Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

It came to my attention last weekend that we had an offer for a free photo book on shutterfly that was set to expire on January 31.  So I made this super cheesy, super quick photo book commemorating 2012.

6 Months of Piper!

Ever feel like you're in a time warp? I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Piper could possibly be six months old already.  On Wednesday we got to see just how much our dear Pipes has grown in her short time on the planet when we met our friend Nikki's new baby, Xavier. Their short five month age difference seemed much larger as Piper's head is about the same size as Xavier's entire body. As predicted, Salem bored of our visit rather quickly so he and Miguel slipped away to enjoy a chilly morning at the City Park playground. 

Nikki shared her birth story, which was rather humbling for me.  I feel so blessed to have had relatively smooth pregnancies and deliveries.  The more tales of motherhood that I hear, the more I realize just how different our experiences can be.  I'm sure if it was just Piper and I visiting, we would have stayed all afternoon but my boys needed to sleep so our trip was short and sweet. 

Between swimming with our friends, Kylee (http://kyleeschwab.wordpress.com/), Cherylynn and their twins, Henry and JoJo on Sunday, fighting off potential illness on Monday, a wagon ride to the park on Tuesday, meeting Xavier on Wednesday and a trip to Fort Collins today, we have had a busy week! Thank you to our friends for sharing your time and families with us and cheers to Piper for making the last six months even brighter than I could have imagined!

Can you believe these adorable outfits are size 12 month?!

7 year itch?

Yesterday marked the seven year anniversary of our relationship.  Seriously, how in the world do seven years pass so quickly? I once heard that the dynamics of one's relationship have a tendency to alter during the seventh year and some people are even tempted to stray.  I can whole heartedly and honestly say that I am more in love with Miguel today than ever and would NEVER even consider the thought. Not that we don't have struggles and fights, but we always manage to solve our problems and end up on the high road.

So this is my quick post (a day late but nonetheless) to shout out, I LOVE YOU MIGGY!! Thank you for being my friend, partner, lover and sexy husband! I am grateful for your presence in my life each and every minute the day and I cannot wait to share endless adventures with you!

~This is the only 'recent' pic that has both of us!~

* And a quick THANK YOU to my sister, Sara, who was kind enough to watch the kids on Saturday so Miguel and I could celebrate.  We went ice skating then shared some much needed laughs over appetizers and cocktails at PF Changs.

Liberation!!

When I was a kid, my hair was long and it stayed that way until I was a teenager in search of a way to express my rebellion.  After that first short haircut (which landed me in a great deal of trouble with my father), I have been traveling down the same rolling road of growing my hair long and then cutting it super short.  About four years ago, I chopped my hair off yet again and donated the ponytail, then I began the old growing out phase once more.  Since then, I got married and had two babies all the while letting the mane grow.

It's soo long!

Wee!!

On Monday, after months of losing handfuls of hair (thank you postpartum hormones), I opted to go short once more! There is something super liberating about cutting away something that has been apart of you for years.  I figured that if I'm serious about making big changes this year, why not start with the thing that is the easiest to alter?  Plus, my hair will (hopefully) make a nice wig for someone in need.

Much better!

This is the look of Liberation!

Piper's First....

One of the greatest parts of having children is watching them experience so many new things.  You only get so many 'firsts' in your lifetime and many of those come in that first year of life.  This week our little Piper Jane had some notable firsts that I just had to share.  On Sunday, I realized (after a few sleep deprived nights) that Piper should probably try solid foods and that I should accept that my baby girl is growing fast.  I was trying to hold out until her six month 'birthday', which is next Tuesday, but she was telling me otherwise. So, on Monday, Piper got her first taste of rice cereal mixed with breast milk. I forgot just how funny babies are when they first try solid foods! She had this intense look on her face as though she was bound and determined to figure this eating thing out, but couldn't really manage more than a few tiny bites.  However, as the week has progressed, she can actually take in a few spoonfuls with pride.

Alright, I'm gonna eat!

Does it always taste like this?!?!

 Piper also went swimming for the first time today.  I was filled with mixed emotions when I slipped her into her adorable swimwear (which I bought on clearance shortly after she was born), mostly because my six-month old fit perfectly into a size 12month suit! Seriously, this girl is growing too fast.  For the last year, we have held a membership at the funplex/gym, which has an amazing pool setup for kids young and old.  Unfortunately, our membership is coming to a close and we have opted not to renew it for a number of financial reasons. Anyway, I had a few free passes that also expire next week, so my sister-in-law, niece and nephew drove out to swim with me and Piper.  Piper loved it and was instantly splashing away! Her cousin, Govanni was a bit slower to warm up to the idea but eventually they played together in their little baby ways. Piper loved laying on her back, relaxing along my legs and enjoying the nice warm water. 

Govanni, Maria and Piper

Loving Cousins

Gettin' Mama

What do you do?

What is it about this year that is so freeing?  Maybe it’s because I’m not pregnant and my brain cloud is finally clearing.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I am coming to terms with my conflicting ways.  This week I had an epiphany that has completely changed me.

Throughout my adulthood I have always struggled with how to answer the ridiculous question, “What do you do?”.  Thinking about a career has always been a festering sore in my side and kept me awake many a night. Well, I no longer have to waste my time searching for an answer, for the answer has been right in front of me for the last 3 years.  I’m a homemaker/stay-at-home mom/housewife and I’m really good at it.  I love what I do and my job is very important, regardless of the fact that I don’t bring home a paycheck.

I believe the reasons behind my lag in this discovery can be traced back to the thought that unless you contribute financially, you are not doing your part.  What a silly notion! Now that I realize I was choosing my own misery by allowing myself to believe I wasn’t doing enough, change is inevitable.  A giant boulder of frustrations has been knocked off my shoulders and I feel lighter.  I feel ready to finally be totally present at home and with my family.  With the worry gone, I can concentrate on things of real importance like raising my children and living a happy, healthy life together!

Photo Book Wedding Present

 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

 Back in October, we took our first family trip and drove from Milliken, CO to North Adams, MA to see our good friends take the marriage plunge.  This is the wedding gift we made for them.  Hopefully Ann and Mitch see the actual book before this post :-)

Being the frugal gal I am, I made this book for free after cashing in Coke Rewards.  We don't drink soda but we sure do take advantage of the family members who choose to! Thanks Mom and Dad.  I did, however, fork over the funds for shipping; a whopping $8. 

Happy Marriage Ann and Mitch!!

Salem the Artist

Now that things have settled back into a bit of normalcy, we are finally getting the chance to play with all the new toys.  Salem was in an artsy mood first thing and wanted to paint and glue stuff.  I cleared off the kitchen table and mentally prepared myself for disaster.  Much to my surprise, Salem was a wonderful artist! He followed my directions and his first project was a mixed media piece.  He cut small pieces of paper and then sporadically glued them to a piece of card stock.
 

 

For his next masterpiece, he opted for the simple yet understated watercolors.  Soon, a meddled explosion of shapes and colors appeared on his paper.  All of which he explained thoroughly as he painted, "Mom"- scribble, scribble.  'Dad'- new color, more circles.  'Delilah/Sam'- scribble.  'Pipey"- Lots of paint and swirls and scribbles.  One on top of the other.  An indecipherable piece to the naked eye and non-observer, but a work of art to me.

A Crafty Christmas Past

Now that we have finally finished distributing all of our handmade Christmas gifts, I figured it was time to share our awesomeness! As a challenge to the consumer driven madness that engulfs Christmas, we decided to set a very small budget for the 30+ gifts we wanted to give.  So with $35 (now this number is out-of-pocket expenses and I realize this wouldn't have been possible without a decent craft goods stash already on hand) and some creativity, this is what we made:

4 different baby toys

5 drool bibs

1 super hero cape

3 super hero masks

2 bean bag games

8 scarfs + 3 accent flowers

2 framed family photos (printed at home and used old frames)

2 framed photo posters (made on shutterfly for free after redeeming Coke Rewards points, which my parents collect for us.  Yes, we take advantage of other peoples' bad habits.  We also used old frames that we already owned)

3 batches of frozen cookie dough balls

Hopefully everyone liked their handmade gems!

New Year, New Me

I suppose the New Year has something to do with the recent fire under my butt. Perhaps it’s more of a combination of factors at play; Miguel is working two jobs so he’s home less, my kids are growing crazy fast and I want to document more, I miss having a social connection with the outside world on a regular basis, I have finally/recently come to terms with me and I want to hold myself accountable.

Recently, I discovered ME; as in me, I, yo.  For as long as I can remember I have been living in a conflicted state of being.  I have always felt the need to create, to work with my hands and my heart but I have pushed myself towards trying to find a more lucrative career.  I have trouble finding satisfaction in ordinary jobs and therefore have had LOTS of them.  With every new step I take towards something I believe would fulfill me, I run away with my tail between my legs.  My fear of failure has kept me from succeeding yet I also fail because of my fear of success. See the conflict?

So I came to these conclusions:

1)      I am a dreamer.  I am ‘that’ friend.  You know, the one who always has some hair brained idea that she shares with passion yet she never follows through.  The friend who means well but just can’t seem to get her shit together career wise.

2)      There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a dreamer and I should keep my mind open.

3)      This year, I resolve to live my life for me and to follow my heart.  To no longer allow outside voices to dictate what is appropriate for me or my family.

4)      Time to use my creativity for a bigger purpose and to allow that side of me to flourish.

5)      I shall embrace my differences and count them as strengths rather than weaknesses.

As you may be able to gather, until now I made a lot of excuses and refused to take full responsibility for myself and my downfalls.  As my children grow, I realize that I may be setting them up for failure to, unless I change my ways.  I’m a firm believer in leading (parenting) by example, so if I want to raise holistically successful children, I had better start living by the same expectations.  Really, who doesn’t want to be fulfilled in all areas of their lives?

For reals this time!

Here we go! Another year has begun and we are off to a wonderful start.  A million things have changed since I last posted on this blog.  Rather than writing a giant post to get you all up to speed, I have decided to take a different route.  Cinful Sweets is undergoing a serious makeover and I will post all of our madness over time.  This time around, I am fully armed with a new Canon SLR and plenty to share (like stories about these two cuties)!