A Brynn update...

Ya know, I was talking to someone yesterday and realized that I never posted an update about Brynn on here {I actually haven't posted anything in awhile...whoops.}  Anyway, as I mentioned before, I posted looking for advice on what to do since she was acting SO SHY about playing soccer, but still wanting to actually GO to the practice and games. {So confusing, right??}  Well, I wanted to report to you that homegirl is ROCKING IT now.  She LOVES IT.  It only took her about half the season to warm up to it, but she is going in, STARTING and playing with no problem at all!  She's even practicing with her teammates, warming up before the game and everything!  This Friday is her last game of the season and she is SO EXCITED to be getting her very first trophy!  YAY BRYNN!

So, for all the parents out there that commented here, Instagram and on Facebook about having a similar issue, I wanted to let you know how it turned out for us.  Because she wanted to go to practice and games but just didn't want to actually go IN and play, we just stuck with it.  I would have taken her to every game and practice of the season and sat on the sidelines with her, as long as she wanted to go.  Thankfully she finally warmed up to it and started playing more and more each game.  It makes me feel like we made the right decision by continuing to take her and I'm so thankful for that.

Keep on, keepin on, amirite? ;)

Brynn

So, Brynn turned 4 in May and is old enough to play soccer this year.  She excitedly helped pick out her little cleats and shinguards and couldn't wait to get on the field to play after watching Carter from the sidelines these past 2 years. 

When we took her to her first practice, she was OMGSOEXCITED and could barely contain it...

 ...but as soon as we handed over her soccer ball and pointed her in the direction of her team, her smile disappeared. The face that she gave me as she slowly walked towards her team and looked back, kind of broke my heart.  Her big blue eyes were welling up with tears.  She then ran back towards me, saying that she was scared. 

I walked over to her team with her and held her hand as she listened to the coach's directions.  But she refused to play.  She just stood there next to me, frozen.  I tried to encourage her, but she kept repeating that she was scared.  She also didn't want to talk to the coach or any of the kids on her team.  As I held her hand, I started getting her to dribble the ball in the cones and play the shark game with the kids, so that she could take part in the practice.  As she felt more comfortable, I slowly started backing away and returned to the sidelines with Bob to watch the practice.

Now we know that Brynn is a very shy kid, but she usually has no problem playing with other kids once she feels comfortable.

Fast forward 3 days later to her very first soccer game.  She excitedly got ready, putting her way-too-big uniform on and shoving her little feet into the cutest pair of soccer cleats my eyes have ever seen.  And as we drove to the field, she talked with Carter in the back seat about how they were both going to score a goal in their respective games. 

But once we got out of the car, we saw that same face we saw at her first practice.  I held her hand as we walked to the field and took her to the other side to be with her team.  I slowly started walking to the parents side when I heard her crying.  I then spent the next hour trying to calm her down instead of watching her play her first game.  Nope, she didn't play at all.  She actually refused to go in.  But as soon as that final whistle blew, you bet she was the first person in line for the team snack.  #thatsmygirl

The very next morning, team pictures were scheduled. We woke up early to get Carter and Brynn ready.  Carter's team was first, and he did awesome.  We then waited an hour at the field for Brynn's team pictures.  But do you think she got hers taken?  Not a chance.  Again, she refused.  And her second practice a few days later?  Nope, not happening.

I continuously leave the field feeling frustrated and unsure of what to do.  I obviously don't want to force her to play soccer if she doesn't want too, but at the same time, she asks me to play and says she loves it.  She's excited to get ready for the games and practices and still tells me that she's going to score a goal. {Umm, you actually have to PLAY to do that, dear.}  What gives?  I know she's a shy girl, so maybe she's just not as comfortable around all the people yet?  Maybe she doesn't want to be the center of attention on the field?  I'm not sure!

I will say that, at her game last Friday night, she DID go in the game.  For a minute.  But she did go in.  And she scored a goal...

 

...and then, after a few team high fives, she ran over to the concession stand to get in line for cheese fries.  In the middle of the game.

Her third game is tonight. We're going to continue to take her, because she seems to want to go.  I'm just hoping I'm doing what's best for her, ya know?  I'll just keep encouraging her to play, without forcing it.  That's about all I can do, right? Maybe she'll play TWO minutes tonight before running to the concession stand {which, I don't blame her much, those cheese fries are good.}

Anyone else have a super shy kid?  We had the exact opposite problem with Carter, so this is all new to us.  I'll take all the help I can get...

Happenings Lately

So much going on, people.  So much.  Obviously I haven't blogged in awhile.  The truth is... I can barely go to the bathroom, shower and/or eat with 2 hands {oh, the luxuries!}, so clearly blogging is going to take a back seat. But I'm now trying my best to get back into the swing of things. So here's what's been happening lately...
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I go back to work next week!  Ahhhh.  How did this happen!?!  Baby girl is 9 weeks old {today!} so I do feel lucky that I will have had 10 weeks at home with her before I go back.  I also have a nice transition back into the office over the next month, which I'm very grateful for as well!

But, I have to admit... I'm having serious mixed feelings about it. 

On one hand, I am super excited to get back to work. {Call me crazy!}  I just miss being in my work environment, having daily adult interaction and actually getting a designated lunch break where I'll be able to eat.  With 2 hands!  {It's the little things.}

On the other hand, I know I will miss my baby girl like whoa.  And my 3 other babies too, obviously.  But especially Emerson.  We've been attached at the hip {or she's been attached to my boob, rather} for 10 weeks straight... it will be a difficult adjustment to leave her for 8 hours a day while I'm at work.  But we'll get through it... I have 3 times before this, right?
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Speaking of going back to work... I've been having serious anxiety, to the point of having nightmares about it.  And not for any of the reasons mentioned above.  Here's the thing...

My very first day back in the office after my maternity leave with Reid?  My dad died.

The. very. first. day.

Imagine being overwhelmed with the thought of leaving your new baby for the first time as you head back to work. Running a little late, as you transition to your new morning routine.  Sitting down at the computer to hundreds of new emails.  Your desk flooded with all the changes made in the short time that you've been gone. You haven't yet said hello to all of your fellow coworkers, because you've been inundated with work. And just as you get a moment to breathe after a few overwhelming hours trying to get re-accustomed to your work environment, you get that fateful call that will change your life forever.

I never realized, until recently as I prepare to head back to work again, just how much it has impacted me.  The timing of it all.  Being with Reid for 12 weeks straight and then, leaving for work that day, and not seeing him for more than an hour in the week that followed.  Makes me cry just thinking about how difficult that time was for everyone.  It's hard enough losing a parent, but to have it happen just 2 hours into your very first day back from maternity leave when you're already an emotional mess, made it all that more difficult. {And let's not add to it, the fact that I came home late that night to a dog that could no longer walk and that we were told to put to sleep THAT SAME DAY.}

It was obviously the hardest day of my life.

So, as I prepare to go back to work next week, I can't help but have severe anxiety about it. Almost like... "what terrible thing is going to happen when I return to work this time?"
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Let's shift gears, shall we?

Carter is playing baseball!  Well, tee-ball, but still.  He's so excited about it {and so am I!}  Opening Day is this Saturday and I'm praying for nice weather.  The poor kid has only had 1 practice so far because the other 4 have been cancelled due to rain and SNOW. {Ugh!}  Would it be too much to ask to have spring-like weather in spring??  Anyway, here's my little cutie just before his first {and only, grrr} practice:

Love him!  I must also add that he is doing amazing in school.  I was so worried about how he was going to do with being so young {he has a July birthday!} and I was even more worried about how he would act in school, but I'm happy to report that he is doing SO WELL!!  We are so proud of him!  Go Carter Man!
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With April approaching, I am in the midst of planning Brynn's 4th {WTH!?!?!} birthday party.  Her birthday is on a Saturday this year {May 24th}, so that makes things easier.  Of course, that's Memorial Day weekend too, but whatever.  It is what it is.  Anyway, baby girl wants to have it at Build-A-Bear again, so that's what we'll do.  And, like every other child on the planet, it MUST be Frozen themed.  Because, what else is there right now!?!  Exactly. {And a Frozen/snowflake theme on Memorial Day weekend makes so much sense.  Obviously.}

I did design her Frozen birthday invitation a few days ago, and I'm still tweaking it to perfection, so I'll be sure to post it as soon as it's ready!  I will say that it's one of my favorite invitations that I've designed so far though... EEEKKK!

Here's a recent pic of Brynn and I on our little girls day out...

We only went to Target and Chicl-Fil-A, but hey! It was fun! It was so nice to just have some time with my first baby girl. :)
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Reid Joesph turned 18 months on March 10th. He is doing amazing... he's smart as a whip but equally as evil.  He is into everything, let me tell ya.  There's a reason he's so cute, ha! We have his 18 month well visit on the same day as Emerson's 2 month visit, so I'll include his stats in that post as well. Here's a pic of my sweet boy along with his cousin, BFF and birthday twin, Aubrey, last weekend at their cousin Ben's 7th {ahh!!} birthday party...

OMG, they're the best, aren't they!?!
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Emerson just turned 2 months old on March 27th.  Can you believe it!?!  I have a whole post planned for later this week, but here's my little sweet pea on her second monthaversary...

Still with the hair.  I LOVE IT.  She's the sweetest!

She has her 2 month well visit on Thursday with Reid, so I'll have stats and everything for you then!  But let me just say that she is a great baby.  She's been sleeping through the night for several weeks now, has been an awesome nurser {with no signs of reflux, woo hoo!} and is very go-with-the-flow {poor thing doesn't have a choice, but still.} She just adores her brothers and sister too.  She's all smiles when they're around! :)  I'll have more on Emmie Mae later this week...
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In other news, Bob and I are still alive after two months with 4 kids, so that's saying something, right??

More later.  Promise.

Happenings Lately

It's been a while since I did a "happenings" post, so let's get to it.  I literally have zero clue what I'm going to talk about today, but once I get going, I'm sure I'll end up talking about a lot. ;)

*****

We got Carter's kindergarten pictures back and totally love them! But I need your help... which background do you like better?  I dressed him in blue and grey thinking that I'd end up liking the grey background the best, but I don't know.  It looks kind of... warped to me. Or something.  Help me out...

Barn Door or Grey?

Had I known ahead of time that I would have even considered the barn door option, I would have dressed him a little more... um, fallish. Oh well.

Andplusalso?  HOW CUTE IS HE!?!

I'm so proud of him too.  He's doing awesome in school. And he loves it so much, which makes it even better. I just love talking to him about his day when he comes home {but trust me, sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get him to talk to us about it!} He just adores his teacher and his favorite class is library.  He gets very excited to pick out a new book and then we read it several times together before he has to return it the following week. 

We're still having a little trouble with our super picky eater, but we're working on it. I practically have to force him to buy lunch sometimes {I mean, come on kid, it's CHICKEN FINGERS.  Buy them. We're not packing cheddar slices and crackers for the 10th time this week.}  He'll get better. I hope.

*****

Reid is talking up a storm lately! He's like a parrot... he repeats everything he hears.  My mom gave him his lunch yesterday, and he looked up and said "Thank you, GG!"  Clear as day!  He also loves to say mommy, daddy, p-pop, ninny (Brynnie), grammy, bubba, ball, catch, ut oh, sweet dreams, most of the daycare kids names and several other words. {He's not saying Carter, Kacy or Kristi yet though... I think it's the hard C/K sound he's having "trouble" with.  He'll get it!}

But his favorite thing to say in the entire world?  The thing that we hear at least 1,000 times a day?

AUBREY!  AUBREY!  AUBREY!

All. day. long. It's so cute!  The birthday twins are BFF's for sure!

Also, besides the yelling of ALL THE NAMES, we get this adorable cheeser smile.  A lot.  I love it.

 
*****

Brynn is doing so well in GG's preschool.  She was having a little bit of trouble remembering her colors, but she is doing so well on everything else.  She's learning to write her name and is doing awesome on her shapes, numbers and letters.  We're also working on potty training. She gets it... sometimes.  I want her to be a PRO by the time this baby girl is born.  I can only handle 2 kids in diapers at a time, let me tell ya.

Also, for the first time since becoming pregnant, Brynn recognized that we have another baby on the way.  Every time I refer to the baby, she always says "Reid!" and I have to remind her that there is another baby in mommy's belly. {I get her confusion... trust me!} Even when I ask her what we should name the new baby, she'd always say "Reid, mommy" {like, duh!}  We also went through a period of time when she thought that getting a new baby meant that we'd have to send Reid back. Or something. Poor kid.

Anyway, there was a commercial on the other day with a baby crying and she said "Aww, why the baby crying mommy? We're getting a new baby too!" and I asked her what the new baby's name will be {fully expecting her to say Reid} and she said "Baby sister in mommy's belly!"

Melt my heart.

Reid is still her baby for now though...

*****

Let's talk Christmas. I know, I know... before Halloween.  I don't care. 

I've started shopping {or at least researching ideas} for the kids.  I'm trying not to buy a lot of toys for them this year, but instead get them a few things that they really need.  My main ideas are new wheely luggage and new sleeping bags for all their sleepover parties and family vacations.

But, is it weird that I also want to buy these two items for Emerson too?  I know she won't be here before Christmas {SHE BETTER NOT BE} but I still want her to have these items and it would be nice if all 4 kids matched, so to speak.  Here's what I'm thinking...

Luggage:

Sleeping Bags:

Cute, right?  We'll see! Still looking around...

Of course, I have to buy SOME toys and Carter and Brynn have certainly made it clear to me which toys they want from Santa this year.  More to come on this.

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Don't forget to check out my 25 week pregnancy update.  Can't believe that 3rd tri is just 2 short weeks away!  And with all the holiday's coming up, baby girl will be here before we know it! EEEKKK!

Happy Friday, everyone!

WW: Brynn's Party

I blogged about this a few times {here and you can see her adorable invite here} but we had Brynn's Sofia the First Build-A-Bear party this past Saturday.  Although I was a little hesitant about the logistics of everything, I just have to say- it was awesome.  Seriously.  I would recommend this to anyone.

When you book your party, you can set whatever price limit you want for each of your guests, so it really can work in any budget.  I think the smallest amount is $10/kid {which is basically just a bear}, but you can set it at whatever you'd like!  We set the limit at $25/kid thinking that would be a great amount and allow the kiddos to get a bear and an outfit or accessory.  Of course, then the My Little Pony collection came out, which starts at $25, so that was great timing ;)  I was nervous about how everything was going to work {fully expecting to pay $20,000 by the time I left} but the party planners we had were amazing at making sure everyone stayed in budget.  Overall, it was wonderful!

After the party, we headed right next door to the food court and had pizza.  We brought in drinks for the kids/adults, my sister brought a soft pretzel tray, my mom made adorable princess cupcakes and my MIL made a delicious TBM pasta salad.  YUM! I just brought in some table covers, princess plates/cups/silverware, etc and we called it a day.  It was so easy, I have no idea why I was even worried about it.  And the best part?  All the kids had a bear/pony to take home as a favor.

I really don't have many pictures from the party... I was busy making sure kids didn't run out into the mall and/or knock down the shelves in the store and all, but here's one shot of some of the kiddos {there were about 15, not sure where the rest went for the pic... oh yeah, pizza.}

Adorable. {They even all signed a birthday bear for Brynn too, which was separate from the My Little Pony she made at the party.  So cute!}

And this was about the best shot I could get of Brynn's adorable Sofia the First outfit. Purple amulet tank, purple tutu {I almost didn't buy it... I struggled with that one} and white leggings.  She LOVED it and kept saying "I'm a princess!" the entire time.  So sweet. {Outfit from this Etsy shop.}

Also? My Little Pony on roller skates FTW.  All the girls were pushing them around the mall on their leash.  It was adorable.

My baby girl turns 3 on Friday. Ahhhhh.  I can't believe it.  We're going to take her to the movies to see Epic and then go out to lunch.  Can't wait.

Happy Birthday week, Brynnie Foo Foo {yes, she gets a week.}  We love you so much!

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Google Reader is going away on July 1st, and I don't want to lose you in the shuffle!

WW: It's a Princess Party!

Like I said before, I let Brynn pick her birthday party location this year.  She picked Build-A-Bear and she's extremely excited about it.

Since then, she's been hugging the iPad at the thought of making one of these...

And honestly? I'd be excited too.

I also let her pick the theme of the party and then designed the invites myself.  When I showed her the finished product, she gasped with joy and it totally made all the work worth it =)

So, without further ado, I present... Princess Brynn Sophia {the First ;}...

I got them from the printer yesterday and they are PERFECT.  I love them so much.  She's handing them out at GG's daycare as we speak.

Now can someone please explain to me how it's possible for my second baby to be turning THREE?? Sigh.

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Happy Wednesday!

Happenings Lately...

I feel like I have so many things I want to talk about here, but no time to actually talk about them.  At least in separate posts.  So, because it's been awhile since I did a 'Happenings' post {the last one was the morning before my dad died... man how things have changed since then} I figured now is as good a time as any to catch you up on our world lately.

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Carter.

Ya know, the baby that I feel like I just brought home from the hospital?

 {Erin Farrell Photography}

Yeah, him.

He registers for kindergarten tomorrow.  

Bob and I are taking him to school where he will meet the kindergarten teachers and visit a classroom while we complete the registration paperwork.

This boy.

 {Stephanie Glover Photography}

He's not a baby anymore.

And I just can't believe that he will be 5 in July and off to school for the very first time this fall.

I mean, I remember turning 5.  {Crap, guess we need to watch what we say/do now, huh?}

Now my first baby is old enough to have this memory too.

I just can't believe it.  I'm in shock.

Please hold me while I sob.

***

Currently, I'm in the midst of planning Reid's Baptism.  Like Brynn's Baptism, we're going to have the ceremony at the church and then have the party at our house.

We're a little late in planning this, but I think everything has been a bit delayed since my dad died.  Just the thought of holding these events without him hurts my heart immensely.  But life goes on, and we're trying to get through these things together.  And, in the grand scheme of things, it's really not a big deal that Reid will be 7 months old at his Baptism.  I'm still glad we're doing it.

We had a bit of a hard time finding an outfit for the "little" guy though ;)  {18 month clothing just isn't normal for a 6 month old.  Well, I guess it's normal for my 6 month olds. Ahem.} But I think we picked a winner.

Adorable, right?

Okay, so because we're having about 50 people at our house for lunch on the last Sunday of April, the ol' to do list is too long to even write down.  Besides my nephew Ben's birthday party this Saturday, we've basically cleared our calendars for the entire month so that we can get the house ready for the party.

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Which leads me to the next point.

We're selling our house.

We hope to list it literally right after Reid' Baptism.  We got new siding a few weeks ago which now leaves us with only 1 big project left to do: our laundry room remodel.  I definetly have to take a "before" picture of this room and post it for you because it will give you a better idea of what the state of our entire house looked like when we moved in.

Disasterous.

I mean, there is drawer-lining contact paper on our walls.  Like, for wallpaper.

Yep.

We start that this weekend.

***

Can we talk about the housing market real quick?  Great.

Since we've renovated every. single. room. in the house {most of which were complete gut jobs} we hoped that we would eventually be rewarded for our hard work by selling our house at a higher price than what we paid for it {or, ya know, be able to include the renovation costs in our listing price like in a normal market.}

But ya know, this isn't a normal market.

Since everything crashed, we'll be lucky if we can list our house for what we originally paid for it.  And, of course, also losing the 30-40k of money we put into the house on things like a new kitchen, bathrooms, windows, roof, etc over the last 7 years.

Awesome.

But, ya know.  These things happen.  My only saving grace is that we will be able to buy a nicer house at a cheaper price too.

Hopefully, right?

Oh, and our moving plans are pretty settled now.  We're going to move in with my mom for a few months.  This will allow us to do two things: (1) help her financially since things have been rough since my dad died and (2) save money while we build {or search for a >5 year old} new house. No more fixer-uppers for us, thankyouverymuch.  We plan to move into the same town as my mom anyway, so this also works out with Carter starting school in the fall.

More on our moving/new house plans later.

***

Also on the planning agenda?  Brynn's birthday party.

She'll be 3 in May. {HOW?}

I'm trying to book the party this week so that I can design the invitations and get them out by mid-April.

She picked Build-A-Bear for her party location, by the way. Which, on one hand I find adorable and I know she loves it there, but on the other, I find annoying because now I have to figure out how the hell to also feed people.  I'm going to call the mall today about reserving tables in the food court and then I guess getting some pizzas and/or Chick-Fil-A trays and calling it a day.

Oy.

Anyone been to {or had} a Build-A-Bear party before?  What did you do for food?

***

So yeah, as you can see, we're not busy at all.

WW: Lazy Weekend

Not much time to post tonight, so I'll just share a few of my favorite pics from this weekend, in which we did absolutely nothing.  And it was awesome.

Brotherly love at it's finest.  They adore each other and I LOVE it.

 And then there's this girl.

Brynn and Carter waiting for daddy to get home with Dunkin Donuts...

Reid's been having a rough time lately {his bottom two front teeth are just about ready to pop through} and he slept like this for an hour and a half on Saturday while I watched a movie.  It was LOVELY.

Oh, there he is.  How handsome is he?

BFF's FOR LYFE.

Happy Wednesday!

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WW: My Girl

Monday was spent relaxing with the kids, cleaning the house and catching up on laundry.  We Bob didn't really feel like cooking, so we decided to get take-out instead.  After placing our order, he bundled up and headed out in the snow to pick up our dinner.

Reid was sleeping in his swing and Carter and Brynn were playing in the family room and watching Nemo.  Brynn asked me "where daddy go?" and I told her he went to go get dinner.  She excitedly ran upstairs to sit in the living room, look out the window and wait for daddy to come home.

When Bob pulled in the driveway15 minutes later? This is what we saw...

Waiting for dinner is exhausting.

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WW: Trick-Or-Treat

Like I mentioned below, Halloween festivities have been rescheduled for Saturday as our area cleans up from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. I'm happy to report that we were able to return to our home today to find it exactly as we left it. We feel very fortunate that we didn't have any major damage, but many people in our town weren't as lucky.  And those at the Jersey shore?  The devastation there is heartbreaking.

Anyway, I wasn't really able to snap many pictures of the kiddos in their costumes yet, so these will have to do for now ;)

My little blue-eyed, blonde-haired Mario.  So convincing, right?

He's so happy.  Carter Man loves Halloween!

Brynn, however?  Not so much.

That was her the moment we put on her witch costume for my niece's first birthday party. She loves Halloween about as much as I do. Ahem.

Oh, no worries, she cheered up again.  When we took her costume off and she got a cupcake.

And then there's Reid.  The cutest little giraffe my eyes did ever see.

 

Be still my heart. 

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I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!