The "Three-nager" Stage

Good morning friends! 

Hope y'all had a good Monday and start to the week! I was able to get a good nights sleep last night and Eva did as well which I am so thankful for. Little Miss has been fighting off a nasty cold/flu (no it wasn't Covid) she was all kinds of congested and her cough is just atrocious, but she is doing so much better and I just thank God for getting us through the hard part. 

Unfortunately I have a little cough and tight chest now too, but I'm hoping it's just allergies because it's supposed to rain all week this week, that's usually when my allergies are the worst! Hopefully I'm not bgetting sick because being pregnant as well it is a lot and I can't really take much medicine-wise!

Anyway...I wanted to come in here for a little rant, maybe some friendly advice from momma's with toddlers because I am just lost and don't really know how to handle my three year old at this point. Evangeline is obviously my first child meaning she is my first toddler and the attitude, meltdowns and sass is just getting a little too much. Maybe it's my hormones talking, but I am at a crossroads! 

This little girl is everything in my world and I know that this is just a phase that we're going to have to fight through together. I am just really stuck on how to handle the new attitude I'm getting from such a tiny little person.

Let me let you in on a little secret....Eva isn't like most three year olds who are already talking and are potty trained, she is a little behind on those types of things and I have been told multiple times to get her evaluated for autism. Why am I hesitating to get that done? Maybe because I'm scared of the result, not because I think anyone is any different for having autism, but because I don't know how to help my little girl grow or get a better understanding of things. She has been doing a lot better since starting school and her speech is improving tremendously due to speech therapy every 2-3 times a week, but her understanding and cognitive abilities are still something to be worked on and I have no idea how to go about doing that.

Aside from Eva possibly being on the spectrum for autism, she is also refusing to eat and sleep at night. I could be overreacting especially because she has been sick for the past 4 days and we all know our appetite kind of goes out the window when we don't feel good, but even before she got sick, It's like she's afraid she's going to miss something! She only eats the bad stuff like chips and candy and stays far away from vegetables and some fruits. Is my child just a picky eater? Or is it my fault for not continuing to give her the the food she needs in order to eat healthy? I have tried to take away the junk food and only give her some leeway over the weekends but then she doesn't eat during the week and when she does, it's a few bites here and there! 

I am still learning and I am trying to find the happy medium, but man....I didn't think I would struggle this much! 

I just want what's best for my sweet girl and I am open to any advice! Some parents tell me to use the softer approach and try to talk to her and explain when it comes to her being defiant, but then I feel like she doesn't understand what I am trying to say because her speech and understanding isn't where it should be, but then I also don't feel right yelling or spanking everytime she is defiant because then what is that teaching her as well? 

I grew up on spanks and I am a firm believer that to a certain extent it is necessary, but all the time? Absolutely not! 

It's just finding that happy medium that is hard and that is where I am struggling! It's so frustrating not knowing how to "parent" your child! But I am learning and I know that in the future I will look back and laugh at how much time I spent overthinking this whole thing.

Anyway friends! If you have any advice or words of wisdom, I would really appreciate it! 

I hope you all have a Blessed Tuesday! 

XXX

Happy Homemaker Monday!

 Hi friends! 

Boy let me tell you, life has been a major rollercoaster lately and I'm sure most of you can agree with me on that one. I figured maybe if I start participating slowly in my Aunt's Happy Homemaker Monday posts every week and slowly start getting back into blogging, it will distract me from all the chaos that is going on around us. 

I know I'm a little late to the party, but it's still Monday so better late than never right? 

I've been trying to just push through today because last night my three year old who has been sick this past weekend decided she didn't want to sleep last night and would much rather enjoy a little giggle session and playtime from 1:00 am to about after 4:00 am! And on top of that, I had to still get her up for school at 6:30 this morning as well! So it's been interesting and exhausting and to make it even worse, she decided to fight a nap too after school so I don't know friends I'm seriously at my wits end!

But anyway...let's jump right into this post! 

Sandra Bourland's Happy Homemaker Monday!

Breakfast Time: What was on the plate this morning?

This morning I had breakfast with my momma and we enjoyed some toasted bolillo rolls with eggs and mayo on them and I also added a little cottage cheese on there. It was really good!

Looking Around The House:

The house is not clean at all! I'm going to be honest, there has been no energy to do anything. It's not like disgustingly dirty, it just needs to be picked up, things need to be packed away and a good vacuum is needed too! Otherwise, it's pretty decent! 

On Today's To-Do List:

Just taking it easy today. I know it's almost dinner time and such, but I've literally been uploading pictures from my camera to my computer and that is literally all I've done today. My daughter is fed, meds have been taken and she is now outside playing in the yard, so it's been a pretty relaxed day.

Currently Reading: 

The Never List by Koethi Zan

I have been reading this book for months now because I just don't have the time to actually sit and read a good amount of pages, so I'm taking my time and hopefully I will finish it eventually! 

On The TV This Week:

I have actually been enjoying watching crime and investigation shows, so that's all that's been on my watch list lately and a little bit of some Big Bang Theory. 

The Weather Outside Is: 

So excited for the rain this week, but not to too excited about waking up in it every morning to take my little to school! LOL

If I Have A Few Minutes To Myself, I Will: 

Watch crime and investigation shows. I don't know what it is! I have never really enjoyed stuff like that because those types of things scare me, but lately I've just been enjoying them. 

New Recipe I Tried or Want To Try This Week:

I think sometime this week, I am going to try this Broiled Cod with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce 

Seems simple and quick and a little different from what we usually do with our cod fish.

One Of My Simple Pleasures:

A good nap or a good nights sleep! LOL 

I know it's odd and funny to say, but lately sleep has been non existent lately and with my son coming soon, there's really going to be no sleep whatsoever! 

Favorite Photo From The Camera:

My beautiful boy Remington! The most placid and sweetest dog in the world, also very protective of his pregnant momma!

Praying For:

✰ My beautiful momma who is fighting breast cancer right now.

✰ The world we live in right now. Praying for better days to come!

I Thought 2020 Was a Bad Year!

 Last year the world turned upside down and everyone was scared and confused. We suffered from losing loved ones to actual toilet paper shortages everywhere! We have all come a long way since then and a lot has happened to a lot of people and their families. I feel like everyone has had their fair share of hardships and my family has been dealing with hit after hit after hit! 

We may not have lost family members to the dreaded Covid-19, but we have dealt with a lot of other issues that have put us down on our knees begging God for it all to stop and go away! I think the only blessing that has happened this year was me getting pregnant again and even though I was so shocked and disappointed that this was happening now, I have come to realize that God works in mysterious ways and having a little one on the way is always a Blessing no matter the circumstances.

I know I said I would come in and give updates on the pregnancy as well as bump pictures, but once again, life got in the way and that hasn't really been a big priority in my life. My family and I were hit with devastating news about a month ago that non of us were expecting or even imagined would've ever happened. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and unfortunately it is aggressive and spreading quickly. We are still trying to come to terms with the news and trying to get all doctors appointments and treatments done as soon as possible. It hasn't been easy and all of us are emotionally and mentally exhausted from trying to be supportive and helpful in any way for my mother. 

My mother had her first chemo treatments this last Friday and she has been really good since then, she just as of now, doesn't have a lot of energy but that's all that's keeping her down right now. My mother is an absolute warrior and we are all so proud of the strength and positive attitude she is showing through all of this. She is definitely the strongest women I know!

So if you could please send some Prayers for my momma to beat this thing, we would really appreciate it!

Hope y'all had a safe and Blessed 4th of July weekend! Stay Blessed! 

XXX 

~Unexpected Surprises~

 Hi everyone! 

How're y'all doing? Hope your 2021 is going as well as it can be for you. I tell you, it's been a good year for us so far and we even have a big surprise to share with everyone...

Surprise!! Baby James #2 will be here December 30, 2021! 

I am 7 weeks and 5 days today. This pregnancy has been a lot harder than when I was pregnant with Eva! The morning sickness has been worse to be the point where I can barely get up some days! Everything sounds off putting, although fruits and some foods sound so good! With Eva all i wanted to eat was chocolate, mostly chocolate cereal, but with this baby it's all about the healthy food!

I have already been to the emergency room with bleeding and blood clots, and some weird cramps which is never fun and gave us such a big scare, but turned out everything was fine and all I had was a bad UTI! Weird right?

This pregnancy was not planned at all and came as a total shock to all of us! I was actually getting back into the gym and working hard to get rid of my baby weight from Eva, so when I found out I was pregnant again I won't lie, I wasn't too thrilled and actually had a hard time coming to terms with it. But after seeing the little bean and hearing the little heartbeat, I couldn't help but tear up a bit from pure happiness and just thinking..."Eva is going to be a big sister!!" 

I plan on coming on here every week and doing an update on the pregnancy. I will be talking about my symptoms and how big the baby is getting and also will upload some bump pictures which is always exciting! 

I hope y'all have a Blessed Tuesday! 

XOXO

{2021 - A New Exciting Year!}

 Hi Friends!

I know I'm late to the party but Happy New Year!! 

I know 2020 was a bit of a crappy year and for some it was worse than others. I just want to send out my condolences to those that have lost loved ones to the horrendous Covid virus. My thoughts and prayers are with you always! Even though 2021 didn't start out any better, I would just like to send out a ton of positive vibes into the universe in hopes that things start turning around for the better very soon! I'm sure each and every person reading this could use some positivity! I know I can! 

Last year was a good and bad year for me and my family and I'm going to tell you why in just a second, but first I have to just say that I am thankful to God for bringing my family where we are today and for showing us just how much we need Him in our lives. It has taken me a long time to actually sit down and come up with something to say about the year we've had because it's just been so hard and our lives have literally become such a rollercoaster! 

On July 4, 2020 my family and I went for a joy ride up in the mountains and it actually turned out to be a fun day. After spending spending all afternoon riding around, we needed to head back home to see my mother-in-law for her birthday and while we were coming back down the mountain, we hit a bit of some slippery sand and our truck rolled twice down into a ditch and landed on its roof. What gets me to this day is we had just gotten to the bottom of the mountain with a straight drop right next to us, if we had rolled off the egde at that time, we would've been dead. I'm just so grateful to God that we had made it to the bottom before rolling. Got to look at the small things right?

My husband suffered a sprained ankle and I broke my middle finger on my right hand. Our daughter came out of that wreck UNTOUCHED! Praise be to God! She was just laying there upside down in her carseat crying but only because I was screaming and scaring her. Once my husband got her out, I climbed up the side of the mountain with her on my hip and managed to wave down a car with a wonderful family that helped us until the cops and ambulance arrived. Just wanted to also add that we did have our 2 fur babies with us and when we rolled the truck, Tater met us at the door when we pushed our way out, but we couldn't find Remington anywhere! We were heartbroken when the thought crossed our minds, "Omg our sweet boy is under the truck!"

My husband (with his adrenaline pumping) lifted the truck onto it's side and thankfully, Remington wasn't under the truck! He ran away and because he was so scared, he wouldn't come back to us. Steven's cousin and his wife went hiking up into the mountain to find him, but the stinker kept running away from them! So when it came time to leave and head to the emergency room, Steven left his bloody hat on the side of the road in hopes that our boy would come down and meet us there the next morning. 

Thankfully we found our boy the next day. Steven's family was amazing and helped from the moment we crashed to the very moment we were reunited with our sweet Remington. It was the perfect way to make up for the most intense 2 days of our lives. As you can see our 2 boys are happy and doing well.

We thought that was the only terrible thing we would ever have to go through until the next week, Evangeline swallowed a toy ball wrapped in velcro and was choking. Thankfully my brother was in time and while I was running out of my house screaming for help, he managed to get the ball up a little enough for her to get some air in but the velcro tore her throat up and she started bleeding. By that time I had already called the cops seeing as no one on my street responded to my cries, and they rushed her to the emergency room within 5 minutes of the incident happening. My husband was called and rushed home from work and met me at the emergency room where they managed to take the ball out of Eva's throat, but she had to be sedated so she could calm down and let the doctors work. 

Unfortunately our little girl had to stay a couple nights at the hospital in Boise which was not a pleasant experience for her or us. Thankfully she managed to make a full recovery! It was a hard month for us and we are still paying for it but I am just so thankful to God that my family is healthy and doing well.

On the bright side, at the end of last year, we moved to Texas to be closer to my family! We are still trying to adjust, but we are doing pretty darn good! My husband managed to get a job and is going to his dream school in Dallas and I finally have some help with Eva, not to mention my parents and brother finally get a chance to bond with her and they are absolutely LOVING it! 

This year is going to be an opportunity for us to grow in wasy we couldn't grow before and I am super excited! I hope ya'll will be able to join us!

Hope you all have a Blessed day further! God Bless!

Tiffany 

xoxo

2020 = Staying indoors?

Hi Friends!

Wow! Been a bit of a long visit and I actually think this is the longest I haven't been on my blog. Apparently in my world, things have been a little crazy and non stop which I feel like most of you can relate to, right?

My little family and myself have been living in Idaho for the past year and a half since my husband retired from the Marine Corp and let me tell you, there's been a lot of good and bad days! My husband and I have definitely had our marriage put to the test this last year and a half which is not always fun to deal with, but thankfully, we managed to pull through and now we are stronger than ever...at least I think so anyway!

My husband has also been dealing with some family issues on his side, not gonna get too much into that, but let's just say it has resulted in us making the big decision to move to Texas closer to my family! I have been asking him for this for so long and I guess this was just the final big push for us. My husband will be attending the school of his dreams and I will be closer to my parents and other family members and my parents will finally get to be a part of my daughters life!

We have had some issues with Steven's mother not really playing the "Grandmother Role" towards Eva and was not afraid to play the "Favorite" game with her other 2 grandchildren. I have tried time and time again to have Eva have a relationship with her Grandmother, but it just wasn't enough, (according to my mother-in-law I needed to try harder to better their relationship!)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the grandmother's responsibility to work and better her relationship with her grand kids? At least that's what I thought...?

Anyway, I just needed to get a little off my chest (as you can tell), but things are finally starting to look up, except for this horrible pandemic we are going through! Who else is actually DONE with all of this? I know I am!
I just feel absolutely horrible for all those people getting sick and dying and their family members that can't even give them a proper funeral. I feel horrible, but also so grateful for all those doctors and nurses who are working tirelessly to try and beat this virus!

We will get through this, in Jesus name!

I have actually been trying to work on my relationship with God and I found myself being lost most of the time, but still pushing through in hopes that I will make it through and actually get rid of the feeling that I am doing it wrong or that I am not doing enough. I have been watching the sermons at Elevation Church and I am just blown away by Steven Furtick, his wife and just their whole team of worshipers altogether. I feel like I finally have a pastor that I can listen to that isn't so monotone and hard to keep up with, He actually makes it to where I understand the Bible verses that he reads and actually explains them in detail.

I am actually planning on getting Baptized when we move to Texas so I can have my whole family there to witness me giving my life to God and support me through it! I also would like to get Eva dedicated to God. Steven and I had agreed that we won't baptize Eva, but rather dedicate her so that when she is older, she can make the decision to get baptized or not and to her religion of her choice. Steven is Catholic and was Baptized a Catholic and I want to be baptized as a Baptist Christian (I think that is the right term).

A lot of changes are coming our way and I can't wait to see where it takes us and how it changes us. God is good and He will provide every step of the way. I will try and keep my blog updated on our events (I know I have said that MANY times before), but as always, I can't promise anything.

I hope you are safe and doing okay during quarantine and if you ever need a friend or someone to talk to, I am here!

Have a good night friends! xx

2019...Almost Done!

Hello friends!

Haven't put up a post in a hot minute, but you know how it is when life kind of doesn't slow down for a while. I hope everyone has been doing good and enjoying the fall weather!
I'm not gonna lie, I was having a hard time getting into the "Fall Spirit", still kind of am but I've been trying for my little girl. She is very much aware of everything around her now and I kind of want to make every season and holiday fun for her!

So I've been wanting to pick your guys' brains a little bit, especially my hunting people!
I have having a very hard time with my husband going out hunting almost every weekend and not exactly spending time with his family. I personally don't think I would have that much of an issue with it if we was working day shift at work, but he works night shift and that kind of contributes to us not spending time with him as much! I guess I'm just asking the wives of hunters how they deal with it because I really need some advice! We just keep fighting and it's putting a lot of strain in our marriage.

Other than the hunting issue, my family has been doing well for the most part! My sweet little girl is growing up so fast and I honestly can't keep up.

 

Evangeline is starting to say a few words now and her favorite one is "NO!" haha
She is becoming very defiant when I tell her no and not to touch certain things like my ceramic angels, the dog food and the cleaning supplies under my kitchen sink! Lol
But I am having so much fun with her, this age is so much fun!
Also the night's are finally better, meaning both Eva and I are getting a full night's sleep and it feels amazing!

Life is treating us pretty well here and we cannot wait to see what liufe throws at us next!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

A lot of Firsts!

Good Morning Friends!

A lot has happened since the last time I've been on here and let me tell you....life just keeps getting a bit more hectic! 

I had my first Mother's Day which was absolutely wonderful and I couldn't be more grateful to be mother to the most beautiful little girl in the world! 

On Mother's Day morning, my hubby came home from work and took Little Eva over to her grandma's so I could sleep in. I managed to sleep in an extra 2 hours!! It may not seem like much, but for me, it was amazing! 

I had coffee waiting for me from our local coffee place in town that we love, and when I went downstairs, I found a huge card from "Evangeline" and a vase full of flowers and a chocolate bar from my hubby! It was all so very sweet. 

I also received a card from my mom with a beautiful gift along with it....

This beautiful gold necklace represents the bond and love between Grandmother, Mother, and Granddaughter and it was just the PERFECT first Mother's Day gift! 

I love it so much, but unfortunately my daughter has already broken the chain, so now I need to go and get that fixed. I know better than to wear necklaces around her because she is most definitely my child....loves anything that is sparkly and shiny! 

I hope all you momma's out there had a very Blessed and spoiled Mother's Day with your kids! 

Finally Settled In

Good Morning Friends.

I am finally able to sit down and type up a blog post. I did not leave my blog hanging after my last post, I promise! I typed up a post and everything and then for some reason, my laptop went all crazy and deleted my entire post...TWICE! I don't know what happened, but after that I just got caught up with our move and moving into a new house with a 9 month old present isn't very easy.

Steven got a new position at his job working night shift, so when he gets home from work every morning, he sleeps all day...so I have pretty much moved into this house by myself all while continuing my mommy duties. The only time I got help was on the 2 days Steven gets off which was an amazing little break for me and my body.

But now my house is finally how I want it...well...almost. I still have a few tweeks I wanna make here and there and then it will be done!

I do love my house so far, I will even go as far to say I love it more than our house in California! The setup is perfect and I think it might be bigger, Not that it matters, but just thought I'd throw that in there! 😊
The only downfall to this place is it's a duplex which wouldn't have bothered me before because our home in Cali was a duplex, but our neighbors in this one are so obnoxiously loud, it's actually driving me crazy!

Other than that, we are loving it! It's not Texas, but I suppose it will do.

Now that I caught you all up, I would like to just update you on Little Miss 😊
Evangeline is adjusting to life here pretty well. She saw snow for the first time, and let me tell you, she is not used to the cold here. Being born in California and living there the beginning of her life, she was a little bit confused as to why it wasn't as warm here!
She is standing by herself (she has to be holding onto something though), She is still working on that balance of hers, but I think she is going to be walking before she even learns how to crawl. She still hates to be on her tummy, so crawling is not much of an option for her!

Steven and I are trying to enjoy her at this age as much as we can, especially before she is mobile LOL it's nice to just leave her in front of the TV with some toys if I need to get housework done or cook dinner. I do put her in her walker so she can come and see what I'm doing sometimes. She likes to stand by the dishwasher while I'm loading and unloading it, so I let her walk around with me. It's also if she doesn't wanna be left alone or she has her clingy days, then I'll keep her with me as much as possible!

Well I've caught you up on pretty much everything. Now I have to go book appointments, get my baby ready to go down for a nap and I am going to enjoy a nice, hot cup of coffee because this momma needs it!

I hope you all have a Blessed day!
Enjoy your weekend!

Done With The Excuses

I know what you're thinking...."we've been here before, what is the excuse this time?"
Well the truth is, I don't have an excuse! I am  mother, a wife, and we have been all over the place with the move and trying to find our own place while making sure our little (now 7 month old) baby girl is well taken care of.

My husband, however, did get me a new laptop for Valentines Day because my other one kind of failed me. I couldn't go anywhere with it or use it if it wasn't not plugged in and that was just bothering me. Also, it was slow and Steven used it for resumes and work stuff and it would just crap out on us all the time.
So here I am sounding like a whining little girl and I apologize for that, but I am really hoping this time I can get my blog up and running and start expressing myself on here a little!

My little girl is now 7 months old (as I have mentioned a billion times already) and it is a little bit easier to sit down and get a blog post up. She is taking longer naps here and there and also is managing to sleep through the night!

*I hope I didn't just jinx myself!!*

Anyway, I just wanted to come in and put this short little post up. I am still trying to set my computer up, so I will be back soon with updates and pictures on what I have been up to the past couple of months.

I hope the New Year is treating you well!

Happy Homaker Monday 🌸

Hello everyone!

It's another Monday, which is crazy because I feel like this weekend just flew by! I am a little late to my Happy Homemaker Monday, and I apologize for not putting one up last week, but I have been dealing with a sick husband and now a little congested baby. She doesnt have a fever and is very happy, still eats like a champ and just wants to move already, so I know she is no pain whatsoever, but I have been treating her with some saline spray and baby vapor rub on her chest, back and under her sweet little feet!

Anyway, let's get on with today's Happy Homaker Monday 😊

The Weather Today :::

On Today's To-Do List :::

Laundry - I have a mountain of laundry to fold and I have my bedding to wash. My dog is shedding so bad and not only is his hair everywhere on my bedding, but he rolls around in the dirt outside and then during the night, he sneaks up on the bed. I am so frustrated because no matter how many times I tell him no, he will sneak up on the bed when we are fast asleep and can't hear or feel him. So I have all of that to wash.

Living Room - I need to vacuum the floor and furniture because like i said, Tater's hair is everywhere!!

 If I Have A Few Minutes To Myself, I Will :::

Watch whatever show catches my interest. I am very behind on my YouTube videos, so today I started catching up on Almost Daily and turns out my little one actually enjoys watching them with me! She smiles at the people and thinks they are actually talking to her which makes my heart melt! LOL

Favorite Photo From The Camera :::

My new favorite photo of my loves!


Bible Verses, Devotional, Prayers :::

My prayers go out to all those affected by the horrible storms. I also pray for my mental health...I have been in a very dark place mentally and I Pray God will help me through it, not only for me and my well being, but also so I can be strong enough to take care of my family.


Well it has taken me all day to get this post up and going with tending to my little one and housework, it has just been a slow day.

Thank you for baring with me LOL

Hope you all have an awesome Monday further, and I will hopefully be back sometime this week with another post. If not, then you know my situation LOL