Time flies

It is hard to believe but it has been 12 weeks since Bryn was born and I return to work tomorrow. I am not going to lie . . . it wasn't the easiest 12 weeks of my life but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Being that Bryn was born in late May my leave allowed me to have most of the summer off, which was great. Mia certainly benefited from it. We spent time at the park, the botanical gardens, Domino's farm, the zoo, the splash pad . . . we did picnics, lots of play dates, trips to the library, and plenty of time playing at home. Although my Mom was technically "on leave" as well she spent most of the summer with us . . . which was great for everyone!!

There were many days that confirmed why working part time is a good balance for me. But of course there were other days where I sat and thought "I could get used to being a stay at home Mom". Of course now that the last day of leave is here I don't want to go back. I know once I get back into the groove I will enjoy seeing my friends at work and having some alone time during lunch. But I know my girls will always be on mind.

Thank God my Mom watches them, this would be a thousand times harder if I had to take them to daycare. I know she will take good care of them and in the long run we will all survive another transition.

I am also thankful for the fact that I am able to work part time. Being gone for a few days makes me look really forward to my time off each week. For now working part time is best for our family, maybe someday I will take the plunge and be a full time stay at home. But being a stay at home is the hardest job anyone could ever do . . .

Where have I been?

Geez, how can time can fly by and it seems like forever since I have kept up with my blog. I am going to try to get back into the groove with it but can't make any promises :)

Our big news and the reason I haven't been around is that we are expecting baby #2 on May 29. We found out in September we were pregnant and not long after I started to get sick (in so many ways) and just kept getting worse and worse. My doctors finally figured out I have an overactive thyroid. I have been put on meds and finally about a month ago started to feel more like myself. Of course I am still feeling the normal affects of pregnancy . . . exhaustion, indigestion, etc. All the fun stuff but we are very blessed to be expecting another bundle of joy. Thank God for Roy, if I was a single parent I would have never survived the past few months.

Mia is doing wonderful. Her speech has grown by leaps and bounds and has started to have some real conversations with us. It is a lot of fun sharing little stories back and forth. In September Mia started a two year old pre-school program through the Plymouth Canton schools. It is a parent/tot program so Roy and I have taken turns going with her. She loves it. They play, do circle time, make craft projects, have snack time, and do some physical playtime. Mia's favorite time is snack time but really enjoys the whole experience. She loves her classmates and teachers and looks forward to it each week. We also just enrolled her in music class and in the fall she did swimming. We try to do playdates with our friends that have kids of similar age as often as we can. Mia is excited for the baby and often wants to touch my belly or hugs the ultrasound pictures. It is very cute. She goes back and forth on whether she wants a brother or sister but she did tell me the other day if she has a sister we should name her "Bubba". Where that came from I have no idea :)

So things in our world are good and the coming months will surely be exciting for us. Our to do list is long as we need to make room for adding another person to the house. Mia is going to get a new big girl room and the baby will take her nursery. Lots and lots to do but I am looking forward to everything. We will try out best to share all of our progress on the blog. I also hope to start to blog about some other things we enjoy besides family. We are a family of many interests and hobbies!!

Happy 21 months!

Hard for me to believe my girls is 21 months old today. We are having lots of fun with her these days. She is talking more and more, she learns new words every day. Of course she has mastered running and has lots of fun moving around. She loves reading (books have always been her favorite), Sesame Street, carrying around her dolls and stuffed animals, and just playing like a kid should. She loves music and isn't afraid to dance around the house. She loves to be outside and enjoys playing in the water, pushing around her lawn mower, blowing bubbles, and sometimes likes to just sit and enjoy the view. She loves Betsy and Lucy. I often find her trying to read one of them a book, teaching them to use her magna doodle, or draping them in her jewelry. She is good at hugs and kisses and still once in a great while will climb up and cuddle with you. Her favorite foods are vegetables and fruits and she eats dairy like crazy. Although her favorite junk food has to be tortilla chips and every time she sees ice cream she says "Happy Bo" (Happy Birthday in Mia speak). I love that she already has little friends. She not only likes to play with them but isn't afraid to give them hugs and kisses. She is good at hello's, good-bye's, and blowing kisses. She likes to go grocery shopping, hang out at the library, and visit the park.

That is Mia at 21 months. Doing all the things kids do; including some tantrums, tears, and all of that good stuff. But she is a joy and a wonderful part of our life. I can't even believe in 3 months she will be 2 years old. Can't wait to see what adventures she takes us on until then!

Family Photo Session

I can't even believe how much time has passed since I lasted posted to the blog. How can time go by so fast? We have been busy so I do have something to show for our time. The month of May cruised by. We spent some time doing home renovations (I will get some pics up once the living room is done). Mia spent time over a couple of weekends at my parents so we could quickly get things accomplished. With the nicer weather we have been spending lots of time outside (the park, zoo, botanical gardens, petting farm, etc). My birthday was last week, the big 32 this year. All and all life is great, problem is we are spending so much time enjoying ourselves I haven't taken much time to update the blog. The good news I have take hundreds of pictures. There is no way I can post every event on the blog but I will "try" to do some catching up when I can.

Anyway, instead of going to JCPenny to have Mia's 18 months photos I had a friend of mine do pictures for us. If you like her work I encourage you to visit her site, she is a great photographer. http://www.kelliesaunders.com/. We met her at Mill Race Village in Northville, what a great place for pictures. These are a few of my favorite shots.

St Patricks Day

Here are some pics from our St. Patricks Day celebration with the family . . .

Mia loves dragging this dog around the house . . .

Sassy pants . . .

March Madness

We did so much in March it seemed like it started forever ago but of course on the other hand it seemed to whiz by. Roy loves "March Madness" so we of course watched a lot of basketball. I can't fail to mention how many beautiful days we had this month, the weather was out of the ordinary for Michigan.

Our friends Amanda and Steve had their baby Maya the day before Mia was born. We don't get to see them as often as I would like. We went to their house one Sunday this month. We had breakfast and the girls played. As you can see from this picture everyone had fun playing in the tent. Even Reuben got in on the fun :)

We went to Lia's first birthday party. I love Mia in this outfit, so cute!!

Mia and all of the kids at Lia's party.

Mia having a tea party with Betsy . . .

Where does the time go . . .

I can't believe it has been over a month since I posted anything on the blog. Where does the time go? Every week on Sunday my Mom says . . . can you believe tomorrow is Monday? Then on Wednesday (when she is getting ready to leave after watching Mia for the week) she says can you believe it is already Wednesday again? Then I sit and think about how fast the time does really go. But what am I doing that fills all of the hours of the day??

We have been busy I suppose. There is the usual work for both Roy and I, the chores around the house, the errands that have to be run but we truly try to make Mia our main focus. Time really does go by too fast that we just don't feel like we can put too much emphasis on work, chores, errands . . . it is more important that we soak up every minute we spend with her . . . she is changing way too fast.

Over the next few days I will try to get some fresh pictures up so everyone can see what we have been up to.

I wish I could bottle her up . . .

I have been trying to soak up every moment I spend with Mia. She is so much fun right now and such a joy to be around. I know I will enjoy every stage of her life for different reasons but I know there will be points Iwill look back and miss her being this cute little girl. I don't want to forget all of the things she is doing right now.

I love that she has learned to give hugs and kisses and is often in the mood to dish out those kisses one after the next. I love how she wrinkles her nose and when you say the word "funny" she goes "a-ha". Sometimes she likes to walk, sometimes very briskly, and other times she wants to hold your finger and have you walk with her. I love that she loves Betsy and Lucy. Animals are so important to Roy and I and I am glad we are teaching her to appreciate them. Hearing her say dada over and over again is the best, I know it is even better for Roy :) It makes me smile that she understands to look out the front window when someone is coming or going. I love peaking into her room at night and seeing her arms wrapped around her bear.

I know I can't bottle her up , and I know I can't make time stand still. But I will focus on enjoying her and making as many memories as I can so I never forget all she did at 15 months.

Before I was a Mom . . .

A friend sent this to me and I really liked it . . .

Before I was a Mom . . .

I slept in as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed.

I brushed my hair and my teeth every day.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I cleaned my house each day.

I never tripped over toys or forgot the words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I had never been puked on,

pooped on,

spit on,

chewed on,

peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests, or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew how much I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom . . .
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between Mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night just to make sure all was okay.

I had never know the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment of the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Christmas Memories

We had a really great Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Roy's. Although I know Mia didn't totally get it she got it better than she did last year. She loves ripping wrapping paper and pulling things out of boxes and bags. She enjoyed some Christmas ham but wasn't sure on the texture of some of the other foods. Ah, a baby's life! Can't wait till next year!

I took so many pictures I thought it would be fun to try to make a movie with them. I am sure there is so much more I can do with this but it is a start. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a few minutes of our Christmas memories . . .

Where have I been . . .

I promise I have not forgotten about my beloved blog. I often wish there were just a few extra hours in the day so that I could squeeze in the stuff I never seem to get to. I have been trying to make a concerted effort to spend less time on the computer. There are so many things that suck me in (facebook, friends blogs, stamping blogs, etc, etc) and I end up wasting (may be a harsh word) so much time. I am honestly not doing great at avoiding the computer. It seems to be an activity I can do while half awake and I am honestly half awake often at this time of the night.

I don't want to neglect the blog. I enjoy it. So I promise to get back on track. I have about a million Christmas photos I could share. I think I will play around with trying to make a photo montage set to music. Stay tuned for that, let's hope I can find the time :)

Santa Brunch

Canton does a Santa Brunch at their community center early in the month of December. Our friends Phil and Danielle take their kids and asked us if we wanted to come along. We thought it would be fun and had my parents join us as well. Mia had fun watching all of the kids but didn't really enjoying seeing Santa ;) Oh well, there is always next year!

Mia and Kaylan . . .
So sad on Santa's lap :(

We are torturing her . . .

Family pic . . .

Pic with Grandma and Grandpa . . .

Our Christmas Tree

Our Christmas Tree is one of my absolute favorite things we own. I am not materialistic but if I had to say I had a prized possesion this would be it. Our tree itself is really nothing fancy. We got it half off the day after Christmas (the year before we got married). It is the ornaments and such that we put on our tree that I love the most. I have a impeccable memory for remembering where all of them came from. Many have come as gifts, some Roy and I got on vacations, and some were just day after Christmas purchases. I love our tree and truly enjoy admiring it for the short period of time it is is up.
Took this pic with no flash, thought it turned out kind of cool . . .

Thanksgiving

Some pics from our Thanksgiving celebration . . .

She wasn't too sure about Thanksgiving dinner . . .

Let's Go Red Wings

Roy's Auntie Donna got Mia this cute set of Red Wing mittens and a hat. We had a pretty mild fall so Mia hadn't worn mittens yet. In this first picture you can tell she wasn't too sure about them.

In this pic she hasn't figured out how to get her hat off with mittens on (she has since mastered this!) . . .

Looking cute :)

Loving the ads

I am not sure if everyone that reads this blog knows where I work or what to do. I work at a company called Valassis. They are a marketing services company but one of the things they do is print many of the ads that come in both the newspaper and the mail. I work in their print pricing department. The significance is that Mia loves playing with the ads and coupons that come in the newspaper and mail :)

Coloring

I know Mia isn't ready to color but I wanted to pull out some crayons and a coloring book and let her check it out. She held the crayons and rubbed them on the page a couple of times. She loves to empty out the crayon box and try to stuff the crayons back in. Even better is when there is only a few crayons in there and she can shake them in the box. You have to start somewhere :)

On a side note maybe you would like to learn a little bit about our house in these lovely pictures. Mia and I are sitting on our "vintage" kitchen floor. Circa 1980ish?? It is a beaut . . . think off white with mint green and peach (ah yes, the lovely mint green and peach combination). To say I (or really we) hate it is an understatement. We took the time when we bought this house (almost 8 years ago, we are getting old!!) to completely redo all the flooring and paint, we had to get rid of the 80's country decor. For some reason we have always wanted a new floor but just haven't done it. Maybe this will be the goal of '10 or maybe as past years we will find other things to do with our time and money :)

Funny Faces

Mia seems to have a million different expressions these days. Her vocabulary may be limited but she can tell us how she feels by what she does. This is by far one of my favorites. It is mostly used when she is surprised or startled. I have no idea where she learned it but I love it. I am sure as with all things she will grow out of it but it will always bring a smile to my face . . .

Questions to ask at the end of the day

Someone forwarded this to me and I thought it was a great reminder . . .

Questions to ask at the end of the day

• Did I spend enough time with my kids today?
• Did I have any eye-to-eye contact conversations with them?
• Did I slow down enough to enjoy them, or was my day too rushed?
• How have they changed from yesterday?
• Did I kiss my husband today?
• Did I treat him as my husband or as the hired help?
• What memories did I make for our family today?
• How can I do better tomorrow?

Each night, as I lay in bed, these questions run through my mind. Some days I am so pleased with the way my day turned out, that I smile myself to sleep. Other days, I pray that God will give me one more day to do better.

Even with the best intention, some days just get away from me and I forget what matters most. I forget that rewards in this life aren't based on how clean my kitchen is or how my hair looks. Most days, it takes a conscious effort to make me take my eyes off the to-do list and just enjoy my family.

My children won't be little forever.

I want a husband, not a roommate.

We are a family.

That is what's important at the end of the day.

Mia and I

I really like this random picture of Mia and I . . .