Picture Perfect

My 'everyday' girls make me smile!

I'm a pretty princess!

I stole Sissy's dog....shhhhh!!



Project Mom

About 3 weeks ago, my sister-in-law (Nick's Amanda) told me she was entertaining the thought of going to this "Project Mom" thing. Project Mom is an organization that provides valuable resources and enjoyable events for moms of all ages and stages.  I had no idea what it was or what to expect, but went ahead and signed up for it just to find out more. Help with anything related to my children or parenting, I will definitely take!

I have been to several teaching conferences, obviously, but never a mom conference! There were various keynote speakers including The Crockin' Girls and Neale Godfrey, lots of vendors and giveaways, and breakout sessions to choose from. I attended: Parenting Your Preschoolers, Cashing in with Coupons, and Picture-Perfect Photography. It was very interesting and a nice getaway from the house and girls! I found the sessions semi-informative but definitely refreshing. In the Parenting session, the "Love and Logic" philosophy was suggested and I was actually trained in this while doing my student teaching! Funny! A bit of affirmation is always welcome.

I believe this was only the second year for Project Mom, but look forward to attending again in 2013.

Guest Speaker

My brother-in-law, Nate, just recently returned home from 9 months in Afghanistan. He served as a prison guard while there....yikes! When speaking with my partner teacher (who is also our SOS Coordinator) back in August, she suggested we adopt Nate as our school pen-pal. During the course of the year, children at my school wrote letters, sent cards and a few packages to him and his comrades. It was quite a treat from both ends of the spectrum.

Yesterday, Nate was gracious enough to visit with all the grade levels at my school and speak a little bit about what he experienced and answer questions from the kiddos. I had the honor and the privilege to escort him. All the students were really excited to see their pen-pal in person and get to hear some neat stories from him. It was truly an amazing experience!

He presented the school with a framed flag that he flew in Afghanistan on the anniversary of 9-11 and the day we captured Osama Bin Laden. How cool is that?!?

Nate and Claudia (SOS Coordinator and fellow first grade teacher)

Claudia was so excited and touched by his visit that she actually was in tears when he was speaking to her class! Thank you Nate for your service to our country and community (my school)!!

My Grandparents

As many already know, my dad's parents (Grams and Chief as we have always called them) are 89 and 90. They still live independently and are pretty active for their age. Just in the last week or so, Grams' sister, Aunt Joan the nun (yes, we have always called her this too!) fell and popped her hip out of place in which they had to pop it back and she is now in a full body immobilizer and Grams developed Walking Pneumonia. While still fighting this off after seeing the doctor and getting on medication, it appears as though Chief now has Atypical Pneumonia. He was taken to the emergency room this morning for trouble breathing. He will remain there for a few days of observation and blood work.

 All of these are obviously a major concern at their age. We are praying for recovery for each of them.

Happy 3 Months, Valentine!

Cayleigh is our "delicate one" as Daddy likes to call her. Her digestive system isn't exactly tough, so spit up, gas and overall discomfort at times is a whole new game for us.

We love C! Happy Valentine's Day to our 3 month old sweetie!

My Valentine's

Brooklyn picked out elephant-shaped valentines to give to family this year. They were super cute and she loved placing the eyes and hearts on them. She then chose exactly which elephant would go to who. Such decisions! Cayleigh watched big sissy make them this year, but next year will be a whole new 'mess' of fun :)

My sweet Valentine's!!

  

There's the little Love Bug Smile

Girl Cousin Weekend

Sydney came to stay at our house this weekend (Saturday night) and what a blast it was! Brooklyn and Sydney ran around the house and played with every toy they could get their little fingers on. They were so busy, they even forgot to nap. Once 5pm hit, they started to tire out though, so I made dinner early and they were knocked out asleep by 7!! Cayleigh was pooped just watching and listening to them; she fell asleep by 7:30.

                                        

Bedtime Hugs!

They colored and made a picture with hearts on it. They fed their babies and flew up and down with Daddy/Uncle A, read books and ran, ran, ran!!

                                     

Both with their mouth wide opening concentrating so hard! 

 B would try to interpret what Syd was saying and then retell it to us....cute!

                                    

  

It was so fun watching them interact and begin to take turns acting goofy in the Bumbo seat. Apart from the occasional referring when it came to baby dolls, it was nice entertainment. Sydney is by far the happiest and most smiling girl I know!

Dancing to the music from C's swing!

Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast. Yum!

An Opportunity From Him

 Lengthy, but worth the read:

Here recently Aaron and I have been seriously discussing me staying at home full time with the girls. Since being out on maternity leave, the stress of "home life" is basically, non-existent. Aaron loves me at home right now :) He comes home to a clean house, laundry completed, and a balanced meal for dinner. "It's less chaotic," he says. Plus, the girls are spending all their time with ME....getting to share our day's adventures with Daddy when he arrives home from work. I have control over what they do, what they eat and how they are disciplined.

When we were both heading to work everyday, we would waste family time in the car, come home and we would finally get time with B but be trying to make dinner, wind down from our day, eat, possibly give B a bath and then bedtime by 7:30-8! Dinners were not as well-rounded and we would certainly eat out more. It was exhausting and rushed. Let alone all the things we didn't accomplish during the week time for the house. Weekends were packed with cleaning the house, grocery shopping (with way more people), laundry, maintenance with the cars and house, etc. It is pretty stressful; especially now, with the thought of two children!

So it was settled....I would return after maternity leave to finish the school year and then from there on out stay at home with the girls. Who could take care of them and love them better than their mother?!? Who could teach them better than a certified educator?!? Win, win.

My heart was heavy over this plan. I would go back and forth about our financial standing. The thought of cutting back in so many areas, not being as spoiled as I have always been, was tough to swallow. I enjoy the luxuries that we have and not having to think about buying a new pair of shoes, etc. I work to be able to spend money on things that I want and want to have for us/girls. (Not to mention, I also teach because I love to teach!!)

With only one income, things would be "tight." Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted that.

I prayed about it and prayed about it.

Daycare costs for the two girls would wipe out majority of my paycheck, but we would still have some spending money.  I don't really want to ship my girls off everyday for someone else to get time with them, but I love the impact I make on others' children.

Literally everyday, my mind would change....stay at home, continue working, stay at home, continue working.

More prayer. Talk to more people. An answer will come.

Then.....Aaron got a phone call from his previous employer. Aaron wasn't actively looking for a higher paying job, he loves the one he has and the people he works with....hmmmm?!?
They called to see if he would be interested in becoming the Supply Chain Manager. This position hadn't even been posted as 'open.' They specifically sot him out, offering the position to him before anyone else, before releasing it to the public! He is not one to ever turn away opportunity for growth, so he agreed to interview.

Management experience and a big leap in salary. Win, win....maybe?!?

More prayer. Is this God's answer for us? For me?
I will get to stay at home with the girls, our budget will not be stretched nearly as thin, and Aaron gains great career ground.

After a few days of negotiations, Aaron accepted the position. It will be a longer commute and require some traveling, but the hours are more flexible. So, he will still get home by 5, just like before!

Prayers answered!! We do believe that He smacked us with reality with the flooding. (This all took place at the same time.) We are not to take for granted the opportunity He has given us; this was an answer, not a gift.

Aaron will begin his new job on Monday, the 13th. I have pushed back my return to work until after spring break and will become a full time stay-at-home Mommy after the conclusion of this school year!!

These are the sweet faces I will get to see day in and day out....

Big Girl

Our sweet Brooklyn is growing up too fast for this Mommy! After eating an entire waffle and fruit, drinking milk from a cup and taking her plate over to the sink after breakfast, I got her dressed this morning and both her pants and top were size 3T!! Oh my! Some days she makes me wonder where the time has gone.

Eight in Weight

Cayleigh girl had her special care appointment this morning and she is gaining like a champ! She weighed 8lb, 9oz at this visit! She has gained 10oz in 2 weeks! We are thrilled about fattening her up.

We are to continue on the regimen we have established and look to kick her up about 2 more ounces a day gradually over the week. She still spits up a little, but nothing like it was. The doctor suggested getting Primadophilus Children, a probiotic to aid in digestion. We are scheduled for another weight check in 2 weeks and a follow-up appointment again in late March.

In Comparison for What?

Read this article before reading my blog entry...
http://www.megmeekermd.com/2012/02/challenge-day-4/

My sister-in-law, Amanda (Nick's), sent this to me last week and the timing of it was so coincidental. I had just been to the park with B and C and Brooklyn had begun to play, talk and run around with this other little girl. They were inseparable and it was really cute!! This sparked a conversation between the girl's mother and myself. She was holding her 8 month old son. We began to chat about having our first child and being completely wrapped up in all the milestones and doing everything the "right" way. And after having the second one, you just are thankful to make it through the day. Diapers are needed, but reading, worrying, and new clothes are not even thought about!! This woman had her hair pulled back in a pony tail with sweats on....just like me! Nothing fancy and calmly tracked down Sophia (her daughter) once she realized she was running all over the grass with Brooklyn with only one shoe missing.

....It made me flash back to a few days before when the girls and I were walking around the neighborhood and B told me she needed to go pee. We were pretty far from the house and so we began rushing, but she started dancing around and I knew we weren't going to make it home. We did the unthinkable and ran to a port-a-potty that was steps away and I held her up, hoovering over the disgusting toilet seat. We made it though, she peed and no accident in her pants (which is detrimental when in the midst of potty training). The moment we walked into the house, I gave them both a bath. There is no way I would have done that a year ago.....

But here is someone like me, admitting her once crazy ways and now, relaxation. Nothing fancy.

I would get so wrapped up in Brooklyn's development and with cousins so close in age to compare to, get worried and jealous. (Partly because I am a teacher. I see the lack of development and necessary skills in students and fear this for my own children. This aspect will probably never change.) Worry about how I looked and how I was parenting. Get caught up in talk about what she was doing now and panic. Think about how many words Brooklyn was saying; should she be speaking more? Why hasn't she mastered counting to 10? On and on!! My paranoia tapered off drastically after B began walking, but spurts of comparison here and there still lingered. Aaron would often remind me how ridiculous I was being.

Then, Cayleigh girl arrived. Talk about a smack of pure survival mode! I don't even think I can tell you the milestones she should be mastering now, nor those for Brooklyn anymore. It has been a nice dose of simplicity...good health and happy....then my girls are right on target!

Don't get me wrong, I think a bit of jealousy is healthy. It makes you recognize areas where improvement is needed and therefore driving you into necessary action. But, does Brooklyn skip 13 and 17 when counting to 20, yes! Is she completely uncoordinated at throwing a ball, yes! Does Cayleigh have a flat head in the back because I rarely make her do tummy time enough, yes!! And I'm okay with that.....I am now!

Ahhhh, it's like a weight lifted. It feels nice to drop the comparison, drop the jealousy.

Stockshow and Rodeo

Aaron won tickets in a raffle at work for the Fort Worth Stockshow and Rodeo on Friday night. Seeing as how Brooklyn would love this kind of event, we went ahead and decided to take the girls with us (eventhough they charge adult price for ages 2 and up). We have never really ventured out with both the girls before except on shopping trips and out to a restaurant, so we weren't quite sure what to expect.
What were we thinking?!?!

I tried my hardest to ware Brooklyn out that morning, so she would go down for an early nap and avoid having to wake her to leave and pick up Daddy to head downtown. Well, of course, she refused to take a nap. And it happened to be that Cayleigh was a bit off her feeding schedule from the morning, so just around the time we need to meet up with Daddy, it was time to eat. So when we arrived at Daddy's work, Brooklyn was exhausted and Cayleigh was screaming hungry!

We made it downtown and had to pay for parking even though we had a pass because Aaron's company had accidentally tore the stubs off all the parking passes before distributing them. I realized that I had forgotten one very important piece of paper....the map and location to where we were receiving a complimentary BBQ dinner. That wasted about 30 minutes of fun time trying to ask around and locate :(

We visited the petting zoo and walked all over the place. Saw some cows, bulls and horses close up. B was a trooper with all the walking and did great pottying. Dinner was nice, but Cayleigh was very fussy throughout. Then, it was time for the Rodeo to begin and guess who was super cranky and hungry again?!? The lady next to Daddy was very rude regarding Cayleigh. Nonetheless, Brooklyn LOVED the show. She was practically in a trance with everything going on and seeing all the horses and riders! She was, like I said before, totally wore out though, so we ended up leaving at 9 (just an hour and a half after the Rodeo began) to head home.

Daddy and Mommy were pooped too. (We had carried C the whole time because we didn't know if we could have a stroller in the arena and we didn't pay for a seat for her, so we couldn't just plop her in the car seat in a chair next to us.) Cayleigh was not the model, sleeping infant that everyone goo goo's over. We weren't sure how everything was going to work nor had either one of us remembered even going to the Stockshow and Rodeo before, so it was a challenge for sure!

Like my old soccer coach told me after we had Cayleigh girl....."Welcome to two kids and chaos!" That's an understatement :)

Princess #2

Our little Cayleigh girl is such a cutie pie! Just another princess for Daddy to spoil!

Reclaiming

This Mommy is reclaiming her house tomorrow!! The girls rooms have been restored to their original beauty and Daddy (who is completely amazing and extremely understanding and helpful) finished the touch up painting last night and tonight! We have moved all the furniture back, so it is out of my kitchen, living room and dining room now.....thank goodness. Brooklyn was very excited to be able to sleep in her own room again. Her and Mommy have been feeling under the weather since Monday, sore throat and running noses. Yuck. But, by golly, I will muster up enough energy tomorrow to deep clean this house and feel at complete ease again. Over the weekend, Aaron and I went back and forth about the repairs and tackling it ourselves or paying someone. Luckily, we decided to hire it out! It was well worth the money and got completed much faster than we could have done it. Unfortunately, we paid to have our house look exactly the same way it was....certainly not nearly as exciting as seeing a newly renovated space for the cost. That's ok, reclaiming it will work too!