First Camping Experience...Check!

Camping...something that Russ and I just love doing.  We haven't been camping forever due to reasons like pregnancy, babies, and moving states and such.  We hate to make excuses but SLEEP is something so hard to come by in this house, so the thought of jeopardizing that even more made me want to cringe.  

But we are in Colorado! The land of beautiful scenery and camping.  Lots o' camping!  So we made a decision to just.do.it.  Because seriously, we love it and it was about time to show the boys what this camping thing is all about.  Our friends the Merlers came with and we were beyond excited, and hopeful for an excellent experience.

We found a spot in Rocky Mountain National Forest, and it was excellent!  In order to get up to this spot, 4 wheel drive was ideal.  However, my husband decided that did not apply to him or his minivan.  OH Russell, I love how some things don't change.  He took Aylen and they climbed up the path and I followed behind (walking..) because I could not look for fear of the axle breaking or getting stuck in one of the huge GIGANTIC holes in the road.  But fear not, Russell got the van up the road in one piece and enjoyed passing all the 4x4 vehicles who just looked on in disgust that this Hodessey showed them up:)  Teehee.

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Once we got to our campsite, we setup camp and began dinner.  Yums.  We went on a little hike, and took some amazing photos with Longs Peak in the background.  The very Longs Peak that Russell intends to climb by next year.  Oh and I so want to do it too, until I heard several people die on it each year from falling off.  Gross.  Maybe I'll pass.  Anyhoo.  It got dark, we played with light sticks, and made S'mores.  And camping is awesome.  And excellent.  And everything is great.

 

Seriously. Does it get any cuter?  Wee lil chairs.

 And then bedtime.  Oh bedtime...it's hard even typing this...It was horrible.  Wicked.  Not cool.  We finally got them to sleep at 10ish.  And it did not last long.  Poor Ryker kept coughing, which meant he kept wanting to nurse.  Which by the way is not super easy on an air mattress.  And then Aylen woke up and he was sad and wanted Momma.  And I was still nursing and couldn't hold him.  And Russ couldn't fit on the mattress so he slept in his own sleeping bag on the floor.  And seriously Russ couldn't do a darn thing to make anyone happy because everyone just wanted Momma.  And then I was freezing because it was 40ish degrees.  And I don't think we really slept, except for Russ.  And thennnnnn....Ryker really started coughing good and PUKED all over the mattress and me, which was super awesome.  So we covered the puke, and I was freezing, and Ryker was sad, and Aylen was pissed.  And it was 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning with no sleep...so I took Ryker into the van so that he could be upright and sleeping.  I sat there for a few minutes just shivering before I finally said, "Screw it." I turned the keys, started the van, and cranked the heat up to high.  And I passed out.  One hour later I woke up sweating to death.  But that was an amazing hour of sleep.  Amazing. 

Aylen woke up a couple hours later and was in a relatively good mood.  It was hard to be mad at anything because our spot was so gorgeous in the morning.  All I can say is the Coffee tasted real good.  And the nap that afternoon was glorious.  

But we did it.  We camped.  We weren't afraid.  And lord help us...we are doing it again this weekend.  You can't keep a good man/woman down:)

Love,

Momma

Autocorrect fun!

;)
Momma

Toofer

It's coming! I can feel it!

<:3
Momma

We've Officially started!

Crawling! 3 months earlier than Aylen! But I'm not comparing....at all.


Love,
Momma

;)

From my phone.

A letter to my Future Self

Dear Megan,

Reminder for you:  First summer in Colorado, you had 2 boys ages 6 months and 2 years.  You just completed the craziest, scariest, most intense in every aspect possible YEAR of your life.   And I just have to say you Freakin Rocked it.  Yup you sure did.  You balanced life with two little ones like a gymnast balances on the beam.  Stellar.  You managed to have very little of the days when you prayed that Russ would get home quickly or else you might just go insane.  Seriously insane.  Instead you were able to let yourself enjoy and appreciate the time you had with your boys.  You played legos, visited parks, went swimming, mastered the bike trailer with both boys, created with paint and chalk, and hung out in sandboxes.   You resisted the voice in your head that said, "Just stay home.  It will be easier."  Heck no.  You ventured to Ikea, up to Estes Park for a dinner date with your BFF, splashparks with friends, and watched planes at the airport with the hubby for lunch.  You made a couple new friends, stayed in touch with old friends, and enjoyed the company of out-of-town friends.  In fact, you played hostess on a weekly basis.  Cleaning sheets, making beds, cleaning the house, adjusting boys to a schedule that would be destroyed (in a good way) when family and friends came to visit- WAS your life most of the summer.  You also managed to work out on a regular basis.  It wasn't the half-marathon training that you were wanting to do-but who are we kidding.  That would be near to impossible at that time.  In fact that probably would have been severely not fun. 

You also were selfless, but you also were selfish.  You instituted some GIRL only time, a rarity in this house with all boys-even the dog is in the male club.  You learned a NEW sport, tennis.  A sport that can be enjoyed throughout all the years.  You REMEMBERED how important and essential competition is in your life, and found a new sport that could fill that void.  You started reading books again even if they were the trashy-50 Shades of Grey-you still allowed yourself time to remember how much you enjoyed getting lost in something else's reality (or fantasies???:)).  You created a Visual Journal and even made a few entries.  You remembered who Sark was, and let her inspire you.  Whether the Facebook/Blogger world liked it or not you kept people up to date on the cutest picture of the boys or newest sayings by Aylen.  You learned how to lap swim, which you only did once and it made you feel completely out of shape (swimming shape) but you still learned how.  You went dancing-and you shook it like you used to.  You left your work at work, and seriously never thought about it all.summer.long (you might have checked email occasionally-something to work on for next summer).  You GOT your tattoos, and have actively worked on creating your next ones.

And lastly, you were you and investigated ways to make more money.  You looked up schooling information on School Counseling and Finance/Accounting.  You calculated salaries and deducted daycare.  You spoke with several people about this on a regular basis.  You ruminated on how a job as important as yours is not  valued financially more by society.  You reminded yourself why you do the work and that you don't get paid in dollars, but in helping someone make a better choice/find who they are/believe in themselves.

So Megan, I hope when you are reading this you have finally come to peace with your profession, your calling, your religion.  A quote that you have always followed, "When I do good, I feel good.  When I do bad, I feel bad."  (Thanks Abe Franklin).  This is your calling.  You do good by helping people, and then you feel good.  I hope that you have taken care of yourself, because taking care of others can easily become a lifestyle and before you know it you have taken care of everything and everyone, BUT yourself.  This year you realized you had already began to experience this....perhaps a natural phenomenon that can happen when you go from a single woman to a married wife with children.  But you found out that this wasn't the best way and you have worked hard, real hard at remembering who you are, what you believe in, and what you deserve.  Please, please tell me that you have remembered to allow yourself time and space to reflect on how you are doing in all aspects of your life.  This is important.

And seriously good freakin work lady.  You are truly awesome.  You totally survived this crazy time and you loved it.  You were meant to be challenged in this world.  

Love,

Momma Megan  

Nothing like saying-"welcome back to work"

Then hanging out in the back of the van pumping it up. So missed this...said no one ever (I've been dying to copy this saying).

Happy World Breastfeeding Month!

Happy 7 months of Breastfeeding Ryker-29!

It was weird this time around.  First of all while pregnant I wasn't looking forward to breastfeeding Ryker.  I wasn't an ignorant soul like I was with Aylen.  I knew the commitment, the pressure, and the pain!  I knew that it meant 1 WHOLE year of pumping, constantly calculating ounces, comparing intakes and outtakes, building stashes and watching them deplete, passing on Girl Weekends or trips away from Ryker, figuring out when to pump at work, labeling milk baggies, crying over spilt milk, and ALL night long buffets. 

But what I didn't take into account when I was busy stressing over this impending task was the ability to excuse myself to gain some private time with my baby, watch him look up at me and smile and giggle, the joy of putting him on a scale and see his weight climb and know that it was ALL ME that made this boy grow, the ability to reconnect after a work day together in the most special way possible, and amazing cuddle and nap time together.

I somehow let the stressors take over the space in my head. 

And then Ryker came.

And everything changed in my head.  On Day 2(or what is 3?) Ryker had to go to the hospital to spend the night due to high Billirubin.  The answer for that whole hospital visit was NURSING.  Nurse to make the pain of needle pokes feel better, nurse to help the body eliminate the high Billirubin levels, and nurse to make sure Ryker knew his Momma was there.

From the moment I saw Ryker I had no issue with nursing him.  The second time around was physically so much easier.  And when I returned to work, I started the dreading pumping.  Honestly, though...I welcomed the break from my emotionally saturated work.  I got really good at nursing while I drove my place to place.  And of course I experienced the stress that was COMPLETELY self-imposed of--Am I producing enough? Am I pumping enough? 

But honestly it's been good.  Really good.  And I wouldn't change it for the world.

Love,
Momma