Bracket Challenge

You can't get through March without March Madness, not in our house.  

Every year as I was growing up, my dad and I would fill out brackets.  Back then, we didn't have a fancy printer to just print the bracket to have at our disposal.  We bought multiple newspapers, then cut the brackets out and used that for the entire tournament.  

Since Brian and I have been together, we have also filled out brackets together, but usually on the ESPN app.  Come to think of it, I don't think either of us have ever paid our bets after losing.

This year was the chance for a new tradition.  Brian, Drake and I filled out brackets.  I knew Drake wouldn't be able to get past his love of Duke to pick anyone except them to win.  Surprisingly, Hattie didn't want to join us.  I thought she would strictly pick off of which name she likes best, but she passed us up.

Brian patiently stood next to Drake, and explained all the teams, who they may have played which would result in the win-loss record, and answered any questions he had.

I just can't get over his sweet, little boy handwriting.  Admittedly, mine looks pretty similar.

In the end, Brian won the challenge and thankfully Drake was a really good sport the entire way.

I Love Him, But...

I love my son, but that hair...

Part of being divorced parents is also fighting over hair styles.  Drake's dad has convinced him that this mohawk look is awesome, and that he should grow it out like some professional baseball player.  I'm still waiting to see that player, but I digress.

While this boy was all mine for spring break, we trimmed up that bird's nest.  Mostly, I just couldn't handle the rat tail that was growing in the back.  Where I come from, rat tails are for rednecks.  Off to Sports Clips we went, and the finished product looked so much more handsome than the little boy I took in there.

And don't worry, I warned his dad about what was going to happen.  I literally thought he was going to cry, which in turn made me smile.

The City Museum

This year was our first year to have the kids for the entire spring break.  While we really just had plans to stay home and enjoy the kids, we also made some pit stops along the way.

The first stop was in St. Louis and this place is by far one of my favorite children's attractions, The City Museum.  It has a reasonable admission, your kids can play, roam, and discover.  If your a brave (or tiny) adult, there is plenty for you to explore as well.  Fortunately for our knees, Brian and I are not small people.  But my rear end fits perfectly on the benches as I watch my kids run everywhere.

Hattie and Drake love the tunnels and I love having the chance to just talk to Brian, people watch, and try to figure out where my kids will show up next.

Sidenote:  My kids are VERY good about not going far from us.  If your kids tend to run away, probably not going to be an enjoyable time.

The first time we went, Brian and I attempted to go into some of the tunnels...only to find out that we could only go so far before we couldn't fit.  It's all fun and games until you are two large adults.

I highly recommend the City Museum, even for adults!

My Secret Garden

I'm most definitely not a gardener.  I prefer to buy my vegetables already grown.

Unfortunately, I also forget about the vegetables I have in the house...and then this happens.

Oops.

Split Second Smile

I literally cannot get this boy to really smile for a picture.  He's at that stage of just sticking out his tongue or making some funny face to ruin my picture.  I remember my mom always getting bent out of shape if I or my friends stuck our tongue out in a picture.

Guess what?!?

I get it mom!  I hate it too!

And that is what leads to me taking advantage of a selfie with Drake even when I'm in the middle of doing my hair.  I took this moment of his loving, good mood and took one for the team.  Any opportunity is short lived with a 7 year old.

Just When You Think You've Made It...

 Are you ever really proud of your kid?  You look at them and think, "Damn, I've done something right after all!"  Then reality hits and you just shake your head?  I know I'm not alone!

Drake is a smart kid and you never have to ask him twice to read a book.  So when he gets in the car right after school and immediately picks up a book to read for a while, I have that thought.  That thought saying, "Yeah, I've got a good one here.  I never have to ask him to read, he just does it and loves it."

Drake then asked me to help him set up an account with the program he uses in his gifted program.  I happily oblige, just so proud that my son wants to keep learning even while at home.

Then I see his login...that he chose.

Making passwords using the word "poop" is normal for a 7 year old boy, right?

I'm just asking as I shake my head and take back the pat on my back that I gave myself.

Reaching Those Goals

Hattie started in gymnastics like the normal baby/toddler.  My dad and I used to chase her and Drake around the mat "participating" in all the little obstacles that the teacher had set up for the class.  As the years have passed, Hattie was in and out of gymnastics but over the winter she got more serious.  

While she only attended class once a week, she diligently paid attention to her goals and progress.  One night, she went through the skills needed to move up to the next class.  We regularly talked about her progress towards completing those skills and how she was working to get better.  

Then one night she called and told me that she successfully completed a pullover.  And in even better news, she knew the gym would post it on social media.  I scoured all forms of social media for several days until they finally posted my baby girls accomplishment.  

She is good at smiling for pictures (believe me, I know how lucky I am at this age), but that smile is from the heart.  She's proud of herself, but she couldn't possible be as proud as I am!

They Made My Day, Too!

As I've said before, Valentine's Day is my jam.  It takes all my control to not buy every heart decoration and every gift to show to my love.  But when I opened up mail, on Valentine's Day, from Hattie and Drake, my heart hit the permanent melted point.  Every mom loves homemade gifts and my babies each made me a personalized Valentine's Day card. 

I cried.  

Like, I cried immediately.

Drake made sure to use black, because it's my favorite color.  One thing I love about his art work, is just imagining his little hands cutting through magazines with me in mind.  

While Drake got it right with the black, Hattie knocked it out of the park with the cheeseburger stickers.  My absolute, most favorite food in this world is cheeseburgers and my kids 100% know that.

I've gotten a lot of Valentine's Day cards in the past, but these are two cards that I will never, ever, as long as I shall live, forget.  These will forever be treasured by me and my Valentine's Day loving self.

Valentine's Day 2018

If you asked me, we could skip Thanksgiving and Christmas and roll straight to my two favorite holidays...New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day.  

(Poor Brian though, our anniversary and my birthday also fall into that time span.  Sorry 'bout it, babe!)

Back to the best day of the year, Valentine's Day!  I LOVE this day.  I have no good reasons why, but as a kid my parents also celebrated (nothing too big) and I've always loved this day as a day to show someone how special they are to you.  I realize that some people think it's an excuse to spend money when you should show your love everyday...but I wholeheartedly disagree.  Bring on the love!

As a side note to this post, Brian is still in training when it comes to the importance of this day to me.  He thinks I'm nuts. 

Since we won't be with the kids on February 14th, I brought (some) of their presents with me.  Brian had to hold me back from buying more.  And he definitely questioned my sanity when I stood in Walmart and demanded having gift wrap and bags that were Valentine's specific. 

 I love this picture for so many reasons. 

1- Hattie knew what she was getting...that girl made me a specific list, yet she still paused and took in the moment to share Drake's joy.

2 - Drake's joyful expression over this very simple gift.  This is a picture of him with the king mackerel he caught during our holiday vacation in Florida.  He was proud of himself in that moment and I hope this picture always reminds him of his first time fishing in the ocean.

 

This boy loves his facts and he loves his Cardinals.  We raise them right.

#redbirdnation 

 

All Hattie wanted was Peppa Pig toys.  On Facetime one night, she diligently wrote out every Peppa Pig toy she knew.  She then proceeded to send me a picture of the list, just in case I forgot. 

All she wanted was Peppa Pig anything and everything...and that's what we delivered.

Baller for Life!

So maybe the term "Baller" doesn't really fit Drake.  He's way too much of a rule follower to ever appear as a badass.  But even though he's 100% a gentle giant, he's impressively pretty tough on the court.  And he only tripped over his own feet a couple of times.

I pretty much love how the boys are all intently listening to their coach before the game.  I can just tell that Drake's wheels are spinning and he's listening to every word.  Drake and two other boys have played basketball together since they started playing sports and it's so cute to watch them grow and work together.  

Have I mentioned that one of them is in Hattie's class and clearly they crush on each other?  If not...that's a story for another time.

Drake is definitely the tallest on the team so that almost automatically gets him in the circle to start the game.  I'm also so impressed with how my timid sweet boy performs so well when he's playing sports. 

Another thing being tall gets you?  Playing center.  

Even though the Orange Crush lost, they played well and have grown so much.  Drake and another kid (Hattie's future boy toy) never come out of the games.  By the end, Drake would just stand by the basket and rub his eyes.  Brian somewhat controlled his cheering, he just kept telling Drake to be a "big body".  I guess that's man language for act tough and be strong? 

Last Minute Snow Day

Originally, we had planned to stay through Monday night to watch Drake's basketball game.  However, the weather quickly declined during the Superbowl and we found out school was cancelled for Monday.  Hattie chose to just spend the night and next day with us instead of going back to her dad's house.  

Like I said a few posts ago, this alone time is much needed and very special.  Hattie is my mini me.  She's WAY more outgoing than I ever had the guts to be, but she's my inner self.  She's opinionated, sassy, 100% girly, and she also has a big crush on Brian (she get it from her mama!).

After a morning of swimming and watching cartoons that SHE choose, we decided to head to the pottery place in town.  This place actually has some really great food too, so it was a win for Brian and I as well.  Hattie requested her favorite McDonald's chicken nuggets for herself. You know I never say no to McDonald's!

Hattie painted a princess, Brian painted a football player, and I chose a Valentine's Day mug.  Brian and I are both only children, so letting Hattie help in our painting was a challenge for each of us.  It's so crazy to recognize my only child traits as I get older.

We gave Hattie a couple more choices of what to do after pottery.  I was really nervous that she would be bored because she is so used to having a twin brother to play with.  And believe me, they prefer to play with each other in these situations and clam up when another kid tries to talk to either of them.  She chose a bounce house and played hard for over an hour, but she paused for picture opportunities "for her scrapbook".  

Dinner was also her choice and she chose Red Lobster.  Her reasoning?  "Because Mom lets me eat all the biscuits that I want to eat!"

To be honest, I let her eat all the biscuits she wants because I want to eat all the biscuits that I want as well.

At moments, I felt like I was forgetting something and things were awkwardly calm...all this because I'm used to having double trouble.  Hattie was a sweetheart all day, she was surprised and joyful with each activity we did that day.  Even though that snow day means an extra day of school in May, I'm so thankful we got to spend that time with just Hattie. 

Party by Hattie

Oh football...you're not my favorite sport.  It's not you, it's me.  I know nothing about you. But when it comes to a party...Hattie is ready to plan!  She became my professional tailgating sidekick during the fall and now she's moved on to planning her Superbowl parties.

At Hattie's request, she planned, decorated, and helped cook a spread.  We even had wristbands to get into the party and invitations with polls as to who would win.  My parents house was dawned with 48 balloons and mismatched streamers everywhere.  Luckily Brian was with us when we shopped for decorations or she would have only had about a quarter of what she walked out of the store with.  Apparently, I'm a party pooper. 

Also, my mother has a plethora (and then some) of cheesy party platters and goodies.  Hattie picked out bowls and dishes, and THEN picked out what she could possibly put in each container.  My dad was overwhelmed with all this clutter...as was I.  

 This girl made a list of food...then made a list of things to do for the party...and made another list with the specific times that each food item should be prepared...she wore me out on Saturday, so much so that I was worried about how Sunday would go with this "planning".

 After Drake's baseball practice, we arrived back at my parents house to the welcome sign.  It said "Welcome to the Party by Hattie", complete with a football and "yay!".  This picture was taken before she scanned our wristbands to come through the door.  She runs a legit business.

 She completed her list and posed for her Superbowl Party planning debut.

Our list of food included:  

Little Smokies wrapped in bacon

Cheese Dip

Pringles (for the picky ones)

Crab legs

Sloppy Joes

Macaroni and Cheese

Shrimp Cocktail

Bread and Butter (only because she had to find a use for that cute spreader knife)

Fruit (which was gone 3 minutes after it was put on the table)

Dairy Queen Ice Cream

The general census was wanting the Eagles to win.  So besides the amazing party put on by Hattie, the Eagles won, we were stuffed, and all ready to pass out after that game.

Until next year...

Date Night with Drake

This year Drake's school hosted a Mother and Son Night Out.  It was a first for both Drake and me, and it was SO nice to have time with just my little buddy because being a twin means you aren't on your own very often.  

As the kids get older, I see the alone time with each kid being much more valuable.  Even as twins, they are polar opposites.  Academically, Drake is much more like me.  He's very rule oriented, loves learning and learns easily.  Hattie, on the other hand, 100% has my sassy (and maybe bitchy) attitude...so I get her and she gets me.

The event started at 6:30, and since we had to pick up Hattie after her dance, I knew we had better get there when it started.  Honestly, I was dreading some of the awkward "you're the only people here" moments but I was dead wrong.  The line was out.the.door.   

 We had four options:  Selfie Booth, Laser Tag, Bubble Ball, or Dinner.  Drake chose Laser Tag first and since we had to wait in line I coerced him into taking pictures with me.

 

 As Drake gets older, the only pictures I get with him have silly faces...which drive me insane!  I just wanna see that sweet smile!

While we were in this line, Drake knew I was cold and had left my coat at home.  He took off his coat and I asked if he wanted me to hold it for him (moms ALWAYS end up holding everything), but he replied, "No, mommy, I want you to put it on your arms since you are cold."  

As if it wasn't already obvious...he has my heart until the end of time.

 I admit, I'm not much of a game player (that's why we keep Brian around...shhh!) so I was a little nervous about playing laser tag.  Why, as a 33 year old mother, would I be nervous to play laser tag with a bunch of little boys and their moms?!?!  That was so completely stupid of me because those boys couldn't have cared less about us moms trying to hide behind blow up obstacles and trying to figure out what the hell this laser gun was telling us to do.  But don't be mistaken, the competitor in me made SURE my accuracy percentage was higher than Drake's.

Thankfully, Drake opted for dinner next instead of Bubble Ball.  There was ZERO chance I was getting into a blow up ball and let little boys knock me over.

Dinner was catered by a small Italian restaurant in the area.  They had decorated the school cafeteria, dimmed the lights, and set flowers and candles on all of the tables.  My heart melted when I realize that I'd been given this opportunity to sit down in such a cute atmosphere with my baby.  We saw a few kids he knows and I met his gifted teacher.  Sometimes it's really special to see things and people from your child's point of view.  

He also made sure to get a second helping of desserts...for "us".  Let's be real...he brought back breadsticks for me and cookies for himself.  I love carbs and he loves cookies, what can I say?

Oh Drake, that smile melts me.  You are the sweetest and most caring little boy.  I'm proud of the person you are, I'm proud of the decisions you make, and I'm luckiest mom alive to have you as my baby.