one month!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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!

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???

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

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

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!

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