My Sunday Funday!

To play..Grab the questions..copy them onto your blog..answer them..visit MannLand..put your link in and let the Sunday Fun begin!

Let's get this party started!!

The questions..


1. Do you iron your sheets? Let's be realistic here.. Do I iron anything???



2. Your dream car is....?
Hello! Two door sports car! Something fast!

But these days? I would take some large (SUV!).. Something Hybrid.. Something with a DVD player, third row seating, and enough room in back for all the groceries. I'm not picky, really!



3. Do you have an innie or an outie belly button?
Innie! Original, I know!


4. What meal do you look forward to the most..breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
I would say breakfast. Even though I do not look forward to cooking little man an egg every morning, I do look forward to just pouring myself some cereal! I seriously could live off cereal. What kind you ask? Maple and Brown Sugar Life, Peach Honey Bunches of Oats, Lucky Charms, you name it!


5. Favorite mascara?
I like Maybelline! However, my mom (or rather.... I) just got some Victoria's secret Beauty Rush earlier today! Yet to try it out.


6. What would you say your decorating style is..traditional, modern, eclectic, country, french country, shabby chic, etc..?
I would say it is... Modern? Beige walls, dark sage couches, black and dark purple accessories!


7. Have you ever been skinny dipping?
Never!


8. I hate the smell of...?
Cooked broccoli! Seriously! It gives me a major migraine.

My Struggle

"The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make.... I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”

-Anna Quindlen(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)



I found this on the top of For The Love of Naps blog and read it over and over and over.. it is something I really struggle with and I just had to share it. How do you cherish the special moments?

Five Question Friday!

Happy to report that another week is coming to a close! Not because it wasn't a good week, just looking forward to a weekend up in Denver at the ol' rents!

Join the Friday fun and meet some new friends while you are at it at Mama M's!

1. Would you ever vacation alone?
Ok, Ok.. so this is all circumstantial. Where am I vacationing? If you are talking a vacation away at the spa, then heck yes I would go it alone! If you are talking fly to a far away destination, I would much rather go with someone else. I wouldn't want to dine alone, let alone shop alone!



2. Do you go the speed limit?
Guilty! I am not a huge speed racer, but you know I will go at least 5 over. Bad habit? No. Aggressive? I think so!


3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?
I started blogging back in November 08.. Because I lived far away from the family and wanted to keep them updated on the little guy! I think I had 4 followers.. My Mom, my Dad, Sister and Sister-in-law! Wish I could remember who I first followed.

4. Where do you shop for yourself?
Target (of course!) is in the lead, closely followed by Forever 21, and Charlotte Rouse because I am in lurve with their jeans!


5. What was the song that you danced your first dance with your spouse to at your wedding...or...what song would you like your first dance to be to?
We danced to Israel Kamakawiwoʻole "Somewhere over the rainbow". Love that song!

Oh, Lion.

As I was catching up on blogs yesterday morning and drinking my morning coffee, I was listening to Cayden playing quietly by himself by his toys. He kept saying "Lion is pooping" "Lion is pooping" and I thought nothing of it... When I glanced over at him, I noticed that there was a mess. A big one. And not just toys all over the floor.

You see, Lion has a small hole on his back. His tail got an owie. So, Lion was pooping. All over my floor.

Wordless Wednesday. What's for lunch?

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom for more Wordless Wednesdays!

Ten On Tuesday

Well, well, well....
I'm back! Life happened and took priority. Thankful to say things are slowly getting better... Now, my mom did this last week and it started with the letter A. Obviously I missed it! Now it's onto B. (P.S. Ma! You didn't link who hosts this!)

Ten things I am thankful for: B

1. Breakfast. The most important meal of the day, which also happens to be my favorite meal.
2. Bubbles. Because what else would I be able to bribe the Babe to get in the bath every night with?
3. Beer. Do I need to explain?
4. Boots. Especially snow boots. And boots that make you a couple of inches taller.
5. Blankets. Since our electricity bill was outrageous, you will now find me rolled up in a ball on the couch wrapped in a blanket trying to keep my blood flowing.
6. Barbecues. Can't wait for summer!
7. Blogs!!
8. The beach. The one that is calling my name.
9. Babies. Especially other people's.. Helps cure this baby bug I caught.
10. Bed time!! Amen.. I'm tired!

MIA

I apologize that I have been missing for a while...

Sometimes life spins out of control. Sometimes our comfort is shaken to the core. I have such a hard time sitting back and trusting that God is in control sometimes. I have a hard time not asking, why? It takes a true constant reminder that sometimes, although we may not understand or comprehend why things happen, He has a plan and a purpose. It isn't easy and I'm not going to sugar coat it. I am not big on waiting. to. see. what. it. is.

Today, I am uncomfortable. I am confused. I am angry. I am worried. I am tired. But I am still here, and I have not lost hope yet.

All I ask..

A soldier was killed on Sunday in Afghanistan. To be correct, 4 soldiers (that I know of) were killed on Sunday in Afghanistan.

One of these men particularly hit close to home. I did not know him, other than from pictures. I do not know his wife, who, on one cold Sunday evening, pulled up to their home to see them leaving.. as her heart immediately fell to the ground. I can't hug her as she now clings to the casket of her husband. In the blink of an eye, she is now a widow, her hero selflessly gave his life for my freedom. I will never fully comprehend what these men (and women) have to go through just so we can live and not give much more than a thought about them. About the men and families who are separated for much too long, the wives who endure the agony of waiting when they haven't heard from their husbands for a week, and the daddies who miss a whole year of their children's lives or births of their first child.

I knew of her, her husband was deployed with my best friends husband. My best friend was on the phone with her as she pulled up to her house and just like that, her life forever changed.

And now, I can't get her out of my mind. I can't help but weep for her, and wonder what she is doing at this very moment. Wonder who held her as she cried herself to sleep last night.

All I ask is that you just keep Casie in your prayers. She is going to need a few.

Sleep? Why would I need any of that?

We have finally decided to try out the toddler bed... again.

A couple months ago, we unknowingly slipped the crib into the guest room, and put our new steal-of-a-craigslist-deal toddler bed in Cayden's room. Who knew he would actually, say, want to get out of bed instead of just fall asleep?

It was about 3 am, on week two that you noticed the lights on in our house, and saw the man re-setting up the crib and out went the toddler bed. And just like that, Cayden was back to his wonderful sleep habits.

Cayden is a little over 26 months and I am pretty sure he would be happy sleeping in a crib for the rest of his life. He likes to put his feet up on the bars, and clank Elmo's eyes on the sides until he falls asleep. If only! I guess if I want to continue with this potty training thing (which is a whole-nother post in itself, he is doing awesomely!) he will need to be able to get out of bed to relieve himself. All part of the process. I think.

Now, we have a pretty solid bedtime routine. Bath, jammies, brush, read, turn lights off, sing a couple songs, place child in crib, and he doesn't make a peep till about 6:30 the next morning.

That is, until the toddler bed came around. Now its bath, jammies, brush, read, turn lights off, sing about 20 songs until angel baby is fast asleep in my arms, place child in "big boy bed" until he makes a peep around 1 am.

I know its a horrible habit I am starting. He knows how to put himself to sleep. But I feel that rocking him is just easier than fighting with him to stay in bed for hours.

A friend of mine suggested the Super Nanny way... every time he comes out of his bed, just put him back in without saying a word. Well, my child is more stubborn than most... It took foreevvvveeeerrrr for him to just stay in bed. Like, over 30 times of patiently putting him back in bed. We did try it for a few nights. Yeah I gave up...... what's it to ya?

So now, rock him to sleep. No, that is not me that you see about 5 years down the road rocking my 7 year old to sleep. Never!

And then after about 4 nights, arose another problem. He decided that he would like to wake the house up around 1 am by saying the saddest/sweetest/tiredest/ "Mommy" a mommy could ever hear. So in I went... He needed a new diaper. And some milk. And someone to sit with him until he fell asleep.

3 nights of interrupted sleep, I finally decided that I am going to stand my ground. I was not equipped with a sippy cup of milk ready to go in the fridge, and I was ready to be Not So Mr. Nice Guy.

And guess what? He slept all night.
We shall see how long that lasts!




Any tips? Can someone please tell me that my child is not the only one who has had a horrible transition??