Category: life

S I M P L E

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Moving makes you realize how much stuff you have and I need an intervention!! We  moved about a month ago and I thought I was ahead of the game by starting to pack 3 weeks before our move but nope! Hubs and I had to go back and forth for 2 days after we officially moved all the big stuff. Each time we packed our cars with “stuff” I would think  “mannn…where is all this stuff coming from!!”

As I was packing I found so many things I forgot I had. Can you belive I found 6 of the same exact shirt in 6 different colors!!! And 3 of them still had tags attached! I remember when I bought them too. I was so in love with how they fit that I had to have 6 of them (palm to the face) and that’s just the beginning.

Now I’m about to read the book called Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. I found it while unpacking but I bought it maybe 2 months ago after watching the documentary on Netflix and of course (no surprise) wanting to read the book. It looks like it will be a quick one, its only 121 pages, but I want to pour my thoughts out before I read it.

For starters…lets be real, I am no where near a minimalist and I probably never will be. I like “things.” I have too many hobbies and interests that make me shop and hold on to “things.” For example…I hate being wasteful and throwing things out that are still useful, so yes I will find a way to reuse those return envelopes that come with bills in the mail. You know, the ones with the little window that show your address and the “place stamp here” message. Yup, I keep those!! I mostly do everything online but when one of those envelopes show up in my mailbox I keep it! I like to call it recycling, not hoarding.

I like to find ways of reusing all kinds of items. You will find me shopping at the mall with my own reusable bags, the bags the stores give are always kind of awkward fitting in our little bathroom trash cans, so therefore I don’t want them. I am however a spender and it’s where I need an intervention. I see something pretty and I want it, and forget about it if it’s on sale!! That pretty thing stands no chance!

Moving definitely opened up my eyes though, half of the stuff I HAD to pack were stuff that I no longer use or need. As I’m unpacking and settling into our new home I can’t help but admit that hubs was right. He said “we don’t need a big home.” We ended up making a deal together to not fill our new home with junk just because we have the space for it.

We reminded each other of how happy we were when we lived in a 500 sq foot cottage in San Diego steps away from the beach. We were newlyweds (2 years in, that still counts as newlyweds right?) and decided to sacrifice space for location and boyyyy was is worth it. We sold most of our furniture and rented a storage unit for the items we couldn’t fit in our little beach rental. I remember having to make weekly trips to our storage unit to switch up our wardrobe or to switch up my crafting supplies. Our little beach house was very simple and by no means upgraded with fancy countertops or fancy anything. It had one bedroom with barely enough space for a queen bed and a tall dresser. Our living space consisted of a two person futon, a TV on a 4 cube organizer shelf, a 5 gallon water dispenser next to the TV and a tiny kitchen with 2 upper cabinets and a long bar “island” as our eating area with open shelving.

During the time we rented the beach house hubs and I went on so many dates and spent all of our free time at the beach. I hardly drove my car!! We did almost everything on our bicycles. We would walk a block to the laundromat with two baskets of laundry, we rode our bikes to the gym and grocery store daily, filling as many items as we could on our bike baskets. We had the party scene of PB a mile away, which yup we either walked to or rode our bikes to. We could see the beach from our front door making everyday beach day, giving us the best tans ever!

I remember having so much inner peace living in a tiny home. It honestly amazes me how we can become attached to stuff and always want bigger and better this and that. I didn’t have to worry about having to spend the whole day cleaning or maintaining the home. Life was simple. Hubs and I had no choice but to sit on top of each other to wacth tv (because we litereally had no space) hence baby #1 (HA just kidding, I got jokes). I remember we would have friends over and 10 people would be way too many. One Sunday funday in particular a few people had to sit outside and watch the game through the door. HA! Good times indeed but you know what…we never complained one bit and we made it work! We never complained about the tiny bathroom where your knees would touch the sink when you sat on the toilet and if you extended your legs you’d be in the shower, not joking this time, that’s exactly how small it was! I never complained about having a tiny closet or a small kitchen or not enough counter space. Life was simple and to be honest its one of the reasons I struggled so much with motherhood at the beginning…we were living the life.

Of course, we’re still living the life (to our standards)…we travel often, have many family and date nights at home, endulge in delicious eats and are always up for adventures but most importantly we live in the moment and cherish the memories we make. But back then life was S I M P L E ! ! Now we’ve got this bigger home to take care of and even though I’m so in love with it and all its charm I’m already falling in the mindset of  “Oh I need to buy this and that and I need to change this and upgrade this.” On top of that, I know I am going to struggle to keep it pretty and clean. Some days I’m sure the house will be clean and some days (maybe most) the house will be a hot mess but my goal will be not to stress and embrace our new home.

The beach casita was the absolute best thing for hubs and I. It is why we decided that when we retire we would (god willing) love to live in an RV anywhere we wanted! It was definitely bitter sweet when we moved out of the beach casita. I was about 7 months pregnant with Sebastian and we had purchased our first home together on the other side of town…further away from the beach…bitter sweetness I tell ya. I quickly and easily fell into the mindset of buying “stuff” for our then bigger home and new baby…and before you know it, its full of “stuff.”

So this post is my commitment to not filling our home with useless stuff. It was a pleasant walk down memory lane, to how S I M P L E everything was in our tiny beach house. Most importantly, the peace of mind it gave us by spending our money, time and energy on non-materialistic things.  As I’m unpacking, I’m also decluttering and packing boxes to donate or sell, a definite must for all the stuff I’m just holding on to for that “just in case” moment. What’s worst about all that “stuff” is that it all costs money and is now pretty useless. I’ll reblog in a few months to talk about how I’m doing. Hopefully there isn’t a good sale at Home Goods because then I’ll be in big big trouble! Doh! (palm to the face, again) HA…I’m only half kidding guys.

Below are a few pictures I found of our beach rental, I wish I had better ones but they are enough to keep the memories alive. Fun times…

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Newlyweds


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Sunday fun day prep


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Our only counter space


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Sunday fundays


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When we hosted, our bed was where I would hide stuff to make room for food and people. HA!


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The tiny kitchen


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Grilling with views


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Walking to the laundromat


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Our backyard


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Moving out and admiring the beach in the background…bittersweet.


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Moving day at 6 months pregnant.

Being a stay at home mom has never been my dream…

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I just finished reading a book called Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan and I had so many thoughts and emotions brewing up as I read it. The book is a fictional story about a stay at home mom, Ashley, adapting and struggling with motherhood. Through the book she tries to be like a celebrity mom and manages to fail miserably each time she attempts something new. The end was very sweet (and a bit cheesy) but I enjoyed reading it since a lot of what she expresses are similar feelings I have had. The book was hilarious and I’m sure many moms can easily relate to a lot of what was said.

Becoming a mother was not easy for me. Being a stay at home mother, to be exact. The changes were and are very challenging. Before becoming a mom I had a lifestyle that I struggled to keep up with once I became a mom and I had a totally different view of life. Becoming a mom has made me view life so differently and through that I’ve reflected on how my thoughts and priorities have shifted.

First let’s talk about the stay at home part. The having one income and still trying to hang on to my lifestyle. The struggle of missing the professional praise of a work environment and the sense of satisfaction for a job well done. The pride of feeling independent and successful. The interaction, knowledge and experience gained from day to day tasks. I miss all that. I’m sure that I would be totally exhausted if I had to work but I really do miss having professional recognition and being rewarded for my hard work. Yeah yeah my husband and my kids smiles are rewarding but they are not the same.

Being a stay at home mom has never been my dream or the only job I want to have. I want to utilize my skills and knowledge for something other than changing diapers and cooking meals. It’s a struggle within myself to be content with just being a stay at home mom. No doubt, its a blessing and I love being the one to raise my boys and take care of them. I have always been a working independent woman, who holds high standards for herself, so this was quite the adjustment.

And then lets add the changes to my body! I won’t go into all those details but y’all know where I’m going with this one. I’m soooo not one of those moms that just sheds the weight right off or says no to tacos. I’ve had to bust my butt to lose “some” of the weight and then there’s those stretch marks that aren’t going anywhere!

I follow so many social media moms and even have my favorites. Just like Ashley, from Confessions of a Domestic Failure, I’ve often wondered how in the world are they doing this motherhood thing so perfectly?!!! Society, in particular social media, adds so much pressure to what we need to do and what we need to look like and it’s not just with motherhood. It’s with everything! Social media can honestly distract you from reality!

I am now a mother of two handsome little boys and even though it has been a challenge I wouldn’t change anything at all! It has for sure taken plenty of trials and errors to adjust to my new life. I’ve had to give up on many things no longer important to me and have learned so much about myself along the way.

My boys keep me busy and I enjoy it most of the time, when busy doesn’t mean cleaning up the mess they make or trying to make them stop fighting. And when I’m not doing that, I find other ways to stay busy. I cook plenty, read, craft, workout, find activities for the boys, do yard work, grill (or so I try)…you name it, I’ve probably done it (except kill bugs, I call hubs home from work to handle that…I be scared)! But seriously I do all that not because of society or social media telling me that’s what I’m supposed to do as a stay at home mom but because it helps the day and gives me the satisfaction of being productive in something. Thats where my high standards kick in and so I overwhelm myself with chores, activities and hobbies to keep myself busy. I kid you not I stress myself when I don’t check something off my to do list because I do get a sense of accomplishment when I nail a new recipe or a new activity with the boys.

Most days, if not all, I spend my days without makeup and in yoga pants because now a days I chose comfort over fashion. I’ve struggled to lose my baby weight and get back to pre-pregnancy clothes but I’ve learned one very important thing in my journey. It’s not about how I look, its about how I feel. I feel happiest when I’m not worried about my chipped nail polish, or my hair getting scary frizzy or my lonjas showing. I feel happiest when I’m with my little family having unfiltered fun and to be honest there are bigger and better things to be worried about, from getting a toddler to poop in the potty to keeping up with CNN and world news.

I am no where near a perfect mom. Half of the time I have no idea what I am doing, (cue in calls to my mom and pinterest). I go with the flow, learning about motherhood and parenting every single day. I find ways to make my new life meet my needs. I don’t always succeed and I have issues and drama in my life just like everyone else does. And that’s reality!!!

Sure, I’ll post cute pics of my boys and their current shenanigans. I’ll post about our travel adventures and my bomb craft journals. I’ll post about my delicious meal preps and pinsperations. Why? Because that’s my pride, that’s my hard days work, that’s my interaction with the outside world that I genuinely miss.

This motherhood thing is really no joke! There are way too many emotions involved at a time when one should be focused on one very important thing…the beautiful human beings that you have welcomed into this big beautiful world! I am learning everyday how to deal with these emotions but I am not letting them consume me like I used to and instead I keep myself busy. It’s not easy when my friends and family are so far away and I can’t just call them over for wine and venting sessions. My fun is my hobbies, my kids and all that other stuff.

So to all the mama’s out there I say do YOU and be patient with it. If you like the movie Bridesmaids and are looking for a fun book to read I recommend Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan. The movie Bridesmaids reminds me of some of the shenanigans you”ll read about in this book. Thanks to my amiga, Gaby Caudillo, for suggesting this book and inspiring this post.

I get it from my mama!

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I want my mommie….no for real…I’m having major mama withdrawals! We came back from Chicago about a month ago and we had such an amazing time. I finally got the chance to browse through the pictures we took on my phone, DSLR, and even on hubby’s phone. It was nice to see our trip flash before my eyes…picture after picture.

It was one picture in particular that really impacted me. A picture my husband took one day that he was on daddy duty with the boys and I was enjoying some much needed “me time” with my amigas. Hubby isn’t one to willingly see something and say “oh let me take a picture” so seeing this picture really meant something. Thanks hubby, you #nailedit.

It may seem like a simple picture to most but I saw so much more in it. I see this picture and I see pure joy. I see my mom proudly engaging in quality time with her grandchildren. I see my nephew and my boys enjoying their grandma and the activity she has engaged them in. I see my mom’s house, the living room that houses many beautiful childhood memories. I see my sister and I once doing similar activities with my mom. I see love….AND I see myself as my mom.

It is no surprise to say that I am who I am because of my mom. Growing up I would have never said that, but now as an adult and as a mother myself I can clearly see a reflection of myself in my mom. It wasn’t until I saw this picture that I really processed it. I, myself, do plenty of activities like this with my boys and my nephews. And in this picture it hit me as to why I love doing these kind of activities….cuz I get it from my mamaaa!!!

My mom has rooted many great qualities in the up-bringing of my sister and I.  We were always in some kind of extracurricular activity…swimming, dancing (ballet, tap and jazz), and enrolling us into any program we wanted. At one time I remember she asked us to pick a language we wanted to learn…my sister picked French, I picked German?! HA. I didn’t last long and I don’t remember a single thing but my mama went along with it. I remember so many mom-daughter trips we would do together. She took us to Disney World, Cancun (with my tia’s from California), Wisconsin Dells (by train in the middle of Chicago winter) and many day trips near Chicago.

I remember my mom always taking us to the bookstore and letting us pick whatever we wanted (hence my love for books). I remember my mom letting my sister and I rearrange the furniture in our living room, only to make us change it back to how it was a few days later (hence me letting the boys make forts and tracks with our sofa cushions). My mom would come home to find the entire living room rearranged because my sister and I though we were interior designers. HA! I remember my mom letting me decorate my room however I wanted too. I once had every inch of the wall covered in posters of dogs and cats. Then I converted my door into a collage of the Backstreet Boys (BSB FOREVER babyyy). I even painted my entire room in pink…including the ceiling (hence my creative ambition)! I can go on and on about the specifics but we’d be here all day.

Thanks to my mom and her continuous unconditional love, my sister and I are who we are. We’ve been blessed with an amazing mama, who I’m sure we drove pretty crazy in our adolescent years…sorry mama! Lesson learned. Everything makes sense now. Sorry for slamming doors (only for her to remove the door in my room to teach me a lesson), sorry for racking up the phone bill (she took my Mickey Mouse phone from my room and never gave it back), and yeah….sorry for all the shenanigans I would get myself into.*

So thank you mama for all the tough love and tender care you continue to give us. We say it to our mama all the time…thank you, we love you and we appreciate you. I encourage all of you to do the same. I am sure most of you already do. I am sure some of you wish you could say it one more time. You see many times we take many things for granted…our loved ones to be specific. Becoming a mother and living out of state has really made me reflect on my relationships with the people I love and through that reflection I have been able to express love and emotion with ease. So lets not wait for that special occasion or tragedy to express ourselves to our loved ones. Do it now!

Side note: Isn’t it funny that in the picture my mom is making handprint art with my boys to gift to me, which is symbolic alone, yet the impact of seeing them engaged in the activity was the real gift! 

*We’ll leave it at that because my nephews and kids may read this one day and our story is I was the perfect child who ALWAYS listened!

My Reads of 2016

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For as long as I can remember I am always reading a book. Reading takes me to another world and through books I have found a love for words (hence the blog). I wish I had more time to read but I have too many hobbies and just not enough time. My favorite kinds of books are definately self-help books and memoirs but I will read pretty much anything.

So of course I have to share my reads from 2016 and hope to inspire some of you to find a passion in books as well.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown, Ph.D., L.M.S.W.

I started 2016 with this book in efforts to improve my self being by letting go of being and wanting “perfect” this and “perfect” that in life. This book has taught me about living a whole hearted life with a realistic mindset. It talks about overcoming fear and shame even when feeling vulnerable. The author does an amazing job at leaving you feeling liberated, full-filled and just happy as can be. Truly an amazing read that I will cherish and read over and over when ever I need a refresher or a pick me up. I’m so glad that I started the year with such an empowering book!

The Body Book by Cameron Diaz with Sandra Bark

Boy did I enjoy this book! It’s textbook style so it has a ton of information that I will probably forget unless theres a quiz on it but I definitely picked up a few things from it. This book is the reason I have decided on living a healthier lifestyle. It opened my eyes to many things, in particular how generations have changed the way we eat and how the advancement in technology has made every day tasks easier yet most of us lazier. This book is a true inside look to your body and how to make the most of it inside and out. Thank you Tia Vicky for this awesome gift, it has helped me change my lifestyle!

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

The true story of an eleven year old girl kidnapped and held captive for 18 years, written by her after this traumatic experience. This book shifted my emotions in so many ways. As a parent, it was difficult to read and brought me to tears instantly. I couldn’t put this book down and was drawn to her bravery in telling her story. I’m humbled by her for using this traumatic experience to help others in similar situations through the JAYC Foundation that she started. A good read that will leave a mark in your heart for Jaycee Dugard and others in any type of traumatic situations.

Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Kevin M. Gilmartin, Ph.D.

This book was such a insightful read. It aided a lot of great conversations between my husband and I. It definitely helped me understand my husband’s perspective of life and work and helped me have more compassion for his every day life outside our home. The book illustrates and explains the “hyper-vigilant rollercoaster” that law enforcement personnel go through and how it affects their actions and behaviors as a whole. Thank you hubby for this awesome gift, the perfect book to strenghten our relationship and understanding of each other.

Blogging Tips by Zac Johnson

This book had a lot of useful information on starting a business and making money through blogging. I learned that it requires a lot of work and probably won’t be the direction I take my blog in to, even though it was once on my to do list. It did open my eyes on how easy it can be to make money blogging, given you have the time for it, especially through affiliated marketing. I found bits of pieces of this book to sound like an infomercial on services the author offers to facilitate setting up a blog. Something I’m not quite interested in. It is however a great book for someone interested in going big with their blog. Thank you Joyce for this awesome birthday gift, I enjoyed the read!

All the Good Parts by Loretta Nyhan

A fictional easy to read story of Leona, a 39 year old single woman with desires to become a mother. It was an easy read, gulped it down in about 2 weeks, which is fast for me and the list of hobbies on my plate. I yet have to discover the fictional world of books but this was a good book to get me started. The characters were all lovable. I was particularly drawn to the relationships that Leona had with her sister Carly and her niece Maura. They reminded me of the genuine bond that should exist within families. Thank you Once Upon A Book Club for making this book come to life with the gifts included with your book club membership.

I’m already on my second book for 2017 and I have a pretty good selection of books to read next so I am pretty excited. I would love to see what you all are reading and if you have any great book recommendations send em my way please!

Family portraits…nailed it!

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Family portraits for 2016 were such a success!! Last year we failed miserably at this, and we tried twice without a single decent shot. So this year I seriously did a happy dance after previewing the pictures and gulped down a celebratory glass of wine with mommy pride as if our kids were always this well behaved…wishful thinking at its finest.

At first, Sebastian, currently 2 years old and experiencing separation anxiety, struggled to unwrap his little body from mine but eventually loosened up and showed his true character. A silly, playful and energetic little human doing his thing as we all innocently pose for our family portraits.

Alexander, currently one year old, was a piece of cake! He sat there and smiled at the camera as if he’s been doing it his whole life. Well, technically he has but you get what I mean.

Okay, okay enough blabbering…without further ado, I present to you….my angelic little family, with a side of “panza.”

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Thank you Picture People for an amazing experience!

Side Note – Sebastian dislikes haircuts with a passion, hence the fro…we tried.

Happy Birthday Alex!

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Alex just turned one and I can’t believe how fast that happened. Alex has definitely taught me so much more about being a mommy. The thing I love most about Alex is that you can already see the sweet personality that he possess. He has a very calm persona, we are excited to see how this will transfer into adulthood. As much as it makes me sad that he is now entering toddler world, it also makes me happy to see him grow and develop.

Of course, we had to have a cake smash to celebrate baby Alex. He seemed to really enjoy his cake, even though he mainly ate the whipped vanilla frosting. Alex actually wasted no time and immediately started digging into his birthday cake. We didn’t have to encourage him to do anything. He knew exactly what he was supposed to do. At one point he was actually on all fours feasting on his cake. Nicely done Alex! HA!

Daddy and I are wishing Alex the happiest of birthdays now and always. As we celebrate Alex, we reminisce on the day he was brought into this big big world. As it means that we will forever have a son to cherish and delight in the endless joys of life. Here’s to many more birthdays and memory making opportunities you will experience. May your life be all that you want it to be. Dream big and stay sweet little man! Daddy and I love you and will always be there for you!

Our first “real” Halloween

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Happy Halloween!! This was the first “real” halloween that we have experienced in a very long time! It was the first time we actually got trick or treaters knocking on our door. It was the first time we went out trick or treating with the boys. It was the first time we actually carved pumpkins correctly. We’ve tried carving pumpkins before but we either get tired and say “we’ll finish tomorrow” and tomorrow never happens, or we carve our pumpkins only to have them rot in 2 days. This time our pumpkins lasted a whole week! HA!

Picking costumes for the kids this year was a piece of cake (or donut!) Two year old Sebastian loves to play “cops” with daddy so we knew that he would enjoy actually being a cop! We dressed both of the boys as police officers and daddy and I were supposed to be the villains but I’m not too sure we nailed it. A few trick or treaters actually asked my husband what was he supposed to be. We thought that was funny. I simply wore all black and grabbed a piece of paper, drew a dollar sign with a sharpie then taped the paper to my cross body purse…its the money bag, get it? Yeah…so much for creativity but hey the end of October is hectic for me! Baby Alex turned one and I had that on my mind…I will have to plan better next year.

Sebastian enjoyed trick or treating. He would occasionally remember to say “treat” after knocking on the doors. A few times he actually wanted to go inside the homes. I don’t think he understood why people were just giving him candy and not letting him in. Alex was happy just chilling in the stroller playing with a jack-o-lantern flashlight. Which by the way, we definitely needed flashlights, it is so dark in our community. You seriously can not see a few feet in front of you…talk about setting the mood for Halloween. Now that reminds me…one of our neighbors had the best outdoor halloween decor on the block so we thought it would be cool to go there. Well guess again, Sebastian was terrified!! He cried and did not want to go near the house. The owner must have felt bad because she came out and gave him candy. Poor little guys was really frightened…so much for playing his role as cop.

The boys costume’s were a hit in the community, since we have many law enforcement neighbors. Many neighbors gave him extra candy just because he was a cop. Of course Sebastian didn’t mind. Sebastian eventually figured out how to open some of the candy and wasted no time! Alex too! Sebastian was being a cool big brother and shared some of his candy with Alex, then somehow Alex managed to open a chocolate bar and went to town on that. And yup no surprise that the boys were up until midnight. Sugar rush!!

Our first actual Halloween as a family was absolutely the best. My husband and I really enjoyed seeing the boys so happy. Especially Sebastian, since he loved his costume and loved getting candy. This made us excited for future holidays and made us truly feel blessed for our little family.

Come on partner…it’s lunch time -Sebastian

Alex looks ready to walk for some donuts!

You gonna eat all of those? – Alex

Trick or treating got us hungry!

Blessed

Officer Alexander

Children’s museum Spooktacular event

Searching for play time violators

Officer Sebastian on shopping duty

Alex’s first year…month by month

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Alex just turned one! I can’t believe how fast that happened! We are pretty busy celebrating him but I just had to share all his monthly pictures and updates. The pictures I take are no where near professional pictures but I do what I can to try and capture special moments and milestones within my family. I hope that when we all look back at these pictures we are able to remember all the special moments we shared.

1 Month – Baby Alex turned one month on Nov 27 and I didn’t realize it until someone asked how old he was! 😩 I said “he turns a month on the 27” they are like “that’s today!” HA! I can’t believe how fast the month went by. Alex is such a calm baby. He loves to cuddle and sleep in my arms. He is such a sleepy head and can sleep for hours! I have to wake him up to feed him often because he will sleep through the entire day if I don’t wake him (hence the yawn in this picture).

2 Months – Alex LOVES the pacifier and helps him fall asleep. He started to “coo” and smile. He’s nursing every 2-4 hours and falling asleep almost instantly after a feeding. He will probably nurse for 5 minutes and then he’s out! Which explains the love for the pacifier and the need eat so often. He got his first cold which was hard for me to see him so little and sick.

3 Months – Baby Alex likes to prrr like a cat! It is the cutest sound ever! He reacts to us when we mimic him! He loves being talked to and smiles when kissed. He started laughing with his voice and making plenty of baby noises. Alex also started losing his baby hair. He enjoys car rides and falls asleep best when in the car.

4 Months – Alex enjoys tummy time and plays often like that. He also likes to pass gas. HA! What a boy. Our favorite thing has become the baby carrier. He absolutely loves being in the carrier and getting cuddled. Alex also likes to suck on his hands all the time!  He isn’t rolling over but likes to do 180 spins when on his back. I leave him facing one direction and I come back finding him in the opposite direction.

5 Months -Alex has started rolling over! He is such a happy baby and laughs at everything. He is easily entertained and enjoys all kinds of toys. Alex like to suck on his bottom lip for fun. He loves playing with his hands and feet, so I stated putting fun socks on him to encourage him to keep playing.

6 Months – Happy half birthday to my baby. He is definitely going through a few milestones. My favorite is all the squirming and rolling around he’s doing. Especially in the middle of diaper changes. He doesn’t fuss or cry but definitely wants to escape stinky stinky time. More on his 6 month update here.

7 Months – Alex loves to follow his big brother around and play with his brother. He especially enjoys bath time with his brother. He’s been bathing like a big boy with his him since he was about 2 months old. They laugh pretty hard at the bubble machine that we play with. Alex is enjoying all kinds of solid foods. His current favorites are fruits…banana and strawberries.

8 Months – Alex is crawling everywhere he shouldn’t and clapping with excitement. He’s taking all of his brother’s toys, which doesn’t go so well. He is always happy and smiles at everything and everyone! Alex had his first plane trip to Chicago, where he got smothered by lots of friends and famiy. He also still fits in 6 month clothing!

9 Months – Alex has 4 teeth (working on 2 more) and doing great with baby-led weaning, something new we are trying in conjunction to breastfeeding. Alex enjoys eating everything, he even reaches over and takes his brother’s food, until the fighting begins. Alex loves to stand on things and has begun taking steps against the furniture. He struggles to get off his back and will lay there until help arrives, we think it’s hilarious, but we let him attempt the task a few times before we rescue him. Oh and Alex still has hazel/greenish eyes, just like his mama!

10 Months – This month was full of milestones. Alex started walking on furniture and climbing the stairs on his own! Daddy taught him how to dance and give high fives. We’ve discovered that he doesn’t like bread and spits it right out…I don’t agree with that, who doesn’t like bread? He spent a lot of time teething and chews on his crib. And guess what he’s been wearing size 2 diapers since he was 3 months old!


11 Months – Baby Alex is such an independent baby. He loves playing with cars and even makes sound effects as he “drives” the cars across the floor. Alex has 8 teeth. We unfortunately have to hide the crayons from him because he likes to eat them. He has made us baby proof everything big time since he’s a curious little one that likes to play with electrical outlets and put toys inside the subwoofer.

12 Months- Big boy Alex weighs 20 lbs 8 oz! He still only has 8 teeth and uses size 3 diapers. He’s not walking yet but does a funky crawl, so maybe soon. He crawls making one leg crawl and the other walk…HA, it’s the funniest thing ever! He’s taken a few steps in the last 2 weeks but he seems to like crawling better. Alex has started putting his foot down (aka tantrum-ing) to get his way. Bring it on buddy!! He enjoys playing with cars and throwing balls everywhere. He likes to eat pretty much everything except vegetables….which he throws on the floor. Alex is such a happy calm baby, he got his first haircut and just sat there chilling as the hairstylist chopped away.

Happy 12 months baby Alex!

Pumpkin Patch

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We had a fun day at the pumpkin patch last weekend, especially me, snapping pictures away of the kids. Sebastian, currently 2 years old, is learning about Halloween…well actually all he really knows is “orange” (pumpkins) and that he doesn’t like anything scary. If you follow us on snapchat (mimi3685) you know what I mean…we went costume shopping and poor Sebastian was shaking in fear at all the Halloween decor. He’ll laugh about it when he’s older. HA!

Sebastian loved the pumpkin farm! He had so much fun walking through Buckelew farm and picking his own pumpkin. He loves the dirt, so he was particularly keen on walking the farm and kicking his feet around. Alex, turning one in a few days, didn’t want to touch the pumpkins and showed zero interest in taking pictures. He was just focused on trying to get us to let him crawl on the dirt! Sorry buddy, not today.

We really enjoyed the experience of walking through the farm and soaking in the beautiful views Arizona has to offer. Something we hadn’t experienced before. It was actually a perfect day for the pumpkin patch since there was a bit of overcast, we were just hoping it wouldn’t rain, at least not until we were done having fun.

As we were about to purchase tickets for the pony rides and petting zoo it started to rain, so we didn’t get a chance to enjoy those activities. Sebastian was in the stroller saying “rain, rain, rain” as we sprinted to the car.

The next day we had family Halloween craft night. Daddy and I carved a pumpkin and tried to get Sebastian to scoop out it’s guts but he just looked at us like we were crazy. Instead, he was busy painting his “orange,” preparing to transform it into a dog. Alex was happy in his high chair playing with Halloween stickers and trying to eat them.

We are looking forward to Halloween and trick or treating. It will be the first for the boys!

Motherhood kicked my butt

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I’m finally feeling myself again!! The boys were both sick for about 2 weeks with Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease, a contagious viral infection that causes painful sores throughout the body, fevers and other symptoms. The boys both started with fevers and sores in their mouths and tongues. Then about a week later, Sebastian broke out in sores all over his body! The boys were very irritable and were inconsolable during this time. They refused to eat or drink anything, which was our ultimate worry. Alex (11 months old) was only content when he was nursed and Sebastian (2 years old) would fuss at every attempt to eat. After seeing a doctor, we were told that along with having painful sores in the back of their mouths and tongues, Sebastian also had an ear infection adding to his discomfort. Then we were told that no medication is given and that the virus would just go away on its own within 7-14 days.

My heart was heavy. Seeing them in pain and not being able to make it go away. Although the boys are back to normal now, I learned a lot about myself and motherhood from this experience, a lot of things that made me reflect on myself and my emotions as a mother. To name a few…

  • I can’t protect them from EVERYTHING. No matter how many times I wash their hands while they fight me, or no matter how many times I say “no” to this or that. It’s a sad reality that I hadn’t experienced as a mother until now. It made me deeply reflect on the future and the fear that I can not always protect them from harm. I can guide them and pray that they are always safe, but in the end anything can happen to them at anytime. It’s something I need to remind myself as I struggle trying to shelter my boys and not return to the facility where they were contaminated.
  • I can’t do it all and that’s ok. I am an organization freak, my house has to be clean, clutter stresses me and I always have to be working on a “project” to feel self fulfilled. Boy were these weeks a slap in the face! I couldn’t put dinner on the table, I couldn’t keep up with the house chores or my personal projects. I was exhausted!!
  • Patience runs thin. I am normally very patient with my kids. I don’t like to yell at them or get angry with them. I tend to analyze their tantrums, frustrations and behaviors before I act because well…they are just kids and they don’t know any better. Sebastian has definitely challenged me in my attempt at peaceful parenting  and I know this doesn’t work in every situation and with every child but this week was the hardest for me in keeping up with my parenting techniques.
  • Being away from family and friends sucks. My husband came home one night after work with hugs and dinner, like a knight in shining armor (literally) he said, “We have to take care of each other because we only have each other”. This is when it really hit me, that being away from family and friends really sucks. I immediately felt so lucky that hubby’s got my back just like I have his and I became so grateful for the many calls of concern I received from our family and friends.

I know I am a great mother to my kids but motherhood really kicked my butt this time physically and emotionally, and I’m only 2 and half years into this motherhood thing. I’m definitely prepared to handle the many challenges that I am sure I will continue to face…or maybe I’m not. But one thing I know for sure…keeping a positive attitude in any given situation or challenge is a definite MUST.

Oh and as soon as Sebastian and Alex learn how to read you best believe I am going to make them read this post. Broke my heart to see y’all sick but y’all drove me nuts so don’t be getting sick no more! -Love Mama

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Mom hair don’t care!