How Motherhood Has Changed Me

1. I DON'T STRESS OVER THE LITTLE THINGS 

It's funny that the things that used to stress me out no longer do. Being a mom has changed what is important to me and how I live life on a daily basis. I don't want my kids to feel the stress from me, so I try to just let (most) things go that bother me.

2. I'M OK WITH LIVING A SIMPLE LIFE

No big plans on the weekend? FABULOUS! I think I've also become more of an introvert since having kids, too.

3. I PRIORITIZE BETTER

I swear the best multi-taskers in the world are mothers. When the boys are asleep, I get done as much as I can around the house (and take time to relax to myself too) so that when they're awake I can focus on spending time with them. I've learned better ways to stay organized so that our days run smoother.

4. I'M MORE PATIENT AND FLEXIBLE

If there is one thing in this world that can make a person more patient it would be having kids. I've learned that you have to go with the flow when you're a parent, and there will be a lot of things that happen that you can't control.

5. I VALUE MY TIME MORE AND WHO I SPEND IT WITH

If I'm spending time away from my kids, I try to really make the most of my time so that I come back home refreshed. The same goes for when me and Billy get dates together - I feel like we appreciate it more.

6. I APPRECIATE THE SMALL THINGS

A long shower...my fav cup of coffee...something new the boys did...getting my nails done...SILENCE during nap time. Oh, yes...heavenly.

7. I'VE GAINED A WHOLE NEW APPRECIATION/TYPE OF RESPECT FOR PARENTS 

When I see mothers at the grocery store with 3+ kids (and even 1 or 2) I'm always thinking: dang, you are superwoman! And then there's the boy moms that I instantly seem to just connect and relate to. They just get it. Man, can't say it enough how much do I LOVE being a part of the boy mom (well, mom in general) club. 

8. I WORRY A LOT MORE

I know I said above that I stress less (which is true), but I DO worry more. There's a difference, I swear. You really don't ever really get a break from being a parent - not mentally that is. Even when I'm not physically with my kids, I'm still thinking about them. I'm still wondering if how I handled a situation was right. I'm still googling to try to find answers about the most random of things. I'm still missing them, even when they test me to my limit. And yet...it's all worth it. 

How have your little one(s) changed you?

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday!

In no particular order, 5 things from this past weekend // things going on...

-ONE-

(the rug is turned around now so that it's under his bed in the other direction...)

Quick update on Cam's big boy bed: Still going really well, he's totally impressed us! We are really glad we went this route vs. the toddler bed. However, it does take him a little bit longer to fall asleep at bedtime. He will walk around his room a bit before settling into his bed, but typically he's asleep within 30 minutes. We actually think he likes it more because he seems to sleep really good in it (I'm sure he's much more comfy!) and he's even sleeping longer in the mornings, so overall can't complain at all. We are so proud of him! 

(Also, we do plan to buy a box spring for it eventually once he's totally used to his new bed and then we will put up a side rail.) 

-TWO-

You know I'm a HUGE fan of meeting up with all my blog girls, so it's about time me and Lindsay got together for a play date! Her 2 boys are almost the same ages as Camden and Grayson (and her oldest is named Camden too!) and we've followed each other for the past few years (CRAZY!), so this meet-up was well over due. We're already planning the next time we can get together again...thank you, blog world (for like the 6th time) for allowing me to meet such awesome girlfriends!

-THREE-

Grayson had an eventful weekend because boyfriend got to have his first pouch and snacked on puff's for the first time! I (almost) forgot how adorable it is to watch babies try food for the first time...ugh I love it. And it's clear he's going to LOVE food like the rest of this family (not surprised) because he literally whined when they were gone, and kept wanting more and more. On top of that, guess who's recently become chatty?! He just started saying mama, dada, and baba ALL in the past 2-3 days! He cracks himself up too when he's babbling them. THE BEST.

-FOUR-

Thanks to some 70 degree days we took the boys on multiple park trips, went on a bike ride, ate all our meals outside on our deck, played and swung in our swing in our backyard, and only came inside for naps! A certain toddler was especially excited about the "sicle" he got to eat, too...

-FIVE-

On the days I work I normally make a list in the morning of what needs to be accomplished that night once the boys are in bed, and yet 90% of the time once we eat dinner and clean up a bit, I have NO energy to do any of it and am most likely asleep on the couch by 10pm. Seriously. And I only work 3 days a week?! Sure, there ARE days that I kick butt and knock out my to-do list, but I feel like lately this is how it's been on weeknights. How do you all do it? Stay on top of bills, cleaning the house, working out, making yummy dinners, giving your husband attention, etc. TELL ME YOUR SECRETS! Or...maybe the secret is realizing that I WON'T get everything I want done in a day?? And that that is OKAY? I'm the type of person that hates going to bed with things hanging over my head, or a kitchen with dishes not put away, so it's hard to just give up that control sometimes. Does that make sense?

How was your weekend? Hope it was great! 

Currently Loving

Striped Ruffle Top (just got this & shared on my snapchat-size up, I got a medium)

Flamingo Espadrilles (the cutest)

Neon V-neck TShirt (many colors-under $15)

Scalloped Shorts (bought these in black)

Lace-Up Sandal (ON SALE for under $50!)

Gingham Cold Shoulder Top (love love)

Cold Shoulder Tee (under $40! many colors, a great everyday casual top)

I have been so excited to share these finds! I mean....how good are these?! Obsessed with them all!

So happy that it's officially spring + since we're heading to Florida in less than a month I've kind of told myself it's OK to splurge a bit lately. Last week I donated a TON of old clothes that have been sitting in my closet that, sadly, I will probably never fit into anymore (mainly all size XS-woof) so many of these actually fall into the "need" vs "want" category now. Yep...that's my story and I'm sticking with it. 

I also have to share these sandals and scalloped espadrilles.... (both are under $50!)

Crown Vintage Sarah Gladiator Sandal

Crown Vintage Bahamas Flat
(these come in black too)

TOO GOOD, right? Spring clothes > Winter clothes. Always.

Get your spring shop on...

CJK: 2 Year Update

I've been working on this post in my head for months now, always repeating to myself, " Must remember what he did today for the blog!" Camden is so much fun at this age. Definitely more challenging (he knows what he wants when he wants it, that's for sure), but fun and oh so sweet. I don't want to forget a single thing...like how he says "go mommy!" when I make a basket in his basketball hoop...how he says "lub ew" to us and Grayson...how he says "bye car! bye truck!" when we drive pass them in the car...how he insists on holding at least 2 or 3 balls on his lap/my lap when he watches movies because he loves them so much...how every single time I pick him up from school he runs at a full sprint to me when he sees me...or how he still holds my left hand when reading books (he's done this since he was little.) Ugh, I'm just soaking all of him in right now.

Cam has always been outgoing and social, but lately we've him get a little shy when first seeing people, or when I drop him off at school. He clings to me for a bit, but it doesn't take long before he's back to being social and wanting to play. He is fearless and not scared of anything (that scares me DAILY!) He is extremely coordinated - we cannot wait to get him into sports! He has so much energy and zest for life, it's infectious. He also challenges me like crazy and constantly keeps me on my toes, but I'll get into that more below!

Since my last update (I know I talked about on the blog here and there), Camden started school 3 days a week and he's done so great there. He's learned to follow directions more, his speech has exploded, he's mastered sleeping on a cot (never thought that would happen!), and he LOVES to tell us (and show us with his artwork and such) about his days at school and what he did! 

And then there is the older brother aspect. Oh man, watching the type of brother Camden is better than I ever imagined, and makes me want 8 more kids because this sibling thing is AMAZING! I kid...I kid...but at least 1 more. He shows Grayson so much love + affection and luckily, we've yet to have any jealousy issues. He runs into his room every morning and never wants to go to bed without making him laugh or giving him a kiss. I am working on a post about how much I love their age gap, so I'll share more then!

MILESTONES/MOMENTS TO NOTE:

-Height: Over 3" tall! Weight: 28 lbs
-Has all his teeth (his 2 year molars were BRUTAL-on all of us)
-Wearing: Size 5 diapers and all size 2t clothes, but he really could probably be wearing 3T pants just for the length! He's constantly growing out of pants because he's so tall! In regards to potty training, he's great about telling us when he has to go (mainly for #2) so we've been working with him often but he hasn't gone on it yet. We're not trying to rush him at all, so we just keep putting him on and take him off when he wants down. 
-Sleeping: After mastering climbing out of his crib, we just transitioned him to a big boy bed (his crib converts to a full size) this past week and it has gone so smoothly! Since he's only been in it a few nights now and it's new, I will lay with him and sing him a song and then he's usually asleep within 15-20 minutes.  He's been falling asleep around 730 and sleeps until 7ish. Crossing our fingers it continues to go this way! 

-Napping: Eats lunch around 1130-1145 and takes a nap at 12-230ish 

-Learning: He knows all his colors and shapes (it's the best hearing him say "hart! twiangle! sware!" and knows most letters. 
-Favorite things he's said recently: "my name is Camden!"..."I colored it!"..."bye car (truck/ball/house/etc-he LOVES saying bye to things and waving at them)..."lub ew!"..."night night"...the names of shapes. 

-Favorite foods: "Dip" aka ketchup, applesauce, and yogurt are his ALL TIME 3 favorite foods right now, ha. I always ask him what he wants for lunch and dinner and he says them all each and every time. He still eats really well, even though he's a little more picky than when he was younger. He loves all fruit, avocado, tomatoes, pasta, pizza, peanut butter, mac and cheese, pancakes, eggs, muffins, and quesadillas. He's not big into meat right now-it's hit or miss that he will want it but I try to get it in his diet somehow.
-Favorite shows/movies: Toy Story, Frozen, Paw Patrol, Mickey and The Roadster Racers, Finding Nemo/Dory, Cars. He loves to ask to listen to let it go from Frozen when we get in the car.
-Loves to have "his turn" to brush his teeth with his Paw Patrol toothbrush
-Had to get 5 stitches right above his eyebrow after taking a fall at school
-took him to his first Disney on Ice! 

LIKES:

His stuffed animal Rocky from Paw Patrol (his fav!) // To "help us" clean! He loves when we tell him how helpful he is (he will go around with a duster dusting our tables and floors and the tv, ha) He has a toy broom and dust pan that has gotten a lot of use over the past few months // Play-doh and coloring with crayons // Shooting hoops in our basement (he is crazy good at making baskets-some from all the way across the room) // Puzzles // Trying to feed and share his food with his stuffed animals // Any and every activity with a ball // Buzz Lightyear and Woody // Playing with his cars and legos // LOVES being outside (we're itching for spring/summer) // Still loves to read! I have to be more intentional about getting him to sit down to read since he's so busy these days, but once we do he will often go and pick out 5-10 others that he wants to read together. He also likes turning the tables and quizzing me-he will point to certain things like I do to him and want me to tell him what it is-it's so cute!

CHALLENGES:

The biggest challenges right now with Cam are pretty normal toddler behavioral things, but I would say the biggest is just trying to teach him to not get into everything he shouldn't. He's into everything! I will go to put Grayson down for a nap and he climbs up on to the kitchen counters, grabs things off the counters, or tries to pull literally everything out of the refrigerator/pantry. We really have to baby proof all the things! Meltdowns have been minimal lately, though, which I think is because his speech has grown so much and he understands so much more. We've found what helps him the most is just us giving him warnings of what to expect next. For example, saying "in 5 minutes we are going to get in the car" or "you can play for 10 more minutes and then it's time to eat lunch and take a nap". This way he feels more in control and it's easier on us when having to leaving the house and such.

Alright, apparently I need to do these updates for him more regularly since I just wrote a NOVEL. Sorry ya'll!

favorite pictures from the past few months: 

You Don't Want To Miss This

+THE BEST JEANS UNDER $60 

(in all caps because they're that good...just got them last week-they're so flattering & i love the front slit detail. size up)

+Planning on trying a lot of whole 30 recipes! All of them look so good!

+Love this peplum top that is under $45, would be perfect for St. Patrick's Day or Easter (4 colors)

+Trying to put together a toddler meal inspiration monthly post with suggestions that I get from you guys on snapchat! stay tuned!

+Seriously lusting after these gorgeous sandals

+My fav Sunday night ritual: nails (Snap Happy-Essie), face mask, these tan towels!

+Cutest bracelet trio for under $25

Random update: We are finally supposed to get Camden's bed in the mail today, so I'm crossing my fingers we will have it set up & transitioning him to sleeping in it the next few days! I took him to pick out some cool sheets which was fun! Here goes nothing (or just our sleep/sanity for the next who knows how long... :)) 

Life Lately

Hey guys! Happy hump day!

If you follow me on snapchat (@katiewkrysh) then you'd know that for the past week or so Camden has been giving us a RUN FOR OUR MONEY! He is totally over his crib. And by over...I mean he is over sleeping in it.

He has mastered climbing out of it and will do it 30+ times in a matter of 10 minutes. I've literally dreaded this day basically since he's been born...ha! Trust me when I say we've tried just about every trick out there - backwards sleep sack, removing the bottom part of the crib and just putting the mattress on the floor, trying to take away his favorite stuffed animals (which doesn't phase him at all) and he's STILL climbing out...he is a ninja and extremely strong, I tell you! Nothing stops him!

Pretty much he's saying, "get me a big boy bed already!" Right? I think so.

We were really wanting to wait until the very last moment to switch him (just because he is so active we know it's going to be difficult to get him to stay IN his room and IN the bed), but since he's not staying in his now it's definitely time to just bite the bullet and do it. Safer, too.

So that's whats been going on. I posted on snapchat asking for advice if we should convert his crib to a toddler bed OR go straight to a twin/full size bed. That day I was pretty set on the fact that I wanted to do the toddler bed, but after hearing from so many of you that went straight to a regular bed we've decided (this could still change...it's me we're talking about...indecisive is my middle name) to go that route instead. Just because our crib is able to be converted to a full size with the extension kit and it's one less transition we have to do (I worry he would grow out of the toddler bed soon.) If you have any tips for the transition, please send them my way! We do plan to put rails up on the sides, too! Other than buying him that Elmo big boy bed book, how should we make it easy for him (and us?) I'm praying it goes way better than how I'm imagining it in my head.

Anyway...getting to my point. I swear I actually have one. I also asked for recommendations about what to do when traveling (we are going back to Florida next month!) since we know he won't sleep in a pack and play anymore. I wanted to share what products were recommended because I know some of you mentioned you are in a similar situation and would like to know!

+These two products are what so many people recommended...

Intex Inflatable Kids Travel Airbed

or the Regalo My Cot Portable Bed

Both fit in suitcases and seem like great options, so thank you all who told me about them!

+The TB espadrilles I posted about the other week I've decided to return (sad face) and I got these ones instead. I REALLY keep the TB's because I do love the look of them/color, but they just don't have enough support and the sizing is little off so they don't fit 100% (a little too wide for me.) If you have wide feet then they would probably be just fine for you, but my feet are pretty narrow so the sides are just kind of too big, even with inserts put in them! On the bright side....I'm in love with this pair and they are cheaper.

+Oh, and just to add to a real life moment that happened today. I was upstairs putting Grayson down for a nap and when I came back down Camden had climbed (COMMON THEME LATELY? I THINK SO) up into his highchair and managed to grab the box of Thin Mints sitting on our kitchen countertop, and was SCARFING down one of the sleeves of cookies. Needless to say there were only 3 left in the sleeve when I found him, and me and Billy are pretty sure there was more than half of it left prior. So yeah... #momoftheyear #shithappens?

(this was actually not from the behind my back scarf down session, but from the other night when he was escastic over us giving him 1 cookie...lol) 

We're really in for it, aren't we?! Oy vey! Gotta love him...

Grayson: 7 Months Old

Definitely the most FUN month thus far with our sweet baby G - he's rolling all over the place (but no signs of crawling yet  - which is FINE by me!), his personality is coming out a lot more, fits perfectly on my hip, is much more interested in toys now, and is just so dang squeezable! I just love this age!

Weight: 17 lbs, 11 oz

Height: 28"

Hair: Brown - his hair loves to spike up in the back right now, it's so cute! 

Eyes: Brown

Clothes: Mostly all 9 month

Diapers: 3's 

Sleeping: Still 3 naps during the day (longest being from about 1145am-2) then eats at 7pm then goes to bed! Sometimes if we need to run errands he misses that last 3rd nap. (He's in a sleepsack for all naps/bedtime and rolls around his crib like crazy when he sleeps)

Likes: Practicing standing up // looking at himself in the mirror // when I say "mama" to him (he thinks it's so funny) // the jumperoo // being tickled // his Wubbanubs // sleeping on his side // grabbing at books // learning how to clap his hands and wave! // anything he can put into his mouth! (loves all the teeters we have and chews them like crazy) 

Dislikes: If you were to ask anyone they would agree that he is such a content baby, but one of the ONLY things he shows that he does not like is his nose being wiped...touched...messed with in any way, lol. He hates it! 

Eating: Right now he's getting 4 bottles a day (7-8oz) around 7am, 11am, 3pm, and 7pm. He's eating baby food twice per day too - he loves his food! So far he's done really well with purees...no issues or allergies (yet-crossing our fingers.)

Milestones: First TWO teeth (these popped through right after he turned 6 months I believe) // Likes to practice standing up // Is riding like a big boy in the stroller now (not in his infant carseat)

Health: He's been feeling good lately! His skin is much more sensitive than Cam's - his cheeks get really red and dry sometimes and then he's had a really bad drool rash on his chin for a while, which comes and goes, but seems to be getting a lot better here lately.

We are so smitten with this boy! Everyone has been asking us lately if we're done having kids and the answer is.... no. :) There is no greater joy to me than being these boys' mom and we definitely want to have another!

favorite pictures this month: