Christmas 2013

This was our first Christmas in Italy, and it was a pretty good one.

I participated in the post Christmas Revue and we got to do all kinds of things with the kids, we decorated cookies and the Christmas tree, We were even sent a special guest by Santa. This was Logan's first real Christmas considering last year he was only a month old, and between that and his birthday he made out pretty well in the gift department. All in all it was a good Christmas for us, the only thing that would have made it better would have been having the rest of our family with us to celebrate.

here are are few pictures of our holiday season...

Happy Holidays everyone!

Mommy Monday - Nov. 2013

Age: 3 years
Height: 3ft 3in

Weight: about 35lbs

Favorite Food: Pasta

Favorite Fruit: Bananas

Favorite Movie: Search for Santa paws

Favorite TV Show: Ni Hao, Kai Lan

Other: Lilly had a lot of fun helping me get ready for Logan's party. On our trip to the circus she even got to sit on an elephant! Me and a friend took her to see the movie "Frozen" Lilly had a pretty great month.

Age: 1 YEAR!

Height: 2ft 4in

Weight: about 20 lbs

Diapers: size 3

Eats: 2-3 8oz. bottles a day, and lots of other food too!

Favorite Food: Cake

Other: Logan turned one this month! He had such a good time at his party and got lots of new toys. but i think his favorite part was eating the cake. He has also learned to wave "hello" and "goodbye". We even went to his first circus! It was a pretty fun and exciting month for Logan.

30 Days Of Thanks . . . Week Two

Left to Right ; Top to Bottom

I'm Thankful for...

1. Music and the messages its able to send
2. My fuzzy footwarmer
3. My morning coffee
4. Our Military and the sacrifices they've made for us.
5. Hot Chocolate on chilly fall nights
6. Movies for entertaining us
7. My Glasses for helping me see things more clearly.

SANTA! Oh My Gosh! SANTA'S COMING ! ! !

Yes.

I am one of those people. You know the ones... The ones that get way too excited for Christmas, way too early. Yep, that's me! 

I think that fact that i have to order Christmas gifts super early due to being overseas and all just makes it worse.

This year we will be introducing a reindeer to the kids... Kind of like the whole Elf on The Shelf thing but way cheaper. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $30 on a doll, so instead I found this cute $6 reindeer.



I plan on doing all the same things with this as you could do with the elf.

There are only 43 Days until Christmas and me and Lilly watch at least one Christmas movie a day thanks to Netflix. Here are some of our favorite holiday movies.

• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
• A Christmas Story
• The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
• Polar Express
• Elf
• Home Alone
• The Santa Clause
• Jingle All The Way
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
• Frosty The Snowman
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Mickey's Christmas Carol
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town
• Miracle on 34th Street
• Christmas with the Kranks

The list could go on an on. I promise not to post about Christmas again until after Thanksgiving.

30 Days Of Thanks . . . Week One

Happy NOVEMBER!

In honor of thanksgiving at the end of the month, I've decided to participate in the 30 Days of Thanks challenge via Instagram. So here goes nothing.

Top to Bottom : Left to Right

I'm Thankful for...

1. My husband, who loves an supports us every minute of everyday

2. My children, who are so beautiful and healthy

3. The opportunities I've had to see new and amazing places

4. My Green Bay Packers

5. My friends, both past and present through the good times and bad.

6. My family, those with us and those passed. They helped shape me into the person I am today.

&

7. The Internet, for keeping me connected to my friends and family both near and far.

Mommy Monday - October 2013

It was a nice month for our family. Mr W was working the day shift so he was home every night with us and the kids had a blast with all the fall/Halloween events that happened this month.

Age: 3 years

Height: 3ft 3in

Weight: about 35lbs

Favorite Food: Corndogs

Favorite Fruit: Apples

Favorite Movie: Ratatouille 

Favorite TV Show: Lazy Town

Other: Lilly had a fun month. It was a pretty eventful month. she had a sleep over and went trick or treating. She's been a little stir crazy though, due to the sudden abundance of rain. Over all she it was a good month for her.

Age: 11 Months

Height: 2ft 4in

Weight: about 19 lbs

Diapers: size 3

Eats: 3-4 8oz. bottles a day. Plus 1-2 jars of food and some regular food too

Favorite Food: Macaroni and Cheese

Other: Logan is getting SO big! he is crawling and sitting and playing and climbing and standing! He even got to celebrate his first Halloween! he ate a lot of lollipops and even a few chocolate bars. He likes to play with his sisters stuff more than his own but what younger sibling doesn't?

See you all in November!

Caution! Monster Crossing

This was our first year doing Halloween in Italy and it was nice....for the most part.

I'd heard rumors about how crazy trick or treating gets on Halloween (because Garrison lets the Italians into housing in order to be hospitable and make nice with the locals) but I though people were just exaggerating, but no... they go NUTS! There had to be a couple thousand people here. We ran out of candy in 15 MINUTES!!!

But That is okay because the USO did a very nice Trunk n Treat with games and food and other activities and some people on the housing development organized a Pre-Trick or treat for the younger kids and did a great job it was nice to have some alternatives to avoid the rush and crowds.

This was also Logan's First Halloween and his favorite candy this year was the suckers and Lilly just loved everything you gave her.  They were dressed up as Mike and Sulley, from Monsters Inc. Lillly had so much fun helping me carve the pumpkins and decorate our house. and she even helped me hand out some candy today!

And now that Halloween is over for us my little skeleton friends are saying goodbye until next year. I'm not sure if i'll find anything small to use for November, but I've already got my December theme picked out! 

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Stay Safe and Have fun!

P.S. If your looking to help a good cause The USO is a                  

great organization that is always helping Military

members and their families year round!                                

Click Here To Donate!

The Great Birthday Battle

So Mr.W and I are having a slight argument on the matter of Logan's first birthday.
Mr.W says that its a waste of time and money, because he won't remember it anyways. I say that its not a waste because of the wonderful memories that will come from it, besides I'm just planning something small.
(keep in mind that Lilly had a first birthday party)

as some of you know I posted about this on my personal facebook page and a lot of people agreed with me. But the way I see it the party is happening either way :)

So I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek at what i have planned so far...

Mr.W has chosen a football theme and here is what I've come up with so far...

Invitation:
Idea:

Final Product:

Tableware:

Food:

Cake:

(Just an idea)

To see more ideas make sure to visit my pinterest page and look at my birthday board.

Chocolate & Horses & Wine . . . Oh My!

It has been a pretty busy month so far, and its only halfway over!

We have attended 2 birthday celebrations,

carved 1 pumpkin,

ordered 2 Halloween costumes,

tried 2 new wines,

and had a lot of family time.

The first of the 2 birthdays was to celebrate the Military Police Corps. 

And the second was our next door neighbors birthday. It was held at a local ranch and they let everyone ride horses. It was Lilly's first time riding one and Logan's first time seeing one. She was all smiles about it and Logan wanted to see them but was nervous about their size.

That same day, our friends took us to a local winery and we sampled some wines and I got myself 3 bottles (Marzamino, Moscato dolci, and Fragolina Rosa) after that the took us to their favorite restaurant, which just might be one of our new favorites as well!

Then the other night our friends came over again and we carved our pumpkins, made cinnamon sugar roasted pumpkin seeds, drank wine and watched a couple Halloween movies. Now that sounds like a perfect fall night to me.

Today, We attended Cioccolandovi, The chocolate festival in downtown Vicenza. It was amazing to see all the things they had done with chocolate. We got to sample some and even bought some. We got Lilly a truffle with sprinkles, I got a chocolate cover orange slice, and got a big chocolate bar that he was nice enough to share (it was AMAZING) and we got Lilly a chocolate Rapunzel (see bottom right photo)

Everything above is made of chocolate

Its been a great month so far and I can't wait to see what the rest of the month brings!

Skelegram

So this month on Instagram I'm doing skelegram a for Halloween. So every picture I post has a little skeleton in it. 

If you'd like to join the fun find you skeletons, ghost, pumpkin or whatever other Halloween themed item you'd like just make sure to tag me @kwaye23. 

Mommy Monday - September 2013

September was a somewhat buys month for us and the kids handled it all so well...

Age: 3 years

Height: 3ft 2in

Weight: about 35lbs

Favorite Food: Spaghetti and meatballs.

Favorite Fruit: Bananas

Favorite Movie: We are between movies

Favorite TV Show: Strawberry Shortcake : Berry Bitty Adventures

Other: Lilly has suddenly developed a fear of the dark. If the light in the bathroom is off she wont go in unless someone turns the light on for her first and the same thing at bedtime. Other than that there isnt much new with her this month.

Age: 10 Months

Height: 2ft 3in

Weight: about 18 lbs

Diapers: size 3

Eats: 3-4 8oz. bottles a day. Plus 1-2 jars of food as well as some finger foods

Favorite Food: Gerber Blueberry puffs

Other: Logan's top two teeth are about to pop through any day now. and he's very much in this phase of wanting to feed himself so jar food hasn't been wanted as much this month. He really loves the gerber brand puffs, bread, mac n cheese, and he's even had some small pieces of meatballs and cheese. He has learned how to pull himself up onto his feet and is becoming more adventurous everyday.

Overall the kids are doing great. They are happy, healthy, and growing.

Race for the Cure

On Sunday I participated in my first official 5k run. It was for a very good cause and I feel I did a very good job. My goal was to finish my run in less than 40 minutes and I did it (just barely, but I did it!)

The run took place in Bologna, Italy. The only thing that would have made it Better would have been if it weren't raining.

After we finished the run we were able to wonder around town and eat for a couple of hours. We found a nice pizzeria, a bakery, a very expensive mall, and just took in the sights. 

Here are some pictures from the day:

(From left to right - top then bottom)

1. We found a €21,000 Prada bag. 

2. My race bib

3. My running buddy, Stephanie.

4. A map of the run and my time.

5. Me before the run.

6. Our celebration cannolis and cappuccinos

Fitness Friday #2

These last couple of weeks have been a work in progress. I started the "Insanity" workout and I like it. Its just hard to find the time with the kids. i get the warm up in but then all heck breaks loose with Logan crying and Lilly doing her infamous "mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy..." and by time they go to bed the last thing I want to do is exert more energy.

Other than that its been good. I have been doing my morning kickboxing classes and I've managed to get a few good runs in. a 1.68 mi, 2.71 mi, and 1.34 mi. all with an average 12:15 time.

I'll be doing a post sunday or monday on my trip to Bologna for the Race for the Cure!

Fitness Friday #1

Since I've been working out more and trying to get in shape, I thought I would share with everyone how its going, what I've been doing, and some other things to help others... So here it goes.

I've found a local kickboxing class that is about 45 minutes long and is practically in my backyard (literally). Classes are 4 days a week at 9 in the morning its a great way to get my day started. On top of that I go to the gym when I can, workout at home, and I've started running!(my pace has gone down by over 2 minutes since I started)

At the gym I usually do weight training and some cardio.

But at home I use a lot of workouts I've found on Pinterest and most of them are from Back On Pointe

APPS:

Here are all the apps I use when I workout:

Nike+Running: It uses GPS to track your route while you walk/run and will even show you when you were fastest and slowest. It gives you motivation by trying to push you farther than your farthest run. $ = FREE!

C25K: An 8 week program that helps you to achieve a 5k (or 30 minute) run without stopping. Over time the amount or walking lessens as the running increases. It also has the feature of telling you when to walk and when to run, if your listening to music while you run it will lower the volume give the cue.(my pace has gone down by over 2 minutes since I started)  $ = FREE!

My Fitness Pal: This lets you set a goal on your calorie intake and helps you keep track of calories eaten and calories burned. You can enter in a food to the database, use the search, or even scar the barcode on the food your eating. and select exercises to account for calories burned. It also helps you track your weight. $ = FREE!

7 Minute Workout: Is exactly what the title indicates. It uses random exercises for 7 minutes and you can make it longer or shorter and keep track of days you used it on you calender. $ = FREE!

ReasonsToBeFit [#0999]

Because its time to do something for me.

Moving Tribute

12 years ago today our country was devastated by horrible and unforgettable tragedy. And so to remember those who were lost that Dayana in the wars to follow I participated in the Team RWB moving tribute. They organized to have an American flag be carried around the post from 8:46 am until 7:30 pm. It didn't matter if you walked or ran as long as you came and showed your support and I'm so happy I did. 

Plus I managed to make pretty good time. A complete lap around the post was about 2 miles and our group finished in just over 20 minutes. 

Darn you Pinterest!

Most of you know what pinterest is and have been/are/will be addicted to it like I am. 

Anywho... I was looking at my home page and a few people had posted stuff that was Halloween related, so I went to the "holidays & events" category and now I am completely infatuated with the idea of having a Halloween/Costume party this year. the only hitch is going to be convincing Mr.W

They have all kinds of food ideas, and decorations, and games.

I know Halloween is over a month away but it just sounds like a fun idea!

Check out my Halloween board:

http://pinterest.com/kwaye23/boo/

Mommy Monday - August 2013

Sorry I missed July but here is another update on the kiddos

Age: 3 years

Height: 3ft 2in

Weight: about 35lbs

Favorite Food: Macaroni & cheese with hotdogs

Favorite Fruit: Apples & Strawberries

Favorite Movie: We are between movies

Favorite TV Show: Sofia the First

Other: Lilly has been playing with her friends a lot. She loves being outside and one of her friends has even shown her how to climb trees. She still has that feisty 3-year-old attitude but she loves to cuddle up on the couch with us and watch cartoons and movies. 

Age: 9 Months

Height: 2ft 3in

Weight: about 17lbs

Diapers: size 3

Eats: 3-4 8oz. bottles a day. Plus 2-3 5 oz jars of food.

Favorite Food: Sweet Potatoes. 

Other: Logan is crawling, He does hands and knees if its a short distance but still low crawls if he's planing on going more than a couple feet. He has 2 teeth as you can tell from the picture. He is sleeping through the night and is as curious as ever. He loves playing with his sister and all her toys. He's happy over all unless you tell him no when he tries to get the dogs food.