Listen up all you married people...

For everyone who is married, and especially those with children, listen up! It is imperative that you and your significant other MAKE the time to get away just the two of you. This includes entire weekends, one day or even a few hours...get away and get to know each other again! If you are saying that you don't have the money...either work it into your budget or do something that doesn't require money, like a beach day! Stop making excuses and just do it! You will both be better spouses and better parents.

Blain and I have made it a point to get away once or twice a month and we look forward to "our time" because not only do we get to sleep in, stay up late, eat junk food and do stuff we can't do with the girls around, but it tends to set the tone for the rest of the month. Personally, when I am able to get away from being a mom for a couple days, I am more focused and have a great deal more patience.

This "couple time" is one part of my marriage that I am most proud of. Yes, we love and respect each other, and yes we don't fight and we work together to decide what is best for our children. But we are both very aware that spending quality time together as man and wife and not mom and dad, is what helps us to be the best parents we can be. It's what keeps us best friends and it's taught us a great deal about each other.

We spent this weekend alone and WOW, it was great! We went to $3 movies on base, we tried a new restaurant, we spent a couple hours tanning on the beach and we just returned from a couples massage. It was SO worth the money and we are going to work it into our budget and get it done again in a couple months. Thank you Blain for a wonderful weekend alone with you.

Age is just a number.

I just turned 26 and there are days were I feel 50! Age really is just a number.

Now that I am in my "late twenties" I wanted to take a look back at what I've done in my "early" twenties!

At age 20 I was going to college at CSU Stanislaus, majoring in Sociology. While I didn't love school, I enjoyed pursuing my degree. I was working with an amazing company called Central Valley Autism Project, Inc. I was also dating a handsome young man named Blain!

At age 21 I was continuing on the path to my degree while planning my wedding! Blain and I got married April 23, 2005 and that summer found out we were expecting our first baby.

At age 22 I stopped going to school to prepare for the birth of the baby. I also took leave from work. We welcomed Madison on March 15, 2006!

At age 23 I stopped working for CVAP for good because we were moving to Monterey, CA where Blain was going to DLI to learn Arabic. Did I mention he decided to joing the Marine Corps?!? We missed him like crazy but were looking forward to starting a new chapter in our life!

At age 24 I was loving our time in Monterey and was also babysitting at our house and loving every minute of it! We also had a bit of a surprise...we found out we were expecting baby number 2! We welcomed another girl, Emily, to our family on August 6, 2008.

At age 25 the girls and I moved in with my parents for the summer while Blain was in Texas for 5 months for training. That November we all packed up and moved to Oceanside, CA and are now loving our life in Southern California.

I am now 26, going on 5 years of marriage and raising two girls. Though I started my "grown-up" life earlier than most, I have enjoyed all that I have learned and look forward to what my late twenties has to offer.

January

Madison and Lainey

January was a relatively calm month! The girls and I did spend a few days in Patterson with my parents. It was great to see some friends and just hang out with the family! Madison got to spend a fun-filled morning with her best friend Lainey and I got some time to talk with another adult! Emily loved playing with the dogs and she got to see her friend Adriana, who is getting so big! I also got the news that I get to go on a scrapbooking weekend with my mom-in-law and my best friend Nyki at the end of April! That is a weekend I am really looking forward to!
Emily having fun wearing a wig!
Below: Emily is trying to get in on the princess fun!

Has it really been 3 months?

I can't believe I haven't written in 3 months! I promise...I will catch up!