#WW: The soccer star returns

I am a soccer mom. Amelia just began her third season. This time, we moved her up to U8 league so she is playing with 6 and 7-year olds. She is the youngest (not quite six). But she shows the right level of aggression and she runs really fast. I think she's going to do great.

Gooooo team Cosmos!

Planning an infant-friendly vacation

Summer vacation poses a new challenge for us this year. We not only need to find exciting activities for Amelia (who will be six years old), but we also need to consider infant-friendly options. Andrew will be 4-5 months old when we will likely travel.

We took Amelia many places at a young age. At five months old, we traveled to Maine. We had a fantastic and peaceful vacation, even if we did have a few extra hurdles with a baby. At fourteen months, Amelia went on a family vacation to Europe. We had a lot of extra family to help with her, but it was still a big accomplishment. She has been to various beaches, on cruises, and to national parks in the western U.S.. Also Hawaii. Clearly, we are not afraid to enjoy vacations away just because of children.

A look back at the big snow day

Today, it is 60 degrees and sunny. Quite gorgeous outside, actually! We feel like it is a heat wave after all the snow and ice we have had this year. Clearly, we have nothing compared to other northern states, but it was a lot for us! We have been out of school way too much.

The last snow was perfectly wet and heavy. Snowman snow!

#RinglingATL entertains again!

Amelia and I enjoyed another circus date this year. Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey's Built to Amaze came to the Atlanta area last week, first playing in Gwinnett before moving to Phillips Arena. The snow days created a bit of chaos with opening night, but we made it out on Friday morning.

Here are a few photo highlights of the show, but you should see it for yourself! Built to Amaze is traveling through the country. Check the Ringling schedule for one of the shows near you!

I love the animals!  Big kitties....

Tightrope skills - with bicycles?! Cool...

This woman shot herself out of a cannon!

 

Of course there were elephants! So sweet...

 

 

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I received complimentary tickets to the show in exchange for pre-promotion and social sharing. All opinions are my own.

Frozen!

First the Snowjam, now ice storm!

 

As I sat awake last night feeding baby, I listened to the pitter-pat of frozen rain hitting our roof and windows. Today, our Atlanta world is covered in ice. Without the chaos of traffic jams and being separated from family, I can actually enjoy the beauty.

 

Pinterest-worthy playroom tent!

My kindergartner loves to read. She often hides herself away, demanding privacy so she can immerse herself in her books. Upstairs in the playroom, we have a cardboard castle that was a gift from a friend a few years ago. The castle has seen better days (it was well used!), and it is getting a bit small for Amelia and her ever-growing library of reading materials.

While my parents were here during and after baby's birth, I showed them a really neat PVC pipe tent idea. I had been searching high and low of a better tent option for a big kid, and everything was too small, too expensive, or too heavy. Then I discovered the wonders of PVC pipe. Very inexpensive, totally lightweight, and easy to work with.

My dad built Amelia's awesome new reading and play tent in less than one day. My mom decorated it with semi-sheer curtains and bows, and it is gorgeous!

When winter halted metro Atlanta - and I had a newborn baby boy

When the snow/ice storm of late January hit Atlanta, I was in a hospital bed. A newborn baby boy quietly grunted and snored next to me, in that newborn fog of only semi-consciousness. My husband was watching the winter scene unfold out of our one window to the outside world. We saw the mass exodus of hospital guests and employees sliding out of the parking deck. Over time, the sound of ambulances became more and more frequent as car accidents built up on the roads.

 

I was sad that day, since our plans to see Amelia were cancelled; it was not going to be safe for my parents to get her to the hospital from our suburban home. They picked her up from school for early dismissal and within minutes, the under 2-mile distance from school to our home was iced over and traffic was at a standstill. With the help of GPS on a tablet, they were able to navigate another road and make it home. Other nearby friends were reporting hour-long drives just to get home -- no more than a couple of miles! The school bus was one hour late. Parents sat in cars at the stops, waiting and worrying. Other friends began texting, reporting 4+ hour drives just to pick up their children and get home. Some didn't make it back to their own homes and endured nights with no PJs, no favorite snacks, and no pacifiers, loveys, or other habitual comforts for their kids.

Ringling Bros. is back! Built to Amaze in #Atlanta

Our favorite entertainment event of the year is back! Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus, presented by Feld Entertainment: Built to Amaze!

"Circus performers from across the globe create the perfect blend of athleticism and bravery, where power meets fearlessness and amazement has no bounds. As the momentum builds so does the anticipation, anything can happen when Ringling Bros. Presents Built To Amaze!"

The show is at the Gwinnett Center Arena for two more nights, though February 9th, before moving to Phillips Arena in Atlanta, from February 12-17.

Not in Atlanta? Built to Amaze is traveling next to Raleigh, Richmond, North Charleston, Cincinnati, D.C., and more. Check the Built to Amaze schedule for details.

To keep up with all the fun and wonder of Ringling Bros., you can follow:
Ringling Bros. on Facebook
Ringling Bros. on Twitter
Ringling Bros. on Instagram

Riveting winter read - and the movie coming soon! #Divergent

Do you know how I judge if a book is really, really good?

If my husband reads it.

He is not much of a reader, but a few series have really caught his attention: Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and now the Divergent series. We are really getting into the dystopian fiction genre - it's fascinating to imagine a future world with new and twisted political structures, struggles, and identities.

I highly recommend the books, but if you are not a reader? Then never fear, the movie is almost here! The final theatrical trailer has been released for Divergent!

Click here for Divergent movie trailer

Read the books also, though! Really, SO riveting. I don't think you will be disappointed.

#WW: He looks just like big sister

Baby Andrew looks a lot like his big sister did when she was born.

I have been browsing through and comparing photos...
 

Yawning babies

 

Matching mouths

I think, just maybe, I make cute kids :)

Happy birthday, sweet boy: One week ago today #birthstory

One week ago, our son was born. At 2:57 am on Sunday, January 26th, 2014, I became a mother of two. Having mastered the art of all things girly and sparkling, I now get to try my hand at "boy mom".

Birth did not go exactly as I expected...

My first child was nine pounds, born after an induction, extremely long 16 hours of labor, many vomiting episodes, three hours of pushing, and an episiotomy. We all, doctors included, figured that this birth would be a bit faster. No guarantees but surely with my first being so large, I could handle another - at least in a similar fashion. But we thought maybe easier.

We even induced at 39 weeks to make sure he did not quite reach the size of his sister. We estimated about 8 pounds. So in we went on a Friday night, planning for a birth on January 25th, our 11th wedding anniversary. I was calm and ready to get things going, so I snuggled up in the homemade quilt that accompanied me from home and slept through most of the night.