the dynamics of vacation

dynamics, n. :: an underlying cause of change or growth.

Everything changes when you have a kid. I knew this before having a kid; everyone told me. Constantly. But I didn't really know it, until it happened. I will refrain from discussing just how many aspects of my life changed after introducing Natalie into it. But I will talk about how much vacations change with a kid. Especially with a toddler. :-)

We take a summer vacation every year with my dad's family. We go to Vogel State Park, nestled in the North Georgia Mountains. It's an awesome place. It has always been the most relaxing vacation that I personally take. You know - the kind where you actually don't feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? We stay in cabins, where there are no TVs. We eat a lot of food & take lots of naps. We read lots of books & play lots of board games & go on lots of walks. This picture doesn't do it justice, but typically this is the essence of the trip:

Two years ago, the "this is the most relaxing vacation EVER" aspect of this trip changed. That was the first year we had a child of our own with us. Now there are diapers to change, meals to struggle over, cousins to discipline, and naps to work around. But...there is a reward for all of that. It comes in the form of memories like these:

Basically, I love it. I love watching Natalie have a blast. She loves being outside, and she had so much fun! She was spoiled, of course, having so many family members around her. We had fun, just like we do every year!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go pack for our week-long beach vacation with the other side of the family. Have I mentioned I love summer?! :-)

Natalie is TWO!!

So, a month ago, my kid turned two. And I forgot to tell y'all about it! Shame on me!! Here is a little synopsis of my little firecracker of a toddler:

• She is not a super picky eater, but she won't eat just anything. She loves chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, and macaroni & cheese. And of course, cookies. :-) Probably her biggest obsession though, is crackers. The girl would eat her weight in crackers! And speaking of weight...
• At her 24-month checkup, she threw me for a loop when she went ballistic over being weighed & measured! I was expecting a fit when the time came for shots {which also happened, mind you}, but I did NOT expect her to go so crazy at the scales & ruler. It wasn't an easy checkup, but we did get shots & stats: 33" tall (25th percentile) and 26lb, 9oz (50th percentile). This seems backwards to me because all of her pants are either too short or too big around the waist!
• She is a chatterbox! The girl LOVES to talk. Unless, of course, you ask her to "perform" by saying something. Then she clams up. Because she is also Miss Independent. :-) She will say a few short sentences: "No Mommy, not dat ah-sauce [applesauce] - dat one!" This week she has started saying "Wow! Awesome!" Which is funny, because neither her daddy nor her mommy say "awesome" very much. Just goes to show she will pick up on anything! So please watch your language around her, haha!
• Mom's Day Out is still tons of fun for her! Most days she comes home with dirt in her hair, and in her shoes, and under her nails, and sometimes in her eyes.......
• She loves to see babies out in public & go up & talk to them. She'll say, "Awww, baby!! Awwww, sweet." I think she will make a wonderful big sister!
• Coloring, stickers, swinging, mimicking Mommy, playing with Izzie, being outside, going to "Mah-mama's house" and "Mimi's house"...these are a few of her favorite pastimes.

There is so much more I could say about her, because she is so full of personality. But she is waking up from her nap now, so I must go. :-) I will leave you with a few pictures from her birthday party & beyond.

Have a blessed day!

the great escape

I've been longing for this weekend for awhile now.

Baron & I, along with another couple-friend of ours, are going to the beach. This has been a long-awaited vacation for me, for sure! I cannot WAIT. {Side note: we are leaving Natalie with my parents. For the whole weekend. Three hours away from ME. Of course I am SO looking forward to the break...but I know I will miss my baby girl while I'm gone! I digress.}

Pre-kiddo, it took me all of about 20 minutes to get ready for a weekend trip. Now, it takes me a full week of mental preparation, along with several days of laundry/packing/1,000-trips-to-WalMart-because-I-keep-forgetting-stuff. Natalie is not going with us, so I don't have to pack beach stuff for her...but she is going to my parents' house {Mimi & Paparoxy}, so her packing is for an entirely different trip. In all this preparation, I've noticed the difference between Baron getting ready to leave, and me getting ready to leave. It goes something like this:

Daddy's prep:
Thursday night, he is playing PS3. I kindly point out to him that he should probably pack. {Friday night is game night & we are leaving directly after the game, and this leaves him no time to pack on Friday, as he is at the school all day on Fridays.}
Spend all of about 15 minutes packing.
Pay bills. {He likes to do this whenever we go out of town...in case we die while we're gone? I'm not sure why.}

Mommy's prep:
Type up Baby's schedule, because I'm OCD mom & feel the need to tell my parents how to take care of a baby even though they've raised 3 of their own. {Ok, fine...it's not just a schedule. It's a schedule, with directions on how to mix formula & cereal, and tips for how Baby likes to spend her play time, etc. Gimme a break, it's my first kid. :)} Revise Baby's schedule because it changes about once a week & I typed it too early.
Laundry.
Bathe Dog so he's not disgustingly skanky when visiting Mimi & Paparoxy's. {Hmmm...guess same goes for Baby, too... ;) }
Trip to WalMart #1 - items forgotten from weekly grocery trip.
Get oil changed in car. {Or, as the oil dude said, "Gettin' that erl changed?"}
Laundry.
Mental prep: how much of this baby junk will Baby "need" at Mimi & Paparoxy's house?
Trip to WalMart #2 - need more baby food so we won't be depleted when we come back.
Print coupons for outlet mall trip on the way back. {Baby desperately needs some clothes that fit!}
Laundry.
Pack Baby's bag. Don't forget sound machine & monitor, to be packed later, since they are in use during the day. OCD moment #2: measure out cereal into bowls for 2 breakfasts & 2 lunches. Label each bowl "breakfast" or "lunch", of course.
Call Mimi: Do you need the Bumbo? Do you want her playmat? Should I bring her bath seat? {Note: reserve U-Haul next time to lug baby crap to g-parents' house.}
Clean out trunk to make room for 4 adults' luggage.
Stop to blog about all this. {Seriously...why am I blogging? Procrastination much?}
Pack my OWN bag.
Pack the DOG'S stuff.
Put address for beach condo into GPS.
Wash & pack baby bottles.
Make bed, finish putting away laundry, etc. {I can't stand coming home to a messy house!}
Trip to WalMart #3 - how did I not know we were out of baby food veggies? And also, we will need some sort of breakfast food for tomorrow morning at the beach. Thank you, Pop-tarts, for existing. And also...being the kind wife that I am, purchase major caffeine/sugar supplies for late-night drive to the beach tonight.
Kick myself over & over for not getting baby food veggies at WalMart YESTERDAY. UGH. It's not like I can just run to the store & back anymore! Geez Louise.
Take Baby & Dog to Mimi & Paparoxy's house.
Cry. {I know, I know. Baby will be fine. But it's not HER I'm worried about! :)}
{Insert whatever I've forgotten to do HERE. Because there is always inevitably something that's been forgotten.}

Shew. I only thought I needed a vacation before, but after all this preparation, the beach is looking more & more desirable! Catch y'all on the flip side!

The Mom Juice.

I've never been a morning person.


I remember when I was in junior high, and the school I attended started at the ungodly hour of 7:15 a.m. How did I even survive those 3 years? To this day I have no idea. I would wake up & stumble to the shower, mumbling something incoherent in response to my dad's "Good morning! How are you today? [insert I've-been-awake-for-3-hours smile here]" At that point in my life, I simply needed a shower to wake me up, and I was good to go.

I don't even remember mornings in high school. They are simply a blur to me. I didn't drink coffee then - it wasn't cool back then for teenagers. It was just something grown-ups did. Starbucks hadn't become the temple that it is today, and my caffeine addiction was just showing on the horizon.

Then came college. Ah, college. Theoretically, the college student plans his/her own classes, so that no early mornings exist. However, I had to work while I was in college, and my schedule planning wasn't as flexible as one would hope. This is when I started my Dr. Pepper addiction. I remember quitting caffeine a couple of times while I was in college, only to come back to it. At that time, my metabolism was all gung-ho, so I didn't have to worry about the calories consumed from all those Dr. Peppers. Those were the glory days, when a Dr. Pepper & a couple of doughnut sticks was the breakfast of champions.

From the time I graduated from college, through my "dating Baron" years, and into married life, I've had off-and-on relationships with Diet Coke, coffee, tea...anything with caffeine to get me going. I haven't really needed the strong stuff; just something to kick-start my day.

Before I became a mom, people kept telling me, "Oh, you'll be a morning person when you have to, once you're a mommy!" Incorrect. I really never got used to those middle-of-the-night feedings. {SO thankful those are in the past!} And during the summer, Baron got up with Natalie to feed her while I slept in. {Could I ask for a better husband?!}

Well, then school started, and it was my job to get up every morning with the cutie pie. Initially, I would just sleep until she woke up, which is what makes the most sense. When she was about 4.5 months, we started giving her cereal in the mornings. Well...that's a horse of a different color. Mommy doesn't have the patience to feed cereal to an easily distracted 4.5-month-old...and it took me a few mornings to grasp the fact that this just was. not. happening. I was too impatient, and it was just not fun.

So, I hesitantly made the decision that probably sounds crazy to you moms. I decided I desperately needed to get up earlier than my baby, to have some time to enjoy The Mom Juice. That's right, I now wake up to the sound of my alarm going off about 20 minutes before my baby wakes {if I'm lucky}. It was a decision that was essential to the sanity of our whole family. Some mornings I sit & sip my coffee as I listen to her babble in her crib, awaiting the moment when the babbles turn to whines, which would eventually turn to screams if no action is taken, at which point I set The Juice aside, only to finish an hour later once The Babe has finished her breakfast. Today was a particularly pleasant morning - I actually FINISHED my cup o' joe BEFORE she woke up!

That, my friends, is how you know it will be a good day.

{maybe someday I will look like this when I wake up}

{the cause for my growing addiction. totally worth it. ;) }

Just Adopt!

This is a great article I came across today. Some of you may be able to relate to it but probably most will not. Either way, it's a small glimpse into the emotions of a mom's decision to adopt.

Click Here to read "Just Adopt" by Sarah Kelly