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      December 13, 2018

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      December 6, 2018

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      November 27, 2018

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      November 19, 2018

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      October 1, 2018

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      August 22, 2018

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3 kids

In October We Do The Pumpkin Patch
BabiesDallas/Ft. WorthFood & WineParenthoodSchool Age DaysToddlers

In October We Do The Pumpkin Patch

by Jill October 29, 2014
written by Jill

It’s what we’ve always done. It’s what we will always do, CHILDREN.

So every year. EVERY YEAR. I will drag your little whiney butts out of here and sit you on top of some pumpkins, and YOU WILL LIKE IT DAMMIT.

And there WILL be pictures. So, you know, just suck it up and get used to it. There will be pictures for years to come.

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And I will dredge them up from the dusty corners of old hard drives and archaic Flickr accounts when you get married or any other time I’m presented with the opportunity to contribute to a slideshow with pictures of you that will make me misty eyed and long for these days again.

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I mean, I’ll be drunk on nostalgia by then, clearly, and will have forgotten the sounds of your tantrums and what it feels like when you melt to jelly in the middle of the field, protesting.

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Truly, it’s just, literally, like 10 minutes of your life. You give me TEN MINUTES to take pictures on pumpkins, and I give you an hour to run and play IN A FIELD OF PUMPKINS.

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In a HOUSE made of PUMPKINS!

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So please, enough already with the “I’m so tortured. My mom’s a blogger/photographer and is ALWAYS taking pictures of me, and it’s REALLY hard,”
act. Okay?

We all have our struggles.

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I just want to document yours. In a field of pumpkins. EVERY. YEAR.

****

So yeah, yesterday was Pumpkin Patch day, and it was SO awful that I would actually like to go again just to try to make up for it.

I promise you, I did not force them to take pictures the whole time we were there. They were just… tired. All three fell asleep on the way there. Kendall was ESPECIALLY awful because of course because that’s what happens when I post about his amazing behavior improvements that very day. 

The silver lining was we had dinner at the new Modmarket just a few miles away from the pumpkin patch (in Flower Mound, TX). I’m part of their PR team, doing some blogger outreach here locally and helping organize events.

So I knew yummy food and wine and beer was just minutes away.

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FYI, that’s a $2 glass of wine. So obviously that helped things. A lot.

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We threw some pizza with corn and bacon on it at him…

I’ve deleted about 15 sentences I’ve typed out about Kendall now because each one could be used against me in the future and could wind up costing us thousands in therapy.

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The bright side! I think we could eat free of guilt about calories because we all know that trips to the pumpkin patch with 3 kids are the equivalent to an hour of intense cardio.

Yeah, that’s their receipt with all the calorie and nutrition info about what we ordered on it. Cool or TMI? You tell me.

If you’re in the DFW area, and you like farm fresh food (or just really good food), you should definitely give Modmarket a try! I’m not just saying that because I’m working for them, though I do need to say that I am working for them because disclosure and all that.

But seriously, I LOVE this place and am begging them to open one near me. For now, the new Plano location (opened yesterday!) will have to do. You might just see me hanging out there with a glass of wine, a beet salad, my laptop, and NO CHILDREN very soon.

October 29, 2014 12 comments
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Creative Pregnancy Announcements- Did You Pull One Off? {Contributor}
BabiescontributorsPregnancy

Creative Pregnancy Announcements- Did You Pull One Off? {Contributor}

by Jill October 9, 2014
written by Jill

Big news from contributor Julie today! I have never been able to pull off anything more than a blank stare to tell my husband I’m pregnant. Sometimes I even accompany the blank stare with words like, “Uhhhh…” and “Shut up,” and my very favorite, “Holy shit.”

I love her creativity with these! (And a hefty dose of reality when it comes to the 2nd child. Ha!) Welcome to the world of 3 kids, Julie. Muahahahahahahahaha! 

***********************************

Baby #3 is on the way!

The pregnancy test turned positive exactly two weeks after my husband left for a 7 month deployment to Afghanistan. Thank you for the going-away present, honey.

Picture #1

I could have told my husband the exciting news over the phone, but seeing that our kids dominate our Skype time, I decided to do something a little more creative. I took a picture of the pregnancy test, framed it, wrapped it and mailed it to my husband as a Father’s Day present.

Framed Pregnancy Test revealCreative pregnancy reveals have kind of become tradition with us. When I found out I was pregnant with Langston (#1), my husband was out of town for the weekend. I thought about calling him, but I knew he was going to be in conferences all day. I thought about texting him, but selfishly, I wanted to hear his reaction. So, knowing that I wouldn’t see him again until the following weekend, I devised a plan.

We were going to be spending the upcoming weekend at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN (you know, the one with the ducks). I called ahead to the fancy French restaurant there and concocted a plan with the restaurant manager.

Peabody Hotel Pre-KidsDon’t we just look so childless and well-rested?

When we sat down at dinner, the waiter came over to our table, and presented a bottle of Dom Perignon to my husband. He said, “Your wife called ahead and ordered one of our finest bottles for the evening. I think you’ll be quite happy with it.” My husband was glaring at me like, “Are you going to pay for this?” Then the waiter said, “Wait, I’m sorry. It wasn’t the Dom Perignon. It was this bottle.”

He presented another bottle to my husband and said, “Only the best varietals were picked in Northern California to deliver this bold and fruit-forward wine. 2009 was one of its best vintage years. Enjoy and congratulations.” Then he popped a bottle of Welch’s sparkling grape juice, poured two glasses and walked away.

My husband was bewildered, probably wondering if we still had to pay for the Dom Perignon. I said, “Do you get it?” No response. “Because we’re here to celebrate,” I smiled, “But I can’t drink alcohol.”

It seemed like forever passed, but it finally set in, a huge smile swept across his face, he kissed me on the cheek, and the entire staff circled around our table clapping. I knocked that one out of the park, if I do say so myself.

Grape Juice Pregnancy RevealFor Scarlet (#2), I broke the news over the phone in a tear-filled hormonal rage about who-remembers-what (sorry, middle child), but at least I captured this great photo of her proud big brother showing her off.

Picture #5 How did you tell your husband or your family that you were pregnant? I would love to hear some creative stories!

October 9, 2014 7 comments
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Adventures With 3 Kids & The Joovy TooQool Stroller {Contributor}
BabiescontributorsReviews

Adventures With 3 Kids & The Joovy TooQool Stroller {Contributor}

by Jill September 29, 2014
written by Jill

Suzanne is back today with more pics of baby Lincoln! And an update on life with 3 kids, along with a great review of the Joovy TooQool stroller. 

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So far, three kids isn’t so bad. It’s mostly like having two kids, except I’m slightly more tired and constantly thinking “Oh my God, did I forget the baby?”

We are still a going-places and doing-things sort of family – the sort of family I always wanted to become and one of the main reasons I had kids in the first place. Kids are a great excuse to do fun stuff and experiencing things with kids makes even a place you’ve been a zillion times fresh and interesting.

Joovy TooQool Stroller Review- BabyRabies.com

Growing up we didn’t do extravagant vacations, but we did do children’s museums and science museums  and living museums and parks and farms and ponds and lakes and lighthouses. We stayed with family when they were around and my parent’s college roommate’s sister when that was the closest friend with a spare room. I have so many good memories of those adventures, it’s exactly what I want for my own kids.

I’ve been Going All The Places and Doing All The Things with my gingers since I emerged from that first-baby newborn fog. They’ve gotten used to me shouting “Put your shoes on and get in the car!” and only ask “Where are we going?” once we pull out of the driveway.

There are a couple of important lessons to remember when you’re in a get-out-and-go kind of mood: pack snacks, bring a good stroller, and if you forget something you can always buy it on the way. That last one is key – we own a lot of shoes purchased at the nearest Target when we got halfway to our destination and realized a kid had somehow lost a shoe. How do kids DO that?

Joovy TooQool Stroller Review- babyrabies.com

But the stroller thing really can make or break a day trip, which is why I was so excited to try out the new, super-stylish Joovy TooQool. I’m a fan of babywearing (massive understatement) but when you need to tote enough stuff to feed and clean and clothe three children for most of a day you need something to carry that stuff AND the child(ren) whose feet will hurt in an hour.

The Joovy TooQool is not only cool looking, it has been an amazing partner on my recent adventures with 3 kids. I’ve used the stroller as a single with the car seat/ride-on almost every day and I’m just starting to use the full sized seat with Linc, since he’s enormous and it reclines enough for him to nap (and the full sized seat makes a great camera bag carrier when it’s not holding the squish).

Joovy TooQool Stroller Review- BabyRabies.com

Here’s the rundown on my sweet orange stroller.

Pros:

– Easy fold frame: I had no trouble hauling it in and out of the back of the minivan even just a few days post-partum.
– Easy to store: Both seats come off and fold fully in half, so they take up very little space.
– Ride-On Board: I can walk normally with the kids riding on, and easily fold it up with my foot when then hop off.
– So many options! One seat, two seats, one car seat, car seat + seat, car seat + ride on, seat + ride on. The top seat can face either direction.
– Huge canopy: Provides lots of shade for baby’s delicate skin. Plus when it started raining on us at the fair Linc was nice and dry.
– Awesome seats: Cushy seat pads, easy to adjust strap heights, three position foot rest. I wish I could ride in this thing.
– Fits through doors. Anyone who’s ever gotten stuck at the mall with a side-by-side double knows why this is a huge plus.
– Easy brake: I can do it with one foot while wearing flip-flops. That’s the kind of thing you don’t realize is important until it’s too late.

Cons:

– Technically the seats are for babies 3 months and up, so you can’t use the actual seat on a newborn. They do make car seat adapters for Britax, Chicco, and Graco Click Connect infant car seats. (The adapters are the best I’ve ever seen, connecting the stroller directly to the car seat making it way more secure than the buckle strap on a frame some strollers use.)
– The second seat (the one in the back) is lower, so the rider can’t necessarily see right in front of them. Caroline doesn’t mind at all and Evan slept in it just fine in New York City, but a picky toddler might complain.

I had the pleasure of meeting Pam, who works for Joovy in person in New York. She was incredibly nice and has answered every possible question about the stroller and the brand I could think of. They’ve built their family business on quality products and excellent customer service so you know this is a stroller that will last from your first baby to your last. I plan to use and love my TooQool long past baby number three. Or four. Or five? Baby fever is real, guys, even when your baby is only 2 months old.

September 29, 2014 1 comment
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One Kid was EASY! A Mommy Truth
Parenting LOLZ

One Kid was EASY! A Mommy Truth

by Jill January 10, 2013
written by Jill

Kendall’s been sick this week. Not the kind of sick where he lays in a bed and sleeps all day, though. Just the kind of sick where I’m forced to keep him home from school, while he continues with life at the same pace he always has. So we’ve run a lot of errands together while Leyna is at school.

It’s actually not so bad because there’s just one of him. Just one carseat to deal with, just one kid to watch during bathroom trips, just one to keep from running in an opposite direction.

Man, one kid was EASY! I wonder how long it will take for me to feel the same about 2 after the 3rd baby comes…

January 10, 2013 18 comments
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