first snowfall*

Mickey loves the snow....but he hates getting snow stuck in his paws!!

Even little P got to enjoy a little bit of the winter wonderland :)

Ryder was SO excited because Max taught him how to run and jump  on the sled...

Seriously, these boys are ALWAYS up to something!

...but they are so damn cute :)

Although I'm sure she had a blast, this is where Piper ended up when it got a bit chilly for her.

As you can see, our family DID enjoy the first snowfall of the year, although I will admit, I'm thankful that the snow is dissapearing and that we are going to have beautiful weather for Thanksgiving....We have been blessed with such a nice fall this year, but as of the day after Thanksgiving, then I will be ready to see some light snow on the ground again--just to get me in the Christmas spirit!! :) More busy days ahead!!

one chunky monkey :)

Today was Piper's 6 week checkup -- doc says she is doing marvelous--weighing in at a whopping 10lbs!! She is my little chunky monkey :) It is so crazy to think that at 6 weeks old, P is half the weight that her big brother Ryder was at 1 YEAR! He was/is still such a little peanut!
I feel so blessed that both of my kids have been healthy so far and I pray that it continues....
Looking forward to the busy weekend/week ahead!

My week....

On my agenda for this week includes:
Tuesday- going into work for a half day (okay, not really that fun, but at least I will get caught up bit by bit)
Wednesday- heading up to St.Cloud (MINUS THE KIDS!!!) with Jen for some Christmas shopping and then hour long massages---going to be simply fabulous :)
Thursday- 6week doctor appointment for me and little miss piper-- I'm excited to see how much she weighs!
Friday- My brother's college basketball team that he plays for is playing at St.Cloud State :) Maybe some apps and a beer afterwards?? I think so!
Saturday- My sister and I will be seeing the highly anticipated BREAKING DAWN-part 1 in theaters!!!!! :) Yes, I am a Twilight fan...Huge fan, actually! I would have NEVER thought I would get into those books but ooohhhhh my gosh they were so good that the minute I started reading them, I couldn't put them down... I've NEVER been a fan of sci-fi or vampires or any of that weird stuff, but seriously, Stephanie Meyer is AMAZING at writing!! So yes, I am ecstatic for the movie!!

So this week is pretty much going to be amazing. Next week is sure to be fabulous as well since it will be Thanksgiving (yum!) and then black friday-- which is pretty much my favorite holiday!!

...we love fall :)

princess p...this was a couple weeks ago

Ryder climbing up to master the monkey bars--he's determined!

halloween 2011 with my 'meema janet and papa steve'
Ryder- optimus prime (transformer)
Piper- little pumpkin

journey back to the jeans

It's Veterans Day today, and because of all  the amazing men and women who've served this country, I'm safe and spending the day with my family, free to do as I please :) So thanks to all the vets for all you do-- especially my dad! :)

It's been a great morning so far. The hubby went hunting this morning and I, feeling quite motivated, surprised him by making homemade chocolate chip scones for when he got home....mmmmmm....I am enjoying one (okay, two) as we speak, in my pjs, with my cup of caribou blend coffee with peppermint cream :) Life is good..

However, I'm on a mission. Little miss P turned five weeks old yesterday and I decided that enough time had passed and it was time for me to get moving. Literally. I went to my first post-baby Zumba class last night and it felt so good! It is going to be soooo hard to go faithfully because as the temperature continues to drop and winter comes, all I want to do is just snuggle up and not go anywhere! BUT-- I am not going to let that happen. As far as numbers go, I really don't have much weight to lose to get back to my prebaby weight, but I am adding a few pounds on top of that anyway, because I really wasn't happy with my prebaby weight so I figure I might as well aim high and set my goal for the weight I actually want to be at. I'm not in a hurry, I realize that just 5 weeks ago I had a 7lb child in my belly, but as well all know the holidays are upon us and God knows that if I don't at least make an effort to drop some pounds, holiday cookie exchanges will do me in and then I will really have a lot of work to do! The sucky thing about post-baby bodies are that it really doesn't matter what the scale says, your body is completely different anyway so even though your prebaby clothes may fit, they don't fit right, or at least, they probably don't look very good. (***Sidenote, if you are confused by this and have had a child, it probably means you are one of "those" women who have a baby and look fabulous by the time you walk your little self out of the hospital. In that case, good for you, but I'm not interested in being friends with you right now... Thanks for understanding.***)  :)
So anyway... My journey back to my jeans has begun! I won't be following any type of diet because after watching EVERYTHING I ate while I was pregnant with gestational diabetes, I just want to be able to eat normally again and since I'm generally a healthy eater (minus the two scones I just had....in my defense, they were small) I'm not too concerned about that. What I will be doing though, is drinking LOTS of water during the day, going to Zumba (90 min class) at least twice a week, and doing the occasional yoga for toning, and walking/jogging on the treadmill when I feel like it. I also won't be buying ANY transitional clothes, because most of my clothes fit at this point anyways, they just look like hell and seeing that will only motivate me! So wish me luck....
It's another beautiful (but somewhat chilly) fall day and this house has a lot of work to be done!

A sleeping baby...

is the sweetest thing in the world.

One curious little boy...

In the past 3 days... my insightful little four year old has asked me the following questions:

*  "Mommy.... What is heaven like? Can you see in heaven? Can you talk in heaven? What do you do in heaven?"

*  "Mommy..... How will I know how to drive to college? Will I still get to see you in college? Can Max come with me to college? But will I still get to see you when I go to college? "

* "Mommy.... Where did Piper come from? How did you make Piper? How does God put babies in mommies' tummies? How did the doctor take Piper out?" Did it hurt? Did you cry?

Yep, it's been quite interesting around here the past few days... Seriously, that boy keeps me on my toes... :) We love our little man....

...the good, the bad, and the ugly!

So this is my little rendition of a product review blog.... Piper turned one month old yesterday and in that month I have come to find the items that I absolutely can't live without, and also some that are a bit overrated as well...
We'll start with the good--

The moby wrap: Simply put, I am in love with this thing... For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's basically a LONG peice of fabric that you fold around you and it becomes a sort of baby sling. Yeah, I know--doesn't exactly sound life changing, but I use mine all the time and Piper loves to be in it! It looks a little intimidating to put on, but it comes with an easy to read instruction booklet that shows you how to put it on and I picked it up in no time. I had and still have, an infant carrier/backpack thing with Ryder but to be honest, hardly ever used it... However, I found that the second time around when you have a house to take care of, meals to cook, and another kid to entertain, these slings/backpacks/carriers are a necessity!! I'm sure I will use and enjoy my baby carrier with Piper once she gets a little bigger, but for now, the moby wrap is perfect because it allows piper to snuggle right up to me and usually it puts her right to sleep... Love it!

The Boppy Lounger: I know pretty much everyone uses the boppy "pillow" for nursing, and for helping babies learn to sit up on their own, but the boppy lounger is my personal favorite. I got it as a gift when I was pregnant with Ryder and used it all the time. It's basically a huge circular pillow that dips in the middle and is the perfect place to plop a newborn baby into. I love it because it's like a little baby couch, and unlike some of the other big and bulky baby items (papasan chairs, swings, etc) it's super light so it can easily be moved from room to room. Mine often ends up in the kitchen while I'm doing dishes, to the bathroom when I'm in the shower or getting ready, etc.

(newborn boppy lounger)

Diaper Genie 2-Elite: I know, kind of a weird thing to love, but this thing is a lifesaver. I had a diaper genie with Ryder, but it was one that I had to shove my hand down these clamp things to get rid of the diaper and it just disgusted me... The difference with this one is that it's hands free, and I love that. You just step on the bottom pedal and the top opens up, you throw the diaper in, and when you release the foot pedal, the diaper clamps open up and dispose of the diaper... Since babies are so stinky and Piper especially loves to fill her pants, this thing is worth a good review!



(tiny love mobile)

 Tiny Love Baby Mobile and Soothing Sounds Sleep Sheep: Both of these things help Piper get to sleep at night... The mobile is one that was passed down to me from my sister in law, Amy. It's super cute, and has lots of fun patterns that babies like to look at, plays beautiful classical music, and has a little nightlight included. It keeps Piper entertained, which keeps momma happy :) -- I received the sleep sheep from my good friend Elicia. It's this adorable little soft sheep with a soundbox in it which plays different options like the sound of rain, ocean waves, etc. Rain is my favorite and I honestly want one of my own to keep in my room to put me to sleep at night! It's definitely soothing....

Other things I can't live without include good coffee each morning, nuks, ibuprofen, and lots of sweatpants! :)

The Bad--
Evenflo Purely Comfi Bottles: I admit that I bought these bottles based off of looks alone, they had bright fun colors and the slim design seemed like it would work really well. However, Max and I quickly discovered our dislike for them once we started using them. No matter what we did, the nipples leaked and were always very loose when screwed into the top of the bottle. It was super annoying and pretty much all of them did it. Maybe we just got a bad pack or something, but we very quickly went out and bought new bottles altogether and got rid of all the evenflo bottles. (As a side note, we ended  up going with Playtex Ventaire Advanced bottles and they work just great!)

The Ugly--
Okay, I don't really have a review for the ugly-- it just went with the saying :)