Family Love

 

Time for a little Labor Day weekend reflecting on our summer.
Because this blog is my diary to my kids, I get to gush a little sometimes.
This is one of those times.

When we travelled together this summer we learned a few things about ourselves:
1. We pack the biggest food bag of anyone on any of our four flights. One momma had a clever little bead box filled with various healthy snacks. I had my gym bag packed with 12 pounds of food. One man in his 70s asked me while we waited for a connecting flight, "Is that really a bag full of just food?" I thought he might be hungry so I offered some,  but turns out he didn't want teddy grahams, pretzels, fruit snacks, lollipops, Twizzlers, mini sammies, squeeze fruit, pb crackers, or M&Ms. Picky  man. I don't know, maybe I watched too much Lost.... I might have to run from polar bears if we get stranded on an island from hell, but I will NOT starve to death. Nope.
2. Speaking of food, Twizzlers cures any roadtrip meltdown.
3. Hotel rooms with bunk beds for the kids? Seemed genius, but it was a disaster from minute one.
4. I really missed my DVR, but I had Candy Crush and went up like 20 levels on each trip, so that started a new addiction.
5. I learned that the whole family would have appreciated an itinterary. This is HUGE. The next family vacay will def be spelled out on a color-coded Excel document. Careful whatcha wish for, fams!
6. Nick and I definitely bonded over time at the beach with the kids. Just us, the water, the sand, some magazines... It was awesome. Everyone got into their own groove and it was perfect to just relax and enjoy nature and each other.
7. Trying new things together and making memories. That's what family travel is all about, right? Going to Sea World and watching the kids see whales for the first time, such a beautiful moment. Riding a kid-size amusement rides was a first and so exciting to get a taste of future fun to come.
Taking Cade to his first baseball game and seeing him get into it and catch the Padres spirit was a blast. Seeing Nick watch Cade as we sang the National Anthem before the game started and tear up when we all yelled "Play ball!" was a highlight. Devyn's breathy "Oh, Mommy, loooook!" when she got her first glimpse of the ocean.... my number one moment. Love at first sight for the kids in California made us seriously consider how we could move our family out there.
8. Coming home. All that said, coming home.  Seeing each other in a new light made us appreciate our home and the life we've made here and the family we've created made us not take any of it for granted.

Mommy and Daddy always love you guys.
Every moment, little and big.

Best Buds

Oh, these two.
I love them together.
She adores him. Every breath he takes, every  move he makes, she watches and copies him.
He loves her. He looks out for her and he teaches her how to play. And he occasionally gets annoyed at her repeating everything he says.
And I can't help but laugh at how funny she is when she repeats him.
Especially when he's talking in his Dark Knight Batman voice and she repeats that in a low, gravelly baby voice. Freaking hilarious. And so annoying if you're four years old and trying to be a badass.

But this.
They have each other.
Always.
Tonight she got in trouble for trying to drink out of everyone's cups.
And for deliberately refusing to acknowledge the word "No".
So she cried.
And ran to her big brother and he hugged her. And told her it's okay.
Even though it's not.
It's SO very not okay to drink Daddy's Mountain Dew at 7:30pm when you're supposed to be giving goodnight hugs and headed to bed so Mommy can work for two hours then maybe have enough energy for a shower and dying of exhaustion.

I love moments like this, when they play together, rest together, love together.
It reminds me of how I feel about my little brother.
There's just that connection.
Knowing that God made someone out there who is as close to you as possible without being you.
But that person is so different than you at the same time, and so you learn the most from them. And even if they're the little brother or little sister, there is still so much to learn from them. And look up to them. And love them.

 

Our girl is 2!

Oh, sweet face.
You are mommy's baby doll.
And now, you are two years old.

Batman, Mommy, Daddy, and Devyn

Devy got a big wheels for her birthday!
And makes no effort to pedal, so "maybe later" on her front.

Grammie and Grandaddy bought Devyn clothes for her baby doll, which she got last year and fell in love with. So sweet to see her be loving to her  baby doll.

As always, the girl loves to eat. Her hot pink cake that Daddy picked out was no different.
Chow down, little love!
Always, always, always make room for cake.

Yes, those are pink eyebrows.
Sugar and spice and LOTS of sweet icing!

Chicken Caesar pasta salad

I don't know what I loved more tonight:  my dinner or the season finale of Desiree's Bachelorette season. I think I'm going to go with dinner, because I wanted seconds of that.

 

But first, my take on the Bachelorette.

1. Brooks made the biggest mistake of his life. I like a guy with a softer side, but he's too soft. And missed out big time. And doesn't know what love is. Ouch, I'm bru-tal tonight.

2. Drew is so sweet and classy. Any man who understands and loves someone with special needs would be an amazing husband and father.

3. Chris keeps getting more good looking every episode. Or is it his tan? Or was it the suit with sexy tie-tack. Did I just say "sexy tie-tack"?

4. Usually I don't like the girls' dresses on the After the Final Rose episode, but Des looks amazing. When I'm done with this post I'm going to Google the Desiree Hartsock meal plan. I will eat whatever that girl eats if it means I can have those abs. Even queso. No, not queso. Ever.

 

Dinner....mmmmm! Hotter than a hot tub with Zack and James. (My hottie faves this season. Yes, James was swoon-worthy despite questionable behavior and the horrible purple polo.)

 

I was inspired by this pin on my Things to Eat board. The Bowtie Chicken Caesar salad from The Girl Who Ate Everything blog. Link to this awesome foodie blog here. It reminded me of a meal they serve at Cheddar's Restaurant, the chicken caesar pasta salad. Which when I waited tables there (and met my  husband) I HATED because they served it over pasta with alfredo, ew. And writing the server's shortcut for that meal was a pain. CCPS? CC pas? I always forgot what abbreviation to use so I'd get to my Squirrel machine to put in the order and sit there like "wth".  I think I just wrote "eww" a few times on my pad as I smiled and said "Great choice!" to the customer. Yup, so inspired for my dinner, right? But a lot of people liked that. So when I saw the pin that looked extra tasty I thought it was worth a go. An adapted go. Because I am iffy on bowtie pasta. Love it at La Madeleine, hate it most everywhere else. I love me some penne. Some whole wheat penne. Mmm...  So, check out the pic of my meal.

Taste-tastic, right?

 

My recipe:

1. Boil your noodle of choice: bowtie or penne. (Go penne!)

2. Chop romaine. (I like to wash and chop mine when I get home from the store and put it a Rubbermaid vegetable foodsaver container.)

3. Drain and let pasta cool.

4. Sautee diced chicken (I use the frozen pre-diced chicken) with olive oil, 1 tbs minced garlic, and Mrs. Dash.

5. Chop cooked diced chicken. Let cool.

6. Put noodles in the bottom of the bowl, add romaine and chicken on top. Accessorize with toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese (or Italian cheese mix - I did it both ways tonight! yum!), capers (if you have them), heirloom tomatoes (if you have them, I didn't, lames), croutons if you wish, and black olives (of course - every meal worth its whatever has black olives. I'm obsessed.) Pine Nuts are amazing, high in protein and iron, great for heart health, vision, energy boosting, and weight suppressing. Pine Nut donuts anyone? Try them in your pasta too, mmm so good! They make a meal. Love them!

7. Sprinkle some milled chia seed on top. What's chia, you ask?  As in Chia Pet? Yes. Chia is a great source of vitamins and fiber. Read more here about the benefits of chia.  I mix it in my yogurt, pasta sauce, taco meat, anything. It's got a slightly nutty flavor but no calories and so many benefits for you.

8. Chill the whole shebang in the fridge while you play a few rounds of Candy Crush.

9. Finish it off with a drizzle of your fave Caesar dressing. I second The Girl Who Eats Everything with the Brianna's asiago Caesar dressing. I drizzled lightly then mixed it as I ate. I hate a soggy Caesar salad drowning in dressing, that ruins it, so if you do that - don't credit me for this recipe. Ha!

One more pic.

Periously dangling off the counter is the best way to serve chicken caesar pasta salad. And eating it on the couch after the kids have gone to bed and watching the season finale of the Bachelorette, even better. Finish it before Juan Pablo gets on the screen. Usually a double first name is a deal breaker, but Juan Pablo might be a divorce-maker, am I right ladies? Gorgeous. Put the man back in his chaps, please. I mean, the speedo, put him in the speedo. Wait, the suit is quite nice. Okay, suit jacket, tie, speedo, and chaps. THAT is a recipe for a yummy Juan Pablo.

 

Anyways, the recipe was a total winner. I'm thinking for my working mama gals this is the perfect quickie meal. The chicken could be done in the crockpot during the day, the pasta the night before, toss it all together in under 10 minutes. Done. If you cook the pasta and chicken like I did? This was an under 20 minute meal.  The kids liked it separated out, no dressing, fruit on the side. "Butter noodles" thrill a kid, right? They did ask me to sprinkle on the cheese and black olives. Clearly I've raised them well. Yes mom, they did say please and thank you.

Summer Bucket List

 

I've never made an official Summer Bucket List.

So, here goes:

1. Take a road trip.
2. Take swim lessons.
3. Visit two of the city's pools.
4. Paint.
5. Blow bubbles.


6. Go to an ice cream shop.
7. Go to the beach.
8. Fly on an airplane.
9. See a parade.
10. Go to the zoo.

11. Go to an aquarium.
12. Go to the park.
13. Go on a nature scavenger hunt.
14. See the summer kid movies: Monsters University, Turbo, and Despicable Me 2.
15. Attend Vacation Bible School.

16. Eat sno cones.
17. Play outside in the sprinkles.
18. Play outside in the evening in jammies. Look for fireflies.
19. See fireworks.
20. Have a picnic at the pool.

21. Eat s'mores.
22. Go to the public library story time.
23. Have a pool party.
24. Play with glow sticks.
25.  Go to Sea World.

What are your favorite childhood summertime memories?

One of those days...

Ever have one of THOSE days?
The days where nothing is easy.
The day begins long before any alarm is due to go off.
The baby wakes up at 1:00am for no apparent reason, other than to just be wide awake and ready to babble talk to you and jump in her crib.
At 3:00 you hear your preschooler cry out, "Moooo-meeeeeee?"
So you tell yourself it MUST be important, so you drag your lead legs out of the duvet tumble and stumble down the hall to his room.
He is sitting up straight, waiting with a smile.
"What's up, buddy?" you ask.
"I love you and the best part of my day today was digging in the wood chips." he says.
Ummmm, he woke you up for that?
But it's so sweet and innocent so you hug him and stumble back to bed.
You go to work, where of COURSE nothing is Easy.
You rush to the daycare to pick them up, and head to the grocery store.
With two kids. At 5:30pm. Hell hour to be in a grocery store.
But they beg for the "race car" shopping cart.
And you hope it will give you Peace as you shop.
But, if you've ever driven one, you KNOW it will drive like anything BUT a race car.
Strangers in the store roll their eyes and sigh as you take wide turns to get out of every aisle.
You inwardly sigh (because you're busy being a role model and remembering the list you left at home AGAIN, and because you don't want a Scene) because people are standing in your way.
And Hell-o! This is a tank I'm driving people, I didn't WANT to drive it, but they made me drive it. And two tantrums would have been more than I can handle.
So......Move it!
You get all the groceries home, finally.
After fighting rush hour traffic to just turn left on the one street that will take you home.
As you unload the groceries you put the beer in the fridge so hubs will have a pleasant surprise.
You decide to open that little flap thing so they'll be more accessible.
Easy access in case of emergency is a must.
All the sudden all 12 beers roll out of the easy access opening and onto the garage floor.
So you lose it.
And yell, "Why is nothing Easy?! Please God, let it be Easy!"
Then your preschooler approaches you.
And says, "Mommy, why are you mean?"
And you cringe, but you recover, so you say "I  was pretending to be the Hulk, did you like it?"
He cocks his head, looks you up and down and says, "I like it!!"
Then he runs away laughing.
I think God listens.
Thank you, God.
10 seconds of Grace.
I'll take it.

 

Fourth of July

I love a holiday, I really do! Howevs lately I've noticed they are....um...judge me, but a BIT of a beating.  Even before kids I would feel the need to make sure we had Events. Fun Stuff. And I felt like a failure of a holiday if we didn't go out and make the most of every minute. I like to think it's because I just like to have fun and spend quality time with my people.  It also has gotten worse with the online era, Pinterest invading me with the idea that all of my friends have got it going on with fabulous family parties and DIY decor and activities. And surely, everyone must be having more fun than us. And cuter fun too.  What a buzzkill to find yourself napping on the couch. Just as you doze off into a nice daze of holiday relaxation it hits you that your mantle is a mish mash of random vase, candlesticks, and kid art instead of bunting and holiday subway art. You flip through your holiday pinboard and think "Oh yeah!!! I was going to DIY this! George Washington and John Adams would be v. disappointed at my lack of festive patriotic decor! Oh God, I'm a Bad American!"

 Hubs has no such guilt. Hubs would prefer the couch and relaxing and a good hour or two of family quiet time. Me however? I'm fighting off Pinterest Cancer. Hardcore. I don't think it's in the Bill of Rights or Ten Commandments that you must have custom made bunting, meals where every food item is color-coordinated to the holiday and has cutesy little custom-font nametags so you're eating red-white-and-blue-Betsy-Ross-blueberry-muffins and drinking your chia seed organic pomegranate Star Spangled Smoothie and then lead your family outside to play 13 Colony Cornhole, followed by your DIY pyrotechnic show. And mason jars. Everywhere.  Tons of mason jars that have been custom painted and filled with your own homegrown basil,d lavender and baby's breath. Oh, and a burlap wreath with your monogram on the front door.  All of that? Friends, that is what we call B.S.  If that is your house I'm so sad I didn't get a custom made Cricut invite to come play. Because I'd walk in and love every second and pretend to live in your little Pottery Barn life.

But if you're like me, you need to know the cure for Pinterest Cancer? A big healthy dose of Whatever.

Whatever looks like extra time in your jammies on the couch with a cup of coffee and the Today show on. Sister, you need those minutes to figure out if Matt Lauer is still sexy or if he's a royal man club ass  because jeez- who would ever want to make Ann Curry cry? Who I tell you?! THAT is life.  Because you can interrupt those internal debates with yourself to play with your kids, talk with them, answer the millions of Why's and How's. You can kiss their bare tummy and tickle their toes, because when they're fifteen you won't want to do that. At least I don't think so. I reckon they will still be cute, and you will still love them so much it hurts. But they're be smelly.

So instead, you wake up, you look at your husband and appreciate  him them. You swallow your Whatever with your coffee, and appreciate how green your grass is. THEN wake up the kids and let them have good ol' fashioned fun. Donuts on the side of the road? Yes. Playing catch with Daddy so you can sip your water and play Candy Crush as you wait for the parade to start. Bubbles, chalk, poppers, playing catch, Capri Sun, and glow sticks. That's fun. That's life. That's Keeping It Real.  And the kids will never miss the mason jars. Or baby's  breath. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Sunflowers

We had heard there were huge fields of sunflowers in north Dallas, so my  mom and I took the kids to go check them out last week.  Sure enough, as we drove north on 75  we could see the glowing, golden field.  It was immediately breathtaking.   

We parked and walked the little Lambies up in their little red wagon.  It was so cool to see just how lush the field was up close.  Aren't sunflowers the happiest plant?  They were gorgeous. They also attracted about 2 bees per flower, but whatevs.  I held Cade and we squatted down to watch one bee explore a flower. We talked about how the bees wouldn't  hurt us because they were searching for their food. I'm always more brave around my kids than I am by myself. By myself there may have been some squealing and running away. Around the kids (and desperate to snag some sweet shots with my DLSR) I was v. courageous.

 

#iheartmycanonrebelt3i

Morning sun + trying to avoid the roofs of houses in the background + standing so the sunflowers were facing the right direction  = maje squintage y'all!

He's scared of a bee, I'm enjoying him wrapping his legs around my waist and holding me tight.
I'm always that mom who gets a pleasure from playing the hero role.
When they fall down and say "Mommy!" before asking for anyone else, I love it!
When they get their little fingers pinched in something and they come for a Momma kiss,
it makes me so happy that I can cure it!
When I can protect them from a field of thousands of quiet bees, that's right up my alley.

As I type this post Cade is coming over with a bloody boo-boo whose scab he scratched off.
Peace...

Swim Class!

I'm crazy.  I always make the first two weeks of summer super high pressure on myself by loading up on play dates on top of what SHOULD be fun, but ends up kinda obnoxiously stressful: swim class. With two kids. One of whom is in Water Babies. So that  means instead of chilling on the sidelines chatting up some new momma friends I'm in my mom suit in the water singing songs with an almost two year old who is screaming "Help me Lolliiiiiii!"

Here she is, planning an escape route before class.
And that smug mug next to her would be big bro. Who today told her, "I'm a better swimmer than you." in that totally whiny bragger's voice. Like any momma worried about her kid turning into an egomaniacal DB I tell him calmly, "That's not nice, she's smaller than you!" And he says (in the most serious, non-whiny voice), "But I'm a superstar swimmer. Superstar."   Checkmate.


So the first week she went from screaming and crying to softly sobbing to whimpering, but doing all the moves and "skills" and songs through it all. We've since been to our fave public pool repeatedly and she's had a blast and been a totally different kid. So today, the last day of class, it was so amazing to see that smile and show off my fun little sweetheart. (See, she's not a depressive water-phobic-momma-clinger!! I told you!)

All smiles for Grammie. Perhaps my all time favorite pic of the child.
Shout out to Janie & Jack for the amaze swimsuits. $25 for an SPF 50 UVA and UVB protectant fabric swimsuit (that just happens to totally match her nursery colors AND have multiple ruffles). AND not be a skanky little toddler triange-top bikini or halter tankini with sequins on the chest. Rant over. That was a mild one considering my true thoughts on inappropriate clothes for kids.

Big bro did significantly better. Last year he cried and cried the first two days of swimming class. This year he was all about it. He can swim about 15 feet by himself, from a step or jumping from the side. So, he IS momma's superstar, just as long as he doesn't go around bragging about it. Jeez kid.

When he got his swim certificate today he was quietly looking at it for awhile. Grammie asked him if he was sad and he said "No, this is really special. This is my special certificate."  He melts me. I hope he never loses that sweet side. He's tough and silly and a little badass and a lot sweet. Great mix that kid. I need to remember to thank God for using all the colors when he  made this masterpiece.