Warm & Busy Days
By: Hollie
As the weather continues to get nicer I can’t help but find myself spending the day outside with my kids. I am constantly looking for things to do with them. In the 5 months since the birth of my son Carsen, it is becoming easier and easier to get around places. Both of my children love to be outside and have so far visited the Toledo Zoo, several parks, pools, went for walks/bike rides, and have had play dates with other children. Needless to say, everyday has been busy with activities leaving us all exhausted at night. Soon we will be taking our family vacation to California where we will be attending my sister-in-laws wedding, hitting the pool & beach, sightseeing, and heading to Disney. We are very excited and are looking forward to the trip. Upon returning from the trip Peyton will be turning 2. It is hard to believe that 2 years has already gone by. We are planning a Dora birthday party for her with friends and family. The rest of the summer is pretty much open for me to plan whatever. I know that we will continue to do alot of the same activities as well as hit a couple water parks, county fair, and maybe a petting zoo. I am always looking for other exciting places to take the kids so let me know if there are any recommendations. Maybe we will even run into eachother!
It has been too long!
posted by Kristen Davis
Hey Ladies – sorry it has been so long since the last post on the blog. Life has come at us pretty fast and we are trying to keep up.
I will just write a quick update on where things are for us:
- Addison turns 1 in a few weeks – time flew by!
- Adam returned safely from his trip to Russia – it was a huge success
- The church plant is going great – we have steady momentum and excitement from all involved – we also have a name now – ELEVATE CHURCH
- My Lia Sophia business could be better – not too many ladies wanting to have parties
- I am still not back to my pre-baby size – wow, no one talks about how much your body changes!
- Adam and I just returned from a 5 day trip to DC – we went to a two day conference and slapped on the tourist face for two days of site seeing. We had an awesome time – just the two of us enjoying each others company and basking in the beautiful weather.
- I have in recent weeks got to visit with my mom and mother-in-law – I miss them alot!!
I will try to be better about blogging this summer!
Busy Days while Daddy is Away!
posted by Kristen Davis
My husband left for Russia 2 days ago and things have been quite busy. He will be gone just over 2 weeks and will be busier than ever upon arrival home (pre-marital counseling – leadership conferences - church services and much more). I am so glad to have great friends and family around me that call to encourage me, invite Addison and I over for playtime and are just simply there for me if I need anything.
Last night a cry came from Addison’s room that was a little more urgent than normal, I jumped up and went in. He was laying on his back crying b/c his little foot was stuck in the crib rail. Poor little guy was stuck and mommy had to come to the rescue. Last time this happened he was only about 4 months old and I was so scared I called Adam (my husbnad) in to set him loose, this time, mommy was on her own and we all came out alright!
I get a bit of a taste of single parenthood while my husband is out of town – sometimes for up to 5 weeks at a time – and I say – God bless you single parents. I hope all of you single parents out there have someone to lean on – a family member or friend – it is important to ask for help and recieve it when it’s offered. Whether you are married rasing kids or you are a single mother or father – know that you are not alone. God is with you no matter how loud the kids are crying, no matter how frazzeled you look or feel, he is alone a breathe away. Ask for help from God and from others – you’ll get it from both places I guarantee,
Staying In Bed
By Hollie
Ever since the time change we have been having trouble keeping our 21month old daughter Peyton in her toddler bed. Prior to the time change, Peyton did wonderful going down to bed. We would put her down, turn on her sound/light show, and she would be out until 6-6:30 the next morning. Ocassionally she would wake up in the night and want her pacifier then she would go back down. Now, it takes even longer to get her to bed, and she gets out of bed and walks into the other rooms. She has also been waking up a lot earlier (5am sometimes even earlier). We tried making her bedtime later and she still gets up. How do we keep her in her bed, or at least in her room? We thought about putting a child gate in her doorway, but she would probably just try to climb it. Any suggestions out there to help two tired parents???
Kids Do The Craziest Things!
BY: Hollie
Last week I decided to venture out of the house to run an errand. With two kids, this is a rare occasion. The weather had been getting a bit warmer, but was still wet from all of the rain. Upon arriving at the store, I got out the double stroller and buckled Peyton in the front. I then went around and got Carsen’s car seat out to snap into the back, and into the store we went. While I was walking in I noticed that several people were looking at my kids. I just figured that they were starring at this big contraption of a stroller with two small children inside. As I turned to go down the main isle I passed a woman who was telling her son, “Yeah, she is dirty!” I thought to myself, what are you talking about. I quickly pulled down the next isle to check Peyton out. To my surprise, Peyton was covered in dirt. It was all over her face, hands, coat, and clothes. I thought, you’ve got to be kidding me. She was just clean when I put her in the stroller. Then it dawned on me, she must have been playing with the dirty condensation on the back of the car in the 30 seconds that I was getting Carsen out. I quickly scrambled through my purse to find something to clean her up with (of course I did not bring the diaper bag since it was supposed to be a quick trip). I finally found a kleenx that I dampened to wipe her up. I have never have been so embarrassed, especially to have someone else say something. I quickly finished getting what I needed and headed home, hoping not to run into anyone I knew. It wasn’t until we got home that I was able to laugh about the whole situation. Kids do the craziest things! I am sure this is the first of many more to come!
Feelings of Helplessness
By Hollie
Over the weekend my daughter Peyton was up all night crying and could not sleep. After several attempts of trying to get her back into her toddler bed, I realized that there might be something else wrong other than just restless sleeping. Throughout her crying she would stop and say “Ouchy”. I went through the process of asking her if it was her tummy, ears, mouth etc. Normally I would get an answer, but this time all I got was more crying. I continued to try and comfort her and I noticed that she was beginning to get warm. I took her temperature and found that she was running a fever. After giving her some Tylenol, she finally slept for a couple of hours. She then woke up and continued where she left of… more crying. In fact the fever had went up. As a mother, I could not help but feel helpless about not being able to take away the pain for my child (especially since I did not know what was wrong). I continued to pray for her that the pain would subside and it would not be anything serious as I waited for the doctor’s office to open. With it being a Saturday, I could not get her in until noon. After a full night and morning of crying, the doctor informed me that she had an ear infection. Even though she has already had two this year, this by far was the worse. He told me that it is not uncommon for a child to get five infections in each ear. Yikes! On the way home I picked up her medicine and later that day she was back to her normal self. The pain had subsided and it was not anything serious! My prayers had been answered! It is comforting to know that through my feelings of helplessness, there is someone I can talk to in prayer that has the power to heal!
When Life Gets You Down
posted by Kristen Davis
There are many a times, that quite frankly, Life Can Get You Down. The pressures of work, money, home life, children, etc, can build up until you feel like you have just had enough. What do yo do when that happens? Do you just stop everything all together, do you throw a fit, do you whine and complain to everyone person willing to listen? All these things seem so tempting at times, but will only give a little bit of relief until the next thing surfaces.
I have done all of these things and more, only to find out that I feel the same and most times worse afterwards. You hear people talk about “looking on the bright side, keeping your head up, etc” and I wonder if they have ever had a rough go of things. But in my heart I know that those words that sound so aweful at the time or right. Positive thinking and speaking are important in out lives. But more importantly, finding peace and rest in the midst of our struggles will keep us going.
I wat to encourage you today, that if you are struggling in any area of your life, you are not alone. We have all been there or will be there at some point. When you don’t know how much more you can take, release your burdens to one that is higher than you. The person I speak of is the Lord. He made you and knows all of your quirky ways. He can help you in times of trouble, he will give you peace in the midst of crisis, joy when you are sorrowful and he can put a song in your heart that wil get you dancing rather than kicking and screaming (I mean we really don’t want to model that behavior in front of the kids do we?).
Traveling With Small Children
By Hollie
I have recently read an article in a magazine that offered tips on how to ease airplane ear with a child. With the planning of a summer trip to California, I could not help but tune in. In this article, they offered tips on how to ease airplane ear (the biggest problem with traveling with children). The article suggested that for babies you have them use a pacifier or drink a bottle, toddlers learn to yawn, children four and up eat an apple or carrots, and children eight and up chew gum or suck on candy. Yes, these are all great tricks, but through the duration of a 5 hour flight, I do not find these tricks to be as helpful. I know that when I travel by plane my ears are popping throughout the flight. It seems as though there should be something else. I have heard several people mention that they had given there child something over the counter, but this was only in passing. Has anyone ever heard of this, or have traveled with a child via airplane? If so, what did you do to help cope with the flight, extensive packing, and airport experiences?
Busy Bees
posted by Kristen Davis
How do you keep up with a busy little boy of 8 months? I write this just an hour after my little guy climbed on the hamper (on living room floor due to laundry day) and catapulted himself up and onto the loveseat. I was shocked that he could first climb the hamper and then actually jump onto the loveseat.
I never knew how much work it was to keep up with a little one. I can’t take my eyes off of him for more than a minute without him trying his hand at something new (the trash can, shower, even the scale – he likes to pick it up and drop it loudly onto the floor).
So moms, what did you do to keep the kids safe and also get things done? I don’t want to stiffle Addison’s sense of adventure, but I want him to be safe and occupied for stretches of time. Has anyone used a child yard? I am not sure how those work – can they be tipped over? Any suggestions for this frazzeled mom would be great!!
Too Early For Preschool?
By: Hollie
As any parent, you always want the best for your child. You will do everything in your power to prepare them for the future. I constantly find myself working with my daughter (maybe just the teacher in me). She loves all of the activities, and is doing quite well with them. My husband and I have always talked about sending our kids to preschool by the age of 3 so that they can further their skills as well as learn new ones. I have had a couple of places in mind, but never pursued the thought since my oldest child is only 19 months old. Little did I know that now is the time. Some places only accept so many children , and there are waiting lists to get them in. After talking to a friend whose child attends one of the preschools that I was considering, I learned of the list. I was told that if I wanted to get in, I had to call now. At first I thought that she was crazy. The more I thought about it, I decided to call and check it out. She was right, there was a list, and I was just in time to add my 19 month old for when she turns 3. Not only did I add her, but my one month old got added to the list as well for when he is 3. After talking to the teacher for 20 minutes, the program seems fabulous. It may seem early, but I am glad that I checked into it and made the call.
