My two cents on the Election Results...

Just when you think the blog is dead (don't worry, it is for the most part), I find a reason to say something...

While most of the night I was simply grateful for the distraction from my day of witnessing my sweet Nana enter into hospice yesterday afternoon and prayed for her merciful passing and reunion with my grandfather in heaven, I still just can’t get over the headlines this morning.   A friend of mine posted today that we should hate less and listen to each other.  Understand more and ask questions like where were you coming from with how you voted.  So here’s my two cents…

A part of me just wants to scream MAGA!  And Oh my gosh, THAT… just happened!  I recognize the significance of nearly electing our first female president and how important that is for our nation that has come so far in equal rights for all sexes but I am relieved that honor won’t go to her.  She was just the wrong candidate for the job.  Period.  You can't blame conservatives for that.

But, I won’t be the first to admit that I haven’t been a staunch TRUMP supporter either.  He may have won my vote but he needs our prayers and support to fulfill some serious promises and I’m hopeful for positive change to come after 8 years of disappointment and sadly, a country that’s more politically, racially and socially divided than ever in my lifetime. 

For the past year or so I have fought every urge to unfriend and unfollow reading a steady stream of hateful and divisive rhetoric on facebook (on both sides).  But I understand that is one of the landmarks of our great country that we can live in a place with freedom of speech and I respect different opinions.  I do not however respect the hate.  As a conservative it was hurtful to have my intelligence and integrity questioned on what seemed like a daily basis.  I am not stupid.  Nor am I a sexist, homophobe, xenophobe, racist or white supremacist and I think the commentary goes too far, is deeply offensive and accomplishes nothing toward positive change.  And for my friends across the aisle whom I love and respect, I understand you feel the same way from those on the right who push too far at times.  It needs to stop.

Win or lose, we are all still Americans today and I’m proud to live in a country where democracy works.  Not just because I’m more pleased than some with the outcome this morning, but because when my head hit my pillow last night, I knew I would wake up just fine with whatever the outcome and still consider myself lucky to be a United States citizen where corny as is sounds, at least I'm free.  I saw the sacrifice of my late abuelo in leaving his beloved Cuba and a communist regime to raise my mom in a country with opportunity.  He never returned home before his death and carried his wish that his and so many like his sacrifices would not go in vain.  How he must turn in his grave to see Obama wipe all of that away with nothing in return nor any repercussions for the Castro nightmare. 

To understand how I could be conservative seems obvious for just that last reason stated, but I am more than just a conservative.  I am an American.  I am the proud daughter of a Cuban immigrant, granddaughter of a Jew, sister in law to a Turkish born Muslim whom I love and respect, devout Catholic who respects the sanctity of life.  But I also consider myself a strong, well educated, opinionated but respectful woman and a good mother who wants the best for my children.  I work hard every day and will continue to do so to instill respect and a strong work ethic in my kids and teach them that they are lucky to grow up in this country where anything is possible with faith and hard work. 

So today I empathize with my friends and family on the left.  I don’t speak for all conservatives but I can safely say that the bitter pill you are swallowing has been tasted before many times by all parties and we all survived.  America is and always will be great so long as we choose to unite and move forward with respect and grace together.    

It’s time to unite.  Just my two cents anyway…

Will 6 Months

Oh my little Willy P Spivey!  How we love you!  Let me count the ways...

Our sweet baby Will is 6 months old and I couldn't love him any more!  I tell him that every day and he's just so easy to love and I am loving him more and more at this stage.  I always loved the 6 month phase because they just get so alert and so darn cute and happy and giggly.

I love the way Will smiles that big open gummy smile every time he locks eyes with me when he hasn't seen me in awhile or is just waking up.  I love the way he giggles when I tickle his armpit and neck.  I love how he can't stop putting his hands in his mouth and loves to chew away like it's nobody's business.  I love how how he rubs his teeny tiny little hand over his eye when he's really tired.  I love how he coos and ooohs and sings when he wants to talk to us or get our attention.  I love how he smiles at his sister like she's the funniest things in the world and I love how they seem to really love each other.  I love what a roly poly he is and how he won't stay on his back for very long.  I love how he loves his little blankies and likes to hold them for comfort to nap.  I love how he sleeps with his little tushy in the air like he's a crouching Gus Gus from Cinderella.  I love how he's still a little baldy and I can rub my cheek on his smooth little head when he's snuggling up on my shoulder.  And I especially LOVE how he's sleeping through the night pretty consistently now.  Typically from around 8:30 to 7:30 or 8 and I will take it!

I could go on and on but I think you get the gist.  Our sweet little boy has me wrapped around his little finger and I just want to bottle him up at this stage and eat him up.  He's such a cutie and has such a sweet little demeanor (though he definitely has some pipes on him and knows how to yell to get our attention).

I can't wait until his 6 month check up next week to get his latest stats but I wouldn't be surprised if he's still low in everything because he's still our tiny little baby but as you can tell from this post, I will love him anyway! :)

Labor Day Weekend in Hilton Head!

We just got back yesterday from the best weekend and a great final hurrah to summer in Hilton Head spent with friends from our neighborhood.  We had been looking forward to this weekend since April when we planned it with our good friends from our neighborhood dinner club group.  They've become some of our best friends these past 5 years living in this neighborhood and it's been fun having babies at the same time and now seeing them become friends.  We always say that we know we'll probably end up moving one day but can't imagine not living close to all of them because it's just so fun and so easy to pop over to someone's house or meet up at the pool on any given day and stroll back home with no problem.

Anyway, the anticipation for the weekend was at an all time high given our crazy work schedules and my high stress levels as of late with all the work travel, added responsibilities and nanny drama so last Wednesday could not have come at a better time.

We rented a house in Palmetto Plantation right down the street from the Omni Hotel where Trey and I went over Memorial Day weekend and our rental was from Thursday to Monday but Trey and I decided to leave Wednesday night and stay at a Hampton Inn 20 miles outside of Hilton Head to get a jump start (and possibly have an easier drive with the kids).  It was a wise decision.  Even though we couldn't get done and out the door until around 6 we were able to make it to McDonough and stop at the Truett Dine in Chick Fil A for a fine dining experience and the kids fell asleep and rode pretty easy the whole way (except for about an hour stretch where Sophia thought it was funny to kick her little feet through the hole in my head rest and drive mama crazy... silly little girl).

The kids did get a little cranky when we got to the hotel but overall fell back asleep pretty easily and slept the night.

It was so nice waking up knowing we were already in Hilton Head and it was nice that one of the other families went early too and they stayed at the Sonesta Resort on the water in Hilton Head so when we got ready we just headed over to their place to enjoy the beach and pool until it was check in time.

Sophia was beside herself excited to be at the "Ocean" and pool and got so excited to see her friends Kara and Charlotte.  We played around the pool and enjoyed the beach for a few hours and then it was time to check in to our new home away from home for a few days.

I was so excited to see the inside of the house because we'd rode our bikes over there earlier this summer and it was pretty nice from the outside.  The inside did not disappoint.  It was perfect for the 6 families we had there.  It had 6 decent sized bedrooms far enough away from the commotion and with huge walk in closets perfect to put one pack and play and keep the kids separate.  It had a huge living rooms upstairs and downstairs complete with tons of flat screen tvs, large kitchen and table to congregate and a pool table downstairs.  It did have a pool but that was probably the one downside to the home because it was kinda a death trap for the kids with a hot tub that flowed off of the pool and for some reason kept draining so it was more like a 6 foot drop off with tons of sharp edges.  That and the pool was always in the shade so it was like jumping into a bucket of ice... literally.  But... the house was 2nd row from the water and not that the walk was that bad but after lugging the kids and all our stuff back and forth from the beach, a jump in that water was quite refreshing and necessary so it wasn't that bad.

the 5 minutes a day the pool was in the sun... totally refreshing though

All our friends trickled in at various times between Thursday night and Friday morning and it was nonstop fun fun fun.  Sophia had SUCH A GOOD TIME!  That is quite an understatement.  I really don't think Trey and I have ever seen her so beside herself happy.  She was in heaven playing with her best friend Colton and the  two of them ran themselves ragged everyday playing and giggling.  She loved playing with all her friends and every single morning she'd wake up an the first thing she'd say to Trey and I would be "I go play with friends" or "see Cotton, Jaime, Mr. Wayen (her version of Colton, Jaime and Mr. Warren).  It was the cutest thing.  She loved asking us to go to the ocean and didn't ever want to stop.  Not sure how relaxing per say the weekend was but as Trey calls vacation with kids... we definitely "made some memories."

One afternoon we decided to attempt a family picture when it looked a little overcast outside and ripe for picture time.  We didn't even bother showering and just put clothes over all our swimsuits in an attempt to snag a few pictures of the kids and family.  They turned out great but we got caught in a storm.  I was so grateful we weren't struck by lightening because it came on so fast.  We literally snapped our pictures and then a monsoon came forcing us to run back inside.  I'm sure we looked funny to our friends who opened the door for us but it was kinda scary at the time.  Not sure any picture would've been worth that but at least we got a few and nobody was killed in the process ;)

We stayed in the first three nights ordering pizza, then enjoying the yummy cooking of Chef Longmire and Parr with some delicious Beef Tenderloin and Low Country Boil and then the last night braved the crowds to have a change of scenery and let the kids run around at Harbor Town and eat out.

It worked out well because our group kind of split up that night so we were able to get a table just fine.  We also got some great family pictures because we ate early enough to wrap up and take in the beautiful sunsetting behind the lighthouse.  It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend and we were so sad to come back home and back to reality.

We all had such a good time that we're already talking about making this a tradition and I hope we can do just that.  I think between spending Memorial Day with my family and Labor Day with our friends in Hilton Head, Trey and I have grown to really love the beaches and the town and were talking about making that a good spot for an annual trip.  There is just so much to do and it's very kid friendly and doesn't hurt that it's really only a 4.5 hour drive from home so it's really easy to get there.

Anyway, it was sad to leave but it was the perfect way to close out an amazing summer in the same fashion that it began and we are definitely excited to see all the fun in store for our family this fall with football season, pumpkin patches, apple picking and all things Fall right around the corner!

Will @ 5 Months Old

Couldn't love this little boy any more!  His constant smiles and coos and oohs and the sparkle he gets in his eye when he sees you or hears your voice are so infectious.  It's hard to believe my baby boy is already 5 months old and I feel like it's going so much faster than with Sophia.

 (little guy won't stop putting his hands in his mouth... I think he's close to getting a tooth)

It's been a month of several milestones for little buddy or bubba as we all seem to affectionately call him (as a side note- you can hear Sophia squealing "Buubba" at any time... kinda funny)  Anyway, this month Will has started sleeping through the night, rolling over and eating solid foods.

We started giving him rice cereal a few weeks ago and he has taken to eating it pretty well.  I'd say much better than when Sophia first tired solids but might be because he was a month older.  He also is getting the hang of eating sweet potato and I think he likes it.

About 3 weeks ago we started sleep training him too because all of us were feeling pretty exhausted with the multiple midmorning wake ups.  I just couldn't handle it and a full day of work any longer so Trey and I set the date for August 5th and we hunkered down for a few rough nights.  Poor baby cried cried cried but he did alright when it came to not eating all night.  He just really wanted his paci.  We did go in throughout the night and give it to him so it wasn't the harsher sleep training style we could've attempted (I just didn't have the heart to do that to little buddy after we tried once with Sophia around 4 months old and she woke up with a rash from crying).  I think this method worked because he really just cried for the first few days and then it was magic.  He still has his nights where he whimpers and wakes up early but overall (and don't want to ginx it) he can make it from about 8:30 to 7:30 or 8 the next day.  I always feel like a brand new woman those mornings :)

napping with daddy

Will also started rolling over a few weeks ago and he's quite the roly poly now.  He won't stay on his back for very long and as of about a week ago he winds up on his tummy when he's sleeping.  He loves it.  We tried moving him a few nights to no avail so what can you do?  Works for him so all's well.

He loves smiling at his sister and she's really taken to him this past month.  She loves having him sit with her to watch her favorite shows and he doesn't seem to mind.

nothing better than morning snuggles and cartoons with these two

they love reading each night with daddy

I know they'll be close one one day and Sophia just can't wait until she can really play with him.


Other than that he's growing by the minute... though tiny our tiny little nugget.  He's getting more hair but still overall our little baldy baby.  He's mostly happy unless he's hungry, tired or lonely and we are loving him more and more each day!  We love you Will!