7/27/13

I can't believe July is almost over :( I know once fall hits I will be excitited for whats to come but geesh this summer is cruising along.

It's Monday, I started this post over the weekend and got nowhere fast. I was at a loss for words ... For once in my life ha ha ha.

We spent the weekend helping Randi and Family settle into their home, a birthday party for Fay and four wheeling with my girls

There is something about heading into the woods at dusk to adventure on trails with your kids hooting and hollering with excitement the whole way. It felt kind of creepy at one point when it was darker in the woods then I had realized and I forgot my cell phone at home. That feeling quickly subsided and we were having straight up good old Maine fun. It was beautiful outside and the air was cool as we zipped around :)

Monday, back to work. It was a busy, but good day. My pod mate at work was Sami so that is always a plus! To top it off I came home to a freshly clean house, floors washed, appliances cleaned, laundry done, kitchen clean and kids showered! I am a Lucky girl! Lots to be thankful and appreciative for.

Next up the girls half (more life heading towards 3/4) birthday is this weekend. Family and friends will join our dance, bounce and snow cone party. The girls asked for a trampoline for their birthday! They are going to be excited to get one! I will be excited not to have to add more toys to their room!

7-23-13

A big congrats is in order to Clint and Randi! They closed on their home today! Yayy the best part is... It is 7 miles from our house! So happy!


After getting home from checking out their new house, I broke out the sewing machine and literally threw together a birthday sash for a coworker and clown pants for Ry. As much as I needed sleep I couldn't stand to see Ry's face disappointed I the morning because she didn't have a clown outfit!

Now this Momma is going to bed! I did visiting and sewing under in influence of Benadryl due to a bee sting that I got four days ago :( My poor finger is swollen itchy and painful, after several attempts I can't find the stinger.

Lobstah Roll

Yes I was born and raised in this state and yes this was my first ever lobster roll! It was so delicious!


Thanks Sami for providing me with lunch and thanks to her hubby for catching lunch for us!

My one and only niece <3

I've mentioned before how fond I am of little Sophia! She is cute, smart and spunky :) everything an auntie could ask for!

I stole this picture from her momma :) no photo credit to me ;)

Love this picture. It beams hopes and dreams of a three year old girl.

Phone photo overload

Cribbage

I totally skunked Chris at cribbage tonight :) I love when we relax playing cards after the kids are in bed.

Saiga pup joined in too. He's a bit spoiled.

BEACH DAY!

Birch Point State Park

Saturday we packed up a whole mess of kids and headed to the beach to play in the sand. We chanced getting stuck in thunder storms, the weather turned out beautiful. Sami, Randi, Nanny, the kids and I set up a huge spot and played for hours. I love the amount of friends and support I have around me right now. I love even more getting my friends together and sharing the great friendships I have. When moving to Warren it was hard, my friends were all far away and being a stay at home mom, meeting new moms was not easy. Basically it was pretty boring around here until the girls started school and I changed jobs to work closer to home.  I moved a lot as a kid so making friends and moving on was something that happened quite often :( I know now that no matter where life brings me I will always find my way back to visit and be with these ladies. Crystal, Sami and Randi thanks so much for being there for me :)

Thanks for joining us Nanny :) You are always such a great help :) Chris's Mom (Nanny) joined us at the beach. I messaged her the night before and gave her a heads up that we would be there. She was there before us with a bag full of toys and treats for all the kids waiting for us to arrive. Thanks for always being there!

Kayaking on Magunticook.

Friday I headed to the lake with Sami and Kimber after jumping through what seemed like a dozen hoops to set this trip up. In the end we went with no kids to have some much needed girl time. It was amazing, the water was cool, the sun was hot and we were full of laughs.  To be honest the only paddling we did is getting back to the middle of the lake a few times. We sat with our kayaks in a row laughing and talking like we were back in High School. It was a perfect little escape from reality.

Lesson learned, pay attention to how far you are drifting. ;)

As we were in a row laughing being silly and maybe a little inappropriate we noticed a bug on one of our kayaks. We screamed and made every, not so obvious attempt at getting the bug off. From a few feet away from the edge of the lake we heard a voice say "use your paddle". We laughed and tore out of there so fast. We had no idea how close we had drifted to someone's camp.  Sitting in their camp chairs enjoying the lake were two old ladies looking at us like we were a bunch of fools.  I am sure they got a few laughs between the bug and the conversation and silliness.  

We finished the night off with dinner at the Smoke Stack restaurant in Camden :) It was so relaxing.

It's a hard balance trying to be the best mom and taking time for yourself.

This has never been easy for me but I know how important it is when I feel so rejuvenated after a little escape.

This week has been so busy. I have ran around every day. I made a goal to stop wishing away these sweet summer days. Monday rolls around and I am wishing for Friday to get here quickly. I realized how silly that is. Summer is too short to begin with. So this week I wanted to change the pattern. I will just squeeze in more fun to make the week more enjoyable. I am going to need to hibernate this winter to catch up! Yesterday I worked until three then ran to the grocery store to buy groceries for two weeks then drove out to see Jill at her new house. Today is FH for Ry, tomorrow this house is getting a thorough cleaning and Friday will be so fun :) kayaking with Kimber and Sami.... No kids ahhhh!! :) of course the weekend will be packed with fun too! Beach day with Randi, Sami and the kids <3 she's a trooper, little Hailey will be just over two weeks. Hailey and Cody have an awesome Momma. This is the stuff that should make it to the baby book. Dragging her two week post op C section self with two kids to the beach for the entire day. First steps are recorded nowhere in our house. It is one of those situations where you think there is no way I could ever forget this day. I know the girls were around a year but I don't know the date and teeth... I couldn't even name the month. This used to bother me. To me its important to document how much I love my Kids and all the experiences we have had together. I want them to look back at pictures at the beach and know exactly how happy that day made me feel. Maybe then They will understand just how important they are to me. Documenting your love for two beings that are your whole world is not easy but I try. I want out blog be a photo album with a story included. One day I won't be here to narrate behind the scenes of photos taken.

Love your girls to the moon and back <3

Randi met me at FH to watch Ry play and visit! Thanks for being such a great friend Randi! I am a lucky girl to have so many great friends in my life!

Her first freedom with wheels.

That's right Doop Troop is on two wheels :) she is so proud of herself and she should be! I didn't even have to help her, she just took off.

Pictures from the weekend

Snuggle with Hailey on Friday night. 

Chinese with Randi, Clint and Cody :) 

BEACH DAY 

Sleepover!

Sleepover

I will admit sleepovers can be more overwhelming then enjoyable at times. There are times I bite off more than I can chew and at some point think to myself what the hell was I thinking.

I took my niece and nephew overnight and even with a headache that made my head spin, I never reached overwhelmed. The kids played so well together. I wish I could come up with the words to express how peaceful and warm my heart has felt having them here. Memories of sleepovers with my cousins resurfaced and new memories were made. There has been a lot of laughing, and negotiating between all of them. I love how they include each other :) Sophie has stuck by my side asking a million questions with her soft spoken voice. She is in awe with the girl’s room. Coming out with bracelets half up her arm with armfuls of trinkets. It has been a while since they have had a sleepover and this time it feels so different. Almost magical. Maybe that is what happens when time passes without you knowing it and you realize in the moment just how much our family is growing up. Julian who is shy and reserved in crowds is a clown, having the whole table in stitches. Sophie has grown from toddler to little girl with opinions and questions galore. We set up a huge train in the living room, turned the girl’s room into a horse pasture and made a big huge mess out of this house. Instead of stressing to keep things clean I relaxed and enjoyed the kids. Played with them and made my own messes.

FAVORITE MEMORIES

As I was telling the kids that I was half asleep at 6 in the morning still, I showed them how crazy they had been since 4:30 in the morning I knocked a family sized brand new box of Lucky Charms onto the floor and watched it spill all over the kitchen floor. THEY LAUGHED SO HARD. It was pretty funny :) 

Sophie and I made pizza while the other kids played with the train, she ate most of the mushrooms that were supposed to be on the pizza :) Then when the pizza was in the oven she lined up all Devan's owls on the floor in front of the oven to watch over the pizza. 

Julian took full charge over then fun with the train delegating roles and making every detail on numerous situations. I love to hear him play! He is very creative. 

Sophie came out from playing horsies and took me by the hand to come play saying "Auntie I need you" 

Ryleigh, Devan, Julian and Sophie were little comedians at the table :) All laughs. 

Devan and Ryleigh shared their most loved toys with Sophie making sure she was happy and at home :) They were full of pride having their cousins over. 

Four Wheeler RIDES :) 

Karen coming over covered in sweat from head to toe in her running gear making sure I was alive. Chris left the house at 5:00am. He called Karen at 8:40 after making several attempt to call me thinking I never woke up. Yeah right the kids were up at 4:30 and nobody could sleep through that noise. 

Sophie sat in my lap looking at pictures from the day before, she looked from my coffee cup to the screen several times before saying Auntie I’m thirsty. I gave her a sip and she said "umm I’m thirsty again" She was so cute staring at the cup for minutes before asking each time. 

Sophie LOVES Saiga, his back comes up to her armpit and his head is level with hers. It didn’t take her long to realize he is a gentle giant. She has dragged him all over the house by his collar, telling him sit, lay down and stay. She made up for her bossiness when she shared two cups of crackers with him. I wondered how she ate them so fast. At one point he was laying with his arms around her head and his head laying on her back. I think it is safe to say they are buddies now.

My all-time favorite was when we were at the table and I asked Julian when he wanted to go home the next day and he said with a huge smile, not until the afternoon :) 

LOVE THESE KIDS.

We are off to the park to have some more fun and love each other. I told Crystal to take the day to get her shopping and house work done. I hope she doesn't mind that I'm just not ready to give the kids back. I seriously could spend a week straight with the kids. Well if they slept past 5:00am that is ;)

7-9-13

This week has been another stressful week for me... And it's only Tuesday :( time to suck it up and appreciate the fact that I have a job. I can't help but feel stuck in life right now. Each decision depends on another, like a domino effect I feel I am stuck in molasses. I don't like when my stress affects me at home. I have been irritable and grouchy. My body feels tired and packed with stress. I can't honestly pin point it all either. A lot is work but some I feel is due to needing to do something for myself and my health. It's time to run again. It's like a mind cleanse. It can easily be just as dangerous as it is healthy in my case. I am an all or nothing girl, not a healthy combo with running. I beat myself up over standstills and you would think the world is ending with how upset setbacks make me feel. I am Hoping to sign up for the color me rad run with my girl Ryleigh, its August 24th. Who wouldn't want corn starch bombs thrown at them so you end up looking like you've been tie dyed. I am looking forward to spending time running with my little girl :) what better way to shake stress and have fun!

It's been unbelievably hot the last 2
Weeks. Well for Maine that is ;) I won't lie I love it. I took the girls to the parade on the 4th it was way too hot for them :( we left and headed to Grammy and Grampys camp to cool off :) the 4th is one of my favorite holidays. We celebrated big on Sat with fireworks, BBQ and family :) I am in love with weekends big time! Family time is the best! I get an official vacation this year at work :) first time I have taken more then a long weekend since going back to work when the girls were 4! I will get a whole 10 days off! Now just to get there without completely booking the vacation solid with plans. For now we will squeeze in as many beach/pool days as we can and enjoy every moment of summer :)

She's got game.

As a parent I am proud of my kids for trying new things. We have a list of sports the girls have "tried"  They are not wonderful at any of them but they have tried. I am not the mom yelling at the on the sideline for mistakes but I do encourage effort.  I signed Ryleigh up for field hockey and she absolutely LOVES it. I am not sure if it is because her sister is not playing and she feels cool having something of her own or maybe she is just a natural.  She is great at it :) I am the mom on the sidelines watching my kid put full effort in wanting to improve her best each time! In the past they have awkwardly kicked the soccer ball, swung the bat and jumped a tuck. They have time to grow with sports and the last couple years have been an introduction but from a moms standpoint it gets to be more and more fun to watch as your child grows and truly enjoys what they are doing.

Did I mention that she is adorable :) Love this kid.