Recent Events

I've been totally consumed with holidays and life and just never having time to update this blog. For that, I am sorry! but here is a little breakdown of what has been going on...

-thousands of coffee shop dates and play dateswith our friends.

-Eloise has her 9 month check up at the doctor and she is perfect! almost 19 lbs now. The doctor predicts she will be walking any day now!

-Luka recently went to the Emergency Room after not having a bowel movement for 2 weeks. He has been having so many stomach issues for a long time now and it has just been getting worse and worse. We have some appointments set up with a pediatric GI specialist and can't wait for some answers. My poor boy.

-He also potty trained himself! One day, he told me he wanted to use the potty so he just started going! after a few accidents on day one, he has had a perfect record since. even over nap time! tonight, he requested to wear underwear to bed as well. here's to hoping I don't have extra laundry in the morning!

-Eloise is teething and cutting some more teeth which can leave her a bit fussy. Hoping for more chompers soon!

-We move NEXT WEEKEND!

and the biggest news yet....

WE ARE OFFICIALLY HALF WAY DONE WITH THIS DEPLOYMENT! woohoo!!!

I hope to be able to update this more as we settle into our new home and the holidays quit consuming my life!

-Kacy

Eloise is 9 Months Old!

I cannot believe my little girl has now officially been out of my womb as long as she was in! Born at exactly 39 weeks and now 39 weeks old. 

Eloise is such an incredible joy. She is the happiest baby ever. Everyone always comments on how she never cries and is genuinely always in a good mood. She is cuddly, excitable, and so smart.

At nine months old she...

-is still breastfed

-wakes 1-2 times at night

-naps twice a day

-claps

-crawls

-pulls up to stand

-takes steps occasionally while holding onto things

-sometimes stands with no assistance

-can eat any food and loves it all

-says "mama" "dada" and sometimes "hi"

she likes:

-MUSIC

-when her dad calls her

-playing with her brother

-riding in the stroller

-jumping

-kisses

-mirrors

she dislikes:

-having toys taken from her

-changing her clothes

-being buckled into her car seat

-when mama leaves her sight

Overall, Eloise is the most sensational little girl. She loves to dance and play with toys. She is obsessed with rolling on the floor with her brother and practically bursts at the seams from excitement when her dad calls her. Eloise loves looking through her photos of Daddy and snuggling in bed with her Mama. She is cloth diapered full time and still nurses often with no signs of stopping. Her favorite foods are blueberries, bananas, apples, and graham crackers. 

I am so unbelievably lucky to have such a perfect and amazing daughter. She is such a pleasure to watch grow and I am so excited for her first holidays :)

-Kacy

Busy Bees

I really miss Kansas, but one thing I do LOVE about VA is we are ALWAYS busy! My calendar hasn't had a single empty day on it since we got here and I see no end in sight. We have standing playdates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. Tuesdays and Thursdays we usually have cleaning, shopping, or friend visiting to do. Weekends are filled with activities like going to Maryland to see our best friends or events around town.

This past weekend the kids spent their first night away from me EVER and it was crazy! I went out with some friends to celebrate a birthday and left the kids with their Grandma Kate. They had a great time, but they were SO EXCITED to see me! I couldn't even sleep in the next morning because I was so excited too. I rushed to get them and spent the rest of the day snuggling them up!

Tomorrow we will be heading to DC to spend the weekend with my dad and we are stoked! Luka has been using his suitcase so much lately and he loves it. That kid loves to travel!

We have all been doing great. Eloise has cut her first two teeth and Luka has learned a ton of new words. Every day he asks me to play with his friends! We have been gearing up to move again, this time to our "permanent" VA residence and getting ready for the holidays. I have completed the kids' Christmas gifts which is such a relief! (Now I get to obsess over their birthday party, right?)

William has been doing great as well. The kids love to Skype with him and Luka loves to talk about his Daddy to everyone he meets. Eloise looks at her photo album of her Daddy a couple times a day and loves to smack his picture (or try to eat it...).

All in all, Virginia is suiting us! I love all the options to keep busy and enjoy never having a spare minute. Even though some days still seem slow, the pace of this deployment is picking up nicely. I just can't wait until we can put it behind us and be together as a family again!

-Kacy

Halloween Fun!

Since moving to Virginia, we have had maybe two days that were not filled with plans. In fact, our calendar is still full all the way to December! We have stayed super busy and it has been so much fun for the kids to see so many friends, get out, and do things meant for their enjoyment. Happy kids equals a happy momma!

Some of the fun we have had has included: pumpkin picking, trunk or treats, fall festivals, hayrides, pumpkin painting, and Halloween itself.

The kids have both LOVED all the holiday festivities. We have enjoyed a lot of them with friends which has made it even more special for them. Luka is also at the age where he mostly "gets it" and loves to play games and be in on the fun. By some Halloween magic, he even WANTED to wear the ears on his Mickey Mouse costume! He also did so well trick or treating. He would say "trick or treat!" and get some candy for himself and put some in Eloise's bucket as well. Sometimes, he truly surprises me in how well he handles things that normally trigger a meltdown for him. Luckily, we only had one issue on Halloween that lasted more than two seconds (One lady was giving out silly bands. He stuck his hand in the bucket and the "yucky" surprise feeling of it set him off.) Overall, we had a BLAST with all of our holiday fun.

We aren't big Thanksgiving people, but I am sure we will have a small celebration of sorts amongst ourselves. We will also be preparing to move to our new (and permanent for the rest of our Virginia stay) place just before Christmas, so I am sure we will be busy anyway....of course ;)

-Kacy

Fall Time Fun!

We have been crazy busy the last few days squeezing in all the fall fun we possibly can! We picked pumpkins and went to an awesome berry farm. Both were super fun!

I have been going to the same family-owned pumpkin patch for years and I love it! They are so sweet and the pumpkins are cheap and fantastic and you get to ride a hayride to the patch! Luka and Eloise adored the hay ride and Luka really enjoyed looking through all the pumpkins. We ended up with four regular pumpkins and one tiny one! The kids painted theirs today and LOVED it! Luka even FINGER painted his which is amazing since he is scared of getting his hands dirty.

We also went to the berry farm with some friends of ours. Luka has suddenly become fearless and did EVERYTHING! He rode a barrel train ride, climbed a massive hay stack, bounced in a bounce house, and insisted on riding the BIG horse and not the pony. It was so fun for him and me! Eloise was happy to just be along for the ride! 

We also went to a birthday party at Pump It Up! this weekend that was SO FUN! Luka was so incredibly well behaved, despite it being way past his bedtime! He played nicely, climbed everything fearlessly, played WITHOUT needing me by his side (first time ever!). He even did the huge obstacle course! When arriving at the large climbing wall (approx 7 feet high), Luka said he was scared and wanted to get out. I told him I would get him out if he really wanted and he thought on it a moment then decided to try! I was so proud of him. He climbed all the way to the top! GO LUKA!

We have a TON more fun activities coming up this week and I can't wait!!

PS Eloise is EIGHT months old today! Maybe an update on her later this week!

-Kacy

Happy 3 Year Anniversary!

This past Wednesday, October 16, marked THREE YEARS since William and I got married. I seriously cannot believe that three years have passed. It feels like just yesterday! 

William and I met in middle school. He was dating my best friend, Katy, (who is still my best friend) and when they broke up, he took me on a date to make her jealous. He had a long, ugly mullet and was really weird. I have no idea why I agreed. Regardless, he ignored me after that one awkward date. My poor little 12-year-old heart.

Fast forward to senior year in high school, Katy and I were in most of the same classes (and still best friends). She was still friends with William and the three of us were in math together. We all sat at the same table and, to be honest, William got on my nerves. We were constantly fighting and he always pushed my buttons on purpose. He had ditched the mullet though, which was a plus. But nothing else about him appealed to me. Katy wanted to set us up and by some sort of magic, it eventually worked. William had a crush on me and I eventually went out with him to shut Katy up. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made. 

We immediately hit it off on a deep level. He understood me and from the beginning, I felt I could tell him anything. We went out once before we made it official. We were saying "I love you's" from day one. It just worked. It was just perfect. Embarrassingly fast, but real. We even looked at engagement rings on a date right after getting together. We made plans for after high school to stay a couple during college and I had a sort-of promise ring after being official for a month (I still wear this ring, always). We may have gotten married while I was pregnant, but this was no way a factor in our decision. We just loved each other and wanted to be together forever from the start. He proposed to me and we got married on our six month anniversary. Our wedding was exactly what I had wanted since I was a little girl and watched my mom's friend get married in the same place. We had a blast with our close family and friends and I always treasure that memory.

He is just my perfect match. We don't have to try. Our relationship isn't hard or something we work on. It just...works. All by itself. We love each other and are true to each other in mind, body, and heart 100% of the time. He is my soul mate. 

This is our third anniversary and the second he has been away for. One day, we will get to celebrate together. Each and every other day of the year is just as special to me as I get to call him mine. I really am lucky. How many people get to be with their soul mate more years than they aren't? I know that will happen with us. Only 3 years down and forever to go.

Our Senior Prom

Our Wedding

I love you, William!

-Kacy

My Favorite Things About Luka.

Luka is what you would call a "spirited" or "high needs" kid. He always has been from the moment he was born. Spirited children are a classification of kids identified by these characteristics: intense, hyperactive, draining, feeds frequently, demanding, awakens frequently, unsatisfied, unpredictable, super-sensitive, can't put baby down, not a self-soother, and separation sensitive. You may think these sound like any baby or toddler, but TRUST ME, it is completely different. A spirited child is just the entire definition of intense and draining. Sometimes, its not even five minutes after Luka is awake that I am ready for bed time. He takes all my attention and energy and patience from the moment he wakes up until he falls asleep at night. And it can be super hard to deal with, especially alone. However, because of the last characteristic (separation sensitive), I have only left Luka for more than a single errand twice in his life. He is 2 1/2 years old. It is hard to find people who understand Luka and what he needs. I get uncomfortable leaving him with anyone because of all of his very intense behaviors. And on top of all this, he has a LOT of sensory issues as well. As in, he does NOT want to be touched by most people. Me? He refuses to leave my lap 3/4 of every day. He constantly begs for hugs, for me to lie on top of him, or for me to rub his head. But others? He isn't digging it. After five days here, he finally let my mom hug him. Which is another issue with letting people care for him. Everyone wants the cute toddler hugs and high fives and such, but Luka gets colossally upset when he is touched against his will, even by me. Its not something he should "get over" either. He shouldn't have to hug or kiss or high five or hold the hand of anyone he doesn't want to, just like any other human being. BUT that is a hard concept for many people to grasp.

Because of all this extra spirit Luka has, in addition to an infant, a deployed husband, moving, and general life stress...I am BEAT and pretty much exhausted of patience most days. With Luka being such a whirlwind and so...Luka...he tends to get the brunt of my frustrations. I admit: though I try my best, sometimes I forget he is a person and needs to be listened to just like any one else. I lose my temper with him more often lately because I just don't have an outlet at this point. And that is not fair. He deserves to be heard and have needs met and have things explained to him if he doesn't understand (i.e. why you can't hug the dog around his neck or have 6 pop tarts for lunch). So, the other day I decided to have a day just for him. He skipped his nap and we went to the zoo instead. It was practically empty, so I let him run amuck. He led the way (running) the entire time. Luka tried to catch peacocks, helped push Eloise in the stroller, and splashed in puddles to his hearts content. Luka chased me all the way out of the zoo when it was time to go. I allowed him to pick a toy at the gift shop (he chose a flashlight that projects images of animals) and we even got McDonald's for dinner (and he ate the whole meal...for the first time in his life). It was such an awesome time and he was so happy to have a day for him, as all the days lately have been for cleaning and packing and planning and Eloise fussing, etc etc. I forgot how AWESOME he can be, you know? Eloise went to bed early and I let Luka stay up and finish a movie he was watching and he just laid in my lap and told me he loved me. At bed time, he got into his PJs and into bed with no fussing or fighting. Luka felt important and noticed and had his attention quota filled. All of it made me realize that, yeah, things are super hard for ME, but they are also super hard for HIM. I mean, I know this logically, but when I am upset also it is hard to remember. Think about it. In ONE YEAR Luka has...had his dad leave, gotten a little sister, got his dad back, moved halfway across the country, had his dad leave again, and now is moving...again. He is a real trooper and deserves more days all about him.

Today was not such a good day for him. He laid on the floor of the post office and wouldn't move, he refused to eat anything and had a tantrum over being hungry, he screamed when it was time to come home from a play date...Luka had a MAJOR case of the "Mondays." So while I spent most of the day counting the hours til bedtime and being generally annoyed, once Eloise went to bed and he crawled into my lap, I decided to think of my top ten favorite things about Luka to try and shake off all my negative feelings. Here it goes:

My Favorite Things About Luka

1. The way he LOVES his sister more than anyone else and tells her all the time and insists on kissing her before each nap and bedtime.

2. His big, cheesy smile and his too-loud laugh.

3. His compassion. He constantly asks "You okay, Mommy?" and "Why crying?" if Eloise, me, or even a random baby in a store is sporting some tears on their cheeks. He instantly gives a hug, pats your back, and finds you a tissue.

4. His love of books. He could read books all day long.

5. How much he loves to help out. If I ask him to grab me some baby wipes or turn the lights off, he jumps up and yells "sure!' it is awesome.

6. His memory. He remembers EVERYTHING. 

7. How well he listens 90% of the time (he is 2, he can't ALWAYS listen).

8. The way he sings in the car. It is to die for.

9. His love of going on walks or generally being outside. It is so fun to take him to places where he has lots of space to run and get messy.

10. His hugs. Though sometimes excessive, tight, and never-ending, I wouldn't give them up for anything.

-Kacy

Eloise's First Word

Eloise has been babbling a lot lately. Lots of squealing sounds, mamamamas, and dadadadadadas. However, you can't count anything as a baby's first word (unless you want to, of course. your baby=your rules) until they understand the word and use it correctly (i.e. saying "mamamamamamama" to her books doesn't equal her saying "mama"). So, up until yesterday, Eloise had not said her first word.

William and I have always joked about doing secret tactics to get our kids to say our names first. We both failed with Luka as his first word was "ball," so there was a lot of competition over who would "win" with Eloise. Here is a hint: the whole "daddy's girl" thing is real.

Despite knowing her daddy through Skype for most of her life, Eloise's first real word is "Dada." Yesterday, we were skyping with William and I held Eloise up to see William as always. She hadn't been babbling beforehand or anything, just quietly playing. I told her to say hi once she could see William's face on the screen and she cracked a big smile and said clear as day "Dada!" Not "dadadadada." Not babbling afterwards. No ifs, ands, or buts. Eloise looked at her  daddy and said "Dada." 

I would be lying if I said I didn't tear up a smidge. This sweet baby girl who has only been with her dad in person for a total of three months of her life, just knows in her heart that he is her daddy and it is so very clear how much she loves him. So maybe I didn't "win" this one, but that's okay. I think William deserved this first word anyway. Despite the distance, he goes out of his way to be an amazing dad to both of our sweeties. Besides, we want a bunch of kids. Mama is bound to win one first word war, right?

-Kacy

Weekly Update and some news.

Weekly Update:

Obsessing over: The kids' birthday...it's early, but working on it slowly!

Working on: Packing

Thinking about: William, a lot!

Anticipating: An appropriate hour for sleeping.

Drinking: water!

It has been an interesting few weeks. After a lot (A LOT...A LOOOOOOT) of thought, discussion, and planning, I have decided to move back to Virginia for the remainder of William's deployment. I didn't want to originally as we had JUST unpacked, we'd have to find somewhere to live in VA, I'd have to do it all by myself, and we would be moving back in just 9 months...so many more reasons as well, but those being the main ones. However, being out here without William is lonely. I really don't want to leave the friends I have made or my nice apartment or even the general state of Kansas. Its so clear and nice here. But I really miss my family and friends in Virginia. I miss my two bestest friends who my kids are named after. I want to help one plan her wedding next to her instead of chatting via Pinterest pins. I miss my parents...I have NEVER been away from my dad this long! I miss the kids having more people who are stable in their lives and love them.

It is hard to feel safe out here alone. I get nervous sometimes being in charge of two small kids when I only have two hands myself. I'm not a martial arts master or a sharpshooter. I don't have anyone right down the road who could speed over and help me. I don't have anyone I feel comfortable crying in front of for the random times I get overwhelmed and sad. I just don't have enough of a life established here to feel comfortable staying by myself. It'll be nice to have extra hands when I am up to my ears in stress from taking care of the kids. Like this past week, Luka had a cold and Eloise was teething and guess who got no sleep between waking up at different times with each one? Let me give you a hint...I am the only one here. So, me. 

I braved two months out here, but I am ready to go back. It will be nice to be able to come back to Kansas and know we will be a family for awhile, like we were supposed to the first time. 

Anyway, everything else is great. The kids are awesome, William is awesome, and I am doing pretty good too. I feel like the move home will help the deployment go faster, at least, I hope so because it is still crawling. I am so ready for it to be next year! 

-Kacy

Eloise is SEVEN MONTHS old!

Alright...who has the time machine and is fast forwarding through this year? How is my tiny 7lb 15oz newborn a big, beautiful baby!?

My sweet Eloise! Where do I even begin? She has learned SO MUCH in the past month.

In the past month she has learned to...

• Sit unsupported for any amount of time
• Crawl on her hands and knees
• Sit up from lying down
• Eat solid foods

Soon after her 6 month "birthday," Eloise started to sit. She showed ALL signs of wanting to eat so we began solid foods. She has eaten small pieces of banana, baby puffs..really anything I am eating that is healthy, I let her take a bite of. We have done a few purees here and there which has helped her with her tongue movement SO much. She no longer instantly moves food out of her mouth, but is able to keep it in and "chew" it. When doing purees, I often just put the food on the spoon and allow Eloise to put it in her own mouth as not to disrupt her independence with eating. She does AMAZINGLY well at spoon feeding herself. I am SO proud of her in this aspect.

Eloise is also crawling! I had no idea a baby could crawl so young, but she has been slowly working up to it for two weeks (started getting on her hands and knees, then rocking, then pushing forward) and now can crawl completely. It is incredible to watch her! She is so mobile and on the move!

Eloise likes...

• Her puppy
• Her brother
• Kisses!
• Skyping Daddy
• Eating
• Sophie the Giraffe
• Smiling
• Music
• Napping
• LOTS and LOTS of nursing
• Pinching
• Baths
• Toy cars

Eloise dislikes...

• Diaper changes
• When you do not share food
• When you take a toy she wanted

All in all, VERY happy baby. She LOVES attention and kisses and loving, but she is just as content playing on the floor with her toes. Eloise is an AMAZING little girl. She is definitely a Daddy's Girl. She constantly is loving on her Daddy Doll, looking through her photo album of Daddy, or holding her hippo toy Daddy got her before she was born. Her face just lights up when she sees photos of him or he calls and talks to her. It blows my mind how she just knows he is her Daddy.

Eloise is also obsessed with her brother, as he is with her. Luka loves giving her kisses and hugs and rolling on the floor with her. He always wants to help change her, feed her, or give her her juice. He helps me take pictures of her and likes to remind her "Its okay, Elwee! Daddy loves you!" which just melts my heart. They are the sweetest brother and sister pair I know.

We love you, precious girl, and cannot wait to keep watching you grow!

-Kacy

Life in General...

Lets start with the weekly check in and proceed from there!

Weekly Check-In

Obsessing over: HOLIDAYS! HALLOWEEN!

Working on: A special anniversary package for William.

Thinking about: sleep...

Anticipating: Autumn!

Drinking: Monster Energy...too tired to make coffee.

Alright, now that we have gotten that out of the way...I will start with Halloween. I am SO EXCITED to have two little munchkins to dress up. I am not revealing their costumes, but they are going to be SO CUTE! I was pretty set on making the kids some adorable matching treat bags, but while doing our grocery shopping, Luka saw some classic pumpkin buckets and asked for them. He picked out a silly face for himself and a happy face for Eloise. He told me "These mine! This for Elwee and this for Wooka!" (He has started to refer to himself in the third person/call people by their names and it is my favorite thing) What could I do? I had to buy them. It was too cute. BUT I also had to add my own flair because I am obsessed with Halloween. 

They turned out a lot better than I anticipated and I am super excited to use them! I am hoping they will last a few years as well.

The kids are doing great. Luka talks about his daddy all the time. He asks to call him and if I say we can't, he tells me "Oh yeah. He busy. Flying 'coptys!" (helicopters). He sometimes brings his Daddy Doll to the store, gives it random hugs, pretends to call daddy on his phone or have me call him or have him talk to Eloise. He likes to include Daddy in everything (i.e. if I say "I love you, Eloise!" Luka will say "DADDY TOO! Daddy love you too!" and such). Eloise gets really excited when they Skype. She likes to hold her Daddy Doll and sometimes I wrap her in William's clothes when she is fussy and she calms down. They have adjusted well, though Luka still doesn't like to Skype too much and sometimes he gets sad and cries for his dad. But we are surviving.

It helps that Luka and Eloise love each other so much. They are constantly playing with each other or hugging and laughing. They like to do everything together. When my grandparents were visiting, we went out to dinner and had to park far from the restaurant. It was hot outside, so I asked them to watch the kids while I brought the car around after we were done eating. Luka insisted on coming with me, though, so I just left Eloise with them. When I buckled Luka into the car, he burst into tears. I asked him what was wrong and he cried "WHERE ELWEE? MY ELWEE! NEED GET ELWEE!" When my grandfather brought her out of the restaurant, he was so happy. "Oh hi Elwee! I miss you!" It was so sweet. He really adores his sister and doing anything he can to help her.

Eloise is progressing so quickly in her milestones! She is almost 7 months old now and has just started solids. She really enjoys eating and is working at it though it is a bit hard for her. Eloise had a super rough tongue tie when she was born and always has had some trouble with her tongue movement even after it has been corrected. But thats okay! We are working slowly and together on this. As of now Eloise can...get on her hands and knees and *almost* crawl, sit up unassisted as long as she pleases, roll around everywhere, get into a bear crawl position, make the "mama mama" noise, and respond to her name. I'm not ready for all of this growing up! She is moving and shaking a lot faster than Luka did. 

William is doing great too. It is hard to be away from him, but he is an incredible soldier and doing some awesome stuff out there. He is working really hard and it is showing. I have never been more proud of him than I am now. He is such a strong and brave person. I will never be able to express my gratitude for all he has done for our family. He is amazing.

As for me...I'm okay too! I am keeping busy with my bow shop and the kids and whatever else I can manage to do. The holidays are a GREAT distraction for right now. I am in full swing for planning fun things for the kids! I can't wait :)

-Kacy

TUESDAY.

Alright...Time to check in for the week!

Weekly Check-In

Obsessing over: A consignment sale that is coming up!

Working on: Keeping my house clean...not easy.

Thinking about: Halloween! I think I want to MAKE my decor this year.

Anticipating: Bedtime...Mama's got a headache.

Drinking: some coffee. afternoon pick-me-ups!

The past few days, my grandparents have been visiting! They had never met Eloise and had last seen Luka when he was 9 months. Having them here was AWESOME. The kids were so well behaved for them and we ate out a lot (something I never get to do with William gone!) and went shopping for clothes for the kids! It was a blast and I was sad to see them go. Luka woke up curious as to when "those guys" were coming over. Poor kid! But the new toys and movies they got for him have softened the blow a bit ;). 

They also must have worked some magic because, right after her Daddy left, Eloise had been waking up every 3 hours at night, but now is averaging only 1-2 wake-ups at night (usually a 6-7 hour stretch, then a 3-4). Of course, I am not used to it and haven't benefitted yet because I wait for her to wake up, but I'm hoping to adjust soon! I am one tired mama.

It also marks a week since we have been FULL-TIME (no disposables on hand!) cloth diapering Eloise! It has been awesome. Luka was cloth diapered for awhile, but it was too much of a hassle without our own washer/dryer. Here we have them in our unit so it is completely doable! And fun! I am excited to keep adding to my stash (and even have two diapers on the way to me!) and keep this up with all of our future children. I only wish Luka would consent to wearing one!

I am also going crazy over all the holidays. I want to decorate and celebrate and make the kids matching outfits. I think a trip to Hobby Lobby is in order...

-Kacy

MONDAY Check In! and the new Etsy shop!

You guys! I made it on a Monday! Granted, it is 9 PM, but I remembered! So, let's get this out of the way....

Monday Check-In

Obsessing over: My new Etsy shop founded by me and my friend, Jillian.

Working on: finding some part-time work/hobby. maybe babysitting.

Thinking about: sleeping. and brownies.

Anticipating: hearing from William.

Drinking: nothing...but I am very thirsty.

Alright, now that THAT is out of the way...

My friend Jillian and I opened a new Etsy shop this week. We both enjoy making bows and accessories and thus opened a shop to do so together! I am so excited to say that MY FIRST BOW sold today and we only opened yesterday! Very excited. We have a couple things listed in the shop that are pre-made but we do take custom orders as well. If you have or know a little girl, you know they can never have enough bows! So, if you get a chance, take a peek at our shop and send anyone our way who could benefit from our services!

www.etsy.com/shop/charlieandelle

-Kacy

This Past Week...

We were SUPER busy this week! We went to a bunch of play dates, made special packages for William, got to Skype with William, got the kids' carseats installed by a carseat tech, and went to a BISON RANCH!

First of all, to all of our new friends, thank you so much for all the hospitality and fun we have had so far! We are excited to meet more friends and develop deeper relationships with the ones we have as well. I know Luka is highly enjoying being around other kids his age and I am DEFINITELY liking some adult social interaction, especially with people who can understand our situation. It is hard taking out a toddler and a baby, more so when that toddler is still adjusting to the big change of his dad being gone and sometimes just has random, earth shattering meltdowns. However, I haven't encountered a single judgmental look and have had offers to help in any way from all these new friends, even upon just meeting, which is the complete OPPOSITE of what happened back home when I was pregnant and dealing with Luka meltdowns in public. It is highly appreciated in ways I can't even express in words.

Now, onto the packages. I love cute-sey, creative package ideas. I know I can throw in drawings from Luka and photos of Eloise into any old package and call it a day, but I decided to send out specific packages from each kid to William. Luka's has things like a package of race cars (with attached note: "RACE home to me!"), gourmet nuts ("I'm going NUTS missing you"), and Swedish Fish ("for the oFISHal greatest dad"). Eloise's package includes things like a small globe with her footprints inside, William's favorite shave cream ("so your face is as smooth as my bottom!"), deodorant ("so you don't smell like my poo poo!), and an old pacifier of hers ("it SUCKS being without you!). Both packages have small cards soaked in each child's body wash (to remind him how they smell) and photos of them. Luka had so much fun picking out things to put in his package and kept telling the cashier "This for my Daddy! These my Daddy's." 

We also had a GREAT Skype session with William this week. Usually, if given the chance to Skype, we do so when Luka isn't around. It sometimes makes him really upset or he has a complete meltdown when it is time to go. But he asked me if we could call Daddy and William was available so we gave it a shot. He actually sat down and talked to William a bit and didn't just hide behind me the whole time. When he was all done talking he told his dad that he wanted to go watch a movie, waved goodbye, and kissed the screen. It was amazing. I was so proud of him for vocalizing and communicating to us.

As for the carseats, I STRONGLY urge EVERYONE to get them installed by a tech! We made an appointment at the local health department and a wonderful woman adjusted the straps on our seats to the proper heights and then put the seats into the car, all while explaining the guidelines for installation/safety. She checked to make sure the kids were buckled in safely as well before we left and it was all completely free. I have such a better peace of mind knowing their seats are secure and that I am buckling them in correctly each time.

LASTLY, the BISON RANCH! We went on this super cool tour of a local bison ranch where we got to get right up next to the bison and feed them! Luka had a super blast and LOVED all the chickens, horses, the tractor ride, and feeding the bison. He can be really hit or miss with these things, but he had a BLAST! At the end, we bought some bison jerky for William as well.

All in all, AWESOME week!

-Kacy

Oops...Tuesday Morning Check-In

As a stay-at-home mom, days tend to escape me. I never realize what day of the week it is, really. I just kind of go with the flow of our daily routines and no days stick out...with that said, I missed the Monday Morning Check-In two weeks in a row now...OOPS. So, Tuesday Morning it is....

Tuesday Morning Check-In

Obsessing over: getting another package out to William.

Working on: printing out some cute pictures of my spawn.

Thinking about: when I will attempt to brush out my tangled mane.

Anticipating: NAP TIME, please.

Drinking: iced coffee, yum.

Wishing: We could fast forward to 8 months from now...missing my husband something fierce the past few days.

ANYWAY, aside from that, we have been/will be rather busy the next few days/weeks! We went to a birthday party on Saturday, a playdate yesterday, we have a play date today and tomorrow, and are going to feed some BISON this weekend! (YES, FEEDING. BISON.) We are loving all the social interaction and friends! AND in the beginning of September my grandparents are coming to visit! I haven't seen them in a LONG time and I am so stoked! 

-Kacy

Eloise is SIX months old! (Dr. Appointment Update!)

Today my tiny angel turns 6 months old! I can't really believe that six months have gone by! I often count from February to now and am in shock. Where did that time go? Wasn't I JUST calling my best friend asking her to come pick me up to go to the hospital? Or struggling to put on a straight line of eyeliner through contractions (yes, I am one of those people)? Regardless, she IS half a year old (cue tears) today. Seeing as we have been moving, dealing with the deployment, etc, she hasn't seen a doctor since 3 weeks old. I decided to make her a 6 month appointment just to see how she was doing.

We are one of those "crunchy" anti-vax, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, co-sleeping type of folks so I was nervous to see the doctor and have to stand up for myself (I am a wimp) regarding my parenting choices. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't try to push anything I wasn't interested in, but only said the mandated "you should vaccinate" thing and moved on. Of course, though, Eloise is perfect! She is now 16 lbs, 3 oz (in the 54th percentile), 26 inches (in the 61st percentile), and her head is 45 inches (74th percentile). She has surpassed the majority of the 6 month milestones, but is still working on sitting up and making sounds (she is a relatively silent baby). Eloise is still exclusively breastfed and will continue to be until she can sit up on her own. The doctor suggested starting her on rice cereal now, but I don't plan on ever giving her that. We are practicing baby led weaning so rice cereal is not really in our future, especially with its lack of nutrients. Once Eloise can sit up on her own, she will start filling her belly with fruits and veggies (and breastmilk, of course!) and other good things.

All in all, Eloise is PERFECT, growing right on track, and super duper healthy! She has FINALLY started to laugh a little bit for people other than Luka. She still LOVES music, it makes her laugh. She is attached to a blanket that her namesake, Katy, made for her. Eloise loves toys (especially books and toys that spin) and our puppy. She enjoys chewing on her own toes! Eloise takes 2-3 naps a day in her pack-n-play lasting for 1-2 hours and goes to sleep for the night around 8, gets up for the day between 6:30-8, and wakes up 2-4 times to nurse through the night. She starts off in her pack-n-play next to my bed but usually winds up in bed with me by morning (we like to snuggle).

Hopefully, I will be able to get some awesome pictures of her this week to mark this awesome growth milestone!

-Kacy

Monday (Tuesday) Morning Check-In

Now that the initial "shock" period of William being gone (AGAIN) is over, I am trying to figure out ways to keep this blog active and updated without boring everyone to death with how we watched Toy Story for the 3 millionth time and played with cars and had to vacuum up crayon wrappers again because Luka prefers his crayons in the nude. SOOOOOO, I am definitely going to be doing a Monday Morning Check-In every week. My current goal is to post twice a week and this will help get the ball rolling, for sure.

With that said, it may be Tuesday, but it's not like you guys mind, right? We will just pretend.

Monday Morning Check-In

Obsessing over: Halloween costumes

Working on: Decorating the house with our framed photos and some art!

Thinking about: going to the post office and maybe getting some ice cream today.

Anticipating: Eloise's first doctor's appointment on Wednesday (she hasn't had a check up since 3 weeks old!)

Drinking: Monster Energy Drink...don't judge me.

Wishing: it was cooler outside.

-Kacy

Eloise's "Birthday" Party.

Since William had to deploy for Eloise's first year, we decided to have a special day for her so technically we could say William was there for Eloise's first birthday party. We celebrated her 5 month birthday with a day at the pool, some decorations and snacks, and one awesome gift. She got to watch an episode of Baby Einstein for the first time, gnaw on some frozen banana, and Daddy played her some music on the guitar (her favorite!). We all had so much fun celebrating our little girl and I know it meant a lot to William, as well as myself, to have a special day that he could be there for her.

 

-Kacy

Bye Bye Daddy :(

Alright. I have been waiting awhile to post anything because right after we moved here, we got some news and were not ready to share it. This news was so big that it was hard to write around it. Most things going on in our lives revolved around it. It was unavoidable.

The news? William was deploying.

William got orders to deploy to Afghanistan for 9 months. Yes, you read that right. We JUST got him back the last week of April and he had to leave AGAIN. He left for BCT in October of last year, graduated AIT in April, and deployed earlier this week for another 9 months. That is 18 months in the Army, only 3 of which were spent at home with us. You could say we are a weeeeee bit upset. Being the awesome soldier he is, of course William was glad to go and do his job, but even he could not believe the timing. Missing another year of holidays? Anniversaries? Birthdays? Eloise's first year? The news did not come easy and we had a hard enough time wrapping our own heads around it, let alone telling anyone.

So, he is already gone. He deployed earlier this week and it was not the most fun experience of my life to say the least. Luka just lost it when the soldiers started marching out and threw the mother of all tantrums screaming for his dad. It took a half an hour to get him into his carseat because he couldn't pull himself together. He is definitely taking it the hardest of us all. We have daddy dolls and recorded story books, but he just is having such a hard time adjusting. This week has been full of blow out tantrums and lots of crying for Daddy, but it is finally starting to get better. Eloise, obviously, doesn't really get it, but you can tell she misses him too. They may not have been able to spend much time together, but Eloise and her Daddy were stuck together like glue whenever possible. She misses napping on his chest and him playing the guitar for her.

Me? I'm doing okay. I haven't had much time to stop and feel, but that is good for me. I have my hands full all day with the kids and, come night time, have other things I have to get done. But I have a lot of goals, am making friends, and have some DIY projects to work on which will all hopefully help this time pass swiftly. While my heart hurts, I am so proud of my husband. I still can't believe I got as lucky as I did in finding someone so strong and dedicated to spend my life with. Besides, it is all worth it in the end when you finally see each other (this I learned after BCT. the image of him seeing us for the first time is ingrained in my brain forever). So at least it can only get better, right? Each day is one day closer.

Pictures from right before he left:

-Kacy

P.S. at least this means I will be blogging more!

Five Months Old

Happy FIVE MONTHS to our sweet little Eloise!

Eloise can roll from belly to back and back to belly. She can scoot forward on her knees and grab her toes. Eloise is fascinated with hands (including her own). Her favorite person is her brother. He is still the only one who can make her laugh! She loves to nap on her daddy's chest and letting her puppy lick her toes. She is still exclusively breastfed and shows no interest in trying foods any time soon. Eloise loves having her picture taken, swimming, playing with toys, and screeching as loud as she can. She is always smiling! Eloise loves to put everything in her mouth and drool on it, so we suspect some teething in her near future! 

We are all still lovestruck by this beautiful girl every day. She is so loving and lovable and perfect in every single way.

-Kacy

P.S. HUGE shout out to our best friend, Sarah, for making Eloise this sweet mermaid outfit!

4th of July 2013

Although us Drakes are not huge fans of fireworks (loud sounds? no thanks!), we still had a nice, relaxing 4th of July this year. We didn't have any plans and didn't really want any. William has been working hard lately and time as a family without obligations to get things done has been scarce. SO, we chose to spend the day dressed with no where to go! We all hung out on the couch watching movies and played on the porch and shared a big, homemade cheeseburger and bacon pizza. After the kids went to bed, William and I had sat on the porch to see a couple fire works and watched movies of our own. 

Even though it wasn't terribly eventful or memorable, we had a good time just getting to laze around as a family. We have a long weekend, much which needs to be spent cleaning, so it was especially nice just to give in to the temptation of the couch for once!

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

-Kacy

WHY.

The toddler stage is probably the most amusing stage we've hit. We are in full toddler swing now after this week and, let me tell you, Luka now has me on my toes.

This far THIS WEEK Luka has put on my make up, pooped on the floor NEXT TO the toilet, poured half a container on sunscreen on his head, filled William's combat boots with toys...and this morning when I went to get him from his room, he had taken off his pajamas and diaper and was peeing on the floor. WHY. 

If this wasn't all so hilarious, I might be mad. Sometimes I get annoyed, but mostly, it's just so ridiculous that I can't help but laugh. I love sharing little anecdotes about him like the time he dipped his dump truck in the toilet and made it dump the water onto the couch. Or the time I had filled a brown sugar container with water to clean it and he managed to take it off the counter and take shots of sugar water with a medicine cup while I went to the bathroom.

(The toddler stage has also made me a champion at cleaning up these weird messes.)

All in all, this is my favorite age for him thus far! I may not understand WHHHHY we have to watch Toy Story four times in a row or WHHHYY Luka feels the need to try ride our tiny puppy or WHHHHHYYYY we need four snacks and two types of juice and macaroni and cheese for each meal, but HEY, no biggie. There's no mess too big or tantrum too wild or request too crazy for a two year old and that's okay. It just means every day is an adventure for us all.

-Kacy

Father's Day.

When I found out I was pregnant in 2010, I had no idea what to do. I was about to go off to college and William and I hadn't been together terribly long, though we loved each other an insane amount already. When I told William we were expecting, he already "knew." He sat with me and let me spill my emotions, he did whatever I needed. We talked and talked and knew we were meant to be together and raise a baby. 

William cared for me while I battled Hyperemesis Gravidarum and it was NOT pretty. He looked into breast feeding and birthing classes and massaged my feet while I cried over how uncomfortable I was. He went out at 1AM to find me a cherry lollipop. When we found out we were having a boy, William was so excited he almost cried right there. And when the time came to have Luka, William never left my side, even when getting my spinal block for the c-section. Once in recovery, he immediately put Luka to his skin and watched hockey with him while I rested. 

He encouraged me when I had trouble feeding Luka, he changed every single diaper until I was able to get up without pain medication, and would get up with him at  all hours of the night to let me sleep. He worked crappy jobs so that I could stay home with our son. He did everything he could to keep us happy.

Fast forward to February 2012, William came to me and said he was tired of struggling. He wanted to join the Army and provide for us. He had talked of joining the Army from the first day we met and he finally felt it was time. I supported him 100% and put my own reservations aside. After enlisting, we decided to conceive another baby. 

He told me on Mother's Day that he was ready for another and by Father's Day, I was telling him I with child. He was ecstatic. Almost immediately, I began experiencing HG again. I also went through a threatened miscarriage, and again, William made sure never to leave my side. We found out we were being blessed with a little girl and were so happy.

William left for Boot Camp in October and I was due in February. I went through the rest of my pregnancy without him which was rough, but I did it. I sent him countless photos of my growing belly. When he FINALLY graduated and we saw him again, he knelt down and kissed my belly. He picked up his son and hardly put him down. He talked to his daughter and felt her kick around whenever he could when he came home. For Christmas, we got a 3D ultrasound and he grinned from ear to ear as the tech and I pointed out all of his features on our daughter's face. He bought her an expensive dress, demanding photos of her in it when she was born and put together various baby contraptions.

It was rough to let him go to AIT two weeks later. Luka was devastated to drop off his Daddy and William was just as lost. Although we could communicate now, it was still heartbreaking. I decided I wanted him there for the birth of our daughter and scheduled an induction. He got granted leave and we were ready. Eloise, however, had other plans and decided to come the night before the induction. William met her over video chat five minutes after her birth and we gushed at how perfect she was. He came the next day and put her to his skin, just as he had with Luka.

Now here we are. Graduated from AIT, living in Kansas, with a 2 year old boy and an (almost) 4 month old girl. William puts Luka to bed every night and Eloise will immediately quit crying when handed to him. Our kids are just as in love with him as I am. No tantrum is too rough and no diaper is too stinky for this man to handle; he loves every second. He asks to take the kids on his own and wrestles Luka on the floor. He's the perfect father.

So what do you get the perfect Dad for Father's Day? Well, I let Luka pick him out a card (It had Finding Nemo on it!) and I took pictures of Eloise in that dress he bought her. Then we put together a Man Bouquet for him with mini liquor bottles, gum, protein bars, muscle milk, and five hour energy shots. He loved it! He took a long nap with his daughter on his chest and took a walk with his son. All in all, he just wanted to be with his kids.

Anyway, this turned out longer, deeper, and way different than I intended, but it should be published somewhere how wonderful the man I married is and how much we appreciate him. I love you, William. Happy Father's Day.

Adventures in Potty Training.

Lucky me, I get to potty train a puppy and a toddler at the same time! It definitely isn't easy. I see wet spots on the floor and wonder who it belongs to: dog or toddler? Or did they both squat in the same place? We've been working on having Luka use the potty for about two weeks now. We progressed from nothing to going a few times to full blown using the potty all day and happy about it back to "if Mom does not physically put me on the potty, I am going on the floor." I am exhausted of it. Luka will say "Mama! Potty!" and then run away, throw himself to the ground, and force me to pick him up and place him on the potty. That gets old pretty fast! Especially if you have to put down a napping infant to do so. BUT he is making progress. He gets so excited when he gets to put a sticker on his potty chart. Sometimes, he will dance and sing "I went potty! I went potty!" And then we have the days where he cries for a diaper and doesn't want to even look at the potty. Either way, we truck on. I'm in no hurry to get him on the potty (it was him to asked to go in the first place!). Sometimes you hear parents/doctors saying "Oh, they should be doing x, y, z by now!" or "He's too big for a, b, or c!" But in reality, Luka has been on this planet for two years and three months...he is still just a baby. Sure, he can talk, run, put his dirty dishes in the sink, load a DVD in the DVD player, and take photos, but those are all brand new! Children go to the bathroom even in utero. They just go in their diapers and that's that. During potty training, you are telling them to unlearn something they've always done and replace it with a new thing that is MUCH more work. It's hard! Sadly, I feel like too many people don't understand how difficult that may be for a child. Regardless, it may take Luka (and the dog...) a few more weeks, months, maybe even a year to really learn how to go potty and that is OK by me. Go on with your bad self, Luka! and A+ for trying :)

-Kacy

Meanwhile, In Kansas...

So far, we've really just been settling in here and haven't done too much in the area. However, we have done some stuff! We explored Milford Lake, a really nice lake area right by our house...

It was beautiful!

We also went fishing with some friends of William, which Luka LOVED! He liked to pretend to fish with a pole that had no hook on it. William even caught and killed a snake!

For Memorial Day, we went to an awesome carnival on post. Luka rode the spinning apples and a HUGE slide with William and then rode a train (twice), bounced in a moon bounce, and rode some cars! We all played some games. I won Luka a puppy dog toy and he won himself a large, inflatable bat (yeah...that's fun). Afterwards, Luka was DONE.

Today, we even explored an awesome zoo nearby! we didn't see the whole thing as Luka had skipped a nap and was getting a little crazy, but it was fun and awesome none the less!

Can't wait to explore even more!

-Kacy