Valentine's Date

Date: Feb 15th

We finally got away for our first post Eastlie date

in order to celebrate Valentine's with just the two of us!

This date was a MUCH needed sanity break 

and actually finish a conversation uninterrupted!

Poppy came up and watch the kids.

So we took off to the Scottsadale Quarter to eat at

It was so delish!

We like to spoil ourselves with fancy food every so often!

Gives us a nice relief from eating leftover kids menu meals! haha

Me and my Valentine!

We left right after we took this picture.

As we were waiting in line in Valet I noticed a group of guys in golf attire

 get out of their Escalade.

As they approached us I quickly started hitting Ryan's arm..

"Babe. Babe. BABE!  That's our quarterback! That's Carson Palmer!"

He was too busy staring at the McLaren car parked in front of us to notice anything else.

"HUH?! Where?!"

"He just walked right past us into the restaurant!"

And before I could grab Ryan's arm he opened the restaurant door and quietly hollers,

"CARSON!"

Well yes the poor man did turn around and looked completely confused. lol

So we chatted with him for a bit, shook hands and wished him best of luck this season!

Ahhh not sure if that made my night or actually getting a date with my man! haha ;)

Eastlie - 4 Months

Date: Feb 21st

She's the big FOUR months

We just love Eastlie so much!
Even when she's a stinker and won't nap!
She's still my best night sleeping baby.
So that makes up for her lack of day sleeping!

She's really found her voice this past month.
She did the usual cooing and baby talk but now
she amped up the volume! lol

She's still super wiggly and wants to jump out of my arms and run away!
She's realize her hands are actually useful
and can use them as 2 clubs to pick up blankets, clothes, binky, etc.
And of course her hands are her favorite item to suck on!

She's been teething ALL month and has been pretty cranky at times.
Poor baby.
Teething is the pits!
Especially when she still doesn't have a tooth to show for it!
But we'll take those huge gummy no teeth smiles for as long as we can!

Here's her 4 month doctor stats

Weight: 14 lb 4 oz

And when she tries to escape off the chair, it's time to be done! lol

This past month has been a month of major transitions.

Mommy went back to work.

Sniff.

Which means everyone in the house has had to adjust.

Sweet little Eastlie went from strictly booby juice

to also being fed formula in a bottle.

She went from being in Mommy's arms all day

to being loved by the sitter instead.

It made me sob.

Like I was the baby.

I feel like I'm constantly failing at something

My house is falling apart.

But my kids are loved, fed and clothed

and still making it to all their events..and on time.

So I guess that's a success.

We've now made it through the first hard month

and we're getting somewhat settled into our new routine.

Mommin' isn't for wimps, folks!

Just Chillin'

Date: Feb 17th

Our Winters are really rough here.

Just an afternoon chilling outside in the 70 degrees.

Then Taylee joined in the mini lounger!

It's near impossible to get a pic of all 3 girlies looking the right way! lol

Bittersweet Gender Reveal

Date: Feb 4th

A couple weeks ago I got the privilege of setting up

a Gender Reveal Photoshoot

for one of my besties Tessa and her adorable family.

This is their final baby and we wanted to make it special!

Tessa and I met years ago when she had first moved to Anthem 

and I was first learning how to live as a single mom.

We were both standing awkwardly alone at a basketball clinic for our kids.

Although I knew tons of people in that gym,

I desperately needed a "friend" to lean on that specific day

while I was navigating this tough stage of life.

I saw this cute new girl standing next to me and so I started up a convo.

We immediately clicked perfectly.

She had just moved here and needed a friend too.

Before I knew it we had exchanged phone numbers.

(I think she might have been the first to get my digits in my single life! haha)

From there her oldest daughter Xaida and Taylee 

have been on the same soccer teams every year!

So we get to spend many days a week together cheering on the girls

while having babies and chasing kids!

Tessa got pregnant soon after I did with Eastlie.

We were so excited to have babies yet again together!

(Laiklyn and Ezra are 2 mos apart)

Well she ended up having a miscarriage early into the pregnancy.

It was heartbreaking and something she hadn't experienced before.

It was a tough one for me too.

Especially since I still was pregnant.

Well they took some time and then eventually got pregnant again!

We were SO happy for them!!

The second Tessa suggested wanting to do something 

similar to what I did with Eastlie's reveal,

I immediately told her done and done.

I was honored to get to set it all up for them!

She had the blood test done and then forwarded me the email with the results.

I was proud of her for not peeking....because I know I would have! haha

Then I got everything ready and few days later we did the big reveal!

Here's their adorable family!

Ready, Set, Go!

  

I wrote this post last week and didn't get around to publishing it until today.

Tessa is now 17 weeks along!

Well last night Antoine, her hubby, had called Ryan to ask him to help him move a couch.

(they just bought a house around the corner from us!)

I hadn't talked to Tess yet that day so the kids and I piled in to cruise over with him.

Her bubbly smile wasn't at the front door to greet us like usual

So I hollered her name upstairs.

She didn't answer.

I figured she was upstairs working on painting the nursery still.

Her cute 4 year old daughter told me her mommy was up in her room

and wanted me to come up.

So while holding Eastlie I headed on up there.

I found Tess laying in her bed completely distraught.

My heart dropped.

What's wrong?!?!?!

Through tears she told me she lost the baby.

I was floored.

Like punch in the stomach shocked.

So I held her and we cried.

She had just gotten home from her regular OB check up

and they couldn't find a heartbeat.

How could this have happened yet again?!

She had 3 healthy normal pregnancies before these last 2.

There I was holding my perfect little 4 month old baby while holding my sweet friend

that lost yet another baby.

I felt guilty and humbled and heartbroken all at once.

We ended up taking their 4 year old for couple of hours 

to pick up dinner & dessert for them.

It's the least we could do.

I had such a heavy heart all night and still today.

Tessa had already told everyone that she was pregnant.

But I really debated whether to still post these pics/video to my blog.

I know it'll be a sweet memory to cherish

although bittersweet right now.

I know so many friends that struggle with the heartache of infertility and miscarriage.

I feel so humbled that I haven't had to endure those types of trials in life.

It takes a special type of person to patiently wait for their family.
Tessa is one of those.

Soccer in the Rain

Date: Feb 18th

The rain started Friday evening and

it poured and poured and poured all night

and all day Saturday.

We figured there was no way they would still have the soccer and football games.

We were secretly hoping for a surprise day of NO activities!

Well we were wrong.

Anden's football games got cancelled.

But yet somehow Taylee's soccer game didn't.

So the little 8 year old girls ventured out and played in pouring rain.

They were soaked completely through!!

The parents were freezing huddled under our umbrellas.

But these girls rocked it!

They won 5-1.

Post Game Soaking Wet Team Pic!

Valentine Massacre

Date: Feb 12th

Before Family Soccer Game:

After Family Soccer Game:

Yes I did have gym shoes and socks on.

Yes I did square off with Anden.

Yes I did kick the ball with all my might.

Yes I did immediately start whining that I thought I broke my toe.

Yes I did play through the pain.

Yes the girl team did win the game!

Yes I did grimace when I pulled my shoe/sock off after 

and found my toenail split straight down the middle and bleeding.

Yes I did feel the worst about my ruined pedicure.

(and yes I did wait 4 days before I took a picture. 

Hanging by a thread toenail and gushing blood isn't for public view!)

Valentine's Fun

Date: Feb 14th

Per tradition,

the love boxes were full each morning Feb 1-14 with notes and goodies.

On Feb 14th they overflowed onto the couch!

Each got some yummy treats.

The little girls got new swimsuits and Taylee got a puma outfit.

Anden thinks clothes for gifts are boring.

So he got a massive thing of popcorn!

(every night he begs for me to make "mommy popcorn" lol)

Eastlie wanted to join the excitement.

Although she had no idea what was going on or how to grab her kids.

Her love box is almost as big as her! lol

Laiklyn immediately ripped off her jammies to wear her new Minnie swim suit!

Then she marched off to my room to check herself out in the "big mirror"!

lol SO stinkin cute!

Then it was off to school for the bigs
and off to the sitter for the littles!
(but not without a fight with Laiklyn to change into normal clothes! ugh lol)

After school we hung out and then half the neighborhood kids
ended up at our house for a soccer game.
Then we booted out all but our own.

The Little Love Bug really likes Valentine's Day based on these huge grins!!

And then Laiklyn crashed the party...with a piece of candy of course!

After that it was off for our Family Valentine dinner.
The kids picked Red Robin.

However I can't report that all of Valentine's Day was a success.

Next year Ryan will gladly give me back the job of making Heart pancakes! haha

Happy Valentine's Day!