Baby Pool Days

Louisiana days get hot, hot, HOT! It is already reaching 90 degrees and its not even June yet. Yikes! So, we decided to invest in a little pool for baby Blake...and for us too. :)

Originally we had a pool mat. Basically it was a literally a mat that filled up with maybe an inch or two of water. You hook the water hose up to it and the water will come out of a few little sprinklers. Perfect for Blake!!! Well, we went ahead and got it ready while Blake was napping. That way the water would be warm by the time he got in it. Aren't we nice parents?!!? Once we got it all ready we, being the big kids that we are, kind of played in the pool mat ourselves!...and we broke it. Oops. We tried to see how high we could get the sprinklers to go and I guess with our adult weight it busted. Darn!!! All before Blake could even try it out. Sigh...EPIC failure.

So... we went out and got another pool for Blake. This one was just the standard plastic pool, but we had SO much fun. Blake was a little unsure about it to begin with. He kind of looked at us like, "Why are we in the yard taking a bath?!" He liked sitting in our laps and just having his feet in the water, but we he wasn't a fan of getting anything else wet. Something about letting the water hit his tummy or back was just not OK! Haha.

You know, many other Memorial Days we have had lots of plans with lots of friends and family. However, this one was just PERFECT with the 3 of us in our little back yard. :)

Mr. Talkative

Blake has really started doing the "Ohh's" and "Ahh's". Tonight he just had to tell us all about his day.
PS- Sorry that you have to see the plate in the background. We literally just finished having pizza for dinner. We couldn't miss taping this moment because of the dinner dishes. :)

Nerdy Obsessions

Ryan and I often enjoy similar movies, games, and books (well..I tell Ryan about the book), however, we also enjoy our own individual 'bookshelf' obsessions too!

Currently I am trying to read Gone With the Wind...again. It has been one of those books that I have started a thousand times but have never been able to finish. Since I have a Kindle now and I stay up late with Blake, I figured that this would be the best time to try again. It's like my life goal to complete this book! I love the setting and the characters of the book but I guess the length of it makes me give up. I have a short attention span with books sometimes. All I can say is that now the sassy Scarlett is making my late night feeding shifts that much more enjoyable! :)

Ryan's newest obsession is Diablo 3. Let me just say that I won't give this game justice because I don't know anything about it. All I know is that it is a computer game that Ryan (and most other guys around here) are drooling over. But there is a tragic part to this obsession. He pre-ordered this game with so much excitement! When it was released he was so happy to come home and break it open. ....Then he realized that his computer does not have an updated enough graphics card to play the game :( It has been torcher for him to hear about all of his friends playing the game while Ryan just sits there and looks at the box. So, of course Ryan just orders a new laptop (with all the right goodies) to fix the problem. He is proud to say that his new gift will be delivered next week and he will then quickly be playing catch-up to his friends...with a smile on his face.

What can we say? I guess we are just nerds deep down inside. We love our books and computer games!

Romance and Car Washes

For some reason, our lives have gotten VERY busy lately. Yes, we have a 3 month old. Yes, Ryan's work with the Army has him away from home alot - making me feel like a single parent sometimes. Yes, Ryan is taking two college classes. Yes, I am managing the house by myself. And yes, we just adopted a  dog who is still very much a puppy. However, I love how we still make time for our relationship, even though those moments might be few and far between sometimes.

This past week has been really hard on each of us. I guess it followed the cliche "when it rains, it pours". Things just seemed to be way too difficult for each of us in our own ways. Ryan and I had both almost hit rock bottom with our every day challenges.

Thank goodness I married an amazing man...because Ryan brought us both back up to speed by surprising me with a date night! He got off work a little early (does the Army have a heart?!!) and told me to get ready because he was taking me to dinner. What about Blake!? Well, Ryan had already arranged for our family friends to babysit him for 2 hours. Yay! He took me to one of our favorite places, Hana - a Japanese Steakhouse! Yum and yum. Then we went to the car wash - the Jeep was just disgusting. The drive thru one was broken so we washed the car by hand - totally acting like little kids the whole time by slinging soap and spraying water. :)

Life will not be easy, but luckily we have learned in our very young marriage that we can support each other with our ebb and flow... and always pause things to have some time together!

Photo Timeline - Alligator Park

One of our favorite places in Louisiana is the Alligator Park. Ryan and I have been there numerous times! In fact, we have the pictures to prove it. Here are 3 pictures taken in the SAME SPOT across the span of about a year.

The first time we went...when I was very early on in my pregnancy with Blake. First Trimester.

The second time! I think we knew we were having a little boy at this point...or getting close to figuring it out! :)

And then the most recent. Blake could join us in the picture now!

Oh how time can change things! We will have to make sure to try to go back one more time before we move...just to continue the photo timeline. Now, on to the good stuff from the trip. Blake's first trip to the Alligator Park. It was rather simple. Hot. Tired. Sunny. :)

Mother's Day

Today is my first Mother's Day! How exciting!! Of course my boys spoiled me with lots of fun. Blake has had lots of trouble sleeping recently so they got me a Lazyboy chair for Blakes room. Now my nights with Blake are VERY comfortable! :) I also got roses, lots of love, and a nice dinner (and cake) with a group og our friends. Not to mention, Ryan cleaned the house and watched The Vow with me. He is such a sweet husband!!

So, on my first Mother's Day I was thinking about how my life has changed since becoming a mom...

• I am sleep deprived....really deprived!
• I can now change a diaper like a pro. I bet I could do it with one arm tied behind my back. Haha
• I traded my cute purse for a "Mary Poppins" bag with anything I could possibly need while out and about. 
• I have to map out my days around nap times (not my naps...remember I dont sleep)
• I thought I knew how to multi-task before being a mommy. I really had no idea!
• I am VERY protective over my family.
• I am constantly researching sleep, poop, and all kinds of crazy stuff. Don't ask.
• I have been to the doctors more than in my entire life.
• I have now been THAT person in the store with the screaming child and the helpless look.
• I have discovered the lovely Mothers Lounge at church...and I am there a lot!
• My happiness comes from seeing my boys smile.
• I talk to my mom daily for guidance. Bless her heart!!!
• ...more than anything, my love for Blake and Ryan exceeds more than anything I can describe.

Meet Maggie

Everyone, meet Maggie! She is the newest addition to our family. Now...I know what you are thinking. What are we doing adopting a dog?!!?! Well...there is a cool story to it.

Ryan got word on Friday that the DeRidder Animal Shelter was way over on dogs and sadly they would be putting down 12 dogs. :( He debated on telling me because, if you know me, I am a total animal lover. I can't stand to think of an animal getting put down.  When Ryan finally told me, I wanted to call the shelter and see what dogs they had. We found the website and started looking. That's when we saw Maggie!!

Small world...she actually belonged to a family that we knew at Ft. Polk. They had to move and they gave her to a man here in Leesville. He ended up being a (whats a nice word here...) JERK and took her to the animal shelter without telling the family. Maggie has been in the shelter since February.

Once I saw that Maggie belonged to a family we knew...and that she was on the list of dogs to be put down,  I knew we had to get her!!!

She is perfect for our family. She is a tan husky/boxer mix, 2 years old, housebroken, and LOVES kids! The best part is that she has two different colored eyes. One brown and one blue. She has already settled in so well. She instantly became attached to Ryan, following him everywhere. She even greeted Blake and I with kisses. Blake looked at her with a confused look. We thought he might cry....BUT he just smiled his little heart out. He loves her! She is so gentle with him too. I put Blake down for a nap and she quietly followed me in and out of his room. Good Girl!!! :)

We are now getting her all set up in our little house. The more the merrier right?! Can't wait for her to meet Roxie in North Carolina! More pictures to come soon!



Do the Dew Date

When I first found out I was pregnant, almost a year ago, I made the decision not to drink caffeine - mostly from my Mt. Dew obsession. I know that you can have small amounts of caffeine while pregnant, but I wanted to be as healthy as possible. In fact, I cut out sodas in general.

I started drinking sodas after Blake was born, but still no caffeine...until now. Blake is now 3 months old and I decided I was in the clear and could have one Mt.Dew every now and then!

Ryan and I went on our weekly date - just getting some Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo- and that is where it happened. I grabbed Ryan's Mt.Dew and had my first sip in over a year. (take a moment to savor it) It was fantastic. Ryan said it was more of a gulp than a sip. Haha. I just cant explain how happy my taste buds were. :) After all this time of watching others drink Mt. Dew and me restraining myself...it all paid off! Our date nights are always amazing, but the Mt.Dew totally made the night.

PS- Is it lame that we also went grocery shopping on our date night while we didn't have Blake with us?! We are totally turning into THOSE old people. Haha.

Fan of the Fan

Hhhmmm.... Can you guess what is amusing Blake?!

... the FAN!!!! Apparently he loves watching the fan spin. Why didn't we know about this earlier?!

And he also loves it when daddy gets his tummy. See for yourself!

Blake 3 Months

Looks like we have a 3 month old on our hands!!!

Here is what Blake has discovered this month...

• he likes to watch the TV
• he loves his playmat and books
• he does NOT like that carwash
• he thinks smelling his own feet is funny
• he still doesn't have a good sleep pattern at night. sigh.
• he loves laying on his changing table
• his car seat buddy is a lion that plays music. dont leave home without it!
• he likes to fly around like superman... part of our tummy time.
• he is starting to hold things with his hands
• he has rolled over once or twice
• he loves to talk. making little vowel sounds
• he loves to smile but sometimes gets bashful and will try to hide
• he tries to eat his hands...forget the thumb sucking!!
• he likes to sit up now...we are in bumpo seat training.
• ..and he continues to love bath time!