Pointing to his body parts and sticking out his tongue!
This is what I get when I ask where Luke's teeth are - it's the best 'cheese' face ever!
An attempt at a picture of the two of them...
Some slide fun!
.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Backyard Fun
When we got home Monday, Luke and I spent some quality time outside and we had some quality fun :)
Pointing to his body parts and sticking out his tongue!
This is what I get when I ask where Luke's teeth are - it's the best 'cheese' face ever!
An attempt at a picture of the two of them...
Some slide fun!
Pointing to his body parts and sticking out his tongue!
This is what I get when I ask where Luke's teeth are - it's the best 'cheese' face ever!
An attempt at a picture of the two of them...
Some slide fun!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thoughts for a Monday
I am a working mom. It’s hard. Everyday. It’s hard.
I am lucky that I have a flexible job and manager. I certainly am not complaining. But it’s still hard.
Recently I have started staying at work a little later. By later I mean maybe a little after 5 PM. I used to always leave at 4. I am lucky that 5 is as late as I usually stay. Could I stay later and get more done? Absolutely. But that means that Luke is at Punky’s for that much longer. So I can’t do it.
I know Luke loves to be at Punky’s. It appears that he has made some really great friends. AJ, Jett, and Amaya especially. But he is more excited to see me than them. And there is nothing better than seeing his big smile when I walk in.
I struggle everyday with whether to stay late at work or get Luke. Luke always wins. But that means I am doing work after he goes to bed at night. You do what you have to do.
I like my job. I like that I am gaining more responsibility and taking on more. I like being fulfilled in that way. But I also like the other part of my life to be fulfilled as well. I love spending quality time with my hubby and Luke. It is a constant balancing act. I find myself singing the song lyrics “should I stay or should I go now?”
Being the wife of a coach means I do most of the drop off and pick up at Punky's. But golf season is just about over. That means that Wally will be home right after school and can do some of the picking up too. That helps on the days I should stay later at work.
I cherish my nights and weekends with Luke. I try my best to convince myself that the cleaning, laundry, and other stuff can wait. Not forever. But maybe it can be done tomorrow or in the morning instead. Luke will only be ‘this’ old for so long. He will only call me ‘mama’ for so long. So when I am at work, I try to be 100% at work and get things done. When I am at home, I try to be 100% at home. Sometimes I falter to 70/30 or 50/50. But I have to re-balance and continue on.
Being a mom is hard work. No matter if you’re a working mom or a stay at home mom. I can only speak as a working mom. I believe I am a better mom because I work. I struggle a lot with this idea. But in the end this is the conclusion I come to just about every time. I may be judged for it. But I don’t really care.
I am a good mom. I am not too humble to admit that. I know that Wally and I are doing the best job that we can. And Luke is proving to us that we are doing a good job. I know that we have made and will make mistakes along the way. But at the end of the day we have a wonderful, fun-loving, smart son. We must be doing something right.
So I will lay in bed tonight reflecting on the day. There will be things I did right and things I did wrong. But the question always come back to “Are you happy?” And the answer is always a resounding YES.
I am a mom. It’s hard. Everyday. It’s hard.
But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
____________________________________________________________________________________
So what brought on the thoughts above...Luke cried, I mean CRIED, this morning when I dropped him off at Punky’s. He has not been like that in forever and to that extreme never! It started in the car ride to Punky’s. We were probably 5 minutes away when he started whining “mama” and getting really sad. I literally had to hold his hand in the back while I was driving. It was the sweetest and the saddest thing ever!
Luke started bawling when I got him out of the car. He usually carries the check in for the week and gives it to Jaime who he ALWAYS goes to willingly. Well this morning, he wanted nothing to do with the check or Jaime. He just kept crying and saying “mama”. I tried to console him, but I eventually told myself it is better if I just go. He wasn’t going to calm down while I was still there. I was an absolute mess when I left. I called Wally, who was still driving to work, and cried my eyes out to him. I cried all the way to work and then had to sit in my car for a few minutes to gather myself and my face (like I said, I was a mess!). I kept telling myself he was fine, and he is sitting down eating breakfast and having fun. I called to check on him around 8. Jaime said he was doing great. He sat down for breakfast still crying a bit and trying to catch his breath, but once his friend Jett came in, all was good in Luke’s world. Thank goodness. He was all better…too bad I wasn’t.
What a horrible day! Today was definitely not a day where I was 100% at work. My mind kept wandering to Luke and my life as a working mom. I needed to get my thoughts down so I can move on. I have never really been one to write my thoughts down. I never really kept a journal or diary that I can recall, but sometimes getting it out is the only way to get it out of my head so I can focus on other things. So I am taking advantage of Wally giving Luke a bath and getting my thoughts out!
I have no idea why today was so tough for Luke. But I certainly hope that tomorrow is better.
If you have gotten to this point in this long post, thanks for listening. You must either be family, a really great friend or a mom yourself!
I am lucky that I have a flexible job and manager. I certainly am not complaining. But it’s still hard.
Recently I have started staying at work a little later. By later I mean maybe a little after 5 PM. I used to always leave at 4. I am lucky that 5 is as late as I usually stay. Could I stay later and get more done? Absolutely. But that means that Luke is at Punky’s for that much longer. So I can’t do it.
I know Luke loves to be at Punky’s. It appears that he has made some really great friends. AJ, Jett, and Amaya especially. But he is more excited to see me than them. And there is nothing better than seeing his big smile when I walk in.
I struggle everyday with whether to stay late at work or get Luke. Luke always wins. But that means I am doing work after he goes to bed at night. You do what you have to do.
I like my job. I like that I am gaining more responsibility and taking on more. I like being fulfilled in that way. But I also like the other part of my life to be fulfilled as well. I love spending quality time with my hubby and Luke. It is a constant balancing act. I find myself singing the song lyrics “should I stay or should I go now?”
Being the wife of a coach means I do most of the drop off and pick up at Punky's. But golf season is just about over. That means that Wally will be home right after school and can do some of the picking up too. That helps on the days I should stay later at work.
I cherish my nights and weekends with Luke. I try my best to convince myself that the cleaning, laundry, and other stuff can wait. Not forever. But maybe it can be done tomorrow or in the morning instead. Luke will only be ‘this’ old for so long. He will only call me ‘mama’ for so long. So when I am at work, I try to be 100% at work and get things done. When I am at home, I try to be 100% at home. Sometimes I falter to 70/30 or 50/50. But I have to re-balance and continue on.
Being a mom is hard work. No matter if you’re a working mom or a stay at home mom. I can only speak as a working mom. I believe I am a better mom because I work. I struggle a lot with this idea. But in the end this is the conclusion I come to just about every time. I may be judged for it. But I don’t really care.
I am a good mom. I am not too humble to admit that. I know that Wally and I are doing the best job that we can. And Luke is proving to us that we are doing a good job. I know that we have made and will make mistakes along the way. But at the end of the day we have a wonderful, fun-loving, smart son. We must be doing something right.
So I will lay in bed tonight reflecting on the day. There will be things I did right and things I did wrong. But the question always come back to “Are you happy?” And the answer is always a resounding YES.
I am a mom. It’s hard. Everyday. It’s hard.
But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
____________________________________________________________________________________
So what brought on the thoughts above...Luke cried, I mean CRIED, this morning when I dropped him off at Punky’s. He has not been like that in forever and to that extreme never! It started in the car ride to Punky’s. We were probably 5 minutes away when he started whining “mama” and getting really sad. I literally had to hold his hand in the back while I was driving. It was the sweetest and the saddest thing ever!
Luke started bawling when I got him out of the car. He usually carries the check in for the week and gives it to Jaime who he ALWAYS goes to willingly. Well this morning, he wanted nothing to do with the check or Jaime. He just kept crying and saying “mama”. I tried to console him, but I eventually told myself it is better if I just go. He wasn’t going to calm down while I was still there. I was an absolute mess when I left. I called Wally, who was still driving to work, and cried my eyes out to him. I cried all the way to work and then had to sit in my car for a few minutes to gather myself and my face (like I said, I was a mess!). I kept telling myself he was fine, and he is sitting down eating breakfast and having fun. I called to check on him around 8. Jaime said he was doing great. He sat down for breakfast still crying a bit and trying to catch his breath, but once his friend Jett came in, all was good in Luke’s world. Thank goodness. He was all better…too bad I wasn’t.
What a horrible day! Today was definitely not a day where I was 100% at work. My mind kept wandering to Luke and my life as a working mom. I needed to get my thoughts down so I can move on. I have never really been one to write my thoughts down. I never really kept a journal or diary that I can recall, but sometimes getting it out is the only way to get it out of my head so I can focus on other things. So I am taking advantage of Wally giving Luke a bath and getting my thoughts out!
I have no idea why today was so tough for Luke. But I certainly hope that tomorrow is better.
If you have gotten to this point in this long post, thanks for listening. You must either be family, a really great friend or a mom yourself!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Potty Time
When I cleaned out the storage room on Labor Day, I pulled out the potty that Luke got for Christmas and just set it in the middle of the family room in the basement. One night, we were hanging out down there, and Luke started opening the lid, pulling his pants down, sitting on the toilet, pulling his pants back up, and then closing the lid. It was so funny - he repeated this at least 5 times! We certainly aren't ready to potty train, but at least we continue to make progress!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The other night Luke was playing and all of the sudden he started singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider". I ran to get my camera as fast as I could. I got some of it on tape...what a sweet voice he has, doesn't he? (Don't mind mine!)
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Da Bears and Da Boys
Bear Down
Checking out an airplane...we also had to pry the baseball glove away from him and give him the football instead.
Future kicker???
Getting ready to catch
Future running back???
Future QB???
The jersey brought good luck to the Bears last weekend, let's see if it does it again! We are off to the Happ's for some chili and football [and bloody mary's, mimosas, beer, and taco dip :) ]
Friday, September 17, 2010
Fall Fair
Last Friday night we headed over to the Fall Fair in town. As soon as Luke saw the train ride, we knew we had to get tickets for that one. Uncle Will was along so he took some pictures for us.
Still not thrilled even with the hat on!
We had to get a picture with Scooby!
We were also able to take a free ride on an old fire truck. Luke wasn't really thrilled about it, especially once the sirens started!
Still not thrilled even with the hat on!
Coloring
These pics are probably from a month ago! I was working from home and Luke was also working hard at coloring!
Until he got bored of course!
Until he got bored of course!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sports Reel
Seriously, is a not-even-2-year-old supposed to be THIS good????? I think Mommy and Daddy can plan on retiring early :)
Andy & Sarah Get Hitched!
Saturday, September 11th, I headed up to Milwaukee for the wedding of Sarah Cunningham and Andy Ziemer, 2 good friends of mine from Augustana. Unfortunately, Wally couldn't make it because of a varsity golf invitational that day, but I still managed to have a good time :)
The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and the reception was so much fun!
Congrats to the happy couple!!!
Mr. and Mrs.
View of Lake Michigan
Relaxing at the hotel before the reception
Girlfriends!
Us and the lovely bride!
First dance as a married couple
Me, Jes, and Liz on the dance floor (surprise, surprise!)
The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and the reception was so much fun!
Congrats to the happy couple!!!
Mr. and Mrs.
View of Lake Michigan
Relaxing at the hotel before the reception
Girlfriends!
Us and the lovely bride!
First dance as a married couple
Me, Jes, and Liz on the dance floor (surprise, surprise!)
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