If Only....

I am definitely NOT the same Mommy I once was. So many things have sculpted my outlook on parenting and I wish that when I first began this journey as a wife and then mom, I was this way to begin with. If only I had begun parenting Brooklyn with the patience I have now, I wonder if she would be a better person because of it. I used to worry about her milestones, be so stern in my disciplining (I feel like I still am with her since she is the oldest) and lose my temper more than I should. I see glimpses of my old attitude and "intense" behavior in her and it breaks my heart. I know that some of that is just in her genes, but a part of me stays bogged down in regret. However, I can see many great qualities in B because of the choices I made with her.  

I just feel like there is always the "if only's" in the back of my mind. So far, she is the classic first child personality and Cayleigh is second child through and through as well. I hope and pray that I continue to learn and grow daily to cut down on my "if only" feelings and create more "that worked" thoughts!

Cowtown Half Marathon

Aaron ran the Fort Worth Cowtown Half Marathon this past Sunday in 2:05:11. We are so proud of him! The birth of Morgan and the various sickness that hit him here recently caused his training to suffer, but he did very well regardless. Brooklyn, Morgan and myself got up early to take Aaron in the morning and see him start (Cayleigh had stayed the night with Nana and Papa de Wolfe on Saturday, so they brought her later). Then all of us were there for his finish with our supporting shirts!

Daddy to the power of 3!!

Daddy and B just before the start of the race.

Daddy sending the "I love you" sign to us as he runs.

Hanging out in the van, texting Daddy back.

So proud of "our man!"

We thought the medal was really neat. And 2014 begins a new cycle for earning the 3 year spurs, so it looks like Aaron will be running the Cowtown in 2015 and 2016. 

Wordless Wednesday

Weekend Getaway

Aaron surprised me at Christmas with tickets to my first concert ever, Rascal Flatts. They were playing at Winstar World Casino in Oklahoma this past weekend. We decided to make a weekend getaway of it! Aaron made arrangements for Brooklyn and Cayleigh to stay at Gamma and Gampa Hein's and Nana to stay at our house and watch Morgan and Daisy.

We left at lunch time on Friday, stopped to shop briefly and checked into the hotel around 2. I walked in to a little Valentine's Day treat. It was very sweet.

We enjoyed some champagne and then totally took a NAP!! It felt great! We had dinner reservations at 8, so we leisurely got ready and walked around the casino for a bit. Dinner was absolutely outstanding. We shared a bottle of wine, calamari (which was the best we have ever had), salad and Aaron had the prime rib and I had oscar tenderloin. So yummy!

Afterwards, we hit the casino floor. Aaron played 3 card poker and I watched....ha! Gambling stresses me out, so I remained a "blind" spectator. We checked out the new club for a bit as well and then called it a night.

Saturday morning came late with no kids waking us up. Aaron scheduled me a facial and spa treatment, so I got pampered for 2 hours while he hung out at the casino. Pizza for lunch and it was nap time again. We are super exciting :)

We ordered room service for dinner as we got ready for the concert. It was a smaller venue, only holding around 3,500. It was fantastic! We thoroughly enjoyed the performance and they sang our wedding song, The Broken Road....so good! I am sad that I didn't record it. 

Sleep was definitely on the agenda again, so we went back to the room and watched a movie. Woke up late on Sunday and headed home to reality. The weekend was a long needed break for the both of us and we were so grateful to have both sets of parents willing to take care of our girls!

Weight Struggles Again

Morgan had her 2 Month Well Check today and got two shots and one oral liquid. She took them like a pro. Everything looks great with her except, sadly, her weight gain. She is now measuring 22 3/4 inches long (62%) and just 9 lbs (4%). So, she has crossed over several growth lines rather than staying aligned with the one she was on :(
Another peanut in the house. On the bright side, she is still pooping ALL THE TIME, which was a big concern with Cayleigh and her lack in gains. So, Morgan is getting the calories and apparently has the dream metabolism!!

We will continue to pray for good health and growth and she returns in three weeks for another weight check only.

Erin Hein

Gone, Gone, Gone!

Finally!!!! I think the various sicknesses between B, C, M and A have finally started to dissipate. It was colds starting with Brooklyn, Cayleigh and Morgan, then B had the horrible stomach bug with lots of vomiting in a 24 hour span. Well, Cayleigh girl then got the bug, but instead it was explosive diarrhea (not kidding with that term, she was covered in it at one point resulting in a shower WITH clothes still on.....yuck!) for a day and then continuing to linger for an entire week. It was passed to Daddy who had it for a whole week as well. It couldn't end there; back to awful congestion and wet coughs by Brooklyn to Cayleigh to Daddy. Daddy headed to the doctor a week ago to nip his sickness in the bud since he is running in the Fort Worth Cowtown Half Marathon on the 23rd. It has been one thing after another and this Mommy is soooo glad to be seeing the end of it all! Now, we will be ready to cheer on Daddy on Sunday!

Happy 2 Months

Our tiny Morgan is 2 Months old today! Time sure flies when you're growing! Here recently, she has began giving lots of smiles to us. She is sleeping less during the daytime and likes to lay on her play mat. Morgan loves to be cuddled and stay super warm. She nurses every 3 hours during the day and goes to bed around 8:30, sleeping most nights until 4:30, waking again around 8 for the day. She loves to hear her sisters talk to her and get kisses!

Princess #3 getting her beauty sleep!

Smiles :)

Getting long......I now wear 3 month size clothes


Here's Morgan practicing her smiling