5 Quick Things

Remember when I used to have a blog?

Life is flying by at warp speed and it's SO hard to take time to sit down and blog.  But I wanted to record an update on our lil family and what we're up to, so here's five quick things:

1.  I'm still working part-time and going to school.  I feel like there's never a spare second to catch my breath.  We go on winter break soon for school, so there's that.  I'm on the fence on whether or not my job will work for us long-term.  We are facing childcare issues in the near future and then there is the problem of some nights I don't get home in time before the kids go to bed.  No bueno.  But it has provided sanity and the ability to maintain my nursing license, so there are some pluses.  And I really like my coworkers and patients ;-)

Some mornings we ride together. And some days we even have lunch together.  No kids to interrupt, ha!

2.  Morgan and Joey love school.  We've had some (what I assume to be typical?) issues with not listening and I feel like a broken record harping about it.  But at parent-teacher conferences, I was so proud at all the wonderful things their teacher said about them.  And that they both excel at math and science (what?)  They are learning and growing so much, so fast.

3.  We are moving.  That's a whole other series of posts all in itself.  We're not in a rush and will probably table it til after the holidays.  We've been looking for 6 months now (in addition to me stalking the MLS like its my full time job) and haven't found anything that we loved or didn't want to completely renovate.  And we're not renovators.  We're considering building and we want to move back to our old town.  It's really beautiful and peaceful out here in the country, but we're not really country people.

More importantly driving this decision though, is school for the kids. Morgan starts Kindergarten next fall (somebody hold me?) and we're just not sure where we want to send the kids to school.  Building a house probably won't happen on that timeline.  Yes, we considered schools before we moved out here.  Some nights if traffic is bad, it can take an hour to get home from work.  And everything we do outside of work and school is downtown Cinci or north of that, so it just makes sense.  Basically if I could take this house, pick it up and move it back to our old town? We'd be golden.

4.  I'm so excited for the holidays this year!  It's going to be so much freaking fun with the kids!!!  Every day I'm thinking about things we can do and how I can really begin to teach them what this holiday season is all about now that they're starting to grasp concepts.  We've already adopted a family to buy gifts for and I can't wait.  We've already baked some treats and had a few Christmas tunes filling the house.

5.  Claire is all over the place and is trying so hard to walk!  I want another baby.  Insert the teeth gritting smiling emoji.  Too bad that's not possible for us now.  I always say IF it were possible, IF another pregnancy wouldn't kill me, and IF he/she could be as easy/healthy/happy as Claire has been...  And then I think how perfectly lucky I am to have the 3 sweethearts I already have and that settles any urges.

How about two more things...because 5 isn't enough?

6.  I started Invisalign 6 months ago.  I hate it.  Pretty sure I've already extended my treatment time by double for being non-compliant.  I got rubber bands a month ago and I just can't.

7.  We are back into being obsessed with The Walking Dead.  I literally have dreams about the zombie apocalypse.  I base life decisions on whether or not it would benefit us should the world be ending.  I might have a problem.

Claire Turned 1!

Our sweet Claire Pamela turned ONE on October 24th!  We tried to throw her a worthy party, but there is no way I could pull together a party that fully represents how much we love her.  We tried though ;-)

 We did a pumpkin princess theme and it turned out so cute!

That tutu left glitter for days...

She cracked me up in her leopard sunnies

The girls

There was cake, pumpkins, balloons, cookies, a bunch of food, drinks and lots of presents.

At 1 year old, she has 7.5 teeth, is cruising, says "Hi, Bye, Mama, Dada, Nana" and a bunch of other words we always think we can understand, ha!  She's a talker!  Has to keep up with her big sis and big bro if she ever wants to get a word in edgewise in this house.

I have to be honest: I have been really emotional about her turning one.  I know it's the realization that we are slowly inching away from the world of babies, forever.  It's bittersweet for sure.  Nothing in my life has made me happier (or crazier!) than my babies.

She was a trooper, as usual.  She is just the sweetest, most chill, laid back and HAPPY baby ever.  We sure got lucky with this one!  Claire Pamela, we love you so SO much!

Claire at 10 Months

I'm struggling to keep up with these monthly posts for my darling baby girl.  Although I'm not getting them on her exact monthly birthday (always late!) it seems like the months are going by faster and faster.

 Three big things happening this month for Miss Claire....

1.  She's waving to strangers.
2.  She's eating all kinds of finger foods (loves avocado and soft tortilla shells, bananas, eggs, cheerios, and shredded cheese) and drinking from her sippy cup

AND.....

3.  We have a crawler!  At 10.5 months.  It took her exactly one day to start zooming all over the house.

I knew it was coming but man, I wasn't prepared for it yet!  She will come and find me, wherever I am in the house.  I really  need to get the baby gates up! They haven't been used since we lived at the old condo, so I hope I can make them work here and not have to buy new ones.

She and I have been having the sweetest days together while her big brother and big sister are in school.  I am cherishing this time with her more than ever.  She's the best little shopping buddy and can eat and nap just about anywhere.

I wondered how I would love a third baby and how this person would fit into our family.  I can't imagine life without her now and my heart is overflowing with pure love and joy.

I'm off to start looking at birthday invitations for her upcoming first birthday.  We're going to do it up big!!!

Fall: Are we really doing this?

I'm bummed that summer is over.  It didn't seem like we really had one since it rained for half of it!  I should be working on homework right now while Miss Claire naps (oh, did I mention I'm currently taking 3 classes? Heaven help me.) but I'd rather talk about fall fashion. I mean, I really just cannot stomach anymore assessment techniques material right now.

Back to Fall Fashion.  I need help.

Like, help that is somewhere between convincing me "yes we are really doing this" and an intervention.

Did anyone take advantage of the Labor Day sales?  I got some great deals and am like a kid on Christmas when I see the little brown UPS truck making his way up our mountain. Of course, the kids got a bunch of stuff too because they are growing like little weeds!  Every time I turn around, Morgan's or Joey's pants are too short, or a belly is sticking out.  I can't keep up!

First up in the "Are we really doing this" category:

Peep toe booties.  After way too many hours wasted debating and searching, I bit the bullet and plunged head first in for these:

Kristin Cavallari Laurel booties

But are they practical?  The 4-inch heel tells me HELL NO.  What business does a middle-aged mother of 3 small children have running around in these?  None.  They will probably only get worn on the rare date night when it's not too cold out yet, in which case I'd be wearing full foot boots/booties.  But are they cute?  Um, yes!

I really really really wanted these:

Steve Madden Paulina.  Where are you?

and searched high and low, but it appears I'm about a year too late to that party.  I'm still perseverating over here.  Help me through it.

Next up:  Are we really wearing flare jeans?  No, be honest with me.  Really?  I didn't buy any (yet) because I think I need to warm up to this trend a little more.  So if you see me rocking them a year later you can totally laugh at me.

Paige denim never lets me down, so if I were going to get adventurous, I'd go with her.

I mean, Schaffer from PTMT always looks cute in anything, but she swears they will make you look skinnier and taller.  Sign. Me. Up.  I will say some of the flares look a little too bell-bottomy or high-waisted for my liking.  THAT I won't do.  I have standards.

I tried something new in an effort to be a little more trendy, and that is a shapeless shift dress.  I LOVE IT.  My husband's going to hate it.  But hey, if I feel good in it, that's all that matters right?

Lush 'Karly' Shift dress

And then of course give me all the plaid to wear while sipping my skinny PSL and wearing my ridiculously impractical peep-toe booties:

This one came in a recent StitchFix and I love it. It's a little longer in the back so it might work with leggings, but I think I shrunk it when I washed/dried it.  Oops.

I might get REALLY crazy and turn my Street Level Reversible Tote (I love that thing!  Beats all of my more expensive purses HANDS DOWN) inside out, so that it's brown instead of black.  Watch out!

Street Level Reversible Tote.  That would be Vegan Leather yo.  

How about you -- did anyone else out there find any good deals over Labor Day weekend?  I leave you with this, because I care:

Then Claire Turned 9 Months Old!

In August, Claire turned 9 months old.

That face above sums up the 9th month.  Even though she was still our happy baby, she sprouted 4 more teeth, which made for some grumpy days.  

Also she is putting EVERYTHING she can get her hands on into her mouth.  I've caught her so far with a penny in her mouth, 2 pieces of chalk, a toy ring, and a marker cap.  I'm really trying to be careful about what the kids leave lying around at her level, because she WILL find it!!  

She also loves her paci, which is a first for me.  Morgan never did and Joey sucked his thumb.  So it will be interesting to see when or if she willingly gives that up!

 Here she is letting MoJo know she won't be sharing the spotlight.

"This is MY 9 Month Photo Shoot! Get out of the shot!!"

 She started sitting up really well with more stability (she was before, but would topple over easily), and started scooting around.  It's kind of an army-crawl, 3 point turnaround thing.  And she also started crawling, or inching, backward.  She's getting her strength built up and able to get from point A to point B.  Where are my baby gates?

She also loves cruising around the house in her walker.

Let's take a moment to appreciate those thighs though.

 At her 9 month well-check, which actually occurred at 10 months, she weighed 23 POUNDS.  And was 30 inches long.  It's no wonder my back hurts!!  She's basically the size of a 2-year old.  Those stats put her in the 93rd percentile for weight and 96th for height.  I want a maternity test lol.

The Pedi gave her the green light for any and all foods (as long as they are small enough to not present a choking hazard).  So we've been letting her try a little bit of everything and she loves it!  She's quite dexterous at feeding herself as well.  We are still working on drinking from a sippy cup.

She is a very healthy, happy and oh so loved baby girl!  And the harsh reality is setting in that her first birthday is quickly approaching. Somebody hold me!!

Claire turned 8 Months Old

Claire turned 8 months old...let's see....back in July?  Wow.  Little Miss Claire is now officially almost 10 1/2 months old....I figured I better get some documentation in about her 8th and 9th months!  I know time flies but since I started working it seems to go even faster.  More about the job in another post (I hope!)

At 8 months, she had two bottom teeth, but more on the way.  It was hard to get pictures because I think she wasn't feeling so great that day.  

 She also her first 4th of July celebration and we had fun this year.  She hung in til the very end.  She's always a trooper like that and up for fun!

 She got to go the park (many times!), the splash park, and we even took a long weekend family vacation to Jasper, Indiana with my husband's side of the family.

 She was AWESOME staying in the hotel.  Seriously.  I was worried because I've had less than pleasant experiences, but she acclimated quickly to the pack & play and slept like a baby!

She loves the water (as long as it's not too cold!) and had so much fun for her first summer!

Back to School!

I still can't get over how early school starts in this part of the country.  Back in MN, school NEVER started until the day after Labor Day.  Always and forever.

Anyway.  Morgan and Joey both started Pre-K this week.  It's nice they can be in the same little class together because I was worried about Joey... this is his first real school experience, but Morgan is a pro at it by now.  She attended the same class last year and absolutely loved it.  Morgan was the model big sister and the teacher told me what a good helper she was.  And Joey did just fine!  I was so proud of them both!

An attempt at a family picture that only took 37 tries!

The teacher and her aides took pictures throughout the day and texted me a few, in addition to putting them on the school's FB page.  I loved seeing how happy they were and what they were up to all day.  Here are just a few:

 They made blueberry smoothies, which we had to duplicate as soon as they got home from school.  Of course, I seized the opportunity to stuff a few handfuls of baby spinach in.  Evil mom ;-)

Meanwhile, I hung out with this sweet girl.  I don't even know what to do with myself with the other 2 in school, but spending one on one time with Claire Bear is priority number one.  Although I have to see if she can fit me in to HER busy social calendar; she had a date with our sitter who wanted to take her to the Aquarium.  I have a feeling someone is going to get spoiled rotten!

Before I get too excited about all this free time with just one child at home, I have to remind myself that school starts back up for me next week.  Womp womp womp.  Will I ever be done?  It's going to be an interesting (and busy) fall with work and school and running the kids around, but I'm looking forward to this new phase of life.  Things are always changing and I love watching my babies grow, learn, and thrive!