September Updates!

How did this happen??

Where did Summer go?!

I swear, every Summer goes by faster than the one before. 

August was by far the fastest and busiest month. We stayed busy enjoying as much time in the pool as possible, soaking up every ray of sunshine we could, and I of course was busy with all kinds of house projects!
It was also my sweet baby boy's 1st birthday!! (holding back the tears...) 

Life with a 1 Year Old

It's so much fun having a 1 year old!

He's at that fun age where you can totally start to see his little personality. As in...they know how to start pushing the limits, being silly, making you laugh...etc. 

He's been walking since he was 11 months old- so now he's pretty much a pro. ;)

He loves to just walk around and explore the house- which means of course I spent numerous days baby-proofing every room. UGH. 

He's always been a bit more of a Mommy's boy...but lately he loves to cling on to my leg...and not let go. Aaron could be standing right next to me doing nothing, but of course Gavin needs to be attached to my leg as I try to bounce around back and forth in the kitchen and make dinner. 

Gavin's down to 1 nap- which is honestly something I was dreading.

Yes, I am admitting that, NO SHAME.

I LOVED that morning nap time because it was my peaceful, quiet, enjoy my coffee on the couch time. RIP peaceful coffee time. Now I get to enjoy my coffee during Sesame Street while Gavin crawls all over me and snuggles in my armpit. 

We realized Gavin needed to go down to 1 nap when we started having bad HORRIBLE, "WE ARE DONE HAVING KIDS" nights. Ya, those kinds of nights.

Gavin would wake up at 1-2am and not want to go back to sleep for 2-3 hours. Thank the Lord for coffee.

Once we went down to only 1 nap (which is currently around 1pm...and lasts 2+ hours) he went back to sleeping through the night. Hallelujah.

When's the Next One???

Speaking of "WE ARE DONE HAVING KIDS"... it reminded me of the fact that it seems like the 1 year mark is this magic mark where people feel like it's appropriate to start asking you when you're having the next one.

EXCUSE ME, WHAT?! 

Those couple weeks post-birth are still WAY TOO VIVID in my mind to want to go through all that again... and after a lot of the sleepless nights we were having with Gavin lately.... ya, the next kid can wait!!! We definitely have a time frame in mind, but I like to tell people- within the next 5 years....maybe. :)

But if you ask me after one of "those" nights, my answer is "Gavin is going to be an only child".

MomLife Updates

I'm almost done breastfeeding! Which is funny, because I now realize I can start wearing regular bras again- not just nursing bras! I also realize how much more freedom I have- and it's awesome. Not gonna lie.

All that needs to go is the last feeding right before bed.

I also find myself in that weird place where I look back at old pictures of Gavin when he was a little baby, and I think "awww, I miss that!!!" and at the same time, I LOVE the age he is now. He's so much more independent (in a sense) and honestly, every day with him is fun! I'm really, really loving the age he's at now. :) 

Other Randomness Updates

The kitchen/living/dining room update is 98% done! We have a hole in the ceiling (from the fireplace we ripped out) that needs to be patched, and 1 piece of trim left to be put on! That's that! It feels SO good to be done with it all, and we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our "new" living room!

I also am about 90% done with painting all of our upstairs trim and doors white!! The difference it makes is INSANE. We love it!

Another SUPER exciting change- we are updating our downstairs "bonus" room into a playroom. New paint, new carpet, and of course- white trim & doors! 

...and super cute decor once I finally find the time to take a trip to Hobby Lobby!!!!

I painted the entire room in 2 days. I just have 1 more coat of white to paint on the trim... then we just need to get our new carpet in!!! 

The most exciting part about this project- is all of the toys that accumulate (and don't get put away) in the living room- will be GONE!!!! I can't wait to have a room specifically for all of the toys!! I'll get my living room back!
Here's a sneak peak...

Before new paint...

...After new paint!!

Here's a non-house-project update: we took our yearly trip to the lake this year! It marked the third year we've gone to this lake with my side of the family! The first year we went Aaron and I had only been married a couple weeks! The second year we went (last year) Gavin was about 10 days old. This year, we had a 1 year old cruising all around the house... our little explorer. It was awesome to get away with the family. Even though vacations with Gavin right now aren't exactly "relaxing" like they used to be, they somehow still recharge you.