New Top Five

Okay, so I've been wanting to do this post for a while now. I just haven't had an opportunity to sit down and do it. A friend of mine called a few weeks ago with some questions about registering for her first baby. Boy, did I give her an earful -- probably way more than she wanted to hear! Anyways, it got me thinking ... what are my FAVORITE, MUST-HAVE baby items? I posted my top-five a few years ago, when Tanner was just 3 mos old, and several of them have changed now that I have a bit more perspective and another little one to take care of. What are your faves?

My New Top Five

1) Nikon D60 (or any DSLR camera) -- I will never go to a photo studio again to get pics of my kids. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my camera and swear it was the best purchase I have ever made. I really feel like I have some awesome, frame-able pics of my kids, thanks to this camera.

2) Summer Day and Night Handheld Monitor -- I recommend this to everyone I know who is having a baby. Most of them have the same reaction that I initially did -- "they're so expensive!! I don't really need all that video stuff ... " Oh, but you do! You really really do! Especially down the road, when it's time to start letting your baby cry it out, or when you first move your toddler to a big boy bed. We even take them with us when we go visit the grandparents, or on vacation, etc. I wonder sometimes -- at what age do we have to take the cameras out of their rooms ... 18??

3) Baby Bjorn -- I'm going to be honest here. I barely used this for Tanner. But, with two, things are completely different and Landon usually finds himself in the Bjorn several times each day. Mine currently needs to be washed so badly but I don't want to go without it for the time it takes to wash it and then hang it up to dry. That's how much I love this thing. Landon is fast approaching the weight/height limit, though, so I'm thinking about getting another style of carrier to tote him around in. Any recommendations?

4) Exersaucer and Activity Gym -- think you might want to do dishes? Or check your email? Or just set your baby down for a few minutes? There will be a time when the swing or bouncy seat just isn't enough to keep your little one content and entertained. And in my case ... contained -- we've already had to put our swing back in storage because Landon has outgrown it! Once your baby is strong enough to put in the exersaucer, a whole new world opens up for them! They LOVE it! And the activity gym is an awesome precursor to the exersaucer. I don't know what I'd do without them!

5) Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover -- makes nursing in public no big deal. Which makes me think I can go anywhere, at anytime. (If I don't have a toddler to contain while I sit down and nurse, that is!)

A Few More Really Cool Things
Tiny Diner Dinner Mat

Snack Traps

Things I Wish I Wouldn't Have Bothered With

1) Diaper Genie/Diaper Champ -- the diaper genie uses refills that cost close to $7 each. The diaper champ just stinks. Period. I've found the best thing to do is put all of the diapers from one day in a plastic grocery sack and just throw it out at the end of the day. Oh yeah ... and that's free! I actually find that the trash can w/lid that we use for our cloth diapers contains smells just as nicely as the diaper genie. I just make sure to lysol it whenever I launder the diapers.

2) High Chair -- If there was one big priced item you would like to go without, have it be your high chair. It takes up so much space and a booster seat pulled up to your table is just as effective!

3) Hotsling -- It was just awkward. I used it once. No wonder there are so many for sale on eBay.

What About B.O.B.?

I still pink puffy heart B.O.B. I mean -- he's really like a member of our family. Jon, Rachel, Tanner, Landon, and BOB. He's the reason we bought a bigger car, for goodness sakes! Could I live without him? I suppose. But, gosh, he makes our (attempts at) jogging so much easier and our outings so much more fun!!

Now ... To Get Prints Made ...

I've noticed that most of my pictures lately are of Tanner doing fun things. Poor little Landon seems to only be photographed in his stroller since he can't even sit up on his own yet. Thankfully, Jon took a break from mowing the yard this morning while we were all outside, and he held Landon so I could get some good shots.

Have I told you lately how much I LOVE this kid??

Not Enough Hours In The Day

I've said this to my husband a million times.

You can do anything you want. You just can't do everything.

If you know Jon at all, you know he's pretty passionate about life and SO afraid that he's going to miss out on something cool or fun that he commits himself to way too many things. That's when I usually step in as the boring/nagging wife and remind him that he needs to prioritize.

So why can't I take my own advice? Why do I feel that, as a mom, I should be doing EVERYTHING. Because, honestly, it's completely exhausting thinking of all the things I could/should/want to be doing as a wife and mother. Those who know me best know that what I really wanted to be in life was a mom. And now, here I am! So, not only do I feel like this is the most important time in my life. I also feel like it's going to be the best time in my life, and I don't want to miss out on anything. Did you get all that? I wish I knew how to say it better.

Anyways, I just can't figure out how to do it all. I feel like the majority of my days are spent wiping (counter tops, floors, dishes, noses, hands, faces, bottoms ...), planning meals/preparing food, running errands, doing laundry, emailing/blogging, and making sure my kids have something fun to do each day. I just can't seem to fit anything else in. I never thought I'd say this, but my current fitness goal is to squeeze in a measly three workouts each week -- and lots of times I can only do two! There are so many other things I want to be doing, but there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day!

Here's a sampling:
1) Actually do something with all the pictures I take. Organize them. Frame them. Order photo books.
2) Plant/tend a vegetable garden
3) Read -- for pleasure and for professional development (i.e. parenting books) :)
4) Decorate my house ... or at least get some things put up on the walls
5) Plan some sort of lesson/project/fun educational activity for Tanner each day
6) Do a Bible Study
7) Create some regular time for myself
8) Add some new/more exciting meals to my repertoire

And those are just the things that are popping into my head right now. You should see how much I come up with when I'm driving in the car or laying in bed at night. And then there are the things I already do, but want to be better at, like disciplining more consistently, eating more healthfully, etc.

I have friends and acquaintances who seem like they are able to do everything. They are organized, their houses are spotless, they are so thoughtful and remember everything. So what am I missing? Perhaps just a little bit of patience and perspective. Those friends of mine may seem to be doing it all, but when I take a step back and really think about it, I doubt they're really doing everything. Let's face it, it's been a busy year! After all, if I plan a little bit in advance, I just might be able to get that garden together by next year. And in a few years, when Jon is done taking classes, maybe then I'll get to do that Bible Study. And what if I made it a goal to finish just one photo project each month ...

I guess it's not the end of the world if I can't fit everything in at once. I guess that's the way life/motherhood is. You do what you can, when you can. And try not to feel guilty about the rest.

I mean, we can't all be Donna now, can we?

Sleep Nazi

Do you see this sweet angel-baby?

Don't you just want to rock him to sleep every night?

And soak up every little cuddle, every smile and sigh?

Well, I do.

Which is why we have a problem, folks. It is time. Time to put my baby to bed drowsy, but awake. Time to let him soothe himself to sleep. If it was left up to me, I would let him sleep in my arms all night. But truly, that's probably not healthy for me, or him. Plus, I have another child to put to bed, too! So endless rocking and soothing just isn't possible. Right now, I usually nurse him right before bed, and he falls asleep while he's eating. Then, I carefully put him in his crib. This was perfect until about 2 weeks ago. Now, as soon as I lay him down in his crib, he starts crying. It never fails. So, I'm trying to let him cry himself to sleep. And it stinks. He just gets SO mad and worked up and screams and screams -- which I could probably get through if I just turned my monitor off, took a shower, kept myself busy with other things. But he gets so upset that he throws up. Which makes me feel TERRIBLE and SAD and also means that I have to change his sheet and his pajamas.

So, what should I do? Do I stick with it? Or do I wait a few more weeks/months and try again? Either way I feel like a terrible mom when it comes to bedtime. I don't remember feeling this bad when it was time to let Tanner cry it out. Then again, he never made himself vomit in the process. Any advice?

Deep Thinking

If you pull through the drive thru at Starbucks

and order your Grande Nonfat No-Whip Mocha,

but the baristas accidentally give you whipped cream,

just take it as a sign that God is smiling upon you.

That's what I do.

Mini-Van Mama

Today, my brilliant, fantastic-looking, hard-working husband took one for the team. He trade in his baby ...

for one of these ... ... and I couldn't be more *excited*!!

Most moms I know start any car conversation like this ... "I don't want a minivan, but we're just going to have to get one." Or else they pretty much just state that they wouldn't be caught dead driving one!

I, on the other hand, have been wanting one since I was pregnant with Tanner. And it wasn't because I was resigned to the fact that eventually we would probably need one. Nope, I just wanted one. I never even considered another alternative. So, when our car started to feel pretty tight after Landon was born (we had to choose between golf clubs and the stroller everytime we took a trip home), I immediately put the kibosh on talks of moving to an SUV. Jon tried to stay strong ... "We can get anything but a mini-van" ... but after borrowing my mom's for a week, he was sold. So, today we traded in Jon's car, he took my little hatchback (I told you he took one for the team!) and I got a van. Sweet. :)

At one point in time, I swore that I wasn't ever going to let my kids eat in the car. That lasted until Tanner was about 10 months old and developed the pincher grasp needed to pick up a cheerio and put it into his mouth. So, while I can't promise there won't be a goldfish or two on the floor underneath the carseats, I can assure you that this will never make it past the sliding door.

A cupcake from the neighbors. I've been changing bright turquoise diapers for two days now.

Tickled

Thank you, Jesus!

We are finally back to normal around here -- even better than normal, actually. Tanner is feeling much better, which means more smiles, more fun, and much less whining/crying/tantruming. We spent all day yesterday outside in the backyard and for some reason, several of the neighborhood kids ended up there also, which was a blast. Who knew that toddler toys could be so much fun for 5-8 year olds?! Tanner loved having some playmates and kept saying "Kidz" all day long. Our yard was a disaster by the end of the day, but quite a testament to all the fun that was had!

Today was great, too. The boys and I spent the morning outside again while Jon went wakeboarding with a friend. Then, it was time to head to church to get our portraits taken for the church directory. Wouldn't you know Tanner had a huge scrape on his cheek and a big bruise on his forehead. Awesome timing -- but I'm sure we'll look back in 20 years and laugh when we see all his boo-boos. I know this is ridiculous, but I was so PROUD that we actually made it ON TIME to our appointment ... we are always late everywhere, so being on time for once was awesome!

Afterwards, we went for lunch, and then I brought the boys home for a nap while Jon went out to run a few errands. When he got home, he offered to take Tanner to the pool for a little swim. I was just tickled to have a little time to myself with Landon. We actually went for a walk, which was an everyday thing when Tanner was a baby. Unfortunately for Landon, Tanner doesn't like to just sit in the stroller while I walk, so we either have to be running or just going on a short trip. It was wonderful just to be out in the nice weather, getting a little exercise, and clearing my head. Tomorrow I've requested a little bit of "me" time away from the house and all of the boys. I'm not quite sure what I'll do, I just know that a little time away will be good for my soul. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Even if it is just a few hours.

Detox

Shelby hit the nail on the head when she commented on my last entry. We are definitely going through some "Grandparent Detox" here at the Hall house this week. For 10 days, my little guys were cuddled, coddled, and spoiled like you wouldn't believe. And they weren't the only ones ... I had my share of pampering, too. I was able to go shopping (for MYSELF!!), see two movies, and even enjoy a fancy shmancy dinner with Kat and our in-laws. It was so hard to say goodbye to all of that special treatment, but it is good to be home and we are finally moving back towards normalcy around here. Hallelujah!

We spent the first weekend of our trip with Maw-Maw (Jon's mom). My parents were in Atlanta visiting my sister, Lauren, and Jon and his dad were in Ohio for a golf trip. So, being the only two adults left behind, we banded together and had a fantastic weekend! A trip to McDonalds (remember how EXCITING that was when you were a kid?) to play at the playplace, then downtown for ice cream, and finally a trip to the zoo. Thank you, Maw-Maw for all of your help and for being so very good to me and my boys!

Tanner ADORED feeding the goats, but he only wanted to feed this little white one (the "baby"). He said he didn't want to feed any of the mommy and daddy goats and would get very angry and yell at them when they tried to get food from him.

This little guy was such a trooper. Have I mentioned how much the sight of him just MAKES MY DAY??

After the weekend was over, Maw-Maw had to go back to work, so we packed our things and headed to Grammy and Poppy's house so we could spend some quality time with Aunt Kat. From then on, I was a big fat ZERO in Tanner's mind. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. Aunt Kat is truly his favorite person EVER. We joked that the two of them were going to get BFF lockets (remember those?). He barely left her side for the entire stay. And Kat was so completely patient, loving, and attentive with him. Who needs Mary Poppins when you have Nanny Kat?

We tried to do something different each day. One day we hung out on the back deck, another day we packed a picnic lunch and went to the park.

We had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Fagan.

We went to the kid's museum.

We even did some "pickin'!"

As I look through these pictures and the fun we had, all I can think of is how truly blessed Jon and I are to

1. Have such AMAZING families (parents and siblings) who are such a support and encouragement to us.
2. Live close enough to our parents that we can see them often!

Besides, having to go through Grandparent Detox once in a while isn't such a bad thing!

Back Into The Swing of Things

It's been two days since the little ones and I returned from our 10-day trip home to Michigan. We had such a great time, but left in tears as we had to bid farewell to our beloved Aunt Kat, who has been living with my parents for the summer.

The past two days have been ROUGH and I'm having a hard time getting back in the groove here at home! Tanner and Jon have been sick and Landon has been needy. And I've just been feeling stressed. That's all there is to it. And at least one child is always awake. And at least one child is always crying (or so it seems). This can't last forever, right?

I'm hoping a good night's rest will help me and the rest of my brood return to normal. The boys went down early, and I'm about to do the same. I'll (hopefully) update tomorrow about our trip! We did so much and I have lots of great pictures!

Me Time

It's just past 10:00 here at my parents' house, and both kiddos are finally in bed. Tanner wakes up pretty early here, so it's been a long day. Now that I finally have some time to myself, what do I do?

Pour over pictures of them on my blog, of course. And think to myself "aren't they the CUTEST, sweetest?"

I know ... P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.

Some Random Thoughts

And a few Random Photos, too!

First off ... Landon had his four-month checkup today. He's 17 lbs 12 oz and 27 inches long -- just how I like my babies -- nice and fat. I swear they keep those exam rooms at like 98 degrees, though, because I'm always sweating by the time I leave there. It could be because they don't want the babies to get cold since they're naked most of the visit. Or maybe it's just my natural response to Tanner playing with the trashcan (gross!!) and the light switches the whole time I'm trying to talk to the doctor. Or maybe it's because Landon cried through the whole thing. The doctor told me this means he's cognitively advanced. Nothing like trying to make a mom feel good. She also told me I should start putting him in his bed awake and letting him cry during the night. Not sure I'm ready to start that yet. But I'll take the "advanced" comment, just the same. :)

Landon also took his first spin in the exersaucer yesterday, followed by a repeat today. He seems to love it and I'm glad I have another way to entertain him. Oh ... and Tanner seems to really enjoy it, too!

Dude ... Hands OFF!

Nothing like a great day at the office!

I don't know what the deal is, but Tanner has grown up SO MUCH these past 2 - 3 months. I look at him and can't seem to find even an ounce of baby left. He's 100% little boy now. He's communicating so much and his vocabulary seems to be growing exponentially. But he still gives me at least 50 kisses a day if I ask for them. And, in turn, he asks me to kiss at least 25 boo-boos everyday. I love how he gets an owie and runs to me, tearful, asking me to kiss it. As soon as I do, he's happy again, and I feel like my lips are full of magic. Everything he plays with turns into a "choo-choo" or a boat. And he's enthralled with bugs ... or bogues as he calls them. And did I mention that he's the BEST big brother ever?

As for me, I'm feeling rather dumpy lately. Simply pass over this next paragraph if you don't want to hear my ridiculous self-loathing. First off ... I totally need some new highlights. And a trim. And a babysitter to watch my kids while I get these done. And money to pay the outrageous price to get these done at the salon I like to go to. Still reading? Okay then. I also need to lose this last 10lbs of baby weight, which is residing in my face and hips ... yuck. Except I really don't have an excuse because I've been eating whatever I want. And I'm having the HARDEST time finding opportunities to work out. I've always got one napping and one awake it seems like, which rules out the treadmill and a run with the jogger. And I really just need to stop making excuses ... and I know it. Still reading? I kind of hope you've moved on by now. But in case you haven't ... have I mentioned that I have ZERO clothes that fit? My fat clothes are too big, and my regular clothes are too small. And the more I look at my regular clothes, the more I see that they really aren't that great anyways. Okay ... and one more thing. I know this is insane. I know it, but I'm just going to put it out there so you know exactly what I'm thinking. Remember how my retainer broke a few months ago and I had to go and get a new one made? Well, about 6 weeks passed by between losing the old one and getting the new one and I swear my teeth are crooked now. And I can't hardly bear to look at them because I was so faithful for so long with that stupid retainer and now my two front teeth are totally overlapping the next two ... just a little bit. Okay, I really hope everyone's moved on to the next paragraph by now. Besides, I doubt anyone I come into contact with pays even a lick of attention to my appearance when I have this little heartbraker on my arm.

And there is something awesome that I want to share with you. It's a recipe that I found for iced coffee that almost blows Starbucks out of the water. Almost. Try it and see what you think:

1 pot strong coffee (I brewed 10 cups with 10 T coffee grounds)

1/2 of a 14 oz can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Mix together and chill. Add your favorite flavor if you like. I added a bit of chocolate syrup and it is SUCH a treat! Let me know how you like it!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Is it really almost Thursday already?

This week has FLOWN by thanks to mountains of laundry, back-to-back trips to the spray park, and the awesome weather (finally!!) that has been beckoning us to spend our days outside.

Last weekend, we took a trip to Ohio to visit with Jon's extended family. It was our longest drive ever with the boys (about 10 hours each way) and they did GREAT thanks to Grandpa and Grandma and their portable DVD player. It was a quick trip -- we left on Friday morning and returned late Sunday evening. But it was TOTALLY worth it to get to visit with all of Jon's family. I always enjoy getting together with them ... they are always so friendly and easy to talk to and we have so much fun when we're with them! I wish I would've taken more pictures of everyone, but most of them are just of the boys. I put them together in a slideshow for you. ENJOY!

Repeat

Let's just say that tonight has been a repeat of last Thursday. Once again, I have been sucked into the blogosphere. But to tell you the truth, I needed to unwind a little. At 5:30 this evening, I wasn't quite sure I was going to make it. Both kids were crying, and I still had dinner and baths ahead of me (the hardest part of my day.) But ... we made it. Both boys are sound asleep. And I'm ignoring my dirty kitchen floors that are begging to be mopped. They'll just be dirty again by tomorrow, right?? :)

We've been all over the place this last week -- but having lots of fun. And despite the hardest parts of my day ... the times when I just want to lock myself in the bathroom for a little bit of peace ... I'm still lovin' being a mom to these two boys.

I've said before that my video monitor is my favorite baby purchase. Let me tell you why.

Every night after I crawl in bed, I lean over to my bedside table and grab the monitor. Then, I take a look at Tanner -- my busy busy boy who has finally crashed -- and my heart fills with so much love that I think it might burst.



And then I flip the channel over to Landon's room. And I'm shocked night after night by how deeply I have fallen in love with this little person. And all I can think about is how I can't wait to see him again.

How did I get to be so blessed?

To Do

I had so much planned for tonight after I put the kids to bed.

Really, I did.

I was going to start by running on our treadmill for a little bit.

Then, I was going to tidy up the house and do a load of laundry.

Next up was switching out all of Landon's 6mos. clothes for 9 mos.

After that, I was going to clean up the space around my desk.

And upload a few photos.

And then write a really interesting and funny post.

Finally, I was going to end the evening with a long hot bubble bath, a glass of wine, and a good book ... just like I used to do pre-children.

But FIRST, I was going to just check my email ... really quick.

Now it is 9:57 and I've been sucked in. I've checked my email, googled a few things, read everyone else's blog, ... and gotten nothing finished. Sheesh. Now I'm way too tired to do anything but that last part. :)

p.s. Landon rolled over today. Back to tummy. I know ... advaaaaanced. ;)

Oops -- I almost forgot!

One more thing for today.

Tanner went pee pee on the potty again ... like 3 drops, but we still celebrated. I gave him 2 M&Ms. I'm a total softy.

Swimming ...

... it does a body good.

What can I say except for today was WAAAAAYYYY better than yesterday. Thank you sunshine. Thank you Daddy. Thank you sprinkler. Thank you Ice Cream. Thank you Pool.

All Aboard!

In an effort to turn things around yesterday, we built this ...

CHOO - CHOOOOOOOO!!!!

Aint No Mountain High Enough

I've really come to think that parenting is a lot like marriage. It has it's highs and lows, peaks and valleys. Just when you are about to bust at the seams with pride for your child's behavior, just when you think you've got a handle on things and you're doing a good job and you start to get a tiny bit confident, things change and you are on your way back to a low again.

The last two weeks or so have definitely been a parenting high for me. Tanner's been AWESOME, so obedient and loving, and entertaining himself a lot more than usual. Landon's been super cuddly and undemanding.

Let me just say that this week has been ... well ... not so high. Today especially. Tanner has been testing me since the moment he woke up and we've already had about 8 timeouts. And little Landon, who is always happy, has been fussy fussy fussy. And I ... I have been yelling. I hate that ... I'm really not a yeller by nature and I have boatloads of patience -- I was a middle school teacher for goodness sake! I kind of want to just crawl back into bed and hide under the covers until tomorrow, with the hope that maybe I'll wake up to those sweet kids from last week.

Instead, maybe I'll use this naptime to get myself put together, brush my hair, put on a little makeup, and tidy up my house ... that oughtta help at least a little bit. There's gotta be another high period right around the corner, right???

And if not, there's always Starbucks. A mocha light frappacino always seems to make the day a little brighter.

From our days at the top ...

Our Weekend in Pictures

These two crazy kooks came into town and BOY, were we excited to see them!

We spent Friday afternoon wine tasting at several of the wineries close to home.

It was so much fun, but by the time we finished our fourth winery, we were ready to be done.

So we went home, ordered pizza for dinner, and closed the evening with a campfire and some smores. Tanner had his first roasted marshmallows and he LOVED them!

On Saturday morning, we woke up and spent the morning talking over coffee. (My favorite thing to do with my mom and sisters). We also took turns snuggling this little love.

Then, we finally got ourselves together and made our way to my dad's boat for some fishing. Tanner had a ball with the minnows and spent most of the time leaning over the bait bucket, playing with them.

We were fishing for perch, but didn't catch very many. I wonder if it had something to do with this little man splashing his feet over the back of the boat with his daddy.

After fishing was through, we went home and quickly cooked out, bathed the kids, and got them ready for bed. Grammy volunteered to stay home so that the rest of us could head back out on the lake to enjoy fireworks.

Sunday came way too fast. Tanner spent the morning playing with Uncle Daniel. My dad built a putting green in our backyard several years ago, and cut down one of his putters for Tanner to start using. Look out, Tiger!

We spent most of the afternoon getting ready for my grandparents to come over for lunch, which is always a treat.

After we ate, we headed to the orchard down the street to pick some sweet cherries.

This guy stayed behind.

Before we said goodbye, it was time for one more spin on Tanner's jeep. And we got a little preview of next summer. Tanner loved having a sidekick!

Bye Bye Grammy and Poppy! Thanks for an awesome weekend! We love you!