Letters don't define you

Today is Bid Day at Ole Miss. It's one of the most exciting days for some and most traumatic for others. I hate the process. I really do. There is a whole bunch of girl drama that ensues. My philosophy has always been to avoid drama at all costs. Seriously. Maybe that's a little extreme because you will encounter disagreements along the way. Most of the time, the stuff that comes up is petty. It's hard not to get your feelings hurt but look at it as their loss if they don't take you. You have a lot to offer somewhere else.

A friend sent me a post earlier that basically was a reminder to set your eyes on things eternal. The only thing that matters is what God we serve. I thought that was so good for young girls to hear. Your bid card doesn't define you.

This is the same advice that I will give to my girls. 5 things:

1. Be genuine. Even if others aren't. Be yourself.

2. Your reputation is everything. It's hard to reverse it once the damage is done. Live your life for one goal. To point others to Christ. Will you mess up sometimes? Absolutely.

3. Be comfortable in your own skin. Confidence is important.

4. Grades and community service are VERY important. You will not be considered if you don't maintain them.

5. Don't pre-judge. Just because someone doesn't make a good first impression, try to get to know them anyway. I don't make a good first impression. I know this about myself. I'm probably not warm and fuzzy and bubbly the first time I meet someone. That's not my personality. It takes me a while to warm up. Give them some time but don't give up on them.

I didn't do what my mom did. I chose my own path. We joke about it but I am glad I branched out. I made my best friends through my sorority and was given so many opportunities through it. Sending up prayers for all of those involved in Bid Day today!

When the husband's away...

This has been one of those weeks. One of those weeks that I am absolutely blessed to have but exhausts me. School has been amazing. I love, love, love my new job. As in, I could do this forever. However, home has been cray cray.

Thursday I thought that Andrew would walk in the door and literally turn right back around and leave. He was in Houston all week on a work trip. Every time I talked to him I reminded him that he should relax and enjoy his quiet hotel room. (He has a tendency to not sleep well when he is away.)

Mom and dad claimed Addie as their own for the first 2 days to help me out. Morning one: she woke up with pink eye. Good start. My dad (whose job is way more important than mine) worked from home and let Addie stay with him.

Morning two: she woke up with a runny nose, tummy hurting, sore throat. I thought she was milking it and said and I quote "I'm not taking her to the doctor because she just has a runny nose." 

Elle had her 2 year checkup at 4:00 with shots which she called "bites." Did I take Addie? No. What did I end up doing? Calling the after hours clinic around 6:00 because she started running fever and throwing up mucus. (TMI)

Mom was right. There, I said it.

Day three: Took her to the doctor only to find out it's a sinus infection. Whaaaaat?! Called later to check on her. Dad had bought her a scooter and she was riding it around all day in the house. Sounds back to normal...right? There's more. When I picked Elle up from school, her body was covered in red polka dots. Was it from the vaccines? No. It was the tail end of a virus that we had no idea she had.

Day four: Got a call from Elle's school that she had spots all over and possible fever. I was in a meeting so I am texting under the table to figure out the pick up situation. Andrew pulled into town around noon and had to go pick her up. Welcome back, honey.

Day five: Sent Addie to school only to have her fever spike again and get a call. Fine all afternoon at school with me. Boom, sick again at night.

You get it. It was crazy! I started my weekend with a relaxing but challenging Pilates class and now I'm ready to watch some football and lay around on the couch. Pray that everyone will rest and be back to normal on Monday. 

10 years removed

Not many people show up with a double stroller and 3 kids to their 10 year high school reunion. We did...and we brought up the rear on the school tour. Turns out stairs, weight rooms, double strollers, and cranky kids don't mix. 

We opted out of the upstairs tour only to realize all of the doors downstairs were locked. Instead of going back out to the football game like normal people we decided to pile into the tiny elevator, go up and get the keys, pile back into tiny elevator, and unlock every door leading to the rest of the group. The entire time Elle was trying to Hulk her way out of the stroller straps. Logic was not something we were after. 

Elle also peeled off her shoes, socks, and bow and threw them out of the stroller along the way. Lovely.

It took us about 15 minutes to figure out how to get out of the weight room at the end of the tour. Our stroller wouldn't fit between the machines. We finally found a wider gap, opened the door to go outside, laughed at the 3 large steps, and plunged down them anyway. There was no other way. Comedy of errors but hey, live and learn.

Why would I go on the school tour when I teach there, you ask? Good question. I guess I wanted to see the school through the eyes of people who haven't been back in 10 years. I don't know. The stories were well worth it. 

I have to admit that I kind of dreaded the weekend. Sorry guys. It's not that I didn't want to see anyone from high school; it's just that I feel like I have changed so much since then. Turns out life has humbled us all. 

Andrew had a great time playing golf with the guys and I enjoyed catching up with everyone and meeting spouses. Looking forward to the 20 year. 

EVERY day is a gift

My heart has been heavy this week. There are a lot of young people hurting in our community. Tomorrow hundreds will gather at a funeral to pay respect to a young man who died too soon. During his football game. It's not fair. It's not.

I remember how it feels to lose a friend. I know how helpless you feel as a bystander. It's ok to be sad. Grieve. You can still smile and laugh and remember the fun memories. Don't feel guilty for that. You don't have to forget, but you have to keep going.

Another set of young boys were one week into their freshman year in college, made one wrong choice, and are now struggling to find reality. We have all made bad choices. No one is immune to messing up. But why did this happen to them? I don't know. But I do know that God is in control and using this. 

These peaks and valleys that you are experiencing in life are shaping you. You shouldn't have to go through losing a friend. But through these experiences you learn to trust God, you learn that you are not in control, and you learn that every day is honestly a gift. EVERY day. Even the bad ones. 

First Guest Post!

First guest post of the blog is from my friend Diane Hutchings that is so crafty. She is always cooking amazing things or creating something awesome. I basically asked her 3 simple questions and she ran with it. 

Hi y'all! I'm Diane Hutchings, a Southern girl at heart, born and raised in Ohio. My husband Lee is a pastor in Ridgeland, MS. Our son and joy, Harper is 14 months! 

When and where did you learn to sew/cook/craft?

I started cooking at a very young age-I've always been very tall, and could use the real oven at age 6! I grew up on a small, family farm in Northeast Ohio, where my parents made most things from scratch. Hunting, gardening, cooking, and canning were all a huge part of our daily lives. My mom used to say that she lost all her slave-labor when we moved out...it takes a lot of work! I grew up cooking almost every night of the week, learning from both of my parents. They are both incredible cooks, and I definitely developed my love for food and cooking from them! 

Who inspires you?

Before we were married, my sister and I used to get together on Tuesday nights and cook difficult recipes we had found online, or in our vast cookbook collection. Those were really fun times! My sister Rachel now  lives on a sustainable farm, and inspires me with her farm to table approach to food. I'm also inspired by many of my talented friends, different food blogs, and fresh, local produce. Any cookbook by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa is guaranteed to have fantastic recipes. She's definitely a favorite of mine! 

Favorite recipe?

I have so many favorite recipes! I typically cook 5 nights out of 7 at our house. I love to throw together easy meals like chicken stir fry and baked pasta, but I also love more complicated meals like crepes florentine and stuffed peppers. If I could eat cheese and french bread with salted butter for all meals, I totally would! Or caprese salad...or brie en croute...or peach, coconut muffins...or spinach quiche..I just love good food, and I love to cook! It relaxes me and gets my creative juices flowing! 

I have made this chocolate cake 3 times in the last month. It *seems* healthier to me because of the almond meal, but it's just plain delicious! Even my husband, a cake connoisseur, says he likes it better than my two-layer-chocolate-buttercream-frosting cake. WIN! 

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

• ⅔ cup regular olive oil (plus more for greasing)
• 6 tablespoons good-quality unsweetened cocoa (sifted)
• ½ cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons best vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups almond meal/flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 3 large eggs

1. Preheat your oven to 325ºF. Grease a 9inch springform pan with a little oil and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Measure and sift the unsweetened cocoa into a bowl and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
3. In another small bowl, combine the almond meal (or flour) with the baking soda and pinch of salt.
4. Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have an aerated and thickened cream.
5. Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or flour) mixture.
6. Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very center, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.
7. Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its pan, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm with some ice cream or homemade whipped cream. 

Thanks for sharing Diane!! My house has lots to be desired in the cooking and cleaning area. 

Meet the Rebels

We had such a fun day at Meet the Rebels last Saturday. This was our first year to go to this and I had absolutely no idea how big it was. The girls are in the Rebel Kids Club (thanks to Toddy and Poppy) which lets them get into some events early and others free. They get a little swag bag with random goodies. It's a neat little deal if you have kids. 

Pulling into town, we thought we would run by and pick up our stickers to get in, grab a bite to eat and then come back. It was such a great plan until we pulled up to the practice facility and saw the massive "early entry" lines. Crazy town. Of course we joined the madness and went on in. 

It was pretty awesome. The kids got to run around on the turf, take pictures with cheerleaders and Rebelette's, and Elle met the bear. No one is a fan of the bear except for Elle. She would not leave him alone. Seriously, she stared at him and took pictures with him for a good portion of our time there. 

The lines to get autographs were forever long and I knew there was no way we were doing that so we left to go pick up a friend, ate a late lunch, and came back to see Sean. They went about an hour over on autograph time but the girls finally got to give him a hug and talk for a little while. These girls LOVE their uncles. 

I'm so glad we are close enough to share all of these cool experiences. They have been raised in the gym watching Alec and Sean play basketball, in bleachers watching MRA, and now will have new Grove and Vaught Hemingway experiences. 

Football practice preview

A couple of weeks ago, we made a quick trip to Oxford to watch Ole Miss football practice. We didn't get to see Sean on his birthday so the point was to deliver a cake, wave at him from the bleachers of the stadium, and hang out with Alec for a little while. 

The goal to leave our house was 7:00 am. We pulled out of the driveway at 7:35. Close enough. Bottles, pump, diapers, wipes, paci's, stroller, umbrellas, face tattoos, you get it. We packed the house and all 3 kids into our minivan and trekked to Oxford to watch practice.

Elle is my dad's little buddy so he took her down to the bottom of the stadium and let her run around while he watched. She was content and climbed and ran and played for minutes. Several minutes. And then Dad was done babysitting. 

My turn. I let Andrew watch my brother practice for a little while and chased her all around the stadium. It's ok because I had exceeded my question-asking limit. They needed a break from me too. We played in puddles, discovered water fountains, climbed stairs (an entire stadium of stairs multiple times), and then I started to sweat. Profusely. During all of this chasing Elle, Addie was running around and making friends in the stadium too. So I strapped her back in the stroller, held a battery operated fan on her like she was royalty, thinking she would fall asleep. No such luck.

Andrew's turn. Bless his heart. In the 10 minute span that happened to coincide with his walking with Elle to the car to get a bottle for Bentley Claire, it rained. He's such a trooper though that he didn't even complain. 

Looking forward to the season with all of our yahoos. Wish us luck!

Call it "school"

I used to hear the word daycare and cringe. Really. It sounds awful. Constantly sick kids, parents that work all the time, crying babies, the list goes on and on. I prefer the word school. We are a couple of weeks in and loving "school." Granted both girls have already been sick but that was to be expected. I'm hoping their immune systems will get a little tougher. They really do run like a school; they even have chapel every week. I would love to come watch one day.

When we walk through the halls to leave, all of the other teachers know Elle. I'm still deciding if this is a good or bad thing. I'm going to choose to believe it's because she is so sweet. She is. In a badger sort of way. One second she will be loving on you and the next she is scratching your face and making your bleed. (True story. Another blog post, another day.)

When I pick her up, I ask how she is doing fully anticipating some list of things we need to work on. I have gotten a good report every day so far. Whew! We've had a biting incident but I'm pretty sure that Elle held the kid down or did something aggressive to get those. It wasn't bad and hasn't happened again. 

Potty training is the worst thing in the world. That is a fact. Best news ever: Elle has used the potty TWO days in a row. Elle isn't even 2 yet and has already started this process. Whaaaat?! I have horror stories from potty training Addie too soon. These people are miracle workers and for that I am grateful. 

I'm sure we will have some good stories soon. 

First day of "school"

Blog Tour

This post was supposed to be done on Sunday. Better late than never right? I'm still a newbie to the blog world but when I heard about a Blog Tour from Jenny Mac at Crumbs Under the Table it sounded kind of fun. 

1. What am I working on? Besides making it on time for school, I have about 20 blog posts that are waiting to be finished. Procrastinate much?

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?  I don't really know. I just write about whatever I want to write about.


3. Why do I write/create what I do?  It's a fun outlet for me to just be quiet and reflect. After the hubs and kids go to bed, it's my quiet time.


4. How does your writing/creating process work?  When something funny happens or something pops into my head I jot it down. I will either go back and finish it or let it sit in the draft pile for weeks. Some things may never get published. I'm ok with that.

I'm passing the torch onto Susannah at Susannah Styles. Enjoy!

Change of pace

School is almost here. Wahoo! We are all beyond ready to get back in the swing of things. Blogging has been fun but let's be real. The daily posts will no longer be happening. My plan is to have 3 a week. It's good wind-down time for me and I enjoy it. 

I don't expect anyone to read. Bonus if you do. :)

This year I will be teaching elementary computer and will be taking on the role of "Technology Integration Specialist." It's just a fancy way of saying coordinating tech for the teachers. To say that I am thrilled is an understatement. It is literally my dream teaching job. 

With that said, "working" to get everything ready at school with my mini-me's has been interesting. Addie has kept everybody entertained and has become the helper. Seriously sometimes she is the best helper ever. Today I sent her back into "school" to get Bentley Claire's bag that we forgot (another story for another day) and she did it ALL BY HERSELF. She acts totally silly and has her meltdowns like any other 4 year old, but usually she is right by my side. I'm not sure I could do it without her. 

Elle and BC, not such great helpers. But they've been good. We've had lots of naps in the stroller, bottles between painting and setting up, and several drive-thru trips. We need to be done with fast food. Seriously. One more week and we will be back to a normal eating, sleeping, school schedule. One. More. Week. 

I promise Bentley Claire is not always in her carrier. We do get her out and play with her...

Weekend Update

Our internet was upgraded today because AT&T DSL wasn't cutting it. (We only have 2 options in our neighborhood for some reason.) Welcome to 2014. 

Moving on.

New app called No Time to Cook? by Real Simple. Ah-mazing. You start by picking a meat and the time you want to spend on the meal and it finds recipes for you. It will also make a grocery list to go along with your recipe choices. 

One more Ole Miss video for the Rebel fans reading. 

Lots of mixed reactions about the Ebola patients coming back to the U.S. Glad they will be able to get the care they need. 

Elle was promoted! Woo hoo. They move up with their age so everyone else did too. We can still celebrate. 

Have a great weekend!

Storms

Ever since Addie was a baby, she has cried during storms. The other kids are not like this so I'm not sure what we did differently. We have tried every trick in the book to help her get over this.

Mississippi has had our fair share of tornados and she is at the age where she remembers. I think we have "taken shelter" four times this year and somewhere in our state has had devastating destruction. We grab the flashlights, kids, dog, tv remote, phones, chargers, batteries, shoes, sometimes helmets, and gather in the bathroom. It's the responsible thing to do. It's tough to entertain three kids and a dog while keeping track of the storm path. I kind of freak out but have to remain calm all at the same time. 

Every single storm is terrifying for her. She tries to hide it by asking a thousand questions but she's not fooling anyone.

To make matters worse, I made the mistake of showing her the tornado destruction in Louisville. I didn't make a special trip there or anything. We were there for a family reunion and I took a "shortcut." This not-so-shortcut led us to the exact spot that the tornadoes touched down. It was an accident. Of course this led to multiple questions. Why are those trees on the ground? What happened to that building? Where did the people go? And on and on.

In my normal teacher fashion I answered the questions in an honest yet careful way. I thought I did a good job but it made the storm fear worse. Now she comes in our room if she hears the faintest clap of thunder or sees a flash of lightning and asks about the tornado. I'm not sure we will ever overcome this but we are trying. 

Dance parties

Since my maternity leave spilled into summer, I have gotten some serious bonding time in with the kids. I've learned a lot about each of their personalities. 

Andrew walked in from work the other day and all three (BC can't dance yet, she will join in on the fun soon enough) of us were spastically dancing around in the living room. I mean, I would die if anyone (other than Andrew) walked in. Not only were we tearing it up, I am ashamed to admit that it was to the SiriusXM Hits station. I usually listen to cooler music than that. Andrew swears that our kids are going to love bubblegum pop because of me. I hope not, but every once in a while I just can't help myself. It's catchy.  

Addie is much more reserved while dancing (like me in public) but Elle. Oh. My. Gosh. One day I will post a video. This little girl is hilarious. I hope she always remains uber confident because she sure rocks it now. She uses a pivot foot and kicks out like she is riding a scooter. I have no idea how she keeps dancing after spinning around so much but she does. There is also a signature arm move that she has. Maybe we have seen the penguin dance from Mary Poppins one too many times? 

I hope you all have marvelous dance parties in your homes too. 

cabin fever

Do you ever feel like the walls are closing in on you and you just have to get out of the house? No? Maybe I should re-decorate or let some more light in because I get this feeling a lot. I've been like this for as long as I remember.

Being by myself for even 10 minutes a day is so important. I used to get that time on the way to school but now I have a few more passengers that tag along. I end up going to the coffee shop or riding around (listening to my music, not Disney princesses) to re-energize. Sometimes both.

The other day I went to the nearest coffee shop (with Elle because she was extra crazy and Andrew begged me to take her along) dressed in pjs, shoeless, and paci-less. I had a short amount of time to keep her occupied. I ordered as usual, drove through, pulled up to the window and realized I had no money. None. My wallet was sitting on the kitchen counter 5 miles away. Do you think I went back home and parked it like a responsible adult would? No, I did not. I went home, got my wallet, and came back for my Iced Skinny Caramel Latte. I needed it. 

I'm sure they were all like "Oh, she's never coming back" and threw my drink away. I wonder how often that happens? Are there others? The girl was sweet and made me a new drink but if I had gone to Starbucks all along, I wouldn't have needed my wallet. There's an app for that. Just sayin'. My Sbux love has very little to do with the coffee. I may be addicted to earning stars and maintaining my Gold status. If the other coffee shop had an app and a reward system I would go there more. And now you know. I'm not a coffee snob, it all boils back down to my tech nerd status. 

Perspective

Perspective is a humbling thing. While mindlessly perusing Facebook I came across a picture that I had not seen of Elle. Her Mother's Morning Out class was holding up a sign of encouragement for a little boy in her class with cancer. He was cancer free and it came back.

He is Elle's age.

Being thrown up on suddenly didn't seem so bad. I sat and stared and tears welled up at the thought of going through that with a child. 

We have had friends go through tragic, unimaginable things with their children.The worst thing I have been through was an early miscarriage. It was life-changing for us and a very sad time. We learned to trust God's timing and rely on His plan instead of our own. We both grew from the experience yet it seems to pale in comparison. I've volunteered at a children's hospital and know how difficult and draining it can be on the family physically, emotionally, and financially. Those families seem to strap on their superhero capes and do it. They don't spend time dwelling on it. I truly believe that God gives us strength when we don't think we are strong enough. 

It's so easy for me to get caught up in the chaos of whatever and forget about anything outside of my little world. As I fill up another cup of pedialyte I am reminded that it's all about perspective. 

And then there were none

Addie came in our room about 3:30 this morning, climbed in bed and requested water. In my delirium I was like ok, give me a minute. 30 seconds later she threw up on me. It wasn't like full blown throw up, more like a spit up situation. But it was on me and the bed and the floor. You non-moms are all like "Ew, that's disgusting" but it will happen to you one day too. So you have that to look forward to. 

We changed the sheets. I changed. BC woke up hungry from all the commotion so Andrew fed her while I took care of Addie. May I remind you it was 3:30?! 

The only one that got good sleep last night was Elle. She's been dancing like a maniac to Disney Junior. Now if I can keep her from throwing things away in Addie's trashcan.

I guess I'm thankful that this happened before school started instead of my first week back. Silver lining. 

Weekend Update

While I am trapped at home with Elle and her virus, I might as well catch up on some magazine reading. Domino and Real Simple are two of my faves.

Went in the Apple store last night and lusted over the 27 inch iMac #nerdalert

This video gets me pumped up about football season. You can see Sean in the background towards the end of the video. Super cool

I'm really late to this party as usual but if you live in certain areas, you can sign up for free books every month until your child turns 5 or something like that. You can thank Nissan and Dolly Parton (what a team).

Happy Weekend!

Virus shrimus

Have you ever felt like one of those crazy moms that dreams up some rare illness when your child acts sick? Yea, I'm usually not. Today however I was between Elle having West Nile or some crazy side effect from a spider bite. 

We go to the pediatrician a lot with three kids. Everyone's vaccines are on a different schedule and sicknesses don't always coordinate. Elle had an ear infection every month for eight months until we finally got tubes (two weeks before having Bentley Claire). So you do the math, 8 months of ear appointments plus 2 week checkup for BC and then 8 week appointment for shots. That equates to a lot of doctor time. And that's not even including Addie. 

Before Elle's tube surgery

Back to being a crazy mom. I mentioned the other day that Elle got a spider bite when the landscaper was here. Never google 'spider bites on children.' You don't want to see that. Trust me. Yesterday was day three of the bite and she started running fever. According to Google, you should panic if they run fever on the third day. This morning she was ok. No fever and seemed to be feeling fine. She went to school for about 2 1/2 hours while Addie was at ballet. When I went in to pick her up she looked like she had been swimming. She was drenched in sweat and was clearly feeling bad. So I called the doctor. 

He's super laid back and has 4 kids so I always feel at ease when we go. Her arm could be falling off and he would be like "Oh, that's an easy fix. We will just patch that right up." So he said it's probably not West Nile (you crazy lady), her spider bite looks fine, strep test came back negative, it's just a virus. Alternate Motrin and Tylenol. Ok, what a relief, viruses are no big deal right. Oh wait...viruses are miserable. 

Now I have a hot-as-a-firecracker child in my lap that will only stop crying if I hold her, I'm trying to keep from breathing in her sick air and keep the other two from getting this all at the same time. 

Happy Friday everyone. 

Princess Ballet Camp

What can be better than ballet and princesses?! Nothing. Nothing is better to Addie then dancing around in her tutu and hanging out with a different Disney princess everyday. She has absolutely loved Princess Ballet Camp.

So much in fact that after ballet she keeps on her leotard and accessorizes. Dress up skirt, mardi gras beads, flip flops. In public. 

For me, princess camp has been a little trickier. I'm trying to time everything perfectly so no one needs a bottle when I should be dropping off/picking up another child. It's also important to make it everywhere on time. 

Today the plan did not unfold as it should have. Bentley Claire woke up (starving) a little earlier than expected. It threw the whole day off. Breakfast was rushed, we quickly got dressed, I threw on a hat, and Elle was about five minutes late for school. Close enough to on-time. Carpool was still running. 

Well picking up Addie from ballet just happened to coincide perfectly with Bentley Claire's massive meltdown. She has started this scream/cry when she is hungry and the two-room ballet studio would not have been a good place to hang out. I usually carry a spare bottle with me but I went to work on my classroom between pickups today instead of going back home. 

Rather than going in and making everyone miserable, I stayed in my car until it was exactly time for the class to let out while she wailed. Unfortunately, ballet let out a minute or two early so Addie was inside thinking that her mom wasn't there to pick her up. There were parents and kids everywhere because one class ends at the same time another one starts. When I walked in (at exactly 11:15) she was looking all neglected. I had to give the "I've been here the whole time, I would never leave you" spill. What's going to happen when I'm actually late? 

Andrew says I enjoy being late and in some instances I agree. No one is on time for a party. But most of the time I really can't help it. I try my best. Drop-off is much harder than pick-up. So far I've never been late picking my kids up and I would like to continue that streak. I'm sure it's unavoidable but I am busting it to get where I should be. Maybe I will put my pillow and blanket in the car and sleep between my children's events. 

Guilty mom

Yesterday morning was a far cry from normal (pardon the pun) when I dropped Elle off. I had already dropped Addie off at ballet camp so it was just me, Elle and Bentley Claire. As we walked down the hall her little lip started to quiver and I knew a meltdown was coming. She was silent until the door opened then the flood works started. She was reaching for me and crying mommy. She never does that. 

It was heartbreaking. Truly heartbreaking.

I'm sure she was fine by the time I made it to the car but I have never felt so guilty. I accidentally left my phone at home so I had no one to tell me she was going to be fine. I knew it, but just needed someone else to say it too. 

I was making a two hour trip to meet some friends in Oxford to eat dinner and catch up so Andrew was picking her up after nap. Because I haven't seen one of their new babies and she hasn't seen Bentley Claire, I brought BC and Addie tagged along after ballet camp. Post drop-off, I contemplated going back to get her but I knew it would complicate the day. 

So why did I leave Elle? She has to have a nap in order to function and I wasn't sure that would happen. She would not have enjoyed being strapped in the carseat and stroller all day. It was surface of the sun hot and she would have been miserable. I felt like that was plenty of reasons. 

Other than the guilt hanging over my head, we had a great time meeting baby C for the first time, doing a little bit of shopping, catching up with super cool friends, and visiting with the uncles for a little while. 

Future generation minus a few

Addie and Baby C

Visiting the uncles

New fave restaurant on the square is Oxford Grillehouse. It's where Rooster's used to be. Upscale but not unreasonable. The creamed spinach is delish.

I mastered pumping (TMI again, omg I promise I will stop) in the car a long time ago so that came in handy yesterday. Also, Addie has learned to hold BC's bottle so that's a HUGE help. She's only four but she is available to babysit anytime. (Just kidding) Out of guilt I bought Elle several things. That's normal right? 

One pajama change, diaper change, and bottle feeding later we got on the road again and made it home around 10:45. We are anything but dull I can assure you.

Bites

The other day we had a landscaper come by to help us draw out a plan for our backyard. Thank goodness he has small children because our dining room table was covered in laundry when he walked in. Three loads of laundry to be exact.

In the span of 30 minutes that he was here, we had lots of action. I put Elle down for two seconds so I could focus and look over to find her tangled up in a spider web with a red welp on her face. How does this child get into these situations? She didn't cry or even act like it bothered her. Spiders love their playhouse so I knew immediately what it was. I scooped her up, told Andrew and Will to carry on, and ran her inside. 

Did I have a plan? No. I grabbed an ice pack which she wouldn't hold on her face and tried to force it on the spot. Benadryl couldn't be given again because she still had it in her system from her mosquito bites. (Side note: The day before we had a mosquito trapped in our car. When I put her in the car she was mosquito bite free and by the time we made it 5 miles down the road, she had huge puffy mosquito bites all over her.) Cortizone cream was the only thing I could think of that she would keep on and would maybe keep the itching and swelling down. 

Neither of these things were her fault. I mean, you can't help insects biting you, but they seem to always happen to Elle.

While all of this was going down, Addie changed into four princess dresses and insisted that we look at each one. Never a dull moment.

I can't speak for the actions of our kids but the plan was perfect and more than what we asked for. Let's hope we can start going outside more often...