Go Royals!

Big news from Kansas City- the royal's baseball team is in the playoffs for first time since 1985.  That is the year I was born.  So I was a little younger than Maddie is when this happened last.

Needles to say, Jimmy is in absolute heaven.  Like a kid in a candy store...only he's 30.  While he will be attending the wild card game tonight at Kaufmann Stadium with his brothers and dad, I'm takin care of the kiddos and will be missing my church meeting tonight.  But yes, I understand how much this means to him.  So it's all good.

Since we won't be taking our kids anywhere to celebrate this momentous occasion, when I heard that Slugger (the Royal's mascot) was coming into ring the closing bell at BATS (where I work) on Monday afternoon- I decided I should take my kids.  Yes, I took my kids into work in my last day of maternity leave...I'm crazy, but I really wanted to get their picture with Slugger.  And we did just that!!

Charlie is not too impressed at first.  I apparently am!!

But then he decided to give him a high five!!

Slugger really liked Maddie! He was playing peekaboo with her and tickled her toes!!

When slugger left...Charlie went straight to work.  Well that was after I had to take away his "drum sticks" aka mini baseball bats in fear he might break a conference room or office window.  Then he didn't want to leave my desk.  Trust me buddy, it's not THAT exciting.  He wouldn't put my calculator down.

Then we hit up Costco where it was Charlie's heaven because the samples they had were salad (his fav), hashbrowns (um absolute fav) and popcorn and veggie sticks.  Score for him and mom!!

You would think after getting tubes, he'd be tired.  Nope.  Entertained his sister with tickle monster!!

So the royals are currently beating to A's 3-2 and hopefully they will keep it up in the later innings.  But as we all know...win or lose the Carter boys will have a blast!!!

Let's just hope for their sake that they win!!

I am gonna miss this - part 2

It would 

So what is the part 2 for?  Well, this is Part 1 of this post from when I went back to work full time with Charlie, which at this point going back and reading this - seems like FOREVER ago.   And as I will say a million times over, being able to go back and see what I was thinking way back when in that moment is absolutely the reason why I keep blogging.  I cannot believe it will be almost SIX years that I will have been blogging in February, but what a great and crazy six years it has been.

All right - to the point.  Going back to work full time.

It's here.  The day that we start doing our "new normal" every day.  It's so different this time around with sweet Maddie.  Not easier by ANY means, but different.  With Charlie I was just terrified to be quite honest.  Looking back, I just didn't think that his life could go on without me in it every single waking second of the day.  When I took him to day care for the first time I didn't know any of the people that were going to watch him, I knew as much as I could - but a few visits here and there, it's just too hard.  I had never gotten anyone but myself ready before work and just the thought of pumping at work terrified me to no ends.  

The good news?  The second time around, all the stuff that I was worried about and those people I didn't know?  Well - I have done the "stuff" (getting the kid dressed, ready and fed and all the bottles/milk, etc to school) for two years and Jimmy and I can handle that - we just have a little more stuff.  Plus, this whole working part time in September thing, as much as I didn't want to do it, it's actually worked out nice giving us great "trial" runs of getting two kids ready and Jimmy getting them out the door with all that stuff.  Let me tell you a little secret - Maddie is not the difficult one to get out the door and in the car.  That little person named Charlie is!!  Oh perspective!

But the even better news?  When your younger child gets to go to the same school that you have been taking your older child, you already know the teachers, they know about your family, you know the routine (how to get in and out of the door, when and how they let you know what supplies you need to bring, etc.).  And when you like LOVE those people, that is what makes this time oh so different.  When I dropped Miss Maddie off for her first day of day care on September 9th - I drove to work (after wiping my tears) with a smile on my face.  Because I knew she was in good hands.

Are there days when I wish I could stay home with her and Charlie?  Absolutely.  There are lots of those days.  But when I look at Charlie, who has been in full time day care since he was 12 weeks old, and how much he has learned and how social he is and so many other things - I just know that this is the best option for our family.  I know that Maddie will do just as great as he has done and love her friends that she meets and the teachers she has just as much as Charlie does/has.  These teachers and staff become an extension of your family and I really love this extended family that we have.  They are wonderful and I know Maddie will think so too!!

One thing that does help?  The fact that I do really like my job.  Like a lot.  And the people I work with too.  However, the best part is just the balance that I have at this new company.  I'm so much closer to home, the hours are shorter and I don't work at night/from home.  Which is just key for me.  I love that when I go to work, I work hard and my kids are in good care and having fun but when we get home, we can all spend quality time together.  That was not the case before, so I'm so much more confident in this transition it is crazy.  Plus I know everything I possibly need to know about pumping and have 12,000 parts and two breast pumps - so mama's got the goods and I'm not afraid to use them (i.e. I pump when I need to pump because it's important to me and this time I'm not scared to tell everyone "I'm going to pump").

I am going to miss my one on one time with Maddie SO much.  I'm going to miss snuggling with her in the morning (confession - just like her brother, I would grab her in the morning and she would fall asleep on my chest in bed with me after Charlie and Jimmy left for the day), and making funny faces with her to get her to laugh during the day.  She is just the sweetest little thing and I cannot get enough of her.  There is never enough time with the people you love and I love this little girl oh so much.  I'm going to miss all our trips out to Target and CostCo and our walks.  She was a trooper with all the projects I tried to cram in.  I'm going to miss nursing her all day long versus pumping.  I'm going to miss her big burps too!  I won't miss her gross poopy diapers - I'll save those for the nights and weekends.  

Most of all - I'm going to miss staring at this adorable girl all day long and wondering how I got so lucky to be blessed with two wonderful, beautiful and healthy children.  

I would have NEVER thought a year ago that I would be here wrapping up maternity leave with baby number 2.  Never.  But God sure works in mysterious ways and knows when the time is right - and the time was just perfect for this sweet girl to enter into our lives.

I was able to spend my last day of leave with both my babes since Charlie got tubes this morning, so it was a bonus day.  While it was a bit crazy, as always, with both of them - we had a great day and Charlie recovered very fast and we met Slugger (Royal's mascot) AND made our first shopping outing with just the three of us to CostCo.  Oh my!  What a day it was. 

And tomorrow starts a new chapter in our lives....so ready or not, here we go!!!

Friday is here!

Can you believe it that Friday now actually is FRIDAY for me again since I'm back to work on Fridays now??  Well - here we go!
 (linking up with Farmer's Wife and September Farm)

ONE

I swear - babies.  They just get me.  I cannot handle the cuteness.

Even better when she's your baby and you get to snuggle with her and let her sleep on you and get her to smile and coo at you.  This age is just so fun!

TWO

Birth announcements...FINALLY got in the mail last week.

I've had them for awhile but just taking the time to slap address labels and stamps seemed to take forever (and also a few notes in some of them!).  Was so happy to send these out for our little lady!

THREE

FALL weather.  Oh my.

As we are busting out our warm weather clothes, we quickly realized on Sunday morning that Charlie needs some new pants for sure.  This little man is SO long and tall (90 percentile) that his pants are so short.  Needless to say, Maddie and I went shopping for him yesterday!!  So fun.  I still love boy clothes a lot.

Maddie is rocking pants and long sleeves in style though and we are sifting through the boxes of hand me down clothes and presents from people still - girlfriend has enough clothes!

 FOUR

Speaking of fall!  Our front door makeover is finally complete (a new coat of some yellow paint and a new - not gold - lock on the door) and I love it.  Makes me so happy looking at our door!

And my mom gave my sister and I think fall basket and I finally got it hung up with some fake flowers.  I love it!!  Bring on the cooler temps now!

FIVE

We have a busy weekend ahead and I cannot wait.  Like I said, after this week, I am realizing more and more just how much I need to enjoy the time with my sweet family and not stress about little things that don't matter.  So that's what I'm going to do - from a fall festival to a family fun run, we have fun times ahead!

Hope you do as well - happy Friday!

Ok sorry- a sixth random thing.  I ordered 2 5x7s of this school picture because its hilarious.  What do you think?!?

They smell fear

After 4 days and 3 nights as a single mom...I'm so happy to report that Jimmy made it back safe and sound from his first work trip at his brand new job.  

I'm even happier to report that everyone that didn't get to jet off to sunny Orlando and went on with real life in Kansas these past few days is also alive and well. 

Yep.  We all survived my first extended time with solo parenting of two.  The biggest accomplishment?  Getting everyone up, ready and out the door on Tuesday morning by 7:10.  Let's just ignore the fact that I was a sweaty mess on the drive to work (I swear getting children in the car and into daycare makes me swear so much) and I sat at my desk realizing while everyone else was fed...I was starving and hadn't taken a drink of water or peed.  

Such is life.

So a quick rundown of the week and my new theory.

Monday was awful.  Luckily my parents invited us over for a yummy steak dinner.  I was so stressed for some reason and then it was bed time...and I tried so hard to plan Maddie's schedule so that she wouldn't be hungry or fussy while I was giving Charlie a bath and getting him ready for bed.  I was so tense and stressed and trying to hurry the whole process along.  I was so nervous about that night and the next day...I really think they could both tell.  Needless to say, Maddie started screaming while I was trying to read to Charlie...so we went and sat by Maddie so I could stick her pacifier in with one hand and hold Charlie/read with the other.  Well of course he didn't like that, so he started fussing.  I mean COME ON people.  I was really trying.

But guess what?  Charlie ended up in bed asleep and Maddie, well she pretty much fussed the whole night and wouldn't sleep when I put her down (which is unusual). So I spent the night falling asleep with her on my chest, freaking out, waking up and trying to lay her in her own bed in our room and then she'd wake up screaming and repeat about every 2 hours.  Come Tuesday morning I was tired and stressed - not wanting to go to work.  But guess what?  As I mentioned before, we all made it out the door - that was all I could ask and I was thankful.  

Tuesday night, I had our first Building Better Mom's meeting at church.  Go figure.  My mom was out of town this week too and since Jimmy's mom and grandma had just watched them last Thursday I asked my sister and boyfriend to help - they were excited.  However, I should have known how the night was going to go when she arrived and I was cursing Charlie under my breath for continuing to throw his cup of milk and it spilled everywhere and Maddie was screaming.  I felt SO bad leaving and even worse coming home because she was STILL screaming.  She's a momma's girl for sure.  

At that point, I just pretty much gave up being stressed because what was I going to do?  I took Maddie in my arms and she slept all night in her bed.  Everyone slept in the next morning until 7:15.  Um it was amazing.

The next night we met up with my dad at Chick Fil A for some yummy dinner and indoor playground fun.  The meal was awesome and Charlie and my dad played their hearts out.  I was convinced at one point my dad was stuck up there because he decided to go and climb with Charlie (ha!).  I have to give him props because another little girl went in there and then came out and told her brother that "a boy's dad was stuck up there" - so apparently she thought he was Charlie's dad and not his grandpa...guess that mean's he doesn't look 61!  Good job dad.

That night when we got home?  I was relaxed and just going with the flow and guess what?  Bed time and bath time went amazing.  Everyone was happy and good and smiling.  Charlie went right to sleep while Maddie just sat in her seat bouncing away.  Maddie got a bath and went right to sleep and get this...everyone slept until 7:45.  Are you serious?  We just hung out in the morning too so I didn't take Charlie to school until after 9AM.  It was amazing and actually so so fun hanging out with my little people.  We had no where to go and I was not stressed.

It's amazing how I truly believe feeling like that not only made me a better mom...but I swear that my kids could tell.  They could tell I wasn't stressed or worried or obsessing over every single little thing.  And I actually think it made them act better.

Call me crazy.  But after these days as a single mom and trying to do "it all" - I've come to the conclusion that 

1 - "doing it all" is so unnecessary and pretty much impossible with 2 kids

2 - They don't care if you "do it all"...so why do I?

3 - A stressed out mom is no fun at all

4 - Kids can SMELL FEAR

I really think that they knew when I was stressed/nervous and when I wasn't.

So there you have it - my theory 2.5 months into being a parent of 2 and trying to figure it all out again.  I am thankful because I feel like I gained SO much perspective this week (oh and the less stress was nice because I only was working on Tuesday and we could relax the other days).  Perspective as a mom and an adult.

I stress about everything.  Too much.  And I really do think that I just need to relax and have fun with these kiddos.  They are only this age once and they are so cute and so funny.  So yes, my house will be dirty (and I may be too due to lack of time to shower/get ready), but I won't stress about it.  Someday I will look back longing for the moments when Charlie took his golf clubs and squatted weird and banged them together.  When he wanted to hug and kiss me.  And when Maddie didn't want me to put her down because she just likes to be held.  I will miss this.  I realized that this week.  

So Jimmy, thank you for going out of town.

But let's not do it again any time soon.

Yep, she's up to something.

This is the pic we sent to Jimmy.  Oh my.

Love this sweatshirt from aunt Lauren!

I spy papa and Charlie!

The "Fair"

As a boy from small town Iowa, state fairs pull at my dad's heart strings.  He usually drives to the Iowa state fair every year by himself to eat the fair food and see the animals.  I love that about him - always sticking to his roots...even if no one can go with him!  This year he went to the Missouri State Fair in Sediala, MO solo and talked about the food for days.

So on a BEAUTIFUL Saturday morning when I was looking for something fun to do with the kids while Jimmy got some alone time to work on (and attempt to finish) the kitchen table and bench and I wanted to go to the Old Settler's Day parade and festival in downtown Olathe, I knew my dad was just the person to call for some Charlie reinforcement.  

And yep, he pulled through.  Was a grandparent rock star!

He got to our house early, helped me load the car with the wagon and all our "stuff" and off we went to get some seats for the parade.

(on a side note - we went to this last year also with the Matlock family - Charlie enjoyed it MUCH more this year...it's fun to do things year over year and build traditions and really compare how much your kids grow and change in just one short year!)

Charlie LOVED watching from the seat in the wagon all the high school and middle school bands and cheerleaders and especially the floats that passed out balloons and yep, CANDY!

Luckily, my dad was willing to brave the front row when they started giving out candy and took Charlie to the front lines.  He said it was madness and he had to fight kids for suckers...

...but Papa succeeded with MANY suckers and oh boy was Charlie happy.  He even gave one to a little girl next to him!  And spent about 10 minutes in the wagon unwrapping the suckers and trying the all.  

After we had enough of the parade (all the while Maddie is in the Ergo with me fast asleep!), we headed to check out the vendors that were on the street.  My dad of course went RIGHT for the funnel cake truck.  Classic.

Charlie was a fan - after a little convincing.  

But let me tell you - this kid has got his papa WRAPPED around his little finger.

Charlie says "hot dog"?  Papa goes to get him a hot dog.

Charlie points at a snow cone...Papa gets a snow cone.  Oh boy.  Lucky kid!!

So then Miss Maddie needed to eat and we plopped on a bench while she snacked away.  Which another side note - breastfeeding baby #2 is just so much better because I'm not shy or nervous to feed her anywhere.  It was funny because there was actually a mom sitting next to us nursing her son too - but she went sans cover.  Still not that brave yet!!

While Maddie ate, Papa and Charlie checked out the booths and pretty much my dad chased him (poor guy!).  But then he told me that Charlie wanted to ride some rides.  So off to the ticket booth they went.  

First up was the carousel.

Charlie loves these things.  And has finally learned to wave at mom and Maddie on the side!!  Some day soon, Maddie will be on there too!

As we started walking towards the car, my dad told me that Charlie wanted to ride the car ride.  I was a little hesitant to let him ride by himself (i.e. inside I was freaking out and just imagining every horrible scenario you can imagine like Charlie jumping out mid-ride and getting his leg stuck in the ride and getting hurt, etc. - I know, but that's a mom brain, right?).  But Papa said he would do great and best yet?  There were seat belts in the cars.

Ok - you win dad.  I guess I have to lighten up and let him grow up at some point.

And I'm glad I did.  Because he LOVED it.  Every second.  Luckily Papa made sure that the horn honked in his car - although a completely deafening sound, he LOVED honking the horn for real.

He even got a little quality time with a cute girl.

Watch out.  Because I'm SO not ready for that to actually be happening, but it's cute to imagine.

So that was it - our adventure to the "city folk fair".  While there weren't any farm animal competitions, I think my dad had a great time and of course, Charlie absolutely had a blast and loved the food, the rides and the company.

We are SO lucky to have both our parents in town and we love getting to spend time with them on the weekends and do fun things like this.

And even better, my dad is ALWAYS up for a good time and fair!

Oklahoma over Labor Day

Here's the thing.  With a baby - it's easier to just sit in your house.  Especially when little lady wants to eat every 2 hours (which again, I'm fine with bc she sleeps at night - even trade Maddie!!!).

But throw in a toddler and sitting at home can get a bit boring - even if you have 17,000 toys.  Trust me when I say you can only watch Tarzan so many times.  

So with a long weekend of Labor Day that Jimmy had Monday off, we decided to pack up our van for the first time as a family of four and head down south to Owasso, Oklahoma to visit my best friend from way back when, Katie, and her family.  She has a sweet little boy, James, that is just 6 months younger than Charlie is expecting another little boy at the beginning of December!!  Lauren, Charlie and I made the trip down to Oklahoma earlier this year in February (here's that fun post here), with Maddie in utero.  This time was a bit different with her in the world, but just as fun!!

We headed on the road about 4:30 on Friday - only 30 minutes after our 4:00 goal...so that was good!  I had a full cooler packed full of snacks and sandwiches so we didn't have to stop for dinner, and Jimmy completely made fun of me.  Well come ON we will never make it if we stopped just 1.5 hours into the trip!!

I sat in the back seat and it was perfect.  I could get stuff for Charlie, throw food and drinks to Jimmy from the cooler in the back and entertain Maddie/stick her pacifier back in if she needed it!

We just made one stop around 6:45PM in Coffeyville, KS.  And it was perfect.  Maddie needed to eat and Charlie needed to stretch his legs, so we found an awesome playground and Jimmy and Charlie went to play while I sat in the car with little Miss and fed her.  Perfect combo if I say so myself!

We finally arrived and scooted Charlie up to bed in his own room, while we got all our and Maddie's stuff ready in the other room.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Katie's house?  They did a custom build last year and wow - it's seriously just so gorgeous.  All the finishes and little details are just perfect!!

We stayed up late hanging out with Barry and Katie and catching up before we hit the sheets.  Everyone didn't sleep the best the first night - but the next morning, Maddie was all about the bed...haha.

James and Charlie.  They are quite the pair.  I have a feeling these two will be up to no good when they get older - just like their moms were - haha.  No really.  But I cannot even begin to say how fun it is to have a friend that I met when I was TWO years old (yes, Charlie's age!!) still be my best friend and watch our kids get to know each other and love each other.  Last time, Charlie was a little too young to realize we were on a trip, visiting James, etc.  This time - all he talked about when we left was Oklahoma and James.  He still does!  It's just such a blessing to have them in our lives and so fun to see our boys play together - next time this year it's crazy to think that Maddie and Baby boy Ruddick #2 will be playing also!

Saturday morning after breakfast, we hit up the park at the neighborhood elementary, which they loved.  Also - the boys drove to Tulsa to get us some What-a-burger....YUM!  And then that afternoon hit up the pool, which was awesome.  It was HOT!!!  So luckily there was shade for Maddie and I to hang out.  These boys after they got out of the pool wanted to run around naked.  Oh boys.

Maddie and I wore our swimsuits, but home girl passed out right when we got there, so we stayed under the fan.  Then we had to go to Target after the pool because guess what?  I packed everyone else successfully - but forgot underwear for me.  #momproblems

After some brats that we grilled out for dinner, the kiddos headed to bed and the parents followed close after.  We were all pooped!!

Sunday morning in Oklahoma when it's like 100 degrees - what else do you do but turn on the sprinklers and run around naked??  Oh BOY they had fun.  We were laughing so hard.

Charlie HATED when the grass clippings got on him anywhere.  Diva.  James didn't mind at all and rolled around in them.  Love it!

Can't forget to mention that Katie and Barry have three dogs too (but they bought them all when they knew each other!).  Stuart might or might not be my favorite.  Don't tell.  He was basking in the sun shine perched on his chair.

Maddie and dad were just hanging out!

After that we got dressed and played some more..then it was time to head home.  

But we had to make one quick stop to get a picture of Charlie in front of Charlie's Chicken!  How fun!  We didn't eat there (we will next time), but Charlie loved it and talked about Charlie's chicken the whole way home and every time we stopped somewhere he thought that's where we were going.

Can I mention that my children were literally AMAZING in the car both ways?  Maybe it was because I had LOW expectations.  Very low.  Like I imagined screaming from both each way.  Nope, none of that at all.  Even though Maddie isn't a fan of her car seat, apparently if the car keeps moving she's fine.  She slept the WHOLE way home.  Yep - whole way.  Even through our one and only stop in Paola where I dragged her carrier into the bathroom with me for sure thinking she would wake up.  Nope, kept snoozing.  Apparently Oklahoma was exhausting for her.  Charlie napped on the way back (which was great because it was his usual nap time) and then we finally turned on the DVD with about 45 minutes to go. 

Overall - we will do it again.  I mean Maddie was a piece of cake - which I'm sure she won't stay like that for long.

But thank you Ruddick family for having us and letting us come SIT at your house for the weekend versus ours and let James and Charlie play.  We cannot wait for this sweet boy to make his way into the world and have lots of fun!

Weekending

Oh my - this weekend was good.

After a longish week that included lots of transitions (i.e. Maddie going to day care Tuesday and Friday with mom going into the office AND dad starting a new job)..I thought it might be BAD when Friday ended with a trip to the doctor.  However, after a looksie at Charlie (he had a fever at daycare and bad, yucky poop), no ear infection (yeah!) and no strep (even more yeah!).  Just got sent home with TLC, water and ibuprofen prescription.  Which I will take!

But guess what?  Saturday and Sunday were looking up.

The three of us spent the morning hanging out at home while Jimmy went to work the ACT.  We watched Tarzan, took silly pictures, played trains and beat on some drums to make some sick music.  And we danced to TSwift's Shake it Off like 5 times.  Amazing.

Then I got everyone (but myself) ready for the day and we headed to the park to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather.  Seriously.  It was amazing.

Then Jimmy showed up to play at the end and Charlie enjoyed hanging with his dad.

While I hung with this sweet girl!

After nap time - we busted out the new double stroller and headed to the zoo.  

I went back and forth and back and forth on what double stroller to get.  We actually ordered the Graco double stroller but got the wrong one that didn't connect with our infant seat (oops).  Luckily Amazon is amazing and let us box it back up and send it back.  I ended up going with the Baby Trend sit and stand after Maddie and I went on Thursday to Babies R Us to check it out in store and make sure her car seat fits.  I liked it because A) it wasn't that expensive at all ($139) and B) I don't need 2 seats because Charlie literally hates strollers.  So I was hoping the bend and place to stand would be a hit.  Jimmy assembled during nap time and boom - it was a hit that afternoon at the zoo.

Charlie especially liked that he could sit or stand and wasn't strapped in.  And could easily get in and out to go look at the animals.  I enjoyed the fact that he liked sitting versus fighting with us constantly.  And Maddie?  Well she's just wonderful all around and actually laid in her carrier about 3/4 of the time.  After a diaper change and quick snack for her, little lady was happy.  

Jimmy was super dad carrying the backpack and pushing the stroller.

MAD that we missed the first train.  Oops.

Train selfie.

Best part about the gold membership at the zoo?  Unlimited carousel and train/tram rides.  I mean this kid loves the animals at the zoo - but seriously, those rides are his favorite.  Oh and the Kid's Discovery Zone with the slides - yes, that is his new jam.

My parents and sister and Casey came over Saturday night and I whipped up Mix and Match Mama's Green Chile Chicken baked tacos.  They were delicious and SO easy - however, I will chop up the green onions next time - I didn't like the full green onion on the bottom because it was impossible to chew!

Sunday we kicked off the day at church...where Charlie is now in the bigger kids room (OMG - I cry) and Maddie is still doing great hanging out with us and napping during the service.

Then the typical naps and we got dressed to root for the Chiefs again.  Maddie and her outfits.  I love it.  As much work and stress as it is - it's worth how cute she is!  Too bad it didn't help the team.

Spent time at Jimmy's parents house playing with cousins and having so much fun and eating way too much candy.

Another update?  Jimmy finally got a bit of time to work on the table/bench.  It should be done by Thanksgiving #diywithkids #projectstake5months

Overall - I really enjoyed spending time with the babes and Jimmy and our families.  Seriously, these kids just grow up so fast - I'm trying to soak up every moment with them.  Going back to work full time is going to be a challenge for sure - so I'm thankful we get to ease into it with just a few days a week for the next few weeks.  There is just not enough time in the day!!

On that note - I have SO many posts I want to do and SO many projects to complete.  But I am just trying to realize that time is not unlimited and I do need to sleep, so babies and sleep are priorities right now.  Soon enough!!

Hope you had a great weekend!