Thursday, June 27, 2013

2 going on 12

This week it really hit me... my baby, my first born, Brayden, is not really a baby anymore.  Of course I knew this, but I really hadn't realized just how grown he is.  Two things this week really hit it home for me. First was the other night he was laying in my bed while I was going to take a shower, I turned the TV on and Full House happened to on the channel we had last watched.  I asked Brayden what he wanted to watch, the usual - Cars, Toy Story, Jake, Ice Age or Little Einsteins to which he replied, "No, I want to watch this"... whaatt?!, he really wanted to watch Full House??! I said Ok and left the channel as it was and before I got in the shower, I looked at him in my bed mesmerized by the show, a show I grew up watching (and loved!) A part of me felt sad because I knew this was pretty huge, my baby watching something that wasn't a cartoon, but part of me was also so happy that he was enjoying something I use to love so much.  I took a shower and when I was done, we snuggled and watched another episode.  It was pretty cool to see how much he enjoyed it and it was a special bonding moment for us (even if he didn't know it)

Second was the computer.  For a few weeks now my Mom has been telling me how good Brayden is becoming on the computer (not just the Ipad, an actual desktop computer) I let myself get so busy with the day to day that I never had the time to see this for myself..until this week that is.  He asked to play on the computer so we went upstairs and put in JumpStart Toddler - learning software I bought for him last year.  The last time we played this it was Brayden sitting on my lap and I would manuver the mouse around and he would point and laugh.  Not anymore....now Brayden sits by himself in the chair and uses the mouse all by himself and knows exactly what he is doing and where to go.  I was literally AMAZED watching this.  He was so proud to show me his skills and I was just as proud to watch.  I sat and watched him play for a little then it was time for bed.  The next night he asked again to play on the computer and I still had to feed Ella and do some other things so I decided to let him play in the office by himself.  I set him up and went back downstairs and thought to myself, "How in the world do I have a child old enough to sit and play on a computer by himself??" Again, this made me a little sad but I am also so happy with the little man he is becoming.  Every 10-15 minutes Brayden would call for me to show me what he was doing, he just loves playing on that computer! In addition to JumpStart Toddler, I also bought him Disney Fun Skills and he absolutely loves this one as well.

- It's true what they say, it's amazing watching life through your child's eyes!


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Father's Day 2013

I'm finally getting around to re-capping Father's Day.  It was a nice day and I know it means alot to my hubby because he absolutely cherishes being a Father.  This year was super fun with gifts, I was kind of getting out of control with the "handmade" gifts but it's hard to pick just 1...or even 2....

The day started off by letting Daddy sleep in (sleeping in around here is 8:30am) I made a yummy breakfast and we all ate together and then Brayden gave Daddy all of his gifts.





Here are some pics of what the kids made for their Daddy :)


I was pretty excited to make this DAD frame - I've seen it all over Pinterest and think it's a super cute idea. (It was beyond painful to get them to take these pictures but at least no one is crying...in these ones at least)



This interview with Brayden was so fun, these are genuinely his answers to the questions, quite comical.  I plan to do this every year.  I think Brayden will get a kick out of these when he is older :)


Another Pinterest find - I thought this turned out really cute.


Later in the day we went by my in-laws to spend time with my Father in Law.  It was a nice, hot day so we spent it outside, playing and grilling.  It was a nice Father's Day :)

Monday, June 24, 2013

What I Live For

It's Monday which means I'm linking up again over at From Mrs to Mama for her 52-weeks of blogging with purpose.  This week is 10 things I live for.... this was such a fun post to write and totally could have written more but managed to wrap it up in 10:


  1. My Kids – These 2 little people have made my life worth living and have shown me the true meaning of happiness.  I could not and would not to imagine my life without them.


  1. My Husband – This man is my best friend, someone I can tell anything to and vice versa.  I am so lucky to have found someone who can put up with me J But honestly, I am so happy to be creating a life with him, I wouldn’t trade him for anyone…except maybe


  1. My family – This is both mine and my husbands.  We both have such great families and we love to spend time with them.


  1. Waking up early on the weekends and having “me” time – I am always the first one up in our house and I love it that way.  During the week this time is usually spent working out and then it’s time to get ready and go to work.  I don’t workout on the weekends so this time is spent usually going to get my DD coffee first thing then back home to browse the www or catch up on a show.


  1. Friends – I can’t live without the friendships I have, although they are very few, I am still grateful for them and am so happy I have them to talk to about everything and anything.  



  1. Coffee – My best friend.  I have always drunk coffee but since having kids it has become a regular every day occurrence.  I don’t drink more than 1-2 cups but I definitely need it to function.  If I could have DD coffee everyday, I would be one happy Mama.



  1. Summertime – I love nice weather just as much as I love the snow.  I love when it stays light out longer and we have more time to play when I get home from work.  We spend hours outside when it’s nice out and I love it.  My kids are getting fresh air and Brayden is getting plenty of exercise.  


  1. Fall – I love everything about Fall.  The leaves changing and the weather becoming a little cooler to wear boots and sweaters.  I love going to the pumpkin patch with the kiddos (and hubs) and drinking warm cider, buying fudge and watching Brayden frolic around all of the pumpkins. We love spending time together carving and painting our pumpkins and then of course dressing up for Halloween.  I use to care less about Halloween but now I am so that cheesy Mom who gets super excited to dress her kid up in whatever she chooses.



  1. Christmas – I love everything that comes with Christmastime.  Snow, sledding, making hot coco, decorating the house and the tree, buying and giving presents, making cookies, the list goes on. Since having kids all of these things have become even better.  My heart melts thinking about all of the memories we make around this time of year.



  1. Pictures – I could not live without pictures.  I love taking pictures of our kids and capturing the memories that I know I will someday forget.  I am so happy that I am pretty good about staying on top of making photo books because I know when the hubs and I are older, we are going to be so happy we can look back through them and see how our family grew.  I love scrapbooking as well and without pictures that wouldn’t be possible.




Thursday, June 20, 2013

Sidewalk Chalk


I finally got around to making the sidewalk chalk which was on our list of Spring activities.  This stuff was SO easy to make and literally enterainted my little guy for hours.  It was a perfect sunny day and we headed out to the driveway and painted away.  I was worried at first because our driveway is black and the paint was looking clear, but after about 10 minutes when it dried, what was painted came to life!

We will definitely be doing this activity again this summer, soon I'm sure Little Miss can join in too!









Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Ella Grace - 9 Months!

My baby girl, you are now 9 months old! You are so tiny that is hard for me to believe it!  We are just having the best time with you and I love watching you grow every day.

Let’s see what you've been up to since your 6 month post :)


You have started rolling over a couple months ago.  You are very content on your back or your tummy so you don’t do much rolling, but none the less, you have accomplished this!

You are SITTING UP! This is huge for you.  I always knew you would be happier once you could do this, and I was right.  You love to sit up and play with your toys. It’s amazing watching you do this, makes me one proud Mama!  You can also now sit and watch your brother play and I can tell you cannot wait until you can join what he is doing. 

You still love bath time and now I love it even more that you are now sitting up, this helps makes our lives a tad easier 

Your tongue is still out all.the.time.  It's quite hilarious, it's like your tounge is 3 x's too big for your tiny mouth so it's always hanging out. It has been like this since you were a couple months old. You have now started moving it around in crazy motions too - just so funny.

You don't take a paci (you never really did) but since about 5 months, when we moved you to your room, we found that you really enjoyed holding one.  So now every night and nap we make sure to hand you a paci and you are good to go.  Very random but we are just happy it makes you happy!

You have been eating baby food now for about 3 months.  Mama makes all of your food and so far you have really loved everything with the exception of blueberries.  You eat a wide variety of foods…carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, zucchini, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, apples, mangos, pears, and bananas.  You don’t mind at all when we mix some together.  The dr said we can start incorporating meat with the baby food, I will attempt to make some recipes for you but I will buy some baby food for this stage just in case.  Your brother never seemed to like when I made the homemade meat and always seemed to have a hard time eating it. 

You are still on the hypoallergenic formula Nutramagin.  We cannot wait for you to be off of this :)  You feed yourself all of your bottles which is a nice break for Mommy and Daddy but at the same time makes me a little sad because you’re growing up…fast.  The dr also said to try giving you some yogurt to see your reaction to dairy.  I’m hoping you will tolerate it!

You idolize your brother – he is the one person who can make you happy when no one else can.  I pray you two have a great relationship forever.  Brayden is also now starting to interact with you more as well, I can tell he looks out for you in little ways. 

Here are your 9 month stats:

Head: 43cm
Weight: 14lbs 12oz
Height: 27in

You continue to amaze us Little Miss and I thank God everyday that you came into our lives.  Mama loves you so much!







Monday, June 17, 2013

Who Am I???

I'm linking up over at From Mrs to Mama today to show who I am...... this is my very first link up! Enjoy!








I am wife to an incredible guy.  We met when I was 14 and dated in high school then had a break, then re-connected.  I am so thankful that he randomly came back into my life. He is an amazing Daddy, Our children are so lucky to have him. I cherish my marriage and hope and pray that no matter what, we will make it through anything.  

I love being a Mother more than anything in the world.  I didn’t grow up daydreaming about getting married or having kids, yet I have done both, and kind of at a young age. My kids have changed my life 100%.  They have made me a better person and really have shown me what life is all about.  I absolutely love seeing life through their eyes.  I sometimes just catch them doing something so simple, putting a puzzle together, playing with a play phone, and the tears just start streaming down.  It’s in those moments I am watching life that I (with the hubby) created and it is a feeling that I can’t even put into words, simply amazing


I am obsessed with taking pictures of my kids.  I’m sure it’s annoying to some, but I will never regret having tons of pictures of what makes me the happiest.

I am getting pretty tired of social media…except blogging.  Is that social media? I’ve never been a tweeter or an instagramer, but Facebook is becoming more of a nuisance lately. I’m OK with blogging and Pinterest J

I hate that I have to work full time and be away from my kids – it literally breaks my heart on a daily basis.  One day soon, I hope to be home with them.

I love going to the movies, I think it’s mostly for the popcorn and the cherry coke (only time I drink pop!), but none the less, still love it.  

I love to hang out at home.  Since getting married, having kids, buying a house, I have really become a homebody.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m too tired to do anything else but a perfect day would be relaxing at home, playing in the backyard, BBQ’ing.

I have  little no patience.  This is something I struggle with on a daily basis.  I can say however, that since having kids, it has gotten better, but I can also say without a doubt that I still have tons of room for improvement…this will forever be a work in progress.

Head on over to check out the other bloggers at From Mrs to Mama

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

A Perfect Weeknight


I just love when we all have a perfect night! Balancing working and home life can get pretty tough so when we have a day/night that just flows so perfectly, I savor every minute of it. 

I recently made tons of croc pot freezer meals to help me out with dinners throughout the week - on this day I had the hubs throw everything in while I was at work and came home to a deliciously cooked meal all ready to be served, then Brayden sat at the table and ate his entire plate of food (this is rare occasion latley!) Ella was in a great mood when I got home this day too, she ate with us at the table and it was such a nice family dinner. 

After dinner and clean up (which was a breeze thanks to the croc pot!) we all headed to the park and had tons of fun.


Sibling Love - melts my heart


Max behaving himself :)





It's nights like these that I can really sit and reflect on how truly lucky I am.  Usually the days/nights go by so quickly between juggling everything that it is nice when we have a *perfect* night to remind me why I do everything I do...it is all for them, my beautiful children.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Weekend Re-cap

How is it already Monday again?? I dread Monday's because other than the fact that is Monday, I have to head to work and leave my sweet kiddos at home, where I would very much rather be.  Making them breakfast, cuddling watch some tv, playing outside, anything Mommy/Kiddo related.... OK enough complaining, I'm not the only one who works!!

Our weekend was pretty good! Friday the hubs and I went out to a bowling banquet for a league he is on.  I use to be on the league but once Ella came into the mix I found it too hard to get away from them so I opted out and my sister took my place :)  The banquet was so fun - pretty much just like a wedding minus bringing a gift (Score!)



My beautiful pregnant sister!!


Saturday was a day full of yard work! I brought the kiddos to my Mom's, who agreed to watch them all day so we could actually get stuff done :)  We were so grateful for that as we did manage to get a ton done!!


Sunday after making a yummy breakfast, the hubs ran out for an errand and I decided to take the kids and Max for a walk.  It was a gorgeous morning.  We walked around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes then stopped at the park for some quick play time.  Then we headed home (it was almost time for Ella to eat) but Brayden was demanding we go see his Grandparents (he knows they live within walking distance) I was fine with that but we had to stop home to get Ella's food and drop off Max who couldn't manage to walk any further.  He already gave up after about 5 minutes into the walk and had to be shoved into the underneath of the stroller.  It was fun to drop by and see the Grandparents, and it is so nice being so close to them!!






Daddy testing out his new thingy - something that goes on the back of the riding mower that catches all of the grass - (Don't worry, the blades were not on)





Little Miss hanging outside with us :)  We had Grandma Pam and Papa over for dinner, it was such a nice night :)






As I walked past Brayden's room this morning to go to work, I couldn't help but go in and snap this picture. This little boy melts my heart.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

29 Years Young

Yesterday was my birthday and what a wonderful one it was!  I really don’t care much about my birthdays, I am all about celebrating everyone else’s.  I am starting to enjoy mine more and more though and I will contribute that to having such an amazing little family.  They are my reason to embrace each year I get older.  Every year I am blessed that much more. 

I had to work on my birthday so the hubs and the kids met me for lunch – we had a picnic at a nearby park, it was absolutely perfect!!! After we ate, I took Brayden down by the little lake to feed the ducks, there was only 1 duck and as we would throw in the bread, a seagull would swoop down and steal it – Brayden thought this was the funniest thing ever and his laugh is forever engrained in my memory from this moment.  












After work I came home to a mini celebration with my Mom and the kiddos.  They had blow horns and Brayden got a kick out of them! He would blow it and then say “Happy Birthday Mommy!” The sweetest thing ever!! They made me a poster and had a little cake, it was so sweet.

Rick’s family then came over for dinner and it was a great time! Brayden and Ella were very excited to see their Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles.  










I so enjoyed my birthday this year, and I better enjoy my last year in my twenties as well, next year the big 3-0, Yikes! J

Monday, June 3, 2013

Mr. Popular

My little man Brayden has so many friends at the young age of 2. And by friends I am talking about his little animal friends that is.

I wanted to make sure I documented all of his friends so I can show him when he is older.  He loves all of these little guys so much and brings them everywhere throughout the house – they have to sleep with him, come downstairs in the morning, go outside when we play, etc.  A select few are chosen (by little man) to go on car rides, to the store, etc.  

These little friends tend to get lost A LOT! There are some nights where we can’t find someone and they were left behind outside and little man cannot go to bed without him.  I hate to admit, but yes, there have been times I have went outside with a flashlight to find them.  Other times they are much easier to find, under the couch, in the couch, under the kitchen table, stuck in a random toy bin.  Sometimes I curse myself for giving him these “friends” but at the end of the day, they make him so happy so of course it is all worth it.  

Usually Brayden gets a new “friend” for a holiday or birthday.  The buying is split between me and the Easter Bunny & Santa.

But we just went to the zoo with Grandma Deb and she bought him 2 new friends, he was so excited!

Without further ado here they are……






From Left to Right:

Murray, Bronco, Geoffrey, Spots, Henry, Polar Bear, Hippo, Rex, Stripes & Mike



These little guys have become part of our family and it's super cute to see Brayden interact with them. 
 
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