Traveling Internationally with Kids (must haves!)

We just got back from spending 2 weeks in Iceland! We had our kids (ages 3 and 5 months) in tow.

Here are a few items that made our trip a success:

1. Portable sound machine. I kid you not, this is the best invention ever! It is $10, it can clip onto a stroller, carseat, baby carrier, etc! It runs off batteries (perfect for going international) and you can choose to have it run for 15, 30, and 45 minutes OR you can let it run forever. 🙂 This really helped with getting our kids to nap on the go, plus we used it in our sons crib at night. You can get it at Target or Amazon. (myBaby sound spa on-the-go sound machine) You can spy it hanging on the stroller and laying in the crib.   
2. A baby Carrier. We brought along our Ergo for our 3 year old and our Infantino for our 5 month old. The Ergo was perfect for our 3 year old because it’s like getting a piggy back ride without having to use your arms! haha. The Infantino was perfect for our 5 month old because he loves to face forward and look out at the world. Both works so well for napping on the go and hiking! Both of these can be purchased on Amazon or target as well!(okay so this photo makes me laugh! My 3 year old wouldn’t put his arms under the straps and then fell asleep and was just flopping. 🙂 It was pretty funny!
   

   
3. Headphones for the toddler. I got these completely adorable headphones on Amazon! Its a little headband with speaker by the ears. It stays on and if your kiddo  falls asleep it’s still comfortable! (CozyPhones kids headphones)
4. Hust Hat. This bad boy can block out the loud noises when you’re trying to get the little ones to nap! It was a life saver for the plane, restaurants, and just being out and about! The plus side, it keeps the babe warm!! You can get it at Target or Amazon as well. 

(so funny, the hat did slip down and cover my son’s eyes. He is under there somewhere!! ha 🙂 )

5. Pacifier Clips and a Wubanub. If you have a little baby like we do, that pacifier clip will come in so handy! You can clip it onto the baby carrier, clothes, carseat, etc! That way you don’t have to worry about losing it.

6. Stroller with a rain cover. This last one really all depends on the age of your kids and whether or not you’re expecting to be around rain. We went to Iceland and the weather there is so crazy. Luckily it was nice most of the time, but it would randomly rain throughout our whole trip. The stroller and rain cover were a life saver when it was raining. It helped keep our kids warm and dry, we also were happy to stick everything else under there (shopping bags, diaper bag, camera, etc!

Well there you have it! That is my list of MUST HAVES. Stay tuned for my next post on what to pack in your child’s carry on bag.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

…until next time! xoxo ❤

2016 in review

Even though January is coming to an end, I thought I would do a little 2016 year in review! With the arrival of baby Jack, we didn’t get around to sending out Christmas cards to all of our friends and family.

We started the year off planning our trip to Australia for my one of my best friends’ wedding. I was lucky enough to be her Matron of Honor! Since Chad and I had already been to Australia a few times, we decided to use this trip as the perfect excuse to see New Zealand!

After the wedding we hopped a flight to New Zealand. We rented a camper van and drove along the south island. We had a blast camping out and the scenery was amazing!! We were able to visit wineries, go sky diving, and just enjoy each others company while taking in the most wonderful views! It was such an awesome vacation and I always forget how much I love camping! 🙂

Chad’s sister watched Preston while we were gone. It was so nice to get away knowing he was in good hands! We sure did miss him though! Two weeks away was definitely long enough!

Shortly after returning from ‘down under’ we found out we were expecting a baby due in December!

Chad also started traveling to Nebraska for work 4-5 days a week upon returning from our trip. I definitely had my hands full with Preston and being pregnant (and sick until 27 weeks…okay, who am I kidding?? I was sick up until the day that I had Jack). The good news was that Chad had accepted a new role in Chicagoland and, thankfully, he wouldn’t be traveling in his new role. So while he finished up his days traveling, Preston and I were at home cleaning and keeping our house in perfect condition for showings. It was a crazy 6 months filled with house hunting trips, inspections, and more house hunting trips.

{{side note, we actually made an offer on a house, it was accepted, and then we decided to back out after the inspection–this happened towards the end of October. We ended up going back to the first house we fell in love with, made an offer, and luckily it was accepted on the evening of October 30th.}}

The plan was for Preston and I to stay at our house in Iowa until it sold, thankfully, it sold in 3 weeks and we were able to join Chad in Illinois. We closed on our house November 30th and were able to get moved in and settled that weekend. We had family come over to help us unpack and organize our whole house!! It was such a blessing considering I was about 37 weeks pregnant by then.

In December I scouted out some schools for Preston. We got him enrolled in a cute little school that is just a couple miles from our house! It was a little transition for him; new house, new school, new baby brother on the way…but he’s done so well! It’s so awesome hearing him tell us stories about what he learns at school.

We were able to host Christmas for my family! They were hoping Jack would make his appearance while they were all here…but of course that didn’t happen! He decided to wait a little longer.

We finally were able to meet our little bundle on December 30th. He arrived in less than 3 hours and has had our hearts ever since! He was 7 lbs 11 oz and was 20 inches long. He has been such a good baby so far. He’s very content and easy going and gives me baby fever (is that even possible?!?! haha). We can’t wait to watch him grow–hopefully not too fast though!

Preston has really taken to being a big brother. He loves Jack so much already! He’s always wanting to kiss him and hold him. He’s been a good helper too, always fetching me things, doing tummy time with Jack, helping with bath time, giving Jack his binky, or as punk calls it, his ‘pinky’. 🙂 Although, Preston has tested me on more occasions than I’d like to admit, at least he loves his brother! My sweet boy has decided to rebel against his Mom a bit. He still loves construction sites and machinery. He’s smart and silly and the perfect mix of Chad and me. We look forward to seeing his relationship with Jack grow into something special! (I’ve already gotten them 3 matching sweaters for next winter and matching bowties for Christmas!! YAY!)

We were able to ring in the New Year from the hospital and were discharged the next day. We definitely started the year off with a bang! We were able to bring our new addition to our new home for the very first time on January 1st.

Well, that was our year in a nutshell! Can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for us!!

We hope the New Year brings you all the happiness. ❤

…until next time! xoxo ❤

 

 

 

34 weeks!

Hard to believe I’m already 34 weeks!!! This pregnancy has been flying by! There is no baby bump picture this week because selfies in the bathroom mirror are not near as fun! oh, and the fact I can’t seem to put a bra on. Like ever.

This pregnancy has been a little rough on me!! Not only was I sick until like 27 weeks (and I still get sick on occasion at 34 weeks) but we are in the middle of a move and relocating. All I want is a huge glass of wine! Seriously, the days are long, the nights are short, nap times are shorter, and my wine glass is empty. {only 6 more weeks until I can kick back with a glass of my favorite ALDI wine!!}

My hubby has already started his job so Preston and I have been staying at our house while he lives a Bach lifestyle without us. Let’s just say the day to day is exhausting!! Chasing after a 2.5 year old, organizing for our move that’s happening in #2weeks 😳, cooking, cleaning, walking the dog… you get the picture! Daylight savings time sure didn’t help… my only saving grace is that Preston is in bed by 7pm now! #Hallelujah

I do know hubby feels bad he can’t help out more. He’s working so hard for our family and we appreciate it so much!! He is such a huge help when we do get to see him. He cooks me meals, does nap time and bed time routine with Preston, and cleans… it’s glorious!

However, something always seems to go wrong when hubby is away: faulty smoke detector that likes to go off at 5am, a spider infestation in my car, bentley’s 🐶 Collar breaking as I’m trying to tie him up at my parents house before making the 5 hr drive to see hubs with Preston.

#firstworldproblems

I am thankful I have a house with smoke detectors, a car to drive, and parents who will watch our pup. ❤

As much as I’m going to miss our gorgeous beloved home, I am excited to get settled into our new house. I can’t wait to get it all decorated and cozy feeling just in time for the holidays! {It brings me back to when I was pregnant with Preston and we moved when I was about 27 weeks pregnant! When we closed on our house Nov 15, 2013, the first thing I did was put up my Christmas decorations!! This time will be fairly similar, except I will be 36 weeks pregnant and we close on Nov 30, 2016! I can promise that the first thing I do will be to put up my Christmas decorations again!! I am sensing a theme here….lets just say next time I get knocked up we aren’t relocating to a new state like the last 2 times. lol!!}

I’m trying to enjoy the time with just Preston and I before Pip2 to arrives. I’ve also been working on some ‘busy bins’ for after the new baby arrives and Preston needs some new and fun things to keep occupied!

I’ve been doing a bit of nesting lately, too! I’ve gone through and sorted and organized all the baby clothes, gotten baby items together, and got the infant carseat out and ready to use–just in case Pip decides to arrive a bit early!! I don’t want this stuff lost in the move and have no clue where it’s at!! I even got my hospital bag started, just with a few things for now, but that’s another thing I want to have ready and organized before the movers come and pack us up and ship us out! haha.

Next time I’ll try to have a baby bump picture to include! Even though I’m feeling huge and uncomfortable…I really don’t remember feeling like this with Preston… second pregnancy probs maybe! Hopefully I can do one more post before we move and the crazy begins!!

Okay, edited to add a selfie bump pic! 34w5d

…until next time! xoxo ❤

 

 

 

3rd trimester…bliss?!

happy third trimester to me! Normally I would be all about this third trimester business, but honestly, it’s just showing me how fast the time is flying by! Seriously!

I need this baby to keep cooking as long as possible! There is so much to do and get done before Pip2 makes his presence.

We are moving within the next month or two for my hubbys job. So our house is on the market, it’s been crazy around here trying keep a clean house, staying away for showings, watching the neighbor boy, hubby traveling every week. 😳 I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it!

Normally, I love fall and am counting down the days until Christmas! Not this year. Before Christmas rolls around we need to sell our house, but a new one, move, unpack, and have a baby. 😳 Along with all the other stuff that comes along with moving to another state.

I have been feeling pretty good the last few weeks! I’ve been making it to the gym to workout, yay!! I went to my favorite step aerobics class the other day, and it felt so nice! Other than being exhausted, things are going great. I am so grateful for this pregnancy and can’t wait to meet Pip2 for the first time!!! However, in the meantime, i could use a long nap and a day at the spa…but that might have to wait! Haha

hubby got me a massage last week and it was so nice to shut out the world and get a rub down from a professional. I loved it so much I scheduled another one in a few weeks!! I figured It would be well deserved by then, considering my hubby will be getting ready to start his new job by then, whether we are there with him or not. 😝

Not much longer now! We do have a house hunting trip scheduled for next week, so say a prayer our house will sell fast enough! 🙏

…until next time! Xoxo ❤️

The single parent life.

To say the last few months have been busy would be an understatement. It has been so crazy around here!! Chad has been traveling to Nebraska for work every week–so during the week it’s just been Preston and me. Every weekend seems packed full as well!

I’ve been watching our cute little neighbor boy 3 days a week. It’s definitely been great for Preston. He loves Joey so much and they have so much fun playing together. I love watching them interact. They do such a great job sharing and taking turns. I’m hoping this will prepare Preston for being a big brother, too!

(^^ready for a bike ride, mom!!)

Little Preston is such a ham! He reminds me of when I was young. Looks and silly-ness!

I think Chads traveling has been wearing on me. Not because Preston is a handful, he’s absolutely not! He’s actually SO very good for me 95% of the time. My sweet boy. But it’s all the other things that come up while your husband is away.

For example: a few nights (mornings?) ago at 5am the smoke detector in our bedroom went off and continued to go off every 30 minutes. At first I thought it was from the humidifier in our room (i was also battling a horrible head cold), I drug a barstool in from the kitchen and I had to balance this 25 week prego  body on a high barstool to get the button pushed for temporary silence. (The bad thing about high 14′ ceilings). The alarms were going off and it eventually woke Preston up, (of course, chad was gone), I was so frustrated, tired, and sick (and pregnant) so I started crying and Preston crawled on my lap and gave me a huge hug and said ‘it’s okay, mama’. He’s just too sweet!! I finally got the ladder hauled inside from the garage (a huge heavy metal/steel? one) to change the batteries (Chad had to talk me through putting the latter up while i sobbed uncontrollably over the phone) but as soon as I unhooked the smoke detector and the alarm went off Preston goes ‘yay!! You did it Mommy!!’. He’s my little cheerleader for sure. Later, Chad was talking to Preston about it on the phone, Chad asked Preston about it and he said ‘it woke me up in my crib and scared me. I cried in my crib. Mommy was sad and crying. Had to change batteries’. Gosh he is just so cute. I seriously can’t get over how sweet and cute my little boy is!! The funny thing is that they went off again this morning! OMG (chad’s gone) it really was my humidifier (just getting over my week long sickness). At least this time I knew exactly what needed to be done. (the darn ladder below)

We’re trying to get our house ready to put on the market as well. So I’ve been over working myself trying to scrub our walls, trim, and floors. I’ve organized the inside of all of our closets and under the sinks. Lets just say by about 3pm I can no longer move! It’s been killing my back for sure! I’ve been making many trips to the Salvation Army and lifting things I probably shouldn’t be lifting. My mind won’t stop running about everything that needs to happen before December when Pip2 will be here. I’m just praying we can sell our house and won’t be living out of a hotel with a toddler and a newborn. 😮

Come buy our house!!

Preston has been his cute little self lately. He is so into learning it’s crazy! I’ve read a few things about teaching children (for example, teaching them to identify letters rather than just memorizing the alphabet and teaching kids to actually count during that time, rather than memorizing to count to 10.) Well, Preston has known to identify the letters in the alphabet since he was a little over 18 months. Lately, I’ve really noticed that he’s knows how to count, too! Which is great, because I’ve felt like a slacker Mom lately. The other day we were driving by wal-mart and they are doing construction outside to build a new bigger one. Preston said, “Mommy, I saw 3 diggers, 2 bulldozers, and 1 semi at the construction site’. After that he told me 1 digger was red, 1 was orange, and 1 was yellow. Once we got home he told me we got to go over 3 railroad tracks, too! (which was true, we went over 3 sets of tracks on our drive to and from our CSA–took a different route on the ride home).

Last night I let Preston stay up until 8:30 (past his bedtime) because he was so focused on reviewing his letters of the alphabet! He kept going through all of them telling me what they were. This morning Preston woke up and wanted to learn about money. So I got out some quarters, pennies, dimes, and nickels. He knows what a penny is and a dime. Still working on quarters (or quarts, as preston would say) and nickels.

I had my Glucose test at my prenatal appointment last week. I passed, YAY! Pip2’s heart rate was 140’s. Can’t wait to meet this little guy, but glad to keep him in and cooking for the next 3 months!

24 weeks

25 weeks

Tomorrow the hubby and I will celebrate our 4th anniversary. We are hoping to hit up an apple orchard/pumpkin patch and then have a babysitter arranged for a date night! Time has flown by, but I can honestly say, this has been the best time of my life! Four years in and I still feel like this marriage thing is…don’t hate me…but it’s easy. Chad and I get along, we agree on things 98% of the time, we share parenting styles and views on spending vs. saving, we have our own likes and interests, yet enjoy hanging out together and as a family. It’s been a crazy fun adventure and I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring!

Today Preston and I did some painting (handprint/footprint art) to make a card and picture for Chad and the little stinker spilled the beans to him on the phone today. “i made a lion with my feetprint. Card for daddy” “mommy painted my hand. Made a fish”

Every night before bed, I sing to Preston. His favorite is the Itsy Bitsy Spider. But I LOVE hearing him sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (or Tinkle Tinkle Yee-ole Star). Preston is so cute that he can’t say his L’s very well.

Yesterday my uncle John passed away. It was very unexpected. He was always such a joy to be around! My favorite memories of him are from the houseboat we used to rent every summer growing up! His funeral will be next week in my hometown. Hug your loved ones a little tighter tonight!! ❤

Enough of my rambling. Time to fold laundry! Hubby will be home tonight, thankfully! I hope everyone has a great weekend.

…until next time!! xoxo ❤

Summer 2016

It’s finally nap time after a busy weekend. I’m laying in bed getting kicks and punches to the tummy from our sweet little Pip2 (aka bun in the oven). I think I’m *finally* starting to feel better at 20 weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I still throw up about once per day, but I don’t feel as sluggish and nauseous. My hubby actually said this the other day, ‘I can tell you’re feeling better because our house isn’t a mess anymore.’ LOL. I was like ‘WHAT??’. I mean, I knew it was messy, I was barely keeping up with the day to day of taking care of Preston and Bentley without wanting to lay on the couch the entire day (which i never actually did). But I do LOVE a clean and organized house! As does my hubby, we are both clean freaks! So he must have known how horrible I felt since I wasn’t cooking, or cleaning, or enjoying my daily walks around the neighborhood with my boys. I have noticed that as long as I eat a few squares of a Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bar at night, I’m able to keep my prenatal down, and I don’t have ‘evening sickness’ like I used to. (poor me having to eat chocolate before bed every night. 😉 ) Here are a few belly pictures of my progress!

18 Weeks:

Here is a picture of me at 19 weeks pregnant (last week). I had to cut my face off because, yuck.

I’m 20 weeks now! Pic at 20 weeks 5 days:

Anyway, back to the reason for the post!

We are making the most of our last summer as a family of 3. Our weeks have been so busy, i mean really, every single day we have something going on! It’s been quite nice! It makes the weekdays fly by for sure! My hubby travels quite a bit for work so as long as we stay busy, Preston doesn’t seem to miss Daddy as much.

Although, I have to admit, I do love being at home and enjoying the simplicity in the day to day when we’re not so ‘on the go’.

Preston just finished his last day of swimming lessons! We had them outside this year and it was so perfect!! Preston is such a strong kicker and loves pushing off the wall on his back. He’s got his doggy paddle down, just not without my support and help holding him at the waist. He still hasn’t put his head underwater–he’s too scared! But he does know how to put just his nose and mouth under and to blow bubbles out. So at least there’s that! We aren’t pool rats by any means, so i think just a little more time in the water and he’ll want to submerge his whole head eventually. He’s only 2 though, so I’m not worried! 😛

each kid got a little certificate for participation. 🙂

Finally got a pic of both of us from his swimming lessons!

Chad was in the Twin Cities for work a couple weeks ago, so Preston and I drove up on a Thursday to meet up with him after work.

This is how I single parent it.

He has every other Friday off work–so we got a hotel and decided to hit up the Mall of America and IKEA.

We stopped at Lego Land, the Sea Life Aquarium, we went to the Rainforest Cafe, and then headed to Nickelodeon World. Preston was so good!! We got there right at 10am and stayed until 3pm. He usually naps at 1pm-but did so well for us!!

At the Rainforest Cafe (he was too distracted to even look at the camera once)..but that’s why we went! We knew he would love the animals and the storms!

A few rides:

We were able to meet up with some friends for dinner that evening at Osaka Japanese Steakhouse. We got some sushi and let me tell you, it was the best sushi roll i had ever had!! OMG. It was called the BMW – spicy tuna, fish eggs, avocado, some sort of sauce! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The seaweed salad was on point as well.

The next day we met up with some other friends for ice cream and a park play date! It was the end to a perfect weekend!

Preston has been in heaven with all the construction work going on around our house. Every day we walk down to see what they’re doing. The workers are always so kind and usually come over to talk with us and it’s so sweet.

We read him ‘Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site’ every day before nap time and bedtime (along with others-but this is his fave). They say goodnight to all the construction equipment and Preston loves it!! He’s started tucking in his construction equipment before bed too. It’s adorable.

^^ the big cement mixer was his potty training gift! We aren’t big toy buyers–so this was huge for him!! (toys-clutter that he usually plays with for like 5 minutes. lol)

for example, one day we went to toddler time at the pool and i forgot Preston’s water toys. BUT being the good Mom that i am, i gave him my barf cup from the car to play with! LOL! He had so much fun playing with that cup at the pool! seriously, best water toy ever!!! (yes, i cleaned it!!!)

The neighbor kids have been coming over to play with Preston everyday. It is so nice because they will play with him outside and I can stay inside and get some stuff done around the house! He loves playing with the big kids and they are always teaching him new things, too! It takes a village! 😛

I randomly potty trained Preston one week. I’ve been wanting to do it, especially during the summer and before Pip2 arrives in December–but i just hadn’t found the constant time at home to do it. Well one evening we were playing outside and I just threw undies on Preston. He played and played and I eventually asked him if he needed to go potty, he said yes, and went over and peed on a tree. lol! No accident at all for the whole evening. The next day when he woke up I went straight to undies, he didn’t have an accident all morning, we went and ran errands and he went potty at TJ Maxx (I had his potty along in the stroller to whip out when needed). It wasn’t until we were at the play place until he did have a little accident. That was the only accident that day though!! The next day (day 3) we went to the gym and he was in the nursery and maybe started to go and realized he had undies on and didn’t continue, his undies were a tad damp when I went to get him after an hour and a half at the gym! Not bad, i’d say!! especially being in that new place with diff adults and a foreign potty. He’s pretty much been potty trained since –that was about 3 weeks ago. He’s had his accidents on occasion, but not that often at all! I still do a diaper at night and a pull-up during nap time, i mean, he’s not even 2.5 yet! I’ve got the main part down, once he’s dry while he’s sleeps maybe ill think about doing undies, but until then, i enjoy uninterrupted nap time! Plus he still sleeps in his crib, so not sure how that would work besides yelling for me that he has to pee. We’ll see! Maybe once he’s in a big boy bed!

practicing to be a big brother!!! He named his baby “joe”.

That’s about us in a nutshell!

Our little boy is so good. He’s really, really good. He’s polite and kind. He’s sweet and so fun to be around! Lack of sleep is the only time we deal with cranky Punky–it’s very rare! I’ve loved our time at home together. It’s something I will NEVER forget or regret.

Makes me nervous for Pip2. Am I in for a rude awakening?? I feel like I got lucky with Preston in the ‘all-around-good-boy-department’. We shall see…

Now, I need to try and take a quick power nap before Preston wakes from his nap! 🙂

…until next time! ❤  xoxo

16 weeks with Pip2!

I’m back!! 

it seems like i’ve been gone for far too long. I keep saying to myself, ‘i’ll do a post during nap time’ and then when nap time rolls around, i’m like, ‘sleep sounds nice’. So there ya have it. I’ve been napping on the job and enjoying every minute of it!

I’m 16 weeks pregnant with Pip2. It’s been a long 16 weeks with being sick, tired, and dehydrated. I mean seriously, I even carry a puke bucket in my car with me these days. Since it’s summer, and a hot one at that, i’m always hot and thirsty. If i drink too much water i get sick, but if i feel dehydrated i get sick. Every time i see a pool or a body of water, i just want to jump in!! Preston has been happy that i’ve been getting in the pool with him all the time. At the gym, i stare at the pool and just want to dive in!! I’m going to go get myself a swim cap so i can start lap swimming again. I think pip2 will enjoy it. I have been able to continue to work out with this babe! Yay!

I can’t tell you the number of times i’ve thrown up my prenatal vitamins. 😦 I even tried switching brands and it didn’t help. So lets just pray this baby is happy and healthy tucked away in my tummy.

okay, enough of the gross talk.

 I have been having strong cravings with this pregnancy, too! Like, ‘I NEED IT NOW’ cravings!! My last craving was a steak, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich with sautéed onions and spinach. I had to make a stop at the grocery store to make them for dinner!! This weekend i wanted a Kim Chi reuben with real corned beef and Kim Chi Kraut. But the Kim Chi bus hasn’t been at the farmers market once this year. 😦 I’m not even sure if i was spelling that right…but it’s amazing!!

Hubby and i did get around to making like 20 freezer meals over the 4th of July weekend! That’ll help out so much since i haven’t been able to cook much in the last few months. Loaded with good veggies for baby Pip2.

I’m really trying to enjoy as much of this summer with Preston as i can. This will be the last one of just us two!! The start of next summer we will have a 6 month old!

My little boy Preston is just a cute as ever. I know every Mom probably says this, so i guess it’s my right as a Mom to brag about my son. If i didn’t, who would?? lol

He is oh so smart and loves to learn!! He’s known how to identify the letters in the alphabet since he was 18 months old. He is very good a memorizing. He ‘reads’ every book along with me before nap time and bed time. He can count to 10 in English and Spanish and is currently learning to count to 10 in Japanese and German–only because my hubby and I know how. haha! He is so good at singing songs–his favorite is ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’. Probably because he LOVES bugs. Which he will kill for me if i ask, otherwise he will play with them. Today while we were in Express he found a bug on the ground and the lady working was so grossed out and Preston looked at her and just stomped on it like ‘i got this, don’t even worry’. It was so funny! He is Mr. Manners to, no more prompting from Mom most of the time! I even hear him playing with his cars and they will crash and he will say, ‘i’m sorry’ and ‘it’s okay’ or they will happily pass each other and he will  say ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’. It melts my heart every time i hear it!!

He also practices writing his letters. Especially his initials. But the other week when i was cooking preston said, Mama, look, i drew an ‘h’ and an ‘i’!! He was so proud!! I was impressed he wasn’t even looking at anything to go off of.

Today when we were at TJ Maxx Preston found a Digger that he wanted. He asked me if we could buy it and i told him i didn’t have any money for the digger. He told me he had a penny in his pocket. I told him a penny wasn’t enough money to pay for the digger. He told me he had more money in his wallet at home. So i told him next time we go out, we could bring his wallet, and he could buy a toy. The thing that made me want to just buy it for him was that he didn’t get mad or throw a fit, he just put it back on the shelf and gave me these little puppy dog eyes. I just melted. but i stayed strong because i know it’s an important life lesson! I told my hubby that some day this week I’m going to take preston to the bank to exchange his piggy bank money for cash and let him buy a toy with it. I’m sure i’ll end up paying for over half of what he got but i think it’ll be a good lesson for him!!

I keep reminding myself that life will never be this easy again (come December). Having one child is such a joy and a blessing!!! It really gives you time to hang out and get to know your little mini. I can’t wait to add another little munchkin to our family, but I’m sure enjoying this single child thing while i can!

^^^ Preston’s first REAL camping trip! We stayed in a tent (or ‘fort’ as preston would call it). He loved every minute of it!! And the extra time he got to spend with family.

Anyway, I still have a couple more hours of nap time–so i think i might take a little snooze myself!

We will find out Pip2’s gender on August 12 (21 weeks). At my 15 week appt Pip2’s heart rate was 140 bpm. (Preston’s was usually in the 160’s) Any guesses on what I’m having???

…until next time! xoxo ❤

We’re excited to announce…

that Preston is going to be a big Brother!!

 

He’s so excited and so are we! Baby is due December 2016!

I know I’ve been MIA for awhile, but with feeling sick, taking a photography class, Preston’s gymnastics, babysitting my cute little neighbor, and wedding festivities for my SIL…we’ve been pretty busy!

…until next time! xoxo

Dear Punky,

dear Punky,

I’m sorry we left you for almost 3 weeks. Your daddy and I went to Australia for my best friend’s wedding! I was the maid (matron 😁) of honor; it was something I’ll remember forever.  We missed you so much but we know you had so much fun hanging out with your auntie, uncle, and cousin! You even got to spend time with your grandma and grandpa, too!!! I know you had so much fun bonding with them. While your daddy and I were gone–we were able to spend time together!! We even made a side trip to New Zealand!! We rented a campervan and drove around the entire South Island! It is time together we will never forget!! We missed you so much!!! But luckily, you were able to bond with your cousin, Noble. You went to gymnastics, the children’s museum, and did build-a-bear together!! You actually missed your dog, Bentley, (or as you call him, Bobo) so much that you named your new puppy (that you picked out at build-a-bear) ‘bobo’ that just happens to be almost identical to your own dog. You did really well the whole time we were gone. We were so happy to see you happy!!! It made our trip go by so flawlessly! It wasn’t until 2 nights prior to our departure from New Zealand that your auntie and Grandma told us you were crying out for ‘mama and daddy’ at bedtime. That broke my heart and made me want to come home!! We know you had so much fun and you were able to enjoy your first ever 3 days at daycare!!!! You did so well–and napped well!! I think it’s because you had your cousin, Noble, there with you. But when we came home you came up and grabbed me and squeezed me sooo tight in, what seemed like, a never ending hug. You kissed me and kissed me!!! You went to daddy and hugged and kissed him, too!! That night it was hard to put you down for bed because you were scared that we wouldn’t be there in the morning. It broke my heart. The next morning you yelled out for mama and daddy, and we came and grabbed you so quickly!!! Daddy went back to work that day and you hugged and kissed me all day long!!! It took forever to get you down for a nap because you were still sad I wouldn’t be there when you woke up! I rocked you to sleep and laid you in your crib. After a couple days you realized we weren’t going to leave you again. It breaks my heart to think about how much you missed us!!! Even though our trip was amazing and so worth it, it’ll take a lot for me to leave you again. You still get sad when one of us is out of sight from you… we have to remind you we are just going to the bathroom or running out to the car. I know it’ll pass, but in the meantime, it breaks my heart. You learned so much with your auntie and cousin. When we came home you were speaking in sentences. You were able to sing ‘twinkle twinkle little star’. You could count to ten flawlessly… and with confidence!! You are such a strong and smart young boy!!!! We love you so much and are so proud of you!!!! I just want you to know, we will never leave you and not come back. You are our entire life and we are better because of you!!!!

I love you so much, Punky!!!!!!!!

-Mama

Preston – 2 years

Happy 2nd birthday to our little Punky! You are such a joy, little boy! You have always been so sPunky and full of life!! You randomly make silly faces and bust out in dance, just like Mama! You would rather have veggies and hummus with a side of liver for breakfast (rather than pancakes) just like Daddy! You love to wake us up in the mornings with eskimo kisses!! You’re so smart and always want to keep learning new things. We are SO proud of you!! 

Our little boy turned 2 on Friday! First thing that morning, within 5 minutes, Preston got 3 FaceTime calls from his Grammy Che, Auntie Anna, and Uncle Pooze! They all sang Happy Birthday to him and watched him shove his face with a chocolate covered twist donut with sprinkles!!! His first one ever, he was definitely a fan.

After breakfast we let him open his one big gift. It was a train table that I had gotten at Wal-Mart on Black Friday (note to self: never go to Wal-Mart on Black Friday again). The train table was only $30 and after joining the crazies, I had jumped over a pile of toys to snag the last one. I’m so glad it worked out because Preston LOVED IT!!! He has been playing with it so much.

After much play time, we decided to take Preston to the mall play place. It’s his favorite thing to do. He had so much fun!!! We were even there at 12:51pm – the time of his birth!!

Preston took a nice 2.5 hour long nap. During his nap his friend Joey stopped over to drop off a gift for him and the mailman delivered a package from his girlfriend, Penelope. He is just so lucky to have such sweet friends in his life at the age of 2!!!

We headed to Grandma Che and Grandpa Bob’s house around 3:30. We got there just in time to head to the Brewery for a drink before the birthday dinner festivities started.

This has become a slight joke/new tradition? Lol! (On Preston’s first Birthday we went to the grand opening of a new bar in town before dinner that evening. We figured he was 1 and he wasn’t going to remember it anyway! It’s pretty funny when we look back on it! He had a blast though, he was able to eat the complimentary popcorn they served! It was a win win!) 

Anyway, back to the present, we did our annual brewery stop, and then headed back to Grandma and Grandpa’s  for appetizers and Indian tacos!! We were happy Uncle Pooze didn’t have to work and was able to come with us to the brew.

We are so very thankful that his Grandpa Steve, Grandma Eileen, Uncle Scott, Auntie Holly, and cousin Noble were able to come, too!!

Spending time with family to celebrate birthdays is so important to us. We love the memories and the fun. Preston loves when he gets to hang out with family. He’s finally to the age where he knows and remembers the people he sees often enough. It’s so cute watching him get excited when you tell him his auntie Holly and Noble are coming over! Auntie Emma had to work long hours that day, but she was able to FaceTime with us for a bit. She even contemplated driving back right after her shift at the hospital to try and make it to the tail end of the party–but realizing that she wouldn’t get there until 10pm…it didn’t work out 😦 We love her for wanting to come so bad though!!

After dinner we opened some presents…

and then celebrated with some ice cream cake!!!

 Chad and I made the ice cream cake the night before, and I think it turned our really well!!! I was a little nervous, but it was delish.

Preston’s birthday dinner was such a success!! He had so much fun running around and playing with Noble.

My son, you are SO loved.

Now, wish us luck as we enter the two’s. It’s off to a rocky start. 😛

Preston is a little over 34 inches long and 29.6 lbs! He’s lost a little weight over the last few months. 😉 I’ll get exact stats on Thursday for his 2 year check-up. He knows how to identify every letter in the alphabet, he can count to 10, and can identify most primary colors. He knows a few shapes: circle, star, and square. His favorite color seems to be pink and his favorite number is 4! He LOVES to read!!! He has also been favoring his left hand when he colors and paints. (like mommy!) He can speak in sentences, I can understand him very well, others have a little harder of a time as he still has cute baby pronunciations! The other day when joey was here, I asked Joey if he wanted to eat because he was tapping the booster seat, Joey nodded his head yes, and preston said ‘i want to eat, too’. That was the longest and clearest sentence i’ve heard him say! Just within the last two days he’s started fighting nap time, but once he’s down, he will sleep for a good 2-3 hours. He has also been fighting bedtime, the later he stays up the worse it is, if you can believe it! We still put him down at 7pm every night. The more sleep he gets, the better he is for me during the day! I’m hoping this sleep fighting and regression is just a short stage, I’m getting tired. haha!

a little before {37 weeks}, during, and after — for the sentimental side of me 🙂

…until next time! xoxo ❤