Juggling Everything

Well I have finally figured out why God finally gave me children after all of these years - to test my patience. Not just to test it a little, but to test it a lot!

I have to say that once Colt turned a 1 1/2 months things changed quite a bit. He became colicky and boy does this child like to scream and cry! I'm not talking just a little bit of crying. I'm talking about crying ALL THE TIME! Crying to the point where I have just become numb to it basically. Then the numbness wears off and I'm left with a lot of frustration. Then on top of that, I've got a VERY energetic 1 year-old who is just dying to just go out and run! He gets into everything and has now learned that climbing is his new favorite thing to do. He is also cutting teeth like crazy (now has 8 on top, 4 that are just breaking the gums and 4 already there and 6 on bottom with 2 more breaking through where he will soon have 8). You would think I would have lost my mind through all of this but nope, I haven't.

And as crazy as it sounds, I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in this world!

There are days I just want to lock myself into a room and scream or just turn up the TV really loud and ignore everything. Then there are days I just sit and watch Cash play with his toys and Colt discover something new and I can't help but be the luckiest person in the whole world. Sometimes it chokes me up to watch my boys grow up. I now know why my mom cried at milestones when my brother and I are were growing up. You just get this feeling inside of you like, "wow they are mine".

Having good days are often, having "great" days are rare, having a down day is normal. We are getting to the point where there are a lot of good days, with a few great days in between. Colt seems to be getting a little better and Cash is just Cash. He is hilarious! It's been really hard dealing with Colt just because Cash was such a good baby, but then Colt is my challenge and I have a feeling that will change once the boys get older. Cash will be my challenge and then Colt will be my angel haha

I got asked the other day, "Do you take naps?" I just laughed and said, "what are those?" I stopped taking naps once Colt turned a month old because getting him and Cash to sleep at the same time is one of the hardest things to do! One is always awake, and if I can get both of them to nap at the same time,  I have about 45 minutes to myself to shower, eat, clean, watch one of my shows, etc... A lot of time everything but me getting cleaned up gets done.

Again, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

This weekend my best friends little boys turns 2 and I am still shocked at how fast time goes by. Then I got to thinking, this weekend I will have a 16 month old and a 4 month old. Crazy!!!

Besides the boys, I have been able to juggle getting the dogs taken care of and other things around the house. I am lucky to have a supportive husband who helps me when he gets home from work - even if he has had a long day. And somewhere in between that, I find time to head to the gym for an hour.

How do I juggle it? I have no clue, but I know one thing - God can keep throwing things at me, because the test of "patience" - well I think I'm handling it pretty damn good - even though some days are rough.

Looks So Good!

I decided to take this from http://www.simplymodernmom.com/

I love this website and it gives me a lot of good ideas!

Taco Soup Recipe from Simply Modern Mom

Posted on March 5, 2010 at 7:00 am
in Food, Over-Used Recipes, Simple Recipes, cooking, recipes

Taco Soup from me…

This is a fast soup. And I need fast recipes in my life. My friend, Tannen, introduced me to taco soups and I have been refining a mixture of several recipes since then. This recipe will make quite a large batch, serving 6-8 people. So it’s a go-to recipe when we have company or at the beginning of a week for Nathan to take leftovers to school. And although Kaye is a pretty picky eater, she loves this soup because she gets to crunch tortilla chips.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomato, undrained
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomato, undrained
3 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water, or more to reach desired soup consistency

1. Brown beef in pan with chopped onions, then drain excess fat.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, lightly blend stewed tomato, brown sugar and taco seasoning.
3. In a large soup pot, combine blended mixture, browned beef and remaining ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil and mix well.
5. Serve with avocado, cheese, lime, sour cream, cilantro and/or tortilla chips.

No Longer S.A.D.

So about five years ago I couldn't stand the thought of Valentine's Day. In fact, I always called in SAD - Single Awareness Day! I hated this day so bad that I would totally avoid the V-Day isle at the grocery store, department store, etc... I tried to avoid this day at all possible! Nothing good ever came out of this day....

...but one man changed that. It just happens to be the man I am married too.

My Valentine!

Once you meet the person you are meant to be with, your vision of Valentine's Day changes. We don't do much to celebrate, but I can tell you that having a "permanent" valentine just makes me smile. I have some who loves me more than anything in this world and I feel the same about him.

I also have two little boys whom I love unconditionally and will spoil them on Valentine's Day once they know what is going on. I'm just glad that my mind has been changed about this day and I hope it never does!

So with that said - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!

It's Been a Year...

Well today is an anniversary for me. I was laid off a year ago today and still am shocked that this happened. I just went back and read the blog post I wrote on the day I was "let go" on my old blog and I was royally pissed - but who wouldn't be. haha 

When I was laid off I had so many emotions going on. Things went haywire and I never thought in a million years I'd be where I am today. 

It took me about 6 months to get over the fact that I was let go. I had worked for 17 straight years and to all of a sudden find myself jobless was just horrifying. Now that I look at it, I couldn't be more happier.

I don't have the stress of a boss anymore. I don't work for hypocrites anymore and I am loved by the most amazing men in my life!!

I also got Colt.

Colt was conceived a week after I was laid off and in my post that I had written I had mentioned I was ready for something good to happen to Jeff and I. We were ready for a new path. Well a couple weeks later I find out I'm pregnant, then a couple months later Jeff gets a new job which is enabling me to stay home.

I guess we got our answer.

We still have a long way to go, but I can tell you that this past year has been amazing. Cash is my little buddy and loves life so much and his dad more than anything in the world. Colt just loves the fact that he can cry, eat and sleep! haha 

So would I go back to work if that company ever asked me back?

HELL NO!!

I'm happy right where I am at and I wouldn't trade my life for anything in the world. 

Here's to the anniversary of me being laid off! Best thing to happen to me and my family!

Getting So Big!

 This is unusual to catch a picture of a happy Colt. Usually he is screaming at the top of his lungs, but I love him anyways! He is happy when he wants to be and can make you want to tear your hair out the next, but he is getting to be so smiley and talking a lot! He looks grown up in this pic so I had to post it!

My friend Shanda took this pic of Cash the other day (I cropped it to show him). I don't know what it is, but he looks soooo grown up in this pic!! He looks like he could be 2 instead of 15 months. Everyone thinks he is older then he is too, which could be a good thing, but a bad thing when he actually does get older! hahaha 

Anyways, just wanted to show off my boys!

Can you tell I'm a proud mama! haha

Cash's Stats!

So Cash just had his 15 month checkup and it was great! Well, besides the shots part of it, but he is doing soooo good!

Playing in mom's pans!

He keeps moving up the percentile in weight at 69% for his weight of 25.9 lbs. In heighth he is in the 76% at 32.1 inches! He has grown two inches and gained two pounds since his 12 month appointment. I figured that if he keeps at this rate, he could be over 6 feet tall! His doctor loves him to death and said he is one of the most mellow kids he has to check on. Cash is always so good for him while he is being checked. Sometimes I wonder who the kid is because when he is at home he is going 100 mph!! He never stops!

Cash has been a blessing to us. Not only is he a good brother, he is the laughter in our family. This kid is always doing something to make us laugh and he laughs just to make us laugh. We did have an incident a few weeks ago and he fell down a flight of carpeted stairs. I can tell you it was one of the scariest moments I have had since becoming a mom. I flew down the stairs to get to him and he only ended up with a good shake up and a black eye. The doc said we got really lucky and to be happy he is so strong.

Cash is starting to talk a lot now and understands more then he can say. One day I just know he is going to spit out sentences left and right, but right now I will be greatful he is such a smart boy.

Update on Colt: This kid is growing like a weed!!! He's already into 3-6 month clothes and some 6-9 month clothes and he is only 3 months old! He has been cranky still but is starting to come around. He has been a really fussy baby and it's been hard, but we love him. I've started giving him rice cereal before bed and he sleeps for about 8-9 hours before waking up. It's been great!! He is so smiley when he wants to be and is starting to talk a lot. He loves to watch Cash and smiles at him all the time. We are so blessed to have this little dude in ourlives as well and can't wait to see how he develops!