My Little Loves are Growing Up!

There are a lot of things I miss about the newborn and infant stage (definitely not including sleeplessness and worries), but I am pretty in love with the little beings my kids are these days. Reid says the wittiest and funniest things (story below) and has the best imagination, while Adeline is a little mama with a cute sense of humor, enviable dance moves, artistic interests, and she gives the best hugs and kisses around. Andy and I are heading to DC tomorrow to a new partner conference his law firm set up and, while looking forward to some quality time with Andy, I already miss my littles. At time, they drive me crazy sometimes and ramp up my stress level, but I feel most complete when my whole family is intact and together.  Now for the fun Reid story:

Last week, right after I loaded the kids in to the car to head to school, I asked Reid whether he needed to go pee. After he replied with a very clear "no," we were on our way. About five or ten minutes in to our drive, Reid alerts me that he needs to pee and he needs to pee right now. I am super frustrated, partially because my co-worker just alerted me she is staying home sick and I am already running behind getting to work, but I pull over at WaWa and take Reid (with Adeline in tow) to the bathroom. As we walk from the bathroom to the car, I notice rows and rows of snacks and brace myself for the snack requests. Luckily, I did not get the barrage of snack requests I envisioned so it was time to move to the next challenge- getting the kids back in the car. In order to get Reid back into the car as quickly as possible, I challenge him to race Adeline and see who can get buckled in first. Reid, never backing down from a challenge, gets in his car seat and hurriedly buckles himself in. I then buckle Adeline in (after proclaiming Reid the champ) and walk over to Reid to check his buckle job. I notice his buckles are all twisted and tell him, "You are all tangled up," to which he replied, "You want me to get a snack?" I said, "No. I said you are all tangled up." Reid then responded with, "Ohhhhhh, I thought you were saying you wanted me to get a snack... in spanish."  :) :) :)

So much to share!

I have found that, during this particular period in my life and even in the midst of a seemingly monotonous life, so much growth and excitement abounds within the ordinary grind. For me, it takes a moment of quiet reflection to really notice and appreciate the changes that have been happening in our household lately but, when I do take that time, it is amazing to think about. Mostly, I am talking about the ways both kids have changed developmentally over the past few months. Adeline's vocabulary has blossomed and she is now stringing multiple words together in to sentences. Of course, some of her words are largely unintelligible to the untrained ear, but I am particularly adept and understanding words like "mee-ow" (for "milk") and "Ree" (for "Reid") and "err are ew" (where are you") and "pee bow" ("for "peek a boo"). She is funny, sassy, strong-willed, loving and, especially in the late afternoons and early mornings, a stage 5 clinger. Meanwhile, Reid's imagination has been going stronger and you can often find him fully entrenched in some sort of physical game where he is a ninja or Sonic the Hedgehog or some sort of superhero. He keeps us on our toes with his physical hi-jinks and fierce independent streak, but he is also incredibly loving and kind (especially to his baby sister). With the holidays fast approaching, both kids have been floating on a whole new level of excitement (Cloud 9 times 100). While the copious amounts of sugar that surround us at all times during the holiday season certain help trigger some excitement, the joy and love (yay family time) surrounding the season are palpable and I am certain the kids feel it all. Yay for holidays!

Disney Very Merry Christmas

Reid, Andy, and I recently visited a very magical place during a very special time of the year: Disney World! I can't recall if I went to Disney's Very Merry Christmas Party when I was a child (I recall going to some type of holiday lantern event with Nell and Dee Dee), but I am hoping Reid always remember his special visit. We met up with Sara, Sean, Savannah, and Sammy Seifried and enjoyed a lot of cookies, hot chocolate, cooler weather, Christmas lights, Christmas book, Elsa lighting up Cinderella's castle, snow on Mainstreet, many of our favorite Disney characters dancing together in front of Cinderella's castle, and a happy and playful holiday parade. Although it took us 1 million years to get out of the park and maneuver our way down I-4 to get home and despite the fact that Reid did not go to sleep until, probably, 11:30 or 12 a.m., the night was well worth the money and effort. Unfortunately, baby A did not join us this year, but I am certain she will be at our next hurrah. You did it again, Disney!

18 months of sweet A

When I think about adjectives to describe Ms. Adeline, the first one that frequently comes to mind is "sweet." I often feel odd about this because I want to be very careful about stereotyping my children and know that "sweet" is more often used to describe girls than boys. But honestly, Adeline is sweet. She is many other things (sassy, funny, curious, smart, etc.), but she is also very sweet. She is super cuddly and loves to give kisses, hugs, and high fives. She also loves to princess wave and smile at random strangers and is sure to elicit smiles from said strangers when you take her to the grocery store or the mall or anywhere really. She is saying so many words, some that she definitely knows the meaning of (family names, more, up, walk, outside, milk, wawa, etc.) and some that she copies. She loves to climb, copy her brother, color, eat (especially fruit), dance, suck her thumb, sit in Reid's blue jeep, try to use Reid's mini scooter, listen to books, play with her babies, lightboxes (phones), and cuddle, cuddle, cuddle. I am so excited to watch her continue to grow! 

Happy 4th birthday to Reid!

Happy 4th birthday to Reid - my kind, smart, funny, athletic, and stubborn (etc.) little guy who is currently in love with his sister, superheros, ninjas, dragons, knights, board games, wrestling, swimming, reading, popsicles, donuts, fruit, and his cousins (in no particular order).

Before the sun came up this morning, Reid crawled into bed with Andy and me. I quickly told him, "Happy Birthday," to which he responded, "Happy Birthday to you, Mommy." Although I responded that it isn't my birthday, I later realized that, in a big way, Reid's birthday is my birth day. On October 16, 2015, a new life began for me as well. Prior to Reid's birth, I was used to living a different sort of life - one filled with work stress and high-achieving ambitions and learning how to navigate married life, home ownership, and puppy training. My life was filled with late-night dinners, occasional boozy brunches, quick and easy errands, a clean and organized house and car, long walks and runs with Andy and Finn, and hours of uninterrupted sleep. Now, without a doubt, life is messier, busier, more chaotic, and much more expensive. Most days, I am shockingly tired - running on adrenaline (and hello, cortisol) and unnecessary kid snacks. Still, when people tell me I will miss these crazy days, I believe them. I love my children beyond comprehension and the fullness of my life has increased exponentially since their births, despite the fatigue, frayed nerves, and trashed car that has come with this new journey. I am acutely aware of the monumental role I was given four years ago, and I am so proud of Reid and incredibly fortunate and grateful to be his mother. Happy Birthday to both of us!

Life Lately!

There are so many times throughout my week when I think about wanting to write a blog post and, really, needing to write a blog post to document all of the developments and fun that we have been having as a family. Then, I don't. I just don't. I have the time while sitting at my desk and I have the desire, but I struggle with finding the perfect time to write the perfect post. I just love my little man and my little lady so much and I am so impressed with the way they are growing- sometimes, words don't seem to adequately capture this stage. Still, I know I will forget details about the life I am currently living- the busy, chaotic, messy, wonderful, stressful, heart-filling life with two kids under 4 and 2 full time (+) jobs. I so desperately do not want to forget details, even those that seem mundane and typical right now.I know I will treasure reminiscing about all of the little moments and details surrounding this busy period when I am older and when time has taken its toll on my memory. So, with all that being said, here is a little update on life lately...

1. THE SIBLING BOND
Ahhh, talk about heart- melting. The sibling bond has been growing in our household. One of my very favorite things is to look in the rear view mirror when driving and see my littles holding hands completely unprompted. I also love when Reid tries to comfort Addie when she is crying, usually by singing a song or trying to tickle her or hand her a toy or feed her a snack. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but it is very clear that Addie looooooves her big brother. I'm pretty sure she even says "brubba," although I am not 100% on that one. She thinks he is hilarious most of the time and only occasionally frustrates him by smacking him (unabashedly) or gleefully taking one of his toys.

2. VOCABULARY EXPLOSION
Both of the kids have shown great strides in expanding their vocabulary lately. Addie can say bee-boo (for bellybutton) and point to her bellybutton, say and point to doggy (in books), motion and say "mo" for more, say mama, dada, bobby (??), and seemingly, "brubba." She will also wave and say "hi" and occasionally, "bye." Meanwhile, Reid's vocab surprises me on a daily basis. He strings together phrases without a problem, picks up and sings song lyrics, and will say things like "I insisted" and "my choosen" (for my choice) and "gabloon" (for balloon) that melt my heart.

3. FAVORITES
Food: Addie - pizza and strawberries; Reid - pirate's booty, popsicles, candy, and fruit of any kind
Show: Addie - not into it; Reid - Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Movie: Addie - not into it; Reid - Bolt, Puss in Boots
Song: Addie - will dance to most songs; Reid - Old Town Road, some VBS songs

:) :) :)

An Update on My Big Boy

Where to begin with updates on Reid? The first thing that comes to mind is that he has been exhibiting an amazing imagination. He easily transforms in to Batman or Superman (often with the help of his highly coveted costumes or pajamas) and runs around the house freezing or hitting or knocking down villains. He also loves to make cars and planes and dragons and any manner of imaginary things with magnatiles and legos or any crafting material he can get his hands on. While he isn't as enamored with drawing, coloring, or painting, he loves to show off his artwork proudly and with gusto. He loves to recruit Andy or me to join him in his imaginary games, and I know he cannot wait until Adeline is older and can join as well. He does try to get her engaged from time to time ("here comes monster baby") but he also doesn't enjoy when she knocks down his creations or fails to play his games as instructed. I know in time they will be wonderful play buddies. Right now, however, his go-to playmate seems to be Dylan. He really looks up to Dylan and characterizes himself more as Dylan's age than Charlies (and gets very defensive if you tell him otherwise). Don't get me wrong, he loves and treasures all his cousins (yay for "cousin parties"), but he has "borrowed" some pretty awesome toys from Dylan (much to my dismay at times-- think nerf and laser guns and a lightsaber sword) and Dylan moves at a fast and exciting pace. Right now, Reid is also in to playing baseball with Dylan, and I foresee many front yard baseball games in their future (and in their now). Reid also enjoys riding his jeep around, singing, playing guitar, and eating all the snacks. Such a special little guy!