Fantastic Firsts

I definitely wrote 2013 on a check yesterday.
(Yes, we still use that primitive form of currency from time to time.)

Anyway, here we are....in our third fourth month of 2014, and I feel like I just exhaled the whole Christmas season.  It's true that being a stay-at-home mommy can seriously mess with your notion of time.  Endless days upon endless days, they bled together as "stay-at-home mom" became a literal description of my life this winter.  And though I've been much more diligent about blogging this year (insert huge pat on the back!), I've realized that I missed documenting some pretty significant moments over the last few months. 

Though this post exists mostly to get these events officially "on the books," perhaps you'll enjoy celebrating some of these fun milestones with us!

Kendall was SO excited about her first trip to the dentist!  She was a great helper, and took home a PRINCESS toothbrush- a highlight of her life!!

Out with the old and in with the new...we thanked God for the many years and memories we had with our Honda, and welcomed our Nissan Maxima to the family!

This winter has been SO cold, we haven't had many opportunities to play safely and comfortably outside.  So when the temp spiked to 30 one day, we through on whatever snow gear we had and spent some time in the snow!

This was a first for the kids- they built a snowman with very little help.  And they named him....wait for it.....Olaf.

We were so proud of Kendall as she performed with 70+ children in one of our Sunday services.  They sang "The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy" and "Away in a Manger".  She had a bit of trepidation the first time around, but by the second service, she was a superstar (complete with curtsy to close it out)!

On Kendall's fourth birthday, Chris and I took her to see "Frozen" at the theater.  The experience was memorable, as she giggled through most of the film.

We ALMOST made it through the winter without any significant illness.  But the "big one" hit in March, when Kendall came down with bacterial pneumonia, dismantling a family trip to the cities as Mommy and Kendall stayed home.

Leave it to the second to be the first.

Carter completed his first Parent-Tot recreational gymnastics class.  It is a perfect outlet for him to burn energy, and I enjoy the quality time with my second-born.

And, just because I am a proud Mommy, I'm going to attempt to upload a couple videos here, too.  :)

That Moment When...

That moment when you look at your child and can really see yourself...

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

-Psalm 139:13-14

Reasons My Son Is Crying.

If you haven't seen this website, you must. Go now.
Especially if you have a toddler.
Especially if you have a toddler that cries.

www.reasonsmysoniscrying.com

Oh, I could fill a book with all the ridiculous reasons my children have freaked out.  I thought I'd keep my camera handy and capture some of these special moments from my own child.  It's tough being a toddler!  Here's the proof:

I chose to sing him "Jesus Loves Me" at bedtime.  He wanted "Step In Time" from Mary Poppins.

Daddy was giving Mommy a hug.

Daddy took him out of his carseat instead of Mommy.  "Mommy take me ouuuuuut"...for the next 30 minutes.

I put the tray of the highchair (which he doesn't use) in the dishwasher.

He asked me to put music on.  I put on Justin Timberlake.  He lost his mind.

He wanted hot dogs.  But not the hot dogs I gave him on his plate.  The OTHER hot dogs...in the refrigerator.

It's not all nuddles, people...but they certainly make these little bouts of insanity easier to sweep under the rug. 

Nuddle is My Favorite Word

It's pronounced nuh-ddle.
As in..."Mommy, I want to nuddle with you."

It has become my very favorite word, because it describes my very favorite pastime:  snuggling with my little ones.

While Kendall has always been a champion sleeper (seriously, if it were an olympic sport...), but Carter has been a challenge from the start.  If you are a frequent reader of this blog, this is no surprise to you.

Prior to parenthood, I had such a clear vision of the kind of parent I wanted to be.  But something happens once you actually become a parent.  Family, friends, books, articles, media spots...they can all, at one time or another, put pressure on you to parent the "right" way.  You should be doing ______.  Your children should be doing _____ by _____ time.   It's easy to slip into the trap of letting others influence your parenting decisions, and I've let myself fall into that trap more than once.

I vividly remember one such experience at the beginning of last fall.  We had gotten Carter on a pretty normal nap schedule (a miracle in itself), but I had to hold him.  I enjoyed my break in the day.  It felt good.  But a few unintentional comments from others made me feel guilty for sharing this rest time with Carter...and the constant social media reports from moms-on-the-go made me second-guess my daily routine.  Perhaps I should be doing more, more, more.

I felt like I needed to change my naptime procedure to avoid being judged as a lazy stay-at-home mom.  So I started putting Carter in his crib for naps, and it was a struggle.  Half an hour here, half an hour there.  Crying.  Rocking.  Waking up his napping sister.  Crying.  Rocking.  I was persistent, and it did improve slightly over time...gave me time to do the dishes, anyway.  But no one was well rested, and I wasn't enjoying this time of my day.

On one particularly frustrating day, I brought Carter downstairs with me, ready to throw in the towel on his naps.  He promptly fell asleep as I sat on the couch, and I exhaled deeply.  Here we were, where we started.  It felt good.  It felt heavenly.  I stared and stared at the face of my youngest, hoping to memorize the peace in that moment.

Why hadn't I been doing this all along?  I want to!  So, I made the decision to make our "nuddle" time a priority again.  I know this phase won't last much longer...his naps are getting shorter and shorter...and I don't want to miss any of it (cue Steven Tyler).  Now, I have extra incentive to complete all of my household duties in the morning so that I can enjoy guilt-free cuddles with my baby.

I know what kind of parent I want to be;  I want to be the kind of Mommy that will set aside busywork to savor those snuggles.  They are a precious commodity.