Chili Rellano Recipe

So unfortantely we all ate our chili rellanos before we even though to snap a picture of the final product... because they are THAT good. They definitely are not healthy for you but everything is okay in moderation, right? So what you'll need is the following...

Wonton Wrapper (found in the produce department)

Roasted Green Chilis

Mexican Melting Cheese (the brand I get is picture below)

Shredded Cheese 

Oil (any kind works, I used vegetable)

So your first step is to prep the chili's and cut up the Mexican melting cheese. If you are from Colorado you can get roasted chilis from any local farmers market or at one of those side of the road shops. You'll want to take the skin off and remove the seeds. If you are not in  Colorado or somewhere that sells roasted green chilis, you can roast them in your barbequer. 

Next you will stuff your wonton wrapper. Simple pile a chili in the middle with some Mexican melting cheese and shredded cheese. Honestly, the more cheese the better! Fold the sides in and roll it up. Seal the wrapper with a tiny bit of water. Once you have done that you are ready to fry them!

I pour enough oil in my pan to almost completely cover them. Heat the oil when you first begin making them so when your done wrapping you can just put them in the oil to fry. Fry until golden brown.

Top them with my Colorado Green Chili , some sour cream and more cheese! Its so good y'all! So so so good!

5. Decide on if we should expand our family or bot

So a little background. My husband and I got married in September 2011. We found out we were pregnant with our first daughter in January 2012. After we gave birth to her we decided that we wanted another close in age. So 16 months later came Sadie. My husband always said he wanted two kids. Since I was a little girl I have dreamt of having four. So when it came down to it we decided on three as our compromise. We got pregnant with Emmy super quickly and were so excited. At the 12 week scan we got an abnormal result so we had to do extensive genetic blood tests and an echocardiogram. Luckily, everything turned out just fine. But we were also able to determine gender at 13 weeks pregnant. It was girl. Three girls. I loved the idea and have fully embraced it. My girls are my entire life. But since we decide three was it for us we scheduled a vasectomy. It took place on January 30, 2016. One week later, Emmy had arrived. Honestly, every moment since then I have wondered if we did the right thing with the vasectomy. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I stumbled upon a board on baby center called “TTC after a vasectomy reversal”. I knew from the get-go that a reversal was possible but extremely costly. So I just looked through the board and started doing some research. Apparently there are clinics that just do reversals and they are much more cost effective.

I have talked to Cam about getting a reversal and he is on board. The thing is, now that it’s a possibility, and now that my kids are past the infant stage I don’t know if I want to start over. But then I think about it some more and I know I’m not ready to completely say no. I’ve been praying about this and about whether to have another baby or not. So I guess only time will tell what exactly we end up doing. I’ve also have been trying to determine if it’s pregnancy that I miss and want or if it is another baby I am longing for. If it’s just pregnancy I would definitely consider surrogancy. So if you’d pray for guidance for me, I’d love that. This is such a hard choice.

4. Get the Title “CFO” at Work

Growing up I always thought I’d be a doctor, nurse, radiologist... something in the medical field. So right after high school I went to college. Let’s just say that that ended up not working out but I did realize that science was definitely not my thing.  I ended up dropping out and just working as a server  at numerous restaurants around town. Nothing super exciting, I’m talking Old Chicago and Perkins. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. After my tenure as a server I explored working at an animal clinic, being an orthodontic assistant, and a cheer coach. None of those really worked out and I didn’t exactly enjoy them. At this point, I was recently married and if I knew one thing about myself I KNEW I wanted to be a mom. So we did it. We got pregnant easily and it was decided that I was going to be a stay at home mom. That was until I got a call from a small medical practice wanting to interview me for a medical billing and coding position. I had zero experience and not much drive but I decided to go anyways. Long story short, I got the job. At 13 weeks pregnant I began the very beginning of my career. About two years into this position, I was offered a position there as an accounting clerk. I had never done accounting and had no clue what I was getting myself into but it was more money and more experience. Since I was now a mom of two kids under two, I took the position head on. From there I decided it was time to get my degree. I enrolled in school and started taking classes. As it turns out, I was pretty good at accounting too! Another two years passed and I landed another position as a staff accountant. At this position I was able to work closely with the CFO and learn so much valuable information. Fast forward to 2017, I was coming to the end of my degree plan and graduation was approaching. I was getting burnt out on the staff accountant gig so I very randomly began searching for a new position. When I came across most positions that were appealing to me I was under qualified; so I didn’t apply. Then one day I saw a posting for a Director of Finance position that I actually qualified for. So I applied, not thinking much. To my surprise I was called in for an interview and then again for the second round. When I was offered the position I was so excited!! This was my dream!

Fast forward three months later, I am loving my new position. It’s challenging and rewarding. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and definitely fills my soul with all the right things. Because I’m such a goal setter and always trying to be better I now have my eye on another career milestone: getting the title CFO. Obviously this is a HUGE step but I’ve been speaking with the folks around me and my leadership team and it definitely seems feasible! So here’s to new goals, new milestones and hard work!

3. Continue Living a Healthy Lifestyle

When I had my first daughter I gained a whooping 55lbs. I was over 200lbs and my body completely changed. It took me about 6-7 months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 145lbs. The day I hit 145 was the same day I found out I was pregnant with Sadie. No big deal. I was back at pre-pregnancy weight and I was adement that I wasn't going to gain as much and I didn't. I gained 23lbs. After her I decided that eating healthier wasn't going to get me where I wanted so I started going to the gym. It helped and I was able to get down to 135lbs. This was huge because I hadn't seen that by,bee since before I got married. I felt great and my confidence started to return. However, I knew I wanted more babies. So I got my IUD out and we got pregnant right away. This time I gained 35lbs. Once I had her I decided to start working out again - but this time with a personal trainer.  With him, I was able to get back down to about 138lbs and 24% body fat.  I felt great. My energy was up, I felt good in a swim suit (stretch marks, loose skin and all).  Since then I've been able to hold onto the lifestyle. Eating is huge for me. As long as I eat fairly healthy I am able to maintain and lose weight. I hover around 125-130lbs now. I try to work out a couple times a week but honestly that doesn't always happen. As a mom it is sometimes hard to take the time to workout because I'd rather be with my babies. But I can absolutely tell when I don't. I am sluggish, I eat like crap, I'm crabby, the whole 9 yards. So at the end of the day it's just best I get my butt the gym.

Before Kids

After Two Kids

After three kids

Now

2. Follow Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps

I found Dave Ramsey years ago and it really helped me get my shit together but honestly I fell off the bandwagon a time or two. This year my goal is to really follow his baby steps toward a better future for us. His baby steps are made up of the following.

1. Create a budget, cut up all the credit cards, and save your baby emergency fund of $1,000.
2. Pay off all debt using the debt snowball. The debt snowball means listing your debts from small to big. Pay only the minimums each month except for your smallest debt. Whatever money is not used in your budget is your snowball. You use this to start paying towards your smallest debt.
3. Save 3-6 months expenses for your emergency fund.
4. Save 15% of your household income to retirement.
5. Save for college
6. Pay off your house
7. Be wealthy and give generously.

Your can find more about the baby steps here.

We’re on baby step two and likely will be for the entire year. Our debts are made up of credit cards, a car loan, a camper, and student loans. Our debts total well over $100k. This means we will be here for quite awhile but once we pay off a lot of this stuff our snowball will be really good. Right now our snowball is about $800 per month with a household income of $6840 a month takehome. This amount is after insurance. We have three kids. Our budget looks like this...


BILLS $3155

DEBT $1963

MONTHLY SPENDING $605

SINKING FUNDS $300

SNOWBALL $817

I heard about Dave Ramsey on baby center's We Are Debt Free group years and years ago. The ladies these are so inspiring and helpful! They definitely serve as motivation to be better at finances and to help set and meet my goals. Dave Ramsey also has a podcast that I have been listening to. It is so interesting and helpful. You can find it on iTunes or the podcast app on your phone!

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions! You are welcome to comment here for follow me on Instagram and message me there! I'd love some accountability partners. I also plan to update everyone on our debt free journey as we go. I will paste the budget template I use below. It is more detailed than the above as I wanted to just give y'all a high level look at our finances.

BILLS

mortgage/rent

garbage

cable/Netflix

phone

internet

cell phone

electric

gas

water

alarm

life insurance

car insurance

home insurance

daycare/preschool

DEBT

(list smallest to largest by total due, include monthly minimum)

car

student loan

medical bills

(add anything else you have here - credit cards, rent to own, whatever)

MONTHLY SPENDING

auto: fuel

charity

groceries/toiletries

eating out

blow money

entertainment

college savings

retirement savings

newspaper/magazine/online subscription

SINKING FUNDS

(Take the amount you expect to spend in a year, divide by 12 and set aside this amount each month in savings.)

clothing & shoes

haircuts

pet care

gifts, parties

school expenses

household/garden

Christmas/birthdays

home maintenance (1% of house value per year)

car maintenance/tags ($75/car recommended)

medical (rx, copays, contacts, dental)

kids classes/activities

adult classes/activities

tuition

property taxes (if not included in mortgage)

adult classes

travel

AAA, etc.

new car fund

1. Go Back to Church

Number one on my goal list for 2018 is to go back to church. I grew up Catholic and my husband grew up Lutheran. Both of us are believers but neither of us really practice a specific faith. But when our five year old said to us “I want to learn about Jesus”; we couldn’t deny her. Every night we pray and every so often I will talk about Jesus and how good he is. But they don’t really know much more than that. So when we set out to join a church I was looking for somewhere accepting, somewhere close, somewhere we could be ourselves and wasn’t the typical Old School mass. Last Sunday, we visited Red Rocks Church and honestly it was everything I was looking for. The girls went into it with open minds and came out of it so fulfilled. They did the Kids Rock program and had a blast. Well everyone except my youngest. She isn’t quite two and has never been out of the care of ourselves or my parents. So when we left her in the room where all the kiddos were, it was rough. They ended up texting us about 10 minutes later saying she just wasn’t having it. However, she loved the music and atmosphere in the big group with us! I feel so lucky to be on this journey of following our lord and spending more time with him this year. Also, meeting more people. It has been rough finding people our age, in the same phase of life as we are and with the same morals.

New Year, New Goals

Everyone makes resolutions year after year. And year after year those resolutions are usually not kept. I actually love to make new goals each year. It gives me something to work toward and is a form of measured success to me. This time last year we had just purchased our home, I was consistently exercising and eating well, I was insistent that I would get a boob job over the next year, and I dreamt of finishing my degree. For the most part life was good and my goals were obtainable. I did continue eating well and excercising. I am the smallest I have been since before I got married. I did not get a boob job... yet. I finished my bachelors degree, which was tougher than it sounds. I ended up taking 5-6 courses all three semesters. I was exhausted but I did it and am now working towards a masters degree. I landed my dream job as a Director of Finance for a small company. I’d be lying though if I said it isn’t kicking my ass, but I do love it. It’s amazing how a year can change so much! My whole world has essentially changed. I can definitely say, though, that I’m incredibly happy with the changes. I’m hoping the goals I have for 2018 bring just as much happiness and success. So my goals are...

1. Get back to Church

2. Follow Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps

3. Continue living a healthy lifestyle

4. Get the title “CFO” at work

5. Decide on whether our family is complete or not

These goals may seem pretty simple but each of them have its own struggle tied to it. So follow me along my journey through 2018 and figuring out life!

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Carinthians 12:9 

This verse was read at church this morning and it’s really stuck with me since. I’ve struggled in life with certain people in my life and their inability to accept things as they are and also the inability to accept the successes in the lives of others. I firmly believe in accepting my weaknesses and embracing them.

As a teenager I went through things that really tested me. I was in an unhealthy relationship that I couldn’t seem to escape, I was pregnant at 17 and suffering an ectopic pregnancy, I had a trouble relationship with my mother, I struggled in school, I drank and smoked and did anything to fit back in. It was tough and I honestly do not know how I made it through it all. Somehow though I learned to let go of my weaknesses and give it all to Christ. I truly wish I could pinpoint that point in my life and although I can’t, I’m incredibly thankful I was able to give it all to Christ. My motto since has been “If you can’t change it, don’t stress about it. Work to be the best you that you can be.”  Today’s serman really resonated with that.

Because I want to be completely transparent with you all and myself, I think it is important to say that I am not a person who consistently goes to Church or worships our lord. In fact, today was the first day that we have gone to church in YEARS. But, when my five year old told me "Mommy I want to learn about Jesus" I couldn't deny her that because I rely so much on him myself.

2018 is here!

I know I keep saying it... but I really do want to start keeping up on here.

Needless to say, A LOT has happened since I last updated y'all. From moving, to going to Disneyland, Mexico and Niagara Falls, to graduating with my bachelors and getting my dream job! I can't wait to update everyone! Also, we have some pretty awesome plans for the year that I cannot wait to share. So lets start from where we left off...

Shortly after we sold our house, we began looking at homes to purchase. Nothing that we were shown was really what we were looking for. The homes were nice, but they really weren't much different than what we just sold. Basically, they were all in the same neighborhood, with the same layout and same style just with an added basement. Don't get me wrong, they were gorgeous homes that were recently remodeled but they just weren't what we were looking for. About two weeks into our search our realtor (my cousin) sent us updated listings and I fell in love. I knew just from the photos that that was the house that I wanted. So just like previous weekends, we set out that weekend to look at a number of homes. We saw 2-4 houses that day before we went to the house I fell in love with. When we arrived we looked around and it was everything we could've asked for. We knew the house was going to have an open house that afternoon and people were in and out of it while we were there. We had one other house to look at that day. On the drive over my husband and I couldn't stop talking about the house we had just saw. We both knew that it was the house we wanted but we had a bit of a dilemma. We hadn't yet had our financing in order. We had the money from the sale of our house and all our debt paid off but we hadn't started the process with the lender, nor had a lender letter. Here in Colorado, you have to have a lender letter for anyone to even consider your offer. When we spoke to our realtor about it she said if we really wanted the home we had to be aggressive and we had to call our lender immediately for a letter. We knew we wanted to move forward but it was a Sunday, offers were due that evening, and we had no lender letter. We were so upset at this point because we knew this was the house for us. So we went to lunch and started thinking through how to make this work. We KNEW we were qualified to purchase even though we didn't have any sort of proof. We ended up going back to the home after lunch since it was open. We spoke with the selling agents and they gave us great advise on the offer that they think we should make toward the home. This was the best move we could've made because the selling agents really helped us. We ended up offering over $15,000 over asking, with an escalation clause up to $25,000 over asking. We also waived inspection and allowed sellers to stay in the home until they closed on their home. We told the selling agent that we would have a lender letter to them first thing Monday morning. This caused so much anxiety for me. We had to wait and wait and wait to hear back from them, and I had to find a lender, get them to pre-approve us and have them send over a lender letter in a matter of hours. Luckily, our lender ROCKED and was able to do that for us. We had previously used him for a refinance and so he knew us and our history and was able to help us so quickly. So then we had to wait for the offer to be accepted or denied. We knew we were up against EIGHT other offers, so it was so nerve racking. Luckily, we got the home!!! We had to wait two weeks after closing to move in BUT it was so worth it. We have lived here for over a year now and we still love it. The house is in good shape, the yard is beautiful, the neighborhood is amazing. We love everything. It doesn't look like anything special in the photo below, but it absolutely is to us!

More updating to be continued...

House Update

We are in our final week of being in our home. C and I are both feeling it and questioning our decision. We both, deep down, know this is right and that the buyers are the best people we could be selling to. But it doesn't make it any easier. We have done so much in this home, we have learned so much. Change is hard. Super hard. I know that I am trying to remember that this is all in God's hands and we are just following the path he laid for us.

E starts Preschool

Last week, my oldest started preschool. She had been looking forward to this day for awhile! I was not. I am one of those parents that love to be in control. Sending her to school, takes a lot of the control away from me. On the first day, she could hardly contain her excitement. She was bouncing off the walls and running around like crazy prepping for her day. She woke up so promptly and was ready to get dressed right away. Her daddy even made her eggs and bacon for breakfast!

1st Day of Preschool

Age 4

I weigh 37 pounds & am 41 inches tall

I look forward to meeting new friends & seeing the animals everyday

I love barbies, bows & my blanket

When I grow up, I want to be a doctor

Sadie Butt is my best friend

Ms. Julie is my teacher

While it was such an exciting and long awaited day for E, it was harder for S and I. S was seriously so sad that E wasn't going to grandmas with her. They are the best of friends, and S looks up to E so much. She cried when she had to leave without E. Then when S and I went to pick E up for the day, she spent the whole car ride there saying "I miss Ellie, I love Elle". She would even pretend to call her on her play phone and she would say "Hi Elle. Don't worry, I'm coming. I miss you. We are coming to get you from school." As soon as they saw each other at pick up, they instantly ran up to each other and gave one another the biggest hug. Ellie then proceeded to cry because Emmy didn't come pick her up too, and she missed her. Sadie wasn't the only one who had a hard time. The whole time I was like, I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. And what did I do? I cried. Man, did I cry. It was like an ugly cry too. I was totally the only mom who cried at the school too. I couldn't help it. I went to give her a hug and there were the tears. This was the first time we ever left her somewhere, other than with my parents. It was terrifying. I felt horrible afterward because I didn't want her to see me crying because I didn't want her upset, so I kind of rushed our goodbye and ran out. Luckily, she LOVES school so that makes it a little easier.

More About Me

Normally I won't say a whole lot about me on here. I am one of those moms consumed in my children's lives that I often forget all that I have on my plate.

Here goes nothing. So obviously, I'm a working mother of three. But I also am working, tirelessly to complete my degree. I started it years ago, after I graduated high school, but it was just not a priority then. Not only did I not know where I was going or what I was doing with my life, but I was completely off base about my career choice. Luckily somehow I ended up where I am and where I am meant to be. I have been back in school for over two years now and I have about a year left. It isn't easy and I spend a lot of nights up late, laying in bed, working on homework next to my sleeping husband. Which is so not fun. I like to sleep. I like to sleep a lot. With three kiddos three years old and younger, I need sleep. I will say though that C definitely makes up for those late nights on the weekends. It's rare I wake up before 8am on Saturday and Sunday... And it's not because my children sleep in. S is ruthless... She will likely never sleep in.

Another journey I recently decided to take is a fitness journey. Before I got pregnant with Em, C and I would go workout almost every night. I was finally starting to feel normal and good again when I got that positive. She was very much planned, but also halted my fitness journey. I definitely used pregnancy as an excuse to not workout, not eat well, and fall back into my old ways. So recently a friend and I decided we were going to see a personal trainer. I was about 5 months post partem when we decided and I was so unsure about it. I like have to have the right mind set to jump back into something like this and I wasn't sure I was there yet, but I decided to try it anyways. It's been a little over a month since then and I couldn't be more thankful for this experience. It's not always easy to go to the gym or eat the way we are supposed to but we work together so it makes things easier. I am feeling so much better these days. I dropped red bull. Which is huge for me. I was drinking it daily just to get through the day. Now I go most days without any caffeine. I've lost about 4lbs and 3% body weight. I still have a long way to go before I reach my goal but I'll get there. I am not in a rush. I want to change my lifestyle so that I can be healthy for my husband, my babies, myself. So over the next 5 or so months I will be documenting my progress. Our contract with the personal trainer is for 6 months and I'm a little over a month in. My ultimate goal is 130lbs and 20% body fat. When I started I was 147.9lbs and 30% body fat. I am currently 143.8lbs and 27% body fat. I can't wait to see what the next month brings but I am definitely hoping to break that 140 mark! Wish me luck! 

We have an offer!

So the two weeks of showings and waiting were probably the longest two weeks of my life. It was so stressful. So when we finally got an offer the other day I was so excited! I was seriously getting worried that it just was not going to happen for us. But it did. We are OFFICALLY under contract.

After the excitement wore off, I definitely had my "oh shit" moment. Like what the hell was I thinking? We are essentially homeless now and my feelings were a little hurt realizing that we are down to the very last month in this house. You see... when I first starting writing this blog, we had just purchased our house. Since then that house has turned into a home. Its the house we got married in, the house we brought all three of our children home to, the house our dogs passed away at. So many memories will forever be held in that house. It was the first house we made together, aside from the apartment that we lost to a fire. This was my home. As a child, I didn't really have one home that I grew up in, which was perfectly okay. I loved moving. But when we bought this house, it was truly mine. My home. My safe place. I love that home, and always will. I will say that I am so relieved that the new owners seem to have a similar story as us. They are a young couple who have been married a few years and are ready to start a family there. It definitely helps me cope with the grief of "losing" such a great place.

Now we are onto finding the home our children will remember and consider home. It will be a tough bargain to find something so cute, cozy and comfortable but I am so determined to do that for my babies!

Update on the Girls

Our girls are constantly changing and amazing us at every turn. My biggest joy is definitely watching them grow, learn and be passionate about things.

E is going to be turning four in just a few months. She will be in preschool in just a few weeks as well. I cannot believe it. I know she will love it but it will be super hard for me. I am definitely a helicopter parent so letting go of some of the control is really going to be hard for me. We got all her school supplies, her back pack, and we plan to go school clothes shopping this weekend. I just cannot believe that she is old enough for all this.

 E's favorite things to do include watching TV shows like Fuller House, Barbie's, Mickey Mouse, Brats, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Disney Movies. I have been working on their Disney movie collection so they have tons to chose from. The Disney Movie Club is usually where I get them. If you want more info, or my referral link leave a comment or find me on Facebook. She also loves playing with her kitchen, playing barbies and putting her imagination to work with her sisters. She loves to dance and sing. Being outside is also a love of hers. On the other hand, she hates brushing her teeth, bed time, brushing her hair, and being told what to do ;)

S is two and a half. She is learning so much. She can count and recite her ABC's. She has even been working on writing her letters. She recently started dance class with E and seems to be doing well there, as well. So far, she is definitely my wild child. She loves to jump on furniture, run around like crazy, hang out outside and can hardly be found sitting down and taking a break. She is constantly ready to get up and go. If she could spend all day every day on a scooter, bike, or playing toys outside she so would!

While she wild and rugged out the outside, don't let the scrapped up knees and bruise fool you. She has such a sweet soul. She is always the first to share with everyone. Just this morning she was so concerned while Em was crying that she was yelling from her room while she got ready "Its okay Em, I'm here. Its okay". She loves being a big sister more than I ever would've imagined she would. Some things she isn't fond of include washing her hair and picking up her toys.

Em is currently six months old and I would say my most difficult baby. She still wakes most nights for a bottle because she refuses them most of the day. She has to be cuddled up to me constantly when I am around, and she loves loves loves all the attention. Maybe its a baby of the family thing? Who knows. None-the-less though, she is constantly smiling, making everyone around her smile too. She loves to sit up and play with all the toys she can reach.

 She currently wears 6-9 month clothing and size 2 shoes. She weighs about 17 pounds and was 27 inches long a few weeks back. She can sit unassisted and has recently started showing interest in trying to go somewhere. She has the prettiest green/hazel eyes. She is the only one in our family with that color. Her hair is darker, which I am so in love with..... because like everyone says "Finally one that looks like you!"

Being these threes Mommy is the biggest blessing. I am loving every moment of it. Yes, even the hard times!

Selling...

Over the last couple of years it had become a realization that we would eventually need to purchase a larger home. Ours was just too small to be functional for our growing family (four girls, one bathroom....enough said!). Up until the end of may it was always, in two years... in five years.... next year.... but then we thought, why not now? The market is BOOMING here in Colorado, we need space NOW, and it means being more financially stable now and deeper into our future. We absolutely plan to move one more time in life, and that is it. The home we buy will be the home we stay in for the rest of our lives. So one day in late May we suddenly decided we were going to sell our house. My cousin, who is our realtor, came over and gave us our options. We could completely gut it and sell for the highest price, we could do some fixes and then sell, or we could sell as is. The most appealing and practical choice was to do some fixes ourselves and then put our house on the market. So over the next month and a half C and I spent countless hours fixing up the house. We painted (inside and out), we changed the doors, we did yard work, we did dry wall repair, we did tile and grout repair. It was exhausting to say the least. With three children, you cannot just jump right in after work or on the weekends. So we spent our days doing fun activities and making memories with the girls and the spent the time after they went to bed at 8pm to the wee early hours of the morning doing all the work we could. We literally lived off red bull and coffee.

 

However, we have been finished for a little over two weeks now. We listed our home about then as well. We are still waiting for someone to fall in love with it as much as we are in love with it, so wish us luck! We cannot wait to start looking for our forever home. We are constantly on webpages searching and searching. Some characteristics that we are looking for in a home include:
• 4 bedrooms, but we will take 3 if there is an unfinished basement that allows us to add bedrooms down there at a later time.
• 2.5+ bathrooms
• Soaker tub in the master suite (I have a serious Lush addiction)
• Fireplace
• Simple yard, with a backyard the girls and us can enjoy
• Open concept with the kitchen open to the family room

Being move-in ready is probably the most important to us though. That isn't too much to ask right? We certainly got worn down too much with the renos we did in our current home to even think of having to do it all over again so soon.

 We have decided to wait until we have finished selling our current home until we start to look for a new home, though. So many people ask us why we are doing this. There are a few reasons. One of them being the fact that it is super overwhelming trying to do it all at once. I am an anxious fool, waiting for this house to sell. I couldn't image adding the stress of finding a home, offering, inspections, etc. Another reason we are waiting is because we follow Dave Ramsey. If you haven't heard of him, Google him. We want to be debt free. By selling our home, we will have paid off every ounce of debt we have aside from student loans. That is huge for us. We definitely want to start living a lifestyle that does not revolve around credit, and this is allowing us to.

At it again...

I have been contemplating coming back to the blog world for awhile now. I have just been so busy with life, that I literally felt like I could not handle one more thing. However, I decided it was time. I actually really enjoy blogging and I know it will be something I cherish as time just keeps passing me by.

So much has changed since I updated nearly two years ago. C and myself both changed careers. C used to be an over the road truck driver for a moving company. Deciding to switch career paths was a major thing for us. It meant more time together, but less money at first. He is now an electrician apprentice. He goes to school once a week to achieve the credentials he needs to accomplish a journey man's license in the next couple of years. I, previously, worked as a billing specialist at a pediatric medical office. But since then I have jumped head first into the accounting world. I worked at the pediatric office for a few years doing accounting, but now I am at nephrology (Kidney Specialty) clinic as an accountant. I am also a full-time student at Regis University. I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have been given, I absolutely love my career.

Another, somewhat obvious, change in our lives is that we've added some children. Most of my blog previously was centered around our daughter, E, who is almost four now. How crazy is that? She starts preschool in just under four weeks and I am baffled at how this is even possible. I mean, she was totally supposed to stay a baby forever, right? Then, when E was 16 months old we welcomed S. You can find her birth story a few posts back. It was a rough transition for E, but now they are absolutely inseparable; the best of friends. S is currently two and a half. She is so funny, caring and has the prettiest curly dirty blonde hair. E and S both have daddies blue eyes. Were going to be in so much trouble when they're older. Most recently, we welcomed Em into the family. She is our final little love. She was born in February, I will have to post her birth story soon. She has been the absolute perfect addition to our family, and definitely completes us. So many people ask us if we are sad we don't have a son, I can 100% honestly say not even a little. I am sure that boys are fun in their own little way, but I am a girl mom until the end.

There is a ton more to update you on including my school journey, selling our home, life as a mom of three, and so much more.... I can't wait to document this crazy, overwhelming, amazing journey.

Update on the girls! E is 23mo and S is almost 7mo!

Clearly I have been slacking at update you all about my beautiful babies. I have been working full-time, as well as going to school full-time. Not to mention my everyday mom and wife duties. Anyways, without further a-do.... E is almost two! In one short month we will be celebrating two wonderful years with this little girl. S turns 7 months is just a few days. Time is flying.

 

 

Age:23 months

 

 

Age: 7 months

 

 

 Stats: 

E is 25lb! Her next check up will be sometime next month, so we will see how tall she is. S is pushing 17lbs and is about 26 inches long.  

 

 

 Clothes:

2T is what E is in all the time now, while the pants still need to have an adjustable waist in order to fit her tiny butt.

S is currently in 9mo clothing, and will soon be in 12mo. She is growing like crazy!

 

 

 Favorite Foods:

E: Cheese, fresh carrots, guacamole, chips, tacos, fruit snacks

S: Carrots, Pears, Green beans, Peas, Apples

 

 

 

 Favorite activities:

 E:Singing, dancing, gymnastics, playing with her Barbie's, watching Frozen. She is absolutely obsessed with Frozen, and Barbie's. She has to have them at all times. She loves to put her Barbie's in her baby stroller and push them around. She also love to color.

S: Sitting, watching Mickey Mouse Club House, playing with toys, eating

 

 

 

 Least favorite activities:

E hates when we have to get in the car and she cannot hold her entire bag of Barbie's. We have a huge tote full of Barbie's that travel EVERY WHERE with us. It is far to big for her to carry and she freaks out every day because she cant.

S hates taking baths/showers, as well as tummy time. She will probably never crawl at this rate lol

 

 

 

 Momma's Proud Moment: 

E: I am just so proud of the fact that she can count to ten and complete recite her ABC's. She is so smart. She also knows my husband, mine and her sisters by name. I also love that she love to help clean. She will vacuum, scrub the floors, load and unload the dishwasher, etc.

S: Being able to sit unassisted as well as hold he bottle. Its the little things ;)

 

 

 

 Fun things we've done over the month:

We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and got to feed the giraffes. Ellie also participated in the ALS ice bucket challenge (without ice). We also went to a few festivals around town and did the inflatables and petting zoo.

 

 We are working on potty training E... kind of. It isn't going great. Hopefully soon we both will be ready!

 



S is 5 months old!

I am so behind, I apologize. The months seem to be flying by, and then I go to recap our month and I think to myself, "That had to be more than a month ago."

 

 

Age: FIVE months, can you believe it?

 

 

 

Stats: She has lost a few pounds when she had a nasty tummy bug for a couple weeks so I am guessing she is right around 13-15lbs.

 

 

 

 

Clothes: We are dressing her in all 6 months size clothing. She also wears size 3 diapers.

 

 

 Favorite Activities: sitting up, watching and laughing at her big sister, playing with toys, watching tv, and sleeping. She is also learning to like swimming. She has a new found love for the doggies, so that is cute as well!

 

 

 

 

Least Favorite Activities: Getting dressed. She is loving being naked these days. She also hates her car seat. My dad has spoiled her so much that she has to have someone in sight or she is not happy.

 

 

 Mommy's Proud Moment: She can officially roll from front to back and back to front. She scoots all over the place, and even is starting to sit up unassisted.

 

 

Another proud moment of mine, is that she is now out of her rock n play sleeper and in her pack n play next to our bed. She is doing great! Here is a picture of her in her sisters toddler bed, where she fell fast asleep one afternoon. Now I cant leave her there because she rolls EVERYWHERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Fun places we went: Swimming, of course. We also went to a few festivals around town, which she usually just falls asleep in her ergo while we are walking around. We also went to Glenwood Springs for a weekend, which was fun for everyone.

 

Also, this month was her first fourth of July! She was mesmerized by the fireworks!

 



 



Someone is 21 months!

Age: 21 months

 

 

 Stats: She was sick the past month so we went to the doctor plenty of times. She is about 24lbs.

 

 

 

 Clothes: Not a lot has changed in this area. She still wears mostly 18-24 month stuff. Pants still need to be adjustable to fit her tiny booty. Size 6 shoes, and size 5 diapers!

 

 

 



 

 Favorite Foods: Oh you know just typical toddler foods... Pretzels, pistachios, chips, cheese, chicken, tacos, Slurpee's, ice cream, popsicles, apples, peaches, mac & cheese.

 

Favorite words: She is so good with her words. She sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the daily. Not only that but "Row Row Row Your Boat", "Ring Around the Rosie", and her "ABC's". She can pretty much say every letter in order! She copies anything you say now-a-days. Her most recent thing is "Look, Momma LOOK!" or "No Grandma, No Grandma".

 

 

 

Favorite activities: Playing outside, swimming, eating, going on walks, going to festivals and playing on the inflatables, GYMNASTICS!, playing with her puppies, helping mommy, smelling the roses out front, looking for the moon

 

 

 

Least favorite activities: Changing her diaper! She never has time for it, after all she is so busy! She also hates being woken up in the morning.

 

 

 

Momma's Proud Moment: I just love how she constantly is looking for and protecting her sister. She will wake up in the morning and say "Good Morning Sissy". Or "I love me sissy". She is really impressing me with how she has adapted, specially since she did not like the idea of this at first.

 

 

 

 

 

Fun things we've done over the month: We have gone swimming multiple times, which she LOVES. We have also gone to a few summer festivals. You really can't beat family time, beer, and huge inflatable slides. There is a new park by our house with so many fun things to do (swing, play on the play ground, splash pad) and she enjoys her time there. She was sick a lot of the month so we didn't get to do nearly as much as we would've liked, but we definitely made the best of it. Her most favorite part of the week is by far gymnastics, it is all she ever talks about!

 

 

 

This month she also became a cousin. Her little cousin was born at the end of June, she still isn't sure of her but she loves to say "I love me cousin" and "Nae Nae". The three of them are going to be best friends and us parents are going to be in trouble!

 

 

 

 

Our 4th of July

 

 

 

We had a BBQ with our entire family and then we went to the park to watch fireworks.

 

 

 

E probably had way too much fun, it was a blast though! She looked stylish all day in her TWO 4th of July outfits. What can I say, I'm obsessed with toddler clothing.

 

 

 

She could hardly keep her eyes open for the fireworks, because she was having too much fun ALL day, she decided it was a no nap day. S LOVED them and could not get her eyes off of them.