Sibling Bonds

Growing up, I always loved having siblings. Sure, we fought with each other and vied for our parents' attention, yet all my happy memories are with my siblings. Every birthday, Christmas, vacation, funny moment-- they were there. Now as adults, they are some of my dearest friends.

This is literally the cutest photo we have every taken. I'm not planning 

to ever show any new photos because we are not nearly this cute anymore.

After Tessa was born, I was so excited for Eli to have a sibling. I couldn't wait for the bond my siblings and I had to develop between them. I had those idyllic visions of them being best friends and holding hands all the time. But I have to be honest, they fight all. the. time. Not a day goes by without someone (Eli) pushing or someone (Tessa) screeching at their sibling. We have a lot of time outs and a lot of "sorry"s at our house.

This will probably be on our Christmas card this year.

But you guys, they LOVE each other. This sweet bond has begun to develop that is so precious to watch. Watching them fall in (sibling) love with each other has been incredible as a parent.

Tessa looks like she's planning to be super naughty, and Eli

looks like he has a secret. I have only fuzzy memory of what happened

next but I'm fairly certain somebody pushed somebody.

For Christmas this year my brother bought me the book Siblings without Rivalry (the irony! I know!).  I started reading it right after Christmas and found immediate, practical help. I've so appreciated Faber and Mazlish's wisdom on this topic. A major portion of the book focuses on you as the parent. I always figured my kids relationship was up to them, with me hoping and cheering on the sidelines. But the book takes a different path, challenging me as a parent.

I compare my children more than I'd like to admit. I imagine if you are a parent, you do too. I am often afraid that I am not treating them equally. Am I favoring one over other? Faber and Mazlish push this to the side, arguing "Children don't need to be treated equally. They need to be treated uniquely." And then, the authors push you to focus on bigger skills, those broader ideas that funnel down into good sibling relationships. They write, "Instead of worrying about [your children] becoming friends... [begin] to think about how to equip them with the attitudes and skills they'd need for all the caring relationships."

This book is practical, truthful, and relatable. The authors' honesty helps you feel like you really can make good relationships happen. In the words of Kathleen Kelly, "Read it! You'll love it!"

THIS is the framer. Love them.

Summer Pesto Pasta

We've been in a bet of a recipe rut lately. Does that ever happen to you? I often find myself making the same five or six meals over and over. As the seasons change my cooking style can't quite seem to follow.

My latest solution has been to follow a few food bloggers on Instagram. All their delicious photos have started making me more exited about cooking! Last night for dinner I tried this 20-Minute Tomato Pesto Pasta and it didn't disappoint. Even Eli liked it!

What are your favorite summer meals? Leave a comment below!

You Know You've Missed Me...

It's been a long time, hasn't it? My husband challenged me to begin posting again, so we'll see how it goes! For now, I figured I'd do a quick "what I'm in to" post a la Camp Patton.

1. Can we talk about lace shorts? I recently discovered these and I'm in love. They feel like pajama bottoms but classier. Ben calls them my slutty shorts, because my mom bun and stained t-shirt are making me super hot these days. I got mine from Express on clearance, but the photo below looks pretty similar.

Shop similar: Amazon 1, Amazon 2

2. Did you all watch the Bachelorette this season? Some friends and I have been getting together every Monday night for a little kid-free fun with what I like to call Mommy's special juice (hello Moscato mom's club!), and it's basically the best part of my week. I have to be honest, though, I'm super disappointed with Jojo's choice in Jordan. I was team Luke all the way.

3. I've made it a goal this year to make more time for reading, and it has been wonderful! I feel like I'm more engaged in books this year than I have been in the past. I'm currently reading The Nightingale and Loving My Actual Life. But honestly, I'm just waiting for this gem to come up on my library waitlist. I'm a huge Liane Moriarty fan and I can't wait to see what she crafted this time!

4. Have you guys noticed the "You Are Here" mugs at Starbucks? They have them in most major cities plus a few attractions around the country. My sister-in-law got Ben and I hooked on them while we were visiting them in Canada, and now we're on a mission to collect them all. I think Ben is ready to do a round-the-country trip with the express intention of buying mugs. Can you tell who's the pack rat of the family?

It's so nice to be blogging again. Here's hoping it sticks! Love you all!

Cold Zebras and Superheroes

On Wednesday I found a book in the fridge. Apparently, when Nana brought the kids back from Chick-fil-A, I put the whole kids meal bag in the fridge without looking through it. Today as I went through the fridge I saw the book. Eli saw it too, of course, and wanted to read it right away. So we sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor to read a cold book about zebras. Only Tessa didn’t want to read books, she wanted to sit in my lap. So every time I started reading she yelled, stopping when I stopped, beginning again when I read more.

Today Eli told me he wants to be a superhero when he grows up. I am so relieved to have made it past "garbage man" or "construction worker". A superhero could materialize into any career, really, so we shall see where it takes him.

Hiking Adventures

Today I took the kids for a hike at Matthews/Winters in Golden. You know, because dragging a three year old and a baby through a mountain trail by myself is a great way to spend a morning. Actually, we had a really great time minus a case of the grumpies on Eli's part.

The hike went something like this:

First five minutes: Eli runs ahead and gets excited about everything. He smells flowers, points out rocks, and has a huge smile on his face. I feel like an amazing mom on a really cool adventure.
Six minutes in: "Mommy, my legs hurt."
Six minutes, 30 seconds: "Mommy, I want to go home. Mommy, did you bring snacks? Mommy, let's turn around now, ok?"
Seven minutes to ten minutes: Crying.
Ten minutes: Tessa manages to fall asleep in the baby carrier despite the noise and I decide to dig my heels in and keep going so she can have a nap.
Eleven minutes to twenty minutes: Intermittent crying, whining, grumpy faces, and general complaining.
Twenty minutes: Eli slides on some dirt and falls down. Cue sobbing. I decide it might be wise to turn around.
Twenty-one minutes to end: Some whining with promises of returning to the car. We spot wildlife, flowers, rocks, and actually have a nice time for a bit.
I'd say the whole endeavor was a success, would you?

Sometimes I can't quite believe I live in Colorado. This view is stunning and I only drove 15 minutes to get here! I need to start taking the kids to the foothills more often. We saw a lot of wildlife today too, which was super fun. There were butterflies, dragonflies, birds, bugs, and even a couple of deer with antlers!



After our hiking adventures, we stopped to play in the creek near the trailhead for a bit. We started by having a merry time throwing rocks and wading.

But then a slip by Eli turned our fun into this:

Tessa remained unflappable as always and enjoyed splashing her toes in the water and eating grass. She also tried her hardest to eat as much dirt and rock as possible, but Mommy prevailed.

Until next time...