2012... Coming to an end..

I know.... I know... it's been forever and my blogging skills have really taken the back burner.

What can I say... having two kids isn't just work... its a lot of work! But the funnest work I have had!

First lets quickly catch up on the kiddos!

Brynlee... oh my sweet girl! She is such a bright, independent, beautiful girl. She is becoming SO big these days. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating her 1st birthday and I am now planning her 2nd birthday in just two short months. I swear the time just flys by. She is getting smarter and smarter with every day. She loves to sing (mainly her ABC's, wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy, and head shoulders knees and toes) she knows the words to all of them. I love nothing more than when we are driving and I can just hear her sweet little voice in the backseat singing to me. It's the best thing ever. She is such an amazing big sister. I was so worried about her being jealous or not liking her brother, but oh...my...god... this girl LOVES her brother. Immediately questions where he when she wakes up and wont go to bed without giving him a kiss... or five. She loves to help me burp him, throws away all his dirty diapers, helps him swing, gives him his binky if he cries. She is just really a GREAT helper. Occasionally she will want to feed him a snack of hers or lay on top of him, but its all out of love. She has an obsession with two baby dolls, I swear its a sign she is having twins someday, so mark my word! She is always carrying them both, never apart. Its the cutest thing. She also loves cars, trucks, choo choos, and planes. She had a great Christmas and Santa brought her a brand new play kitchen that she just LOVES. And she also loves her new scooter! We ride it to the mailbox everyday and shes got it down! I really cannot believe she will be 2 so soon. I love watching every little step of her growth and I wish I had her imagination. It is the best thing ever to witness.

And my sweet boy Beckham! I havent blogged about him since he was born... how sad! This boy is seriously the light of my life. He is the sweetest thing ever. First I will say... he is HUGE! Such a chunky baby and so solid! Future linebacker I am sure! He is full of smiles these days and coo's all the time. I love hearing him "talk". And so does his sister! He really loves his sister. Anytime she is around or comes up to him, he gets the biggest smile on his face. I think he truly looks up to her and I love it. He is already sleeping through the night at about 11-12 hours. Ammmazing. Best feeling ever as a mom is when you get your little one sleeping thru the night. He is already wearing 3-6 month clothes and all the newborn and 3 month clothes are pretty much done for. I just love this little boy of mine. I was always scared to have a boy but it truly is the best thing ever. I love that I will always have my girl AND my boy. I feel like I will get to experience the best of both worlds as a mom and its awesome!

The new year is approaching and I have a few new years resolutions so I just want to write them down so I can reference them back if I happen to forget :)

• No more soda
• Work out at least 3 x week ( I wish I could say everyday but with 2 kids, working full time and trying to be a mom, I am being realistic... I know everyday just wouldnt happen!)
• Be a better wife. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in both babies that I forget to show my husband how much I love him. So I just need to get better at doing little things to show him I care and that he is noticed. 
• Save more money. I wish I could be a better saver like Ryan is. I need him to help me on this!
• Blog more! I will do my best at trying to get back to blogging at least once a month. It's a lofty goal since I am so busy but I will do my very best!

Well I've gotta get to bed! Got two crazy, amazing babies to wake up with in the morning! I hope everyone has a happy and safe new years and cheers to 2013!! Bring it on!

Hello World... Beckham Dean Lopez

Beckham Dean Lopez... Born October 10th, 2012 at 2:23am 8lbs 1oz and 19 1/4in long

And so his little story begins....

It was Tuesday, October 9th when I woke up with my girl, Ryan had already left for work for the day. I got Brynlee ready for daycare since I had a doctors appointment that morning. She ate some breakfast and I dropped her off with her little buddies. I came home and showered and got ready for the day. It doesnt happen often anymore where its silent in the house so to shower without interruptions was quite nice! When I got out, I wondered if that would be my last shower before this baby boy arrived. Little did I know it would be. I texted my sister to see if she wanted to meet for breakfast before my appointment, and off to Ihop we went. The server was really sweet talking to us about how awesome it was we were pregnant together (and I couldnt agree more). She asked me when I was suppose to have him and I told him by Friday I would be induced if he wasn't here. We left breakfast and I drove to my doctors appointment. On the way there I got a call from the hospital and my work about my leave and my scheduled induction. Reality was settling in that I was having a baby this week!

I arrived to my doctors appointment about 10:50 and as I was walking in, I felt was might of been my water breaking. It never really gushed with Brynn so I didnt know for sure. I went in, met with a doctor there who isn't my regular doctor. I told her I thought my water might of broke on the walk inside. She checked under a microscope for amniotic fluid and said it hadn't broken. Which I thought was strange. Anyways, I left... and on the walk out... I felt the same gush. I called Ryan and told him I thought it was really weird because it felt the same way walking in as it did walking out but the doctor told me it wasnt my water. I decided I would walk around some more to see if anything would continue so I headed to TJ Maxx. I was in there for maybe 5 minutes when I knew in fact, my water did truly break. It was just too much to not of been my water. I called my doctors office but they were closed for lunch, so me and Ryan decided it was best I just went to the hospital to have them check it out again.

I cried on the way there. I cried because I was scared. So scared to bring a 2nd baby into this world. Sad of how I left Brynlee that morning and not feeling like I had said goodbye to her the way I had pictured in my head I would before I went into labor. She was just at daycare without a clue or care in the world that her mommy was about to have her baby brother. I was scared because I just had gotten told an hour prior, that it wasn't my water that broke... so I was confused and didnt know what the heck could be leaking that much. I was also upset at myself for not grabbing my hospital bag or already having it in the car. So I had nothing prepared for going to the hospital and knowing dang well that I wasn't leaving till I had a baby in my arms. I pulled in to the parking lot, wiped the tears and said welp, this is it... bring it on baby boy!

I walked into triage, told the lady at the front desk, either I have an uncontrollable bladder or my water broke. I was just at my doctor an hour prior and she told me it didnt, but I am pretty positive it did. So she got me a room, Ryan showed up from work, they did some tests to see if it was in fact my water, and sure enough... it WAS. We were having a baby!

Just a fun fact, I had my membranes sweeped with Brynn at 38 weeks, and same with him. My water broke just 5 days after with her, and 4 days after with him. I was scheduled to be induced with both at 39 weeks. This was starting to feel like dejavu... only it gets better.

The nurse checked me and said I was 3cm and about 80% effaced. So we had a way's to go but the monitors were picking up contractions roughly 4 minutes apart. I was feeling most of them but they were not painful quite yet, just super tight.

Ryan left for home about 2:30 to get our bags, drop off his car and my sister met him and they went and picked up Brynlee from daycare. She was going to spend the night at my sisters house while we had this little man. They got back and I had just gotten into our room. Room 20. I was so overjoyed to see my little girl. She walked in with the sweetest look on her face and was trying to figure out why mommy was wearing this silly gown. The nurses took me off the monitors and told me to feel free to go for a walk so we did. We went to the cafeteria and got Brynn some frozen yogurt and she was feelin like a million bucks. When we got back we hung out for a while longer and Brynn started to get cranky so it was time to go. She left... and I CRIED... hard. She didnt want to leave me and I didnt want her to leave. It was that moment I knew that she would no longer be our only child and it was the last time I would see her and her be my only one. It was very bittersweet but I was also very excited to meet this little man of ours.

The doctor on duty came in around 5 to tell me that he got ahold of my doctor, Dr. Wilson. The same doctor that delivered Brynlee. He told me he would be at a play rehearsal with his daughter until 10pm that night and would check in after to see if I had delivered or not. If not, he would do his best to be there to deliver our boy. When I found out there was a chance he wouldnt be there, I got nervous. I just didnt know what to expect if we had another doctor delivering our babe. But only time would tell and really, Beckham got to decide if he could hold out or not. The doctor on duty thought I only had about 5-6 hours at about 5pm so it would really cut it close if he was right. If Dr. Wilson couldnt be there, Dr. Balk who I just so happened to see that morning who told me my water WASN'T broken, would be on duty. I needed Dr. Wilson to be there.

Then something really special happened. We got our new nurse at 6:30 for the new shift... in walked Christine. Me and Ryan looked at eachother and then probably screamed out of joy. This was the same nurse that delivered Brynlee! This could NOT be happening. Coincidence?! We were so extremely excited to have our same nurse because we just loved her before. She didnt recognize at first and was probably taken back by our reaction since we both freaked out, haha. But it only took a few things to bring her memory back to when we had our girl and she totally remembered. I told you the dejavu gets better.

I was having contractions about 3 minutes apart but they were not painful... at all. That's when you know labor isn't really in full swing yet because when it is... they are notttt fun. They checked me at about 7pm and I was only 4cm. At least I was in active labor at this point... but this was 8 hours after my water broke, I had only progressed 1cm. Sound familiar? It was exactly what happened with Brynlee.

At about 8pm they wanted to start my on pitocin. They knew I was trying to hold off to do much to give us the best shot at getting Dr. Wilson but I figured by the time they started and it started to work, I had at least a couple hours. With Brynlee it took about 10 hours once they started me on pit, so I figured we were safe.

So pitocin started and contractions started getting stronger but they were bearable... 8pm went by... 9pm... 10pm... and the 11pm hour came by and things started to getting pretty intense. These were the contractions I remembered with Brynlee. The ones that hurt like nothing more I've ever felt in my entire life. I was going to attempt to breathe thru them the best I could giving myself another shot at no epidural. So the 11pm hour went by... and 12am hit... the contractions were about every 30 seconds to a minute apart and boyyyy did they HURT. Epidural it was. I couldnt do it any longer and I had no idea how many cm's I was, so my luck I was at a 5 or something.

The epidural kicked in and they checked my cervix around 1:15am... I was already 7cm. Woo HOO! I wasnt expecting to be that far along. I knew this little man would be here within the next couple hours! Me and Ryan were going to try and get some rest so lights out.

Around 1:30am I rang for my nurse. I was having tons of pressure... the kind where it felt like I needed to push. It seemed to quick but I told Ryan it just felt like it was the same when I was ready to push with Brynlee. Another nurse came in because mine had went to lunch so she checked me, I was 8cm... 1cm in 15 minutes? Woah. That was quick... but we still had 2cm to go.

Dr. Wilson lives about 30 minutes away and we had just gotten the word... HE WAS ON HIS WAY! I had to make it another 30 minutes... had to!

Just 10 minutes later I looked at Ryan and said... honey... it really feels like I need to push... so we rang for the nurse again... this time my nurse came in and was still chewing her food... she said woah girl.. you are moving fast!

She checked me... COMPLETE. I went from 7cm to 10cm in just 25 minutes. I told her I would cross my legs till Dr. Wilson arrived... he had to be here for his delivery.

They started to prep me for delivery and just like that, Dr. Wilson walked in... in his PJ's :) I felt so extremely special that he came in, in the middle of the night just for me. He was on vacation by the way. He asked if he had time to change and I told him to hurrrrry!!!

He came back in and the pushing started... and just like last time, he let me feel Beckham's head before it was out and let me grab by little man when he was coming out. 6 pushes later, we had our boy in our arms. And yes.... I laughed this one out too... of course Dr. Wilson was giving him a mohawk... what else would he do?!

Everything from my water breaking, to my nurse and Dr. Wilson, to my labor, to delivery was like dejavu with Brynlee. I was so convinced it would be so different this time around and Beckham is just doing a great job of trying to take after his sister already! It must of been all those talks she had with him while he was in my belly!

So there you have it little man... at 2:23am you arrived and were 8lbs 1oz of sweetness. 19 1/4 inches long measuring only 1/4 longer than your sister. You are absolutely perfect and you complete our family. Your daddy, your sister, and your mom love you SO much!

Perfection.

Brynlee meeting her brother for the first time

Our babies. Daddy is taking the picture so sadly, we didnt get one of us 4 together. But dont worry... many more to come!

Oh and last thing... a lot of people were wondering where we got the middle name Dean from. Dean is Ryan's stepdad and just a few days prior to having Beckham his mom said we should name his Beckham Dean... we looked at eachother after that phone call and said how much we liked it. We decided we would pick his middle name once he was here. It would either be Anthony (Ryan's middle name) or Dean. Once he arrived I left it up to Ryan as I really did love both of them. He wanted Dean as Dean has always been an amazing father figure to Ryan and he thought carrying his name would be an honor. So Mr. Beckham... according to Ipa Dean... you are bound for stardom with that middle name!

A family of 4....

As I sit here tonight and write this post there are many thoughts going through my head...

Our sweet girl is already in bed and fast asleep and its not quite 7pm here. Ryan is off to school to finish up this semester so he will finally have half of his degree completed. And I have my feet kicked up trying to take it easy as possible before this little man gets here.

The past few weeks I think reality really started to sink in. It is sinking in that Brynlee is not going to be our only baby. She will not be our 100% focus anymore, she will have to share some of that focus with her brother. I wouldn't say that I am "scared" but I am just anxious to see how this all goes down. I know you never share your love with your children, you just grow your love and make more room in your heart for the second baby. Is it weird to think my heart is so full of love between Brynlee and Ryan, that I am scared there is not room for more? I know that sounds crazy, and Beckham, when your reading this some day just know, that I will make room for you lil man, I promise! I think every mom I have talked to goes through this fear of having their second baby. From what I am told, going from 1 to 2 babies is a LOT different, but any more babies after that comes a lot easier. Probably because you are not used to having to split any time up when you only have one baby and when you have 2 or 3 or 4, you are used to splitting it up. Am I over thinking all of this? Probably. It's what I do best these days, I swear!

On the flip side of being nervous/anxious... I also cannot wait! I cannot wait to hold this lil guy. I cannot wait to see what he looks like and if he is going to be taller than his sister! I cannot wait to see Brynn take care of him as his big sister and then him eventually take care of her some day as her brother. I think having a girl first will give him a softer side, just naturally. He will learn to take care of women and learn the nurturing side that she so often prevails. I hear that is how it usually goes when the sister is the older sibling, and I love that. I cannot wait to have the newborn snuggles again, the nursing, the middle of the night wake up calls, the smell of a newborn, just everything! 

 I do think Beckham will complete our family. I think we are meant to be a family of 4. Me and Ryan have always said, we want 2 kids. We want 2 kids so that eventually down the line we can pay for their college education, we want to be able to help them buy their first cars and just give them an amazing life full of family vacations and amazing memories. We personally feel anything past two would be hard in the long run financially and we want to be able to give them the fullest life possible.

With all that being said... this little man will probably arrive before October 12th or 13th. My doctor is out of town my entire week of my due date, so me and Ryan both agreed we'd feel more comfortable getting induced to ensure we are able to get our amazing Dr. Wilson. I have a strong feeling he will arrive on his own before then, but if for some reason he doesnt, we want to know we Dr. Wilson to take care the best care of us that we know he will!

Only a few more weeks till I will be posting his birth story! Stay tuned.... :)

18 Months of my lil sweet babe!

How is it possible that our sweet girl is already 18 months? I swear the day she joined this world felt like yesterday and 1st birthday felt like minutes ago. Since her 1st birthday she has changed SO much in so many different ways. I know I dont blog as often anymore (lets be real, life's sorta busy) but I did want to document some of my favorite things about my sweet girl to look back on someday and have memories of. More for her sake of course then mine.

A few things that come to mind when I think of you, Brynlee:

• Beautiful, sersiouly. Your eyes, your lips, your little buddha belly, your amazing curly hair, your adorable little button nose, even the fingers and toes. Everything about you is just beautiful and I hope you know that no matter who makes you feel differently someday, just know that we think you are the most perfect girl that ever came onto this earth.
• Smart, always wanting to put together things, organize and your very good at listening to directions
• Sassy at times, you've really peaked at the "tantrum stage" but we are learning how to deal with it. We've learned that just letting you cry it out isnt helping so we've been getting better at researching and reading about this stage and it seems to be helping!
• Stubborn, you know what you want and when you want it. You've always been this way since the first night we had you home and tried to swaddle you. You hated every second of being held down or restricted. NOTHING has changed! In fact getting you to sit in your high chair these days is quite the task. Probably because you feel like you are being held down.. and god forbid.... :)
• Independent. You are very good at playing by yourself and doing your own thing, but we all know how much you love playing with others too!
• Dancer. You absolutely love to shake your booty. You hand me my phone and start shaking your butt so I will turn on my Pandora and you can hear some jams. We always have dance parties and I hope they never end.
• Mothering instinct. You take care of your babies, just the same way I took care of you. It is crazy to see such a little person know what to do and how to handle a baby. Its like its built in you to be a momma one day. (And you will be a great one at that). You always share your milk and food with your babies and you are very loving to them.
• Lovable. You give kisses on and off demand and they are mine and daddy's favorite kisses! Every night when daddy takes you up to bed I stand on your toy chest at the bottom of the stairs you and give me tons of kisses thru the stair railings. You typically hand dad your blankie and get down on your tummy and give me them. I love it and really hope it never ends... at least for a while!
• The apple of daddy's eye. Seriously dad loves you so much Brynlee. Bedtime is your thing with him. He takes you upstairs and you guys "brush teeth" and then from what he tells me, you go on a search for your binkies in your room that you drop out of your crib. He turns off the light, you listen to your music, and you guys dance every night. Some nights you tell him "no no no" when he tries to put you down because you just want him to keep dancing with you.
• Like to be loved on. You love getting your back and head scratched. You probably got that from me since daddy always tickles my back. You will point to your head until one of us start to tickle your neck or scratch your head. And you never want us to stop!
• Maizey's best friend. You love your "kit kat". Every morning you wake up and say "hiiiiii kit kat" and you point and say maimee maimee. You just love your kitty. Dad and I got her for you when you were just 15 months. I hope she is in your life for a very long time and I know you will always take good care of her.
• Momma's girl. I know one day you will be more of a daddys girl. But right now I love that you are a momma's girl. You typically want me to hold you or read to you. Your always saying mama mama and you give me the best hugs and kisses. I hope, even though I know you will be a daddys girl, that you will always consider me not only your mom, but your best friend. I hope you call me when things get hard in life, we shop till we drop or get our nails done together. All the fun things a mom and daughter should enjoy.

I am sure I am missing a few things in here but I think I got most of my bases covered. Here are some recent pictures of lil miss Brynn. We love you baby girl, to the moon and back and cannot wait for your brother to get here so you can love on him! Muah xoxo!

Just having our usual dance party in the living room after work. You love when I spin you around!

Future engineer? You love to put things together and you do NOT stop till you figure it out!

Always be daddy's little Michigan girl

Looking so grown up here. Adorable.

Your hair curls even in the bath tub. Dad loves giving you crazy hair do's when you are taking a bath!

You know where your brother is at. In mommy's tummy. But you love to show us your tummy too!

We love you Brynlee

Momma's girl

And daddy's little princess.

Here are to many many more amazing times with you, sweet girl!



Have you missed me?

Geeeeeeez hello to my blog followers. Have I been bad or WHAT? This whole being pregnant + having an active toddler = very hard to find time to blog!

Life has just been so crazy lately! I promise when I can think straight again, I will be back to blogging.

In the meantime, just know, I am 31 weeks pregnant with little Beckham, things are going great minus it being WAY to hot out. I swear this is one of our hottest summers. He is an active little guy and likes to party, right when I want to go sleep. I am in for it, I'm sure! Brynlee is doing great, saying baby and brother to my tummy all the time and anytime we ask her if she wants to go to her brothers room, she runs right in there and gets up on the rocking chair. I am sure she will be a feeding pro in no time! She really is going to be the best big sister.

I will get back to blogging soon, I hope!

It's July!

And you know what that means... Only three more full months of being pregnant and then the countdown to baby boy turns into just days! I am getting larger and larger as the weeks go by but people keep telling me I look tiny, so I'll take it! I have only gained 9lbs so far with this lil man and I am pretty sure when I was 24-25 weeks pregnant with Brynn I was up around 15-18lbs, so hoping that is a sign of whats to come. I am really not focusing on it too much since I know this is probably the last time in life I can use "I'm pregnant" as an excuse to constantly eat dessert. I think chasing Brynn this time around is really helping though! She is one active lil cookie :)

We are headed to California next Saturday and I CANNOT WAIT!!! After taking Brynn to the circus on Saturday and it being a complete success, I hope that is a sign for how Sea World and the San Diego Zoo will go. I think she will just love it! I love taking her on family vacations and I am so grateful we get to do them! We are there for a solid week staying at a beach house in Carlsbad which is somewhere I've personally never been, so I am stoked! This time will be a new adventure on the beach now that she is off and running since the last time when we went in March she was barely starting to walk. It should be a great time!

Here I am at 24 weeks with lil baby boy! Cannot wait to meet you, Beckham!

I also wanted to share a few pictures of the playroom that have been in the works! This room is an open den on our lower level that is right to your right when you walk in. It is perfect because we can shut all the downstairs doors, and Brynn can run wild between the main living space and the den. When we originally built I thought the playroom would be upstairs, and maybe someday it will move up there when they are older, but for right now, this space is PERFECT. We kept the desk and my bookshelf on one side that holds all of my craft stuff and I plan to spice it up a little more as time goes on, but for now, my stuff gets put on hold as Beckhams room is underway.

Anyways, I knew I wanted some storage for all of their toys but I wanted it at a height that they could get to their toys, but also looked neat when cleaned up, since you do see that room when you walk in after all. So we just went with some basic cubbies from bed bath and beyond and did a bench in the middle to help add some fun! Plus it holds a lot of Brynn's stuffed animals as their little spot, and she loves putting them up there :) She has learned how to pull all the bins out and pour them out but its perfect because we can throw the toys back in there and it looks perfect again! Along the main wall is 2 fabric bookshelves that I made. I kept the colors boy/girl and yes it looks a little more girly in there right now but a lot of Brynn's toys are pink so once Beckham gets here I am sure it will all even itself out. Right now there is a ball pit in the middle that my sister got Brynn for xmas but we plan to put a small activity table with 2 chairs and put a small shelf for crayons etc for arts and craft time! Also between the two cubbies and above the bench we are going to add just a small 24in tv for movie time. We dont have cable wired in there which is perfectly fine with me, it will keep it to a movie room! My mom gave me all my old VHS movies and a VHS/DVD player, so it will be perfect!

On the main wall, it was pretty large at 12 feet long so I needed something that would take up a good amount of space for art, but wouldnt cost me and arm and a leg. So I decided a gallery wall would be perfect! I got the prints off of etsy just as digital designs and printed them myself. There is a mix of flashcards with numbers and colors, three definitions; Happy, Love, Play and in the middle is "Playroom Rules". And of course I had to top it off with "Oh The Places You'll Go - Dr Suess" quote because that is my all time favorite childtime quote and one of my favorite books. I am really happy with how the room turned out!



In between those shelves is where the TV will hang :) Along with the VHS/DVD player on that right shelf



My desk with my sewing machine and in those storage bins is all my craft supplies, eventually will make this look prettier but for now, it works for me!



The "final" not quite complete yet, Playroom! I love how its transforming!

 Anyways, I hope you all have a great July and hopefully after California I can do an update with some pictures!! :)

A post for daddy.... or my husband!

This weekend is Fathers Day and I thought what better than to do a post dedicated to Ryan.

There's the quote... "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone really special to be a dad" and that quote couldn't stand more true for him.

I know, I know... everyone probably thinks they have the best dad's in the world, or baby daddys, but seriously, Ryan is one that would make the books.

Let's start back to when I found out I was pregnant with Brynlee. I never saw more joy and happiness in one man's face, to know that he was going to be a father. He never missed a SINGLE doctor appointment or ultrasound. Not because I made him be there, because he just didnt want to miss a beat. It was interesting to see because at most appointments, he was the only guy in there or in the waiting room... and it didn't go unnoticed on my behalf. I knew I had a winner here.

I remember when we were waiting (not so patiently) to find out what we were having... a boy or a girl... most guys would give you the typical response (which is totally okay by the way), that they want a boy first... not Ryan... he wanted a girl. Everyone I told that to was pretty suprised, he wants a girl?! Yep, he sure did. He always wanted a baby girl and he got just what he wanted... and she's pretty darn amazing if you ask me.

While in the hospital giving birth to her, he never left my side, and was my biggest supporter the entire time. He massaged my back with each contraction, and offered to stay up with her when I just needed some much needed shut eye the first few weeks. His job offers 12 weeks of paternity/maternity time no matter dad or mom, so I was more than thankful to have him by my side during that time. We got to bond as a family, and its something I will never forget.

In the past 15 months since Brynlee has been here, he has proved to me in so many outstanding ways that he is really going to be the best father to her. Just like my doctor appointments, he has never missed a single one of her appointments either, whether it be well or a sick check up, he's been there for me and for her. I never had a relationship with my dad growing up, and I still dont with my stepdad. So for Brynlee to have a father she can turn to, is going to mean so much to me, more than he knows. He is protective over her... like he doesnt want her being in the sun longer than 30 minutes, and he most definitly doesnt want her off her nap schedule, and if she falls he is right there to pick her back up. I am trying to teach him she's gotta take a tumble to learn and he has gotten a lot better. He cuddles with her, he kisses her constantly and tells her how beautiful she is, and he puts her to bed every single night. They go upstairs, brush her teeth together, and he snuggles her for a minute and I always hear him over the monitor say, sweet dreams baby girl, I love you. Let's just say... it melts my heart every time.

Now that we have our little boy on the way, he has been no different, at every appointment and this time, he wanted a boy. He wants someone to play catch with and shoot pucks with, and looks like he getting just that. I cannot wait for him to hold his little boy in his arms and for us to enjoy another 3 months together, this time, with two little peanuts!

Father's day is hard for me, until the babies get a little older and we can start doing more things that they want to do for their daddy, its hard to think of creative gifts! So I hope he loves everything Brynn did for him, I am sure he will.

Honey, you are the best father, dad, and husband a girl could ask for. I get told by multiple people on a weekly basis, how great of a dad you are, and its something I already know. You truly are amazing. Thank you for being you, and for being the dad I always hoped my kids would have.

We all LOVE YOU! Happy Fathers Day!

Almost halfway there!

Can you believe it? I will be 20 weeks 6 days from today... wow! Time is flying with this little man... and he is doing just great! I feel him move all the time now and he is just like his little sissy, quite the active man! We have another ultrasound on Wednesday and I cannot wait to see what he looks like since its been about 6 weeks since we've seen him last! We are in the process of decorating the nursery and have finally settled on a color scheme of lime green/navy. Brynn's room is lime green/pink so they will both have a little lime going on :) I cant wait to get started on it but we have a lot of work to do as far as clearing out his current room before we can get going... with only a few months left I suppose we should start that soon!

Ryan and I just got back from Puerto Vallarta, MX for a few days and we had a great time! We literally did, nothing. We slept, ate, slept some more, laid by the pool and slept... it felt like we had literally caught up on the past year of missed sleep we've had. Only to come home to sweet little Brynn waking up all night, it was our payback for leaving her I suppose. She hung with her Nana for 4 days and from what I've been told, they had a BLAST. She went to the park, swam in her little pool and just played all day!

Brynlee is doing fantastic. It is crazy to see how smart she is getting. Smarter and smarter each day. It's weird to think that just from 12 months to 15 months she has changed in so many ways. She is so much more toddler like now and repeats almost everything we say. We have had to start watching our words more and more because she is a pistol! She can probably say about 15-20 words now with literally new ones popping up every day. I'd have to say her all time favorite word is "baby". She always has one in her hand or one not too far away. She feeds them, rocks them, hugs and kisses them, and takes them with her everywhere she goes. She really is going to be a great big sister, I can already see it now, Brynlee feeding little Beckham. Such a good helper, I know it! She also loves to say "coco" which is her giant teddy bear. She says "hi coco" every morning when she wakes up and see's him and is the first thing she wants to do when we get home from work. She has slimmed down a ton as well! People really cant believe it when they see her! Oh and her hair.... the HAIR... it seriously KILLS me. It is so curly in the back! Little baby ringlets all over...so frickin cute! I cannot handle it. Her birthday she didnt have barely any curls... and now its like woah. I really didnt think in just three months she would blossom into such a fun, creative, smart little girl... but wow, she sure is nothing short of amazing. I cannot wait to see how she continues to grow!

I will try and do a little photodump of our trip and Brynn and the belly soon! Until next time...

Note to self... be a FUN mom!

I found this on another blog (once again)... I know I am a stealer but since I print my blogs at the end of every year I like to put things on here I want to remember... I loved this article on how to be a fun mom... and of course I want to be a fun mom! Who wouldnt want to be? I think I already tackle most of these items... like breaking the rules (Brynlee already gets a little ice cream when she is good for dessert right before bedtime, woops!) Turn on the tunes... we ALWAYS dance with her... and she is pretty good at on command "shake your booty" it almost never fails that she will shake her little butt! Oh and talking in silly voices? I have that mastered and Brynlee loves it. My favorite part of this was the note on how kids dont care or dont judge you, they look up to you and the more "fun" you have, the more they want to be around you. I want Brynlee and soon to be Beckham, to WANT to be around their mom and dad.. and to want to come to us in their lives... so note to self... be a FUN mom! Enjoy the read :)

#1 Way to be a FUN MOM- Spend time with your kids. That will make you the most fun mom on the planet!!!


Then...
Let Your Guard Down - RELAX!

Stop worrying about looking silly, sounding silly, or being perfect. Relax and smile. They are our kids, they are not judging us, just looking for us to love them and spend time with them. Living life up-tight, is not really living life.

Use Your Strengths - Be Yourself

I can fold a mean paper airplane and make a perfect cootie catcher. I shared this with our kids and they thought it was the coolest thing ever. It is a secret talent of mine. They thought I was so fun. I am also really good at cartwheels. Last week I demonstrated my cartwheel abilities to the kids. They were in awe. They are easy to please, but still. They thought I was fun. :) I am also pretty good in the kitchen, and can color a mean picture. I like to outline all the pictures and then color lighter inside the outline. The kids think that style is really cool.

It's not about what other moms are doing, or about doing it all. We don't have to be something we are not. Instead, look at your strengths and talents and use them to your advantage. What do/did you like to do? What are you good at?


I am not really comfortable talking in silly voices. I love the make believe and pretend, just not the silly changing of voices part. I always felt guilty because I didn't like talking silly with my kids. I shouldn't feel bad. So it's not one of my strengths. I have lots of other strengths. It's okay.

Use your talents, even if they are off the wall, goofy or silly.


Be Spontaneous-Break the Rules

Do something out of the ordinary. Read extra books at bed time, have hot chocolate after teeth are brushed, stay up to watch a movie, an unplanned trip to the park, let your child have a bowl of cereal before bed, eat dessert first, jump on the couch. Say yes when you would normally say no. It's okay.

What can you do today, that is unexpected?

Follow Along

Watch what your kids are doing, and follow along. Play house, color, swing, chase around the house. Follow their lead, and not only will they think you are fun, but you will really have fun. Are they acting silly, then act silly. We sometimes worry about what we are going to do with our kids. No worries, they will take care of that part for us.

Turn on the Tunes - Dance

Want to be more fun? Move. Dance. Jive. Boogie. Unlike our friends in high school, Kids don't judge your dance moves. They don't care.

I have made it a secret goal this year to dance with at least one of our kids everyday. (Guess it's not a secret anymore). Yesterday I danced with our 8 month old in my arms in front of the mirror. She loved it! Today I grabbed our daughters arms and started to twirl her in the kitchen. When my husband came home tonight, she ran to him to tell him how much fun we had dancing around.

When was the last time you danced with your kids?

Don't Multitask

Want to be more fun? Stop trying to do more than one thing at a time. Being with our children becomes frustrating when we are also trying to make dinner, check Pinterest, and fold laundry. All of a sudden, it feels like our kids are hindering us from what we are trying to do and we don't enjoy our time together. That isn't very fun. One thing at a time.

Say "Yes"

As mom's we can find ourselves saying "no" an awful lot. That doesn't make us very fun. "No's" are necessary, but we should try to say "yes" as much as we can. This is hard for me. "Mom, can I have another piece of gum?" I want to say no. They don't need it, they already had one, it isn't necessary. BUT... will it really hurt if they have a second piece sometimes? Of course not.

Sometimes I have an agenda, that I feel is the best, and our kids want to do things in a different order, and I want to say "No". Fact of the matter, does the order really matter? Usually it doesn't. So think about the 90/10 rule and apply it to "yes and no." Can you say "yes" 90% of the time?


What can you say "yes" to today?

Laugh

Laughter is great medicine. Want your kids to think you are really fun? Laugh with them. Having trouble laughing? Put a smile on your face for starters. You will be more fun when you smile, and then you will laugh.



I often have the thought, "I can't have fun with you, because then things won't get done around here". Nothing could be farther from the truth. When I have fun with our kids, more gets done, I feel better and so do they. And...they are more likely to help with a willing attitude which lightens my load.



Now, let's all go be FUN MOMS.

Rules for Mothers of Daughters

I ran across this post via Pinterest and I couldnt help but repost. I chocked up a bit reading it and I really am going to live by these words. Brynlee, I hope I can always be the best mom to you... until the end of time! 

 

Rules for Mothers of Daughters.

1. Paint her nails. Then let her scratch it off and dirty them up. Teach her to care about her appearance, and then quickly remind her that living and having fun is most important.

2. Let her put on your makeup, even if it means bright-red-smudged lips and streaked-blue eyes. Let her experiment in her attempts to be like you…then let her be herself. 

3. Let her be wild. She may want to stay home and read books on the couch, or she may want to hop on the back of a motorcycle-gasp. She may be a homebody or a traveler. She may fall in love with the wrong boy, or meet mr. right at age 5. Try to remember that you were her age once. Everyone makes mistakes, let her make her own.

4. Be present. Be there for her at her Kindergarten performances, her dance recitals, her soccer games…her everyday-little-moments. When she looks through the crowds of people, she will be looking for your smile and pride. Show it to her as often as possible.

5. Encourage her to try on your shoes and play dress-up. If she would rather wear her brother’s superman cape with high heals, allow it. If she wants to wear a tutu or dinosaur costume to the grocery store, why stop her? She needs to decide who she is and be confident in her decision.


6. Teach her to be independent. Show her by example that woman can be strong. Find and follow your own passions. Search for outlets of expression and enjoyment for yourself- not just your husband or children.  Define yourself by your own attributes, not by what others expect you to be. Know who you are as a person, and help your daughter find out who she is.

 7. Pick flowers with her. Put them in her hair. There is nothing more beautiful than a girl and a flower.

8. Let her get messy. Get messy with her, no matter how much it makes you cringe inside. Splash in the puddles, throw snowballs, make mud pies, finger paint the walls: just let it happen. The most wonderful of memories are often the messy ones.

9. Give her good role models- you being one of them. Introduce her to successful woman- friends, co-workers, doctors, astronauts, or authors.  Read to her about influential woman- Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie. Read her the words of inspirational woman- Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson. She should know that anything is possible.

10. Show her affection. Daughters will mimic the compassion of their mother. “I love yous” and Eskimo kisses go a long way.

11. Hold her hand. Whether she is 3 years-old in the parking lot or sixteen years old in the mall, hold on to her always- this will teach her to be confident in herself and proud of her family.

12. Believe in her. It is the moments that she does not believe in herself that she will need you to believe enough for both of you. Whether it is a spelling test in the first grade, a big game or recital, a first date, or the first day of college…remind her of the independent and capable woman you have taught her to be.

13. Tell her how beautiful she is. Whether it is her first day of Kindergarten, immediately after a soccer game where she is grass-stained and sweaty, or her wedding day. She needs your reminders. She needs your pride. She needs your reassurance. She is only human.
 

14. Love her father. Teach her to love a good man, like him. One who lets her be herself…she is after all wonderful.

15. Make forts with boxes and blankets. Help her to find magic in the ordinary, to imagine, to create and to believe in fairy tales. Someday she will make her 5 by 5 dorm-room her home with magic touches and inspiration. And she will fall in love with a boy and believe him to be Prince Charming.

16. Read to her. Read her Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. But also remember the power of Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost. Show her the beauty of words on a page and let her see you enjoy them. Words can be simply written and simply spoken, yet can harvest so much meaning. Help her to find their meaning.

17. Teach her how to love- with passion and kisses. Love her passionately. Love her father passionately and her siblings passionately. Express your love. Show her how to love with no restraint. Let her get her heart broken and try again. Let her cry, and gush, giggle and scream. She will love like you love or hate like you hate. So, choose love for both you and her.

18. Encourage her to dance and sing. Dance and sing with her- even if it sounds or looks horrible.  Let her wiggle to nursery rhymes. Let her dance on her daddy's feet and spin in your arms. Then later, let her blast noise and headbang in her bedroom with her door shut if she wants. Or karaoke to Tom Petty in the living room if she would rather. Introduce her to the classics- like The Beatles- and listen to her latest favorite- like Taylor Swift. Share the magic of music together, it will bring you closer- or at least create a soundtrack to your life together.

19. Share secrets together. Communicate. Talk. Talk about anything. Let her tell you about boys, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. She is not only your daughter, you are not only her mother. Be her friend too.

20. Teach her manners. Because sometimes you have to be her mother, not just her friend. The world is a happier place when made up of polite words and smiles.

21. Teach her when to stand-up and when to walk away. Whether she has classmates who tease her because of her glasses, or a boyfriend who tells her she is too fat- let her know she does not have to listen. Make sure she knows how to demand respect- she is worthy of it. It does not mean she has to fight back with fists or words, because sometimes you say more with silence. Also make sure she knows which battles are worth fighting. Remind her that some people can be mean and nasty because of jealousy, or other personal reasons. Help her to understand when to shut her mouth and walk-away. Teach her to be the bigger -the better- person.

22. Let her choose who she loves. Even when you see through the charming boy she thinks he is, let her love him without your disapproving words: she will anyway. When he breaks her heart, be there for her with words of support rather than I told-you-so. Let her mess up again and again until she finds the one. And when she finds the one, tell her.

23. Mother her. Being a mother—to her—is undoubtedly one of your greatest accomplishments. Share with her the joys of motherhood, so one day she will want to be a mother too. Remind her over and over again with words and kisses that no one will ever love her like you love her. No one can replace or replicate a mother’s love for their children.

24. Comfort her. Because sometimes you just need your mommy. When she is sick, rub her back, make her soup and cover her in blankets- no matter how old she is. Someday, if she is giving birth to her own child, push her hair out of her face, encourage her, and tell her how beautiful she is. These are the moments she will remember you for. And someday when her husband rubs her back in attempt to comfort her...she may just whisper, "I need my mommy."

25. Be home. When she is sick with a cold or broken heart, she will come to you: welcome her. When she is engaged or pregnant, she will run to you to share her news: embrace her. When she is lost or confused, she will search for you: find her. When she needs advice on boys, schools, friends or an outfit: tell her. She is your daughter and will always need a safe harbor- where she can turn a key to see comforting eyes and a familiar smile: be home.

To my daughter- I promise to always "be home" for you.

It's a.....

And we couldnt be more excited! Our sweet baby Beckham is doing great and looked amazing! I love watching him grow. I am so grateful to be able to experience the best of both worlds and know what its like to have a mama's boy! I would of loved for Brynlee to have a sister but a little brother will be just as awesome, I know it! We are teaching Brynn how to say brother and Beckham... she is picking up words so quick these days, we figure those can be the next two! Ryan was showing her brother to my belly last name and she was digging her finger in my belly button... maybe she was trying to feel him?? Haha! Silly girl :)

Anyways, we had the name Beckham picked out for quite a while. Its not a family name or have any background to it, we just simply loved the name! Brynlee and Beckham, our two little loves for the rest of time! We can't wait! :)

Worst blogger ever...

Let me start out by saying, I always have the best intentions to write a post, and then life gets busy and things happen, and it gets pushed to tomorrow... and tomorrow.. and tomorrow...

And that is WHY you never hear from me! So I'm sorry to all my fellow followers and bloggers out there.

I feel so guilty partially because with Brynlee I was blogging about each week (or most) of pregnancy, and all I have done so far for this babe is announce that were expecting. I also keep getting requests about weekly pictures for this babe in the belly, which I am not doing this time around either. But I do plan to take a monthly picture so more on that to come, I promise!

Everyone always told me that with the second baby, I wont do all these crazy things. And so far, they are right, haha! Its hard! One thing I really do plan to do is to take at least a monthly picture and make this babe a quilt as well. So they can both have quilts made from their mama.

So there you have it, I may win horrible mother award (only kidding) but I am TRYING. Having a baby and carrying another baby is challenging and will only get more challenging, but I am up for the challenge to say the least!

So far this pregnancy has been exactly the same as Brynlee. First trimester I felt nothing but nauseous for 8 straight weeks. I am glad to say that I think that is behind me! The last 2 weeks have been a lot better! We went for our 12 week ultrasound and everything looked awesome! Perfect little heartbeat! And the boy/girl was hyper as can be, bouncing all around. The jolly rancher pre-ultrasound didnt help I am sure :) With Brynn we were able to find out her gender then, but this baby was giving us no shot whatsoever of the goods! The nurse said at first glance, she thinks its a girl, but isnt sure enough for us to tell our family/friends. We should know next Thursday, fingers crossed!

Other than all of that business and excuses of why I havent blogged lately, life has been great. Brynlee is walking like a maniac, saying Baby, Mama, Dada, Uh-oh, Thank you, No, Yes, and Bunny. She signs more, finished/all done, play and of course no. She is fully transitioned to whole milk and sippy cup, so the bottles have been store for baby #2- this was a huge relief to put those things away. So nice! She eats pretty much everything under the sun but if she could eat fruit all day everyday, she would. She loves every single fruit she has tried including mangoes being one of her favorite, and raspberries! But bananas take the crown, she eats one almost every day. We are still working on vegetables and almost any kind of meat. Work in progress! :)

I will try and get better at blogging, I promise! In the meantime I hope you enjoyed a little update! :)

In case you hadn't heard...

The news is true, we are expecting another sweet pea this fall! I always wanted a spring and fall baby and life is sure shaping up to go that way! This baby will most likely complete our family and we cannot wait to meet him/her in October! The babies will be 20 months apart and after meeting many people with kids close to that age gap, it seems to be perfect!

Brynlee cannot WAIT to be a big sister!

How is it possible?

How is it possible that I have a ONE year old? Where has the last year gone? Where has my baby gone?

I cant believe she is ONE and it has been the best year of my life! Having Brynlee in our life has been the biggest blessing. When people say your life changes when you have a kid, they are 100% RIGHT. But it changes for all the right reasons. I would never trade being a mom for anything. I would never trade it to go back to the life I had before her... going out to bars, going to the movies whenever I wanted, picking up and leaving for a spontaneous trip.... nope, shes worth it.

We celebrated her 1st birthday this weekend and boy, was it the best weekend EVER. Ryan and I took Friday and Monday off and I was so thankful that we did. We dont get much time with her during the week, so having 4 days in a row with her was amazing.

Friday we took her to the Mesa Childrens Youth Museum. She had a blast! She loved exploring and her favorite was the giant lite brite wall along with the magnets, she was so curious about the magnets and how they would pull together. She is going to be a smart cookie, I know it!

Saturday we had her big 1st birthday party! It turned out amazing and everyone that showed up seemed to have a great time! The weather was perfect, the scenery, the setup, just everything. I was happy with the outcome to say the very least. I also gave her, her one year quilt that I made for her from all her weekly photo fabric. It is such a special gift to me and her! We hired a photographer and should have her photos back soon but I did get a sneak peak at some that I will share!

My cute girl! Love her little toofies

Diva on her birthday!

She loved the cake!!!

Its my party and I'll cry if I want to!

Sunday we headed to the renaissance festival with Nana and Nonno to celebrate her actual birthday, and she had a blast! She was so into it and smiled the entire time. She loved the WyldMen show the best. She was cracking up the whole show! Sunday evening we had my family over for a pizza party, and ate left over cupcakes and had ice cream. Brynlee stuffed an entire cupcake straight into her mouth. I guess she liked it?! :)

Monday we did NOTHING, we simply relaxed. Brynn played with her new toys all day, and sat in her favorite present, her new big girl chair/ottoman!

We seriously had the best weekend and coming back to work was very very hard. I am happy to support our family and I know I would never be able to give her the weekend we did, if I didnt work. So I deal with what I have, and am ever so THANKFUL for what we can give her. I dont want to say she is "spoiled" because we are not trying to raise her that way, but we are very thankful that we are able to give her everything she wants/deserves, and I hope that it can continue for years to come!

Having a one year old is a whole NEW ball game now..... and I am not used to it yet. The whole transition to milk/sippy cups completely weirds me out. She isnt a fan of the sippy quite yet, but she will be soon, because its her only option! She only gets her bottle at bed time now so she will have to learn to make it work :)

We are headed to Cali next week to visit some amazing friends and spend some much needed time relaxing by the beach and the pool! Woo hoo!

I'm still alive....

I feel like a horrible blogger lately. Life gets the best of me and to say the least, February has been JAM packed. It's hard to keep up with blogging sometimes but I really do love it!

This month is filled with a couple 1st birthday parties, a couple of my friends birthdays, I was in Florida last week for Monster's Sales Conference, and I have 2 baby showers! Ey yi yi!

On top of all that, we are only 2.5 weeks away from Brynlee turning 1! So you can imagine all the busy crafty things I am up to. I love the way Brynlee's party is coming together but I still have a handful of things I need to do! We are getting a lot of fun feedback on the time capsule idea we are doing for her party and I cannot wait to see all the fun things that people bring! Brynlee has a huge heart for the neighborhood park so there couldn't be a better place to have her party. Especially in March! I LOVE having a spring time baby, the best weather ever!

Last week I was in Florida which was a jam packed week but while there I actually won an amazing trip! I get to spend 6,000 towards any location in the WORLD. We are thinking somewhere in the South Pacific, like Fiji Islands, Tahiti, or Bora Bora... or maybe a mix! :) We are so excited!!!

Hopefully once Brynlee's 1st birthday is over, I will have some more time to update the blog with pictures and details of her BIG DAY!

Have a great week everyone!

Facelift & a little quiltin action!

The blog got yet another facelift. I love changing up the backgrounds and the last one, well... it had Christmas ornaments, so I think I was a month past due on changing it up :)

I wish I was better at blogging all the crafty things I have been up to lately around the house. Maybe I will make that a 2012 resolution? Oh wait, New Years is over. But I'll try! Brynlee's quilt is all ONE piece now and is basically done. Just 2 more steps and its complete! It will be done by this weekend which was my goal so I could focus next month on just the party and not stress over this quilt.

I am SO happy with the way its turned out. It was a bittersweet time making that thing. It took over 20 hours total and for my first time in many many years sewing, I think it turned out great. Is it perfect? NOPE, but its made from me, to her and I love it. There are actually, many imperfections. So many that while making it, I almost quit, haha! But I powered through it, and I am so happy and in love with it.

I cannot wait for years to go by, her still have her blanket, that her mama made special just for her. And to know, that on each little square, was a week of her life in the her first year. Its so awesome. This project was VERY challenging towards the end, and its not over yet, still have 6 weeks to photograph even though she will be 1 in 5 weeks, her last pic will be a few days after she's 1 :) At the beginning it was so easy to photograph her but now we have to sing, dance, wave elmo in the air, make ridiculous noises, snap our fingers, and do anything possible to just get ONE good picture. Most are eyes closed, her bootie and not her face, half a leg because shes crawled off the fabric kind of pictures. Speaking of, here is her most recent pictures. You better believe we were elmo dancing for both of these!!

She had to hold the pig, or else this picture would not be possible!

Trying to quickly get away, which we turned into her doing the "running man". The first, and only shot we took this week, it was good enough for us!

We may have a walker, soon!

Brynlee is so close to taking her first steps, I can feel it! She is starting to stand more and more on her own and yesterday even took a second to clap while she did it. I was so happy to capture that on video. I was video taping her exploring our new gate and right as I was about to end it, she just stood up, clapped, and fell on her booty. She walks with her walker ALL the time and I think its her favorite activity. She gets so happy and is so excited when she is doing it. I know its just a matter of time...

This is her way of exploring the gate. That litttttttle step she has, she is not afraid to use it, stinker!

I want her to walk, but then I want her to also stop growing up :( Time goes by so fast! It is so amazing to see a child learn and grow before your eyes. She is SO smart and I really think she is going places some day. She is very inquisitive and a quick learner. She also knows when she shouldnt be doing something, and loves to do it anyways because she thinks its so funny. We are working on her next sign "I Love You". She has bye bye down pat so I think we are ready for the next word. How adorable would it be for her to cross her arms over her chest and say "I love you". My heart would MELT :) I love her so much and I feel so blessed to call her mine!

Hope everyone has a fabulous week :)