Smartphone Mom

Well folks, 2 weeks ago I finally upgraded my phone and got my first smartphone. Whew. This is something I've pushed back against for years now- cell phone companies giving you no choice but to own one. I hate technology. I just do.. I hate that it distracts parents, is a substitute for in person interactions,  and that it's used so much more now than parks and playgrounds. So, because I am cheap and really want to be the best parent I can be, until now I have decided not to own one.

Don't get me wrong,  I know the Internet is fun and that technology can be used  to do so much good; in my opinion the good is definitely outweighed by the bad. Regardless,  I finally upgraded!  I really, really wanted a nice camera in my phone,  and it's only costing us $10 more a month. It has been super fun to be able to take pictures of my kids on all the different adventures we go on. But then again I ask myself why we need 30 pictures of our children each time we take then to the park. Even though I'm there with my kids, I find myself not really playing with or giving my full attention to them because I'm chasing them trying to get the perfect picture.

Is anyone else bothered by how much technology and social media we are exposing ourselves to? Last week I heard on the radio that the average person uses over 8 hours of technology a day,  between tv, phones, gaming, tablets,  and computers. We sleep less than that. I don't know how well the study was conducted or any details, b ut it bothers me. Enjoy your friends.  Play with your kids. Go for a walk. Turn off the TV and read. Sing out loud. I say that as I'm typing this blog on my phone ;) Technology is amazing.  I love that I can talk to my best friend any time and tell her how awesome my run was or what terrors my children are being. I love that I can see pictures and blogs of family and friends all around the world. I love that I can access any church scriptures,  talks, or messages any time and any where. It's such a blessing.. and a curse. Oh, and don't even get me started on #filters.... I enjoyed this article today about parenting without distractions :) Something to think about
I know we're all trying to be our very best selves,   but I just feel like we could all try a little harder to put down the phone and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. And now I will do just that ♡

Happy birthday, Clara Marie!

Right now, this girl is the love of my life! She is an absolute joy. It hasn't always been this way, but for almost 2 months she has shown us how fun and happy she really is. From the moment she sees me in the morning when I walk into her room, she makes goofy sounds and laughs out loud. She gets so excited when we go to get her out of her crib that she'll crawl laps around the edge of the crib at her fastest pace, laughing the entire time. She is crazy!

Clara loves to have fun, end of story. She loves to "get" Colten and pull his hair, she loves to imitate sounds, she loves playing peek-a-boo, and seriously, this girl can dance! Even if I'm singing a lullaby to her, she's shaking her hips and bobbing her head. She cracks me up. If I had to label one thing as her favorite, it would be water. She LOVES the water table, the pool, the bath, the ocean, and the wet sand box. She loves to splash, stand up in, and crawl around in any kind of water without any fear. She is brave, and I love it. She crawls, she climbs, she falls, and she gets back up again. Yesterday she took SEVEN steps!! She'll be walking everywhere within weeks, I'm sure of it.

Clara can say "no", "thank you (deh-di)", "mama", "dada", and can shake her head yes. She can clap, wave, give high fives, and if you ask her what the fox says, she says, "di di di di di!!". She could eat cheese and blueberries all day every day, and she finally likes cows milk now! This morning was the last time I nursed her, and I'm so happy I made it a year! It's a little sad to see her growing and not "need" me as much anymore, but one is FUN & I am so excited to see what more this girl has to show us about herself! We are so blessed. Happy birthday, Clara beara!

.....Babe, time for baby #3???? :)

Baldcypress Adventure Race

It was on Memorial Day that my good friend, Amanda, first mentioned the adventure race to me. 7 mile road bike, 2.1 mile trail run, and 1 mile canoe with an obstacle course thrown into the mix. I was excited about it from the instant she told me about it, and I agreed to do it with her as a team. Amanda has been on incredible weight loss and fitness journey over the last 18 months. I knew I'd have to prepare to do this race with her! My only goal was to not stop for breaks during each segment of the race, and I did it!

 Amanda and I showed up at our race at 8:57, when there was a prerace meeting at 8:30 and the race began at 9. Classy. We missed the explanation of the race, the route, and every important detail other than "just keep turning right". Thankfully, we heard that tiny tidbit because the 7 mile bike ride was not marked, but by making many right turns, we found our way. Running 2 miles is no problem, and I thought biking 7 would be the same, so I didn't hop in a bike until 1 week before the race. Not such a good idea. The last time I rode a bike I was 8 months pregnant with Colten living in the 3rd story apartment. Anyone remember that story?? Needless to say, the biking was a challenge. Amanda has been riding a lot lately, and she pushed me to pedal away. She was just cruising a lot most of the time, and I was pedaling to death thinking I'd never make it. She pushed me to go faster and to not give up. It was a beautiful scene through Sussex County; we even saw a fox and a snake!

 After the biking was the running portion. It was through the woods where it was cool, shaded, and beautiful. Amanda struggled with cramps and nausea during this part, but it didn't stop us. We kept on pushing! As we rounded the bend and approached the boat house to start the canoeing portion of the race, we heard cheers from my mom and Gavin. It was very exciting to have "fans" routing for us and taking pictures. I think they gave us the last little boost we needed to hop into the canoe.

 We had been looking forward to canoeing the entire time, saying that once we made it that far, it was a piece of cake from there on out. It was... mostly true. The worker helping us get set up in the canoe told us to sit backward (see picture above), so the canoe was not doing what we told it to. We laughed hysterically and eventually got ourselves turned around and headed to the orange buoy where the obstacle course was located. Amanda was strong in the rear and steered us well. The inflatable obstacle course was a joke. Muddy, hot, and stinky, but we laughed and recorded ourselves flying down the slide. I took the back seat on the ride back to the finish line... don't think that was a good idea. I could NOT steer the canoe (I haven't been in a canoe in say, 5 years). We ended up paddling parallel to the shore rather than in a direct line from the buoy to the finish line. We even made it through two trees that were sticking out of the water that were not in our path from point A to point B.

Once we got back to the shore, we hopped out of the canoe, took off our life vests, and ran through the finish line! THREE TIMES. My sweet mom didn't make it over in time to get a picture of us crossing the finish line, so we reenacted the event again. Well, she missed it that time too, so we got to run through a 3rd time laughing with everyone watching us. It was worth it though :)

 We finished the race in 1:19 & I feel awesome about it!! Next year we are going to train, and we are going to WIN!  <3

My Boy

Words cannot even begin to describe how much I adore this little boy!!! I am so lucky he is mine! Yesterday Colten turned two, and it was such a wonderful day. Simple, but perfect. When he woke up, we had a pile of gifts out in the living room for him along with a few tractors that I didn't attempt to wrap. I'm addicted to online yardsale groups, and I found a huge lots of Cars characters and john deere tractors for cheap! Best find ever. Colten was THRILLED! He wanted me to unwrap the presents for him, and then he would say the character's name who was just opened with a huge smile on his face. Adorable.

The kids and I walked to the school park in the morning and played with all of his new cars for hours in the kitchen. He also got to watch some "Queen" while I showered. I made homemade pizza pockets and blueberry cupcakes for lunch, and after we ALL took a loooong nap, we went to the park as a family. The Can-Do park has a big sand area, and Colten loves it. Clara actually liked it too. He also loves the swing and running around the park freely. Only a couple other kids were there & it was a beautiful night. We stopped at my parents' on the way home so Colten could open his gifts from them and from Gigi. He was so excited to see my parents and kept jumping for joy!! Yesterday was the happiest he's been in a while. He had a nasty cold for a couple weeks and I found out on wednesday that he has a terrible ear infection. Ever since he's been on antibiotics, he has been a different child. Poor, sweet boy was probably in so much pain.

Colten is a happy boy, but is usually pretty shy and is very attached to me. In public, he rarely goes to anyone, including Andrew, willingly... he just wants his Momma. He LOVES other kids & talks often of his friends Juliet, Aidan, Zoe, Brooklyn & Gavin. His favorite place to be is outside. He asks to go on a "alk" everyday to the "brary". Unfortunately, our library is closed for 6 weeks so he is very sad each time I tell him it's closed. He knows where we are going when we turn onto certain streets that take us to see "Pa", "Aid", Gra"cie" "Juliet", "Rue" and "da-ee". He wants milk, milk, veggie chips, and more milk all day long. He is obsessed with Cars, and especially with the character Doc & the tractors. He loves reading books, mostly about "Queen" and "Melmo". He is an incredible jumper & loves his trampoline and water table! He is happy in the car & in the store as long as he's holding a toy or an item for me. He loves Rue & rough housing with Daddy.

Colten is a sweet brother & doesn't like Clara to be sad or left alone in a room. Sometimes I find him making Clara "Fah" (laugh) in one of the bedrooms & it warms my heart. I love my Colty boy & really can't believe he's only two! I feel like my life began when I became his mom <3 Happy birthday, Colten!