Thirty-one.

 I turned 31 today!

Last night, Sean and I celebrated by going out to dinner and to the movies. We saw It -- and I was so scared! I remembered most of the scenes so I knew exactly when to look away (!) but it was still scary. Today we did a lot of errands but we also had ice cream cake twice, I got to choose what to have for lunch (Outback) and we tried to take a family photo (it was only mildly successful).

Javi thoroughly enjoyed blowing out my candles (again and again and again). You might say he's practicing for his very own birthday celebration -- next Saturday (though his birthday isn't until the 20th). The lucky guy had ice cream three times on his mama's birthday. :)

Life Lately.

Well, it's been a while since I've sat down just to write about life so I thought now is as good a time as any! Sean's back in Florida, spending time with his dad who is having some health issues. He left last Tuesday so Javi and I have spent a lot of time together and with my parents. I've tried to keep his schedule the same, as much as possible, though it's really sad to come home, put him to bed and then have nothing to do and no one to hang out with all evening! Let's just say I've been watching a lot of Friends (and staying away from Criminal Minds which I started to watch on night 1 and then I was like WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?!).

Along with repeats of Friends and How I Met Your Mother (always my go-to's) I've been catching up on Baby Daddy, and The People vs. OJ Simpson. Javi accidentally purchased HBO (and Starz) through our Amazon firestick though I was a bit excited because I got to watch Big Little Lies which I loved! I'm in need of more shows to watch though -- I have a long week ahead of me and after he's in bed I don't have much to do. I've tried so many Netflix shows and can't find one that I can make it past episode 1. 

My summer job is going well. It's not necessarily what I imagined and is definitely a lot different than what I'm used to (philosophy-wise, daily schedule-wise, budget-wise) but at this point there are only 2 weeks left. Since Sean's left I've had to change my hours to make my already really short days -- even shorter. But I'm home most days by 12:20 and two days a week Javi is at his own daycare/summer camp so I get to come home, eat Dairy Queen and watch TV -- but mostly I just nap.

Speaking of naps, I'm really proud of myself for finally getting to a place where Javi naps -- in his crib! I feel like it's a major accomplishment. He doesn't always do it, but for the past week he has and it's amazing how refreshed I feel when he naps in his crib compared to when he naps in the car. Car naps mean I have to drive him around and then I become exhausted! So -- yay for crib naps!

I was a bit overwhelmed this week on Prime Day. There were so many things I wanted but ultimately picked out a scooter, a helmet and a wheelbarrow for Javi. He's gotten to ride his scooter (once) in the house and it was definitely clear I could have just gotten him the helmet because that was his favorite part. In fact, when I took it off he had a full meltdown screaming "mine!" and then tried to convince me he needed to wear it in the car. 

// star wars slippers // star wars pajamas (sold out, similar here)

Did you get any Prime Day purchases?! If so, what?

A week without blogging.

Last week, Sean was away. He flew to Austin with his brothers and road tripped to visit their dad in Florida. This left Javi and me, back home, alone for 8 days. I was fully prepared for all the spiders to come out of the wood work and for the smoke detectors to need new batteries and for something terrible to happen -- because isn't that always the way?! But luckily the most annoying part of the whole week was trash day - yuck. 

To say that it was a busy week would be an understatement. It was a lot of work! Between teaching and waking up Javi extra early to get him to school so I could get to work on time, and leaving work to make sure I got him in time, and dinner and packing lunches and bags and dishes and picking up toys and bath time --  I think I went to bed every night before 8:30. There was no time for anything blogging related -- or anything else. Let's just say it made me truly grateful of our little family and set-up and routine. And I'm so glad to have it back. Here are some pictures of the week: 

// mickey shirt // rain boots //

:)

Our weekend.

This weekend consisted of:

- GOING OUT TO DINNER: Usually on Friday nights we're so exhausted (and never want to do anything to mess up Javi's 7PM bedtime) that we order in but we decided to go out! It was a lot of fun and Javi missed bedtime by 20 minutes (not too bad) and slept in until 8:30 on Saturday morning. (so many smiles here)

// toddler adidas sneakers // converse //

- EASTER EGG HUNT: On Saturday morning/afternoon our town held an easter egg hunt for children ages 1-8. Javi didn't really get the whole egg hunt thing so he ended up giving all his eggs away to other children. He finally ended up with 4 eggs (because other children gave them to him). Unfortunately for us, the timing of the hunt messed up nap time (I curse whoever thought a 1PM egg hunt for toddlers was a good idea) so he didn't nap. 

// leather jacket (on clearance!) //

- PHOTO SHOOT: This is our town "beach" and I say that very loosely because I could never bring myself to swim there -- but Sean says it's fine! Javi has no fear of the water and just walked right in! It made for cute pictures. :)

- BUILDING A GARDEN: We've finally committed to doing something with our yard. I've been pinterest-ing layouts and gardens and have so many ideas. But we're starting with leveling some areas and getting rid of huge rocks that shouldn't be in the space. I would love to put a patio down and paint the concrete foundation of the house... and add some mulch and flowers and paint the deck and the list goes on. But we're starting with a raised-garden bed. We tried to buy vegetables but apparently we're way too early! 

We're almost caught up with The Path. It's so good and I don't want it to end. Are you watching it?!

Three things on a Friday.

1. Javi found his shadow this week on the one day the sun came out. Which was pretty great. But this video of him sliding down the slide makes my whole week:

2. We have a busy and exciting weekend planned! We're starting our garden AND our town has an annual easter egg hunt plus the easter bunny to take pictures with on Saturday. Check out our updates on social media!

3. Stephen Curry on James Cordon is everything I love. And now I'm fully obsessed with "How far I'll go" and need to see Moana. Maybe this weekend?

Have a great weekend! :)

SCENES FROM THE WEEK

How is it Monday again?! Here are a few snapshots of our week:

// got a new iPhone 7 // Javi's fascinated by tablets // & obsessed with teeth brushing //

// put away lots of his toys in exchange for some Montessori "works" -- we haven't mastered color sorting (ha!) //

// but he LOVES the vacuum //

// shape sorting activity // why did it snow on April 1st? // it's not stopping us from building garden beds //

// went out to lunch for mexican food and this guy choked on a tortilla chip -- like actually choked -- he was fine but has learned to slow down on the salsa, sour cream and gauc // 

// switched out my classroom shelves // why do cats love fresh sheets as much as people? // it's almost Artemis' "gotcha day" // this photo is on the wall in Javi's classroom -- he loves to play dress-up! //

I can't wait for the weather to act like it's spring! I'm excited for florals and to start planting. Excited to start running and move Javi's outdoor toys from inside to outside (his slide, his car, his basketball hoop) -- they are crowding the playroom! I'm also thrilled to begin spring cleaning! I just love getting rid of the old to make room for the new! Oh -- and Easter! Bring on the bunny and the egg hunts! 

I hope this week treats you kindly :)

Weekend behind + the week ahead.

- This is seeming like the winter that never ends! We still have snow and more flurries in the future but I decided it was time to bundle up Javi and play in the yard. He lasted 20 minutes and then was over it. Truth be told, I was over it once I snapped the pictures of him in the snow.

- Javi has become obsessed with brushing his teeth! [and he finally has enough hair for a mohawk!] -- but the teeth! I have been trying to brush his teeth for a while and he never seemed interested, in fact, he down right hated it. But then he saw his big cousin in California brush his teeth and developed quite the interest in the task. It's so cute!

- Sean's final birthday gift arrived today! I can't wait for the good weather to come so we can start thinking about our yard. We really want to spend a lot of time outside this summer and I think the key is having things to look at (like a garden), comfortable places to sit and activities for Javi to do.

- We had an unfortunate incident regarding one of the cats and a mouse in the house. Sean thinks it was a mole but I'm all like... does it really matter? Either way there was a mouse/mole in our house and one of the cats, who sleeps on me and licks my face, killed it. The question is did they kill it where I found it [my bedroom] or did they kill it elsewhere and bring it to my bedroom as some type of present. Ugh. 

- We finished iZombie this weekend (highly recommend!!). We're also catching up on Bates Motel and The Path and I'm totally obsessed! Annnnd, I'm behind on This Is Us (just 2 episodes) and on Scandal. I just love TV. :)

- The first day back at work was smooth and quick and amazingly within just a few minutes I had forgotten I was just on vacation for 2 weeks! Funny how that happens. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week -- though, it's a busy one so I also can't wait for the weekend! :)

Weekend feelings.

I'm a bit sad the weekend is over but happy we are a bit closer to our trip. I'm excited about California for so many reasons. I love traveling. I love traveling with my people (Sean and Javi). I'm attending the American Montessori Society conference. When I'm not conferencing it up, I'll be back with my people. On Sunday, we're driving a bit north to see my family and Javi will get to meet/see lots of  his (not really cousins but my cousin's kids and we'll call them...) cousins. We're going to Disneyland and we'll eat at in n out and bonus... I hear it's much nicer weather. So, excitement has officially set in!

This weekend was a lot of fun. Turns out it's not such a bad thing to have a broken washing machine but it was wonderful not having to walk down into the scary basement to do load after load of laundry. The new one is being delivered today so I guess my job will start back up again this afternoon. The toddler in the house goes through clothes very quickly. On Sunday, we bought him those adorable swimmy trunks I posted about the other day -- kid clothes make it so hard to say no. I try to think about all the laundry but the idea of a swimming pool at the hotel just got the better of me.

We had a lot of down time over the weekend and a lot of time together. Javi is still doing this thing where he cries and has fevers but he's not sick. It's confusing but new teeth just keep popping out so I'm pretty confident it's that. In all our free time, Javi began to show interest in putting his own pants on. :) Video below -- he's still practicing.

Javi vs. jeans from Jasmine Duffy on Vimeo.

Enjoy the week!

5 on Friday.

1. Our washing machine broke. Apparently, you can't put a quilt along with a full load of laundry and expect things to turn out all right. I guess I know what we're doing this weekend -- waiting for a washing machine to be delivered.

2. The other night I walked into the kitchen to find Javi  crawling inside the snack cabinet. My first, quick response was to say "na-na-na-na-na-na-no" and shake my hands. Now when we talk to him he responds with "na-na-na-na-na-na-no" and shakes his hands.

3. I thought I was brave enough to take my classroom out on a hike on the 19 acres of land the school owns. It was an unusually nice February day so I dressed for the occasion. Upon returning I found 3 ticks on myself -- 2 made it under 3 layers of clothing and were on my tank top. My washing machine is broken so I couldn't even wash my clothes. Next time, I'm wearing this.

4. I have to post a funny video on instagram (but even facebook even though FB really downgrades video quality) of Javi learning to take off his jacket. He spins around like a puppy trying to take his arms out of his sleeves. :)

5. The temps have fallen back to single digits (ok, maybe teens) but I was really get used to the 60-70 degree days we were having. I guess my new shoes will have to wait for CA. I bought them in both colors.

Have a nice weekend! :)

A life update.

There's not much to report on other than home buying which has taken up our lives since my last blog update. We didn't realize the process of buying a house was so long or unpredictable. There's a lot of stuff that HGTV doesn't show you from the time the buyer's offer is accepted to when they actually move in. It's really stressful. This waiting time could possibly be the most stressful time we've experienced individually or together. We've written checks for amounts of money I have never seen in my life. We've given the same documents a number of times to the bank and they always "can't find it" when we're both at work and not able to send it over (for the fifth time). Something falls into place in one area and then completely falls apart in another. During the last 3.5 weeks we've asked for and accepted things from people that we never thought we would have to. We've let go of pride and cried and then laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. We've spent days imagining a life in this new house complete with paint colors and new furniture and then spent the next few days separating ourselves from the house "just in case". It's still all so uncertain -- and with just four more days before our mortgage commitment deadline, it's not a great feeling.

When we're not completely overwhelmed, which is never by the way; we're working, cooking, cleaning, food shopping, doing laundry, planning for the holidays, contemplating packing, breaking our apartment lease (ah!), taking our Christmas pictures, going to concerts, browsing home improvement stores, hanging out with friends, going out to eat, watching movies, keeping up with DVR, being sick with strep throat/sinus infection/ear infection (that's me), brewing beer (that's him) and cuddling with the cats.

My vision for our Christmas card picture this year and the reality of getting two cats in a picture with us didn't quite mesh. But here's a sneak peek... don't you just love this time of year?

I've been reading rather than blogging. Oops.

The blog hasn't really been appealing to me much over the last few days; a combination of having nothing to write as well as just having other things to do. I've made it a point to go outside whether it's to walk or read. That and my pledge to not sit and watch TV means that I don't sit with my laptop either. Maybe it's a funk? I'm not too sure.

Here's what I've been up to in the last 5 days... other than Father's day & hanging out with Sean. :)

Health:

 

- I'm sort of a "jump on the bandwagon" kind of person. (Sean enjoys this quality so much, I'm sure). So when my friend Marie told me about a cleanse called the GM diet -- I was all set to try it... for about 12 hours. I made it to the grocery store and bought all the appropriate foods for day 1, 2 and 3. When I woke up on day 1 (Monday), I was already starving and the watermelon and grapes just weren't cutting it. I lasted until dinner at which time I enjoyed chicken wings, french fries and nice cold Coke. I don't think cleanses are necessarily for me.

- I've been drinking water. Hey, you know what happens when you drink 6 glasses of water per day? (after barely drinking 1 glass per day for most of your life...) You have to pee a ton. For example, on Friday night Sean and I went to dinner and to the movies and after a day of drinking water -- watching a movie in the middle row of the movie theater is super inconvenient. 

- We've been going on morning walks. Well, on Monday I went alone. This is a major feat for me since I rarely leave my house alone. I mean sure, getting in the car and going to Target -- I can do. In fact, I can get in the car and drive anywhere. I've been known to go places to eat alone. For instance, the mall food court -- easily comfortable. But going out "in nature"? Going for a walk (almost 2 miles) independently? That's just unheard of. But you know what this means? I was so scared to be out "in nature"-- that I was walking so fast -- and I set myself a new record, "fastest average pace" according to RunKeeper. I'm not sure if that's impressive or a little sad.

Hobbies:

- I've gone to the movies, twice. Both times I saw This is the End and both times it was equally as entertaining. I'm a huge fan of Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and Jonah Hill. I loved Superbad & Pineapple Express and I loved This is the End because they all played themselves. I'd recommend it, unless you don't like "stupid humor". If you don't like that then don't bother.

- I've finished Seriously, I'm Kidding and Bossypants. I thought it would take me a week to read each of my books on my summer reading list -- and suddenly here I am, fives days into summer vacation -- two books down. I'll figure out some sort of book review process on the blog. I mean -- I was an English major... I think I remember how to discuss a book?

Home Improvements:

- I told you about our yard sale? Well, this place is a mess from getting ready for the sale and then refusing to accept that I now have to return all the things that didn't sell to their "rightful place" (i.e. the closet). It's annoying and I'm sort of hoping that things just put themselves back. (It's not happening). I guess I need to start that whole "take 20 minutes and pick up one area" thing. 

- I'm still doing the "30 days without accessories". I'll admit I had to pull one thing out -- the fruit basket. When you have this much fruit -- and two cats who like to push things around -- you really need something to contain any sphere-like rolling objects.

Now, why I have that much fruit? -- well, that's a whole other blog post.