Sunday, January 19, 2014

Thanksgiving 2013

So this week is Kayla's birthday week and the week I'm starting blogging more regularly.  I'm going to have to try to plan ahead and pull my camera out more often and I'm excited about it!  For now here's a briefly worded but heavily photographed Thanksgiving recap.

As last year, we went to my parents house for Thanksgiving where my mom and dad open the doors and Megan does all the cooking. :)  My parents condo gets great light for the most part, so these photos turned out overall better than the day before, but still need some work.  I was trying to get a bunch of photos of the kids and maybe some candids as well.  Not my best work but I think I got some keepers.

After lots of playing and laughing, we ate in the mid afternoon (started before the boys woke up from naps.)  Kayla didn't take a nap...shocker.  The food was delicious as usual and we had to bride Kayla to eat her turkey with a giant frosted turkey cookie my grandparents had brought for her.  Each bite she took, the turkey got closer to her.  I'm not going to lie, I bride the kid like crazy because it works.  I like to think of it as a reward more than a bribe.  She responds well to positive reinforcement versus negative consequences.  

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My cute little nephew. :)  He likes my camera.
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My little sister, nephew and future neice/nephew.
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Cheesing for me
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This one doesn't love my camera so much...
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If I play peek a boo, he will smile though.
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Liam plays very intensely. :)
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Caught!
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My little man
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Liam was so cute watching Kayla play with Gigi's iPad
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Brody caught playing
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For some odd reason, my son loves playing in the bathroom (especially with the toilet lid??)
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"Come here Liam!"
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"Check this out!  It's makes sounds when you hit it."
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Caught again...
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Trying to be creative
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Liam
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The two that kinda like the camera
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Kayla is at a really fun photography age because she kinda likes for me to take her picture now!
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Making him laugh <3
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Those baby blues :)
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Trying to tell her to keep her legs closed for the photos...
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Aunt Lauren helping her cross her legs
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My little ham :)
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Love this kid.
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Not the best candids, but I love watching my little sister be a mom. :)
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Great Uncle Pat is HILARIOUS
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Liam wondering what is going on...
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Time to play ball with Aunt Meme
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So much fun
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Brody taking a break with his great grandpa.
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Megan and Liam...
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This photo cracks me up...typical of all the kids.  Liam: chillin'.  Kayla: acting silly.  Brody: not thrilled someone else is sitting in Meme's lap...
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He doesn't like to be left out.
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Seriously, my kid loves his cousin.
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Liam's face kills me.
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He always wants to be behind the camera...
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My silly, crazy, adorable girl.
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She thinks she's so funny.
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Liam has a really awesome side arm.
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The Spread!!

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The cook
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My original nephew.  This may be one of my favorites I took all day.
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My favorite men. :)
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Another one of my favorite men!
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The original man in my life carving the bird.  He's always very focused.  I should compare photos from last years...
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Setting the food out.
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Trying to get a photo of me.  I need to learn how to set it up faster for Justin to take our picture.
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Playing peek-a-boo with Liam.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

New Year, New Goals...again

So I looked back at my "goals" from last year...without even knowing it, I was kinda doing some stuff towards them!  I took a couple photography/editing online courses and joined a photography forum which I need to look through and take full advantage of, I started working out, but I wasn't all that great at some other stuff.  I actually liked my format and a lot of the goals still stand for me this year with some slight adjustments, so here are some things I want to accomplish this year:

Physical Health:
  • Eat better.  We got off track here, but we have a plan to get back on the wagon of little eating out.  I find I have little time to "browse" and try to pick out meals for week so Justin and I have decided to try writing down our favorite recipes we come across and try on notecards and keeping them all.  That way we can pick out certain recipes and just go to the store.  We are also planning on trying to do quick shopping trips for produce etc every week which we haven't been doing.  Hopefully this will help us financially as well.
  • Drink less pop.  I was doing pretty well with this in November when I made it a goal but I got back on the (bad) wagon.  I need something to substitute so I won't crave it so much.  So I'd like to cut it out cold turkey.  Any suggestions for a replacement?
  • Continue yoga 2-3 times a week.  I realize I have barely blogged in the past like 3 months or so (see goal below) but in November we joined a gym and I made a bunch of goals for the month, one of which was going 2-3 times a week.  I have discovered that I love yoga. (See other goal below).  I want to keep this up and I may be doing my own little ab challenge for the next few months to try to get my midsection back in shape (if anyone is interested in joining me let me know!)

Emotional Health:
  • Spend less time watching t.v.  Justin and I are still tossing around the idea of getting rid of the cable.  I love my t.v. as an escape but I feel like there are SO many things I want to accomplish this is just going to get in my way.  So I'm going to need help narrowing down my list of must watch t.v. shows. :)
  • Find a baby sitter.  This is for the sake of my husband and I.  Now I by no means think our relationship is struggling at all, but I want to be able to go on dates, maybe once a month.  So I need some sitter options besides my poor but very helpful family.
  • Spend more time with my friends, with or without kids.  This is good for the soul.
  • See yoga goal above.
  • Church.  I've never been a big church goer, but I think Kayla is coming to an age where I'm not sure how to explain things to her (spiritual things) and I think starting to go to church as a family would be a good start as a way to bring God and some calm/prayer into our lives.

Personal Goals:
Honestly, I'm a bit over my 101 list.  It's too much work to keep up with trying to accomplish a lot of those, so if you couldn't tell, I gave up.  So here are some things I'd rather spend my time on.
  • Photography.  I would like to take another course or two so I can really feel confident in my photographer in more settings.  What I mean by this is that outdoors with lots of light, I feel pretty confident I could take photos of other people besides my family.  When it comes to indoors or low light situations, I feel like I need some work, but I'm trying.  I'd love to take some newborn photos and sibling photos for my sister when my new niece/nephew comes along next month! :)  Hopefully I can get some cute photos.  I'm also considering a 52 week photo challenge (I'd be a little behind) and/or a 100 days of happy challenge.
  • Yoga.  I have discovered I love yoga so much I would consider teaching.  So my goals is to at least look into it and maybe start saving for it since I'm sure it's going to be a large upfront cost.
  • Save money.  I want to try to start building a nest egg in our savings account, which will likely mean trying to pay off some credit cards and really being frugal with everything we spend.
  • Work. Trying to figure out what direction I want to go with my job.  I love it and I love that it's  bit of a bigger focus in my life now.  Considering sports and or women's health directions.
  • Blog.  PEOPLE, I'M THE WORST BLOGGER EVER.  And honestly, I hate that.  I want to try to blog 2-3 times a week.  I'm thinking it might be easier for me if I had some sort of "schedule" like Mondays I post family updates, or Fridays are photography days.  Maybe I can somehow incorporate my other goals into my blog to make myself more accountable (yoga workouts, photo Fridays to encourage me to take photos at least once a week, weekly recipes?)  Any ideas??
My little sister has asked me to post some photos I took of the kids over the holidays, since I tried to take a lot.  And I told her I got some good ones of Liam.  Here are some I took the day before Thanksgiving (low light photography is not my friend right now...)


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Brody was NOT a big fan of Samson for a while there.

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This is pretty much how Brody feels about Liam.

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Look of adoration.  He loves his buddy!

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Liam is NOT as sure...

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Life/Blog Update

Ok, so I know I haven't written in a while and I can't lie and say that I feel bad about that, because I don't really.  But I have another high school friend who's a mom and keeps a blog (it's secret I think otherwise I'd share it here, I don't want to let out any clues to her identity:) and she recently wrote about how she didn't feel like she had a lot that was "important" to write about but that really her blog was like a journal of her and her kids lives.  I realized that is why my blog is important to me.  I feel like I have some awesome documentation of my kids young lives which I'm sure I will never remember in 10 years, so I want to try to get back to it.  I was putting it off because for some reason, I thought I would become this totally famous blogger who was funny and wrote about topics people cared about, but I'm not and I don't.  And that's ok because this blog was really for my friends and family who care about what is going on in our lives.  So if you are following hoping I write something enticing, I suggest you look back less often because it will most likely be just updates and posts about things we've done and how the kids are growing.

I have been trying to get more into my photography in hopes I can start up a little side business so that is keeping me busy.  I also started making invites, cards, etc for friends through photoshop and I'm kinda loving that so I might see where that goes too.  Needless to say, I've been busy.  But here's a semi quick update on the kids!

Brody is really transforming into a little person at this point in his life.  He understands so much more and does things with more intent.  He started saying "apple" (side note: how weird is it that this was both of my kids first word besides mama and dada?).  I also started giving kisses and blowing kisses this week!  (I have a really cute and funny story about this down a little further.)  He's walking/running and climbing all over the place.  All those people who told me boys were so much harder were right.  I'm realizing how easy Kayla was when she was little now that I have Brody.

He's pretty attached to Mommy, which sometimes is very hard.  I try to make time for both kids individually, but sometimes I feel like I'm failing.  In the last month, Brody has gone through an ear infection, croup, getting a molar at 1 year old, and pink eye.   The poor kid.  Despite all this, he's been sleeping pretty well.  I was talking with a patient about my kids constantly getting sick, and she made a good point.  She said that kids tend to "get sick" in the same place all the time, i.e. Kayla is always getting ear infections and Brody gets SO congested and all his sickness is in his sinuses/throat/nose etc. I think she's probably right.

Speaking of sickness, I don't remember if I talked about Kayla going to see the pediatric ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) in May, but she did after having 5 double ear infections in 6 months.  At that point, he told us we wouldn't even think about tubes since her ears were clear and we were heading in to the summer months, therefore fewer colds, therefore fewer ear infections.  I was kinda hesitant at the time but agreed to wait since she didn't seem that "sick" to me.  Then she got a double ear infection in July, in the middle of summer.  Then another in September and then another in October (or the on in September never went away.)  So the pediatrician we saw finally referred us back to the ENT and for a hearing test.

So this last Wednesday we went to have Kayla's hearing test and then her appointment with the ENT.  Between May and now, I also emailed the ENT to ask him at what point I should start being concerned since I'd heard about hearing loss, etc from frequent ear infections.  Well, even though Kayla wasn't interested in participating in the hearing test, she still came out with mild hearing loss (even with the completely objective tests.)  Her ear drums aren't vibrating at all (how you hear) due to the amount of fluid trapped behind them, and therefore she is failing the inner ear test as well.  Then ENT then recommended tubes and told me, "Here I was thinking you were just an overbearing mom, and you were right.  I hate when that happens."  Um, ok thanks, I guess I'll take that as a compliment.

So this Tuesday Kayla has a physical prior to her outpatient tubes surgery next Tuesday.  I realize tons of kids get tubes and it's really a short, relatively easy procedure, but I'm worried about my little peanut.  Looks like I'm getting the week off of work for Thanksgiving week even when I wasn't planning on it.

Oh and the story I promised about Brody learning how to kiss...

While at the ENT appointment this week, Kayla was clearly getting tired of being asked to do stuff and being poked and prodded.  She was sitting in my lap and Brody was getting antsy as well so I picked him up too.  He was standing behind Kayla on my lap and he just kept leaning over and giving her kisses (even making the smacking noise) on top of her head.  This is the first time he ever has done this and I thought it was so special he was trying to comfort her.

Anyways, there is a quick update.  I will also be writing a post soon about my updated priorities and my new life goals soon.  Here are some pictures of the kids while we were raking leaves last week.


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Monday, November 11, 2013

Christmas Wish List

So since everyone is always asking me what to get the kids for Christmas, I'm making a pseudo list for your assistance (family).  Feel free to only use the list to get ideas of what they like, etc.  Also, please let me know if you do decide to get something from the list so I can let other family members know it is already being purchased. :)

Kayla:

Kayla is very into drawing/coloring/art and is in the thick of learning/writing her letters, sight words, and spelling her name!  I also have a lot more ideas for Kayla than Brody, but she also has a birthday coming up.
  • Balance Bike :  I would really like to help Kayla learn to ride a bike.  I've heard these things are excellent for helping them learn to balance on two wheels.  
  • Easel All this Ikea stuff is perfect and pretty cheap.  (Also, something to store all this art stuff in would be nice...)
  • Learn to read/write things (LeapFrog items or something of the sort.)
  • Ergo Baby doll carrier : I'm thinking about getting this for her because I know she will love carrying her baby dolls.  (Side note, baby dolls and accessories would probably be a favorite of hers and don't take up a lot of space, therefore a favorite of mine.  She has a Target My Generation doll - Ashley - so accessories (i.e. new clothes for her to change into etc) I'm sure Kayla would love.
  • We are thinking about moving her to a queen bed around Christmas or her birthday.  Her room is peach colored and we will hopefully eventually paint some hot pink and orange polka dots on one wall.  I have found one duvet cover I love here.  It's on clearance and hard to pass up, but then we would need to get a duvet, which isn't that big of a deal.  At least then as she grows and her tastes change we can just change out covers.)
Brody:

Brody loves cause/effect things such as things with buttons he can push to make noise or for something to happen.  He loves music and cars and blocks.
  • Tool Bench and tools :  I'm not sure if he would like this or not but it's hard to come up with toy ideas for a second child, except trying to find more "boyish" toys...although the kid loves the play kitchen and Kayla's baby dolls...
  • Train set : Another random thought.  Not sure if he would truly be able to appreciate this yet.
  • Puzzles : We already have quite a few puzzles, but Brody is pretty interested in them.
  • Tobbles : He loves stacking and knocking things down.
  • Maybe some more toy storage for his room.  His room is pretty bare compared to Kayla's.  He only has a teeny tiny dresser, so maybe another storage item.  
  • Refrigerator alphabet
  • Drum/maracas: He loves to shake and bang things...
  • Wagon : Would be nice to have seats for the kids. 
Combination:
If you know me at all, you know I would prefer small, easily storable toys.  But really, I would prefer clothes, the memberships or money to go towards classes or activities we can do together.  In my opinion, that is a better way to spend money. :)  Or use the money to come visit us and play with the kids!

P.S. Melissa and Justin would like money to replenish our dwindling account. :)

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Conversations with Kayla: Second Installment

"Kayla, do you see the airplane?"
"That's not an airplane!  That's a shark!"

"I need to go get my camera, so I take pictures of Brody in the tent."

"La la lala (singing), I like puuuuurple and pinkkkk!"

Mommy: "Kayla, put the potty (step stool) back in the bathroom."
Kayla: "No I need to get my food up there (on top of the play kitchen.)"
Mommy: "Why don't you just ask me to help?"
Kayla: "No I need to get it.  (Me giving her a look.) IIIIIII.  IIIII need to.  Kayla."  (As if I didn't understand.)

Mommy: "Kayla can you count to 20?"
Kayla: "No.  I did it at school.  I don't need to do it right now."

"No no syrup.  I just want butter on my pancakes.  I want A LOT of butter on my pancakes."

Mommy: "Kayla, what's your baby doll's name?"
Kayla: "Baby."
Mommy: "Oh, well are we going to leave Baby in the car while we get lunch?"
Kayla: "No! Baby comes with us."
Mommy: "Oh, is she hungry?"
Kayla: "No!  Her mouth isn't open!"  (Giving me a look like I'm crazy.)

"Don't talk to me, Guy!!"  (At Target after being greeted at the door.)

"WAAAAAHHH! Brody bite me!"
Mommy: "Well I'm sorry but he's just a baby and he doesn't really understand.  Just keep telling him no biting."
Kayla (to Brody): "No biting Brody! No biting!"
Kayla (back to Mommy): "It just really hurts (whimpering.)"

Kayla on the phone: "Ok.  So just come here and eat lunch with us."  Pause. "Yeah, so just come here and play with toys then go eat lunch."
To Mommy: "Mom, that was Miss Jordann."

Mommy trying to convince Kayla why she needs to take a nap:
Mommy: "You need to get rest so that you have lots of energy to play with Nini and Pampy when they come visit you."
Kayla: "Nini and Pampy don't play!"
Mommy: "They don't?  What do they do?"
Kayla: "Just sit on the couch.  They don't play."


Friday, October 11, 2013

What a Difference Four Years Makes...

Four years ago, we were laughing at this...





Just the other day, we were laughing at this...



Back story:  We can use the cameras on our phones to see Kayla in her bed under her door.  On Wednesday, she was up and singing in her room for an hour and a half at nap time.  I was checking on her and she could see my camera under the door.  CAUGHT!  Justin and I were in tears laughing at this.

I wouldn't change a thing, but sometimes I miss those old days.  I can't wait to spend a weekend with just my husband for a change!  

Justin,

You make love look and feel so easy.  There is no one I'd rather be walking next to on the road of life.  :)

1437.