Busy Santa Weekend

I have been absolutely terrible about keeping up with this space - I don't know what my deal is. I have several posts that I've already written but I haven't uploaded the pictures to go along with them, so here the space sits unattended.

This time of year is filled with so many fun, holiday events and traditions, I had to post about what we've been up to. Before I start though, JJ had a little incident at work the Monday before Thanksgiving. It was absolutely ridiculous, but because of this, they pulled him out of service for 30 days. To be completely honest, JJ didn't tell me at first because he didn't want to ruin my holiday, but once I finally found out a few days later, he was so relieved that I now knew and he confided in me that the night it happened he was so afraid it would cause him to relapse. (They made him do a drug test that night just like anyone else would of had to in his situation and he passed. Yay!) And I'm happy to say that the relapse was a fleeting thought and he is doing very well. Coming up on six months to be exact which he is super excited about! We were a bit nervous at first about 30 days off unpaid right before the holidays, but his job insurance kicked in and it essentially was a free 30 day vacation. Of course he is now on probation and can't look for another job in management for quite some time so that sucks, but the extra family time has been really nice!

Anyway, two weekends ago we had multiple events to go see Santa, and I'm so glad JJ was able to go along with me. The first one was Friday night; we decided to go to Bass Pro. Our neighbor and JJ went up there around 3:30 to get a pass for the first slot at 5:00 and it worked out perfectly. Both families showed up just before 5:00, walked right up to the front of the line, the kids went up to Santa and started talking his ear off and didn't even want to bother to turn around for a picture. I was so proud of Drake this year! Chloe has never minded Santa, but Drake was not a fan at all last year. You know the kids are always excited to see Santa and sound all tough until the time actually comes to sit on his lap and I was afraid Drake would freak out, but he did awesome. Then we went with our neighbors to meet up with a bunch of our friends for First Friday.

The next morning we all got put together for another Santa event - this one was a client appreciation from our realtor. I was hoping someone there could take a quick picture of the four of us for our Christmas cards, so when I walked in and saw my friend/photographer who took our pictures at the fair this summer, I was excited for her to do it!

There were crafts for the kids, donuts for breakfast, face painting, cookie decorating, and of course Santa. And once again, my kids were rock stars and walked right up to him and started talking. (Chloe did ask if there was more than one Santa which I was worried about, but she hasn't mentioned it again since).

 They agreed to have their arms painted instead of face since we still were seeing Santa one more time.

 Of course he asked for an orange turtle. Obsessed I tell ya!

We went home for a quick minute, and were off to our third event of the weekend - our annual Christmas party with Santa at Rachel's house. This is an event we've grown to look forward to every year! She has Santa come to her house, it's very intimate so the kids get good time with Santa and we have an opportunity for more pictures. She also has crafts, cookie decorating, food, it's such a good time!

I love D's face as soon as he saw Santa come in.

  

My favorite thing about this party is that the Santa is the same every year so it makes it fun to go back and look at past pictures. My world, right there on his lap. 

After that we went home and relaxed for about an hour before getting out for the final event of the weekend - the luminary walk at the Arboretum. I had heard good things about it and the week before one night had been cancelled due to weather so we thought it might be busy. It was packed!! We finally got into the parking lot and made our way in. It wasn't freezing, but it wasn't warm either and we were moving slow with the large crowds. It was pretty and fun to do, but we weren't there to see Santa since we'd already done that once or twice (or three times!) so honestly I don't know if I'd do it again. We got home after 9:00 and were all pretty exhausted from the day. We still have a few things on our to-do list as far as holiday attractions go, and I'm looking forward to doing them all as a family. As of Thursday afternoon, I will be off work for 17 days!!

November 2015 Video Recap

This month has been busy! Chloe's social calendar alone has kept us busy with birthday parties a few weekends each month for the last several. When we weren't at a party, we were at a trampoline place with friends, hanging out outside with the neighbors playing with leaves, playing inside on rainy days with our toys, Drake exploring his cutting skills, and the month ended up with some family time for the holidays. I can't believe it's already December! Christmas will be here before we know it!!

October 2015 Video Recap

This was a busy few weeks! We started out the month in Omaha to visit the zoo and a huge pumpkin patch with blog friends, the next weekend we participated in a run for my friend's daughter with ALL, the following weekend we had three parties in one day - a princess party, birthday party, and a haunted trail in our neighborhood. The last weekend was Halloween, not to mention the Royals are in the WORLD SERIES so there have been lots of watch parties happening around here. Fun times all the way around!

Drake - 27 Months

(I am already so behind on posting this, if I wait until I actually take pictures of him, he'll be three, so up it goes with no pictures).

Second child problems – I completely spaced doing a “Drake Lately” post in August! I’ll do one for where we are at today, because who knows what he was up to last month. Here’s what Drake is up to right now:

-          His speech is off the charts. I looked back at Chloe’s post at this age and how her language was very basic. Drake has been talking for quite some time now, and every once in a while he will say something and I will stop and count how many words he just put together. I will say I think his vocabulary has kicked into overdrive though and sometimes he stumbles to get the right words out. I remember Chloe went through this phase too and occasionally he’ll start saying “I,I,I” over and over before moving onto what he really wants to say. Something else that he is really good at saying is I love you. That may sound so basic, but Chloe had the hardest time saying those words for some reason. It came out as “weave we” for the longest time, so the fact that I can hear his sweet little voice say “I yuff you Mommy” before bedtime melts my heart every time. And out of nowhere at dinner last night, he started singing his ABCs! We haven't taught him that, so he must have picked it up at school the few times he's been already. I was very impressed!-

-          He has his moments when he likes to torment the dogs. I don’t correct him as quickly as I should because I know most of the time he’s not hurting them, but I also don’t want him to go too far one day and one of them snap back and bite him. He just gets ornery sometimes, and that goes for his sister too. As their relationship seems to have always been and probably will continue being, they are either best friends or enemies. When it’s good, it’s great, but when it’s bad, it’s pretty rotten. He loves to do whatever she does and I can see that getting real old for her in the next couple of years when she’s “too cool for him.” His new favorite thing when he gets mad is to put his chin down, furrow his eyebrows, and cross his arms over his chest. In the last couple of days he’s added rolling his eyes into the mix. It is quite the sight, and I’ve tried a few times to get a picture, but as you can imagine I’m never prepared when he does it. And when I ask him to do it again later, he does, but smiles at the same time. 

-          Drake continues to be an awesome sleeper. I was a little worried once he started school how that would affect his schedule, but we’ve been good so far. The only difference is he (and Chloe) are both waking up much earlier than they ever have before. He usually starts his day around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning. On days we are home, he’ll go down for a nap around 1:30 and sleep for about two hours. On days he has school, he doesn’t go down until 2:30. Now that the days are getting shorter and school has started, bed time is typically around 8:00 or 8:30 at the very latest. He is super easy to put down, I sing him some songs and/or read a couple books, put him in his bed, and then sit with him for a minute holding his hand. No one else holds his hand, but I started that when he was sleeping on the floor a few months back and I’ve just continued it. Speaking of, he’s been back in his crib for four months now and has not attempted to climb out once. Hallelujah!! 

-          As with Chloe, we have not given potty training a serious attempt. I’ve mentioned it a couple times lately, but he is not interested in the slightest. He does not like going without pants, let alone a diaper, so I don’t imagine we will push him. 

-          He is still a good eater, but probably eats more snacks than he should. Now that Chloe can open the pantry door, she often goes and gets both her and Drake snacks throughout the day. He eats breakfast better on days he has school than Chloe ever did which is nice. Based off his pediatrician’s standards, he’s eating plenty of good food throughout the week. 

-          Drake started school at the beginning of September. The first and second day the drop off went well. The third when JJ took him he got a bit teary, and the fourth time it was a total meltdown when I had to hand him over. Thankfully the fifth time was much better; he did grab for my hand but basically just led me to his classroom and walked right in, and JJ said the sixth drop off went well too. His teachers say he’s doing a great job and he’s such a sweet, funny kid. I see him being the class clown in the future. 

-          He still fits perfectly on my lap, so many times when we are watching TV, he will crawl right onto my lap and assume his position. That has made Chloe want to sit in my lap more, but she is just too tall and heavy to comfortably sit on me for any length of time. He lets me rub his head or smother him in kisses whenever I want because gosh darn it he’s my baby and I love him to pieces! He has the best laugh and loves to be tickled.

September 2015 Video Recap

This month was the end of summer. So sad. We fit in a couple of trips to the pool before it closed, and spent quite a bit of time outside at the house. We had a few fun adventurs too, like a birthday party at a bounce house, and family day at JJ’s work. Chloe started dance class which gives me an hour of one-on-one time with my little buddy. As I uploaded this video last night, I got caught up watching every single video I’ve put together since last August. I am so glad I take the time to do these – it’s amazing how much these little guys change in such a short amount of time. 

Jumped on the Stitch Fix Bandwagon

After seeing several of you write about Stitch Fix and a couple IRL friends trying it out, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and give it a go myself. I really was only interested in it for the awesome pants I’ve seen on a couple of you and I was happy when they showed up as one of the items in my box. I don’t want to cloud your judgment by giving you my thoughts and opinions, so I want to hear what you have to say first, and then I’ll do a follow up post on what I like and don’t like, and why.

The five items I got in my box were:

-          Margaret M Emer pants - $98

-          Green top - $38

-          Purple and navy sweater - $68

-          Black jeans - $78

-          Purse - $48

The first thing I pulled out was a purse and I wish they wouldn’t have sent any accessories (but maybe they have to)?  I didn’t even look at it; it went right back in the box.

The next item was the green top. Here I paired it with white jeans I already had.

 And a close-up of the detail on the back. (Thanks JJ for telling me about the bra straps) :)

Here is the green top again with the Margaret M Emer pants. These pants are really comfortable.

 And once more with the black jeans. I already have a pair of black jeans but these are a bit longer and are super soft.

Here is the purple and navy sweater with a pair of skinny jeans I already had. Like everything else, I was very pleased with the quality of these clothes. If I were to pick something like this out at a store, I could probably find something similar, but the quality wouldn’t be as good because I’d most likely be drawn to something that was cheaper in price. 

I wanted to button it all the way so you could see the lines.

 

And from the back

 

Ok, thoughts? Would you keep anything, why or why not?

What We Always Dreamed Of

It took us almost a year, but this summer we have met some wonderful families in our neighborhood. When we moved in last October, the house directly across the street from us was also on the market the same time as ours, and the new family moved in three weeks before we did. We met a couple families our first week there due to Trick or Treating, but then the weather turned cold and we basically didn’t see anyone all winter. Once the weather started warming up this past spring, my kids were all about being outside and we started to get to know the new family across the street from us. They have a son a couple months younger than Drake and the dad has a nine year old boy from a previous relationship who is with them part time. They are really nice people. Then we got to know the neighbors next door. They are a bit older; have two grown children and one eight year old daughter that plays well with both of our kids. We also found out that there is a family up at the end of our culdesac who we have mutual friends with so we had them over one night back in January I believe, and even though they were nice, we didn’t hit it off like I hoped maybe we would. We of course wave whenever we see them drive by or if they are out on a walk we’ll talk for a few minutes, but it didn’t come naturally like some friendships do. 

Then this summer I met a mom at the pool. She noticed the bracelet that I wear for my friend’s daughter who is sick and asked me if I knew Kit. I told her we knew each other from high school and then she asked if I knew someone else who went to my school as well. That person’s husband was best friends with her husband. I knew her first name at this point, and then did a little Facebook stalking and found her. I didn’t want to be “that person” though and send a friend request after just having met her, so I left it alone. I saw her at the pool one more time a week or two later, and then shortly after that, up popped a friend request from her. Perfect, I’ll take it! She invited my friend Mary, myself, and both of our families over one night for a driveway party. JJ had just gotten home from work, but I decided to put on my big girl pants and go meet some people on my own. It was so much fun!!! There were probably five or six families there and all of us have kids around the same age. We realized that night, that many of these kids will go through school together which we thought was great. After that night, Facebook friend requests started popping up left and right from neighbors we had just met. Mary and I were in a group chat on Facebook and almost every week, if not more than once a week, someone was messaging all of us to see if we wanted to go to the park, or have another driveway party.

Shortly after that first party, Mary and I got invited to our neighborhood Bunko night. Turns out it’s been going for a year this month, and each month a different mom hosts it. We went to our first one in August and I guess maybe since we were both new, we held everyone’s attention long enough and we all had such a great time talking that we didn’t even get around to playing Bunko! We were there for four hours on a Thursday night just chatting away. It was great. We attended our second Bunko last month and had a record turnout of 13 ladies. All from our neighborhood; all with young kids. As we left that night, Mary and I stayed by our cars talking for another 45 minutes or so and when we said goodbye, she asked what we had going on this weekend. I mentioned a couple things and she said maybe someone will have a driveway party.

I went home and told JJ that even though I had a faculty meeting I was supposed to be at Friday night, a party sounded more fun, so I sent out a message on Facebook. At first it didn’t seem like many people were going to be able to come, but we ended up with about 25 people on our driveway by the time the night ended. The kids all get along so well and the parents chat the night away. And what’s even better about it is it’s not just the moms; the dads come too. One of the dads works for the railroad, so of course he and JJ hit it off from the beginning. 

Chloe even signed up for dance class with two of the neighborhood girls so we get to see them every Friday morning now while they dance and us moms and little brothers hang out. 

 We’ve joked over the numerous times that we’ve now hung out that we want to take over the social chair of the HOA and really make this neighborhood fun. We have our first meeting this Wednesday and I have a feeling we are going to come up with some great ideas. Our house may not be the biggest, and it may not be filled with the most expensive furniture and décor, but I wouldn’t trade it for what we’ve found in this new neighborhood – wonderful families who I see us having a special bond with, and a long-time friendship for both the parents and the kids.

Frozen On Ice

A few weeks ago, JJ and I took Chloe to see Frozen on Ice. I pre-ordered the tickets way back in March when I first heard the show was coming to KC, and thought it would be a great late-birthday present for Chloe. We had Julie come over to watch Drake, and the three of us headed downtown. It was supposed to be a surprise for Chloe, but JJ couldn’t help himself and told her the night before we were going to see some of her favorite characters from Frozen. We had pretty good seats, and thankfully Rachel warned me to be prepared and bring a jacket because it was chilly in there! 

 

The show started with a guy and a girl coming out on the ice followed by a bunch of other people warming up and getting the crowd pumped. I quickly realized these people looked tired. It was the first day (in KC) that they had three shows in one day, and we were the third show. I was hoping the rest of the cast didn’t seem as tired. One by one, more Disney characters started coming out until the whole rink was filled with them. It was a great way to start the show, and thankfully they all had much more energy. 

I loved watching Chloe as she looked on in excitement, but I will say after taking her to the circus and now Disney on Ice in the evenings, I think she would be even more excited at an earlier show. She seems like she starts to drag that late in the evening. The ice castle and the snow monster were some favorites. That damn snow monster was the source of her nightmares for months and I was hopeful it wouldn’t be detrimental to her sleep, but so far, so good.

I’ve gotta share this story too…We let her pick out a toy, and even though we thought she was going to select the $30 light up wand (holy cow!), she chose an Elsa doll instead. She hung onto that thing the rest of the night. Diesel was sick during the night and normally he stays in our room, but he ended up in Chloes room in her bed. We thought it was cute, but I just had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well. JJ was snoring so I went downstairs to sleep. A while later I heard a thump and crying; Chloe had fallen out of bed and ended up in our room. Then when JJ’s alarm went off at 4:30 for work, he heard something in Chloe’s room. Diesel was up and destroying whatever he could find…library books we had just checked out, toys, purses, and yes…the Elsa doll Chloe had just gotten hours before. I thought that dog was going to be returned to the pound that day. Seriously. If JJ hadn’t of been working, that dog would have been gone. It was his (second) lucky day I suppose. Chloe wasn’t too upset by it and I asked if she wanted another one just like it, or the Anna and Elsa magiclip dolls and she picked the two dolls, so it saved us another drive downtown. But oh that dog!!!! 

Other than the mishap with the doll, JJ and I love getting one on one time with Chloe even though it is rare. I know she feels special too.