Daddy's girl

Growing up I didn't have a father, let alone a daddy. There's a difference. A father is the biological title that a child may or may not have a close relationship with. But a daddy? A daddy is much more endearing. A man his son can look up to with awe and amazement because he's his first hero. A man that is his daughter's first love and the only man that will always be there for her, no matter what.

Yea, I didn't have that and I've since come to terms with it. But now that I have a daughter that relationship has a different meaning to me. It's so much more sacred. I see the way Raegan looks at Ryan and you can just tell she is infatuated with him. Like she knows exactly who he is and how much he will mean to her, for the rest of her life.

I capture pictures like these and hold them so near and dear to my heart because a caption is never needed. My tears say it all.

One day, she'll follow him all over the house.
One day, she'll call out just for him.
One day, she'll beg him for her way.
One day, she'll learn things from him that no one else could have taught her.
One day, she'll tell him that she's not his "little girl" anymore but what she doesn't know is that she always will be.
One day, she'll be afraid to tell him she's fallen in love for fear that he won't know how to "let her go."
One day, he'll walk her down the aisle.
One day, she'll tell him that he'll be promoted to a Papa.
One day, she'll thank him for all he's done for her.
One day, she'll realize that she still is and always will be daddy's little girl.

Weekend fun fun fun

Friday Night

I built Nicolas a fort in our living room. He hung out with daddy for a bit.

We let him eat dinner in there. And he watched his nighttime cartoons in there also.

 

Saturday

We ended up just staying at home and having a super lazy day.

We have not had one of those in a loooong time.

We set up a redneck water table for Nicolas to play with.

Eventually there was a bigger plastic bin used for the water that allowed Nicolas

to get completely soaked!

He had fun and that's all that mattered!

 

Nala must have been worn out because in the early evening she started to fall asleep,

on my lap, while sitting up.

Crazy dog.

She was my first "baby" and I get reminded of that from time to time.

This was one of those times because she looked so sweet just to rest her head for a minute on me.

 

 I die at Raegan's new face!

She is starting to get so chunky I can't take all the cuteness!

Don't you just want to bite these cheeks?!

 

Sunday

Ryan was playing in a softball tournament with his cousins and uncle.  So we spent part of the day watching the game and then hanging out at the park. I love family days like these!

 

 

I never get tired of these father daughter pictures..never

Nicolas-"Tickle tickle!" Ryan's face is priceless!

[left to right] cousin Malia, Uncle Randy, cousin Mike, and that handsome mountain man is, yes, my husband!

little dare devil!

 

 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!



Before we were "momma" and "daddy"

Before we became parents, I remember taking so many pictures with Ryan. Now I'm afraid, pretty much the main people I capture on camera are my children. What happened? Is it because we've stayed somewhat the same and my kids change daily. I don't want to miss a chance to take a quick snapshot of them. EVER. But my husband and I aren't the ones usually (well anymore) on the other side of the lens.

Hmmm.... That needs to change. I get sad when I think of how often we use to take pictures together and how now we don't. I'm going to set a goal (we're in February now so I can't really call it a resolution) to take more pictures with my husband. As much as he'll allow. Whenever. We could be going on a date. We could be lounging around the house. We could be at a family event. We could be in the backyard playing with the kids. Where ever we may be..a picture of us WILL be captured. More often at least.

So in light of this topic here are a few pre-parent pictures (say that 5 times fast) for your viewing pleasure...

This was actually taken on or mini honeymoon

One of my favorites of us

Another one of my favorites..I was actuall pregnant with Nicolas here

Yep now you can tell I was pregnant by how chubby my face was

Ryan's birthday celebration

On the actual day of my husband's birthday he was in Arizona but was scheduled to come back the next night around 7. So on the night of his birthday I prepared one of his favorite meals, lasagna, and baked him his favorite cake, chocolate on chocolate. There was a method to my madness. The next night before we left for the airport I set everything on the table, except for the food because it needed to be reheated. When we got home there was no dinner fuss and we.. I was able to sing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday boy!

Before we left Nicolas was so anxious to tear in to the cake that he kept pointing, yelling "DADDY'S CAAAAKKKEE!" Once I got him in the car that was all he talked about. On the way he ended up falling asleep but when we got home he continued his previous excitement.  Can you guess who picked out the gift bag?

Daddy let Nicolas grab a finger full of frosting.

Not a very good picture but I had to get one of all my loves during this special celebration.

Helping daddy blow out the candles.

 

I can't express to you how excited this kid was for this cake!

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I am an awesome baker.

"Toot Toot!"

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!

3 years..and counting

January 2nd marked our 3rd wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 3 years! My coworker said, "Wow, 3 years already? And TWO kids?" (hysterical laughing followed) My response, "Hey! We don't mess around!"

Since celebrating our first anniversary we adopted the tradition of following the Hallmark traditional and modern wedding anniversary gift list.

First was paper. Which was appropriate because we were flat broke so...cards it was!

Second was cotton. He got a few baseball tees and I got some funky bobby socks and gloves.

This year was glass (or leather) but we stuck with glass. He got...

A twelve pack of his favorite beer and a beer mug that was chilled and filled by the time he came home.

 

 

I got...

A beautiful new vase with flowers.

(don't mind the crap in the back ground, keep in mind we were in the beginning stages of our move.)

 

My mother in law treated us to a dinner out. I let Ryan choose the place. This boy loves his Italian food, so Olive Garden it was!

 

I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever.

Cheers to 50+ more years baby!



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..

Birthday letter to my husband

Dear Ryan,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today, 27 years ago, you were born! I want to not only wish you a very happy birthday but also tell you how completely and utterly amazing you are!  Since we met I've always tried to make your day as special as can be and this year you are away on a work trip so I'm bummed I can't spend the day spoiling you. However when you return tomorrow you will be showered with love from your family! I tell you "I love you" all the time but this is my chance to really describe the meaning of those words to you. I remember falling madly in love with you ever so quickly. I knew what we had was not a fluke. I knew pretty much instantly that you were the one for me. That you would be my husband. That you would be the father of our children. That you would be there to hold my hand, wipe my tears, laugh with me, cuddle with me, walk beside me, talk with me, and share every being of ourselves until the end of time.

I want to start by telling you what a wonderful husband you are. Do we have good and bad days? Sure. But do we make it through them together? Most definitely! We are big time believers in "I'm sorry" and having it ring true when it's needed. We know each other like no one else on earth and I am so blessed to call myself your wife. You play into my games and tell me how it is. You keep me grounded when I tend to set my dreams way beyond the stars. I admire the fact that if there is ever anything I ask for or want you to do, if it's in your power to grant it you will. I may hear remarks here and there but you do it I know, out of love. You sacrifice so much for me. There is never a time that you intentionally make me feel guilty for doing anything for myself. You treat me like a princess and who am I to complain? I love you through and through!

Of all the traits you obtain, I think seeing you as a father is what makes me fall even more in love with you each time. If that's even possible. You adore our children and would do absolutely anything for them. I often daydream of the future and all the fun times they will have with you. You are our son's first hero and our daughter's first love. You gave me the greatest gift when I had the two of them. Watching you interact with them is a constant reminder that I made the best choice in my life of making you their father.

Lastly, the man that you have become in these last almost 7 years is just a blessing to have been a part of. When we first met we were just teenagers who were so infatuated with one another and I'm happy to say that we still are. The only things that have changed pretty much is our age and the fact that we are now married with children. We've grown up together and still have a lot left to do but so far I like how far we've come. You are mature when you need to be and are goofy all the rest. You are smarter than you think you are and I wish you could see what I see. You come off shy and "to yourself" when you are first introduced but once people get to know you they love you. You are fun, witty, and hilarious. And looks? Oh man, you had me at the first glance. There's this smoldering look you give me that knocks my socks off. You are such an amazing man and again I am so happy you chose me. 

I love you with all my being. I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond! 

Love always,

Nicole

Our new year celebration

For the last four years I'd say, we rang in the new year by staying home and enjoying each other's company..some years we watched the ball drop and others we watched movies or when we waited for 2010 to arrive I made our wedding favors! (I'm fully aware of how big of party animals we are!)

This year we did non other than stay in. It dawned on me as I was doing my friend's hair for her night on the town, I want to spend all our new year celebrations at home with our kids and who ever else would like to join us. Why? Because I never want to not be able to kiss my children at midnight and wish them a Happy New Year!

So our evening went as such.. The day was like any other, we both had a full days work and once I got home I did my friend's hair. My husband got home and I gave him his early anniversary gift (more on that later) we decided to get take out (Mexican) for dinner. Nicolas was a little rambunctious so I decided to go get the food instead of sending my husband and took Nicolas with me. We got back and my mom and brother came over. We ate, hung out and watched some good old TV. After a while my family left and it was just us. We put Nicolas to bed around 9:30pm and Raegan followed about a half hour later. Ryan and I started to watch a movie that was playing on TV and when I came back from the kitchen after getting a glass of wine, my husband was fast asleep! I could believe it because for us it was a regular day, we worked and went about our normal weekday routine. 10:30pm hits and we become zombies pretty much. I watched the movie for a bit (you know to drink my glass of wine I had just poured) and once I was finished we turned everything off and went to lay in bed. My husband fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow like every other night. I started watching Friends because I really did want to stay up until midnight so I could wake him up and kiss him. I drifted off to sleep and was woken up by fireworks going off, I checked my phone and it was 12:05am. I woke up my husband and we shared yet another New Years kiss. Then I got up to kiss my kids and whisper happy new year to them although they were happily dreaming. As I laid back in bed my heart was happy to start off this year with my absolute favorite people in the whole world!

Christmas through the years

It's hard to believe that this will mark the 7th Christmas that I've celebrated with my husband. This will also mark my 3rd Christmas as a mom and the 1st Christmas for our daughter. I absolutely love Christmas and all the joy and happiness it brings. (I couldn't find anything prior to 2009 *sad face*)

2009 with my "then" boyfriend

2010 Nicolas' first and our first as husband and wife



2011 Nicolas' second Christmas and last as an only child



2012 Raegan's first and Nicolas' third Christmas
 (obviously we will take a family one Christmas day
but I wanted to get a picture of the two of them in front of the tree
as soon as I finished decorating it)

 I am so looking forward to celebrating the holidays with these people forever and ever!

Gobble Gobble 2012

I have always gotten excited for major holidays. And now that I'm a mom, I get even more excited for them. What's even better? When it's a first! This year was Nicolas' THIRD (wow) Thanksgiving and Raegan's first. Because we already had an early dinner with my side of the family, the actual day was spent at my mother-in-law's house. We had a great time to match our great dinner. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

The kids did a little playing before dinner..

Raegan enjoyed her Thanksgiving "dinner" before we enjoyed ours 

The beautiful table my MIL set

She was ready to watch us inhale our food!

As you can see he enjoyed his plate

He was so stuffed that he immediately laid on the floor to play

Momma and her princess

And..Momma and her prince

This little girl always always falls asleep when daddy holds her

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Family Update part 1 of 4

**Has it really been 20+ days since my last entry?? craziness...well life is a little busy these days trying to get down a schedule now that I'm working out at any and all chances I get. There just doesn't seem like enough hours in the day to get everything I want to get done. I have made a personal promise to make a blog entry once a week since there is a lot going on that I would like to document and if by chance I find the time to post more, wonderful, but probably not likely unless I'm caught up on every thing else..HA that's a joke.

My Husband

Ryan recently joined an indoor softball team and although he's had a few games so far, we've only been able to go to one due to the times of the games. Nicolas had so much fun watching daddy hit the ball and run the bases. We were rooting for our favorite player by clapping and shouting. It got me even more excited for Nicolas to play sports in the future!

With me being back to work and trying to "do-it-all" Ryan has been such a help when asked. He even has helped out in the cleaning department which I normally wouldn't ask of him. I just had to snap a picture of my man vacuuming, because let's be honest, it's sexy as hell!

I have one great guy I must say! During the week I've started going to a Zumba class two to three nights a week and he's been such a sport of handling the kids on his own. He's still not use to the chaos but I'm glad he's willing to take on the challenge with a smile. Next thing on our "to-do" list, date nights! Now that I'm back to work and our income is back to normal, we really need some quality husband and wife time. We have to do everything we can not to get lost in parenting and keep that fire flaming!

Love you hun!

Pictures. Pictures. Pictures.

We took Nicolas to the Railroad Museum and we had so much fun!

Trains galore!

Clearly he had a blast!

Sporting her girly hunting camo

I love our nightly cuddles before bed :)

This day I added some intensity to my workout and I just about died so I laid down to rest
and Nicolas came over and laid down with me! Such a sweet boy I have!

My sweet little blue eyes

Morning stretch #1

Morning stretch #2

Morning stretch #3

I love how she sleeps! I'm pretty sure taking this picture woke her up with the flash.

These daddy/daughter pictures always make my heart melt!

Always smiling!

Always getting hurt, this boy!

I love baby clothes that have booty pictures!

Nicolas and Daddy..Always a handsome duo