Merry Christmas!

Crackin' Nuts

To use an overused phrase- "they grow up so fast."

Last night we had the pleasure of having both sets of grandparents in town for Avery and Logan's Tony award winning performance of the "Nutcracker". Okay, so it wasn't exactly award winning but I was completely amazed with how well almost 200 kids under the age of 8 behaved. 

Avery and Logan were so focused on doing a good job. Even before the play Avery told me "Daddy, we can't sing. If we make a noise, we're out."

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Just look at that focus.  That's right, future Fortune 500 CEO right there...

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That's a lot of kids.

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Logan isn't the only one who has the eye of the tiger...

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Again, look at that determination.

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Santa is making his way down to the stage so you know who all the kids are looking at.

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Ours would be the short one...

Happy Holidays!  Luke

My Favorite Thing

I know I'm not Oprah, but I'm convinced my current favorite thing is worth taking a look.

I have always been fairly active.  I like to multitask, can't sit through an entire TV show without getting up to do something, love chasing my kids and enjoy walks (especially around the mall and target).  Unfortunately, I have never been a huge fan of intentional exercise.  Those of you who know me well are probably a little shocked.  Yes, I have always exercised.  I truly believe in the health and emotional benefits of exercise, but I just don't like to actually do it.  Circling back to my multitasking tendencies, I prefer a treadmill or an elliptical machine so I can read my Kindle App. on my iPad.  In fact, I have run outside less than ten times since college.  (This drives Luke insane!)  When I hear my friends talk about getting up early to go to the gym, I am baffled.  I can't imagine someone getting up early to do anything, especially exercise. 

Ever since Avery was born, my personal health and fitness has taken a toll.  As most moms to young children know, "me" time is VERY limited.  If I have the choice to sleep, watch tv, read, clean the house or go for a run, going for a run is the absolute last thing I want to do.  Simply put, I need motivation.  For me, my first motivation came with a group steps contest.  This contest is the Columbia Steps Challenge through Cerner Health.  Teams have been put together and the teams compete to get the most steps per day.  I love competition and am very proud of my progress, but am still trying to figure out how a few people get 40-50,000 steps per day?  Seriously, that is a lot of steps.

My second bit of motivation came from my amazing pedometer.  (The first one I bought was crap so I had to bite the bullet and buy the expensive one.)  This pedometer I'm talking about is called the Fitbit One.  Seriously, it's amazing.  It not only tracks steps, but miles, flights of stairs, calories, activity level and sleep.  I am obsessed.  Sometimes when I am low on steps, I run in place in my bedroom before Luke and I go to bed.  It drives him crazy, but he sometimes humors me and joins in.  If I'm bouncing around the house and Avery sees me, she often asks how my steps are going.  It's hilarious.

The contest started about two months ago and my step average has quickly increased.  I  now run on the treadmill almost everyday and make more conscious efforts to get extra steps in wherever possible.  My weight has stayed the same (I wasn't trying to lose), but my body fat has decreased 3%.  I am in an overall better mood, less tired, but more able to sleep at night and have more energy during the day.

So, this FitBit.  I think it's amazing.  If anyone is looking for a little motivation or even just more awareness of your activity level, I definitely recommend picking one up.  It's also very small and can be clipped to you waistband, pocket or even bra strap.

Happy Birthday, Logan!

Logan-

Two years ago, you burst into my world and changed it in ways I never could have imagined.  Your countless smiles, messy kisses and boundless energy bring absolute joy to my life every day.  Over the past two years, I have loved watching you go from a sweet, calm baby into a fun, hard headed little BOY.

Since Oprah Winfrey brought her Favorite Things show back last night for the first time since you were born, I found it fitting to list my Favorite Things about you.

• Your maniacal laugh when you are being mischievous. 
• When you say, "Mommy cuddle Logan".
• Hugs
• Kisses.
• When you sing "Twinkle Twinkle Dinosaur", "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday" and "Baby".
• The way you dance to "Gangham Style".
• Your love of chocolate and cookies.
• The way you read books to your bear and baby.
• Your love of the iPad.
• Watching you put puzzles together.
• Watching you and Avery play together.
• Your love of your cat, Scout.
• The way you say, "Mommy dance" every night before bed.
• Your elephant, dinosaur, cat and crocodile impressions.
• Watching you do somersaults all over the house.
• Your love of dinosaurs and race cars.
• Your imagination.

Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet boy.  I love you, monster man!

Love,

Mommy

Halloween 2012

This year, Avery decided to be a doctor for Halloween.  Unfortunately, she got too cold at her school's Trunk or Treat so we convinced her to be an elephant for the big day.  My mom made the elephant costume for Avery last year and it happened to still fit her this year.  After changing his mind almost daily, Logan settled on being a dinosaur.  He loved his tail, but wasn't a huge fan of the hood on the costume.  The kids went to a handful of houses to trick or treat.  They were so cute peering through the windows as they waited for people to answer their doors.  When a door opened, Avery exclaimed, "trick or treat" and Logan screamed, "Happy Halloween".  It was adorable.  When we got home, both kids had fun handing out candy to all of the other trick or treaters.

Trunk or Treat at school.

Trick or Treat!

I'm an Elephant!

Taking a break to enjoy some candy.

Moving Out

It all started with a deck.  One night, Luke was talking about how he wanted to expand our deck and add stairs.  After getting a few estimates, I told Luke that I would rather move.  It just didn't make sense to put any additional money into our house.  The next day, we called our realtor and less than two weeks later, our house was sold with a closing date less than 30 days later.  AHHH!  The panic began!

Initially, we were set on building, but we thought our house would take a while to sell and we would have plenty of time.  Sometimes plans change.  We weren't interested in moving twice so our goal was to find a preexisting home that we could quickly move into.  Last week, I spent almost every evening looking at houses with our realtor.  Luke was out of town and we just couldn't wait.  House hunting was initially very disappointing.  For those of you who know me well, I am quite picky.  If I walked into a house and smelled the slightest animal scent, I immediately left.  When we opened a refrigerator filled with mold, I had to break the rule of three and tear that listing up right away.  We opened the door to one house and didn't even walk in.  I was depressed and sad that house hunting wasn't more fun.

Luckily, our realtor decided to virtually start over once Luke got home.  I opened my mind and had a fresh perspective and we found some nice houses.  We found a house we loved in a great neighborhood and had to put in an offer.  Because of the work that needed to be done and comps in the area, we offered $100,000 less than the asking price.  Most of you can figure out how that turned out.  So, off to our next house.  We had two favorites.  One was a nicer new construction in a great neighborhood.  The only problem was space.  There simply wasn't enough.  Instead, we bought a house in a nice neighborhood, great school districts and tons of kids!  The house needs a little work, but it will be great for our little family.  There is even an extra room for a possible baby 3.  I'm still working Luke on that one...

So, we have a couple weeks to pack and then we close on both houses August 8 and head out for vacation on August 12.  It's going to be a busy month!

Three

Three is the first odd prime number.  It is the number of sides in a triangle.  Earth is the third planet in the solar system.  Three is the atomic number of lithium.  The song, "3", was a number one single by Britney Spears in 2009.  Three strikes in bowling is called a turkey.  And three years ago, on June 30, 2009, my sweet baby girl was welcomed into the world.

For the past three years, I have had the pleasure of watching Avery go from a tiny, colicky baby to a fun and feisty toddler.  I love every second I get to spend with my girl.  She surprises us every day with her spunk and imagination.  I can't imagine life getting any better than this!

Today, Avery's favorites are wearing dresses, playing with her friends (real and stuffed), playing Doc. McStuffins, family breakfast, spaghetti and meatballs, reading books and playing with Logan.

Happy Birthday, goosey girl!  Mama loves you more than you could ever know.

Birthday Week

It's birthday week!  My big girl is going to be three on Saturday.  I can hardly believe it.  We can't wait to celebrate with family and friends at Avery's rainbow birthday party. 

In Avery's world, everything is going to happen once she turns three; she's going to swim all by herself, she's going to eat the all the foods she currently refuses to eat, she's going to consistently make good choices and she's going to be THIS big.  I hope she's not disappointed when everything fails to change overnight.

The Choices We Make

As parents, the choices we make seem to be criticized quickly and often.  Lately, it seems that the decisions we make as moms are front and center every time I turn around.  All of my parenting magazines, as well as national newspapers and magazines seem to have front cover articles about the choices parents make.  Topics range from stay-at-home vs. working parents, co-sleeping and schooling to diapers, discipline and diet.  For the record, Luke and I don't believe in co-sleeping, are strong supporters of preschool and public school, use cloth diapers, believe in time outs and other boundaries, believe in breastfeeding (when possible) and sometimes force bribe our kids to eat their chicken and veggies.

Before Avery and Logan were born, I rarely worried about the right answers to parenting.  I knew Luke and I would make mistakes as parents, but I was confident we would figure it out with little to no drama.  After almost three years as a parent, I now know that there are very few "right" answers when it comes to parenting.  Parents tend to adjust their parenting styles to what works for them and their families.

Lately, my friends and I have spent a lot of time talking about the decision to work or stay at home.  I feel blessed to have friends with various parenting perspectives and work situations and I enjoy learning from each one of them.  Other than my co-workers, I am one of the few moms I know who works full-time outside the home.  I rarely think twice about my decision.  Truthfully, I am amazed by my stay-at-home mom friends.  I think they are all incredible people and I honestly don't know how they do it.

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to have kids AND a career.  Although I was going to have four or five or SIX kids and be a doctor or a dentist, one thing that stayed constant was my decision to work outside of the home.  I clearly remember being pregnant with Avery when a friend casually said, "You plan on staying home once your baby is born, right?" As innocent as that question may have been, it offended me a bit. At the time, I was ashamed that I actually WANTED to go back to work. I mean, moms should want to spend every waking second with their children, right?  Not this mom. 

Sadly, as parents, we tend to judge each other much more than we should. I will admit that I used to be very guilty of the mom judging. (You let your kid eat fast food? Terrible. Your kids sometimes sleep in bed with you. Are you kidding me? TV? Never.) After we welcomed Logan into the world, almost all judging went out the window.  I like to say that I have become more tolerant, but Luke likes to say I have become more liberal. I now understand that no parent is perfect. We all try to be the best parents possible, but sometimes just have to survive.

There is no doubt that I love spending time with Avery and Logan; being with them is the best part of my day.  I just don't want them to be my whole day.  Is this selfish?  Maybe.  Since the time Luke and I have with our kids is somewhat limited, we make a conscious effort to be sure our time is quality time by planning outings and activities, putting our phones and computers away and giving excessive amounts of hugs, kisses and cuddles.  This may not be the right answer for every family, but it works for ours.

Since I work outside of the home and Luke travels a lot, my "Ashley" time is very limited, but I rarely complain.  Typically, the only time I have to myself is during my once-monthly book club meeting, a solo grocery store visit or a quick run.  Do I sometimes get worn out?  Absolutely.  Do I regret my choices?  Never.  I love my life, my job and my family.  Right now, I have everything I ever wanted.

So, what was the point of this rambling?  Friends, please stop judging each other.  As moms, we are often each others toughest critics when we should be one another's strongest supporters.  I get tired of hearing snide comments that moms make to each other or about each other.  No parent is perfect, no family is perfect and no kid is perfect. 

18 months

Logan-

Today you are 18 months old.  Wow!  It's hard to believe how quickly the past year and a half have gone by.  I know every mom says that, but it couldn't be more true.  On one hand, life has been crazy and a bit of a blur since your birth, but on the other hand, I remember every precious second.  Your birth brought an abundance of love into our family; I couldn't be more proud to be your mom.

At 18 months, your favorite foods are spaghetti and meatballs, cereal with milk, fruit snacks, crackers, pineapple and chicken, but you refuse to eat cold cheese and peanut butter.  You love playing with trucks, bubbles, balls, Avery's tea set and riding your bike.  I know that in just a few short months many of these things will change, but I never want to forget what its like now.

To mark your half birthday, I thought I would tell you my 18 favorite things about you.

1. Your infectious giggle.  Seriously, your laugh is my favorite thing in the world.
2. The way you say, "sissy" or "Av-ey".
3. Your tiger and elephant impressions.
4. Your slobbery, open mouth kisses that you only give your mama.
5. The way you call me "Ash-ey" and immediately giggle.
6. The way you say "mama" when you want me.
7. Your love of chocolate.  M&M's are your favorite.
8. Hugs.
9. The way you ask for cuddles at night.
10. Your insistence on using a fork whenever you eat.
11. Singing or talking in your bed when you wake up.
12. The way you do the Mickey Mouse "Hot Dog Dance".
13. The way you hug and play with your cat, Scout.
14. Your excitement when you eat breakfast with daddy in the morning.
15. Your dramatic fits when you don't get what you want.  (Lets be honest, it's a love/hate thing)
16. Your love of shoes.
17. Your toothbrush obsession.
18. The way you say, "I love you."

Happy Half Birthday Sweet Monster Man!

I love you more than you could ever imagine.

XOXO,

Mama

Potty Dance

For the past month, the Musselman family has done a lot of dancing, potty dancing.  It's true, Avery has finally taken the plunge into the world of potty training!  On March 31, I took her diapers away for the last time and we haven't turned back.  At first, Avery had trouble understanding the concept of filling up the potty, but her sweet friend, Ayla, took over and taught Avery how big girls potty.  I never knew a 4-year old could be such an important part of our potty training adventure.

From the beginning, the reward for using the potty has been Avery's biggest motivation.  I swear, before she even finishes using the potty, she asks, "May I have a treat?"  Of course, she's such a sweet girl that she always wants an extra treat for mommy, daddy or Logan.  Speaking of rewards, Luke and I started getting desperate with the potty training so our bribing got a little out of control.  (We have no shame.)  Luke promised Avery that when she finished potty training, daddy would buy her a play house.  Avery's still working on the pooping in the potty, but we are now shopping for a playhouse or playhouse/swing set combo.

So, yeah for another big milestone!  I can't believe how fast my babies are growing.

St. Kitts 2012

Luke and I recently returned from a wonderful vacation to St. Kitts.  We took the trip with Jen and Joel and had a great time.  We spent a lot of time walking the beach, reading by the pool (I read five books!) and enjoying each other's company. 

St. Kitts is beautiful and HOT.  We all got crazy sunburns the first day and determined that it was a result of my mom's faulty sunscreen and NOT our application process.  If we all got strange sunburns, it had to be the sunscreen, right?

The St. Kitts Marriott Resort

Jen and Joel's only time on the beach!

Ready for our zip-lining adventure!

Zip-Lining

The things you do to impress your kids.

At Luke's Favorite Beach Bar, Mr. X's Shiggity Shack

Beach Bars

New Beginnings

Tonight, Missouri defeated the Baylor Bears to win the Big 12 basketball tournament.  As Mizzou leaves the Big 12 for the SEC in the 2012-2013 season, I try not to think of the end of an era, but a new beginning for the Tigers.  Although I will miss hearing from old friends during yearly games against Kansas, I look forward to the challenges and memories ahead in the SEC.

Congratulations on an incredible season, Tigers!  Here's hoping you don't disappoint with your (hopeful) number one seed in the big dance.

My Boy

I know I say this about every age for my kids, but I swear fifteen months is my favorite age for Logan.  He is just so darn cute and so much fun!  He has the best personality ever.  Unless Logan is tired, sick or hungry, he is full of giggles, games and smiles.  I have never met a sweeter child.  I just love seeing him learn and grow every day.

At Logan's fifteen month well child check, he fell off the weight chart at 18 lbs, 4.5 oz (-5%) and measured 25.5" (10%).  I don't expect him to be a star basketball or football player, but I doubt he will ever have to worry about his weight.

As always, the past couple months have been busy.  Logan has been sick with the flu, pink eye, RSV and ear infections.  Poor kid can't seem to catch a break.  I think we are on the upswing and (dare I say) have a healthy family.  In January, Logan had his first dentist appointment and now has a mouth full of sixteen teeth!  In early February, we took Logan's beloved pacifier away for the last time.  He has done a great job.

Logan walks, runs and climbs to get wherever he wants.  He is so proud of himself when he's being naughty and doing things like climb on top of the kitchen table.  Of course, this mama can't help but smile when I get my sweet boy down.  Logan's signing and talking have taken off.  He gets so excited to say "please" that he often uses words and both of his hands to sign.  It's adorable and he obviously gets whatever he wants.  He has even made up his own little sign when he wants me to pick him up.  Manipulation and guilt trips begin early.  Whenever I give Logan his breathing treatment, he starts by crying and squirming, but when that doesn't work, he uses his most helpless tone to cry, "mama, mama."  It's bad, really bad.

Logan still loves to eat.  His favorite foods are grapes, cereal, hot dogs, waffles and spaghetti and meatballs.  He does not care for cheese unless it is melted on pizza or a chicken quesadilla.  He has become very opinionated lately.  If we try to give him food or a toy he doesn't want, he firmly says no and pushes it away.  Unfortunately, he sometimes thinks it's funny to throw the food as well.  He gets so sad when we scold him for throwing his food.  His little lip trembling breaks my heart.  Sometimes I hate having to be the parent.

Logan loves books and can't sleep without his "Poke a Dot" book in his bed.  He likes to read before he falls asleep and then again when he first wakes up.  I just love hearing his sweet voice and giggles on the monitor as he pops his book.

So, happy fifteen months, sweet boy.  I can't wait to see what the next fifteen have in store for you!

Valentines Pics

The kids had Valentines pictures taken a couple weeks ago.  Here are some of my favorites!

Wordless Wednesday

Add caption

Back To Normal

The start of 2012 has brought some normalcy back to the Musselman family.  Avery and Logan started their new school, Luke and I started back to work (and travel for Luke) and we have all started battling the inevitable sicknesses that come with daycare and my job going in and out of doctor's offices all day long.  Although things are crazy as ever, it's nice to know what to expect on a day to day basis.

Many of you know about our nightmare with the kids last daycare.  I appreciate everyone's kind words, calls, e-mails and support.  I am still a bit nervous every time I drop the kids off at school, but I know the new school is amazing and I feel so much more secure with the teachers and director.  Fortunately, the drop offs haven't been too bad for the kids.  Avery usually runs into her classroom and immediately joins whatever activity is going on.  She constantly talks about her "jobs" at her new school and everything she learns.  Sadly, Logan is another story.  He usually cries when I drop him off.  It breaks my heart, but I continuously remind myself that he will quickly grow out of this phase.

As I write this post, the kids are soundly sleeping, Luke is working in Minneapolis and I am sitting in my bed eating ice cream and watching Whitney Houston's funeral. Kevin Costner's speech, WOW.  I know, it's sad I don't have anything better to do.

Today, I spent most of the day at the doctor and hospital with Logan.  Poor kid just can't seem to get healthy.  Thankfully, my friend Rachel didn't hesitate when I called to ask if I could drop Avery off.  The highlight of my day was when Logan peed in the potty.  Sadly, Avery still refuses.  It's driving me insane!  Moms out there, I'm open to any tips.  At this point, I'm willing to pay someone to potty train my child.

Since my scrapbooks are over a year behind and this is the only place I write down Avery and Logan's milestones, I must note a few of them.  In late January, Logan had his first dentist appointment.  Logan was amazing for the dentist.  Seriously, he opened his mouth for the dentist and kept it open for the entire exam.  The only time Logan fussed was at the very end when he wanted to brush his own teeth, but couldn't because of the fluoride.  Avery recently had her first haircut.  Although Avery has very little hair and I planned on waiting until she was 10 or 20 to get her first haircut, I couldn't handle the mullet anymore.  Finally, Logan gave up his pacifier on February 9.  Such a happy day for the Musselman's.

Love and Loss

"Sorrow comes in great waves...but it rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us, it passes and we remain." - Henry James

On January 31, the world lost an incredible man, husband, father, friend, grandpa and great-grandpa.  Newton Lawrence Chamberlain III touched the lives of everyone he met.  His commanding presence made you want to listen when he spoke.  While Grandpa Newt had firm beliefs and opinions, he never made anyone feel wrong if their opinions didn't align with his.

From the moment I met Grandpa Newt, he treated me like family.  He didn't love talking on the phone, but made it a point to check in on me and the kids every week or so.  In fact, I still have a voicemail on my phone that I like to listen to just to hear his voice.

When Luke and I found out I was pregnant, Luke insisted that we name any future boys after his grandfather.  After Logan was born, we called Grandpa Newt to tell him the good news, his new great grandchild was a boy and we named him Logan Newton.  Grandpa Newt was honored and proud.  I just hope Logan someday realizes the significance his name carries.

Grandpa Newt loved history, Paris, The University of Michigan, black and white movies, martinis and family. He used to say that Paris is the greatest city in the world.  At different times, he and grandma Marilyn took all of the grandchildren to Paris.  He joked that his last trip would be taking the great grandchildren there.  I hope Luke and I can take Avery and Logan there one day so that we can all experience Grandpa Newt's favorite city together. 

Since the Chamberlains spent most of the year in Michigan, Grandpa Newt was an avid University of Michigan fan.  He often harassed Luke and me by telling us that Avery and Logan needed to attend a real college like The University of Michigan.

At Christmastime, Grandpa Newt sent me the movie, Casablanca.  He wanted me to see one of his favorite movies.  Luke and I finally watched it the Saturday before he passed.  For those of you who haven't seen Casablanca, it is a must see.  After watching the movie, I told him that I was going to send a surprise of one of my favorite movies.  I never had a chance to send it, but I planned on sending Legally Blonde.  I'm sure he would have gotten a kick out of the ridiculousness of it.

In the short five years I have known Grandpa Newt, he has touched my life more than I could imagine.  His passing leaves a void that no one can quite fill.  Sadly, I have never had much faith in the idea of heaven, but I sure hope it is real so that I can see grandpa Newt and give him a big hug again someday.  I love you and miss you already.

"Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss

Thirty

For the next month, Avery and I are the same age. The only difference is a minor multiplier of twelve. Details, right? Avery is now thirty months or two and a half years old.

If I had to choose one word to describe the difference between Avery at two and two and a half, it would be, MORE. Avery talks MORE, she has MORE hair (YEAH!), her tantrums and mood swings are MORE frequent and MORE dramatic, her hugs are MORE powerful and her imagination is MORE vivid. I'm sure everyone can guess the attributes I appreciate most and least, right?

As many of you who have spent even five minutes with Avery know, she talks A LOT. Honestly, I knew she talked more than the average two year old, but I didn't realize how much more until recently. Avery and Logan just started at a new daycare and when I picked Avery up from her first day, I was stopped four times by people saying, "Avery talks really well for her age." I even had two people tell me that she "tells a lot of stories." I think we might be in trouble.

Tantrums. Let me just say, I could definitely live without them. I think all two year olds have slight split personalities and Avery is no exception. She is either the sweetest girl on earth or not. She is quick to say sorry and give hugs if you get hurt or happen to be sad, but often loses her mind when she doesn't get her way.

Avery recently developed the "mommy" gene. It is so sweet. She has a Cabbage Patch Kid baby doll that is her baby. This baby is a girl, and Avery recently changed her name from "baby" to "Logan." Of course this isn't confusing at all when she asks, "Where's Logan?" Avery likes to rock her baby, feed her, read to her and even give her the occasional time out. You see, Avery's Logan seems to have a biting problem. :-) Often, when Avery carries her baby around, she insists that I carry my baby as well. I just love that Avery has become more of a nurturer these days.

Two and a half is fun. I just wish it included potty training for Avery. Dear lord, this is our biggest battle. Miss Avery has NO interest. She will sit there and say, "I'm pooping", but refuse to sit on the potty. I have tried to take her diaper away and just put her in panties three times. She not only refuses to sit on the potty, but will also pee or poop all over herself acts like nothing happened. It drives me crazy, but I think I have almost convinced myself that she won't go to Kindergarten in a diaper.

Well, potty training battles aside, my girl is pretty amazing. At two and a half some of Avery's favorite things are riding her bike, pretending to be a shark or a lion, playing with friends, going to gymnastics, Logan, her cat (Scout) and mommy. She surprises me each and every day with the new things she learns. I can't wait to see what the next six months have to offer, but for now, I will just enjoy my sweet two and a half year old.