My poor neglected little blog . . .

I haven't posted since January . . . that's a whopping eight months.  And even then, I was just trying to catch up and give poor Sidekick #2 some undivided attention with monthly posts (and yup, I still plan on doing this!).  But let me give a quick glance update as I spend the next few weeks making this blog a priority!!

- We still live in the frozen tundra called Minnesota, but are hoping to buy a house in the new year!
- Sidekick #1 will be THREE in November, and Sidekick #2 is 16 MONTHS (they look like such big boys lately <3)
- There has definitely been some adjustments going from a SAHM, to WAHM mom, and I still feel like we are trying to find the right balance to everything (age old question: can we have it all??)
- There's been some health concerns for some of my immediate family members, so understandably I've been pretty distracted by that, too
- I've been neglectful of practically every social media field out there (tumblr, pinterest, Facebook, RP's, etc.).  Life, what can I say?  But at least it's not like I'm only neglecting the family blog . . . I'm neglecting everything social (wait, that's not much better) :(  

^ and I definitely don't like it!  I'm a social butterfly, so now that things are settling down a bit, I hope to make this blog what it should be - monthly updates, with Sidekick's growth progresses, and a way for family to connect again <3

See you all soon!

Sidekick #2 - One Month

Yup, I was originally planning (and hoping) that we'd be able to do a monthly post update with S#2, just like we had with S#1.  Except we had two under two, and kids who hate sleep, and a flood in our apartment, and another move, and then the overtime from heck for HeroPapa, and then the new job for me, and blahblahblabbityblah.  Point is, I figured I'd at least do a massive update all at once.  Though we had to do that twice with S#1, jumbling together a few months together to cover the information, was I really going to be able to lump NINE MONTHS into one blog post??

I feel like S#2 deserves better than being lumped :S

So I am doing one month at a time!
BUT I'm hoping to do several a week till we are caught up!  I got the pictures organized, and just need to collage them and then write up a post . . . easy enough, right? :)

So onto the good stuff!!

Click for more (68) pics <3

New Blog Graphics

Hi everyone!  After much technical difficulty, I am so excited to share our new blog layout, feat. our wonderful new addition, Sidekick #2 :)

They certainly aren't professional grade blog graphics, but they ain't half bad if I do say so myself ~ I'll be editing the pages in the sidebar heavily over the next few days - but just wanted to say, that I haven't forgotten about this blog!  I'd been working on the graphics for a while, trying to revamp the style, and I have a ton of blog posts getting drafted soon. 

All the while, dealing with teething babies, and sleepless nights (sleep deprivation anyone??).  Plus HeroPapa working overtime for weeks, and both he and I getting a combined 60 hours of training for our jobs D:  Ugh, to say I'm exhausted would be an understatement!  But, I am definitely excited for things to get a bit settled again, and to *finally* work on my house.  I mean, I've been here since August, and there are still SO.MANY.BOXES DD:

Today is HeroPapa and mine's 10 year anniversary <3  We've been married for seven, parents for two years, and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful partner.  And even though we are both too exhausted to do much of anything this year, we are looking forward to our first Christmas as a family of four <333

I feel horrible though about not having been able to work on Sidekick #2's monthly updates.  He's almost eight months, and I haven't done ONE :/  I really hope to come back with a bang, and get one done in a few days, as well as give a quick update about Sidekick #1.

Until then, here's a pic to tease you with of things to come :)

Could they be any cuter?? :)

Eek . . . October

Yup, it's been almost half.a.year since I've posted last.
Shame on me . . . but I promise it's not because I haven't wanted to!

So, to offer up a (way-too-super-quick) update (and with promises that a picture update is coming soon!), here's a few highlights:
 
1.) we moved . . . yup.  Again!  Have you heard about the floods in Minnesota thanks to that long winter, and that freeze into the ground that's like double than norm?  Well, our beautiful basement apartment flooded.  Several times.  And black mold was growing in it!  And the leasing office wanted us to move out before they'd do anything besides removing the drywall, so we got lawyers involved because we really didn't want to move again.  But at the end of the day, our patience was rewarded . . . becauseeeeeee

2.) I got a job!  Yup, the same week we found we had to move, I was offered an executive position to work with my youngest brother.  The best part (besides bringing in an income), is I get to work from home.  I'll definitely be elaborating on this some more in a later post, but we are hoping to pay down all those moving debts asap and the credit cards, and the car, and the student loans (those are the big ones!)

3.) Thanks to the new income, we can afford an actual home to rent (hoping to buy it within a year!).  My active little guys love the backyard!  I'll be sure to share pictures of the home as soon as I can, too :)

4.) And finally, Sidekick #1 is turning TWO next month (eek!), and yesterday, Sidekick #2 turned six months (holy heck!).  I can't wait to share pictures with you guys asap!

Hopefully soon <3

(I'll be working on pics tomorrow, and have a few posts in the works - as well as updating the graphics and info pages on the blog - can't wait to share the new layout and look).  

Thanks for keeping up with us, and I'll be sure to return the favor by posting again soon :)

Big Blog Update: Month 13-16

"Moves, Holidays, and Toddlerhood: Months 13-16"

So probably just when you were starting to wonder whether I was ever going to update the blog, I appear, offering an insane amount of pictures to overcompensate (though I really did try capping each month as much as possible so not to completely crash your computer).  Anyways, let me cover some highlights from the last few months, and then onwards to the fun/good stuff! (I promise I won't have hurt feelings if you scroll down to the "Pictures" section just to browse through them) ;)

*So beware, there's plenty of info to read through by clicking the "Read More".  

As always, pics are at the way bottom, and Sidekick's latest developments are 

labeled accordingly in the accompanying collages.  Enjoy all 282 pics.

And don't forget to click on the pics/collages to see them full size (including the pics throughout the post)

Sorry for the absence!

As the title says, I'm sorry for the absence, and lack of updates on Sidekick :(
Basically, I'm in my third trimester now, and getting really tired all the time.

That and the move, setting things up (living room, kitchen, and bathroom are done - not much else), and the holidays, have just wiped me out.  In general, things are going well and Sidekick is cutting a lot of teeth, still growing like a weed (though thinning out since he's walking all over the place now), and mostly sleeping through the night - unless the teething is bothering him. 

Other than that, HeroPapa is on some new medication to help him with working third shift (the night shift), and it seems to be doing the trick!  He now has enough energy, because he's sleeping better during the day, to help around the house, and have some quality family as well, which has been such a blessing :)

As for me and Baby Boy #2, I'm trying to remind myself, that just because I can't get on the floor as much anymore with Sidekick to play, that that's okay.  I have to make time for this new baby too, and allow myself the rest I need (even if it's just sitting in a rocking chair), in order to be the best vessel I can be for this baby.  Our due date is still April 6th, and he's growing right on track.  Luckily, I'm gaining at a much slower pace than with Sidekick (though with him, I had edema, so almost half my weight gain was painful water weight swelling). 

So other than that, we are settling into our new apartment, which is amazing, and I can't wait to give a tour <3  I haven't forgotten about the blog, nor the fact, that our relatives need some amazing pictures of Sidekick soon, before they suffer from withdrawal ;)

I'll be back soonish, my goal being a big update on the 6th of Feb. at the latest ~ see you all then!

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours ♥

*** 

(and in case you're wondering, I know I missed the 13 mo. update, but we moved!

 So I'm hoping to update the blog with a double month post in January :D) 

One Year Old

My big boy is now one year old!  This is such an exciting time for our family ~ not only did we celebrate his birthday (and mine, the day before).  But we moved out of the bat apartment, and have put down a deposit for a brand new set of lofts, still under construction.  We are praying that everything falls into place (there's no reason to suspect otherwise, but I don't tend to count my eggs before they hatch).  Either way, things are definitely changing, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  After all, I'm nineteen weeks pregnant now - almost halfway done, there's another move (next Thursday!) on the horizon, and then our nine year anniversary in December - six married, nine together.  Wow!

So basically, Sidekick going from an infant to a toddler, is just another big slice of the pie of life ;)

But come on, you just want some pics, right?!  Here's the stats, fresh from Tuesday, because he had a week late appointment for his twelve month checkup: 26.14lbs (96-99% depending on if you look at just weight, or compare it to the length as well), and 31in. tall (84%).

So click the "Read More" link, and check out 73 pictures to see all the ways he's grown (developmentally, physically, and socially) <3  *and don't forget to click on the collages, in order to make them bigger :)

Ten & Eleven Months

Well well well . . . why exactly did I skip the ten month blog update?  Uh, for a lot of reasons!  Saying I was busy would be an understatement, but I'll just let you read on, and see what exactly has been going on with us in the last two months (including a special little announcement!) :)

Nine Months

Two Weeks Late (and a day late)?!  Gees-Louise!

Well read on anyways ;)  Click "Read More" to catch up on the latest, 
and see 143 images of Sidekick's eight month, now that he's nine months (and a half) old :)

Eight Months

Happy Father's Day

From our family to yours <3

Here's how ours went :)
(and as always, there's pictures at the bottom, and links open in a new window)

Back for Mother's Day, HeroPapa surprised me with a wonderful old time photo session with our son.  I loved it, our baby loved it, and my husband loved it . . . well everything but the price, haha.  Being a SAHM, means that there are certain financial sacrifices that have to be made (especially with a possible house on our horizon ~ cross your fingers!), but don't get me wrong, we are still very blessed <3  

But when I asked HeroPapa about what wonderful ideas he had for Father's Day, he kept joking (or maybe he wasn't really joking, haha), that he really just wanted to keep it cheap.  So bargain hunting I went - and luckily, an FB member from my birth month group shared a great coupon for the card (below) - and of course, Pinterest.  And this is what we ended up with:

~ Card (from treat.com).  With my Father's Day Coupon (expired yesterday, sorry Mama's, I should have shared sooner, I didn't even think about it!), I was able to get the card in the picture for FREE (including shipping and handling).  I saved $3.98 :D  *I ordered it three weeks ago (part of the free shipping was sticking with standard, but it still took so long, that I was sure I was going to spoil the surprise.  Luckily, it came yesterday - talk about cutting it close! - and I managed to really bring a smile to my husband's face.

~ Present (from Target).  The inside joke, is that my husband (nor I), drink.  So buying a six pack isn't really an easy last minute present for HeroPapa.  But he does have one heck of a sweet tooth!  So looking on Pinterest, I found this pin and loved it :)  I figured I'd get it yesterday, and maybe there'd even be some last minute in-store sales for Father's Day.  So after bringing our son by to my Mom's, I headed over to the local Target, but it wasn't a SuperTarget (like where I lived), and they didn't have glass root beer bottles like I wanted to get (since I could put root beer - which he does like - in a container, and replace with candy).  

Then I had another idea.  Get a glass container that HeroPapa can take to work.  At the factory, over the summer months, the employees have access to unlimited Gatorade (saves a bundle!).  But he has always have to bring empty plastic soda bottles, in the past.  Yes, a glass bottle would be a much better gift, because it could be repurposed and last a longer than a day.  So I got this glass bottle, and the silicone cover is in his favorite color (teal) to boot.  Then I bought store brand jellybeans (one of his absolute faves), and filled up the container :)  Total Cost: $14.99 (bottle), and $2 for two bags of jellybeans, plus tax.

~ Food.  HeroPapa got to have a nice big steak.  A rarity since I neither cook - trust me, you don't me in your or any kitchen haha! - nor eat much meat (I'm like 98% vegetarian <-- because I do eat the occasional hot dog, and that's debatable how much meat it actually has, and sometimes chicken nuggets for those long hours on the road).  Plus, our kitchen seems to smoke up fairly quickly, and between my asthma, and Sidekick's still developing system, the idea of grilling steaks just didn't seem in the card - until today :D  Opening up the patio door, using the oven and stove (since we don't have a grill), and being very careful about the direction of smoke, we were able to avoid any issues; which resulted in HeroPapa having a nice big meal (though he forgot to buy the steak sauce for himself, oh oh).  Total Cost: nothing extra, because it was included in our weekly grocery budget.

~ Outing.  NONE.  Between church, extended family, and my insistence of family days (since he works nights, we are on three different schedules in this apartment - especially since poor Sidekick is still waking up several times a night), so I schlepp my poor husband around for hours so we can spend quality time together during the few hours out of the day, that we aren't all tired.  And add the fact that on Friday we moved a TON of stuff into storage (we can finally use the other side of our living room now YAY), the other last minute surprise was not.having.to.go.anywhere. *technically we needed to get a few more grocery items, but I figured we could skip it for one more day (so long I got to dip into his food stash).  He readily agreed, and HeroPapa got to spend the day in pajamas :)

~ Sidekick.  No Father's Day would be complete with our amazingly awesome Rainbow Baby.  He snuggled with us both (for the first time in a long time, because he's been getting really independent lately), and while he was reclining in my arms, he kept looking up and following something in the air.  I asked him if he saw angels . . . but now I wonder if it was his big sibling checking in on us from above <3  Our son also showed his Papa some support (and who really runs this house sometimes), by wearing a "Daddy's Hero" onesie with his shorts and socks ;)  Our little Sidekick will be an amazing Hero sooner than we think (i.e. baby to child to teenager to *gasp* adult!)

So finally, here's a collage of our day (click to make bigger), feat. HeroPapa and Sidekick, and a shot of his new glass water bottle (the Gatorade will taste so much better, than in those old plastic soda bottles!).  And the card with three pictures of Sidekick and Papa (and one small one on the back of just Sidekick).  And of course, the steak :P

Hope everyone has a blessed Father's Day <3

Seven Months

Oh gosh, it's already been seven months?  Maybe it snuck up on me so fast, seeing as I didn't get the pictures sorted out till the 19th of May, for the previous month!

Well either way, onto the good stuff, shall we?!

(Be aware, there's A LOT of information below ~ so if you just want to see pictures, scroll all the way to bottom for a total of 103 images: fun fact, the last image is just from yesterday :D)  But first, the basic info! 

*Belated* Mother's Day Post

If you just want to see more pictures, scroll down :)
(also, just FYI, all links in this post, open in a new window)

But I did want to share some thoughts on Mother's Day: the day has never really held as much stance with me, as it seemed with others.  I just figured you should spend every day, loving your mother, and being grateful to her.  But HeroPapa said it best, "Mother's Day isn't making an even bigger deal about you per se, we'll just celebrate the blessing we have, of getting to be parents to this little-big guy here" (and points to our son) <-- which should tell you how uncomfortable I felt about celebrating Mother's Day, that this was only way to convince me ;)

So off we went to church (I love the fellowship there!), listened to a wonderful guest speaker, and then went on to the Mall of America were I planned to spend my first Mother's Day with a baby-of-mine in arms, spending money on my son and buying him things (haha, is there any other way to spend Mother's Day?).  BUT then we passed an old time photo studio (link), and I was just curious to see . . . if they would have a renaissance costume in his size, because it's an inside joke at this point, that our son kind of-sorta-really looks like Henry the 8th (link)

And they had the costume!  It's been a really long journey to get a costume photo of anybody beside myself (poor HeroPapa just can't stand the idea ~ and there are literally years where I'd buy the couple costumes for Halloween, and he would never wear his part: blah!  Here's an actually really old tumblr post - posted April of last year - about that subject, haha).  And instead of buying random baby stuff, we got photos done :D  This was such a special surprise for me, and I hope Sidekick goes for it for a few more years, before he decides he doesn't like it like his Papa ;)

So here we are . . . my top three (out of 31) pictures <3

Click to make bigger!  I love the last one, as if I'm saying, "But hunnyyy this is fun!", and he's like, "No Ma, it isn't" :P

But no Mother's Day post would be really complete without reflecting about my AngelBaby (sidenote: there are so many mothers who don't have a child in their arms, and so what is a day of celebration for most, can sadly be a tragic reminder for others).  I know last year, the only way I survived Mother's Day after my miscarriage, was because I was already pregnant with Sidekick (two and a half months).  As always, he helped me to focus on the blessings I still had, and didn't allow me to get lost in my sorrows for long.  However, it's days like today, that I think more than ever, how there should have been two.  In these photos, there should have been two babies on my lap.  I still miss my AngelBaby, and carry him/her with me wherever I go.

I am still so blessed though, and that's what I try to remember as well: Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

Five Months

Five months!  Me-oh-my, the boy is getting big :)  

(Please click "Read More" to see a nice summary of the month, and just how much Sidekick is changing!  Also, this post features (at the end of the huge wall of text) 102 pictures . . . whoa :P  But considering I was able to whittle that down from 466 taken this past month, that's pretty good :D  As always, click to make the collages bigger!  EDIT: forgot to add that all pics are in chronological order - save the first collage which was taken two days ago - so you can really see how he grew/changed over the month.  Enjoy!)

One Year Old Today

This is my comfort in my affliction, that Thy word has revived me ~ Psalm 119:50 (KJV)

This post is about my Angelbaby, and the loss of him or her.  Please click "Read More" to see the entire post.

Four Months

Two Months

Be warned, there's a lot of pics in this post! :)

Alright, so I'm like three days late on this one - but for good reason, we've been busy! (Pretty much from Christmas Eve, to Epiphany Sunday was filled with family :D) . . . and though it was a lot of travel, a lot of visits, etc., it's so wonderful that everyone has been able to meet Sidekick!

So first off, let's share what you've been waiting to see: his two month picture :)

Who does he look more like?

Well in case anyone was wondering - here are some easy ways to tell: baby pictures of everyone! :)

HeroPapa as a baby                   Sidekick in the middle                     HeroMama as a baby

Still a little hard to tell, but we think he looks like us both: he's got Papa's eyes, ears, forehead, fingers and toes - and Mama's nose, lips and blonde coloring . . . though of course, we also noticed a striking resemblance to another famous baby ~

Edward the IV  and Sidekick ... hm, maybe we got some royal ancestors ;P

Christmas Traditions

Both Joel and I grew up with wonderful Christmas traditions, but which ones to use with our little Sidekick?  Should we decorate the entire house with nutcracker's and nativity scenery?  Should we go to The Nutcracker ballet like we have done together in the past? (in a few years - gosh could you imagine going with a little seven week old?)  Should we go off and make a bunch of cookies with HeroPapa's maternal family?  Or, continue to do the Christmas Exchange with HeroPapa's paternal side?  Should we always spend Christmas Eve with my family, decorating the tree together?

These are all questions we asked ourselves this year, because we don't only have ourselves to think of this season - we have our own new family (and Sidekick to introduce for the first time to the extended family!).  So we decided to spend two days, with three families, and though of course, it was busy; we also took Christmas morning to try our hand at our own special little set of traditions.

We woke up and lit a pine-tree scented Christmas candle (we weren't going to be home enough to really get much out a real tree), and played the fireplace video off of Netflix (which featured a Christmas yule log, and playing holiday music in the background).  It was like having our own fireplace, on our big screen :)  Finally, we placed our holiday cards along the tv as if it was our personal little mantel, and then we sat together and read the nativity story from our Bible.

It was a wonderful test-run, to our own little special Christmas traditions, but I'm sure it will evolve over the years as Sidekick begins to voice his opinions on the matter.  Because traditions are wonderful, but it's not about us anymore - Christmas is enjoyed most by children, and as our family grows, our traditions should, too.  We'll take a little bit from here, and a little bit from there, because at the end of the day, it's not about us, or what we deem are the only important ways to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  It's about us as a family, celebrating that fact, in any way that brings a smile to us all :)

Happy holidays everyone!  And have a safe New Year!