First Dip in the Pool!

It may just barely be March and the water is still rather chilly, but my toddler has had his eye on the pool for awhile now and yesterday I thought, tomorrow should be sunny and warm, let's do this.

So, today, I warmed up our hot tub to a "warm tub" and we got in!

Barker has always been a water lover and loved splashing as always.

He didn't want to get out! Even when the only "pool toys" I could quickly find were a couple old tupperwear pieces.

This was Beckett's first time in the pool ever! By this age Barker had been in the pool and to the beach multiple times, so it seems funny that he is already 5mo for his first dip. Although, when we move, it'll be even longer for the next kiddos.

I think he liked it.

And of course Brett didn't warn me when Barker snuck up behind us with a tub of water. He just kept the camera ready. :P

So that was our fun event for today. Fingers crossed it makes for a nice night of solid sleep tonight! =D

P.S. The cutest moment was when Barker was playing with his tub and Beckett was giggling. Then Barker said, "Beckett turn!" and handed me the tub for Beckett. =)
(Of course 30seconds later it was Barker's turn again. ;))

Tips for Packing Toddler & Baby

One of the most annoying things about traveling for an extended period of time is living out of a suitcase. Things get smushed and tossed around, every day it becomes harder to find what you are looking for and sometimes you don't find all the clean socks until you're unpacking at home a week later. Living out on a suitcase with tiny baby and toddler clothes and accessories make the situation even more difficult.

So this last Christmas, I tried something new. All you need is gallon size ziplock bags.

First I laid out an outfit for each day that included a top, matching pants and socks. (By pre-seleting outfit combinations, I eliminated the risk of getting to the last two days of the trip with only clean pants and tops that don't match.) 

I did this for both boys. Then because I'm a total Type A, I matched the boys outfits for each day. Once it was all laid  out, all I had to do was place the different outfit combinations into the gallon size bags. 

Each bag contained 1 complete outfit for both boys. (As they grow and the clothes get bigger I'll have to use separate bags for each kid) 

And because I have a 2 year old boy and an infant I packed each one a bonus bag of extra pants, shirts and socks. I try to make the extras more neutral colors so that I can pair them with anything. Baby spits up all over his shirt? No problem, I have an extra blue onsie. Toddler has a diaper accident and just needs new pants? Here are some clean, black sweatpants.

The bags of clothes all fit very nicely into the suitcase.

Then every day On the trip, all I had to do was pull out a new bag and change them! No digging through the suitcase and trying to find clean, coordinating clothes. It was all ready to go.

I got to try this again for a week trip last week and it still worked great! No time lost fishing for clean socks at the bottom of the suitcase. We also used up the extras without having to borrow for outfits intended for other days. 

It may seem like more work up front, but it means less stress during the trip.

Bonus trip prep:

Before our trip to Disney I packed snacks in ziplock bags. Then before leaving our hotel room each day, I'd toss a few snack bags into my diaper bag along with some clementines. :) (The snacks are craisins, pretzels and goldfish)

Don't worry, Barker sampled ahead of time to make sure they were good. ;)

I Got my Toddler to Eat Something Green!

Lately we've been working on getting Barker to eat the same things we eat at meal times. He was starting to get picky and not try new things so I figured it was time to push him a little.

The first food Barker decided he didn't like was green beans, when he was 10months old. Since that time he has also lost interest in many vegetables. 

Over Christmas though I discovered he will eat things that are round like a ball simply because he likes balls. Haha

Last week I actually planned and cooked all our meals from scratch! I guess the cooking shows we've been watching have inspired me. I think I'm finally catching on to cooking without the need of a recipe... (makes it feel less like work)

Anyway, I decided to try a version of something I saw on tv. In the food processor I blended spinach and mozzarella cheese. Then I mixed that with 4 eggs and added a little vanilla almond milk. Next, I poured the mixture into muffin cups and baked in the oven for around 25min.

Barker was pretty excited because they looked like cupcakes. I told him they were egg cupcakes. (I wasn't really sure what to call them but that sounded good for a toddler.)

These were obviously green from the spinach, but for whatever reason, Barker was excited to try them and he ate two!

 I also enjoyed quite a few myself. Now I have a yummy, easy treat to make that even gets us to eat our greens. Woohoo! I'm marking this in the win column.

Baby Sleep Schedules

Beckett is 4 months old today as as of Sunday, he is on a fairly predictable sleep schedule and even napping in his own crib now! Yay!

A few weeks ago we could tell he was super close to rolling from his back to his belly so I knew it was time to start weening him from the swaddle. Fortunately around that time he began to outgrow his colic.

I started with having him sleep with one arm out at night in his crib and both arms out in the swing for naps.

At the time I was putting him down fully asleep, so it was tricky getting him down without flailing arms to wake him up.

We had just gotten into a good groove when he finally rolled (complete from back to belly to back) last week. Time to sleep with both arms out!

It was tricky at first and the Saturday night I decided putting him down, fully asleep with both arms out was pretty much impossible. The next day we had to work on self soothing.

For his afternoon nap I settled him so that he was comfortable, drowsy with his eyes closed but not completely out. Then I gently laid him in his crib. He fussed and flipped, I waited five minutes then went back in to do the same thing. He went right to sleep!

Since then I have put him to sleep this way every time. Sometimes it takes a little longer than others and I've found it helps when I guide him to his tummy and rub his back, but he's doing really well! 

I'm not constantly rocking him to sleep and he is napping longer. 

I actually deep cleaned our master bathroom for the first time in months and I've been keeping up with the dishes!

Life is going pretty well over here. Now if I could get the 2 year old to be more consistent with his sleeping...

2015--Answered Prayers and Fasting

Our church likes to kick off the new year by fasting and praying. Last year Brett and I decided to participate and pray together for 3 things we wanted God to guide us through for the year.

It was a 10 Day fast in which we gave up certain food items and prayed. For me, I gave up sugar and Keurig drinks. Then, any time I craved that, I stopped to pray.

Brett and I made a list of 3 things to pray for:

1. Expanding our Family

2. Growth in Brett's job

3. Moving 

Here is what happened in each area:

1. Expanding our Family

In December of 2014 we went through our 3rd miscarriage (the first two were before Barker) and I was left feeling lost and wondering what God had planned for us. So of course this was on the top of our prayer list. I appeared to be perfectly healthy, yet I had lost another baby and we didn't really have a reason. I wondered if I'd be able to carry another baby to term or if we would expand our family another way. Whatever would happen, we needed God's peace and direction. 

Then, 5 days into the fast, we discovered I was pregnant again. We were "cautiously optimistic" the entire first trimester and then, on September 21 I gave birth to our second son. He was a healthy full term (plus 2 days) baby weighing 8lbs 2.5oz. =D

2. Growth in Brett's Job

Brett was happy and enjoyed his job, but he had been doing the same thing for awhile and was ready for some new challenges. God provided here in not just one, but in two ways!

In the spring we took on an investment property when we purchased and flipped a small house! Brett worked very hard and now we are renting it out to a sweet military family. :) 

Then, in the summer, Brett interviewed and was chosen for a new position in his company. He now works entirely from home (yay!) when he is not traveling and we can live anywhere. Which leads to...

3. Moving

When we got married and moved to Florida, we always hoped to eventually move back to the Midwest. 

Last year we prayed from God to either give us peace to stay where we were, or open the door for us to move back. 

As the year started we settled in to stay in Florida and felt peace about it. But then, with Brett's new job, we no longer had to stay for job/financial reasons. Around the time we welcomed Beckett into the world the doors started to really open for us to move to Indiana.

Shortly before thanksgiving God provided us with a lot and a house plan that we love and now we are building a house just outside of Indianapolis! 

As we close 2015 I can't help but be thankful and amazed at how God as provided for us this year. 

Now on to fasting and praying for another great year in 2016!

Barker and his ways

Barker has a lot of sides. Here are some I was able to capture this week:

The observer

He likes to take in new things by watching first. He also enjoys long walks around the neighborhood.

Fearless, Mr. Independent

He loves to run and explore. No need  hold Mommy's hand. Let's go!

A Gentleman

He has no trouble saying thank you. He'll even throw in the name of the person he is thanking! "Thank you Mommy!"

Organized

I'm so excited! He may have inherited my gift of organization! Of course he is two so...

Creative Explosions!

There is no end to his imagination. He certainly knows how to throw his very own, very exciting toddler parties.

Taking a Mental Day

(Clicked to publish this Monday but it didn't go through! Oh well, here it is now)

On the surving (0) to thriving (10) scale I'd say we're at a 2 today.

While Beckett is on his best behavior and hasn't had one true colic fit yet today (knock on wood), 

Barker is testing me.

I was so happy when Beckett gave me a strong 5hr stretch of sleep last night. It made me hopeful after the rough colic filled day we had just survived. 

But then, about 10min after I had just gotten back to sleep, Barker woke up.

It was 4:30am.

Usually when it's that early I can bring him into my bed and he'll go right back to sleep. Sadly that was not the case today.

Then he spent the morning running around with the dog, which isn't bad until he opens the door out to the garage, gets into some ornaments and then calls the dog to come out and join him.

Of course the lack of sleep makes him cranky. (Me too ;))

But thankfully the boys tend to take turns with their crazy days and Beckett has been quite the trooper.

He even napped by himself long enough for me to paint my toes while Barker crawled on my back. (I just pretended he was giving me a massage...)

So I'm taking a mental health day. We are all still in our pjs and I'm reading and rocking Beckett while Barker is up to his usual silliness. 

(Ok the makeup thing happened Friday, but I now cringe every time he goes near our bathroom.)

I just hope the random assortment of items I tossed in the crockpot taste good for dinner tonight. :)