The Gist of it all

Trick-or-treat!

2010-11-08T09:40:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun trick-or-treating this year! Aiden thought this was pretty much the most amazing concept ever and wonders why we can't do this every day. Lily was more interested in the fall decor and household pets but she was loving it anyways. Quite possibly the cutest iron man and butterfly I have seen ever! I am, however, very biased.

Our first house

Aiden after the first house. Excitement is an understatement.

My dad, "papa t" and Lily

Pumpkin patch fun

2010-11-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from pumpkin patch visits this October. Lily is obssesed with "pumpas" as she calls them. Aiden loves the rides and candy. Boys.

Cali

2010-11-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Lily and I recently took a trip to California to visit my dad and his fiance. We had such a fun time! Sam and I took Aiden when he was about her age now and I wanted to be able to do the same with her. When your second comes along you don't get to spend the same one-on-one time you were able to with you first. Here are some pics from the trip. Love you dad and Kim!!!

Holiday blues

2010-11-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

I again have yet to update in a while. Mostly because life has been pretty boring! Wake, work, kids, sleep, wake, work...you get the picture. I am however really excited about the fall-ish weather and the holidays quickly approaching. I finish my current promo job in November and will be enjoying family and food from then on. Aiden is so excited about Christmas this year. This is the first year he really gets it so it will be fun to watch him get excited about Santa and the anticipation of Christmas morning. Sam had to work last Christmas so this kind of feels like Lily's first Christmas! That added to the fact that she is walking and talking and probably going to be smashing all of the ornaments this year. I am not sure why I am talking about Christmas other than the fact that I am so ready for a break. Sam and I have both been working opposite schedules and feel like it is rare lately that we are all together as a fam. He has 2 weeks paid holiday vaca this year so we are looking forward to snowmen (hopefully), baking together, taking kiddos to look at lights, etc. On another note, Sam begins grad school in Jan. I am so excited for him. It is something he has wanted to do for a while and finally just decided to go for it. So next year will bring about even more craziness but I think I function well off of that.

Well there is a not so interesting post for you. Halloween posts to come as soon as I get around to transferring my photos from my camera. Have a great first day of November!

Our humble abode

2010-07-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ok...I have finally gotten around to posting pictures! There are still a few little things we want to do here and there but we are loving our home. Come see us!

2010-07-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have been a really bad blogger lately. Honestly, I have not had time to do anything. Our schedules have been crazy and we have had a lot of change. First off...WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! I can not tell you how excited I am to be in our home. Goodbye apartment life, hopefully forever! We love it and I promise I will post pics soon. Our kiddos have adjusted well and love having a backyard. I am currently nannying about 55 hrs a week. It has been a little crazed but I am able to keep my kids with me and that means so much. Sam is currently pursuing grad school and hopes to start in the spring. He hopes to eventually get his PhD. We are taking it one step at a time. This summer has been busy but fun. Aiden just turned FOUR! I can not believe he is 4 yrs old. Where has the time gone? We took him to six flags for his birthday and he had a blast. He was actually tall enough to ride quite a few rides. I love you so much little man! We have also spent a lot of time at the pool and Lily is still not sure what to think but rocks her swimwear like a total DIVA. See pics below. Well there is a brief update. I will leave you with a few random pics. Love ya!

My little rock star princess!

Home Depot! We have spent a lot of time there lately. They were loving on each other so much that day! So sweet!

Happy Birthday Lily Grace!

2010-05-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I woke up having mild contractions at 4 in the morning. I brushed them off as I had them the morning before as well. I tried to fall back asleep and not get my hopes up. When I woke up they were fairly irregular and really not too painful so I begrudgingly went on a walk to see if I could make something happen. Nothing. I was so mad. I mean pissed. Let's just say there were words coming out of my mouth that I am not proud of. I was a week past expiration and as far as I was concerned the eviction notice had been posted! Sam lovingly told me to call the doctor and see if there was anything they could do. I rolled my eyes but called

anyways and she gave me the old "well just come up and let's see where things are at". This woman has dealt with her share of crazy preggos! So I drove myself to the birthing center. No we did not use a hospital...no I don't love pain...no I am not anti medicine. It just felt right for us. Anywho, I got to the doc around 1:00 and explained to her that I was sorry to take up her

time but I had been having false labor for 2 days and wasn't sleeping well. She checked me out and kindly told me to go home, grab my bag and husband and come back because I was 6 cm dialated and was going to be having a baby in a few hours! At this point everything felt strangely calm. I came home, tucked Aiden in for his nap. Called my family and got ready to have our baby girl. My labor was so easy until about 3:30. The doc broke my water and said if you are not feeling much yet they are coming. So I sat and talked with the family for a bit and then they hit. HARD!!! It was way more intense than I remembered but amazing all over

again. At around 4:50 the doctor said that Lily's head and shoulders were out and asked if I wanted to reach down and pull her out. I did. It was the most amazing thing ever! Here was this

beautiful girl we had waited for for 9 months. It does not seem possible that I brought home that sweet baby a year ago. It has gone way too fast. I feel like it all flies by before you are really able to cherish it all. I guess thats why I have thousands of pictures on my computer.

We adore you baby girl! You make us laugh and smile every day. You have so much personality and are such a happy baby. You are walking everywhere and in to EVERYTHING. I can already see my stubborness in you...haha. I thank God for you every day and can't imagine living life without you!

Happy 1st Birthday silly girl.

one month!

2010-04-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

One month till my little girl is 1! I can not believe how fast it has gone by. She is walking everywhere, saying mama, dada, and her new word...WOW. So cute! I will post pictures later. Until then, happy 11 month birthday Lily!

Top Ten

2010-04-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Top Ten things I do as a parent that make me a little less sane each day:

10. Wiping up bodily fluids. Whether it is tee-tee, boogies, poop, puke, spit up, drool. You name it I am wiping it or covered in it.

9. The fact that I now say things like tee-tee, boogies, poopers, and lovies. I speak a new language only other moms understand.

8. That whenever I leave the house I have to remember at least 50 things to take so that my kids are content and happy wherever we are going.

7. That I am no longer able to carry a regular size purse...it is luggage.

6. That I hear the phrase "ummmm mommy, mommy, mommy, mooooomy!" about

2, 348, 029 times a day. One is not even speaking yet.

5. That vacations are no longer vacations. It means because we are in a hotel room or a new place, neither kid is going to sleep well and I will have a tiny little foot imprint in my back the next day. Leaving home overnight is really just not an option right now.

4. That I find myself singing and listening to songs that will make your brain explode if listened to for long periods of time.

3. That I have lost control of my car radio, television, computer, i-Phone etc. I officially have nothing that belongs to me.

2. That I now make at least 2 meals a night because I have a very picky eater. This is my official public apology to every parent I ever nannied for when I thought, "just make him eat it." Ha ha how silly of me.

1. That every time I see a new little baby I think for a second, "awww I want another one someday". Pure insanity.

I love you my little rugrats!!!

Video

2010-03-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Lily walking from earlier today. The quality is poor because it is off of my digital camera but here she is!

Triathlon

2010-03-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Okay I will be honest. The triathlon training has been slow but I am still committed to completing a triathlon before the summer is over. I am currently trying to figure out where I can get my swimming in. I will keep you updated on my progress along the way and let you know when I figure out the date. Wish me luck!

St. Pats

2010-03-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

We did not get to go out and drink green beer on St. Pats but we did get to spend it with two cutest green things in town!

This was Aiden on his first St. Pats:

Cute little guy!

Playing catch up!

2010-03-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Well it has been over a month since my last post! I have been super busy with work, house hunting (fingers crossed), and our little WALKER! Lily is everywhere and in to everything! Baby proofing a house has never had so much meaning. We never dealt with this with Aiden. He mainly just wanted to play with his toys, not the household cleaners. I think I vacuum more now than I ever have due to the fact that our little monkey will eat ANYTHING of the floor and with a giant grin on her face. Aiden is not quite sure how to handle all of this. I remeber bringing her home and thinking how easily he was adjusting and how sweet he was to her...FAIL! He spends most days locking his door and screaming when she has one of his toys. Ahhh the joys of sibling rivalry. I thought we had a little while but apparently not.
Anywho, Lily is now 10 months. That means 2 more months until the big birthday. Tear! It makes me really sad. I know I need to enjoy it all but this could be our last babe and I feel like we just brought her home. She is such a wild one but such a love. She loves to snuggle and give kisses. She still loves to eat and we still have not found anything she doesn't like. She has such a funny little laugh and always scrunches her nose when she is being silly. We love you monkey!

9 months

2010-02-10T11:30:00.000-08:00

Lily will be 9 months on friday! I can not believe it! Every month just flies by. She is starting to stand on her own momentarily and is cruising everywhere. She is driving Aiden a little crazier every day. She loves avacados and will giggle when you give her bites. She is able to handle chunks of food now versus everything being mashed. She is such a ham. She laughs and says dada and always wants to be in the action. Her favorite thing to do is unroll the toilet paper rolls and try to eat it. We have to make sure we always keep the bathroom doors shut. We love you like crazy little monkey and every day is a new adventure.

New year new you!

2010-01-15T17:13:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I know it is cliche but my new years resolution this year was to get in shape. Don't get me wrong, I feel really great about my weight. However, there is a vacant lot where my ass used to reside and I am not thrilled. I am not quite sure when it happened but it happened. So anywho, I was so excited to start running and got a few apps for the iPhone and since then I have gotten sick, my back has been a mess, we had the freaking weather from hell, and so on! So needless to say I am a little frustrated. So here is my public commitment to getting fit! I thought I would post before and after pics but I am not quite sure how I feel about that one yet. We will see how things go. My goal is to do a sprint triathlon before the year is out so here's to it! I will keep you updated on my progress.

Baby girl!

2010-01-15T17:08:00.001-08:00

Lily just turned 8 months on the 12th. I know, I am a bad mom and didn't get to it until now! Anywho, she is pulling up on everything, driving her big brother absolutely crazy, and now has her two bottom teeth. She is such a crazy baby. She is so loud and never stops smiling. It makes for fun picture taking! We love you baby girl!

I used to be a girl???

2010-01-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

This morning's conversation with Aiden went a little something like this:

Aiden: "Lily stop it! You're getting my cars all wet! No biting stuff!"

me: "Aiden Lily is just a baby she doesn't understand. She has little teeth coming in and they hurt. She chews on stuff to help her teeth feel better."

Aiden: "Noooo, she doesn't have teeth."

me: "Yes, look. She has two little teeth coming in, see."

Aiden: "Why her biting my cars?"

me: " I just told you. Her teeth hurt and it makes them feel better to chew on things. When you were a little baby, you were just like Lily. You had teeth coming in and you would chew on stuff too. Mommy and daddy let you because we knew you were just trying to make your teeth feel better."

Aiden: (lightbulb goes off) "Oh, when I was a baby I was a girl."

me: "No Aiden you weren't a girl you just..."

Aiden: "Yeah mommy I was a girl when I was a baby."

me: "No Aiden you...."

Aiden: "I WAAAS A GIIIIRRL!"

Me: "Want to go to Target with mommy?"

Aiden: "Okay."

You can't win them all!

New Camera

2009-12-30T13:07:00.000-08:00

Sam and I got a really nice Cannon SLR for Christmas. I am so excited! I have always loved taking photos and I am really excited to explore the world of photography. Here are a few simple shots I have taken the past couple of days. Just playing around right now and learning all of it's features. So much to learn!

Christmas

2009-12-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sam had to work on Christmas this year so we did Christmas a day early. We spent the day with Sam's parents and newly married sister!!! Congrats Katy. We are so happy for her and John. Anywho, Christmas morning I flew early out to Cali with both kiddos to visit my dad. We had such a great time. Aiden was a little bit of a grouch and Lily cut her first tooth but all in all it was a great trip.

Lily loved first class! She stole my seat most of the flight and sat buckled in her very own seat while I shared one with Aiden. Spoiled rotten!!!

The rose bowl was happening soon so the Los Angeles Equestrian Center had the most beautiful horses out. These were the budweiser clydesdales. This one loved Lily! She was loving it until it literally kissed her face! She freaked a little...haha.

We took a cute little train ride around a park. Aiden and Lily loved it! I just love her new little hat!

My dad, Kim, and Lily before the train ride.

Aiden and Lily laughing at each other on the plane. So stinking cute. They both traveled amazingly. I was very proud of them.

Thanks Dad and Kim for a wonderful time!

7 months...already?

2009-12-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

Well, Lily is 7 months today. Another month has once again flown by and we are officially on the closer side of 1. Yikes and a half! Well here are a few things the little bug is doing:

-You are crawling! As I type you have made your way into Aiden's room and are putting a nice layer of drool on everything. He hasn't discovered you there yet so get your damage in while you have the chance.

-You smile and laugh and squeal all the time.

-You love big brother and follow him all over the house. (Picture above)

-When mommy or daddy walk through the door you are so happy and crawl right to us now. Never gets old!

-You are sleeping through the night...well mostly. Still working on that one.

-You are taking baths in the big girl seat and love bathtime!

-Overall you are a very easy and happy little bug.

We love you Lily Grace!!!

Sarcasm anyone?

2009-12-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, anyone who knows me well knows I am a bit sarcastic. See even there I couldn't help myself. I am pretty sure I drive Sam crazy...okay I know I do. I know this because he tells me that sometimes I don't know how to "turn it off". Yeah well, you married me! (Love you honey!) Anywho, I come from a long life of smartasses and that is pretty much just how we do things in our family. With that said, I am not sure why I was surprised when my little firstborn angel inherited this lovely trait of mine. Really, the kid had no hope. Now, I know that I am the mom and I am allowed to say things to my child that he is under no circumstance allowed to say back but sometimes it is just hilarious. Exhibit A: Yesterday I sat him down to explain to him why we can not just take toys from Lily. About 30 seconds in to my ramblings I guess he got bored, also a trait he picked up from me. I am slightly ADD, can you tell. Poor kid. Okay so anywho, he stared at me and said, "Uhhhh I hear you, that's enough, nevermind it". There I stood awestruck. I knew there would be a day when my sweet little cherub baby would turn into an mouthy little boy, I just didn't think it would be at THREE! I wasn't sure whether to laugh or beat the child. (Disclaimer-I would never beat my child. Just more sarcasm.) Now my mouth gets me into trouble sometimes. I have a hard time knowing when to shut up. I know get a shocked look on your face. I stood there pained for him knowing all of the trouble he will most likely be in growing up. I flashed back to my childhood where everyday my mom prayed I would just be quiet in class. Just one day. Yeaaah, never gonna happen. So the question is how do I tell my 3 year old not to have an attitude when it flows through his veins like the Nile. I guess I just do my best to curb it in the right direction. So lesson of today, and the next day and the next and the next. Use your smartass powers for good, not evil. I think I may even get him a cape. If you think about it, start praying for Lily now. She's gonna need it.

Playdate for mommy

2009-12-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Aiden had a "playdate" yesterday. Really it was a playdate for us moms. I really enjoyed hanging out with the girls. I feel at such a balanced place in my life right now. We have found such a wonderful church, our marriage feels so strong, I have two beautiful kiddos, and last but not least I have some really great friends in my life. Now before I word vomit all over you, please don't take this as a "look how great my life is" speech. It is not that at all. We have our stressors and drama and financial woes just like the rest. I just felt very pulled in different directions for a while and I finally feel balanced. We are so thankful for the friendships we have here. Friends that we can truly share life with and that will call us out on our crap. That is true friendship. I love all of you guys. Thanks for sharing life with us.

Here is a pic of the boys. Could they be any cuter?

Rev, Aiden, and Jack. Best buds!

Picture Time

2009-11-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

Well today was absolutely beautiful so I took advantage and got some sweet pics of the kiddos! They are getting so big. We had an amazing thanksgiving and I am pretty sure I might need to fast for at least a week...or day whatever. Okay fine I am about to pig out again. Curse you holidays!!! Anywho, we spent the day with Sam's family and the kiddos had a blast with their big cousins. I feel so blessed to have such a great fam. We love you guys!

On a side note, today marks 3 years of our dear friend Nate passing. He was one of the most amazing guys I have had the pleasure of knowing. He and Sam were best friends growing up and he was the best man in our wedding. We think about him all of the time and still miss him everyday. I thank God for Lauren and Jack (Nate's wife and son) and their friendship to Aiden and I. She is truly a remarkable example of a pillar of faith. I have learned so much from her and Aiden has never had a better buddy! We miss you Nate and thank God for the impact you have had on ours and so many other's lives. You were a wonderful husband, father, and friend.

Blast from the past

2009-11-22T17:56:00.000-08:00

So I went out with some girls from high school last night. It was so fun seeing everyone and hearing where people are and what they're doing and how lives have changed or not changed at all. Everyone looked so great and it was just a really refreshing evening. Okay, so I had a slight pinot headache this morning. Have to live a little right? If you know me at all you know I love to talk. Just ask Sam. I am pretty sure he filters out at least 40% of what I say half the time. It's okay, I understand. Anywho, I really love having good conversation over a good glass of wine. Is it not the best?! So if you are around, let's chat it up. I hate that it had been so long since I had seen a few of those girls. You know who you are! Love you all!

PS: Let me know what you think about the new blog. It was a little to "mom" for my taste. That's okay right?

Happy half a year!

2009-11-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Lily Grace,

You are six months old today! I can't believe it has gone by this fast. You have been such a joy in our lives. I could not ask for a better little squishy girl baby. You are so happy and full of life. You smile and laugh all day and you love to be held by mommy and daddy. You love your brother and he can make you smile all day long. You are the best little eater and so far we have not found anything that you don't like, although I am sure it's coming. I remember the day I found out we were having a little girl. I had a suspicion all along and had been telling daddy since brother was born that I wanted a pink one. It was always our joke and now here you are. When I look into your big bright eyes, I imagine all of the fun times we are going to have in your life. Thank you for being such a sweet little love bug. We love you and your squishy little face! Happy half a year birthday!!!

Love,

Mommy

Halloween

2009-11-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

Well our Halloween day did not go quite as expected. We started the day by meeting Lauren and Jack (Aiden's best friend in the whole wide world!). I thought it would be a great idea to give the pumpkin patch one more shot, seeing as the time prior did not go quite as planned. a.k.a Aiden through massive fit and Lily did not take one cute pic. Which let's face it is one of the main reasons I went. You have to have the "cute fluffy baby in a pumpkin patch" pic. It is a parenting must. Instead I got the "red faced, curled toes, screaming baby in a pumpkin patch" photo. Which was equally as entertaining. See earlier post. Anywho, Aiden was super excited. We got to the pumpkin patch and I told Aiden that we were not going to ride a bunch of rides we were just going to hang out with Lauren and Jack. Insert crying here ______! So I said, fine we will ride a few rides. I agreed because I just wanted a happy fun day that Aiden would remember as one of his first big boy Halloweens. Insert happy child. (I promise he is not as spoiled as it sounds.) So Aiden jumps out of the car and embraces Jack with that I am so happy you are here look on his face. We let the boys run around in the field...oh wait...MUDDY AS COULD BE...field. New shoes=covered in a nice cakey layer of mud. There goes my freshly vacuumed car. I think happy thoughts. It is halloween and it WILL be a fun, laughy, make lots of memories kind of day. So we ride the hay ride, let the boys ride the ferris wheel and decide it is picture time. Insert Lily puking on me. We got some pics of the boys, Lily, me and Lily, etc. We see this old wooden wagon and decide that it would be the cutest picture of the boys. Insert Lily puking on me again. I load Aiden on and am pulling out my camera when I see a bee right by his face. There had been bees everywhere that day. I am pretty sure they were mocking my failed attempts. So anyways, it hovers right in front of Aidens eye and before I can brush it away, Aiden panics and covers his eye trapping the bee between his hand and eyelid. Insert hysterical-just-got-stung-in-the-eye-by-a-freaking-bee child! I get him to pull his hand away and notice he has the bee in his clinched fist and has a kung fu grip on this thing. Luckily it did not sting his hand too! I scoop up the poor little bug (Aiden not the bee) and love on him like my life depends on it. I felt so bad! Insert Lily puking on Lauren. I said lets go home and rest. He started crying so hard I could not understand what he was saying. I finally make it out in between his deep gasping for air breaths: " IIIIII....wawawant...to...riiiiiddde...thethethe....feerrrisss.....wheeeeeeel". So we did. Then I loaded up my puffy eyed boy and spit faced little girl and drove home to prepare for a night of fun.

Well Halloween night turned out much better. Aiden's swollen eye looked so much better and he was a hit in his dinosaur costume. He got to jump on one of those inflated tramps where you are harnessed in. He thought it was the greatest thing since wow wow wubzy found the pirate treasure. The day was memorable to say the least and I did get some really cute pics of the kiddos after all. Insert "cute as can be baby in the hay"!

Catch up and halloween round 1!

2009-10-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while so I have alot to catch up on. First off, Lily is getting so big! She is using her jumper now which she LOVES! She is babbling up a storm and is starting to eat rice cereal every day. Aiden is so sweet to her. He loves on her and tries to comfort her when she is upset. He is growing like a weed too! He is obsessed with friends. It doesn't matter if he know them or not either. If you are between the ages of 2 and 12 you will do. Anytime we see a kid at Target, church, etc, he screams "Hi friend!". Well the past few mornings he has woken up to our downstairs neighbors going to school. There are 3 kiddos in their family and you can always hear their crazy bunch walking to the car. I have woken up the past 3 mornings to Aiden screaming. I rush in his room thinking something terrible has happened and he is standing behind his curtain, looking out the window crying because his friends are leaving. Then for about 30 min after, he sadly reminds me, "friends have to go to school". What a sweet little bug.

Last friday we went to a Halloween carnival. It was a pretty stupid little carnival in town, but Aiden loved it! Perfect for a 3 year old. His costume for this year is not finished yet so we threw on his monkey suit from last year that he refused to wear! Lily was a little bear and she ended up winning a prize for best baby. She got a $5 gift card to the ice cream place in town. We will use that for her. Here are a few pics of the monkey and bear! Mimi is making Aiden's costume for sat. He loves this book called dinosaur halloween and really wanted to be the little kid from the book. He is really excited. We will post pics from that at a later date. Other than that we are just living life and trying to enjoy the craziness that is 2 small kids. Until next time!

What a good looking husband I have!!!

Going Bonkers

2009-10-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is the name of the place we spent our lovely Saturday afternoon. Oh how life changes after kiddos...haha. I now appreciate my parents so much more. I would have loved to spend the afternoon strolling the square and having a peaceful lunch, maybe a movie with the hubby. On the other hand, who doesn't love hundreds of screaming (did I say screaming, I meant SCREAMING!!!) children and their grimy little faces. No, we actually had a great time. It was so fun to watch Aiden's eyes pop out of his head when we walked in. We crawled through the entire thing with him and he got some good mommy and daddy time. Lily on the other hand, is passed out and still recovering from the shock of it all. I love my kiddos! I am ready for that stroll and a movie soon though. Here are some pics and a video of Aiden and I going down the slide. Yes, I was the obnoxious parent following my kid around with a camera. He is 3 and will forget...don't judge me!

Admission to ridiculous kids place-$7

Overpriced food and drinks-$15

Aspirin for headache caused by hundreds of screaming children-$4

Watching your 3 year old have the time of his life-PRICELESS!

Picture Time

2009-10-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had a fun filled couple of days! Yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch with our bestest friends Lauren and Jack Taylor! Today we went to a different pumpkin patch with Papa T (my dad). Aiden had lots of firsts. He rode his first pony, his first ferris wheel, and his first hay ride. He could not have had more fun. My mom intentions were to get a bunch of mushy pics of my babes but I failed. Aiden was way too on the go, and Lily was not diggin' the whole pose for mommy by a bunch of pumpkins. Her face is evidence. So I leave you with my not-so-great pictures of the past two days. But first, here are two precious ones of our little flower! Gotta love that tush.

Not a happy camper!

Best Buds! Jack told Aiden he was beautiful. Haha, we won't tell him that when he is older.

Lily's new tricks

2009-09-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Little bean has discovered a new talent...spitting. It is hilarious and she does it all day. We may not have the girliest of girls on our hands so I am going to keep stuffing her full of pink until she protests! Sorry the quality is poor, it was taken on my regular camera.

This one is of her laughing. Can't get enough of that cuteness!

All for now!

The baby

2009-09-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

So today I found Aiden completely nude in Lily's bed sucking on her pacis! I think someone wants to be the baby. The naked baby apparently. That boy!

Inadequate

2009-09-20T14:40:00.001-07:00

That is how I am feeling today. The past few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotion and stress. We have had a lot going on. Nothing major just a lot of little stresses that seem to pile on each other like dirt on a coffin. Sorry for the morbid reference. Matt Chandler gave a phenomenal sermon this morning and His words hit me hard. It took everything in me to keep from crying in church. I think the guy sitting next to me, who seemed slightly freaked out I was so close to him with a baby, appreciated my holding back. I have been feeling like I am not good enough. Not pretty enough, not a good enough mother, wife, friend. I have been feeling overwhelmed with work, money, house duties. You name it I have felt inadequate. As Matt was speaking this morning God hit me with a big ole, "IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!" And it's not. I am not enough and I never will be and that is okay because God IS enough. I don't need to stress myself out to try and be everything because He is everything. He will take care of our job situations, financial situations...everything. I have been so selfish lately. I have been in a perpetual state of me. I think sometimes we think we are being selfless because we are worrying about being better parents, friends, spouses, christians, etc. Yet, at the root of it all is ourselves. So that is where I have taken up residence lately. Right up my own ass. No more. I want to pull my head out and get back on focus. Back on the Lord. Then, everything will fall into place. His plans, not mine. I am starting accountability with a friend this week and I am so hopeful for that time with each other. Until next time:

Psalm 18:1-2

I love you, O Lord my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Lily

2009-09-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Just to be fair I need to post one of the bean too. I laid her down in Aidens room with his Cat in the Hat animal last night and this is what I found a few minutes later. How stinkin cute! Her papa T got her the shirt in Cali before she was born. It suits her well.

This was on our bed a little earlier showing off her "fluffy" tummy!

Time

2009-09-18T10:02:00.001-07:00

Aiden is learning all about time. We have been looking at the clock and saying, "when it says eight zero zero it is time for bed. This worked more than I ever could have imagined! It was really cute and don't get me wrong, still is. However, he is now announcing the time every minute. I wish I was exaggerating but every time it changes he says enthusiastically, "LOOK MAMA, NOW IT'S ONE FOUR SIX, AND NOW ITS ONE FOUR SEVEN!!!" I have never seen anyone so excited about time changing. Before you get all judgy on me, I love Aiden to pieces and this new found love for time really is adorable. But if I have to repeat the time back to him once more, I might remove all of the clocks in our house. I am sure I will miss this cute little voice when he is 16 and I am sitting counting every minute waiting for him to walk through the front door for curfew. Guess I should appreciate it while it lasts. Hey, I am all about honesty!!!

More rain!!!

2009-09-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

After getting stuck in the rain the other day Aiden refused to leave the house without rain boots and a rain coat. The only problem is his rain boots are 2 sizes too big and he does not have a rain coat. Well, try explaining that to a 3 year old. So we left the house in rain boots, wearing 3 pairs of socks to keep them on, and a ski jacket. It was the closest thing to a rain jacket I could find. The ski jacket was also a little to big. It definitely made for a cute picture!

Rainy days

2009-09-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

It has been so crummy outside and my little bug has been getting a little stir crazy. Therefore, we have had to get creative around here. If you don't already know this about me, I am a little OCD about messes/stains. With that said, it took some major "letting go" to let Aiden paint in the house. Oh the things you will do for your children. He had so much fun and it made for some pretty cute pictures! What a cute little mess he is and he didn't even get it on the carpet! In fact he kept freaking out about it getting on his hands. As you can see, by the end he got over it. Gotta love rainy days.

Messy

Little artist

A little messier

All out mess

All clean!

Blue Steel!

4 months

2009-09-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

Lily is 4 months old today! It has gone by soooo fast and I feel like we just brought her home. She is changing so much and I am trying to appreciate every minute because before you know it they are 3 and have an attitude. (I have no idea where Aiden gets this from.) Sam and I are loving every minute with her and I feel so blessed to have a boy and a girl. Our little family is complete, for now :). She is such an easy baby!!! She rarely cries and at bed we lay her down wide awake and she falls asleep. She is still working on the whole sleeping through the night business but all in good time. On a side note, Aiden punished himself tonight. He threw a ball in the living room and knocked over a picture. He looked at Sam and said, "I sorry dada, I go to my room" and marched in there and shut the door. Haha I guess he figured he preferred his own punishment over ours. Here is a picture of Lily minutes after I pulled her out and one from tonight. She is growing so fast!

On a side note

2009-09-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of things I sell. I also do thank you cards, shower invites, stationary, etc. I can custom do kids names and frames as well. Let me know what you think. The recipe boxes make great shower and wedding gifts!

Pictures!

2009-09-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well first a funny story. Today at the house Aiden found a moth on the wall. We caught it and put it in his bug catcher. After staring at it about a minute or so, he tells me: "it definitely not have arms!" He has seen too many cartoon bugs! I laughed so hard and replied in his sweet 3 year old grammar, "you're right Aiden, it definitely not have arms." He was so proud of his observation. Boys are all too much fun. Now for the pictures. Most of these can go along with the previous post. Enjoy!!!

Look at that bug.

Lovin' on Lily!

Those gorgeous locks did not come from me, they are 100% daddy. I would kill for that hair!!!

Little bugs in the bath. Aiden is our new where's Waldo.

First time with rice cereal. Cute little bean.

That's all for now!

Updates!

2009-09-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted to update everyone on what is going on with our little fam:
Sam is job hunting and is currently applying to be a police officer. If all goes well he will begin the academy in January. The application process is pretty lengthy, and right now in Denton they are only looking to fill about 5 positions so we will see.
Aiden turned 3 on June 21st and is adjusting to baby Lily. He LOVES her!!! He is so sweet with her and we could not have asked for a better reaction. He gives her her paci when she cries, gives her sweet kisses on her head, and showes her his toys when she is fussy. He knows all of his letters and can count to 30. He is starting to sound out words which we are very excited about!
Lily is so smily and the best baby! She had her first taste of rice cereal last night. Most of it ended up on her face and bib but she had fun with it. She can roll from her tummy to back and loves people. She will be 4 months on the 12th.
I am currently teaching gymnastics about 4 hours a day. I teach all over flower mound and lewisville and love it. My classes range from ages 2-7. Hopefully if Sam gets hired on I will begin staying home with my little bugs full time. I am really enjoying the challenges and joys of raising a 3 year old. He is quite the wild one but so much fun and has such a tender heart. We are attending the Village church and love our church family. It is such a great place and we support what their vision 100%. All in all life is good. I wish that my mom and dad were here in town to watch the bugs grow and still hope that one day they will journey back to Texas. Love you guys!
Well sorry for the boring mushy post. It is not usually my style but you gotta have them every now and then! Love you all!!!

Sweet baby!

2009-08-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Just couldn't help but post this pic. We love her!!!

Fun with tape!

2009-08-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

With the economy the way it is, you have to get creative. So, without further ado, I give you "fun with tape".

Look at that cute little piggy!

The penguin

2009-08-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

So yesterday Aiden woke up whining that his penguin was stuck. I was as lost as you are. "What penguin honey?" "My penguin, my penguin, MY PENGUIIIIIN!" (As if saying it louder makes it magically appear!) After about 10 min or so I got him sidetracked and we forgot about the mysterious penguin, for 5 min. Now we are in the bathroom where the penguin rant is becoming an all out riot. He unrolls the entire roll of TP and then sits on the floor and cries. At this point I am thinking maybe his penguin being stuck is some sort of strange metaphor for being constipated so I sit him on the potty. This obviously did not solve our problem. I finally put my footdown and say no penguin and we move on. I put him down for a nap and go to change the now empty roll of toilet paper. I take the cardboard roll off and plop, out falls a toy penguin. I wanted to flush that darn penguin down the toilet!!! I take the penguin to Aiden and with the biggest smile on his face he says, "Oh thank you mama". Who would have thought a little plastic penguin could cause sauch sorrow one moment and such thankfulness the next. The culprit:

Parting ways

2009-08-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

Dear 3 am,

I think it is time we took a break. It's not you, it's me. I just don't function well the next day when we hang out. It has been fun while it lasted but now that my little bugs are sleeping through the night I am just not sure we can see each other anymore. Don't get me wrong, we can still be friends and I am sure there will be the occasional stomach flu and bed wetting. Until then, I think we need a separation. You will probably hear rumors of me hanging out with 7 am. I am not rushing in to anything and it is definitely not serious! I am seeing a few times right now and trying to figure out which works best. I wish I could be with 10 but he is taken by those who don't have young children. Anyways, no hard feelings. Who knows, maybe we will give it another go a few years from now if we have any more little bugs. It's been real.

Sincerely,

Laurie Gist

Sweet independence!

2009-08-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

So soon you ask? Well I couldn't help myself. My sweet 3 year old is learning the ropes of independence and exercising this new skill quite frequently in the form of a tantrum. Oh the joys of toddler communication. Tonight I asked him to clean up his cars. I was pleasantly suprised when cheerfully replied, "OOOOK"! Somewhere in this sweet exchange something went terribly wrong and before I knew it he was in his room screaming and I was left confused. Who would have known that helping that sweet 3 year old would send him into hysterics. Well, we both leave with a lesson learned. He has learned these lovely little outbursts will send him to his room and I have learned not to help my independent son pick up his toys. In his words, "I do it!". After it was all said and done we had a little chat and I gave him a hug and told him I loved him. His response, "thanks mister".

Hello blogworld!

2009-08-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

So, I will be the first to admit that I am a total hypocrite! I always swore I would never start a blog. Why, you ask? I didn't think my life was that exciting. However, after a few recent funny incidents in the world of motherhood, I have decided to give it a go. Hence the title, mommyhood: the good, the bad, and the downright hilarious! Just want to give you a little taste of motherhood and for those fellow moms out there, you are not alone! So I leave you with today's post.

I woke up this morning at 7 am feeling fairly exausted and not exactly ready for the day to start. However, with Aiden's announcement that he needed to go poopers (that's right I said poopers), I hopped out of bed. After being yelled at by my 3 year old that he needed privacy I sat down and thought out my day. I felt I should probably go to church but hate going by myself and Sam was working this morning. Anyways, I made the decision and began the 2 hour process of getting myself and 2 kiddos out the door. Running behind, as usual, I swung into a parking spot and got Aiden settled in to his classroom with 2 min to spare. Not too bad. On the way to the sanctuary Lily got a little fussy. Well fussy turned into all out wailing for 40 min! I am outside walking her around and just get her to sleep when I hear, "excuse me, are you Laurie Gist." Not realizing I was famous and starting to feel a little flattered, I say "yes, yes I am." He proceeds to tell me that they have been trying to page me on the screen in service for the past 40 min because Aiden has peed his pants. Fantastic! I go pick up Aiden who throws an absolute, wet pant, fit because he is in the middle of coloring. Should have thought about that before you peed your pants small fry. I then take my two screaming children out to the car and drive home, well to Sonic. (Fried food and chocolate shakes make everything better.) So much for church. I am sure the message was great Matt. To top off the day. I come home and sit down with Lily and feel something warm. I leave you with this little gem:

Oh the joys of motherhood!!!