Break Time

With the holidays approaching and life getting in the way, I'm going to take a little blogging break.  The last several months have been full of laughter and joy--but that joy has been tinged with some stinging sadness.  It is all fine--my family is good, and I hope to be back after the New Year refreshed and renewed.

Have a wonderful rest of 2013!

Sarah

The Sun Will Rise

Making Dinner?

This is so true!  One day, I'll tell you about the time the fire engines actually showed up...

Halloween Pics--Only 11 Days Late!

Wait, was Halloween really a week and a half ago?  Whoops--time, once again, is getting away from me.

I spent a good bit of time planning Halloween costumes.  Both girls picked their own.  Minnie Mouse was an obvious choice for Charlotte.  I got her costume from Toys R Us of all places, but they seemed to have the most "classic" dress so I went for it.

Cate's Prinecess Celestia costume was DIYed, which I though would save me some money, but I think it ended up being about double what good old Minnie Mouse cost.  I found a tutorial here and it turned out nicely.

For those who don't know, Princess Celestia is a My Little Pony.  Cate had a momentary flicker of regret over her decision, wishing instead to be Rainbow Dash, which her best buddy had picked.  When Rhett found this out he told me "I hate to pull rank but isn't Princess Celestia THE TOP pony?  Isn't Rainbow Dash one of her subjects??  This is an obvious choice."  Haha--can you tell he is the father of young girls????

Anyway, Cate quickly forgot about that because she was so excited when she saw her costume come together.  Here it is:

Crown: check, unicorn: check, multi-colored mane: check, wings: check,  cutie mark: check!

Don't know what a cutie mark is?  I didn't either.  Princess Celestia's is a sun.

Halloween night!

 And here is Minnie:

Pretty darn thrilled with life here, folks. 

Sweetness...

Top Ten Things I've Learned Over the Past Year

November 5th marked exactly one year since we moved.  One year since the whirlwind of quitting my job, packing up our "forever house" and heading up to Northern VA.  One year being a stay at home mama with my babies.

For me, it's been awesome and I am so grateful for the past twelve months.  I know that many women don't have the opportunity to be home full time and it really is such a gift.

Here are the Top Ten Things I've Learned Over the Past Year:

10. Big house, small house, or something in between--it really doesn't matter.  Home is home because of who is in it.

9. But extra closet space is always nice.

8. In real estate, location really is king.  I don't love our townhouse, but the location is amazing and it makes a huge difference.  Rhett's commute is relatively short and we can get anywhere we need to go with ease.  I'd rather live in a shoebox near to where I need to be than a huge house that is out of the way.

7. No matter if you're a mom that works full-time, part-time, or stays home--you will always question if you're doing it right.  Nothing is perfect and everyone has bad days.  Just do the best you can.

6. Across the board, Maryland drivers are THE WORST--it's almost unbelievable.

5. Every parent thinks their school is the best--and you know what?  They're right.  If they love it, it is best--for them.

4. Living for the next "thing" is such a waste.  Life is tenuous and you never know what's around the bend.

3. Pray with your children.  It teaches them to be grateful.  Even if most days they are only thankful for Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel, at least they are thinking about being thankful.

2. Take a shower, dress in "real" clothes, and put on some makeup every day.  It makes you more productive and you feel better about yourself.

1. Love the one you're with.

I Don't Want to be Right

Rhett sometimes jokes when he gets home from work that I look very "comfy."  So, with that…

Yes, indeedy!

The Pacifier

When Cate was a baby/toddler, she loved her pacifier, or "passer" as she called it.  But, as she approached her second birthday, I knew it was time to give it up.  I was pregnant with Charlotte and Cate was moving to a big girl bed.  It was just time to go.

I wrung my hands for weeks about it, but finally decided the day she moved on to the green room at school was the day she would give her pacifiers to "the baby" (in my tummy).  We talked about it a lot, and I was really nervous about how my sensitive girl would do.  The morning she was to move to the green room, we collected her passers, deposited them in the closet in the baby's room, and never looked back.  There was not one peep.  Color me surprised!

For my easygoing Charlotte, life has not been so…well…easy.  She is now almost two and because of the timing I used with Cate, I've always had the milestone of the second birthday in my head when thinking about taking away the pacifier.  Charlotte has exclusively used it in her crib, and I really thought it wouldn't be a big deal to lose it.  Not so…

Back in September, I introduced the concept that pacifiers were for babies and that when Charlotte was two, she would have to give her pacifier away to a certain baby we knew.  How did she take it?  Well…she absorbed the information for a couple of weeks, and then let me know she no longer wanted to see "that baby" and in November she was not going to be two…she told me she was going to be six.  It was if she was saying, "Nope, sorry, try this one on someone else."  Ok, on to Plan B…

I kept quiet for a few weeks, and decided that trying removing the pacifier in conjunction with her birthday and/or to giving it to someone we knew would be bad.  So I said after Halloween we would send Charlotte's pacifiers to a new baby at the hospital.  Then, this past Friday, the removal began.

Charlotte happily took her passers out of her crib in the morning and deposited them in an envelope.  She watched me address the envelope and she lovingly put a Dora stamp (sticker) on it.  Then Charlotte happily skipped her way to the mailbox and put the envelope in the mail.  This is going great, I thought.

Later I told her the new baby had sent her a thank you gift, and I presented Charlotte with a new doll.  She was thrilled and played with it all morning.  It was all fun and games…

…until she got in her crib.

We are now over three days into a pacifier-free house.  We've had three pre-nap crying sessions, three very early wake-ups (with a side of daylight savings to add to the earliness), and lots of "where is my passer?" along with very sad eyes.

I've been begging Cate to be SILENT once Charlotte is in her crib so she can peacefully (ha!) drift off to sleep.  Unfortunately, Cate is four, and sometimes once I've put her to bed, she forgets that she has some very important questions she needs to call me into her room to answer.  Questions like "What sound does a pony make from its nose?" "Why can't I fly?" and "What do you want for Christmas?"

So, it hasn't been perfect, but there is no going back now.  I'm hoping we're over the tough days, but I'm a bit worried that the early wake ups are here for awhile.  It's life with a young kid though--constant transitions and trying to figure out how to get more, more, more sleep.  Wouldn't change that for anything though :)

The Fever

You know what is bad for Baby Fever?  Looking at pictures of your babies as babies.

Cate, 4 days old

Cate, 8 weeks old

Cate, 3 months old

Cate, 4 months old

Charlotte, 4 days old

Charlotte, 8 weeks old

Charlotte, 4 months old

Charlotte, 7 months old

YIKES!  I can't quite handle this.

The Things You Take for Granted

Halloween Fun

Cate learns so many fun songs at preschool.  Here is a quick video of one of them.

Keep in the Sunlight

Thought of the Day

My Pumpkins

Yesterday I took advantage of the high-60 degree, sunny fall weather and headed off with the girls to the pumpkin patch.  We drove our car past the mega-huge and popular Cox Farms and went to a smaller one, Ticonderoga, that ended up being perfection.  Ticonderoga was so good, in fact, I'm sort of considering going back immediately.  It was awesome!

We started things off the way every kid wants to...I made the girls sit and take pictures.  It took a couple clicks to get a good one and then we were off.

After that, the girls and I hit the slides.  We all went together and I think the person that had the best time on them was me!  And that is saying something because every time we got to the bottom Charlotte would hop up and scream "Again, again, again, gain, gain!"

Slides=Fun for everyone!

We then did some playground-type stuff, jumped on a trampoline, visited the animals, crossed the foot bridge, and trekked to the actual pumpkin patch.

After selecting the perfect dirtiest pumpkins, we hopped on the hayride.

I let the girls play tetherball (??????) until it was time to head home for lunch.  Still not sure why tetherball is at the pumpkin patch but Ticonderoga can do no wrong, so it's all good.

Cate playing "ring around the rosy."

Charlotte with her soccer gameface on.  I'm calling it now--future star right here!

Can't wait for Ticonderoga next year tomorrow!

My Little Minnie Mouse

If our house ever caught on fire, I know what single object each of my girls would grab before dashing out.  For Cate, it's no-brainer--her beloved yellow blanket.  For Charlotte, it is her 2013 Halloween costume--something she loves so much, she wears it every single day.

When it came time to pick a costume, it was obvious what to dress my little Minnie Mouse lover up as on October 31.  So, last month I ordered a classic Minnie dress and ears on the internet.  It took about a week, and I had almost forgotten about it when the box arrived.  The outside of the box wasn't well marked, so I didn't know what it was.  Charlotte was there when I opened it and she was so excited when she saw the ears, she nearly keeled over.  There was no way to keep her out of the costume and let me tell you, we are getting our money's worth!

Here is a little video of our Minnie Mouse.

Tomorrow is a New Day

I came across this quote a few days ago and it really resonated with me.  I sometimes wish for a do-over...don't we all?

"Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could.  Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Grammar Nerds Unite!

I know I'm not the only grammar nerd out there.  How funny are these?

Bye Bye Baby

Remember that time Charlotte was a baby?  Me neither... :(

She's independent, opinionated, agile, and affectionate.  She imitates Cate, sings on her own, asks me questions, tells me how she is feeling, and has her own little pretend world already happening.

Charlotte still thinks I have the power to control everything (but really, don't I?).  Today she told me to make the thunderstorm stop.

Yes, the baby is definitely gone but with that, we have an awesome toddler here ready to take on the world.

What We're Into Lately

Things have been ca-razy here lately.  Not sure why, but we feel very busy running from one thing to the next.  Maybe summer just lulled me into a sense of "I got this" when it came to managing kids and the house, but fall has come on strong to let me know I. DO. NOT.

Here's what we've been into lately:

1. This 10-Minute Exercise Routine
I have inexplicably gained ~five pounds over the last few months.  It is baffling!  I am not doing anything different.  Maybe I carry Charlotte less?  Eat extra gummy peaches?  No clue.  Anyway, lately I have been doing this exercise routine during nap times every so often and it's making me feel better.

2. I Got a Haircut!  And Color!!
For most women, this is normal.  Let's just say it had been awhile for me...

3. Charlotte Drove the Car

Not really but she did sit in the seat and say, adorably, "I driving, Mama!"  Insert melting heart here.

She did, however, finally get very good "driving" the scooter we gave her last Christmas.  

4. Consignment Sales

I volunteered at a fun one last weekend and scored this tent and two princess dolls, one Aurora and one Cinderella, similar to this one for this girls for next to nothing.  There were also some things my family members asked for and the sale had it all!  There is nothing like getting a good bargain on great kid items.

5. Imitating Aunt Liz

Cate told me the other day "I want to run like Liz!" so she proceeded to do some sprints and easy runs around the basketball court.  Even Charlotte got in on it.

6. Charlotte Knows Her Letters

File this one away under "only her parents care" but Charlotte knows all of her letters.  In August we were randomly looking at the magnet letters on the fridge when Charlotte grabbed one, took it over to me and pronounced it "J."  She was right.  I quizzed her on another.  "Umm, B!" she said, very clearly.  I asked Cate, "Did you know Charlotte knows letters??!?" and Cate said, nonchalantly, "Yeah, I taught her."  Apparently, I can kick back and let Cate do the parenting from now on.

To be clear, before August, I had not sat down with her even one time and gone through the alphabet.  I tried to sing the ABC song, but she would just run away or sing "Twinkle Twinkle" over me.  And here she is, a few months shy of 2 and she's rolling out with K, V, Y, and, my favorite to hear her say, Q.

After going through all of the letters, I realized she knew most of them.  Now that we've actually reviewed the alphabet a few times, she is almost perfect.  That dastardly U is the only one that gives her problems anymore.  Is it a W?  Or, a V?  She just can't quite nail it.

Anyway, here is a video of us doing letters from late August:

Voila!

Me Neither

It doesn't matter how many months (or years!) you've been out of the baby phase--this one is so true.  Oh elusive eight continuous hours of sleep...you and I will meet again...one day.

Serenity Now

A reminder from Rhett to me (and all my Type A soul mates and others who love to worry like I do)...

Say it with me:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can, 
And the wisdom to know the difference.
-Reinhold Niebuhr

Strength

Deja Vu

On the drive home from Cate's preschool today, I looked back at Charlotte and had such a sense of deja vu--it was unreal.  It reminded me of a picture I snapped of Cate two years ago while she was riding in Rhett's car.

Crazy, right?

Today

Etsy Shop Recommendation--Genesis Artworks

Cate and Charlotte have never been into bows and, frankly, I have never really loved them either.  We have received a few as gifts, but the girls always seem to pull them out and then I get busy trying to not lose them...at which I generally fail.  Plus, I think they can look too cutesy which is not really what I'm going for.

Except all that changed about a week ago.  I was looking a one of my friend's daughters pictures--she was at ballet class with the most darling white bow holding up half her hair.  I was instantly smitten.  Plus, Charlotte's hair is too short for most styles but a bow in an alligator clip is perfect.  And if Charlotte is wearing something, you can be sure Cate wants one too :+)

First I wanted to make them, but I quickly realized it is almost more expensive to make your own than buy a set.  Plus, mine would never look professional.  After looking a bit on Etsy, I found Genesis Artworks and thought I'd give them a whirl.  They offer alligator clips with a no slip grip and ribbon in tons of colors.  And the bows are only a couple dollars each if you buy a set.  So I did.

Just standing by the front steps holding a stuffed snake--you know, the usual.

We love these bows.  The girls have worn them daily since our box arrived and I die over the way they look!  I don't know the shop owner, but I love him/her.

Plus, I bought a Carolina blue one for Tarheel games and a red one for Xmas for both girls--yippee!  I am so excited!

Comparison

Just Like That

And, just like that, summer is over for us.  I told Cate goodbye this morning at preschool and with it, we said goodbye to summer.  Here is what we did to make the most of our last couple of weeks:

Our family did what every family likes to do--get in the car for hours with their young kids ;)  It was for a good cause--we visited Rhett's parents, siblings, and their kids.  We celebrated Poppa's 62nd (or was it 26th?) birthday and hung out with our favorite little people.

Cousin love--thanks for not flipping the bird, Finley!  (Sorry Deca,  I had to say it ;)

Poppa is a sucker for a card with a play on words! 

Cate offered to help with the cake.

Cute Finley.

Tossing the ball off the deck--a Kier tradition from the days of Sundance.

Poppa and his (little) girls.

Cate also wanted to prep for going back to school.  Prep=new outfits, new shoes, and a haircut.  Ah, a girl after my own heart.

Cate's first day outfit from the fanciest store we shop at--Tar-jay!  Charlotte also used her keen negotiation skills to get a new shirt.  Whatever did she pick, you may ask.  Real shocker here--a glittery Minnie Mouse ensemble.

Pink+glitter+rhinestones+light-up=a four-year-old's dream shoe.

Freshly cut hair, and a fancy lollipop to boot!

Don't worry, Charlotte got the goods too.

It happened earlier than I though, but we instituted movie night on Sunday nights at the end of summer.  Our movies so far have been cute and the girls have been so cute watching them.  Charlotte especially loves movie night--so far, it's pretty much the highlight of her life.

Ready to get this (pizza) party started.

Loving it.

We took movie night on the road when we visited Rhett's family.  This was a particularly suspenseful part of  the movie we picked--Friday the 13th.  Kidding, kidding!  We watched Alladin. 

This is movie night--in a nutshell.

And today, it was all over.  Bring on the fall!