For me

So it has been a while since my last post! I haven't written anything because I felt like I wasn't sure what this blog should be about or for. I didn't want to blog about crafts I do, things that I cook or what we did everyday. All those things are good, but just didn't seem like what I truly wanted this blog to be about. Well I think I may have figured it out. This blog is simply for me. I know many don't read it, and for me, I feel better when I get my thoughts out in writing, so this is for me, my escape!
On a side note, I need a new name for my blog! Just doesn't seem to fit.
Right now, as we wait out this hurricane Sandy, I am thinking about my day. My days font consist of much more than being with my children and being in their world. I wouldn't trade it for anything. However sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed by it. Seems silly, I know, but when there is little "me" time available, even for something as simple as using the restroom, it can make one a bit crazy! To cut this short, my lack of "me" time, is taking a toll on my children. I get short with them, frustrated much easier, and seem to not fully enjoy them! Which is so sad, because they are at such a special age and it goes so quickly.
So I am writing this to tell myself to lighten up, enjoy, and relax. "Me"time is needed, but In a few years from now, when they are grown, I will have too much me time and miss all this! It is too precious and valuable to miss. My reminder to myself, take a moment for yourself, breath, and simply enjoy my children!
Hopefully I blog more, about all things! Sorry if it may seem a bit like a diary, but a girls got to get her thoughts in order sometimes!!
I am off to watch a movie with my love, praying the power doesn't go out!

Henry's first taste of food!

So Henry will be 24 weeks on Saturday(6 months) or in my eyes, officially 6 months on the 22nd of this month. BUT, I don't think we could have waited any longer to give him food!!! Both Shane and I were getting excited about it, me especially because I can't wait to make him his fun fancy purees!! But I still did not want to rush it!! He has been literally lunging, grabbing and reaching for food for the past month now!! It almost felt like we were teasing him!!
Well today we decided to just go for it!! We went shopping at Whole Foods, and I was getting a whole bunch of good produce, so we figured, why not!!
We went this banana first, because i read that for breastfeeding babies, it is easy to digest, and I really don't see the point of cereal...it taste bad, and there is not much nutrients in it.
We mashed some banana with breast milk, and this is what he thought of it!!

 See, he is attempting to get at the bowl!! Owen was excited to help him eat. Owen always asks is we can give the baby food. He probably thought we were starving him!!

 He really wasn't too sure about it. I thought he would be all about it, but maybe he is not going to be a fan of bananas, just like his momma!!

 So we let him just taste and feel the whole banana. Don't worry, he couldn't bite of anything!

Then we just let him play with it, because he was already a mess!! 

It was a lot of fun, and hopefully each time goes better!!

my favorite hot day treat!

When I was on my Disney College Program internship, I fell in love with this wonderful little secret in adventure land! Well it is not really a secret, but I was something new to me!! Dole Pineapple Floats!!  Pineapple soft serve, with pineapple juice and a pineapple spear!! So so so refreshing!! You could also get vanilla soft serve.  And I think when Shane and I went back for our Honeymoon and 1 year anniversary, you could get orange pineapple!! double yum!!!
We have tried recreating them at home, it is not the same, but it will do!!
With all these hot days, it got me to thinking that a pineapple float sounded marvelous right about now!!



Enjoy this beautiful weather we have been blessed with!!

Weekend

Hey all,

So we had a pretty low key weekend, but with a few new developments!!
First, Henry has finally broken one of this bottom front teeth that he has been working on for over a month!! Poor little guy has been a bit fussy, but really been a trooper!! I can't get a picture of it yet, but when I can, be sure that I will post it!!

Second, Henry is now sitting up on his own!! I really was surprised by this! Considering he has only rolled belly to back a few time, and he doesn't want to go the other 5 % to finish rolling back to belly, i thought we had a while to be waiting on this one!! After his bath on Saturday, we just tried it out again, and he was like, ok i can sit up all on my own now!! It is adorable and I love it!! However, he is not even 5 months yet, and growing way too fast!!

Now Owen is growing up just as quickly. As you noticed int he video he is asking "what" that is his version of "Why" however i prompted him to do this, rather than doing the whinny baby voice, i asked him to say "What" So there are not complaints with him asking "what" 100 times a day!!  Another awesome thing with Owen , he is officially diaper free!! Even at night!! He has been in big boy underwear since the end of december, but not at night. He had gone about 2 weeks straight without a wet diaper at night, so we just decided to give it a go with the big boy undies at night, and he is rockin in!! And he is only waking up 1 time, and it is around 4:30 am....sounds a little rough considering he is 2, but trust me, this is awesome!!! We are considering cutting out naps, and just doing like 30 mins of quiet time. He falls asleep faster and stays asleep longer when he doesn't have a nap...especially with this awesome weather!!Running around outside all day tires him out!!

And Owen has been such a great little helper to me!! i made him a Helper Chart. For everything he helps me with that day(laundry/dishes), or does by him self(brush teeth/hair) , he will get a sticker!!
I am not sure if there is going to be a reward for this, he just loves putting the stickers on!!

Owen and Henry took there first wagon ride together!! Owen loves the wagon Grandma and  Grandpa got for him last summer! I think Henry likes it too! Grandma took them for their first ride together!

It was a pretty great weekend!!

Henry's newest!

So when Henry was first born, and I mean like right out of the womb, he started putting his fingers in his mouth and sucking on them. I was so impressed!

Well he is now 12 weeks and on and off he has randomly sucked on his fingers, however about a week and a half ago he decided he wanted to be a thumb sucker!

Honestly, I love it and think its adorable! He calms himself down without and put himself to sleep with it!
He still will use a binkie but more and more he prefers the thumb!!
I am not gonna worry about him still sucking his thumb years from now, that's just silly. Right now I think it is so adorable and I love it!!

Date Night!!

So on Monday, Shane called me and asked if we had some extra money, he wanted to take me out on a date!! He was very excited about it and he wanted it to be a surprise! So we got my parents to come down on Wednesday and babysit BOTH kids!! Not just Owen, but Henry too!! So this was actually a real date! He decided to take me to The Melting Pot. Its a fancy fondue restaurant  and very yummy!!  Sp we got all dressed up and hit the town!

 The meal we decided to go with was 4 courses. The first course is a cheese fondue! Very yum.  The second course was a iceberg wedge Gorgonzola cheese salad!! Definitely  need to recreate this salad at home! We both loved it. Then came the main course! You get to cook the meats all yourself and dress them up with whatever dips you want. It was really fun and it was nice that you could eat at your own pace and truly enjoy the meal!! It didn't seem like a ton of food in the picture, but we barely had enough room for the chocolate fondue course!!

 Shane's favorite was the steak and shrimp. My favorite was the pork and steak. The marinade was a Caribbean style and it was so goo, it didn't even need the dips!

Then came dessert!! We made a chocolate fondue with peanut better and peanuts! It was a good choice! We didn't even come close to really finishing the dessert, but is was delish!! 

The entire 4 course took about 2 1/2 hours to finish. It was a nice treat and very relaxing.  We enjoyed talking about our future, how many good things 2011 brought, what 2012 will bring and the fact that we will have been married for 4 years this summer, total of 7 years together!! Wow how time flies!! It was a nice grown up night and i very much enjoyed it!!Thanks to my sweet husband for caring about our marriage and wanting to still be romantic!! It was just the night we needed! 

And thanks to my parents for driving  all that way on a school night and taking such good care of our kids!!  

<3 Amanda

My word for the year: Kairos

So i stumbled upon a blog the other day that was linked to my friend's facebook page.
 The blog is momastery.com and the blog entry is dont carpe diem.  
You may have even seen it somewhere, but it was about Carpe Diem and how in the stage of her life, she was finding it hard to Carpe Diem every moment! As a mom, people are always telling you that you "need to cherish every moment" "i loved every minute of it, and i miss it" And of course they mean well, but is that really true!! And as much as I love being a mom, there are times where it is like, OK am i really loving this right now?! So this blogger proposes something different. That we take time every day to see the Kairos moments.  Kairos means"the appointed time in the purpose of God".  It is that moment where you all of a sudden look around and truly feel and see how blessed you are and take a moment to take it all in, because it goes as fast as it comes. 


So since we are in the beginning of a new year, i wanted to set a goal for myself, and this is it. To always recognize the Kairos moments in my life and my they be marked in my memory.  In that moment of frustration, sadness, overwhelmed , i want to find the Kairos in it. Rather than being frustrated,when Owen will not stop whining to get something he wants [like that ever happens, come on, he is perfect, right ;) ]  I appreciate him, for who he is; a beautiful, fun, smart, loving and healthy two year old. Because that right there is worth everything; and many people are dealing with much worse.  You can find Kairos without it being crazy and overwhelming. I think it probably even better to see it when nothing is going wrong.  Like today, Owen, Henry and I went to the Zoo.  It was fun, no problems, they did great. But there was a moment, when Owen started walking backwards, eating his snack, and trying to turn his head to see if he was gonna run into anything, where i just tried to breath it all in and thought: Kairos. How wonderfully imaginative Owen is, he is so fun, and he makes me laugh! I love him! And I just took a moment to mark this.  It was God's time, His purpose.  
So every day find the Kairos in your life, look for the moments and stop and take it all in. They will come and go to fast.  This is my word to live by for the year! I just wanted to share!!


Be blessed, 
Amanda