Mom hacks. (snack ideas)

  Every few months, I sort of run out of ideas for things. Meals, snacks, activities, all the mom things. I think most people are like that? You get into a routine that works and then, over time, need regular refreshes. For example, we eat the same breakfast every morning for an entire week (ie cinnamon sugar toast, turkey sausage, berries). It makes shopping simpler and the next week, I'll swap for another breakfast. Its nice to round up ideas for new meals and choices to have in our rotation!

  So I polled people on instagram and friends in real life to gather a new, big list of snacks ideas. I got so many awesome ideas, I might do another unofficial poll for other mom hack ideas! And I thought I would share in case its helpful to you too. To be honest, I mostly feed my kids dry & not too sweet snacks, so it was fun for me to see some fun treat-like ideas. The list has such a great mix of snacks! If you're in a rut with different snacks to keep on hand, I'm guessing you'll find something new to try out of these 25 ideas :)

• Goldfish & craisins
• Pretzels and freeze dried fruit (Aldi has great ones!)
• Almonds & craisins
• Popcorn (make on big batch on the stove on Monday and save it to have for the week! Or buy the yummy Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn-so good)
• Veggie straws
• Graham crackers or teddy grahams & Nutella 
• Dry cereal (let your kids pick a new one each week)
• Cherry tomatoes & mozzarella balls 
• Apple cookies (apple sliced width-wise, topped with pb and honey)
• Graham crackers & frosting (like a sandwich!)
• Applesauce pouches
• Granola/nutrigrain bars
• Crackers & cream cheese, topped with fruit
• Cheese trays: string cheese, crackers, pepperoni, grapes, rolled up turkey/ham, and hummus) Someone please make this for me!
• String cheese
• Yogurt & yogurt drinks
• Veggies (snap peas, peppers, carrots, celery)
• Energy bites (find great recipes on Pinterest)
• Snack mix (use whatever you have on hand and let your kids help! Cheez-its, cheerios, raisins, pretzels, etc)
• Hummus & crackers
• Yogurt dip: greek yogurt, pb, cinnamon, and honey. Dip fruit or graham crackers!
• Blender snow cones
• Pudding
• Big freezer soft pretzels
• Mini pancakes with whip cream & fruit

Caleb-isms. v.|2

It's so fun to read back on this post from August, I had to write a new one!

Talking about his "Happy Birthday Jesus" party at school around Christmas time. Will he be there mommy? Jesus is coming to my school! He will come out of my heart and we'll all pop out and say SURPRISE to him!
and later, after the party. He didn't come, mommy. Jesus stayed in my heart.

Seeing me dressed and ready for a dinner party (aka not in yoga pants). MOM! You're a princess! Can I take a picture with you?

On our way to preschool one morning. Where is life taking us, mom?

Driving home from running errands late one afternoon and already feeling anxious about having to wear his eye patch to bed that night. Is it almost nighttime mommy? Can you put the sun back up high in the sky so we don't ever have to go night-night?

While sitting in our kitchen eating lunch after preschool. Ahhh. Home sweet home.

Talking about some of his friends at school. Owen and Navy are my friends. Navy is my friend because she's beautiful.

Riding in the car while wearing his new coat and Paw Patrol sunglasses. Can you take a picture of Cool Caleb, mom?

When he wants to build a fort or pretend to camp. Let's have a camp-over! (a camp/sleepover combo?)

Talking about daddy being at work for the day. You work here, mommy. You work at home. You can't leave.

Waking up to snow on the ground on March 24th. It's Christmas again, mommy! Santa's here!

Repeating age-inappropriate lines he learned from the movie Ferdinand. Sucks to be you, Tyler.

Watching Ferdinand as a family. Daddy! You're huge like Ferdinand! (so. much. laughing after this)

Talking about feeling scared for a doctor's appointment and how you can feel scared and still be brave. In fact, feeling scared and still doing something is what it means to be brave. Oh! I'm really scared. That must mean I'm really brave! Am I brave, mommy?

Driving past one doctor's office on our way to an eye appointment. Mom, do you think Dr. Belcher and Dr. Moorthy are friends? Doctor friends?

When hungry but only wants junk food. My belly is so hungry. I want something tasty!

Back to school for toddlers.

  As a stay at home mom of two toddlers, it probably seems silly that I'm writing a back to school post. Neither of my kids are really in school! Caleb will be going to two half-days of preschool this Fall, and Tyler will be doing one half day at the Bible study I attend. Besides those combined 6 hours, both kids are home with me. And here is where I have to admit that being creative and naturally having structure to our days doesn't come naturally to me. Even still, I know its really important and we all have better days when we know what to expect!

  I tried a few things last Fall that I ended up loving. I'm not talking about a homeschool-like atmosphere. That isn't my strong suit and not something that fits for our family. I'm just talking about simply taking some time to pool ideas, organize them and create a gameplan for the next few months. It helped us a ton last fall and I'm excited to do it again this year- especially now that I have two toddlers who can join in!

 Over the last few weeks, I've come up with a few simple goals, a general routine to follow, and lots of resources to fill in and pull from. I'll list my favorite resources below! And honestly, you could just do a google/pinterest search and find A MILLION ideas of things to do with your kids. (my favorite things to search are "diy sensory bins" "toddler crafts" "toddler activities") The problems is that you have to actually do them! (No? Am I the only one who doesn't follow through??) To fool proof this for myself, I'm working on making bins and getting little kits together so that I can wake up and voila! I just need to look at my planner and see what activities we can do that I've already prepared. (I've even thought of making themed bins and trading with friends! Anyone in?) In fact, I'm heading out today to buy some bins and get started. My goal is to have three bins made each month- that is a realistic number for me!

  If you have little ones at home and want a bit more structure or just fun in your days, here are my back to school tips for you! Anyone who has an hour or two over the long holiday weekend can do them.

Set goals. What do you hope to teach your kiddos or what memories do you want to make? Do you simply want to establish a routine and start talking about Jesus and the ABC's everyday? Be specific!

Create a schedule. I am 100% about being flexible, but writing down a general guideline for how our days go helps me a ton! It shows where learning time would fit best and helps build intentionality. Decide simple things such as talking about the weekly Bible verse at every meal, doing ABC flash cards during lunch every day or making the mornings for independent play and craft time. Remember, it doesn't have to be fussy!

Find resources. Talk to friends (the best resource!), google, or head to the library. Don't make this a bigger deal than it should be! Just find a few fun things to try- an art cart, some sensory bins, a DIY alphabet book, etc.

Do it! Maybe that's stating the obvious, but put all of those Pinterest boards to use. You could even make a date of it and invite some mama friends over! Or just start a text chain asking if any mama friends want to swap/share resources. Then pick a day, and start implementing little routines!

Here are some of my favorite resources (lots that I actually use!):

ABC Jesus Love Me: This is great because its free to download and comes in lots of age groups! We bought the hard version last year (lesson plans and worksheets) and I LOVE it! It's just a great guide and resource to have on hand. It includes short lessons, focus for each week, activity ideas and books to read, etc. I want to be more consistent with it this year! My favorite part is the Verse of the Week. We tried this last year, but I wasn't the most consistent with it. I'm doing it again and I really think Caleb will love it this time around!

Fruit of The Spirit Curriculum: I really like this! I'm thinking of buying it (only $14!) and has really good reviews for being a great (toddler-friendly) way to talk about the Gospel more at home. You can even download one free lesson plan to check it out. I did and it's so simple that it seems silly to not try it out!

DIY home art center: I'm doing a version of this in our basement right now! It's been in the process for months and I'm finally on the home stretch. It will have baskets/bins with games/puzzles/specific activities/art supplies- all loosely sorted and easy to pull from!

Printable Routine Cards: I haven't tried these, but I am positive my kiddos could benefit from them

Printable ABC book: I just printed this and can't wait to try it with C. He thrives with tangible, building lessons so I think it'll be great for him.

Busy Toddler: My all time favorite instagram account to follow for toddler ideas! She's really creative and ALL of her idea's are simple. Great for inspiration!

Teach Preschool: This is basically my dream preschool! She has indoor and outdoor classrooms, is an expert in all things preschool (literally!), and just does the coolest things with her students. Its actually down the road from us and Caleb was on the waitlist- but I simply couldn't justify the cost for our family (and we have a preschool across the road from us!). I still love to follow her account and get lots of fun ideas! If you are local to the northside of Indy and have toddlers, this is an amazing preschool for your kiddos!

My pinterest round up. I'm (slowly) growing my list of activities and ideas to help my kiddos grow and for us to try. Share your favs with me!

Best loved. (kid stuff)

With a 3 and 1.5 year old, I'm by no means an expert at kid gear. But we've found a handful of things lately that we just really love, so I thought I'd share them. Plus, I got lots of questions when I posted my new diaper bag on instagram last weekend- so I'm linking that below :)

Diaper backpack (in Grey-2 option). I've been wanting a backpack for several months and a few weeks ago I finally found one I love/could afford. After lots (too much, probably!) of research and reading reviews on Amazon, I bought this baby AND. I. LOVE. IT. Justin's been laughing at me since it arrived because I talk about it a lot. I ordered the 'Grey-2' option, which is different than the others because while it is a backpack, the main compartment has a smaller zipper flap that doesn't zip from side to side (which would make stuff fall out!). It stands on its own no matter how full it is, has a fun pocket just for wipes, and also has an accessible pocket on the back for convenience. Bonus: Justin doesn't feel silly carrying it around, and it was inexpensive! Only $36.99. I found a small stitching defect a few days into using it and (even though it doesn't impact the function or anything) I contacted the Amazon seller and they're sending me a brand new one! If you're in the market for a good diaper backpack that doesn't break the bank, I totally recommend this one. (It's made by a brand I've never heard of, but I read TONS of reviews and it is highly rated and compares well to others in higher price points.)

Aldi snacks. Ok, so these aren't kid specific and you can find snacks anywhere. But I find that most products are the same quality at Aldi as bigger grocery chains, but for a fraction of the price. I'm loving the applesauce/fruit blend pouches and freeze dried fruits righter now. My kids are snackers and we try to have healthier options- especially when we're on the go. I like that these are organic, inexpensive, and tasty! My boys LOVE freeze dried apples and since they're so inexpensive, we usually go through a bag or two each day. Add to that the cinnamon apple straws and veggie chips, and our pantry is stocked for the week!

Beach/bath towels. I have mentioned these a dozen times before, but I honestly love them. Just added a couple more to my cart to stock up on for the boys! We use them at the pool, but also daily for baths at home. They hold up incredibly well, are thick, and the boys love the cozy hood!

Divided plates. I fully embrace kid-friendly, colorful dishes and these are hands down my favorite. They seem to hold up better than our other Ikea and Target kid plates. They're made from recycled milk jugs and you can find them at Wal-mart. Bonus- they're microwaveable! I like that they are small enough to fit on our highchair trays and big enough to have three separate compartments. The same company makes flatware and cups, too!

Laurie Bernker Band. Ok, let me preface by saying these music videos are cheesy. Aren't all kid songs? But my boys love love love them, especially the Dinosaur and Goldfish songs. We dance to them daily!

Caleb-isms. v.|1

(found this blog post in my drafts from this past summer. It's so fun, I had to publish it- after adding some updated Caleb-isms to the list!)

  I'm kicking myself for only just now doing this, but I created a note on my phone that I update with the hilarious things Caleb says. It. Is. The. Best. I've only being doing it for a few weeks, but I love all the things I've already recorded. If you have a toddler, you need to do this! I like the idea of writing things down in a cute baby book or whatever, but having them on my phone is so much more practical. Then, if I want to transfer them over into a real memory book one day, I still can. In the meantime, I'm not missing them when they happen. Yay for iPhones!  (Actually, I use the 'notes' on my phone for organizing lots of things!)

  This stage is lots of fun (I say that about every stage, right?). I love being able to have full conversations with Caleb and being surprised by the hilarious things he picks up on and repeats back to us! Here are some of my favorites from the last week-

one night after being put to bed and drinking some water, he called me back into his room. Mommy! There's water in there? (pointing to his belly) Jesus in there? He's swimming! Jesus is swimming in my belly! (we can't quite get him to understand the difference between his heart and stomach)

while riding in the car and Tyler has been screaming 'MAMA' for no real reason. Ty-wer! Don't cry! Mommy's right there. She's right there. Don't cry! Mom, tell Ty-wer to stop crying.

waking up the morning after we had a fire and roasted marshmallows the night before. Oh no! Sun, you go down! Time for a fire and roast marshmallows! Go away sun!

driving to church on an overcast morning. We don't have much time! The storm is coming! Daddy, drive so much faster!

after taking a potty break and not needing to poop. My booty doesn't work today. We try again tomorrow, right mommy?

-------
3/28/18

Talking about his "Happy Birthday Jesus" party at school around Christmas time. Will he be there mommy? Jesus is coming to my school! He will come out of my heart and we'll all pop out and say SURPRISE to him!
and later, after the party. He didn't come, mommy. Jesus stayed in my heart.

On our way to preschool one morning. Where is life taking us, mom?

Driving home from running errands late one afternoon and already feeling anxious about having to wear his eye patch to bed that night. Is it almost nighttime mommy? Can you put the sun back up high in the sky so we don't ever have to go night-night?

While sitting in our kitchen eating lunch after preschool. Ahhh. Home sweet home.

Talking about some of his friends at school. Owen and Navy are my friends. Navy is my friend because she's beautiful.

Waking up to snow on the ground on March 24th. It's Christmas again, mommy! Santa's here!

Repeating age-inappropriate lines he learned from the movie Ferdinand. Sucks to be you, Tyler.

Driving past one doctor's office on our way to an eye appointment. Mom, do you think Dr. Belcher and Dr. Moorthy are friends? Doctor friends?

When hungry but only wants junk food. My belly is so hungry. I want something tasty!

Tyler. (18 months)

  Let's chat about Tyler at 18 months. This sweet boy is equal parts fun and exhausting. He is growing so much these days, which means we can engage and have lots more fun with him. But he also has bigger opinions and all the irrationality of a toddler, too! Add in his never-ending movement and you have half a dozen falls/tumbles/accidents everyday. We are basically always on our toes when Tyler is around!

  He has picked up even more words and animal sounds in the past month. He NEVER stops moving unless he's in his carseat or asleep. You probably read that and assume its a bit of an exaggeration, but you'd be wrong. I really, truly mean that he doesn't stop moving. Perhaps for a book from time to time or if he wakes up a little sad- but other than that he's on the move! It's pretty normal for him to wake up at 5:30am (for the day!) and literally hit the ground running. Oy.

  His current diet consists of only crackers (any kind), yogurt, and berries. And the occasional Chick-fil-a chicken nugget. He has slowly been refusing other foods over the last few months and his great-eater status. Ah, 1.5 year olds. 

  He's still little! While he definitely on the growth charts finally (!!!), he is 13% for height and 34% for  weight. He's wearing mostly 18 month clothing, size 4 diapers (that big belly!), and size 3/4 shoes.  The more weight he puts on, the more he is starting to look like Caleb. Having said that, it's still safe to say he's my little mini-me. Comparing pictures of myself as a toddler with Tyler is crazy! His hair, which started out a dark brown, just keeps getting lighter. It's almost blonde these days and he's in desperate need of a haircut (if you ask me) but Justin's pretty attached to his unruly baby mullet, so it's sticking around for a bit longer!

  Tyler loves his hand-me-down truck book, crackers, daddy, exploring, bath/swimming (zero concern for safety), dancing, hide and seek, his outie belly button (you'll often find him stopping and just playing with it😂), making sheep sounds, sleeping with his little lovie and Mr. Flops (stuffed bunny). He also REALLY loves Murphy- and I'm not sure the feeling is mutual anymore. He intensely loves/climbs/plays on Murphy any chance he can find.

  

Little world changers.

   We had our Play Day For a Purpose today! 10 moms and 15 kids came over to hang out in our backyard this morning- and they came with armloads of donations for our local domestic violence shelter. It was so cool to see the pile of donations growing as people arrived!

  Honestly? I didn't expect more than my sister and one or two friends to show up. Isn't it funny how we doubt even the things we are certain God has put on our hearts? What if no one came or Caleb didn't care or I didn't end up with anything to drop off at the shelter (they were expecting me to have at least a boxful!)? All silly, but honest things. One of my favorites, Jessica, always talks about doing things scared. Not waiting until we have all of our ducks in a row or 100% confidence things will go the very way we hope. Instead, walking forward even when you're a bit scared and nervous and just doing it.

  So we did it- a bit unsure of how it would turn out. People came! They overwhelmed us with donations! The kids had fun and I had just enough food for everyone (Chick fil a party tray for the win!).

  Its funny how ridiculously simple the whole thing was. Pray for an opportunity to serve the local community, invite people over, set out some toys/food/chair, and collect donations. And you know? If only two people had come, we still would have made a difference! I am understanding more and more about starting where I am and using what I already have. My house and backyard aren't anything crazy, but they are enough to host a few people. I don't have a big budget, but I can swing some brownies, fruit, and a chicken nugget party tray. I don't have a million friends and wouldn't say I'm super well connected or influential in my community. None of that matters. In hindsight, its neat to look back and see how God perfectly connected my desire to include my kids in serving others with the tools he's already given me.

  And look at this donation pile!!! Caleb is beyond himself with excitement about dropping it all off at the shelter tomorrow (and hoping he gets to meet their resident service dog!). I'm not even sure if he'll remember today or tomorrow when we drop it off. I hope he does! Either way, I want it to just be the beginning. I have plans to do this somewhat regularly- maybe a few times each year? What if gathering together with friends and family to celebrate and help people in our community just became an ordinary part of our kids' lives?

  So here's my friendly encouragement for you today- have something on your heart you want to do? Do it! Pray, use what you have, and don't wait until you're not nervous about it anymore. Start where you are and even the smallest things can have an impact!

Dinosaur Party.

  Caleb turned 3 on June 16th and we invited our friends and family over to celebrate this past weekend (his bday always coincides with Father's Day so we try to space his party from that). His party was so much fun! It turns out that 3 years olds love a good party and are way too much fun to plan for and celebrate. He has a handful of little friends and cousins that he loves and they all had a blast together on Saturday. Since they're all getting a bit older, they don't need us (parents) as much and truly play together!

  Months ago, Caleb told us he wanted to have a dinosaur birthday party. Its sort of funny because, while he does like dinosaurs, I wouldn't have said really say he's into them. We see them at the museum every time we go and he loves the exhibit while we're there. But we don't actually have many dino toys or anything. I think the anticipation and regular chats about his upcoming dino party just increased his love for them and the entire party planning process was so much fun. And now that we've been talking about dinosaurs non-stop for the past month or so- I would say he is fully into them now :)

Can you spot the swipe Caleb made in the icing before we started singing to him??

  I know that everyone approaches kid parties differently (hi, pinterest). I like little details and adding some personal touches, but have a limited budget and a main focus of making the party fun for the birthday boy. I had three goals at the onset of planning Caleb's 3rd birthday: to not become stressed/overwhelmed, to keep it simple-ish, and for Caleb to have fun. I'm obviously biased, but I think we nailed all three!

(the empty cake stand held the dirt pudding cups!)

  The menu was really simple and took little/no prep! We had pizza delivered from Pizza Hut (SO affordable) and ordered a basic cake from Wal-mart. I actually couldn't find a local grocery store to do a dinosaur cake like I wanted (not dark/Jurassic park themed). So instead, I just ordered a sheet cake in the colors I wanted and had them only add the words. Then I printed out a T-Rex silhouette, cut it out, traced it onto the cake with a toothpick, and then piped around it with store bought icing. Not winning any awards, but Caleb loved it! I think the cake was $20? And I love a delicious, sugary icing covered grocery stored cake.

  Other than the pizza and cake, we kept everything else simple (notice the theme?). Veggies and dip, watermelon wedges, grapes & blueberries, Bugles, and (not pictured!) cups of dirt pudding. I also added two small bowls of mini pigs-in-a-blanket and crackers because Caleb had been specifically telling us he wanted to eat dinosaur cake, crackers, and hot dogs at his party 😂.

  Since Caleb is only three, he isn't terribly into games/party activities. I wanted to do something, but to also make sure it was easy enough for 3 year olds. So I made a little dinosaur dig! Originally, we had planned for the party to be outside and to use our big outdoor sandbox for the dig. But lots of rain the day before the party meant our backyard was just too soggy and we moved the whole party inside. I was bummed for a hot second, but then remembered that we do love our house and it actually worked out perfectly! We used our DIY sandbox for an inside Dino Dig- I just put a dropcloth down to help catch the loose sand and left the tools nearby for kids to use. You guys. I was sort of afraid it would have been a waste of effort (it took me a few tries to get the dinosaur fossils to come out right). It was a HIT! I think every single kid spent some time digging for bones, and not because we ever formally announced it. We just set it up in a prime spot and kids just discovered it on their own. I think we had 13 kids there, ranging in age from 1-5 so it was fun to see that it was a fun activity for them all! (and now Caleb has a bag full of dinosaur bones leftover to play with!)

  The only other fun thing I added for the kids was a handful of inflatable dinosaurs. I spent $35 and it was worth every penny. The kids loved them! The giant T-Rex was a hit with most (some were a little scared) and they took turns wrestling with him or pretending to ride on his back. I'm not even sad that we have them leftover because I imagine the boys will love getting them out from time to time to play! I lost my phone during the party and didn't pick up my camera much, so I didn't get any photos of the kids playing with the dinosaurs- but I promise they were a hit. Here are some before and after photos of Caleb still loving them...and the BEST video of him seeing his giant T-rex for the first time.

Caleb and T-Rex from katie rush on Vimeo.

  Lastly, I put together simple favors for all the kids. I snagged different mini-dinosaurs at the dollar store and tied a thank you and some dinosaur temporary tattoos to each. I set them in a basket by the front door so they could grab them on their way out. Caleb was really excited and kept randomly giving his friends their favors throughout the party because I made it super clear to him when we bought them that they were for his friends (and not for him to play with in the weeks leading up to the party!).

  The entire party (and planning process) was just plain fun. Being a parent has so many different parts, and having the chance to intentionally do things that bring our kids joy is one of the best! My most favorite thing from the whole day was just watching and hearing Caleb- with his friends, family, his dad, and watching him take in the wonder of it all. Celebrating him was the best! (Tyler was, in fact, at the party. He was just busy eating, dumping sand everywhere, or going down for an early nap and too busy for any family photos!)

Sources:

Happy Birthday banner: free printable
Favor tags: free printable
Adopt A Dinosaur: Dollar Tree
Dinosaur Tattoos: Amazon
Dinosaur Dig: DIY sandbox
Dino bone molds: Amazon sand molds + Crayola air dry clay
Excavation tools: $.50 paintbrushes from Wal-Mart and Amazon magnifying glasses
Dino cake: Wal-Mart and myself
Inflatable dinosaurs: Amazon
Extra large inflatable T-rex: Amazon
Dinosaur invitations: Etsy

Caleb. (3 years)

  Our sweet boy is 3 today! There is so much about Caleb at this exact age that I love. It is also really fun to look back over the last few years and see his unique personality stand out. We woke Caleb up early to take him on our traditional donut run and he came downstairs to a big balloon and one of his presents, a new dinosaur! After donuts with dad (and mom and Tyler), both boys had well checks at the dr. and then we finished up our week at Grace Kids' Camp. The boys are napping now, but we promised Caleb we would take him to 'Pizza Choo Choo' (a Pizza King that has a train driving around all the tables) for supper. He is beyond excited! We have a little party with friends and family planned for next weekend, since his actual birthday always falls close to Father's Day. Overall, a simple and fun day just celebrating our guy. I want it to always be that for him, a day where he feels extra loved and celebrated!

  At three years old, Caleb is a sweet kid. He feels things deeply and always asks us if we're happy or sad. He also becomes frustrated easily and is learning lots of ways to manage that (no more biting!). He loves babies and caring for others and stops several times a day to exclaim that something is 'aw! so cute!'. Caleb has zero interest in rote learning, and prefers to explore and experience things. He is really into pretend play right now and can be found building a train with his toys, playing doctor, making his toys talk, or on his 'ship' in our backyard.

  One big part of Caleb personality today that, looking back, I can see has been around since he was a baby is his cautious spirit. He is not terribly adventurous and needs to feel things out for a long time before he trusts them. People, places, experiences, food, all things. He often looks to me and therefore is pretty attached to me (loses himself when I leave him, but calms down after a minute or two). His cautiousness can be sweet and also challenging, so we're working on appreciating both parts I can already see how it will serve him well as he grows up!

  Over the last six months, Caleb has started to be interested in Jesus and it is one of the sweetest things for us to watch. He knows that Jesus loves him the most and often asks if we pray for Jesus to help mommy/daddy/anyone when they're sad or scared. The Easter book we read this Spring talked about a cross, and he became really fascinated with that- especially since I always have on my cross necklace. Since then, he's been asking for his own cross. So we bought him one to hang in his room! He'll happily tell you that I wear my cross (and now, he has one in his room) to help us remember that Jesus loves us. Just recently, he has been asking where Jesus is. We're trying to explain that Jesus lives in our hearts and, when he's older, he can ask Jesus to come live in his heart too. He's really excited about that!

  With his birthday on the horizon, I've had grandparents/friends/family ask what Caleb is 'into' right now. That's sort of hard to answer because he honestly loves anything that you make seem exciting. Paw Patrol, being kind, dinosaurs (he's having a dinosaur party!), swimming, sports, trains, etc. His biggest passion is just doing something fun with others. His love for other people is just really deep. If we're at the pool or playground, he simply wants to be with the others and often goes up to big kids and introduces himself "Hi! My name Caleb Henry Rush. What's your? Let's play!"

  My most favorite things about Caleb right now are: his love for others, the way he gets excited with his entire body (he literally cannot contain his excitement and will exclaim I SO EXCITED and start shaking), his cautious spirit, his genuine interest in Jesus, and his love for others.

The stuff only parents care about: Caleb is big! That's not a shocker to anyone. He is in the 85% for heigh and 94% for weight. Completely proportional and at the top of the scales for everything growth-wise. Also, 95% potty trained! Just need to work on night time/naps.

  Every single night we pray with the boys and we pray the same things- that Jesus help them grow to be brave, kind, and to love Jesus. On Caleb's third birthday, I can't think of anything to add. I hope he grows to be brave (brave to be himself, brave to do hard things), to be kind (to love others always and no matter what), and to love Jesus!

Summer Bucket List. (2017)

  I made a bucket list last summer and we worked through nearly all of it. It was lots of fun to have an intention and a list to help guide our summer days. So I did it again! This list is more of a 'here are lots of ideas to try' and less of a 'we have to do these'. No pressure, hopefully lots of fun. 

  Can I be honest? Ages 1.5 and 3 are exhausting. The boys are ridiculously fun right now, and I mean that. I love the stages they are in! It just so happens that their super fun stages take tons of energy and teaching and redirecting and disciplining. Basically, the best things in life take work. I feel like I'm not the first to coin that phrase? 😉 I hope our summer bucket list will help me be intentional with our time and set us all of for success! I'm planning to look at it each weekend and choose 2-3 things to put on my paper calendar for the upcoming week. If we cross them all off by the end of August, awesome! If not, that's ok too. 

  My favorites on the list are: get sno-cones (I'm obsessed with sno-cones), go on dates (I would love one-on-ones with the boys and Justin!), mail postcards, beach trip, and visit a fire station. 

  What's on your summer bucket list?!

Caleb. (Mom's Day Out)

  Caleb finished his first year of preschool yesterday! (can we call it preschool? It was really only a 1 day a week mom's day out program coupled with a one day mom's bible study with similar structure 😂)  Since he began in September, Caleb has grown SO much. Physically, developmentally, and emotionally. It's amazing to look back!

His physical growth is pretty obvious. He lost a ton of his cute baby chubbiness and has grown like a weed in the last few months! He shot up from 2t to 3t clothes, wears 3t/4t undies, and is in a size 7/8 shoe. I have a hunch that at his 3 year appointment in June he'll be on the top of the charts for height and weight! 

  Developmentally, this was also a big year for Caleb and I really do accredit being at school for some of it. Since September, he has learned his full name (and everyone in our family), his alphabet, his colors (he's still stubborn about them though!), some shapes, and his ability to tell and retell stories. His language absolutely took off around early January and he is such a talker now! I think his language development and being able to express full thoughts/emotions through his words was his biggest growth this year.

  If I'm being honest, Caleb's emotional growth over this last school year was the most challenging (and most significant)- for him and us. When he started school in September, he began to bite. And it was awful for all of us- lots of shame, defeat, and sadness. Lots of upset parents in his class when he would bite their child. Lots of me feeling like an awful mom when I'd overhear another mom at pick up asking "will the biter be allowed to stay in school?" Lots of talking and praying with Caleb over his anxiety at school that was leading to the biting. Guys. SO. MUCH. ENERGY. He started school as one of the younger kids and with less verbal communication. Caleb is also a big feeler- he experiences all of his emotions in big ways. He can be SO HAPPY, but also SO MAD or SO SAD. Not a bad thing at all, but something we needed to help him learn to manage. And, unfortunately for him, biting happens to be the one expression of frustration that requires an incident report and note to another parent (hitting, pushing, taking things, etc don't require that because they don't leave marks).

  It led to us focusing on kindness and incorporating a lot more prayer into our time with Caleb. We prayed for kindness, pointed it out when we noticed it in ourselves, others, cartoons, books, etc. Working on his biting was such a humbling thing for me as a mom (maybe that's another blog post?). In hindsight though, I can see how sweet of an opportunity it was for us to start teaching the Gospel to our kids. It was our official segue-way from one stage of parenting (meeting needs, managing, keeping safe) to the next (teaching, guiding, raising up). 

  Now, after a full school year- Caleb is amazing at speaking up when he feels sad, mad, happy, or scared. He doesn't respond with biting anymore (knock on wood!) and is able to express how he's feeling in a better way. That is absolutely due to a combination of prayer,  time, wonderful teachers, and intentionally on our part. So great to be on the other side and see him doing much better with his emotions! 

  Justin and I can confidently say that enrolling Caleb in a simple preschool-type program this year was the best thing for him. It seemed silly at first- I'm a stay at home mom and isn't that the point of me not working now? To be home with the boys? I realized, though, that school can offer him structure and social exposure that I can't do at home. He's been challenged in the best ways and I can't wait for him to go back in the Fall and begin real preschool!

Five and one.

  I've decided that my kids will never stop teaching me lessons about life and myself. Raising small humans is funny that way- sort of a little mirror walking around your home reflecting back all the great and not so great parts of yourself, along with things you had never noticed before. And even though I'm sure I had heard that before having kids, it never really sank in until it I experienced it.

  With a nearly 3 year old and  1 1/2 year old, I am in what I think seasoned moms call 'the thick of it.' I know that seems to have a negative tone it it, but I don't know that anyone means it to. I love these years. The boys are growing more every day (physically and developmentally!) and it feels like one big adventure. 

  Lately, I've been thinking a lot about where the boys are developmentally. They seem to hit a new 'stage' of development every few months and, most often, each new stage sort of takes me by surprise or causes me to stop and think. Sometimes out of amazement or amusement, and sometimes out of exasperation, if I'm honest. Because I've decided that with each new stage comes five really fun/cool/exciting things and at least one hard/challenging/patience-testing thing. I'm coining it the five and one rule of thumb- and remembering it is essential for me to thrive (not just survive) at being a mom and loving my kids well.

  Its pretty common sense, but the five and one rule of thumb only hit me these past couple of months. And it probably is a result of more intentional prayer and reflection for the boys over the last year. While I'm only just realizing it, I can see now that it has been the case since newborn days. Or really, since pregnancy. 

  My pregnancies were each marked by amazement at the miracle of life and how God created our bodies to carry babies, excitement to meet my sons, fun planning and dreaming, etc. And also came with pretty legit anxiety/worry/concern/unsureness about what was to come. Then, the newborn stage was so full of sweet snuggles and gassy grins and trying on cute outfits and feeling so fulfilled with a new little life. There was also tiredness or soreness or feeling lost on how to soothe this new strange baby. And so on and so on as the boys have grown over the last few years.

  Anyways, I think this aha! moment and realization that every stage has a handful of great parts along with a more challenging part is so big for me because it gives me perspective. Some days, I only see or acknowledge the hard parts. And not because I'm a negative nancy, but because the hard parts can be really really hard. Having a baby who never naps or a kid who isn't growing or a kid who bites at school, whatever. Sometimes its just easier for those parts to stick with us and cause us to miss the good stuff. 

  Caleb spent the better part of Fall working on learning to express his emotions (he feels things intensely) and I spent a ton of time worried/embarrassed/frustrated about it. Honestly, I spent more time focused on that one issue than I did enjoying his newfound imagination or the bright side of his intense emotions- he loves others passionately and gets so excited about things he loves. I missed a lot of those good parts of the stage he was in because I let the challenging parts overwhelm me. 

 In general, the age 1.5-2 is crazy for me. Lots of learning and feeling and developing opinions and little ability to express those. Tyler is smack dab in the middle of that stage. The kid has a strong will and a curious mind! I'm tempted, every single day, to just be exhausted and tested by him. He never stops moving and has really, really strong opinions about things right now. But the five and one rule of thumb points me back to the best parts of this stage- his curiosity, his sense of adventure, his lack of fear or anxiety, his growing understanding of his opinions, and his independence growing. Those are really, really cool things that I have the sweet gift of watching literally develop in front of me everyday and I want to make sure I don't miss them!

  So, hold me to. When my boys are teenagers and I'm undoubtedly worried or stressed or frustrated about a certain stage they're in, remind me that for that one thing (even though it feels huge!) there are probably five awesome things going on with them. I don't want to miss those! And isn't the same true for us as adults? Every season of life comes with good and bad. Sometimes its reversed and there are five challenging things, but still one good thing. Either way, I don't want to lose sight of the good. Of the sweetness, because each season has even a small bit! 

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Life lately

  At 16 months and nearly 3, it seems like we're back in a sweet spot with the boys. I remember that as one of the things Justin was worried about before we had Tyler- throwing a kink in the routine/life we had down-pat with Caleb. Having the boys 18 months apart surely created a bit of chaos (don't all babies/kids?) and I had forgotten how babies change so much that just as soon as you have a routine, they're ready to switch it up. 

  But we're in a groove again and it's just plain fun. And winter is OVER (more on that later). This weekend we had gorgeous weather (no rain!) so I scooted to boys and dogs out the back door to get in a few hours (!!!) of playing and plain ole Vitamin D. SO GOOD FOR OUR SOULS. Or just mine? 

  Tyler ate lots of dirt, fell a dozen times, and discovered his new love for our dog poop scooper (awesome). Caleb is in this fun phase of big imagination, so he spent 3 hours pretending to be a boat captain, race car driver, and treasure hunter. We also had lunch outside and it was a ton of fun...until it wasn't. Notice Tyler's reaction to me not letting him steal Caleb's plate. Gah. Love these kids and these warm Spring days and just the sweet, sweet, grace of winter being over!

Thanks, Chick-fil-a!

   

  I'm pretty sure it was a combination of being frustrated about our house drama and realizing that it is just in my nature to be a bit more uptight and orderly than not- but somewhere in the middle of summer I decided to start having more fun with my kids. 

  Maybe that sounds silly to you? I really do like to have fun and we always do plenty of laughing and playing around our house. But I'm always cautiously considering what we're going to do next, how much of a mess something might make (and then, is it really worth it?), how rowdy we're being, how many meltdowns or potential tantrums an outing might create, etc etc. I like to set our days up for success and really, there's nothing wrong with that.

  Unless it means I'm missing out and truly focusing more on maintaining and maneuvering than on enjoying and experiencing and being present. Which, honestly, was becoming the case for me. So I decided to intentionally make small changes to be more relaxed, take more chances, and have more fun with my kiddos. 

  Know what started it all? Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. That is something I would usually hear others talk or share pictures of and think about how fun it seemed, but would skip out on. Justin probably couldn't be caught dead dressing up like a cow, so its always been something I would have had to take the boys to on my own and it always seemed like a lot of work (our Chick-fil-a is a madhouse on any random Tuesday, let alone a day they're offering free food!). 

  And you know what? It was a lot of work. I think Caleb had lost all of his spots by the time we reached the front of the line to put our order in, pretty sure I spilled tea on myself and Tyler and I didn't have a chance to eat my salad until at least an hour after we got home. BUT it was a ton of fun! Caleb loved being dressed as a cow and seeing the other cows at the store- he talked about it for days. We laughed the entire way there and back in the van as we made cow sounds. We did something out of our normal routine and we loved it. And hey, free Chick-fil-a!

 I had a stranger take this silly photo of us so I can remember that having more fun and being more present is always worth the hassle. My kids won't remember or care about how long I let dishes sit in the sink, how great all my rules were, or how few paint-stained shirts they owned, but they will surely remember laughing with their mom and playing outside every morning and dressing up like cows in the name of free delicious food. And you know, ever since we dressed up as cows, I've noticed it's becoming easier and easier to just have fun. Thanks, Chick-fil-a!

Just 5 Things: Kate Bryan.

  What better way to kick off this really fun series than with one of my favorite blogger moms?! 

  Kate blogs at The Small Things and is known for her beauty tips and tricks. I'll fully admit I hardly even blow dry my hair and don't own a bit of makeup, but I most love hearing about her boys and how she has approached motherhood with two under two (well, David is two now!). When we found out we were pregnant with Tyler and that we'd have two boys so close in age, Kate's became my go-to blog for hearing about how it really is possible to survive (thrive!) with babies so close in age. She is honest and funny and is great at sharing the real, everyday parts of being a mom. Another fun fact? Not only do we have almost the same name (Katie/Kate), we both married Justins! 

  When I was thinking up this series, I knew I wanted to it be a sweet and simple way to hear from ladies across all seasons of life- giving them a chance to share little bits of wisdom. The questions aren't arbitrary! I love how they do just that- they keep things short and easy, but still get to the heart of things. And I so loved hearing from Kate about her take on being a mom. You guys. Her answer to #4. YES. Kate, have you been reading my mind as I'm steeped in life with these two boys under two?? Such huge sacrifice. Such deep, deep joy. Thank you for sharing, Kate! 

Just 5 Things

1. Give us your elevator speech. What's your go-to way to introduce yourself? 

I'm Kate, mom of two boys, married to the love of my life Justin and we live in North Carolina! I'm a former hairstylist turned blogger and stay at home mom. 

2. What has surprised you the most about being a mom? 

It opened up this area of emotion that suddenly allowed me to feel things so deeply. I love my kids so much and am just grateful to spend my days with them! 

3. What is one thing you say 'no' to (or hire out!) in order to say 'yes' to better things? 

We have a monthly maid service that deep cleans our house. It frees me up from spending time doing that so I can work during naptime! 

4. What would you tell your 10 year younger self about being a mom (or life in general!)? 

It will be the greatest sacrifice of freedom and selfishness but it will bring you deep, deep joy. 

5. If you could repeat one moment or part of being a mom over and over, what would it be? 

The time in the hospital! I loved those first few days where I just sat in the hospital bed and got to hold my boys!! 

Thank you, Kate! I'm so honored to have you as my first guest in this new series!

Want to hear more from Kate? Find here here: 

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Tyler. {2 months}

I know. I KNOW. Tyler is almost 3 months so this is a little late. But, you know. Second child problems. Or more accurately, what happens when mom is sick most of the month. Better late than never! {And I'm trying really hard to write this as I would have 4 weeks ago...so much has changed!}

At two months, Tyler is still such a sweetheart! We've settled into a routine of eat, wake, sleep and its great. He is great at taking naps on the go and I can't complain about crib naps. And night sleep! Oh night sleep. I always say if we have night sleep, we can never complain. Tyler is going anywhere from 6-9 hours at night between feedings and its wonderful.
  This month was mostly about just settling in. The holiday craziness passed and we were able to figured out what our routine is. And we love it! Most days we get out of the house in the morning and Tyler naps on the go. We're home by lunch and Tyler gets some solo play time while Caleb naps and usually their afternoon naps overlap a bit, which is a win for everyone!
  I also started pumping (finally!) and Tyler had his first bottles. I was able to go on a day date with my sister and spent a full 8-9 hours out of the house, sans baby. It was so strange and wonderful! I so love being home with my boys, but it always surprises me just how great it feels to get out and be on my own for a bit.
  And he's growing! But so slowly. Our little guy is a real peanut, hence his newest nickname. I have a sneaking suspicion that the nurse wrote his length down wrong, but we're going with it and will see when he goes back in April. He's becoming too long for some newborn sleepers, so we're going to go ahead and just pack them all away and move into 0-3 and 3 month. We're also on the last of our newborn diapers, so its onto size 1!
  And Caleb? Still loves his brother! He started 'holding' him this month and gets the proudest look on his face when we let him.