So.. just a tad behind!!

WHOA! I guess a tad is an understatement to say the least!! I am way behind on this blogging!! First things first.. Isabella has started preschool! It was a rough transition for the two of us. We had a lot of tears from the both of us, but I am happy to report those tears have turned into smiles! I have learned that I cannot kiss her goodbye before I leave. I just have to take her hand and say see ya soon! I am so proud of my big girl. I did find the cutest first day outfit. I have to admit she was one of the cutest ones in her class. I already have started a portfolio of her art projects that she does. Her new friends are Katarina, Brady, Jack and Noah. Those are the names she repeats every school day. For a while it was just Katarina, Jack and Noah. Brady's name got added this week. Notice there are more boys than girls!! OH MY!!! Isabella still isn't potty trained. She keeps saying she wants to wear big girl panties, but really isn't showing an interest. I ask if her she wants to go potty on the big girl potty and she quickly replies with a "NO THANK YOU MOMMY" I am not pushing the issue one bit. I figure when she is ready she will do it. Andrew is 10 months old now and is a full time WALKER!! I wasn't ready for that! He is getting too big to quickly. He loves following Isabella around. He calls her "BELLA" and she loves it. I can already see the friendship blooming between them and I am so happy I had them so close together. They are going to be the best of friends. Andrew is enjoying swim class these days. We go on Thursday mornings while Isabella is at school. He absolutely loves it! I love going as well. It gives him and I some bonding time together. I have to admit we are taking time off in the winter, because it is about 25 minutes away and I don't want to drive that far in the snow. Isabella and Andrew are both in music class on Wednesdays. The two of them have the best time! Both dance around and sing. Of course this is the only music we listen to in the car and I have to say it is quite bearable. Andrew finally broke through some teeth. He went against the norm and his first tooth was an upper front tooth. The one next to it has since broke through and it looks as though he is working on the bottom front teeth. He is having a miserable time with teething. I wish there was something I could do for the poor guy :( Doug and I just took a trip to California last week. We were in San Diego and Laguna Beach. My parents stayed at our house with the kiddos. This was something Doug and I both needed. His schedule has been crazy busy and we needed this time to reconnect as a couple. It helped that Doug had a conference to attend so we got to stay at this swanky resort in Laguna Beach! We visited the San Diego Zoo and I have to say we both said we can't wait to take the kids when they are older! We also celebrated Doug's 32nd birthday while we were there. I made reservations at a nice restaurant and they even baked a cake and wrote Happy Birthday Doug on the plate. I ate the best crab legs that I probably have ever eaten and Doug had a filet that was sizzling on the plate as it arrived at our table. This trip made me realize how blessed I am. I have never hugged my babies as tight as I did when we returned home. Well, I really need to do a better job at this blog!!! Let's hope I can stick to the once a week that I promised myself!! Keep Smiling :)

Sunny Days!

We had the best time at the zoo yesterday! I of course was running a little behind...but finally made it. As we were about to walk into the zoo I noticed Andrew had pulled his pacifier clip off of his shirt! Of course I didn't have another pacifier in the diaper bag (lesson learned)! I thought the trip was going to be a disaster, but he surprised me and was so well behaved! He only cried once and it was because he was hungry! At the end of the trip he even fell asleep :) I can't wait for him to be a little older and enjoy the zoo as much as his sister does!! I think one of the most precious things to watch yesterday was Isabella holding hands with her new friends Cecilia and Adeline! The girls were so darn cute!! Me being a new budding photographer, you would think I would have my camera handy? NOPE! Some of the other mommy's had their cameras, so I am hoping they share :) Tomorrow is another visit to preschool! I hope it goes as well as the first visit. This will be our last visit before the first day! I am still on the hunt for the "perfect" first day outfit for Isabella! Hoping to find it this weekend :) We are having friends over for a bbq this weekend! I can't wait! Isabella will be pleased because CC, Addy and Grace will be here :) I am so happy that she has made some little girlfriends!!! KEEP SMILING :)

Oh what fun!!

Well, today the kids and I went to Novi to watch an outdoor puppet show!! We met up with some new friends of ours that we have met through my mommy group! Tomorrow we are off to the Detroit zoo! It is exciting because Isabella is really into animals right now! Today after the puppet show there were women there giving the kiddos tattoos and Isabella told the lady she wanted a hippopotamus just plain as day!! The lady was caught by surprise and started laughing! She said I wasn't expecting that from you! Unfortunately they didn't have a hippopotamus and she had to settle for a rhinoceros! When she woke up from her nap she told me that the rhino has taken the place of the hippo as her favorite animal! On a side note.. Isabella continues to say the darnedest things! I went to get her this morning out of her bed and I caught her laying with her head on the pillow just looking up at the ceiling! I asked her what she was doing and she tells me "I am just chillin"... What a great way to start the day with a big smile! When I put her in the car to go to the puppet show, she looked at me and said, Mommy, you are the best!! We went for our first visit to preschool yesterday. Isabella did so well interacting with the other children. I am happy that we decided to send her this year. She is going to have so much fun! We visited the farm yesterday, went on a hayride and she made her very first art project! Yes, it is proudly displayed where all can see when they come into the house :) I will be saving this forever. It is only fake leaves glued to a plate, but to me it is the most beautiful art I have ever seen :) Andrew is continuing to be on the move. He stands by himself more and more each day. He is a little dare devil! He is still following Isabella all around and continues to want everything she has. He had his first taste of cottage cheese! He wasn't sure at first, but after a few bites he couldn't get enough! I just wish he would get some teeth already! Poor guy was so miserable the other night that he was up all night! I finally resorted to bringing him in bed with me (Doug was on call) he finally fell asleep but I held him all night not sleeping because I was so afraid he would roll off the bed. Needless to say I was a zombie yesterday!! Thank goodness he slept all night last night! I was so refreshed this morning!! Amazing what sleep does to a person! Well, I have decided my goal of writing daily is just impossible, so I am going for weekly goals instead :) Keep Smiling :)

Where is the time going?

Where is the time going? I have an almost 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old! Isabella is so animated that there isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't make me smile or laugh! The other day she was so serious in the car. We had been driving home and it was beginning to get dark. She spotted the moon and was very inquisitive! She asked if the moon talked? I told her that it didn't.. well as soon as I said no, she said that it must be broken and that mommy could fix it by adding batteries!!!!! She starts preschool in a couple of weeks and she is really excited! I am hoping she has the same enthusiasm on the first day! I know that I am going to have to bring a whole box of tissue, because I am going to be a mess! We have found out her teacher's name is Miss Tracey. I am reading her books all about the first day of school! Surprisingly there aren't any books on the first day of preschool.. gave me an idea that I may just try and write one myself! I have always had a passion for children's books, so why not try to write one? Isabella is becoming more social as she gets older. When we are out and about and she spots a child, she immediately asks me if she can say hello to them. I am so proud of my little girl! She still tells me that I am her best friend. Makes my heart melt every time I hear that! Her new favorite line when I ask her to do something is "alrighty" she says it with such enthusiasm each time too!! Andrew is officially on the move!!! He started crawling at the end of 7 months old!!! Soon after he started standing. My prediction is he will be walking at 10 months old at the rate he is going. Andrew is such a funny little guy! He loves following around his big sister! He smiles immediately when she walks into the room. I am so excited to see such a great friendship bloom between the two of them. Andrew is saying mama, dadda, doggie, hi, and all done!!! He loves to clap and dance! We are still working on napping!! He isn't very consistent with them, but we are trying! We are still waiting on Andrew to get some TEETH!! Poor guy has been working on them, but nothing yet! His gums are very swollen and he can be a little cranky at night to get to sleep! He loves all of his veggies and fruit. We went to the Dr. last week and he weighed in at 22 pounds and was 29 1/2 inches tall. He was in the high percentile for both. Dr. Randall said we can start introducing table foods. Doug is a little weary because he is afraid of him choking. I guess I will have to start when he is working :) I am pretty much finished with planning Andrew's first birthday bash. I know, it is a few months away still, but it will be here before we know it! We are still trying to figure out what the kiddos will be for Halloween! I am still working on trying to set up a photography business. We finally purchased photoshop, so now I have to figure out how to use it. I am going to take a class this fall! I am really excited about it. I have had fun photographing my friends kiddos! I am looking forward to taking some nice outdoor fall shots :) I know I have said it before.. but I am really going to try being better about posting. This blog is just not for people to keep up with what is going on.. it is for me too.. so I can look back and smile at all the great things that have happened :)

Sleep in? What is that?

Well, my parents have graciously taken the kiddos for the weekend so I can rest up and turn back to nice mommy instead of cranko-potomus mommy! So, one would think that if I am free of children that I would sleep in? WRONG! Its like my brain has this automatic alarm set for 7:00 a.m.! I guess that is a good thing.. I wouldn't want to get use to sleeping in til 10:00 this weekend and turn back into a cranko-potomus.

Yesterday I had a complete "ME" day! Went and got my hair done, took myself to dinner, did a little shopping (ended up buying a super cute outfit for Andrew). :)

My parents are taking the kids to get their pictures taken today.. I can hardly wait to hear how it goes. My bet is Isabella won't even sit there to get her pictures taken! We will see.... :)

Well, off to relax some more :) How do I do that again?

*YAWN!

Well, it has been a taxing couple of days! Andrew has decided that naps just aren't his thing! Makes for the longest day ever for mama! I have to admit that I just couldn't take one more moment of his crabbiness today so I just put him in his bed and let him cry. My heart was breaking, but within 15 minutes he was sleeping. I did just order some darkening shades for his room, so I am hoping this will solve our problem!

Isabella has said some pretty cute things the last few days. She was wiping my shoulders the other day and told me she was trying to get the dirt off. I told her that it wasn't dirt, I had freckles. She told me to go take a bath and get rid of them! If that wasn't hysterical enough, I was on the computer the other night and she walked in the room with her hands on her hips and said, "Mommy, I am so mad at you." How could I not burst out laughing? She cracks me up!

Andrew is still trying to crawl. He has getting up on his knees mastered. He is starting to get frustrated. He has the determination and my prediction is he will be crawling within 2 weeks! I will be posting pictures of him trying when I upload them to the computer.

I have made a physical appt. for Monday. I am having a lot of bruising with a ton of fatigue, so I thought it would be best to get things checked out. Hoping it is nothing major. My guess is my iron is low. We shall see!

Well, I guess I am going to use this quiet time to lay on the couch and try and get a few winks in myself!

It has been a while!

Andrew enjoying music class in Atlanta!

It has been quite a few months since I last blogged! A lot has happened.. I guess the most important thing that has happened.. my little girl turned TWO!!! How has two years gone by already? She is in full force by the way... the girl talks up a storm, knows how to throw a mean fit and at the same time look into my eyes and just make my heart soar to the moon! Isabella is full of personality. She loves to sing. Her favorite artists at the moment are Lady Ga Ga and Taylor Swift or "Taylor Switch" as she calls her. I can't believe what a little person she is becoming. She knows what she wants and knows how to get it. When asked who her best friend is she replies "mama".. how sweet is that? I hope she continues to say that as the years fly by. In just a few short months she will be starting PRE-SCHOOL! I know she will just thrive! She is such a smart little girl and funny too! I think one of my most favorite things she told me the other day.. she threw her stuffed cow out of her bed because he wasn't being nice to her! I asked what he had done and she said that he wouldn't stop crying so she gave him the boot!! We recently went to the cottage over Memorial Day weekend and she had mini muffins.. my aunt was going to take her outside and she looked at me and said, "Mama put my name on them." We all just burst out laughing.

Andrew is going to be 7 months old this week. How is that even possible? I guess I am finally realizing the saying.. Enjoy them now because before you know it they

will be off to college! Andrew became a big boy at 6 months and started sitting up on his own! He is so proud when he sits too! He claps for himself! Andrew has finally overcome his reflux issues. He is just a joy to be around. He has the biggest smile and the cutest belly laugh! I can't get enough of this little fellow. His eyes are as blue as the ocean. He is rolling all over the place! I think in about a month we will have a little crawler on our hands. He is just starting to get up on those knees. I know I will be in trouble once it happens! He is going to be one quick little guy!

We took our first family vacation down to Georgia of all places! It was my lovely idea to drive with both kids (NEVER AGAIN) We did it in two days.. and those were really two days too long. Once we got there I felt like we were home again. Amber was so nice and let us stay with her and the family. Isabella and Evan picked up right where they left off. They played so well together. It was nice seeing everyone again. We got our fill of our favorite restaurants and we were able to visit Vanderlyn. It was so nice to see everyone. Andrew upgraded from his infant seat to a big boy car seat on the way home. I must say.. he was a much happier baby on the way back! When we returned home I decided that we were weening from the breastfeeding. I made it to my goal of six months and couldn't be happier about it. Andrew has transitioned well to the formula. He loves ALL food! Everything we have given so far he has loved (he did make a face with peaches) but all is good now :) I still can't come to grips feeding him meat out of a jar... I couldn't do that with Isabella either. He just started eating puffs and he LOVES them :)

This summer is going to be busy for us! We start music class in a week! I am so excited. We actually tagged along with Amber and Evan to two music classes and Andrew just loved it. He is a natural singer! He sang along with the teacher. I think she secretly hoped that we would be there each week so she could see precious Andrew sing his heart out :) I am hoping to sign us up for swim class soon too! Isabella absolutely loves the water! When we stayed at the hotel in Kentucky she turned into a fish. She even had Doug dunk her under water.

Doug and I are heading up to Traverse City again for our anniversary. We have decided to make this a tradition! I can't wait. The kids will be staying with Grammy and Papa. We will be gone for 3 days! I am hoping to get some amazing pictures. I have actually taking a huge liking to photography . I am going to try and eventually be a children's photographer. I have a lot to learn. I am going to sign up for a class in the fall.

Lastly, I finally broke down and hired a babysitter to come here 2 days a week. Her name is Laura and both kids love her. She will be here on Mondays and Wednesdays for a couple of hours. Doug's hours are so unpredictable, that I just need someone here to take care of the kids while I get stuff done. I will actually get to clean house (those of you that know me pretty much know that isn't my thing) I figure I will have the babysitter during the summer, and during the fall and winter months I will get someone to clean the house.

Well, I have made a vow to myself to be better and update this if not daily.. weekly. I have loved looking back already at things I have already forgotten that have happened. :)