Easter is kind of a big deal!

I would have to say that my second (because Christmas is number one!) favorite holiday is EASTER!!! And I couldn't wait to put up some décor! This year we are hosting Easter for family and I couldn't be more excited! I am sooooo looking forward to an egg hunt in our backyard. And the kids' Easter outfits! The Easter baskets (which are almost finished by the way!) Ahhhhh! Easter is just so exciting! Especially with kids! Here is some décor we have up in our home to celebrate this wonderful holiday! I can't promise more won't be added!

The chalkboard helps add a little "umph" to it all!

I cannot wait to get this years' Easter picture with BOTH kids!

Cheap little felt banner that I probably could have made but "ain't nobody got time fo dat!" and it was only $2!

Had to have these little tin bunnies. Blue and pink to represent my boy and girl, of course!

I love these blocks. Nicolas keeps pointing them and saying "prrrrring!" HA!

I love this little block set!

 

[most decorations were purchased from this good ol' store called Target, have you heard of it?]

And lastly,

for your viewing pleasure! I know, she's too cute for words!



Our living room, before and after

Every night after we put the kids to bed, our living room looks like a tornado hit it!

I don't mind it at all because I know the kids have fun. However I need the house to return to normalcy before I lay my head to rest. Call me OCD. Or neurotic, like my husband. Whatever! I like clean. Of course after the kids go to sleep.

Ahhhhh! That's better! It's funny to know that these tiny little critters can do so much damage. Luckily mom-to-the-rescue to clean up and make living rooms clean again! HA!

Currently..

currently...
This month has been extra crazy and busy. After celebrating Christmas our house became a packing frenzy! We were scheduled to move the first weekend of January. We were really excited but we weren't expecting to be so drained afterward. We rang in the new year one last time in our old home and that following Saturday we gathered all our boxes and furniture and made the transition to our Znew place.
 
Ok so I'm going to try to keep this pretty short because frankly I'm exhausted and have been for a few weeks now.
 
We moved. We started to unpack. Continued to unpack. Are still unpacking. And with a full time job and two kids and adding in Zumba here and there, getting this house in complete running order just seems impossible!
 
For about 3 weeks we were cable and internet-less. At first I didn't mind because I was busy organizing and what not. But then after a while I missed my shows and my social media (aside from what I could pull up on my phone.)
 
The 3rd week of January my husband went away on a work trip for four days. I hated every minute of it! It seemed like I was barely able to talk with him because he worked 12 hour days and was exhausted by the time I got off work and settled at home. So in other words I was counting down the seconds to when I could pick him up from the airport. Not to mention his birthday passed while he was away. So that wasn't fair.

Now we have almost everything settled in. However, getting our routine back to normal has been somewhat of a challenge.

There have been lots of lazy movie days prior to getting our cable in order. I must admit if I never see Toy Story 3 or Cars ever again I wouldn't mind. So I'll leave this picture of my adorable critters that have made this hectic move and settle a little easier..

We're moving!!

yes that's correct! Currently we are in a 2 bedroom 1 bath duplex which would be perfect if we still only had once child. But since having Raegan we've felt like we've outgrown this little home of ours. So to better suit our family that has grown, we are in the middle of moving. We found out right before Christmas that we were approved for our new home so since the day after Christmas, I've been overwhelmed with packing. Thankfully I've been really organized and it hasn't been too bad.

When I really sit to think about all that has gone on since living here it makes moving bittersweet. After my husband and I first married at the end of that same month I found out I was pregnant so to save money we moved in with my grandma. When Nicolas was 8 months old we moved here. This home was our first home as a married couple and a family. Nicolas finally got his own room in this house. We celebrated his baptism, first and second birthday. I found out I was pregnant with our darling girl in this house. We also celebrated her baptism while living here. This house has seen us through two Christmas' and we will (in this upcoming week) have brought in the new year twice. This may not have been the best or most up to date home but it holds so many memories from our family. It's witnessed our relationship evolve and had front row seats to watch our family grow. This has been a great little home for our family and I will always have sweet memories when I think back to our first home.

But for now.. packing, packing, and more packing!

With the occasional play time of course!

Mommyhood lately (my daily routine)

Oh hello. Remember me? I've been a little lazy when it comes to blogging. I'll try to be more diligent.

Me- Well as you already know I had a C-section with my newest baby. Yesterday was the first day I went through without regular doses of medicine. (I only really needed it twice) Which means I'm that much closer to being completely healed. YAY! If you were to give me the option, for any future children we may decide to have, I would choose a C- section HANDS DOWN! The recovery time (from my experience) was way more tolerable the second time around. I think the fact that I could mentally prepare ahead of time really gave me piece of mind.

After I had Raegan, my husband was only able to be with me the rest of that week when she was born. The following Monday he had to go back to work, which meant I was all alone. It was me and TWO babies. What ever was I going to do all by myself?

My current routine goes as such:
7-8am
Ryan leaves for work
wake up and feed Raegan (change diaper) she goes back to sleep
Get Nicolas out of bed (change diaper)
Nicolas eats his breakfast

9-10am
Let Nicolas watch a little morning cartoons
I eat breakfast
I get time to do my morning bathroom routine

10-11am
Feed Raegan again (change diaper) she goes back to sleep (sometimes she'll stay up and look around)
Nicolas gets his snack
I usually get time to clean and tidy up a little

11-12pm
Still tidying up (laundry, washing dishes, cleaning bathroom) if those things need to be done
Play with Nicolas
I'll get Nicolas his lunch (sometimes he won't eat all or any of it until after his nap)

12:30- 1pm
Nicolas goes down for a nap (change diaper)
Feed Raegan (change diaper)

1-4pm
(Nicolas is napping)
I eat my lunch and catch up on my shows
Do anything I want or need to do that I really can't with Nicolas running around crazy (like crafts and whatnot)
Somewhere in this span of time I feed Raegan again and change her diaper of course (never ending I swear!)

4pm
Nicolas wakes up from his nap (change diaper)
I get him playing with something specific like legos, coloring, or his cars so he's super entertained
Nicolas gets a snack or a late light lunch if he didn't want it before nap time

5pm
Feed Raegan (change diaper)
I usually get a call from Ryan around this time letting me know he's on his way home from work
I get dinner started, if I haven't done so already.

5:30- 6:30pm
Nicolas is playing with daddy and watching sports with him.
I'm finishing dinner

6:30pm
We usually eat dinner close to this time

7-8pm
I clean up after dinner (put all the dishes in the sink, clean the kitchen quickly, put the leftover food away)
Feed Raegan (change diaper)
Read to Nicolas and play with him a little before bed
*this is also when we would give baths if they are in order

8-10pm (sometimes 10:30ish)
Both Ryan and I put Nicolas to bed (change diaper)
We get time to catch up on our mutually liked shows
We usually indulge in some kind of dessert (bad, I know!)
Clean up Nicolas' toys
I wash dishes and finish cleaning up the kitchen
Feed Raegan somewhere in this time frame (change diaper)

10-11pm
Finally we get ready for bed and do our regular routine

A little before midnight Raegan will have her last feeding of the night and not wake up again until 4am then from there she doesn't wake up until our routine starts all over again.  (change diaper with every feeding also)

**note** this of course doesn't include if we have to go anywhere. Which then, first thing in the morning (after breakfast) I will get Nicolas' snack and his water cup ready and check three times over my bag to make sure I have everything I need. I will hurry and get ready, get the kids ready, make sure the dog has water and a rawhide to chew while we're gone, then out the door we go. I always try to make any trips before Nicolas' nap (if they are errands) but if we are going to visit someone or do something a little more length in time, I make it after his nap so he's well rested and more likely to behave. :)

**another note** during the day I didn't include the "time-outs" or spanking threats but believe me, with a 19month old boy, they do occur. Frequently. Depending on his mood.

So that's our day (in a nutshell). It's not easy with two, but it has become more managable. I included the diaper changes in my list because it just blows my mind of how many times I change diapers throughout the day. I'm the sole diaper changer in our house because I do it at warp speed and I know that it's not something Ryan would prefer to do so I don't make him, I don't mind doing it to be honest. It's just since having another baby the changes have definitely tripled.

I'm not sure if I could handle another little person added to the mix just yet. I'm still getting used to this routine, that I'm sure will change soon enough as Raegan gets older and I go back to work.

(mini) nursery

When setting up baby girl's nursery we decided to have her in our room for multiple reasons..
1. I plan on breastfeeding so it makes it easier for night feedings
2. I know she will not be sleeping through the night, therefore I don't want her to wake Nicolas (we only have a two bedroom home)
3. We have plenty of room in our master for her

I remember Nicolas sleeping through the night at around 2 months so until she reaches a schedule looks like mom and dad will have a little company.

While on maternity leave I made an effort to get her space set up immediately. I was pretty eager to get everything in order but of course it was all finalized after my shower.

Here is little miss' corner..

A closer look...

Her headbands and her toys

Blankets, momma items, diapers & etc, nb clothes

Once we get her crib all set up in her brother's room I'll share the final result. (If we haven't decided to move by then.)

our weekend (in pictures) part1

FRIDAY
I didn't have to work so I decided to put off all most of the cleaning and laundry until Nicolas went down for a nap..and made it a park play day!

Nicolas helped me do a little cleaning in the morning 

He was so excited and didn't know where to go or what to touch first

debating the slide...

The words "1..2..3..GO" make him laugh

After being at this particular park for a while..I decided to take Nicolas on a little stroll to show him something super special to me...

My grandpa's airplane..It truly means the world to me and I want Nicolas to grow up knowing how special this plane is. 

On our way home we drove through a little neighborhood that had a PERFECT little park for an 18month old. We had the park all to ourselves! No worrying about other rambunctious children..no caution feelings of whether or not he could truly hurt himself. I was able to actually sit back and enjoy watching him play. THE BEST!

So cute! I want it in our backyard!

 Then after we got home and Nicolas was definitely worn out and ready for his nap, I tried out our new mesh screen since we don't have a security door.

pretty easy set up..and really increased the air flow in our house since Friday was beautiful!

Random thoughts THURSDAY

One of mine and Nicolas' favorite things to do is play with chalk outside. I usually run out of pictures to draw besides my go to "flowers, sun and sky" or "i love nicolas" or "i love mommy/daddy." This time I copied the cute little monster from his shirt. Pretty good artist if I do say so myself. 

I LOVE INSTAGRAM..not especially for the "picture social networking" but for the quick and easy effects I can give my pictures. This one made me smile ...

Momma and her baby boy :)

Yesterday I made one of my favorite dinners. Chicken Parmesan! YUMMY! Nicolas ate a ALL his chicken and ALL his peas! He is such a great eater! Makes me happy!

It literally is the cutest thing ever when I see Nicolas climb on the couch just to watch TV like he's a grown man. NO BIG DEAL MOM! But I swoon..every time!

This morning I had THE BEST breakfast ever! Left over combo pizza! This momma was in heaven! 

Of course I picked off the onions and bell peppers, NOT a fan whatsoever of them!

Today, we (my husband, baby and I) had our family hospital tour. Which I guess I really didn't need to go on seeing as how I've had a baby before. But this delivery will be at a different hospital so I guess it was worth it. Verdict:: my labor and delivery room is smaller (not by a lot) than the one I had for Nicolas but the recovery room is definitely bigger than my last one. On our way home to keep my child entertained, I gave him my name tag that he thought to stick on himself..can you say CUTIE??

  I think that's it for now...

 

HELLO SPRING! (decor)

I love that SPRING is here! So today I picked up some not so much needed Easter candy.

 (Thanks to my husband for my beautiful spring tulips)

I have had this little bunny frame for years and JUST now thought to write in it instead of put a picture because I don't have any that tiny.

My Aunt gave me this set of decorative blocks that are just too cute!

Yesterday, I decided to make an egg banner with some extra construction paper I had laying around. I love the way it came out!

I LOVE THE LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR EASTER PICTURES! He's grown so much within the last year!

And I also put together Nicolas' Easter basket! MAKES ME SOOO EXCITED!! (I really want to give it to him now!)