Where We Are Today

This little blog has turned into such a great scrapbook for my life. When I started "blogging" years ago I really had no idea what I was doing. Let's be honest, I still don't. I've never blogged for "readers" or "followers" ... like to know it and linking to make money has never been my jam. Quality photos are a luxury around here, not a necessity. Formatting, spelling, grammar errors - yep they're all still here. And honestly, I'm a-ok with that. Because the more I blog, and the more I link back to passed memories, the more I am so thankful I'm doing it. For myself, and my family ... I love having both the photo to look at and my interpreation of what and why it took place.

I've been quiet around here the last month or so, because there has been SO much happening so fast. Life is legit a whirlwind and I'm just trying to keep up - one day at a time. I've got posts from Halloween I have yet to hit publish on (and hope to do so before Christmas rolls around), I've got some big updates on the house I'd love to share, I'm hoping to bring everyone up to speed on all things medical soon, and sprinkle in a lot of the in between life stuff too. And I'm so thankful I have this little space to remind me of all the things I have to be thankful for. All of the memories I've shared with everyone I love so dearly. And all of the blessings The Good Lord has bestowed upon my life.

So, while I work to put together some blogs about the past month or so, today I thought I'd check in and do a quick - Where We Are Today - at this time in our life. Beyond the pictures, and beyond the silly stories or the what we did this weekend - but really - where are we, as a family, in our lives. Because if it's a scrapbook, an update of what's happening behind the scenes deserves to be noted too.

Lainey // The littlest of the clan, and arguably the happiest, is all about family, friends and Mickey Mouse. You can find her waking up with the best bed head in the morning - throwing all of her blankets out of the crib with the toddler rail - excitedly squealing for someone to come and get her (or often being way to big of a little girl and walking all the way downstairs herself and crawling into our bed to wake us up), so she can put her paci back in the bowl and start her day. She heads downstairs for snuggles and always requests Mickey be turned on the TV. Within 15 minutes, she's made her way to the kitchen and is demanding breakfast or a snack. And then she plays, or joins along in the routine (preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and everything in between until her 1.5 hour midday nap after lunch. Post nap she's ready for another snack and is back to playing with her babies ... putting them to bed and "changing" their diapers. If a door is open she's running outside, and if there is a pile of dirt she dives right in (literally). You have to watch her around anything that COULD be edible (read the fine print - just because it isn't edible, doesn't mean it CAN'T be) because if it can fit in your mouth Lainey will certainly attempt to eat it. She follows her brother around for a good remainder of the day and keeps the whole family laughing until it's time for bed. Food, fashion (ha!), all the fake makeup sessions and Mickey Mouse keep her going and as long as she's got her family and friends she's pretty content.

Bennett // Ahhh the smart one in the family. This little man is a 40 year old trapped inside a 4 year old's body and he's a force to be reckoned with. This mister starts his day with a mix of needing to be coaxed out of bed with promise of something sweet for breakfast, and/or on his own ready to take on the world if he went to bed early enough the night before. Pending which side of the bed he wakes up on, he's either ready to chat and watch some morning cartoons or you better stay out of his way - there typically is no in between for him. He's off to school Tuesday through Friday - although getting him to share many details about his day can be a bit of a challenge. But, his reports from his teachers/friends/and other mama's let us know he's totally killing it. When his little sister naps he can't wait to get his hands on an iPad for his quiet time and would play it all day if we would let him. He loves to recite movie quotes and has a memory sharp as a tack. On the weekends you can catch him playing midfield on some sports team, and looking for his buddies to wrestle with. He has the best stories, loves to incorporate some form of potty talk (preferably poop) into any conversation and you can always count on him to keep his sister out of harms way. He also told the entire family last week he intended to marry his mommy - so his heartthrob status is currently through the roof. He prefers a smaller circle than his sister, but if you're in it - you are IN IT and that's exactly where we all want to be!

Katie // I'm currently the one multi-tasking my way through life. I'm at that phase where my foot is halfway in one door, while halfway walking out of another. Three days out of the week I'm momming so hard -- the taxi cab to and from school, the meal maker, the boo-boo kisser, the story listerner, and the referree. The other two days I'm juggling between finding much needed "me" time and putting on my working girl hat. Please note however, my mornings ALWAYS begin with my husband making me coffee - and no matter how many years I plan to check-in like this, that will always remain the same - I am still NOT a morning person.  I frequent meetings for various family business things and I'm taking the photography hobby a little more seriously. I drink coffee atleast once a day (most days twice and occasionally three) and enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir on some evenings. I go through weird phases of being completely normal and fine and then sheer panic about my health. My Aunt constantly reassures me, I'm building a lot of character through this journey - so maybe one day I'll figure out what the purpose of that "character" is - but for now I'll continue to take it moment by moment.  My extroverted-self wanting all the friends all the time heart (ahem, my Lainey-ism) is slowly converting to more of a Bennett circle as I'm coming to the point in my life were friendships mean so much more than surface level - and I am so thankful for the friendships and relationships I have that continue to lift me up and bring me true fulfillment.  I'm working hard on my relationship with the Big Man Upstairs and learning that all of those other things I "need", I really don't. Life is slowly falling more into place, the kiddos are getting a little more self-reliant and I'm starting to see glimpses of my pre-mom self shining through :)

Shane // Ahh so much I could say about him from my eyes (all the heart eyes), but this is about him, so I'll move on. Shane is working his tail off in the beer biz. He's all things beer, all the time and he's feeling really fulfilled in his professional life. He's up early and home for dinner (most of the time) and his kiddos absolutely cannot wait to give him the world's biggest hug the moment he walks in the door. He's healthy and fulfilled, but life has been hard on him the last couple of  years. All of those closest to him have walked some pretty serious trials and tribulations, and he's had to remain super strong for everyone else. He's a walking Jana Kramer song lyric of being a boy and becoming a man - and while that sounds super cliche it's also super true. He's gone from a hot-headed boy to a cool and steady handed man, and it suits him really well. He's got most of it all together ... but if you ask him to pack the kiddos a lunch you might have a melt down on your hands. When he's not hustling beer, he's being super dad and giving the best advice about "being tough" while coaching Mr. B in flag football, or getting even further wrapped around Lainey's finger. You can find him playing the tripping game most nights with the kiddos in the basement and he's the fearless nightly leader of bath and bedtime. If there's one thing he knows better than beer, it's the written text from cover to cover of "Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, and The Kissing Hand". He's the world's biggest optimist with lofty business dreams and a fierce love for his people. And we simply couldn't love him more.

As we head into a week of Thanksgiving - I'm so thankful. Thankful for our family and the three people I get to call mine <3 What an honor and a blessing.

Big Celebrations in The Big Apple

I say it every vacation/getaway I attend, and this time is no different; I need a vacation from my vacation. But, that ain't gonna happen, because here I am in Nashville for survivorship scans and a big ole dose of back to the real world reality. Good grief! Say a prayer for me today if you get a minute ... it's always a long day I struggle to get through.

But, setting our sights on what I'm really here to talk about ... NEW YORK CITY!!!  Thursday we got back from NYC to celebrate some seriously special dudes in my life and we had an absolute ball! I've never been to the city in the spring/summer. My family always goes for Thanksgiving, but I was excited to spend time in the city without being all bundled up!  We spent four awesome days frolicking around the city, kid-free, and crammed in as much fun adulting as we possibly could and now I need a nap ... or seven. And you may too after you finish this forever long post.

We had Mother's Day dinner, Sunday at Shane's moms the night before, so the kids stayed there that evening. Hubs and I boarded our plane EARRRRLY Monday morning with a direct flight SDF > LGA. A big ole coffee, trashy mags and my boyfriend - CHECK YES!

The landing into LGA was quite possibly one of the worst descents I've ever been a part of (hello motion sickness), and our cab ride into the city wasn't much better. Whew, gotta love that northeast transit. But, we arrived safe and sound at our hotel, The Hyatt Centric Times Square, and we booked entirely with Amex points *yippeee!* so all is well. Our room wasn't quite ready, so we dropped our bags, took in the sights and smells of the city and headed to Five Napkin Burger in Hell's Kitchen for an early lunch.

As we were leaving the restaurant Shane grabbed my arm and says, "Katie! That guys is famous! What is his name!?" I looked up and sure enough, Eric McCormack, aka Will, from the show Will and Grace.  I tried to snag a pic but got all fan girl nervous and this was the best I got :) haha! But it was a fun start to the trip (in which we would see SEVERAL celebrity sightings!).

After lunch we strolled through Times Square, got a new pair of sunglasses for the birthday boy and waited a bit longer for our room to be ready. Then we headed back, took a quick nap to combat our early am flight and because duh, no kids means you can nap whenever you want! And then got cleaned up to head right back out!

We went to Chelsea and checked out the HighLine and art at the Whitney. The exhibits were ahem, interesting this visit and we'll leave it at that.

After our artsy spirits were fulfilled we walked over to one of my most favorite NYC places, The Chelsea Market, and officially cheers'd to a great trip at Corkbuzz.

Then, we met up with my parents (they'd arrived in the city the previous Friday) and my little brother, Max (who attends NYU), at one of our favorite places with the world's best spaghetti for dinner, Scarpetta. After dinner Shane and I agreed we made a mistake in bringing my family there. It's always kind of been "our thing" and we should have thought about their palettes before suggesting our spot (my dad is reading this and rolling his eyes ... back at ya dude). But, if you ask me, dinner was fab, the company was even better and it was a great kickoff to the trip.

They even brought Shane an early birthday cake and Max his very own "Congratulations" cake. Bravo Scarpetta, Bravo.

The next morning I was officially married to a thirty year old. Happy Birthday SHANE! Hubs and I were up BRIGHT and early again, to stand in line for the Live with Kelly and Ryan show. My mom was always a Regis + Kathy Lee turned Kelly Ripa fan, but I was too young to appreciate the show. However, once I had Bennett, Kelly and Michael became my jam. I really just love the host chat for the first 15 minutes. So when Michael announced he was leaving, and we went through that new person every day host drought, they almost lost me. But, when they announced a few weeks ago Ryan Seacrest would be taking the co-host position I was floored! To be honest. I'm still 50/50 on the decision. I was really pulling for Fred Savage ... but since we had some adult time in NYC I knew I wanted to see it in person.

So, our uber arrived, dropped us off, and my sweet husband woke up early with me on his thirtieth birthday to attend the show! We got in line what seemed like very early enough, started making small talk with some folks and about 20 minutes into the conversation when it started to lull I said, "do you guys watch them every morning?" They informed me where they live (Wisconsin) the show doesn't come on until the afternoon because morning shows take the slots. To myself I thought that was strange, but didn't say anything. And then a few moments later I said "I'm just excited to see Kelly interact with Ryan." The poor girl looked at me and said "Uhm, this is the line for The Chew?!" OHHH NO!

We raced around to the other side of the block, pleaded with the security guards and told them our sob story. They were nice but essentially said, tough luck, that happens all the time. HA! About 35 minutes later a woman came around to scan our tickets and informed us not to worry, we would be getting in after all! YAYYY! (You get tickets online but they do not guarantee seats, they simply guarantee you a chance to be seated -- it's all first come first served and if you aren't there early enough you may not get in).

Our seats were upstairs and off to the left, but we could still see absolutely everything and the studio was super small, so there really wasn't a bad seat in the house.

Guests on the show were Jeffrey Tambor, Ben Falcone (Melissa McCarthy's husband), and they were filming a double segment for some of their summer episodes, so we also got to see Simone Biles and her partner from DWTS.  Kelly and Ryan both interacted with the audience so much. The trivia dancer tryouts were hilarious, watching the producers and cue card interaction was so interesting and honestly, we loved it. It was such a unique experience, but totally worth it.

After we left the building we were blocks away from Central Park, so we held hands and walked through the park because is there really anything more magical? We FaceTimed our littles and sang happy birthday to their daddy together and then made our way to The Boathouse for lunch.

I could have stayed their all day. The weather was AHHH-MAZING, the food and cocktails were on point, the view was second to none, and my date was pretty cute.

It was a birthday lunch well spent.

After lunch we headed back to the room to get cleaned up for another fun evening. We booked five spots on the small batch tour at the Brooklyn Brewery. Hubs is the president of a local brewery, Falls City Beer, we own in Louisville, so touring a brewery as large as the Brooklyn Brewery was a perfect way to spend the eve of his thirtieth.

After the tour, we took a hilarious walk to dinner to meet up with a couple of Max's buddies at a DELICIOUS restaurant joint in Williamsburg, Umami Burger. And again, it was another great night.

The following morning we slept in a little bit (WAHOO) before getting ready for the main event, Max's graduation from NYU!! He graduated with honors from The Tisch School of the Arts and the graduation was held at Yankee Stadium (holy cool) on Wednesday, May 17th. His college salute would be held that Friday at Radio City Music Hall - but Hubs and I had to get back to the littles and down to Nashville - so my older brother and his wife attended Friday's ceremonies (each student is only allowed four tickets to every event because space is so limited).

We rode the subway to the Bronx and it was a sea of NYU purple. Yankee Stadium had replaced all of their flags with NYU flags and we were overwhelmed with pride as we walked up those subway stairs. He moved from our small town in Indiana, to the biggest city in the US, pursued his dream of film making, made friends, excelled, graduated with honors, and was now graduating from one of the most accredited universities. Whew! Big sister moment = all time high. Way to go Maxman!

The ceremony was so neat, and so New York. Performances, songs, speeches, Yankee stadium snacks, and Pharrell Williams was their graduation speaker for goodness sakes. It was awesome! Hubs and I keep quoting our favorite line of Pharrell's from that day - it made us laugh and was such a song lyric and just so NYU: "One day I hope to see one of you in the White House as the next President of the United States. And don't misinterpret what I'm saying here. A President that isn't red, or blue (pause) but a President that is purple, like N - Y - (long pause) - U!"

After graduation, we went to Max's buddies parents' apartment in Tribeca and had a blast feeling like real New Yorkers and celebrating the graduates. Their apartment was fabulous, the view was awesome, and their neighbor is Billy Crystal. It was all a little overwhelming. Then, we were back to the hotel once again to clean up for yet another dinner! We took advantage of our roof top bar at the hotel, Bar 54 and once again I enjoyed my time with this stud.

And then we headed to a farewell dinner with the fam, this time at Cipriani's in SoHo.

 As we were leaving dinner the Paparazzi were everywhere and Cedric The Entertainer was coming downstairs from the restaurant. The paps informed us there were lots of famous people upstairs and their job was to simply wait for them to come in and out. Goodness! One of my longtime friends, Leah, has lived in the city for several years now and met up with us for dinner. After dinner, we headed to yet another roof top bar, 230 Fifth, to take in the sights and sounds of the city and round out the night.

 After saying our goodbyes, hubs and I walked to snag a late night slice of NYC pizza, because what would a trip to New York be without a piece of the pie?!

We closed our eyes for a few hours, and then made our way to the airport to head home and spend the rest of the week with our babies. It was such a fun time and I'm so thankful to have these memories in our book. Another birthday, another graduation, and so much more on the horizon. Thanks New York for showing us a good time yet again.

Disney ... Fastpass Forever Day 2

Happy Wednesday friends! Hump Dayyyyyy. I should be posting this month's What's Up Wednesday post, buuuuut that's just not gonna happen. We've had another "week" around here, but unfortunately this time it wasn't a big fun one with lots to talk about. It was a big sick one where the stomach bug met hand, foot and mouth disease (it's a nasty virus that I am not sad to see coming to an end), and it's been pretty downright terrible. YUCK!  And therefore I'm here today to chat about something MUCH happier than all of that (and because this blog post was basically complete and I didn't have to spend any time creating a new one, HA!).  I'm back today and with Part 2 of our awesome Disney trip. If you missed Part 1 you can check that out here.

We began our second day by coasting into the morning ... we were all a little sleepy from the big magical day we'd had just a mere 10 hours before so we grabbed a little hotel breakfast and then made our way for a full day at the Magic Kingdom! Let's do this team!

We entered the park and headed straight to meet TinkerBell. If you follow me on Instagram you already know how absolutely smitten little mister Bennett was with the pint sized fairy, but in case you don't here's a little sneak of all the magical wonder. She was everything a fairy should be, and maybe even a little bit more.

 As we left town square and made our way to the first ride I asked Bennett to hand me his autograph book and pen ... he turns around gripping his pen ever so tight and says "Mommy, I think I'm just going to to hold onto this for a while longer ..." he wanted to hold onto TinkerBell's magical touch as long as he could and yep, you guessed it ... I cried ... again! :)

So, without spending too much time on this topic, I have to give a shout out to my hubs for hooking us up with the ultimate Magic Kingdom day. Hubs has an old work acquaintance that knows someone at Disney kind of story and long story short we had unlimited fast passes (anytime/any ride we wanted) for 4.5 hours. Therefore we skipped the lines all day, and were about to ride around 12+ rides in a very short time frame. And it AMAZING.

If you read Part 1 of Disney, I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that our first ride of the day was none other than Dumbo :) and little Mister chose me as his riding partner so guess what else?! I cried, again. WAHAHAHA.

As we were leaving he knew we wouldn't be able to ride Dumbo again until the next time we returned to Disney (which could be a few years) so he gave Dumbo the sweetest most genuine hug!

 And off we went to It's a Small World ... and little just couldn't hack it. Bless her heart. She slept on daddy through the next two rides.

Then boarded our ship to ride Peter Pan and soar through Neverland.

 And then we went Under the Sea to see my favorite gal, Ariel.

Is anyone else starting to notice, I am in zero pictures ever because I'm the only one that ever takes them?! Geeze!

 Next up, storybook hoping along with Winnie the Pooh and Tiger.

And then a quick spin around the Tea Cups (strategically BEFORE lunch).

And a much needed lunch break in Tomorrowland!

 Followed by one of our most favorite rides, Buzz Lightyear!

 Then we headed to the Magic Carpet of Aladin, and we all were in need of a little shade and big ole' water.

 So we took a little break and rode around the Jungle Cruise to sit for a bit.

 And looky there, little Dumbos :)

 Next up, Pirates of the Caribbean (and apparently someone got the memo momma needs to be in the pics too! hehehe)

<3

 We said goodbye to our guide and started making our way to the front of the park.

 Before we left I read all kind of things that said, "know when it's time to go", "don't stay too long or the kids will start to lose it" "cool off before you get hott" etc. and thought to myself well duh, obviously we'll do all of that. But wouldn't you know ... we even witnessed this from our three year old (baahaha) while waiting for the last parade of the day and rather than "knowing it was time to go" we just purchased some ice cream and gave them a little sugar buzz to last 30 more minutes. What were we thinking?!?!

 Mickey eared ice cream is what we were thinking! DUH!

And giant ice cream sandwiches! Also, DUH!

And parades with PaPaw ... all the feels.

 But before we even made it out of the park, he was done. D-O-N-E.

 Both kiddos took a good long rest and we had a little adult time in the club lounge.

 Everyone was exhausted, so we cleaned up and hung around the hotel for the rest of the night.

It was low-key and just what we needed ... because Part 3 was another BIG day(s)! Stay tuned :)