Detroit Christmas Magic

Life is filled with moments of awe and wonder and at Christmastime, it seems, these moments take on an even more magical feel. Even a somewhat gloomy town like Detroit feels special and new under the glow of glittering lights and an aura of enchantment fills the air.
It's Christmas in Detroit.

So in love with my girl

Lately, liking her has been a challenge. The 3 year old "I don't love you!"s have set in and always right when her sister's screaming... but boy do I love her.

I love her when we sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and she asks me what a spout is. When I tell her it's a long tube that carries water down from the roof, she looks at me with sass in her eyes and a hand on her hip and says, "why don't you just say that?" I love that sass and I love that brain always working.

I also love when she tells me over and over that Santa Clause shouldn't come down the chimney. "You should just open the door!" Well, duh! Why didn't I think of that?

I love that when Papa put a butter carton on her head, she told him it "doesn't go with my outfit!" (Insert snotty scrunched up nose and hand on hip here.)

I love that after yesterday's "I don't love you"s came today's, "Mommy, I love you. We make a great team."

And even though sometimes I don't like her... Boy, do I love my girl!

Holiday Catch Up- Halloween

This year's Halloween was building up to be either a huge success or a huge disaster. Lily was jumping from costume to costume and was quite assertive in her choices.

She started out with this. We all loved this outfit and the whole idea.




Then she had to have this. And it was awfully adorable, so I was okay with it.




But then, every time Halloween was mentioned, Lily would angrily announce that she was not going to be a firefighter. She was not going to be a dragon. She was going to be a COWGIRL!!

Let me mention, Lily had no exposure to cowgirls. I was astonished when she brought me a catalog and correctly picked out the cowgirl as her costume choice. I dragged my feet about buying another costume clearly not wanting to spend our life savings on every costume out there, but finally gave in hoping for the best. She was adorable.




Lily loved everything about Halloween from making decorations to carving the pumpkin, zoo boo to trick or treating. She even loved giving out candy.
















Papa even dressed up!




We had an adorable little strawberry, too!




Halloween was a lot of fun this year and definitely a success!

Slowing down

It's that time of year. The time when I focus on replacing hurried errands with puzzles on the floor. Instead of forcing my girl into adorable outfits, we've been lounging around in pjs most of the day. We're trading in granola bars for homemade pancakes (a new favorite pastime Cousin Lanie brought to our house). I'm striving to allow quality time to replace the normal productivity I crave. And it's working so much better.




I'm enjoying my girls instead of trying to mold their moods to fit my to do list. I'm drinking my whole cup of coffee while we snuggle and watch movies. I'm making being a stay at home mom what I want it to be instead of the "clean this, cook this" expectations I had been putting on myself and it fits so much better.




There will be no spotless home for us for a while. Dinner might be grilled cheese. My yoga pants are making a comeback along with wavy hair that's a little frizzy. But I'm loving it again. We're doing crafts, watching movies, taking walks. Lily and I are chatting away while Addison sleeps. It's so wonderful to feel good in my own skin and content in the coziness that is our home.






The weather is getting crisp begging us to slow down and stay home. The holidays are reminding us to be thankful for the blessings behind our own front door. The Oneskos are slowing down and we're loving it.

House Rules

In this house... we eat Rice Krispie treats out of the bowl!

Some days being a mom sucks

It's not all roses and sunshine and strolls to Starbucks. I really really want it to be. But sometimes it's everybody's screaming. And when they stop screaming and finally go to sleep, someone else is peeing. On the floor. A growing puddle headed toward the carpet. So you wake the other one up trying to clean it up. So now everyone's screaming again. And you have to wash the other one from head to toe to get the pee off and she screams at you for doing that. What?! You actually want to stand there all day covered in pee? Who created this crazy little person?

Oh yeah, me. With some help from him.

And I need some explanation. How is milk straight from the fridge not cold enough? And who decided that nursing babies should have teeth?

Some days being a mom really sucks. But I'll take a deep breath and keep going. But not without a Starbucks.

To My Beautiful 3 Year Old Girl

To My Beautiful 3 Year Old Girl,

Lily, today you turned 3. As everyone says, time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I had you and immediately fell in love. You may have grown, but one thing has not changed. Every day, my love for you grows more and more. If you remember nothing else, remember that. And remember that you, your sister and your daddy are the loves of my life. You are the best things that ever happened to me and the thing in my life I am most proud of.

Baby girl, you are getting so big. You are such a big helper, loving to bake and help Mommy clean. You love to spend hours chatting with me about what you love, what you think and everything in between. You said yesterday that you make everyone smile and it is so true. You plaster a permanent smile on your Daddy and my face (you can always make Sissy smile, too!). You are so funny and so compassionate and I love those things about you.

Today, we had such a great day. You got a Doc McStuffins doll and you took her everywhere with you. She sings and you love to sing along, "Time for your check-up!" You had a great time at McDonalds, Chuck-E-Cheese and even picked out princess shoes at Target (so you!!). We did crafts with a new table from Mimi and Grampa Jim and we all had a great time watching you create. We all love you so much.

Daddy's telling you a story and tucking you into bed. Your special day is coming to an end, but every day you're the most special bunny in my heart.

I love you so much!
Mommy

Poop

I have nothing against poop, really. I spend most of my days changing diapers and know that it is a crucial part of keeping my kids happy. So, though it's not my favorite thing in the world, I guess I'm glad to have it around. The thing I really question about poop is its timing. You see, when it comes to my kids, poop can almost be timed to the minute to the worst possible moment. In a car seat at a store, on my favorite dress, or my personal favorite...while I'm in the shower. I'm guessing this happens with your kids, too. (Humor me, please.)

Lily has to poop every time I'm in the shower. I mean it. Every time. I inevitably always have to spring from my glorious moment of peace into the cold air to place her on the potty and congratulate her while I'm dripping wet, suds in my hair. I also have to do this with a smile on my face and a "no big deal." But today, she did it by herself. I was SO proud! And said a little "thank you" prayer to God for this amazing uninterrupted shower.

Pants were back up. Toilet flushed. Everyone's happy. (I was actually ecstatic!) Until I heard the words that send chills up every Mom's spine. "Sorry, Mommy!!!" And then a "No big deal, right?"

I peeked out. Poop everywhere. Poop on the floor. Poop on the towel. Poop on her feet and poopy footprints everywhere.

All I could do was take a deep breath. I inhaled one more steamy moment in the shower and reminded myself that this, too, shall pass. (Meanwhile, I was hearing "Mommmmmeeeeee, what are you dooooiiiinnnggg?") I put on my game face, smiled my best smile and said, "no big deal." All while thinking...

I'm going to tell your prom date about this someday... And maybe all of the internet. You're welcome, Lily.

No big deal. :)

Sunny days

Most days are a whirlwind around here. A constant battle to balance a hungry baby, "play with me, Mommy!"s and poopy explosions. It's a wonderful mess of chaos that I love, but chaos nonetheless.

Today, the earth smiled on me. The baby went to sleep in the swing (which she almost never does anymore) leaving me time to put my bum foot up, sip my coffee and watch my amazing girl work her magic.

I sat in her sunny room while we chatted and she set up each and every one of her toys in the exact perfect spot. I smiled the whole time at how big she's getting and what a gift moments like these are. I snapped a few pictures to remember even though she told me not to.

Life is so so good.

Most days are a whirlwind around here. A constant battle to balance a hungry baby, "play with me, Mommy!"s and poopy explosions. It's a wonderful mess of chaos that I love, but chaos nonetheless.

Today, the earth smiled on me. The baby went to sleep in the swing (which she almost never does anymore) leaving me time to put my bum foot up, sip my coffee and watch my amazing girl work her magic.

I sat in her sunny room while we chatted and she set up each and every one of her toys in the exact perfect spot. I smiled the whole time at how big she's getting and what a gift moments like these are. I snapped a few pictures to remember even though she told me not to.

Life is so so good.

5 Months

Our 15 lb bundle of joy is 5 months!




Time sure does fly when you're having fun. Addison is full of smiles and belly laughs all the time (especially for Daddy and her sissy). She has 2 teeth and just recently started eating cereal and squash. Lily and Wrigley are her best friends.











We love our girl!

Isle of Palms Family Photo Session

Years ago, when Lily was only six months old, a friend introduced me to a wonderful photographer who took beautiful family photos of us in our favorite vacation spot. This photographer, Mandie Joy, is not only wonderful at taking pictures, but is also such an inspirational person. If you get the chance, head on over to her blog, mandiejoy.com, to hear her amazing story. Since we've met, Mandie has met us in Isle of Palms several times to take our pictures and I just had to share some of this year's favorites!

 
 

 

Four Months of Addison

My precious, giggly, smiley, wonderful girl. Oh, how much we love you! You absolutely melt hearts wherever you go. Your smile is contagious and at four months, you are so strong! You've been able to bear weight on your legs since you were a month old and now that you're four months old, you seem like you want to take off running. You love to play with your toes and Sophie the Giraffe. Your best friend is your sister (and your Mama ;)). You belly laugh whenever someone bounces you. You are an absolute joy. We love you, sweet pookie!

Four month stats:
Length: 25.5 inches- 91% (23 inches at 2 months)
Weight: 13.14 pounds- 55% (11.3 pounds at 2 months)
Head Circumference: 41.5 centimeters- 70% (39.5 centimeters at 2 months)

It's okay.

I had plans. I always have plans. I still haven't uploaded those pictures. I haven't blogged in forever. I feel like I'm letting all these memories just slip away. And yet, I seem to neglect the ones that are happening right in front of me. But sometimes, I admit... it's so hard. Sometimes I just want one minute to myself. Sometimes I just want someone else to feed her. Sometimes I just want to get caught up.

Then I look at her. I look into her eyes as I feed her. I drink in her sweet smile. I don't want this to go by so fast. I long to grasp each little moment in my hand and keep it there forever. I fear that I'm wishing away the best parts of my life.

But then, I think I don't have to choose. I can want those moments of reflection and peace and still believe that this is what I was made to do. I can still be jealous that my husband is napping peacefully with Lily while I've changed a diaper, cleaned up spit up and breastfed all while trying to type this sentence. I can know that this is the best part of me while being a little selfish, too. I can know that it doesn't make me selfish, it makes me human. And that's okay.

Most importantly, it's okay for my girls to know it. It's okay for my girls to know that raising them was the best part of my life, but also the hardest. It's okay for them to know that there were days where I didn't remember what it felt like to shower by myself and how badly I wanted to. Because someday, they'll feel this way with their kids. And they'll know that it's okay.

The Smiley-est Baby on the Block

We're supposed to be napping. Lily is napping. Daddy is napping. It is crucial to a good photoshoot tonite. But instead? We're laughing. All out gut splitting belly laughing. Blowing bubbles. Arm waving. Toes kicking. Smiles. The whole package. It's just about all Addison Rose does and it is fabulous. Everything I do is funny to my baby girl. Bouncing? Funny! Arm shaking? Hilarious! Luckiest Mommy on the block? For sure! We'll sleep someday, but today we're laughing...

One of those days

Today was one of those days... One of those fabulous days. The kind that you know you'll remember forever and whose pictures will put a smile on your face. The kind that even strangers recognize as special.

We're at the beach. And we're all together. We swam with Dora in our new swimmies and even secured some swimmies on Dora (if only in our minds). We ate cheeseburgers and fries where once upon a time Daddy asked Mommy to marry him. And where Daddy told Mommy when she was pregnant... And it was hard... That we'd sit with our beautiful girls someday. And we did it. We walked around the island, looked for turtles and smiled at one another. We danced in fountains in downtown Charleston. We listened as people told us to treasure these little people while they were little, because we do so so much. We went swinging on swings and eating ice cream and painted little nails purple. We were a family and it was perfect.

Location:Isle of Palms, SC

Our Summer's Been a Blast!

Pure Awesomeness

Today was totally bound to be a bad day. We had to say goodbye to some of our best friends after a 3 night stay and I was dreading waking up and dealing with the "Mommy, I don't want to say goodbye... I don't want them to go!" (Yes, she said it and yes it broke my heart.) But... God threw me a bone and turned my day into pure awesomeness... rainy day style. No playing outside. No crazy messes to clean up. Just 2 little girls that were cool with snuggling and embraced laying in bed for half the day listening to the rain. Serious perfection. Extra bonus? They still took naps (!!!) allowing me to finally get my act together and start blogging again.

Lily's Mom


After a few months apart, my best friend from college, Amy, and her two girls Quinn and Claire got to come up for a visit. Amy hadn't gotten to meet Addison yet, so the visit was magical to me. As always, Amy loved my girl up in a way that few people can. It was just that instant love you feel for your good friend's kids. I could tell they bonded from the second that they met. (And no, I don't have pictures of the meeting... I hate that!) The visit was also a great reunion for Quinn and Lily. Quinn is 4 and Lily is 2 (1/2) now and each time they see each other, the age gap seems to close and they get to be better friends. They had a blast and during this visit in particular, I changed from "Erin" into "Lily's Mom." A title I'm pretty sure has officially changed for eternity.

Growing Up Girl

July 11th, Addison turned 2 months old. Time is flying by and she is absolutely amazing. She has been holding her head up and bearing weight on her legs since she was only a week old and now she can even sit in the bumbo seat. She's very smiley. Especially in the morning and around bedtime. She's even learned to nap in the swing (a big relief for Mommy whose arms were breaking from all the "I'll only sleep in your arms" napping). We also think she's going to be tall like her Mimi. At her 2 month appointment, she was 23 inches long (in the 70th percentile- meaning taller than 70% of babies her age) and 11 lbs., 4 ounces (in the 60th percentile). She still won't take a bottle other than from Grandma, but Mommy's enjoying all the snuggling time that I'm sure will quickly pass.

(Addison sitting in a bumbo seat)

Celebrating the 4th

Now that we're moving (in 2 weeks!!) to Huntington Woods, we got to enjoy our first Huntington Woods 4th of July and we loved every second of it! The day started with a city parade with lots of local friends. I am so excited for my girls to grow up here. Lily loved every part of the parade except for being pelted with candy. Apparently, candy throwing isn't quite her thing yet.

After the parade, we went back to Mimi's for lunch and then headed to the Huntington Woods pool to take in some (100 degree!!) sun, concert fun, and a surprise visit with friends to get out of the rain. Of course, all of this partying had to be followed up with a nap.

Once we were rejuvenated, though, we headed over to our new neighbor's house, the Sermo's, for a BBQ and got to see the most exciting part of the day, the fireworks. Lily's still asking when we can see more. :)

More 4th of July Fun... Our Annual Cat Lake Trip


As if our lives weren't fun enough, every year, we're invited to the Maurer's house right on Cat Lake for a Berkley High School reunion of sorts (and some very fabulous additions, if I do say so myself.) More fun was had here as Lily got to drive a jet ski, go on a boat, swim in the lake, and most importantly, play with the "big girls", her friends, Taylor, Maya and Brooke. Lily loves this trip as she is positive that it is her girl's get-a-way. We hardly saw her the whole weekend (except for when she was near water, Mimi... no worries!). Addison loved it, too, as she was passed around from person to person and lulled to sleep on the pontoon.

That's a Wrap


That's all for today as I'm done writing and I'm sure you're done reading. I'll try to update more frequently from now on. If you're on instagram, I am burdziem. Be sure to follow me. I post pictures of the girls daily on there. (I just can't help myself!) Have a great rest of your week!