Fourth Quarter Frenzy

I always preach that you have to purposefully slow life down and enjoy the moment. The month of September has really challenged me in practicing what I preach.

This month, we have officially reached 30 weeks! 10 more until our due date.
HOW?

In the meantime, we have had a wedding scheduled every weekend (which were all a ball), we closed and moved out of our house on Abundance, we temporarily moved in with my parents, we welcomed a new niece- Miss Kinsie Kay, all while raising a creative, hilarious and energetic toddler. Oh yes, I'm also still working full time.

It would be so easy to get caught up in all these major life events, however, those big brown eyes stop me in my tracks every time. He helps me stop and breathe and enjoy who he is right now.

He reminds me to not stress about everything I have to plan and do while fighting the urge to nest a home that we don't have possession of yet. He has uttered the phrase "love you" for the first time this month. How can you not stop and just melt after hearing those words for the first time?

He reminds me that although its all happening at once, all of these major events are wonderful things. He helps me find the joy in the small things too. I have made it a priority not to miss any of his music or soccer classes. I love our time together then because I put my phone and planning book (more like binder) away and just focus on my growing toddler.

They say your life gets crazier and more hectic when kids come along. However, who are the real culprits of making life so chaotic? Kids just want to be present with you. So mommy, put your distractions down and just be.

Big Brother loving "Baby" at 30 Weeks

Blessings In Abundance

The Robinson family likes to live their life with the underlying theme of "go big or go home." You know, live life to the fullest...er...in abundance. So we had decided to pack in as many life milestones as possible into one month. Some may think we are ambitious, some may think we are psycho. It's probably a healthy combination of both.

Especially with Bebe 2 coming this fall, we knew that we needed more space. Once we received the accepted offer, we had a little over 3 weeks to close and move out (and into my parents' house since we wouldn't get possession of our new home for an additional month). I tried to be as proactive as possible in packing, arranging movers, etc. to make the transition easier. I knew that I may be a little emotional leaving our first house, but I way underestimated those pesky pregnancy hormones.

On the day before closing, we were moving out all the large furniture. My mom came to pick up Briggs to take him home and put him in his crib since we would no longer have beds there. As I was taking Briggs to each room to say "bye bye" for the last time, I started balling. I realize this was way harder on me than on him- but it was still very emotional knowing this would be his last time there.

So on September 20, we officially closed on our house on Abundance Lane (how great is that name?) that we have called home for the past four years. This was our first home we purchased as husband and wife. This was where we brought our first born baby home to start our life as a family of three. We have grown closer here thanks to blessings in abundance.

After closing, we had 24 hours before we officially handed over possession to the new owners (who were great by the way and made the transaction way easier on this mama). Ryan and I wanted to give them the keys the next morning rather than the evening, so we stayed at the house until about 1:00am to finish up cleaning and tying up loose ends.

I was still pretty emotional leaving that late night but then God had a way of making me completely lose my train of thought with this particular milestone...

My sister calls me at 2:00am. She was in labor. I was going to meet my sweet Kinsie Kay that day...which again, brings us back full circle to Blessings in Abundance.

The Well-Rounded Toddler

I have to have a little brag sesh for my Briggy Boy real quick. I am so PROUD of him. Around 18 months, I was started to get really concerned with his separation anxiety. He would not willingly go to anyone besides myself, Ryan and my parents.

So Ryan and I started brainstorming and we decided to enroll him in a couple of programs that 18+ month olds can participate in. We just finished his 4th week with Kindermusik. You would think that he was a completely different kid compared to week 1. I'm not sure if its his involvment, his age, or just us constantly working with him, but his social and fine motor skills have grown exponentially in just a few short weeks. He went from never leaving my lap, to knowing and singing all the songs, dancing, putting toys away and interacting with the other toddlers. This mama is so proud. Kindermusik- worth. every. dime.

The second program we started last week was Lil Kickers. This is a soccer program to help develop social and motor skills. Although we have only gone one week, Briggs quickly learned how to a kick a ball (his instinct is to pick it up and throw it-natural baseball player perhaps?), stack cones, and run through an obstacle course with mommy. He still has a lot to master but I still believe this is going to be a great developmental program for him.

Lastly, his vocabulary has increased by 100000 times (exaggerating) the last month! He went from knowing about 15 words to knowing over 100+. (Not exaggerating). It started out with a lot of mimicking but soon I realized that he could actually comprehend what the word meant. He is like a sponge- all he wants to do is learn new words and read more books. This morning when I was changing his diaper, I asked him to point to his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, knees, tummy and head. (I never specifically went over knees, tummy or head- but he KNEW them without me pointing to them first!) So two things to pick up on here for mommy and daddy- 1.) Be careful with EVERYTHING we talk about in front of him now. Not only will he repeat what we say, but there is a chance he could UNDERSTAND what we are saying. 2.) Continue to find resources to stimulate and teach him. I never want to be satisfied in what he knows. He has always been a very verbal kid- so I want to continue to help him expand what he is capable of at every walk of life.

Who would have thought program involvement was so crucial at just a year and a half? But I have WITNESSED results in such a short amount of time. I am not an expert with early child development.  However, being so astonished at what he can pick up, I am now challenging myself  to learn how to help the development in all aspects of this growing little toddler's life.

What programs or activities have helped your toddler skills develop?

Ice Cream You Scream

Labor Day. Ice cream. Sisters. Babies.

What more could a girl ask for? 

It's probably a once in a lifetime (or once in our lifetime) opportunity that you get to be pregnant with your sister at the same time. Kara's approaching full term... then I will be the lone ranger until November. So we are living up this dual pregnancy thing to the extreeeme. And eating ice cream.

A Baby Girl Shower

On August 18, my mom and I hosted a baby shower for Kara. We wanted the theme to be very feminine since we aren't used to baby girls around here (yet).

Most of the decor centered around whites with touches of crystal, pinks and grays. Almost everything was DIY- but with materials that we can reuse for future showers and parties. It was a lot of fun preparing with mom! I love how she never squelches my visions when it comes to party planning. 

The pretty mama-to-be was showered with all the love of our family and friends. Here she is with the beautiful cake I decorated myself....hehe. JUST KIDDING! I called the professionals to create this lovely piece of art. Brenda's Cakes, again came through. We received so many compliments on it.

Decor

Most of the materials for the DIY projects came from either Michael's or Hobby Lobby. However, the light pink chevron bags in the bottom left corner seen above, I ordered from Very Jane. If you do not know what veryjane.com is, go ahead and click on the link. It. will. change. your. life. Then follow them on instagram, and you will get to see a sneak peak of the next day's deals. Do it.

Food

The food consisted of finger foods in which my Aunt Mary Lou contributed and also a new catering company in town owned by one of my friends. This mama has a lot going on, so in order to spend time with my 19-month-old, rest while being 7 months pregnant, and staying sane, I figured it was best to delegate that portion of the party to others...best decision.

Games

A couple of games were played. The first game was where I asked a series of questions to the new mom and dad relating to being new parents. Party goers had to guess on whether or not mom and dad's answers would match. The one who guessed the closest number of matches won. (This was a cute way to know the thoughts of the new daddy for those who didn't know him as well.) 

The second game was "Baby Matthews Jeopardy" There were four categories with four questions each, "Newborn Trivia", "Mommy", "Daddy" and "Baby Matthews" Players received a piece of candy (1 candy for a 100 point question to 4 candies for a 400 point question) if they yelled out the correct answer. At the end, the player with the most candies received the prize.

Again, such a great day for my sister and my little niece. I could get used to this season of babies!

My Sister's Maternity Photos

I am by no means a "professional" photographer. However, I do enjoy taking pictures as a hobby. As you all know, my sister and her husband are due with their first baby in September. I figured there was no better way to show them my love then by snapping a few of these short and precious maternity moments. 

My little baby niece is already one of the most loved creatures on the planet. I cannot wait to be a part of her life! (Briggs is pumped to be a big cousin too) We have decided Baby Matthews is going to be his practice baby before he becomes an official big brother in November. The biggest challenge? Learning to share his "Yaya" and "Bapa" (my mom and dad) with another kid.

Until then, here is to a beautiful pregnancy and a few more short weeks before this little one arrives. Praying for a healthy mommy and baby every step of the way...

A Little Lady Is On Her Way

My baby sister's first baby shower was yesterday. This one was hosted by her sister-in-law Megan and cousin-in-law Mandy (upper left corner pic). They did an amazing job with food, decorations and games. Most importantly, I know Kara felt very loved.

Friends, I cannot begin to describe to you how incredible it is to see your baby sister becoming a mother. To witness the transformation of her heart from a woman's to a mother's has been such a blessing. Even more so, it is truly a God thing to share the miracle of pregnancy with her at the same time. Briggs and these two growing babies are going to be quite the crew.

Here's to more babies!