Big Week!

I have been MIA from the blog scene for quite some time now! But what better time to return than a BIG week like this?! :) This week Madyson completed her first week of 1st grade. She came home from her first day at school and exclaimed, "Mommy, I love it!!" I was so happy to hear that, but not surprised. She has always enjoyed school, not only because it comes easy to her but also because she loves having plenty of interaction with other children her age. That whole 4 hour Kindergarten day was just never enough for her, 1st grade seems to fit well.

Madyson was very excited about her new backpack! She loves iCarly even though I don't really like her watching the show. It seems that 6 years old is the year that I have to allow Mady to have more freedom... unless of course I want to have a power struggle every day! Uhh no thanks! But I have to admit, its not easy allowing her to pick out her clothes and how to do her hair. :( I guess I have to let her become her unique self some time and this year is the year.

Baby boy Chance was a bit Grumpy! lol Not really, it was just early and he was a bit serious. It's tough to find him grumpy, this picture makes me laugh! Maybe he was just sad that big sister wouldn't be home to play with him any more during the day. ;)







Mady wasn't placed in the class with her closest friends from the year prior. They all got split up and she was initially sad about that. It turns out that their classes are close together and they still play at recess. How cool is that!? :)


This is Kyle, one of her good friends from Kindergarten. They share the same birthday and their size difference is astonishing! I love how well they get along despite how much they are ALIKE! I hope they stay friends for many years to come, I have a feeling they will.

I am excited about the 1st grade and the adventures it will have in store for Madyson! She has a much better teacher this year who is not only enthusiastic about teaching, but who actually appears to know what he is doing! :) That's a big plus!

Mady has also begun to dance competitively with KFD in Riverside. It was a big commitment and I was hesitant initially. But after thinking it over and talking with Mady we decided to give it a try. She absolutely loves it and has already begun to blossom more than I could have imagined. I am so happy to see her have something that she is so proud of and that she loves to go to every day! After school she comes home excited to get ready for dance and to see the other girls on the team. I love that she loves it so much! :) 

Above is Madyson with her teacher Ms. Kayla! That picture was taken on her first day learning her solo with Ms. Kayla. It was cute because they had matching Nike's! :) Mady loves all of her teachers and so do I! And below that is Mady with her good friend Julie! They're both two of the "new" girls on the team and have become great friends! :)

This week we also welcomed a new member to the fam -- Lux Elizabeth! She was 6 lbs 5 oz and 18 inches long, born on September 1st at 4:30 pm. :) She belongs to my little sis Sam!

Lux is a tiny little bundle of loveliness and I am so excited to get to know her! Our family is huge and amongst us siblings we have had way more boys than girls! So adding Baby Lux to our family is even more exciting because girls are rather rare! I can't wait to watch her grow, dress her up, and see who she is! Oh how I already love this little doll! <3

And even though Mr. Big Brother Andrew likes to pretend like he is too cool for school and tried to refuse to take pictures with his beautiful baby sister, it is evident that he too is in love with this sweet baby girl! Such a great week of new beginnings, new life, and so many things to be thankful for!

My baby turns 6!!!

Six years ago today my life changed in a way I could never imagine was possible -- I became a MOM! Now I won't pretend it was all peachy keen from the get go, becoming a mother is not for the weak! But I could have never imagined I would be able to love someone as much as I loved this little girl from the first moment we met! She became the center of my life, the thing I lived for. Every year I am more and more amazed by who she is, how she's grown, and what she is capable of. Not a day goes by that I don't smile, secretly giggle (or sometimes when I lack self control laugh out loud!), or write in her memory doc about something genius she said without even realizing how brilliant she really is!! She constantly keeps us on our toes as parents, catching every detail and remembering everything -- even the things we wish she would forget! Her ability to master whatever is put in front of her astounds me, but her big heart makes me the most proud!

From the start she has been THE easiest child a parent could ever ask for. Sleeping through the night when she was only weeks old, having to be woken to eat, and just being all around easy going. As she gets older parenting becomes more challenging because she is too dang smart! (As if that is something any parent should complain about!)

This is Mady and her cousin Briar at 3 months and 2 months old, Briar is younger!

She is always keeping us in check! ;) One of my favorite stories to share is how when she was about four years old we were driving and the person in front of me had not only cut in front of me but was going super slow. Naturally I was frustrated as heck and running my mouth about how they needed to learn how to drive (typical road rage!). Then I hear from the back seat, "Mom you need to be patient and you need to be nice!". I mean WOW who can argue with that? She was just throwing back at me the morals I was always trying to instill in her and you know what, I was so proud of her at that moment!! :) Without a doubt she makes my job tougher and definitely keeps me on my toes, reminding me to practice what I preach!! So yes, she is compliant (for the most part) and easy going, but you bet your butt she is going to stand up and speak her mind -- I couldn't be more pleased with that!! :)

She is an animal lover by nature and cares deeply about anything that is living, and that includes plants/flowers!! She is a passionate person (I have no idea where she gets that from?! ;)) and is generally eager to take the lead. One of her downfalls is her ability to be too straight forward, and though I desperately try to teach her how to be more gentle in her approach about things this is one of our obstacles. I mean, it's not super easy to teach your child a skill that you yourself are working to acquire! ;)

 Other than weight -- Derek and I didn't change much in three years!

As Madyson continues to grow and blossom I feel that I continue to grow as well. She teaches me daily how to let the small things go, to BE easy going, to appreciate the little things that I often overlook, to be patient and kind, and most importantly she teaches me to nurture relationships with love. The more I show her love, patience, kindness, respect, and adoration, the more she grows and gives that back to her relationships. I love this beautiful little person I am so proud to call my daughter.

Today I told someone it was my daughter's birthday and they said, "Well happy birthday to you!" and you know what, it seems so simple but really I had never thought of it that way. This day is so special to me not just because my baby is one year older, but its the day I started the most important job my life would ever entail! A job I am so proud of and that truly fulfills my life! :)

Happy 6th Birthday Madyson Rose!

A good perspective...

I have always found this saying to be inspirational and a reminder to keep things in the right perspective. Its too easy to get caught up in the little things in life and forget about what is important. This helps me remember...

Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. Your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown.
None can live without toil and a craft that provides your needs is a blessing indeed. But if you toil without rest, fatigue and weariness will overtake you, and you will be denied the joy that comes from labour's end.
Speak quietly and kindly and be not forward with either opinions or advice. If you talk much, this will make you deaf to what others say, and you should know that there are few so wise that they cannot learn from others.
Be near when help is needed, but far when praise and thanks are being offered.
Take small account of might, wealth and fame, for they soon pass and are forgotten. Instead, nurture love within you and strive to be a friend to all. Truly, compassion is a balm for many wounds.
Treasure silence when you find it, and while being mindful of your duties, set time aside, to be alone with yourself.
Cast off pretense and self-deception and see yourself as you really are.
Despite all appearances, no one is really evil. They are led astray by ignorance. If you ponder this truth always you will offer more light, rather than blame and condemnation.
You, no less than all beings have Buddha Nature within. Your essential Mind is pure. Therefore, when defilements cause you to stumble and fall, let not remorse nor dark foreboding cast you down. Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and walk on.
Faith is like a lamp and wisdom makes the flame burn bright. Carry this lamp always and in good time the darkness will yield and you will abide in the Light.

Dhammavadaka

Current Shenanigans Part II

Today both of my babies were home sick while I had to be cooped up in an office working my butt off to complete work so that I would not have to do it at home! :( It's no fun to have sick kids and even less fun to not be able to stay home and take care of them. But I am thankful that their loving daddy and aunt Sammie were able to care for them so I could rest assured that they were well cared for! I am hoping they both wake up feeling much better and Mady is able to go to school, she gets so bummed when she misses.

Currently Chance has been growing and growing and growing. When I got home from work today I told my sister, "Gosh it looks like he's gotten bigger!" Ha! But I wasn't really joking, I swear he seems to get bigger and bigger and he continues to do new things which is incredibly fun to watch! He has been rolling over and reaching for toys, and of course no one really cares about any of that but ME! ;) But lets pretend you care too! hahaha!

 Chance recently learned how to take his sassy (our word for pacifier) out and successfully put it back into his mouth. He does this quite frequently!

Another thing he does quite frequently is get annoyed if Mom gets in front of his view of the TV to take a picture when he is trying to watch Baby Einsteins or Curious George! ;)

And he also insists on holding his own bottle! This is quite funny because he gets so upset if you move his hands, even if his "holding" the bottle is pushing it out of his mouth. This little guy is definitely strong willed! (Please pay no attention to the hardly out of season Santa bib! It only adds character!)

Chance has also begun to absolutely ADORE his big sister! It is the cutest thing ever! He hears her voice and he will look around for her, she can make him smile at the mere sound of her chipmunk voice, and if he is crying she is now able to not just soothe him but also entertain him. It is just so sweet to see how much they love each other and how much little brother already looks up to his big sis! I took some photos of them when they were both sick laying in my bed.

Chance yells, "SISTER!! Pay attention to me!!"

 This one cracks me up! Chance is completely uninterested in his sister's crazy squeals!

Dinner time has also been a lot of fun around our home because Chance has begun to "eat" rice cereal (meaning put cereal in his mouth so that it can be spit right back out). He loves sitting with us at dinner time like he is a big boy!

And Mady has begun to take great pride in being my helper at dinner time! She really likes to help set the table and bring down the plates and drinks. It's sweet that she likes to help and great to see her feel good about contributing to the family.

A picture is worth a thousand words, that's all I think when I see this photo! Hahaha! :)



In other big news Madyson lost her first tooth!! That was HUGE! I will have to post pictures later to show what the tooth fairy brought! ;) Soccer sign ups are currently taking place by our home so Mady will finally start playing soccer! I could not be more excited about that! You know I am going to be that loud, annoying, overly intense cheering (but only positive cheering!!) mother on the side lines!!! Hahaha and I couldn't be more proud to have that job!

My sister April and her family are coming to visit and stay with us in just a couple of weeks!! We could not be more excited about that since we haven't seen them for a looonnggg time and Derek and I will both be taking time off to enjoy their visit!! But I am also still working on organizing that spare room (ugh!).

And lastly I have begun to plan Madyson's 6th birthday party which is coming up in April! ;( Goodness, I have realized I have a harder time with my babies growing up than I do with me getting older! Weird?! Well, anyways, she is going to have a Hello Kitty birthday party (her pick) and I have begun to plan and get my creative juices flowing. This is a big year for her birthday, she is a BIG kid now and will have a real birthday party that does not just involve family but also school friends! :) How exciting for her and how fun to plan!

So that is enough rambling for one night, hope it wasn't too incredibly informative and boring! Here is some food for thought for you! It's from a blog I recently started following. The author offers daily, or nearly daily, little pieces of encouragement and things to think about. I have found it to be quite inspiring: http://drcrew.blogspot.com/

It is our mind that creates the kind of life we live.

If we think positively we will transform our life accordingly. Everything starts from within, from the most simple action to the greatest achievement.

We cannot always have control over our external circumstances, but we can control our inner world of thoughts, where everything starts. We can't always control our outer universe, but we can, with some effort, control our inner universe.

Current Shenanigans Part I

It feels like it has been forever since I have given this little blog my attention!! I come here every so often to read the blogs I follow, look for new ones, and attempt to start a new entry just to be interrupted by more  pressing things (i.e. the million reports that are due for work as of yesterday, the organizing of my spare room, etc.). So since my last entry a LOT has happened with our little family. We celebrated birthdays with friends and family and have two more birthdays this weekend. Is it just me or does it feel like everyone and their mom (literally) were born in Feb, March, or April?! Maybe we just know a lot of spring babies, not sure, but it feels like we have a birthday to celebrate for the next eight weeks!! Not to mention mine and Mady's!! :)

Besides birthdays we have also had some other exciting things going on. We were able to go to Disneyland last week and had a great time with people we love! :) Terry and Tiff were able to go with us and it was Terry's birthday! :) My somewhat new mom friend Stephanie, Mady's school buddy Kyle, and his little sister Hadley all enjoyed a day at Dland with us too! It was a super fun day, can't wait to do it again!

Kyle and Madyson -- I love that she is waaayyy over accessorized, just the way she likes it!! hahaha!

These girls love each other, here they are waiting as patiently as possible to meet the ever so popular RAPUNZEL!!

Evidently I am not as patient, nor as eager, to wait in the hour and fifteen minute line while holding my 15 pound chubster!!! Okay, okay it wasn't that bad, definitely worth the smiles that came with finally getting to see the princess and all the hair!!

The wait was well worth it! :)

The kids got to meet some characters throughout the parks and it was nice because neither park was super busy! But it did suck that there was NO show at either park for the night -- so not cool!

The Mad Hatter was hilarious! He was trying to explain to MADy that she was wearing a hat and her name was MAD so she was just like him! hahaha! Guess its one of those things you had to be there to find funny?

This was right after we had gone on the Tea Cups, surprisingly it wasn't too bad!

Okay, I know this photo isn't spectacular and obviously its blurry. But how priceless is Mady's face? I love this photo, to see the excitement in her face as she runs away from a waving Minnie who she had just met for the 100th time and yet is still so stoked!! How precious is childhood? Definitely one of the best parts of being a parent for me is getting to see my child so happy and to see how huge her imagination really is. Gosh I never want her to grow up, stay little forever my baby!! :)

Even though three can be a crowd, all in all it was a great day! :)

It's off to dreamland for me so that I can wake up at 6 am for work! More to come tomorrow about other shenanigans and possibly some Hannah's happenings? lol

Growing Times

We had a pretty good weekend, and it's not over yet! Friday we had a photographer come to our house to take Chance's pictures and some family shots. It was a lot of work to get everything together (i.e. outfits, props, hair/makeup between feedings!) and to make sure I had happy people to be in the photographs (i.e. a fed husband and infant, daughter who was bribed to take good pictures in exchange for a slurpee after! :)). But needless to say my hard work and extra effort paid off and I was rewarded with some SUPER cute snapshots! We haven't gotten to see the finished product yet but the pictures pre-edited were really cute! After pictures we rushed to Mady's friday dance class and then Derek had his weekly basketball game. It was a pretty productive Friday!

I have started to get my energy back which had disappeared when I had to find a way to add work back into my already packed routine! Since getting my energy back I have had an itch (a good itch I must say!) to organize my house and get back to decorating!! So Saturday I cleaned up and began organizing during the day and have begun to put together different visual ideas of how I want to decorate certain areas of the house. We have an extra room that is suppose to be our "office/guest room" but in reality it has turned into an unorganized room with all the stuff that I couldn't find a place for in another area of the house! lol SO my newest project is to organize the heck out of that room in the coming month and as a reward, when I finish we are getting a new bed and moving our bed to the spare room! Hopefully in time for my sister's visit in late March! AND I want to finally complete decorating Chance's room since I expect that he will be sleeping there by mid April! I have a lot to do but thank goodness for this energy and urge to do it! :) Maybe I will have a party when it's all complete?! Hahaha!

In other news Madyson has her first loose tooth and it should be falling out any day now! The new tooth has already begun to grow in behind it, which by the way totally freaked me out! But it appears that the small tooth just needs to come out so the big tooth can move right into place! Just one more reminder that my baby is growing up, I love those reminders! ;(

We were discussing the tooth fairy and I asked, "so what does the tooth fairy bring?" and Madyson said, "Well, (she paused in her grown up explaining something to someone way) she can bring money or small gifts or jewelry. She can bring whatever she wants. She just wants kids to know that they're special." I replied, "Oh because all kids are special huh?" and she said, "Yeah Mom, everyone is special in their own way, even adults!" :) I just gave her a big smooch on the cheek! She is so sweet and genuine and I LOVE that about her! We have had some trying times lately as she struggles to share all the love and attention with her little brother. And although it's been tough as she tries my patience and tests the limits, one thing I can say I am thankful for is that she never gets mad at Chance. She still adores him and babies him and loves him. She tests me to see how much I love her and how much I can handle her tough behaviors (which are hardly tough in comparison!). I love my sweet little girl even through the tough times. In reality the tough times are short lived and in hindsight hardly as tough as I see them at the moment. :) I wish my beautiful babies could stay little forever, but since they refuse to I will cherish every day with them, even the tough ones!

Well it's almost time for Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion Part Two! LOL And I have no shame in admitting that it is one of the highlights of my week so I am going to go cuddle with the hubby and enjoy my show! :)

Doesn't get any better than this!

What am I doing up right now? All I know is I will regret it in the morning...but oh well! ;) This past weekend was one of the best weekends I have had in a loooonnnggg time! I was spoiled by my ever so awesome husband who cooked me a steak and lobster dinner TWO nights!!! Took me on a shoe shopping spree!!!! Loved me up with cuddling and kisses!!!! AND bought me a new phone since my Blackberry was failing me, I got the new Droid X! It really isn't about the things he bought me, although I always welcome gifts(!!!), but it was about how special he made me feel! Our time together is minimal since we have had to return to work and the little time we have together is often packed with busy time! It felt so good to focus on each other and to just enjoy one another. It just reminds me of why we are so perfect together and why I fell so deeply in love with this wonderful man I call my husband. I am so lucky to have him and I can't wait for these next few hectic months to be over!

I was spoiled with gifts this Valentines Day which really is a bit unusual. I love the holiday but we don't usually take it all that seriously! But hey I am not going to complain about a holiday that reminds you to appreciate the one you love. :)

Derek surprised me with these beautiful flowers!! :) I am a floral fanatic!!

Madyson and Tiff right before they headed off to Disneyland for the day!

Mady brought home this stylish ring for me for Valentine's Day. So sweet of her to think of her Mom while at Disneyland surrounded by thousands of goods that I know her little heart craved for herself! :)

Madyson worked hard on her personalized Vday cards! Too bad a lot of kids in her class have crazy names that I wouldn't dare try to spell!

And Little Chunk (LC) enjoyed watching his sister write out her cards while drooling and chomping on his fists! Can that first tooth come already?!

Madyson loved her Valentine's gifts from her two favorite friends from school! :)

Since returning to work I have found that I have far less time to write on here and I don't like that! I think I am just still adjusting to being a working mother of two young children while also keeping my husband happy! It's a tough job but nothing this wonder woman can't handle! ;) I will sign off with some cute photos of my sweet little valentines! :)

Cool guy pose! lol

My beautiful Rose!

This is his everyday face! He can brighten anyone's day with that little smile!