currently #5

go link up with Harvesting Kale & Ot & Et!

THIS WEEK'S THEMES: Capturing, Releasing, Sending, Mending, Recommending

Elliot and Emmett are currently...

Capturing pictures on their fisher price play camera. Whenever Elliot fishes his toy camera out of the bottom of the toybox, he always knows just what to do- he follows his baby brother around while looking through the viewfinder, then when the time is right, he pushes the shutter button and with a "BOING!" Then he sometimes looks up at me, smiles and says, "cute!"

Releasing fuzzy caterpillars, spindly spiders, and shiny beatles back into the wild. One of Elliot's favorite things to do now, thanks to my husband, is to go "bug hunting." He is very careful with his little friends, unlike some of his friends at the playground, and he is always sure to set them back into the grass or on a tree with a little "Bye bye, buggy!"

Mending any "boo boos" that Mama or Daddy get with sweet little toddler kisses.


I am currently...

Capturing crappy iPhone pictures instead of using my nice DSLR, like I should be. I've been a bit lazy lately, which makes me sad because I know each time that I don't get out my camera are more memories lost. I've been wanting to start a 365 project- I should probably get on that. I need some motivation!

Sending good vibes out into the universe to all those looking to buy/rent a new house. I keep hoping that the good karma will come back to us and we'll finally settle upon our dream house/location in Costa Rica. Right now we're so undecided that we actually have TOO MANY choices. How is that even possible?

Recommending a glass of wine... or three, for myself. Seriously people, Emmett has had a fever for probably 16 days so far this month, and I've about had it. I don't know what is making him so sick (and neither do his doctors, apparently) but I'm beyond ready to have my baby 100% healthy and happy again.

enjoying our last Texas summer... our summer bucket list

Although the first day of summer isn't technically until Friday, somebody must have forgotten to tell our weatherman because we have been sizzling here in Texas!

Thinking about this beautiful weather made me realize that we've been focusing so much on our move to Costa Rica that I've almost been wishing our last few months here in Texas away! That's a shame, because we have truly enjoyed living here. The weather is great, and the people are almost as warm and inviting... which isn't the case in midwest. If we were to settle down in the US, we'd probably buy a house somewhere right here in the Lonestar State. It's bright and sunny here nearly every day- that's something I'll miss once we move to Costa Rica- particularly during the rainy season! 

There are so many neat places to explore and things to do right here in Texas. I've been wanting to get out and see more of the state- well, no better time than now! We will probably be moving away in September, so I figured we had better make the most out of our last summer here. And that led me to create... our summer bucket list!

I really hope we manage to do everything on the list above. There were even more interesting things we've been wanting to check out, but I wanted to keep the bucket list small so we could realistically complete it. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures and blog about it :) If you're ever in Texas, email me! I have bookmarked all kinds of fun ideas, especially for families with small children.

father's day 2013: a look back

Wishing my husband a very HAPPY Father's Day ♥ Without him, I wouldn't have my perfect, beautiful children. He has been a wonderful father over the years, first to one and now two little boys. I thought it would be fun to take a little look back. Enjoy! :)

January 2011- Aaron & Elliot in the NICU (Elliot 4 weeks old)

January 2011- Aaron & Elliot in the NICU again (Elliot 5 weeks old)

July 2011, the day after Aaron came home from Korea (Elliot 7 months)

July 2011 (Elliot 7 months)

October 2011 (Elliot 9 months)

October 2011 (Elliot 10 months)

October 2011 (Elliot 10 months)

January 2012 (Elliot 13 months)

March 2012 (Elliot 13 months)

March 2012 (Elliot 14 months)

March 2012 (Elliot 14 months)

April 2012 (Elliot 16 months)

May 2012 (Elliot 16 months)

May 2012- first time holding baby Emmett

May 2012- Big brother meeting baby brother (Emmett 2 days old, Elliot 16 months)

August 2012 (Emmett 3 months)

August 2012 (Emmett 3 months)

October 2012 (Emmett 5.5 months)

February 2013 (Elliot 25 months)

March 2013 (Emmett 10 months)

March 2013 (Elliot 27 months, Emmett 10 months)

April 2013 (Elliot 27 months, Emmett 11 months)

April 2013 (Emmett 11 months)

May 2013 (Elliot 29 months, Emmett 12 months)

May 2013 (Elliot 29 months, Emmett 12 months)

weekly menu plan + a recipe

Monday: turkey tacos*
Tuesday: squash, zucchini, & broccoli stir fry* (vegetarian)
Wednesday: chicken salads*
Thursday: spinach & artichoke grilled cheese (vegetarian)
Friday: black bean, corn, & rice burritos w/ avocado cream sauce (vegetarian)
Saturday: baked chicken & spinach flautas
Sunday: smoked mozzarella and asparagus pizza (vegetarian)
{this week's recipes found at Healthy Delicious}
* = my own recipe

Goal & Focus this week: cheap meals, using things we already have in our pantry

Favorite meal from last week: skinny superfood soup. This soup is full of good vitamins and nutrients and was hearty and filling. We all loved it! It made a lot- enough for everyone to have a large bowl (and seconds) plus we had a ton of leftovers.

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup frozen green beans
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups vegetable juice (I used one can of V8)
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
dash of black pepper
some cumin & chili powder

Instructions:
- combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until veggies are tender. That's it! Easy peasy!

Note: this is supposed to be a Sunday post, buuuut Emmett has been sick for 12 days now with a persistent fever (anywhere from 100-104.5) and horrible diarrhea, so I haven't been able to blog much. We've managed to keep the fever down with meds but it comes back as soon as they wear off. Last night was the first good night's sleep I've gotten in two weeks (he only woke up once!). I've been exhausted! Let's hope and pray that's a sign he's finally on the mend!

fab friday

What's fab in our lives lately:
Getting outside: Summer has officially hit central Texas. And it's the sweet part of summer, where it's only in the 80's and 90's so it's more enjoyable being outside. Soon enough, it'll be 100+ every day, and although we will still likely be heading outside each and every day (Elliot would have it no other way) this mama will be HOT! We've been enjoying the pools (although the chlorine hurts Emmett's sore bottom) and yesterday we went outside and Elliot had a BLAST coloring the sidewalks with chalk. I will probably bombard you with more chalk pictures another day, too cute not to share!

 

dieting = weightloss: We weigh in every Friday. In 3.5 weeks, Aaron has lost 7 lbs & I've lost 6.6. That's pretty impressive, if you ask me, especially since all we've really been doing is cutting down on our snacking (particularly at night, for me) and I've been cooking healthier dinners and lunches. I haven't even been able to start Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 like I'd planned for June, because of Emmett being sick. I still want to start it- hopefully he feels better soon!
Fun photoshoots: This week I had a blast photographing a tiny newborn and a couple who are expecting their first little one. Two pictures from their shoots are below. Feel free to check out my facebook page to see more :)

I think that's about all for this week. Go link up with Laura at The Everyday Joys. I was sad to read that this will be the last Fab Friday link up :( I've been participating sporadically for a long time. See my very first Fab Friday post (from 2011) here.

currently #4

Go link up with Harvesting Kale & Ot & Et!

THIS WEEK'S THEMES: Coveting, Imagining, Asking, Saving, Fearing

Elliot and Emmett are currently...

Coveting his rubber ducky collection- Elliot is, anyways. He insists on taking his rubber duckies (usually in a bucket or basket) everywhere we go.

Imagining that he's a dragon. He yells, "Giant Dragon! RAWWWWRRR!" Multiple times a day now. It's pretty funny- except when it scares Emmett.

Asking for "more snackys" "more snackys cheeeeeeeese" (that's how he says please). The kid is always eating, but somehow isn't gaining any weight. I guess he got his mama's metabolism? Emmett has also now mastered how to ask for "more" food. But if he's thirsty it's a different ball game. If he sees a cup that's out of reach, and he's thirsty, he proceeds to FLIP OUT until it is retrieved for him. He has two levels of thirst- 1. I'm not thirsty at all, and 2. GIVE ME WATER BEFORE I DIE!

Fearing his new speech therapist. Elliot's beloved speech therapist has been replaced by a younger (fresh out of college) woman, and Elliot spends at least the first fifteen minutes of every therapy session hiding on the couch under his blankets. I can't figure out why- she's really quite nice.

  

Elliot and his duckies (crappy instagram pictures, sorry)

I am currently...

Imagining how blissful our life will be once we finally leave the states and arrive in Costa Rica! I really can't wait. I know you're not supposed to wish your life away... but really, I've never anticipated something  so much in my life. I just cannot WAIT to finally start living our life there. (ps: we are also discussing possible plans of having baby #3 in Costa Rica. Maybe a home birth? Shhh.)

Asking myself how I am ever going to weed through all of the boys clothes, and toys, and (in Elliot's case) blankets to decide what we will/will not bring to Costa Rica. We are going to be limited to probably about 6 suitcases... and I expect four of them to be for them. They have A LOT of stuff. I'm nostalgically attached to many of their things, so it's going to be sad to sell/give away what we can't take. Sigh. Small sacrifices, right?

Saving every extra penny for our upcoming move.

Fearing the unknown, a little. I wouldn't be human if I didn't, right? I'm always worrying that something will go wrong.... like we'll really struggle with the language barrier, or we'll end up lost somewhere on the side of the road, or what if we get there and absolutely hate it? That's highly unlikely, but you never know! Most of the time, I'm filled with anticipation and excitement, and thinking positively. It's only every once in awhile that my mind wanders to the "what ifs". Then I remember that God has a plan!

can we just be in Costa Rica already?

Yesterday, Aaron found our dream home in Costa Rica. I've never seen him light up so much while talking about a potential house in my life. It's actually not the house itself that we're so excited about, although it meets (and exceeds) all of our criteria- it has three bedrooms, each with a balcony, and two bathrooms... with a stone shower and a jacuzzi tub! It's what lies outside that's so exciting. The house sits right on a river and is surrounded by lush, tropical vegetation. All kinds of fruit trees and gardens fill the property. Seriously, guys, you've never seen so much green in your life!

I can just imagine going on long walks, picking fresh fruits from fruit trees along the way. What little boy wouldn't rather learn to swim in a refreshing river than a chlorinated pool? I can already see Elliot throwing a tennis ball and watching our dog chase it and disappear briefly into the jungle of green. After a day of learning and exploring, once the boys were tucked into their beds, Aaron and I would sit on the balcony, drinking te caliente and making plans for the next day, while nature hummed in the background. Or, I could escape for a bit and catch up on my reading in the jacuzzi tub. Doesn't that sound so blissful? All this for only $500/month! Crazy, right?

It's not the exact area we have been looking in- the house is near the small, quiet mountain village of San Gerardo de Rivas, which borders a nature reserve. Although my husband would probably love living in the middle of nowhere, I'd be more comfortable a bit closer to a larger town with shopping and restaurants and the amenities... but we could make it work.

This is just one of many houses we have fallen in love with in Costa Rica. It still amazes me that in just a few months, we will be living a life we've always dreamed about! Now, if only the VA/Army could pick up the pace a little... all this waiting and wondering is aggravating.

for now, we'll just pretend this is Elliot exploring the rainforest instead of our apartment complex, okay? ;)