Date Night June 27th 2009

Mike and I got to have a "date night" last night. However, it wasn't just an ordinary date night where someone watches the kids and we go pick them up after. Cody had offered to take the boys for the night!! I gotta be honest, I was really freaking nervous about it. For one, the boys still wake up occasionally at night and they have never really been comforted in the middle of the night except by me. Kaden also is known to have bad dreams on occasion. Oh and did I mention Cody lives in a studio. I was just nervous about all the unknowns. We dropped them off and headed back home to get ready for dinner. We had reservations at AJ Spurs. The picture above was taken just as we headed out the door. Dinner was pretty good, I had fire roasted vegetables with rice pilaf and the dinner came with soup, salad and these really good fried potatoes. The atmosphere is a bit much there, think stuffed animals everywhere and antler chandeliers. They even had some birds hanging by a string from the ceiling. I thought it was a bit "overkill", but the food was good. We really didn't have a plan for the rest of the night. We thought about a movie, but we couldn't make it out of the restaraunt in time to see the movie we wanted to see and 10pm was just out of the question. :) We went and rented a movie. We ended up with "He's just not that into you", I obviously picked it out. I have to say I was rather disappointed in this movie. Despite the list of well known actors, the movie was kinda depressing. It was funny at times, but most of the movie was this guy cheating on his wife. Parts were funny, but we actually didn't even finish it. We just got too tired and wanted to go to bed. I had a hard time falling asleep. I was thinking about my babies and wondering if they were thinking about me. I was kinda sad to have them away. It just doesn't feel right. So as I sit here and write, I still don't know how they did last night. I am resisting sending Cody a text and asking how it all went. I figure I will wait for Mike to wake up, and he can call him. I just want to see them and kiss their little faces...I just hope that they actually slept and we aren't in for a day of fussy, tired toddlers. Which may be inevitable considering the circumstances. When we last checked in with them at 9pm, they were all jumping on the bed. This is usually when they are sleeping peacefully in their beds here...We shall see. Overall, it was great having the time with my husband. I just love him to pieces and it's nice to actually be able to show him attention and have a conversation without being interuppted. It was great and hopefully it's not too long before we can do it again...

Boy things change in one year....

Kaden at the rodeo last June

Kaden chillen at home last June

Austin playing on Kaden's tricycle last June

My blue eyed baby boy last June

The beginning of summer 09'

As I sit here writing, the sun is just now kinda making it's way out. I can hear tons of birds chirping and as I look out the window I can see green grass, lots of flowers, and our garden. To me this means one thing...summer is here.

Some of you may know that Kaden has had a fear of water for about a year and a half. He got knocked over by a wave down at the beach right before he turned 2. This has made quite the impact on him and he is just now starting to want to get in the water again. He will take baths obviously but he wanted nothing to do with the pool or the beach. I haven't forced him into anything but I have given him opportunities to get in the water. He has wanted nothing to do with it. Within the last week we have been able to get him back in the pool! I am so happy that he is conquering his fears and giving it another try. We took him to my Mom's pool this week and he had a great time. His Uncle D came down and got in the water too. Dustin was trying to play with him in the pool and grabbing at his feet and he did not like that. He got real serious and said to him " I need for you to leave me alone Uncle D". We have been trying to teach him how to stick up for himself and be assertive and I was proud that he did that. But overall, the pool experience was great. I will be taking him back there alot this summer. Austin obsolutely loves the pool. He went right in and was even jumping off the side into my arms. No fear at all for that boy. He really loved the hot tub though and wanted to be in there most of the time. Kaden stuck with the big pool and didn't want to go in the hot tub. I don't have pictures of him at the pool, but I did take some of him trying on the goggles I got him. I think one of the reason's he doesn't really like water alot is because he HATES having water in his eyes. So the goggles seemed logical. He really loves them, as you can see from the pictures below...I just love this boy!


Like i mentioned earlier, Austin has no fears yet. He just goes for it. Along with him getting bigger and bigger everyday, he is also more handsome every time I see him. I love hearing every new word that comes out of his mouth, the independence that he is showing more and more, and when he comes running to me still wanting to be held (usually only when I'm making dinner). I love him with all my heart, like I could explode.I feel like I have been able to appreciate my family alot more lately. I think I may be emerging from the postpartum darkness of having two boys so close together. I know that my outlook, mood and just overall attitude has changed. I really do think it has to do with my hormones and the wackiness that comes with being a Mom...I feel like a new person really. I have also lost 22lbs, so I'm sure some of that new found happiness comes from just feeling better all around. I'm just happy that I am enjoying my family and living life again from a new perspective.

"UP"

I took Kaden today to see him first movie in a theater. We have seen the previews for "UP" for awhile now and every time we see them, Kaden gets really excited. So I figured we could go see that. One thing I forgot about and quickly realized as the movie began, is that it's loud, REALLY loud. Every boom and crash is applified by a hundred. Kaden has always been sensitive to noise since he was a baby. I just didn't even think about the noise level while considering taking him. I imagined him beaming as we walked in the theater and him seeing the HUGE screen.. When we got out of the car he said, "I am so happy!" After we bought our tickets and we went into the snack area, you could tell he could smell the popcorn. He was in love right away. When we walked into the actual theater he couldn't believe his eyes. I told him that he could sit anywhere he wanted and he chose to sit in the middle front section. He had nobody in front of him. It was perfect. Kaden didn't like the previews so much and after a new one would come on, he would say "when is the movie gonna start?" After about 5 previews (even I was getting antsy) the movie started. Knew this was special because I brought him some treats and I think he enjoyed those more than the movie. The movie was really cute. In fact, I KNOW that I liked it more than Kaden did. I think that if I could do it over, I would have waited for a different movie for him. I think the story line was way over his head. Afterall it was rated PG. I really loved it and wished we didn't have to leave 10 minutes before the movie was over. He was acting kinda tired and miserable after it was over, so maybe it was a bad time to take him. Not sure...I just hope I can convince him to go back next time. Maybe a less intense movie at a different time...

We have tons to be excited about!

We have a few super fun things coming up in the near future. Perhaps the most exciting of all is we get to go to Napa next weekend for Aunt Melissa's baby shower. It seems like we have been waiting so long for this weekend to come. We are so excited to see everyone and especially Aunt Melissa and her belly :) It's their first baby and we couldn't be happier for them!

The second thing is, Kaden and I get to go to the movies together for the 1st time!!!! We wanted to wait till he was ready to not only sit through a movie, but also for a movie that we really thought he would love. When we saw the previews for "UP", Kaden got so excited. So I knew that was the movie to start with...So tomorrow is the big day. Mom and Kaden will be going on a little date together. I can't wait to see how he reacts to the huge screen, the seats, the whole experience will be new for him, something I think we all take for granted.

Austin has become fasicated with movies!!! This may not seem like a great thing to all of you, but to us it is...See, traveling 5+ hours in the car with 2 boys has been challenging. The last few times we have made trips, Kaden has gotten wrapped up in a movie and is totally content to just chill. Austin on the other hand, is not really a fan of the good ol car seat AND he tends to screach the WHOLE WAY! Believe me this will make you insane! Imagine what it was like driving to Tahoe last summer.... So we are over the moon excited that now he will be happy as a clam as we pop in his newest obsession, "BOLT"...He LOVES this movie and often asks to watch it before he is even out of his crib in the morning. So I am fairly certain that this trip will mark a new start in traveling with Kaden and Austin...Let's hope so anyways. :)

We are all just plugging along and enjoying what life brings us. This week has been stressful for me in a lot of ways, but we are getting through it and I know that I need to look at the greater picture and just appreciate what is good all around us. So I'm sure we will have lots of pictures and stories to tell when we get home from Napa... It always is an adventure of some kind. Stay tuned for those updates coming shortly.

No blog is complete without pictures of our little gents....So here you go! Perfection....

before the bath

Austin sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

I think were in trouble....

Our weekend...AMAZING!

Mike had the weekend off this week and it was SO nice having him home. We started off the weekend with a well deserved date night. We took the boys over to my Dad's and had a great time together. Ever since I've been on weight watchers it's super hard going out to eat, you don't have much control over how things are prepared, there is not much healthy choices on most menus, etc...So we decided on our favorite little thai place in Pismo called Thai Talay. It's always good and I knew there would be things that I could safely order there. We ordered sweet and sour sauteed vegetables with brown rice, Tom Yum soup and Mike had the shrimp panang curry which is TO DIE FOR! Of course I did have a few bites of that. All in all, it was healthy and we got to spend an hour or so enjoying our meal without having to tend to our little boys. It was great. It was 3 1/2 hours of time together that we so desperately needed and I know that it helped our relationship out. Saturday morning we wanted to take the boys out to play somewhere. We decided to take them in the wagon to Harloe so we could watch the little kids play baseball. They were so little and cute and the boys loved watching them play. We spent Saturday hanging out together and it was fun. Sunday we met Cody and Jeremy at the Avila Barn. The boys always have a great time there. Mike and I were both really tired on Sunday, so it was a pretty lazy day. After doing some grocery shopping, we headed home and stayed home. We slow cooked a pork loin on the bbq over oak chips and also had sweet potatoes, artichoke and salad...It was pretty amazing. It was a fun weekend and it was so great having Mike home. I miss him today ALOT! Things are just easier when we do things together...We work pretty good as a team. I know that the boys miss him too. Last night Kaden randomly asked him "Daddy, what time do you work tomorrow?" I thought that was cute, he's never asked him that before. I didn't know that he really had a concept of time, I guess he knows more than I think he does. Here are a few pictures from the barn..

I've been meaning to do a little update on me...I talk a lot about my kids and husband but not tons about myself. I'm learning that I am a important part of this family too and I am also learning to make myself a priority. I've spend 3 years putting my kids before myself, which is a great thing in my opinion and I will continue to put their needs ahead of mine. With that being said, I don't think I need to completely put myself on the backburner to take care of the needs of my family. In fact, doing that makes everything fall apart. I needed to take back my life and do what is going to significantly improve my life as well as my husbands and my boys. The saying "If Momma's not happy, nobody is happy" is SO true. How can you really love someone else if you don't love yourself. You can try and try, but honestly it just doens't work out the way you intend it to. At least for us...I have put so much effort in trying to be the best Mom and the best wife and I haven't been able to realize that if I don't take care of myself, it's almost impossible to be the best mom and wife. So now I can finally say that I am taking care of those things. I know that the way you look shouldn't be so important and yada yada yada, but honestly for me it's more for me and how I feel about myself. I don't really care what anyone else thinks I should look like, Ok maybe my husband :) ... I have come so far in such a short time and I know that I am losing weight the healthy way. I have lost 20lbs in the last 7 weeks. I can't believe that I can accomplish so much myself. It's really amazing what you can do when you are determined. Go big or go home I guess... Anyways, I just wanted give you guys a little update on the Momma of the house! Things are going great right now and i can only hope that they continue. I am so excited for this next chapter in our lives. Oh yeah and I got myself some bangs. I needed a little change in my hairstyle...Tell me what you think? Me likey...