random Monday ramblings

this will be filled with lots of random. my mind can be all over the place most days.

this weekend was really nice. Hannah was really good. And that makes for two happy parents. We grabbed dinner Friday night and after we left- Jeremy looked at me and said, that went really well. It usually doesnt. But they were both good, the food was good, and I was just happy having such a nice night out with my little family.

Saturday we went to the Kids museum again- this time Hannah made it past the water room. I have no idea why that is the first room in the whole place. It should be the last room on the 3rd floor. She never wants to leave and go to any other places. It is a really great room though. Most kids leave soaked! We had fun and they were both really good. 

 He loves standing at the water table...and he usually ends up wet too!

 they have a whole art room for older kids- Jeremy and Hannah worked hard on a Chinese dragon.

For some reason, Sundays are really hard days for me. I have no idea why. I cant explain it. We've been going to the 9:00 church service then we just come home and hang out. But there is a weird stretch of the day that I feel all couped up in the house. Like we should be doing something but we dont feel like working for an hour to get everyone ready to go somewhere...its just weird. I know, I cant really explain it either. I get sad. I miss my family like crazy. I miss get togethers with friends, I want Hannah to see her friends etc etc. For some reason these feelings just intensify on Sundays. I get quiet, sometimes I cry but then I try to reason with myself cause things could be WAY worse. We have shelter, beautiful, healthy kids, a great marriage, families that love us and miss us, our health, so what the heck am I so sad about. So then I feel guilty for feeling that way. But I figure there will be a huge range of emotions Ill go through every single day we are here. Sorry for that rambling. I just cant even explain how I feel on those days. I have a ton of things to be thankful for. I shouldnt be sad. But I knew this would happen so I just need to look at these smiling kids and know they are happiest of all.
 Since Sundays are hard- we've decided we will make Sunday nights Fro-Yo nights! But you cant call it yogurt to Hannah- its ice cream of course! She LOVES going to Yogurtland. And, I kinda do too :)

We finally changed Owen over to forward facing and went ahead and got him a new carseat. I swear we've purchased way more car seats than we ever needed. I would definitely have done things differently and not bought so many different "stages" of carseats. We really liked the one we bought Hannah when she outgrew the Britax and it will last until she is in a booster. So we went ahead and got the same one for Owen. I told Hannah that Owen was now in a new carseat and he would be facing forward and she said, "Now we can hold hands!" Omg, I die!

 they look like co-pilots!

 Such a big milestone- I just look at him and cant believe he's gotten so big.

I made a DELICIOUS dinner last night. I love lasagna but I do not like the frozen ones you buy at the grocery- they just dont turn out good. So I found a recipe on Pinterest for Skillet Lasagna.

You can find the Recipe HERE. It was easy, fast for Lasagna, and so so good. I even made a mistake and cooked it the wrong way and it stilled turned out great. I didnt have the vegetables on hand or basil and it was still great. ENJOY!

 We played in the park after preschool one day and Hannah's favorite part was pigeon chasing. She wasnt scared!

The pools open this weekend and I cant tell you how excited we are. I think that will really help on those days I feel couped up inside or just need to get out. I could sit at the pool all day long. I hope the kids want to also! :) I know we will be spending alot of time there!

The other day Owen crawled up in the chair with Hannah and she said, Mommy take a picture! Their relationship gets sweeter everyday. I know they will fight like cats and dogs one day but Im enjoying this now!

sweet little boy!

I cant say enough about this amazing man. Not only is he a great husband but watching him as a dad makes me so happy. He never passes on diaper duty, bedtime, or playtime with the kids. He always does anything I ask regardless of how tired he is. He gets up at 3:30 am and starts work at 4:30. Works a full 8 hour day then comes home to two kids who arent napping. He walks through the door as super dad. Not only is he the hardest working man I know, and does it all so that I can stay home with these two rugrats, and he never complains. Seriously- who doesnt complain!?! I admire him for that. And on top of working in the desert heat, starting work in the middle of the night to most people, chasing two wild kids, he has started the Insanity work out program. Ive watched a few videos and Im pretty sure I would die. I plan on starting it with him....I think :)

Ill leave you with these two sleeping babes...Dont you LOVE sleeping children? I sure do!

I never want to forget

these are some of the things I never want to forget. Im afraid if I dont write them down then one day I will. But at the time it seems like something you'd never forget. This little boy is ALL boy. He loves climbing and getting into small spaces...(if he's anything like Jeremy, he'll have his head stuck in a fence in no time!)
We find him in the funniest places. He always climbs into or under something- cabinets, shelves, closets, laundry baskets, you name it. This kid cannot stay out of the cabinet in the play room. We put one of those child locks on it and he pulled it off immediately and just stared at us- like, yea that was useless!

 She likes to join him once he has found his spot!

 His other bad habit is...wait for it...eating food that has dropped from his high chair. He will seriously be finished with his food, I put him in the family room and he immediately crawls right back and eats the leftovers off the floor. I vacuum all day long it feels like. I just found him eating an old, hard piece of cheese he pulled out of a small crevice in his high chair.

 He pulls every puzzle piece out of every box!!

That smile just melts my heart. His little button nose, bald head, and big smile!

and a few others I found on my phone-

 no words for this!

 look how sweet they are! please dont judge the paci....we are getting closer. She now cannot have it unless she is sleeping. She leaves it upstairs every day and doesnt get it until bedtime or nap time if there ever was one. She has pretty much given up naps....

 we had car wash day and we had to do Hannahs car too!

lately: in iphone pictures

I had 1900 pictures and videos on my phone and I always got the "storage full" message every time I went to take a picture. I was tired of deleting pictures in a hurry just to make room for more so I purchased dropbox space and uploaded all 1900. Now I have space! So I thought I would upload a few pictures from the last few days.

 sweet sleeping boy! He can take a nap on the couch in the middle of dinner preparation for 2 straight hours but in his crib- 30 minutes!

 every morning- since Owen is already in our bed since about 4 am, Hannah slowly creeps in and jumps in bed with Owen and I. Those are some of the calmest moments of my day :)

 the best one of the three of us!

 they are two peas in a pod!

 the weather is warming up....today we purchased a bigger pool. bringing redneck KY style to Las Vegas. Today it was 100, and its only May. We will be spending alot of time at the YMCA pool and water park but its nice to have a little pool in the back when they need to release some energy!

 Friday we went to another baseball game. We enjoy them and the weather has been nice for them. Hannah does surprisingly well- but she only lasts about 4 innings. We had great seats this time- Jeremy was able to get some seats from work and we were right behind home plate- a few rows up.

 She was only there for the ice cream. And in true Hannah fashion- my mom will laugh cause Hannah falls out of EVERY single chair she sits in at a restaurant, anywhere. She stood up in this chair and of course it folded up on her. I was not too surprised!

Owen managed to find a blue dotter marker that Hannah left the top off of- this was after I cleaned his mouth!


We had a nice mothers day- one of my favorite parts was a sweet card from my loves and a gift certificate for a mani/pedi (and also the purse I bought myself!) but my favorite thing was this....I got this when I picked Hannah up from school on Thursday. Is this priceless or what!??!

apparently all I do is eat....but at least its salads! I swear I dont eat that much :)

First birthday!!

We just celebrated this PRECIOUS little dude's first birthday on Wednesday! I cant even believe he is one. So much has changed this past year and Im so thankful he is ours and we get to do this with him. He has a smile that lights up any room and more importantly my heart. He truly melted my heart from the beginning...he is a true mamma's boy! I guess thats why he hates his own bed :) I totally failed in the sleep training department. BUT he is only a baby for so long so I will enjoy all the cuddling I get. He has changed drastically in the last couple of weeks. He is learning so many new things and really becoming a little person, not a baby. I have squeezed and kissed him so many times today. I just cant get enough. He is a happy, smiley, loveable little guy. He only gets mad when you take something from him. That really bothers him! Or when he decides he is hungry and doesnt get to eat right away. He and Hannah are a joy to watch together. She can be pretty rough with him. Every time I go to tell her to stop wrestling with him, he is always laughing. He rarely cries when she practically body slams him- I figure he better toughen up. She plays rough!
We have recently started putting him down in his crib for bed at night and most naps too. Bedtime bootcamp for this sweet little guy. He hates his crib- he will cry as soon as you walk in his room. But after a week of doing this, last night I laid him in his bed and didnt even cry. Of course, I just put him down for a nap and he cried for about 10 minutes. But, this is better than the 45 minutes he cried the first night. Since we dont have anyone to babysit the kids or give us any relief, after both kids are in bed is about the only time we have to watch tv, talk without being interrupted or just sit quietly. So we were ready to get Owen into his own bed. We are making progress!
We had his 12 month appointment yesterday and he weighed 23 pds 4 oz and was 30.5 inches long. I guessed 25 pounds, Jeremy guessed 27! We were way off. He just feels so heavy but he was actually a tad smaller than Hannah at a year, but longer than her. And he doesnt have near the rolls or the hair that she had!
At one year he officially has 4 teeth broken through! It was a process, let me tell ya!
He is in size 4 diapers- probably need to move up to size 5.
He wears 18-24 month clothes
Usually goes to bed between 8-8:30 and wakes around 7. He is still waking once in the night and I know we should break him of that but the princess is right across the hall and once you wake her up- its almost harder. Jeremy leaves for work around 4 am so there are some nights I have both of them in bed with me.
I think we have broken him of nursing in the middle of the night but sometimes its just easier and puts him right back to sleep- and I like to sleep :)
When he is hungry or needs me he will crawl around and follow me saying, "mamamamamama" its sad and precious at the same time.
He isnt walking yet but is crusing around everything. He has stood for a few seconds alone but isnt ready to take the first step.
He will pretty much eat anything we give him and is doing well with a sippy cup.
this kids LOVES music. I catch him dancing in the back seat all the time. he is clapping, laughing, or bouncing up and down. We have nightly dance parties. Hannah loves the cha cha slide so we play that and they both dance. Sometimes I do too....but its not pretty :)
We are getting better with a routine...still not perfected but I dont think there is such a thing. He usually naps around 10-11 in the mornings- lately its only been for about 45 minutes. Then needs another nap around 3 or 4 before dinner.
He loves baths and water in general. We have a little pool out back that he will sit in with Hannah. I love bath time cause it keeps them both in once place :)

He is a truly happy little boy and I just fall more in love with him everyday. Its bittersweet because Im not ready to let my baby go. I watch how fast Hannah has grown up and I just want it to stop. But I also cant wait to see the little boy he becomes. Hannah is so funny and fun at this age, there are so many things I love about it but also it can be a big challenge. Lets hope he isnt as strong willed.....Im not sure I can handle two of those :)

We love you sweet Owen. You changed our life in so many ways. Your smile melts my heart every single time.

 His first cinnamon roll for birthday breakfast!

 Birthday dinner!

 We had a little birthday party for him which Ill upload more pictures later. Hannah had the most fun :)

 12 month check up! Happy, then tired of waiting!

playing catch up

Just to get caught up on last week/weekend we did several new things in Las Vegas. Thursday, Owen and I went on Hannah's field trip to the Springs Preserve with her. It felt so good to do this with Hannah. I just prayed it didnt end in a meltdown like Disney on Ice...oh I forgot to write about that debacle? Maybe more details one day but lets just say we spent 25 minutes in the bathroom screaming about who knows what and missed the whole last part of the show. Which then led to 30 minutes of crying the whole way home....so anyways, I prayed for an uneventful field trip to avoid handling that type of meltdown by myself. It was a fun day and beautiful weather. Hannah loved the lizards and was alot more interested than I thought she would be.
Saturday we went to the Childrens Discovery museum which is a really neat place. We ended up getting a membership so we can go whenever we'd like. Hannah's favorite room was the water room, which really does leave you nice and wet! She could have played in there for hours. I figure that will be something fun to do on really hot days. We also joined the Y and are looking forward to the pool and water park they have. I see many summer days spent there!
We were able to watch both the KY Oaks and Derby and had our own little Derby party! Thankfully we didnt place a bet on the horses I picked, they didnt come in!
Sunday we went to a new church nearby. We heard they have a great kids program which will be great for the kids. Owen will be in the nursery for a while but Hannah enjoyed the 3 year old class. We really liked it and hope to meet new people too!
Today I toured a Kids Co-op preschool. When we lived in California I went to a Co-op preschool and my mom loved it. Its where the parents work a few days a month and help with fundraisers, cleaning, projects, etc. This would be a great way to meet some families and help with Hannah's school. I hope it works out. The only problem is they dont have a class for Owen so we would have to find care for him which would be more each month, so we will have to figure it out but it would be fun!

loving the lizards!

Childrens museum!

her favorite room!

they were both on the phone at the same time :)

We are gearing up to celebrate this little guys FIRST birthday tomorrow! Cant believe this day is here. What a JOY he is!!

homesick

I feel super homesick right now as this is one of the most exciting weekends in Louisville, and whether you go to the Derby or not there is just some magic in the air! I miss all the talk of the races, watching all the footage, seeing the pretty hats and dresses, etc. We will definitely watch the races and tomorrow we will have our own little Derby party!
Not only am I sad to miss Derby time in KY but this weekend my precious little brother graduates from UK. I dont even know how that is possible. I love that kid so dearly it makes me so heartbroken to miss his big day. He's worked so hard, and deserves everything he has ahead of him. I love you Alex and I know your college graduation day is going to be a special day for you. I couldnt be more proud!
Im also wishing we were home getting ready to celebrate Owen's first birthday with family and friends. I suppose I should do a little shopping for him. This is really bad second child syndrome. Hannah had big, fun parties but I know all that matters is that he is surrounded by love. And he is, the three of us couldnt love that kid anymore! I dont even know how he is one. This time last year we were having a Derby party and I was having Owen 3 days later. I love who he has become- such a funny, bright eyed little boy!

Sorry for my pity party...Im thankful for things like Facebook so I can see all of the pretty dresses, horses and hats! Ive got both kids napping right now (miracle) one is in my bed and the other is in his sisters bed. Owen HATES his crib. We really messed up when it comes to teaching him to sleep on his own. After 40 minutes of screaming in his bed I rocked him in Hannahs room and now he is asleep in there! She wont nap in her bed, only ours. I guess I should stop complaining, they are both asleep after all. Not for long Im sure.

Happy Derby weekend!