Welcoming Home

Well it took 13 days for us to realize this apartment living was not happening until the house was done being built...

Amid a snow storm, Kris being stranded out of state, and me being home with the three yahoos and two dogs, we quickly realized we needed breathing room.

When I first called Kris in Sacramento and told him I was looking at existing homes, I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. It took him two days back home with the snow and craziness for his eye to start twitching, and for us to have an accepted offer in on a different home, with an 30 day close agreement! 

Now we can't wait to call this fantastic house HOME in just a week and a half! 

Disregard the crappy iPhone screenshot... It's the best I can do :)

We are so so excited for this new home. It has 1000 square feet more than the home we were going to build, and a huge finished basement (so much room to do activities... Name that movie!), and room for Kris' classic car in the garage. Our choice was so quickly confirmed when we went to church the next week and already met some of our new neighbors from our new neighborhood. Whoop!!!

We have some before pics- the house is in great shape, but I love putting our own little touches on our home- so I can't wait to update with the "after" pictures.

Our new home is in an established neighborhood, closer to town, and only six minutes to Target (#whoop!). We already have Keegan registered for kindergarten (my hearttt) at the beautiful school around the corner and we're moving in just in time for Kindie Round Up!

Please pray for a smooth closing next week and a smooth move into our new Home Sweet Home! And then come to dinner, because now I have a dining room :) 

Keeping Quiet...

First of all, I have to say thank you to everyone that said just nice things after my post yesterday. Your prayers are working- I've experienced a decrease in contractions over the past day, which is saying something!

Today I'm touching on the Quiet Time boxes that we came up with for Keegan.

He turned four on April 25, and soon after started putzing during his nap time, waking his brother up (He and Bennett now share a room, but that's a different post for a different day), and it was negatively affecting everyone in our home. I tried explaining to Keegan that EVERYONE needs a little bit of quiet time during the day, including Mom and/or Dad. He wasn't buying it.

I searched a little on Pinterest for alternatives to nap time, and stumbled upon the idea of Quiet Boxes. The whole goal being that these boxes are SOLELY for quiet time, so they stay special, and you can rotate them out. I've found that keeping them exclusively for Quiet Time is the key to them doing the trick. We've used them for (almost) 4 weeks now, and he's not sick of them yet, so I'll take it!

I explained the idea to Keegan, and he conceptually had a hard time understanding it. We went to Walmart with a vague list, and ended up just perusing the aisles and throwing anything that seemed like he could be creative with into the cart.

The first thing for the Quiet Times that I bought was from Amazon. I picked up this preschool Dry Erase workbook by Leap Frog, along with some Crayola Dry Erase markers.

 Typically when I let him use this, I give him a damp Microfiber Towel to go with it so he can wipe up on his own. He LOVES this. Also, I only let him use this when he's on the dark blue cot for quiet time. I just can't say that he's mature enough to use the markers on normal sheets :)

 

We bought two Matchbox cars that are exclusive to this box. It's ONLY during quiet time, so they don't lose their novelty. Also, I bought foam sheets and cut out all sorts of shapes. He'll make patterns, stack, etc.

 

Keegan picked out this Avengers book, and the wooden car. I threw in the popsicle sticks and the mini clothes pins. Somehow he can stay creative for SO long with stuff like this.

 

 

I used the hole punch and punched holes in a number of the red plastic cups. I threw in any pipe cleaners, and Keegan picked out the buttons and the curly looking paper clips. He makes SO MUCH STUFF out of this box, and sometimes comes up with his own little games with everything.

 

 

This is Keegan's FAVORITE Quiet Box. We found the idea for sponge blocks on Pinterest before we went to Walmart and that child was on a mission to find as many stinkin' sponges as he could! He is precious, because when I show him the box, he claps his hands and pretty much shoo's me out of the room so he can play.

 

 

 This is Keegan's 2nd favorite Quiet Box. Keegan LOVES Angry Birds, so he loves to stack the cups to build towers, and then will sometimes arrange the pom-poms like the piggies and try to knock them over. So fun. Again, I just threw the left over paper clips in this box.

 

 

Currently we have a twin mattress down in the baby's nursery so that when I do go into labor, we have an available bed for my mom, or whoever can get there in the middle of the night before this baby pops out :) Normally Keegan has Quiet Time on our little blue cot (also in the nursery).

 

 

And you know, Keegan has slept EVERY SINGLE DAY since we introduced these Quiet Boxes. It's like we gave him permission to not HAVE to sleep, but now he suddenly is making the decision to sleep on his own and not because we're "making" him. I'm not sure how long this will last, and I know that soon enough he'll totally outgrow naps. But I'll take naps until Kingergarten if that's what we get :)

 

 



The End of an Era, and the Start of Another

I haven't blogged in over a year. I've been a busy momma, and about ready to become much busier. We found out mid-adoption this fall, that we were unexpectedly pregnant with our third son, who is due July 7. This news quickly halted our adoption, as we are limited on bedroom space in our home currently.

I mourned the daughter that we didn't yet know, and that we now have to wait longer to meet. After about 15 weeks of pregnancy my morning sickness subsided, I had come to terms with delaying our adoption process, and I started to get excited to meet my last baby boy.

This has been the strangest pregnancy. I rejoice that I am able to be pregnant, and am blessed enough to get to experience being a momma to THREE unique and amazing little boys. I get to see them as individuals, and to watch them come into their own roles as brothers; there is nothing like it...

... As Keegan would say, "This is a beautiful picture of me, Bennett and Optimus!"

 

 

I get to see my husband grow as a husband and father and it's incredible; and now I get to watch him with ANOTHER boy. It's so exciting. When we first married, I imagined he'd be an incredible father, but just how incredible of a father he's grown into is so far beyond anything I'd imagined. I've felt overwhelmed when I realize that my kids have that actual example of a selfless, Christ-like father. I'm tearing up just typing that. 

 

Is it obvious that they are both absolutely obsessed with that dad of theirs?!



However, this pregnancy has been the most bittersweet experience I can recall in my life. There's something so strange about being twenty eight, and knowing full well that this will be my last biological baby unless by some crazy act of God we have another in the future. This has (by far) been my most uncomfortable pregnancy, but knowing that it is my last has sustained me, and has forced me to try to enjoy the pains and the uncomfortableness and the forced rest.

Somehow, through the bittersweet-ness of it all, I'm finding myself ready; ready to move on from the "newborn" stage of our family, and to actively participate in the raising of our boys into school age and beyond. I'm ready to adopt our daughter someday; and in the meantime we will continue to pray for her, and our prayer will remain constant. That God would protect her and comfort her, and that He would lead her to our family "however and whenever and wherever she is."

I found myself in the hospital overnight last Monday with pre-term contractions. We had fervently prayed for a full term baby this time (Bennett was healthy when he was born at 35 weeks, but he was HARD. The newborn stage lasted much longer, and we were so much more exhausted). After about 7 hours of off and on contractions, they finally subsided and I was kept over night to be monitored. I was sent home at 7:00AM, and my mom was on my doorstep at 7:30 ready to help. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be sitting here almost 36 weeks pregnant had she not come and stayed with us on a twin mattress on the floor of the nursery all week helping. I've learned during this pregnancy to accept help- something I struggled with tremendously during my other two pregnancies. I've learned that accepting help is sometimes the most mature decision you can make. This pregnancy has matured me as a mom, a daughter and a person by forcing me to recognize that so much is out of my control, and I truly can't do it all on my own. I am so thankful for this last surprise pregnancy, and my last surprise baby boy. I cannot wait to meet him, and to smell his baby smell, and to feel him outside of the womb and to recognize his small gestures that I've felt in my belly for what feels like so long.

36 Weeks (tomorrow) pregnant... Now that's a belly... 

"By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." Proverbs 24:3

My sweet husband and boys are really the most rare and beautiful treasures. How crazy that they are mine. Will you pray with us that this baby stays put for at least one more week? We sure would like him to make it to "full term"...

Hopefully now that we are in these final stages, and I am no longer working outside of the home, I can spend a little more time updating the blog and documenting these days that I don't ever want to forget; because time is fleeting and I've learned too quickly that babies don't keep.

Karolkiewicz Daily: Week 2

This week's been a good one! So far I'm proud of how I've remembered to take daily photos and Instagram them. I used to be picture crazy, but as we got busier and more hectic around our house, I started posting less and less. Which is not something that I want to do, because as exhausting as some of these days and nights are, I'd like to remember every minute with my sweets this age.

Day 8: Keegan has just rediscovered this Melissa and Doug train that his Nana and Grandpa gave his after he got his tonsils out last summer. He LOVES it. Here he is "helping" Daddy do some work at the end of the day... 

Day 9: after being couped up for 5 days or so, Keegan asked me to take him to Target. He loves to walk around Target and look at toys. After work we went on a date, just the two of us to Target to walk around and sip some Starbucks. He saw a pair of Lightning McQueen slippers, grabbed them off the shelf and said "Oh my, wat dis Mom?!" I told him what they are and he very matter of factly stated "Oh, O-tay," as he threw them in the cart. Ha! Good thing they were on clearance. He ended up with them and a stick of watermelon Lipsmackers for his chapped lips. So much fun.

Day 10: sported this leopard print scarf from Heart and Home Collection and red lips for the first time... It was Friday, what can I say?! :)

Day 11: look at how big this muffin has gotten! He's even more delish in person. His feet don't touch the ground but he loves to play in that walker! 

Day 12: Keegan was in desperate need of a haircut. Daddy did the sides, and I cut most of the top. I may or may not have said "Ooops," and handed the scissors make over to Kris. All in all it turned out well and he looks so grown up. 

Day 13: this guy needed fresh air. Shoveling the deck is fun when you're two. I literally had to drag him in kicking and screaming for dinner... I mean, wouldn't you be sad if your mom made you stop eating dirty snow off the shovel and come eat dinner?!

Day 14: first day leaving for work while he slept in... Yes it's a pro of having a nanny, but talk about missing that boy throughout the day! So good to see him after work!!! 

Day 14- part two: another pro of having a nanny: she brings fun goodies to play with... Like these Pom-Poms that Keegan quickly decided were meatballs... This is his "Meatball Train." Haha I feel like maybe that's a business idea?! Maybe a food truck called Meatball Train?! My little entrepreneur.... :)

Karolkiewicz Daily: Week 1

This has been a pretty great week. I've had so much quality time with ALL of my boys, and my heart is SO FULL now. What a great way to re-charge! :)

Here's my first re-cap of Karolkiewicz Daily 2014- Week one:

Day 1: New Years Day- Rose Bowl Day. Victory of M-S-U!!!

Day 2: One of my college roommates, Jacque, is a world traveler. After college she joined the Peace Corps and lived in Ukraine for a couple years, then moved to Oman to teach English, and has now settled with her love in Norway. Who lives like that?! My dear, adventurous friend. And she came home for a few (surprise) weeks over the holidays. So nice to grab drinks and dinner with her and another old friend from college!

Day 3: The boy's last day of school at Happy Elephant! We loved them. They were wonderful. However, it's so hard getting them out and about in the snowy mornings, and Bennett is so much more of a homebody than Keegan was. Praying he does much better at home with the nanny than he did at "school"... and praying Keegy adjusts to not having a crowd of people around to entertain him all the time :)

Day 4: Our friends, Alex, Hannah and Carly came over on Saturday night for drinks and a good time. Keegan loved Hannah's boots and enjoyed himself once he got them on... After he finally got over having to share his toys/booster seat with Carly.. Two is FUN sometimes!!! Ha!

Day 5: Snowed in on Sunday. It continued to snow all day long. Here is Keegan playing "cars" with his brother. Love seeing them start to interact and play together.

Day 6: First Snow day of the week! Our babysitter/nanny couldn't get here because of the weather. Keegan loves Despicable Me 2- and Bennett LOVES himself some baby food. Such a sweet, sweet day.

 

Day 7: We got another snow day today! SO MUCH FUN. Keegan and Bennett "pretended to sleep" in Keegan's bed. And Keegan even said, "Okay, Mom. I want to read him a story. Once upon a time..." So precious.

 

Seriously, these few days have been so wonderful for me. I just love my boys with all my heart. Maternity leave was so hard for me- having a newborn and a toddler is HARD. Now that Bennett is getting older, it's getting more and more fun. Can't believe we get to raise them.

 

One week down, 51 more to go. So far, so good :)

Baby-fooding 2.0

I started Keegan on Gerber baby foods when he was four months. I was excited for the "first" so I pushed it a little early. His digestive system wasn't ready, and the poor boy was uncomfortable for weeks. Oops. I always vowed with my next baby that I would wait until 6 months to start it. Then when Bennett was born, I thought we may even wait til 7 months since he was so early.

However, he has proven to be a totally different baby than his big brother was. Keegan was little, never ate a ton, but was growing consistently. He had sinus and digestive issues since he was born.

Bennett on the other hand hasn't had one ear infection (KNOCKING ON WOOD SO HARD RIGHT NOW), and his acid reflux has seemed to improve. He was sleeping through the night by 8 weeks, and was consistently drinking his entire bottle every two hours.

A week and a half ago he suddenly started waking twice a night again, downing two bottles a night. Seriously?! He was drinking so much during the day, but would always top off around 5 oz. The boy was growing, and was just HUNGRY seeming despite all the bottles he was drinking. I had a gut feeling that he was ready.

And boy, was he...

This muffin could eat baby food all day long. In fact, he has. He has three "meals" a day in addition to the same amount of bottles. And guess who slept through the night again?!?!?

And guess who's on his second nap of this (marvelous) snow day?!?!? Growth spurt, anyone?!

I have a theory. I don't know how accurate it is, but I've got to wonder... I used store bought Gerber baby food with Keegan. Once his little body got used to it he adjusted pretty well, however, it took a while and put his little intestines through all sorts of chaos. Now I've been using a Baby Bullet and have made home made sweet potatoes, peas and bananas and the boy does great.

It's a little messy since I have the food so liquidy so it's not hard for him to eat, but what a different experience this time around with the transition to baby food. I so wish that I would have made Keegan's baby food from scratch the last time. I feel like such a hippie! Loves it. Or what is that new word all those hipster mom's are using?! "Crunchy"?! Ha!

And if I don't seem 'crunchy' enough with my homemade baby food, guess who's transitioned back over to cloth diapers?!?!?!? I AM SO HIPPIE... BUT I AM NOT!

If you know me in real life you know I'm the least hippie/crunchy momma around. I just do what works for us... and in our family, BUDGET works for us (cough*cough* DAVE RAMSEY*cough*cough)... so cloth diapers and homemade baby food is how we went... and they have so many other benefits that I only realized after the fact.

Okay, back to snow-day goodness. :) Stay warm and stay safe, friends!!!

Karolkiewicz Daily 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR, friends!!!

2013 was an incredible year. So many awesome changes, and I even finished the year strong. That is a good feeling. I have been working really hard at losing the baby weight, and I even LOST five pounds in the month of December (I normally GAIN that weight during that month)! Before the year finished I went through my closet and our toy boxes and de-cluttered, and was able to give lots of stuff to Goodwill. Such a freeing feeling!

That being said, I haven't been one to really do "resolutions" normally, but since I seem to be really good at meeting the goals that I set lately (which honestly, I normally drop them really quick), I figured I would go ahead and make some resolutions for 2014!

1) I have already lost the "baby weight" but I want to lose a little bit more. I had never felt strong before, but I LOVE that I feel strong. I want to continue to build muscle and lose weight.

2) I want to continue to de-clutter our home. I do a pretty good job at it, since I tend to be the one who is less sentimental with stuff (compared to my husband! What?!), so I tend to pitch a lot. I want to weed through our basement and get it organized this year.

3) Lastly, one of the sweet bloggers that I follow on Blogger and Instagram, Shay Shull, did something that she called ShayEveryday2013. She made sure to post a picture on Instagram of their happenings EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Then each week she did a recap on her blog (for those that don't follow her on Instagram). Follow me on Instagram (id: mandy_k1179) for my version... karolkiewiczdaily2014, or check in weekly for our happenings that week!

Have you set any goals for the New Year? If so, do you normally keep your resolutions and finish strong or do you lose focus soon after January?