panem et circenses

Surviving the endless months at home required a certain amount of panem et circenses to escape what otherwise could be (and sometimes was) an overwhelming situation. I was (am!) so thankful for social media during this time. I mean, it's certainly a double-edged sword. I could for sure do without knowing how...questionable...some of my acquaintances and family members are on matters of politics, science, and common sense. *sigh* But hey, my 'unfollow' finger got stronger and stronger, so there's that. BUT man did social media come in clutch with solid recommendations for books, shows, podcasts, and products to keep me entertained, distracted, and having things to look forward to. In that vein, I figured I'd pay it forward (slash document for the historical record) with some of my favorite things in the Essentially Meaningless but Fun Anyway category, in case Summer 2021 proves to require some distraction, too. (Please ignore/enjoy the mostly random, old, unrelated pictures...but what's a blog without pictures?)

Books

Turns out pandemics result in a lotttt of reading for me! I completed 77 books in 2020, and am at 30 for 2021 so far. Here are a few of my favorites, and please note that in general, I'm looking for total escapism here. I did read a few more serious nonfiction books, but for the most part, I just wanna live in another world when I'm reading. (As always, you can follow me on Goodreads for more reading goodness!)

(Note that I'm skipping most of the 'hottest books of 2020' here, although I read and enjoyed many of them. These books below are mostly older and widely available through your library or Libby!)

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses (series), by Sarah J. Maas. I recommend all 4 novels and 1 novella currently in the series, but be sure to read them in order. I did not used to be a faeries-in-imaginary-lands type person. I am now. Note that this series is marketed as YA for reasons I do not understand, but I would not suggest letting actual young people read it. This is rated R for suuuuure. These books are an investment of TIME, as each one is like 600+ pages, but hey, that's hours upon hours you get to spend thinking about something other than your normal life, so it's a gift, really.

2. The Book of Longings, by Sue Monk Kidd. An absolutely incredible story written from the perspective of Ana, Jesus' (fictional) wife. This story just sucked me in and blew my mind in the best possible way. Hiiiighly recommend. And don't skip the Author's Note at the end.

3. The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. How's your Norwegian 17th century history knowledge? Not so good? Mine wasn't either, but now it's a lot better because this novel based on a true story SUCKED ME IN and took me on some deep Wikipedia research so now I basically AM an expert on 17th century Nordic witch hunts. Speaking of things I didn't see coming for 2020. 

4. The Cruel Prince (series), by Holly Black. Told you I was a faery person now. I can't help it. I adored this trilogy. Honestly the first one wasn't great until maybe the last 25%, but the second and third books were fantastic, so it's still worth the read. These are more normal-length books (compared to ACOTAR) and appropriate for traditional YA audiences.

5. The Book of Strange New Things, by Michel Faber. There's no way to describe this book that doesn't sound insane. A compassionate, ex-addict British minister is recruited by a large, mysterious company to travel to their space base on another planet and serve as a missionary to the native population on that planet. The Bible he brings is their "book of strange new things," and this is a really lovely, slow story that is less action and drama and more interesting ponderings on the nature of faith and culture and relationships. It really sucked me in.

I'm a combo of chaotic neutral, neutral evil, and chaotic evil. SORRY.

Shows

I don't watch as much TV as many folks because I spend all my time reading. But I did manage to keep up with many of the most talked-about shows (because FOMO, and it's nice to have something lighthearted to discuss with folks!) and am thankful for the hours of distraction the following provided.

1. The Wilds (Amazon)- this was described to me as a combination of Lost and Mean Girls, and I'd say that is pretty accurate. Matt and I both enjoyed this one!

2. Bridgerton (Netflix)- If you haven't heard of/watched this by now, there's nothing I can say that's gonna change your mind. It's a delight, and also rated R, and I enjoyed every second of it. It's well-described as Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl.

3. Naked & Afraid (reruns on Hulu or YouTubeTV)- I've already mentioned how much my whole family loves this one! Trust that everything 'naked' is blurred, so your eyeballs will not be offended, and most of the bad language is bleeped, except for every time someone says "Nature is a B****!!" (which is often, because it is) it is NOT, and so Millie regularly asks what that means. Sigh.

4. The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)- SO GOOD!! Almost good enough to make me want to learn to play chess, but nah. But seriously, this one is essential. Watch it.

5. Ginny & Georgia (Netflix)- This one took me by surprise! The description and branding had me expecting something Gilmore Girls-esque, but that is not what I found. I don't even know what genre I'd put G&G in; it covers a lot of ground and is somehow funny/amusing, deep, and thriller-y all at once. I really enjoyed it.

Movies

Well...I was going to think of some movies I liked this year, but then realized that I never watch movies. Who has 2 hours to commit to one thing, when you could be committing 12 hours to 12 episodes of some other thing?? Honestly now. Matt and I did set a goal a few months ago to work our way through the whole Marvel universe (chronologically) and so far we are averaging about one movie a month, for a grand total of 2 movies so far (and I don't remember the names of either. Why are the names of those movies so complicated?? Also I can't tell superheroes apart.) So I'll report back in *checks watch* 2849 years. At this point they create new content at a faster rate than we can consume it, so if my math checks out (and it always does), we will never finish.

Podcasts

Now podcasts I have time for! I took an unscheduled break from podcasts for the first 6-8 months of the pandemic because my normal 'podcast listening time' was during my commute, which disappeared along with my office. Eventually I started finding new podcast time, and now that I'm back to my usual commute, I'm firing on all cylinders with my old (and some new!) faves.

1. The Popcast. Shoutout to my faithful friends who didn't give up on me, even though they recommended The Popcast for years and I ignored them. Eventually I gave in, and I'm so glad I did. But the bonus that comes along with waiting a million years to start a pod is that now I have 8 years of back episodes to listen to, so I'm constantly laughing. Matt also enjoys listening to this one, so it's perfect for putting on in the car (if Millie isn't there, or is on her iPad. There's nothing objectionable on this one, but she doesn't *get it* and bothers me asking for explanations of every other sentence, so that's a waste of podcast time if you ask me.). I like how this one is totally standalone episodes, so you can just browse the titles and descriptions and find something that sounds fun, and you're good to go for an hour!

2. Pantsuit Politics. Man, Beth and Sarah, the hosts of PP, have been some of my best friends the past few years. I am so thankful for their calm, educated, measured perspective on the news, and I always look forward to new episodes. 

3. Dolly Parton's America. It's been awhile since I listened to this one, but I really enjoyed it. Obviously Dolly is our queen, but it was so interesting to understand more about her life, career, and historical and current cultural impact. This is one that needs to be listened to in order!

4. The Lazy Genius. This is one I run to when I want practical tips on how to make one particular thing in my life better in about 20 minutes. Seriously, it's kind of the format. Laundry. Meal planning. Buying gifts. Finding your holiday decorating personality. Each episode (just browse the ep titles) targets a very specific 'thing' with the goal of "being genius about things that matter, and lazy about things that don't." I find this pod to be encouraging and usually super helpful!

5. Planet Money. This is another go-to for one-off, fascinating topics. I'm pretty sure Matt listens to every single episode, and this is one of our favorites for road trips. Planet Money is equal parts entertaining and educational, so you can't beat that!

Stuff

And here's where I'll throw in the miscellaneous things that have made life fun over the last year!

One of our many, many family "scoot-scoots" this year. That's little sis on Matt's back. ;)

1. Scooters. Guys, they're not just for kids anymore. I know I mentioned this the other day, but getting scooters for me and Matt was one of the most fun things about this year! I have this one and I honestly adore it! The handlebars come up high enough that it's a very comfortable ride. (Matt got a different one, and I'm not exactly sure which one, to link, but I don't like it as much. The handlebars don't go as high.) What's really fun is that our cul-de-sac neighbors also have their own adult scooters, and so all 4 adults plus our 2 first graders are often found having a scooter party in the cul-de-sac, and if that's not cool, I don't know what is.

2. Olive & June nail polish. I was swayed by my Instagram ads (they're just so good) and I'm not mad about it. Since I haven't been going to salons for the last year, I decided to redirect that money towards O&J polishes and I am SO happy about it! The top coat is the key, though. The colors are fantastic, but that top coat is clutch and means I don't have a chip for like...an entire week. Unheard of. You can get O&J at Target now, but the display at my local Targets are always somewhere between super picked over and completely empty, so ordering direct is the only way to ensure you have a comprehensive selection. 

(Not O&J polish, but the closest thing I had to a professional mani for about a year)

3. Skrewball peanut butter whiskey. I mean, you didn't think we were gonna survive a pandemic acting like teetotalers, did ya?? Ha. Our neighbors introduced us to this delightful beverage and man, is it a treat. You can get it at probably any liquor store near you, and I highly recommend that you do. The sooner the better. We usually drink it straight up, but it's also fantastic mixed into a milkshake or your hot chocolate!

4. Sleeping Queens card game. This is a super fun little game that friends recommended early in the pandemic, and I'm so glad they did! It's simple enough for kids (Millie was 5 when we got it and she could play independently after maybe two or three times of being on a parent's 'team') and not boring or annoying for adults. You know it's not easy to find games in that sweet spot! Plus it's cheap (less than $10) and takes up no space. Grab a spare deck in case you need an emergency birthday present sometime. 

5. Educational Instagrammers. Who knew- social media can be for more than just cute pictures of babies and puppies and food! I am thankful for finding some experts in their fields who are both entertaining and very educational, and since most of my friends follow them too, it's been so wonderful being able to have educated, fact-based conversations about things we otherwise might not know much about! Here are two of my faves, both on Instagram:

-@kinggutterbaby- Laurel is an infectious disease specialist at Emory who primarily studied global health and tuberculosis before focusing on Covid this past year. She is hilarious, brilliant, and colorful (in personality and language, haha). She has a million highlight stories that cover basically everything related to Covid, so if you're interested in data-driven information, explained by a scientist who also speaks plain English, I highly recommend her!

-@sharonsaysso- Sharon is "America's Government Teacher" and all-around incredible human. She not only answers questions (only with facts!), she teaches us all how to FIND facts on our own, explains where the facts came from, and what they mean for us now. She is funny, calm, non-partisan, generous, and intersperses her government talk with a lot of whale pictures and facts (besides government, whales are her other passion). I learn something new every day from Sharon, and her language and content is completely appropriate for anyone from your kindergartener to your great-grandma. 

currently

A little update on what's going on currently...interspersed with completely unrelated but adorable pictures of the Millster.

***

Listening...I listen to random Pandora stations and Amazon playlists all day at work, but my JAM this year (well, since June) is the Binge Mode: Harry Potter podcast. GUYSSSSS. If you are a HP fan (and you should be), you GOTTA be listening to this super deep dive into all facets of the HP universe. It's amazing. Go back and start with Sorcerer's Stone (duh) and get ready to have your mind blown. Fair warning (which they run as a disclaimer before every single episode): spoilers, language, and adult content abound, so this isn't one to listen to while your kids are in the car!!

First manicure she gave herself!

Eating...uhhh one of my coworkers brought in the Krispy Kreme coffee glazed doughnuts today and they are pretty fab. Other than that I'm just trying to convince fall to come to Georgia by cooking and eating lots of fall foods (pumpkin bread, hearty soups, etc.). It hasn't worked yet, but I'll keep trying.

Drinking...lots of flavored fizzy water. Ooh but the other morning my throat was a little sore, so I stopped by Starbucks and got the Medicine Ball tea- one of the fabled 'secret menu' items. I wasn't entirely sure what was in it, but it seemed like a good idea. And it was SO GOOD!!! I'm not a big tea fan, but this was delish. And a lot cheaper than whatever I normally get, haha. And I gotta say, my throat felt a ton better and hasn't hurt again since, and I'm truly a little disappointed because I want an excuse to go get another one. Hahahaha. 

Wearing...my summer clothes for the 300th month in a row. I'm willing to eat fall foods to usher in the season, but I'm not quite crazy enough to wear fall clothes in 90 degree heat. I'm actually still wearing my white jeans because I'm just a rebel like that.

Watching...well last night was the Season 3 premiere of This is Us, so you know I was all over that. I also started watching The Handmaid's Tale last weekend!! Aahhhhhhh. Yikes. I've read the book, but it's something else to see it!! I'm only 3 episodes into the first season, but looking forward to getting through the rest of it. Sorta. A little too real, you know?

Wanting...besides cooler weather? Not a whole lot. I'm thankful for a more peaceful season of life right now!

Enjoying...our new house, downtown life, and my smart, funny kid. Her musings and observations are SO funny and spot-on right now, she keeps me and Matt laughing all the time. Oh, and crying sometimes. Rabbit trail, but Exhibit A: this morning we passed a cemetery on our way to work (it's right next to our neighborhood, so we walk by it at least once a day). Sometimes she talks about it/asks questions and sometimes she doesn't, but she has a general understanding that it is a place that we bury people when they have died, and the gravestones have their names on them. Usually she just wants me to read her the names on them, which I do. So this morning she was noting that some of the graves have pretty flowers, some have old, yucky flowers, and some have no flowers. I tried to explain that families who live close by might be able to come over and take care of their loved ones' graves and put pretty flowers, but if the person who died doesn't have any family nearby, then there may not be anyone to come put out pretty flowers. "Well, that is very sad if there are no flowers," she said. "But WE live close by, Mommy, so can we get some flowers for the people that don't have any? We can help take care of them, right?" (Mommy commences sobbing, obviously- "yes, Millie, we can do that. That's very kind of you.") Then she muses out loud to herself: "And I remember when Jesus died, and that was very sad, so people brought flowers to remember him. But then he went to heaven!! And when all THESE people die (gestures to the cemetery), Jesus makes a ladder for them so they can go to heaven, too."

Her sweet, sweet little heart. What a gift.

In related news, guess I need to start a GoFundMe, cause there are a lottttt of graves with no flowers, and there is no stopping my girl once she's decided she's going to do something!

life lately

Well, the Olympics have ended, and with it my reason for living. Or not, I guess, but it is really sad. But I do like going to bed at a decent hour and not having to wait until 11:48 p.m. to watch the ONE WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS EVENT THEY'VE BEEN TEASING ALL EVENING, so I'll focus on that. But seriously, NBC. That's frustrating. Do better in 2020.

I filled the Olympics-shaped void in my heart with Stranger Things last week. I highly recommend it. The first couple of episodes were super stressful to me, but I still loved it, and I think the ending was fantastic. And now I'm obsessed (and I don't use that word lightly) with Gaten Matarazzo, the kid that played Dustin. If you hear that I've been arrested and thrown into prison, you can 100% trust that it's because I tried to kidnap Gaten. I just can't help it. He is the funniest, most adorable non-Millie kid I've ever seen. He gives me hope for the future of our world. But the main thing you need to know is that he sang Bring Him Home from Les Mis (and P.S.- he used to BE in Les Mis on Broadway!!!) at a karaoke birthday party and it is the greatest video on the internet. So go watch it.

In less creepy news, Millie is as sassy and hilarious as ever.

She has buckets of opinions and personality and she keeps us in stitches most of the time. A few times recently, when I've gone into her room in the morning to wake/get her up, she jumps up in her crib and yells "I AWAKE!!!!!" as soon as I enter the room. And she has that same happy enthusiasm for pretty much all of life.

Well, except for the things that she doesn't like or doesn't want to do, including but not limited to: being offered a sippy cup that offends her. Being offered a different cup that is also terrible. Not being offered any more cups. Being thirsty, but not finding any acceptable drinking vessels in the whole world. Going outside (because of bees). Not going outside (want outside!!). Wanting milk, but only from Mommy's Yeti, which IS NEVER AN OPTION BUT IT IS THE ONLY THING IN THE WORLD THAT MIGHT MAKE HER HAPPY. And um...some more things. You know. It's tough being two.

If we can navigate those tricky scenarios properly, though, she really is just the happiest kid. And right now she LOVES her babies. She is quite a little mama, and it makes me so happy to see her model what I can only assume are the amazing parental models she sees at home. ;) Although I don't feel like Matt and I run over Millie with huge dump trucks quite as often as she seems to with her babies, but I'm sure she'll grow out of that some day.

I've been busy hitting up all of the local "fall" (hahaha lol Georgia) consignment sales lately, and I got this building set thing because it seemed STEM-y and smart and what-not. It was super fun and all but maybe I'm not quite ready for toys like this because a) I almost had a heart attack at all of the PIECES all over the floor, and b) I couldn't actually let Millie help or touch it because the whole thing was very fragile and everything had to be just so in order for it to stay together, and her bulldozer approach to life didn't really work with that. But she was nice enough to smile for a picture inside my finished product, moments before I put the whole thing away and said "maybe we can get it out again in five years."

She's doing really well with potty training. She's wearing pull-ups most of the time during the day at school and is successful on the potty probably 75% of the time, maybe? At home she mostly wears undies and I'd also say she's maybe 75% successful. I told her that when she doesn't wear any more diapers or pull-ups and wears her undies ALL of the time (well, not at night), she will be a Big Girl and she can get her ears pierced. This is a big deal- she LOVES my earrings and is always putting things on her ears, pretending she has earrings, so I figured it would be a good incentive. So far it is, because I hear "no dipe-dipe. EARRINGS!!" and "yay undies. EARRINGS!" many times a day. 

The swing set is still a big hit and also the biggest hurdle to potty-training, ha. Most of her accidents occur out there because she can't be bothered to go inside to take care of business. So I guess we need to get a porta-potty installed or something. Gotta set her up for a win so she can get those earrings, right??! (P.S. Browsing the toddler earrings on Amazon is way more fun than it should be. I'm as excited about this as she is! But I can't decide if we should get her ears done at like Claire's or at a tattoo/piercing place. Our peds office doesn't do them. I've heard good arguments for both options...any opinions or experience with that?)

We had a scary day last week- when Millie woke up on Wednesday morning, she couldn't walk. Like her right knee buckled out and she screamed in pain any time she tried to put weight on it. It was horrible. I have videos and they will make you cry. She was slithering on her belly to get around. I was scared to death because she was totally fine the day and night before, hadn't had any unusual falls or injuries- how on earth did she hurt herself badly enough to be unable to walk overnight??! We took her to the pediatrician, and he wasn't able to figure it out, so he sent us to an orthopedist. They did several knee, leg, and hip x-rays, but also couldn't find anything amiss. Through the course of the day, though, she'd gradually gotten better and was walking again- first with a severe limp, and later on with hardly a limp at all. By the next day, she wasn't even limping. It was the weirdest thing. We had a follow-up with the orthopedist two days later, and she was still completely fine. So he said it was probably toxic synovitis (scary name, not scary condition) or (my theory, which he said was also plausible) she may have slept with her leg caught in her crib slat and had a severe 'crick' in her hip or knee that took awhile to wear off. I don't know. But I sure am glad she recovered quickly, and I am so thankful for her good health in general. 

And that's all the news from here. I'm looking forward to the weekend and "moving in" to our new attic that Matt recently finished building- now all the junk important, save-worthy items taking up space in our closets and garage can be relocated to a toasty, out-of-the way location! High five for hoarding. And also- it is the last weekend before college football starts back!! Hoooorray!! 

my funny girl

Well, despite my lack of posting, life's just kept on trucking away. I'm finally feeling pretty good again. Despite the unexpected allergic reaction from HAAAADES, I still think that my overall healing from surgery was quicker this time around. Perhaps because I had two less procedures rolled into the surgery this time? (Last time I had a D&C and hysteroscopy in addition to the laparoscopy.) At any rate, I'll take it. I was desperate to get back to playing with my girl!

Who, me? I'm just hiding in my new favorite spot! Boo!

This kid. She cracks me up daggum ALL. DAY. LONG. (Even when I'm away from her at work. Part of my brain thinks about work stuff while the other (better) part of my brain reflects back on whatever nutty thing she did that morning...multitasking at its finest!) 

Millie had an amazing streak of being healthy. From her 12-month well-visit until her 15-month well-visit (count it: THREE WHOLE MONTHS!!!) she had NO sick visits in between!! It was her longest streak to date. And I must have told that statistic/story to 1,389 people since the 15-month visit a few weeks ago...and I clearly jinxed her. Because since mid-November (the day before my surgery, to be exact), she's had FOUR SICK VISITS. Making up for lost time, I suppose. Womp. Nothing ever super tragic or alarming or scary, just run-of-the-mill colds/viruses/ear infections (yup, even with tubes). With her asthma, though, all of these generic winter ailments make her breathing get scary, so I always err on the side of taking her in to make sure her lungs are clear. So far so good, just lots of extra breathing treatments. I swear...that nebulizer is like my second child. I feel like it needs a monogrammed Christmas stocking next to the rest of ours.

I know exactly how to work this thing! It's my favorite game!

Everybody gets to have a turn. Even Lola! (true story)

Last weekend we went to a UGA basketball game- it was SO much fun! I'm not even remotely a fan of basketball, but a friend gave us free tickets and I figured Matt deserved a night of doing something besides waiting on me hand and foot (haha just kidding, why would he want a break from that?), so we went! I had a hunch Millie would enjoy the loud music (both from the sound system and the band), people, and general activity/festiveness of a college sporting event, and I was definitely correct.

No, I will NOT look at the camera, Mom. IT IS TIME FOR CLAPPING!!!!

Still can't look at the camera. I heard there was a mascot nearby...

OH WAIT, THERE'S THE MASCOT!! AHHHHHH!!! HELLLLPPPPPP!!!!!

Poor baby. I guess even the World's Happiest Baby has her limits.

At any rate, we had a lot of fun AND I even learned a few things...like why players get different numbers of free throws after being fouled! Not that I've ever watched much basketball, but I had observed that sometimes they get one throw, sometimes two...and I just figured it was random or something. NOT SO! Anyway...you're never too old to learn something new, I suppose! (Thanks to Matt for putting up with an entire half of my idiotic questions.) (Now, back to your waiting on me hand and foot.)

On Saturday we decided to go ahead and get our Christmas decor out. We'll wait til we get back from Thanksgiving to get the tree, but this way we can spread out the work a little...and plus, I just really felt like getting Christmas-y. Plus, I had my amazing helper this year!!

She very carefully arranged the nativity all by herself. I only had about 248 heart attacks as she womped my grandmother's priceless (to me) figurines around...

 I'd totally forgotten that last year after Christmas I'd bought this vinyl tree/ornament set on sale! We set it up on the fridge and Millie has enjoyed playing with it as much as I'd hoped she would!

If only my parents understood that I WANT ALL OF THE ORNAMENTS TO BE IN ONE HUGE PILE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER AND I NEED THEM TO STOP "FIXING" THEM!!!!

I'm happy because I just stuck one of the yummy stickers in my mouth and my mommy hasn't found it yet!

Now I just need to convince her that this tree is waaaaaay more amazing and exciting than the soon-to-come real tree!

Sorry, is this post getting obnoxiously long? I can't help it. She's too funny. I must share.

 She always wants to carry her blankies, but she trips over them. Sometimes I wrap them up like a scarf, which is precious AND practical. This morning, she was also carrying her beloved lemur, Petunia, around. Right before I managed to get my camera, she had been carrying Petunia kinda up under the 'scarf,' and she totally looked like she was nursing Petunia. HA. It was adorable and hilarious, trust me. Maybe you had to be there.

She's taken a liking to playing in our shower lately. I know. GROSS. If only she knew how infrequently we clean that thing!! Haha. Anyway, on Sunday, she decided to go spend some time enjoying a beverage in the shower...with my shoe. Because of course.

Uhh...a little less photographing, a lot more pushing, lady. Get with it.

It may be frigid winter now (alright, so it's about 50. That's cold for us!), but that doesn't stop Mills from wanting to play outside all the time. Looks like I'll be sucking it up and getting cold this winter, because a Millie that's been told "no" about playing outside is NOT a happy Millie. And yes, she does wear tiny, adorable reindeer slippers all the time. BECAUSE SHE IS THE CUTEST THING THAT HAS EVER EXISTED.

Okay, enough. I just didn't want anyone to think my lack of posting was due to a lack of cute pictures or stories to tell. It's mostly due to the fact that I got totally sucked into Jane the Virgin and had to watch every single episode, and that's required a lot of time and commitment. But now I'm current (to last night's episode...which is, I suppose, as current as is humanly possible) and so maybe I can make time for other stuff. 

Well, my coughing, snotty little grump grump (this week she's a grumpy sick person. Blah. Normally her personality goes unscathed, but not this week) needs her mommy to come cuddle. She's been so miserable at night that we let her sleep with us, which is simultaneously just lovely and also incredibly obnoxious, ha! It's all fun and games until you get sucker-punched/kicked in the gut (the gut that just had surgery...) in the middle of the night. Seriously, though. I don't know how real co-sleeping families do it. Millie flips and flops around ALL night long, and so trying to accommodate all that in between Matt and me in a queen sized bed? Ummm no. Not easy. But she's sick and this makes her feel better (or so I tell myself) (and also it keeps US from having to run to her room to soothe her every two seconds), so we'll embrace it for another night. Adios!

halloween. and some other stuff, too.

Millie's second Halloween has come and gone, and I must say...my baby in a costume really doesn't get old. I need to find more excuses to dress her up in fluffy adorableness. Pageants, perhaps? Okay, maybe not.

This year, Matt and I got into the spirit and went all out with a family theme. Probably the easiest/laziest theme ever, but it's the thought that counts. 

The best flower we've ever grown!

We were a pair of gardeners with our prize sunflower (and also a butternut squash in Matt's hand...because of course). Since I just know you're dying for the details on my amazing outfit, I'll tell you: I dug around for one of Matt's old button-downs, and scoured my garage for the least-sharp gardening tools I could find and manage to carry around a bowling alley for the night (since that's where our church's costume party takes place). Then I showed TRUE commitment to the cause by going to my actual garden and RUBBING ACTUAL DIRT ALL OVER MY FACE AND CLOTHING. So...yeah. Commitment. I'm not a rub dirt on my face kinda girl. Because that dirt went on top of my fully made up Tarte-and-Urban Decay-and-Benefit face. It crushed my spirit a little. But we won the costume competition, so I guess it was all worth it.

Unlikely, but there's a chance that we didn't win because of my dirty face. It coulda had something to do with the flower, but I guess we'll never know.

I have no idea what is going on! Why am I wearing this?!

I had no idea how Millie would feel about the costume, but luckily, she turned out to be a fan. She's worn the costume (including the hat) for probably a collective 7-8 hours over the last week, and she doesn't seem to think it's anything but fun! In fact, she's even been spotted digging the hat part out of her closet and attempting to put it on during non-costume-designated times!

I feel certain this should sit somewhere up here.

I WILL figure this out, dangit!!

 Please stop and die over that little lip stuck out as she concentrates. This is a regular feature around these parts and I could probably (and might) make a sizable coffee table book featuring just pictures of her making this face. It is too much. I can't handle it. I hope that one day she decides to take AP Calculus or something really hard like that and I'm going to quit my job and just stalk her around her school so that I can watch her make this face all the time. That doesn't seem creepy at all, right? Great.

Hey chillllldren!!! Come here! I will give you one piece of candy, VERY slowly and VERY carefully!

Millie took her candy-handing-outing duties very seriously last night. She was all about pulling a piece of candy out of our pumpkin bucket and depositing it into Elsa or Spiderman's bucket. It was really cute that other little kids (well, bigger than her, but still little) found this as endearing as we did. She is the cutest flower I've ever seen!!!, said one fourish-year-old boy who was apparently as smart as he was precious.

We paused our candy-passing for a few minutes to walk Millie over to a few neighbors' houses to show her off get candy. As suspected, she was a big hit. She can't say "trick or treat," but she waves, claps, smiles, and makes the sign language 'more' sign, soooo...she went over really well.

Incidentally, it was also Matt's first trick-or-treating experience! I didn't even know it until we were headed to the second house, or else I definitely would have had him pose with a little chalkboard sign that said "Matt's First Trick-or-Treating, 2015" or something like that. He just dropped it in all casually...so hey, what're the odds? Matt and Millie both experiencing their firsts on the same night? Precious. (Matt felt like I shouldn't have been so surprised that he'd never trick-or-treated before...as he has told me at least a thousand times before, his family attended a  Hallowed Be Thy Name church festival/party/thingie instead...which I definitely remember and laugh about on the reg, but it never really sunk in that that meant he HAD NEVER GONE TRICK OR TREATING!!!)

So in non-costumed-and-sugar-laden news, Millie has been exceptionally adorable and hilarious lately. I mean, she's always adorable...but she is just at a really fun age now where she's legitimately hilarious most of the time. And she knows it. This girl is t.r.o.u.b.l.e.

Who, me? I'm not trouble. I'm just really serious. And I will make this serious face until you laugh...which takes about one second.

 Her faces these days. I can't.

I MADE A CROWN AT SCHOOL AND I HAVE A BALLOON AND IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT AND I CAN'T EVEN PRETEND I'M NOT LOVING LIFE RIGHT NOW!!!!

 And yes, she does have 480 teeth. Ugh. Why don't you ask how much she loves to brush them all?

...........

Yeah. That's how much. If my arm muscles are looking particularly well-defined lately (HAHAHAHA), it's all due to our twice-daily alligator wrestling matches where we attempt to prevent tooth decay. And fail miserably.

On the plus side, I guess if all of her teeth rot and fall out, she will look like a little baby again!!! Wooo!!! #silverlinings

I may raise hell every time you brush my teeth, but look how happy I am in the bathtub!! Just stick to my strengths, okay, Mom?

 Now that the time has changed, our days of taking a walk after dinner are probably done. Too dark. Waaaah. Because she's just figured how much fun it is to lean back and laugh and laugh up at us while we push her...and it's really the best thing ever.

She started attending a new school a few weeks ago, and she's adjusting beautifully. I love that she's so confident and that her happy little personality shines so brightly even in a new place. Her new teachers have pretty much got her figured out already:

1. She's happy all the time, except for when a meal/snack is over. 

Who, me? I didn't become a big girl by pussyfooting around the dining room table, Mommy...

I am just so proud of the brave, joyful, loving little girl she's growing into. She always has a smile and a wave for everyone. It makes me so happy to see her so confident and happy in a new place- but also to see her face light up as she sprints to see me when I come pick her up each day. That really is the best.

So now it's November, and I suppose I'll start listening to Christmas music any day now. I won't actually do any shopping or decorating for another month, but I can definitely get on board with pulling out my Pentatonix Christmas albums ASAP.

Hopefully it won't be Thanksgiving before I get around to blogging again- haha, but also...practically accurate. I've been meaning to do a 'day in the life' post for like six months, but haven't felt ambitious enough to actually do it yet...but maybe someday. Anyway. Gotta get back to watching through Season 4 of Scandal. It's as horrible and awesome as ever! Also, anyone watching Madame Secretary or Jane the Virgin? I've heard good things and am considering adding them to my post-surgery playlist...which by now is so long that I will need to take at least a year to recover from surgery, ha! Oh well! Gotta do whatcha gotta do...and Netflix just isn't gonna watch itself, right? Right.

lately

Things I’ve Been Doing Instead of Blogging:

1. All the Fall Things

Her little bow shadow? And the belly? TOO MUCH!

2. All the Boring Things, like work. And laundry. And dishes. And brushing teeth. Just kidding, that's not boring. It's alternately hilarious and torturous. You never know which it'll be, either, so it's an adventure every time!

During this particular episode, she used one hand to wave at herself in the mirror the entire time she brushed. Naturally she stopped as soon as I pulled the camera out.

3. Freaking out about the Big Gilmore News!!! And enjoying the camaraderie of freaking out with my friends and coworkers who are equally jazzed about this amazing development.

4. Planning for surgery next month.

Yep. Time for another exciting endo surgery!! That was the conclusion of my visit with the RE last week…sorry, nothing fun involving new babies or hopes of new babies. Just confirmation that my pain isn’t all in my head…I have some sizeable cysts and noteworthy endo growth, so in mid-November I’ll let him take it all out again. Womp womp. I’m not terribly nervous about surgery this go round, since I know more what to expect…but I do dread the long recovery and all the days I won’t be able to fully play with and hold Millie! I’m trying to focus on the positive, though- when it’s all done, I’ll have a lot less pain to deal with on a regular basis. And also, even though recovery will suck…think how much Netflix I can watch!! I’m currently accepting suggestions for shows to marathon during recovery. I’m presently leaning towards Friday Night Lights, but open to other ideas!

5. Fake shopping.

We’ve spent/are spending way too much money on medical bills this year for me to justify actually going shopping, so I just live vicariously through filling up shopping carts online and then closing the window without ordering. It’s fun. Kinda. Until I go to my closet to get dressed and I’m like “I should wear those black ankle boots--- oh yeah, I don’t actually own those. Dangit.”

6. Reading.

In addition to my book club book each month, I usually read about a book a week. Because ‘shopping’ at the library is free, haha. I’m currently working on The Royal We for book club this weekend and I looove it so far!! We wanted a lighter read, since last month we read Beyond Belief, which was a really heavy (and long. And repetitive.) look into a girl born into/leaving Scientology. I enjoyed it, but…yeah. It’s time for a fun book, and this one is definitely fitting the bill!

So that’s what I’ve been doing. The list of things I haven’t been doing lately is also really long, including such exciting things like cleaning my house, blogging (obvs), exercising, cooking (sorry, Matt), and doing basically anything during my free time that doesn’t involve my favorite girl. But oh well. I’ll clean the house when Millie’s 14 and too cool to hang out with her lame old mom. Although we all know that’ll never happen, because we are totally going to be Lorelai and Rory.  (Don’t you love how it all comes full circle? Millie. Gilmore Girls. Rinse and repeat.)

You will always be my favorite, Mommy! Unless you make me brush my teeth.

soggy weekend, crazy dreams.

It's been a relaxing and v.e.r.y. r.a.i.n.y. weekend. I can't really overstate how rainy it's been for the last two weeks or so. RAINY. Rainy. Rainy. Okay. Now that I've got that out of my system...I'm just thankful that I'm not an elementary teacher anymore, ha. The endless days of being stuck indoors are bad enough with just one easily-entertained one-year-old. God bless the teachers stuck with 22 four-year-olds. 

We spent Saturday watching our football team lose a much-anticipated game. The weather fit the mood. I was just thankful we were watching from the dry comfort of our house and not getting soaked to death at the stadium. 

We also had our wee one to keep us entertained and focused on the positive. She amused herself for basically the entire game by playing with the balloons we brought home from lunch at Chick-fil-a.

THESE BALLS FLY IN THE AIR BUT DON'T FLY AWAY?!?! What kind of witchcraft is this??!

 She's also still going strong with her enthusiastic clapping obsession, so she made sure to support the Dawgs whenever we did anything remotely good. Which wasn't often, but whatever.

Now we clap, Daddy. Stop being depressed. Show some support!

 Later that evening after dinner, Millie was still hanging out in her high chair and Matt and I stepped into the living room for two seconds to watch some replay or something. We came back to find this:

What? I heard one-shoulder shirts were in this year!

I'll just clap for myself and my amazing sense of fashion, then!

 This morning we woke up to the first non-rainy day in recent history. Before we headed out to church, we let Mills run around and enjoy being out of the house. It was incredibly windy, and that seemed to amuse her greatly!

We tried to take some pictures, but it was difficult (and hilarious) (and hideous) because the wind was so fierce. If you have bangs (or have kids with bangs)...you know the struggle. It's real. Also, the cat was running around at our feet, and what with 200 days of being indoors, Millie had evidently forgotten we even had a cat...she was REALLY EXCITED to discover Aidan!

These pictures all cracked me up, though, so I figured I'd share. We just can't get enough of this girl and her giggles!

This is totally her face most of the time. She's such a happy girl!!

DAT BELLY.

I die.

So anyway, what with all the rainy days and nights, I've been watching a lot more TV (well, Netflix) than usual. We made excellent use of her naptimes and post-bedtime hours all weekend and are nearly through Season 5 of Walking Dead. I also squeezed in a few eps of Gilmore Girls (late season 4) when I needed a little pick-me-up. This would not really be worth reporting EXCEPT that the odd combination of shows apparently mashed up in my brain and gave me a REALLY WEIRD dream last night.

I don't remember much of it, just the dilemma I was facing: both Luke and Rick were in love with me, and I was having to choose. LUKE?! or RICK!?!? Holy cow. The struggle was super real, yo. 

When I woke up this morning I told Matt, but before I even got to the part about Rick v. Luke, he was like "oh gosh, Stars Hollow would NOT make it during the zombie apocalypse." And like...yeah. Truer words have never been spoken. So now in addition to pondering my Luke/Rick decision (because that's important. I still haven't made a decision.), I'm also trying to imagine how the zombie apocalypse would go down in Stars Hollow. I've basically come to the conclusion that no one would survive, except maybe Kirk. And Emily. And possibly Miss Patty.

So in conclusion, if anyone wants to write some Gilmore Girls/Walking Dead fan fiction, I'm totally up for reading that. Also, feel free to weigh in on the Rick v. Luke decision, since that seems like something I'll definitely need to have an answer for in the near future. (Matt was like "where was I??"...I was like...uhh, not there. I guess the zombies got you. Or Rick got rid of you so he could move in on me. Anyway, not relevant. Let's not make this decision harder than it already is.)