If Owyn is ever missing...

I check these places and always seem to find him.

1. under the coffee table

2. taking a peek outside

3. hitting on his girlfriend on the diaper box

Our Lovely Weekend.

We had such a great weekend. After a great first week back at school.

I couldn't have asked for more.

Friday night we were lucky enough to go out on a date to celebrate a dear friends birthday at one of our favorite restaurants. Smiply noodles

We had such a good time and enjoyed seeing friends. We also enjoyed sitting at the bar eating sushi talking together about all sorts of wonderful things such as, us, our relationships, our values and why we are so lucky to have eachother. I really value our relationship. Although it is not perfect like all other relationships, we really have a good one. Me and Dave met at such a perfect time. We were both ready and came into the relationship with out a history and without baggage. We met eachother after we did all of the stupid things ones do in their youth before they decide it's time to grow up. Because of this, we have been able to build a strong relationship on love, trust, and respect. We make great partners. -Eventhough he leaves his socks on the floor. allover!

Saturday we spent a day going to Costco and goofing around. We had early steak night (usually every Sunday), and rented 2 movies with a tub of popcorn. Dave was nice enough to watch Julie and Julia with me and we (or maybe just I?) ate way way too much steak. 

We topped off the weekend with house hunting. We viewed 10 properties on Sunday!
And we found 2 we absolutely love and decided to go further with one of them.

We'll see what happens :)

Here are some adorable pictures of my adorable little boy. Enjoy.

happy half-birthday! - From the mouth of Dave

yesterday my son turned six months old...
tomorrow he'll be a year... the day after that he'll be going off to summer camp, high school, then college...

the time seems to unfold exponentially in retrospect, as anyone who has aged any will tell you...
... and it only gets faster from here.

the little guy will soon be walking, talking and climbing trees, riding his bicycle and playing ball in the street with his little ruffian buddies.

in a sense i can't wait to play catch with him, tell him why the sky is blue when he asks and take him on camping and fishing trips as fathers and sons do...
but part of me doesn't want him grow up. i don't want him to know the evils of the world. and naturally, my own selfish reaction is the desire to shelter him from these things - but to do that would deny him the experience of a rich and full life, and the value of learning to do right by his own mistakes.
all i can do is spend time with him, be there for him when he needs me, listen to him when he needs me to listen, and share with him the wisdom i have gained through many, many, many, many mistakes.

our lives get hectic at times, but what counts most is to spend time with people you love and enjoy it while it lasts...

...because we may not be here tomorrow.

i love my little son!
happy half-birthday, little buddy!

-dad

Introducing...

The new member of our family.

Mr. Bend Folds

Mr. Folds is our new bike.

Instead of replacing Creamsicle (cause I just couldn't do it),

I got Dave the bike he's been wanting really bad and Im gonna use it until I decide what I want.

Bend is A Giant Halfway.(found here)

Why did I decide to name him Bend Folds??

Well lets just say it's not totally because I like Ben Folds....

Yes. That's right. He folds.

No one is stealing this bike because it is coming into the class with me.

Maaahahaha!

Happy 6 Month Birthday, My Son.

My Dear Son,

You turn 6 months old today. You're half way to 1 year old!

We have been through so much these past 6 month. We have grown to know, adore and respect each other. Not just as mother and son but as children of God.

From the second I laid my eyes on you my life changed forever. You have made me into a woman. A mother. Your have opened my eyes to so many beautiful things in life. You have showed me what life is really about.

All I want is to be a great role model for you. Someone who you can look up to and learn form.

You are love by so many and have brought joy to so many lives.

You truly are a blessing from God.

I love you with all of my heart, love nugget.

<3 Your mother

Tragic News.. (not really)

My sweet Creamsicle was stolen on campus yesterday.

I wanted to cry real bad.

Dear Creamsicle, 

I'm so sorry I bought you the wrong lock.

Thinking about where you are and who is riding you makes my stomach turn.

You were such a dependable bike and always got me to my destinations on time.

You saved my life when I was pregnant and too tired to walk home from school.

You will be missed. I will continue to look for you on campus.

Thank you for making me look so cool.

<3 Your rightful owner

MIA

I havn't been a great blogger lately.

And I am sad to say that I probably won't be for a little while.

I start school on Tuesday. I will be in class Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays

..and be working 2 days a week.

On top of everything we are looking for a house.

That's right!

We are so excited. But it is consuming my life.

Lots of phone calls, emails, and searching.

Ill keep you all posted.

**To all of my friends and family, sorry Ive been so MIA lately. Even though I havn't returned your phone calls I still love you! Please forgive me. xoxo.

  Here is a super cute picture to make you forget about how bad Ive been.

What a beautiful Thursday it has been.

 {I finally got my hair done. My hair lady has been on maternity leave}

Last night Dave took me out to see a band he loves. - Lymbyc System.

We had such a great time together and the band was of course amazing!

As we were driving down Ash I noticed Tempe Farmers Market was still open (at 1am)!

So we totally stopped and got my favorite tamales. And I totally ate 2 of them when we got home.

When we woke up this morning we were both so tired. Somehow, I talked Dave into not going to work.

I was pretty surprised. He never misses work. It was pretty sweet of him <3

So, today...

I got to sleep in,

had a latte waiting for me when I woke up,

went to Target with my babes,

went to happy hour at Kabuki for sushi with my babes,

got to go work out,

and enjoy this beautiful slow day with my two favorite boys.

I love days like these.

We got to step out of our regular routine and focus on whats really important.

Us. 

The day has come.

He's crawling!

If he gets his eye's on something he wants,

there's nothing stopping him from getting his hands on it.

Well that's if I don't have anything to say about it.

I see my blog coming to a new theme: What trouble is Owyn getting into today.

Here is where I found Owyn while I was making dinner last night:

I picked him up and put him back on his blanket on the floor with his toys.

And 1 minute later I found him here:

{Please excuse the nasty gross dust. I didn't see it until it was on camera. That will be gon TODAY!}

Stir-Fried Honey-Ginger Chicken

From Martha Stewarts February Light Issue

Also found HERE

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
• 1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
• Cooked rice, for serving
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together honey, vinegar, and soy sauce. Heat a large skillet or wok over high until hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add chicken and stir until opaque but not cooked through, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.
2. Add 1 tablespoon oil, ginger, and garlic to skillet and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add peppers and stir 2 minutes. Add soy mixture and bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet and toss until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve over rice, topped with cilantro.

Sometimes at bed time...

 I find Owyn hanging out quietly in his bed.

Just checkin things out.

He is hilarious.

Love him!

..I should probly move the matress down a notch in the crib.

Can you have your cookies and eat them too?

It was another week full of nothing really interesting.
Work. Homework. Cooking. Baking. Cleaning.
And a nice little emotional breakdown that came up to surprise me.

Sometimes it's tough being a worker/student/mom.
I don't have much time to really enjoy the things I love.
I feel like I'm here to fill a job position and less like the woman of the house.
Less like the fun girl that made a Dave fall madly in love with her.

It makes me think a lot.
A lot about what is really right for my family.
Is it better to continue on with the last year of my school.
Is it better to try to get it over with during this precious time of my sons life
just so I can be "educated" and be able to help support my family sooner?
-Which then only requires me to be gone even more. 

It's hard to say. Everyone has their own opinions and priorities. They both have their pros and cons.
I try my best to take in this time with Owyn. When I am with him I am with him. 
I don't worry about homework or anything else.

I've worked so hard to get here.
I don't want to give up. I don't want to take 2 or 3 more years.

Can I have my cookies and eat them too?

All I know, is that I am so blessed.
I am so blessed to have the opportunity to go to ASU.
So blessed to have a job that I enjoy so much.
And most of all so blessed to have such an amazing family.

All I can do is take my blessing, embrace them and do my best.

Make my parents proud. Make Owyn proud to have a mom like me. 

And make God proud.

Where does one draw the line?

I left Owyn on the floor and walked away to do the dishes.
When I peeked over at him I realized that he made his way over to my computer.

I thought it was cute because he's always trying to get on and check his Facebook.

I snapped a picture and walked away once again to put away my camera.
The next time I looked over at him I noticed he had spit up all over my keyboard and mousepad.

I like Owyn to try things and explore on his own.I want him to have a sense of independance.  

But... knowing where to draw the line is tough.
I don't want him thinking he can play with anything he wants. Like my computer and cell phone.

Being responsible for a human being is hard.

My most important job in life is to keep him safe and raise him to be the best person he can be.
And I only have one chance.

Tonight's Dinner

Braised Beef with Red Peppers.

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak
2 red bell peppers
1 onion
1 teaspoon cumin,
oregano, salt and pepper

Directions:

Toss it all in the slow cooker and let the aroma fill your house.
That's basically it.

Toss it over some rice or eat it carnita style.

Top it off with avocado and cilantro.

Call it a meal!

I have to admit... I've been bad.

I've been putting everything off this past week. I have so much to do and finally had time to do it all (considering Dave was off work and all) but didn't do any of it.

I have emails to send, bills to pay, homework to submit, checks to deposit.

Most of all, I wanted to do a "New Years" post :(

But nope. I didn't do it. Because I was lazy. And now I feel like an idiot.

I don't even know how to function anymore without chaos. I went to work yesterday to a slow day. I took a nap before, took my time getting ready, actually picked out an outfit instead of throwing on one of the same 3 things I do everyday, sat around waiting for the 1:30 to roll around and took my time driving to work (chatting on the phone with my mom).

When I clocked in (3 minutes early because I just couldnt wait any longer) I walked around the store and didn't know what to do with myself. I was completely lost. I felt like I left my brain at home.

This is weird.

This morning I walked up to order my usual latte just as I do everyday and the guy (who now knows me and Owyn by name) asked how my Monday was going. I think he was shocked by my excitement.

"I'm soo glad it's Monday!"

Breaks are nice, but getting off schedule when you have a child on that same schedule is no bueno. As much as I love relaxing and having Dave around, it's so much easier sticking with routine. And I like my driving a whole lot more than his.

We did get to do a lot of fun things. And we spent a lot of much needed time with friends.

So I am sorry I didn't give you some great New Years post like all the other "good" bloggers.

But here are some pictures from our New Years to enjoy...