Will.i.am.

Lately it seems I'm always posting things that require deep thought and over analysis, which usually revolves around Ella and somehow what's going on with Will gets put on the back burner.

It's pretty fitting I suppose, after all he's kind of a second thought kid. I don't mean that in a sense that he's not as special as Ella, I just mean he's perfectly content to wait around until we have the time to devote to him. He looks at us as if he's saying, "you look like you have a lot going on, so I'll be over here when you can get to me!" It's pretty amazing. Maybe that's what all second children are like, but nonetheless - we're extremely grateful!

So an update on Will....
He's 5 months old already and has earned the nickname, Moose. He's huge! At our 4 month appointment in December he weighed almost 17 lbs. and was in the 76th percentile for height (26" long). He has mastered rolling over and is working on sitting up on his own - which can be challenging with a head that size!

We started baby food and rice cereal, which has gone really well. He loves the fruit and tolerates all the veggies too. He's such a little pig, that he practically dive bombs the spoon as I'm trying to feed him.

He began drooling pretty badly about a month ago and sure enough a little tooth is starting to make it's way through on the bottom. If it weren't for the drool and the way he aggressively shoves everything in his mouth, we may never have known he was teething though since it hasn't seem to phase him.

He remains one of the most happy, smiling baby's we have ever seen! He sleeps fantastically well, only getting up once per night usually - even if he has soaked his diaper full.

When Will first entered our lives I worried that he might be overshadowed by his sister, but those fears have since passed. He may have started out much quieter than Ella, but he has quickly caught up and is extremely talkative. He is constantly giggling, squealing, yelling, babbling and entertaining us all.

His sister loves him very much! She talks about how she can't wait for him to get bigger so she can share her toys with him and is constantly giving him her toys when he shows the slightest bit of interest.

Will has been the best addition to our family and we are extremely blessed to have two beautiful children that fill our house full of so much love and entertainment. We have enjoyed watching Ella grow and can't wait to see Will do the same!

The Chicken or The Egg

Happy 2013! Like every other year, we spent New Years Day at my grandparents for lutefisk, lefse and meatballs (and many other side dishes & desserts). The trip back home is a two hour drive, but well worth it - even without factoring in the amazing food. One of my cousins lives another hour East of Madison and couldn't make the trip, but needed to pick up her daughter (Kael), who was back home for the annual dinner. We had plenty of room in our car, so I offered to bring her back as far as Madison.
Of course Ella was very excited to have a new rider in the car with us. She planned what movies they'd watch and how long Kael could stay at our house to play. After we loaded up all of our stuff and packed three kids and carseats into the middle of our vehicle, we were off.

Before every trip I make sure I am prepared for almost any scenario that may arise. For Ella alone I have snacks, a water bottle, games, things to entertain her, sunglasses (in case the sun gets in her eyes), a blanket in case she's cold, her favorite snuggle buddy...and the list goes on and on. This trip, for the most part was no different. The toys were all packed, the DVD player was queued up and I had cut up a bag of apples and had some snack mix. The problem was that I couldn't locate her water cup before we left, so I decided to just skip it.

Right away Ella wanted to watch her new movie, SnowPaws 2, while Kael sat quiet and patiently waited. I asked Kael if she had seen the movie and she shook her head no and then proceeded to say, "I want to watch the movie, but I'll probably fall asleep." Sleep! What is sleep? You can imagine my confusion because in all of Ella's four years - she has never done that willingly.

The movie started and I could see Kael was getting tired and looking for a place to lay her head. Ella on the other hand was busy making her usual demands. "I'm hungry." "Can you get my backpack." "I'm cold." "The sun is in my eyes." For every complaint, I had a solution and thus, we avoided a meltdown.

I handed the bag of apples back and told Ella she needed to share with Kael, who replied that she didn't want any. I gave some snack mix and asked Kael if she was hungry, and again she was not. I would have asked if she needed anything else, but when I looked back she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful. I went to get my camera and of course, stinker Ella thought it would be funny to pretend like she was sleeping.

You'll notice from the picture that Ella is all set up - snack bag to her left, headphones and a water bottle. Sitting beneath her is a bag of toys, books, baby doll, blanket, etc. As I mentioned earlier, I couldn't locate the normal water cup, so of course we had to stop to buy something to drink when she was thirsty.

As I sat there and watched just how different the two girls were, I began to wonder - what came first? The chicken or the egg? I pack all those things to make our lives easier and hopefully avoid tantrums. But maybe it's the fact that I do supply those things that has made Ella come to expect them all the time and act like a demanding little diva. For now I will continue to pack up the house for our travel adventures because reaching backwards every ten minutes to grab something for her is worth not listening to her kick and scream and cry.

Happy Holidays!

This really is one of the most wonderful times of the year. The holidays bring quality family time, the excitement of Santa, beautiful snowfalls and more importantly, my Grandma Boylen's annual Christmas letter. Each year I anticipate receiving her card in the mail and each year she ceases to amaze me! In these letters she gives the rundown on what each of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren have been up to within the year.

While we send out a holiday card each year, I never take the time to write a letter - so I am now.

2012 has been a busy year in the Leschisin household. With each passing year our lives get more hectic and it seems no matter how hard we try, we continue to take on more. We would probably be bored without all the hobbies, projects and to-do's in our lives.

The biggest news is the addition of our second child, Will. Born on August 4th at 8 lbs. 2 oz. - he has completed our little family. He is very good-natured (as long as you feed him non-stop) and smiling all the time to show off his Ella-like dimples. He attends the same daycare as Ella and just learned to roll over. He is pretty laid back so far, which we appreciate and are hoping he will continue to be the Yang to Ella's Yin.

Ella is full of something! She recently celebrated her 4th birthday and has enough personality and attitude for a fourteen year old. She has a lot of friends at daycare and loves going on regular field trips. She attends speech therapy at the local elementary two days a week and basks in the one-on-one attention she receives. She loves every day life, but she might say one of her top events this year was meeting Bucky Badger!

In between golf outings, Joe has been busy crossing things off his project to-do list. We've lived in our home for over three years and in that time we have overhauled the landscaping, built a deck and fence and this year focused on finishing our basement. Recently he decided it was time to leave his full-time job to focus on Kella Design, the marketing business we started in 2005. His remaining time is spent working part-time at the Kennedy Communications, the advertising agency I have worked at since 2007.

My life is about the same as always, unpredictable. I turned 30 this year and have been adjusting quite well to old age. As I mentioned I'm still at Kennedy and was recently named the Chief Operating Officer over the entire agency. It's an honorable promotion and I'm grateful for the opportunity. I try to remain active by competing in a women's volleyball league each week and juggling the day-to-day chaos of our lives.

The world around us is complicated. Life gets busy and we all get wrapped up in the things that do not matter. Sadly, we lost Joe's grandfather a few weeks ago and while our hearts are heavy, its a timely reminder of what the holidays should be about. This holiday season, take the time to tell your loved ones just how important they are and stop focusing on all the material gifts and give the only one that matters - your love and attention.

Happy Holidays and a Festive New Year!

Times Have Changed

I am embarrassed by how I acted as a child. I was wild, snotty, ungrateful and downright mean (not to mention, not very cute). I wish I could go back and change things, especially my hair - but it’s not possible. My saving grace is that I have a terrible memory and times were very different then. My parents didn’t own a camera, let alone one with video capabilities.Just think there could be more gems like the one below!

Ella on the other hand is not so lucky. I suspect she’ll look back at her childhood like I do – after all, we are very similar. The major difference though is that her entire life is documented. I have more than enough blackmail for the rest of her life and we haven’t even reached teenage years.

From photos, to videos, to this blog – every silly picture, crazy dance move and hysterical life story lives on the World Wide Web.

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, the options for sharing are endless. Kids have to worry about so much more than the one-time naked bathtub shot or the baby photo in the senior yearbook. For better or for worse, kids today will be able to look back on their life and remember every. single. moment – whether they want to or not.

As my Newsfeed fills with updates from kids ranging from 10-18, I feel grateful to have escaped my college years sans Facebook - no one needs those moments shared with the world, especially potential employers. I know I can say that there is no way my kids will ever be allowed to be on Facebook at 10, but it's so hard to say at this point. I didn't have a cell phone until I was a sophomore in college and now every 8 year old has the ability to be reached at any given moment.

I understand the convenience aspect of it all and I know that growing up in a small town makes things easier, but what happened to kids being at a location they are told, when they are told - no questions asked? If you weren't there, you walked home.

As the mother of a four year old going on fourteen, I can’t begin to fathom what things will be like when she’s really fourteen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful to have amassed this digital scrapbook to look back on for years to come. My children have so many things worth remembering - but I'm sure at fourteen, they won't agree.

Who knows, by then maybe we’ll be lucky enough to live like The Jetsons. It could be worse - who doesn’t want to have a robot maid, get ready for the day by hopping on a conveyor line and have the ability to fly to work.

Birthdays

I am the mother of two, I have child-ren and …. I’m about to turn 30.

In one day I will be 30 years old. How did this all happen so fast? In 1982 I could have never imagined that this would be my life (mostly because I was a baby). I know this is cheesy, but I am so grateful for the way things have turned out. 

I graduated from college, I have a fantastic job, I married my best friend and as my first panicked statement already mentioned – I am the mother of two beautiful children. I am not overly religious but in my book, that’s pretty blessed.

I don’t particularly love birthdays. Everybody fusses over you because they feel like they are supposed to and it’s just a reminder that you aren’t getting any younger. Turning 30 though is a whole different type of birthday milestone that I’m not looking forward to.

Like most, I have a bucket list, but instead of the deadline of “in my lifetime” a lot of my to-do’s have the expiration date of “before I turn 30.” With one day to go, a lot of those items won’t get crossed off the list - Skydive. Learn to play the guitar. Sing in front of an audience. Leave the country. 

As I’m putting those things in writing, I realize that while I may not have reached my initial deadline – they’re all small goals in the scheme of life. They are all attainable and I still have plenty of time. My twenties were fantastic and I can only hope that my thirties are just as memorable.

Too bad we all can’t view birthdays through the eyes of a child – nothing more than an opportunity for cake and presents! I know this because we recently celebrated Ella’s 4^th birthday. Again, I can’t believe I have a four-year-old daughter (not to mention a 4 month old son). While she and Will are the best things I have ever done – she single handedly kick started our lives. From the day we found out we were expecting, our lives have not been the same.

We grew up. We became selfless. We learned to sacrifice. We learned what love and family are all about. She did that. I’m getting emotional writing this because she frustrates us on a daily basis but I have no idea where we would be without her. There is no better feeling than to sit back and watch her head spin. It’s so full of imagination and creativity. Often times people say parents make kids who they are but in our case, Ella made us who we are. We are her parents.

I couldn’t be more proud of who she is. She is strong and brave. She endures and keeps going - without ever being phased. I admire her and am amazed at her ability to touch the lives of people all around her. I have the highest hopes of what she’ll grow up to be. No matter her decision, I know it’s going to be something great. She is going to do big things – there is just no other path for her.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, spirited, little Ella Bella. Thank you for the best gift any 30 year-old could ask for - being your mom!

Goals

Those pesky little things that nag you when not reached. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so goal oriented, but as a friend told me recently, "that's just who you are!" One of my goals for 2012 was to blog more. I didn't set specific criteria, i.e. once a day, week, month, etc. I just wanted to do better each month compared to 2011.

I started off a little slow by only blogging once in January & February, which was the same as the year before. When March & April rolled around though, I was off to the races. I blogged 4 times in March and 5 times in April, compared to once in each month of 2011. I should have felt happy, right?

Nope. Just as I am goal oriented I'm also always pushing to improve and am never satisfied. So I looked back to 2010. I was so surprised! I blogged all the time when I started this journey, a total of 31 times for the year and I started in April.

Thus, my goals changed. I now compare to 2010. What is wrong with me? This blog is supposed to be enjoyable. It's not competitive, yet somehow I'm competing with myself! How is that even possible? This takes my competitive nature to a whole new level.

Being goal oriented isn't all bad I suppose. It's allowed me to build a pretty successful career, while also raising two beautiful kids & maintaining a happy relationship with my hubby (blah blah blah blah). I know I should blog when, "it feels right," but I do want to continue to push myself to write. Regardless of how chaotic things get this is an outlet that allows me to get some thoughts out of my brain & hopefully as I look back, remember this time in our lives.

Nonetheless, November 2012 is looking pretty good because this is my second entry for the month - which is better than 2011 & 2010!

Grand

/grand/
Magnificent. Splendid. Wonderful. Fascinating.

Grandparents really do add the grand feeling to parenting. My grandparents played such an important role in my life, I couldn't begin to imagine things differently.

Earlier this month we visited Joe's grandfather in the nursing home and as I watched them interact I was so overwhelmed by how much he loves him, which then drummed up feelings of how much I love mine.

I remember that feeling as a small girl, visiting my great grandmother in the nursing home and it wasn't grand. The opposite, really. I'm so grateful none of my grandparents are in that place now. I know it's hard on them but it nearly killed me to hear him ask over and over again to go home. A prideful man, who worked hard his entire life to provide for his family - begging to just go home.

This week, as Thanksgiving approaches I'm going to make sure to give thanks for my grandparents. I feel so fortunate to have so many fantastic years with them and even more appreciative of the fact that Ella & Will can too.