The Luckiest No Matter What!

A late blog is better than a never blog ;) Carter turned 3.5 years old on November 3rd and he has been keeping us oh so busy during these last six months. I tell ya, people talk all the time about the terrible twos, but I think the actual parents in the trenches would say that three years old is a DOOZIE. It's really a good thing that Carter is so stinking cute because he can be quite a challenge sometimes. I don't know if there are others out there who have children like mine, but it's such a roller coaster with him. One minute you are wondering if it's too early for some kind of boot camp and the next he is walking up to you, with his arms open, asking for a hug and a kiss with an 'I love you' attached. He can make my heart so angry and then want to explode with happiness mere minutes apart. These last six months have brought him a little brother, more time at preschool, and the absence of his big brothers as they were off to kindergarten. Being home witho...

This is a delayed blog- I love writing so much, but I certainly go through times of feeling like I just don't have time. November seems like one of those time; I think it has a lot to do with having more school work with report cards being sent home at the end of the month. If I have a free kid-free minute, school work takes precedence at that time of year. Nolan and Judah turned 5.5 on November 7th. This last six months has been HUGE for them- becoming big big brothers to Preston, having their longest summer at home, playing T-ball and soccer, and starting kindergarten. Both boys are loving school AND it's been a HUGE adjustment- they are exhausted and overworked (in my professional and non professional opinion) I'm so thankful, however, that school has been a safe, welcoming place for them.  These two boys are very much the same Nolan and Judah that they always have been- Nolan's mind moving a mile a minute, sharp with an iron lock memory to boot, feeling hard...

December is here and with it comes, for a lot of us, shopping to buy gifts for loved ones.  I, over these last several years, have turned in to much more of an online shopper! Having four little humans at home doesn't get me out of the house much and during the hours where I could really take my time and shop alone (like 6am or 10pm) most stores aren't open ;) Online shopping helps me tremendously. Although I do shop frequently on sites like Wayfair or Amazon, I am trying to be more socially conscious as I find gifts. There is nothing I like more than to know money I am spending is not only going towards a thoughtful gift, but also helping do some good around the world. Below are five amazing ethical stores whose mission is to bring opportunity to creators and entrepreneurs worldwide. These stores empower and would bring some beautiful, unique gifts to anyone on your gift list this year!  **Disclaimer- While I have shopped at most of these stores myself, I haven't hit the...

Preston continues to add a lot of joy and sunshine into our lives.  He is, in general, a happy, laid-back baby who LOVES to move and learn. Even though Preston has a super chill personality, I am noticing that he, like his brothers, does not want to be still... ever.  These past couple of months, we've watched him be so bound and determined to figure out how to move himself around.  He is an expert roller now and although he can sit for short periods of time, he has no interest in practicing such a skill when he can work on how to crawl instead.  He has not mastered how to officially crawl during his fifth and sixth month, but can get on his knees, wobble back and forth, and face plant in a forward direction.  He repeats this and is able to move from one place to another.  None of my other children have done this, but it sure works for him.  It will be any minute now.  When we try to sit him on our lap, he wants to fling himself around.  Wh...

For eleven years, I've been running conferences as a classroom teacher.  I shake hands and welcome families- parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings into a conversation and reflection about their precious sixth grader.  I have, along with the families I serve, experienced every kind of emotion with them as their partner in education.   I love conferences!  Sure it always means extra work and extra long days, but spending time with my students and their families is one of my favorite things.  It's one of my teaching-partner's favorite things too, which is why we are notorious for getting behind in our schedule- we just love to connect with our families so much!  This year, as my twins are in the midst of kindergarten, I was gearing up for my first conferences as a parent- metaphorically, and probably literally, sitting on the other side of the table. Even though Nolan and Judah are LOVING school and are lucky enough to each have sensati...

This coming week, I will be saying goodbye to, Lori, one of my closest high school friends,  who lost her very hard and determined battle with cancer.  Receiving the text last Sunday morning that she had passed away crippled and shocked me to my absolute core.  As someone who is rarely at a loss for words (clearly), I've had a really hard time making sense of all this and an even harder time trying to articulate how truly heartbroken I am. Through my grief, what I keep going to is thinking back to high school and remembering just what an amazing friend she was to me and what a special friendship we had. High school is a tumultuous time- there's change, hormones, academic and emotional stress, planning for your future, and the hardest part, for me, an anxious perfectionist, was finding where I truly fit- worrying about having a sense of belonging, of community, figuring out who I was and trying to surround yourself with people who accepted and loved me for that.  ...

We have grandiose plans to be a family who travels. Toronto is one of our very favorite cities.  In fact, and this may be shocking to some of you, we'd MUCH rather go there than Chicago... like hands down.  Did you know it's a bit less than five hours away?  With less horrible traffic?  We didn't either- you're welcome. We absolutely love the walkability of the city- particularly the PATH, which is an underground walkway so that even in bad weather, you can still walk the city.  The people are kind, friendly, polite, and helpful (as Canadians are stereotypically), it is calm and doesn't feel too fast-paced, there is plenty to do and see, the traffic is manageable, the food is sensational, and it has a very European feel.  There is also access to Lake Ontario, a flatiron, a Little Italy (which is essential for this gal when in big cities) Dundas Square (which is like Time's Square), and a beautiful mix of old and new. Toronto's Little Italy Josh and...

Planning for Nolan and Judah's kindergarten life seemed to start such a long time ago.  I remember, when they were very little infants, thinking about sending them off to school one day.   Sleeping together just a few days old I can imagine this thinking happened in the middle of the night one time when I was up nursing two humans or walking Nolan back and forth in the basement because that was the only way he'd stay quiet or rocking Judah in a chair very very  early in the morning.  There's not much else to do in those moments except think inside your head- too dark to read and we didn't DARE turn on a TV because of the noise or surf around on a phone because the light might  wake someone up so you just thought... I probably cried while thinking about their first day of kindergarten knowing that it would be here so quickly, but also feeling so grateful to even be able to think like that at all.  After having two miscarriages, I never planned fo...

I always seem to want to start posts like this, of updates, with something about time and how much it flies.  Preston, thankfully, is getting bigger every day, stronger every day, and somehow cuter every day.  I was just telling Josh the other day how much I am enjoying him.  Babies are amazing and that stage goes by like the quickest blink.  Because Preston is not a twin, because Carter and Preston are three years apart instead of two, and because Preston is my last baby, I am taking time to appreciate the busyness that comes from having an infant around and I truly am enjoying it.   What We've Learned About Preston: These past two months have been fun to be a part of- there's rolling over, a strong head in tummy time, laughs that sound like heaven, him smiling with his whole face anytime he sees his brothers or someone else familiar, baby coos that let us all know, in the midst of our busy lives with three other young kids, that he's here too, and...