Transformations.....

Things are constantly on the move and changing every day in the Tidden household.

The kitchen and guest bath have been in constant flux for a while now, but phase two and three are finally in progress. This weekend we texturized the blank walls (after removing 15 year old wall paper!) and are finally painting it! Slowly but surely we will get the kitchen done and then I will post pictures I promise! If you can get things like the fence posts breaking, and dogs getting out, or kitchen sinks leaking to stop happening it would help things go quicker :) Oh it would also help if we weren't always on the move, but you know that isn't going to happen :)



Jonathan's transformation is more exciting... He is officially 1/3 of the way through the police academy and is doing fantastic. So much so that he hoped on the scale the other day and proclaimed "I think this thing is broken :)" He has been working so hard, and I know the workouts and classwork has been grueling so its definitely paying off! You can also catch him on the local news every now and again which is very exciting for us to be able to see what he does during his week! Way to go Hon!


Jocelyn's transformation is happening every day. She is learning so much each day and just a sponge in everything that she does! She is picking up speed in her crawling, getting more and more daring in her pulling up with one hand and trying to conquer everything in the house, including the stairs! She's going to be 7 months on Wednesday and I just can't believe how much the time has just flown by!



My transformation is a little slower... I'm going to be doing my first mini tri in a few months, so I need to pick up my training on that. I've been running for a little while but I need to start mixing it up just a bit! So whenever you see me, feel free to motivate me or push me in the right direction!

A Busy month

As many of you know this month has been absolutely crazy busy! It's been a whirlwind of emotions and we are still on standby to see what happens next in the Coast Guard. Things that we do know, is that Jonathan is currently out of the Coast Guard (we had to make a decision when they said we were both going to be deployed, with someone having to stay behind with Jocelyn and since he's still in the academy, he volunteered!) So now, I'm the only coastie in the family right now :)

Jocelyn on the other hand is doing amazingly well, she was so flexible with all the flights, different hotel rooms, different schedules, different people taking care of her. I really do have an excellent baby! She is also very much on the move, crawling is her new thing and also doing different yoga poses, as we like to call them, Imagine two hands on the ground, one leg straight up in the air and leaning to the side, and then landing on her nose :) Smiling every time though! She is now eating homemade Bannanas, Sweet Potatoes and Apples, and hasn't spit too much back in my face yet :) Oh and yes, I am truely becoming a hippie, I switched her to cloth diapers and am loving the savings, the comfort and the cuteness on my daughter!

Jonathan is working so hard at the police academy, he is taking (and doing great) alot of tests in the past few weeks and doing alot of crossfit training! Although it has been very tough, he is loving the fact that he is getting to do something that he has dreamt about!

Me.... my days are filled with work, being a house wife and playing with Jocelyn. I did get involved in a moms group that I usually meet up with on Fridays to have a little girl time, and they are really alot of fun! I do try to squeeze in a morning workout and run with the dog at least 3 times as week and since I missed Beach to Bay, I'm going to have to find something else to train for!

So that's whats going on with the family, I'll try to get a video up soon and keep you better updated! Until then I'll just send you alot of Jocelyn photos :)

Officially Mobile

So she has been doing this for a little while but now she's is doing it more often and with a little more distance :) Oh the trouble we are in for! And this was all for a bag of wipes!

It's a Texas Tradition

It is a long standing tradition, within the Texas state lines, to admire and stand in awe of our beautiful state flower, the Texas Bluebonnet. Not only do we like to stand in awe of them but we also love to take pictures of our children playing and walking all over them. I swear its a Texas tradition.... as soon as you see them in bloom you also see tons of children running around in them while their parents chase after them with a camera trying to catch that perfect smile or first smell of the flower. I am happy to say that we were not one of those people letting our child trample and run all over the bluebonnets.... but thats only because she can't walk yet :) Yes we took our baby girl to look and smell her state flower and she had a blast rolling around and smelling them from her bumbo seat! Just so you know, next year we do plan on chasing her around in the bluebonnets but we will try to teach her not to step on them :)
Enjoy the pictures!

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child

This week was tough, Jocelyn had her first cold but being the sweetheart she is you wouldn't have known it by her temperment! She was happy go lucky all the time and even went to work with my for two days and I was able to get all my stuff done with her there. It helps that I have AMAZING coworkers and a great boss that willing take her off my hands when they have a few moments!


Talking to a box of paperwork at my office


Watching ELMO with Amy!

Unfortunetly Jocelyn passed on her cooties to Jonathan and I and as a family we all got sick! To top it off, Jonathan is doing his two weeks with the Coast Guard and had to stay overnight at the Station for most of the week. Being a full time working mom, sick, with my husband away and a sick baby made for a tough week, but I made it through with a simple remedy . . . FRIENDS! Bringing me limeades from Sonic (my favorite), offering to pick stuff up at the store for me, offering to watch Jocelyn for me, actually watching Jocelyn for me while I was at work, offering to bring me dinner, watching Jocelyn for me while I napped or showered and just offering me endless support and help when I needed it the most!

This week I learned that the old African Proverb is so true, it does take a village to raise a child, and luckily my village is full of amazing women with giving hearts!

3 Months

The past three months have been a whirlwind. I was lucky and blessed enough to take 2 months off of work to spend with Jocelyn at home but for the past few weeks I have returned to work and boy has it been an adjustment. Luckily I don't have to worry about Jocelyn, she is in the care of Sarah who had her own little girl 6 days before me, so I know she is getting tons of interaction and loving care.

But I do get the best part of the day all to myself . . . the part where I get her up in the morning and see that adorable smile as if she says "hi there I was just thinking of you"! She lets me sing to her, while I'm getting her ready for the day as she patiently waits for her breakfast. I do share this part of the day with Jonathan on the weekends because its just to precious not to let him in on it!



What's she up to these days??
Well she loves her jumper even though we have to surround her with blankets because she is still so small.
She is sleeping in her own crib upstairs and gets about 10 1/2 hours of sleep, which is nice for Jonathan and I.
She is learning to grab and hold onto toys now and even reach out and bring a toy closer to her that she wants.
She is rolling over all over the place.
She loves to talk back and forth with whoever will listen to her.
She is so good when we go out, so we are still able to keep our date nights, girls night out or Jonathan's time out with the guys!
She puts up with the ridiculous bows or headbands that I make her, and sometimes even smiles when I put them on!

As for us, we are getting ready for tons of amazing changes. Jonathan only has a few more weeks left at his job, then he does a few weeks of Coast Guard and then he enters the Police Academy. We know that it is going to be a challenge but it has been something that he has wanted to do for so long so Jocelyn and I support him 100%. We are starting our hometeam / bible study group again this coming week and can't wait to see everyone again. I am also (trying) to train for a relay marathon race in my spare time, so wish me luck on that :)

Other then that, that's all that is going on in the Tidden household, just crazy busy as always and loving life! Wishing you all well!

Jumping Jellybean

Even though she is still a little too small, she is loving her new jumper! She especially is beginning to love her spinning frog and figuring out how to stretch her legs to touch the ground!