Author Archives: Natalie King

I’ve been slacking on the blog lately and I’m sure you’re all dying to know what we’ve been up to! The boys have been busy in school- this month is women’s history month and Xander is learning about many great women. 

Last week was St. Patrick’s Day and the leprechaun found us in our new house. Xander was pretty sure that Santa, the Elf, the tooth fairy and the leprechaun are all connected so they all got the news we moved at the same time. He was right. That silly leprechaun left some cool surprises for the boys! 

Last weekend, it was Xander’s best buddy’s birthday party, which he was very excited about. Augustus got to spend a special one on one day with Grandma and they went to Target, McDonald’s and the park. It was a great day for everyone! 

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The weather this week was fabulous, so after school, we have been playing outside and one day after dinner we were even able to ride bikes to get ice cream. 

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But yes, indeed, his tooth is gone! When the boys got home from Grandma Debbie’s house yesterday, Xander’s tooth was BARELY attached. We were about to sit down to dinner and I said I wanted to pull it out so he wouldn’t accidentally eat it. Shockingly, he agreed. I used a napkin, grabbed it, and it popped right out with half of the root still attached. It didn’t even bleed that much. He was a little shocked, a little excited and very proud of his big moment. 

Bedtime was a little bit challenging because the boys were just so excited for the tooth fairy to come. Xander had his tiny dog house set out- the tooth inside the water bowl (actually a perfect little holder) and we reminded him several times that even if he was excited, he still had to stay in bed until 6am. 

When we first discovered Xander’s loose tooth, he requested tooth shaped macarons filled with oreo filling for when his tooth fell out. I made them and put them in the freezer for the big day and tonight we will have a special treat to celebrate. 

At 5:30am, we discovered that the tooth fairy had made a visit to our house! She brought a “very rare gold dollar” (according to the 2 small boys who mansplained it to me), the tiniest toothpaste any of us have ever seen, and she sprinkled gold fairy dust all over the dollar, and on Xander’s cheeks (I figured if glitter for cookies is safe enough to eat, it was safe enough to put on my child’s face). But the craziest thing of all was that Xander woke up with a second loose tooth! 

I LOVE stuff like this- creating magic is my passion at camp and even more special (which I didn’t think was possible) with my own children. My instinct is to go BIG! CELEBRATE! Fireworks. A parade. Festive accessories. I’ve been thinking about the tooth fairy since Xander started growing teeth. But I had to remind myself that between 2 boys, we would be doing this 40 times, so to try to make it scalable. I went to the bank and took out 20 one dollar coins (let’s just be prepared for all the rest of the lost teeth for years to come) and happened to have a very mini toothpaste for this first tooth. I added some glitter for a little extra magic. I wanted to go bigger, but future Natalie is thanking me for not setting the bar too high. 

Xander was SO excited this morning and brought cookies to school for his teachers. He was absolutely glowing with happiness. Pretty soon he will have no bottom teeth and enter that goofy, gangly phase and I can’t believe our baby is growing up! 

Every photo I take of Hudson is of him snuggling or sleeping or being adorable, but don’t let that fool you- he’s the actual devil. He is constantly filled with energy (he seems to get an endorphin high from walks). He wants to bite everyone and everything. He is insane. He is, however, very good at going for walks, and quite jaunty and friendly to everyone he sees. He is getting the hang of potty training and I think he’s pretty smart. He is interested in the outdoors now that it’s not negative 15 degrees out. But 10/10 I would not recommend a puppy to anyone. When Olivia was a puppy, I was far less tired, had far less responsibility and I had no idea how bad puppies were, so 12 years ago, my puppy experience was different. But yeah, he’s giving me a run for my money. 

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The boys were busy at school and with Grandma Debbie. Xander’s tooth is SUPER loose (but still in his mouth). Xander also decided this week that he was going to become a basketball player. He is able to semi-successfully dribble a kickball at least 7 times in a row before it hits his foot and rolls away, so I think there’s promise there. After I agreed to sign him up, he quickly had a list of things he needed, including a sweat band and wrist bands, basketball shorts and basketball tank tops (and an actual basketball). I asked him if he actually wanted to play basketball or if it was more about the accessories, but he’s sure he’s ready to be a baller. So in March, he will begin 4/5 year old basketball class at the YMCA. Once we have all the gear, learning the skills is just a formality. 

On Friday we took Hudson to the vet for his next round of shots. The vet said he looks good and was very friendly, so that was nice to hear. He was exhausted after his big outing, although I am finding that you can bring a dog almost anywhere and if he’s in a bag, people smile and do not kick you out (Target and the bakery were both successful errands). 

On Saturday, the Nelson family came over for a very fun morning of playing. When I mentioned it to Xander a few days before, I said I was going to make sandwiches for lunch. 99% of the time, Xander is a clone of Nate- mild mannered, easy going- they are so similar. But when he said to me, “we should have ‘make your own pizzas’ I was reminded that he has some of me in him after all. Xander loves some quality programming and appreciates when the details are special. So make your own pizzas for 5 children became the new plan! And they did a great job! They spent the morning playing with Hudson and alternating between the playroom, basement and porch. All 5 whined when it was over, so that’s definitely a success. And Hudson slept the whole afternoon, so we’re going to have to have a repeat playdate soon! 

Tomorrow is March 1 and I think Spring is nearly here…

On Tuesday, Hudson made a new friend. My co-worker Stef brings her dog Huck to the office. Huck is a 6 month old Boston Terrier and he and Hudson played really well, although these pictures look slightly insane. We tried to get them to sit next to each other and pose, but that wasn’t happening.  

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 And once Stef left in the early afternoon, Hudson slept the entire rest of the day! Luckily he’s small, so I can still use my computer while he was asleep on my chest. 

On Wednesday, Xander came into our room and said he had something stuck in his tooth. When I flossed his teeth, I realized that his tooth was feeling strange because he had a LOOSE TOOTH!! I’m not exaggerating when I say that he had a full on Miss America reaction- hands flew up to cover his mouth, deep breath, shock/excitement/awe. He was VERY excited. I happened to have 2 new books about the tooth fairy that I’d bought the last time I was out and had tucked away in my closet for this moment. We had to drop everything and read about the Moose’s Loose Tooth and How to Catch a Tooth Fairy. 

Xander insisted I come home early and take him to the store to buy a special box for his tooth (despite the fact that I don’t think it’s going to fall out for at least a week, maybe 2). He had something very specific in mind and I was nervous that we wouldn’t find it. We were looking for a red, pirate treasure type chest. When we found EXACTLY what I just described, I was ECSTATIC! He carried it around the store for a while, but I could see that it wasn’t exactly right. He had some concerns about the Tooth Fairy’s ability to open it. We ended up in the fairy garden section and he found something a little less conventional than a box or a pillow (which is what I had as a kid). He knew right away that he wanted a tiny dog house to place his lost tooth. I was happy he found something and I think it will be a great place for the tooth fairy to leave something special for him. 

On Thursday, he wore a special, “I have a loose tooth” pin so that everyone knew his big news. 
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The rest of the week has been uneventful. It is COLD outside. We are ready for the weather to warm up. 

Some cookie orders from the week- I got to use my blow torch for s’more macs. 

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On Tuesday, I brought Hudson to work with me and he did really well. He hung out, got to meet my co-workers and explore my office. After work, I needed to run 2 quick errands to the Dollar Tree and Michaels, so I decided to risk the possibility of getting kicked out of either store and I put him in a bag and carried him in with me. No one noticed him or said anything in the Dollar Tree. And in Michaels, no one seemed to notice until I got to the register and the check out woman said, “a puppy! How old?” and then told me that they don’t mind dogs as long as they are contained. I am going to need a bigger bag for when he gets to be 60 pounds. 

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On Thursday, it was the official Valentine party for both boys and it was also PJ day for both of them. 
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I’ve been baking nonstop leading up to Valentine’s Day. 15 dozen cookies and 5 oversized “cake-style” macs later, I am DONE! I am exhausted. But I did get a lot of nice tags on social media and good feedback, so I think I’m doing a pretty good job. 

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My family doesn’t typically eat any of my cookies, but we had a mac “cake” (just a large macaron) on Saturday night and both boys and Nate all said, “wow! This is really good!” I should probably be offended by how surprised they sounded, but I will let that slide and just be happy they enjoyed it. 

It is 15 degrees BELOW zero, so everyone is huddled inside. On Saturday, we ventured out for a little while and headed to Petco for a few new toys and treats. I think everyone was trying to get their dogs out and about in a warm way, because it was madness! Hudson got to meet lots of new dogs and he was very good! He walked on his leash, he was friendly. I’m not sure how to best socialize a puppy during a pandemic, but we’re trying. 

Nate and Augustus went out yesterday and stopped at my favorite candy store for my favorite candy. When they got home, they hid it well for about 5 minutes, but then Augustus got the bag out and let me know they had a surprise for me. So lucky me got early Valentine’s candy. Today is Valentine’s Day and we had some special treats for the boys when they woke up. 

Valentine breakfast for dinner. 

It’s supposed to be another chilly week, but should warm up after that. Mother Nature needs to help us potty train this puppy and give us a little milder weather! 

Before Friday, we had a regular week. The boys have been busy in school. Xander’s pre-k class is working on doing research on different locations for a project. Gussie’s favorite thing is playing outside. 

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Gussie has been really into sleeping on the floor (for the record, his brand new bunk bed is very comfortable, because I have slept in it). 

I’ve been baking Valentine cookies nonstop, but paused on those to make some puppy cookies to bring to our breeder and some baby shower cookies (pink baby Yodas!)
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It’s February and thus far, the weather has been very mild. It’s been a lovely winter. Obviously the day we got a puppy (who we need to potty train OUTSIDE) the temperature dropped to below zero and will be staying that way for the next week or more. 

So potty training has been awful (if that sounds familiar it’s because our sweet 3 year old is also not potty trained yet). It is SO cold outside that our little puppy is just so cold he huddles near our legs for survival. After reading a bunch of websites about potty training, I was slightly reassured when a few mentioned that puppies are developmentally ready by 12 weeks. Our dude is only 9 weeks, so it was helpful to remember just how little he is. We’ve switched to potty pads for now, hoping to teach him the word “potty” and associate treats with going potty and all the right steps. And eventually we’ll get his little butt outside. I’m trying to stay patient and know it’s a process. 

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These photos make it seem like he’s just sleeping all the time. And he is an expert snuggler already. But he is also quite sassy. I forgot that puppies are actually the worst thing ever. First of all, having a puppy is the same as having a pet crocodile. He bites constantly. The boys are slightly afraid of him because he is just so chompy. He is curious, wants to chew on everything, and every time I turn around, he pees. Puppies are the WORST. But he is also so so cute. So snuggly. So sweet. He is our little baby. 

On Saturday, the boys played in their playroom for several hours. I have worked hard to fill the playroom with cool things for them (a couch, an Alexa, a cozy corner, etc) and they rarely play in there. So I was thrilled when they spent so much time in there. They had a dance party. They were very busy. So on Saturday night, we had family pick up time and all 4 of us worked hard to put the room back together after a busy day. 

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So now we have a little biting, peeing baby who we are getting used to. I am crossing my fingers that the weather warms up soon. 

Follow Hudson on insta and help me make him an influencer- 

What an exciting week for our family- Monday and Tuesday were just normal days, but Wednesday afternoon, we headed up north to spend a few days at Grandview Lodge. 4 days away, but when we packed, it felt like we were going for longer! But we had a lot of fun things planned, so we needed ice skates, helmets, sleds, winter gear, swim gear and Xander needed 9 stuffed animals, which meant that Augustus needed 9 stuffed animals, so that was almost a whole suitcase. 

The water was SUPER warm and after a few nerves, and a few trips down the slide with mom, the boys couldn’t be stopped! I think they went down the water slide 35 times. 

Being mid-week, we had the whole place to ourselves and it was fabulous! 

  

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Thursday, we had a wonderful breakfast and then were back to the pool for more swimming. 

We also had lots of time to relax. 

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Thursday afternoon, we went ice skating. 
 

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There were a few tears of frustration, but both boys skated a little bit. Nate had built some skate helpers, so that made it much easier! 

We ate delicious food the whole time and had lots of snacks in our room too. 
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On Thursday night, we had pizza and then had some drinks (kiddie cocktails were a hit!)

On Friday, we swam again after breakfast, and then headed to the sledding hill in the afternoon. 
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Friday night, we ate dinner in an igloo! First of all, they look absolutely magical. Inside was surprisingly pleasant- not warm, but comfortable. 
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For dessert, we had a fondue platter. It was SPECTACULAR!! I wished my stomach was bigger! 
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On Saturday morning, breakfast was a buffet, and the boys ate EVERYTHING. Xander had a donut, a muffin, a cinnamon roll, eggs, sausage, and fruit. I laughed when he came back with everything, but he ate almost all of it, so I think either our full schedule made him hungry or he’s growing. 

It was a fabulous few days of fun activities, mixed with a lot of relaxing. We were totally spoiled to go mid-week so everything was quiet and mostly private. Everywhere we went, there were just one or 2 other families at the same time. 

A few other photos from the week-

Monday and Tuesday were regular days at school for the boys. 

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On Thursday, Hudson turned 8 weeks old! 

I made some cookies 
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We got a rug for our living room (and then promptly covered it in toys!)

And today the boys spent the day with Grandma Debbie. I think they were happy to be back to a normal routine. Our vacation was super fun and we had time to relax, but anytime we are out of our normal routine, it’s a little exhausting. 

A regular week awaits…

We had a great week! Gussie was sick on Monday, but luckily it was just a little cold and he was better within a day. Xander also ended up with sniffles, but luckily he got better quickly too. They were both busy at school.

Our nightly routine now includes going to the basement- Nate beats me at pool (but I am getting better!) and the boys play with the hot wheels. I filled the mini fridge with drinks and so after-dinner juice is a thing (for now). After we play, we have bath time, play time and then end our night snuggled together with books. They are really enjoying having a special stack of books to choose from each week. 

On Wednesday, my mom came over to watch them and they built a snowman in our back yard. 

Hudson is 6 weeks and getting cuter each day! He will be home with us soon! I’m not sure we are ready for potty training, middle of the night wake ups, and puppy sass, but it’s coming! 

On Saturday, I did a small home improvement project that is my most favorite thing I’ve ever done. I painted our basement stairs and I can’t think of any other project that has ever sparked as much joy as this! If I could paint our entire house (including the outside) in bright rainbows, I would. For now, the basement steps will do. 
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Augustus has been struggling with bedtime and often asks to snuggle with Xander. On Saturday, Xander said no, and Gussie cried. But then Xander said, “ok ok. But no potty talk allowed and no saying ‘poop'” which Augustus agreed to right away and then scrambled up to the top bunk and they both fell asleep immediately. They literally could not be cuter together.  

On Saturday we went sledding, which is becoming our regular weekend thing. It was a little chillier, but we were there with some friends, so that was fun. 

 

For about a week, Augustus has been suggesting we have sundaes on Sunday. I had everything ready, but the boys were going to Grandma’s on Sunday. So we had sundaes on Saturday. 

 

On Sunday the boys went to my mom’s house and I spent most of the day working on my biggest order yet. 25 dozen cookies (300 cookies, which means 600 shells!). Once all of the cookies were made, filled and decorated, I had to pack them into 6 packs and then bag them. It was quite a project! 

 

  

The boys spent the night at my mom’s on Sunday and Nate and I went out for sushi. We didn’t take any pictures, but we should have! It was the first time out to dinner in forever and it was great! 

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Today was MLK day, so daycare was closed and Nate and I were both home. We slept in and relaxed. I did some experimenting with candied fruit and then the boys came home after lunch. It was a busy and very fun weekend! 

Last Sunday we went sledding for the first time. The boys loved it! Augustus was on his sled and down the hill before I had closed the van doors. It was a blast and will maybe make a long winter bearable. 

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I added new shelves for my sprinkles- I don’t think I’ll ever be done adding shelves to this house. It’s going to be the most organized house in the world when I’m done. 

Our puppy turned 5 weeks old. The breeder sends us photos each week and I messaged her back saying that it looks like he is getting sassier. She agreed. We’re very excited for him to come live with us! 

On Friday, we went back to the sledding hill, this time with Xander’s bestie from school. We sledded for 2 hours! 
 
I was busy this week with cookie orders. I got a custom order for “board books” for a baby shower. I got to break out my new airbrush, which is a fun toy from Christmas. In other exciting news, we got the pool table assembled! This is Nate’s family’s pool table and it has been in one million pieces that we have moved several times. Finally we have a space for it and had someone come out to assemble it. 

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Our basement is much fuller than when we moved in, but we each have our own space for fun stuff- the pool table for Nate, the treadmill for me and a hot wheels zone for the boys. 
 

On Friday night, we had pizza and movie night. As soon as we suggested it, the boys ran to their room to get into pjs and came down in shorts and no shirts. 

Nate has continued on his handy-man phase and fixed our clogged sink this weekend. He is way handier then he claims to be! 

The boys have recently gotten into video games, which is fine, but we had to make some rules around when they get to play. We have a new schedule hung up that helps them keep track of when video games and ipads are allowed and when they are not. We’ve also started a new way of focusing on reading by choosing just 12 books for the week to keep down in our main living area. They have a nice big bookshelf that holds all of their books, but I actually think it is a little overwhelming. So each Sunday, the boys pick 6 books each and every night we read 2 from the stack. We’ve discovered books we’ve barely read and they are really enjoying it. We have family reading time on the couch each night before bed, and it’s a better routine than our random reading schedule that we were following. 

Today I am working from home with a sick kiddo. He’s just mildly sneezy, but I have a lot I need to accomplish the rest of this week and today was going to be pretty quiet for me anyway, so I am hoping that a day of rest cuts this cold short, rather than end up with a sicker kid later in the week. 

A quick story from this morning. Xander and Augustus were both up before Nate and I. Xander ran up the stairs and was standing next to my bed holding a steak knife, “where’s the butter?” I had barely opened my eyes but when I saw him holding a very sharp knife (that looked HUGE in his small hand) it was just the jolt of adrenaline that I needed to jump out of bed. I carefully took the knife as he explained, “I’m making toast for me and Gussie and I can’t find the butter.” We went downstairs, found both the butter and the butter knives and all was well. He had 2 plates laid out. He had 4 pieces of perfect toast made and stacked, ready to be buttered. He’s a resourceful little dude! And I didn’t even need a cup of coffee after jumping out of bed. It should be a good week!