Two years.

{Looking at each other for the first time}

Two years ago today my world changed forever- I met my sweet Dylan Danger. It really is amazing how much life changed with the addition of Dylan. Our life is more busy and stressed, but it is also more fulfilling and wonderful than I ever could have pictured. I'm so happy to have Dylan in my life and it is an honor to be his mama. 

Here is a little bit about Dylan on his second birthday:

Weight: 26.6 lbs (34th percentile)

Length: 34 inches (45th percentile)

Head: can't remember (around 40th percentile)

Likes: Pretending to drive my car. Airplanes, trains, trucks. Playing with the garden hose. Going outside. Watching Duck Tales, Elmo's World, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or Toy Story. Fruit snacks. Jumping on mom and dad's bed. Bathtime. Seeing daddy at work. Being naked.

Dislikes: Eating food that isn't oatmeal, pasta, waffles, yogurt, applesauce, ravioli, chicken nuggets, or junk. This boy is killing me with the pickiness. Getting put in his car seat. 

Things Dylan can do: Count to 14 in english, to 10 in spanish. Repeat most things that people say. Say things like "Where are you?" or "Where you go?" when he's looking for you. Identify most body parts. Jump a lot. Sing and dance. Take off his clothes and diaper at lightning speed. Pretend to say prayers, read books, etc.

Happy 2nd birthday Dylan! I love you!

Love him.

I cannot believe that Dylan is on the verge of turning two.

In fact, when you ask him how old he is he holds up one finger and says, "Two!"

We're working on it.

Dylan prefers to wear sunglasses (or "slackess" as he calls them) when driving in the car. I just love my little munchkin.

Things that bother me: Gym edition.

1. Girls who come to the gym in full going-out hair and makeup.
2. People who wear more than 2 pieces of jewelry to the gym.
3. 19 year olds who congregate on the stairs leading to all the machines. I get that you're trying to be cool and hang out with all your friends, but it bothers anyone trying to go up or down the stairs. 
4. Creeper guys who check out anyone walking into the gym.
5. Girls who come to the gym in loose fitting booty shorts. I do not need to see your cheeks while you are on the elliptical in front of me. 
6. Guys who drag around a gallon of water as they're lifting at every darn machine. 
7. People who wear those odd toe-shoes... how can they be comfortable?

Please note: This is not a complete list.

My marriage in a nutshell + it's getting busy around here.

Ok, this is something that I find humorous. Ben and I have a very playful marriage that really centers on our friendship. We really are best, best friends. Ben makes me laugh every day and always surprises me with his silly Ben-isms. Perfect example:

I leave him a note on the back door asking him to take out the trash with a heart at the bottom. Ornery Benjamin says no, draws a skull and crossbones, and takes out the trash anyway. 

Another one: one time I told Ben "I love you" and he responded by saying "I tolerate you." I told him that he was an evil beast. 

Anyway, there is our marriage in a nutshell.

Now is the beginning of the busiest time I've had in awhile. Let me give you a peek of my schedule:

Sept 16: Bunco

Sept 20: Mix tape club meeting

Sept 24: Skyler and Rachel's wedding

Sept 29: Dylan's birthday

Sept 30: Ben's birthday

Oct 1: family pictures, 1st of the month dinner

Oct 6: parents come to town

Oct 8: Dylan's birthday party

This is very busy for me, as Ben and I like our quiet little life where we go to work and come home. I love, love being social but I'm getting a little stressed by all that is going on and all that I have to get done. 

Sidenote:

Dylan and I went to Old Navy to get some fall clothes, and I had to buy this:

Hilarious, right? Ben may have to sport one for Dylan's party, as it is a Cowboy Woody theme. And yes, all of my parties have a theme. I'm a theme person, if you haven't gathered that already. 

Have a great weekend everyone! Let's hope that the BYU football team doesn't decide to suck again. Being that I live so close to the road leading to the stadium I'm going to avoid the roads at all costs. Gotta avoid all the crazy superfans.

In denial.

It seem like it was just yesterday that I was pregnant with Dylan. I was absolutely miserable toward the end of my pregnancy. Heat + ridiculous swelling + 9 months of pregnancy took a toll on me. Despite my discomfort, I was always so excited for Dylan to come into our family. And now, here we are almost two years later. 

I cannot believe that Dylan is about to turn two. That he's running and jumping and talking and having opinions about things. Sometimes it just blows my mind that when I ask him if he wants oatmeal or a waffle for breakfast he stops to think and actually chooses what he wants. My baby boy is able to think about things and make choices! When did this happen?

When I look back on the past two years somethings seem worlds away. The sleepless nights when I truly thought that I was going to lose my mind from sleep deprivation. The night when Dylan rolled over for the first time- Ben and I were so ecstatic as we called our parents to tell them the news. Even when Dylan took his first steps when he was almost one- all of these things seem like they were just so long ago. 

And now, here we are- my little baby is almost two. I am in denial. As fun and exciting as all of these great new developments are, it is always bittersweet, because I realize that my little baby is actually becoming a little boy. 

Things like potty training and a big boy bed are suddenly on my radar and I'm not sure that I like it. Can he just stay little, just for a while longer? Is it silly that I want to keep him in his crib for as long as possible?

Dylan is becoming such a little person with definite interests. He wants to do exactly what his dad is doing, which is adorable. He loves cars, motorcycles, and his putter. He has started wearing a plastic fireman's helmet because it looks like the hardhat that his "guys" have. I die.

Enough of my blubbering for now. Here are a few recent pictures of my baby that insists on growing up. 

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Also, thanks to everyone for their advice on my spaghetti sauce and salsa questions. I'll be trying out some new kinds this week!

Opinions needed.

There are two things that I cannot seem to find:

1. A delicious spaghetti sauce

2. A delicious salsa

I've tried a bunch of store bought kinds and I can't find anything that I love. I'm not interested in devoting my extra time to making either of these things from scratch, so could you please share the names of your favorite store bought spaghetti sauce and salsa? 

Aaaaaaand go!

Labor Day Love.

Labor Day was spectacular for a number of reasons. Let me list them for you.

1. After being out of town for the weekend, Ben was finally home! Dylan missed him a lot and asked for him at least 10 times each day that he was gone. 

2. Ummmm no work, 'nuff said.

3. I went to the gym and ran on the dang treadmill. Oddly enough, I think that I'm starting to like running. Right now I'm running for two miles, four times each week. I'm hoping to bump it to two and a half miles by the end of next week.

4. Went to Barnes and Noble alone and was able to read magazines for awhile. This is truly one of my favorite things to do- grab a People, US Weekly, and a few others, find a chair and flip through them for a good 30-40 minutes. I also bought a few books for Dylan, and I think he's really going to like this one:

5. We went to the Scera pool for the first time this year, on the last day of the pool season. We were able to get in for free and Dylan was in heaven. Everything was fabulous until someone put their child in the pool without a swim diaper on and they pooped in the pool. That's when we left. 

6. Later on, Ben was wanting something sweet, so we headed over to The Chocolate for some cake to take home. My favorite is the Kitty Katrina-white cake with white icing. It may have negated any calories burned on my run, but who cares? It was a holiday, and calories don't count on holidays. Or weekends. Riiiight.

7. I stopped by Nordstrom (remember, it is my happy place) to scout out a new face moisturizer, as my current moisturizer is crap. I met the nicest salesman at the Kiehl's counter and he hooked me up with samples of numerous brands to try before buying. Which brings me to my next point...

8. I signed up for Birchbox. This is a beauty product junkie's dream. For $10 each month I receive a box of deluxe beauty samples from all sorts of fancy brands. Words cannot express how excited I am for my first Birchbox to arrive. 

And there you have it. Now, back to work!

First of the month dinner celebration: September!

As I mentioned a week or so ago, I decided to begin having special dinners on the first of every month where I would put a little extra effort into the dinner and also center around a theme. The theme for September is Birthday, as Dylan and Ben both have birthdays at the end of the month. Ben decided on what we would eat, and I made it happen.

I also had to decorate the kitchen a bit, because what is a birthday celebration without some decorations, right?

 The kitch. 

 The awesome "birth month" cake. It was delicious- confetti cake with chocolate fudge icing. And no, it was not homemade- Betty Crocker does a great job on her own. 

 Our heavenly dinner of chicken tortilla soup. This soup is to die for, but it's a pain in the butt to make. Lots of steps, lots of pots, but well worth it.  

 Kiss the cook!

 The finished product- ahhh heaven!

 Little boy couldn't care less about the soup or the quesadilla that I made him- all he would do is say "cake!" and point at it. 

The Harris Fam.

 After dinner (which meant cleaning Dylan up from dinner and stripping him down) we had cake. We even sang "Happy Birth Month" and blew out candles. 

 We ate our cake on the front porch and enjoyed the perfect evening. It turned out to be one of those nights where Ben and I were both bummed that Dylan's bedtime came around because we were having such a great time as a family. 

It's safe to say that this little cheeser enjoyed his cake, don't you think?

Anyway, there's a look at September's first of the month dinner celebration. Next month's dinner is going to be great too- Halloween at the Harris house!