A very trying weekend...

I am sure this blog makes my life look sugar coated sometimes, but that is because I only choose to put positive things (most of the time) on here. Things aren't always as they seem. Ella is not always in a good mood and well behaved. I have days where I seriously think I am going to lose it if I don't get away from her. I know that sounds horrible, but that is just the truth. This weekend has been especially trying with Ella. 

We planned to go to the pumpkin patch Saturday morning. I was excited to take her, because I thought it would be a great activity for a child her age. The battle began at bath time when she thought she was going to get out of the bath tub without getting her hair washed. It continued when I tried to put her clothes on. After she calmed down we were off for what I was hoping to be a pleasant visit to the pumpkin patch. 

 There were a ton of people there yesterday. As soon as we got there we took a hayride to pick out our pumpkin. Ella was less than thrilled about this. All she was worried about was going down the big slide in the corn maze. Needless to say I ended up picking out our pumpkin while Ella whined and cried about wanting to slide. 

Look at that face;) 

Have you ever tried reasoning with a two year old? Not.going.to.happen.

Her one attempt to pick out a pumpkin, before she ran back to the tractor. 

The look on her face says it all.... :) 

After the hayride was over we headed to the corn maze so she could slide. She did really enjoy the slide...until it was time to leave!

After some lunch we went home for what I was hoping to be a long nap while I went and took pictures for someone. Ella ended up sleeping for 30 minutes and woke up screaming bloody murder. I was not home so Adam was left to deal with this. He did call me, but there wasn't much I could do since I was not home. Luckily, I was close to being finished so I sped home to see what was going home. As soon as I hit the driveway he told me we were going to the playground. I was already exhausted since I had been going since 7am, but I put a smile on my face and went anyway. 

We did have a really good time at the playground. Ella went down the big slide a million times. It still makes me nervous, but she loves it!

She may be a little hellion every once in awhile, but she is still the cutest thing ever! 

 After a very long day we almost had a minor disaster before bedtime. I put my SD card in my computer to upload all the pictures I took that afternoon. While they were uploading Ella came in and sat down at my computer. Adam saw that it said the pictures were erasing so he hit cancel. Needless to say I freaked out and thought they were gone. I don't care if my pictures are gone, but I would die if I lost someone else's pictures. I had visions in my head of having to call Lauren and tell her all the pictures had been deleted. Talk about humiliating! I almost had a nervous break down.  Luckily Adam found them, and they were all there. My computer is staying locked from now on. 

Needless to say it wasn't the best weekend, but we did pack in a lot of fun things. I try to remind myself that this is just a "season" of my life, and this phase will pass. Even though Ella can throw some major fits and act atrocious I wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world. She will only be this age once, and I need to try to enjoy the good and see light in the bad. I constantly remind myself that even though today was bad doesn't mean tomorrow will be. Sometimes that is what gets me through a day. Being a parent is not easy, but it's definitely the most rewarding job you will ever have. 

Playground fun

Ella absolutely loves the playground! All you have to do is mention the word, and Ella is out the door.  Today was the perfect day to be outside so we headed to the playground.

Ella was obviously happy to be there!

 I love this shirt Ella has on. It describes her to a T. 

 She looks so big in this picture. I don't realize how tall she is getting until I look at pictures. 

She thought swinging with her babies was the funniest thing ever! She loves her babies!

Happy weekend! We are going to the pumpkin patch in the morning. Stay tuned for pictures!

The BEST slow cooker recipe!

I am linking up with another blog today for crock-tober. I am a HUGE crock pot fan. I use mine usually two times a week due to the fact that I have a crazy two year old running around. It makes my life so much easier!

I am going to share my all time favorite slow cooker recipe that is easy and delicious! 

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound (about 2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 (14 ounce) can petite or regular diced tomatoes, DRAINED

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. You can use more if you would like it spicier

Directions: 

Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a small bowl combine the tomatoes, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high 4-6 hours or on low 8-9 hours. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return to slow cooker and mix the chicken with the juices from the tomato/brown sugar sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with flour tortillas and toppings of choice. 

*If you would like your chicken a little runnier don't drain the tomatoes. I usually drain, because I like the chicken dry. This is a great recipe!  Enjoy!

What we did last week!

I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted. I am slacking big time. We have been staying busy since we got home from Florida. 

Here are some things we did last week:

We went to the zoo. Doesn't Ella look adorable in one of her fall outfits!? 

We also went to the pumpkin patch last week. It was just a quick trip to get one pumpkin and a mum, because we will probably go to Mayse Farm Market for their hayride and a few more pumpkins this weekend! 

We got Ella's Halloween costume last week. I have a really hard time trying to figure out what costume to get this year. I usually have something in mind, but I didn't this year. She is so picky about what she will wear. She doesn't like anything on her head, and I couldn't get anything to frilly. Can you guess what she is going to be?

We had a busy weekend. Saturday morning I met Sarah at 6am to run. 

We ran 11 miles. I never thought my legs could even run that far! In two weeks we will both be running our first half marathon in St. Louis. I am excited and nervous at the same time!

After our run I hurried home to shower and get ready to take Ella to the Fall Festival for the pet parade. We met my family there. Ella was not at all interested in the parade, because she spotted the rides on the way in. We did make it through the whole parade, but once it was over we went straight to the rides. It was hot and crowded, but the girls had a fun time. I was able to get my favorite stromboli. It was the only thing I was able to eat, but at least I got it. I crave them! 

 Here we are waiting in line to ride the "horsies." I thought Ella was going to have a meltdown, because she is so impatient! She is her mother made over. :) 

 Ella picked a duck and won a huge blow up dolphin!

 My dad took her on a few rides to give me a break so I could eat something. They rode the fire truck and the carousel! 

I swear she was having fun. She is so serious on rides!

Ella had a small meltdown on the way home. She was just hot and tired. Needless to say she took a good nap that afternoon! Saturday night the Ice's came over, and we had a weenie roast. I unfortunately didn't take any pictures. It was such a nice night, and we had a fun time!  Sunday we stayed home and rested as much as we could. It was a fun, busy weekend. We are already gearing up for another busy one this week!