Bye Bye Ba

I have been meaning to write this post for awhile but keep forgetting! The night of Laurel's 3rd birthday she threw all of her Ba's (pacis) away! She was so brave and did such a great job getting rid of them but it has been a HUGE adjustment ever since. For awhile I was worried that she was done with naps entirely but the last week has been a great week for her and she seems to be getting back to normal with napping. She was also laying in bed talking and singing for a couple hours some nights and that is significantly less now. She was way more dependent on them than Micah ever was so I knew this was going to be tough for her and I am so proud of how she is handling it! 

Mother's Day Weekend

Last Friday morning, me and my sister loaded up all 4 kids and Riley and hit the road to College Station for Mother's Day weekend! It's so nice that me and Nat can go up early and then the boys can come separately when they are finished with work. We had such a great and fun filled weekend! 

 When we got there on Friday, Suzu was ready with cupcakes for the kids to decorate. They may have eaten more than they decorated but they had lots of fun either way!

We got lots and lots of Charlotte snuggles

These kids LOVE their Suzu and Teddy!

 On Saturday, all the mamas got to get out for some pampering! This was such a treat and we had a blast. We went and got massages, had lunch together and then went for pedicures. 

 When we got home, Micah and Teddy were out golfing and the girls were ready to go swimming! The water was pretty chilly but the kids didn't mind! I can't believe that summer is almost here!

 Teddy made a delicious Mother's Day dinner for Saturday night

Sunday, we went to Traditions for the Mother's Day brunch. It was such a fun and special day!

We have lots of Mamas in our life that we are so thankful for this Mother's Day. It was so fun to get to celebrate with Suzu and Nat and we look forward to celebrating with Mimi and Audrey later (both were out of town Mother's Day weekend)!

Micah made me a Mother's Day card at school and this what inside. When I read it I was laughing so hard I was crying. Apparently I am pretty lazy, but at least I'm tall and skinny according to Micah! 

Is it scary?

This question comes out of Laurel's mouth multiple times a day right now. My once "throw caution to the wind" child has become very cautious and very easily scared by very random things (such as frog squirters in the bath tub-- they absolutely terrify her). It was really a slow progression that started when she hit the separation anxiety/clingy phase. This summer, everywhere we go, she takes her time warming up and wants to be held a lot. While sometimes this is exhausting, I know that these days are few and I certainly don't mind her "bear hugs" and "snuggles" when she is scared. At Noah's Ark last week, she held this skeptical face for most of the time we were there and we had the following conversation more times than I could count:

Laurel: "Is that a (fill in blank of any animal)

Me: "Yep, that's a pig (or other animal)

Laurel: "Is it scary?"

Me: "Nope, it's not scary"

Laurel: "It's not? It's just pretend?"

Me: "Yes, it is just pretend. Not scary at all."

Laurel: "Oh. Ok. I don't want to touch it"

Me: "Ok, we don't have to go anywhere near it"

Laurel: "Oh. Ok."

Repeat. With every animal on Noah's Ark. 

Is it strange that I find this phase to be adorable? I just love watching her little inquisitive mind figure out her little world. Here's to hoping she figures out that her little world isn't very scary. 

My Potty Princess

After potty training Micah last year, I thought I had at least a 2 years to think about potty training again. Micah wasn't even that hard to potty train but let's face it I am kind of a wimp and I fear change and the unknown more than anything. Laurel had different plans, though. She has practically been begging me to potty train her for months and while I really wanted to wait until she was 2 1/2 to actually do it, we got to a point where I felt like we couldn't put it off any longer. She was showing pretty much every sign of readiness and had even gotten to where she was taking off her diaper and saying she didn't want to wear diapers anymore. So, we decided to go for it. I don't want to leave out what a big help David was in the evenings and then all day Saturday. I might have lost my mind if I didn't have him coming in to relieve me. 

As I mentioned in my potty training post about Micah, I am a method person. I like to be given instructions and I like to follow them. The hardest thing about parenting to me is that kids don't come with a user manual. :) The 3 day method worked great for us with Micah so there was no doubt I would use it again this go around.

Following the method, I was ready to go on day 1 with jelly beans (because for some odd reason unknown to me, my children do not like m&ms), suckers, stickers, lots and lots of liquids, miralax (we just skipped the high fiber foods this time and went straight for the strong stuff) and of course lots of prayers, texts and encouraging phone calls (THANK YOU). Laurel is all about the affirmation so we did lots of facetiming to Mimi/Bubba/Kev/Audrey in Steamboat and Suzu in College Station as well as phone calls to David and Nat Nat throughout the day so they could tell her what a great job she was doing. She is also such a little people pleaser so I cannot complain about how the 3 days went at all. I think that I am starting to say "Tell Mommy if you need to go potty, ok?" in my sleep from overuse as well as "Is hello kitty dry/clean? Great job! Let's keep her clean/dry!" We started off with the princesses but for whatever reason, she wasn't too upset about getting the princesses or Minnie Mouse wet but we have yet to get hello kitty wet and since I bought about 30 pairs of panties preparing for the worst, we have more than enough for her to play favorites. 

It never ceases to amaze me how sitting at home for 3 days can be so exhausting but keeping that little booty in my sight constantly wore me out. Plus, this time around, I had Micah here and while I thought that was going to be an added challenge, he was such a great helper all week. He had a few moments of going stir crazy but overall, he was a great little encourager and loved the job of giving her the jelly bean (of course he got one each time he was a good encourager). 

Here are the stats:

Day 1: #1- 23, #2- 0, Accidents- 4

Day 2: #1- 12, #2- 1, Accidents- 1

Day 3: #1- 10, #2- 1, Accidents- 0

For our 3 days at home, we blew bubbles, we made lemonade, we read every potty and princess book in the house at least 10 times each, we drank juice boxes, we ate watermelon, we made and ate popsicles, we colored, we made pretend cookies in Laurel's kitchen, we made real (hot pink) sugar cookies and ate them, we sang songs, we folded laundry, we even ventured out on a stroller ride on day 3, we jumped up and down and clapped and cheered for potty success, we got a sucker and a sticker for our potty chart for #2 success and jelly beans for #1 and I tried to convince her to sit still for Little Mermaid but the girl just doesn't like to sit still. Overall, Laurel did and continues to do great. While it is only day 4, she is keeping hello kitty dry for naps, night and almost always all day. I am so proud of us both and Micah for surviving the 3 days! While the days seemed long, this week did serve as a reminder to me that we need to stay home more. I hate that it took being forced by "the method", but love the time just sitting and playing with the kids this week. I am so proud of my little potty princess!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that all the mamas had a very special Mother's Day! I certainly did. Our Sundays are pretty crazy right now with some new responsibilities that David has taken on at church so we have to be there by 8:45am. That is a challenge. Thus, I was awoken on Saturday morning with sweet Mother's Day wishes. My sweet big boy helped David make me a breakfast in bed of toast, banana bread and fruit (he was worried if I had pancakes I might spill syrup in bed- I trained him well) and then he crawled up in bed with me and cuddled (well and, of course, ate all of my fruit). Then he and David brought me flowers that Micah picked out all by himself!  They are beautiful! 

I know I say this on here a lot but I really truly feel so blessed that my job is to be Micah and Laurel's mommy.

On Sunday after church, we went to brunch with my family and this is the best picture we could get of all of the kids and mamas/grandma!

I can't believe I let Mother's Day pass without getting a picture of just me and my kiddies, I will have to do that this week. Sunday afternoon/evening, David's family came over and we had such a great time just hanging out outside and playing with the kids. So much relaxed fun that it didn't even occur to me to grab my camera. :( We are really enjoying our new yard (post on that coming soon!!). 

My mother's day present from David and my Dad was my garden! I am so excited I love it! They planted it last Sunday after our anniversary weekend and I am really enjoying being outside more and taking care of it. I will post pictures soon (when I post about our whole yard re-do)...

I will leave you with a little Mother's Day project Micah came home from school with last week:

My mom's name is Ally. My mom is 7 years old. When my mom goes to work, she works with other people. I really love it when my mom sits with me. My mom likes to wear her dress. My mom always tells me it's time to go to bed. My mom likes to eat broccoli. My mom's favorite drink is orange juice. The best thing she does is plays with  me. It makes her happy when I wait. I like it when she cuddles with me. The best thing she cooks is chicken. When my mom shops she likes to buy tortillas. My mom's favorite TV show is she likes movies that I like, the one with the red dragon. If she could go on a trip, she would go to the toy store. 

I'm pretty sure that in the middle is his rendition of a picture of the 2 of us. Melt my heart. 

Happy Friday!

In the last week...

I survived a terrible bout of food poisoning...

I discovered that when I dropped a chair on my foot a couple of weeks ago, I actually broke my big toe in 2 places and now have to keep it wrapped and in an ugly shoe for the next 3 weeks...

We had a sprinkler system installed...

We had new fencing put up...

We had men with chainsaws hanging from the trees in our yard (trimming them but the whole experience wierded me out)...

AND we celebrated that Kevin and Audrey found out they are having a BOY! YAY! and celebrated that Natalie and Danny closed on a house .5 miles from ours! YAY!

Needless to say, it has been a fun albeit busy and chaotic week at our house!

Today, we had a perfect Friday morning at the zoo with friends. It was just what we needed! I don't know why, but I only took pictures right when we got there and as we were leaving, oh and I snuck in a picture of the otters swimming. Because they are my favorite. And when I see the otters in action I turn into a kindergartner.

Thanks Annalee and Tiff (and crews) for a fun day!

An Easter blog post is coming soon (I am still ticked that I had to sit out of my favorite holiday of the year because of food poisoning... When I get over it I'll post the pics that my sister took that I did not get to be a part of).

Our life in numbers

11: The numbers of consecutive days someone in our house has been sick

3: The number of times we have been to the Dr. in the last week

5: The number of days Laurel had fever last week

70: The number of cookies I made on Monday (I washed my hands 500 times and no one breathed on them)

6: The number of ear infections Laurel has had (I think) in her short 2 years of life

1: The number of times Micah used the return address stamp on my couch this morning (thank goodness that was a low number)

4: The number of times I have snuck into Micah's Vday candy stash... today

16: The number of t-shirts in Micah's laundry for 5 days (he has a new hobby of changing clothes throughout the day and putting the clothes in the hamper. I am the one that told him if he wants to change clothes all day that is fine but he has to change himself and clean his clothes up= my fault).

3: The number of cups of coffee I have had today.


Sorry for the blog absence lately... as you can see, there hasn't been too much to blog about. This has just not been our week (or 2).

Hello 2012!

I can't believe that 2011 has already come to a close and that 2012 is here! We got back from Steamboat last night so posts about that and Christmas coming soon! Until then, here is a little new year's post!

Looking back over this year, I am so full of joy. I decided to compile a little top 10 list of 2011 for me.

1. My man:
David and I celebrated 5 years of marriage this year and I can honestly say that it just keeps getting better. I love him more now than I did the day I married him 5 years ago and can't wait to see how that grows over the next 5+ years. Don't get me wrong, marriage is still hard and always takes a lot of work! I still feel like we are learning about each other and how to communicate and wonder if I will still feel like that in 20 years. He is a hard worker, patient leader and a 100% selfless husband and daddy. I feel so blessed that he is mine. It has been really fun to watch him over the past year as he has settled into 2 roles that he was meant for. 1) running his own company... yes ELL started last year but this year, they have had a great year and grown in the process. Since I love my job and what I do everyday, it is such a blessing to me to see him love what he is doing too. 2) Leadership in the church. More on this below but it is really neat to see the course that God had for David/our family starting with him in seminary 5 years ago.

We've only changed a little, right?

2. My littles
This blog is pretty much about them so I won't go on for too long. I'll just pick the highlights for the moment:
Micah's sensitive spirit and watching him turn into his own person (complete with a serious attitude)

Laurel's new independence and communication. Since her tubes surgery, Laurel's vocabulary has exploded. My favorites are to hear her say every member of the family. "Nonner" and "Yev" (Connor and Kev) crack me up every single time. Thanks to those uncles, she also gives fist bumps now which is also hilarious. Her most repeated word right now: "SELF!" (hence the independence)

3. Accountability
My accountability group has truly changed my life. Meeting every other Tuesday at Olive Garden with Brandi, Jodie and Allison has been such a blessing to me. They speak truth in love when they challenge me, they encourage me and they each inspire me to be a stronger and better person in the Lord. I treasure my friendship with each one of them. It's not all serious, though. They are also great at making me laugh and teaching me how to not be so hard on myself. I can't find a picture of the 4 of us so here is a picture of our bi-weekly meeting spot!

4. Stay-at-home Mommy Friends
I know I've also mentioned this one before, but I feel so blessed by the friendships I have right now. Not all of my friends are stay at home mamas but #4 is a tribute to those that are. This picture doesn't include all but it includes 5 of them! Being a stay at home mommy is close to impossible without a solid group of stay at home mommy friends. It is so nice to pick up the phone and know that on the other end, the person you are talking to knows exactly what you are dealing with. We share in our triumphs and our failures and through our friendships all of our kids are friends, too. Just writing this is making me miss our play dates that took a hiatus during the holidays!

5. Our ever expanding family
NO I am not pregnant. Did you think for a second that I might be? I am not. I meant our new additions this year with Sadie and Alex! I know I have said it a million times on the blog so I'll spare you the paragraph... I will just say that we are so fortunate to have ALL of our family in Houston with us (now that Connor has moved back and starts a new job in January). We know we are spoiled. It isn't just a blessing that they are here with us, though, it is also a huge blessing that they are such a part of our family's lives. We have babysitters galore and multiple homes away from home! It is a pretty fun phase our families have entered with more kiddies coming into the world. Being an Aunt is so much fun, I can't wait to see who's next :)

6. HFBC/Inside Out

You know by now that we enjoy being involved in our church and serving there. I have been in MOPS leadership the past 2 years and David has been a part of Celebration for the past 3 years. It has been really neat to get to serve together for the first time this year. We had been a part of the same Sunday School class since we joined the church back in '09 and the class was busting at the seams. We had grown and grown and had come to a point where there was no more room for growth. The directors of that class asked me and David to prayerfully consider being directors of a new class. After much thought, prayer and consideration, we felt called to do it. Through it all, I have felt like the past year was our "ah hah" year as we've been able to see the Lord's guidance and direction for our lives from seminary 5 years ago to church leadership now. We were able to take a few couples from our old class with us as we started our new class, Inside Out, in April. It was hard leaving, harder than I ever thought it would be. I am so glad we had the faith to make the move because I couldn't be happier with where we are now. I can't wait to see how the Lord grows our class in 2012!

7. My sister

Natalie and I have not always been that close. We have had close stages in our life and not so close stages in our life. For the first time, however, I feel like we are more than just sisters in that we are also best friends. It took some time and some growing up on both of our sides but something about being married and being moms together has completely changed our relationship and I am so blessed by it. She and Danny have joined our Sunday School class and now our lives overlap quite a bit. I love getting to watch her be a mommy and I love getting to be such a part of Sadie's life. I have also loved getting to watch her discover her creativity and pursue photography. It has been especially fun to pursue a partnership between Natalie Blazei Photography and Little Bears Designs, can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for that!

8. Little Bears
I have so enjoyed having a little something that is mine with Little Bears. I love learning new things and challenging myself but most importantly, I really love getting to design cards! This year was the best year yet for LBD and I hope that the growth continues!

9. Coffee
My sweet husband has been trying to turn me into a coffee drinker and a reader and this year, he got his wish. I am a total addict and am not capable of waking up without my cup of coffee. I feel like it would sound weird to say that coffee has changed my life, but I would venture to say that I am 10x more pleasant in the mornings now. :)

10. Reading/my Kindle
Lastly, I finally took up reading this year. I know that sounds odd but I have just never really been a reader. I never really enjoyed it until the last 7 months... which just so happens to be when my Kindle came along. I have read 10 books since getting it. I need to do some book reviews because I have loved everything I've read. My most recent reading obsession is The Twilight Saga. I know, most girls read these years ago and I swore I never would but from the moment I started I was hooked. I just finished the last book last night and am dying to go see the movie in theaters. David got me the first 3 movies for Christmas and I have already watched them all. Next up on my reading list is The Hunger Games.

Bye bye 2011 and hello 2012!

I have a new weakness

In case you hadn't noticed, I have a new-ish weakness for holiday themed shirts for the kids. What's that? You noticed? With the pumpkins and the turkeys? Well then I'm sure you noticed the precious Christmas shirts... but just in case you didn't...

 Laurel wasn't too interested in posing for a picture and was most definitely not interested in putting blankie or bunny down so I realized that you can't even see her shirt

I am thinking that Micah is just about too old for these, thoughts? And in case you thought I made them, hear my resounding no that I am not near this talented. My friend Mel makes them and does and AWESOME job!

Hi my name is Ally...

... and I am a sucker for surveys...


The ABC's of me:

A. Age: 27
B. Bed size: Queen.
C. Chore that you hate: laundry, I am terrible at accepting help but I will let anyone fold my laundry
D. Dogs: Riley the friendly family boxer; past: Cooper, Mia, Happy, Chelsea, and Snuggles
E. Essential start to your day: cup of coffee and being left alone for at least 10 minutes. I take a little while to wake up.
F. Favorite color: PINK
G. Gold or Silver: both but if I had to choose, gold
H. Height: 5' 5 and 3/4" I. Instruments you play: very basic piano and kazoo
J. Job title: wife, mom, room mom, owner and sole employee of Little Bears Designs, CEO and CFO of this household
K. Kids: Micah David (3 1/2) and Laurel Nicole (1 1/2)
L. Live: Texas
M. Mother’s name: Susan
N. Nicknames: Al my pal, ally-pants, Lally, ally-oop, mommy, mom
O. Overnight hospital stays: 2, when I had each of my bundles of love
P. Pet peeves: non-genuineness, lying, and loud eating (smacking, ice chewing, popcorn chomping)
Q. Quote from a movie: "Awww, you guys made me ink!" Finding Nemo
R. Right or left handed: right
S. Siblings: sister- Natalie, sister-in-law: Audrey, soon-to-be-sister-in-law: Alex, brothers-in-law: Danny, Kevin, Connor
T. Truth or Dare: Truth, always truth
U. Ultimate Vacation: Italy
V. Vegetable you hate: sprouts
W. What makes you run late: thinking that I am a cross between Super Woman and a octopus that can wrangle 2 kids and get them ready and out the door with all of their belonging and my own in 2 minutes. I am not super woman and I don't have 8 arms. I guess you could also call this being overambitious?
X. X-Rays you’ve had: teeth
Y. Yummy food that you make: baked goods, I can't pick just one
Z. Zoo animal: chimpanzee


Your turn!

I am that mom

It's Tuesday morning, somewhere around 8am. Laurel has already been to the Dr. 3 times in the previous 5 days and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection (so we had to do a breathing treatment every 4 hours to treat that) and an incredibly resistant double ear infection (pink stuff diagnosed to treat that). The breathing treatments caused hyper activity and inability to sleep and we discovered today that the pink stuff was doing nothing to treat the ears. So, needless to say, I am tired. Tuesday mornings I am usually getting both kids ready and packed up to walk out the door by 8:40. I drop Micah at preschool at 8:45 and Laurel at MDO at 9. This particular morning, Laurel wasn't going to MDO but it was crazy nonetheless. Enough excuses.

As I am trying to help Micah get dressed, as usual, he is telling me no on every outfit I suggest. We land on his 2 sizes to big not so cute royal blue school t-shirt with some very wrinkly khaki shorts. I didn't even comb his hair.

As we are sitting in the carpool line, I am looking at the other kids walking into school and I literally say, out loud, "wow, these people really go all out for school". All of the kids were so dressed up: fancy dresses with big bows, boys had on loafers and belts, the whole 9 yards.

Fast forward a few hours and I pull up the calendar on my phone to add something and up pops "Micah School Pictures". No I didn't. Yes, I did. I forgot it was picture day. I am that mom. Laugh all you want and say that I am being dramatic but I always thought I would not be that mom. I used to judge that mom. And now I am that mom. What makes it 10x worse is that last week, Micah was supposed to wear blue or red on Monday. What color did he wear? Green. He was supposed to wear green on Tuesday and we just so happened to luck out that he had on his hideous neon green t-shirt. The teacher gives us this "what's happening" sheet with all of this info on it and there it is on my fridge and I look at it every day and I still cannot pull it together.

I was quite distraught. Like called David having a meltdown distraught. Why you might ask? Because (no offense mom), my mom forgot picture day in first grade and I still remember it VIVIDLY. You can flip through all of my school pictures and first grade sticks out like a sore thumb. Every other year I had on a dress with my hair done with a bow and everything. Not first grade though. I remember that day. I walk in and everyone else is all dolled up and I look like this:

Cute. 

I cannot wait to see how Micah's picture turned out. 

So, I am that mom. I am the perfectionist who just can't be the perfect mom. I am learning that parenting is all about making mistakes and moving on. Perfection is NOT possible (I chant this to myself 1000 times a day)- especially when we are talking about parenting. Hopefully, I'll have myself a little more pulled together by first grade. Doubtful, though. I am working on being ok with that. 

If a picture is worth 1,000 words...

This pretty much sums up our week.

I intended on catching up here on the blog this week but instead our family passed around a stomach bug.

More updates coming soon...