Easter 2015

We had such a great Easter weekend filled with egg hunts, family parties, and even a carnival. I'll let the photos do most of the talking.

First up was the carnival. It was small but Brayden loved it. He got to go on a few rides and he won a few prizes. Madison even got to ride on the carousel and she absolutely loved it! 

Next was the Easter Egg Hunt! This was on Saturday, so the day before Easter and it worked out perfectly. Since the kids are still young, the festivities were perfect spread out over two days so it wasn't just one long, exhausting day where the kids got grouchy!

He fell in mud after being there for 2 minutes. Such a boy. It was the one thing I told him to do...avoid the mud. Nope!

They dropped eggs out of a helicopter. Brayden thought it was awesome.

We actually got a decent family photo!

It was finally Easter and the kids had a blast getting their baskets in the morning. Then we visited with some family and the kids had another egg hunt. 

He was so excited about his new Paw Patrol toys.

Another decent family photo! It's a miracle!

Kisses for Daddy!

Brayden with his cousin Clara! They have so much fun together!

All the cousins.

He was nervous about the egg games.

Picked me flowers!

His face kills me in this photo!!

Love them!

So sassy with her hands on her hips.

Egg race!!

He cheated by holding the egg and running!! So funny.

Flying with Uncle Ethan!

It was such a great Easter although I really missed my family in California!

Update on the Kiddos!

It's been quite a while since I blogged in general but it is most definitely time for an update on the kids!

Lets start with {<Madison>}. She had her 18 months wellness check and everything looked great! She is still small for her age weighing in at 20 pounds 6 ounces (10th percentile) and I don't remember her height but she is in the 25th percentile. Little girl!! She is still wearing 12 months clothing but I am so anxious for her to fit into 18 months stuff. She has so many cute clothes waiting for her!!

Likes:
-running
-being outside
-mud/dirt
-bugs
-dancing
-music
-squeeze pouches
-books
-all Brayden's toys (of course!)
-giving hugs and kisses
-playing at the park
-taking a bath
-torturing the dog
-coloring
-stickers

Dislikes:
-swinging (she sometimes stays in it for a minute but most of the time she wants right back out!)
-eating (we are currently struggling to get her to eat most foods...its a battle!)
-listening (we're working on it)
-getting her hair done or taken out
-brushing her teeth

She is changing so much these days and her vocabulary has gotten HUGE!! She is talking all the time and can mimic almost anything you say. My current favorite phrase of her's is "I yove you". She can't say her "L"s and they have been replaced with a "Y" and it's probably the cutest thing ever. And she says it with such enthusiasm. It's adorable.

Now lets talk about [[Brayden]]. This little (well I guess I should start saying big) guy is growing up so fast! He is wearing mostly 4T-5T stuff but I just bought his Easter shirt from the BOYS section. Agh! I almost shed a tear at the store. Thankfully I was able to hold back this time. He starts a new preschool at the end of summer and I am so excited for him. He is beyond ready to be back in the classroom where he can be social and participate in numerous activities. He will be going 3 days a week which will give him ample time to interact with other kids there and hopefully make some friends.

Likes:
-running
-swinging
-jumping
-sliding
-screaming
-dancing
-reading
-playing with his toys (he's so imaginative!)
-coloring
-playing at the park
-guns
-playdough
-Baby Genius...he's still hooked on Vinko and Tempo
-being outside
-making his sister laugh
-painting
-stickers
-popcorn
-taking a bath
-squirt bottles

Dislikes:
-going to bed and taking naps (he doesn't fight it usually but he always tells me he doesn't want to)
-being limited to just one juice a day
-having to sit still

Brayden has been picking up all sorts of funny phrases from the movies and shows he watches and he spits them back out at the perfect times. My current favorite phrase of his is when he tells me "Mommy, you're one dynamite gal!" HAHA!!! Seriously hilarious! He is such a sweet boy most of the time although he tends to torture his sister quite a bit.

Stay tuned for Easter photos early next week! Can't wait to see their faces when they see their Easter baskets. So fun!

Whelp..I Suck

Apparently this whole blogging with two kids thing is a lot more difficult than I originally thought. Dang those kids keep me busy. Between them, buying a house, trying to get my essential oils business going and schoolwork I have just been swamped. 

BUT!! I am determined to get back to this blog of mine. I really enjoy this creative outlet and I know my family in California and New York love reading it to keep up on the kids.

So here we go. Like I mentioned, we bought a house! It was so fun (and depressing) to house hunt. The emotions were crazy but in the end, we got the perfect house for us. We love the lot and the neighborhood and the yard even came with a play set for the kids. WIN! We still have a few boxes of decorations to unpack (eventually) but for now, this are awesome. We finally got our couch just a few days ago and I can't even tell you how wonderful it feels compared to the dang futon we were sitting on for a month! My buns are happy to have a nice, soft place to sit again. We still need a rug and coffee table but the space is starting to come together.

I will be doing an update on the kids tomorrow full of pictures (and Madison's 18 month stats) but for now here are some pictures from when my parents visited from California! It was there first time to our house and it was so amazing to have them here.

We visited the zoo and the park and just had a great week together! I can't wait for them to come out again and hopefully next time they don't have to sleep on an air mattress!

I'll be back tomorrow with an update on the kids along with some super cute pictures!!

Birmingham Zoo

It was such a beautiful weekend here in Alabama that I definitely wanted to spend our days outside. Yesterday we did just that by going to the Birmingham Zoo. Since it was MLK Jr. Day, we got half off the entrance fee by bringing a canned good. Easy!! Such a great way to save money. We arrived at the zoo around 1 and the kids were definitely ready to see all the animals.

Silly girl!

One reason I love this zoo so much is that there are big animals too. A zoo we often visited in California had a few larger animals but mostly small animals like monkeys. We got to see lions, tigers, a gorilla, rhinos, a hippo, elephants, giraffes, zebras and more. It was awesome!! The kids had an amazing time and so did we!

Madison loved the tiger and kept saying "kitty, meow!" It was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Family photo on the train! We got both kids to look and Uncle Ethan in the back couldn't manage to get his eye to the camera. Figures!

The double jogger was perfect!

Birds bigger than them!

The sea lions were probably their favorite. There were two of them and they were having a great time playing. Swimming all around, making noises, jumping up on the sides. The kids thought they were hilarious!

I really would like to get a membership to the zoo. Its $120 for a family of 4 for a whole year. Thats not too shabby and then I could take the kids all the time. Hopefully we will be able to get that membership soon.

Plane Prep!

We will be heading to California in just over one week and I will be doing this solo (well, with the kids too of course!). This makes me VERY nervous. I have never flown with just me and the two kids before and its proven to be a challenge even when there is another person helping. Brayden is now 3 1/2 and Madison is 1 year 4 months. Probably the hardest ages to fly with and we will have a stranger next to us so I really need to keep the kids calm and behaving acceptable for the public. You know, not kicking the seat in front of them, not yelling, no crying, etc. Basically not being annoying to the people sitting near us.

My main concern is Madison. Brayden can be bribed and can really entertain himself either with books, stickers, DVDs or the iPad. Madison on the other hand, doesn't sit still for any length of time (unless she is eating) and definitely lets me know when she's upset by screaming. Lovely.

To help us all live through this experience, I have been asking friends for tips and searching the internet and of course Pinterest for ideas.

Here is my plan:

1) Lavender essential oil. I use essential oils on a daily basis and lavender has amazing calming effects. I will be putting some in a roller bottle, diluted with fractionated coconut oil, so I can rub it on the kids right before we get on the plane and then again if they start getting fussy and restless.

2) Bribery. HA!! So I typically don't bribe my children to get them to do what I am asking. I don't think this is a good message to use on a daily basis. However, I would practically do anything to get through this plane ride without a meltdown by the kids. I have purchased several small gifts for them from the dollar section at Target. I bought books, stickers, coloring books, and little sketch things. I plan on giving them to the kids throughout our trip but not until after we are actually on the plane! (I haven't bought them yet but I am also going to get retractable crayons. Two packages. Sharing crayons is basically out of the question so I am not even going to attempt to deal with that on the plane.)

3) Snacks. This is kind of obvious but when kids are hungry, they are pretty evil. Just my kids? Cool. Anyways, both kids love goldfish so those we definitely be making the trip with us and Madison still enjoys squeeze pouches so those will be coming too. Water cups for each of them will also be necessary since drinking out of a cup is out of the question. I spill on myself every time I fly and I am an adult that has been drinking out of open cups for about 23 years. Okay maybe I am just messy and clumsy but whatever.

4) Entertainment. We also purchased a new DVD at Target and we already have a portable DVD player. I am going to get a few new apps on the iPad the night before we leave so they are brand new and exciting. The only thing that makes me nervous about this area is the sharing. Brayden is really horrible at sharing the iPad but maybe with the bribing, I can get them to share nicely for the duration of the plane ride.

All of this will be going in my Petunia Pickle Bottom Abundance Backpack along with a blankie for Madison. Brayden will have his own small backpack to bring his Toy Story friends and green blankie (all of which he sleeps with).

If you have any other necessities that you bring for your kids, please leave a comment below! I would love all your ideas and anything that could make this flight go as smoothly as possible!

Organized Home: Toy Solutions

We are currently living with my mother-in-law until we get our house and things are a little hectic. Clothing for all four of us is in one room, Maddie sleeps in the same room as me and hubs and Brayden is sleeping in a bed that's not his and surrounded by stuff that isn't his. Oh and all six of us living in this house share just one bathroom. Call us crazy but it really hasn't been too bad, however, one part of this whole situation is really getting me the most. Toys.

We kept at least half of the kids' toys in storage and we brought the other stuff here. The problem is, I don't have an organized way of dealing with it all. In our old apartment, I had bookshelves and bins and everything had a place. Here we have a huge toy box, a smaller toy box, and then a bunch of crap piled on top. All the Christmas presents they got didn't help the situation either.

So to keep myself thinking positive, I have been thinking and researching ways to organize everything when we get into our house (hopefully very soon!). Here are a few ideas I have in mind (with links to where I found the info).

1) Toy Rotation. I think the kids do so much better when they only have a few things to play with at a time. They aren't overwhelmed and they actually play with the toys rather than just making a mess with everything. I am thinking something like this : http://mothersniche.com/toy-rotation-saving-time-money-and-simplifying-your-life/

I love that she rotates toys from several different areas of the home depending on how often they are used. She also links to a few other blog posts with toy rotation ideas. 

2) Everything has a home. This one is really important for me because I absolutely hate clutter but I need the kids to be able to clean up after themselves. The only way they can do this is if they know where things go. And I don't mean just throw everything in a huge toy box. That doesn't work for me. I despise toy boxes. I already use clear bins that are labeled for sets of Brayden's toys (Cars, Toy Story, Mickey Mouse, and regular cars) and I plan on getting a little more organized with more clear bins. This blog post has great ideas! A mom of NINE that homeschools her kids shows how they stay organized in just 1100 sqft. Really great ideas that would work in any home. 

http://www.largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/04/organizing-home-principles-tips-for.html

They aren't cute or fancy so they would work best in a closet but I like that the bags and bins are clear so the kids can see what they are getting. They don't have to open it and dig through the whole container to find what they are looking for. That is also diminished when "like" items are put together.

3) Book storage. Yikes!! Books are a huge problem for us mostly because we have so many. I am not willing to get rid of books only because I think they are so valuable and I love to see my kids just pick up a book. We read to the kids every night and I want to make sure they are book-lovers. One important thing is that they are accessible but our system right now (on a bookshlef) doesn't work because they all come down at the same time. I am hoping that with using the Ikea spice racks, the front covers will be visible and only the books they want will be taken down. We will see how it all works out  but anything has to be better than what we have going on right now. And they are adorable!

http://www.wonderfuljoyahead.com/2011/08/and-what-got-painted-were-drumroll.html

She painted her's grey so I like that we could personalize them for each room. I think we could also do another set even higher that are books I don't necessarily want them taking down on their own. Maddie has a problem with ripping out pages so that would be the place for books that she needs supervision with or books that we only read at night.

***

So those are my ideas for our toy storage organization for when we get our own house. I can't wait to be organized again and I think it will help keep all of us sane. Brayden has been watching too much TV lately and I know that is partially because of weather but it's also because all the toys are a mess. He can't decide what to play with because so much is out at the same time. 

Restaurants with Kids

Going out to eat with young kids can be a challenge but the other night was a complete disaster. Usually the kids are pretty good and we can get through the dinner without getting glares from other patrons. This was not that night.

Maddie was just not having it. I knew she was hungry but since the restaurant serves cheese biscuits, I figured she would be fine. NOT. Our serve was terrible and didn't even bring us plates for the biscuits so the kids ended up eating them off napkins. Maddie was still grouchy. She's also discovered a new game she like to play. She screams, I cover her mouth, both kids laugh, she screams again. Truly a horrible game when in a restaurant.

There was a table close to us and the young couple had two even younger kids than ours. Very close in age and they were quiet as could be. That made the situation even worse on my part. I kept comparing my kids to theirs and wondering why their kids could behave and mine were being so loud and crazy.

Then I remembered this. My kids are 3.5 and just over 1 years old. They aren't meant to sit still. They aren't meant to be quiet. They aren't meant to not laugh when they think they are playing a game. They don't understand. Well Brayden does and he was fine, just a little needy.

I know we need to keep taking them to restaurants so they do know and learn how to behave there but honestly, it might be a while before we go back out as a family. The next time we do go out, I also plan to have an arsenal with me to make sure the kids are happy and entertained. I found this on Pinterest and I definitely need to create something like it to help the kids while we are out to eat. 

Here is the link to the blog with the description of everything she put in it: http://blueistyle.blogspot.com/2013/11/RestaurantKitDiningOutWithKids.html?m=0

I love the wipes and silverware but I love that she added her own box of crayons and small coloring books. Some places don't have stuff for kids to do and that basically makes it impossible for a kid to sit still and be entertained while at the restaurant. I would add a sticker book or something since Maddie isn't always a fan of coloring.

I will most definitely be whipping up one of these kits before we head back out. I was not a fan of those glares from other patrons and I know my kids are better behaved than a lot of other kids so they just need the tools to help them accomplish that.

What are your tools for keeping your children quiet and happy in a restaurant?