Mother's Day

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you moms out there. It is the toughest job in the world, but the most rewarding job.

My mother's day was great. My husband made sure to treat me like a queen. He made reservations for The Melting Pot. Want to know what hell is like? Take a toddler to a fondue restaurant. The food was delicious, but I couldn't wait to get out of there. Harper is a handful, but we thought we could handle her and take turns with taking care of her and making her happy. We are so wrong. I have never wanted to leave a restaurant so quick in my life. The moral of the story is don't take a toddler to The Melting Pot. Sorry to every single person that was there that had to listen to our Harper.

That is motherhood though. There are ups and there are downs. There are days when I want to crawl into a hole with a bottle of wine. Then there are days that are so perfect that I have to pinch myself. I love being a mom to these two beautiful, spunky, little humans. They are my reason for being.

There is nothing sweeter then when Harper crawls into her brothers lap. They love each other so much.

Current Faves

I was inspired by my friend Lisa over at Beauty and her Boys to do a faves post. I use this stuff all the time and I love all of them. They are all pretty cheap too which is important to me since we are on a budget.

1. Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal (sample sized). I got it in last month's Ipsy bag and LOVE it. It makes my hair feel soft.

2. Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Cleanser. This stuff smells SOOOOO good. I love it and it makes my face feel amazing.

3. Cake Batter Chapstick. You can't go wrong with Chapstick, but cake batter Chapstick is even better.

4. St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer. This stuff is so creamy and makes my skin soft. I even put it on my legs and arms.

5. Sonia Kashuk Brushes. I got this brush kit at Target and they are so soft and super pretty.

Everything here is under $15 bucks!!!!! These are my current can't live without beauty items. What are yours? 

Introducing

I think it's safe to say that I suck at this whole blogging thing. Who am I kidding though? I know only my family reads this so they can keep up with us. So it's whatever. I try to write when I can and I'd love to have a thriving blog like I did a couple of years ago, but that means getting out my laptop more then once a month. For some reason I can't blog from my iPad. It just crashes when I try to post. It is what it is.

After losing Ellie we knew that we wanted another dog ASAP. We had been planning to get a Labrador once we bought our house anyways. So we found a local, reputable breeder in Fredericksburg (whom we LOVE) and got a yellow lab!

Introducing Lola! Or as I like to call her Lola Cabana or Lola Bananas. We always sing that stupid Coppa Cabana song now that we have her. Let me tell you something, labs are HARD as puppies. If you don't want to put a lot of work into the puppy stage then don't get a lab. Period. She is so high maintenance. It's been crazy around here with her and the kids. It's like having two toddlers running through the house. She does know most of the commands we've taught her and she is pretty much potty trained. She just has the occasional accident here and there. I'm ready to be out of the puppy stage though! It really makes me miss Ellie because she was the most laid back, chill dog ever. I know this dog will grow on me though. There are some days when I really don't like her because she pooped and got it all over her crate or she nipped at Harper and left a hellacious scratch. I spend most of my days yelling NO LOLA or DAMN IT LOLA because she chews on every little thing. She ours though and this house once again has the pitter patter of dog feet. Oh how I missed that.

It's a good thing that she's cute.

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Newtown, CT

Twenty families sent their kids to school on Friday. They made them breakfast, got them dressed, got them on the school bus or dropped them off at school. They gave kisses and promised that they would be right there to pick them up. They never got to. Twenty families of little boys and little girls forever changed. You don't send your child to school and think that you may never get to pick them up. It doesn't work like that. It shouldn't work like that. The world we live in today is a sad and scary one. As much as we want to protect our children from every single thing, we can't. I wish I could put my kids in a bubble and never let them out, but I can't. I can't promise tomorrow. I can only promise to love them today.

Twenty six families whose lives are forever changed. I can't even fathom the grief those parents feel. It's unimaginable. There are just no words for this horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the family of the teachers and administrators who tried their best to save those children. They are true heroes. May they all rest in peace.

This evening I lit a candle for the 26 victims in Newtown. I am going to love on my kids and count my blessings and pray for a better, safe world. A world where we don't have to worry about our children being shot in school.

Happy 1st Birthday Harper!

 

A year ago today at 4:41 pm you came into this world screaming, crying and peeing all over the place (according to your grandma). The little girl that I had so longed for, but wasn't sure would ever come to be. You were perfect. Seven pounds and fourteen ounces of pure bliss.Your daddy was half a world away in Afghanistan, but with us in heart. As soon as I saw you and the nurse said you had my dimple I was in love. A love so grand and instantaneous. Your brother was the first to hold you, and he loves you so. Nowadays you follow him around and bug him, but I know that the love you two will have will last forever. 

The last twelve months have been amazing. I worried if I could ever love the second child as much as the first. I found you can. Your heart just grows in size to fit all the love. You amaze me every single day. You love to chase the dog while screaming Ellie at the top of your lungs. Your laugh is infectious, and I love watching you learn. I know that the years to come will be just as amazing. I can't believe you are one today. Time goes by too quickly. 

Dearest Harper, your daddy & I love you more then words can express. One day when you become a mother you will understand. You are my sunshine and my heart and soul. You make every day so great. I look forward to many more years of birthdays, hugs and smiles. Happy 1st Birthday baby girl. I love you.

Mommy

Cake smash

I decided to do Harper's cake smash pictures today. I picked up a little white cake from the grocery store and moved furniture in the kitchen so I could capture it.

It was a total fail. After about five minutes she was over it. She didn't really like eating it. She only liked rubbing her hands in it. A lot of the pictures are out of focus and blurry. It's ok though. I got a few pictures that I will cherish forever.

I can't believe she will be 1 on the 21st. It is bittersweet.