Chelan 2014

Ty, Owen and I spent a week in Chelan to celebrate my 29th and Ty's 30th birthday.  We love Lake Chelan and it was wonderful to get away with just the three of us.  We stayed at Campbell's Resort which is a perfect set up for families.  Two pools, a sandy beach into the lake, a room with a kitchenette, and lot of sunshine made for a lovely stay.  At home we've been hard at work cleaning out the basement and stressing out about that construction, so it was a much needed break.  I've reached the point in my pregnancy where life is getting a little harder.  Bending down is requiring some work, I run out of  breath much quicker than usual, I'm not sleeping quite as soundly, and with everything I have to do it's not easy to slow down.  We all know how I am when it comes to letting things that need to be done go, it just doesn't happen.  While we were away Ty did the majority of lugging Owen around and he treated me to a blissful massage/pedicure at the spa.  It was a perfect way to end summer and kick off my 29th year.

Abigail Annette

Last month I watched my best friend of 20 years become a mama.  It was pretty incredible.  Rachel did amazing during the labor and delivery and is a total natural when it comes to newborn care. I am super proud of her.  There is really nothing more beautiful than seeing a baby be born, truly a miracle.  I am pretty obsessed with this beautiful little girl and can't wait for all the adventures Abby, Owen and 2.0 will share.

5 Years

Ty and I have been married for five years, which means we have been together for a grand total of eleven.  It is crazy how quickly the time passes.  Five years, a house, a dog, a sweet baby boy and another on the way.  It's been pretty amazing. Together Ty and I have had a wide variety of experiences.  From learning to navigate our freshman year of college, to a semester traveling Europe, to graduating, starting careers, and becoming parents, we have loved and supported each other through it all.  We have grown both individually and as a couple throughout our relationship and I am grateful for every year.  I remember our wedding day with great fondness and always think about our vows on our anniversary.

I promise to support your dreams and nurture your kindness
Because it is through this your soul shines
I promise to help shoulder our challenges and share our successes
Because our strength lies in our union together

I promise to be your partner in all things
Choosing to build a life and family grounded in faith
I promise you friendship
To keep my heart light and always embrace laughter

Lastly, I promise you unconditional love and unwavering trust
This is my sacred vow to you
My equal, my love, my husband

Ty is a pretty amazing husband.  Just like we promised on that August day five years ago, we have an equal partnership where we share pretty much all the responsibilities.  We both work, we both cook and clean, we both take care of Jake and Owen. Sometimes he has to do more and sometimes I have to pick up the slack but for the most part we divide and conquer. Obviously no relationship is perfect but I can honestly say that I'm extremely happy and secure in my marriage.  Ty is one of the most generous and loving people I know and he makes me a better person everyday.  I have long believed that love is not only an emotion but also a choice and I am so thankful that we choose to love and encourage each other in all things.  A lot has happened in the last five years and I am looking forward to many more to come.

20 Months

Owen is 20 months old and in such a fun phase.  He's more adorable than ever. I think toddlers are the cutest age.  They look like mini adults adults and have personality for days.  Owen loves to hold hands and walk, sit down on benches and then pat the seat next to him for someone to join him.  He is starting to talk a lot and has the sweetest little voice.  He says mom whenever he can't think of anything else to say.  "Mom", "ma", "mama",  he sounds just like baby Stewie.  He also says "no" a lot which isn't so cute.  He is obsessed with dogs and loves being at the beach.  He has recently learned to climb on everything and enjoys getting on top of the kitchen table and helping himself to whatever is in the fruit bowl.  He's a little neat nick and likes to keep things tidy.  He is obsessed with water.  He loves water bottles and always want to drink out of everyone else's, he also loves drinking from the hose, Jake's bowl and the toilet if we're not watching closely.  If I turn on the hose, he's happy in the backyard for hours.  He also likes to stand on a chair in the kitchen and watch me cook.  When he sees me get out the pots and pans, he sprints over to the table and pulls up a chair so that he can help.  Much to my pleasure he finally loves to read.  He'll snuggle up on the couch and read with me for 30 minutes as long as I have the right books.

As a parent you know that your kids will model your behavior, but when they actually start doing it, it still comes a shock.  Owen loves to point at Jake, yell "no" and occasionally smack him.  Wonder where he learned that.  It's a good lesson for me in patience.  I don't want Owen to think it's okay to yell at and hit animals, so I have to be very mindful when I get frustrated with Jake.  Luckily he has also picked up some good habits from me, like saying "thank you" and cleaning.  Give the kid a sponge and he will get down on the floor and start scrubbing.

We're in a great phase when it comes to sleep.  Owen goes to bed around 8, wakes up around 6:30 and takes a 3 hours nap every afternoon.  We've been doing swimming lessons at the outdoor pool in Magnolia and he is starting to get comfortable in the water.  Ty has been getting home from work early every day so we have been having a blast swimming and going to the beach in the evenings.  There is a lot to love about our sweet little Owen and we are having the time of our lives watching him grow.

Another BOY!

The results are in and baby Rallo 2.0 is a BOY!

If I'm being honest, I was hoping for a girl and was a little disappointed when I got the news.  I never imagined myself having a boy, let alone two, so it took a while to wrap my head around the idea.  There are those sweet mother daughter moments I've always dreamed about and will likely never get to experience.  But I think it's important to remember that life is not necessarily about getting everything we want.  I truly believe that God has a plan and everything happens just the way it's supposed to.  I am so thankful that I was able to get pregnant easily (twice!) and have two healthy little babies.  My main motto in life is that we are here first to love and then to learn and I know that having two boys with be full of both those things.  

There are a lot of reasons I am looking forward to having two boys.  Mostly because they are close in age and will be best friends.  They can run around together, scrape their knees, play sports, fight, and have each others backs.  Ty and Chris are both such sweet men and have a bond that only siblings can share; I am excited for my boys to have that as well.  Not to say that having siblings of the opposite sex isn't fun but it's not quite the same.  I am excited that I can now justify buying expensive coats and clothes for Owen, knowing both boys will be able to wear them.  It's pretty much like getting 50% off everything I buy from now on.  Regardless of the sex, I am just beyond excited to have another baby.

Naturally, the next question is if we'll try for a girl one more time.  I'm not sure.  When I got pregnant this time I felt like we were going to be a two kid family.  We can all fit in a three bedroom house, a midsize sedan and a booth in a restaurant.  Two feels totally manageable because the parent to child ratio is even, being outnumbered feels pretty overwhelming.  Living in the city with kids is expensive.  Even after the basement remodel I don't think our current house could handle five of us and daycare costs are outrageous.  If we decide to have a third baby, which could very well be a third boy, I think we'd have to move outside of Seattle.  We'll just have to wait and see how we feel in a couple of years.  For now,  I am focusing on what we do have, which is two sweet little guys and when all is said and done, I'm super excited about it!

16 weeks

20 weeks