Love, The Arthurs

Mind=Blown

2012-01-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was contacted by Time Out For Women- which is a totally fantastic website that is all about uplifting and inspiring women- asking me if they could include one of my posts on their website.

Um, seriously? Me? How quickly could I say yes?

I was completely and utterly SHOCKED! I was seriously geekily excited here, guys. This totally amazing website contacted me. Okay, I'm not doing a good job explaining myself here (I'm still over-the-moon excited here, so let's just blame it on that), but it was an amazing moment. I am excited and 100% nervous about the thought of so many amazing women reading my little ole blog.

If you are interested in checking it out, head on over to Time Out for Women - Me & Clothes. And let me know what you think!

And finally, a HUGE thank you to TOFW for giving me this amazing opportunity! You guys are the best!

Sometimes...

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Love this photo. I think I need to get Broox a superman shirt and recreate it.

Plus I love the message. We all need to be our own heros. Or at least believe that we can be when we need to be.

Found it on pinterest. Edited it a tiny bit. Not taking any credit for the genius of it, whatsoever.

Mommy Tag

2012-01-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was tagged about a million and a half times on facebook {I don't mind at all, it makes me feel like I have friends :) } so I decided to just post them on here!

1. Was the pregnancy with your first born planned?
yes!

2. Were you married at the time?
yup

3. What were your reactions?
total shock, sheer joy, disbelief, a little scared

4. Was abortion an option for you?
never!

5. How old were you?
22, almost 23

6. How did you find out you were pregnant?
Well, since we had already miscarried and were trying, and I was going to the doctor all the time for blood draws and meds to help ovulate, etc...I was testing ALL the time. Way before it should even show up. I woke up at like 3 in the morning and tested....super faint positive, but it was there! I wasn't even 4 weeks along.

7. Who did you tell first?
my Ben! I woke him up I was so excited!

8. Did you want to find out the sex?
Oh yeah! I couldn't wait!

9. Due date?
Originally December 26, then changed to December 23, 2008

10. Did you have morning sickness?
Totally. I was sick from conception until I pushed her out.

11. What did you crave?
French fries. Always French fries.

12. Who/What irritated you the most?
Everything. Because everything made me even more nauseous.

13. What was your first child's sex?
Female

14. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you were getting?
Nope, I always wanted a girl first!

15. How may pounds did you gain throughout your pregnancy?
17...

16. Did you have a baby shower?
yeah, 4! Everyone was so sweet!

17. Was it a surprise or did you know?
I knew about them but that didn't make them any less fun! Oh wait...my first one was a total surprise! I was only like 18 weeks along, but we were leaving from the summer job soon, so my summer family threw me a surprise shower -- sooo sweet of them! And I was totally shocked! I didn't see it coming at all!

18. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
Yeah...first I had Placenta Previa, then my belly didn't grow enough, so they thought my baby had IntraUterine Growth Restriction, then when I was in labor, it happened so fast, my body went into shock. And before all that, since I'd previous had a bad miscarriage that my body didn't recognize, they were monitoring me super closely the entire time. I had 4 ultrasounds to make sure everything was on track.

19. Where did you give birth?
American Fork Hospital

20. How many hours were you in labor?
Only 3 1/2 to fully dilate, but by the time she was born (we had to wait for shift change, etc),it was just over 6 hours total.

21. Who drove you to the hospital?
Ben. It was totally like a movie -- Ben running red lights, driving as fast as he could safely on icy roads, me practically dying from the pain....

22. Who watched you give birth?
Ben, the doctor, and a nurse.

23. Was it natural or C-section?
natural

24. Did you take medicine to ease the pain?
Oh yes, from the very first contraction, I was pretty much begging for the epidural

25. How much did your child weigh?
6lbs 10oz

26. When was your child actually born?
December 26, 2008

27. What did you name her?
Taelie Belle Arthur

28. How old is your first born today?
3 Years, 2 weeks

Soul Searching

2012-01-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

We all have our own struggles. This much is pretty obvious I think. So many times I've wished I had someone else's trials instead of my own. Theirs seem easier to bear than mine. I'm sure others think the same thing about my life though, and to be completely honest, I do have a really great life and so much to be thankful for. But even so, sometimes life feels hard.

The last couple weeks have been especially trying. My kids are at a stage where church is especially difficult. So much so that a couple of weeks ago after a particularly difficult meeting, I very seriously told Ben, "That's it! We are not going to church ever again! That is the only solution to this problem!" And I meant it. It sure seemed like we would never get anything out of church ever again. Maybe I was being a little dramatic...I've been known to over react at times...but I just felt so, so...overwhelmed. I was trying SO hard to do what I needed to do. I wanted to feel the Spirit and I wanted to be there. It just felt so futile. But, being dramatic or not, the memory of that meeting was enough to keep us (mostly because of my insistence) away for the next couple weeks.

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but when I don't go to church, I start to forget why I do go to church. Does that make sense? I don't feel like my testimony comes naturally to me. I really have to work for it. If I relax on praying or reading my scriptures, or anything, I start to lose that burning feeling in my heart, and I begin to think that I am just fine without it. My husband is much better than I am. He is just inherently good. He has an unshakeable testimony, and he takes it very seriously. I often feel like I don't measure up to him in that regard. He is just so solid. For me, it's like I have to fight for it. I have a strong...gypsy spirit, I guess you could say. I like to be free. I don't like rules. I like to travel and move around a lot. I don't put down really deep roots. And I don't like to be tied down. I've often said that if I hadn't married Ben, I doubt I would have gotten married at all. He balances me, somehow. He gives me roots. Something I want to come home to. If it weren't for him and the family we've made, I think I would have been perfectly content to just travel the world forever, never settling down in one place. I tell you all this simply because I think this relates to my difficulty with keeping a strong testimony. Immature as it is, I push against anything that tries to tell me what I should or should not do.

So, a couple of days ago, I told Ben that we needed to have a serious discussion about whether or not we were really going to be LDS. I know that sounds weird. But hear me out. I was sick of "being LDS" but not really acting like it. I mean, we weren't blatantly going against any teachings or anything. But we weren't truly living the way we should be either. I didn't want to continue this way. It was either a) choose to be LDS and mean it. Or b) choose not to be and mean it. We weren't going to half and half it anymore. We were either LDS or we weren't. We actually had a very serious, long discussion about it. About the pros and cons. About what would or would not change if we decided to stop going to church. I think Ben was just humoring me, to be honest. And I told him we should both think about it seriously for a couple of days and see how we felt then. I tend to get all caught up in the moment at times and make rash decisions. Ben knows this (knows me better than I know myself), and I'm sure knew that I would come to my senses after "sitting" on the decision for a couple days. I don't know if he realizes how seriously I thought about it over the next few days. I talked with one of my very best friends about it. Around home, I was quiet a lot...VERY unusual for me. I wanted to be sure I really knew what I was deciding.

And now I know what I want.

I did a LOT of soul searching the last couple days....a LOT. I thought about everything that makes me, me. And who I want to be in the future. What I want for my kids, my life, my marriage...everything.

And after awhile it was clear to me that fighting for my testimony is a big part of who I am. I've fought for it my whole life because it's important to me. It's a trial and a blessing. It keeps me from becoming complacent. It helps clear my mind and see what is REALLY important to me. If it came easily to me, would I really care? Would I try so hard to find out the truth? Would I fight to know, if I didn't have to work to know? I'm not so sure, to be honest. What I do know is this. I need the church in my life. For me, I'm stronger because I have to question it. It makes me dig deeper. I'm sure over the course of my life, I'll fight again and again. Because it is true. And, as prideful as I am, I do need it in my life. But it's worth it. It's always worth it.

I must share

2011-12-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

I've been hesitant to put this on here. Not sure why. If you're friends with me on FB, you already know, anyway.

I've started selling Paparazzi Accessories.

And I. LOVE. IT.

Yes, it really must be in all caps like that. That is how much I love it and how passionate I feel about it.

I joined 2 months ago. And I wish I would have joined MONTHS ago. It's that amazing.

But let me back up.

I'm sure a ton of you haven't heard of Paparazzi - I hadn't either.
It's a newer company - Paparazzi itself has been around for a couple years but they just became a direct-sales company in December of last year. There are only about 2,000 consultants in the entire US, which makes this a perfect time to start! Just for comparisons sake, there are over 280,000 Scentsy consultants. Can you imagine if you would've been in the first 2,000 when Scentsy started? And then just stayed active? You'd be a freakin millionaire by now. But I digress.

All of Paparazzi's accessories sell for only $5.00. Yes, you read that right -- FIVE DOLLARS! And the little girl stuff is even less expensive! Not only that, but everything is really cute too -- Paparazzi follows the trends in Europe so it always has the most up and coming styles. I love it. We have necklaces, earrings, bracelets, headbands, flower clips, rings, etc all for an awesome, AFFORDABLE price!

I love doing parties and home shows, cause there is always a great turnout (cute product at a perfect price), I get to have girl's nights and I meet a ton of really fun women -- all while getting paid to do something I love! You make 45% commission on every sale -- it's crazy! I've looked at a bunch of different home party companies, and for me, this was really the PERFECT fit!

If you want to check it out, head on over to Paparazzi Accessories, or to see SOME of the jewelry/hair stuff we have, check out my facebook page.

Okay, I know I sound like a commercial, I'm sorry about that. I am really just sooo excited, I must share it with everyone. If you are interested in learning more, seriously just contact me, and I'd be more than happy to help. Or if you just want jewelry or to book a party, let me know! I'd love to do one for you!

for my superstars

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Words can't express what these perfect little children mean to me. Every good moment, every sad moment, triumph, disappointment,joy, trial, laugh...the list goes on and on...I feel them all -- magnified a million times because a part of me, my heart, and my soul is inside both of them.

It's hard sometimes, having part of yourself outside of you, but so infinitely worth it.

love my babies.

my ben

2011-11-16T08:00:00.001-07:00

Love this man. More than words can say.

p.s. quote image found on Pinterest

just us

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had our family pictures taken a couple weeks ago and I absolutely LOVE them. So, my apologies, but you are about to get a picture overload! (I just can't pick my favorites!) Help me figure out which ones to print out in the comments!

I love her face here!

This is pretty much the face Broox gives us ALL the time!

And this pretty much sums up their relationship!

I LOVE his cheeser grin! Luckily for me I get this look quite a bit too!

And this is totally Ben's relationship with Broox -- they are two peas in a pod!

I love my little family!

Now, obviously, I can't hang all these pictures up in my house, so which ones should I choose? I love so so SO many of them!

p.s. I know these are already on Facebook, but I can't get enough of them!

Gone fishin'

2011-11-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Clearly I am unable to hide my addiction to Pinterest. And having the app on my phone just makes it all the more enticing. I mean, it is just SO fast! "I have two minutes to spare? Sweet! Let's see what's going on on Pinterest! I'll just check real quick...." Twenty minutes later..."Ah crap! What was I doing again before I got caught up pinning?" Story of my life, I tell ya.

One of my favorite things (of which, unfortunately, there are MANY) to look up are hairstyles. I've attempted to copy a couple of looks that I've seen there (unfortunately, my hair skills leave much to be desired...anyone wondered why my hair is ALWAYS in a bun? Wonder no more, my friends.) but one of my absolute faves is the fishtail braid.

All summer long, (and still, to be completely honest) I've been rocking the fishtails.

So fast. So easy. Awesome way to keep my hair off my face and neck in sticky Kansas humidity. And just different enough than a normal braid that it gives it a little something-something to me :)

And maybe I forgot how to do them the first time, (because I'm pretty sure the last time I did one was on my barbies), so I might have watched a youtube video just to remind me. Maybe. And then I realized all over again how simple they are and felt like and idiot.

But at least my hair was awesome. :)

Every single time I've had my hair in fishtail(s), guaranteed, someone has mentioned it -- friends, family, even strangers at the store. It's crazy.

Taelie even asks for her hair in fishtail braids now. She's a smart one, that girl. Knows all sorts of braid names. She'll tell me if she wants a fishtail, french, long, piggy, or front braid. And how many.

I had a pic of Taelie's fishie braids to put here, but when I updated my phone, I lost a ton of pics. Sad, sad day. :(

And of course, my inspiration picture. I can't quite get the hang of it all messy-like, like she does here. I tend to do mine tighter, but I like that look too, so it's all good. :)

p.s. pic is, of course, from pinterest, where else?

p.p.s. There's definitely more pinterest-inspired hair pics on the way, just fyi. Cause you know me, I just can't stop pinning! :)

today

2011-11-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

Today was hard.

Well, every Sunday is hard to be honest. Our church meets at 1 pm and is three hours long. This is right during Broox's nap time. And he will NOT nap in our arms. Instead he'll arch his back and scream bloody murder and hit himself and hit me and scream and cry so much he literally starts to hyperventilate. So obviously I can't keep him in the meetings. But I don't feel like I can keep him in the mother's room either, where there are other babies trying to eat or sleep in peace. What he wants is just to be put down so he can run around wherever he wants. But he can only move so much in the meetings, so he gets mad and starts to scream. And we don't let him run around out in the halls because we feel like that is counter-productive to what we are trying to teach him. Why would he want to sit in the meeting if he knows he can run in the halls?

So we fight. Every Sunday. It's exhausting. More so mentally than anything else. I feel like such a mean mom because he is so upset and doesn't understand why a)he can't just sleep in his bed and b)why mommy won't let him down to play. Usually we just struggle through the 3 hours and leave completely spent at the end of it. Today, we didn't even make it halfway through the first meeting. And then I feel like a failure. If I just give up, how is he supposed to learn the right way to act? But I couldn't do it anymore. And I knew he would be the same way for Ben. So we left. And at home he took a 3+hour nap. Which was further frustrating to me because obviously I was right, and he NEEDED his sleep, but would NOT for the life of him calm down enough to sleep.

I feel like I am a very patient mom. I very rarely raise my voice, and I truly enjoy the time I spend with my kids. I don't feel frazzled or out of control (for the most part). My kids are surrounded by love and they know it. I understand that Broox is only 15 months and it takes time to learn how to act at church. I understand that he is so young that when he gets frustrated or tired and can't express himself he's going to get upset. I understand all this. So really, there is no reason for me to feel frustrated by it. It's just a process. But I was still so upset by it.

I NEED to go to church. Like, I really NEED to, because when I don't, it's easy for me to forget WHY I go to church. It's easy for me to justify not going and then little seeds of doubt creep in. When I go to church, I feel the Spirit and am reminded how much I believe and how much I need the church in my life. If I miss one Sunday, I can pretty much guarantee I'll miss a couple more. It's very important in our family to make it to church. It's really like a breath of fresh air for me. I can clear my head, get clarification in my life, and feel renewed for the week. So missing most of it today (and what I was there for was spent wrestling Broox), really affected my. I could feel my insides get all tense while I was quietly whispering to Broox and trying to calm him down. I wasn't ever tense with HIM, but I could feel it building inside, until I felt like I was going to explode. I was trying here. Really trying. And it seemed like it didn't even matter.

I don't really have a point for this post...just to get it out, I guess. Write it out, and get it out of my system so I can move past it. Because really, even though today was ridiculously hard, we'll be right there again next Sunday. And the Sunday after that. And the one after that. Because that's what we do. Our family goes to church. Our family does hard things. We can't do it alone, but we CAN do it.

I can?

2011-09-23T07:00:00.005-07:00

I've never been good at working out. Except for a couple months when I was 19. I ran 5 miles every day then. It was somehow therapuetic to me. I've lost that. Now I run two houses down and I think I'm going to die.

I've never played sports. I'm not athletic. Was defnitely always one of those that was picked last. I have ZERO coordination. Seriously, it's pathetic. I still don't like playing sports because I suck at them. It's not fun for me at all. I just feel embarassed. Even when Ben tries to teach me different sports (and he is ridiculously patient. Not to mention an awesome teacher), I just feel dumb and awkward. Like I'm the only person in the world who is incapable of doing whatever activity it is.

I WANT to be in shape. I really do. I want to be strong and healthy and active. But I hold myself back because I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm going to fail (and I think I will, because obviously I've never stuck with it before), and I think I'm going to look stupid trying. So I'm scared to try my hardest. Because what if I try my hardest and I still can't do it? I'm scared I'm going to do my best, and my best is ridiculoulsy worse than everyone else. I'm scared to be embarrassed while I try.

Logically, I know it's dumb to think these things. Logically, I think, "Who cares? At least you're trying! You'll get there!" But I don't think I really believe myself. No. I think I tell myself those things to feel better, but in the back of my mind, I know I'm lying to myself. I know I can't really do it, so I should just stop trying. Logically, I know it's just my mind holding me back, not my muscles. Not my lungs. Not my heart.

I'm working on turning my 'I can't's" and even my "I can? Maybe?'s" into I can. It's a long road. I'm only at the very beginning. I'm on the very first step of a VERY long journey. BUT. If I can do it, if I can get past all the negative self talk and self-doubt. If I can believe in myself. If I can change my life...it will be beyond worth it.

p.s. all images from Pinterest

a bit sparse

2011-09-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Um, has it seriously already been a month since I last posted? That's crazy. I don't think I've gone that long in between posts since I started this ole bloggy up. We're working on getting the internet up and going again at our house, but since we have it on our phones, it hasn't been a top priority. And I'm wa-ay too lazy to blog on my phone. Sorry guys. Takes forever to type up a post!

Unfortunately, Ben's phone got stolen yesterday. (After searching online, he's pretty sure he found who stole it, but by the time he'd called them, they'd already sold it. And erased everything, I'm sure.) Pictures, contacts, EVERYTHING. All gone. We are beyond upset about it. I can't even talk anymore about it right now.

Anyway, we'll most likely be getting internet at home again to fill the void (once we're done mourning it's loss). And I'm sure once we do, we (who am I kidding? I) will be back to regular updates. Until then, it might be a little quiet around our little corner of blogland.

We're back! Sort of...

2011-08-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true. We've been back in the 801 since last week.

It's been a crazy week and a half, that's for sure. I flew in on Wednesday with the kids. Somewhere along the way we (I) lost one of Broox's binky's and one of his shoes. I don't know why I keep thinking I can fly across the country (or even halfway across the country) with them by myself! I seem to think I'm superwoman or something...

Because of flight delays, it was a super fun day! :)

My sister's bridal shower was that night (that I was late to, and oh, did I mention I was in charge of throwing it? yep. Keeping it classy by showing up late! Dang airlines...:)

Then the next day my cousin got married.

Then the next day Ben's grandma passed away. And he flew in.

And the day after that Becca got married.

Ben was supposed to fly home the next day (Sunday), but due to his grandma passing, extended his stay until Wednesday night.

Monday was spent cleaning, grocery shopping, making a trip out to our condo, and catching up with family.

Tuesday was his Grandma's viewing and more family stuff.

Wednesday was her funeral and Ben flew back to Kansas.

On Thursday, the kids and I did absolutely NOTHING all day. We stayed in our pajamas all day long and just lounged around.

We've been staying with my parents. Yes, I could go to my house, but I didn't really want to hang out by myself every night until Ben gets back. Plus it's still so clean! Once we unload everything we brought with us to Kansas, it's going to be ridiculous for a little while!

But, we will be back this week. I'm not sure what day. I want to unpack us a little before Ben gets in. He's not sure what day he'll be back yet. He's soooo close to hitting a big pay level, so it depends on that. He's done fantastic this year, and I am SO proud of him.

I totally miss him. And he's only been gone 4 days.

I was not ready for the summer to be over this year. It really has been the best summer ever. And I know it's because of the people we spent it with. It was so fun having some of our best friends right across the hall and in the same parking lot as us. I wasn't ready to say good-bye to Kansas. Now I have to get to know everyone in our ward again. And it's probably changed a bunch too, like it does every year. I hate feeling "new" at home.

Totally random post, I know. Hopefully I'll get back to regularly posting again soon. And get the giveaway up for September. Just wanted to let ya'll know that I'm still alive!

Well said Picasso, Well said

2011-07-28T08:00:00.002-07:00

We are BIG into creativity around here.

We do something crafty pretty much every single day. We paint, color, draw, cut, sew, glue...you name it.

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

I don't claim to be an artist...I sure wish I was! But I DO want my children to grow up embracing their creativity and running with it.

And maybe one day, by following their examples, I'll become an artist again too.

How do you embrace/enhance your creativity? Are you held back by fear like me? Or do you just jump in and hope for the best? If so, can you teach me how to be like you?

Why I'll never be a professional Photographer

2011-07-26T08:00:00.001-07:00

I'm sure you've all noticed by now that I take fantastic pictures. (snort!)

The saddest part about this is that I actually DO try. I have these amazing ideas in my head about what my photos will look like. Tons of images of my house filled to the brim with beautiful pictures of my family.

However, here's what usually happens is:

I see a cute moment and only realize it's picturesque right as it's ending.

I scramble to get Taelie to sit back down while I plop Broox down next to her for an impromptu sibling love photograph. Trying to not only capture the moment before she loses interest (who am I kidding? She lost interest long before it even registered in my mind that this would make a good picture), and make sure Broox doesn't topple off of the bench (he thinks gravity is debatable, apparently).

Try to convince Taelie to look at me and smile while other kids cram onto the bench to see what the excitement is all about. I get a little more frantic now, trying to hurry and catch a semi-cute picture before all hope is lost.

Realize the futility of my mission (especially when attempting to catch amazing photograph with my iPhone, because I never remember to bring my camera anywhere), and "decide" to let the kids play. Since that's why we're at the park anyway...

Oh well. At least they are cute kids, even if I won't have any pictures of them looking at the same time and smiling until they are adults. Sigh. Such is life, eh?

How do you get your kids to stay still and smile for pictures? Or even just look your direction? Are there magic words I'm missing? Should I just buy a fancy camera and pretend that now I know what I'm doing? Do you want me to take your family pictures and charge you for them? I'm practically an expert, ya know. :)

the Tank

2011-07-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, I just love this little guy.

He is just too sweet for words.

Such a smiley baby.

Love these big grins. I get to see these all day long. He especially lights up when Daddy's around.

Totally obsessed with Daddy's hats.

Even when we wake him up for late night dinners, he's happy as can be.

Very skeptical about trying new food...

But once he determines the food's in the clear, he's all for it!

Loves being outside, but is the sweatiest kid ever. Poor little guy!

We just cannot get enough of our little Tank! I can't believe he'll be ONE in just about a week!

Any fun birthday traditions out there? We want to make our kids' days the best ever, so let us in on your favorite birthday must-do's! Huge parties? Special food? Vacations? What's your secret to the best birthdays ever?

me & clothes

2011-07-22T13:05:00.007-07:00

I'm loving effortlessly modest clothes right now.

It took me a LONG time to get to this point. And when I say "a long time", I mean, like my entire life. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to push the boundaries. What could I get away with that wasn't "breaking the rules" but wasn't, in my opinion at the time, drab and boring (because it was modest)?

The last couple years I've kind of stopped buying clothes. I wasn't sure what my style was anymore. I was (am) a mom, but I didn't want to dress like "a mom", but at the same time, I didn't want to dress like I thought I was still in high school, either. I basically just avoided buying clothes. And I hated it.

I hated feeling like I wasn't "me". I've always loved buying clothes and saw clothes as an extension of my personality. So, over the last couple months, I've taken on a new perspective:

only buy what I love.

Shocking, right? How sad that it's taken me this long to figure it out. While I still have tons of stuff in my closet I don't like, I'm gradually weeding it out and replacing it with stuff I love.

When I look in my closet, I don't want to see racks and racks of clothing that I'll never wear. I want to walk in there and see possibilities and personality. I want to see clothes that tell about me.

I want to see clothes that are stylish and modest. I want my daughter (and son) to grow up thinking that you can dress modestly and still be cute. You can have it be effortlessly modest, so you aren't pulling at your clothes all the time.

I'm sick of trying to bend the rules. I'm comfortable with who I am and I'm proud of who I've become. I am excited to get back this part of me. I am so looking forward to teaching my children how to express themselves through their clothes, while still keeping the values that we believe in.

I'm taking this part of my life back. :)

What's your style? Do you think of clothes as a reflection of your personality or do you just wear clothes because you'd get arrested for walking around naked? Do you buy only what you love? Were you a "rebellious" (meant in the LOOSEST sense of the word possible) youth like me, or a straight shooter? Spill it here.

all images found on Pinterest.

Get to know my fashion style and trends/styles I'm loving by clicking here.

Kansas fun

2011-07-21T18:43:00.003-07:00

I am totally addicted to Pinterest (click the link to see my page) and sewing lately. So my blog has suffered. But I'm back with a couple pics for you!

I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July! I know we did. I am totally cheesy and always make us dress up in patriotic colors for this holiday. We are VERY patriotic people around here, so we definitely love this holiday! After Ben got off work, we went out to watch the fireworks -- Taelie LOVED them. She was so excited, it was adorable. Broox did too -- just stared and stared at them! We didn't bring Chloe with us, so here's our family on the fourth, minus our canine child.

Notice how Taelie and I are still white as ever while Broox-man and Ben are practically Indian? Yeah, what is up with that? So not fair.

A couple weeks ago, we had an office activity where we went hit a bucket of balls. (anyway I type that sounds bad....sorry!). This kids were in heaven! Broox is totally obsessed with balls, and hanging out with Daddy, so it was a win-win situation all around.

Daddy teaching Taelie-girl how to golf with a little club.

Then the Tank got a turn. Although he was more interested in trying to eat the club (thank goodness for binkies!) than swinging it.

We've had soooo much fun out here in Kansas! I can't believe our time is coming to a close in just a couple weeks! It's been an awesome summer. Although, I do have to say, I'd take dry heat over humidity any day!

I'm working on a schedule.

2011-07-10T23:08:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out what daily schedule will WORK for me.

The kids and I have our schedule down pretty good, but I haven't scheduled in any real "me" time. I need to factor in time to exercise, blog, and craft without it a) seeming like a chore, b) stretching me too thin and wearing me out, and c) taking time away from my little superstars.

And once I've figured one out, I need to have the will power to actually STICK to it.

Any tips or tricks you've found that have worked for you?

July's Share the Love Winner!

2011-07-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

This month's winner of the totally awesome hair serum is.....

Bryce & Jamie (aka Jamie)!!!

Congratulations! You are just going to loooove this stuff!

I cannot wait to try out all of your suggestions...if I love one, it just might find it's way into another giveaway!

Share The Love - July Giveaway!

2011-07-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed last month. It was totally crazy around here. And sorry this month's is late...but it's a gooood one!

This month, one lucky follower will get....

Brocato's Cloud 9 Blowout Miracle Repair Blow Dry Serum!

(yeah, quite, the mouthful, I know!)

This stuff is AMAZING! I absolutely love it! It helps my hair dry faster, protects it from the heat (it's heat-activated), and helps my color stay longer. Plus it makes it super soft with a little shine -- not too much so it looks greasy though.

I love how soft and sleek it feels after I use it. It's THE best! And, as an added bonus for me....it doesn't weigh down my super-fine hair.

So, if you are interested in a chance to win this totally awesome hair serum, you know the drill!

Become a follower of my blog (over there on the right for any new readers), and comment letting me know you want in!

And since I missed last month, I'll give you a chance to get an extra entry too. Either mention this giveaway on your blog and link back to this post OR on a separate comment, share one of your favorite products that I just HAVE to try out!

*Puh-lease just remember to leave a separate comment if you want another entry...I'm kinda slow at counting anyways, so let's make it a little easier on me, k? :)*

This giveaway is open until July 7th. I will announce the winner on July 8th.

GOOD LUCK! :)

Our Little Man

2011-06-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who loves taking pics of my kids sleeping? I cannot get enough of it, seriously!

Also, those are some of the only pictures that don't turn out blurry from them being on the move, it's kinda ridiculous. I just think sleeping pictures are SO sweet. They are so innocent and you can just feel that peace when they sleep, don't you think?

As you can tell, he is not so little anymore. He is our tank, and I LOVE it! I'm guessing he weighs about 22-23 pounds. See that bear he's holding? That's his bear. My parents got it for him for Christmas - it's a bear in a bunny costume and it has his name on the front- and he LOVES it. He always cuddles up with it to sleep. When we lay him down in his crib, that's the first thing he goes for. It's totally adorable.

While my sister was here visiting, we went to a fun children's museum and Broox looooooved the legos -- he's just like his daddy! He could have spent hours there, seriously.

I love the surprised look on his face - too adorable.

Now that he's figured out crawling, he is fearless. He'll attempt to crawl off the bed, in the tub, etc. That part is not so fun. But it's awesome watching him crawl around. He seems so grown up, as weird as that sounds! :)

Sadly...our Mr. Broox Man will turn ONE next month! I am still working out ideas for his party, but I have some pretty fun ideas in the works! Hopefully everything will materialize the way I see it in my head!

Here we go (again)!

2011-06-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

I want to be healthy.

I think we all do.

But I'm lazy.

I HATE waking up early. Like it feels like it's a physical impossibility in the morning. And sometimes all I want to do is eat oreos and watch The Bachelorette or surf the internet. I like having my down time, especially after running around after my sweet kiddos all day long. Most days, by the time my kids are in bed, I am exhausted and all I want to do is throw myself on the couch and veg.

But I also want to be in shape.

Yes, I know I'm thin. And I'm probably going to make a lot of you hate me when I say I never work out. Never. I had this little stint back in December, remember? I worked out for a week, then I got sick and haven't worked out since. Oh wait, not true. Two weeks ago, one day, I ran a mile (go me!) and worked out my arms with some free weights. And right now, I'm lucky. I have an AWESOME metabolism. I lose weight if I'm stressed, worried, sick, etc. I actually have to be careful to not do too much cardio because I lose weight too fast. So, I don't have to do anything really to maintain how I look. I know, you hate me.

But I doubt I'll always be this way. My metabolism has slowed down as I've gotten older. And even if it doesn't, just because I'm thin, doesn't mean I'm healthy. I'm not. I'm ridiculously out of shape. Running that mile almost killed me. Okay, okay, I exaggerate, but seriously, I am so out of shape.

Plus, who knows what body type my children will have. I want them to grow up eating healthy and seeing exercise as a normal part of life. I want them to have an active childhood and an active life. Childhood obesity is a huge problem in our society, and I don't want my kids to have to deal with it.

I want healthy food and exercise to be the norm for us. I want to take my kids for a run in my jogging stroller. I want my kids to see me and Ben exercising and grow up thinking that's just what we do. I want my kids to eat healthy food and like it. I want to be that 80 year old woman who still looks great because she exercises and stays active. I want to learn to cook healthy foods and teach my kids to have well-balanced diets. I want to enjoy working out. I want to be strong. I want to have good stamina.

I want to BE HEALTHY.

So, here we go again. I am hoping I will be able to stick to it this time. I am hoping I can have the will power and determination to push through the hard parts. I am hoping that I want all of these things badly enough to NOT QUIT.

I found this awesome poster on Pinterest, and I wanted to share it with you. It totally motivates me.

I especially love the "patience" quote.

I am going to post weekly pictures of my progress, and I'm going to update frequently (hopefully daily, but let's be realistic here) to check in and have a place to hold myself accountable to all you guys.

What has worked for you guys to keep you going? How do you keep yourself motivated and push past the wall? Have any healthy recipes to share? Spill it here. I need all the help I can get!

2 years old going on 16...

2011-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Remember how I told you I let Tae experiment with makeup the other day?

Here's how it turned out:

Is it just me, or does it totally make her BLUE eyes pop even more? I am definitely not ready for her to be wearing makeup and growing up, but I think we'll be in trouble when she does. (I'm sure by that time she'll have a little lighter hand with the black... :) (oh, and she's not bald...I had just french braided her hair back and I'm not very good at it, so I have to totally soak it first.)

I know some people might think I'm a weird mom for letting her play with makeup, but like I've said before, we WANT our kids to learn by figuring things out and experimenting (when it's safe, obviously). And I didn't see any harm in her playing around with it. It's not like we were going out to get pictures taken or anything. And I don't get banning it until she's older, either. Wouldn't that just make it more of a mystery and more tempting? I figure, this way, when she IS old enough to wear makeup all the time, if she chooses, it won't be nearly as big of a deal because it hasn't been a "forbidden" thing. Just my opinion, and I guess we'll find out if it works (with Tae) in a decade or so. (and I SO hope that decade goes SLOW!!!!:)

What's your take on this kind of thing? Let kids experiment (supervised), or wait until they are older to introduce things? For us, it depends on what it is, but for harmless (in our opinion) stuff like makeup, why not let em play?

Hi, remember me?

2011-06-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure this is the longest I have gone without blogging since I started. That makes me sad. Life has been crazy and fun and we are loving it.

A couple quick updates:

Broox is OFFICIALLY crawling. He crawled backwards/rolled to get wherever he wanted for a couple weeks and now has decided it's easier/faster to go forward. I know a lot of people dread when babies become mobile, but I LOVE it. It is sooo fun watching him move around and have an agenda of his own.

Broox also claps all the time (so adorable), signs "more" and "all done" and "milk".

He says Dada, Mama (when he's upset), and dog. I think he also said ball and Tae-Tae, but those aren't very frequent. (sidenote, I just tried to spell that "freakwent"...um, wow!)

Broox INSISTS on feeding himself everything. Meals take a very long time around here.

Taelie is 2 going on 16, I swear. She put makeup on herself the other day (yes, I totally let her experiment), and was so proud of herself.

She is such a little person with her own agenda and ideas for our days. The other day she told me, "Mommy, listen to me. I go to Kaydence house!" Not even sassy, just matter of fact. Like, Mommy, this is what I want to do, make it happen!

I love her style -- she picks out her own clothes most days and tells me how she wants her hair done and what jewelry she wants to wear. It's totally adorable.

A not-so-quick story:

Every night before I go to sleep, I take off my wedding ring. It feels weird to sleep with it on, and I don't want the prongs to get worn down rubbing against the sheets. I ALWAYS put it in the same place, but it's kind of out of the way, so last night, I thought, "I'll just put it here on the bathroom counter, that way it's right here where I get ready, so it's more convenient."

Taelie usually wakes up around 8-8:30 (what happened to my child that would sleep in until 10? That was awesome...), and comes into our room and cuddles with us until Broox wakes up (not too much later usually, cause she's not super quiet getting up). This morning, she needed to use the bathroom and she likes to do it by herself, and she is good at washing her hands afterwards and everything, so I didn't think anything of it. Well, she likes to play in the sink (obviously, she's only 2), and splash around. I should probably also mention that we had pulled the stopper out of the sink because it doesn't go up and down like it's supposed to, so if it's in, the water is always all stopped up.

Anyway. The morning goes on pretty much like normal. Broox wakes up, eats his bottle, we all cuddle in bed until Ben gets up to go bowling with the office. I get up and make the kids breakfast and we are just hanging out and getting ready for the day. I decide today is cleaning day (I was SICK yesterday and my house totally shows it), and get all excited about that. Then my friend texts me and asks if I want to go to Costco with her. I decide Costco sounds more exciting than cleaning and tell her we're coming. I hurry and get myself ready - she was leaving in about 15 minutes - and am ready to walk out the door when I realize I'm not wearing my ring. I go to the usual place to get it, and am confused when it's not there. Then I remember putting on the counter the night before, so I go check there. Nothing. I start to look more thouroughly and it soon becomes VERY obvious that it's not there. I decide to check the usual location one more time -- pulling everything else out to make sure I didn't miss it. Nope. Not there. I head back to the bathroom and notice the stopper is still out of the sink drain.

This is when I start to panic. There's no way my ring really fell down the drain, is there? I call Ben (who was about to leave to go knocking) and tell him he HAS to get over here and take apart the sink to see if it's there. I am checking and re-checking the counter and the drawers around it and the floor to see if I somehow missed it, or if it got knocked in there somehow. I checked the pockets of the pants I was wearing yesterday to make sure it wasn't there. I looked in our bed to see if maybe Taelie had grabbed it and brought it to me or something. I started retracing all my steps from the last time I KNOW I had my ring on.

Ben arrives and takes apart the sink - and it's not there. At this point, I start crying, because I can't believe it's really missing. I feel absolutely sick to my stomach and am just devastated. Ben helps me look and retrace my steps. During this time, my friend shows up to take me to Costco, and I'm clearly too depresed to go. She helps us look too. Finally, it becomes clear that we aren't going to find it. I'm pretty much a basket cast by this point.

Ben leaves for work, and we head out to Costco -- trying to get my mind off of it. We get home an hour or so later and I put the kids down to nap. I really want to take a nap myself but my house is so terrible, I know I need to get to work on it asap, so I start to make my bed to ward off the temptation to sleep in it. (anyone else do that? If my bed is made, I won't take a nap, but if it's not, a nap is totally fair game) For whatever reason (the Spirit, I'm sure), I decide to shake out the sheet and blanket as I'm pulling them up.

And my wedding ring flew up into the air!

It had been stuck in between the blanket and the sheet and I must have just missed it before. Or didn't shake the blankets the right way, or whatever.

I was ECSTATIC. I literally thought it was gone forever. I was soooo upset about it. As soon as I saw it, everything became right in the world again. I know it sounds overdramatic, but that's truly how I felt. I can only assume that Taelie saw it in the bathroom and brought it to me because she knows it's mommy's special ring, and I was probably half asleep and didn't realize it.

I think from now on, I'll put it in a safer place at night. (like, say, a vault?)

And, remember a few years back when Ben lost (and found) his wedding ring? (If you missed it, you can read that story here.) We are either extrememly lucky or we need to be more careful. Maybe both.

Share the Love Winner! (...a day late)

2011-05-07T19:34:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. I'm a total slacker, right?

Our internet here is sketchy (as are we, apparently, since we just use whatever signal we can pick up instead of buying our own...), and I'm way too lazy to type on my phone...so, my apologies!

Without dragging it out any further, the lucky, LUCKY winner of Share the Love this month is....

Brittany!

Who said...

"I'm in!! this is one of my biggest pet peeves too!!! i hate giving someone a glass at our house and swearing that it is washed!"

Your days of living with disgusting dishes are over!

And for everyone else...you can buy LemiShine at Walmart or Target. It is $3.44 for that bottle. So, if you use the recommended amount, it gets pretty expensive, but like I said, I don't need to use nearly that much any more to get nice clean dishes! (I did at first, because I wanted to get all the spots off to begin with, and then I cut back!)

And, apparently phosphates were taken out of dishwashing detergents LAST summer. So, if you've been noticing your dishes getting more and more disgusting-looking since then, that's why!

Oh, and for anyone that's curious how the winner was chosen, I used a very scientific method:

Step 1.) I wrote everyone's name on a piece of paper.

Step 2.) I tore the paper into strips for everyone's entries.

Step 3.) I put the strips of papers into a bowl.

Step 4.) I pulled a random strip of paper of the bowl.

Voila!

I know, I know, you are all VERY impressed with my super professional way of choosing a winner :)

Good luck next month!

(I already have the next couple of month's worth of giveaways picked out because I'm so excited! Yes, I'm a little nerdy like that!)

Share The Love - May Giveaway!

2011-05-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Once again, I am posting this super late.

But, in my defense, today is the first day we have had internet on our computer (and using our phones all the time gets kinda old. Plus, let's be honest, I'm waaaay to lazy to type out an entire post on my phone.)

But, better late than never, right? And this giveaway is a goooood one!

This month I am LOVING.....

My friend Jamie introduced me to this little gem. And I am eternally grateful to her for it. Seriously. We live with the worst hard water EVER. And now that the FDA has taken phosphates out of detergents (which is a good thing, environmentally)...well, let's just say waterspots and hard water STAINS galore! Seriously, I could not even scrub the rings off, it was sooo bad. Whenever anyone would see or use any of our dishes, I HAD to explain, yes, we do wash our dishes, and they aren't disgustingly dirty, it's just hard water. I promise! Even though I KNEW it was because of the hard water, I felt like it was somehow a reflection of me and how clean I was. Stupid, I know. But true.

Anyway. LemiShine is AMAZING! The hard water stains are GONE. Seriously GONE. Not just faded, GONE! Can you tell I'm excited? I'm freakin' yelling like crazy over here. And I've been experimenting using less and less amounts to see what's the least amount I can get away with using with it still working sufficiently. Because I'm cheap and that little bottle is almost four bucks. And for my dishwasher/hard water situation, I can use about 1/8th -1/4 of what they recommend. Which totally rocks. Cause I'm cheap like that. :)

So, this month's winner will get a free bottle of LemiShine as my gift to you!

To enter, as always, just follow my blog over on the right and comment on this post! May's giveaway will close at midnight Central time on May 5th.

Good luck!

The time has come...again

2011-04-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's SUMMER time!

Well, summer sales time, at least because the weather sure isn't cooperating enough for it to really be summer yet.

I am so, so, SO excited to head out this summer. We have sooo many friends coming with us, and everyone is already selling ridiculously well. I can't wait to see how this summer plays out. I know it is just going to be a blast. Every summer is, but I think this will be the best yet!

Can I just say how hard it is to pack and clean a house with two little ones? Oh. My. Gosh. I feel like I am running around like crazy every day and at the end of the day, it looks like nothing has been accomplished. Frustrating? Yes. Would I trade it for anything? Not on your life. Love those babies.

I probably have lots to blog about....but I can't think of it right now, because my brain is soooo tired from going non-stop the last couple days. Hopefully I'll have lots of good stuff to tell you all about soon!

So, if we don't get a chance to see you before we head out, just know, we'll miss you and we love you and we totally can't wait to see you when we get back!

And, if you get a craving for the WORLD'S best BBQ...head on over our way! We love company and we'd love to show you around Kansas City! (Once again, I'm hearing the song...anyone else?)

Random Thoughts

2011-04-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

All the time I get these fantastic ideas for blog posts, but I don't have the time to write them right that second, and, of course, I don't think to write them down, so then I forget. And you guys get stuck with my ramblings. I apologize.

Today is much of the same. I've been battling a horrible sinus infection for the last couple days and today is the first day I've managed to survive without Ben. He had to stay home from school last Thursday and Friday because I was too sick to do anything. I feel like I am getting better now....slooooowly. But, there is an end in sight, so it's all good.

We are headed out soon. I am SO excited for this summer. We have so many good friends going out with us. I know it's going to be a blast and the guys are going to be very successful. They are all such hard workers and have been training so much. I'm excited to see it all unfold.

Speaking of the summer...Broox is going to turn ONE while we are out there...seriously? What happened to my baby? I know, one isn't technically all grown up, but still. I feel like we just had him. Although, when you look at him, you can defnitely tell he's not a newborn anymore. That kid is a TANK. He's already 20+ pounds. He'll pass Taelie up in no time. Broox finally cut his top two teeth after teething for what seemed like EVER. It seems like I have my happy baby back, which I'm loving.

Taelie is doing fantastic as well. She is so fun and I love watching her little imagination. She can navigate my iPhone like nobody's business. It's crazy. She is such a sweet little girl. She loves helping out with Broox and getting him things when he's upset. Whenever he wakes up from his naps, she is so excited to go in and get him. She has been completely potty trained for awhile now, and is doing awesome with it.

I am tired...it's 8 o'clock and I'm pretty sure I'm going to head for bed....yes, I feel like an old lady, but I totally need it right now.

One month later

2011-04-07T15:30:00.002-07:00

It has been one month since I talked to my doctor and got on a medication for PPD.

Wow.

That is seriously all I can say.

I feel like ME again.

I am actually sleeping at night. Before I would wake up, literally, a dozen or so times at night in a panic that Broox was going to suffocate or something. Or I'd lie awake silently worrying. Or I'd think about everything that I SHOULD have been able to get done and beat myself up for not doing it and vow to do better the next day. I was exhausted all the time, to say the least.

I am so much more productive now -- because I WANT to be. I don't feel like I am constantly making myself do everything. Before, everything felt like a chore, something I HAD to do, but couldn't quite make myself do. Now, I enjoy cleaning my house (like I used to), and cooking and everything else.

My patience with my kids is back! Before I was always reminding myself to be patient (because I knew that's how I would usually act and how I should act), but now, like my normal self, I am patient with my kids just because that's me. I love that they are so little and want me there for everything. They won't always. I want to enjoy it while I can. And I want them to grow up knowing that there isn't anything I'd rather be doing than helping them grow and then stepping back so they can shine.

My relationship with Ben is SO much better. He doesn't feel like he has to walk on eggshells around me anymore because who knows what might set me off. He can focus on school and work and our family instead of stressing that I'm okay, and feeling like it's his fault that I'm having a hard time.

I am so happy to be feeling like me.

In a way, I think I kind of forgot what it REALLY felt like to be me. I was so busy trying to be me, that I lost me...if that makes any sense. And, thinking back...I think the PPD was worse than I thought even then, a month ago...I know it's something I dealt with back when I had my very first miscarriage 3 years ago but, now that I feel like me again, I think I never quite got over it back then. I haven't shared that story on my blog yet. And I will. But that's a story for another time.

Again, thanks for caring about me and being there for me. Your kind words and comments mean so much to me. You're the best.

April's STL Winner!

2011-04-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

You've probably noticed by now that I tend to blog at night.

I decided awhile ago that I wouldn't let the computer take me away from my time with my kids, so unless it was something I HAD to do right then, I would wait until they were either sleeping or having independent play time. Hence, I usually have time to write at the end of the day. Sorry if you've been checking my blog relentlessly all day to see if you won (haha!).

Anyway, on to what everyone really cares about...the winner of the FANTASTIC Method Multi-Purpose Cleaner!

And the winner is...

Kerry!

Who said "So i don't know if you watch that show 'How I made my millions", but the guys that made this stuff were on there, and they started making it in their apartment...lol... but i have been wanting to try it ever since, so here is my comment to enter TO WIN!!!...LOL"

Congrats Kerry! You finally get to try it out! You will seriously love it. And if you didn't win, don't worry. I love these products so much I will definitely be doing future giveaways with them. (Especially that floor cleaner. I'm officially obsessed with it...)

Kerry, email me your mailing address at jennifer.arthur at hotmail dot com and I'll get your prize shipped to you!

Thanks to everyone who participated in Share the Love this month. I am having so much fun doing these little giveaways...I know they may be a little silly, but I am seriously loving it!

Share the Love - April Giveaway!

2011-04-01T21:33:00.002-07:00

Sorry, I know that I am totally late in posting this, but...it is still technically the 1st, so it definitely counts. :)

This month I am totally loving....

Method cleaners.

They are seriously THE BEST.

Here's why:

The packaging is made from recycled plastics, and all of their products are completely recyclable
They only contain natural, biodegradable ingredients
They smell fantastic -- no harsh fumes
They are kid and pet safe
They WORK

I seriously LOVE their products. As I run out of my chemically cleaners, I've been switching over to Method ones, and I am hooked. I recently got their floor cleaner and I am in love with it. It gets my floor CLEAN, and it's not sticky. Plus it leaves a nice, non waxy shine, so it LOOKS even cleaner.

You can buy them online at http://www.methodhome.com/ or at Target. I think I also saw them at Smith's, but I'm not 100% sure.

This month's winner will get a bottle of Method's All Purpose Cleaner in the Pink Grapefruit scent (because that's my favorite). You're welcome in advance. Don't blame me if you get hooked. (Because you will.:)

Again, all you need to do to enter is be a follower of my blog (over there on the right), and comment telling me that you follow blog (or if you already follow, just comment to enter!)

Heck, you know what, just for fun, if you want an extra entry, blog about this giveaway with a link to my blog, and then come back and tell me that you did and I'll enter you in again. Just cause I'm feeling like spreadin the love around! :)

Remember, this giveaway will close at midnight MST on April 5th!
Photo credit/Method website here

My lovebugs

2011-03-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

I'm positive I have the most adorable kids in the world.

I even have proof:

I might have coached this picture a little bit, but that's okay, right?

Because it led to this picture a couple of days later, completely UNcoached:

Could you just die? Oh, I just love them!

I'm the luckiest mommy ever! :)

Sorry to leave you hanging!

2011-03-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! Last week was CRAZY! As I'm sure you've surmised from my lack of posts, we WERE able to go on the cruise. I took Broox to the doctor the day we were supposed to leave to make sure he was on the mend (it seemed like he was, but I wanted the doctor's confirmation for my peace of mind before I left), and he was totally in the clear. I was so relieved -- it was so hard seeing my little boy sick!

So between the doctor appointments and trying to get everyone all packed up and ready to go, I was BUSY! Luckily, we got off onto our cruise without a hitch, and oh. my. gosh. It was SO much fun! Such gorgeous weather, and great company. Lots of good stories and pictures to come!

The day we traveled back was the longest day EVER. I just wanted to be back with my babies! I was so excited to see them, I had to wake them up when we finally got to my parents house!

And, as you can tell, I am feeling so much better! It is so great to feel like myself again. I love it.

So much to write and update on, but I've got to get dinner made, so that will have to wait until later.

Check back soon for updates and pictures! :)

Following through

2011-03-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

You are all too sweet. Thanks for all your comments. They totally made me cry (what else is new?). I am seriously grateful for all of your friendships.

Something interesting stood out to me as a common thread with with all the comments - PPD is rarely talked about, but so many women deal with it. Why are we so worried about it? Thoughts? My thought are that it's because we feel like something must be wrong with us, and we don't want anyone to think that...but...we are all human. None of us are perfect. And we all need help sometimes. And that's okay. Why is it okay to us if someone else needs help, but we can't accept it ourselves? Pride totally gets in the way of everything. This was such a good lesson for me to learn (in the hardest way possible).

I also wanted to clarify a little point, strange as it may seem, I don't think I was necessarily trying to fool anyone into thinking that I was just fine. I was just trying to feel like me, by acting like me. I think I figured this was one of those "fake it til you make it" things. If I acted like me enough, eventually I would feel like me again. And not every day was terrible. I did have good days. Enough to make me think that I was doing okay. It was when the bad days started piling up, and I couldn't act like me anymore, that I felt like something had to give.

I called my doctor shortly after writing that post. I figured I needed to do it before I lost my nerve. And it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Yes, I cried on the phone. Especially when she told me they would call in a prescription for me. I think that just made it a reality to me. I was really here. I really couldn't do it on my own anymore (not that I was really doing it on my own before, but you know). I wasn't just having a bad day, and this was bigger than me.

But I also felt relief. It was such a strange mix of feelings...I felt like PPD had beaten me, and yet, I was relieved to know that there would finally be a light at the end of the tunnel. Even knowing it can take a couple weeks to kick in, I felt like help was coming. And I can handle three weeks, if I know it will end or at least get better.

My friend, Erin, brought up a good point too -- she suggested counseling to go along with medication to help learn coping skills as well. I think that is an important thing to consider and look into. Learning ways to help mold my way of thinking when I'm having a hard time can only be an improvement, I would think. I hadn't even thought about that before.

So far, the only real difference the medication has made is now I feel queasy, light-headed, and I have a dull lingering headache. According to both the nurse (who warned me about the side effects beforehand), and the pamphlet they give you with the medication, and the internet, those are all normal and should fade when my body adjusts to the medication. And really, if the medication sorts out the chemical imbalances going on, I can live with those things. Gladly.

I've been saying for awhile now that I'm not really censoring my blog anymore...so I'm sure there will be more posts like these in the future. Not that there won't be happy ones still, there definitely will. But this is real life. The sooner we all accept that, the better. Let's enjoy the good days together, and support each other on the bad ones.

Love you guys. Thanks for all you do for me.

p.s. Broox just got diagnosed with Bronchiolitis today. :( They tested him for RSV, which he does not have. He also has an ear infection. We are supposed to leave on a cruise on Friday night. We'll see how that goes. If he is not on the mend by then, I will not be going. This has been a stellar week.

It's time.

2011-03-07T08:00:00.018-07:00

Unless you know me VERY well (or you happen to be around during one of my, "here's everything you ever wanted to know about me" moments), you probably don't know that I have Postpartum Depression.

(or maybe you do, I'm a terrible liar.)

Yup.

To put it very lightly: it sucks.

I get it everytime I miscarry and I got it after I had Taelie, so I was prepared for it this time. But I hoped that as long as I watched for the signs, I could keep it manageable.

Over the last month, it's gotten worse and worse though. I cry over everything. EVERYTHING. I take offense at anything people say, even if I logically know that I shouldn't. I have zero motivation to do anything. I get annoyed at the tiniest things. I snap at Ben all the time, and even my patience with my kids is lacking. I have lost ten pounds. I can't sleep at night, and then I'm exhausted all day. I get migraines that last for days. I have mood swings like you wouldn't believe.

I keep telling myself I can just be strong and overcome it. If I MAKE myself be productive, then I will be happier.

Some days I can.

Like last week when I got so much done. I felt like myself again. I felt like I was winning, I was coming back out of it. I just needed to be strong and I would beat this. I try to convince myself that I have enough "good days" that I'm not really depressed. But I'm lying to myself. When I look at the last month, it's obvious that it's just getting worse and worse.

But on the days that I can't, which are most days, I just feel like more of a failure. Because it's one more thing I can't control. One more thing that overwhelms me.

I know I need to call my doctor. It has gotten to that point. I can't feel like this any longer. I feel like I can't go through another pregnancy, because whether or not I actually carry the baby full term, I'm going to get knocked down with PPD again. I start getting hysterical wondering how I can survive it again. I'm barely surviving it now. (No thoughts of hurting myself or others, don't worry.) I mean surviving emotionally.

It's affecting Ben now too. He feels like it's his fault, even though logically he knows it's not. The other day he said to me, "It's so nice to have you back!" He was so happy I was acting like me. And want to know what I did? I freaked out that he would even suggest I was never "me", started crying, and got all upset that he would think I was acting depressed. It totally set me off, because I knew he was telling the truth, and I couldn't handle it. He was being sweet, so happy to have his wife back, and I freaked.

This is not okay.

And it's not fair to Ben.

Or my kids.

Or me.

This is not me.
I am a happy person. I am optimistic, annoyingly so at time. I usually have so many things I enjoy doing. I love spending time with other people. I love my family and friends. Usually I am one of the hardest people in the world to offend. I have endless patience (with my kids). I actually have a sense of humor (and I think I am hilarious, ha!) I like to think I am a pretty stable person. I can be emotional, but I'm not a big crier.

I need to get me back. And not just on "the good days".

So, if I can work up the courage to call my doctor today, I will. I'm totally dreading it, knowing that I will be bawling and blubbering all over on the phone. Yeah, not looking forward to that call.

Note to self:

2011-03-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

Take a class on HTML.

As you may have noticed, I like to change up the look of my blog every so often. This usually involves tinkering (can you tell we love Tinkerbell around here?) around with HTML codes. I am a total idiot when it comes to this stuff, so I have to look up different tutorials online all the time.

Yesterday I didn't want to go to all the trouble of looking stuff up online, so I just started playing around with it. Even though I know next to nothing about HTML codes, I've changed enough stuff that I'm starting to get the hang of SOME of it.

But I totally get frustrated with it, so I need to take a class. Or do any of you know HTML that want to give me a crash course?

March's STL Winner!

2011-03-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here is how we VERY scientifically chose the winner for March's Share the Love:

Me: Ben, pick a number between 1 and 12.

Ben: (without hesitating whatsoever to ask why) 8!

Which makes the first lucky winner of the killer Aveeno lotion.....

Brookelynne & Steve Wilson (aka Brooke :)) who said...

"Share the loVe!!! i love you!!! Jen!!! love love love!!! he he ha"

Which just goes to show that if you shower me with enough love, I'll be sure to pick you.

ha! I kid! I kid!

So, Brooke, email me at benandjenarthur at hotmail dot com

or facebook me

or text me your address

and I'll get it in the mail to you!

Congratulations to Brooke and good luck in April to everyone else! Thanks so much for participating, I LOVE IT!

P.S. When I am putting the smiley face emoticon :) in parentheses, what is the best way to do that?

(like this:)) or (like this :) If I don't double up on parentheses at the end, do you notice that we are missing one? How do you do it?

Share the Love - March Giveaway!

2011-03-01T06:30:00.008-07:00

Today's giveaway may seem a little strange...but I warned you, it's going to be totally random each month -- whatever I happen to be loving at the time, and this month I am totally loving...

Aveeno's Daily Moisturizing Lotion.

Seriously, this stuff ROCKS.

Goodbye dry skin!

Ben has The Driest Skin In The World. No joke. And unfortunately, it seems like our kids inherited that too. (I'm hoping it's just this super dry time of year.) Baby lotion has alcohol in it, so it wasn't keeping Tae's skin nearly hydrated enough, and both kids kept breaking out in rashes from dry skin. (I seriously took them to the doctor because I had no idea what the rashes were from.) Since we started using Aveeno just a couple weeks ago, their skin (and mine) is SO soft. No more rashes. Plus, it is unscented, which I love -- I can finally have ONE lotion for our entire family that is not too girly or too manly. And it's not oily, it soaks in and your skin is just smooth, smooth, smooth! I seriously cannot say enough good about this product.

So, if you would like to try out this wonderful lotion that I am obsessing over, here's a recap of how you can win:

Become a follower of my blog & comment telling me so.
(over there on the right side of my blog)

(how sad is it that I totally had to look at my hands and figure out which hand made an "L" to know what side that was? My brain is so not working right now.)

(and how embarrassing is it that I just admitted that? sigh....)

If you are already a follower of my blog, comment with "Share the Love!" so I know to enter you in the giveaway.

That's it!

March's Share the Love will be open until March 5th at Midnight MST. The winner will be randomly chosen and posted on March 6th.

p.s. Just FYI, I don't get paid or perked in any way for these giveaways -- they are just things I love and wanted to share with you! (Not that this disclaimer was really needed, considering how huge my blog is, but I just thought I'd throw it out there in case anyone was wondering. :) )

Photo credit/Aveeno website here

Oh yeah.

2011-02-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you all for your help with a cleaning schedule. I feel like I'm a neat person, but I just get so overwhelmed at times chasing after kids that when I do have a moment to rest, I get lazy and then regret it later. Also, I don't like feeling like my house is only partly clean...when I clean, I want my WHOLE house CLEANED, ya know? So doing one or two chores a day hasn't worked for me in the past...maybe it will this time though. It's worth a shot! :)

Today we I totally got Broox's room set up! It's still missing things -- art on the walls, pictures, little accessories here and there, crib bumpers (nope, still haven't done those!), pelmet box, etc. But it's FULLY functional as his room now! And all the other crap was moved out! I seriously LOVE his room now, even though it's not all the way done. It is so BOY-cute, if that makes sense!

I was able to get SO much done today...I love feeling productive.

Details and posts soon -- MUCH to share!

and p.s. it's amazing what you can do when you get up at 7:15!

and p.p.s. Is anyone else totally stressed out about The Bachelor? I am so nervous about the finale. Yes, I am completely into the show. And so is Ben. But don't tell him I told you that. :)

Share the Love announcement

2011-02-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

The last couple months I've been thinking it would be really fun to do a monthly giveaway. But if you know me at all, you know I suck at follow-through. I have the World's Best Intentions (seriously, I should win a medal or something), but when it comes to actually doing it...well, let's just say it's not always the best.

I absolutely HATE this about myself.

So, in an effort to change for the better, here goes!

I'm calling it Share the Love, and every month I will give one lucky reader one of my favorite things. (Considering I have 3 readers, you have excellent odds of winning quite a bit!)

It could be anything -- whatever I'm loving that month -- hair products, clothes, gift cards, shoes, kid stuff, crafty things, etc.

I'll announce that month's prize and open up entries for Share the Love the first of the month and you have until the 5th to enter. That's it. 5 days. On the 6th I'll announce the winner and mail out the prize as soon as I get your mailing info.

The rules:

1) You must be a follower of my blog. The sole reason for this is so I feel like I am giving something to someone who actually knows us and isn't just blog hopping for free stuff. I love the blogging world, and am excited to meet some of you who are lurking without commenting! Which brings me to...

2) You must comment telling me that you are a follower of my blog -- honor system here, folks.

If you are already a follower of my blog, comment so I know to enter you in the giveaway

and...

That's it! You don't have to tell your friends to get more entries or anything else (I mean, your odds of winning are huge anyway, do you really need any more entries? Let's just be real here :) )

I'll announce March's Share the Love tomorrow, can't wait!

A little help?

2011-02-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

With Broox cutting his top 4 teeth all at the same time (a total party, let me tell you!), four nights in a row this week he did not sleep. Which meant neither did I. I think I averaged 2-3 hours of sleep every night. And since Ben is in school, I basically had to do that solo. I mean, I could have woken him up, but his classes are ridiculously hard - like it makes my brain hurt just looking at his notes. In fact, I'm convinced all those Chemistry and Physics equations are not real, and he just makes them up to look extra smart. But I digress. (as always.)

Having no sleep and being a virtual zombie for four days straight does NOT lead to a clean house. Shocking, right? So last night I finally cleaned it. It was embarassingly messy. So bad that when I thought to take a pic to prove to everyone how bad it was, my pride wouldn't let me do it. It. Was. BAD.

It took me 2 1/2 hours to get it presentable.

PRESENTABLE!

Not even all the way clean!

That was not including vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing toilets, shining mirrors, or even going into the kids' rooms! That's what I've been doing today...or rather, trying to do. I get distracted easily, and it's way more fun to hang out with the kiddos. Especially now that Broox is not screaming his poor little eyes out because his mouth hurts.

I am SO SICK of my house being messy. I feel like I am always terrified for anyone to come over because it is so messy. I feel like I spend every single night either a)being too tired to pick anything up or b)running around like crazy trying to get everything decent for the next day.

So, what's your secret? How do you keep your house presentable? What's your cleaning schedule? I feel like I clean all the time, and yet it's never how I want it, ya know?

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Seriously, please share any tips, tricks, schedules, etc, that you know. And, I don't want to hear that it will never be clean again, since I have two kids. I completely believe that I can be a GREAT mom AND keep a clean house. Now I just have to figure out how... (with your help, puh-lease!)

I'm totally having a pity party

2011-02-28T00:01:00.002-07:00

I accidentally deleted my entire Blog Roll.

Now I have to retype EVERY. SINGLE. ADDRESS.

I'm so sad for me. With how fast I type, this will probably take me hours.

Wish me luck. :(

Ah, love...

2011-02-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

I was so nervous to go to church today...we hadn't taken Taelie out of the house for that long, so I was ~~a little bit~~ completely out of my mind worried about going. But luckily Taelie was AWESOME. She used the potty twice there and even stayed in Nursery the whole time.

So proud of my big girl!

In other news, Ben has a new love:

He has wanted a dirtbike for.ev.er.

Finally he decided just to get one. Of course, he also had to get all the gear, but he hadn't picked it up when I took this pic. Now when he rides, he'll be all decked out, so I guess I don't have to worry about him killing himself.

Taelie loved watching him ride the "daddy bike". I'm sure Ben will take her for a little ride soon, and she will LOVE that. My parents have a little scooter...

that she thinks is the coolest thing ever to ride on with Daddy, so I can't wait to see how excited she is to ride on the "daddy bike".

Potty Training 101 - According to Jen

2011-02-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Haha!

Here's how it all went down:

When I noticed Taelie was interested in the potty, and was routinely waking up from her naps dry, I decided to do a couple trial runs to see if she was at all interested. Honestly, the first couple tries were more frustrating than anything else. I don't think she was ready, and I don't think I was as committed as I needed to be. Once you know your child is ready, YOU have to be 100% on board. Once I decided to OFFICIALLY start potty training her, that was it. We were not going to go back (unless she was obviously not ready and I had mis-read the signs). I figured it would be too confusing for her going back and forth between diapers and undies.

So, I waited until she was healthy and excited about the potty. (I'd had it out for a couple months prior to trying, just so she'd be used to it) I had decided to start on a Monday, but then she came down with an ear infection, so I had to wait a few more days. By Wednesday afternoon, she was back to herself, and I decided to just go for it.

I had gone to the store and gotten stickers and new books to read while on the potty, and different kinds of treats to reward her, and princess and Tinkerbell underwear. We also borrowed a "potty watch" from our friend. You can set the watch for 30, 60, or 90 minutes, and when the time runs out, it lights up and plays fun songs. As a plus for Taelie, it was white and lime green, so she instantly dubbed it the "Buzz watch" (like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story), and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

We skipped the pull-ups and I put her straight into her big girl undies (so she could feel when she was wet). We talked about how we needed to keep Tinkerbell dry and if she needed to go pee-pee, she needed to go in the potty. I set the watch for 60 minutes and when it went off singing and lighting up, I got all excited and showed her and made a big deal about heading to the potty. We ran all excitedly down to the potty and I had her sit on it. I tried to have her stay there for 5-10 minutes. (just for the first couple of times, so she'd have enough time to relax and go to the bathroom.)

When she would go pee-pee, she'd get a Hershey's Kiss, when she'd go poo-poo, she'd get a marshmallow, and when she tried but nothing happened, she'd get an M&M. When nothing would happen, I would VERY HAPPILY tell her, "Good try!" or "Good practicing!" I never, ever, ever got upset or acted frustrated. If she did not go, I would set the watch for 30 minutes, and we'd try every 30 minutes until she went. If she went, we'd set the timer for another hour.

For the first two days, she'd hold it for 2-3 hours -- not having accidents, but being nervous to let it go on the potty, so whenever she did, I'd praise her like CRAZY. I'm talking, we were fist-pumping (which was stinkin' adorable to watch her), high-fiving, screaming, cheering, dancing, chanting excited! Really really over the top. And she absolutely loved it. She would be so so proud of herself. And after the fact, for the next 10-15 minutes, I'd randomly bring up how proud I was of her for using the potty, and what a big girl she was for doing it and start cheering all over again.

Whenver she'd have an accident, we would just rush to the potty as fast as we could to try to get the rest of it in there. Again, I would NEVER ever get upset about it. I'd just tell her I was sure she'd get there next time. Then (and I think this was SUPER helpful for her), anytime she'd have an accident, after going through the sitting on the potty, then washing hands process, we'd head back out to play. I'd go over to the accident spot and say something like, "Taelie! Come look at this! (point to the spot) Oh no! Peepee doesn't go on the carpet! Peepee goes in the potty! Let's go practice!" Then we'd run back to the potty and go through the whole process again. I would do this a couple of times (The method suggests TEN times, but there is no way Taelie would tolerate that). I would also show her that peepee on the carpet made a big mess, but again, never ridiculing her or making her feel bad for making a mess. I just kept reiterating that I was SURE she'd get it in the potty the next time, because she was such a smart girl.

I used diapers at naptime and at bedtime. I really wanted her to get the hang of bladder control while she was awake first. But Tae was nervous about pooping in the potty, so she would hold it in until naptime/bedtime when she knew she would have a diaper put on. So, after a couple days of her doing great during waketimes, I decided to try naptime. I talked to her before her nap about how she needed to keep Belle (Tinkerbell, Cinderella, whoever it was that was on her underwear that time) clean and dry, so if she needed to go potty, to tell me. I knew she hadn't had a bowel movement in two days, so I completely expected her to have a poopy accident. I actually wanted her to, because then she'd understand it a little better. Well, about 20 minutes later, we hear, "Mommy?! Poopy!" Ben goes in to check on her, and sure enough, she's had an accident (ha! She thought she had outsmarted us!), so I took her in with me to the potty and we dumped the poopoos into the potty and as I cleaned her up, we talked about how messy it was (she kept telling me it was "soooo messy!"), and "We don't go poopoo in our bed! We go poopoo in the potty!" After getting all cleaned up, (throwing away the undies), trying to go again, and washing our hands, I took her in to her bedroom and showed her how it made her bed messy, and the poopies needed to go into the potty. We did the whole, "Let's practice!" bit again a couple times and then she went back down for her nap -- waking up dry at the end.

The other thing that I think was REALLY good was that she saw other little kids going potty. This wasn't planned, but we had some friends over on Saturday, and we were heading to the potty quite a bit even though they were there, and of course, the other kids had to use the potty too. Since Taelie was so interested in the potty, the other moms were nice enough to let Taelie watch their kids. She has not had ONE wet accident since she saw other kids her size using the potty. She wanted to be big like them, so after seeing them use the big potty, she wanted to show off how she could use it like them too. (The other kids were about 1-1 1/2 years older than her, but she didn't care one bit -- they were her friends and her size, that was all that mattered.) After that, I could just remind her things like, "Kaydence goes on the potty, do you want to be big like Kaydence?" And she always did.

Now I feel like we have naps down -- still put her in a diaper at nighttime, but I'm not rushing it. Oh, I also put her diaper on and then undies over it -- she WANTS to wear her undies. And I still talk to her about keeping them dry, that they are for "just in cases". I still remind her EVERY hour (it's only been a week!), so we really do go potty every hour. Big potties by themselves scare her, so I bring her little seat to sit on top of the big potty with me, so if we are going somewhere she can still go potty, and hopefully not regress. I figure after a good two weeks, I'll start moving the potty reminders back to every 1 1/2 hours or so -- just paying attention to when she is needing to go. She now also almost always tells us she needs to go if we haven't reminded her yet -- usually about 5-10 minutes before the next potty trip is scheduled. I'll probably wait about another week before I push nighttime undies, unless I notice she is holding her poopies in until then, and then we'll start working on that sooner.

I know that was a novel, but I really want to remember everything we did. If I think of anything else, or if you have a question I didn't answer, let me know and I'll do my best to answer. Hope this helps!

I think it's official

2011-02-23T13:45:00.001-07:00

But to be honest, I'm a little nervous I'll jinx it if I say that.

(crosses fingers)

Taelie is potty trained.

Yes, I am serious. She has had ONE accident since Saturday afternoon. That happened today - she was playing, and all of a sudden cries out, "peepee!" and ran to the potty. She made it there for most of it, but a tiny bit got on her undies, so really, does that even count as an accident? I don't think so.

Ever since she saw "the big kids" go on the potty, she has loved it. And, as a bonus for me, it only took her ONE poopy accident to realize that that was not cool at all.

Here's how our last week went:

Wednesday (Day 1): Instant success (in the potty) followed by an entire day of accidents.

Thursday (Day 2): Great day! Only two accidents!

Friday (Day 3): Step back -- about as many accidents as successes. Wondering if she's not quite ready.

Saturday (Day 4): Two accidents. Last accident happened around 5:30pm -- she kept telling me she didn't like the mess the peepee made on the carpet (me too, Tae, me too!) Friends come over, she watches with rapture as they use the BIG potty. After that she decides her little potty is for her toys, and she will also ONLY use the big potty (Totally fine by me). Zero accidents after that.

Sunday (Day 5): Wakes up dry, wakes up from nap dry, ZERO accidents. I was too nervous to take her to church though. We had to go on two half hour drives, and not only did she stay dry the whole time, she used the potty at a friend's house multiple times.

Monday (Day 6): Woke up dry, first poopy accident (naptime), zero wetting accidents.

Tuesday (Day 7): Dry all day, wet at nap (but in her defense, she slept for 3 hours instead of her usual 2), first time pooping in the potty! I was thrilled! (before, she would hold it in until nighttime, when she'd be wearing a diaper.)

So it took her about 3 1/2 days to get the hang of #1 in the potty, and about a week to understand #2 in the potty. I think for a 25 month old*, that's pretty good!

We have taken it slower with naptimes and nighttime. I would put a diaper on her for those, because I wanted her to get the hang of the feeling of needing to go while she was awake first. Now we are working on naptimes, and she is doing really well. After that we'll move on to bedtime!

*No, I don't usually refer to her age in months anymore, but that was easier/faster than typing out "two years and one month", although now that I took the time to clear up that little tidbit, I probably should have just started out with that to begin with! ha! :)

p.s. Because I am now an expert in potty training (HA!), I'll share how we went about it, in case it helps any of you (or just me remember for next time). I used a combination of a bunch of methods, researched like crazy, and annoyed a bunch of my friends trying to figure out what would work best for Taelie. They are probably even more relieved than I am to be on this side of the potty training hill :)

I got over it

2011-02-17T01:30:00.000-07:00

I decided to forgive Broox's curtains and actually sew them.

I know! I'm shocked too. Considering how long I usually hold grudges against inanimate objects, I got over this one in record time! Don't worry, I am fully aware of how ridiculous that sounds. :)

I also sewed Broox's crib skirt.

And did as much as I could on his name sign. Which is turning out adorable, I might add. Unfortunately, the craft store was missing the letter 'R', so right now his name just says "BOOX"...yeah...not really what I'm going for.

And we got his dresser and changing table. All of his clothes and etc have been in Taelie's room. Finally this week I had had enough! I was so sick of his room not being usable for anything other than him sleeping in it! We still need to paint them and buy new knobs but we should have it done by the end of the week. (or maybe next week)

And I ordered the most adorable play kitchen ever! I can't wait for it to get here. I will probably be more excited than Taelie will be. I still need to get food and stuff for it, but that's easy :)

And I would have sewn Broox's bumpers but I bought the wrong color of ribbon today at the craft store. I was very upset when I got home. He gets his little chubber legs stuck in the slats 'cause he scoots around on his back (or tummy), and then gets VERY upset about it. Plus, his stuck cry is about the worst sound ever.

And today was officially Day One of Potty Training. Yes, that was it's title. Last week, Tae did great, but I wasn't prepared enough and she got bored by the second day. Then she got sick - just a cold, but then also got an ear infection so she'd run a fever and couldn't sleep well. Last night she did great and her ear infection is on the mend so I decided today was the day and I was sticking to it. It was an adventure. I'll post about that soon. To remind myself how much fun potty training is.

I'm so exhausted.

I didn't even start any of those projects until after the kids went to bed (plus I made myself clean my kitchen first, but I didn't sweep or mop and you can totally tell. I should probably make myself do that tomorrow...), and I'm an old lady now. I need my sleep.

We get points for trying, right?

2011-02-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

I am so glad we spent an hour and a half this morning getting ready for church...

only to be there about 20 minutes before Broox had a HUGE blowout.

We tried...that counts, right?

Definitely time well spent.

Status Report

2011-02-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

If I hadn't listed all those things, I most likely would NOT be checking in now to report.

'Cause I'm lazy like that.

Most often my days feel like this:

I'm sure tomorrow I'll do better. :)

So, what did I do?

Finish sewing Broox's crib skirt and put it on his crib -- Nope, and I still need to measure a part of it.

Finish sewing Broox's curtains and hang them -- Nope, I'm still mad at them. Have I mentioned why? If not, remind me and I'll share.

Make brownies (for the ladies we visit teach) -- Yup! Only I didn't realize they take an HOUR to cook, plus cooling time. I thought they only took like 20-30 minutes. So, they came out of the oven about 5 minutes before I left. And if you've ever tried to cut hot brownies...well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. But they tasted amazing. Which is what really matters. Right? That's what I kept telling myself anyway. :)

Clean out my closet and get rid of the clothes I don't wear -- Nope. I'm having a hard time with this one. See, I want to do the whole "only wear what you love" thing, but that would mean throwing out 3/4 or more of my clothes, and I just can't quite do it yet. I have attachment issues.

Go grocery shopping -- Yep, I most certainly did that. (It was wa-ay beyond due.) Love having a full fridge and pantry. Only now I'm wondering why I still feel like there is NOTHING in the house I want to eat.

Go visiting teaching -- Yes. And I have an awesome companion and the coolest ladies to visit. I love going visiting teaching -- it's seriously fun for me.

So that was, what, 3 out of 6? I halfway accomplished my goals...BUT, I think I should get bonus points because I also washed all of our laundry (I'm now avoiding folding it and putting it away, but we won't talk about that), scrubbed out my fridge, cleaned my guest bathroom, and went and visited a friend who just had a baby. In addition to all the normal things like kitchen cleaning, vacuuming, and caring for children. So, really, I'm ahead of the game, right? Oh, and I figured out how I want to do Broox's name letters above his crib. See? Totally got a lot accomplished. :)

Tonight is the perfect opportunity for me to sew Broox's darn curtains. Kids are asleep, and the hubs is at a guys night. As much as I love sewing (seriously), I'm having a hard time making myself do it -- because I'm still holding a grudge against them. I'm trying to convince myself to be mature and just get 'em done.

We'll see how that goes.

it's on

2011-02-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

I have zero motivation right now.

None. Nada. Zilch.

My to-do list is about a mile long, and yet, I'm just bumming around here. How ridiculous.

So, this is me giving myself a kick in the patootie to get going.

Besides my normal stuff, today I will....

Finish sewing Broox's crib skirt and put it on his crib

Finish sewing Broox's curtains and hang them

Make brownies (for the ladies we visit teach)

Clean out my closet and get rid of the clothes I don't wear

Go grocery shopping

Go visiting teaching

I'll be back later to report on my success, stand by until then. :)

Pictures Included

2011-02-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

We are once again law-abiding citizens and paying for our internet service. Go us!

It is wonderful having internet on our computer again. I didn't think I'd miss it that much since I use my phone all the time, but I really really did. Now that we are back up and running, I can finally post some pics.

This last weekend was the Draft -- where we pick our location for the summer. We were so excited to get our first pick. Drumroll please....

This summer we will be headed to

Kansas City!

I may or may not randomly start belting out "Kansas City, Kansas Cityyyyyy!" all. the. time. You know...like the song. At least I think that's a song, maybe I made it up? Either way, Ben just loves me singing those two lines over adn over again whenever the desire strikes my little heart.

We are seriously thrilled. It is a HUGE city, but kind of off the beaten path, which is awesome. I can't wait to explore it this summer.
Us at the draft -- don't mind that I look like a ghost. That's totally normal for me, unfortunately.

I also got to hang out with a bunch of the Platinum wives all day Saturday. I got to see a bunch of good friends, plus meet new ones. And now, a cheesy moment: I totally love Ben's work. We seriously could not ask for a better job for Ben. I'm not even exaggerating, I love it that much. Cheesy moment out.

Other news:
Taelie is obsessed with wearing her Cinderella dress lately. As in, she wears is every.single.day. No joke. The last two weeks, she has begged and tried to convince me to let her wear it to church because it's a "pretty dress". I win, pretty much only because I tell her she can wear it when we get home (the fact that I'm the mom and should be the boss really doesn't matter, apparently.)

Evidence:

Notice her Cinderella doll and her bear/blanket thingie that is dressed up like Cinderella --it did not come that way, we had to help it out.

(My apologies for the blurry picture. I am definitely not a professional photographer and 9 times out of 10, I use my phone to take pics.)

Superbowl was (as always) SUPER fun. We hung out with our new bff's the Noerrings. We love Brittany and Tyson. Britt and I were friends in high school, and just started hanging out again, and it is soo much fun. When we left their house on Sunday, my face hurt from smiling and laughing so much. Love that feeling. Also, our kids get along crazy well. Like, I've never seen Taelie gravitate toward any other kid that way. I'm pretty sure she's going to marry Caden when they grow up (sorry Peyton...you've got some serious competition, buddy!:)). And their little girl Alyssa, is only a couple months older than Broox, and I basically want to eat her cheeks every time I see her. (Don't worry, I have resisted the urge, and so far, she's safe :)).

Caden has a football jersey and helmet, and after seeing him wear them, Taelie thought it would be a good idea to try them on too. This became my favorite picture the instant it was taken:

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen? As soon as I'm done with this post, this will become my new facebook profile pic. haha!

And, as always, Broox was his happy, easy-going self -- chilling with Daddy and taking a little Sunday nap on the couch.

I love this little tank. He is so happy and just too adorable. I seriously cannot handle it. I may have an unhealthy obsession with how darn cute he is.

Overall, awesome weekend. And sooo happy I can now attach my awesome photography skills to my blog :)

p.s. Thanks to those of you who have invited me to your blogs! I'm still waiting on some of you... (or maybe you just don't read my blog...) so this is my obvious hint to invite me :)

Private blogs

2011-01-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Just a friendly little reminder to those of you who read my blog that have private blogs that I can't see...please invite me! I want to stay caught up on your life too! The ones I can think of off of the top of my head are: Krystal, Britny, Marie, Angie, Klorissa, Jessica, Chelsea, Jacey, Casey, Ashley, Kristie, and Kristy. I have probably missed lots of you too. I realize I was especially terrible at commenting so it's probably my fault I did not get invited, but if you don't hate the thought of me reading your blog, please shoot an invite over my way. Seriously. Email is: benandjenarthur at hotmail dot com.

Thank you kindly :)
(sidenote: anyone else think that is a weird phrase? Maybe that's why no one uses it anymore... Hmm...)

The little things

2011-01-28T20:27:00.001-07:00

So, apparently our Internet provider switched like a year or two ago (we have no idea when really), and since we had our payments withdrawn automatically, we never realized that when our provider switched, that we were no longer paying for our Internet service. (whoops!:) Well, I tried to get online the other day and couldn't, and that's when we found out the whole story. (apparently tons of people in our complex are going through the same thing.) We decided to shop around a little bit instead of just signing up win the first company we found, and with any luck, should have Internet again by sometime next week. Until then, I will be updating from my phone which is totally annoying but somehow, I'll deal. :) it's probably kind of ridiculous how dependent I am on the Internet, huh? A little pathetic, probably...

I wanted to put up some current pics of my adorable children (yes, I'm totally bias), but I can't figure out how to pull pics from my phone to post them. I'll have to work on that.

In other news, we are having lots of fun with our little house. Curtains, painting, etc. I'm loving it. Its so fun taking a standard-issue condo and making it your home.

Hopefully my next post will have pictures, yeah?

And tonight

2011-01-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm doing better now.

I went visiting teaching tonight. Earlier today, I really wasn't in the mood, but by the time 6:00 rolled around, I was so ready to go. We only visited one sister, but we were there an hour. And it was awesome. I felt like I was able to get to know both my companion and the girl we visited so much better. It was so nice to just talk to girls. And get to know people that live close to me.

When I got home, Tae was alseep (that's what happens when you're two and you don't nap all day long), and Broox was ready to eat and go to sleep. Broox was so happy to see me, and I was rejuvenated and so happy to see him too. It's amazing what a difference an hour break can make.

My house still needs attention, but it's not as overwhelming right now. It's picked up. I wouldn't go so far as to call it clean, but if someone dropped in on us, I most likely wouldn't die of embarrassment.

Thanks for your comments. On any posts. I really love them. I think we all do. It helps to feel like someone cares enough to take teh couple seconds it takes to comment, rather than just read your post and leave. I have been really bad at commenting the last couple months. I will do better. The last year, I was sort of anti-blogging, really. The past year, I blogged less than I did any other year.

I missed it. I think I thought it was something extra that I just didn't have time for, but I've found that, actually, it's somethind I need. I need that release of just writing. I know I ramble, but it's how I sort out my thoughts. Take my post earlier. I felt better just writing it. It didn't change anything, but I got it out, and was able to move on. I was able to go play puzzles with Taelie and really enjoy my time with her (like I usually do).

Since I didn't blog about so many things, I'm debating about whether or not I'll go back and fill those in.

I haven't decided yet.

I'm not going to promise that I will. I don't want to feel pressured to blog. I'm just going to blog whenever I want, about whatever I want. There will probably be times I blog quite a bit (like today) and lapses where nothing is going on here. And I'm giving myself permission to be okay with that. It's (past) time to stop beating myself up about every little thing.

You too. If you're wondering if anyone cares about your blog, we do. I do. I love to read your updates, your funny stories, touching moments, and what's going on with your family. There are many of you I only keep in touch with through blogs, or know better because of blogging, and I'm grateful for that.

Thanks for being my sounding board and letting me ramble.

Today

2011-01-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Do you ever just feel like you want to give up? Like it doesn't matter what you do, everything is just out of control? I am totally feeling that way right now. I just want to give up.

Not forever.

Just for today.

Taelie and I have been butting heads all day. I hate this. Like really, really hate it. She has always been my little buddy, we've always been so close. I hate feeling like that's slipping away. I know I need to let her be more independant, take more risks, heck, even make more messes, and I'm trying, I really am. But it's hard. And it's frustrating when it seems like she doesn't even hear anything I say. I feel like I have to raise my voice just so she acknowledges that I said something. And I don't like that. I don't want to raise my kids in a house full of yelling. And I haven't yelled at her. But I did snap. A couple times today. It hurts just writing that. I hate hate hate that. She is only two for crying out loud! She deserves better. I've been praying for more patience, and boy, is He giving me opportunities to practice it. I hope I can be better. No, I HAVE to be better. This isn't an option.

Broox is still not feeling well, he cut his first tooth last Thursday, and his second one is trying to come in. He wants to be held all. the. time. Which is hard when I have so much I have to do. So I hold him, and even though I am trying to enjoy the moment, because I know it will be gone so quickly, all I can think about it how disgusting my house is, and the errands I have to run, and all the projects I need to work on. I don't want Broox to feel like it's a burden for me to hold him. It's not. Not at all. After being sick the last couple days and avoiding the kids so as not to re-infect them, all I wanted to do was cuddle them. Somehow it made me feel better.

Speaking of being sick...man, I am sooo done with sickness. We don't get sick very much, but this winter has been ridiculous. I feel like we have caught every bug possible. And somehow, when we're sick, the house spirals out of control. It's like it has a mind of it's own or something. And since I'm still not feeling 100%, I feel like all I can do is damage control. I honestly don't know how my house gets this bad. There is something sticky all over my kitchen floor and I have no idea what it is or how it got there. I discovered it this morning and have yet to mop it up because I have so many other fires I'm trying to put out.

So, here I sit, kids are both napping, my house desperately needs my attention and I have a very short window of time to get things done, and yet I have zero motivation. What I really want to do is go curl up in my bed and sleep. Or cry. I feel so overwhelmed, I don't even know where to start.

Can't I give up, just for today?

For Memory's Sake

2011-01-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

Taelie has been in a big girl bed for a couple months now, but I wanted to take some pictures of her nursery before we disassembled the crib so I can always remember what it looked like. I posted some pics back here when we first started, and it's fun to look back and see what has changed and what has stayed the same (and what still needs to be done).

My sister, Erin, got me these knobs for her name. They were originally pink, and have really cool detail on them. I want to bring the pink swirls and dots back out on them (they are raised./textured) but nothing I've tried has worked. Any ideas? I'm pretty sure I'm just going to take a paint brush and paint over the raised parts to bring them out.

Where we keep her small toys and books. The books now pretty much take over this space. And I'm very happy about that.

I still LOVE these crystals. Taelie does too. She likes to play with them while she is supposed to be napping. And when we took her 1 year pics, these crystals were the only thing that made her smile for them.

I brought this chime back from Ukraine. It is pale pink...part of me really wants to paint it a brighter pink or add sparkles or swirlies to it, but I always hesitate since I brought it half-way across the world just like this. Would I be ruining it if I changed it?

Our friend Brooke got this for Tae, sooo true! :)

I still need pink crystal knobs for this dresser. They are at Target, I just haven't gotten around to buying them yet. I don't know why, but I cringe whenever I see how expensive they are. ($20 for four, and I need ten. I love decorating without spending a bundle, so $60 just for knobs is hard to swallow. Heck, I didn't pay that much for the dresser! I know they will make a world of a difference, but still...) Go ahead and convince me in the comments! :)

Tae's Cinderella crown. She actually wears this at least once a week. Along with her princess dress-ups. She is such a girlie girl. It is so fun.

More souveneirs from travels and gifts.

Love this. So simple, so perfect for a little kid's room. I hope Taelie is never afraid to dream.

Awkward shot of her dresser. That awesome mirror is from DI, and I painted it. It matches the detail on the knobs that hold her name letters so well. And the Willow Tree figurine -- every year for Christmas, Taelie gets another one that correlates with her age/stage of life.

Blurry picture of her desk/changing table. I am trying to decide if I want to keep or get rid of this piece of furniture once she's potty trained.

That shelf still needs more. I have a wreath that I made sitting up there now too. I need another cute knob and hanger to hang her tutu from.

And a final view looking in from the doorway. Too bad I don't have a panoramic lens, huh?

I love her room still. It's cozy and sweet, and soft, somehow, if that makes sense.

I know in about a year I'll need to really upgrade it to her "big-girl" room. Even though she has a toddler bed now, I'm not ready to change everything just yet. Besides, we're still working on Broox's room and will be painting our room withing the coming weeks. I think Ben would kill me if I told him I wanted to re-do Taelie's also. :)

Tired

2011-01-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

We are officially parents.

We are dealing with our first middle of the night barfing experiences.

Isn't that some rite of passage? Like, the first time you wake up to your child throwing up, and that sad little cry? It really is the worst.

We are going on 2 days of Taelie waking up sick. I have washed her sheets sooo many times. Countless tubbies. Hundreds of snuggles (I like that part, but hate the reason for it).

Why is it that kids are only sick in the middle of the night? Seriously, the rest of the time she is running around acing like her normal happy self, and then, a couple hours after she goes to bed....blech.

So, for those of you who hung out with us this weekend...I sincerely hope we did not get you sick. Taelie's started Monday morning, so I'm thinking she caught it over the weekend or maybe church.

Viruses usually run their course in 1-3 days, so I'm hoping we're on the tail end now. I hate seeing little Bella Boo so miserable. I feel so helpless.

I guess I'll blog

2011-01-16T23:04:00.001-07:00

Ben is furiously working away at an Organic Chemistry take home test, and I am bored. I am trying to stay out of his way so he can focus, but since the kids are in bed, and I have zero motivation to pick up my house, I decided that the thing that would take the least amout of energy would be to blog. You're welcome. I'm sure my hundreds of readers have been anxiously waiting for an update on the Arthur family. (and of course, by hundreds, I mean 5*)

So, what's new at the Arthur house?

Well, we painted Broox's room finally. It is bright green. A little brighter than we were planning on, but we still like it. His furniture is being painted and put together and I'm sewing up the last of his bedding. With how quickly we're getting projects done around here, he'll probably be able to move in within the next year or so. :)

Speaking of Broox, he went to his 4 month check up when he was 5 months old, and is doing great. He weighed 17 lbs 6 oz putting him in the 68th percentile for weight. I can't remember his exact height, but it was the 90th percentile. He rolls from his tummy to back when he feels like it, squawks and squeals all.the.time (love this), and is seriously the happiest baby ever. Except for when he's constipated. And I totally agree with him for being upset about that. One last thing about Broox -- he HATES solid foods. Like cries and clamps his mouth shut like I am torturing him. So, we have decided to wait on those for another couple weeks, he's obviously not ready, and I'm not in any rush, either. I'm perfectly content to let him take the lead here.

Taelie girl turned 2 on December 26th. I know everyone says it, but seriously? How is she already two? At her checkup she weighed 23lbs 10oz which puts her in the 13th percentile or 16th? I can't remember exactly, but it's low. :( and she finally stopped growing like crazy and is now only in the 30-something percentile for height. She has always been in at least the 75+% for height so that's crazy to me. She is talking like crazy (usually in complete sentences) -- unless she feels shy -- which she usually does around new people. She knows the ABC song and can count to ten and name most of her colors. She is very opinionated about what she wants to wear and especially what earrings she's wearing -- but she is very good at matching. She always chooses earrings that match her outfit -- it's crazy. She told me several times this weekend that she wants to use the potty, so I guess it's time for me to step up and get her trained. We've done a couple of trial runs in the past, but she's always thought of her potty more as a toy, so I'm not sure if she's really ready or just wants to pretend. We'll try it out and see what happens.

Ben went back to school this semester and is sooo close to being done. He has about 3 semesters (including this one) left, as long as he can take all the classes he needs to. Only 8 classes, but a couple of them have labs, and they are all upper division courses which means they are ridiculously difficult and take up a LOT of time, so the counselors don't recommend taking more than 2 or 3 classes each semester. Other than that, he is still working for Platinum and absolutely loving it. It is so nice having him home so much and allowing to focus on school without the constraints of work hours. We are already getting excited to head out again this summer for our 4th year (can't believe it's been that long!).

As for me, I stay pretty busy with the adorable children. I am so glad I get to stay home and be a mom full time. It would be really hard for me to leave them to work. I try to accomplish little projects here and there, but the majority of my time is spent blowing bubbles, playing Ring Around The Rosies, reading books and having teaparties. Oh, and stealing as many kisses from Taelie as I can -- she has recently decided that she is too cool for kisses and will tell me, "no tisses" everytime I try to get her. Luckily Broox is still completely amenable to lots of snuggles and lovies, and he gets his cheeks nearly kissed off on a daily basis. My days are also filled with tickles and tubbies and art projects and singing and counting and puzzles. And dress ups. And diapers. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love it. I am amazed at how blessed I am to get to play with my kids all day long.

I am getting sick of typing. And I feel like I am starting to break out in hives from ignoring the mess that is my house. It's all around me threatening to engulf me any moment, so I better attack it before it gets the best of me. Darn it.

* 5 is a gross exaggeration. It's probably closer to 2 readers, including myself. :)

I'm a wimp.

2010-12-11T00:40:00.002-07:00

It has only been four days since we started working out, and I seriously want to quit.

Every muscle in my body is screaming at me.

I know it's my own fault -- I haven't worked out in THREE years. (That is totally embarrassing to admit...)so, obviously, my body is wondering what in the heck I'm putting it through, but still!

P90X is killer.

I think Tony Horton's real goal is to put everyone in as much misery as possible.

Everyone keeps telling me it will be worth it if I push through this wall...I'm not so sure.

Being lazy is so much easier.

p.s. I'm not so sure about this font...I'm gonna try it out for a little bit, but it seems kinda hard to read...what to you think?

Taelie saved Chloe's life. Seriously.

2010-12-05T00:27:00.000-07:00

I've been debating about posting this since we're not 100% in the clear yet, but the odds are in our favor, so I'm writing on faith.

On Monday night, we went over to Ben's parent's house for about half an hour, then went over to my parent's house, then back to Ben's parents. While we were there the second time, we were all sitting in the living room talking about our plans for when Paco's family comes to visit, when Taelie, obviously distressed, starts trying to tell Lorrie Ann (Ben's mom) something. I knew she was talking about Chloe, but since she was talking to Bamma Lorrie (Grandma Lorrie), I wasn't paying super close attention. Luckily, Toddler is a hard language to understand if you aren't well-versed in it (like me), so Lorrie Ann couldn't understand her. She asked Taelie to tell her again, and Taelie said, "Chloe, eat it! Chloe, eat it!" I told Lorrie Ann that she was talking about Chloe, so Lorrie Ann looked over at Chloe (who was partially hiding behind the coffee table), and started freaking out, saying, "She's got the poison! She's got the poison!" She grabbed the chunk of rat/mouse poison out of her mouth, and Ben grabbed Chloe and called our vet immediately.

Our vet told us we needed to induce vomiting right away. We did so, and after Chloe emptied the entire contents of her stomach -- all of it was the poison (which made me dry heave watching her), we called our vet back. While we were helping Chloe throw up, Ben's parent's had been scouring around their house making sure that they got all the other poisons up. There were two missing in addition to the one that we had found her chewing on. Since we'd been over there earlier, we didn't know if she had eaten them just barely or earlier in the day, so we were concerned that she may have already digested some of the poison (our vet said that just a little bit could kill her and small dogs like her can begin digesting whatever they eat in as little as half an hour), so we rushed her into his office for an emergency visit.

When we got there, Ben had to help him stick a tube down her throat and pump activated charcoal into her stomach. The charcoal binds to everything, thus not letting her body absorb any of the poison. Then he gave her a vitamin K pill. How the poison works is it doesn't allow the blood to clot, so she would have started bleeding internally, and after a few days crashed and died. By the time we noticed anything was wrong, it would have been too late to stop the bleeding and she would have died. Vitamin K helps the blood to clot, so she won't internally bleed to death.

While we were at the vet's office, she proceeded to throw up twice -- once expelling the vitamin K pill (which stressed me out). The vet said not to worry about it, just don't let her eat and give her another one the next day. When we got home, she was up all night throwing up. She threw up black charcoal all over our carpet eight times. (We ended up having to enclose her in the kitchen - so she was with us but not on the carpet). This really worried us, because if she was throwing up all the charcoal, how could there be any left to do it's job of preventing her body from absorbing the poison? We called our vet again (bless him for not wanting to kill us), and he said that smaller dogs take it harder, and to just watch her. She should still have enough charcoal in her system to do the job. It was SO sad to watch her that night. She was so miserable. She could not get comfortable any way she tried. She was so tired, but couldn't find any good way to lie down. She wouldn't even cuddle us. Finally she tried to fall asleep sitting up. It was a long night for all of us.

Over the next couple days, we were on the phone with our vet (we LOVE our vet -- he is seriously the best), and he kept checking in on her to see how she was doing. Ben took her in for a follow up check-up on Wednesday and the vet checked her for signs of internal bleeding and told him then that the next 2-3 days are when we need to really be paying attention to how she acts. Luckily, as of Wednesday, she wasn't showing any signs of internal bleeding.

It is now Saturday night, and she is still acting like herself. We will take her back in next week for another red blood cell count, but we are pretty sure she's out of the woods now. We still have to give her vitamin K pills for the next month to make sure her blood will clot like normal. (I'm still nervous that she's going to crash. It may take a couple weeks before I really believe she's okay.)

If it weren't for Taelie, Chloe wouldn't have even had a shot of making it. Because Taelie was so adamant that Chloe was eating something she shouldn't (which in itself is weird, considering Taelie feeds Chloe every chance she can get), we were able to help Chloe as quickly as possible. Had she not been so persistent and had we not listened to her, Chloe WOULD have died. With the amount of poison she ate, there is absolutely NO question about it. She would have died, and we would have had no idea why.

Moral of the story: take the time to LISTEN TO YOUR KIDS.

I firmly believe Taelie was prompted by the Spirit to protect Chloe.

Like I said, I am still VERY nervous. Please pray for Chloe. She's our family.

I will be devastated if she dies.

Where we're at

2010-11-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I don't remember teething. Poor Broox was up from 3:30 on this morning, just in pain from his little mouth. Poor little guy. Just broke my heart. Looks like he's following in Taelie's footsteps with teething early. We'll see how soon his teeth actually come in! Tae teethed for 6 months before any broke through!

Luckily he is a happy and content little boy now.

Yum!

He seriously tries to fit his entire fist in his mouth...and get really upset when it doesn't all fit. Is it terrible that I think this is hilarious? :)

We have had a nice, laid-back Sunday of just enjoying each other's company and decking out the house in Christmas decorations! It's so fun to decorate for the holidays, and it totally helps get us in the Christmas mood!

Taelie was so excited to see the tree lit up all pretty and the "sparkle" decorations out. It is so fun to see her get all excited. We got out some of our Christmas books and had fun reading those -- I am excited for her to experience Christmas this year! I know she doesn't really remember last year, so this should be fun!

Some recent pics of the princess:

She climbed up here all on her own, ready for pictures!
Oh my gosh, she LOVES climbing right now. I am always having to get her down from something or other. It's awesome. :)

And she totally posed herself here. I love it!

As you can see from the pics -- Minnie is a current fave. She is a woman obsessed. (wait, no. I am NOT ready to call my baby a woman. Scratch that!)

Time to watch a Christmas movie and cuddle with my sweetheart. I'll be quoting "The Grinch" for the remainder of the year -- Ben is so lucky!

Yes, I think so

2010-11-27T01:09:00.001-07:00

I am ready to come back to blogging.

At least, I think so...

I have had zero motivation to blog for the last couple months. It makes me so sad and so frustrated that I have not not blogged about so many fun and important events that have happened in our family. I used to be so good about blogging. I want to be that way again. I hope I'm REALLY back this time.

I guess only time will tell :)

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. Ours was wonderful.

So much to be thankful for. Just a quick list...

Ben -- where, oh where, would I be without this man? He is my soulmate. He is there for me no matter what, and I am eternally grateful he is mine forever. I love him more than words could ever say.

Taelie -- She is my little princess. She is sassy and sweet and smart and seriously beautiful. She is the most fun little girl I have ever met. She is hilarious. Seriously. I can't imagine my life without her. When she was born, I learned to love like never before.

Broox -- What an amazing little man. He is the happiest baby in the world. His smile is unbelievable. His laugh is contagious. I had no idea my heart would grow so much when I had him. He is the most beautiful baby boy I have ever seen, honestly. Words cannot express how much I love him.

Chloe -- Oh, Chloe! I love her so. I get so frustrated with her, and am often way too impatient, but I cannot imagine our family without her. She forgives me so quickly everytime I lose my patience. She was my first baby. She let me cuddle her and take care of her when I thought we'd never have our own babies. In a way, I think she saved me. I think a part of me was broken that she helped heal by letting me love her and need her. She is family, through and through.

Of course there are more. I could list for hours and hours. But right now, my family is on my mind, and they are my world. I am very, very blessed in deed.

A short little tag

2010-11-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a tag in quite a while, so I was super excited when Kayla tagged me! Such a fun, short little tag!

1. What is your ALL time favorite song and why? None of this "well I like everything". If you had to pick one, which would it be?
"You're So Amazing" by Janelle. It is exactly how I feel about my kids and I want them to know that. It is the first song I always sing to them when they are upset. I never want them to question my love for them.

2. What was the most memorable part of your wedding day and or first date if you aren't married yet. ;)
I think the ceremony itself, really. Ben and I had dated for so long that it was kind of like, "Really? We are seriously finally married?!"

3. What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to own my own design firm so I can set my own hours around my family's schedule. Being the best mom I can is super important to me, so I don't want anything to take away from that, but I do want to have something I can do to express myself.

4. Why do you blog?
I started my blog almost three years ago just for fun. For awhile I used it as a way to keep my family updated about our lives while we travel, and while I still do that, now I use it more just as a way to get my thoughts down and hopefully document important event in my family's lives.
5. What is your favorite attribute about yourself and why?
How patient I am with my kids. Maybe that seems silly, but I am NOT a patient person at all. I hate waiting for pretty much anything, but I have almost endless patience with them. I VERY rarely get upset with them or lose my temper. Of course, I am not perfect by ANY stretch of the imagination, but I sure try hard with my kids....maybe I should try to have more patience in general! ha! :)

6. What's on your Christmas list this year?
New pots and pans. Serving ware. A couple books. Clothes. Shoes. Jewelry. Home decor stuff. I'm easy :)

7. What is your "signature drink"? It could be homemade, your daily Starbucks drink, or what you always order when you go out. If it is homemade, will you include the recipe? :)
My all-time favorite drink is Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Frappacino (creme-based). Unfortunately, this is only available during the fall (right now-- YAY! If you haven't tried it -- GO GET IT! You won't regret it, I promise!) The rest of the year I love Caramel Creme Frappacinos. Whenever we go out though, I get water with lemon. Love it.

Kayla, you were right, that was DEFINITELY harder than I thought! :) Fun though!
I tag....
Johanna Eardley
Erin Anderson
Erin Wood
Brooke Wilson

Have fun girls! I can't wait to see what you post!

All about Broox

2010-10-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Broox's blessing is right around the corner, so the other day I made this:

I am so excited for his blessing! I just need to find a CUTE (key word being cute here) blessing outfit for him and we'll be set! Any ideas on where to get a cute baby boy blessing outfit, PUHLEASE let me know!

And if you feel like stopping by for the blessing or lunch afterward, we'd love to have you! (seriously :)

Broox's 2 month stats

2010-10-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

Broox had his two month check up the other day, even though he is almost 3 months.

It was SO sad when he got his shots. His hurt cry is THE WORST. And he would just look at me with those big, sad, blue eyes with a look that plainly says, "why are you letting them do this to me?"

Broke. My. Heart.

He is a BIG boy, nice and chunky!

Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz -- 90%

Length: 24 1/4 in -- 90%

Head: 41 1/4 in -- 95%

See?

Ahh! I LOVE those chubby cheeks and rubberband wrists!

At 2 months, Broox...

smiles ALL the time

babbles like crazy

giggles

holds his head up by himself for the most part (and then when he gets tired he just drops it!)

love, love, LOVES his food (as is evident from his stats!)

has rolled over once

tracks us wherever we are

recognizes mommy, daddy, and Taelie's voices

LOVES Taelie -- he thinks she is hilarious

sleeps 8-9 hours every night

has acid reflux :(

loves being snuggled

loves his bouncer

is the MOST adorably baby boy EVER!

Lately

2010-10-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am anti-picture taking lately.

(or maybe it's because I am terrible at taking pictures...eh, either way)

Ben and I went to his annual work party yesterday which was SO much fun! It was so great to see so many great friends and catch up. And of course, I did not take any pictures. But it was fun to get a little dressed up and have a night out with just the two of us.

The last couple weeks have been crazy.

On the way home from Philly, we stopped in Denver to visit Ben's brother and his family. Oh my gosh, I'm pretty sure we should move there. Okay, okay, so we were only there like a week, but still, it was awesome. We loved it there. Finally we decided we'd probably about worn out our welcome, and drove the rest of the way home. Since I'm on my anti-picture taking kick, none of us took a single picture the entire time we were there. Oh wait, I take that back...I did get a couple of Taelie's split open forehead while we were waiting in the doctor's office. Not exactly the pictures you want...I'll post those and the story of how she did it soon, but the pics are on my phone, and I am feeling way too lazy to go through the process to get them on my computer.

We are finally home and almost unpacked. Ben had meetings from the day we got home until yesterday, plus, he and Taelie have been really sick for the last week, and since I'm totally double-teamed here, I'm not super speedy at getting everything put away. We're very close though, and now that Ben will have some more time at home, everything should be put back together soon, and then we can get to work on some projects! Yay! (Ben is equally as thrilled as I am, no worries.)

Okay, fine. I love this pic of Taelie so much (thanks again Johanna!) that I just have to post it. Besides, there haven't been very many pics of her lately on here, and we're still just as obsessed with her as ever, so enjoy!

Johanna also did Broox's newborn pics, so those will be on here shortly too!

300

2010-10-04T22:17:00.001-07:00

I can't believe this is my 300th post!

Crazy that I've been blogging that long...I will be starting my 4th year of blogging in the next few weeks.

I felt it only fitting to write. Just write.

I don't really have any topics in mind, just a lot of random thoughts all jumbled up in my head, so feel free to either stay and go on this journey through all the miscellaneous thoughts in my head with me, or click on out before you get too deep in there :) I won't be offended.

I said I just wanted to write. Writing stresses me out now. I used to be such a good writer, now I just ramble, and can't seem to get cohesive thoughts to come out right. I feel like I am boring and can't accurately express what I want. I see it so well in my head, but by the time I sit down to type, I can't make any sense of it. It frustrates me to no end. Even to the point where I've considered taking writing classes again to help get my writing mojo back.

Writing classes. Cooking classes. Painting classes. Blogging classes. Skin care classes. Make-up classes. Hair classes. Photography classes. Photoshop classes. (Classes looks really funny after typing it so many times, btw.) Basically, you name it, I want to take a class on it. Why? I have been feeling SO incredibly dwarfed by everyone I have ever known lately. I feel like I have zero talents. I don't feel like I have anything I am really "good" at or is "my thing". You know what I mean? For any one of my friends, I could tell you something or multiple somethings they are good at, or ways I want to be like them. For me, I feel like the list of things I need to do to improve is never-ending. Which is probably why I get frustrated with myself so much lately. I want to be and do all these things, but I have zero follow through. I have all the best intentions in the world, but nothing to show for it.

I probably sound really depressed right now. I'm not, I promise. Just frustrated with myself.

I am honestly having a mid-life crisis at age 25.

I feel so old. I feel like I am no where near the person I wanted to be by the time I turned 25, but yet I have not made any REAL changes to become who I want to be. And I have a million good excuses that can be perfectly legitimite too, but when I try to tell myself them, I just get annoyed at my ability to make excuses for things. It's a vicious cycle, I tell ya what.

We are coming home soon. I can't believe how exited I am. It's been almost six months since we've been home, and I miss it. I am especially excited to know that for the next six months, we don't have to move again. Hopefully I can force myself to be outgoing at church. It's so hard always feeling like you are new. Especially when you've been there for 3 years.

My eyes are seriously protesting now -- they need sleep apparently. I have to keep forcing them to focus, so I am going to take the hint and head to bed. Lots of packing to do tomorrow! (and I'm sure a lot of playing with my new iPhone, which is pretty much the coolest thing EVER. I am obsessed with it. It's true you don't "get" it, until you have one. I'm in love.)

Happy 300th post, dear blog. Thanks for stickin' with me.

Our little man

2010-09-21T14:40:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe that my baby boy is already 7 weeks.

He is getting so big. His cheeks and thighs are filling out quite nicely.

Some fun tidbits about Broox right now:

He has a dimple on his right cheek -- it is so adorable. I am going to have to watch out for the girls when he is older!
His eyes get bluer every day.
He is STRONG. He already holds his head up for quite awhile by himself -- we are still working on the coordination though! He also pushes up off the floor during tummy time and scoots himself backwards. It is crazy to watch his little body move like that!
He is tall. He has outgrown his newborn clothes and even some of his 0-3 month clothes are tight on him. I'm not really okay with his, seeing as he is not even 2 months old yet!
He smiles all the time when he is awake. I LOVE it!
He has started laughing -- we have to work really hard to get him to laugh, but when he does, it is so worth it.
He has his daddy's cowlick (no idea how to spell that) in the front right of his hairline (you can see it really well in the pic)
He HATES baths. Seriously, it's like his nightly torture or something. It is so sad.
He has slept through the night 3 times. The first time was at 5 weeks, then he skipped a day (only slept 6 hours), then did it again the next night. Then he caught a little cold and had a hard time breathing while he was sleeping. Last night he slept a solid 8 hours again, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that it'll stick!
He is like clockwork with his eating schedule.
He LOVES his food -- we had to search to find the right formula for him too, but he is a happy camper now!
I am guessing he weighs about 11 lbs.
He seems to be a little more high-maintenance than Taelie was, but overall a really easy-going baby.
He loves to be held and snuggled (I am totally fine with this)

It has been so much fun having him in our family. He is so sweet. I love, love, LOVE this boy.

When Broox was 3 weeks old, our friend Johanna took his pictures. That shoot ended up being sooo crazy because the weather did not cooperate at all, and neither would Taelie (it's hard being 1 1/2 sometimes), but luckily, Johanna is amazing and still got some great shots. To see more of her work, go here.

Who do you think he looks like?

I say Ben, all the way, which is weird, because he looks SO much like Taelie did as a baby, and Taelie is obviously my Mini-Me. What's your vote?

Also, we poach our internet here from random neighbors, so sometimes we get signal, sometimes we don't, which is why postings are so sporadic. My apologies.

p.s. I'll start p90x tomorrow.

I'll probably die from this

2010-09-10T19:11:00.001-07:00

My plan today was to eat an entire box of Mint Oreo Fudge Cremes.

Seriously.

I honestly planned this out.

Sadly, I underestimated my abilities and was only able to eat a third of a box over the course of the day.

I know.

I'm disappointed in myself too.

Apparently my body does reach a point where it does not want any more sugar. Huh. Who knew?

On that note, I'll be starting P90X tomorrow.

(or maybe the day after that, or the next day...I've been saying that for a couple days now)

Hence the reasoning to eat all the oreos in one day - once I actually do work up the self-motivation to start the program, I am banning myself from unhealthy foods. At least in excess. I'm all about moderation. As is obvious from this post.

I have only tried P90X one time, and it was a completely humiliating disaster...and to save myself from intense humiliation, I'll just say that two furniture delivery guys walked in on me while I was in the middle of a move, and, well, things were awkward. Not to mention that it was extremely hard to do and I totally failed in my attempt to complete ONE workout. So I'm not especially looking forward to the torture I know is awaiting me. I am highly anticipating passing out and/or dying in the process.

Wish me luck.

p.s. I am debating about posting before and after pictures to help motivate me through this process. However, since the "after" picture would most likely be me in a coffin, I am thinking I may scrap that whole idea, since me dying is not all that appealing... I'll keep you posted. I mean, who wouldn't want to see my blindingly white bod that's been stretched out and saggy from two kids in a scanty little swimsuit posted all over the internet? Wait, don't answer that. My pride can't take it.

I'm a mom.

2010-09-09T15:12:00.001-07:00

In the last week I have been peed on, pooped on, and spit up on (heck, Broox did all of those to me within a 2 minute period once). All of which were explosive enough that they required immediate bathings for the kiddo involved and a shower for me.

Obviously these things are not cool.

Not cool at all.

But I'm happy to have these experiences. Because it means I'm a mom.

I'm pretty sure that they are rites of motherhood.

I can't help but feel incredibly blessed when I look at my children. (maybe not right that second...)

Children.

Plural.

Two more than I ever thought I'd have.

I love hearing Taelie's little voice calling, "Mommy?" just to check to make sure I'm close or that everything is okay. Seeing Broox's big toothless grin. Loving Tae up when she gets hurt (which seems to be ALL the time...man, that girl is clumsy!). Knowing I'm who Broox wants when he's upset.

Little things.

But they make me a mom, and for that, I'm grateful.

Besides, I wouldn't let just anyone pee/poop on me.

No, I didn't die

2010-08-31T21:46:00.001-07:00

I just have 2 kids.

Adorable kids, mind you. But there are TWO of them. And they outnumber me.

I can only hope that one day I will be able to get things done again. Until that happens, my big accomplishments include showering and putting makeup on before Ben gets home around 11 o'clock at night. I know, I know. I shoot for the stars.

I actually am getting the hang of things...I think. Some days are still really crazy, but that's to be expected, right? As soon as we are all settled in Philly, I think everything will calm down a little bit -- three of the four of us won't be living out of a suitcase, and I won't be trying to get my house all packed up, so that should significantly help the situation.

Kind of a random note...I was just looking back over past blog entries and having so much fun reminiscing. I decided I need to be better about keeping this bloggy blog updated. I now have a renewed resolution to do so. (Let's hope we have internet in Philly, huh?)

Due to my newfound resolution, I will be backdating some posts to catch up, but here's the gist:

Broox turned one month today. I cannot believe it. Time goes by WAY too fast. I love the newborn stage. But because I know what fun stages are coming, I'm actually really looking forward to those too. We are chunking him up quite nicely. I am guessing he weighs 10 lbs at least. Seriously. This kid LOVES his food. He is an AWESOME sleeper. Since we got home from the hospital he wakes up 1-2 times at night. Usually just once. And then goes right back to sleep. We have only had 2-3 nights total that have been hard where he has woken up more than that. Naps are harder -- he likes to be held the entire time -- like Taelie did, but we are working on it.

Taelie is now 20 months old. It is crazy that my baby is almost 2. This is NOT okay with me. She is so grown up and so sweet. She has such a fun little personality. She had a really hard time being away from Ben and is going through a pretty strong seperation anxiety phase. Especially with all the other changes that we've had, it's been a rougher time for her. She has done absolutely FANTASTIC with the new baby though. She loves to hold him and kiss him and help feed him his bottle or give him his binky. Whenever he cries, she'll tell me, "baby sad" with a VERY concerned look on her face. She is such a great big sister. She loves doing somersaults now and is trying to figure out how to jump. I can't wait to get her into dance when we get back -- I think she'll have soo much fun with it!

Ben just turned 25 and got to celebrate his birthday by knocking doors all day! (now that's a party!) Since he likes his job, he actually didn't mind that part too much though, and I made sure to make him a good dinner when he was home, and we were able to hang out with good friends, so that was nice. He has worked really hard this summer, and it shows. He had so many distractions this summer, what with me being pregnant, and going home for 7 weeks, and then missing almost 2 weeks of work when Broox was born, all the stress of having his baby in the NICU and then having to head back to work without his family and worrying about me flying back with the kids alone (a whole OTHER story in itself!), and then adjusting to a newborn's sleep schedule at night once we did get here, not to mention all the regular stresses of the summer. And he handled it all like a champ. I'm so grateful for him and how hard he works to provide for us. He decided he wanted to do extended season this year, so we will be heading to Philadelphia on Thursday and will be there until the middle of October.

I have just been busy trying to figure out life with two kids -- Broox fits so naturally into our family, it's hard to remember life before him, but like I said, it's hard to figure out time to get everything done. I had quite the adventure getting us all here -- myself, 1 newborn, 1 toddler, 1 dog, 2 carry-ons, 2 carseats, 1 stroller, 2 checked bags, and 2 flights later we arrived safe and sound in Baltimore. I will be posting about that, simply so I don't forget it and think I can do it again. I love having our family back together again and cherish the time that we have all together!

Chloe is just good ole Chloe! She has calmed down quite a bit, but still barks like crazy if anyone ever comes to the door (so annoying!) and will lick you until you get mad at her and make her stop. She has had the hardest adjustment to another baby in the house -- she doesn't get as much attention as she'd like, but is still just as sweet as ever.

That ended up being WAY longer than I planned on. Whoops. Once I get caught up, the post should not be so gigantic. Or maybe they still will be...I tend to ramble.

p.s. Bachelorpad is hilarious. I'm just sayin.

LOVE

2010-08-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry this pic is so small -- it was taken with a really low-quality camera phone.

But I love it just the same.

This was the first time Taelie held Broox -- she was SO excited! She asks to hold him at least once a day.

Love that girl.

Love that boy.

(and the hubs too.)

Life is good.

Broox's story

2010-08-05T23:42:00.001-07:00

Warning: it's LONG -- if you just want to see pictures, feel free to scroll on down to the bottom. I just don't want to forget anything.

Here's Broox's story:

But first we have to back up a little bit.

I was scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, August 3rd. At my dr. appointment on Wednesday, July 28th, my dr. didn't think I would make it to then and told me that if I wanted my husband there, we might want to consider having him come in a little earlier. Well, I DID want my husband there (strange), and Ben was really worried about missing the birth of his son, so he flew in the next day (Thursday).

I had irregular contractions all day and night Thursday and Friday, and we almost went into the hospital a couple times since they were definitely getting stronger. I didn't want them to get as bad as they did with Taelie, but I also didn't want to go to the hospital too soon, so I was trying to "time them just right". Every time I'd start to think, well, maybe we should head on in, they'd fizzle right out. It was soooo frustrating!

By Friday I was feeling kind of frustrated, because Ben had rushed home and I felt guilty for making him miss so much work when nothing was even happening. When we went to bed that night I said something like, "well, since you're here, now I'll probably make it to my induction!"

At 1:06am I got a really strong contraction -- stronger than any I'd felt before (with this pregnancy), so I figured I'd time them, and wake Ben up if they were 10 minutes apart or less. After two more contractions that were very hard and exactly 10 minutes apart, I woke Ben up and told him that I wanted to go to the hospital. I wasn't sure if they would keep us or not, but I didn't want them to get much closer together without being at the hospital. It was a good thing we left when we did because within 10 minutes of being in the car, my contractions picked up and were 2-3 minutes apart.

We get to the hospital and they check us in to monitor me. I was dilated to a 4 and still 80% effaced. They hooked me up to all the monitors and said they'd be back to check me in an hour. By this point I was in tons of pain, and having really bad back labor. Every time I had a contraction (which was still every 2-3 minutes), Ben had to push on my knees to help counteract the pain. After about 40 minutes, I told Ben to call them back in to check me again. Still a 4, darn it. They told me that even though I wasn't progressing, they could tell I was in a lot of pain, so they were going to monitor me for another hour and hope I made progress by then. An hour later I was still at a 4. I was seriously on the verge of tears. I was having ridiculously painful contractions every 2-3 minutes, I was already at a 4, and was soo worried that they wouldn't keep me. If they sent us home, I knew I would have to just turn around and come back and I knew I wouldn't make it back in time. Luckily for me, the on-call dr., Dr. Lind took pity on me and said to keep monitoring me. Finally after 3 1/2 hours of continuous contractions, I dilated 1/2 a centimeter and they decided to admit me. I about kissed my nurse, I was so happy.

At 5 am, Dr. Lind came in and broke my water and then I got my epidural -- the anesthesiologist was pretty much my best friend at that point. Since I was only a 4.5-5, and it had taken me so long to progress, we all figured I wouldn't deliver until sometime that afternoon, so Ben and I decided to try to get some sleep while we waited. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep after that. I just kept watching the monitors and thinking about my baby.

Around 7, they came back to check me again, and I was complete. The nurses started setting everything up and the dr. came in. My epidural was perfect, and I could feel the contractions -- but no pain! -- so I knew when to push.
2 pushes later, Broox Benjamin Arthur was born
at 7:28 am on Saturday, July 31st!!

Our little guy!

Broox weighed 7 lbs 3 oz.

18.5 inches

Taelie came to visit us too. Unfortunately by this time, Broox was in the NICU, and since she isn't 2, she couldn't go in there to meet him, and he couldn't come out to meet her. So her and I had a little cuddle time while Daddy cuddled Broox.

(don't mind her messy face -- she was enjoying my chocolate chip cookies. And don't mind how disgusting I look -- it was a hard day)

About 3 hours after Broox was born, he started having trouble breathing. They did a chest X-ray and notice that his lungs weren't fully inflated and he had some fluid in one of them. They put a nasal cannula on him and watched him, but when they took it off an hour later, his oxygen levels dropped again. Then they put him on a c-pap machine, and watched him again. It helped inflate his lungs, but his oxygen levels were still dropping. At this point, they admitted him to the NICU and put the nasal cannula back on him.

It is the worst thing ever seeing your baby hooked up to a bunch of different monitors and seeing tubes and wires poked into them everywhere. Unfortunately, the nurses didn't communicate what was going on with Broox very well to me, so I was under the impression that I couldn't go visit him. It wasn't until early evening that I finally was able to see him again.

Even with all the tubes attached to him, we still thought he was adorable.

I love this pic of Ben and his boy

Broox had to be in the NICU the entire hospital stay, so I spend most of my time in there too. We found out the same day I was discharged that he would be able to go home with us too. We were so happy!

Taelie's first time meeting Broox was when we were leaving the hospital.

When we got home, we just enjoyed cuddling him and holding him without all the wires attached to him.

He sure was studying me!

Love his expression here!

Oh sooo sweet!

It has been AMAZING how naturally and perfectly he has fit into our family. It's like he's always been here. We are so in love with our little man. Taelie loves him and asks to hold him all the time. She likes to give him kisses and pet his head and is always pointing to him and saying, "baby, baby". She is gettin pretty good at saying his name too!

Ben is soaking up as much time with him (and us) as he possibly can. He was supposed to head back yesterday, but due to a storm, he couldn't get a flight out. Right now he is scheduled to fly back tomorrow. Wish us luck! Broox has been such a good baby and Taelie has always been so good, so I'm hoping we'll be okay with out him for a couple weeks. It will be hard, and we will defnitely miss him, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

If I left anything out, let me know!

I would like to announce that

2010-08-02T16:24:00.001-07:00

Broox Benjamin Arthur

has officially entered this world!

Broox's stats:

7 lbs 3 oz

18.5 inches

born at 7:28 am

on July 31, 2010

Full story and pictures to come soon!

Tomorrow!

2010-07-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ben is coming home tomorrow!

At my Dr.'s appointment today, I found out that I am 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced.

With Taelie I went from a 2-10 in 3 1/2 hours, so this makes me a little nervous.

That and the fact that my dr. told me he didn't think I'd make it to Tuesday. He said it could be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days. He also said that IF I make it to the induction, then it will still be VERY fast and basically, if I want Ben there, he needs to get here as soon as possible.

Obviously we know that this is just an educated guess, but we decided it would be better to have Ben here than risk him missing it. Family is the most important thing after all!

So....Ben is on the first flight out of Baltimore tomorrow morning! I am sooo excited to see him! And then baby boy can come at any time!

one week left!

2010-07-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, my friends. In ONE week, our little man will be here.

I am scheduled to be induced next Tuesday, August 3rd. Ben will be here on Aug. 1st, so really he can come anytime after that! :)

I pretty much get contractions around the clock -- if I ever take the time to time them, they are usually about 7 minutes apart, but since that happened with Taelie for a month before I had her, I am not worrying until they get stronger. It is a lot more nerve-wracking though, with Ben not being here and all. At my last dr appointment, I discovered that I had gained more weight than I did with Taelie (I figured I had) and that I now weigh more than I ever have in my entire life. Being the super emotional pregnant woman that I am, that may or may not have almost made me start crying right there at the dr.'s office. I know it makes sense and all, but it's still hard. Baby boy seems to be doing well and moving all the time. I can tell he is feeling very cramped in there, though. He is always trying to elbow out more room. Poor little guy.

We have pretty much decided on a name for our little man, but want to wait until we see him to be sure. So if you are one of the few that were privileged to hear what we are thinking -- consider yourself lucky since I'm not divulging it now. We are not quite sure how we want to spell it yet, so we are still playing around with that.

In other news...shopping for a boy is SO much harder than shopping for a girl. Thanks to facebook, I discovered a new store that I LOVE and will definitely be heading there to dress our little man as soon as he is big enough! I am still having a really hard time finding a newborn outfit to take him home in...I am not a fan of the cutesy stuff, so it's very difficult. Don't be surprised if you see pics of our little guy naked for awhile until he grows into acceptable clothes! ha! kidding. (sort of)

I can't wait to see Ben again (three weeks has been sooo long!) and to meet our little man. I am sad that my single-time with Taelie is coming to a fast close, but at the same time, I'm so sick and exhausted that it will be nice to have the baby out of me so I can start feeling like myself again and be a better mom. It will definitely be an adjustment for all of us to become a family of 4, but one we are VERY excited about!

I've been in denial

2010-07-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

Those of you that know me well know that I USED to dress cute.

I know I don't anymore -- don't try to spare my feelings. I've accepted the truth (although it IS super depressing.) I used to really define myself by the outfits I'd wear and how I looked (part of growing up modeling, I guess.), and while I don't anymore, I don't think there is really anything wrong with that either. I do think that how you look is an extension of how you view yourself, and a way to show your personality.

Somewhere over the past few years, I've become what I've always dreaded -- a frumpy housewife. It was a gradual process -- so slow in fact that I didn't even notice it. In fact, I think I had myself convinced that I was just being smart by not spending so much money on clothes. Which is true. To a point.

I have come to the conclusion that while yes, money SHOULD always go somewhere better (savings, etc), it is not stupid to spend money (within limits, of course) on things that define you. I now feel that if you are smart with your money-- you can look cute on ANY budget. Because decorating our house is important to me, we have found ways to do that and not go over budget. I think it is time to add new clothes to that budget too, and if we are smart, we can do that as well.

I'm not advocating going out on shopping sprees or spending more that you have. I'm just saying that if something is important to you, you will figure out a way to achieve it. I am thinking the Dave Ramsey Envelope method might work well here...anyone that has used it have any pointers?

And I'm sick of feeling frumpy.

Now I just need someone (or multiple someones) to help me get back in style -- any volunteers? Seriously -- help me with my makeup and accessories and shoes and clothes. I can be your little charity project. Or if you just have some pointers you'd like to share with me, I'd appreciate those as well. Anything -- skin care, make up, dressing for your body, shopping on the cheap, etc. I love it all. Might be borderline obsessed...

Oh, p.s. through the wonders of Facebook, I discovered an awesome blog. Check out The Beauty Mark for some awesome ideas.

I seriously wish I were these girls.

a bit much?

2010-07-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

Taelie loves Nemo.

As in LOVES NEMO.

(or, in her words, Memo)

And with all my energy out the window these days, we've been watching it a couple times a week.

Maybe a bit much, considering this experience:

Taelie found a play turtle in my parent's playroom and brings it to me, super excited, squealing, "Turtle!"

I told her, "That's right, that is a turtle!"

Then she looks right at me and with a huge smile on her face says, "Duuuude!"

I could not help it. I started busting up laughing right there.

She is too adorable.

Dear Baby,

2010-07-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Only 3 weeks to go until daddy comes to Utah. Please stay put until then. I really don't want to go through labor without him. Yes, I know military wives do it all the time, but I am a wimp and need your daddy there. Plus, he will be sad if he misses it.

Also, I know you are getting very cute and chubby, and running out of room fast, but elbowing and stretching out as long as you can does not create any more room in there for you. I think my tummy has stretched as far as it can go. I am very sorry, I wish you weren't so uncomfortable.

I am loving feeling you move all the time. You are such an active baby. Plus, you get the hiccups ALL. THE. TIME. Sometimes I worry that this is annoying for you. I hope not, because it's sure cute to watch my belly jump around.

I can't believe how quickly the last 36 weeks have gone by. It is unreal to me that in just 3 short weeks I will get to hold you in my arms and kiss your little cheeks and smother you with loves. I can't wait to see what you look like. I always imagine you looking like your daddy. He's a cutie, so that's a good thing. :)

Taelie is excited to have a little brother. She will point to my tummy and say, "baby" all the time. She will probably hug you a little too tight and love on you a little too much. I hope that's okay with you. She loves babies and will have so much fun having you around.

Daddy is so excited too. He can't wait to have a little boy around to even things out a little bit. He is so excited to teach you so many "boy" things. Things that mommy and Taelie don't get, but that okay, cause it can just be for you "guys".

I hope you like the name we choose for you. We are still debating on about 4 names. But the list changes all the time. I hope you are born with a nametag.

I love you, baby boy. I am so excited to meet you in 3 weeks!

loves & kisses,

Mommy

Don't hate me

2010-06-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

but I've started yet ANOTHER blog.

(someone stop me! I may be obsessed!)

I axed my old decorating blog.

It just wasn't what I wanted it to be, and it was more work to try to re-vamp it then to just create a new one. This one is much more ME.

Which I love.

I feel at home there (cheesy as it sounds).

Keep in mind that I JUST started it.

Yesterday.

So it is still a bit sparse, but that will come with time.

If you'd like to check it out, follow me on over to:

{decor junkie}

(there is also a link on the side if you want to check it out later)

Hopefully over the course of time you'll find some ideas you'll be able to use.

p.s. I am starting the cooking blog up again next week. Sorry for being a bum.

Potty Talk

2010-06-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

I think Taelie is ready to be potty-trained.

Yes, she is only 18 months (TODAY!-- When did that happen?!)

And I thought about maybe starting to try a month ago, so I started watching for signs that she was ready.

She exhibited a couple of them, but didn't seem all that interested, so I dropped it, and figured we'd just potty train her after the summer -- no big deal.

Well, the last few weeks she has gotten VERY interested in the potty.

Example:

Tuesday night she walks up to me and very clearly says, "Peepee." I asked her if she needed to go potty and she told me yeah, so I told her to go into the bathroom. She immediately runs off to the bathroom, then comes running back to me, because I didn't follow her. (I didn't think she would really go into the bathroom!) So she tells me again (this time sounding exasperated with me), "Peepee!" So I again ask her if she needs to go potty, she again tells me yeah, so I say, "Okay, let's go!" She leads me down the hall to the bathroom and points to the toilet! I was shocked to say the least. She sat on it for a second (nothing happened) but she was clearly nervous about it, because it's a big toilet and she is a little girl, so she wanted off a second later. She was SO proud of herself though. She had to run out and tell daddy, "Me peepee!" Of course Ben and I were absolutely showering her with praise, so that made it all the more exciting!

Because of this and other similar instances, I am thinking it is time to seriously potty train her. I am going to wait a week until we get back in Utah, so I can be consistent with her, and I can get her a little potty (or a couple) so she's not scared of falling into the big one.

I also plan on skipping pull-ups and just going right to "big-girl underwear" so she can feel when she's wet and understand a little bit better.

I potty-trained probably about 10-15 kids during my years of teaching pre-school, so I feel pretty confident/comfortable with the process, however, Taelie is younger than the age I potty trained -- I generally trained 2 1/2-3 year olds, so I am completley open to any and all suggestions! I realize she may not be COMPLETELY potty trained for awhile due to her need for me to help her with pulling up and down her pants, but I'm hoping that skill will come as she trains, especially since she is starting to want to do that herself anyway.

Like I said, any tips would be great!

Thanks!

Bittersweet emotions

2010-06-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

Booked our flight home today.

(by "our", I mean mine & Tae's for those of you not in the know)

Two weeks from today I will be back in Utah.

TWO measley weeks.

On one hand, I am so excited to be back with family and our "home" friends and to be able to go to the cabin with my family and the lake, and have Taelie surrounded by family. And to be close to my doctor in case I do go into labor early. And to just BE there...it's been in the back of my mind for so long, part of me feels like, let's just get it done with!

But on the other hand...

I am seriously stressing about leaving Ben.

I know he'll be fine.

So will we. But fine isn't great. We'll make it through, because we know that this is what is best for our family at this time, but that doesn't mean we are excited about it. (of course we are excited about the BABY, just not being apart)

I'm worried about who will take care of Ben -- who will wash his clothes and cook his food, and boost him up when he's had a hard day. I worry that he'll be lonely when he comes home after working a long 10-12 hour day, and won't have anyone there to talk to. I worry about how it will affect his sales -- he's doing so well, but if I'm gone, will it be harder on him? I hope not, because this is how he supports our family.

Like I said, I know he'll be okay. I know he's a big boy and can "take care of himself". But I LIKE taking care of him.

*sigh*

So many pregnant emotions right now.

I feel like I am always 2 seconds away from crying.

Speaking of crying...Taelie just woke up from her nap, so I need to run and snuggle her and enjoy every second we have together before it's no longer just the two of us.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T18:39:00.002-07:00

I really wish this pic weren't so blurry.

It is one of my absolute favorites of two of my favorite people.

With Father's Day tomorrow, I just wanted to take a minute to jot down a couple things I love about Ben as a father.

He is so much fun with Taelie.

He loves to tease her and tickle her and chase her around the house and play hide & seek and peek a boo with her. It's so adorable to watch and it melts my heart every time.

He lets her be as independent as possible.

I am always worried about random things hurting her, and he is so much more laid back about it. (In a GOOD way, it's not like he lets her get hurt, he just is great about letting her learn on her own.)

He takes care of her.

He always gets her up in the mornings, and gets her juice and changes her diaper. He can't spend as much time during the summer as he would like with us, so he makes the most of the time he has.

He worries about her.

I know this might sound kind of contradictory to what I said before, but it's not really. He worries about her future. That she'll be confident and happy, who she'll date, or {gasp} marry one day. What she'll be like as a teenager, if they'll always have the close bond that they do now, that sort of thing.

Most of all, he just loves her.

From the second she was born, he was wrapped around that little girl's finger. She is a total daddy's girl, and I love it. (We have SUCH a special bond too, so I don't get too jealous.)

There are many more things I love about Ben as a daddy, these are just a drop in the bucket. I am so lucky to have him as my husband and the father of our children. I can't wait to see what he is like with our little boy.

p.s. I obviously love my own dad too. He'll get his own post.

Some days

2010-06-14T20:12:00.001-07:00

Wow.

We have had an interesting start to our week.

Not good interesting, really.

It all started yesterday. We were looking for Taelie's swim diapers when we noticed mold on her closet wall.

Yes, mold.

Of course, I we kind of freaked out a little bit, because that can be toxic and it was in my baby's room. Where she sleeps. Where all her clothes are.

We immediately called the maintenance people and they rushed on over.

Luckily we had caught it very early (the a/c was leaking from the people above us), so it hadn't spread into the drywall or anything. But when you clean mold, the spores get into the air, meaning we had to sanitize her ENTIRE room.

This included her bed.

Which meant she slept with us last night. And that arrangement doesn't EVER work for us, because Taelie flails about in her sleep like there is no tomorrow. At one point she almost broke my nose with all of her moving around. Seriously. Needless to say, neither her or I slept very well last night. (Ben was fine. I knew he needed to get up and have energy to sell today, so I tried extra hard to make sure she didn't wake him up. Plus, the man can sleep through anything.)

Taelie woke up bright and early (8:45 -- she usually sleeps until 10) and DELIGHTED to have us right there ready to play. After trying unsuccessfully to distract her with whatever I could find in our bedroom, and to convince her to go back to sleep, I gave up and got up. I wanted to hurry and sanitize her bed before I did anything else, because I know her schedule and I knew she wouldn't nap in our bed. So as Ben is running around getting ready for work, I was running around trying to make breakfast, keep Tae occupied,wash all her clothing and bedding, and get her bed all lysoled up.

I wanted to tubby her again, to make sure she didn't have any of the mold spores on her still (yes, I'm paranoid), and while she was enjoying her tubby, she thought it would be a good idea to poop in the tub. That was awesome. So I had to hurry and get her out, sanitize the tub, and then re-tub her. She thought it was great that she got two tubbies in a row! Me, not so much. I was just glad Ben was still here during that time so he could help entertain her while I cleaned it all up.

There was quite a bit of sanitizing going on at our house today.

And the maintenance people had to come back to check on everything.

And I did about 3 billion loads of laundry (which is still sitting in my living room).

It seemed like it was one thing after another all day. Not necessarily bad things (except for the mold), just a continuous stream of STUFF.

I can't wait to go to sleep tonight.

Going to the temple

2010-06-08T18:30:00.001-07:00

The Washington D.C. Temple is only about 45 minutes away from us this year.

Every year Ben and I say we are going to make it to the temple during the summer, and we never do.

We have all kinds of reasons. Good ones too -- it's so far to drive, Ben only has one day off of work a week, etc., etc.

This year we decided that NO MATTER WHAT we were going to go to the temple every month that we could (knowing I would be having a baby and I wouldn't be able to go one month).

And then I forgot my temple recommend at home in Utah.

My mom was sweet enough to get it for me and mail it to us out here. (Thanks Mom!)

We had to get up at 5:30 and leave by 6:30 to make sure we got there in time -- crazy traffic 'round these parts, and there was only one session we could go to and make it back in time for Ben to go to work.

It was so worth it.

The temple was SOO gorgeous. And it was so great to be able to spend time together in the temple.

Loved it.

Can't wait to go back this month.

Personal Stylist

2010-06-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

I have tons to blog about.

But that would mean editing photos and uploading them and such, and let's be honest, I just don't feel the motivation to do that right now. I will though soon, because my blog is driving me insane with how boring and behind it is.

Until then though...

I had the coolest dream last night. (I usually have crazy ones being prego.) In my dream I had a personal stylist that did my hair and makeup for me and told me what clothes to wear so I always looked cute.

It was awesome.

I SO wish I had that in real life!

Seriously. There have been so many times I have just wished I had someone to tell me how to cut or style my hair or how to do my makeup so I'd look my best, the right clothes for my body type, etc, etc.

I am so envious of "those girls" that always look perfect. How is that possible?!

You just ran 10 miles and you still look incredible! What is your secret?

I so wish I were like that.

Until that miraculously happens though, you guys are stuck with frumpy ole me!

(Isn't Ben soooo lucky! haha!)

Taelie does do a pretty good job as my hair stylist though...she is obsessed with combing hair lately. And she puts on my make-ups. She is so girly. I love it. {sigh}

I would die for that

2010-05-28T18:32:00.002-07:00

This video makes me cry everytime.

I can't help but think back to when we were trying so hard for Taelie.

The dr. appointments. The blood draws. The depression. The despair and frustration.

The miscarriages.

The words, "if you ever conceive, it will be a miracle."

from multiple doctors.

I can't count the number of times I cried myself to sleep, wondering if I would ever be a mom.

Wondering what was wrong with me.

Feeling so guilty that Ben married me and I couldn't give him children.

I am not good with words. I can't adequately express my feelings and emotions.

But this video pretty much sums up how I felt during that time.

Taelie IS a miracle.

So is this precious baby boy I'm carrying.

I can't count the number of times I've cried just holding her, because I can't believe how blessed I am.

or the number of times I've just watched her sleep,

or watched her run around and play in absolute awe of how perfect she is.

I can't count the number of times I've thanked God for giving her to me.

And wondered how I got so lucky.

When I think back to that time in my life, I never imagined I would be here now.

I would have died for that experience.

I would die for her now.

Yes, I would die for that.

Bye-bye Bink!

2010-05-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally did it.

We took away Taelie's bink.

We have been meaning to since she turned one.

But first we had to wean off the bottle.

That was pretty easy - one fussy morning, then she was fine.

But then she started teething. SIX teeth at one time.

And she would bite on her hands to help with pressure. So I decided I'd rather have her bite on her bink than her hands.

Then we were moving. I figured we might need the bink during the LONG 32 hour drive to Maryland.

And then adjusting to a new place.

It seemed like it was one thing after another.

But we wanted her to be off it before the baby gets here. And she is talking SO much, I didn't want her to learn to talk around her bink and then re-learn how to say words without her bink in.

So Ben and I decided on Sunday that she seemed really well adjusted to Baltimore, so let's just go for it.

Sunday night was hell.

She screamed and cried, asking for her bink for an hour and a half.

We thought about just giving in, but we're hard-core.

Consistency is they key!

The next morning I had a talk with her about her bink and told her that it was bye-bye because she was a big girl now. She seemed to understand. She seems way to wise for her age with how much she talks.

Both naps on Monday - not a peep.

Bedtime - Same.

Both naps today (Tuesday) - again, nothing.

Bedtime tonight - asleep within minutes, no fussing.

I think I am actually having a harder time with it than she is now.

She just seems so OLD.

I'm not ready for her to be a "big girl" yet.

I am glad the bink is gone, but...

What happened to my baby?

You know, this girl:

Without my permission, she has grown up.

She is now this girl:

I love this baby girl.

No matter how big she gets, she'll always be my baby girl.

(only now she comes without a bink)

Prego update!

2010-05-22T14:42:00.001-07:00

Here I am at 29 weeks pregnant.

(well, I'll be 29 weeks tomorrow...)

I have been informed that I'm not allowed to say that I am big, so here is me not saying it...

All I will say is I am pretty sure I looked like this when I delivered Taelie and I still have 11 weeks to go!

I am going to be induced sometime the first week of August.

Because of a lot of different issues that have come up, at this point, I am planning on coming back home sometime in July and having the baby in Utah. Depending on how things go after the delivery, I might come back to Baltimore for the last few weeks, or I might just stay there. This means that Taelie, Chloe, and I will be away from Ben for a couple weeks. I am trying very hard not to think about this, other than to just prepare myself for it.

Baby boy (still no name) seems to be doing quite well. We had a little bit of a scare the other morning when I started having HARD contractions that lasted for over half an hour, but luckily they seem to have calmed down and only come intermittenly now. The only thing hard thing lately is that I threw my back out picking up Taelie earlier this week and for about 2 days could literally only lie around because the pain was so bad I couldn't move. That was awesome. According to my dr., in the later stages of pregnancy, it's much easier to strain your muscles. I am doing much better now, but I still have a little bit of lingering pain, and I can't move as easily as before (listen to me, I sound like a Grandma already!) I have new respect for those that suffer from back pain, it really does suck.

Other than that, everything is great. Baby boy moves all the time (seriously, non-stop!) and it's so fun to watch my belly move around. It still seems so surreal to me that I am pregnant and in 3 months will have two kids. I am a little worried about Taelie adjusting, but right now she's at a stage where she just ADORES babies, so I'm hoping that will last when one is around 24/7!

If you have any boy names, send them our way. I am beginning to freak out that we really will have to name him Pheobo or Baby Boy.

We. Got. A. Computer.

2010-05-17T14:24:00.001-07:00

Um, seriously?

I can't believe it took us a good 2 months to get one.

What finally did it was Ben really needed to be able to watch his training DVDs. And I get to benefit :)

Happy birthday to me!

I will definitely be updating much more frequently now, so be ready for that! You may get sick of me. Just warning you.

Baltimore has been a lot of fun. I don't have a car much, so unfortunately, we haven't had too many adventures yet, but Taelie DID get to go bowling for the first time:

yes, I do get ready still...I know you can't tell from these pics.

Taelie and I even bowled a STRIKE while I was holding her!

Pure skill if you ask me :)

I was 27 weeks pregnant, holding a 16 month old and we got a strike.

I am awesome. :)

I am totally wearing my fat pants here. don't judge.

Taelie LOVED it. She would dance to the music and cheer for everyone. It was sooo adorable.

She is getting to be very independent and lets you know if she doesn't like what you are doing (usually by telling you that you are "all done". Ben and I can't help but laugh every time she does it -- which is about 300 times a day. Seriously.)

I can't wait to catch up on everyone's blogs and to get mine all caught up.

Stay tuned :)

25

2010-05-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Halfway to 50.

Quarter of the way to 100.

Feeling old now.

This is the first birthday I've felt old on.

It was a great day.

(other than the fact that I got older)

The hubs and I were even able to go on a date!

Pretty sure that hasn't happened on my birthday in a couple of years. It was so great.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and for thinking of me!

We are buying a computer this weekend for my birthday, so hopefully I'll be back soon.

Loves!

Sometimes I complain

2010-04-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's be honest here, I complain A LOT.

I'm working on it.

I can't believe how much I miss having a computer. Sure, I'm getting lots more done but I feel so dis-connected. It's driving me crazy. However, in an effort to not complain, here are a whole list of awesome things that have happened lately (and when I by both a computer AND my external hard drive, there will be posts about).

* Easter was AWESOME! Taelie totally loved hunting for eggs. We started a bunch of new traditions that were a blast!

* Taelie started WALKING! Happened the day after Easter and she is a little cruiser now. I LOVE it so much. She looks so grown up.

*I am now 24 weeks preggo...and it shows. I know some of you may think I am lying, but I promise, I have actually popped out. I even wore a maternity dress on Sunday. (With Tae, I never wore maternity clothes, so already I'm feeling huge)

*Baby boy is still nameless and I am stressed out about it. I have a name I really like but Ben is dead-set against it. Boo.

*I am LOVING this weather! Taelie and I go to the park all the time and it is so nice to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!

*Finally, not that this is super exciting to anyone else, but due to a deal Ben and I made yesterday, I now have a kick in my pants to get to work on my decorating blog. More details to follow. Just know, when it comes to beating Ben, I can get competitive, and I want to win.

*Speaking of decorating, I am having fun designing Phoebo's room. I haven't decided on any particulars yet, but I'm liking what is coming together in my head. (Yeah, that didn't really make sense...sorry about that). I am way excited to make baby boy's bedding this summer while we're gone too. And hey, if anyone else needs nursery bedding made, let me know, I tend to have lots of time in the summer and baby bedding is super fun to make.)

Okay, enough rambling. Just thought I'd let you all know that I'm not dead. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

Loves.

Halfway there!

2010-03-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

Wow.

In some ways, I can't believe I'm already halfway done. Pregnancy DOES go by lots faster after your first.

But in most ways...I'm ONLY halfway done?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to have this baby here yet...we have lots to do before Phoebo gets here. But still...20 more weeks! That's a looong time!

Here I am at 20 weeks with baby boy:

and for comparison's sake, here is a pic of me 19 weeks pregnant with Taelie (I only have phone pics to work with right now because I am too lazy to plug our external hard drive in. Sorry.)

Yes, I am fatter this time.

Oh well. As long as baby boy is healthy, I am happy.

Today was gorgeous, so Ben, Taelie, Chloe, and I went on a walk and to the park. Taelie got some new sunglasses last week and LOVES them. She wore them the entire time we were outside. I was so happy she kept them on. They are stinkin adorable.

See?

Oh, she is so cute, I could just eat her up!

Happy Sunday!