Weekend Wrap Up

We had such a great weekend! My FAVORITE days of the week are Fridays when I know that I have a whole TWO days ahead of me for family and just doing whatever it is we want to do!

Friday night I met up with Gwen and Brockette for dinner. These are two fairly new friends of mine and it was SO fun to have dinner. We sat and gabbed for three hours! I’ve gotten to know Gwen just from reading her blog and then twitter/IG. Brockette’s little girl started taking gymnastics at the same time as Ava and we spend the hour chatting. And it turns out the Gwen and Brockette send their children to the same school so they knew who the other was but didn’t really know each other. We laughed SO much and it was just so great to spend some time with new friends. I’ve really spent a lot of time praying about this area of my life and I feel blessed that God has been sending new sweet friends my way! Here I was heading there – excited for some mama time!

Saturday we got up and did some things around the house and grocery shopped and all that jazz. As I was picking up around the house, Reed came to me with a boy and kept saying “bow. bow. bow” and putting it up on his head. So we put it in for him. He then thought he needed some lipstick!

That afternoon Zach played golf while I helped do some setting up for a surprise birthday party for my friend/boss. We had to pick up balloons and a cake and then while we were there and I was pulling the balloons out, her husband drove up in HER car and I think my heart jumped out of my chest! After we set up, Ava felt the need to do some posing for me!

That night, we hired our first non-family baby-sitter. Except she is really family because it was one of my younger cousins. ha! But it was the first time we had someone come to our house and stay with them and put them to bed while we were gone. When we walked in Reed gave her a glare, and then he ran to me crying “mama!!!!!” and I got neeeeeeeeeeeeeervous. We had first planned to just have her come shortly before we needed to leave around 7:15 and put Reed to bed. Then we changed our minds and decided to meet my cousin (who is also my co-worker and friend of my boss as well) and her husband for dinner. So I was super nervous about leaving someone to put Reed to bed. But, we were able to get him to warm up to her in about 10 minutes and they went to play in Ava’s room and we snuck out!!!!!!!

I was sooooooooo relieved! He did cry a little around bed time and wandered around looking for us, but overall he did GREAT! And so did Ava. I’m so glad because this means that maybe Zach and I can get out a little more. We’re not great about date nights just because we’ve been nervous about having a sitter the kids didn’t know all that well. And even though she was my cousin, when we’re at family get togethers, she’s not the one they are around since she’s 15 and they are busy playing. And the only down side was that Ava woke up at 2:15 crying and asking where Emily was.

We had a good time out and the surprise party was really fun! However, I told Zach he better not do anything like that for me b/c I would never want to experience the terror I saw last night! 

We woke up and went to church early on Sunday and then had breakfast. I loved the dress Ava wore so I made her take a picture for me!

The kids both stayed up a little early on Saturday night so they were really tired. We all laid down for naps around noon. I slept for about an hour and then enjoyed some quiet time in the house while everyone else slept longer!

We spent the rest of the afternoon doing a couple of errands, taking care of some projects, and playing outside. It was a wonderful weekend and I’m hopeful for a week just as wonderful!

Influenster Sugar N Spice Vox Box

Have you heard of Influenster? Per their website, “Influenster is a free-to-join community of invited trendsetters who live to give opinions of products and experiences. Influenster creates links between brands and members to reward participation and influence future products.” So basically, it’s a way for people on social media to share their thoughts about products!

Influenster sends out various boxes filled with goodies for people to test and review. I recently received my first box, the Sugar ‘N Spice VoxBox.

Below is a summary of the items that were in the box, as well as what I think about these products!

Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturizer

This is a continuous spray moisturizer and I must say I LOVE this! It sprays on really nice and I think it really is making my skin very soft. It also dries very quickly and isn’t greasy like other lotions/moisturizers AT ALL!!

belVita Breakfast Biscuits

I have no pictures of these as I ate them before taking one! ha! These are packets of breakfast biscuits that are designed to release steady energy to you throughout the day. I had the Cinnamon Brown Sugar flavor and I REALLY liked these! As I normally eat breakfast on the go, I was pleased to try and find another option for something in the morning.

Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes

I really, really like these. One night I was particularly tired and didn’t feel like messing with my normal evening skin care routine so I just grabbed one of these. It didn’t contain anything that hurt to put on my face but it was strong enough to get all of my make up removed. I think these would be really great for on the go travel if you didn’t want to pack your whole skin care regimen.

Colgate Optic White Collection: Colgate Optic White Toothpaste, Colgate Optic White Mouthwash, and The Optic White Toothbrush

I was PUMPED to get this! I had been thinking about doing some sort of home whitening system and then voila, this appeared! I also needed a new toothbrush so I was doubly excited. I’ll admit that I’m normally a Colgate girl anyway when it comes to toothpaste and brushes. I have been so pleased with all of these products. I’ve noticed a difference in my teeth and I like how the mouthwash makes my mouth feel incredibly clean and fresh!

Nectresse Sweetener

Nectresse is a new artificial sweetener that is made from monk fruit and is combined with some other natural sweeteners. I’ll be honest: I have dipped my finger in this and tasted it and I thought it tasted somewhat similar to sugar. However, I’ve really tried to cut artificial sweeteners out of my diet in the last 9 months. I gave up Diet Coke last July and have really tried to avoid other things with artificial sweeteners as well. I will say that I would be inclined to use this over some others because it didn’t leave a funny aftertaste to me so maybe it’s a closer substitute to sugar than some of the others?

This was so fun to receive this and get to try some new products. I will be buying several of these on my own! Thanks Influenster for the fun VoxBox!!!

On why I blog

Some days I wonder what it is that I’m doing blogging? I’m not a creative writer. I don’t have interesting things to discuss and I don’t have a “theme” blog. I don’t get paid to come here and share stories. I don’t even know if more than five people read it! And some days the prospect of sitting down to write when I have other things I’d rather do really weighs on me.

I have been seriously giving consideration over the past several weeks of where this blog is going. Is it time to call it quits? Take a break? Trudge through? I honestly wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

And then the day before Easter, Ava and I were talking about her dress and how pretty she would look, and we decided to look back at her pictures from previous Easters. She loved seeing herself as a baby and each year after. She told me she “membered” wearing some of the dresses, though I know she didn’t.

And in that moment, I knew why I blog. I do it so we can remember those moments. I can look back at a given time and relive those moments. The thoughts, the feelings, the emotions involved are all brought back to life, fresh and vivid. And I love that.

I love that if I need to know something I can look back and see – when I wanted to remember how to do something with Reed, I knew there was a good chance I could look back at that time with Ava and there was a good chance I’d have it documented.

Not only that, one day this will be a memory book for the kids as well. They will be able to look back and see so many things about their childhood. Ava already loves looking back at old pictures of herself, and I have no doubt, that as she grows, she will enjoy this even more.

I have also made some great new friends through blogging. It’s funny how it can open up your world. Blogging helped my brother find his wife & his wife has become one of my very best friends! I love the community that is created through blogging. I have found or been given some fun opportunities and/or things through blogging. I learn about things I might not otherwise know about from other blogs! There are goods that definitely outweigh the bads!!

So, maybe I don’t write every day, or every other day, or even more than two times a week. And maybe no one reads it, but at the end of it all, this is for me, and for my family, and for our memories. And' that’s enough for me.

Build ‘Em Up: Remembering Me

I am linking up today for the Build ‘Em Up Series hosted by Life in the Green House, Blue-Eyed Bride, Kelly’s Korner, and Lil Light O’ Mine.

Today’s link up topic is “Remembering You – taking care of yourself and keeping your identity”.

Wow. As a busy mom of two, it’s HARD finding time for myself. It’s hard for ANY mom. If you stay at home, you’re with your children practically 24/7. If you work, as I do, then you spend your time in the mornings/evenings, getting things ready for the next day, and your time away from your children is spent working. Finding time for myself in the midst of keeping our home clean, the laundry done, children loved and happy, is not something that is easy to do, but it is NECESSARY.

I have a love/hate relationship with taking time for myself. Often times, when I do make time for me, I feel incredibly guilty for doing so. I feel bad for leaving the kids with Zach or I feel bad that I’m not spending time with them. But I also know that having time for me is a way I take care of myself both mentally and emotionally. It makes me a better wife and a better mother.

This last week, I had a dilemma. Ava had something in the morning that I needed to be at, and Zach had something in the afternoon and I needed to be there, also. I didn’t know how to juggle that and work, or how to let one of them down and which one to let down. So I decided to take a day off from work. And you know what? I felt GUILTY. Even though I was doing it to be there for them, I felt bad that I was going to have several hours between these functions and I’d be using a day off when they weren’t able to be with me! And then I got to thinking. WHY should I feel that way? I work hard at home and I make sure that everything that needs to happen, happens. So what if I used one of my 19 days off  when they wouldn’t be around when I use the other 18 to spend time with them?

I think moms are wired like that. They take care of everything and everyone else and more often than not, they put themselves last. We work tirelessly, do chores, fix boo-boos, cook, clean, and a million other things – why should we not get the time to relax, too?

I know everyone is different and enjoys different things so here are some of the ways I take care of me and keep my identity (and sanity!):

• I spend my lunch hours in three ways: exercising, running errands, or lunch with friends. The exercise is for me. If I don’t do it at lunch, the only other time I can fit it in is to wake up at 5:00 a.m. I much prefer doing it at lunch. I also like to use this time to meet up with friends for a quick visit. Running errands isn’t so much for me, but it does keep me from having to do them with the kids in tow.
• Devotional time – this feeds my soul and honestly keeps me sane.
• I don’t do it often, but I love going to get a pedicure! There is something so relaxing about having my feet in a tub of warm water and my nails getting all pretty!
• Girls nights out!!! There isn’t much that is as uplifting to me as hours filled with my favorite girlfriends! I had a girls night this past Saturday and actually get to have another this Friday. I’m SO grateful for this time to just forget about everything for a while and spend time with people I truly enjoy being around. I’ve even done a couple girls’ weekends and they are SO wonderful. Time away is sometimes the key to coming back feeling refreshed and renewed!
• If an errand needs to be run over the weekend, sometimes I’ll escape by myself and have a little leisurely shopping time. I love when the errand includes needing to stop at Target and I can peruse the aisles slowly and by myself! I also LOVE being able to listen to the music I want and singing along!!!!
• Date nights! Now, that’s not necessarily alone time, but as a couple, Zach and I need alone time too. We don’t do as well as we should in regular date nights but we do try as often as we can. This past fall, we also took our first extended getaway. Let me say this: being away from the kids for 2-3 days and being able to just be Zach & Sarah and not Dad & Mom was SO good for us. I know that’s not easy to do, and I don’t know how often we’ll be able to do it, but I’d highly recommend it!
• Reading! Losing myself in a good book can be so therapeutic for me. I don’t have enough time to read as much as I’d like, but it’s something I truly do enjoy so when I get the time for it, it’s a great way for me to unwind.

Life is full of hustle and bustle. I hate thinking that I may miss out on something with my kids, but I realized something else over this weekend. My girlfriends and I spent an evening at our house on Saturday evening. Zach took the kids out for a while. I’ll say this – my kids and I are so lucky because Zach is an AWESOME daddy! He does SO much and shares so much of the responsibility of the kids, but he doesn’t often have alone time and the chance to do activities with them like I do. Me having this time over the weekend was good for him and the kids, also. They were dependent on him and they got to make memories with him. I will definitely remember that the next time I feel guilty about needing some me time.

I’m SO SO SO grateful for my little family. I wouldn’t change one thing about us. But the days (and nights) can be hard, and taking care of me and taking time for me helps keep things in perspective!

Reed – 18 months

My little Reed turned 18 months old yesterday. A year and a half. I don’t even know how that is possible. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting at this very desk and computer, the night before his birth, writing letters to him and Ava. I blinked and now here we are.

 

Reed,

This is one of the ages I LOVE the most. You are learning SO much, and soaking up every little thing and I love seeing you achieve new things, especially ones that you’ve been attempting a while. You are always doing something that makes us laugh. I cannot believe how fast your little life is moving and know that in what will feel like mere days, we will be celebrating your 2nd birthday.

These are some of the things I want to remember about you at 18 months:

• You have 12 teeth and two of your eye teeth have poked through and the other two are getting ready to do the same. I also think your two year molars are starting to work their way in. I can’t say I’ll be sad to see this process over.
• Your sister has loved watching TV and for the longest time you showed ZERO interest. Now you are very much into some certain shows. Your favorite show is Chuggington. Every morning you wake up and while you are getting dressed you say “Choo-choo?” asking to watch it. You also really like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Doc McStuffins and Jake & the Neverland Pirates.
• Your vocabulary has EXPLODED! You can say so many words and even some phrases. Your words include mama, dada, Ava, bye-bye, more, pease, tank-tou, alright, bath, milk, nack (snack), pay (play), outside, ipa (iPad), Choo-choo, mickey, Doc, school, lets go, a’mon (come on), lets go, stop, eat, Hamaw, Papa, blabla (banana), cacker (cracker), coocoo (cookie), hi, huh, mine, tan-take (pancake – his favorite breakfast!), dink (drink), no, hello, ju (juice), and I’m sure I’m forgetting some.
• You LOVE taking showers! You love baths as well and when it’s time for either you run as fast as your little legs can carry you.
• You’ve started wanting to sleep in! I LOVE this. On mornings where we don’t have to get up and get ready, you’ll sleep until about 7:30.
• You go to bed between 7:00 and 7:30 most nights.
• We’ve started limiting your paci and it makes you mad. You go try to get it out of your bed a lot and you whine when you can’t get it.
• You can say and know where the following body parts are: head, nose, eye, ear, hand, foot, leg, arm, and belly. You like to point to mine or your daddy’s nose and announce nose especially while we are at church!
• Your favorite songs are the Wheels on the Bus and 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. When you want to sing WOB, you make the round-round motion with your hands and say “rou – rou” and when you want to sing about the monkeys you tap on your head.
• You have REALLY bad allergies and are suffering pretty badly right now. You get extremely congested and also get very bad circles under your eyes.
• When we talk to you and end it with okay? you always reply “kay” or “otay”. So cute.
• When you want someone to hold you, you walk up to them, lift your arms, and open and close your fists.
• When something amazes you or shocks you, you say “WHOA!” It’s so funny and SO adorable.
• You wear size 18 month clothes and will probably move into 24 months soon.
• You walk a little bow legged and it’s so cute. The doctor says you will outgrow this.
• You’ve started giving kisses on command instead of when you want. Love your big open mouth sloppy kisses!

You are so funny and so sweet. For the most part, you are such a good, well behaved little boy. You definitely are asserting your opinions and thoughts right now, but overall, you are an easy kid. I love you to pieces, sweet boy!!!!

Tuesday Tidbits

Some weeks I just don’t feel blogging. When I have the time, I’m either tired, choose work around the house, or have been choosing to spend a little more time just living in the moment. That being said, I don’t want to give this up and I actually have a blog post coming soon on why I blog.

These are little moments that happened last week and while they may just be simple little moments, these are the things that our life is made of and these are the moments I want to look back on in 20 years and smile remembering them!

Reed is kind of obsessed with the iPad (in fact, it’s a little sad, but one of his limited words is i-Pa). We really try not to let him have it all that much but he ALWAYS wants it. I took it away from him the other night after he snuck it and this was the look he gave me.

Some days these two fight like cats and dogs, and other days they really love each other! I’m so grateful to be their mommy!

Ava’s dance recital is coming up next month and her costume finally came in. We had to try it on at dance last week and she is really excited about her “recical”. When we had to order the costume, she asked me if someone was making it or if we had to buy it. I told her someone was making it but that we still had to pay for it. She asked me if it cost a lot, and I told her yes and she told me I could have the money out of her piggy bank to pay for it. Sweet, sweet girl.

We had some nice weather one night last week and we decided to eat dinner outside. The kids LOVED it!  Reed felt like SUCH a big boy getting to sit at the picnic table with Ava!!! he loved it!

Friday morning I was cleaning some stuff up and came across some coupons that I need to cut up. I decided to let Ava do it instead. She loves cutting things and I didn’t have to do it! Win-win!

There isn’t much that I love more than a sleeping baby, no matter how old they get! 

And this kid? His eyes and his smile are enough to melt me! I can’t get enough of him!!!!

So, there you go. That’s the catch up on things we’ve been doing.

Easter 2013

 

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Matthew 28:6

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating our Risen Lord! Ava had a celebration at school last Thursday and she was excited to wear the cross shirts they made and to hunt eggs.  

We all had the day off on Friday and it was a nice day. We were at home most of the day, with the exception of attending our Good Friday service. I definitely enjoyed an extra day at home with the kids.

Saturday we dyed Easter eggs for the first time. Both kids really enjoyed it. Reed liked putting the egg in the dye and then clapping! Ava was just overall giddy!!!  

We woke up to rain and thunder on Easter morning. Because the kids went to bed a little later than normal the night before, they slept pretty late. When I went in to get Reed a little after eight, he was sitting like this in his bed!

They had fun digging through their baskets to see what goodies they had!

Ava has a thermos from the Disney store that every time Reed sees, he lunges for it trying to drink out of it. I’m happy to report that he now has his own and he was so excited! 

We were ready for church in time to attempt some photos. Fortunately by this point, it had stopped raining. Unfortunately, the photo session was stressful as usual! It’s hard getting them to cooperate without acting a fool!

This girl is growing WAY too fast. I can’t believe how grown up she is looking. Seriously.

Reed is too cool to take a picture for his dear old mom. A boy’s gotta be on the move, no? Love this crazy boy!

This would’ve been a cute picture except my lens apparently fogged up a bit. Bummer. It’s so hard getting them both to cooperate for a decent picture!!

We headed off to church and had just a couple minutes to spare so we attempted a couple more pictures, and even traded family pics with another family! (Thanks, Sheri!!!!)

After church, I did manage to capture this sweet photo of these two. I love how sweet and angelic they look after making me a hot mess during church! ;)

We had Easter lunch and after that it was time for the big Easter egg hunt. Ava was all about some egg hunting.

This picture of Ava cracks me up. She was a girl on a mission!

Reed enjoyed hunting, too. At our house in the morning, he found out quickly that some of the eggs had gummies in them. He’d pick up an egg, open it, eat the gummies, and then repeat! He wasn’t worried about getting the most egg, just making sure he got what was on the inside!

By the time we were heading home, this little dude was EXHAUSTED!! 

We had a wonderful day celebrating the Resurrection! I’m ever grateful for the sacrifice Jesus made for us!!!!