Too smart for her own good...

Michaela has figured out that if she moves her little chair right next to the counter, she can reach everything! Yeah! Can you see how excited I am for her?!? *Nervous shuddering* This is me attempting to keep her away from my dinner ingredients by giving her a bowl full of beans to play with. Which worked...until I realized she was trying to eat the beans...

And dropping them all into the cabinet...

Oh my goodness, I'm not sure I'll survive this stage!

It wasn't me!

I was busy making dinner today when I realized it was eerily quiet. If you have a toddler, you know that is usually a bad sign. I turned around and found Michaela sitting on the floor with an open container of ground cinnamon. Not only had she dumped out half the container on her clothes and on the floor, she was also attempting to eat it.

Michaela! What did you do? What's that, what are you trying to tell me? The baby did it?

Nice try kiddo, nice try...

What We've Been Up To...

Michaela got to hang out with her new bestie this week. They are about a month apart and get along great! They used to be frenemies but I think they've finally realized that they really like each other. They also went to Burger King and played on the structure together (ohmygod my baby is old enough to play on those things!) but I didn't get any pictures.

I got the chance co-plan the Valentines Party for my MOMS Club this year. The kids would have been content just playing with the balloons but we had lots of fun activities planned. They got to decorate their little favor bags with crayons and foam sticker hearts.

We had a Heart Hunt where they ran around grabbing paper hearts which they then exchanged for toys and candy.We got to decorate sugar cookies with colored icing, sprinkles and mini m&m's.

Michaela with her BFF again. :) Rafael hanging out with daddy. Family picture. It was the end of the party and they were both a little tired and cranky. Later we went to the circus! My dad and stepmom bought the tickets for Michaela's birthday gift and she loved it! I'm not sure if she liked the tigers or dancing dogs better, but the parts with animals were definitely her favorites. She also got to ride a pony at intermission with the help of her grandpa. We didn't get to stay for the second half because it was already 9:30pm and she was fading fast, but it was still so much fun.

It's a Wonderful Life

Shhh, come real close so I can tell you a little secret...being a mom is pretty hard. I know, shocking right? In our average work day, we deal with bosses who are not only critical and demanding but who are also constantly undervaluing and under-appreciating us. We rarely get bathroom or lunch breaks and don't get evenings or weekends off either. Some days are so exhausting, both physically and emotionally, that they bring us to tears and make us long for our carefree child-free days of being in the workplace or on the college campus.

Yesterday was one of those days. Michaela didn't take much of a nap and Rafael was a little clingy after getting his shots. As I sat on the floor with Rafael pressed up against one shoulder, rocking Michaela back and forth to calm her from a huge meltdown, I had an odd thought running through my head: God, I love my children so much! Even though it was the low point of our day, I also felt such an overwhelming love for my kids and such pride in my ability to relax them and show them how much they are cared for.

Our job is hard, but isn't every job? If the alternative is working an easy 9-5 and going home to an empty lonely life, I wouldn't want to trade. Besides, I get some truly amazing benefits. I get a toddler running up to me and planting a wet kiss on my lips. I get to nuzzle the soft downy head of my newborn as I rock him to sleep. I get to share my day every evening with a husband who works hard to enable me to stay home with our kids, and who loves and appreciates me. Despite the hard work, it really is a wonderful life.

Time-Saving (and Daddy proof!) Clothes Packages

When Rafael was born, Philip started being the primary caretaker of Michaela whenever he is home. After a few days of him asking me what she should wear, and where everything was located in her closet, I started putting together clothes packets for him. On laundry day, I take a gallon size Ziploc and put in a matching shirt, pair of pants, and pair of socks. Then I put all the bags into a $1 hamper in her closet. It is such a time saver in the hectic mornings just to pull out a packet and get her ready. It also is so much easier for Philip to get her ready, and everything is guaranteed to match! If you have a kiddo that likes to pick out their own clothes, they can help you put together the packets, or they could choose which packet to wear that day.

It seems like such a bad idea...

and it's probably really unsafe too. But perching the carseat on top of my non-compatible baby swing at top speed as soon as I get home from wherever I was, really gives me some needed time to get Michaela down for a nap, or put the groceries away, or (gasp!) go to the bathroom. And he really doesn't seem to mind either.