Well, the back to school stuff I found annoying in the stores back in July is already gone and replaced by Halloween costumes, decorations, and candy! The people who plan all of that out are smart – they know that I will buy a bag of Halloween candy now with the promise to myself that THIS year I will save it until Halloween, but I will most definitely fail, eat it all by the beginning of October, and have to buy more and more candy. Ugh, such a vicious cycle. 

That being said, Rory already picked out his Halloween costume. When he was born, I told myself I was going to be the mom who made her kid’s costume every year, and I did….once. In my defense, he saw a cool costume in TJ Maxx, and it is actually cute and 100% fitting with his current obsessions. I may not make ALL the costumes for my kids, but we do try to do a family costume every year. I am going to make George’s costume to go along with Rory’s this year, and if he looks back on pictures in 18 years he might give me a “Mooommm, really?” along with a huge eye roll. Oh well, until he can talk I guess I’m in charge!

This summer was our first with two kids!  We’ve played in lots of parks, swam in our kiddie pool, and ate tons of ice cream. Rory got stung by his first wasp, and he got his first ouchie requiring a BandAid (I know, I’m surprised we lasted 2+ years before needing one too). I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to find super exciting activities for Rory because he is 2 and most things in daily life are very exciting. Example: we spent about 20-30 minutes the other day coloring rocks with sidewalk chalk. This was after I gave up drawing vehicles for him – I drew him a train and he proceeded to get very excited that I drew him a bus. Thanks buddy, but it’s obviously a train. 

My parents came to visit over Labor Day. They will hop in the car Friday after work, and head to our house from Iowa for a long weekend – or sometimes even just a weekend! We appreciate that so much, and they venture to Colorado much more than we would ever expect or ask of them. As a parent, I have come to realize just how important grandparents can be in a child’s life. I was lucky enough to spend my childhood with all four of my grandparents around, and I feel very grateful that my kids have four of the best grandparents we could ever imagine for them. Not only are grandparents good for spoiling, but they are great for stirring up excitement (you should see my toddler’s face when grandma and grandpa pull up). They allow my children to see that someone besides my husband and myself can give them unconditional love, safety, and comfort. They provide a relationship to my children that shows them there are other people they can trust 100% besides me and my husband. They are a source of 100% attention when sometimes mommy’s attention is being spread 85 different directions. 

Not only are my husband’s parents and my parents important to our kids, but they are important to us too! It’s always nice to be able to pump without also entertaining two kids simultaneously; it’s nice to eat a meal without cutting up food constantly or trying to keep my plate out of the reach of an infant; and it’s very nice when grandma volunteers for the diaper change even though that is not in her job description (I try to talk her out of it!).  Their visits allow me to keep my sanity, take a step back, and return to the real world after they leave refreshed and a better mom. Basically, grandparents are great for everyone involved. I just wish we lived closer, but such is life right now. ♥