*insert title of substance here*

The weekend is here!

Well....yeah, that about sums it up. The weekend is here, my laundry is done, my kitchen spotless, now just to do the rest of the house. I always find myself not cleaning so much during the week yet when the weekend arrives and I know Evan isn't going to work I suddenly have to clean my house. Never fails.

Nothing else to really blog about. I mean I think of things that in my mind sounds so awesome and perfectly structured for the most epic blog entry ever! Then I get that free time which is so rare to me these days, sit here and am blank.

Let's see, summed up month so far....

Evan turned 29 on the 14th (go easy on him, he's upset about being almost 30). Since he took off for my birthday earlier this month he had to work but the girls and I brought him Texas Roadhouse for dinner and we had a picnic in the back of the car in the Peterbilt parking lot, awesome right? Yes, I try.

Avery, deciding since she was a big sister she needed something to show her age. So off to the salon we went where she requested she get her hair "Just like mommy" and I sat in slightly teary-eyed bliss and sadness as she said goodbye to a good 3 inches of ratty, unmanageable, pain in my patience hair and hello to a cute shoulder length do. I love it and so does she and now, all I do is brush it and she's good to go. How else did she decide to show us she's a awesome big sister? She decided (after a chat about me no longer buying them) it was time to no longer need that 1 pull-up a day for #2. Yes, we are officially into our 2nd week of NO PULL-UPS. Which means, we have mastered potty training!!!!!!! (parents of the world rejoice with me.)

Evan and I are so proud and excited for her. We celebrated with ice cream (well, I watched them enjoy ice cream) and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.

Alyssa is thriving. 2 months old already. Gah, time needs to knock it off. She looks more and more like me everyday! She's also sleeping longer in the night. She usually goes down around 11 and will wake up to eat and be changed around 4-5:30 then will go back to sleep until 8 or 9am. I'm so okay with this! She looked so cute on St. Patty's day but of course I forgot to get pics until she was changed and down for her afternoon nap. We even mached a bit. :( I have got to do better about picture taking. Especially of her and Avery together as well as mommy pics. I do exsist, I swear. I just happen to take far better pics than Evan. Easter! Easter, they have matching dresses so I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures.

And with that, my rare moment of free time is now over. Off to do something.....probably clean, because, sleep is over rated....like showers....hot food.....sitting down for long periods of time, etc.

-Brittnye

March Madness

March is here already? Seriously didn't we just ring in the New year?

March is always a busy month for us, with birthdays, celebrations and spring break it tends to get filled up. This year having Easter being added to it means we'll be extra busy. Not that I mind that, it helps out in small ways to be productive and social but this year seems to be flying by as is and add a busy schedule, it goes even quicker.

Things I'm looking forward to this month:

• My Birthday (I turned 28 last Friday)
• Evans Birthday. (next week)
• St. Patty's Day!
• Good Friday
• Easter
• Dallas Arboretum Trip
• Averys room make-over
• 5k training.
• Starting back at the Shelter.
• Warmer weather

Add in a few dentist/eye and doctor appointments and there you have it. Avery also has spring break next week so I'm trying to think and plan a few fun things to do to make the days more fun for us. Anyone want to have a play date or park date?


-Brittnye

Don't Blink...

I have a few precious moments of solitude as both the babes are asleep and Evan is still at work for another hour so here I am. Yes, my sink is full of dishes, the trash is overflowing (ahem, Evans slacking there), the living room looks like a tornado came through a few times and quite frankly, you don't want to know the layers of spit up I have on me at the moment.

Isn't motherhood grand?!

The past 2 weeks have been interesting for me with a few realizations and eye opening "Ah-ha!" moments. I've learned in the past month that with having a second child you learn to just let things go easier. Things I now wish I had learned with Avery. Then again, we didn't have visitors in Fort Worth. Being back in Denton, we have visitors every week! That's not a complaint mind you, I love it. I love having this connection with so many amazing people and being 2-10min away from them at any given time. The support, help, social life and overall handy-ness of it is overwhelming at times whereas with Avery everyone was 30min away.

I've come to realize in the simplest of ways that some things just do not matter.

That easy.

My house will be dirty occasionally but I'll clean it when it matters. I may not get to shower everyday (I've literally debated over a shower or extra sleep this week) or it may only be allowed around 2am but my hair will always be clean. Dishes will pile up, laundry too. I will no longer spaz out over it or get anxious with the thought of a unannounced visitor seeing my house not look like the cover of Better Homes. (Don't we all wish we could have homes look like that that are actually lived in?!) and here's why...

• I have 2 small children who need me more than the dirty dishes. They also grow up ridiculously fast and I refuse to miss out on special moments due to needing to vacuum for the millionth time a day.
• I have 2 cats that are indoor only and occasionally forget where their little box is.
• My couches are hand me downs, mix matched and falling apart due to also being the gymnastic course for the 4yr old.
• Don't even ask about my carpet, I've tried every remedy to remove those stains, they refuse to permanently die.

Life is so short. I used to scoff and laugh at people who would say that since it always seems most convenient after someone passes away to say that? But with Alyssa's birth...I'm afraid to blink. She is growing so quickly and it seems that now with her arrival and joining the family that Avery has decided to just become a little lady and is a different child from 2 months ago.

 I'm so busy trying to be super woman that I'm missing out on the small memories, the little things that make it all so cherish-able. My camera has hardly been used!! Add to that how I'm becoming more aware that my free time from not nursing or comforting Alyssa I'm using to clean or pick up when Avery simply asks mommy to play with her and I have said no because of housework. Seriously!? I doubt I ever forget seeing out of the corner of my eye her shoulders slump and turn in the hallway to walk to her bedroom while whispering "mommy never plays with me" last week. My heart broke then and there in my dining room as I looked around the living room and kitchen and just stopped. Stopped letting the mundane and superficial garbage take priority over my girls, my free time and my memory making.

So here's to you freak of nature type a's out there.

Come see my dirty house, my messy appearance and shake your head as I run late to anything and everything. In the end, my children are healthy, happy and thriving and I'm more content and sated in bliss because of it all. Some things in life can wait. I can have that Better Homes house in 18 years.

-Brittnye

Thankful: Day 24-28

Yeah another quick batch of Thankfuls to catch up, hey! at least I am actually sticking to it this time!


Day 24:
  I am Thankful for productivity. Trust me, it's not so easy when your 8m pregnant to stay up to date with holidays, events and the daily grind. It was far easier with Averys pregnancy because well, other than all the complications, hospital stays, etc. If I was tired, I simply went home and took a nap. If I didn't feel like cleaning, it was alright because nobody would drive to Fort Worth randomly and see the mess. This time around, I can't just drop everything and lay in bed because Avery simply won't allow it. :) I love this house so I take more pride in it so therefore, I clean it. Thanks to burst of energy and Averys enthusiasm I have managed to clean the house, her room, organize both, decorate for Christmas, wrap presents (which means I shopped ahead!) and have the house presentable for random company, which I love. And all BEFORE Dec. 1st. Now if only we were more prepared for Little Miss's upcoming arrival (seriously, we have NOTHING for her yet!).

Day 25:
 I am Thankful for my In-loves. They are by far above and beyond amazing. We had plans to make this past weekend all about the girls room getting ready and getting the house Baby ready but Evans truck broke down the night before. Which meant, we were down to 1 vehicle! Now we have 2 non-running vehicles in the car port and we're running out of time to get things in order for baby. Both his parents were at our house bright and early Saturday morning and spent all day working on vehicles, painting walls, decorating, cleaning and keeping Evan and I calm. So selfless and so in control when things seem scary. Sure, we didn't get what we planned done but we got a lot accomplished. So typical of them and the list of times they have just come to our rescue from financial help, advice, words of encouragement and wisdom, to random days of fun and overall family time. ENDLESS. I know some people find it weird how close I am to them, which is sad to me for the friends I have who can't stand their in-laws. I truly love mine and would be lost without them! How can your marriage work if a set of parents are not included or even liked. (I know there are some cases where it's not on the couple but the parents but still...) I've been beyond Blessed with the family I married into, never dreamed I'd have it so good.

Day 26:
 I am Thankful for my BLENDS. What's a blend? A Blend is a friend you've made through your Blog. Between this blog and my HLC blog (which has sadly been neglected in a horrible way) I have made several lasting friendships with some amazing women who I've never met face to face but can count on anytime! Some have turned into face to face meetings and fun trips. Love my sweet blends.

Day 27:
 I am Thankful for Netflix. Yes, we joined the bandwagon late in the game but man! LOVE IT! Avery can watch all her shows without interruption and those annoying and sometimes not kid appropriate commercials. Not too mention on my phone while we're in the car.

Day 28:
 I am Thankful for Bed rest. Yes, yet again I am on modified bed rest until our appt. tomorrow where I get a neat growth sono then another chat with the OB to see where we stand and what the next 2wks entail for us. I am not one of those who likes to be confined too long in the house or off their feet. However, I am listening to my OB, I am following my restrictions and as much as I hate it and am itching to be able to drive again or be on my feet for longer than walking to the bathroom and back to the couch or bed...I'm trying my best to see the positive in it. It forces me to slow down, see how amazing Evan is, and most importantly that the world isn't going to end if I don't do laundry for a few days or let the dishes pile up or even when I have to swallow my pride and ask for help from others.

Oregon/Washington Trip (long post)

Well, I've been back to reality for 3 whole days now and am finally able to blog about our vacation.

I just want to say off the bat that considering it was our first vacation with just the 3 of us, I didn't expect it to be as smooth as it went. Avery, who has NEVER flown before was a champ and was such a mellow traveler! No melt downs, no freak outs and oddly enough, she slept the majority of the travel time! (Thank you Jesus!)

DAY 1:
We were out the door to the airport at 4:45am to catch our 7am flight to Portland. Security was super easy and they let Avery keep her cuppy of chocolate milk after testing it (made me laugh). She was alert and bubbly carrying her princess suitcase behind her as we made our way to the terminal while I was freaking out over all my mental checklists. We had 1 suitcase with Evan and I's clothes and shoes, 1 suitcase of Averys clothes and things that was thankfully carry-on sized and then her backpack and a tote bag filled with everything you could think of to keep her entertained/distracted/content on the plane.

I totally didn't need to pack any of it. We boarded the plane when Evan started doing his freak out thing (he hates flying, no joke, like I doubt we fly ever again if we can drive to our destination). So I decided I would just leave him alone and focus on Avery who was not happy about having to have her seat belt on for take off. After a few tears and a bribe of gummy letters (at 7am, sure why not) she settled down as we approached the runway to take off. Apparently all the bumping and jostling was soothing to her because by the time we were in the air still over DFW this is what she looked like...

Yep. Head in my lap, blanket over her and snoring!

It was a 4 hour flight and she slept 3.5 hours of it!!!!! Seriously, I had to laugh about it and be thankful none of the hundreds of scenarios I imagined actually played out. It made me have a boring flight to be honest. I was so absorbed in making sure she was comfortable that I failed to pack anything for me to be occupied with. Evan slept off and on which helped his nerves. The flight attendants must have felt pity for me because they kept bringing me juice, cookies and a crossword puzzle all while being in awe of how good Avery was! She even got a pair of Alaskan Airlines wings she wore out of the plane. :)

        

These two crack me up so much, like father, like daughter....

I must also say that I am one of those window flyer's who just loves looking at the view, it's just so incredible to me how amazing everything looks from 35,000ft up!! Just so inspiring and relaxing.

      

X Marks the spot.

Anyways, we made it to Seattle where of course it was raining. We boarded our next plane which we had to walk out onto the runway to climb up a step ladder to board which was way cool! Avery was more excited that it was a pink plane (maroon really). It was a propeller plan and super little compared to other planes I've been on so Evan got to sit elsewhere while Avery and I were beside each other. 30min flight easy-peasy and Avery entertained everyone by singing the alphabet over and over in different versions.

We arrived in Portland and made our way to baggage claim where Jarrod was waiting for us. I wish I had gotten some pictures because I tell you it was super emotional for me watching her spot her Uncle Jarrod and take off at a run shouting his name while tons of people watched from security. She literally leaped into his arms and knocked him over she was so elated to see him. When we caught up and hugged Jarrod she turned and shouted "Look mommy, my uncle Jarrod!" and then proceeded to hold his hand and jabber about her being in an airplane. *heart melting all over again*

We got our bags and headed to Portland where Jarrod and Evan caught up a bit and all the giddy-ness and "We're really here!" bliss almost suffocated you in the car. We were a bit hungry and with the time change it was still too early for lunch so Jarrod took us to Slappy Cakes for brunch. WAY COOL PLACE just fyi. You pretty much buy batter and your own toppings and make pancakes on a griddle in the middle of your table. So fun! I got Lavender Honey and dried cherries, Jarrod got blueberries. So good. We had a fun time seeing who could make the better pancake. Then it went from that to making Avery mickey mouse and heart shaped pancakes and seeing which looked better.. (Again, I failed to take pictures)

After brunch we headed to Jarrod and Sarah's place where we got the tour, met the kitties and relaxed for a little bit deciding what to do. We finally decided to go check out a park and stopped at a store to buy a kite and a huge hello kitty bounce ball and bubbles and made our way to Laurelhurst area in Portland (I told Evan if he bought me a house there, I'd never complain) Long story short (since I have days left to cover) Jarrod took us to the wrong side, we walked around forever trying to find the play area, all the kids swarmed us due to being so awesome with our toys and then we went grocery shopping to make home made pizzas for dinner. Time change hit me and Avery hard and we both went to bed at 7:30 Portland time.

Day 2:

After a lazy morning we all packed into Sarah's car for a drive to the coast. Such a beautiful drive!!!! We ended up in Cannon Beach which was so amazing and Evan and I are thinking of doing a summer vacation there. It was close to raining so we ate lunch on the beach at Mo's which is known for their Clam Chowder. Their homemade bread was outstanding and melted in your mouth!! I had the chowder and it was amazing as well, so good and the view was amazing as well. Avery and I had never been to the ocean or beach so we were very excited. (I've been to Normandy Beach but I don't count that, it's a sacred place and very odd and calm and not the type of place you want to go swimming and strolling along). Anyway, after lunch we debated on walking along the beach but it started raining and Avery freaked out once we went down the barge because of how cold, windy  and wet she was getting, I also think the loud waves crashing scared her so we headed back to wait out the rain. The guys however, decided to get their feet wet since Jarrod said the water was super cold.

Headed to the Ocean!

Lunch at Mo's

Our view from our table.

Getting caught in the rain.

sooo windy!

So stinking cute.

Getting their toes wet.

<3.

After drying off a bit we drove to the actual town of Cannon Beach and walked around the shops. There is a candy store called Bruce's Candy Kitchen that Sarah and Jarrod wanted to go to for their Sea Salt Caramels (which were fantastic, yum!). The sun started to show so we walked back to the beach at the end of town where I got my turn to put my feet in the ocean and Avery wasn't so afraid since there was no wind and it was more calm then where we had been. The water wasn't that cold actually and I loved it!!

Soo much fun and it was so beautiful. We headed back to Portland where we took a side trip to the Japanese Rose Garden for the City view and walked around making fun of the names of the roses. We ate dinner at Burgerville which was a neat place that made it's mark by being all local and fresh and recycled and reused a lot of it's material (Something Portland is very big on!).

 Day 3:
We packed our bags and made the 3 hour drive to Seattle!! I had booked us a hotel in Bellvue which is on the other side of the Washington bridge which is maybe 15minutes away from Seattle. Once we got settled into our rooms we went to Seattle and had dinner at a Pizzeria called Bambinos which was pretty good. Service inhaled vigorously, won't lie there, but the pizza was different and prepared in a fire so it had a crisp taste with the fresh ingredients they used. After walking around the space needle a bit we headed back to Bellvue where we stocked up on snacks and rested for our day in Seattle.

Day 4:
We spent the majority of our time in the market which it being Saturday was super busy. I really liked Seattle, after the market and lunch on the pier we headed to the space needle before making the drive back to Portland.

 Once we got back to Portland we had dinner then went and grabbed donuts from voodoo doughnut a big hit in Portland. I wasn't too fond of them but I don't really go for donuts anyways. cool place though and very creative.

Day 5:
Jarrod had to go to work that morning so we lounged around until lunch time. Sarah drove us to Rocky Butte where we checked out the views of Portland and where Jarrod worked and enjoyed the sunshine for a bit before going to lunch. Sarah and Avery have a huge thing in common food wise and that is their love of grilled cheese sandwiches. Sarah took us to this awesome double Decker bus called The Grilled Cheese Grill where we enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup and this amazing dessert called the Jayme which was Marscapone cheese, bananas, and nutella grilled in a sandwich. OMG, so good!!!

We got back to the house where Jarrod waited for us. The three of them headed to Saturday market while Avery and I enjoyed some quiet time and watched a movie. Once they got back Sarah and I went to Powells city of books which I L-O-V-E-D. Biggest book store I have been in and the smell alone was what I love so much about books. We wandered around for an hour or so before heading back to the house. Evan and Jarrod headed out for some brother time while us girls made dinner and relaxed the rest of the night.

Day 6:

With an early flight we pretty much spent all morning packing up before we made our way to the airport. Security took forever and by the time we got to our gate we were already boarding! Made for a fast flight process. Once again Avery was awesome and sat quietly and colored and watched a movie. The end of our flight was horrible though I mean so turbulent and shaky. Poor Evan was a bag of nerves and in such a bad mood, even I was so nauseous and a little nervous while Avery just kept calm and let me read to her for the last 20minutes which were VERY rough. We had a 2 hour layover in Albuquerque so that helped calm Evan a bit after lunch we lounged in the terminal where Avery fell asleep on my lap and slept the entire boarding process and flight only to wake up once we landed in Dallas.....again, seriously easy to travel with!! Dad picked us up and we had dinner at The Foundry in Dallas, definitely worth checking out if your in the Dallas area. ;)

Got home around 10:30 and we all slept until noon the next day thanks to the time difference. :)

Such a great trip and the rest of our pictures are on FB too. It was so good to see Jarrod and Sarah and it was so nice to get out of Texas for a bit.

Thanks for sticking around this long :)

-Brittnye

Randomness is Bliss, right?

I know, she's pretty awesome.

So this week was pretty basic in boring routine except we started the big challenge of Toddlerhood with Avery. Oh yeah, we started Potty Training!! I'll spare the details but she has been doing better than I thought she would. few accidents the first day but by day 3 she doesn't need to be asked or followed constantly and she runs to the potty. However, that's with going teetee. Avery is terrified to go poopie in the potty. I guess I need to research more on it but she literally runs and hides if she has to go poopie but once she goes poopie she knows where it has to go "in the potty" she has been awesome at letting us know she needs a pull up on to do her business (THANK YOU LORD FOR NOT HANDING ME THAT MESS) and then we go to the big potty and flush the poopie...now, if I can just get her to see that going both teetee and poopie in the potty is the same happiness and excitement level.

I also had my eye appointment on Tuesday. I now have a temp pair of glasses until my new ones come in next week! I must say I'm glad I went. It's been over 6 years since I had glasses due to migraines I would get from a seizure disorder I had for years but once my seizures stopped the migraines did too so I stopped wearing glasses. About a year ago I noticed that I would get headaches at night. I figured it was from being a new mommy and lack of sleep. Then a few things started happening and frequent enough that I knew it wasn't from fatigue. During our trip over the Christmas break it finally caused enough alarm to Evan and I that he made me make an appointment to be safe.

Pretty much I have a slight condition with my right eye that can easily be corrected with glasses. After a year or so I may no longer even need them. Basically, my eyes are fighting each other and need to learn to relax when I focus on something up close. Like reading or driving at night..the longer I'm looking at something the more my eyes fight each other, then comes the blurry vision, eye strain and burning which leads to a headache. Avery told me they make me look like a teacher :) Good thing the temps look like my new frames.

(Again, my daughter is just awesome.)

I guess I have no big entry for this week. We've been homebodies with the potty training process and my eye appointment was my biggest outing this week. I know, I live a wild and crazy life. *shrug*

I'll end with yet another awesome picture of Avery, she was being super sneaky trying to not go to bed last night when I caught her in the hallway wearing one of Evans work hats. "What do you think you are doing out of bed?" I asked her in which she put the hat on her head and raised her head in a matter of fact way and then in the most adorable little bossy way a 3 year old could say. "Mommy, I no go bed! I go work wif daddy, kay!?" So of course I had to do what any good mommy would do....I went and grabbed my phone to take a picture of her.

I know, I know...

-Brittnye