The (Im)Perfect Christmas

"Christmas is not always perfect"

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks as I was sitting in church with my little family on Christmas Eve.

You see, I had this image in my head of how Christmas was going to be this year and in one word that image was perfect. Everything was going to be perfect. The food and gifts and clothes and kids behavior and light and cards and cookies-All of it perfect.

Only in reality it wasn't.

Drake was tired from a fun Christmas at Nana and Papa's the day before and was acting up. Charlie was fighting a virus and was not himself. My hair dryer broke 15 minutes before church leaving me no choice but to go to church with wet hair.  This Christmas was not turning out to be the perfect image I had in my mind.

But after hearing those words from our pastor, I knew he was right. Christmas does not have to be perfect because the reason that we are celebrating the season is perfect.

That evening as we sang "Silent Night" by candle light I found peace in letting go of my image of perfect and replacing it with all the blessings my imperfect Christmas held.

Here are some of my favorite memories from Christmas 2012

• My whole family together at my parents house. And all the people there that love my kids so very much. Best gift ever.


• Seeing Drake's eyes light up when he saw his 1st big boy bike.


• Watching Charlie experience the magic of Christmas for the 1st time.


• Parents who are willing to stay up really late with a sick baby and love on him.


• Knowing that Drake was listening to the sermon because when the Pastor said that "Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem without any family" Drake shouted loudly "What?!? No family?!?! They HAD family"


• Watching Drake hold his very own candle for the 1st time while singing "Silent Night"


• Starting our own Christmas Eve traditions-just our family of four.


• Listening to Drake laugh and laugh at "Charlie Brown Christmas"


• Watching Drake run down the stairs to see what Santa left him.


• Hearing Drake tell everybody that he saw "Merry Christmas"


• Enjoying a lazy morning at home on Christmas morning enjoying new gifts, a yummy breakfast and time together.


• Watching Charlie find the smallest pieces of any new toy and try to eat them.


• The appreciation of a Grandma and Grandpa who made thoughtful gift choices that were perfect for each of the grandkids personality.


• A yummy Christmas dinner with family.


• Watching cousins play.


• Going to bed on Christmas night and thinking that you are blessed beyond measure for the people in your life.

Yeah, I guess you could say that our imperfect Christmas was pretty perfect in it's own way.

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours.....

 {Front}

{Back}

Wishing you all a blessed and joy filled Christmas!

Charlie is 9 months old!

This month has been a big one for my sweet little Charlie.  He seems to be growing at a more rapid pace than ever and is learning something new every day!

Here is what Charlie is up to at 9 months:

• Eats 2- 3 six oz bottles and 1 eight oz bottle (before for bed) a day. He is usually eating 3 tubs of baby food a day as well. This month he also started feeding himself puffs and yogurt melts. We give him slices of apples to chew on and have given him little pieces of table food here and there.


• We stopped giving him a bottle when he woke up at night. Along with that we decided to do a little "sleep training" (I really hate that term) while we were at it. After a few rough nights, it is now smooth sailing with us only having to get up once a night to run in and replace a paci.


• This kid can crawl like nobody's business. He loves to play with toys so he has not been into too much stuff he is not suppose to be into yet.


• He really started pulling himself up on things this month. He even has attempted to take a few steps while holding on to something.


• Poor little buddy had a rough month of sickness. At the beginning of December he had RSV and a double ear infection and just lat week he got hit by the same flu bug that took down the rest of the family.


• He loves to clap and is working on waving. He says mama and dada and makes a bunch of other sounds.


• Big brother and Skinner are still his favorite things to watch. He could sit and watch them all day.


• He loves to snuggle and is usually content just hanging out in your lap watching the world.


• He goes to bed around 6:30 and sleeps until around 7:30. He takes an hour nap in the morning and usually another hour nap in the afternoon.


• We are suppose to go to the doctor on Thursday for his 9 month visit but I already rescheduled for after the 1st of the year due to the big snow storm we are suppose to get, so weight and height will have to wait. Edited- On January 3 Charlie weighed 19.7 lbs and was 29 inches long.

I say this every month so I might as well say it again- Charlie is amazing-pure and simple as that. He is the sweetest baby and I just can't get enough of my little Charlie Bear.

Love you Biggie!

Taking Care of Your Skin-My Skin Care Wish List

 

I don't know about you but I have not always been that great about taking care of my skin.  In college, I would come home from a long night out and go straight to bed without thinking twice about taking my makeup off or washing my face.

As I have gotten older, I have developed a pretty good skin care routine-I wash and moisturize my face twice daily and have seen a lot of success with this routine.  However, as I'm aging I have started to see more wear and tear on my skin and would like something that could help minimize the damage. When I was looking on the Doctor's Dermatologic Formula website and saw the Revolve, I knew I found something to add to my skin care wish list!

The Revolve   is a micro-polishing system that allows you to do a at-home polish leaving you with finer lines, an improvement in skin tone and evenness and less noticeable pores Basically it give you microdermabrasion results that you can do right in your own home!



You know what the best part is? The P&G Doctor's Dermatologic Formula Site is having some amazing deals going on right now!

Through Jan 31, 2013 you can get the Revolve 400x at $45 (retail price $98) with FREE SHIPPING by using code- DDFMICRODERMA

Better yet, stock up on more skin care essentials from the DDF Store as your 2nd product is  half price with  free shipping (through Jan 31, 2013) use code DDFSKIN

I would love to get the DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew I hate greasy moisturizer so this sound like it would be the right choice for my skin!



I have also been much more careful about protecting my face from the sun as I have gotten older and I think DDF Weightless Defense Oil-Free Hydrator (UV Moisturizer SPF 45) would be a great product to help me do that.

 

It would sure be amazing if Santa decided to bring me some of these products on my skin care wish list this year. HINT, HINT!!

Disclaimer-This post was sponsored by BlogHer and P&G. I was compensated for this post but all opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

Just Pretend I'm Oprah

You know who I miss?

Oprah.

You know what I miss most about Oprah?

Her Favorite Things episode.

Every November I would get so excited to watch it. Basically arranging my schedule how ever I could so I would be able to watch it live. I would dream of being an audience member on the show and how I would probably be one of the people jumping up and down and screaming at every new item she revealed  To say I was a hardcore Favorite Things fan would be putting it pretty mildly. The whole show was just pure magic to me.

Anyways, I miss the Favorite Things show so much that I thought I would try to bring back a little Oprah into your life by presenting you with my Favorite Things. Before you start screaming and jumping around, know that unlike Oprah, I do not have 500 billion dollars so you will have to buy all of these things with your own cash money, OK?  Now that we have that little disclaimer out-of-the-way we can get started!

(In my best Oprah voice) Presenting Katie's Favorite Things of 2012!

 Old Navy Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans

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 These jeans are amazing and so comfortable! To put it in perspective, when I am at home you can pretty much be sure that you will find me in a pair of yoga pants. These pants are so comfortable that  I might even choose to wear these over yoga pants. You heard me right. These pants are > or = yoga pants!!! The only downfall is that you will probably have to go up a size. I was all depressed thinking that I should be a size smaller than I was but felt much better after 2 other people told me they had to size up as well.

Liz Lange for Target Maternity Cami

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I have a super long torso and have the hardest time finding a cami that is long enough to wear underneath shirts. When I was pregnant for the 1st time I ran across these Liz Lange (at Target) Maternity camis and have never looked back.  I love that even when I am not pregnant these camis fit perfectly ( they have a lot of stretch to fit your belly if you are pregnant) and are so comfortable. I have no shame in wearing something that is maternity even if I am not pregnant. If it works it works.

Fisher Price Little People Toys

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Little People toys are my favorite toys for both of my kids. I love that Drake (3) and Charlie (9 months) can safely play with these toys together. Charlie mostly chews on them while Drake makes them talk and develops all sorts of crazy situations that they get themselves into when he plays with them. I also really like that they encourage imaginative play.

The Good Nite Light

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If you have a child who takes it upon themselves to decide when it is time to get up in the morning you NEED this product. You set the built-in clock with what time you want you child to go to bed (we have ours go on at 7:00 pm as a cue that bedtime is getting close) and the moon appears at that time. Decide what time you want your kids to get up (our is set for 7:00 am) for the day.  The best part? It works!!! Drake stays in his room until the sun comes up leaving us with a well rested kid and a happy momma!

 Shutterfly Personalized Calendars

 

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In January I ran across a coupon code for a free calendar from Shutterfly. There is nothing better than free so I got started creating my own calendar. I used pictures from the previous year, so for example, on my January 2012 page I used pictures from January 2011. I can't tell you how much fun it has been to see how many changes have taken place over a year. I can't wait to get started on my 2013 calendar!

Target Debit Card

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I love Target. I also love that Target has its own debit card. We try to stay away from store credit cards and so you can imagine my excitement when last spring I caught wind that Target had a debit card that works just like your bank debit card but with the added bonus of 5% off your purchase! 5% does not sound like a lot but let me tell you it adds up fast. I am embarrassed to even tell you how much we have saved this year just by using this card (it is printed on the bottom of every receipt). I love saving money and I love Target so when the 2 combined it equaled a happy Target marriage for me.

So that wraps up my Favorite Things of 2012. I hoped to feature about 10 items but seeing as it has literally taken me a week to write this post, I think I better wrap it up before Christmas is over!

Disclaimer-None of these companies have any idea who I am. I have worked with Shutterfly in the past but they don't know I'm writing this post. However, if any of the companies featured love that I wrote about them they should contact me and give me free stuff.

Just joking.

No, really email me!! :)

BabbaBox Review

Drake will start preschool next year and although he thrives in the area of imaginative play and can easily spend hours playing superheros, cars or building Legos he struggles more when it comes to arts and crafts and activities that cause him to sit down and create. We have made it a goal to really work on these items with him this year to prepare him for preschool in the fall.

Santa Pictures: More Than Meets the Eye

Last weekend we headed to Bass Pro Shop  to visit Santa.

Charlie was first up. I told you this kid was sweet and boy does this picture prove it. He was in love with Santa, all the attention being on him and all the camera flashes. Also? A baby in a bow-tie  cheesin' it up on Santa's lap? Cutest thing ever.

Drake was up next. Poor guy, he had everything he wanted to say all planned out but when the time came he was a nervous wreck and coud only  mutter "I want a bat cave"  between his trembling little lips.  But despite the nerves, he is such a handsome little guy (who looks more like 5 than 3) perched up on Santa's lap.

I love these pictures so much as they express both boy's personality so perfectly.

But upon closer examination the photos started creeping me out a little.

First, the reindeer will not quit staring at me!!! I make eye contact with him every time I look at this picture. I'm going to admit defeat, you win the staring contest reindeer, I blinked. NOW QUIT STARING!

Then there is  the pacifier that is seemingly attached to Santa's belt. I am beyond curious what that is all about. The logical explanation is that some little girl dropped it while on his lap, but that still does not answer the question as to WHY it is attached to his belt. Also, are his little "elfs" not noticing this pacifier just hanging out? It's just weird. That is all I've come up with. Weird and Creepy.

That Santa, he  is always much more than meets the eye....

A Lesson in Forgiveness

I think of myself as a patient parent.

I hardly ever yell.

I pick my battles.

I try really hard t be a good role model for my kids on how to handle your emotions.

But Wednesday? Wednesday was another story.

I woke up in a grumpy mood. Charlie had been sick since Monday night and sleep was hard to come by in our house.

I do our morning routine alone each week day because Ben is long gone before the kids even wake-up. We have our Monday-Wednesday (the days I work) mornings down pretty well and there is not a lot of wiggle room if we all want to get to the places we need to be without being late.

Wednesday morning Drake was really taking his time in everything that he did and had very selective hearing. I usually would have just reminded him calmly to get his shoes on and ushered him out the door. But my nerves and patience were shot. And I lost it. I yelled. I yelled about something silly like getting his shoes on. I was mad, Drake was sad and Charlie had no idea what just happened.

I proceed to hastily and angrily gather the kids and load them into the car. As we were on our way to daycare, the guilt hit me. I felt awful that I had lost my temper for something so silly. At that moment I looked in the rearview mirror, caught Drake's eye and said " Drakie, I am so sorry I got angry with your earlier."

Without missing a beat he looks up and says "It's OK Momma" with the most calm and sincere voice.

And just like that all was forgiven and forgotten as he started chatting about the things he was going to do that day.

A lesson in forgiveness.

From my 3-year-old

Christmas Advent Calendar

My mom made Ben and I this advent calendar the year that we got married. We used to fill all 24 little pouches with a piece of candy and take turns taking the candy out of the pouch every day in December. Last year things started to change a little bit, as Drake was old enough to eat the candy, so every evening he would take the candy from the appropriate pouch and have a little Christmas treat after dinner.

Although the candy thing was fun and worked great, I really wanted to do something a little more meaningful and start a new tradition for our family. After thinking it over for a while I came up with the idea of putting a little piece of paper in each pouch. Each piece of paper has an instruction on it. Many of the instructions are geared towards some sort of Christmas activity and some of the pieces of  paper have instructions to go get a piece of candy from Momma.

I was thinking that some other people might be interested in doing something similar so I thought I would share what our pieces of paper said.

• Bake Christmas Cookies


• Bake a Birthday cake for Baby Jesus


• Go to Jolly Holiday Lights


• Drive around town and look at lights


• Pick 3 things out of your cupboard to donate


• Drink hot chocolate


• Go visit Santa


• Go to a movie with Momma


• Go to a movie with Daddy


• Read a Christmas book


• Watch a Christmas movie


• Put up Christmas decorations on the window


• Make food for the reindeer


• Get a piece of Candy

I then sat down with our calendar and first filled in all the activities making sure we had time to do them on the appropriate day. After all the activities were placed I filled in any empty spots with the 'get a piece of candy' instructions.  I am anxiously awaiting December 1st when Drake takes out the first piece of paper and finds out he gets to go to a movie with Daddy!

I am so excited for our new family tradition and a fun and meaningful way to count down the days until Jesus's Birthday!

A Thankful Mess

I walk down the stairs, my body weary after a long day of changing diapers, playing Superheros and chasing a crawling baby. I am ready to sit down and zone out in front of the TV and hang out with my husband for a bit.

As I clear the last step and my feet hit the hardwood floor I can see the disaster that awaits me-

A dishwasher that needs to unloaded and reloaded with the pile of dirt dishes.

The crumbs that need to be wiped off the table.

The dog hair that needs to be swept.

The toys that are scattered all over the living room.

The pile of laundry that sits in the laundry room waiting to be folded and put away.

The shoes and coats and bags that need organized as they  were thrown in haste as we came inside.

Mess upon mess that needs my attention. I start to feel overwhelmed and anxious about all that needs to be done.

Why does my house always have to be such a mess? I think as I decide what to tackle first.

Then it hits me.

Hard.

My house is a mess because it is filled with kids. Kids who I desperately wanted. Kids I dreamed about. Kids I prayed for. Kids that I am beyond thankful for.

The dishes? They were used to feed my two hungry boys.

The crumbs? They are a reminder that we have way more food than we will ever eat.

The dog hair? It is a sign that a very loved dog and kind companion to my kids lives here.

The toys? They are reminders of the fun we had playing with those toys and the memories that were made in the process.

The laundry? We are never worried about being hot or cold or not dressed for the occasion because we have so many clothes to choice from to clothe us all.

The shoes by the back door? A sign that we have a big backyard and a wonderful neighborhood where my boys get to grow up.

Those messes? Well, those messes are a sign of all the blessings and answered prayers and amazing gifts we have in our life.

Those messes represent Drake.

Those messes represent Charlie.

So for now I think I will just slowly walk around the house picking up the mess with a smile on my face as I think about how thankful I really am to be able to clean up the mess. The thankful mess.

Charlie at 8 Months

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  Charlie is crawling all over the place! I love watching him set his sight on something and go after it as fast as he can.


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  Playing on the floor with his toys and his brother is his favorite thing to do. He can easily play and crawl around on the floor for a good hour without getting bored!


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  Charlie still gets up 1 time a night to eat. He usually only takes a half-hour to eat and then is sound asleep again. We keep saying that we need to break the habit, but I secretly love the middle of the night cuddles.


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  He has taken much more of an interest in solid foods this month and prefers a bowl of oatmeal and fruit to a bottle. We have also started giving him puffs and yogurt melts.


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  Charlie is also called Char-Char, Chawee, Charlie Bear, Bigs, Biggie and sometimes I hear Drake calling him Chuckie (Thanks Aunt Ellie and Aunt Meggie for that)!


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  Mr. Charlie loves his bath and causes all involved to get a little wet with his splashes.


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  His hair has come in so much thicker and is pure blonde. He is so very cute (not like I am biased or anything) with his huge bright blue eyes and blonde hair.

Charlie-We thank God everyday for picking us to be your family. You always have that adorable little smile on your face and can often be found giggling on the floor with your brother. You hardly ever cry and even if you do as soon as you are picked up, fed, or changed, all is well again. We love you so very much sweet boy. Happy 8 Months to you!

Decorating for Christmas with Kids

I L.O.V.E. decorating my house for Christmas. With that being said, the way that I decorate and where I have placed things has changed a lot since I've had kids. For example, we decided not to put up our big Christmas tree this year since Charlie is a speed crawler and silently gets into everything. Also? Take a moment to look at the following picture....

This happened last year. I kid you not our tree had been up for 20 minutes when I heard a giant crash. When I asked Drake what happened he said that he pushed the chair over to the tree to try  and get an ornament off which resulted in this giant mess. So, we opted to do a more 'kid friendly' tree and decoration set-up this year.

In our lower living room I set up a table with Drake's Little People Nativity set, his Santa train and his sleigh set. To the left of the table I filled a big basket with all of our Christmas books and movies for easy browsing. In the corner I plugged in the fun Santa Nightlight to give a little more light to the Christmas set-up.

Right next to the Little People toys we set up a small Christmas tree that has ornaments that are either stuffed or are OK for Drake to play with and safe for Charlie. Next to the tree we placed our wooden sleigh and filled it with all plush Christmas characters. This has been a huge hit! Behind the sleigh is our Christmas count-down calendar that my Mom made for us. This year we plan on filling it with little pieces of paper that will instruct Drake to come get a piece of candy from us, make Christmas cookies that night, go look at Christmas lights, etc. I can't wait to get started!

Of course, I have other Christmas decorations up as well (post and pictures to follow next week), but having specific place for Christmas stuff that Drake can touch and play with has totally cut down on him touching all of my decorations that he should not be playing with. We had a great time decorating together and Drake and Charlie love their little Christmas corner.

One last note- If you are thinking of buying any of the above Little People sets , I can't recommend the Nativity set enough. It is so cute and such a great way to teach your kids about the Christmas Story. Drake knows who Baby Jesus is and I can often hear him playing with him (even though sometimes that play includes Batman coming to rescue Baby Jesus) and talking about him. Just thought I would pass on that little tip.

Treat

How cool would it be if you could personalize a greeting card online to your favorite person and have it mailed straight to them? I love the idea and thanks to Treat (Shutterfly’s exciting new greeting card brand) you can!

Your holiday checklist just got shorter. Create and send a totally personalized greeting card from Treat for FREE. Whether saying thanks for Thanksgiving, wishing a best friend a holiday birthday, or simply sharing the holiday cheer with a just because card, Treat lets you create a one-of-a-kind card that is sure to impress.

Kindness

I often think about the kind of people I want my boys to be.

Honest.

Authentic.

Polite.

Generous.

Trustworthy.

Kind.

All of those traits listed above are important to me, but if I had to teach my boys one thing it would be kindness. To treat others the way that you want to be treated. To be kind even when others are not. To stick up for the underdog. That words can hurt or heal.

Ben and I try our best to model this behavior for them believing that we should lead by example. We talk with Drake about how he should be kind to his friends and his brother. That he needs to be careful of the words he chooses and that a hug can make somebody's day.

That is why these past few weeks have been eye-opening for me. I have never seen so many unkind, vicious, and hurtful things said as I have in the weeks leading up to and the week following the election. Words that are said with the protection of a screen between you and the person you attack. Words that hurt. Words that are unkind.

And then I read story after story of the acts of kindness that are taking place in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The people who have traveled far to lend a helping hand. The boxes of food that have been donated to feed the hungry. The people who have opened up their homes to their neighbors to charge their electronics. Pure and perfect kindness.

Just like everything else in life, kindness is a decision. A decision that I hope that my boys don't even think twice about. Because they know kindness is the right choice and they just do it.

Win a Hallmark Recordable Storybook and Tickets to Disney on Ice

You know what is big at our house? Superheros. You know what else is popular? Books. You can see where I'm going with this right? Combine the two and a certain little boy could not be happier! And that is just what Hallmark did!

A few weeks ago we received “You’re a Hero! All the Ways You Save the Day." Recordable Storybook from Hallmark. From the second it came out of the box it became Drake's new favorite book.  I have to be honest with you, I have not even had a chance to sneak the book away from Drake long enough to record the story myself. However, this has not been a problem as it already comes prerecorded.  Drake thinks it is the coolest thing ever to have the pages start reading to you every time you turn the page and I often hear him 'reading' along with the book after I put him to bed. I do plan on recording myself reading the story soon, as I think Drake's little mind would just explode with excitement to have the book personalized with his name as I read it!

Short on Time, Long on Thoughts

I feel like October passed me by in a whirlwind. Between being busy at work, a newly crawling baby and the excitement and fun over Halloween-this month was over before I felt like it even started!

Here are a few things that are on my mind right now-

• The blog has been a but heavy on sponsored posts and giveaways the last few months and I am aware that is not something everybody loves. I get that, I really do. With that being said, this blog has provided my family both financial benefits as well as opportunities and experiences we otherwise would not have had. So for the time being there will continue to be sponsored posts and giveaways even if some of the motivation behind it is a bit selfish.

• I just baby-proofed my house big time. Mr. Charlie is crawling and pulling up and exploring like crazy so the time has come to go through all the toys and put stuff up for the time being.

• Speaking if crawling- Drake seems to be enjoying his brother so much more since he has become mobile. They play and giggle and wrestle and just have fun together. It makes my heart so happy!

• I have been on a huge decluttering spree this past year and it has felt so good! I can't even tell you how freeing it is to get rid of things and live a simpler life. In anticipation of Christmas, I have been selling and donating toys to free up space. I will do a future post on how we changed the way we bought Christmas gifts a few years ago and how much we love it.

 Hope you all have a good week!

Voting for Three

I feel like I am in a different position this election year than I was in the 2008 election.

You see, in 2008 my vote was for myself only - my beliefs, my opinions, and my views.

In 2012 my vote is for three people.

My vote is for the future generation of our country.

My vote has hopes and dreams behind it.

Dreams of educational opportunities.

Dreams of great jobs.

Hopes of the kind of husbands I want them to be.

Hopes that they will treat all people with respect and equality.

So on Tuesday morning as I enter my polling place, I will proudly fill out the ballot carefully filling in the circles of the people who I believe will make my one vote count, not just for me, but for the 2 little boys that I want this country to be just a little bit better for.

Weekend Wrap

• We spent yesterday afternoon at Night Eyes, a Halloween event put on by the Blank Park Zoo. It was a little to chilly to put Charlie in his costume but he looked cute as could be anyways. Drake on the other hand, threw his Spiderman costume on and never looked back. He was so in character the whole time we were there, even going as far as to shoot webs at any other Superhero he saw. What a fun and memorable day we had!

• Charlie is crawling. And getting better and faster every single day. Life has officially gotten crazy around our house. Please send somebody to baby-proof my house and have them bring a bottle of wine.

•  Drake goes to Sunday School every week but he calls it "Someday School". I love that so very much!


• Charlie was crying and I was trying to calm him down and Drake came over looked right at Charlie and said "It's OK Charlie, God it with you." Looks like he is paying attention in "Someday School."

I am loving 3 years and 7 months. Both boy are so fun and entertaining and just plain terrific. Love it.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Boy Love

So in love. How did I get so lucky to have all 3 of these boys in my life?

Charlie at 7 Months

Here is what Charlie is up to at 7 months-

• Loves to growl. This pretty much is the funniest and best thing all rolled into one.


• Still gets up 1 time a night to eat. I want him to sleep through the night, but yet I am OK with the way things are. I love the middle of the night snuggles.


• He eats four 6 oz. bottles a day with an 8 oz bottle right before bed. He usually eats cereal/baby food 2-3 times a day.


• He is ALMOST crawling. I'm not ready for this yet, but I don't think he cares.


• Charlie loves his big brother. Watching their relationship grow is just such a treat.


• Mr. Charlie is a huge flirt. He has a smile and a giggle for every person he meets


• He has outgrown almost all his 6 months clothes and is wearing mostly 9 month stuff.


• His has really started "talking" a lot. Love his little voice.


• He only really likes a paci when he is going to sleep. Otherwise he could take it or leave it.

Holy cow, this kid makes me so so happy.

Love you Biggie!

Christmas Card Time {Shutterfly Giveaway}

 Is it just me or did Christmas just really sneak up on us this year?  I can't believe that it is already time to start making Christmas lists, think about what cookies to bake, dig out the Christmas decorations and design our Christmas card.

Straight From My Mouth

"Good Morning Charlie!"

" Good Morning Drake!"

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Please don't jump off that chair."

"You are the cutest baby ever."

"I love you."

"DON'T JUMP OFF THE CHAIR!!"

" Please don't jump on your bed."

" No, you can't buy any Superheros today."

" Good job with your scissors."

"Remember to only use scissors on paper Momma gives you."

"It's ok Charlie"

"Drake, Charlie did not hit you on purpose."

"You are a good boy."

"I love you"

" Let's go to the zoo!"

"Look both ways before you cross the street. "

"Are you hungry Charlie?"

"You need to listen to Momma."

"What show do you want to watch?"

"I love you too."

"No, I love YOU more!"

[caption id="attachment_1506" align="aligncenter" width="393"] "What did you say Momma?"[/caption]

A Little of This, A Little of That

• My weight loss journey is slowly chugging along. I am down 16 lbs and getting so close to posting my 20 lb lost picture.


• Drake calls Sunday School "Someday School". Might be the cutest thing I've ever heard.


• Speaking of "Someday School", we told Drake that he is not allowed to talk about Superheros there (he is obsessed and is all he wants to talk about, play, etc.). His response? "But Jesus is a Superhero!!" Hard to argue with that...


• Thinking it is time to start trying to get Charlie into a better sleep routine. He has been sleeping from 7:00-11:30 then wanting to eat and then getting up again around 4:30 wanting to eat again or snuggle. I am tired.


• I am loving this fall weather we have been having. Perfect for boots, and leggings, and sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, and chili.


• Ben and I have started having at home date nights about once a week. We wait until the kids go to bed to eat and spend the time chatting and catching up on our favorite fall TV shows.  It is a relaxing and fun  way to spend time together without spending money.


• We have owned our minivan for about 5 months now and I still feel funny driving it. I don't even really know how to explain it, except for the fact that it makes me feel so grown up.  I also love listening to loud rap music when I am all alone and driving home from work and it just feels super awkward to jam out to it in the mini. I guess I had to grow up sometime :)

Have a great week!

P.S.- Enter here to win tickets to see Phineas and Ferb Live

Phineas and Ferb Ticket Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Mama Sandy is the winner (determined by random.org)

Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever!

is coming to Wells Fargo Arena on October 20!!!

 

Playing

This photo makes my heart so full and happy.

Two Brothers.

Playing.

This is the picture I had in my head since the day I found out Drake would have a baby brother.

There is something pretty cool about a picture in my mind becoming a real life moment.

I know there will be many fights ahead over toys.

I know the picture will not always look this great.

But for now...it is perfect.

A Night at the Circus

 You see that face right there? That is the face of a kid who is excited out of his mind to be at the circus. He had a great time-and quite honestly, I did too!

The Family I Never Imagined

When I was growing up I used to imagine what my future family would look like I wondered if I would have all girls like my mom did and what my husband would look like and what my kids names would be.  Even though I probably had a million day dreams about what my family would look like, I never dreamt it as good as it really is. My husband is more handsome and kind and funnier than I ever imagined. And don't even get me started on my 2 boys. For some reason in my dreams my kids were girls, having only sisters, I knew very little about boys or brothers. But you know what? God knew I needed boys. He knew I need the challenge of a baby with awful reflux to give me patience I never knew I had. He knew  I needed the reward of a snuggle from  a toddler who is usually on the go all the time. He knew that Drake needed a brother and that I needed another son. He knew that superheros and cars and legos would be the toys that scattered our floor. He knew the littlest smile from Charlie would melt my heart. He knew Drake telling me I was his best friend would make me tear up. He knew. How amazing is it that out of the million families I pictured for myself that he gave me one better than I could have imagined? I am blessed. Feeling lots of gratitude for the family I never imagined.



 

Sugar and Spunk

My 2 boys, man oh man, they could not be more different.

Drake is the spunk and Charlie is the sugar.

Drake is the drama while Charlie is the calm.

Drake has 500 different facial expressions and Charlie has smiles.

Drake loves his baby brother but his patients has limits while Charlie knows nothing but his big brother as his hero.

Spunk and Sugar, those boys are.

I love Drake for how he feels things so deeply and expresses himself with so much passion . He is my  creative, witty and spunky boy.

And I love Charlie for how he is pure sweetness. He just oozes smiles and laughs and cuteness and is so sugary.

How did I get so lucky? One boy just like his Momma and one boy just like his Daddy. Sugar and Spunk.

Any guesses if I'm the sugar or the spunk?!? :)

Charlie at 6 Months

My sweet Charlie Bear,

You are 6 months old today (September 18th was the actual day) . 6 months! I swear I was just holding you in all of your fresh and new glory.

Charlie, you have no idea what a blessing you have been to our family. You came in and filled a piece of our family that we did not even know was missing. I already can't remember life without you.

You are the best baby. Really, you are. You are even-tempered and sweet all the time. You give out smiles for free and love to giggle. Many babies have a "witching hour" where they cry and cry and nothing can stop them, but not you. If you cry you need something, and once your need is met your crying stops. Do you know I would have 100 babies if they all had your sweet and even temper?

You love your brother so very much and already want to play with everything he plays with. Your face lights up whenever he comes into a room. You are going to be best friends I just know it.

And did I mention that you are cute? Because you are. Super cute. You have the biggest bluest eyes and soft wispy blonde hair with the cutest smile ever. You pretty much melt my heart whenever I look at you.

Happy half birthday CC!

We love you so very, very much Charlie.

A few things Charlie is doing at 6 months

• Wearing 6 month clothes but those are starting to get small so you have been wearing some 9 month stuff


• Eating about 3-4 6 oz bottles a day with an 8 oz bottle at night. You usually eat cereal with some fruit in the morning and cereal and veggies at night.


• Has us wrapped around his little finger when it comes to his sleep schedule. We get up to feed you around 1 am (I know you just want to cuddle so this is going to stop soon) and then you are up anywhere from 5-7 for the day. As much as I love our middle of the night cuddle sessions it is time to start a better sleeping routine so we will be sleep training soon.


• Weighed 17 lbs and was 26 1/2 inches long at your 6 month appointment.


• Takes a 1-hour nap in the morning (usually in your crib) and a 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon (usually in my arms...I love it) and most nights you like a small cat nap after supper.

[caption id="attachment_1439" align="aligncenter" width="446"] We celebrated C's half birthday with half of a birthday cake. He is so worth celebrating![/caption]

Barnum Bash Circus Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Winner as picked by Random.org was comment #4. Congrats Nicole!

Would you like to win a family 4 pack of Tickets to see Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey’s Barnum Bash at Wells Fargo Arena on October 4th

If your answer is yes, you are in luck because I have tickets to giveaway!

The show is coming to Wells Fargo Arena October  4-7

Phineas and Ferb LIVE Coming to Wells Fargo Arena October 20

Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all! Disney Channel's animated gem, the critically acclaimed "Phineas and Ferb," TV's #1 animated series among Tweens 9-14 for three years running, has reached a new pinnacle by inspiring an exciting live touring stage show which will play more than 80 hometowns across the country beginning in August.

The tour will visit Des Moines’ Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, October 20 for a 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. show. You can purchase tickets by visiting www.dahlstickets.com, all Dahl’s Food locations, the Wells Fargo Arena box office, or by calling 866-55-DAHLS.

Helping Brother

Charlie is just getting the hang of the whole sitting-on-your-own thing and is still a little bit wobbly.  Big Brother Drake has noticed this and likes to "help" Charlie sit up.

This is how it usually goes down-

Drake gets a good grip around Charlie's middle.

Also? This might just be the best picture ever. The expressions on both of their faces tell the whole story

 This is about the time things start to get interesting. Drake wants to Charlie to sit by himself so he holds him by his head.

"Charlie wants to lay down" Drake says as he smashes his hand against his brother's face.

Drake's job is not done.

Disclaimer-No babies were harmed in this process