Second Guessing

For me, the hardest part of parenting is the constant second guessing. Did I handle that situation the correct way? Did I say the right thing? Did I make the right decision? And, the one I always question, did I call the doctor too soon or not soon enough? 

Mason officially has the stomach bug that has been going around. He started getting sick yesterday and has continued through today. So, needless to say we didn't go to school today and have been hanging out around the house. 

I called the doctor to see what I could give him and what I should be watching out for. While I had the nurse on the phone, I asked about Madison. Miss Madie has had a rough couple of weeks. She is teething and her allergies have been acting up. Last week she started waking up crying in the middle of the night. Sometimes a bottle would calm her down and other times I would have to rock her and let her fuss herself back to sleep. I asked if it was maybe a growth spurt or if her teeth/allergies were bothering her. I feel like there are so many things it could be based off her symptoms. The nurse said it sounded like it was her ears and made an appointment for us to go in tomorrow. 

So now I'm kicking myself. Why did I not think it was her ears? Why did I wait 8 days to do anything? Why did I not pick up on the signs? Ugh!!!! I always struggle when they get sick. I wish there was an easy button to push when you have sick kids. One that says, "No, let it run its course" or "Yes, call the doctor it could be something more". I hate when my little guys are sick!!

On another note, Madison is 11 months today! I can't believe she will be one next month! 

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for Sonic iced teas. I never really appreciated them until now. I gave up ALL sodas for Lent. (I'm a Dr. Pepper girl at heart) I started having the caffeine cravings and a good Sonic ice tea helped me get through today. 

I am thankful for my husband who always makes life fun and exciting. (Yes, that is dry ice he brought home from work just because he thought Mason would enjoy seeing it in action) There is never a dull moment at our house!

I am thankful for the way Madison smelled when I picked her up from Bible study this morning. I know this is a little creepy but she smelled like the ladies lotion from the nursery. That makes me so grateful to know they were hugging and loving on her so much she now smells like their lotion. I am so blessed to have ladies from Bible study, MDO and Church who love my kids!

I'm thankful for good naps. A good nap makes a happy boy!

Spring has Sprung

This weekend I pulled out all my Spring decorations. 

With Spring comes birthday parties. For some reason a lot of our friends have Spring birthdays. This Saturday we went to a fire truck birthday party. Mason loved it. He had so much fun looking at the fire truck and playing with his friends. Madison just wanted to be where the big kids were. She wanted to play with them so bad and got upset anytime someone picked her up. 

Today we went to our good friends birthday lunch at Chick-fil-A. The kids had fun running around and playing. The highlight of the lunch was when I broke my very own rule. I did not let Mason (and up until today Madison) have ANYTHING sweet until their first birthday. I was a stickler about that, mainly because Mason was pre-mature and really shouldn't have eaten any sweets at an early age, and that has just carried with me to Madison. I just expected her first bite of cake or sweets would be at her first birthday. But today, I decided to let have a bite of a cake ball and she LOVED it. She was so funny diving into this little bitty cake ball. She made the biggest mess, I offered to help clean it up but the manager wouldn't let me. He said he enjoyed watching her eat the cake, I love Chick-fil-A!

And a just because photo. Just because he could :)

Valentine's Day

I have to admit I LOVE Valentine's Day. I know this holiday is up for debate by most people but I can't help but love it. I know there is the argument (among many) that you should love your spouse or significant other everyday not just on this holiday, and I agree yes you should. But, I'm not always good at that. Don't get me wrong, I love Ronny everyday but I don't always show it. Things/life/kids/work/responsibilities seem to sometimes get in the way. I will say, since we have had Mason, Valentine's has taken on a new meaning to me. Now, I don't just celebrate it with the love I have for Ronny but I try to include my whole family and show them they are loved. Ronny teases me because I refer to it as the 'Day of Love'. 

For Valentine's, Mason's MDO has a teddy bear parade. The kids get to decorate shoe boxes or wagons and pull their favorite stuffed animal through a fun obstacle course. Mason had a blast. It was so much fun watching all the little kids pull their wagons while riding tricycles. Mason also helped me make little Valentine treats for all the kids in his class. 

We also made Ronny's gift. It's not not the best by any means. I think I bit off more than I could chew. Trying to get a 10 month old to hold still and get her foot print and hand print is not easy. Mason was a little easier but he kept wanting to put multiple prints every where, including on himself. Ronny loved it and hung it in his office at work. Mason and I also made Ronny is favorite cookies and had them waiting for him when he got home.

It's Like Night and Day

This week was a breeze compared to last week! My little angel is back; Mason was so good at school and at home! Madison is teething so she has been a little needy but somehow, even with her feeling bad, this week was so much easier than last week.

This week was full of play. We managed to squeeze in a few play dates with our friends from the neighborhood. We even had a pajama day!

A dress ourselves day, complete with our favorite rain boots. (It's not raining) :):)

We even got to play outside.

 

Both kids had so much fun destroying the play room. Gotta love a messy play room!

Last week was such a struggle for me but this week was such a blessing! It is still so amazing to me how things can change so fast in the world of parenting. One minute I'm pulling my hair out and ready to throw in the towel and the next week I'm counting my blessings and am having the time of my life. I guess when it's all said and done I need weeks like last week so I can appreciate weeks like this week even more. I just hope those weeks are few and far between!

Family Fun Day

Last weekend Ronny was off so we decided to take the kids to Fossil Rim. Mason had a blast! He loved feeding the animals. Honestly, I think just being able to roam the car and not be buckled in was an adventure for him. Madison was so good too. She was just along for the ride and didn't really show any emotion until a Zebra walked by her window and then she wouldn't stop laughing. 

The 'mean bird' as Mason calls him, wouldn't stop pecking my car!

My favorite part was feeding the giraffes.

The Small Things

This week has been a difficult one. Mason had a cold at beginning of the week, Madison is teething, Ronny had a busy schedule and I just tried to survive. For some reason this week was one of those weeks I was always 10 steps behind where I needed to be. I couldn't get ahead no matter how hard I tried. It seems like I would get breakfast cleaned up with about 30 minutes to spare before I'd have to start making lunch. As soon as I got one mess cleaned up another mess was made. This was one of those weeks I wanted to re-evaluate my job description.

In the middle of it all I started to think this week was never going to end and I wasn't going to make it. Actually there was one moment when I caught Mason playing in the toilet that I thought he wouldn't survive the week but I'm happy to report all of us are still alive and kicking :) Sitting here I think it was the little things that got me through the week.

The daily walks I got to take with a few neighbors, the kids and I got to eat lunch with Ronny one day, there was one day both kids napped at the same time and I got to make an hour long uninterrupted phone call to a great friend, Ronny surprised me and had today off so we spent the day together running errands, yesterday Madison started saying 'momma' while crawling from one room to the next, and out of the blue Mason looked at me and said 'I need you momma and I love you big big big'.

In the end its the little things that get me through the rough patches and make it all worth while.