Roberts Family Blog

Hello everyone! Well I am enjoying a quiet Saturday morning and I couldn't be happier to just slow down and relax after a long week. Nathan took Hayden out to check on some of his jobs, and then to a hobby shop where there are model airplanes and remote control car races - boy heaven! Pierce is just playing quietly and giving mommy time to update the blog!

My mom has been out of town in Mexico on a much deserved girls vacation, so I've been flying solo during the day. Aside from a few hours of babysitting help so I could get some work done (although NOT enough), I was basically a stay-at-home momy this week, and it was so much fun and so rewarding. Every week I have the luxury of having a flexible schedule so I can take the boys to playdates and to the park, however I typically have my mom around for at least 4 hours every day to work, and she also accompanies me on outings typically so we can tag team the kids. Even though my job can be stressful, I sometimes look at it as a "break" from mothering, and it gives me the down-time that I need to be a good mom when I am "on duty", so to speak. No discipline, no dirty diapers, no whining, etc! So this week I thought, oh my gosh HOW am I going to survive with no breaks!? And futhermore, how am I going to get out and about with both boys without grammy's help? This is all in addition to all of us missing her company.

Surprisingly, I did great! I was determined not to shy away from outings just because I was alone with kids, and despite some hiccups, we all did great. On Monday I took them solo to Barnes and Noble to read books and play with the train table. On Tuesday I met a friend at Indoor Safari Park and managed to handle both boys with ease (and a little help from Chalna!). Wednesday brought a park outing with some friends, and Pierce happily hung out in the swing while Hayden ran around with his friends, then we all enjoyed a picnic (one minor incident on that outing that I'll get into later!). On Thursday we went jogging and to to the Turtle Pond Park in our neighborhood where we met some great new friends. Then on Friday I loaded them for another trip to a different park, and by that point we were old pros I think it took my mom leaving me on my own for a bit for me to really come into my own, and gain some confidence as a mom of two. Silly that it took a whole year! Furthermore, I happily adjusted to mothering without too many breaks (although Nate is great at giving me "me" time when I need it in the evenings). Hayden is back to taking naps during the day (I think he needs extra rest after being sick), which I think helps relieve some tension in the middle of the day, and rejuventates me for the evening. Poppy has also been around a lot and both boys are totally in love with him and he's a very great playmate. All in all, despite all of us missing my mom's company, we managed to get on just fine! I'll leave this week with more confidence in myself, which was lacking I think And I'm VERY much looking forward to having grammy back in our daily lives

Well I have the saddest/funniest story about Hayden from our park outing on Wednesday. Before we left, he went "brown", so I figured he was all set. I knew he could always go potty behind a tree (the joy of having boys), so I didn't stress too much. Well sure enough when we got there, he asked to go potty, and he did his thing. Immediately after that he asked to go brown.....well we had literally JUST gotten there. I tried to put a diaper on him, but he was having none of that, and told me he would wait until we got home. Saddly, as we were packing up about an hour later, I saw him getting stressed out and sort of bending over under the slide. I KNEW what was happening! I rushed over and Hayden got all flustered and spread his hands in front of him in a gesture of confusion and said, "mommy, I don't see ANY potty chairs ANYWHERE at this park!". Sooo sad. Luckily I had plenty of wipes and a change of clothes, so we got him all cleaned up, but what a lesson to learn! He kept coming up to me and saying "mommy, there are potty chairs at Jack's house and at Hayden's house, but there are NO potty chairs at this park!". From now on I will be lugging his portable potty chair along with us, because that was traumatizing for everyone involved. It broke my heart to see Hayden upset about his potty "failure", which was ultimately my fault and due to lack of foresight on my part, not his! Lesson surely learned for this mommy!

Now I have to change gears and tell you about Pierce's latest sweet sweet trick. When I ask him to hug me, he'll lean in first for a big wet kiss, then he'll gently lay on his head on my shoulder, or my tummy or chest if I'm laying down and just "hug" me. It's his favorite trick, and one he perfected with his poppy, who he is completely in love with. I'm telling you, there is nothing sweeter than your chubby, fuzzy little almost one year old leaning in to lay a kiss on you and then snuggling in. LOVE HIM more and more each day.

I don't have any new photos to share, but I do have a funny video of Hayden signing along to "Fly By Night" by Rush while he watches his favorite YouTube video of Southwest Airlines Airplanes landing and taking off. He really gets into it