Little Man Turns 2!

I can't believe we just celebrated Reagan's SECOND birthday!  How is it possible our little man turned two just a few days ago?  I'm still a little in shock that I'm the mom of a 2 year old.  It is going to be very strange when I sign him into the nursery to just write 2 instead of 'x months' old.  I know, it's the little things.

We had a very long celebration of Reagan's birthday.  Grandma Jill came out to visit the weekend before his birthday.  She was here for 5 days and as it always does, the time was too short.  We decided to celebrate Reagan's birthday on Friday, 3/15 after Ryan got home from work.  I've been trying to have our family eat healthier and there is a website that offers several great, healthy dessert options.  So I went ahead and made Reagan's birthday cake.  The sweet flavor came from the bananas, but there were also chocolate chunks in the cake, too.  I made a blueberry frosting to go over it, but that wasn't as good as the actual cake.  Reagan didn't really care, he just wanted the cake!

Our only family picture from his birthday weekend

"Yay, cake!!"

After eating his cake (and asking for more multiple times), he opened his presents.  Grandma Jill and Grandpa Bruce gave him a basketball hoop and some clothes.  He absolutely loves the new hoop.  In fact, the next morning, Ryan taught Reagan how to count to three and throw the ball into the hoop.  It was adorable!  Reagan also loved playing with the "Cars" duplo set we bought him.

The following weekend we celebrated Reagan's birthday with Mimi and Papa in town.  While Reagan really enjoyed the healthy cake, I wanted to make something different.  I went through my cookbooks several times and just couldn't make the decision.  I seriously thought I would end up making a boxed cake, but I looked one more time.  I settled on a from-scratch Chocolate Covered Strawberry cake.  The only thing was the frosting had so. much. sugar.  I was very hesitant, but it was oh so worth it!  Oh my gosh, it was delicious!

Before we had the cake, Reagan opened his presents.  He received a super cool tool belt from Uncle Jeffrey (including a pager that actually beeps!) and another duplo set.  I think daddy had more fun playing with the choo choo train duplo set than Reagan.  Memories in the making!

Reagan was absolutely thrilled to eat cake for the second time in one week.  The look on his eyes says it all!

Look at the anticipation on his face!

That is one happy cake eating birthday boy!

I still can't believe my little man is 2 years old.  It seems like yesterday I was holding him for the first time.  He's brought so much laughter to my daily life and I'm excited for the year to come!

A Rough Day

March 7, 2013 is a day I would like to erase from my life book of parenting.  It was a rough day to say the very least.

It all started with an early wake up call from Kyleigh.  I don't know why (I would assume teething, but I continue to assume that incorrectly), but Kyleigh has been getting up between 5 and 5:30a on alternate mornings.  The other mornings she gets up at her normal time of 6ish.  So, this morning she decided it was an early morning and we both got out of bed as Ryan was leaving the house.  I did my normal routine of feeding her and reading my Bible.  And in fact, Reagan actually slept in until about 7:45a which is really late!  So, between 5:30a and 8:30a, the day wasn't terrible; early, but not terrible.

While Kyleigh slept, I decided to play PlayDoh with Reagan.  We hadn't pulled it out in awhile and I thought we could have some good one on one mommy time together.  We actually had a really good time; Reagan didn't eat it and he thoroughly enjoyed pulling tiny pieces apart and putting them into the container.  When I told Reagan it was time to put the PlayDoh away, he agreed without a fight.  Success!

And then it went all downhill from there......

It was nearing the time of getting Kyleigh up, so I mentioned to Reagan that we needed to change his clothes and get ready to leave.  I can't even describe the scene that followed.  Somewhere between the kicking, screaming (and waking Kyleigh up...grrr), and hitting me, I managed to get him dressed.  It was an ugly, ugly 30 minutes.  I disciplined him several times within these 30 minutes to no avail.  He wasn't phased in the least.

After finally getting him dressed and getting Kyleigh ready, we headed to Costco.  We had a fairly uneventful trip.  On our way home, however, he decided it would be really fun to kick my seat as well as kick the toys off of Kyleigh's carseat.  More discipline when we get home, I told him.  He knows not to put his feet on the seat.

I'm now thinking I just need to make it to naptime and things will get better after they both sleep.  I put them both down around 1p and they both went to sleep fairly quickly.  Great!  Around 2:15p Kyleigh starts screaming and I know it's over.  She's been having very short afternoon naps the past week and it's driving me crazy!  For once, her screams actually awoke Reagan so both of them were up and it was only 2:30p.  I knew immediately this was not going to be a good afternoon.  Cranky morning + short nap = rough afternoon....I've been there before.

Reagan was so upset when he woke up that I was actually really sad for him.  He couldn't control his crying at all.  I continued to hug/hold him for about 30 minutes and he finally calmed down a bit.  Of course, Kyleigh didn't like the fact that she wasn't being held, so she cried during this whole time too.  Now onto snack time...I ran out of crackers.  Big mistake, mom, big mistake.  I did my best to convince Reagan the snack I was going to give him would be just fine, but he still struggled through it.

Around 3:30p, I decided I needed to get out of the house again or I was going to explode.  So, I headed off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Oh boy was this a disaster in the store :(  I couldn't get the buckle to work on the seat for Reagan, so I just left it unbuckled.  Reagan took that as "I'm free to stand up and wiggle all over the place."  My own fault, I know, but I just couldn't muster the energy to go back to the front of the store and get a new cart.  Silly, I know, but if you're having one of those days, you know how I felt in that moment.

When I got home around 4:15p, I knew there was only a little bit of time left before Ryan would be home and things would just get better.  I got the phone call at 4:30p from Ryan - right on time.  Except that he called to tell him he was just asked to go answer some questions the State had about assisted living and he doesn't know how long he'll be a work.  NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!  I just about lost it at that moment.  I know it wasn't Ryan's fault, but I seriously didn't know if I would make it until 7p when the kids would go down to bed.  I seriously wanted to walk out of the house; thankfully, my mind took over and I stayed put.

The next two hours were a blur.  Somewhere between Reagan throwing temper tantrums and throwing his blocks all over the house and Kyleigh screaming in her Jumperoo because she wanted to be held instead of bounce, I managed to make a delicious stir fry dinner.  Just as I was setting the meal on the table, Ryan walked through the door (6:20p) and we were able to have dinner as a family.  Reagan behaved while eating, to which I was extremely thankful.  Ryan helped me put the kids to bed and 7p never felt so good!

Now, after reading this, you might think that it wasn't that bad of a day.  Well, at the beginning of the post, I said I wanted to erase this day.  I think by the Lord's grace, I was able to mentally erase some of the other events that happened yesterday afternoon.  I know there was more disobedience, but I can't remember the circumstances.  I must say this was one of the toughest days I've had in a really long time.

Fast forward 12 hours to this morning when I woke up.  I quickly checked Facebook and saw a post from a friend about tough parenting weeks and being thankful.  Her daughter had just spent the last 4 days in the hospital and she was finally being released to go home.  After reading her post, I got chills down my back and realized that although yesterday wasn't fun, I am thankful that both of my kids are healthy and that I can be home to raise them.  Even during the difficult times.  Holly will probably never know how her post impacted me.

Random Thoughts

I know it has been awhile since I last posted.  Anyway, I just have some random thoughts I'm going to write about today.  Enjoy!

Being Content: it may sound simple, but in my life, at least, it's not so easy.  If you stop and really think about what it means to be content, I would venture to guess that you're not content all the time either.  I am finding it difficult in these winter months to be content at home.  I find myself needing to get out of the house at least once a day, and it is usually twice a day that I find myself away from home.  A few Friday's ago this whole idea of being content really hit me.  After Entrusted was over, I didn't have any errands to run and I didn't want to stop at any stores because I didn't have any money to spend either.  So, where else was I to go at 11a on a Friday morning but home.  I was not happy about this, but headed home anyway.  I had a full hour and a half before I started lunch and the kids went down for their naps.  I had no idea what I was going to do when I arrived home.  It then dawned on me that although I am home with the kids, I am not necessarily home with the kids.  Does that make sense?  We're in the same location, but not necessarily together.  Well,  on this particular Friday, I decided that all I was going to do was be with them.  I wasn't going to tend to any household business; I was just going to sit on the floor and be with them.  It was a great hour and a half!  Both kids were laughing; I was throwing Kyleigh up in the air to her squeals and delight and I was tickling Reagan until his face turned red.  It was great!  That's when I realized I don't always need to be out of the house.  In fact, I should try to be home more so I can experience this wonderful time of the kids wanting to just crawl all over me and enjoying the simplicity of life.  Now, a little side note here: this is not always easy.  I still tend to want to be out of the house, but when I am home, I'm trying to be with them more.

Reagan's Growing Up:  of course he's growing up, he grows up daily!!!  However, I was watching him play with some toys the other day and it just hit me like a ton of bricks; he is growing up!  It's the little things like when I let him walk into the store with me (instead carrying him), I don't have to bend over to hold his hand.  Or, it's the fact that I can ask him to get the burp cloth from the other room and he comes back with it.  Or, it's the fact that he can open the bathroom door and lock himself in there!  Quite simply, my little man is growing up!  It's hard to believe he'll be 2 in about 3 weeks.  Everytime I drive by Oberweis Dairy I think of the first time I went there.  It was my first week of maternity leave and I was just anxiously awaiting to meet the little person inside me.  And now, it's almost exactly 2 years later and I'm thinking how could that have been 2 years ago?  Crazy!!!!

Excited for spring: we had a small taste of spring last week and I began to crave it!!  It was a beautiful day (low 40s) and the sun was shining.  I decided to take the kids for a walk to the bank.  I was gone for about an hour, but it was so refreshing.  My whole day was brighter just because I got outside without a heavy winter coat!  Now, I must confess that as I'm typing this, we are in the middle of a Winter Storm Warning and it's been snowing heavily since 6a.  We're expected to get 5-9" from this storm.  But, it's supposed to be in the 40s again this weekend, so I can handle it.  I'm just so excited to get out and start walking again!  Spring time, Kristin is ready for you ;-)

Reagan Plays Soccer

I captured this moment on camera and thought it was so cute.  Maybe we have a future soccer player on our hands?

In a groove

I'm very hesitant to post about being in a groove because once I write it all down, I know, I just know, it will change!  I'm going to write about it anyway because I want to share life as of late.

I am in a groove.  I can't believe it, but I feel like I finally have it together.  Somewhat, anyway.  Ever since I took the advice from Amanda to wake Kyleigh up at a certain time from her morning nap, life has magically become predictable.  And I'm not just saying predictable for the kids sleeping, life as a SAHM is now more predictable!  Let me give you a little insight into my daily life...

The kids are usually up between 6:30 and 7a every morning.  I feed Kyleigh first, then come out to the living room and let her play while I read my Bible.  A side note - my Entrusted with a Child's Heart class has a challenge to read through the Bible in a year and I've taken on this challenge.  This is my ideal time to read and I love it!  Okay, back to our schedule.  Reagan gets up around 7a and the moment I walk into his room, the first word (most days) out of his mouth is "toast."  The kid loves to eat, what can I say?  I get breakfast ready, unload the dishwasher, tidy up the kitchen, and play with the kids for a bit before Kyleigh's morning nap.  She goes down between 8:45 and 9a everyday.  Reagan and I either read books or play with his toys while she sleeps.  If I'm really lucky, I sneak shower and getting ready time in while Kyleigh's sleeping.  Another side note - yes, I take showers, but I don't always take them when I want to!  I always wake her up at 10a.  If I don't, it throws the rest of the day off (thanks for the tip, Amanda!).  Now, the time between Kyleigh getting up and lunch at 12:30p varies from day to day.  Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we have playdates with friends, and sometimes I stay home.  Depends on the day and how I feel.  I always try to be home by 12:30p at the latest so I can fix lunch and let Reagan unwind a bit before going down for a nap.  Both kids are in their cribs and  asleep (hopefully!!) at 1p.  They usually sleep for 2, sometimes 2 1/2, hours.  Then it's snack time again and only an hour or so before I need to start making dinner.  This is our daily routine.  Works like a charm.....on the days the kids agree with my plan!  Just kidding, in all seriousness, I really try to stick to this plan because this routine works for us.  Some days are different, especially if I have a morning activity that throws off Kyleigh's first nap.  But if I stick to the routine, both kids are happy.  In fact, just recently, Reagan has been starting to say "sleep" when he's nearing the end of his lunch.  Makes me happy!

The other reason I say I'm in a groove is because I've finally figured out how to get all of my household duties completed without having unrealistic expectations.  Here you go: Monday is laundry day, all day.  I usually don't leave the house until Small Group on Mondays because I'm doing load after load after load ;-) Tuesday is cleaning the kitchen; Wednesday is cleaning the bathroom, Thursday is cleaning the floors; and Friday is usually my free day or a "special project" day.

There you have it.  This is why I'm in a groove.  Now that it's been posted, the kids will inevitably throw a wrench into my perfectly organized day (hint, that was sarcastic), but that's okay.  Motherhood is all about adapting, at least in this phase of motherhood!

I'm off to pull the dry clothes out and put the next load in!

I Made It!

I made it!  The week of Ryan being gone is over and I made it out alive!  Ok, I know I'm being dramatic here, but it's over, and I couldn't be happier.  It was actually over Friday afternoon, but I was so happy to have my hubby home that I forgot to post ;-)

Overall, I would say that the week was a success!  My change of attitude beginning on Monday morning made such a difference for the week.  I chose to not let little tantrums or mishaps ruin the day!

Monday, I thought, was going to be the hardest day for me because I didn't originally have any plans.  However, I finished all the laundry and played with the kids during the day.  After the kids woke from their naps, the three of us headed over to Katie's house to hang out for a bit and eat dinner together.  What a blessing that was!

Tuesday was also another great day.  Katie and I met to finish our discussion on the book Darcy had given us.  It was by far the most convicting chapter (submission), but also the most rewarding.  Katie and I had a great conversation and it was nice for me to get away for a little bit while Andy watched my kids.  I honestly don't remember Tuesday afternoon very well!  I do know that Tuesday night was the worst night in terms of my fears.  I'm a scaredy cat and I know it.  I spent most of the night on the phone with Ryan and my parents so that I wouldn't let the creaks of the house get to me!

Wednesday was by far the worse day.  I didn't sleep well on Tuesday night, so that probably had something to do with it.  Both kids didn't sleep well that night either.  However, I was just off morning and afternoon.  I think I was so excited to get 3 hours to myself that night (hired a babysitter), that nothing was going to make the time go by.  The kids were irritable; I was irritable.  I didn't have any errands to run and didn't really have any money to go grocery shopping, but I knew I needed to get out of the house or I was going to lose it.  So...off to Kohl's we went.  I had no intention of buying anything, but needed a store to walk around that already had a shopping cart so I didn't have to get the double stroller out.  Anyway, I only walked around for about 45 minutes, but it made a difference.  Came home, put the kids down for a nap, and then it was only a few hours before I left for some much needed me time.  I left the house around 4:15p, scored a great deal at CVS, looked for Army Wives season 6 at the library (checked out, bummer), and then walked around Barnes and Noble before meeting my friends at Panera for dinner.  Dinner was great, but not long enough :(  We laughed and talked, and all without kids!!!  It was wonderful!

Thursday brought Bible Study at Moms and More in the morning.  This is part of our normal routine and by the time we got home, I was ready to feed the kids lunch and put them down for their naps.  I love easy mornings like this!  I lost my iTouch at Moms, but thankfully, Pam called to let me know she had it.  So after the kids got up, I drove to her house to get it and then stopped by Katie's house for an hour to just talk.  The kids were behaving really well and Reagan really wanted to see AJ, so I was able to spend time just hanging out for a bit.

And now it's Friday!  I was really excited about Entrusted's class this morning because we were having a Q&A with Betsy.  Got the kids up and ready to go, despite the frigid temperature of 3!  Our class had a really great time learning from Betsy and before I knew it, it was 10:45a and I needed to pick the kids up from the nursery.  Both kids were exhausted and I knew I had to get them down for their naps early due to Ryan's arrival time, so I made a super quick stop at Caputo's and then came home.  Of course, neither kid would take their nap, so it was a little bit of a long afternoon until we left for to get Ryan.  I had a great idea of Reagan making a "Welcome Home, Daddy" sign, so we did that and then headed off to the airport.  I arrived just about 10 minutes before Ryan came walking down the stairs.  The kids were too tired to be super excited about seeing Daddy, but Reagan did break out a big smile and gave Ryan a hug.  I tried to have Reagan hold his sign, but he refused :(

All in all, it was a successful week.  BUT, I don't want Ryan to travel anymore than absolutely necessary.  AND, we are all so happy to have him home with us again!

Kyleigh's Newest Skill

Last week, Kyleigh learned how to pull up.  It's crazy how quickly she's learning new skills.  Below is the progression of me finding Kyleigh each day after waking up from her nap.  I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I did discovering her this way.

Day 1 (1/23/13): sitting up with legs sticking out of the crib

Day 2 (1/24/13): Kneeling and ready to pull up

Day 3 (1/26/13): "I'm standing and really freaked out!"

Everyday I walked into her room, I couldn't help but laugh.  I left the room to get the camera because I just couldn't resist capturing her newest skills.  Now, whenever I walk into her room, she is standing at the rails and waiting for me to get her.  I guess it is time for us to drop the mattress so she doesn't climb out.  

She's growing too fast!  I'm trying to soak up and enjoy each new skill after she's mastered it; however, she moves onto the next skill so quickly that it's difficult to just enjoy the current one.