Back on the Trail Again

So... looks like I am back at it! Back to running that is. I ran throughout my entire pregnancy with Cade but I just did not have the energy to run while preggers with Berkley. Since I have had her I have been itching to hit the pavement again. So yesterday was my day - the day before my 6 week check-up appt. I crossed my fingers that it would be ok... I just couldn't wait another day.
I loaded my precious cargo (which takes longer than you'd think) and we ran toward the Newport pier...


Here you can see Lil' Miss Berks....
And the front view to show Mr. Cade Man...

And Yours Truly:)

I was pretty proud of myself. We went 4 miles! I know it sounds like nothing, but after taking so much time off AND pushing BOTH kiddos (which was a tad heavy), I considered it a success. I didn't stop at all - that is my stubborn side coming out:) I won't take all the credit though... this scenery wasn't too bad to look at:

I was a bit sore today so we took the day off. Hopefully we will find ourselves back out there tomorrow!

Just a Few Random Shots

I guess Berks was having a dream that she was in school. She definitely has the answer!:)

I was trying to get a shot of her cute outfit. She just wasn't having it. Little girls get to play dress up with their Barbies and mommys get to play with their babies:)

Twins??

Daddy & his babies... Cade loves his new book! Thanks Mickey:)

And this picture makes me smile. Daddy with his little twin... I mean girl:)

Happy 1 Month Baby Girl!

I can't believe our little girl is already 1 month old today! Time sure flies fast.... especially with baby #2! It is crazy how much faster time flies this time around. Maybe it is because we are much more busy having 2 little ones, or possibly because we 'have the hang of it' already and don't have to analyze everything we do. Whatever the reason, I really need to "stop and smell the roses". I just know that I will blink and these 2 miracles will be all grown.

Here is Berkley at 1 week:

And here she is this morning at 1 month:

Berks' 1 month stats:
8 lbs 9.6 oz (14th percentile)
21 inches (20th percentile)

In honor of Berkley's 1st month, we packed up the gang and headed out in the rain to breakfast this morning. We went to the Newport Beach Country Club where Brad is a member and plays golf. We made sure to sit at the very back where we were secluded in case one (or both) of the kids decided to cry. Fortunately, both were very well behaved.

We love you Miss Berkley Laine! You are absolutely precious and you have made our family complete. Cade cannot wait for you to grow a bit so that you two can play together. For now he continues to try and throw things at you when you are asleep. I think he wants to wake you up, get your attention, and go play. He continues to say "ba ba" whenever he hears or sees you. He still gets a huge smile and often giggles at you.
I was telling Daddy today that I cannot want to see your personality, your interests, etc. I want to see what makes you 'you'. Daddy said that he is glad we are done 'having' you and your brother so now we can get into the fun stuff - taking you guys camping, teaching you guys how to ski, going on family vacations, etc. We cannot wait to show you guys the world!
We love you SO MUCH, baby girl!
Love,
Mommy

Some Shots From Berkley's Newborn Photo Shoot

Berkley's Birth Announcement

Praise God!

Thank you to everyone for your prayers! Mom came home from the hospital last night after being there for 8 days. The doctor says she will still need a week to recover but that she can do that at home. We are so thankful and relieved that mom is ok. That was a week I never want to relive.
Thanks again for all of your concern & prayers.

1st Solo Day Out With The Kiddos

Cade, Berks, & I had our 1st outing today without Brad. Yep, I packed up, loaded the car, and carried both kids down our stairs and into the car all by myself. To say I was proud of myself (and a bit relieved we made it) would be an understatement. Carrying everything to the car in 1 trip was my biggest fear. Our garage in detached so that makes it a bit difficult to get everyone out and loaded in 1 trip. I also worried about being alone with them in public....that the kids would scream at the same time and leave me trying to figure out who to help 1st... all while getting stared at by random people. But... fortunately, they took turns crying so it was manageable. And what if Cade ran? How would I leave Berkley to chase after him? (Answer: Cade only gets out of the stroller if/when Berkley is strapped to me so that if I chase him, she comes too.)

We met my good friend Melissa and her girls, Brynn & Molly at South Coast Plaza. We even pressed our luck and went out to lunch at Rainforest Cafe! Yep, Mel & I had 4 kids under 4 between us!

For most of lunch, I had Berkley strapped to me. This worked out great... except when the thunderstorm started and the monkeys did their thing, it scared Cade to death. He clung onto me and would not let me put him down. So there I was with Berkley strapped to me, Cade in my right arm, and trying to eat with my left. Pure craziness! It is definitely a run for your money to have 2 kids so close in age. But so worth it! 15 months apart...

Mel did things more logically and had her girls 3 years apart:)

When I get frustrated or overwhelmed, I look at this face (or Cade's of course) and remember that it is so worth every minute! Don't get me wrong... it is definitely challenging though!

Cade's Very 1st Time Trick-Or-Treating

We went over to Brad's brother's house last night to Trick-Or-Treat. Cade had a blast playing with his cousin Will before getting his costume on. Will introduced Cade to Thomas The Train. What a hit!

Here is Cade's other cousin, Skylar. Isn't she the cutest peacock you've ever seen!? Her mom, Dana, made it!!!

Here is my little bumble bee dressed and ready to hit the streets! He has this really cool orange candy collecting basket that was sent to him from his cousin Brennan in Texas. It even has his name embroidered on it! Thanks Brennan! :)

And here is our sweet lady bug. She stayed in with Dana while we took Cade through the neighborhood. It was way too cold for her outside.

Daddy with our bugs:)

Here we go.... off to our 1st house!

And onto the next!

And this is how our night ended... with me going to the ER. Crazy timing since my mom is still in the hospital. I think I am fine but I have some bad stomach issues. We are still doing tests.

Happy Halloween! Next year we will have 2 trick-or-treaters since Berks will be old enough to join in on the fun!

Taj's 2nd Annual Halloween Party

We weren't sure of we were going to make it to the party... my mom has been in the ICU since Saturday. Please pray for her to get better. She was having kidney failure. I was asked to leave the hospital so she could get some rest, so we decided to go ahead and join the party. It was better than me pacing the halls and it gave me a minute to take my mind off of things. Plus my mom wanted pictures of the kiddos in costume:) Here is my bumble bee and lady bug!

This is the host Jana & her little boy Taj:)

And here are some fellow lady bugs - my friend Tammy & her daughter Dorothy.

I know, I know... I am the only one not in costume. But like I said, at least I made it, right? Getting 2 kids out of the house in costume was hard enough, I didn't have it in me to get myself ready.

Thanks for putting on a great Halloween party Jana! Like always, you do a great job! Please continue to pray for my mom. Things are looking up and I think we are on the road to recovery... although it will be a slow road. Please keep my dad in prayer as well as he is extremely nervous for mom.