Summer so far

We have now hit the ground running full on into summer with 95 degree days, trips to the pool and sweaty walks to the playground. Here are some pictures of our first few weeks of summer.

There is a gymnastics gym that hosted "open gym time" during the school year and we made it to the last two of the year.

Our first trip to the pool this year. He loved watering the plants more so than the actual pool, but he looked cute!

#1 had his first of I'm sure many injuries to come.  He tripped while walking in his room and hit his head on the dresser... at bedtime. So, of course, we had to keep him up an extra couple hours to monitor him and thankfully all was good with our sweet boy. Somehow, we managed to avoid stitches with this one.

Dustin went on his third annual trip to Trinidad with KLife and they took 17 high schoolers this year!

#2 has smiles for days now

 #1 playing hide and seek

We had a run-in with the sprinklers on our walk.

 Little Acorns playtime up at our new favorite shopping/dining/everything area, Avalon.

Food Truck Tuesdays complete with a fire truck

Splashing at Brook Run Park while waiting for our friends to arrive.

Lots of love from Teagan.

3 mommas, 5 babies and a dog make for a fun morning.

Full arms=full heart

Free doughnut day at Dunk Donuts

We took the boys to a Teeny Tykes music camp at a church not too far away and Finn loved it! We can't wait to sign up for the fall class in September!

Finn "loving" his baby brother.

Finn made his first craft in Waumba Land at church.

My shopping buddy

 

All smiles around here lately and I love it.

Whole 30 Day 4

The struggle is real. The food is good and I feel healthy and all that stuff, but it's hard. As a busy, nursing momma with two littles under two- I'm always hungry, I don't have a ton of time for food prep and all I really want right now is a cupcake. All that being said- I'm sticking with it. It's not just about the food. It's about changing our view of food. In the grand scheme of things, this is not hard. It's only for 26 more days. Then I will have my cupcake.

In the meantime. Here is what I'm snacking on these days.

Fruit. Lots of fruit. I would recommend anyone doing Whole 30 to do it in the summer when the fruit selection is at its best.

This. On Everything. Really, apples, bananas, banana chips. It's the best.

Also, kale chips. I feel like calling them "chips" does them a disservice. Anyone who says "kale chips taste just like potato chips" is right- if they've never had potato chips. They do not in fact taste like potato chips, but they are thin and crispy and salty, which does in fact satisfy that craving. They're also super easy to make and an easy way to eat half a bag of kale in one sitting-seriously. 

Kale "Chips"

-medium to large bunch of kale fresh from the garden or the store

-olive oil

-sea salt

-red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Thoroughly wash your kale and trim off any thick ends. They get tough and bitter in the oven.

2. Toss the kale in a large bowl with a couple pours of olive oil. I didn't measure, but you want to make sure it's thoroughly coated but not soggy so it'll all crisp up in the oven.

3. Spread the kale in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle sea salt and a couple pinches of red pepper flakes on top.

4. Bake at 300 for approximately 10 minutes or until crispy. Be careful not to overcook it, as it burns easily.

5. Enjoy on the couch with a good book or Netflix and feel good about the fact that you are eating kale and not potato chips.

Zoodle Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Zoodles=Zucchini noodles. These are apparently all the craze in the Whole 30 world. The key to making them is a nifty little gadget called a spiralizer. I bought this one from Amazon, but they have a number of different kinds. They all slice veggies in a way to make them "noodle like". Last night, I made zoodle "pasta" with a mushroom meat sauce (recipe to come) and I made a big batch of this for lunch today with the leftover zoodles.

Zoodle Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
3 medium sized zucchinis spiralized
1 container of grape tomatoes sliced in half
2 handfuls of pitted kalmata olives
6 baby carrots chopped
2 small cucumbers (or one large) sliced
handful of leftover roasted chicken

Dressing:
Juice from one large lemon
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tbsp of white vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic chopped

Toss all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl with your dressing to evenly coat. Serve cold. Enjoy!

Whole 30

Yes, you read that title right. This pasta loving, cheese snacking and ice cream eating girl is jumping on the Whole 30 bandwagon. If you've never heard of Whole 30 before, it's basically 30 days of clean eating. No grains, sugar, dairy, legumes or processed food. Basically my entire diet before. On Whole 30, you stick to meat, fruit, veggies, nuts and healthy fats. It's 30 days to reset your body, speed up your metabolism, boost your immune system and change that way you think about food. The website provides a lot more information than I could ever explain, so feel free to take a look if you're interested in learning more.

Both the husband and I are tackling the program for the next 30 days. Finn will eat all of the same meals, but I'll continue to include pasta, beans, rice, dairy, etc. in his portions as we are not subjecting him to this craziness. Several people have asked if it's safe to eat this way while breastfeeding since I currently have a two month old. I am not restricting calories by any means, but rather choosing better calories. Instead of cookies, chips and ice cream- I'm eating way more fruit, nuts and healthy fats. So while I'm not using this as a diet per say, I am also working the gym back into my schedule in hopes of being back in my pre-pregnancy clothes sooner rather than later. Nothing says accountability like posting it for everyone to see, so here goes nothing. I will keep as up to date as possible on here as well as post recipes I've found that I like.

The first one is an easy peasy trail mix for snacking anytime, anywhere. Since I am breastfeeding, I need to have snacks easily accessible at all times. I made a big container of this yesterday and I can already tell this will be a staple during the next 30 days. You can really customize it however you'd like. Just make sure all of your ingredients don't have added sugar.

Whole 30 Tropical Trail Mix
Banana chips 
Dried pineapple
Dried assorted berries (watch out for added sugar here)
Cashews
Walnuts
Shredded coconut

Just add several handfuls of each until you get the amount you want. Put a lid on a shake until everything is thoroughly mixed. Enjoy!

Two Months

We have now added the "s" onto "months" and now they will begin to fly by quicker than I'd like to see. Regardless, our sweet littlest man turned two months old yesterday (and his big brother turned 20 months!) I feel like this past month, we have really found our stride as a little family of four. I feel back to normal, Ryder is getting the hang of life outside the womb and Finn is realizing that this new little human doll is here to stay. We are also on more of a schedule now that makes life a lot more manageable with two under two (see previous post).

Our sweet, Ryder, you are changing by the day! Your neck support has gotten so much better, but you still don't like tummy time. You still love hearing our voices and will now turn your head to follow us around the room. You love to stare at the black and white pictures on the wall when sitting on the couch and the fan when laying on our bed.

A big (the biggest) accomplishment for this month is sleeping through the night! Your big brother spent a few days in Greenville with his cousins earlier this month and I was really able to work on your schedule with you. After three days of all of your naps being swaddled in your crib and following a regular feeding schedule, you started sleeping 8-10 hours at night. We do a combined bedtime routine with Finn and you started taking baths together (with mommy and daddy there to make sure your brother doesn't try to sit on you or pick you up). Then, we read books, Finn gets a cup of milk and daddy gives you your bottle. You're in bed by 8 and will sleep until 4am (occasionally 6am!) Mommy is most thankful for this as I am not a night owl.

You are also starting to get the hang of nursing and it has become so much easier for both of us. You're up to 11.11lbs and 23in! This puts you exactly in the 50th % for both weight and length. We are starting to see the little rolls on your arms and legs and you're in size 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.

You've started smiling regularly and it's just the sweetest! You actually seem to like having your diaper changed and tolerate baths (i.e. no screaming). Your baby acne has cleared up and your hairline has started to recede. That description can only really be cute on a little guy like you. Here are some pics from the month:

 Stealing some snuggles while daddy plays with Finn.

 

"love" from your big brother. We're trying to work on him not pulling you off the couch.

Now that I'm "cleared" to work out, we've been going on walks with stops at the playground and this is how we travel these days. Pushing a combined 90lbs of stroller and babies should get mommy back into shape in no time.

 This is the look I usually get after you eat.

 

He really does love you.

 post nap family selfie

 I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mommy of two and it was much less eventful than last year with big brother. We went out to breakfast and spent some quality time at the playground.

 And our collage starts...

The Boys' Schedule

For anyone that knows me, they know I am a scheduled person. And that may be putting it mildly. I have had a couple people ask me what our daily schedule looks like with two littles under two, so I am posting it here so I can easily share it with others as well as remember it in the future. I'm not going to lie, it's hard work this mom life. Harder than I've ever done before. These two little men have my heart, but they also have all of my time and attention these days. I wouldn't trade these busy days for all of the empty hours I've had over the last several years.

With Finn, we used the Moms on Call infant schedule and it worked wonderfully. While I was pregnant with Ryder, I may still be reading read the Moms on Call Toddler Book and they have some great schedules listed out for having a toddler and an infant.  If you have two under two or pretty close to it, I highly recommend giving it a shot to see if it works for you. At 6 weeks, Ryder is sleeping anywhere from 6-8 hours straight at night. Let me preface this by saying that we by no means have this down to a perfect science. Some days it works better than others. This is just how I try to structure our day.

6:00- I wake up, grab a cup of coffee and have a few minutes of quiet before the boys are up

6:30- I get Ryder up (sometimes he's already awake and sometimes I wake him up, either way, I get him up and feed him).

7:30- I put Ryder back to bed for a short nap and get Finn out of his bed (he's usually been awake for 20 min or so by this point, but he's pretty content to stay in his crib for a bit) and feed him breakfast.

7:30-8:45ish- Playtime with Finn or I bring him to our room so I can try and get ready for anything we have that day.

9:00- Feed Ryder (he sleeps anywhere from 45 min to an hour for this first nap). During this time, Finn is usually in his play pen with some toys.

10:00-11:30- I run any errands, go for a walk to the playground or go to any activities for the day. Ryder will sleep in his carseat or Ergo for this nap.

12:00- I put Finn in his highchair for lunch and feed Ryder while he's eating.

12:30- I put Ryder in his bouncy seat while I put Finn down for his nap and then I put Ryder down for his nap, swaddled in his bed.

12:30-3:00- Nap time for BOTH boys. This is where I pass out myself get stuff done.

3:00- Feed Ryder

3:30/4:00- Finn usually wakes up

4:15- I put Ryder back in his bed for a short nap and I'll start prepping for dinner as much as I'm able with Finn up and around.

5:30- Feed Ryder and put him in his bouncy seat in the kitchen while I finish dinner.

6:15- Family dinner together

6:45- Bath time for both boys (I only do this if Dustin is home to help. We put Ryder's bath seat in the tub next to Finn and bathe them together. Then, I get Ryder's pj's on while Dustin does the same for Finn.)

7:30- Finn in bed and Dustin gives Ryder a bottle. I usually shower and then pump during this time.

8:00- Ryder in bed

Ryder will typically sleep until anywhere from 2-4AM when I'll get up and feed him. Regardless of when he eats during the night, he will last until 6:30 the next morning. I think one of the main keys to making this schedule or any schedule successful is patience. Patience for yourself and your babies. And when your patience is wearing thin, give yourself grace. Grace for the moment that just passed and the ones that haven't happened yet. These littles need you and just when you feel like you're too tired to continue, your one year old will start to dance and laugh and your one month old will smile and coo when he hears your voice. Yes, it's exhausting and there are days when I go to bed at night not being able to remember a single thing I did that day. But you get up and do it all again because it is so incredibly worth it. So pour that extra cup of coffee, reheat it four times and embrace the gift of today. And when today doesn't go as planned, there's always tomorrow.