Forever Yours

Life

2013-04-19T06:36:00.001-04:00

"What you thought was real in life, has somehow steered you wrong.

Now you just keep driving trying to find out where you belong..."
- 3 Doors Down, The Road I'm On

Good Friday

2013-03-29T19:50:00.002-04:00

So, it's Friday. Good Friday to be exact. And it's been good to me so far. Productive, but relaxing morning at work, then found out I was released from work at noon. HOLLA!! It doesn't get much better than that folks!

Oh wait, yes it does. Then I enjoyed a solo Target trip, impromptu nap in the sunshine (fell asleep on the patio) and got to spend time with my most favorite man in the world.

Nash's friend Hunter is the cutest little man ever.

While we were playing, his sweet new Tom's arrived! Loving this fresh green color...

Nash loves to fake sleep. And gets mad when I try to take pictures of it.

I finished my night off with some Moscato and bloggie time...aaaaand, I'm complete.

Just (p)laying Around

2013-03-23T19:25:00.000-04:00

Spending some time with my Babyman today after hitting the Easter Egg Hunt this morning. Took my camera out to the church and realized how much I missed snapping random pics of my lovie, so thought I'd snap a few during our afternoon play session.

How will I ever say no to this sweet little face? Even when he's pretending to be upset, he breaks my heart. Haha...and he knows it!

New favorite game? Fake sleeping. Tells everyone, "Sleepy!" and makes us lie down, close our eyes and snore. And then he does the same. Such a little ham.

This last one is from a series of shots of him telling us a story...each face he made was even funnier/cuter/more animated than the last, but this one is pretty much perfect. Mid sentence...looking all serious.

My lovie almost 28 months old and smarter, funnier, and way chattier than I ever expected he would be at this age. Who knew...

Musing...

2013-03-13T21:38:00.001-04:00

"Find light in the beautiful sea, I choose to be happy..."
- Rihanna, Diamonds

New Years Resolutions 2013

2013-01-19T20:51:00.001-05:00

Ok, ok, I'm retardedly late on posting this, but I've been busy, I tell ya! So better late than never, right? Seems like a lot, but I feel like this year is a pivotal point for many reasons. I'm approaching my pre-baby fitness levels, have the opportunity to make some good money and great contacts for future employment, and Joe and I are facing some tough obstacles right now. How I/we end up is a product of how much work and focus we exert in the next 12 months.

Health and Fitness
PR the Princess Half (2:29:00)
Run an 8-minute pace 5k
Run the Army 10-Miler in 1:40:00
Earn a 280 or better on my APFT
Go paleo for Lent; make strides toward living wheat and dairy free permanently
Squat 100#
Earn the German Armed Forces Badge

Finances and Professional Growth
Keep at least $25,000 in savings/investments for down payment on a home
Make FYC profitable
Open and maintain Etsy shop
Complete CCC
Find a full-time job making at least $65,000 a year
Blog more
Spend less money on "things"
Create monthly budget and stick to it

Family and Marriage
Keep home cleaner and more organized
No Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest until Nash is in bed
One "date night" a week - movie/tv night
Two "date nights" per month - get a babysitter and go out
Attend marriage counseling
Be more patient with Nash, but maintain a sense of discipline
Communicate
Go on as many vacations as possible - search for low-budget options

Finding Time...

2013-01-19T16:59:00.002-05:00

...to empty my camera roll, that is!

Handsome man at his 2-year well check.

He's gonna knock the socks off of some ladies one day...

This next one is just awesome...Joe freezing his, er, snots off at ICE! at Gaylord Palms.

We had the most beautiful sunset a while back...no edits to these next two. Just gorgeous...

Battles

2012-12-29T13:55:00.001-05:00

Struggling a bit here. It's always so much harder after being gone for a while. Story goes like this:

Mama and Bub are getting along great...he's learned that she loves kisses, is good at playing trucks and is the best wrestle partner. Life is grand.

Then Mama has to leave for work. Maybe it's just all day...for 4 or 5 days... but she's home at night. Or maybe she's gone for a week or two. Either way, she's gone.

And when she returns, Nash wants nothing to do with her. I mean, aside from the initial 5 minutes where she's the hot new game in town (aka someone new to show off to). Other than that, he's constantly asking for someone else...even when I'm in the room and we're playing, he's not satisfied with just me. He doesn't listen to me...acts like there's no way in hell I'm in charge of him. Cries, throws tantrums...or, in the case of today, falls asleep on the bedroom floor because Mama said he had to get in the bed for naptime.

Maybe it's just terrible twos. Or maybe I'm slowly losing this battle. i mean, who knew I would have a kid that would constantly test me...test my patience, my innovation and my emotions. He just doesn't seem to care much about me most days...and despises me the rest because I'm trying to be strict with him. And everyone's watching. Asking themselves, well gee...he's usually not like this. Yes, I know. It's me.

It's part of a woman's role in life to be a good mother, raise great children and take care of her family. And I feel like I'm failing at that part. Or at least failing by comparison. My husband is more patient. But he's also more lenient. I'm a little hot-headed, but I stick to my guns. Sometimes feel like I'm on team all-alone-out-here-on-discipline-island...but then I'm barely home anyway so what does it matter what rules I enforce or if I slip him a piece of candy every time I see him.

I'm losing. And part of me wants to concede the battle and say, it's all yours. But I know I could never do that. So I'll continue on...failing, losing...

Nash is 2 Years Old!!

2012-12-20T23:12:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it. The day has come that my baby is, ahem, no longer a baby. Like, officially, people! There's no mistaking it now...he's a full fledged boy and has the 'tude to prove it!

Here's a rundown of Nash at 2 years old ::gulp::
Height: Just shy of 3 ft (35.75")
Weight: 29.4 lbs
Hair: It's a tad darker now, but still hovering in the dark blonde/light brown category
Eyes: Still hazel
Teeth: He finally has one of his two-year molars poking through! That makes 17!
Clothes: All 2T
Shoes: Still size 7

Talking: I had to put this one first because it is, by far, the most noticeable (and amazing) thing about this last month. He is forming complete, multi-word sentences now and can carry on full conversations with us. I would estimate that I can understand a good 90% of what he says. And I swear, he learns so many new words every day that we can't keep up. He's talking about things he's never seen (like snow) and recalling things that happened way earlier. Not only recalling it, but he's able to tell us about it later. He's expressing so much emotion these days, and I can see his little imagination really opening up. He knows all of his body parts, some colors, can recognize images (and in many cases, name) in his favorite books (even obscure things like sandwich or table and chairs). And he's learning now the difference between boys and girls (boys have wee wees and short hair...girls have, er, something else and long hair). He tries to count (really only says two and six over and over again) and repeats things over and over again until everyone acknowledges what he's said.

Personality: He's still this supercharged ball of hilarious energy. I swear, if we didn't force him to take naps and go to bed at night, he'd probably just run in circles until he literally passed out in exhaustion. He's go-go-go all the time, which really wears out whoever is in charge of watching him that day. He's feisty and funny, yet shy too. We're starting to notice he gets shy in front of people, and his teachers even pointed out that he prefers to stand in the back of the class to do things like sing or dance. Funny since he's a total freakin ham when it's in front of people he knows. Like, he literally shows off and acts up when there's more than one or two of us in the room paying attention to him.

We're still dealing with some anger issues, but I just have a really good feeling all of that will melt away as he continues to learn how to express himself. He's learning that he's not supposed to hit people (with his hands or toys) and that hurting people isn't nice. He sees us getting upset and walking away when he is too physical, so I think that's helping. He still has his freak outs though, and we've all learned to protect our faces when he starts swinging or gets worked up.

Physical: Oh lordy...there's so much to write on this one, it's hard to know where to start. From day one, Nash has been this incredibly physical boy. Even during my first ultrasound, he was flipping and tumbling all around in my belly and the tech could barely get a pic of him! He was super active while I was pregnant and NEVER stopped moving when he was a baby. I remember the pediatrician telling us at his 4-month well visit that he was going to be an athlete...that he was already pulling himself up with his own strength and putting weight on his legs. He sat up at a normal age, but then only a few weeks went by before he was crawling, and then standing up! And he took his first steps right around 10 months. And when he went for it...it was 8 steps and he was off. There was no contemplation...he just did it. And even now, he continues to amaze us with his physical abilities.

At the playground, he's able to climb every. single. one. of the obstacles. We were there one day and he could climb up these tricky bars that this little 4-year old boy was AFRAID to climb! Not my kid...he's completely fearless. Which scares the everloving shit out of me.

He can throw a ball (any kind of ball, any size) literally RIGHT AT YOU. I'm telling you, we've stood 5-10 feet apart and played catch (except he can't really catch yet). He throws a football with a spiral. And he just got a tee ball set for his birthday and he crushes that ball nearly every time. We have to quick put the ball on the tee, turn and run so we don't get smacked with the bat. He kicks...deliberate, timed kicks. I was sad to learn they don't offer soccer for kids until age 3 because I'm telling you, I think he could do it. Not to mention, my husband went out and bought Nash a few cheap left-handed golf clubs and cut them down so they're short enough for him to actually use. And he's able to hit the little golf balls right off the ground. There doesn't appear to be a sport he (a) doesn't love or (b) isn't good at.

Other notes: He's become quite attached to his snugglies these days. Every night and during naptime, his bed is so crowded with friends and pillows that it's nearly impossible for us to lie down with him. And sleeping is still kind of a struggle...at least here. When we had our own place and he had his bed, he did really well all on his own. But once we came here and he has this huge bed, he wants someone to stay with him until he falls asleep. Which can take FOREVER some times. He loves trucks of all kinds, legos and anything that plays music. He's finally over his Yo Gabba obsession and has taken a ravenous fancy to Team Umi Zoomi. He literally asks for it every second that it's not on. Thank god for DVR.

His eating is off and on, although he's generally very receptive to new foods. He regularly eats fish (even salmon and blackened), spicy foods and healthy stuff. But, just like any kid, he loves crackers, toast, candy, cookies, juice, etc... We've struggled a bit these last few months because he's having trouble going to the bathroom. Sometimes he'll go days without pooping and we can tell he's starting to not feel well. He won't eat, he's irritable...and he tries and tries, but nothing comes out. We've completely eliminated bananas and cheese and have cut out all but a splash of juice in his water. We try to make sure he gets a lot of whole grains and fiber, but nothing really seems to be working. Next stop: doctor. But when he does eat, he uses a spoon and fork nearly perfectly (left or right handed). He can drink from a cup, but tends to spill it while walking around, so we still give him sippies. The high chair is completely gone...it just sits in this old red, wooden chair Joe's mom has and eats at the table just like the rest of us.

The other funny thing is how much he has taken control over his outfits. He's begun requesting certain jammies (loves baseball ones and the ones with rockets or puppies) and won't wear anything else if he happens to see them in the drawer. Also, he picks out his own shoes every morning and then Joe or my mother in law will form an outfit around the shoes. Sounds awesome, right? Well it would be if he didn't pick the same orange and brown pumas all the time. He loves those shoes, but we are running out of brown and orange outfits to go with them! He's can just about undress himself, although pulling shirts over his head is still tricky. He's learning how to put his clothes on, but that's taking a bit longer that the undressing part. He can pull his pants up, but he usually ends up only pulling up the front. And we're teaching him to find the big hole for his head and the small holes for his arms, so he's getting it. Still hates it when we make him get dressed though...he'd run around naked all the time if he could.

No improvements in potty training. He's only slightly interested in the idea and doesn't sit on the potty for more than 30 seconds at any given time. He knows when he's going to pee though, so we're gently informing him about peeing on the potty...and tonight I even threw a few cheerios in the toilet and told him to squirt them with his pee. He giggled and seemed to like it, but no action occurred. Oh well...it will come.

There's so many more things to share, but it's late, this post is long and I still need to find our Elf, Choo, a resting place for the night.

Love you, big man!

23 Months

2012-12-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

So much new stuff has happened this month, it's going to be hard to remember everything. Nash is talking up a storm...full blown sentences, carrying on conversations, recognizing and naming pictures in his favorite books. He's becoming such a little man, it's killing me on the daily.

Height:
Weight:
Teeth:
All 2T clothes (but sometimes the waist is too big)
Size 7 shoes still

Talking:
Like I mentioned, he's talking so much now. Hard to believe just 6 months ago, I was worried that he wasn't talking enough. He will literally repeat just about anything we say to him (today he met a little baby named Carter and easily repeated his name). He knows all these animals (zebra, penguin, and snake...not just puppy and kitty). He knows all the different kinds of vehicles (cars, trucks, trains, planes, helicopters, buses, fire trucks, scooters, etc.) and can identify tunnels, shovels, buckets, ladders and all kinds of other things when asked. He is making whole sentences of 4-5 words and can tell us what he wants (most of the time). The one thing he hasn't done (and his teacher even pointed it out) was sing a simple song. Not a singer, this kid.

Physical:
This has to be a category because my kid's a frickin prodigy. No joke here, people. He throws better than almost any kid I've ever seen. Like hard and straight. And all lefty. And he can kick, run down stairs, jump. He's got great balance too, so it's crazy. Joe is teaching him how to play golf (look out Tiger Woods, my kid's coming for you) and we're looking to get him into some kind of sport here soon. We saw a 3+ year old at the playground who couldn't climb the obstacle my kid could climb...it's insane. He masters the puzzles we have, throws legos together like it's his job and loves to help us do things like throw trash away or wipe his own face. He loves to "drive" the car and tries to help us carry bags. When he really tries, we can barely hold him...his strength is cray cray nowadays. He loves to be thrown, held upside down or swung around. He'll literally repeat Again, Again over and over until we thrown him upside down again.

Social and Emotional:
We're definitely struggling a little bit here. He's in full blown terrible 2's and is always testing his boundaries with us. He generally plays pretty well with others, but we got a report a few weeks ago that he clocked a kid in the head with a toy guitar. No bueno. We must have had three timeouts today alone...and while that doesn't seem like much, we generally reserve timeouts for the most serious offenses. We try really hard to make sure he eats and sleeps enough so there's no chance that's what's bothering him.

We're really trying to let him experience things and do things on his own, so he feels like he's in control as much as possible. We let him dress and undress himself, tell us what he wants to eat (to some extent) and give him options. And he's definitely an independent, let-me-do-it-muhself kind of way.

Likes and Dislikes:
Loves Nemo, Toy Story and any other high action animated movie (TeeTee, he says, when he first wakes up or we get in the car, where we have a DVD player). Loves anything to do with water, animals or sports. Loves going outside. Loves toast and french fries and bananas and corn on the cob. Loves his gummy vitamins and brushing his teeth. Loves his kitty and climbing, trucks and trains. Wants a tricycle like no ones business.

Hates bedtime, pasta, vegetables and diapers. Hates being told what to do and whenever he hears the word "no." Turns up his nose at juice and despises being strapped into his carseat. Doesn't like it when you try to help him do things.

As we rapidly approach the big TWO, I can hardly believe what a little man he has become. He's so strong and funny and smart, it's almost like he doesn't need me anymore. It's crazy to look at him and think that we made that just two short years ago. And they weren't lying when they said this is when it starts to get really fun. He's so much fun to be around, and I can't wait to show him new things and give him new experiences, since he's really at the age to notice and remember and appreciate all these new holiday and family traditions.

Mindy and Ben are Getting Married!

2012-11-29T22:45:00.003-05:00

Can you say smokin hot?!?

When I got the text that my best friend from college was just proposed to, I was super excited! She is the last of a group of us girls to take the plunge and he's an all-around awesome dude, so there was lots to celebrate.

THEN she asked ME to take their engagement photos. Uh, FOR SURE! She found this incredible location in Jacksonville, and even with a few hiccups, we managed to pull out a few keepers.

I love this next one because it shows the silly side of Ben...who was more than eager to poke fun at the gooey mush factor that often dominates these kinds of shoots. Quick, look like you're in love! Ready....go!

Ben has this super beautiful little girl who LOVED having her picture taken...but sit around and wait? No thank you...

That's one cute family, if you ask me! They've picked a date (July 6th, 2013) and you wanna know what's even better? I'm a bridesmaid! Woot woot!

Congrats, Mindy and Ben...and little Morgan too!

Hunter's 2nd Birthday Shoot

2012-11-01T11:18:00.001-04:00

My in-laws neighbor has the cutest little boy ever. Hunter has been super strong fighting off some pretty serious illnesses since he was born and is still a positive, sweet boy who toddles around with the most handsome smile on his face (see above pic and proceed to melt).

The other day his Mama asked me if I would take some photos of him all dressed up in his halloween costume. She's planning a farm-themed 2nd birthday party down the road and thought some of them might make good invites. I was like, hay bales and moo cows - HECK YES!

Isn't he the sweetest?!?! And his Mama is super fun and V.E.R.Y. photogenic. Of course we had our moments where he was like, you want me to do WHAT? Sit WHERE? Uh, no. But overall, it was an awesome sesh.

The one below is a keeper, if you ask me!

This last one just kills me! I love how his little personality is showing. Ah, toddlers. So much fun!

For more photos from Hunter's 2nd Birthday shoot, head on over to our Facebook page and leave some love!

Welcome Baby Dominic!

2012-10-25T23:04:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok...maybe I should have welcomed him a month ago when he was ACTUALLY born. What can I say...things have been crazy around here. Better late than never, yes?

Isn't he seriously the sweetest baby you've ever seen (aside from, ahem, mine of course)?! He's such a good baby...I mean, the kid barely made a peep the whole 24 hours I was there. He was a little bit jaundiced though, so he spent a lot of time on his special little blanket.

He was VERY awake during our shoot. Like, he didn't want to sleep. We had to keep having Mama snuggle him so he'd fall back asleep. And that meant we were losing light. And their house is legit one stalactite short of a full-blown cave, so I had to do some serious post-edits.

That pretty red pin belongs to his Daddy, Dean. Apparently Dean's grandmother pinned it on him when he was born, and so they wanted to continue the tradition. I think it had something to do with the pin representing an angel who will protect him. If I'd written this post a month ago, I'd probably have remembered the details.

I love this one! That hat was a last second prop purchase, and I think it makes him look so cozy!

I couldn't get enough of this little man. And I can't believe he's already more than a month old! Stay little, baby man!!

Nash is 22 Months Old!

2012-10-23T23:07:00.001-04:00

Better late than never, eh? Truth be told, I was waiting to post this until I could download his monthly photos from my camera, which I left in Orlando. But then I checked it when I got home and realized I never actually took photos this month. It was LAST month I was thinking of. Talk about time whirling by. First time I failed to take his pics. ::sigh:: And we're so close to 23 months, I figured I'd just throw in a few randoms from right around October 11th and call it done.

Height: 35 inches
Weight: 28.5 lbs
Teeth: No change
Hair: No change
Eyes: No change
Clothes: All 2T
Shoes: Still 7's

And for all the crazy details (and a bunch of Nash cameos), watch this. Fair warning: It's a bit long thanks to a few interruptions and my rambling, but cute nonetheless.

Things I'm Loving...and a Printable!

2012-09-20T15:45:00.002-04:00

This week I'm doing a two for one: a list of all the things I'm currently loving AND a free printable of my Fall Bucket List!!

When I was pregnant with Nash, I realized there was a wealth of information on the internet about things to do with your baby to help them grow, learn, etc... All these ideas from Mama's around the world about giving your kids all these experiences...all right there in Google. Pinterest now makes it even easier, and with September finally here, I feel like I'm ready to tackle some of those.

Printables and Bucket Lists are cool because it forces you to sit down and say, "this is what I want to experience" and then gives you an outlet to share it with others. I had found a few good Fall Bucket Lists on Pinterest (like this one and this one), but nothing that was just quite right (after all, my List must be different than someone from Michigan, right?). So I took some ideas from a bunch of places, added my own, and voila! Here's my list:

Click Here for the Printable PDF

Here's the good stuff. The things that keep me coming back to the web with unbounded excitement. Does that sound cheesy or weird? No, ok good.

Saw this Coolness Graph on MSN the other day. Some of this is clever shit!
I'm reading this book on my Kindle for iPhone right now...I can't put it down. If you're married or not, it's a good read about why things do/don't work out in relationships. Next up: get the Hubs to read it too...it's like free therapy, eh?
I'm such an Apple snob...I so want this. Now if only I can con Verizon into upgrading me early.
I'm shooting my new nephew's newborn photos this weekend, so I bought a bunch of new fabric. I'm so loving these brights! Thanks to Dana for giving the 411 in her blog...might be my new supplier!

That's all for this week, but I've got a lot more cool stuff pinned on Pinterest. If you haven't checked it out, you should. Just sayin'.

21 Months

2012-09-19T14:34:00.001-04:00

Yep, it's that time again, folks. Time for a holy-crap-my-baby's-even-less-of-a-baby update. Each month that I do these, it gets crazier and crazier because I realize how close we are to the big "2". So close that Joe and I are already talking about his birthday party...which is a bit of a cluster already since we are living in Jacksonville, but visiting Melbourne as often as we can.

We know we want to do it in Melbourne, but were working out the location still. Before we even get there, we've got to tackle our first Disney trip, both Mama and Daddy's birthdays, Halloween, AND Thanksgiving. Lots of living left to do before December 11th. But back to the task at hand. Bubs is 21 months old now and things are starting to get crazy!!

Here's the rundown:
Height: 34.5 inches (I think)
Weight: 27 lbs (ish)
Hair: still dirty blonde
Eyes: still hazel-ish
Teeth: still rocking all but the last 4 molars
Clothes size: entirely 2T now
Shoe size: 7 and holding steady

He has to pick out his own shoes...and he loves these red ones.

Eating:
We've definitely entered the picky phase as he rarely wants to eat what we want him to eat when we want him to eat it. He loves shunning foods we assume are his favorites and will not touch anything that looks remotely weird or complicated. Often times he'll put something in his mouth, let it barely touch his tongue and then spit it out with extreme distaste. It's maddening. And he wavers between periods of ravenous eating and nibbling like an anorexic bird, so we never know what to expect.

He still loves bananas (which we can't really give him) and toast and fruit in general, although he's been rejecting grapes lately. He refuses to eat grilled cheese, which is so weird to me, and definitely loves crackers, cookies and chips (of course). He drinks a fair mix of milk and watered down juice, but doesn't really like water (although we give it to him every night when he goes to bed). Still wolfs down broccoli and seems to prefer wheat toast to white, which is awesome.

Sleeping:
This deserves a post all to itself. We transitioned Nash to a toddler bed a few weeks ago when he began crawling out of his crib on the regular. He seems to love his bed so much, and is always running into his room and pulling all of his stuffies on top of himself in the bed. But when it comes to bedtime, he's still a challenge. He does ok if we're in the room, but as soon as we try to leave, he jumps out of bed, runs over to the door and screams bloody murder until we return.

I think this is just a phase and we just have to wait it out, but it's definitely been trying on both of us. Add in his recent love of smacking people in the face when he's upset and you've got a recipe for ugly.

Who me? No, I don't smack Mama in the face at least three times a week. Nope, not me.

Talking:
He's talking up an absolute storm now and it's literally the highlight of the month. Joe and I are always talking about how he repeats just about anything and understands just about everything. He's able to say most of the body parts we've been teaching him (even though he doesn't always finish the last consonant...like he's say "mow" instead of "mouth." He even says, "Na" when we ask him what his name is and every time we ask, he's closer and closer to an actual "Nash." He says "Pop Pop" for Grandpop and "Gumma" for Grandmom. He recognizes both our cars (especially Daddy's) and walks around the house saying, "Kitty? Kitty?"

He loves saying "uh, yeah" or "uh, no" to just about any question we ask him (this is particularly hilarious) and recognizes a lot of animals and their sounds. Whenever the doorbell rings or a phone goes off, he grabs his ear and say, "oh!" If we hand him something he really wants (like a yummy snack), he says, "Awww, man!" It's freaking funny, people. He also does this thing where he smiles, says "chee" and put his fingers to his cheeks whenever we tell him we're taking a picture. Must have learned that a daycare. Can't wait to see his first "school" pics!

Other Developments:
The best part is that we feel like we can finally REALLY reason with him. The other night we were having a particularly hard time getting him to go to bed, so I told him,"You're a big boy now, and Mama knows you can do this on your own." And he laid down in bed like he totally understood and WANTED to be a big boy. He literally glows whenever he accomplishes something, like taking off his own clothes and diaper for bath time or throwing away his own trash or coloring. He loves being a smarty for sure, and we're always telling him how smart he is.

We only did a few swimming lessons, but we learned the basics and continue to encourage him to "swim." He's able to sit on the steps of the pool and walk around without plunging into the water or needing either of us to be right on top of him watching him. He kicks his legs and has even gone underwater a handful of times...all in the name of "swimming like Nemo!"

He jumps like a champ (with both feet) and goes up and down stairs. He has mastered all but one of his puzzles and loves to sort his toys (Joe always tells me how he'll go into his room and come out with all of one certain kind of toy). He's coloring now and even drew on the walls for the first time this month (that's like a mandatory toddler milestone, right?). I try to come up with new things for him all the time, like water balloons or finger painting or helping me clean so that he's always learning. He's really into movies now, so it's tough not to let him just sit in front of the tv after a long day of working.

Overall, he's super sweet, but also super emotional and impatient so we're lucky to make it out alive some days. Now that he's able to do a lot of things on his own though, we're starting to crawl out of the messy house, no time to relax, where has our marriage gone hole that inevitably accompanies the first few years with a baby. Now it gets REALLY fun. Right? Anyone? Bueller?

On the Verge of Big Boydom

2012-09-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

{Sorry for the grainy photos...these are courtesy of my phone}

Last night was a rough night on all fronts. We arrived back home late from a weekend trip down in Melbourne and made a mad dash to knock out a quick bath before bedtime. About a week ago, Nash began crawling out of his crib on the regular, so we were worried he'd slip and fall one time while he was trying to get out. So, we made the decision to convert his crib into a toddler bed.

While the actual conversion was a piece of cake, getting Nash to stay in his bed was not so simple. Although he was super stoked about his "big boy bed," he wasn't so thrilled when Mama tucked him in and the made a move towards the door. He wanted me to sit next to him while he laid in his bed. Which normally wouldn't bother me except I had a lot of unpacking and work prep to do before an early morning. And he was overtired, so he kept fidgeting.

I tried a few times to just shut the door and let him complain, but he

What we weren't expecting was how significant an event it is. I knew going it that it would be tough for all of us - Nash has to get used to staying in bed now that he has the freedom to roam around and we have to get used to our little man growing up.

All this has come right when we're dabbling with potty training (I use the word "dabbling" verrrry loosely here) and he's talking more, eating by himself, learning to swim and hitting any one of a dozen other toddler milestones. It's all so much I just want to throw my arms around him and say, "Stop! I'm not ready!" Truth is, I'm excited about him growing up, but I also can't believe it's happening so quickly. We went over to a friend's house for some drinks a few days ago, and our friend April says, "I swear you were just pregnant." I was like, seriously...

I can't wait until this job comes to a close so I'll have more time to spend with him and Joe. I know these next few months are going to be crazy as Nash speeds towards his 2nd birthday, and I hope I can remember to slow down and take it all in. After all, these are the last three months that he'll ever be 1. And I'm 100% sure we'll be making these faces on the regular.

Things I'm (Currently) Loving

2012-08-30T14:25:00.001-04:00

Loving His Outfit.

Last week I debut this "Things I've Loving" feature as a way to share with you guys all the things I've stumbled upon in the last week or so. I spend a lot of time online (it's ridiculous really), so I often see things that I have to have or must try or just think is stinkin cute. If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have already seen some of these.

I just might have to buy all these flavors. Just to try them. Too bad they don't have a sampler pack 'cause I would buy the heck out of that! Instead I settled for the Dark Chocolate Cherry and the Cinnamon Raisin.

This post about breastfeeding might just have contributed to this crazy rash of baby fever I got goin on right about now. Next time around, I'm putting her on speed dial.

Thanks to one of my favorite mommy bloggers, Melissa at dearbabyblog, I'm expecting my first FIX on the 7th. Hoping at least one thing is a keeper.

This slideshow caught my eye... This is my dream closet for Nash whenever we finally get settled. It's so organized! Can't wait until he has his own "real" room again.

Found a new pancake recipe that's Paleo and could easily be high in protein (or higher, maybe). Going to try them next week and I'll let you know how it goes.

And just for grins, here's a funny YouTube video that my coworker showed me (and all the other guys in my office). Thought it was so good, I had to forward it on to the Hubs so he could have a chuckle. And now I'm sharing it with you. You're welcome.

Feel free to share some of your favorite findings this week by leaving links in the comments. I'd love to see (and maybe pin) what you come up with!

T Minus Two Months Til Dirty Thirty

2012-08-29T16:12:00.000-04:00

Ok, so we're getting crazy close, folks. Like oh. my. god. I. only. have. sixty. days. left. in. my. twenties close. I can hardly believe I'm going to be thirty. It's so crazy I have to spell it out...thirrrrrrty.

Since time is ticking down, I thought I would check in on my 30-Before-30 List and see where I'm at. I'm predicting a whole lotta "wow, I've got some work to do" thoughts in the next few minutes here...

Run a half-marathon
Start a retirement account
Get paid for photography (one photo, one session, whatever...)
Sew an outfit I'd wear in public
Take Nash to see the snow
Bake and decorate a multi-layer ombre cake
Capture a great "fireworks" photo (I'm so counting my missile photo for this one)
Take part in a haunted house
Go on a big family vacay
~~Visit a foreign country~~
Start a business (half way done on this one)
Get paid to design something (biz cards, flyers, logos, invitations, whatever...)
Take a real road trip somewhere new and random
Can something I grow or make myself
Try bikram yoga
Begin composting
Kick my sugar habit
Set up and maintain a photo archive system
Do a mud/fun run with a group of friends (set for Nov, but I'm still counting it)
Go on an adults-only cruise
Complete a 30-day photo challenge (September, here I come!)
~~Buy a new house (near a playground)~~
Master the perfect sourdough bread recipe
Start a family tradition
Perform a full pull-up unassisted (might be easy for some, but I've never been able to do it)
Meet Giuliana Rancic and tour the E! Networks building (ok, this may be dreaming)
Build Bubs a sand box from scratch (no plans, no kits)
Donate 10 hours of time to either a kids' charity or an animal shelter So counting my 15 hours of National Guard Conference hell
Learn how to swim
Have an awesome 30th birthday party

Ok, I've REEEEEEEEALLY got some work to do. ::sigh:: Or maybe I've got some living to do. Yeah, I like that better.

I've Got the Fever...

2012-08-28T12:28:00.001-04:00

Baby Nash - 1 day old

I feel like I'm surrounded by babies. Babies in real life, babies on the interweb, babies in Target. There are goddamn pregnant women everywhere! Is it something in the water or what, people?!

::sigh:: I only say it like that because I'm supremely jealous. You see, I always thought I would have my babies close together. Two years apart always sounded good to me. I never really wanted to be one of those people who let years pass and then one day, GO! Let's have another! Not saying that's not an awesome choice too - it definitely has its perks - but I just thought I wanted them to grow up together. Plus I didn't want to be an old mom...hahaha!

But as time ticks away following the birth of Nash - six months, one year, 18 months, now almost 21 months - I realize I will have to be one of those people. Our lives have become so completely disheveled that there's no room for a baby (or a pregnancy for that matter) right now. Joe hasn't made any money at work in almost a year. I'm seriously a career nomad right now just trying to cover down on everything by myself. I'm on the short list to mobilize to DC again next year - which I don't really want to do, but it's ridiculous money and DC is a fun place and yadda yadda.

In my perfect world, I would tell the Army to go "F" itself on October 28th (my 30th birthday, how appropo). Joe and I would say, ah hell, let's just do it and we'd have another baby (girl, please). He'd finally be done with this County Line deal and move on to something else and make enough money to buy a house. We'd move to North Carolina and I'd stay at home with my babies while earning extra dough as a photographer and a blogger. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Heading home from the hospital.

Bub and Daddy....who naps like this?? Only a tiny baby...

I think most of this stems from feeling like my baby will only be a baby for a short time, you know? In just a few short years, he'll be off to school and that won't stop until he's an adult and moved out and gone. So, I only have a few years to stay with him, teach him things, and help him grow into this fabulous little man. Instead Joe handles it most days (no offense to my amazing husband, but nobody does it better than a Mama does). And the days he works or needs a break, a couple of random women take over at daycare. I'm left with a few hectic hours in the evening in between making dinner, cleaning up Nash zillion and one messes, and preparing for work the next day. Oh yeah, and trying to find quality time with my husband.

I miss being home with my Bub. And I want another shot at this baby thing. And I don't want to be in the military anymore. And I hate not having our own house. And (shoot me for saying this) I kinda miss being pregnant too.

Vacation 2012 - Farm Life

2012-08-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

While we were on vacation up north (the Mama portion), we made sure to hit up as many outdoorsy locales as possible. We really wanted Nash to experience nature and animals and fresh food and all the other things that go hand-in-hand with life in the Northeast (at least when you are comparing it to sweltering hot Florida where outside = death).

One of our must-sees was this sweet little farm where you can meet all the animals, take a trip through the corn field maze (who knew they had corn in NH), and then finish it up with some fresh ice cream right off the farm.

They even had this awesome sandbox area filled with trucks and shovels and all kinds of stuff for the kiddos. Nash was in heaven and threw a complete fit when we had to pull him away to go get ice cream. Too bad he doesn't really know that the words "ice cream" mean yummy, sugary goodness or else it might have gone better for us.

We also took a ride up the road a few minutes to the stable where my Dad's girlfriend, Natalie, keeps her horse. He was really beautiful...and really big. I'm not the most comfortable around horses and Nash seemed a bit nervous around him too, but it was awesome to get up close and let him pet the horse. There were a bunch of other horses there too just clamoring to come out of their stalls and say hi.

You can totally see his nerves in the photo below...and that was the pony we so wanted to get a picture of him riding! Not a chance, Mama...

Fitness: Month Two Check In

2012-08-22T21:51:00.000-04:00

Well, it's officially been 60 days since I began my training with the Get in Shape Girl, so it's time for an update.

Starting Weight: 141.8 (ish)
Current Weight: 140.2 (ish)

Sad to say I haven't lost much weight. But I do feel like I'm seeing changes, albeit subtle. And I have to admit this month I haven't been that focused as I spent almost two weeks away on vacation where I was definitely not following my meal plan. But as soon as I came back and started up again, I noticed a quick turn around. I think at my lowest point I weighed in just over 138 lbs, so I'm fluctuating a bit.

I am noticing an improvement in my pushups, my runs are getting faster, and this week was the first time I was able to hold my planks for the full time for all three sets! I'm really enjoying the diversity of the workouts, although I wish I had other options for my HIIT. Unfortunately, I have a very "spartan" gym set up at work, so we don't really have any cardio equipment at all. So all my HIITs have been sprints. I tried doing mountain climbers, burpees, etc... for the intervals, but I couldn't keep going for the entire 60 seconds, so I've got to improve a bit before I can try those again.

Tell you what, my upper body is looking sick. And my booty is looking better too...I notice I've got more of a curve from my lower back to my booty (I should have taken a side pic so you could see). The lovies are still there, but they've always been my problem area.

One bummer is that I just found out my PT test isn't until February. I was really hoping it was in November so I could knock it out before the holidays while I'm still in the zone. I guess this just needs to motivate me to keep up with my workouts and my eating through the holidays so I can get the high score I've been aiming for. I'll keep you posted!

Missed an update?

Vacation Part Two - Home in New Hampshire

2012-08-22T11:47:00.001-04:00

No, I'm not really from New Hampshire, but it sure does feel nice to visit. My whole family on my dad's side lives there, so it makes it a nice one-stop shop to see everyone. It's incredibly beautiful there, and I always begin to question my love of suburban/urban life after spending a few days there in the summer. We went once in the winter...never again.

My dad's house is surrounded by this amazing nature. Woods, lakes, paths, animals, berries. So much to see and experience, and we were super excited for Nash to take it all in now that he's finally old enough to really appreciate it. We took walks, picked berries from my dad's bushes and made it a habit to spend as much time outside as possible.

Fresh Blueberry Milk!

My dad is renovating this old house in the next town over from where he and his family lives right now. Let me tell you, when we saw the house for the first time last year, I was like, whoa. I couldn't really understand why my dad had bought a house that needed so much work. Like it needed everything...

And after one year, he says he still has quite a bit of work left to do. But things are coming along...and I can tell he's really enjoying the process of redoing this place. And I can't wait to see it when it's done.

Fashionable Weekend Purchases

2012-08-21T22:05:00.001-04:00

This weekend we all piled into the car early one day to head over to this upscale outdoor shopping mall for some retail therapy.

We were in search of shoes - new running sneaks for me and new everyday sneaks for Joe. No shoes for me, but we did find some other sweet gems.

Nashie got some new Puma sneaks, a fedora, some shades, and a long-sleeve tee all from the Gap. He wore the Pumas to school today and already got compliments.

Daddy got new Pumas, and Mama got two tanks and some really awesome crops from Lululemon, which is my all time favorite store. I could literally spend my life savings in there.

If only every weekend were filled with endless piles of money and beautiful clothes.

Things I'm Loving

2012-08-20T11:28:00.000-04:00

I mean, besides finding gems like this hiding in the iPhone archives.

I've seen those posts around the blogosphere and totally think it's an awesome idea, so I thought I'd get in on it. Basically, it's just a chance to share some of the things I've found around the web lately in hopes that you might think they're awesome too. It's like sharing the love...interweb style.

Pinterest makes this whole thing really rather easy. If you don't know about Pinterest, you just aren't living and I INSIST you hop on over there and check it out. You can start by checking out my boards/pins...I've got lots of lovelies already saved for ya.

I so need these S'mores Bars in my life ASAP.
Thinking I'll do my hair like this tomorrow.
One of my favorite Mama bloggers just had her 2nd baby...you'll have to check out her FB until she stops smooching his cheeks long enough to blog about it.
Another of my favorite Mama bloggers turned me on to Cinemagr.am. Still trying to master it, but the featured videos are awesome inspiration.
Feeling like I see this (cute girls in chucks) everywhere, so I feel I must get some.
Working with this lady to redesign my blog header...thinking it's going to be masterful
If you a web-type and you don't have one of these, I suggest you get one. They're awesome. Oh yeah, and you get free business cards from these guys when you sign up.

So there you have it, my first list of Things I'm Loving. Hope you stumbled upon a few new gems...and if not, I'll try to do better next time.

Vacation - Going Back to Daddy's Roots

2012-08-19T22:56:00.000-04:00

As part of the Philly/NJ portion of our vacation, we HAD to hit up some of Daddy's childhood hangouts. His parents suggested we take Nash to the boardwalk at Ocean City. Sure, Atlantic City has its own boardwalk, but the one at OC is way better, they said. It. Has. Rides. It was Nash's first time on these kinds of rides (although he did ride a carousel once at Legoland), so he was a whole big bag of emotions.

A little bit nervous. A whole ton of excited. And bursting at the seams with impatience. There were only a few he could go on (we felt like he might jump off some of the ones where he had to ride by himself), but we made the most of it and he had a blast. So much so that we had to drag him away kicking and screaming.

The second part of our Daddy-led adventure was a trip into Philly. This is Joe's hometown...where he spent many a (wild) night with friends and days cruising the streets in between classes at Temple and home in Cherry Hill. (editor's note: this is totally my perspective and Joe would probably laugh at me if he actually read my blog).

We were to meet his best friend Dave and his family downtown on South Street before heading to the Philly's game so that I could do what any normal person visiting Philly for the first time would do.

Get a REAL cheesesteak.

Jim's is the place. Apparently there are a few places, but Jim's is one of the best that was close enough to be a reasonable pit stop on the way to the game. The line was nearly out the door, so I took that as a sign we were in the right place.

After being schooled by the locals on how to properly order my meal ("wit" not "with", and that meant onions. And REAL cheesesteaks are made with cheese whiz. So I got a "cheese witout"), I was finally able to taste the official tourist food of Philly.

And it was pretty damn tasty...although I would have liked more cheese whiz.

Afterwards, we rolled right on over to the stadium for the game. Our section sung Happy Birthday to Dave's son Michael. We ate ice cream out of little Phillies hat cups. And our kid was miserable the entire time. This photo was one of the only ones I took because I spent the rest of the game fighting with him, explaining to him why we don't hit other kids in the faces and then pushing him in circles around the stadium praying he'd fall asleep.

Needless to say, we left early. But hey, at least I got a cheesesteak and this little man got a certificate for attending his first Phillies game. What more can you ask for?