Happenings.

Oops, I think the last time I wrote it was Valentine's Day!

Today is one of those days that it's a little too chilly to be outside and there's not much to do indoors - so, we're watching Monster's Ink. We're working on selling our house, so there's never any cleaning to do besides light picking up because we're constantly having to keep it picked up incase someone wanted to look at it (whoa, run on sentence). It's kind of funny how packed the weekdays seem and all I wish for is a day like today, and when a day of no plans happens - I get super bored. Sigh...

Anyways, this house thing. I sure hope we sell this soon or decide to just back out - there are so many projects we had planned for the current house that we'd rather not do if we're just moving anyways. So, cross your fingers we're able to move soon and I can add some new projects to the to-do list :)

Annnnd, now I give up writing - here are some recent pictures though!

The Life & Times of the Russ Family

I don't know. I couldn't think of a title.

Updates! Roslynne turned EIGHT MONTHS old two weeks ago. I don't know how many times I've said "I can't believe how the time has flown!" It quite honestly feels like yesterday I was waiting to get this little wiggly fish out, all the while what I actually did yesterday was reserve the venue for her birthday party! Yes, I realize it's only March and that her birthday is in July. Whatever. I'm excited. Yes, I'm going to be that mom that pins multiple ideas on her Pinterest page under the grouping "Birthday ideas!" But, don't worry - I make sure not to send all those updates to my Facebook page like some of those people in your friends list, you can thank me now.

Ok, so EIGHT MONTHS. This baby recently started dancing. No, really - dancing. She shimmies side to side when she gets excited and then back and forth singing and talking. Two itty bitty teeth have popped through on the bottom row of teeth - I'm fairly certain if she never got any more teeth I'd be ok with it, it's too freaking cute. She's started pulling herself up if you hold on to her hands, she constantly wants to stand in your lap or at least be sitting up - this is the very reason we haven't gone to church since she's started doing this, that and the fact that we don't want to get up and going that early on a Sunday. She continues to steal her father's heart, especially her grandpa Russ - pretty sweet seeing them together.

This picture captures our week day mornings. I go to the gym, come home and make her a bottle that Johnny gives her and then they proceed to watch Sponge Bob for approximately a half hour.

The goofballs I live with.

 

So, there you have it. My life obviously revolves around my little person and husband and I'm ok with that! Johnny, I'm publicly apologizing for calling you and yelling at you for not knowing how to turn on the vaporizer. Don't worry, I've since figured it out.

 

That's it.

 

Good night!

Such a sweet, sweet blessing.

You know what? Yes, I should be working on designing wedding invitations for a friend and/or work things. But you know what? I'm. Not. Going. To. Instead, I'd rather write a post about my little Valentine.

 

She is the best possible thing that ever ever could've happened to us - it's too much to think about how she even came to be. There's so much that has to go right to even get pregnant and today I feel extra special to have her in our life. Yes, she's stinky and pukes (usual baby things, right?) sometimes, but the happy moments far out-weigh those stinky diapers! She's already 7 1/2 months old and get her first teeth on the bottom! She wasn't ever really cranky when they were breaking through, although it seems like it's taking a long time for them to come in. Month 6 brought her first ear infection and 10 days of meds - she seemed to recover from it quickly and we're hoping that more aren't in her future.

Oh gosh, what have we been up to the last few months? Roz tried food for the first time around month 5 and wasn't really interested. We're still not very consistent in giving it to her and so daycare gives her a bit around lunch time, at least this way she'll get a try at it every day while she's there! We're so bad when it comes to feeding her solids, she just doesn't seem interested.

Roz likes to "help" read board books. I just bought her an Elmo Valentine book and Elmo has a fuzzy texture in it. She seemed to enjoy feeling the pages, especially Elmo!

Johnny got me a really good bottle of wine for Valentine's Day and I've had 2 glasses. I'm tired and falling asleep here! Signing off - g'night!

The sickness.

Oh man, it was a rough week in this household. The little lady was sent home Monday morning from daycare with a slight temp. Johnny stayed home with her that day and I stayed with her Tuesday because of the temp she still had (it only ever got to about 100.5) and to the doctor we went that day. They checked her over and basically couldn't find a thing wrong! Frustrated.

Wednesday she seemed back to our normal and so off to daycare she went. Wednesday night she woke up around 2 am screaming and nothing at all could console her. Bless him, Johnny got up with her and rocked her downstairs for a while until she fell asleep. Her temp seemed to stay up all day and luckily we were able to get her into the doctor that day, to find out she has an ear infection. Poor baby had been battling it for a few days by then! Just as she started to feel better I started getting a nasty cold and sinus infection. Sigh.... I just wish we could open the windows and air things out. Spring can't get here soon enough!

Here she is this morning playing in her seat while I blog and have some coffee (Dad is out getting new tires on his truck, yay!)

(I don't know how to rotate!)

 

We're headed to a baby shower later today and then back home to do some organizing! While we're at the shower, Johnny is planning to work on our new livingroom trim (post to come soon!) for the windows and floors. Last weekend we painted the livingroom and now I'm just waiting for the trim to be put up before I get things back on the wall. Built in shelves coming soon, too!

 

Recent pictures (ok, I guess I only have one! I swear I take pictures, but now that we have smartphones they're all on that! Note to self: download all phone pictures!):

 

 



Ooops, where has the time gone?

I haven't posted since November 5th! I think in the year that I've had this blog, that might be the biggest gap between posts - oops.

Well, I suppose that means I have a bit of updating to do. Since we last talked, we've celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's!

Here's a quick run-down on those holidays...

Thanksgiving was everything we love: food, football and parades! And most of all? A day that has become tradition: a day that we have nothing to do and nowhere to go. Thanksgiving seems to be a holiday that both Johnny and I's parents are visiting our siblings and so we get to have a quiet day at home. This year we woke up and watched the parade in our pj's (from what I remember) and then Johnny set to work making this:

It was a chicken and biscuit bake: it was SO good, this will definitely happen again next year!

And as you can imagine, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas becomes a whirl-wind of holiday gatherings, food and lots of busyness. Plus, throw in a baby and you've got yourself a heck of a time! Roslynne is really becoming her own little lady these days. She has started eating peas (which she instantly gags at), spinach and sweet potatoes and I'm not sure she's really into food yet, she would rather have a bottle! She's begun to roll all over the place and will roll in her sleep and wake herself up. Oy vey - sleep. Sleep isn't going so well these days. When we used to place her in her basinett at night she would seriously fall asleep instantly and sleep all night, now that she can roll, we put her in her pack n play at night and she'll sleep from about 7-11:30 and will be up for a while and then until 2:30 or so and by that time I will give in and put her in the basinett and she'll sleep until we get up for the day. I know we need to come up with an attack plan and/or let her cry - but I just can't bring myself to do that! It could be worse, right? (gees, as I'm writing this post she just sat up on her own!)

Ok, so Christmas. Christmas was nuts! We had a blast, of course - but it was exhausting! Does anyone else feel like they try to recreate how they used to feel as a kid and are always let down? Is that just me? This year was a lot more fun though, it gave us an excuse to watch Sponge Bob's Christmas, after all. Here is Roslynne on Christmas morning with grandma Dianna and great grandma Emily:

Christmas pajamas from Santa ;)

 

 



I think I will get her a new ornament every year :)

She got the book: Princess Bedtime Stories (Johnny is SO excited about this one.)

 

The weekend after Christmas Roslynne was baptised! (We were just trying to see how much we could cram into the holidays ;) )

 

My best friend, Laura is her godmother and my little brother is her godfather. She has so many wonderful people in her life, this was such a hard decision!



The night was really great, and we finished with pizza and cake!

Ok, I promise to not go this far between posts and will try to do more of them weekly!

Lately.

Lately, life has been really busy. I've always been a busy body and unable to just...relax, but lately it seems I can't finish anything and am all over and anxious. Picture this: a whole weekend ahead of you with lots to get done and you can't seem to finish one task and go on to the next, instead you start the dishes, give the baby a bottle and end up watching recorded shows on DVR,  then remember you need to make your lunch for the next day, etc.. It goes on and on, I'm sure it sounds pathetic (ok, it does) but I need to figure out what I want/need to do and how/when to do it without feeling anxious or overwhelmed in an efficient manner. In my work and personal life, this is something I need to work on and will be thinking of ways to work smarter/faster/better so I have time to relax! Sigh.

Alright, people - our daughter turned 4 months old this weekend. You're shocked and can't believe where the time went, I know. Lately, she's started babbling and giggling to herself AND just this past week she rolled over! We were playing in the livingroom one night and Johnny happened to mention: "I wonder when she'll roll over" and in a matter of seconds, I layed her down and she rolled over! I then proceeded to yell: "Yay baby! yay yay yay!" Which prompted Trice to get very excited and she almost stepped on Roslynne. Sigh.

Last week was Halloween and our toots was a Tootsie Roll! Great grandma Emily made it for her and I think it will fit for quite a while!

Here she is giggling!

 

She is sooo cute, and of course doesn't mind when I put all sorts of headbands on her and take lots of pictures.

 

Celebrating 3 years!

Last week Johnny and I celebrated our third anniversary.

You hear it all the time, but let me say it again: time goes SO fast! I can't believe it! We have our days, but I can honestly say that I love him more today than I did yesterday. You know that song "I thought I loved you then" by Brad Paisley, how's it go (please excuse me for some mushy-ness)...

"Now you're my whole life now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl (substitute "girl" for ummm boy? you get the point)
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it's ever been
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then."

To remember our anniversary, we went to Potosi, Wisconsin today. First, we went through Milville and took a ferry across the river into Cassville...

The ferry ride was about 20 minutes, and I instantly felt sea sick - such an odd feeling being in your car on the water.

After the ferry ride we drove into Potosi and went to the brewery for lunch. First, we went through their museum - the beer label designs were amazing!

I should've taken a picture of my macaroni I had for lunch, wowza. After lunch we went across the street to a local artists shop and winery and bought a few bottles. From there, we headed home with a quick stop at the mall in Dubuque. Roslynne spent the day with Gram and Gramps Russ - I really missed her, if I had a super human power it would be to have the ability to pause time to snuggle my baby more!

Alright people, this weekend was a busy one, so busy I'm going to bed now. Don't worry, I'll update soon with my #iblewupthestrollerwheelinpublic story soon.