Damian and Clare

I love having more than one child. Of course there are days I consider locking myself in the bathroom with a bottle of wine and crying on the floor because I'm all class like that. But usually having two is awesome and on most days I'm like LETSHAVEALLTHEKIDS. And then 5:30 rolls around (both AM and PM) and then maybe ALL the kids seems a little ambitious.

Anyway, this isn't about me. We're talking about them.

I know Damian was a bit of a difficult journey into motherhood, so it's probably not fair to compare. But life's not fair so we're going to. This second baby has been SO. SO. SO. much easier. And I say this while she is still waking up every 2-3 hours. (Another day, another post.... ugh) She has a much more laidback personality, so I know that helps. But having Damian around to entertain her is pretty nice. On the days Damian spends with my mom, Clare is so bored.

"Wake Up!! I miss you!!!"

They're best buddies. And already get into mischief together. I really thought I had a few years before that would start. Oh well...

Who else would take her glamour shots while her parents sleep?

Anything one of them does, the other one has to follow. Is one eating? The other is suddenly starving. Is someone playing with a toy that used to be the most boring toy ever? Then the other has to have it.

Buds

It's sometimes hilarious, sometimes a little painful. But she's doing her best to keep up and when he's not hoarding all his toys, he does a great job showing her how things work or what to do. 

Because grainy and shadowy pictures become cute when it's of them playing nicely together

It's silly to think how worried I had been about them getting along or Damian loving Clare. I would have never imagined this...

And now after 9ish month, I'm finally feeling like I can do this. I'm sure once she starts running with him I may change my tune. But for the most part, I feel pretty confident in my ability to manage them. Or maybe I've just accepted our Survival Mode and have completely forgotten what sanity I used to have. It's probably a bit of both and I'm ok with our new normal. 

Family, Sabbath, #SundayFunday

When we first moved into the house, our weekends were jammed pack trying to unpack, organize, and accomplish all our home improvement projects. Nate and I tried to use our time wisely and get as much done as possible since I was useless during the week with the littles. And by the time Nate got home from work, it was bedtime. Power tools + bedtime does not work in this house. Thus the weekend became GET IT ALL DONE NOW time. 

That worked for awhile, until I began to realize it wasn't actually working for all of us. Damian, poor kid, wasn't getting to enjoy his weekends with his family. Sure Nate and I were there, but being there versus being present are very different things. He can only go to Lowes so many times... And watching us paint while watching Mary Poppins for the umpteenth time isn't exactly as exciting as it was the first 3498 times. So I decided we needed a change...

For awhile now I've wanted to be better about keeping Sunday the Sabbath and minimizing the "just another day" aspect of it. Of course we go to Mass so that helps, but other than that, there's not been much different. Awhile back when I was reading St. Therese of Lisieux's Story of a Soul, I was struck by how she described the Sundays of her childhood as little tastes of heaven. And I want that, more than anything, for my kids. So in a more modern hashtag-y kind of way, we started Sunday Funday. 

We don't always do some big, but we try to do at least something fun as a family on Sunday. Sometimes it's just going to a park or for a walk, other times we'll go to the beach or get a meal. Whatever it is, we try to do it together and make sure it's something we can all enjoy at some level. Even the babe. 

Today we just walked around our beautiful city 

and enjoyed the cool breeze coming off the harbor. If anything reminds me of what I hope heaven is like, it's walking around on a beautiful day near the water. It was nice to just laugh at Damian being a nut, 

talk with Nate,

and watch Clare try to play with her brother. It's good to take it slow sometimes. The dishes and laundry aren't going anywhere, and on Sundays, they can wait.

Sainthood Denied

What. A. Day.

It's 2 minutes to 11 pm and I've finally got a quiet house (until Clare reads this) and I'm sitting here eating ice cream instead of sleeping. Best use of my time for sure.

Maybe it was being gone for 3 days or maybe it was just that I was off my game, but today I was not feeling it. You moms know what I mean. Those days when being a mom is last on your To Do list, yet for some reason the Little Blessings don't get the memo. So here I am feeling all worn out and a bit grumpy and I read this beautiful post by Tess and think YES! THIS IS IT! 

Problem is, I failed at sainthood today. I guess in reality I fail at this most days, but today seemed more epic than usual. My temper was shorter, my yelling was louder, and my patience was non-existent. Damian is a big ball of need topped with whines and tantrums, and Clare is a little ball of "just let me sit on your hip all day long." And while my hips cry "give me a break" sometimes, I tell myself she's still a baby--she won't be soon-- and just give her extra kisses. But with Damian it hasn't been that easy lately. The real tragedy is how often I forget my big guy is still quite little himself. In a lot of ways he still needs me to just say, "He's still little" and give him extra kisses too. 

you can never release me! zzzz

But instead I yell, I turn the car around, I sit him on the steps, over and over and over and over. Of course, some times he truly deserves it. But sometimes... Sometimes I wonder if he only needs a bit more attention from his mama. It's only been 7 months of learning how to share me with Clare. And most often Clare's needs seem to outrank his. This parenting stuff is complicated..

Here Clare, let me squish you.

I wish I could just say, "Yes being a mother is so hard, but I'm learning so much about sacrifice." Or "Having a three year old is sure making me grow in holiness." But if I'm honest, I don't know that I'm allowing motherhood to turn me into a saint. Rather, I find it often brings out my worst qualities. And I hate that because I do love being a mom. I don't even want to be the perfect mom who does all this amazing stuff for my kids. No, I just want to be a good mom who teaches goodness and holiness to my children. And today, today was not that day. 

But the good thing about teaching holiness is it means teaching forgiveness. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to try again at this messy motherhood of mine. Hopefully it will be better. And if it's not, there's still some ice cream left in the fridge ;-)

Damian-isms vol.2

Time for another installment of things Damian says that makes me question his influences and such...




Scene: Typical morning...
Damian: I want to watch TV.
Me: You can watch TV when Clare takes a nap.
Damian (in sweet sing-songy voice): Ok sweet girl, time to take a nap.
Me: No it's not her naptime yet.
Damian (now very sternly to Clare): 1.2.3.TIME.OUT.
Me (trying not to laugh): Why is she in timeout?
Damian: Because she won't nap.


Scene: Playing with legos on Easter morning before church.
Nate: Look Damian, I made you a cross out of legos.
Damian: No, that's a plane!
Sooo I guess that answers the vocation question....

Selection of selfies found on my phone

Scene: At Starbucks
Me: Venti Ice Coffee please
Barista: Can I get your name?
Me: Mary (I never say Mary Helen because it takes them too long to get the double name...)
Damian (to Barista): Mary Poppins!
Everyone: awkward silence....

Scene: Out to eat the other night
Waitress: Would he like apples or french fries with his grilled cheese?
Me: Damian? Apples or French Fries? (neither of which he likes)
Damian: Ummm.... BACON!!!

No pants. Full sized juice.
Our standards are high in this house.

Scene: Sitting in our living room Damian suddenly points to the fireplace.
Damian: I want to open it.
Me: No, we aren't opening up the fireplace because the cat will get in there and make a mess.
Damian: But I want to go in it.
Me: (confused look)
Damian: I want to go up in it.
Me: What?
Damian: Like Mary Poppins!
Me: Ohhhhhhh..... Ummmmmmmm. (Try to think if I should pop the bubble now that she's not real or let him down easy. I'm a wimp.) Well... You can only do that with Mary Poppins and she's not here right now.
Damian: Let's go to Mary Poppins' house.
Me: Ummm... She lives really far away... Hey, What's that!!??

Pictures of the kiddos

Since I had the camera out for Clare's 5 month post yesterday, I thought I'd snap a few extra. Clare already loves having her picture taken... ham... and well Damian is a nut. Soooooooo here ya goooo! Enjoy!

Is she killing you with cuteness yet??

Then I asked to take a picture of them together and got this look...
"You want to do what??"

I then told Damian I didn't want to see the food in his mouth so I got this model pose.
Also, anyone else think he's looking more and more like Nate by the second?

Just a typical day in the life of Clare... being attacked by her big brother. For some reason she loves it and giggles hysterically, which only encourages him more.... sigh...

I then asked Damian for his...

Happy Face

Silly Face

Sad Face

We may need to work on "emotions" next...

Happy Hump Day everyone!!

This Week

Monday

St. Patrick's Day!! Woot Woot! I have some Irish blood in me so celebrating is both mandatory and legitimate. However, when one gives up alcohol for Lent... and has two kids... celebrating is pretty laid back compared to some. Nate also went to a big ol' Irish dinner with my brother and Dad, so that left me folding clothes and hanging out with my mom. I know... you are all about to invite me to your next party.

Tuesday

Just your usual day getting donuts... Damian got to watch them being made (he has new career aspirations now) and got a free hat. Clare was just confused as to why she didn't get one.

We also took Tibs to get groomed so he could see again. You would have thought he had been gone for a year with how excited Damian was to see him again.

Oh and I bought Clare (ok and me) her first Disney princess movie. And Nate and I watched it without her... And I've had this song stuck in my head since.

Wednesday

Wednesday was "nanny day" or the day that Damian spends with my mom. I got to enjoy the leisures of having only one child who can neither talk nor walk. It's amazing how much faster I can get errands done. #thingsIneverthoughtI'dsay 

Thursday

We spent a ton of time outside enjoying the wonderful weather. I took them on a jog in efforts to get ready for the Cooper River Bridge Run in 2 weeks... I'm less worried about the bridge and more worried about leaving Clare who still refuses to take a bottle, but she will survive. Anyway... We also ran to a coffee shop because I was needing a little extra motivation to get my butt out the door. Damian sang "going to the coffee shop" for a majority of the ride. After the run, I had a boost of energy and got almost all of our second vegetable garden planted. We topped off the night with some friends over for dinner, saving me from another night of solo parenting thanks to Nate being at a conference for work. 

Friday

Weeellll Friday started at 12:06 am with Damian waking up for some reason, me putting him back to bed, not being able to fall asleep until 1 when he woke up again (this kid sleeps like a rock so who knows what was up with that,) and then, of course, at 2 am Clare was ready to go. Sooo much for getting a bunch of sleep alone in my bed. In other words, I was chugging coffee this morning like the true addict that I am. And since Nate wasn't around this morning I was feeling especially deprived of adult interaction making the visit from the plumber more exciting than it should've been. I can only imagine that he was a little concerned by my sudden interest in how our house's water shutoff works. 

Today proceeded to be the slowest day ever, and at 3 pm I couldn't take it anymore. We piled in the car to go find a park. Clare got her first go at the swings, and Damian chased birds around an open field. Success. Which caused a car nap, which led to a car nap transfer to his bed, which means pigs are flying and there's a blizzard in hell. I had to go upstairs to wake him up for dinner and he asked for a bit longer. Is he a teenager already and I just missed it? Nate's currently working on getting him to sleep for the night, sooooooo here's to hoping that actually happens.

Happy Weekend!!!

A Weekend Away

It's been over a month now that we've been in the new house. Every weekend thus far has been spent unpacking, painting, doing maintenance, etc etc. When Nate told me that he was going on a bachelor party weekend, I first cried at the thought of riding solo for the.entire.weekend. but then rejoiced when I realized I could take the kids on a small trip to see some of my good friends (Emily and Jeff.) A weekend without home improvement stores?! Yes please! I then quickly invited myself over to stay with them.

Sometimes, though, I get a little too brave for my own good. (Preface: the trip overall was fantastic... now I continue.) I kinda sorta maybe didn't think about the fact that 3.5 hours alone with two kids in a car is not always... how shall we say it... pleasant. But I decided upon the perfect plan--playdate in the morning and then leave right at Clare's afternoon nap time. Brilliant. Both kiddos will be tired and pass out, and I can drive in peace.

Fail. So much fail.

Damian was too excited to see his BFF Jeff that he "bounced" happily in his car seat almost the whole way there. Clare was a good little angel for the first part, even when we got stuck in stand still traffic only 40 miles into the trip. Thanks to the traffic (and my poorly planned gas station fill-up,) Clare woke up right as we hit rush hour traffic in Columbia. After listening to Clare scream as we slowly made our way through the city, I decided to stop and feed her. Damian and I jammed to some Raffi Pandora Station while I nursed Clare. We had only 1.5 hours to go, I was hoping a full belly and smooth sailing would cause her to zonk out. But no. Sweet girl decided she was done and cried for an hour before finally passing out... Hopefully this isn't a CIO preview...ugh. However, lulled to sleep by the soothing sounds of 4 month old's cries, Damian promptly fell asleep.

Soooo basically, the last 30 minutes of my trip as I made my way through the beautiful middle of nowhere upstate SC was very peaceful. However, I was more than sad that I had given up alcohol for Lent by the time we arrived.

The rest of the weekend was great. It was so nice to be fed delicious home cooked meals and just enjoy quality time catching up with friends. 

Damian and Clare got to stay up past their bed times so I was hoping that meant a nice sleeping in Saturday, but Mr. Rise and Shine was up and at'em right at 6:30 am. I tried to convince him to hop in the bed with Clare and I and snuggle, but he took me a little too literally and bounced on our heads for an hour before I finally gave up. Somehow Clare was able to sleep through all that excitement. 

We spent most of the day in downtown Greenville. It was a beautiful day and Damian was in a good mood, so everyone was happy. Three is a fun age, but, well, you know how it can go. I'd say Clare was in a good mood too but that's just plain redundant. This girl is always laid back and happy. (oh teenage years, please be gentle to us.) 

First stop was a model train exhibit.

 Damian's little boy heart leapt for joy, and I was a little worried he wouldn't ever let us leave. 

Apparently the promise of brunch was a good enough compromise. We also learned an interesting fact from Damian when he loudly proclaimed "I LOVE BACON SOOO MUCH!"  Noted child.

After lunch we walked around Falls Park.

Damian enjoyed running over the bridges, not colliding with other, slower pedestrians, and finding ducks. 

We topped the adventure off with ice cream. I'm fairly certain Damian proclaimed it to be The Best Day Ever! 

My trip back home on Sunday was equally adventurous as the way there, just with less baby screaming and a helluva lot more rain, getting lost, ending up in the middle of nowhere SC twice, and finding a gas station was not only not pay at the pump but also not pay before you pump. Somewhere in this world there is still a much higher level of trust and/or right and wrong. Who knew? 

Not I.

Anyway, that's the story of our weekend away. It was amazingly refreshing considering I was "alone" and traveling with two kids. If you've made it this far, I will leave you with this guy... who we found on our walk through the park, which made me think of this video.

you're welcome.