So a year or two ago I decided I wanted pretty dishes to serve food in and I got a really funky bowl that we use here and there but I haven't used THIS more than once. What a waste. Well, I finally figured out a bunch of dishes that will fit into it perfectly! It was a lot bigger than I realized, when buying, and then I never wanted to dirty another dish when I could just serve it in the pot I cooked it in. But for the colder/salad types that I need a big space to mix it in, it works perfect!! Yes!

Hangin' out with my man.

Isn't his camo cute?

Greg turned 29 on Labor Day so he had it off! Yea! He really wanted to go on a hike. We've been really cooped up lately, as you can imagine. It was GREAT!!!! We went to the Great Falls National Park. It was soooo beautiful! I absolutely loved it and can't wait to go back.

Ever since Scarlet's tick bite, I've been paranoid about getting outdoors. It'd be one thing if she was 5 and I could stress to her not to run into the bushes and plants, but she's 23 months, so forget about it. But there were really open paths here and she was in the pack the whole time anyway, so I'm not as worried about it now. I'm so happy we found a great hiking spot! I've missed it so much! It's good for the body and the soul. This is all we used to do, back in Central Point- we've missed it so much!!!

He went out with a friend to check out a place they thought sold Belgian Frites. They drove a bit of a distance and it turned out they were just normal fries, but with a french name. Bummer. When he got home we had shish kabobs and ice cream (which sealed the deal that we're never giving Scarlet sugar again, ever- she had a horrible next day). And then the night ended like this!

I think only Greg would whip out his pocket knife to open an envelope.

His present was in Christmas wrapping paper. I was a little behind this year for his birthday. For me, it all sort of seemed thrown together. Since I have a 6 week old, I'm going to give myself a break. Or try to anyway. He got a second rock climbing harness- so he can bring a friend along. We're pretty happy for him! Now he has everything he needs.

I love Greg for so many reasons. He loves all of me and the parts he doesn't love so much, he never gets mad at me for. He's added so many things to my life that I didn't even know I was missing out on. He makes me feel so good about how I'm doing as a mother. He plays with Scarlet for hours after work. I don't know how he does it. She laughs and plays and has so much fun, because of him. He works hard and doesn't give up. Because of him, I can take care of our kids at home. Because of him, I don't have to worry about buying groceries and other needs or wants that I have. Watching him has taught me to be less selfish and more kind to others. He supports me in what I think is important. We're coming up on our 7 year anniversary this Sunday and I can easily say it's been the best 7 years of my life! 

Scarlet was in desperate need of a bang trim. Doesn't she look cute in this cape?

Scarlet is fine. She's constantly having ups and downs. It's hard.  It makes it hard to parent. But on her good days she's her happy little self that loves to play and talk and sing. On her bad days it's the binky, tv, blankie, doggie, baby and "other" baby", laying on the rocking chair. I think I've come to the point to just take it day by day.

Little Brighton

We're starting to get into a bit of a rhythm, he and I. At least at night. He eats and goes down around 10, then wakes to eat around 3, then again at 5 and 7. The morning is a bit of a killer, but I love the longer stretch first thing. It gets me excited that he can already go a 5 hour stretch, no problem. He's had a 6-7 hour stretch twice now! One weeks ago and the other just last night! The day time he likes to sleep in the moby wrap for his first two naps, so I'll do dishes and get stuff done. It is killer because I can't sit down or he wakes up. By lunch, I am a sweaty mess and exhausted. I find that if I let him do this the first two naps, he goes down in the swing the rest of the day. Otherwise he just keeps waking up and I get nothing done. For a few days, I was sick of my back hurting and just having everything constant first thing in the morning, so I kept putting him in the swing and it made for a lot harder days. So back in the wrap he goes. It just makes the day so much better and it keeps us in a more consistent routine, which I like.

When he's NOT sleeping in the moby, he has to be wrapped and jiggled in the bathroom with the fan on. It's a bit annoying, but it is what works the best. Then we put him in the swing. He is a fast eater. His actually feeding time is almost never more than 15 minutes total. I swear it takes longer for him to burp than to eat, most of the time. He seems to average 7 minutes on one side, then 5-7 on the other. He is quick. It's nice I don't have to worry about it anymore. Until maybe the last week, I would always try to get him to eat more and then it just seemed like he would spit up a lot more. But the last week I've just let him do his thing and he's doing great. He keeps getting chubbier and it just makes him more kissable! He's a pretty happy content little guy!

Well, I'm one week into Weight Watchers and I lost 4 pounds the first week and lost another pound today! WHOOHOO!!!! I'm very happy. I'm really missing my old body. I went shopping the other day to find clothes for this in between phase and well, I didn't cry at the mall- but I cried right when I came home. It's just depressing. Needing to ask if the store carries anything in an extra large is not a question one wants to ask. And it's impossible to find clothes that look nice because I look in the mirror and see bulges that weren't there before, so I don't buy it because I don't want to look that way. But I look that way! So that means I don't buy anything. I came home with one shirt that was a little too tight and couldn't bring myself to buy anything else. I remember last time, after I had Scarlet- I went shopping and was crying within 10 minutes. At least I could wait 'till I got home this time. It wasn't as traumatizing as the first time.