A (mostly) kid free Weekend

Listen, I know if you've been reading this blog for

any length of time that we LOVE our little Max. 

But, there is something to be said for some kid free time. 

On the first weekend of December last year, my parents watched

Max overnight for a couple of days and it was totally refreshing....

not to mention how much stuff we can get done both for the holidays

and around the house without a toddler in tow. 

So, we made a plan to repeat the grandparent weekend this year. 

On Friday, I picked Max up early from daycare and he zonked out

for the entire drive to Dayton. 

(Don't worry - I took the picture while stopped at a red light)

My parents had fun dinner plans on Friday night (that didn't involve us)
...so Max and I hung out with Poppy.

We went to dinner at Chick Fil A and then back to his house

for your average Friday night fun. 

In between Chick Fil A and Poppy's house - I forced them to run 

some errands with me.  Nothing like trying to wrangle your 93 year old grandpa

who insists on pushing the cart along with your toddler...

Once at his house...it appeared Poppy needed help with some administrative tasks :)

Max loved the stapler, highlighters, and shredder!

Poppy rewarded his tiny intern with chocolate chip ice cream...

which Max did not hate. 

Can I also mention that each of them got equal parts ice

cream on the floor and themselves?  #toddlerprobs #seniorproblems

On Saturday morning...I went to a patio pot class at the local

plant nursery.  They help you arrange greenery and berries and such into a lovely arrangement. 

I love this tradition and the pop of color it brings to my porch. 

After class - Max and my parents picked me and we drove

to Lebanon for the horse parade!

We all loved the mini horses...but I have to admit

the Clydesdales were pretty impressive too!

Max also got his first glimpse of someone dressed

as a "grinch" and has been obsessed with the Grinch ever since. 

After the parade, I drove back to Columbus and Max stayed in Dayton. 

Rob and I enjoyed a delightful kid free dinner at Marcellas

and shopping at Polaris Mall.  It was glorious to not

have to issue any threats (eat all your food! hold my hand! don't touch that!) 

and stay out later than 7:45. 

(our foot loose and kid free faces!)

(give me all the cabin socks at Field and Stream!)

Upon coming home we wrapped ALL the presents

while watching Shrek the Halls and Christmas Vacation :)

I stayed up waaayyyyy too late because I was all - I can sleep in tomorrow!

Friends, I slept till 10:45 on Sunday morning. 

It was the best gift EVER.  I love my bed and I love to sleep. 

After rolling out and putting myself together - Auntie Stacy and I had

what I have coined "Sister Sunday Fun Day!".

Even though she was reluctant to come to the mall (at first), 

we both agreed it was the BEST day.

Some of the highlights included...

a stop at the Anthropologie store...

another stop at a gardening store

discovering this pop up marshmallow shop

a picture with my beloved bean boot!

buying Penny a new chew toy!

free tiny wine and cheese samples at Trader Joes

*Not pictured - a most delicious lunch at Cosi Cafe, 

purchasing my new favorite jeans from Nordstrom, 

buying one last Christmas present for Rob, 

buying one more Christmas present for a co-worker,

and generally just all of the awesomeness that comes from 

hanging out with your sister :)

She sent me home to "have a romantic dinner with Rob" -

so we headed to Vaqueros for some Mexican food!

(i love chips and salsa, and Rob :)

It was truly a fantastic weekend - and while we certainly 

missed Max and did our fair share of still talking about him, 

getting text updates from my parents etc....it was

nice to just reconnect with the other adults in my life. 

So...mom and dad...mark your calendars for 2016, k?

xoxo

Christmas Countdown

Happy December 1st!  

Just as in years past - we are celebrating the month of December

with a countdown to Christmas. Max is usually pretty into arts and crafts 

(really, any chance to use "mommy's pens AKA the Sharpie and his second and third favorite crafting tools, the glue stick and safety scissors respectively)... so I knew

this would be a hit. 

I usually stress about making the perfect "Pinterest worthy" arts and crafts

(yeah, I'm totally that mom) - but this year, when I saw the Santa beard

countdown calendar I was all over it.  And it was $1.  

(Thank you Target Dollar bins #alwayandforever) 

 

Essentially all we did was glue Santa's face together

(complete with a mustache, like grandpa)!

 

Then, as each day comes, he will get to cut off a 

sliver of the beard!  And Max loves nothing more 

than to use his safety scissors.  He was actually 

mad when I wouldn't let him start hacking at Santa's beard

last night. But I distracted him with another piece of paper...so all was well.
Sidenote: Distraction is my favorite form of tantrum diversion.

Then, Papa Rob and Max hung it up on the wall. 

Max even went so far as to get his stool from the bathroom

so he could help.  

I mean, if this face doesn't say proud - I don't know what does!

If you're wondering if Max always crafts in his underwear....

the answer is YES! haha! No, not really, he just

went to the bathroom and then decided to not put his pants back on. 

He really does love to be naked though.

Just gotta pick your battles, right? 

Also - my tip for this and ALL interactions with toddlers, is just

to keep your expectations low...and then be pleasantly surprised 

when things turn out okay :)

xoxo

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving from our turkeys to yours! 

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday. As we did 

last year, the Hauck clan headed to Dayton after bath time on Wednesday evening. 

At our Starbucks stop, Max announced that he needed to go potty....

being that we were in the drive through with no restroom in sight, 

we got our drinks and headed to the Kroger parking lot.

Max is a champ at peeing outside now and actually

probably prefers it?  I don't know...boys are weird. 

But, after emptying his bladder, fell asleep quick!

We spent Thanksgiving day cooking (mainly just the girls), 

eating (lots of that), and enjoying some family time. 

Lately, we have preferred to let City BBQ smoke the turkey 

for us ...so much easier...then no one has to deal with

waking up at the crack of dawn to put the turkey in the oven

and do all the gross preparations (i.e. stuffing it). 

Lucky for Max, the bag that the turkey came in 

was just big enough for him to sit in and then 

demand rides from all the adults (thank you Auntie Stacy for this idea). 

We actually sat down to "dinner" around 12:15 (which I think 

eating this early is a midwest thing). Everyone was responsible for 

bringing something again this year. So, the Haucks brought mashed 

potatoes and the salad, Stacy brought the pies and stuffing, my parents 

made the sparkling jello salad and green beans, and 

my grandpa "brought" the turkey!

Did you know it's super easy to candy pecans?  Me neither. 

But - it really is because I did it (with the help of Pinterest)

Thanksgiving morning in about half an hour. The pecans 

were for the salad.  Other mandatory items

were sangria (alcohol is always nice when dealing with family!)

and the butter shaped like a turkey. #tradition

Worth noting - I also don't like pumpkin pie...but

my sister made me a delicious chocolate chip cookie 

ala mode! Yum yum!

Also - it was a running joke leading up to Thanksgiving

that Rob and I were bringing mashed potatoes for 50+

and in all reality we probably did.  We got them from Costco and

then I also last minute purchased some from the grocery too. 

All I know is...I didn't want to run out.  I also love them as left overs. 

After Max was napping (under protest) - we played a new to us 

game called "Wits and Wagers". I nearly won almost two times. 

Max woke up early form his nap but 

continued to sleep on Papa Rob for another hour and fifteen minutes. 

No complaining from either party. 

Thanksgiving was also super nice in the weather department....

60 degrees in November..what?! Crazy! So all the girls (and Penny and Max)

headed to the park for some fun (and to burn off energy). 

Snapchat (a form of social media) was having special filters 

you could put on your pictures all day...so clearly that had to happen. 

We wrapped up Thanksgiving with some shopping at Target (around 9:00)

and then over to Carters (because they opened at 11:00 pm). Carters

was giving the first 100 people gift cards and I actually won a $50 gift

card...which made the whole trip totally worth it!   


Cheers friends and bring on Christmas!
xoxo

Max, Mama, and Papa - November 2015 edition

Oh November.... you passed by in such a whirl!

We passed a Zoo levy, made two trips to COSI,

created lots of handprint turkey art, participated in a 5K for Wildlights (though we

probably only made it 2K), caught a sinus infection (Max), had visits with friends, and worked on NOT using our paci in the car. On top of all that - we also got busy getting ready for the holidays! 

 

Here is what Mama, Max (30 months), and Papa were into during November 2015.

(From left to right - Papa, Max, and Mama)

 

DRINKING:// vitamin water orange, water from a special glass at night, lots of hot chocolate

*Max uses the elephant glass when "swishing" his toothpaste at night

*I've already mentioned this but I love to add peppermint creamer to my hot chocolate

 



EATING:// dark chocolate pretzel bark, strawberries, lentil chips

*both of the non fruit items were Costco finds! The lentil chips

are especially addicting because they have soy/teriyaki flavor

*You can always count on Max to eat strawberries :)

MAKING:// the lights on our tree go on with a remote control, handprint turkeys, merry

*Rob and Max love to use this remote control to turn on the Christmas tree

lights every morning and evening

*I cannot even handle the cuteness of turkey handprint art

*I love merry making around the house!

READING:// work emails, library books, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

*Little Owl Lost is such a cute story!  Max laughed out loud at many of

the suggestions on who the owl mother would be.  Another book

we read countless times was 1,2,3 Train by Eric Carle (but it was in his room

and I'm typing this post while he's napping..)

 

WATCHING:// Jessica Jones, Secret Agent Oso, and Jane the Virgin

*Jessica Jones is only available on Netflix (I think?)

*Secret Agent Oso is about a bear who helps people do things in "3 special steps"

*Jane the Virgin was recommended to me by a friend and I watched the

whole first season in a week...it's kind of cheesy but also really funny.

WEARING:// Browns winter hat, hat and mittens, Converse

*We like pom pom hats around here

*These Converse sneakers go with everything...especially all my plaid shirts :)

WORKING ON:// putting up holiday lights, putting on his own socks, present list

*Rob was bummed that many of our light strands seem to be only half working? Ugh.

*Max is very good about putting on his own socks now in the morning or

at night before he goes to bed.  He does get frustrated when they go on crooked or

the heel part ends up in front

*I'm making my lists and checking it twice...I'm sure you're all on it!

 

LOVING://computer app called "Uprising", fishing game, bottlebrush everything

*Rob plays this game all.day.long (in two minute increments...he swears...)

*I bought this fishing game for Max on a whim at Target and he loves it!

The fish go around (battery powered) and open up their mouths but it's

very easy to catch them!  Good hand eye coordination I believe!

*Target has the most adorable bottlebrush trees...and I want them all!

 

That's a wrap on the month of November!

xoxo

Around Here

This post is going to kind of be a photo dump of sorts...but they are all pretty cute photos of 

Max...so who can really complain?  Certainly not me.  This kid has been giving us a run for 

our money lately...meaning I guess that this whole parenting thing just got a little more real. 

He's not a tiny ball of mush anymore...I actually have to discipline and teach him

how to be a good person (which as it turns out is kind of hard). He's as stubborn

as he is sweet...and once he makes he makes his mind up about something...

he's hard to convince otherwise. 

Bath time happens here every night.  I know not

everyone does this...but for us, it's just part of his

routine.  Papa Rob almost exclusively handles bath time. 

And I just rush around and put away laundry, straighten up

downstairs, or load up his diffuser with oils. Max almost

always wants me to "wrap him up" though...and then I 

carry him into his room while he giggles and giggles. 

Try to ignore the paci in this picture and just focus

on that wicked part Papa Rob gave him. He looked

like a little business man.  His business would be

something where he can negotiate (of course) because

that's what he's good at.  Just one more show mommy...

Just a little more juice mommy...  I need two suckers mommy...

You get the idea.  

My awesome parents brought me a Cinnabon

to eat for breakfast last week.  It's safe to say 

that everyone at work was jealous. 

And man, those things are delish!

Max LOVES making forts....like

all day every day. He made the above

fort with Grandpa and then when I got home

he said, "Grandpa makes his fort a little different mommy". 

And I of course assured him that different is awesome!

He uses literally every pillow off the couch and chairs

and drapes that huge Costco fleece blanket over

everything and it does end up being pretty cozy. 

I met Max and my parents at Canes for lunch 

last week.  They are promoting "Buddy the elf"

and naturally Max just wanted to put his head in the hole

for a picture. I'll take it. Max loves the garlic bread at Canes

and the fries.  He probably ate one bite of chicken for every five fries. 

Who can blame him...they are yummy. 

We finally bought some dry erase markers for his easel

and he can usually be found drawing circles

and practicing his "name" (which as it turns out

is just a lot of up and down scribbles that look like mountains). 

This morning he ate a whole bagel...

with cream cheese that he insisted on spreading himself

(i just waved the white flag of surrender on that)...

and then he ate one whole banana and yogurt. 

Growing much?

With Thanksgiving approaching it was necessary

to make hand print turkeys.  Max was pretty into this...

wanting to paint his hand "all by himself"... and we

had a few good turkeys turn out. 

Lately while Max naps, I have been enjoying hot chocolate

with half the cup full of marshmallows and just a splash

of peppermint creamer. Try it.  You'll like it. 

When I got tired of playing "fort" - I suggested we make 

a tunnel instead for all his cars to go through. Max jumped on this 

idea and then we lined up all the cars and had a giant traffic jam. 

We went back to COSI this past weekend.... I'm all 

about whatever is going to wear him out. Running around, 

jumping, and pounding pegs will do just that. 

COSI was also having their "model train weekend" - and Max

was in heaven. Literally we sat and watched the trains for like twenty minutes 

(which is something of a record for a toddler I think). We also completed

a train floor puzzle, got a train tattoo, drew on the giant train coloring page, 

and then watched the hard core garden railway society train set ups some more. 

Auntie Stacy came over for dinner on Sunday! She brought Max 

a new book that he has since requested ever night and a new

winter water bottle that is also in heavy use rotation around 

the Hauck's nest. Can I just say how awesome it is to have a 

sister?  Thanks mom and dad. 

(But, also don't use that against me when Max remains 

an only child :) 

Max's two and half year well check (30 months if you're still counting)

was yesterday.  He has suddenly decided the doctor's office 

is "scary" and basically wanted nothing to do with the whole thing. 

I bribed him with a sucker to get on the scale and get measured. 

(Rest assured I'm not above bribery). 

He is 34 pounds and 38 inches tall. 

When the nurse said 38 inches it felt like someone punched me in the gut

a little bit - where is my baby?  How are you over three feet in height??

The rest of the appointment went okay - he let

the doctor look in his ears and put on the flouride treatment. 

But was NOT pleased about his flu shot. Like, pissed as hell is a more

accurate description. Let's hope some time passes before

we have to go back to the doctor because I feel that's all he will remember. 

And finally, we had our "turkey of the year" luncheon yesterday. 

It's a time where we gather everyone in our education department

and nominate our co-workers for all the stupid crap that they may 

have been a part of during the year. Thankfully I had zero nominations (this year)

and everyone loved my macaroni and cheese! Also, we found

a selfie stick and kind of went crazy with it. 

I got zero work done yesterday but I had tons of fun...

sometimes you just need those days. 

till next time...

xoxo

giving thanks

After the heartbreaking events in the news this weekend, it was hard

not to think about how many things that I have to be thankful for. It's a good

practice no matter the season, but especially fitting since Thanksgiving is 

around the corner. So - I took stock this weekend...Here's what I've got..

1.) The i-Pad - well loved by every member of our house

(especially me when I can watch my new favorite show - Jane the Virgin). 

2.) A toddler who loves ART! We picked up these

window markers ages ago but he has recently taken 

a liking to them again.  He can often be seen 

sitting or standing at the door working on his next

masterpiece. And they wipe off like a dream too. 

3.) A new favorite cereal - Lucky Charms! 

4.) Old friends - these ZooKid ladies (missing Candle of course)

continue to be such a special part of my life. 

5.)  When your toddler sleeps till 7 AM (even if the last hour is in your bed)

6.) That Max wants to put faces on everything. 

7.) Fun at the new COSI exhibit featuring LEGOS!

8.) A stocked fridge - and the husband that shopped for all of it

9.) A sister that comes over and plays with your child!

10.) Diet Coke and all other forms of caffeine. 

11.) A clean kitchen floor

12.) A sticker reward chart for going paci free in the car

13.) After nap snuggles with Daddy

14.)  Child care providers that send you pictures of your little one during the day

15.) Husbands who bring giant diet cokes when you are having a bad day

16.) A co-worker who buys you an awesome new wall calendar

17.) More awesome co-workers who take long walks with you

on warm November days!

I'm still feeling sad and shattered over the state of the world. 

The same world that I choose to bring a son into. 

But, at the same time, I know that there is always some good

to find - it's just a matter of looking for it. 

I sincerely hope that you can find something good today too.  

xoxo