The Baby Moon

I needed a night off, and since Matt is so awesome at his job he won us a free night's stay at the Holiday Inn in Westlake. We've been holding on to it for awhile and finally planned a night out this past Monday. As most of you know, I'm a planner and like to have things thought out before hand. So we enlisted Grammy to come stay with Klaeyton and I started sorting through coupons to find a place where we could have dinner rather inexpensively. I had some awesome Dave and Buster's coupons and since Matt and I never get to go there without Klaeyton, I figured it would be a great date. We could have dinner and then play games :) So not only did I clip my coupons, I used our bank reward points to get a $25 D&B gift card to go towards the date. So this is the breakdown of our awesome Baby Moon :)


Hotel Stay plus Breakfast Buffet:
Actual Value: $132+$18+$5 tip= $155
What we paid: $5 tip+$20 at Giant Eagle for Monday Night Football snacks= $25


Dave and Busters:
Game Play Actual Value: $40
What we paid: $0 (we used a buy $20 game play get $20 free coupon and our $25 gift card)
Food Actual Value: Roughly $45 including tip
What we paid: $25 (We had a buy one get one free entree and $5 left on our gift card)


Total Value for the Baby Moon: $260 (this includes our MNF snacks)
Total amount paid out of pocket: $50


I have to say I was quite impressed with myself :) Not only did we save money, but we had a really good time...as you can tell...

Oh the joys of being a frugal wife :)

Smile! You're On Camera!

I wanted to share some moments that have occurred lately that have been amusing, hilarious, precious and heart warming :)

Here's Klaeyton drinking white milk...yes WHITE milk from a big boy cup :) He does really well with the drinking part, it's the carrying the cup around without spilling it that he doesn't quite get yet. But that's ok we just stick to big boy cups in the chair at the table.

I know you all have seen Klaeyton's car hat before but this picture is just classic. I don't really even know if he was asleep. 

These two pictures are just funny to me. Every time we go to the Collins' house the kiddos manage to engage in this activity of pushing each other around in this baby doll stroller. Priceless.

Sometimes I feel like I already have two kids. Watching these two play together makes me smile :)

What a neat picture :) yes I just said the word "neat"

I give you permission to laugh hysterically at the next one ;)

Matt told me I looked like Tim Allen from the Santa Claus in my grey "sweat suit". Sadly, I found that he was right.

Lately Klaeyton sneaks off into his room where he can literally undress himself in under 30 seconds. This picture was taken on a night when he refused to keep a diaper on. So I compromised and told him if he insisted on not wearing a diaper, that he had to wear big boy underwear. He loved them because they had Nemo on them, and he kept them dry all evening long :)

Warning: the next picture is bound to make you laugh hysterically :)

Katie and I were sitting at the table eating dinner and I look over and this is what I see. Poor guy. I laughed a lot because people tell me all the time how their kids fell asleep in the high chair and Klaeyton never did...until this picture. Even now when I look at it, it makes me smile :)

Oh the joys of being an ordinary mom :)

Red Wagon Farm

Ok Baby Julyiet, I'm officially tired of being pregnant and would like for you to arrive as soon as it is healthily possible. 


I'm a little tired and definitely hormonal today. I probably should be doing a million other things right now, but I really wanted to blog... I miss it. I think I'm going to do some reorganizing of my time...I definitely need more blog time and certainly more prayer time, not to mention I feel like I neglect my child on a daily basis to accomplish things that could definitely be moved around.  So tonight after he goes to bed, I'm definitely doing some much needed woosah :) time.


We took Klaeyton to Red Wagon Farm this past Friday. He had a blast. The hayride was definitely his favorite part and he still talks about it! Randomly in the car, he'll say "Hayride...fun!" 

We took quite a few pictures. But these are some of my favorites.

on the hayride :)

Yes, Klaeyton is picking his nose in this picture :)

Klaeyton and his pumpkin :)

One of the best things about our trip is that we only spent $8.50 :) 

Oh the joy of being a frugal mom :)

Peeing in the Bedroom and Babies in Bellies :)

I haven't blogged in almost a week. :( it isn't that I haven't wanted to, trust me. It's that we've been so busy. We launched our new location for church so my workload has increased :) And trust me, that's fantastic news!


But on to some fun things. I have a couple Klaeyton stories to share. Yesterday, I was getting ready to leave for a staff meeting and as Matt is sitting on the couch with his coffee, attempting to wake up, I yell for Klaeyton to come tell me bye. He is in his room with the door closed. Well all of a sudden the door flings open and there's Klaeyton cheesing as big as possible, stark naked. Before we can even react he begins running around the house. It definitely made me smile. 


Later on in the day, I call Matt to see how things are going and am informed that in the midst of trying to get K to take a nap, he has caught him naked and peeing on the floor on multiple occasions. Needless to say the potty chair got moved to the living room. 


I wonder...can you really duct tape diapers to two year olds?


This morning I took K with me to my midwife appointment. I won't lie, I was a little scared he might go on some naked rampage or something and not behave. He was, in fact, an angel. He found himself a particular toy and kept himself occupied the whole time. I was ecstatic. But the memorable part was when the midwife was checking the baby's heartbeat and Klaeyton perked up and gave me a huge smile. When I said, "Klaeyton that's the baby in mommy's belly." he came running over to my belly saying, "Baby!" 


A part of me thought...maybe he does get that there's a baby in there ;)


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

The Terrible Two's!

I briefly mentioned my younger brother's soccer game last night and the sociableness of my now two year old, but this morning, well, after the morning I've had with Klaeyton, I felt the need to write a real blog :)


First off, seeing Klaeyton cheer my brother on last night melted my heart. The crowd would go crazy and there was Klaeyton, who would drop everything (literally, at one point he threw his candy down) to clap and yell yay! as he looked around at everyone else smiling his biggest smile. It was precious. 


After last night and this morning, I have begun to notice why people call this stage the terrible two's. Obviously, Klaeyton is now two, but even more, he isn't a baby anymore. He is developing his own personality and he's trying to communicate everything his little sponge mind is absorbing. The problem? Sometimes I can't understand what it is he's trying to tell me. I'm thinking maybe we should implement more signs to help eliminate this frustration. 


But not all of it has to do with communication. My little bundle of joy has now learned to test limits and boundaries as well. And he pushes them all day long. I'm thankful we're reading this book for Life Groups called The Power of a Positive Mom. I'm hoping that it gives me newfound energy to stop myself from saying No! all day long and to focus more on praise. 


Ha. And I use to say I didn't want my child to be a praise junkie ( this is a long story, if you'd like to know more about what I'm talking about you'll have to inquire within). Man, I had no idea what I was talking about. I'd rather K be a praise junkie than be a negative nanny. 


My biggest frustration right now is Klaeyton's hitting phase. He hits me, he hits the dog and when he gets really mad, he hits himself. I feel like I've tried everything. I use to get down real low and tell him no and then walk away, but even that isn't working anymore. I think some research is in order. 


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

A Nine List For Wednesday :)

1. We launched our new location on Sunday so my week has been crazy busy :) 


2. I've been so busy, I haven't even had time to keep up with some favorite shows of mine. 


3. Thankfully I watch them all online so they can wait till I have time :)


4. Tonight was my brother's senior night for soccer. They played Ridgeville, who is their biggest rival, and won 2 to 1. My brother assisted the first and scored the second goal. He went and visited a college today. I'm awfully proud of him. 


5. His girlfriend reminds me of me when I was in high school. That's kind of scary. 


6. Klaeyton had a blast at the soccer game. I noticed that he really does shy away from adults, but he's a social butterfly with other kids. I even caught him chatting up some high school girls. uh oh. 


7. He also made me listen to Boom Boom Pow the whole way there. That's his new favorite song.


8. Matt hates the black eyed peas. Like hates with a burning passion. 


9. I'm really tired. I think I'll go to bed. :) G'night. 

My Eight List For Saturday :)

1. I think this has been one of the most productive Saturdays I've had in awhile. :)


2. Wait till you see the progress I've made upstairs! Oh how I'm excited :)


3. Tomorrow is going to make history :) it's the launch of our new location for Great Lakes Church. And we're pretty stoked :)


4. I realize I've put a lot of smilie faces in this list so far. I hope that doesn't bother you :)


5. Klaeyton's birthday party went very well! I think this is my favorite picture...

6. If you want to see all the fantastical pictures check out my facebook page. :)

7. That picture took way too long to upload. Sometimes I don't think my high speed internet is very high speed. 

8. So hockey season has begun and I'm excited. :) Go Red Wings! :)

Goodnight ya'll :)

Klaeyton's Birth Story

In light of today being Klaeyton's 2nd birthday...wow how time flies...I thought I would post my birth story for him. 


Instead of recalling it, I have decided to copy the one I wrote on October 14, 2008 on Facebook. But I guarantee if I were to write it now, I'm pretty sure I'd remember it the exact same way. 


Here it is:



Klaeyton was born last tuesday, october 7 at 11:06 am. here is the lovely story of his birth...

my contractions started monday around 330 in the afternoon. matt and i didn.t go to the hospital until 8 that night because they were ranging 4-6 minutes apart and were pretty painful. I got to the hospital and was stuck in triage for four hours because my cervix wouldn.t dialate more than one centimeter. but my contractions were close together and really painful so they had me walking around trying to speed things up. finally at 1230 (after i missed monday night football because the crappy tv in triage didn.t get espn) i was 2-3 centimeters and was admitted. they gave me some nubane to take the edge off my contractions but it didn.t work at all. at 2 am i asked for the epidural. i had to wait for the epidural guy so i didn.t get it till 330. oh thank god for the person who invented the epidural. i got to rest and so did matt and my mom. my brother was there too and slept in the waiting room. i slept on and off till about 630 when my dad got there. at 7 when they checked me again i was 5-6 centimeters. i could feel when i was having a contraction but it didn.t hurt at all. at 9 am my doctor came in to see me and i was 7-8 centimeters dialated and he said i.d probably deliver in the next two hours. my contractions got stronger and pretty soon the nurse was telling me i would get to push. i was terrified but matt and my mom were AMAZING. i pushed with the nurse for about 20 minutes and when the doctor was on his way she told me i had to stop pushing so that i wouldn.t tear. that was the hardest part, breathing through those contractions was not easy. the doctor had to give me a small episiotomy, which i really didn.t want, but i trusted him. klaeyton came out at 11:06 and was placed on my abdomen as they stitched me up. i can.t describe how i felt. i was so emotional i couldn.t even cry. matt cut the cord and i was so thankful to have him at that moment. life officially changed.

klaeyton weighed 7 lbs 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. he has hair!!! i was so happy. he is healthy and amazing. i.m recovering well also. i had low blood count in the hospital so they monitored me for that and have upped my dose of iron at home. but i feel great most of the time and can already wear most of my pre-pregnancy clothes! :)

matt and i couldn.t be happier. our baby is beautiful and we have started our family :)

As you can tell, I wasn't much for grammar or punctuation then. And I could add a few details in, but none that really change the story :) I could probably make it a lot longer too, but for the sake of our busy lives I'll just stick with this version. :)

I admit, I'm a little sad that my baby is already two, but I have to admit it's the most beautiful thing to watch your child grow. And as I carried him from the bathtub tonight all wrapped in a towel and baby cradled, I knew that no matter how big he is, or how old he gets, he'll always be my baby boy. And I'll love him forever. 

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

I'll Love You Forever By Robert Munsch is a FANTASTIC book!

My Eight List For Tuesday!

1. I only have ten weeks or less left before Julyiet gets here. I'm counting on the "or less" part. 


2. Today has been an emotional, hormonal roller coaster for me and I've cried a lot. 


3. I feel a little better now that I've cried, but I still think pregnancy hormones are stupid. 


4. Klaeyton will be two on Thursday and I have to say, it makes me sad. 


5. Despite how sometimes I wish he would stay little forever, it's an indescribable feeling to see him develop his own personality. 


6. I think I've laughed at him more this past week than ever. What can I say? My kid is hilarious. 


7. Ok my eyes and my body just ache. I'm going to sleep now. 


8. Sorry there wasn't anything terribly exciting in this list. 

Klaeyton Isn't the Only One With a Birthday :)

I'm taking a short break from some computer work I have to get done tonight. I need to make dinner, but still can't make a definite decision as to what I would like to eat. 


I wanted to share something. I don't know how I haven't managed to share this before. 


You see...I have an awesome job. I'm the Director of Church Life at my church. And I go to the awesomest church on the planet. Yes I just said planet. ;) Great Lakes Church has changed my life in so many ways and many of you have already heard this story, long or short, but I have yet to put it in writing. 


After we moved to Ohio, I started to realize my soul needed a makeover. I wanted desperately to find God and ultimately to be comfortable with Him. Matt searched for a church that summer and into the fall. He mostly went by himself. I was awfully pregnant with Klaeyton and wanted to find a church, but that didn't necessarily mean I wanted to look for one. Matt didn't have much luck. One day we got this flyer in the mail. It had a pair of jeans on it, and as we know, Matt doesn't care for jeans, so he pitched it aside. I picked it up and realized it was for a church. My first thought was, we have to try this out, you can wear jeans to this church! We checked out the website and even observed that they were giving away Chic Fil-A for lunch. We figured, hey even if we don't like it, we get free lunch. And this was at a time when free lunch was a big deal, well...free lunch is still a big deal :)


Anyhow, we went on October 5, 2008. That was the first Sunday for Great Lakes Church. I've seen the launch pictures. I looked huge. I'm pretty sure everyone remembered who I was because I was literally about to pop. I remember Klaeyton going nuts in my belly during the music and I remember telling Matt afterwards "We have to go back next week!" So we planned to go back. Well...Monday afternoon I went into labor with Klaeyton and on Tuesday morning he graced us with his presence. Matt's dad and sister came up to visit when I got out of the hospital Thursday evening. 


I didn't forget. I wanted to go back to Great Lakes Church that Sunday, regardless of whether or not I just had a baby. And we went. And we kept going. And I started volunteering in the kids program and we made some awesome friends and realized after a few months there was no way we could leave Ohio. This is where God wanted us. And at GLC we stayed. 


Klaeyton will be two this Thursday, which marks that Great Lakes Church will also be two years old. And to celebrate...we are not only showing Amherst, Ohio, God, we are coming to Avon, Ohio to launch a second location and to serve another community. And I am blessed enough to be a part of this opportunity. 


Oh the joy of being a Christian :)


Check out Great Lakes Church
www.greatlakeschurch.net 

Progress!

We are making progress in the big boy bed! :) After about an hour and a half of playing alone in his room, Klaeyton did lie down and fall asleep today for nap! Woo Hoo! 


Night time has been pretty easy too, he may cry for a few minutes but he doesn't even leave the room! 


I'm pretty sure I got way too lucky with this little man, which only leads me to believe that Julyiet is going to be quite the handful. 


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom.

Pros and Cons of Being a Work-From-Home Mom

I love being a mom. Especially a work-from-home mom. It's the best job in the world. But when it comes to jobs, it's definitely one of the most demanding and non-negotiable ones out there. But just for fun's sake I've made a list of pros and cons in case any of you readers are debating the possibility of becoming a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom :)


Con
* When we ask for a raise (hah. I mean pay in general, in monetary form) it's like talking to a brick wall, or rather a toddler who simply just stares at you like you're nuts. 


Pro
* Paychecks aren't scheduled, but you get slobbery kisses and random hugs throughout the day, which is like getting paid more than once a day. Now how often does that happen?


Con
* The work never seems to end. 


Pro
* You're well rounded in various skills from being a nurse to a teacher to a maid to a chef to an event organizer to the list goes on. Let's just say you'd be overqualified for almost any job out there :)


Con
* You lose sight of when you'll ever wear those fancy heels and red lipstick ever again. 


Pro
* You can do most of your work in clothes that are actually comfortable, even if you don't feel supermodel cute. 


Con
* It takes you what seems like hours to do a task like making a brochure, because you have to stop every 5 minutes to prevent your toddler from sticking pasta in the vents, or pulling the dogs tail, or scratching up the dvds. :)


Pro
* You become the ultimate master multi-tasker. Oh and you seem to grow eyes in the back of your head. 


Con
* Let's face it. We don't get sick days.


Pro
* When I don't feel well, I'm fortunate enough to have a husband who makes me tea and lets me sleep and I have a toddler who is genuinely caring and gives me great lovings. 


In conclusion, I think the pros outweigh the cons by like a lot :)


Oh the joy of being an ordinary work-from-home mom :)

The Big Boy Bed

So. I went against everything I said and broke down and put K in a big boy bed. We were blessed enough to have a friend from Matt's work give us an awesome blue race car bed complete with mattress. 


This could have been a complete disaster. I shouldn't really complain at all. The last two nights that Klaeyton has slept in his big boy bed, he has stayed there all night and has done fantastic. It's a little rough getting him to lie down but eventually he just lies down and goes to sleep. Which means I haven't lost any sleep. :)


Nap time? Hah. Not a complete disaster, but certainly not smooth sailing. The first day we couldn't get him to stay in his room period. Which resulted in a tough evening. Yesterday, he happened to fall asleep in the car and stayed asleep when Matt put him in the bed. Today? Well he's stayed in his room so far, but no sleep. Of course I know it could be worse, but this also means that I will be dealing with a cranky Klaeyton this evening. I think I may have to do some reading on somehow getting him to keep his nap. I am certainly not ready for him to give it up. But how do you convince a two year old that he needs to take a nap when he can freely roam his room?


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

My Ten List For Monday!

1. I apologize in advance if this list sounds whiny. I've had a rough day. 


2. I woke up this morning with every intention of being productive, getting my week going and determined to keep my energy level up. 


3. HAH! Of course it didn't work out that way. As I got into my car and put it into drive, I realized my brake light was on and the brake pedal just glided straight to the floor...boo. 


4. So almost four hundred dollars later, my brakes are fixed. 


5. I got our stuff moved upstairs. And I did get some things done around the house, but I still feel super behind. 


6. The midwives put me on iron pills. Yuck. Did I already post about this? I can't even remember. 


7. We're selling our Wii if anyone is interested, we kind of need the money now :(


8. On a bright note, I only have 11 weeks or less left until baby Julyiet gets here! Yay!


9. But that makes me think about all the stuff I still need to do. Boo. 


10. I should just quit while I'm ahead... C'mon Monday Night Football, my qb needs to have an awesome game so I can win my fantasy game this week :)

Pini

Klaeyton loves the swings.

Here he was insisting on trying to swing like this. It didn't work so well. 

One thing I think Klaeyton loves more than swinging is his Pini. 

Klaeyton's Pini is my little sister Katie. She isn't too little. We're ten years apart but she's fourteen and this is her first year of high school. She was also just diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. She spends a lot of time in pain and unfortunately I've seen her cry a lot. But this picture captures Pini how I love to see her...smiling and being the best aunt she can be to a little boy that loves her dearly. He even rubs her back when she's in pain. 

Please pray for my sister. 

Sticks

Klaeyton loves sticks. As I mentioned in the previous post. 

This particular stick is still sitting on our back porch. I'm surprised he didn't ask to sleep with it. :)

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom...to a boy :)

My Eleven List for Wednesday!

1. It has been a busy week. I feel like today is the first day I've really had time to breathe. 


2. So here I am, catching you up with snipets :) is that even a word?


3. Klaeyton has had an over abundant amount of energy the last couple days. It seems like all he does is run around. And fight naps and bedtime. Thank God for his crib rails ;)


4. I asked Matt one day if we could just keep him in a crib till he was 18. He laughed at me. 


5. The other night Klaeyton tumbled out of his crib while I was in his room. It happened so fast, he like somersaulted out. I think it scared him a lot and I don't think he'll do it again, although I'm pretty sure he wasn't intentionally trying to escape. 


6. We went to the park again today (pics will be up tomorrow :) and came home with a stick. Klaeyton loves sticks. 


7. I think all kids should play with sticks. It forces them to use their imagination. 


8. I watched the season premiere of Glee today. Yes, I'm a Glee nerd. I can't help it. But I don't think I'll admit it ever again. So don't ask :)


9. A few other of my favorite shows premiere tonight, which means they will be readily available tomorrow online :) Oh fall how I love thee. 


10. I found peppermint mocha creamer at Target yesterday. Yes I bought some. And yes it was that very creamer that motivated me to get out of bed this morning :)


11. I finished the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy today. I can't even express (without writing you a short book) how amazing they are. If you haven't picked them up, check them out. Bring on the third one! I must admit I'll probably be very sad when it ends though. 

Controlling Affection

Being a mom is one of the most unpredictable roles a woman can have. I say this, even though I am a planner. A woman of routine and neatness, sometimes a little more rigid than I should be. But I have learned that there are things you just can't control. And things you shouldn't try to. 


For instance, newborn babies are a piece of cake. I mean, I think so. You can control a lot of things when your child is a newborn. They influence your schedule (sleeping, eating and what not) but what I'm talking about isn't those things. You control the affection with your child. You hug them when you want, you kiss them when you want and you can certainly hold them anytime you want. It's all about you. 


Then they develop personalities. Klaeyton will be two in just about two weeks and he's a little ball of curiosity and energy. He is starting to show his preferences and non preferences towards just about anything and everything. 


And I'm one of them. Sometimes I just want to hug on him. "No" he yelps as he runs and hides in the Star Wars tent. Sometimes I just want to give him a kiss. "No" is his response as he runs back outside. But sometimes, like as I was sitting here, right before writing this blog, looking at books on Amazon, he comes running in and throws his arms around me. He doesn't say anything, just hugs me and then books it back outside. I smile, because even if I can't control Klaeyton's affection, I know he still loves me and still has some for me. 


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

My Six List For Thursday :)

1. My back hurts. Right at this moment. And I even saw the chiropractor again today. They want to see me three times a week. What do I do when my insurance runs out? I should probably work this out when I go again at 9 am tomorrow morning...


2. My kindle got here today. I read most of the users manual. I think I could become obsessed. I think I'm going to tell everyone to give me Amazon gift cards for Christmas and my birthday so that I can buy oodles and oodles of books :)


3. Klaeyton is now obsessed with the Bunny Foo Foo song and he loves to bonk himself on the head. I wonder about him sometimes. 


4. I tried a new recipe tonight that was called sliced pasta. I think my sauce might have been too runny because it didn't slice very well. It turned out more like baked ziti. It tasted fantastic and since it called for parchment paper in a loaf pan, the clean up was a cinch. Def nice. 


5. Matt and I have a date Sunday evening. It will consist of another couple we're friends with and endless shrimp at Red Lobster. I am totally stoked. 


6. I'm tired. It's going to be a short list tonight. 

The Park

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful outside. So Klaeyton and I went on an adventure to the park. We really should go more often considering it's so close and Klaeyton loves it. 

He was talking about the slide in this picture. I just love it. He looks so grown up. It makes me sad. 

I love his wild man hair. I'm not cutting it. It's going to get long and shaggy :)

I let him take his shoes off because of his boo-boo on his foot. He had a blister.

I think little kid feet are so cute. 

Ok...I just thought this was too cute. 

It was a fantastic time. And it gave me true quality time with Klaeyton. We talked about the sky. The grass. The sun, that he called "ball" and rocks and leaves. 

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom.