Life lately....

     Life lately has been busy. Life lately has been boring. Life lately has been very blah. I am so so SO sick of the winter. I need spring like I need air. Only I need warm, sunny, happy air. The winter and ALL of this ridiculous snow needs to stop! It's making me crazy and a little depressed. I know I live in New England and I should expect it. Usually I do but this year is out of control! On the other hand, life lately has also been wonderful, as life always is if you look for happiness in the small things.
     We went bowling with one of my Mom, one of my best friends and her daughter. It was Gabe's first time bowling and MAN did he LOVE it!!! He was really really good at it too! He actually beat all of us!

                         

     Sophia has learned how to pull herself up and stand on her own. It was so shocking the first time I saw it happen I yelled her name and scared her so she fell. Which of course I felt horrible about! The second time (when I took the pictures below) was much better and she stayed standing for a while!

     I did a mini photo shoot with Sophia in a dress that a friend of mine bought me at my baby shower. It is a 9 month dress and she is 9 months now but she is in clothes much bigger than that and I'm afraid the dress won't fit her this spring when she could actually wear it. So instead I decided to take a bunch of pictures of her in it because the dress (and of course Sophia) are gorgeous!!!

     I bought this watch and the lovely lady who sold it to me, Leslie from this blog, also sent me the cutest Princess Sofia the First bow, for my little Princess Sophia!

I also got this ring from Lisa Leonard Designs, that I absolutely love!!! It has my fiance and children's first initial of their first names and then my favorite number, 13, engraved in it. It's handmade and so special!

I went back to the gym for the first time in years! I got cleared to do so by the doctor on Monday and went that night with a friend! I need to get back in shape and lose some weight for myself and my kids. I just want to be a happier, healthier me and it's time to start making that happen! I really enjoyed the time at the gym and can't wait to keep going! It felt so good to do something to make me a better me! 

     So yes, life lately has been a whirlwind as always. However, I wouldn't trade a single day of it for anything! I love my family. I love my friends. I love myself. I love starting new routines. I'm still wishing for spring/summer and all the outdoor activities it will bring (as well as our Disney World trip that Gabe still knows nothing about) but for now I will try and embrace the little moments... even if they do happen in the winter... 

Love, love, love! <3

Best Friend: 13 Things I Love and Promise....

     I really enjoyed doing this post to my children. They're obviously the most important things in my life and I love them unconditionally. I started thinking more and more about the most important people in my life. My fiance, my mom, my brother and my friends. Without my friends I would have gone crazy and lost it a long time ago. So this post is to my best friend who keeps me sane on a daily basis.

Dear Best Friend,
     There are a million "best friend" lists out there. So many of them apply to our friendship. However, these are some of the things that I love about our friendship. These are some of the things I promise to you forever and always. After all, who knows which is longer.

1) I will always snap chat you to ask about any article of clothing, for myself, before I buy it.
     I can't even begin to fathom what I would be wearing right now if it weren't for pictures and snap chat. Being a mom makes staying in tune difficult and you're always there with your opinion and I appreciate that. I will also tell you my opinion on anything you're about to buy. I won't stop you from buying it but I will tell you that the fluffy, funny shaped rug you're about to buy is way too weird.
2) I will always be here for you.
     I will be here to cheer you on. I will be ecstatic about the good. I will listen to you vent. I will trash talk anyone or anything that is bad. I will happily punch people in the face for you if I have to, or at least threaten to do it to make you feel better. I will play devil's advocate. I will find the positive. I will listen and understand. I will do whatever I need to do to get you through things. No matter what.
3) I will always encourage over-indulging.
     Alcohol. Food. Shopping. Coffee. Sometimes, you just need it and I am the person you can count on to understand that and make you feel way less guilty about it.
4) I will make sure that we always have a show together.
     I love that we have shows together. We just kind of fell into that fact that we both already loved One Tree Hill but I want to make sure we always have one. It's a silly connection that I really enjoy. If it could always be a show with Sophia Bush in it, that would be just fine by me!!!
5) It doesn't matter to me how much or little time we have together.
     As long as we talk, text, snap chat, facebook, instagram, tweet and see each other as often as life permits, I am happy. I know that we can pick up right where we left off no matter how little we see each other and I know that we will always be there for each other regardless of time spent together.
6) The fact that we both love....
     glitter, sparkles, Taylor Swift, One Tree Hill, the same genre of books, the number 13, the beach, Starbucks (although my addiction to that was your fault), the Patriots, crime/cop shows and so many other millions of things, makes me us, us. Our similar tastes in things combined with our many differences is what makes things so perfect!

7) Men are infuriating.
     That is why we have best friends. The way I see it, if I didn't have you to vent to about the man in my life, I probably would have killed him by now. Having a friend who understands and listens and will go out with me to do things when he won't (or I don't want him to) is exactly what I need. Of course, I am here to do the same for you. They may be our other halves but I think you complete the first half of me.
8) I really appreciate and love the way you care for and love my kids.
     I cannot wait until you have kids so I can love and spoil them in the same way that you have mine! I am also happy to let you borrow mine for an extended period of time to insure that you don't have kids until you're 100% ready and want to. I assure you if I load them up with sugar and stuff before I leave them with you, it will make you want to wait. Most people find it difficult when they have kids and their friends don't but with you that has never been an issue and it just makes you that much more incredible.
9) I love that I can trust you with anything.
     I know that no matter what I say to you I can not only trust you with it but I know that you won't judge me. You won't judge my stupid moments, my angry moments, my bad moments or habits, my imperfections. None of those things have ever changed your opinion of me. I know that I can talk to you about anything. No matter what I hear or if something is bothering me, I'm going to talk to you about it directly. It is incredible to have a friend like that. I know that you know you can expect and do the same with me.
10) The stupid, ridiculous, silly things are my favorite.
     When you can't do math or I say something completely idiotic and we just laugh, for like, 5 years about it, those are some of my favorite moments.
11) I like that no matter what we do, we have fun as long as we're together.
     Whether we go on a trip or stay in and eat junk food and watch OTH or just head to Target for absolutely no reason at all, we're having a good time. No matter what it is that we're doing just hanging out with each other is enough to revive my soul.

12) I will always remind you just how amazing you are.
     I will always be here to tell you you're beautiful, brave, smart, kind, funny and wonderful. No matter how bad of a day you're having I will always be there for a pick me up. Sometimes I will probably even say it just because I feel like it. Every one of those things is true. You are one of the most amazing and driven and intelligent people that I know. You are going to do wonderful things with your life and I will be here every step of the way.
13) You will always be my B. Davis to P. Sawyer.
     It's the best way to say it. Lets face it, we've had ups and downs. We've gone through rough patches. Maybe we've never actually physically hit each other but there have been times when we have both felt that way. I can't express how amazing it is to have made it through all the bull shit and come out the other side closer and stronger. I will never let anything separate us again. I need you in my life. I want you in my life. You're a keeper. I love you J. Davis. Forever and always. 

Love always,
Diane

The Grass isn't Always Greener on the Other Side...

  I won't pretend that this week was the best week of my life. I honestly thought I would enjoy and appreciate it more than I did. I couldn't do anything. I was out of it with a cloudy, fuzzy brain. I was tired. In pain. Sore. Irritated. This week was a challenge considering I have done nothing since coming home from the hospital. It was difficult not to be able to do the normal things like work, dishes, vacuum, laundry. It was horrible not to be able to play with my son the way he wanted. It was devastating not to be able to pick up and hold my daughter. I felt like a terrible mom this week. Sophia couldn't understand why Mommy couldn't pick her up when she bumped her head. Gabe was understanding but hated that I couldn't go outside to play in the snow with him. I just wanted to do more. Be more. Give them what they needed. But I couldn't. This week I had to take care of me.

    This week I learned to appreciate so many things in my life. My ability to do all of the things that I normally do. The people around me that came and helped me do everything that I was unable to do. My mom was the biggest help of all. She freaked out every time I moved for the first few days. I can never thank her enough for everything she has done. James was also a life saver. Whenever my mom was at work he was there to fill in the gaps. He was by my side, making sure the kids were taken care of and that I didn't need anything. My brother picked up Gabe from school while I was in the hospital which was extremely helpful. My friend Caroline did a very large amount of dishes the day after I came home. She had to have known they were making me crazy! My work friends sent me the most amazing Edible Arrangement. I have ALWAYS wanted someone to send me one of those but they're so expensive that I never would have asked! It made me feel really special to come home to that! And chocolate covered pineapples and strawberries.... I almost died! My friend Melissa visited me and just talked to me for a while then came again today and took me to a movie and shaved my poor cats tangled fur. My friend Jenn sent texts, facebook messaged me stickers and kept me afloat all week when I was feeling down. I could not be more grateful for all of these amazing people in my life. There are so many more that I couldn't even begin to put it all into writing. So many people checked in with me to make sure I was doing well and there is nothing that makes a person feel better than that.

     I did a lot of catching up on shows that were long forgotten on my DVR. One of them was Once Upon A Time. I forgot how much I loved that show until I watched 8 episodes straight. It is so good and the story line is just so intricate! I really enjoyed that. I also did a Criminal Minds marathon. I watched the entire first season of Girls which I have not made up my mind about whether I like or not.
     I did not do as much reading as I would have liked. I wanted to finish reading Allegiant by Veronica Roth. I do not believe I have ever not finished a book. I love to read. I get absolutely absorbed by the story. When it's a trilogy or a series, I don't stop until I am all the way through. For some reason I am at a standstill with this one. Just stopped and stuck. I liked it so I can't figure out what the problem is. I'm trying though. I started The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I haven't gotten very far but am intrigued by the characters and am pretty sure it is going to be amazing! I also got a book called I Am That Girl by Alexis Jones with a foreword by Sophia Bush. It's an inspirational and motivational book. I haven't gotten very far into it but I am loving all the good that it can teach women and girls!

     Valentine's Day was really wonderful and full of family love! It was Sophia's first which made it a special one for all of us. Both of the kids really loved waking up to their special Valentine's Day presents. A lot of what we got them was free or handmade which was really cool. Gabe made James and I a card at school and my Mom got me a Starbucks gift card... bless her heart of gold!

      I am finally getting back to feeling like myself and being able to move around normally again. Gabe and I played a couple of board games which was really enjoyable for both of us! I am really looking forward to getting back to normal with a lot more appreciation for the way my normal life is. For the rest of the night though I'm going to bask in relaxing and maybe even treat myself to a Girl Scout cookie or two. They've been here all week and they're getting impossible to resist!!!