May's Mid-Month Confessions

We're baaack! It's time for another round of Mid-Month Confessions. If you're new to this link-up, each month Elizabeth and I share our confessions from the month and encourage you all to do the same. Sounds a little crazy but we see it as a way to take the pressure off and laugh at our less-than-perfect moments from the last 30 days and/or throw out a thing or two that's been weighing on our minds. And we usually get a good laugh out of reading what y'all write so that's always a bonus. ;)

You can read mine below, check out Elizabeth's here, and link-up your own at the bottom of this post! Remember, you only have to add your link one time and it will show up on both Elizabeth's and my blog. If you don't have a blog but want to get a confession off your chest (or make us feel better about ours ;) ) feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below our posts!

1. 

Ben & Jerry's Salted Caramel Core Ice Cream

I shared this new addiction in my April's Favorite Finds post. But what I didn't share was that I ate the entire pint in two sittings. The first night I showed impressive self-control (rare for me when we're talking about pasta or ice cream) and had maybe an 1/8 of the container. Which means the second night was an intense session of ice cream binging. I'll blame in on the fact that we were watching Scandal and I lost all track of how many bites I had eaten. This is why you don't eat ice cream out of the carton.

2.

I think I've addressed on here at least once that I have a few- for lack of a better word- anal tendencies. I like my labels in my fridge and pantry facing out. I like my k-cups all facing the same direction in their little drawer. I like for everything to have a place and don't like keeping things if they don't have a purpose or an often-enough use. I'm more likely to give something to Goodwill too soon than hold on to something for too long. But what I don't think I've shared is that I like straight lines. I like for things to be lined up, linear, straight, squared off if it fits with whatever I'm straightening. So this confession... which has turned into about 7 different confessions if you're new around here... this confession is really about our faucet.

I had it installed with the handle in front instead of on the side and always line up the faucet part so that it's directly in the center.

When our contractor was working on our house, he would intentionally angle the faucet on the side over one of the sinks because then he knew if I had come by the house or not (because the faucet would always be straightened if I had visited). HA! He didn't tell me this until he caught my straightening it mid-converstaion with him one day. I actually didn't even realize I did it until he pointed it out. 

So I think I'm a little nuts, but there are worse forms of nuttiness, right?!

3.

We had a landscaper come out this month to quote us on some work that we'd like to have done in our yard (one of my May goals as a matter of fact) and because I had been texting back and forth with him and my mom on a few things, I accidentally mixed up my messages and sent this text to our landscaper:

"When you get a chance, can you send me your favorite picture of Ryan sticking his tongue out?! There were some really cute ones of you two!"

Thankfully I realized it soon after and was able to explain that Ryan is our son and the text was for my mom. Whoops!

And for your viewing pleasure, here's the picture I was referring to :)

4.

Twice last week I tried to unlock our house door with the unlock button of my car keys and thought both times, "Why is this not working?!" 

Somebody get me an extra Starbucks or an extra couple hours of sleep please.

5.

Justine joined us for Mid-Month confessions for the first time last month, and when I clicked over to read her post, I loved seeing her sweet bio. She wrote about having three girls (6, 4, and 2) and a baby boy and wrote that anytime someone comments on her hands being full, she replies, "Full hands, full heart!" This just got me. Yes, I am gooshy and emotional, but if I'm honest, the thought of 4+ kids sounds insanely amazing. Who knows where the Lord will lead us, but a big family sounds pretty crazy fun.

That's all for this month! Now I want to hear what YOU have to share! Link up your Mid-Month Confession posts below, or, if you don't have a blog, leave your confession(s) in a comment below this post. We'd also love for you to paste this button somewhere in your post- just copy and paste the HTML into your post. Just the button will show and clicking it will link back to each of our blogs.

<a href="http://notesfromthenelsens.blogspot.com/search/label/Confessions"><img src="http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz49/tricia_nae/Clients/MidMonthbuttonFinal_zpsf70f331f.png" border="0"></a>

Thanks friends! Hope you guys have a great weekend! We're heading to a new park Saturday morning, a fundraiser dinner and silent auction Saturday evening, and going to my parents' house and Matt's grandparents house in Monroe and Social Circle on Sunday afternoon. It should be a good-kind-of-busy weekend. :)

#nelsendays2015 Weeks 17&18

Another two weeks of 2015 are in the books! Here's a look at how we spent them:

Day 113:

This sweet pup turned two! And of course I dedicated a post to him on his birthday. We love our sweet Tal!

Day 114:

Earning their keep with some post-dinner chores. ;)

Day 115:

First trip to the library- kind of a big deal for this teacher-mama. :)

Day 116:

First trip to Menchie's for some frozen yogurt! He was a big fan. So much so that I moved him over to Matt's lap so that I could get a few bites too!

Day 117:

This buddy has become quite the accomplice during mealtime. He loves sharing his food with Tally, who equally appreciates the sharing since he's never been fed table food prior to Ryan giving it to him. Ryan now knows that he's not really supposed to give it to Tally so he does this "sneaky" move where he quickly tosses it over while he's looking right at me. It's pretty hilarious.

Day 118:

Date night with my love! We tried out a new Mexican restaurant up the street from our house. There was a nice outside eating area and the food was delicious! We were so thankful to my sweet mama for letting us get away just the two of us. :)

Day 119:

9 month checkup! This buddy had so much fun playing with that paper that is meant for the little babies to lay on. He shook it up and down for at least 15 minutes. It was hilarious!

Day 120:

Ryan and I went to visit my former students and teacher friends where I used to work and enjoyed a lunch in the teacher's lounge. It was a very nostalgic moment for me seeing my baby eating at the table where I ate lunch for 7 years. I couldn't really put it into words, but I just felt so thankful having him there and knowing that he was mine.

Day 121:

The rose bush in our front yard had bloomed so full, so I was teaching Ryan how to smell the flowers, but of course he was more interested in trying to pull off all the petals. ;)

Day 122:

Turks and Caicos bound! 

This sweet moment lasted for 20 minutes. ;) He is a cat napper like his mama. Once he woke up, he was ready to PLAY!

Day 123:

Our first morning- Ryan was in heaven when he saw the spread that was brought out for breakfast!

124:

Beach walking and waving with daddy :)

Day 125:

If he could talk, he would say, "This tub is HUGE!" He loved loved loved the pool!

Day 126:

This little go-getter woke up at 5:15 one morning, so we went for a sunrise stroll around the property. Although it was earlier than I was planning for, the sunrise on the beach was beautiful!

Day 127:

A little morning rock exploration with my boo. It's so fun watching him see things for first time. There's so much that I overlook that is fascinating to him. It's fun to pause and see things the way he seems them. :)

I'll be back Friday to share my Mid-Month Confessions! I hope you'll join me and E in Friday's link-up with some confessions of your own!

See you then!

Turks & Caicos- Our first family trip!

Ahhhh.... what a week a had in Turks & Caicos! That place was like a dream. The water was crystal clear, the sand was soft and white, the weather was warm with just the right amount of breeze. It was a slice of heaven. But the best part was being there together- our first vacation as a family of three!

Ryan did so well the entire trip- even on the plane ride there and back (whew!). He loved the pool, loved waving to everyone at the resort, was quite intrigued by the sand, the seagulls, and the ocean water, and was super pumped about the breakfast buffet each morning. ;)

Since getting home, we've been wishing we could go back. It was such a great first trip for the three of us!

Waiting to board the plane and then taking a couple of selfies to send to our family to let them know we were about to take off.

Here goes!

Things were going exactly how I had envisioned them- I nursed Ryan right as we were taking off to help keep his little ears from popping and then he fell asleep in my arms right as the plane got into the air. Matt and I were giving each other the big-eyed look and mouthing, "This is AWESOME!!"

And then 20 minutes later, he woke up. HA! At which point we gave each other the big-eyed look that said, "Uh-oh."

We had 2 hours to go and I knew the chances of him falling back asleep were slim to none. But for all that initial worry, he did GREAT!

We read...

made friends...

made faces...

looked at baby faces on the iPad...

and looked at the view from our seats

And before we knew it, somehow the 2 hours had gone by without a single fuss and we had arrived!

I really liked the T&C airport. It felt very clean, customs was quick, our bags were piled on the floor right past customs, and a shuttle was waiting for us right outside the door. All in all, it was probably 25 minutes from the time the plan landed to when we were on the shuttle- which was a short 10-minute drive to our resort.

We stayed at the Gansevoort and absolutely loved it. The pictures from the website were exactly what we saw when we arrived- in fact the grounds and rooms in real life might have been even nicer than the pictures!

We loved our room. We requested the ground floor facing the ocean so that we didn't have to fuss with stairs or the elevator when Ryan was in his stroller. We also hoped that we would be able to go out to the beach while Ryan napped and be able to get back to him quickly when he woke up from a nap. We knew the walk was a short one based on pictures and our conversations with the front desk before we arrived, but didn't know how short and if our plan would actually work.

The tub separated the bathroom from the bedroom/living area, which worked out great because Ryan could play in the tub while we cleaned things up or got ready ourselves before heading to dinner, and we could always have an eye on him while he played.

Our first day there, Ryan's only nap was that 20 minute one on the plane. I tried to put him down when we arrived but he was way too excited to explore the resort to make time for a nap. So we all put on our swimsuits and headed out to the beach and the pool.

That day I thought as much as I've had moments of wishing he would nap longer or more often when we're in our day-to-day routine, I'm so thankful he loves to be around people and is happy whether he naps or not. 

The pool had the best setup for him. Either side had a large area that had just a few inches of water and then gradually sloped down to the main pool area. Ryan loved crawling through the water and splashing with all of his toys (or my shoes) ;)

He loved pulling up and walking around the chairs and wooden base that had more lounge chairs in the center of the pool.

This was his first time in a pool and he was super impressed. ;)

The next morning, we were the first ones at breakfast- which would prove to be a theme of our trip ;) The first at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the first ones to turn in for the night. 

If Ryan could talk, he would tell you that the breakfast buffet was a close second to his first experience on a beach and in a pool. This boy got so excited when we brought out the plate(s) of food each morning.

Each morning, we would wake up, screen up, head to breakfast, and then either go down to the beach and then to the pool, or head straight to the pool. 

Examining the sand...

...and eating the sand. :)

After a couple of hours of playing, we would go back to the room, put Ryan down for a nap, and then Matt and I would either head out to our beach bed or read on our patio. Let me tell you, that first day when we tested the monitor and realized it reached to the beach, we were PUMPED! 

We had our beach bed pulled all the way back to the to the end of the walking path, where the dunes met the sand, and this is where we would hang for the length of Ryan's nap. Most days, this would last about an hour- but one day, it lasted for 2.5 hours!

Our patio- Ryan's crib was right inside that glass door, and the black-out curtains allowed the room to be extra dark for his naps.

This was our view from our patio. That little path to the left is where we would walk to go to our beach bed. And then when we would hear Ryan wake up, we could come straight back and be to him in less than a minute. It worked out so well!

Ready to head back out to the beach and the pool!

We met couples and families from Greece, New Zealand, and all along the eastern coast of the US- and Ryan made friends with two Italian kids from Rome who taught him how to "Dammi cinque!" (give me five) and wave "Ciao!" They were so sweet with him. The little girl even let him play with the beads in her hair. :) Hanging around them made us want to go back to Italy for sure!

Because Ryan was the only baby during our stay, we tried to stay out of the way of the the couples who were enjoying their babymoons or trips away from their kids. It wasn't hard to do, and honestly, no one made us feel like we had to, we just wanted to be respectful of everyone else's getaways while we enjoyed ours. Unless people started conversations with us, we tried to hang low and would move to different parts of the pool if Ryan got really excited or extra splashy. ;) 

At one point, Matt and I cracked up to ourselves as we looked around the pool and saw three other couples (the only other people out there at the time aside from us) "sharing moments" (if you will) while we spun Ryan in his pool float and quietly repeated over and over, "One, two, three- SPIIIN!" haha. You could say our trip looked a little different than theirs.

One night we walked down the beach to a restaurant that was recommended to us. The walk was a good bit longer than we thought (the couple who told us about didn't have an extra 22 pound baby with them so I think  it seemed shorter to them! ha!), but it was a pretty one! And the view from restaurant was beautiful and the food was delicious, so we were glad we made the trek.

Ryan chowed on shrimp and scallops along with some banana bread and fruit I brought and people watched throughout our meal.

Giving daddy five while we waited for the check

Getting ready to walk back to our resort!

Rise and shine! Most days Ryan got up between 6:15-6:45. But one morning, he got a little over eager and decided to start the day at 5:15. Hello!

I decided I would let Matt keep sleeping and Ryan and I took a stroll around the resort and went out to the beach to watch the sunrise. Although I had not planned to start my day that early, I was glad we got to see the sunrise one morning!

After his 5:15 start to the day, Ryan was ready for bed early that night. So Matt and I ordered room service and enjoyed dinner on our patio while we watched a wedding on the beach! 

The next mooring, we explored the rocks along the path to the beach. Definitely something I never pictured myself doing at a resort! ha!

whoops- here were are building up immunities ;)

That night, Matt had the idea to take a family picture by the pool, but Ryan couldn't keep his eyes open for the pic! haha... sweet buddy had had himself too much fun!

Even his waving hand is drooping- sweet boo.

On our flight back, a not-so-nice lady sat down next us and when we told he that Ryan had a great flight over and that we'd do our best to make it a good flight for her, she gave a nasty look and said, "Hmmm. I'll see if I can move." HA! And move she did- thank goodness! So thanks not-so-nice lady for giving us a whole row and an extra seat for our flight back!

Other memories from our trip:

Ryan saying, "mama" for the first time

-at dinner one night, our server kept trying to get Ryan to say, "dada" so Matt and I started saying, "Ryan, can you say dada?" Then when we said, "Ryan, can you say Mama?" he looked right at us and said, "Mama" - ha! He kept saying it throughout the whole meal and has been saying it since!

Ryan figured out that his voice echoed in the covered area outside of our room, so every time we walked back to our room, he would start babbling loudly and kicking his legs. :)

Him holding two toys and spinning in cirlces on his bottom in the shallow part of the pool while he opened his mouth wide smiling and splashed his toys in the water.

That's all from our trip!

I hope you're planning to join me and Elizabeth this Friday the 15th for:

See you then!