Checking In

2.15.2019

*I linked to a few things below using an affiliate link. Clicking gets me a few cents at no cost to you :)

I feel like my blog is one of those friends you've known so long that you don't have to talk regularly, but whenever you do talk you can pick right back up as though no time has passed. Of course, I realize it might not feel that way to you, but it does to me. Did you know I started this blog in May 2010? It's been almost nine years of blogging!

Speaking of things that have been going on a long time, Jordan and I met in January 2009, and last month he reminded me that we've known each other now for a whole decade. We started dating in the summer of 2009! We both have said that sometimes we wish we had met when we were younger so that we could have gotten married earlier and had kids when we were younger (I had R when I was 29 and J when I was 30), but also you can't help when you meet someone, and just thinking about all the things that had to happen basically throughout our entire lives for me to end up in Oklahoma and for us to meet at all blows my mind a little bit. But anyway, that actually has nothing to do with what I was planning to write this post about! ha.
We've had a really hard time in the evenings with R for the past year or so, which has been a contributing factor in my lack of blogging, because I just don't have the time. She will not stay in her room and go to sleep, and we keep having to try new things to see if this or that will work better---earlier bedtime, later bedtime, lying in her bed with her, shutting the door, leaving the door open, a light-up clock... I'm so not patient, and a lot of parenting seems to be trial and error, which annoys me.

Also annoying? Toddlers who make up the most ridiculous reasons to come out of bed 85 times before finally going to sleep!
At the beginning of February I flew to Saint Louis and had a girls' weekend with 2 friends of mine from college. There were supposed to be 4 of us, but our other friend's son got sick at the very last minute, so she wasn't able to come. We stayed at my friend Lauren's house, and our other friend drove down with her daughter from Chicago. I left the kids with Jordan and flew in Saturday morning and came back Monday night. We hadn't seen each other in over a year and a half (maybe close to two years even!), and it was so nice to have friend time with people who know you so well. I even took my running clothes and got in an hour run while I was there, which is good because I have a half marathon coming up at the end of April and need to get some long runs in.
On Valentine's Day, I bribed them with candy hearts to sit still for a picture. R played her part well, but J still doesn't totally get the concept of bribery so it went about as well as I could have hoped. Don't even say they are getting so big because THEY ARE NOT. They are still babies. Thank you.

My mom mailed two books to our house that arrived on Valentine's Day, one for R and one for J. I hadn't heard of either book, but they are super cute! It was perfect since I didn't have anything to give them, and R was excited. No, I don't do Valentine's baskets. Or Easter baskets, for that matter. I'm not against it, but I'm also cheap and not that on top of life at the moment to put together a cutesy gift for my kids for the Holiday of the Month. Next people are going to start doing St. Patrick's Day baskets. Actually that's probably already a thing.

Since I probably won't blog again for months, I feel like I need to keep going while I have you. What else... oh, I finally got the America's Test Kitchen cookie cookbook for Christmas from Jordan and have made a few things from it. The recipe is, as expected, amazingly specific. Things like, whisk for 30 seconds, let batter rest for 1 minute. Repeat 2 more times. But my cookies have come out looking exactly like the picture in the book! It's been fun to branch outside my usual Tollhouse recipe ;)
R built this tower last weekend completely on her own. As in, Jordan and I helped in no way. We don't have any other 3-year-old buildings to compare to, but we felt like this was showcasing some impressive architectural skills. Her daycare teachers have always said that she's really smart, so it's not just us being biased!

I suppose I could keep going, but I'll stop for now. I did want to check in and let you know that we are all alive, and no, I'm not pregnant. Not that anyone has asked, but in the blog world when someone disappears for a while, it's not unusual for them to come back and announce something. Nothing to see over here, people! Just working full time and trying to fit in all the things in the short time I have in the evenings after we finally get R down (J is so easy for the most part!). How it's the middle of February already I have no idea. Thanks so much if you're still hanging around to read these posts of mine!
Rach said...

Look at that tower, totally impressive building skills! And those babies of yours are precious. Love that Valentine's photo!

Aww, congratulations on nearly a decade together! It's so fun to look back on all the things that brought you to the place you are now.

Dear Zoo is such a cute one! And I'm going to add The Most Magnificent thing to our list of books for later on (when we are ready for books with actual paper). :)

Callie said...

I think that’s a nice place to get to in blogging, when you can just pick it up again effortlessly. 😀 I’m intrigued by this cookie cookbook - does it have high altitude directions? That’s usually my problem with cookie recipes, altitude throws them off.

Maria said...

1. That tower is something else and I loved that she matched the colors. And the best part: her proud smile. She's meant to do big things.

2. Dear Zoo! One of our favorites! I hope J loves it as much as we do.

3. Evenings sound rough rough rough. Motherhood is certainly the best way to practice patience, but it is so hard sometimes to want them to grow out of a certain stage, but at the same time not want to grow up at all.

4. If 29 and 30 are old to start having kids, then I'm a grandma who started at 34 :)

AnneMarie said...

I hope that evenings start to get better soon! The trial-and-error of parenting can be so challenging.

Also, J's hair is so red!!! It looks awesome. Did R have hair that color when she was his age? I'm always intrigued to hear about how different people's hair colors change as they grow (as I wonder about what color my boys' hair will be as they get older-I think it's fun to think about that from time to time).

The Lady Okie said...

I actually don't see any high altitude directions! I am surprised, because I figured they would at least mention it, but I looked and didn't see anything. Boo!

The Lady Okie said...

R's hair had a strawberry tint at one point when she was an infant, but it was never this orange! We are curious to see if J's hair stays this way!

Katie @ Live Half Full said...

I'm glad I am not alone with the bedtime struggles. Such a hard age!

Unknown said...

Annabelle is doing the same at bedtime and it's annoying and so frustrating and I have no patience by that point! Glad I'm not the only one!! THe picture on Valentine's day is adorable and more than I did, haha! I"m so happy you got away for some time with friends. Definitely needed and appreciated!

Audrey said...

Your tiny little baby children are so cute in their Valentine's Day pictures! ;) She seriously is SO smart with the building blocks, though!! My brother used to do things like that when he was a kid. Now he's an engineer.

・ DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS