I’ve been joking around with my mom this week about how her visits don’t look like what they used to. She’s been visiting me either in Tennessee, Arizona, or here in Kansas for over five years, and until now we’ve always filled our schedule to the brim with shopping, sight-seeing, dining out, and more.
Having two small children has really slowed Jamie and me down (in the best way), and I find that I’m the best version of myself and the best mom I can be when we limit our activities and scheduled outings, avoid stress, and simply relax. She’s been here almost a week, and we’ve gotten out once a day to do some kind of Hadley-centered activity (like play at the park or attend open-play gymnastics). For the most part though we’ve enjoyed quiet afternoon naps (for everybody), evenings spent in the sprinkler or on a walk, and nights with a glass of wine watching reality TV. We’ve had a really nice visit.
Pancake Playdate
On Sunday night we were sitting out back when I decided to invite Meg and her kids over for a morning playdate. I sent her a quick text invitation and she immediately decided to trade her plans to go to the gym so that they could come hang at our home. I told her that comfy clothes were required and to come hungry because I was itching to make pancakes.
Before 9 a.m., three-year-old Jack knocked on my door and came bursting through the threshold in his pjs. His mama, carrying four-month-old Brynn in her car seat, walked up a few seconds later also in her pjs (but of course they were adorable just like she is.)
We spent the rainy morning eating too many flapjacks, watching the kids play, changing diapers, running the “big kids” to the potty, and on-and-off nursing our baby girls while sitting on the living room floor talking. My mom joined us for the entire morning, and it made my heart so happy that she got to see how truly satisfied I am in this stage of my life – a season of too-frequent messy buns, little makeup, and all. She knows that my adventurous heart has always loved flying by the seat of my pants and taking on as much travel and opportunity as possible, but sometimes I catch myself off-guard by how satisfied by and nostalgic about these simple moments like I am. These are the days.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2-1/3 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 2 cups milk (skim or 1% only to keep the batter thin)
- ½ cup water
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- splash of vanilla extract
- Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls.
- Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and stir well.
- Stir in desired mix-ins (we enjoy fresh blueberries or a handful of chocolate chips)
- Cook on greased griddle and enjoy immensely. 🙂
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo
