It’s so funny how much easier it was to get things done with just one kid. I had way more time. When it’s just me at home with the kids, I’m outnumbered and I feel like I’m playing defense alllll the time.

Back to the party.. I’m pretty sure I will throw together a good birthday party but it’s not going to Pinterest worthy or anything of that sort. As long as friends and family are there we can make it a good time, right?

Well anyways, this past month was a blur. It went by so fast and I think it’s because Bradley is moving quickly these days. He’s not walking but he’s crawling so fast he might as well be walking. He has the best army crawl I’ve ever seen and he alternates between the knee crawl and army crawl.  I think he’s actually faster with the army crawl. I might need to incorporate that exercise move into boot camp this week

BRADLEY’S 10 MONTH UDPATE

Weighs 25.5 pounds

Length He was 31.5 inches at 9 months I won’t find out his length until his next appointment!

Bradley is currently in 18 month clothing and we dress him in some 24 month stuff although it’s a little loose it seems more comfortable then some of the tighter clothes he has. His wrists and ankles are pretty thick right now!!! haha

I know I have mentioned a million times that we have a happy baby on our hands, but it’s true. Through tough teething days/nights and ear infections, Bradley is a trooper. This past month brought another ear infection That meant lack of sleep for this lady and a couple rough nights. I hope these end soon. He can’t afford another ear infection, and I really don’t want him to get tubes in his ears!!!!

Besides that rough patch we had loads of fun watching Bradley strut his stuff as he climbs the stairs and pulls himself up on tables, chairs, couches, people, basically anything he can grab he will climb. This phase went by a lot faster with Ava because she was already walking at this age so I’m trying to enjoy it. I really can’t imagine chasing after 2 walking/running kids. HELP!

Part of the reason I work out is to keep up with these 2 kids but I swear they tire me out more then any class I teach!

EAT

Bradley’s a machine when it comes to eating. Any time of day you can hand him something and he will eat it. There’s no food he won’t devour right now and I love it because Ava is so not into food right now. At least I have one kid that will sit and eat.

Bradley loves cheese, avocado, eggs, turkey, meat, meatloaf, dad’s grilled chicken, bread, potatoes, bananas, all the fruit, all the veggies, pasta, mac and cheese, oatmeal, cheerios, yogurt, oh and did I mention cheese ALL the cheese please! We also tried peanut butter this last month and it was a success. He’s definitely mama’s boy, I never go a day without peanut butter!

SLEEP

We go through phases with sleep. We will get a couple weeks of good sleep and then there will be teething or he’s sick and it will be rough. I mean it’s still ok, but it could be better and then again it could be worse. We had a little sleep regression after our trip to Rhode Island. He started taking 3 naps again. We would put him down for what we thought was bed for the night and he would wake up after 30-40 minutes ready to party again. Every once and a while that’s cool but not every night, I need a little break here and there!

In all seriousness though sleep has been fine. Bradley is usually asleep between around 6:30-7pm and sleeps until 6am. We did have some 4am and 5am wake ups this past week but I think he had a growth spurt because he was eating non stop.

Bradley naps twice a day. The morning nap is around 9:30 and is sometimes 45 minutes and sometimes an hour and a half. His second nap is about the same length but usually on the shorter side. As long as he sleeps good at night I don’t really care about the naps.

PLAY

Playtime these days involves a lot of me pulling Bradley off of things, like hanging from cabinets and stairs. I’m all for teaching him how to do things and I encourage climbing and exploring as long as I’m there to help.

This picture makes me so happy because Bradley LOVES Cooper and was snuggling him in this picture. Cooper is also the best for letting Bradley pull his fur out!

Ava has been the BEST helper this past month. She has learned to stand behind him if he pulls himself up on something or if he knocks over the gate at the bottom stair she calls for me to let me know.  I have tried giving her more responsibility so that she feels extra important and let her know she’s the best helper.

Bradley loves playing with Ava and basically wants to touch and take everything she’s playing with. This has tested my patience and Ava’s as well. She’s learned to give him a different toy when he reaches for hers or sometimes I ask her to give it to him and find something else to play with. She’s pretty good at sharing and I’m thankful for that. I think she learned from Cooper always taking her stuff when she was little

BRADLEY LOVES

• saying hi and waving like a mad man. It doesn’t exactly look pretty yet but he’s getting it
• Clapping his hands
• Patty cake
• being sung to or listening to music
• playing with Ava and being near her at all times
• food
• being outside
• walking his dog
• PEEK-A-BOO it’s his favorite and he does it by himself now
• Climbing anything

BRADLEY DISLIKES

• being put down when he has to burp
• when you leave the room
• the vacuum and blender. I use the blender every single day so he’s getting used to it! The vacuum on the other hand… I can stop using that right?
• being held unless he’s tired or not feeling well. He wants to be on the go.
• when someone doesn’t share their food

I’m so curious to see when Bradley will take his first steps, I know it will be soon but his personality is a little different then Ava’s. She was a go-getter and still is. She always strives to do more, jump higher, and be the best. She doesn’t like when she fails at something and we are trying to teach her that it’s ok to fail because you learn to do it right the next time. Bradley on the other hand is more laid back. He still wants to learn and do things but he’s not in a rush. I love seeing their differences and sitting back to watch them play is the best. I caught myself telling Ava not to do something to Bradley this past week but it was making Bradley laugh so I backed off. The 2 of them giggled back and forth for about 5 minutes and I couldn’t help but laugh myself.  It reminded me that I need to leave the room more because they can play together without me breathing down their backs.

I think in today’s world we are so fearful of letting our kids do anything alone. Even leaving the room to pee or shower feels like you are doing something wrong. When I grew up we played outside until our Mom called us in. I got dirty, I got bumps and bruises but I got fresh air and played with friends. Today if you let your kids play outside alone you will get in trouble or something bad could happen. That doesn’t seem right?? Any other moms out there feel the same way?

I know there are a lot of rambles in this post, it’s a sign that I need to blog more. I SOO miss it but I SOO don’t have a second to breathe these days. Thank you all for reading… if you are still out there

This past month was SO much fun. Bradley is crawling all over the place and exploring every corner of the house. He still plays with lots of toys but he wants to explore and find things like Cooper’s water dish, Cooper’s toy bin, ALL the cabinets, pull out the dvd’s, take the shoes from the shoe rack, play with the dishwasher when I’m unloading dishes… you know the fun stuff.

Bradley is so much fun to be around and his smile lights up the room. He keeps me smiling and laughing on a daily basis and I’m so thankful for him every day!

Big sister Ava loves entertaining him with her toys, her songs, her load screams, her running and jumping moves, peek-a-boo and whatever silly tricks she has up her sleeve. He adores her and if she leaves the room or goes upstairs he starts to whine (we know he is saying come back Ava, or bring me to her now!)

Bradley’s 9 Month Update

Weight 24.5 lbs (99 Percentile)

Length 31.5 inches long (off the charts for length)

Bradley is solid and big. He currently doesn’t like to be held unless he’s tired or teething which is fine with me because he is heavy and my arms get tired quick! Sometimes I think of him as a toddler but he is still really a baby.

He is currently in 18 month clothing and some 12 month stuff still fits. Believe it or not he wore a 24 month shirt the other day and it fit great. I need to get shopping for spring and summer outfits fast before we run out of clothes.

EAT

If you say food or show Bradley food, he starts kicking his legs and his eyes widen. There’s no hiding his love for food. He has become so self sufficient this past month as he grabs to hold the spoon and reaches for his finger foods. We are slowly introducing finger foods and he can’t get enough. I crack up watching him put cheese into his mouth. He basically shoves his whole hand into his mouth he can’t get the food in fast enough.

We do 3 meals a day with a mixture of finger foods and pureed food. He eats some finger foods like cheese, avocado, turkey, mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potato & banana pieces, etc. There’s still not a food Bradley won’t eat!.

I have to keep my eye on Ava when she’s eating now because she will leave stuff on the floor and Bradley scurries over to see what it is. She also lets him take licks of her ice pops and I’ve seen her stick food in his mouth. Luckily we haven’t run into any big problems with that but I’m still all eyes on her

SLEEP

Sleep will always have its ups and downs as I’ve realized 3 1/2 years into this parenting thing. If it’s not Bradley who’s fussing in the middle of the night, Ava or Cooper will wake up to use the bathroom or Ava will be hungry at 4am just to tortute us.

Bradley has been doing pretty well on the sleep front though. His bed time is between 6:45 and 7pm give or take 15/20 minutes. He will sleep until 6:30-7am or unless his sister decides to wake him up which annoys me so much.

A couple weeks ago Marc was in Florida for work and I thought I could handle the 2 kids on my own but that only lasted a day. Bradley decided it was a perfect time to start cutting some more teeth so we had some nights I was up several times to help him get comfortable or give him his pacifier and Ava wasn’t sleeping great either. Lets just say I chugged a lot of coffee to get through. Thank god for my moms help too

Bradley is now down to 2 naps which is much better for our schedules. His first nap is around 9:30am and his second nap is between 1:30 and 2pm. Those naps are usually an hour and a half each for a total of 3-4 hours of nap time. I have found the days Bradley naps well, the whole day runs smoother, there’s less fussing and more play. All in all I have no complaints on the sleep front

PLAY

I love playtime!! Bradley loves interaction with everyone but can still play quietly on his own which is awesome. He’s so easy going. Now that he’s crawling at a rapid pace I find myself moving him a lot. He gravitates towards wires, coopers food bowl and the dirty shoe rack. Clearly his toys are getting old.

I love seeing Bradley’s face as he explores anything new. He loves

• any toys that light up or sing music
• playing peekaboo
• having songs sung to him
• clapping his hands
• chewing on toys
• banging on drums
• figuring out a new trick
• crawling under tables and chairs
• pulling himself up on everthing
• playing in Ava’s room
• Absolutely loves bath time
• splashing water
• eating in his high chair
• walks in the stroller
• saying dada, baba, yaya
• playing with coopers paws

Bradley dislikes

• diaper changes
• being put on his back for diaper changes
• getting his face wiped
• getting pulled out of the bath tub when bath time is over (he doesn’t want to stop playing in the tub!!!)
• being tired
• when you take a toy from him
• when you put the pacifier in his mouth, he has to do it on his own 90% of the time

Play time is the best time of day and I really enjoy sitting back and watching Ava interact with Bradley. I encourage her to talk to him, show him new things and also to help me do things with him like changing diapers or wipe up his spit up. It helps boost her confidence and keeps her involved since he still requires more attention right now.

I sometimes catch myself being super cautious because Ava does throw toys, does pull him by his pants, lay on top of him, and take stuff out of his hands. There was one really bad week where she was not being nice to him at all, pushing him, pulling him throwing toys at him. I tried really hard to explain to her to be gentle, tell her we don’t hit but nothing was sinking in. I realize it’s a learning curve for her and she’s still learning how to handle her tiny brother but sometimes I want to close my eyes when I see her jumping in mid air over him on the floor. Yikes. I swear.. kids will make you want to pull your hair out, but then you will catch them giggling in the other room and walk in to see them holding hands and all those bad moments disappear.

I’m still a work in progress with parenting two kids but I’m accepting I’m not a perfect parent and I’m learning something new each day. When I look back to 6 months ago we have grown leaps and bounds and I can’t wait to see what fun stuff we can all do together this next month!!

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=10564 0 http://thefitskool.com/?p=10510 http://thefitskool.com/?p=10510#comments Thu, 16 Mar 2017 14:31:05 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=10510 Continue reading →]]> I’m back again with another Bradley update. Yay or nay? I personally love writing these posts. It lets me look back on the past month and how much I absolutely adore this little boy.

Sorry this post is a little late, but finding time to sit down on the computer these days is very challenging!

(This is Bradley’s favorite pose, he probably does it about 100x a day and I love it! He flashes his cute little smile and looks over his shoulder to see where we are)

Okay, so this past month has been REALLY good. We have been having so much fun watching Bradley explore the world and enjoy seeing him interact with Ava.

Besides having a small cold for a couple days, Bradley has been healthy and happy.We have been having a blast watching him crawl all over the place. He has so much determination, you can see it written all over his face. I purposely place toys on the floor to see his reactions.

This phase of babyhood is really a joy because everything is new Bradley. I find it easy to entertain him and it’s so easy to get him excited. You can literally hand him a spatula and his eyes will light up. It buys me about 20 minutes.

BRADLEY’S 8 MONTH UPDATE

We don’t head to the doctor for a check up until he’s 9 months but we did put Bradley on the scale for our own curiosity.

WEIGHT 23.5 lbs
LENGTH 30 inches

Last time we were at the doctor he was 98% for almost everything. I am assuming now that he’s crawling and more mobile he might not gain as much weight as he did before.

He is currently in 12-18 month clothing. It’s so crazy to me that he’s outgrowing 12 month clothes but he is large so it makes sense.

EAT 

Bradley is a fantastic eater. He usually lets you know he is hungry by making some fussy noises, he doesn’t usually scream for food but he lets you know. Bradley has 3 meals a day plus 4-5 bottles.

He loves sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, avocado, butternut squash, apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oatmeal, rice cereal. He doesn’t like peaches and so far that’s the only food he won’t eat! We are slowly expanding his foods which is always fun. Ava loves checking out his funny faces to any new foods he eats.

He loves eating at restaurants and is so well behaved!!

While Bradley is a great eater and doesn’t usually leave any leftovers we have noticed that when he wants to take a bottle he can’t seem to settle down, so I find myself holding his hand or singing to him while he drinks and he seems to calm down. I basically think he fears that he is missing out on playtime with Ava!!

SLEEP 

I am writing about this and I hope I don’t jinx anything in the meantime but sleep the past few weeks has been great. Sure there are the occasional wake ups but for the most part we are all sleeping more soundly.

Bradley is usually asleep anytime between 7-8pm and will sleep until 6/630am. This works great for our schedule right now. We did travel to Rhode Island this past weekend so his schedule was a bit off but he seems to have caught up!!!

Bradley is napping 2-3 times a day.His one nap that is pretty consistent is his morning nap which is usually at 9:15am. Sometimes its an hour and sometimes 2 hours! When Ava is home from school it seems to be more difficult to get him to sleep but his second nap is usually around 1:30-2pm and again can range from 30-90 minutes. If his second nap is short he will definitely take a short 3rd cat nap before bed.

I don’t mind his afternoon schedule being a little all over the place because it gives us the flexibility to run errands, go outside, go for walks, etc.

PLAY

I love talking about playtime because it just keeps getting better each month. Bradley is on the move and you can see in his eyes he wants to explore and touch everything. We are pretty much baby proofed but I have run into a couple things that I realized we needed to fix. We had a floor lamp that he almost pulled over so that got moved to the basement and he recently tried to pull the monitor cord out of the wall so I quickly changed that spot!!

Bradley really enjoys playing with Ava or near her. If she’s not in the same room he needs to find her and see what she’s doing. He loves putting any and all toys in his mouth and loves pulling bins of the shelf and taking toys out. Ava was a little more agile at this age then Bradley but boy is he strong. I don’t remember Ava being able to pull bins out on her own at 8 months and his grip is so strong I swear he could swing a baseball bat already.

I can already see him trying to pull himself up on things so I am guessing that might be his new trick at 9 months!!

When we are out and about, Bradley loves to flash a smile at anyone he meets, I think he is going to be outgoing and social as he gets older. I know I have talked about his first word before which was dada but now I’m pretty sure he can say hi. I don’t think he knows what it means but he babbles hi dada dada dada. We are also getting some babas too. When I say baba and show him his bottle he kicks his legs and smiles, my boy loves his food!!!

Of course MAMA isn’t one of the first words, but I know I will be super happy when that word comes out of his mouth. I say it to him all the time so  he knows its me right?

As I look back on this past month I couldn’t be happier with the relationship that is developing between Bradley & Ava. I honestly believe that the best gift I could have ever given Ava was a brother. She has matured so much this past 8 months.

She is my assistant during diaper changes, she shares all her toys, she makes him laugh with her crazy dance moves and peek a boo tricks. She literally makes him smile so easy, she has a natural gift!

Of course i have highlighted all the good stuff in this post, but there were several days this past month I wanted to pull my hair out. Kids screaming, kids not napping, kids not listening, kids torturing mama…I have gotten better at walking away, taking a deep breathe and then having a glass of wine with Marc when he gets home

I can’t believe another month has come and gone, it really feels like I posted Bradley’s 6 month update last week.

This past month has been GREAT. I attribute the greatness to the extra hours of sleep I’ve been getting, thank you Bradley, it’s about time. (just kidding.. well not really)

I like to talk about a lot of positives in these posts but lets be real and honest here, there are a lot downs with those ups. There are sleepless nights, there are days where kids are crying and screaming left and right but those days get out numbered when there’s laughter and baby giggles, those bad days somehow get forgotten.

Before I get started on all the baby updates I want to let you know how much joy Bradley brings into our lives. He has been such a blessing not just to me, but to Marc and Ava. Even when the day seems tough, he will flash his smile and somehow our day turns around. We are lucky with this little one.

Bradley’s 7 month Baby Update

Current weight an ounce shy of 23 pounds (at his last check up he was like 97th percentile for height and weight)

Bradley is outgrowing 12 month clothes. I can’t believe I just bought 18 month onesies!!

He’s a big boy for sure. I almost debated measuring his thighs and comparing them to Ava’s because I swear they are probably the same size. There’s so much chunk to those little legs you can’t see his ankles and I LOVE it. It just makes him that much cuter.

LIKES

• to be tickled
• when people sing to him
• to play with anything and everything
• roll over especially during diaper changes
• watching his sister at ALL times
• to reach for Cooper when he’s in the high chair, mainly to clean his hands I think
• smile with his mouth open
• put every item he can in his mouth
• scream loud when people are talking so we can hear him. Yes we know you are there Bradley
• smiling
• and smiling at everyone he sees

DISLIKES

• when someone takes something from him
• being put down when he needs to burp
• his face being wiped after he eats
• getting dressed
• getting his buggies sucked out of his nose
• staying still for diaper changes
• waking up from naps (he wakes up crying and then 2 seconds later smiles so big)

EAT

Bradley is a great eater. He loves food, milk, and chewing on anything he can get his hands on. Bradley has about 5 bottles a day and we are trying a new solid every week. So far we love: sweet potatoes, oats, rice cereal, green beans, peas, apples, bananas, avocado, butternut squash. We do not like peaches. To be honest I didn’t like them either. Peaches were one of the foods I ate every day while I was pregnant, but these gerber pureed peaches taste nothing like the real thing. Which reminds me that I need to start making my own baby food. I will… I will.

He currently has 2 bottom teeth and one of his molars and other bottom teeth are coming in so I guess we could probably try eating steak soon?? just kidding.  I bet he would like it but we’ll stick to our pureed food for now. I can’t wait to continue trying new foods because it’s so fun to see what new foods he will devour.

SLEEP

Last month Bradley had a couple of ear infections that left me craving sleep. Thank goodness these past 3 weeks have been so much better. Bradley goes to bed anywhere between 7pm-8m and sleeps until 6/630am. Sometimes he falls asleep earlier if Ava interrupts his naps during the day. For the most part I won’t complain about sleep, he’s made drastic improvements this past month and I’m loving it. I honestly think he’s sleeping more soundly because he eats 3 meals a day and his belly stays full!

PLAY

Ohhhh how I love playtime. Bradley’s smile and laugh are contagious. He smiles at everyone he sees and it makes me smile to watch him. We are currently in teething mode so a lot of playtime consists on putting as many toys into his mouth as possible. He likes toys he can hold and chew on. We have a zillion toys and we rotate them so he doesn’t get bored, but believe it or not he loves the random things that aren’t toys…. packages of wipes, diapers, remotes, phones, plastic spoons and cooking utensils that Ava gives him. It makes me question why we buy toys?????

Bradley is rolling and scooting all over the place. He will be crawling any day now.

It’s funny to me because Ava was already crawling and pulling herself up to a standing position by 7 months so I’m enjoying the slower pace that Bradley is moving at. He can stay put for as long as his little heart desires

Ava and Bradley’s interactions continue to melt my heart and also give me heart attacks. Ava has been such a good big sister though in all honesty. She helps me with diaper changes and brings me wipes, garbage bags, whatever I need to take care of his mess. She wipes up his spit up, she brings him toys, sings him songs when he’s crying, she tickles him to make him laugh more and I couldn’t be happier with her for doing the things she does.

I can’t wait to see what new things these two do together this month!!

We can’t forget about the bond between Cooper & Bradley. It’s super special and they both have so much interest in one another.

Cooper is a SAINT for letting Bradley tug on his ears, rip out his hair and tickle his paw. I couldn’t ask for a better dog to lookout for our baby.

I love this little boy so much, even if he is wearing a Boston Red Sox hat that Daddy makes him wear.

His smile is contagious and I hope that he always remembers to share that smile with everyone he meets.

Check back this week for a workout that you can do at home on your own time and under 30 minutes!!!

I’m so excited it’s Monday. I know that’s weird but I get to teach Group Power today and I truly missed it these past 10 days. I’m definitely going to ease back in this week and it could be my last week teaching so I guess that’s why I’m pumped for it.

This weekend was perfect. I know that’s a bold statement but that’s exactly how I felt when I woke up Sunday morning. Everything was just going smoothly and I couldn’t have been happier.

Saturday morning we woke up around 630am and I decided to head out and get us Dunkin Donuts coffees and muffins. I haven’t had a decaf coffee in a while because my stomach hasn’t been up to it, but for some reason I wanted one.

I also felt like we ate super healthy this week so why not have a chocolate chip muffin???

Saturday was Cooper’s 4th Birthday so we spent the day treating him like the King that he is.

We made bacon with our breakfast and of course my little doggie got some.

We took him to the park to run around and watch him smile. That’s honestly one of my favorite things to do. We are very good about giving him 2 walks a day so he can get his exercise but there’s something about seeing him with other dogs that is so fun.

After the park we headed to Tod’s Point Beach to enjoy the PERFECT weather.

Marc said it was kinda cool out but this pregnant lady thought the breeze and cooler air was perfect. I didn’t sweat once and I could’ve spent the whole day there.

Ava enjoyed splashing around in the water

playing with her toys and just being a kid.

She’s a goofball too.

It’s amazing how kids can play with themselves at a certain age, and I love watching her!

We had an awesome lunch together with a pretty view before heading home. Ava fell asleep within 2 minutes of the car ride. Mission accomplished haha.

I then headed to the nail salon to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure which I actually had a gift card for. I got a spa pedicure which was amazing. It came with a foot reflexology massage and also a chair massage. Umm….  PERFECT again.

I left feeling the most relaxed I have felt in WEEKS. It was very much needed. The rest of the night we spent hyping up Ava’s new big girl bed that we set up. She said bye to her crib and absolutely loved having a big bed. I couldn’t have been happier that she was so excited and pumped about it.

She also slept like a CHAMP. I for sure thought that we were gonna have a rough night but when my girls asleep and comfy she’s passed out!!

Rather then ramble on about all the things we did Sunday I’ll keep it short and sweet.

I got a prenatal massage from my friend Michelle… I told you in the title of this post (pamper the pregnant lady) it was fabulous!

Marc’s parents spent the rest of the day with us and it was a great end to the weekend.

(This is an older picture of Ava with Marc’s parents, but she loves them and I felt like I should share it!)

Now that I’m super relaxed and got everything I wanted completed on my to-do list, my little baby boy can come wheneverrrrr he wants

Do you ever feel like you have had the perfect weekend?

Do you ever treat yourself to massages??

Friday was a rather easy day for me work wise since I had to cut back on work a bit. If you missed part of that update click here.

I have 2 more days until I’m full term and I really can’t wait to make it to that date!! It’s been quite challenging for me to “take it easy” and “not workout.” I’m usually Go-G0-Go so it was a completely different change of pace.

I used the time to hang out with Ava and enjoy the perfect weather we have had these past few days. On Friday after work I took Ava to the playground for a playdate with my friend’s kids.

They had a blast running around and Ava was completely wiped after.

In the afternoon we played outside with Cooper and enjoyed Cooper’s pool. This was his pool when he was a puppy but Ava loves it and so does he!

As you can see there’s barely any water left because Ava kept splashing it out and filling up buckets for Cooper to drink.

I’m pretty sure Cooper peed about 30 times after our little outdoor play time.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to run some errands and get out day started. We were at the beach around 10am. The skies were clear and the temperature was perfect… 75 degrees!

Ava was so much fun at the beach. She splashed in the water, played with her sand toys and even let me sit in the beach chair for some relaxation time.

I’m pretty sure that never happens.

We took a long walk down the beach and headed home for a late lunch and some quiet time around the house before I headed to my hair appointment.

The rest of the night was spent at the house eating dinner, taking Cooper out to the park and relaxing. It was great.

Sunday was Father’s Day and I tried my best to make it special for Marc. We made breakfast together and again I ran some errands with Ava to let Marc have some time to do projects that he wanted to work on. We got lunch together and then after Ava’s nap we headed to my parents house for an early dinner.

Ava played with her Cousin Emily and we spent time outside watching them play in the sandbox and pretend to hit golf balls. I love seeing Ava with her cousin and reminds me how important family is.

As we drove home in the car I realized I didn’t take any pictures and I said to Marc I was bummed we didn’t take a picture of the 3 of us and I didn’t take one of him with Ava. I was upset at first because it’s nice to look back at pictures from important occasions like these, but then I also realized that it’s important to live in the moment and make memories. I have TONS of pictures of Marc with Ava and for this particular day I had more fun watching Marc chase Ava as she tried to run through the yards in my parents neighborhood and watch Ava laugh with her cousin Emily for 10 minutes straight. I won’t forget those two things even if they weren’t caught on camera!!

How was your father’s day weekend?

Do you ever wish you had taken pictures of a special occasion but you didn’t?

This post is coming a little later then I had wanted today but to be honest I wasn’t feeling well this morning, I had 2 classes to teach and then Miss Ava needed all of my attention.

We had a great weekend and I thought I would share some fun pictures from some of our events.

Saturday we woke up early and I was ready to get the day started. We ate breakfast, took Cooper for a long walk and then headed to the Greenwich Library for a Toddler Music class. I have been taking Ava to other classes at the library this month and I wanted to see how she would like the music class. She likes to sing, dance, and move so I thought it would be great.

To be honest she wasn’t that into it.. she kept saying lets go get books and started walking away. Eventually Marc left with her and that was pretty much the end.

After our music class we headed to a SPRING-A-PALOOZA hosted by my former Elementary school and Ava’s soon to be elementary school They had tons of crafts, games, and bouncy castle/slides for the kids.

We ran into our cousins which was a nice surprise and Ava loved it.

Ava played a tic tac to game

She also did some sand art with her cousin Natalie.

It was a fun little event and I’m glad we went. It’s so nice to see Ava having fun.

Later in the afternoon I headed to my 2nd Cousin’s 30th birthday party.

My mom’s side of the family is LARGE and she has no joke about 30 first cousins so it’s always a fun time. The food was great and it was nice to catch up with my mom’s family.

Sunday I woke up feeling tired and nauseous. It seems like that’s a trend on Sundays. I think my week catches up to me and my body tells me to slow down. It was the perfect day for relaxation. Marc’s parents came down to visit and it’s always nice having them around. Ava is always so happy and her energy is through the roof!

I was able to relax and hang out with Marc’s family the whole day.

After his parents left, Marc cooked me this delicious baked fish for dinner. Since I hadn’t felt well most of the day, I stuck to simple foods.

Marc cooked tilapia with breadcrumbs and a little lemon which was perfect for my stomach!

Ava hasn’t been cooperating much at bed time so to say it was an early night wouldn’t be the truth. She went to bed at 9 and by the time I got settled it was closer to 1030!!

I guess that’s why this post is coming in late

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Do you have a big or small family?

This weekend was fun & productive so I wanted to share it with you

I was so happy to get away this past weekend. Even if it was a quick day trip to Rhode Island, it’s always nice to visit family and get out of town for a bit. It reminds me to slow down and enjoy family time.

Saturday morning we hit the road bright and early.

Iced coffee in hand and maybe a donut for Ava and a muffin for mommy I’m guilty of a sweet tooth this pregnancy, but I’m rolling with it right now.

The trip was great and we made it to RI by 930am. I feel bad I made us stop to pee but this bladder is getting smaller and smaller each week.

We spent the day with Marc’s family and were fortunate that his aunt and grandma came to visit us. It’s so nice to be able to see them all.

Ava had a blast with her cousins.

She got to have cake and blow out candles for her Mimi’s birthday.

The kids ran around outside, played with toys and ate lunch together.

The day was great. I felt like when we got home my mind was rested and we were all in a happy mood.

Sunday Marc and I decided we wanted to be productive. By productive I mean we were nesting. That word sounds funny to me, but its the exact stage I feel that I am in. I’m making to-do lists, organizing drawers, cabinets, pantries & closets. I’m literally trying to throw everything out. If we haven’t used it in the last year it’s going in the garbage or it’s getting donated!!

It feels great to do some spring cleaning and also organize my life at home. I know once this baby is here I won’t be doing any of this stuff so I’d rather get it all done now.

The clock is ticking and with 8 weeks left I know I have to do a little each day to finish all the items on my list. Is it possible????

I sometimes question it, but I’m determined to clear the clutter and my mind!

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

How organized are you at home? Any organizational tips for this mama?

I couldn’t help but be excited myself.

I took a bunch of pictures this weekend but I also put my phone down a lot to just enjoy the time with my family.

Here is a quick Photo Recap of our Easter filled weekend:

We went to an Easter Egg hunt at the Glenville Fire Department in Greenwich.

It was a great event for the kids.

Ava enjoyed TOO much candy & munchkins and eventually her belly hurt but she loved it.

She won a kids raffle easter basket that had more toys then we knew what to do with.

She played with sidewalk chalk.

Dyed Easter Eggs at home with Marc and I.

On Easter Sunday she couldn’t wait to see what the Easter bunny hid for her.

Especially the eggs around the house!

Cooper was just as excited for the hunt.

We basically had an ALL day Easter egg hunt for her at our house and at my parents.

She was beyond EXCITED when she found eggs.

It was such a great day and I can’t help but smile when I think of how happy she was.

We even managed to get a group picture and a big smile from Ava!

How was your holiday weekend?

Did you have an Easter Egg hunt?

Monday rolled around rather quickly and I have a busy day ahead of me. Luckily, I’m feeling well rested from the weekend and ready to tackle the day.

My weekend didn’t have too many exciting plans but here’s a quick recap for you:

Friday night was our low key night. We made dinner at home. I was in the mood for salmon so I went with it.

These pictures are blurry but Ava and Marc had a dance party. She thought it was hilarious.

Once Ava was asleep Marc and I watched Grey’s Anatomy from 2 weeks ago. I’m so behind from being sick!

I never get sick of that show.

Saturday we were up bright and early as usual. There’s no sleeping in anymore and I’m okay with it. I like getting the day started off early.

Rather then sit around and waste time I started doing some small house projects that were on my To-Do List. I cleaned out some drawers that had collected unnecessary clutter, sorted through papers and bills that have gotten pushed to the side and started organizing my life a little more.

I opted for a morning workout at home. I was feeling good but decided to keep it short & sweet and not push myself too hard. I did a cardio kickboxing workout for about 25 minutes. It’s my ultimate favorite on demand workout and it secretly gets me fired up!!!

We got a surprise visit from Marc’s parents who decided to drive down from Rhode island to see us. It was a nice surprise and I’m pretty sure Ava was jumping for joy when they arrived.

In the afternoon we went to the park and playground to let Cooper run around while Ava played on the slide.

It was fun.

Once again our night ended very low key and we made a delicious steak dinner, watched TV and relaxed!

Since Ava and I just recently got over the stomach flu relaxing was a huge part of the weekend. I didn’t want to push either of us and have one of us end up sick again!

Sunday morning was another early one for us. I drank a little coffee and ate breakfast… as tired as I was I decided to take on another project around the house. MY CLOSET & DRESSER DRAWERS... You guys, I’m not organized with my clothes and somehow I have too much! I got out some bins and put stuff away in our attic, I filled a bag for goodwill and man did it feel good to organize that part of my life.

It’s the small things that make you feel good sometimes!

In the afternoon we made another park & playground trip so that Cooper and Ava could have some fun.

The picture on the right is Cooper from a distance coming to find us at the playground once he realized we walked away from the field. He was in his GLORY.

All in all it was a productive but relaxing weekend. I couldn’t really ask for more

 Do you have a “To-Do List?”

If so, how often do you get to the things on those list?