Let The Fall Festivities Begin!

The week started great on September 27 for my mom's bday! We all (Blake, myself, Olivia, Nate, Court, Liz, and my grandma) traveled to Pasadena to eat at Slaters 50/50. My family has never been but Blake and I LOVE this place! They have this bacon brownie (which I know sounds gross) but it is actually amazing! Who would have thought bacon and chocolate would be so perfect together. Dinner was great and afterwards we walked around downtown for a little bit. Where my aunt Liz found this container store, which I have never heard of,  OMG! I'm obsessed. If you love to organize anything this is the place to go. I will be going back. Who would have thought celebrating my mom's birthday in a container store would be so much. We haven't laughed that hard in a really long time! We probably spent a good hour or maybe even two hours there just messing around. It was great!

This week I took some time to finish my Halloween Craft that I did with Olivia. I'm so excited how it came out! And pretty surprised how perfect it came out. I found a similar idea on Pinterest but of course, had to add my own sparkle to it. Now my mom wants one, so I better start working on that!

Olivia and Stella are only a couple weeks apart and already best friends. I cannot believe how fast these two are growing up. I remember my friend Kelli (Stella's mom) and I would take them to the park but they could only play on a blanket in the grass, looking at the other kids going down the slides. Well now they go up on their own and even put themselves down the slide. As much as it is the cutest thing ever, it really makes me sad. But then I watch her smile and all I can think about is the day she was born. It is amazing how much your children have your heart from the minute they are born. Watching them learn and try new things is one of the best feelings in the world!

Let the fall festivities begin! My favorite time of the year! I met my mom, sister Court, and Nate for a quick stop at our local pumpkin patch called Lombardi's Ranch. Such a fun place! Olivia, of course, went crazy over all the pumpkins. Especially the little ones. We had so much fun and Livy had a blast running around playing, seeing the animals, and the train. We didn't get any pumpkins this time around because next week we are going to a better and bigger pumpkin patch with daddy! 

One of my favorite traditions is making homemade caramel apples! I probably am going to make some more later this month because we already ate them all! I even gave Livy some and I have never see that girl so hyper in my life. OMG. We don't ever give her sugar, not even juice and wow she had a funny reaction to it. Jumping on and off the couches, running around our home screaming in joy. This girl cracks me up! 

I love spending time with my family! We are a bunch of crazy people when we are all together. It's kind of obnoxious but perfect all at the same time. Don't worry though more fall stories are coming up!!! Pumpkin EVERYTHING! You will most likely be pumpkin'ed out by the time I'm done...

Two Weeks Of Silence

So the silence for the past two weeks has its own explanation... First it started off great, Sunday the 14th, on a family day with my mom and her boyfriend Nate. When we showed up for biscuits and gravy (my mom makes the BEST) we saw a big red easil for Olivia. Right when we entered she ran straight to it. This girl loves to color! It's pretty neat that you can draw on paper on one side and then it is a chalkboard on the other side. This entertained her the whole time we were there.

Now onto what started this cause of silence.. The next day, Monday, Blake was on his way to work like normal. I get a phone call from him and it is past the time he would normally start work. I answered and he didn't sound right. I kept asking are you okay? Are you okay? Finally he responded and said he got into a car accident and was shoken up. I tried to stay calm and ask what I can do, if I should go down there to get him, etc. He needed to just sit it out and get his thoughts together. He was able to drive it back home (thank God) and we got it right into the shop. I'm so tired of being careless and driving while being on the phone!!! This is the second time in a year we have been rearended (first time I was going into labor). I'm so thankful that he wasn't hurt besides a headache. His car has been in the shop now for two weeks. 

Later that week Blake's family was coming into town to celebrate his grandpa's 80 birthday! I still can't believe he turned 80, he acts and looks SO young! The day before the big celebration my mother in law, Kellie, invited the grandmas on Blake and mine side plus my mom. For a girls lunch at The Tea Gardens. I've never been but it was so much fun! Although that morning Olivia seemed really off. I figured because her top teeth were coming in it was due to teething. This girl can eat and she had NO apetite for any food. Not even anything to drink really. Which led to that night. After dinner Olivia really wanted a banana. Not a bid deal and plus she really hasn't eaten anything all day. Within 15 minutes she projectile vomit! She threw up back to back for 3 hours! I felt so bad. I tried giving her water and pedalite and she still couldn't keep it down. Luckily she fell asleep fine but I did end up sleeping in her room.

I woke up in a full panic because she was asleep still and it has been 13 hours since she went to bed. I woke her up and she was out of it. She still didn't want food or anything to drink. Within an hour of her being "awake" she wouldn't stay awake for 15 minutes. At that time I rushed her to urgent care. They saw her and took her in right away. I know stomach bugs last 48 hours but she wasn't even there, and I was flat out scared for my child. While the doctor examined her he said she needs IV right away. After 3 kids size bags and a whole bottle of Pedialite, she finally came to. I swear it was day and night difference! She was so dehydrated just in those few hours, I'm glad I didn't hesitate to take her in! I'm happy to say she is fully recovered and no set backs!

With the doctor's approval we still made a short appearance for Blake's grandpa's birthday party. Everyone was so happy to see us and to see our little girl back to normal. The whole time she acted as if it never happened. When they say babies bounce back, they surely mean it! I'm just so happy she is 100 percent back to normal! I never want to go through that again with her. I probably cried more than her! 

I feel bad that we didn't really get to hang out with his grandparents for too long but I know they understand. After that weekend of chaos the new week began of balancing either Blake taking my car all day or me driving him back and forth. He had this meeting call "Meet The Firms" where he meets a lot of the big accounting firms and sells himself. That went really well for him! He has even gotten a lot of call backs. I can only say enough how proud of him I am. Such a hard working man, never stops! My week calmed down (thank goodness). Olivia did some shopping with Blake's mom and brother, and we also had a couple play dates.

 

Speaking of play dates... We met up with my friend Kelli and her daughter Stella, who is only a couple weeks older than Olivia. These girls crack me up! And it is crazy to watch them both grow into wonderful little girls. Now that they can really understand things, and can communicate, they went nuts for the choo choo train. They have never gone alone on a "ride" before and I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about Olivia actually sitting through it. Surprisingly they did! It was the cutest thing! Going in a circle the girls would wave and smile at us. I can't believe how much they have grown up and so fast.

After a crazy two weeks of a car accident, hospital trip, out of state family visits, and all the other crazy week errands, we are slowing down. So I hope. I've been doing some Halloween crafts that I will be posting soon and it was my moms birthday yesterday that I will be blogging about tomorrow. Sorry that I went so long for those of you who follow. Sometimes, I shouldn't even say sometimes... Life happens and other priorities take place. So here is to getting back on track with the holidays coming up! Also, sorry for the typos since I am doing this on my phone...

Mommy And Daughter Day... And A Home Loan?

While little miss is taking her afternoon nap, I decided to blog about our daughter mommy date today, before we head to Burbank to meet daddy for dinner. It's so cute that he wants to show us around! After Blake left for work this morning we did some quick cleaning and a load of laundry. Which is actually quite funny because Livy LOVES to help me do house chores. I give her a clean rag and she copies me when I start to wipe down the counters. Of course, because she can't reach she normally just does the floors or her toys. With laundry she HAS to put every piece of clothing in the washer. It can get tedious since she throws only one article of clothing at a time. Oh... And I can't forget she has to clap in joy/excitement in-between! She cracks me up!

We were supposed to have plans with one of my friends and her daughter (who is only two weeks older than Olivia) but unfortunately they canceled today. Which made today a perfect day to make into mommy and daughter bonding time. Right now there is a major heat wave and today reached 102 degrees! So I had to think of activities to do that wasn't outside. Which led to our paint session! I saw this on a website to put non-toxic paint in a zip lock bag and to tap it on the window. Which ended up to be great, not only because it kept Livy entertained for nearly an hour and half, but because there was no mess afterwards! Yay for mommy! For all you other moms I would give this a shot.

We did a spa day as well! I got a decent size Tupperware dish, filled it with soap and water, and soaked our feet. We have never pushed anything girly on Livy and trust me when I say she is a little diva already. She LOVE this type of stuff! Instantly she copied me and soaked her feet with mine. I took my little foot scrub brush and cleaned our feet. She laughed and clapped her hands. My little princess!  After we dried our feet, I put some lotion on. I think this is her favorite part because she kept putting her feet on me pointing for me to rub her more. Like I said... Diva! This time we didn't paint our toes because we were running short on our time. We still had to make a stop at Barnes & Noble!

I'm happy to say that Livy is obsessed with books. Even with all the toys and dress up wear, she will always choose a book. This girl is so smart for a 15 month old toddler. You can tell her to grab the purple ball and she will grab that colored ball only. If you ask to get her brown horse and not the black one, same thing. I can even ask her to go in her toy box to grab a specific item. Maybe I'm being biased but how could I not be?! We spent a good 45 minutes at the book store. I'm so glad I don't work there! The mess that Livy made was unbelievable. She would pull a book off the shelf and sit and read. Once she was done she would repeat. I tried to keep up with putting the books back, but this girl was on a mission! All you have to say to her is that we are going to the book store today and she starts stomping her feet and jumping in excitement! She got two books total today and had to read her new animal book in the car. Half way home I realized she was way too quiet. She fell asleep with her book!!! I had to take a picture when we arrived home.

All of my chores are done, Olivia and I had a fun bonding day together and now we get to go explore Burbank with daddy. He found this high rating burger joint, I'm pretty excited after looking at the menu. How could I forget?!!!! Today we officially got approved for a home loan!!!! We have been talking to different lenders but this one specializes in VA Loans (we sign the papers on Monday). We won't make any offers until December when Blake is done with school (no need for extra stress). At least now we can find a Realtor that specializes in our loan and get the ball rolling! We are SO excited. Finally a permanent place where we can call home. To know we won't be moving for a long time is a big relief. We have moved over 10 times in the last 6 years! Ya... Insane! (Thank you military life...) Things are finally all coming together and all this hard work is paying off!

I Don't Care What People Think

Oh man! Changes... Of course we have changes! When does our family never have new news or end up going a different route. This is no exception. Once again I am lost but with the help of my husband I finally found my way. I decided to go back to our community college because I felt this "itch" that I was missing something in my life. I loved beauty school but the thought of going back (even for the 5 months I have left) and leaving Olivia full time down right kills me. I understand some mothers don't have a choice and have to go back but Blake never once put pressure on me on returning back to school. This pressure I felt I was only doing to myself. My family always asking what are you going to do with your life? What's the plan? Or I love this one... "When are you going back to school or work?" Honestly, I don't have an answer for anyone or myself.

All I know is that I LOVE to pamper my husband, take care of the house, and the obvious being a mom. Growing up living in a traditional home at my grandparents house, watching how my great-grandmother would do everything house or family related, and my great-grandpa would make the money. Also, when my mom remarried she ended up becoming a traditional household house wife. There was never this competition nor my grandpa looking down on my grandma. He cherished everything and anything she did. He would always say she has the hardest job out of the both of them. Which don't get me wrong I totally get what he meant by that. Being a mom is a true meaning of 24/7 work.. No breaks, no sick or holiday leave... Okay... I can't even use the bathroom in peace! But it is the most rewarding work I have ever done!

With that, I always thought I would be a career woman. Success first and family later. Little did I know family is a whole another level of success. I'm not taking away from the working mom (seriously you guys are amazing) but the feeling of only being a mom has made me feel like some type of accomplishment. When my husband comes home from a stressful day, he has that look of relief. The house is cleaned, dinner is ready and his family is waiting for him. He is able to share about his work day and I can tell him exactly what our kids learned and did that day. But society now tells woman that being a traditional household is no good anymore. That you need to be this bigger and "better" woman who can do it all. Raise a family and work. That you wasted your life staying at home raising your family. Which is far from the truth!

After only a couple weeks from being in school I didn't feel right. This reminded me of how much college wasn't for me. In high school I learned that I have a learning disability, where it is harder for me to comprehend stuff that I read. Also sometimes it takes someone to repeat directions to me to fully understand it. So thinking going back to school older and more disciplined I thought I would outgrow that feeling. Well it was actually worse! I felt dumb and defeated. First I asked myself why was I really in school? Second why am I leaving my daughter to punish myself? Blake, being the great husband that he is, sat me down and asked what is going on. He knew something was off with me. I balled... I felt like I failed him and my daughter... But most importantly myself. What were people going to say about me again? In the most kindest words Blake said, "You are an amazing mother and wife. That is what makes you a great beautiful smart and talented woman." I ended up dropping my classes.

I knew he was the one for me. Always supportive and my pick me up. Because he makes enough money for our family, I am able to stay home and do what I love to do best. Take care of my family. I shouldn't care what others think. And I hate when people say how stupid I am for depending on a man. That he will leave me or what if he DIES... Yes people do say these things to me. Why would I want to think that way? Who would want to live that way? I have my faith and whatever struggles come my way I will figure it out. I'm living my life one day at a time in a positive direction. People will always find something negative to talk about you. So why listen?

Here I am, proud, stating that I am a stay-at-home mom and this is my JOB! 

Today's Duck Adventure

Today was a very fun day! We have this local place that has some restaurants and at the end there is this pond, where I have seen people take their family Christmas photos. Well my in-laws mentioned to us that they have a ton of ducks their that the kids go crazy over. I don't know why we have never brought Olivia to this place. First off it is free, and second Livy loves any type of animal. So today my mother-in-law (Kellie) offered to take us out for lunch and a park day. Also, my bother-in-law (Tay) joined the fun today. I'm loving him being home from college right now. Seeing our siblings bond with our daughter warms my heart more than I could have ever imagined. I was and still am so close to my aunts and uncles and I have always wanted the same for my children.

We ended up at the place where my in-laws were talking about. Of course, before lunch, we brought Livy to see all the ducks. They were not kidding! So many ducks! And there were a bunch of turtles in pond. Even though it was pretty hot out, it was such a beautiful day! At first Olivia wasn't too sure about feeding the ducks, but once she saw uncle Tay feed them she got the hang of it pretty fast. Every time she would throw the Cheerios to the ducks she would laugh and clap in joy. It was the cutest thing ever! Towards the end of our duck feeding (that lasted at least an hour) she started to eat the Cheerios herself. Her favorite snack!

Right next door was California Pizza Kitchen where we all ate. The food and service was great and thank goodness little miss was on her best behavior. I'm so proud of how well she listens and how much she is learning. I'm probably being biased but I think we have a very smart girl on our hands!

Onto the park! Obviously, Olivia's had a blast. What kid doesn't have fun at a park? I know I still do and I'm an adult! Anyways, Livy was going down slides with uncle Tay and climbing around with grandma Kellie... Laughing and having a complete blast. She played pick-a-boo with me and found new friends. She is such an outgoing toddler. I've never seen her afraid to say hi to anyone! Unfortunately the heat was so bad we couldn't swing to long, since they were so hot! But that's okay, we swing ALL the time.

It was an overall great day. No stress and all about our little girl. I would do anything for this little munchkin! Her joy and happiness will always be my priority. When we got home around 1pm I turned on Brother Bear on our tv in our room. Olivia snuggled up and we fell asleep. It has been awhile since her and I have slept together. I forgot how much I missed that feeling having her right in my arms. We eventually woke up... 3 hours later!!! (Grandma & Uncle Tay wore us out!) Hubby is on his way home and dinner is cooking. Life is pretty amazing and I thank God every day for blessing me with such a wonderful family. I can't wait for Blake to come home to tell him all about our day and to hear about his second day at the new job.

Too Much Shopping?! ::Gasp::

Blake starts his new job this Monday and we realized he has absolutely no business clothes. Of course he has a suit for interviews but never anything 'fancy'. Being the great mom that my mother-in-law (Kellie) is, she offered to take Blake out shopping for a whole new wardrobe. Blake asked if we wanted to come with and instantly I said YES! Remind all of you he rarely shops for himself, and I knew he was picky if I were to buy him clothes, but I figured it was because we have different taste in apparel. His closet is the tiniest I have ever seen, let me tell you... But again I thought it was all due to him being a guy. Anyways... We met for lunch before hand at Islands (one of our favorites) and eventually ended up across the street at our mall.

Let the shopping begin! First we tried JC Penny and (of course) they rearranged everything! Which made the business section look so small. I had NO idea how difficult it was to buy a nice shirt. The different measurements for everything, thank goodness his mom was there! Kellie and I picked what we thought would look great on him and he wouldn't even try on these colors. Okay, we didn't pick out purple or pink, they were in the "normal" range of colors. Nope, he wouldn't have it. After a couple tries with a few blouses I was starting to realize this isn't going to be a quick shopping spree. Kellie suggested we head to Sears to see what options they had. After a good hour later he finally found a style he liked! He ended up with a couple shirts from there and even two pairs of pants! Phewww! 

Blake wanted to try JC Penny again now that he knew what he liked. As we were walking back to the original section we looked prior we saw a whole another section for business wear. (Shoot me now)... At least at this point he knew what kind of colors and style he was going for. Which ended up being less painful than the beginning. Shoes! We can't forget about shoes! Luckily JC Penny has a great shoe selection for reasonably priced (so I think). OMG... The selection was too much for me. They had traditional, modern, or in-between style and multiple colors. I'm so glad we convinced him to stay away from brown for now and play it safe with plain black. He ended up loving this pair that was in-between a traditional and modern look. While he was trying on the shoes Olivia was starting to lose it too. Holy cow this guy is picky! After almost 7 years of marriage I had no idea! So a little over 3 hours later our shopping trip was a success!

Altogether Blake got 5 pairs of pants, 6 blouses, dress socks, belt, undershirts, shoes and I think that is all. He is beyond set for his new journey in the workforce. I'm so happy for him, he really truly deserve this after all of his hard work. And a big shout out to my mother-in-law for helping us out! I can only say enough how blessed we are! 

So guess what I am doing today?.... You guessed it... Laundry and ironing. Yay me!

Labor Day Weekend Adventures

It has been such a busy weekend for this family! (Hence the reason it has taken me so long to blog about it.) Saturday we finally got Olivia her new high chair and we are all in LOVE with it! I think she likes it more than us, but I enjoy how easy this one is to clean. We had another one that was a hammy down and it was great, but unfortunately the cushion was starting to fall apart which made it hard to keep clean. And little miss would pick at the leather. We ended up staying at home during the day because one of Blake's friends Mark (from the Marines Reserves) was coming over. My sister stopped by with her two girl friends. She got the cutest clothes for Olivia! Now that she is 16 with a job and her own car (growing up too fast) it is cute that she likes to stop by and hang out with us. Good aunt she is! Anyways, Mark finally came over and we went to a pizza place called Vincenzo (so yummy!). Livy won a glittery tattoo, which she will not have, and a fuzzy ball. We came back home watched some football, had a couple beers and enjoyed this beautiful summer evening!

Next morning on Sunday we met up with my family that was in town from Las Vegas. I grew up with my cousins here in California and we are still extremely close with each other. It is weird that we are 'moms' now and seeing our kids play together. Her son is getting SO big! I wished we lived closer. Even though Blake and I have been to 3 different zoos in the last 6 months we all decided to go to the LA Zoo for the kids. Which both kids LOVED all the animals and of course Livy was saying "ooohhh" to all of them. The heat was killer! I'm not one to complain about the heat but something about the humidity at 95 degrees with barely any shade at the zoo, made it hard to enjoy. I think we stayed at the zoo for a total for 2 maybe 3 hours. As we were headed to the exit there was this hidden viewing place of the elephants but on a normal  day I don't think the elephants would hang out at this area. It was very close to us "humans", but lucky us, there was this one elephant that didn't care we were there! It was playing in the little pound having a blast in this heat. Such a great experience to witness!

Behind the zoo there is this little train place where you can have picnics and explore all the neat older trains. Growing up my dad side brought me here a lot! It's a lot of fun and free! We packed a lunch and all of us decided to head over there to eat. Blake has never been here and his face lit up like a little boy seeing trains for the first time. He took Olivia up in the trains and explored everywhere. It was way too cute how much fun he was having with her there. We will definitely be going back in the near future now that Olivia can adventure on her own too. The second we headed back home Livy passed out in the car and so did daddy (mommy had to drive.) We all took a 3 HOUR nap when we got home and watched Frozen to end this hot summer day.

Unfortunately, Blake had to work that night and didn't get home until 6am the next morning. Poor guy! Thankfully this is his last week of working his night job. Olivia and I met my family and our out-of-state family at Corner Bakery for brunch before they took off back to Vegas. I'm so sad it was a short visit but grateful at the same time how close we all are still. My grandma, sister (auntie Boo), and I all headed to Khols for some Labor Day shopping. Grandma always spoils us and we constantly tell her to stop, but I think she loves doing it because she won't take no for an answer. I'm extremely close with my grandma. Growing up and my mom being a single mom we lived at my great grandparents house, where my grandma lived as well. With how much my mom had to work I always had them. She is planning on moving to Kentucky soon where one of my uncles lives with his two kids. I'm bittersweet but my two younger cousins out there need that time with grandma. 

Later that evening we said our good byes and headed to go pick up daddy, now that he got some sleep. Off to my in-laws we go! His parents wanted to have a celebration dinner for manly Blake and apparently me. He is starting a new job and I finished my first week of school at our local community college. (Which now I am paying for because I didn't do any reading for my class over the weekend). It's great to have both of our families in support and how excited they are for us. Between military life, adjusting to civilian life, expanding our family, finishing/starting schools we would be lost without them. I cherish and thank God every day for our families. We are truly blessed!