Like Brother, Like Brother

Lucas age 3, 2009

Caden age 3, 2011

 This is just how much of a nerd I am... I dressed both my boys in the same outfit for their first days of preschool.  Yes, I know.  Nerdy motherhood at its finest.  But it gives me a perma grin that I am totally not ashamed of.  I do it because it is cute and I love matching clothes, but also just so I can do posts like this.  Putting these pics side by side brings a continuity to my life is some way.  I love that they are at the same preschool, playing with the same toys and being nurtured by the same teachers.  I love that Caden has Lucas to look up to and that Lucas loves to share his knowledge of this school and his teachers with his younger brother.  I love that sparkle in Caden's eye when he realizes that he is now getting to do all those things he watched with envy as Lucas got to do at school.  And it brings an unspeakable warmth to my soul to listen to Lucas ask Caden about his day and if he got a book from the library or played at the water table.  They are sharing life together and I absolutely love it!  They adore each other.  I mean, they fight.  But they truly are each other's best friend and I hope it stays that way forever. 
But really, I just love it when they match.  :)  I hope this makes you smile a little too. 

Lucas loved the farmhouse and all the animals.  It was an immediate favorite.

Caden playing with the same farm animals

Lucas getting his post-1st day treat

Caden and his cone- I HAD to keep up that tradition!

Read more...

Spring Pics

I have been doing a lot of talking lately.. well last week anyway. I thought I would even it out by sharing some spring pics. All these pics have been in the last week. But then again, spring is just barely making an appearance around here anyway.

I fortuitously won a free session with an amazing local photographer (Lunel Photography). I have only seen a few of the pictures so far, but they are just awesome! These are pictures that our family will treasure for years to come. I feel so, so blessed!!

A very cold "spring" picnic at Micah's tree on his birthday. Some of my wonderful friends joined me and we managed to brave the cold for an hour+. It was a great way to celebrate Micah and all the other blessings I have in my life.


My sweet niece Gracie wearing the little bunny hat I got for her on Easter.

My neice Emilee munching on Easter candy. Don't you just love her eyes! She is such a doll!!

Caden in the egg hunt in Grandma's basement.

Daddy and his boys on Easter Sunday

Another from our session with LunelPhotography- once I get the CD of all the images, I will share more. I just wanted to show off their cute Easter ties. :)

It did warm up a bit on Sunday. Enough for me to get in a long run and have some time to sit outside with the boys and play with bubbles. We were all grateful for a relaxing Easter and some nice time together as a family. We even grilled some steaks for our non-traditional Easter dinner.
Micah's tree- on the verge of bloom. I truly love spring!
(I just wish it were a bit warmer and drier this year!)

Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...

Managing My Own Expectations...Again

The day started as a trip downtown on St.Patrick's Day to take a ride on the green ChicagoRiver. But, the color was pretty much faded (you could just see a faint green tint) and the water taxis were closed for maintenance today (figures!). So.... plan B.

We walked about 8 blocks from the river down to Millenium Park. I had Caden on my back (in my MeiTai) and Lucas was a trooper with the walking (we took several breaks to rest his little feet). Once we got there, we all had a blast!
They got a kick out of playing with their superheros in the city. Maybe you haven't heard, but Batman protects more than just Gotham City. I'm sure we can all rest a little easier knowing that.


We hung out and played at the Bean for awhile. And as normal, I had to manage my own expectations a little. My idea of them having fun in the city is different from theirs. Caden was more explorative of the Bean and I had to really watch that little run-away. But for Lucas, having fun by the Bean meant 10minutes of exploring it and then 20min of sitting reading his superhero book. Which bothered me at first, but once I let it go I actually enjoyed sitting by the Bean with the boys reading to them about X-men and the Avengers.

It was such a fun day. I love doing things that are out of the ordinary, taking the boys on adventures that show them something new and hopefully make a few memories. Once we got off the train back in Wheaton and got back in the car, I asked them what their favorite part of the day was. For Caden, it was the train rides (which was predictable). But Lucas' answer puzzled me. He said his favorite part was watching a movie on the train ride. :( It was hard for me to hide my disappointment with his answer and in fact I didn't really even try to. It takes a lot of energy and effort to execute days like today. But it is important to me to give them rich experiences and things that stretch them a bit. And I would, of course, love for them to fully embrace these experiences. I think in their own way they do. It just looks different than I would expect but that is more about me than about them. And I hope that I am laying a foundation for their lives- that they will always want to be adventurous and try new things and live life fully.
Lucas could see that his response upset me. And whether it was to please me or not, about 30min. later he said "Mom, I decided that my favorite part of the day was reading about Spiderman at the Bean." I just smiled and said, "Me too, Buddy." And in retrospect, it really was.
A fun day exploring the city with my boys. Even if it wasn't what I originally expected.


Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...

My Mini-Me?

In the process of re-organizing my sewing table and craft stash, I found this picture of myself as a toddler. I already thought Caden looked like me, but seeing this picture makes it seem even more true. What do you think?





















Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...

My Little Loves

Need a Sling? Click here!Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...

Resolving to Subtract

This is an updated version of a post I ran around this time last year. It still applies- even more so this year. So if it sounds familiar, it probably is. But aren't most NewYear's resolutions recycled versions of resolutions-past. They are for me. And this year is no different.

Happy New Year, to all y'all! Love and Blessings to you in 2010!!

My and my boys on Christmas Eve

Bloggy-land is running over this week with posts full of resolutions and goals and the best of intentions. I am no different than my fellow moms in that I have several (ok, LOTS) of areas in my life that need improvement and are in desperate need of a resolution or two.
In years past, I have started the new year with any number of things I want to change in my life in the coming months. Lose weight, get in shape, read more, pray more, yell less, spend less, ... I keep up with these things off and on, but like most people, my resolve fizzles fairly quickly. Because of my usual trend, I am approaching things a little differently this year. Instead of adding more things that I have to remember to do, to be, to accomplish.... I am subtracting. I am simplifying. Cutting out the things that clutter my mind, my day, the top of my desk. I am reading some really clarifying books that are helping me gain much-needed perspective. I am thinking of ways to keep life organized and simple and stress-free.

Beyond that though, I am taking a strong look at the ways we spend our days and "free time." Am I filling my days with things that matter and am I filling them too much? I am learning that my own whole-ness and that of my boys (young, old and canine) really depends on how well I am able to filter out the unnecessary clutter in all areas of life. Mid January will bring a big change for me and my family. I am changing jobs and I know this will have a big affect on all of us. It means more time at work and more of my home time will need to be dedicated to studying and learning my new role (BTW- I am a cardiac interventional nurse). This shift in my professional life and commitment makes it even more crucial that I take a hard look at all the other things that fill my days and decide what can stay and what needs to go. My time with my family, while being the most important thing to me, is about to diminish in quantity. So it MUST improve it quality. And that, for me, means simplifying and filtering and being intentional about the ways I spend my minutes and my dollars. So on the brink of this new year, I am resolving to subtract the insignificant, the clutter, the fluff. I am resolving to stop deciding what I should or should not be doing based on what seems to work for others or makes them popular and successful. I am resolving to decide what I want my life to look like and cut anything that doesn't contribute to that end so I can focus on the things that do.

Whatever your resolutions or goals are for the coming year, I pray that God would show you how to proceed, give you the perseverance to stick to it, and the grace to not get down on yourself if you can't. I have always been one to have very high expectations of myself. So this time I am trying to just see things for what they are and pray that God would help me make the small adjustments that will make a big difference.

I leave you with some pics from our Christmas this year! :) ...

Lucas and Caden sitting in the nativity out on my parents' front lawn

Lucas learning to ride the bicycle my parents gave him for Christmas

I got the boys these adorable superhero capes since they are so into superhero play these days. They loved them!! (Want your own? BabyPop on Etsy)

Working on his cool MotorWorks toy with "Pa"- an awesome toy with actual tools and parts and the kids put the toys together themselves. Lucas loves it!! (Check out this website...)

I made Caden a mailbox complete with felt letters and stamps and address labels that are interchangeable. It turned out super-cute!

Boys opening presents from each other :)

I also made them pirate blankets since Lucas is WAY into pirates. It was kinda inspired by one of our favorite books about a pirate pup who is looking for his treasure (his blanket).

Hubby and I with our team hats- his is the Chicago Bears and mine, of course, is my Gators.

Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...

Fall, Fabulous Fall!!

This is one of the few times of year that I LOVE living in Chicagoland and don't ask myself everyday why I don't live at the beach. Fall is so beautiful here. I love the crisp air, the cozy feeling you get when you wear a hoodie or soft sweatshirt, being able to sleep with the window open, the leaves, the pumpkins, ... I love it!!
Here are some recent pics of the beginnings of our fall-fun! Hope you and your fam are enjoying the change of season too.

Apple picking today with our best-est buds! It was a nice fall day but quite blustery!

Lucas picking an apple. He picked a couple and even ate one as he walked through the orchard. So classic! :)

Caden getting into the apple-picking spirit!

A family fall hike at the Morton Arboretum last weekend.

The boys playing on Big Rock (such a creative name, eh?)

Mommy and the boys (BTW- I am wearing one of my newest slings. You gotta check out my new fabrics. They are so fabulous!)

The boys holding hands as we walk through the zoo. This happened totally organically, no prodding from mom. Lucas loves to be with Caden (even if he is a bit rough at times) and I love seeing them bond with each other.

And there is more fun to come...

Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...