Baseball Season

I didn't grow up playing sports, so this whole world of childhood sports is a relatively new one to me. Some moms show up so incredibly prepared. They bring their collapsible wagons onto the field full of all sorts of goodies. I tend to be the disheveled one off to the side that didn't bring anything practical with me. So I'm sitting on the wet, dirty ground, trying to pick the crumbs out the of bottom of my diaper back to feed a child that keeps yelling "I'm hungry", as I didn't think to pack any sort of snack. Sure, I'm slowly learning. Last year I learned to just keep the fold up chairs in my car, so I wouldn't forget them. However, it's the beginning of the season, so they have yet to make it into my car. Connor wants to know why he can't have gatorade like everyone else, as I say something about it being pointless sugar water and that his body really just needs the refreshing ice water I packed. Hey, I did manage to pack water for him, so go me!

But then I look up and see the smile on Connor's face as he runs around practices with his team, and suddenly my wet butt doesn't matter so much. Suddenly having to constantly pick up an escaping Callum and bringing his grass stained up self back to my little plot of land on the field feels worth it. I hear Connor tell me on the way home what he is good at and what he needs to work on. I think about how far he has come since he started tball two years ago. This year he is in coach pitch. I realize how much this means to him and it makes me happy.

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Callum's Room

I had envisioned from the time Callum was born that he would transition out of our room and into Connor's room once he was sleeping through the night. Well, 14 months on and this kid has only slept through the night a handful of times! And, to be honest, his sleep went from good (I thought I birthed a sleep unicorn he slept so well) to pretty dang awful and has now landed somewhere in between.

A few months ago, at the crux of his bad sleep, I decided I had had enough and needed Callum out of our room. So, I moved Isla in with Connor and gave Callum his own room. There are still remnants of Isla in this room, as that was both her rug and dresser. The rest has sort of come together. It's a bit of a hobbit room, with the low ceiling. But it also has a quaint feeling to it...though I do sort of detest the wall light, but haven't really ever looked into other options. It was just there when we bought the house.

Callum is sleeping slightly better...well more than slightly, but less than incredibly, but you get the picture. The other nice thing is this room is fully baby proof and we have a gate installed in the doorway, so he can easily be left in there for a time and not get into too much trouble. Though his current favorite thing is removing all the contents from all the dresser drawers he can reach.

I still envision that eventually Callum and Connor will share a room, but if there is anything that three kids has taught me, it's that things are so fluid, you never know where anything will land! And, for the time being, Connor and Isla sharing a room is going great. And, what do they say? If it's not broke, don't fix it! So that is how it shall remain for now.

^^ The crib from Scotland that all three of my babies have slept in...and has the teeth marks on it to prove it! 

^^ I made this mobile for Callum when I was big and pregnant with him. And I still totally love the simplicity of it. Sometimes, when I am putting him to bed, I will just stare at it and watch it slowly move.

Want to see more of our house? So much of it has already changed, since I'm always rearranging, but here's what the living room used to look like, Connor's room when it was just his room, our master bedroom and the dining room. 

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Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

Let me tell you a little story. On Monday, a neighbor stopped by to see if Connor wanted to come over and play. The dad asked what we were up to and I replied, "baking". I asked Ian to pick Connor up from the neighbor's house on his way home from work. Well, apparently when the dad told Ian that we were baking, Ian made sure to let him know that doesn't normally happen in our house. Way to shatter the image of Jessica the baker, Ian! 

Anyway, I have made applesauce muffins in the past and none have ever turned out very good. They have generally turned out rather tasteless because of the lack of unhealthy ingredients sugar. This time I added blueberries to them which made them mighty tasty and they were quite moist too. So, here's the recipe. It's an easy one too.

Ingredients:
1.25 cups flour
1.25 cups of rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
.5 cup plain greek yogurt
.5 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
.75 cup blueberries (I used frozen)


Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix all your ingredients together, except for the blueberries
3. Once mixed, stir in the blueberries
4. Oil your muffin pan, or use liners
5. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes; use a toothpick to check if they are done, which is when the toothpick comes out clean from the muffin
7. Enjoy!

We ate them all within two days, but they stayed super fresh and moist for both days. Callum especially loved them...and so did I. 

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Life

We have had a bunch of random and weighty things come at us the past few days. It's easy to get bogged down by such things. But, being the "glass is half full" gal that I am, I also like to remember the positive in the midst of it all. So here it goes.


Our power went out...but we still had hot water. Woohoo! And, Ian still managed to make us coffee!

I spent about an hour cuddled up reading to the older kids and it was pure bliss.

I went on a Target run with three kids in tow and not one of them threw a fit when I said they couldn't get anything. This is like a miracle folks, an actual miracle.

I tried vegan doughnuts for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by how tasty they were.

Isla got a whole glob of knock off silly putty stuck in her hair. For a bit there, I honestly thought we were just going to have to cut it out, and it was in the front of her hair. Thankfully, conditioner to the rescue, I got it out.

I went thrifting KID FREE and came home with a huge haul. DOUBLE WIN!


The older (more mature?) I get, the more self aware I become. I have become so much more aware of how situations out of my control affect my mood. I really am trying to work on it because I want to be the best mom I can be and don't want what I can't change to spill over into a bad day for my kids. Especially since, so often these things aren't necessarily directly related to me. It may be something going on with a family member or friend. I really have realized how much weight I put on those situations, when I need to really watch and guard how they affect my own family.

There's my two cents for the day - focus on the positive and don't let things you can't control ruin your mood, thus ruin your day.

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little moments not to be forgotten

fistfuls of noodles // still small enough to sit on his legs // preschool dad party // bath time // quiet play time // helping with the laundry // her version of posing with her craft // sink baths are fun 

Like many out there, I am guilty of always looking forward to and placing more emphasis on the big events in life. The vacations, day trips, school parties, gatherings of family or friends. But, the reality is, the bulk of our life is spent in the everyday mundane. And really, those everyday calm moments (because, in the sincerity of being honest, the chaotic ones make for a great story, but are usually pretty dang stressful) are just as important to me.

I want to remember how Isla put earrings on her craft she made at school, but said she doesn't want them until she is a "redult" because "they hurt". I want to remember how much Callum loved sink baths and throws water all over, but it makes him ridiculously happy, so I just let it happen. I want to remember how at seven years old, Connor is still small enough to sit on his legs in the chair at the table. I want to remember what it looks like to walk past my kids rooms and see them quietly playing. I want to remember how Callum loves playing in the laundry and dumping it over his back.

Though I will have, and want, plenty of big memories with the kids, it's the small ones I really want to remember. Because those moments, really end up being the most beautiful.

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A Valentines Comparison

^^ This face is what has earned him the name "cheeky monkey" lately. Especially when we tell him no. He tends to give us this look and goes right back to what we said no about.

Callum got his lunch all over his shirt on valentines day. And, in an effort to not look like a slob, I decided to change his shirt before we picked Connor up from school. At the bottom of the shirt pile, I found this valentines shirt I had forgotten about. It had been Connor's, and I had never even put it on Callum. So, I threw it on...and since the gnome hat matched and it brings me such joy, it went on as well.

I decided to go back and look for some pictures of Connor wearing the same shirt. Alas, the only ones I could find were cell phone shots...and iphone cameras have come a long way since then! Still, you can see little Connor in it. Connor, who would only be 3 weeks older than Callum, yet had multiple haircuts by this point, and still a head full of thick hair. Connor, who had already been walking for 5.5 months at this point. Speaking of that, I can't believe how much more grown up babies look in pictures when they are walking vs sitting. Either way, cheeky Callum is blazing his own trail in this family. And lucky for him, my picture taking skills have gotten better, so the opposite is true for the cliche about the youngest having no pictures of themselves. We have the most of him!

^^ Can you believe I had hair not that long ago that was long enough for me to pull back?! Sometimes I kind of miss that convenience. 

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Differing Personalities

One of the fun things about having more than one kid is watching their personalities shine through when they are both in the same situation. I was really struck by this when the kids were playing astronauts the other day. Connor is very literal and wants to look like a real astronaut. He wants to study real astronaut photos and make sure he looks just like them. He even told someone that came over all about his mission to space and when they asked if he went to space with his mom, he responded, "No, stranger astronauts." Isla, on the other hand, is my entertainer. She wants to make people laugh and found it so funny that people couldn't tell who she was when she covered her face with the hat inside the astronaut helmet. She actually said, "people can't tell if I'm a boy or a girl...hahahah" (that's her laughing, not me). I decided not to let her in on the fact that we could see her hair ;)

Speaking of that entertaining personality, last week Isla brought her USED qtips to show and tell. I made her bring a second item in the car with her, thinking that she would perhaps change her mind. But she didn't. I feared show and tell would go horribly, but it did not. Apparently a crowd of 4 & 5 year olds find earwax covered qtips hysterical. When I went to pick her up, one of the teachers said, "Well, Isla got what she wanted, everyone laughed." And sure enough, we hadn't even made it to the car before Isla was excitedly telling me how everyone thought the qtips were so funny. Back when Connor had show and tell, it was all business for him. In fact, we were told it was a first for his school when he brought a smoke detector to show and tell with him.

I just love watching their little personalities shine through. Sometimes I get nervous that they will get rejected by their peers, but they don't. Then I remember, they are dealing with other kids their own age, not jaded adults. Oh, my babies, I wish you never become jaded and self conscious. Be who you are meant to be. Let your beautiful hearts and personalities always shine through. 

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Friendship

** Just to get it out there, we literally laughed when 3 out of 4 of us showed up wearing scarves. Apparently that's what mom's do when they go out...wear scarves and take bathroom selfies. 

It's crazy to think how my relationships with friends have changed over the years. And I'm not even talking about relationships with specific friends, but relationships in general. 

The other day I was in a conversation with a mom who had a high schooler and it got me reminiscing. I remember how it was literally the end of my life it I had to be home for more than, say, 15 minutes. These days, the thought of leaving the house can feel daunting at times. Taking three kids to the mall just to relax and browse...well I would rather stab a pencil in my eye and relax at the hospital than do that. Yeah, slight exaggeration, but you get the point. At the end of a long day, after making numerous meals and snacks, doing school runs up the wazoo, changing diapers and keeping the house in a semi orderly state, the last thing I want to do is go out with friends. Because of this, my relationships have suffered. 

Friendships require effort. And just like marriages, they require sacrifice. Sometimes that sacrifice is staying out of my pjs for a couple hours longer and filling my soul by laughing my head off with good friends. Good friends are really worth their weight in gold.

Besides attempting to be a better friend through sending notes, reaching out, helping, etc, one thing I want to do this year is actually go out and enjoy myself more with my friends. Because, let's be honest, a play date with 13 kids and 4 moms is hardly relaxing! Yeah, all my friends have a crap load of kids. No, one and done happening here in Modesto!

And here's what's ironic. I never ever wish I had just stayed home. I am always glad I went out...even if I regret it the next morning. But even then, there are the group texts with us all whining together about being tired and comradery is always a good thing.

So here's to a year of dating my friends. Of staying out of my pjs a little bit longer and laughing hysterically together. Of finding people to watch our kids so we can bare our souls to each other over coffee. Because, my tribe, you really are worth it.

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Snow Day

While everyone else was gathered around tv sets watching the super bowl, we were up in the mountains enjoying some snow play. I actually joked to my brother the day before that we were going to spend several hours in the car for 20 minutes of snow play. Thankfully, it went better than that!

^^ Somehow, in a way only Isla can do, she ended up going down the hill backwards...when she started out going down the right way. 

When we got to the snow, the kids really did only manage about 20 or 30 minutes of play before starting to complain. I was thinking that I couldn't believe my joke was actually becoming a reality. But, we went back to the car and filled up their bellies with food and they were then ready for round two. On round two, I wore Callum on my back, which made things much easier for all of us. Also, we walked down to the frozen lake to play, which was super fun. Connor enjoyed riding all the little ice hills and the kids just had fun with how much more slippery the lake was. This time, we actually had to force them to leave.  It ended up being quite the good and fun day.

Speaking of the frozen lake, I've never been on one before. I was pretty paranoid about the whole thing. The ice was several inches thick, but I still felt paranoid. I actually jumped up and down on it a few times to make sure it was safe for the kids. And, I certainly didn't want to wonder all the way across it like some people were doing. You know, just in case. It felt a bit like a bucket list item. One I had never even thought of before, but was super cool doing.

And because this is my new obsession, here is a little video from our day.

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