20 days

praise. the. lord.

there are only 20 days left in this pregnancy. and i am so excited.

i cry. i get pissed. like royally pissed. then cry more. and then some more after i apologize. nothing sounds good to eat. i'm tired. and then i cry because i'm hungry and didn't get a long enough nap. this is my daily routine. lovely.

i'm not excited that m will not be "the only one" anymore. i'm not excited that i will never be the LOOK of pregnant again. but i am thrilled that this baby boy will be out of me and in our arms. he is giving me a run for my money. throwing up. back ache. no sleep. going so nutty in my tummy that it literally hurts my skin. we aren't opposed to meeting you early little d :)

lately:

we've been battling MINE! NO! MOMMY TIME OUT! and everything else toddlers love to say to their parents when they don't want to listen. she is two-that's for sure. being that my temper and patience are both something i'm acquiring less and less of with every passing moment, i'm discovering the firm tone doesn't work as well as the asking nicely way of words.

potty training. kind of. we aren't in the serious-diapers-in-the-trash phased yet but we are getting close. she tells me when she has to poop, then hides. tells me when she is peeing. she hates hates hates having her diaper changed. she doesn't like the potty yet. so, we'll get there. i'm not in a rush. baby d arriving is enough of a change for the time being. panties and big girl beds can wait!

she knows her colors. can count to 10. can sing her ABC's…well, 20 out of the 26 letters for sure. she is so smart and makes me laugh and smile every day.

when she is hurt she says 'come herrrreeee' because we say that to her. a lot. "mila sad" is also a very common sentence. she know's her emotions, she knows to tell someone not to hurt her, 'my body'.

 we had a small baby shower for duke and it was perfect. i love the girlfriends that i have and duke is so lucky to be welcomed into this amazing family. 

 rachel is due with a boy 10 weeks after me! so excited for my brother and sis-in-law!!

 we've had some crazy warm weather here in cali. i'm trying to resist napping and enjoy getting my vitamin D! and no, i'm not naked.

my bunco girls nights are something i always look forward to. we went to Basil for dinner-my favorite thai food. it was probably the last time i will be this pretty for awhile!

Charred Corn Chop Salad

this is simply heaven on a plate. we love it. it is healthy, fresh and just perfect. it's on our weekly food calendar every week and man, it really is just it for us. even boss man loves it. he requests it.



2 C corn
1 sweet potato, cubed (I use 5-8 small ones or a few large)
Half a red onion, chopped
1 T olive oil

1/2 LB ground turkey (I use up to 2 depending on leftovers)
1 t ground cumin
1 can black beans

1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 t chili powder
1 bunch scallions

4 romain hearts, chopped
1 avocado
1 C grated cheese (we like pepperjack)

Mix buttermilk, sour cream, whites of scallions and chili powder. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Toss corn, sweet potatoes and red onion with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Bake @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes; stir every 10 minutes.

Cook ground turkey. Add black beans, cumin and 1/4 water. Simmer. (I don't add water; just leave juice from ground turkey)

Divide lettuce to plates, add ground turkey mixture, sweet potato mixture, greens of scallions. Top with cheese, avocado and dressing!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

the Marks family had a wonderful//busy//Christmas! we saw everyone on both sides of the family; had brunches, breakfasts and dinners. lots of presents. lots of memories made. it was our 3rd and last Christmas with just sweet M. next year we will have two babies and it will be even more special!

for New Years Eve we went to dinner at Boss mans favorite restaurant and enjoyed it with close friends. we were in bed and snoozing by 10:00. it was perfect! 

now that it is officially 2014….that means we will be a family of 4 so soon! and i couldn't be more excited. as much as i do enjoy being pregnant, the entire journey from the 1st of 2013 to now has been long and tiring. it has been the most challenging of my life. the most challenging of our marriage. it was an expensive year. and year that included more than a few health scares. a few new babies were announced.  

at the end of the day, i am glad 2013 is over. i am ready for 2014, to complete our family and move forward making memories! oh, and Boss man is going to be 30! that is really exciting too!!

Mila is 2!!

holy smokes, how did this happen?

m has turned 2. and it was such a great day. we celebrated by having brunch, cupcakes and gifts with our family. she loves each and every one of them so much. it was perfect.

at 2, m:

can count to 3
can take her clothes off by herself
can put on/take off velcro or slip on shoes by herself
loves preschool
loves her friends
loves to paint
loves to have her toes painted
loves her baby dolls and imaginative play
has the kindest heart
refers to herself in 3rd person
knows her emotions: mila is sad, mila is happy
loves telling people to be happy
can sing happy birthday
she will tell you she loves you. she misses you. and give you a hug. (heart melting…)
hates yogurt
loves the marching band
loves dancing. she slows down or speeds up when the beat changes. the girl has rhythm.
is surrounded by love...
and she cannot wait to be a big sister!

she weighs 28 lbs and is 30 inches tall. 75% for weight and 95% for height. yes, she is tall. just like her dada. out of 100 girls born on december 15th, there are only 5 taller than her. whoa. we've had our first ear infection and are (hopefully) healing on our own before the same pink fluid filled ear turns into #2.

we have had an amazing year loving this little girl. we've made so many memories as a family. i am looking forward to her spunky personality developing even more over year three and looking forward to watching her love her baby brother!

 we walked around the lake for the annual Lighted Walk Around the Lake and it was freeeeeeeezing. to say the least. it was so so so so so cold. especially for mommy whose jackets don't button or zip around her belly anymore. brrrrrrrrrr. m loved the marching band! she is still talking about it and it was over 2 weeks ago.

my bunco girls surprised me this month with a baby shower for duke. it was so fun! i am so lucky to have such great friends in so many circles. i cannot wait to meet the little guy and finish getting his room all together! it's proving to be a bigger project than anticipated but it's getting there. i think.

lately

thanksgiving was a bit of a hectic time around the marks household. the saturday before i woke up with the worst breast infection ever. like probably ever recorded. i wanted to die. and did a lot of crying. after oral antibiotics didnt touch it, we ended up in the ER for most of sunday. i then had to get a major dose of IV antibiotics and head back to the ER every 12 hours for 4 more doses. that was at 5 AM and 5 PM. i am not a morning person and the evening was like the ER's rush hour. lame. that ended tuesday and then i had to cook a turkey and all the fixins. what. a. week.

we just got home from taking M to her first movie in the theater. it was so much fun! we almost made it thru the whole movie….if it hadn't been for 30 minutes of Disney previews i'm sure we would've made it! there are only 10 short weeks left before mr. duke arrives so we are trying to make as many memories as a family of three as we can.

lately: we went to avila valley barn to feed the goats, pick out a christmas tree and buy some goodies and guess who was there? SANTA! and boy was he scary. M immediately started to back pedal and when she sat on my lap she wouldn't even let her shoes touch his red suit. silly girl. 

lately

halloween. this girl had a ball. she chased all the big kids screaming "run run run!" "treat! thank you! bye!" such great memories were created.

vincent turned 1! it seems like he was just born yesterday. val is an amazing mama and i am so lucky to call her one of my best friends.

 we went to jack creek farms for a little pumpkin adventure with our mommy and me friends. only 3 of us ended up making it but we had a blast. m picked the apples off the little tree, had apple cider, fed the little goats a cookie and did the haybale maze with Elsie. 

 we had a halloween play date with another group of mommies and babies. m insisted she wear my necklace the whole time. she is the cutest lady bug!

 m's class at preschool. so sweet.

 our new double stroller. we love it! m always wants to put her baby in the second seat and asks when d will be able to ride in it with her. she is going to be the best big sister. i really can't wait. 

 these two....they melt my heart. 

and our latest trip to target resulted in the purchase of a pink christmas tree for m's room. with special little ornaments and lights, too. she loves it. 

boy hormones = b. i. t. c. h.

these baby boy hormones are making me a bitch. there is no other way to say it. no other way to state the obvious that i know everyone, especially my husband, is thinking.

im sitting here pinning, watching him sleep on the couch. and i want to scream and wake him up. or throw the toddler slipper sitting at my feet at him. but the toddler isn't awake which means that i have no one to blame. so the option is off the table. ugh. im ready for it to be february.

when i was pregnant with m, i was happy. happy hormones surging my veins 24/7. i wasn't weeping, i wasn't angry or short tempered. it was the sweet elation they tell you about. this time, not so much. don't get me wrong; i am happy most days. or until about 4:30 most days. that's when the toddler is hungry. that's when the boss is hungry. outside! dinna! outside! roosty bone! dinna! it's all i hear. and if it's sunday or a monday, i am the only one hearing it because its fantasy football. duh. it's monday. can you tell?

strangers are irritating.
my temper is short.
i cry.
a lot.
i have a billion things to do.
and feel like there is no help.
everyone's breath stinks.
except m's.
i don't want to be touched.

im ready for february to be here.
now.

*i really love my husband. and i really love being pregnant. this one is just a whole new ballgame and challenging in all new ways. and i'm ready for february. did i mention that yet?