The Beach :: It Was Freezing

Our vacation was fantastic - well, as fantastic as vacation gets with a four year old and a one year old.

It was not quite the days of lounging on the sand slathered in sunscreen, napping and reading...but, at this point, those days feel pretty far in the past, so it's not quite as shocking to us anymore when the chorus of 'When can we go to the pool?' or 'Can I go down the water slide again' or OR the ever present 'SNACK! SNACK!' starts up!

Hellllooo vacation.



It's nice to see you. Nate's first ocean experience was pretty fantastic - much jumping in the surf, running in the sand and general FREAKING OUT. Glorious.

My parents, who came with us and are CLEARLY veterans of this whole take-the-kids-on-vaca thing booked us all a hotel not only with heated pools and a small kitchen but also with (wait for it) an indoor water park - slides, lazy river, more heated pools. It was basically our vacation saving grace as the beach was spent more for walking and observing and the occasional sand castle.



Three story tall water slide? Not a problem for this kid. He will start at 9 a.m. and go until lunch. I think one day he climbed up it a solid 60 times. (Notably, the amount of food he ate on this vacation terrified me for his teenage years.) 

Thankfully, we didn't just do slides (though we met some very nice parents with the same vacation plans as us at the bottom of each slide). 

We will see your waterslides, children, and raise you some putt putt (which some people apparently call mini-golf but, now that I have typed it out and said it in my head putt putt seems like a ridiculous term for grown people to say.  Is there a difference AND WHY DO I CARE?)  

Nora Kate was a fan. And that's saying a lot because, my friends, she was not a fan of much this vacation. I think she might be our homebody baby. In her defense, it was quite cold and windy every time we hit the beach and even the heated pools weren't for the faint of heart so perhaps she's just more of a summertime and sunshine girl like myself? (She LOVES water but she clearly said 'COLD MOMMY! COLD!' every time she saw the ocean.)

We also brought Stachy to the beach - Stachy gets passed around my extended family every year at Christmas ala Flat Stanly style and this year she is staying with my parents.  Stachy has been photographed A LOT of places...now adding South Carolina to the list!

We made a VERY sad attempt at some beach photos - I had some sweet beach outfits for everyone and IT WAS ALL GOING TO BE PERFECT until everyone refused to go except Nora Kate (because she doesn't speak in sentences). I dragged her down to the water anyway.

 

This is the best shot I got. I think the wind is actually whipping her poor dress off her body. We both lasted about three minutes. FINE. THEY WERE RIGHT. It wasn't worth it. 

We did manage to take a few photos on our beach walk the next day - Karl broke my cardinal rule of family photos - NO SUNGLASSES.  (I ask you DOES IT LOOK SUNNY OUT THERE KARL!? NO!) and I am wearing a skull and crossbones t-shirt made up of small stick figures dying in various ways. We are really classy!


Natey was not a fan of posing and invented his own moves. Nora Kate thought they were pretty rad. Clearly.

That, friends, is us - keeping vacation REAL in 2013.

Let's go baaaaaaack.

babies on a plane

This will not be a tips and tricks to keep your children happy on a plane (or four) post. This will be a GLEEFUL, ridiculous post about how relieved (RELIEVED!) I was to make it through four (FOUR!) flights with both the babes. Honestly, I wasn't that worked up about flying at all until a child that looked to be about the same age as Nora projectile vomited on the first flight we were on and another right behind us screamed his head off. For a long time.

Thankfully, this was more the look of my children.

I'm not going to lie, even though I know (I KNOW!) it was sheer dumb luck, I had an insane moment of my parenting must CLEARLY be superior to every other parent who has ever flown on any flight ever in the whole existence of airplanes. (I know. My next travel-plans-with-children is now karmically cursed!)

Because that is the thing I have learned about parenting - you seriously just never know. Nate could have freaked out upon take off (instead he was quietly and adorably counting down to BLAST OFF). Nora Kate could have opted to not snuggle in (well, more like sprawl out across us all as she is still eligible to ride on my lap) and sleep on several flights and instead attempt to breakout and roam the plane. (Trust me, there was still quite a bit of squirming.) Karl could have set off that bomb in his shoe.  (Sir, you can't say bomb on an airplane.) (That's not funny; I'm sorry.)



And then, just like that, we were there. Amazing. Two adults, two children, two suitcases, one carseat, one robot backpack and one (very large) purse, all ready for one week at the beach!  

last week vs this week :: there better be less vomit

So I was just THINKING about how we had been on a good, solid run of neither of the kids being sick - no snot to wipe, no school to miss... for the last two, almost three months.  I didn't even SAY IT OUT LOUD but (apparently) just thinking it was enough for the universe to put a swift and violent (violent vomiting end anyway) end to our well streak.

Monday, I kept a snotty Nora home with me.  Tuesday, Natey went down in the middle of the night with a small (and by small I mean VOMIT EVERYWHERE!) episode and then it was one soldier after another until I was the last (wo)man standing. (Well, mostly kneeling, cleaning up throw up! HA!)

Somehow I managed not to get sick, but, here is the thing when you are a working parent (please believe I barely worked this past week), you have to come up with creative solutions to get any work done at all whilst home with two small people and a man-sick man (who was also trying to launch his biggest project of the year in the same week).

Here are some hilarious moments from my sad attempt at being a productive employee:

Monday I attempted to take Nora Kate with me to the office, anticipating just staying for our 9 a.m. weekly staff meeting. Yea, no. One massive diaper change later - on concrete floor, sans wipes b/c they aren't in her school bag and we were OUT THE DOOR. 

Wednesday I left all of the ill people inside the house, locked my self and my laptop in my car and led a conference call from my cell phone.  Good Times! And Nate only opened the door and sadly waved at me once.

Thursday I had an early PR spot (like 4:15 a.m. early). I was onsite at our press spot (It was for a Disney production... SO MANY PRINCESSES so early in the day!) when I got a text from Karl at about 6:15. He was in bed with Nate who was still ill.

• Karl: I think Nora is awake. I don't want to wake Nate by moving. 
• Kat: Okay.
• Karl: I can hear her. 
• Kat: I can not. 
• Kat: I am at Verizon. 
• Karl: Oh yea. 

My boss and coworker found this whole thing hilarious - including the fact that we sometimes text each other from our various sleeping locations in (our teensy tiny) house.

Thankfully, this week was an excellent week to be sick because, next week, my friends, we are all FAMILY VACATION! Wish us luck and don't run the other way screaming from my children if you are on Flight 836 from Little Rock to THE BEACH. 

Photos to follow. 

cute vs. realistic

All within a 5 second frame. Yep. That's about right. 

Just a little fun in a bucket.

i want to give you an idea of why my laundry will never, ever be done

I wrote this post on Daylight Savings Saturday.  MARCH 16th.

Huh. Only a month behind.  Not bad, friends, not bad.

This is how long it's taking me to post and edit folks.  And not even with decent pictures! (And I'm not sorry!) 

The week after this Memphis venture I took both kiddos by myself to Tulsa for three days for Spring Break.  Someday I might get around to posting about that. (Don't hold your breathe.)

Last Saturday's schedule:

7 a.m.  Donuts and coffee from Shipley's (And biscuits and gravy for Nora.)

9 a.m.  Playdate with some old friends who we haven't seen in WAY too long.

11 a.m. Load up car for Nate's soccer game.

 11:10 a.m. Unload car and put everything in the truck because the car keys are nowhere to be found!

Poor No. We wouldn't let her on the field so she made her pennie stylish on the sidelines.  

11:30 a.m.  Coach 8 adorable boys on the soccer field.  Loose voice from yelling at them to GO TO THE BALL and STAY ON YOUR FEET.

1 p.m.  Arrive home from soccer game with pizza in hand.  Put Nora Kate down for her nap and gobble two pieces while standing in front of closet lamenting lack of wardrobe options for a wedding shower and lack of time to actually shower.  

THERE'S NO TIME.  THERE'S NEVER ANY TIME (to fix my hair properly).

2 p.m. Arrive at wedding shower slightly rumpled and pink in the face.  Consume inordinate amount of sugar cookies and feel slightly ill when the sugar crash arrives. Drink four glasses of water to attempt to flush it all out (that totally works, right?).

How is this not disgusting?! 

Who is going to eat this?  NOT ME.

4 p.m. Leave wedding shower and stop by the house to throw on jeans and a t-shirt (big sigh of relief; dressing up these days is a struggle.).  Hop back in car to meet Karl and the kids at a crawfish boil some friends of ours hosted.  (Note: Nora was a fan of the crawfish.  SICK. I was a fan of not vomiting at the crawfish boil!)

5:30 p.m.  Head home.... and..... pack and hop in the car for a surprise and spur of the moment trip to... Memphis.  For one night. 

6:30 p.m. Get on the road; both kids asleep before we got out of Little Rock.

One room. Four bodies.

 9:00 p.m.  Check in hotel and transfer Nora Kate to her crib; order late night room service for ourselves and Nate.

3:00 a.m. Both kids restless and half in and out of sleep. Question our sanity and decision to take spontaneous trips.

Oh, also, DAYLIGHTS SAVING!   Oops.  We should have planned this better.

Good day. Time to wrestle.

6:15 a.m. IS THE EMBASSY'S FREE BREAKFAST OPEN? 

Regardless, we had a lovely Sunday in Memphis. We hit up the Children's Museum instead of the Zoo because it rained all the live long day.     

And then this: 



THE WHOLE WAY HOME. It was almost like a real date there for a minute.

#textsfromamy

You guys.  You might remember me telling you a while back how you should all have a preteen girl in your life, yes? I hope that you have found one to befriend. If not, I am here to share with you my sweet friend and neighbor, Amy, and her recent texts to me. 

Ready??  We've been on a STRONG stream of chain letter texts. How do I tell her that chain letters used to be handwritten, in envelopes, WITH STAMPS?? 

Anyway.

Let's begin with the I HAVE NO EYES AND BLOOD ALL OVER MY FACE.

Hellllo Teddy.

And Patty, FOOLISH PATTY!!!!  (Ha ha patty, HA HA.)

Really, GEORGE, just four people?  Not good enough George you poor bastard. 

(In the end, Derek sent it to TWELVE people and received MANY accolades and kisses.)

HOWEVER, WATCH OUT FOR KATYA.  She will be in your room TONIGHT.  (xoxo!)

 

 There were several others along these lines (this is a mix and match sort of screen shot show).

And then, last night, the piece de la resistance: 

A TEXT FROM JAYSUS HIMSELF, apologizing from disturbing me from my Shark Tank and bowl of ice cream:  

You. Are. Welcome. (And thank you again, sweet Amy, for making me laugh. I hope the pen and paper chain letters made our parents giggle just as much.) 

NOW link this post to 12 people or ELSE.

today :: on running

I wore my Linda and Libby 10K shirt today, in honor of the victims and the runners of the Boston Marathon and in defiance of the bomb and bombers.

Tomorrow, I will wear my Run Like Robot 5K shirt.

The day after? My 'Grandma Pat' Race for the Cure shirt. 

The day after that? My LR Marathon medal.  I shall wear it to work.

The day after that one?  My Dino Dash t-shirt from my epic 54-minute-35-weeks-pregnant 5K.  

I have raced in MANY races. I have MANY t-shirts.  (Solidified wardrobe selection for the rest of the month!)

Racing is glorious and fun and motivating.  (Except for that one 10K I ran in Hot Springs, Arkansas called, appropriately, the Mountain-Something 10K that was LITERALLY up a mountain for 4 miles. That sucked.)

There are amazing people to be seen on ANY race course. 

If you've never been to a race (running or supporting), I suggest you do so.  Since I can't be in Boston and I don't know anyone involved in the Boston marathon, this is my small gesture of support and solidarity - wearing silly t-shirts and asking all of you to think about doing the same and sharing.

My words are coming out wrong so I won't comment much more than this : I will keep on running races and showing my support to the running community. 

Some posts I've loved on the subject:

Whoever Thought Cheering for A Marathon would feel like an Act of Defiance 
In Which We Stop Being Afraid and Start Taking Action 
To Boston With Love
Marathon 2013 (gorgeous runner photos!)

Any others I should add to the list? 

A Homemade Year :: Cooking, Crafting and Coming Together

Do you need this book? I think you might. It includes recipes for things like 'Papaw's Toolbox Taters'- who couldn't use some of those in their life!?!

You can win it here. :)

Happy Monday!

guns :: #boymom moment 4,567

So here's now I feel about guns: NO.

That's basically it.

I've never held one or shot one or had any desire whatsover to own one and am pretty sure I never will.  I do not want them in my house. Those are my facts.

My husband, on the other hand, received a gun as a baptismal gift (like a 22, in his crib... LOADED...that's how I imagine it anyway) from his godparents. He also has done a significant amount of hunting in his life and feels like guns can be respected and used safely.

So we're not exactly on the same page.

(But, either way, we can all admit there are gun issues in our country, right?)

(Don't answer that; this post is about to get funnier and un-political so don't get your panties, um, all twisted? Up in a wad?  What is it that people say about panties?)

Here's the thing: we have a little boy who luvva the guns. Well, (clearly) the fake guns - nerf style and Star Wars guns and the light sabers and swords and pretend bombs and ALL THE VIOLENT THINGS.  We have some in our home.  (You guys. He LOVES them.) It's a struggle for me. I try to let it go, reminding myself he is FOUR and will get past this phase and to just let him play and NOT be disturbed when he tries to dismember family members.  GUNS.  Ugh.

ANYWAY.  Last week, he had a friend over.  It was a drop off playdate with a sweet little boy from his class and soccer team, Andrew.  This was Andrew's first time to our house and the boys immediately ran off inside while I talked to his mom (who has also never been to our house) in the driveway. Fast forward five minutes and they come tearing out of the house yelling about how "The drawer fell out! The drawer fell out!" (And it took me ENTIRELY too long to realize they were NOT saying 'The droid fell out! The droid fell out!' - #boymom moment.).

So, I asked what any normal person would: "Where?"

Nate: THE GUN DRAWER!  IN THE GUN DRESSER! IN MY ROOM!

Insert look of horror on my face and PROFUSE explanations to his friend's mom about how we have no guns in the house and DEFINITELY none in his dresser in his room!  (We do keep all his toy guns and swords and dress up clothes in one of his bottom drawers.)

Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Amazingly, Andrew's mom let him stay and play and, thankfully, they both made it out of the afternoon alive.  In fact, they were more interested in wrestling and racing that afternoon than playing with toy guns. Maybe THE TOY GUN phase is on it's way out?  (Yeah, right.)

Opening Day Yo :: In So Many Ways

So, right, baseball season. It is time. You KNOW you are all excited. Yesterday was such a great baseball day.

Started with rainboots and Cardinals socks.

Transitioned to my trusty Cardinals flippy floppys that afternoon and took Nate to tee-ball practice.

His team name?

Wait for it.

THE CARDINALS.

Like, the real ones.  Like, be still my heart HOW DID WE GET SO LUCKY!?!?

Ha.

It's the little things, right?

You guys. He was SO excited. (I definitely wasn't AT ALL.) We won't talk about how parent participation was requested and there was not one single mom on the field (myself included b/c I was on that playground you see back there with Nora Kate... but I will be at some point. I hope at least one other mama will as well? Is that weird/judgy?  You don't actually have to know anything about baseball to get out there!). We also won't talk about how they play with soft (like not t-ball soft but actual like softie balls; it's very strange). I don't understand how this is helpful and his t-ball league last year played with normal t-balls but WHATEVER. 



Nate seemed to like EVERYTHING and the games are MUCH closer to home than the league we tried last spring so we'll go with it.

He's #5 ala former Cardinal extraordinaire Albert Pujols.  So, that means he gets to play first and hit lots of homers, right? I think YES.

THIS is what happened after practice. Nora Kate is REALLY into wearing Nate's clothes these days, uniforms included. This might be her most ridiculous photo ever.

The REAL MLB Cardinals had their Opening Game that evening and I fell asleep on the couch to the sound of the game in the background.

Sigh.

Now that's a happy day. 

requiste bunny love

Here are our requisite rainy Easter 2013 photos.  YOU ARE WELCOME!

Oh, and meet Harvey - he's quite the prim and proper bunny rabbit gentlemen.. He keeps his legs properly crossed and reclines just enough to look like he's ready for a front porch heart to heart.  He just might put his arm around you. I think Harvey sort of channels Mr. Rodgers cardi & sneakers with his patterned vest and bowtie, don't you? Don't you want to be Harvey's neighbor?!

Here's the only family photo we got. It seems right. No one looking (but Harvey!! AHHH!) and NK refusing the photo despite coaxing from all of us.  

Like the heathens that we are, we didn't make it to a mass (or a service or whatever your church calls it), but we DID manage to put on Easter outfits (well, on the kiddos anyway) and conduct a family egg hunt and lunch. Since our little church closed last November, we haven't quite been able to bring ourselves to find somewhere new.