Big kid memory

Both kids are now in big kid beds. I remember transitioning Brooklyn's bed on her 2nd birthday.  The same weekend that she learned how to open doors!  But she wasn't a wanderer, so we never had to worry. She would lie in bed and chew on that blanky until we opened the door to start the day. 

Like everything else, things are different with number two!  Bryson's ready to do everything earlier than Brooklyn (except talk!)  His bed was transitioned to a big kid bed at 18 months.  And the following week, he too, learned how to open doors!  But, like his sister, he's not much of a wanderer...he'll get out of bed, sure.  But he'll play quietly in his room with toys (albeit baby dolls, sometimes) until we greet him with an open door...until this morning.  While getting ready for work, I was startled to find my little man with a big smile hiding behind that paci: the key to his heart.  Not five minutes later, I'm greeted by my girl with an arm full of babies and stuffed animals (the hallway is much too scary without friends).

After convincing Jackson that the day had officially started, I turned on some toons and heard giggles and memories in the making as I finished getting ready for work.  Great start to the day!

Happy Halloween!

Most people are wishing people a very Merry Christmas, but welcome to my world!  Apparently I like to challenge my memory by being more than fashionably late.  So, let's see...the Saturday before Halloween, we attended Boo HaHa for the 3rd year in a row. Arrived just in time for the parade, and got the best spot on the street, with Aunt Kathy & Uncle Tom.  We had a little lion and ladybug in tow:

It's tough enough to capture them together; impossible to get 2 smiles!

The candy was dispensed...

 

...and the chase was on!:

 

Bryson was intrigued with the parade:

 

 

But it was a little noisy for Brooklyn's liking:

We also hosted our fourth annual Halloween gathering at the house the night of Halloween.  Has it really been 4 years?!  Yes, it has. As a mother, I base everything off of pregnancies.  Was that before or after I was pregnant with Brookyn?  Or maybe it was after Brooklyn, but before Bryson?  In this case, I remember our first Halloween gathering because it was just days before I was due with Brooklyn.  I remember hoping that all the decorating and long trick-or-treat walks would induce labor.  No such luck!  But the memories remain!  Ah, the timelines of motherhood...I digress. 

The Kids...and Fred

A candy-happy lion

 And finally...my sister once again going over the top with her homemade costumes!  She raises the bar every year!  Incredible.

 

Ella the Owl

 

   The bar is officially so high that I will never attempt to compete - my kids should learn to appreciate store-bought costumes. Unless Aunt Nessa's up for a new challenge!

Canon the Warewolf

Fall 2012

What's going on in the world today? A little bird told me that tomorrow is election day. And everyone is numb from all the political ads between Romney & President Obama. While we have watched all the debates and tried to keep up with some of the drama occurring in the political arena, I must admit (without undermining its importance) that other priorities have taken precedence.  My dad made me feel a lot better about my political ignorance when I asked him how he's able to find the time to become so educated in politics, among other responsibilities, like balancing full-time work and the farm. His response: "You're too busy being a mom!" While I wasn't looking for an excuse, it did feel nice to hear. There's not a lot of down time when you have two kids eager to play and learn and experience the firsts of life.  While you will definitely find us exercising our right to vote at the polls tomorrow morning (and I promise we ARE educated voters!), that won't be our biggest moment of the day.  So, what have we been up to?

Well, about a month or so ago, we realized just how cautious Bryson was. He'd plop his diaper-padded bottom to the floor twenty feet out from the first stair in preparation for the upcoming staircase. Even if the staircase only consisted of two stairs:

You can imagine how long it took to exit school every day...

Thank goodness those days have come and gone! :)

Now he just wants to be like sister: Walk down the stairs all by himself. Eat at the "big kid table" with sister:

 

Wear pink shoes like sister (makin Daddy proud):

Oh, and he loves ice cream!

(Don't mind all those un-eaten veggies on the tray!)

Brooklyn's friend taught her how to do the "super woman swing"

We celebrated the marriage of Jackson's cousin. Everybody got all dressed up, and the only picture of the kids that I could find was this one, where Bryson displayed impeccable table manners:

And this one of Jax between his two beautiful sisters:

 

I especially love this one of the sisters' happy, beautiful selves:

 

And a fam shot:

What else? Brooklyn had her first school field trip! To the pumpkin patch! Of all the friends I asked her who she wanted to ride with us, and she declared without hesitation: "Luke!!" So Brooklyn & Luke sang songs the whole way to the pumpkin patch. My heart melted.

 

We welcomed a new baby boy to the extended family! Jackson's cousin Micheal and his beautiful wife Meagan welcomed baby Mason to the world. Upon hearing the news and seeing baby pictures, Brooklyn shoved her monkey up her shirt and said, "oh, it's baby Mason! Look, Mommy!"

Of course, Bryson had to be involved in this weird display of excitement...

 

We visited Aunt Diana at the aquarium, where she volunteers and dives with the fish every week. Brooklyn was intrigued, confused, excited, and concerned...

Bryson, on the other hand, only shared in the 'concerned' emotion...he didn't know what to think about her on the other side of the glass.

Oh, and the cat...some days she's loved, some days she's tortured, but every day she's a part of their lives. This day in particular, Brooklyn was playing doctor and Bryson was consoling her, as she recieved a "shot in the ear" (with a crayon of course!).

Mommy & Daddy got all dressed up to congratulate a friend's wedding,

and then quickly changed into Fred and Wilma for a Halloween party:

 

All in all, we've been busy juggling and enjoying the small things in life. Tomorrow, though, is not a small day in our world. Not because it's election day. But because our baby girl will be three years old. And while she can't wait to be "a grown up", I'm trying to figure out how to juggle this life, because no matter where I am physically, my heart is at home wishing the clock would stop. I love you, baby Brooklyn. I love you This.Big.Much.!

 

In need of a reminder...

Today was one of those days when I needed to look back on some of my old posts to remind myself that motherhood is in fact enjoyable.  Because if you asked me an hour ago, I wouldn't have responded positively...

The day began as picture day at school, so I expected a few extra phone calls from home this morning.  7:36: "What am I doing about her hair?" "Pigtails with pink bows." "Just the two? Ok, cool."  That was easy, I reflect to myself.  7:42. "Is she wearing the sweater, or just the shirt?" "Just the shirt." "And is he wearing the khaki or blue shorts? Am I fixing his hair, too? With what?" "Yes, there's gel on the counter.  I left both shorts out so you could choose." "I don't care! Blue. Gotta go, he needs a drink." 8:36:  They're in the car heading to school.  "He hates these shoes. He keeps taking them off." "Yeah, I know, but they match the outfit. Did you bring another pair for him to play in?" "No! How was I supposed to know that?" "I put his sandals on the dresser, too." "Well I didn't know that was why." "Oh well, just tell them he can play in socks today." "Okay, gotta go; B-I-N-G-O is on, it's time to sing." (Did you know that they have pandora stations that only play different varieties of B-I-N-G-O?  It's true. A dream come true, for our kids, apparently.) 

 



 After work, I rush away from the day job and clock into motherhood.  Arrive at school to two happy kids running toward me and ready to race down the stairs.  We're going to a playdate at my girlfriend's house, who has 2 kids; both almost exactly one year younger than each of mine.  When it's time to eat pizza (Bryson's favorite food), he climbs on the chair excitedly.  I lay a towel on the chair to prevent messes, and the wails begin. He doesn't want to sit on a towel. So my friend gets four more, and before you know it, we're all sitting on towels. Except for Bryson. "Nice try, lady, but it ain't gonna fly" I hear the thoughts in his head respond.  The wails continued for the majority of our 'playdate' until he couldn't take it anymore.  And he ate!  Two hours (and only 30 mins of play) later, the tearducts open up again, and we call it a night. Not a successful one, but it's a wrap. 

Brooklyn noticed that I was sad on the drive home.  "Mommy, don't be upset.  I want you to be happy all the time. (that's her new thing: sometimes or all the time)  When we get done driving, do you want to go to our house and play in my bedroom? We can pick out jackets. Would you like one, or would you like two?"  "I would like one, please."  "Okay. Would you like Wednesday or Friday?" "Um, Thursday, please." "Okay, another day is Tuesday.  We will play for five minutes and then two minutes, and I will make you happy, mommy."  Her sweet, grammatically correct and intelligent, rambling is music to my ears every single day.

So we came home, kissed bubba goodnight, ate another apple, some yogurt, and cherry tomatoes. And.We.Played. In her room. Just like she promised! A great ending to an evening that I thought I wanted to erase. Although, not completely...I'd really just prefer a re-do card, please.

My dear baby boy, I love you with all of my being, but you weren't very much fun tonight, bubba. I think I'll sneak a kiss in your sleep tonight when you're peaceful and precious.

I think he's a big boy, mommy

Experts tell us that kids play 'in parallel play' until at least 18 months to two years of age.  We watched that ring true with Brooklyn, but Bryson is a different story.  I'm sure birth order plays a role with this, but it's still incredible, nonetheless.  Bryson started interacting with his sissy by the time we celebrated his 14th month in this world. They share drinks and snacks in the car, reach across the vehicle to hold each other's feet (since they can't reach hands), they mimick each other's dance moves as we jam out to kid tunes, and most recently, they push each other around in the Cozy Coupe.  It's a promising beginning to what we hoped for when we took this dive into parenthood with blindfolds on.  After all, there's nothing that prepares one for life as a mom or dad...

We've officially reached the stage where one toy doesn't cut it.  If she has one, he requires the same. Distraction tactics are wearing off.  So, after a couple days of ear-peircing shrills from her as he chases her around the house attempting to steal her 'little toys' (aka Squinkies), we hit the store up for Bryson's very own gender-appropriate 'little toys'.  We get home and rip open the monster truck squinkies with the kind of excitement that delivers stomping feet, clapping hands, 'oooohs and aaaws!'.  Off they go!  I exhale a sigh of relief after patting myself on the back for my ingenious problem-solving tactics.  They begin trading each other toys - she gets a truck, and he gets Minnie Mouse.  At one point, Brooklyn turned to me and said, "He's sharing with me!  I think he's a a big boy, Mommy!"  Not ten minutes pass before I shudder from the sound of shrills echoing through the house. Brooklyn's decided to 'share' one of her toys with him...in exchange for all 12 of his.  Although he declined her unattractive offer, somehow his toys still ended up in her possession.  In the act of retrieving them, she squeals, runs away, stiffens her legs, and hops up and down fighting tears.  There's no telling how many of these encounters I broke up today alone!  But we worked through each one, and ended the night watching Charlotte's Web as a family.  During the movie, my girl wanted to cuddle with her stuffed animals, but wasn't willing to get up and get them. So she asked her brother, who was comfortably positioned in his own chair.  Without hesitation, he got up and fulfilled her request, delivering Puppy...and every other toy from the floor into her lap!  "He's bringing me everything, Mom!", she said excitedly.

 After the movie and ice cream, we loooked over to find Brooklyn tickling him on the living room floor, as he bursted out in breath-taking giggles, a sound I wish I could bottle up and take with me.

I may have already shared this one, but I think it's my all time favorite this season: just an afternoon out on a hunt for some flowers with his sissy...

THE lake

I grew up with friends whose parents had lakehouses, and it was a seemingly endless bucket of fun at those places. The smell of mildew, shag carpet, gold yellow furniture that offered the best view of the cobwebs and live spiders....great times!  Give me a sleeping bag with a handful of friends, and I was in! 

After we'd been dating for a while, when Jackson invited me to his Aunt Jan & Uncle Jerry's place, I had similar expectations. But, as with any first introduction to family, nerves were in full force. I reminisced on my first encounter with my (now) mother-in-law.  I had met her several times in the past through my lifelong bestie, but it was different meeting her as her son's girlfriend. And she was even more fun and inviting as I recalled from past encounters.  We went bowling and to a late lunch...or "Linner", to quote my family. We had a great time that I'll never forget!  So knowing that I was on my way to meet her sister, Jan, should've put me at ease, but my nerves were still very much present.  As we headed east to the lake, Jackson tried to convince me that they're a fun crowd. He spoke fondly of fun memores he'd shared with them. We pull into the drive and I realize...this isn't the lake house I had envisioned. It doesn't appear to be a house that belongs on a lake at all, as a matter of fact...it's gorgeous!

And my nerves heighten. I hope they're as kind as he's portraying them to be. He puts the car in park. We walk to the door...and we're welcomed with the biggest smiles and hugs that I had been wishing for!  Not only was my prediction of the house incorrect, but my nerves were immediately washed away with their warm welcome.   Almost immediately, I'm handed a fun adult beverage and invited to a beautiful table with a game of 'Battle of the Sexes' (where Jan and I are very outnumbered). Such a great beginning to a wonderful relationship with people I can now call family!  Residents of the Lone Star State, Jan & Jerry own a beautiful resort-like home on the lake, where the doors are always open.

We've made so many fun memories here that will last forever.  Pregnant with Brooklyn, we had a couple friend join us for a day of sun followed by a night enjoying the sunset view...

We attended family gatherings, as we watched our baby girl become more social,

fall in love with Aunt Jan

& Uncle Jerry,

swim in the swimming pool...

 

We enjoyed some well-deserved adult fun together,

 

and had fun watching the kids make friends with others,

 

and with each other,

 

and cracked up as Bryson kicked up his feet in pleasure.

 

We watched some funny adults go hog-wild playing games together





enjoyed the balcony view, with the loves of our lives...



This place didn't just change my perspective of the lake life, but it's created so many memories for our family that will never be forgotten.

 

 

Thank you, Jan and Jerry, for fostering such a cozy, fun atmosphere for the family to enjoy!