Updates and ramblings

So we have been having a strangely busy, but sometimes mundane summer if that makes any sense.  Busy in the sense that we have had many house guests and get-togethers.  Mundane in the sense that life continues as it always does; mundane in our every day activities.  I am sure that the few people who frequent my blog are glad to be spared of the details of our day to day activities. 

So a few things:

• Liam starts school again soon!  Yay!  He does not seem too keen on returning to school, even though he always seems to have a good time when he goes.  I am doing mental cartwheels at regaining a little bit more freedom for two days a week.  Now I can finally do the luxurious things I have been denying myself, like having a cavity filled.  Double yay!
• I realized that I haven't really updated much on Liam lately.  He is just so big!  I sometimes get him out of bed in the morning and I swear he has sprouted another inch.  I FINALLY started keeping a height chart in the house.  Sort of the old school method where you mark their height with a pen against the wall.  I decided to do it against crown molding so we can take it if we ever move.  He is so sweet and mischievous all in the same breath.  He is so sweet to his sister, but then will turn around and complain that his sister has, for example, looked at his stuffed animal.
• Speaking of moving, I am not prepared to move again for like...10 years.  We just finished our one year anniversary here in our home and I grow to love it with each passing day.  We have made so many changes to make it "ours."  When I get a chance I will post some before and after pictures.  Like last night, I volunteered for a really amazing fundraiser where Frank Luntz was the speaker.  This is my third time to hear him in person and I think he is just amazing.  After I left the venue to go home, it took a total of 6 minutes to get home.  Love that! 
• Eric has forbidden me from thinking of the fall.  But I skirted around that by buying Bath and Body Works fall scented hand soaps and Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale.  I can't help it.  There is something in the air that hits me each year on or around August 15.  Compared to last summer's agonizing heat, this year has been mild.  So mild in fact, that our pool has all but been rendered useless overnight.  While it is still about 85 degrees in the water, it feels too chilly to swim.  
• Speaking of which...West Nile Virus.  Ugh.  It has been all around us.  The neighborhood and aerial spraying seem to be helping, but I still feel like I have to bathe myself in OFF before I go out walking in the evening.  We know a few people who have actually contracted the virus, which makes it all a little more unsettling.  Even with the mosquito netting around the jogging stroller, I still get anxious taking the kids out for walks around the creek.  And the days are getting shorter.  Which sort of makes me sad but excited for the coming fall. Because we have a whopping 3 inches of insulation in our attic, we have a company coming out to blow in insulation to help our mounting energy bills.
• I am going to be an aunt again! My brother and his girlfriend are expecting a baby and I found out today what they are having, but can't say quite yet.  New babies are always a blessing and I will love this baby the same way I love my current niece and nephew. 
• I am also looking to go back to work.  I am sort of casually looking which is kind of terrifying but exciting.  Being out of the workforce for even 9 months makes it hard to go back.  So please say a little prayer that things work themselves out. 

I guess that is all for now, but I will leave you with a few photos of our recent visit from Papa and Noni from Houston on their road trip to Arkansas and Kansas. 

8 Months

I say this every month, but I can't believe how big my baby is getting!  She weighs about 18 pounds, but I won't know official stats until her 9 month well check.  She is a speedy little crawler.  She still has no teeth, although I am convinced after a fussy night that she will wake up with a whole mouthful.  She is having her first little illness which is making her out of sorts.  I thought that it might be an ear infection, but it looks like a little more sinus infection-like.  As a result she has been waking up A LOT during the night and her daytime naps are choppy. 

She loves her brother and I often find her in his room trying to play with his toys.  She can now sit from a laying down or crawling position, which means that we had to lower her crib.  Is it silly that I mourn these little things?  It is exciting but bittersweet.  Her favorite time of day is bath time and she cries bitterly when I remove her from the tub.  She can wave, and my heart still warms every time she says Mama.  I love my two babies! 

Liam usually won't let me take pictures of him alone, but here he is with Ansley.

Building forts on a hot afternoon.

Ticklefest

Feliz cumpleanos!

Yesterday we celebrated Eric's birthday along with another friend who has a birthday the day after his.  It has become something of a tradition for all of us to get together to do a dual birthday celebration.  We spend a lot of time with our friends from college who have all coincidentally ended up here in the metroplex.  The last of our buddies moved to the Fort Worth area about a month ago so he could attend medical school.  It is really awesome to have everyone back together.  Although I am learning that they are still the same freshman boys they were all those years ago when they are together!

Ansley, Eric, Baby Barrett, and Blayne

Ansley LOVES the water!

Daddy and Blayne negotiating the dowry for Ansley and Bear's marriage.  I think they scrapped the idea of 12 camels for a 12 pack of beer.

Our grill master, Craig.  We feel slightly bad that we always invite him over and then put him to work grilling our food: beer brats, grilled corn on the cob and bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers.

Our friends, Monica and Wally, got married back in April.  They were stealing a brief moment to dance to a sweet love song that was playing.  Eric and Blayne felt the need to make it a group dance.

A warm summer night, but at least the fan kept the mosquitoes at bay.

I made Eric a chocolate cake from Craig's grandmother's family recipe.  No pressure there!  But it was super yummy!

Chocolate cake and vanilla Bluebell ice cream

Eating, drinking and swimming went late into the night...or early morning depending on how you look at it!  A great night with great friends.

Godmama-ing

While I do enjoy going home to New Mexico (p.s. I have lived in Texas over a decade now and yet I still refer to NM as "home"), the biggest reason that I went recently was because my best friend asked me to be the godmother in the Catholic church to her baby boy, Everett.  I was super honored to be asked.  To be more specific, I think Stephanie peed on a pregnancy stick about 12 months ago and then called me five minutes later to ask me to do the honors.  I asked her to maybe make sure that she had actually read the test right, think about it for 15 minutes and then call me back.  No not really.  I immediately said "YES!"  Then I asked her if she read the stick right.  But I digress.  

Being a godparent is a huge responsibility.  A "rest of your life" responsibility that you can't flake out on because it is not convenient or because life gets tough.  My godparents did not have much of a relationship with me.  And while I had gone to church my whole life, I felt like I didn't really build a personal relationship with God until I was in college.  Steph and I share very similar views on faith and exposing kids to Christianity.  While talking about religion and a relationship with God is far from popular these days, I think it is the single most important that you can pass onto your children.  So I did not take lightly accepting the responsibility of helping to share God with Everett as he gets older. I am so honored to be his godmother, and I hope that I can help him build a relationship with God that gets him through the good and bad times in life.  

Stephanie's cousin, Adam, came all the way from Iowa for the baptism to be the godpapa.

Stephanie's uncle, a retired priest, came from out of state to officiate.

A happy day indeed!

Home again!

As Ansley is down for a nap, Eric has taken Liam to the "super special electronics store" (Radio Shack), and I have a good cup of coffee next to me, I decided to finally blog a little!

Ever since I was a working mom, I thought about the days when I would stay home and take advantage of having "extra" time off (i.e. not limiting my trips home to New Mexico for a long weekend as my vacation and work schedule dictated). So the kids and I booked a nine day "vacation" ( I use the term loosely as no trip with small children equals poolside mojitos while reading a great novel on my Kindle) to Albuquerque to stay with both sets of grandparents. 

The flight out to Albuquerque was not bad at all.  Eric is like a black belt in packing and since Southwest Airlines allows you to get a pass to have someone travel with you straight to the gate, things were relatively easy.  The lady sitting next to us, could not have been nicer.  She was admittedly hungry for her own grandchildren, which she assured me are a looooong way away from being conceived.  Anyway, she was all too happy to help me hold Ansley while I strapped Liam in and attended to his many diva-ish needs during the flight.  And she didn't even seem to mind when Ansley tried to repeatedly claw at her shirt (she has a thing for patterns on clothes). Becky (my MIL) met us at the gate and things proceeded smoothly.  I am embarrassed to say that this trip marked the first time I ever put in the car seats by myself.  I have just never had to, having my strapping man around.  I broke quite the morning sweat installing both seats, but I did it!

We spent a few days with each set of parents.  Because my mom just had major surgery and is still in a tremendous amount of pain, we spent a few days less with them.  Lets just say that my tribe is not exactly recovery material.  We had lots of fun, spent time playing and eating out with the Martinez cousins, and with our besties the Bacas. 

Cool Corrales morning.  Albuquerque was actually a little warmer than I thought it would be.  Surprisingly they got quite a few nice rain showers while we were there.

Liam viewing the cows out in the pasture.

Grandpa Ron showing Liam how to throw the ball for Moses the dog.  Grandpa also played baseball in college so I think Liam is in good hands.

We love the Pate's big backyard.  Liam spent his afternoons picking apples, running through sprinklers and just being a boy!

One of the days we were there we took Liam to the zoo for the first time.  I haven't felt like he was old enough to appreciate the zoo thus far, and it is quite a drive from where we live.  That combined with the fact that taking two kids under three to the zoo solo intimates me all came into play.  The Albuquerque Zoo is someplace that I remember vividly from childhood.  It was one of the few places that we went on field trips in school!  The last time I went there was my senior year of high school.  So lets just say it has been awhile.  The zoo has changed a whole lot since I was a kid, but there are still a few features that remain the same.  Liam was sort of nonchalant about the animals, but we all had a great time!

Grandpa showing Liam how to stand as a flamingo.  Liam has been standing on one leg periodically since our trip!

Grandma beating the heat in the shade with Ansley.

Giraffes?  Big deal.  I am drinking juice.

Because of Liam's obsession with certain animals, he liked visiting the seals. 

Watching the orangutans

Trying to stay cool

During this trip we were lucky enough to see my brother, Uncle David, almost everyday.  He was a huge help to us when we stayed with my parents and helped me feed and get the kids ready for bedtime each night.

Ansley LOVES her Uncle David

The best picture I could get of the kids and my parents.  Liam has really rebelled on taking pictures these days.

One of my favorite things to do in NM is spend time with my best friend, Stephanie.  But lets just say things have really changed since college!  With 4 kids three and under, our time together looks a lot different.  We were practically a walking billboard for abstinence. I kid of course.  We are in love with our kiddos, but we heard the murmurings of other people as we would pass by: "Those girls have their hands full" "Can you believe the energy those kids have?"  

One of the days we were there we went to the Bio Park.  Liam and Ansley are quickly becoming as thick as thieves.  After his repeated attempts to hold her hand, which she flatly refused thanks to her daddy's possible instruction, she finally gave in and allowed Liam to hold her hand through the park.

Both kids cooling off....and taking a drink out of a fountain. Yuck.

Best attempt at a picture with both me and Liam.  Sure I am wearing no makeup and Liam is doing his best to get out of my grip of steel, but it is what we got.

Annabelle is going to be a handful in her teenage years.  Poor Bacas.

Liam wandering through one of the botanical exhibits.  Which looks just like any backyard in NM.

Admiring the plane in the sky instead of the park.

Future besties?  Let's hope so!

The trip back was....not great.  This time things did not go smoothly.  We flew on an ungodly 6 am flight to save money.  Once seated, Ansley knocked Liam's $45 fruit cup purchased in the terminal on the floor of the plane (I may have slightly exaggerated the price...but not by much).  She also threw over my cup of water.  She also screamed at the top of her lungs for fun.  Liam got a talking to from the lady in front of him for kicking her seat.  Honest to goodness, I didn't even notice him doing that and I was mortified.  Then Ansley grabbed the arm hair of the passenger next to us...several times.  She also decided to make a smelly poop with great enthusiasm which prompted a diaper change in the hobbit sized bathroom.  Those are just a few examples.  When we arrived the double stroller and her car seat were no where to be found.  And they wouldn't give Eric a pass to meet us at the gate.  And our baggage was not unloaded for 30 minutes.  But we were home!  Safe and sound!  And that was all that mattered.

We had a great time, although I have definitely been schooled in my limitations of parenting for an extended period of time without Eric!

7 Months

It is hard to believe that Ansley Claire is seven months old! She didn't get a well child visit this month so I estimate that she weighs about the size of a full Costco box of groceries, or roughly translated, about 17 pounds.  I can definitely feel it in my lower back, hence my weekly visits to the chiropractor.  But I digress.  She is a sweet happy baby.  

Ansley eats three meals a day and has about 4-5 bottles.  We have recently started her on baby Mum Mums, which I don't really remember being around when Liam was a baby.  She was still waking for one meal a night, but we just recently broke her of that.  We have also been trying to break her of waking up in distress at not having her pacifier.  Essentially, we have begun to let her cry it out.  In an effort to keep her from waking Liam, as their rooms are across from each other, we have set the pack in play up in my closet.  Ironically, she seems to do pretty well sleeping in my closet, but after being moved back into her crib she goes back to fussing at odd hours. Such a change from Liam who slept through the night at two months.  But it just goes to show how different each child can be.  

She is still army crawling and has recently started to lift her belly off the ground in a rocking motion.  She adores her big brother and is constantly reaching for him and laughing at his shenanigans.  She has incredibly strong legs and propels herself off of people and moves around in her little foot car. She loves to swim in her baby float in the pool and adores splashing at bath time.  She is also incredibly vocal.  She screeches at the top of her lungs in what many people believe is distress.  But she does it all with a smile on her face.  It is impossible to get a word in edgewise when she starts her squawking! 

She is such a sweet baby and we have so much fun with her each and every day!

Another handmade dress from Grandma Gladys from Puerto Rico.  I never let her wear them for very long for fear that we will destroy them!

Chillin' with her big bro!

Her first set of wheels.

Nursery pics...7 months late

It occurred to me yesterday as I was taking a seven month picture of Ansley, that I had yet to take any pictures of her nursery for her baby book.  With Liam and being a first time parent, we were so consumed with preparing his nursery and wanting it to be perfect.  We spent months picking the perfect accessories and getting things "just right."  Because I am a second child, I am sensitive to the fact that subsequent children usually have less time spent on them.  And as hard as we tried, with the move during my pregnancy and Ansley coming just a bit early, we found that we just had a little less time, energy, and funds this second time around!

When we found out we were having a little girl I was excited about the prospect of having a solely feminine influence somewhere in the house.  I found a lot of nursery pictures that I loved for inspiration, but being married to an interior designer I knew that I needed to find something that appeased both of our senses.  I came across a People magazine article showing pictures for a nursery that Tiffani Amber-Theissen had done for her baby girl and I just fell in love!  But I knew that we were obviously not working on a Hollywood budget and had a limited amount of time to get things ready.  In fact, Liam was still using the nursery furniture until about a month before Ansley was born!

7 months old!

Inspiration nursery.  LOVE this.  But we knew we had to do things on a major budget.

Our version.  Eric handmade a 3-d tree out of MDF and it extends over both walls. The birds were decals that were custom made by a friend. I made the bumper and bed skirt after not finding anything I liked in the colors I wanted in my price range.

Another view of the tree.  We initially weren't going to have a lot of extra color in the nursery but it kind of snuck its way in.

Luca glider and side table I found that reminds me of a tree.

Another view

I used the old frames from Liam's nursery and filled them with scrap booking paper that I found at Michaels.

Love this lamp. It is hard to tell but the print features branches and blossoms.

Each piece of scrap booking paper is slightly different. I love this funky print.

Another one of my favorite prints from the collection of frames.  In total this framing project cost $8.

There is something sweet about a baby's room at night.

This room posed some challenges because of how small it is.  The most difficult challenge for us is always finding a good paint color that works in different daylights and types of lighting.  We probably went through 7 samples of lilac paint until we threw our hands up in the air and selected one.  I still feel like the room needs a few accessories, but it is difficult to not over accessorize in a smaller space.  We hope that this is a room that Ansley can grow into and that she loves over time!