Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  A special thank you to all of those serving in our armed forces.  My cousin and his wife are both in the military as well as a number of family friends who serve our country.  Thank you for all that you do for us!

We've had a fun, very full, long weekend!  I'm so thankful my company [usually] gives us an early release before a big holiday weekend. 

Friday I got off work at 2... okay didn't leave until 2:30 pm, but that's still way earlier than 5!  We had my little brother's high school graduation Baccalaureate Mass that evening, so instead of wrestling him throughout Mass, he went to our friend's house to hang with them and their little girls.  Mass was really nice for all of the graduates!  That evening we didn't get home until after 10... Jack luckily fell asleep on the way home, so it was straight into bed for him!  (See previous post on his new fight to go to sleep at night)

Saturday was a little more low key, but relatively productive!  We got some family time in that morning and, when Jack went down for a nap, I got to run a few errands while my amazing husband mowed grass and did some laundry!  I got to get a birthday gift for a party later that day, and had fun picking out items for my friend's baby shower gift!  Jack & I are going down in a week & a half to visit and attend her baby shower... she's planning on cloth diapering her little guy so it was a LOT of fun to buy for a new baby!  (That will have to be another post on what I chose to get her.)  Saturday evening, we attended the birthday party for the first of our "baby crew" who turned two!  (Baby crew = there are 4 of our friends' kids all born within 3-4 weeks of each other; 3 boys and 1 girl) It was a blast of course!  Jack had a cupcake and even "jumped" on their full-sized trampoline!

Jumping doesn't quite involve both feet off the ground at the same time, but it still got lots of giggles!

My son eating a cupcake... not only did he get icing on his face, but he smeared it up by his eyes using his hands.  Hence, why I had to take over holding the cupcake!

Sunday was my baby brother's high school graduation!  He's the 4th, and final, of all of us to have graduated from a Catholic high school!  I was the only one who attended public school during my K-12 education, simply because there wasn't a Catholic school in one town in which we lived.  A big thanks to my mom & dad for putting us all through Catholic schools... Matt and I hope to be able to share that experience with our children when they reach school age, because we both loved our Catholic school experiences!  It was really neat at the graduation to hear of the family who had their 11 or 12th (and youngest) child graduating Catholic school, for a grand total of 30 years of Catholic education amongst their kids!  Amazing!  But anyway, congrats to my baby brother on his high school graduation and good luck in college!  We all know you'll do great!  We went out to lunch to celebrate, and of course Jack wouldn't sit down at the table for more than 5 minutes, and even begged Daddy to do a few laps outside Olive Garden.  But he did ask the waitress for milk very politely by saying "malk peese"... who can resist that?

You can tell it was a hot couple of laps around Olive Garden... sucked about half of that milk down without taking his mouth off the straw!

Mommy got some snuggles with her baby boy that evening!  Is it just me or does my belly look huge in this picture?  Only about 18 & a half weeks along...

Today has been very full, and we did it by our choosing!  We went to the zoo for about an hour & a half this morning.  Yup, only an hour & a half, but we have passes and it was HOT.  This pregnant mama and her toddler got really hot, pretty quickly!  Oh well, that is why we'll always get passes to the zoo... no need to fit everything in during one visit!  After Jack's afternoon nap, we made an appearance at Matt's boss' annual Memorial Day cookout.  Jack and I went swimming... and he LOVED it!

Point to the (grizzly?) bear!  I love how close he can get to the animals at our zoo!

Enjoying the pool... the water was the perfect temperature for me!

Playing some pool basketball!  Much to Jack's disappointment, I could only life 30 pounds above my head a handful of times so he could put the ball through the hoop.

The conclusion after this weekend: it is going to be one fun summer!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. This week I had my mid-year review with my boss, and it went well (phew).

2. I am hoping this weekend is when the sun returns.
3. It's all about family this weekend.

4. It is important to me to keep my son safe in the sun.
5. I demand too much of myself sometimes, but I'm working on it.

6. I know I want to follow God's path, it's filled with so many good things in my future, I can feel it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my brother's Baccalaureate [graduation] Mass, tomorrow my plans include going to the first of many 2 year old birthday parties and Sunday, I want to enjoy my baby brother's high school graduation and lunch with family!

 

Where'd Our Good Sleeper Run Off To?!

We've been blessed with such an easy going little boy!  He's always been a happy boy only getting upset when he was hurt or sick and maybe a little bit when tired.  Lately, it has been a whole different story!  I don't know where our good sleep has run off to, and who this not so good sleeper might be. 

Luckily, he's still taking good naps, but sometimes I wonder if he's too good at napping.  His bedtimes have been so drawn out lately (consistently for 2+ weeks), that we've even asked my mom to limit his nap and wake him up at 4 p.m... I know, I know "never wake a sleeping baby" but he simply isn't sleeping like he has in the past and I'm not really sure where else to go with making bedtime easier.

I think he needs to be going to bed around 8:30-9 p.m. (which is probably later than most kids his age), especially if he's sleeping during his afternoon nap until 4 p.m.  Not to mention with all of this rain, we can't seem to get him outside to burn off all of his energy.  We've tried a few different things with a bedtime routine... we haven't done a bath every night before bed because a) his skin gets so dried out from baths and b) with Matt often working until 8, trying to give a 2 year old a bath while pregnant is not an easy feat... I just don't necessarily feel that safe doing it.  Heaven forbid we both slip and fall because of me trying to get him out of a bath with wet floors. 

We need to figure out something soon because we want to switch him into his big boy bed (soon after the bunk beds arrive) and the scientist in me thinks it would be best to only change one variable at a time.  Anyone have a similar experience with toddler sleep regression?  Any suggestions on bedtime routines or other things we can try to get him to wind down in advance of bedtime?

Mother's Day Reflections on my Children

My son is all boy.... This is what he choose to do after saying good bye to Grandma when Mommy got home from work.

No feeling one way or another if we're having a boy or a girl with this next one, but he or she will likely be a strong personality.  Today when Jack and I were laying on the couch trying to snuggle his little brother or sister started trying to kick him.  I don't know if they were just as frustrated as me that he wouldn't lay still to settle down for a nap or if they were just trying to point out that that he or shee will give him a run for for his money! 

Feeling baby #2 kick on Mother's day while snuggling my oldest is a wonderful feeling!  I am just so blessed!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope every mom and expectant mother out there are having a wonderful Mother's Day!  Being a mom is what I have always known I wanted to do with my life and it is the most important role I have.

Mother's Day is a time to be thankful for the moms in our life.  I am very grateful (and a bit spoiled) to have my mom and mother-in-law in the same town as us.  My mom watches Jack during the day when Matt and I are at work.  Trust me, I know how lucky I am... we are all quite spoiled by this and wouldn't trade it for the world!  My MIL is always willing to watch Jack whenever we need or want a night out and Jack loves his Bapie!

Fun facts about Mother's Day in my life:

• Twenty-six years ago on Mother's Day, my mom welcomed her oldest child into the world (yours truly)
• I have had my birthday on Mother's Day 3 times since I was born, which will happy the 4th time in 2013

My little family on the day I welcomed my oldest child out into the world!

And its hard to believe that next year, for Mother's Day 2012, I will have two little blessings to celebrate the honor of being their mom!