Jack's 1st Haircut

Last Monday we took Jack to get his first haircut. I'm sure I could have just cut it at home...but I took him to get it done. He did a great job. He looks so handsome, I think :)

Before his appointment with Daddy. Dustin looks grumpy, but he wasn't :)




Kate and I watching Jack's haircut.


After. Look how handsome!

Firsts...

Saturday Jack took his first steps!! :)

And today Kate got her first bee sting :(

sorry...no pics of either occasion.

But here's a couple cute ones to make you smile.

Kate's writings

Kate has been practicing writing her name. Now she's moved on to Jack's name, mom and dad. Here are 2 pictures she made with all our names and pictures of us.

This one is a family picture of the 4 of us, plus Uncle Justin. You can also pick out the names Kate, Jack (the one above her name), mom and dad.


Kate, Jack, mom, dad and a picture of a happy face


Her "A's" are like H's and her C's are backwards...but I think she's doing pretty good!!

A MUCH needed escape!

I went away on girls' trip this weekend and it was FANTASTIC!! It was my first time ever away from either of my kids for the weekend. Again I say "FANTASTIC!!" I went to a bachelorette party for one of my old friends from high school, well actually grade school. We went to Put-In-Bay in Ohio. You take a ferry across to the island. It was crazy!! We were not prepared for what goes on there but it was a great time! It was like a giant frat party! Our pool had a swim up bar and a DJ. It reminded me of spring break I see on TV!! I think we are all past those days but it was VERY fun! Definitely a much needed escape! I stayed up until 4am, slept until 10, lounged by the pool all afternoon, took 2 hours to get ready to go to dinner, danced at a bar all night, and enjoyed being with children-less girls!! AAAhhhhhhh!!! A GREAT TIME!! I already want to do it again!!

Riding on the ferry to the island.


Group shot


Me with 2 good friends


May flies- apparently these may flies come out on the island for 2-3 weeks out of the year when the weather changes. Of course we happened to be there during that time. These things were everywhere. When you look up, they are just hovering over you! When you walk down the road, you just crunch them. It was really gross!

Stinky girl

This is how we went out to get the mail today. Doesn't everyone?

A second of this stinky skunk out to get the mail. BTW...I DID NOT ask her to pose...especially not like this. This girl has some modeling in her!!

I'm not a bad mom...right?!?!

I'd like to think I'm not a bad mom...but this past week, I can't be too sure. I literally cannot take Kate's behavior anymore. She has been so full of tantrums, screaming, throwing things, telling me no and lots and lots and lots of crying. I lose control of my emotions sometimes and cannot take it at all. I try to be nice. I try to be understanding. I try to ignore it. Then I just get really pissed about it. That would be when I feel the bad mother coming through. I get SO mad. (understatement) Definitely madder than I'd ever like to see myself at my 3-year old that I love more than life itself. I don't want to be so mean to her. I don't want to scream at her. But I feel like I've tried everything. All my old "tricks" don't work anymore. It used to be so easy to get her to listen and do what she was supposed to. But she is way too strong willed for that.

Well tomorrow will be another fun-filled, high-emotion filled day, so I'd better rest up to be able to tackle it all over again.

Sigh...

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I barely know where to start.





Moving stinks. I could start there! We still have a stack of boxes and totes in a corner of the living room. My goal is to get rid of them by the end of the week. Wish me luck!!

Kate and Dustin both got sick over the past few weeks. Stomach flu sick. Jack seemed to have a touch of it but it never came on full force. And so far (i'm knocking on wood right now!) I have not gotten it. Thank goodness. I can't keep all this ("all this" meaning my life) going if I'm sick on the couch!

We went to Kennywood Amusement Park on Tuesday. Dustin was really sick and couldn't go but we already had plans and tickets to go with his family on Tuesday so we went and he stayed home. It was fun. We missed him, though. Kate loved it. She was even tall enough for some of the big rides this year. She said she liked them a little bit but was not going to go on them again :)







We went to Settler's Cabin wave pool yesterday. It was a last minute decision to do something fun instead of sit around and I'm glad we did. Nothing too exciting but fun to be out and splashing in the water. Dustin's next youngest brother and his wife just moved home from Utah and are staying with Dustin's parents until they get a place in Erie where he's going to Med school. So we've been able to hang out with them lots lately. It's so much fun and they love the kids. Makes my job easier, too!!





Jack is getting so big. He's crawling, standing, walking around the furniture, climbing up the stairs, and getting into everything he can. You can't take your eyes off that boy for a second! I speak from experience because I did the other day and he crawled up 5 steps and fell down them. Poor little guy. He's okay though and the baby gate has been installed :)



Kate is also a monster, lately. She's being really, really naughty. She tells me "no" over and over right to my face, screams, argues with absolutely everything I say and throws things when she gets mad and doesn't get her way. It's driving me completely crazy. I've tried handling it how parenting magazines say to and I've tried "other things..." but neither being nice nor being mean is doing a dang thing. She's just gonna do what she wants to do when she wants to do it and that's just it. UGGG...It's wearing me out.



I know this post isn't too interesting...but hopefully now that you're all caught up we'll get back to "normal."

It's been a while...

Here's why:

1. We moved last week. It's kicking my butt. Moving with 2 kids is NOT fun!! It's our 8th move in 6 years and I've had it!! Hopefully we'll be here for Dustin's last 2 years of school. Our next move better be more permanent!!

Some of our moving crew.


2. Also last week, Jack learned how to crawl, pull himself up, walk along the furniture, clap, and he got his first tooth! Whew...that's a lot!!





See my new tooth?!?!


3. Well...that's actually it. But trust me, that's enough!

When I come up for air, I'll be back!

This is what I feel like doing, too!!

Thinking about Mom's Day

I am enjoying a perfect peaceful evening to myself. Dustin has been out practicing with his band for a few hours and won't be home until after the Pens hockey game tonight. The kids were super tired tonight and Jack was sooo cranky. It is 7:40 and they are both in bed and sleeping. Aaaahhhhh....Now the quiet peaceful evening I was talking about begins.

I have had a lot of time to think today. I went to the gym today and it was very peaceful. It's a really small gym and there was only 3 people there :) And I was alone with the kids (again...) which also made me reflect alot.

Both as I was saying the dinner prayer for me and Kate tonight and as I was snuggling with her before bed, I broke down in tears. Now if you've only known me for the last several years, you know this is totally out of character for me. Well, with Mother's Day tomorrow, I always get a little emotional. First because my mom passed away when I was 16 and I miss her terribly during this holiday. And second because I LOVE my kids more than I could have ever imagined loving anything in the whole world. It is indescribable that you could love in this capacity. Who knew your heart could love so much. I miss my mom so much. Kate and Jack will never get to meet her on this Earth. She will never be able to baby sit her grandkids. They will never get to play with her or see the caring, kind, loving person that I knew. I can never call her for advice about the kids, cooking, love or anything. She wasn't there when I gave birth. She wasn't there when I got married. And she won't be there for any other event in my life, big or small. My babies are my life. Sure I get grumpy on rainy days like today when we're stuck in the house or when they are whining or whatever else might be going on that day. Or when I'm "stuck" home with them all the time while Dustin is out doing whatever he wants. But I sure wouldn't trade them or the blessing it is to stay home with them for anything in the world. Tonight while I was crying Kate says, "It's okay Mommy. I love you. Don't cry. (as she stroked my face) I do everything for you. I share my paints with you, I help you set the table. Don't cry. It's okay. You're just the best that I ever saw."

Anyways, I just don't know what I would do without my babies. They mean everything to me. They can make me laugh and cry both in the same day. They keep me going.

I know this is really long and if you are still reading, thank you. Thank you for letting me share a piece of my heart with yours. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a mom. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I appreciate my mom more than I was ever able to tell her when she was alive. Being a 16 year old teenage girl when she passed away, I'm sure it wasn't always clear to her that I loved and appreciated her. But now I know all the sacrifices she made as a single mother of 3 to help me to be the person that I am today. I love you, Mom. I miss you.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms reading this. You have a job to do that is like no other in the world. You are doing a tremendous job!


(disclaimer...please excuse how "beautiful" I look in these photos. Just another perk of being a mom!)
Me and Baby Jack




Me and Baby Kate

Me time

I rarely (if ever) take space on this blog JUST FOR ME!! But I wanted to share my new experiences with working out :)

After a fun vacation to Michigan to visit my BFF Erica in March, I started working out at my local YMCA. It has been SO much fun! They have childcare in the mornings so we go 3 times a week for an hour. I started jogging on the treadmill and LOVE it!! I have never jogged before in my life and would have never got on a treadmill. But now I love pushing myself further and further. I started jogging at like 5 miles per hour for 1.5 miles...but now I jog at 6 mph for 3 miles :) I do realize this is nothing compared to you runners out there!! But it's an accomplishment for me!! And I LOVE to do running intervals at 7.5 mph for 1-2 minutes. It's almost euphoric. It feels so great. I use a few of the other machines for my arms and legs and the yoga ball for my abs.

I realized with (at the time) a 6 month old baby that it was time to get my baby back into pre-baby shape. I don't necessarily feel the need to lose weight but just to tone my mommy body. However, I have lost 6 pounds :) I'm not too willing to change too much about my diet so it's not going to melt off me! I have tried to be a little more health conscious. (Little being the KEY word!) I just want to be healthier and more in shape. Plus I LOVE the hour I get to myself a few times a week!!

Thanks Erica for helping me change!! I hope to stay in shape and continue to take care of my body!

Thank God for Good People

I just had one of the nicest experiences of my life :)

We went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Grove City. We got there right at dinner time and it was really packed. They had to seat us at a table joining another table of 4. They started talking to us and were very nice. They adored the kids and couldn't stop talking to them and oohing and ahhing over Jack. :)

Anyways...
The guy next to me was super nice. As soon as I sat down next to him I felt like I knew him. He was very friendly. He overhead me talking to Dustin about a financial budget I want to implement for us. I was saying that maybe we could budget for one restaurant night a month. And we talked to them about being in Slippery Rock while Dustin was going to school, how our kids were crazy at the restaurant because we never go out to eat and yadee yada.

Well they go to leave and he leans over and says, "you guys enjoy another meal this month because this meal is on me. I paid your meal for you." I nearly started crying!! What a sweet gesture!! There really are good people in this world!!

I am so grateful for good people!! He really made our day!

Note To Self:

NOTE TO SELF: Do not leave this little boy alone anywhere near his bowl of oatmeal!!


He will try to feed himself...with his fist or his spoon.


Then rub it in the floor.


I was in the middle of feeding jack a bottle when I saw the neighbor walk past to go to the laundry. I remembered I had laundry in there so I stopped feeding him and put him on the floor real quick to go get my laundry out of her way. I had a bowl of oatmeal on the floor for jack...well he helped himself to it :) He was putting a fistful in his mouth when I got back!!