Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Three years ago...

• Was similar to this week in temperature...but we survived.
• We got to spend some extra quality time with our family and closest friends.
• We were 3 years younger, tanner and in better different shape.
• We had no clue what tired actually felt like.
• We could sit around on a Saturday, all day, if that's what we wanted to.
• We had more money.
• Could spend as many hours at the gym we wanted to.

Today...

• We have two of the best little kids in the world.
• We have a deeper respect and love for each other.
• We've been through 3 surgeries, a massive tree through our backyard, many many home improvements.
• We have learned to compromise better.
• Have learned what fights are really important to pick and what we can just let go of. 

Three years later...I see how incredibly blessed I am to have you and be doing life with you. I got one of the good ones and I will never forget it. You keep me laughing! xoxo Happy Anniversary Love.

Meal Planning Monday

I am very blessed to be able to stay home with my kids. I don't take it for granted for one second. We do however make many sacrifices so that I can stay home. One is that we don't eat out very much, maybe 1-2 times a month (this doesn't include Chick-Fil-A). So I meal plan our meals pretty extensively and this helps keep our grocery budget down. I also shop at specific stores where I can find deals or shop the sales. 

So heres to Meal Planning Monday's! Hopefully, you will find some good ideas.

*Not all recipes are mine and I will give credit where credit is due.*

Monday- Grilled Chicken Salad
Tuesday- Italian Meatloaf with Green Beans
Wednesday- Southwest Chicken Burgers with Avocado Salsa
Thursday- Eggs with veggies and Waffles
Friday- Veggie-packed Turkey Burgers, Butternut Squash
Saturday- Leftovers
Sunday- BBQ Chicken, Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

Lunch/Snack options: Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, Turkey Hotdogs, Hummus and Veggies, Hard Boiled Eggs, Fruit

You may notice that we eat A LOT of chicken and turkey...yes, we do! I don't eat red meat or pork due to stomach issues and hubby doesn't care for it (although I do make him steak every now and then). We try to stick with recipes that we know we enjoy and I try to make enough to get at least one leftover meal (he will take to work for lunch). 

As for Austin's eating...he really doesn't eat what we eat. I usually attempt to have him try our meals and every now and then he will eat a few bites, but nothing substantial. So I stick with the regulars for him. I'm sure he will eat vegetables when he is in college. 

Weekend Recap

Already July 18th! Where is the summer going? Not sure about you but this heat wave we've been experiencing is making me, for the first time ever, want Fall to arrive. We haven't been able to open our pool (long story, will write about soon) and summer without a pool stinks!

Anyway...here's my weekend recap, followed by Monday meal plans!

Friday evening, while hubby worked, I met my friend and her 2 kiddos at Chick-Fil-A for dinner. Seeing as though I am nursing ladybug and she eats every 2-3 hours I have a limited time between feedings, unless I decide to nurse in public, which is next to impossible if I have bubba with me. Austin loves playing with other kids. I can't actually say he plays but his interactions are getting more on the play level. He loves to watch other kids and learn from them.

We jetted home to feed the babe, throw Austin into the bath and then off to bed for him. I shortly followed.

Saturday morning, Austin and Daddy went out for a Dunkin Donut Date. Hubs came home and told me there was an older man in the parking lot watching him walking with Austin. The man came up and said "Sorry if I was staring, I just remember doing that with my son and time goes so fast." Hubs told me the man was almost in tears. We try very hard to be present in everyday interactions with our kids and really enjoy each stage- I can't believe how fast it has already gone!

While they were out I got myself and ladybug ready for a walk. We have to go super early before it gets hot, so I was out and back before 8:30am. It was really one of the first exercising walks I have taken since giving birth getting pregnant and it felt great. I am slowly getting back into the swing of things.

Since our pool hasn't been opened and I wasn't cleared to be submerged in water, we haven't been swimming at all. So I asked a friend if we could come over and swim for a bit. I wanted to expose Austin to the water...sure enough, exactly what I anticipated happened, he FREAKED out. Clung to my neck and kept saying "out, out, out".  Definitely have my work cut out for me next summer.

The remainder of our Saturday was just relaxing and getting things done around the house. Cooked a yummy dinner of kabob chicken, grilled veggies and brown rice. Austin has been more daring in trying vegetables and downed some grilled carrots. 

Sunday we headed to church, I baked some Banana Chocolate Chip mini-muffins during nap time, worked on the blog and then we went grocery shopping. I am learning it's the little things in life, that we do together as a family, that make it special. (That sounds like a Daniel Tiger episode...)

*On another note, more police shootings happened this past weekend. My heart is in shambles. As the wife of a police officer, I am at a loss. The worry I experience is insane when he is at work. My prayers are for other LEO families and for the hate and misunderstanding in this country to improve. Prayers!*

We got taken down...

...by the stomach flu.

It hit our household with a vengeance. We had a typical Monday, hubby was on night work shift and I was home with the littles, attempting to keep us all alive. We ate dinner and spent some time outside playing with the neighbors. Headed in with plans to get ready for bed when Austin started acting strange. He was just walking around the living room crying. Literally, next thing I know he is vomiting all over my living room. I had baby in hands so I put her in swing...cue screaming from ladybug. I pick up my sobbing little boy who proceeds to vomit again all over me and again all over the living room.

I stand baptized into the mommy vomit club and wonder which screaming child to tend to first, how exactly to get vomit out of everything it touched and how on earth I was going to do this alone. As one who generally doesn't ask for help, this situation warranted a phone call across the street to my neighbor who I asked to just come hold the baby while I got everything under control. (bless her heart!)

I got Austin bathed and in jammies and on the couch (sitting on towels). Got living room cleaned and disinfected. Got baby back down to sleep. He then threw up again all over the couch and on the exact area that didn't have a towel covering it. Figures, right?

At this point, I called hubby and asked him to come home and help me. Baby had to eat. Sick boy. I couldn't do it alone.

We got our sick boy to bed. No more getting sick and he slept hard all night. He woke up better but no appetite and took a 4 hour nap that day. 

I'll leave the rest of the details out but lets just say 48 hours later, I got it. Then 48 hours later, hubby got it. Only our newborn, who is on mommas magic milk, was able to come out scott free. 

All of this occurred during the week of Austins 2nd birthday. We had a very low key family birthday for him and sadly, we had to postpone his birthday party (it's next weekend and I can't wait)! I am really glad we did because I didn't want our family and friends to get this horrible, awful stomach flu. 

I am now a complete germ-o-phob and I have been sanitizing door knobs, handles, light switches etc as much as I can to keep the germs to a minimum. I know it was only the first of many stomach viruses that will happen, but I certainly don't plan to make it easy for those germs to attack!

2 year check in with Austin

I can't believe my little boy is a full blown toddler and two whole years old. It really feels like yesterday I was up every two hours with him. He is such a joy to be with. He is quite shy around people he doesn't know well, but if it is just our family he is an absolute goof ball. He loves to dance and run around. He thinks his daddy is the best thing ever and he has handled becoming a big brother so well. We did have a few weeks of rough patches, and whining and some crying, but he loves his little sister so much. 

 MILESTONES/MOMENTS TO NOTE:

- 25.7lbs 

- repeating any and every word we say

- had his first bout with the stomach flu

- sleeping great at night 7:45pm-6:30am

- became a big brother 

- stayed for 2 nights away from mommy and daddy

LIKES:

- Daniel Tiger "Tigie"

- playing outside with water in pool and sand table

- going for walks 

- doing puzzles (all by himself)

- playing with train table

- wrestling with daddy

DISLIKES:

- not having our 100% attention

- when he doesn't get his way 

- the doctors office

Baby Girl!!

This recap is very late in timing, but better late then never. Plus, when you have a newborn and toddler to keep alive, writing anything becomes last on the priority list, behind eating, sleeping and showering. 

So on Thursday, May 26, hubby and I loaded our bags into our car and headed to the hospital. Austin was lucky enough to be staying with my mom for the few days I was in the hospital. We arrived around 7 am and quickly moved through the admin process. Next thing I know, I am in my gown and in the bed, getting hooked up to IV's, blood being drawn and signing my life away. It was about 90 minutes from when I laid down in bed, to being wheeled back to the OR. 

I was so lucky to have some amazing nurses with me and of course, my doctor who I adore. (She did my c-section with Austin.) The only real big hiccup I encountered was getting my spinal. I shouldn't have been surprised, as I has issues with the epidural during Austin's labor. It took some work by the anesthesiologist, she told me my "spine was tricky"---however, finally my legs went numb and off we went. 

10 minutes later...I was staring at this beautiful little girl!! 

McKenna Elise

8lb 7oz

21 3/4 inches

9:07 pm

When I had my first c-section, I remember a friend saying "I'm so sorry you had that." I remember, specifically thinking, why is a c-section such a bad thing? 

I labored with Austin for 12+ hours, pushed for almost 3 hours and he was not coming out that direction. I was physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. I wanted the c-section. 

I asked for it. 

There was no part of me that was sorry I had to birth my children in this form. So, when we found out about baby girl, I knew I wanted a planned section. I wanted a good nights sleep and a big meal ahead of time (I knew what was to come!). It was the best decision I ever made. It was relaxed and over in less time it took to get hooked up to the IV machines. Win/win in my opinion. The recovery is hard. Much harder then a vaginal delivery, I imagine. I've never had a vaginal delivery so I'll never know.