An Update On the Family

 Big sister was not nearly as excited about the self-timer as little brother. Hence why there are more pictures of him with mama than her. And we know Mr. Mama doesn't like pictures period.

I do random updates, confessional sessions, and share a bunch of blah that is on my mind. However, when it comes to actual updates on life and us, I feel as though it has been a long while. As I like to say, a hot minute.

It's been a while since I updated this little space with what has been going on in our lives.

 

Let us start with me.

 

I'm doing great. Work is going well, still working full time at night 3 twelve hour shifts a week, and then being at home with the kiddos during the day. ICU is just as crazy as the day I started and there is never a time where you know what will come next. Kind of fun and exciting and crazy all at the same time, but surprisingly I'm still loving it. Not exactly loving all the changes that the hospitals are going through, the cutbacks, and the crazy demands and requests out of their staff, but still loving what I do and who I work with. My goal though is to eventually {one day, hopefully in the next couple of years} go part-time which would eliminate 1 night shift a week.

 

Overall, I have found myself just getting busier and busier with time and I know that it means that things get kind of put on the backburner. Like this blog for instance. I need to also update our family books, and I need to keep working on the journals for the kids. I even started reading a new book {yay for reading}, The Book Thief, but after a couple of chapters and still not really into it, I had to put it down. I'm one of those people that if I cannot get into the book right away, if it doesn't grasp my interest, then there is a very low liklihood of me contiuing on with it. Sad, because I heard great things about it. Don't even get me started on house projects. The other day, I finally hung up canvases that I have had in my home sitting in the closet for two years. TWO years. That's a shame.

 

I started the 30 day shred with Jillian Michaels. Me. The person that hasn't worked out in 5 years is now actually moving my butt and maybe, just maybe, getting this motivational kick to get fit. I won't write further into this until I have actually been committed for a while. Because we all know getting your foot off the ground is the hardest part.

 

I like to keep the thermostat set at 75. Just in case you were wondering. Random, totally off topic, but definitely very relevant to this topic of conversation.

 

Andrew.

 

Andrew is well. He's still in his HR role with the state and liking the experience he is getting this far. The commute is still hard on him as it can vary from 1-1.5 hours one way. Our goal is to hopefully find jobs that are closer to home and cut back on all the driving time that the both of us are doing. Also, Andrew got his beloved XBOX. Now, for those of you {if there are any}, that remember my blogging back in the day, you may remember a post, or two, on his little obsession with this gaming device and my {not-so-much} obsession with it. It was gone for a couple of years, and now it's back. It's back and he even TALKS to it. And it does things for him. Like turn on/off, etc. I mean, this is like Siri for the XBOX. Who's making these things and how do I call them to tell them to stop?!

 

Miss E.

 

She's getting big. Big and bright and beautiful and just so smart. We are always learning and she never fails to amaze me with the way she picks up on things. So far she has mastered half of the states of the United States, she knows how to write most of her letters, reading first level books on her own, and can tell you all the different body parts in Russian as well as count to ten in both Russian and Spanish. There is no goal or reasoning behind our learning, I'm just kind of going with her and figuring out what she likes/doesn't like. My desire for our children is not for them to have straight A's, be advanced or above others, or get a full ride to college {although that would be nice}, most important for us is that they just love to learn and have a good foundation to fall on. 

She's really into cars and trains and can play with these with her brother all day long. Also loving her soft animals that she plays house with and "pretend play" for hours on end. Spends time doing puzzles and obsessed with books. Shows? Thomas and the Pirate boy show--surprise surprise.

Eating better, and overall can reason with so much better than at the beginning of the year. She's my little helper, and absolutely adores her brother. She mommies him all day long and looks after him. Even when he is rough and mean to her. 

Had her first soccer league and she loved it. Will be starting back up after vacation.

G man.

G man. What is there not to say about this little guy. He will be 19 months next week and acts like he is two. In fact, if it weren't for his little tiny size, most people think that he moves/acts like he's much older. Part of it is that he is fearless and will do/try anything about there. Especially out on the playground–he is one to watch. He's not only a rebel, but he's a hitter. For some reason he thinks that we think it is funny and so he keeps doing it. E was never a hitter, and so we are just confused as to where he could have picked this up from since we are always with him.

Picky eater at times, but overall loves food and can eat a lot of it if it's something he likes. I have a feeling that when he gets older my grocery bills will only sky rocket. Still BF as well with no hopes of stopping. I always said that I would let him wean, but I have a feeling come his 2nd birthday, I will be cutting those ties quickly. I wouldn't be as against it, if he didn't ask for it a million times a day. He is quite the persistent character.

 

Napping 1-2 times a day, about 2 hours in the morning and 1 in the afternoon.

Still rear-facing in the car but absolutely hates getting into the car seat. Does fine once we start driving, but boy is there a huge tantrum prior.

Love loves loves cars and trains. He will make the car and train sounds all day while riding his toys on your body, on the couches, on the ground, and anywhere else he can think of. Everything is a track or a road to him.

Loves to watch Thomas and bubble guppies. 

Says about 50+ words, and 1-2 word sentences. Very hard to understand most times though. Very good at saying: mama, papa, please, thank you, cookie, cracker, water, drink, more, all done, down, up, sissy, grandma, dasha, car, train, tractor, bubbles, balloon, night night, dirty, door, book, read. 

Learning colors and will say many of the colors but not for the exact colors that they are---except pink. He knows pink very well, ha. Knows and says circle and square, and octagon "gon". Learning all the other shapes as well. Tries to sing the ABC's.

Mama obsessed and I don't think that's going away anytime soon.