Category Archives: photos

No time to say, hello, good-bye!

It seems like the majority of my posts are really just rambles lately. I think I’m bored, though, I really have no reason to be bored because there is always something to do. I think the problem lies in the fact that the things I should be doing aren’t necessarily the things I want to be doing, and there isn’t always enough time to do the things I want to do. I knew going into having kids that priorities would shift and our lives would change, but even after several years of doing this, I still find it difficult to find a balance.

It’s good for the kids to see us doing things that interest us, but let’s face it, more often they’d rather we be doing something else, and I can’t fault them that. I want to spend time with them too considering the majority of our days are spent apart. I struggle, though. If I spend all my time sitting and playing with them, then the house and other responsibilities get neglected. I can put those off until after they go to bed, but then that usually means I’m just tired and flop into bed afterwards. Josh and I try to split household things, but for some reason we can never seem to keep up and at the same time meet our own personal needs.

Then I start to think about what’s important to me and start to feel dejected because I don’t feel like I can juggle so many things and don’t know what to give up or how to make our lives more organized and less stressful and yet more fulfilling. I want time to concentrate on my health physically and mentally. I want time to read, but also time to catch up on a few shows with a glass of wine. I want to finish a certification or two. I want to learn how to sew (well, I know how, but I have some projects I’d like to give a go). I have several hobbies I enjoy, but don’t seem to have time.

Where has all of the time gone? Do I need to prune my interests and somehow decide which hobbies to keep? Do I need to schedule my free time? I really need to find a way to get all of my adulting more stream-lined, I think, and then hopefully the other things will fall into place.

*Photos of cute children are to remind me how much I love them and how worth it they are.*

**I jest!! I absolutely love them and they are worth the sacrifice.**

Today you are 4.

And just like that, we have a 4 year old. Gone is my baby with the chipmunk cheeks, but he still has his blue eyes, a dimple, and a laugh that is just as infectious as ever.

Where to begin? Our boy is growing up, which is terribly obvious, but sometimes is so easy to forget and admittedly to try and ignore. He’s becoming his own person more and more each day, which is probably why there won’t be as many pictures of him on the blog either. More often he has requested that I not take his picture, so I will respect that. I still manage to take photos here and there, but if he specifically asks me not to, down goes the camera. It’s actually a good reminder to be more present, which I sometimes forget to be.

I am loving the independence of our 4 year old. For the most part he dresses himself and if he doesn’t like what clothes we’ve picked out, he’ll request a change. I like seeing what he’s in the mood for and we’re going to go shoe shopping as he noticed his sister has a lot more shoes than he does and he would like more options as well. Fair enough!

As far as interests go, he still loves books and is working on learning how to read. His favorite shows are Power Rangers (any incarnation), Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Sonic the Hedgehog. As far as movies go, he loves Disney and right now his favorites seem to be Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast (he finds the ending when the household fights off the village to be hilarious). He is really into Legos and anything he can build with.

His imagination is fantastic and he has his own little worlds and stories that he acts out with his toys. While he really likes it when he has someone to play with, he also enjoys playing on his own just as much. Much like his dad, he could spend endless amounts of time playing video games, but we’ve been limiting him. His favorites are Disney Infinity and Skylanders on the TV, but he loves Angry Birds on his Kindle as well as some really great learning apps. Thanks to the warm weather, he’d rather be outside and has hardly picked up his Kindle at all lately.

Most importantly, we have such fun with our Enzo. He has a wonderful sense of humor and picks up things so quickly. He is a caring older brother and always looks out for his sister. He has a dimple and a smile that go straight to my heart (and he absolutely knows it!!) which often causes me to cave and give into little requests like just one more book or one tiny piece of candy before breakfast. We love you, Enzo!

Week In Review – Sunshine and Poo

Happy Monday!

Linking up with Meghan from Clean Eats, Fast Feets for another Week in Review!

WEEK IN REVIEW (in no particular order)

Finally finished Mad Men. I had been waiting around for Part 2 of the last season and then just kind of forgot about it until randomly remembering. Aside from the whole Betty thing, I thought the last episode was a good one.
Went for a walk down by the river on Wednesday when Phoebe decided we needed a day off from responsibility. So many bugs and we found out where the local teens hang out… or hobos? Who knows, really?

Got a fabulous new haircut and touched up my color. I feel ready for Spring!
Got a new game to play with the kiddos, which is kind of hilarious. It’s called Poopy Head, and while some adults (don’t tell my son’s preschool teacher) might think it’s vulgar, it hasn’t encouraged more potty talk and has been a huge hit with both kids.

Tried a new ab workout Friday morning only to somehow throw my hip out like a feeble old lady. I knew exercise was a horrible idea!
Spent most of Saturday outside and thoroughly enjoyed it even though everywhere was crowded. The kids really wanted to see baby animals at the zoo, but after we saw cows and goats they were over it and wanted to go play.

Went on yet another walk with both kids down to the river and I officially have my first sunburn of the year after this weekend!

Ate outside for the first time this year! Both kids were so excited they could barely keep still and eat. Birds! Cats! Dogs! Clouds! Airplanes!

Driving, Toys and Eagles

Last Friday day care was closed for annual training, so rather than sitting around the house, I thought it would be fun to get out and do something. The weather was supposed to be nice, so I figured we should go for a drive and hopefully see some wildlife. The National Eagle Center is around 2 hours away, and then I realized that Lark Toys was just 10 minutes away from that, so we had our plan! We popped a movie on for the kiddos to watch and we were golden! Phoebe managed to take a quick nap in the van and by the time we arrived at Lark, both of them were more than ready to get out some energy. Also, they were hungry. Why is it that whenever we’re at home they pick at their food, but the second they get in the van they (okay, mostly Enzo) become famished and want all of their snacks in the first 5 minutes.

The kids were overcome with joy looking at all the toys, and thankfully there were a lot of toys that are actually okay for kids to play with while they look. Phoebe did not want to leave behind “her” baby that she had found and it took some coaxing to get them to move on to other things. They have been playing with their own kitchen and toys a lot more since we went, so I call that a win since it reminded them how much they actually enjoy playing “house.”

Besides all of the great toy displays, the highlight of Lark Toys was the carousel. I wish I had gotten more pictures of it, but the kids were antsy and had so much pent up energy still. We went on one ride, got some lunch and then decided to head to our next stop.

I think we were both a little surprised at how busy the National Eagle Center was on a Friday. It was a lot later in the day than I had originally planned on arriving, but with kids that’s not exactly unusual. It was chilly, but the kids enjoyed some fresh air while we looked for eagles. Alas, they were all pretty far off and despite being zoomed in as far as I could, it just wasn’t far enough. Inside, however, the kids got to see them up close and without glass or anything in the way.

(Enzo took this picture of the barge – time to get him his own camera!)

We tried to stay as long as possible, but both kids were acting rather unruly and at this point could not hold their wiggles in and were running around and yelling and the last thing I wanted was for them to get underfoot of other people who were there trying to enjoy their day as well. We went ahead and called it and headed home so the kids could run around like maniacs in the comfort of their own home. We did get to see more eagles flying around and some in nests, but one of these days I’ll just have to drive around on my own… or wait until next season to do so.

Snow one day, sun the next!

I really don’t have much today, and I’m really hoping that my body/mind reboot this weekend so that Monday I feel more like myself. In the meantime, we have a 3-day weekend ahead of us because day care is closed for annual training tomorrow, so timing is perfect. I’m feeling burned out and could use an extra day, which is also why I got the brilliant idea to take the kids on a field trip. I contemplated getting a lot done around the house and possibly starting potty training with Phoebe, but instead we’re going to go spend a little time in the car and go to the National Eagle Center and play it by ear. I’m not in the mood to adult and responsible things can be done on Saturday. My brain needs to get out, I think, and not be stared in the face by all of the things that are a tad overwhelming right now.

Now, in order to tie-in these photos that have absolutely nothing to do with anything, but are from a random evening, I’m ready to “jump” into the weekend. Hooray for really bad puns!

Unfortunately the really funny photos that caught Phoebe falling down the stairs (don’t worry, she didn’t get hurt) were dark and really blurry. Curse our dark living room!

Dino and Bunnies

Every day adventures