May update, a little late...

Well we are all officially a year older now. Brandon 3, Sierra 1 and Scott and I thirty something. Just like that, all in the last 3 weeks we all had our bdays which is why I'm a little late in sending out the blog update. I've been too busy partying and celebrating. So much has happened in the last month, its hard for me to keep up....

Sierra stands all alone and is taking her first steps! She hasn't gotten past 3 at a time yet, but she will soon, then it's a whole other ball game. She is also getting very good at communicating. She points and grunts for what she wants. I usually know right away what she wants, but when I don't get it right away, she just looks at me and shakes her head no. Then when I get it right, she squeals with excitement. She's very good at telling us what she does and does not want and makes sure it's known when we do something she doesn't approve. I'd forgotten all about this stage, it's amazing how fast it crept up on us. This past year went by so fast. It's like a blur to us.

Brandon is officially potty trained! It took one long weekend of total dedication, but it paid off. He thinks he's such a big boy now that he can go to the bathroom on his own. He's always been super independent, but this has really helped his self esteem. He now wants to do everything himself. He's a big help around the house too, cause he likes doing all the chores now. We're enjoying this stage with him while it lasts.

Scott and I continue to enjoy this roller coaster ride called parenthood. Although I have to admit its getting more fun now that the kids are older and we can do more with them as a family. We look forward to this summer, hopefully lots of fun at the beach, pool and lake.

Happy Summer everyone!

April Update

This past month went by so fast, I didn't even have time to send an update before the end of the month!

Life just seems to be getting busier and busier. 2 weeks ago Scotty and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary. We enjoyed an amazing 24 hours at La Costa Resort and Spa which is about 2 miles down the road from us, so it was a perfect getaway. We even brought the kids to the pool one day, then had the night alone, had an amazing dinner just the two of us and breakfast in bed. Of course we talked about the kids the whole time, but at least we got to go out on a date and have an adult conversation. Sometimes I forget what that's like. The other day I asked my 80 year old patient if he had gone potty yet! Instead of asking him if he had gone to the restroom, like a normal adult/professional nurse would have. We are just starting to potty train Brandon now, so the word just came out like it was totally normal. Everyone around us had a good laugh about it and my patient thought it was funny. Wonder when mommy brain goes away?

This month is Scott's 30 something bday and Sierra's 1st bday. The other day someone asked me how old I was and I had no idea. Could be my mommy brain or maybe you just stop counting once you get to 30 and have kids! Either way, all I know is that when the kids get a year older, so do we. We are going to be having a BBQ at Scott's patents house next weekend to celebrate. It's really just an excuse for me to throw a party! :)

We had professional pictures taken on the beach last weekend. Thankfully we had a little wine before to help with the stress! Getting both kids and Scott to pose and smile for the camera was nearly impossible. Our photographer was very good. We saw the proofs and they look amazing. I can't wait to get them online and show everyone. I am very proud of my family.

The kids are doing great. Busy, busy, busy! Sierra's new thing is climbing. She climbs up onto everything and anything. The only problem is she has no concept of down yet. She hasnt fallen off a 7ft slide and broken her arm yet, so I guess we are doing ok....

We just enrolled Brandon into a preschool for the fall. He has to be 3 and potty trained to start, so we are starting it now. If anyone has any tips on how to do this, please let us know!

Next month we will be celebrating my 30 something bday and Brandon's 3rd bday. Looking forward to another year older.....:)

March Update

We have survived another month! Now that Sierra is fully mobile, yes, she finally started crawling at 9 months old, our lives have once again changed. There is NO sitting down or relaxing unless the kids are sleeping. Sierra is everywhere and non stop. There is no part of the house that she can't get to. She mastered the stairs at first attempt and pulls up onto anything and everything. She is a wonderful handful! I never thought she would be more busy than Brandon is, but I'm afraid to admit that I think she is. I'm starting to realize we have true modern day Bam Bam and Pebbles for kids! I think we could have our own TV show. :)

Sierra is getting her 4 front teeth all at once right now. Poor girl, but nothing gets her down. She keeps moving and smiling. She is now able to eat everything we eat. She won't eat anymore baby food and she wants to feed herself. Her favorite foods are pizza, quesadilla, mac n cheese, and pasta. I haven't found anything that she doesn't like to eat yet!

Brandon is an amazing big brother and it's fun to see the kids together. He is having a lot of fun with Sierra now that she is mobile. He likes to race her up the stairs and likes to imitate what she is doing. He is also great at letting me know when she is doing things she shouldn't be doing like, "mommy, baby heading up the stairs, or mommy, baby touching the TV". He's a great mommy's little helper and it's awesome watching him grow up.

Scotty and I are going to be celebrating our 8 year wedding anniversary in a few weeks! We hope to get a babysitter for the night and get away for a date and get some sleep! :)

Can't imagine what stories we will have to share next month....

February update

I can't believe how fast these months are flying by! In just 3 months, Brandon will be 3 years old and Sierra will be 1 years old! I wont even say how old Scotty and I will be, the 4 of us have our birthdays 3 weeks apart, it's worse than Christmas! Anyways.....

The kids are so much fun right now! They are both so busy, we have our hands full and we never get to sit down anymore! They are interacting more and starting to play together. Sierra is now waving, clapping and loves to copy whatever Brandon is doing. Brandon loves to imitate everything she does too! She says mama and dada, which is music to our ears. She also loves posing and smiling for the camera, unlike her brother which you will see in the pictures below. It's so much fun to see them together.

Sierra wants to be doing everything that Brandon is and now that she can actually get to him and his toys, he gets so upset. He always says "mommy, baby taking my toys away. Or mommy, baby wont leave me alone". It's hard to explain to him that he needs to get used to this and that this is how it will be for the rest of his life! I don't think he understands that yet. Sierra is also learning how to stand up to her big brother. She takes toys away from him now and yells at him when he takes toys away from her. We are so proud of her. Scotty and I just watch and laugh, its so much fun. Our lives are nothing but comical now.

Sierra is so fast on her feet, no more cautious baby! She gets all over the house and gets into everything. She still doesn't crawl yet, although getting closer each day, but why would she when she can get to everything she needs to by holding onto furniture, the walls, or by pushing things across the room to get to the other side? She is now even trying to conquer the stairs! She can get to every room in the house now. A few weeks ago, Brandon comes running into the room and says "mommy where did baby go?" I found her at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the mighty climb up. Some day she will figure it out. It's only 14 steps up, so no worries when she falls down them.

Last weekend, Brandon says "mommy, baby has your wine"! Sure enough, Sierra had walked over to the side table and picked up my wine and poured it down the front of her. Guess its time to start baby-proofing again!

Brandon continues to amaze us with his athleticism and love for sports. His new obsession right now is golf. I know, Scotty couldn't be happier. We are buying him his first set of clubs and I'm sure he will be in lessons by this summer. I'm a little embarrassed to say, but his putting and pitching are better than mine. Scotty can't wait to take him out to the course.

Scott and I are enjoying the wild ride we are on right now. Sometimes we look at each other and say "how did we get here"? We really wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world though. Below are some pictures from the past month. Enjoy!

January Update

Well another month has flown by. Sierra is now 8 months old now and her personality is really starting to shine through. It's amazing how you can have 2 kids from the same parents and they turn out completely different!
Sierra has the sweetest heart ever. Not that Brandon doesn't, but we didnt nickname him Bam Bam just for fun! Turns out, Sierra is exactly like how I was at this age, or so I've been told. She is shy, quiet, cautious, she is a total mama's girl, has separation and stranger anxiety, I cant even go to the bathroom without her crying! Go figure her first word is Dada! She is a really happy baby especially as long as she is standing. She is really chill and she is full of smiles which is so beautiful.

Brandon and Sierra do have a few common interests though like their love for Brandon's cars. I bought Sierra her own set of pink and purple cars, but she won't play with them. She only wants to play with her brothers, which he hates of course so we are working on that. They both also love playing in the water and both sleep on their tummies.

Sierra is still not officially crawling, not quite sure she will at all. All she wants to do is stand and cruise, chasing after her brothers cars that he has lined up all over the couch and coffee table and tries to steal them from him. She's not that fast at cruising yet, but getting faster everyday. She likes to think about each step before she makes it, unlike her brother who was running around the coffee table at this age and who fell 7 feet from a slide a few months ago. Brandon doesn't think before he leaps, he never has. He is all boy! Sierra can now even stand for a few moments all by herself. She doesn't even really like to sit much anymore, every time I put her down to sit, she cries cause she wants to be standing. But when she does sit, she's trying to scootch across the floor on her bottom. I guess that's another thing they have in common, will power and determination!

Nothing too exciting to report on Brandon's end this month, shocking I know. He did escape the house one day and started running off to the park all by himself, thanks to his Auntie A who was suppose to be watching him. I found him 10 houses down the road, hanging out all by himself. Not scared or afraid that he was all alone and lost. Our son has no fear and no separation anxiety! Seriously thinking about putting a GPS on him.

My family was in town for a long weekend to celebrate my sisters engagement to Dan. They are getting married in Montana in August this summer. Dan is great with the kids and I wish him luck joining our family! :)

Until next time, there will be more stories and more adventures to report. I can't wait!