Our Day in Pictures

And let me start by saying, staying at home all day is tough with a toddler!

I took the day off to spend time with my little man while Steve went to work.  We had a jam packed day filled with trips to the local donut shop, zoo, and a stop for ice cream.  Here's some highlights!

7:30 am - Xavier slept in a little, we raced around to get dressed and out the door for a quick breakfast and play date.

8:45 am - Local donut shop for goodies, which began and ended in Xavier's meltdown. He wanted to touch the donuts and is upset he can't.  I call Steve, on the verge of tears, to calm myself down.  It's not even mid-morning yet!

9:00 am - While Xavier is losing his mind in the backseat, I drive around checking the clock every 5 minutes to see how much time til Dad comes home hunting for the play cafe we are supposed to be meeting other moms for a play date.  Can't find it, throw other half of my donut and a sippy in the back seat, take loops around the highway, and magically, thank the Lord, get a calm, happy baby!

10:00 am - We end up, unexpectedly, at the zoo!

He fits right in with the big kids!

11:30 am - Head home for lunch and Xavier's nap.
On our way home, I noted a funny exchange between Nicki Minaj and Xavier:

While Xavier sleeps, I read some of my latest find at the library, "Primates of Park Avenue".  Think Upper East Side moms meets anthropology analysis.  Though somewhat fabricated, I'm sure, it's quite entertaining!

3:00 pm - Quick trip to get ice cream and play in the shop's play area.  Xavier eats from his first big boy cone.  We made it this far till Meltdown #2.  He didn't want to leave and let me know with his mean left hook!

4:00 pm - Head home for quiet time.  We watch some videos and sing songs together.

6:00 pm - Meet the "6:00 superhero" (Dad) at our favorite Mexican restaurant!  As we left the restaurant, we had Meltdown #3 resulting in Steve stepping on my ankle and me almost dropping Xavier, and somehow, all three of us ended up in a bear hug in the middle of the patio (don't ask).

6:30 pm - Finished our evening playing outside with Xavier, listening to him pointing out planes, cars, birds, and bicycles, throw mulch, and swing on his tree swing.

7:30 pm - Bath time, stories, and bed for our little man.

8:15 pm - OITNB with a delightful piece of Godiva chocolate :)

And an early bedtime for this tired Mama!

Summer Bucket List

Summer officially begins on Sunday, Father's Day.  Keeping with tradition of last year's Summer Bucket List, I'm rolling into the new season with a new List.  Some buckets on my list are repeats we enjoyed from last year.  I'm excited to hang out with the family and cross some off our list!

1.  Go to a Clippers Game.

2.  Enjoy lunch, poolside.

3.  Make pizza on the grill.

4.  Eat dinner on the back porch during a thunderstorm.  (Check - although it was quite a hectic adventure with "ass-hole burgers" as Steve called them, mulch throwing into the pool and on me, and crying/whining when rain hit Xavier on the head!  We need a redo!)

5.  Chase down the ice cream truck a few times.

6.  Make lots of homemade Popsicles

7.  Go on a bug hunt.

8.  Patron a few lemonade stands in our neighborhood.  These are just adorable!!

9.  Play in the rain and stomp on puddles!

10.  Complete Xavier's first Summer Reading Program at the library.

11.  Water balloon fight - Mom and Xavier take on Dad!

12.  Get lots of grass between our toes and dirt under our nails.  Making memories outside is what childhood summers are all about!

13.  Although it gets chaotic, soak up every single moment of summertime.  Before we know it, it will be gone!

It's been a great month of June so far!  Weekends are filling up quickly with activities and Xavier is definitely enjoying all the things summer has to offer!

A quick update on Xavier - today, he turned 22 months old (almost time to stop counting months!).  He's fierce on the playground, swatting people out of his way so he can climb up the bridge to get to the slide!  He's full of adventure and loves to point out a "pay" (plane), "sickle" (bicycle), "car", "burr" (bird), and "corr" (squirrel).  His favorite thing in the world right now is soaking up the outdoors.  He still calls me "uh-nee" (Honey) and is calling Steve "Mommy", "Daddy", and "eeee" (Steve).

Sending sunshine and summertime fun!  XOXO

5 Truths & 1 Lie

Ever played the game "Two Truths & A Lie" as an ice breaker?  I love hearing random things about people!  So I'm sharing some random things/confessions about me.  Hope I didn't just put my foot in my mouth on this one, LOL.  Here goes!

1.  Lately, I have been struggling with my patience level and mom guilt (mom guilt especially after Xavier goes to bed).  Whether it be for something I yelled at Xavier for (or Steve) or for not taking the time to do something I should have.  I need to remember Xavier is only a toddler, and that means tantrums and relentless whining.  But geesh, it's been every single day lately.  He's our little wild child, testing his limits, watching us with a tiny smile as he climbs on his train table to see if we will stop him.  I know it's a phase, but this one is the longest and most challenging.  Maybe when he turns five I will regain my sanity!
2.  Unsolicited advice on how to tame a toddler is, well, unsolicited.  Sometimes I vent just to vent, not because I'm searching for an answer.  Oddly enough, I do find myself giving it to other moms.

3.  I obsess about Xavier's photo sessions.  Whether it be that I haven't had enough pics taken of him to capture that chubby baby face, or that it's Mother's Day and I have to do a "Mommy & Me" session, or that I want the perfect holiday photo of us as a family!  After each session's photos come back, I count out the months until the next session.  It's June, and I'm already thinking about the next Christmas card.  But, I better get that 2nd birthday session scheduled first.  Good grief!!

4.  I want a double vodka with a splash of cranberry and a twist.
5.  Since I'm still in my prime time of having babies, and I only have one, and it's a boy, yep...I constantly get asked about number 2.  The thought of a number 2 crossed my mind about a month ago, but then I came home to Xavier's crayon art all over the woodwork we just had painted in our breezeway.  My response: Not anytime soon!!

6.  I did not eat 12 homemade chocolate chip cookies in one sitting this weekend.  Nope.

Can you spot the lie?

Spoiler Alert:  It's number 6!!  Who does that??

And because no blog post is complete without a photo, here's one.  It perfectly describes our relationship at this point in time.