Yo Gabba Gabba

Those who know Bear know he has quite the love for his monster friends in Gabba land. On the 22nd Z and I had our first "date" since the Turtle was born. It's been quite the transition for everyone so I needed to take my guy out for some fun. We were supposed to see the show on the 19th in Norfolk but it landed right on Daddys duty day. So we bought tickets for the show up in Richmond. Bear and I left around 3pm and drove the almost 2 hours just to see the gang. We got ourselves checked in and then the show began. I do have to say that I had a great time. At first I was a little nervous about the whole thing since it was a kids show but it was actually a lot of fun. It was a very bittersweet moment for me. I realized that my baby boy is growing up. Gabba used to be the only thing he was very interested in. Now he loves trains, trucks, fast cars, animals, playing pretend, Thomas the train, Pixar movie, superheros...and the list could go on and on. Gabba has been slowly leaving his interest list and it sure makes this Mom wish he would stay little for just awhile longer. So this show was like our last Gabba Hoorah! We splurged on the party package tickets which got us into the after party where Zack met all the characters. It was so much fun and I had to share our good time. Warning this post contains way too many cute pictures.

This is an example of what his face looked like through the whole show

His happy faces when the music started.

The show!

Hugs for Muno

Knuckles for Plex

He gave Brobee so many hugs. He was just in awe.

Giving Tudee a balloon

Playing catch with Muno

Bear watching Muno sing

Muno sang for all the kids

Being read to and dancing with DJ Lance Rock and Glitter Hand Leslie

Finally meeting his favorite actor ever DJ Lance Rock. This guy was a trooper he picked up every kid and talked to them for at least 5 minutes each. Bear was so amazed.

 And like everywhere we go we must make new friends and hold hands....

Favorite Things...for now

Since Friday we have had a non stop weekend. Zack had an ear infection and croup (we think) and Eli had diaper rash and has unfortunately developed some post nasal drip. On top of all that I am still nursing him pretty much every 2 hours during the day and 4 hours at night. With all that us parents all have our favorite things that get us through the tough times and interesting times. These are ours....

For diaper rashes I swear by this stuff. I used it with Zack and now it is working wonders on Eli. Seriously just put it on their little booties and the next day the rash is gone.








Both Zack and Eli have benefited from using this stuff. With this nasty winter weather coming up so does the icky dry air and with the dryness comes sinus issues. At least that's how it is for us. Steven and I also use this and it is AWESOME!

And now a little something for Mom and Dad when and if we get a break.....
Dexter

If you haven't jumped on the Dexter wagon yet, you are officially deemed crazy in my book. The 6th Season started on Sunday and we are so happy that our Fall lineup is back on. A little short about the show is he is a serial killer who works for Miami Metro Police Department as a blood spatter analyst. He only kills people that have gotten away with their crimes. Such as rapist and murderers. It's by far one of our favorite shows and this is what we look forward to every fall.

Much Love everyone XOXO

1 Month!

Well I made a BIG uh oh yesterday. I didn't not do my part and set time aside to blog. Hey with 2 kids it's kind of difficult to remember these things. So as an apology here are some wonderful pics of the boys. Eli is now 1 month and I can't believe how fast time has gone. Everything here has been going some what smoothly. Zack is doing a great job being a big brother but sometimes he goes a little too far when he tries to pick Eli up. But one of us is always right there to teach him that well Eli is not a toy. It doesn't give me (mama) much time for myself. Right now we are working on a routine with Eli. I nurse him every 1-2 hours during the day and then in the evening he sleeps between 3-4 hours but the other night he slept a good long 6 hours. He is growing so much and we have a well baby appointment coming up real soon. He has also been smiling at us and he loves tummy time. The hardest thing for me right now is splitting up my time. I really need to have a set schedule for things to go smoothly. When it's just me and the boys things can get crazy that's why I feel a schedule helps a whole lot. Also Zack started a preschool last week and so far he is loving it. It gives me 3 hours during the day to get any and all housework done or to just relax. Here are some pics of my boys....enjoy!

Crazy!

I was just thinking how crazy it is that this time next year I will be in Japan! March seems so far away and it's actually not. I think of all the amazing things we have done here in Virginia and pretty soon we will be saying goodbye to this great state. We have gone through a deployment, brought two beautiful boys into the world, survived a earthquake and hurricane in the same week, we have been through tornados, ice storms, tropical storms, and a nor'easter. We have seen our nations capitol and have also seen historical sites like jamestown and williamsburg. I have been on my first roller coaster at Busch Gardens which is now Zacks favorite destination. Steven has moved up in rank, drove for a Admiral, won a NAM and has thankfully been home for 3 years straight. Zack has started school and made many friends as have I. For a small town girl from Las Cruces, NM I would say that I am very lucky to have experienced everything that Virginia has given us. I will for sure miss it here but I am very very excited to start this new chapter in our lives. I was thinking of all the things I want to do in Japan here is a list of a few of them...

• Go to Tokyo Disney
• Visit Tokyo
  
• Climb Mt. Fuji
• Learn Japanese
• Go to an onsen (spelling?) it's like a big hot spring
• Buy a kimono
• Go to the cherry blossom and autumn leaves festivals
• ski up in northern Japan
  
• help rebuild fukashima
  
• Learn to cook traditional Japanese cuisine
• Eat REAL sushi
• ?????

And the list is going to continue to build. I am so excited to experience everything with my family. My boys will be exposed to another culture before they even understand ours. I am so grateful to be in this life with an amazing husband and two sons. I always told myself that I was going to get out of Las Cruces and here I am now. Thank you honey for giving our family the opportunity to travel the world. I love you!

Dr. Mom/Don't freak out!

Don't Freak Out!!!

Everyone knows that kids gets sick and when that happens it can be very stressful on the parents. One thing that Steven and I do because of the stress when Zack gets sick is let our tempers rise.We don't get mad at the kid but we get upset with each other. We both want to so badly do the right thing for our little guy that we have found ourselves getting a little short with each other. Looking back it's all actually pretty funny. I understand that all we want at the time for our little one is to be healthy and to the pain go away as quick as possible. But us being snippy is for sure not very productive.

So I was thinking that to fix this little quirk of ours we just need to CALM DOWN! Surprising concept isn't it? Things get more stressful if you're disagreeing on something so small as whether he should nap on the short or long couch. Yes we seriously bicker about these little things but that's marriage right? So just take a step back listen to your spouse because they might actually have a good idea to make the whole process a lot easier.

Another thing that I feel is a great tip for any and all parents out there is Have a Plan! What I mean by plan is sit down and decide what you would you do in this and that situation. For example: "If Zacks fever is 101 or higher give him motrin and schedule an appointment, if the fever doesn't break or gets higher go to the ER." Simple right? I know that sometimes things are new to parents but at least decide on the basics.

These things should help us in the future and hopefully you too. Just remember to always have patience and respect for what your partner has to say. This is their child too and they made have a secret remedy up their sleeve. You never know.

Now for a pic of my minions....