January 2015

January is always a happy but super busy month for us and this January was no exception. Between New Year's and Mason's birthday, we had about a 2 week quiet period and then it was on full steam ahead for the rest of the month.

Somehow, Mason turned 3 on the 14th. It was so surreal to know he was turning 3. I keep thinking back to when Aubrey turned 3 right after he was born and it just doesn't seem like its been that long ago. I know there are so many parts of Aubrey's 3rd year I don't remember because I was in the newborn foggy stage so its almost like we are experiencing a 3-year old for the 1st time. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend much of Mason's actual birthday with him because he had school and Aubrey had her usual busy Wednesday afternoon. I sent donuts to his preschool for their snack time after hearing him request them for the 2 weeks prior to the actual day. That evening, I convinced Aubrey to skip gymnastics that day so we could go out to eat as a family. The restaurant was having kids' night so they had a balloon artist there and it made dinner even more fun. After dinner we came home for cupcakes and presents. He seemed to enjoy both of them a lot and asked for 2 weeks after when it was going to be his birthday again.

We held Mason's birthday party at the Little Gym this year and it was so much fun. We had a range of ages from just-turned 2 to 7 and they all appeared to have a blast. This was the first year Mason has had a party outside the house and I think he enjoyed it so much. He really likes being the center of attention and the staff did a good job at making sure he felt loved. He was pretty sad when the party was over and has asked me a few times since if he can have another birthday party. 

Next was Aubrey's birthday. If I was a little mushy about my youngest baby turning 3, I was a sappy mess about my first baby turning 6. I'm not sure why, but 6 seems soooo much older than 5. Aubrey was so excited to celebrate her birthday, though. She planned for weeks what she wanted for lunch and dinner on the actual day and then what treats she wanted me to bring in for the class. Luckily, I was able to take the day off from work so I did get to go to her school and eat lunch with her. I tried to soak in every moment of her hugging and kissing me in front of her friends because I know that will come to an end much too soon. The 2 of us got to sit at the "special" table which made me a little sad. I had hoped to sit with her friends and watch that interaction, but it was also sweet to spend time with just her. Todd surprised her by taking the afternoon off and coming with me to pick her up at school. We planned a trip to Concord Mills for her birthday so she could build Anna and Elsa bears at Build-A-Bear and then have pizza as she requested. After dinner we came home for cupcakes and presents from Mason. The day went by so fast but it was a good distraction from the fact inside I was a sappy mess.

Of course, Aubrey's birthday party was next on our list. This year's party was so dramatic to plan. She has gotten so particular in planning and wanted to make sure it went down just the way she wanted it. After throwing around several ideas and 4 or 5 different guest lists, we finally settled on a party at the Sports Connection. She chose to do miniature bowling and the bouncy houses, which were both great choices for her age. It was interesting to see her interactions with her school friends vs. her preschool friends. I had to keep reminding her to play with everyone because she is so wrapped up in school drama, but was insistent on inviting preschool friends. Everyone seemed to have a good time, though, which is all I needed to be happy.

In other non-birthday related events, Aubrey got her 2nd report card and made us so proud. She received achieving or above grade level marks for all of her work. It is amazing to hear her reading and doing math problems in her head. She hates reading, but mostly because she really has to work at it, but she is getting good at sounding things out. And she made improvements in listening and following directions. It is amazing how much she has grown academically in the first part of the school year and I can't wait to see how the 2nd half goes. 

We also added a new member to our family this month. After months of looking and interviewing, we finally hired a nanny for the kids. There have been so many ups and downs through the whole process and we were glad to finally have a candidate that we liked accept the job. I did have to increase the number of hours we were willing to pay to get someone to take the job. But, the whole process led us to hiring a great young girl and so far we are pretty happy with her. She's only been working with us for a few weeks, but Mason loves her and is sad on the days she is not here at home with him. She has been so good with him and it makes me happy. I won't lie, though. Leaving her alone with him that first day was so nerve wracking, but I knew I had to do it so I could keep my job, so I pushed the worries to the back of my mind and told myself it would be ok. And it was. I can only hope things continue to work out with her because I honestly never want to go through this whole stressful process again.

So now that January is finally over, we feel like we can take a breath. I dread the exhaustion that comes with the months of December and January and am glad we have a little less excitement coming in February.

December 2014

December was such a busy, busy month. It really seemed like there was something every weekend and a lot of things through the weeks as well.

We started out the month with the Mt. Holly Christmas parade. Aubrey was so excited to participate again this year after missing last year's parade. I was a little sad that I didn't get to ride in the parade with her, but enjoyed watching the parade from the sidelines for the first time ever. This was the first time in my life I've just watched the parade and not been a participant and that was a little strange for me. It was neat to watch Mason enjoy the parade and see my big girl representing her dance studio.

Back in July of 2014, I my friend posted that she had bought tickets to Frozen on Ice during pre-sale and I hopped all over that. I ordered them and kept it a surprise from the kids until the day of the show. We had to drive to Greensboro and deal with some terrible traffic that made us get there right as the show started, but oh was it worth it. The kids enjoyed the show and Todd and I did as well. Frozen was made to be an ice skating show and they did a great job with the production.

The night of the Frozen on Ice show, Todd and I shipped the kids off to his parents' house and went to the ACC championship at the Bank of America stadium. Neither of us cared much about either team playing, but his his work offered free tickets and 2 members of our church group are Georgia Tech alums, so we got tickets for the 4 of us. It was fun, despite the cold, damp weather and I'd love to go back again next year.

Of course, December meant Christmas cookies and we cooked a lot this month for various events. Mason took full advantage of being my helper, which meant eating lots of the ingredients along the way.

Todd's company held their annual Christmas party at the Colonel Francis Beatty park in Matthews and it was a lot of fun, despite the fact I was so sick that night. They always do a good job of bringing entertainment for the kids and makes them happy.

Our community group from church decided to go to McAdenville to see the lights as a group this year and it was a lot of fun. Only 1 other member had ever been before so it was neat to watch the others experience something I've done since I was a kid for the first time. 

Mason's preschool had their annual Christmas show on the 15th and it was great. I was really nervous about how Mason would do in front of a crowd, but my worries were useless because he did great. He  knew all of his songs and the movements that went along with them. He was so proud of himself afterwards and it was so cute to watch.

The afternoon of Mason's preschool show, Aubrey got in the car after school and said "Mom, I have a super loose tooth" and my heart sank a little. Loosing teeth is such a big girl thing and it made me a little sad because its just another sign my little girl is not so little anymore. I checked the tooth out when we got home and it was so loose that it was seriously hanging by a thread, or root, or whatever its called. I was so worried that if we didn't pull it, she would lose it at school or swallow it while eating so it had to come out. She was terrified and cried every time I touched it, but after a few good tugs, it was out. She was so dramatic about it as usual (it didn't help she was also sick with a nasty cold), but all drama was forgotten the next morning after she found a $1 bill and a note from the tooth fairy under her pillow. Amazingly, the adult tooth is already 1/4 of the way out of her gum and it is looking pretty crooked at this point, which has us a little worried about braces. But, we are staying hopeful it will straighten as it grows in over the next few months.

Our last event before Christmas break was watching Aubrey's dance class in their mid-year parent observation time. They get to demonstrate some of the new moves they are working on, which are pretty impressive for kindergartners, likes turns and leaps. I loved watching Aubrey and seeing how much progress she has made just since May and the recital. She is working so hard and was happy to show of for us.

Todd and the kids did the annual trip to Raleigh for Christmas the first weekend of winter break and they had a great time. I worked most of their trip, but it was nice to come home and enjoy some quiet for  a few days. They came back on Christmas Eve and then we sped through the holidays. However, it was so awesome to enjoy a break from the school-year routine. It was nice to not spend so much time in the car and to spend more time playing and spending time together. 

So, that was the final month of our year. It was a nice end to our year and we can't wait to see what 2015 has to bring us.

Christmas 2014

I think Christmas just keeps getting better and better for us. It truly is a million times better to experience Christmas as a parent. Both kids were so excited about the whole thing and their energy was contagious. It took me a little longer to get in the Christmas spirit this year, but the kids helped pull me in with their excitement. It was exciting to go through the family traditions and start some new ones as well. All the anticipation and excitement made for a great Christmas season and we are all a little sad to see it go.

2014 Family Pictures and Merry Christmas

Our tradition over the past few years has been to do a family Christmas mini photoshoot with Magnolia James Photography. We love Nikki and she has done all of our Christmas pictures since 2012. This year's session got moved a couple of times due to terrible weather, but it was worth it in the end. I am so excited about how these pictures turned out. Both of my kids were cooperative and smiled. It was like an early Christmas present for me!

These were the photos I used for our Christmas card. I was so happy with how they turned out.

I am so excited for Christmas this year. Both kids are excited and anticipating Santa's arrival and I can't wait to see their happy faces on Christmas morning.

I hope everyone has a joyful and merry Christmas!

November 2014

Its that time of year where we we barely have time to breathe, let alone time to sit down and write blog posts. I realized just last week I hadn't even uploaded pictures from my phone for the month of November and that's pretty unusual for me. I try to keep those backed up because I'm terrified of losing them, but it hadn't even crossed my mind in the last few weeks. So, I decided today I really needed to get caught up because I am getting old and my memory can only hold so much so its time to purge.

Luckily, November was quiet until the end. The early part of the month was focused on me switching titles at the hospital and starting to look for a nanny. I was given the opportunity to have a more consistent schedule with daytime, weekday hours working in the IOP program so I gladly took it. I am still a PRN worker so I can also work extra hours in the ED or the unit as needed, but I have a much more consistent schedule which makes our lives a little easier. The downfall to the schedule is I am required to work on Mondays and have to be available to work on Tuesdays, which means I need child care for Mason. We really didn't want to pull him from preschool so we decided to start searching for a part-time nanny to keep him on Mondays and Tuesdays. The search started out well and we interviewed 3 candidates, but the one we offered it to couldn't take it and the other 2 just didn't work for us. So, we are still searching at this point and I've modified my schedule to work while Mason is in school on Mondays and beg my mom to help when I get called in on Tuesdays. It works for now, but I really hope we can find a permanent solution soon.

We got the Christmas season started early this year by decorating at my in-laws' house the weekend before Thanksgiving. While it goes against my beliefs to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, it was the only weekend that worked for everyone, so we just went with it. The kids enjoyed putting their little ornaments on their tree while Todd and I decorated our college tree.

We held our annual Thanksgiving lunch at our house and it was awesome. It is so stressful to get it all together and make sure we have everything, but so worth it in the end. While we got ready, the kids watched the Macy's parade. They were both fascinated by the balloons and performers, which was perfect to keep them out of our hair.  We had 14 people crammed into my house by lunch and food covered every inch of my tiny kitchen and it was fantastic. After lunch, we hung out with our families and enjoyed our turkey highs. We ended the evening with a little dart gun marathon in our living room and it was pretty entertaining to watch.

I was supposed to work the day after Thanksgiving, but luckily I was called off. It was a great blessing because we had planned start potty training boot camp with Mason and go buy the Christmas tree. Mason has been ready for weeks to start potty training, but we needed a solid 3 days to do the  boot camp so Thanksgiving weekend was perfect. However, combining the first day of potty training with decorating was tough. Mason didn't have one successful potty trip that day and went through 8 pairs of underwear. We really weren't expecting that kind of disaster because Aubrey only had 1 or 2 accidents the first day in underwear so we thought it would go that easy again. Wrong. We were trying to put lights on the tree (which ended up requiring a whole new set of lights at the last minute, necessitating a trip to Wal-Mart) and Mason was running around peeing and pooping at the drop of a hat. It was pretty stressful and we were exhausted by the end of the day. The next day brought progress with peeing in the potty, but no progress on pooping. He only had 2 pee pee accidents on day 2, but was just as stubborn as Aubrey when it came to going number 2 and just went wherever he felt the urge. Day 3 of boot camp was better, with no pee pee accidents, but still no poop in the potty. This trend went on for a quite a few weeks and I'll give the update in next month's post.

So, that was our November. I probably should start writing December's post now and maybe I'll have it ready by the end of January because next month looks to be just as nuts. Its our crazy life and I love it, even when its crazy.