Arm tickles and hair rubs

I haven't had too much patience with Aiden recently.  Every day I wake up, pray for patience, and tell myself that today I will succeed.   But, pretty much every day, I fail at some point.  I tell myself that it's summer, it's hot, I'm pregnant and uncomfortable, and that sometimes he does things just to push my buttons.  But, these are all excuses.

I don't want to make excuses.  So, I'm really trying.

And sometimes, I am blessed with a sweet moment that helps (a little) to make up for my lack of patience.

Every time I put Aiden down to sleep, we always say prayers, and then he asks me to rub his arm ( I call these arm tickles), or his hair.  Since he has been a baby, I would rub his head to help soothe him to sleep.  And even now when he's exhausted and just wants to go to sleep in the car, or on my lap, I rub his arm or his hair to help him settle down.

Yesterday when I was putting him down for a nap, I really wanted to get him down quickly so I could do the things that I wanted to get done while he was napping.  He asked me to rub his arm, which I did for a couple of minutes.  When I said goodnight and gave him a kiss, he asked if I could rub his hair for a couple of minutes.  He was halfway asleep at this point and I knew I could say no and he wouldn't be upset, he would just roll over and go to sleep.  But, I didn't, I said yes and I rubbed his hair while he drifted slowly off to sleep.

I chose to do something so simple for a few minutes because I knew how much it meant to Aiden, and how loved he feels in those moments.  That's what being a mother is about.

Swaddle

Aiden was born 3 and a half years ago.  That doesn't seem like that long ago, but there is a ton of new baby stuff since I had Aiden.  There is not a lot that I feel like I need with this baby, especially since I am having another boy.  But, I've been hearing lots of buzz about muslin swaddling blankets.  They seem to be all the rage- even my mom mentioned something about them.

Aiden loved being swaddled as a baby, and I did always have a hard time finding a blanket that worked well.  So, I decided that I would try these out.

{I chose the "mod about baby prints"}

They aren't cheap by any means, but everything I read says they are well worth the money.  Also, every website that sells baby stuff sells them, so you may be able to find a good deal.

They are quite large too, so using them for other things like nursing is also an option.

I ordered them last week and it's making me excited for all things baby!  I'll let you know in a couple of months how they work out.

Sweet and Sinful

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  It was ridiculously hot here and I am hoping that things cool off a little bit this week and that we get some MUCH needed rain!

I have a confession...I rarely cook, and by rarely, I mean never.  Rob took over cooking when I became pregnant this past winter.  I had a hard time giving that up because I felt like it was part of my "job description" being a stay at home mom.  But, I've been learning to let go of unnecessary guilt in my life.  Rob enjoys cooking, I don't so much.  He's good at it too, and it works for us.  There are some nights when I cook, but it is rare, and that's ok.

Anyway, I do like to bake, and I have a sweet tooth.  I would probably bake more if it wasn't so tempting to have sweet things just sitting around the house.  So, I like when there is an excuse for baking- like having company or going to someone's house and bringing dessert.  But, in the summer it is too hot to turn on the oven.

I have an amazing and easy no-bake recipe to share, but I have to warn you, it is just downright sinful.  But, every time I make it, people freak out about it.  And I can't take any credit for it, it comes from one of my closest and dearest friends, Lindsey.  She is always making great desserts and I am always stealing her recipes.

I call these Snickers Crispix Treats...

1 box Crispix cereal
1 bag mini marshmellows
1 stick butter
5 chopped up snickers bars (yes, that's right, 5 snickers bars)

Melt the butter with 2 of the chopped up snickers and stir until melted

{Rob came in at this point and said, "is that butter and snickers bars?"  Yes, yes it is}

Add the marshmellows, stir until melted 

Take of the heat and add the cereal and the remaining bars.  Press into well-greased 9x13 pan. 

The best thing about these are that there are chunnks of snickers bars mixed in.  They are truly sinful.  Enjoy!!

5

The good news?  I'm heading down to the shore tonight for 2 days with 4 of my favorite people.

{Steph, Kelly, Kate, me, Meg at Kelly's wedding last summer}

The bad news?  There is supposed to be a heat index of something insane like 115 degrees.  And I am very pregnant.  

This will probably be the last time in a while that the 5 of us will be together like this- with our baby due in September, and Steph is due in with her first in January!! :)  We've been friends since elementary school and I'm pretty sure that is very unique.  Even when a couple months go by and I haven't seen them, I know we would all drop anything for each other in a second, no questions asked.  We also know each other pretty well....

At our wedding (6 years ago) my mom had some people write little "anniversary notes" that we open every year on a specific anniversary.  Here was Meg's for our 6th anniversary last month, 

I love how she knew we would have at least one kid by 6 years of marriage, and the "pregnant with another" comment was the icing on the cake! Also, the night before we opened this, we had all seen each other for dinner, which references the "still get together" part.  I love it- it made me very emotional in my pregnant state.  Also, if you're wondering about the time capsule, after our first year of college we buried a time capsule and were supposed to dig it up right before the first one of us got married- we never found it...

Hope everyone has a great weekend and stays cool!

Busy Busy

I feel like life has been non-stop busy for us around here recently.  This summer is flying by.  And when summer is over, that means a baby is coming.  Which places a lot of pressure to get things done on top of all that is going on.

But, I am trying really hard not to feel too stressed, and to just take things day by day.  I am trying to ignore the fact that our kitchen floor desperately needs to be mopped.  That going to bed early is more important because in a couple months sleep will be a privilege.

I'm also doing my best to enjoy the little moments with Aiden, because I know in 2 months, with a new baby, things are going to change.

Putting some flowers from the garden into jars around the house makes it easier to forget the kitchen floor needs to be mopped, don't you think?

Welcome!!

Welcome to my new blog!  I used to blog here, but I'm excited to start new and share with you little tidbits from my life.

Just a little background info, since I am starting new here.  I have been married for 6 years to my amazing husband, Rob, who has a green thumb and loves to cook (he's good at it too).  We have one son, Aiden, who is 3 and a half and is a ball of energy.  He brings us a lot of joy along with some typical toddler challenges, which keeps us on our toes.  In September we will be welcoming our second son, and we couldn't be happier.  I am extremely blessed to be at home full-time, which I love.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  Rob works hard to make this possible, and I hope he realizes how much I appreciate it.

{photos from our vacation in Maine}

We also have a crazy dog, Bailey, who may show up here from time to time.  He's been with us from the beginning and is part of the family although he is not in the spotlight as much as he used to be before Aiden arrived.  

The title of this blog came from a coversation Rob and I had a few weeks ago about feeling like we've found a "sweet spot" in life.  We're very content with where we are in life, although that definitely doesn't mean everything is perfect all the time!  I am hoping to share a little bit of that sweetness with you, and the hard things too, because that's life.  

Most of my "spare" time is spent on design and decorating, something that I truly enjoy. I am sure that will be reflected here. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you continue to do so!!