And we are back!

We got back last night from sunny Jamaica! I'll post later on the trip, but I will let you know that it was a BLAST! I was so depressed coming home! Today we have our hands full with laundry, grocery shopping, catching up on work emails, etc. One big milestone for AJ today--he will be getting a toddler bed!

While in Jamaica he learned how to crawl out of his crib. We were lucky he landed on his feet. I've also been lucky it took him 21 months to learn how to do it too. I have heard of some horror stories. Anyway, needless to say because I was afraid of him getting hurt on vacation, he slept in the king size bed with us the entire trip. Last night he did it again and we decided to change his crib to the toddler bed. Scary, but I'll keep you posted! I just can't believe my little boy is growing so fast!

Counting your blessings

AJ woke up at 4am. I think it was a combination of being overtired--he didn't go to bed until after 10 (long story as to why)-- and the fact that he didn't get a proper goodnight bedtime ritual since he was so tired. When we goes to bed late he wakes up earlier and is cranky the entire morning until his nap. It's just how it is and we know it's going to happen! He has NEVER woken up at 4am and since I went to bed late, I was cranky myself!

I tried everything to get him to fall back asleep--and then we went downstairs for a snack, milk, and Imagination Movers. He still was crying. He was just tired and wanted to sleep.

Going into the crib wasn't an option for a very upset AJ. We went back upstairs to his room and I rocked him on the glider until he fell asleep on my chest. Our glider doesn't recline, but I was in pure Heaven. I was uncomfortable, but in Heaven. Nothing like a sweet baby sleeping on you, even if that baby is almost two years old! I love the way AJ smells and how he snuggles.

My eyelids were hurting, my arms and legs were falling asleep, and I remember the doctor telling me how he sleeps better by himself, so I tried to put him in his crib. I was so gentle but he awoke (I guess it was Heaven for him to sleep on me!) and started SCREAMING. I couldn't just let him scream, so I did what I never thought I would do...I climbed into his crib with him and decided to sleep there. He immediately fell asleep.

AJ's crib will eventually be his bed, it's a convertible crib so I knew it could hold both of us..but it's still the size of a crib! I loved snuggling with him, but I needed to sleep. After a while of snuggling, I quietly left a sleeping AJ and went back to my warm bed with my snoring husband.

I went to see Lauren and McKenna last night and Lauren mentioned how even though having children is hard and you are so sleep deprived, we are so lucky to have healthy children. It's true. It's all about getting your mind right. Losing sleep isn't good and it really takes over your life, but as parents we have to remember that they are only this small once. You will get sleep one day, but you will never get this time back with your little ones. It goes by too fast. So today, a very tired mommy is counting her blessings that I have a beautiful and healthy little boy to kiss, hug, and snuggle with!

Vacation

Guess where we are going on Saturday for a week?

In case you couldn't really understand AJ, we are going to Jamaica for a week! We are staying at Beaches Resort and Spa. Can't wait to post all of the awesome videos and pictures when we get back! Have a safe week everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am quite spoiled. Before my husband was my husband, he used to send me flowers every month. Literally, every month. This continued into our marriage for a little while, but the expense was crazy given our new mortgage and bills after we got married. Even still, he never forgets a holiday and now includes AJ in the planning!

On Friday I got a dozen roses delivered to me with the note saying "We love you. Love your big man and little man". AJ then came home with a homemade card (the best kind!). On Sunday morning I made AJ and John heart shaped homemade carrott cake with homemade cream cheese icing. I'm not the best at decorating, but I will say the cake was AMAZING and it was all gone in a matter of minutes:

I planned on taking a few to John's dad's house, but none of them made it! We spent a few hours at John's dad's house and when we came home John immediately started getting to work getting dinner together for us. I fed AJ and put him to bed then started watching a movie. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I watched StarStruck, a Disney Original. It was a teenager love story about a famous cute kid who meets a small town girl who has a sister OBSESSED with him, but she hates him. They meet on a trip to LA in a weird situation. In the end, he of course breaks her heart and then realizes how stupid he was and surprises her by showing up to a dance she didn't even want to go to and sings his way back to her heart. I admit I LOVED the movie. Classic tale, but for some reason when it happens to a teenager, the movie attracts me so much more. Maybe because sex is out of the question in those type of movies and they are so young and innocent that I can't resist! Anyway, I got to watch pretty much the whole movie while John was cheffing it up in the kitchen. Poor thing, 2.5 hours later and this is what I walked into:

Candles lit, food is hot, cold glass of my favorite wine, roses out, table set. He made me a VERY good steak (cooked perfectly how I like it, medium!), twice baked sweet potatoes, and crab and shrimp stuffed avocado. It was SO good!!! Once again, I'm spoiled!

Grandparent's Luncheon

I don't have pictures yet, but AJ's school hosted a Grandparents Luncheon. AJ is one of those kids that really loves his family. We are blessed that we live so close to our family--as AJ gets to see his grandparents very often and has for a long time been able to recognize and call out the names of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and Roman, his cousin. So needless to say, AJ loved the fact that his grandparents came to visit him at school!

I dropped them off at the school and when we arrived his class was already eating lunch. AJ went to get up to say hi but his teacher told him to stay seated since they were eating. AJ started crying because all he wanted to do was to say hi to everyone! I left thereafter, but I heard that he was happy and 'showing' off the entire time. Grandma sat next to him and had her food and when he wanted something she had, he opened his mouth really wide without saying a word. He took the longest to eat out of all of the kids.

Grandpa Hall was impressed with the lunch routine. Immediately after all the kids finished eating, they got up, washed their hands, made their bed and laid down for their nap with no fuss!

AJ was sad to see his grandparents leave, but was happy they came to visit!

Snowpocalypse 2010

When it snows, it pours! We have had a blast in what they are calling a snowpocalypse--or if you are Obama, Snowmageddon.

We woke up to some really beautiful snow. I don't know how much we had, but it was quite a lot of snow. We made and ate some breakfast and AJ played with some of his toys. Then John ventured out to shovel some of the snow.

Then AJ and I joined him after he was done.

Sadly, I don't have a waterproof jacket (I know, I should have been prepared) and John has two--but they are both Redskins jackets. So I know I'm going to get hell for these pictures, but it did it's job!

Then we came back in, had some lunch, relaxed, and AJ took a nap. I proceeded to clean the snow off the cars, which led to more shoveling. Two hours later I was done and sore and back inside just in time for AJ to wake up. We decided to go back outside--this time we took a walk, which was short but felt like it was long. At one point I decided it would be fun to jump into the snow:

AJ soon joined me--which was a blast! He loved hanging out laying in the snow!

Afterwards we came back in and decided to grill out--yes, grill out! We shoveled the snow off the deck and heated up the grill. Now we are enjoying some popsicles and getting ready to relax for tonight. So much fun!