A look back...

Our baby boy is one week and 3 days away from celebrating his 2nd birthday.
His 2ND birthday!!
Where did my baby go?
The coos, the little hands and feet, that big bald head...

Honestly, the baby phase was not my favorite time.

This....THIS is my favorite time.



We have conversations.
He laughs at my funny antics and I laugh at his.



He helps me take care of the dogs with a few extra treats.



He even shares his Dolce Vita mango sorbet with me. And for an almost 2 year old, that is how you express your love without ever having to say it.

I love you my precious baby boy.
I can't wait to celebrate another year of your life.

Juice Anyone?

Doctors say you should eat your fruits and drink your veggies. Well, we have definitely been eating our fruits but veggies-not so much.
Until now...

We got a JUICER!!
And I love it! It's a Breville and it's so easy to use. It's also easy to clean and if you so desire, you can save the pulp it creates and use it in breads or other yummy recipes. (so I haven't gotten to that part yet, but give me some time!;-)

Here was our first juice recipe:

4 Granny Smith Apples
3 Carrots
3 Celery Stalks



And here was the result:



About 20 oz. of sweet goodness...yum!
Kaleb however was not so thrilled. After taking a sip, he said "I no like that."
Mmmm, maybe something sweeter next time.

I love V8 juice so I decided to try to make my own and this is what the recipe called for:

2 large tomatos
1 cucumber
1 bunch parsley
3 carrots





The result was NOT V8!! It was thin and bitter, I think from the parsley and Alf and I both had to choke it down.
Why? Because that's what you do when you just destroyed $10 worth of produce. ;-)

Now I need help! Anyone have a fruit/veggie combo that they love?
I am thinking of trying a strawberry, pineapple and carrot mix next.
I think Kaleb would love that one-bring on the sweet!!

Lame

Lame.
That's the word I would use to describe myself lately.
I don't cook, I certainly don't clean. I haven't made much of an effort with my friends lately and my husband told me tonight that he was going to go get ingredients at the store so he could make himself some banana bread and fresh pico de gallo. (not together, of course) He knew I wasn't going to do it! Poor guy.

*Sigh*

Honestly, all I want to do is sit on the couch and sleep or eat. Let me put it this way-it took an act of Congress for me to do just two loads of laundry today. Oh and the second load is still in the dryer.
But, I have an excuse....really I do.

There's a baby in my belly!!

Yep, I am 12 weeks preggo. Baby Garcia debuts on Aug 2nd, give or take some days. And although I have managed to escape the extreme nausea I had while I was pregnant with Kaleb, I still feel like I have been hit by a bus for most of the day.
The good news is I should start feeling more like myself soon because I'm entering my second trimester.
But for now, my house will remain dirty, my husband will stay hungry and my couch cushions will have my butt imprint temporarily etched in them.

And you know what? It's ok. For now. It know it won't last forever.

I will let myself relax, eat and dream of what this baby will be like. I will watch Kaleb play and think about what a good big brother he will be. I will take long naps with him and read him lots of books. I will sit next to him while he watches Wonder Pets and watch him smile at all his favorite parts. I will pick out moments in each day and vow to never forget them.
Actually, I can't think of a better way to spend this time.

Although I could clean up a little ;-)

Kisses for Kaleb

A few years back, Alf and I decided we would make it a priority in our relationship to always greet each other with a kiss when either of us returns home. It is a simple way to show our affection and it can do wonders to lift our spirits if we've had a bad day. We also decided we would always kiss each other goodbye every time we leave the house. Lots of kisses have become a Garcia family tradition and we have tried to maintain it as best we can (through the fights and all!) ;-)
In the last two years, Kaleb has picked up on all this kissing business and is quite a fan. The other night Alf was going to run to the store really quick for a couple of things and thought it would just be easier to slip out while Kaleb and I were playing. As soon as Kaleb noticed Alf putting on his shoes, he bolted for the garage door screaming, "Daddy, Daddy-Kiss, Kiss!" Alf, smiling at his boy's request, scooped him up in his arms and laid one on him. When Alf put him down, Kaleb then turned to me, pointed and said "Kiss Momma!" to which Alf was happy to oblige.
It was such a sweet, special moment that will forever be etched in my brain.
My hope for him is that one day he too will greet his wife and his kids with those same loving kisses. But for now, I will enjoy them all for myself...
Oh and I'll share them with Alf occasionally. ;-)

Brag time!

Ok people, it's brag time! And no, it's not about Kaleb....that will be for another day. =D

This time it's about my friends. I have some VERY talented friends and when I say very, I mean VERRRRRY!! I have posted some pics in the past that my friend, Liz, has taken of our family. She has captured so many wonderful times in our lives including when Kaleb was still in my belly! (gosh that seems so long ago!)



Then there is Janae, maker of ALL things crafty and cute!! This girl can do it all! I meant to give her a shout out before she sold her spectacular things at our MOPS Boutique but my lazy butt didn't get around to it. ;-/
Check out her blog and some of her items for sale....her most recent must-haves include leg and arm warmers and cute clipboards!!



And last but certainly not least is my girlfriend, Krista! She recently took some photos of our family that I am very excited to share. She is also a great writer and has a blog that is just too much fun to follow. Check it out when you get some time!!
I just LOVE these photos....doesn't Kakers look scrumptious??

The last time...

I go to MOPS every 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. If you're not familiar with MOPS, it's an organization for moms and it stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. The meetings usually consist of mothers getting together for prayer, sharing breakfast, talking about "mom-stuff", making crafts and then we have different speakers that talk about everything from keeping your child safe around pools to how to pray with purpose for your children. To be honest, I had been a little disheartened with the our speakers over the last few meetings and I wasn't looking forward to going this past month. But I hadn't been to a meeting in a couple of weeks so I thought I would give it another try. When the woman got up and starting speaking I felt myself tuning out....again.
Then she started to talk about her own son.

She talked about how she felt when her son was young and how she looked so forward to each one of his milestones. When he was first born, she couldn't wait until he smiled, when he was 6 mo old, she couldn't wait until he crawled, then walked, then talked. And before she knew it, she was standing in her kitchen talking to her 17 year old son that was almost a foot taller than her about which college he was going to attend in the fall. She then went on to say that during that conversation with her son, her mind began to wander back over the last 17 years. She couldn't believe how quickly it had all passed. Then she had an idea.

She told her son to sit on the countertop. She approached him and told him to wrap his arms around her. She also wrapped her arms around him and then attempted to carry him across the kitchen! As she stumbled back and forth, almost losing her balance several times she managed to get him back on the countertop without a scratch on either one of them. When he was finally able to stop laughing, he asked her what that was all about.
She simply responded, "Now I'll never forget the last time I held you."

When I picked Kaleb up from the nursery that day, he was asleep on a woman's shoulder. I quickly tried to remember the last time he had fallen asleep on me.
I couldn't.

I took that woman's story to heart and since that day I have tried to slow down. I've tried to enjoy my little boy because I know I will blink my eyes and he will be my big boy.

Two days after that MOPS meeting Kaleb came down with a cold and developed an ear infection. Since he had trouble sleeping, I put him on my chest and laid on the couch. He slept on me for almost 3 hours. Even though I never like to see my baby sick, I kind of feel like God gave me that little gift.

It was wonderful.
And I will never forget it.

The last month in pictures

We have been a busy bunch in October...K and I went to Texas, I went on an all-day/all-night girls only extravaganza for my girlfriend Ashley's 30th birthday and then we have had Halloween parties and of course, Kaleb's first time at trick-or-treating!!
Here are the pics from it all...


Kaleb met this girl at my friend, Karie's wedding. It was the most adorable thing to see the way they looked at each other. They didn't know what to do so they just stood next to each other and smiled until we made them hug-so cute!!


Kaleb with Lyndi and my Dad(not pictured is Bella, their dog that K refers to as Bay-ya!)


K with my Mom


K with my brother Ross and SIL Ashley


K with my Papa, they really liked being around each other!!


Ash's 30th Birthday!! (She was still in the bathroom getting ready!)
Kim, Stephanie, Heather, Me, Julie and Liz


Ash and I at Su Vino


Liz and I thinkin' we're sassy


Alf and our Monk!!




Trick Or Treat!!