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. 

West Coast is Still the Best Coast

Even though football season can be long (and cold), this year we had a trip to Tampa to play University of South Florida.  I gladly turned this Friday night game into an extended weekend in the sun.  But then Hurricane Irma happened.  Luckily, Irma chilled out before she got to Tampa. 

For me, the week before the game was definitely filled with anxious energy because I either had four days of Florida sunshine or a cancelled trip which meant a weekend in Champaign.  Not that it's a hard choice, but if you know anything about Champaign, you'd also rather be in Tampa. 

Brian ended up staying in Tampa with me through Sunday.  Since the game was on Friday night, we had all day of Saturday to just relax.  

First, we went to one of our favorite grocery stores, Publix.  It sounds odd, but Publix makes THE BEST sub sandwiches in this entire world.  Brian introduced me to Publix on our trip to Fort Lauderdale back in May and I will never go to Florida again without eating Publix sandwiches. 

Then we ate a late breakfast in Clearwater before heading to the beach for the entire day...armed with our sandwiches, a good book, and sunscreen that we didn't use.

I did learn a lesson the hard way on this trip...I definitely should have packed gear that had NOTHING to do with Illinois football...especially when the guy you're with clearly looks like he has something to do with the football life.  The Chicago Bears were playing the Tampa Bay Bucs that same weekend so all kinds of Illinois/Chicago Bears fans had flocked to Tampa and they ALL had something to say to Brian.  

(Brian, I promise I'll go more incognito next time!)

I had been to the east coast of Florida twice before this trip to Tampa (the west coast), one trip in college and one trip with Brian.  While it's all beautiful, the east coast of Florida is a little too uppity or superficial for me.  However...that west coast life is straight up midwest living on the beach.  The people around us were definitely good eaters (if you get what I'm saying), rich rednecks there for a good time, and overall just laid back people. 

So maybe we took a bottle of Tito's with us too.  And maybe that bottle had something to do with forgetting to use the sunscreen.  And maybe it led us to a bar on the beach where we drank fruity drinks and ate everything on the menu.  Either way, the west coast of Florida definitely won me over. 

August Birthday Celebrations

Brian's birthday is only 4 days before Hattie and Drake's birthday and since we couldn't all be together on their birthdays (thank you football season!), we celebrated with cakes, candles, and extra presents when my parents and the kids came for Labor Day weekend.  

On our trip to Tulsa to go to the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile store and lodge, Hattie had the latest edition of the Pioneer Woman magazine to read in the car.  In the magazine, they had highlighted a birthday cake in the shape of a number with sprinkles all over it.  Hattie and Drake literally told me immediately that THAT was the birthday cake they wanted this year.

I thought ok, simple enough...I'll take the homemade cake and substitute with a box cake mix, cut it into the number seven and dump sprinkles everywhere...easy enough, right?  Well, it was easy, until I had a mess of cake scraps and sprinkles all over the floor.  

(Thank you, Brian, for choosing just a plain angel food cake for your birthday cake!)

 We sang three Happy Birthday songs, because in my family (which is loaded on twins and even triplets) we sing a song for each person and each person gets their own cake.  Works out well for us because Hattie would starve before she ate chocolate and Drake wouldn't eat a cake unless it was chocolate. 

Drake had been asking for baseball cards and this gift was right up Brian's alley.  He couldn't wait to buy the set of cards, sort them, and help Drake organize them.  I can't tell you how many times Drake thanked us for his cards.  He even stopped me one night as he was watching tv and I was picking up and said, "No, Mom, really...thank you for the baseball cards".  

Next up was opening weekend of Illinois Football!  Hattie finally fits into her cheerleading uniform, she had a matching bow, and her favorite silver pom poms.  It was hot, but we won and everyone survived the heat.  I also introduced both my parents and the kids to their first tailgating.  We had a breakfast spread with biscuits and gravy, yogurt, fruit, juice, smoothies, and of course...beer and vodka.

And of course, our annual family pic in the weight room.  Drake hugging Brian basically makes my heart beat out of my chest.  Those two are trouble together.

7 Years of Hattie and Drake

I'm behind, once again life gets busy.  But over the last couple months I feel like I'm getting life a little more on track.  I've got some personal business settled, found a routine that will last through at least the next two months/football season, and most importantly...I've started to find some extra time for blogging and scrapbooking.  

If I'm being 100% honest, I think my lack of blogging has been attributed to so much of my personal life being up in the air...like divorce, visiting schedules with kids, moving, etc.  But guess what?  Life is pretty fantastic now, it has been for a while but I've had to come out of a fog to see the light. Scrapbooking and looking back on memories, whether on the blog or in a scrapbook, really reminds me that these little memories fall into the back of your mind and it's so nice to look at years passed on a blog and have all these memories come to life again.

I'm also 5 years behind in scrapbooking so if I'm being REALLY honest, the blog also helps me keep track of what happened in these pictures 5 years ago.

With all of that being said, I will start my new blogging adventures with Hattie and Drake turning 7 back in August!

Hattie and Drake's birthday happened to fall on a weekend that was my weekend this year.  In the past, we have split up the day for the birthday, it changed every year, and the language was complicated and usually led to fights.  However, this year (and with the new parenting agreement) the birthday weekend was mine, all mine, to celebrate with my monsters.  

Hattie and Drake were supposed to be born in October but instead suprised the world 8 weeks early in a very emergency situation.  When all was settled right after my c-section, I remember the only thought I had that didn't scare me to death about having 8 week premature twins was that August birthdays are (in my opinion) more fun that October birthdays.  Keep in mind I have a January birthday which has never provided for a fun pool party.

Because I wanted to take full advantage of the August sunshine, I thought our first stop of the weekend would be White Water, a water park I hadn't been to in over a decade.  The kids had also never been so it was an adventure for all of us.

I was surprised at their brave attitudes when some rides made my heart drop.  There was one ride that basically drops you straight down before you pop out the end of a slide.  I'm not even exaggerating when I say a trap door opens and you drop.  We got part way up the stairs for the ride and I said, "Oh, hell no.  This mom does NOT drop straight down out of anything."  But Drake couldn't wait to ride this one.  I'd like to tell you I became braver because of him, but I really just stopped in my tracks and watched him go up the stairs, wait in line, and drop out of that door.  He was all smiles afterwards.

 The next stop was one of my favorite places to go, Dixie Stampede.  This a dinner show with all finger food, no silverware, and a show about the North vs South.  The kids have been here a million times and know exactly what to expect and have even been asked to participate in some of the games a couple of times.  Drake was asked to stand up and learn how to use a lasso but he declined this time...he's way too shy now, just like me.

The mother next to me gave me the ultimate compliment.  And any mother knows the ultimate compliment is someone saying her children are well behaved.  This turned into her randomly, in the middle of dinner, asking me when she should start potty training.  Uhh...how long have I known you?  

The last stop of the night was Drake's number 1 request...mini golf.  I really thought it would be kind of a circus, I'd easily beat them, maybe we shouldn't even keep score...but that monster in the orange killed me! He had a couple hole in ones and straight up won.  

I'm pretty sure this one of the only pictures he's not making a silly face in...I assume because he wanted to rub in that he won.  Hattie however...I'm not really sure what she's doing with that expensive doll upside down and her finger in her mouth...

No matter what, these two bring sunshine to me every day.  They are blessings that I didn't even know could exist until I had them.  They push boundaries in life everyday and I mean that in a good way.  Drake is smart as can be and Hattie has an imagination that makes me jealous.  I couldn't imagine not hearing them say "Hi, Mom!" everyday.  I know I've said it to them, but I will love them through every single thing they do.  Good or bad, this mom's love will never fade away.

Ballpark Tour, Part 1

Sports have always been a bit of drama in our relationship.  Neither of us are really into the other's favorite sport.  He likes football (obviously, he's a coach) and I really just go to football games to people watch, play with other coach's kids, and wave at him from the stands.  On the flip side, I love baseball...and he's thinks professional baseball is a snooze fest.  Luckily, we both love college basketball, whew! 

With that bit of background...now I introduce you to a changed man! He said he'd try to get more into baseball this summer.  Originally I bet him that he'd only last until June before he was bored...but then we found White Sox games.  We only live a couple hours from Chicago so hopefully this becomes a summer weekend get away.  

PS - I'm a Cardinals fan until the day I die, so there will be no enjoying myself at a Cubs game...it's just too soon. 

It was just about the most beautiful day for a baseball game...in Chicago...in April.  We couldn't have been luckier.

Being the best travel planner around, I shouldn't have been surprised that Brian found us seats SO close to the field.  I've never sat that close at a professional baseball game and I was 100% freaking out about being that close to some players that I've followed for several years.

 And what's a baseball game without trying all the food?  My first choice was a foot long Chicago style hot dog.  It was everything I dreamed of!  We wrapped up our food tour with churros. Random, I know, but churros at games is kind of our thing.

We also went to the Brookfield Zoo and it was a REALLY good zoo.  Very well laid out, lots of people but not crowded feeling...and they sold beer.  

This polar bear was super close to us and we got to watch him (or maybe her?) play around for a while.

I thought the penguins might be a little more active, but they were cute nonetheless.

Maybe the parrot was a little boring, but he sure was pretty.  

This dolphin show though...this show was legit.  I think it only costs like $3 extra with your zoo admission ticket and it was hands down the best dolphin show I've seen.  I took Hattie and Drake to show at Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago recently and it pales in comparison to this one.

Chicago has ended up being our weekend home as there's only so much Champaign we can handle.  Next trip? Cincinnati Reds game!