There's No Place Like Home!

Well a couple weeks ago I mentioned the kids and I were flying to Kansas City to visit my parents. The thought of the flight with a fairly mobile 10 mos old and a 2.5 year old who is working her way through potty training was frankly pretty worrisome, but I'm proud to say we made it. The trip TO Kansas City was a little dicey. I borrowed a portable DVD player from a friend and went to start "promised movie" for Natalie on the flight and realized I had A)not charged the dvd player and B)not brought the power cord with me.

?!@!?@!@?

After some quick back-pedaling, we had a very interesting flight in which I had to be rather creative to entertain both kids. Natalie played with ice cubes, we had a jar of play-doh and we stuck stickers to our bodies. Fun times.

But we made it. And fortunately Radio Shack had a car charger adapter that I could purchase for $11. I think my sigh of relief could be heard all the way back to Baltimore.

To say we had fun in Kansas City is an understatement. I went shopping, I went to Schitterbahn, we went to the pool, I got to spend time with my sister and see her new place, my dad and I went on a 25 mile bike ride on his tandem bicycle, we went to see my grandparents and someone watched my kids practically the WHOLE time we were there. /sigh It was so relaxing. (Okay, the 25 mile bike ride wasn't exactly relaxing, but it was some GREAT bonding time with my dad!)

I took lots of pictures so you could see some of the highlights...

Liam chillin-like-a-villian with Poppo

Natalie LOVED Mommo's dollhouse

I love the A&W in Boonville, MO. It has so many good memories for me. Especially the icy cold glass mugs that they serve the rootbeer in. There's just something special about rootbeer in an icy cold mug.

Rootbeer Buddies

Me, Liam and Poppo

Papa (my dad) and Liam

Nana and Natalie

I was trying to figure out a way to fit them (my parents) in my luggage so I could bring them back home with me.

I used to ride a tandem with my dad when I was in high school. This brought back the memories!

Spandex is so flattering... =P

Natalie went to the pool a lot in KS

My sister, Elizabeth, showed me her new place. It's SO neat inside and so close to the Plaza and all sorts of restaurants.

My sister made this awesome scallop and orzo dish with a red pepper cream sauce and my dad grilled super thick steaks to go with it. I've been eating ready-made heat and eat stuff for the past 10 months. I was in heaven!!!

Memorial Day... A Little Late

The past couple years we've had a carnival come to town on Memorial Day weekend. Last year was Natalie's first year at the carnival and while she had a good time, she also was a little young. In fact, one of my favorite pictures of her last year was in the moon bounce (for the first time ever).

I know it seems strange to love a picture of your kid where they are crying, but it was a funny situation and she was not hurt but was a little freaked out by the whole thing. Okay... you can think I'm a sadist and a bad mom. But you had to be there. You'd be laughing too.

Anyway, this year was a compeltely different story. She had a BLAST. And I was kicking myself for not getting discount tickets to Dutch Wonderland for this summer as I hadn't realized she'd be so gung-ho about the whole ride situation.

Oh well.

So she rode ALL the rides she could feasibly ride this year, being only 36" and not 42. Fortunately for her, tall is in her genes so she should be able to ride the "big rides" next year. We went this year with our friends Dave and Jill and their daughter, Sequoia. Natalie and "Squeeze" are only 7 mos apart so they really enjoy each others company. I have to constantly remind Natalie that Sequoia doesn't want to be pulled on, pushed on or constantly hugged, but otherwise, the friendship is shaping up nicely. I haven't figured out if touch is Natalie's love language or if it's just the age. If she's still like this when boys start to be of interest we may have to move to the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming.

Liam thought it was a riot. So much so that he passed out in the backpack carrier. I'm imagining it will be a different story next year!



The rest of the weekend was stellar. Super weather, lots of good cookouts - just the way Memorial Day SHOULD be every year. I made ribs for the first time with this recipe. They turned out amazing and really didn't require much effort on my part. I was pretty impressed with the recipe and will definitely be making again. All-in-all a super fun weekend and a GREAT start to the summer.

Top Left: Natalie's favorite church dress!
Top Right: My in-laws and Kevin at our rib/chicken feast on the patio.
Bottom Left: Liam chillin in the walker... no steps without holding on to anything yet!
Bottom Right: Natalie trying out the pool for the first time this year.
I LOVE summer time!!

Girls Night Out

Once a quarter I venture out of the house sans kids for a night on the town with two girlfriends I've had ever since I moved to Baltimore nearly 9 years ago, Kera and Melissa. They are the wives of two of my husband's best friends from middle and high school and we've been blessed to hit it off as well. The six of us have been through some pretty crazy times together and definitely have some stories to tell (although perhaps not all to the kids)!

Kera, Me, Melissa
So we girls have made it a priority to get out on our own and try to find some sort of respite from the chaos we have waiting for us at home. We always take care to make sure that we pick a place that has a fun and interesting menu, an exciting wine list and is free from little ones throwing grilled cheese sandwiches on the floor.

This past quarter, we went to Pazo, a somewhat over-priced, but fun, tapas restaurant in Fells Point (a historic, waterfront and culinary-rich neighborhood in downtown Baltimore). The ambiance there makes you feel like you've stepped out of the everyday and the food makes you feel more sophisticated just by eating it. Granted, the whole tapas thing is really misleading as a $7 "small plate" may only consist of 3 bites. The whole affair, as you can imagine, can add up quickly. But, regardless, we had a good time. We dined on homemade empanadas, lobster pintxo (on a stick), duck with papas frites (french fries), bread with warm cheese fonduta and more.

After enjoying a terrific meal we met up with the guys at DuClaw to cap off the evening and compare dinner stories. Duclaw is one of our favorite after-dinner spots to kick it until it comes time to go relieve the babysitter. It's nights like these that allow me to regain SOME of my sanity I've lost from wading through the "valley of the diapers".

Slog, slog, slog...

It's also great to have the time to connect with good friends and share this time of life together.

Guys-only camping!

Kevin here - with Lauren and the kids out to visit Nana and Papa, there was a definitely opportunity for some male bonding time in the woods. My friend Devon and I ran off to Harpers Ferry, WV to a new campground that is all waterfront, right on the potomac river! Took the new camper for its second trip now, and it was a blast! The campsite was on the only deep water section of the potomac, and about 100yds downstream starts more rapids. We hooked up with River Riders on Saturday and went white-water tubing for a few hours. That was awesome. The water was 70 deg and swimming was great.



At one point we had two fires going (just because we could) because there was so much firewood laying around. Good times.

Ready or Not... Here We Come!

It starts out as a wonderful idea (taking a trip to visit Nana and Papa). But as the actual day arrives and the reality of the impending mayhem hits me I rethink my decision. Who thought that flying halfway across the country with two kids under 3 by oneself was a good idea? What if I'm THAT person on the plane (the one with the screaming children). What if Natalie has to get up and go to the bathroom 10 bazillion times? What if I have to breastfeed in public? What if I have to change Liam in the teeny tiny plane bathroom? What if?

*BREATHE*

I've thought through all the scenarios. It's a crap shoot every time. Usually they're good, but there have been moments and even a full plane ride of anguish. Let's hope that's not the story today.

Southwest sent me some free drink coupons. I'm guessing it's not socially acceptable to partake myself in the company of my kids so I've considered offering them to people sitting around me as a peace offering should things get ugly.

Hopefully I have enough.

If I can just make it through the next 5 hours unscathed, I should be set. Good things await me in Kansas City. Lots of doting on the kids (and subsequent relaxation for me), a waterpark (YEAH, Schlitterbahn!) and, of course, some good quality time with my parents, sister and grandparents. Stay tuned next week for pictures from our misadventure. Let's just pray that the plane doesn't decide to kick us off in Tennessee. I don't know anyone there.

10 Months Old

Well we've all been sick this weekend. Not much fun. But in the chaos, we did manage to find a little bit of time for fun. Kodakgallery.com has a cute baby photo contest and I found myself trying to take some pictures my little guy. I just can't believe he's going to be 10 months old this week. He's pulling up, saying "Mama" and starting to cruise the furniture. I also recently discovered that I can take his 9 mos old jeans (that don't fit him anymore) and roll up the cuffs to make shorts for Natalie. I am not even joking.

Next week, the kids and I are off to Kansas City to visit my family. I'm SO excited, but incredibly nervous, about the plane ride with both of them by myself. Natalie's out of diapers now and Liam is crawling. Should make for an interesting trip and blog post....stay tuned!

We Made It

Well, we made it! I would have posted pictures earlier, but I was too busy with a 24 hour stomach bug and then taking care of 2 kids with upper respiratory infections + fevers. Fortunately we didn't start feeling poorly until AFTER we got back from camping. THANKFULLY.

Bouncing

Hayride around the campground

This is actually TWO sites right next to each other. We had about 15ft between us and the next camper. Ridiculously small!

I'll have to say it was more fun than I anticipated. The KOA we stayed at in Harpers Ferry, WV has A LOT of amenities: heated pool, big bouncy blob-style thing for kids and adults alike to bounce on, tons of coordinated activities on the weekends, movies, a museum, etc, etc. We were a little concerned when we arrived because the sites were so super small. That was the only drawback, though, and fortunately we had nice neighbors.


Our camper... I think she needs a name!
Camping with a camper is a completely new experience and I have to admit - it doesn't feel much like the old way of camping at all. However, its SUPER comfy for sleeping and housing a couple little ones. The first night we slept with the A/C on and then the next night we used the heat. You don't even have to trudge to the bath house in the middle of the night for a midnight pee! How exciting is that?!?!

We went on the trip with two other couples (Mario/Simone and Dave/Jill) with five kids between us and a dog. We definitely stayed busy corralling all of the kids and enjoying all of the activities. Both Liam (9.5 mos) and Cheyenne (10.5 mos) aren't walking yet and were fairly content to stay in their screened in playroom (except for the occasional breakout for a snack of small rocks and dirt). However, I'm envisioning camping with them in the fall is going to bring a whole new level of baby-proofing. I'm imagining a giant gate around the fire.



We ate GREAT on the trip (no hot dogs and beans here!) and took turns preparing the meals. I think our only regret was not being able to stay longer. It's really a bit comical to think that we prepared ALL week for a trip that was really only one full day and two half days.

Nice.

Brave? Or Just Plain Crazy?

Kevin and I used to be avid campers. Okay... maybe avid is an overstatement. We did LOVE to camp as a family. But that was before kids. Since then, Kevin has been camping for hunting trips and such, but I've stayed behind, glad to have a whole house to spread out with the kids and not have to worry about keeping little ones out of a fire pit. How did those cave women do it?

Every year my friends (with kids around the same ages) have asked if we'd go. They're much braver than I and seem to have a good time. But I've remained the weenie - until now.

For some unknown reason (maybe because Natalie is potty trained [YES!] or because there's another family with a kid Liam's age going) I've decided to take the plunge and sleep in a tent with a 9 mos old and 2.5 year old because "Doesnt that just sound like so much fun?" "Wont this be the start of so many fun family memories?" and "You'll enjoy it once you get there!".

Since making the decision to go, though, we found a pop-up camper that we liked on Craigslist (my favorite site!) and we'll be taking it with us. Kevin's especially excited as it will be a nice upgrade to cold tent camping he does during hunting season (the camper has heating AND air conditioning!). While this might seem like it would be a huge relief... I'm not sure I'm feeling it yet.

Lately, Liam's been waking up at 5am in the morning and just chatting away for two hours until we get up. Might be interesting in the close quarters of a camper. He's also kicked his second nap the past couple days. I'd like to attribute this to teething (he's been very, very fussy) and am really hopeful that it's a temporary thing.

In preparing for the trip this morning I hit up the local Wal-mart Supercenter, determined to get a bit of one-stop shopping done. Liam ended up having a breakdown in the middle of the trip needing to be held the ENTIRE time. Imagine this with a 2 1/2 yr old itching to get out of a cart that is packed TO THE BRIM with supplies and plenty of cold stuff thawing out. I believe I was sweating from pulling the cart around the store too.

Then Natalie started commenting (rather loudly) about all of the "yucky people". I swear I've never said anything of the like for her to repeat... I'm not sure what struck her eye about the Walmart clientele. Perhaps she's seen this site. She's very interested in expressing what she likes and doesn't like these days.) Let's see, I dropped my phone on the floor AND really had to go the bathroom the entire hour and a half that I was there too (but what can one do with a cart full of stuff and at least one cart-bound kid?).

After all the unpacking and arranging back at home, I'm still short a few things on my list and still have laundry to do to get us ready to go - not to mention all of the packing.

So, at this point... I'm convinced I'll be enjoying myself once I make it to the campsite, put the kids in bed, put up my feet and make myself a cold drink.

Let the countdown begin!

Teeth!

Guess who's teeth have been coming in on top?


Guess who's been fussed AT for the past week!

Because 3 Weeks is Just Too Dad Gum Long!

It's been FOREVER and a day since I've posted it seems. Sorry for falling off the grid. I'm not going to write much as I'm a bit pressed for time. But I did have a few pictures of what we've been up to...


We ordered a new swimsuit for Natalie from Sears/Lands End and it came in the mail. She's been asking to swim all winter and now it actually might be warm enough to dig out the pool from it's hiding spot underneath the deck. Of COURSE we had to try on the swimsuit to make sure a 3T was the right size. She decided it was exactly the fashion statement she wanted to make for the rest of the night... over her clothes.


Natalie's quite the little mommy. And that would be cute if she were helpful. Unfortunately, a 2.5 year old's idea of help is more frustrating than anything as she ends up tipping Liam over, hitting him instead of patting, shoving items in his mouth, etc, etc. We've resorted to just telling her "DONT TOUCH HIM" after a series of "gentle!", "dont pull on his head!" "dont put that in his mouth!" Sheesh...2.5 and we are already promoting the idea that her little brother has cooties!


A couple weekends ago Kevin went turkey hunting with his buddy and my mom came to help out with the kids. I think I would have gone postal in the 5 days alone with them, so I was very thankful for the company! (Especially because I came down with a mild form of food poisoning and was weak and nauseous for a couple days.) We had a great time with Nana and did all the usual stuff once I felt better... garage sales, grocery shopping and the park. I even picked up a doll house off of Craigslist for Natalie's birthday (in September)! Its always fun for her to see just how crazy it is around here on a day-to-day basis.

Okay that's it for now. I've got some thoughts in my head for the next post and it shouldn't take me three weeks to get them written down this time. Stay tuned!

Stream of Consciousness

Do you ever have a lot going on in your head but are unable to formulate the thoughts about what it all means so that you could actually put some words to it? That's what's going on with me lately. Lots and lots of random thoughts. Here's a tidbit from my stream of consciousness...

I envy those people who have an intelligent stream of consciousness all the time. They seem "with it". They'd be able to defend themselves in an argument on the spot or think of something witty to say at the perfect moment or talk intelligently about something that they know little about. I always wanted the quick comeback - especially on the playground in elementary school. I know some people who always seemed quick on the draw. I think they went on to become lawyers.

Yeah, I envy THOSE people.

Like radio announcers, for instance. They are able to talk about absolutely NOTHING and yet we are TRANSFIXED. We laugh along with them, we call into their shows. Strange... because what (if not a news program) are they talking about anyway?

I mean, have you ever listened to home-grown radio station - like on college radio? It's PAINFUL. And we find ourselves thinking who let THAT person on the radio? And the funny thing is that I think that most of us associate ourselves (in our mind) with the good radio announcers but probably would be tripping over our words and saying "UMMMM" a million times just like the college announcers.

Pat on the back to you if you're still with me. Formulating a cohesive point is like herding cats tonight.

Speaking of tonight...I almost got pulled over. On my way to church... ha!
Actually, the car in front of me did get pulled over. Its on a road that I always speed on too.

Note to self: "can't speed on way to church anymore".

I had JUST been frustrated at a car that was driving slowing in front of me not 5 minutes prior. I did say a little "thank you" prayer when I realized I was one person away from getting pulled over.

Snoring yet? This should wake you up:

Natalie's doing well with the whole potty thing - another blessing. Although she still poops her pants at "nap time" every day. This past weekend she pooped and then wanted me to put it in the toilet. I agreed thinking that this sort of visual association might get things rolling on the #2 front. Not really thinking about the whole physics involved I leaned over the toilet and dumped the contents of her diaper in. Suddenly, it was as if a tsunami erupted in the toilet and leaped out at me. We're talking toilet water in the eye, mouth and hair. Totally immobilizing.

DISGUSTING

On a positive note she did poop on the potty today before nap. Sorry, Liam... I'm not repeating this stunt with you even if you have to be in diapers until you're 5.

Liam said "Mama" for the first time on Sunday. He'd said it about 5 times in a row before I realized he was saying my name (I hear it about 5 billion times from Natalie). Poor kid...already getting the shaft because he's not the first born.

Other firsts for him this weekend: creamed spinach, cheerios, rotisserie chicken, cheese and crackers. It's a whole new culinary world out there for him. He get's excited about good food (the non-jarred kind) and wiggles his hands around and grunts a whole bunch. Hopefully he grows out of that before he get's to school or we're going to have some problems in the social department.

I love Craigslist. I've said this before... but I'm addicted to and love the hunt. Presently, I'm shopping for furniture to transform our dining room into a playroom. We're moving our dining room furniture into our eat-in kitchen and then I'm looking for a sideboard or something to fit all of our "fancy" dishes. Okay...we don't have fancy dishes. They're from Ikea and then we have a matched set of wine glasses from Walmart. But we keep them in a cabinet out of the kitchen so that at least we'll have a full set when we have guests over. Regardless, I've got my eye on some end tables and a sideboard right now to reclaim our living room for an adult space (once the toys are out of there). Kevin made the comment that he didn't know what we'd use the room for once the toys were gone and I said that I didn't really care. At least I'd have a space on the main floor that was devoid of toys. And if all I could do is sit in there and stare at the toyless floor, then that is what I'd do. Thankyouverymuch.

Have you ever realized that the things we value most in this world don't come easily? And sometimes you second guess whether they're worth it? But in the moment you realize just how "worth it" it truly is, that's what makes life worth living? Wouldn't it be nice if we could hold on to those moments and get rid of all the rest of the red tape? The crap. The stuff that keeps everything and everyone from working well together. Nice and vague I know.... kinda like my stream of consciousness. I guess it can be applied to anything you care about really.

Thanks for playing "what's going on in Lauren's head". Tune in next time for hopefully more defined thoughts and (hopefully) less toilet water in the face.

Natalie Reads, Liam Crawls... well sort of.

Okay...this is long. But there are a few of you out there who will watch it. You KNOW who you are.

Driveway Picnic

Dear 65 degree weather that we had this weekend,

You're such a tease. Please come back and stay this time and bring the sun with you. I'm tired of all this cold rain. Besides, it might finally get rid of all of the excuses I have not to prepare for that 5K I said I'd run this summer. And then the kids wouldn't be so whiny because they'd have gotten to play outside. And maybe Natalie would actually start napping again. You know they say that playing outside and being in the sun wears you out more. Yeah, that would be cool.

- Lauren

Guess Who Went Poopy on the Potty?

Dude... imagine how much bling Kevin would have if we rewarded like this every time!

The Perfect Weekend for a Birthday!

This past weekend Kevin turned the big three three. I told him next time he was a palindrome, he'd be 44. I think the scarier fact here is that Natalie will be 13!

Birthday's before kids were so much more adventurous. I'd arrange with Kevin's boss for him to have the day off of work and then I'd surprise him with a day of stuff planned that I thought he'd like. We've had some fun birthday dates over the years - from a helicopter flight lesson, to cooking lessons, to a surprise paintball party. This year, though, the it became more of a family affair. Kevin treated himself the week before to his present this year: his very own brewers kit. He's taken his love for all things gourmet to a whole new level and is starting to make his own beer. A friend of his got him started and I have to say, the result blows the stuff at the liquor store out of the water. As the kids start to play together more, I hope for his brewing times to be a time when I can crack open some of my cookbooks and try some new recipes too. A new way to spend time in the kitchen! As long as he doesn't start LOOKING like some of the guys I saw at the home-brew store. Imagine Grizzly Adams, turned biker.

For his birthday this year we visited a brewers store in the area for Kevin to stock up on some extra supplies and then headed to a trail to take the kids for a stroll. Natalie put on a good show and wore underwear (instead of diapers) out of the house for the first time (and had NO accidents)! Then Kevin and I went to one of our new favorite Baltimore restaurants, The Chameleon Cafe. Its a French-inspired restaurant that specializes in using local produce and meats on its ever-changing menu. Sooooo... delicious. I mean, I didnt know food could taste so good. I feel like my attempts at gourmet at home are like Chef Boyardee in comparison.



The rest of the weekend we pulled out the shorts and the short-sleeve-shirts and did LOTS of playing outside. It was in the 70s! It feels like we've been cooped up FOREVER this winter with all the snow we've had and it was fun to actually say "YES" when Natalie asked to ride her bike outside for a change.

Liam chillin in the grass. Still no teeth (I was wrong in my ealier post.) He drools like he's sprung a leak though. Not a problem now, but in 15 years it might be! =P

Oh the bike, the beloved bike, that she would probably like to cuddle up to at night if given the chance.
Natalie's friend, Sequoia, has a Barbie Hot Wheels that the girls had a good time taking a spin in. I'm imagining Natalie's face hurt from all the smiling she did while riding around in that thing.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

In the spirit of St. Patricks Day we tried a new recipe - Irish Chicken and Dumplings. Mmmm... It was pretty yummy stuff! Not sure what exactly makes it Irish (the green peas maybe?). I also tried green beer for the first time. A little strange, and feels like I'm drinking Draino... minus the call to poison control. It remindes me of the green ketchup thing Burger King did for a while in 2000. Although, I never really could get used to that one!

Liam got in the spirit with some green beans for dinner.

BGB (Before green beans)

AGB (After green beans)
And since it's been forever since I posted (Mom) I'll leave you with an extra snapshot of the kids!

She Didn't Want to Sit in the Cart Until She Saw This Thing...

Flowers in Your Absence

Kevin is in Phoenix until tomorrow and left me with these in his absence. Thanks, hon! I miss you lots!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Heaven

Made these cookies last night. Let's just say that I had to give away MOST of the leftovers. And after having some for breakfast this morning decided the rest had to be sequestered to the freezer. These things are DANGEROUS!