Category Archives: Family

February Happenings!

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February is always a quick month, but it feels like it’s really flying by this time around. Although I never like to wish time away, I’m certainly ready for Spring to hurry up and get here! There have been a ton of snow days this winter and it’s really made me (and my fellow Northerner mom friends) get creative with how we entertain our little ones. I must say, I totally underestimated how brutal winter can be up North. As Floridians we have a tendency to think we get it because we have our occasional cold day here and there, even getting frost on our windows every once in a while…but it’s a totally different thing when you have 4-5 months in a row where you must wear a jacket everywhere you go, have to put hats on little ones, and drag wet slushy snow into your house every single day. Even though I lived in Ohio until I was 9, the “up North” lifestyle is a whole different ball game as an adult, especially an adult with two kids!DSC_0318

Because sometimes cabin fever sets in and you just don’t know what else to do with your kid…

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The world’s cutest little men!!!

Anywaaaaaays, we’ve embraced our chilly life this month and have had some really fun times! Despite the fact we’ve missed several days of pre-school because of the snow storms, we have managed to get out and have some fun play dates with our friends. A few days before Valentine’s Day we hosted a play group for our kiddos to exchange Valentine’s cards. Unfortunately cold and flu season kept some of the little ones from being able to come, but the other kids still had a good time eating snacks, playing with balloons, and chasing each other around the house.

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Brady’s Mickey themed Valentine’s for his friends.

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Some of our Valentine’s playdate treats- notice the little pretzel snatcher!

We got a bunch of snow the day before Valentine’s Day, so thankfully my smart hubby thought ahead and brought me a little Valentines snack (and flowers) earlier in the week…just in case we were snowed in and he couldn’t give me anything on the actual day. I know Valentine’s day is supposedly a made up Hallmark holiday, but I still love it! Flowers, candy, candles, cards…I’m a fan of all that stuff!

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Pink Champagne and Raspberry Truffle. OMG.

In an effort to get a change of scenery, we tagged along with Chris for a 4 day trip to Buffalo, NY. He had to work, so me and the boys did a little sight-seeing on our own and just had some fun trying new restaurants and playing in the hotel pool. We were determined to see Niagara Falls and it did not disappoint! It was every bit as magnificent as I would have imagined even covered in snow and ice, but dang, was it cold! Side note…we told Brady we were taking him to a big waterfall. He was all excited until we got there and realized it was not what he had expected. Apparently he remembered the small waterfall in the bass tank at Bass Pro Shop and was super annoyed that Niagara wasn’t as cool. You just never know what a toddler is thinking!

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Just love that Chris was rocking my super girly backpack in these pics!

We also made a point to go to BOTH of the famous wing spots in Buffalo- Duff’s and Anchor Bar. Anchor Bar claims to be the “Original” and definitely has a cooler atmosphere, but I gotta give Duff’s the award for best wings. They were SO DELICIOUS! And I’m sure Duff’s is so honored to have won the “Our Blessed Adventures Favorite Chicken Wing Contest.”

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The boys and I also managed to make our way to the Aquarium of Niagara. It was terrible weather to drive in. Like, my mom and my husband would have had a heart attack if they’d have seen how icy and snowy the bridge was that I drove over! But, totally worth it because we saw a Sea Lion show! Still questioning my judgement on that one…

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You know you’re desperate for a break from your normal day to day life when you’re willing to do a 6 hour road trip with two kids to Buffalo…in February! Buuuut, it was really fun and we came back feeling happy to be home and grateful for safe travels. I’ll leave you with a short video taken on our way back. The kids were surprisingly good (they slept a lot on the trip home) but when things got a little crazy I busted out the bubbles for entertainment (the Gymboree brand are the best!) I just love Nolan’s little giggles in this clip!

Daddy-Brady Day

Posted in Brady, Family by

I just wanted to do a quick post about the importance of giving our little ones some one on one time. It’s hard to carve out a whole day dedicated to spending time with your little one when you have more than one kiddo, have errands to run, house projects to work on, are stuck inside for endless snow days…you get the point. Obviously we try every day to give our kids some special attention, but it’s rare to give one of our boys an entire day of undivided attention, but that’s what Chris did on Saturday! Nolan and I stayed back and ran errands and played at the house while Chris and Brady had a daddy/big boy date. Chris said it was a blast to hang out with just B-Man and was shocked at how much Brady had to talk about when they went out to eat and went to Bass Pro Shop to look at “big boy toys” and watch the fish. They also stopped for ice cream and went to see a live “Dinosaur Train” show at Hershey Theater. Brady had so much fun!!! (So much that he completely passed out on the way home with his toy dinosaurs in hand.) I can’t wait for my turn for a mommy/Brady date, but I have to admit, it was pretty sweet to have a whole day of snuggles with just me and Nolan.

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My Boys

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I think the question that I get asked the most lately is, “So, when are you going to try for a girl?” I have to admit, I kinda have to keep from laughing when I’m asked that. I have 2 perfect boys!!! What more could I want in life?! I mean, I get why people ask it, but it just never crossed my mind that our family was missing anything. Plus, last time I checked, you can’t actually “try” for a boy or a girl. God decides that! And God clearly intended for me to be the only princess of this house! (Even the cat and dog are males!)

Anyways, with that in mind, I thought I’d give my 2 perfect boys a little blog shout out. (As if I don’t write about them enough.) It’s just so amazing to me that two little boys with the same two parents can be SO different. They are both awesome in their own unique ways, but they are completely different kids.

I’ll start with Brady…our sweet, tender-hearted B-Man. He’s his father’s son in that he has striking blue eyes, a quick temper when things are frustrating him, and a knack for analyzing things down to the tiniest detail. From day one, he would study things and practically stare into your soul. He understood how to actually play with his toys from very early on. He was not an “I’ll just shove anything in my mouth” kinda kid (unlike his brother, but I digress…) He’s always been shy to warm up to strangers and has to take his time to get comfortable in an environment, but once he does, he’s lighthearted and silly. He’s the type of person I’d want on my side if I had a problem I needed solving, or just needed someone to talk to. He can play independently for hours- mostly with his trains or watching Mickey Mouse. He’s braver than I’d ever expect a 2-year-old to be when it comes to trying new things- rides, food, playing with animals, going under water… He’s smarter than anyone could imagine and is constantly surprising us with the things he knows. Often times he’s quiet and you have no idea how much he’s absorbing of a situation or conversation and then 3 days later he’ll repeat it to you verbatim. He’s usually the kid who gets his toys taken from him in a group setting, but is starting to stick up for himself  more-especially if there’s a train involved! He likes to hold mommy’s hand and ride on daddy’s back. He asks us to tickle him and is quick to laugh. He’s my big boy, but will always be baby and first love.

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Now for Nolan, our enthusiastic, lil’ Bubba. Or N-Dawg, or Rolie Nolie, or Rollin’ Nolan… He’s kept me on my toes from conception!! He’s seriously the best surprise of my life and will surely bring me tons of gray hair. Even in the womb he was making his mark on the world. I mean, the kid tied his own umbilical cord into a knot for Pete’s sake! He’s the loud to my quiet, the messy to my clean, and the crazy to my calm. He’s demanding and will not settle for being the forgotten second child. He steals the show and can charm anyone’s pants off. He’s always busy- growling, squealing, blowing raspberries, eating his toys, clapping, shaking his fists, and dancing. He loves mealtime and will literally pull the food out of your mouth to take for himself. He’s the kind of person that everyone will want to be friends with, and will surely be the first to buy you a round of drinks if you’re down in the dumps. He’s like his brother was in that he’s taking his time to become mobile–(Thank God!!)
Because once he’s on the loose, watch out world!!! He’s my forever baby and no matter what, I’ll always think of him as crazy little, thumb-sucking, hair pulling, heartbreaker.

 

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Our boys are our greatest blessings and they are the ones that make all of our adventures so amazing. I’m truly blessed to be theirs’ (and Chris’s) girl. Thanks for letting me do a little mommy bragging!

Snow Day!

Posted in Family, Uncategorized by

This is my first post on my new blog! I’m so excited for a new, spruced up website. I thought I’d start by sharing how our family spends a Snow Day. Or what I like to call, “Stay in your jammies all day- day.”

When you live down south, a “Snow Day” sounds very exciting…you picture frolicking in the snow, drinking hot chocolate, and cozily sitting by a fireplace. Somehow that magical image is a little distorted when there’s a 2-year-old stuck inside all.day.long. Anywho, we made the most of it! Here’s a little snapshot of what we did to keep busy!

First of all, I should admit that my hubby was home all day which reeeeeally helped the day move along. Granted, he was working from home, but it was still nice to get a little adult conversation in now and then. You should also know that snow days consist of more T.V. watching than the normal day. Seriously, it snowed ALL DAY, and it was a low of -1* so there was no way we were going to venture out of the house, and there was more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse than the average day.

We started by doing a Christmas craft that was long overdue. Every year since Brady’s first Christmas we’ve put his little hand print on our Christmas tree skirt. We finally got around to adding one for this year and putting sweet Nolan’s little hand print on it too.

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There was also a whole lot of “choo choo” time. Brady has now crossed over the obsessive line when it comes to trains. He builds and re-builds his train tracks all day long. I honestly don’t get it, but it makes him happy so we go with it. Also, there’s an episode of Mickey’s Clubhouse called “Mickey’s Choo Choo Express” that was pretty life changing for B. We have it DVR’d and watch it often. Like, a lot.

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Then there was a point in the day where Brady wanted to take his snow tube to play outside, but it was snowing really hard, Chris was busy working, and there was no way I was braving the cold and wind with Nolan. So, we improvised and played with the tube inside. Poor Nolan got put in this inflatable duck. Surprisingly, these inflatable toys entertained the boys much longer than you would expect.

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At one point, things got a little crazy and we had to listen to the entire Chipmunk Christmas C.D. I guess it did feel sorta Christmas-y today with the cold and snow…but those dang Chipmunks really should only be allowed to sing during the month of December. As lovely as their voices are, one can only take so much!

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During nap time, we indulged in some comfort food. Chris and I have been trying new recipes each week and today we had Ina Garten’s Crispy Mustard Roasted Chicken and Basil Mashed Potatoes. Don’t ask me why, but I love ALL things Ina Garten!! This was delicious and completely calorie free- HA!

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Finally, when Chris had wrapped up work, he bravely took on the task of taking Brady outside to play in the snow. They didn’t last too long because it was seriously cold, but it appeased Brady. This is not the greatest picture because yours truly did not want to actually step outside to take the picture. (I didn’t want to get my fuzzy slippers wet!)

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I hope your day was warm and dry (and if you’re one of my Floridian friends or family, I’m sure that’s the case!) and here’s to anyone who has experienced some form of cabin fever with a little one! *Memory making at it’s finest!!*