Visiting Santa, take 2

I wanted Julia to get to see Santa too, so I dressed up the girls this past Saturday and we took them to see him.  Here's a pic:

I had to bribe Clara with a juice box to get her to sit on his lap and Julia couldn't do anything but stare at the ceiling fan.  And here's one of all four of us.  Clara was pretty freaked out by this point, but hanging in there:

Our friend Camille texted Quincy in the morning saying they were waiting in line to see Santa at a local mall.  The Santa we saw is a well-kept secret because there is hardly any line.  We let them in on the secret and Camille, Ryan and Chance, their five month old, came and met us.  We had lunch at a new restaurant.  No dishes were broken, nobody started screaming, everybody ate and no one spilled anything.  It was a GIANT success!  We were so excited to get to spend some time with our friends.

Sandy Hook Elementary

My heart is absolutely broken over the news of the tragedy.  The worst part to think about is all of the moms who have done Christmas shopping and now their children will not be with them on Christmas.  I wept when I saw a mom interviewed who said that her daughter had asked for cowboy boots, so now she has little cowboy boots and no little feet to fill them.  The last verse of Away in a Manger provides great comfort:

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there

Grief is such a personal, non-linear journey, and I do not pretend to know how difficult it is and is going to be for these families to grieve their children's deaths while the whole world watches.  May God give them peace.

Not a Minute to Spare!

I seriously have no time in December.  And Quincy is gone for the next two nights on a work trip.  Seriously?  Who plans a work trip in December?  But, still, I want to document the goings-on so I don't forget.

I think it was August when Erica asked me if Clara and I wanted to go to Tea with Santa at the Umstead.  Yes!  Of course!  I only brought my phone, but here are a few pics:

Clara at the table.  Yes,I made her wear a bib.  She is 2 and they had hot chocolate!

After all of the kids sit on Santa's lap, he reads The Night Before Christmas.

Here's Clara and Soph with Santa.

Tea with Santa at the Umstead did not disappoint.  When we got there a few of the dancers from The Nutcracker were greeting the kids.  Then let us into the room,which was set up with place cards and pretty napkins and fine china.  There were homemade marshmallows and real whipped cream for the hot chocolate.  The adults were served four teeny tiny sandwiches and the kids three.  Ours were things like smoked salmon and cucumber and the kids had ham and cheese with the crusts cut off.  Then came the most heavenly desserts.  The adult hot chocolate had amaretto in it, which was amazing.  There was a harpist, which the kids thought was great.  Then they rang the bells and in came Santa!  Everyone got to sit on his lap and then he read The Night Before Christmas.  It really was fantastic.  I can't wait to be able to take Julia when she gets a little older.  This year she enjoyed leisurly napping at home with her Daddy.

Family Christmas Photos

I don't want to spoil the surprise from our Christmas cards, so I won't post the one we are using, but here are a few of the great pictures Beth got when she was here in October:

I don't have enought time to do a real post.  I am behind on my thankfulness posts!  Here's a brief catch up:

November 16:  I am thankful for my cousin Lauren and her daughter Suzanna's visit.  They came down from DC just to see us!  It was a wonderful time.

November 17:  I am thankful simply for Saturday.  We went to a Touch a Truck event, had lunch together and went to an oyster roast.  Then Lauren and I got to go out to Coquette for wine, just us.  It was a wonderful day.

November 18:  I am thankful for my friends.  Abby and I got to spend a little time together while the girls played and I got to catch up with Jodie.  I'm thankful for all of my friends, but those two events made me especially thankful on Sunday.

November 19:  I am thankful for modern medicine.  I have pink eye!  Yuk!  Such is the life for the mom of a toddler and a baby.

November 20:  I am thankful for my lunch breaks.  Today I will be cramming in as many errands as possible prior to the holiday.

Also, I'm thankful for Quincy making me breakfast this morning.  Yum.

Thankfulness--November 15

Well, I am a few days behind.  I rarely get behind a computer unless I am at work and I have been too busy at work to take a break and blog.  We also headed down to the Outer Banks with friends this past weekend and while a ton of fun, packing/unpacking and travel really does take time!

November 9:  I am thankful for good friends that invited us to the beach.  And for the beach itself.  My New Year's Resolution this year was to make mom friends in Raleigh and I have made a few really good ones that I have a lot in common with.  We went down to the beach with Erica, Andy & Sophia and Megan, Jeremy & Evan.  Amazing time.

November 10:  I am thankful for good food.  Doughnuts from Duck Doughnuts for breakfast and a giant meal of braised brisket, mashed turnips, green beans and fresh bread and moist chocolate cake for dessert.  Happy birthday Andy!  Also, I'm thankful for dance parties.  Clara and her friends had the most hilarious dance party after dinner.

November 11:  I am thankful for our military today and thankful that our freedom is protected.  I am also thankful for the families of soldiers that sacrifice so much so that their husbands and wives, mothers, fathers and children can serve and protect.  From my personal perspective, I can't imagine being a mother with small children whose husband was called to active duty.  I admire and respect those that have been through it.

November 12:  I am thankful for my job.  Although I don't love going to work every day and miss being with my girls, I know that financial freedom is worth it.  Quincy and I have no debt other than our house,

November 13:  I am thankful for making too much chili two weeks ago and freezing half.  It was a really long, tough day and it was nice not to have to cook.  Plus, it was delicious!

November 14:  I am thankful for my work Thanksgiving meal.  It is my favorite thing that we do at work every year.  This year I brought PK's Macaroni & Cheese.  It was pretty good, but not as good as it is when she makes it.

I am also thankful for Mrs. Lynetta, Clara's 2s teacher, whose last day before maternity leave was the 14th.  We will miss her between now and February!

November 15:  I am thankful for coffee.  Because otherwise I would not get through this day.

November 7 & November 8

November 7:  I am thankful for Clare at Sherwin Williams paint and the 40% off paint sale this weekend.

Remember this?

The boxing was done quickly.  Over the next couple of months we got the roof replaced (needed it), replaced the siding on the whole house (probably needed it), replaced all of the windows (needed them and totally unrelated to the tree), and we are (today) getting the masonry fixed.

Next step, paint the whole house.  YAY!!  But, we need a paint color.  It needs to have enough gray to tie in the new roof, but not so much that it looks dirty.  Clare has been so helpful in assisting us in picking out a paint color.

November 8:  Today I am thankful for Bright Horizons.  Clara is finally back to school today and she ran and hugged all of her teachers and was so happy to see her friends.  They were serving up a breakfast of whole wheat pancakes and turkey sausage, so I can be sure she won't get filled up with junk.

Thankfulness--November 6

Today I am thankful for my right to vote, obviously, and the time to do it.

Clara has been sick since Saturday night.  It is just a virus and there is nothing the doctor can do about it, it just has to pass.  My mom kept her yesterday and is keeping her again today so that we can work.  I am so thankful for this, but I really didn't know how I was going to fit in voting with two drop offs.  On a whim, after dropping Clara off I rolled by our precinct.  There were only a few cars, so I put Julia in the Ergo and ran on in.  No line!  Here we are, moments after finishing up.  I got her a sticker to put in her baby book, it was really sweet to have her with me.

It's so crazy to me to live at a time where people actually remember black people and women not being able to vote.  Most days I take for granted my right to vote, access to higher education and ability to have whatever career I please.  Today I am especially thankful for those things.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness

There's a meme going around on Facebook where each day of November you post a reason why you are thankful.  I'm not crazy over detailed Facebook posts, so I thought I would do it here.  Obviously I'm late to the party, so I'll do five days now.

November 1.  My marriage.  I would not be where I am without the love and support of Quincy.

November 2.  My beautiful, healthy, happy children.  I am so incredibly happy that God blessed us with two wonderful girls.

November 3.  Beautiful fall football Saturdays, even if the game score was terrible.

November 4.  Antibiotics and an extra hour after the girls went to bed to catch up on laundry and grocery shopping.

November 5.  Having a mom that lives in town who is willing to take care of my sick toddler.

And here's a picture from the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago for good measure.

Visit to Great Grandma

For various reasons, it's not going to work for us to get to Lexington to see Quincy's grandma, PK, for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We still really wanted to see PK, so we decided to go for Lexington BBQ fest this past weekend to see her instead.  We got to see her one-on-one and the kids really enjoyed getting to play with her.

We also got to see Quincy's Dad, his Aunt Carol and Uncle Neal and several cousins, which was so special and an added bonus.

PK has really great toys leftover from when Quincy and his cousins were little.  Clara kept running upstairs and showing up with more stuff.  When we got home on Sunday she took a nap and then she and I went to the grocery store, something that we both like to do together.  After we got home she wanted to stay in the car and go back and see her Great Grandma.  She's been talking about PK the whole week.

I think not going to Lexington for the holiday may be a blessing in disguise.  We had enough time to stay over night and the girls got real time with their Great Grandma.  It was a wonderful weekend and one we will not forget.

Julia Six Months Pro Pics

I was slightly disappointed in Julia's six month professional photos.  All she does is grin and smile these days, but she was so overwhelmed by the studio and playing dress-up that she didn't really smile.  There are two photos that I just love, and you really only need a couple.  I really like our photographer, but all I really wanted was a picture of Julia looking like she normally looks and a picture of her in her baptism gown.  We got the first, but I was disappointed in the baptism shots.  I think we just should have stayed in the gown until we got it, but they wanted to do Tutu Shots/Christmas/Fall to give me a variety.  It's my fault because I should have spoken up, but I didn't know what they had and hadn't gotten.

I know, first world problems, right?  I have an adorable baby girl, the money to have professional pictures taken every three months and I only got two adorable shots of her at six months.  Never mind the fact that we had family shots done the next week and got even more adorable shots of her.

Whatever.  Here are the two adorable shots:

This is pretty much what she looks like all the time.  Only sometime the smile is bigger.

Now that's a cute picture.  I look at this now and think "COLD" but it was 85 degrees out that day.

Here are a couple of the less adorable but still cute shots:

Cute baby pic, but not special.

She does like to eat her toes!

Yeah.  Just not fabulous, but still good.

She looks like a baby doll!

Totally and completely over it by this point.

She was just humoring us here.

We had to take the pearls off because all she wanted to do was eat them.

Easy, Health(ier) Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese

The Crock Pot is every working mother's friend.  Today I am linking up with Kelly's Korner Blog for Crockpotalooza 2.  I'm a little late to the party, but better late than never!  I am sharing my recipe for:

 Easy, Health(ier) Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese:

1/2 pound Barilla Plus elbow macaroni (or spirals, you choose)
3 cups 2% or reduced fat finely shredded shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated skim milk
1 1/2 cups 1% milk
1 egg (can use egg substitute)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Step 1:  Spray the crock pot WELL with cooking spray.

Step 2:  Mix the egg, milk, evaporated milk in a large bowl.  

Step 3:  Mix in the uncooked pasta and 2 cups of the shredded cheese.  

Step 4:  Pour into the crock pot and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Step 5:  Cook on low for three to four hours. DO NOT STIR OR REMOVE LID WHILE COOKING!!

This is so easy and so good!

Pictures from Abby

Abby got a new camera this summer and has taken some amazing pictures of our family over the course of the summer.  I am hoping the novelty of the camera doesn't wear off and that she continues to do so.

Abby's two babies are 4 (Annalise, this week) and 4 months (Elliot).  They go to our church and we spend a ton of time with them.  I am really thankful to have such sweet friends.  Clara loves Annalise and Annalise likes Clara after she's had a few hours to warm up to Clara following her around and wanting to do everything she does.

These are totally out of order.

Julia on the day of her baptism.  She was changed out of her christening gown by this point and free to drool up a storm.    More pics of the baptism to come.

Clara on her bike at Music on the Porch.

Annalise and Clara.  Blurry but cute.  What do you think they are excited about?

Clara and Sophia, Love!

Julia and Elliot one Friday at Abby's.  Abby was still on maternity leave.

Another Music on the Porch.

Don't judge me for Clara's hair.  The bow/pony tail fell out.

This is how I will remember this summer.  This and with a sleeping baby in my arms at the pool.  Both amazing!

A more recent picture (last weekend) of Jules and Elliot.

These are from Abby's old camera over MDW.  Clara seems so little in these to me:

 Obviously we were all having a terrible time, especially my slip and sliding husband.

Eat Alone. Or Shop Alone. Or eat with friends. But lunch is for you.

One of the struggles of being a mother is finding some alone time.  I am sure it is the same for SAHMs and working moms, but I am only fit to speak of the latter.  (But while we are on the subject, I hate the mom wars and feel that we should spend our time supporting one another).

At any rate, when you have a demanding job, the tendency is to get in, work as fast as you can as quickly as you can, eat lunch at your desk and get out as soon as possible to spend the maximum amount of time with your kids.

There's a popular book that supports "never eating alone."  Basically, you should always take lunch and use the time to build your relationships.

While I agree that it is certainly necessary to build relationships in order to build a strong network of contacts and build a successful career, I don't think that's the right tactic to take to build a strong family or a strong mother.  I think that while our kids are little, we working moms should let someone else do the contact building and rain making and we should just be the absolute best worker bees that we can be.

The truth is, once you have kids, one parent absolutely must make professional sacrifices or the marriage suffers.  Usually, the kids do too.  Best case, each parent makes some professional sacrifice, but it's going to be lopsided.  Usually, the mother jumps on this grenade.  Although I know at least two stay-at-home-dads that have embraced their role and excel at it, most of the dads I know don't feel the same sense of longing when they are away from their kids.  Or real need to be at a doctor's appointment or kiss the ouchie.  Similarly, most women shrug their shoulders at missing a promotion because of children, whereas the men I know feel the longing in the other direction.

Anyway.  I'm getting to the point, here.  And that point is, while I'm sacrificing the partner track, I might as well enjoy it.  And even though I'm going to work hard, I'm going to enjoy my professional sacrifice by taking lunch and using that time for myself.  I go to Target.  I get returns done at the mall.  I run home and change over laundry, fold a load and watch a show.  I go to the grocery store.  I get my toes done.  I get my hair cut. I have lunch with friends.  I go to lunch with co-workers.  I feel like by doing these things, I can be fully with my husband and my children when I am home with them at night, on Fridays and over the weekend. It makes me a less-stressed mother and an overall more satisfied person.  Although I'm not always alone, I'm not working during lunch and strategically choosing my lunch companions. Of course there are days when work needs to be a priority and I will microwave lunch at my desk, but most of the time, I choose to prioritize myself.

And I promise, next post I will get back to sweet pictures of my babies.

Sisters

Everyone asks whether Clara and Julia look alike.  Answer?  Nope.  But you be the judge:

When I first got my camera, I took a few pics of Clara in the Bumbo:

The other day Julia had on the same outfit, so I stuck her in the Bumbo and took some shots.  The lighting was way different.

They are both so individually different, but I think you can tell they are sisters.  Julia smiles all the time and is so sweet.  Clara is so full of energy and is so joyful.  She wakes up and says "I'm AWAKE!"  She is so excited!  All the time!

Last night I didn't take the monitor downstairs after I put them down.  When Clara gets out of her bed she usually comes straight downstairs.

Well.

She goes to bed at about 7:15 and she showed up at 8:30.  I went up to put her in bed and the whole upstairs was just slightly askew.  Then all of the sudden I realized Julia's door was open.  I looked in and there was that little bald head, poked up grinning at me.  I walked into the room and there was CLEAR evidence that not only had Clara been in her room, she had been in her crib.  I just had to smile.  Clara had put extra binkies and a ton of toys in Julia's crib.  Even though I was slightly annoyed that Clara had woken Julia up, I still love that they are starting to really interact and having secret sister time.

I am excited to see what the future shows!

I don't blog everyday, but I try!

A lot of the blogs that I read are doing 31 days of posts in October about whatever they want, but they pick a theme and have to blog every day.  I can't even think of 31 related things I would blog about and I didn't even get a chance to blog yesterday, so I guess I missed the boat.  BUT, my goal is to blog more in the month of October, even if I don't have pictures to post or anything very important to post.

So here's a run down of what's been going on with us.

Did I mention I got a new car?  I had to, in August.  We went with a slightly used Toyota Sequoia.  It is a great car for our family.  It is functional, is supposed to be reliable and has a lot of room and I have just loved having it. My only problem is that it is pretty close to a mini-van, but it still isn't a mini-van!

Friday my mom and I took the girls to her friend Lisa's house to go to the pool.

Julia watched her big sister, practiced trying to crawl and practiced eating solids.

Clara tried soccer on Saturday morning and, well, I don't have any pictures of that because it was a complete disaster.  We've always known she's a girly-girl, but it seems clear that soccer is not her thing.  Yes, she's a little young, but all of the kids are young and she just was not interested.  They took out blocks for the kids to kick the ball around a tower and she just wanted to build with the blocks.  She only lasted about 15 minutes and then she asked to go home or go outside with Sophia and Ericap (what she calls Erica--Sophia didn't like it either).  Several of the parents were out there running with their kids in circles trying to MAKE them participate (!!!), but I just don't want it that bad.  We'll try dance yet, it's likely to be a better fit.

And anyway?  SHE'S TWO.  She doesn't really have to be involved in activities yet.

The rest of Saturday was a wash out.

Sunday was church, mommy/Clara lunch at Whole Foods during Julia's nap and a play date with her buds.  It was a great weekend.