Our Every Day

Today I had a breakthrough. By way of a breakdown. You will not believe what I did today. I cannot believe what I did today. So I was all frazzled this morning trying to get out of the house so I could take the babies to my parents and get to work for the staff meeting. I dropped the kids off at my mom's, and immediately Grayson begins to bawl. He LOVES Grandpa and Grandma's house, but he is getting some two-year molars and has been miserable the last few days. It broke my heart to leave him, but I knew he was in the best hands. I decided to go uptown to the coffee shop before I headed to church when it dawned on me that I hadn't taken my thyroid and heart medication. I was instantly annoyed with myself because REALLY, ERIN?!?! I berated myself all the way home. I walked into the house and Mike was sitting in the kitchen making a grocery list. I told him that I was having a really hard morning, and as I went over to the cabinet to take my medication, Mike said, ...

I am not sure if I am having a few baby blues, or if I am just trying to figure out this parenting-two-kids thing. Add in Grayson's picky-eating, Easton's current growth spurt and refusal to sleep through the night and all the fun stuff going on with Grayson's speech therapy - and Mike's recent overtime, and I am exhausted - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. This motherhood thing is not for the weak of heart. So cliche that I just wrote that but man - IT IS THE TRUTH.  This evening as I was making dinner, I was listening to iTunes radio and on came the song Freedom by Run Kid Run (what an appropriate band name for my current time of life!) - the song is 5 years old, and I am just now hearing it. Needless to say, it is my new anthem. I have embedded it, but it probably won't work if you are reading this on your phone. Anyway I bought the song and had it on repeat while I fed Easton and Grayson. Grayson threw most of his dinner on the floor, ...

Oh, my sweet Grayson. How can you be 22 months old already?! He is growing by leaps and bounds every single day. I am amazed at the person he is becoming. However, he is proving to be a - well, I'll just say it - a challenge. Based on the stories I have heard about Mike as a child, I should not be surprised that our son would follow in his daddy's footsteps. (Truthfully, I am thrilled that Grayson has some of Mike's personality traits!) We have been dealing with a lot of acting out (compounded by the fact that he can't talk to us) and a lot of screaming when things don't go his way. It is hard. Really really hard. Sometimes I close all the windows in the house because I feel like the entire town - or at least a good number of neighbors - can hear his screaming because I can't get his milk for him because I am tending to Easton. We are working on it, and being in the midst of it, I can't see a lot of great improvement. I don't think this is unusual ...

Easton is 12 weeks old. Wow! It is hard to believe that just 12 weeks ago, Mike and I met Easton. It feels as he has always been a vital part of our little family unit. As he is getting a little bit older, his personality is really coming out. What we are seeing is a sweet, laid-back little guy. We aren't sure if it is entirely possible for a 12 week old to have a sense of humor, but he is already showing signs of one. The other day as I changed his diaper, he decided to pee everywhere. Not unusual for a baby, I know. I am a fast enough diaper changer, but not this time. He managed to pee up and over the pack and play, hit my leg and then left a nice sized puddle on the kitchen floor. And then, he broke out in a HUGE GRIN. Oh man. We are in for it! He is at his very happiest in the morning. I think he got this being a morning person thing from his Grandma Beth. He is all smiles, coos and giggles. He loves his taggie blanket - he likes clutching it in his hands. ...

What a day. We are having a rough go of things here right now. From the time Mike left for work until about an hour ago, there was much crying at this house. If it wasn't one kiddo, it was the other - or sometimes both hollering at the same time. And then there is me. I am feeling a little down. Usually I roll with the punches when it comes to Mike's schedule change, but I am having a hard time this bid. While I know that I am not alone (who can be alone with two kids under the age of two?!), the evenings are hard. Once I get the babies to sleep, I can finally relax and look forward to Mike getting home. If I don't fall asleep before then. If he doesn't work overtime. (Which he sometimes does.) This evening, Grayson was a mess. He just cried and cried. And he wanted to be held which is not something he ever does. Like he actually came to me when I held my arms out and buried his face in my neck and sobbed. Broke my heart. He refused to eat. Meanwhile, Easton pee...

Today was Grayson's first Dance with Me class. He and I trekked through our backyard and across the street to the dance studio. I love that it is so close to us. When we walked in, there were several sweet little girls there waiting for class. They were so precious. One even wore a pink tutu and ballet slippers. The boy-mom in me really wants a little girl someday. *sigh* But that is neither here nor there. I had a sinking feeling as I watched these little girls sit quietly next to their moms. Why did I have a sinking feeling?? Well...Grayson did not quite fit in with his UnderArmour shirt and gray shorts. Or with his screeching and mad dashes around the dance floor. And licking his reflection on the huge wall-sized mirror at the end of the studio.  Ay yi yi. I tried not to be embarrassed by his actions. Because he is a boy. A very rowdy, silly, goofy little boy. Instead I focused on just having fun with him, and we really had a good time. For most of the cla...

Yesterday Mike and I celebrated 8 years of being man and wife. As I look back at our wedding pictures, I am reminded of how truly excited I was to become Mike's wife! I also think it is pretty unfair that Mike looks EXACTLY the same today as he did on our wedding day! Heaven knows I don't! :) We were just talking about the last eight years, and how much has happened. For instance: - We brought two beautiful boys into the world. - We said goodbye to two grandpas. - We moved five times and lived in four different cities. (I still maintain that we are NEVER moving again.) - We have covered two rents with very little income. - We have been through two complete career changes. - We have owned seven cars. Pontiac Sunfire, MINI Cooper, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda 3, VW Rabbit, Honda CR-V and another Honda CR-V. - We adopted a Bichon Frise from a dog rescue. (And sometimes we wish we could give her back!) - We have had countless arguments over the necessity of paper to...

Good friends of the family - Mark and Vicki - recently asked us if we wanted the playhouse their two grandkids have gotten too big for. So thankful they thought of us! Of course, I said, "YES!" I could envision Grayson and Easton (in a year or so) having such a great time crawling all over it. Today was Mike's day off (and our 8th anniversary! But another post about that later!) so he and I borrowed his parents' truck and picked up the playhouse. It is the cutest little thing and in great shape! He never ceases to impress me. It's so cute! Grayson really loved playing on in it today! Looking forward to many more hours of fun time ahead.

IT'S SUPER EASTON! Robbie and Tracy gave my boys these cute outfits! Grayson's says Super Big Brother, but I didn't get a chance to take a picture of him in it today.