Guest Blogging

Today I am guest blogging on one of my favorite blogs - The Domestic Wannabe. Check out our 'Day in the Life' post here. If you are visiting from Ashely's blog - Welcome!

Thanksgiving 2012

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Dallas and had a wonderful day with friends and family. We started the morning off by doing the turkey trot! The weather was perfect so we had a great time. I think I am starting to feel my age - my knees hurt so badly afterwards! I could hardly walk down our stairs! Yikes!

On our way to the trot - in the back we have Grayson, Macy (my brothers dog) and Ryan! Kevin appears to be giving a fake smile but thats because he was concentrating on driving.

Ready to run!

Uncle Steve and Ryan

Ryan wanted to hold Gigi's hand the whole time...it only worked for a little bit

After the race Ryan chowed down on some greek yogurt!

Uncle Steve with his girlfriend, Claire, and Macy - so cute!!

After the trot we headed home to get cleaned up and ready for an early Thanksgiving dinner. The boys napped while I made Paula Dean's Gooey Pumpkin Butter cake and prepped my appetizers (I made a meat & cheese tray, garlic baked brie, and Claire made the grape, goat cheese and pecan medley. The deviled eggs are courtesy of Bryan...they are kinda his thing.) 

Every year we grab a family photo!

So thankful to be a part of this wonderful family!

And for our sweet little family of four!

So thankful that Yiayia was able to make it back form Indonesia to spend Thanksgiving with us!

And that Claire and Steven were able to join us as well!

Kevin, Uncle Michael, and "Uncle" Bryan

The boys had these cute matching turkey shirts but I didn't get a picture of them together...

Snooze time!

Ryan eating his Thanksgiving feast! He loved the roll!

Such a wonderful day and so happy to spend it with family!

Project 366 - week 47

Sunday, November 18th: Jack's 2nd birthday party at The Little Gym

Monday, November 19th: At the park with buddy Hayes

Tuesday, November 20th: Uncle Steve arrived and is dispersing Ryan's leftovers to the dogs

Wednesday, November 21st: Over to the Hales for arts & crafts

Thursday, November 22nd: Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 23rd: Playing with mommy's sunglasses

Saturday, November 24th: Checking out Kyle Warren Park with Truman

Happy Thanksgiving

(Subway art is from eighteen25)

The Double Stroller

Shopping is one of my favorite things to do, but stroller shopping was a little stressful!  One of the last purchases I made with Ryan was the stroller because it took me so long to make a decision. I know...kinda silly, but it seriously stressed me out. And then I went through it again before Grayson was born. I had actually written a post about my stroller dilemma but before I could post it - it was solved, lucky me.  Now, almost three months in with two kids, I definitely have some new thoughts on the double stroller, so I thought I'd share...for anyone out there who is interested :)

Let me back up at tad.  So in my stroller stash I have a city mini, a Bob and an Uppa Baby G-Luxe umbrella stroller. Love them all, but none of them have the double capability, so I needed something new. When Ryan was an infant I used the City Mini with the car seat adapter. I LOVED it - the City Mini was light and super easy to open and close - I could even close it with one hand! The car seat just snapped right in and we were off.

Even Bob enjoyed it!

Once Ryan could actually sit in a stroller (without a car seat) I busted out the Bob. While it's not as light or compact as the City Mini, it is so much easier to push.

Bob also enjoyed it as well.

I still used the City Mini for quick outings but around 6 months I discovered the umbrella stroller and kissed my City Mini goodbye (just to storage) - I just didn't need it anymore.  I only used the umbrella stroller or Bob and that's it.

So, after all that stressing I ended up pretty happy with my choices. However, as due date #2 approached I started panicking again about strollers!  I knew that I would eventually get a Double Bob -  but I wanted something that I could use as a single or a double depending on what I needed at that given outing.  I had written down my thoughts and listed the pros and cons for my top three double strollers - the Uppa, City Select & Phil & Ted. We were about to pull the trigger (on the City Select) when I decided to call my best friend and get her opinion on it (since she had one). Her mother-in-law bought it for her since she wasn't currently using it she offered it to me. Duh, why hadn't I thought to ask her earlier???  It worked out perfectly and I didn't have to spend a dime. Yay!

So when Grayson came along I was so happy to have to City Select. I loved the amount of storage space it had underneath, the handle was nice and high (great for us tall people) and that I could use it as a single or a double.  I used it all the time - taking Ryan to school, at the Zoo and everywhere in between....for about a month. Then I started to get tired to lugging it around everywhere. It was so heavy...and getting it in and out of the car was a pain in the booty. So, after about a month I ended up adding my city mini to the car so that when I just needed a single I could use that.

Since Grayson was 'chunking up' I decided to go ahead an pull the trigger on the Double Bob.

Two days later it arrived.

And I fell in LOVE all over again. Double time.

It is SO much easier to navigate than the Select - I can do it with one hand...which sometimes I need to. It's also a lot lighter to push - I swear pushing two kids in the Select was challenging but in the Bob its easy peasy. There is definitely a difference.  The other issue I had with the City Select was that I couldn't see Ryan. I couldn't tell what he was doing or if he needed my attention (he is blocked by the car seat). And yes, that may have caused me to run him over once. (It was totally my fault (obviously), we were at the zoo and he was popping in and out of the stroller so I didn't snap him in. I was nursing Grayson, pushing the stroller, and Ryan was telling me he wanted out but I couldn't hear him so he took it upon himself to jump out and I ran him over....mom of the year, right?) Well, he was fine but I felt horrible. Anyhow, it was hard enough pushing that stroller around with one kid, and two was very hard. I was over it. Sorry City Select. I am just so grateful that I borrowed it rather than buying it!

The Double Bob rides so smooth, is so easy to push, you can see both children, and it even fits through a single door opening (if you were worried about that). I also think Ryan loves having his little brother right next to him where he can see him. So cute! The cons are that it's big (but what double isn't?) and there isn't a TON of storage space underneath. All in all, I love it. My boys love it too!

Oh, and if I just have Grayson with me I use the City Mini - I carry them both in the back of my car. So I didn't find the "one stroller fits all circumstances" but I found what works for us.  So if you are trying to decide between strollers I hope this helps. But if you are like me (slightly stubborn) and have to test things for yourself - more power to ya! I wish there was a stroller rental company so you could actually test strollers out....instead of dropping mucho dinero to find out it's not what you needed. Thank goodness for friends too!

Project 366 - week 46

A little behind with my project 366 so I decided to start with this past week and work backwards. I will probably back date the rest of them so they are in the correct place on my blog!

Sunday, November 11th - Daddy bought Ryan a Mickey Mouse and he LOVES it!

Monday, November 12th - Someone is happy it's Monday

Tuesday, November 13th - Sweet boys in their firetruck PJs

Wednesday, November 14th - A little morning tummy time

Thursday, November 15th - Ryan and Audrey playing

Friday, November 16th - Feeding Uncle Bryan at MiCocina

Saturday, November 17th - Airplane rides

Building Vandy - Frame Up!

The house is framed! Yay! So very exciting! On Saturday morning we headed over to check it out. I took a lot of pictures but it's probably a little difficult to tell what everything is, but I will try anyways :)

Here is is! The left side is obviously the garage, and on the top of that is the playroom. On the right bottom (it actually sticks out further than the rest of the house) you are looking at my office. 

It's amazing how fast they get the frame up!

This is taken from standing outside of the house at the entry way - Ryan is where the door will be. As you can see, you will be able to see all the way into the backyard from the entry. 

And here we have the office..aka my craft room! yay!

This is taken standing in the office...Ryan was having fun hiding under the stairs! The space in between is a closet. 

Moving along...

After you walk in you will pass the entry, mudroom (on right) then you come to the dining room (also on right). 

And this is taken standing in the dining room - the courtyard (which is on the left side). There will be three sets of french doors which will keep the area very open.

A little further is the kitchen and great room. 

Kitchen above - sink will be where window is and an island with the range will be where that pipe is sticking out of the ground. The larger window is the eating area and will have built in benches. 

This is a picture of the living room taken from the kitchen area. In the middle will be the fireplace and we will have built-ins on each side. The walls on each side will be french doors (again...letting lots of light in). 

Heading upstairs...

 Walking up the stairs the first room is the gameroom. Standing here, the right is the front of the house and there will be a small balcony, and the left wall is facing the courtyard (there will be two large windows there). I am so excited about this space and can't wait to get it all set up for the boys!

Here is another picture from the game room looking towards the courtyard. 

Looking out the game room window you can see downstairs into the living room. On the 2nd floor, across is the master suite. 

This is taken at the front of the house (upstairs) looking towards the back. Down the right side are three bedrooms (Ryan, Grayson & guest room) and the left is lined with windows that open up to the courtyard. In very back is a foyer for the master suite. 

I guess that's where I stopped taking pictures - nothing of the master area....perhaps next time!

Last pic is Daddy and Grayson hanging out in the game room!

School Pictures

Ryan's school pictures came back last week and I think they are so ADORABLE! I love his big ol' smile - check out those dimples!!!

This one is Kevin's favorite

And this one is my favorite!

Birth Announcements - Grayson

I sent our Grayson's birth announcements a couple weeks ago but forgot to post them on the blog! I really love how they turned out...even though there was a massive error!!! No one really mentioned it to me so either it wasn't that noticeable or people were just too nice to say anything! lol!

Yup, apparently my baby will be born NEXT year. Oops! 

You would think the people at Minted who sent me the proof might point that out to a sleep-deprived mama - oh well! 

Dear Grayson (2 months)

Little Grayson,

Two months has flown by and we are loving every minute of it! You are such a strong little man and are so aware of your surroundings. You are tracking us with your eyes and you also started smiling! You still really love looking up at the fan but are most happy when you can stand up and check out the world like the rest of us.

Trying to capture your blue eyes! Also, you have a sweet little birthmark on your back - you can see on  the picture above.

Happy little man!

What did we do this past month?
- First visit to State Fair of Texas
- 2nd Family photo session
- Went on your first walk/run (without carseat)
- Your baptism
- Trick-or-treating - well you kinda just slept in the baby bjorn
- Lots of dining out with friends
- First pumpkin carving party
- Trip to Houston - You did so well in the car! You slept 3 hours, ate then went back to sleep! So easy!
- Stayed in childcare during MOPs. I am basically a room over and I come back to nurse you when it is time. You are the youngest one in there and they love love love taking care of you. They say that you like to try and do what the older babies are doing! So cute!

You aren't exactly on a set schedule as it is still pretty early and I am just trying to take notice of what you want to do naturally. I won't force you on a schedule but I am pretty sure you will settle into your own here in a month or so. You still nap between each feeding - sometimes longer than others. The longest nap being midday, which is nice because that is when Ryan goes down too.

As for your eating, I am nursing for about 4-5 hours a day which is 8 - 10 sessions (depending on how your nights and evenings go). For a while you were getting up around 12:30am, 2:30am, 4:30am, and 6:30am....that makes for a long night! About halfway through the month you dropped the 12:30am feeding - thank you. During they day you eat about every 2-3 hours up until about 5pm and then you want to eat constantly until your bedtime (this makes it very difficult for mommy to make dinner). At 8pm one of us gives you a 3 ounce bottle of breast milk (this is your last feeding). Sometimes you drink it all and sometimes you don't.

Thumbs up
-Watching your brother
-Being outside
-Baby Bjorn
-Bath time
-Swing

Your brother Ryan thinks its so funny when he hears you fill up your pants. He yells "Yucky" or "Poopy"and is always there to call out a toot...I am sure there will be many more farts in my future with you boys. Ryan also loves to rock you when you are in your car seat and is always helping you out with your pacifier. When I ask him to play with you he will (it doesn't last long, but not much does with a two year old) - he tries to put toys in your hands and sometimes he even dances for you. It's pretty darn cute! Loving you boys so much!

Look how much you have grown!

And you and your brother at two months:

No denying y'all are related! 

Love you so much and can't wait to see what the next month has in store for us!

xoxo, mommy