This is life.. and I like it.

So this week has been interesting to say the least. I wanted to say something before I start my post, sometimes Facebook can be deceiving because most people only post when life is good and fun. It isn't very common for people to post pictures or even just post anything when life is tough. I mean who wants to openly admit to the entire virtual world that they had a rough day or are struggling with something? 

I just wanted to openly admit to the entire virtual world that I struggle everyday, everyday is not perfect and most days right now I don't even get out of my PJs until my oldest child goes down for her nap (at 2:30pm) and I deal with a very messy 2 year old and a new baby that spits up absolutely EVERYTHING he eats and it mostly ends up all over me. 

Some times I wonder why I even shower when less than an hour of showering my baby spits up all down my shirt lol my two year old is a Tasmanian devil and destroys every room in the house within seconds of going in it that I wonder why I bother cleaning lol 

Life is hard in general and when u add little kids to the mix, oh boy, life gets messy and interesting. 

But what would life be without all of the struggles? If we didn't have struggles we would never grow, and we would never know just how good the good parts of life really are. So thank The Lord for throwing curve balls at us to help us grow and appreciate the good times :-) 

I just wanted to share that with you all because I don't want anyone that only sees my life online to think that my family doesn't struggle or go through hard times. 

So on to the post... 

Some of the things that went on this week, I am really working on sleep training KJ in small batches at night and it's really working. Kaili'a didn't sleep through the night until she was 18 months (said with rolling my eyes) so this time around I want to do it differently. KJ has been sleeping 4 hour periods at night time, and I can't believe the difference it's had on my energy and mood with getting 4 hours of sleep at a time instead of two. 

We cleaned Kailias room lol I know that doesn't sound to interesting but it was a miracle that we even got it done. We are transitioning her room from a 1 year olds to a 2 year old so we went through all of her toys and seen what toys were too little for her and that KJ can play with soon and what toys that were ruined and could be thrown away. She was really good about the whole process and didn't seemed to be bugged by getting rid of the toys she wasn't playing with. I should've taken a picture of before we cleaned her toy box and after because we got rid of about 80% of things. I moved all of her dolls to the top of her closet which made a HUGE difference. 

Right now she is so into coloring and books that she's happy as long as I don't get rid of crayons or books lol. I have been just blown away at her maturity level these past couple of months, such a huge difference between a 1 year old and a 2 year old. 

Saturday night last week the hubby and I got to go out on a date! We got a gift card for our birthdays and one was to the movie theatre so we thought it was about time to cash it in. We had such a fun time  going out ALONE and being about to enjoy each other's company as a couple and as not parents lol we are going to dinner some time this next week and we are so looking forward to being able to take our time eating and savoring the favors lol I swear some days we don't even taste our food because we are trying to keep up with the kiddos. 

Yesterday was an eventful day, Kaili'a was such a good girl and so was KJ but they both had a few moments that just made it that much better. First, KJ had his first blow out diaper which wasn't really fun but it was eventful trying to clean him and myself up without making a bigger mess. Second, Kaili'a woke up from her nap with a bundle of energy and was just running all over the living room yelling. She had had no sugar or really anything since waking up from her nap and she was a crazy person lol I just sat there and watched her for over 15 mins that I was tired by the time she was done lol. Third, my grandma (GG) verna was over and wanted to change Kjs bum because she never had before so she lays him down to change him and was taking awhile to change him that it made me nervous because anyone that has changed a little boys bum knows that you have to go fast or you could get peed in the face, as soon as I worried about it KJ pees ALL OVER GG and my grandma just stood there in shock (guess it's been awhile lol) and you would've thought she spilled a whole glass of water on her. I didn't know he could pee that much. And last but not least we went to trunk or treat for the first time. Kaili'a was so excited and absolutely loved it! KJ slept the entire time so he enjoyed himself also. 

Today was a pretty good day. KJ had a tummy ache and it was just so sad, he's not a crying baby so when he did today I knew he wasn't feeling very well, so I just cuddle and loved on him most the day and he started feeling better by the evening. 

Kaili'a was a sweetheart today, we painted her pumpkin. Well, I only helped because she wanted someone to paint with her but she did 90% of the painting and she was in heaven. I expected her to have paint everywhere but she didn't, she was such a big girl, I was sooo proud of her! 

All was going well until I walked into the family room and seen that Kaili'a had colored all over the wall!! Luckily it was crayon and daddy came to the rescue with wipes and they both scrubbed until it came off.. Surprise mom and dad... 

Just another day in the life of a parent, right? :-) Looking forward for upcoming events this weekend, Halloween and Kjs blessing! Watch for pictures :-) 

Thanks for reading, 

New Chapter has begun

So our family has began our new chapter in our lives and that new chapter is adding a new baby to it. That's right, little Kj was born on September 6, 2014 at 5:25pm. He weighed 6lbs 10oz measuring at a whole 20 inches long (no wonder I could feel his every move when I was pregnant, he was cramped). 

I will be posting my "birth story" here soon, so keep an eye out for that :-) 

Just a little bit of the birth experience and our first week as a family of four. My labor and dilvery were quite a bit different than my first baby, this one was much much smoother. The staff at McKay Dee Hospital were just absolutely amazing, I couldn't have asked for better care. 

When it was time to go home, i actually was "ready" to go home. Unlike my first baby where I had extremely bad anxiety and didn't want to leave the hospital and cried uncontrollably the entire drive home. This time around I asked if I could leave early, 5 hours early and I felt good about it. I just wanted to get home to start our new lives and get started on trying to figure everything out, now being a mom of two kids. 

I definently have my hands full with a newborn and a two year, things have been interesting that's for sure. When I took Kj into the doctors the day after I was discharged to get his billi test re-done he had score quite a bit higher than the hospital and required using the lights to help get things moving. My first baby had jaundice pretty bad too but they both pulled through just fine. I have to admit, those lights looked pretty cool. 

Looked like we had pimped out his bassinet lol he actually slept extremely well on those lights. Luckily he only needed them for those 24 hours and when we went back in, his levels had dropped 3.5 points. 

I was very proud of myself that I was able to take him to the doctors when he was 3 and 4 days old with no anxiety (his car seat seems so big that I don't like putting him in but that was all I was stressed about). My first baby, I couldn't leave my house for the first week because of anxiety (we had two deaths in the families while I was pregnant with my first baby my grandpa and my brother in law just within a month of each other, it was an extremely rough emotional time that I believe it had an effect on me that caused my anxiety). 

My sweet daughter has been adjusting pretty well, she absolutely loves her little brother and seriously gives him about 1,000 kisses a day, it's adorable. 

Don't get me wrong, she's definently been acting out a bit more and it hasn't been all smooth sailing but I am proud of the way she has been handling this new change. 

A couple "firsts" we experienced this week were things like, the two kids and myself going to the store, I was a little nervous but we had to go and nobody else was home so away we went and survived quite nicely. Gave both kids a bath at the same time, Kaili'a was in the bath tub and can basically do everything but wash and rinse her hair and Kj was in his own bath tub by her bath tub getting a wash cloth bath. It was a bit crazy and very busy but both kids got cleaned and ready for bed. Kj took a little bottle for grandma while Joseph and I went to the store by ourselves :-) I didn't leave Kaili'a with anyone until she was like 4 months old, I'll tell you what, even though it's only been a week in a half since the hubby and I had any alone time it was much needed and I'm so glad we were able to and get some us time even if it was at the grocery store. 

It's been a fun, challenging, interesting, sleepless week in a half but very enjoyable. I can not believe we've been blessed with another baby and we couldn't be more grateful! 

Here are a few photos of our week! 

Thank you for Reading, 

The Cancillas 

Had to take a break from social media for awhile, I wanted to just focus on my family and my healing. 

Only 2 more months

Only 2 more months until little Kj arrives, I can hardly believe it's that soon. With this pregnancy I knew I was pregnant, well basically when it happened, and so even though I knew from like day 1 I still feel like this pregnancy is just flying by. 

Having a busy, busy toddler to keep up with has definitely helped with moving time along. I'm noticing though how much harder this pregnancy is just because I have another child to run after. 

My first pregnancy had it's ups and downs like every pregnancy but I was going to Zumba classes 3-5 times a week, and was able to out last most the class. I was walking everyday at least a mile or more, this pregnancy is a completely different story. 

I don't know if it's because I'm pregnant with a boy this time and he is just sucking all the life and energy out of me, or if having a toddler is really just that much harder on my body. With Kaili'a I didn't have anyone to keep up with, play with, hold, or things like that. But I haven't been very active at all with this pregnancy, Zumba classes are a joke because I can't even get through half the class and then afterwards I am so completely exhausted for the remainder of the day. Walking was going well at first but now, forget walking very far because my body can't handle it. 

My body hurts in ways it did not last time, it hurts to pick things up that are too heavy (my daughter is getting to that point and it kills me that I can't hold her as much as she would like me to) and it hasn't made having a toddler that loves to be creative with what she plays with "aka, putting EVERYTHING all over the floors" and I can't reach things to put them away. 

I can't believe the differences though from being pregnant with a girl and now with a boy. With my first pregnancy I ended up gaining 36lbs and food was just amazingly delicious until the end. This pregnancy, so far, I've only gained 15lbs and I don't have half the appetite I did with my last pregnancy. 

I guess I'll be able to have an idea what I'm having with future pregnancies before we find out lol 

Even though it's been a struggle this past few months I can not wait to have our little baby boy. Being a stay at home mom can be extremely challenging at times but it's also extremely rewarding and I love that I have been blessed to be a mom. I learn new things about myself everyday ;-) 

Stay tuned for our maternity photo shoot we have! It's going to be so much fun having Kaili'a involved! 

Thank you for Reading, 

Tara 

Traveling with a toddler.

Traveling with a toddler isn't the easiest thing I've done before.

All in all Kaili'a did quite well for a 10.5 hour car ride, I was very impressed with how she acted. 

We made sure to take stops often and she was able to get out and walk around and explore the outdoors (or the inside of a store) and I really believe that helped, A LOT! 

We had snacks and milk to keep her tummy happy, plus toys to keep her entertained. 

The roads were clear, weather was great all the way up until the last maybe 20-30 minutes of the drive, then we hit snow. 

I think Joseph was more miserable than Kaili'a, his allergies were just horrible and sitting for 10.5 hours wasn't helping. 

The roughest part of the first night was when we tried putting Kaili'a down for bed. She went down easily but was up crying within 30 minutes and then again and again and again, a total of 6 times. 

I know a few things factored into her rough night; first new place, second overly tired from the drive and thirdly her back teeth are coming in. Talk about a rough life for a toddler lol and her parents. 

It's not easy keeping up with an extremely busy toddler, let alone on limited sleep. 

Hopefully tonight will be better for all of us. 

I'm open for any tips and tricks from parents that have figured it out, so please leave a comment or e-mail. 

Loving being around family and being a parent is totally worth all the challenges that come with it. 

Thanks for Reading and Happy Holidays! 

Tara 

A Child totally lives here.

Some days I look around my home and realize that a child totally lives here lol. 

There are animal magnets on the fridge, and side of the stove, a high chair next to the dining table, sippy cups on the table, gold fish everywhere, toys spread from one room the next, juice in the fridge and little girl clothes mixed in with our clothes. I absolutely love the look of a family home and wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Some days it can get out of control and I pray that no body stops by. But, that is what naps are for, yes I know that as soon as she wakes up it will go back to a lived in place but that is okay. 

I love having a clean home but with a child, I can't stress about it while she is awake. I read a super cute quote that I totally need for my home. It read "cleaning up while children are playing, is like shoving the snow while it is snowing." That about sums it up right there :) 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

What to feed your Toddler.

What to feed your Toddler. 

Now that Kaili'a is a Toddler I've hit a wall with what to feed her. I don't want her to only be drinking milk and eating gold fish because of my lack of creativity. 

Being a new mom/dad can be a little scary sometimes just because we've never done this before so everything is new. I was happy that I was able to find some ideas on Pinterest to help spark my own creativity on what to do. 

Important Tips

• Make sure everything you give your baby for the first time is closely monitored. Chew a small piece in your mouth first and pay attention to how hard it is to chew. If it takes you a second to break it down, it's probably best you wait until your child is older. 
• Stay calm if your baby coughs or chokes a little, it will happen. Baby's / Kids feed off your energy, so try and keep yourself calm and don't freak out because they will if you do. If they are coughing or choking on a food frequently, stop giving it to them and re-introduce at a later date. 
• Cut food into small pieces so they can chew it easily. Cut beans in half and make sure meats are soft and moist. Don't make pieces bigger just because your child is having a hard time picking it up, it's okay if you help them.  
• Try introducing healthier options to your child, like whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta. If they have this first they will be better off creating healthier habits as they grow.  

Proteins

Tofu

Meatballs

Meatloaf

Cheese (slice or shredded from a hand grater)

Tilapia

Chicken 

Turkey

Eggs (scrambled or hard-boiled) 

Black Beans 

Cottage Cheese 

Pulled Pork (plain) 

Pot Roast (plain) 

Yogurt 

Carbs

Bread (toasted or plain)

English Muffin

Bagel

Cereal (Cherrios)

Brown Rice 

Pasta 

Graham Crackers

Crackers

Pancakes

Waffles

French Toast

Tortilla

Oatmeal 

Cream of Wheat

Muffins 

Fruit / Veggies

Peaches 

Watermelon 

Mago

Banana

Avocado

Potato (Regular and Sweet) 

Applesauce 

Pears 

Peas

Apples (diced) 

Carrots (cooked and diced) 

Celery (cooked and diced) 

Broccoli (cooked) 

Cauliflower (cooked) 

Squash

Zucchini 

Strawberries

Blueberries

Blackberries

Raspberries

I'm pretty good with getting Kaili'a to snack on a lot of these foods, now my next step will to get even more creative and actually have her eat 3 meals a day. 

I'm still learning each and everyday on how my child is and what she likes. Some days she is very adventurous and will eat anything I put in front of her. Others she doesn't want anything but Smoothies, Milk and Goldfish. 

I know this helped me and I am hoping that it will help any other first time moms/dads get the hang of feeding a toddler. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Kaili'as Halloween Costume!

Kaili'as Halloween Costume! 

I am so excited that K is old enough to actually celebrate Halloween. Yes last year she was dressed up but she was only like a month old, so we didn't go anywhere and she slept most the day. 

Luckily my sister had this costume that her son wore like 3 years ago and sent to us to see if it fit Kaili'a. When we first pulled it out of the box my husband and I said, "no way that will fit her." Obviously we were wrong. 

But anyways this year we will be going trunk or treating. I love holidays so I am pretty excited :)  

This costume fits Kaili'a to a T. We always call her our little monkey. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara

Always Believe.

Always Believe That Something Wonderful Is About To Happen! 

I will admit this is definitely something I have to work on every single day. My personality is the type that can quickly turn to the worst possible outcome to anything. This quote is so perfect for me to think about 100% of the time. 

This is a quote that I want to put up on my wall in our home because something wonderful always happens more often then not. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara

My sweet daughter and lovely husband.

My sweet daughter and lovely husband. 

My husband was getting ready to go take over the world when baby girl didn't wanna let him go. She is such a daddy's girl it's adorable. Joseph might be a busy man making sure his family is taken care of, no matter what he has to do, but whenever he has the chance to spend time with Kaili'a he takes advantage  of every second. 

I am such a lucky woman to have found a man that does whatever it takes to make sure his family is taken care of. He is the most amazing husband and father, I couldn't have picked a better man for the position :) 

My two favorite people in the entire world! 

These two are my entire world. I love where my life is right now, it's exactly where I want it to be. Of course there are ups and downs but the ups out way the downs. 

Joseph is the man of my dreams and then some. I am so grateful for him in my life and strive everyday to show him how much I appreciate what he does for our family. He would sacrifice anything for us.

I couldn't ask for anything else in my life, anything more that comes our way is just an added bonus! 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara  

Every time I thought I was being Rejected.

Every time I thought I was being Rejected. 

"Every time I thought I was being Rejected from something good, I was actually being Re-Directed to something better." -Dr. Steve Maraboli

Found this quote while I was looking on Facebook the other day and I couldn't help but share it with you. I don't know how many times this is happened to me, what a great way to look at it. Some times when we are going through a certain period in our lives it can be hard to see the bigger picture. Once we get through it though we always think "If I would've known the outcome of that particular situation, I wouldn't have stressed or worried so bad."

I honestly believe that we are only given trails that we can over come. I am a religious person and believe that God only gives us things that he knows we can get through. When we are going through trials or challenges and we are having faith in a higher power, we need to remember that that higher power has faith in us as well.

Everything happens for a reason, we can't always see that but I think that if we keep this thought in mind next time we are going through anything that we feel isn't what we thought, it will give us hope that something better is on it's way.

Thank you for Reading,

Tara

Delicious Green Smoothie.

Delicious Green Smoothie.

I made a Delicious Green Smoothie yesterday. The reasoning for even wanting to make a green smoothie is that my husband and I are getting ready for a 3 day cleanse in a couple of weeks. I wanted to try a couple of different recipes before we started. 

I have been browsing Pinterest to see what was popular in a green smoothie. I came across a few but decided to just make my own and see how it turned out. As I was making it my husband was getting a scared look in his face. When he heard what was in it he was afraid to taste it. To be honest I was a little nervous to try it as well, but I didn't wanna waste all the food I just used to make it. So I closed my eyes and tried it, WOW it was delicious! 

After Joseph seen how much I liked it he went for it and at first wasn't the biggest fan but couldn't quit drinking it. When we had drank it all we were thirsty for more, which is a very very very good sign. Obviously our bodies were loving the nutrients we were getting and wanted more. 

Ingredients
1 Cucumber
1/2 Frozen Banana
1 Pear
3 Collard Green Leaves
Ice Cubes
1/4 C Pineapple
Water

Blend if you don't mind the chunks or if you want it more smooth, go for a juicer. Either way your body will thank you for the nutrients it is getting.

Watch out for other recipes.

Thank you for Reading,

Tara 

Organizing.

So now that my child is officially a TODDLER now I decided it was a good time to re-organize my kitchen. 

I've had a ton of baby food everywhere, baby cereal, bottles, and baby snacks. It has been kind of a mess to be honest. 

Things have been everywhere! When it's time to go to the park or out and about and I need snacks for my daughter, I find myself a little over whelmed looking for snacks to bring. I'm looking all over my kitchen for stuff because as time goes on and we've gone grocery shopping we get in a hurry to put everything away that things get put where they can fit. 

Anyone with a child (or children) know that being organized only makes our lives EASIER. Finding the time to organize can be a whole different story. But if we can make the time to just do it, the easier it is in the long run. 

Now that Kaili'a can eat more "normal" food I have been wanting to have it all in one spot. Plus just because she can eat cheeseitz doesn't mean she should. But if that's the easiest thing to find then that's probably what she will eat. So what I've done is cleaned out a shelf in one of my cupboards and put everything she likes or can have there. I don't know about anyone else that is the main cook in the household but I know that my husband is lost whenever he's trying to find something in the kitchen. My way of organizing or my system doesn't exactly speak to the way he would organize the kitchen. So for this reason I think it would be nice not only for me but for him as well if everything was in one spot. 

I know things will get moved here and there as it's not going to stay this organized forever but at least it gives us a starting ground. It gives that habit of all of K's food goes on that shelf, even if we have to shove it in there. 

I put her shelf in the most used cupboard in our kitchen. It's where our vitamins, protein powder, and drink mixes are. So it's usually the first place we look when trying to find something to drink or snack on. 

Here it is, K's shelf. Everything on there she can have right out of the box or bag. And she enjoys everything up there as well. Hopefully I can keep it this nice and organized for awhile 😉 

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara 

Gym time!

I'm at 24 Hour Fitness! Got to the gym late so I missed my class but that wasn't gonna stop me from getting my work out in. — with Joseph Cancilla

Gotta say I love the gym! It's nice to have day care on the gym also, makes it ten times easier to go.

Thanks for Reading, 

Tara