Pizza & A Challenge

I guess it was a pregnancy craving, but I really wanted to make pizza this past weekend. We've actually never made it as a family and I knew my particularly clean toddler would love to place each piece onto the dough in a careful manner.

You'll see below that he just prefers cheese on his portion, with no toppings. The kid couldn't wait to eat his piece, and neither could his carb-loving momma!

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On a separate note, do you remember when I did 28 Days of Love last year? 

Well I'm bringing it back this year, just in a more casual way. February is going to be super busy for us so instead of holding myself to 28 acts of kindness, I plan on completing a couple/few each week. 

I would LOVE for you to also think about how you can spread the love this month as well. The full list is in that link to last year of what I did, but feel free to come up with your own acts of kindness, just like Renee did! Trust me when I say that it felt so good to put a smile on someones face and make their day.

I would love nothing more than to see you all spreading the love throughout the month and hope you'll participate!

Dave & Busters

This past weekend our friends invited us to Dave and Busters for some beers and games. Well, beers for 4 of our friends and waters for my pregnant friend and I. Have you guys been there before? It's actually a fun place for adults and kids! It's like a Chuck E Cheese with a huge bar in the middle. #winwin

The kids loved the games, of course, and I loved playing skeeball and basketball with the goal to beat Derek's scores. Duh - we all know I'm ubber competitive by now! Have you ever been in that prize room though? Wow. It's cray cray with hyper kids running everywhere not to mention the fact that you have to have a bazillion tickets to win a number two pencil.

I would highly suggest going around 5 on a Saturday if you're bringing little ones. By the time we left around 7:30 it was starting to fill up with some heavy drinkers and was a bit too crowded for my taste. 

Great food and great fun though!

VDay Toddler Art

I've seen a lot of posts about Valentine's Day crafts and found one that I thought was easy and Drew would enjoy. I needed another decoration for our front entry way table anyway, so what better than to have my toddler make one for me!? The kid loves to paint and is very particular, so I knew the one I found would be perfect.

Supplies: a toilet paper roll, some paint of your color, a plastic plate and some craft paper.

Step 1: Roll the toilet paper into itself to create a heart shape.

Step 2: Put a good amount of paint onto the plate.

Step 3: Dip the toilet paper roll into the paint

Step 4: Place the dipped end onto the paper!

That's it! Easy? Totally! Messy? Nope! Pinterest-worthy? Probably not but your toddler will have fun and that's all that matters.

I stuck Drew's in a frame for everyone to see right by the front door!

What Exactly Is a Best Friend?

As I've grown older and wiser (ok maybe not so much wiser), I have learned a lot about friendships. How they evolve, how they fade away, how they become stronger and how to know if it's a quality friend or not. I have found myself saying 'my best friend' when referring to more than one person depending on the subject and it's confusing. Over the past year, as Derek and I have made new friends and our lives continue to change, I have thought a lot about this terminology.

What exactly is a 'best friend'? According to Webster, the definition of a best friend is 'the one friend who is closest to you'.

But do we have to have just one? Doesn't it depend on what aspect of life you're talking about? And does 'close' refer to knowledge, proximity, comfort level, or what?

Is a best friend.....

     - the person you'd most like to see everyday for the rest of your life?
     - the friend you text most days every week about every random subject possible?
     - the friend who you rarely see that often, but when you finally do get to see them, it's like nothing has ever changed and you cherish every second?
     - the friend with whom you have known the longest in your life and have the most history with?
     - the newest friend who you have had the most face to face time over the past few months and know you'll be friends forever?
     - the friend who you met, became immediate buddies with and can discuss the most TMI-filled subjects with?

For me, obviously the first bullet would refer to Derek. But let's take husbands out of the picture as they are obviously our best friends in the long run. Once he's out of the picture, I would have a different girlfriend for each of the other bullets above and thus leaves me confused.

To me, a best friend is someone who will be there to support me and pick me up when I'm down, someone who I can trust and laugh with, tell me to suck it up when needed, be honest even if I don't want to hear it and most importantly just someone that I enjoy being around. Several of my girlfriends fit that mold, so why should I box just one out and say they are my 'best' one?

It was a struggle when we moved to Cleveland 4 years ago not knowing a single soul in the city. Working from home made it almost impossible to make new friends and for the first year here, it was really just Derek and I. My hometown 'best friends' moved on in other cities without me and I felt left out. (It's hard to foster a friendship when you're 20 hours away, but at the same time, that's how you could tell who was going to be a real friend for life!) Anyway, by focusing on my family and being happy with my life, I made some wonderful friends up here and wouldn't change our path for anything. Does that mean, though, that I'll never have one true 'best friend'? Maybe, or maybe it just means I have several BFFs?!?

How do you define your best friend? Do you feel you have different best friend depending on the situation?

Bowling

When I was growing up, my family could be spotted at a bowling alley quite a few times a year. We're definitely a competitive group, but bowling was something we always enjoyed doing. Sure we were busy with sports and activities and studying, but once every few months we'd hit up the local bowling alley to have some fun.

We try to get out and do something fun with Drew each weekend and this past weekend we tackled this favorite pastime. Derek grew up enjoying bowling with his family as well and I would love nothing more for my children to appreciate the game like we did!

And, as much as I hate to admit is, I did lose to Derek. And I'll be a good sport and not mention I had to bowl with a ridiculously heavy ball for the first 5 frames. Had I had a normal weight, I probably would have slaughtered his score.

Just sayin.

Hump Day Happy Thoughts

1. This little guy was so happy to have his daddy join him for "Daddy's and Donuts" at school last week!

2. I'm SUPER happy that spring starts in less than 2 months. I'm seriously over these 9 degree days.

3. The fact that I think I've been feeling the little guy/girl move this week just makes me smile.

4. Oreo handi-snacks. My tummy is happy because of you.

5. I'm SUPER happy that my newborn session this weekend was a success and the momma loves her pictures. Baby Luca is just a doll!

Only 13 Years Away

When I type that it seems so far away, but when I think of the fact that I have a 3 year old, he's going to be behind the wheel before we know it. Gramma and Poppa spoiled him this year with a Power Wheels for his birthday and although we've only had one day warm enough to get out there and drive, I know this will get tons of use over the years.

Oh and I'll just apologize now to our neighbors who now have wheel tracks in their yard. Our toddler has no idea what a straight line is. 

I Have A Secret To Tell You

Yep, that's right. Someone only has 6 more months of being an only child!!

Shirt from etsy store "Zoey's Attic" - I highly recommend them!!!

His shirt is hard to read, but the orange flag says 'Under Construction Until July 2014'. I'm almost 14 weeks along, due July 22nd, and cannot WAIT to find out if I'm having another boy or adding a girl to the mix!

For now, we're calling he/she 'Deuce' and Drew says it's a girl on a daily basis.

And in case you're wondering, this pregnancy is already SO different than the first. I had a perfect, feel-good pregnancy the entire time with Drew, but Duece is quite different. No actual upchucking (I hate the word 'puking'), but I get severe tummy aches most nights and the running stopped way earlier for me this time. Basically it's been carbs, ginger ale and an elliptical these past couple of months. Here's to hoping all of that subsides fairly soon as this fatty needs to enjoy her sweets again. Oh and no cute bump yet for me.... I just look like a bloated whale who just tore up a chinese buffet. Awesome, right? Oh well, it's all for a good cause! :)

Drew's Birthday Party Recap

Wanna know how much fun Drew had at his party?

Captured by a sweet friend, his face says it all. 

The kids absolutely loved playing with the ball pit, toddler roller coasters, bounce houses and slides, but the best part was the cake and ice cream.

To me, toddler birthday parties aren't about making it on the pinterest boards. I'm not sure I'll ever have a matchy matchy party with tons of beautiful decor and the most amazing food choices and labels, and that's ok. This year we rented out an indoor play place, bought a cake and some ice cream, got some balloons and had a friggin' blast. The red faces, constant smiles and excitement from Drew and his 10 friends were all we had hoped for. Toddler happiness... that's all that matters.

We picked Drew up at the end of the night to snap a shot of the 3 of us and the result melts my heart. How he voluntarily put his arms around us and squeezed tightly on top of giving a huge smile reassured me that he had a great time. It was his way of telling me that it was exactly what he wanted. 

Thanks to Mimi and Grandpa for contributing to the cost of the party and thanks to our friends for making it a memorable birthday for Drew! 

Preschool

Pictures to come from his super fun birthday, but today Drew started preschool and I had to take a moment to journal this historic occasion.

Who IS that big kid?

Drew Turns 3

What? My baby is THREE? Wow. To think that it has already been 3 years since I first held you is such a bittersweet feeling with several different emotions included. You are such a smart, talkative little guy and we love the dynamic you bring to our family. Yes, this age is work sometimes, but generally you are still just a good kid who listens, reasons and does what he is asked. Your independence is really shining through these days and the fact that you can spell your name without looking at letters and when randomly asked amazes us. We love you little man and give thanks for another amazing year with you.

And now, for the interview segment that I'll be partaking in every year with our children starting at age 3! I asked Drew these questions and below are his very first responses.

Favorite color: red
Favorite stuffed animal: panda
Best friend: daddy
Girlfriend: Charlotte
Favorite food: pumpkin pie
What do you want to be when you grow up: a big boy
What makes you happy: playing with trains
Where is your favorite place to go: pool

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREWDLE BUG!!

Wordless Wednesday

Well, kinda wordless.

When I told this little guy momma is sad that he turns 3 on Sunday, he showed me his pouty face.

It's the best.

But I'm still sad.

Why Do I Love Chuck E Cheese?

I get it. Most parents hate this place and if you don't handle crowds well or can't handle 50 kids running around you then it makes sense. I'm on the other side of the fence with the opinion that this place is awesome. Drew's best friend turned 3 on Friday and they had a mini birthday party Saturday which we couldn't miss. Why? Let me just give you some of the reasons why I'm a closet Chuckaholic.

Safety - No one can leave with your kid and they are super strict about checking those hand stamps. This means you can catch up with friends or sit down for a while without worrying you'll lose an offspring.

Pizza - It's no Angelo's, but it's really not that bad. I actually think it's quite yummy thank you very much. Oh and free pop refills are priceless for caffeine-addicted husbands.

Cheap - Each game/ride is only one token. The kids can easily be entertained for an hour or two on just $10!

Skeeball - So what if I steal a token or two from my kid to play a few rounds of my favorite game ever?

Naps: My kid loves climbing up into the activity center and going down the slide. Doing that 849 times leads to one helluva good nap.

Magic: What else gets your kid to stop moving, let alone even blink for 5 whole minutes. Why a large, dancing mouse of course.

Bribes: So you won 137 tickets in the past hour. Now what? Go load up on 10 ticket prizes and keep them in your pockets for bribing materials the rest of the week. #parentoftheyear

Awesomeness: If you've never seen this video, stop what you're doing and watch now. It's been a favorite of mine for years and I know you will be glad you did. (Not sure what that verbiage at the beginning is about so feel free to skip to about 12 seconds in)

Do you love the Chuckland or despise it?

Blizzland 2014

Blizzland; Blizzard + Cleveland. Look for it in the 2015 Websters dictionary and remember that I totally created that word.

Much like the rest of Northern America, we've had a LOT of snow. Everyday we wake up to a blanket of snow that hasn't stopped for more than an hour over the past 3 days and needs constantly shoveled. Personally, I don't mind Cleveland's snow as it's beautiful, soft and really doesn't get too icy. In fact, we were just named one of the world's top ten most beautiful snowy cities!

To ring in the new year and fill up our tummies before we hit the snow, I made pancakes with a lame attempt to make them pinterest-worthy.

Then we watched a bit of the parade while digesting and waiting for the temps to raise just a bit.

Does anyone think there is anything cuter than a toddler in some long johns and a compression shirt? Look at that belly!

We already had about 6-7 inches on the ground (look how far my boots go down!), a perfect amount for snow angels!

Drew has always loved shoveling and couldn't WAIT to get out there with dad. I barely got his gloves on before he ran out to get his shovel. And yes, we have a snowblower, it's just that sometimes shoveling is helpful in getting him to nap easier more fun.

Then it was time for some delicious hot chocolate to warm our tummies before a nice, long nap.

Hope you're staying warm wherever you are!