MIA: the poags

it feels like i haven't blogged in FOREVER! but believe me, it's not for lack of things going on over here! 

we visited OBX from 08/30-9/6 which was a blast! i had both my mom and MIL with us - as well as most of my best friends - so it was an adventure, to say the least! our house was huge but filled with 14 adults, 8 kids and 1 dog! to say it was a vacation is funny - it was more hectic than a normal day at home. but it was SO worth it. my kids had a blast and the memories we all made will last forever!

once we got back - things shifted into full swing over here. 
kullen back to school, rhys starting soccer, BEAR WALKING, adam softball twice a week PLUS hunting - it's crazy! 
i need a vacation thinking about these next few weeks ;)

i know it's temporary but not having my husband home 4-5 nights a week is going to REALLY take a toll on me. wrangling these kids solo is hard work (rub a dub dub, three crazy poags in a tub ... ).
but - check out the monster hubby is hunting. i'm praying he gets him - plus 10 other does this season!! 

we also have a special event on friday - the boys are going to FLIP. stay tuned for more on that! ;)

and saturday we are celebrating Mr. Rhys turning THREE. it's so hard for me to believe that he's going to be three. most people think he's already three (or even four) but to me, he's still the little monster baby he's always been. i'm starting to feel old over here!

speaking of - in addition to rhys' and bears birthdays - i'm also planning my 30th celebration! Luckily, my BFFs are helping out big time and i know it's going to be the best birthday bash ever! ;) 

thangs

guess who was up at 5:30 this morning? yep, this girl. wide.freakin.awake. UGH. i decided to get up and enjoy some HOT coffee while catching up on blogs and finalllllly going through my gmail inbox. 
unfortunately, kullen was awake about 45 minutes into my peace and quiet but awoke hungry so contently sat in his high chair eating breakfast while watching gnomeo & juliet! rhys woke up just before 7am.
so, now i'm sitting here attempting to blog with two awake kids - nearly impossible, hence my serious lack of blogging lately.


kullen is obsessed with 'boogers'. he started sticking his finger in his nose, which of course prompted laughter from me & adam. then he wouldn't stop. he actually got a little sore in his nose from 'picking' it so often. i would always ask him if he had boogers and if that is why he had his finger in there. i think he finally figured the concept because he's constantly attempting to pick rhys' nose because he has boogers. so, moral of the story is - make sure your nose is clean before coming around kullen, he'll throw you [and your boogers] under the table real quick!


sunday will be my two year blog-iversary. crazy, right? i was thinking how much i wish that i used this blog as a 'kid-diary' when kullen was younger. i wish i could look back and compare him and rhys - like eating/sleeping schedules. it seems so long ago and i can't remember what kullen ate or even did at 5 months.  
my first blog was about kullen eating a girl scout cookie. bahaha ;)


speaking of rhys and eating .. he's doing big things lately. eating like 2-3oz of baby food at a time. for breakfast, he will usually have banana's, pears or apples - or a mix of them - with bit of oatmeal. for lunch - sweet potatoes and applesauce. dinner is sweet potatoes and rice cereal. we'll be trying carrots next week! i think he will like them. after that, probably moving into green veggies. looking forward to that poop - NOT! ;]


kullen is still doing amazing with the potty. safe to say he's 100% potty trained. we've gone out for entire days in undies and he hasn't had an accident. [don't worry, i know it's still going to happen here and there but overall - i'm one proud mama here]


but oh, kullen, he is quite the extrovert. don't get me wrong, he plays well by himself but when he's around others, he gets so full of life he can barely handle it. i've talked about our playdates before but sometimes i get really stressed. most of the kids are very well behaved and not that kullen ISN'T [or is, either ...] but every kid has their moment. and kullen's moments seem to always be brought to center attention. for instance: kids are kids. they shove and rough house. if someone bumps kullen, he doesn't think they're being mean, he thinks they're playing and most likely will do it back to them [while laughing]. there is no malicious intent behind it but more often than not, the kid comes crying to his mom or will come tell me what kullen did. i don't ever know what to do. how can i punish my kid when he didn't mean ill will? i know it comes from him and adam rough housing. i try to tell kullen that not everyone wants to play like that and i know as he gets older, he will understand more but right now i don't think he does. 
the funniest thing to me [which really, i guess, isn't that funny] is when a much older kid comes and tells me that kullen pushed him. i guess they're doing as they've been told by their parent but i always want to say "really, you're letting a two and a half year old bully you?". but my usual response is 'i'm sorry .. i'll go talk to him' ... i mean, what else can i do?
i guess i'm lucky to have friends that understand/look past/just talk about it behind my back [hehe kidding] and still invite me to play dates. 


i'm hoping the CLA  that i ordered from amazon will be here this weekend so i can start my diet/exercise on monday! i received my raspberry ketones this week and have begun taking those along with still eating my dr. oz breakfast. monday, i intend on getting up before the kids do and trying to get at least 30 minutes of cardio in. i need to lose this post-baby flab before florida in june! 


for those who don't follow me on instagram [find me: kaleysalene] - we got a new car!! we traded in both our small cars for our dreammmmm carrrrr: 2012 chevy traverse! it's not the fully loaded but it's got everything we wanted and more! wanted: third row and DVD system. more: two sun roofs, back up camera [ok, maybe needed that, haha!], heated seats, remote start!
isn't she beautiful! :)

also - i've been a total iphone slacker lately because she's broken. i mean, she still works, but my screen is completely cracked. i can't use the front camera anymore [tear] and everything is just hard to see with cracks all over your screen. case in point: GET A CASE FOR YOUR PHONE.
i'm hoping to get it fixed soon but need to go to an apple store in hopes to get a free replacement and we don't have a apple store anywhere close. gr. 


speaking of instagram - how awesome is THIS. thanks tidy mom! $31.00 to have your instagram pictures turned into a giant photo collage? LOVE!


also, in case you missed it, my BFF made a huge announcement over at her blog. CHECK IT OUT!


i'm currently reading the third book of The Hunger Games series - Mockingjay. i'm not very far into it - not sure if i'm putting off reading because i don't want them to end or because i'm afraid to know what happens. either way, the series so far, has been amazing!
i'm going to the midnight premier with some of my loves and cannot waiiiiiiiit. team peeta or team gale? i guess i shouldn't even say that until i know how Mockingjay ends - they could all die. haha ;]
follow me on goodreads! 


hope everyone has a great weekend! :) i'll be seeing some [oldies but goodies] friends this weekend! :) dinner party on saturday and baby shower on sunday! woohoo!
we're also trying out the 'big kid' class of mygym on saturday with kullen. fingers crossed!

week recap and friday loves!

this week has been SUPER busy! i have literally had plans every.single.night! 

we went on our hospital tour monday evening!

as if i wasn't anxious enough

being in the hospital and l&d made it even more real!

i am loving that i only have [roughly] 5 weeks left of this pregnancy

and until i can squeeze my little baby rhys face! :)

tuesday - i had an eye appt and left with only a slightly worse 'script

that, i am lovin!

and that i will be getting 2 new pair of glasses!

brown and purple :)

of course, my current black frames are still decent so they will still be used

wednesday evening, we had maternity pictures done. 

oh. my. gosh.

i have only seen a few but i am in love.

jessica is seriously amazing. 

i cannot find words to even describe, haha!

too bad you all aren't in the MD area and can get her to take your pictures! ;]

here is a sneak peak:

i have gotten SO many compliments on this picture!

these are definitely the highlight of my week! :)

[ps: you may be able to get another sneak peek here!]

and thursday, i had a baby appointment!  :)

i love hearing his little heartbeat every 2 weeks!

& everything is going great.

my doctor is trying to urge me to get an epidural, haha! it makes me laugh!

before i left, i scheduled the last of my appointments! only 4 more to go! EK!

a little later that evening

i went over to my friends house for a little girl talk! 

we made [and indulged] in lots of food and drink :)

it was nice to be among girls and have adult conversations 

without the most terrible of two year olds screaming at me every two seconds! ;]

[just kidding: i missed him for real!]

so that was my week recap and thing's i hearted about each day!

now to the REAL friday loves ;)

I AM LOVIN':

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my new k&a ring from olive bungalow
that arrived this week <3

don't run out and buy yours JUST yet!

hint hint: discount code coming REAL soon

and if you can't wait - email me! 

but i'll get the code posted ASAP because she's also running free shipping

until Monday, August 15th!

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preseason football :)

had to pic a picture of hernandez :)

a fact [or two] you may or may not know:

he is from my [sorta] hometown of bristol, ct

he played pop warner football with my cousin, dane. 

we [kNa along w/ family] have seen him play during his high school days

on the FREEZING COLD annual central vs eastern thanksgiving day game!

i'm looking forward to seeing him play this year versus the horrible redskins.

anyway - they whooped some tail last night against the jaguars!

preseason doesn't count but hopefully it's a sign of whats to come!

lovin it <3

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 i have decided to challenge myself!

 i will be entering a local craft fair in october

displaying/selling hand crocheted items! 

jessi really got me into crochet and will also be selling her adorable hats 

so i have decided to feature my coin purses/camera cases, blankets and hair accessories!

i might try and challenge myself a little more 

and feature diaper covers with matching hats - but we shall see!

wish me luck

& help me think of a cute/catching company name!

i eventually would like to open an etsy shop 

so i definitely need a name :)

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this blog post

it's similar to the pinterest challenge from last week!

i love looking through posts of people actually doing things they find on the internet.

it's such an inspiration!

:)

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a phone call from my dad with super kind words!

<3

the biggest reason i do this blog is for my family 

who are unable to speak/see me and the boys on a daily basis. 

having them read and see pictures of what's been going on in our lives

is as close as we can get

and it's good to know that they not only read my babble

but LIKE and ENJOY it :)

sometimes you just need a little encouragement to get back in the game!

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this website!

i'm probably late to discover

but better late than never, right?

i need some of these ideas in my life desperately.

i also need 239439 shots of espresso and the 20lb basketball tummy to deflate

in order to get it all done

but doesn't mean i won't try to do what i can!

and obviously, won't shut up about it until i do! HAHA!

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the thirty-one party that i am hosting this sunday!

feel free to place an order browse the site

everything is 15% off this month!

i already have like 4 bags, a coin purse, a lunch box or two and maybe a tool bag for hub picked out!

you know, because a girl can never have enough bags ;)

[even though i'm totally NOT that girl - and have been rockin the same purse since thanksgiving 08 - you know, the knock off that i bought in NYC, out of the back of a van or was it in the basement of a perfume store? regardless ... ]

check out thirty-one, seriously. 

i was a hatin skeptic at first but definitely got my mind changed!

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my boys! <3

my family <3

and my weeeeeeeeekend!