growing up.

Another week down and I can't believe we are headed towards the end of January! Didn't I just put away Christmas decorations? As much as I dislike dreary, cold wet winters it's been nice to get back into routines of school and activities while spending time outside as much as possible. Even on wet days it's fun to run around and splash in puddles.

Simon is just growing up so fast. He's such a little boy, talking SO much and trying to keep up with his older siblings. Before school pick up I like to get there early (hello close parking spot!) and let him get out of his car seat to eat a snack in the front seat with me. These little moments of "us" time throughout the day are some of my favorite.

 Anytime it's not raining after school we throw the backpacks in the house and stay in the front yard to play in the cul-de-sac. I'm sure the neighbors just love the yelling, 4957639 balls thrown about and the 16 bikes that get pulled into the street. Ha!

 A cold January night calls for hot vegetable soup and homemade garlic rolls. Yum!

 We are (slowly) entering into potty training Simon. He has days where he is interested and other times where he is determined to stay in diapers until college. Because "mama change me" is so much easier than stopping to pee on the potty. He promised me if I got him sports undies he'd try so I found these adorable pairs on a great clearance sale. He's gone once so we are off to a good start!

 And then Simon got sick! Poor guy woke up one morning last week doubled over with stomach pain. It went on and off like this for 5 hours. He wouldn't eat or drink and just wanted to cuddle. I stayed home from work, watched movies and finally after 1 weird round of vomiting all over the kitchen floor (thankfully just water) he perked right up and was back to his normal self again. So strange! But, so thankful he's better considering all the other kids who are awfully sick lately.

 Winter months means lots of baking for me too. And this homemade granola is some of our favorite. I've been contemplating selling it for the past few months since I get so many requests.  Hmmmm....

 Since Simon felt better the next day and the rain stopped we ventured outside to a local park for a nature walk. He wanted to see the ducks and splash in puddles so that's exactly what we did!

 We ended the week with a night of Bingo at school, 2 basketball games, a birthday party and playoff football games. The kids are doing so well with basketball and its really fun to watch them with their teammates.

Happy Monday everyone!

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what.a.week.

Whew. We did it. This past week was long, busy, a bit stressful and exhausting. But we got through it and ended on a high note. Thank goodness!

I had back to back eye appointments so Simon got to tag along for the ride. I don't think he minded much because they both ended with a stop at Top Pot Doughnuts! I'm pretty passionate about nutrition and spend a lot of time making healthy meals and snacks with whole foods and limit processed junk. But, sometimes you have to splurge with a special treat. And sprinkled Seahawks donuts are Simon's favorite!

The beginning of the holiday weekend began at Children's Hospital. It was a planned visit so we knew what to expect, what to pack and how to prepare but still not how we wanted to spend our day. After several fainting episodes in the past few years for Carter this final EEG study was to completely rule out seizures. We all (including his medical team) felt pretty confident he didn't have a seizure disorder but it was part of the plan to check that final box off. Carter was amazing! He never once complained about those 28 electrodes being literally glued onto his head. He was polite to the staff, requested healthier snacks and opted to read instead of play video games. I was amazed at his attitude throughout the entire 48 hours, despite little sleep and major anxiety over a blood draw. But, the results were normal and we can now move on! Woohoo! We still have to push fluids, salty snacks, exercise and rest but the hope is he'll eventually outgrow these episodes and continue a normal, healthy life.

 In the middle of Carter's hospital stay we still had normal weekend activities. Matt and I switched shifts part way though so I could take Lucy to her basketball game. Her team did fantastic and Lucy had a few really great dribbles and passes. Next week - the goal is to take a shot towards the basket! She's having fun and we love to watch her play.

 Because I was tired from NO sleep at the hospital and Lucy and Simon were troopers through a weird weekend we splurged and got ice cream....before dinner. Simon devoured his baby pint of chocolate and Lucy dove right into her favorite, mint chocolate cookie. Major mom points for me too!

 To celebrate MLK Jr day, family time, a healthy EEG report and a beautiful sunny day we headed up to the beach house for some outdoor play time. It was 60 degrees, sun shining and plenty of beach to run and play.

 Maybe a little too sunny. Oops, looked in the wrong direction for our first picture. Ha!

 We ended with a trip to the local park before heading home. Such a fun family day!

 Matt and I put the kids to bed and had a quiet dinner together to relax after a very.long.week. Here's to a less stressful week ahead!

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back to routines.

The last few days of winter break were spent soaking up all the family time we could get. We aren't really into big NYE celebrations. Our kids don't sleep in, regardless of when they go to bed, so the thought of keeping them up late to wake early the next morning and deal with cranky kids all day is never too appealing. Plus, let's be honest, I'm not staying up until midnight either unless I have a few extra cups of coffee! So, we opted for an earlier day party at one of our favorite jump places in town. The kids ran and played and then had a countdown to "midnight" (aka 12pm!) with balloons, noisemakers and glowsticks. Fun!

 All the noise from the party scared Simon a bit. Poor guy!

 We put the kids to bed at their usual hour and then had a stay in date night watching the ball drop in NYC. I still can't believe we get to go there in only 5 weeks! So excited! I made Matt a simple warm spinach salad with prosciutto and fresh rosemary garlic rolls. I got these recipes at one of my previous cooking classes and he loved it!

 The next morning we went to the sports fields for some soccer/baseball/football time. We played kids against parents, let Simon run all over the place and started the new year off with some good exercise.

 And then school began the next day! The kids were so happy to see their friends again and I think we  were all ready to get back to our usual routines. But, let me tell you...Friday night was rough! After spending 2 weeks relaxing, snacking, playing and reading it was a big change to be at school ALL day. Add in some basketball practices and playdates and these kids were exhausted. Lucy even skipped most of family movie night to get to bed early.

 Yesterday was the big kids first basketball games of the season. It was a bit crazy trying to coordinate schedules with 2 games, assistant coaching, team pictures and a partial work day for me but we made it work. And the kids both played well and had fun. Simon is bummed he can't play yet but wore his sportiest outfit to fit in. They both have great teams and lots of friends to see and play with. It should be a fun 8 weeks of games!

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