FAMILY PICS 2013

Here are some of our family pics taken by Jessi Lemay.  We decided to take them in Johnsville, were our cabin is this year.  I'm so glad we did.  They have a certain rawness that comes with that lifestyle, and Jessi captured it perfectly.

Check out her website.  She is pretty amazing.  www.jessilemayphotography.com

SUMMERTIME

I'm kind of slacking on this blog thing, huh?  Long hiatus.  But we have been super busy.  I'll try to keep the recap short, and then show you a few pics :)

 We moved!  Yes.  After six months on the market, we sold our beautiful custom home in South West Reno.  And guess what, we couldn't be happier.  That place was A LOT OF WORK.  I just did not have the time or patience for all the upkeep, both inside and out.  Bottom line, I decided it was more important to be able to play with my kids than spend hours mopping.  So we are back to our little house in the northwest.  It's pretty amazing to be able to clean my whole house in about 3 hours.  Whew.  We did discover we have too much cr@p.  Like, 2 storage units worth of too much.  I see a garage sale in our future.

The kids are all doing amazing.  Keenan was here for the summer, just left last week.  He is 16, has his permit, and is a recluse.  Pretty typical for a teenage boy, I'd say.  Sleep all day and play all night (remember those days?  they are  far far away from me, ha!).  Branson is great.  He is almost 4, and I can't believe it.  He can hold an hour long debate, frustrate me to all ends, then tell me I look like a princess or that I'm "the best maker ever mom" and I melt into gooey nothing.  He is my child that tests all the limits, pushes all the buttons, and then snuggles it all away.  Noa, the little doll face, is our princess.  She is easy going, eats well, plays well, sleeps well.  But if she has an opinion about something, she is going to let you know.  Based on other Sagittariuses that I know (that's you I'm talking to, Chrissy Lamun!) she is right on par :) She is talking a ton, running and climbing everything, and is daddy's little girl.

Ryan is amazing, as always.  Working hard to allow our family to play hard.  He is by far the best father and partner I could have ever been lucky enough to snag.  It feels like in the last few years we kind of just fell into our groove together as a couple and as parents.  Almost always on the same page ;)

We did a little bit of traveling this year, with a few more trips coming up.  Our wonderful friends Nolan and Evelyn got married in Kauai  in early July.  Ryan and I got to go sans children, and it was my longest time away from them.  That was hard, but I gotta tell ya, it was so nice to actually hang out with adults!  I made amazing new friends from New York, got to connect with long time friends from home, and even got to talk to my husband over a nice meal that we both actually got to sit down and enjoy.  Our wonderful friends Graham and Simone also became Mr. & Mrs. Bartlett in a private ceremony in Kona.  Congrats to all you newly married couples!  Kauai is beautiful, but I think Maui is my favorite island.   The bug bites I got from this trip left marks still showing on my legs.  Crazy.  The other trip we took was to Vegas.  You ready for this ride?  We weren't.  We decided to take Keenan on a big kid trip, since he is usually stuck doing little kid things.  Ryan loves the Counting Crows, they were playing in Vegas, so we booked it!  The whole trip ended up being a disaster.  What should have been an hour long flight, ended up being an 8 hour flight, causing us to miss the Cirque show and dinner reservations we had Friday night.  Then, Saturday night, the concert was cancelled due to weather.  We did get to eat some awesome food, and do a little shopping (Ray Ban's all around!) which Vegas is always good for.  Needless to say we were ready to come home.  Ahead of us is a trip to the LA area next month.  We will be taking the kids to Disneyland for 3 days, then visiting family.  Ryan's sister recently moved to Ventura, so they will get to show us the ropes for a few days.  And we will sneak in a little time to see my Grandma, Aunt and cousins as well.  Immediately following that trip, we will spend a week at Walley's.  It's the trip we look forward to every year.  The food, the Candy Dance, hanging with Momo - it's always a favorite for us.  Not to mention we got married out there, and our daughter is named after the cute  little town :) Hopefully after that, if we can squeeze it in, Ryan and I will be heading back to Vegas for a music festival.  Mainly just to see our favorite band, The Killers.  Then of course, it is  the Holiday Season.  I'll be  turning 30 (just threw up a little bit in my mouth) and 90% of  the family will celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.  Busy, right?  Enjoy the pics!

Ryan and I at Nolan and Evelyn's reception

The fam getting ready to go up to Tahoe for the afternoon

Our want-to-be luggage to Kauai :)

The kids enjoying a little morning yoga with Simone

Right before the Counting Crows got canceled

UPDATE

Not too much fancy stuff to report on.  Noa is growing like a weed.  She all of a sudden sprouted from wearing 6-9 month clothes to 12 months.  I cleaned out EVERYTHING they kids have outgrown and have donated it.  I don't know how I had so much stuff in this house.  And I still have too much.  Noa is also getting some teeth.  4 actually.  At once.  That's been fun.  Lots of low grade fevers, fussing, restless nights.  She is a trooper through it all though!  Very happy and mostly calm.  Still out eats everyone in the house.  She also started talking a little bit.  Some people have expressed a little concern about her lack of vocalization.  But not me.  She has an older brother that talks for her, so she doesn't need to.  But, she can tell you what a dog and cat say.  And hilariously, she can tell you what my mom's cat Hoover says; pffffft! (hissing sound).  She can say "O-wa!", for Laura, their babysitter and my savior. 

Branson is still 3.  The horrifically wonderful three's.  He's either happy, laughing, and loving, or he's the opposite.  He is dashingly handsome, and makes me laugh every day.  Nothing can make me feel better than one of his bear hugs.  Even though I have to beg for one sometimes.  He is confident (finally!) in brushing his teeth, getting dressed, and going potty by himself.  Those things were a battle for the longest time.  I was terrified that I would send him to Kindergarten one day and I would still be doing all those things for him, (funny, right?).  He likes to show Noa how things are done.  And two weeks ago he had a little surgery to fix his tongue tie.  Simple 15 minute procedure that was harder on me than anyone.  I sobbed like a baby when he went on his wagon ride to the OR.  Then he screamed like a banshee for 2 hours when he woke up.  But after that you would have never known he had surgery that morning.  He was up jumping on his bed and asking for Popsicles.  The only down side now is that he bites his tongue a lot, trying to get used to the placement of it.

Ryan is still running.  Running running running.  It's time consuming, but so good for him.  I don't know how he does it.  I can't even run a mile, and yet I somehow have this idea that anyone who runs less than a marathon is not a true runner and wimpy.  Did I mention I can't run a mile?  I blame my husband, who runs 2 marathons at once for that. 

Keenan will be here for spring break next month.  I hope we can do something fun with him.  We have been so busy trying to sell the house, and running Branson to and from swimming, and with Ryan's running.  But it seems when Keenan comes we all get a much welcomed break from the normal chaos of our lives.  I'm sure I will have lot's of stories to update you all with regarding him next month! 

I was going to upload a video, but apparently I need a youtube account.  While I figure that out, here are a few recent pics.

NOA'S 1 YEAR PICS

isn't she stunning?  photos courtesy of Jessi Lemay www.jessilemayphotography.com

AND THEN SHE TURNED 1

When you have kids the time goes so fast.  I mean, when your in the middle of sleepless nights, nursing a newborn and potty training a toddler, it seems like one minute is a life time.  But the weeks and months just fly by.

My baby girl is 1.  A whole year old.  And she is sweet, kind, funny, happy, adventurous.  She possesses many qualities we didn't see in her brother.  Both my children are brilliant and bright, just in different ways. 

This year we have watched Noa grow into the princess her dad knew she was from day 1.  And now she knows it.  She is spoiled, but not rotten. 

For you, my sweet Genoa, I wish you happiness, and light at every turn.  I also thank you for the brightness you wake with every day (even at 3 am).  I hope for you to always love, and be loved.  It won't be hard.  I look forward to watching your growth and new joys springing to life every day. 

To both my kids: Please always love each other.  Even on bad days, just love each other.  Be each others best friend.  Be their rock and sounding board.  Play, experience, and create mischief. 

3

So, my Branson is 3.  Three whole years old.  I just can't believe it.  He is a young boy that loves to jump, run, yell and argue.  He is a picky eater and has an amazing sweet tooth, something we can share in common.  For his birthday he got a pet.  A fish named Charlie.  One of his chores is to feed Charlie every day. He is sweet to him.  He  has a soft spot for animals and it warms my heart.  Watching Branson grow has been this amazing journey.  Most days I laugh with him and cry at him.  He is my whole being.  He takes every ounce of my energy and I wouldn 't rather give it to anyone else.  He is in love with everything Cars, and Ryan and I got him a Mater quad for his birthday.  He reluctantly lets Genoa touch it, sometimes. 

Branson, my wish for you is that you always find a smile in your day, you laugh at life and stand up for yourself.  I'll always be here for a hug after time out, and a kiss goodnight.  I'm so proud of you and the young man that you are, thank you for amazing me every day.

POTTY BREAK

It's friday.  It's Nevada Day.  Not really, but for some reason who ever is in charge decided to make today the day of celebration so that there would be a three day weekend.  COOL!  Now when do we (moms) get a three day weekend?  Or maybe just a one day weekend?  A few hours? A bathroom break by ourselves?  No?

So much has gone on.  Mostly just with in myself.  As I sit here writing this I'm ignoring Branson's repeated "MORE" demands for toast.  I'm listening to Noa throw every single lego and bristle block in the house out of it's home.  I'm watching the dog out of the corner of my eye to make sure she doesn't get up on top of the table to lick the kids greasy hand prints from breakfast.  Again.  Oh and Branson is now screaming MORE.  Ryan is at work.  I haven't showered.  I've started a load of laundry only because there was an accident in the early morning.  We've been up since 5.  Nothing in the house has been cleaned, wiped down, put away or organized since about 8 pm last night.  So within 12 hours (only 4 have been spent awake) my house looks like I've never lifted a finger in it.  Everyday I sit back and take this all in.  I try to get up and get a shower before Ryan leaves for work, but that doesn't always happen.  It seems that if I don't get my morning shower, my whole day goes to waste.  I'm unable to catch up.  I'm left feeling anxious, defeated and all around down.  I don't know if this is normal or not for stay at home moms, I'd obviously like to think so.  I wish someone would have told me how much harder having 2 kids is than 1.  Not that it would have made a difference in my decision to have another, but maybe I would have mentally prepared myself a little more.  When one is sleeping peacefully, the other wakes up screaming for something which then wakes up the one that was sleeping.  And usually one if not both will stay awake demanding more and more attention.  It doesn't matter if its midnight or 4 am, this seems to be occurring more and more often.  2 nights ago Branson was up from midnight until 5 am.  When he finally fell back asleep Noa woke up ready for the day at 5:28.  Yay.  Mommy got a total of 2 hours of sleep.  I wish I could sleep like a husband.  They can sleep through anything.  (By the way, Branson is now screeching, snapping and snarling for MORE. He wants more toast with lots and lots of butter because he is big.  This is his third breakfast.  I'm feeling my gray hair grow in right NOW). 

Hopefully Ryan will return soon and give me a chance to shower so we can attempt to conquer the rest of the day.  We are supposed to carve pumpkins.  Tomorrow we have a party to attend and then a wedding and Sunday is our photo shoot for our holiday cards. 

I'm left wondering if I'll ever get that weekend.  Or just a bathroom break alone.