Seriously, I have NO excuse (Gabriel Lee is 3!)

I really wish I had a good excuse as to why I haven't updated in FOREVER. But the honest, blunt truth about it is, I have none...unless you count being extremely tired and busy every. single. day. after chasing around 2 very, very busy boys. Yep, that's my only excuse. Anywho, so much to write about... So much to catch up on. I'm making it my mission to finish the rest of this year out strong on this blog. Let's see... there's Gabriel's Birthday, Jesse's new job, Gabriel starting School, Florida Vacation, Gabriel's first trip to the dentist and of course Halloween (but we still have a week until that!)

Let's start with Gabriel's 3rd Birthday! 

I honestly still cannot believe that my tiny baby boy is already 3 years old. Seriously, how did this happen? It just doesn't seem possible. He's growing and learning so much every single day... it's unreal. We don't take Gabe's birthday lightly around here... maybe that's crazy to some people but the fact that he is a healthy, strong, smart boy is something to be celebrated- considering where we started. My little 2 pound baby is now a whopping 25 pounds. And yes, every little thing he does is cause for celebration. So, on his birthday we take a little extra time to celebrate his life. 

This year, we wanted to do something a little different for his birthday. We've always had a pool party in the past but with this crazy weather and it always being so hot we opted for a party indoors somewhere. SI Bowl was the perfect place for us. They have the smaller lanes for Gabe and his friends and a party package that was a great deal. All we had to do was bring the cupcakes. They did everything else...including clean up. Which I must say, was awesome. All of the kids got to bowl for one hour and then we had the party room for about an hour as well. Everyone also got $1.00 worth of quarters to play games in the arcade and pizza and soda. The only extra thing Jesse & I purchased was extra pizza for everyone. So easy and SO much fun. Gabe LOVED it. All of his cousins and friends got to come and they had a great time. Though the bowling probably would have been more fun if we had just done a free for all instead of making everyone wait their turn...hah! It was SO much fun watching all the kids bowl and play. 

The theme of his birthday was Disney CARS of course. His FAVORITE! I made him a CARS shirt and we had the cutest CARS cupcakes that I bought from Wal-Mart. Seriously, Wal-Mart has some delicious Cupcakes/Cakes! :) At the end of the party, they let all of the kids sign a bowling pin and Gabe got to bring it home. Now, he will forever know who all came to celebrate his birthday with him! That evening when we got home, we played and played with all of his new toys. Everything from Spiderman to his magnatile blocks. He thoroughly enjoyed every single thing! He's so loved by so many people. It's amazing. 

The morning of his birthday, Gabriel woke up to presents, balloons and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY poster hanging in the living room. We're still in the stage of.... I wanna play with the first toy I get. Regardless, he loved all of his gifts. 

My little man is growing up so fast on me. I hate it. I hate that my little baby is gone... but I love watching him grow and seeing the young man that he will one day be. 

Gabriel Lee: 

Weight: 25 pounds

Shirt size: 24 months/2T

Pant size: 18 months-24 months/2T

Movies: CARS, Monsters Inc., Despicable Me, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

TV Shows: Curious George, Mickey Mouse

Food: Macaroni, Pizza, french fries, PB&J

LOVES: 

His "Beet" aka. Blanket
Brother
Rylee
THE MOON
Mowing with Papa
Going to Rodney's 
Watching Tyler ride his vroom-vroom (aka dirt bike) 


Dear Gabriel Lee, 

Oh my goodness, I still can't believe that you are 3 years old. Even sitting here (4 months after your bday) I can't get over that you are growing up on me. You are the sweetest, most handsome little boy. EVER. You have a little bit of both Mommy and Daddy's temper which at the end of the day, isn't always a good mix. You sure know how to drive Mommy crazy but you also know how to be sweet and get your way. You got your daddy wrapped around that little finger of yours... which is quite possibly the reason why you (and Lincoln) have everything you could ever want or need. I love getting to watch you grow and learn new things. You are always coming up with something funny to say or do. You have more energy than anyone and at the end of the day, I find myself exhausted after keeping up with you and your brother.I know I say it every year, but I'm so proud of how far you have come. It seems like just yesterday you were this tiny little baby boy sitting in the incubator (remember that? You told me the other day that you remember your time in there. haha). And now, you're this big boy who runs, plays, laughs and occasionally cries...but seriously, it's amazing. You've overcome every obstacle they said would be in your way. You are so nice and polite to everyone (don't know where that comes from) and you have a heart of gold. I love you more than the universe little man. 

Love, 

Mommy

Lincoln Alexander turns ONE!

Well, here we are... about 3 weeks late. But hey, it's better late than never, right!? 

LINCOLN ALEXANDER IS ONE YEAR OLD!!! I know, I'm still in shock over it. On May 2nd, we celebrated Lincoln's FIRST Birthday! How is it possible that my baby boy is already ONE! Seriously!? 

Lincoln's actually birthday was pretty much like any other day. Jesse had to work and I was prepping for his birthday party the following day... as well as putting the finishing touches on packing for Florida for the boys & I. I had a lot to do... buy balloons, decorate the building, make his minion car, finish making decorations... the list goes on. Luckily, it all turned out great! :) 

The only downside to this wonderful weekend of celebrating was that Jesse had to work (BOOOO!) But, we didn't let that interfere too much in giving our baby boy (aka: Baby Ninja) a full on celebration. The theme of his party was SOCK MONKEYS! Little did I know that you can't really find sock monkey decor... so most of the ideas I grabbed from Pinterest and got to work. It turned out soooooo cute. I just loved it!

The day of his party was great. Our family and close friends were there to celebrate with us. Rachel & I decorated the night before so pretty much everything was done except a few minor details I had to finish that morning. I brought the bounce house for the kids and the Batmobile for them to play with. The kids had a blast! We had Little Caesars pizza, fruit, and cupcakes. The cupcakes weren't exactly how I wanted them to be... but hey, don't sweat the small stuff, right? And Diana (Jesse's mom) got the cutest sock monkey smash cake... seriously, just check out the pictures!

I was sooo excited to see how Lincoln would do with his smash cake. On Gabriel's first birthday he wanted nothing to do with the cake. In fact, he's not much of a sweets person besides cookies or coo-coo's as he calls them. Anyway, I took Lincoln's shirt off, sat him in his booster, lit the candle, and we started singing. I was totally prepared to jump in just in case he decided to go for the candle... apparently I wasn't prepared enough because he went straight for it with 2 fingers and yep, you guessed it... That was the end of the birthday song. HALT! CRISIS! But nothing that a little hug and kiss couldn't cure. We were back on track and he was LOVING every single bite of that cake! 

The party was wonderful... it could only have been better if Jesse would have gotten to be there. Lincoln is so blessed with great family and friends. He got a TON of new movies to watch on our trip to Florida that evening (blog post about that later this week...) 

Now here's what my BIG ONE YEAR OLD NINJA is up to these days: 

Weight: 20 pounds
Height: 30 inches
Favorite Foods: ANYTHING & EVERYTHING
Drinking: Whole Milk and Apple juice
Favorite song: Pat-a-cake
Loves:: 

- Playing with his big brother
- Eating
- Dragging all the pots and pans out of the cabinet
- Bath time
- Laughing at Rylee
- Playing outside
- The Pool 
- Mickey Mouse
- Curious George
- Monster's, Inc. 
- Despicable Me 
- Grapes
- Strawberry Mum-Mum's

Dislikes: 

- Carseat (this comes after a 12 hour car ride to Florida & Back) 
- His big bro beating him up (He's learning to fight back) 

Teeth: 8 (4 on top & 4 on bottom)

Dear Lincoln, 

MY OH MY! I still can not believe that you are ONE year old! Time sure does fly by. It seems like just yesterday that you were being your stubborn little self and refusing to come into this world... hence the 5 LONG hours of pushing you put me through. haha. That's ok though... because in the end, we got to meet you. Our beautiful baby boy. I can't believe how big you have gotten this past year. You are growing so well. You LOVE to eat... your favorites are pancakes, pizza, grapes, bananas, and quesadillas. Though, you will pretty much eat anything & everything you can get your busy little hands on. You LOVE to watch and play with your big brother. You try to copy every single thing that he does. He likes to push you around a little, but you're learning that you are big enough to push him right back. Despite having your "brotherly" fights... you two really are best friends. Your big brother LOVES you so, so, so much. You had your first trip to Florida and the beach this month. And though, that 12 hour car ride ruined every single car ride since for you... you had a great time. You LOVED the pool, ocean, and sand. You and your brother had a blast and I honestly think it took you about a week to recover from the trip. 

My child, you are growing up so fast. I look forward to seeing the young man that you will one day become. I can already tell that you are smart, quick to think, tough, and loving. You're definitely going to be a little heartbreaker one day. 

Love, 
Mommy 

Parents of Preemies Day

These next few days are BIG ones for us. Lincoln turns ONE on May 2nd, his party is May 3 and that same day the boys and I are leaving for Florida with my Family. But what I want to focus on right now is the day after that, May 4th. This day, May 4th, is Parents of Preemies Day. A day fully dedicated to celebrate the parents of Preemie babies. 

Most of you know that almost 3 years ago, Gabriel Lee was born 10 weeks early. After 2 weeks at home on bedrest & another 2 weeks on bedrest in the hospital, Gabriel made his very, very early debut into this world. He weighed 2 pounds 3.6 ounces. He was the smallest little baby I had ever seen before. What was supposed to be the most exciting day in our lives quickly turned scary as we realized that our baby boy was ultimately fighting for his life. 

Those days seem to blur together now... you know the days that I thought would NEVER end. The countless nights in the hospital, the alarms going off, nurses coming in and out, and doctors constantly giving you good and bad news. Yeah, amazingly, those days seem far away now. But those details, those moments that we spent with our baby boy those first few weeks of his life, those will forever be in my heart. 

I remember staring at this tiny human being, hoping and praying that he would be alright. It was terrifying and exciting all at the same time. Terrifying because I didn't know what our future held with this baby boy. Exciting because there he was, MY SON, this tiny little life that I created... I was staring at him. He was the most incredible child I had ever seen. 

A few days after Gabriel was born, he actually lost weight. That was scary... it was a constant battle but I could tell that he was a fighter. He wasn't going to give up. This tiny baby was the biggest fighter ever. We spent almost 4 weeks in our local hospital. It was an early Sunday morning phone call that woke us up... the nurse on the other line said they were life-flighting my baby to Cardinal Glennon because they didn't know what was wrong with him. How could this be? Why were we told he was doing fine? So there we were.... driving as fast as we could to get to the hospital so we could see our baby before he was flown to a hospital 2 hours away. We couldn't fly with him. He wasn't even a month old yet.

That drive to St. Louis seemed like it took forever. But luckily, this hospital, Cardinal Glennon, was amazing. Gabriel started to thrive there. Turns out, he needed a blood transfusion (duh, if you take blood from a tiny baby everyday...you probably need to put more in. But that's a whole different level of aggravation that we won't go into now). Anyway, I remember walking into our new private room and meeting with the doctor and nurse practitioner. I immediately felt at ease knowing that these were the people who were going to be watching over my child. 

We spent about 4 weeks at Cardinal Glennon and every day Gabriel seemed to do better and better. Our prayers were being answered. Our little boy was growing right before our eyes and exceeding all of the expectations. He passed test after test with flying colors. To put it simply, he was amazing. 

I spent a lot of my time blogging while at the hospital. I also found comfort in reading other blogs of mothers who had been or were going through the same journey. It was nice to know that we weren't alone and even better to hear all the stories of babies growing and seeing them on their 5th, 10th, and 20th birthday. One day, that will be my child. I also found a lot of comfort in music. Two songs in particular: George Strait's "I Saw God Today" and "Wires" by Athlete. Both were songs that Jesse and I listened to A LOT during those days. 

Today, as I look at Gabriel I am amazed at how far he has come. He may be a little small for his age but that boy has the biggest heart. He's so funny, smart, talented and handsome. He's definitely going to be a heartbreaker. Sometimes I forget about the tough road that got us here and I have to remind myself to take the time to remember and truly be thankful for these days with my boy. He is the strongest person that I have ever known. To fight such a hard fight in the first months of his life and to be doing so well now is truly astonishing. There are those days when he is driving me crazy and there are the days when he is as loving as can be. I thank God for all of those days... I thank God that I can hold my boy in my arms and know that without a doubt he is healthy & strong. I thank God for our Miracle Baby. 

So, on May 4th, I encourage you to stop and take some time to recognize any and all Parents of Preemies. It's not for the faint of heart...that's for sure. But it's a journey that is truly remarkable. 

To read the full story of Gabriel Lee click HERE! 

Weightloss Journey: Advocare 24 Day Challenge

I can't explain how excited I am about this post! I recently ended my Advocare 24 day challenge and I couldn't be happier. I started the 24 day challenge on February 23rd. My goal was to lose inches and 10-15 pounds. I really wanted to kickstart this weightloss, learn to eat healthier and learn what to eat. 

Now, here's my results. Keep in mind that I didn't exercise every single day. I did exercise a lot though. I did Jillian Michael's 30 day shred video, squats and crunches. I lost 10 inches and 10+ pounds. I say 10+ because I fluctuate between 10-12 pounds. I weigh in the mornings. Honestly, pants that were too tight or just right before are not baggy on me. I can wear shirts that I haven't worn in forever. I feel healthier and better about myself already. 

I went the whole 24 days without coffee. I thought this would be the hardest for me, but it wasn't. The SPARK drink that you drink during the challenge really helped me not to crave coffee. I just got my second container of Spark this past week to keep drinking even after the challenge. I also didn't eat any bread or cheese. Now, I eat it in moderation- but very rarely. I made a big poster with my weight loss goals for the challenge and for the year. I also made a poster of what foods I could and could not eat. I posted them all in the kitchen where I would see them everyday. I now drink LOTS AND LOTS of water. Honestly, if I don't- I feel terrible. I feel dehydrated and unhealthy. Water is KEY! 

I have 15 more pounds to go to reach my first goal. We're going to Florida the first week of May and my goal is to lose at least 10 more pounds by then. I know I won't be squeezing into a bikini anytime soon- but I'm getting closer. I still have stretch marks from both pregnancies. I'd like to get rid of them as much as possible- so I've been using Mederma cream and I just bought the Palmer's stretch mark cream as well. Hopefully, they will disappear some more. 

I typically don't approve of diets because once it's over the weight comes back. But with Advocare, I've kept the weight off. It was all about cleansing the first 10 days and then learning what I can and cannot eat. I'm eating a lot healthier these days and again, drinking lots and lots of water. Don't get me wrong, I do indulge some days- but nothing near like what I used to do. I'm so happy seeing the weight coming off and my clothes fitting better that I don't want to slip back into old habits and gain any weight back. I still have a lot to lose but I'm well on my way. I'm determined to be healthier and in better shape. Not only for myself, but for my husband and kids as well. I don't want to be that mom that sits on the bench because she's too fat to play with her kids. So, I'm determined to be a fun, healthy mom that sets a good example for my children. 

Cara Box

Obviously, this post is one that I tried posting from my phone but it never uploaded. So here it is... a month late but better late than never. 

Cara Box is a monthly gift exchange that the lovely Kaitlyn from Wifessionals puts together. This is my second round of Cara Box and I absolutely love it. I've met some great ladies and made some great new friends through this exchange. 

This exchange, I was paired with Kara and Christine from Life with a Side of Coffee (You can see what I sent her over at her blog). I really enjoyed getting to know both of these ladies. I sent a box to Cristina and Kara sent me my box. I absolutely LOVED everything that Kara sent. 

Here's what I got: 

The sweetest card

E.L.F. eyeshadow

Face Mask

Ring Pop

Makeup Bag

Sally Hansen nail Polish (turquoise) 

Essie Nail Polish (charcoal)

Matte Lip Balm (not pictured)

I LOVED everything about this box. The makeup bag is perfect for me to keep in my diaper bag filled with my things. The nail polish couldn't be more perfect. These are 2 of my favorite nail polish colors. Actually, I have turquoise on now. And the makeup,  oh how I love the makeup. E.L.F. is a great brand- since I got this in my box I decided to do some research on the brand. Did you know that this brand is CHEAP and just as good as the higher name brands? Seriously!? I'm in love. The Matte balm stain that I got is amazing. It's the perfect color. I've wanted the matte balm for a while now but just never remember to buy it. So I was super excited to get this. Gabriel stole my ring pop and I haven't had a chance to use the mask yet... maybe one night when I'm kid free I'll use it! :) 

Thanks Kara for my amazing box! I love it! 

Rylee Grey Schiff

Ya'll- I thought we were going to make it one year without any major events happening in our lives. You know, like snake bites, hospital stays, etc. Well, that hope was lost on February 15th when Rylee, our sweet puppy, ran away. 

It was a Saturday- just like any other day. I was taking the trash out the front door and came back in. A few minutes later, I realized that Rylee wasn't in the house, so I went back outside to let her in. She was across the street in the neighbors yard. I yelled at her to come back. She started heading my way and then heard something and darted off again. I yelled and yelled for her and went out walking to find her. No luck. I had both boys napping and Jesse was napping as well... so I couldn't go too far. After about 30 minutes of not finding her, I woke Jesse up so he could help me search for her. Again, NO LUCK! I was so upset. Why would she run off? Where did she go? I went out driving around the neighborhood and didn't see her. Went to a few of our neighbor's houses and still couldn't find her. I. Was. Devastated. 

Jesse and I had planned to go out to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day that evening. We had a sitter coming over- so instead of cancelling, we went out. I was hoping that Ry would find her way back home while we were gone. Nope, that didn't happen. That's when it hit me. Our baby girl was gone. 

I posted Rylee's picture on every facebook page I could find. I filed a report with Illinois Lost Dogs. We had fliers printed at Staples and hung them up all over town. Gabriel and I even went door to door passing out fliers in the neighborhood. We had several "sightings" of her but none seemed to pan out. I went out every single night searching for her- sometimes for over an hour. I talked to the city cops, local dispatch, gas station workers...anyone and everyone I could. My parents went to the pound and called the local dog catcher just in case he found her. It was sad. We all were sad. Gabriel stood at the door almost every day and yelled for her to come home. We kept the front porch light on and blankets outside just in case. That week was soooo cold... I mean, really cold. I hated thinking about our sweet girl being outside in the cold all alone. She's not used to that. She sleeps in our bed in our warm house. She's not an outdoor dog. There were times when I thought she was still probably outside on her own... and then there were times when I thought that someone may have taken her in. That was the worst...thinking that someone may have her and not give her back. It was awful. 

Almost everyone in this town knew that Rylee was missing. When I say that I posted it everywhere... I mean it. Every single day I posted it on facebook. I'm sure people were getting annoyed at all of my posts. haha. While passing out fliers I realized that there were a lot of rude people in this town... but then, I also realized that there are a lot of kind people too. A girl from Benton contacted me one day saying that she was looking for Rylee and may have spotted her a couple streets from our house. This girl didn't even know me, but she drives her daughter around during her nap and drove all the way to Christopher to search for Rylee. I was so thankful and touched by this. She literally went looking 2 - 3 days... how amazing is that? That someone who doesn't even know us would search for our baby girl? (Turns out that the day we finally found Ry- she and her husband were getting ready to go out and look again!) :)) 

It was Saturday when I got 2 calls about Rylee being seen on that same street that is close to us. The final call came around 7 p.m. and someone had seen her running in a yard. It took us about an hour to get out of the door- but Jesse and I packed up the kids and went out to search for her. The yard that she was seen at just happened to be a family friend. My parent's were already there by the time we got there. The lady said that she saw a puppy that looked like Rylee in their backyard sitting in some leaves that morning. It was about 8 p.m. by this time and we searched and searched their yard. But, it was late and we figured that she was probably taking shelter somewhere. We decided to head back home and go out looking the next day. 

Sunday morning I was up with the boys when the doorbell rang. It was our dear family friend, Kitty. She was on the same street (15th Street) and saw Rylee sitting in front of a barn just down the road from the house we searched at the night before. Jesse was still asleep but I couldn't wait... I had to know and I had to go Immediately! So, I packed the boys in the car and headed that way. And GUESS WHAT!? There she was... sitting in front of the barn just like Kitty had said. She was sitting there in the sun just like hey, here I am. I was SOOOOOOOO excited. (Keep in mind...this barn was surrounded by a fence... and it was very muddy). I jumped out of the car and ran up to the fence and yelled for her. She just looked at me. (I had read that dogs that are lost for an extended amount of time will typically be hesitant to go to anyone...even their owners). I kept this in mind and knew that it may take her awhile to come to me. I yelled and yelled for her to come to me. After a few minutes, I got back in the car and backed up a little. I got out again and tried to figure out how I was going to get inside this fence. That's when I looked back up and saw her crawling out under the fence. I ran and picked her up. RELIEF and HAPPINESS doesn't even begin to explain it. I took her to the car and the first thing Gabriel said is "Look, there's Ry-ree!" 

It had been a week since our girl was home. She was very skinny and cold. Her nails were long and she was very dirty. As soon as we got home, I took her to the bedroom and woke up Jesse. Of course, he was excited too! Then, it was bath time. The hair around her butt was NASTY- to say the least. It was all matted and gross and poopy. DISGUSTING. So, it was a very, very long bath that required a lot of scrubbing and cutting hair to get her better. She drank a lot of water and ate a lot of food this day. Gabriel and Lincoln were so happy to have her home... Rylee was worn out from playing by the end of the day. I have never been so happy to have Rylee back in our bed as I was that night. 

In the week that followed, we still had a lot to do with Rylee. Her butt looked a little infected, so my Dad gave us some medicine to put on it. Luckily, it cleared up. My dad also helped us cut her nails down. We gave her a haircut and fattened her up as much as we could. :) 

I am soooo happy that she is home, safe and sound. I refused to give up until she was home with us. Through this whole ordeal, I learned how many lost dogs there are... just around here. It's crazy. Rylee is like family to us, just like all these other lost dogs are family to their owners as well. I hope and pray for all of the lost dogs safe return. 

Passing out fliers

The morning we found Rylee!

Catching Up- Lincoln is 10 Months!

Well, here we are again... a month since my last update. In my defense, I have posted several posts from my phone app... however, they obviously didn't upload. UGH! So, there's a lot to write to get caught up. 

First off, Lincoln was 10 months old on March 2nd! I can't believe that he will be one in less than 2 months! ONE! Where in the world did the time go!? So, here's what our little "ninja" baby has been up to. 

On February 24, Lincoln took his first Official Walking steps. Since then, he's been walking everywhere. Literally in the past 3 weeks he has gotten so much better and has taken off soooo much more. He's walking from room to room, getting up on his own, and even trying to climb the stairs. I'm so not ready for this! These boys sure do keep me busy on a daily basis. I"m still in awe that Lincoln is already walking!! 

Some more news: 

• He has 3 top teeth (2 middle and the one to the right) and  his 2 bottom teeth. 
• Wearing 9-12 month clothes (mainly 9 months) 
• Graduated to a big boy carseat...still rear facing of course. 
• Loves to watch Mickey Mouse, Curious George, and Monsters, Inc with his brother
• Enjoys bath time and climbing out of the tub
• LOVES to eat and eat and eat! 
• Favorite foods: Bananas, applesauce, hotdogs, spaghetti
• Still drinking formula
• Poops... A LOT!
• Size 3 diapers
• Laughs at Rylee all the time
• Likes to play with the iPad when his big bro lets him 
• LOVES to play with his big bro
• Says "MAMAMAMAMA" 
• Also says "HUH" hahaha 
• Enjoys being outside
• Laughs all the time