Easter

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you and your family had a beautiful day full of love. This Easter was full of love and fun for our family.

Earlier this week, we headed to Duffield's Farm to visit the Easter bunny. Kay was not feeling the Easter bunny love last year. I was skeptical this year, but she was with her buddies so I was hoping she would follow suit. She was a brave soul with Santa this year.

So we bundled up, and we headed out for a chilly, windy hayride. It was supposed to be spring break, but it was cold. My sweet girl loved the hayride so much. She was hanging with her buddies and loving life. The cold didn't bother her one bit.

 She even let me throw her on the Easter bunny's lap. Why do we do this to our kids? At least this is one of the least scary bunnies that I have seen. She let me take a picture then she had her fill.

The Easter bunny. Ridiculous. I wish the Easter bunny bartered a trade for the binkie, but I wasn't quick thinking enough for that. Maybe next time.

Easter morning was a treat. We were up before 8 which is early for us in this house. Kay loved her Easter basket stocked with goodies. A book, a rubber duck, slinky, shovel for her sandbox, Minnie Mouse socks, and some other goodies waited for her along with some hidden eggs.

We had a wonderful day with family eating good food, playing, and celebrating a big engagement! Great

Happy Easter to you and yours!

Spring has Sprung

We are starting to turn the corner to spring. It is staying lighter a little later. The warmer weather is slowly starting to creep in. I can feel the energy in my bones...unless that was just a week off of work. We had a great few days. This has been such a great week with my family. 

To get ready for the Easter bunny, Kay colored and decorated some Easter eggs. She went to town dumping the eggs in and taking the eggs out. Our eggs look like a million bucks.

What Easter bunny wouldn't be happy with these eggs? 

The past two days, we were able to spend a lot of time outside because the sun was shining. My little girls loved the warm sun. We played, did some yard work, and enjoyed some fresh air. As I weeded the back, Kay tried to build a rock tower on my ankle. 

Gaga just jumped and entertained herself...happy as a clam.

After working in the yard and having a lunch (or staring at our lunch and saying "I don't want to eat), we headed to the park to play. This little girl LOVES the park. She goes crazy when we get there, kicking her feet and squealing with delight. 

Today, we had a serious family fun day. Fresh sand in the sand box, bounce house blown up, after dinner trip for ice cream. Our day was pretty much perfect. 

As I wind down tonight, I am worrying about lesson plans that need to be done. I had such a wonderful week making memories with my family, and I wish every week could be like this. I am having anxiety thinking about being away from girls and the rush of a busy work week.

Leading up to every spring break, I make a million plans to get organized, get ahead in school work, and clean my house. I am not doing it anymore. As this break comes to an end, my house is more of a mess than when we started and my lesson plans are exactly where I left them last Friday, but my heart is full after spending a week snuggling and laughing with my family. This is exactly how it should be.

Homemade Baby Food

Spring break is quickly coming to an end. I have enjoyed being with my girls and doing a few special things, but I am trying to clean up the house and get some things done while I have the time. One of the things on my list - stock up on baby food.

Now, I don't know where I went wrong with Kay. I must have done something horribly wrong because homegirl will NOT eat. She will not eat a lick. I continue to mix it up and make healthy lunches and dinners, and they continue to go untouched. Usually, she will not even take one bite. No snacks for you my friend. Don't even think about opening my pantry door. Most nights, she goes to bed hungry. It is horrible, but I refuse to make her anything different. I WILL NOT give up. I WILL NOT give up. I WILL NOT give up. It is especially hard because I am not in control of what she is given everyday since I am at work. This makes my job a million times harder. My. Worst. Nightmare.

I am so fearful to have another child that will NOT eat. My sweet Keira is a little different. She has not cried at any feedings yet and she already seems much more open to feedings. She has only had breast milk up until now (minus her hours in the NICU), and I am hoping we continue on this path to eating the very best. Unlike her sister, she has been open to the varying textures that comes with making your own baby food thus far.

So far, Keira has enjoyed pears, apples, and bananas. She has also had avocado, sweet potatoes, and peas.

Making homemade baby food is so easy, and I like to make big batches to freeze it. No fancy equipment needed. I use an old stock pot with a steamer basket insert (I'm talking like 30+ years old) and my food processor. For pears and apples, I simply peel, cut, steam, and throw in the food processor. They are so juicy that I never need to add any extra liquid.

For sweet potatoes, simply rinse, poke some holes in them, throw them in a 400 degree oven until they are cooked. Make sure you put a cookie sheet under them because they will leak sugary goodness and your oven will smoke and your fire alarm will continue to go off. You can even buy one of those handy dandy oven mat/liner things because if you are like me, you don't want things dripping in your oven so your smoke alarm goes off and your dog goes nuts. Even wrapped in foil, they leak like crazy! Consider yourself warned.

Pea are just as easy. Buy your favorite bag of organic frozen peas, throw them in the steamer, blend those suckers with some of the cooking liquid. It is so ridiculously easy. I have had some trouble with getting the peas to nice texture, and I noticed I had to add quite of bit of liquid or I add breast milk as I prepare it for her.

I think the thing I like best is the price tag. I bought a box of sweet potatoes on sale for $2.99! I got over 15 servings of food for Keira. If I bought 15 jars of Earth's best sweet potatoes, it would have cost me over $15.00. So much cheaper.

So we are stocked up for a few weeks. Next up, I am looking to buy some reuseable pouches to take this homemade baby food on the go. I saw some here from Mama OT's blog. I think amazon will be my friend for this one. Do you use any? Which brands are your favorite?

Spring Snow

It's official... spring break is here! I am home with my girls and I couldn't be happier. After a busy, fun weekend, a strange spring storm was embraced around here. We enjoyed a snow day in our pajamas, playing in our fort, playing outside, snuggling, and cooking. It was a much needed rest after a crazy work week and a weekend full of fun.

This weekend was a whirlwind. On Saturday, we spent the day with our friends celebrating with an early Easter egg hunt. Angela outdid herself again with a Mexican menu that put Chipotle to shame. I made some homemade guacamole and brought not enough chips and salsa. Fail. Thank god Angela always has plenty to go around and tops it off with a dessert that is to die for. 

Kay loved the day. She played with all of the toys at Angela's all day. The only time she stopped was to go looking for eggs. Look at this crew...

We are missing the boy of our group, but he was probably off and running.

On Sunday, we visited a preschool for next year. That is another post in itself. So exciting, sad, and nerve wracking all at the same time. 

Today, we woke up to snow. Ridiculous - yes. Much needed - yes. We stayed home ALL day. We were in our pajamas all morning watching tv and playing. I was able to make some food for sweet Keira. She is really starting to do well with taking her foods. This morning, I made her some apples and sweet potatoes. Later this week, I will do a baby food post. I am no expert by any means, but I have definitely learned some valuable lessons. Unfortunately, those lessons were all trial and error.

My freezer is so jam packed with food and milk for Keira that I don't have any food for our family. 

After a little cooking, we went outside to enjoy the snow while Baby Gaga napped. The snow was heavy and wet. It was perfect packing snow. We had a great time playing with the dog, pulling the sled, and building our very first snowman. 

What is it about playing in the snow? It brings out my inner child. Playing with my daughter today, it made me feel a sense of nostalgia. Dumping the basket of winter clothes, getting all dressed, and heading outside is a pain in the ass, but it brings back so many wonderful memories of my own childhood. Playing in the snow. Wrestling with the dog (or chasing the dog after he steals the snowman's arm for the hundredth time). Snow happens so occasionally around here that you have to make the most of it. And today, we did just that.

6 Months Old

Look who just turned 6 months old! She has been here for half of a year. 6 months of pure happiness and joy. The happiest, easiest baby has seamlessly joined our family like she has been here all along. Our family of four is figuring it out, and it has been easier than I ever imagined. Tiring ... don't get me wrong.... but easy. 

At 6 months, this blue eyed angel...

* is still nursing like a champ! Except for her first few hours in the NICU, she has only had breastmilk to drink. I am so proud of the two of us. 

* has FINALLY started taking to some food. The past few days, I have noticed she is showing more of an interest in eating. She has had oatmeal, apples, pears, sweet potato, and avocado. 

* slept through the night last night for the first time in a LONG time. She wakes up once or twice a night typically. Usually when she wakes up, I bring her in bed with me to nurse, cuddle, and snuggle. She easily falls asleep on her own between 7:15-7:30. I love our bedtime routine. A warm bath, usually with her big sissy and Daddy in the big tub, lotion, nurse, book, snuggles, and bed. It is the best time of the day for both of us.

* is starting to wear 12 month clothing. She is a long girl.

* weighs 15 pounds 6 ounces 

* rolls over every chance she gets. She can push herself up so far, and she does the worm. Rocking on the floor. She is going to start army crawling soon... I can feel it! Now, I have to really work on getting her to sit up on her own! She is working those abs and she is constantly trying to pull herself up to sit. 

* grabs for everything!!! She is just starting to put everything in her mouth. Her hand eye coordination is getting better every day. You should see her reach and grab things...especially those toes! I love a happy baby curled up grabbing her toes. 

* is just a gorgeous baby with gorgeous eyes. Her little chubby cheeks...I want to eat them.

Keira just loves watching everything. She watches Teddy boy and she watches her sister.

We are coming to the end of a VERY LONG week, and I am so thrilled to have a break next week. I am looking forward to being with my girls for the week and to recharge. This long week has left me exhausted, sick and missing my girls. Spring break is a day away and I will be spending it filling up my love tank with baby love.

TGIF!

Seriously.

Seriously. Spring is a few days away. Why am I still enjoying freezing rain and sleet? Enough already. It is putting me in a lovely mood. The weather along with the exhaustion coupled with the work load, and I am a happy camper. One. Step. At. A. Time.

Seriously. My (I didn't realize he does everything until he is gone) hubby has been traveling a lot for work, and he will be away three nights this week. Single parenting is no joke. Not to mention that his travels ALWAYS fall on trash day... and it is ALWAYS raining on trash day.


Seriously. Those that have been reading for a bit of time know that my sweet Lexi girl went to heaven after we found a mast cell tumor (that looked like a sore). Now, my Teddy baby boy has this on his foot. I have been nervous so I have been trying to avoid it and hoping it went away. Well, we are going to have a trip to the vet in our VERY near future. Keep your fingers crossed for my boy.

Seriously. My house, my hair, my wardrobe, and everything else is a mess. Like a hot mess.

Seriously. Candy Crush. WTF. 5 lives?  I will not buy a booster for $24.99. I will not buy a booster for $24.99. I will not buy a booster for $24.99.

Seriously. How can my newborn be turning 6 months old tomorrow. This silly face. Oh this sweet little face.

Happy Monday (at least it is almost over)!

Spring Ahead

Yesterday, I woke up to snow and slush. Today, I woke up to a beautiful, sunny almost 60 degree day. The weather change gave me some extra energy. I had a little hop in my step today. Was it the weather or the day off to spend with my family - who knows?! But I'll take it.

Too bad I used up all that extra energy to clean my house. Womp Womp. One thing is for sure, I won't have any extra energy tomorrow after setting the clocks ahead tonight. Spring is coming.

We did manage to get out and enjoy a morning trip to the overcrowded park. Kay LOVES going to the park. Any time we drive by a random park, she actually asks to go and play and swing. When we drove up to our park entrance, she started squealing. She was so happy. Cabin fever much.

Daddy and Kay played and played. He chased her. He pushed her. He even went hauling ass down the huge spiral slide. All in the name of love. She was pumped. Sprinting around the playground like a pinball bouncing and banging around in a pinball machine.

I laid back clutching my Dunkin Donuts (you know, conserving all of my extra energy I had today) taking the occasional trip up the ladder and down a slide, but I mainly hung out with this chick.

Can you take those beautiful blue eyes? I am obsessed. She just chilled in her stroller while her big sissy played. Every time I looked at her to take a picture she just smiled and smiled and smiled.

So happy.

Snip, Snip

Happy Tuesday. This post was intended for Monday, but I think work got the best of me. It was crammed with lesson plans and emailing...although, I did manage to squeeze in a little Bachelor. This weekend was wonderful. The kind of weekend that you spend with your family and you never want it to end.

Twice last week, my sweet little Kailyn has passed out in the car on the way home from from the babysiter's.

It is so unlike her so we knew she was tired. This new routine has been exhausting for her too!  She slept in on Saturday, and we had some good quality snuggle pj time. Saturday mornings are my favorite time during the week. Sitting around playing, eating a late breakfast, and thinking about all of the possibilities the day can bring.

This past Saturday was a special day. We took Kay for her first haircut EVER. I didn't want to do it. I felt pressured into it. I second guessed myself a gazillion times, but I knew this sweet girl...

needed a trim to lose the sideshow Bob hairstyle she has been rocking. Look at this cute before picture, with her frizzled ends all disheveled. At this point, I was ready to grab her and run like the wind...
I kept texting Daddy saying I've changed my mind, I want to back out, I can't go through with it, but I did it.

Kay. She had NO problem at all unlike her mommy!

It took like four snips to trim the rough edges. I could have easily done it myself, but it was cleaned up and looked a million times better. The finished product..
.

We took our freshly cut girl, and we visited our local learning store for some Dr. Seuss crafts. Needless to say, she loved it!

Not sure why there was a clown craft for Dr. Seuss day, but it's all good. Our little Saturday ended up being something special and a day we will remember. Those unexpected days that turn into significant memories are the ones I love most.

Hope everyone finds some time to turn ordinary into extraordinary!

Liebster Award

I'm excited to report that my witty, hilarious fellow blogger, Amy at Baby Mama Juice, nominated me for the Liebster Blogger Award! I'm so honored to be recognized for my blog! This award is presented as a way to acknowledge up and coming bloggers and to help them be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments within design that is presented on their blog. My blog still needs a lot of revamping and refreshing, but I will get to that all in good time. For now, I am enjoying sharing my thoughts and daily life on this here space. Thanks Amy! 

The rules:1.  Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2.  Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to next.
3.  Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4.  Go back to their page and tell them about the award.
5.  No tag backs.

My 11 totally random facts:
1. After college, I worked in NYC for a year in public relations. I will always love the city, but not working there. Especially when you work three blocks past times square and your daily commute involves sidestepping millions of pains in the ass tourists taking a million pictures. It gets OLD very quickly. 

2. Ruby Foos Times Square will never get old. If you have never been, you must go. My friend Cristina and I would easily drop over $100 at lunch on the few occasions she would come up from her gig at MSG to meet me for lunch.

3. I love tv and I am a reality tv junkie. Recently, I have been added to the Brav-ho club! I am not ashamed.

4. I LOVE Cocktail and Overboard. I will watch these movies ever single time they are on. These movies are the only thing to trump my reality tv obsession.

5. I played Division I lacrosse in college. Best memories ever. Even better body - too bad that is also a memory. 

6. I am the COMPLETE opposite of a hoarder. Don't set your shit down in front of me. I will throw it away. I hate clutter. 

7. I have been to Hawaii twice both times at Halloween. Waikiki parade at Halloween = flippin awesome.

8. My husband and I met at a wedding ... er, at a bar post-wedding. Hey, they say the best marriages start at an all night hotel after party right? 

9. I live for Fridays ... when my US Weekly arrives! 

10. I love to cook. I have learned so much from my mom, from food network, from reading, and from messing around. I love making big dinners that cook all day. I wish I could create my own recipes, but I am not there yet. Cooking just stinks when you have NO time.

11. I was born in Syracuse, NY, and I will always have a place in my heart for Otto the Orange.

The 11 questions from Amy and my answers:
1.  When and why did you start your blog? I started my blog during my first pregnancy. MY friend Angela really inspired me to start blogging, and I wanted a way to document my pregnancy and motherhood.

2.  Who are your girl crushes? Beyonce. Jillian Michaels. Kelly Ripa.

3.  What is your biggest pet peeve? Heavy breathers, people who don't wave in traffic after you've given them a courtesy, and people who leave don't fill the paper in the copier.

4.  If you could have a second home, where would it be? Turks & Caicos. After a babymoon there, it is my favorite destination. The most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. 

5.  What is your favorite movie? I just asked my hubby "what is my favorite movie?" and he laughed and said "you've seen like two movies! You haven't seen shit!" I don't know a ton of movies, and he always gets mad. He thinks its funny that I am have never seen any movie he references. I haven't seen a ton of new movies lately either. Hence, Cocktail and Overboard.

6.  Where is your favorite place to shop? Oh geez, no where lately. I am a big gilt groupe shopper. Amazon... I haven't been shopping much at all lately even though I desperately need a million things from clothes to kitchen appliances. My all time favorite is Bloomies. 

7. If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?  What would you ask them? 

8.  Would you rather take a vacation in the mountains or the beach? Oh please, the mountains don't stand a chance. We are beach lover through and through. Ocean City, NJ our second home.

9. How do you come up with ideas for your blog posts? I like to post about things we do with the girls for my friends and family. I like to post pictures of the cutest girls ever for me to look back on. I like to post about things that are always on my mind. One week, I will have a million ideas and the next, zilch, zero. 

10. Do you have a daily beauty routine?  If so, what is it? Time is not a friend of mine in the morning, but I always try to throw some make up on my face so I don't look like the walking dead. First, I put some Clinique Even Better foundation on, then some blush. Lately, I have been loving the Benefit 10 bronzing and highlighting powder. For my eyes, I HAVE to start with Stila prime pot. I love it. So much less creasing and greasing on my eyes! Then, I choose some shadow from Urban Decay Naked palette. Finish it off with some mascara. It takes no time but it makes a world of difference for me. 

11.  If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? My skin! I have always had skin problems. I would love beautiful, radiant skin. My skin always looks dull and greasy, and I always seem to have blemishes or a perioral dermatitis flare up. So definitely my skin! Hands down! 

The 11 blogs I'm giving the Liebster Award (with under 200 followers or just a smidge over):
The Lloyd Sisters
Momma B & Babyboy
High Heeled Mama
Words About Waverly
Life Revolves Around Them
Nine Months
Ashley Spain
Our Forever
Once Upon a Dime
Serrano Style
With Dirt on Our Face

The 11 questions I'm giving them to answer:
1. What are you currently reading or the last book you read?
2. What did you want to be when you grew up? 
3. What is your biggest fear? 
4. What is your greatest accomplishment?
5. Are you a weekly meal planner or are you a fly by the seat of your pants kind of eater?
6. What would be your ideal date?
7. What is your inspiration for your blog?
8. Pet person? How many and what kind?
9. If you had 24 hours alone, how would you spend it?
10. Neutral or colorful?
11. What is your favorite vacation spot?

Thanks again Amy! This was so much fun and I love reading and learning about other fellow bloggers and what inspires them!