Our weekend

This post will probably look a lot like last weekend's post, because we pretty much did the same things....went to breakfast, swam, and hung out at the house.  Most summer weekends are the same actually, but we like our routine, so we stick to it!  It is kind of nice not having a lot of plans and just being able to go with the flow.

Brady has turned into quite the swimmer!  He took swim lessons all last week, and I am amazed at how well he is doing for 2 years old!  The first day he cried the whole time, but as soon as he got out of the pool he was all smiles and told me, "I had fun momma!" Ok,  I would not have gotten that from the way he looked in the pool, but I'll take it!  The rest of the week he was a champ.  He did everything she asked him to and smiled the whole time.  By the end of the week he could swim all the way from one side of the pool to the other by himself.  He was so proud of himself.  I was sad that I didn't get to make it to his last lesson, because I had some important things going on at work, but I made Paul video tape it.  Brady has asked to watch his "movie" everyday now. He says, "I swim like a fish momma!"

Now that he has learned how to swim, he is NON STOP in the pool.  Not that he wasn't before, but he doesn't want to wear his swimmy, and he jumps in and swims to the steps about 50 times.  The plus side of this is that he is so worn out, he takes a very long nap :).

Thursday we celebrated two of our favorite people's birthdays, Uncle Dustin and Nanna!  Uncle Dustin was far away in Brazil, but we managed to talk to him briefly on the phone.  We had Nanna over for dinner and cupcakes!

The birthday girl!

Helping blow out the candle

They had spaghetti for dinner, so Brady always wears one of our t-shirts better known as his "spaghetti shirt"

You know this girl loves a cupcake

The rest of the weekend, like I said, consisted of swimming and just hanging out.  Those are the best kind of weekends.  Saturday morning we went to the pancake house with Paul's parents.

Throwing pennies in the fountain

Katelyn carries around this strainer and ice cream scoop everywhere she goes. She thought it was hilarious that I was telling her to say, "cheeeeese!"

Swimming to the ladder by himself! So proud!

Papa got him some goggles, and I honestly think he swims better with them on.

She comes for the snacks :)

Katelyn slept in until 9:15 on Sunday! (I wish she could teach her brother about sleeping in...)  I told Brady to go get her when she woke up.  I found them like this...He said he was reading her a book :). He is the sweetest big brother ever.  If you can't tell, she loves him a little bit too.

Heading to the pool!

The weekends go by too fast! Yay for a 4 day work week!!

Fashion Friday: my mom uniform

I am not a fashionista by any means.  My wardrobe pretty much consists of work clothes, t-shirts, shorts, and a few cute dresses for the rare occasion that I dress up for something.  I try not to fall too far into the "mom look", but there are just clothes that work better when you have children.  For example, in my previous childless life I probably wore a lot of summer dresses.  I love a summer dress.  But, when you have two young children and you are constantly bending down to pick them up or pick something up off the floor, a dress just isn't ideal if you catch my drift.  I also have a confession- I have never gotten into the maxi trend.  I don't own a single maxi dress- say what?! I know they are all the rage and could probably solve my problem of not being able to wear summer dresses with kids, but I just can't get into them.  I always think they look cute on other people, but when I put them on I feel like I look silly.  I thought this same thing about skinny jeans for the longest time too, but I finally took to really liking them.  Maybe I will venture out one day and try a maxi, but for now they are not in the wardrobe.

So, what are my summer staples?  They look a little something like this:

1. Olukai flip flops 2. White lace top 3. colored chino shorts 4. printed tank 5. cafe capris 6. striped t-shirt 7.vintage crossbody bag

On just a typical day at home with the kids you can probably find my in my Olukai flip flops, shorts, and a print top, or white cropped pants with a tank or top.  I used to be a Rainbow girl, but Paul turned me on to these Olukai flip flops.  They are really comfortable, and I love the neutral color.  All of the clothes shown above are from JCrew and Boden.  They tend to be my go to online stores lately. I can always find what I am looking for, and they typically always have a sale going on.  Let's just pretend that the cafe capris above are white, because I couldn't find them at the moment.  But, the JCrew cafe capris are my favorites.  I own several pairs in different colors, because they fit great and are easy to throw on and pair with a solid or print top for a cute/comfortable not too "mom" look.

Mint has been so in this year which I love, because it is one of my favorite colors.  I love this cross body bag.  It is cute, and easy to throw your phone and essentials in to run an errand, or pair it with a cute dress for a night out.

That is pretty much my everyday uniform at home.  Nothing too fancy, but cute and logical.

I am a working mom

I know most of you are probably aware of this, but I wanted to share my thoughts on what it is really like to be a working mom.  First of all let me just say that I don't feel strongly either way whether one decides to continue working after they have children, or they decide stay home.  I think it is a personal decision and every family should make the decision that is best for them.  I'm not going to lie, after Brady was born I begged Paul to let me stay home, I cried, I complained, but it just wasn't feasible. I don't think men fully understand the attachment that is there between a mother and her baby.  I carried that baby around everywhere I went for 9 months.  It is the absolute hardest thing I have ever had to do, to leave my baby for the first time and return to work.  It doesn't get easier the second time either.  I went through the same phases, I cried, I complained, all I wanted to do was be with my baby.  But now, I am happy with my decision.  Are their still times when I feel guilty that I am not with them? Yes. Are their still moments when I am jealous of stay at home moms posting pictures of the fun things they are doing with their kids on Facebook and Instagram?  Yes.

But, I also sympathize with those moms.  I know how HARD it is to be your kids 24/7.  You love them unconditionally, but sometimes you just need a break.  I'll admit, working is much more relaxing than being at home all day.  Of course, there are added pressures of being successful at work AND at home, but I get to have adult conversations.  I get to feel like I am contributing to my family on more levels.  I get to take advantage of the degree that I worked so hard to acheive.  We can have a nicer house and provide nicer things for our kids. I have a break from the HARDEST JOB there is, parenting. I feel like this makes me a better mom and wife, and I know that my kids are well taken care of.

Brady stayed home with a nanny his first year, and I am so thankful he had that time.  But, at the end of that year he was ready to get out.  He wanted interaction with other kids.  While I have hated the constant sickness that comes along with pre-school, I think it is the best decision we have made.  He absolutely loves going to school and has learned so much since he started.  I honestly think they need a break from us as well.  They need to learn from playing with their peers and learn to take instruction from adults other than their parents.

In a perfect world- I would have loved to stay with my children for their first year.  While I didnt have a whole year, I was lucky enough to have almost 5 months off with both of my children.  I really don't think I could go back before then, and I feel for those moms whose jobs don't allow that.  12 weeks is just simply not enough time with your newborn baby.  They are still SO new then, and they still need their moms so badly.  Those 4-5 months flew by so fast and as the day of my return to work crept closer I was an emotional wreck, both times. I am also lucky that I have a flexible job that allows me to work from home when my kids are sick, and allows me to leave early to pick them up.  I never thought I would like having to work after "work hours", but honestly I do a lot of my business at home after my kids go to bed and that works for me.  It allows me to pick them up from school, play in the afternoons, feed them dinner, give them baths, read books, and tuck them in bed.  After they are sound asleep, I can put my "working hat" back on, and I haven't missed out on any special time with them.

Both of my parents worked growing up, and I never felt like I didnt get to see them enough or that they weren't there for me.  I know Brady and Katelyn won't think that either.  They will hopefully appreciate the sacrifies that we have made to provide the best life for them. I hope that we are setting an example for them that you work hard to acheive things in life.  In the end this is all for them.

Photos by Courtney Dox Photography.

Weekend recap

Well, another summer weekend is in the books.  (I guess technically this is the first summer weekend, but given the temperatures here lately, summer started many weeks ago.)  Friday after work we went for a little afternoon swim and then ate take out at home with Paul's parents.

Saturday we decided to get crazy and go out to eat for breakfast.  This was two weekends in a row for us- living on the wild side.  I feel like once babies turn one it just makes it easier to go do things. I guess the first reason is because you no longer have to tote around bottles and formula (whoohoo!).  Also, you can typically order off the menu everywhere you go instead of having to pack additional baby food- makes life so much easier.  To be honest we have probably only gone out to eat as a family a handful of times since Katelyn has been born, but the past 2 weekends have gone really well so maybe we will be doing it more often.

She is starting to love her eyes as much as Brady.

Her first time coloring!

After breakfast we went home and they both went down for pretty early naps. Katelyn actually fell asleep in the car. She must have thought that was her lunch :).  It worked out great though, because we had a birthday party at 2, so we were able to make it there on time without having to wake anyone up.  One of Katelyn's friends from school turned 1! They had a pink lemonade themed party, and it was precious.  They both really enjoyed it.

It just so happened that Katelyn has a pink lemonade smocked dress.
So perfect for the occasion!

The party wore her out.

Saturday afternoon we invited some friends over for dinner and a play date.  Katelyn and Brady both love Evie, and Jessica and Gray are some of our favorites, so we had a great time.

BFFs

Sunday we just played outside in the morning before it was too hot.  After naps we went to Waldo's to go swimming.  We thought Katelyn just didn't like the pool that much, but I think we have determined that she realizes once she gets out she gets a snack.  So, she just tries to speed up the actual swimming part, so she can eat :).

Feeding Waldo goldfish

Snacks are clearly the best part of going to the pool.

We finished our weekend by watching the USA vs. Portugal world cup game and let me just say - U-S-A!!  I know we didn't win (at the last second!!!), but it was still a great game. My brother is in Brazil for 2 weeks hopping around to different games and exploring the Amazon, rough life.  That is probably the only reason I have really been paying attention to the World Cup, but now I have been getting really into it. Regardless of how far we make it, I am proud of those guys!

Fashion Friday: Baby Girls

It wouldn't be right to do a post on my favorite little boy's fashion without talking about my little girl's right?  Oh my, who doesn't love shopping for a baby girl?  I knew from the moment I found out I was having a girl that it was game over. I can't even stand the cuteness that I find in the baby girl clothes department.  I have to practice serious self control to not buy everything I see.

My favorite places to shop for my girl are a lot of the same places that I like to shop for Brady.  Shrimp and Grits Kids is a favorite in the smocked clothes line.  There is nothing sweeter than a baby in a smocked bubble.  I'd say my style is a mix of southern traditional with some modern touches. I mentioned before my love for bubbles, and that is pretty much what Katelyn lives in during the summer.  Don't get me wrong, I love a smocked dress, but I learned that they just aren't very ideal for a crawling baby.  The bubbles work much better, because she doesn't get tripped up by a dress.  She does have a couple of smocked dresses for church and such.  These are a few of my favorites.

1. whale bubble 2. red crab smocked dress 3. rosie bubble

For everyday knits, again my go-to is Kelly's Kids.  There stuff is just adorable and it is comfy too!  I absolutely love a monogram.  I have to resist monogramming everything, because I a) may want to use them again one day if we are blessed with another child or b) I may want to consign them.  A few monogrammed items are a must though.

1. bubble dress 2. pink playdate bubble 3. crab bloomers and tank 4. plaid playdate bubble 5. green bubble

You will also notice that every outfit comes with a bow.  A bow is essential.  Too bad Katelyn still doesn't have too much hair, but it is growing slowly but surely.  She has enough to clip a bow in, and you better believe every outfit has a matching bow :).  You will also notice that most of these are the matching girls outfits to the post I did last week.  I can't help myself.  I just love two matching babies.

For good knits I also love Hanna Anderson.  The clothes are precious, and the quality is very good.  They put a lot of stuff on sale too, so you can usually find a pretty good deal.

Zulily is another place I frequent.  If you have children or are pregnant, you need to sign up now.  They do daily deals and you can get boutique brands for half the price.  If you are like me, I get tired of getting a hundred deal emails a day, but this is one that is worth checking out.  You can even set up an "alarm" for the brands you like, and they will alert you when that particular brand is on sale.  They also offer deals on a variety of items other than children's clothing including toys, home goods, maternity clothes, woman's clothing, accessories, etc.  I have gotten some great name brand stuff here including smocked dresses, Hanna Anderson pjs (my favs), our double stroller, and more.

Let's talk about accessories and my little girl with not a lot of hair.  I absolutely adore her beaufort bonnet.  It is the most precious thing I have ever seen, and it serves an important purpose.  She doesn't seem to mind it on her head at all which is great.  They are a little pricey, but she wears it pretty much everyday which makes it worth the splurge in my book.

As far as shoes goes- I honestly really love a barefoot baby, but when we have to wear shoes our go to are these salt water sandals.

And, of course her pink baby crocs

Honestly, how can you not enjoy shopping for a baby girl?

The first cut is the deepest

I finally decided to make the first cut.  I have learned that the blooms don't last too long in this heat, so what the heck?  Something about fresh cut flowers just makes me happy :).

Bedtime made easy

Bedtime is, dare I say, easy at our house.  We pretty much do baths, books, and bed by 7-7:30pm every night.  There is rarely ever a fuss about going to bed.  That is our routine, and we stick to it.  It has always been this way ever since our babies were old enough to go to sleep that early.  There is no rocking to sleep or bribery to get in bed.  They just do it.  Now yes, I know some will say they rock their babies to sleep, because they are only babies for such a short time.  The problem is that baby who is rocked to sleep turns into a toddler who wants to be coddled to sleep, and ain't nobody got time for that.  I mean that in the nicest way possible, but when I hear the horror stories of bed times at other's people's houses I just cringe.  I think to myself, "wow, that sounds terrible."  Don't get me wrong, I think it is pretty obvious that I love my kids to death, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, but bedtime is just as important to them as it is to me.  They need structure, they need a routine, they need boundaries set.  Are there times when I let them stay up later?  Absolutely, but they know that typically we eat dinner, we get baths, we read books, and we go to bed.  It's that simple.

Selfishly I need that time to decompress, to have some adult time, to watch tv other than Curious George or Elmo, to have a glass of wine in peace.  It is good for the soul, good for our marriage, good for the kids.  People told me, oh just wait until he is in a big boy bed, things will change.  But, here we are transitioned to a big boy bed, and he still knows his limits.  He knows not to get out of bed until morning.  Of course there were a couple nights where he snuck out of his room when we first transitioned him, but he quickly learned he would be returning right back to his bed.  So now, it is a rare occasion that he escapes from his bed at night.

I am no expert in parenting or sleep training, but this is just what works for us in our home.  We have never let the kids sleep with us, and that is one place where I draw the line.  You let them in once, and you will regret it.  I heard stories from too many parents on how their child shows up in their room at 2am every morning to get in bed.  No, don't think so...

I think everyone is happier when they get a full uniterupted night of sleep.  The best way to get rid of bad habits is to never start them to begin with.  We are the adults here, we make the rules, we set the example.  If you don't want your kids running around at 10pm, then don't let them.  It's that easy.