Weekend Recap

A weekend recap on a Tuesday... how's that for behind?! That feels like my life these days. Always one step behind the game! 

On Friday evening, we always have Family Movie Night. It's such a simple concept, but Dylan especially looks forward to it all week. We pick a movie, pop some popcorn, and put away our phones for the night. This time, we watched Room on the Broom. Dylan loves that book, and the movie version is just so cute. 

find it here!

Saturday morning was Dylan's soccer game, which was even more of a mess than usual. The kids were completely uninterested, too busy roaring like lions and chasing their shadows. Still, endlessly entertaining!

The rest of Saturday was spent cleaning and doing household chores; not the most exciting, but definitely necessary! The kids went a little crazy towards the evening, and we were at our wits end. So, we made dinner at 4:00pm, which tricked the kids into being in bed by 6, and it was GLORIOUS. I recommend time deception to small children any day!

Sunday we had plans to go to the Seafood Festival, but we got rained out. Instead, we went to a nice lunch at Red Robin (campfire sauce for the win!), browsed the mall, and went to Sam's Club. When I was younger, I thought there was no place in the world more boring that Sam's Club (or Costco). Now that I'm an adult, it is the most MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH. It's like Disney. I mean, a 35 pack of Diet Coke for $8?? 

Sam's Club. Feeding my addiction one amazing deal at a time.

It was a low key weekend, but much needed! Next weekend is Mumfest, one of my favorite events of the year. Can't wait!

Have a great Tuesday!

Friday Favorites!

Today I'm linking up with Andrea, Narci and Erika for Friday Favorites! 

It's been a crazy week, and I am SO glad it's Friday! Let's get right into it...

ONE

The song "River" by Bishop Briggs is my ultimate jam right now. It gets me so amped up, and I sing it like nobody's business in the car. SO GOOD! If you haven't heard it, go listen right now!!

TWO

Shortly after Dylan was born, I stopped painting my nails. For a multitude of reasons, mostly because I was not interested in the upkeep that comes with removing polish every couple of days. Not to mention, who has an hour to wait for their nails to dry? Not this momma!

I recently started painting them again, and have really been enjoying all the new fall colors! Something about having my nails painted just makes me feel like myself. One of those things that fell by the wayside when I became a momma, and I'm so glad I'm coming back to it now!

THREE

I don't know if I can really count this as a favorite, but I watched the debate for the first time in my life! I was really uncomfortable the whole time, but I eased the pain by face swapping the candidates :) Follow me on snapchat for more! (ashley.laporte)

FOUR

This is a double favorite! I'm loving the cooler weather that Fall is bringing us (and by cooler, I mean like 80- Fall in Eastern North Carolina is more like summer!) and I LOVE that Hannah is now big enough to ride in the wagon! We've been doing wagon rides everyday and it's so much fun for everyone. This particular wagon has seatbelts, so she is secure in there, and she loves riding around like a big girl. Santa brought this for Dylan for Christmas, and I can't say enough good things about it! If you are looking for a wagon, I highly recommend this one!

FIVE

I love Fridays, because we do brunch with my Dad every week! He recently retired, and I've loved having him around more. And a big old brunch ain't bad, either! We've also got plans to hit up the library today, and make SLIME! I'll share this on the blog next week!

Have a great week, everyone!!

My Favorite Baby Items

As a second time mom, I am by no means an expert on all things baby related, but I do feel like I have some serious experience under my belt! There have been a few items that I've used in the past three years that have made motherhood so much easier that I'd like to share with you!

Ikea ANTILOP Highchair

This highchair is AMAZING! With my first child, I bought a super expensive, padded, fancy highchair- and I immediately regretted it. Trying to get smooshed banana out of that padding after every meal? No thank you! This highchair is so budget friendly, and amazingly easy to clean. It's super cute and streamlined too, so it doesn't draw too much attention to itself. No one wants a spaceship looking highchair in their dining room!

HoMedics Noise Machine

I swear by white noise for sleep for my babies! I love it too, but it's especially sweet for getting those little babes to fall asleep and STAY asleep! We live in a smaller home, and this is great for drowning out any noise we may make after the kids go to sleep. I have two of this particular one and they are great!

Glider

I am still using the same glider that I had when Dylan was a baby, and it has held up like a champ! I have always loved rocking my babies and find that it's an amazing way to cuddle and bond at bedtime. 

Teepee

I've had my eye on a teepee for my kids for years, and I recently found the ultimate deal on one from Target on clearance! The kids have had such a blast playing in it, it's equal fun for Dylan, who is almost 4 and Hannah, who is 9 months! It's rare that I find something they both enjoy playing with so much!

Vera Bradley Diaper Bag

Now, I know Vera Bradley is not everyone's cup of tea. I, for one, have always loved it and have a pretty extensive collection. I even have Vera Bradley potholders! But, my love for the patterns aside, let me tell you- this is THE BEST diaper bag. Tons of pockets, easily washable, lined interior for easy wiping, lightweight, long straps... I could go on and on. It also comes with a coordinating changing pad! I got mine when Dylan was a baby and am using it again with Hannah! And, bonus! It doubles as an amazing overnight bag! 

There you have it! My most used and my most loved baby products. I hope you enjoy!

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Hannah: 9 months old!

I've been doing these monthly updates for Hannah on Instagram, and I thought I'd share this month's on the blog as well!

This beauty is officially 9 months old, and getting her picture this month was an ordeal, let me tell you! She is crawling all over the place and wants nothing to do with sitting still. She has 3 teeth and is working on her 4th, two on top and two on the bottom. 

She is eating pretty much everything we are at this point; she has completely sworn off purees and spoons. She wants to do everything herself! Her favorites are puffs, cheerios, and shredded cheese. She can also get down on some chili, as she proved last week :)

She is in the 73rd percentile for weight and 17th percentile for height.. my chubby little shorty :) 

She still sleeps like crap, she's completely unpredictable and needs A LOT of attention in order to fall asleep. I always laugh when I see other parents post pictures of their kids falling asleep in weird locations, or while watching TV, etc. Hannah needs the sound machine at the proper volume, the appropriate level of darkness, rocked at a precise speed (not too fast and not too slow or she'll never close her eyes!). She also needs to be wrapped up in a soft blanket with her arms inside, or she'll claw your face off instead of drift peacefully off to sleep. I can't wait until she's a teenager, I'm going to wake her butt up everyday at 6 am :)

She is starting to really enjoy playing with Dylan, when he calms down enough to play with her, that is. I can't wait to see the kind of relationship these two develop.

I can't believe my baby girl is 9 months! She's going to be a year old before I know it. Please excuse me while I go cry my eyes out...

Have a great Monday!

A Day in the Life of Us!

I love peeking into other people's daily lives, so I thought today I'd do a little Day in the Life of Us for you!

I picked a this particular Tuesday because it was Dylan's first day of soccer practice, which we were all excited about :)

Up at 6am to get this crazy train rolling! I have to get up really early if I want to get a shower before the kids wake up, and even then I don't usually make it. Dylan is having his breakfast before preschool and I am having my hot chocolate... I hate coffee, but love having a warm drink in the morning!

Off to run our errands before preschool! I like to get my running around done earlier in the day so the afternoon can be saved for naps and catching up on ALL THE THINGS, so we ran into Target before dropping Dylan off at preschool.

Being in Target at 8:05am also means you can be a little goofy in the One Spot :)

Dylan is off to preschool! He's going to our church for preschool and really loves it so far. He only goes 2 days a week, but that's plenty for now. While he was in school, some of the other moms and I had a baby playdate with all the younger siblings. It was so nice to catch up and spend time with mommy friends.

After preschool, we headed home for lunch and naps. This little chunky girl has been giving us a run for our money the last few weeks, 8 month sleep regression is no joke! She is up 5-6 times a night and fights naps with everything she's got. This photo was me celebrating getting her cute little butt to sleep! :)

While the kids napped, I did laundry and picked up the house. I also spend about 15 minutes during naptime browsing social media, and having a little "me time". It helps me refresh for the evening!

It felt like we were in the car ALL DAY! I woke the kids up from their naps and we hustled out the door to pick up Daddy from work and head to soccer practice. Dylan was so excited to wear his new shin guards and cleats!

That gummy grin and nose scrunch just kills me.

Soccer practice was endlessly entertaining, watching the coaches trying to wrangle six 3 year old boys was hilarious. Dylan did really well, and seemed to really enjoy the games they played. We set up camp for the hour on a blanket to watch them and had a nice afternoon in the sunshine and breeze.

Once soccer practice was over, it was a mad dash home to do dinner, baths and bedtime. I didn't plan ahead this day, not realizing how crazy it was actually going to get, so I didn't have anything planned to do for dinner. We ended up having PB&J sandwiches and leftovers. Now I know, the crockpot is my friend on Tuesdays!!

After the marathon of getting the kids bathed and into bed, I collapsed into bed myself with an episode of the Office. The best way to end any day, in my opinion.

Whew! I'm tired just reliving this day in pictures :) It's not the typical day for us, but it was definitely a fun one!

Back at it!

It's so weird to me how I have such a hard time keeping up with this blog. I literally read blogs EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. So why on earth wouldn't I remember to update my own?! The brain of a sleep deprived mom, I suppose.

It's been a few months since I've checked in, so let's do some kiddo updates!

Dylan: 3.5 years old
This kid is a spitfire. He has the biggest personality, always chatting up strangers, telling them his life story, or walking up to random kids at the playground and declaring them "BEST FRIENDS!" He is a running, jumping, climbing, loud bundle of pure BOY. He is so brave and nothing phases him. We recently took our annual vacation to the Outer Banks and he wanted to climb the Currituck Lighthouse with the big kids. Mike and I couldn't go up, so he went up with his cousins, and was so brave! His favorite foods are ice cream, candy, or cookies.. go figure. He's recently become a picky eater and has to be bribed to eat dinner just about every night (although, my sister-in-law recently told me that instead of bribes, they call them 'goal incentives'... I'm going to start using that!!).

He started preschool last week and absolutely loves it. He is such a social person, it does his little heart so much good to be surrounded by kids to play with. He starts soccer this week, with his first game on Saturday, and I am so excited to watch him!

Hannah: 8 months old
You know how people say most 2nd born children are more chill and relaxed? HA! This girl is just as wild as her brother, giving mama and daddy a run for our money. She has recently learned to crawl and will follow me around the house, begging to be picked up. She is a mama's girl through and through, and would happily be held or nursed all day long. She sleeps like absolute crap, most recently waking up around 4 times a night. I'm hoping that's the 8 month sleep regression and we will get back to 1 or 2 times a night soon, but until then just give me all the caffeine. I've tried sleep training a few times and it just doesn't look like it's going to work for us this time around. She is the sweetest little snuggler, and her little smile with 2 teeth peeking out is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. She is shy with the full smile, she usually gives people a closed mouth smirk, so when she really goes for it, it lights up a room. I can't believe how fast she's grown, it's been like lightning speed the second time around.

She loves her big brother; watching him and eating his toys are her favorite pastimes. She also is obsessed with the cats (we have one and are cat-sitting for a friend as well, so it's like crazy cat lady over here) and she and our new puppy Molly are fast friends.

My kiddos are growing up so fast and I'm hoping to be better about keeping up with it all here on the blog! Follow along on Instagram and Snapchat for more daily updates! (ashley.laporte on snap and alaporte on Insta)

And Then There Were Two...

I have several friends who are pregnant with their second child, and I remember the fear well. 39 weeks pregnant with a 3 year old who seems like he's hopped up on meth all the time, I was completely terrified of having two children. I just didn't see how it was possible to love another baby like I did my first, I didn't know where I'd get the energy or the time, I didn't know how I would do any of it. Most people's comments were along of the lines of "oh just wait, it gets worse!"

Not. Helpful.

So, in the interest of keeping things real, here are some things I have learned by adding a second child to our family:

1. It's AWESOME. Yes, I said it. It is not a nightmare, not scary, and not overwhelming (most of the time). It honestly feels like it was always supposed to be this way, baby on my hip, and hand in hand with my toddler. Not to say that the first few months didn't have a learning curve, because they did.That's the case no matter what you do that's new and unfamiliar. But Hannah is 5 months old next week, and I can honestly say I don't know what I was so worried about. 

2. It is actually possible to love two children equally at the same time. You may laugh, but I was legitimately concerned that I would not love our new baby the same way I loved Dylan. Not a problem, mamas. Your heart is elastic, it expands :)

3. Once you get past the fragile newborn phase, watching the relationship develop between siblings is magical. For the first month or two, the relationship looks a lot like the baby is going to get punted across the room... you will hear yourself say things like, "Don't lick your sister!" "Don't pull her toes!" "Don't lay on her!". That will gradually decrease as the baby gets a little sturdier, and there's nothing better in this world than watching the baby laugh at his or her older sibling doing everything they can to get a giggle. 

4. The time management issue can be a problem, especially if your kids refuse to synchronize their nap schedule. For me, it was tough for a few months to get a shower, make a phone call, or do anything that required concentration. But, you get used to it. You make adjustments. I take a shower before I go to bed, while the kids are asleep and my husband is home. I do everything humanly possible to get them to nap together, so I can have an hour of quiet. Do what you can, and leave the rest!

5. It is more important now than ever for you to have some alone time, mama. Do whatever it takes to make it happen. Even if you have to sacrifice an hour of sleep, that hour spent going to the gym, reading a book, or sipping a glass of wine in silence will do wonders for your mental health. No one can be supermom without taking care of themselves. Have you ever heard the expression, "You can't pour out of an empty glass?" Take that to heart. You can't do what needs to be done for your family without filling up your own glass first. 

If you are expecting your second, I hope this gives you a little comfort. 5 months ago I wasn't sure I'd survive having 2 kids, and now I think that maybe having three wouldn't be so bad, that should tell you something!! 

(No pictures because my computer hates me. Do what you can, leave the rest!)