My 36th Birthday

Today started my 36th trip around the sun!  At first I was feeling a bit old today.  36.  Like, almost 40, essentially.  But then I remembered one of my goals is to grow old, so this is just one step along the way!  (Although if time wanted to perhaps slow down a bit I also wouldn't be complaining!)

The girls and I made a cake and while I was working out they decorated it with Brian and we all partook in cake festivities after dinner.

I've always loved having a May birthday.  It's the start of summer, school's out or almost out, and it's just an exciting time of year.  It felt no different this time!  Happy birthday, me!

Side note: My Dad is 63 this year.  My Mom is 60.  My brother is 33.  My daughter's are 6 and 3.  And I'm 36.  Lots of threes and sixes in 2018!

Date Night

At the start of 2015, we knew it was going to be an extremely eventful year!  Three of Brian's cousin's are all getting married this year.  We are having another baby.  My brother and his wife are having a baby.  My sister is graduating from her cardiac sonography program, and my youngest brother is becoming an Eagle Scout, just to name a few of those big things.  (Trust me when I say these are just a few of those things going on this year.  There are many, many other things too!)

Last night, we had the first of the three weddings.  Emma (Brian's cousin) and Bryce tied the knot!  They did not invite kiddos to their wedding so we had Miss Heidi, one of Kate's teachers, come and babysit while we had a little date night.  Brian and I don't get out much.  The main reason for this, for me, is because my time is very limited with Kate while I'm working and the free time that I do have I want to be spending it with her.  SO, it's been a while since we got all snazzy and headed out sans child in tow.  (Though, in reality, we actually did have Little Sis in tow so I guess we weren't really sans child!)

Emma and her Dad, Joe.

We clean up nicely!

Brian and his Mom, Mary.

I thought the flowers on the cake were gorg!

Jill, Tom, and me.

The girls - Mary, Aunt Judy, Jill, and me.

We had a great time dancing, chatting, and enjoying the beautiful setting.  Brian and Tom have been working diligently on getting the ceiling light/fan installed in Sister Bear's room and they have just recently got it working.  I joked with them that after all of their time and effort we would take it down and replace it with one of the gorgeous crystal chandeliers that hung in the ballroom we were in.  #iwasjoking  #butiwasnt

The chandelier would've been a tad too big, but it would have been stunning!  Maybe next time, right?!

Emma and Bryce had a beautiful wedding and are headed to St. Lucia.  Going to weddings brings back a flood of emotions and memories of my own and everything that went on around that time in my life.  It was fun to relive those memories for a bit and share in these new ones with Emma, Bryce and Brian's family.

Meanwhile, back at the ole homestead, Kate and Miss Heidi held the fort down.  Apparently they played with nearly every toy we have and then painted each other's nails.  Yes, Miss Heidi let Kate paint her nails.  While I have painted Kate's nails, I hadn't opened that can of worms yet.  Miss Heidi, you win!  I imagine this will be a favorite thing to do from here on out...

Congrats, Emma and Bryce, and thanks for an awesome date night!

33 Years Old

Yesterday I turned 33!  Life has never been better.  Each year it continues to just get better and better and it amazes me.  I am so thankful to have the people I do in my life.  I'm thankful for my health and my family and my friends.  And I am especially thankful to be a Mommy to a most beautiful and intelligent little girl.

At 33, I thought it might be fun to record a little snapshot of my life right now.  After all, it is always changing.

I get up around 5:45-6:00 am.  I quickly shower, hopefully grab a bite to eat, and try to be out the door by 6:30 am to get to work around 7:00 am.  Kate is usually still sleeping when I leave so I don't typically get to see her in the morning.

I work at a landscape company on the irrigation team in an analyst role and am extremely proud of the part that I have played on my team.  I have been with this company for nearly four years and have been happier doing what I am doing than any other role that I have been in here.  While it still is not my dream job (does anyone know what that is?!), it is a job that helps get the bills paid and allows us to live the life that we enjoy.

I work from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm and then head directly over to daycare to pick up Kate.  I typically get to her around 4:30-4:40 pm and no matter what kind of day I've had, she is the light that always makes it brighter.  I am always my happiest when I'm with her.

She and I typically get home around 5:00 pm and I start dinner or at least figuring out dinner.  We try to eat around 5:30 pm-6:00 pm.

Recently, we have been staying up way later than normal, with the nice weather and what not, but typically we play/walk/go to the park, then take a bath at 7:00-7:15 pm-ish, then it's books and bed for Kate.

I, however, am also expecting Baby #2 - little sister - so most nights when I put Kate to bed, I fall asleep too and just stay in there with her.  (Sorry, Bri.)  I know these moments are fleeting, and judge me if you will for sleeping with my 2.5 year old daughter, but I don't care.  I love it.  She loves it.  We both get a good nights sleep, and we won't be sleeping in the same bed forever.  For the record, we take baths a lot together too.  Sometimes it's just easier that way.  And I imagine once little sister is old enough to bathe without an infant seat, she and Kate and perhaps I will take baths together too.  There's nothing wrong with either of those.

In terms of life in general, I feel really behind.  I joke that I've felt behind since Kate was born, but that is literally the truth.  I'm behind on our blog, which I am really sad about, behind on craft projects that I want to complete, behind on videos that I want to create, behind on gifts I want to make for family members, behind on household chores, and laundry, and meal planning.  I have had a hard time finding the time to do those things because I always want to spend my free time with Kate more, and I don't want her to be sitting next to me, bored out of her little mind, while I type away at a computer or edit a video or search for recipes.  I hope to get caught up somehow, someway, sometime soon.  At least get caught up on our blog.  That is what upsets me the most about being behind - I forget the little details of the moments I so eagerly want to remember when I back date my posts a couple months back...  [Insert sad face here.]

At 33, I know I don't have it all figured out.  I have my moments of despair, self consciousness, doubt, frustration, and anger, but I know a heck of  a lot more and am a heck of a lot more confident than even just 1 year ago.

My biggest fear is dying young.  I don't want to leave my babies.  I know they will always be my babies, but I don't want them growing up without their Mommy.  I don't think there will ever be a "good" time to leave my babies, but I hope and pray that I live a long, happy, healthy, fulfilled life, and I trust that there is a plan for me.

My biggest hope is happiness.  It is elusive, but not impossible.  And it is up to me.  I want to be happy to teach my girls how to be happy at a much younger age than I learned it.  I want to be happy to live a fulfilled life.  I want to be happy for my husband.  I want to be happy for family and friendships and hardships.  I want to be happy for me.  It is a lot easier said than done.  It is a conscious effort that I must mentally remind myself about.  I have grown a lot, learned a lot about myself and am proud of the person I have become in the last 33 years, but I am not perfect and I know there is still room for improvement.

At 33, I've learned that I sometimes need to let it go.  Despite all Frozen references, it really is a good motto and I have adopted it as mine.  I've even thought of getting a bracelet engraved with "let it go" to wear proudly as a reminder!  I've yet to do this, but I've looked into it!  A subtle reminder couldn't hurt.

My favorite cake is still strawberry shortcake.

I am simple.  The little things in life inspire me more than anything else.  I love being outside and spend every chance I can out there.  I love being a Mom more than anything in the world.  And I love Kate even more than that.

I never knew I'd end up in Ohio, but, at 33, that is where I live with Brian, Kate, our dog - Jack, and soon to be little sister too.  I contemplate what it would be like living in Maryland again, and even I don't know if I want to be back there.  I miss my family, but I left for many reasons.  Now I have my own family to consider and Ohio seems to have more pluses than Maryland when I think about it.

I am 33 years old.  And I've also learned that some of my favorite photos of Kate and I are taken on my birthday:

33 years old, officially!  And a strawberry shortcake!
Love.

I still have room to grow, to learn, to become a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, but each year I continue to grow closer to finding happiness, my happiness.  And each year, I am thankful for that.

[End birthday rant.]

Strep Throat

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is official.  Since having a child, I have become a petri dish for all childhood woes.  For example, right before our Florida vacation I got an ear infection.  I haven't had an ear infection in forever.  I was put on antibiotics and I was good to go.  Well, during this past trip to Maryland I had a severe sore throat.  I toughed it out the majority of the trip but I was in a lot of pain.  When I got back, I had had enough and went to the doctor only to find out that I had strep throat.  What the?!  Strep throat?  Also an illness that I can't remember the last time I had...what's worse is the very same day that I went to the doctor about my strep throat, my ear started hurting...Only hours after I had gotten home from the doctor.  By nightfall, my ear was in so much pain I was in tears.  I was back at the doctor the very next day only to find out that I had ANOTHER ear infection on top of having strep throat...What the WHAT?!

I know there are a lot more germs floating around our house now that we have a little kiddo in daycare but now I'm doing my best to ensure that I am the only victim of this.  Having strep throat and ear infections as an adult has allowed me to see and experience the pain littles go through when they have these things but cannot explain the extent of the pain.  I feel for all of the kids out there who have experienced either or both.  And I'm glad I'm back on antibiotics to cure this/these!

Stubborn Love

Yesterday Brian and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage.  In many ways it feels like we have been together much longer than that, in a good way.  We've done a lot in our four years of marriage...A LOT.

We met in 2008 right after Brian moved back to the US after living in Scotland for just over a year.  I moved to Ohio in 2009 and we got engaged shortly thereafter.  In 2010 we got a dog, we got married, and we bought a house.  In 2011 we took a trip overseas to Europe.  In 2012 we had a baby.  Apparently we took a breather in 2013 and here we are in 2014.  Sprinkle in the added ingredients of daily life throughout all those years and it feels like we've been together much longer.  We've had a whirlwind relationship, but I suppose when you know, you just know.

Four years!

While there have been many, many good times in our four year marriage, there have also been trying times. Brian and I are both eldest children.  I'm the eldest of four; Brian is the eldest of two.  We are both stubborn as the day is long.  We know what we want and we want it our way, and a lot of those times our ways are different.  Before Brian and I got married, we were asked to take a pre-marital class.  In this class we took personality tests and learned we are exact opposites on the spectrum.  I am much more of an introvert and he is much more of an extrovert, among other things.  In addition, we both come from divorced families, adding just another bit of stress to already tricky circumstances.

Nonetheless, we continue to navigate through our marriage together.  Learning from one another, teaching one another, working on ourselves individually, and working together to be the best team that we can be for our marriage and for our family. The grass may be greener on the other side, but it's greenest where you water it.  And we are both fully committed and excited to continue watering our grass.

We kept this year pretty low key.  Mimi and Papaw came over to watch Kate while Brian and I headed to dinner at the Pint House, stopped by the dealership to check out Brian's new whip, took a walk around Antrim Park, and stopped for ice cream (or in my case, gummies) on the way back home.

My favorite part of the entire night was our walk.  It was chilly enough to have worn a jacket and such a beautiful night.  Weather like this is unheard of in early August around here.

Our walk around Antrim Park. ♥

Throughout our four years, we've had our ups...

...and our downs.

We've had our days where I drive you crazy...

And our days where you make me want to scream!

But at the end of each of those days, I'm happy we're by each
other's sides.

Happy 4th anniversary, Bri!

I'm so glad we're in this together!

Tres Años

Today marks the three year anniversary of our marriage.  We kept our celebration very simple with a dinner at home this year.  It's incredible how much life changes in three years.

When we celebrated our first anniversary, we took a trip down to Florida and stayed in Orlando.

When we celebrated our second anniversary, we went out to eat at North Star, one of our favorite local spots!  (Also, the date cards never really worked out that well...they are still in my drawer...)

For our third anniversary, dinner at home together with Kate was all we needed.  After all, spending time together with her is something we look forward to most.  With both of us working, we have a limited amount of time with Kate in the evening before she goes to bed.  There's no way either one of us would want to miss out on a single free moment.

Brian - over the last year we had a baby and have grown together as parents as well as individually as a Mommy and a Daddy.  We've seen good days and bad days, long days and short days, hard days and easy days.  No matter the day, there is one very important thing that stays consistent: there's no one that I'd rather have by my side.  You give me inspiration when I least expect it, support when I need it most.  You sometimes know me better than I know myself and I am thankful to have you in my life.  I love you.  Happy third anniversary!

Thirty-One

When I turned thirty last year we were nearly half way through our pregnancy.  We were a week and a half away from finding out we were having a sweet baby girl, and I distinctly remember thinking, "this time next year we will have seven month old!" 

And here we are - this time this year - with our darling baby girl, and I am now thirty-one. 

I had an extra special birthday this year not only because Kate was with us but also because my sister, Amy, happened to be in town, so I got to celebrate with three of my very favorite people!  I am so much more for quality time over presents and homemade presents over store bought, so having a lovely little home celebration was just my style.  Plus, while I do love to travel and explore, I am a complete homebody at heart.

Erin's 31st Birthday!

Thanks for making my 31st birthday so nice!  ♥ you guys!

The Look-Alike Game

One of the very first questions everyone asks about Kate is who does she look like?!  If Brian and I are both with her we usually get the once over with folks looking intently at us and then to Kate and then back at us before a final decision is made!  I will say that after perusing some photos of Baby Brian Kate definitely has some similarities, but there have been several moments starting with one right after Kate was born while we were at the hospital where I felt like I was looking at myself as a baby.  It was absolutely surreal.  As has each moment thereafter been where I've felt the same way.

Anyway, I have finally rounded up some photos of Baby Bri, Baby E, and Baby Kate, so you be the judge!

Who does Baby Kate look like?  Her Daddy or her Mommy?!

Baby Bri, Baby Kate, Baby E.

Note: I'm not sure why Brian's photos look like they are from 1929, but they are all we had to work with.  I can assure you that Brian is not 84 years old.

You Had Me At Woof!

Today we celebrated our two year wedding anniversary with a quaint dinner at Northstar Cafe and a lovely walk around the wildflowers and roses at Whetstone Park.  We took some of our wedding photos and part of our wedding video among said wildflowers, so it was a nice walk down memory lane!

Our wedding day amongst the wildflowers. - Aug. 6, 2010  ♥

There weren't quite as many yellow wildflowers as there were on our wedding day, but the log that we traipsed about on in our wedding video was still there and the evening was unseasonably cool and beautiful - just like our wedding day itself!

The two year traditional anniversary gift is cotton, so this year we decided to actually follow through with tradition.  Brian got me a Virginia Tech t-shirt - it's 100% cotton.  (Bless his heart for following directions to a 'T'.)  All of my VT t-shirts are a little snug around the mid-section at this point, so it was perfect!  I surprised Brian with twelve dates - one date per month for the next year.  (And, between you and me, I told him that the twine that I used to bind the dates together was made of 100% cotton.  I think he bought it.  Also between you and me, I am still finishing this gift.  You see, I have all the dates planned, I just haven't printed them all...  Fortunately, Brian is a good sport and is willing to wait for me to finish it!)  He will get to open one envelope on the first of each month starting this month and we will have a wonderful pre-planned date together!

(For those of you that were wondering, all twelve dates are kid-friendly (most of them are dog-friendly), so we are all set no matter when our little girl decides to grace us with her presence!)

That string could be cotton, right?!

We can't believe that we have been married for two years, that we have a little girl on the way, and that we are very quickly nearing her introduction into this world.  Time sure flies - especially when you are having fun!

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Us!

PS: Inside Brian's card was the statement, "You had me at woof!"  It was the perfect card - hence the post title!  And, for the record, you had me at woof too, Jack.  XOXO to all of my boys - Bun included!