First.

Today has been one of those days...

You know the kind, when the hours seem to drag on and you run out of things to do. 

When you wake up extremely early to take on the day only to figure out the day has nothing in store for you.

This month has been one of those months...

The first month of the year. The beginning of a new semester. Tax season. New resolutions. Goals.

I'm really looking forward to this year. Forward. Because that's where we're headed right?

At least no matter what kind of day or month it is, I get to spend it with this guy.

Happy belated New Years to you and yours.

Untitled.

So the past few weeks have been insane.

I've probably touched my computer twice in the past month. 
Between the last days of crunching for finals, I also switched from part-time to full-time at my job. Hello ten to twelve hour days, goodbye to my already nonexistent social life and time with my boys.

I have missed scouring my favorite blogs, pinterest and etsy.
I feel like my days are somehow longer but the time is shorter.

I didn't even get around to doing Christmas cards to send out this year. I wanted to take a day to dress Nikolas up and take him to do the pictures myself with my awesome camera, that might I add, I have barely gotten to play with. I feel really guilty/sad about not having Christmas cards. There's always next year though right?

Besides all of that though, the days that I have been home have been awesome. Nikolas is such a chatter box. I can almost have a conversation with him. He's totally nuts about the Christmas tree and always asks us to turn the lights on for him. He gets the whole idea of presents and I think he will have a blast opening them.
I mean the kid is getting a brand new Mercedes and a tablet for Christmas...

The tablet I have nothing to do with, that was all dad's idea so that he would leave the iPad alone. I'm not sure how I feel about a two year old having a tablet yet. I mean he does pull up YouTube and activate the voice command so that he can say 'puppy'. I still think there is a thing as too much technology. That warrants a lot of arguments around these parts so more on that later.

On a cheerier note, I'll have both Christmas Eve and day off, paid. Score!

We will be all over the place on Christmas Eve. Christmas day we will enjoy a nice and relaxed morning at our home before heading out for brunch at a close family friend's home.

I'm really excited for the New Year, and slightly worried because it will probably be the busiest year of my entire life. I have never had to juggle a full time job, a child and full time school. Not only that but working around my husbands crazy EMT schedule will be really tough. So slightly freaking out, partly excited. Who am I kidding, I AM FREAKING OUT!

So happy holidays to all, stay safe and enjoy every minute of being with your families.

Parenting and Patience.

The past few days Nikolas has been quite the little tyrant. 
I feel like the only word coming out of my mouth is 'no'.

He demands everything and pitches the biggest tantrum when he doesn't get it. Arms flailing, legs kicking and everything.
He is also learning how to completely ignore us when we call for him. Seriously, when I call his name when he's doing something he shouldn't be, he just acts like he can't hear me and goes about his business. When I sit him down and try to talk to him, he completely refuses to look at me! 

It's like he woke up and thought to himself, "Today I'm going to do absolutely everything I'm not supposed to".

Kids are a lot smarter then we think they are. They figure us out before we even do. They revel in our reactions, good or bad.
Besides a few little spurts here and there, he has always been a really laid back kid.
He's never been one for tantrums or not listening. When we're out in public everyone always praises on how good he is.

I think he's finally coming around to the 'terrible twos'. It's been a wake up call for us. He's getting very bold and assertive, and we know he is just trying to establish his independence, but that doesn't make it any easier. I've been researching on effective ways to discipline a toddler and I have a few things I'm going to be trying out in the next few days.
I find the hardest part to be consistent because, I myself tend to take a more relaxed approach to parenting. 

Being a parent is so interesting because even when you've prepared yourself as much as you could, even when you thought that you read every book there was, you can't prepare for these kind of things when it actually happens. Kind of like pregnancy.

I've always had an idea for what I wanted to shape Nikolas into. What I have started to realize is that although I can guide him and set an example for him, I can't mold him into what I want to. He has his own personality and an entire world to explore. He will learn through his choices and through our examples and I want to always try to set the best examples.

I've never been a very patient person, and he is teaching me to be patient. To take a deep breath and see life through his little eyes. To see everything as an exploration and adventure. I teach him and he teaches me. 

Please excuse the bruise under his eye. My little daredevil literally ran into a table during an intense game of 'I'm gonna get you'. Don't worry, he was tough and didn't even cry. He just looked at me and said and I quote, "Ouchies".