No Mo' Snow!!!

We've had just about our fill of winter weather--and it's not even February!  Although I do like the fact that Brian gets lots of time at home with us, I am sick of driving through elements and having my nose hairs immediately freeze upon walking outside.  Enough already.  If I see one more facebook post about the next projected winter storm that's just around the bend, I'm going to go crazy.  Like, running head-first into walls, cross-eyed, foaming-at-the-mouth crazy.  The kids haven't even been able to go sledding it's been so cold.  What's the point of snow if you can't even play in it as a kid?  Grrr, no mo snow!

Anyways, thanks to the crappy weather we've had lots of time indoors together--whether we like it or not!  I've given up trying to keep the house clean every second of the day.  The kids are enjoying the more lax environment and to be honest, it's not so bad.  They play well together and when they're finished, they help me with pick-up.

We got out for a bit yesterday and went to my mom's for a little while so Brian could work on some stuff at home in peace.  It was nice to get out and Jacob enjoyed several hours of video game playing with Uncle Jacob.

Nana's dogs love Maggie--they even stand guard while she naps.

Such a beauty upon waking! 

One not so terrible side-effect of being snowed in is that we've tried several new recipes.  They've all been Pinterest inspired with a few of our own tweakings, but it's been fun to try some new things!

The makings of buffalo chicken wraps--they were awesome!!  

Here's a link to the recipe I found on Pinterest for this wrap.

This was a fabulous and quick smoothie we ALL loved.  Diet 7-UP, strawberries, banana, and ice....blend and enjoy!

Maggie approved!

Max and Daddy enjoyed theirs, too.

This was delish.  A marinated chicken breast (cooked perfectly on the Foreman grill) with baked asparagus and grape tomatoes cooked with balsamic vinegar & topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.  A store bought bread twist on the side!!

Hopefully for the sake of all of our sanity, the madness that is this never ending winter will let up soon!

Max and Mom--he doesn't always look constipated when he smiles.

Mags and Mom.

We're losing it!

My littles <3

We absolutely do not condone "duck-lip" selfies....this is what we call "funny face"!

Waiting on Sophia

Today, I took my little sister, Lindsey to her 39 week OB appointment.  We are all very anxiously awaiting any pending signs that the little one may be soon arriving.  We have had 2 previous trips to L&D due to Linds having high BP.  These trips have resulted in her being put on full bed rest.  The bed rest seemed to do the trick--he swelling and BP have been much improved--however I can't say the same for her sanity.  I can only imagine the thrill of being confined to the couch, bed, house all day every day.  No thanks!  Anyways, today I took her to her appointment due to her car being in the shop. Well, long story short, we ended up being sent to L&D again because her BP had gone up again and she had diminished reflexes.  How exciting--a third trip to L&D!!  Perhaps the 3rd time is the charm, and unlike previous visits, this time she was full term--come on baby!

I got Lindsey to the hospital and waited in the waiting room since I had my kiddos with me--L&D triage is no place for my little eager explorers.  Soon after we arrived and I bought some time with the kids by getting them snacks from the gift shop, Brian arrived to take over kid-patrol.  So, I went back to see Linds and keep her company since I was the only one there still.  Much to my delight, this is what I saw upon arrival.....

CONTRACTIONS.  And not just contractions.....REGULAR contractions!!  This was new for Lindsey so it was really exciting and ignited a new flame of hope and expectation.  Her BP was going up too, so in my head--signs were pointing towards a potential delivery!  

Shortly after this picture, the nurse checked Lindsey's "progress" which was unchanged since she'd been checked earlier at the doctor's office.  This is no surprise--for whatever reason, our family is notorious for stubborn cervixes that do NOT open for nobody!  So, the RN sent Linds on a walk...see if it changed things.

Look at her go--she was determined to create progress!!  She's going so fast she's a blur :)  She'd KILL me if she saw this!

Soon after walking commenced, Mom and our Aunt Heidi arrived.  Everyone was all excited and abuzz because our hopes had been raised with the elevating BP and regular contractions (yes, we know elevated BP isn't desirable, but it is now safe for baby to be born, and the elevated bp might have been the ticket to a birthday bash).  After a half hour of strolling, she was rechecked, no progress :(  But again--stubborn cervixes.  

At this point the doctor (the same who delivered my two and Heidi's two) began leaning towards sending Lindsey back home...BAH!  I guess his 40 years of experience gives him a little bit more insight than the rest of us.  He agreed because she was contracting still to watch her for another hour or so.  Not much changed in regards to contractions or BP.  They gave her meds to slow down contractions and had her drink lots of water.  The contractions slowed down a little and the intensity of them lessened, so it was home for Lindsey.  

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though!  Linds went back to the doctor this morning and they scheduled her for delivery on Tuesday!  4 days till Sophia!!  That's something we call all smile about!!

TROUBLE

When it comes to my kids, Max & Maggie, I know I have my hands full.  I never imagined the energy that would be required of me upon having a second child.  Maggie has sent my world into a whirlwind.  She is a feisty little sneak and does EVERYTHING her big brother does (and big brother knows this...).  Oh the trouble these two conjure up.  There's really never a dull moment.  At the end of each day when they are both in bed and I can sigh a breath of relief, I just can't help but laugh as I think back on the mayhem that was my day.  I know one day I'll miss their antics and non-stop bickering.  But in the mean time, I'm fastening my sanity seatbelt as tightly as I can because I can only imagine how this dynamic-duo will evolve over the next few years--Lord have mercy.  

I can only guess the number of times Max has been told not to climb on the back of the couch--probably close to a few hundred.  And why?  Because, if Maggie sees him do it......

This started out as a fight.  The box was Max's ship--and in his opinion had room for only ONE crew member (himself).  Clearly his little sister was set-out to disprove that.  They decided it was more fun with two crammed in.

A RARE quiet moment.  Sitting on their couches, eating popcorn, and watching Despicable Me (Thank you, Steve Carell, for entertaining my children so).

I wouldn't have a problem with this if they actually serenaded me with piano music.  Piano is one of my favorite instruments to listen to.  Their creative works are nothing close to "music to my ears"....yikes.

Notice Maggie's positioning--AWAY from Max.  This may seem like a sweet snapshot of siblings playing nicely, but that wasn't the case.  Max was an un-welcomed presence in Maggie's opinion--if you had only heard the screeching....oh, the screeching.  

As the picture would suggest, they're fighting. 

Max thought it would be funny to both be in Maggie's bed...for the sake of a cute picture, I agreed.  Picture = not so cute.

Some of my Favorite Toys...

Having two kids means my house has been gradually taken over by toys the past 4 1/2 years.  My kids love any and all toys they receive.  Every new addition to their collection is a treasure and they act as though it were the first toy they ever received (this includes McDonalds Happy Meal toys).  It has been a daunting task to occasionally sift through their collections and thin-out without their knowing about it.  Usually the first things to go are the beloved Happy Meal toys--why my son is so attached to them I don't know, and he ALWAYS knows when I've gotten rid of them.  Oh well, it's a war I'm willing to wage occasionally--we have a small house after all and some things just have to go. 


Over the years I've found that I personally love more toys than others.  My favorites aren't always the kids' favorites, but they are usually the ones I find most beneficial to them and the best quality.  What makes a toy worthy of becoming one of my personal favorites?  Well, for starters I want a toy that is going to make their little minds work.  Now, I don't make them sit and have to think about how something works for hours on end--that's obviously not any kids' ideal play time.  I am just suggesting that an occasional puzzle or initiation of imagination can be a good thing and a nice change after watching morning cartoons or racing toy cars around the house.  Second, I want toys that are going to stand-up to my rough and tumble children.  They can wreak havoc on toys and we've had to bid farewell to many a toy thanks to their turbulent ways.  Third, I look for something that can keep my kids' interest.  A toy isn't very useful to the kids or to me (come on, we all need a little peace once and a while, and if a good entertaining toy is the way to that--then so be it) if it isn't something they find fun.  I don't think those are too stringent of qualifications, and in fact we have many toys in our house that meet the criteria.  However, I'm going to share some of my favorites from one particular toy maker--Melissa & Doug. 


Melissa & Doug make some of the best toys in my opinion and my kids have a lot of them.  They have such a huge variety of things and they range in age from infant toys to things kids can enjoy well throughout childhood.  And, they'll last through several kids (big bonus).  So here's some of my favorites:

This isn't exactly a toy (another reason I love M&D, they don't do just toys).  This is Max's chore list.  It came with lots of little magnets with different chores on them.  We only have a small number of them up for Max, we can add more as he gets older or even add some for Maggie.  Then there are the little smiley face magnets to place on the chart to signify completing a chore on any given day.  Max loves it and it has really motivated him to participate and complete his daily jobs.  He gets paid a nickel per chore--he's saving for his big Disney World vacation this summer!

Maggie got this for Christmas.  She plays with it a lot and for a 20 month-old, she's really done well with it.  You can change out the outfits and faces of the bears.  It takes some problem solving skills for her as she occasionally doesn't understand why certain parts won't fit--but she's figuring it out!

This is Maggie's as well.  I think this is so cute.  It's a little farm house board and when you open the doors.....

...there are magnetic animals inside the doors that can be removed and moved around.  

I love this one!  But, I also love Noah's Ark so....yeah.  It's an ark with holes in it and then the kids fit the animals into the correctly shaped holes.  Max can do it as intended.  Maggie manages to mangle pieces through the unintended holes, but she doesn't mind--she loves putting pieces in and opening the sides of the ark to pour them all out and start again.  Great toy!

This is Max's and it has been challenging for his 4 1/2 year old self.  There are 6 puzzles in one.  Each side of the cubes have different images and you have to match them up to reveal the farm animal scene. It's tricky!

This little guy is magnetic and there are little pieces that can be combined to dress him up.  Both kids enjoy this one (actually the Easter Bunny may be bringing a girl figurine for Maggie this year!).

Here's a completed one...although I'm not sure those are the right pants :)

This one is great for hand-eye coordination.  They were Max's but now he's moved on from them and Maggie plays with them.  She is able to focus enough to fit the lace through the holes that go around the boarder of each piece.  She's getting better, but I think she'll enjoy it even more as her attention span and dexterity improve over time.

We have no shortage of M&D puzzles at our house.  These are a few of Max's favorites.  These each have 48 pieces I believe and are just right for Max.

There are also puzzles perfect for Maggie.  This is an example of an easier puzzle with large chunky pieces easy for Maggie to handle.  We have puzzles with as few as 3 pieces that are a great introduction to puzzles.  

Max is an imaginative little boy and loves dress-up--once again, Melissa & Doug fit the bill.  He loves his pirate outfit and wears it often.  Even little Maggie sneaks it out from time to time (although it doesn't last long for her--Max is possessive of his costume--maybe we should add "shares well with others" to his chore chart!).  

This is a set Maggie got about a year ago.  It's actually missing a piece (it'll show up eventually--I think it is a banana).  Each piece of the set makes some sort of noise: rattle, squeak, jingle bells, etc.  

I love this one for Max who is just learning his alphabet and the order of the letters.  He still needs help with it, but his letter recognition is definitely improving--all while having fun!

The finished Alphabet Train and a proud little boy!

Melissa & Doug also have a large selection of activity books like this with stickers (some that are re-stickable) and coloring pages.  Max love the ones with the re-stickable stickers.

And of course a cute presentation of crayons for said coloring pages.

I have other toy favorites as well, and someday I'll share those too.  Toys sure have come a long way since I was a kid--but I still get excited about them, just not for the same reasons as my 8-year-old self!

Check out more Melissa & Doug!

Meeting Amelia Louise

Clearly, I'm making up for a little bit of  lost time today when it comes to updates.  But, I have the time so it's now or I forget what's on my mind and it never makes it on the blog.

Today, my cousin Susan braved the bad weather (snow and wind) to come up to our neck of the woods for the weekend.  She brought with her the newest addition of our family whom most of us haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet, Amelia Louise.  

I just love little babies (obviously...I've chosen a career that revolves around them).  The newness of them is just so pure.  Their tiny features and perfectly formed little bodies are astonishing to me.  They are such miracles.  Amelia is no exception.  She's beautiful and perfect in pretty much every way as far as I could tell.  It was a pleasure getting to meet and welcome the newest family member.

Max meeting Amelia--she brought out the shyness in him!  He just sat there and stared--he doesn't see little babies very often.

Maggie loves babies.  Amelia was especially intriguing because she moved and made noise--unlike her baby dolls!  She was so sweet.  She pet her head and back and said "awe".  She even put a baby doll into her little bed with her.  Sweet sweet girl.

While Amelia slept, Susan and Maggie had some bonding time over toy rings.  Maggie rarely warms up to people she doesn't see often.  Susan must have had the in with her!

My cousin Deana and her kids also came to meet Amelia.  Max and Maggie just love their cousins and played and played with them until we essential had to drag them out of the house.

Max and Mickey (side note: the inspiration for his name has nothing to do with the family affinity for all things Disney...think more baseball--Mickey Mantle),

I love family time, especially when it is time spent with family you don't get to see very often.  We are absolutely blessed with the best family and I (we) love them all so very much.  

A Bit of Magic in the Mornings

One of my favorite gifts this year from Christmas (disclaimer: I got lots of great gifts and I love them all, this one had an unfair advantage, though) was my Mickey Mouse waffle maker.  I have been asking for one of these things for YEARS.  I don't know why I didn't just buy it myself, but I digress.  My mom finally got the memo and got it for me and I have enjoyed many a mickey waffles on it already.  I really don't know who gets more excited about the perfectly formed Mickey waffles I serve at breakfast--me or the kids.  It is so exciting every time--like a kid in Disney World (well, not quite...but you get the idea).  This thing better have a long life, I don't wanna think about what my morning would be like if I had to have normal shaped waffles/pancakes again--sad day.

Anyways, here's a little sampling of what makes our mornings a little more magical!

What kid wouldn't love a waffle like this?!

Almost too happy and perfect to eat--almost ;)

A Flare for the Dramatics

Last night I took Max to his very first live theater production.  The Muse Machine, an educational organization I used to be part of in high school and college, was putting on Seussical at the Victoria Theater in Dayton.  Muse Machine is near and dear to my heart and it was so special to get to introduce Max to a part of my past that is so important to me.

He loved it.  That's about the best way to describe his experience.  I was nervous as he has a tendency to get restless and chattery when and if he gets bored.  Thankfully this show was lively, colorful, and fast paced--definitely a good choice for a 4 year old.  But, although it was a great show for Max, I loved it too.  I'll be honest, I wasn't a huge Seuss fan growing up (note previously stated comments about growing up a Disney fanatic--only room for one fantasy world in my heart).  However, I love theater and appreciate the work that goes into creating a show fit to present to an audience and this production was fabulous.  I enjoyed it thoroughly.  The music was so entrancing--it really drew you right in to the story.  The kids were committed and it paid off.  I am a perfectionist--this show wasn't perfect per se, but I surprisingly paid little attention to the details because I was enjoying myself so much.  Very well done, Muse Machine!

Max's favorite thing (aside from the Cat in the Hat) was getting to go backstage after the show to see the sets.  If that didn't make his night...what a happy little boy he was!

I also got to do the curtain speech last night.  The curtain speech is basically the welcome to the show tid bit where alumni come back and give a little spiel about themselves, their Muse involvement, and then thank the sponsors.  It was my second time presenting, and I always enjoy it.  Its a fun way to reminisce and thank Muse in a way for what they have done in my life and what they have and still do mean to me.

Here's a few pics of my boy and I last night--enjoying our evening together.

Me presenting before the show

Max--entranced.

Max and Mommy after the show.

www.musemachine.com -- Check them out!