hello nap time

Thank the good Lord forrr nap time,

Fa la la la la, la la la laaaa!

There are some mornings I wake up ready to take on the day - in full mom force - making festive cookie cutter breakfasts with special touches, doing craft after craft after craft, and then leading a dance party all by a smooth sailing nap time.

Then there are the days where I wake up wondering how much longer until nap time so I can nap too (although come nap time, you know that's not an option.) And then they fight nap too, boo!

I never know which type of morning I'm going to get til it's here though. I have learned -- 95% of how my day at home with the girls is going to go is all based on my attitude and outlook. When I was sitting behind my computer at work a few years ago counting down the hours until 5:00, without a doubt, I used to look at 'stay at home moms' as having SO. MUCH. FREEDOM. I couldn't wait to be in that situation, if it were ever a possibility! Sitting on the couch watching recorded shows sounded wonderful while the children played independently on their own. HA. Somebody laugh in my face now, please! I had more time to watch recorded shows when I worked full-time and didn't have children than I do now and I really can't even explain why or what I do all day. I suppose working from home takes up whatever free time I could have and it also makes it somewhat tough being that J is gone from before we wake up til after we go to sleep many days, but it is true that no matter how much I love being with my cheerful bundle of joys, I surely do their enjoy nap time, too. I'm only human :) (..And it's my time to clean up after a toddler tornado tears through.)

But then I look at pictures of my girls and end up missing them while they're sleeping anyway!

Between warding off monsters from under 2 year old's beds (which, by the way, I thought only happened in movies), and trying to keep this baby from falling asleep during tummy time (because that's way easier than trying to strengthen those neck and arm muscles!), we are having Christmas music dance parties, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Sofia Christmas specials and reading about Stinky Face's Christmas fears. And in between all of that, my crazy toddler who decided to get the world's worst attitude 2 weeks after turning 2, is wreaking havoc in our home - destroying baskets of clean laundry, knocking down neatly stacked books, or throwing pillows, toys, and blankets off the couch one at a time. Girlfriend has learned to be cray, cray. And this already fairly patient momma is learning how to be more and more patient than I ever knew possible - one day at a time!

I most definitely have not learned how to stay mad at that face, though...

Am I complaining about the craziness in any way? Most definitely NOT. The days can be tough, that's for sure. But for every little crazy moment, there are 100 more amazing moments. 100 more toddler giggles, newborn smiles, silly new sayings, spontaneous "I love you, Momma's", comfy couch cuddles, sweet kisses, and perfectly acceptable messes that just scream "this home is full of life and love!"

After a (usual) crazy morning, the calm of nap time reminds me that this is exactly the life I've wished for and want with all my might! I want the chaos and messes and craziness. I often think about how one day I will greatly miss these crazy days! I'll take my one quiet hour a day (if I'm lucky), peeing with an audience, and always being needed by one of our little girlies vs. a quiet house any day!
Now if you'll excuse me -- I've thoroughly enjoyed this nap time, but there's my cue. Babies are calling for me and it's time for our daily Christmas music dance party.

Thank the good lord for our babies, Fa la la la la, la la la laaaa!

life at home with just a tot

Somewhere between the ‘I-feel-like-Super-Mom’ days and the ‘Did-she-really-just-watch-TV-and-hang-around-all-day-in-her-pajamas?’ days are relatively common days that we generally strive for. Sure, I wish I could feel like Super Mom everyday, but being 100% honest, those days seem to happen less frequently than the pajama days. So you know, those in between days - where we do a little bit of learning, a little bit of dancing, and a little bit of cuddling while watching some Mickey Mouse clubhouse – are what keep us happy and content around here.



The bittersweet truth is that my days at home with just a tot are dwindling down. I am beyond excited to welcome E’s little sister into this world and have tons of sweet newborn cuddles and watch the two of them bond, yet I am also feeling a bit sad for how E’s whole little world is about to change and she really doesn’t know what she’s in for. Surely her time with Mommy & Daddy will have to be split with her sis now and it won’t be ALL about E anymore (yet I will do my best to love on her just as much as I do now!) But I know she will absolutely love being a big sister and having a pretty little babe to love on and help Mommy take care of!



So in the mean time, I thought I’d share a little about how our days at home usually go. Yes, there are plenty of days filled with play dates, park dates, shopping trips, and more – but here, let’s just take a little look at life at HOME with just my toddler ☺ They sure are wonderful! (and tiring, of course!)

Daddy usually leaves the house before E or myself are even awake. He gives kisses to his sleepy girls and is on his way before the sun comes up. Shortly after, E makes her way from her room into our bed (if she didn’t already do so at 5am!). She walks right in, shuts the door behind her, and hops in bed under the blankets to cuddle with me and get just a little more sleep in. Our mornings together are glorious.



Not long after, she’s begging me to ‘Come on Momma! Get up! Time for ‘frekfast’!” And up for the day we are. We eat a little breakfast together, watch a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Doc McStuffins and Momma gets to work on the computer. She usually isn’t too happy about it these days, but I gotta do what I gotta do – plus it gives her time to play independently and I love watching all her explorations and fun she has just making things up on her own.


Is she mocking Momma sitting at the computer doing work..?!



I've been trying to get her to do more activities to keep her busy - such as painting, coloring with markers, colored pencils, etc. (Somehow the girl still finds her way into the permanent markers, which she excitedly draws all down her legs with) and she's been really into flash cards and such.



We've been making things for her sissy so she has something to bring when she visits her in the hospital :) She has been saying 'Mine!' to most of the gifts when we're done, so the other day while strolling through the aisles of Hobby Lobby I gave her a little life lesson on sharing! Ha...but later that day at home after painting a little wooden train for her sis, I told her we can wrap it up for her sister and she held it up, looked at me and said "I share!" - so proud of that sweet, pretty girl! ;)





GG brought her these flash cards/matching cards when she came to visit and E has been in love with them! She's got all the animals/insects down on them and matches them up every time, proudly celebrating each match with a big "I DID IT!"





Of course there are the rainy days where the park is certainly not an option, so that's when we look out the window, talk about the rain and thunder and stay inside to play our own games! Or we read, lots and LOTS of stories, because of course we need "more 'tories', right Momma?"





And we watch a little TV, too. Or well, she does while Momma works! Yes, I'm aware that TV is not the best option. But I'm also not going to deny that it happens around here! Luckily this girl learns a lot from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and it shocks me the stuff she screams at the TV while interacting with good ol' Oh Tooooodles!

We eat lunch together (and with a Gestational Diabetes diet, I pretty much eat the same lunches as her..We keep it pretty toddler friendly around here for Momma, too! Not much longer, though), we read stories before nap time and then she takes her nap while I try to tidy up the damage left behind from the toddler tornado that she is.



If we can't take it any longer on rainy days, or if we get a little stir crazy, we go outside and play, even if it's drizzling. Or we go for a walk only to get rained on anyway. Fun stuff.



When the weather is nice, we have sidewalk chalk days, trike days, pool days, and run-around-like-crazy-falling-a-million-times-days outside.


Yes, I jump the gun on Fall.





And she plays a TON with this guy, chasing him around and making herself crack up while petting and hugging and tugging on him. They love each other :)



Daddy's schedule varies between working nights, weekends, days, etc. (we obviously love when he works days the most) and we're able to wind down and tidy up before he gets home and eat dinner together as a family before the two of us put E to bed together. Those days are all of our favorites and I'm thankful when we get to do that. Now he's wrapping up a nicer schedule rotation to start a less-than-desirable schedule on OB - so our days change week to week sometimes and always month to month. I try to maintain a normal routine with E, but she's pretty good and flexible when things change so frequently.

Super Mom days are wonderful. The days where I feel I've accomplished nothing and felt more frustrated than not, I feel pretty down about my job as Mom. But I know she wakes up every day excited about our day and doesn't view me any different, even when I feel I've not done my best. My days at home with just my tot can get hectic, especially because I do work from home and some stuff requires a deadline. Otherwise, I'll wait until my little beauty goes to sleep and catch up on work at night. No matter how hectic or frustrated I get at times, I 100% would not have it any other way! She lights up my days in so many ways and I can never get tired of the new surprises she springs upon me each day. We always have so many stories for Daddy when he gets home. And with the new addition of baby girl coming soon, we know our days may be different than they are now, but our stories for Daddy will only grow more and more exciting! And this little happy girl is ready to take 'Big Sister' role on like it's her job.



Here's to the toddler days!

Mommy & Me | Baby & Me

25 years may separate these photos, but the love couldn't be any closer.

"A daughter is a gift sent from above to cherish and forever love."

That Mommy Moment

Those moments. If you're a mother - you know them...and if you're not a mother - you see them. I always witnessed babies wanting their momma's - steadfastly clinging to them in a desperate manner as though they are the only person in the world who can comfort them and make it all better.





When it came to living with/spending a lot of time with/babysitting my younger cousins and nieces, I'd always want to be someone who could comfort them, calm them, and love on them with all I have. Soothing an innocent baby's sadness can make anyone feel on top of the world. And more importantly, it can reciprocate that feeling of love and comfort right back at ya. But, no matter how many times I soothed a sad baby, or put a baby to sleep on me only to stare down at them with pure love, I know no matter how much they loved me in that moment, it didn't compare to the love and comfort they received from their own momma's.



Those moments..when a baby is crying and you hand them back to Mom, only to hear those quick sniffles become slower and slower and suddenly, none at all. Mom's have that magic. They always have! And recently, I've begun to have my mommy moments. It feels freakin' glorious.





Crying baby -- *hands her to me* -- calmly stops and cuddles with me. Yup, pretty freakin' glorious! It only happens at night for some reason, but she sure does love her momma at night lately. {She loves Daddy in the morning, but I'm not here to bask in that glory right now, haha} Baby girl will sit and hang with me for hours on end at night. It melts my heart to see that quivering lip turn into a smile when she gets in my arms.





Momma's got that magic right now. I'm not quite sure anyone could ever explain how magical that feels until it happens, but this time, I'm the momma who makes it all better, and I'm definitely loving it.