Back To Normal

John and I are both starting to feel like things are back to normal for us.  I've felt like this past year was a whirlwind and that we haven't actually sat back and enjoyed each other and Ann as a family.  It's kind of been survival mode if that makes sense.  Everyday has been get up, get ready, cater to Ann's needs which is the best fun but next thing you know it's time to make dinner and John has started snoring on the couch!    This past week I'm feeling like we have learned how to balance Ann, us, the puppies and work pretty well and I'm excited for this next year and all of the blessings and challenges it will bring us.  Finally feeling like I can do it all!

Friday night was so much fun; we went to some friend's house and watched the Razorbacks show Kansas State what the SEC feels like and Ann actually slept the ENTIRE time.  As in from 6:30 to almost midnight?  I sort of woke her up kissing her head so that I could get her out of her seat and give her snuggles but she would have continued sleeping if I wasn't such a creeper.  I'll admit that it was nice enjoying our friends without interruption.  Felt like a kid free evening but only because Ann is an angel baby and knew we needed that.  We got her home, fed her and put her back to bed.  Ann slept until a little after 9:00 a.m.  All of us got to sleep in and it was glorious!!

Saturday we decided to go on a hike with Ann and enjoy the mild weather we've been having.  Maybe I've been in such a good mood and motivated because it's been sunny and 60 degrees outside almost all week... anyway we tried out Ann's carrier and it works like a charm!  She loves it, all five miles of a hike loves it.  Here we are at the top of the little mountain we hiked.  It's twin mountains outside of Fayetteville and a pretty hike.  I definitely got my workout in.

John likes to lead me on "short one hour hikes" that turn into 3 hours and 5 miles of trail covered in slippery leaves, horse droppings and rocks that threatened to turn my ankle because I didn't want to wear my hiking boots with leggings.... I'll say it here "John was right" when he said I would regret going with fashion over function.  Annoying.

Side note:  When we pulled up to the trail head there was a dead donkey that someone had brought out there, shot and left to rot.  Who does that?!  Poor donkey... it smelled disgusting and Tara and Bernie could not have been more excited to roll around in it.  It took everything John had to keep Tara from dragging him into the dead donkey pile of grossness by her leash.  The donkey didn't have eyes left either... that's usually the first to go right?  Stupid trashy people (I said meaner things yesterday that made John give me that "look" which makes me feel like I have tainted Ann's ears forever)

Ok so another side note:  If anyone has read or is reading the Hunger Games trilogy well a long hike in the woods just isn't the same for me anymore!  I kept imagining a hover craft was going to come down and scoop one of us up or someone was going to try and attack us.  I kept a lookout for items John and I could eat if we needed to and I didn't see one water source except a muddy hole that was a spring and would have been very difficult for me to bring myself to drink out of... if it had been colder I guess we could have eaten that donkey.... anyways go out and get yourself these books.  I neglected my entire family while reading one and two.  Waiting on my sister to send me book 3 so I can further neglect my family while I finish the series.  I pretended we were fleeing our district with our baby and two puppies.  I have confidence that John could keep us all alive, well fed and comfortable if we ever did have to live in the woods.  One perk to marrying an avid outdoors man.  Another perk?  A freezer full of wild game that I'm googling recipes for when all I really want is a nice beef fillet with a whiskey cream sauce.  Why can't John go kill a cow instead of deer?

Soooo back to our weekend:  Saturday evening after our hike we cook dinner and let me say it was not diet friendly but I just had to replenish all of those calories I burned hiking didn't I?  For Ann... all for Ann.  Please please make this recipe one night when you're not worried about a few extra calories and just want something good.  We love lemon pastas and this one might be my favorite.  It's also a cinch to whip together.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/grilled-chicken-with-lemon-basil-pasta/

You're welcome!

Perfect Saturday leads into a great Sunday of church all by ourselves with no help from family!!  We dropped Ann off at the nursery for the first time ever and I almost cried.  But that would have been a little dramatic since she was only going to be in there for an hour and the two ladies are so stinkin' nice and Ann actually looked super happy when we picked her up.  It was great going to church together and knowing that no one else was having to stay home from church to keep Miss Ann (aka my parents).  Next weekend we might try going to Sunday school again but that might be pushing it for Ann to be a happy girl for 2 1/2 hours.

The rest of today consists of John fly fishing, Ann lounging around and me cleaning cleaning and tackling a week of laundry.  This weekend has been a perfect balance of John, me, Ann and the puppies all getting to do what we love.  Finally back to normal and savoring every day as a family instead of just surviving until the next day only to start over again.

Tomorrow we will drop Ann off at daycare for the first time and I am determined to be strong, not cry and not call into work and say I just couldn't do it.  It's fiiiiiine!!  Short and sweet is how I'm going about it.  You better believe as soon as I get to the office I'm pulling up the camera in Ann's room and stalking her all day.  If that's not creepy for the teachers to know the parents are spying on them remotely then I don't know what is.

I guess we should use the strap to contain this squirming baby

Pretending it is spring!

Interrupting the cutest Razorback fan eva for a picture, she takes the games very seriously

It's exhausting swatting at toys

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Ann because I will shamelessly bombard people with pictures.