I was shocked when his first birthday came so quickly. And then his second. But now his third? His third? This is just getting to be a bit crazy, how quickly that clock is spinning! I had tears in my eyes last week when I realized that next year we'll be prepping for 4K at this time! How is my baby going to school already next year?!

Garrett,

I can't hardly believe it's true but the calendar tells me so. Today is your birthday, your third birthday.

With each passing day I watch you become more and more of a "kid" and less dependant on me. In some ways that really tugs at my heart and makes me sad. But then I remember how incredibly lucky we are to have gotten you in the first place, how grateful I am to have been chosen to be your mom.

You are such a sweet and sensitive soul but a firecracker just the same. There is never a dull moment with you around. Dubbed our little "Sour Patch, Sweet Tart" you are a wonderful combo of amazing and challenging.

You have a passion for life already and I hope that always burns deep. You are a go-getter, Type A, takin' care of (more like bossin') business sort and with that there's no stopping you. You are my first born, favorite toddler, handsome handy helper and for every ounce of you, I am thankful.

Momma loves you something fierce Garrett.

Don't ever forget that.

Happy, happy third birthday sweet boy!

The Day Before You Turn Three

I say it constantly but I'm just not sure how we got here so quickly. How is it possible that my precious first born is turning three tomorrow? I can't hardly believe it.

Garrett,

Part of me is excited as you are growing and changing so much lately Garrett. You are turning into a real life kid right before my eyes, learning so much every single day. I love watching you learn the world and interact with the things around you. Having conversations that consist of more than baby talk is also something I enjoy quite a lot.

But there's a large part of me that is incredibly sad. As you grow you're becoming less and less dependent on me and far more interested in doing things for yourself. These days you can put your own clothes on, along with your socks & shoes. You're using the potty like a rock star! (Most days anyway!) You fill your cups when they are empty, you climb on counters to fetch your own snacks when momma is too slow.

Your imagination, spunky outlook and constant need to make people smile are traits that I'm sure will stick with you through life. Though there are times you frustrate the heck out of us there are so, so many more moments of joy.

Remember as you grow Garrett that no matter how old you get, how independent you get I will forever think of you as my baby. You are my precious first born, the one that first called me momma. You'll always hold the most special place in my heart little one.

Know that you are loved Garrett. You are fiercely, absolutely loved. 
Happy birthday Eve my boy. 
I love you.

Simply Magical

I don't really know what it is but isn't there something sort of magical about bubbles? I am always fascinated by watching them. The way the float on a soft breeze, land atop a pointy blade of grass only to stay there for a short minute before popping?

It comes as no surprise to me that when wandering the aisles of our hardware store I rushed to snag a bubble machine I found on clearance! I knew that Garrett would have a blast chasing the bubbles and what a joy it was to watch him do so!

It was one of those moments, in the middle of a hectic week where nothing seemed to matter. In that moment it was just the simple, small things that meant the most to my heart.

Gannon: Five Months

How is this happening?? It can't really be true...five months already?? That means next month my baby, my (once) tiny peanut will be 1/2 a year. Where in the heck has the time gone? Literally every month seems to go faster and faster and while there are certainly moments that I wish for him to age a bit so I'm able to regain some independence there are many more moments where tears come to my eyes thinking about how quickly this is going. Gannon, my dearest dimple baby...

Five Months As Of 08.18.16
Stats: We don't see the pedi again until next month, for a six month check but my quick at home measurements are roughly 16.6lbs and 25.5inches long! He's growing for sure! He's definitely smaller than Garrett was at this point but I would expect that as he was just under two pounds lighter at birth.

Features: Talk about cute! I have literally caught myself saying (out loud) this week "If they're all as cute as you two, I'll have 82 more!" It seems like a no brainer. I mean really...when you're like the Michael Phelps of baby making you just don't want to quit. Two adorable babies is great but wouldn't 28 be better...who cares if you're suddenly too old to jump out of the pool keep up with them anyway??!? His hair seems lighter which almost makes me think that he'll maybe be blonde? his eyes are a handsome blueish grey.
Sleep: Oyyee. I thought we where doing well for awhile there. We regressed. Oh boy, did we regress! Our newest schedule SUCKS and has me on edge and grumpy nearly every moment of the day. So, here's how it goes. 6pm rolls around and Gannon is like fussy...real fussy. We hold him off until as close to 7pm as possible. Lately he's then awake around 8pm, screaming his head off. He falls back asleep quickly when you pick him up. He then sleeps until about 1am. That sounds great, I know. I mean it is a solid five hours. Here's the hang up. I also have to get Garrett to bed, shower, pack my work bags, pack their bags and pick up the house...meaning I finally hit the hay around 10pm. That leaves me a whole three hours of sleep before he's awake. It wouldn't be so bad if he woke, drank a bottle & went back to sleep. But, in typical fashion my children aren't that easy. Instead he drinks a bottle, fusses a bit, dozes off and times he re-awakening perfectly as to when I am just falling back asleep. Then, by the time I finally get him asleep again my alarm is blaring in my ear. Fan-f'ing-tastic! He's up, up for the day at 5am then.

Nap wise he'll usually nap for about a 1/2 hour around 7am then, an hour around 9am and then 1-2 hours around 1pm. The afternoon is a mix up but I usually get another 1/2(ish) around 4pm.

He's a rolling and flipping machine lately so we have mostly abandoned the rock & play and he's been sleeping in his crib. I really think the closeness 7 security of the rock & play is something he misses so I've been trying my best to swaddle him to some extent...which he hates.

Eating: Bottle wise, all formula. 4ozs every three hours. We also started some oatmeal around four months and have since ventured onto apples and sweet potatoes. He literally makes the funniest faces with both the apples and sweet potatoes, sort of like he hates them both but every time he opens right up for more.

Diapering: Size two, Target brand

Clothing: Mainly 3-6m and 6m stuff though I did wash some of the 6-9m stuff as well. He's a chunky little one so sometimes it's a challenge to get his arms and thighs to fit into the holes. He's been living in a simple onesie or romper as it's been SO hot here lately. And, in all honestly...most days he's nudie like big brother.

Social: Who bess does he make his mind/needs known! He started this shrilly scream when he gets upset and it drives me INSANE. It's so high pitched and lately he does more of it than not. He love, love to people watch and is always all about his daddy and big brother! When he's in a good mood, he's a smile machine and still has a dimple that makes me melt.
Nicknames: Gannon McFannon, Fus McGus, Little Bean (daddy's favorite), Chunk, Little Fellow (from big brother), Donald Trump-a-Grump (from Hammie)


Likes: Big brother, the bathroom fan (our #1 way to lull him to sleep), his Cloud B giraffe, teethers, chewing, standing (with help), anything that lights up and makes noise. We recently started putting him in the jumperoo (with a pillow under his feet) and that keeps him busy for a short while. He really loves to be apart of the action and is just not content to be left alone.

Dislikes: Being stationary in his car seat, having his hair dried, the wind & sun, when mom/dad fake cry (he busts out in big tears!) having his nails clipped, being left alone for more than 28 seconds and laying down.

Watermelon Mint Lemonade

Literally. This is heaven in a cup. Not even kidding you!

Whether it be a night spent on the deck. A BBQ with friends. Or an afternoon spent soaking up sunshine...this is the perfect drink for any of those! I promise! It's light, it's refreshing and it tastes AMAZING! Also, alcohol could be added...if that suits your style 😉

Watermelon Mint Lemonade

Ingredients (1 glass)

• 6 mint leaves
• 1/3 cup pureed watermelon
• 1/2 cup lemonade
• ice cubes

Instructions

Puree one cup of chopped watermelon in a blender
Muddle the mint in the bottom of a glass

Add ice, watermelon puree, and lemonade

Stir and serve immediately

Mumbo-Jumbo

Oyyee. Where does the time go? I was doing well there for awhile, keeping the boys on a similar midday nap schedule but that sort of went out the window along with my momma time. It was a hard thing to deal with, especially since it seemed to go hand in hand with sleep regression and Gannon had me up every two hours at night, once again. We're working through it though.

Luckily today brought same time naps, and for that I am grateful. I have been struggling more than I ever imagined lately and it's been hard to pick myself up and get back on my good track. I just have no energy, am SO tired all the time and moody! Holy moods! Pair that with the last 7lbs of baby weight, clothes that are still too tight in areas and the famous post baby hair loss and I basically feel like a sweaty, hairless sloth.

Attractive right?

Yep, I thought so too.

Why aren't my thighs this cute in the pool?

If you're curious to know it's about seven million degrees outside today. And by seven million I actually mean eight, eight million. It is crazy warm and I'm hating every minute of it. The real feels are currently bumping mid 90's to 100*. Five years ago I would have been ecstatic about this warmth. But then I got pregnant and became intolerant of heat. Honestly, any amount of heat just makes me feel like I'm going to faint lately which isn't so pleasant. I try to deal with it as best possible, especially because Garrett LOVES being outside but most of the time that leaves me feeling crappy & irritated. Darn pregnancy, messing things up!

In other news. August is literally flying right along and that makes me a bit sad. Garrett's third birthday is in 17 days. 17 days and my baby will be three. Where has the time gone? I literally tear up thinking about it because it's just gone so darn fast. I think that is one of the hardest things for me, is seeing the time go whizzing by because I know that other than doing my best to soak it in there's not much I can do to slow it down. But, with everyday comes a new adventure and I'm incredibly grateful for two adorable, healthy boys! I've been knee deep in party planning, slacker mode as usual. I sent the invites to the printer today and will be mad man rushing to get them mailed on time. Perhaps we'll stick with hand deliveries this year?? I really, really love the invitations though and the shop (Oh Be Joyful Shop) I ended up stumbling upon. Jessie was so, so wonderful to work with and I'm excited to show you all the invitations once I've got my hands on them!

It also came to mind that Gannon is almost five months old now (eight days to go!) and I'm trying to figure out how in the world that happened. All of our fears and worries seem like just yesterday but they are much farther than that. I've started feeling open to the idea of sharing his birth story and am looking forward to writing that soon. Despite my specialists reassuring me, I had so much fear that day. I just couldn't wait to hold him in my arms, count his toes and see for myself that he really was alright. So, for those of you waiting for his birth story...it's coming. Promise.

I've also been doing a lot of soul searching lately. I have this unsettled feeling in my heart and I'm not sure where's it's stemming from...or what I'm to do with it. I have full faith that the answer will become apparent, when the time is right. Because of this I've been doing a bit more job searching as I feel drawn in different directions. I've haven't found what feels right yet, but the search in itself is sort of exciting.

With all of that rambling, mumbo-jumbo I think I may have just wasted your time. But, it's what's on this ole' brain of mine right now. So, we'll go with it...

Bad Mom's

A new shirt. An outfit other than jammies, scrubs. Without remnants of dried breast milk or baby spit up.

A half hour car ride swapping gossip and "guess whats"

Eight grown women, seven of whom are moms.

A bucket of popcorn larger than my head.

A pizza shared with my boss.

An hour & 45 minute movie.

Many gut wrenching laughs.

And a few tears...

Four hours spent outside the house, with no responsibilities.

Talk about a great night. I headed North last week and saw Bad Mom's with some of my co-workers. Talk about a hilarious movie! I loved every single minute of it! The entire theater was in tears from laughing at times and we left wanting to head in and watch it again. Literally, I recommend it for every mom out there! It's on my to-buy list for sure but I wouldn't be surprised if I make it to a theater to see it again...

Anyone else see it? What did you think of it?

Parmesan Zucchini Wedges

We planted two zucchini plants in our garden this year with a fair warning (from my momma) that they likely would produce WAY more zucchini then we'd ever use. Boy, was she right! I've eaten more zucchini this month then I've eaten in my entire life...combined! I was never a huge lover of zucchini but I'm learning that it tastes pretty dang good if you prepare it right! And my favorite way, thus far includes some spices and parmesan cheese! So delicious!

 

Parmesan Zucchini Wedges

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, quartered lengthwise

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.

Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan mixture.

Place into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes.

Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

The next thing on my list is chocolate zucchini bread. I don't know exactly why but it sounds dang delicious in my mind!