31 Days of Summer

Summer has arrived. For me, anyway. As most of you know, I spent 9 days of June in the hospital. I then, spent MOST of the 1st part of July trying to regain my energy and strength. Which meant, I sat on a couch and sat. Held Easton. And sat. Didn't do ANYTHING remotely fun because FUN was energy I needed to take care of Easton. So, sit I did.

THEN, RIGHT when I was feeling that I was back to "normal" Wednesday I had surgery and I ended out my month of July once again...sitting. Ugh. NO FUN. EVER.

So, it dawned on me last night that I've spent my WHOLE summer inside sitting. I've only gone swimming once. (the DAY before surgery) and I did that out of sheer rebellion because I wasn't going to do ANYTHING I didn't want to that day.

Today is Aug. 1st. AND, I although YOU may be getting your kids back to school supplies in the next few weeks, I'm living my dream. 31 days of summer. 31 days of I get to do whatever "summery" things I want. Swimming, biking, being outdoors, eating sweet corn, outdoor concerts, cookouts with friends, and the list goes ON AND ON. So, GET READY. 31 fun things--one for each day in Aug. I'm ending this summer with a bang. AND not one that lands me BACK in the hospital.

AND here is my 1st day of summer.
Aug. 1st.

Today, after a GREAT church service, Wil and I packed our bags and headed over to [THE NOT SO] Clear Lake. SO fun to be outside and living.life. Easton loved being outside. And here is a few pics of the afternoon. PERFECT summer day. Just perfect. For our perfect little family.
Getting tired after spending the afternoon outside. BUT, what a great day, the clouds were PERFECT and the sun just kissed us over and over again. The water rushed to meet us as we waded into the water. (Due to surgery...couldn't go ALL the way in) But, what a time we had!

ALL smiles because he was outside with his parents enjoying a family day. He loved to look at the waves...as LONG as he wasn't in them. The crashing sound scared him so we mainly just sat and watched them. He loved being IN the water...but not where he could hear the waves. Surfer boy? Er...maybe later.

Across the lake was a water fountain park where kids would run and run and play. We took Easton over there and he LOVED watching the water. The water was SUPER cold. AND you never knew how high the water would get, he still loved to watch it. He'd try to get his face super close and droplets of water would be ALL over his face...HE LOVED IT. Favorite place ALL day for this little boy.

We took him to the fountains twice. Once as a whole family and once just Easton and myself. Next year will be SO fun when he can run through it. And, as long as they don't sound like waves, my little surfer boy will do just fine! ;)

LOVING our 1st day of summer! AND what a great way to start our summer out by being at a beach. With water, friends, sun, and family.

Oh yes, and I couldn't help but get a cute pic of his shoes. Really, they are so cute. He loved looking at them trying to figure out just what were on his feet. (he's been barefoot the whole summer.) So, this was a treat for him and myself who love shoes. Comfortable shoes.

So, all in all we had a GREAT 1st day of summer.
Can't wait for MORE summer fun!!

A Day in July

Saturday morning...7am Easton wakes up after sleeping through the night. (Such a good little boy!) I feed him his bottle and he falls RIGHT back to sleep. He and I both sleep in until 9. And THEN, we begin our day! (Sorry there are NO pics of us at the 7am hour...the camera was downstairs and us up. Was NOT going to get out of bed for that!)

9am we head downstairs. Easton and I read some books while we are still waking up. His FAVORITE book to "read" is Animal Hide and Seek which is what we are reading in the picture above. He leans forward as far as I will let him and tries to grab the book. Then he gets alllllll wild and can't wait for me to turn the page. And the process starts alllllll over again til the end of the book!
For some reason I've lost 3 of my other pictures so I'll explain here...Easton plays on the floor while I eat breakfast. My breakfast: Raisin Bran. Boring. Yes. But, when you are forced to eat a low fat diet Raisin Bran is a treat I tell ya. A really good treat! Moving on...So, after I finish breakfast I realize I need to upload my pictures on my computer so I have room for all the pictures I take today. Easton is sitting on my lap while I'm doing uploading and he is annoyed that I won't let him play with my camera. That, and he's tired.

Fussy baby. No fun for mom! I kept telling him, "Just a minute and you can go take a nap!!" After what seemed like an HOUR, my pictures were ON my computer. Also had some videos of Easton on my camera too. SO just for fun I thought I'd watch them...Yes, Easton was still crying. Not hard crying...just fussy crying. There is a difference! ;)

AND BOY...did Easton LOVE IT! So, sitting in our pj's Easton and I watched a video on my computer of himself. (Yes, bad mom=me letting my child LOOK at a computer screen.) BUT, it was amazing how he went from fussy baby to HAPPY baby in a matter of 1 second.

He made me laugh because he LOVED watching himself on video! He talked and cooed and started to fuss when the 45 second video was over.
Finally, around 9am I realized that Easton was super tired (movies will do that to ya!) and went to make him a bottle.

Some of my favorite moments in my day is feeding my baby! When I was hospitalized I couldn't breastfeed my baby due to meds. And after a 9 day stay, and many other reasons, breastfeeding was no longer an option. Yes, I was sad, and cried for two days. BUT, I when I got better, I realized HOW SICK I was, and how MUCH worse it could have been. My mom kept saying, "Rachel, just be glad we live in a day where formula is an option!" So, I rejoice that someone came up with the idea of formula...so my baby can eat. Not my ideal, but it works and he's growing! AND, I love watching him eat...which is a goooood thing because he is a very slow eater!

After feeding Easton I put him down for his 1st nap of the day. Then, I go into the kitchen and start washing dishes. Bottles mostly. (downside to formula....) I feel like I'm ALWAYS washing bottles. They never go away.
Now that Easton is sleeping I head to do some fun things...just for me!

For the past several weeks I've started to hate my diaper bag. So, I decided to make my own. Using my leftover material from another project I started in...I knew I wouldn't finish it today, but at least I got a chance to work on it while Easton naps!

This is my 1st one I made. I LOVE IT. Just perfect. The bag is a bit smaller than I like, but for everyday running around...it's a good bag! The one I'm working on is going to be bigger. :)

11am I start getting lunch ready. My husband who got up at 4:30 (nope. Didn't even THINK to get a picture at that hour of him leaving) went fishing and came home hungry. Plus, we have things to do right after lunch...so early lunch it is!!
Once again...my lunch is boring. Ham/turkey sandwich. No mayo or anything with fat in it. Grapes...and baked chips with fat free sour cream (gross) mixed with salsa. Next month, when I do this again...my diet WILL be over and I WILL be eating GOOD foods again!

My dear husband at the lunch table with his coffee mug. His food wasn't at all fat free. He had little smokies and scrapple. Yes. Scrapple. What is scrapple you may ask? Well, I'll try to explain. It's more of a Mennonite breakfast food. From what I've learned it's the leftover meat on the bones from beef and you boil it off and put it all together in a bread pan. Then, you slice it REALLY thin and fry it. FULL.OF.FAT. So, I stay away from the stuff...and did BEFORE I was forced on this low fat diet.

NOON
Lunch is over and Baby Boy gets up from his nap. We have a wedding so it's off to get ALL of us cleaned and looking good for our afternoon away! Easton's favorite time is bathtime. He would stay in there all day kicking and splashing around. Sometimes I do wonder who is getting the bath...Easton or myself. Hard to tell sometimes!

2:45pm Due to the whirlwind of events...and getting EVERYTHING ready and OUT THE DOOR on time...the camera was put away for the time being. BUT, here is a picture of our family at the wedding....A rare but fun event that EVERYONE was showered, dressed, and smelling good. Easton is wearing the outfit my sister, Libby and her husband Isaac gave him. I LOVE IT!

3:05pm During the wedding...just trying to keep him from talking or crying. :) We only had ONE issue and that was RIGHT during the prayer. BUT, we made it OUT before he got too loud!

3:15pm My daddy did the 1st part of the wedding. I LOVE this picture of him! What a man of God. He did an amazing job and I'm so proud of him!

3:45pm My sister sang a duet with the Father of the Groom. The Groom was a classmate and really good friend of Beka's so it was extra special. The duet was amazing and I HOPE someone got it on tape...so I can hear it again. Both people have amazing voices and I might have a reinactment of my wedding and just throw that song in as an extra bonus just to hear it. You are all invited and you may bring gifts! ;)

6:00pm The happy couple! Tyson and Christie Roberts. Such a sweet couple and I'm sooooo happy for them! Tyson went to our Christian School. He never was a "direct" student of mine, but the high school classes and middle school classes do SO many things together he might of as well been in my class! I'm just beginning to know Christie (Carr) Roberts. She is as sweet as they come!

The wedding was flawlessly beautiful and honestly, I've been to my fair share of weddings...I don't think ONE THING went wrong. AND if it did....we never knew! Such a wonderful couple and I'm so excited to see them grow as a couple!

7:30pm On our way home from the wedding! Easton didn't want to sit in the backseat alone so I sat back there with him. This is his travel book....and let me tell ya...we DO NOT leave home without it. He doesn't read it...but eats it. If he drops it...he will let you know!

Once we got home from the wedding, Easton went to bed for the night and Wil and I just sat and relaxed. We were sooo tired from the day's events that the camera was put away and we lost ourselves in books and computer time.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good day!

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

Today was PERFECT weather to be outside! Last week it rained for days...but today, Iowa once again redeemed itself and here are pictures to prove it!

Wil and I went to the lake and while he fished, Easton and I went for a nice little...er...long walk.
The birds were singing, the sky was amazingly blue, the green all around made so happy. We walked and we walked. Such a perfect day!
This was Wil's fishing spot. I brought a lawn chair and a good book while he was finishing up this little fishing day. Easton loved being outside! He looked ALL around and kicked his feet.

Wil parked the car and walked over to the OTHER side of the lake to fish. After my hour walk, with Easton in the stroller, and a lawn chair on my back, I walked over to be with Wil. Ugh. Halfway there, through mud, and grass, and dirt, up hills, in muddy water, and the sun beating down on me, I got there. I felt like a pioneer woman, trying to live, beat the odds so her child could have a better life...The picture above is the END of our LOOONG walk to meet up with Wil. Yes, it's prettier in the picture than with a stroller and lawn chair on your back!

Changing up bait. Trying to catch a BIG ONE!

Easton slept the WHOLE walk, and on the way to the car Easton just started talking and cooing and looking at his daddy. He did look over at me to get this cute picture. *NOTE* Yes, it was 70 degrees. Yes, it was sunny and warm. Yes, we do have TWO blankets on our baby. WHY--you ask--Easton is ALWAYS (I promise) ALWAYS cold. He wears short sleeves and his lips quiver. SO...we always have ONE blanket around him...and the heavy "lamb" blanket has to be by his face when he sleeps. SO two blankets it is!

After the "trail of tears" trip to find my husband, I had Wil push the stroller back. I carried the lawn chair and we both carried the fishing pole. Yes, I did whistle the Andy Griffith tune as we walked...when I had the fishing pole. I couldn't help myself!

Talking and cooing with his daddy! Happy baby loves to be outside!

My sweet baby boy---I can't get enough of him! ;)

Talking about the next fishing trip we plan to take!

Walking

Do you have goals?

I do.

And ONE of them is this...

Yep. That's right.

I want to walk the two day Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

This winter I thought about signing up for it for this summer.

I got worried I wouldn't be able to do it with a new baby.

BUT, mark my words...

I will do it! I WILL--NOT this summer---maybe next!

Do ya want to do it with me?

Wouldn't be fun to get a bunch of friends and do it together!?

I agree! SO FUN!

Monday Morning Blues...

Wedding Weekend Pictures....

At the reception...such a NEAT place!
My dad, Uncle Don, and Uncle Dennis...Praying for each other at the end of the service on Sunday. SOOOO moving!

The 3 sisters before Libby had to leave to go back to VA!

Here I sit. at 11:15am in my pj's. Yep. Easton is still in his pj's too. This weekend was WILD. Wedding WILD. My brother got married and both my husband and myself were in the wedding. My 3 week old did SOOOOOO well.
BUT, today...we are TRYING to get back to our NORMAL days...and its hard. Here are JUST a few reasons WHY.

1. Our HOUSE is a mess. Clothes. Suitcases. Gifts. Etc. Ugh. Needs to be picked up. AND I'm WAAAY tooo tired to do it.

2. Since THURSDAY....Easton has been held 12 hours straight. By family and friends. 12 hours. a day. 12. UGH. DOUBLE UGH. So...today, we are working at TRYING to get back to the OLD routine about laying him down...falling asleep...STAYING asleep and waking up HAPPY. It's been a morning.

******************************The time is now 12:30***********************************

And I have had to START and STOP this blog because of a little baby that needs his mommy. The whole STAYING asleep thing is hard for him. (Me, not so much...the staying awake thing is hard for me.)

As you can see this is a very hard morning....and now has moved into the afternoon. BUT, slowly we are working on it! SLOWLY!

Because I was IN the wedding, I don't have ANY pics of us in our dresses on my camera. BUT, here are some pics and I will post MORE as others post them and I grab (or steal) them off facebook. :)