The 52 best gifts

July 24, 2015 by · 1 Comment

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.

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Just because

June 24, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

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

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Four months!!

May 25, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

My buddy is getting so big!   Honestly, didn’t Denny and I just announce that we were expecting him?

Here is our adorable & lovable Mitchell Dennis at 4 months.  And don’t blink, you will miss so much (he will literally be 5 months in about 72 hours).  This just goes to show you how behind I am with these posts.

We love this smiley little face and his giggle is the cutest sound in the world.

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::  Growing!  ::

At his four month visit we saw just how much he had grown in a month.

Weight:  12 lb, 7 oz at 3 months to 14 lb, 5 oz at 4 months (42nd percentile)

Height:  23″ inches at 3 months to 25.5″ at 4 months (73rd percentile)

Head circumference:  42.2 cm at 3 months to 44 centimeters at 4 months (89th percentile and a reason I say, Whoa, thank goodness I had a C-section)

“Mom, it’s a little chilly on here… can you hurry up with the pictures?”

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::  Rolling!  ::

This little guy can now roll both ways and he loves to spend his days propped up on his elbows and watching the world around him.

Given his new mobility we’re trying to take away the swaddle and Mitch is certainly not a fan as he reminds us every few hours at night, but we will get him out of that swaddle and sleeping through the night again soon (or so we hope).

A new view on life

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::  Trying new foods  ::

Now that our little guy is four months he has been allowed to try rice cereal.  See below to see his thoughts on this new cuisine.  Hopefully he will like food with flavor more.

Not a fan

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::  Being cute  ::

The irony is that I type this in the midst of some painful sleep training sessions but despite the cries he brings so much happiness to our family and we love him to pieces.  He rocks his Bobcat gear (thanks Auntie Sara) and we just know he will be a little stud on the OU campus someday.

Handsome little man of ours.

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We can’t wait to see what the next months bring!

(On a side note, we tried the cry it out method for 50 minutes as I wrote this and there was no final ‘drift off to sleep/parents exchange high fives’ moment… instead we caved and gave our screaming baby a bottle.  We suck.  We can’t remember how we handled this with Kenz and we are feeling mighty clueless right now.  Any tips are appreciated!)

Love,

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Tonight I looked down…

May 23, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

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,

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Get excited for Mother’s Day!

May 10, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

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.

may 2012 it's a girl 1

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!

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Getting so big

April 23, 2015 by · 2 Comments

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.

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The monsters under my working mom bed

April 6, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

Tomorrow.  Ugh.  Tomorrow is the day I leave my babies to go back to work.  Maternity leave is over.  Really?  How did that happen?  My baby boy was just coming home from the hospital and now I’m leaving him to go to work.  My heart is aching and I’m terrified for the adjustment.  The what ifs are daunting… What if we can’t get out the door on time?  What if I can’t handle it all?  What if I miss the kid’s bedtime?  What if I miss a deadline?  What if the kids miss me?  What if they don’t?  What if I disappoint my co-workers and my boss?  What if I disappoint Denny?  What if I disappoint the kids?

These ‘what ifs’ have been haunting me and causing me anxiety for weeks, but the reality is that they are nothing more than monsters under my working mom bed.  Just like a kiddo I’m creating a world of fears that in reality don’t exist.  Right now the monsters seem big, hairy and scary but there is much reality that can make my mom monster fears go away.

The reality is that I’m going back to a job I love.  The reality is that I have great co-workers, a super awesome boss and a job that makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the world.  The reality is that I have a pretty flexible schedule.  The reality is that I have an incredibly supportive husband who does drop-offs and pick-ups, who makes dinner, and who does laundry.  The reality is that we have the most wonderful childcare provider that we could imagine, and Makenzie and Mitchell get to be together all day.  The reality is that by the end of the day tomorrow I’ll probably feel good about returning to the adult world.

So tonight I’ll keep my flashlight next to my bed and do the best I can to scare away the monsters.  I’m sure they won’t go away but hopefully they won’t keep me up too late.  And tomorrow I’ll squeeze (literally) into my work pants, I’ll use some waterproof mascara, I’ll fill my desk with pictures of the kiddos, and I’ll head back to the workplace I love.  It may not be my most productive day but I’ll make it through and hopefully prove to myself that we can do it.

So go away monsters!  I’ve got real fears to deal with like how I will ever fit into my work pants…

…to be continued.

monsters under the bed

 

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Life Lately

March 29, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

Life has been good lately.  Much like every other family in the world we’ve been dealing with some challenges, but our kids keep life really happy for us.  So tonight I’ll focus on them… their smiles, their carefree outlook on life and their endless love.  They make this world a fun place.

 

Kenz selfie

Kenz is one funny little girl!  Just this week she learned to lock herself in the bathroom… apparently it’s way more fun that sitting on the potty.  She also realized that Denny’s real name is Denny and she started to call him that instead of Daddy.  Yikes, she might make me gray before I’m 35.  But she’s also so sweet!  She loves giving hugs and constantly says, “Love you mommy,” “Miss you Daddy.”   It’s pure melt-your-heart material!

This smile!

Speaking of melt your heart, Mitchell is such a little blue-eyed sweetie.  He is more alert everyday and loves to watch his big sister.  He is full of big grins and giggles!  We can’t get enough of him.

 

Sibling love aka we bribed Kenzie with an ice cream sandwich to hug her brother.

 

Mak & Mitch are quite the team.  They don’t even have the slightest clue yet how important they will be to each other in life.  It is going to be fun to watch them learn the awesomeness of a sibling!

This is the final full week of my maternity leave so here’s to a fun, relaxing 7 days with my favorite little loves.

Xoxo

Erin

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Two months!

March 15, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

Hey world,

What’s up?  Littlest M here aka Mitch Man.  Now that I’m two months old I figured it’s time I pull my weight around here and blog.  My sister aka Makenzie the Overachiever posted her first post at only 10 days old – check it out – so I sacrificed my fifth nap of the day to make this happen.

Can you believe I’m two months old!?  Me neither.  So far I’m liking this thing called life.

This month has been busy.  I’ve been eating a lot.  I like my bottles in the morning, afternoon, evening and all during the middle of the night.  Mom always tells me that it’s a good thing I’m so cute because I like to wake her up often.  But can you blame me?  I’m just a guy trying to bulk up so I can impress my buddies at Rollie Pollies.

Which way to the gym?

 

I’ve been out and about exploring the world.  Mom keeps Kenz and I really busy checking out lots of fun places.  Then we get home and take long naps.

The Science Museum was really cool and I even got to ride around in the front pack! Then I settled in to watch some ESPN and the next thing I knew I was sleeping. Oops.

I just can’t keep my eyes open some days.

Mom and Dad took me out to see the neighborhood this month too! Seems like a cool place to call home. But what’s up with this powder blue bear suit?!? What will the ladies think?

And my newest trick is that I can smile and giggle.  You should see all the crazy things my parents do to make me giggle.  They are so embarrassing!

Mom and Dad were being crazy and I couldn’t stop giggling. Good thing I’m still in diapers.

 My big sis, Kenzie has been busy this month too.  She finally figured out how to ride her trike.  How cool is she?!?

She told me that she’ll give me a ride to the toy store later this week when Mom and Dad are sleeping.  She’s the coolest.

See you next month!

MM (aka Mitch Man

 

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Trading in my Rookie status

March 12, 2015 by · 1 Comment

I think I’m ready to trade in my Rookie Mom status.  I’m no pro but I’m nine weeks into my second maternity leave and I’ve learned a few things along the way…

When it comes to kids, 99% of tears can be solved by one of the following: a binky, a bottle, a swaddle, a clean diaper or an episode of weird Disney collector on YouTube.

Cat food is non-toxic and therefore is not harmful when digested by children (thank you Poison control center).

The world doesn’t judge you if your baby cries in public.  In fact, most people don’t even notice.

Kids look to their parents to determine their mood.  You’re cranky, they’re cranky.  You’re happy, they’re happy.  You’re calm, they’re calm.

Diapers leak, bottles leak and boobs leak… don’t leave home without a spare onesie, burp cloth or scarf.

And when it comes to moms, 99% of tears can be solved by one of the following: a glass of wine, a nap, a few minutes of HGTV or a hug from a little set of arms.

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Armed with these lessons, an overflowing diaper bag and a little bit of momfidence, my babies and I have been taking full advantage of my time off work to live it up!

Here’s what we’ve been doing over the past two months:

::  Making it out the door.  Some days this is a victory in itself.  ::

“Smile kids! We are all wearing pants, we are not covered in poop and we are out of the house before 11 am.”

 

::  Enjoying play dates  ::

It has been SO wonderful to spend time with many of my fellow mom friends who I often only see on Facebook.  We’ve been hosting and attending lots of play dates and it turns out that play dates are just as much fun for the moms as they are for the kids.

Kenz and one of her favorite buddies.

 

::  Bouncing around town  ::

So far we’ve been to the science museum, Rollie Pollies, Explore & More, story time at the library and this cool bounce house place.  Mitchell sleeps through most of our outings but Makenzie is having a blast.

This girl has no fear

 

Being worldly and checking out the Dutch windmills at Explore and More. Following this we continued our European education by enjoying some French fries from McDonald’s. Oui Oui!

 

::  Going for walks  ::

Now that Elsa broke the Frozen spell on Lancaster we’ve been enjoying a few trips around the neighborhood.  We can’t get enough of the fresh air and the extra hour of daylight.

Kenz carrying her baby like Mommy.

 

::  Roadtrippin  ::

Call us crazy but we decided we needed a trip to Ohio to see some of our favorite people.  Luckily we have two good little travelers.

Tired dolly

 

Kenz and her future boyfriend Keene.

 

Breakfast with Nana and Papa

::  Soaking in the smiles  ::

Usually we plan a day or two each week to just hang out in the house and have fun.  It’s a good place to be when you get to see grins like this all day.

Littlest M showing off his grins.

I’m still years away from Mom Pro status but each day I learn a few more lessons about how to be a mom of two kiddos.  My next lesson is going to be how I’ll leave my little M’s to head back to work. I work with awesome people and we have a good support system so we will just have to take it one day at a time (and plan on lots of take out).  Until then we’ll soak up our days together and enjoy a few more weeks of road trips, play dates and time in the slow lane.

xxoo

Erin

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