Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mellow Yellow

In case you don't me, I'm kind of... Intense. Lol. I'm always going a million different directions and am kind of particular about how I like things. Sitting still is not something that I do well and I'm rarely quiet. I dive into things head first, most of the time without much thought, and enjoy going against the grain. My dad always jokes that I was born complaining about the temperature in the delivery room. Thanks Dad! I am your typical "type A" personality and that's just how I'm wired apparently. I am extremely thankful for my amazing husband is the polar opposite of me and keeps me grounded. What would I do without him?

When I had Brooke and she was quiet and introverted, cautious and guarded, I completely credited John for her personality. She has always slept well and been extremely compliant and very happy to play on her own. She is particular, however, and likes things to be a certain way. She hates messes and freaks out when things don't go according to her plan. Despite that, I still thought that she was extremely laid back.

Next Adrienne came along... She slept through the night in her crib at about 2 weeks of age and has never looked back. She has always eaten like a pro, accepted any sippy cup that we've given her, and been overall happy to be just about anywhere. She is a little bit more mischievous than Brooke was as far as getting into things and she loves to create messes, but seriously, you have never met a more mellow creature until you have met Adrienne. Sure, she has her moments, but for the most part, she occupies herself quietly with shoes, books, buckles, and baby dolls. She doesn't really get overly excited or upset about things but instead, just kind of takes it all in stride. She is hilarious and silly for most of the day but when you tick her off or hurt her feelings she just furiously sucks away at her thumb. Lol. So cute:-)

I am starting to believe that baby #3 will be a terror!! Haha! How could I, of all people, have a super content child and then give birth to an even more mellow kid? I just don't get it. Do I even want to know what the payback will be like? Because let's face it... I kind of have it coming to me BIG time!!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Living My Dream

John has been off the past couple of days and they have just been wonderful! I enjoy having him off SO MUCH that I often have to remind myself to learn to be equally as content when he is working. You just can't live for those days off because you'll miss a lot on the in between days if you wish them away!

Life has just been amazing lately. Do you ever have those times when you sit back and look at all of the blessings around you and wonder how life could get any better? For me, it happened today when I ran out to the store to get a few things for dinner. I announced that I was making breakfast for dinner when I got back and when I came home, John and the girls had made the waffle batter together. It was just precious to me for some reason! Another moment when I couldn't fathom life being any better was when John and the girls had a parade downstairs and they walked in circles blowing whistles and riding their stuffed animal horses. Little moments like that, where I see my husband being the amazing daddy that he is, just fill my heart with so much joy!

Another thing that has been a source of much happiness for me lately is that my girls are best buddies. They walk everywhere hand-in-hand and they are rarely seen apart. Brooke assumes responsibility for Adrienne (which can be challenging for me) and has been known to attempt to change her clothes and/or diaper and brush her hair. It's adorable but Adrienne doesn't really appreciate it and it ends in a huge fight! Lol. I love watching those girls together and my heart fills with joy when I think of them growing up with a built in best friend in each other.

I walked into one of my friends from high school the other day and when I asked her what she was up to she told me she was a doctor. A doctor???? Seriously???? I couldn't believe my ears because that is such a prestigious degree. I told her how proud I was of her and she told me that she was equally as proud of me for being a mom because that's all that I ever wanted out of life. While I temporarily felt as though I haven't been as productive as she has, I quickly snapped out of it and remembered that I am seriously doing all that I ever wanted to do and I'm living the life that I always said I would live. All titles and degrees aside, that is what matters at the end of the day... That I am fulfilling MY dreams and not the dreams that society thinks are of the most importance.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Fed Up With Naps

We have reached a crossroads with Brooke that has left me completely clueless. Here's the situation... If she does not take a nap, she is an absolute disaster. I love her dearly but it's obvious that she still needs the afternoon period of rest because she can barely function without it. However, if she does get a nap, we pay for it at nighttime. The other night she was in her room singing until after 10. It was just awful!

I think the obvious answer is to say that if she still acts like she needs a nap then I should give her one but bedtime is so difficult. I know how frustrating it is to not be able to sleep and I don't want to cause that for her but at the same time, she needs to kind of learn to deal with it. I don't mind the singing so much but it's quite frustrating to have her come out of her room 3 times saying, "There's a bug in my room!" or "I need a drink of water." It's hard to know how firmly to discipline her in these situations.

I am a stickler for an 8:30 (at the very latest) bedtime for her because of John's schedule. Due to him working nights, John and I don't get those hours of cuddling and quality time before we drift off to sleep like most couples so I have tried VERY hard to set aside the 2 hours before he leaves for work for just us. That may sound selfish but our relationship is of utmost importance to me and I put him first here. The kids are going to grow up and leave in 18 years or so and I don't want to look over at John at that point and realize I don't know him. So yeah, all that to say that a later bedtime is just not a good option for us.

So I'm baffled on this one. I don't know what the solution is and I know that there has to be one. Do any of you experienced moms have any input? If you do, please share!!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Heavy Hearted

A couple of weeks ago there was this video circulating on Facebook called "Why Cops Don't Smile." A lot of people from John's department were posting it so I thought I would check it out. For all of you police wives out there that worry, do not look at it. For me, it gave me chills all over my entire body and bad dreams for many nights. It was a true video... And that's probably why it was so sad and so scary.

With that being said, I have been worrying more and more and John each night as he leaves for work. This is an endless battle with me. Most of the time I'm at peace with his career but I do go through seasons of doubt and fear. Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat and wondered if your husband was alive? That happens to me from time to time... Especially after that darn video! John has also been working a lot of overtime so that doesn't help my cause for worry, either.

Then, on Monday, one of John's co-workers who was a dispatcher for his department was crushed in a horrible farm accident. The details aren't super important here, I guess. All that matters is that despite living for a few days he ultimately died on Wednesday evening. He left behind 3 kids and a wife and I seriously have been dying for them. John worked closely with this man and always spoke highly of him. He apparently had a smile that would light up a room and a voice that would cause you to feel warm and secure. He was just one of those people that everyone liked. I know John is hurting through this loss, along with a lot of other people from work, but can you imagine his poor family?

These thoughts all kind of tie together for me into one single sentence... Life is short. Seize the day, make every moment count, and live like today was your last. I like to think that by worrying about John or keeping him home more that he'll be out of harm's way but that's just not true. Cop or no cop, on duty or off, young or old, those that we love can be taken from us in the blink of an eye.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I'm Back... And Extremely Unmotivated!

Hey all! I kind of took a hiatus from the computer world because I just needed a break. We got back in town a week ago from tomorrow and had an amazing, amazing trip! John didn't actually go back in to work until Sunday night so we even had some downtime at home to get caught up on everything. Having him off for 8 days has made it awfully hard to get back into the swing of things though. I love him so much and adore having him home! If only he could retire 30 years early or so. Lol

On our trip we did so many fun things.. Lots of great shopping in little shops, lounging on the beach and building tons of sandcastles, eating at fabulous seafood places, and just enjoying one another. Life has been so busy lately and it's nice to have a refresher like that to just get away from it all. Here are some cute pictures of all of our adventures...








It was such a perfect vacation filled with so many special moments! I only wish I had the time and space to share the rest of our pictures on here. If you're my Facebook friend you'll be able to see all of them.

Hopefully all is well with everyone else! I should be back in the blogging business semi-faithfully from here on out.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Cape Cod or Bust!

I am so extremely excited... We leave early Sunday morning for our vacation! John surprised me and booked the hotel a while back and where we were going was suppose to be a secret but he caved! Lol. We can't keep anything from each other:-) We're going to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which is somewhere that I have always, always wanted to go! He got us and awesome hotel that's walking distance to the downtown shops and restaurants and close to the beach. I absolutely cannot wait!

We're still debating when exactly we're leaving. John was originally off on Saturday night but he picked up some overtime at a local casino because they pay really well for security. He's doing some event there until around 2 A.M. Sunday morning. We're tossing up whether or not he should come home and sleep for 4 hours or so or if we should just bite the bullet and leave right then. Leaving at 2 would be hard for us... especially him because he wouldn't sleep AT ALL... but it would workout SO much better for the girls. It's like a 6-7 hour trip so we're anxious to get that part of the trip behind us. On the way home we're breaking the trip up though so that's really our only big chunk of driving that we have to do. John swears he'll be fine to just drive and not sleep (Because that's the shift he's usually on) but when I think of the exhaustion he'll feel, I feel awful for him!

Tomorrow will be a crazy day of mowing the lawn, packing, cleaning the house (because I'm a freak before we leave!), and just getting everything in order to get out of here. I'll be on some time late next week with lots of cute pictures!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

My Bubble

I have horrible allergies... So awful that the 6 medicines I take daily and the 2 shots I get weekly still leave me feeling miserable. I get NO relief and am always sneezing, wheezing, itching, blowing my nose, and coughing. I have year round allergies, too, so I don't ever get a break from feeling this way. It's an exhausting and frustrating way to live. Trust me!

John did some research to help me feel better and he found the Idylis Allergen Remover. After reading the reviews we thought it would at least be an interesting experiment to see if it works. We just got a small one for our room for starters (which is great because my allergies prevent from sleeping well) and what do you know! I can sleep at night now!!!!!!!!!!!! I always joke that I am allergic to the world so I should live in a bubble and I now have that "bubble" for at least a part of my day. It's so nice to not be up all night sneezing and blowing my nose. I feel very excited and very blessed to have some relief.

I sound like an infomercial, I know, but I'm telling you, people! If you or any of your kids suffer from allergies, buy this product and you will be amazed at the impact. Now, I think I'll go retire into my "bubble!" Lol