2.07.2014

little artist.



i'm not even mad at all...
happy little artist...happy little naked artist. 
you had a vision when you ripped all of the giant pieces of paper out of the neatly organized giant pad of paper. you had a vision to make little crayon marks on each little piece (and some on the wall for good measure). you had a creative revelation to scatter them wildly across the floor. who am i to get mad at you for your creative vision???
happy little naked artist.

2.06.2014

mission blue eyes.

so i'm going to make it my mission to capture an undefined amount of photos of our boys' baby blues this year. they both have the most amazing blue eyes...good job us! i'm not going to set parameters or deadlines or any goals or promises on the frequency of these photos. because, well, i suck at setting photo goals. i've done it in the past and failed. i've longed to complete, do, follow through with a photo a week or a 365-project. someday. someday. i've found that this year, i'm going to set goals that are reasonably easier for me to conquer - that's not cheating! it's just learning from your failed photo project promises in the past and realizing that unless you have a maid, a chef, a buyer for all the things you need bought, a quiet office space and a regularly scheduled cocktail hour everyday...it's just not going to happen. i'll raise the bar some day...when the before-mentioned things have all been met.

mostly you're probably going to see a lot of failed attempts...like today. the only creative "escape" i've been able to have the past 4 days is grabbing my camera & shooting anything & everything. i thought about taking a photo of every thing in our home and posting it. i won't. that's annoying. anyway, i've been at home with the boys for 3 straight days now. influenza a (hole). and not a lot of free time. i've been putting up with requests from oliver like "mom, can you go get me something?" "yeah, what do you need oliver" "i'm not going to tell you, you can just go get me something"....really? like what? a cracker? a glass of water? a small sedative? my patience hit the road like 17 and a half hours ago, so you're going to have to be a little bit more specific when you ask me to go get you something.

but back to the mission at hand:



oliver watching he-man episodes 1 & 2 and guarding his the legos (in a kitchen strainer) from his brother.

welcome to our home - where the clothes get folded 3 different times and we walk around pretending we're puppies.

2.05.2014

separation anxiety.

i'll be honest, i go through bouts of guilt for not keeping my blog up to date, however, it usually doesn't get me in front of my blog any more frequent. i feel like i've robbed august the same early years documenting that i gave oliver. the photos are still there...and when i say "there", i mean on a hard drive, not yet incorporated into a post of any kind. but i can't even get started on the hot mess i've turned my hard drive into. ugh. it's on the list of resolutions.

i've felt compelled to begin posting again. i find mucho inspiration, daily, through the blogs that i follow. so, lately, i have found myself sitting in bed composing a clever blog post. if only 'they' would have invented a thought translator already...i mean, c'mon people, i need that! my daily accomplishments are relying on this mystical piece of awesome-ness i just thought up. i'll post my favorites below...i actually access them all through a nifty site Bloglovin'. you can actually search babyschweitzberger.blogspot.com and follow my posts through the site!

i wanted to take a moment to update the past couple of months of the happenings behind the scenes with michael + leyna = michaeleyna. in fact, michael + leyna did not equal michaeleyna at all. a couple of weeks before christmas, a lot of ongoing turmoil came to a head. somewhere in the mass chaos of babies and moving and jobs and balancing of life the previous four years, michael & i had been on downhill spiral of doom. we lacked the healthy building blocks of a relationship to keep michaeleyna afloat. our communication was horrendous, our priorities were skewed and reality was easier avoided than faced. michael made the tough decision to separate from me. this is something that i shared with only family and very close friends. and even as i write this now, it's cloudy and confusing to recall and gives me a bit of anxiety. but i will share on. in all honesty, it broke my heart into a million little pieces. i was lost. and i just wished that someone would have shaken me & shouted 'leyna! straighten up or he will leave you'. but, unfortunately, i did not get this wake up call. i had to stay strong and focused for the boys. everything that i had relied on, been comforted by and took for granted walked out the door with his bags packed and tearful eyes. so how did i survive? i wrote a lot. i set aside a space for me to reflect and question and vent and try to comb through what little i felt i had left. a big part of my heart was missing. we made a verbal agreement to share our time with the boys. a week on and a week off. things were so unknown at this point. the future seemed like an unbearable waiting period for me. i wanted to fast forward and numb myself of the devastation. during my week on, i learned to stay organized, strong and focused. my week off, i was lost. for the first time in 4 years, i didn't have a little person/people to care for. to answer to. to take to daycare or give orange juice to. i stayed at my parents house, which was a great support system. but just two houses south...were my boys. the boys i couldn't go home to or snuggle or give baths to. and to honor our agreement, i had to overcome these urges.  we also agreed to work on our 'selves'.

this gave me the best opportunity to take time for myself. i felt guilty in doing so previous to this experience. if i took time for me. if i made plans to be away from the house. if i stayed late at work. i just hadn't realized the importance of taking time for myself and also how important it was for me to not feel guilt because i did. i called my therapist (yes, i have one of those) and began a fascinating therapy called Life Span Integration. a compelling and powerful treatment...seriously, it blew my mind the first session i had. i also revisited my previous plan for combating my depression. after my psychologist (yes, i have one of those too) diagnosed me with major depression, it was like a baseball bat to the frontal lobe. long story short, through the discovery of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness, i've completely taken a daily anti-depressant out of my life! i contribute this to reading the book peaceful mind.

shortly after our new transition...and things began to feel a little more tolerable (a little tolerable, it still sucked big time)...we made the decision to forge through our difficulties, support each other and contribute to each others needs in the relationship. we lost track of all of that in the past four years. we agreed that we had so much invested and both really loved each other. it's been a blessing, in retrospect, for our separation to happen. if you asked me during the split, i would not have ever admitted it, but it was. we needed a giant adult time out. to reflect, to refocus and to realize how we loved each other. changes needed to be made. and although changes don't always happen over night, small steps, deep breaths and a better outlook on life...we will get there. we call it out 'starting over'. which is a little deceiving, b/c we still have a house and kids and lives that are already interwoven...but it's a new start to building a strong foundation for which we can stand on. and grow old together.

one of the other activities i did on my off weeks, was look through this blog. and my posts. and i soon discovered how happy i was, even though the storms we had gone through. so, i want to continue documenting...i promise it won't (more than likely) get this deep. but i had to get that off my shoulders and move forward. thank you for your support & i have so much more to share!

and this was the first photo i shared on my very first blog post!



here's my bloglovin' read list:

abeautifulmess.com - a lot of diy and design
joannagoddard.blogspot.com - fun lifestyle, ideas and websites shared!
dooce.com - have read this one for a couple years now! still makes me pee my pants laughing!
ohhappyday.com - diy and party ideas...plus it's just a fun title =)
bleubirdblog.com - cool fashion, products and photography, she does a weekly post of her kiddos (i maybe really need to try & catch up & continue this for 2014)
dashandbella.blogspot.com - recent find...b/c i loved this post
katiespencilbox.com - love the lighting
smileandwave.typepad.com/blog - lots of kiddo stuff and fun giveaways
thebandwifeblog.com - creative gal!
and last but not least...
weseekjoy.blogspot.se - for her 'babies ruin bodies' post... b/c they do, but it's sooooo worth it  ;)


and now that i've taken some time to compose this...the house looks like a tornado went through a pixie stix factory and spewed 500 toys all over the living room. ps, i'm home with the boys, influenza a, that's a whole notha post.

1.25.2014

merry + happy


the 2013 holidays in review...
from papa hanny + his grand kiddos to gavin's frog legs...enjoy!

















2.08.2013

crabcake.

the boys & i have spent 4 days now within the confines of our boogie infested home. it's getting a little wacky in here. we're all talking with croaky voices, i'm a little confused on what day it is & i'm almost certain that i've worn the same pants for 3 of the days. crabcakes for everyone!

2.07.2013

oliver & august january 2013.


oliver matthew - - ---

age - three years & 3 months.

nickname - olly bagolly

favorites - watching frankenweenie & coraline (apparently he's a big tim burton fan), playing the ipod, eating gummy snacks & gumballs

newest word/phrase - "answer my question!"

milestones - first successful somersault

doctors visits - none, managed to get through january w/out any, some children's mucinex, but no doctor visits

special trips/visitors - spent time hanging out with aunt britter over at grandma & grandpa's while she recovered from some surgery for 2 weeks

new toy/movie - frankenweenie (this is a strange one!), star wars angry birds & endless abc's on the ipod


august michael - - ---

age - 11 months.

nickname - gussy goo goo

favorites - cheerios, yogurt bites, running naked when getting his diaper changed, playing "sparkle paint" on the ipod & watching the fish swim in the tank

newest word/phrase - i'm pretty sure he said "crabcake" today (i'm trying to post a video, but blogger video loader takes forever!), "lindsay" & "baba"

milestones - pulling himself up to standing position & assisted walking with walking toys, 3 teeth (2 bottom & finally one up top), last month of formula & making "fishy faces"

doctors visits - yes, yesterday. he was starting to come down with the sniffles, then the coughing, then a fever...long story short after visiting the doctor, we found that he was showing first signs of bronchitis with an irritated throat, crackly lungs & ear infection starting. so, we are back on an antibiotic, benedryl & neb treatments daily.

special trips/visitors - same as olly, getting to spend some extra time with aunt brittany while she was in town for a couple of weeks.

new toy - recycling some of oliver's 1st toys, especially ones that involve standing & walking & he always has my phone =)

1.27.2013

someone in iowa loves me.


...i've got more coming soon. promise.
i just got the holiday cards out.

1.07.2013

happy new year twenty thirteen!

since we survived the mayan apocalypse, i can't blame that on my absence from blogger land. i've just been horrible...horrible! this past year has brought upon many new things & a serious lack of time that my head is spinning. most days, my head is just spinning. two kids really ups the ante when you work full time, have a toddler, a fast-growing infant & a constant house in disarray. so, this is my personal peace offering {to myself} for beating myself up so much for my lack of documenting the first 10 months of gus's life, keeping up on the family happenings & other milestones, celebrations, etc...plus the computer just happened to be sitting, untouched, on the kitchen table & no one else was around. i just started typing. i usually spend nights, whilst trying to fall asleep, thinking up wonderful blog posts with clever antics & fun stories...but all to fade by the next day, undocumented. 

so...my peace offering & deal with myself & to you, dedicated followers of my blog, is to repost updated answers to a series of questions i've compiled that pertain to both gus & oliver. in addition, i will also, at least once a month, post a compilation of photos from the happenings the past 30 days or so. i'll be playing a little catch up in the beginning b/c i have photos from probably 6 months ago that haven't made it up...not to mention some weddings, showers, halloween, a third birthday & the holidays. my goal is to post at the end of each month to recap, but since i found some spare minutes, here goes for january 2013...

oliver matthew - - ---

age - three years & 2 months.

nickname - olly man

favorites - playing the ipod, watching the incredibles, shooting dart guns, 

newest word/phrase - "i hate you mom" {yeeeeeaaaahhhh...we're starting this year off great, huh?!}; tapatio {as in the hot sauce}; and not to forget "i love you mom"

milestones - spontaneously counting to 8 & identifying the correct letter alphabet magnets on the fridge

doctors visits - not that i recall...this category will most likely have more of a story to tell in gus's section. oliver probably ate 3 different kinds of bugs & licked a handrail & he's ok. he's sniffled a bit, but other than that, healthy as an oompa loompa who ate 18 pixie stix...just kidding he still eats a lot of fruits & whole grains =)

special trips/visitors - santa visited twice this year. and {insert bad mom award here} this was honestly, the first year he'd been introduced to a santa figure. he kind of looked at "him" with a suspicious look, took the present & went on to shoot darts. 

new toy - including birthday, this kid has received some very nice gifts lately! specialized toddler bike w/ training wheels, cowboy boots {his favey}, a-frame pup tent made by daddy, dart guns, new movies, a personal dvd player, scooter, books, leap frog & vtech games, etc etc & did i mention dart guns ;)


august michael - - ---

age - 10 months.

nickname - gus the bus.

favorites - mum mums, eating his brothers nerf darts, army-crawling, puppies

newest word/phrase - mama, dada & wahboo wahboo {this is kind of my favorite b/c i have no idea what it means}

milestones - army-crawling, which has led to crawling, which has led to pulling himself up on his knees or just about his feet, eating all of his vegetables & fruits, strengthening immune system, hair growth on the top of his head

doctors visits - oh boy, here we go...we did start the end of december with just your typical well-baby check...which then spiraled into 1 visit b/c he had this weird, not-healing sore on his finger...which led to 2 visits for colds. he was waking up in the morning with his eye cemented shut w/ serious eye mucous, so we suspected pink eye...but turns out we just had some bad cold symptoms going on. ps...have you ever had to give a 10-month old eye drops? i think a 10-month olds strongest muscles are their eyelids - seriously the hardest. thing. ever. on a positive note, he's coming around & his breathing has sounded great throughout all of his episodes. oh my little bubble boy.

special trips/visitors - as mentioned in oliver's section, santa visited twice this year. gus had a much different reaction to the jolly man...hated him. not a fan of him. "get me off of this guys lap right now mama" hated him. santa did give him a toy camera that he loves to eat, so as long as he keeps his distance he's legit. 

new toy - toy camera, a-frame pup tent made by daddy, an all-terrain wheel radio flyer red wagon, a cute 18-month patagonia onesie/pant suit that could fit his brother who is 27 months older than him {i'm a little bitter about this one b/c if you can't tell, i picked it out & want him to wear it}, melissa & doug puzzles, boogie wipes, new pacis, leap frog puppy & play-along-singing-wiggling dog toy for lack of a better name. it's cute, he loves it. 

- - ---next will come photos...& one of my new years resolutions to get out my holiday cards just in time for february =)

10.26.2012

kids having kids.

a couple of weekends ago, friends & sisters, marcell & megan were home visiting. we were able to get all of the kiddos, old & young, together for a get-together. oliver was thrilled to find two new buddies to play around with. even though he called them "bom" & "tennis" aka vaughn & tevis =) there's nothing better than getting your offspring together & enjoying some vino & laughs as they play & run around...brings back the good ole days ;)

tennis ahyee & bom


i mean...look at that lil adorable awesomeness =)


and...introducing...the newest littlest member of the hanson-doxtad crew...
kate mikel doxtad. 
we love her so much! 
congratulations to cousins donna & luke! 
she's a doll!