Nalced Stories

Really enjoying telling stories of a boy name Nalced to Declan every night!

He only likes the Time traveling box back to dinosaur time, Nalced and the Wormies and Nalced and the Green Crayon.  Hopefully Declan will let me make up more soon but just as he likes about 3 Daniel the Tiger episodes and his 5 favorite books... he knows what he likes right now and doesn't want change.

Rainbows

In the beginning of April, I completed two final tours of our home and my new career path of opening a home daycare, is in it's final stages for licensing.  By the end of 2016, I’ll have 8 littles in my care as my new daily life.

Then Tuesday April 5th, a senior had invited me to the NHS banquet as her teacher honoree.   This student I only taught for one class in 5th grade. But coached as a middle school volleyball player and the past 5 years on the golf course.  It was all these hours that formed our relationship and I miss coaching her and everyone so much this spring already.  Her speech to me was emotional and touching, and I almost got through that without tears.  Thank you Maggie!  I am excited for golf with you next summer in the cities... scoping out some courses and speed golf leagues this summer!

So driving from my old town of Hutch to HLWW the next morning... this April rainbow brought more tears to my eyes.  Rainbows through history have symbolized many things.  But I couldn't help but think about the new journey of creating my daycare, the promises I can build with new littles and provisions I can help provide to them and to my family.  I felt so excited and so sad all at once to begin saying goodbye to HLWW. 

I will miss the independence of my students, their ability to walk to lunch without me and my lunch break sitting with adults,

I’ll soon be done begging 5th graders not to go to the bathroom because they’re just bored and instead guiding and stopping toddlers from their work to try going to the bathroom.  

I’m ready for the sillies, the giggles, the cuddles, mealtimes, songs, walks, parks, art, books, pretend, play, play, play.

I’m ready for the dishes, messes, diapers, emotional honesty, being needed, paperwork, cooking and grocery shopping too. 

I know I'll be a new kind of tired, not from the commutes and 5 am wake ups, but I really am excited for the new life in store for my boys, my home, my new littles and me this summer..

Though this "real life rainbow" is a little hard to see, it wasn't for Declan in our nature park... His first "real life rainbow" as he repeated over and over and kept asking Andy if it was his "first real life rainbow"!

Dearest Evan, You're 9 months old!

**Written 4-8-16

(He really was laughing!)

My Dear Evan, You’re 9 months old already!

 I think this is my favorite “monthly” birthday as you have now truly doubled… 9 months in my belly and 9 months in this world.  And this world is all yours for the exploring!  I love watching you bang on a drum, get your arm tangled in a slinky or just focus on digging and dumping toys.   

You love watching Baby Signing Time and even since our two week hiatus of no cable/Netflix, Delcan has been watching his older ones and you hear the song and you come crawling to the living room.  You love to clap and wave your hands when you are happy.  You are 100% understanding tons we tell you… especially “no” and you already get so sad when you don’t get what you want.   We tell you to head to your highchair and you crawl there so fast!  

You have had your first airplane ride to California to visit cousin Logan, Jeremy and Jayne!  You saw the ocean, Disneyland and were voted the easiest, best behaved one there!  Even though our family photo is about the only time you cried and one of the only times poor heat-rashed/sun swollen Declan wasn't. 

We don’t have your wellness appointment until you are almost 10 months old so it can be your pre-op to your little surgery, but I am sure you are in some low percentiles.  You still wear many 6 and 6-9 months clothes and the way you throw your weight around climbing stairs and pulling up on everything you are strong.  Your first tooth has cut through too!  

You love love love food.  You eat more than Declan at most meals and really haven’t found anything you don’t like.  Avocado isn’t a favorite but other than that, you eat eat eat!  You also love water... baths from your brother and with your brother in the tub have you full of smiles and laughs the whole time!  

You gave me about 3.5 great months of sleeping thru the night … but I don’t remember what that feels like anymore… I’ve decided you definitely miss me lots during the day so you need me at night and I guess I’m over it…Just a 10 minute cuddle so not to bad, just wish I could fall back asleep that fast! Though I’m exhausted too but know I’ll be sad when you do sleep better again and are getting older!  

Your Auntie B is the most amazing Auntie.  She gives me daily snap chats of your safari hunts, belly giggles and falling asleep in your highchair!  I even walked in the other afternoon to you two playing fetch with a racquetball!  But I am so excited for the next two months to fly by (if only you didn’t grow) to start our daycare and be with you and lots of littles every day! 

I love you for all that you are and all that you're yet to be! 

Love, Mommy

6, 7 & 8 month photos!! 

Growing up before my eyes

Written March 20th... 

I know there will be many more moments where my boys will be older in an instance, and this last weekend was one of them!.

Declan played by himself... all the time
Declan asked to go to his friend's house across the street (he may have wanted the lawnmower at first, but then kept asking if his friend was awake from nap)
Declan is napping and sleeping thru the night in underwear!
Declan played with his brother and was so kind and courteous to him all weekend

And Evan... don't even get me started on my baby...
Evan claps at all music and laughter
He stands ALL.THE.TIME!  I don't like it and would like him to only crawl til he is 18 months!!

He is one happy baby and can focus on a toy or object for longer than his brother

Happy Bday Auntie B!

Happy Birthday to one amazing sister and an absolutely steller Auntie B!

Nannying is the best gift you can give us, and I can't begin to make it up to you in presents, so I also want to thank you and brag to the world how awesome you are and lucky we are!

Declan now misses you and ask for you more than me!  I don't do things Auntie B's way.  And "would Auntie B eat that?" is a regular question at meals.  He asked for you already on your birthday and wants to head to Grandma Connie's now!

You have made my commute returning to work as painless as possible!  I have no worries about my boys in your hands and love the play by play of the day I can get from you and glimpes throughout the day with Snapchat! 

Dishes clean,  dinners prepped, errands ran, Croix walked, smoothies frozen, toys picked up, laundry started (or finished), vacuumed floors... my house is in order way more than if we had to do daycare.

I know it's exhausting on many levels and rewarding in others, but thank you, thank you, thank you!  From me holding you 29 years ago, to you holding my babies now, I am so lucky and grateful to call you my sister!!! Happy Happy Birthday!  29 is going to be an amazing year!

Inked!

For our delayed Valentine's date day, Andy and I each got a tattoo we have been talking about for awhile! (And enjoyed Target, Menards, lunch kid free/fast style)

He added his Mexican cruise tattoo to his leg passport sleeve.  It is the Mayan Zodiac sign.

I got my infinity symbols with letters/initials from A-G.  Added bonus, I didn't pass out this time.

I know tons have done the symbol and plenty view it as cliché, but it looks like my boy's birthdates #8 and I love it.  Plus, not to mention my love of learning and teaching... starts with our Abc's right??   Declan's critical review stated I needed color and the rest of the letters or else my "painting tattoo" wasn't done! 

A:Andy  (Declan) Andrew
B:Britt, Bouncer and me
C:Connie and Croix
D: Declan
E: Evan
F: Fuzzy,  & (Gregg & Evan) Francis
G: Gregg, God, Grandparents  and heck. even Golf... which the placement on my arm it is perfectly viewed in my golf grip :) 

Hi ho, Hi ho, off to work I go!

Dear Dec and Ev,

Hi ho, Hi ho, off to work I go!

I just have to thank you both (and Daddy, and school, and God) for making the last few months the most memorable months of my life.  I have never been one to believe that every moment of our life is predestined by God, but I know with all my being that He orchestrated the timing of Evan, Dad's new job and move to this exact time of our life.  I hope some of the stressful moments will fade with time, but I never want to forget the simple moments due to the long term effects of infant and 2.5 year old sleep deprivation!  Here are a few of my favorite moments:

1)  Meal time "dates"   and making meals together.  Declan, you and I cook almost every meal together!  And your Christmas present from Grandma Sue and Grandpa Tim was awesome...  You want to make all the recipes yesterday in the cookbook and carry it everywhere.  Now if I can convince you to wear the apron when we cook...

2)  Belly giggles brotherly love.  Peek a boo over the couch is now a big one too!

3) Library story hour on Monday was always a highlight of my week!  Evan, you always captivated the toddlers... "Baby... baby... baby" and they rarely listened to stories but came and stared at you.  I loved being able to play with you alone more when Declan "shared" (kept toys) from new "friends" ("I don't want to play with them Mommy")!  Declan, you had fun with storytime, songs & rhymes, craft, toys and books though.  

4) Book nook... I am pretty good at saying no to things and holding my ground... but reading more books isn't always one of them.  I loved the giggles and snuggles and talks we'd have in the Book Nook!  Though I could be ok without reading Harold and the Purple Crayon for a few years! 

5) Netflix snuggles:  Morning and after nap snuggles from you waking up, Declan.  And Evan, when you ate it always slowed me down in the most perfect rejuvenating way to watch some Parenthood or Gilmore Girls!

6) Children's Museum in the mall and St. Paul really were probably my favorite field trip outings!  I love watching your imagination and play come to life!  

7)  Raquetball stair toss!  Declan, this has become your new favorite game when Evan takes his morning nap and your belly giggles are infectious!  Of course when I tried to video you, you didn't want anything to do with it and I discovered it is because you like all 8 of the balls hitting me in the face! 

8) Fun mini vacation trips!  They weren't stressful as I didn't have to stay up late getting packed and unpack like while working!  We had fun St. Nick's weekend in WI and fun at the Hinckley Casino/Hotel after Christmas with Papa, Grandma Connie & Auntie B!

 9)  Snow play!  We haven't had a bunch yet but loved watching you and Daddy build Little Pooper and Big Pooper snowmen.  Mommy and you had fun with squirt gun color painting!

 10)  Our first holidays in our new home.  Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's it was fun (for mom especially) to just be in our own beds and enjoy each other.  We loved FONDUE!  Declan asks for fondue every night for dinner now!  We loved being with family, playing games and with all the new toys!

Even though we were so busy at times during the move and being on the go because I'm just not a homebody, I learned and enjoyed more than ever that it was the simple things of just being with you both that made this leave amazing.  

And while your Auntie B is giving us one of the best selfless gifts in the world nannying with us, I think she will be getting one of the best gifts too enjoying the simple times with you both too.

Declan & Evan, I love you through and through.   I love you for who you were yesterday, today and who you are yet to be,

Mom