The Pumpkin Princess

What is Halloween season without a trip to the pumpkin patch? We started the tradition last year of letting Rosie pick out her own pumpkin and this year we went back to the same patch. What a difference a year makes!

She was so itty bitty back then, how do they grow up so darn fast?

Flash forward and the little baby has disappeared into a mischievous happy toddler. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! 

Life Lately {in photos}

In these photos:

1. Every day I see her little personality more and more. Rosie is such a high-spirited angel who fills my life with ample inspiration. She uses words I didn't know she knew and waves goodbye to the cashier at the store while chirping "bye-bye". 
2. An easy way to entertain a toddler? Give her a colander, a pitcher, a cup and some sunflower seeds. While I cooked breakfast she busied herself  with an intense process of pouring the seeds from one spot to another.
3. Some sweetly scented carnations on our dinner table. 
4. At the end of the day, dancing with papa is probably one of Rosie's most favorite activities. I love the connection Stephen and her have and the tenderness there is so beautiful. 

Life in Pictures: Filthy Sailor and Doggie Kisses

It's a really good thing I am on break from school, because I am pretty sure I would be way too distracted anyways. Just counting down the days until Stephen and I embark on our trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica.  All I can think about it getting my hands on a surfboard. It's been awhile since mine has gotten any use, so hopefully this girl can still catch a wave or two haha. We are going to spend a lot of time hopefully hiking the parks so I will definitely be packing my nature journal to document it all. GUYS, I AM SO AMPED!

You never know when Daisy is going to slime you with excited stealth kisses.

^^^My little helper. "Outside" has become the most 1# used word in this girl's vocabulary.  She was very eager to lend a hand in taking care of our small container garden (is anyone else having a hard time growing tomatoes this season? My beefsteaks are definitely lacking!) At least my basil is thriving well enough. I am mentally planning next year's garden since hopefully by then we will be PCS'd (military jargon for move) and settled.  

We had a small chain of rainstorms hit last week so we squeezed in a little outdoor time in between. You won't hear me complaining, I'll take the rain over the 100 degree heat any day. My plants were definitely grateful for the rain (and I finally got to put my rain buckets to use! helpful hint: putting buckets out works just like a rain barrel. Now if only we could get a little more precipitation this way...) 

My Days in Snapshots

                                                                                                     

1 & 2. Heading home from a quick road trip we were treated to this beautiful view.

3. She got a mysterious scratch on her beautiful cheek. Also, teething!!!

4. Rosie's constant companion. Permanently covered in drool.

5. She has him wrapped around her tiny little finger. ;)                                                            

A Sunday Walk in the Park

Saturday night I got off work near midnight and as I stepped outside I could smell the rain. I know I often complain about the intolerable heat in San Antonio but if there is one thing I love about Texas is the sudden, violently beautiful thunderstorms that occasionally show up in the summer months. I had gotten to the truck just in time for the first crackle of lightening to splinter the sky, summoning huge rain drops in its wake. 

There is something so exhilarating about storms. Stephen and I both love them and spent most of the early morning hours just listening to the rain. The next morning the three of us took a walk at Brackenridge. It was humid and a lot of the paths were flooded, but it was definitely fun.

I took a video of the water but even in the picture you can tell that the current was moving very quickly. 

A lot of the normal paths were completely flooded over. 

Girls Day Out

Even though we had to say goodbye to the lovely Lauren this morning (boohoo), we definitely had an awesome week hanging out. Yesterday, Rosie played hookie from daycare & the three of us spent the day window shopping and having lunch at Grimaldi's, some of the most delish pizza I've had in awhile! Rosie was trying to get her pudgey little hands on just about anything that she saw.

Rocking a big ol' bow and hamming it up for the camera. By the way, I am in love with the mei tai baby carrier I ordered recently. Expect a real review soon. I love it 100% more than the Moby.

That's all for now. Oh and did I mention I saw Rosie's first tooth is finally starting to poke through? AH! These milestones are sneaking up on me!!!

Surprise Visits Are Awesome

We had a special someone come down from Oklahoma this week for a surprise visit (well surprise for Stephen, Lauren and I had been plotting since the weekend ;) ) 

Rosie loves her Auntie Curls. Gotta say I'm a fan of her myself! 

Love & Mermaid Tails.

"She looks exactly like him." 

Is what I hear all the time. Stephen says he doesn't see it, says she looks 100% like me. But any doubt I have on whom she more closely resembles is quickly laid to rest whenever Rose smiles. Those half moon eyes that I love about her father are simply that much more endearing on my sweet rosebud.

4th of July Fun

We had such a wonderful time in Oklahoma that the ride back to San Antonio was a little sad. Thenagain, it always sort of is. We are lucky to be stationed eight hours away but if I had it my way we would all live no more than a block away from family.

As for the driving to & fro, Rose did well. Very well. In fact I was really impressed, having mentally prepared myself for hours of fussing and constant stopping but ...nope! She mostly chattered away in the backseat or slept. I know I might brag a little much sometimes about Rosie but seriously: what great baby I have!

The 4th was a blast. Spencer turned one & his birthday party was amazing. I can't believe how quickly he is growing up. I feel like it wasn't too long ago he was Rose's age and I was carrying him around on my pregnant belly haha. I love the sweet boy he is becoming, full of laughter and love. He charmed everyone at the party; him and Rose were constantly being passed around and they just soaked up the attention.

 My favorite part? Watching the two cousins interact. Rose would flash a huge gummy smile when she saw him, her whole face lighting up with sheer delight. Spencer, in turn, would waddle over and plant a big slobbery kiss on her forehead. UGH, the cuteness!

In other news....guess who got a new tattoo?

I have been meaning to write but this week has been quite hectic. "I'm tired" has been my answer to pretty much everything. In desperate need for a vacation, I am excitedly waiting to hit the road for Oklahoma in a few short days. In the meantime Grandma McDaniel came down to spend the weekend with us. It's been wonderful and I'm not just saying that because she has been making us delicious food the last couple nights. ;)


Tuesday Rosie had her 4 month checkup and our little girl weighed a whopping 16 lbs and was 26 inches tall! She was 99 percentile in height which pretty much confirmed what I already knew: we are going to have a very tall girl on our hands. No surprise there, she comes from a family of giants on her papa's side. & she's been wearing 6 month size clothes since she was 4 weeks old.

This weekend I am setting out to organize her clothes to see which ones actually still fit her. She's growing so quickly!

The Big 4 Months

Our big girl is 4 months old today. And guess what? 

She rolled over yesterday 100% on her own...like a boss! 

In other news, I'm pretty sure Rose is aware of her own fabulousity. Look at that attitude! 

The Rosebud & Her Papa Bear

These two are just too perfect. 

I thought about what I wanted to say for father's day but no words can really come close to describing the joy I feel when I see Stephen and Rose together. I can say this much though:

My sweet little Rose, you are blessed. You are blessed with a family that adores you and more specifically, a dad so devoted and wonderful. You stole his heart the moment you entered this world.

 (so use it to your advantage! ;D) 

Of Cinderella & Wild Things: A Family of Readers

There is never any shortage of books in this house. I know that if we wanted we could easily build our furniture out of the stacks of books tucked in each room.


 I buy most of my books online these days but splurged at Barnes and Noble recently and got a book for Rose, me and Stephen. Where the Wild Things Are is such a classic, I just know Rose will grow to love it as much as I did (it's a favorite of Stephen's too). I couldn't resist picking it up in Spanish. When I read it to her last night, oh words can't express how her eyes lit up. My future bookworm! 


She would crane her neck to look at me as I read it and then immediately look back at the pages, transfixed. Pre-bedtime reading with the rosebud is very special to me. I cherish it, knowing someday she won't want me to hold her and rock her and read her a story.  I feel a peculiar pang when I think about my baby growing up because it reminds me that these moments are fleeting. 


Beautiful, magical, but so darn fragile. 

Look Who's Coming to Town...

This time tomorrow we will have a couple of really special people visiting with us, Auntie Aimee & Cousin Spence! Oh the excitement!

Curious

Yesterday was a wonderfully lazy Sunday. I ran a few errands and brought Rose along for the ride. That's the great thing about having a baby around, even the most mundane activity like picking up dogfood feels more like a grand adventure because you get to see things from her eyes. I took her down each aisle, pointing out the birds, the reptiles and little gerbils but nothing quite had her as mesmerized as the fish tanks.

"Rose?" I asked but there was simply no pulling her attention away from them. I could have probably walked off and she wouldn't have noticed. Her fascination and curiousity with the colorful fish just made me smile. I explained to her what the different types of fish were and earned a few awkward looks from the teenagers working. But I honestly didn't care nor did it matter if Rose probably didn't understand a single word I was saying. She had fun, I had fun.

Afterwards we went and bought a new little tomato plant, my first step, however itty bitty, in trying to grow my own food. Right now the fella lives in our kitchen window. Hopefully, if he continues to grow and stay healthy I can add another plant to the windowsill real estate. If I had it my way half the yard would be turned into a garden. Too bad it's a rental and on top of that I am not sure I would have time in my busy schedule to tend it properly. Someday though!

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, with Stephen and I taking turns entertaining the rosebud while the other cleaned. It took awhile but after countless loads of laundry, vacuuming and patience the house finally came together. For dinner we settled in for some chili and salad. All & all it was a really peaceful day. <3

I have my family back

The thing about being a military family is that when your partner is away you do what you can to fill in the gaps they leave in your life, you create a routine, a mindset, to get you through the weeks without contact. It was about noon, sitting in Rose's room with her sleeping in my arms. I was doing what I often do, sending a text and a picture to Stephen's phone even though I knew he wouldn't see either of them. It's part of my ritual, my routine.

Love you sweetie, we both miss you so much. 


I set the phone down and moments later it rings. I see the name and my heart skips a beat. Two beats. Three. "STEPHEN?"
"Hi! What's up?"

I'm not sure what I said, if any of it was even coherent English. I was a babbling fool. I yelled for Hazel to take Rose, who thanks to her mama's spastic yelp, was now awake and staring at me in confusion.  All I remember next was him telling us how much he missed us and was coming home. He'd been hurt although he played it off nonchalantly. I swear that man could fall off a cliff, break every bone in his body and still shrug it off as, "meh, I'm cool bro."

I waited all evening for his flight to get in. Chattering away to Rose that her daddy was coming home. She must have sensed the excitement because she laughed and grinned in reply. The moment I saw him exiting the terminal, I pushed past a gaggle of Japanese people (& remembered absently to mumble a sumimasen) and ignored anyone else who got in my way. It took a moment to see the bandaged hand, slow gait in his walk. He was darker than he had been before, sporting a deep tan from who knows how many hours spent under an unforgiving sun.  He had lost weight too (8lbs to be exact). But he was still my Stephen. & he was finally home.

Even on the way home, I still was in a bit of shock that he was really back. I think I gave him at least a half a dozen hugs if only to confirm that it was really him.

Watching Stephen and Rose, I feel so happy. My family, I have my family back. 

Geeking it Up!

A few days ago, Aimee, Spencer, Rose and I paid a trip to the Oklahoma Science Museum. What fun! There was just so much to see and do, heck even I wanted to play on the tree jungle gym (I resisted). I can't wait to take the babies back when they're older.

It's never too early to learn about electricity!

Spencer had a great time too!

A couple tired babies.

Something is Missing

Rose & I have been enjoying our time with the family in Oklahoma but sorely missing one component to our zombie-slaying team. Two weeks have passed since we gave papabear a kiss and sent him off for his two month training trip. To say it has been hard is a major understatement.

The military teaches you strength, it teaches you sacrifice but it doesn't teach you how to make the separation any easier. It took three days for me to stop checking my phone every few minutes for his text.

Being a dual military family is tough but even on my saddest day, one gummy grin & giggle from our daughter turns it all around. She makes me laugh when I change her diaper and she promptly pees on me or the goofy way she stretches in her sleep, as if to say "life sure is good".

And it is. It so is. Because even as my heart aches for Stephen to get back here I am so grateful to have found an amazing friend and partner. Someone who has made the good byes so hard but the reunions all the more sweet.

"This is my family. I found it, all on my own." - Stitch