This year was Brynleigh's first Christmas. It can be an easy thing to forget with all the hustle and bustle that comes with Christmas time. The day is usually a whirlwind and is over before we know it. I had to keep reminding myself that it was her first Christmas and to make these moments special for her, even though she will not remember it I wanted to and I will be able to tell her about it when she is older. She enjoyed every minute of it!
This year was also the first year that Logan really understood Christmas. We built up the anticiaption to Christmas by counting down the days. He was very excited about Santa coming and loved the lights and tree. We also taught him about giving to others this year as well. He loved opening his stocking and he is a pro at opening presents as well now.
Even though we may have had some unexpected things happen (such as not having a furnace) we made the best of it. It was the first time in a couple of years I was not completely stressed out and was able to enjoy the day with my kids.
I hope that everyone else had an enjoyable Christmas and they made memories that will last forever.
This time of the season everyone is always busy. We are all rushing around to get everything done and there just never seems to be enough time to do it all in. It happens every single year for me. The holidays are over before I even know it. For the past couple of years I have been wanting to take Logan to go get a toy for a boy and girl that are in need. But time always slips right past me. This year was different though.
As my husband and I were driving to the store to do our weekly grocery shopping I was talking to him about I wanted to take Logan this year to go buy a couple of toys and teach him about the joy of giving. And how much it means to these people that others are thinking of them. We talked about taking them into our local television station that does it every year. Well it just so happened that there was a local radio station setting up outside of the store for a toy and food drive. So I seized the moment right there and decided to donate that day. We did our normal grocery shopping while adding a few extra things, trying to think of what people have at a Christmas dinner and what they might be in need of. Our next stop was the toy department. I decided that we should get a toy for a boy and a girl. This was going well so far, well that was until we put the truck in the cart. Logan thought it was for him and he wanted it. We explained to him that it was going to be for a little boy that wasn't going to get much this Christmas and that us giving it to him would make him very happy. Well my three old was not going to have any part of this at all. No matter how we told him he just didn't want to listen.
We went outside to where they were set up and asked Logan if he wanted to give the toys to the ladies that were there. He said no and just stood there. They were all thanking him and telling him how much they appreciated it and that he was a really nice boy for what he was doing. All this went in one ear and out the other. So we left with a very unhappy boy. Our drive home we continued to tell Logan why we gave the toys away and why he didn't get to keep them. Later that day I was talking with him and asked him if he was happy that we gave the toys away for the other kids and he turns and says to me "they see Santa now?" Have you ever seen the joy in a child's face, seen the shine in their eyes when you say that Santa is going to come. How excited they get when you just mention his name. Hearing Logan say that told me that he knows the children will be just as excited as he is when Christmas morning comes. In his own way he told me that he was happy that we did what we did. And I was finally able to know that he learned about the joy of giving to others
When next year comes and the same opportunity arises we will be doing the same thing. My only hope is that the next time he will be only too willing to donate with a smile on his face and joy in his heart knowing that he is making other children happy.
It always surprises me sometimes when I call my Mother and expect to just say a quick hello to see how her day is going. (Yes I call my Mother on a daily basis, why I am not sure. My day just doesn't feel complete until I do) But sometimes we get into these long phone conversations, like the one a couple of days ago.
I have been having some rough days and figuring out how to deal with some things. I have a tendency to look ahead at things and can only see the negative aspect of things. And the thing my Mom said to me which will stick with me now is "live in the moment." Don't worry about what is to come, but enjoy what is happening. If we are to only look ahead at things and dread them, then we will more then likely overwhelm and stress ourselves out. Try and pick out the positive of things and focus on those more then the negative.
I have been dreading Christmas with the family this year, and if anyone knows me they know I love Christmas and still act like a kid that can't wait for the day to come and wake up early and everything that goes with it. But this year having two kids has made me less then enthused about it. My son tends to be a higher energy kid then some and keeping up with him can sometimes be difficult. I call him my path of destruction, because wherever he goes you can be sure he leaves a trail behind him. Some people don't know exactly how to deal with him and most times when we are visiting others he tends to get into everything he isn't suppose to. Negative aspect #1.
My daughter as lovely and cute as she is tends to only want Mom and Mom only. This can be tiring. Being able to find a suitable pair of arms that feel as good at Mommy's isn't always easy and usually only lasts about a minute or two. Putting her on the ground is an option, but she has been mobile since she was 6 months old so you always have to keep on eye on her because she is quick! Meanwhile my son, remember is probably doing something he isn't suppose to be doing, so I have to juggle Brynleigh and Logan at once and not being able to relax and visit with people frusturates me. Negative aspect #2.
These things were the only things I could focus on for Christmas day. But after having that conversation with my Mom, my thoughts are more like this.
Yes Logan will probably be high energy and crazy at times, but I am sure some people there need their daily exercise and will be able to run around with him. He loves to play hide and seek so I am sure my Mom will be only too happy to jump behind something a few times to put a smile on his face. Positive aspect #1.
Brynleigh with her adorable little face has been winning John over more and more each time we visit. I am sure he will love to hold her and when she starts to fuss they can blow raspberries at each other. Auntie Candice loves to play with her niece and nephew and show them how things work so I am sure they would love to play with her with new toys that they get that day. Positive Aspect #2
With others playing with the kids I will be able to sit down and relax a little and be able to visit with others. I am sure at times that they will want Mommy and only Mommy, but at least it won't be the whole time that we are there. Positive aspect #3.
It is something that I am still learning to do, but I am only focusing on the day at hand and what we will do in that day. We all want to plan ahead and make sure we know what is coming ahead, but sometimes we all need to slow down a little and just live in the moment and enjoy those moments.
A song that I recently came across really said it for me, it's by Jason Mraz and it's called Living in the moment:
As I slowly open my eyes I am awakened by a shuffling noise. It seems like it could be 4:00am in the morning, but a quick check on the clock and it actually says 6:48am. Logan is standing beside the bed, his P.J. pants around his ankles. He had just come from the bathroom and he hasn't really been too keen on pulling his pants up these days yet. (visitors beware by the way!) I have no desire to get up yet, and even less when I realize Brynleigh is still sleeping. I pull his pants up for him and let him go on his way. He usually just goes downstairs and grabs his LeapPad and comes back up and sits on his bed. But today he decided to stay downstairs and play. Fine by me. I doze off again, and shortly after I am awakened by Brynleigh getting up. Our day has officially started. I do our daily routine in the morning and am on my way to go downstairs and I stop immediately. It looks like it has snowed on our stairs! I guess Logan's toys didn't give him enough amusement because he felt the need to take a WHOLE ENTIRE roll of toilet paper and unravel it all over the stairs!
This could go either way, I could get really mad at him for wasting toilet paper and yell at him, or I could simply get him to help me clean it up and tell him that we don't waste things like that and it's for wiping our bums only. I chose the second option, and as we were cleaning I couldn't help but laugh a little at the enormous amount of toilet paper there actually was everywhere!
We are met with obstacles in our lives everyday. It's up to us how we conquer them. It could be an angry driver, kids that won't listen or simply a bad day. Somehow we always manage and find a way to overcome them.
I have a goal to run a 5K in December (hopefully it won't be too cold!) and to live a healthier lifestyle, not only for myself, but for my kids as well.
I took a huge step out of my comfort zone today as I step out on my front step wearing my running clothes and started up a very busy road. I was afraid that someone might yell something at me and discourage me from ever going out again, but it didn't happen. All I could hear was the wind blowing around me. I feel like I accomplished something huge today, but it's the first small step towards a big goal.
Brynleigh is 6 months old today. In the past 6 months I have learned so much from becoming a mother of two.
I have learned that my patience grows thinner at times, the house gets messier, the noise gets louder, the sleepless nights return, the crying is continous, the need for attention grows stronger, jealousy arises and the love grows stronger.
In the past 6 months my kids have taught me to slow down. Enjoy the moments that I won't get back when they are teenagers and don't want to have anything to do with me. I am making an effort to enjoy the minutes that my son wants me to read to him, or the moments when my daughter doesn't want anyone else except for me, because secretly inside I love that sometimes only Mommy can comfort her, for I know the phase won't last long. My kids have taught me to smile more and frown less.
I hope that the next 6 months we are able to teach one another more. We not only teach our childern life lessons, but they teach us as well, just in their own secret ways!
It wasn't always like this though. We have been through many struggles during bedtime. From getting to sleep in his own crib when he was an infant, to learning how to stay in his big boy bed and go to sleep. But we have made it through all of that to get to a point where I look forward to bedtime. Not only because it means I finally get a little bit of Mommy time before his little sister wakes up, but because it is just him and I spending some quiet time together.
I love when he runs up the stairs after he has decided which moose he is going to take to bed with him that night (they are identical by the way so I can wash one if it gets too gross and he can still have one) and he squeals with delight knowing that I am right behind him. He runs into our room (yes our room, he starts out in our bed, then I carry him back to his before we go to bed and then he comes back to our bed around 2:00am) he hurls himself onto the bed and says "book, book, book" repeatedly, until I have chosen a book to read that night. I climb in beside him and he curls up nice and close beside me so he can see the pictures. And we just sit there, just him and I and nothing else exists at that point and time.
When I am done I climb out of our bed and get my kiss goodnight from him. He pulls the blankets up nice and high so the only thing you can see is his face and his moose right beside him. I walk out the door and stop and turn and say "night nights Logan" and I stand there for a minute and listen carefully for the quiet voice "night nights Mama" and my day is complete!
Is something that was unheard of in our house until last night.
Brynleigh is almost 5 months old, and I have never gotten so little sleep for a continous amount of time like this before. I thought Logan was a bad sleeper, Brynleigh takes the cake! Now I am not talking one or two times she gets up in the night, no we are talking more like four plus times in the night, and more often then not I ended up downstairs on the couch with her sleeping in her vibrating chair. I knew I couldn't go on much longer like this because my patience was wearing very thin. Almost anything Logan did drove me nuts and the fact that Brynleigh couldn't take naps anywhere else other then my arms was highly annoying. Especially since Logan just knew the second that his siter fell asleep in my arms was the minute he could start getting into everything and I couldn't do much about it with a sleeping infant in my arms.
Well that all changed last night. I started some sleep training with her and it was the best decision ever. I am happy to say that last night I fell alseep in my bed and woke up this morning in my bed! It was a miracle. Although she did wake up four times I felt rested, possibly because she not only went back to sleep easily, but I wasn't stuck on a couch sleeping. The best part of it all, was the fact that we didn't even get to the first check in, which is five minutes after you put them to bed.
Moving on to the daytime, I was going to tackle naps, because I no longer wanted to be strapped to the couch for hours at a time. Although most times she just took catnaps, just long enough for her to feel just rested enough. Today she has taken two, yes two naps upstairs in her crib and both lasted one and a half hours! I feel like I won a gold medal!!
As we move into the later afternoon time into the evening I can't help but wonder how tonight will go. Here is hoping to a better restful night for everyone in our house.
My sleep training came from the book The Sleepeasy Solution.
Even though I was not suppose to go and check on her after she fell asleep I just couldn't help myself. This is how I found her, she has never once slept on her tummy, and she has turned herself sideways in the crib. But it works for her and that's all that matters!
This Saturday is Logan's third birthday. I remember like it was yesterday bringing him home for the first time, and the first night as a new Mom. It was the biggest challenge I had met so far in my life. But here I am three years later, and we are all still living! Three years ago I was given one of the greatest gifts to be given, I became a Mom. It hasn't always been easy, but it is a very rewarding job.
Logan has always been such a high energy kid and it can be difficult keeping up with him most times. Since he took that first step, he hasn't stopped running, I am not sure if he even knows how to walk! The past three years seem to have gone by all too quickly, but we have made lots of memories along the way. From the first tooth to the first step. From first word to first swim. And let's not forget the first broken bone. Water parks and the Zoo, trips up North and becoming a big brother.
Although being a Mom can be stressful and tiring at times I would not trade it for anything in the world, my biggest accomplishments are my kids and the sky is the limit for them!
I am not a perfect parent. I don't always keep my cool. I break down from lack of sleep. I get frusturated after telling my son for the millionth time to stop climbing on the counter because he could really hurt himself. I hate washing bottles. I really don't want to wake up for the tenth time to put the soothie back in my daughter's mouth. My mornings start way too early, like today 3:30am is when it started, it's going to be a long day!
But.......
I love being a parent. I love hearing my son call me Mommy. I love to hear the giggles in our house. I love watching my daughter smile each time, hoping to finally get to hear her laugh for the first time. I love feeling wanted by my childern. I love my kisses goodnight from my son. I love those special quiet moments in the early mornings with my daughter, even though I am so exhausted. I love making memories as a family.
Kids don't stay young forever, so I am trying to enjoy and take advantage of every moment, both the good and the bad.
The soft whimpers of a baby wake me up this morning and I can tell that it's early in the morning. Ugh! Not another wake up, she was just up at 2:00am! I roll over and look at the clock 5:45am. This can only mean one thing...it is the start of another day and it's a little too early for my liking, but with having two childern once the baby wakes up you can guarantee that Logan is soon to follow. As I slowly roll out of bed, I get up and peek over the edge of the crib and look at my little girl and she greets me with a huge smile. Everything in me melts and I no longer mind being up.
Those blissful smiles, the things they can do to a mother. They are by far the biggest reward that your infant can give you. We as mother's can sit there for 20 minutes, sometimes longer just to get one smile out of our baby, and when we finally succeed it's like we have won a gold medal! I remember the first time my son Logan gave me a smile, and thanks to my oh so talented Mother, who is a photographer we were able to capture it.
It's what keeps me going on a difficult day, where Brynleigh won't stop crying and Logan wants yet another yogurt for possibly the 5th time in the day. The days where I think I can't do this anymore, what was I thinking having two kids. Then you look over and there plastered on Brynleigh's face is one of the biggest gummy smiles ever! And everything just melts and you realize this is one of those moments, those precious moments that you will remember. Blissful smiles, it's the small things in life that you appreciate most.
So I suppose I should start at the beginning of everything. I married my husband Thomas in July of 2010. We decided that it would be fun to Marry on an extremely hot and humid day! We are coming up on our 2nd anniversary and happy to say that we are both still living!!
Logan Ian was born August 25th 2009. He was born at 41 weeks in the wee early morning at 4:42am. Weighing in at 7lbs 1oz and 21.5 inches.
He was the center of my world until.....
Brynleigh Grace was born on April 17th 2012. She was born at 40 weeks 3 days at 8:26am. Weighing in at 8lbs and 21 1/4 inches.
And now I have two beautiful childern that are the center of my world!
This year was Brynleigh's first Christmas. It can be an easy thing to forget with all the hustle and bustle that comes with Christmas time. The day is usually a whirlwind and is over before we know it. I had to keep reminding myself that it was her first Christmas and to make these moments special for her, even though she will not remember it I wanted to and I will be able to tell her about it when she is older. She enjoyed every minute of it!
This year was also the first year that Logan really understood Christmas. We built up the anticiaption to Christmas by counting down the days. He was very excited about Santa coming and loved the lights and tree. We also taught him about giving to others this year as well. He loved opening his stocking and he is a pro at opening presents as well now. 
