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 

Barnum Bash Coming to Wells Fargo Arena October 4-7

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey announces Barnum Bash Tour to stop at Wells Fargo Arena October 4-7

BARNUM BASH will take over Wells Fargo Arena October 4-7 for 6 fantastic shows. Tickets are on sale now at all Dahl's Foods Locations, www.dahlstickets.com, 866-55-DAHLS, and the Wells Fargo Arena Box Office. 

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus is excited to announce the launch of BARNUM BASHSM, an all-new 45-city US tour. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents BARNUM BASH introduces the Ringling Bros.® Ringlettes, who are the stylish hosts of the swankiest circus party in town. The Ringlettes are ready to invite Children of All Ages® in on the hippest circus spectacular that The Greatest Show On Earth® has ever produced!

Unexpected Memories

Saturday morning we packed up half our house (you know, the whole traveling with a baby and toddler preschoolar thing) and took a 2 hour road trip to Iowa City for a little family tailgating and cheering our Hawks on to a win.

I will be honest, the initial thought of taking a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old tailgating and to a college football game sounded overwhelming and like a lot of work and not something I was  necessarily looking forward to. However, I knew that my parents and sisters were so looking forward to having us all together for a little football fun.

Can I just say, that I am SO happy that I sucked it up and went.

Drake had the time of his life tailgating and we had so much fun watching him take everything in. From treats from Nana and Papa to lots of attention from his adoring aunties, this boy had such a fun day. It really is the best thing ever to see things through your children's eyes.

And this one? He was made for days like today. He slept the whole way there, talked and smiled at everybody as he was passed for person to person during the tailgate, slept during part of the game and then smiled at every single person who looked at him the rest of the game. He did have a little bit of a tough time on the ride home, but that was to be expected after a full day of fun!

I really don't know how many times Ben and I looked at each other and smiled at the memories we were making or commented  "What a fun day this is, I am so happy we came" to each other.

The memories we made on Saturday were so worth the hard work and chaos it took to get us there. They were even worth one or both kids (at the same time) crying pretty much the whole way home.

Saturday night as I lay in bed with a smile on my face reflecting on my day, I promised myself to do the hard things, do the inconvenient things, do the things you don't want to do because you never know if an unexpected memory awaits you at the end.

U.S. Cellular Hello Better

A few months ago, I received my cell phone bill in the mail. It seemed like it was higher to me than it had been in the previous months. After further investigating, I found that I was charged $10.00 for a "Brain Challenge" game. After calling (and waiting on hold forever) it was determined somehow, "something or someone" had accessed my information and the app had been purchased.

What I'm Loving

It has been awhile since I've done a favorite things post, so I thought I would put one together. Here are some things I'm loving right now:

Parenthood ( the TV show)

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Have you seen this show? I had heard from various people that this show was must see. I spent many hours while on maternity leave watching seasons 1-3 and could not wait for the season premier last night. The show is well written and so relatable. I just love it!

 Revlon Lip Butter

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I love a good lipstick. I feel much more put together with a tint to my lips. But I HATE the way some lipsticks make your lips feel all sticky. Enter Revlon Lip Butter-beautiful colors for your lips, with a smooth finish (think almost like wearing chapstick). This has become a staple in my beauty routine.

 Des Moines Moms Blog

I can't tell you how excited I am to have the opportunity to contribute a few writing pieces to this blog every month. I'm also thrilled  to be able to work with some fabulous and talented women. This blog is going to be a great asset to our community and hopefully inspire women to come together to share information and support each other. To stay updated 'like' our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and make sure to check out the blog too (launch is next month!)

  Better Home and Gardens Scented Wax Cubes

I love these. Problem is that they only sell them at Wal-Mart and I hate Wal-Mart and pretty much avoid it at all costs. HOWEVER I make an exception a few times a year and venture into that awful place to stock up on these cubes. I personally think they smell better and last longer (cheaper too-only $2.00 a pack) than Scentsy cubes.  I just stocked up on my fall favorites(and a few new ones) and can't wait to burn them!

Brothers

Seriously, these 2 melt my heart every single day. Charlie adores Drake. ADORES! And Drake has really started to pay attention to his baby brother. I love watching them develop their relationship and hope they grow up to be the best of friends.

 Oh, and also? I'm pretty sure it would be hard to find a cuter pair of brothers. Their big blue eyes get me every time! What a blessing these brothers are to our family!

What are you loving right now?

It is Fleeting...

I hear him moving around and fussing in his crib before I'm even awake.

Tonight is my night to get up. I throw the covers off and sleepily walk into his room where his fussing gets a little louder with every step I take.

He can roll now, so he is very rarely in the same spot we put him down in. I reach into the crib and scoop up the warm little bundle. I walk over to the rocking chair and sit down and start to fill the waiting bottle with formula.

He is getting anxious now as he hears me shake the bottle. He knows it is almost time.

Finally the bottle is ready and is inserted into a waiting mouth. His body relaxes and melts into my arms as he enjoys his middle of the night snack.

I stare at his face, trying to memorize how it looks at this very moment. His big, blue, wide eyes are hidden as he drifts back to sleep. His lips make the cutest 'O' shape while he sucks his bottle. His head is slowly filling in with light blonde hair that has the unmistakable fuzzy baby texture.. His little hands reach up in habit to stroke my face while he eats. It gives him comfort, but it also comforts me.

I will miss this I tell myself as I rock him back and forth and breathe in his sweet baby scent.

He is done with his bottle now and fast asleep. I could put him down in his crib but I'm in no hurry as I know this moment is fleeting.

So we rock and I kiss his chubby checks once, twice...a hundred times.  Just a few more minutes I think as my eye lids get heavy with sleep. Finally when I can no longer keep my eyes open, I slowly get up out of the rocking chair, kiss my boy one last time and gently place him back into his crib.

As I tip-toe out of his room I am thankful for the wisdom that comes with raising more than one baby-the knowledge that time waits for no one, it just keeps marching on. Knowing that tomorrow I might need an extra cup of coffee, but soon I will be sleeping through the night again and these late night cuddles will be gone.

So for now I happily wear 2 dark circles under my eyes and yawn on my face.

Tonight I will find myself in the same chair, repeating the same process and cherishing every single moment. Because it is fleeting...