A blurry iPhone picture documented Tuesday!

Let me start this off by saying that I LOOOOOOVE Tuesday's. First of all it is not Monday, which is obviously awesome. Secondly, it is the first day of the week that we have lots of fun things to do, I get to see Josh extra and spend more one on one time with Paxton! Weekends are definitely my favorite since we get to have Josh with us for a full 48 hours of awesomeness but Tuesday's are a close second!

After I get home from the gym, get everyone fed and bathed, I get myself ready for the day since I will actually be leaving the house (which is something that does not happen on Monday's!)

 Then we load up the car with H's school bag, snacks drinks and diapers for Paxton and we head out for the morning to drop Harper of at school. At first she was always apprehensive when I dropped her off. Now, she walks in by herself, we do our usual routine of taking her jacket off, hanging up her bag, wash her hands and she then runs to her teacher for a big hug. It is more heartwarming to me than sad because with someone as stand off-ish as Harper to run up to someone for a hug means they are truly great teachers and so kind and loving to her. It makes me happy to see a little independence from her.

Pax and I then go to run whatever errands I may have. Sometimes we do a stop at the grocery store because shopping with one is a tad easier than shopping with two. But this past Sunday J was suuuper awesome and we all went to check out the new HyVee did our shopping then. Score! Therefore we went to the best place to kill some time and spend some money....Target!!! Check out the cuuuuuutest little Easter baskets I picked up for the kids. $2.50! I mean that is practically free!

I also had time to just browse which again is NOT something I typically get to do when I have both kids. I meandered over to check out the shoes. I saw these little beauts which were on clearance for practically nothing but of course they only had a size 11. Bummer!

 Paxton thoroughly enjoyed our little outing and I have so much fun hanging out with just him. I had 16 1/2 months of just Harp and I getting in quality time but it's rare that I have a block of time just Paxton and I. He is such a cool kid and he is so much fun to be around! This little froggy is probably going to have to make it into his Easter basket, I've never seen him love on something like that before. Too cute!

After we wandered the many aisles of Target we then started our way to pick up Josh for work to meet up for lunch. Day Date Tuesday I call it. I look forward to Tuesday lunch every single week. Such a fun little treat to get to see J for a snippet of time in the afternoon and share lunch with him and Paxton. Again, much easier with just one kid to bring along plus it's fun quality time that Pax and Josh get as well. We hit up Chipotle yesterday and had one of their veggie/black bean/brown rice bowls. OMG it was so stinking good! I was sad this morning that I didn't bring home my leftovers to have again today. Oh well, I'll just have to go back soon!!!

Then Pax and I came home to play a little before he goes down for his nap. This tent is the newest obsession the kids have in the house. It's a fun Lion King pop up tent that Nana and Papa brought the kids a while back. They drag this thing around everywhere and have secret little Harper/Paxton play time inside. Sometimes we like to hide from dada and then try to scare him. Basically it's awesome.

 Harper's newest favorite thing is to assist me with cooking dinner. It is always supervised of course and I never let her get near the knives but she helps stir our dishes, she seasons them and will help drop the chopped things in the pan or baking sheet. It's so much fun to have a cooking buddy and to start teaching her things while we are doing so. It's great for counting and measuring and addition/subtraction! Sometimes it helps her become more adventurous with eating things since she is actually making them. She's quite the picky eater.

Last night we made one of Josh's favorite vegan dishes a Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili. It's so crazy good and easy!!!

 Then some more play time in the tent while we are waiting to get Paxton up from his nap.

 Necklaces are also another new obsession in the house.

Of course Paxton has to climb up on Harper's cooking stool to try and sneak a bite because he's basically a garbage disposal. He will eat anything all day every day. I don't think he has ever been full. He has the belly to show for it!

Last, I'd like to leave you with what Josh and I spent our evening doing last night. Making ourselves into Zombies with the hilarious free Walking Dead iPhone app. We actually did one of Harper too but I'm pretty sure its a little too disturbing to go up on the internet. Hope you all are having a great Wednesday!!!

Loving differently

This picture in so many way sums up the personality differences of these two. H is more docile, she is an observer and a listener and likes to take in her surroundings before submerging herself. Paxton, well... this little monster is a constant blur. He is rarely ever still, always getting himself in to some sort of mischief and not worrying about the consequences (i.e. will he dive in to that pile of pillows and bounce backwards off the couch in to the coffee table? Not that day, but he was lucky!)

With having two kids it has been easy to love them both equally. However, I never really realized how different the love for them would be though. I do not love one more than the other but I do love them for the different things that they bring to my life and to our family.

My dear Harper. I love her for her sensitivity. I love that she cares for how people feel and is genuinely concerned if she thinks someone is hurt or sad or mad. I love that after she wakes up from her nap she wants to lay on my chest just for a little while and takes her time to get back in to the day and doesn't rush in to anything. I love that she really listens and learns even when we are not making an effort to teach her. I love the little mama she is and what a great helper she is as a big sister (well, when she is not being a normal sister and getting annoyed by her crazy brother.) I love how routine oriented she is. I love that she is really starting to become not just my baby but my little girl. I love that she gets so excited to get her step stool out in the evenings to help me cook dinner (my secret way to get her to actually eat). I love that she does take a while to warm up to people but once you have earned her trust she is so faithful with her love. I love that she says she already wants to be a vet so she can take care of animals. With her, the moments I cherish most are the quiet sweet ones. The ones where she will come up to me, lays her hand on my arm and tell me that she loves me and that I am a nice mama. I love how the moments with her can always bring tears to my eyes because I know I am raising a caring and smart and thoughtful little girl.

My handsome Paxton. I love him for his energy. He really turned my world upside down when he joined our family. At first I wasn't sure what to do with such a high energy child. However he has won me over with his smile, laughter and overall rambunctious ways. I love him for his slobbery kisses. I love him for the excitement he has over the little things like balloons and any food you place in front of him. I love that he thinks it is the most hilarious thing in the world when you chase him or hide behind a corner to scare him. I love that the second I walk in the room to wake him up he is so excited for the day. I love his independence yet the fact he always is making sure mama isn't too far away. I love him for his confidence and playfulness and bravery. I love how he adores his sister and wants to do everything just like her. With him, the moments I cherish most are the crazy ones filled with laughter. The ones where I can say the four words "I'm gonna get you" and the biggest grin flashes across his face as he turns around as quickly as possible to try and run away, even though his giant belly and short little steps don't allow him to be too quick and once I catch him he bursts with laughter as I tickle his ribs and his neck. He brightens up my day every day. I love how the moments with him can always bring a smile to my face because I know I am raising a confident and happy and positive little boy.

Having two kids at times can be a challenge, especially since mine are only 16 months apart. However, I would not change the way the world planned for us to be parents for anything. My kids do not make up who I am as a person, but they are a huge part of what my purpose in life is now. I love being a mom. I love being able to stay at home. Even if it means I have days where I want to cry in a corner because they are having bad days. Even when the entire family is sick but you have to find a way to get out of bed and continue on because there are little ones that need you. I love that my husband works so hard so I get the chance to soak up all the good days and even the rough days. =) I love that I have two completely different personalities that I grow to love more and more each day as they continue to learn and mold into who they are going to be as adults. I love these two littles, maybe in different ways and for the different things they bring to our lives but I love them both more than I ever thought was imaginable. Josh and I are two pretty lucky parents if I do say so myself!

I am not......

 Lately I have been down on myself because I am constantly comparing to others. I keep thinking "oh she is so much thinner than I am and she has had two kids," or "she is so much more successful with her photography business than I am" and "man she always looks so great and put together, why can't I look like that all the time."

One of my best friends and I decided for lent to stop obsessing and comparing ourselves to others and appreciate and love ourselves for exactly who we are. I have come to the realization that I am not the girl that only gains 25 pounds when I am pregnant. I gain 40. I am not the girl that in 6 weeks, 3 months or even 9 months post pregnancy am back to my "pre baby body" without having to work at it. I am also not the girl that will be claiming that I lost my baby weight just from breastfeeding and chasing my kids around the house. Nope I am not one of the lucky ones. I am not bitter towards those of you who are that way, more power to ya and you should have a million babies!

I am the one that wakes up at 5:30 every morning to get to the gym and gets in a 500 calorie burn workout to make it home by 7:00 so I can wake my kids up and start the day. I am the one that has to literally choke down smoothies with kale and spinach and other gross stuff to lose those last 10 stubborn pounds. I am also the one that now has to track my calorie intake to make sure I am not over doing it. With that being said all the hard work is starting to pay off for me. I started a fitness challenge at my gym 4 weeks ago. I typically am not a competitive person but for some reason this really got me fueled! We had our 4 week check in this past Saturday (it's an 8 week challenge) and I had dropped 5.4 lbs (putting me in the 130's which I have not seen since high school, what what!!!) and even better I have lost 6 inches so far. I was so incredibly proud of myself because along with me typically not being competitive I am also terrible about following through with things. I figured when I stepped on the scale I was going to weigh and measure the same from the beginning and then get defeated. But no!! I am making a move in the right direction!!!! Also, just because I want to brag on myself a little at this point, I had upped my plank time from 3 minutes 10 seconds to 4:00 minutes, and increased my number of sit ups, push ups and squats in a minute time frame! I mean seriously, to me, that is amazing in just 4 weeks!

So now I just have to stay committed the next four weeks to get to my goal. I am now to the point that I really want to win or place within the competition! The best part about it is that I love love love going to KOSAMA. I love the trainers, crazily enough I love the workouts (even Mary's ridiculous 90 minute class on Saturday's), and of course the friends I have made that I see every morning at 6:00am. They don't know it but they help hold me accountable and push me to work harder every day.

I may not have it as easy as some others do when it comes to looking the way I want to. But I almost think I am luckier because otherwise I wouldn't know what it feels like to eat healthy and work hard to feel really good about myself.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous start to their Monday!!!

14 Days of Love Notes

For Valentines this year I wanted to do something a little different and extra for Josh. He's been working craaaaaazy hard long days lately and has also been out of town here and there. I want him to know that I notice all his hard work and to be reminded on more than just the one day that he is oh so loved by me. We tend to go big when it comes to gifts on Christmas and birthdays but seem to focus on smaller more personal fun items on Valentines and our anniversary. That's when I thought of doing 14 Days of Valentines Notes. I saw a lot of things on Pinterest around Christmas time doing the 12 Days of Christmas but those were mostly gifts following the number of the day (one thing on the first, two things on the second, etc.) and that seemed a tad overboard since I was already going to surprise him with a ridiculously large new TV for our living room. When I started racking my brain on what to do for Valentines I thought of this! I then looked on Pinterest and there were of course a ton of ideas for this but most of them were some sort of food item every day & I am working really hard on eating healthy and know that it is not a good idea to bring in a bunch of delicious sugary treats in to our home, especially after the food coma weekend I had over the Super Bowl...yikes!

I loaded up the kids and took them to inspiration central for fun things (Target, duh!) and walked the aisles and tried to figure out what I wanted to do to present it to him so he could come home and see that he has 14 Days of awesomeness coming his way! I found the cutest little felt heart garland for like $7 and the little cellophane heart baggies in the $1 Spot (have I mentioned how much I love the One Spot? It's seriously the greatest!) Last I grabbed a 100 pack of index cards and I have a rainbow of Sharpies at home, which were actually the first gift J ever bought me. Ahhhhh thinking back to that makes my heart go pitter patter. I literally fell in love with him because he bought me Sharpies. You think I am joking but I really am not. It was not just the Sharpies themselves but the fact that he was listening to me when I mentioned a tiny thing when we were working together one day and the fact that he took the time to do something thoughtful for me randomly. Ok back on course... Harper was really excited about doing a surprise for J so she wanted to contribute. I let her pick out something at the store to give to daddy for his day 1. She picked out a chocolate calculator in the $1 spot. Hey, the kid loves chocolate and numbers. Makes sense right? On the downside we thought it was a bar of chocolate shaped like a calculator, no it was the opposite. An actual calculator that looks like chocolate. Bummer for Josh but H actually loves to play with it. So we came home, wrote out a note for him after we hung it up in our bedroom & waited for him to get home!

I write out a note every day and leave it somewhere for him to find then I add it to the garland in our room. Sometimes there is a little surprise that goes along with it but mostly just notes as to why I love him that day. I did not write out the notes in advance because I wanted to be sincere as to why during that specific day do I love him. Not only has it been fun for him to receive everyday but it has been really fun for me. It helps me really notice why he is so amazing and why I love him so very much! I think this might be something I do every year for Valentines and keep adding my notes to the packages so we can go back and see what I loved about him from the year before!

I hope all of you are planning to show your friends, family, spouses and kids how much they are loved on Valentines this year! I'm currently trying to plan out my menu for what I want to cook that night. Any fun ideas & suggestions are welcomed!!

P.S. I loooooove the fact that Harper brings home some fun art project from school every week. Check out her awesome color stamped heart below. Perfection!

Embracing the quiet

Our life over the past 4+ months has been a little chaotic. We've had off & on people living with us. We are glad we decided to help some friends & family, however it caused me to realize that I am a really creature of habit and I enjoy and embrace the normalcy of our daily lives. I love waking up in the morning knowing I will go to my gym and see the same faces almost every morning. I love coming home and waking everyone up to start the day and make breakfast. I love kissing my husband goodbye and wishing him a wonderful and fast work day so I can miss him all day long until he walks back in the door to (hopefully) a hot meal, lots of hugs and kisses from myself and the kids. I love that I get to be the one who puts Paxton to bed but that Josh gets his special daddy time in while putting Harper down. And I really love that 7:30 until we fall asleep is J & I's time to watch our shows, talk about his day at work & my day with the kids and occasionally share a glass of wine and a bowl of popcorn. I love every second of all of that because it is what works for us as a family. Therefore with our lives the past few weeks things have been quite. It's been nice. It's been us. It's been really healthy for our relationship.

There are some days where J and I tell one another that we love each other more that day that usual. This is for no special reason at all. For instance I really love Josh extra today. Nothing out of the ordinary has occurred, no gifts or surprises but I just love him so much and really really cannot wait for him to come home!! =) I feel extra lucky today that he is mine.

Below are a few pics from last weekend where the weather decided to be nice and break me of my self diagnosed SADD. I am really ready for the weather to brighten up and allow us to get out of the house more often and put a stop to all the runny noses and coughing.

Last but not leaset, I am oh so so so excited that my Dad & DeeDee are going to come stay with us this weekend. We haven't seen them since September and we get 2 nights together and I am sure I will probably weigh 5 more lbs than I do now because of the amazing food we will cook together all weekend long (especially in preparation for our SuperBowl get together we are having at the house!!!!!!) Yaay Happy Wednesday all!!!!!!!!

a resolution to say no.

This year I am working on embracing who I am and trying to work on myself. Not just a mommy or a wife but simply as me, Brenda Pluid.  I am 100% a people pleaser, almost to a fault. Well, absolutely to a fault because it has caused me to become quite an anxious person.  I hate telling anyone no because I do not like letting down others or causing any disappointment. Even to a point of not saying where I really want to go eat or what movie I want to see. I would rather the other people I am with be happy with what we are doing than choosing what I may truly want to do. Weird...I know. 

I am not someone who is all day every day anxious but there are many situations where I get worked up about having to do something that I get to the point of having panic attacks. I cannot breathe or get a fulfilling breath which then freaks me out and makes the whole breathing issues even worse. It's a viscous cycle. I am also weird about taking medicine because I have the theory that drinking water and working out is pretty much a cure for almost any/all of the problems I have. If my head hurts, it means I need water. If I am feeling tired and lazy all the time, it means I need to get to the gym. I am also a creature of routine and habit. I like things to be within the schedule or plans I have created and if there is a sudden change it throws me off and I get stressed quickly. This I do not like about myself. I feel as if I used to be so much more laid back and easy going but since having kids I want everything to be in order and go according to schedule (especially when it comes to my children's sleep schedules, if those get messed up I am a super freak about it.) 

Anywho, I don't want this whole thing to be about my issues but what I would like to do and what I am trying to do to better it.  The best part about this whole thing is Josh. He knows how I am and he challenges me to be better because he of course wants me to be happy. I am not sure he even knows when he is doing so. He can tell when I am about to over commit to something and asks me to think twice when it comes to saying yes. He even knows that he may have to ask me 10 times before I tell him what I really want rather than just what is going to appease him. It's nice to be married to someone who sometimes knows you better than you know yourself.

So my resolution this year is to simply speak my mind and to say no when I really want to say no and to stop caring about what everyone else may think/feel when I do. To many of you that may seem silly but to me it is a big change. Honestly, even writing about this is making me anxious because of the potential judgements. I know that by doing this it will help myself which is in turn helping my family, because they are pretty awesome if I do say so myself! Happy Tuesday everyone =) 

Sick and Snowy Beginning to 2013

Considering we are now parents to two littles and we have a 16 year old babysitter who doesn't normally stay past 11:00pm, we rang in the new year at home. It was such a wonderful end to 2012 with the hubs and our friend Josh (aka Slim) who cooked up a delicious shrimp, steak and cheesy bread dinner (can you tell boys created the menu sans anything green?) But hey, I was not complaining since I was out of the kitchen all night long!! Harper and I cuddled up on the couch watching Happy New Year's Charlie Brown and we had a sparkling cider toast and some FaceTime with the grandparents before she went to her last night of slumber for 2012. We then ate our dinner, drank a ginormous bottle of campaign between the three of us, played Wheel of Fortune on the PS3 and watched Ryan Seacrest's countdown to NYC's midnight (am I the only one who finds Carson Daily suuuuuuuper annoying & an awkard host?) . I surprisingly made it up until midnight with the help of cherry coke zero and lots of laughter from my husband and some ridiculous rapping he was making up, and a little You Tube. If you have not seen the ghost girl in the elevator video from Brazil, please do so now, FREAKING HILARIOUS! Mind you I would die if this ever happened to me.

New Years Day was pretty much spent in our pajamas tending to two incredibly sad sick babes. I was so thankful for the fact Josh was home and able to help out. I made an enormous pallet on the floor in our front room and allowed Harper to watch an ungodly amount of Dora the Explorer because it was the only thing that prevented constant meltdowns. My amazing husband got up and made us steak, egg and avocado breakfast tacos alongside mimosas (because every parent dealing with sad sick kids needs a little pick me up...right?) We also spent most of our day in the bathroom with the shower running on the hottest setting to create a steam room to help with the couching fits and congested noses that the littles were battling. By the way did you all know that you are NOT supposed to use Vick's Vaporub when you or your kids have a cough???? Apparently it causes irritation and makes their cough worse. Well I had been literally slathering it all over their chest, back and feet for days..whoops! However, if your child is 1 year or older and you are dealing with a troubling cough you can give them 1/2 to 1 tsp of honey as often as needed. It coats their throats and thins the mucus! I was unaware of this so I thought I would pass on the info =). Thank you to nurse Julie who called me last night after I was panicking that Pax had RSV again.

Today however is a much better day and the kids are finally eating and playing a little. I am excited for Paxton's one year check up tomorrow, minus the shots, to see where is is on his averages of weight, height & head size!

I am still kind of working on my so called 2013 resolutions. Really I am trying to set some goals for myself and the family that are realistic and not ridiculous. I can gladly say that for the first time in quite a while losing weight is not on my list (don't judge if you think I could lose a few lbs =)!) But lots of personal and photography goals are on my list! If I get around to it I'll share them in a few days.

I hope everyone had a beautiful beginning to 2013. We were lucky enough to start it off with a gorgeous snow that helped our quarantine not seem so bad! I am excited for another year of experiences with Josh and the littles.  Yay for The Year of the Pluids!!!