I hold together and it works. I just need a wire cap. .........I'm not sure what this third bare wire is for though."

While we opened new boxes of white icicle lights and Josh has a special magic way of unfolding and stretching them out so they look the best:
"Do I really have to spend all this time stretching them out? Can't we just let them hang out?" -Mollie
"IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT OUR HOUSE." - Josh

When I mentioned that it didn't seem like he was always so in love with outside Christmas lights:
"Yes I have. I always thought my parents were stupid for not doing them."

While I was burping Maverick and he was watching his daddy organize 20 strings of lights:
"Can Maverick help me hang lights? He totally could! I would just wear him." - Josh
"Absolutley not." - Me
"You're right. DHS would probably be called. Maybe I could just wear him and stand on the bottom rung of the ladder and you take a picture of him helping me." - Josh

When he was insisting we can't put a single string of lights outside unless every little light is working...even if we're just throwing them up in a tree in the backyard:
"Do you think Clark Griswold had non-working lights anywhere on his house?!"

Five minutes ago when I mentioned I was going to write this blog of quotes comparing him to Clark Griswold:
"PSH. CLARK GRISWOLD WHO." 

And because last night when Vern and Patti and Caleb came over, Josh was finishing up the lights on the front of the house...he asked for their help and this was their immediate response:
"Wait. Are we going outside?" - Caleb
"Will we get dirty?" - Vern

Spoken like the true accountants in the family. Bless.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVE EVERYONE!

MmB

A few of my best Christmas decorating secrets

This year our house will look a lot different for Christmas and I AM SO EXCITED. First of all...we have a floor. Which is a big step up from how we partied and hosted and celebrated last year...with gray uneven sub floor. The house was still decorated but I didn't enjoy it as much...the floor situation made Josh pretty irritated for most of the Christmas season, which in turn, didn't make me very cheerful. The spare room (now Maverick's room) had a tree but was full of drills, extra supplies, and about 26 packages of 16x16 tile and I can't quite describe to you how I felt when I had to enter that room. My skin crawled from the junk and the mess and the stress.

All of this coupled with the fact that I was unknowingly pregnant...didn't make for our best Christmas season ever. But this year...I AM LOVING CHRISTMAS SO MUCH ALREADY!

I started decorating on November 1st, one room at a time, because I knew with a baby that demands to be fed every three hours things would probably take a little longer. I was right, but I haven't even minded! I can't wait to spend this year with family and friends...enjoying every night together watching Christmas movies with Josh (if it's not snowing ;), and making memories as a family of three with our little Maverick decked out in his Christmas duds. This Christmas we are not in the midst of renovating a farm house; I don't have a crazy cheer coaching schedule; Josh isn't roofing our house; AND WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL FLOOR!

So as I've been flitting from room to room for the past couple weeks decorating...a few of my favorite tricks and pointers have been coming to mind and I figured I could share them here....

The tree in Maverick's room is a mix of woodsy, rustic, Josh's John Deere ornaments, and of course...glitz. ;)

1. Decorating is my reward for finishing everything else.

I don't let myself decorate a room unless I've deep cleaned it first, the rest of the house is clean, and the laundry, dishes, and billing are all done. I think this has contributed to how fun and enjoyable the decorating process has been. There's nothing I hate more than trying to clean and decorate at the same time. It takes twice as long and isn't nearly as fun. I also can't focus on the room I'm working on if I have a disaster happening in the kitchen. It's the classic, 'You don't get to go play unless your room is clean and your chores are done.' So I think I can thank my mother for handing down this habit to me. ;)

2. Pick a theme.

I think I've finally honed in the theme I'd like for our house. A mix of vintage, glam, antique, rustic, chic is what will be reflected in our home decor this year and it's been a fun challenge. When I was decorating with Josh's sister at her farmhouse a couple weeks ago we were struggling to get every room just 'right' because there was either too much rustic and not enough antique in one corner, or too many shiny new ornaments and not enough vintage touches. So I sat back and realized...not every room in the house needs to look the same, but in order to execute a true and cohesive theme throughout, each room needs a touch of all five of my theme words.

Rustic = Burlap/Pine Cones, Glitz = Silver Ornaments/Beads, Antique = Ornament Box Prints, Vintage = Red Berries

3. Beads, tulle, burlap, ribbons, and lace are your best friend. 

I never realized this before, but trees and garland really come alive when wrapped with all this stuff. I do it in layers by throwing on anything I like to add the perfect mix to reflect the theme. I start by fluffing my trees/garland, adding lights, then the ribbon and/or burlap...then the strings of beads (or other glitz), and THEN come the ornaments. And I do it all really nice and thick...

4. Decorate your trees from the inside out.

Ever seen HGTV's special, 'Christmas at the Whitehouse'? The way those trees and garlands are PACKED with stuff is amazing. That's what I picture when I decorate...in fact last week when Jamie was helping hang ornaments I actually said to her, 'Jamie. Not enough ornaments. Think 'Christmas at the Whitehouse.' The red ornament garland hanging at the end of our bed was Whitehouse-inspired. It's also easier to get that full-effect when I start by decorating from the inside of the tree and work my way out. I don't just lay my lights along the outside branches, I shove them into the middle of the tree and layer them in and out. I end up with a lot of scratches but it's worth it. :)

5. SQUINT.

This is a trick my mom learned from a co-worker, and I kid you not...it WORKS. While I'm doing lights on a tree, every so often, I step back a little ways and squint my eyes. I can IMMEDIATELY tell where the 'holes' in the tree are. And then I can fix them easier than getting lights all the way to the top of the tree and having to re-do everything because there's a hold at the bottom. Initially, they all thought I was crazy but my mom, and mother-and-sister-in-law now also swear by this trick. The only drawback is that when we're all standing around squinting at a tree, we look ridiculous.

What's annoying and funny about this room is that I decorated it a few weeks ago and I've already changed it. That's what I love about decorating so early! I have a long time to move things around until I get it 'just right.' I replaced the glittery barn print with a hymnal wreath and ended up re-doing the tree we have in here...so I'll post a full house tour and a picture of that later.

6. Create a Dave Barnes Pandora station. 

You can thank me later. Actually, don't thank me, thank Katie Kascel who introduced me to this amazing station last year before ThanksChristmas. It's the perfect mix of Matthew West, Michael Buble, Hillsong, Justin Beiber, MercyMe, N*Sync, occasionally Mannheim Steamroller, Kelly Clarkson, Josh Groban, Franchesca Batastelli...ah. It's like Pandora KNOWS exactly what Mollie Boersma wants to listen to while she decorates.

7. Hobby Lobby 50% off.

This year I wanted more beads on my trees...until I realized how freaking expensive those strands of beads are! So Jill and I like that 'My Little Tree' section where a long strand of little silver beads are $2.99...but only $1.50 since everything is 50% off. ;) I use one per garland, and one on the little trees in the house. They're the perfect amount of sparkle without breaking the bank.

8. Husbands. Figure out a creative way to get them to love helping.

I used to really want Josh to help me hang ornaments and garland and make our decorating time together a 'thing' and it took me ONE Christmas to realize this would not be our family Christmas dynamic going forward. I also prefer doing everything myself anyway... ;) But there are certain things I definitely need help with...ie: bringing up the honking tree from the basement, putting lights on the house...things like that. So our compromise is that Josh can watch whatever movie he wants while I decorate as long as he gives me input; pushes pause to help with heavy things; and is in a good mood about all the decorating. And when I said he could pick anything to watch, I meant anything...Die Hard, Fight Club, Boondocks Saints...and the movie he chose three years ago when we started this tradition...Inglorious Bastards. Guess what we watch every year now while I decorate our big tree? And guess who is in the happiest mood and full of Christmas spirit all the while? Mr. Josh Boersma. ;)

I didn't grow up in a house where we decorated every inch of every room...so I like to remind Josh that he can blame his mother for this habit. ;)

9. UNdecorate before you REdecorate.

A few years ago I discovered the trick to making sure my house doesn't look junky and cluttered at Christmas. I PUT AWAY as much decor as possible to have a blank slate before I start in with all the Christmas decor. I like all my stuff but it makes a huge difference. I take all our wedding pictures down in our bedroom, a few frames off the wall in the guest room, and swap some of the shelf decor in Mav's room. Because our house isn't that big to begin with I feel like this is KEY. It all just goes in the empty Christmas totes and back down to the basement to reappear in February. ;)

10. But it's not about the decorating...

So I don't lose sight of what Christmas is really about, I've found that using words, verses, hymns, and quotes really help me reflect and focus on Jesus at Christmas. When we wake up the first thing I see is 'And he shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Price of Peace' and for the rest of the day, that verse from Isaiah 9 plays over and over in my head. In dining room I have a glittery, snowy barn picture with the lyrics, 'Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee.' The banner that will be splayed across our big tree will read, 'Adore Him' in glittery gold writing. And the countless chalkboards in our house will be switched from silly fall sayings to meaningful Christmas verses...for us to stare at all season long...a constant reminder of the true reason for the Christmas season. The reason I decorate. The reason we host parties. The reason we gather with family and friends to celebrate.

It just seems silly to me to decorate with pretty things if I'm not reflecting the prettiest, most amazing thing of all...our Savior who was born to save us. And my hope is that at Christmas, that's exactly what our home does...reflect the beauty and the glory of Jesus. ;)

And here's this little guy in his raccoon jammies enjoying our fresh Christmas sheets.

Does Josh Know How to Change a Diaper?

I'm not sure why, but I get this question A LOT.

And the more I think about it after it's been asked, the more it offends me, on Josh's behalf.

It's like people have a hard time picturing him as a 'dad'...because he never seemed like a 'kid-person' before...or because he's always working, so how could he possibly be around to change diapers? Josh, change diapers? It just feels like people are blatantly questioning his ability to be an amazing, hands-on daddy and I'm a little over it.

The answer is yes of course he KNOWS HOW to change diapers and obviously does so. As I said in a previous blog post...we aren't the kind of couple who bellows back and forth, "IT'S YOUR TURN TO CHANGE HIM BECAUSE I'VE BEEN DOING IT ALL DAY!" But when he's home in the evenings he usually changes Mav at least once, cuddles and burps him after he's done eating, and is a master a getting the bath water to the right temperature while I work on getting baby all naked and ready. Then we obnoxiously give Mav a bath together because his faces are too hilarious for us to miss and he's our only kid...so what else do we have to do?

I didn't even flinch when I left Maverick alone with Josh the first, second, third...umpteenth time because the man has been running a business since he was twelve. I think he can handle a tiny, easy baby for an hour or two. What's shocking is that people ask that a lot too..."Have you left him at home with Josh yet?" "What does Josh think of him?" "Where's Maverick?? Is Josh at home alone with him?"

Uhhh yea. He's his dad...why wouldn't I feel totally comfortable leaving OUR baby at home with him?

We became parents together at the exact same time...so why is it that I have some sort of magical one-up on him just because I'm the mom? We started holding, changing, bathing, and diapering a newborn baby at 12:14 pm on September 1st, so I *think* that makes him as much of a dad as it makes me a mom.

Let's all remember..I wasn't exactly a 'kid person' before having a baby either. I like my niece and nephews...but that's pretty much the extent of it. Most kids annoyed us while we enjoyed our childless life with each other, and I am pretty sure that puts us on the same playing field when it comes to being Maverick's parents.

We both agree that the majority of household and Maverick jobs fall to me since I'm the SAHM, but there is no way Josh wants to be the kind of dad who is nervous to be left at home alone with his kiddos. If you know him, you know he doesn't do anything halfway and Fatherhood is no exception to that. He's also not the most laid back man in the world, which means Maverick is probably safer and better cared for when he's on Josh's watch than mine. Seriously.

So here are a few of my favorite Maverick-Daddy moments from the past two months. ;)

MmB

Maverick: Two Month Update

We have a two-month-old baby boy.

SHTAAAAP.

He's our best little bud.

He has a number of nicknames but my favorites are Punk, Pumpkin, Peanut, Baby, and occasionally Naughty Baby which I say in a happy cheerful tone to make it funny...even when he's being a crab refusing to nap when we know he's tired. Josh's favorite nickname is Little Buddy. That's almost exclusively what he calls him and it's adorable. We realized we rarely call him Maverick or Mav but Josh and I don't really call each other by our names when we're together either...it's always Babe. Always. So we need to get better at the name thing or this kid will grow up thinking his name is Punk and I don't think that would win us any parenting awards.

A few stats for your enjoyment...

Maverick is 22.5 inches long. Let me explain this one. We announced that he was 22 inches long when he was born then went in for his one-month visit and he measured 21 inches. Which was confusing. They said he was probably measured too quickly at the hospital which means our birth announcements were a lie but it's whatever. He's now officially 22.5 inches long.

Mav is 9 pounds and 14 ounces...which means he's a little peanut like his daddy was. And I'm fine with that. His newborn clothes are fitting longer (when eeeeeverybody said I wouldn't even need newborn clothes...HA!) which makes me happy. But what's crazy is that from his appointment last week for his cold to his appointment this week he gained TEN OUNCES. Ya. So last week when he was naughty and sleeping weird and his acne was exploding for a couple of days...it WAS a growth spurt just like I suspected.

On the paperwork I filled out before his visit, I was thrilled to check 'yes' on all the developmental questions...cooing, moving arms and legs at the same time, smiling, focusing/watching us, holding his head up...all that good stuff. He's a PRO. We're annoyingly proud first-time parents. We often comment on how annoying we are but I desperately try and keep the over-the-top 'Oh my baby is the cutest baby ever!' comments to the privacy of our own home. And I also try to keep the Instagram captions more sarcastic and funny instead of bragging about how adorable our baby is. No one cares about that crap but us. And probably the grandmas.

He's wearing newborn/size one diapers. Newborn and a few 0-3 month clothes. Enjoys tummy-time for five minutes before he gets stressed. Likes his car seat and happily rides in the car for short and long distances (within reason...our recent trip to Chicago and back was a little much). Also likes his seat during walks in the stroller and LOOOOOOVES when I carry him in the Baby Bjorn carrier. He likes it too much, in fact...so I only wear him in extenuating circumstances (ie: football games, apple orchard, antique stores where a stroller would be a catastrophe). You won't find this mom wearing her baby while cleaning the house because I'm a pretty firm believer that he needs to learn to sit and entertain himself without being constantly held. He likes his swing, likes sitting in his boppy, basically likes laying anywhere...and I try to switch it up so he doesn't get too dependent on any one thing. Last night he laid on our bed craning his neck to see the TV so he could watch The Hurt Locker. Daddy and Mav had their first War Movie night together. It was precious.

Mav is still a champion at sleeping in his crib but he usually uses a sound machine for the first half hour to get him to sleep (approximately one screaming ambulance per nap drives by our house, so believe me when I tell you...this is necessary). Bedtime is still around 10:00 because Auntie Jill suggested working on getting him to sleep through the night before moving up bedtime in 15-minute increments and since she is the Baby-Sleep-Goddess, that's what I'm doing. When/if he wakes up in the night...I usually go in his room and find an instantly smiley baby. At 4am. It's just ridiculous and I tell him that. Mav had an amazing couple of weeks where he slept from 10-5 or 6 (so I KNOW he's capable of doing it). But then he was sick for a week, got all wacked out during that growth spurt, had some shots on Tuesday, not to mention Daylight Savings Time...so his new 'normal' for the past two weeks has become bedtime at 10, then sometimes he wakes up whining at 1, 3, or 4 needing his paci to get back to sleep...and I give in and feed him around 5 or 6. Then its back to bed until he eats at 9 to start our schedule for the day. My goal for this month is bedtime at 9 and sleeping until 6, which I think will be attainable since he should be hitting 10 pounds any day and Jill said that's the magic sleep-through-the-night number.

What I'm proud of accomplishing this month...Mav goes down without fussing about 85% of the time. And he's gotten REALLY good at his day-time nap schedule. Right now he's up to eat at 9, noon, 3, 6, and 9...then awake for about an hour and a half (sometimes two hours) after he eats before he goes down for a happy nappy. And that's pretty much our schedule every day except Sunday's when we have church at 11. I'm trying to stay consistent during the day so he can figure out what he's supposed to do at nighttime.

I'm not super strict with the sleep training because I haven't read a single thing. Instead I prefer to let other mom's do the research and then I pick the mom's I want to copy. ;) And for sleeping, that mom of choice is my sister-in-law, Jill. Her babies all sleep through the night by 10 weeks and they sleep HARD. Once we stood on Brecken's bed while he was sleeping in it and hung curtains in his room because when we start projects we finish them no matter what time it is. ;) He slept through the whole thing.

I'm writing this for no other reason than to remember it for the future. Because I'll be the first to admit that it's really not interesting.

We get TONS of smiles out of Maverick, especially in the 30-45 minutes right after he eats. He's also starting to get reeeeeally chatty. The other night we let him stay up with us until 10:30 because he wouldn't stop talking and it was hilarious. Then we put him in his crib and could still hear him talking to himself while he fell asleep. I think this means he will be a talker like his mom and Auntie Jamie...probably because that's who he spends most of his time with during the day. ;) I love spending my days with him, but also love leaving him with dad while I run to Fareway or do errands. It gives Josh time to have Mav all to himself and I can get a lot more done a lot faster without having to haul that carrier around.

I think Josh and I went on our first date when Maverick was two weeks old? My mom and sister watched him and we went to Cafe B and The Other Place. We've gone on a couple drives around the lake when we've been home, and a few weeks ago went to Hu Hot while my mom and Jamie watched him again. Leaving him hasn't been a big deal to me and I never really thought it would be since I'm not exactly an overly-emotional person. That, and I know he can't live without me for more than three hours at a time. ;)

We're still rocking and rolling on the breastfeeding thing...I shared some of my thoughts about breastfeeding in my last blog and at some point maybe I'll expound. But for now I'll leave it at that...it's creepy and weird and everyone said, "You'll feel different about it when you're a mom because it's a beautiful bonding experience!" That's what all the books I skimmed said too. But I can officially say I don't. It's just a weird, necessary part of this first year of motherhood. I came to terms with it's weirdness before Mav was even here so it's all good. And I'm glad it hasn't been hard because I would have definitely given up if it had been. He's a good eater, isn't allergic to anything, doesn't seem to have weird reactions to the things I eat, etc. so all good news there.

Baby acne reared its ugly head this month and by that I mean, Maverick had a pretty ugly head there for a couple weeks. He was reeeeally red and splotchy and it's always the worst right after he eats. I didn't panic about this but grandma and Josh definitely did. Josh made me call First Nurse, who told me to tell dad that it was all normal and nothing to worry about. Which I keep reminding him every time it looks bad and he is sure something is wrong. You probably didn't know this, but Josh can be a little high strung sometimes. lol.

A few funny random things to report...Maverick has discovered how to get his hands in his mouth. He will lick on anything remotely near his face...blanket, shirt, hood, etc. He watches TV with big, wide-open eyes. He farts a TON and we laugh at him every single time. Uncle Nathan is the only person who calls him Mav-Rico and I think it's hilarious. He has a big of a mullet at the back of his neck and has started running his fingers through his hair and holding on to it while he eats.

That is pretty much everything I can think of for this month! I love spending my days with this little human. People keep asking me about my transition to staying at home and being a mom and it really wasn't much of a transition. I still see plenty of our friends and family...Josh has been home to cuddle us on a few recent rainy days. Jamie lives in our basement and leaving the house for errands hasn't really been a challenge either because Mav is such a content kid. Church has gone well 4/5 Sunday's, which I've been happy about too.

We are approaching the Most Insane Weekend of 2015...where I will attempt to decorate and attend a Women's Conference, practice for and dance in a Sunday D6 Gathering, and plan and host family for Maverick's Baby Dedication, aaaand celebrate my birthday...so if you think about it, PRAY FOR US. ;)

MmB