When your garbage can has to hide

This is just a public service announcement to let you all know that I will probably not clean my house again until July 20th.

But before I explain that happy announcement.. Our home is under contract and we're set to move the weekend of July 21. Yay! It took 2 days to get an offer, and then a total of 12 to get everything finalized and on paper. And I have to say that it felt like MUCH longer. Having to have a home "show ready" every second of every day is a hellish ordeal I never want to do again! 

I am all for a clean house. My home is kept clean and tidy. But...I also have two children who both happen to be mobile and messy and to make sure there isn't a single crumb on the floor while simultaneously keeping the laundry going so there isn't dirty clothes in the basket and oh yeah your trash can has to be out in the garage and did we mention you have 3 showings today and have to stay away from 1-7:30PM?

So every morning while getting 4 people ready and fed and lunches packed and out the door by 6:45AM and oh crap there's still the hand soap on the counter and we need to hide those towels in a drawer and WHERE IS THE EFFING GARBAGE CAN?!?!? Pull the blackout shades up every morning in case someone comes while we're at work but then take them back down so Kenzie can nap once we're back home and then after the nap PUT THEM BACK UP! NATURAL LIGHT! and then bedtime..back down because it doesn't get dark until 10PM and my sanity and happiness and will to live won't last if my kids aren't going to sleep until 10PM. And don't even get me started on the kitchen and cooking. Cook a meal? Okay but then you have to hide every trace that you ever existed in this room so put away the washcloth and hide the paper towel dispenser and IS THAT A CRUMB? DID YOU SPILL YOUR WATER!? I may or may not have forgotten to feed my poor children lunch/snack more than once because...crumbs and THE GARBAGE CAN IS IN THE STUPID GARAGE. 

Do you get my point? Are my caps coming across as a crazy person? Because that's how I have been feeling. But now...now we can be total slobs if we want because no more strangers will be coming over. So now there is a corner for my dirty laundry, soap on my bathroom counter and a garbage can in my pantry. And if you need me, I'll be making a mess cooking dinner and watching a movie with my children on our own couch because...priorities.

OMG THE LIVING ROOM IS A MESS - me the last two weeks (eyeroll emoji)

Good shirt mojo

My FB memories popped up THIS blog post and what are the chances I'm wearing that exact same shirt today? My baby bump is much smaller- but I figured it was a sign of good mojo today.

I got sucked into the black hole of old blog posts and it's been fun to re-read. I've only written 9 posts in 2016. Whoops! I really can't explain it. I know blogs are pretty much out of style, but I never wrote for a big audience anyway so that doesn't really matter to me. I want to be better at documenting my thoughts and motherhood so be prepared for some rusty posts coming your way.

Her typical weird quirk of bringing 3029834 with us on our walks

Summer is in full swing at the Bowen house and we LOVE having Bart home. He coaches a few hours in the morning, and then he's home with us. He still leaves for a few days at a time for football camps, but for the most part he is home. I can't explain to all of you how great of a man Bart is. In church yesterday we talked about "true greatness" and I couldn't stop thinking of the man I married. He has chosen to take on such an active role as father and husband and treats me like a complete equal. He is the sweetest and best dad to Mckenzie and every morning as they leave the house I can't help but get emotional at the love I feel for both of them. Seeing your strong, tough husband hold your baby daughter's hand out to the car is the sweetest view.

DIY pouring station = a huge hit

Mckenzie started swim lessons last week and she is like a fish in the water. She has NO fear and we've spent almost every day at our clubhouse pool. She only stays in the toddler pool for a few minutes before she wants to go play in the big pool. The swim lesson is pretty laid back and she is slowly starting to learn how to blow bubbles and float on her back. We also discovered this amazing splash pad close to our house and love to go there too. It's nice because I don't have to be attached to her hip at the splash pad. My love language is STILL independence.

Saying "CHEESE"! 

Speaking of independence, Macs has been shifting a little bit at nap time and bedtime and the last week I've had to rock her to sleep! I haven't done that since she was maybe 4 months old. If I do lay her down still wide awake she wants to hold my hand as she falls asleep. My guess is she's just more aware of the dark and being alone. It's the sweetest thing and I don't mind at all. It's funny, because when she was a baby I was really strict about her sleep habits and any kind of "help" because I didn't want to create bad habits. So I didn't do a lot of rocking to sleep or extra attention. And it worked for us, and she thrived. Now that she's older and changing, I don't mind giving her that extra snuggle time if that is what she needs. Plus I'm taking advantage of every single moment with her before her brother gets here! I rock her for a few extra minutes, or read her a few extra books because I know our alone time together is so precious. I've really loved this stage, and this extra-attachment phase she's in just adds to that love.

That's all for today- if you're bored- go see how good your candy skills are with this post: 

Bowen-Miller Family Reunion

Call me crazy, but I love family reunions. Even when we pulled onto a dirt road with a ghetto sign that signified we had made it to Downata Idaho. Bart and I laughed, wondering how it was going to go. It was our first camping trip with Mckenzie and I really didn't know what to expect.

We got to the campsite on Thursday evening. The shade was in the perfect place and all the little babies were able to crawl and explore and Mckenzie was in heaven! You get that girl in a new setting, without restrictions, and she is the happiest she could be. We hung out, ate dinner and set up camp. 

Bart has 8 other siblings. 6 step/siblings and 2 brothers. Everyone but 1 bother and wife was able to make it. We played sand volleyball Thursday night and even though I've never played a real game before- I totally rocked it! Bart was impressed and bitter when my team beat his. I think we both under estimate my skills sometimes. It was really fun though- I love being in a new setting and getting to know family better! It was the perfect night to do it. 

Bedtime was pretty easy, and Mckenzie went right to sleep. I really had no idea how she was going to handle it. Let's just say it was the worst night I've had in a long time. Not to be dramatic- but it was horrible. Bart and I probably didn't get to sleep until close to 11 and she woke up around 1am because she was really cold. Normally I don't go get her during the night, but everyone was in tents around us and I didn't want to wake everyone up. So she joined me in my sleeping bag and it was straight up hell for the rest of the night. She went right back to sleep, but I was half in half out of my sleeping bag, freezing and trying to make sure she wasn't suffocating. I went in and out of sleep for the next several hours until she woke up screaming mad at 5am. She cries loudly for a while because she was awake, but wanted to be sleeping. Once we calmed her down she was wide awake and I was going to cry if we were going to have to start our day already. I said a little prayer that she would go back to sleep so I could get a nap in before the day started. Around 5:45 she went back to sleep until 8am. Never under estimate a tired mom's prayer! 

Mckenzie is the 3rd of 6 new babies to join the family in the space of a year, so needless to say Mckenzie wasn't the only baby crying and we all woke up really tired Friday morning. 

We spent the day hanging out, playing at the pool that's attached to the camp ground and keeping the babies happy. Napping is almost impossible. It's too hot in the tent to keep the baby in there, but taking the pack and play outside in the shade is too distracting for them to relax. Eventually Mckenzie figured it out and got a couple good naps in. 

She was so much fun!! She loved playing with her cousins and all her aunts and uncles. I like just letting her be free and crawl and explore on her own as I watch in the distance. She is such a curious and mischievous baby- it's one of my favorite personality traits she has.

To end the reunion we all met back up at Bart's dad's house for family pictures. Almost 40 people- I was impressed it happened! At some point or another most babies were crying. I'm sure it was quite a scene to the outsider. I love being part of such a great family. Family is the greatest blessing of my life, and my in-laws are no exception to that blessing.

The 7 Year Summer Itch

I realized the other day that this will be Bart and I's 7th summer together. SEVEN! That seems like a big number to me. We met the Summer of 2009, were engaged Summer 2010 and married Summer 2011. Bart had his first teacher summer in 2012 and I got my job. Summer 2013 was spent enjoying life. Summer 2014 I was super pregnant and here we are: Summer 2015. Crazy how much can happen over a 7 year time frame isn't it??

So here are a few (several) pics to take you down memory lane with me

Summer 2009
No photos. We had just met and he was still trying to win me over

Summer 2010
This summer was awesome. We were both students, but not taking any summer classes. Hanging out and enjoying Cache Valley. This was also the summer we got engaged (July 24) so we were pretty much inseparable

we took our first major road trip to Oregon together and learned we DID like each other enough to spend a week with no breaks

Summer 2011
This summer started off awesome because not only did Bart graduate from USU- but we got married! So we spent our honeymoon in San Diego and the rest of the summer was spent mostly indoors *cough cough*

this was technically Spring Break of 2011- but I couldn't resist sharing this cute pic

had to show this cute pic of Bart playing Uncle

on our honeymoon

Summer 2012
This was the year we started running so the summer was filled with some of our first races. We also took an amazing trip to Angel's Camp CA and San Fransisco. It's one of my favorite vacations we have taken

one of my all-time fav pics 

the race that started it all...

 

we also ate lots of fabulous food

and had LOTS of snowcones 

Summer 2013
This summer was filled with LOTS of running. We also went to Moab and Jackson Hole. This was the first summer I spent on my Hashimotos diet so I was secretly craving candy in every pic...

Moab hike

Jackson Hole: Typical Bart

our second Dirty Dash

Nebo Half!

Big Cottonwood Half

Summer 2014
I was 7-9 months pregnant and NOT interested in photos. We did start the summer off with my graduation from the University of Utah- so that was about the only photo op of the year

this pic right here sums up why I didn't take very many haha! yay for summer heat/bloating

Summer 2015
This summer has only just begun but I can't wait! Mckenzie is at such a fun stage right now we are already having a blast with her.

I hope you enjoyed a little blast from the past. I know I loved putting this together- it was so fun to look through old pics and remember all the fun we have had in the past 7 years. Summers look much different compared to our care-free college days- but I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Big Fat Shout Out

I have a big fat shout out to give tonight: My sexy, hard working hubby finished another school year! Success! Bring on Summer! Teaching High School isn't easy, especially when you have high expectations for your students like Bart does. I know he makes a difference in the lives around him and any teenager is lucky to have him as a leader.

He came to visit me at work today and as I was sitting there with my feet up checking out the latest and greatest on Pinterest it occurred to me that he works so much harder than I do every day. I am so lucky to have found a man who knows how to work. He sets goals and he accomplishes them, even when they are hard. Tomorrow he is waking up at 4 a.m. and running 10 miles before football practice starts at 7. NBD right? He is such a stud. and I love him.

Easy Breezy Weekends

This weekend was pretty low key. Bart is in training mode again so Saturday mornings mean long runs! I love the time we get to spend in the mornings together as he runs and I ride my bike next to him. We went 9 miles and it was a beautiful morning. Even though it wakes us up at 4:30 a.m. it's totally worth it. Bart is such a stud! He makes running look easy.

 

After we got back Bart headed off to a football camp (so it begins) and I got ready to go to my step brother and sister in law's sealing. I got all ready in my new prego clothes and ended up on the couch, not going. I wasn't feeling very well but hey, I was comfy in my maxi skirt!

 

I finally embraced the fact that I needed to buy some maternity shirts. I bought pants a few months ago and they have been the BEST. I haven't bought any shirts because really, who wants to spend 40 bucks on a shirt?? Not me. But after attempts at getting dressed in the morning were ending in frustration and failure I finally went to Target and bought a few things. Good idea? Great idea. 

Speaking of great ideas....I stopped by Hobby Lobby. I love that place. They have some pretty great things for home decor. I love their non-frame prints. They are inexpensive but add a lot to a room. They happened to be half off so you better believe I spent my time sorting through each pic. I found this beautiful floral picture and got inspired for my nursery! I love the pinks, oranges and yellows. I haven't done one thing for my nursery because I didn't know what I wanted. Having a color scheme makes things a little easier. On my way home I took the picture into Home Depot and grabbed some paint to match! Then I went over to the thrift store and bought a bunch of mismatch frames. I'm not a crafter. At all. But I'm excited to see how everything turns out. Don't worry, I have been taking plenty of before and afters to show off when everything is done. 

 

Poolside baby bump

Today the sun is shining and I am loving every minute of it. I grabbed a cup of ice, ate it with a spoon and headed to the pool. This week I'm doing my best to embrace my preggo self, so when I put my swimsuit on I admired how great my boobs now look in my top (instead of how puffy the rest of me looks). It's the little things right??!

Plus who doesn't like a good tan? Maybe my bump will be more endearing if it's not glow in the dark white. Making sense of a miracle is almost impossible. So instead of making sense of it all I will just slip *squeeze* into my suit, grab my hat and enjoy feeling my daughter kick me on these plastic chairs. (Apparently she wasn't comfy. Welcome to poolside seating my love) 

memo

Note To Self:

Apparently this getting up 3 hours earlier thing gets easier....so hang in there

just because you're tired aka grouchy doesn't mean you can take it out on others aka stupid drivers

it's okay you're not making it to the gym every day. this is called real life...you'll survive and get in the groove of things soon enough

maybe you should start cooking since you have all this free time in the afternoon/evenings

Bart is pretty great.....make sure he knows that

this is the hottest summer ever...you should have a better tan

try to stay away from the Mt. Dew.. but don't beat yourself up about it if you slip every once in a while

remember that Fridays actually mean something to you now...so enjoy them!

And by Fun Run they mean...not so fun.

I'd say it's been a pretty successful summer...I have a few more races to get in before the end of the Summer. I wish I could say it was getting easier, but these races are all challenging. But that's the point right? Either way it's been a blast. Stay tuned for more.

The Whole SheBang

 

It's no secret that I'm a SheDaisy fan. They were my first CD. I didn't own Brittany Spears or N'Sync. SheDaisy was also my ONLY CD for a long time. (I really never have been cool enough to care about music too much) Their first CD was released in 1999 and I've been listening to them ever since. Imagine my excitement when my sister calls me and says they're in town! Of course we had to attend, and it was awesome. 

Cloudy sky, Pixie Stix and a Blue Slushie. Perfect!