The one with Daddy's new job...

It's official, Josh is knees deep in his new job. This isn't just a new job, its a career change. He was offered a great opportunity with a new company, something completely out of his comfort zone and he took it!!!! So so so happy for him. He is always thinking of his family, always. While this job brings stress, it is nothing like the Siemens/ Evoqua stress. He can leave his work at work!!! YEA!!!! He now is a Regional Director at The CSI Companies. They are an IT recruiting/ staffing company. Josh is their new main squeeze, sales of course. Josh can sell ice to an eskimo. He is already making great headway and its only been a month. The best part about it, they are a young company and by young I mean everyone is 20-40 years of age, they are all into working out and a handful of our great friends work there. Needless to say he is loving. We all know grass isn't always greener on the other side, but Josh and I have done a lot of praying about his career path and God opened this door, so we all walked right on through. (P.S. I tried to take a picture of Josh on his first day of work, but he wouldn't let me!!! ha-ha!!)

So, with my long winded, Josh got a new job- you know what else he got??? As Cooper says, "My Daddy has the fastest TRUCK!" Yes sir, that's right, He finally got his Tundra Back! It's not the exact same (close enough!!) but just as nice, just as fast and he is just as in love! The first few nights of the Tundra sitting in the driveway, I'd walk around the house looking for Josh and by now I have caught on, If he isn't inside, he is in the drive way vacuuming, polishing, washing, shinning tires, you name it. The kids love it. Anytime we go anywhere as a family now, they want to ride in Daddy's truck. And you know what, I love it too! Something about a man in a truck, gotta love it.

Addison's birthday was a success. Her party was great. She got a ton of cute cute clothes (I need to find in my size) and toys as always, but her favorite thing was the chap-stick. Ha!!! So in the future, if you want to make Addie really really happy, give her chap-stick! And it just turns out that February 22, 2015 was a gorgeous day for the beach. So we packed up the kids (in the new truck of course) got their favorite- popcorn chicken from Publix, cookies and watermelon and enjoyed the warm sun for Addie's 2nd birthday... I couldn't ask for a better family to call mine!!!

LOVE!

The one where Princess Addison is TWO...

We have officially moved to the toddler stage. Miss Addison is in full force. She makes her own decisions, picks out her own clothes, eats like a big girl, loves jewelry and high heels and is truly daddy’s little girl. She adores him. They dance in the kitchen together when Daddy gest home from work. Daddy can do no wrong!! It’s so awesome to see her personality shine through. She has a heart of gold and always, always has a smile on her face. She’s into whatever Cooper is into, which involves stealing his dog and running, she loves being outside and playing on her swing set, she loves her books and her babies and of course her “TT” (or blankie) and she LOVES LOVES LOVES to eat. Some of her favorite foods are green peas, corn on the cob, cheese, black olives and anything daddy grills. Addison is super picky about the shoes she wears, so often times I put her in her socks and load her up in the car so when we get to where we are going she doesn’t have an option but to wear the shoes I picked. Oh lord, I see this as a preface for those teenage years.

We are working on potty training and taking it slow. She is now used to sitting on the toilet, several times a day. But she just hasn’t figured it out quite yet, but I need to spend more time with her. I need one naked weekend with her and she will pick it right up. She’s begun taking off her own diaper when she poops and handing it to me. Ya, that’s fun and not messy at all!

Addison, unlike her brother did, likes to throw mini tantrums when she doesn’t get her way. She’ll throw herself on the floor (usually it’s on the carpet!) and cry. Her favorite word is No, which is really her Yes! (We will work on that before she starts dating!) Her new favorite movie is Charlotte Web, which she calls Oink, very fitting if you ask me. Charlotte is too hard to say. Don’t worry, she is still obsessed with Frozen, but mommy needed a break from that on the TV. Her vocabulary is becoming quite large, still most words only a Mom can figure out. Her hugs are the best, when those little arms wrap around your neck and she squeezes, I’m in heaven. Oh these moments when she still wants to be rocked and read to will be cherished forever. I can’t believe she is already 2. No more babies in this house. But I am lovin every minute of it and I am so thankful to be able to stay at home with these kiddos.

Happy Birthday Sweet Addison, you are loved by so many!!

LOVE

The one with the Holiday Hustle….

I can’t believe how quickly this 2014 has come and gone. It’s 2015, really? We had a wonderful holiday season. We tried to slow life down and actually enjoy it. Instead of fighting the crowds and bringing 2 children in and out of every store, we decided to do much of our shopping on Amazon.com. This was amazing!! The kids got a great big gift. The whole family chipped in and we got Cooper and Addison a swing set for the backyard, guess where we got it??? Amazon! The catch there was Josh and his friend Tommy had to put it together….. and 8.5 hours later- you have a glorious playground that the kids LOVE. And the best part is, Cooper isn’t scared of swings anymore. Yay. In fact he likes to go high and fast! They both just love it.

 

We enrolled the kids in school, a wonderful well rounded Christian School, Mandarin Presbyterian! It’s a little bit further of a drive, but the school and tearchers are amazing. Both kids LOVED it. Cooper didn’t even want to go home. Cooper will actually begin VPK (voluntary pre kindergarten). Where did my baby boy go?? VPK is state funded and is FREE!!!!!! Woot woot. Thank you Florida. And Miss Addison will go Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Both go until noon. So it’s a great school geared towards stay at home mamas. What am I going to do for 4 hours alone? I may just sit in silence. LOL. Seriously, I’ll definitely be sad to send my babies off, but relieved for some solo grocery shopping.

 

Oh my gosh, with all the hustle, I almost forgot to mention the newest addition to the household! A kiki cat! His name is Miles ( or as Addison calls him, Mo Mo) - he’s fluffy and so sweet! We actually got him from Uncle Curt. He lets Cooper pick him up and carry him around, very mild mannered and friendly. I know some cats can be harsh, but we really lucked out!

 

Cooper and Addison are really growing to love one another. Not that they didn’t before, but now they play together, talk to one another, encourage one another and of course pick on one another. It makes my heart full to see them interact, they are best friends {most of the time} J They are on the same schedule now, which makes is SO much easier on me. They even wake up at the same time. The best is with both of them come in our bedroom in the morning to wake us up. They snuggle us and we watch cartoons. Now the king size bed is really paying off. I started working with Addison on potty training. Boy would this mama LOVE to be out of diapers. I know my bank account would love it too. She’s not scared of it, in fact loves to sit on it, so we have jumped that hurtle. Now the hard part…. Actually using the potty! Wish me luck. I hear girls are easier than boys, I’ll let you know!

 

LOVE

The one where my baby is 4...

Each birthday is bittersweet. This year was so much fun watching Cooper open his gifts with excitement. He did a little dance or “jig” with each gift he opened, I just couldn’t help but love it. I thought to myself wow, it gets better each year. His personality is blossoming, he’s wearing his “big boy” pants and he isn’t a toddler anymore. However, as we do each birthday, we reflect. I can’t help but get a little sad inside to know I practically blinked and BAM I have a four year old. At four, he is fully potty trained (night time too)… for any other mom reading this, potty training is probably one of the greatest accomplishments of the toddler years. Let’s see, at 4 we are also having conversations, even though we may be shy at times. He is a pretty good communicator; let’s face it- he’s male, so how really great do they get. Am I right? Cooper got a bike for his birthday so he will be learning to ride a bike. I know your probably thinking,  gee, kind of late right? Well what had happened was…. for his 3^rd birthday he got a dirt bike and learned to ride that. He has learned how to chop wood, count, swim, say the ABC’s, do puzzles, play games and tattle on his sissy. We are still working on the sharing part. He’s got some OCD in him too. He loves to organize, clean and make is bed. Every toy, book, shoe, train, animal etc has its own “spot”. He’s so much fun and his little laugh is contagious. He will ask for something and I say sure, here you go. And you know what his reply is? “Thanks Mom, you’re the best!”  He’s so sweet, a true blessing from God and I am proud to be his mommy!

He told me, Mom this is the best birthday! We took him camping and boy did he love it- ALL SMILES!

Happy Birthday Cooper

LOVE

The one where we are whole again…

It was a long journey but a journey we knew we were supposed to walk- for what reasons we aren’t quite sure of but being back together is such a blessing. Back together for all the holidays is the best. We are oddly getting back into the routine of things quickly. This mama is learning how to incorporate an adult back in the house, weird. LOL. I’m only kidding (kinda) it’s all been really great though. The kids are so excited to have Daddy home. In fact, so excited, that when Josh went to leave to run errands yesterday Cooper started crying. Luckily it was just a short trip, but that night while tucking Cooper in, he said “Daddy you scared me today.” How’s that Josh replied, and Cooper said, “I thought you were going to sleep at the airport again” So needless to say, Josh is NEVER allowed to leave anywhere, EVER. It was almost like we never missed a beat, but that’s how you know it’s all so true- true love, real family and true faith. The kids are back to clinging to him and he’s back piddling in the yard and most importantly cooking on the green egg again! The McCarty Party of 4 is back in action.

Our first baby turns 4 tomorrow, Cooper!! Where did the time go?! We’ve got a camping trip scheduled for Saturday. Cooper’s favorite thing to do is be outside, camping, eating boiled peanuts and making s’mores. So that’s what he will get… all his favorite stuff. Addie likes it too, mainly the digging in the dirt and eating the dirt part. So camping with her should be interesting. The last time we all went, she was actually all nuzzled up, cozy in my belly. We went a week before she was due, remember that!? Anyway, this has been a fun year. I think we are in the phase where Cooper replies “Why” to everything. I try so so so hard not to say because I said so (but sometimes I can’t find any other reason than that) Cooper is very sensitive, he gets really upset when you tell him no, but he is a great listener. He’s so smart, loves creating inventions, working with his tools and building things with Daddy. He’s a night owl like his Daddy too (I think both kids are). We found Cooper in his room watching TV at 1:30am the other night, wide awake. He’s pretty much out of the napping phase, some days he will sleep, most days no. He’s still a picky eater, but again, he gets it from his Daddy… what does he get from me your thinking? I like to think his good looks! J The other day I asked Cooper what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said, “I want to be like Daddy”. I asked, why and he said because he kills snakes and roaches. Ha-ha. Tough man!

We had a lot of fun on Halloween; we were all the Ninja turtles. Not only does Cooper love them, Josh does too. I guess we all kinda do. Addison loves trick-or-treating! She’s a pro at 1. Cooper did so much better this year. In the past years, he was very timid and shy. This year he went straight up to the house, knocked on the door! Previously he wouldn’t even get out of the wagon.  He’s still sporting his Rafael red eye mask. I think it’s his new accessory to life.

Happy Birthday to the boy that stole all our hearts. We love you Cooper!

LOVE

The one with the Disney Dream...

          

We went cruising with Mikey Mouse and Minnie Mouse the weekend of my birthday. It was a nice “dream” from reality that’s for sure. Granna, my mom, went with me and the kids. Thank goodness. She kept my sanity. We also went with one of our favorite families, The Furukawas! We are all close and the kids love each other. The cruise was fun... the characters walked around the boat, the play rooms were so cute and so much fun, the splash park on the boat was a hit, but what toped it all was Disney’s private island, Castway Cay. The cruise went to Nassau, Bahama…. GROSS is really the only word to describe it, ok, that and annoying… all the chicks in the straw market basically harass you to buy their junk or “Pretty girl, let me braid your hair!” UHHHH no THANKS. The kids were in the kid care on the ship while we went “exploring” Nassau and by exploring I mean we tried out the local beer at Senor Frogs- that was about it. Cooper was a little under the weather so he didn’t enjoy being in the play room. Addison and Cooper had to be split up since she is still in diapers and considered a baby. Castaway Cay, however, was a big hit, for the kids AND adults. Cooper was scared of the characters, Addison of course was not. Us adults moved our beach chairs to the waterline and chilled out while the kids played in the knee deep ocean. We didn’t have beach toys, but we did have empty (plastic) beer bottles they loved filling up with water. Parents of the year! The Island was so relaxing and peaceful and our boat was the only one at port. They only have one cruise at a time, so it wasn’t crowded. Overall it was a dream, being on the open waters is breathtaking. BUT (there is always a BUT) I think the kids would benefit a little more from it in a few years, when they can appreciate a family vacation.

Speaking of “baby”, I can’t use that word to accurately describe Addison anymore. It was 2 weeks ago I said, I’m keeping her in the crib as along as I can. And you know what? Miss priss, the fearless wild child climbs out! I couldn’t keep her in a nap time. She is only 19 months a fearless 19 months. Just like her daddy. So, Addison is now in a toddler bed and actually doing great. The first day of course was difficult to get her to lay down because she was so excited, I mean so excited. But literally within 4-5 days, she knows to stay in her room and lay down. She is a smart 19 months and I have to give Cooper credit.  He’s such a good big brother and leader for her. He shows her how to do things like brush her teeth and ride the four-wheeler. She’s going to be one cute tomboy in her dresses and bows. She loves anything Cooper is doing, so racing cars, playing baseball, soccer, Frisbee and she is too cute doing it! It’s a good thing Cooper is the calm, usually reasonable one, he can take care of her in high school!!

Well its officially “fall” the pool is down into the 70’s!!! WAAAAAAAAYYY too cold for me! Addison did get in for a swim the other morning, PJ’s and all.

Happy fall y’all

LOVE