tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40378296866793000322024-03-12T22:48:47.293-04:00The Life and Times of an "Em"The story of the whirlwind that is my life as a wife, new mom, writer and foodie...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-8457139037945410142015-03-24T12:04:00.006-04:002015-03-24T12:04:55.276-04:00My Story<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I haven't used this blog for a long time, concentrating most of my posts on recipes over on my other site (<b><a href="http://www.tastymess.org/">www.tastymess.org</a></b>), but when my pastor started a new series at <b><a href="http://orbc.net/" target="_blank">church</a> </b>focusing on how sharing our own personal stories of how we came to Christ and how it has impacted our lives I immediately thought of resurrecting this little blog again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I've been so blessed over the past few weeks watching my friends and other people in our church share their stories through videos and post them on social media using <span style="font-size: large;">#story</span>, I knew I should share my own</b>. You're probably wondering why I'm not doing a video like everyone else and the reason is simple: my phone sucks. Yep, plus I think I'm better communicating through the written word so hang in there with me and<b> I hope you are encouraged to share your own #story by reading mine</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home, I don't remember a time when I wasn't going to church every Sunday. We had family devotions every evening and my sisters and I were regularly involved in <a href="http://awana.org/" target="_blank">AWANA</a> and other church activities.<b> I gave my life to Christ when I was 6 years old during one of those family devotional times and was baptized soon after</b> <i>(I was so short they could only see my pigtails over the baptismal)</i>. I never thought much about what my life without Christ would be like when I was a kid, since I had never really known any different. Like most young children I was focused solely on the fact that I wanted to make sure I went to heaven when I died and that Jesus loved me so I should be "good".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I got older I started questioning my faith. <b>When I was in high school I was a really angry, confused kid and I honestly don't know where I would have ended up if it hadn't been for my youth pastor</b> Bernt King, and his wife Ginger. They took me in as basically one of their family and I spent more time at their house than I did my own for most of my high school years. I asked questions, always wanting to understand more about Christianity, the specifics of it. I got really hung up on doctrinal issues and technicalities and divisions in the faith.<b> Thankfully I had a youth pastor who didn't mind my barrage of questions and took the time to teach me how to think critically about what I believed</b> as well as explore what other world religions taught and how Christianity was different. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made it through high school and went out of state to college. I wanted a fresh start and I certainly got it since I was almost 13 hours away from the town I grew up in.<b> In my senior year of college my faith was really shaken for the first time</b>. I suffered from insomnia and night terrors, usually only sleeping about an hour or two a night. <b>Halfway through the year a childhood friend of mine lost his life tragically </b>and at the same time my family was going through many issues of its own where I felt caught in the middle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I felt lost and completely shut the church and God out of my daily life</b>. I was tired of trying to understand how God could be good and still have horrible things happen to my family and friends. <b>That view was made even worse by the hypocrisy I was beginning to see in the church where I grew up</b>. Members of my family were treated poorly and isolated from families in leadership due to simple things like "wearing too much black" or having different opinions that some of the established long-term members.<b> It really started hardening my heart against the church and I turned my back on the spiritual part of my life for years</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fast-forwarding to 2009, I moved back to Maryland and became engaged to my (now) husband. He had become involved in our current church and I figured I should probably start attending again. <b>I still held onto my core beliefs in Christ, but I had been hurt so much by the church where I grew up, I wasn't sure what to expect</b> when I started attending church again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>God really started healing those old wounds as I started getting back into church, seeing my husband involved and learning about the focus of <a href="http://www.orbc.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">ORBC</span></a></b>. I had never seen or been a part of a church whose focus wasn't so internal. This church's focus was always on the community and how to bring people in and minister to them where they were, no matter where they were in their life. <b>I was stunned, was this what church was supposed to be like? </b>Where was all the bickering, the back-biting, the talking down to others who weren't theological geniuses? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Of course our church isn't perfect, no church is, but I feel like I found a place to worship and learn about God that has its focus in the right place</b> - how to help and heal others and bring them to Christ.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My story is still ongoing and as we have a young daughter, sometimes all I can think about is hoping that by growing up in a church like this, she won't have to walk down that hardened path that I did when I was younger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I hope my story encourages you to share your own <span style="font-size: large;">#story </span>too.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-84424166121102896702014-03-24T19:35:00.001-04:002014-03-24T19:35:17.321-04:00Growing Up With Her Daddy's Guitar<b>Just reflecting a little on how quickly our little "bug" is growing!</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nLZBEZu_1bo/UzDBBJIjKxI/AAAAAAAAGxg/KiBM0U-tLEA/s1600/1-9months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nLZBEZu_1bo/UzDBBJIjKxI/AAAAAAAAGxg/KiBM0U-tLEA/s1600/1-9months.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAovL0ijTTI/UzDBBNO07vI/AAAAAAAAGxc/VtbXs9GsfKs/s1600/12-21months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAovL0ijTTI/UzDBBNO07vI/AAAAAAAAGxc/VtbXs9GsfKs/s1600/12-21months.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-82195100822215891652014-02-02T15:55:00.002-05:002014-02-02T15:55:31.845-05:00A Brief Spring-ish InterludeThose of you who are lucky enough to live in an area that is experiencing a brief spurt of spring weather...<b>get outside!</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S6gQsI8CDGg/Uu6wn4mxu-I/AAAAAAAAGkg/QdNhHmoDu0c/s1600/IMG_5553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S6gQsI8CDGg/Uu6wn4mxu-I/AAAAAAAAGkg/QdNhHmoDu0c/s1600/IMG_5553.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4W-UWcRNm3Y/Uu6wocKJZYI/AAAAAAAAGkk/bEOzItb7ttc/s1600/IMG_5558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4W-UWcRNm3Y/Uu6wocKJZYI/AAAAAAAAGkk/bEOzItb7ttc/s1600/IMG_5558.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-32591771715827890492014-01-15T09:41:00.001-05:002014-01-15T09:41:29.179-05:00A "Little" UpdateJust thought I'd give you all a little update on Baby Knives in photo form. She's rounding on 19 months soon and time really does fly!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLiUNyRRXNE/Utad_1iwAuI/AAAAAAAAGkA/5LTRqrzPBRw/s1600/Fiona18months_Text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLiUNyRRXNE/Utad_1iwAuI/AAAAAAAAGkA/5LTRqrzPBRw/s400/Fiona18months_Text.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WeYlGtJcZGU/UtaeAKFLplI/AAAAAAAAGkE/MzR01ZPC_qs/s1600/Fiona18monthsText.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WeYlGtJcZGU/UtaeAKFLplI/AAAAAAAAGkE/MzR01ZPC_qs/s400/Fiona18monthsText.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-53213963150117664262014-01-13T10:36:00.005-05:002014-01-13T10:37:20.068-05:00Plank Fail<b>It's never fun to admit that you failed at a goal you made publicly. </b>No one enjoys that particular exercise in humility, right? However, I believe if you made the goal publicly you need to follow it up in a similar manner.<b> Damn ethics...</b><br />
<br />
In December I set a goal to do this plank challenge for 30 days, culminating in being able to hold a plank for 5 minutes. <b>Yes. I am insane.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lAMguQQoJGY/UtQGhYoYFvI/AAAAAAAAGjk/8PMdIFfiMiY/s1600/plank-challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lAMguQQoJGY/UtQGhYoYFvI/AAAAAAAAGjk/8PMdIFfiMiY/s320/plank-challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Several friends joined me in this challenge and I gamely started and did it every single day. <b>However, I can only make it to the 3 minute plank</b>. I tried for 2 weeks to increase my time past 3 minutes and my body just won't get there. Frustrating? Of course. However, after 2 fruitless weeks I have decided to abandon the challenge. <b>I'm still pretty proud of accomplishing a 3 minutes plank and plan to revisit the challenge in June to see if I can push it to 5 minutes.</b><br />
<br />
In June of last year I started practicing yoga 3 days a week, then increased it to 5 and now I plan to do it every single day. I've found something I love to do, is good for me fitness-wise and also has helped me meditate, focus and have more peace in my daily life. <b> I know, I sound like some sort of weird yoga groupie, but it seriously has made a huge difference in my life over the past 6+ months. </b><br />
<br />
However, I still want to continue challenging myself every 30 days to add something new to my fitness routine. <b>Although I am abandoning the plank for now (not really, I do it plenty in yoga!), I am taking on my next 30 day challenge, starting today and am pretty excited about it, so check it out below.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1_sPcFblbE/UtQHaC6lREI/AAAAAAAAGjw/s5I9WRYpB8U/s1600/abchallenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1_sPcFblbE/UtQHaC6lREI/AAAAAAAAGjw/s5I9WRYpB8U/s400/abchallenge.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
How have you fared in your own challenges and goals? <b>Anyone feel like adding to my public failure? </b>At least I know I can meet the plank requirements of this challenge already, right? I'll take it!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-89843373551528754172014-01-04T15:00:00.001-05:002014-01-04T15:06:10.092-05:00A Reading Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I thought I'd celebrate this first week of the new year by<b> taking a few minutes to reflect back on some fantastic books</b> I had the privilege to enjoy in 2013.<br />
<br />
While I am a writer I don't tend to enjoy or really excel in writing critiques and reviews, <b>I leave that to my more talented writer friends (check out one of them <a href="http://www.bookkaholic.com/best-books-2013-10-miss/" target="_blank">here</a>).</b> However, I do like to remind myself of some of my favorites of the year.<br />
<br />
I discovered a few authors this who really stood out to me. <b> This short list includes specific authors whose work I hadn't read until 2013.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R8y9trgp-jo/Ushiw_aaOjI/AAAAAAAAGgQ/lZc9BVdR_5U/s1600/Books1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R8y9trgp-jo/Ushiw_aaOjI/AAAAAAAAGgQ/lZc9BVdR_5U/s320/Books1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>AG Howard</b> - "Splintered" (Urban Fantasy/Fiction)<br />
<b>Dana Bates</b> - "The Girls Guide to Love & Supper Clubs" (Chick Lit/Foodie Lit)<br />
<b>Mindy Kaling</b> - "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me" (Fiction/Comedy)<br />
<b>Erin Morganstern</b> - "The Night Circus" (Fiction/Fantasy)<br />
<b>Kate Jacobs</b> - "Comfort Food" (Foodie Lit)<br />
<b>Robin Sloan</b> - "Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore" (Urban Fantasy/Fiction)<br />
<b>Elin Hilderbrand</b> - "Silver Girl" (Fiction)<br />
<b>Luisa Weiss</b> - "My Berlin Kitchen" (Foodie Lit)<br />
<b>Stephanie Evanovich</b> - "Big Girl Panties" (Chick Lit/Fiction)<br />
<b>Sarah Addison Allen</b> - "Garden Spells" (Fiction/Fantasy)<br />
<br />
I guess that list gives you a general cross-section of some of my favorite genres, <b>although there are a few of my longtime favorite authors I also read this year that I can't help but mention.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gS8i7Jeznkk/UshoZeSJiwI/AAAAAAAAGgg/37HYcYfm2ew/s1600/book2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gS8i7Jeznkk/UshoZeSJiwI/AAAAAAAAGgg/37HYcYfm2ew/s320/book2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Kathleen Flinn</b> - "The Kitchen Counter Cooking School" (Foodie Lit)<br />
<b>Jen Lancaster </b>- "The Tao of Martha" (Chick Lit/Memoir)<br />
<b>Neil Gaiman</b> - "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" (Fiction/Fantasy)<br />
<b>Gail Carriger</b> - "Etiquette & Espionage" & "Curtsies & Conspiracies" (Fantasy/Fiction) <br />
<b>Jim C. Hines</b> - "Codex Born" (Urban Fantasy/Fiction)<br />
<b>Ann Aguire</b> - "Horde" (Fantasy/Fiction)<br />
<b>Philippa Gregory</b> - "The White Princess" (Historical Fiction) <br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to discovering more authors in the coming year, as well as continuing to enjoy new releases of some of the ones I've listed here. <b>What were some of your great reads in the past year?</b> Any suggestions to add to my list for the coming year?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-3260466084949844752013-12-30T12:05:00.001-05:002013-12-30T12:09:36.051-05:00A Christmas Wrap-UpWell, here it is, the looming end of 2013 and the post-Christmas season. We took down our Christmas decorations last night (mostly due to the purchase of a fantastic discounted tree-storage container yesterday) and I have spent the morning cleaning the bathrooms, kitchen and master bedroom after finding homes for all of Baby Knives' new toys.<br />
<br />
<b>So can I just say...whew?!</b><br />
<br />
We are incredibly blessed to be able to spend so much time with family over Christmas. <b> Aaron and I are both blessed in the in-law department, in which we actually get along really well with each others parents and siblings. </b> I know that can be kind of rare, but there is pretty much zero interpersonal holiday stress when it comes to family get-togethers and I love that! <b>However, with that much family to juggle it means that we have several "Christmases" and spread the holiday throughout the entire month.</b><br />
<br />
My parents (who now live in Oklahoma) arrived the week before Christmas and spent a few days here on the Eastern Shore with us. It was so nice to have them here, just part of our daily routine and it gave them a chance to really start bonding with Baby Knives. <b>My dad often travels East on business, so he sees her more often, but my mom hasn't been able to see her youngest grandbaby since last Christmas! </b>Those of you who are grandparents know how hard that can be. We spent some time at the park and just playing, enjoying some low-key family time together.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbxbmQcfS_E/UsGclWemcbI/AAAAAAAAGdM/AqO_Qu7rG5w/s1600/IMG_5262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbxbmQcfS_E/UsGclWemcbI/AAAAAAAAGdM/AqO_Qu7rG5w/s320/IMG_5262.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using Grandma as her own personal recliner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRtcHSI7zEI/UsGclT4ygpI/AAAAAAAAGdE/YoNqwM9Z22E/s1600/IMG_5265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRtcHSI7zEI/UsGclT4ygpI/AAAAAAAAGdE/YoNqwM9Z22E/s320/IMG_5265.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swinging with Grandpa & Grandma pushing is SO FUN!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_3bRS0fXQAk/UsGcloEGqRI/AAAAAAAAGdI/XL3J3JOU-7A/s1600/IMG_5288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_3bRS0fXQAk/UsGcloEGqRI/AAAAAAAAGdI/XL3J3JOU-7A/s320/IMG_5288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad is mostly a kid too - not bad for a Grandpa!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The weekend before Christmas we all caravan-ed up to Baltimore to celebrate our family Christmas at my sister's house. </b> Baby Knives got to play with her cousins and we got to spend time with family we haven't gotten to see in 9+ months.<br />
<br />
We also (unfortunately) discovered that Baby Knives has now hit what we hope is a short-lived phase of getting overwhelmed by lots of people in a different environment than she's used to and throwing giant screaming nearly-inconsolable tantrums. <b> Any of my parent friends out there commiserating with me right now?</b><br />
<br />
Even with the frustrations of a now-tantrum-throwing toddler, there were a few nice moments...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEbxwGrSSDw/UsGixN8gC_I/AAAAAAAAGds/FsvUkMjj5Fk/s1600/1483059_10151924312463860_765536216_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEbxwGrSSDw/UsGixN8gC_I/AAAAAAAAGds/FsvUkMjj5Fk/s320/1483059_10151924312463860_765536216_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We managed to get one decent picture of the cousins!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCBD7JBVno4/UsGixF8o33I/AAAAAAAAGdk/e1omGPi3Fok/s1600/1546306_10151924311023860_1433938207_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCBD7JBVno4/UsGixF8o33I/AAAAAAAAGdk/e1omGPi3Fok/s320/1546306_10151924311023860_1433938207_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids had a great time in the warm weather this year</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7a89zeXVnpM/UsGiyFqQ0bI/AAAAAAAAGd4/BJnPQU50SfU/s1600/IMG_5306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7a89zeXVnpM/UsGiyFqQ0bI/AAAAAAAAGd4/BJnPQU50SfU/s320/IMG_5306.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby's first lollipop - kept her quiet and happy at the restaurant!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuAdB-heVK0/UsGiyRU6jXI/AAAAAAAAGeE/YEoiY4JcOdc/s1600/IMG_5317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuAdB-heVK0/UsGiyRU6jXI/AAAAAAAAGeE/YEoiY4JcOdc/s320/IMG_5317.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 7-year-old nephew loved his gift from us this year!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n9ySVHbS4XI/UsGiyqBMMxI/AAAAAAAAGeA/CygHjcUTuHM/s1600/IMG_5335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n9ySVHbS4XI/UsGiyqBMMxI/AAAAAAAAGeA/CygHjcUTuHM/s320/IMG_5335.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Following in her daddy's footsteps with her own guitar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We headed back home and started preparing for our own small family Christmas on Christmas Day. I made traditional oyster stew for dinner on Christmas Eve night, we wrapped Baby Knives' presents from us and her relatives from out-of-state and settled down to enjoy our evening...until I came down with a violent stomach bug.<br />
<br />
<b>Yep. Sick over Christmas and then my husband got it a few days later!</b> Thankfully Baby Knives was exempt from all the pukey fun, but it definitely put a damper on our own little Christmas. It also is the reason you won't see many pictures of me below!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwqu0_GH8Ko/UsGkDXOiLYI/AAAAAAAAGeg/uwYmxIPigkI/s1600/IMAG1355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwqu0_GH8Ko/UsGkDXOiLYI/AAAAAAAAGeg/uwYmxIPigkI/s320/IMAG1355.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Christmas jammies are a tradition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1gJj1JSsLA/UsGkDTHTPNI/AAAAAAAAGeo/Q6U4u4ybKLk/s1600/IMG_5381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1gJj1JSsLA/UsGkDTHTPNI/AAAAAAAAGeo/Q6U4u4ybKLk/s320/IMG_5381.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, on Christmas Eve night before I started getting sick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ8iR4nLZkE/UsGkDYTlg8I/AAAAAAAAGek/AUgtHyNBh_4/s1600/IMG_5391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ8iR4nLZkE/UsGkDYTlg8I/AAAAAAAAGek/AUgtHyNBh_4/s320/IMG_5391.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening gifts on Christmas morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Are you still with me? I know this is a long post, but hang in there! </b>Our final Christmas with my husband's family took place the weekend after Christmas at my in-law's house. <b> Baby Knives has so many cousins, all the kids were there and I loved being able to see them (and my sisters and brothers-in-law too of course!)</b>, especially little Layla who is only 2 weeks older than Baby Knives. I love that she has a cousin so close to her in age, it's been fun so far seeing them grow up!<br />
<br />
<b>My husband's family is crazy. Hilarious, but insane. </b> So, the photos definitely reflect our shared insane personalities!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7w1-EUYIC0/UsGk8O-NNZI/AAAAAAAAGe8/CLz1SbFAfDE/s1600/1472781_10201211939845217_1858392200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7w1-EUYIC0/UsGk8O-NNZI/AAAAAAAAGe8/CLz1SbFAfDE/s320/1472781_10201211939845217_1858392200_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother-in-law AKA Captain America</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rgsUa7e56xk/UsGk8NL0MtI/AAAAAAAAGfE/L6b_CXVPfoM/s1600/1525204_10201219496474128_1269478921_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rgsUa7e56xk/UsGk8NL0MtI/AAAAAAAAGfE/L6b_CXVPfoM/s320/1525204_10201219496474128_1269478921_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our oldest niece, modeling the tiara she made</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1JPuA3lqjT0/UsGk8JZNRtI/AAAAAAAAGfA/KZYLxnAoyWA/s1600/IMAG1364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1JPuA3lqjT0/UsGk8JZNRtI/AAAAAAAAGfA/KZYLxnAoyWA/s320/IMAG1364.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggle time with "Mimi"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrVmwICPCcI/UsGk9Dm48CI/AAAAAAAAGfQ/Y7QPo9VBqBo/s1600/IMAG1366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrVmwICPCcI/UsGk9Dm48CI/AAAAAAAAGfQ/Y7QPo9VBqBo/s320/IMAG1366.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the great outdoors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQIKgedam-4/UsGk-McW_3I/AAAAAAAAGf0/1DMEgi0286M/s1600/IMG_5419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQIKgedam-4/UsGk-McW_3I/AAAAAAAAGf0/1DMEgi0286M/s320/IMG_5419.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2 oldest cousins hanging out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6CXo9MC_sW8/UsGk9R8m8nI/AAAAAAAAGfo/pyV521016zM/s1600/IMG_5407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6CXo9MC_sW8/UsGk9R8m8nI/AAAAAAAAGfo/pyV521016zM/s320/IMG_5407.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wrapping paper carnage is heaven for toddlers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K97oWY5PpqQ/UsGk-eWlVUI/AAAAAAAAGf4/LeLcnbAxhVY/s1600/IMG_5420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K97oWY5PpqQ/UsGk-eWlVUI/AAAAAAAAGf4/LeLcnbAxhVY/s320/IMG_5420.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Aaron reading a new book to the kiddos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Cn_Y2-JVF4/UsGk9Lp7hqI/AAAAAAAAGfs/WDySTMNaP3k/s1600/IMAG1372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Cn_Y2-JVF4/UsGk9Lp7hqI/AAAAAAAAGfs/WDySTMNaP3k/s320/IMAG1372.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas is exhausting!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And with that final celebration, I will end my post. <b>Christmastime
this year was eventful, exhausting and stressful at times with sporadic
toddler tantrums, but there were some good memories too. </b>Here's to
a hopefully more stable toddler next year! Hope all of your
Christmases were merry and bright and here's to a fantastic new year in
2014!<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-16967628585231521772013-12-01T17:29:00.000-05:002013-12-01T17:29:52.233-05:00Christmas Tree ExcitementIt is officially the Christmas season in our house, the tree is up! Last year, Baby Knives was only 6 months old so she really didn't care about the tree. This year she got super excited when she woke up from her nap and saw it for the first time!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HA0XHcy6EJ0?rel=0" width="545"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I love that she's old enough this year to get excited about parts of celebrating Christmas. She'll meet Santa for the first time this year too, so we'll see how that goes! Next year she might even be old enough to help with the decorating, but for now she's doing really well not touching the tree, so I'll take it!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-56856370556308893982013-11-18T16:17:00.001-05:002013-11-18T16:18:06.569-05:00In The Moment<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IaEr_5DT6G8/UoqBJtBMX1I/AAAAAAAAGZs/ku_JObLgXww/s1600/IMAG1264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IaEr_5DT6G8/UoqBJtBMX1I/AAAAAAAAGZs/ku_JObLgXww/s400/IMAG1264.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's 70 degrees outside in mid-November, enjoy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I want to just take a few minutes and list a few things I love about my daughter right now. <b>As of today she is 17 months old and is sitting next to me on the couch laughing at Cookie Monster as he tries not to eat the letter of the day on Sesame Street.</b><br />
<br />
It's really easy for me to just let the days fly off the calendar (cue time-passing graphic here) without stopping to appreciate the little things she does at this age that make me laugh, smile, groan and sometimes struggle not to swear under my breath!<br />
<br />
Lately I've been worried. I know, as a parent I should get used to worrying about my kid 24/7/365, but this is different.<b> I've been watching her develop, and everything seems on track except her speech</b>. Our pediatrician said it's nothing to worry about yet, that different kids develop at different speeds. I have friends whose siblings or children haven't started really talking until age 2 or 3, but still - how to stop the worry? <b>My brain is one that can take one simple little concern and skyrocket it into full-blown panic in less than a minute</b>. It stews in the background and then explodes in a complete freak-out concern that my child will never speak. I keep asking myself what I could be doing wrong, am I doing enough to interact with her, to make sure she understands, do let her watch too much TV while I'm trying to work, etc. etc.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>It's exhausting.</b><br />
<br />
Today I decided to try to let go. Of course I talk to her all day, read with her, play with her and point out familiar items and what they're called. <b> But I'm trying to take the pressure off. To slow down the freak-out so I don't miss out on these everyday moments with he</b>r.<br />
<br />
Today we took the time to just go outside for a walk to get the mail (takes about 30 minutes with her tiny legs!), play in the damp grass and just enjoy running around and laughing together. <b>No stress for me because she doesn't form words yet, no pressure to "teach" her something constantly</b>. Just a fun walk with my daughter...and her teeny little 17-month-old legs.<br />
<br />
In the spirit of stopping to enjoy my daughter,<b> here are my top 5 things about her at this age</b> that I want to remember:<br />
<br />
<b>1. </b>She LOVES her blankie (always has) and has taken to sniffing it and laying her cheek against it when she's tired or wants a little comfort.<br />
<br />
<b>2.</b> Everything is a chase, she thinks its hilarious even when I'm just walking at a normal pace behind her. She'll turn back, laugh, and attempt to speed up to "run" away so I'll chase her.<br />
<br />
<b>3.</b> She has discovered her nose. And how much of her pointer finger will fit into it. Of course.<br />
<br />
<b>4. </b>When she gets excited or wants to dance, she does this stomping shuffle-dance that looks like river-dancing, it cracks me up and I especially love it when she does it getting out of the bathtub so she gets to add splashing to her river-dancing moves.<br />
<br />
<b>5. </b>Stacking is her favorite thing. She loves her ring-stacking toy and gets really pissed when she puts them on in the wrong order and they won't fit. It's probably a little wrong how funny I think it is when she gets mad at inanimate objects!<br />
<br />
Does this mean I won't worry? Of course not. <b>It's impossible for me not to worry, but I'm trying to let go at least a little bit and not let the worry make me miss out on the everyday fun with her.</b> Before too long she'll be all grown-up and walking away from me for real!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrVkDNX816U/UoqDVszRh-I/AAAAAAAAGaE/KbkDaaB_7Oo/s1600/Walking_Nov2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrVkDNX816U/UoqDVszRh-I/AAAAAAAAGaE/KbkDaaB_7Oo/s400/Walking_Nov2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-63097805637391900632013-11-10T13:05:00.003-05:002013-11-10T16:29:46.879-05:00It All Started With Yoga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yBAHGGPuCMg/Un_JpFT16eI/AAAAAAAAGZM/1LXXvY3jHWk/s1600/yogafunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yBAHGGPuCMg/Un_JpFT16eI/AAAAAAAAGZM/1LXXvY3jHWk/s400/yogafunny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Starting this past summer, I've really been trying to adapt into a healthier way of life.</b> I have stayed away from fad diets, have been working on portion control, adding more fruits and veggies into my daily meals and tried my best to keep away from overly processed foods...with the exception of an occasional shameburger (AKA McDonald's $1 cheeseburger).<br />
<br />
However, the most important change to me has been putting a workout routine into place. In the past I have exercised sporadically, due to wanting to drop a few pounds or because I knew I should. But<b> I always felt the effort was kind of half-assed and barely lasted a month or so because I got so bored with a treadmill</b>. This time has been different and I'm pretty happy about it! The big difference is that I discovered yoga.<b> I never thought I could really do well at yoga and these past 5 months have completely proved me wrong</b>. Now, I might look slightly ridiculous doing some of the poses (thanks boobs), but I do them nonetheless!<br />
<br />
I eased myself into doing yoga just 3 times a week for 20 minutes a day (something most working at home moms can manage!). After just a month, I really found myself loving it. I dropped weight (always a plus), felt calmer, noticed my posture improving and even felt more in control of my eating habits. <b> I started adding on more days and soon I began practicing yoga 5 or even 6 days a week</b>.<br />
<br />
It felt great, but I knew I needed to challenge myself more now that I was more used to having a dedicated time to work out every day. <b>For the past 3 weeks I've added a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj2lgl0PsYw" target="_blank">higher intensity cross-fit-style workout routine</a> 3 days a week and do yoga on the alternating days</b>. I'm actually enjoying the challenge and find myself speeding up, adding reps and challenging myself without dreading my workouts...something I never would have thought possible back in the beginning of the summer. My next step, starting in December, will be to add some weight-lifting to my yoga days.<br />
<br />
Have I dropped all the weight I want? Not yet, but I've made a great start and am also now losing inches too, which feels great. <b>For the first time in my life I feel like I'm in control of my health</b> (to some degree) and am actually making the changes I need to get the results I want.<br />
<br />
<b>I've also boosted my own confidence in knowing I can choose a habit and stick with it, so I'm seeing positive results in other areas of my life</b>. I've decided to set aside 30 minutes a day to work on my second novel, a book that has been sitting with hardly any progress made since before my daughter was born (16 months ago). This week alone that discipline has resulted in 5 new pages!<br />
<br />
I guess what my mom used to tell me was right, that if I could just focus my strong will and stubbornness in the right direction I could accomplish great things. <b>Thanks mom, once again, you were right!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-88770565095993398712013-10-27T09:17:00.001-04:002013-10-27T09:17:38.962-04:00A Disingenuous Happy Halloween<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9WHvjOvnwWw/Um0R0eyJWHI/AAAAAAAAGWE/I_1aP-ZrJZY/s1600/IMG_5140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9WHvjOvnwWw/Um0R0eyJWHI/AAAAAAAAGWE/I_1aP-ZrJZY/s400/IMG_5140.JPG" width="300" /></a><b>Happy Halloween!</b><br />
<br />
Ok, not really, since Halloween isn't until Thursday...and <b>I don't really feel genuine wishing anyone a happy Halloween because it is my least favorite holiday</b>, but I have a daughter now, so I have to fake my excitement over the holiday!<br />
<br />
At least she's still young enough not to be into the creepy/gross/scary/potentially slutty parts of the "holiday", right? 16 months is a little young for me to be worried about<b> <a href="http://suburbanturmoil.com/hoochieween/2013/10/14/#prettyphoto[13050]/11/" target="_blank">these costumes</a></b>, right? I think we have a few more years of Disney princess and fairy costumes before we morph into the horrors of those!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5VZ7CEN3sIU/Um0R0QBfcuI/AAAAAAAAGWI/hMzdKdep5oM/s1600/IMG_5141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5VZ7CEN3sIU/Um0R0QBfcuI/AAAAAAAAGWI/hMzdKdep5oM/s400/IMG_5141.JPG" width="300" /></a>One of the parental perks (as I'm sure all you parents of toddlers know) comes at Halloween, <b>where we get to eat our kid's trick-or-treating candy!</b> Call me crazy but I'm not letting our 16 month old chow down on a bag full of almond joys, sweetarts and bubblegum. Now, just so you don't think we're horrible people, I'll let you know that <b>we took our supercute kangaroo out for ice cream after trick-or-treating so she wasn't totally robbed of a sugar buzz.</b><br />
<br />
Our local zoo does some cool Halloween events and the one we took Baby Knives to was their <b>"non-scary" Halloween trick-or-treating afternoon</b>. We got to walk all through the zoo and get candy from different stations set up throughout the park, there were free games and ones you could play using purchased tickets, it was pretty cute! I think she'll enjoy it a little more next year, since she's a little young for most of the games now, but it was nice to get her out in her little costume and who doesn't love free candy?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>And with that, I begrudgingly wish you a happy Halloween!</b> <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sE5kIOPBPBA/Um0R0Qx46AI/AAAAAAAAGWA/pDDpQbKDQ8I/s1600/IMG_5156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sE5kIOPBPBA/Um0R0Qx46AI/AAAAAAAAGWA/pDDpQbKDQ8I/s400/IMG_5156.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patiently waiting for her promised post-trick-or-treating ice cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Y34rtGMZlc/Um0R1VlDrrI/AAAAAAAAGWY/RNjxLh4DEYQ/s1600/IMG_5158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Y34rtGMZlc/Um0R1VlDrrI/AAAAAAAAGWY/RNjxLh4DEYQ/s400/IMG_5158.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest kangaroo EVER!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-87600487823702199652013-10-01T11:00:00.000-04:002013-10-01T11:01:06.435-04:00Happy 30th PA-Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSzeUp761dE/UkrghDvVFLI/AAAAAAAAGS4/iABZP5HBpz4/s1600/30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSzeUp761dE/UkrghDvVFLI/AAAAAAAAGS4/iABZP5HBpz4/s1600/30.jpg" /></a></div>
Well, it's happened...<b>I turned 30 this weekend and the world kept on turning</b>. Honestly, I wasn't freaking out too much over the whole turning 30 thing, due largely to the fact that half the time I feel like I'm still playing at being an adult. <b> Also, we planned a long weekend trip up to Lancaster, PA in celebration of my birthday!</b><br />
<br />
For those of you who don't know, I would say <b>about 70% of our friends and a decent chunk of our family lives in the Lancaster area</b>. It is our home away from home and we hope to make it our actual full-time home within the next few years. <b> We hadn't been able to make a trip since I was just barely pregnant with Baby Knives (who is now 15 months old), so we were missing a lot of fantastic people</b>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_fZ2UczkBY/Ukrg9R4DqsI/AAAAAAAAGTA/Wo1sQVXVqTk/s1600/1383022_10202174815429839_1280264044_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_fZ2UczkBY/Ukrg9R4DqsI/AAAAAAAAGTA/Wo1sQVXVqTk/s320/1383022_10202174815429839_1280264044_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We were able to shift some work scheduling around and spend Fri-Mon with friends and family. It was an amazing trip. <b>Honestly, the perfect blend of relaxation and scheduled stuff to do</b>. My husband got to play a gig with his brother's band (<a href="http://www.thepigmerchants.com/tpmhome.htm" target="_blank">The Pig Merchants</a>, check them out!), we had a laid back lunchtime celebration with a bunch of our friends and everyone's kids on Saturday and got to spend Sunday evening with one of my favorite families on the planet, my former youth pastor and his family, who are basically an extension of my own family. <b>It was a great balance of time spent with friends and our family.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ibBdm6mRFvA/UkriH_vM8VI/AAAAAAAAGTk/G7CrE3pOeGE/s1600/30thBirthdayCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ibBdm6mRFvA/UkriH_vM8VI/AAAAAAAAGTk/G7CrE3pOeGE/s320/30thBirthdayCollage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Baby Knives got to spend a lot of time with 3 of her cousins (ages 4 1/2, 3 and 15 months) and had a blast running around, chewing on everything and trying to learn how to climb up the stairs. <b>She was a champ traveling, did really well in the car and even took a snooze on the way there (this is unheard of for her!)</b>. Buying that travel DVD player for the car was by far the best purchase we've ever made! She napped pretty well and slept all night in a pack n' play, so most of my travel concerns with her were proved to be moot. Love that :).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zx4Smit0TtI/UkrjVyIDRzI/AAAAAAAAGTw/e_sfjidudOE/s1600/30thBirthdayKids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zx4Smit0TtI/UkrjVyIDRzI/AAAAAAAAGTw/e_sfjidudOE/s320/30thBirthdayKids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It was so hard saying goodbye and heading home yesterday. <b>Hopefully we can make another similar trip in the spring!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-3180642975924644562013-08-16T13:20:00.000-04:002013-08-16T13:20:53.428-04:00Dance, Dance, YEAH!For all of my fellow moms of toddlers out here, just had to post this...<br />
<br />
Baby Knives loves her some Sesame Street and since she took her first steps about 2 weeks ago, she's a little ways off from dancing on her own, but she tries so hard!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PzEaD8kiMvo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
I especially love her raspberry at the end - that's my girl!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-7428336838776537142013-08-02T11:44:00.001-04:002013-08-02T11:44:17.635-04:00Vacation Days<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy1o2NwoQZ0/UfvTf3_OZtI/AAAAAAAAGOY/cgfUbX6Gg5s/s1600/GroupFamilyPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy1o2NwoQZ0/UfvTf3_OZtI/AAAAAAAAGOY/cgfUbX6Gg5s/s400/GroupFamilyPhoto.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were missing my husband's brother and his family, but hopefully they can make it next year!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week we went on <b>our first family vacation since Baby Knives was born</b>. To be honest, we haven't done a lot of vacationing ourselves due to my husband's crazy work schedule in the medical field, so this was a rare treat.<br />
<br />
Every summer my in-laws rent a house on the beach for a week and invite their kids and respective families to come for however many days they can. We were able to make it from Thurs-Sun this year and hopefully can stay longer next year. T<b>his year the house was in Southern Shores, NC and it was absolutely beautiful</b>. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather while we we were there. We got to enjoy each others company, the beach and a few local restaurants. Next year we hope we can do more sightseeing and introduce Baby Knives to some of our favorite spots in the Kittyhawk area. Pretty sure she'll be a big kite fan!<br />
<br />
<b>Baby Knives had never seen the ocean before and she greeted it with her usual calm demeanor</b> and would have happily sat on her Mimi's lap letting the waves splash their legs all day long. I credit her sleeping well the entire trip to her cousins and the beach wearing her out each day! I can't wait to take her next year when she'll be running all over the sand, it'll be insane but a ton of fun.<br />
<br />
<b>Below are a few of our favorite snapshots of our mini-vacation</b> (so thankful we bought a portable DVD player for Baby Knives before we left, it made the 4 hour drive bearable!)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EcHxz1lS1j4/UfvSpleRDqI/AAAAAAAAGOA/UOUh4DiKX0g/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EcHxz1lS1j4/UfvSpleRDqI/AAAAAAAAGOA/UOUh4DiKX0g/s400/JulyVacation2013+(7).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our beachhouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4nhkLlhagE4/UfvSm8hnYmI/AAAAAAAAGNY/fPh7140Zq7U/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(28).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4nhkLlhagE4/UfvSm8hnYmI/AAAAAAAAGNY/fPh7140Zq7U/s400/JulyVacation2013+(28).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Knives taking a break from the waves with Mimi & Poppy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0T94e4nl6_w/UfvSm5gXX-I/AAAAAAAAGNU/3XslaDAE1QQ/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(32).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0T94e4nl6_w/UfvSm5gXX-I/AAAAAAAAGNU/3XslaDAE1QQ/s400/JulyVacation2013+(32).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family pic!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VkefIbnuSSw/UfvSl_NqmbI/AAAAAAAAGNI/Kpdat9GJaIA/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(41).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VkefIbnuSSw/UfvSl_NqmbI/AAAAAAAAGNI/Kpdat9GJaIA/s400/JulyVacation2013+(41).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking on the waves for the first time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yyq5ZME4Axw/UfvSnCWlmoI/AAAAAAAAGNQ/wRno0LKNMms/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(48).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yyq5ZME4Axw/UfvSnCWlmoI/AAAAAAAAGNQ/wRno0LKNMms/s400/JulyVacation2013+(48).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She could have done this all day long!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aJIeIbKMZb0/UfvSoRa6DfI/AAAAAAAAGNo/JdnNTNew_wk/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(62).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aJIeIbKMZb0/UfvSoRa6DfI/AAAAAAAAGNo/JdnNTNew_wk/s320/JulyVacation2013+(62).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach towel playtime with her cousin Lilly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yG3ItwqjzkI/UfvSotCLtGI/AAAAAAAAGNw/Cnk9ZZ325ds/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(64).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yG3ItwqjzkI/UfvSotCLtGI/AAAAAAAAGNw/Cnk9ZZ325ds/s400/JulyVacation2013+(64).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her cousin, Lance, the surfer dude at age 4 1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPGQlxlH-VA/UfvSpvDc5OI/AAAAAAAAGOE/39azpqmPiFU/s1600/JulyVacation2013+(72).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPGQlxlH-VA/UfvSpvDc5OI/AAAAAAAAGOE/39azpqmPiFU/s400/JulyVacation2013+(72).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too sure about putting her feet down in the sand!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-1252924153491770862013-07-17T09:20:00.005-04:002013-07-17T09:21:22.695-04:00Attack of the Creepy Crawlies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tz3IJheEfOU/UeaZ2OgRMtI/AAAAAAAAGMI/jdIOzpr_LGA/s1600/bugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tz3IJheEfOU/UeaZ2OgRMtI/AAAAAAAAGMI/jdIOzpr_LGA/s320/bugs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is a particular level of "ick" that bugs force me to reach that is exclusive only to their squishy, creepy, crawly little selves. <b>I've never like insects</b>. Unlike my younger sister who once went through a fascination with crickets as a child that made us occasionally wonder about her sanity, I have always hated bugs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>That being said, it seems that the insect community is out to get me</b>. They've caught a whiff of my fear and loathing and have decided to use it against me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Paranoid?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think not.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the past 3 weeks, every time I have walked into the back lobby of our office, there has been a dead beetle-type bug just laying plop in the middle of a shiny, clean tile hallway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First of all, where are they coming from? This leads me to the disturbing answer that they must be dropping from the ceiling. <b>Currently stifling the urge to wear one of those umbrella hats whenever I need to use the back lobby</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Second of all, if they aren't falling from the ceiling, what is going on?! Are they attempting to cross the wide expanse of tile, only to have a tiny heart attack and flip over on their backs to face their demise halfway across the room?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Neither option makes me happy.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HU9MZYhUPM/UeaZ17DNXnI/AAAAAAAAGMM/ojKRy7KH6yY/s1600/bugs2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HU9MZYhUPM/UeaZ17DNXnI/AAAAAAAAGMM/ojKRy7KH6yY/s1600/bugs2.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b>At home the ick factor continues.<b> We are currently being accosted by spiders.</b> All kinds! Thankfully, most of them have been confined to outdoor lurking, but every once in awhile one makes it in. The other night I was giving our 1-year-old daughter a bath in "her" bathroom and, just as I was drying her off, I spotted movement in the corner of the ceiling. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unable to help myself, I looked up and saw a gigantic black spider dangling in the corner over the toilet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Note: Always check the ceiling before "using" the bathroom!</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I did what any normal person would do. <b> I grabbed my daughter, ran out of the room and slammed the door; declaring that the bathroom now belonged to the spider</b>...at least until my husband got home and blasted the damn thing into its composite parts.<i><b> </b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have no problem with bugs and spiders inhabiting the "great" outdoors. <b>This is largely why I am an "indoorsy" person, along with a hatred of sleeping on the ground, enduring non-air conditioned surroundings and sweating while sitting still.</b> However, when bugs decide to inhabit my space? Bring it on - I am buying anti-spider spray and a gas mask.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-52149147012694932922013-06-29T18:41:00.001-04:002013-06-29T18:41:26.129-04:00Shake it Like a Polaroid PictureCouldn't resist posting this latest video of Baby Knives! Any time her daddy busts out his guitar (which is often) she is enthralled by the music. He was running through an acoustic version of this song for his set this evening and it really tickled her, not to mention it got her dancing!<br />
<br />
We were heading to the pool, so she's stylin' in her swimsuit too!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bjoPPubcwD0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-30481909286226116942013-06-23T11:49:00.000-04:002013-06-23T11:51:05.756-04:00We Made It: A Celebration of Baby KnivesThere were days I never thought I'd make it to post about this...Baby Knives' first birthday. <b> We did it. We survived our first year of parenting</b>. We had a lot of ups and downs, quite a few tears, but so many precious memories. It's hard to imagine our life without our little bug and we had a blast celebrating her birthday.<br />
<br />
<b>On her actual birthday we had a special dinner with just the three of us and she enjoyed (read: smooshed) her very first cupcake</b>. We opened gifts from family and friends who live out of state and out of the country and laughed at Baby Knives' unabashed love of eating wrapping paper!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JjmCpzpVssE?list=UU1HdgcDS0nhFsMNiRPaWWpA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ua8mAa5kdqU/UccWzVGtrQI/AAAAAAAAGIg/yLXnJywsqxg/s1600/Presents+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ua8mAa5kdqU/UccWzVGtrQI/AAAAAAAAGIg/yLXnJywsqxg/s400/Presents+(3).JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VTRE7ZuG2YA/UccW0PgCIrI/AAAAAAAAGI0/WO-fH6Vv4Kk/s1600/Presents+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VTRE7ZuG2YA/UccW0PgCIrI/AAAAAAAAGI0/WO-fH6Vv4Kk/s400/Presents+(9).JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zS98WtoawfQ/UccWzN-dDdI/AAAAAAAAGIc/wkpLThePPVo/s1600/Presents+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zS98WtoawfQ/UccWzN-dDdI/AAAAAAAAGIc/wkpLThePPVo/s400/Presents+(11).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W6wNyGXNao8/UccWzHaZHSI/AAAAAAAAGIY/Jj9HmSXEKis/s1600/Presents+(27).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W6wNyGXNao8/UccWzHaZHSI/AAAAAAAAGIY/Jj9HmSXEKis/s400/Presents+(27).JPG" width="342" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We had a party with family and friends this past weekend, mostly to celebrate that we all survived Baby Knives' first year! <b>She loves Sesame Street so we went with that theme</b>. Didn't go nuts, <b>I'm not a Pinterest-crazy parent</b>, but had a few decorations and made Elmo and Cookie Monster cupcakes for fun. The kids played in the pool, with squirtguns, sidewalk chalk and bubbles - all in all it was a great time and wore all of the little ones out so they took great naps in the late afternoon. <b>As a parent, what more could you ask for?</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fNOcH5-nKOs?list=UU1HdgcDS0nhFsMNiRPaWWpA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/82870pGF5Oc?list=UU1HdgcDS0nhFsMNiRPaWWpA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OMBy83gnR8c?list=UU1HdgcDS0nhFsMNiRPaWWpA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us and helped make Baby Knives' first birthday really special and a lot of fun...here's to what the next year brings!</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5ve0UbLDdk/UccYH8L6ibI/AAAAAAAAGJI/K4To1IkEKDo/s1600/IMG_4554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5ve0UbLDdk/UccYH8L6ibI/AAAAAAAAGJI/K4To1IkEKDo/s400/IMG_4554.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DLuTDtX2STk/UccYILZSxNI/AAAAAAAAGJM/euro9gO77w0/s1600/IMG_4568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DLuTDtX2STk/UccYILZSxNI/AAAAAAAAGJM/euro9gO77w0/s400/IMG_4568.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfxJXQLMMWY/UccYIZSyTII/AAAAAAAAGJY/-jE9hPSj10M/s1600/IMG_4576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfxJXQLMMWY/UccYIZSyTII/AAAAAAAAGJY/-jE9hPSj10M/s400/IMG_4576.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--7Ss5N08oLs/UccYIpK395I/AAAAAAAAGJg/mVhgyr4oA8w/s1600/IMG_4579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--7Ss5N08oLs/UccYIpK395I/AAAAAAAAGJg/mVhgyr4oA8w/s400/IMG_4579.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8kxameN8K8g/UccYI3PntfI/AAAAAAAAGJc/Tf7r3aXdNlc/s1600/IMG_4582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8kxameN8K8g/UccYI3PntfI/AAAAAAAAGJc/Tf7r3aXdNlc/s400/IMG_4582.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dx180e3MI9w/UccYJXY8bYI/AAAAAAAAGJo/osdYsLB3ywg/s1600/IMG_4590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dx180e3MI9w/UccYJXY8bYI/AAAAAAAAGJo/osdYsLB3ywg/s400/IMG_4590.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPY1Zm_uv8Y/UccYJn5pFtI/AAAAAAAAGKA/g7B-QC-qQvQ/s1600/IMG_4616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPY1Zm_uv8Y/UccYJn5pFtI/AAAAAAAAGKA/g7B-QC-qQvQ/s400/IMG_4616.JPG" width="280" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-acVqKQeT15Y/UccYJ4Yn1BI/AAAAAAAAGJ4/LkfYoUSmG2E/s1600/Party+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-acVqKQeT15Y/UccYJ4Yn1BI/AAAAAAAAGJ4/LkfYoUSmG2E/s400/Party+(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bYr0dT5axMs/UccYJx1JtpI/AAAAAAAAGJ8/BneKRG77ODk/s1600/Party+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bYr0dT5axMs/UccYJx1JtpI/AAAAAAAAGJ8/BneKRG77ODk/s400/Party+(4).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-24815976809539537462013-05-31T12:56:00.005-04:002013-05-31T12:57:45.529-04:00A Long-Awaited UpdateOh faithful blog readers, I have to apologize once again for my erratic postings. <b> I do have a fabulous excuse this time that will hopefully garner me some slack</b>...we moved to a new apartment last weekend! Yes, Memorial Day weekend might be the worst possible weekend to move, but <b>we did it with the help of some fantastic friends who probably will never speak to us again since we didn't tell anyone we'd be moving umpteen boxes of books up to our 3rd floor apartment</b>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZX7TiEQrHPA/UajSgcazJ-I/AAAAAAAAGD0/m1uoPkL4WmU/s1600/moving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZX7TiEQrHPA/UajSgcazJ-I/AAAAAAAAGD0/m1uoPkL4WmU/s400/moving.jpg" width="392" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Needless to say, next time we move (hopefully not for at least another year or two!), we'll be hiring movers and sparing the collective backs and knees of our community.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Even though all the insanity of packing with an 11-month-old crawling around, trying to eat tape and cardboard, it was absolutely worth it</b>. Our new place is 200 square feet bigger and has an open floor plan so I can basically give Baby Knives free reign to crawl all over the place as long as I close the bathroom and bedroom doors. A baby's dream!<br />
<br />
So, for those of you who have been asking, <b>here is a basic tour of our new place</b>. Please come visit, we'll take you to the pool!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzbRyCpenFI/UajTRpvld3I/AAAAAAAAGEA/OQFNTqel-Q0/s1600/IMG_4327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzbRyCpenFI/UajTRpvld3I/AAAAAAAAGEA/OQFNTqel-Q0/s400/IMG_4327.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This is what you see when you walk in our front door - to the right are a large closet, washer/dryer AND a pantry - my favorite thing in the whole house!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nqn0FTyaFPM/UajTka0Qh6I/AAAAAAAAGEI/ukAZZCCHzso/s1600/IMG_4328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nqn0FTyaFPM/UajTka0Qh6I/AAAAAAAAGEI/ukAZZCCHzso/s400/IMG_4328.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cqQW_UieXH4/UajTmLuwzNI/AAAAAAAAGEQ/Lg0MYOZNkwA/s1600/IMG_4329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cqQW_UieXH4/UajTmLuwzNI/AAAAAAAAGEQ/Lg0MYOZNkwA/s400/IMG_4329.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you turn left after walking in our door there is a full bath and down that tiny alcove/hallway is Baby Knives' room, which is about as big as her old room but seems much larger since we don't have to cram all of our stuff in it too! Just started hanging things up on the walls and <b>I'm sure my mother-in-law would want me to add this caveat:</b> She made the adorable owl curtains on the window for our old apartment where the window was smaller, she will be adding more fabric on the bottom!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_VGe9r0Y0s/UajUDuXTKXI/AAAAAAAAGEY/6mQUoOf2flQ/s1600/IMG_4330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_VGe9r0Y0s/UajUDuXTKXI/AAAAAAAAGEY/6mQUoOf2flQ/s400/IMG_4330.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Walking out of Baby Knives' room you get a view of <b>our fantastically large kitchen, which is approximate 3x bigger than our old, sad galley-style kitchen</b>. I am in love. I have more cupboard space than I know what to do with and that kitchen island is a godsend!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6O4KC1QrN5s/UajUD3S4NNI/AAAAAAAAGEc/xR4stHuXPk8/s1600/IMG_4332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6O4KC1QrN5s/UajUD3S4NNI/AAAAAAAAGEc/xR4stHuXPk8/s400/IMG_4332.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1YV970zC15U/UajUEOl7lZI/AAAAAAAAGEo/gQy4PCEBd5E/s1600/IMG_4333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1YV970zC15U/UajUEOl7lZI/AAAAAAAAGEo/gQy4PCEBd5E/s400/IMG_4333.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Baby Knives is currently enjoying our huge living room where she can spread out her toys and we can still maneuver around them. She also seems to delight in the taste of the coffee table. <b>The light in there is incredible due to the vaulted ceilings and the door out to our balcony</b>. I don't ever have to even switch the lights on during the day! I have plans for a tomato plant and a few herbs (if I don't kill them this year) to grow out on that balcony.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e3Af31CGELY/UajUEnket1I/AAAAAAAAGEs/ibtykeMUJsg/s1600/IMG_4334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e3Af31CGELY/UajUEnket1I/AAAAAAAAGEs/ibtykeMUJsg/s400/IMG_4334.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVoUdOclMz0/UajUEsgK9fI/AAAAAAAAGE0/lGDItgSd91A/s1600/IMG_4335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVoUdOclMz0/UajUEsgK9fI/AAAAAAAAGE0/lGDItgSd91A/s400/IMG_4335.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Our bedroom is the last to be set up</b>, we kind of used it as a holding area while we unpacked and there are still guitars lying around and pieces of artwork we haven't decided on where to hang yet stacked here and there. <b>Just had to show a few photos to give an idea of how much bigger this room is than our old master bedroom!</b> It has a full walk-in-closet and a giant master bath too. I mean, that bookcase is 6'x6' and fits perfectly - amazing! Oh and anyone want to donate a smaller/flatter/lighter TV to us, please feel free. <b> Pretty sure we caused at least 2 hernias hauling that monster up 3 flights of stairs!</b><br />
<br />
In all seriousness, we are extremely blessed to be in this new space. The apartment complex is only 5 years old and is extremely energy efficient and even the carpet is new. We felt at home immediately and <b>while we would love to be living in PA, if we are staying in this area for the time being, this apartment makes it much more doable!</b><br />
<br />
An incredibly sincere thank-you goes out once again to everyone who helped us schlepp all of our worldly belongings over here last weekend, we love you and tasty baked goods are coming your way soon!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Oh and did I mention we have a wonderful pool?</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4l2Xx4iKdE/UajVrsFM_fI/AAAAAAAAGFI/f-jg7Ivt8O4/s1600/PoolTime_May30_2013+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4l2Xx4iKdE/UajVrsFM_fI/AAAAAAAAGFI/f-jg7Ivt8O4/s400/PoolTime_May30_2013+(3).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yeah...in love with this place!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-33051912203157175532013-05-15T13:23:00.000-04:002013-05-15T13:23:03.351-04:00"Sunny Days, Chasing the Clouds Away..."I'm not a huge fan of a lot of kid's television shows, we don't even have cable right now, <b>but we do have streaming <a href="http://www.netflix.com/" target="_blank">Netflix</a> and I love the selection they have there. </b>So I let Baby Knives watch a show or two on occasion.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.sesamestreet.org/" target="_blank">Sesame Street</a> is by far her favorite and it doesn't drive me insane</b>, mostly because it is comprised of short "episodes" within the show that last 10-15 minutes interspersed with information and songs about the letter and number of the day.<br />
<br />
<b>She loves <a href="http://www.sesamestreet.org/muppets/elmo" target="_blank">Elmo</a>, must be that high-pitched voice, and laughs whenever he dances</b>. I just had to share this video because it is rare that Sesame Street actually makes me laugh too, but I about died seeing this...<b>love Ricky Gervais</b>!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jc20vMz0V7Q" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
And of course I couldn't do a Sesame Street post without sharing this one too...you're the best, Jim Parsons!
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZLIjzQV8DbE" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-29435281296972460692013-05-12T13:24:00.000-04:002013-05-12T14:02:21.959-04:00Thinking of Mothers...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MHKVF12CEB4/UY_RNACjjsI/AAAAAAAAGCw/55D12O37BUA/s1600/BabyShower+(25).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MHKVF12CEB4/UY_RNACjjsI/AAAAAAAAGCw/55D12O37BUA/s400/BabyShower+(25).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I have been incredibly blessed to have a wonderful mother, that has been clear to me for many years, but especially hits home on my first Mother's Day as a mother myself! No mom is perfect (thank God - we would all hate her), but I like to think that mine raised my two sisters and me pretty well since we're all functioning adults most days!<br />
<br />
She's also a fantastic grandma to Baby Knives and her cousins, they love her like crazy and the only complaint is that she and their grandpa live too far away (Oklahoma).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VxQEvNyVNsg/UY_UHEhsP9I/AAAAAAAAGDY/yibAI92O6v8/s1600/8908_10151228181958860_354305162_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VxQEvNyVNsg/UY_UHEhsP9I/AAAAAAAAGDY/yibAI92O6v8/s400/8908_10151228181958860_354305162_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As a kid, I remember thinking on more than one occasion how I would raise my own children differently. These thoughts usually took place after I had been grounded for a week for doing something generally unthinkable and consisted of ridiculous ideas such as: <i>When I have kids, I'll let them eat all the cookies they want! </i>o<i>r When I have kids, I'll let them hit their little sister back when she bites them!</i><br />
<br />
Mom definitely had her hands full with us over the years - Happy Mother's Day Mom!<br />
<br />
<i> </i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-ajm7UGpXs/UY_Rg2CnZRI/AAAAAAAAGC4/5WFI_pZOizc/s1600/Mom_All3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-ajm7UGpXs/UY_Rg2CnZRI/AAAAAAAAGC4/5WFI_pZOizc/s400/Mom_All3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp-btO8AN4o/UY_R4CPcYfI/AAAAAAAAGDA/9mQnCnrQSLk/s1600/Em6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp-btO8AN4o/UY_R4CPcYfI/AAAAAAAAGDA/9mQnCnrQSLk/s400/Em6.jpg" width="382" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ErZVWZRpCdQ/UY_R5iKestI/AAAAAAAAGDI/tAWMcch6kZA/s1600/Em8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ErZVWZRpCdQ/UY_R5iKestI/AAAAAAAAGDI/tAWMcch6kZA/s400/Em8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-20661501613577727782013-04-17T16:06:00.001-04:002013-04-17T16:45:20.769-04:00Baby Knives - Forward Motion!Look out - we have full forward motion!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wb75MOJEVzE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BDwe8GciRJg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-42439784217364842822013-04-08T15:58:00.003-04:002013-04-08T15:58:20.968-04:00Stories of a "Bat-Crap Crazy" Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d89uZofGcxU/UWMgbRTv5WI/AAAAAAAAF_0/uFf1IRpp6xY/s1600/9MonthPhotoShoot_March2013+(14).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d89uZofGcxU/UWMgbRTv5WI/AAAAAAAAF_0/uFf1IRpp6xY/s400/9MonthPhotoShoot_March2013+(14).jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<b>Have you ever fallen into the trap of comparing your child to others</b>? It's such a common occurrence, I don't even know if half the time we realize we're doing it. Often it is written off as "healthy competition" rather than a damaging habit. We're even encouraged to do it at our pediatrician's office, seeing where our child's size ranks on the curve of normal growth and development. <b>Are those standards a bad thing? </b> Absolutely not, they often help physicians diagnose developmental issues and disabilities that otherwise would go untreated. <br />
<br />
<b>However, I have found it all too easy to let wriggles of doubt into my head as I compare my daughter to others. </b>Is she crawling early enough? Is it weird that she won't really crawl forward, mostly backward? Was I too slow in introducing finger-foods, is she behind in her eating habits now? Why doesn't she show any interest in stacking toys or pulling herself up?<br />
<br />
I could drive myself bat-crap crazy<b> <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/big_bang_theory/" target="_blank">(to quote my favorite TV show)</a></b> with all the what-iffing and comparisions!<br />
<br />
This morning's devotional time was exactly what I needed to remind me that <b>we have a bright, beautiful little girl who will develop and grow at her own pace...and to stop constantly comparing her to other growing babies</b>. The book I am reading is called<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Mom-Extraordinary-God-Encouragement/dp/0736915001/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365451001&sr=1-1&keywords=ordinary+mom+extraordinary+god" target="_blank"> "Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God"</a></b> and there are times when I read it that I feel like the author is sitting right there with me sharing her own parenting failures, triumphs and stories.<br />
<br />
<i>The truth is, in our own strength, our homes will tumble when the storms of life crash in. <b>We cannot build a family strong enough in our own feeble strength</b>.</i> <i>Perhaps that's why my favorite verse encourages me so much. I am a weak mother. I yell when I shouldn't. I cry in exasperation when I should run to Jesus for strength. I fail to spend deep abiding time with my children. <b>I agonize over my shortcomings. </b></i><br />
<br />
<i>But Jesus whispers to me in my failures: <b>"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."</b> (2 Corinthians 12:9) So maybe it isn't that I do everything perfectly, but it's that I recognize my dire need for Jesus. <b>There is comfort in understanding I don't have to know everything these is to know about parenting</b>. All I can do is acknowledge and delight in my weakness so the Lord can build my home upon His rock. </i><br />
<br />
Was this particular chapter about the dangers of comparing your child to others? No. But <b>it happened to be the catalyst to the truth that smacked me between the eyes this morning</b>. An email from<b><a href="http://daamsters.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> a dear friend</a></b> also helped that realization along. So instead of obsession about what milestone Baby Knives will reach next, we have spent her hours awake playing, laughing, singing, clapping and taking a much-needed walk in the fresh air. <br />
<br />
<b>Enjoying my daughter is so much more fun and relaxing than constantly worrying about her!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-37428733796241200632013-04-03T15:48:00.001-04:002013-04-03T15:48:45.412-04:00A-ZToday Baby Knives has been napping beautifully and is happily munching on her left sock. It boggles my mind that she is surrounded by stimulating toys and books, yet is most happy gumming away on her sock. Babies are nuts.<br />
<br />
But because of that, I have decided to take the time to blog. However, I couldn't land on a topic so I'm borrowing this survey from one of my fellow bloggers: <a href="http://www.sugar-crumbs.com/" target="_blank">Sugar Crumbs</a><br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> Age: 29...until September, not sure how I feel about turning 30 yet!<br />
<br />
<b>B</b>. Bed size: King. My husband and I could in no way sleep in a smaller bed, I move around way too much!<br />
<br />
<b>C.</b> Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathrooms, especially the tub and shower. I have been known to bribe/guilt my husband into doing that particular chore on more than one occasion.<br />
<br />
<b>D.</b> Dogs: They're great, as long as they belong to someone else!<br />
<br />
<b>E.</b> Essential start to your day: Water, followed quickly by coffee with milk and sugar!<br />
<br />
<b>F.</b> Favorite color: Green, most definitely.<br />
<br />
<b>G.</b> Gold or Silver: Silver. Unless it's white gold.<br />
<br />
<b>H. </b>Height: 5’5" - perfectly average thank you<br />
<br />
<b>I.</b> Instruments you play: *snort laugh* I have been known to occasionally bust out my mouth-trumpet skills, but that's about it! I leave the instrument-playing to my talented husband.<br />
<br />
<b>J.</b> Job title: Mom. Marketing Director. Writer. Amateur Foodie.<br />
<br />
<b>K. </b>Kids: 1 beautiful 9-month-old daughter...and that's quite enough for us, thanks!<br />
<br />
<b>L.</b> Live: like life is a precious gift<br />
<br />
<b>M.</b> Mother’s name: Claudia <br />
<br />
<b>N.</b> Nicknames: Em, Eminem, Emcakes, Emmylou and Berbs to name a few<br />
<br />
<b>O.</b> Overnight hospital stays: Blergh - no thank you! Having my daughter was more than enough hospital time for me, thanks!<br />
<br />
<b>P.</b> Pet peeves: Grinding teeth and incorrect grammar<br />
<br />
<b>Q.</b> Quote from a movie: “I don't cook! I'm a scary and powerful fire demon" - <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i> <i></i><br />
<br />
<b>R. </b>Right or left handed: Right. My left hand spends most of it's time getting nicked by knives held in the right hand.<br />
<br />
<b>S. </b>Siblings: 2 sisters, 2 sisters-in-law and 3 brothers-in-law...none of which live close enough!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>T. </b>Time you wake up: 6am these days...thank you Baby Knives...<br />
<br />
<b>U. </b>Underwear: I generally think it's a good idea.<br />
<br />
<b>V. </b>Vegetable you hate: Not too many - lima beans and okra are at the top of that list...barf! <br />
<br />
<b>W. </b>What makes you run late: My daughter. Yep, I'm blaming it on her.<br />
<br />
<b>X.</b> X-Rays you’ve had: I have had many, but not in awhile since my misspent youth seems to have come to a close!<br />
<br />
<b>Y. </b>Yummy food that you love: Literally any and all kinds of pizza.<br />
<br />
<b>Z.</b> Zoo animals: Love the local zoo near us that is FREE and I can take Baby Knives on walks there to spy on all the animals...the burrowing owls are our favorite.<br />
<br />
Have a fabulous Wednesday everyone! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-19127484699872414672013-03-25T10:14:00.005-04:002013-03-25T10:15:45.499-04:00March Wrap-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yN2WUNzD-LI/UVBbZBBdXwI/AAAAAAAAF_M/pTKRMEZWYBA/s1600/562758_10151390751198860_2063447756_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yN2WUNzD-LI/UVBbZBBdXwI/AAAAAAAAF_M/pTKRMEZWYBA/s400/562758_10151390751198860_2063447756_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I am going to take advantage of the fact that I just finished a marketing package AND my 40-week-old daughter seems to still be snoozing her way through a morning nap. I<b> actually have a few minutes to blog...amazing!</b><br />
<br />
It has been a busy March for us thus far, filled with <b>snow(?!?), new teeth, weird sleeping patterns, a busier work schedule</b> and to compound all of that,<b> we have decided to move to a new apartment </b>when our lease is up the end of May.<br />
<br />
<b>End of May you say? How very Seuss of you</b>, but really it's only 2 months away and time flies so quickly around here that I'm already starting to stress over everything that must be cleaned, packed, sorted and DONE in just 90 short days.<br />
<br />
<b>GAH!</b><br />
<br />
I am over the moon about our new apartment though. <b> It is in the newest complex in our area, which means it is crazy-energy-efficient and in wonderful condition</b>. There's a pool (complete with kiddie pool for Baby Knives), a playground and a state of the art workout center (for Mommy and Daddy). We never thought we'd be able to afford the place based on our budget and those pesky student loan payments, but shockingly enough they offered us a significant discount on monthly rent because my husband is in the healthcare industry. They describe it as "giving back" to those who do so much for us in our doctor's offices and local hospitals. I'm impressed.<br />
<br />
<b>Check out our new floorplan below (I can't help myself)</b>. This new place has almost 200 square feet more than our current apartment and an open floorplan. Not to mention, I can't stop gushing about the size of the kitchen and all the cabinet/counter space. <b>The most important thing to me, other than the kitchen, is that it is an open concept so Baby Knives can be playing in the living room and I can still see her while I'm in the kitche</b>n. It will make cooking and baking more fun again and it gives her so much more room to run around!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YrBuH4KiXkc/UVBZfo51ceI/AAAAAAAAF-8/AnS7_Yn7SXo/s1600/Pelican+Floorplan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YrBuH4KiXkc/UVBZfo51ceI/AAAAAAAAF-8/AnS7_Yn7SXo/s400/Pelican+Floorplan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>I haven't even told you the best news yet...we can PAINT! </b> No more sad apartment-white walls full of flat paint <b>(which I might hate even more than olives *gasp*)</b>, we can actually add some color. Of course I am now faced with way too many options for paint colors but I'm thinking of landing on a shade of gray for our living room and probably the master bedroom...but Baby Knives' room is a quandary. <b> How do you paint a little girl's room without making it look like an Easter egg? </b>I don't want to go dark and bold with the color but I despise pastels. Sigh. It's a conundrum. <b>Any and all suggestions will be accepted!</b><br />
<br />
I know March isn't quite over yet. <b> We actually have a fabulous week planned because our dear friends Chris and Becks are coming to visit tomorrow</b>. I've known Becks since we were 9 years old and she is my oldest and dearest friend. We don't get to see each other very often because she and her husband live in the UK <b>(stupid Atlantic Ocean, why do you have to be so freaking vast?</b>), so every visit is cherished. Last time they were here Baby Knives was mostly a little lump who spit up and slept so I can't wait for them to see her smiling/rolling/crawling little self.<br />
<br />
We will be celebrating Easter on Sunday, unfortunately not with our usual church service because my husband works in the medical field and has to work. <b>However, I plan to make a special little Easter dinner for us when he gets home and we'll give Baby Knives her first Easter basket</b> complete with Jell-o Easter eggs. It's not like she can eat candy yet! Check out my <a href="http://tastymess.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Tasty Mess blog</b></a> for details on the meal post-Easter.<br />
<br />
In order to wrap up this somewhat lengthy and rambling post, I share with you a photo of the lovely springtime weather we're experiencing today. <b> Happy Spring!</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMF3caYWI8w/UVBa3Ywtg9I/AAAAAAAAF_E/NX-Z-fpzHoQ/s1600/March21_2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMF3caYWI8w/UVBa3Ywtg9I/AAAAAAAAF_E/NX-Z-fpzHoQ/s400/March21_2013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037829686679300032.post-83819102455645808382013-03-13T15:47:00.000-04:002013-03-13T15:47:18.207-04:00Daddy Daughter TimeIs there really anything better than baby laughter?<br />
<br />
It has been a wonderful couple of weeks with Baby Knives. She finally stopped being so miserable cutting 4 teeth up top and has been back to her happy little self. Plus, she's almost 9 months old and is really mobile and expressive these days.<br />
<br />
Couldn't resist posting this video...this is how she and her daddy entertain themselves when I'm at work!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bNAG1qCooJY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15076336479783365935noreply@blogger.com0