Dog Days

Doing one of her favorite things ever!

A tea party while daddy worked one Sunday afternoonSome smiles with Grams!
A dad and daughter shot
Kyle and Coranelle watching some "Dinosaur Train" together.
Making Green cupcakes on a rainy evening of our vacation. After reading Pinkalicous about 1,000 times, we finally decided to make green cupcakes.


The really fun water features at my aunt's pool!

Sheldon's first time swimming

Coranelle and Derrick enjoying the deck on vacation
Sheldon and his favorite friend, Lesley.
The awesome kid's park at the zoo





Coranelle and Liam lovin' the fresh, mountain air.


Wow- it has been a hot August- technically the warmest on record for Denver. We are excitedly anticipating the fall and cooler weather. I am looking forward to meeting at parks without sweating so much I feel ill and desperately trying to keep Sheldon shaded and cool while preventing Coranelle from scalding her little legs on the slides.

Beyond the heat, we have been busy. We just got back from a wonderful trip to Manitou Springs with some great friends and their 10 month old son. Traveling with three young kids was difficult, but things went pretty smoothly and we had a good time. Sheldon had a few moments of crazy meltdown because he was shlepped around with us for a little too long without a good feed or nap. But, he handled things well and actually got to go swimming for his first time and enjoy the Cheyenne Mtn. Zoo. He loved the water and was thrilled to kick and splash along with his sister. He also got pretty excited about petting the goats at the zoo.

Coranelle got to feed the giraffes at the zoo and she loved the little children's area. She had a blast at my aunts pool and going on little nature walks around the house we rented. We stayed high up in the mountains and had amazing views of the cities around us and got to see deer and wild turkey. Coranelle was actually wearing her underwear the whole trip- with only one minor accident on the drive home. She told us, a mere 15 min after we had last had a potty stop, that she needed to go. I assumed she was just bored and wanting an excuse to stop at another gas station. Turns out, we should listen to her when she says she has to pee- or we'll be washing a soiled carseat cover. Oh well... she has done amazingly well and we are so proud of her.

Overall, we had an awesome trip and it was fun to get away. There is lots more to do down in that area that we didn't have a chance to, so we'll probably have to repeat the vacation. Ryan and his friend even enjoyed the luxury of doing a mountain bike ride together while Lesley and I stayed with the kids.

Before our trip, my dad, Christina and little brother came out for a visit. We got to do three dinners together, play at the Bay and do some catching up before they head down to Mexico this fall to move on to their new sailboat. It was good to spend some time with them and have them meet Sheldon for the first time. Kyle and Coranelle had a good time playing together, which was fun to see.

Beyond that, we are just trying to keep up with the day to day. Coranelle starts swim lessons and yoga this month, and Mops starts up again. I have a womens' book group that also begins next week and beyond that- we're doing a lot of reading and playing.

Coranelle has her alphabet mastered and is learning what sounds each letter makes, as well as how to recognize each letter. Reading is still a favorite activity of hers and we often spend long periods of time reading outside in the hammock during Sheldon's morning nap. Coranelle has also mastered her strider bike and LOVES riding it with her daddy in the evenings. She is getting super fast on it and it is really fun to watch. We are giving her jobs each day to help her feel involved and take ownership in family outings and meals and it seems to cut down on some of the tantrums. She absolutely adores her brother and loves to make him laugh and smile and give him his pacifier back when he loses it.

Sheldon has been rolling a bit more, from tummy to back. Really, his mode of movement is kicking. He lies on his back and just kicks like crazy and can push himself all the way across a room. It has given the back of his hair quite the tangled and dread lock look. He is smiling and laughing more and even babbling- which I love. He follows the rest of the family and seems to be happiest when he is outside. His napping is sometimes a bit better, but he still usually needs help sleeping more than 45 min. He generally sleeps from 9pm-5:30am and we are getting used to waking up early with him. Ryan has been using his wake up time as a reason to get into work earlier or get in a workout early in the morning.

Overall, we had a fantastic summer and I cannot believe that it is almost over and Sheldon is approaching 5 months. Time really does fly. I keep that in mind as I feel nostalgic about teaching when the school year starts up again. I know that in a few more eye blinks, Coranelle will be starting kindergarten and I have to treasure this time with them now.

I hope you are all staying cool and happy!

prayers answered

Wearing underwear!


At my book group this Tuesday night, we discussed when and how we fit in some devotional time. I admitted that mine is sporadic and infrequent with a kid that is always bright eyed at 5:20am and two different napping schedules as well as the exhaustion that accompanies nursing, potty training, sleep training, house cleaning, cooking, and lots of summer activities.

Anyhow, I felt compelled to FIND time and make it more of a priority, as I truly miss reading, journaling and taking some time to pray and reflect. So, I have found about 20 min for this in the last few days and it has been really beneficial. Particularly this morning. I am reading back through a book called "Women of the Bible". I last did this study when I was a senior in HS. As I did the study, I penciled in some of my thoughts and prayers. It is really interesting to look back at those thoughts 9 years later!

This morning I was reading about Sarah and her desire to have a child and having to wait for the Lord until she was 65 to receive that blessing. In that section, I wrote down some of my own hopes and prayers. During that time in my life, I was anorexic and had not had my period for a few years and doctors were telling me that it may affect my ability to have children in the future. At that point, I was trying to gain weight and recover from anorexia. It has been my dream, for as long as I can remember, to be a mom. So, in my book, my prayer was " to get my period and someday have a child". When I read that prayer from my former self, tears came to my eyes. How God provides and blesses and answers prayers!

I now have 2 beautiful children! How amazing that God has a plan for me and it will unfold in His time and in His way. My time this morning will help me to look at my kids differently today. I will be able to look past the burden of potty training and sleep training and see the blessing that God has given me. I am a mom!

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are those who wait for him! - Isaiah 30:18

So, as I endure or persevere through some hard days, I have the knowledge that God is giving me the mercy, grace and strength that I need to get through. He is faithful in His promises and has a plan for me. God calls me by name, I belong to Him and He accomplishes His purposes despite my frailties and little faith!

On a lighter note- Coranelle is doing AWESOME with potty training. It has been 1 week and we have only had 3 accidents! She is a champ at going in public restrooms and has even gone on a bush at a park with no potty. She is excited to wear her underwear all the time and we are so proud of her. The trick right now seems to be to take her to the bathroom every half hour- which is a bit exhausting when you're out and about and have a 4 month old- but it is working! Yay!

potty training

Playing with Grams and PopPops on her special sleepover!



Her new Mater toy!
Sheldon sitting all on his own. He does it better than the picture shows, but it is hard to capture it with the camera, as I never know when he is going to topple over and need catching!
We tried rice cereal with Sheldon, but he liked playing with the bib better than the cereal.
He actually HATES the rice cereal, even after trying 4 times this week.
The "twin" brothers making a "rocketship" out of a diaper box with Coranelle. No- the boys did not plan their matching outfits.

Potty Training- whew! Now I know why most people wait to have their second kid until their first is out of diapers. It's time and patience consuming. But, Coranelle is showing signs of readiness, so we're working on it. On Wed she pooped in her potty 3 times and peed at least that many times. She was very excited about it and proud of herself. I think the Elmo potty training video that I got her helped motivate her. So, we went and picked out some underpants for when she is more consistent. I also ordered some training pants for the meantime, as the underwear is SO thin that we'd have soiled furniture in no time. She is still having accidents (of course) and we are making this up as we go along. We are stressing the greatness of feeling dry and putting your pee pee and poo poo in the potty where it belongs. I am also giving her stickers for going, so I am rewarding her with a sticker chart. Truly, I have no clue what I am doing and would love some outside advice. For instance- what do I put her in when we go to friends' houses and the rec center and are running errands? We've been having her go right when she gets up from naps, bedtime and before and after meals and before we go somewhere. Most of the time she is okay trying, but sometimes she is really resistant. She also seems to pee about every half hour and I am not sure I can keep up with it. Nursing a little one and keeping Sheldon changed, happy and getting him down for naps makes it difficult to watch her every cue and get her on the toilet in time. So, bring on the advice!

I took Sheldon in for his 4 mo appointment last Friday. He is doing great. 40th percentile for weight (14 lbs, 3 oz)and 60th percentile for height. Developmentally, he is doing everything he is supposed to, although he has very little motivation to roll over. He can, however, sit without my help for up to 20 seconds, just balancing on his own hands. I find that impressive. He seems to be back to sleeping through the night (9pm-5:30am). His naps are still rough, as he needs help going back to sleep after 40 min. But, I have just gotten used to this and am fine with it! Overall, he is a pretty happy kid and I am SO thankful for that. He is also quite the talker and babbles all the time. At 6am, when I am trying to ensure that Coranelle stay asleep, I sometimes have to take him outside so he can exercise his lungs without waking everyone up!

Last weekend, Bruce and Heidi took Coranelle for a special sleepover at their house. I think they all had a blast. It is so fun that we are at an age with her that she can do that and enjoy it so much. The sleepover also allowed for Ryan and I to spend some more quality time with Sheldon. We got to take him for a run and get a few errands accomplished that are much harder with two kids. Tonight, Ryan has another date night planned and we are looking forward to some alone time!

Now that Sheldon is back down for his morning nap, it's time for "Preschool" with Coranelle. I have to cherish my one on one time with each of them!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

How is it already August!

Time just seems to be flying by. I can hardly believe that we have already turned the calendar to August and kids are ready to head back to school!

We recently just celebrated my birthday- for a whole week and we have been pretty busy! I got totally spoiled for my birthday as my mom and Ryan both took me shopping. I got tons of new clothes, accessories and things to make me feel, look and smell pretty. Great fun! I also had a little party with friends and both sets of family, so the past week was full of celebrations and fun!

We have also been working hard on sleep training Sheldon. He had been sleeping through the night and then really digressed and was waking up at least once every night. So, we decided to stop using the swing during the day for naps, as we wondered if it was making it hard for him to fall back asleep at night without the familiar swinging motion. So, all last week I worked diligently at putting him down for most naps(unless we were out and about), in his crib. He has the hardest time getting from one 45 min sleep cycle into the next without help. I hope he learns this soon, as going up to help him after 40 min of every nap is making me a bit crazy (and it makes it hard to rest or get anything done during naps). He often requires rocking, patting, the pacifier and about 20 min of time to get back to sleep. But, I know that this, as everything else, is just a stage and we'll get through it. Overall, he is sleeping better at night and that is great for all of us! We've been putting him down for a catnap between 4-6 and then keeping him up until 8:30, hoping that will help him sleep later than 5:30. He is an early riser!

Other than sleep, he is doing great! He is smiling and laughing and getting stronger. No rolling yet, but he is grasping and playing with toys, trying to put his pacifier in his mouth, standing with help and kicking and moving like crazy. He loves watching Coranelle and she always makes him smile. She is always trying to help out and take care of him. I cannot wait until they can play together!

A friend of mine, who doesn't have kids of her own yet, recently was at our house with a few other couples with kids. She was watching the madness that ensues when you have two children of our own and are trying to enjoy an evening get together. She commented on how overwhelming it was that I was constantly on the go- nursing Sheldon, feeding Coranelle, chasing Coranelle, disciplining Coranelle, comforting and holding Sheldon, getting both bathed and ready for bed... etc. She noted that I didn't have a chance to eat, sit down, have a drink or even finish a single sentence. It seemed so overwhelming and stressful to her. And it is... or can be. Life as a mom is like that- non stop and so so busy. But, I really cannot complain. I thought about our conversation over the next few days and just realized that it is SO worth the sleep deprivation, the busyness and selflessness. Hearing your own child laugh makes all of that seem completely worth it. Watching Coranelle learn to ride a bike, hearing her growing vocabulary, seeing Sheldon smile and talk, watching my two kids interact- all of that is priceless! Life can be hard and tiring, but there are so many joyful moments in everyday that I wouldn't trade for more free time. I am so thankful that I have two healthy kids and a husband that loves to play with them and take care of us.

As this is the third time I've tried to finish this post end keep being interrupted, I have to end there. Happy August!

A Day in the Life

Roll over Sheldon! Okay, If you just hang out there and smile, I'll take that too!
Coranelle is headed out to go shopping. "I need to get some stuff". She's wearing my crocs!
Driving her truck through the tunnel- "like when we drove to Breckenridge"

Some people might ask or wonder what a typical day is like for a stay home mom of two. I thought I'd write a brief run-down, so some day I could look back and remember.

6am- wake up and hurry to pee, wash my face, put contacts in and set up breast pump stuff. Grab Sheldon before his fusses wake up his sister. Simultaneously nurse baby boy and pump. Sheldon has huge blow-out. Run upstairs to get a new outfit after putting Sheldon on his tummy- so as not to smear poop on anything. Come back downstairs to find Sheldon on his back. What?! He rolled for the first time and I didn't even see it! Stand in awe for a second that my baby is not a newborn anymore. Peel sticky onsie off baby, wipe back. Change kid and hand wash onsie. Start some coffee. Finish nursing baby. Pump. Wash all pump stuff. Grab some coffee and drink it while playing with Sheldon- trying unsuccessfully to get him to roll again. Get breakfast ready for Coranelle. Run dishwasher. Put away dishes from sink. Talk to Ryan a little bit. Put Sheldon down for a morning nap. Eat a bowl of cereal while starting a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Put clothes and makeup on. Get Coranelle up and dressed. Do Coranelle's hair. Bring Coranelle downstairs. Start laundry and help C with breakfast. Call rec center to make reservation for Coranelle.

Play with Coranelle and help her with her Alphabet puzzle. Watch in awe as she recognizes so many letters and sings the alphabet. Sheldon awakes and is ready to nurse again. Change diapers. Find shoes and water bottles and snacks. Help Coranelle put on her shoes, as she did it by herself but got them on the wrong feet. Out the door to the rec center. Check Coranelle in to Child Sitting and smile as the ladies ooooh and awwww over a smiley Sheldon. Do a mommy and baby stroller class with Sheldon and meet some new moms and get really sweaty. Try to run a tired and fussy Sheldon around the track. He finally falls asleep at 10:20 and I have to pick Coranelle up at 10:30. He instantly wakes up when we stop running. Take Coranelle to the indoor play place and try (unsuccessfully) to get Sheldon back down. Stand and watch in amazement at all of the climbing, obstacles and mazes Coranelle can conquer on her own. Observe and smile as I see her curly head of hair racing around the play place. Coax her out the door and load kids and stroller into car. Decide to drive around for a while to give a crying Sheldon, a much needed power nap. Drive for 20 minutes, he screams for 10 while Coranelle tries to calm him down by singing him Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Bear Went Over the Mountain songs. What a sweet big sister! He finally sleeps for 10 min.

Come home. Make Coranelle Mac and Cheese. Take clothes out of the dryer. Help Coranelle eat. Cut up bell peppers and apples for Coranelle. Nurse Sheldon. Change Coranelle and read her two books and enjoy cuddling with her and her profound interest in books and enjoy how much she interacts. Return down stairs to make Sheldon smile and coo. Play and read books with Sheldon. Put him down for a nap. Realize it's 1:30 and I haven't eaten lunch. Make a quick lunch and eat it while unloading the dishwasher. Slice and peel carrots for a dinner I need to prepare for a friend who just had surgery. Make a chix marinade and marinade two pans of chicken. Fold laundry. Check and return a few e-mails. Make a phone call. Sit down to read a chapter for my bible study tomorrow night and Sheldon wakes up. Begin nursing Sheldon and hear Coranelle wake up. Grab Coranelle and make her a snack and drink to eat while I feed Sheldon. Put "Toy Story" on. Finish feeding Sheldon. Change two diapers. Lather Coranelle up with sunscreen. Get out water table and wash it and fill it. Set-up sprinkler and head out with both kids to play in the water. Laugh and giggle with Coranelle in the sprinkler. Watch her in amazement as she plays and uses her imagination. Cuddle with Sheldon in the shade and watch his sister.

Come in and bake chicken, steam rice and carrots and bake cookies. Try to keep both kids happy while finishing the dinners. Ryan comes home!!!! Try (unsuccessfully) to get Sheldon down for a nap. Pack up dinner and drop it off for a friend. Race home and eat quickly so I can feed Sheldon. Super dad has gotten Sheldon to sleep and is feeding Coranelle. Run over to the neighbors house to let them know I've noticed smoldering and smoke coming off their deck for hours. Come home and clean dishes and the kitchen from dinner. Nurse Sheldon. Play with both kids with Ryan. Ryan bathes Coranelle while I read to and hang out with Sheldon. I head up to read books to Coranelle and say prayers before bed. Sit on the bean bag chair with her and smell her clean hair and listen to her adorable voice and just feel so thankful and happy. Tuck her in, rub her tummy, wind up the music box. Ryan goes to Rec Center. Try (unsuccessfully) to get Sheldon to take a nap. So, we play, rock, he cries, and finally at 9pm he falls asleep. I have him on the boppy and am lying next to him holding his pacifier in his mouth. He falls asleep with each of his little hands wrapped around one of my fingers. I lie there and take in his milky, sweet baby scent and listen to his breathing and never want to move. Sometime in there, I have to go upstairs and take Coranelle's blankets and bunny away so she stops playing and goes to sleep. She apologizes for jumping in her crib and says, "Please mommy, can I try again. I will go to sleep." So, I tuck her back in. Make some cookies for us. Pack up a bag for Coranelle for swimming tomorrow. Ryan returns home and I heat up Sheldon's bottle, get my pump stuff ready. Start feeding Sheldon while Ryan eats my amazing cookies. Ryan finishes feeding Sheldon. I pump and wash all pieces. Then, while we watch a "How I met your Mother", we stare at our adorable, wide eyed, smiling son. Put Sheldon down. Say a little prayer for him. Head up stairs for a shower. Take a few minutes to blog.

Think about how tired and how unbelievably happy I am. I have two amazing, growing, changing, smiling, fun, incredible kids. I get to stay home with them and experience all kinds of moments with them. I have a wonderful, helpful, patient and supportive husband who allows me to play outside in the sprinklers with my kids and read countless books. He comes home and is ready to help and play. When people ask what it's like with two- I say "busy", because it is. But, it is also really wonderful and fun. I love my kids and I love my job.

Family trip

We just returned from an awesome family vacation to Breckenridge with my mom, Steve, Stefan, Rachael, Rebecca and Chris. Steve rented this enormous and beautiful condo just a few blocks from town and we all stayed for a few nights and got to vacation together. Ryan and I had the opportunity to go on an awesome date night plus a few mountain bike rides while mom and Steve hung out with Sheldon and Coranelle. Thank you, little Sheldon for taking a bottle so that mommy and daddy could go play! Though I am not in mountain biking shape anymore, and I was a bit of a scaredy cat- it was such a treat to go biking with my hubby again. It's impossible to do without babysitters and I really miss going! We did some great rides and had a blast!

One of the great things about our trip was the chance to spend a little bit more time with my siblings and their significant others. Usually, when we all meet up, I have two kids to chase around, feed, put down for naps, etc. This time, we had help and we were all staying in one place so after the kids went to bed, we could talk and play games and catch up a bit.

Both kids did a great job traveling and being on a different schedule. Coranelle was an angel in the car thanks to her portable DVD player and "Cars". Sheldon did well too, despite the elevation change. He slept a little on the way up and then just looked out the window for most of the rest of the drive. He slept almost the whole way home yesterday, allowing for some good chatting time for Ryan and me. Sheldon slept in a pack-n-play in our room and awoke once or twice a night, but it wasn't too hard to get him to go back to sleep. I wished he would have kept up his habit of sleeping through the night, but considering the whole new environment, he did great! Coranelle got her own room and got to sleep in her little tent and loved it. She had a minor night terror one night but was awesome the rest of the trip.

Overall, we love Breckenridge and want to make this an annual trip as it seems a perfect length for a car trip and offers lots of fun activities. See pictures below for more details!
We riding up the gondola and checking out the scenery. Coranelle LOVED this and would have ridden it all day if I didn't have to go back and feed Sheldon.
Happy campers!
At the top, Ryan played a round of putt-putt with Coranelle. She didn't quite get the hang of it, but it was fun to try. She would have rathered just running around and throwing the golf balls into the holes. After, Ryan got to go down the Alpine slide with Steve, Rebecca and Chris.
Super Mom! Just kidding. But, I am carrying a baby and teaching a toddler to play golf!
Stefan and Ryan before our "Poker Ride". Nice face Stefan.
It was so fun to have a chance to ride with Rachael- who is awesome on a mountain bike!
We did two gorgeous, 5 mile loops and had a blast!
After the ride, we got to enjoy free beers and a raffle where we won all sorts of fun mountain biking gear.
My adorable little man, happy as can be after an afternoon with his grandpa Steve. He got to be fed bottles by Rachael and Steve on the trip and shared lots of smiles with everyone. He came with us to the brewery for happy hour one night and just contentedly sat on my lap while we all enjoyed apps and beer and chatting. He's such a sweet little boy and it's fun to see his personality start to emerge. He loves watching the world go by, but he's also a mover (like his sister) and doesn't sit or lie still a whole lot. He's pretty easy to please if you holding him so he can look out and face everyone. He was quite the little trooper on the trip.

We have some great memories and I am so glad to have had a change of pace for a bit and some fun time with the fam. I cannot wait to go again next year!

I'll post some more pictures soon once I get them from mom. Until then, enjoy your summer days!