Hedwig

M loves, loves, loves owls so for Halloween this year he was an owl. :) Because I made the costume I decided to try to make him look like Hedwig. :) I love the way the costume came out...only downfall was that his wings were fairly heavy and kept pulling the neck of his shirt. We finally realized that if we pinned the wings on differently it worked better!!

We didn't actually trick or treat with M because of his allergies. Thankfully he had no clue that he was missing out on something. We had a neighborhood party in our cul-de-sac and M helped pass out the treats to the kids (non-food treats...we participated in the teal pumpkin project again this year!). Until the rain started it was a great night! The rain only dampened the night momentarily...a fun time was had by all!

Today

October 15th...I wish I had the right words to use to describe how today makes me feel. I still have a hard time knowing that we lost Fred on this day three years ago. I was just reading through the posts from that time and it amazes me how the sadness comes right back. Yet, it also amazes me how much support I still feel from all of you when I read those comments. I don't think I'll ever find the right words to let y'all know how very much you mean to me!

I remember having my youngest brother tell me after one of the losses that someday it will all be behind us. That we will get to the other side. I am on the other side now and yet none of that is behind me. It's not in the forefront of my mind, but I don't think it will ever truly be "behind" me. It's a part of me...it's part of the reason I am who I am today. I don't think I would have ever known how much inner strength I possess if I didn't go through the losses.

Today I spend the day thinking of what could have been and what is. I am still in awe that I defied the odds of less 1%  chance of a natural pregnancy. M truly is our Miracle Man!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

I am so confused on what day it is...I was ready to type up a Microblog Monday post!
My in-laws were in town until yesterday to help us celebrate M's 2nd birthday. I promise a real post on that tomorrow. Today I leave you with a family picture from his party. SO much fun!

Almost there

I cannot believe that our little man is going to be 2 on Friday!! Where has the time gone?!? We have been testing recipes for his birthday party. I want to be sure that all of the food at his party is safe for him. Baking recipes that are wheat, dairy, oat, egg, and soy free is a challenge, but we are up for it! One day last week I wanted to make muffins during naptime but he woke up early SO M helped me make muffins. Oh my gosh...it was seriously one of my favorite moments with him.

Helping to peel the bananas

Mashing the bananas...dinosaurs were helping :)

M did great stirring the batter!

This is the face he wants to make when he wants a taste of something.

Please just one taste!

Hmm...maybe I shouldn't have tasted the batter!

Testing the muffins...Garnett is ready if M does not like them. M thought they were okay...we are trying the next batch soon.

Yesterday I tested another recipe for chocolate chip cookies...a little greasy but a lot better than the ones I made last week!

This is from today...trying one of the chocolate chip cookies we made yesterday. He is not a big fan of the chocolate chips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random Update from Our End of the World

I feel like I am never here anymore so anytime I update it's pretty random. :) Going to try to do better for y'all! So here's an update bullet style.

• We were away for another three weeks...this time we went to Nova Scotia for a week for a friends wedding and then to MA for two weeks to see family. After three weeks away we were more than ready to come home. It was not easy moving all around for three weeks rather than staying put like we do in Belize. :)
• I forgot how rude people in the Northeast can be...twice we received attitude when we asked for a highchair to be wiped down for M. We explained it was due to his allergies.  The first time I was sure to fill out the customer survey...surprise I have not received a response to that one. The second time we left the "restaurant"...it was D'Angelo's.
• I saw one of my brothers while we were  home...really hoping we can repair some of the damage done after the huge fallout. It was a lot of fun to watch M play with his cousins.
• M is talking more and more now...we don't have a lot of full words yet but we know what he is saying and he is babbling a lot! I can't wait for the real words to come out.
• We are starting to plan his 2 year old party...how is that even possible?!?! I am really hoping to keep it low key. He obsessed with owls, bridges and balls...I think we'll go for the owl theme. :)
• M is doing pretty well with his allergies...no major breakouts, so that is great! He seems to enjoy corn...prefers corn from the farm or farmers market over the grocery store. Can't say that I blame him! We really need to work on introducing more veggies into his diet...he really doesn't get enough.
• We had one allergy scare in Nova Scotia when M decided to suck on the cover of the borrowed high chair. His face immediately broke out and don't you know it was one of the very few times I left the house without antihistamine in my bag. We made a beeline for our room and the Clar.itin! Happy to report that he was just fine. :)
• All-in-all it's been a great summer...can't believe it's just about over. Thankfully, by being away for most of August it looks like we missed the days where it hit 100 or more in San Antonio! We haven't seen 100 since we've been back. Yahoo!!

I leave you with an abundance of pictures. :)

Low tide - we were in Freeport, which is part of the Bay of Fundy, with the huge differential in low and high tide.

High tide

M LOVED playing outside. :)

Exploring with Daddy during low tide.

Arts and crafts with Grammie. I loved watching M with my Mom...made my heart melt. :)

Another beach to explore!

One of my most favorite statues in Newburyport...a tribute to lost fishermen.
 

Early morning beach time...still in his pjs! He was up at 5:30 on this day!

So excited for his new Belize hat that his auntie mailed him!

Just as excited for his new owl shirt from Grammie!

Had to Share

When we were in Belize this past spring we had a photo session with our most favorite photographers. They are the same couple that shot our wedding and they do amazing work. Recently they included us as part of their blog. So, I thought I would share it with y'all!

https://conchcreative.wordpress.com/2015/07/14/first-comes-love-then-comes-marriage-then-comes-cuteness-overload-in-the-baby-carriage-belize-photography/

Our Weekend in Pictures

We had a great long weekend together...we spent time being productive and time relaxing. I am going to let the pictures do most of the storytelling. :)

This is the look I received when I asked M to look at me and say "Cheese" :) He melts my heart!!

M tried Rudy's brisket for the first time on Friday! He's a fan :)

Pressure washing the courtyard was a family effort :) M actually had a lot of fun and lasted an hour on my back!

 
 

We decided to have breakfast outside after we put in the effort to clean the courtyard. :)
I found an M-safe recipe for blueberry muffins...he kind of liked them. Mom and Dad only "kind of" liked them as well. Next time I'll use his GF all purpose flour instead of rice flour.

"Cheese"

(Yes, M desperately  needs another haircut!)

 

We spent our 4th of July at Aquatica - the water park at Sea World...it was so busy there, but we had a fantastic time! M was hit twice by another toddler girl, but was clueless about the whole thing. I have to admit my jaw dropped when she smacked him in the head while getting out of the pool. Thank goodness for his big hat...he never saw it happen, and if he felt it, he never reacted.

 

Ready to go cheer on USA for the World Cup, but it was not meant to be. The restaurant/bar we went to is an official soccer bar, so it was PACKED. M HATED the noise after the National Anthem and completely lost it at the first goal. We took turns being outside with him until we could get the bill paid. I felt so bad for him.

All in all, it was a great weekend...looking forward to another good weekend coming up...we are headed to Austin for J's birthday. :)