Whew! What a break! I confess, it was longer than anticipated. But I'm back now! Where do I even start? I have so many photos to post and stories to share. I think I'll add a post or two each week with throwbacks and photos that I've fallen behind on sharing. In the meantime, let's get y'all caught up on what's been happening for us!
Checking off some of those New Years Resolutions! I've finally jumped back into lifting weights, and, in turn, I've been working closely with a couple of girls training them with a couple of weightlifting sessions weekly. They hit the gym in the morning before the workday begins on Mondays and Fridays, so it's a nice little break for me to spend some time with "adults" while Bryon stays home and watches Maksim. Plus, I really enjoy helping them meet their physical fitness goals. Now that we're a few months in, the gains are visible - which is a nice little payoff for all! And, being in the gym in the mornings with them has encouraged me to get back into
real shape myself. (Along with an invite to do the Summer Fashion Issue for a local magazine.) So, after Maks has gone to bed at night, I've been doing a 5 day a week lifting routine which kicked my butt into gear in no time. Now to find the happy medium between lifting enough to see continuous results while relaxing enough to not get burned out!
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| Back, Biceps & Cardio Thursday! |
What else have we been busy with? Well, we moved into a new house. Disclaimer: I love not living on base anymore! It has made a huge difference for me. Call me crazy, but there's something so "real world" about not having to hand your ID over to a military guard in order to gain access to your own front door. I finally feel like a live in a real city (not the city I'd choose, but you know how that goes). It's nice to have neighbors of all ages with a variety of different careers and backgrounds. And I love the sense of
home - some families have lived in their current houses for decades! Ahh, what a breath of fresh air!
I'm not getting too comfortable, though, because we'll be moving during the Fall move cycle (sometime close to November of this year). We've seen the list of possible jobs/locations that are available for all of those up for relocation alongside Bryon (about 70 people). There were a handful of exciting opportunities worldwide, as well as a handful of not-so-exciting opportunities. Bryon has turned in his preferences (but we know all too well that his preference list may, unfortunately, pay absolutely no role in deciding where he's placed...let's hope that's not the case), so all we can do now is sit and wait to see where he ends up being placed. The good thing this time around is that Bryon can decline his placement and separate if he so chooses. Our window of notice is about 6 weeks long and begins at the very end of this month - we should know by early July!
In other news, our little Boo-Boo had a growth on her stomach that I'd noticed about a year ago. It was tiny and you could almost have mistaken it for one of her nipples. However, I could tell that it was suddenly beginning to bother Kira, and she'd lick it quite often. Over the course of a week it almost doubled in size (to the size of a pencil eraser), so we scheduled a quick procedure to have it removed. Luckily, the surgery went without a hitch and the pathology results were nothing of concern. I'm so very thankful! Here she is post-op and dreaming of playing ball.
Hmmm, what else have I been doing these past 3 months? Well, I finally made the decision to become a certified labor and birth doula. I'm excited to help local mama's-to-be welcome their babies into the world! Although the majority of my experiences will remain confidential, rest assured that I'm incredibly happy to encourage women to birth naturally and empower them to believe in the capabilities of their bodies to deliver happy, healthy babies!
Did I mention that Maksim is walking? That's old news, seeing as he started walking as soon as he turned 10 months old. I'll be uploading the video soon so you all can take a look at his first day on his very own two feet! Now that he's been upright for a few months, he doesn't walk all that much. What he does do is run, Run, RUN! He's always on the go!
Oh yeah, I'm an Aunt now, too! Lots of love to my sister, Matt and their precious little baby boy up in Alaska! With a birthday less than 24 hours away from Maksim's, their new addition is now exactly three weeks old...and just waiting to be snuggled by me!
Which leads me to the final large event worth mentioning: OUR LITTLE MAN TURNED ONE!!! You know what that means...HAPPY HOUR (Oh, that's not what you were thinking???)!
We had a small gathering with friends (none of whom have any children of their own). But it was nice to celebrate, nonetheless. Actually, it was more of a party to congratulate Bryon and myself for making it through Maks' first year (let's be honest - it was pretty much a breeze for Maksim)! Thanks to all who were able to take some time and celebrate with us!
I tried to keep everything low key and casual. I stuck with the Happy Hour theme and added a bit of custom "Little Man" flair. Thanks to Bryon for bearing with me while I insisted on including
some homemade party decor.
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| (Hank's Root Beer is my weakness. And paper straws? Yes, please!) |
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| Can anybody guess what Bryon's weakness is? (Totally kidding!) |
Although we had a proper cake smash scheduled for a later time, we decided to give Maks a go with a cupcake at his party.
In the end, I don't think he actually consumed anything. What he did do, however, was forcefully fling fist-fulls of frosting onto the floor.
Presents were a hit! I was prepared to need to help unwrap most of the boxes, but Little Man is Mr. Independent.
He figured out this pounding ball toy right away! Now, he plays with it daily (although I did catch him pounding Kira's head the other day...she's such a trooper - just sat there and put up with it).
Uncle Roger, Aunt Marsha and cousin Matthew sent him a riding toy. Well, he doesn't really ride on it. Instead, he chooses to give bystanders heart attacks as he uses it like a skateboard and balances while standing on the seat. We are in for trouble!
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| "Oh, this looks like fun..." |
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| "...this blue platform is perfect for standing on!" |
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| "So I just sit here? Clearly, you old people don't know the first thing about how to properly use this toy. Amateurs." |
Happy Birthday, Maks! One year old and going strong! Although you've averaged out in weight and height (50th-75th percentiles), Dr. Ritch says you've got a genius sized head (95+ percentile). We love you just the way you are!
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| Moustache bash! This one's for Grandpa Tom! |
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| Catch me if you can! |
