So LONG Lake Powell...

Ahhh Lake Powell! - Probably my most favorite place in the world to go...not sure why but I absolutely LOVE this place - it's like no other vacation. BUT, it comes with it's problems and this year was no exception. My family has been going to Powell for years and each year we are always dealing with some sort of issue - whether it has to do with the cars on the way there, the speed boat or the house boat we are never problem free - but we always seem to make the best of it so we can enjoy the Beautiful Lake with our friends and family! Well, I think this year may be the one that ends our trips to Powell - let's just say anything that could go wrong - went wrong! It started weeks before we even arrived in Lake Powell when we found out both our House Boat and new speed boat needed new engines - not going into detail, because it would take forever to explain - but let's just say for weeks it was a 50/50 chance of even making the trip. Finally, we got word that both boats would be fixed with new engines and even though we would have to push our vacation back 2 weeks we would still have the opportunity to go. Not sure if God was trying to tell us to stay home - but we went against his advice and made the 8 hour trip to Powell anyways! (Next time we may take the signs a bit more seriously!)

The trip out there went great - no issues! We got into Powell Sunday morning - excited to board the Beautiful Dream Haven, but soon we come to find out that the owners disembarking the houseboat blew up the other engine while they were out enjoying the lake - WHAT!@$#%! So once again the Dream Haven was out of commission! Seriously, what should we do? Well, we thought since we made the long trip, had tons of food - we might as well just stay in the marina and enjoy the lake with our brand new speed boat! Monday was a GREAT day on the lake. We took a long boat ride, enjoying the beautiful lake and drinking LOTS of beer! Early morning on Tuesday the boys got up to wakeboard - 2 hours later we get a call to the Houseboat from Executive Services telling us my dad needs us to come to the ramp with the trailer to pull the boat out of the water - why? Because the main oil line is leaking and spraying oil all over the engine compartment! Yep, that's right - the brand new speed boat, with the brand new engine is now out of commission as well!

I think at this point my dad was sick to his stomach and I thought for sure we would be headed home. After half the day agonizing over the speed boat and concluding the oil leak was somewhat minor we would stay the rest the week, but only be able to use the boat minimally as we would have to keep dumping oil in it to make it run properly and who knew what else would happen if we got too far down the lake!

So we spent the rest of the week at the Marina living on our Houseboat and taking day trips to Bullfrog Bay to play in the water. The week was definitely not stress free, but we seemed to make the best of it. By Wednesday my dad was wearing his life jacket like a diaper, floating in the water drinking beer - so I think he had a good time with the rest of us! My favorite day was when we played water volleyball - memories I will never forget, especially watching my brother drive the boat over to the beach with the net hanging over the top of the tower - we looked like a bunch of hillbillies!

It was a fun week living in a floating trailer park - not quite the vacation we all expected, but you can always have FUN in Powell no matter the circumstances! Ashtyn had fun feeding the fish and ducks every evening - and LOVED when we would go to the beach to play in the sand and swim. Eli did pretty well for a 2 month old, little cranky - but I will admit it was not quite as relaxing for myself as I have experienced in the past.

To add to the frustrating week, on the way home my dad's truck's turbo went out, so he had no power to pull the boat over the passes! Fortunately, Matt has a diesel truck and was able to pull the boat home - safely! This could have been our last visit to Lake Powell - because at the moment my dad has everything up for sale! But I really hope as another year passes we can re-evaluate the situation and continue our yearly trips to my favorite place EVER! I so hope my babies can grow up there just as I have - only time will tell...but for now - So LONG Lake Powell!

La Festa!

My mom's side of the family is Italian - which I love, there is just something so great about the Italian Family! The food, the love, the traditions! La Festa is an event Louisville has each year at Memory Square put on by the Italian Club, which my Mimi and Papa Bill are members of. Typically we are in Lake Powell when this is going on, but due to some unfortunate circumstances (another blog!), we were able to make it this year. It was VERY hot, but we still enjoyed the afternoon. Ashtyn played at the park with Nana, while Eli and I relaxed under the tent socializing with family and friends. Of course I had to enjoy the amazing food - Gnocchi from Papa Franks is my favorite!

Aunt Gloria came to visit while we were there who I love to see and talk with - she reminds me so much of my Great Grandma, being her younger sister and all! Talking with her and watching her makes me miss my Great Grandma so much, she was such an amazing lady! I caught Papa Bill sleeping in his chair...


The Bocci tournament is a big deal at this event. Allie and John represented our family and did very well making it all the way to the Finals. Although they ended up coming in 2nd place it was a good game to watch - very entertaining!

I love sharing in the Italian Heritage and getting the chance to catch up with all the family and friends I grew up with. Louisville has gotten so big you don't recognise anybody anymore, so it was nice to go to an event and know or be related to almost everyone!

Two Months Old

Eli turned 2 months on August 14th! He went to his 2 month check up and these were his stats:

Weight: 10 lbs 4oz - 16% Height: 23 inches - 72%

Dr. Greyson said he looked GREAT! but would like to see him gain more weight at his next appointment. She was impressed with how vocal he is for only being 2 months old - he def. showed off at his appointment cooing and smiling! Such a little flirt... Watching him get his shots was horrible especially when we stuck out his lower lip and looked me! How awful you feel as a mother not being able to help them, but it has to be done.

EATING HABITS: I am not going to lie - feeding Eli has been extremely difficult! He was eating great until I started introducing Formula around 6 weeks, since I needed to be done breastfeeding when I returned to work at 8 weeks - Ashtyn had NO problems switching to formula so I was not at all prepared for when Eli totally rejected the idea of formula! It took several weeks, different nipples with different bottles and several formulas before Eli accepted the fact that there was no more milk from Mama and he would have to settle for formula! He still is not the best eater on formula and he is very inconsistent with his intake - but that has always been a problem even with breastmilk. Right now he is eating between 2 and 4 ounces every 2 to 3 hours depending on his mood! He tends to eat larger amounts in the evening then in the morning. This has been my toughest challenge with him - EATING! It's the one thing he needs to do and it is a constant battle - hence the low weight gain. So I am praying this stage gets easier and we will both figure this feeding thing out - but currently he is on no schedule with no consistency what so ever - maybe month 3 will be my lucky break!

SLEEPING: Ahhh! the one thing he has mastered is sleeping - Praise GOD! Eli slept through the night at 5 weeks and has done ever since then. He typically goes to bed around 9 or so and then will wake up between 6:30 and 7am. Typically, he takes another morning nap right after his 1st bottle and then cat naps the rest of the day. I am so Thankful for this! Having my sleep taken away with a two year old running around was killing me, so I am so lucky to have a baby who enjoys sleeping! He is sleeping in his crib, but will come into our bed in the morning to snuggle when Matt gets up to go to work.

PERSONALITY: Eli's personality is definitely starting to shine through. He smiles all time and they are these huge smiles that just melt my heart every time! Along with his smiles he coos - already telling you stories and wanting so bad to talk and laugh - I think because he hears his sister babble all day long! He knows familiar voices - especially Ashtyn's as he will try to find her with his eyes and smile. He is still so laid back and very easy going. He typically only cries when he is hungry or overly tired. He loves to be held and is still such a good snuggler. He is constantly moving when he is awake - always moving his legs like a frog - maybe he will be a good jumper!

TRICKS: Eli is starting to become familiar with his hands, but I don't think he has figured out what they can do - he just puts them in his mouth and sucks on them for now. His eyes are focused now and he will recognise familiar faces. He also will stare at lights and his toys that hang on his car seat and bouncer. He can roll on to his side, but once he is there he can't figure out what to do next so he just gets frustrated. He hates tummy time, but can lift his head up!

Eli is such a good baby making it easy to still enjoy the summer activities we do like going to the lake, the park, BBQ's - he has experience so much already for only being 2 months old. Ashtyn has returned back to normal and is so loving towards him. She will hold his hand in the stroller or car seat when he is crying, kisses him goodnight and is very protective of him with other people. We were at the park the other day and some little girl touched Eli, and Ashtyn walked up to her and said "Don't touch my baby brother!" and then told me "Don't like her!" - we will see how long that lasts! He is finally fitting into all his cute summer clothes, but still prefers to be in his jammies! He actually smiles when I put him in his jammies after bath time - so some days I just leave him in them all day long!

I couldn't imagine life without him - I will admit I sometimes am a little overwhelmed having two kids, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. Each month is like a new adventure - lets see what this next one will bring our way...

First Playdate

Ashtyn had her first playdate with Taylor this weekend on Saturday, and I am so PROUD of her! Taylor lives across the street and is exactly 1 year older then Ashtyn - they have the same birthday! I remember when I got pregnant with Ashtyn and thought how fun it would be to watch Taylor and Ashtyn play when they got older - and now it is a reality! Ashtyn is not all that comfortable in social settings and typically keeps to herself, so this is a big deal for us! Matt said they played all morning and then went over to Taylor's house to play - when Matt went to pick her up she said "NO! Not fair..." It so nice to have Ashtyn old enough to be on play dates - now if I need a little break I can call Rachel to save me for a little bit and vice versa! Ashtyn has not stopped talking about her "Day of Fun" with Taylor and is always including her in her stories now that she tells. Maybe Taylor will be her BFF!

Waterworld

To celebrate Carson's birthday the family headed to Waterworld for the day! Debbie rented a cabana for all of us and it was wonderful - highly recommended! It came complete with chairs, tables, a refrigerator and a wait staff. I was a little hesitant to bring Ashtyn since I thought she might still be too little - but I was wrong! She enjoyed Wally World the most - it's just as I remember it as a little kid. We went up and down the slides over and over again - my butt definitely hurts and I got some rug burns to show for it as well!

We even got Ashtyn to go down some of the big people rides. We went on the green tubes in River Country - she looked like she had fun, but when we got done she said "Scary!" Although she did think it was funny when Nana got all wet! The day was tons of fun and we had perfect weather - although very exhausting, carrying a 2 year old up and down those hills is quite a workout...

By the end of the day Ashtyn was DONE! So she snuggled up on the chair with her towel and some milk and watched the world go by...

Happy Birthday Carson and Thank you for sharing your special day with us - we SO enjoyed it!

Morning Smiles

At about 4 weeks Eli was starting to wear some big smiles on his face - but I was still convinced that is was probably just gas! Well, now at 7 weeks, there is no mistaking his BIG smiles are for real! It never fails - every morning after he finishes his bottle he gives me big smiles and coos - it melts my heart! He is just SO happy in the morning... and he also will give a big smile when he hears a familiar voice. I never feel more loved then when my sweet little baby smiles at me when he hears my voice - it's just amazing to me! I love how his little personality is starting to shine through...

Shh! Bunnies Sleeping...

So Ashtyn is completely infatuated with bunnies, real bunnies, stuffed animal bunnies, any bunny - not sure why - maybe because she is a spring baby, but none the less she completely adores them. She is always asking questions about them - like "where do bunnies sleep?", "what do bunnies eat?" and so on... Well, with this love for bunnies Matt and I have found a way to use it to our advantage when we need her to do something. So for instance, when we need her to eat her dinner she will look at us and ask "Does bunnies like em'?" and of course our response is "Yes, bunnies like them" - therefore she will eat whatever we gave her. Same with going to bed, picking up toys and whatever else we need some persuasion with...Well the other day I was singing to the radio in the kitchen and apparently Ashtyn didn't approve of my lovely voice and she walked up to me, got in my face and said very seriously "Shh! Bunnies Sleeping!" - when she said this I just looked at her and replied - "Do you not like my singing" and she replied again "Shh! Bunnies Sleeping!" - Well at first I laughed, but then I realized she was telling me to basically "Shut Up!" but in a way she would not get in trouble! What a little stinker! So now when we do something that bothers her or she does not approve of she will use her famous phrase - "Shh! Bunnies Sleeping!" What are we going to do with her - it really amazes me sometimes how smart she is and how she already knows all about the concept of manipulation!

Old Man Birthdays!

Last weekend we celebrated both Papa's and Grandpa Butch's birthdays! They share the same birthday and were born the same year - weird huh? For Grandpa Butch's birthday we went to dinner at Outback with the family - my favorite! It was a great dinner and then we went to their house for dessert - brownies as usual! For Papa's birthday we went to the lake - his favorite place ever...

Ashtyn FINALLY got back in the water with Papa - the last time she was in the water was back on Memorial Weekend, but the water was still very cold and she was freezing cold for hours after she got out, so I think she's been very hesitant to get back in the water fearing she would freeze again! But of course Papa got her in the water on this HOT day and once she was in she played like a little fishy...

Eli is growing so FAST! He was laying on his blanket just smiling and relaxing at the Lake - I am sure he will love this place as much as we do...

My dad may be an Old Man, but he can still water ski with the best of them! What a nice life we have...

Happy Birthday Papa and Grandpa Butch - We love you both so much!