Love – Page 5 – Birds of a Feather

Ahoy, Matey!

October 29, 2017Baby Bears & Little Bears, Family, Happiness, Love, Mama Bears, Milestones, Papa Bear, Special People, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

With birthdays just days apart for Atticus and Liam (November 1st and 5th), a combined pirate themed party seemed like the ideal way to celebrate their birthdays with our family and friends.

Pinterest as always proved to be a valuable resource for planning the perfect pirate themed party. Black and red duct tape lined the sidewalk and led guests to the X marks the spot; signaling the beginning of the birthday party fun. A giant inflatable pirate ship bounce house complete with cannons, a lookout post, a parrot, and a skull and cross bones flag brought the theme to life. My parents found a beautiful pirate ship piñata in the Rio Grande Valley to add some hard hitting fun to the mix.

Snacks, birthday cakes, and treasure map party favor bags brought the theme full circle. Guests sampled Pirate’s Gold (cheese slices), Polly’s Crackers (Ritz and Triskets), Cannon Balls (black olives), Shark Bait (multi-colored goldfish), Dead Man’s Fingers (Lil’ Smokies with BBQ sauce), Caribbean Sea Water (blue Powerade with the labels removed).

My Amazon Prime membership proved to be a godsend with personalized birthday shirts, pirates jewels, gold coins, temporary tattoos, and a treasure map. Thankfully Liam’s toy box yielded pirate figurines that made perfect cake toppers for their birthday cakes. Initially Atticus wasn’t quite sure about his cake, but with time realized he preferred the pastry part more than the icing.

Shiver me timbers, this party is in the books, and thankfully no one had to walk the plank. It was wonderful celebrating our baby bears with our friends and family. Thank you for showering the boys with amazing birthday gifts. They’ll be playing with their new toys in the days and weeks to come. We arrrgh so glad you were able to join us!

A Balancing Act

October 25, 2017Baby Bears & Little Bears, Family, Goal setting, Happiness, Love, Mama Bears, Opportunities, Success, Uncategorized, WorkLeave a Comment

Dr. Seuss put it best with, “So be sure you step, step with great care and tact. And remember that life’s a great balancing act.” (excerpt from Oh the Places You’ll Go). These simple yet poignant words encompass all the hats we Mama Bears wear as wives, mothers, professionals, and dreamers. Finding time to give your spouse the support and love he deserves, showering your children with positive affirmations and hugs, fulfilling your professional obligations with fidelity, and squeezing in tidbits of time for self care prove day in and day out to require incredible time management skills and an uncanny ability to multi task.

In the course of day, what we set out to do is nothing short of superhuman. Getting up before the sun rises, getting ourselves and our children dressed, packing lunches and backpacks, inhaling breakfast and downing coffee, dropping the kiddos off at daycare, and zipping off to work and it’s only 7:00 a.m.

The work day kicks off to a running start at 7:30 a.m., and it’s parent meetings, guidance lessons, individual student counseling sessions, lunch duty, academic team meetings, 8th grade tours, college rep visits, and a slew of emails and phone calls are all in a days work. Somewhere in the midst of all of this I manage to pump twice, usually while I’m returning phone calls or emails as I also try to eat lunch.

When 4:00 rolls around, I’m out the door and making a bee line to daycare to pick up the baby bears who I absolutely cannot wait to see. It’s hugs, homework, sharing the best parts of our day, and some playtime all before dinner. During the week, it’s leftovers or low key dinners that simplify life. Then it’s bath time, which is one of my favorite parts of the day because it’s relaxed, there’s lot of laughing, and the splashing and smiles are perfect too.

Then it’s books and bedtime for the boys, and it’s time for a role reversal. I change hats from a mama bear to a runner and head out the door for some sweat, solitude, and reflection. After pounding out a few miles, the hat changes again, and I step into my role as a wife. Sometimes we catch up over a glass of wine or enjoy one of our favorite shows. By this time in the evening, it’s been an incredibly long day for us. Papa Bears, after all, walk their own tight rope every day too.

Through it all, their love keeps me pushing forward. Making the best of every moment, even the less ideal ones. This week, for example, sweet Atticus is contending with a sinus infection and has been feverish. I’ve had to leave work early for the last two days to give him a little extra TLC. Such is the life of a Mama Bear though, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

To all of you Mama Bears out there, balancing your load with beauty and grace, pat yourselves on the back for all of the things you accomplish daily in life. You are a force to be reckoned with. You are a doer, a lover, a mother, and so much more. Take it one day at a time, life each day to the fullest, and remember the words of dear old Dr. Seuss, “life’s a great balancing act.”

The Highs & Lows of a Day

October 22, 2017Baby Bears & Little Bears, Family, Happiness, Love, Mama Bears, Papa Bear, Special People, Uncategorized1 Comment

In the course of day if we isolated all of the little moments that comprise our day, we would easily recognize the highs and lows we experienced. Oftentimes the highs boost us up and help us float above the lower moments. Traditionally, I coast through my day with so many things on my plate that I don’t always pay enough mind to these little moments. Today, however, in reflecting back on my Saturday, I decided to marinate in highs and lows of my day.

This morning, Atticus woke up shortly after 5:00 a.m., bright eyed and bushy tailed. I begrudgingly walked down the hall to the nursery half awake to nurse him in the dark in hopes he would fall back asleep. There are times when wishes do come true, and soon we both were sound asleep. Two blissful hours later, he awoke again but this time I was rested, alert, and ready to take on the day.

Liam awoke shortly after us and the three of us crept into our room to wake up Sean with a plentiful amount of cuddles. We enjoyed breakfast and headed out for our Saturday coffee date. Then my best friend, Anna and her daughter, met up with us to enjoy the sunny outdoors at Howl-o-Ween Fest. We opted to take the shuttle to expedite our trip to the park. Unfortunately after six shuttles passed us up, we decided that walking might be the better alternative. On our way, Paige tripped and fell on the concrete, which resulted in a bloody skin abrasion and an unhappy five year old. This was definitely one of the lows of the day. Thankfully dogs in costumes, bounce houses, and snow cones were just a few of the wonderful things that overshadowed the lower points.

After lunch, Liam had a friend come over to play. Before heading to the nursery to get Atticus ready for his afternoon nap, I advised the boys to play quietly upstairs and that I would be up shortly to check on them. When I ascended the stairs, I was met with a surprise I could have never anticipated. Clearly not using his best judgement, Liam had decided to have a kinetic sand fight with his friend. There was blue sand in every nook and cranny the naked eye could see in the loft- on the carpet, on the table, in between the seat cushions on the couch, …. It took the patience of Job not to come unhinged, especially in front of his friend, but I held it together and employed the boys to help me clean up the mess they made. Thank goodness for the invention of the vacuum cleaner. It undoubtedly saved the day and restored normalcy to the upstairs. Hands down this event would prove to the lowest point of my day.

Thankfully watching the boys play and enjoy each others company quickly helped the negativity I was feeling subside. The rest of the afternoon included plenty of high moments including indulging in a lovely birthday cake truffle, sharing a delicious chili dinner with my family, and enjoying the gift of help as Sean took care of cleaning the kitchen and unloading the dishwasher.

In our day-to-day lives, the high and low moments we experience will vary significantly from one day to the next. Our stress levels and workloads will profoundly impact how easily we can brush off a low moment or expend a profuse amount of energy wallowing in it. In these less than ideal moments if we allow ourselves to take a step back, we can often find the silver lining in the negativity. Because hindsight is 20/20, it might take us longer to recognize the beauty in these seemingly low moments. If we allow ourselves to look at the situation with a different lens, however, we just might realize that our low moment really isn’t as bad as we initially thought it was. Here’s to the highs and lows we endure every day. May your high points far outweigh the low ones!

Cuddles are the Best Medicine

October 20, 2017baby bear, Dinner ideas, Faith, Family, Happiness, Love, Mama Bears, Prayer, Special People, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

The tubal ear procedure went off without a hitch. When they took him to the OR, my poor baby was in tears about having to part ways with me. I have to admit that I fought back my own tears as I walked back to the waiting room without him. Thankfully the procedure was incredibly quick and my sweet boy was back in my arms in less than twenty minutes.

The anesthesia proved to be the most difficult part of the surgical procedure as it made my little baby bear rather lethargic and groggy for a significant part of the day. Otherwise I cannot say enough positive things about Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. Their staff held by hand through the entire process. They were kind, genuine, and truly experts in their field.

Atticus required extra tender loving care, which I was more than happy to indulge him with. Hugs, kisses, and cuddles undoubtedly proved to be more effective than any other medicine today. By the time dinner rolled around, I decided to err on the side of simplicity. With Sean out of town, I didn’t need to worry about an elaborate meal, so I gathered some of the boy’s favorite foods and voila, dinner was served. For Liam, leftover pizza, cherry tomatoes, sliced mango, and a side of Cheetos and Doritos made for a delicious dinner. Atticus enjoyed peanut butter toast, fresh mango, and mashed potatoes. My dinner included a few samples off of their plates as I prepared dinner. My favorite part was the ice cream sandwich rolled in rainbow sprinkles that I split with Liam.

With the boys tucked in for the night, I’m capitalizing on a husbandless evening of chick flicks coupled with a glass of white wine. With all of the worry and stress I carried around today, this low key evening is exactly what I need.

I would like to extend a special thank you to the family and friends who were kind enough to send me reassuring text messages before his surgery and the follow up calls to see how Atticus was doing. Additionally, faith, prayer, and mindfulness truly played an instrumental role in my well-being today. With Friday on the horizon, I’m looking forward to a wonderful weekend with my family. Wishing you and yours a wonderful one too!

Telling a Mother not to Worry…

October 19, 2017Baby Bears & Little Bears, Faith, Family, Love, Mama Bears, Prayer, Special People, Uncategorized1 Comment

Worry is a synonymous term associated with motherhood. From the moment you first realize your pregnant, worry sets in and only continues to grow as your belly does. It starts with the little things like, “Has my baby kicked enough today?” or “Oh no! I forgot to order a decaf latte.”

fears

The minute your child is placed in your arms immediately after delivery, your heart swells with love and you find yourself fully immersed in a state of worry. Worry comes in all shapes and sizes. Small worries, big worries, and everything in between. Sometimes it’s slight and it passes quickly. Other times it’s enormous, debilitating worry that can be all consuming.

more essential

At almost one year of life, Mama Bear worry continues to follow me around like an obedient dog. My biggest worry right now centers around Atticus’s tubal ear procedure tomorrow. The procedure requires general anesthesia, which is enough to send this Mama Bear into full blown worry wart mode. Although I’ve been advised that it’s a relatively quick procedure, I will be separated from him for at least an hour. An hour that will undoubtedly feel like the longest hour of my life. It will give me plenty of time to pace, fixate, and stress out. Positive thoughts and prayer will undoubtedly be my saving grace.

loviliest masterpiece

Tomorrow is only one thread in the long string of worries that I will continue to carry with me on this road called motherhood. Through it all, faith and love will continue to propel me forward. I will wear my worry, angst, stress, and concern for both of my beautiful boys like a badge of honor. The adage, “telling a mother not to worry about her child is like telling water not to be wet,” appropriately sums up the worry we carry as mothers for the children we love with our whole heart.

rest easy

The Toothless Wonder

October 12, 2017Baby Bears & Little Bears, Family, Happiness, Love, Milestones, Special People, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

This evening Liam joined the ranks of so many children who have came before him with the loss of his first tooth. My little toothless wonder was so excited about the prospect of looking under his pillow to see what the tooth fairy left him.

After posing for some obligatory photos, rinsing the blood out of his mouth, and safely tucking his tooth under the pillow, we settled in for a bedtime story before bed. As the story drew to a close, we exchanged hugs and Liam began peppering me with questions about the tooth fairy.

“How big is the tooth fairy?” he inquired as he pinched his fingers together demonstrating how little he thought she was. Because Sean told him she flew in through the window, I assured him that she was quite small. “How else could she easily come through the window? Of course she has to be at least big enough to pick up your tooth and fly away with it,” I added.

As I tucked him in, he looked me in the eye with a serious furrow in his brow and said, “Mom, I know she’s going to leave me a lot of money because I brushed that tooth extra every night just for her.” I met his gaze with a smile; amused by his statement but not letting on that I found it both adorable and humorous.

I’m eager to see him in the morning, beaming with joy about the loss of his first tooth and the bounty she left him under his pillow. It’s sweet moments like these that make you appreciate how beautiful life is when you allow yourself to approach life through the eyes of a child.

My Baby You’ll Be

October 10, 2017baby bear, Family, Happiness, infant sleep, Love, Mama Bears, Special People, Uncategorized1 Comment

Most nights when I come back in after my run the house is serenely quiet and dark. The boys are sleeping soundly and Sean is often engrossed in a show in our bedroom. I often pause as I shut the door behind me taking it all in. It’s a simple pause in a normally busy day that signals the final stretch of my day.

Tonight however when I arrived home, Sean was still upstairs with Liam and Atticus was wailing at the top of my lungs. As soon as I walked in, I immediately sprang in to mommy mode. It’s rare for Atticus to awake after he goes down, especially so early in the evening. I threw on a giant tee shirt because I was a sweaty mess and quietly crept into the nursery.

love you forever mom

I said nothing and turned on no lights. I simply held him in my arms and rocked him back to sleep. Sitting in the comfort of the rocking chair, my eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. I looked down at my beautiful baby listening to the gentle, rhythmic sound of his snore. It’s amazing how the world completely melts away in those little moments with your children. As I sat there, my heart full of joy, I started thinking about one of my favorite books growing up, Love you Forever by Robert Munsch. A book my mother still keeps on her coffee table at home to this day.

mom and son

If you’ve never read the book, it’s a beautiful love story about a mother’s love for her son. It’s touching and brings me to tears every time I read it. My mother gifted me my own copy when Atticus was born. I remember reading it just days after giving birth. Sitting on the couch next to my mother, both of us arm in arm engrossed in the story as tears streamed down our faces.

toilet paper

Undoubtedly nothing prepares you for the amount of love you feel for your children. You will do everything in your power to move mountains for them, take away their pain, and give them the world. Even after our children graduate and enter adulthood, in our hearts they will forever be our babies. I know the need to rock Atticus to sleep will fade with time, but I will forever hold on to these beautiful moments that truly are the best parts of motherhood.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

October 8, 2017Baby Bears & Little Bears, Faith, Family, Happiness, Love, Mama Bears, Special People, Uncategorized, WorkLeave a Comment

This week has been a whirlwind of illness, work, soccer, dinner, snacks, and a whole lot in the middle of all of that. There have been high points and low points; good days and better days. Through it all, it’s the little things that have stopped me in my tracks, brought a smile to my face, and joy to my heart.

Life is a collage of beautiful moments. Some are incredibly simple and others are far more monumental. These moments are the stories that define us as wives, mothers, daughters, friends, and professionals. Because time gets away from us, these little moments can so quickly fade into the background like everything else in our day.

They say a picture is a worth a thousand words, so I’ll let my favorite images from the week do all the talking!

Bath time with the boys is one of my favorite evening rituals is bath time. It’s a symphony of giggles, baby screams, and splashing water. Atticus feeds off of his older brother’s antics, and I delight in seeing the two of them playing together so happily.
My little monkey- Liam has been in gymnastics for a little over a year now. He’s become incredibly fearless and climbs effortlessly up climbing structures with ease. I fondly call him my little monkey because he’s often climbing, swinging, or hanging around like a primate.
Coffee- There is truly no better way to start your morning than with a steeping hot cup of coffee. When you’re weekly coffee shop indulgence doubles as a work of art, it truly is the perfect marriage of beauty and flavor.
Baby selfies- Sometimes he’s a camera hound and other times he’s much too busy to pose for selfie. In the first selfie, Atticus embraced the camera and gave me one of his beautiful pearly whites. I think the term counts even if you only have two teeth. In the second selfie, playing the piano was far more enticing than saying, “cheese!”
Winding down- After his bath, I like to carve out a few extra minutes of playtime before bed. One night this week, Atticus couldn’t get enough of his Ironman teddy. Like his big brother in so many ways, he was mesmerized by the shiny blue repulsor blasts.
Soccer match- Today marked the first soccer match of the season. I think Liam enjoyed the snacks more than the game. When his nerves subsided however, he did wow me with his speed across the field.
Dessert- Liam looks forward to dessert every night after dinner. Most nights it’s something easy like a frozen fruit bar or a piece of candy. From time to time, I like to up the ante and offer something a little more special. Tonight, I took an H-E-B Neapolitan ice cream sandwich and rimmed the edges with rainbow sprinkles. It was incredibly simple, but the wow factor put Liam on Cloud 9.
Little brother- Spectating your first soccer match was the highlight of the morning for this little eleven month old. He skipped out on his morning nap and took in the sights and sounds of YMCA soccer instead. After all, safeguarding your big brother’s soccer ball is an important job!
“Luke, I am your father!”- This afternoon, Liam picked out his Halloween costume at Target. He absolutely loved trying it on and pretending to be the infamous villain with Atticus. He may need to work on his role as Darth Vader though, his brother seemed anything but intimidated.
Pulling up- At the playground, crawling and pulling up are Atticus’s two favorite things. High on the list would also be laughing at your brother when he gets in your face and makes funny noises.
Throwback Thursday- This week was Homecoming Week at St. John XXIII. I decided to partake in some Throwback Thursday fun with an homage to one of my favorite television shows from the 90’s… Saved by the Bell.

While my hair wasn’t quite as long, I did get the Keds shoes, flannel shirt, and Guess jean skirt right for the part of the girl-next-door, Kelly Kawpowski.
Curiosity- As I’ve said before, I absolutely adore Atticus’s little moments of curiosity. This week’s came when he discovered the dryer for the first time. Watching the clothes spin around and around can easily be summed up in two words, “Mind blown!

mesmerized

In high school, one of my favorite songs was Could not Ask for More by Sara Evans. Fast forward almost twenty years later, and these lyrics hold even greater meaning now as a wife and a mother. I will continue to savor the sweet little moments as they come and catalog them away in my heart so that I can always keep them close.

These are the moments I thank God that I’m alive
And these are the moments I’ll remember all my life
I’ve found all I’ve waited for
And I could not ask for more

Chorus from Could not Ask for More by Sara Evans

A Mother’s Love

October 1, 2017baby bear, Faith, Family, Love, Mama Bears, Prayer, Special People, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

One of the hardest parts of motherhood is a sick baby. You so desperately wish you could take their discomfort away, and oftentimes feel helpless as you try to calm them in their fussy, feverish, and uncomfortable state.

Since Wednesday evening, Atticus has been under the weather. Enduring his fourth ear infection since late May. This ear infection came less than two weeks since his last and brought with it a high fever that he hasn’t kicked despite intermittent doses of infant Tylenol and Motrin.

Yesterday we visited the ENT and are scheduled for ear tubes. In consulting my inner circle, I’ve heard great things about the relief they provide but it still doesn’t ease my mommy angst. As if one doctor’s visit wasn’t enough, the ENT sent us back to our pediatrician for an antibiotic shot, which put Atticus in full meltdown mode and it took everything in me to hold back my own tears.

When your child is in pain, you feel their pain, sorrow, and anguish too. I wish I had a magic wand I could wave that would magically make the fever, discomfort, and infection disappear in a poof of smoke. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. Instead I hold him tight, soothe him, and give him all of my love. I savor his neediness because I know he won’t always let me be this close.

sick baby

Baby Bear, I hate seeing you so puny and unhappy. I pray this passes quickly and hope that the kisses, hugs, and cuddles make all the difference in the world. I can only imagine how difficult it feels to feel so much but be unable to articulate those feelings. I’ll be here to love you through it all because that’s what Mama Bears do best!

All Dogs go to Heaven

September 28, 2017Happiness, Love, PetsLeave a Comment

It’s hard to believe my sweet Cookie Dough has been gone for a little over a year now. Faithful and true to the very end, she was the most important part of my furry family for thirteen years.

Saying goodbye to her is still one of the most difficult things I’ve faced. She sat in my lap letting me love her and pet her as tears streamed down my cheeks and fell softly onto her dark fur. At this point she had lost her eyesight and was suffering greatly because of severe pancreatitis. The veterinarian would come in and check on us for time to time that fateful afternoon waiting for me to signal I was ready to put her down. Each time, she entered I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact with her.

I was six months pregnant with Atticus and remember feeling grief-stricken that Cookie would never have the opportunity to meet my first child. Cookie had been everything I could have ever wanted in a pet. From the first time I brought her home until her final night with me, she slept beside me; always burrowed under the sheets and cozied up next to me. I remember cradling her in my hands when I picked her up for the first time. She couldn’t have weighed more than three and a half pounds. Her large doe eyes and giant ears looked almost cartoonish on her petite frame. Cookie celebrated my graduation from college, moved thirteen different times with me, endured an incredibly traumatic apartment fire, and loved me unconditionally for thirteen beautiful years.

Thunderstorms sent poor Cookie into a tizzy. She would shake uncontrollably and cry out in fear; often burrowing under the sheets or ducking underneath the bed to escape the rainy conditions. She despised baths almost as much as she despised other dogs and delivery men. After a bath, she would run circles around the apartment, rolling around and cozying up in a towel to warm up. If I was in the kitchen cooking, she was always underfoot eager to nibble up any food that might fall off of the counter or stovetop. She especially loved Granny Smith apples, romaine lettuce, and carrot peels. I was always more than happy to share these healthy treats with her.

Atticus is now closing in on a year. He often reaches for Barkley (Sean’s fifteen-year-old Westie) and loves staring at him eye-to-eye through the backdoor. I can’t help but wonder how Cookie and Atticus would have interacted. Liam formed a strong bond with her and expressed great sadness when she died. Would they have been thick as thieves too?

I still think of Cookie often, especially on rainy days, when I peel carrots, or when I take my socks off after a run. She loved playing with them; pouncing on them and going into attack mode like they were a fierce beast threatening her very existence. Cookie truly stole my heart from the very beginning and will forever have a special place there until the end of time. She may be gone but my sweet Cookie Dough will never be forgotten.

“All dogs go to heaven because, unlike people, dogs are naturally good and loyal and kind.” Quote from All Dogs go to Heaven (1989)