Overwhelmed maybe??

Tony started work and everything is back to normal. Well, not everything. Lately I've been feeling like something is missing. What am I doing with my life? Yes, I know raising a child is a full time job but I know that I can do more than that! Lately, we have been talking about some major changes in our future. Overwhelming and scary changes that might require both of us to work. Perfect timing right? Tony and I were talking about how I feel today and we think that school is what I need. I need something that will challenge me every day and give me some type of balance in my life. Tomorrow will be dedicated to finding a school and figuring out what exactly I want to do! I am so ready for this next chapter in my life and I want to be able to provide for my family when I need to :)

Speaking of future plans, the million dollar question lately is "So when are you guys having another baby?" I can't even tell you how many times we get asked that!! My son just turned 18 months and the idea of another baby has been on my mind quite a bit. The age difference would be exactly what we want but would another baby work into the mix of all the upcoming crazy changes?! SO many things to think about and try to figure out. I am probably the biggest worry wart but I need to let go and let God take control of things. He has a plan for us and I can't wait to see what that is!

I better get off of here before Tony gets home (dumb swing shift!) but I was in the "blogging" mood and it always helps writing out how you feel :)

My thoughts

The weather is cold and rainy and I just felt the need to blog about my thoughts the past week :) As a lot of you know, I'm a stay at home mom to a little 1 year old boy and I love it and feel so blessed that we are financially stable for this. I look forward to being with him during all his milestones but man, I need a hobby or a job. Every day is the same thing over and over and over again. Is it wrong for me to feel like I'm just wasting my life away? I know being a mother is a full time job but I don't go to school (don't have the desire) and I just don't do much. I'm starting to wonder if I just need to find a hobby or get more involved with other stay at home moms or possibly get a part time job?! Ahh so many thoughts have been running through my head and I'm just not happy at the moment. I don't really know what to do and I just need to pray to God to point me in the right direction.

Busy month!

Whew! I feel like I finally have time to sit down and write about the past month. Well, Tony FINALLY got home the end of January and we were very happy to have him back! He came home on a Monday and we left for our cruise on Saturday. I was stressed that he wouldn't be back in time for our vacation but he barely was! Our cruise was everything we thought it would be! We had to say goodbye to our little boy for 8 days which was the hardest thing I've had to do so far. Yes, I bawled like a baby more than once!! He stayed with my parents and didn't even seem to miss us one bit. He is growing up so fast and is so independent. Anyway back to the cruise! We went on a 7 day cruise and stopped in Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Mexico. Probably one of the longest weeks of my life! I loved being on vacation with my husband, which happened to be our first one EVER since we've been together, but motion sickness was awful. The boat was beautiful, there was always something to do and the food was amazing but my body just couldn't get used to the swaying. All three of the stops were amazing. Beaches were beautiful, the weather was perfect and we definitely got some sun ;) The vacation came to an end on Sunday and we were beyond excited to see Julian. We got in OKC around 8:30 that evening and got plenty of hugs and kisses from him. We are now back in Abilene and it feels good to be home! It's so nice to stay home and have somebody here to talk to and spend time with! We were so busy that week Tony got home that we finally get to relax together and spend time as a family. This past month has been amazing and I have so much to be thankful for! I can't wait to see what the next few months have in store for us :)

                                             we drank...

                                            and drank....

                                             whats a vacation without some fruity drinks?!

                                                So happy and in love <3

I see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

WHEW this deployment is almost over and I am so relieved!! I must say though, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Yes, spending almost all the holidays apart my other half was hard but we look forward to catching up when he gets back :) Speaking of holidays, today is probably my favorite one ;) My love is 24 years old today!!! Happy birthday Tony. SO thankful for this day. without you, my life wouldn't be complete. We are so lucky to have you in our lives!!

The next month is going to be crazy busy and I'm ready! Tony gets home soon, our cruise is SOON and hopefully visiting friends in Austin will be VERY SOON! So much to look forward to and I can't wait for the family time. With my cruise coming up in less than a month, I have been trying to get into shape. AHH. Working out is definitely not my favorite thing. As you all know, I  had Julian a while ago and this baby flab on my tummy just isn't going away. I don't know if a bikini will be in my future any time soon and this is so hard for me. I know I sound so pathetic but I miss my pre baby body!! I did Active 2 yesterday and OH.MY.GOSH. it hurts to wash my hair in the shower! Beauty is pain I guess right??

We've been in Abilene for about a week and a half now and things are going pretty smooth. It's been nice to catch up with my friends and for Julian to be around other kids his age! Since being back home, my baby fever is getting ridiculous. Three of my friends, yes THREE just had babies within the last 2 months and I'm going crazy seeing all of their little faces and cuddling with them. It makes you realize that time goes by so quick and to not take anything for granted. Julian's 15 month check up was yesterday and it went well. Since Tony's been gone, Julian was fighting ear infections one after another and it was to the point where tubes were the next option. Yesterday, the doctor walks in and he actually thought Julian got tubes because we haven't seen him in awhile. LOL it was actually only 2 months since we've been in, which is normal but he was so used to seeing us like every week! anyway, Julian is gaining weight very well which is a huge relief. He jumped from the 10 percentile to the 25 percentile! Weighs 22 lbs 11 oz and is 32 inches tall which is 75 percentile! We are so happy to hear that he is right on track and no ear infections this time around!!

Hoping the next couple of weeks go by quick! To all my friends that just said goodbye to their loved ones, You will be in my prayers and time will go by fast. Just know, I am always here! Friends are support. Love you guys!

New Year= New me!

So it is officially 2012. Wow! Another year is here and I am ready to kick butt and set some new goals for myself. I know that everybody makes their New Years Resolutions every year. Well this year, I'm actually going to set some AND follow through with it!

Back in November 2009, my love asked me to marry him and about a month after we were engaged, we found out we were pregnant so all of my wedding plans got pushed to the side and we decided to get married at the courthouse instead for multiple reasons. Ever since then I can't help but want to plan a wedding SO bad. Don't get me wrong, I still love the way I got married and that I had a beautiful baby boy a little sooner than expected but every girl dreams of planning a wedding!! Now that I'm officially addicted to pinterest, it hasn't really helped my obsession ;) My goal for this year is to HOPEFULLY make this dream come true within the next few years and get a general idea of when (NOT IF) this wedding will happen! It's a little overwhelming considering all the factors that play into this. 1. When are we having our second child? 2. Do we want to wait until we're done having kids to have our wedding? 3. Is this going to feel like a wedding and be everything I want it to be even though we got married 2 years ago?! This year, I want to get this all figured and set a date, even if it won't be for a few years. I just NEED to have some hope that a wedding will be in our future!

Okay my next goal for this year. Doing something for myself! Okay so that sounds a little selfish, but being a mom and a wife, you sometimes forget about yourself in the midst of all the duties! Whether it's getting an amazing work out plan (which is a MUST) or maybe taking a little vacation with some girl friends, getting a spray tan, maybe a new wardrobe? ANYTHING. I need goals to set, dreams to come true! I love being a mom, it's the best job in the world but....Is there something else out there that i would love to do?! Is it school or a new job or a business to get into?? I want to set high goals for myself to see what I'm capable of!

My last goal- Being the best Leslie that i can be. I want to better myself as a person. Be a better wife, mom, sister,daughter, friend and Christian. This past year has been such a roller coaster with moving, learning things about marriage and motherhood everyday, and finding a church. I say almost every week "I want to find a church, I want to be involved!" but I never seem to go through with it. This year, I will find a church where we can be involved as a family and grow spiritually. I grew up surrounded by an amazing church family and want that desperately for my growing family!!

With a new year here, I am excited to see these goals met, relationships grow and changes made! We are so fortunate to live another day and I want to make the most of this wonderful life that God has blessed me with! Happy New year to every one and live life to the fullest!!

Countdown Begins!!

Finally I have some time to sit down and write about what's been going on the past couple of weeks! First of all, I cant believe Christmas has passed and it's almost January! Where has the time gone?! We had a great Christmas considering the circumstances. Julian was very spoiled this year!! He got tons of gifts from both sides of the family and he's now an official pro at opening gifts! Out of the 3 years I've been with Tony, this was the second Christmas without him :( I have to say, it doesn't get any easier. We missed him very much this year but I am so thankful for a thing called,a video camera lol. I know it won't be the same but I can't wait to show Tony how Julian did this Christmas.

Now that Christmas has passed, I get to look forward to our anniversary which is in TWO days! WOW!! two years already?! The past two years have been so emotional (having our first child!), fun, crazy, and amazing! Thank you for being the best dad and husband that any woman could ask for! Can't wait to celebrate when you get back!

So the past month I feel like I have SO much to look forward to! Christmas, anniversary, New Years and a very special Homecoming!! The love of my life will be home in less than a month and i am beyond thrilled. Even though our deployment was 4 months (So thankful for that!!), I feel like we didn't get to experience a lot of things as a family. We can't wait to have our family back together again and enjoy the time together! We miss you babe and look forward to seeing you very soon :)

Okay so I'm going to edit because I read through this and realized I didn't talk about anything We've done the past couple of weeks! I am proud to say that Julian has his top molars in and I am SO spoiled with this little boy. I just happened to notice on Friday that they were there! He has been the best sleeper and the happiest child. How did I get so lucky? I better go find some wood to knock on! Other than this news, we haven't really been doing much. He is learning new words still almost everyday, running everywhere and being a little ham. Looking forward to some playdates this next week and then we'll be home! Missing all my friends and looking forward to seeing you guys when we get back!

Trying to find my crafty side

This is my 3rd week being in Oklahoma City and I am loving spending time with old friends and family! Julian is doing fantastic (other than teething, poor baby!) and we're trying to get into the Christmas spirit! I have been living on pinterest trying to find some crafts for me to do with Julian during the day. There are so many cute things if only i can bring out my craftiness aaaand actually go to Hobby Lobby to get the stuff lol. It's been SO cold here that we've been hibernating inside a lot. When i do find the energy to get out of the house, we've been trying to find stuff to send Tony for Christmas. Let me tell you, Tony is a hard person to shop for! We're doing Christmas with him when he gets back so I'm trying to only find little things. Good thing Julian is such a great little helper!


The other day, Julian turned 15 months old. Where has the time gone?! My little baby isn't much of a baby anymore. He is learning a new word everyday, coloring with crayons (and not putting them in his mouth, YAY) and running EVERYWHERE. He helped decorate the Christmas tree this year and he did a great job! He was walking around the tree with us, when we were putting on the lights and helping hanging up the ornaments! Here are some pics to show daddy and we can't wait to see you next month!

Here's some pics from Julian's very first time helping decorate the tree!!!