A little update and a move!

What have we been up to since May?  Let's do a quick update! 

The biggest  update is that we moved!  It all happened very quickly and actually things went very smoothly.  We moved to the Chester area, leaving behind our lovely house in Colonial Heights in probably one of the quickest and smoothest sales ever.  We posted our house for sale on 6/30 and the sale was finalized yesterday, July 13th, so less than two weeks!  We are definitely sad to leave our lovely neighborhood, but are enjoying our new house, especially since it has a pool!  

As far as the kids go, they are loving pool life and exploring the new area around our house.  I have included some recent pictures of the kids cause they are growing like weeds! 

Marc and Olivia did their very first Daddy/Daughter date night at Chick Fil A, I think it was a hit!

We went to a local farm for free farm days and it was a huge hit,  I highly recommend checking out Shoofly farm, they have a number of rescue animals and it is a great chance for kids to be hands on with the animals.  They even have retired horses that provide rides for the kids for a nominal fee.  Olivia loved River, the rainbow unicorn. 

 

 

We celebrated June and July Birthdays with some of our cousins and the kids enjoyed being a member of the Paw Patrol (and the bounce house fun too, of course!).  

One day on a whim, while Dad was doing yard work, me and the kids went to run to the grocery store and found a great clips.  Olivia had been begging me for a "big girl haircut," as I have been cutting her hair since the start of the pandemic.  Benny had only had one cut from me and it was less than ideal, so we put our names on the wait list, got our groceries and then got in for "Big kid cuts."  AKA good-bye to Benny's ponytail :)  My little Man looks so grown up!

 

And look at this beautiful little girl with her new haircut:

 

One of my favorite pictures of Benjamin, here is his with his tongue out while building, just like his daddy when he is concentrating...

We took a trip last weekend to Kings Dominion for the final day of Carnivale and the kids loved it:

And finally we will end off with a family picture; these kids are growing up so much...

Hope everyone's summer is off to a great start!  Reach out if you need our new address, I have been bad about sending address updates :)

2022 So far

Anyone remember last year when I promised a ONE year post for Benjamin with pictures?  Yeah that never happened.  So here we are 10 months later with a post with pictures of both kids at age 2 and 4.5 and life updates!

BENJAMIN:  This little man is now two and talks talks talks, he is like a little parrot and will repeat everything you say.  He is still very snuggly and still a momma's boy, but also an Opa's boy!  He still loves his sissy, but they have their moments now and are caught in a tussle much more often than a year ago.  We think he is a good mix of his Uncle Andy and Marc.  He always seems to want to be into something he shouldn't be and has a smile that can convince even the toughest person to crack and give in.  He loves acting like a big boy and has gotten pretty good at being one too!  I'd say his motto is "If Sissy can do it, I can too!"  I had so much mom anxiety about sending him off to daycare and he has done surprisingly well, he loves all his teachers but definitely has a favorite!  Since he just turned two, he will move up in class next week, so be thinking of me as I deal with a clinging baby boy at drop off on Monday!!  

OLIVIA: This girl loves adventure and is a little bit of a daredevil, like her mom used to be!  She loves the water--beach/pool you name it!  Loves water slides, roller coasters, climbing, jumping, etc.  She is certainly brave when it comes to trying new things--unless it is food!  haha  She has adjusted okay to going back to daycare, everyday at pick up, she talks about how much she loves school and her teachers and her friends and crafts, etc.  But at drop off, she becomes nervous about all the people!  😜  Enough to give her sweet momma anxiety as I drop off a clingy 4 year old!  This past fall she did soccer for the first time and Marc was her coach, she claimed to love it, but was more often on the sidelines with momma and Benjamin or reaching for daddy's hand.  She may just have a little introvert in her :)  As for potty training, she finally got the hang of it and now proudly shows off her poop in the toilet every chance she can get (I will spare the internet of those pictures). 😂

MARC & LAURA: Marc has settled into his new work schedule with 2-3 days in the office each week and 2-3 days home.  As such, he definitely does most of the laundry and has picked up some of the cooking, while I commute and pick up the kids.  Life is a game of juggling some days!  That bathroom renovation, we got 90% of the way there, see pictures below!  So we are getting there and are proud of the work that saved us well over $10,000 (based on quotes we got).  It is a nice refresh for sure!  Next up is some flooring replacement in the den.  Both Marc and I said goodbye to our two dogs since my last post.  Brando crossed the rainbow bridge in September, 2021 and Brutus followed in April, 2022.  So now for the first time in our adult lives, we are both dog free and are enjoying the extra snuggles from the kids and Felix (the cat), who by the way is soaking in the extra attention. Laura continues in the office 5 days a week and I am also pretty much fully recovered from the GBS!  Thank goodness! In 2022 so far, we have battled as a family, Covid in January, February/March brought us two weeks of a stomach bug that seemed it would NEVER end.  Then April blessed us with the Flu (thankfully only Benjamin got this one--but he was a sad boy for a few days).  We try to make the most of things despite these sicknesses, but I would be lying if I said I was not looking forward to spring and summer. 

Here is the bathroom before and after (well almost after, you can see there is still work to be done!)

We had to say goodbye to our two buddies: 

 

Tested positive for Covid--fun times:

Easter with the kids in matching outfits (thank goodness they are still at an age to tolerate this):

And a quick trip to Williamsburg, complete with a stay at Great Wolf Lodge!

Hoping 2022 has been good to you so far; I dare not promise another update cause who knows when that will happen!

Mid-year Update

Well here we are 6 months from my last post, get used to it folks, life is busy and updates are fewer and further between, but thanks for sticking with me!  Benjamin is now over a year old—WHAT?  How is possible that we have had two kids for over a year?  It has happened!  The saying is certainly true, the years are short but the days are long.  So what is new with us?  Let’s do updates person by person:

Benjamin—he is walking EVERYWHERE, getting into EVERYTHING, and talking or moving all the time!  He is a snuggle bug to the fullest, he is a momma’s boy for sure and he loves his sissy something strong (don’t get me wrong, he loves his dad too, but his two main ladies have his heart the most).  He is a pretty happy kid, often smiling or giggling, but when he does not get what he wants, he can cry at the drop of a hat.  Marc and I often joke that he is the biggest cry baby we have ever seen.  He still has not perfected sleeping but he is making strides.  He likes to eat, he is skeptical of strangers, but loves his people, and can get into ANYTHING and is super super strong for such a little guy.

Olivia—she is the smartest little toddler I have ever seen.  She is sly and quick, she picks up little sayings and will repeat them in the most opportune time.  She is a trip!  She also has a smile that can kill and helps her to get away with more than she should.  She can be super endearing and then turn in an instant and be a tantrum-throwing toddler.  It would be more funny if it was not our current reality.  She is a great big sister and I do think the pandemic has had its effect on her—every time she sees kids, she asks if she can play—she certainly misses her time at daycare (which to be clear, she never seemed excited about at the time).  We are still working on potty training—so any and all tips are welcomed!

Marc—After 16 loooooong months at home, Marc is finally headed back to the office this month.  He will be home some and in the office some, but I think he is excited to get back to a little bit more normal work/life balance—our house does not lend to easily working from home.  He has been our rock this last year, helping out in so many ways and being a rock star dad!  He continues to grow his tool collection and develop various skills for wood-working and home improvement.  We are tackling a bathroom renovation soon—well mostly him to be honest, I am just here for painting and aesthetics.

Laura—I have now been at my new job for over 7 months and am settling in well, though the 5 days in the office vs my previous 3 has been an adjustment.  I have been killing it at audiobooks since I have at least an hour and 15 minutes in the car everyday, need good book recommendations?  I am your gal!  I feel like I am finally getting my footing after a year of being a mom of two, its hard work!  I still struggle daily with nerve pain and numbness, residuals from the Guillain Barre diagnosis, and some days are much worse than others.  Unfortunately, my leg/nerve pain generally starts around 3-4am, keeping me up some nights for hours.  Advil has become my new friend.  Though my hope is in that most people generally make a full recovery within the first 1-5 years after diagnosis.  Only about 20% have long term damage, so here is hoping that life continues to get a bit easier.  You never know how much you appreciate the ability to bend over or even just to sit, until both are very painful.  

We are all super looking forward to a beach vacation next month and some time to get away, just as our family.   I am going to try to do a Benjamin 12 month post soon filled with pictures.  Hope everyone is feeling excited about 2021 (even though its now half over! haha).

Happy New Year!

I think it is with great trepidation that we all step into 2021.  Tread lightly so you don't wake the baby!  2020--what a year!  It taught us the importance of family and friends, of leaning into one another and of how much you really can do from the comfort of your home.  It also presented us with many challenges: having a baby amid a global pandemic, adjusting to life at home more, a new job, a rare disease, and so much love too!  It is certainly hard to wish away the year when it brought us sweet Benjamin.  Though, I still wish that adorable little guy would learn to sleep.  I told Marc that I feel like Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde--loving on his sweet face and snuggles during the daylight hours and then getting simply furious that he is up for the 8th, 9th, 10th time some nights--yes I am about to loose my mind.  But as we learned with Olivia, this too shall pass--I would just prefer the sleepness night stage to pass quicker :)

I think we are all so cautiously optimistic that this vaccine rollout will go smoothly and that maybe by fall we can start to see some semblance of "normality."  What even is that anymore?  But rather than turn this blog into a rumination of thoughts on what this year will look like (I really should not even bother anymore, it is certainly in God's hands now), lets instead focus on the cuteness of these little kiddos in picture form.  Here is a bit of a catch up over the last few months:

We had some PJ snuggle time:

We virtually cheered on VCU:

 

We celebrated Halloween:

 

We played in the leaf piles that Daddy made and welcomed in Fall:

Speaking of Daddy, I think this girl might have her dad's affinity for tools:

We celebrated Olivia's 3rd birthday with a puppy party with just our family:

We took Christmas pictures on our porch by my sister (no photography this year):

 

Our little man grew up quickly before our eyes, going from sitting independently to standing while holding and now he is crawling!!!

We celebrated Thanksgiving:

We got a visit from Santa (aka Marc's dad) at our house:

Here he is standing while holding onto the couch:

They enjoyed walks with the nanny while mom and dad worked, all snuggled up:

We celebrated Christmas with way too many presents (per usual):

 

And finally we rung in the New Year around 7pm, cause that is what you do when you have kids...don't worry everyone, its sparkling cider!  And that is a wrap on 2020!

It is certainly easy to see the many blessings when we look back at all the wonderful pictures!  I hope 2021 will be a great year for everyone--did anyone make any fun resolutions?