10.30.2015

The Quick KC Edition

This week didn't really feel like a week. More like a couple of regular days sprinkled with a weekend right in the middle. The week seemingly zoomed right on by. Too bad every week doesn't have a weekend built right in. I could get on board with that.

Moving along to the highlights. 

We were in KC for roughly 36 hours, and we made each and every hour count during our brief stay.

1. The World Series!
The biggest factor in getting us home. For more on that 14 inning, 5 hour and 9 minute goodness, check out yesterday's post. 
While we were there we picked up just a liiiiiiiittle bit of Royal swag.
You'd think we didn't own any at all. 
Just for fun, comparing the 2014 and 2015 baseballs.
The top ball came from AT & T Park in San Francisco.
The bottom ball came from Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
2. Grandma and Grandpa!
While Scott and I were basking in baseball glory Marcus and Julia were able to spend quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Macke. 

3. Cousins!
Along with hanging with grandparents, Marcus had an absolute blast with two of his three cousins. 

4. For real fall!
The weather, the colors, the need for sweatshirts! For one day we were able to enjoy all of that. It was a dream. 

5. Travel buddies. 
The kids rocked traveling. There were 4am wake up calls, four flights total, a two hour time change, and a complete disruption of our normal schedules, all in 36 crazy hours. Yet, both babes were amazing. 

Here's to a fun filled weekend complete with: Fall Festivals, Trick or Treating, candy comas that are sure to follow, and Games 3, 4, and 5 of the World Series - with hopes and dreams of KC taking it all! 
Have a fabulous weekend! 

10.29.2015

Game One || The World Series

Call me crazy. Call me presumptuous, but two weeks ago I saw a glimmer of hope that our favorite baseball team - the Royals - would again make the World Series. I begged, pleaded, and made my case with Scott that if the team won the ALCS we *had* to make a trip back to Kansas City for at least one of the World Series games.

I got the go ahead and purchased tickets and flights for a game I wasn't even sure would happen (lucky the tickets would have been refundable if the Royals wouldn't have made it and the flight could have been credited toward a future flight). 

Then wouldn't you know it. In five games of the ALCS our Boys in Blue sealed the deal. 
We were headed home! In October! To see yet another World Series game (we went to San Francisco last year to watch the Royals v Giants)! 
Tuesday morning our alarms went off at 4am. By 5:15am we were on the road. 7:45am we were in the air. At 2:30pm we landed in KC. We were on the road to Kauffman Stadium by 4:15pm. By 7pm we were in our seats, which were thankfully under an awning as it had rained all. Day. Long. 
I won't replay the game, but I will say it had to have gone down as a classic. It took 14 innings, is tied for the longest World Series game to be played - 5 hours and 9 minutes. We saw an in field homer, watched a clutch 9th inning hiker that tied the game. And eventually lead to the Royals winning Game One. 
It was nothing short of a thrill. The entire stadium was electric, and though we were flat out exhausted I didn't really want to leave. 
Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 we were back at the Kansas City airport. By 4:45 we were on a flight back to LA, and at 8:15 we were back in SoCal. Thankfully we were able to watch Game Two on our plane. 

Now here we are, totally World Series hangover, and just two games away from winning it all. Too bad we can't sneak back home for just one more game... 

10.28.2015

Fall Goodies || A Blogger Exchange

Fall is my absolute favorite. However, living in Southern California for the past five and a half years has really put a damper on the season. Let's be real. Southern California doesn't really have seasons. All we get are June Gloom, Summer, Hell, and Hot.

When Johannah tossed out the idea of co-hosting a Fall Blogger Exchange I jumped right on it. Pretending we have fall weather, shopping for all the fall goodies, and getting to know new bloggers? Yep, I'll take it.

I was paired with Andrea from Long Days, Short Years. She is mom to four beauties, lives on the East Coast, and seems to love a lot of the same things as me. After getting to know her I had a blast picking out items I thought she may enjoy. Stop by her blog to check out the goodies that I sent her way.

Andrea nailed the box she sent to me.
The minute I opened the box and saw the picture perfect post card of what Fall *should be* a smile immediately formed.
I haven't seen trees like that since 2010!

Individually wrapped items. Andrea knows the way to my heart.

On to the spoils:
Left to right, top to bottom:
  • An adorable wooden box that will fit perfectly on my kitchen table. A handful of leaves, maybe a couple of gourds or mini pumpkins -- the possibilities to fill that are endless!
  • A trio of bracelets that will match practically everything in my wardrobe.
  • How CUTE is that "wish bone" bar towel?! *swoon*
  • The postcard that deserves a frame.
  • Did you know there was such a thing as Sea Salt Chocolate Candy Corn? Marcus and I have had a hay day dipping into that.
  • Method's Mulled Cider hand soap. Method is my all time favorite soap, and I cannot wait to bust into this.
  • Very Fall-ish polish, which I will be rocking in the very near future. 

A ginormous THANK YOU to Andrea for getting to know me and picking out some fabulous fall items!

Did you participate in the Fall Blogger Exchange? If so, be sure to link up with Johannah, Bri, and me and share your Fall goodies!


10.27.2015

RISE || Round Two

Aside from the typical pumpkin carving and trick or treating, our family doesn't have much in the way of Halloween traditions. Shoot, this year we were lucky to pull off costumes at all (thanks, Mom for working your seamstress magic).

However, for the second year in a row we attended one of my favorite Halloween events: RISE of the Jack o' Lanterns! We were lucky to have Elizabeth, Seth, and Mason join us in the fun this year, too!

To quickly sum up the event - 5,000 pumpkins (some real, some not) are carved to create all sorts of different amazing pieces of artwork. Spectators follow a trail to "ooooh" and "ahhhh" at all 5,000 masterpieces.
There were a few displays that were the same as last year, but there were several that were new.
I think a permanent fixture for RISE is the tree decorated with several small pumpkins. From afar it almost looks as if the tree is lit by Christmas lights, but nope, those are all little pumpkins.

The intricate detail that goes in to some of these is astounding. 
Notice the car in the background? So cool.
May the force be with you.
Are you ready for some football?
Many of the displays were set quite far back and off the trail. Sadly, my phone didn't take the greatest quality pics of those.
Top to bottom, left to right:
Dia de los Muertos
T-Rex
Brontosaurus
A spider web that was complete with a massive multi-pumpkin tarantula and multi-pumpkin Spiderman
Giraffe
Of the pieces that I did get decent quality pics, these few are by far my favorite:
This old truck and car (which can partially be seen in the picture above with the Hollywood pumpkin) were my top favorites, hands down.
Coming in close second, the Chinese dragon had so many pumpkins and so many details!
Rounding out the top three, these tigers, with detail that was mind blowing.

I think we may have just created a holiday tradition for our little family. 
Maybe we've even inspired Elizabeth and her crew to make RISE a yearly tradition with us, too! 

10.26.2015

M & J Monday

Since Fall refuses to make its way to these parts we will just keep dressing and pretending like it's still summer.
Happy Monday!

10.23.2015

The Mail Edition

This week has been something else. Scott put in some crazy, super long hours (think 16-18 hour days). That meant most of the week I was flying solo with Marcus and Julia. There were some very overwhelming moments, some moments where I found patience I didn't even know I had, and we all managed to make it out alive. The weekend is finally here and it has never looked so good.

On with the highlights!
Mail was on point yesterday. It's rare I take a few minutes for myself these days (there are not enough hours in the day for such luxuries), but yesterday's mail gave me the opportunity to have a little 'me' time. 

1. My first Stitch Fix arrived! These days the idea of shopping in stores makes me shudder. I loved the idea of the mall coming to me, and I had fun trying on the items in the comfort of my home. 
I plan to do a more detailed post on my first experiences and all the pieces next week. Spoiler alert: my wardrobe has grown. 

2. My Fall Blog Exchange box arrived! My partner, Andrea, nailed it

A full reveal will be up next week.

3. Chucks!
Thanks to pregnancy my feet have grown and I was in dire need of new kicks. These dandies came in the mail and I instantly fell in love. Sadly, they're a tad too big, so they'll have to be exchanged for a smaller size before I can actually enjoy them. 

4. This has absolutely nothing to do with the mail... But, GO ROYALS! Just one more win and they clench the ALCS and head to the World Series. 
Here's to hoping the Boys in Blue can seal the deal with today's game.

5. Our weekend is full of Halloween fun. On the agenda, a Trunk or Treat and RISE of the Jack o' Lanterns! 
This is from RISE, last year. Easily my favorite display.
There's no place like home!
In case you missed last year's post - RISE is a display of 5,000 (!!!) carved pumpkins. And, it is AH-MAY-ZING. I can't wait to see what incredible artwork -in the form of jack o'lanterns- will be on display this year!

Have a great weekend! 

10.22.2015

Adjustment & Transition

Now that we are a solid nine (!) weeks into being a family of four I thought I'd do a little reflecting on how well we are all adjusting - primarily Marcus, as everyone seems to ask how the big brother is doing.
When Julia arrived Marcus came up to the hospital and was naturally very intrigued with her. He wanted to hold his baby sister, give her lots of hugs, and lots of kisses. He was very good about being gentle with her, and my heart burst into a million tiny pieces when I saw both my babies together.
The first two weeks home with Julia are kind of blurry, but Marcus seemed to transition with much more ease than I anticipated. We also had grandparents around during those weeks to shower everyone with lots of love and attention.
It wasn't until after the grandparents had packed their bags that I noticed Marcus struggled a bit with no longer being the only child. You see, the first week Julia was home (and the grandparents were around) Marcus started preschool. That first week he had no problems saying good-bye to me at drop off. But, the second week (when the grandparents had all gone home) there was lots of clinging to my leg, crying and begging me not to go. And my heart fell to my stomach each and every time.
Marcus wasn't getting as much attention as when grandmas and grandpas were around, and I knew that was the problem behind our issue. Thanks to a day date of bowling with just Marcus and Mommy I think that helped ease my little man's mind that I wasn't going anywhere. Luckily, preschool drop offs are now no big deal (for either of us).
 There have been occasional, epic outbursts and tantrums that I've never dealt with before. Think: Marcus throwing his entire body onto the grocery store floor and screaming and crying, all the while I'm desperately pleading for him to stop, get up, and keep it moving. I'm not sure if that meltdown was totally a transition issue, or in part to the monster 'threenager' coming through. I'm going to guess a good combination of both.
 Only a handful of times (so far) has Marcus displayed being jealous of the attention given to Julia. And it's primarily with Scott. If I had to guess, it's because Marcus is with me most of the time, and sees me with Julia so often. With Scott working their time together is less, and seeing Scott dedicate time to Julia has occasionally brought about spells of jealousy. Thankfully, those moments have been few and far between.
As far as Marcus interacting with Julia, I am so blown away with his gentle nature and loving ways. My sweet little boy is always, always, always asking to hug "his baby," and kiss "his baby," and hold "his baby." I am amazed at his gentle little soul, and I hope and pray that never changes as they grow older.
Marcus is truly the best big brother, and I hope one day Julia notices how much he dotes on her and loves on her. It's something magical to see, and Julia is one lucky little lady.
As for Scott and me, we're doing the whole parents-of-two one day at a time. It seems that's the only way it can be done. Most days I survive on winging it and prayer. Lots and lots and lots of prayer. My patience is tested daily (hourly? minute by minute?). And, many nights I lie in bed with tears streaming down my cheeks, thanking the Lord for my abundant blessings. I also pray for more patience, better parenting abilities, and sleep, always more sleep.
Only nine weeks into this gig and it's been a pretty awesome, crazy, ride. But, it's been oh so worth all the adjustments and transitions. Our family wasn't complete until Julia arrived, and we're all in this together.
So, to sum it up - just how are we all adjusting and transitioning? I'd have to say pretty darn well. Not every day is easy - nor did I expect it to be - but every day is full of laughter and lots of love. And, if that's the side effect of adding another little miracle to our family I'll take that all day, every day.