Monday, February 21, 2011

Moments like these.

A photo from Breckan's 6 Month shoot.

Daddy with Breckan
Bella, Rosaline, Bruce, Breckan and I taking a ride!
This weekend I needed to relax. No housework, no working....just spending time with my family. When Mark got home from shift on Saturday Morning, we decided to do Breckan's 6 month photo shoot at the park. Overall he did pretty well, and the photos came out great! Following our photoshoot and Breckan's nap, we decided to take a little bike ride. Breckan has a little seat on the back of my bike so he can ride along with us in comfort! We decided to extend our little jaunt to a little stop at Tijuana Taxi Co. to share a plate of fish tacos. We placed Breckan in the high chair and he hung out while we ate lunch. Believe me, this is a triumph! I usually am prepared for a fussy baby but I couldn't believe how great he behaved! What a great little guy :). The day was fantastic. I couldn't believe how much I needed it.
Sunday we decided to head out on the boat to a small sand bar located in Boca Raton with the Li Family. They have two kids Bruce and Bella, and Breckan is one month younger than Bella! It was so cute to watch the two interact. Breckan was so interested in her. He was grabbing to feel the real live baby in front of him! We had an exciting little boatride with the kiddos shoved into life jackets that were far too consuming. It was quite hilarious. The kids were in great moods most of the time. I think Breckan loved the wind in his (lack of) hair and the constant hum of the boat. On the way to and from the sandbar he took little snoozes! Once we got to the sandbar we ate some sandwiches and relaxed. It was far too cold for any of us to go in the water, but I let B feel the water with his toes. Another successful outing and a FUN one at that!
To top of the weekend, we ended our evening with dinner out with the Li Family at El Mariachi, a local cuban/spanish restaurant. Breckan passed out 5 minutes in and Bruce and Bella were just chilling, hanging out with the adults. MMMM it was so good!
I tell you what. I love weekends like these. I wish I had more time to spend enjoying life instead of doing housework on the weekends. I need to work harder on the week-nights so I can dedicate my weekends to family time!
My little man taking a ride.
Mommy and Breckan on the Boat

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Park

After working from home on Tuesday, Breckan was fussier than usual that evening. I decided to take him to a nearby park and see if he could fit into the baby swing. He was a little small for the swing so I shoved a blanket around him and plopped him right in it. I couldn't believe how much he liked it. Every time he came close to me he would giggle. It was adorable. I think I took 100 pictures that day.

As I was watching my little boy swing away, I couldn't help but long for more moments like these. Yes, I have my weekends to spend with him, but it is just not enough. With housework in the mix it gets chaotic.

I know being a stay at home Mom is just as demanding as working, but I cannot help but have a strong desire to stay at home and give 100% attention to my little man. I guess only in dreams. In our society these days, having only one income is virtually impossible. Therefore, the expectations for a Mom in this era is almost insurmountable. Not only do we have to take care of our children, but we have to go to work or work from home and take care of the children at the same time and be expected to keep up with housework.

I just have to thank God for my husband. He puts in just as much time with Breckan as I do, because he has 48 hours off and takes care of him when I am at work. Most Dads don't do that, and I am sure it is just as demanding on him too. The male used to come home from work and expected his wife to have dinner on the table and have her attend to every need/want from not only him, but the children.

All I can say is, OH HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED! I sometimes wish I was living in the 50's...I think I would fit in better there.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Finch Family Reunion

At the Top of the mountain!
This past week, the Fee family headed across the country to Jackson Hole, Wy for a Finch Family Reunion. Why Jackson Hole, you ask? Well, my Dad and Brother Dan have been going skiing there once a year for the past 10 years. I told my Dad that in 2011, I was definitely coming, and then it ended up being a reunion of sorts! So here Mark and I are, packed up and ready to go. We have the portable crib, the toys, the stroller, carseat, food, diapers, etc. And oh my gosh was it crazy. It is so much harder to travel with and infant! But, we got through security and the flights to Jackson with ease even with our layover in Dallas.
My family met us at the cabin they rented for the week and we were ready to celebrate! It was so nice to be with my family again, and it was nice to have all the help in-house! Any one of my family members were happy and willing to take Breckan for a bit, and he was great about it too.
The weather there was quite different than our warm little Ft. Lauderdale. It was in the negative numbers almost the entire time! Let's just say, our lips were-a-crackin'. Breckan's skin was even dry and his lips were chapped too! He handled it pretty well though, but was up at 5:30 every morning because of the time change. (Yippee for us! LOL)
Mark and I were able to get some time together in on the slopes while my Mom took care of Breckan for a few days. I was a little leery about skiing again and I hoped that my knee could keep up (I tore it back in 2003). I got on those slopes and low and behold, I picked it right up again! Don't get me wrong, I am not the best at slalom, but I could get down the double blacks with time and planning. We ended up going out of bounds twice, and I felt like a rebel! It was so beautiful and the fact that we were not in the ski resort made it that much cooler.
Finch Family Shot
Jeff's Blown Boot
Jeff and his girlfriend Ashley made it to Jackson a few days after us because they were driving. The next morning we got a Finch Family reunion photo with the shirts I designed for the trip. Following that, Jeff joined us on the slopes with Dad, Mark, Dan, Jen and Ashley came along too. Later in the day, when we were skiing out of bounds, Jeff was slaloming down the hill like a pro, then suddenly he sees pieces of orange stuff around him. He looks down and BAM, his boot blew out!! HAHA. He had to ski down the rest of the out of bounds with one ski. I guess he should have known that 15 yr old boots may not hold up like they used to. It was so funny! Jeff's leg was burning like crazy by the end of the day. He isn't the youngin' he used to be.
Besides skiing, my Mom and I visited the town of Jackson. While we were expecting quaint little shops, it seemed more like very expensive cowboy stores and mercantile stores. We got a few shirts and called it a day with lunch and a little mom and pop sandwich shop. We did happen to find this really cool oil and vinegar place called "Vom Fass". They get all these really neat oils and vinegars from Germany and display them in little canisters for sampling. Once you decide on which combination of oil and vinegar you like best, the owner will fill your chosen bottle up with it! Now, I didn't purchase anything, but I was very tempted. It was sooo flavorful and I was dying to try these oils and vinegars on my salads and bread. My mom ended up purchasing a Pomegranate Vinegar with a Rosemary oil. I couldn't believe the flavor. YUM!!
At the Elk Refuge
On Thursday, Mark, Ashley, Breckan and I drove through the Teton National Park. I could not believe how beautiful the scenery was. It was out of a picture book. Even though we have photos, it doesn't do it justice. It was a beautiful and peaceful day, and Breckan and I ended up napping in the car on the way back through the park. I guess we both needed it! We also visited the Elk Refuge. Although we couldn't see the elk close up, we were able to see tons of Rams. They were so close! A mere 4 feet away and just chilling around the area. We also were fortunate enough to see a few moose near the house we were staying at and Deer in the backyard! Gotta love all the wildlife.
The day everyone left was bittersweet. I had tears in my eyes for sure. My family makes me feel whole again. I miss them so much. We ended up flying out the following Saturday afternoon. Breckan came down with a fever the night before and he wasn't in good spirits. I felt so bad for my little man. The flight from Jackson to Dallas was fine. We then had our flight to Ft. Lauderdale. They plane was delayed, and then they forgot to put our bags on the plane, so we waited, sitting there...with a screaming baby for an hour until we had takeoff. I have never been so overwhelmed, drained and embarrassed in my entire life. I felt so bad that people had to deal with hearing my baby screaming. We thankfully were able to get him down when we were airborne and I could get up and about the cabin to rock him to sleep. He was exhausted. We ended up getting home at about 2am Sunday morning.
Overall, the trip was a blast. I love spending time with my family, and I cannot wait for the next reunion!!