Traveling with toddlers

 In October we headed out to Boston and watched as my baby sister marry her best friend. We were anxious about flying with a one and three year old but thankfully we had three adults and two toddlers.  We traveled with a sitter and neither of our flights was too terribly long.  I did however make a bonehead move and booked a 6AM flight the day we left.  That meant we were leaving our house at 3:30AM.  We woke our poor kiddos up at 3:15AM got them changed and headed out to the airport.

   While hitting up Amazon I found these travel car seat bags.Why couldn't I have invented something like this?  It zips and makes for easy travel and easy access to your convertible car seat. We traveled with two large car seats.  Kate is still in a convertible car seat and Drew is in a 5 point harness high back booster seat.  We rented a car when in Boston and I was more comfortable having their seats when traveling by car.  These bags worked perfectly.  They had a strap that clipped on the outside so we could carry them like a duffel bag, they were sturdy and protected our seats from any damage.  I did notice there was some scraping on the bag when we got home, however I was so thankful it was on the bag and not on our seat.  I would highly recommend these to anyone who is traveling with children and wants to check their car seats.

When we finally got all of our baggage and car seats checked, we headed up to the security line and every line we went through the TSA agents were more then helpful.  We looked like a three-ring circus coming through.  We had 2 small backpacks (one for each child), my large diaper bag, Brendan's roller bag with all the extra clothing and wedding clothing, our double stroller, and then our sitters small carry on.  Seriously, we were a hot mess!  We took our Baby Jogger City Select that we have converted to a double stroller.

The seats easily detach so they can slide through the security belt.  However, the base is too large.  Each time we went through security they swiped the base to check for explosive material.  No biggie.  We really liked having this stroller with us as it was narrow and the basket is huge and was able to store the kids backpacks when were were going from place to place.  As we were going through security the agents allowed me to carry Kate and Drew happily walked through himself.  Neither child had to remove their shoes or sweatshirt.  We were also expedited when in the security line in Boston.  Apparently it pays to look like a circus at 5AM.  

This was the first time Kate would be flying.  Drew has flown before and did great.  He has a ton of games and movies on the iPad so I really wasn't concerned about him.  I did however get him a few new small toys to help entertain him in case he needed a change of activity.  I went to my always trusted Amazon and looked up best travel toys for toddlers.

This looked pretty entertaining to me; mini pinball game. When he wasn't on the iPad he chose this.  Now that we're back this has gone in the car and he loves paying with this on car rides.

Disney Planes sticker book, this wasn't even looked at until we arrived in Boston.  Drew is fascinated with airplanes, airports and all that travel has to offer.  He really could just sit and stare out the window while we are flying.  I have no idea why I bought the rest of these toys.

Dusty 

I also packed some of Drew's cars and trucks for him to have at our house we rented and of course his airplanes.

Each of the kids has a travel doodler, and I put those in their backpacks.  This was a big hit with Kate and saved many meltdowns.  

Peek-a-Moo, Kate was mostly entertained with books while on the flights.  Thankfully we brought along quite a few.

Wheels on the bus

Dear Zoo

I then found a few other little things to throw in her backpack.  She played with almost everything.  

Pocket Etch a sketch

This was a great little toy to have.  It has two little boards in the reusable package and reusable stickers.  This was a hit with Kate.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar travel kit

Lastly I threw in her purse that is always filled with her little cellphone, credit card and little mirror.  She mostly had fun pulling everything out of her backpack and putting it back in.  

Thankfully neither of our flights was terribly long and we did have a little lay over. If you're looking for a really good post on traveling without technology. Emily over at Imperfect shared some awesome tips on tech-free travel.

Both flights were pretty smooth, Kate had a minor meltdown on our second flight but after a few minutes of crying and she was fast asleep for the remainder of the flight.  A few other products I would highly recommend for traveling with toddlers.

Take and toss sippy cups.  We used these both while traveling and while in Boston.  If we lost one, no biggie.  I brought two packages along and I think we ended up back home with maybe three cups.  

Take and toss utensils

We stopped while on our layovers and ate at restaurants with the kids.  Kate obviously can't eat with regular utensils so these were a great alternative to have when we traveled and at the rental house.

My diaper bag worked beautifully while traveling so I can't say enough good things about it.  I used the Skip Hop double duo and although it's huge, I needed the room.  Between Drew's blankie and cow, Kate's blankie, diapers, wipes, cups, you name it.  We needed the extra room.  This bag has so many pockets I had room for all of the things the kids needed as well as my wallet, cell phone and any other necessities I brought along.  

Skip Hop Double Duo

Our travels went more smoothly then I imagined they would.  I can't recall anything that we lost or if we did none of us have missed it yet.  The airline staff was absolutely amazing with our kids and our sitter was a lifesaver to have along!  I am so thankful we were able to go and see my little sister and her now husband celebrate their big day.  We made memories that will last a lifetime.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

18 months

   I've been absolutely horrible at keeping up with Kate's monthly posts, her baby book just about everything that I was right on top of for Drew.  Total mom fail on my part.  This however doesn't mean I haven't been documenting this little ladies life, it's just this momma is a bit busier with two minions and blogging and baby books have taken a back seat.

Today however Kate is 18 months old.  Holy guacamole!!!! Where on  Gods green earth has this time gone?  Kate is now a. Talking, walking and running TODDLER!!  She is the happiest little lady but is sassy to boot.  In the past few months she also started to grow hair and as a bonus it has curls, oh how I swoon over her adorable curls on the back of her head.  

Kate is her brothers mini me and does everything he does.  He coughs, she coughs, he runs around the kitchen, she is following right behind.  They love playing with each other but that also comes with its struggles.  We seem to not have enough toys in our house and they will fight over one tractor because we don't have twelve others or they have a tugging match over one play spatula because there isn't two more laying three inches from where they are standing. We've had many conversations about SHARING, and that Kate may not fully understand that concept.  For the most part they really do play well together and like being around each other.

Kate is still sleeping in her crib and has turned into a pretty great sleeper.  She naps once a day from 12-3PM and then goes to bed around 7PM and wakes up around 6:30AM.  She finally started sleeping through the night around 13 months, 13 very long sleepless months of waking up throughout the night but we just let her do her thing and she figured it out.

This past week we took Kate on her first flight to see my sister get married.  Kate did great.  I will say that 18 months is a hard age to travel with.  They aren't young enough to just fall asleep anywhere but not old enough to understand sit down and sit still. 

Kate is again just like her brother and could spend all day outside if we'd let her. I have no idea where they get this gene, their father most likely because I'm the least outdoorsy person you'll ever meet. She loves being in our backyard, the playhouse and swinging in her swing.  We've had the privilege of taking the kids out and about this summer and whenever we were outside Kate would be happy as a clam. It could be 105 degrees and she was happy, the rest of us were dying but she was content.  

 

As for clothes this has been the most fun thing about having a girl.  Seriously, I love shopping for Drew but man oh man is shopping for Kate a blast. The leggings, the skirts, the hair bows, I could blow our budget on her wardrobe. Thankfully I'm able to buy a bunch of her clothes on Instagram secondhand or on sale because we all know I love a good sale!!

One of my favorite bow shops is called Forest and Fawn.  Her bows are adorable and her headbands don't leave marks on Kate's head and the clips are really soft for fine hair.  I also find some great deals on Groopdealz and Jane.  These bows are super simple and again very friendly to fine hair because Kate may have some hair but not a lot!

18 months has come and gone in the blink of an eye.  We have been so blessed by this blond hair, blue eyed sweet baby girl.  There are no words to express how full my heart is with the love I have for my children and how blessed I feel that God has granted me these wonderful 18 months with this sweet girl. 

 Hip Hip Hooray, we're 18 months old today!

We love you, sweet Kate!  Happy 18 months!

Drew's first day of school

Last week was Drew's first day if 3 year old pre-school.  He was so excited.  Drew is attending a small Christian pre-school that is 2 mornings a week this year and 3 mornings next year.  

Wednesday morning arrived and he woke up bright and early, chipper as ever and could not wait to go to school.  Brendan and Drew were going to meet me at school so we could both take him for his first day.  Unfortunately Brendan was really sick so my mom was able to pick him up and meet me at the school.  Brendan got him all ready and snapped some pictures beforehand.  My mom was to arrive at 8:25am, Drew had his shoes and backpack on at 7:45am.  He was so excited!!  

Drew absolutely loves to wear flip flops and hates to wear socks or shoes.  However, at school they require the kids to wear shoes.  We had to convince Drew that his new shoes were very fast shoes, they would make him fast like Lighting McQueen.  He took the bait and now doesn't mind wearing them to school.

He was just a bit excited.  Even Ruby got in on the first day of school pictures.

Of course Kate saw the picture taking going on and posed for a picture.  She's such a ham.

I met Drew at school and we took a few more pictures.  Of course our sign is upside down.  Oh we'll, we tried.  Working mom trying to rush doesn't bode well for great pictures. 

I took him in and thought there may be some tears as I left.  Nope, nothing.  I asked if he was ok if I left.  "Yep, see you later mommy". Well ok then...  He had a great first day and week of school.  I picked him up after the first day and he said he had made a new friend named Hayden.  He liked Hayden because Hayden also liked to play with front loaders.  Oh to be 3 years old. 

   Drew has been having a great experience with school thus far.  I just can't believe we're already here.  I feel like Drew should still be babbling and crawling.  Life has gone way too fast, and my baby is growing up in the blink of an eye.

Drew and Kate's latest pictures

  We recently had some new pictures taken of the kiddos by our photog friend Amy Doerring. We absolutely love Amy, she is so loving and patient with our three and one year old. This session was no different. Kate was not in a good mood and Amy was so easy going about it. She shot Drew and we were going to reschedule to shoot Kate another time and then the kids started playing with the rocks in the parking lot. Kate turned a total 180 in the parking lot and Amy started shooting her and she got the most beautiful images of my children. I'm not sure what we'd do without Amy, she's simply amazing. She is such a blessing to our family.

Busy

I've neglected my little corner of the Internet  lately.  A week ago I was done with work for two and half months and since then I've been home with the kiddos each day.  

Every day seems to fly by in the blink of an eye, but we've had so much fun and been super busy.  Although it seems to take foreverandaday for all three of us to run errands or make a quick trip to grocery store.  Today we ran to get paint to make a couple of paintings and an hour later we were back home.  The store is 10 minutes away.  Life is just busy and my little blog has suffered.  I normally blog during nap time but I was busy all week and today Mr. Drew decided a nap was for the birds... 

We've been busy but we've been enjoying my time at home. I promise I'll put together a coherent post soon.  When both children nap, at the same time.  

I hope you're all enjoying your summer!  You can keep up with over on Instagram.  My username is Drewsmomma3. 

3 day potty training

Alright, people I am no expert in potty training, only shopping. However last weekend we potty trained Drew and I would venture to say he is pretty darn well potty trained. So I thought I would share what we did and what worked for us, because I know going into the whole potty training gig I was totally and utterly lost.

    First, we waited until Drew was ready. He is 3 years and 2 months old. He finally started to show interest in his little potty a few weeks ago and we would let him sit on it before bath time and if he went great, if not no biggie. If he would go he would get a little reward of a vanilla tootsie roll. Now, I know some parents frown upon rewarding with candy but my kid hates stickers and you do why ya gotta do and stickers weren't going to cut it. This past weekend we had three solid days to stay home and fill Drew full of liquids, and focus on getting him going on the potty. The week leading up to our potty training weekend we prepped Drew about his new underpants and how we were going to go on the potty, you get the idea. Saturday morning when he woke up we took his nighttime diaper off and let him go commando with no undies on and just his Jammie pants. We then told him to tell us when he had to use the potty.

 That morning he had his usually milk and then he had requested orange juice and lemonade for the extra liquids that weekend. We had quite a few successes that morning and when he got dressed we put on underpants. This was our one mistake the first day. As soon as we out on undies he had 3 accidents in a row. It was almost like he couldn't tell he didn't have a diaper on. Each accident we encouraged him that accidents happen and we go potty on the potty. After the third accident we went back to just pants and no undies and from then on we've not had one accident. ::knocksonwood:: All three days we filled him full of liquids, any liquid he wanted either OJ, lemonade, milk or water and then each time he went on the potty he got a reward. Then every so often he would get a big reward to keep him going. We had purchased small toys to reward him. They were mostly matchbox cars and the die cast cars from the Disney movie Cars. He was thrilled each time he got a "prize" and we let him set the goal. Like 5 times and then a bigger prize or 3 times on the potty and he got a prize. So we let him have control of his potty training. Sunday night we could tell he was about ready to have a BM. We did have to remind him once to tell him to let us know she he needed to and then he went and hadn't looked back.

    Monday we put underpants on him and by then it had clicked that he needed to keep them dry and tell us when he needed to go potty. Drew went back to daycare on Tuesday and has been doing really well. He now goes in to the bathroom himself and goes all by himself. He likes using both the big potty and the little potty. He's even woken up from his naps in the morning dry, which shocked me. We were still putting a diaper on him at those times but if he continues to stay dry we will make the jump to nap and overnight times.

   My biggest advice to parents would be to wait until your child is really ready and don't force it. We haven't forced Drew what so ever and it's been such a smooth transition, I'm glad we waited.  If you have any questions don't hesitate to email or leave your questions in the comments.