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.