4 Months

(Photo courtesy of Lindsay Kinnick)

Life flies by with a baby. There is no way this guy is already 4 months old but as I watch him roll over, play with toys, kick around like he's going to start crawling, and use his voice in varying pitches, I realize that he is indeed growing up.

In case you were wondering, Tristen is now a whoppin' 15 pounds and 25 1/4 inches long. The clothes sizes are super confusing these days because he's in everything from 3 month pants to 6-9 month sleepers (he's just so stinkin' long!)! It's interesting to see what combination of sizes he's wearing on any given day :)

So, that's the little man :) Happy Tuesday to you all!

Me and My Eyes

I should have known better. When I first started wearing contacts in high school, the optometrist repeatedly told me to never sleep in my contacts. Taking good care of my eyes, I followed his instructions and my eyes never missed a beat. Until college.

All nighters and the 4 pairs of glasses that I lost (actually, make that six now...I lost 2 pairs of glasses in December before Tristen was born. Ugh! Where do these glasses run off to?) MADE me start wearing my contacts non-stop. Forgetting they were in, I made it a routine to fall asleep in them. Yes, they were itchy and red in the morning but somehow I didn't let it stop me.

So, fast forward until my one year anniversary. I was on a trip to the Boundary Waters with our youth group. When I reached into my pack to take out my contacts the first night, I realized that I had forgotten my contact case. I could either be blind the whole week or keep my contacts in. I should have been blind the whole week but I chose the latter. I think this particular incident is what pushed my eyes over the edge.

4 months later, after days of extreme eye problems, I finally visited an optometrist. Who knows what particular incident sparked it or made it happen, but I found out that I had an ulcer in my right eye and very bad scarring. I was given medication, glasses, and told to never ever wear my contacts to bed again. And I haven't done it again. EVER.

But, to this day, my eyes still aren't the same. Days like today remind me yet again what I've done to my eyes through my stupidity. Itchy, red, and watery (it could be partly allergies too which the doctors haven't ruled out) and looking like I've been crying all day or I'm extremely tired. So not fun, but sometimes you have to live with your mistakes.

So, if there's anything to take away from this story, learn from my mistake and take care of your eyes!! Don't sleep with your contacts in.....trust me, it's not worth it :)

P.S. Sorry for the freaky eye picture! Hope it doesn't give anyone nightmares...I was trying to portray the intensity of my eye problems :) Ha!

It's Easter...and My Birthday

Happy Easter!!! We had a fantastic Easter in St. Paul with my familia! I really really love Easter.....I don't know how you can not celebrate this day every year! Such a joyous occasion :)

So, it's my birthday today too. It got off to a horrible start by me running around like a mad woman, trying to get everyone ready for Easter, not being able to find my shoes, contacts, bobby pins, etc. and just barely getting out the door in time to travel to church. *Whew* I think this is the new norm for my life :)

But, the day turned out to be a special one and I really loved being able to have my birthday be on Easter this year....a once in a lifetime experience perhaps?

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well!! I promise to blog sometime this week and give a bit more of an update on our life....and pics of Tristen as a 4 month old :) Adios!

Birthday Week

Another birthday is coming up for me. It's the big 2-7 this year....wow...seriously? When did I get so old? So, this year I have the unique and awesome privilege of having my birthday on Easter! I'm super excited....especially because I can just forget it's my birthday and celebrate a greater celebration: Jesus' resurrection. I heard someone talk about how we often put the emphasis on Jesus' death and not so much on the resurrection....this year I want to reflect on His death but put more emphasis on the fact that He ROSE from the dead...He is alive!! It is a reason to celebrate and I will be doing just that on Sunday :)

But, to be completely honest, I'm tired this week and extremely unmotivated. A little discouraged by my post baby look and wanting a vacation from my thoughts. I think way too much these days....I used to talk too much and not think enough. Now I think too much and internalize most of it. I wish I could find a balance.

But, even though this week may be gloomy and a little depressing, I know that a celebration is coming. The most awesome celebration of the year and I really can't wait to give up my birthday this year to celebrate it :)

Oh, and because this is a super cute pic from a wedding Tristen and I went to this weekend:My parents and Tristen :) Super cute...

Back Up!

Yesterday I was in the middle of a blog about this picture when *BAM* my computer died. Well, I thought it had died. It crashed for an hour or so, doing weird things and then Aaron and I somehow "fixed it" for the time being. I then spent the next hour backing up everything I didn't have backed up. My dad is a computer guy so he has taught me the importance of backing up your files but I was 3 months behind.....and, I have an almost 4 month old which means that the last 3 months worth of pics of his life would have been lost! Whew....that was a close one!

Moral of the story: Back up your files!!! If you're like me, I kept saying, "Oh, I need to get to that" when all of a sudden *BAM*, my computer crashed! So now, we are backed up and ready for the computer to crash if need be :) (hopefully it is actually fixed??)

I can't believe it's already Thursday. Tristen and I are into a routine now and it makes our weeks fly by! I like having a routine but I'm also ready for some spontaneity this summer....I'm a spontaneous person who also loves structure. Oxymoron? Maybe.....but it works for me

Off to pick up the hubby from class! Adios!

P.S. Oh, and this picture is from our many walks outside in the SUNSHINE! Yay for Spring!!

Evie's Dedication

Last weekend we went to the land of many floods (aka Fargo) to see our little niece dedicated at her church. It was such a fun weekend spending time with family...it was the first of many trips over the next few months. I love traveling so I can't wait to travel and see friends/family :)

One of the advantages of having Evie be 2 months older than Tristen is she is one step ahead of him and we have watched her milestones and practiced on her :) Example: Aaron practicing feeding her solids....something that isn't too far off for us!

Above: The whole clan....our first family pic since the babes have been born :)
Below: I think my brother-in-law is enjoying being an uncle, wouldn't you say?

So, that's our life lately. That, and we're trying to eat better and exercise more. Aaron is taking a Nutrition class right now and it has really opened our eyes to the amount of sugar that most people consume each day. We're being more conscientious about food and trying to exercise daily.....but I must admit that my 1.5 mile run/walk yesterday just about killed me. It will get easier, right? And, I will grow to love veggies, right? Ugh, self control....why is it so hard? But, we're trying and I'm hoping the last of the baby fat goes away fast...maybe in time for summer? Haha, doubtful.....but it's worth a try :) Happy Tuesday all!

Father and Son

I think my husband likes his son.

And, I think my son likes his dad.

And, I think I like watching them together....very much :)

Oh for CUTE!

Today we had a little get together with our old small group! Seriously, can these kiddos get any cuter!?!?! They are SO adorable, wouldn't you say? :)

The babies and the dads

The babies and the moms

All together now!

THIS is fun :)

Done!!!

I'm done with the beast (aka my wedding scrapbook!) Wahoo!!! Last week I had 2 pages to go and tonight I intended to finish them while Aaron was working. However, I ended up tearing up the last 5 pages I did and revamping them and then I finished the last 2. It feels so good to have that thing finished!

So, what next? Hmmm, I don't know.....but I can guarantee you it will be a small, easy project :) Happy Weekend all!

The Infamous April Fool's Joke

Oh, you all know which one I'm talking about. For the single folks, they announce on facebook: I'm engaged!" But, all of us married folk know exactly which infamous April Fool's joke I'm talking about. The one that goes like this:

I'm pregnant!!

What!? Oh yeah....April Fools! Okay, so I didn't just use that April Fool's joke on all of you (did any of you fall for it though!?! Haha) however, I DID use this April Fool's joke last year.....on my sister-in-law, Lindsay. She had just announced her pregnancy a month before so I thought it would be oh so funny to "announce" mine. I got up early, saw her on Google talk and typed her "the news".

She laughed when I said it was my April Fool's joke and I thought I was oh so clever. However, the real joke was on me because a week or two later, I took a pregnancy test that confirmed that I actually WAS pregnant!

So, this year I opted for a less than clever plot against my husband. Smirking, I told him that his work called and said he had the day off....before he could even say "What? Are you serious?", I laughed too hard and said, "April Fools!" Yeah, lame I know. Maybe next year I'll come up with a good one....any ideas?

Well, Happy April Fool's everyone....the start of my FAVORITE month of the year :) (Just a little biased since it's my bday month :) Adios!