Our completely imperfect perfect little Christmas

Here it is… a mere 4 days until Santa arrives and the full-on frenzy is underway.

Maybe it’s the fact that we have 2 kiddos this year, or maybe it’s the fact that life in general has been demanding, but this is the absolute least ready I have ever been for Christmas.   The house is semi-decorated at best, the cards are partly sent, the gifts are unwrapped and the cookies are a complete & total write-off.  Life is a blur of coffee, wrapping paper and holly jolly panic.  Who’s with me?

But here’s what we’re getting right…

Visitors, hot cocoa, late nights (aka 9 pm) cuddling with our favorite little elves watching Elf, a trip on the Polar Express, completed letters to Santa, a night of gingerbread house decorating & Jingle Bell dance parties.

It turns out that the exact reason I’m behind on anything & everything (hint, hint: Little M & Littlest M) are the exact reasons I need to loosen the reins on my type-A sleigh and just enjoy the ride.  These two little people who bring us so much joy & chaos & happiness are the reasons we need to accept imperfection and embrace the fun.

So for this holiday I’m doing my best to be like Elsa and Let is Go.  I’m giving up on the 12 days of Pinterest, the fancy wreaths and the festive cookies.  I’m accepting that half-way decorated in the eyes of a Mom can mean beautiful in the eyes of a little one.  And I’m focusing on spending time with people versus spending money on things (excluding all things Amazon Prime, obviously).

This Christmas we’re busy teaching these kiddos the real reasons for the season.  So please excuse the card you may or may not receive from us (just know we’re thinking of you!).  Forgive the messy half-lit house and don’t stay up all night waiting for me to deliver cookies.   But please take a moment to stop over and join in the dance party.  You’ll be glad you did!

It’s pretty fun when you stop to enjoy the completely imperfect perfect little Christmas.

From our house to yours,

Erin

::  A Few Holiday Highlights  ::

Girls night out holiday fun!

 

Polar Express – So much Excitement!

Meeting the Big Man!

The coolest Dad out there!

Getting it just right.

 

And my favorite holiday photo… this perfectly sums up our life right now.   Perfectly imperfect!

 

 

 

I get it. I get the Disney magic!

For the first time in forever… we get it.

I’m not exactly sure how it happened but somewhere between our first positive pregnancy test and our first seven-passenger car…  Somewhere between Makenzie’s first steps and the kid’s first steps into the Happiest Place on Earth… somewhere between “Honey, let’s take a small vacation this fall,” and “Honey, we’re going to Disney” (I’m still not sure how that even happened), we get it.

Denny and I are just back (well, about 4 weeks ago but that’s how long it has taken me to finish this post) from Disney and we understand why people love it soooo much.

We get why people go year after year.

We get the magic.

We get it all.

i believe in the magic

We had an awesome, short & sweet trip to the Happiest Place on Earth and we were blown away by how fun it is.  It was no doubt stressful at times to travel with 2 kiddos, but both Makenzie and Mitchell did great!   We’ll give the trip two thumbs up and we will be back soon.

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::  McGees Go To Disney!  ::

Mamaw and Makenzie’s 1st plane ride

 

We’re here! This is when I was first hit with a wave of amazement and the tears started.

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::  Chef Mickey’s  ::

Meeting this Big Man on campus.

Smitten. Makenzie had no words.

A Minnie kiss for Makenzie. Mitchell Man was reaching out to see if she was really real.

More amazement. More happy tears from me.  Denny’s tears came when we got the Chef Mickey’s bill.

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::  Art of Animation  ::

We really loved the Art of Animation Resort.  Good food, great suite set-up and ahhh-mazing pools (plural).  Two thumbs up!

The Big Blue Pool. And each day there was a Disney Jr. pool party perfect for Kenz with games & songs!

Get in there, little buddy!

 

Hanging out with some of the Cars characters. We walked down Route 66 each day to get to our room.

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Crawling through Radiator Springs.

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A bonus visit with Aunt Margie & Uncle Mike!

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::  Magic Kingdom Day  ::

Whoa, bring on the tears.  I had no idea how this place would impact me as a Mom.

7am and on our way!! Kenz thought it was awesome that she did not need a car seat. It’s the little things. 🙂

We hit up the carousel, Flying Dumbos, Little Mermaid ride, Teacups, and then it was time to meet the princesses.   Makenzie told me she was nervous and wasn’t sure what she would say to them.  Mitchell Man wasn’t as impressed but he did get a big kiss from Rapunzel, which made him very happy.

She was so sweet and Kenz didn’t want to let go of her.

And then came Cinderella. Wow! It was undoubtedly the best part of our entire trip. I’ve never seen Makenzie look so happy.

 

Ariel was super sweet too. She read Makenzie part of her book.

We took a long mid-day nap, and then when we came back we walked directly towards the Dream Along With Mickey show taking place at the castle. Such a cute show!

“Daddy, looooook!!!!!”

Minnie, Snow White & Cinderella dancing & singing… talk about the happiest three-year-old on the planet!

 

Going strong late into the night with Mamaw at MK!

Carousel ride as we waited for the Electrical Parade to start.

Hey, there’s that handsome husband of mine! Remember when we used to fill up the digital camera with pictures of just the two of us during pre-kid trips?! This is as good as it gets now, but we’ll take it. 🙂

 

And just when we thought it couldn’t get better, a last minute FastPass opened to sneak in and meet the Frozen gals.

Eeeeeek!!!!!

 

Seriously magical!

::  We’ll Miss you Disney!  ::

Like all good things, our trip had to come to an end.  We had such an awesome visit & we’ll be back.

All smiles watching for our plane to pull up.

 

See ya!

 

 

Let them be Little… tales about my growing Littles!

let them be little cause theyre only that way

Let them be little, they say…

but how is that possible, I ask… when they keep growing, growing, growing!

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I’m behind with the updates (again), but my babes keep growing.

In October, my girl turned three!

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Makenzie Ruth – I could squeeze her all day!

::  In just one year she became a dancer, a non-stop talker and a big sister.  Here are some little things about her I hope I never forget  ::

Favorite color: Purple

Favorite food: Pasta, pizza & candy

Favorite book:  Pigs in Hiding (which was mine when I was a kid) and Carl’s Birthday (she pretends she is the little girl in it)

Favorite Things to do:  Color, play hide & seek, visit the neighbors & play with her dress-up clothes.

Famous Quotes:  “Mommy, I wanna hold your hand… forever!”  Talk about melt your heart moments.

    “Ohh yeah, that’s a great idea!” when you suggest pretty much anything fun to her  🙂

    Nana: “I love you to pieces, Makenzie.”  Kenz: “But Nana, I’m not a puzzle!”

Favorite toys: Hungry Hungry hippo, puzzles and Tubes (aka Youtube when she is allowed to play with our phones)

Favorite movies:  Mary Poppins & Annie

When she grows up:   She said she wants to be a doctor, just like Doc McStuffins

Best friends:  Mitchell!  And Kenz definitely thinks that she is one of the big girls and her other best friends are the Signal Drive girls.  They are just so sweet to her!

Kenz and ‘Liva’! I love these two.

Party time:  We had a fun little party for her at her dance studio (DanSations Rocks!).  It was a great time and a perfect reason to give tutus to all!

 

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Make a Wish Makenzie Ruth!

 

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Me on my 3rd Birthday in the mid 80’s! (Thanks to my mom for bringing this to the celebration)

 

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She thought it was funny to see me this young.

 

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Family photo fun

 

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Group hug!

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Listening to the awesome Miss Liza

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Love my tiny tapper. 🙂

What this year will bring:  On the night Kenz turned three we asked her what she wanted to do this year.  You’re never too young to make a strategic plan!  She was very thoughtful and her list included… eat popcorn at night, ride a train, fly in a plane, help Mitchell to walk & teach him tricks (aka somersaults), meet Ariel & turn into a mermaid, poop on the potty (let’s hope this happens before she’s 30), and count to 100, just to name a few.

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“This one Mommy!”

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We’re a month in and we’ve already achieved some of these, score!

Makenzie is definitely a first born.  She is confident, independent and she loves to be silly & have fun.  She is incredibly maternal to Mitchell and she is so full of love.  She is a rule follower, a thoughtful little soul & the sweetest little girl we could have ever imagined.

We can’t wait to see what this year brings!

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And our Littlest M is now 9 Months and getting very close to 10 Months!

He is a busy & adorable little boy.

Favorite things to do:  Crawling, climbing, clapping (his newest trick!), saying Dada, and playing with Kenz.

Medical update:  We finally have clarity.  We know the involuntary breath holding will continue for potentially 7 more years, but we also know the stomach challenges are related to reflux.  Our pediatrician has been incredible and we will (hopefully) not have to go through any more tests.

Foods:  He finally enjoys eating.  His favorite foods are oatmeal and puffs.

 

Drummer boy.

9-month photo shoot

A blur! This boy is soooo busy! This sums up his activity level.

 

Mr. Giggles. 🙂

And more activity & giggles.

 

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M&M sure make our lives complete.  They make life crazy, exhausting & more fun that we could ever imagine.

My home is filled with toys, has fingerprints on everything and is never quiet. My hair is usually a mess and I'm always tired, but there is always love and laughter. In 20 years my children won't remember the house or my hair, but they will remember the time we spent together and the love they felt. ♥ We've got so many more fantastic parenthood quotes on Joy of Mom - drop by and visit us! ♥ www.facebook.com/... #parenthood #quote #kids #children #love #joyofmom:

 

The (really) Great Pumpkin Farm

It turns out that life with 2 kids is definitely not a fairy tale…

Denny and I are incredibly grateful for 2 healthy kids, but I would be lying if I said that it isn’t hard work every single day.  Some days we just lack the energy and motivation to pack the bags, make the picnic lunches, find the matching shoes, wrestle the kids into the car seats… the list goes on and on.  And on those days we just scrap the plans, toss the kids some Tim Bits, and settle in at home.

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But Saturday was different.  I’m not sure why, but Saturday we hit our stride.  Saturday we got it together and we headed to the awesome Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence, NY.  (No fairy godmother assistance required)  And I’m so glad that we did!

 The cutest little pumpkins in the patch!

The cutest little pumpkins in the patch!

It was one of those rare meltdown-free days.  Makenzie loved all of it… the singing chickens, the magic show, the rides, the jumping pillows, and of course, all of the pumpkins.  She had endless energy, and she even had a pumpkin themed shirt.  Score, two bonus points for this mom!

Mitchell loved it all too.  He was mellow while we watched the entertainers.  He was sleeping when we explored the kiddie coaster and swings.  And he was perfectly adorable when we finally ventured over to the pumpkins.  Way to go, little buddy!

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By midnight the spell was over.   The mellow, happy, Normall Rockwell-esque kids returned to our crazy muchkins who fight naps and wake up at all hours of the night.  My clean mom attire turned back into spit-up covered sweats.  And our carriage was really just a family-sized SUV all along.  But we were left with lots of great memories and of course, a pumpkin or two.

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I don’t have a glass slipper to prove any of this, but I do have a few pictures…

 

 

Baby’s 1st autumn!  Checking out these big orange things

 

Cheese!

 

I actually made it in a picture.

 

She’s such a big girl on the swings!

 

Pumpkin farm express

 

Testing out the new pumpkin farm jumping pillows. Two thumbs up from this girl!

 

All tired out.

 

Petting the bunny, Abby Cadabara! This little furry guy was her favorite part of the magic show.

 

<3 these two.

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And they lived (mostly) happily ever after…

thanks to bribes, wine & a good sense of humor.

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xoxo

The 52 best gifts

It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon and guess where my kids are… right here, in our own home, hanging with me, the luckiest mama on the planet!

Shortly before maternity leave ended, it started… that awful feeling deep in my gut about my role in life.  I was starting to question everything.  Was I a bad mom to work?  Would it hurt my family to stay home?  Would I be happy at home?  Would I be happy at work?

So I did the most logical thing.  I cried and stressed out about it.  Clearly the right thing to do.  After a few weeks and some encouragement from a dear friend (thank you Emily), I asked the question… is it possible, might I be able, is it even an option… to not come back to work full time?  And quicker than I asked it, I had my answer.  Yes!  Wow.  Who knew?

Yes, I can work four days!  Yes, I can still keep the career I love yet still keep some special Mommy time with the kids I adore!  Yes, it is possible to make it work.  AMAZING!!   There’s no doubt that this adjustment means some extra time on the laptop at nights, and some occasional extra stressing that comes with reduced time in the office, but being with Makenzie and Mitchell greatly outweighs all of the downsides.

Now I spend my Fridays with my favorite little M&M’s.  These days are undoubtedly the 52 best gifts I’ve ever received in my life.  I’m incredibly grateful for a workplace that gives this option, a supportive boss who authorized it to happen, a team of great people around me who understand why it is allowed, and a husband who works hard so we don’t have to stress about the financial implications.

Our babies turn from newborns to kindergarteners in about 250 Fridays, and now I am thrilled to know that I won’t be missing these.  Instead I’m filling our Fridays with dance parties, waffle breakfasts, play dates, trips to the splash pad and visits to story time.  I could not imagine it any other way.  I’m appreciative, grateful & incredibly lucky to have this extra time with my little love and my littlest love.  Here’s to my favorite day of the week!

xoxo

Erin

Such a good big sis (although she did ask me if she could push the stroller into a mud puddle).

 

Hanging out in the splash pad on a beautiful sunny Friday!

 

More splash pad fun.

 

Enjoy the ride. Life is short but sweet for certain.

Just because

In the midst of the two-kids, two-careers, too-little-sleep chaos I do not want to forget the little goodness that happens every single day.   John Lennon said it best, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

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Here are a few little snippets of life

::  Blue eyes  ::

So handsome.

 

::  “Freezies” with the awesome neighbor kids.  ::

Have I mentioned how cool our neighbor kids are… many of them are in high school yet they still take time to hang out with our kiddos.  They make Kenzie feel like she is the bees knees.

Kenz in all her glory with Will, Rachel & Emma!

::  Bumble bee rides at the playground with friends  ::

These two are such buddies. 🙂

::  Sunnies during bubba time  ::

Because you would too if you were this cool.

His future’s so bright he needs shades.

::  And last but not least, Friday Story time!  ::

Check out this cute duo!

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On that note, sweet dreams!

Xoxo

Dear Makenzie, a story about a little dancer

Dear Makenzie Ruth,

Tonight I want to tell you a story about a little dancer. You know her well…

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The story began late last summer.  It was before this little dancer turned two.  The story began when a Mommy & Daddy signed up their little girl for Saturday morning Mommy & Me dance class.  The Mommy took the little girl to buy her first pair of tiny size 6.5 tap shoes in anticipation of the start of class. For weeks before class started the energetic little girl ran around the house making tons of noise with her new little white shoes and yelling, “Tap, tap, tap tap, tap!”

Then came this little girl’s very first tap class. It was a big day because it also happened to be the day she turned two!   The little dancer was shy at first and stayed close to her Mommy, but eventually she came out of her shell. This little dancer with pigtails and a pink leotard was finding her place in tap class.

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October 4, 2014 – A big day! This little dancer turned two, went to her very first tap class, and found out that her soon-to-be arriving sibling would be a Boy!

The week and months flew by. Fall turned to winter. The little dancer turned into a big sister. Her family of three turned into a family of four. The once shy little girl turned into a confident toddler tapper.

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The little tapper meeting her little brother.

Each week became more exciting than the last.  The Mommy and little girl would do their taps steps and then they would dance to the Wake up & Wiggle song, the Clap your hands song, the Teddy Bear song and many others. The little girl loved learning new steps with her wonderful teacher, Miss Liza.

By the time spring arrived the Mommy and the little girl were working on their recital dance and getting ready for the trip to the big stage. Then it was finally recital day! The pink and sparkly costume was laid out, the bobby pins were packed and the grandparents were starting to arrive in town. The Mommy was so nervous that she barely slept the night before. She was hoping that the big stage and the full audience wouldn’t scare her two-year-old dancer.

The morning was a blur and suddenly the little girl and the Mommy were waiting in the wings of the stage holding hands and waiting for the music to start.  The song Momma I’m a Big Girl Now started and the duo skipped onto stage.  The little girl and her friends in class had practiced many times but when the Mommy watched her little girl she felt something she couldn’t put into words.  Her heart was overflowing with emotion watching her little girl proudly do each dance step.  The Mommy could barely hold back the tears. In what felt like just a few seconds the song ended and the little girl was posing with her arms up.  The sweet little girl did great!!!!

Dance time!

And then came the coolest part. Miss Liza walked onto the stage and stopped the dance recital. The little girl and her five other friends in class were the youngest tappers in the studio so Miss Liza wanted to personally introduce each of them to the audience. It was such an awesome moment. As she introduced each little girl, the dads come up and gave them flowers. When it was the little girl’s turn she excitedly jumped up and down to greet her daddy.

The little girl was beyond excited to have her Daddy come on stage and give her flowers!

During the finale the little girl went on stage with all the big girls! They danced to A Dream is a Wish from Cinderella.

After the recital the little was greeted by all of her family and friends who came to watch her very first dance recital.

Proud Daddy & his little girl.

The little dancer with some of her favorite big girls – Molly & Abbi.

‘Liva’ & Rachel with the little dancer.

Cousin Ryan & Auntie Mimi even came from Ohio to be a part of the day.

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So full of energy!

As a special gift the little girl’s Aunt Melissa gave her a ballet painting that once hung in Aunt Melissa’s room when she was a little girl.

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The little dancer was so tired that she fell asleep on the way home while still wearing her taps shoes.  Perhaps she was dreaming of her next recital.

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Makenzie, the little girl who made her Mommy, Daddy, Little Brother, family & friends so proud last Saturday was you!   We are very lucky to see you grow right in front of us.  Whether you continue to tap, whether you play sports or whether you find happiness in just reading a book, I want you to do it with all your heart!

Thank you for letting me be a part of our first year of tap.   Next year you will go into the dance studio all by yourself but I’ll keep with me the fun memories of our year in Mommy & Me class.
I Love you so much, xoxo

Tonight I looked down…

I can’t exactly say that the past four months and 7 days have been easy.  Raising two kids is tough.  It’s a crazy, wonderful thing that we have two healthy kids.  And they are an awesome blessing, but it doesn’t make it easy.  Every single day is hard.  And honestly, I’m just not good at it yet.  I’m navigating through the foggy land of lingering hormones and uncertain expectations and working mom demands and mom of two status, and in trying to be a lot of things to a lot of people I often feel like I’m failing at all of them.

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But tonight I looked down.  Rather then thinking ahead about packing the diaper bag, or thinking back to how I should have handled a situation at work, I simply looked down.  And I was surprised at the beautiful view…

I looked down when I was on a walk with Makenzie and I saw so much.  I saw a sweet daughter’s messy, end-of-day-hair blowing in the breeze.   I saw her pink wagon filled with treasures of golf balls and dirt.  I saw a spunky toddler quickly growing into a little girl trying to navigate her way through the neighborhood and life.  And I saw five little fingers wrapped around mine because the sound of the train whistle frightened her just enough that she needed to feel an extra sense of security.  I saw pure happiness.

 

Later on tonight I looked down again…

Once again I was taken aback by the view.  I saw the soft skin of a four-month-old fresh out of the bath.  I saw perfect little eyelids covering the bright blue eyes of my son.  I saw the subtle breathing movements of a tired boy.  I saw a snugly baby finding a nightly sense of security in a fleecy swaddle.  I saw what will likely be my final baby drifting off to sleep.  I saw love in its purest form resting comfortably in my arms.

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Today was a good day.  One of the best.  I finally opened up my eyes enough to see the beautiful view I have on this part of the journey.  I know there will come a point when the scenery will change and I’m definitely not ready for that.  I guess I better hold on tight and keep my eyes open.

 

Much love,

Get excited for Mother’s Day!

Hey Mamas,

The day has come.  Mother’s Day!  For all you sleep-deprived, creators of tiny monsters, get excited! Tomorrow is the day of sleeping in, sipping champagne and being appreciated for the other 364 days of the year when you’re wiping butts, molding minds and juggling life.  Nothing but pampering & relaxing for 24 hours, right?  Well, not exactly but it is a day to appreciate your crazy, lovable and amazing kids, and to appreciate the lessons that come along with them.  For me I realize that the more I know, the more I don’t know.

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Take a look four years ago. Denny and I were feeling pretty ready for kids. So we headed out during Mother’s Day on a celebratory done-with-grad-school / could-be-the-last-vacation-before-baby trip to the Caribbean. Ahh, we were relaxed and excited. Why wouldn’t we be? We knew kids were on the horizon and we also thought we knew it all. Our kids would never have fried foods.  Our kids would always sleep in their own beds.  They would never have meltdowns, and we would never walk around in public covered in bodily fluids.  Nope, not us.  We were gonna be awesome.

may 2011 vacation

Living the dream… little did we know that we were about to get smacked with a wave of reality.

Then came three years ago.  Mother’s Day 2012.  We did it!  We actually made a human being, which was shocking considering the fact that I can barely make a casserole.  Baby McGee was yet to spend a day outside the womb, but we still felt pretty confident that we would be ahh-mazing parents. In fact, we even took advantage of Mother’s Day weekend to find out if we would be having a little boy or girl.  I thought I was quite the mom of the year throwing a party while pregnant.  Yep, you should have seen how tired I thought I was.

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One of my favorite days in life.  I bet Kenz was in my belly at that exact moment reading up on how to excel at being a colic-y baby.

 Enter two years ago.  And enter real tiredness. Our sweet girl had arrived 7 months prior and that year I finally got it. I understood what it meant to be humbled by a sweet and cuddly 8 lb, 3 oz baby with colic.  Mayday, mayday!  Our confidence was plunging rapidly toward the ground.

may 2013

We took this busy little lady to a fancy brunch for Mother’s Day. We scarfed down food while bouncing her on our lap, and then got the heck out of dodge while we finished chewing. Clearly it was very relaxing.

Then there was last year.  We were finally hitting our stride with this parenting thing.  One kid didn’t seem so scary anymore.  We successfully handled outings, vacations and dinners in restaurant.  We were unstoppable… and then I took a test the Friday before Mother’s Day.  A pregnancy test… and it was positive.  Wow, we were going to have another baby!!  Wow, we were going to have another baby??? What were we thinking?!?  We were hoping for a new addition, but suddenly our confidence crashed and burned.  Two.  Two kids?!?  Were we sure we could handle this?  Our Mother’s Day was a mix of joy and how-in-the-hell-can-we-handle-this nervousness.

may 2014 big sis

Big sis to be!

And now, our family is complete. We’ve had our crash and burn moments, but we’ve also had our life as a family of four is awesome moments.  Our kids have constantly reminded us that as much as we look like we are the ones in charge, we’re not.  But they also remind us that life is best when you slow down. They remind us that life is better as a family of four than it ever was as a family of two or three.  And they remind us that even if we don’t always know what we’re doing, most issues can be solved with a big hug and fruit snacks.

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This year Happy Mother’s Day has more meaning than ever. But it’s really about the two little ones who made me a mommy and the tremendous support around us who make it possible to get through each day.

Happy Mother’s Day to my awesome mom who showed me that life isn’t complete without lots of fun and some occasional confetti.


Happy Mother’s Day to my mother-in-law who always reminds me that there is no return policy on Denny.  She raised a great son who turned out to be an even better husband and Dad .

mamaw with kids
Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing and courageous sister who is raising two adorable little boys and running a full marathon in one week!  Can we say SuperMama??


Happy Mother’s Day to my sis-in-law Meg who is about to be Dr. and can rock out to Taylor Swift.

meg connor

And Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who stay up late wake up early scaring away monsters under the bed and rocking away sweet babies who aren’t tired.  Happy Mother’s Day to the new mamas and the veteran mamas.  Happy Mother’s Day to the moms trying to let go while yearning to hold on.  Happy Mother’s Day to all the women near, far and in our hearts who raised us to know what it is to be great Moms.

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And now, bring on the champagne!

Getting so big

These sweet kiddos of ours are growing up!  There’s no doubt that having a toddler and an infant comes with its share of struggles but there’s also no doubt that it goes quickly.  So, so quickly.

 

In the blink of an eye Mitchell is 3 months old and Makenzie is 2 1/2 years old.  Here is what they have been up to lately.

  ::  Mitchell Dennis – Three Months Old  ::

That smile.

Our little Mitch Man isn’t so little anymore.  He’s quickly growing into 6 month outfits.  He is very ticklish and giggles non-stop when you kiss his face, belly and leggies.  He loves sitting in his Bumbo chair to check out the world.

This month he started sleeping in his crib and he sometimes sleeps through the night (yes!).  He is slowly losing his thick head of newborn hair and we’re guessing it will come back in a light blond hair like Kenz.  The babes are going to go nuts if he re-emerges this summer as a blondie!

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Now that I’m back to work, Littlest M is spending 4 days a week with Big Sis at the wonderful Miss Becky’s house, and he is doing great there.  I miss him like crazy but seeing his big grin at the end of the day makes it all better.

Daddy’s happy camper       🙂

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 ::  Makenzie Ruth – 2 1/2 years old  ::

On April 4th our girl was officially 2 1/2 years old.  A week later we headed to the doctor’s office and she rocked her check-up.  Dr. Pepe is very pleased with her confidence and vocabulary.   And Kenz was very excited to sit on the table and wear the fishy cape aka gown.

Makenzie is a very busy little lady.  She loves to dance, sing, read and play outside.  Her favorite song is Shake it Off and she is not afraid to run around the house dancing to it.  In just a few weeks she has her first dance recital!

Ready for dance class.

 

Picture day… Pretty in Pink!

Some of her other favorite things are:

Color – purple

Food – Pizza and fruit snacks

Drink – Apple juice

Toy – Mommy’s iPhone (of course)

Movie – Frozen

Chore – Emptying the dishwasher

Indoor activities – Play-doh and coloring

Outdoor activities – Riding her trike and her Power Wheels VW Bug

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We love these kiddos to the moon and back and we’re doing our best each day to savor these moments of having a houseful of babies.  We can’t wait for summer to take our Little M and Littlest M into the sunshine!

Stay tuned, it’s going to be another fun season of life.