Giving Thanks

First off, I would like to give thanks to my followers who still read my blog, as my posts lately are few and far between. It just seems there isn't enough time in the day to get everything in lately. Perhaps that is due to the hecticness of the holidays...or wanting to spend every breathing waking second kissing my sweet girls cheeks.

Speaking of that sweet girl, I had plenty to be thankful for this past Thanksgiving. A new cozy home, a loving husband & family, credit cards, our good health. We spent Thanksgiving and the weekend in our hometown with our families and friends. Many shots drinks were drank, yummy food was devoured, tons of football was watched, and typical holiday arguments occurred between the hubs and I. It can't all be perfect eh? We started off the day by having brunch with my immediate & extended family, then headed over to Brandons Aunts, where Saige hung out with her new cousin Riley.  The day concluded with our yearly trip to the bowling alley. It was a bit different this year, as last year Saige sat in her carseat and looked at the neon lights. This year she was literally trying to walk down the alley, no joke.

Saige also developed a new love for dog crates this weekend. Why play with our expensive toys? Let's just shut the door to the crate, crawl in, and giggle for hours. Seeing her face light up when around animals is priceless. 

For now I will be busy stringing Christmas lights, jamming to some JBiebs music, and trying to keep cat food out of Saige's mouth. Oh the joys of toddlerhood.

xoxo.

Likes & Loathes

Current Likes:

• A 3-day work week! Now if the kids weren't in school..this would be a LOVE. And it's also payday week. Mama needs to do some Christmas shopping..or go nuts at the Pottery Barn outlet this weekend.
• The leaves almost all off our trees. This raking, blowing, transporting of leaves is NO fun. So long leaves. Please don't come back on our yard till next Fall.
• My walking baby toddler and her squeals of joy and excitement. So proud of my little walker. We are anxiously awaiting the Amazon delivery of some sweet Pedipeds! Because every girl needs pink shoes right?
• Going to the bar on Wednesday night and getting drunk to see all my hometown peeps. Then probably being hungover Thursday and gaining 10 pounds.
• My Uggs and brown leather boots getting cleaned. My Sperrys and Toms aren't doing it for me anymore.

Current Loathes:

• The fact that Saige refuses to wear hats. How can a 13 month old be so determined and strong-willed? Even the hats that velcro under her chin? Hell no. She tears them right off. And then her ears freeze. I can't win this battle.
• Sports on TV all the time. Sure I like a good game on every so often..but not every single night. If it's not football it's a soccer game..or a NASCAR race. I would just like control of the remote for one night. Yes we have 2 televisions but it's more interesting this way.
• Trying to cut Saiges fingernails. She is lucky I don't cut her finger off with the way she squirms around. Could someone please transform my feisty baby into a hat-wearing short-fingernailed princess? K thanks.
• The hole in the knee of my Citizens. How is it that my most expensive pairs of jeans are always the first to go?
• My cats. Does anybody want them? Their hair is all over, they jump on the bathroom counters, and drive me crazy. Ugh. 

1 more day till break.

I think I can..I think I can...

xoxo

Silent Sunday: One-Year Photos

One..Two..I mean Four Christmases

Christmas, or any holiday in general, is about being with those who you love.  It is a time to feel a spirit of joy and peace.  It is a time to connect, a day to feel close and thankful for family.  A chance to see relatives who you may only see once a year.  The freedom to enjoy a delicious meal and drink too many glasses of wine.  Wait, wait back up, rewind...a time to feel peace?  The holidays are supposed to be enjoyable?

Well shit, not in this neck of the woods. Our holiday season last year was chaotic, stressful, and it ended with my head over the toilet. No lie. More on that later, and no it wasn't due to the vino. It was due to bouncing around from house to house, trying to please my family and his.  The hubs and I are high school sweethearts and therefore are from the same town, duh. Our parents literally live 8 minutes away from each other. My grandparents live in the same town, as well as his grandparents, aunts, and uncles.  So everyone wanted to see us...more like everyone wanted to see Saige.  Let's be honest.  It was more about passing the baby around, she looked so damn cute in her red velour onesie.

   
Now if I had gotten 4x the amount of presents, that would have been just fine with me. But I didn't..and we were just stuck going from relative to relative. And somehow in the meantime, I caught a nasty stomach bug and found myself hugging the porcelain bowl from midnight to 7 am. You know that feeling when you are so thirsty but everything you drink comes right back up? Yeah. That was my Christmas night. So here's hoping for a less stressful holiday season.  A holiday season where I can relax and be surrounded by my loved ones. For more than 3 hours at a time please.

Baby let's cruise

Sometimes I wonder how many of us survived our younger baby years. We didn't have the fancy car seats with the LATCH system. We didn't have strollers with shocks and 5-point harnesses. Hell, we were practically sitting in the front seat when we were only 3 years old. And as for baby bike seats..it just about looked like this...

Obviously it was a tad more safer than that, but that picture cracks me up. Just tie a basket to the bike, plop the kid in, and let's roll. As I said in a previous post, my parents gifted us with a baby bike seat for Saige. I rode on the back of one of my parents bikes for years as did my brothers. We do a lot of biking down in Hilton Head and at the shore. This coming Easter we will be heading to Hilton Head Island for the week with my family, to the Sea Pines plantation, where there are miles and miles of bike paths. This is an activity that I can't wait to share with Saige. My parents came to visit on Sunday and we decided to try out the new bike seat. Now this bike seat is amazing. It has a handlebar, a padded seat, and even little foot pedals. It even has a suspension system to cushion bumps and jolts. If you are thinking about a bike seat, run to your nearest bike store and pick up one of these! It is also easy to switch between bikes due to the quick latching system!

Now if someone could come up with a helmet that a toddler actually likes..??...that would be fantastic. The tantrum that occurred was epic. I will hate to see the day when I pinch her little neck accidentally. Ugh that was the worst. Thank goodness she quickly forgot about the helmet once we got on our way. We took a nice little ride around the neighborhood and up to the elementary school. Beside her kicking my back the entire time, I clearly need to tighten her little feet into the pedals, we had a great time. I certainly won't be riding no-handed any time soon or popping any wheelies, hauling around 20+ pounds is certainly a workout! 

Luckily that frown turned into a smile as soon as she felt the wind blowing through her hair..

or the paci that was shoved in her mouth.

xoxo.

Tuesday Tidbits

I have a hit a blank slate lately with my blog.  Which is pathetic since I have only been blogging for a few months. Perhaps its not for me? But then again I have felt frustrated with the blogging/twitter world lately. It's like you need to impress certain people, or try to fit in with a "clique"..and I'm just tired of it. I do appreciate the amazing women that I have gotten the chance to know. Some of them seem real and genuine, while others just seem rude and judgmental. So why am I going out of my way to try to "impress" other bloggers? It's like being in high school again..and no thanks I'd rather not go back to that time in my life. So for now I will focus on positive bloggers and tweets. They are the ones who inspired me to blog. Their stories and feelings are real and it's inspiring. So thank you.

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I deleted a previous post that I wrote last week about working in an inner city neighborhood school. My husband brought to my attention that it may have been a little harsh. Which it may have been. But it's truly how I feel. It is a culture shock for me each and everyday. It's hard to remain positive and upbeat, even for me. I keep telling myself, "just get in a few years of experience and then you can change districts". But when you're competing with thousands of other applications for one position in a suburban school, it's tough. I need to start making friends in higher places. It's all about who you know right? Also the commute has been draining. I really need to find another sitter closer for S. 

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S has officially started walking. Not for long periods of time, but at least 10 steps at once. She has also started throwing little hissy fits when I take something away from her. Like my glasses when she yanks them off my face..or my iphone. Seriously? What has become of my little angelic child? She actually knows how to press the button on my iphone now. Quite the techy. Also, we are almost completely off formula. We are down to 2 ounces of formula and 4 ounces of whole milk. I don't plan on stopping bottles either for at least a bit, I enjoy that snuggle time way too much. And i'm in no hurry for her to grow up.

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DST and I have a love/hate relationship. I love that it gets lighter earlier, but then I hate that it gets dark so early. I am NOT a morning person at all, I could sleep till noon everyday if I could. I literally need an alarm clock that drags me out of bed and into the shower. Mornings in our house are chaotic. Why? Because i'm always running late. The number of yellow lights I run in the morning is insane. Note to self - start waking up earlier or you may get fired. 

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Happy Tuesday...which is like Wednesday for me because we have Friday off. Hallelujah. Thanks Vets!