The past week ...

has been pure hell for many reasons, but the number one reason is because one of my very good friends, Stephanie, is in the hospital fighting for her life.  She's only 26.  It's just not fair.  I keep trying to wrap my head around it, but I just don't know how.  Like I said, she's only 26 years old.  She's a wife to Michael (USAF) and a mama to Sara Faith (4) and June Claire (19 months).  She's a daughter, sister, niece, cousin and friend.  A devout Christian and the sweetest person I know.  She's always the most positive, upbeat, encouraging person.  I just cannot imagine a world without Stephanie in it.

Last week, right before Thanksgiving, Stephanie went in for a bone marrow biopsy where she found out she had a rare form of leukemia called Acute Pramyeloytic Leukemia (APL). You'll have to google it to know exactly what it means/does.  She was too weak to start the induction phase, and then at some point through the night Sunday night she was put into a medically induced coma.  For what reason, I'm still unclear.  Then, to make matters even worse, on Tuesday her kidneys shut down.  The doctors have her on a ventilator, dialysis and 100% oxygen.  The dialysis is working to keep her alive, but that's about it.  Yesterday the doctors started chemo in hopes of reversing the kidney failure.  They said it could take up to three days to see any signs of improvement.  Well, my friends ... this evening we received the best news any of us have heard in a very long time!  The dialysis is working, she's down to 55% oxygen.  When she stabilizes at 30% oxygen, they will try to take her off the ventilator.  Then they will try to wake her up.  Praise God!!!

I will leave you with this ... I am not a church-goer, but I do believe in Christ.  To me, you don't have to be a church-goer to believe in a higher power and the power of prayer.  I can see God doing what He does best ... make miracles happen.  If you're not already, I encourage you to say a prayer for my friend and her family.  They could all use it right now!  I also encourage you to go hug your spouse, babies and all the rest of your family a little tighter tonight and every night.  Life is so precious.  It can be taken away in the blink of an eye.  <3

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days Seven & Eight

Yesterday, November 7th, was day seven of the 30 days of thankfulness.  I was really under the weather, so that's why there was no blog post from me yesterday.  Anyway, yesterday I was really thankful for Monday night television.  My theory is Mondays suck so bad that they had to make a good lineup for television at night to give everyone something to look forward to.  lol

Today, November 8th, is day eight of the 30 days of thankfulness, and I'm really thankful that I'm starting to feel better.  I've been under the weather for over a week now and I'm just really wanting to get back to feeling normal again.

More Thankfulness Coming Your Way!

So, dropped the ball here for a few days.  I think I've missed Friday and Saturday, days 4 & 5.

Friday, November 4th - Day 4 of the 30 Days of Thankfulness.  Today, as cheesy as it sounds, I am incredibly thankful it's the weekend and that I get to spend it with my babies.  :)

Saturday, November 5th - Day 5 of the 30 Days of Thanksfulness.  Today I am thankful that Henry doesn't have an opinion on what he wears yet.  haha  Fighting every morning with Jacob on what he's going to wear is getting old.  I let him choose his outfits for the most part, but sometimes I just HAVE to intervene.  He's NOT wearing camo pants with a bright orange tshirt out in public.  It's just not going to happen!  And, which we're on the topic, I'm a little annoyed that he won't wear this one navy blue long sleeve tshirt that has a fire truck on it.  I bought it specifically to go with a pair of navy blue sweatpants that I bought at the same time and every time I put it on him he flips out and takes it off and says he's NOT wearing it.  I bought it, I want him to WEAR IT!!!  I don't get it.  The boy LOVES fire trucks.  Ugh!  Whatever, I guess.  At least my little Henry doesn't have an opinion yet and I quite like it that way!

Sunday, November 6th - day 6 of the 30 Days of Thankfulness.  Today I'm thankful for a little bit of quiet time.  John took Jacob with him to get new tires on the car and Henry has been napping *knock on wood* for the past 2 hours.  It's been nice having a little bit of peace and quiet for once.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Three

Today I'm most thankful for a house full of healthy people!  If you were following along with us earlier in the week on facebook, you will remember that I had a nasty stomach bug that lasted 2 days and made you wish you were dead.  Well, two days later, John got it and I truly thought the kids would be next, but it appears this bug has passed them by and they are in the clear (I hope I don't eat my words tomorrow!).  So, yeah ... I'm super thankful that we're all healthy again and the stomach flu spared my babies! :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Two

Here we are at day two and I'm already having a hard time finding something to be thankful for.  How terrible is that?!  I think it's just because I'm so tired and very ready for the weekend!  So, for day two of the 30 days of thankfulness, I'm incredibly thankful that the week is half over and that soon it'll be the weekend again where I can get some much needed rest and spend some time with the family! :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day One

In honor of the month of November and Thanksgiving, I'll be making a post a day this month with one thing that I'm thankful for.  Some might be incredibly meaningful while others might be very random, but I think it'll be fun and a really nice way to remind myself to be thankful for what I have because there are so many others out there that are way less fortunate.  :)

Day One: November 1st

Today (and every day) I'm so thankful for the two beautiful children God has given me.  Without them I don't even know where I'd be today.  Love my little monkeys!!

It's been awhile!!

It's been awhile since I've blogged, so here I go getting back into it again. 

A lot has been happening in our lives since mid-August.  I started working part-time for the company John works for.  It's just admin-type work, so it's pretty easy and I can do most of it from home, so that's an added bonus.  It's bringing in some extra cash right now which is really appreciated. 

Jacob started preschool 2 weeks ago!  At first I truly thought we were going to have to pull him out because the first 2 days he screamed and cried at drop-off and then at pick-up when it was time to go to daycare he'd scream and cry some more.  It was pure misery that first week, but now he's doing much better!  I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that, but on Tuesday and Thursday this past week he jumped out of the at drop-off, waved to John and said "bye daddy!".  Then at pick-up he was all smiles again and happily went in to daycare to play with his friends.  It was just an awesome week! 

Here's our boy on his first day of school.  :)

Jacob even made a new friend on the first day of school, Jack.  He talks about him a lot.  I'm excited for him and I'm hoping this opens up new friendships for me, as well.  I've already met and become friends with another mom from school, but her son isn't in Jacob's class (he's in the 3s TTH, but he's a ladybug and Jacob's a butterfly).  We're planning to get the kids together for a playdate sometime soon because she also has a daughter that's a few months older than Henry, so they'd each have a playmate.  How perfect is that?! 

Henry's about to turn ONE!  His birthday is a little over 2 weeks away.  I can't believe how fast this past year has gone.  It's hard to believe that a little over a year ago I was bringing home a new baby and wondering how I was going to divide my time and attention among the two boys.  Now it's like second nature, and like Henry has always been a part of our family.  I don't know what I'd do without either of my little guys.

And, John's been training me at my new job, so he's been kept super busy with that and with all his normal everyday work stuff.  He's just always working hard and staying busy!!  I got lucky when I got him!  :)

The next couple of months are truly my most favorite times of the year.  In a few weeks we've got Henry's first birthday and his party, then the next weekend we'll do the pumpkin patch (it'll be Henry's first trip and first hayride!) and carve pumpkins.  Then Halloween will be here (Jacob wants to be a fire fighter again and his gear still fits, so that's his costume; Henry will be a dalmatian) ... can't wait to take the kids trick-or-treating!!  Before we know it Thanksgiving will be here which means yummy turkey dinners and Black Friday shopping!  Then it'll be time to decorate for Christmas, bake cookies and visit Santa.  And last we'll be saying good-bye to 2011 and HELLO 2012!  I can't wait, like I said this is my favorite time of year ... and I'm taking you all along for the ride as I blog throughout all our fun and exciting adventures!  :)

Sunday Survey!

A day late and a dollar short, I know, but here is this week's survey ... ENJOY!  You can copy and paste the survey into a comment below, so I can take a look at your answers too.  :)

1. Have you and a friend ever have an argument because you were attracted to the same person?

Hmmm ... no not that I can think of.
2. Who never returns your phone calls?

I don't call many people, so no one.  I'm not a fan of talking on the phone.
3. What was your favorite childhood toy?

Probably all my millions of barbies.
4. Who is the last person you greeted at your door?

A guy who came by today to buy our exersaucer (that was a sad moment to see it go, but it was just sitting here collecting dust).
5. Would you change anything about your life right now?

I would be a stay at home mom if I could.  I hate having to leave my babies every day.
6. Who is the easiest person for you to talk to?

My husband.  He can also be the most difficult at times, but he's pretty easy going and just really easy to talk to about things.
7. If you could live in any ancient city during the height of the quality of its society and culture, which one would you choose?

Umm .. I must not be educated enough to answer this question.  lol
8. What is the most exciting event you’ve ever witnessed?

As cliche as this is going to sound ... the birth of both of my children.  :)

9. What do you consider the ideal age to have a first child?

I don't really think there is an ideal age ... so as long as you are able to provide for a child and love him/her, then I think any age is an ideal age to have a first child.

Sunday Survey!

It's time for this week's survey ... ENJOY!  If you feeling like snagging it, leave me a comment, so I can check out your answers!


1. Have you ever lost a lover and spent way too much time wondering what they were doing?
Nope.  Well, unless you count the two times John and I broke up before we finally got married.

2. What was your favorite vacation ever?

I've had a lot of fun ones, but probably my favorite was when we went to Jamaica to get married and for our honeymoon.  It was amazing!

3. Do you like surprises? If yes, what kinds? Or are you one of those people who absolutely has to know what's going on before it happens? 

I love surprises!  I don't get them very often, though.

4. Have you ever written a poem? Feel free to share one.

Nope.

5. Did anything interesting show up in your mail lately besides the bills? 

I don't think so ... we should be getting the invitation to Jacob's Open House at his preschool soon, though.  That'll be interesting!

6. How many of your friendships have lasted more than ten years? Which of your current friends do you feel will still be important to you ten years from now? Family members don't count.

All, I can say is if it weren't for social networking sites (i.e., Facebook), I wouldn't be in touch with any of my friends from more than a few years back.

7. Do you own a pet? If so, do you buy them presents for holidays? Do you consider your pet(s) spoiled? If you don't own one, do you think you will one day? 


I have a dog, Chloe, that lives with my parents right now.  And a cat, Bella, that lives with us.  I used to get them tons of toys and whatnot for holidays and their birthdays, but now it's some treats and that's it.  It's funny how the dog or cat are your babies prior to having kids and then as soon as you have kids they become just the dog or cat.  lol

8. It's Friday afternoon and you're planning your weekend. What's on your agenda on a hot August night?

Staying in somewhere that's air conditioned, that's for sure.  IDK, though.   Nowadays, nothing.  Staying home with the kids.  Prior to having them, probably dinner out and drinks somewhere. 

9. What's your worst nervous habit?

I shake my leg when I'm nervous.

A Letter to My First Born!

My dearest Jacob,

I don't know why I've put off writing you a letter for so long.  I should have done this the day you were born, but that day was a complete whirlwind and honestly the details are a bit foggy.  Some day I'll share your birth story with you.  I hope it means as much to you as it does to me!

You are such a beautiful little boy.  Always smiling and laughing.  Every day you crack us up with another cute little anecdote or story.  I wonder sometimes where you pick these things up.  You certainly are a little sponge, always soaking up anything and everything you can. 

You're about to start preschool in a few weeks and I can't wait!  I'm pretty nervous for you, though, I won't lie.  I'm sure you will do fine, but a mother can never help worrying about her babies.

I'm hoping this blog will be around for many, many years to come, so I can show you some day the letters that I am planning to write you and those I will write to your brother.  It'll act as your digital "baby book".  I'm so honored to have you in my life and so lucky to be able to call you my sweet little boy!  I love you, Bubba!

Love, Mommy

Sunday Survey!

1. Have you ever been in love but tried to deny it?

Nope.  I've only ever been in love with one man - my husband.  And, I certainly never tried to deny that! :)
2. Someone throws a party in your honor. The only guests are your past lovers. You're current spouse or significant other is cool with this. They ask you to speak and say something good about those assembled. Would there be someone there you could not say something good about?

I don't really have any "ex-lovers", so nope ... shouldn't be a problem.
3. How long can you go without your cell phone? Do you own a so-called “smart phone”?

Yeah, I have a Palm Pre and I believe it's considered a "smart phone".  I can go without for quite awhile, too.  If John isn't with me, though, I tend to have it on me more because I like to call him often and I don't like missing calls from him.
4. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

No.  I believe in second chances, but there are certain things I believe people should not be forgiven for ... cheating on one's spouse is one of those things.
5. Would you rather spend a whole day with your mom or your dad? (If either or both have passed, answer as if they're alive.)

My mom! 
6. Tell us one thing about your first boyfriend or girlfriend.

I didn't really have a first boyfriend until John, so hmm .... he's very ambitious!  He hasn't always been this way, but in the past 6 years or so, he's figured out what he's wanted in life and really gone after it!

7. Has an ex ever written something about you on facebook or their blog that was nasty about you?

Nope ... don't really have any exes.
8. What was the last thing you borrowed and never returned?

I think I've actually returned it by now, but I had it for a really long time, but I borrowed the book Breaking Dawn from the Twilight series from my friend Jessica, never finished reading it (it was too long, so I figured I'll just wait for the movie, lol) and kept forgetting to give it back.  I probably had it for a year or more.  *hides*
9. Who is someone famous that you've met?

I can't really think of anyone REALLY famous, but I did meet Jon Jansen back when he played for the Redskins.

Changes!

I've made a few changes to our blog.  I get bored easily, what can I say?!  :)

First, as I'm sure you can tell, I changed the background.  I also added a section on the right-hand sidebar that has my own personal blogs listed in it.  I started a new blog that I linked to this main one that is about anything 'home' related.  Organizational tips that I may come up with/stumble upon, new recipes that we might try and so on.  They will all be available through this site.  If  you like what you see, pass it on! :) 

Next I added a section for new books I'm reading.  I titled it 'New on Kindle', but they may not all be books I've read on Kindle.  They may be actual hard copies of books.  I also won't post every book I read, but only the ones I HIGHLY recommend. 

Hmm ... I think that's it.  Thanks for taking the time to read about the changes I've recently made!

Sunday Surveys!

Ok, so I want to blog more, but our life is just not as interesting as I'd like it to be, so I'm digging deep for things to blog about.  A friend of mine (thanks, Danielle!) graciously shared this blog that she gets surveys from every week, so I've decided to start posting them here on Sundays, hence - Sunday Surveys!

Survey Theme: White Wedding (some weeks there will be a theme and others there will not)

1. Tell us about the most recent wedding you attended.

I *think* it was John's friends' wedding, Jimmy and Carrie, in June 2010.  That seems like such a LONG time ago!  I was halfway through my pregnancy then with Henry, so it was kind of a bummer to not to feel like partying with everyone else, but the ceremony and reception were both so beautiful!
2. Do you enjoy attending weddings, or do they bore you to tears?

I love them!  We were actually invited to two the same weekend (on on Friday and one on Saturday) the first weekend in August,  but unfortunately I'm unable to attend.  I'd have to spend the night away from Henry and because he's still breastfeeding most of the time, I'm not ready to leave him for that long of a time frame.  John can't wait to attend, though!
3. Does marriage in general make you feel confident and good inside, or skeptical?

Confident and good! 

4. Do you have a photo blog?

Not a photo blog, but a blog in general ... well, yes.  haha
5. Do you find yourself driving less due to the high gas prices?

No not really ... I don't drive a whole lot to begin with.  Work is only 3 miles from the house and I don't go to too many other places.
6. What's the high temperature today where you are?

Not sure, but my guess is high 90s or 100+s.  That's been the norm for almost a week now.
7. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." Agree, or no?

Agree!
8. What's the hottest you've ever been in your life?

Probably this week with the over 100 temps and the torturous humidity.  The heat is one thing, but it's another when you step outside and can barely breathe from it being so humid.
9. Non-temperature related last question: In your opinion... who's hot?

Duh ... my husband! :)

Let's Do 52 Catch-up!

I've missed a few weeks, so I'm going to combine them all into one post for your viewing pleasure ...

Let's Do 52: Week Twenty-Six

Themes were: forgotten or independence (June 26th - July 2nd)

Here's  my biggest guy showing off his independence on his quad.  Pretty sure next year we'll need to get him a new bigger one as he's just about outgrown this one.

Let's Do 52: Week Twenty-Seven

Themes were: journey or summer fun (July 3rd - July 9th)

Henry on our first day of our journey to the Outer Banks.  He was sitting on the hotel bed waiting on Gee, Pap and Jacob to get there, so we could go walk around downtown Williamsburg and get some dinner.  :)

Let's Do 52: Week Twenty-Eight
Themes were: take flight or indulge (July 10th - July 16th)

In the yellow circle you can see the kite that Jacob and Daddy had just helped to take flight at Jockey's Ridge in Nags Head, NC.

Let's Do 52: Week Twenty-Nine

Themes were: secrets and smooth (July 17th - July 23rd)

And, I didn't have any pictures for this particular week.  Sorry!

Stay tuned for next week's pictures ... can't wait to see what the themes are!!!

We're back!

Last week we were on vacation in the Outer Banks and needless to say, we're all a little bummed to be home and back into our normal routine.  I wish we could live at the beach.  I really don't think it'd ever get old!

First, this was the first year Jacob was actually brave enough to be in the ocean.  The last two years he's just sort of hung out on a blanket and played in the sand and maaaaybe let his feet get wet.  This year, though, he was all in the water!  He even begged his Daddy to take him out further and further.  Here are a few pictures of my little dare devil having fun in the water ...

Henry enjoyed some time in the pool last week, but wanted NOTHING to do with the sand.  I wasn't even able to snap a picture of him with his feet in the sand because the poor baby would scream as soon as his feet touched it. 

On Thursday, we took the kids on a dolphin tour ... Jacob was just excited to be going on a boat, I think.  haha  We did see some dolphins, thankfully.  I was a little nervous we wouldn't because when we were little, we went on the same dolphin tour and didn't see a single dolphin!  Thankfully I was able to snap some pictures of the dolphins just as they surfaced for some more air.  Henry, poor kid, was too tuckered out and slept through most of it.  Ah well ... there is always next year!

This week had a few "firsts" for Jacob (Henry was just too little to do much still) ... first time he drove a go-kart (or rode in one - Gee actually drove it), first time he climbed Jockeys Ridge, and first time he flew a kite.  I love when either of them experience something for the first time ... it's like I'm experiencing it for the first time all over again! 

We had to head home on Sunday ... it was sad, but at the same time we had an awesome time and look forward to the next time we get to vacation in the Outer Banks!

What have we been up to?!

A LOT!

Jacob had his gymnastics class that I blogged about back in March.  It went until the beginning of June, every.single.Saturday morning.  It was a long commitment, but I'm glad we did it.  He really enjoyed it a lot!  I'm thinking in the Fall we might look into Soccer and/or a swimming class (he's really enjoying swimming all of a sudden).  Henry had a swimming class that started at the end of April and went through the beginning of June, also, and it too was every single Saturday morning.  It made Saturdays pretty hectic there for awhile, but we've since calmed it down a lot.  They boys really enjoyed their classes, so it makes me glad we enrolled them when we did!

At the beginning of May my 4lb ll oz premie turned 3!  I can hardly believe 3 years have gone by already.  We celebrated at Sea Base in Greensburg, PA with close friends and family.  Jacob loved his party and had a blast at Sea Base.  It was really hard to get him to leave, but we managed.  Here's a picture from his special day.

Since then we've just been hanging out at home a lot.  Henry has been going through some weird growth spurt and/or a sleep regression, so he hasn't been sleeping much and has had us all really tired.

I recently started my own Avon business, too.  That's been keeping me super busy in between kids and working full-time.  Check out my info on the right hand side of this page! 

It's the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and we've had a lot of fun things going on, but I'll make a separate post about them later (once the weekend is officially over), and then next weekend we leave for vacation (Williamsburg for a day and then the Outer Banks for a week!), so I'll have a lot to blog about when we get back!  In the meantime thanks for checking back in with us and I hope to keep our family blog more up to date!  Have a great evening!!

Let's Do 52: Week Twenty-Five

Themes were: Light and On the Shelf (June 19th - June 25th)

I've been slacking in all departments where this blog is concerned and of course the Let's Do 52s were no exception.  I'm back, though, and I hope to be able to finish out the year!  This week I just so happened to take a picture that will work for one of these and I didn't even plan it that way!  Take a look!

Here is Jacob posing for me in front of our new 9 cube shelf - those are just a few of his toys on the shelf.

I'm still here!

I've been such a slacker with this blog, but it's time to get back to it!  Jacob is spending the night with his Gee and Pap, so it's just Henry here with us.  After bed tonight it's on!  I'll be an updatin' fool.  So, stay tuned for a new Let's Do 52 ... or two.  And a "Catch Up" post on everything we've been up to!

Let's Do 52: Week Ten

Themes were: fear and feet (March 5th - March 11th)

This was a fun week for me because I love me some cute little baby feet!  I had a bunch that turned out super cute, but this was probably the best!  Enjoy!



 Henry's adorable, itty-witty, teeny-tiny, little baby feet!  

Next week's themes are: power and up

Jacob's Gymnastics Class!

I'm so glad we decided to do this class.  He loved it!  He's definitely a high energy toddler, so something like this was just what he needed to help get of that out.  We started the class with some stretches and warm-up activities that Jacob was not very fond of.  He's definitely like me where he's shy around people he doesn't know at first.  Anyway, he was super shy and reserved in the beginning and wanted to sit on my lap the whole time, but as soon as he saw his Gee walk in the door and it was open play time, he was ready to go!

He played on the balance beams most of the time and really started to get the hang of it!  He's a natural!  I tried to get him to do some tumbles because I know he CAN do them, but no dice.  Maybe next week!  I'm so excited for the rest of his classes.  We have one a week until June 11th, so lots more fun gym time to come!!

Let's Do 52: Week Nine

Themes were: play and round (February 26th - March 4th)


 Henry playing for the first time in his Jumperoo!  

Next week's themes are: fear and feet

Let's Do 52!

I've been trying to do this on a few different websites I've been on, but it keeps getting let go, so I'm going to try to complete the project here.  You can see the original posts and project information on the Paint the Moon website, but basically it's one photo a week for an entire year.  You have two different themes to choose from each week, and it's supposed to help you enhance your photography skills.  I'll combine a few of the weeks into one blog post, so I don't have to make a bunch of new ones.

Let's Do 52: Week One

Theme was: new beginnings (January 1st - 7th)

I missed this week, somehow.  So, sorry ... no photo.

Let's Do 52 - Week Two

Themes were: togetherness or metal (January 8th - 14th)






  Story of my life.  They are constantly together.  Wherever Henry is, Jacob is not far behind.  :) 
Let's Do 52: Week Three

Themes were: abandoned and doors (January 15th - January 21st)

I actually didn't have a photo for this week either. (I said I have been TRYING to do this, but it keeps falling through, haha.)

Let's Do 52: Week Four

Themes were: blessings and tiny (January 22nd - January 28th)






  My tiny blessing! 

Let's Do 52: Week Five

Themes were: delicate and shadows (January 29th - February 4th)

My delicate littlest man asleep on his daddy.

Let's Do 52: Week Six

Themes were: obsession and hearts (February 5th - February 11th)






My obsessions!
Let's Do 52: Week Seven

Themes were: handmade and macro (February 12th - February 18th)





My handmade Valentine's present from Jacob.  <3 

Let's Do 52: Week Eight

Themes were: strength and green (February 19th - February 25th)

Didn't have anything for this week either.

Next week's themes are play and round.  Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

He's IN!!!

Oh man ... my baby boy, Jacob, has been officially enrolled in preschool and will be starting in the Fall, 2011.  Where has my little baby gone?!  It's so bittersweet.  I'm so excited for what that new chapter in our lives will bring.  He'll be going two days a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 - 11:45 AM.  You can view his new school's website here.  I can't believe in just a few short months I will be the mom to a preschooler!!

Henry's 4 Month Check-up!

On Friday we took Henry in for his 4 month well baby visit.  He's growing like a weed!  He was 7lb 8oz at birth and now weighs a whopping 15lbs 4oz.  He was 21 inches at birth and is now 25 inches.  The poor little guy had to have two shots and one oral vaccine, but he did really well with them.  Only cried for a second and this time I was able to hold him through the whole thing which made me feel better.  I hate that he has to go through that, but I'd rather he have the vaccines than not.

It's crazy how fast they grow!  Here's a picture of Henry when he was 10 days old.







And, here he is at 4 months!  I can't believe how fast the time is flying by!

Our afternoon at the park in mid-February!

That's really unheard of around here, but on Friday we had an unseasonably warm day.  70s and sunny!  It's was GORGEOUS!  John took the day off from work to enjoy some of that nice weather and to have a day alone, but that didn't really happen.  He ended up coming with me to Henry's 4 month well check-up (I'll write about that later) and ran a few of his own errands.  Then after I got off work, we picked the kids up from daycare and we all four headed to our neighborhood park.  Jacob's at the age now where he loves to run, jump and CLIMB on just about anything.  He's pretty independent when it comes to playing on playground equipment, though we still go behind him to spot him.  Just to be on the safe side.  I tried to get a few pictures of him, but he was so excited and so busy exploring that he couldn't stop for even 2 seconds to let me snap a picture.  Here are a few that I was able to get of him, though.





Henry really seemed to love being out in the fresh air too.  He was so calm and relaxed and just all around happy.  He even let me put him the swing and snap a few pictures.  Here are just a few of my favorites!

Date night!

I love date nights!  We haven't really had one in awhile.  Henry is breastfed, so it's hard to leave him with most people.  He'll take a bottle, but the temperature has to be just right or he won't touch it.  He'll take it easily for Roxanne (his daycare provider), but she has been giving him bottles 5 days a week for almost 2 months now.  Anyway, tonight we were lucky enough to get to have a date night and it was just what the doctor ordered!!

We didn't really do much, but when you're with the one you love, you don't really NEED to do much, I guess.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  We drew it out, so dinner last almost 2 hours even though our wait was only about 20 minutes.  It was so great, though!  We had a whole Thai themed dinner.  Thai Lettuce Wraps for an appetizer, Thai Chicken Pasta and Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp.  We shared everything and brought home our leftovers.  We also each had a piece of cheesecake (which ended up being leftovers, too) because we had coupons for them, so they were FREE!  Yum, yum, YUM!

After dinner we didn't really want to spend anymore money and there really isn't alot to do around here besides going to a bar, which neither of us wanted to do, or going to a movie, which is insanely expensive these days.  So, we just drove around for a couple of hours talking and laughing!  It was seriously so much fun and like I said, we didn't really do much at all!  Love ya, boo!!

Valentine's Portrait Session (and Henry's 3 month pictures)!!

On Sunday, I decided I needed to get some 3 month pictures of Henry and then just rolled Valentine's Day into our mix of pictures, so I set up my makeshift portrait studio in my living room and got to snapping the pictures of my babies. Take a look at some of my favorites from our session ....

Henry Update!

I just don't know what to do anymore. I've never looked forward to a doctor's appointment so much in my entire life, but Henry has his 4 month well check on Friday and I can't wait! I pray to God the pediatrician can shed some light on why he's such a bear all of a sudden to get to sleep and STAY asleep.

I've found if I lay in bed with him and nurse him for his naps, then we're good. He's at least taking decent naps that way AND (win/win for me!) I get to catch up on my shows on the DVR, lol. I tried it with bedtime tonight and it was a big fat FAIL! I was able to nurse him down and get him so he was asleep enough that HE popped himself off, but as soon as I left the room and got settled on the couch, he was awake and screaming again. *sigh* I ended up giving him 2 more ounces by bottle. That was enough that he was relaxed and didn't tense up when I put him in his crib. He wasn't asleep, but he's not crying right now and it's been about 10 minutes (*crosses fingers* that he doesn't start crying now that I said all of this). I might just have to do this every night for awhile until he gets over this growth spurt/4 month sleep regression, whatever it is. I just don't know anymore. I find myself praying a lot more than I ever used to ... for patience, strength and guidance because I've never been this stumped and frustrated in all of my life.

Why didn't I try this sooner?!

Apparently all I need to do to get Henry to lay down and take a nap is lay down with him myself. Wish I had thought about this a month ago! We laid down in our bed and he nursed side-lying (first time this has really worked, ever!) for 45 minutes. The first 10 minutes was him truly eating. The last 35 minutes was him taking a little snooze. I'm gonna give it another go in a few hours when he takes nap #2 of the day. I usually like to do housework or catch up on my shows when the kids are sleeping, but for the time being I think I'll just take his naps how I can get them. At least me HAVING to lay down with him means I get some downtime and I can get caught up on my shows in bed. I think I might actually start to look forward to 3 naps a day! haha I'm praying that him actually getting some sleep during the day will make for an easier time going to bed at night, too. Stay tuned to hear how the rest of the day goes, nap-wise, and how bedtime tonight goes!!

They grow so fast!

Babies, that is. I can hardly believe how fast these kids are growing.

Henry will be 4 months old on Monday. I feel like he was just born. Like they were just showing him to me for the first time. That grey, goopy little baby. Some days I miss those moments so much. I miss having a sweet little innocent newborn.

He's learning so much, though, and reaching all types of milestones. He's almost outgrown his 3-6 month clothing already. He's SO tall! He's trying to sit up on his own already. He loves to pull himself into a sitting position. He's also getting super close to rolling over. He really wants to, he just can't get his little leg up and over quite yet. He thinks his brother hung the moon, too. Jacob can dance around in front of him and he'll laugh hysterically at him. It's great because Jacob can entertain Henry while I get a little cleaning or cooking done. haha We're having some serious sleep issues with him right now. I'm praying they're short-lived because I don't know how much more I can take.

Jacob, my biggest little guy, is going to be 3 in May. I can't believe how fast time has gone. Where did my little 4 lb premie go?! It's time to start thinking about preschool for him already! He cracks me up every single day. He has something new to say or do almost every day. He loves fire trucks, buses, trucks, cars and airplanes. He's a true boy, through and through. He knows most of his letters, all of his colors, shapes and numbers. He's just such a smart little guy. I really feel honored to be his mother!

We have a lot of fun things to look forward to in the next coming weeks/months. Valentine's Day is on Monday. Then we've got Easter and Jacob's birthday. Then Summer will be here before we know it! This Spring, though, we're also going to be enrolling both boys in a swimming class and more than likely Jacob in a gymnastics class. I can't wait for the upcoming months, and I can't wait to share it all with everyone else!!!

A Post a Day!

That's my new goal. I've been slacking terribly in keeping this blog up to date, so I'm going to start a challenge with myself to do a post a day for an entire month. That will start March 1st. I'll still try to update in between now and then, but the actual challenge begins on the 1st. :o)