Accomplishments

Since summer has come to an end, I thought I would take a moment to recognize some of the things I have accomplished over the past few months.  I meant to write something about it sooner, but I guess I just kept forgetting.  As many of you know from previous posts, I have always wanted to motivate myself to go to daily mass, but before Tavian came along I just could never do it.  After having Tavian I also wanted to get commited to some kind of excercise, for engergy and of course to get rid of the pesky 5 pounds that was keeping me from my pre-pregnancy weight.

  

Well, I am feeling really proud because for close to 4 months I have been attending daily mass.  It has been a wonderful way to start the day with Tavian, and it has also blessed me with the opportunity to meet many wonderful people.  I have gotten to know a lot of the daily mass attendees, and everyone is so kind to me and Tavian.  Most of them are old folks but they always take the time to shower words of love and encouragement onto us.  

I can't say I am an exercising fool by any means, but since June I have walked around 4 miles almost every day (that is up until two weeks ago, but you'll hear about that in a bit).  I know it is just walking, but it is better then nothing, and it has been a great way to keep me moving.  The best part (and the main reason I was able to stick with it) is because my friend Elissa met me every morning for the walk.  I would go to mass, she would meet me in the parking lot after, and then we would walk around a nearby park/neighborhood.  Another great way to start the day..and that way I would get adult interaction and girl talk every day!  Who could pass that up?!?

And, thanks to my small exercise habits (and I'm sure to breastfeeding as well), I have reached my pre-pregnancy weight!  That isn't to say my stomach isn't still a bit stretchy, to say the least, ha!, but I'm still feeling really great about everything!

I think I was partly worried about mentioning something sooner because I didn't know if I would be able to keep it up.  When it comes to mass I am still going strong, which is my primary focus.  But, two weeks ago Elissa went back to work teaching, and I went back to not walking...

I know I could keep going on my own, but it just isn't quite the same.  But don't worry, I got a gym membership at 24 hour fitness and on Sept. 7 Tavian will be 6 months old and I will be able to use the daycare there.  I am hoping to make a stop at the gym part of my daily plan, especially because sooner or later the weather isn't going to be apropriate for outside walking with an infant.  Even though I have currently stopped, I am still really proud of my accomplishments because Elissa and I originally agreed to just making it through the summer...and we did:)  I'm hoping I won't be too freaked out to leave Tavian at the child care center ...but that is another post for another time! 

Here is to making things happen!

Friendly Surprises!

I have such wonderful friends, and in the last week two of them came to visit!  They are both my old roommates and since they live in Denver I don't get to see them very often.  Such a wonderful treat!

Shannon and her husband came last Saturday so she could take me out to lunch for my birthday.  It was so thoughtful of her and I loved having some girl time!!

Then on Friday, once I was back from the Dr. and the ear infection fiasco was taken care of, Breanne stopped by to say hello.  Her and her friend Kelli were making a trip to Fort Collins and they were nice enough to pay me a visit!!!  It was wonderful getting to catch up:)

I love having amazing friends! :)

Garage Sale

I don't remember if I have already posted about my infatuation with garage sales.  I absolutely LOVE them!!  Always have, always will.  Well, about a year ago I told Cole I wanted to start saving some up some of our give away stuff and storing it in our basement so that this summer we could have our very own garage sale.  For some reason I just loved the idea of having my own!!!!
Well, it all finally came to fruition this last Saturday.  It was so so fun!!  We randomly ended up picking the perfect day too because 7 other people had garage sales in our neighborhood so there ended up being a ton of traffic.  We didn't have any big furniture pieces or anything like that, but we still ended up making $125.  Plus I had a ton of fun, which is really the whole point!

We needed a Not For Sale sign next to Tavian!  Everyone took a lot of interest in him!!!!

Of course I had to stop by the other garage sales going on in our neighborhood.  I found a few cute pieces of clothing, but I am mostly excited about this...

The pic was taken after I already took a lot of the toys and other items off so I could get it cleaned

We got it for $20..which maybe is a lot to spend at a garage sale, but it has barely been used, works perfectly, and is currently selling for $85 at Target.  I think it was a great find..especially since i have been looking for something like this for Tavian!  Unlike the one that Tavian sat in at our garage sale, this one has hinges and he can bounce around in it..along with other fun things ;)

All in all, a success:)

His Ear Ache = My Heart Ache

All last week Tavian wasn't acting like himself.  I remember last weekend telling Cole that something didn't seem right and that he was acting king of crabby.  Tavian is usually such an amazing, happy little boy so him being a little crabby is hardly even noticed by other people.  But I know my son and I was sure something wasn't right, but what?? Was he teething?  Yeah, probably.  I continued to check his temperature but it was always normal.  I told Cole that maybe he was on the verge of getting sick and that he could feel it coming or something.  After days of this, and days of Cole telling me he thought he was fine (Cole constantly reminded me that he was still acting pretty happy), I started to believe it was all in my head.  Maybe he was acting normal.  Maybe I was confused and he didn't used to be happier. 
Then Friday happened.  I can't even tell you how frustrated I was.  Tavian was crying so much more then normal, and nothing seemed to be helping.  He was fighting naps and just being so difficult.  (again, i stress difficult from what I am used to...everyone else continued to tell me what a good boy he was!)  Everything came crashing down that afternoon as he was crying, and I was crying, and I had no idea what else to do.  Then I saw it.  He gave one little tug on his ear, and the mommy instinct in me started to think ear infection.  I really didn't want to go to the Dr. considering I feel like i am already there every other week, but it was Friday and I knew if it was an ear infection that it wouldn't go away on its own.  Part of me wanted to believe that he did have an ear infection so that his behavior could be explained!
It took no time at all for the Dr. to tell me that he had an ear infection.  A really bad ear infection to be exact!  My poor, poor baby.  And all week I had been complaining about how difficult he was being....when in reality, for having a bad ear infection he was actually doing really well!  Now he is on antibiotics as well as motrin for the pain.  Once he took motrin I instantly saw my happy little boy again. 
I cried in the Doctor's office when he told me it was an ear infection.  I immediately felt guilty for being so hard on him and getting so frustrated.  The truth is that on Friday (before the apt.) I wasn't a good mom.  It is easy for others to tell me, "don't be hard on yourself", "you are a great mom", "don't feel guilty", etc.  And that is all very kind...but not necessarily true.  The truth is that I failed him as a mother that day..at least for parts of it.  And it is good for me to recognize that.  It is the same way that sometimes I am a bad friend, or daughter, or a bad sister or wife.  I have failed in all of these categories, and the same goes for motherhood.  I'm not proud of it, but it is true.  I don't need to dwell on it or beat myself up, but it is important for me to recognize so that I can try to improve.  Of course i didn't do it purposefully, but I need to do better.  And hopefully with the ability to recognize it, next time I will do better!  (although I am also sure there will be next times where I fail as well...but hopefully not often!)

I am so happy that I found out what was wrong, and I am so happy he is doing better.  He still gives his ear a tug every now and again and every time it breaks my heart...

I'm sorry I wasn't the mom you deserve, Tavian, but I promise I will try and do better.  Mommy loves you!:)

Faith Day at the Rockies

Last Sunday Cole, Tavian and I went to Denver for the Rockies game because it was Faith Day.  Every year after the game they have a Christian performer and this year it was Jeremy Camp.  I actually don't know Jeremy Camp that well, but Cole and I just thought it would be something fun to do.  My sister Sarah and her family went along with my sister Ellen and her family, my dad, and my cousin and her family.  I am pretty sure there were 11 kiddos including Tavian!  Our seats ended up being hit directly with the sun so we didn't sit to watch the game for long because it was too hot for Tavian.  We didn't stay for much of the concert, but from what we saw it was good!  Mostly we just enjoyed getting out of the house and doing something fun while getting to spend time with family! 

Daddy and Tavey all ready for the game!

A happy family!

I had to cover his body with my Hooter Hider so he wouldn't get burnt!

Getting loves from Aunt Ellen

It was a long day!...

Blast from the Past

My dad just sold his house and found out that he needs to be out by the end of next month.  The house is filled from top to bottom with random stuff that has been collected or rather, collecting dust, for years.  There is something of everyones there.  I thought I had done a pretty good job of getting anything that was mine out, and I did for the most part, but as I was helping sort through stuff I found about another box worth.  Most was from my "special box" kept underneath the stairs..ya know, the box of memories, awards, special clothing items.  Well, within the "special box" I also came across all of my old notes.  It makes me thankful my packrat days are over!  But seriously, SO many notes.  Each grade had its own separate shoe box full, and it all started in 7th grade!  Yikes! 
I brought it all home and started to sift through it.  I realized very quickly how silly I was for saving all of this.  Did I really need to remember which boy I had a crush on in 7th grade?...or to be more precise, which boy I liked during each week of 7th grade?!  No, definately not worth remembering!  At least it was organized chaos as I also had a rubber band tying together notes from each author.  There was a bundle for Lindsay, Ashley, Joedy, Megan, Stephanie, and many others!  I started to read some of them, but quickly realized it was going to take too much time for what it was worth!  So I pretty much got rid of it all. 
One thought does keep coming back into my head...
Is there a "Caitlin" bundle out there somewhere??  For every note I had, one was also written from me!!  Kind of a scary thought.  Hopefully my friends weren't as sentimental as I was, and got rid of them long ago.  Because to be honest, I have no interest in hearing what I had to say in my adolescent years...that crap is embarrassing!
To all of my Jr. High/High school friends, not to worry, your secrets from the past are now buried in the trash can.  And if you wouldn't mind...can you return the favor?!? :)

Anyone else a packrat like me??

Get ready to cry...

Go to the following link and play the video from the August 3rd post.  So sad, but so so beautiful!
http://www.motherlyloving.com/

Anniversary Dinner

Our night ended up being really perfect.  Cole made reservations at the Melting Pot and had his dad come over to watch Tavian.  Of course I wouldn't leave until Tavian was asleep though!  Luckily he went to sleep easily like he always does, and we were out the door by 730.  I was a little anxious but I only ended up calling to check in once.  Pretty impressive!

All dressed up and headed out for the night!

I wish you could see all of my dress and my heels...they were super cute!

Cole and I had a coupon to the Melting Pot that included a free bottle of wine.  YUM!  The food was great, as was the company ;), and it was the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.  We got engaged almost exactly one year before we got married, and part of our engagement was going to the Melting Pot.  We hadn't been back since.  So special and fun to think about! 

Instead of taking pics of the food, we thought it would be more fun to take them of our empty plates

Proof that the food is SO good!:)

What a goofball...we had a little too much wine I think!

KISSES!!!  The pic on the right is from the night before our engagement 4 years ago!

I sure do love this man!

Wedded Bliss

Cole and I have been married for three amazing years!!!
I can't believe it has already been three years...and SO much has happened.
Our anniversary was the 4th, which was wed., so I wasn't sure if we were going to do much on the actual day to celebrate.  I have an amazing husband and he decided to suprise me and take the morning off of work.  We went to mass together and then walked to get breakfast at Inta Juice and Gibs.  It was a perfect morning together...I just wish we could do it everyday!
That night we also celebrated by watching our wedding video like we do every year.  I LOVE it and it brought back such happy memories.  I usually wear my wedding dress every year as well, but I think I'll put it on sometime this weekend.  Afterall, it is my fav. dress that I own so I might as well get some wear out of it!!!!
Cole also planned a surprise dinner for us tonight.  I'll post more when I know more ;)

Thank the Lord that I'm in a loving, faithful marriage!  I am blessed!!

American Honey

Part of my birthday celebration came last Saturday with the Tim McGraw/Lady Antebellum concert. Amy, Elissa and I (two of my good friends) decided we would do a big birthday celebration for all three of our birthdays and go to the concert. It was a pretty big deal because it was my first official night out with the girls. And let me tell, we had quite the time! The concert itself was a bit of a let down. We got there right when the concert was starting, but the place was already competely packed and we ended up having to stand as far back as was possible...meaning we couldn't see anything!! Bummer. The speakers weren't great when Lady Antebellum performed so we honestly didn't get to even hear much of them. Double Bummer. Thankfully it wasn't anything a few drinks and a lot of laughter couldn't fix!! I'm pretty sure I laughed the entire night..my abs were sore for days! Amy and I eventually just sat down and with our drinks and just laughed and took silly pictures!!

Cheers!!!

Scary "Joelle" eyes!

Don't let this fool you...we lifted the camera up above our heads! Lol!

Just reacting to the craziness around us!

Such a fun time with friends!

As fun as it was, I don't think I'll be doing anything like that anytime soon.  It was way too much work trying to coordinate pumping, being away from Tavian, and staying up so late!  I was recovering for days because my bedtime is usually 9.  It was fun, but moms just aren't meant to stay out that late!!!

p.s. does anyone else find the picture uploader really frustrating?!?

p.s.s. I'm bummed none of the pictures show my cowboy boots...they are so so cute!

My Birthday Buddy

My birthday was last Thursday and I turned 24.  Crazy how fast time is passing!!  I honestly continued to forget that my birthday was coming up.  I guess as a mom there are just too many other important things to worry about, and my birthday is no longer a big deal to me.  Cole kept asking what I wanted to do, or if I wanted to get together with friends, but these days it all just seems like more work then it is worth.  I know, i sound like a downer!  The good news is that my Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jim came into town to celebrate with us.  My Aunt Sarah and I have the same birthday so we like to try and do something to celebrate together.  Last year I visited her in New Mexico, so this year she came here.  They got into town on our birthday and my Uncle Jim was nice enough to make a big birthday dinner for us.  It was nice staying in because that way we could put Tavian down for bed.  He made muscles on linguine...i know, kind of crazy!  I wasn't initially thrilled with the idea because the whole "muscles" thing grossed me out, but they weren't half bad and I got to try something new!  It was a beautiful dinner with great company and we ate out on our patio with beautiful weather.  Overall, pretty darn wonderful!
The next night we had my dad and my sister and her family over for dinner, partly for the birthdays, but more so they could visit with my aunt and uncle while they were in town.  It was another great evening.  I got some lovely gifts as well.  Beautiful lace cami tank tops, gift certificate to panera and PF Changs, a candle, a book that I can't wait to read, some money, and my lovely husband got me a jaw bone blue tooth head set and another charm for my necklace. The charm has his name on it!  Great gifts!
We had so much fun with my Aunt and Uncle while they were here and I'm so happy that Tavian got to spend more time with them.  My Aunt Sarah is like a fill in Grandma but she hadn't seen Tavian since he was two weeks old.  She was loving it...as was he!!
Thank you all for the birthday wishes and for making me feel special.  Even if I forgot it was my birthday, it was nice to know my friends and family didn't! :)

Playing on the quilt that Aunt Sarah made for him!

Rocking like they did when he was just two weeks old

Most of the pictures were taken on my Aunt's camera...I wish I would have taken more on mine!