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.

……………………….

::  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.

……………………….

::  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.

……………………….

::  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.

IMG_4206

Crawling through Radiator Springs.

IMG_3850

A bonus visit with Aunt Margie & Uncle Mike!

……………………….

::  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!

……………………………

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

In October, my girl turned three!

IMG_2802

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!

 

IMG_3080

Make a Wish Makenzie Ruth!

 

IMG_3078

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

 

IMG_2965

She thought it was funny to see me this young.

 

IMG_3058

Family photo fun

 

IMG_3012

Group hug!

IMG_2901

Listening to the awesome Miss Liza

IMG_4592.JPG

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.

IMG_3157

“This one Mommy!”

IMG_3177

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!

……………………………

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.

 

……………………………………………….

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:

 

Mitchell Man at 8 months

Eight Months with our Mitchell Man!

The funny thing about baby #2 is how little one-on-one time you get to spend with them so Denny and I have been making extra efforts for some individual time with this little buddy.

IMG_3308.JPG

Sneaking in some post-bath time snuggles!


IMG_3299.JPG

Party time with Daddy! Just this month he started saying “Dada”!

 

This kid is all boy.  Check out his 8-month photo shoot.  I’m sweating again just looking at the pictures.  He is a blur of activity, giggles and spit ups.

 

Soooo busy!

…………………………….

Here is how our little monkey spends his time:

::  Cruising around the furniture  ::

This guy is on the go.  He is ready to take steps on his own any day now.  I can’t imagine how pumped he will be to keep up with his big sister.  He likes to crawl around the house in attempt to keep up with her but he always cries when she gets out of his sight.

Hi Mom!

Clothes optional when you look this cute!


“Whoa!”

…………………………….

::  Boy Time  ::
Littlest M loves his guy time.  Now that football is in full swing, he likes to spend Sundays with Daddy in just a onesie (Mitchell in a onesie, not Denny) cheering for the Bills and Steelers.  He also likes cruising around on the Laugh n’ Learn pup with his big cousins.

 

“Let’s tighten up these lug nuts things behind the pup ears, and find some torque something-or-other.”

He can also hold his own against Uncle Scott!

Jab, jab, jab, right hook.

 

…………………………….

::  Dreaming about the day he can participate in big kid activities  ::

This picture says it all.

Someday buddy, someday.

…………………………….

::  Laughing and having fun with Makenzie  ::

These two are awesome together.  Mitchell loves it when his sister wakes up in the morning and always crawls in to see her, and then greets her with tons of grins.  These two love to hang out in the crib together.

 

Giggle fest!


IMG_3291.JPG

Watching for Daddy!

 

…………………………….

::  On a very serious note, we’re finally getting answers on all this medical stuff  ::

This month has undoubtedly been the biggest roller coaster thus far of having kids.  All rational thought goes out the window when it comes to your baby’s health.

Mitchell continues to have pass out spells.  These are completely terrifying, but we now know they are harmless.  He was diagnosed with involuntary breath holding spells.   Read more about these here.  If anyone knows another family dealing with this, please let us know!

He did really well during his EEG and we ruled our seizure activities.  Yay!  More tests to come next week due to his reflux but we now know definitively about the breath holding incidents.  Thanks for the good thoughts you’ve been sending our way.

He was a champ!

…………………………….

We love this little guy so much and we could not imagine our world without his sweet smile.  The rest of October will bring our first family of four vacation and then Mitchell’s 1st Halloween.  Let’s hope that everyone aboard Southwest Flight 983 shares his enthusiasm.

We love you to the moon & back Littlest M!

xoxox

Mom & Dad

Dear brand new Mom, a little note for you to read in the wee hours of the night…

Dear brand new Mom,

Today I ran into you and I saw in your eyes something so real and something so raw. I saw how fulfilled you were with love and gratitude for this brand new amazing life that you created.  Your baby is just so beautiful!  But right along with that I saw your feelings of doubt, of exhaustion and of complete overwhelm.  Today I wanted to reach out and hug you and tell you to go and take a long nap.  Today I want you to know that I know exactly how you’re feeling.

And guess what? It’s okay.

Three years ago today I was you. I was home with a baby who was only single digit days old.  She ate nonstop.  She cried nonstop and she rarely, if ever, slept.  The adrenaline of meeting her had subsided and in its place were all kinds of feelings I never expected.  I was in pain and I was sore on every inch of my now deflated body.  I was more tired than I ever imagined.  I was somewhat sad that my once-controlled life seemed to have vanished completely.  I was feeling so damn lonely.  And I was beyond embarrassed that I felt any of this.  I couldn’t stop thinking that I spent my whole life wanting this… how dare I feel this way when I was so incredibly lucky to be a mom.

New mom, I want you to know that this entourage of feelings will be gone in a blink, and in its place will be a baby who you get to know better than yourself.  In its place will come giggles and full nights of sleep.  In its place will come confidence, slowly but surely, about how to raise this sweet baby of yours.  And in its place will come healing, control (somewhat) and believe it or not, a sense of sadness that those brand new baby days have come and gone.

But for now, just take it one hour at a time.  Just breath in and breath out.  Just forget about your bathroom that needs cleaned, and forget about that meal you were going to cook.  Just forget about those Pinterest perfect baby announcements and forget about those thank you notes.  Just forget about breastfeeding for one or two feedings and get some sleep (I promise your baby will not grow warts if he or she has formula).

New mom, you are on a brand new journey and the world wants you to know that it’s okay to feel the way you feel.  We all know that you feel that way not because you are a bad mom, but you feel this way for quite the opposite reason.  You feel this way because You are an incredible mom…. You are a beautiful mom… You are a grateful mom…  New mom, the world is lucky to have you and so is your sweet new baby.

xoxo

 

 

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.

………………………………………………

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!

………………………………………………

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.

………………………………………………

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.

………………………………………………

And they lived (mostly) happily ever after…

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

………………………………………………

xoxo

Seven Months!

Seven Months of this sweet face!  Ohh, he sure melts my heart.

  

  

………………………………..

On the Eve Eve of my son turning Eight Months it is time I finish up his Seven month post.  #SecondKidProblems   This is how my favorite little guy fills his time:

::  Crawling… everywhere!  ::

He is well ahead of where Makenzie was at this age.  There’s no doubt that he does not want to miss out on a minute of fun with Big Sis.

IMG_1617

It is impossible to keep this kid still to change his diapers. We have had poop smear in more places than I’d like to admit, eek!

:: 
Standing & Scooting  ::

IMG_1613

7 month bum!

“Look at me standing, Mom!”

Making messes…

IMG_1626

Babyproof means nothing to this kid. He is all boy!

FaceTiming Elmo…

Best. app. ever!

::  And hanging with Big Sis!  ::

I hope these two continue to be this close in the future. Makenzie is his little mommy!

………………………………………….

Mitchell Dennis adds so much to our family!  He is still waking up long before the roosters but he gets away with it because of those blue eyes and that cute giggle.

On a serious note, this month brings a new set of nervousness because he continues to have breath holding/pass out spells.  They seem to be harmless but we need to take him for some tests to be sure.  Thank you to everyone who has been asking about this.  Fingers crossed everything comes back normal.

It’s hard to believe that we are getting to his very 1st Holidays and then his 1st Birthday.  We’re thinking of making it a Mitch-a-palooza theme.  Free juice & Live music… totally appropriate right?  I can see the Pinterest board now.

Or maybe we will just go with an Elmo theme.

Love,

Mom of the Year

Dear Mitchell, a very important note for you

Dear Littlest love of mine,

In all the chaos of you and your sister, it appears that I forgot to teach you something very important.  I’m so sorry!  Hopefully this note will make up for it.  Read it, take notes, and for the love of all things Mickey Mouse please try to follow each and every step…

 

How to sleep through the night:

1.) Take a bubble bath (I’ll do most of the heavy lifting with this step buddy, you just try to not pee on me).

2.) Slip into cozy jammies and an overnight diaper.

3.) Enjoy 7 ounces of your lukewarm & delicious nighttime bottle.

4.) Close those pretty blue eyes.

5.) Roll over & snuggle in.

6.) Dream of airplanes, baseballs, puffs, whatever floats your baby boat…

7.) Keep those eyes closed.

8.) Wake up when the sun comes up, and not a minute before then (please, pretty please).

That’s how you do it.

 

See you in the morning.

Love,

Your tired mama

xoxo

Vows 2.1

With this ring, I thee wed…

Seven years ago today at 4:55 pm, Denny and I said these words to each other.

We kissed to make it official, and then we threw an awesome party to celebrate (and it was awesome if I say so myself)!

We were so young!

There are few, if any, things I would change about these seven years as husband and wife.  I might take more opportunities to do something nice for Denny, and I might take less opportunities to take out my frustrations or tiredness on him.  Perhaps we could have found time for more date nights and maybe another vacation or two, but otherwise, it’s been a great ride!

But if I could go back to those vows… if I could take what I know now and go back to those words we stood up and said to each other in front of all the people we love so much, here’s what I would add to them.

………………………………………………………………….

I, Erin, take you Denny, to be my husband…

I, Erin, also take you Denny, to be my fellow explorer when we toured Aruba on four wheelers on our honeymoon, my golf partner, my taste tester of new recipes (sorry honey!), my fellow house hunter, my co-swearer when the basement flooded on day 3 of home ownership, my painter, my grad school study buddy, my fellow flip cup teacher to the new neighborhood, my pizza orderer because you’re so much better at it than I am, my car buying companion, my personal masseuse while in labor, my co-diaper changer, my listener during hormonal meltdowns, my supporter when I just don’t know what the baby needs, my photographer when our daughter took her first steps, my voice of reason when we found out we were pregnant again, my rock when we had an unplanned c-section, my coffee getter when we were just so darn tired that only a cup of Timmy Ho’s will do, and my favorite co-tourist when we feel brave enough to take the kiddos out & about.

To have and to hold…

to listen and to respond, to screw up and to try harder next time, to challenge and to be challenged, to aggravate and to apologize, to pick up dinner and to share cleaning duties, to support and to appreciate…

from this day forward.

For better or for worse…

for wedding weight and for baby weight.

For richer, for poorer…

for times of savings and for times of broken water heaters, for cheap pasta dinners and for overly-expensive trips to the beach.

In sickness and in health…

in times of emergency appendectomy and in times of devastating miscarriage, in times of sunburn and in times of diaper rash.

To love and to cherish…

to make laugh and to barely tolerate, to share the remote and to share kids bed & bath duties, to share glances when we get a chance and to share nights out when we get a sitter, to enjoy our awesome kiddos, to learn, to grow, to try my absolute hardest every day to be better than the day before…

And I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us.

This part never changes.

This is my solemn vow.

………………………………………………………………….

IMG_5955.JPGHappy Seven Years Denny McGee!  Looking forward to writing our next years together.

XOXO

Five Months, Six Months and Counting…

Mitchell Dennis, you are just growing so fast!

You are my littlest Love.  You are six months old already, and quickly approaching seven months old. Happy half Birthday to you sweet boy!!  Oh my, how fast time flies.  Didn’t we just bring you home from the hospital?

IMG_5912.JPG

Wasn’t this last week?

You are growing so fast and quickly turning into a little boy. In case you someday don’t remember this phase in your life, I’ll fill you in on it.  (And to be honest I never finished your five month blog post so let’s step back a bit.)

……………………………………

::  Transitions  ::

From four to five months you so much changed.  You grew out of your swaddles and started sleeping in your crib every night.  You now love to snuggle up on your belly with your butt up in the air, but despite our best efforts to bribe you to sleep through the night, you just don’t want to do it.  Lots of coffee?  You bet!

Then from five months to six months even more changed.  You can now (almost) sit up, you can scoot, and just this week you started crawling.  Go little buddy, go!

::  Getting More and More Handsome  ::

I’ll let the pictures do the talking on this one.

image

June 15, 2015 – 5 Months old!

 

Such an adorable little bum.

 

image

My little stinker

 

July 15, 2015 – 6 months and a new haircut

 

Those chubby leggies!

::  Eating  ::

You are getting closer and closer to participating in family pizza night, but until then, you’re loving all your baby foods.  Sometimes your big sis even helps you eat.

image

“Mitchell, here comes the big  choo choo!” -Big sis

::  Adventures  ::

Mitchell, your baby resume is chalked full of experiences.  By the time your sister was 6-months old we barely unpacked her from the hospital, but that’s not the case with you.  In the past few months we’ve done everything from road trips to helicopters rides (kiddie park style of course) and a hundred things in between.

IMG_0028.JPG

Getting baptized. Given his screams during almost the entire process, I’m going to chalk this up as an adventure. Denny and I were sweaty messes, but our wonderful Pastor Debi didn’t seem to mind one bit.

image

Grocery shopping trips!  Next stop, baby food aisle.  Hold on tight little guy!

 

Helicopter rides at the kiddie park.

 

Ohio road trips to hang with his big cousins.

 

Barefoot rides on the swing.

 

Erie Museum visits to see his other cousins.  (Please disregard what looks like a baby toupee, even tots have bad hair days)

 

Mamaw snuggles in between exploring time at the museum.

 

And a very special meeting of your Great Grandparents. They loved you Mitchell!

A day trip to the new Outer Harbor playground where you showed off your daredevil skills!

::  Lots of giggles, snuggles and baby fun  ::

Mitchell, aside from your car seat (which you seem to despise), you are such a content baby!  You are a pretty laid back little guy, which is shocking considering your parents.  Maybe it’s the whole second kid effect?  Check out all these good times!

Little M and Littlest M sharing some after nap snuggles.

 

4th of July giggles. You are a blast buddy.

 

And some bath time giggles.

 

Blue-eyed stud!

::  Pirate party  ::

Littlest M,what six-month old wouldn’t feel complete with a visit to a pirate party?!   Thanks to your Nana, you got to hang out with the big kids while you enjoyed Jake & the Neverland Pirate fun.

Shiver me timbers!

……………………………………

MitchMan, You daddy and I could not imagine our world without your big grins and constant attempts to keep up with Big Sis.  We have some fun surprises in store for your next six months and beyond.  Stay tuned!

xoxo

Mom