What a week.

Missouri - Arkansas - Louisiana - Mississippi - Tennessee - Alabama. We conquered all.

This past week we drove to Gulf Shores, Alabama with my dad and our newly expanded family of five. Truth be told, I thought I may have lost my mind even thinking about packing up our family and driving 15 hours to the beach. This was however one of the best weeks we have had as a family. There were so many memories made and I can't describe the smiles that were plastered on the girls' faces when they ran to the beach each day.

There were three big things that stood out the most to me this past week.

1. The love and devotion my husband has for our kids. My heart melted when I watched him build sandcastles, swim in the water and go hunting for crabs on the beach with the girls. I lucked out in the husband department. It is hard to describe the feeling I got from watching them have such a wonderful time all day on the beach. I would just sit and watch them interact feeling ... complete ... mesmerized.

2. "Mom, thank you so much for taking me to the beach. Can we come every weekend?" Carmen is not one to say thank you for things we do together. She does say please and thank you, but gratefulness for the things we do for her hasn't evolved yet. By her saying thank you unprompted, I knew this was truly an unforgettable experience for her. She had this look on her face for days that showed how much she loved the water and the beach.

3. I have an amazing father and I am so happy that my kids love him just as much as I do. Even before we left for GA, the girls loved spending time with my dad. He is amazing and takes them to movies and on little dates. Spending a week with their grandpa was just icing on the cake for them. He swam with them, taught Carmen to ride the waves with her swim board, and snuggled James at every opportunity. I love seeing them build a relationship with someone I have adored since I can remember.

This isn't the best picture of the girls, but you can see how much Lilah adores her sister.  

The last day we were there, I caught the girls snuggling in the chair together. This is RARE! 

Is 3 really a crowd?

Wow! For being off of work I sure do keep myself busy. I can see now why my mom says she feels just as busy if not more being retired. And she doesn't have three kids!!! Yes, I had to put the !!! there. One just wasn't enough. These kids keep me on my toes. Being outnumbered poses some challenges. I have to admit there are days where it is completely overwhelming but even during those rough days there are these wonderful moments where I can't imagine being any happier.

Growing up as an only child, I always wished for a sibling. It was freaking boring being the only kid in the house...and you couldn't blame sh*t on anyone but yourself or the dog. Needless to say when I tried to pass the blame it didn't work. (laughing) I begged and begged for a brother or sister but the time just wasn't ever right for my parents to have more kids. Okay, being an only did have its perks and I was an only grandchild so I will tell you I was spoiled, but I would have given anything to have a large family. When I thought about what I wanted out of a family, I knew I wanted more than one, but the question was how many. To be honest, in an ideal situation where Jeff and I had all the money in the world, 5 is my perfect number. But kids are expensive and being able to give our kids what they need and more is costly. I think that three might be our perfect number... that was until tonight. (Queue the music.)

I've been going through Carmen and Lilah's baby clothes to sell and it is heartbreaking yet heartwarming looking at these little girl outfits we will likely never see again. There are so many memories that come from just a piece of fabric. The outfit someone came home from the hospital in, the first dress I bought once we found out it was a girl, the outfit Carmen had her first bite of peas in.

The girls are just 5 and 2, yet I feel like we have so many memories. Now I understand how people are hoarders! And I understand how the Duggars keep having kids. Children are such a blessing. Carmen and her diva self, Lilah our covert instigator with a sweet smile and James our most lovable baby. Jeff said no more kids. I know we are probably done and it breaks my heart just a little knowing there won't ever be another. Now I am going to go snuggle James and hope he doesn't grow up too fast like the girls are.

Now for our life in pictures this week.


Carmen will kill me for this when she gets older but here she is on a typical night dancing in front of the fridge.

I found this on my phone. Carmen loves to take selfies with James!

This weekend we went to Summit Waves with our friends Kendyl and Kristopher.

The girls love ice cream. 

Right now Carmen's favorite is mint chip and Lilah's is vanilla w/ chocolate syrup. James likes breast milk flavor. (Yes, I do make myself laugh.)

Today was James' two month check-up. He has doubled his weight since birth and is just under 15 lbs and is in the 95th percentile for height and weight. He has amazing chubby kid fat rolls! 

Summer Fun.

July is going to be amazing! Jeff is finally done with summer school, we are gearing up for a family trip to the Gulf Shores, the girls start swimming lessons, and I love the freakishly hot days. 

Couple Time.

Since Jeff is done with school and I am on maternity leave, we get the entire month of July without either of us working. I am so excited to spend some one on one time with him (James included). As many couples with multiple kids know, it is so hard to find quality alone time to spend with your significant other. 

Jeff and I rarely get babysitters. I know it is different for everyone but I love spending my weekends with my kids. I feel so rushed during the week. By the time I get home from work, have family dinner, and give baths it is time for the girls to go to bed. When the weekend comes, I am excited to spend time as a family. I feel guilty not spending as much time with my kids as possible. They aren't going to be young forever. I know Jeff and I need to carve out time to spend together (and it is going to become even more important with a third kid) which why I am so excited for this time with him. 

One of the things we are doing together this month is having lunch dates. A huge perk to working downtown is the amazing restaurants nearby. I have started taking him to my favorite spots. So far we have been to Rico's Tacos Lupe on the Boulevard and Chez Elle Creperie and Coffehouse. I have a few more places I can't wait to take him to. It is an awesome feeling knowing this month has so much in store for us.

Lilah's first swim lesson. She did great. 

The best purchase I made last year was this inflatable water slide. I doubt it will last another season but it was well worth the money!

Backyard picnic.

Love for brother.

I've started the packing list for our 14 hour drive to the Gulf Shores. I don't know if I am insane for deciding to take this trip but I am stoked to see how much the girls will love the ocean. I do a lot of planning at work and it spills over to my family life. :)

Welcome.

For the past year, I have wanted to start blogging so that my kids can refer back to what it was like to grow up in our house. So here we go…

I've been on maternity leave for the past seven weeks and it has been amazing. I can see how much hard work it would be to stay home full time with the kids and how rewarding it is at the same time. When I had our first child Carmen, I couldn't wait to get back to work. I loved working and I loved Carmen but at the time there wasn't the option for me to stay home. We were really lucky that my mom and dad could watch her for us during the day. When we had Lilah, Carmen had moved to preschool and sending Lilah to an in-home daycare was what it was.

I have to admit being home with James makes we want to stay home full time. I have realized that kids grow up way too quickly. I feel the clock ticking louder for my time to go back to work. I love what I do. I love working. The last year at work has been super stressful and full of a lot of extra hours. This time at home has made me reevaluate what I want to do with my life.  I don't want to quit working but I would love to find a way to cut my hours down at work and spend more time with my kids. A four day work week sounds like the ultimate prize. I hope I can win that lottery somehow. 

Here are some pictures from last week. Carmen's preschool took their annual trip to Deanna Rose.

Lilah with the baby sheep.

James and I spent some tummy time together when we got back. 

I love taking pictures of the kids in the morning and sending them to Jeff. The mornings are so stressful when I have to get to work afterwards. I love being able to spend time with the girls without rushing so much.