Return to work

It's the eve of my return to work and I can't believe how quickly the 18 weeks went. I guess that's what happens when you have two kids. We had a yummy dinner of corn chowder (thanks Piper for the recipe), salad and fruit salad. I had a relaxing last day, aside from a slight dental mishap - why couldn't it have happened one week earlier. Oh well. Now, both kids are sleeping (after a few trips upstairs to calm a crying baby and sing our little guy to sleep with Itsy Bitsy spider. Mason and Chloe - I wanted to share quick thoughts with you of our last 4.5 months together.
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Mason and Chloe - My two precious kiddos, I've so treasured the last several months with you. Each day brought new adventures, surprises and wonderful moments. At times, I questioned if I was juggling everything ok, but we had no serious mishaps, so that's a good thing. In the first month-and-a-half, with daddy home, we got to enjoy low-key holidays, take in things like Cougar Mountain Zoo and the reindeer, the Santa Train, and just have relaxing moments watching movies, reading books and hanging out.

Once the first month was under our belt, mom felt a little more confident about getting out the door with both of you. We started a fun habit of taking in storytime at the Issaquah Library on Tuesday mornings. I treasured those outings with you Mason, watching you absorb all of the books, learning nursery rhymes like "Ba Ba Black Sheep," which you like to recite all of the time now, and dancing to storytime songs. And, it was neat to watch Chloe observe her big brother, wondering when will I get to try these fun things.

Mason - I have to say this time has possibly been more special than when you were a newborn, as we were able to go enjoy adventures together vs. you taking it all in from a carseat. I appreciated your patience when mommy's nerves were a little worn and tired. I enjoyed seeing everything through your adventurous and carefree eyes. You are such a wonderful big brother, getting so excited to greet Chloe when she woke up in the morning or from a nap or rushing in to say hi on the days you returned home from daycare. Without a doubt, you are the one person who consistently gets smiles and giggles out of Chloe. I just love that. While I was always nervous about raising a boy, not having had any experience with siblings or even cousins, I've come to realize that you are also helping me become more laid back, teaching me not to sweat the small stuff and that smile and giggle of your's melt my heart everytime - even when you've got that mischievous sparkle in your eye.

Chloe - My sweet little girl. Little did I know how much more love my heart could hold. My heart is so full with your addition to our family. I was curious if it would become evident the differences between raising a girl and a boy. You are definitely mellow and more quiet than your brother - although, in the last month you've started cooing and grunting like crazy and laughing. I think you are super ticklish, which always triggers laughs. You don't often cry, unless you're hungry. Without fail, that always brings on the tears. I think almost every morning of the last 4 months, you have greeted me with a smile. I love that and it makes my heart melt. I feel so blessed to have had those two days with you each week where we could just sit on the couch, I could hold you and look into those big, blue eyes. I forgot the innocence of a newborn and have enjoyed experiencing that phase at the same time as the toddler phase. It has been so fun having a girl, dressing you up in the cute pink outfits that people gave us and even having girly playdates with friends such as Charlotte Kusak, Charlotte and Hannah Asher, and Ava Hurley to name a few. It is bittersweet to see you head off to daycare tomorrow, but I know you will be in good hands and big brother will watch over you.

I hope you both know how much mommy loves you and there isn't an hour that won't pass by where mommy won't be thinking of you both. I'll be anxious to get home to my two little ones each day and see your bright smiles.

Lots of hugs and kisses from mommy to you!

Brotherly Love

A few moments captured of brotherly love...

Joining brother for bathtime

Her brother triggers giggles

Drum lesson

Chloe is 4 months

Our little Chloe turned 4 months on St. Patrick's day. What a good luck charm! She really has changed - even in the last month. She is focusing so intently on the world and people around her. She loves to giggle and smile, which we just love. Her brother always puts a smile on her face, which is a good thing, as I'm sure there will be some sibling fights and tough love the older they get. :) One of her favorite positions is with us holding her up and standing, so perhaps we'll have an early walker. I guess we will see.

She really is a mellow girl, which is so different from her very busy brother. Now that we've got the hang of this parenting thing - or at least a little more than we did two years ago - we feel we are a little more easy-going with things and hopefully that is rubbing off on her. I even feel like I have less questions for the doctor when we go to appointments. In fact, during one of my calls to our doctor when Chloe had her first cold, even the nurse commented "you must be a second-time mom - you sound pretty calm."

We were slightly surprised by her 4-month stats - she had grown 3 inches since her 2-month visit and only gained a few pounds. Tall and lanky - whose daughter is she? :) Here's her stats rundown:
- Height - 24 1/4 inches
- Weight - 12 pounds, 15 oz
- Head circumference - 16 1/4 inches

The Many Faces of Chloe

All smiles

Worried

Focused

Nail-biting

Giggles

Blog hiatus

I have been on a bit of a blog hiatus, but I guess you could say I've been enjoying the ordinary days, as this mom put it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0) - an interesting and very wonderful video that my mom shared with me a little while back. My maternity leave is coming to an end this week so I've wanted to savour this last month with my kiddos. I've felt so blessed to have Monday's and Wednesday's with my little Chloe and then the rest of the week with both of my kids. While there have been the crazy moments where both kids are crying and mom is on the verge of melting down herself :), I wouldn't trade them in for anything. I've had some great storytelling sessions with my little guy at the library, fun excursions to the park for playtime, playdates at many local jaunts and lots of cuddle and puzzle time. Now with two kids, I am realizing just how quickly time flies. It feels like yesterday that Mason was at the same stage as Chloe and now he's busy running around, telling mommy what to do :), having hysterical conversations and flexing his independence and desire to be a big kid. I sometimes worry that time will pass as quickly with Chloe, and then I stop to try and take it all in, and enjoy both of my children experiencing their own milestones.

I know returning to work will be a bit bittersweet as this extra time I've had with my kids comes to an end, but at the same time, I will enjoy those ordinary moments even more.

Here's to the ordinary moments...

Storytime

Loving those hands

Wow - those are my feet

Checking out Dizzy's Tumblebus

The boys hard at work - Mason, Adam and George

Breaking in the new double stroller

Loving the bath

Pucker Up

So precious

Cuddle time - my three favorite people

Annual Oscar Party

What better excuse to gather some girlfriends than the Oscar's. I believe this was my 8th or so annual Oscar party. I actually started them post-college and when I was living in Madison Park - pre-marriage and kids. With all that our group of friends has to juggle these days - babies/kids, moves, etc. - not many of us had time to see the featured movies. We enjoyed the show, though, and lots of good food.

I tried out a few recipes from a new cookbook that Andrew's mom gave me recently - Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa - Back to Basics." Here are the ones I took a go at (if I do say so myself, they were pretty yummy).
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/creamy-cucumber-salad-recipe/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/savory-palmiers-recipe/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mango-daquiris-recipe/index.html

I unfortunately didn't get around to snapping pictures so grabbed this one from my friend Jodi's blog. These are the daquiri's - a tad bit strong, but good.

KDC Twins

Our KDC (Kappa Dinner Club) is experiencing its first set of twins. Allison Beam is scheduled to be induced in mid-April, and with the impending arrival of the twins, Jodi (my good friend and sorority sister) and Piper (a good friend and fellow Kappa/WSU) hosted a wonderful shower. With spring's arrival, their bird's nest theme was perfect, and as always, the food was delicious. There were a few potential, future Kappa's in attendance - Avery Cohen (Courtney's daughter) and Charlotte (Jodi's daughter). Miss Chloe stayed behind with dad so mom could enjoy an afternoon with the girls.

The Kappa Crew

Party favors