Big Bear Day Trip

My sister, whom I lovingly refer to as Seester, & I have both had some major changes going on in our lives the past few months. She had a baby boy; MY FIRST EVER NEPHEW!!! She quit her job as a police officer shortly after because her husband is a US Marine & was stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA. She moved to the Two-Nine about a week before I moved here to Lucerne Valley. The great part about this? SHE LIVES ONLY AN HOUR AWAY! Holler at yo' sis.

She & her husband have been taking time to get to know California with day trips to fun places like Los Angeles to see the Chinese Theater & Roosevelt Hotel...& they came to Big Bear, which is just a ten to fifteen minute drive from where I now live. Naturally, I wanted to show her around Big Bear, so we made a day trip of it.

Guys? I have a serious love affair with Big Bear. If I could live anywhere in the world & Oscoda wasn't an option...because DUH, Oscoda is the best place ever in the world....my second choice would for sure be Big Bear.

It's a small town without being too small. You still get a lot of the amenities of a city, but not overdone. You get the mountains, the glorious lake, tree covered hills & a spunky little, "downtown," with fun shops that welcome pets & you get the best of all four seasons.

Seester & Keith fell in love with Big Bear, too. Keith & J checked out pricing to rent a fishing boat. We may even rent a cabin up there for Christmas!!!

Collin likes Big Bear, too. He can just run free & be a kid. Whenever we go, we usually let him pick any one item he wants from the chocolate shop or candy store. This day, he got super lucky because we hit up both stores & he got to pick something from each. A toy race car filled with little candy race cars from the candy shop & a piece of white chocolate M&M bark from the chocolate shop. Dude was in Heaven.

If you've never been to Big Bear, I definitely recommend going.

Picky Eaters, I Have One

Collin is seriously the pickiest eater on the planet. What's super off-putting about that is that I always cook wholesome, nutritious meals for him & always have. I don't know if it's Mother Nature's payback for me being so picky with my Mom or if it's just that he has had one too many happy meals in his lifetime, but can a Mama catch a break?!?!

Little homie will declare, "Dat's YUCKY!!" at every dinner. And then I have to practically force feed him a taste. Sometimes he will *GASP* enjoy the food I put on his plate & then promptly scarf it down & ask for more. Other times he won't like it & I'll explain, "You don't have to eat it all, but just a little bit. This is all Mama is making tonight & I don't want you to be hungries later." 

I don't want to bargain with him all the time, "One more bite & you can go play." And I don't want him thinking he can just say he doesn't like something so he can get down & go play. But I also don't want to FORCE feed him food if he genuinely hates it. And I also don't want to just make turkey meatloaf or pork chops or, "trees," (broccoli) every single night because I know he will eat them.

We have tried a few different approaches. The other night, we decided to let Collin help make dinner & add the seasonings to our chicken & help put the potatoes in the pan, etc. I thought that maybe if he helped, he would want to eat his creation. But no such luck. We have tried the Small Potatoes song when he has potatoes. Dude don't even care. 

What have you Mama's done? Can anyone offer up some advice on how I can get Collin to eat & try food before immediately declaring it yucky? Does it get better? Am I doomed to turkey meatloaf (recipe coming to the blog soon) & pork chop dinners for the rest of my life? Hold me.

Things & People I'm Loving

My friend & fellow blogger, Chelsea, is an amazing graphic artist. Recently, she posted a free print on her blog, Tequila Disposition. I hope she does more of these. I love her work & she is super fun, too.

Kiranda recently experienced a hilarious & unfortunate part of motherhood. Trust me, you WANT to see this picture.

Veronika is doing an awesome Sun Kissed Doll giveaway on her blog. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wanted to win especially for the diamond candle that is included.

Speaking of Diamond Candles, have you seen these things? Super cool idea & I definitely would love to see how they smell. I'm a huge candle person.

Collin is really digging on the, "I Like to Eat Apples & Bananas," song right now. He sings it a lot when he is playing.



Speaking of songs, has anyone seen Small Potatoes on Disney Junior? Dude, weird. But the theme song has been stuck in my head for weeks. And Collin is so cute when he sings it. "Mall tatos, mall tatos!!!"



What are your favorite things lately? What about your kids? Anything I could show to Collin?

It's a.... (GENDER REVEAL)

I know I've been pretty absent on my ol' blog as of late, but that's just because in amidst of moving & unpacking, we have had the girls here visiting & our lives & house has just been chaos. The girls went back to their Mommy's for school today, so now I feel like we can finally start settling in, creating a routine & I CAN HAZ BLOGGING AGAIN!!! In the meantime, I update frequently on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.

Unfortunately, Aiden was with his Mama when we did this little shoot, so he didn't get to be a part of it, but he was in our hearts & minds as we got silly with the camera. Also, excuse miss MJ's chonie peepage. Homegirl was too excited for her own good.

That's right, a girl. Collin & Aiden are gonna be in for a rude awakening with all the pink & ruffles & glitter that are about to make an appearance in this house. This place is gonna scream, "Hey, we're having a girl & we're gonna vomit pink all over this house in celebration!!!"

Collin Has an Announcement

I am sure you all have questions. I know I did. This baby was a completely unexpected surprise. It has been a crazy & rough month since finding out. Emotionally & mentally, I have been so drained & worried about everything. My family, what it means for J & I, what it means for Collin, my health. Pregnancy, for me, is not as simple as carrying a baby for nine months. No, for me it means a cerclage, numerous ultrasounds & perinatologist visits, daily Lovenox (blood thinner) injections & weekly progesterone injections. All to keep baby safe & sound inside my belly until it's time to come out. For those who are concerned or curious as to why my pregnancy requires so much intervention, you can read my son Liam's story here.

My pregnancy with Collin was difficult physically & hard on me emotionally. I knew once I saw the, "pregnant," sign flash in my face that this pregnancy would be the same. And this time I was in a completely different place in my personal life. J & I are not married, we live in different states & we both have children from previous relationships. But once I got over the shock & the disappointment in myself & J, I realized how much more love is in my life this time. Collin has been the sweetest big brother already. Clutching his, "baybee pitcher," all the time & taking it everywhere (ultrasounds photo). Exclaiming, "Oh! Baby sewwwww choot!!" whenever anyone will listen. J has been my rock & completely unwavering & supportive. Driving from California to Nevada for every appointment & kissing my tummy reassuringly when we are together. The girls are thrilled & Aiden, well, Aiden is too young to get it yet. There is so much love & support that I can't help but feel like everything will be okay.

J & I have decided to take this on together & move our families in together to create one big, crazy, blended family in J's house in Lucerne Valley, California. We are scared, yes, but happy. I knew shortly after I met J that I would be with him for the rest of my life & I knew I would want children in the future with him. It's happened sooner than I originally planned, but I firmly believe that we are given what God thinks we can handle. I trust Him & His plan for us & I know He has a plan for this child & our family. We both know things are going to be hard. So hard, but we also believe we can conquer whatever is thrown our way.

Collin's Dad & I have been communicating & problem solving through all of this amazingly well. He wasn't excited about the move, of course, but he was wonderful about us working together to create a new schedule for us that would benefit Collin & ensure he got time with his Daddy & Mama & new sibling. I am thankful that Greg & I have maintained a relationship where we can communicate & work together keeping Collin's best interests at heart. It's the hardest thing in the world separating from someone who you created a life with & even harder when that other person is combative or volatile (much like what J & I are struggling with on his end of things), so I am grateful that Greg & I never lose sight of what's important. Collin. And that we have come to an agreement on everything concerning Collin outside of a court room. Because really? No one loves or cares for Collin as much as we do; most certainly not a judge or lawyer whom has never soothed Collin during a long night with a fever,  held him while he blew out his birthday candles or kissed an owie. This is why we have always made sure our efforts stay between us. Even when we disagree, we are committed to finding a solution together. I have much love for the father of my baby boy.

As you have probably gathered, this has been the cause for my Internetland absence as of late. This baby? Is kicking my rear end. Hard. Name the pregnancy symptom, I have it. Severe nausea & dry heaves, fatigue, sore boobs, food aversions, smell aversions, dry skin, acne like whoa, mood swings, nails that grow like they're on steroids, leg hair that rivals a Yeti & emotional outbursts. Oh & PS, my brother in law will be so thrilled that my chin hair has made a reappearance & the encore is no joke.  But, I'm cool. Totally cool. In an OMGISTHATABEARDIMGROWING sort of way.

I am nearing the end of my first trimester & praying to the pregnancy Gods that all of this sickness will disappear with those first weeks. Because sister ain't doing nine months of hairy legged dry heaves.

Of course J & I will be creating some type of pregnancy series, so check back for updates & all the lovely details of my high risk pregnancy. Mmmmm, belly bruises from Lovenox. I bet you can't wait.

For now, we are taking things one day at a time...& today? Today calls for animal fries from In N Out.