Ghosts & Goblins!

Happy Halloween everyone!  It's hard to believe that little Nolan is on his 3rd one!  I seriously can't believe we have experienced three Halloweens....geez where does the time go?

He's been a pumpkin (just about a week old in that photo), a giraffe, and now a monkey!  I'm sure next year I won't have a say in what he dresses up as...so I'll enjoy it this year while it lasts.

Hope everyone has a safe one out there, and so glad the sun is out...hope it is for you too!

A Monkey and a Shark Walked into a Bar...

On Friday night we ventured out to the park by our house to attend "Freaky Fright Nite,"  We didn't go last year because of rain, but this year it was nearly 80 degrees!  I didn't realize how crazy busy this event was!

Here are a few photos---sorry they aren't that great, but my monkey wouldn't stay still and my battery in my camera was dying :)

We were going to attend a "Trunk or Treat" at the church where Nolan goes to MDO, but the weather was just plain gross and nasty because of Hurricane Sandy.  Speaking of that I hope everyone that is in her vicinity is ok or taking the necessary precautions.  You are in my thoughts and prayers!

We are hoping to go to a "Trunk or Treat" that we attended at a church by our house on Halloween night.

Oh and remember when Nolan wouldn't eat any of his birthday cake?  Well I decided to make him a cookie birthday cake on his actual birthday...and let's just say he didn't have any trouble with this cake!

And this guy?  Well he went to his 2-month appointment and weighed in at 14 lbs, 1 oz and 24 inches in length...which is 90 and 75 percentile!  That's 4 lbs and 2 inches more than Nolan at this age!  Conley is a big boy and already in 6 month clothing!

Hope everyone had a great weekend too!

1...2...3...Focus!

As a mother of two young children, I feel like my ability to focus on anything has flown out the window.  Blame it on the constant interruption or "mom-brain" but I literally cannot focus on completing something without moving to something else.

For example:
Let's say I am washing the dishes and loading the dishwasher.  As I am loading dishwasher I notice little toddler hand prints all over the it.

I take out the Windex to clean them off.

Then I notice the cabinets have some unknown liquid on them so I clean it.

Oh no what is that on the floor?  Pull out the Swiffer mop.

Throw away paper towels and Swiffer cloth to notice the trash is full.

Take trash out--but wait! There is that annoying crab grass in my black mulch.

Start weeding out garden, go back inside and now my hands are black from the mulch.

Washing hands off, I hear my phone get a text.  Check text then decide to check email.

Oh crap need to finish that photo book before the discount expires!

Hear toddler waking up from nap---then baby is waking up in the swing.

And guess what isn't finished?  Yep the dishes.  I seriously cannot finish my original task without repeating to myself, "Finish this, then move to the next task."

Do any of you have this problem?  I can't imagine how I would be in a real office environment.  My inability to focus leaves unfinished chores and projects all throughout the house.

I find myself continually saying, "I need to do this because I can't do it while the kids are up," which leads to me running around my house like a chicken with its head cut off.

How do you balance your cleaning/chores/projects while caring for the kids?

Time for Pumpkin Pickin'!

Can you tell that Nolan LOVES tractors?  He had so much fun "driving" one.  My sister-in-law did an amazing job taking these photos.  Oh and did you notice Conley passing out during the festivities?  Guess it was too much for him!

The Toddler Jump

A baby does a lot in the first year of life:

*Learns to roll over

*Learns to eat solid foods

*Learns to crawl

*Learns to cruise

*Learns to walk

*Learns to talk

And many, many more firsts.  But even though they are developing so fast in a short period of time...I still feel like you can call them a baby.  They still have babyish tendencies and still depend on you for almost everything.

But when the baby becomes a toddler, well I feel like the baby is lost.  Even though their might be less "firsts" during the time period from one to two, I find this "toddler jump" to be the more bittersweet stage for me.

Because somewhere in the past year my little baby has become an official "boy."  I look at photos from his one year photo session, and I still can see hints of my baby.  But now?  I see this tall and independent boy growing and growing.  Vocabulary expanding every day....a boy that is still observant but becoming more and more adventurous.

I love watching him grow....but I still miss my baby.

Nolan at almost age two on the left, and at age one on the right.

Balloons, Trucks, & Hard Hats Oh My!

Just a quick post about Nolan's party---it was a huge hit!  The kiddos had so much at the Little Gym.

The boy has been saying, "birthday cake" for the past week, but when it came to actually eating it...well he didn't have one bite!

Nolan not wanting a bite of his cake...

I love this photo Nolan...I think it captures his personality perfectly.

I'm so happy I decided to have to not have the party at the house...because really it's impossible to keep clean with these boys and would have really stressed me out.  At the Little Gym, they help set everything up and clean up afterwards.  I really wanted to keep the party simple this year because I knew with having a toddler and a newborn that it would be hard for me.  

-I ordered the banner from this Etsy shop, and I absolutely love it!  It's very well made, and the card stock is even laminated.  I also ordered favor tags from her as well.

-The shirts were also a purchase from an Etsy shop.  I'm absolutely in love with Lee Lynn Crafts' shirts!  She does a great job...such great designs and quality!

-I ordered the straws for the chocolate marshmallows *which were a huge hit,* the wall hangings, the truck and Happy 2nd Birthday Balloons, and the hard hats from BirthdayDirect.com.  They shipped fast and have good prices!  

-I ordered the cake from Publix.  I had heard everyone rave about their cakes, and I must say it was delicious and looked great!  Much easier than me trying to figure out how to make a truck cake!

-I made Lauren's fabulous fruit dip again this year, and it was just as tasty as last time.  I served chocolate pretzel rods in metal travel mugs, cheese and plain pretzels in trucks, and the party favors in metal pails.  The favors were a toy truck, a little shaker, and truck stickers.

I can't believe my little guy will be two next Saturday!  Where has the time gone?  I'm going to try to make him a cookie cake on his actual birthday to see if he'll actually eat that.  Any good recipes?

I will post some more photos once I receive the ones from my sister-in-law.  She's much better behind the camera than I am!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

What you read the title and thought I had snow in these neck of the woods?  Ok, ok we do not have any white snowflakes on the ground, but do you know what time it is?

That's right it's Christmas Card time!  I absolutely loved my cards from Shutterfly last year and can't wait to upload the new family photos to create our card.  I actually just received my birth announcements for Conley and couldn't be happier with the service and quality.  This year Shutterfly has even more Christmas Cards to choose from, and if you are like me I know it will be hard to select the final one.

Here are a few of my faves:

Also check out Shutterfly's Special Offers page to make sure you aren't missing out on some great deals.  You can also check out Shutterfly on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

And guess what?  I get to offer one of my fabulous readers a $50 Shutterfly credit off your total order!  So what are you waiting for--enter the Rafflecopter giveaway now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 24th @ 12 AM EST

Disclaimer: I was compensated with a Shutterfly credit for this post, but all opinions of Shutterfly products are my own.

Trucks, Trucks, & More Trucks!

This weekend we are celebrating Nolan's 2nd birthday at the Little Gym where he attends classes.  His real birthday is next Saturday but because I live in a football town and there is a big home game that day I decided to have it the week earlier.

Here's a little preview from my Pinterest page!

Source: etsy.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: birthdaydirect.com via Natalie on Pinterest

I hope everyone has a great weekend and wish me luck that I survive the birthday festivities! :)

The Unspoken Mom Agreement

In our neck of the woods, it's been a little chilly and rainy...and well plain out dreary.  I love some fall but when it's cold and rainy I don't want to get out of bed, and I believe the kids have shared this same sentiment since they have been sleeping in too.  (Which is a huge blessing!)

This morning we decided to venture out to Gym Bugs which is very similar to The Little Gym just smaller.  From 10:30-11:30 they have open play time for $5, so the perfect activity for a rainy day.  A few other moms I knew were going, so a little adult talk would be had in between the wrangling of the small ones.

For whatever reason, the place was a madhouse!  Probably a combination of the rain and fall break.  Kids were EVERYWHERE and pregnant moms were EVERYWHERE.

I always like to observe the kiddos because it's crazy how different each child can be wired.  Some are the bouncing off the wall types...others are the quiet and observers.

Today there was a child who seemed angry and kept kind of growling if another child was near him or if his mom asked him do something else.  He kept throwing tantrums at each different activity area.

And in my heart I felt for this woman because I knew we as mothers make so much effort to entertain our children, to help them grow and learn, and to help them have the best and most fun life experiences.

And sometimes after all that effort of getting out of the house and piling the kids in the car, you get to the destination and things don't go as planned.  Your child doesn't want to do what you planned even if it's a fun activity such as a gym to just go out and play.

As a mom with a toddler and a newborn, I make the effort to get out of the house.  But sometimes I wonder was it worth the effort when my child is crying and wanting to leave?  In the end, I know it is.

So when you see another mom out there struggling with their child, give them the nod of the unspoken mom agreement.

Because we've all been there and had those days.  Sometimes that courtesy nod helps us know we are doing the right thing and to keep truckin' along.

Time is Flying By...

It's hard to believe that my little Conley is already 2 months old.  Crazy to think I was pregnant as a house and now I've got a little baby in my arms.

Except little is relative in this situation--because this boy is a little hoss.  I say that with love.  He is probably close to 14 pounds!  That's a total of 5 pounds more than Nolan was at this age.  I have to say it makes life easier having a bigger baby.

With Nolan, I was so stressed out that he wasn't getting enough milk or wasn't growing.  But this time?  No worries in that department.  I'm so thankful that Conley is such a good eater and is thriving.

He doesn't go to his 2 month appointment for another week, but we're estimating that he's about 23 inches and change.  He is really a sweet baby that just loves to smile when you talk to him.  I feel like he looks like a 3 month old, and everyone that sees him always says, "He's a big boy!"  Why, yes he is and I love those full cheeks and chubby legs.

It looks like he is going to be a blondie or at least a very light brown hair.  So far the eyes are still blue...but of course that jury is still out for a few months.  He is so alert and can already hold his head up.  Guess he's already trying to keep up with big brother :)

These last few weeks it's been so sweet to finally see Nolan loving on his little brother.  He will lay his head against his head and even give him little kisses.  He'll rub Conley's hair and say "soft."  I really can't wait to see these boys running around---and it will be here before I know it!

Sweet Conley we love you so much...happy 2 months big guy!

A Snapshot of a Day in the Life

A snapshot of a day in the life at our household...

There are many tears-

 Some screams-

 Some funny faces-

 Some cute faces-

 Some bubble making-

 Some tummy time with some drooling-

 Some shy faces-

 Some cheeses for the camera-

Never a dull moment! :)