On The Move

The life of a coaches family - always on the move. We seem to be stuck in the eastern time zone and have made our next move to Cleveland. After taking a job as a defensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns, Daron had 5 days to get his life packed into the Tahoe and start his new job. Within 1 week I had successfully sent him links to more houses than he ever wanted to see. I was brave and allowed him to make the final call on the house....although, we didn't have a ton of choices after seeing the houses.

2 weeks later our life in West Virginia was boxed and on a 3.5 hour drive northwest to Cleveland. I'm still in the unpacking and reorganizing process. The houses here are old (which I love) and this one needs a little love. Yes, we are only renting but there are some things a girl must update! The house has the perfect amount of space and the finished basement may be the best part (once it is no longer full of boxes waiting to be unpacked!). My goal is to do some before/after shots of the things I redo with the help of some DIY pinterest directions, ha!

I'm loving having a bigger city again and Whole Food and Trader Joe's have already had a visit from us! I'm excited to start Dylan in a music class, take frequent visits to the Children's Museum, and explore the zoo and other kid friendly activities the city offers once it warms up. Dylan loves having a yard (that's flat) to play in even though it's been too cold and snowy to use it as much as he'd like. My other lofty goal would be to plant a real garden this spring/summer. Something I've wanted to do for a long time but never seem to accomplish!

I've also got a lot of things on my 30 for 30 list that need to be accomplished in the next 7 months...I need to get a move on!

Time Flies!

It's already November and I realized I haven't posted since May! Summer was a whirlwind - we travelled a lot and had such a great time before our family of 3 grew to 4! We spent a weekend in Pittsburgh (PA) and took Dylan to the zoo and checked out a local brewery and just got a feel for the city and some of it's neighborhoods. It actually reminded us of Detroit in many ways - although probably a bit busier. We spent time in both Kansas and Texas and enjoyed the blazing heat they both had to offer.

Our new addition, Sydney Jane Roberts, was due July 28 but decided not to arrive until 8:45 pm on August 1. Looks like she just wanted to share a birthday with her cousin, Olivia. She was 7lbs 4 oz and 21 in long. Weighed less than her brother and was 1/2 an inch shorter. She's perfect and her "baby" personality couldn't be more different than her brothers was at this age. I love it.

Since then, I've been adjusting to life with 2 little people and figuring out how to balance them along with work and of course - football season - which means Daron is gone, A LOT. The season started off great but with a 4 game losing streak it seems that things are tense. I never realized the impact a season had on a coach and his family until I married one and truly lived it. As much as I realize life is much bigger and more complex than one game or one season, we still feel the impact on our family.

We've had many familiy members and friends come to visit/help me out which has been incredible. It's helped make the transition to 2 babies along with the season much easier. I'm looking forward to some more time at home for Thanksgiving and hopefully a little downtime with Daron once the seasons has come to a close (I can hope, right?!)

Sydney is already 3 months and trying to roll over. She is such a good baby and smiles all the time. Dylan turned 2 in August and continues to amaze us. He speaks in sentences and still loves numbers. He literally jumps everywhere he goes and is happy about life - as he shouts " I'm so happy!" all the time. The whiteboard I let Daron hang in our dining room has proven a great addition in keeping Dylan entertained. He pulls a chair up and draws away.

We survived Hurrican Sandy. I know it seems weird in West Virginia - but the impact was so great it rained for 4 days before we got around 6 inches of snow in less than 24 hours. Luckily we live in the "little" mountains and the 2 feet of snow Sandy dumped on West Virginia was 30 minutes south of where we live.

Recent pictures are uploading to the computer as I type - will post soon.

Growing & Learning

We are growing and learning in more than one way around our house!

My belly is growing - thankfully, I'm not huge! I do feel that I'm gaining a little more weight than I was with Dylan. I feel wider but people keep saying girls are harder on you than boys...this little chica better get it out of her system and be an angel once she gets here. Ha! I'm learning to manage starting to get more tired with the demands of Dylan wanting to go, go, go! Since we live on the side of a mountain (literally) and of course we are at the top of our neighborhood - he loves to run down to the bottom and of course doesn't want to walk back up. I'm past the carrying him back to the top stage so I've started taking more trips to the football stadium. The parking lot is fairly flat (for Morgantown) and very low traffic. Between his football, grass, rocks, and random people walking around he easily entertains himself for over an hour. It's a little slice of heaven!

Dylan is growing and growing (he should as much as he likes to eat!) and learning so many new things. The teacher in me looooves it! The mama in me is proud. The pregnant lady in me wishes we could sleep more! All joking aside - his learning is exciting and fun. He can say his abc's all by himself (for some reason 'j', 'm', and 'n' give him some troubles but he can ID them). He is obsessed with and can say his numbers 1-20 although when he says 11 it sounds like aye bay bay if you don't realize what he's trying to say.....it cracks me up every time and sometimes when I need a laugh I ask him to say 11 so just I can hear him say, "aye bay bay". I'm wrong - I know. He knows his colors and shapes and will attempt any word you throw at him - more and more of them are becoming accurate and clear.

I've been in a huge baking mood so he's been the recipient of some new and fairly yummy recipes that are wheat free (have to love the wheat allergy). I'm learning that subbing out oat flour for regular flour usually does the trick. The texture is slightly different but things taste the same. My latest experiment, which I feel all of his food is for me since I never know how it will turn out, was pineapple muffins. They were tasty and he gobbled up 3 the first day I made them. I cut him off after 2 but as I was emptying the dishwasher he ran into the kitchen, grabbed one of the counter, and ran off squealing with excitement! I was laughing so hard and happy to have found a recipe that he clearly enjoys!

I'm so excited to be going home for 9 days at the end of this week! My sister's wedding was the perfect excuse to get home and spend extra time. I'm sure I'll get put to work with last minute wedding details but I'm just happy to get so much time at home. I know once baby girl is here traveling all over like I'm accustomed to will be much more difficult! After my 9 days in KS, Dylan and I will head to TX for a week to see Daron's niece graduate from high school. I'll enjoy Dylan being entertained while I work on all things 4th and 1. Can't believe our 3rd year of camp will begin in 2 months!

I'm officially done with my first year of college teaching! I still have a stack of papers that need to be graded but I'm hoping I can get most of them done while in KS and TX! It was a great year or teaching with a lot of learning. I'm pretty sure that despite needing some maternity leave at the start of next school year - I'll have a job in some capacity next school year. I'm hoping it's teaching all the same stuff as I've already got some new ways to improve the assignments required of my students. Think they will make life easier for all involved!

Daron is on the recruiting trail but we were blessed to have him home last week - for the entire week! It was nice having him home, helping with things, hanging out with us, and helping with Mr. Dylan. It was a much needed break that I greatly appreciated. Dylan loved all the dada-time too! Looking forward to June and July where we will get a lot more time with him before the craziness of another season begins.

It's A.....

Girl! I actually can't believe it - I was sure we would have another boy. A girl will be fun and I'm sure a much different experience. She better come out with her running shoes on because her big brother is non-stop! We are excited about the new adventure and even happier that so far everything with her on the sonograms is looking great.

The weather here has been amazing - in the 70's this week. We've spent as many hours outside as we possibly can...Dylan and I are both loving the change of pace. I probably don't get near as much work done around the house but that's okay, being outside is so much better and makes for a much happier Dylan which equals a much happier mama!

Dylan has begun with two word phrases. So far we've got: hi mama, dada, auntie and grandpa, bye mama, dada, auntie, and grandpa, elmo's song (he's become obsessed with Elmo after a quick visit to LV where auntie has a dancing elmo for the babies), mama's baby, and yucky mama (I was sick for about 2 weeks and he referred to me blowing my nose as yucky mama - so sweet). I've been working with him on saying yes ma'am but it usually just comes out as yes milk! We clearly need more practice.

He loves his abc's and can say almost all of them. When he gets to a letter he has trouble with he just says, yuck. He also loves his numbers and can ID 1-10 but when counting he just likes saying: 8, 9, 10! I guess it's better than nothing! He's such a little sponge and I think he says a new word every day!

The next month is going to be insane! We are planning a spring break trip to TX, followed by 4 days in Vegas for me for my sister's bachelorette party. The weekend after that Dylan and I will be flying to San Fran for her wedding shower. I think after that we will get a few weeks back in Morgantown before we head to Kansas for a week in mid-May for the wedding! I have a feeling the next few months are going to fly by and baby girl will be here before we know it! I'm trying to be as productive as possible while I have the time!

Will update pictures soon!

January - Where Did You Go?!

It's already 8 days into February - where did the end of December and all of January go?! It flew by...luckily I have pictures to remind myself of all that happened!

• Christmas - loved getting to go home. Spent 6 days back in Leavenworth with the family and Daron actually had about 4 days off and was able to join us! It was nice to have everybody together although I can't lie, that many people in the house made it a bit crazy. We survived! 
• We left for the Orange Bowl in Miami 2 days after we got back from Leavenworth. We did a very fast unpack and repack but it was well worth it!! Miami was sunny, warm, and even when it was "cold" it was warm. Our first full day in Miami we were lucky enough to take a trip to the ER (ha!). Dylan snagged a bite of a granola bar that had ground up walnuts that we didn't know about. Luckily, he didn't eat the entire thing. About 30 minutes after his lone bite he began to wheeze and have serious trouble breathing. The hospital was only a few miles away and after some breathing treatments and steroids he was feeling much better! We enjoyed the beach, the pool, a little shopping, and sunshine! My sister and dad came down so I could attend some of the "planned functions" with Daron which was a nice break! Daron's dad and nephew also came down a few days before the game. After several days of playing we finally got to the big game and ended up winning big - 70-33! It was a fun experience and I know Daron was so excited to be a part of it all. 
• School started 5 days after we got back from FL so I started gearing up as soon as we got back. Some days I still don't feel like I'm all the way reorganized from our Dec/Jan travels but I'm just hoping at some point I'll get there. 
• Daron was gone for most of January recruiting and I was so ready for signing day to arrive - no more long term road trips until April or May for him, hooray! He has had this week off so we decided to venture over to DC last weekend and use a free hotel night (my favorite!) and enjoy a little time away. We saw the new MLK Memorial which was nice and since Daron has a friend who currently works in the White House we got a tour of it on Sunday. It was one of the things on my 30 for 30 list and was actually one of the ones I figured would never get done, especially not before 30! A big thank you to Taj and Daron for making that one happen! So excited I got to do it and cross it off my list! Daron also took us to a famous DC landmark: Ben's Chili Bowl....it was good and a fun experience.
• And probably our biggest news - baby #2 is arriving this summer! His/her due date is July 28 and we will probably find out boy/girl in 3 or so more weeks! 

A few pictures from our time away:

December

This will probably be the lone post for December - what a busy month!

• Started the month taking a quick trip to Tampa, FL with the WVU football team for their last away game. With a big win down there and a Cincy loss - we are going to the orange bowl in Miami! We leave Dec 29...I can't wait for some sunshine and pool action. 
• I'm going home for Christmas! I am sooooo excited since I haven't been home since the end of July. Daron will get to join us for a few days for Christmas and I'm so happy we all get to be home/together for Christmas. Last year he flew on Christmas day for an away game. 
• I took pictures of my first wedding last weekend. I was running around like a crazy lady and ended up helping in more areas than just pictures. I wish I could have gotten more pictures of the happy couple downtown and not just at the church but they weren't that concerned with it so I didn't push. I had fun but taking pictures of a wedding is stressful (I haven't even edited yet and will probably not post until we are back from Miami in January). You can't redo a wedding day so the pressure is really on. I would love more practice with this as the second and free photographer for people on their big day. 
• Dylan is growing, growing, growing and currently in TX with Daron's family enjoying a few days for their "Christmas time" with him. I hate him being gone and miss him like crazy but I'm sure it's good for us both to have a few days of "space". He comes back Friday morning and I am counting down! 
• He continues to love to play outside. I obviously get nothing done while he sits out there playing/examining every rock, stick, and chunk of snow so I've started doing my squats and lunges while he plays. I count so he can hear me (get a numbers lesson in too, right?) and the other day while I was doing my squats he stood up and did them too! I can't say he doesn't pay attention. I had him do it for Daron that night and we both cracked up as he did his set of squats. He's too much sometimes. He's also a big fan of head, shoulders, knees and toes and the itsy bitsy spider.

Nothing much else is going on. I guess I should use this time to start editing some wedding pictures. I'm sure the bride is anxiously waiting to see them. I know I was. Merry Christmas!!!! 

Watch and Learn

Life in M'town (as Daron would say: not to be confused with Motown) is good. I can't believe it's already the end of November and Thanksgiving is in just a few days. My dad comes tomorrow (yea!) and I will cook my first ever Thanksgiving meal, say a prayer. I have quite the list of food to prepare but feel lucky that I am able to do so. It will be interesting and I hope to capture it through pictures and flipcam clips....could be pretty entertaining.

As Dylan gets bigger and I think of new ways to engage and teach him I've thought back to my month teaching in a 3/4 year old Montessori classroom in Italy. It was such a great experience and I wish I would have taken more notes. However, through Montessori blogs, books, and a friend who is now a Montessori teacher I am working on creating a more Montessori like atmosphere for Dylan at home. Giving him more "choice" and letting him figure things out for himself. It's funny - the teacher in me wants to jump-in and show him how to do something. When I stepped back and just let him have at an activity the other day - I was impressed....

I had taken a metal tin that was divided into two sections. On one side I placed a handful of uncooked black beans. I took a spoon (his size) and showed him how to take a scoop of beans and drop it on the other side. I repeated this several times and then handed him the spoon. He took the spoon, smiled, and began to bang on the tin. "He doesn't get it," I thought to myself. So I showed him again and handed him the spoon back. Again, he smiled and began to bang on the tin. This time I just let him have at it and smiled every time he looked up at me. After a few minutes he put the spoon down and grabbed a handful of beans. He really didn't get it. As much as I wanted to show him again I continued to let him have at it. He felt the beans, rolled them around in his hand, and then put them in his spoon. He dumped the beans back in the tin and even made sure the ones that had fallen on the ground got picked up and put back. He then grabbed the lid sitting next to him, placed it on top of the tin and then put the spoon on top of the lid. He looked at me with such accomplishment and pride. He had cleaned it all up! 

While he didn't transfer the beans back and forth like I'd wanted him to, he did it in his own way.....I learned a lot while he played. First, he played before he tried what I'd shown him....teaching 101, DUH. Kids want to explore a new object/material placed in front of them, if 3rd graders needed a few minutes of play with manipulatives, why wouldn't a 1 year old?

Secondly, maybe he's not ready to move beans back and forth with a spoon or maybe we just need more practice. Regardless, a tin and handful of beans entertained him for over 20 minutes (that's huge). He also showed me that he watches and learns. I hadn't shown him how to put the lid on the tin or to set the spoon on top of the lid. But after he did it he looked to me as to say, "see, I cleaned up - aren't you proud?" He watches, he learns as I do things daily. And when I took the time to step back and not play teacher but just watch him, I learned, too. Looks like I need to implement this watch and learning business in all areas of life - maybe I'd figure more things out!

I'll leave you with a few Dylan pictures I took the other day of him in the woods behind our house. I'd also like to direct you to the "photography" page. I did my first "photo shoot" of somebody other than Dylan a few weeks ago and posted some of my favorite pics from it. I'm excited I was able to do this and hope it's something I can continue to develop. I had a blast!