It's about time

It's a cold and wet rainy December day today and I'm trying to start one of my New Years resolutions a bit earlier this year...be a better blogger.  To be honest with you I've neglected this little online diary of mine because I've...we've had another heartbreaking loss.  In late November I found out that I was pregnant again and in early December I had another miscarriage.  I never imagined I would even have one miscarriage, but now I've had two.  I felt like this time it didn't sting or hurt as bad...so I thought.  Lots of family and friends check on me and made sure I was okay...I told them I was fine and I really thought I was and then  a couple weeks later while taking a bath I fell apart.  It felt so good to just cry.  I had no idea where it came from and it kind of felt like an out of body experience.  During the middle of my "pity party for one"  Scott walked in to brush his teeth and found me weeping in the bath tub.  He got down one his knees put his arms around me, sleeves wet and said nothing...he just held me.  I love that man.  We are not sure what God has planned for us, but we know we having many blessing to be thankful for...number 1 being the precious little boy that's currently sleeping upstairs in his crib. 

I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year's with many blessings.  I have several posted lined up so be on the look out.

xo,

Jenn

Well look who it is!

Sorry I've taken such a hiatus from blogging.  Once again I've had WAY too much going on on.  I think it's best to do this post in bullet style so that I can get everyone caught up.

1. My lil sis now lives 5.2 miles away from and for the first time in over 10 years we have the same zip code.  I can't even begin to how fun this is.  We usually see each other every other day if not every day.  I saw her twice yesterday...it was quick, but still 2 times in 1 day?!?!  I went to Walmart at about 8:30 last night and while strolling around the bakery section ran across two mini bundt cakes by Paula Dean...I bought them called my sis on the way home to see if she wanted to share a late night dessert with me...of course she did she's the queen of sweets. I can begin to stress how much I enjoy having her so close.  We went from about 200 miles away to 5 miles away.  "Sisters by chance friends by choice"
2. There's a 45+ pound puppy snoring away on my lap right now.  Griffin's doing great and has become quite the family member.  I can't imagine our family without him.
3. I've started cooking meals out of my house.  I started out doing them for my bestie Steph and then she gave me a shout our to all of her coworkers at her school and now I'm cooking for them too.  I'm really enjoying it and I'm defiantly enjoying the extra cash.  So if you ever need a home cooked meal give me a shout! 
4. Mason got the stomach bug this week that's been running rampid in Rockwall. He's on the mend now.  I don't really think you can say you have your "mom badge" until you've survived several days of cleaning up throw-up over and over. 
5. Halloween is right around the corner.  Originally Mase was going to be Danny from the movie Grease, but Steph gave us her son's Spider Man costumer from last year so I'm thinking I may wait until next year for Danny Zuko costume.
6. I made a Halloween wreath and I LOVE it!
7. Mason and I are meet one of my friends from way back at the Galleria Mall play area today.  She has a son thats about a year and half. Looking forward to a fun lunch date. 
8. I think this is a good start, but there's much more where this came from. 

XO,

Jenn

Your Three Words

LIVIN THE DREAM that's how I feel about being a mom to MC. I'm trying to get more pictures of Mason and me because I'm usually the one behind the camera and I don't want to look back and see little pics of me and my boy...so my self timer and myself are getting better acquainted.

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Join in with your three words over at Jenni From the Blog.

Making new friends

I love to make new friends and yesterday I made a new friend.  The two morning out of the week that I drop MC off at "school" I usually see the same moms doing the same thing.  I'm usually wearing my workout gear so on my way out yesterday another mom walked out with me wearing her workout gear too and she asked if I was headed to the gym.  I said "yes" she asked "where" I said "24hr" and she said "me too".  We got on elliptical next to each other, and burned over 500 calories.  During our conversation we realized that we have so much in common...such a down to earth girl.  Funny thing is that I've seen her at the gym all summer long and all along thought she seems so nice and someone I could be friends with. Cheers to making new friends!

I love this boy

So glad I was able to capture this moment yesterday. I was busy cleaning the kitchen and MC was entirely too quiet so I knew that meant trouble, but this is what I found.

Pretty sweet huh?!?! We have had many challenging days lately, but as of right now I couldn't ask for more. MC is currently snugged up next to me on the couch, we are both in are jammies and it's raining CAT & DOGS outside. It's past nap time, but I'm enjoying this snuggle time with my little boy too much. I keep telling myself 15 more minutes and then I'll take him up for his nap. Our snuggle time was just interrupted because he (for the second time today) told me that he needed to go sit on the potty...and guess what folks...my boy went #1 in the potty. And this is what he looks like when he achieves my our goal!

Mason's very first Preschool Art Work

I made the fabric bulletin board a couple of weeks ago to display MC's art projects from preschool and yesterday he came home with this

I'm in love with this little lovely! It's now be displayed proudly in our kitchen.

Rainy Monday Morning

Good morning. It's a wet morning here in my neck of the woods and I love it. The backdoor is open so Griff can go in an out as he pleases. I was just catching up on Bachelor Pad...am I the only one who watches this show? I know I shouldn't watch it or even like it, but I can't help myself. Mase has MDO this morning so after I drop him off I have to run to the bank and then it's off to the gym I go. I need to download a new album to put on my i-touch...any suggestions?

We had a pretty good weekend. Mase was a tad bit challenging and it left Scott and I shaking our heads and saying "where did we go wrong"...which deserves a whole post of it's own. So we'll get into that later. In the mean time I would love to hear any tips for parenting a strong willed, stubborn and determined 2 year old.

Mason's buddy Gabe turned 2 this past weekend and we attended his super fun Thomas the Train party and our local splash park. Scott went too which was so nice for me because we were able to "tag team" Mason.




Date night was on Saturday and we met up with some of our good friends and had dinner at Primo's...YUM!

Okay, well this morning is slipping away quickly. Lot to do before I have to wake little man up.

Have a great Monday ya'll!

XO,

Jenn

Easy Breezy

Taking a few minutes to give this little on-line diary the respect that it deserves Most of all the windows are open on our first floor and football season is definitely in the air. Scott and I woke up around 6:30 thanks to Griffin (10 week old puppy) so we started our day out with a couple cups of Java and quiet time on the back patio enjoying the 62 degree temps. Thank you Sweet Baby Jesus for the cooler temps. Once Mase woke up we headed out to buy him his new fall wardrobe. You can tell that all us Texans are just giddy with excitement about the cooler temps because everyone cruising around town with the windows down. Side note: you might be from Texas if you think it's fall if the temps are anything below 90. After we finished fall wardrobe shopping, we stopped by Costco and picked up one of their take n bake pizzas and then headed home. We gave Griff a bath and then put MC down around 1:00. Then proudly wearing our orange (go Horns) we made a cocktail and sat down on the couch for our first dose of college football.



Tonight we have a sitter coming over and Scott and I are meeting up with friends to have dinner at a new Mexican restaurant, Arboledas.



And Just because this I just finished washing and blow drying my hair and I just have to mention that this is my favorite shampoo and conditioner of all time!

Happy Saturday Folks!

XO,

Jenn

Preschool Recap

Morning People! Mase and I are sitting on the couch watching a little Yo Gabba Gabba and enjoying the cooler temps. The cooler temps have my thinking about fall and several fall crafts that I would like to do.

Mase's first day of preschool was a success. When I went to pick him up he was playing and having a great time...not a tear in sight. I did get the most hilarious note from his teacher Ms. Mary. She sends notes home each day so you know how their day went.
Pretty good morning.
Lovable most of the time.
HIt others throwing toys at free time.
Better when structured play.
Time out x2 throwing
toys. Always seems to want
to apologize and hug after.
Ate pretty good.
Do you want him to have chocolate milk at nap time?
He asked for 30 minutes- calmed a little when I held him.
For a first day he did pretty well.

Allow me to explain the chocolate milk question. For some reason Mason likes to say the phrase "chocolate milk" so anytime we meet anyone new it's the first thing he says. I think he does it because I always laugh at him when he says it because he sounds sooo cute. I about spit out my Diet Dr. Pepper when I got the that part...too funny.

Mom's first day of Mason at preschool went great too. I did miss him and it confirmed that I'm super happy that I gave up my career to be a stay at home mom because I couldn't make it with out him everyday. After we dropped him off I came back home and started making beds, vacuuming and organizing. Then I met Stephanie
at her school (she teaches 1st grade) and we had lunch together in her classroom. It was a little odd for us to get through a whole lunch without have our conversation interrupted by the shorties every couple of minutes. After my quick lunch I went to our local thrift store and then it was time to pick MC up. My day flew by and I hope his did too. Day two is Tuesday and I expect there will be a few more tears.

I need to run now; Scott's getting off work early and wants us to come in to Dallas for lunch and then I think there might be a trip to Toys R Us after lunch. Super fun!

P.S. I'm participating in a SCARF SWAP at Sweet T Family
Hope over and join in the fun.

Have a great weekend! College football kicks off this weekend...GO HORNS!!!

Time Marches On

Mason was all smiles this morning as he walked around the house strutting with his back-pack, lch box and talking about going to school. He was all smiles when he went into his classroom...still smiling and waving by to daddy when he left, but when it was mama's turn to leave the classroom the smiles where no more. He told me "no mama...sit down". So while he was crying and begging me not to leave I walked the walk of shame out to my car. I anticipated this would happen and I stood strong. I'm sure by now he has already forgotten about me. Most of all of the children were crying anyway and most moms were doing the exact same thing I was so that's always comforting. I'm off to tackle several projects while I have a quiet house. I already can't wait for 2:15 so that I can go and pick him up.

Mason is 2 years old and today was his first day of Preschool (Mother's Day Out) where he will attend on Tuesday and Thursdays from 9:15-2:15.

Cousins

Be sure to turn your volume up.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Busy Monday

Mason napping, the puppy's napping and the cats napping. I on the other had just finished putting groceries away, cleaning the kitchen, mopping the hardwood floors and now I'm sitting down at 2:00 for a quick bite to eat and a new blog post.

Mason starts preschool (Mother's Day Out) this Thursday and I'm beside myself with nerves. I know he will be do great, but I can't help but be be sad because I'm so use to it just being him and I everyday. He'll go twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday's at our church from 9:15-2:15. Pray that this transition goes well for both of us!

My sister and family arrived at our house on this past Tuesday and they left on Sunday morning. We had a blast together...many laughs and many bottles of wine were shared. This morning when I got up I kept waiting for her and Landon to walk down stairs. Once Mason woke up this morning he informed me that LAW's crying. I guess he was just use to having them around too.

That's all I've got. Time to move on the project: LAUNDRY!

XO,

Jenn

A lot about nothing

Morning ya'll. I'm tired, have a summer cold, bug in my coffee and really don't have much of quality to contribute to this post. On the bright side it's currently 75 outside with a high of 89. Now that makes this Ol' Girl HAPPY.

I've got to get back on the gym bandwagon ASAP. Scott and I've done great all summer long, but then we got back from our vacay and things just kind of fell apart. In my defense I did try to jump back on yesterday, but the kids club was full and it was about a 30 minute wait. Shocking since I haven't had to wait all summer and now that all the kids are back in school I have to wait?!?! Doesn't make much sense. So instead of working out I took Mase to McDonald's and ate a sausage mcmuffin...total opposite of what I should have done. Oh well...you win some and you lose some.

Do you have a MomAgenda/MyAgenda? If not, I highly recommend them. This mama would be lost with out hers.


I'm currently reading The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes and it's soooo good. Diane Chamberlain is the author and she will have tearing through this book in no time.

I do love the song "Then" by Brad Praisley.

Then lyrics
I remember, trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mezmorized
And three weeks later, in the front porch light
taking forty-five minutes to kiss goodnight
I hadn't told you yet
but I thought I loved you then

Chorus

And now you're my whole life
now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl
Like a river meets the sea,
stronger than it's ever been.
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

And i remember, taking you back to right where I first met you,
You were so surprised
There were people around, but I didn't care
Got down on one knee right there once again,
I thought I loved you then

Chorus

And now you're my whole life
now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl
Like a river meets the sea,
stronger than it's ever been.
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

I could just see you, with a baby on the way
And I could just see you, when your hair is turning gray
What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more
But I've said that before

And now you're my whole life
now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl
We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in
And I'll look at you and say
And I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then

Okay, I'm going to go wake my sis up and see if I can convince her to do one of the P90X workouts with me.

XO,

Jenn

Ten on Tuesday

1.) I love the "calm before the storm" in the mornings. Just me, my music, fur babies and big cup of java. The storm would be Mason. I really need these couple of hours to gather myself before the "storm" wakes up with all of his demands and that darn Dora singing to me in the background.

2.) The city I live in is getting a Mi Cocina-nuff said!

3.) The Texas State Fair will open in 31 days. Can't wait to get my hands on a corny dog and funnel cake.

4.) There's football on TV again. As exited as I am about football season and watching "America's Team" it comes with consequences...Scott's in two fantasy football leagues which kind of makes me a widow for a bit.

5.) Halloween-what will MC be for Halloween? We like the idea of Tarzan for two reason, 1.) it's his favorite movie right now and 2.) he's totally a Tarzan kind of guy, but I fear that this will be the year that its not 80 degrees on Halloween and I'll have my son in a Tarzan get-up.

6.) My next project on the horizon is Mason's big boy room. He will move out of the nursery and into one of our guest rooms. I'm so over all of the toys in my living room and think it's time for him to start playing in his room. I know my living room will never be exactly toy free, but currently there's a train table and picnic table in there. My sister found a super cute site for bedding companykids.com and I think I have a few options for the direction that we want to go in.

7.) I love fall. It's my mom and my favorite time of the year. Maybe because both of our birthday's our in the fall or maybe it's because both of us love to eat and there are lots of excuses to eat during the fall. I'll be 29 this fall. Not sure how I feel about that, but not much I can do about it either.

8.) I try to hide my excited when my sister tells me that she and her husband are pretty sure that they want to live in the city we live in, but inside I'm bursting at the seams. I can't imagine living in the same city as my sis. We haven't lived in the same city since Dec. 31st 2000...that's right almost 10 years ago. That's when I moved out of my childhood home to "spread my wings and fly". When you're 18 you aren't thinking about never living with your sister again. Your way to wrapped up in yourself. Wish I would really treasured the time that we lived together because you can never go back. When I think of all of the many things we and our families can do together I seriously get choked up, but I try to contain my excitement because it not a for sure thing and I don't want to get my heart broke. The thought of Mason and Landon growing up mere miles from each other and the sleep overs that will take place...well...there's not much more I can say...I think I might explode if it happens!!! Finger, toes and everything else crossed!

9.) Last night Mason had a rather challenging night. He wouldn't listen to Scott or me and finally Scott said he just needs to go to bed. It was pretty early for him, but he was warn out from playing hard with his buddy Brent in the 104 temps for 45 minutes straight. I took him upstairs screaming and kicking and told him because he was disobedient he had to go straight to bed without me reading any books to him. He kicked and screamed the entire time I was getting his diaper changed and jammies on. After I got him ready for bed I caved because he had huge tears running down his face and I new he was exhausted so I turned out the light put my baby against my chest, rocked him and watched him melt in my arms. Five minutes later he was passed out.

10.) I'm crazy about Lands' End Canvas Fall Collection. I'm not usually a Lands' End fan, but their Canvas collection is YUMMY! http://canvas.landsend.com/canvas/index.html

Monday Coffee Break

Good Morning! Sitting at my kitchen table with this little cutie pootie under my feet. I so HEART this little guy. We have had him for almost a week now and after I about 4 hours in the Cocca house Griff new this was his home and never looked back. Oddly enough the kitty cats and Griff our managing to live in harmony. The puppy wants to play with them so bad and Maverick (cat) thinks that it might be a good idea, but hasn't completely warmed up to the idea. I curious to see about a month from now if they're all just hanging out together like one big family. These days I feel stretched pretty think with making sure all of my four legged family members have had enough attention. And I'm constantly have to break up fights with Mason and Griff. I had no idea that Mason would be upset when Griff was chewing on a chew toy and Mason would demand that is "MINE"! They have a love/hate relationship going on.

We took Mason to church yesterday for the first time other then when he was babtized. We took down stairs to the Children Nursery for 3 and under. They gave us a pager and off Scott and I went. There were no tears shed, just "bye mommy" "bye daddy" and off we went. I'm so proud of the independent little boy that we are raising. Scott and I usually take turns going to church on Sunday so it was so nice to be able to sit next to him during the service with his arm wrapped around me and anytime something the preist said that hit home we could look at each other with a look of how that currently pertains to us. We went to pick up our little man and he was playing away, but very happy to see us. Oh yeah and one more thing about church...we have a large congregation and the 10:30 Mass is always crowded any many members have to stand. Well I find it rather irrating when someone sitting in a pew is sleeping through the mass while others or standing...UGH!

I ran into my neighbor that lives beside us that I don't know too well. I had a sneeky suspicious that she was pregnant, but I was absolutly sure until yesterday. She was admiring Griffin and I was now able to confirm that her baby bump was indeed a baby bump. I asked her when her due date was and she said New Years Day...kind of crazy because before I my misscairrage our baby would have been due Jan. 2nd.

Today my sis and Landon are coming to stay with us for a few days. So stoked! She's bringing us fresh fruits and veggies from her father in-laws garden. I love my sis we are such besties and we love spending time together and making each other laugh.

I have a new favorite band and I thought you guys should know it.
The Band Perry=LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Okay so if anyone is still reading this cudos to you. I good continue but I'm sure most of you are bored. Have a great week people!

XO,

Jenn

Back to School

This morning when I went to take the trash out I was I saw a group of our neighborhood kids all decked on in their new back to school wardrobe and backpacks wait for the bus. This year Back to School has a whole new meaning for me. Mason will start preschool on Sept. 2nd. He will participate in a Mother's Day Out program at our church. It's 2 days a week from 9:00-2:00. I know he will love it and really needs the interaction with other kids his age. We have play dates occasionally, but I think he needs the structure along with me being out of the picture for. I'm super excited because I know he'll love it, but I'm nervous too because I'll have to let go a little bit.

Caught Ya

This is what I found when I went searching for my little shorty! Who looks for something to eat while in the buff?!?! Mason that's who.

Pooped Out!

Between having a two year old and a 8 week old puppy I feel like all I've done lately is be on poop watch. Mason usually poops at least a couple of times a day and now I have to go outside with Griff ever hour or so and make sure he poops. It a little ridiculous people. With that said Griff's been doing really well. He's currently passed out on my kitchen floor. He's been up since 5:30 and guess who's been up with him while everyone else is snug as a bug in their beds...that's right me. That's okay I figured this is how it would go. I'll have to admit I really enjoy the quiet mornings to myself.

Speaking of Poop...funny story- so by no means have we started the potty training process, but Mase is defiantly interested. Well, yesterday he was been really quite so I started to look for him and I found him in the down stairs bathroom sitting on the big potty and he said "Mama I pooped in there" then he jumps off the potty and sure enough there's poop in there. He flushes and the climbs back on the potty and poops again.

Hope you guys have a terrific Saturday.

XO,

Jenn

Day 3 of blogging FIVE days in a Row

Okay so I know technically it's not day 3, but I fully plan on another post this evening so that counts right?!?! My current mood Right now is Grumpy/Excited/overwhelmed. Excited- because my honey and I leave fore Mexico in the morning. Overwhelmed - because I have a lot to do before getting ready to leave. I finished most of my errands the morning, but I still need to make a quick trip to CVS for some sunscreen. Poor little Mason has been a trooper while mama's been getting ready for her getaway. Yesterday and today we've gone to the following places:
-cleaners
-park
-Doc (me blood work)
-Jcpenny
-tailor
-Costco
-post office
-Dollar Tree
-Best Buy
-Back to the cleaners
-Back to the tailors
-Gas Station
-Back to Best Buy
-Sprint Store
-Nordstrom Rack
-Off 5th Saks
All of those places in the 100+ temp and getting a 2 year old in and out of his car seat over and over. I still need to clean my casa because...who wants to come home to a dirty house?!?! Not me!
Grumpy-because this morning my cell phone was attacked by a virus and is DONZO. I've only had this phone for 4 months tops! I feel like I've lost my best friend. I will say that it has been kind of nice to be a little unconnected especially since I have lots I need to be doing.

Hopefully my next post will be a little more ZEN like because I hope to be writing it with a big cold glass of white wine.
I will be the lady in the hammock come this time tomorrow~


XO,

Jenn

Day 2 of blogging FIVE days in a Row

Morning. Just finished a morning workout and sippin on some coffee. I'm going to devote most of this email to Griffin. Griffin, is our seven week old chocolate labrador retriever that will call Collins Lane his home next Tuesday. Last week we went and picked out our puppy and now there's a puppy with a blue and green collier on that we now claim as our newest family member. Scott has wanted a dog since before we met and for a while I wasn't on the same page...don't get me wrong I love dogs, but I was just not ready to be died down by one. We currently have three indoor cats so I hope they adjust quickly. I can now say that I'm super EXCITED. I love the movie Marley and Me and I think Mason is going to be in love with Griff. I know it's not going to be easy and I'm sure there will be lots of blog post about how crazy this dog is making me, but we can't wait to bring our new family member home.


Did I mention that we are going to Cabo in 3 DAYS?!?! HAHAHA!!!!

P.S I'm in the process of organizing me closet and came across a ton of clothes that just don't work for me as a SAHM. Really nice stuff. I'm going to host a blog sale in a few days so stay tuned!!!

XO,

Jenn

Trying to blog FIVE straight days in a row: DAY 1

Hi ya'll so I think my title sums up the opening of this post...sheesh! We've been a wee bit busy lately. Friday morning Scott and I are taking off for Cabo for 4 days. I'm super excited, but at the same time super sad to leave this face for 4 days!
We could for sure use the break, but I'll miss him. I know it's only Monday, but it already feels like this week is flying by. I have quite a bit to do to get ready for our trip. My precious parents are keeping MC while we are gone and I think they're just excited about keeping him as we are about going to Mexico. They will for sure enjoy him, but I know they will be ready to give him back when we return. Four days is a long time with a toddler when you've already reared (that word's funny) your children.

What's going on with Mason?!?! He's a talker...I know...SHOCKER! Considering how big of a talker his Mama and Papa are I don't think this comes as a surprise to anyone. He has several 5 word sentences the days. He likes to tell me "Come on Mama" a lot and when he's really proud of himself he screams "I did it...I did it" precious!

Okay so Day 1 successful! Have to run...Zumba class in 30 minutes.

XO,

Jenn

MIA

Hey guys! For my few readers out there...sorry I've been MIA for a bit. We've been so busy lately and I've been a little overwhelmed with all the unfinished projects and "to do" list so blogging has been the last thing on my mind. With all that said in my sister's last blog post she just listed everything that's been going on with them so I'm going to do the same.

1. Speaking of my Lil Sis, they currently live in Austin, TX, but recently decided to move back to the DFW area. They should be back at the end of August...I can't begin to tell you how excited I am. They haven't decided where they're going to live just quite yet because they are both job searching so that will be a big driving force for where the land. She's a kindergarten teacher so if you hear of anything job related for her please let me know.

2. Mason's birthday party was so much fun!!! Everything went great. I'm going to make a separate post for pictures of the party, but here's one that I just love!

3. We are 2 1/2 weeks out before we leave for our fabulous trip to Cabo! One of my favorite thing about our vacations is getting to the airport having breakfast at 7:00am and drinking a Bloody Mary...I don't know about you, but that just screams I'M ON VACATION! We will be having dinner here one night .

Sunset De Mona Lisa

We had dinner here last year when we were in Cabo. It's one of the greatest places I've had the pleasure of eating at. The views are incredible and the food is great too.
We are also having dinner at on of our other favorite spots too...The Office. Not as fancy, but super fun. The atmosphere is incredible. It's very low key and you can eat dinner with your swim suit on and you feet in the sand.


We going to play golf once while were there too.


4.I've been cooking quite a few things from the Pioneer Woman's Cook Book and Blog and everything has turned out fabulous. What have you cooked from her cook book that I should try?

5. Working out...that's seems like all I do these days. For a while my weight has stayed the same, but after two months of going so hard at the gym and usually only have 1 day of bad meals I'm down 9 lbs from my start way. I'm about 8 lbs away from my goal.

6. Mason is going through a difficult phase right now. We he gets frustrated or wants a toy that another kids has he hits them. It's soooo frustrating. It seems to be getting a little better, but still hard and I've yet to find the best disciple tactic. I'm just trying to stay consistent and follow through with what I tell him I'm going to do.

7. Mason is so much fun right now. I know, but I just said that he was in a difficult phase. Well...2 is also so much fun too. Just the other day I watched him and his buddy Gabe from next door chase after a cricket and when he finally caught it his little face lit up and he looked at me like look what I did Mommy!!! So Innocent.

Okay well I thought I had more to post, but this is all I can think up right now. It's 7:45am and my little monkey will be up in about 30 minutes demanding his eggs and pancakes so I must get going.

XO,

Jenn

Birthday Party Planning DIVA

I live for this stuff. In my past life I planned corporate events so this past month I've been able to put my Event Planner hat back on and I must say...it's been fun. My great friend Steph took a view pics of me in all my glory working on Mason's party cupcakes. I'm super excited about his cupcakes, but they've been VERY time consuming. Oh well...they should turn out so cute. So with out further ado...here's a few pics of the process. Enjoy!

Happy 2nd Birthday Mason!!!

Dear Sweet Baby Boy,

Two years ago today I was handed the most beautiful baby boy I have ever laid eyes on. I was instantly in love! I remember asking myself how can you loves someone so much that you just met?!?!There was a flood of emotions and fears. It was now my job to provide for you and keep you safe. I still remember every small detail about the day you were born and I know I always will. I can't believe we've already made it through two amazing years. And more fun is ahead. In two years you've gone from taking a bottle, to taking a sippy cup and to now just handing you a juice box or a cup with a straw. To anyone one else that might sound like know big deal, but to me, that's growth right before my eyes. I wish I could tell you to slow down, but we both know that's not going to happen. You don't know it, but I am constantly watching you and each day I am amazed at how fast you're are changing. I've noticed that lately instead of calling our cat Nina (her name is Xena) somewhere along the way you learned how to pronounce her name as Xena...no longer to I hear you call her Nina. I'm happy for the development, but I must admit I will always have a special place in my heart for hearing you say NINA NINA! I could sit here and list out all the milestone you've hit or all the other things you've learned in the past two years, but all I really want tell you is that I love you and that I'm so happy God chose me to be your mommy. These past two years have been the most amazing years of my life. You've taught me patience and unconditional love. Seeing things through your eyes makes me step back and appreciate the small things. You are a strong willed and determined little boy that at times makes me a little crazy, but I know you are going to to great things with those qualities. I can't wait to experience your life, and the whole world with you! Make a wish and blow out your candles...Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

I love you more then you'll every know!

XO,

Mommy

Day of blogging silence for Baby Cohen

What: Moment of Silence for Cohen



When: Thursday July 1st from midnight to 11:59 pm.



How: Bloggers participating will post the Cohen banner (below) or simply post Cohen’s name in large letters on their blog.



Why: July 1st Megan and Brent will be holding Cohen’s memorial service. The moment of silence is an opportunity for Megan’s blog community to stand behind her and support her on this difficult day. Linking up will give Megan a chance to see the support at a glance.



Participating bloggers can Link Up on July 1st at http://sendlovetocohen.blogspot.com/ Send Love To Cohen. Will you join me and help spread the word?

My second favorite part of the day

My first favorite part of the day is when my Angel wakes up for the day. On most occasion he wakes up in a great mood and raring to go, but my second favorite part of the day is nice too. My second part of the day comes right after I put my precious Angel to bed and all the toys are picked up, dish washer is running, candles are lit and I'm in my pjs. Usually Xena snuggles next to me on the couch while I spend about 30 minutes on the Internet paying bills or responding to emails. This second favorite part of my day is pure bliss! I finally have a chance to catch my breath or even go to the bathroom...BY MYSELF! It's not until this part of the day that I realize how exhausted I am. It's hard work to keep up with a VERY active 2 year old. I can't even begin to explain just how active this little guy is...that's a whole other post! Scott's at the gym right now, but when he gets home we will be marching up stairs to the media room to watch the season premier of one of our many favorite shows.

Rescue Me!!!!

In other news...I officially booked our 5 year Anniversary trip to Cabo today!!! On August 12th we are leaving for Cabo, Mexico! We went about this time last year and we had the time of our life. Last year we went with our Friends Kasi and Jeremiah, but this year we are flying solo. Not that we wouldn't mind going with our friends again, but they just recently welcomed a baby girl into their family. So my friends feast your eyes on our resort!

We are super excited to get away for a few days and enjoy each other. Okay, got to run and get back to my second favorite part of the day!

XO,

Jenn

Summer Colds and Happenings

Sometime last week Mason got a cold. It hasn't seemed to really bother him other then he takes off running from me when he sees me with a Kleenex...he's not a fan of having his knows wiped. Then on Sunday Scott woke up with a cold too and now this morning I'm think it's heading my way too. Oh well...we aren't going to let it get us down.

Summer so far has been HOT, but so much FUN! Each morning we usually start out by walking 5 houses down to our bestie's (Steph) house and the kids play and the mamas drink...COFFEE that is. Then we usually head back home around 10:30am and make are way to the gym. By the time we get back from the gym Mason and I play, then we have lunch and then at about 1:00 it's nap time. He will usually sleep until about 3:30. We have quite the routine and I love it.

Have I mentioned that we are getting a puppy?!?! Well, I've resisted for a while. For as long as I can remember Scott has wanted a dog and I've always told him that I just don't think we are ready yet, but I've finally given in and we are getting a puppy. I'm actually pretty excited because I think Mase is going to be in love...who am I kidding...I'm going to be in love. We are getting a chocolate Lab. Little background on the breed choice. Steph and Jeff our devoted Lab owners and it just so happened that they are getting a new puppy too and we just decided that being that they know so much about the breed and how to train them that we would get one from the same litter. We are getting a male and the are getting a female. Our puppy we born sometime late Saturday and will be ready to come home with us August 14th. Super excited, but super nervous too. The cats are going not going to be happy!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!


XO,

Jenn

Happy Friday

Yeah it's Friday!!! Even though I'm a stay-at-home-mom I still get excited for Fridays. My little monster and I have a pretty busy day today. I got up this morning at 4:50am and went to the gym to lift. Once I got back home at 6:00am Scott was done getting ready and we had coffee together. Normally I we leave for the gym at 9:45, but today I'm hosting a play date at our community pool with a couple of our local Rockwall friends. We are meeting up at 10:30 before it gets to hot. Then we will be heading back home for lunch and Mason's nap. Then once he wakes up we are going over to my friend Christi's house for a little more pool time...then it's back to the gym for Zumba at 5:45...wow...I'm already tired just typing all of that...should make for a very quick day. Tomorrow we have another have a birthday for Mason's buddy JT. Should be a really fun party...it's at the Ft.Worth Stock Yard train station with a train ride. Mason loves trains so it should be a really good time. After the party there's a group of us heading to Joe T. Garcia's for dinner and cocktails. I've never been, but I've heard fabulous things about Joe's. Took a few more pictures of Mason and I yesterday. I have the way I look in photographs, but I really don't care...I must have pictures with my baby boy.

XO,
Jenn

On a mission

While reflecting over the last 2 years worth of pictures of Mason, I realize that I am in very few of them. I guess that's because I'm the one always behind the camera. Well...I'm on a mission to change that. I'm going to try to take a picture with my baby boy (who's not really a baby anymore) every couple of days. I took this one yesterday as we were getting ready to head to the gym. He thought it was pretty funny that the camera would flash all by itself.
The rest of the pictures below are from the last couple of days. A few are of Mason enjoying cupcakes from the trial run of his popcorn cupcakes that I think turned out great and then from our afternoon at the spray parks.

I have a court date today at 9:00 for a ticket that I'm protesting...wish me luck!!!

XO,

Jenn