Keeping Track

Well I took a major hiatus from blogging. My intention with this blog was to document our lives so we would have those memories. But I somehow always drop the ball a bit and move on to other projects. Since I am expecting now though I really do want to make an effort to keep up better. To make time to keep track of all these previous moments so that someday I can look back and remember. When you are in the day to day it can be hard to remember all those little things, but those little things are everything. I never want to forget. 

So I'm going to try my darnedest to set aside time to do this. How about a quick update on our year since I last wrote? Well, we purchased our dream (flip) house. I mean, we had to have it and after losing two other homes to bidding wars we were determined with this one. We put in an offer before even seeing it in person. The house was on the market not even 24 hours and we won! So after making improvements over the summer we decided to move in for a while. We currently reside in the 40's home and it is pretty darn adorable. Our hopes are to finish the renovations this year and sell it and purchase what will be OUR home for a few years, then start the process again. I am going to get my real estate license as well to help with everything. 

Leighland, our little 18 month old toddler is just everything.... I mean, there aren't words to describe that love. I say that a lot but it's true. There just aren't! She is our whole world. She can be a feisty, tantrum throwing little girl but I just like to think she is sensitive and passionate like her mama ;). She sings so many songs, her favorites being "Sunshine Girls" from Strawberry Shortcake, "Let it Go", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and "You are my Sunshine". Her favorite snack is grapes, her favorite food is probably Greek Yogurt with berries. She says "mmm, mmm" every bite while she eats it. She looooves going outside and exploring leaves and rocks. She has to stomp and jump on any kind of grate that makes noise. She loves swinging still. Since she was very young her "Baby" is her pink blanket bunny. She sleeps with her and rubs her on her nose to get tired. Last month she decided she didn't want her pacifier anymore and she went down to one nap a day. A couple of her favorite games and toys are playing tickle tickle like a buzzing bee, playing "spin move" on the couch with her Daddy, dancing with daddy, coloring, playing with her tea set (she is so animated with her eating and drinking noises), and stacking her blocks. She still loves water and pushes me out of the way when we take showers so she can be in the water stream. We want to put her back in swimming lessons. 

There are so many little things she does that I never want to forget, like how when we go in her room in the morning she says "hi" in that little high pitched voice, we pick her up and she says "thank you" like getting her up is something so nice we are doing for her. Then she turns her cheek and rests it on your shoulder, gives you kisses and a great big hug complete with a hand pat. Anytime we provide for her she does this and it is so sweet. We go get her baba and we get more hugs and kisses and a thank you. She is just the sweetest. 

In other news, we are thrilled to be expecting another little one. I am almost 15 weeks along, showing way more at this point. Our due date was originally exactly the same as Leighland's but it has been changed to four days later, so we are going to have 4 Leo's! I think this one will come a few days earlier than Leighland did and she was a week early. I think his or her birthday will be closer to mine which is July 26th. This pregnancy like with Leighland has seriously been one of the hardest things I have ever been through. I was extremely sick, and it is so hard to take care of a toddler feeling that way. I'm so happy I'm nearing the end of a tough road of battling the sickness. 

Well for now I think that's plenty of updates :). I will do my best to keep up better. Now I leave you with our little sweetie.

Spring is A'comin

(Written 3/16/2014) Ahh...Spring, sunshine, walks, more road trips, ice cream (wait thats year round), baby lambs, bald eagles, happiness. I've been sort of nostalgic lately even though I always am I feel like I've been more so recently. It has been a little over a year since we moved here to Suttle Lake and it was such a big change for us I'm just remembering what that was like. I was pregnant and pretty bored. I went for lots of walks and saw a lot of eagles. I drank a ton of blended chais because I craved them, and was mostly eating what I could that was healthy from a hotel room while we fixed up our apartment. And now this year so much has changed yet some things are still the same. Having a baby is a total game changer in the best way. I am soooo not bored anymore and just love every minute with her. We still go for walks and have seen even more eagles already this year than last, but the weather is JUST starting to get better. Last year we were remodeling our apartment, and this year we are really gearing up to follow our dream with Arb Design and start flipping houses. Every day it is sunny Hunter and I wish we had our house to go work on all day. It may sound weird to a lot of people but that has been our dream for as long as I can remember. So we are in the process of buying our first home. It is weird to think we mostly likely won't even live in it, but like I said this has been our plan for some time and we couldn't be more excited!

Leighland is now 7 1/2 months and she is just so crazy fun. She cracks everyone up with her sounds and personality. She has been just a hair away from crawling for a good 2 months now. Sometimes I wonder if she even will crawl or go straight to walking because her scooting and rolling method has been working so well for her she may feel like "who needs crawling?!" She is most definitely mobile though. Still her motor skills and vocals surprise me the most. She always seems to be ahead of the curve. She first said 'mama' when she was only about 2 months old and she has really mastered it, says it all the time. We have really been trying to get her to say 'dada' but understandably that is a little more difficult. She is really a great eater too. She always has been so I'm not too surprised there. She still favors sweet potatoes and now another favorite if not THE favorite is peas. Another exciting thing she started last month was swim lessons! She is the cutest in her little baby swim suits, and she is a great kicker in the water. Hunter mostly goes in the water with her but I have had the pleasure of going a couple times as well and it is so much fun. She recently out of nowhere has had her two bottom teeth coming through. They are so cute. Teething has been a little rough at night time and it kind of affects her mood here and there, but it isn't too bad.

Yesterday the temps were in the 60's. Hunter got off work early and we went and grabbed a late lunch, walked around Sisters, bought Lele some new coral polkadot leg warmers and I grabbed some icecream. It was the perfect way to enjoy the sunshine. I am so looking forward to more of it! We also just got back from a mini getaway at the coast. We went shopping and mostly hung out with Hunter's parents. The coast also had great weather and Spring really feels like it is officially here.

6 Months Old

(WRITTEN 2/2014 - posted late) Seriously, how does it all go by so fast?! I can't believe Leighland is half a year old! We love our little sweetie so much. She had her doctors appointment a couple days ago and despite a large blow out when we got to the room she did very well. She is evening out in weight and height and is now in the 75th percentile. This little girl has the biggest baby personality you could imagine. Her giggle is THE BEST and no one can get it as good or as loud as her daddy when he plays peek a boo or tickle monster with her. She is so extremely vocal. She makes a gurgling noise that sounds like a purring bird. It's so cute. She still growls as well. She started solids a couple days after turning 6 months. She has done awesome so far we are just giving her one meal in the evening for now but I will probably bump it up to 2 here soon. She started with sweet potatoes and so far those and avacado are her fave which is great because they also make her sleep the longest! She goes down for bed at about 7:15, sometimes it takes her a bit to fall asleep because she growls, and rolls and climbs around in her crib. In fact we had to buy emergency bumpers recently because she was rolling all over the place in there! She gets so hyper when she doesn't want to sleep, with her it is really the only thing that drives me a little crazy. She can take an hour to get down for a 30 minute nap. She's always been this way and the doc says it's most likely genetic....uh ya think?! Thanks for that Hunt! ;) anyway she still has a feed in the evening usually between 2-4 then she's up at 7:15.

Anything in her sight she will eat these days. She especially loves textured things like hair, fuzzy blankets, tags and she looooves anything with a string or tassel. One day I was on the phone by her and she ate my pj strings, every time I tried to move she cried so I ended up eating breakfast there just so she could chew on the tassels.

A giant snow storm recently hit us hard so we were cooped up for days. The weather has not been on our side so I haven't been able to go on walks with Leighland. I can't wait for spring so the weather is a little more cooperative. Overall though things around Arbville have been pretty spectacular. We are making some big life plans for this year and it gives me lots of motivation, inspiration and excitement! I really don't have a darn thing to complain about in life. It is just so wonderful. Oh and one thing I am super excited about is our mudroom being officially complete. I can't wait to share all of our apartment renovations with you. So that will get coming right up now that internet has returned out here at Suttle Lake!

Walking in a winter wonderland

We have been going on so many walks lately. It really is like a winter wonderland here at the lake. The lake reminds me of that scene in Elf where he is walking down to America from the North Pole. The only word I can think to describe it is magical. Leighland LOVES walks whether it is in her stroller or front pack she talks, and talks, stares at all the trees and the sky then usually passes out. We always stop in the lodge to say hi to Daddy and grab some hot cocoa. Walks with her have been one of my very favorite things since we could first go out, which we did the first week she was born. I remember our first walk, just the two of us. I could hardly wait to take out our Bob stroller, it was a hot summer day and getting outside in the fresh air felt rejuvenating. It was just me and my new baby, MY BABY. I don't think I will ever forget it. I had been dreaming of taking her for walks the whole time I was pregnant and there we were. I still feel the same way, it is our special time together. Running used to be my special time to kind of destress and now I get to share it with her. She just started fitting in her ergo carrier, so we have been going on more hikes, having to straddle trees and such which is fun compared to a simple walk. The other day only part of the lake was frozen but it was melting and it created these big cracking noises. It was pretty awesome to see and hear the ice panels splitting apart. But then two days ago it was like 45 degrees and sunny! The lake had a million shards of ice like a tide coming in and that was very cool too. I don't think a day in December could have been more beautiful.

Our very first walk together

The sunny day walk

Yesterday I got to be the recipient of a 4 handed massage for free! Um...I don't know how you can go back to a regular one after that, it felt soooo good!! I needed it too. My shoulders and neck get seriously sore lugging around a nearly 16 pound baby on 3 mile walks, and in her car seat up a steep stair case. It was a great little Christmas present and just what I needed to refresh.

Last weekend there was a going away/Christmas party at the lodge. Leighland sat comfortably with Santa, we drank hot chocolate, had pie and got presents. It was a great time. Leighland just smiled and played most of the time then fell right asleep to the band that was playing Christmas music. I don't think it could have gone better. We are headed to the coast for Christmas and I'm so excited to see friends and family and have a road trip with my two favorite people. Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

The lodge at Christmas where we visit Daddy and get hot cocoa

Merry Christmas from Leighland!!

Inventory 1

Leighland from my view in the ergo carrier on our walk the other day. She still loves staring at the trees. She loves the outdoors just like her Momma and Daddy.

Making: Random crochet projects that I keep not finishing. Like Leighland's owl hat, an ear warmer, a scarf.
Cooking: lots of crockpot meals like pot roast (my favorite) and southwest tortellini soup.
Drinking: a homemade peppermint mocha, one of the best parts of my morning.
Reading: blogs, and information about 4 month old behavior and sleep regression.
Wanting: more time in the day to complete all these things.
Looking: for ways to be more efficient, with my health and nutrition, home organization, and taking care of babes. I'm always striving to make the most of it all.
Playing: tickle and kiss monster
Wasting: time on the internet, yes that counteracts my wanting and looking....I'm working on it!
Sewing: crochet pieces like flowers, hearts and buttons onto works.
Wishing: happiness for my family, especially my sister and her girls
Enjoying: the beautiful scenery here, like the lake beginning to freeze over
Waiting: for my massage in a couple of days!
Liking: Christmas smells, like my bath and body works candle
Wondering: what I should make for breakfast/lunch, let's just call it brunch
Loving: so much, but let's say lately I'm loving the softness of the inside of Leighland's hands. She just recently has been caressing our faces and it is so sweet. She probably gets a million kisses a day on those little palms. And I'm loving my husband as always, but lately his imperfections have been making me laugh and love him more like how he cannot keep track of socks and they end up in the couch, always leaving the kitchen cabinets open, and how he always leaves his hair gel open after he leaves for work. It is just him, and I love him.
Hoping: that our Christmas presents will make it in time to our family members.
Marveling: at the development of a child, that we created this human being and she fills my heart with so much joy. I love watching her grow and learn, it truly is marvelous.
Needing: to up my food game. I need to shop more, Cook more, pre-plan more to be healthier.
Smelling: baby lotion
Wearing: this is obvious, sweats - a green thermal Henley, white fuzzy slippers and grey Nike pants. But hey I'm getting ready to change!
Following: my besties new blog brittylu.com
Noticing: I need to get my bangs cut
Knowing: that I need to appreciate every minute because it goes by too fast.
Thinking: that my husband is crazy for fly boarding on a freezing cold day.
Feeling: rushed, just reminded I have to go to a Christmas get together this afternoon, thanks hubby for reminding me last minute.
Bookmarking: house beautiful magazine pages
Opening: presents this afternoon
Giggling: at Leighland's growl noises
Feeling: grateful, oh so grateful!

This list came from thedaybookblog.com

Christmas List for Baby

I know this is super late, but better late than never! The number one thing Leighland needs for Christmas is a jumper. I think it's a necessity and she has reached the age. I'm excited about that. She also could use some new toys. I love vintage hand crafted style toys like the wooden rainbows and tea set. She could use some comfy new clothes in 6-9 month size. I can't wait for her to wear two piece PJ sets so I had to throw that on there. And I thought the hanging kind of jumper would be fun to have in the mudroom, but totally not a need, just an extra for fun thing. I loooove baby leg warmers and Leighland and her thighs love them too! So I will have to get her a lot more of those. I could have also thrown some books in there because you can never have too many! But here is her very first Christmas list. We can't wait to share the holiday with our babes.

1. Fisher Price Jumper
2. Grimm's wooden stacking rainbows
3. Baby leg warmers
4. Baby keyboard
5. Two piece Jammie's
6. Lion block toy
7. Wooden tea set
8. Drawstring pants
9. Jumper
10. Snow suit

Christmas List for Her

I have to say, every year I get older it is harder to come up with a Christmas list. I feel like I have everything I need. So my list was hard to pull together. I had to try and think of things I might want instead of need. It came down to random ideas of things I really wouldn't buy for myself. I am probably the easiest person to shop for though because I literally LOVE everything. For me it really is the thought that means so much, or the time and energy put into even getting me a gift. So here is my random Christmas list. When it comes down to it, I love clothes especially sweaters and it is so crazy how becoming a mom makes your clothing preferences take a 360! All I want is comfy, functional, convenient (for feeding) and easy. Nothing too fancy but I still want cute... Hence my clothing choices. I have soooo many clothes and some really cute dressier things but a part of me is scared they will never see the light of day again. But really that is totally fine by me. When looking at this though it just makes me laugh because it is totally a stay at home mom kind of list. Nothing like sophisticated sweats haha. Oh and when it comes to watches and jewelry, I pretty much like them all!

1. Sweater
2. Lens
3. No Link just random diamond earrings
4. VS Slippers
5. Sweater jacket
6. Coat
7. Watch
8. Sweats
9. PJs