Amarillo By Morning

I'm so proud of my husband. He is the illustration of what a man should be. He is such a hard working manager, the best dad to our little Miles, and a better husband than I probably deserve. I am blessed beyond measures. He has recently been offered a promotion within the company that will have us moving around 7 hours away from where we live now. It's such a huge change, a scary one-but yet so exciting at the same time. He deserves this new title and I'm thankful God placed me by his side to watch him grow and become the man that he is today.

With this move comes so much worry. Since he will be starting his new position before Miles and I are able to move that means we will be away from each other for a while. He will try to come home on weekends when he is able to, but we are really unsure of the weeks to come. I catch myself when I am in the middle of my tears because I know there are spouses out there overseas serving our country, there are widows out there praying for just one more time to see their loved ones--I shouldn't be sad/nervous over a few unknown months. But I am. I'm human.

I don't want to fail him as a wife, I don't want to fail Miles as a mom. There's days he gets home late and I question to myself how do single moms do this terrible two stage alone? I have one child going through these terrible twos...some moms are juggling it all. Am I doing something wrong? The stress of selling our house (thankfully it's under contract after being on the market for only a week, that's such a huge prayer answered from God), thankfully we do not have to pack a single thing in our house-a moving company will come and do all of that...all I have to do is take care of a two year old Tasmanian devil who can be a little bit angel/part terror at times-that should be easy enough right? Moms do it all the time. So why am I so overwhelmed. Maybe it's partly nerves of moving away from my hometown-I've been here for 31 years, it's all I know. I'm not a super huge fan of change, yet I truly am excited about this new adventure. I'm leaving my family, my friends...my normalcy.

I'm anxious, nervous, excited, scared and sad all in one....not to mention so proud and happy for my husband....and little terrified of being a single mom. I haven't had so many mixed emotions since going through IVF.

 

SOO-Here we come, Amarillo watch out!! Do I  happen to have any followers who live in Amarillo/know Amarillo?!!? :)

Happy 2015

Why is it at the beginning if the year everyone picks a couple things they want to do better? Why should we only focus on one or two things vs everything? Shouldn't we always want to strive to be better-in every aspect of life.

In 2015 I want to pray better, love deeper, be a better mother, a better wife, a better friend-daughter-sister-employee. 

I want to leave any hard times behind, let go and let God-I want to be a stronger person-the strong woman I know I'm capable of being. I want to hold my baby tighter, and love my husband deeper. 

I want to gain better self confidence, give more time to our Savior. I want to manage my time better, organize my house. Work out harder, eat healthier-yet still enjoy my sweets, life's to short to throw Oreos out the window completely.

Resolutions should be an all year-always-type thing. So this year, I'm promising to a better ME.

Happy 2015

Chaotically Beautiful

No one can prepare you exactly for mommy hood- no magazine, no book, no blog, nothing can prepare you for the emotions you will go through, the love you will have, the chaotic life you will soon endure.

 

I've always heard 'being a mom is a full time job' and that is so true. Even if you send your little one(s) off to school/daycare your brain is and will always be on 'mommy thoughts'...your mind never quite stops. What will he have for dinner, what is he doing now, did I dress him warm enough, did I pack enough for lunch....when is his next well check...didn't I hear him sniffle this morning...mommy thoughts go on and on. Then when I get off work and get him he runs around in circles till bed time. I soak in all the moments I can, sit on the floor with him and let him sit in my lap, does he want to play chase--sure I'm tired, sitting down and letting him just play with his toys on his own sure sounds more relaxing but he wants ME...let's play chase, peek a boo, read, wanna play cars?...legos?...the list goes on. I'm a sucker and when he wants me I'm there, am I spoiling him?Possibly. Should I still be holding him in my arms every night when he wants to go to sleep? Probably not. All the books say 'let him go to sleep on his own, it's healthy  for him and you'....some nights we put him in bed on his own and he does very well with it, but honestly most every night I hold him, he doesn't need to be rocked, nor does he 'have' to be held...but I 'have' to hold him, it's more for me then him. Around7:30 every night he wants his night time milk, I give him his sippy cup, he grabs his blankie and crawls in my lap. We snuggle, I get lots of hugs with those little arms wrapping around my neck and he goes to sleep in my arms. I get asked a lot why I do it and told often it's just not 'heathly'...but truth be known I do not know if we will try again for another baby-Miles may be our one and only little blessing from above, and if that's the case we are ok and we accept God's plan, but we want to soak in every special moment. They are only little once.

 

Who needs clean dishes and a clean house...or clean laundry when you could be snuggling with your little one? (I promise I do those things, I'm way to OCD to live in a messy house....but they do get put on the back burner).

 

What am I getting at? I promise always to be a better blogger. I want to be. I miss it...I love being able to look back and see/read our life. But in reality, I just haven't had time (It's behind my dishes and laundry haha). Mommy hood isn't easy-it's plum tiring to be honest. But oh it's quite amazing as well. The BEST tired feeling you will ever experience.

 

Miles has just turned 19 months. NINETEEN MONTHS...Can you believe that?! I know, me either! He is talking more, he still doesn't walk much--he RUNS haha! He loves his dogs and loves to climb, I think he believes he is superman as he jumps from couch to couch...he is a sweet, rowdy, loving, rambunctious little boy who keeps us on our toes, laughing, and our hearts melting over and over again. It took God 7 years to bless us with this miracle, but boy did He bless us!! Miles is everything and more than we could have ever wanted in a child.

 

Thank you friends/family for understanding that while I am not giving many updates on life, I am instead embracing mommy hood--the whole chaotically beautiful lifestyle in which I was blessed with--and the reason I am not on here writing more is because I am playing ninja turtles and hide and seek and chasing this adorable laughing boy around and around our house.

 

 

 

I'm here :)

I'm here...a horrible blogger...but here and ok. 

Miles just turned 10 months old. He's a busy boy who is close to walking...has four teeth, says momma, dada, daw-ee (doggie). He's a sweetheart, loves to snuggle--he's a busy little guy who doesn't slow down till bedtime. Keeps mommy very busy chasing after him. 

I'm good-working full time then trying to manage a clean house and spend every moment I can with our little man. When he goes to bed at 8:00, there's so much I need to catch up on-that blogging fell back on my list, I apologize. 

Zachs good, but has taken a few business trips for a week at a time and has another one upcoming. During the last one Miles got the flu and I got bronchitis which almost turned to Pneumonia...we're all better now thankfully, but that was a rough week. Kudos to all my single mommy friends. My hats off to you, because I barely kept my head afloat that week.

I promise to try to be better. Please forgive me.  A few pictures of my little guy. 

Standing all by himself. 

Loves to be outside :)

His 10 month picture :)

Sleeping with Mickey :)

Pushing his car around (he pushing everything around)

Valentines picture :)

DOC Band

Miles has had his band for a little over two weeks. Right now he still isn't quite sure what to think of it. For the most part he doesn't know it's there, however every now and then he reaches up and starts tugging on if or gets a little cranky. Sleeps hit and miss right now while he's adjusting to sleeping in it. We will go every Monday for his adjustment appointments. Here's a picture of him the day he got his band and then after we got it wrapped :)

From My City to Yours

Whether it is a favorite restaurant, a favorite bench in the park to enjoy a beautiful autumn day, or the history that embodies your city, we all have our own personal favorite things we love about our hometowns. There is so much that we love that it can seem difficult to even narrow it down, but the following are the reasons we, Tiffany and Kendra, love our home cities: Waco and Chicago.

Waco Texas is my home and has been for almost 30 years. It’s the perfect size in my opinion. We have several towns around us that are easy to commute to. We have all your normal amenities, grocery stores and malls…and we are only 2 hours away from the larger cities like Austin or Dallas which have bigger malls and more attractions.

Waco is the birthplace to the Dr. Pepper, we have a Dr. Pepper Museum that is fun for visitors. We have the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, Texas Sports Hall of Fame and  Maybourn Museum (so much fun, especially if you have children) -- We have three colleges, Baylor University (We are huge Baylor Bear fans!), Texas State Technical College, and McLennan Community College. Our zoo is the perfect size and never gets old (however I do like to travel to Dallas for there zoo also, it’s really big!)

We have one of the biggest and best municipal parks in Texas, Cameron Park. It’s extremely beautiful and lines the Brazos and Bosque Rivers. When bands come to town they will often play downtown off of the river, we have one of the most breathtaking bridges I’ve ever seen, ‘The Suspension Bridge’ to which a lot of residence use as a backdrop for pictures.

In spare time my husband and I like to have picnics in Cameron Park, or Woodway Park which oversees Lake Waco. We like to go to the mall, or just take a drive through the country. I work downtown where there are some amazing little boutiques—one of my favorite is ‘Spice’, which is actually a lot of small vendors in one building—The perfect ‘One stop shop’. We have all your chain restaurants but we also have some small ‘mom and pop’ places that I just love. Café Cappuccino is one of our favorite places to go eat breakfast at, they have amazing lunches as well. Toms Burger & Captain Billy Wizzbangs have some of the best burgers in town---and every where you turn you have a small little Mexican food shop.

Texas is a hot hot state, so a lot of the months your finding something to do inside, unless you have an outdoor-water-activity, it’s just too hot to be outside until fall (which sometimes in Texas fall is short lived or intertwined with Winter)....but you can bet it’s never to cold or too hot for a Baylor Bear Football game! We don’t miss many games. 

Overall, I love our little town. My husband comes from a very small town—Brockway, PA—so Waco to him is ‘big’….Waco to me is the perfect town because it has everything you need. :)

The Windy City, Chicago, has been home to me for my entire life. I love life in the big city, and no matter how much I love to travel, I always love coming home.  If you are anything like me, then you love to enjoy live music. In Grant Park and Millennium Park, there are outdoor music venues like the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. There are indoor venues here too, but the Pritzker Pavilion regularly boasts magnificent musical talent. One of my favorite things to do is bring a blanket and some snacks, and enjoy live music while having my own picnic, of sorts, with my family.

The city itself is often overlooked, as we all love to look at what is within it. Call me corny, but I love admiring the beauty of Chicago. I love to see the city at nighttime, as the lights are really beautiful and make for a great aesthetic. One of the coolest parts about Chicago is learning its architectural history. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire ripped and roared its way through Chicago, destroying almost everything in its path. The urban legend goes that a cow tipped over a lantern in a barn, but this was later proven to be just a story. It’s not precisely known how it started, but because most of the city was built of wood, it spread quickly. While it would have been easy to ignore Chicago after it was in ruins, the city quickly rebuilt and this rebuilding lead to it becoming one of the most populated, economically thriving cities in the USA. If you are ever visiting Chicago, you will realize what I mean when I say it is a remarkable place. To find great restaurants and hotels in Chicago, use a site like gogobot to help with your trip. With so much to do here, this will help navigate you in the right direction. Also, with football season here, and basketball and hockey season coming soon, there is no shortage of sporting events in the city! Chicago relentlessly supports them, and they have been rewarding to follow with their recent success (the Blackhawks just won another Stanley Cup!).

5 Months Old

 

Tomorrow you will be 5 months old!!!  It seems like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant with you. My how you have changed our lives and have brightened our world. We love you more than you could possibly imagine.

Your personality sure has sprouted even more throughout this past month. You love to laugh, and it’s the cutest little thing!

You say ‘oohhh’ and ‘mmmmm’ and your face is darling with you say them. You can sit up for a few seconds now!

Your still a very nosey baby, love to look around. You still aren’t a fan of tummy time, but you are doing much better and can push yourself up on your hands for a few minutes. You rolled over for the first time, but have not interest in doing it again.

You LOVE Mickey Mouse…your face lights up when he is on the TV or when you see your stuffed animal Mickey Mouse :) You still love your lovies also when it’s time for bed. You are a ‘binky baby’ but only when your tired.

Your hair is finally starting to grow back, it’s hard to tell the color of it because in different lights it looks different shades. Sometimes it looks very blonde, sometimes we see some red in it and sometimes it looks light brown…only time will tell! The same goes for your eyes. They are outlined in blue. But you have ‘starburst’ eyes like your daddy (my best description)…they are beautiful. In the center they sometimes look hazel and sometimes look green…then the have this starburst effect until they reach the blue. You get compliments all the time on your eyes, everyone loves to guess what color they are. :)

You love your food, you still drink 6oz of formula every 3-4 hours except when you eat your solids you only drink 4oz. You get cereal twice a day and you get a whole container of veggies or fruit with your cereal at dinner. You have had: squash, peas, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches and prunes. You love every one of them. We still have apples to try and then I will believe you will have ate a little of all your stage one foods. You eat with a spoon exceptionally well and often will hold my hand while I feed you (trying to do it yourself). You know your bottle and your binky go in your mouth you just haven’t quite figured out how to get them in there properly.

You have had a few colds this month, mommy feels like a pro at this booger suction thing…mommy used to have a weak stomach when it came to this stuff, but it seems so natural when it’s your baby. Not gross at all.

You had a scary situation this month also, you had an episode in which your pediatrician thought looked like a seizure, we took you to a pediatric neurologist, you had an EEG done (you did amazing with all those wires attached to your head)…and your results came back perfect. No seizures at all. Praise the Lord.

 

This past month we took you to a place called ‘Cranial Technologies’ because your little noggin’ in a little misshaped. Your going to have to wear a little baby helmet for 6-12 weeks. You get your helmet next Tuesday. Mommy has to drive you to Austin once a week while you have this helmet on. We have a local company who is going to wrap your helmet for FREE, such a blessing. I can’t wait to see it all wrapped up!

Overall this past month has been so interesting and we love watching you grow and do new things. You are OUR WORLD. Happy 5 months old sweet heart!!!!