mama & mou: Jason

Showing posts with label Jason. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

A Perfectly Long Labor Day Weekend

If the purpose of Labor Day is to have a break from work...have a break we did! Our "Labor Day Weekend" kicked off on Tuesday when we headed up to the ranch to visit Jason's mom and step-dad.We went out to dinner, Kenley played in her very own mini-water park and we all had a great time.

Wednesday, Jason and I spent the day at the Minnesota State Fair stuffing our faces with our favorite greasy fair food, drinking beer and walking around wearing a fit bit band with no fit bit in it...yup, awesome.

And then spent our evening with our friends Seth & Alisha and none other than Mr. Tim McGraw.

This was our third time seeing him and I think was my favorite of the three shows. Seriously in love with that man.

We had approximately no time to recover from the concert and the fair because Thursday was the Gopher home opener! We were off for campus promptly at 12:00pm. Our festivities began at our favorite campus restaurant, Tony's Diner, and then moved to Lot 37 just as soon as the lots opened.

My Gophs started off the season with a 42-20 win over Eastern Illinois!!!

Friday, the only plans we had were Jason's fantasy football draft which thankfully didn't involve me, so I got a night at home with my best girl.

Saturday morning, Kenley and I met up with my family for a wonderful day on the boat. It was a beautiful day on the water and Kenley was right at home on the boat - just like her mama.

Sunday we spent the morning at the pool and then had a family lunch with Jason's family to spend time with his sister who was in town from Florida and also to celebrate Jason's younger brother's birthday {sadly, I failed to take a single photo}.

Then Sunday night, because we hadn't packed enough in, we had a fantasy football draft and party in our party room for Jason and his friends. It was just me and the boys and while it was kind of fun to finally see what a fantasy draft is all about, I kind of wanted to poke my eyes out - but overall it was a really fun night hanging out with my favorite boys.

Yesterday was spent doing absolutely nothing. We literally just took turns napping and trying to recover from a wonderful week off!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

When You're Not the Favorite

Happy Tuesday mamas!

Here's what you do:
1. Write a post about ANYTHING baby {or pregnancy} related.
2. Add my button to your post.
3. Link your post with the link-up tool found at the end of all of my posts.
EASY PEASY!

I'm 19 months in to my relationship with Kenley and so far I think we're doing an awesome job at this mother/daughter thing. We have our little games, she's my coffee, target, walking, pool buddy and I love her more than anything in the world. And she loves me too. I know she does. BUT, Jason is her favorite.

On the one hand, it makes me really happy. Kenley adores her daddy and he adores her right back. When I was pregnant, I actually was worried that maybe Jason wouldn't bond with her as much because she was a girl - but I was very wrong. The relationship these two have is so special and it makes me really proud. I pray they are always close.

And then there's the other hand, the hand that's like "um, hello, what about me?" All day long it's "dad, dad, dad, dad." Jason claims she says "mom" a lot when I'm not home, but I find it very hard to believe she says "mom" half as much as she says "dad". But it's more than just how much she says our names. For example, last week at dance {yes, Kenley is in dance, more on that another time} we had a little meltdown situation so I went in to the class to comfort her and dance with her. What does she do? She runs to the door and cries her face off yelling "DAD". So I spent the rest of class in the hall watching her through a window while Jason was in the class with her. It broke my heart.

The baby responsibilities fall more heavily on the mama (at least they do in our house) and I'm OK with that. Being a mama to Kenley is the best job in the world and while it's a lot of work, I don't mind it one bit. But it makes it hard when I feel like I do so much for her and all she wants is her dad (not saying that Jason doesn't do a lot, because he really does, but you know what I mean). I try not to let it bug me, but sometimes it just straight up hurts.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I know that we are bonded. I know we will have an incredible relationship always. I know her favorite will shift throughout the years (and eventually be based on who lets her stay out later and who hands over the car keys easier). And I know I'm probably being too sensitive about it. But, I wanna be the favorite!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Life Lately

Hi my name is Kristin and I am the world's worst blogger. I really thought leaving my 9-5 would turn me in to some kind of super blogger and I'd have all this time to sip coffee and channel all my inner creativity but as proven by this little old blog of mine, leaving my job has done quite the opposite. It also hasn't helped that the snow is melted and back-to-back spring & summer plans have started to fill our calendar, here's what I've been up to...

My friend Kari and I joined my friend Nadine for a super fun Zumba class that benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It was my first attempt at Zumba and I absolutely LOVED it!

We found out that one of my besties and her hubby are welcoming a baby GIRL in September!!! This exciting news also means that I have a baby shower to plan which you all know makes me as happy as a clam!

Carolyn and I have been taking kickboxing classes and are having a blast. It's an insane workout and don't be fooled by our pink boxing gloves....we are pretty bad ass.

I got together with some of my favorite MN Bloggers {Jess, Carolyn, Katie, Kelly, Dawn & Bridget} for a wonderful yoga practice and a Zula Juice tasting with the owner Renee - if you read my post on Zula from a while back you already know I'm obsessed and I was really excited to get my girls obsessed as well!

I sent my baby sister off to prom! Kara is just finishing up her junior year of high school and it is beyond me how she is already this grown up and this beautiful. It's making me feel old.

I'm spending as much time as humanly possible outside with my love bug. We are READY for summer and READY for the pool to open! C'mon Mother Nature!

We celebrated my dad's birthday - complete with sister selfies, a family dance party to Whitney Houston, a group plank session and of course pies because our family can't get together without pies.

This past Friday night our best friends Colin & Sharisse welcomed their baby boy, Wesley, in to the world and to say I was excited t meet him was a HUGE understatement. We are all so excited to have this bundle of joy here safe and sound and I am excited to watch him grow {so is Kenley}.

Also this weekend I met Dawn & Melissa for a blogger coffee date {and failed to take pictures}, I met my mom for dinner and a movie {we saw The Other Woman} and Jason and I took Kenley to a Twins game - which they won! We were shocked!

I got myself a fancy blog planner {more on that soon} and let's hope it helps get my butt in gear!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Baby Talk :: Marriage After Baby {+ 2 Years!}

MAMAS! Make sure to link up with me every Tuesday to talk about all things BABY!

It's pretty easy, here's the rules:

{1} Write a post on ANYTHING baby related...pregnancy, parenting, products, stories, advice, you name it!

{2} Grab this button and put it somewhere, anywhere in your post!

{3} Publish your post on Tuesday!
{4} Come back and enter your post in the super neat link-up tool found at the bottom of every Baby Talk post.
{5} Check back and read the other blogs who have linked up!

------

Today marks TWO YEARS since the day I married the love of my life.

Part of me feels like we have been married forever and the other part feels like our wedding was just yesterday - I know that really doesn't make any sense, but it's how I feel.

I thought since today is our anniversary it made sense to share what our marriage has been like since having our baby almost a year ago.

My greatest fear when I was pregnant was what would happen to me and Jason after the baby was born {that along with all the other irrational fears you have when you're with child}. Having a baby is a MAJOR life change and I knew it was inevitable that both me and Jason would change, our relationship would change, our priorities would change and pretty much our whole world would change.

Fast forward to the first few weeks of Kenley's life and I was thinking that I was crazy for ever thinking this would be hard, of course having a brand new baby came with it's challenges, but our relationship was better than ever. Jason was incredible. As you all know, I had a bit of a rough recovery and Jason totally picked up the slack. He took such good care of me and such good care of the house so I could spend 100% of the little energy that I had on taking care of our new roommate.

Fast forward a few more months and I was back to normal {read: I could sit without a doughnut and both sides of my face were fully functioning}, I was back at work and our daily routine was in full swing. This was how our life was going to be for the foreseeable future and I felt completely disconnected from my husband. Between working full-time, taking care of the baby, trying to keep the house clean and having a little bit of fun once and a while there was NO Kristin & Jason time. Sure, we'd be home together and maybe watch TV together. But more often than not, I was watching a show and Jason was on the computer. We were in the same room, exchanging small talk but not really connecting. Most nights I would go to bed before Jason because I had to be up early to get myself and the baby ready for our days. To top it off I was so irritable Everything Jason was doing was driving me crazy. Just little dumb things like mixing his Chipotle for what seemed like 10 minutes before taking a bite. I tried SO hard not to nit-pick or nag but sometimes I just couldn't hold it in. I was so irritated most of the time that I didn't even want to be around him and I'm sure Jason was less than thrilled to hang out with me when he couldn't do anything right in my eyes.

Since those earlier days, we've found our rhythm. I think we make a fantastic team. We both have our responsibilities we take care of and the rest we split up. Our day-to-day life is wonderful and thanks to our incredible parents we are able to spend time away from the baby and have some grown up fun. With so many fun plans we have found a lot of our baby-free time is spent with friends, which is wonderful, but it means we have to work that much harder to spend time just the two of us. And in truth, we definitely don't spend enough time with only each other.

We have made some changes, however, to try and maximize our Kristin & Jason time. For example, we try really hard to eat dinner at the table so we can spend that quality time as a family. For the most part, we go to bed at the same time so we can spend some pre-slumber snuggle minutes together. We've also made an effort to spend quality time together after Kenley goes to bed - that usually means snuggling up on the couch and watching a show or a movie but it's a major improvement from being in the same room but not together.

It's not, however, always easy. A marriage takes work and a marriage with a baby takes extra work. Jason and I both have to put in effort to make sure the other is taken care of and feels loved. With so much of our love and attention going towards Kenley it's easy to sort of forget to give each other "hello" kisses or compliment one another or thank each other for the great job we're doing. It's so easy to fall in to your routine and let days or weeks or months go by and not even realize you haven't spent quality time together.

When it's all said and done, the key is effort.

We aren't perfect by any means, not even close. We have our good days and our bad days. But like I said, we're a team. We're both committed to our relationship and hold it as a top priority with our daughter and I think as long as that doesn't change, we'll be good.

and before I go....

To my husband,

Thank you for two amazing years. Thank you for all of the laughs, the support, the inside jokes and fun memories. Thank you for Kenley. Thank you for being the rock of our family and for taking such good care of your girls.

Our wedding day was the best day of my life and I can't imagine another day will ever compare. Not only was it the most fun I've ever had but I got to leave the party with you by my side FOREVER.

Dan Schulze Films on Vimeo.

I love you the most the most the most and can't wait to see what the next 80 million years bring to our lives.

Love,

Your Toot

Baby Talk :: Marriage After Baby {+ 2 Years!}

MAMAS! Make sure to link up with me every Tuesday to talk about all things BABY!

It's pretty easy, here's the rules:

{1} Write a post on ANYTHING baby related...pregnancy, parenting, products, stories, advice, you name it!

{2} Grab this button and put it somewhere, anywhere in your post!

Today marks TWO YEARS since the day I married the love of my life.

www.sara-jayne.com
I thought since today is our anniversary it made sense to share what our marriage has been like since having our baby almost a year ago.

My greatest fear when I was pregnant was what would happen to me and Jason after the baby was born {that along with all the other irrational fears you experience when you're with child}. Having a baby is a MAJOR life change and I knew it was inevitable that both me and Jason would change, our relationship would change, our priorities would change and pretty much our whole world would change.

www.sara-jayne.com

Fast forward a few more months and I was back to normal {read: I could sit without a doughnut and both sides of my face were fully functioning}, I was back at work and our daily routine was in full swing. This was how our life was going to be for the foreseeable future and I felt completely disconnected from my husband. Between working full-time, taking care of the baby, trying to keep the house clean and having a little bit of fun once and a while there was NO Kristin & Jason time. Sure, we'd be home together and maybe watch TV together. But more often than not, I was watching a show and Jason was on the computer. We were in the same room, exchanging small talk but not really connecting. Most nights I would go to bed before Jason because I had to be up early to get myself and the baby ready for our days. To top it off I was so irritable Everything Jason was doing was driving me crazy. Little dumb things like mixing his Chipotle for what seemed like 10 minutes before taking a bite drove me absolutely batty. I tried SO hard not to nit-pick or nag but sometimes I just couldn't hold it in. I was so irritated most of the time that I didn't even want to be around him and I'm sure Jason was less than thrilled to hang out with me when he couldn't do anything right in my eyes.

Since those earlier days, we've found more of a rhythm and I think overall we make a good team. We both have our responsibilities we take care of and the rest we split up. Our day-to-day life is wonderful and thanks to our incredible parents we are able to spend time away from the baby and have some grown up fun. With so many fun plans we have found a lot of our baby-free time is spent with friends, which is wonderful, but it means we have to work that much harder to spend time just the two of us. And in truth, we definitely don't spend enough time with only each other.

We have made some changes, however, to try and maximize our Kristin & Jason time. For example, we try really hard to eat dinner at the table so we can spend that quality time as a family. For the most part, we go to bed at the same time so we can spend some pre-slumber snuggle minutes together. We've also made an effort to spend quality time together after Kenley goes to bed - that usually means snuggling up on the couch and watching a show or a movie but it's a major improvement from being in the same room but not together.

It's not, however, always easy. A marriage takes work and a marriage with a baby takes extra work. Jason and I both have to put in effort to make sure the other is taken care of and feels loved. With so much of our love and attention going towards Kenley it's easy to sort of forget to give each other "hello" kisses or compliment one another or thank each other for the great job we're doing. It's so easy to fall in to your routine and let days or weeks or months go by and not even realize you haven't spent quality time together.

When it's all said and done, the key is effort.

We aren't perfect by any means, not even close. We have our good days and our bad days. But like I said, we're a team. We're both committed to our relationship and hold it as a top priority with our daughter and I think as long as that doesn't change, we'll be good.

and before I go....

To my husband,

Thank you for two amazing years. Thank you for all of the laughs, the support, the inside jokes and fun memories. Thank you for Kenley. Thank you for being the rock of our family and for taking such good care of your girls.

Our wedding day was the best day of my life and I can't imagine another day will ever compare. Not only was it the most fun I've ever had but I got to leave the party with you by my side FOREVER.

Dan Schulze Films on Vimeo.

I love you the most the most the most and can't wait to see what the next 80 million years bring to our lives.

Love,

Your Toot

Monday, August 19, 2013

A Birthday, A Bridal Shower, A Baby Shower and A Wedding

Holy Macaroni! Talk about a busy bee weekend! If I were ever to be hospitalized for exhaustion it would probably be about now.

Friday I got to spend the whole day with my little lady - which after a whole weekend away and then long days at work was much needed! We started our day at the mall with some shopping!

If you follow me on Instagram you saw me declare my love for The Mommy Hook - an absolute must have in my opinion.

After our morning of retail therapy we were off to see Dr. Hersey for Kenley's 9 month check up!

My sweet girl is just perfect in every way. It makes me feel so good to hear the doctor compliment me {and Jason} on the job we are doing. Poor little thing did have to get a shot, which is never fun, but I do love how cuddly she is afterwards.

Friday night, we had a relaxing night at home, I made Emily's DELICIOUS Creamy Burrito Casserole and we watched Django Unchained, which we both loved!

Saturday morning Kenley and I were up early to make the birthday boy his favorite food - waffles! My mother-in-law gave me the Fawver Family Waffle Recipe {she makes the BEST waffles!} and I must admit they turned out pretty darn good, still not quite as good as Judye's though!

Jason's birthday gift was a day of golf with his boys. So after breakfast, Kenley and I dropped him at the course.

While Jason was golfing, Kenley and I went to celebrate my friend Angie at her bridal shower!

After the shower we went home, grabbed daddy and brought Kenley to my dad's house for the night. Then Jason and I were off to Brasa for his birthday dinner! We had never been but had heard rave reviews. We both really liked it!

After dinner, it was time to watch my friends Pat & Nikki exchange their vows and become husband and wife! And of course celebrate a ~~little~~ lot too!

It was so fun and so special to be reunited with all my best boys from high school. I miss them so much and really wish they would all come home at the same time for a huge party more often - or better yet they should all just move home!

You'd think after the Saturday we had, we would just lay low and enjoy a relaxing Sunday, but you should know by now that it's just not the Busy Bee way. Sunday morning we met up with Jason's mom and step-dad who were in town for the day for brunch.

After brunch I left my man and my baby so that they could spend some more time with J'd parents and I went to celebrate my dear friends Kari, Ryan and their baby boy Colin who is due in October!