A Thankful Heart | Week 3 & 4

Happy Sunday, my friends! Oh my, I have been so overwhelmed with our big move back to the states that this poor blog has been totally neglected...including my Thankful heart post from last week. We have been living in a hotel and Siena has been adjusting to not having her swing and everything else that makes having a small baby a bit easier, so she's been held a lot more than usual. I don't mind the extra cuddles but I am not getting much else done. I am so ready to get moved and settled and get to work on this blog of mine!
We leave on Tuesday for the states...this will be the THIRD attempt. Yeah, that's a whole other blog post for a different day but it has been crazy and StReSsFuLL! I have made time this week to finish out this series and combine it with the week I missed. I hope that is ok! I have been feeling extra thankful the last few days with all the chaos happening.

Be sure to read along with the other amazing bloggers who post in this series!


1. Technology 

Technology can be both a blessing and a curse, right? It is more of a blessing to my life as it is the only way my family has been able to see Noah and "meet" Siena. My son knows my moms face because of facetime! I am SO thankful for this! My mom lived far from family in the 70's and she longed for her kids to see their grandma more often. I am happy we will still be able to see our family through technology even living just a state away in Utah.

2. Fall Time

I am from Arizona where there isn't much of a fall season. I love the changing of the leaves and am so thankful I have been able to experience beautiful fall colors here in Italy the last few years. It is a season that has become my favorite! Seeing Noah stomp and throw the leaves is the best!


3. Friendships

This last week has been insane and has made me extra thankful for the friendships we have made here in Italy. My best friend here, Lauren, has been there for our family whenever we have needed it as well as some of our other AF friends. Living so far from family with a big time change can be hard so having a few people you can count on makes all the difference.

4. Family

I am always thankful for my family but especially lately! We are flying into Denver because we couldn't get flights to AZ or UT. My aunt lives in Denver so she is picking us up and letting us stay with her. My awesome husband is driving to AZ with out luggage and dogs with his dad who is flying into Denver to drive with him. Isn't that so great of him? This allows me and the kids to just fly to AZ and not be stuck in the car for 13 hours after traveling. We have had so much support from our family with this move it's been amazing. Especially with our plans constantly changing.

5. Coffee

Basically what fuels me everyday. I love the smell, the taste, iced, hot...you get the picture.



6. The Ability to Work From Home

I am so grateful to be able to work from home or wherever really! Network marketing is the best way for moms like me, in my opinion, to make money and stay home with their kids! I have found a company I love and am passionate about. It was hard to work my business from Italy so I am excited to work hard in the states!

A Thankful Heart | Week 2

Holy smokes you guys, this move back to the states is kicking my butt! I can barely keep up with everything we have going on let alone blog as much as I would like. To say I am ready to be in Utah and settled is an understatement! I know that won't come for a few more weeks or even months so for now, please bare with me :) I wanted to make sure I still got my gratitude post up if nothing else, because I feel like in the midst of this craziness it's so important I stop, take a breath and really think about all I have to be thankful for!

1. My Home 

As we organize and get ready for the movers I can't help but feel so grateful for this little Italian house we have called ours for the last 3 years. When we found this house we knew instantly it was perfect for us. I was obsessed with the big (modern) bathtub and the amazing views of the mountains. Little did we know we would be bringing home two babies to share this home with us. We are quickly outgrowing the space and can't wait to have a dishwasher (it's the little things!), but this home will always hold a very special place in my heart. So many amazing memories were made here. Several "Friendsgivings", Noah's first steps and countless cuddles in the family room. I will miss our little yellow home with green shutters. We were offered the perfect house in Utah this past week and I am feeling so at peace and excited for this next chapter. I am excited to fill our new home with our Italian treasures and make new memories there. How lucky are we to already have a home waiting for us?! God is so Good!

2. My Sister

These photos are old but I just love them! The top is from my bachelorette party. She was my maid of honor and we both had super long hair! The second is after we both chopped our hair and started hair school together!

My sister is my best friend and I am so thankful for her. Robbie is also my best friend but when it comes to girl talk, advice and coffee dates my sister is the best!! We have been best buds since I was 16. She is 7 years older than me so it's usually likely that she's been through what I am going through and can offer some words of wisdom. She is my person and just gets me. The thought of seeing her more often makes me emotional. I am so excited see her!! We have so much fun together and even tho we've been apart for 3 years and will still live a state away we stay so close. I love texting her everyday and FaceTiming often. I can't wait to be in the same time zone as her! I am also so excited for my kids to get to know their auntie and all their cousins! 

3. My Body

On the left is before pregnancy and the right is about 16 months post partum with Noah

Pregnant with Noah 

Pregnant with Siena 

This is a hard one for me to feel thankful for all the time, but this week I feel like it's really important I stop and say, "thanks" to this bod of mine. I can get so frustrated when I am not reaching my goals fast enough or I see a photo of me from this time last year and miss my "old" body.
I need to stop and give myself more credit. Sure I have some work to do, but my body created and grew TWO little humans! It took me 9 months twice over to create them it will take time for me get back to where I want to be. It is handling all the stress I am under with this move while producing the milk I need to feed Siena everyday. It wakes me up each morning and my legs get me where I need to go. My arms hold my babies and grow in strength each day. My body works hard during my workouts leaving my muscles sore. My fingers work to type out these blogs. My lips kiss my husband and babies, my nose breaths in sweets scents and my eyes sees the beauty that surrounds me. So while I get frustrated that the mirror isn't reflecting what I want to see yet, I am thankful for all that this body does each day for me. I want to teach my daughter to have confidence in her abilities and not just her looks so with that being said I am going to more mindful of my self talk. Think about this...would you talk to your best friend the way you talk to your body??

I hope you are enjoying this series and head over to Aleigh Moore's blog to read the other posts!!
Happy Sunday my friends!

A Thankful Heart | Week 1

Oh November, how I love you so. Fall leaves are here and sticking around yet there is beginning to be a chill in the air. It's the one month of the year where everyone suddenly remembers all the things they are thankful for, and although I believe we should always express our thankfulness year round, it is still a wonderful thing to do.
I truly believe that gratitude makes what you have into enough. Keeping up with the Jones' can be tough. We often only seen people's high light reels and wish for what they have, but I promise you if you stop and list what you do  have and what you are grateful for in your life then you'll be pining for those "things" a lot less. I have a gratitude journal that I like to quickly jot down all things I am grateful for, but going into more detail on the BIG things on my heart each week will be so fulfilling.

I was excited to see Aleigh Joy Moore from The Joy of Life Blog invite other bloggers to join her in this series. Each week we will be sharing what we are thankful for! I hope you join us. I am excited to read these posts over a  hot cup of coffee and have all the feels :)

1. My Husband

Yep, I am starting this off mushy. I can't help it tho. My husband, Robbie, has been so great lately. Not that he isn't always great, but in this season of life he is my life saver. Living overseas can be hard when we don't have family nearby to help us. You will see a lot of moms talking about having their "village" to help them with their kids or whatever they need. I really don't feel like I have a "tribe" or "village" here in Italy. I have my husband and he r o c k s. Transitioning from one to two kids is tough at times, but he picks up the slack when I need it. He helps me so much. He cooks us meals, helps me clean and watches the kids whenever I need a break. He encourages me to workout and have my time. One time he even went grocery shopping with the kids and dropped me off the gym before so I could workout while they shopped. *swoon*. He is content with staying in since I am tired and watches Gilmore Girls with me on Netflix, yet he's also more than happy to jump in the car and find something fun to do on his days off. He is my best friend and I am so thankful for how much our relationship has grown during this time of it just being us over here in Italy. Robbie, you are the real MVP ;)


2. Motherhood 

I have always known I wanted to be a mother. Growing up I had other career aspirations but I always knew I would be happiest as a mom. I grew up in a large family and have lots of nieces and nephews. I have always loved kids and was so excited for my own one day. Now that I have a growing family of my own it is everything I imagined and then some. Some days it's much harder than I imagined (having to discipline or deal with tantrums) but I wouldn't trade it for the world. These little people need me and that is an amazing feeling. I love witnessing all of my kids milestones and being able to stay home with them. From breastfeeding all day, making lunch, kissing bumps and bruises, hearing their first word, teaching colors and kissing them goodnight it is all so good. I strive to be a better mother and each night I pray for more patience and grace, because  I am NOT perfect.  It's so crazy to think about how I am raising (with the help of Robbie of course) these people to become kind and caring adults.  It is a hard job but so so worth it. Nothing has fulfilled me as much as watching my babies grow and  for that I am eternally thankful.

3. Travel 

The experiences I have gained from traveling Europe will always be at the top of my list of what I am most thankful for. As we get ready to head back to the states I can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the time we've had here. I mean really, not many people can say they spent over 3 years living in Italy and traveling around Europe. The best part is I got to do it with my best friend and my son. I know Robbie and I will always consider this time some of the best years of our lives. This also makes me thankful for the Air Force for giving us this opportunity.

Siena August Rose | 2 Month Update

I am sure I will say this every month...but time is flying! 2 months already?! I feel like I was just trying to walk her out of me haha.
She is turning into a little chunk which we l o v e. I mean really, what is better than a chubby baby??
Noah is still obsessed with her which we also love. She is beginning to smile and it's the s w e e t e s t thing but we can't seem to catch it on video or camera yet, but you can bet when I do I will be photographing it like crazy ; )

EAT.

Siena is nursing every 2-3 hours during the day. Usually closer to the 2 hour mark. She nurses great and we haven't had any issues! I have began giving her a bottle of pumped breast milk before bed time at night. She still cluster feeds during her "witching hour" which is usually 5 or 6 pm- 9 or 10 pm when she is down for the night. I personally like to do a pumped bottle because then I know she has a full tummy and will hopefully sleep for a while before waking to eat at night. She started off not being too interested and only drinking a little but now she's drinking about 3 oz before bed.

SLEEP.

Siena is becoming more and more alert and not wanting to sleep all day like a brand new baby does. I am beginning to learn her sleep cues, which has been really helpful when it comes to getting her to nap. In the morning she eats and then usually spends some time awake. When I see her yawn I know it's time to swaddle her, turn on white noise and get her in the swing. She usually falls asleep for that first nap pretty easily. That's when I try to get a workout in or work on a blog post. After she wakes and eats she stays awakes and is usually tough to get back down. At this point it's just important to me that she gets in her naps so if that means a little extra nursing or being held then so be it. Her late afternoon nap is her second best nap, and that's usually before her long witching hour where she doses on and off until bed time.

At night she usually wakes up once to eat. She typically sleeps 5-6 hours before waking, but I have been so lucky to get a 7 hour stretch from her! This was this past week so I am hoping this will continue. She is still sleeping in her baby nest which I love, but if she gives me trouble going to bed or wakes up after her middle of the night feed I put her in the rock and play next to my bed. Sometimes she wakes up and just wants to look around for a while before going back to bed. When this happens I dim my flash light and set her up in the rock and play and go back to bed. She hasn't done this the last few days so I am wondering if maybe her middle of the night party sessions are due to her tummy hurting so I have been giving her gas drops before she feeds. I don't mind her using the rock and play when she needs it but I prefer her baby nest. We'll be traveling and I will be bringing that with us for her to sleep in and I think it will help her transition to the crib eventually as well. I still swaddle her for naps and at night but she is beginning to break out of it from time to time. I tried the halo sleep sac but she doesn't like her arms down. I will keep using the muslin swaddles for as long as I can before I try something else. Babies are such mysteries! Right when you think you have them figured out, they change it up on you!

FAVORITES.

• Swaddling- her arms flail around like crazy if she's not swaddled tight
• Nursing- because duh. lol
• The 4Moms mamaroo. We love this swing! She naps in it during the day. She likes the motion of the car ride and tree swing. We love that it has white noise and when she's awake we can postition the seat upright so she can sit up.
• Being held. Girlfriend loves to have attention. When she is awake we will lay her down or sit her in her bouncer to look around which she likes until she has had enough and wants some lovin. We don't mind tho! Also, when she's being tough to get to sleep I can usually get her to doze off while being held. 
• The Solly Baby wrap. We wear her when we're out for long periods of time because she doesn't love her car seat. Robbie wore her the whole time we were at a festival because she would not sleep in her car seat. I love that the wrap fits him easily. He sometimes has a hard time with the carriers since he's so broad shouldered. 
• White noise. We have began using white noise at almost every nap and at night. She likes the sound of the vacuum cleaner. I paid for an app I still have from when Noah liked white noise so we can continuously play it all night. I don't mind it but the vacuum going all night has been an adjustment for Robbie. lol

NOT A FAN.

• Her car seat. She tolerates it and will sleep if we're moving in the car but the second we stop or get home and bring her inside she wakes up and wants to get out.
• Being cold. She is finally enjoying bath time as long as you keep her warm the entire time. If she catches a chill then all bets are off :)

MISS SIENA AUGUST ROSE

I love spending each day with you and getting to know your likes and dislikes. You celebrated your first holiday this month and it was so much dressing you up! I am excited to celebrate the rest of the holiday season with you! The love we have for you grows more everyday. You have us all wrapped around your finger! Happy 2 months baby girl.

TWO month photo dump

Halloween 2016

Now that I have kids, I LOVE halloween! Well, for now anyways since I get to choose what costumes everyone wears lol. Last year Robbie had to work so it was just me and Noah. Our costumes were pretty epic and he made the cutest little monkey!! This year Robbie had Halloween off which was so exciting! Not only would he be able to dress up with us, but he would be able to help me with the kids at trunk or treat. Having two kids is no joke! Especially one thats still so little right now.

We started brainstorming ideas over a month ago because since we live overseas we have to order things early so they arrive on time. Although we got to choose our costumes, we wanted it to be something Noah would also love. We thought about minions but all the costumes were pretty cheesy and I wasn't up for hand making them. Super heros was our next idea but Noah will probably want to be a super hero or something scary for the rest of his halloween days. Robbie finally decided on Ninja Turtles!

Siena's costume I found on etsy for a great price. It was worth it to me to buy the whole outfit and get it customized. I love keep sake things like that!

Noah's costume my mom sent me and was found at good old Walmart! 15 bucks for the whole thing. Talk about a steal. He was a typical two year-old and threw a tantrum about wearing it to play group that morning but after some convincing he put it on and had a blast with his friends! He was the cutest turtle! I'm glad he got to wear it all day, and the hat is his favorite part of his costume. He has been wearing it around the house all month! This age is so tiring but SO fun! You know, between the drama and tantrums that is ;)

Showing me his best ninja moves!

Robbie's costume was an Amazon find. It came with everything for under $20! Noah loved daddy's "dinosaur feet" haha.

Ya'll I took one for the team and got stuck being orange. I made it pretty cute tho. Again, Amazon for everything and under $20. I don't know what I'll do with myself when next year I can use Amazon prime! ah, America we're comin' for you ;) haha.

Noah had so much fun going to trunk or treating on base. This year he was really pumped about going and getting candy. All day yesterday he was saying, "Happy WEEEEN!!" cutest thing
e v e r.  Siena snoozed through all of trick or treating giving me a dead arm because I held her. It was during her "witching hour" (how fitting lol) so I did my best to keep happy. Overall, it was a great night with my crew!

 I hope you had the best time with your family and snuck a few Reese's from their bag after bed time. ;)