Month: May 2013

thir-tee-three is okay with me

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

My birthday last year was so bad, I don’t think I ever even blogged about it.  Terrible.  Definitely my worst birthday ever and one of my top 5 least favorite days in life.  I worked for about 18 hours and the weather was crappy and it was just one.of.those.days.  Except there was the expectation that it would be fabulous.  It was a bad start to 32.

But 32 was wrapped up neatly with a little bow and put on a shelf today as 33 took it’s place.  I worked today.  One huge difference between this year and last – I love my job.  I was over my old job by this time last year.  I LOVE my job.  And today I realized just how much I love the people I work with.  I feel lucky to be around people that care so much and went the extra mile to make sure I knew that they did.

I MAY or may not have prepped the boys before they went to bed last night.  READ: “Mommy’s very special birthday is tomorrow so make sure you remember to tell me happy birthday, give me lots of hugs and kisses, and sing to me when you wake up!”

And I may or may not have had to remind them again today, but that’s okay. They delivered.

It was a little hard to focus at work today with my phone buzzing every 5 minutes for Facebook notifications where someone had posted birthday wishes on my wall.  SO NICE!  This is something I am so bad about. But it really did make me feel loved and special so I vow to do better.  Happy birthday everyone!  
A friend at work took me to lunch and we were able to chat and catch up, which was a treat.  I returned to my desk being decorated and this: 
SO NICE.
After work, Ryan’s parents came up to watch the boys so we could go out for dinner and drinks. I met Ryan at the Toyota dealership where I dropped my car off for an oil change. 
Then we headed downtown to a new-ish place (recommended by one of my kind co-workers) called Bakersfield.  
I think I’m obsessed with this place. 
I’m definitely obsessed with the food. 
We tried the Fish (1), Pastor (2), Huitlacoche (3), and Short Rib (4).  Oh, and the chips & queso.  
All dee-lish.
I had the Red Headed Stranger per the server’s suggestion and Ryan had The Drifter.  Both too strong for my liking, but fun to try anyway. 
cheers!
loves.
I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening to stroll downtown through a couple of charming shops. 
Seriously. So perfect.
Such a neat store. I wish I had unlimited space and money!
It was well after seven and I needed to pick up my car before eight so we headed back to the dealership.  Then swung by Cheesecake Factory on the way home and left with a to-go bag of sinfully delicious desserts.
There’s never any trouble finding helpers when presents need to be opened. 
Gifts consisted of money to buy new clothes and a Hungry Girl cookbook.
YAY!
We put the boys to bed and then enjoyed our hidden and forbidden treats.  Oh yes.
And with that, I’ll be getting RIGHT back to Couch to 5k and eating healthy tomorrow.  
What a day – what a WONDERFUL day.  And thank you so much to anyone and everyone who played a large or small role in my day today!  I’m truly happy. Truly blessed.  Loving 33!
xoxo,
~C~

one week from today.

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

In one week, we will celebrate Dexter Jay’s 2nd birthday.  Hard to believe that two years ago I was just a week away from welcoming our second baby. Our second son.  And that we didn’t know if he would be a boy or a girl.  The last two years have been jam-packed with all things BOY, for sure.  It’s been a fun and interesting two years with lots of changes.  I can’t believe it’s already been a year since Dexter’s big 1st birthday party. It’s amazing how much faster time seems to pass once you have kids.  It’s easy to see how much can really change and how much a person can grow and develop and learn in a month or a year.  Dexter is an amazing, lively, energetic, happy little boy and I wouldn’t change one thing about him. 

That’s a lie. I’d make him sleep in a little later instead of always waking up between 5:30 and 6:30am every day.  But even with that being said, he’s healthy. He’s unique. He’s his own little person and such a huge part of our family.  So how could I even dream about changing that?  2 years already! Ryan has been saying he’s 2 for a couple of months now and I yell at him every time.  Let my baby be a baby.  I can still say he’s 1…and that sounds like a baby, even if I know he’s not. Something tells me when these kids are 10 & 11, we’ll think they were still babies at 2 & 3. 

xo,
~C~

i put down the camera

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

I don’t know what happened.  I was rarely seen without my camera in my hand for months – maybe even a couple years. Lately, I don’t know what it is. I just haven’t wanted to lug it around.  And when I do, like the other night when I took it to a new park, I snap a couple of pics and then put it in the diaper bag.  This sucks.

Canon Rebel T2i {source}

I definitely WANT to keep taking pictures but I’m not sure when my passion fizzled. Maybe it’s partly because the kids are so hard to photograph lately. They never stop moving, sure don’t want to pose, and in no way think that their mama taking their picture 500 times is a priority.  Also, my hands are full of kids or I’m literally chasing after kids, which makes it hard to carry a camera.  

So then I hate blogging all the time with no pictures to share. So then I don’t blog as much, which I hate.  I guess maybe going to the gym and/or running outside after the boys go to bed has also cut into my “me” time. Time that I would have spent uploading and editing and blogging.  Can’t have it all, can we?

Quite a conundrum.  I know. If this isn’t a first world problem, I don’t know what is. 

xo,
~C~