A Valentine's Day With No Pie

I had every intention of a post today filled with adorable pictures of my girls in cute Valentine's Day garb and gleeful pictures of me scarfing delicious pie.

Alas, Cupid had different plans.

Back story: For the last two years, Alexia and I have taken our girls to a local pie shop for bakery treats, yummy pie, and Valentine's Day celebrating. It's such a sweet tradition, and this year was going to be even sweeter because there are now four little girls to join in on the fun instead of two.

That's where that sneaky Cupid comes in. He came a little early this year, and instead of shooting us with arrows filled with love, he got us with a nasty virus - RSV to be exact. Apparently this virus is pretty common, but when babies get it, things can get scary if it gets into their lungs. After a three-hour trip to Urgent Care (three hours! the irony!) with Mia on Tuesday night, it quickly became obvious our Valentine's tradition was going to be coming to a screeching halt.

And then I got sick, too. If being sick sucks, being sick when your kids are also sick might be the worst torture I can think of. Props to Mike for taking over for a day or two, because I was miserable, complainy, and not feeling romantical in the least. (And despite all that he still bought me roses! He's a keeper I do believe.)

Luckily, I was still able to bribe with candy persuade Anna to put on some of her Valentine's Day gear so I could get a few pictures. Despite having a crusty eye (is my child the only one whose eye starts oozing green crud when she gets any sort of cold?) I think she pulls the look off well.

Here's one of my little patient. RSV or not, she's cute.

Fingers crossed we're all on the mend. Poor Mia has been sick more times in her short life than I can remember Anna being her first two years. Her cough is getting better, and she's slowly returning to the smiley, relaxed baby we're used to. Mike and Anna, other than her eye, seem to have avoided this round of yuckiness so far, knock on wood.

And we're hoping for a rain check for next week. Because after this week, Mama needs some pie.

So. Many. Things.

It's been awhile since I've shown my face around here.

Mostly because we've been busy just sort of living life.

There have been so many times I have thought to myself, "Oh, I should blog about this!" I used to write out posts in my head at night in bed, before I fell asleep. These days I'm pretty sure that the second I close my eyes I'm out cold. It's not that there hasn't been anything exciting to share, it's that I can't seem to find the time to get it all out.

I also sort of blame "Friday Night Lights". Have you seen this television show? Gah. Any free time I might now have is devoted to watching another episode of this awesomeness. So many people (ahem, Alexia, mom, Kristin, etc.) had told me how great this show was, and I even think that Mike and I started watching it a year or two ago. And then when Mia was born I found myself sitting on the couch a lot more and I was all caught up on my other shows, so I decided to give it another go. I'm not joking here, people. Probably my favorite show of all time. Although if you see me in the next couple of days, please ignore my crying and blubbering. Because I have one episode left. ONE. I've sort of been saving it, trying to find the perfect time to watch, because then it will be over and I will be so, so sad. And I will have much more time for productive things, like writing...

What Would Riggins Do?

So, really, not my fault that I haven't been around much.

In all honesty, though, part of my New Year's resolution was to get back to this space more. Because I enjoy it and because I love having this blog as sort of a scrapbook for my life. (The other part of my resolution was to make our bed everyday. Dream big, my friends.) I have some catch up to do - I want to write about Mia's first few months (spoiler alert: she sleeps!) and discuss the completely insane fact that Anna is now three (spoiler alert: she is equal parts tyrant and angel!). I want to do a better job of documenting our story, so that one day, far in the future, I can read back over everything and be reminded of how damn lucky I've been to live this life.

From Mia's newborn session with the extremely amazing Rachel Vanoven.
I can't even describe to you how much I love this picture.

As those Dillon Panthers would say: Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose.

Hope to see you back here soon.

Eviction Notice

Editor's Note: I wrote this post last week, thinking I would get around to editing and finishing it sometime this week. It turns out that our baby had different plans - Amelia Jacoba Arends arrived Sunday morning. I guess she was listening!

In the weeks leading up to Anna's birth, I can remember feeling fairly calm. Yes, I was excited about meeting our new baby. But I also knew that life was about to drastically change, and I was content to enjoy my last few days of baby-free time. Mike and I went out to nice dinners. We went to the movies. I spent leisurely hours at Barnes & Noble with stacks of gossip magazines by my side. The new little person would make his or her appearance eventually, and I was in no rush to offer an eviction notice. It probably helped that it was also the holiday season, so there was Christmas shopping and decorating and baking to keep me distracted. It also probably helped that we had the nursery done in October, so I had nothing to stress about - other than if I had read every single page in every single pregnancy book I owned. (For the record, I had. Twice. I found my copy of "Your Pregnancy Week By Week" last week when I was straightening up our bedroom and the last chapter I read this pregnancy was "Week 14". Oops.)

Once the contractions started? Well, let's just say I felt a little more along the lines of, "Baby, please come out. Like, NOW."

This time around, though, my emotions have been a little more conflicted. On the one hand, I'm not sure I'm ready to let go of the life I have now. (Remember? We talked about this - I'm slightly sentimental.) But mostly I feel like this pregnancy has been dragging on forever. Yes, it's true that we really have no names picked out (there are a few front runners - more on this subject later). Yes, it's true that until a few days ago the new baby's room didn't have a door and there were random hammers and tape measures strewn about. Yes, it's true that starting all over again at the newborn stage terrifies the crap out of me.

But despite all of that, even though I haven't read a single page about preparing for child birth this time around or don't have our hospital bags totally packed and ready to go, I know that the minute that little baby is placed in my arms none of it will matter.

People always say the babies who aren't born first tend to get screwed when it comes to things like baby books or number of photos taken. But it seems to me they have a huge advantage in the fact that their parents already realize how much they are going to be loved. Mike and I have talked so many times about how, having been through it once, it will be so much easier to deal with sleepless nights and poop explosions and crying jags because we know how much we love Anna and we also know how quickly it goes by. (Someone please remind me of this in a few months, though, ok?)

The car seat and the baby swing might not be totally ready, but our hearts are.

So with that in mind, Baby, I'm giving you the go-ahead to make your appearance. Just give me a few minutes to brush up on when it is, exactly, that we're supposed to get to the hospital...and don't be offended if you find a screwdriver in your crib.

The last photo of our family of three, right before Mike and I left for the hospital on Saturday night.

Summertime in Northern Michigan

Ok. I'm about to throw a whole lot of vacation pictures at you. I kind of wish I could make a slideshow and then force you all to sit there while I went through them one by one telling funny stories and trying to make  you understand how amazingly awesome these two weeks were. But I don't even think the pictures would do any justice (as much fun as you would have listening to my boring stories of dunes and waves and parades and fireworks and, well, you get the point) because this vacation truly was perfection. It was such a nice blend of family and friends and laughter and sunsets and cherry pie - all the things in life that make me happy.

And here are some of the pics snapped on my phone (and some from Mike's and some from this guy Steve who seemed to be following us around...)

Mike and Anna walking at sunset; playing on the beach at Crystal Lake; hiking Sleeping Bear; sunset at Lake Michigan
wine tasting at L. Mawby; more sunset; cherries on the beach; Uncle TJ and Anna
the pier at Frankfort (times two); waves; looking for fish
more waves; the dunes; don't worry - it's juice!; sunset at Crystal Lake

And while it seems like I have a lot of pictures, looking through them I realized that we busted our good camera out a total of about three times. My iPhone filled in here and there, but overall most of the really good stuff is captured only in my head. So I guess I'll be forced to share those slides only with myself, on the days when I need a sweet reminder of how lucky I am and how much I have to be thankful for.

Happy Tuesday!

Sand Beneath Our Feet, Big Blue Sky Above Our Heads

Saturday is vacation day, people. Which means we'll be packing up and heading out for two weeks of lake living on the beautiful shores of Crystal Lake. It also means that I have been in vacation mode for the last five days - grocery shopping and cooking anything that actually resembles a meal? Why would I do that when we're going out of town? Eating anything besides cereal and scrambled eggs hardly makes any sense when we're about to be gone, right? (I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this way - and if I am I totally blame the pregnancy for my laziness.) Although I should mention that I am slightly obsessed with the eggs I buy at our local farmers' market and sort of feel like even if I am serving brinner multiple nights a week, it is a totally legit, delicious meal.

Two bucks a dozen. I stalk the egg man like it's my job.

It's been a long, long time since Mike has been able to take this much time off of work, and I'm so looking forward to all the family time. Rumor has it the cottage we're renting doesn't even  have Internet access, so if you happen to see a slightly crazed pregnant lady wandering the beaches of northern Michigan holding her cell phone up trying to load Facebook, there's a pretty good chance it's me. Just kidding. Sort of. In all honesty, as much as I know I am obsessed with my iPhone and all the time-wasting activities it has to offer, I'm sort of excited to see how I function (and how much I enjoy myself) without all the distractions. Again, I blame the pregnancy, but I'm starting to feel a lot of nostalgia over the fact that this will probably be our last family trip as a trio and I want to make sure I soak it all in.

Even if I can't document it all on Instagram. (I'm @lesliearends if you ever want to follow along!)

I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands that pretty much sums up how I'm feeling.

Happy Summer!

I know that you're smiling, baby, 
I don't even need to see your face 
Sunset at the shoreline, we are laughing, breaking up, 
Just like the waves 
Are you feeling, feeling, feeling like I'm, feeling 
Like I'm floating, floating, up above that big blue ocean 
Sand beneath our feet, big blue sky above our heads, 
No need to keep stressing from our everyday life on our minds 
We have got to leave all that behind 

Well, I have got a sister, 
And she has got a baby with brand new eyes 
And her daddy is an engineer, 
And they just took her to the sea for the first time 
Now they're under, under, underneath a big umbrella 
Summer, summer, summer time to help us forget, nine to fives 
We have got to leave all that behind 

I have worries to give to the sea 
We can walk dear the pier is farther than it seems 

Midnight at the shoreline, fireworks above us 
A screaming bloom 
They're sent by some teenager and kid whoever you are 
I am thanking you 
Now we're dancing, dancing, dancing with no music 
What is happening, happening, happening and no feelings 
Except this is right 
We just had to leave all that behind

If You Give A Mama A Trip To Target...

I can remember a Mother's Day from when I was younger, probably eleven or twelve, where my dad took my sister and I to a Detroit Tigers baseball game, leaving my mom alone. At the time, I can remember thinking how sad she must have been, that her whole family was abandoning her on the most special of all days and how she must have spent the afternoon waiting by the window for us to return.

And then I became a mom myself, and I imagine now that the second our car rolled out of the driveway she was doing a little happy dance in the living room. It was probably the best damn Mother's Day she'd had in the history of ever.

On Friday, my in-laws came and scooped up Anna for a day of Costco shopping and visiting relatives in Grand Rapids. All week, I had been planning in my head what I was going to do with my temporary freedom, and it mostly involved a Starbucks run and a glorious, peaceful, toddler-free trip to Target where I meandered through the aisles and stocked up on Easter basket goodies. The only bad thing? The part where I had to pay for all the fun stuff I had blissfully thrown in my cart.

As if the day couldn't get better, my Target adventure was followed by a sushi lunch date with Mike. We sat at the bar, conversed like real grown-ups, and didn't have to stop our conversation twenty times to pick food up off the floor or flag the waitress over to bring us some more milk or more napkins. It was glorious.

And I swear to you, the rest of the weekend played out like that children's book, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", because it seems those few precious hours of Anna-free time were just what I needed. I finally cleaned and organized the toys that were threatening to take over our living room. I swept and mopped every floor in our house. I washed windows. Heck, I even painted my toenails. The next morning, I cleaned and vacuumed out my car. I was on fire, and all it had taken was a soy latte, that red bullseye, and some wasabi.

Sometimes, as a stay-at-home-mom, I don't feel entitled to take days off. It's so hard to remember that even though I'm not on a payroll or punching a clock, I so need those mental health days to decompress and drink coffee alone and try on twenty things without a two-year-old trying to escape the dressing room.

All my cleaning and toe-nail polishing was followed up with a visit to meet my dear friend's baby and a trip to my parents' house to celebrate Easter. We ate cheesy potatoes, eggs benedict, and lots of chocolate, and finished the day with an egg hunt out in the yard.

This is what the mullet looks like first thing in the morning.

"No pictures!"

Ready to hunt.

My Aunt Janet is the master of the egg hunt.

I hope everyone's weekend was as awesome as ours, even if you didn't get to go to Target.

This afternoon, we embark on a trip down to Florida - Mike is fishing with his brother, and Anna, my mom and I are heading down to visit my sister. I'm looking forward to the beach and the sun. And maybe even giving my mom an afternoon or two off so she can go to Target!

Happy Tuesday!

Huge Elmo, Pie, and a Baby Shower

Well. Would you look at that? The month of February is basically over, and it turns out I've been kind of a slacker in the blogging department.

Truth is, it hasn't been too exciting of a month. But in a good way, I suppose. We did take Anna to see Sesame Street Live ("Elmo is huge! On the stage!") and we did have some fun celebrating Valentine's Day (with delicious pie, how else?). Of course I didn't really document either of those things, but lucky for me my good friend Alexia did, so if you're so inclined you can check it out here and here. (She's eight months pregnant, so I'm not really sure what my excuse is, but I'm thankful she's a lot more on the ball than I am!)

Mike and I also escaped for a little weekend adventure (baby free!) up to Traverse City. Kristin and Drew were up there for the Special Olympics, and we had lots of fun exploring and hiking and taking in all the festivities. It was quick, but so nice to get away without Anna for a couple of days.

Probably the biggest excitement in February was a baby shower we threw for my oldest friend Caitlin. (When I say oldest, I mean that we have been friends since we were in our mama's bellies - not that she is old!) And seeing that her sweet baby girl arrived on Saturday, I suppose I could share some pictures from the party.

I'd never really been involved in throwing a baby shower before, but I have to admit it was a ton of fun. Of course Pinterest played a huge part in many of the ideas we used (did you expect anything else?), but the whole day was such a lovely celebration of Caitlin and Doug and the new life they are bringing into the world.

For the life of me, I could not blur out the address using Photoshop. Paint for the win!
Invitations from Etsy.

We played a fun game with everyone's baby photos

Favors - here is the original link for the DIY instructions

We all signed a copy of Caitlin's favorite book when she was a baby

The decorations were simple, but oh-so-fitting

What's a party without a little champagne?

Delicious cookies from Caitlin's aunt and uncle's bakery - Johnny B's Cookies

The parents-to-be

Womb Sisters!

One of the ladies made these sweet buttons for everyone to wear - little Caitlin and Leslie were so cute!

Now all that's left is a trip to Chicago so I can squeeze baby Madeline in person!


I hope everyone has had a wonderful, er, month. Here's to March - I'm ready for some sunshine!

What has filled your February?