Catch-up!

Sadly I have not taken pictures of the last few days and all the fun things we have done and people we've seen.  On Friday Robbie and I got to meet our friends' new baby - she was so tiny and beautiful!  I kept looking between Robbie toddling around their coffee table (holding on, of course) and the 3 week old baby just feet from him, and got a little nervous about what we are in for!

Yesterday my mom, sister and I drove to Indianapolis (Carmel) to help throw a shower for my cousins.  2 of them are having babies and one is getting married... all in the next 3-4 months!  It was great to have such a happy reason to get together with extended family.  I left Robbie home with daddy since it was just a day trip (7 hours total in the car in one day is a bit much to ask).  Apparently they had a blast together - they hit up 2 parks, and Robbie stayed on his typical sleeping and eating schedule thanks to dad.  I didn't even get one phone call the whole day!  I couldn't have been more impressed, or grateful for my wonderful husband . :)

And last week, I meant to post a few pictures from the afternoon we spent at the Arboretum with our good friends Riley and Heather!  It was a hot day, and the kids loved playing in the water tables, soaking their clothes.  

As far as the pregnancy goes, I am definitely feeling like I am in the home stretch.  I woke up at 5am this morning with a charlie horse in my calf that would not go away!  It was brutal, and I popped out of bed way too fast to stretch it out and gave myself a nice long round of Braxton Hicks, followed by a morning of belly-ache.  This was a daily battle in my pregnancy with Robbie, and Gatorade right before bed solved the problem.  Thankfully, I am not swelling up like I did with Robbie!  I can't figure out why.  I'm thankful that it's not an issue this time around though.

We are now getting ready for one of my favorite friends, Jen (and her son Tyler) to come on Tuesday for a visit all the way from Florida!  I'm sure we'll have lots of fun stories and pictures from our time together this week.  It will be the first time I've seen her since my wedding, and we are excited to meet each others' sons and for the boys to play together since they are just 2 months apart in age.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend was a great time...  It was our first summer trip to the house (outside of 'opening' it up and cleaning it out), and it was so nice to get back into the laid back routine of life in northeastern Indiana for a few days. 

But first things first:

Would you believe that my first early-morning trip into town to retrieve my coveted cake-with-sprinkles donut from Tom's was a bust!?  There are 2 Tom's Donuts - one at '4 corners' (right along the channel that connects Lake James and Jimmerson Lake), and one on the main road that runs through Angola.  And the second one is ALWAYS out of cake-with-sprinkles donuts by the time I get there (I refuse to patronize their establishment anymore, out of protest).    Anyways, so on Memorial Day we decided it was a donut morning and Mom, Robbie and I piled into the car, as we were the only ones awake at 7am.  We headed to Tom's at 4 corners, hoping they wouldn't be sold out of my donut.  What we saw when we came up over the hill was a line of about 40 people in front of the donut shop!  Apparently everyone else wanted Memorial Day donuts too.  Oh, and no - the line is NEVER this long.  Did that deter us?  The sane answer would be yes.  The real answer is no.  My sweet, blessed mother made me drop her off so that she could stand in line and buy us all donuts - and you KNOW it was mainly because of me and my craving!  Oh the lengths a mom will go for her children.  I was kicking myself for not having a camera with me, you would have thought someone was handing out cash the way people were lined up... 30 minutes later she emerged with a dozen donuts, half of which were cake-with-sprinkles just for me.

Robbie enjoyed getting back out on the boat.  It was such a change from last summer - he used to lay on the seat next to me and just fall asleep to the hum of the motor.  This year he was crawling/cruising around the boat, honking the horn, and always wanting to climb up on grandpa's lap to drive the boat.  We decided it was time to lay down the law and make him wear his lifejacket anytime he was on the boat, which he didn't seem to mind too much (thanks to Neoprene!).

I cannot believe how much bigger / older he looks in this picture (above) compared to last year.

Happy little Livingston family!

Kelsey's boyfriend Dave joined us for a little over a day, and we all really enjoyed meeting him for the first time and getting to know him.  He fit right in with everyone and was fun to have around!

Robbie and I stayed back during the ski runs, since I am just too far along to enjoy riding in the boat for very long / in choppy water / in the heat of the sun.  We would nap, eat, play in the pool, or swing while everyone was gone.  Usually Grandma stayed back with us and those were fun times together, even if they were on land!

We filled the baby pool with warm water, and might have added some bubble bath to kill 2 birds with one stone.  Robbie played in there for a very long time, and had a blast.  He repeatedly put his face in the water when we asked him to!  The tumbler cup provided much entertainment as well, as he tried to pour water over his own head (missing every time) and practiced drinking (pool/bath water) out of it.  

Watching for the boat with Grandma...

Robbie enjoyed breakfast on Grandma's lap, stealing pieces of her donut.

He also couldn't get enough of his uncles and aunt Christine... they would patiently play with him as often as possible.  Here he enjoys erasing on the Magna-Doodle while making his new favorite face - the dirty look.  No idea where it came from, but it's pretty funny.

Showing us that he knows how to climb!  He scales the back of the couch no problem. And the coffee table.

Playing 'smoosh the bug' with Grandpa.

The Livingston Boys... aren't they handsome!?!?

We were really sad to see our time together end.  It went by so quickly, and other highlights included:

- poker night

- playing bags in the driveway

- Ryan learning to ski

- sweet tea from McD's

- fairly calm water 90% of the time, and decent weather too

We certainly missed my brother, Collin, and yet we know that he is right where he needs to be right now - training in Oklahoma City to become an Air Traffic Controller!  :)

Oh my goodness...

...is it me, or does that stork on my baby girl ticker look like it's about to drop a little pink bundle into our nest any second?  Yikes.

*******************

Yesterday we marked two big milestones in Robbie's young life - he stood up in his highchair (I was there, don't worry), and he played 'sand and water table' in the toilet.  I usually remember to keep the lid down in all of the bathrooms, but as I was putting clothes away in his room and allowed him to crawl away for just a moment, I heard splashing from the bathroom.  I realized with horror that the bathtub was of course not full, and the only water he could be splashing in was toilet water.

So gross.  I washed him clean, but for the rest of the night would not let him touch my face.  

*******************

Not that I'm the most consistent blogger around, but I thought I'd let you know that we'll be taking a long Memorial Day weekend trip to the lake house and won't be posting anything until we're home late next week.  Robbie and I are excited that we get to spend all of our days with Daddy for about a week, and we cannot wait to see Aunt Kelsey (& meet her boyfriend Dave), Uncle Brad, Aunt Christine and Uncle Ryan!!  Grandma and Grandpa Armbruster will of course be there too, which is always fun ( and so very helpful to me especially).  

Did I mention that I'm looking forward to my Tom's Donut - frosted cake with sprinkles?  I wonder:  if I bought a bunch to bring home, would they keep well in the freezer?  Anyone tried this before?  (I'm only expecting prego's / former prego's to answer.  The rest of you have probably never visited this point of desperation for a good donut.)

*****************

I've been working on a few projects that I'll reveal later, which I think you'll enjoy seeing.  Several have to do with the anticipation of our baby girl, and several of the projects are things we're just having done around the house.  ALL of them are fun, pretty, and exciting to me! 

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend, and we'll see you when we're more relaxed and hopefully tanned.  :)

I heart daddy. And couscous.

Tonight I made BBQ chicken and couscous for dinner.  After Robbie ate an entire, large orange (of course cut into pieces), I decided that he could have what we were having for dinner, too.  I got out his bowl and spoon, which I am not good about doing, and we practiced 'scoop... then eat!'.  Takes so long.  Such a messy process.  But I suppose using a spoon is a life-long skill that he must learn, and soon. :)  The couscous was a perfect consistency for this task - sticky enough that it was pretty easy to scoop, small enough that he could easily get it onto the spoon... and of course, at one point somehow he caught the spoon on the side of the bowl and ended up flipping couscous at his face!  You can see some of the remnants of it on his temple in this picture, but his whole face was covered.  He thought it was hilarious.  Thankfully, he also really liked my couscous!

Trying very hard!

Getting hungry, and in a moment of weakness, digs in with his hands.

Daddy usually comes home right in the middle of Robbie's dinnertime.  I had my camera out already, capturing our moments with the spoon, and caught these images of a little boy who adores his daddy.

You're HOME!!!  (You're way more fun than mommy.)  Look what I'm doing!

Daddy gives Robbie some love, which Robbie obviously soaks up.

Look at that smile and expression!  Totally smitten, in adoration of his dad.  I love it.

Time to pray for Bentley

If you aren't aware, this sweet little girl is currently in open heart surgery and needs our prayers, as do her parents.  http://www.youandmeplusthree.com/  (I don't know them personally.)  You can visit their blog to read about Bentley or leave some encouragement for her parents today as they wait through her surgery.

I just can't imagine being in their shoes...

Nesting at 100mph

One of the most satisfying feelings in the WORLD to me in my current state, which is prego with a long list of things I'd love to get done in the next 6 weeks before our sweet baby girl arrives, is checking things off my to-do list.  

Before you get all 'life is not a to-do list' or 'enjoy the journey' on me, please remember...

I have baby #2 coming in (most likely less than) 6 weeks, after which I will have 2 kids under 2 years old.  I am pretty much assuming that this is going to mean that life as I have known it (even with one young child) is going to be turned upside down, and at that point I might consider going to the gas station or grocery store 'going out' and reason to 'dress up' (read: change out of sweats and into jeans and a T-shirt that is hopefully clean or at least recently wiped clean of spit-up).  Who knows how long it will be until I am able to emerge from that phase, right?

So combine my tendencies towards Type-A personality with my prego nesting urges, drop that into my current 6 week countdown, and you get where I'm at mentally.  My brain is experiencing Braxton-Hicks along with my belly.  Enjoying the journey for me, right now, means Getting. Things. Done.

And today was like something out of a dream.  

Robbie woke up late, was happy, and ate a huge breakfast.  Then he took a 4 hour morning nap, during which I:

• watered the new and transplanted bushes Rob planted this past weekend
• got myself ready for the day (you know this is an accomplishment, don't laugh)
• had an estimate given to us for an upcoming home project that I pray is completed before our baby girl's arrival
• researched wetsuits online
• cleaned the kitchen, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher
• ran a load of laundry
• ate lunch
• cleaned out my van
• packed Robbie's diaper bag up for the afternoon

Once he was awake, we bolted out the door to get some shopping done.  We went to Dick's, the outlet mall, and Fox Valley Mall and shopped in 6 different stores.  Successful purchases included:

• summer shorts for daddy (only took one try this time, usually takes about 5!)
• wetsuit for the lake house this summer

After we got home from shopping, I put Robbie to bed just before the carpet installation crew arrived.  It might as well be Christmas Day - now I can let Robbie walk and crawl around in this room, watch TV, etc. without worrying about exposed carpet tacks and him falling or tripping and cracking his head on the cement floor!  I was so excited, I took 'before' and 'after' pictures.  (Please ignore the drapes and wall color... I know they're not awful, but they're on my to-do list.  More like my to-dispose-of list.)

BEFORE

AFTER

While the carpet was being installed, I packed my bag for our upcoming trip to the lake house, picked up Rob's and my clothes, sorted dirty laundry and dry cleaning for tomorrow, and straightened our bedroom up - a surprise for Rob from his 'little tornado'.

After the carpet installation was over, I vacuumed it as well as the couches.  

I even remembered to DVR American Idol for Rob since he was working late this evening.

I almost feel euphoric just typing this all out.  I was long overdue for a day like this.  :)

Definitely a Monday

It was a fairly uneventful day... until 'the diaper' happened just before bed (well, bedtime #2).

**********************

I took Robbie to the pediatrician this morning because he woke up feeling worse, not better (getting a chest cough, no sign of the nose drying up).  Turns out he has an ear infection as well.  Baby = falling apart.  Poor guy.

Had a blood-pressure-raising moment during the office visit when another baby was taken out of the office by stretcher to an ambulance because of respiratory distress.  I felt awful for the parents, who were obviously upset, and after our nurse left us in our little room but before the doctor came in, Robbie and I prayed out loud for them.  

Picked up Robbie's prescription and my 8x10 prints at Walgreens.  I can't wait to get the pictures up on our mantle!  

Grandma came by to nap Robbie for me while I went to my every-two-weeks-now doctor's appointment this afternoon.  It was delayed over an hour because the receptionists booked the doctor with patients for a full hour before she was scheduled to be in the office.  Therefore, this became the biggest event in my day.  ::seriously?::

Went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to spend the afternoon and evening with them while Daddy worked late.  Attempted to eat out together at Cracker Barrel.  Destroyed Cracker Barrel, like we do all restaurants these days.  

Put Robbie to bed at G and G's house while we watched the season finale of 24.  He woke up right at the end of the show, coughing deeply and crying.  Headed home...

Robbie and Daddy wrestle and play for a little while - until Robbie has the foulest smelling diaper and Rob needs to go to bed.  I take him to his room to change him, and in one quick movement after I have opened up his diaper, Robbie yanks on the top of it and pulls it off of himself and up his belly.  He's never done this before.  Poop everywhere.  Stinky, sick-poop.  On my hand, his arm, his belly, clothes, back... awesome.  He has a fit of giggles and seems proud of his accomplishment.  I am grossed out, exhausted, and wondering what I was thinking when we decided 15 1/2 months apart was enough.  Enjoy a few moments of Braxton-Hicks (sarcasm)... Relax.  Was going to run a hot shower and sit in the bathroom and read with him to de-congest his sinuses.  Decide on throwing him directly into a bath instead.  Bath is fun, but has to end eventually.

Meltdown when I lift him out of the bath.

Meltdown when I try to get a diaper on him.

Meltdown when I put his arms through his pj sleeves.

Meltdown after I let him flip the light switch and then try to carry him out of the bathroom.

Lay my little boy down in his crib and say goodnight, and never hear another peep or see any movement from him.  Is it possible to fall instantly asleep?  I think he did.  

Snot, poop, fits and all - I love this boy with all my heart.

A nice little collection of randoms

What do you expect?  

Some of the profound and not-so-deep thoughts that are swirling through my head right now...

- I must pack my hospital bag before I forget and one day soon go into labor and find myself totally unprepared.  (A paralyzing thought to someone like me.)

- I have been considering removing my 'baby girl' ticker at the top of our blog, because it makes my heart pound every time I look at it and realize our countdown is nearing its end!

- Although we had a lovely life before starting a family, sometimes looking at pictures of Rob and I before we had Robbie makes me sad.  I can't believe there was a time that he did not exist as a part of 'us'! 

- People told me not to buy clothes for Robbie and our little girl on the way that would require ironing.  Crumply cotton outfits, shirts with collars... and you know what?  Turns out, I LOVE ironing baby clothes!!  It hasn't stopped me yet and I'm not sure it ever will.  Plus when the clothes are the size of your hand, all you are basically doing is setting down the iron once and boom, the shirt/outfit is pressed.  And oh, how I love a crisp button down shirt or tidy polo on my little guy.

- Some of my maternity tanks are actually starting to do that thing where they pop up over my belly underneath whatever shirt I have on over it.  Meaning: my belly is getting to big for MATERNITY TOPS.  Ladies, you know what I am talking about.  Please tell me you know what I'm talking about.  

- If I get the nurse at my doctor's office tomorrow that laughs after I step on the scale, it's going to get ugly.

- I really want to wallpaper a room in our house.  I probably never will, but I just love what I've seen lately.

- It's going to get into the 80's this week!  I'm breaking out Robbie's new $5 pool for the back deck.  I may throw some bath soap in there too, if I'm feeling lazy / lunch was especially messy / the neighbors aren't looking.  The whole idea reeks of class, doesn't it?  Don't worry, I'll take pictures just for you.

- I feel like I am in my favorite place in the world when I look out the back window at my husband working in the yard, while my son is eating (smearing) his lunch (all over his head).

- I want to be smarter about frugality.  This weekend I bought Ginger Peach tea bags, and paying $5 for the jar of 50 sachets seemed indulgent.  However, I am IN LOVE with this tea (hot or cold).  It was a good buy.  50 cups of tea for just 10 cents each!  If I forgo one Chai a month (or one trip to Dunkin Donuts), that pays for the whole month of tea.  Why is it hard to think that through rationally?

- I caught Robbie climbing / scaling the banister today.  When we walk past a light switch he wants to flip it on or off.  He is enamored with the garage door.  When I start to put him in his car seat he immediately looks up at the video screen and points and wants me to turn a movie on.  When it's over and the screen goes black, he literally yells at me!  And all I can think is: WHERE IS MY BABY?!

- I wonder when my (used and very cheap) copy of a book about blogging will arrive?  I need inspiration!  I know, you couldn't tell, could you?

No title, since this post is fairly unfocused.

If you know Robbie, you know he's a giver.  He likes to share his food; he reserves the pieces that he's already chewed for those who hold special places in his heart.  He'll plug your mouth with his paci on his good days and crack himself up.  Naturally, as his mommy and main play-mate, I am on the receiving end of many of these gestures.  So why am I surprised that Robbie has recently given me not only his love and affection, but his cold too?

It is with that disclaimer that I post the following picture - me, 8 months pregnant, and sick.  I am actually sort of sad that I haven't gotten more pictures of myself throughout this pregnancy, but it's my own fault.  It's just not that fun seeing images of yourself this big!!  Anyways, a few of you (dear friends) have been asking for belly pictures.  You might not after this post!  This one's for you.

Sorry, you get black-and-white for this picture.  Color would have meant running upstairs to throw on some blush, which was entirely too much effort. 

Today was a really fun day (aside from waking up with glands swollen to the size of golf balls and subsequently spending an hour in my dr's waiting room as I attempted to squeeze in for a sick visit and strep test).

We had a meeting at church in the morning, so my mom watched Robbie for us.  After lunch, we took Robbie with us to the nursery and picked out a few bushes and plants for our yard.  Can I just say that I love the nursery!?  (Not surprising, since it is a form of shopping.)  I told Rob today that I'm really sad that our yard overall is pretty shaded - the choices of flowers and bushes that require mostly sunlight were just beautiful!  I love what we came home with though.  And it was really fun to play with Robbie in the front yard while Rob planted.

Robbie prefers my water bottle to his milk bottle.  Mainly because it's 'not for babies'. 

Content to play in his parked wagon... not trying to escape, just pulling at the grass!

"Saturday in the Suburbs."

Lighten up!

It's spring - and it was time to freshen up our blog!  Hope you like the new look.

Speaking of freshening up...  This morning I got to enjoy my Mother's Day gift from my boys (thanks to Mom, who took care of a snotty little boy for me) - a prenatal massage and pedicure!  I was really thankful for Rob's thoughtfulness, as it was the best gift he could have given me right now.  I'm no longer able to paint my own toes, even though I tried last week, and I don't have to (and won't) explain to you what the home stretch of a pregnancy feels like.  For an hour, I forgot what it felt like to lug around my 30 lb hunk-of-a-little-man atop my prego belly.  Even better, no one was kicking it or headbutting it, from the outside at least (I would have asked for my money back).  

Especially memorable was the pedicurist who got a laugh out of the ridiculous tan lines on the tops of my feet.  I wasn't lying in my last post about those Privo's that I love and wear all. the. time.  And just because I KNOW you want to laugh along with her... (please know that the color of the polish is very distorted in this picture, and not at all that neon in real life!)

She was also pleased (??!!) that I didn't require the use of toe-separators since my toes are not fleshy and all squished together, like normal feet.  Right now, my little sister is laughing somewhere in Upland, Indiana about our Armbruster-finger-toes.

The inside of our house could use a little spring-infusion also...  I'm playing around with the idea of enlarging these images I took at the Arboretum the other day, framing them, and propping them up on our mantle.  I'm mainly including this tidbit of information because I feel slightly uncomfortable about the fact that this post has only a picture of my foot in it so far.  Hopefully this evens things out for you.

And that's about all I have the energy for right now!   I would love to make homemade cut-out silhouettes of the 3 of us to put in oval frames, learn to sew, try a few new recipes, and disassemble the stroller and high chair for a thorough cleaning (which WILL happen eventually)... but my next crafty project is to transition the nursery decor for our baby girl.  Mom and I are brainstorming a basic mural for the crib wall.  Stay tuned!

Aren't they cute!?

Drippy.

Poor Robbie.

These red eyes and drippy nose earned him a date with the bulb syringe at 2am last night.

Here's to hoping it's not the pig flu.

These are a few of my (current) favorite things...

Every now and then I discover something that I just love, and feel the need to share it with someone else!  Today I thought I'd list the little creature comforts that I'm especially fond of currently.  In no particular order...

The Morton Arboretum.

This place is heavenly.  Beautiful trees, flowers, paths, fountains... the most amazing children's section that I think was made specifically for boys with energy to burn... and a wonderful gift shop that makes anyone want to be more earthy!  (I have never wanted Ginkgo leaf jewelry or my own garden more... what!?  Where does that come from?)

Pure Valencia Orange Juice.

Sadly, they are either discontinuing making it or Target just isn't carrying it on their shelves anymore because it's GONE!  Go grab a bottle of this if you can find it - it's so sweet that you can't drink more than a short juice glass at once.

Thymes Sweetleaf Baby.

This scent is so yummy and I particularly enjoy the instant hand sanitizer.  (*This is a little 'splurge' item...)

The Soup.

Our friends the Larsons suggested we start watching more of this show, and we are glad they did.  It's hilarious, if not a bit crass, and every week Rob and I look at each other in amazement at all the terrible TV shows that are out there (which the Soup summarizes for you and shows highlight clips of the worst moments...).  Very entertaining.

Target Sheets.

I love Target for so many reasons.  One of the biggest is that I found these Thomas O'Brien sheets there a while ago (when they were on sale), and they are the softest sheets we own and oh-so-pretty.  They put our Pottery Barn wedding-registry sheet set to shame.

Butterfly Flower Room Oil.

This is apparently a new scent at Bath and Body Works (use a coupon when you buy it!).  At my local store they had it burning by the front door, and when I walked in I was in love.  It's a bit sweet, and since Rob has an aversion to scented anything, I usually just burn it during the day.

Privo Clark's Acacia Slip On.

I just found these shoes at our Outlet Mall in Aurora, and they were half the retail price!  I am loving them because 1) they go with (almost) everything, from active wear to cute tops, 2) I don't have to have a perpetual summer pedicure in order to wear them, and 3) my prego feet can swell all they want to in the next 2 months and these will still be comfortable on my feet.  The only downside is that they require a bit of maintenance to keep them from getting stinky since you wear them with bare feet.  A small price to pay, in my opinion.

Totino's Cheese Pizza.

A prego's best friend - at least this one's.  What's not to love?  They cost $1.27 at Target (on sale this week for $1.20!).  They cook in 10 minutes or less.  You can finish an entire pizza by yourself for lunch (at least right now I can).  I suppose some would balk at the calories, the fact that anything that can be considered a full 'lunch' and costs only $1.27 can't include quality ingredients, or the scare we had exactly one year ago of the Pepperoni Pizzas being recalled for Salmonella (I remember, because I was eating them back then since I was pregnant with Robbie, and had 5 Pepperonis in my freezer at the time!).  I play it safe and stick with Cheese now.  I realize that many of you have just lost an enormous amount of respect for me.  And you know what?  I'm ok with that.  That's how much I love this trashy pizza.

Skippy Natural Peanut Butter.

Rob gets the credit for encouraging me to steer clear of hydrogenated oil (we call it poison now).  But I was having a hard time giving up my sweet peanut butter for the bland, gritty, oily Smuckers Natural version that he has moved towards.  Then I found this product.  Bless Skippy.  It looks and tastes like the old kind of peanut butter, but actually BETTER - and there's hardly any oil swirling around the top when you open a new jar.  It's worked out nicely that in our household we have his-and-hers peanut butter, because right now I am loving the freedom of being able to dip my Pink Lady apple slices right into the jar.  And my double-dipping is guilt free.

Cascadian Farm Organic Granola - Oats and Honey.

I have tried every box and bag of granola that Jewel, Dominick's, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's have to offer.  This is the only one that I think tastes good!  Bonus - it's sold at Target.  Get a box and pair it with your morning yogurt.  Yum.

Dairy Queen Blizzard - Oreo.

Ok, this one isn't healthy, cheap or going to do anything good for you except take you to your happy place.  It might be my biggest and worst craving this pregnancy, next to trashy pizza.  Sorry baby girl.

Bumble and bumble Seaweed Shampoo and Conditioner.

I found these lingering in my bathroom closet from last summer, and am newly addicted.  They have a light, fresh, sweet scent with a hint of mint.  They're perfect for summer - not too harsh or heavy.  And although the conditioner feels more like a detangler going on, it hydrates enough for even color treated hair.  I restocked my supply when it was on sale (where else - at Target) because it's definitely a splurge item.  

So there you go!  These are my little indulgences.  What are yours???

And no, I am not paid to review products on my blog.  I just thought it would be fun.

Not Me Monday!

Since this is my second post in one day, it's going to be a short one.  But I had to confess...

That last week I DID NOT knowingly go to the park with Robbie in capris that had coke or some sort of beverage stain on the legs.  Said capris were certainly NOT white.  And we would NOT have been meeting friends for a playdate.  

I do NOT crave real butter right now.  Land of Lakes, unsalted, the real deal.  I DON'T eat certain things during the day just because they go with butter. DON'T you dare melt it on my toast, smother my roll with it, or fry my steak or chicken in it.  I'm just as happy with that 'I can't believe it's not butter' crap substitute.  (*I blame Miss July for this one...)

I would NEVER dream of taking up sewing right now.  I am NOT tempted to buy a sewing machine so that I can make my own drapes/bedding/etc, halloween costumes for Robbie, and other crafty things like the adorable denim-pants-quilt that has been haunting me ever since I saw the project on someone else's blog.  We have nowhere to keep a sewing machine, I am less than 2 months from delivering our second child, and I completely forget everything I learned in Home Ec.  Therefore, this entire concept  of taking up sewing does NOT swirl around in my head every day.

When I run errands by myself in Rob's car, my belly is NOT so big now that it accidentally honks the horn every time I get into the car.

A day would NEVER go by that I might not have consumed a single vegetable.

I am NOT addicted to sweet tea in the summer (2 bags Good Earth Original, 2 bags Luzianne), Grandpa Bob style (add Sweet and Low).

I do NOT get winded every time we go for a family walk around the neighborhood, and insist now on pushing the stroller so I have something to lean on when Sciatica strikes mid-stroll.

What's For Dinner?

2 Kinds of Flatbread Pizza!

"Garbage" Pizza

Flatbread (I got the Asiago Parmesan kind from Target)

Olive Oil

Pizza Sauce

Diced Garlic

Sausage, rolled into small balls and pre-cooked in skillet

Fresh Basil, torn 

Sliced Tomatoes

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Italian Seasoning and Fresh Black Pepper

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, cut into strips

Layer above ingredients (quantities are up to you!) in order, bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes!  Soooo easy.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Flatbread 

Olive Oil

BBQ Sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's Original)

Cooked bite size pieces of chicken (think pyrex dish, chunks of raw chicken, drizzled with BBQ sauce - 350 degrees for 30 minutes)

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Cilantro, fresh - chopped

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese chunks

Grated Gouda Cheese

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Same directions: Layer above ingredients (quantities are up to you!) in order, bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes! 

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm so thankful to be able to celebrate my second Mother's Day this year.  It was a wonderful day, to top off a great weekend overall.  I even got a card written in crayon 'from Robbie'!  I know it is a blessing and not a guarantee to be able to have your own children, and to watch them grow up, and every single day we count this blessing and thank the Lord for Robbie and our little girl.  There is really nothing I would rather be in this lifetime than a mom and a wife who is devoted to her family, but most importantly to the Lord.  It is a lot of responsibility to be charged with bringing honor to God's name and to your family as a wife and mother, and I pray that every year I am able to experience growth in order to bring glory to God in these areas.  It is such a fulfilling journey!

Robbie, Rob and Me

Me and my sweet Mom, celebrating together!

Robbie and my awesome Dad

Another perfect spring day...

So far this weekend has been the perfect Mother's Day gift any girl could ask for.  Beautiful weather that has allowed us to get outside (even if it's in sweats!) and stretch our legs... lots of time together as a family... did I mention I have not cooked a single meal either? (oops.)

Robbie and I joined Rob in the backyard late this morning as he was cleaning up our bushes and flower beds.  He had Robbie's new sand and water table all set up and ready for play!  Grammy and Papa gave this to Robbie for his first birthday, and he already LOVES it.

He's been getting lots of practice over at the Arboretum with splashing so he knew just what to do.

Discovering that the water was dripping over the edge.

I just love this picture from the back - Robbie is tall and overall just a bigger kid for his age, but he is still such a little person!  

He's starting to increase his vocabulary, but is limited by the sounds he's able to make.  So he does a lot of pointing in an attempt to communicate, and when words fail him, he just says "This?" or "This!" - your basic question and exclamation!

We can tell that he knows much of what we are saying to him, and has started to put names together with familiar faces.  But that's another post... 

After a while, I resigned myself (2nd day in a row!) to the fact that he was going to trash his outfit.  So I let him crawl around in the dirt.  This was preceded by the moment he almost crawled off the deck, and Rob hesitantly picked him up (with dirt-covered hands) to keep him safe.  He knew I would cringe at the mess, but I think I surprised him when I said 'don't worry about it - he's going to get messy anyways.'  Plus, Robbie's safety always comes first!

Ah, yes.  Boys love dirt.  This one likes to crawl around in it more than the grass.

Content to examine blades of grass.  Bless those sweat pants and socks.

A great shot of the hand prints on his onesie!  But he is so happy - I must let him get this dirty more often.

Dad, would you like me to help?

Playing together in the backyard. 

Mom, I picked this stick out especially for you!

The picture I will pull out and look at when I'm having a rotten day in the future.  Doesn't it just make you happy?

Breaking into Dad's shed.

I adore how much this little guy loves his Daddy.

We finished the afternoon off with snacks on the couch, and a lesson on how to drink from a glass like a big boy.  It was a forced activity - Rob and I were eating and drinking, and Robbie now wants to eat/drink whatever we have (and won't take no for an answer when it's close to nap time!).  So I shared my half-bitten grapes and yogurt, and Rob shared his water.  Our couch will never be the same.  But I suppose I said that a few months ago when Robbie pooped all over it, and it's no worse for the wear.

Gross.  

I need to find a happy medium between our current state and wanting to be perfectly clean.  Excuse me while I go call the upholstery cleaners.