Tuesday, October 29, 2013

And now I'm hungry

We had such a fabulous time with Connie this past weekend. It's so great to see that she hasn't changed a bit. She still looks exactly the same, too We had margaritas, went boutique shopping, had dinner, and visits with Madeline. Hopefully, we'll see her again very soon!

I have no idea what's on agenda for the remainder of the week....besides that Madeline is going through Operation Tantrum Terrors. Today was awful. I might have cried. She had a tantrum about everything. But, she had a low fever yesterday, one of her molars is finally cutting, and she's had a bit of a cold. Granted, she could have just had a bad day. Unfortunately, I am not sipping on a glass of wine right now as I type. She did have a great time in her class as usual. Perhaps tomorrow will be much better.

I'm going through a cooking rut right now. I cook 6 days per week, which I enjoy. I try my best to cook a healthy meal, but I have to keep prep time, cook time, and on the table within 20-30 minutes. On days when Tommy's in the office, I cook easy meals like pasta, crockpot meals, or baked chicken breasts and steamed veggies. It's difficult cooking with a toddler...that's for sure. Thankfully, Tommy is home most days and he watches Madeline while I cook. With that being said, I'm getting sick of my rotation. I'm open to any suggestions. I'm really not a fan of convenience foods. We will have a frozen pizza (Freschetta Brick Oven which is so yummy) once a month and I'll make boxed mac and cheese every now and then....but that's about it. However, if there is a delicious convenience meal that is also healthy, I'm all ears. Don't get me wrong...it doesn't have to be 100% healthy, but it needs to meet the food groups.

Anyway, like a I said, I haven't a clue what we are up to the rest of the week. Maybe the park tomorrow.


Monday, October 21, 2013

Fall Fun

We've had a lot of fun the past few days. Madeline went to a pumpkin patch with Gammy and Poppy, has been visited by Uncle Bran, and Gammy and Poppy are on vacation (a stay-cation) all week. At the end of the week, a very close family friend is coming to visit from Texas, so we are super exited.

Tommy has also decided to quit smoking (yay), however the past week has been "Tyrant Tommy Week." I laugh, but I know he's been miserable, extremely cranky, and frustrated. Today was better. It'll be a week tomorrow cigarette free. I'm proud of him, despite the toddler like temper tantrums. They should really send smokers to rehab for quitting. Or, perhaps, put them in a hotel for 2 weeks.

Madeline's doing better. We've had a few tantrums here and there, but she's in a better mood. The one nap is starting to get easier and we're getting into the groove of a new routine. The only thing that I hate about the one nap is that we actually have less time during the day to run errands, go to the park, outings, because of traffic around here. We'll manage, but it's still irritating. Her molars still haven't broken through, so I don't know what's up with them. They're so close!

We have Mommy and Me tomorrow and my parents both get to go, so that's exciting. It's fun getting to see them everyday this week. We do see them every Saturday/Sunday, too, which is wonderful. Gammy got to babysit Madeline this morning while I went to a dentist appointment. I can't wait until they are retired, but they're still very young and have a bit before that.

Connie (family friend visiting) arrives on Thursday. I know on Saturday we are going to go to a Pumpkin Fest on the downtown square. Hopefully, we'll have enough time. We are going to attempt morning...we'll see how that goes. I'm sure shopping, eating, and margaritas will also be on the agenda as well. I can't wait to see her...it's been years.

Here are a few photos from the past couple of days:














Wednesday, October 16, 2013

So I Cried

The past two weeks or so since I updated have been busier than presumed. I'm not exactly sure why..but I prefer to be busy, so that's a plus. Since the last update we tried an amazing Italian restaurant with my parents and I've also turned my Mom onto my favorite sushi spot. We went again the other night with my parents for sushi. And when I say "night," I mean 5pm. We also went to one of my favorite luncheon spots with Ray and Sandra last Thursday.

Tommy was on vacation all last week, so we had a lot of family time. He was able to finally go to Madeline's class and we ended up dropping her to one nap. She could have waited a few more weeks before we dropped her, but since she was taking awhile to fall asleep at night, we decided to go ahead and do it. So, it's been a big adjustment the past week. She's doing okay, and I'm doing okay...just trying to get used to the new schedule, and figuring everything out. It'll probably take a few weeks for everything to flow normally again.

We thew a bridal shower for Rick and Shelby on Saturday, and that went well...and then Leia and Zach came over for a visit on Sunday..which was a blast. We also have family coming in town soon which is very exciting, and my Dad is on vacation next week, too, so it'll be nice to see him everyday. With that being said, the next couple of months will most likely be busy. We also decided to do Thanksgiving at our house this year with Tommy's family plus mine. It's too hard to try to go to two places without being rushed and keeping Madeline on her schedule...and not really fair to either party. So, we are excited to be hosting Thanksgiving at our house and hope to keep the tradition for awhile.

This week has had ups and downs. Madeline turned 14 months on Monday. She started making a few new sounds this week. Since I updated last, she's started twirling while dancing (And, no, I didn't teach her), walking backwards, efficiently kicking a ball, bouncing a ball, and bouncing on a trampoline (in her class). She also moved up to the next level in class on Tuesday. This class is for 14mo-24mo, so now she's the wee one in class, but once her other friends start walking better in her old class, they'll move up. At the end of her new class, they have the parents sit back and watch all the kids play in the middle of the room. Madeline was particularly clingy in this class..I'm sure due to all the new faces and realizing that everyone is walking/running/talking. Anyway, at the end of class while I had to sit back, I thought Madeline would want me considering she was so clingy. But, nope, she was fine...didn't even look for me. Played well with the other kids and was having a great time. And so I started crying (quietly). My sweet baby is growing up so fast and she's becoming more and more independent. I think I tried yawning about 30 times so it was not evident that I was having a moment. Don't get me wrong...I don't hover over her in class, but for safety reasons I have to stay within a few feet. But, this was bittersweet watching her. Hopefully during the next class I won't be crying.

Today was a very hard day. It was a screaming, meltdown festival in our house. I'm not too sure why...maybe just a bad day or her molars bothering her. She cried all day long with the exception of going to Target. I had no plans to go to Target today, but I had to get out of the house. I asked her if she wanted to go, and she pointed at her shoes, grabbed them, sat down for me to put them on, then bolted to the garage door, clapping in anticipation...so she was pretty excited for the errand.  I'm hoping tomorrow will be back to normal. With the exception of this morning, she's been sleeping until 8am. I'm not sure if it's due to the new nap adjustment, molars, or just a fluke. Only time will tell. She still slept in about 20 minutes later than usual this morning, but definitely not 8am. I'm not complaining. If she continues to sleep later and later, I will be one exited Mama!

Lil' Owl




Please turn on the music!

Upstairs, please!

"I'm like a bird."


I know I'm fabulous.
I'm not too sure what's in store the rest of the week. Tomorrow, we might have to run another errand, then go to the park on Friday. Saturday, we are trying to attempt a pumpkin patch. I'll probably bake something and I know we'll see my parents this weekend. I'm sure it'll be a great end of the week.