Monday, August 29, 2016

toddler life | thirty four

toddler life | thirty four

Hello from my two week hiatus! There's been a lot of life happening here and a ton of distractions which means I've got some updating to do.  

First up... Conner!

He turned 34 months a couple weeks ago, so I am waaay behind.  He continues to change every month, but the changes seem so subtle that they almost go unnoticed.  We're coming to an end with his monthly updates which is so sad, but he's growing up, and I have to let go little by little. 


Toddler Talks
I think back to where Conner's vocab was last year, and where he is today with it, and I'm just amazed.  He was a late bloomer with speech, and that makes me even more proud of him now.  We hold conversations with him.  Like real conversations.  And he tells us stories of things that happened hours, days, and even weeks ago.  His favorite story to tell is when our dog Mia ran down a sand bluff toward the river at the bottom.  Such a simple story, but he loves telling it.
 
Toddler Play
With two boys at an interactive age, Conner has learned that he is not the only that likes to play with toys.  And sharing is H A R D.  If he sees Linden playing with a certain, he runs right over and inserts himself between Linden and said toy.  Sharing is definitely a learned trait.

This past month Joe salvaged some of his old toys from his dad's house and brought them home to Conner.  That means that Conner has more outside toys that he can plow through the yard with.  (Including Joe's Tonka truck from his childhood and you know how much Conner loves his Tonka!)  We now have a deck box dedicated for all the yard toys.

 
Toddler Eats
I still consider Conner a picky eater.  I had an epiphany this past month when comparing Conner's eating habit with Linden's eating habit.  Like with everything else, these boys have different eating habits. It's always been a bit of a struggle to push solid foods on Conner.  Even as a baby/early toddler he just wanted to drink milk and have a few bites of food. 

I realized that things truly haven't changed much over the years. Conner will consume about 200 calories from solid food and ask for milk the rest of the day.  We've always limited his milk intake after he turned one to help push him toward table food, but he'll just go the day without eating much.

The boy loves to drink his calories which I am not a fan of.  Because of this, I always love making or sharing a smoothie consisting of a plant based protein and blend of super greens for him.  This makes me feel better that he's getting proper nutrients while we continue to push him to eating a bigger variety.  Don't get me wrong, he still loves fruits and some veggies, but he just doesn't eat a whole lot in general.
 
 Toddler Sleep
This past month Conner has been very adamant about me putting him to bed at night.  Most nights I catch myself getting slightly annoyed because I have other things to do and I want some me time, but then I quickly remember that these days won't last forever.  And in the end I cherish the fact that he wants me to read to him, lay down with him and say nighttime prayers with him.  Also, hearing him say "amen" is about the sweetest thing you'll ever hear.

Disclaimer: If it isn't obvious yet, you can tell what shirt is Conner's absolute favorite. I promise he wears more than his blue shirt (on some days).
 

PHOTO DUMP:














 

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

weekend happenings | a visit from papa + nana

All last week I was getting Conner pumped up that he was going to get a surprise on Friday afternoon which was a visit from Papa and Nana.  So when he got home, he was thrilled to see them and immediately asked where his surprise was...
 
kids...
 
We had a blast while papa and nana were in town.  Friday we played around the house and had our usual pizza night.  Saturday, Joe and I took the boys over to help celebrate Alivia's 2nd birthday. (How is she two already!?) We got the boys home for naps soon after and then up again for a family outing to the fair.
 

 
It was the last day of the fair and the weather had been hit or miss all day, so I think it helped keep the crowds down while we walked through all of the livestock barns.  Goats, people, we need goats.  Hopefully within a couple of years we'll have a couple running around the property.
 
And.. we took a gamble and went out to eat.  I call it a gamble because with kids Conner, you never know how an evening out will go.  The evening went great though!! Except for me ordering a drink, not being able to enjoy said drink with busy boys, and chugging it all at the very end as we were leaving. bleh...
 
Sunday we ran to the store and soaked up our last day with papa and nana.  We hit up my favorite park of course and played in the water and on the slides. Back home for lunch, naps, dinner and to round out the evening, a visit to the beach.  And this time with the paddleboard! We were so lucky to have my parents there.
 










 
You guys, I wish I could find a baby picture of me because that look is me to a 'T'






 
 
  

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

10 on 10 | august 2016

10 Photos | 10th of August
 


Today's challenge was a 60s plank.  I look as awkward as I felt..







Tuesday, August 9, 2016

tasty tuesday | chipotle breakfast burrito

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's been busy here. Between traveling 9+ hours for work, a full day of training, wrangling two boys and supper prep and working out and... I joined a little health/fitness group.
 
I don't know about you guys, but a lot of my online feeds seem to show people doing mini-accountability groups for health and fitness.  After a gentle nudge from my friend Amy, I jumped on the bandwagon to give it a whirl. We are wrapping up day two and it's been a great change of pace.
 
One of the themes is "Tasty Tuesday" so I figured why not post what I prepped for breakfast on a day where I had -2 hours to get ready for work today.  I made this breakfast burrito the night before knowing that my alarm clock was going to go off at 3am and I would need to eat on the road.  This was the perfect recipe!
 
Note: I apologize for the not-so-glamour shot.  It was late.  I was tired.  You get it.  But it tasted amazing!
 
ingredients
whole wheat tortilla
2 eggs (scrambled)
1/4 c bell pepper
1 Tbs onions
1 Tbs tomatoes
1 Tsp freshly chopped cilantro
pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle, oregano
avocado
Chipotle Tabasco sauce (optional)
 
Saute the bell peppers with the onions over medium heat.  As those cook down, pour in the scrambled eggs and season with pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle and oregano.  Cook until eggs are done.  Place the cooked egg mixture on the tortilla and top with diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, cilantro and drizzle with Chipotle Tabasco sauce.  Wrap it up and enjoy it right away or put it in the fridge to make a fully prepped breakfast for the next.


Friday, August 5, 2016

friday vibes

I had the opportunity to hangout with my two favorite little boys this afternoon.  We spent it the best way we possibly could and nobody got naps!
 
park + splash pad + minions :)