Make new friends..

Anya and I met up with our new friends Laura and Georgia today. Go on over to Laura's blog, The Gruneisen Family News and check it out!
We met them back in the fall at our music class and I stumbled across Laura's blog not too long ago. Today we met up at the local splash pad. We all had fun! Here are some pictures. It was another hot summer day...

Anya was very independent and walked around all by herself. She wasn't worried about where I was, although I didn't take my eyes off her. She became obsessed with this walkway and kept on wandering over to walk up and down over and over...

Another fun summer day!! :-)

Word List Updated

Wow
Oh wow (first 2 words together)
Cat
Mama
Dada
Mum
Uh oh
Baba (not sure if she means bottle or something else?)
Ba-bye
Yay
Duck
Ta tu (thank you)
Yeah
Cook (book)
Baby
Hi
A tee (auntie)
Bubbles
E mo (Elmo)
Na na (Nana)
Up
Daddy
Mommy
No
Apple
Nana (banana)
Eat
Bur (bird)
Maaaa (meow)
Hi Mama, Hi Dada, Hi Kitty
Ehhman (Herman)

Portland, Maine

Over the weekend Dwight and I headed up to Portland, Maine by ourselves. It was our chance to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. We started the trip with a stop at Sebago brewery for some lunch.. and my huge blueberry beer...

After lunch we walked the cute streets, stopped in shops, and browsed menus of the quaint restaurants lining the cobblestone alley ways...

We walked down to the harbor and booked a sunset cruise for the evening. The funny thing was by dinner time a fog had rolled in making it an un-sunset cruise. We still enjoyed ourselves. I actually think we enjoyed ourselves more with the fog.

These are harbor seals...

By the end of the trip the fog was so thick that we were surrounded by white. Dwight and I were laughing so much at the view. It was memorable to laugh with him and snuggle together under a blanket.

I couldn't help but relate the cruise to our marriage. In life there are times when things are a little hard to see. There will be times when we both wont be able to see a thing ahead of us. But as long as we can laugh together and snuggle under a blanket.. well we've got it made. I was laughing in this pic.. we were being so silly together. I know I will never forget that un-sunset cruise.

We went to a really nice restaurant for dinner. We ordered a horrible bottle of wine. The fresh seafood was delicious. We talked.. we laughed.. we got time together alone. I can't stress enough how as a married couple it is so important to get away alone. We promised each other that we wont go more than a year without getting away alone. We owe it to each other. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to our marriage and our family.

I feel so blessed that we still enjoy hanging out and doing things together. I think it's easy with life.. work.. a baby.. to lose it. But.. we still got it. ;)

I kept saying, I'm out and it's late, with a huge grin. It's just so rare to get out of the house at night nowadays. We usually put Anya to bed and watch a movie or a tv show. I do love low key nights. We get time together but it's not so often that we get to go out to dinner or entertainment. It was so FUN. I loved it. Portland is full of a lively nightlife. You can hear laughter and live music wafting through the streets. It is pure entertainment on every street. We wandered into an outdoor patio where a bluegrass band was playing. We were sucked in by the sounds. We couldn't leave, they were that good. It was a blast. We people watched and laughed at some of the hilarious things going on around us.

We had a great time. After 3 years we can still have fun. Even though we have a child and responsibility we can take the time to stop and appreciate one another. We are in this together and our life is a fun ride. I'm so lucky to have Dwight next to me.. foggy or not.. good wine or bad.

Here we go...

.. she figured it out. We are in trouble now! ;)

I went upstairs for a minute yesterday and heard Anya huffing and puffing. I said to myself, ohhh wow is she trying the STAIRS? I looked around the corner to see that not only had she gotten up to the landing but she was halfway up the rest of the stairs! What a wonderful way to celebrate being 14 months! She uses her feet instead of her knees. I hope she figures out that there is an easier way.

Last night I met up with some of my favorite lady friends for some food and drinks at a tiki bar. It was such a memorable night. There was lots of laughter and my mouth hurt by the end of the night from laughing and smiling. The evening finished with a show of heat lightening in the sky. These girls are the best. They are the friends I can be my true self with.

This morning Anya and I went for our morning walk. The temperature was in the mid 70s and there was a beautiful breeze. I thought about how right at that moment I felt so happy. I really do feel blessed to have this family of 3 surrounded by lovely friends and family. I think I will look back on this summer with a lot of nostalgia. After all, these are the good old days, right?

More fun with Kai!

Today we had Kai over for some water fun! The two of them had a blast in the baby pool, using the water table and running around the yard.

After Kai left Anya learned how to walk in and out of the baby pool. I think she must have watched Kai and learned from him.... :-)

crazy hair

This is what I see when I go to get Anya after her nap...

... and why we use barrettes and elastics most of the time..

Hollys 8th birthday party

Today we celebrated Holly's 8th birthday. I love the picture above. It shows so much kindness from Holly to Anya. It also shows her adorable braids. Anya likes to push peoples noses. I guess it is because we say BEEP! when she pushes ours. Here she is pushing uncle Eddie's nose and he was saying, BEEP!.. or HONK!

Now she was petting his head.. not sure where she learned that one. Maybe from petting our cat? haha. Later on she was giving him hugs.. love it.

This one is of Anya and her mom and grammy. She sat down on the step with us for a bit.

She loved the ice cream!

Here is a little clip of Anya dancing at the party. Note that she now runs:

parenting got you down?

There was a segment on the Today show called Parenting got you down, You're not alone..
I watched it and I was oh so disappointed.

Yes parenting is HARD. It is the hardest thing you will ever do. I have admitted this many times before.

The show begins with the words, it's not that you don't love your kids it's all those other things that come with the job. Are you freakin' serious? Parenting includes it all.. take it or leave it. You can't get all the snuggles, kisses, sweet and soft baby heads, story reading, giggles, etc. if you don't take the messy diapers, food filled hair, complete exhaustion, and temper tantrums. It all comes with the territory. It is hard, but it is worth it every step of the way.

Believe me, I understand. I have been puked in my mouth, I have had pee run down my hip. I have cried while making dinner with a screaming baby on my hip. I. get. it.

There is something inside me that wants to scream, get.. over.. yourself.
Once you become a mom, you are a mom. You should take care of yourself.. give yourself breaks, get time away, sustain your marriage... but the most important thing is.. you are a mom.

I knew parenting was going to be difficult. I knew it would be fun. I had no clue how much work it is.. and how fantastic and rewarding it is. I would give up anything in my life to give my daughter the life I want her to have. I am not worried about how my day is hampered by her diapers, her sometimes getting ill, or having to care for her all day every day. I do it because it's LOVE. I do it because I am a MOM. I do it because I CHOSE this.. and I WANT this.

Yes it is difficult and I wouldn't want any mom to not be able to admit that. It is a huge transition to your life, your friendships, your marriage. I will fully admit that I have my days where I do complain.. I get tired.. I wonder how I can get through the day..

What my main point is.. when did women start thinking that being a mom isn't enough? When did we start thinking that it wasn't satisfying? Watching my daughter learn something new is amazing. I don't know if I could be more satisfied than watching her grow right in front of my eyes.

There was a clip from a website that mentions moms who discuss only soccer and coupons? Are they joking? Believe me, there is much more interesting things to talk about... being a mom or not a mom. There are our marriages.. our travels.. our hobbies.. our goals. Just because we clean up poop and throw up with love doesn't mean the rest of who we are is erased.

I know a lot of moms must love this post. The moms that complain all day.. oohhh poor me I am home with my kids and all they do is fight... this is not what I thought it would be.
I do not have sympathy. You created these children. Suck it up and bring them to the park.. take them to a play date.. bake cookies.. teach them.. take the good with the bad. You are the mom. It is your job. Try to enjoy it on the way. I promise you.. it is actually a hell of a lot of fun.

Family night

We got together with our May baby friends for a family dinner at Meg, Ben and Camden's house. Steph and her family were missing due to illness and we missed them. Anya had fun with her buddies Kai and Camden. They were hilarious running around the house. It is amazing to see how much they have grown in the past year. We were having so much fun that I didn't know where the time went.
Anya had a huge day today.. learning to stand up in her crib (and throw her toys out) and also finally crawling. I am so proud of our little girl. I knew parenting was going to be a fun ride. I just didn't know it was THIS much fun.. THIS much rewarding.. so thankful for how life has brought me right here, right now. ;)

Discovery stop play date

We met up with a bunch of our mom and little friends today for a play date at an indoor play center. I feel like it was just yesterday we were sitting in a circle with new babies at mom group. Now our babies are mobile and very entertaining...
Anya was pushing our neighbor Haley around on the ride on toy...

The girls did the dishes together..

Anya found a magnet wall. Check out her curls in the back..

A John Deere tractor!..

We had a wonderful time today. It feels so great to see the other children and moms. It was a scorching hot day and it was nice and cool to be inside. Anya walked around and explored until she saw everything that she was able to. We are very lucky to know such wonderful moms and little friends.

First lake experience

Today we headed to a local lake to play in the sand and water. We met up with a friend and her boys from our mom group and then stayed a while after they left (for nap). Anya loved the water, which was nice and warm. She would walk in and out over and over. We had lunch on a picnic blanket (or what Anya would eat.. she has been very picky this week.. I packed her a grilled cheese and cucumbers but she only ate the crackers and cream cheese I brought for a snack.. real healthy huh?). Anya played in the sand for a few minutes and then continued to walk in and out of the water. We will definitely go back for more beachy fun this summer. Have I mentioned that I love where we live?

a priceless moment

My dad and Anya dancing on my parents deck. ;)

Fun with Kai!

Kai is also still taking 2 naps a day making it easy to plan a play date together. We headed over to Natalie's this afternoon and it was a blast watching the two toddlers walk/run around together. We had them eat lunch in the kitchen and it was so funny to hear them mimic and wave at one another. :)

Childrens Museum

Yesterday Anya had her first Happy Meal. She ate a ton of fries and approximately 1 chicken nugget. :)When I was a little girl my mom brought my sister and me to a childrens museum down near my parents house. It is in an old victorian house and each room has a theme. It is perfect for children ages 1-5. Yesterday we took Anya there to explore! She had a blast and was running from room to room.

Her favorite part of the day was this ship in the ocean attic room. She loved to walk up and down this step. She must have gone up and down ten times...