Swagger Wagon

So how are you?  I mean... really?  It’s been what... close to a year?  I know I know... I suck at life for not keeping a better blog. There is really no excuse either...  I'm on the computer more than 50% of the time because of work... so I mean why couldn't I just spend a few minutes updating my blog?.... I guess... I don't often find reasons enough to blog about.  And who reads this anyways ha!  I read my friends’ blogs and they are always entertaining and often times enlightened me... Mine... Not so much haha!  

So what’s new you ask? Well since a lot of people feel so deprived by me not being on facebook (because I gave it up for lent) I often hear "I miss seeing your kids on Facebook" or.. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever because you’re never on facebook"... I often think. Wow that’s sad... We are only close because of facebook... Oh how the times have changed where people only know what’s going on with people through facebook.  Whatever happened to the days where you called up a friend and said "hey haven't seen you in a long time... let’s do lunch?!"  I guess now it would be more like "Hey, I saw on facebook that you were bored... wanna do lunch?"  geesh... lol

  

Well by the title of this post I can now officially say I'm a van driving mom!  haha.. Yep... that’s me...  Last week Mark and I traded the Dodge Journey for a Chrysler Town and Country 2007.  It has everything: DVD, Navigation, leather seats and a SUNROOF!! I've always wanted a sunroof...  you truly know your getting old when you get excited to have a van. haha...  We only have two kids and we have a van... let the finger pointing begin...  But I love it! I love the extra room we have, I love the way it drives... I really really like it!  Don't miss the SUV at all!  I am truly 100% a mom... now I just need to be like the other cool moms and put stickers up on my windshield of stick figures to represent the family.

Last weekend we went to the AGR founder’s day... We had a really great time catching up with old friends.  On the way home Mark said, "Timmy was telling me how he got the Honda Odyssey." It took me everything to not bust out laughing... I just giggled and told him... "Oh how conversations have changed between you and a fraternity brother huh?  Talking about girls to talking about your recent van purchase."  haha... Life truly does fly by...  And all you can do is hold on and enjoy the ride!

On other fun notes, Madyson is growing like a weed and talking a mile a minute!  She is so funny.  I often just crack up at her.  Her mannerisms are just too funny!  Her facial expressions I often think, where did you learn that from? Her eyes have too much personality.  She LOVES her little brother.  It’s very sweet to watch.  If you try to sit her down next to him just to get a picture of them together, she will ALWAYS lean over and kiss his head, and HOLD it so I can catch it on camera.  To cute!  She kisses him ALL The time!  

As you can see she loves being outside and is not a girly girl at all (notice the mud on her forehead), which I think is common for her age.  The downfall for her age... Tantrums! Ugh... she's not even 2 yet and she has got some terrible 2 tantrums already... Yippee... (Note my sarcasm)  Unfortunately she does have my temper.  Poor girl. She will smack a table when she's mad or even walk up to a wall and hit her head several times!  *sigh* She used to do it on the floor but I thought it was accidental... However now I know better... Please pray she doesn't one day create brain damage... 

Matthew is growing like a weed! He will be turning 5 months the beginning of next week.  It’s hard to believe.  I can officially say that Matthew and I are finally friends.  That sounds bad but seriously… Matthew and I argued a lot.  Last week was a difficult week because of reasons that will not be disclosed…  But in the long run I decided to start weaning Matthew from breast feeding.  I have some in storage so he’ll be drinking breast milk for a while, but pumping at work is never fun.  

Anywho, Matthew fought sleep… which meant Matthew and I fought…  He is a very happy baby, but at night time he would cry and cry and cry unless he was nursing so I felt like I would be nursing for HOURS…  It was very tiresome and this meant that Matthew would not let Mark put him to sleep, which meant Mark fought with Matthew as well for the nights that I wasn’t home.  Mark would often tell me “You can never leave this house again.” Ha! We were so blessed with Madyson.  A) Because she is a thumb sucker and soothes herself and B) loves her sleep.  Matthew is not a thumb sucker (which I totally wish he was because I am a huge fan of a thumb sucker).  He really isn’t much a pacifier lover either, and he definitely didn’t self soothe.  Which meant we fought!  But lately, I’m not sure if it’s because I am starting to wean him, or the fact that he’s about to turn 5 months old… or he knew I had a rough week last week, but Matthew and I haven’t fought in a while!  Praise Jesus!  I often find myself now thanking God for a wonderful, beautiful baby boy, instead of praying for some patience and help to get him to go to sleep.  Needless to say, it is a beautiful change.  Lately I have been able to feed him, burp him, and then lay him in his crib on his side (don’t tell the doctor :D) with a binkie and he will go to sleep on his own.  It has been a nice change of pace for Matthew and me. 

Mark hasn’t caught on to the trick yet, but as of now I don’t mind!  I enjoy our personal time together and the fact that I can put him to sleep in under an hour or so is such a blessing.  Trust me, a few weeks ago, putting him to bed seemed like it took hours!!!!  Mark and I had no personal time together and by the time I did get Matthew to sleep, I was exhausted and just wanted to go to sleep too.  The house was a wreck and I was exhausted!  Oh the joys of being a Mother….

Matthew is growing up so fast.  He LOVES his jumper that hangs in the doorway.  Madyson enjoyed it when she was little but she didn’t jump much.  Matthew is a jumping fool!  It’s so funny to watch him laugh and jump and be a kid!  Madyson will go by him and give him toys, kiss his head, and then take her toys back.  HA! Soon they will be fighting for toys… I’m sure it’ll be here before I know it and I’ll want to pull my hair out about that!  But I can say that I’m so excited to see the moment when Matthew is running around with Madyson playing together.  I am so blessed to have two wonderful children and a loving husband!  I am so blessed that my children are going to be so close because of their closeness in age.  I am just blessed!  God is good!

Update on Madyson

Oh my.. I haven't written anything in two months?!  Time has truly flown by!!  Lets see here's new with Madyson. 

1.  Well most importantly.. she on the move.  It seemed like it didn't take Madyson long to start crawling.  She mastered it within a few days it seemed, of course at first it was a slow craw...  now she's got some speed.  She gets into everything.  Things you wouldn't dream of her getting into, and she proves us wrong and goes straight for it... cords, dog toys, wires, anything and everything. 

2.  Toys - Honestly I have no idea why anyone buys her toys, she much rather play with plastic cups, spoons, and boxes.  Those are her love for toys!  She does have one toy that she doesn't really play with but whenever she gets upset about anything I can hand her this toy and she instantly smiles.  Its a dog from leapster named violet.  You can hook it up to the computer and update it as she grows.  It calls her name personally and sings her a song that spells her name to her!  She hears her name from the toy and instantly is a happy baby again!

3.  Pool - Madyson LOVES the pool.  Which didn't surprise me one bit.  She loved the bathtub so why wouldn't she like the pool??  She loves water without a doubt!  Shes the only baby that will put her face in the water and not cry when she comes out! Now, of course that worries me however it makes me laugh as well.  Shes definitely gonna be a little fish once she learns how to swim!

4.  Food -  Not much into baby food anymore.  Its like pulling teeth to get her to eat a whole thing of baby food anymore.  She much rather have food that she can feed to herself.  Ex:  Cheerios, bite size foods, gold fish and etc... I only worry she isn't getting enough to fill her up so I'm constantly trying to sneak baby food in while she's distracted haha...  She only has 2 teeth right now.  One seems to be coming in its one of her side top teeth but its taking sometime to come on through.  Hopefully soon it'll make its appearance.

5.  Tricks - Madyson has now learned how some funny noises she can make.  She sometimes sounds like she's chewing gum.  She smacks her lips and its quite cute.  Another noise she has mastered is rubbing her hands or objects in front of her mouth making a ...  how do I explain this without making the noise.. haha..  the same noise if you had your index finger running over your lips up and down. haha I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.  Another trick she likes is giving high fives.  Mark started her on that one.

6. Drinks - She used to be a fan of apple juice however she got a cold a while back and it seems she has lost the appetite for it.  One thing she likes for sure is sweet tea!  Once again Mark got her on that kick!  We don't give her alot of it but when she does get it, she seems to chug the whole thing down in one sitting.  i have now started to give her a grape juice this week and she seems to appreciate that more so we will see how that goes...

7.  Sleeping - Madyson has always blessed me with her easy sleeping skills.  She has slept through the night since she was about 3 months old.  I have been very blessed.  Easy to lay down at night time too, when she is ready, she is READY.  Of course now that I said this, tonight she won't be so easy, just you watch....

Over all we are very blessed to have Madyson.  She is a happy baby always giggling and smiling, and mostly always a delight to be around. :D

Other news....  Mark and I are expecting our second child, and yes.. we know what causes that no worries.  I am currently 19 weeks and we actually find out the sex of this baby tomorrow!  We know its going to be a struggle with having two babies so close in age, but I know that Madyson and her sibling will be as close as ever when they grow up. All babies are such a blessing from God that we except this with open arms!  Lets just hope our house will grow to accommodate however many children God wants us to have.  :D

Day 21

Day 21: A picture of something you wish you could forget.

This is actually something difficult to answer.  When I first read it, I thought of numerous things... like my first heart break...  a fight with someone...  and etc.. but honestly, I don't want to forget those moments.. why?  I guess because its taught me things and has made me the person I am today.  God gives us these obstacles in life for a reason.   

I mean sure my first REAL heart break was tough.  But it helped me grow stronger in my faith.  

 I truly believe everything happens for a reason... So I don't really have any memories I wish I could forget! .....  but for the sake of keeping up with showing a picture of each day.... Here goes..

If I had to pick one memory I wish I could forget it would probably be.... *drum roll please*

I know this seems like a odd combination.  However, when I was working at Play it Again Sports I asked off for the weekend to move my stuff from an apartment to Angela's house.  We "camped" out on their back yard, if you look hard enough you can see the commensary behind us because Angela lived on base.  Well on Monday when I returned to work one of my employees told my boss that I didn't move and instead I went on a camping trip.  My boss told me she was about to fire me.  I was soooo livid because that is not what happened at all and still to this day I get irritated at the thought of a co-worker trying to get me fired like that!  I try not to hold grudges but that one still to this day bugs me lol

Day 20

Day 20: A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

 Hawaii

Austrailia

The two places I'd love to go visit and travel to one day would be Australia and Hawaii!  Australia mostly because I'd love to go see the wild life...  I just have this mental image at how beautiful it is!  

I would love to go to Hawaii mostly for Mark.  That is the one place he wanted to go for our honeymoon but its so expensive to go there.  I know its beautiful too because our aunt went and she came back with the prettiest pictures! I know it would be a trip to remember!  

Maybe one day we will be able to go to one of these places.  I have a passport I'd love to add Australia to!

Day 18

Day 18: A picture of your biggest insecurity.

No worries.. this is not my stomach. I find it funny that they want me to put a picture up of my biggest insecurity... hello! Its my insecurity why would I post a pic of it up for everyone to see! lol but I guess since I have a 6 month old, like all mother's I'm insecure about my belly. The other day I was holding Madyson and I walked infront of the mirror and I thought, "Holy Cow.. I look pregnant" lol

Now I was truly blessed with loosing most of my baby weight so quickly, however I do know that I am extremely lazy when it comes to exercising so I know for a fact I have more to loose! I'm hoping that when the weather gets nicer, Mark and I will ride bikes together and go walking more... Thats our goal anyways. Madyson loves going for rides in her stroller and by the time we are able to ride bikes I think Madyson would love it if we buy her a seat for Mark's bike as well!
So here's for future exercising! lol

Day 17

Day 17: A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

I know I know.. another blog about Madyson.. but seriously.. have you read the title??? lol I mean there's no way around not putting Madyson in this blog title! So here is a picture I took of Madyson this morning! Its amazing at how much she's grown! She is so curious! She probably spent a good 10-15 minutes in that box so excited! She made sure to look at every corner and just take it all in! She is at such a fun age!

More on Madyson is that she's eating baby food. I have been making my own baby food recently and its so funny seeing her try a new food. Yesterday I made her some peaches and her face was quite comical! It was as if the peaches were sour to her. lol I kept on trying to fix the taste for her by adding cereal and then formula to help with the taste. Unfortunately, we ended up going to cereal and mashed banana's. She loved that! lol Maybe next time!

She has gotten to a point in her life where she is reaching for EVERYTHING. Right now I think its cute however I do know that, I will end up getting frustrated SOON. Its just cute how much she's developing her own personality! Hearing her laughter, her squeals of joy, her eyebrows have more personality than anything, and she's had those personality eyebrows since birth! She makes the funniest facial expressions, and once she sees what expression I make after her expression... she always smiles or laughs! Its like she tries to figure out "how can I make Mommy smile today" and she manages to find a way everyday!

You know honestly, when we found out we were pregnant with Madyson I was worried.. Financially worried... socially worried.. worried about what our friends would think because we literally just got married... But God knows more than I do and this was a true showing of that! Our friends have been MORE than supportive and they LOVE Madyson! On the day Madyson was born one of my closest friends said "thanks for the baby fever" which made me smile.. then a few months down the road.. another couple that we hang out regularly told us that they were expecting and due in May.. Talk about excitement! Its one thing to have a baby,but its another to know that your baby will have play mates! I would not change motherhood for anything! God is soooo good!

Day 16

Day 16: A picture of someone who inspires you.

If I had to pick one person that inspires me, it would probably my sister. She has 5 kids and they are all very close in age. She was constantly ridiculed about having children so close together. It was hard on her but I know she wouldn't change it for the world! She is very strong! Now that I am a mother of just one, I know it's has to be constant battle juggling 5 different kids with their schedules, school work, being a parent, and a wife! I have it pretty easy with one kid but I know having 5 does bring its challenges! I think she is an awesome mother! Sure she's had her days where she could pull her hair out, who doesn't? But in the end she manages to always put her children first!

Even though she has 5 children, and her husband travels to work so some weeks she by herself, she manages to be able to still be involved with Bailey and Jake's school. I believe she's on the PTO, AND is the head of the PTO... She has managed to find some great friends and a fantastic town which I know deep down it would be hard for her to leave. Madisonville, at first, was such a small town and Julie dreaded it. However now, she loves it and has created a community/family for her and her family! She has fantastic neighbors who help her so much!

Most of the time I think Julie puts to much on her plate at one time. She's always on the go, go, go. But honestly, I'm the same way! If we don't have something planned for the weekend, I'm making plans by Thursday night.. and when Sunday comes around I think... where did the weekend go? and why do I always plan something? I should just have a lazy weekend.. So I guess you could say Julie and I have a lot in common besides our voices!

She inspires me because she is able to juggle her life and can keep organized in her hectic lifestyle. Her kids love her and they are fantastic! She's a great mother which I hope I too will follow in her footsteps. I'm jealous of the community she has in Madisonville because in Elkton, I only know Marks' family.. I would love to find a way to have friends of my own like she has.