A Date Night

My husband's aunt, aka Nana, came and got the little Munchkin on Thursday. I got to work all day at the office with no little hands and feet getting into everything! And I got to work there all day with NO MELTDOWNS. It was nice, however, I missed him terribly. The absence of the little man also provided an opportunity for my husband and I to have a date. WOW, it was so nice to sit and actually enjoy our meal. We even were able to have a pleasant conversation without food being thrown on us! Again, we enjoyed it but we missed him terribly. After dinner we went and watched a movie. It has been a very long time since we have been able to this. Usually it is RED BOX after the little one has gone to sleep and there is snoring in the background  halfway into the movie,cause one of us has fallen asleep. We had a wonderful time. It was way over due, we know this...but we missed the little guy terribly! We love being together as a family, and we would much rather play cars and choo choo with our little man than have a date night every week. So, until the next time, we will hold on to this sweet memory!

Vacation, Father's Day and a Broke Toe

We just got back from a relaxing, fun filled vacation with the Hill Family. I do not get to see my side of the family very often, so it was a special treat for me. We went to Osage Beach Mo. It was beautiful. We stayed in an amazing house right on the lake. This was our Paradise for a few days:

Our trip was filled with swimming, fishing, boating, eating and hanging out at the lake. I think this was my first trip where there was NO SHOPPING involved and I survived just fine!! There was so much to do at the resort that I never even had the desire to go. Shocking I know. My favorite part was watching Arlee, he had such a great time. He loved swimming and riding in the paddle boat. Of course pictures say it all-

 I loved eating out on the balcony, the view was amazing and so was the weather. And a pleasant surprise, there were NO MISQUOTES!!!!

My brother's family did not quite make it. They had to turn around and go back home to FL due my niece having kidney stones. Bummer!
Our last day together was Father's Day. What a sweet treat to spend it with my dad!..I haven't done that in years. I also broke my pinky toe while packing everything up. So random, I just walked right into a door and OUCH!! Well, those who know me, know this is not all that random!!..but at least it was the last day and not the first :)

         Hope all the Amazing, Loving, Hard-Working Daddy's had a special day!!

Back to Blogging

After much time away from the blogging world, I have returned. I wished I had been more faithful to writing during my pregnancy and Arlee's first year. However, I felt like I was on survival mode and was just keeping my head above water, but what an amazing journey! During my time away from the Blog, I continued to work but life as a Property Manager became very busy and hectic. Summertime was here and Everyone was moving out and we had to  inspect, clean, repair and deal with the return of deposit money. I was wobbling around showing units several times a day in the hot temperature! Whew...But then fall came and with that all the new residents and a new kind of busy set in. I was now at the point of pure misery. I could not sleep at night. The heart burn, leg cramps and contractions were getting the best of me. I continued to wobble into work every day.
At 30 weeks I was having contractions every night. I was now seeing my DR. every week. I would beg her every week to take me earlier than the planned 39 weeks. She would just laugh!!  Finally at 38 weeks out sweet miracle came. And what a whirlwind from there. The Gate's Family of 2 expired and our lives changed forever!

Being a mother has been the most wonderful experience in the world. The love a mommy has for her little pumpkin is unexplainable. There is nothing more precious to me than watching my hubby play with our little man. I cherish the little things like swinging and playing "choo-choo".  The only thing my heart was not prepared for was how fast it all flies by. It is so mind-blowing! Although I thoroughly enjoy every stage our little man is in, it makes me very sad to think that I blinked and 2 years were gone. So, my goal is to cherish it and record it the best I can. I take lots of pics and videos and what better place to store those memories than right here. So, for a little flashback to my pregnancy:

         My 30 Week Pic and My Maternity Pics, I think I was about 34-35 Weeks

                    And now a little flash back to Arlee and all of his sweetness

             Isn't he just the sweetest little FIRECRACKER you have ever seen!!