Constant Beginnings

Chris and I began a new adventure last night--Crossfit. I first learned about Crossfit when we lived in Massachusetts, but I was too busy being pregnant, dealing with life as a new mom and work to take the plunge. It intrigued me. I read blogs documenting the journeys of overweight, stressed Mamas who transformed themselves both mentally and physically through this activity. I love exercise. I love trying new things, but hate feeling incompetent or less than. It's a psychological war that plays out in my head. It's just a matter of if I let the fear paralyze me or not. Crossfit is popular here. It seems to be the "new thing" in the fitness world. A new gym opened in our little village, which offers crossfit classes. Chris and I took the leap. Our first class was a success. Being a new gym, their membership is low. That meant Chris and I were the only ones in the class. Of course, I didn't desire all the attention, but at the same time, it allowed us to not feel c

I am going to try something different. Many friends are posting something they are thankful for each day through the month of November. I am going to post each day within the same post in hopes that I have a list of 30 items at the end of the month. November 1: I am thankful for weekends. Time to nap, time to catch up on laundry. Time to chat with my kids. November 2: I am thankful for lunch delivered to my table. Chinese food has become our Sunday lunch tradition. I love it. Eating at our leisure, chatting with our children, fighting over the rice and chicken, and listening to Gavin fuss when the spoon is taken away from his mouth. The boy likes to eat. November 3: I am thankful for my job. I essentially make my own schedule, which means quiet days when I am battling a sinus infection. LOVE. November 4: I am thankful for my family. They tolerate my moodiness, love me despite my flaws and push me to better myself. November 5: I am thankful for Reading Counts. It is through this pr

Gavin, Somewhere in between flashes of time, you turned 8 months old! We've had an amazing month. You've become so aware and interested of everything around you. I tease that you are JUST like your sisters--nosey, nosey, nosey. You flash smiles to all that look your way. You are so eager to see what is going on and afraid you may miss something amazing. Needless to say, walking through the BX or some other place in our little community is exciting for you. You sit back and take it all in! This month you refined your crawl. You are able to actually crawl, but still have convinced yourself that the low, army crawl is where it's at. You pull yourself up. ALL. THE. TIME. Everything is fair game now as you are reaching and discovering all the wonderful things you can find. Your sisters are beginning to learn the hard way the reprocusions of not putting their things away. I love it! You walk along the couch, occasionally saunter over to the coffee table, then make your way ac

Gavin, You have been on this Earth for 7 amazing months. Each one is better than the last. You are getting so big and interacting so much more than you ever have. Here are some milestones from this month: -You ate mashed potatoes, banana, refried beans, yogurt, sweet potatoes, squash, & scrambled eggs. You are constantly eyeballing our food, wanting to eat it all! -We typically give you a small container of fruit/vege combination at lunch and mix a container with oatmeal for dinner. -You continue to have 24+ oz of milk per day. We've ended our breastfeeding journey this month. My poor supply continued to dwindle despite my best efforts and the added stress made the situation worse. I know you will be a healthy, happy boy regardless. - You are off of your reflux medication and doing great! -You sleep through the night in your crib. We put you down around 7 pm and you wake around 5:30 am. -You went on your first ride in the swing this month and loved it. Seriously. All smi

This little blog is my outlet. As a result, I often write my crazy thoughts when they are at the peak of craziness. When I am at my whits end. When life seems as though it is in a hurricane. Needless to say, there are many more blue sky days than dark ones. And that, my friends, is what matters most. Just to assure you that I am not living in a life of chaos or disaster or regrets, I thought I'd update you. This month has been one of transformations and changes. Slowly but surely we are getting there. Sometimes the things you've been searching for come when you stop searching and just live. That's where we are now. Just living. Here's the point by point dealio: 1. I searched for an on call babysitter much of last year that could come watch my kiddos for an hour or so each day so I could workout, run errands, etc. No luck. Well, well, well...I stopped looking and one fell in my lap. Sort of. I've discovered a pretty fabulous friend who hooked me up with the daughter

I blinked and all of a sudden, I have a 6 month old baby! Where in the world did time go?! While these past six months haven't been the easiest, they've been amazing. There is nothing like living life through a child. Gavin has grown and changed in so many ways this month. It has been a huge month for him! He has gotten so much longer. His hair is finally becoming more abundant. His blue eyes seem to be sticking around for awhile longer. He has finally tried out some food, eating oatmeal (loved), sweet potato (loved), a chunk of banana (not quite a fan), some avocado (didn't eat much, mostly played with it) and even some mashed potatoes. I am sort of doing my own thing with feedings, but trying to stick mostly with vegetables  until they are solid successes. Gavin lights up when he sees his sisters. They can make him laugh better than anyone else. They read to him every morning and lug him around every afternoon. He takes it all in,  every squeeze, every tickle, every sill

Everyone told me going from 2 to 3 kiddos was going to be easy, that from 1 to 2 was the challenge. Ha. These past 5 months have been hard! I could blame it on reflux, sisters constantly bugging him, our noise filled house, the chaos of our schedule, but I truly think it has to do with me being 35 or 36, whatever I am, and the fact that it has been 5 long years since I've had a baby ANNNDD the fact that I am pretty much set in my ways. Whatever the reason, I've struggled. 1. I've struggled to take care of me. I plan to start my diet, do well one day, then something comes up--exhaustion, fussy baby or a change in plans and well, that diet goes down the drain. 2. I started working out, following Jamie Eason's lifting program. I loved it. It was organized like the sessions with my personal trainer, didn't take a whole lot of time to do and I enjoyed the ease of working out at home. I did that one week. Then, excuse number 9999 came back--exhaustion. 3. We continue t

Mya is officially in kindergarten! She has a fabulous teacher whom I love. She seems to have a passion for teaching little ones, combines rigorous academics with fun--a perfect fit for Mya who has already nearing the end of kindergarten expectations. Mya had a great first day, but was a bit tired on day 2. She is struggling with rest time and having to play on the "small" playground. I've learned my lesson and simply stay away from her during the day. Perhaps I'll stop by during lunch as I do/did with Claire, when the routine of school becomes more established. I can't believe she is already in kindergarten, but so excited to cheer her on as I watch her flourish!

We spent the Labor Day weekend in Como, Italy on Lake Lugano with friends. It was heavenly, surrounded by mountains, gorgeous waterfalls, warm weather and loads of sunshine. We stayed at a resort which offered tons of kids activities--zipline, playground, treasure hunt, kids club, fitness area, beach, sand, paddle boats. The kids loved it. The lake was a tad chilly to swim in, but the resort also offered both indoor and outdoor pools. It was fabulous and exactly what we were looking for--total relaxation!

Gavin is officially five months old! He has grown and changed so much this past month. He is sitting for a short time unassisted. He loves to bounce in his exersaucer, drools constantly and mouths anything he can get his little hands on. Gavin smiles at the sight of his sisters and sometimes his parents. He laughs when tickled too. Gavin is looking at books when we read to him, touching the pages and according to Claire, turns the pages. He loves to snuggle, face out in the stroller so he can take in the view and hates, hates, hates the carseat. Gavin has rolled both from front to back and back to front now, wiggles/scoots backwards and still enjoys the swing. He is eating 6 oz. of milk per bottle, wearing size 2 diapers, and growing into 6 mo. clothing. Gavin was baptized this month at the same church I was baptized as a baby. His Godparents are his Aunties Lauren, Lisa and Uncle Phil. Gavin completed his second international flight this month as we returned from our 5 week vaca

We spent a weekend camping at the Lake. This was the kids' first camping adventure and they loved it! It wasn't "true" camping as we stayed in a camper instead of tents, but that made it even more exciting for the girls. They loved every minute of it, from eating smores at night, playing cornhole and other lawn games, swimming in the lake and enjoying quality time with family. It was a great weekend! Togetherness. Campfires, messy smores and family. As you can see, Mya and her Uncle Phil are buddies ;)

Some things are just too good not to share ;) Claire, Mya and Ava had a make over session. Ava was the makeup artist and applied the hair chalk. She has a talent ;) The girls were thrilled with their new looks and that is definitely what matters :)

My poor hair. It goes through stylists like most people go through shampoo. I go back and forth between growing it out and cutting it off, repeatedly. I planned to go back home and cut it off, but my sister kindly called her stylist who had an available appointment. I took it and am so glad I did. I love it!

She is a rufus..darn autocorrect.

Gavin spent his 4th month in the United States, meeting all of his cousins, Aunties, Uncles and Grammy & Papa. It was a busy, busy month, but he took it in stride. He traveled from North Dakota, to Minnesota, to Montana, taking in his first baseball game, first boat ride, first night camping, and first trip to the zoo. It was the most amazing month yet!

Dearest Claire, You are officially seven going on sixteen. Truly. Your vocabulary is immense, your bravery is big, your willingness to leap into the unknown is huge. Daddy and I are so proud of all that you have accomplished and all that you continue to attempt. You've had a big year as you jumped 3 levels in swimming lessons. When we first moved to Germany, you began lessons. One day we watched this little guy swimming laps in the fitness pool. We were amazed as he was so little! I finally asked his mom his age and swimming level. Now, two years later, you are that little boy, swimming laps, mesmerizing onlookers with your swimming and strength. You've been reading well above grade level since Kindergarten, so it is not a surprise that you are now at the end of 3rd grade level. You can read pretty much anything you pick up. You really enjoy reading non-fiction text, so we've tried to steer you towards books that you can later experience or see the topic first hand. You

I grew up loving baseball--the NY Yankees .  My Dad is a HUGE fan of the Yankees. He got that love from his Grandfather with whom he traveled to the games and watched/listened to many. Needless to say, it seemed only appropriate that all of our children's first games have been to the Yankees (although Chris may disagree being a Red Sox fan). Sadly, with Claire and with Mya too, we made it as far as batting practice, then left due to rain, fussiness, etc. Gavin, however, made it through the entire game. It was a great way to spend his first Fourth of July.

I am already falling behind on updates and it has only been 3 months. I am sorry Gavin. You have had a great month. I feel like Daddy and I are finally figuring you out. We know that you don't love being swaddled, cry the moment your diaper is wet, love to hold hands or have us touch your face and love to be held vs. riding in the stroller or carrier. Life has become much quieter and happier around our house. You are growing well. You wear a size 2 diaper, 3-6 month clothing and eat 5-6 oz per feeding. Your eyes are still blue and your hair seems to vary between blonde and brown depending on the day ;) We are battling some ferocious cradle cap. It is a pain. You are finally beginning to enjoy the swing again and your excersaucer thing. You really love to stand and are very strong. You have excellent head control and are interested in all that is happening. Gavin, you are a drooling little guy. I know it is a tad too early for teeth, but they are coming! We had your 3 month

Today marks the last day that Chris will put on his "blues", military issued black patent shoes and dawn his cap with the old familiar Captain's bars on it. Such an exciting day for him, for us, for our family. So even though his official retirement isn't until August 1st, it feels that today is somewhat more of an end than that date will be. The military is all he's ever known, joining at the age of 17, heading off to boot camp a month after graduating from High School. Our paths crossed a couple of years later when he was still a lowly A1C. It is hard to believe I've been along side him for almost this entire journey through the military. We've survived countless PT tests, EPR's, promotions through each stripe as an enlisted member, OPR's, ROTC, college graduation, pinning LT bars, pinning Capt. bars, 3 moves across 3 different continents, 2 deployments, completion of graduate school, and countless exercises and training hours dedicated to the p

This post is sponsored by Cottonelle, but my love for their fresh care flushable cleansing cloths on-the-go soft packs is all my own! Our life is one big adventure. We are constantly on the go! From ballet, to swimming lessons, to playgrounds to weekend trips, we do it all. With three small children in tow. This summer we are embarking on our first transatlantic adventure with three little ones as we take our first TransAtlantic vacation. That's a day of airport restrooms, airplane restrooms, and much, much togetherness for 12 LONNNNGGG hours. Thankfully, I 've become a pro of sorts at surviving these outings and it all comes down to being prepared--hand sanitizer and bum wipes . Cottonelle is joining us on this adventure with their Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths On the Go Soft Packs. Fortunately, our kiddos are independent most of the time, BUT occasionally need the help of Mom or Dad to clean those hard to reach places :) Well, I am happy to say full independence

So I called it. Dr. Kara. Plantar fascitis. After hobbling around for 3 months, plus much of my pregnancy, I finally broke down and went to the doctor. I had been doing stretches, rest, bought inserts for my shoes, but nothing seemed to do the trick for any length of time. With a fantastic summer of fun ahead and the uncertainty of our health care in light of Chris' looming retirement, I knew I had to act quickly. Thankfully, I was seen that same day! The best part is that I was able to see my previous PCM (primary care manager, aka "my doctor") whom I really loved, but was promoted and had to cut her caseload in 1/2. Anyway, she heard my concerns, confirmed my diagnosis of plantar fascitis, prescribed me some Ibuprofen, told me to ice my foot and prescribed me a splint for the night. We discussed "next steps" being a trial of steriods either oral or injections with a "last resort" and one she is very much against--surgery. She likened the fascitis t

Mid June marked the last day of 1st grade for Claire. She had an exceptional year. Most of that due to her amazing teacher, Ms. Garcia, who knew how to develop her weaknesses while continuing to encourage and reinforce her strengths. She was such a positive influence in our little girl's life. We thank God for such a great year filled with beautiful friends who love to have fun and learn together. In celebration of her summer birthday, we brought breakfast for her class on the last day. Chris made the pancakes, while I put together fruit, juice, bought donuts too per Claire's request. It was a hit as our little princess finally had her chance to wear the birthday crown. She was in heaven!

Claire--1st Grade w/Ms. Garcia Mya--Pre-K w/Ms. Alvarez

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Our kids take swimming lessons year round. It is our one nonnegotiable activity. Consequently, Claire has one more level to go before she is totally finished and yes, she isn't even 7 yet. Pretty amazing. I remember taking one session of lessons each summer, which took me until 7th grade to finish all the levels. We like our kids to be fish. We want them to feel safe around the water, to look to water as a means to exercise and maintain good health and to turn to water for all the fun there is to be had. More of that to come this summer. We cannot wait! In order for all this to happen, we expose them as early as possible. Gavin's first swim was last week at 2.5 months old. He didn't cry, just kind of chilled out. Perhaps, he is a fish in the making.

One annual adventure is our trip to the strawberry patch. This tradition began in Massachusetts, was missed during our time in Korea, but resumed when we arrived in Germany in 2012. We love it. We returned to our favorite patch in Landstuhl yesterday. It was bloody hot, somewhere in the 80s. Gavin was not a fan, so Chris and I took turns tending to him while the other picked with the girls. We did well--4 quarts are frozen for shakes and 1 container is in the fridge waiting for some cake. Claire flat out asked when I was making the angel food cake, so I guess I best get that done!

And we are back! It was a whirlwind trip combined with hustle, bustle, and relaxation. Quite a good mix of all. We flew into Pisa courtesy of Ryan Air. Our tickets were only about $50 per person--quite a steal. It was our first time of not reserving a seat, but still priority qued and it worked out splendidly. We arrived early, hopped in line and found seats just one row behind our usuals. We landed in Pisa around 9:30 or so, retrieved our rental car and meandered our way to our rental apartment. It was a lovely place, but not very private even though there were doors separating bedrooms, etc. The loft was actually two of the bedrooms, which adjoined the master bedroom via a large glass panel. Needless to say, every one could hear every thing. The seven of us also shared one bathroom, which was not ideal. Day 1: We drove to Levanto and hopped on a train to Monterroso. It was about 30 Euro for a family of 4. When we arrived in Monterroso, we immediately found the beach, let the chil

This whole weight loss thing is tough! Throw in a new baby, two other little ones, a career and plantar fascitis, and we have an uphill battle. Yeah, the plantar fascitis may be self diagnosed, but I am 99% certain I have it. I actually went for my post partum check up a couple of weeks ago where I unloaded all my aches and pains. I am sure she thinks I am a nut job, but seriously, I thought the road to losing my pregnancy pounds would bring my physical age back down from 90 to a 30 something person. I apparently was wrong. My right foot hurts so badly. In fact, there have been days were I don't even feel comfortable carrying Gavin down the stairs for fear I will drop him. I'm on a mission to lose weight, which I hope will remove the stress on my poor feet. I am guessing the stress is there due to the shift in my weight from pregnancy to now. Who knows, but from what I've read, there is little that can be done medically. I'll give this my best shot, then go the medica

I documented most of the information on your 8 week post, so I'll only add a few things here.  -You are beginning to enjoy baths a bit more. I found a Puji tub super cheap and it has been awesome! Wish I had had one for when Claire and Mya were babies too. - You smile often. You have a huge smile that lights up your whole face. It truly melts my heart.  - You are happiest right when you wake. You are all smiles regardless of the time. We start our mornings off right! -You are better about letting us set you down. You sit in the bouncer, occasionally in the bumbo or swing.  -You've discovered your hand and are doing your best to grab a taste whenever you can. -For about 2 weeks, we had been giving you a bottle of formula one time per day. It was when I was grasping for anything to figure out why you were having such tummy troubles. We've since stopped and you are exclusively breast fed again. It hasn't been an easy journey in the least, but things have got

Since my memory fades more and more everyday, I thought I'd post pictures of the gifts we gave teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week. We started the week off with a flower/plant with a little stick that said, "Thanks for helping me GROW." The others were copied or modified from pinterest. Super cute and pretty easy too! 

Gavin is 8 weeks old! Time has flown by, though many moments have crept past at a snail's pace. This little guy has the biggest smiles. Each and every one melt my heart. He offers them just when we need them most. For example, after a night filled with tossing and turning, he'll throw one at us. Suddenly that smile makes everything lovely again and gives me the energy I didn't think I'd have. We still haven't figured out if the zantac is truly helpful. He seems to have less issues with gas, and being uncomfortable, but he continues to spit up quite a lot. I guess the guessing game will continue for awhile. I hate to say this, but Gavin is high maintenance. I thought we had already done our time with one high maintenance child, but apparently we survived her, so God decided to throw another our way. He loves to be held. We are trying everything and anything we can to buy ourselves some moments of not needing to hold him, but the crying is ear piercing. Our poor g

I came across this while cleaning up the mounds of paperwork the kids managed to gather. I laughed so hard. It is totally adorable! We got the girls cameras when Gavin was born, so they frequently take random pictures. Finally, they are putting them to good use. Claire is often writing scripts or creating something. This time is is a newspaper, complete with pictures. I LOVE IT! So funny! On a side note, Claire's spelling words at school as of late have been "photosynthesis," "evaporation," & "science," but quite obviously, she needs to work on "serious" and "cliff," you know, the essentials ;)

Claire's been waiting patiently for these teeth to fall out. They've been loose for sometime, but seemed all too comfortable where they were. Finally, the one was pulled out last night and what remained was less than beautiful, being called, Snaggletooth. Claire wiggled, wiggled and wiggled it some more until it was finally out as well. That makes two teeth in two days. Poor tooth fairy has been busy spreading her fairy dust and leaving notes with money behind. 

Our neighbor across the street has an empty lot next to his house. He has graciously constructed a neighborhood garden of sorts and began growing his crop earlier this spring. The girls frequent the lot, playing soccer, spies, and attempting to climb the apple and plum trees that call the lot home. My dear neighbor posted this on facebook, " Thanks to who ever decided to pull out my pumkin plant and break the other one. I was trying to grow some for holloween." Spelling errors aside, I immediately asked my lovely girls if they were touching Mr. David's pumpkin plants to which Claire firmly denied. I breathed a sigh of relief, tucked them into bed and posted my response on facebook, " not your little friends here either., but it may have been me, sabotaging the contest ;)" Flash forward to morning. Chris comes in the bathroom to share the news. He interrogated the girls at breakfast and they confessed. I could feel my skin crawl with embarrassment, disappo