Mommy Practice

This past weekend my older sister, Natalie, came to visit and brought along her two little darlings, Carter (2 yrs, 11 months) and Knox (6 months). Now you know why I haven't written in awhile...having two children at these ages keeps you quite busy! It was also excellent preparation for my future mom plans. In fact, when I would start to look overwhelmed Trey would whisper, "Having second thoughts?". My response? Silence. But no, I assured him I was definitely still ready, but I didn't mind waiting a few years to have another one! 


God bless the mothers who have multiple babies around the same age. What a handful! Especially when the toddler is used to having mommy all to himself and then this new baby comes along, seeking all her attention. This leads to much acting out and behavior issues, which I observed greatly with Carter. I do hope it gets better for Natalie's sanity! 


But we had a great time. Living three hours away from my sister means I only get to see her and the boys on occasion, so I was thrilled they came to visit us. 

two sisters & two brothers, bonding time!

Here's a description of our daily adventures:


Friday night: They arrived around 7:00. We unloaded the van and let Carter roam around the house. We ate some food from the fridge and caught up on all the latest happenings while playing with the kids. At bedtime I took Carter upstairs and read him a story (my favorite) and fortunately I have a book about firetrucks (his favorite). I turned out the light and pretended to fall asleep while he tossed and turned for 20 minutes (I got lots of practice with this when I used to babysit). I finally snuck out and joined the adults downstairs before we all went to bed. 


Saturday: Rise and shine! Carter banged on our door at 7:30, "Lizzie! Lizzie! Lizzie!" (this was an everyday occurrence that I was not used to!). I eventually got up, ate some breakfast while trying to help out with the kiddos, and got dressed in my running gear. My sister and I are training for a half-marathon in November (you may have noticed my new widgets I added with my race schedule) so I wanted to show her this great route I love to run. Fortunately, Trey agreed to watch the babies (see? he's going to make a great dad!) so we could do our thing and have some sister time. 

future daddy getting practice

Once we got back we took turns taking showers and watching the kids/eating lunch before heading out for the day. Carter LOVES "choo choos" - especially riding them - so we took him to the mall where they have one outdoors. 

a happy, happy boy!

Next we went to the Children's Museum where they had another choo choo!! Carter was ecstatic. We ran a few "adult" errands (checked out some shops) before the meltdowns started because the poor kiddo was exhausted. When we got home we grilled out chicken (in this amazing orange/thyme marinade I made), along with corn, and then relaxed at home the rest of the night. 


Sunday: Trey and I were exhausted by this point - having kids is hard work! We all laid around in our PJ's half the day, watching the USA ladies soccer game. It was an awesome game and Carter loves soccer because his mommy plays in an adult league. I baked some blueberry & mascarpone turnovers while we watched (they were delish!) and then we gradually made our way out to a couple shops before coming home for dinner. I cooked one of my favorite dinners, penne with butternut squash and goat cheese. Yum! We were all exhausted and crashed not too long after dinner. 

Penne with Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese

Blueberry and Mascarpone Turnovers

    

                                         recipes courtsey of Giada, source: foodnetwork.com


Monday: Time for big sis & the boys to head home. They got packed up and we said our goodbyes. "Love you Lizzie! Love you Trey! Hugs!" (Carter's so sweet!) 

So, what did I learn about being a mother from this visit? Lots. Here's a few:

1) Don't pack too much into one day when the kids are with you. It's exhausting not only for them, but for you!

2) Make sure the kids take naps on time : with a baby, they can nap anytime, any place. A toddler? Not so much.

3) Take everything you might need with you. Food, bottles, diapers, extra clothes. My sister showed me this awesome little container for holding baggies to put dirty diapers in. Super cool! She has this one:

                                                               source: expotv.com

4) Don't make promises you can't keep. They won't let you forget it! 
5) Be strict. They will be quick to test you (just like with teaching!). 
6) When both kids are screaming and crying while you're driving and there's nothing you can do about it, sing "Baby Got Back". Yes, we did this and believe it or not, things quieted down! Plus, we got a good laugh out of it. (We memorized every word to this song about 10 years ago so it only seemed natural to pull it out at that moment).

I learned loads more, but those are some of my favorites. Now that the kids are gone, it's so quiet in our home which makes me even more excited about the possibility of a new little one in our family. I can't imagine just how much love I will feel for him/her! Natalie tried to explain this to me during our run, but I guess I'll have to wait till I get the real thing. Until then, I'm still a madre in waiting.


xo,