#2 continued...

I've been a busy bee...but I can't forget about my baby girl. Brianna is my super fun, beautiful, talented, artistic little girl. She is pretty much like me but miniature size :) She is my miracle baby. I had early complications during my pregnancy with her. I don't want to get into any gory details but I pretty much thought I had lost her at week 3 of my pregnancy (yes, I found out super early). After week 20, I felt more comfortable telling people about my pregnancy since the risk was significantly lower. She was a lady during my week 20 ultrasound, she had her legs crossed and was determined not to show...I should have known it was a girl :) So I went home from my 20 week ultrasound with my head down and sad that I didn't get to find out. Luckily I had an awesome doctor who decided to take a peek and she decided to let us know a few days later :) After all the early complications, the rest of the pregnancy went smoothly. Brianna Roselyn graced us with her presence on March 1st, 2010.

Love at first sight

Daddy's girl

Proud Big Bro

Bri was the perfect baby. I'm not sure if it was because she was the 2nd child and we kind of already knew what to do...but she was the baby who slept through the night at 3 months, in her own crib too! She rarely fussed and was a fast learner. She was walking before 1 and potty trained at 2. She was completely done with diapers even night time diapers at about 3. Like I said EASY! I guess this is where people will start saying "Wait till her teen years!" lol

She loved making that face!

Bri liked the ducky face before it was cool

She loves to sing and dance. You give her a microphone or a hairbrush and she will perform for you!
And most likely it will be a Frozen song! Just like every little girl in the world her obsession with Frozen was ridiculous! I think it's toned down quite a bit but every now and then I will hear her in her room belting out "Let it Go" This girl has so many talents she is going to be big one day whether its a hurdler, singer, dancer, model, rock climber, artist, architect or actress...I love her to pieces and I sure am lucky to be her mom!!

Coolest little girl I know!

What I Love #2

For those of you who are new readers, I am sharing what/who I love and cannot live without in honor of the Month of Love. I'm sure you all know what/who number 2 is...MY TWO AMAZING KIDS!

First I want to talk about my son Bryce. He is my first born and life changer. The moment I found out I was pregnant with my son I was just finishing up my freshman year in college. So I figured my life was over....I couldn't have been more wrong. But I guess in my defense, I was young, scared, and clueless of how I would be as a mother. It's one of those things you just cannot prepare for. You can read as many books as you like about becoming a parent but every child is different and every parent is different. My boyfriend (ooooh that feels so weird to say that haha) now husband was so amazing about everything. But I've already talked about how amazing he is...lol so fast forward 9 months the 23rd of November, Thanksgiving Day, around dinner time, the day I was suppose to eat as much as I want because I can. My beautiful boy came into this world...

The moment I held Bryce, I felt a love that I never thought existed in this world. That feeling is so hard to describe but from then on I knew I was going to be alright as a mom. Here are a few pics of baby Bryce:

 

 

 Bryce was (still is) a very energetic little boy. He did not like standing/sitting still. He was always on the move. Bryce had a thing for sports early on his life. I remember when he was 2 years old and he was hitting a plastic baseball being pitched to him, not off a tee! One of Bryce's talent is that he can RUN! By the age of 4, I was unable to catch him. He is 8 now and he can run circles around me! I guess it helps when you have a dad who is a track coach :) I say this because I'm his mother but I think other people would agree me...Bryce has a natural talent in sports, not in the way that he is a freak of nature, but in a way that he picks things up easily and learns quickly. He has played soccer, t-ball, basketball, taekwondo, flag football, and even a little gymnastics. I feel like he was good at all of those things! He's like that too in school. He is a math genius and that boy can read! What more can I ask for... I have a sweet, talented, smart, thoughtful, unselfish, social butterfly, athletic, and just an all around great kid!

 Well I guess I talk about baby girl tomorrow...to be continued...

The Month of Love

Since it is February and Valentine's Day is around the corner...I would like to share the things I love and cannot live without!

#1 This is a gimme but my Husband! My hubby is such a hard working man and I am thankful everyday to have him in my life. Not only does he support our family but he is one heck of a husband and dad. When he comes home from work, regardless of how tired or rough of a day he had he finds the energy to run around and be daddy monster.

He understands that we have 2 different jobs and never makes me feel under appreciated. During the weekends he will randomly surprise me by cleaning my kitchen while I was out on a playdate or grocery shopping. I mean come on that right there is one of the best surprises! Aside from getting the laundry caught up hahaha...

He is the best coach I have ever met. Call me biased but this man knows what he is doing and he is good at it!!! Since he graduated college almost 6 years ago, he has accomplished and learned so much from his coaching experience. Any team would be lucky to have him. He works hard and he is passionate about what he does! It is not an easy task being a coach's wife, but seeing him do what he loves to do has its own rewards. On top of coaching high school sports, he finds the time to coach the kids' sports...I mean he must have some sort of super power! I will support him until the end of time and will always be his biggest fan!

Gosh, I could go on and on about my husband but one more thing. I love his passion for life and living it! Call us crazy for moving across the country away from all our friends and family...but after late night talks and experiencing Arizona we knew this was for us. Has it been hard? Absolutely, but this is real life. If it was easy everyone would do it. I'm going to end this in a cheesy, cliche way but I just couldn't resist... YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE thank God I found the perfect person to live this beautiful life with!

Stay tuned for #2...

New Year...New Beginnings!

Hey all! I've missed blogging so here I am getting my fix. It has been a busy couple of months. We have finally adjusted and settled into our new home. School break just ended and now it's back to our normal routine! We are definitely getting off to a slow start... How long does it normally take for you and your family to get back into the swing of things? I just feel like we are still dog tired in the morning and I don't have any motivation to do any type of cleaning! I did, however, take my tree and Christmas deco down this past Sunday so I guess that is an accomplishment on my list. So just like 80% of the population we are trying to get back into shape. I am trying out the food prepping in advance to keep myself from eating unhealthy. I made these amazing mini-quiche. I have made these before but the other recipe I used before wasn't nearly as good. This is the recipe I used... mini-quiche recipe.
 

Next time I want to add mushrooms and swiss cheese...yum! My goal for the week is to eat clean and add more protein in my diet. Plus my hubby and I have a little contest for who can lose the most weight based on our body percentage. See I am 4'11 and my hubby is 6'1 ish so we had to make it fair because we all know 5 lbs for me is not the same for him! I really enjoy a challenge and plus it gives me more motivation! We plan on doing weekly weigh-ins to see our progress so I will let you know this Sunday how I did this week :)

Living in Arizona has been so amazing! The weather is fantastic especially since I hate snow, rain, humidity, and freezing cold temps! The kids enjoyed a bike ride on Christmas day which is crazy to me. My oldest enjoyed an outdoor Birthday for the first time last November...this is the Party Bunch. It was a Minecraft themed party...I'm not even going to get into the Minecraft obsession right now.

We have also enjoyed our fair share of gorgeous sunset and mountain hikes

Beautiful sunset at Coronado High School football stadium

Above the Basin at Lost Dutchman State Park

Boulder Canyon Trail

  Our goal as a family is to go on as many adventures as possible. Nature is free, go out and enjoy it!

Autumn?

Good morning everyone! I had a fabulous weekend! Unfortunately it felt like it flew by... Saturday was super busy! We had 2 soccer games and my hubby and I had planned a sunset hike for our date night. So I'm still trying to get use to the heat in October. Back in the Midwest there is already a chill in the air. It's so difficult to decorate for fall when its still 90 degrees out! Definitely not complaining. I would rather be hot than cold!

For our date night we went to Papago Park. I heard that sunset views from there are phenomenal! The grapevine does not lie.. we climbed one of the Buttes and enjoyed this gorgeous view!

On the way down in the dark was a different story...My husband seems to have no fear and I'm freaking out because I know all the critters come out when it gets dark. Thank goodness for IPhone flashlight because we didn't come prepared to walk in the dark. Overall it was one of the best date night we have had and it didn't cost a thing! For the next date night, I want to go to the summit of South Mountain and look at the stars!

A Leap of Faith

I can't believe it's already October! It has been a whirlwind the last few months. My family and I moved cross country last July from Illinois to Arizona. Crazy right? It was one of the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. Have you ever had that feeling that you are living an unfulfilled life? That there is something out there that you are destined to do. I'm a firm believer of YOLO. But not in the sort of way that involves partying, drinking, and making stupid decisions. Been there, done that. But in a way that I want to live a life rich in experience. I have made so many life changing decisions this year it's hard to even believe that I actually did it. I have been a vegetarian for over a year now. If you want to know why and what made me want to become vegetarian, stay tuned for a later post. I fell in love with the Southwest when my husband and I vacationed out here a few years back. We have been to Vegas countless of times and we visited Arizona twice. I love the sun, the mountains, and the big blue sky. There is something about the feeling I get when I'm standing on top of the mountain. It's like seeing the world for the first time. I feel so small and insignificant but in a good way...I know that's an oxymoron! But feeling small and insignificant makes me appreciate how big and beautiful the world is and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface. When I'm driving and I catch a glimpse of the beautiful sun setting behind the mountains, it takes me breath away every time. I never get sick of it.

Mogollon Rim

I miss my family and friends that I left behind but they understand that this is something I have to do, I would rather fail than regret that I didn't do something. This is my leap of faith. I'm living outside of my comfort zone and enjoying every bit of it. If there was something you wish you did or could have done, what would it be and did you take a leap of faith?

10 Fun Facts About Me

1. I have lived in three different countries.

2. I married my high school sweetheart.

3. I taught myself how to knit and crochet.

4. I love to climb mountains.

5. I know a lot about football.

6. I love to binge watch shows on Netflix

7. Someday I would love to take up nature photography.

8. I've had the same best friend for 15+ years.

9. I love the color purple.

10. I love gardening.