Bubbles make things better!

I have been slacking in the posting department this week. For some reason it has been a tough week for me. I have been struggling with the feeling of not being enough. Not being a good enough mother, wife, friend, woman. I don't know where the feelings come from, but they pop up their ugly heads every once in awhile. I know that part of it is that fact that my camera is acting funny and I had a photo gig yesterday. I never felt comfortable since I had to do everything manually with my camera, and I usually don't work that way. While taking pictures of a 2 year old, it is hard to get all the pictures you want while doing it all by hand. So, when I got home yesterday, I was feeling really down. I had purchased a little while ago this little tiger bubble maker. Pumpkin has been dying to use it, but she knew it was for my photography. Well, I was in the dumps when I got home, so Pumpkin Critter and I went to the backyard to play with bubbles. I forgot how bubbles can lift anyones spirit. It was so much fun and it brought things into perspective. She often does that for me, wonderful kid that she is! I realized both yesterday and while talking with a good friend on Friday, that I just expect too much of myself and don't have enough confidence. I know that the family will be happy with the pictures I took. I know that my kids love me. I know that I am doing the best that I can in this world. Isn't it funny how something as simple as bubbles can bring everything into perspective. I will have to remember that when the nasty little "I'm not good enoughs" come back into my head.

How can this not lift me up!

Critter with his own kind of bubbles! :)

This bubble machine is SO cool! I think we will be going throug a lot more bubbles this summer!

A great weekend

We had a great Easter with both sets of grandparents over. It was such a nice relaxing day with family. Pumpkin is still trying to convince us that her Easter candy is a good snack to have during the day. It has not worked yet! The kids and I then spent an even more relaxing two days at my parents house after Easter. Hubby is working crazy hours this week, so it was great for me to get a little bit of a break. I am so thankful that we have so many family members close by to spend time with the kids. It does make for wonderful memories!

We had to get her an Easter bonnet. She wears one each year.

They just melt my heart

Me and the kiddos

She was SO excited to find every one of the eggs. I am very thankful we had the video camera on as well. I think she had as much fun looking for them as she did opening them to find out what was inside!

I just love the back of her dress!

I had to get him in the ears for at least a picture or two. Hubby was in the other room for this though. I think that was best!

Papa started to teach Pumpkin how to fish in their pool. Next time we go up there, he will take her to the park to fish for real. Since she has her mom's coordination, we figured it was best for her to practice with as few people around as possible! :)

She did get the hang of it pretty quick.

Spring Traditions

We started a tradition in our house today. We colored Easter eggs. We did it like I did growing up where you stick holes in the two ends of the eggs and blow out all the insides. We then save them from year to year as the Easter centerpiece of the table. It has been years since I did this, and now I remember why! But, it was totally worth it to see how excited Pumpkin was at the idea of being able to keep the eggs that she made. It was a rough start with the orange being spilt on the table and a new shirt. Amazingly enough the shirt did survive without a stain, really not sure how that happened! Patience is a virtue is a saying that applies to most of parenthood, today especially! Pumpkin had such a good time it was worth all the chaos. It was cute when she realized that she could dip the eggs in different colors. I do have to say that these are some gorgeous eggs!

Before the chaos!
Everyone needs to wear a crown to color easter eggs, especially Princess eggs! I don't think I should let Hubby see this picture! :)

At first she was very careful not to get dirty and use the tools that came with the kit.

It takes quite a bit of concentration to get the glitter on just right!

Critter was getting a big kick out of her coloring the eggs. He kept looking at her and smiling.

Who needs tools when hands work perfectly well in DYE! Oh well, at least her Easter dress is blue to match her hands! :)

Just love her!

The finished product, as arranged by Pumpkin not to be moved or changed by anyone. Man, that does not sound like me at all!

Far Away Fridays

I spent my middle and high school years outside of Chicago. I moved from there when I went to college and never lived there again. It remains one of my favorite cities to visit. Hubby and I were able to go in September 2006 for my high school reunion. He had never been there, so it was a packed couple of days sight seeing. There is so much to do in the city and where I grew up that I just never get tired of it. I had not been back in probably 7 years, so it was a great trip for me as well. There is so much to do there, I would love to take the kids one day....it is on the list of MANY places we want to take them.

Yes, I am a Cubs fan. Always will be. I have so many memories of going to games with my dad sitting behind first base. It was fun to show Hubby the stadium. If you have not been to Chicago, you follow the signs to the stadium and then it is just there. It is in the middle of a neighborhood and you don't expect to see it where it is. I was lucky enough to see some wonderful Broadway shows growing up in Chicago. It instilled a love of the arts for me. The glorious skyline. It was a typical overcast, windy day, but still wonderful to walk around.I adore Buckingham Fountain. We were lucky that it was running the day we were downtown. It does not always run in order to conserve water. It is just a sight to behold.

Happy Spring

We were in a spring mood around here today and spent the morning outside. We had wanted to go to a field with wildflowers and take some pictures, but Critter had other ideas! :) So, we went to backup plan and had a great family morning. Hubby is working a TON for the next two weeks, so we wanted to take advantage of a family day when we could. It is a beautiful start to spring. Nothing quenched the thirst today like a big glass of water or a glass of Rosemary Limeade! I love this time of year when it is still a little cool in the morning and evening and not yet TOO hot during the day. Happy Spring to all!

I at least got one or two pictures of wildflowers!

Our little monkey, always has been...always will be!

Irish eyes are smiling

Today always reminds me of my papa. He was full blooded Irish and loved it. I just know he is looking down while eating his corned beef and cabbage with ketchup, he ate everything with ketchup! I love that I can start to teach Pumpkin about her heritage and what today means. So, there are lots of Irish eyes smiling today. May you enjoy today with great food, friends and traditions.

An Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days and warn your heart and home,

May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you may roam,

May peace and pletny bless your world with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours.

Happiness...

This is something that has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I have many people in my life who have struggled or are struggling through some tough and stressful times. I think of them often. In my quest to find the right balance between my roles as woman, wife and mother I think of how to find the happiness that I desire. I had heard so much about Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray Love that I just needed to read it. I borrowed it from my mom and enjoyed it so much. There is a paragraph in there that has resonated with me since I read it. Here is goes:

" I keep remembering one of my Guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment. IT's east enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

This has held my heart for awhile and been finding its home. I often sit at the end of the day and wonder where has it gone and what have I really accomplished. It is on the days when I make the conscious effort to be present to my kids, my hubby, my friends, and myself that I feel true contentment. I know that I did my job to the best of my abilities and made a difference in those lives that I love. I often forget, but no one can make me angry, no one can make me sad, no one can hurt my heart; I let them do those things to me. I allow the negativity into my life, I can do my best to take it out. Making my kids smile makes my heart smile. Taking a moment for myself helps everyone in the family.

I can not sit back and wait for things to happen in my life. I need to actively pursue them. Those individuals in my life who have overcome mountains of obstacles, have done exactly that. They saw what would make them happy and made it happen for themselves. Life is going to happen, it is our choice as to how we are going to live that life. How are we going to affect those around us. What footprint are we going to leave on the world. In our busy day to day lives, it is easy to forget the immense power we have in our own lives. These are just some of the thoughts floating around in this crazy head of mine, thanks for letting me process them in this space....

Far Away Fridays

One of our favorite places to go is San Diego. Hubby and I have been going since we were married. It is close enough to not take too much time to get there by car, yet a completely different place. It has perfect weather all year round and there is so much to do. It is such a great walking city. This time we went I was pregnant with Critter. Luckily not too far along that I was uncomfortable, but far enough along that I really looked pregnant. It was a great family trip that we could give to Pumpkin before her brother was born. We spent a whole week there doing all the things we wanted to. Amazingly enough we only planned two days and left the others up to the last minute, pretty impressive for us! :) We can not wait to go back and let Critter feel the sand between his toes.

We spent a few hours walking around Balboa Park just looking around at everything. Pumpkin got to just walk around and play at a neat playground. As many know, I do not photograph buildings often, but this one called to me. I just loved it. It was under a little bit of construction though, thankfully the tree was there to hide it! This place just reminds me of Europe and I loved it!

We stayed right downtown within walking distance of most things. We walked to Seaport Village often to get food or just look around. There is a GREAT pizza place there if you ever are craving pizza while on the ocean! :) Pumpkin got a kick out of eating while watching the birds and the water.

We spent two awesome days in Sea World. On the rainy morning we had scheduled a breakfast with Shamu. Totally worth it. Pumpkin did not eat much since all she wanted to look at was Shamu. She did not want to leave this area, everytime Shamu swam by she got all excited to talk to him and wave! Hubby and I had a great time, we forgot how much fun it was to be at Sea World!

We love going to the beaches on Coronado, Pumpkin loved watching the Navy planes flying overhead. It was a chilly day, but still fun to get REALLY sandy! At least this time on the trip she left some sand on the beach instead of taking it all away in her mouth! :)

Our days

It seems like our lives are so full these days. I am still trying to find a little bit of balance between the two kids, the house, hubby and myself. I am slowly getting there. I have been trying to focus on having as much fun with the kids as I can, since they are growing up so quickly. It makes us all feel better when there is just time to play. I sometimes have the habit of becoming too focus driven and not just letting my day happen. When I do let it happen, our days are just better, and my heart feels better. I adore my life, I just need to remember that more often. When I do, I get to soak in these beautiful souls.

This has become my new best friend, since Sunday. I was trying to find something else for Critter to play in, since he has hit the playing age, and was struggling to find something I liked. So, I decided to get out Pumpkin's exersaucer and see if Critter was big enough for it. He loves it! It gives me a few minutes to do things and he is totally enthralled with it.

The only problem with it is that Pumpkin just loves to show him all the toys. It is hard to explain to her that she should not just move his head to show him what she wants him to see. I guess I should just still be thankful they get along and she wants to play with him! :) She is SO proud of him when he grabs a toy or spins himself around.

Just like Papa, passed out on the couch after a good meal! At least he looks much more comfortable than Papa usually does.

Pumpkin and Hubby went on a daddy/daughter date last night. They went to a baseball game together. I was shocked at how much she liked it. He had to tell her the game was over because she still did not want to leave at 9:30pm (that is REALLY late for her!) She was apparently chasing the mascot around the stadium to get high fives. Hopefully we are breading a Sun Devil! :)

I normally don't like putting pictures of myself up...well anywhere, but Pumpkin is loving pictures lately. She has discovered that I can take a picture of the two of us. So, how could I not! I think she might be one of the only ones to get me to voluntarily take a picture. How can I say no to that face!

Tuesdays Treasurers

This week I chose a very special necklace. This is my mother necklace, it was given to me by my mom on my first mother's day after Pumpkin was born. I gave her a similar one for Christmas years earlier. Each time I look at it I remember first becoming a mom. It changed me so deeply, only the way a child can. I will forever be thankful for that necklace from my mom and the opportunity in this life to raise two beautiful children.

3 months already

I can not believe you are already 3 months old Critter. These past months have gone by so quickly. You have brought so much joy to our lives. I did not know how my heart could hold more love after Pumpkin was born. Somehow my heart doubled in size to hold the love for you. There is so much joy already coming from you. There is not much sleeping during the day for you, but your sister did the same thing to me. You have started sleeping through the night MUCH earlier than she did, or at least giving me from 8-4...I will take it though! Your smile just melts my heart. Pumpkin's smile gets her anything from daddy, and I think your big smile will get you anything from me! I am soaking in every minute of this time with you. I was so scared with your sister, that I missed out on a lot. This time around is less scary and more enjoyable. Changing your diaper is so enjoyable since that is when you love to smile and laugh. You are such an easy going kid already big boy! You don't mind being carted around to all your sister's playdates and activities. Usually you sleep right through them, that is pretty much the only time you do sleep! My heart is filled with so much love for you and your sister. Both of you have made me a mother and a better person. I would not change my life for anything. Thank you for coming into our lives. I can not wait to see what the next 3 months bring. I love you Critter!

You look like such a big boy already! Can not believe you are trying to sit on your own!

This smile just melts my heart, it is like you are looking straight through to my heart and soul

Far Away Fridays

This idea was brought up by Kim and I love the idea. These are pictures of our first vacation as a family after Pumpkin was born. As a child growing up, we would spend every summer with the entire family on Cape Cod. So, for the summer of 2005, it was decided to have a famliy reunion on Cape Cod. It was such a magical time. Our cottage was right on a cliff overlooking the beach. You had to take some steep stairs to get there, but it was right there. Even though that was fun with a 9 month old! We had such a great time. Hopefully we get to do it again! The last picture was the last two days of the trip. We went back to my aunt and uncle's house who live on a lake. If our summers were not spent at Cape Cod, they were spend here. We would fish, ride in the boat, attempt to ski, bbq, you name it. To this day, it is hard to think of an East Coast summer without thinking of these two places.

Yes, that is hubby in the water trying to boogie board!

This is their backyard, right on the lake. And yes, Pumpkin is walking here even though she was barely 9 months :)

Fun adventures for the kids

My mom came over last week to help me with the kids and she brought Pumpkin a hula hoop. Now, I thought that she had my coordination (or lack-thereof) but she did REALLY well with it. She does have a unique style with the hoop. She likes to spin it around her body and then spin herself inside the hoop. I have never quite seen it done like she does, but it works! It is amazing how much fun one plastic hoop can bring!

She is pretty intense with her hula hooping!

Critter got this horse for Christmas and Pumpkin has been anxious for him to start using it. I decided yesterday that his neck and back were just about strong enough to try to use it, with some assistance. Since Pumpkin does not like to leave his side much, she was the perfect helper to keep him up straight. It is in his room by the window, so he can look outside while sitting in it. He can not quite bounce it yet, but can hold onto the handles. I can not believe he will be 3 months old on Saturday already, he is my big strong boy!

I love how she protects him :)

I don't know which he liked better, the horse or looking outside at the trees blowing...