How did our eyes get so red?

My four readers have asked about the photography class I mentioned in the last post.

It was a church class, taught by Shallyse Gastelum, her website is http://freshpoppyphotography.com. And I happened upon a photographer that just wrote out the same tips on a blogpost friday. So for the excellent tips I learned (written better than I could have reiterated) go to http://www.martawrites.com/2012/09/10-expert-tips-for-better-photographs.html

A few other words of wisdom I found helpful:

-Catch all of your kids personality, the serious, the temper tantrums, the quiet moments, as well as the happy moments

-Toddlers will cooperate better if you give them two choices... i.e. would you rather sit on the couch or the blanket to take a picture

-Capture your day to day: bathtime, breakfast, playing with favorite toys... this will help you remember your children as they were at that age.

-Get in the pictures with your kids. SOOOO hard for me. I hate most pics of myself. But your kids will want to know that you were there playing with them, having fun, and it's great to capture the connection you share.

A little fuzzy, she still moves too fast for my point and shoot.

Check out those eyelashes!

Look at this photograph

I took a short photography class Saturday.

My pictures are generally awful, and I got a few good tips to really work on.

I'm a work in progress, but I was already a lot happier with the quality of this pic. No shadows, no blur, no red eye, and those pretty blue eyes... Now I just gotta catch a smile and the dimple on her right cheek!

So time to practice with all the tips, which means lots more pics of Zoey! (Let's be real, everyone only checks this blog for pics of zoey anyhow... :)

And I miss you, yeah I miss you

I got a job... cause we're poor. 

(I would think that would go without saying, but everyone keeps asking)

Cary says when I've been gone for an hour or two Zoey starts to wonder why I'm not back and goes to the door and hits it and cries while saying "mamamamamamama"

It breaks my heart.

I know she'll get used to me being gone more often, but that kind of breaks my heart too.

At least she gets to spend the time with Cary. They have lots of fun while I'm gone.

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous

On pinterest I have a board titled "when I'm disgustingly rich..."

Sometimes something catches my eye and I think to myself, I want to try that, or I would totally buy that item that performs only one task--thereby making it only slightly more useful than the inconvenience of storing said item. Practicality keeps me from buying these things, and lack of storage space. (Yes, if I was a millionaire I'd own a lot of sold on TV crap... just cause)

Well... I happened to pin this little gem a few weeks back,

And I went down to my mailbox last week, and lo and behold, my friend had mailed it to me!

She was out yardsale-ing, and saw it and thought of me because I had just pinned it!

I can't even say how much this made my day. So ridiculous and simple, but pretty awesome.

Apparently I'm disgustingly rich with great friends!

Hopefully, I'll be able to pass on the favor someday--of course, then I'd have to go to a yard sale.

I believe that love is the answer

I watched the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

We read the book for my book club a year ago, and it was a nice wrap up to watch the movie as I remember 9/11.

It is a fictional story that follows the life of an 11 year old boy as he tries to make sense of the loss of his father in one of the towers on 9/11/2001.

My heart breaks for all the broken families of that day. There were so many people who lost someone close to them who's lives will never be the same. My thoughts and prayers are with the survivors. I pray they may be blessed with the love and comfort they need, and that they may know they can see their family again one day.

**********************************************************************************

On another note: My baby is 10 months old! I shlove (shlove is what cary and i say when we more than love something. Shlove is definitely bigger and deeper than love) it!

Zoey finally got teeth! TWO. They popped up last week.


And she is soooo excited to brush her teeth. She loves watching me brush my teeth and then wait to brush her two little nubs. It's funny.

She can take about 4 to 5 steps without falling down, but that is all. We're working on her balance.

Her favorite words this week are "baby" and "puppy." She loves pointing out all the puppies on our walks, and just about everything gets labeled baby... but she especially loves carrying around her own picture saying baby. Perhaps we should call her Zoey more often than baby girl.


She still likes to eat with her feet.

She eats lots of new foods, but her fav are graham crackers. And I love the baby/graham cracker smell.

Her favorite games are still peek-a-boo and playing chase. She loves being chased, and she loves being scared (if I pop around the corner unexpectedly). She also loves when Cary "flies" her around the room. The girl is an adrenaline junky and we're gonna have to start saving for her to go to an amusement park.



At any rate, she's a hoot. I seriously hit the jackpot when it comes to babies. She is easy-going, fun, and adventurous. Love that girl.


Ok, ok I'm done with the photos.

Good morning and goodnight/I wake up at twilight

I hate the pressure to blog sometimes.

I would make a great novelist.

I often suffer from writer's block. And then occasional spurts of "I have 20 things to blog about right now, and there's funny dialogue running through my head! But.... oh wait.... it's not really kosher to post more than once a day."

People don't read your blog if you don't post enough, or if you post too often, or if you say too much, or you don't have cute pictures, blah blah blah. Oh well.

Random ramblings rolling in my head this week:

-I'm exhausted and feel ill... my only logical conclusion is West Nile.

-I'm ALMOST (like sooo close) to my pre-pregnancy weight!
I'm contemplating a 9 months there and back post--for your viewing pleasure ;)
Or to horrify myself into never getting pregnant again! I joke. I joke. Really, as a pat on the back for all the hard work I've done.

-I'm doing the conference-talk-a-day-before-next-gen-conference challenge.
It's fabulous! My favorite quote so far "The most important of all the commandments of God is the one that you are having the most difficulty keeping today" - President Harold B. Lee (Arise and Shine forth by Ann M Dibb)

It just reminds me not to get cocky because I don't sin a specific way, and that sin can be a slippery slop that starts with weakness in any area. May we all strive to be a little better.

-Oh and I need your bestest cupcake recipes! I'm the birthday baker for YW!!! (and since cupcakes are trendy and what not...)

It's always a good time

Zoey's had a lot going on this week.

She has...

...a tooth coming in, finally!
...a new favorite food, hello string cheese.




She learned...

...to wave and say "buh-bye"
...to give kisses when asked for one



She is...

...taking steps 2-3 at a time
...laughing hysterically throughout the day. She LOVES laughing, and it makes me laugh.



Basically she's a pretty awesome baby. I hope she still likes us (parents) when she realizes we're not very cool.... and forgives us for the bath shots...

find, find someone to call mine

Today is Cary and my wedding anniversary!

We felt like after this past year we could use a little get away.

I always feel ridiculous saying "it was a hard year," because let's face it... in the grand scheme, my life is pretty cush.

But, I still felt it would be good for us to get away and regroup, refocus on us, and just enjoy each other while Zoey partied with the grandparents.

Soooo, after scouring the internet for deals away we went to Myrtle Beach while Zoey gleefully soaked up the attention already being poured on her at my parents.

Well, long story short, we ended up back home less than 24 hours later. The trip was a bust, tears were shed, money was wasted, and lessons were learned.

But at least I get to do all these things with this guy!

I wouldn't choose anyone else. Here's to another awesome year!

Hey sugar show me all your love

It's 10:30 am.

*Read: 4.5 hours since I should have gotten out of bed with baby*

I can't be trusted with a computer on a Saturday morning.

(Thanks for the lazy morning Cary)

Rumor has it

Saturday was Zoey's 9 month birthday!

"Say what?"

"Oh my!"

(The girl makes great faces)

It's the big "she's been out as long as she was cooking" day, and I can't say the past 9 months have flown by... and that's a great thing. The further away pregnancy feels the happier I am!

The past month has of course brought a few changes... my baby girl is definitely morphing into a little toddler before my eyes, and the baby days are numbered.

a few stats

-graduated to size 2 diapers

-doubled her birth weight!

-she loves walking around the furniture and now takes these huge steps with a stomp, almost saying "look at me taking these steps!"... we'll see how long before she's really walking

-she weaned herself and she loves trying new foods--but expensive gerber baby snacks are her fav ;)

-She loves laughing and blabbing with her mom. We have a sort of made up language that makes us both laugh and dad feel a little left out... it's a girl thing.

Basically,

We love this age.

We love our baby girl.

Right here waiting for you

So I've never been one to worry about dying.
(quite the opening line, eh...)

I have strong religious beliefs, and am of the mindset that Heaven will be pretty great.
I always figured it wouldn't be a big deal if I were to pass away prematurely.

I would feel bad for my parents, and once I got married I knew I would feel terrible for Cary (and would not-so-secretly hate that he'd most likely get remarried).

BUT,
driving home from the hospital last November something changed.

For lack of a technical term, let's call it MOM-XIETY.

If Cary's 15 minutes late my mind automatically jumps to a worst case scenario. If Zoey is sleeping quietly (she got the snoring gene from her dad), I have to check on her every 30 minutes. And, if we have to drive separate cars, my paranoia about the potential dangers facing half my family grows twenty fold.

I finally understand why my mom had us call ALL the time, and check in every 2 hours, even though we were still at the same friends house.

Mom-xiety.

It sucks.

I read (on pinterest I think) some quote about not worrying about bad things happening, because if they do you'll have lived it twice.

Sounds good.

But how do I actually apply that? I need a treatment for this ailment... because Cary often likes to chat with his workout buddy and I probably have enough horrible scenarios to make 10 years of fictitious 48 Hour specials.

Throw your hands in the air

We love the Olympics.

Our television is on at least 6 hours a day with Olympic coverage.

Of course I'm sure you're experiencing the same thing (if not, jump on this band wagon... it's great).

This is all to say, that it's completely normal that the discussion of which Olympic sport we are gonna steer Zoey towards has come up.

Everyone tells us she shows potential as a gymnast. She has a short mother. She is extremely flexible (even more than most babies, pediatrician confirmed). She has great upper body strength. And now my sisters have taught her how to "stick it", she can flick her fingers with her hands in the air like a USA champion.

Personally, I'm against judged activities. I also think it would be nice to pick a sport that is a)not so absurdly expensive b)not so dangerous c)can be performed past your 20's. What do you think? What sports would you choose for your kids?

(Cary and I also discussed our own potential as olympic athletes--I think I could definitely be a coxswain. Watch out Rio...)

Stood a girl that looked like you

Just hanging with my girl.

Sometimes it's crazy to think how much I love this little girl. All mother's love their children, but I ended up with a pretty cool kid with a great personality (I dare you to spend time with her and come to a different conclusion). I'm one lucky mom.

Slept in all my clothes like I didn't care

I remember when Zoey turned 6 months, looking for her 6 month clothes and not finding any. Although I thought it was odd, that out of all the cute outfits we received as gifts we didn't get any for 6 months, I didn't think too much of it.

Well, we were finally able to get Zoey all moved into her room and what appeared... but tons of cute 6 mo clothes! Lucky us our 9 month old is tiny!

So here's our quick fashion show/thanks for outfitting my child!









Oh wait, that's her birthday suit... whoops. Baby girl doesn't outfit changes... so we'll have to get the other outfits another day.

2 am and she calls me cause I'm still awake

A few years ago, I had a friend who would always call me about 5 minutes after I'd gotten into bed, right at the I'm comfortable and my eyelids are beginning to droop phase before I dozed off into sweet dreams and would summon me for an improptu pancake eating late night chat.

Somehow, my insatiable need for social interaction mixed with intrigue would coax my fatigued body up in the middle of the night for some late-ok middle of the-night flapjacks.

Or was it the love of pancakes?

At any rate, my life lacks spontaneity of this variety and for a moment this evening I missed it a little.

And I miss pancakes.

And perhaps.....

Nope, not going down that road because a cute smiley little girl will be up in 7 hours, and honestly, that metabolism seems to be long gone.

But it's fun to remember.

These are a few of my favorite things

My friend Ashley does a favorite things blog post at the end of every month and invites her readers to link up and share their favorite things.



So I figured I'd share the favorite things on my mind...

1. Insanity. If you've been around me the last month, you've heard me talk about it and I'm sure you're sick of hearing about it.



"I'm smiling cause I love it."

2. Godiva Rewards Club. A free Godiva truffle every month... don't mind if I do! If any of you ever shop at Southpoint mall, ever, you should be swinging by Godiva for a free truffle. It's delicious and it's free... why wouldn't you.



No seriously, why aren't you getting this?

3. Black Out Curtains. Cold house, dark rooms equals baby sleeps equals happy mom.

4. Shark Steam Mop. I love tools that make life easier, and this one makes my life A LOT easier. 'Nuff said.



5. Olympics. It's only every 4 years and it's amazing. So if you haven't been bitten by Olympic fever, perhaps you should compete in an Olympic sport for a season and gain some appreciation ;)... or come over and have a good time with Cary making fun of me while I nervously soak in each event.

I missed you so bad

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Tidbits from the Tremaynes, and she posted about how much she loves summer HERE.

It reminded me of summer as a kid, and also got me thinking how I want to be that mom (but Zoey's not quite big enough), and then I really started reminiscing about the past several summers and started missing my Utah peeps.

I miss playing murder in the dark and other night games in the church building til midnight.

I miss laying out at Seven Peaks followed by Slurpees.

I miss movies in the park, where we spent more time gossiping via text than watching the movie.

I miss volleyball, badminton, bocce, and capture the flag games as soon as the sun went down.

I miss sunday pot lucks up the canyon!



I miss double dates at Trafalga, followed by ice cream, Sweet Tooth fairy or what not.

I miss getting the girls together for So You Think You Can Dance.

I miss our crazy girls v boys competitions during "ward prayer."

I miss cupcake/pie shakes at Sammy's during happy hour.



I miss the many roadtrips.

I could probably go on forever, but we get the point. I had some good summers in Utah, and...

I miss the friends. I love being back in NC, where I've made wonderful new friends, and reconnected with old friends... but I'll always miss my Utah peeps. In some ways they just get me...

Everyone else in the room can see

Zoey is such a Harry Potter Fan she even tried to give herself a lightening scar on the forehead during her morning nap (how the child scratches anything in her mesh sided crib is beyond me).



Ok, so I suck at photography and you can't really see the scratch, but isn't that a funny face?

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Zoey sleeps through the night great.... until this week, girl thinks 2:30am-5:00am is hang out with mom time.

At least come "real" morning she's content to just sit in the lap of her zombie mother.

Three banquets a day, our favorite diet

Zoey is a petite baby girl. She currently weighs 15 lbs and is around the 10th percentile for weight, yet the 75th percentile for height.

BUT MAN THAT GIRL CAN EAT.

True, I don't really have anything to compare (but according to the other mothers at church I think she eats more than most). She eats about 1,000 calories a day (that's almost how much I'm supposed to be eating! and I'm 8+ times her size).

Anyhow, there's no point to this post other than I'm flabbergasted and starting to think I'll need a part time job just to feed her.

(This is what happens when Zoey feeds herself)







Zoey could eat Gerber Puffs all day if I let her

I could spend a lifetime, earning things that I don't need

Some days as a stay at home mom are tough, and unrewarding. There's no measurement for your progress, no acknowledgements of your achievements. You see other women that are showered, well dressed, seemingly less worried about their finances and a small part of you itches for those opportunities...

But then someone else would get to see all these faces.



















And that's just not ok with me.

I love spending my days with her.