Weekly Photo Dump

This week has been the busiest we have had in a while. We actually got out of the house and did stuff and it felt really good. The weather here is still warm for this time of year, upper 70's to low 80's. We enjoyed time outside and love having the windows open letting in fresh air.

 

This week we...

 

Enjoyed post bath cutesness with this little cutie.

 

Made our first trip to the Orchard & Pumpkin Patch

Took Brayden's 21 Month Pictures

Stacked Blocks

Built a tent

Took the dog for a walk, played with bubbles, sand, chalk and got excited when an ambulance went by with sirens on.  

 

 

 



Weekly Photo Dump

 Last week turned out to be one of those weeks that just got away from me.

These past couple weeks have involved lots of climbing and testing boundaries. It seemed like every time I turned around he was climbing up to or on something. He is a smart little cookie and knows exactly how to get what he wants. You will see what I mean by a few of the pics below.

 

More climbing and Puppy snuggles.

My absolute FAVORITE picture from the last two weeks.

A perfectly normal place to "Chill" while mommy gets ready for the day.

 

Spent some time at Barnes and Noble yesterday, played with blocks and checked out some books. Then we walked over to Toys R Us and played with the train table. I think a train set is in our near future.

 

 

 

Linking up once again with Sasha!



Mama Memoirs: A Baby Changes Everything

I am joining in with Mandy over at A Sorta Fairytale as she starts a new link-up called Mama Memoirs. I am super excited to join in and looking forward to reading other Mama Memoirs.

A Baby Changes Everything

OK so I was the person that before and while pregnant stressed the fact that I would remain as organized as I always have been and my house would be clean and clutter free. Yes, I admit it. I really was that person. For some mamas I am sure those things have never changed but for some reason for me it has been a battle to keep things organized and my house clean and tidy. I always thought that I would just adapt the baby to my schedule and things would go on as usual just with a baby in the mix. BOY WAS I VERY WRONG. The baby actually takes over your  every moment and you as the mama therefore adapt to the baby's schedule and try to fit all those daily routines into your new schedule with baby. I have had a hard time adjusting.

My son is now 15 months old and within the past few months I have been able to get things somewhat back on track and have some organization and routine back in our daily life as far as doing day to day things. Brayden's routine is pretty solid and I am thankful for that. I still have a long way to go to be back where I used to be but I realized that I was the only one that could change how disorganized daily things were. The baby did change things around our household as it does to everyone but I as a mommy and a wife have to pull it together and get things a bit more organized to give us plenty of time together as a family and less time stressing over things that need to be done.

I have learned that...

 being a mama changes everything...EVERYTHING.

my needs will come last almost always, and I am Ok with that beacause I am a Mommy and that means more to me than anything else.

And the most important thing I have learned is...

Being a a mommy is the most rewarding job I will ever have. It is also the hardest but I absolutely would not change a minute of it, for these moments are priceless. The sleepless nights, cold food dirty hair and messy house are all just a part of being a parent and it will be OK.

 

You know you are a Mommy when...

• Caffeine becomes a necessary part of your day
• You never eat a hot meal...this was more an issue when my son was he was younger not as much now but it still happens.
• It is a good day when you are up, dressed in something other than pajamas, make-up on and hair washed before noon. 
• You live in yoga pants, most days that is what you will find me in if you were to drop by my house.
• You know all the words to songs on Disney Jr
• Grocery shopping or any shopping for that matter by yourself is a luxury.

Being a Mommy really makes you sit back and enjoy the simplest of things in life. It took me a while to see that but it is just amazing to watch things through the eyes of a child. 



Women Connecting '12

Becky at From Mrs. to Mama is having a great link up in hopes of connecting women together. I am excited to link up even though my blog is struggling a bit. I have found several other "mommy" blogs these past few months that I just adore reading.

 

Let me tell you just a little bit about me.  I am Valerie and I am a SAHM to 1 amazingly adorable 10 month old little boy and I have been married to my high school "crush" for 9 years. We live in Illinois in a great town with lots to keep us busy. We look forward to having more children and getting a bigger home someday.

 

My little family!

 

 This is my little space that I have intended to share updates about my son with family and friends. I will admit that its not everything I had hoped that it would be and I really hope to start blogging venting more in the near future. Life is very busy with a very active baby boy so I don't get to update as much as I want to and I probably spend way more of my very little free time reading other mommy blogs then tending to my own. I do however LOVE reading blogs and find it as a sort of escape for me. I get lost reading them (mostly during nap time)  and often find things I have in common with alot of them and they are also rather inspiring. As a first time mom I often wonder if I am doing the right things or if other people are going through the same things with there little ones. Since having my son I find it very difficult to balance day to day things. I used to be a very detail oriented and organized person that always got everything done. I never imagined that having just one child would do that to me. Anyway...

 

A little more about me...

I love to read but have not finished one book since my son was born.

Addicted to pinterest...could spend hours on it very easily if I had that kind of free time.

I love my life no matter how crazy and busy it can be.

I enjoy cooking and am always looking for tasty simple meals to make.

Christmas is my all time favorite time of the year.

I love shopping!

 

 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by and getting to know a little about me and my family. Feel free to let me know you stopped by, I look forward to discovering more amazing blogs thanks to Becky!

 

 

Show & Tell: Baby Talk

 Show & Tell: Baby Talk
Linking up this fun post over at From Mrs to Mama. Its all about babies so I thought I would join in for fun.

 

1. Tell us your favorite baby names? Aside from your own babies, if you have some :)

Boy Names

Liam

Noah
Gavin
Logan
 

Girl Names

Addison

Adalyn

Olivia

Cheyenne
Laykin

 

2. Show me your "dream" nursery {can be your baby's nursery or one that you love}
I absolutely LOVE the way my sons nursery turned out and I plan on doing a post about it really soon. I am just putting some finishing touches on the room. Yes, my son is 8 months old but since he arrived 2 weeks early i never had a chance to finish it off but I have put it at the top of my priority list so I should have it finished soon.

Here is a sneak peak at my sons nursery (can't wait to share the rest soon)...

But here are a couple pics of my "dream" nurseries...

Picture and inf about this nursery can be found here on Project Nursery.

I am slightly obsessed with pink and grey and stripes right now.

 

Picture and info about this nursery can be found here on Project Nursery.

 I LOVE LOVE LOVE how adorable this nursery is, the colors and the modern touch.

 

3. How many children would you like to have? How far apart?

I would love to have 3-4 children. My sweet little man is 8 months old right now and we have talked about possibly thinking about trying for another when he is maybe 1.5-2 years old. It took us almost 4 years to get pregnant with him so who knows how long it may take to get another blessing. I think we would really like them to be about 2 years apart but we will just have to wait and see what god has planned for us.

 

4. Tell us what you think the importance of parenting is?

 I think that just being a parent is the toughest job out there. I am always wondering if I am doing the right thing and making the right decisions for my son. I think that it is important to teach our children to be the best that they can be and to treat others with care and respect. I think being consistent is very important, children need consistency and discipline. They need to be loved and know right from wrong. That is what I hope I can teach my children.  

 

5. Show us your favorite newborn photo {can be your children or random}
My son Brayden, its not professional photo but I adore it.

6. Tell us some things you promise to never do as a parent {and if you are a parent, did you stick to it}

I always said my baby would never sleep in bed with me but for me that has been near impossible. There have been many nights when he just won't sleep that my last choice has been bring him bed with me.

I will never let my child scream or throw a fit in public.