Whipped Cream

Tonight Josh and I headed to The Cheese Cake Factory for a date night, only Kale came along too. It is a slight downside to having a new baby and not having grandparents down the street, however, it just gives us more time together as a family…and provides more stories like these… …It was a typical dinner out with a six month old baby. Parents passing the baby back and forth while they shove down spoonfuls of their food. The other parent bouncing the baby, making crazy faces, and squeaking every toy in the diaper bag, trying to buy enough time for each plate to be cleared of every last bite. No matter how crazy the dinner ever gets there is no rushing through desert, espically at the Cheesecake Factory. We both sit in silence as we read through the list of over 25 different kinds of cheesecakes, until we each come to our conclusion. Josh orders an Oreo cheesecake and I go with their most popular strawberry cheesecake. The server only takes a few minutes before returning with two HUGE slices of cheesecake and a spoonful of whipped cream on top of each. Josh started in on his cheesecake first as I bounce Kale up and down on my lap, trying to keep him entertained for just 5 more minutes. Kale, not giving in spits out his pacifier right into the fresh pile of whipped cream on my cheesecake and starts expressing his ever growing boredom. As I am trying to control the situation I pick the pacifier out of the huge pile of whipped cream and lick it off. Josh looks up and begins to burst into laughter and says, “That’s called mommy sexy.” I guess licking whipped cream off of our child’s pacifier while he begins throwing a fit, is about as sexy as it’s getting for awhile.

Very little blog posts

We have just been enjoying daddy finally being back with us!

I always wondered if Kale would have a special bond with Josh, even though He had to deploy when Kale was only six weeks old.
Since the moment Josh walked off the plane back in Las Vegas and grabbed Kale they have been non stop giggling. Babies and their daddies have a special bond.

Enjoying the moment

Kale takes three naps a day. I usually try to clean or do things around the house. Edit photos or take care of bills. I fill every minuet Kale allows me. All mommies are go go go, but today was a special day. I put Kale down for his morning nap.

I didn't start the laundry, put the dishes away, take a shower or get dressed. I crawled back into bed and gave Kingston some much needed cuddle time. We soaked up the whole hour, no tv on or playing with my cell phone. I laid in bed and watched the sunshine leak in through the half opened blinds as Kingston's 80 pound furry body spooned up next to mine.

Hope you had a great Easter

Happy Easter

Our Easter celebration began yesterday. Kale and I made fresh banana pudding for our Easter dinner tonight…however, it didn’t make it through the night. I found myself tip toeing down the stairs last night, opening the frig and diving right into the fresh cut bananas, pudding and wafer cookies. Such a simple desert to make but it hits the spot in so many ways, and was a great start to one of the best nights of sleep that I have experienced in months.

This morning we headed out to Mimi’s café, it’s a chain restaurant right down the road from our house but they have the most amazing waffles. And after living in Anchorage, AK for two years without ever finding anywhere that served them, I never take them for granted now. Or a morning breakfast that we all share together. As we dug into the fresh Belgium waffles Josh and I reflected on what a crazy week we had and how thankful he came home from deployment just in time for Easter. I am getting baptized this morning at our church, and it just seems so perfect in so many ways. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and warm, I have my family together again, and I am receiving eternal life.I will never forget this Easter.

Naptime Mode

Last August my sister, Kerry, came to visit us in Las Vegas. We had just moved here and I was 8 months pregnant. Kerry brought her daughter Madelyn, who at the time was almost five months old. The trip was really for us to spend some time together before my newest edition, Kale arrived. Josh and I still living the no kids lifestyle were apparently “extremely loud” people my sister informed us. When Madelyn went down for a nap there was to be NO noise made in the house. I thought this was a simple task; we would just go downstairs and catch up on some of the things taped on the DVR. Well the TV had to be at volume 3 and when the commercials came on even lower to volume 2. There would be zero talking, walking around, opening doors, sneezing. Something’s were just out of our control, like the dog getting up and shaking, or a car door slamming outside. Kerry would just look over at us once one of these noises was made and she would give a death glance. We were both scared. However, 45 minutes later Madelyn would wake up, Kerry would snap out of ‘nap time mode’, and we’d all be laughing, sharing stories and playing with the puppies…until two hours later when it all started over again. After waving goodbye to Kerry and Madelyn we got in the car and both looked at each other…”We won’t end up like that”.

Fast Forward to present time…There is one rule in this house hold, NO NOISE WHILE BABY IS SLEEPING. This rule does not get broken or you’re dealing with momma bear!

Moment in Time

It is a beautiful 70 degrees in Las Vegas, clear blue skies & a slight breeze. Literally the perfect day, and if I could order a day it would be just this.
Josh is home and the family is complete again, and when you look at the big picture, it’s all I can ever ask for. Slowing it down, putting away my phone, turning off the TV. All the distractions that pull us in a million directions. I want to be taking a million snap shots in my head. I want to remember Kale as a beautiful baby laughing while his father is chasing the dogs around. Our house is full of light and joyful noise. Even though the curtains are shut and Kale’s laugh is the only sound, it is enough to fill my heart. It is enough to fill our whole entire house. How am I so lucky.

So today is peaceful, today is another day God has blessed us to be a family. None of us ever really know how many of these days we have, and I am thankful that I can't see into the future, because I am truly living for the day.

Home

Coming Home

Josh is arriving at the Las Vegas airport tomorrow morning around 10am! And Kale and I will be there to greet him and welcome him home. Even as I am writing this now my stomach is full of butterfly's and excitement.
I think the fact that he will be reunited with Kale for the first time in five months is even more exciting than Josh and I seeing each other. And that's how I know we are officially parents!
Because I know I wouldnt remember to grab a photo of the whole event, a local photographer is meeting us at the airport in the morning to help capture this moment for us. I hope this is something Kale can look back on and think how awesome and selfless his father is. Josh freely gave up watching his son grow from 6 weeks old to 6 months. To insure Kale sleeps safe and peaceful and to protect our freedom. Something I never really gave much thought about until Josh joined the Air Force.
However, I can say that I am much aware at how much freedom truly costs. And I am so thankful and proud of Josh and the many others who give of themselves and put their lives and their families lives on hold!

So excited!! :) I'm sure Kale wont be the only one up at night!

Tonight's the night

So tonight's the night. Write it down in the baby book. No more up every hour. No more feedings all night long. I can't do it anymore, I have been preparing myself for this day awhile now. Reading the books about letting a baby 'cry it out'.
I wanted to make sure I knew exactly how long to wait, how many times to go back in, everything because this Is my chance to do it the week before Josh comes home. As Kales 6 months now and the doctor gave me the go ahead today at his check up.

The night began just like normal, bath time, stories to follow and a little playtime before Kale drifted off to sleep. ( that's never the hard part, it comes about an hour and half later when Kale wakes up, starting a trend ranging from every hour to every other hour ).
It happens right in the middle of American Idol, at first I don't hear it, I just see the red light flicker on the monitor and my heart sinks. 169 nights I have done this alone, heard the first cry and I know I'm in for a long night. Wishing I could just snap my fingers and be able to crawl into bed and drift off into 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
But it's not going to happen that easily, but it will start tonight. As I walk my tried little body up the stairs I can start to hear Kales cries, coming from the monitor that's on in my bedroom. I take a deep breath and enter his room. Patting his back and putting the pacifier back in and I slip out. This continues over the next hour. The whole house is filled with cries because there is a monitor on upstairs and downstairs.

Finally Kale drifts off into sleep again and I head to the bedroom where I find Kingston in the corner, head down and tail tucked...so scared he peeped all over the place. I guess apparently I should have informed him that we were doing this tonight, guess Kingston wasn't ready yet!