Cashton's Spook-tacular Birthday

With trick or treating just days away, our family is still not sure if we will be partaking in this year's festivities. We have been extremely careful with Covid 19 since we have a new baby and we typically only do things that are outside with low numbers of people. 

Sure, Halloween is an outside holiday but the droves of people are more my problem because we live in a BIG community that is very social and active (which we LOVE on a normal basis). However, to be honest, I'm not sure my 4-year-old would even know the difference if we didn't go. 

Of course, I still wanted him to have the Halloween experience just in case we decide to forgo trick or treating this year. So, since his birthday is Oct 12, I thought, "Let's do a Halloween costume party birthday" and it was a hit among the kids and adults. 

This was probably the smallest get-together I have planned in years, so I had to tone it down from my usual over the top food spread and set up. We only invited family and close friends this year for Cashton's birthday (for obvious reasons) but that didn't make the day any less special. 

This was an EASY party to throw as my family LOVES Halloween so we pretty much had all the decorations already. I borrowed blow-up yard characters from my mom, recruited Dallas to get me a pallet for our makeshift "pumpkin patch" and put together my annual balloon arch. Our Aupair Elena helped me make this balloon arch a little more special, adding a huge balloon spider to the mix!

 
She also helped me create a food spread that would give Pinterest a run for their money! Full disclosure, I did NOT make the "pumpkin puke" from scratch like I would normally. This year I just bought a spinach dip from Costco and carved the puke face on to the pumpkin. 

Elena made our "Witches Hair" pasta out of Pasta and Provisions squid ink pasta and covered our Scare-Cuterie board with creepy skulls laced with prosciutto.  

My "cake angel" Angel, came through again with an amazing two-tiered cake which we designed together. Her cakes are the MOST delicious and she delivers which is a plus, plus, plus on party day. It's just one more thing I can cross off my to-do list. 

Now, no Halloween party is complete without costumes, and since Cashton's new obsession is Toy Story we decided to dress as the cast for the celebration. Cash of course was Woody, Dallas was Buz Lightyear, Elena and her friend Ally was Slinky Dog. My Brother Vinny was Rex, Oma and Opa were Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and I was Little Bo Peep with Jaxson as my little lamb. 

Everyone got into the theme! We had Mini Mouse, Top Gun, Super Heros, and more! 

Although 2020 has been a crazy year and kids have missed out on so much social interaction and development, I hope Cash will look back on his 4th birthday and only remember the fun and love he was surrounded by on this day. 

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Covid Maternity Shoot At 39 Weeks Pregnant

       At 39 weeks pregnant, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get any maternity photos done. I had tried and tried to set up a shoot date but it seemed something was lurking at every calendar page turn. Especially with all the rain we’ve had the last few weeks, but somehow by the grace of God we did it!

    My girlfriend Catrina Earls takes the most amazing photos and we always trust her to take our family photos. She is so quick and wonderful with the kids (and my husband Dallas). She makes photo shoots painless for everyone! So you can imagine my excitement when Catrina called and said "We have a break in the rain tomorrow. Wanna Shoot?"

      I originally had planned for a much different shoot theme and had wanted a very strong black and white shoot with uptown Charlotte in the background. However, social distancing had other plans. Much like my nursery plans, I had to pivot, but I think what we came up with was beautiful and heartfelt.

Catrina always finds these little gems about Charlotte to shoot at. Cotton fields, Sunflower fields, Peachtree groves, and now Lavendar fields boast her portfolio.

     I really wanted these maternity photos, not for myself but for Cashton. I wanted to be able to look back and enjoy Cash’s last few days as an “only child” while still celebrating baby Strager #2, and I feel like the lavender fields were the perfect place to do that.

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Why We Decided On An Aupair

When I tell people we have an Aupair for our son Cashton, I get all kinds of reactions and questions. 

Isn't that crazy expensive? Is it weird having someone else live in your home? How did you find her? And I think the most important question... Do you like being a host family? The honest to goodness answer is, "No, I love it!"

Having an Aupair has not only enriched our little guy's life by exposing him to different cultures and giving him stability in a caretaker, but it has also made our lives more manageable and helps our household run like clockwork. The stress I used to feel every day trying to schedule care for Cashton while I am at work and my husband Dallas is on the road for business is a thing of the past. 

Although we have been extremely satisfied with our decision to become a Host Familly, it was not a commitment we took lightly. I spent months researching programs and following Aupair agencies on social media. One of the things I loved about Cultural Care was their "takeovers" on Instagram because it gave me a better understanding of what to expect as a host family and an insight as to what the experience should be from an Aupairs perspective. 

I also spoke to other families who had hosted Aupairs before, to get an honest "read" on the situation. I asked so many questions like how to be successful in finding the right person and setting house rules. Luckily, my husband's boss had hosted Aupairs for years for their twin daughters and had lots of insight to give us, including their "house handbook." Which was a layout of where to find things in the house, what their family schedules and curfews were as well as emergency contacts, and how both parties should respect each other. This was especially helpful once our Aupair arrived. 

As for the other questions my friends and family had, let's take these one by one. "Is it expensive"? I use to think Aupairs were for the super-wealthy but as it turns out, for us, it was pretty comparable to what we were paying for childcare with our nanny and we were getting a lot fewer hours. However, having someone who becomes a "big sister/ brother" figure to your child is invaluable. This person becomes someone who is caring for your child through your ethics, principles, and disciplinary beliefs. 

"Is it weird having someone else live in your house?" I could see where a family would be concerned about this topic at first glance. Questions like, "will we ever have our own private family time again" could be a worrisome thought, but as the host family, you set the tone. Different families will be looking for different candidates. We happened to want someone who would become a part of our family and not a distant roommate. Other families might want an Aupair who is a little more independent who spends less time at home when they are off. That is why the interview process is so important and it is imperative for BOTH sides to be open and honest throughout the process.  

Another question we get quite often is, "how did you find her?" After doing my research to find an Aupair agency that was right for our family, we decided on Cultural Care. In my opinion, they had the largest selection of countries to choose from when matching with Aupairs. With our Italian background, we knew we wanted Cashton to be exposed to our heritage and Italian language. You can also search by age demographic and gender. A family of all boys may want to have a male figure for their children, while others may feel age is important. We were looking for someone a little more mature for our first Aupair experience, but as lots of us parents know maturity doesn't always come with age so we were a little more open to speaking with Aupairs of all ages. We were, however, looking for someone who would fit into our family dynamic, who could keep up with our busy schedules and gave us "that" feeling. After all, this person is coming to live with you.

Which leads us to our last question. "Is it scary to invite someone into your home before ever meeting them in person?" Yes, but imagine how your Aupair feels. You are in the comfort of your own home. One constant is changing for you, everything is changing for them. Of course, you have to be confident in your match, but once they arrive the faster you can make them feel welcome and settled the stronger your bond can become. Think of it as your niece or nephew coming to stay with you for the first time. They will need to know, where the grocery store is and maybe how to use the washer and dryer. Little things that we take for granted and do every day might be a first for them. 

I think once you realize that your Aupair truly wants to be there to support you and your family, your nerves will be put to ease. I knew as soon as I met Elena at the airport that we had made the right decision. Now that is not to say that things will always be easy. There will be a learning curve as well as times your Aupair may feel homesick but if you try to work through things together, as a family I truly believe you can be successful in this experience. You also have the support of your local LCC (Local Childhood Consultant) to help with the transition if needed.

For more information on the Aupair program click here! 

Here is a look at our first week as a Host Family!

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