soccer game. junk food. and cam.

a little while back, mr leif's family came to visit 

{well, all but his older brother and his bride to be ms bayley, sniff sniff....we missed them}

while they were here, we hit up a Sporting KC Game.  

yeah, i know.  what in the world is Sporting KC.  

soccer.

soccer teams have weird names.

earlier that day, romes got some new kicks.

and he also wore his socks pulled up high like cam.

cam is pretty much his idol.

they're two peas in a pod, cam and romes.

and really, romy lights up whenever he gets to see tamrin {cameron} or toltin {colton}, 

but for some reason colton always successfully escapes the camera.  

 seriously though, check out these dudes:

sharin' a little popcorn, sharin' a little juice and sharin' a little hot dog and pizza. 

{cam says it was gatorade, i think it might have been that red mt. dew stuff, based upon romy's wild night following the game}

as i mentioned.  someone was just a tad hyper back at the hotel.

i spent an HOUR post-bath, in bed, with romy, and it was pitch dark.

he literally goofed around for an hour.

like trying to tickle me.  put his paci in my mouth. touch my eyes and my nose.

jump in the bed.  get down and run around the room.  you, know, those kinds of things.

an hour might not seem like a lot.  but to a very tired preggo mom.  it was.

really though, it was pretty fun.  and i may have egged him on a bit when i got my second wind.

 but back to cam.

can you really imagine having a cooler uncle?

nope.  romes is one lucky dude.

oh. and, i should probably mention, it's been a month since the soccer game.

we are STILL daily talking about "socca, pizza, hot dog, tamrin's juice, & BOOM-BOOMS {fireworks @the game}

seriously.  now that this kid talks? parenting got a whole bunch more fun :)

the zoo.

i took roman to the zoo one time this summer.

whoops.

but really.  every day was pushin three digits.

who wants to walk around smelling sweaty animals in that kinda heat?

that wasn't a rhetorical question.

someone really DOES want to walk around smelling sweaty animals in the heat.

because someone doesn't really care about those things.

he just loves animals.

 we were blessed with an invite to the zoo by some sweet friends from church.

they have a zoo pass, so not only did we get in free....

 but we got to ride the train for free. 

[here's romy looking all emo on the train]

really, he loved it, but we were just pausing to allow more people to load on and he was just sitting there all sweet and content.  truly a moment that needed to be captured :)

...

AND we got to ride the carousel for free.

we like free.

scratch that.

we LOVE free.

[but really, we just love friends]

 don't ask why we were wearing long sleeves and pants.

it wasn't a "cool" day.

we went early in the morning, and like i tried many a times this summer, i thought if we dressed for fall, than SURELY we'd get fall.......

and nope.  still hot.  still summer.  still at least 99 degrees.

[bad momma move]

we were sweaty. just like the animals.

but.

we had a great time together :)  

it was SO fun to bring romes to the zoo.  

why is it, as soon as kids start to show interest in something you practically want to run out to all the stores and buy all the stuff that has anything to do with their interests?  oh my goodness, i fear if we had a million dollars we'd be floor to ceiling in bob the builder and truck stuff.  and now this zoo thing?  dang, we'd probably have about 19 pets too.

i guess i'm just glad we're on such a tight budget.  [wink!]

but really.

it was such a great day for us.

i hadn't been feeling well, and was stuck in my "yucky place" and this day was a gift.

and now,

two more pictures of the polar bear.  because he's freakishly-huge and awesome.

the end.

[that's 2 posts in a day, i'm on a roll.  i think i'll go eat a popsicle for my prize]

we love "home"

so. last month we went to nebraska.

'we', as in me and romes.

mr leif had a fishing trip planned, and i wasn't about to sit at home all weekend with romy, inhaling the cool air from the ac vent and eating 56 popsicles a day, just to keep me from throwing up.

nope.

we snuck off and didn't tell anyone.

actually, we were sent off with smooches from mr leif, & our families were ready for us when we arrived :)  

so i guess, my family knew and mr leif's family knew.  but really, no one else.

it was kind of fun to be secretive. and it was really nice to not have to feel the pressure i put on myself to try see e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. that makes up our huge extended family and friend circles.

it was nice just to go home.  and be home.  and not have to drive all over. just, be home.

i put my big girl boots on and drove the 4.5 hours back to the good life.

it was lovely drive.  

full of truck movies, mcdonalds (see the sack on the left?), sour candy, and random toys being thrown through the air.  such sweet times.  

romy gobbled up all the farm had to offer.  he loves his gma abbi, toltin (uncle colton), tamrin (uncle cameron), and PAPA!  i mean, really.  it was practically a toddler boys taste of heaven seeing papa's farm.  romes could hardly contain himself when he got to sit INSIDE each of papa's trucks and tractors.

yes, 2 semi trucks, tractors, combines, forklifts, bobcats, loaders, pickup trucks

oh and toltin has "2 biiiiiiiiig cows".  seeing the cows alone caused him to practically pee his pants.

i mean, diaper.

i think romy was born for the farm.  we'll just have to be better about getting back there more often.

maybe i should get a mini van.  i mean. i will be toting two kids here before long.

HA.

{and i had no pictures of anything that went on above.  i was just trying not to puke on the farm.  i didn't feel very good that day.  i could have cared less about yankin my phone out ever 2 minutes like i normally do.)

...

we spent the rest of the weekend at my parent's house.  

they took us to gourmet restaurants such as the american legion.  {no really, it's pretty tastey}

and thriving kid favorites like the sutton city park.

roman thought the park was basically disneyland.

this tank?

this "biiiiiiiiiiiiiig tink"

well.  let me just say, hot stuff mc hotterson must not have a fear of heights.

 this momma had a bit of nostalgia, as we walked up the hill (romes on gma's shoulders) to look at the big swimming pool.  i very seriously explained to romy that this pool meant a lot to mommy.  

it's where she held her first real job (other than baby sitting or detasseling)

it's where she created her first list of future baby names (of which none of them she'd use now)

and i'll share one of those beauties: kamma rae. HA!???? sounds like a rapper or something.  oh dear. 

ok, i think lexis was also on there. HA. oh my......  i wish i still had that list

and it's where she used to watch mr leif drive by on his way home from lifting weights, or playing bball, or whatever else he did in town.  because the pool was on the same street that he took to go home.  and every single time she would wish he would stop and come inside to say hi. 

and every single time he didn't.  but it's ok.  

he played hard to get.  [actually he was just shy and didn't really want to be all loveydovey like some high school romances were back then]  

he liked to make sure we were "keeping our space"

HA!  look where that got him?  hitched with 2 kids :)  [and we're still madly in love hehe]

and, also, it's where she earned all those lines around her eyes when she smiles.  she never really wore sunscreen and she liked the idea of getting a tan.  whoops.  

[speaking of, anyone have any miracle eye cream out there for me??]

oh it was so nice to be home, romy.

i laid on the couch a lot, eating food.  and you played with gma and papa.

it's pretty nice having someone else love on your kid for a bit :)

sometimes here in KC i feel like it's all up to me, to keep things going.

i know that's silly talk.

because, 

i have an amazing, loving, selfLESS husband who embarrassingly (to me) does more around the house at times, than i do.

i have a loving heavenly father who is ready to carry my burdens, as soon as i release them at His feet.

but still, 

i try to carry it all on my shoulders.

and when i'm back home.  and when there are grammies around to take care of romy?

i get to sit back a bit. and rest.

 and lick all of my momma's homemade caramel off my fingers.

and then.  before long, reality snaps into play.

we're back on the road home.  to our other home.

kansas city here we come.

but,

not before a quick mommy/roman date at pizza the hut.

it's a great halfway point.

a great place to stretch our legs.

and a great place to consume cheese pizza. 

and noodles for romes. (i was trying to decide if that was healthier for him than cheese pizza.  HA who am i kidding)

. . .

an awesome trip home.

family is such a blessing :)

i'm goin to rio?

i was desperate. 

sometimes romes takes a small nap in the morning, & then he doesn't end up napping in the afternoon.

i know.  some of you are probably all, "whooooptydoo.  at least your kid naps."

but these days.  these long, hot, nauseas, days?  i really need that little break.

us mommas don't get weekends, or holidays off.  heck, we barely even get evenings.

so.  when they sleep?  it's my equivalent to "this shop's closed for the moment" time.

last week {or wait, maybe it was earlier this week?  i can't remember my days anymore}...anyways.

sometime in the recent past, romy and i headed out to monkey business.

it's basically like an indoor playground thing.

naturally, my child "comes alive" in environments as these.

he can run. hop. yell. climb. run. run. and run around.

and, it wasn't long until i started noticing something....

this dude's got talent.

no really.

i mean, this little baby to the left is obvi some russian child that's been training for rio2016 since birth,

but the one to the right?

he's mine.  and he can hold that pose for days.  just holding up his 33lb body wait with his arms.  nbd.

{maybe most kids can do this.  they probably all can.  but let me just shine in my momma moment}

i was a bit shocked.  a lot bit proud.  and then i cheered him on like he was about to win a medal or something.  

because, i'm just really cool like that. ha. ahem. cough. toddlers and tiaras?  oh dear, not me.

. . .

i gained my composure and we headed over to the jumpy station.

and, well, looks like we'll be having a two-event child at rio2016 

not only will romes be going in pommel horse (the picture above)

he'll also be challenging reigning champ Dong-Dong for the trampoline champion gold medal.

look.at.his.form.

...
now, all we need to do is install one of these suckers.

source

the lost month of august {and the end of july}

yikes. where did august go.  and for that matter, july too?

i feel the need to blow up the blog with photos.

just a little recap.

romes has a new trick.  he can go from happy.  to very mad.  to calmed down in a matter of minutes

momma has a new trick.  just keep swimming....just keep swimming.....just keep swimming....

we would sell the house, and just live in the backyard if roman had his way

of course we would use the house money to buy more hammers and shovels  

also to buy puppies & kitties.  because roman's obsessed with both, and his momma (& daddy) are not

 [this kid loves dirt, rocks and sticks more than i love j.crew.  and i really love j.crew]

when we are inside, it gets a little cray cray up in this hizzie.

i can get him to sit calmly, and coloring for about 2 minutes.  on a good day.

and then we're usually off and running around.  burning up that energy in any way we can.

jumping on the couch {yes, i let him.  it's fun}, playing guitar, destroying the house by getting every toy out, unrolling all the paper in our paper roll instead of drawing, and playing master chef.

 

 no, really.  dude's gonna be such an awesome chef someday.  he cooks in his kitchen every single day.

and, other than the occasional frustrational outburst, when he can't get the lid to fit on the pan, causing him to throw both the lid and the pan and the fake watermelon inside the pan, all across the room?  well, other than those episodes, this kid's got talent.
watch out america.

one day, we took a trip to the union station.

it was a blast.  and free.  {except for the pizza}

kansas city is good to mommas.  lots of free stuff for the kids.

and it saves me from having to sit outside and help my child play in the dirt for 3 hours.

 lots of trains.  romes was a bit, "ohmygoodness, choo choo's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 even a real choo choo!  i wovvvvvvvvve him.  so much.

i'm soaking up the snuggle time any time i can get it. 

because i'm not quite sure how to love another child just as much as i love the first one.

but i know my heart is just stretching, as is my belly, a little bigger :)

and as the baby grows, so will my momma heart, ready to love two just the same.

 but for now?  i'll just focus on how i'm so madly in love with this little dude.