Those days...the good, the bad, and the ugly

This last week has been a roller coaster, I have been the horrible mother, the wonderful mother, and the mother who just doesn't want to do anything! Let me explain...
I was/ am the horrible mother because I quit Weston on night time feedings! He was not sleeping through the night, waking up 2-3 or 4 times to nurse... well I think he just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep without having my boob in his mouth. He is 8 months old, he does not need to be eating anymore through the night. He should be sleeping through the night. That doesn't sound so bad right? Well you should have heard him crying...well screaming for his mommy. I felt so horrible when I had to let him cry it out. The first couple nights I would go in there and try to calm him down, rock him, hold him, and kiss him. He would fall asleep and as soon as I put him down he would start crying again. I just had to walk away! It's so heartbreaking to just leave your baby in his bed to cry himself to sleep. I just wanted to go back in there and hold him all night, but I knew in order for him to learn that he can put himself back to sleep he had to cry himself back to bed. I knew in order for me to ever get a full nights rest I would have to let him cry himself to sleep. So nights are so much better now, he will wake up once a night, moan or cry a couple times and then he is back to sleep! When he wakes up at 5 or 6 am thats when he gets to eat, then we go back to sleep till 7-7:30.
I am the wonderful mother, because I buy my daughter new shirts (that say "My brother is a grouch", "Vampire in Training", and "Spongebob Smartypants") I let her play dress up in just about everything she owns (as soon as we wake up) So she is eating breakfast in her Snow White dress. She sings to me "I love my mommy, she is the best mommy" This makes me feel...wonderful, jubilant, and on top of the world!! I think to myself, along with the heartache and crazy days, being a mom is the best job I have ever had. You know what I mean if you are a mother. You have good days, you have bad days...and you had the down right ugly days! But its all worth it! I look back at the years I have been a mother, those are some of the best years of my life. Watching my babies grow up. Teaching them, loving them... It is just AWESOME!!
Back to where I started...
The mother who just doesn't want to do anything...we all have those days, where we just want to relax and not worry about the house work, the laundry, or what were going to make for dinner...it is a rare occasion but there are "those days". My day was Mother's Day. I was sick...I didn't want to do anything...Thankfully it was Mother's Day...I had my husband and he cooked breakfast for me, did the dishes, helped tremendously with the kids, because not only was I not feeling well, but the kids were sick as well. He even went out and did the yard work (getting rid of the weeds so we can plant a garden!) He made lunch and dinner as well. He was such an amazing help to me that day, I am so thankful he was there.
Thankfully the next day I was just fine, because my little man was throwing up and having major bowel movements! :)

BlOnDiE

So today was the last of my going blonde adventure! Now I am the blonde I want to be!! This was the third time I have had to get it done. The first time,lady screwed up my hair BIG TIME!!! She said she could fix it, but I never went back!! learned my lesson!! So I gave my friends stylist a call and got an appt for the next day (last wed.) She was awesome!! I am hooked!! Only problem it cost me $115 to fix the last girls mistake! GRRR!! Although it wasn't the blonde I wanted, it still looked good. She said she would fix it free of charge! So today was the day and I think it looks awesome!!!

This is not a flattering picture of me, but I had to show you the hair color!!!

Teeny Bopper

So recently my little girl has been introduced to Justin Bieber

...And now she runs around the house either singing "Baby Baby Baby" or "Justin Bieber"!!! I never thought my four year old would be loving some 15 yr old boy!! She is so funny, I have to get her on video singing along to his songs! 

At just the right time

After an hour of nursing and cuddling I finally got Weston to sleep last night! Score! So I start getting ready for bed, to join my hubby for some cuddling!! Double Score! As I am brushing my teeth, Weston wakes up:: Major bummer!

 So I finish hoping he will just cry himself back to sleep..Not a chance his crying gets LOUDER and more desperate for someone to come and pick him up. And of course mommy caves and goes to pick him up... I swear he has an on/off switch

ON when he is not being held...OFF as soon as you pick him up!! WTH?! 

So I go and lay on the couch with him for about another ten minutes, until I think it is safe to put him to bed again! So as quietly, and as gently as I can I lay him down in his bed...and he doesn't wake. 

AWESOME! I did it!! 

I hurry to bed! Lay down and cuddle with my hubby, I am starting to fall asleep and no sooner do I hear Weston start to cry...

"OH PLEASE GO BACK TO SLEEP..OH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!"

is what I am desperately thinking! 

But to no avail, so once again he gets picked up, this time by daddy. Who more then willingly passes him over to me in our bed. I calm this little monster down and put him back to bed, this time I wrap his blanket around him a little tighter hoping it will make him feel like he is being held. It worked until 3am! and then again until 8:30 this morning. I found my little monster up in his bed playing with his binkie! 

You got to LoVe parenthood and all the awesomeness that comes with it! They always wake up at just the right moment!

2nd cup of joe

I sooo needed an extra cup of coffee this morning. It is my drug of choice. I do not have a morning without it, sometimes I can't even function without it! 

I think I am a functioning coffee-holic!! 

Now, what has been happening this week...Weston is sleeping better...only waking once or twice a night to nurse. I swear my son is a milk-aholic. He would rather have the boob then anything else.

Briley has been over at her friends house most this week. 

 Justin wanted to buy this  HUGE Dodge mega cab diesel with a lift and BIG off-road tires. But I think he found something better in AZ.

I am procrastinating cleaning the house, we have someone coming to look at it tonight.

Our landlord still sucks!

Our make shift garden is growing!!!

These are our green beans! and tomatoes!

our green onions and radishes 

Brileys pansies and fuzzy face sunflowers!!

Justin's Jalapenos!

It is so fun to be growing our own vegetables!! I hope they all grow well and we can eat them!! 

Once we get into our new place they will be ready to go outside! I cant wait, we all are very excited! I hope that growing our own veggies will help Briley try some new things, like tomatoes!! She will not eat them now..so well see what happens with growing our own!

Fill in the _____ Friday

1.  The best piece of advice I was ever given was     by my Dad who always told me to believe in myself, if I did I could accomplish anything I set my heart on doing   .

2.  If I had a million dollars to give to one charity I would give it to     UNICEF .

3.  If I got to choose my "last meal" it would be      King Crab legs, filet mignon, salad with all the toppings!! a baked potato, a few shots of Patron(in remembrance of my brother) Dr. Pepper, and a piece of chocolate cake!  .

4.  My hair is     now BLONDE!!! Although it's not the blonde I wanted but I am going back to get it done again next week!    .

5.  If at first you don't succeed   try try again..and if you still don't succeed EFF it!! LOL No I am kidding. Keep trying until you get it, everything comes with patience and practice!   .

6.  I have always been very     outdoors-y, my dad raised me and we were always hunting, fishing, or ATVing! I pride myself in the stuff my dad has instilled in me as fun! I wouldn't want to be any other way! It is fun and gives us a common ground, we enjoying fishing and hunting (and riding the ATVs) together. I plan on having my dad there when I shoot my first Deer or Elk!!   .

7.  Oh....and by the way....      I can't wait to see if we get this new Dodge Mega cab. Its soooo bad @ss!! Also I can't wait for my dad to come visit   .

Hope you all have a great and wonderful weekend!!!

Be safe out there!!

Fill in the _____ Friday

1.  Today I am wearing     a brown shirt, and some jeans. gotta be comfy!!!    .


2.  My favorite childhood food was   probably steak and potatoes!!    and my favorite food  now is   I love all kinds of food so this is hard. I love love SUSHI!! whenever i get a chance to eat it i do! I love steak, olive garden anything...I would have to say I don't have a favorite food, I love just about ALL food .


3.  A day that I am too busy to     play with my kids for longer then 10 minutes is a day that I am too busy.


4.  The last movie I saw was      Percy Jackson and the lightening thief      and the next movie I want to see is     "Alice in Wonderland"  .


5.  My favorite smell is     the smell of Barnes and Noble    because,      what is better than the smell of coffee and books! :) I could stay in there for hours and sip lattes and read books!!!!   .


6.  A weird little quirk I have is      hmmmm I have no idea...I have to brush my teeth before a workout...I can't workout with unclean teeth!.


7.  When I take personality quizzes they always say I'm      adventurous, to an extent though!! LOL outdoorsy person.    

Its a Wonderful Life

I love my family. They are everything to me, and I couldn't have asked for a better one!!

I snapped some pictures of daddy playing with the kiddos. I just love moments like that. They love their father, and I love when they get a chance to play with him!!

It made me think about how wonderful this life is. We shouldn't take anything for granted, and we should cherish every moment that we have with the ones we love!

Weston is already learning how to wrestle with dad!!

Justin can't wait till he is a little older and can really play with him, rough housing and what not!!

He is super excited to throw a football with him!

Little Miss Briley is watching her cartoons minding her own business!! 

I love my family, they are perfect in every way to me! We have our ups and downs, but the UPS out weigh the downs by far!!

Outing

It has been so BEAuttiful outside, I just had to take the kids out for a stroll!! Briley has been dying to ride her bike all winter, and now finally its nice enough to get out there!!! I never thought when it was 50 outside I would be in a tank top and shorts!! 

The snow is gone in our neighborhood...FINALLY!! 

I love this time of year. It isn't too cold, and not too hot.

My handsome lil man enjoyed his ride...can't you tell? :)

Briley got a ouchy, and so we had to cut our outing short. Her foot slipped on her peddle and she cut her heal. But she was such a tough girl, and rode it out!! 

 But as soon as we got home she went into our room and woke up her daddy to tell/show him what happened. She asked me for a princess band-aid...Snow White to be exact. And thats what she got!!

Hope you all have a great day!

xoxoxo

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!! We are having so much fun! Woke up, and of course we weren't wearing our green yet...so daddy pinched us..OUCH!! So we hurried and got ready for the day! 

My Happy little monster after his nap!!!

Here we are!! "Now no one can pinch us mom" Briley says!! Absolutely right sweetheart!

Justin went to work so I can make corned beef and cabbage tonight!! (he hates it...I LOVE it!!) So I only make it when he is not going to be home for dinner!

Here is the bow Robyn made the princess! How stinkin' adorable!

I hope you all have a wonderful day and hope you are all wearing green!!!

xoxoxo

My heart is aching. My friend for many years went into labor last night, I wished her luck and couldn't wait to see pictures. As the day went on I hadn't heard anything so I asked her mom if she had heard anything. Nothing...then not long after I learned that their little boy passed away. He came into this world without a heartbeat, they tried to revive him, got a heartbeat but he still was not breathing. I am so sad. I am at a loss of words. I can't even imagine the pain she is going through. I can't describe how I am feeling. I found a little poem that I thought was nice, and thought I would share it with you all:::

God's Rarest Breed

Angel, Little wonder
Little Promise, Little Boy
We didn't get to love on you
Or let you bring us joy
Our arms are filled with emptiness
Our hearts are filled with pain
We search for all the answers
Our response is only rain
He called for you to fill a need
We know that you'll succeed
You are special in this universe
You are God's Rarest Breed
A gift to let the stars shine bright
To help each of us see His Light
They can't tell us about the power of love
Cuz you were sent for from far Above
How were we to know
When we were planting your tiny seed
How important it was for you to grow
Into God's Rarest Breed
I found this poem here.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Arsenault family, and with the McGuire family. I love you guys. 

Were MOVING!!!

I am so excited to tell you were moving out of the house we are in now, to a newer, nicer, all around better house!!

The house were in now is OLD, BIG..but small ( I will explain later) and has no lawn (like our landlords said they would put in, but never did!!!

So how is this house big yet small...Its a five bedroom 2 bath. Its about 1600 sq. ft. BUT the rooms are TINY there is no storage, no counter space in the bathroom its one of those stand alone sinks. In the kitchen there is no pantry, no counter or cupboard space, we have to push the table against the wall when we are not using it so we can walk in the kitchen. (half our kitchen appliances are still in boxes because there is no room for them!) There is only room for one person in the kitchen or else you are bumping elbows with the other person. The downstairs bathroom is bigger then the "master" bathroom. The living room is small and cut off from the other rooms (not an open layout, which I hate!) we couldn't use our coffee table in here because there would be no room to get around it! So instead its a TV stand. 

Its just not a good house unless you could tear it all down and build a new house in its spot!!

Our landlord is far from great. She is nosey, beyond what they should be! She and her husband are getting a divorce so she wants us to be the middle men and talk to him about things, instead of her just calling him!! She calls me and complains about her soon to be ex, and talks about their divorce to me. I could care less about what is going on between you two, please don't tell me about it! She complains about the yard, there is nothing but dirt and weeds (which we have puller numerous times!!) They told us before we moved in that they would be putting grass in...That never happened! But yet she wants us to do something about the yard! Honey thats your job! We are to care for LANDSCAPED areas....we took care of the fruit trees (the fruit was YUMMY) we pulled weeds but were done! If you are not going to stand by what you told us why should we keep pulling weeds every week!?!?

ARGH!!

So enough with the ranting and raving. I am so stoked about our new place!! It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths! big rooms. A PANTRY!! counter space, cupboard space...everything we do not have in this house!!

Its new (about 1-2 yrs old). It has a garage (which we don't have one now). Its beautiful, I love it!!!

Our property manager has said we can hang pictures (which we can't do here) so our house will become a home with our personalization!! 

We will be moving in around the 2-4th of April. And I just can't wait!!

Wonderful Giveaway!!

So Lace and Leather is having a GIVEAWAY for having 100 followers!! Congrats girl! You have to check out her blog I love it! You need to follow her as well!!

So her giveaway...what is it you ask?!? Well she is giving away this AmAzInGlY adorable  HAVE to HAVE ALDO purse!! It's BIG, Brown, and Beautiful!!

So what are you waiting for?!?! Go enter for a chance to win!! Contest closes on March 19th!! So you better HURRY!!

Scensty

I am excited about our new Scentsy catalogs!! View everything here!!! Get your party booked TODAY and when you hold your party receive your special gift! You won't know what your gift is until you hold your party! How exciting is that?! I love surprises!!! You can contact me through my website.

Scensty offers so many great scents, and the great thing is...there is no flame, no soot, nothing to burn yourself or your little ones on! The 25 watt bulbs gets to around body temp. 

If you would like more information on becoming a consultant and joining my team you can read all about it here. 

To book a party simply go here. Scentsy's hostess benefits are AWESOME!! I mean who doesn't love FREE stuff!!!

So Let's get your party booked today and you will enjoy all that Scentsy has to offer!!

Early Bird

This morning Weston decided he wanted to wake up at 6 am. When I was clearly not ready to get up! But here I am on my second cup of coffee, watching him jump in his jumper!!
So the last couple months I have been losing an obscene amount of hair, my husband is constantly complaining that there is hair everywhere. I have to vacuum everyday or every other day to keep up with it! Weston will be on the ground playing and have a bunch of hair in his hand...so its not an option not to vacuum everyday!! When I wash my hair a clump will come out, every single time!!! I am so shocked I don't have a bald spot somewhere
Well after talks with my husband and my dad, I called my Dr. He wants me to get some blood work done on Monday. Were going to see if there is anything wrong with my thyroid. I am praying there is nothing wrong with me and its just my crazy hormones from having a baby. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't the least bit scared. I am totally freaked that I could have something wrong with me. I will keep you updated on everything. I just hope there isn't anything to keep you updated on!!

I have to one of these

Holy Moly! I just came across this gal today, I love her already!!! She has an amazing Etsy shop check out her shop here!!!

I seriously need one of her scripture covers!!! They are so adorable! It is hard to choose just one that I would want but I think I have picked the one I want:::

This owl CTR cover is just so amazing I have to have one!!!

SEE..I told you it was cute!!!

So family and friends..my birthday is coming up (April) if you aren't sure on what to get me....here is a great idea!!!

Hope you all get one for yourselves they are too charming to pass up!!!

Baby its COLD outside

Doesn't it look cold outside?!?!

Here are some pictures of our fruit tree in the front yard::

Thought you all might like to see the frost on the tree!! I will have to take some first thing in the morning, it has warmed up a bit already today..its 14 outside!!!

Holy icicles!!

This morning while making the beds I thought I should take some pictures of these super sized icicles hanging outside our windows!! Now some of you might think "Oh how fun it would be to live somewhere where it snows"

Well, honestly it stinks. Shoveling the snow everyday it snows is not fun and its hard work especially when it snows more then 2-4 inches!!! I can not wait till it warms up and the snow goes away! I am dreaming about warm weather again!!
I remember when I was a kid, I always wanted to live in a place where it snowed (had 4 seasons, unlike Vegas where it snows once every 5 years!) Well I can honestly say that I would never miss living in a place where it snows this much in the winter. I know it is not as awful here as in other places. But for me it is bad, I try not to go out when the roads are covered, I stay inside where it is nice and warm, and sip hot chocolate!!
We only a have a couple more months of this freezing cold, below 30, miserable, no good weather! And thank goodness for that! I would rather go out fishing, swimming, walking, and running then daydream about it!!

SUNDAY SUNDAY

Weston finally slept for me last night!!! He woke up twice to eat but thats OK with me!! As long as he went back to sleep in his bed, which he did!! HOORAY!!!

Here are some pics I took of him in the bath the other night:::

It is so much fun to bathe him because he loves to splash in the tub. I can already tell he is going to be a little monster!! LOL He is the most adorable baby boy! Just look at that smile, how can you resist something so sweet!!!
OH (randomness), yesterday Weston was crying and Briley came in and started singing to him....what was she singing you ask...." I thought I was calming you dwon, I thought I was calming you down"!!! I couldn't help but laugh it was so cute!! She is the best big sister!!! She is always playing with him and when he cries she tries to calm him by singing, playing, or acting like the goofball she is!!
I am just so blessed to have the family I do, I have a wonderful husband who takes care of us, and two beautiful and healthy children, I can't complain!

A Video to make you Smile!

Here is a video of Briley dancing to "Love grows where my RoseMary goes" by Edison Lighthouse

I love this video, it starts off slow but she starts moving!! My little dancing queen!!

Weston's Birth Story

Well I know this is very late but I have the time...for now to write about how it all went down!!!

The date is Aug. 23, 2009 its 2am. I have just gotten up to go to the bathroom, I notice a gush of something. Assuming my water just broke I call the OB department and they tell me to come right down (its a 30 minute drive). I try to call my neighbor because she is supposed to watch Briley for us while we go, but she doesn't answer her phone. We take Briley with us, no big deal she most likely will sleep through the whole thing (she ended up being awake the whole time).

Well anyway on with the story.

By the time we got to the hospital(around 2:30am) my contractions were every couple minutes and getting stronger. The nurse who checked us in asked if I wanted a wheelchair to the OB department, I said no I can walk...That was the longest dang walk in my life!! I had to stop every time I had a contraction, and then in between the contractions I was trying to hurry down the hallway so I wouldn't have to stop again!! Finally we make it there, and they get me in a room. My nurse comes in to check to see how far along I am and while doing so she gets this shocked look on her face. I asked what I was and she tells me I am fully dilated!! A million things are running through my head at this point...mostly that I am not going to be getting the epidural I wanted!!! I started crying, Justin and the nurse assure me that I can do this. In the meantime the nurse has paged the dr.(my dr was out of town so I got who was on call and he was wonderful!!!)

But my nurse can not believe I have dilated that quickly so she decides she is going to check me again just to make sure. And thank goodness she did I was only 6cm!! She couldn't feel the other side the first time she checked. Well Dr. S gets there and the nurse tells him that I am only 6cm. My dr. was so nice that he sat in my room and squeezed the whole bag of fluid into me so I could get my epidural more quickly (you can't have an epidural until you have a whole bag a fluid in you). At this point in time my contractions are getting worse, I just remember to keep breathing with everyone which makes it bearable (when I was in labor with Briley I tensed up with every contraction making it feel 10x worse). By the time I get my epidural I am 8-9 cm! If the anesthesiologist had come any later I defiantly would not have gotten my epidural! Now its 5:30am and my nurse comes to check on me once again. I am finally fully dilated!!!

We decide to do some pushing, but I am still really numb from getting the epidural, so we decide to let the baby come down some more before I get into the "real" pushing. I was allowed to give little pushes when I felt like it with my contractions...an hor goes by. My nurse comes in to check the baby see how he is doing, and he is fine. He is coming down a little bit, but not enough to warrant me pushing like crazy to get him out! So we wait some more for him to come down. A few hours later, I am feeling more in my legs, and think that I can push. My dr. comes in (its 11am!!) and he says were getting this baby out now! They had to cut me and use the vacuum on him but finally after 30 min of pushing, Weston

was born at 11:38am weighing a healthy 7lbs 7oz, and he was 19 inches long!! They laid him on my chest right after I delivered him, and I am telling you know that is the most amazing feeling in the world (I didn't get all this with Briley, she was an emergency c-section, in which they put me completely under) I started crying, and Weston cried for the first time, Its such and overwhelming feeling, you can't possibly imagine unless you have had a child before. Justin was right there holding my hand through the whole thing, and I had my little princess in the corner and the couch playing the ds!

I couldn't have asked for a better labor. I would do it all over again if it would be just like that!

Now we are set, we have our little princess and our little prince! My family is complete!!

Another "sleepless" night

So little dude has not been sleeping in his bed very well the last week and a half. He will sometimes sleep for an hour or two if I am lucky, then wakes up and refuses to go back in his bed. So I end up usually sleeping on the couch with him every night, which is not comfy to lay on anymore since it broke!

Well last night I thought I will lay in bed with him for an hour and then lay him back in his bed...that never happened, everytime he woke up he wanted to eat, or to have something in his mouth to pacify him.

So needless to say we slept together the whole night. We kicked hubby out of the bed, because he had had enough of the tossing and turning so he went and slept on the couch.

I cannot wait till this little dude will sleep in his bed again! I love him dearly I just do not like to sleep with him.

We woke up at 7am and he of course is happy as a clam...mommy and daddy on the other hand are tired and cranky and want nothing more then to go back to bed!!! Here are some pictures of the little punk this morning (I bet he is thinking HAHA I got you again!)

What can I do son to get you back sleeping in your bed all night?! What?? Anything I will do it!! Mommy just wants to sleep for more then 2 hours in a night! Please be a good boy and sleep in your bed tonight...ALL night!! You could even wake up at 6am, and I would be happy!!!

Here's hoping for a better night tonight!

Valentines Day

After years of trying to get Justin to church with us (and after being inactive myself for awhile) we have started to attend church as a family! I cant tell you how wonderful it is to have my husband want to go to church with us!! It is such a blessing and I know that our Heavenly Father does answer prayers!! On Valentines Day we all were able to go together, one of the few days Justin had off! Briley made us a Valentine card and was able to wear her new dress!! She looked so adorable!! I did her hair in a french braid heart!!!With her bow that my very talented neighbor Robyn made!! **I am so lucky to have her!!** If anyone would like bows made for their little ones or friends, please let me know and send me the colors you would like!! Check her out here!! And here!!!We went to dinner later that night, went to Don Pedros...because thats the best restaurant we have out here!! It was good though, we took the kids with us, because frankly it would not have been the same without them! It was a very good evening, Weston behaved himself all throughout dinner *thank goodness*!! Most the time we have to hold him because he hates to be in his seat!! And I think he is starting to teethe so he can be a cranky butt at times! But we still love him!!

All in all it was a great day, church, dinner, and then some R&R!!

Denver

Last week we all took a trip to Denver, CO. Justin had to take a class for work and we all tagged along! The kids and I were stuck in the hotel room for a couple days until I learned of some fun things to do. I took Briley to the Butterfly Pavilion...here are some of my favorite pictures that we took there

The butterflies were so pretty, and fun to watch they were all over the place. Briley had a blast and Weston could care less!!

It was so humid in the pavilion, it was like you were in the rainforest!! Briley kept getting excited everytime she would spot another butterfly "MOMMY I SEE ONE!! LOOK THERE!!!"

I cant tell you how beautiful it was in there, If you ever go to Denver check it out, they also have creepy crawlies!! and sea creatures!! I'll post those a little later.