My Wall

I absolutely love my nieces and nephews. They are so special to me and I love the part they play in Katie's life. Some are near and some are far, but I wanted Katie to see them every day and be reminded of how much fun they all are. So - I started my wall. My wall of nieces of nephews and Katie. The idea was to put a picture of each of them in a frame and change it around the same time each year. Then, by the time the kids go off to college or get married - I would have 18 (or so) pictures of each child to put in an album to give back to their parents or to the child (now adult) to keep for themselves.

I got some really inexpensive frames from WalMart. I won't tell you how many - but let's just say I assume I have a fertile family. I have visions of some super cool frames one day (like the Organic Bloom ones my sister in law offers in her photo sessions) but those aren't in the budget at the moment.

I got the 8x10 pictures printed with a Snapfish giftcard a coworker gave me for my birthday. Each child's picture is so totally unique. Most of them are ones that Melissa (the sister in law mentioned above) and I suspect they will probably always be that way. It's hard to find a better picture than hers!

Then I got some wall art with a line from Jesus Loves Me. I love the generic-ness that just entails "little ones" and remembering that these children will always be "little ones" to me.

The pictures are arranged in order of the children's births. Katie likes to stop on the landing of the stairs and tell her cousins Good Morning or Good Night. Sometimes it's a stall tactic - but other times - she is genuinely interested in talking to them!

I had my "mechanical engineer perfectionist when it comes to wall hangings" husband draw it out and hang everything up. He did an awesome job. He spent an enormous amount of time on it. The spacing is perfect...


For 5 children...

But we have new children being added later this year. No - not Doug and me specifically...I'll pause to let my mom and mother in law catch their breath.

2 new children arriving in/around September and October.

My sister in law, Nancy - married to my brother, Gabriel is due to have her first child on September 18. They find out in May what they're having! They did a great job planning to have the due date about a week after the baseball season ends! (My brother works for a minor league baseball team and is pretty MIA during the 5 month long season.) We are all thrilled for them and can't wait to meet MY first blood niece/nephew.

My sister in law, Lindsay (Doug's youngest sister) is due to have her second child in October. Two nephews (including her first son) already have October birthdays so October stands to be a fun, busy month for our family forever! Lindsay and I were pregnant together with our first children and we had a lot of fun swapping sickness and weight gain stories. I can't wait to find out what she'll be having too! Will we get another girl in the family or will Doug's sisters continue to have boys!

So Doug - you have a few months to draw out the plan for a 7 picture wall and get the other frames hung up. I'm sure by the time you finish it, someone else will be pregnant and you'll, quite literally, get back to the drawing board! Good thing I picked the biggest wall in the house for this project. We have lots of room to expand!

Queen of the Castle

We have a new backyard addition! It's actually kind of a family heirloom. Kind of. Here's the story. Once upon a time, there lived an aunt of mine who had several grandchildren of her own. She also ran a daycare out of her house. Enter - large castle. Her grands outgrew it and it was passed on to some friends of my cousin. These friends just happen to be our friends, The Smoaks! Well, the Smoaks have since graduated to a bigger playset for their backyard and the castle now finds itself in a new backyard with a new Queen!

 

To say she is smitten with the castle is an understatement. She loves the slide and the tower. She loves to "let" you into her castle, once her permission has been granted. She was truly bothered by the pollen all over the castle and wanted to clean every inch of it with a wipe. Nice to know she takes pride in her possessions. She really likes for someone else to be on the other playset across the patio and look through the plastic telescope so she can wave at you from high atop her tower.

I think I've now been relegated to court jester.

Spring is Here!

How do I know?

Flowers are blooming.

 

Knees are no longer protected by fleece and denim but are left exposed and vulnerable to daily spills on the concrete. Neosporin is on my key chain.

 

And my world is yellow with pollen.

Our to do lists are full with the type of cleaning that isn't cumbersome, it's more like organizing and renewing.

Long sleeves and shorts are perfectly comfortable in the evening.

Toes are painted because the sandals are back.

Zoo membership has been renewed.

Easter outfits are coordinated.

Plans for summer vacations are being made. I can almost feel the sand in my shoes.

Katie gets frustrated when we drive past parks and don't stop to play.

I'm running again...outside...in daylight.

Basketball is wrapping up, baseball is gearing up, and football is looming on everyone's minds.

Cold pasta dishes sound delicious.

Sun screen is on sale.

Welcome back Spring. You haven't changed a bit.

How Being A Mom Changes You

Disclaimer - Obviously I have been changed in many meaningful ways by becoming a mom. But these are the not so meaningful, yet still documentable ways. I love a post about fierce mama love that makes you cry - but this is not one of those posts.

It changed my fashion sense. I have always longed to be fashionable and trendy but I know I can't pull off most of the current looks. I balked at capris knowing they wouldn't look right on my 5'1" frame (hips included). I eventually got some, albeit four years later. But now, being a mom (especially to a daughter), I get to make her trendy. I am all for "girly" outfits with smocked animals on them or a scripted monogram, but when there's a new style out that I would love to sport, I just let Katie sport it instead. Vicarious Fashion! Case in point - pink cowboy boots with pink leggings and a sweater dress. Who wants to see me in this? Probably no one! But Katie turned some heads in her get up!

 

It changed my view of daylight savings time. Growning up, I was always a huge fan of Fall Back (gain an hour) and not so much a fan of Spring Forward (lose an hour). But fast forward to parenthood, and I have done a complete 180. Fall back - I don't gain an hour of sleep. The clocks go backwards so I stay up late to revel in this extra hour. But no one explained this theory to kids. No one told them about the extra hour. My daughter is still up at the normal time which now becomes abnormally early and I'm even more tired because I took advantage of the falling back! And now it's dark earlier and no one is happy. But Spring Forward - simply amazing. I know I'm going to lose an hour of sleep so I prep myself by going to bed early. Again - I don't explain this theory to my 2 year old so she still wakes up at the normal time which now becomes "sleeping in" on Saturdays while she adjusts to the change. And - it doesn't get dark until 8pm so everyone is happy! No more driving home with the sunset in my eyes. It's still light after dinner allowing ample time for chase and bubbles!

It changed my parking style. I admit - I was that person that would drive around for five minutes to find a parking spot to save myself 10 additional steps. But now, I look for spots closest to the cart return. I hate people that don't return carts! But shopping with a child in tow means I don't want her walking through the parking lot more than she has to and I want to be closer to the return after I unload groceries. It's still all about saving myself some steps - so maybe I haven't changed as drastically as I thought.

It changed my view of smiles. My brother has always had a funny little smirk that he does in pictures. He hates it. I have always had a gummy smile. I hate it. But smiles are so unique to each individual that it's hard for me to see any type of smile as bad anymore. Katie had a crooked little grin last fall that has since straightened out. I am forever grateful that that crooked little grin was documented in pictures! Now her eyes squint a bit and it's still a cheesy grin - but it's not as fake as it appears! I love it. Looking back on her pictures one day, I am sure she will hate it. But hopefully I can convince her that it was all a part of her fantastically wonderful little personality!

 

Caption Crazy!

I posted this picture on Facebook last week and it was funny the comments that racked up "captioning" the picture. So I figured I would blog it too and add some more suggested captions! Oh yeah - by the way - the picture was taken inside EdVenture in the automotive room. It's not a real car.

 

1. (Posted by my mom) M: Our moms think we're at the library. K: Yeah, they're so lame!

2. K: (Singing) The wheels on the bus go round and round. M: Oh girl, that's my jam! Lemme turn it up.

3. (Posted by their preschool teacher) M: You pull up on the brake when I say when!

4. K: Can you believe the price of gas these days? M: My mom says prices used to be below $5/gallon. She really is old.

5. M: If we drive backwards, the mileage will never show up on the odometer. K: You are so smart! What a great idea!

Regardless of what we think they're saying - they will no doubt be TROUBLE by the time their teenage years roll around! Lord, give me strength!

EdVenture Adventure

EdVenture is a children's museum in Columbia and we got a weekday membership on Groupon a few months ago. It's mainly for my mom to be able to take Katie and Maddie during the week - but I got to take advantage of it recently when I had President's Day off at work.

Having lived in Columbia my entire life (except for a year spent up north in Rock Hill, SC), most things aren't new to me. But the museum was only recently built so it's not a place I went to as a kid myself. So I enjoy exploring everything too. There's so much to do there - it would take a week going for a few hours at a time to see and do everything. Here's some pictures from our favorite places.

The Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Shop with kid size carts and then go ring each other up! Leave the restocking to mom, of course.

This ramp is in the automotive section - not sure how that all connects but the girls loved racing the tennis balls!

Fire(wo)man Katie! Dress in coat, hat, pants, boots and drive the truck! Explore under the truck and slide down the fire pole too! (Katie was afraid of the tunnel under the truck and the pole.)

Ice Hockey Rink - part of the Winter Wonderland! This is Katie's around the back move that is sure to land her a spot in the Mighty Ducks remake someday.

More Winter Wonderland - in the penguin perch. We're loving some penguins lately after some trips to the zoo to watch them eat. This one got the tickle treatment from Katie.

The Music Room - musical hopscotch and compose your own piano pieces. Play some drums - virtually anything to make lots of noise and have lots of fun!

Arts and Crafts - give this child a marker and let her run. This acrylic booth lets kids draw and color until their hearts are content. Unfortunately - there is no limit to Katie's desire to draw, so we always leave this part with a little kicking and screaming!

Loved my Mommy's Day Off with Katie exploring the museum - watching her learn and explore so many fun things!

Kid Tested, Mother Approved

I'm not usually one for product reviews because I don't assume that anyone cares what I think about certain toys, etc. But our favorite new thing just had to be mentioned publicly!

The bubbles from Gymboree. Have you seen these? They are the most awesome, kid friendly bubbles ever. It's crazy to get this excited about bubbles, but that's just life with kids, right?

They aren't very expensive - $10 will buy you the special bubble pipe, the bubble tray, and a decent size bottle of bubbles.

A parent can pour the bubbles into the tray and then the kids can go wild. Katie and Cole did a great job taking turns dipping the pipe in the bubbles and then letting the other one chase down all the bubbles. The bubbles are tiny but they float around forever, kind of like snowflakes.



I actually tested the bubbles at work before I gave them to Katie and some of them were still around the next day! They refused to pop!

So take it or leave it, but if your kids are into bubbles like mine is - head to Gymboree and get some of these! Or come play in our backyard!