CA trip

For spring break,

we ventured to our old home...Orange County, CA.
I have to admit that while we lived there, I absolutely could not stand it at times.
Now I am smart enough to also admit that not only was I stupid,
but that my feelings have changed.
There is so much to do there,
but most importantly we love our friends and miss them dearly.
And the best part?
Some of the best weather in the country.
Very predictable.
And in our life, I will take anything predictable...
we've had enough surprises:)

So we took a nice long plane ride with Jack (who did pretty well and won over the masses on the plane) and went for a little sunshine and relaxation...only when you have a 8 month old, there is not much time to relax. So about a day before we were supposed to come back home, we were finally on a schedule again and I was not ready to come back to grey and cold Michigan.

It was a fun trip. And I loved seeing everyone again and eating at all of our favorite places. We'll hopefully end up living out there in the future. Life it too short to live in a place you don't love. And I really miss the ocean and sunshine. My only bummed out moment was not being able to have the incredible mojitos at Coyote Grill in Laguna...and as far as Jack, that kid loves to be outside. Of course, time went too fast and between the pregnancy blahs and the time change we didn't do a whole lot.

But then again, it was just nice to sit by the pool and feel the sunshine again. And Jack, that kid was all about the water and being outside. He even got to pick a lemon off the tree:) I'm ready to go back for more...

Fashion Show

So along with Jack keeping me busy, there is something else that threw us for a loop this past month.

And since I love to shop,
when I saw this adorable shirt for Jack, I knew I had to get it.
Even though I am German, Not Dutch...
Doesn't matter,
its gets the point across, right?!

For the record, this was the biggest shock of my life.
Had no intention at all of getting pregnant so quickly after Jack.
In fact, after all we've been through, I didn't even think it was possible.
Just goes to show you, God has the ultimate plan...not us!

Now if I could just be blessed with Superman strength to get me through this...
and maybe a little delay in Jack walking too!

Months 7 & 8

Okay, I am embarrassed...

After all the people that read and follow this blog,

I should know better than to go nearly 2 months without posting anything.

And its not that I didn't want to,

writing is still my outlet...and perhaps if I did more of it,

the last two months would have been a bit more bearable!

But this kid...

takes up all my energy and time...

Since my last post in Feb. Jack has begun to crawl...to pull himself up on furniture...to bite all the furniture he pulls himself up on...and even gnaw on the nastiest thing~our concrete hearth that comes out of the fireplace. Ugh. Tim shudders with each little scratch of his teeth.

Then there are the wires. If there is anything poking out from behind a table, in the mouth it goes. I am seriously exhausted...

But there are so many fun things too. Jack loves food. He tries everything and we can no longer eat our own meals without him grabbing or screaming for a bite. Its fun to give him new things to try and watch his face.

But if we think we are busy with him now, just wait until the walking begins...and then there all the other things going on. More on that soon!

Snow, snow...go away

If I were to sum up the last few weeks it would be this:

Snow.

Tons of snow.

As you can see from the pics, the drifts were clear up to the glass on the door. At least a foot and a half high.

Then today it reached 45 degrees and I did a little happy dance as I watched the huge mountains in front of our house slowly melt down to something a bit easier on the eyes.

I am so ready for spring.

While it was busy snowing outside, we have been busy inside. Except for the one day that G&G bought Jack his little red sled and somehow talked me into going for a walk around the neighborhood. Don't let the sun fool you~it was FREEZING.

But besides trying to stay warm, we have officially put our house up for sale. Where are we going? Not quite sure...but after the huge blizzard I'm daring to say someplace a bit warmer maybe. We'll see.

Jack has also been going to Gymboree class, which helps us beat the "stuck inside all the time" blues. He loves it. Because let's face it, here in Michigan you can only go to the mall or grocery store so many times before you feel like your going lose it.

Today had a small sense of spring about it. Just how excited did this make me?

I was giddy.

Seriously, giddy.

Combine that with the plane tickets I just bought to fly us out to L.A. in a few weeks and today was a spectacular day:)

Now I just need to get my ab rolls to look as cute as Jack's in a swimsuit:)

6 months

Happy 6 month Birthday!

A whole half year already...

And what a week leading up to it!

Jack, this week you celebrated your half year birthday with a bang:

First fever (102.3)

First cold

and to top it all off your first TWO teeth popped through this morning!

You have not been a happy camper,

but you have been one tough cookie.

Since Christmas you can now sit up for longer periods without any help

or without falling on your face. You also are eating a few solid foods and no longer gagging on them:) What is the most disgusting thing? You love prunes...I have no idea who you got this trait from!

Most importantly, you can now fit into all your 6-12 month clothes I happily have stashed away along the journey:) And good thing, because not only are you the best dressed in the family (according to Daddy), but it means that you always have a clean set of clothes since you seem to drool a LOT...and never mind all the spit-up, since you love to bend your little body in half as you reach and grab for everything in sight, including your toes.

We love to make you laugh and giggle. Your feet and tummy are ticklish. And you just love to be a busy body, I know in a few short moments you will be giving me a great work out chasing after you.

You bring so much joy to our lives. Every day is something new...

Speaking of new, mommy found these fun stickers to slap on just before its time to snap your monthly photos.

What a great idea! Find them on www.pickysticky.com

If only everything were this easy! Because apparently your toes were much more interesting than anything I was doing to get your attention for a cute 6 month picture:)

*Sigh*

And that is nothing new...

2.5

Two and half years ago yesterday, Will died.

After all this time, nothing really has changed on the inside.

I still miss him terribly and think about him numerous times a day. That probably surprises a lot of people. But it really shouldn't...I have found that with Jack being born, people are quick to forget who came before.

But as a mother, you never do...

There are times when I glance at Jack, see a similarity and it causes me to catch my breath. We look out the window together at the falling snow and I tell him about his brother. He has no idea what I am talking about right now, but as he grows up, he will know about Will.

Most days now are filled with such crazy busy "mom tasks" like feeding Jack, keeping him happy and constantly changing him from outfit to outfit as he drools or throws up. I don't have time to be sad...in fact finding time to clean or change out of sweat pants still can be a challenge! And don't even get me started on trying to keep up with everything I want to blog about...

But every now and then he will look at me with those eyes, or cuddle up to me in the middle of the night after a bottle and I can't stop the tears from streaming down my face. I hug him as if I am hugging them both.

Jack is such a blessing and as his little personality is beginning to show...

I'm loving him twice as hard.

New Year...New Family

Our little family had a great Christmas this year...

and if there was one phrase that Tim and I found ourselves constantly repeating to ourselves and to each other was,

"What a difference a year makes."

This was the year we had been waiting MANY years for...

Jack has brought back a love for life that I thought I might never see again. The past few holidays were so painful without Will and without any sort of real hope that we often thought of selling everything we owned and escaping to some far away land. Some of our family & friends understood our grief and were supportive, while others were so painfully clueless that it has led us to simply cut out any sort of gatherings because we just couldn't take it.

What a difference a year makes...

New Years 2008, we were beat up. Without our son, in a new state, and me without a job...I'll be honest, there wasn't anything happy about life at that moment. I wanted out. January 2009 was the lowest point in my life and yet when I think back (isn't that really what New Years is all about? Reflection?) I have no idea what kept me from giving up except for one thing, there was about a gram of hope left in my soul. All I did was pray for that spec of hope to grow and as it did with time I also found my faith being restored...it simply HAD to get better than this.

New Years 2009, I had a secret that I had just shared with family. Even though I was about 12 weeks along I was terrified. Terrified that this would end up just like the other 3...and when I started having more complications last January I threw my hands in the air and was at a complete loss. I didn't even know what to pray...Did I pray for a miscarriage right then so it wouldn't be like Will all over again? Was that how damaged I was that I had given up even thinking it might turn out the way I had only started to allow myself to dare to dream? Each day in 2010 leading up to Jack's birth was an achievement.

New Years 2010...I stared at my dream come true laying in his crib. I cursed my neighbors for setting of fireworks in front of our house at midnight and waking me from my precious sleep...and I stared at Jack once again as he slept right through. This year, I was physically drained but finally emotionally and spiritually thriving. I finally felt myself again. It had been a long journey to get here...

But what a difference a year makes.

And now as we make our way into 2011 I wonder what this year will bring. No matter what it does, my resolution is to be better at blogging about it!!

Happy New Year:)