Parenthood changes aspects of your friendships

Over the last week we were able to hook up with two couples or I should say families that are dear and near to our heart. We have known these individuals even before they were married.

While hanging out with both couples I realized how are relationship dynamics have changed. When getting together with these couples we use to meet up and watch a movie, play board games, and other fun things. Now are hangouts are centered around watching, playing, and loving on the kids. One other major thing that has changed is our conversation topics. Here are some examples of our conversations that I remembered from the past and observed now in the present :

Past conversation topics(as Non-Parents)

• Dynamics of marriage life
• Extended family
• Movies we seen lately
• Where we want to go on our next vacation
• World Events
• Dreams and Goals
• God
• Work

Present Conversation Topics(as Parents)

• Babies daily routines
• Feeding schedules
• Sleep deprivation
• Babies weight patterns
• Immunizations
• Breast Feeding
• Marriage dynamics with the kids
• Passing along gently used baby clothes
• Believing God for provision for a growing family 

I am glad I can still call these wonderful couples friends, despite life changes. And I feel blessed to be adventuring through Parenthood with great friends.

We met the Stoke's Family for Coffee and Dessert. The Fellowship and Dessert was so good and refreshing!!!

We were invited to the Osborne's Annual Barbeque!!! We took a plate home and smiling hearts after spending time with them.

Grandparents Day 2011!

I have never heard of Grandparents Day until this year. One day last month I walked into Target and seen Grandparents Day Cards on display with the date 9-11-11 under it. At first I thought it was Hallmarks way to make more money. But after thorough research I realized that I was wrong.....

National Grandparents Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. President Jimmy Carter, in 1978, proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. 

I am a firm believer that you are accountable for what you know. With that being said my husband and I decided to show recognition to our kids Grandparents this year( since my kiddos are too young to do it themselves). We blessed the Grandparents by taking them out to eat and spending quality time....exactly what they wanted and enjoyed.My In-laws and my Parents have been there to support, encourage, and help from the very beginning. Beginning, being when we found out we were pregnant with our first. I think that it is great that Grandparents get their own day because they deserve it!!

The Kiddo's and I took Mama to MiMi's for Lunch.

The Bells had a great time over Pavlo's Pizza!

If only my Dad and Mama-Frances was in the same state..... we would of treated them too!

Oh how he loves him some PB&J!

As you can see from the pictures above PB&J(Peanut Butter& Jelly) is a favorite for my kid. PB&J sandwich is delicious, but not necessarily always healthy. When PB&J sandwiches are made, they usually contain peanut butter that has a lot of salt and sugar, jelly that has a lot of sugar, and white bread that’s very low in fiber. There’s a way to make this sandwich healthier, while also keeping it delicious!

Here are 3 ways I am attempting to make a healthier PB&J Sandwich...

Because just adjusting the three main ingredients in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can greatly decrease the amount of sugar intake, while also increasing the amount of fiber in the sandwich. Which is all good for my boys growing body!!!

• 1. Looking for a high fiber whole grain bread that comes with 3-4 grams of fiber per slice.
• 2. When choosing peanut butter, get natural peanut butter. You’ll know it’s natural, because it will have oil that’s floated to the top of the container.
• 3. When choosing jellies, get a jelly that is made with all fruit, and don’t have any added sweeteners.

Changing my focus and thinking!!!

I had a rough night at work last night. While driving home I replayed everything that I felt went wrong with the night. I felt horrible. Then I heard God say I had a choice to dwell and focus on the night or to choose to move on. I chose to move on after sharing it with my husband. I realized that I learned a lot at work despite it being rough. I decided not to talk about it any longer and that it was in the past. I chose to live in the now and enjoy the rest of my day.

I am so glad I did this and I ended up not missing one of the best moments with my kids. I took them to the park in the late afternoon. We swung on the swings, went down the slide, and had a fruit picnic as we watched a kids soccer practice. Both kids were great, the weather was great, the fruit was great, and I then remembered that life is great!

Six reasons why JoJo's 1st flight was successful!!!

This last Saturday JoJo had her lst flight ever! It went so well and I was able to give her an A+ for completing this milestone. It was especially easy because we only had to travel with 1 kid. Grandpa and Grandma took JJ on a road trip !!!! And two days later Wes, JoJo and I joined them in Portland for a Cousins Wedding. Here are my 6 reasons why our flight was such a success!

1. Attitude: I chose to have a great attitude no matter what would happen on the flight. Remembering that the flight would soon come to an end and my attitude would have an affect on painting this great memory!

2. Planning:I planned her schedule around the flight. I changed her diaper right

before the flight and I also made sure I would feed her right before the flight (or right as the flight was taking off). This way she would not be hungry,  or wet,(2 things which can lead to fussiness) and be all ready to nap.

 3.Boppy: I brought JoJo's Boppy. It was a total lifesaver. The Boppy gave rest for my arms, it helped me nurse comfortably, and it was a nice pillow for JoJo to lay her head on at nap time.

 4. Coffee!!!! My husband and I  had our morning fix to give us a boost for our early flight.( I love coffee but I am on a 2cup maximum a day while nursing....I will take it!)

5.A Great Partner: Having a great companion, helper, and entertainer for the flight made the flight more exciting and less stressful.

6.Binky: JoJo is not a lover of the pacifier. However, it gave her something to suck on to fight the overwhelming pressure that can sometimes effect our ears.

Celebrating 29 years!!!

I have one more year left of being in my 20's! I can't believe it at all!! Just where does time go? As I look back over my 29years I feel so blessed to have experienced so many things with so many different people.As I look back on my 28th year of life I get overwhelmed thinking of all that I endured i.e moving back to Northern California, starting a new job, having  baby #2, and etc. I then realized that  God was with me every step of the way, opening every door, and blessing me with every blessing. The scripture that I have been relying on in this season of my life is"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1. When I put this scripture into action and remembrance the feeling of being overwhelmed transforms into gratefulness.With all this being said I was real excited to celebrate this year, even if it meant celebrating at multiple places, with multiple people, and multiple days because of every-bodies schedule. I literally celebrated all month....

It all began on August 2nd, this was the only day that Wes had off , I had off, and when our #1 babysitter (aka Grandma D) could watch both kids. Wes took me to a movie, lunch at the beautiful Blackhawk Shopping Center, and to get a Couples massage!

On August 18th I celebrated with my Lovely In-Laws at Cheesecake Factory...mmmm good!

Last but not least, I celebrated with my side of the family on Aug 20th at La Pinata.Mexican Food is my favorite!

A special thank you my husband, all my In-laws, and my blood family! You all make me feel so so special with the great dinners and great gifts that I opened. Thank you to all my friends that have gave me facebook love, voicemail love, email love, and love through the United Postal service. I love you all with all my heart. To end this blog I have to give one last shout out to Jesus for letting me see another year.Thank you!!!

2 year old Birthday Party- Mickey Mouse Birthday Party!

My Lil Warrior is 2 years old. I can't believe it! I know it is cliche, but they really do grow up so fast. Since "the mouse" is a pretty big deal in our house, I decided to throw a Mickey Mouse party for JJ. One thing I love about being a Mommy is that I am able let my crafty side grow and be of some use. I enjoyed working on this party for 2 weeks , staying in a budget, and seeing JJ's face light up every time I made something new in  recognition of Mickey Mouse. JJ consistently  pointed at the Mickey Mouse creations and  said  "Mickey Mouse" loud  and proud. We invited family and friends to JJ's "Oh Two dles" themed birthday party and now I am inviting you. Here are some pics(click on pics to get a better view) from the party and some of the things I made to go with our Mickey Theme!( Welcome Sign above: Materials: Black foam(dollar general), yellow card board(Joann fabrics), markers(had them already) and yellow yarn(Joann Fabrics)=$3)

Can't have a Mickey Mouse Party without Mickey Ears! Hats purchased from Boswell Party store for $3 and black foam from Dollar General(also used for birthday sign and ears on JJ's picture) for $1= $4!

The "Sweet Table" had our dessert, red and black twizzlers, and yellow lemon heads. I used tissue paper, yarn, and table cloth to keep color scheme.  Materials and candy purchased from Dollar General!

Grandma D (Wes' Mom)made these Mickey chocolate chip cookies. Found cookie cutter on EBay for $3!

For the cake(not the greatest pic), we went simple and I made Mickey Cupcakes. I got the idea from Disney Family. The red cupcake liners were purchased at Target in a primary color pack in the baking aisle. I cheated and used store bought frosting. Oreo' s(regular and the tiny ones), cake batter, frosting, cupcake liners, vegetable oil, and eggs all purchased at target. 50 cupcakes $17!

The banner was cut out on red poster board, and then the mickey heads were black poster board. I pasted on white buttons made out of paper and put it all together with yellow yarn. To do the mickey stickers on cups, I cut out black vinyl . Vinyl purchased from Michael s for $2.99 and cups from Dollar General.

 Red and yellow paper I purchased at Dollar Tree.
Each utensil bundle had a spoon and a fork of black and yellow and the red napkins were tied with black yarn and a white paper mickey head. Mickey Heads were left over from when vinyl was taken off white paper.

I made this cute subway art on Word just changed fonts and colors. Found Mickey Picture online and printed it out. Purchased frame from Dollar general. I love how this turned out!  I used some sayings that are special to us, as well as some Mickey Mouse sayings. 

This Mickey and Minnie Cut-Out was also a hit. I just used Styrofoam board, a sharp knife, and markers...so fun making and taking pictures in this! Price $1 for foam board!

I made these centerpieces out of styrofoam balls, black spay paint, toothpicks, a wooden stick, ribbon and a little hot glue. It was a labor of love.

I also  made this pinata !This was the high light of the party for these little ones! I made pinata out of Costco Diaper box, tape, black tissue paper, black crepe paper, scissors, and glue. The entire cost of the pinata and contents to fill it was only $20(this includes good candy  from costco i.e snicker, m&m, and etc)  !  Easy Peasy!'

JJ's Outfit- Made by NaNa T(My Mom)

The shirt was from Marshalls and she sewed the the hand on using white fabric. How many fingers does Mickey have? Four! 

The shorts were on clearance she had  picked up at target. Sewed on Mickey's "buttons" with a yellow fabric. Quick, and very inexpensive(per my Mom), plus super comfortable for him to play in that day as well.

For the birthday song I cut out some of the black vinyl in the shape of Mickey and placed it on JJ's Bib! The " Oh "Two" dles JJ "sign was made from left over material from the birthday sign . Materials from Dollar General and Yarn Joan Fabrics. Cost $3!

 I will be printing my blog out for the year so I wanted to say something to JJ:

2 years ago on July 22nd I gave birth to my son JJ! He is a friend to everyone. Loves life every minute of the day. Is smarter than I ever imagined. And never misses a beat. Loves to dance with his mommy. Thinks his daddy is Superman. And shows interest every once in a while to his little 2 month old Sister. He has taught me how to live life in the moment and made me smile at least 100 times every day of his little life. I am so blessed, proud and happy to call him my son. You are so loved JJ. Happy Birthday baby boy!

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