This past weekend, we travelled over 1200 miles in 2.5 days to Ohio and back so I could see my family, and they could meet David, Grayson, and Finnley.
Some lessons I learned on the trip:
1. Aways have your child safetly lock on because a 2 year old can indeed figure out how to reach the door handle and pull on it while you are driving down I-75 at 80mph.
2. No matter how tired your children are, they will conspire with each other (and against you) to stay awake as long as possible. They will accomplish this goal by screaming, yelling, running, hitting, scratching, and pretending to be asleep just long enough to scare you to death when they jump up and start screaming all over again.
3. Don't put your 6 month old in the middle of the bed and then run out the hotel room door after your 2 year old who managed to turn the door knob and sprint down the hall. Your 6 month old will roll off the bed. And scream. (Are you noticing a theme here?)
4. Kids of all ages love "Bubble Guppies" and will want to watch the same 3 episodes over, and over, and over, and over, and over....and over............and over.
5. An iPhone can be a lifesaver on a long trip---but they really need to come up with away to lock that darn home button. Having to constantly start a video over because your child hit the button gets really old, really quick.
6. When it states on a crayon box that the craysons won't mark on clothes, it doesn't mean that they won't mark on walls, or carpet, or hotel room chairs.
7. Don't leave the sink water running at the same time as you are trying to get your child in the bath. You will forget about the sink. And it will overflow.
8. You can never have too many pacifiers.
9. Sometimes, just seeing your mom's face is the most wonderful sight in the world. Family can fix anything.
10. When arriving home, everyone in the family will be soooooooo relieved to finally be sleeping in their own beds in their own rooms in their own house.
I may decide to explain these one day. But, for now, I will leave you with one of thie highlights of our weekend:
Monday, July 9, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
A very Pinterest-ing 4th!
We had a small 4th of July cookout this past Saturday, and it was so much fun! We invited two other families over, and the kiddos played together while the adults enjoyed some adult conversation. :)
I am not much of a decorator or a cook. In fact, I don't do either well. But, I wanted to make this party really special--so I turned to Pinterest for some inspiration. We had Angus burgers, corn on the grill, pasta salad, Justin's famous squash salad, Donna's baked beans, and brownies. Yummo!
On Pinterest, I found recipies for fruit pizza, chocolate-dipped rice krispie treats, and baked potato salad:
Unfortunately, not everything turned out like I hoped. Some things that were total bombs:
Grayson had a great time! Aren't they so cute?!?!
I am not much of a decorator or a cook. In fact, I don't do either well. But, I wanted to make this party really special--so I turned to Pinterest for some inspiration. We had Angus burgers, corn on the grill, pasta salad, Justin's famous squash salad, Donna's baked beans, and brownies. Yummo!
On Pinterest, I found recipies for fruit pizza, chocolate-dipped rice krispie treats, and baked potato salad:
The fruit pizza turned out so yummy! And it was super easy to make!
Some decorations to brighten up the living room.
Chocolote-dipped rice krispie treats were definitely a hit!
The plates and napkins tied together made everything so much more organized!
I made the All Citrus water and it was sooooooooo good. But, it doesn't taste very good on the 3rd day, so make sure to drink it all up when it's still fresh! :)
Unfortunately, not everything turned out like I hoped. Some things that were total bombs:
I was so excited about making this punch, but it just didn't turn out as nice as the picture. There was an ugly foam after about 30 minutes, and it really didn't have a very good flaver. I didn't want to waste everything, so a little later into the night I poured in some coconut rum. The rum really seemed to help the flavor. I'm not sure I will make this again, but, if I do, the rum is going in!
The potato salad was AWFUL! I was so excited about this recipie, and so disappointed with how it turned out. It had no flavor at all. None. :( I will not be making this again.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with everything, despite the huge disappointments it the punch and potato salad (the 2 things I was most excited about). Our next big event is our community cook-out in a couple weeks. I have already been turning to Pinterest for some fun ideas, and I can't wait to share with you how they turn out!!
We hope that all of you have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!
As always, thanks for checking in! We love you all!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Enough
**When I post from my phone, the formatting gets a little crazy, so forgive me if things look a little odd.**
I'm really struggling right now with balancing all aspects of my life: being a good wife, a good mommy, a good employee, a good friend, and a good me. It's hard. I think part of reason it is so hard is because of the expectations I put on myself. Please remember that these are simply how I think I should be in each of these roles, not how I think every woman should be.
In my mind:
A good wife: makes dinner every night, always keeps the house clean, folds and puts away the laundry right away instead of leaving it in the dryer, does the meal planning and grocery shopping, stays in shape, spends time with her husband, and always looks good for her husband.
A good mom: sits and talks with her kids, plays with them each and every day, loves and comforts them at all times, reads them stories, keeps them healthy and clean, takes them to all their appointments, attends parent/teacher conferences, is slow to get overwhelmed, doesn't yell, and never makes them cry.
A good employee: gets all paperwork in on time, completes all hours every month, solves all problems right away, and is effective in changing behavior.
A good friend: spends time with her friends either in person or on the phone, listens to their problems, calls or texts for no reason other than to say hi, doesn't cancel plans because of being tired, remembers important dates, isn't judgmental, is honest, and accepts all faults.
A good me: is patient, slow to anger, doesn't yell, doesn't curse, doesn't judge, doesn't compare life to others; is calm and loving, someone who people enjoy spending time with; someone who can do it all.
The past 6 months have been a whirlwind, and I have realized that I can't do it all...but that doesn't stop me from trying and from feeling the guilt and failure each and every time I come up short. More often than not, I feel like I take one step forward and ten steps back. My kids eat crap, my husband is constantly worried about one thing or another, I am unhappy with the way I can never seem to catch up (let alone get ahead), and it all just keeps piling up. Ugh.
(Now, that I got all of that out, you can see, that, despite my best efforts, I'm not perfect.)
The other day, I was listening to the radio in the car, and I heard a little story that really struck me. It was a story about a man who told his wife an kids, "You are enough for me." for some reason, those 5 words have stuck with me. Maybe I'm aiming too high. Rather than aiming to be perfect, maybe I need to aim to just be enough. Being enough for someone isn't a bad thing--they are completely satisfied with enough. They have enough of my love, enough of my attention, enough of me to fill them.
Will my kids really notice the difference if they wear the same pajamas to bed two nights in a row or if they don't have the newest and coolest toys? Will my husband really love me any less if I pick up take-out one night instead of making dinner (although lately it's been take-out every night). Will my friends really care if would rather hang out at the house and drink a glass of wine than get all dressed up for a night out? Will my boss really get angry with me if I can't solve the problem right away, as long as I give it an effort? Do I really need to care about that zit on my chin?
I don't have to be perfect. But I have to be enough. Enough for my family, my boss, my friends, and me.
I leave you with pictures of the 3 people in this world who are always enough for me:
I'm really struggling right now with balancing all aspects of my life: being a good wife, a good mommy, a good employee, a good friend, and a good me. It's hard. I think part of reason it is so hard is because of the expectations I put on myself. Please remember that these are simply how I think I should be in each of these roles, not how I think every woman should be.
In my mind:
A good wife: makes dinner every night, always keeps the house clean, folds and puts away the laundry right away instead of leaving it in the dryer, does the meal planning and grocery shopping, stays in shape, spends time with her husband, and always looks good for her husband.
A good mom: sits and talks with her kids, plays with them each and every day, loves and comforts them at all times, reads them stories, keeps them healthy and clean, takes them to all their appointments, attends parent/teacher conferences, is slow to get overwhelmed, doesn't yell, and never makes them cry.
A good employee: gets all paperwork in on time, completes all hours every month, solves all problems right away, and is effective in changing behavior.
A good friend: spends time with her friends either in person or on the phone, listens to their problems, calls or texts for no reason other than to say hi, doesn't cancel plans because of being tired, remembers important dates, isn't judgmental, is honest, and accepts all faults.
A good me: is patient, slow to anger, doesn't yell, doesn't curse, doesn't judge, doesn't compare life to others; is calm and loving, someone who people enjoy spending time with; someone who can do it all.
The past 6 months have been a whirlwind, and I have realized that I can't do it all...but that doesn't stop me from trying and from feeling the guilt and failure each and every time I come up short. More often than not, I feel like I take one step forward and ten steps back. My kids eat crap, my husband is constantly worried about one thing or another, I am unhappy with the way I can never seem to catch up (let alone get ahead), and it all just keeps piling up. Ugh.
(Now, that I got all of that out, you can see, that, despite my best efforts, I'm not perfect.)
The other day, I was listening to the radio in the car, and I heard a little story that really struck me. It was a story about a man who told his wife an kids, "You are enough for me." for some reason, those 5 words have stuck with me. Maybe I'm aiming too high. Rather than aiming to be perfect, maybe I need to aim to just be enough. Being enough for someone isn't a bad thing--they are completely satisfied with enough. They have enough of my love, enough of my attention, enough of me to fill them.
Will my kids really notice the difference if they wear the same pajamas to bed two nights in a row or if they don't have the newest and coolest toys? Will my husband really love me any less if I pick up take-out one night instead of making dinner (although lately it's been take-out every night). Will my friends really care if would rather hang out at the house and drink a glass of wine than get all dressed up for a night out? Will my boss really get angry with me if I can't solve the problem right away, as long as I give it an effort? Do I really need to care about that zit on my chin?
I don't have to be perfect. But I have to be enough. Enough for my family, my boss, my friends, and me.
I leave you with pictures of the 3 people in this world who are always enough for me:
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Finally, an update!
Gosh, I have absolutely sucked at keeping this thing up to date. I know that there are many family members and friends who have wanted to see what's been going on in our world, and I am sorry that I have slacked off. To say that life has been crazy is a understatement to say the least. Let's see if I can remember everything that has happend recently:
We had some excitement in May with David's unexpected foot surgery. He had been hurting for several months and finally went to the doctor to get it checked out. It turns out, he had a tumor growing in the joint where is big toe meets his foot. The doctor was very concerned about how quickly the tuomr had grown and wanted to take it out right away. Surgery didn't go quite as expected: they ended up having to put David completely under, rather than just giving him drugs to make him sleepy--he was twitching too much and they couldn't get him to be still. Also, the doctor had to make a larger cut than he inteneded because the tumor was actually entertwined in David's tendon! Recovery has been tough, and David is still in quite a bit of pain. I'm not sure it will ever go away. And, thankfully, the tumor wasn't cancerous. They aren't exactly sure what the tumor is made of, but we are so thankful he's going to be okay!
Let's see...what else. Grayson is growing up so fast and is now all little boy. I have to remind myself sometimes that he's still a baby (he's not even 2!) but it's hard to remember that when he's a walking, talking ball of energy. In the past month, we have gotten rid of his foo-foo! He was starting to become waaaaaaay too attached to his foo-foo (wanting it at other times than just sleeping, steeling Finnley's foo-foos, not going to sleep until he had it), and we decided it was time for it to go. So, one night, I told him they all went bye-bye and that was that. He hasn't even really asked for it since then. I think he was ready for it to go, too. He has also started sleeping in his big boy bed! David happened to find a really awesome firetruck bed on Craigslist, and we just couldn't pass it up. We decided to go ahead and get it. Our plan was to just put it in Grayson's room so he could get used to it, but not push him to sleep in it until he was ready. Well, he was ready! He slept in it the very first night! Since then, he had several nights where he wouldn't fall asleep in it--he would come to the door and sleep by the door. We would go in each night after he fell asleep and put him back in the bed. I thought he was doing it because he had a hard time adjusting, but I think he was getting hot. One of his teachers mentioned that maybe he was sleeping there because he could feel the air coming in from under there--so, I started really blowing the cool air into his room, and he hasn't had any more trouble since!
As I mentioned in another post, we have started meeting some of our new neighbors while swimming at the pool. We are just thrilled because that is the main reason we wanted to move into our new house: we wanted the kids to grow up with friends in our neighborhood! We have gotten to know one particular family pretty well, and they just happen to have a little girl who is 2 months younger than Grayson. Grayson loves her! Her name is Colleen, and he is constantly saying, "Caween, pool. Caween, pool." It's really cute. Anyway, Michelle (the mom) told us about an event on Thursday nights in Collierville called Sunset on the Square. Basically, everyone brings their lawn chairs and blankets, camps out on the square under the trees, and listens to music. It is so fun!! We went for the first time this past Thursday, and we are definitely going back each week!
And now, for some serious stuff:
Having two kids is harder than I ever thought it would be, but it's also so rewarding. To be completely honest, I fail at it each and every day. There is always someone in the house who is unhappy, whether it is one of the kids, me, or David. And, poor David. He has had to put up with so much...I have become one of those textbook naggy wives that I swore I would never be, and he has the patience of a saint to deal with me sometimes. Being so overwhelmed has certainly changed our relationship, and we have had to work at it more than we ever have before. Don't get me wrong, we love each other unconditionally and I am confident we always will, but it is so hard to not take out our daily frustrations on each other--that's definitely something I stuggle with every minute. More often than not, I find myself just completely avoiding things that need to be done, whether it's paper work for my job, cleaning the house, folding laundry, even getting out to spend time with friends. Instead, I take every spare minute to sit down for a second a rest. I know that this time will pass, and one day I will miss it like crazy--but if I look like a frazzled deer in headlights for a while, at least you know why!
On top of it all, Grayson is going through a stage right now where he is almost never happy. He is always whining or crying about something, and sometimes he is completly unconsolible. Our normally happy and carefree little boy has become a virtual whirlwind of unhappiness. Yesterday, I took him to the doctor because he was up most of the night screaming, and he had even started banging his head against the floor, the doors, and the walls! The doctor checked him out thoroughly and determined that it was all because his 2 year molars are coming in. I am hoping that's all it really is. Poor guy--I know he's hurting. He has also moved up to the 2 year old class at his school. He is the youngest one in the class, but his teachers (and David and I) all knew he was ready. I think he's more tired than he's used to being after a day from school. After all, those big kids play hard!!
There has been more than one occassion in which Grayson is crying and Finnley is screaming and David and I just look at each other and start yelling, too. Other times, we just have to laugh. I love that our kiddos are so close in age, but life certainly has become one long test of survival.
David and I are committed to having as much fun with our kids as possible. We want them to remember their childhood with fondness--not that Mommy and Daddy were working all the time or worried about other things and couldn't spend time with them. So, each week, we try to do at least one big fun activity. It might be something simple like walking up to the pool, going to the park, or going out to eat. Sometimes, it's bigger things like going to the Children's Museum, the Zoo, or to play on the choo-choos. A couple weeks ago, we decided to take the kids to Mud Island to play in the riverwalk. We had a great time! Grayson loved walking in the water, and Finnley was just happy to be out so she could people watch!
I will leave you with a video of the sweetest sound in the whole world:
I guess that's it for now. I promise I will do my best to update this more regularly. As always, thank you for checking in! We love you all!
We had some excitement in May with David's unexpected foot surgery. He had been hurting for several months and finally went to the doctor to get it checked out. It turns out, he had a tumor growing in the joint where is big toe meets his foot. The doctor was very concerned about how quickly the tuomr had grown and wanted to take it out right away. Surgery didn't go quite as expected: they ended up having to put David completely under, rather than just giving him drugs to make him sleepy--he was twitching too much and they couldn't get him to be still. Also, the doctor had to make a larger cut than he inteneded because the tumor was actually entertwined in David's tendon! Recovery has been tough, and David is still in quite a bit of pain. I'm not sure it will ever go away. And, thankfully, the tumor wasn't cancerous. They aren't exactly sure what the tumor is made of, but we are so thankful he's going to be okay!
Let's see...what else. Grayson is growing up so fast and is now all little boy. I have to remind myself sometimes that he's still a baby (he's not even 2!) but it's hard to remember that when he's a walking, talking ball of energy. In the past month, we have gotten rid of his foo-foo! He was starting to become waaaaaaay too attached to his foo-foo (wanting it at other times than just sleeping, steeling Finnley's foo-foos, not going to sleep until he had it), and we decided it was time for it to go. So, one night, I told him they all went bye-bye and that was that. He hasn't even really asked for it since then. I think he was ready for it to go, too. He has also started sleeping in his big boy bed! David happened to find a really awesome firetruck bed on Craigslist, and we just couldn't pass it up. We decided to go ahead and get it. Our plan was to just put it in Grayson's room so he could get used to it, but not push him to sleep in it until he was ready. Well, he was ready! He slept in it the very first night! Since then, he had several nights where he wouldn't fall asleep in it--he would come to the door and sleep by the door. We would go in each night after he fell asleep and put him back in the bed. I thought he was doing it because he had a hard time adjusting, but I think he was getting hot. One of his teachers mentioned that maybe he was sleeping there because he could feel the air coming in from under there--so, I started really blowing the cool air into his room, and he hasn't had any more trouble since!
And now, for some serious stuff:
Having two kids is harder than I ever thought it would be, but it's also so rewarding. To be completely honest, I fail at it each and every day. There is always someone in the house who is unhappy, whether it is one of the kids, me, or David. And, poor David. He has had to put up with so much...I have become one of those textbook naggy wives that I swore I would never be, and he has the patience of a saint to deal with me sometimes. Being so overwhelmed has certainly changed our relationship, and we have had to work at it more than we ever have before. Don't get me wrong, we love each other unconditionally and I am confident we always will, but it is so hard to not take out our daily frustrations on each other--that's definitely something I stuggle with every minute. More often than not, I find myself just completely avoiding things that need to be done, whether it's paper work for my job, cleaning the house, folding laundry, even getting out to spend time with friends. Instead, I take every spare minute to sit down for a second a rest. I know that this time will pass, and one day I will miss it like crazy--but if I look like a frazzled deer in headlights for a while, at least you know why!
On top of it all, Grayson is going through a stage right now where he is almost never happy. He is always whining or crying about something, and sometimes he is completly unconsolible. Our normally happy and carefree little boy has become a virtual whirlwind of unhappiness. Yesterday, I took him to the doctor because he was up most of the night screaming, and he had even started banging his head against the floor, the doors, and the walls! The doctor checked him out thoroughly and determined that it was all because his 2 year molars are coming in. I am hoping that's all it really is. Poor guy--I know he's hurting. He has also moved up to the 2 year old class at his school. He is the youngest one in the class, but his teachers (and David and I) all knew he was ready. I think he's more tired than he's used to being after a day from school. After all, those big kids play hard!!
There has been more than one occassion in which Grayson is crying and Finnley is screaming and David and I just look at each other and start yelling, too. Other times, we just have to laugh. I love that our kiddos are so close in age, but life certainly has become one long test of survival.
David and I are committed to having as much fun with our kids as possible. We want them to remember their childhood with fondness--not that Mommy and Daddy were working all the time or worried about other things and couldn't spend time with them. So, each week, we try to do at least one big fun activity. It might be something simple like walking up to the pool, going to the park, or going out to eat. Sometimes, it's bigger things like going to the Children's Museum, the Zoo, or to play on the choo-choos. A couple weeks ago, we decided to take the kids to Mud Island to play in the riverwalk. We had a great time! Grayson loved walking in the water, and Finnley was just happy to be out so she could people watch!
I will leave you with a video of the sweetest sound in the whole world:
I guess that's it for now. I promise I will do my best to update this more regularly. As always, thank you for checking in! We love you all!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Pool Days
One of the things we love most about our new house is the community pool! So far this summer, we have spent every weekend there. Grayson loves the water, and he is always asking to go to the pool. (Finnley was a little scared at first, but she is becoming much more of a little water baby.) We also love the fact that we have gotten to make new friends by spending time at the pool! We are certainly looking forward to many more days spent lounging in the sun!
We also have a kiddie pool in our backyard that Grayson just loves to play in. The boy doesn't care where it is, as long as he has come water to get into!!
A boy and his sister
Graysn is an amazing big brother. He love his sister so so so so much, and he is always trying to love on her and make her laugh. I can tell they are going to be best friends!!
