connor @ 11 months

weight:  21 lbs

height:  29 inches

12-18 clothes

size 5 diapers

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you love:  pulling cords out of walls, bath time, tomatoes, yellow watermelon, standing up in your high chair, and cookies.

you hate:  having a runny nose, having your face & hands wiped, and when we take things out of your vice grip that you aren't allowed to have.

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Double digits, dude?  Ain't happenin.

You're becoming such a smarty pants - putting toys into buckets and sticking letters on the shower wall.  You're starting to see how fun things can really be!  You're a visual learner...if you see someone doing it, you can do it too.  (Your brother always liked to figure it out on his own first!)

Even though you've still got a pretty wide palette, if there's something you don't like you just stick your tongue out and pull it off.  Then you get restless in the ten seconds it takes me to find you something else so you twist around and stand up, sometimes sticking your foot over the edge of your high chair like you're just going to pounce out.  Nuts, I tell ya.

There aren't any words in the world of Connor Isaac at this point.  You prefer to point and grunt and have someone else tell you the word.  You're most perplexed by my kitchen aid mixer.  And sweet corn.  I had some corn all shucked on the counter yesterday.  Later when I had it in the pot steaming away you pointed to it then pointed back to the counter like Mom, wasn't that corn over there earlier?

On a sadder note, you started weaning from breastfeeding around the time I went back to school.  Now we only nurse 1x a night and even then you hesitate, probably because there's nothing left in there?  It makes your Mommy so so so sad.  It was inevitable, but the end is near and I could cry.  Instead of formula, we've switched you to whole milk in your bottle.  You're obsessed.  Stupid cows and all their yumminess.

The sickness thing still sucks.  What is it about those websites that told me a breastfed baby would be healthier?  You come down with anything your brother has.  Every time.  No doubt about it.  Last week the babysitter called saying you were having a hard time swallowing/breathing.  It scared the living daylights out of me, so I jumped ship at school early and scrambled to get you to the Emergency Room.  On the way there we were of course awarded our very own speeding ticket.  I'm kidding, the policeman was so gracious and even followed us to the hospital to give me back my license and written warning make sure you were alright.  While we were there (the ever-long two and a half hours), you snuggled like you hadn't seen me in weeks and eventually fell asleep peacefully in my arms.  All the nurses were talking about how cute we were, laying there asleep together.  Well, they should've been.  The only time you're like that is when you have a high fever, it's the most pitiful and wonderful thing ever.

Welp, I suppose the countdown is on to the big O-N-E.  

You're birthday party planning is in full swing - a chili bar is going to be the highlight of it all.  Oh, and lots of orange!  And you, our little pumpkin.

xoxo, Happy Eleven Months.

what we've been up to lately

School Started.  The school I work at was better than others brilliant this year in having a later start date; we didn't begin until after Labor Day.  It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  Some of the area schools were heading back two weeks prior to us.  Boo yah!  On the flip side, having those extra days didn't make it any easier leaving the boys.  It was definitely an adjustment for everyone.  And by everyone I mean myself and my breast pump.

• On the subject of school, I mentioned I had an embarrassing moment on the very first day. With freshman staring at me.  I'm in the middle of my spiel about having fun and not having any time for foolish decision-making and instead of saying "screwing off" I said "jacking off."  That's right, Jacking. Off.  I actually didn't catch it until like 3.6 seconds later but just kept on rambling.  After thinking it over I decided to put it all out there the next day.  Turning it into a joke really helped - I was all I bet you were looking forward to science today.  It's like, what might Mrs. Rowland blurt out today?!  
• It was terribly embarrassing, however, I'd call last year's trip in the middle of the main hall the winner.  I'm talking high heel whipped up four feet in front of me, falling flat on my back in a dress.  Gosh, teaching sucks.

Down Time.  Take down, that is.  What is it with boys and wrestling/touching/messing?  At least Connor doesn't usually have a problem with it - he squirms his way out every time.

Hitting up the parties.  Some friends of our have this meat smoking/gun shooting/food snarfing party every year.  Earlier that morning, Jeff suggested that we go and I quickly hesitated.  I really can't leave the boys.  These two days are all I get now.  Then he said the words Well let's take the boys!  What?  Our children?  At a party?  Okay let's do it.

this kid is always talking.  "Mama, look!  There's a toad, he's jumping out of the water.  Come show me!"

• We don't take the boys too many places just because a.) they really suck at letting us enjoy ourselves and b.) they really don't want to be there to begin with.  But this time we took their toys, bundled them up and took off.  Turns out there were a lot of other kids and plenty of things for them to do.  Patrick's also finally reached the stage where we don't have to watch him like a hawk.  He was like a poster child (something we're not used to) - he chowed his prime rib, shared his tractor (!!), never once disobeyed us.  And Connor  - well that kid can have fun anywhere.  Especially when there are rocks to eat play with. 

It's been an awesome (and overwhelming) past few weeks.  Now to begin planning Connor's first birthday party.  Invitations just arrived in the mail and his First Year Video is being worked on.  Bittersweet.

patrick's 3rd (john deere) birthday party

Gah!  Three years old.  The day he was born seems like ten years ago and five days ago all at the same time.  

So, my kid's parties always start with an inspiring invitation... 

Come on!  Minted has got it going on.  Thank goodness because I am so over Shutterfly and Tiny Prints.  Talk about putting a whole in your pocket.  Now Minted isn't cheap by any means, but I would say they have a larger selection of cheaper options.  I was able to use the postcard option for Patrick's party and I'll definitely be using it in the future.  Not only did they have a farm invite with an airplane on it (score!  see how I am still trying to make him a pilot?) but it also cost much less for postage.

I got this idea from Pinterest.  We happen to come by large straw bales easily.

I bought mums galore but steered away from the pumpkins for now.  They'll be loaded up for Connor's party next month.

After searching through dozens and dozens of cakes, Patrick told me this was the one he wanted.  Obviously my tractor is a little large for my field. ;)  I just made this as Patrick's own personal cake using a box mix and whipped frosting.  For everyone else I used the Pioneer Woman's sheet cake recipe.  The reviews were all really positive - people were raving about it.  It was very easy to make but after taking a bite at the party I could hardly swallow more than a couple bites.  It was so rich.  I found it to be much better the next day.  Just an FYI.

Even though they didn't really get eaten at the party, I'm glad I had these cookies made by our local bakery.  They were delicious and the teachers at school didn't stop talking about them.  (They had the leftovers!)

Other items on our menu were:  Tortilla soup served with sour cream & tortilla chips, homemade sloppy joes, veggies & dip, cucumber salad, cheesy potatoes and jello salad.  Kind of a basic party menu, I know, but with school starting and cleaning up behind two house-destroyers, BASIC gets the job done.  As a matter of fact, my father-in-law loved the soup so much that he ate three bowls.  Just seeing how much he enjoyed it made the menu a success in my eyes.

This was the first thing everyone saw when they came in.  They'd say Oh WOW, you've been busy!  And I say yeah right, the lady on Etsy has been.  I borrowed this from my friend, who bought it from Etsy.  BAM.  (P.S.  Can you believe people do that stuff for a living?  Oh, the patience!)

This face makes my heart ache.  Love every inch of him.

Connor got some lovin' from his Grandma's.

My beautiful sister and Dale.  Do you think they might have red-haired babies?

I happen to be married to a stud.  He's also a certified Baby Holder.  Which makes him even more studly.

So much love!  And craziness!

We had an awesome day spent with awesome family and friends.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Patrick! <3


//patrick's 2nd birthday party
//patrick's 1st birthday party

connor @ 10 months

weight:  20.5 lbs

height:  29 inches

clothes:  12-18 months

size 5 diapers

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you love:  real people dinners, hanging on your brother, walking everywhere, falling everywhere, climbing stairs and being an instigator.

you hate:  cantaloupe & getting new teeth.  (8 now!)


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Now that we're closer to your eleven-month update it's a little hard to remember what you were doing a couple weeks ago, but one thing's for sure then and now:  you are ornery.  In the best way possible, of course.  Your babysitter still wishes that every baby were as "cool" as you.  Easy going, independent, and just plain happy with the life you were given, you stand out like a shining star.

Despite the bickering, you're crazy about your brother.  He makes you so angry, but you tick him off too.  You two go back and forth like a couple of teenagers.  It's so annoying.   

You started walking this month, first taking a couple of steps and in just a couple of days you were cruising like it was your job.  You think you're pretty awesome, and we do too.

You came down with yet another ear infection, which led to a terrible diaper rash and of course a new tooth and on and on and on.  It's always something, isn't it?  Obviously sleep hasn't been your best friend - you've been waking up 2-3 times a night wanting to nurse.  Speaking of breastfeeding, since your two front teeth came in this month it's given your Mommy some excruciating pain.  It's like you're a newborn again!  As soon as the cracking starts to heal, they break open again.  Ouch!  fortunately you've gotten past the "no-bottle-from-Mommy" phase so I have been able to recover during the day by giving you formula.

Since going back to work, it's been hard on your Mommy.  I'm so glad you're able to let go and have a blast with the other kiddos.  Your brother, not so much.  I'm so grateful he has you.

Thanks for being you.

xoxo, Happy Ten Months.

what I learned this summer

1.  Somehow, being home more often gives you less time to blog.

2.  My kids don't sleep.  Oh wait, I already knew that.

3.  In one day I can survive on three hours of sleep and pull off a birthday party.

4.  You can almost always choose kindness.  Not just with kids, but with people too.  This has been the summer of non-stop talking.  Repetitive talking.

Pat:  Why are we going to the mall?
Me:  To get you some new shoes.
Pat:  The big mall?
Me:  Yes.
Pat:  Why the big mall?
Me:  Because there isn't a good shoe shop in our town.
Pat:  The one with the train?
Me:  Yes.  And if you're really, really good we can ride it.  You know it costs like half my paycheck.
Pat:  Oh, oh oh I will be good.
Me:  Okay, great.  Gosh, what is wrong with these DRIVERS.
Pat:  These drivers?  What's wrong, Mommy?  Why are we driving?  Where are we going?
Me:  The mall.
Pat:  Why are we going to the mall?
Me:  ....

Choosing to be kind when these conversations happen every five minutes can be really challenging with a two year old.  This is in between the peeing in underwear, yellow crayon on a freshly painted bed, and screaming MOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM from upstairs at the top of his lungs over and over and over.

5.  Being a Stay-At-Home-Mom is the hardest job in existence.  Okay so I haven't experienced all the jobs in existence (like being an air traffic controller or a rapper or a chemical engineer) but I'm willing to bet a substantial amount of money that it is.  The days are unbelievably long.  What's the light at the end of the tunnel?  Nap time.  And ultimately, bed time.  But if your kids are special like my kids then you get to see them all night long, too.  So there's really no light, except wine o'clock and Book Club once a month.  My mom will call and say "Wow, this morning just flew by!  Where did the time go?!"  I'm thinking...Ummm, I've encountered enough spills and poops and toddler mood swings to fill a frikkin week.  But yeah, it's flown!


6.  Enough about kids.  Let's talk about adults.  Oh.  My.  Gracious.  Sometimes they're worse.  There's a new fad out there:  the Fitness/Food/Motivation/Life Coach.  I'm not really sure why it's a fad because these are some of the most annoying people on planet Earth.  I'm sorry, but an Instagram picture of someone (who was born with a six pack) showing off their six pack and leaving motivational messages like Be Positive!  That's the spirit!  If I can do it, you can! and then hashtagging ALL THE HASHTAGS for fitness just isn't what I'm looking for.  My self esteem is great, but thanks anyway.  #unfollow


7.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, let's talk about the saddest adults on planet Earth:  retail associates.  Picture this:  a teacher about to head back to school.  Her hips have finally shrunk from her second child.  She's ready for new clothes.  Nice clothes.  Not-Old-Navy Clothes.  A seller's dream right?  WRONG.  Apparently they just like slapping markdowns onto overpriced jewelry.  And the store discount.

Where am I speaking of?  The Loft of course,  Girls aged 25-35, obviously pissed off at everyone, and indifferent about anything clothes-related at all.  Seriously, all I want is help.  Someone to check on me in the fitting room.  Someone to hold my hand and tell me how pretty I am.  Is that so much to ask?

8.  I guess that's about it.  School started last week so I'll be back to update you on my first-day-back babbling that turned into the Most Embarrassing Moment of All Time.