Family Errands!

This may sound silly...but, I love running errands with my little family! I enjoy the four of us going out and shopping...even if it's just for groceries. Now the task of shopping with three others is not always easy. Greg is usually trying to escape from being contained, Maria is now on the move and likes to grab at things, and my hubby throws crap into the cart that I have to sneak out. However, despite the challenges...I love being with all of them! :-)

Typically when shopping at Kroger, we get the cart with the car attached to it, and Greg goes in there and it keeps him amazingly entertained as he beeps his way around the store thinking he is controlling where we are going. We then just have Maria in the front seat and Greg is oh, so sweet and strolls the kids around as I shop! However, on this recent trip, the car cart that was left had some sort of questionable brown substance in it, so we settled for the double wide cart!

Lovingly staring at each other, as it is their first time sharing the cart! Please note in the background: first stop...wine for Mommy!

WOOHOO! Background: Second stop...beer for Daddy! Priorities, right?

Preciousness!

Randomness

I feel the need to blog, but have not downloaded recent pictures, so here is what we have. Random thoughts...

I love Saturdays and Sundays in the fall because of football. I like watching the games and getting excited and watching Greg and Maria respond to their crazed mother jumping around and cheering as if I am 20 years old and in the student section of Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn. And I live for moments like the one captured below:

Greg does not sit and cuddle often...and by often, I mean extremely RARE! This little man is on the move always, but when he stops enough to lay on me...I soak each second up! I hope he always stops to love on me...even when he is 30. He may not need the security of Mommy being right there, but I will always welcome his hugs and cuddles with open arms and treasure each moment of it because I NEED these moments!

And then there is this girl:

Her smile has stolen my heart. She SMILES all of the time! She is the giggliest, smiliest baby ever! It does not take much to make her laugh or smile! This excited smile greets me after each nap and hundreds of other times throughout the day! It melts my heart, and each smile makes my own face light up with delight. I know one day these smiles will change to her rolling her eyes when she sees me...so I will treasure each one and store it away to remember for when her eyes do start rolling at me! (If she is anything like me...this could begin around middle school.)

And this man...he is great!

(Please note: there is no beer in the bottle...Maria is teething terribly and will chew on anything these days!)

I have loved watching Greg become such a wonderful Daddy. He impresses me each day with the sacrifices he makes for all of us daily. Nothing is greater than the excitement Greg and Maria have each afternoon Greg wakes up and walks down the stairs. Priceless.

And Big Brother is really taking on more responsibility!

Although these moments are not regular, every now and then Greg likes to feed Maria or hold her in his arms! He ALWAYS loves to have her in the playroom with him...he does not always share or play nice...but baby steps, right? I mean I did spring this baby sister thing on him rather suddenly! He loves to help me by throwing Maria's bottles in the sink, handing me wipes during diaper changes, and making sure that Maria knows she is not allowed by the fireplace or to pull on my curtains! :-)

I think I can...

...I think I can...a famous train's last words before tumbling down a hill, right? HA!

I have 6 weeks left of Grad School and keep repeating this over and over to myself - I think I can...I think I can...

I am honestly thinking I cannot wait until it is over! I am over writing papers, creating PowerPoints, reading LONG articles, researching, writing on discussion boards, etc. Oh, and by the way...I can only do this from 9-12 each night when the kids are in bed and I have picked up the house and gotten ready for bed! Just what I want to do after playing myself tired all day with my sweet, sweet babies! (I REFUSE to let Grad School take away from my time with them...REFUSE!)

So here's to the last 6 weeks...I think I can, I think I can!

I am SOOO very much looking forward to graduating and having some much needed ME time! It will be so nice to read what I want before bed instead of journal articles or writing a paper!

Speaking of "I think I can..."

I think I can run! :-) Training for the Half Marathon is going so great! Today was my 3 mile run and I was pleased with how I did...I need to work on pacing myself better! I ran my first mile in under 10, my second one in 11, and my third mile in 13....pacing needs to happen! I feel so accomplished each time I run, and I love that I am setting and reaching goals!

WAR EAGLE!

I love fall....but more than pumpkin spice lattes and cooler weather, I love football!! I love the fellowship with friends, family, tailgating, tailgating food, and of course watching my Auburn Tigers! WAR EAGLE!

Still a little big on her....but A.DOR.ABLE!!!!

Mommy's little QB!

She just makes me SMILE!

This is Greg getting into some serious cheering during the game! During football games we allow our children to jump on the couch and stand on the coffee table. Maybe they see me do these things...

Mommy's little football player and cheerleader! I just wish the picture wasn't so dark!!

How?

How is this tiny baby boy going to be 2 in just two weeks from today??

It seems as if it were only a few short months ago that I was bringing my sweet first born home for the first time! September 30th at 12:48 p.m. Greg came into our lives weighing in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches...yep...I remember every detail of the day as if it just happened!

And here is my sweet little man at age 1! Seriously, I feel like I have blinked, and this year was gone! I feel like I had just made plans for his very first birthday party. My little baby has grown up into this sweet little toddler.

He has stolen my heart, and will always hold a special part of it because he made me a Mommy! These two years have flown by, and I know I will be sending him to school before I know it. And when he walks out my door, packed up for college, I will probably lose it!

We love you Greg and are so very proud of you and the sweet little boy and big brother you have grown up to be in these last two years!

Mommy's Music Man!

Greg loves music! He loves to dance, sing, clap, and play instruments of all sorts!! He is just precious when he sits down with his (Dad's) sheet music, his guitar, and whatever he can find to use as a microphone. He gets serious when he sings and his forehead crinkles with deep thought and concentration.

On Monday, when we were at Linda's house for lunch, I heard a guitar from the music room that sounded a little too in tune to be his play guitar...and as we walked in...this is how we found Greg!

This guitar is an Avalon...it is a very expensive (as in a few thousand dollars) guitar. Greg decided he would help himself to Pappy's guitar instead of playing his own (located in the background of this picture!) He was precious playing the guitar...although he is not allowed to play these guitars without the help of Daddy or Pappy!

Why hello, Mom! Welcome to my concert! He then proceeded the play and sing, and I pretended he wasn't doing something he was told not to do!

........

After naptime, I found him again in Pappy's music room...this time with his own guitar...singing on Pappy's stool while reading Pappy's sheet music! He's pretty much adorable!

Perhaps one day Mommy's music man will one day be a famous Catholic Christian music artist and use his wonderful talents to praise Jesus, and help Mommy retire early! :-)

13.1 Challenge: 3 weeks in

Three weeks ago, today, I began a challenge!

As many of you may know, I am what my family likes to call "the skinniest, most out of shape person they know." Unfortunately, this statement is slightly (okay...completely) true!

Exercise?? Does chasing around two kids under the age of two count? That was kind of my motto for my daily exercise! I would prefer to take dance classes to exercise or join a gym and take fun classes there! Unfortunately, this type of exercise is not in my current budget. I knew I needed to start exercising...not to lose weight...just to be healthy! So? I decided to run. Yep. True story.

I have never been a runner. Ever. Never Ever. I was the child who dreaded the mile run twice a year for gym class in grades 1st through 8th. I may have also been the child who cheated and dropped more than one popsicle stick in the bucket during the mile run, so as not to be in last place. Ms. Poje was the nicest mom in the world and never told on me when I dropped one too many sticks or went from holding up 3 fingers to 5 fingers. And maybe in the one gym class I took in high school (because I had to in order to graduate), I befriended my coach and during track running days I would take a lap, and head up to his office and steal his diet cokes and snacks with some friends!

The thought of running regularly made me want to vomit. But running is FREE (on a day to day basis...not free to sign up for races)...and I could no longer handle doing my Pilates DVD anymore...and a new DVD would cost money. So I decided to run. A few of my other Mommy friends began running last year (and were not previous runners) and LOVED it...so why not?

Many of you who know my family well, pretty much know that the motto on my side of the family is "go BIG or go HOME!" Apparently, this was engrained in me as well...one day I decided I was going to start running for exercise, the next day I had paid 55 dollars and was signed up for the Atlanta Half Marathon. Yep, 13.1 miles for the girl who has never run over a mile in her life, and has never ever run a mile without being forced to for a grade. I may have also made my dad and husband sign up to run with me...they are troopers!

So, three weeks ago I began to run! What started as struggling to complete a mile has developed into something I enjoy! Yesterday, I completed almost 3 miles...and kind of enjoyed it! :-) I have always been a goal oriented person, and I feel so accomplished after each run and kind of have surprised myself with how well I am doing and how much I have enjoyed it so far. I am currently running between 11 minute and 11 1/2 minute miles! I know I have a ways to go...but I am feeling motivated and encouraged to reach my goal of completing the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day in under 2 hours and 30 minutes!

As I have been running, I have been exploring the music on my iPhone to see what helps me to keep pace the best. I love running to my Christian music, but seem to have a problem with pacing. For the best constant pace, I have found Aerosmith and Journey do the trick! :-)

Stay tuned for more running updates! :-)

Obsess, much?

Greg's latest obsession is his hat!

I think that this latest obsession is funny because last summer when he was bald and pale...okay, he's still pale...he would not keep a hat on AT.ALL!

About a month...maybe two months...Greg had become obsessed with Greg's hats and just wearing them in the car or whenever he saw them. Then his obsession grew, and my poor husband could not wear his hats out at all because Greg would just take them. In other words, hubby would leave the house with a hat...but it was quickly confiscated!

We found the perfect hat for him...just in time for football season!

Greg wears the hat ALL.THE.TIME! As soon as he sees it, he must have it...therefore, I hide it after bed time so he forgets about it....but as soon as we get ready to leave the house, I hear, "hat. hat. hat." And when the hat comes out...it never goes away. He does take it off for dinner. He does not take it off to go to sleep...obsessed, much? YES!

Please, Mom, no more pictures!

Watch Me Grow...8 months!

It's true little Miss Maria is 8 months old today! And even more unbelievable...I have her post ready on the actual day! HA!

Sorry this picture is blurry...she moves fast! PS - Hello chunky thighs! :-)

Miss Maria is up to so much these days! I cannot believe how fast she is growing!

*Maria can still fit into her 6 month clothes, but wears a lot of her 6-9 month clothes, too! She is in size 9 months for sleepers!

*Maria wears size 3 diapers.

*Maria has her two bottom teeth all the way through where you can see them! She loves having her teeth brushed, too!

Sassy girl!

*Maria's eating schedule: bowl of oatmeal and fruit in the morning around 8AM, 6-8 ounce bottle at 11AM, stage two baby food at 2 (one veggie and one fruit), 6 ounce bottle at 5, and 8 ounce bottle loaded with oatmeal at 8!

*Maria is a champion when it comes to sleeping! She still naps three times a day! She takes a morning nap for about 45-60 minutes, an afternoon nap from 12-2, and a late afternoon nap for about 45 minutes. And as always, since day 1...she sleeps through the night! Usually from 8-7/730!

*She gets so excited to eat and kicks and makes noises when she sees that her food is being made.

Mommy's girl!

*She still sucks her thumb.

*She crawls like a pro!

*She can pull up on ANYTHING!

*She cruises around the furniture and toys! I cannot believe she is walking around things already!

*She loves Greg! She plays in the morning after breakfast with him for at least an hour in the playroom!

Little Ballerina...with a silly face!

*Her favorite toys: things she can push, Greg's ATV, anything Greg is playing with, her blocks, anything with teethers on them!

*Maria loves to be in her swing outside!

*Maria LOVES bath time with Greg! She loves it when he goes crazy and splashes!

*Maria is a Mommy's girl!

*She loves having her picture taken! (I have no clue where she gets that from...HAHA!)

*Maria wants to be involved in whatever Greg is doing!

HEY MOM!! Close up! Again...blurry! She is a woman on the move!

*Maria is getting much noisier in Church...we may have to start standing in the back with her!

*Her favorite thing to chew on are shoes...GROSS! We have to be very careful not to leave them laying around!

*She falls asleep with her favorite animal, Violet, who plays lullaby music! Whenever I come in to check on her, she is always holding Violet...so sweet!

*Maria rarely cries or fusses! She is one, happy baby! :-) This makes for one, happy Mommy!

Jail time.

*Maria drinks her water from a sippy cup, and does pretty well!

*Maria is becoming more aware of things each day! When Greg takes things from her, she now let's him know she is upset with him!

*Maria is not interested in the TV, but when a catchy commercial with music is on, she always stops to watch!

Maria and Godmommy, Heather!

*Maria drools a lot! She always needs a bib on and then her cute outfit is always covered!

*She is getting a lot squirmier during diaper changes! She really fights it sometimes...she just wants to be on the move!

*Maria plays with the fire place tools and curtains...a lot! When we correct her and move her away, she just smiles! Little Miss doesn't even realize she is getting in trouble!

ADORABLENESS!

We are so very blessed with Maria in our lives! Every day is an adventure and she brings tons of smiles and giggles for the journey!

Cupcake Bottom on the move!

Summer Childhood Memories!

One of my very own childhood memories was Kool-Aid popsicles! I have been searching for a reasonably priced popsicle making set since last summer! Upon my search, I discovered that this item must have been a trend of the late 80s/early 90s...as I was finding nothing! And then...I was at a Tupperware Party...and they are back, and even better than ever! :-) I was so excited to buy these and fill them with Kool-Aid to allow Greg to experience this classic summer treat!

His first taste!

Upon seeing his popsicle...he said, "BIIIIIIGGGG!"

Tupperware Plug: These holders are AWESOME and so easy to use!

For reals...he is this pale!

For those of you who plan on trying red Kool-Aid in popsicle form...nakey baby is the way to go! :-)

Deliciousness!

So cute enjoying his treat!

And maybe after the popsicle was gone...he ran nakey through the sprinkler!

And maybe...he climbed up the playground and peed on to the swing I was on!