An easy weekend...

Is it just me or does it feel like the weekend flies... I have a love/hate relationship with time!  I'm already starting to think ahead to the Holiday season.  I drive our families nuts w/ my lets plan what we are going to for Thanksgiving in July!    With big things on the horizon for us, I just feel the need to get the rest of our year planned out, getting organized was one of the awesome ways we spent our easy going weekend!

Micah and I have decided to get in shape, so we signed up for a membership w/ OZ fitness! 

Micah trying to get a nap w/ Lil Mac

Can you say ambidextrous?

Whale Spotting

We took the kids to the Whale Museum in Depoe Bay.  The museum sits right on the water, and you can usually spot whales spouting within several hundred yards.  We didn't see any whales this time, but there was still lots to do!

Micah and Mase are thinking about a career change

The port holes were right at kid level

Traveling in style

Capt. Phil

Micah and I are obsessed w/ the show Deadliest Catch!  Our favorite capt died this season, we were able to see him in person last year and he was larger than life!

Capt Phil

Amelia visits

Amelia's mom and dad are getting ready to move into a different rental, a home w/ a yard and garage (lucky ducks!).  On Friday, I voluteered to take Milly so they could do some painting... our day looked mostly like this!

Milly is quite the little mother and she was determined to love Miles constantly

So for his protection he spent alot of time in the cage

For lunch / snack we had a carpet picnic with the works!

Mason's fav... popcorn suprise (I hide fruit snacks in the bottom)

All in all the day went great, and they even took naps for me!

2 month twinners...

Mase

Mac

The hard things

Writing a blog for me has always been a way for me to show off my family, to remember how my family is right now, and express my feelings over... everything. 

I blog stalk lots of people (we all do, I'm sure).  I enjoy reading about the lives of the people, I've known over the years... has anyone ever noticed that no matter peoples circumstances there lives always seem great on their blog, almost perfect?    We all want to project a positive image of ourselves and our lives to the public, but nothing is perfect and trying to be perfect can at times cause more of a problem.

I've decided that although I am living the dream, I want to open up about the not so perfect side of my life.  I have and am now dealing w/ postpartum.  I had terrible PP w/ Mase and it went on for the first year of his life, I was up and down... I constantly picked fights w/ Micah.  I knew then something just wasn't right, but I was too embarrassed to admit I might need help.  So we dealt w/ my mood swings and depression, but life was always a little bit worse.

This time around I decided I could not put that kind of stress on my family and marriage.  I felt the swings coming on as soon as we got home from the hospital.  Micah and I, discussed the positive and negatives of talking to the doctor, of admitting how I felt and asking for help.  For Micah there was no negative, he could see me struggling to take care of our boys and he hated watching me suffer (the me buried under all the hormones).  So I talked to the doctor using Micah as my excuse, and once I started talking to the doctor it started pouring out, my 5 min appointment turned into 20 mins, as I vented my feelings and concerns.  The doctor agreed with us that I would benefit from an anti-depressant.    He also said I would start to see a difference within a few days of taking the pill.

Yesterday, as Micah and I were driving back from the coast w/ the boys, I asked him if he thought the pills were helping.  He of course turned the question back on me, and asked how I felt, and I admitted that I haven't felt this good in years (I've been pregnant or nursing a child since 2007).  I stress about normal things now and I don't call Micah at work to yell at him for throwing his socks on the floor.  Its been 2 weeks since I started and I feel amazing!

Some more Cali...

Kellie proves to me time and time again how very together she is (she claims different, but seriously super woman)  She decided to bake sugar cookies, and let the kids frost them.  I had to walk away a few times, the frosting getting smeared on the table was freaking me out (I have some issues).

That was the 4th time that cookie had been frosted for him!

The craziness... she even did multiple colors!

Burning off the sugar... Mason didn't know what to think of all the wrestling (that just means we need to visit more often)

 

We found our Halloween costume... My friend Alexis' little girl is going to freak when she sees Mase dressed like Elmo!

I was dying when Kellie sent Mase out dressed like this... too funny!

Cali continued...

Saturday night we headed to the Town of Benicia for a cooler breeze and a Parade!  Kellie was so sure it was going to be freezing, and of course the one day we visit the breeze was blowing the wrong direction and the normal 70s (compared to the 100s, the 70s  feel cold) was blistering somewhere in the 90s ... it was still so awesome! 

Mase sat w/ the boys some of the time... 

Ran around like a crazy man some of the time

The rest of the time he spent sitting w/ Miles, legally restrained!

Seriously, it was buckled down in the stroller or a straight jacket... he had so much energy!

Such an awesome day

Spent with such great company!

Every where we looked there were naked people, sometimes the view was good, and sometimes the view was proof of a person's awesome confidence!

I love the diversity in California!

The fourth Cali style!

We were mobile on the fourth, the bags were packed and the kids bribed, and we hit the road for a quick trip to see some of our favorite people!  Charles and Kellie invited us to spend the holiday weekend soaking up the rays in beautiful California. 

Our first day in town Kellie and I packed the boys up and headed to the nearest park.  Mason hit the grass running, with a water feature to explore, a giant playstructure to conquer, and big cousins to shadow he had quite a busy couple of hours!

This is what it takes to get us to the park... it was so worth it!!

Khale is just too cute

When did Gabe grow up?

Mason on his way to the bigboy slide

After the first couple of times down I stopped worrying he was trying to kill himself... seriously it was the tallest slide he's done so far!

These boys have no fear... I can't wait for Mase to get to this point!

As hard as he tried there was just no keeping up with the bigboys... sometimes being short sucks (mama understands son)

6 Week twinners

They look more and more alike everyday!

Happy Birthday Mase man!

Mason is 2, where did the time go? 

My poor boy started of his birthday w/ a quite the bang... litterly.  Mason rocked his chair really hard and it fell over backwards, we spent most of his birthday morning at urgent care, where they determined he had a concussion.  My poor boy!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing.

 

The traditional basketball photo

We love birthday pudding!

  

Miles 1 Month

Micah thought it would be cool to take Miles' picture in the same outfit that Mason wore.  Its amazing to see my boys at the same stage, and see the similarities and differences.  Time is going to fly!

This is Miles

This is Mason

Thanks Gabe & Khale... in pictures!

Mason got a special treat in the mail from some of his favorite cousins.  Gabe and Khale recently went to Disneyland, and they were just so awesome to send Mase an edible memento!  Here is what happened when we opened the package!

He knew instantly it was candy

Mama open it!

Ahh thats better

Dad look what I got!

THANK YOU!!!

Thanks Clinger Family, you are too wonderful!

How I am keeping my sanity!

Mason is adjusting to having Miles around, but sometimes he can be a bit rough (just a bit).  I worried constantly about how we were going to keep the baby safe and help Mason to adjust to not being our only child anymore.  This is what we have come up with:

I found this "cage" at a yard sale 2 days before we had Miles, brand new, for $20 bucks (best 20 I've spent in a while)

Seriously, this has saved my sanity!

My friend Anna, just finished using her pack and play (I had been drooling over several at Toys R us that were just way out of the budget)  She let me buy hers for a steal!  The changing station is a perfect deterrent, I hide Miles under it when he naps, and Mason can't share his books and cars.

This is my new car seat cover, my friend Nichole made me!  I love it! 

Its saved poor Miles from the rain several times already.

Thank you so much Nichole!

Slowly but surely

  The adjustment from 1 child to 2, has been hard, but not impossible.  Everyday we do a little better!  Right now instead of the normal 15 minutes late, I run 30 mins late (my goal for the summer is to slim it down to 20).  My friends call it Clinger standard time (CST)!  I still tire out fairly quickly, and unfortunately for Mase most of our days are spent at home hanging out and resting
.

 We spend a lot of time watching cartoons...

And hanging out in our PJs

A lot of time in our PJs

 Its always a relief when Daddy gets home!  Many hands really do make light work!