Did ya miss me?

Gosh, it's been nearly 2 months since I've posted on here. You'd think life was busy or something. Well, it has been. And this blog has been the lowest on the priority list. Sorry blog. In other news, we've all been doing well. Some quick updates for now, and with pictures of course, and then we'll start paying more attention to you, blog. 

Have a great weekend!

Jackson

{Our outing to a splash pad while running errands}

At 21 months old, he amazes us every single day. He's so smart. New words almost every day. He understands so much and can communicate fairly well. We've also hit the tantrums and whiney stages too. Ah, toddler hood. Not every day is like that though. Lots of playing outside in the water, digging in the sand, trying to chase and catch Lucy the Cat and feeding himself with a spoon and fork. Newest words that are funny sounding: "kuck" is stuck, most things are "owie" because we said it once, he says "hi" at very random times, when he says "peeease" = please he usually whispers it or is on repeat until we acknowledge that we heard him. He's such a budding little guy. He loves pouring water from cup to cup and helping Daddy do anything outside, from planting to watering to fixing stuff. Hard to believe he'll be 2 years old in a few months.

Josh

Working so much and Mr. Fix-it around the house. He's our favorite person in the world! We had a beautiful garden this spring in self-watering containers built by Josh. We had some huge zucchini squash produce as well as some cucumber and even some small bell peppers. Not many tomatoes or strawberries, but again the heat came in and I don't think the veggies or fruits are too fond of 102°F and hotter. Looking forward to the fall when we can grow some more. A new grill for Father's Day has inspired some outdoors grilling action going on. Enjoyed our first cedar plank grilled salmon along with grilled corn on the cob a few nights ago. Yum!

Char

Watching the weather. Running races. Cooking up new and exciting (ok, maybe not super exciting) meals. And juggling both of these busy boys. Speaking of racing, since January, I've done a race each month, or close enough. February didn't have any, but March had one in the beginning and one in the end, so I count it as Februarch. I think I'm hooked on running major races. I used to run in middle and high school and am getting back into it. Love it! Weather is getting more exciting to watch here in Arizona as our Monsoon has started, though no Monsoon moisture yet. Patiently waiting for the clouds to arrive. I need to get better about posting more cooking recipes and photos. Some things we've been enjoying a lot of are fresh fruits, avocados, strawberries, bananas and apples daily, steamed rice with steamed veggies, grilled chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes. Trying to mix it up and not use so much pasta (gosh, I love me some pasta) and incorporate more veggies (as if I need to incorporate more!). Meal time prep is pretty tough when you have two very demanding boys in your life and a schedule that doesn't have much time for myself, but I try to make use of prep time to prepare things I need. And anything that helps is great!

Lucy the Cat

Gotta have a section for her, right? She's doing well. No changes. She eats, sleeps and repeats. Yes, I may be that crazy cat lady. I'm OK with that.

And, if you couldn't tell, I document a lot on Instagram. Follow me there for more craziness. 

*Knock, Knock* Are you there?

Yes, I am still here. Alive and well. Scratch that, fighting a bit of a cold/allergies as we speak, but I am alive and well. It has been a while since I've blogged. I'm getting back to reading more blogs and hopefully writing some more. Life has just been on full speed lately and blogging has taken the brunt of the things that aren't on the top priority list. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love to blog & keep up to date with all of you but my little bean and hubby along with work take most of my time. 

Trying to keep up with pictures of my little guy. Gosh he is just getting so big and growing great! Rolling over and babbling all the time. We've been battling our first cold/allergies and he's been a trooper. Though the sleeping at night has back tracked and we've been very tired, I know we'll get back to the good hours we have had. We've tried to start on some solid foods but haven't had the best luck so we're backing off for now. All in due time I'm sure he'll like it and get the hang of it. 

{Taking a nap with mommy :) }

{Cousin Valerie visits in January}

{New Years Day, Grand Canyon, AZ}

Here in Phoenix, things have been pretty quiet. Enjoying the cool winter with days in the 60s and nights in the 40s. Almost forgot what it was like to wake up to snow and have to scrape the windshield and warm your car up before heading out to work. How lucky we've been!


I've been cooking and doing a lot in the kitchen, just haven't posted about it. I've been trying to focus on being more efficient in the kitchen and making things ahead of time and saving time. Time is key! Especially when you have a lot to juggle like working full time, an almost 5 month old child, husband, house to keep clean, laundry, kitchen to clean...oh and sleep somewhere in there maybe. Trying to keep the menu full of variety, fruits and veggies. 

{ First attempt at pot pie with homemade crust }

Until later...Have a wonderful weekend!

Many Faces of Jackson

Yes, I'm that mom who takes a million pictures of her child. Do you blame me? When he's this cute, you have to take lots of pictures!

This little guy melts my heart. Absolutely love him. It's been a rough week back to work, just missing this guy tons. I truly adore him and our time together. 

Getting back on my feet of blogging (been WAY too long!), uploading pictures, sent out birth announcements only 6 weeks after he was born, got Christmas shopping done BEFORE Thanksgiving (go me!), sent Christmas cards...whew! It is definitely a learning curve how to manage time with a little one. Thinking ahead is a whole new thing. I always thought of myself as a planner, but now I have to plan extra far in advance especially when going somewhere and getting things done. And I can function just fine on 4-5 hours of sleep. 6-7 hours is heaven! Sleeping in until 5:30am is FABULOUS! 

Here's to a wonderful Tuesday!

How Time Flies

It is extremely hard to believe that it is the middle of December already. But it is. My little man is almost 3 months old. Can we make time stop please?! I've been busy loving him and spending precious time with him and now I'm back to work, day 3. So far, so good. I've cried, yes. But Jackson is doing well!

Yes, this feels like me. Especially with all the emails I had to go through (still have to go through) at work and the catching up I'm doing. I need to post pictures and updates and everything, but have been busy. Soon though, I promise. I have not forgot about the blog. And I haven't had time to read all of your other blogs :( Soon, I promise.


Hope you all are doing well and getting ready for Christmas.

Love this little guy! So glad Joshy takes so many pictures of us :) I'll have some family pictures to share soon as well :) 


Have a wonderful weekend!