Thanksgiving break

We had a wonderful LONG weekend. I got to spend time with my hubby and little girl most of the weekend...with everyday being full of things to do. I started to think we should just all 3 stay home everyday :)

Thanksgiving was full of good food and lovin on the kids. Paisley got to play with her cousins, which always makes her very happy!

Here's the whole clan...

Paisley wore her bubble skirt. (I may have taken a few bites of her!)

Yes, she is carrying her very disgusting, shriveled pumpkin around that she picked out at the pumpkin patch. I know.

We got a live show after Thanksgiving dinner featuring Lady Gaga Lorna :)

We really tried to stay away from the house for the larger part of the weekend because we were getting a new roof. So we filled it with going out to lunch, Starbucks trips, wagon rides, and time over at mom and dad’s. Pea still got her naps (I now know what she can sleep through), which have turned into 3+ hours on the weekends with no bedtime or waking up issues. Maybe it’s just what she needs.

And for the record- dad’s wagon rides are apparently more fun than mom’s. Just like baths. He wins again.

the right now

I’ve been seeing Europe, Ireland and Scotland all over the place for the past week or so. Ooh, it’s really got my travel bug wanting to come out! Probably because I found

this chick.

and this chick.

Anyone wanna hang out here with me? Anyone?

They have lived life abroad and are both Americans, so it’s fun to read from our point of view. I’d really like to take a trip to these places. Like, tomorrow. But I know that isn’t going to happen. Not because I’m a mom. Not because I’m not willing to save to do so. But also kinda because I’m a mom and because I’m not willing to save to do so right now…Get it? People always say that you should spend your money on experiences, not things. I agree. But I can’t follow for some reason. (Hello, greedy, technology obsessed America!). I’m one of them.

When you decide to move onto the part in your life where you are going to have kids, you know that traveling will wait, and right now you should cherish the few baby months you have. I agree. It still doesn’t change that I want to travel. Just not with an infant/toddler. But I also don’t want to leave my infant/toddler behind. (Can you tell I’m having a hard time referring to her as a toddler?)

So we wait.

***

The right now is this.

And this.

And I love the right now.

But I can still dream.

 

we’re at home today

Paisley went home two days in a row sick, but with no conclusive illness. Overall, she just seems super tired and suffering from allergies. I’m currently listening to Bubble Guppies talk about how many stamps it will take to mail a watermelon. Nine, if you must know.

I have to go to the store today to buy potatoes and a few other things for Thanksgiving. I also need to go to the post office (I know, right? What a dummy).

I really should get my favorite things she’s doing right now on video. One of them is her dog sound and one is the way she asks for more :) She has gotten really stingy with her kisses lately. I literally rejoice when I get one. No matter how slobbery or boogery it is.

I know it’s kinda early to think about this, but I wonder how we will handle chores with our kids. Growing up, we never got allowance, but we also never had any set weekly chores. We just did things as we were told. I thought it was a pretty easy going way of doing things, but I wonder how much we actually helped out? I might implement an allowance system with my kids because I'd really like to teach them how to work for their money, save and spend wisely. For now, I will worry about dog sounds and dirty diapers though!

Trying to brush dad’s hair with it.

***

Happy Thanksgiving.

not my normal weekend post

There is a pile of laundry on my bedroom floor that I just keep sifting through to find something that's not dirty or wrinkled enough to be noticeable. My car needs a good cleaning, my floors need a moppin', and I'm tired. I’m keeping up just enough so that there’s a walkway to my bed. :)

My best friend is was(boo-hoo!) in town.

We only get once a year to fall back into our old ways.

Ice cream run at nine. (which is WAY past the time I leave the house. EVER.)

Breakfast with more friends.

When Nycole used to live here, she took this for granted.

She helps me to appreciate it once again.

She loves my baby because I love my baby and she loves me. Get it? Well, I love that she loves my baby because she is mine. We talked about the day when we would have kids all the time. Here we are .

This weekend, my goal was to get our Christmas card pictures done. The weather did not seem to want to oblige. We decided to rough it and were out there for less than three minutes. Pea's teeth started chattering and I had forgotten my coat. My opportunity was gone. We'll have to make it happen somehow. So here's a spoiler, since they aren't gonna work out for, well, obvious reasons.

So, driving around, heater on, rainy weather, and Nycole talking about how much she wanted the Home Alone soundtrack made my weekend. Along with my husband cooking two amazing dinners, and someone trying to teach my daughter to say "Cole!" every two seconds (which never came to fruition).

Bam.

little mama

The long weekend left us satisfied. We decided to do a whole lot of nothing and that was probably a good plan, because we were met Friday with a sinus infection. After a few rounds of antibiotics and some extra sleep, my girl was good to go. Until she started getting a skin-eating diaper rash.

Off to the Dr. we went again today, we will be spending time in oatmeal baths and piling on the butt cream. How she smiles through all of this, I’m not sure. She definitely has a unshakeable positivity about her.

Chores and laundry are the general theme of the weekend and my girl has no problems joining in with whatever Mama is doing. She takes care of her own baby.

She helps dust.



Helps me put on my “face” in the morning.



And dresses up in my clothes, too.



I wish that every morning and night didn’t have to start and end like this, but right now, it does. We’ll take this over a killer fever any day.



Let’s cross our fingers for a good week :)

photography…and MckMama

Two Christmas’ ago, I got one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten. My DSLR camera. I looked at it and thought of all the wonderful photos I would now be able to take. But like everything, you have to put some effort in to actually utilize the amazingness the camera has to offer.

 

I still have SO MUCH to learn, but I kinda love that about photography. I’ve always looked at it as a hobby that won’t really come to an “end”. For me, the expense of the equipment is well worth what you get from it (am I allowed to say this, considering my camera was a gift?) and for me, personally, I would have spent the same or more for family photos every so often. After I got my camera, I read and read, and read. Here’s what I read:

Jasmine Star. I emailed her for advice about what to purchase for my first camera. Thanks, Jasmine!

Pioneer Woman

MckMama

and any blog or website that had anything I could understand and try on my own.

I heart faces is a good one.

I also took two classes at Big Picture. I still reference my documentation from the class.

A big inspiration of mine is also Kelle Hampton. I love her composition. She’s the one who made me lay on the ground and take pictures for the first time:

A few months ago, I got the opportunity to take a photo class with MckMama. She was going to be in Palm Springs to teach her second-ever photography class and to be with her ailing grandmother (Her grandmother ended up passing the day before the class :( ). I wanted to learn a little more hands on from someone who I liked their style of photography.

Driving to Palm Springs was surprisingly desolate. And I’m from the desert!

I really learned a lot and she even gave us some of her Lightroom presets (which I use all the time!). We played with our camera, with hers (a Canon 5d!), and played in Lightroom and Photoshop. I’m still not very savvy with Photoshop.

MckMama was really nice. And patient.

A few of the next things I’d like to do with my photography…

Get a backdrop frame thingy so that I don’t have to use two chairs and a sheet ;)

Get a remote wireless shutter so I can get more pictures of the three of us together. I read a really cool article about it and thought about what a great/different way to capture life at home.

Get a wide-angle lens because I have the perfect portrait lens and I’m ready for something different. Here’s a great example of the difference between a portrait and a wide angle lens. I love Ree.

Be more adventurous…shoot other people.

Follow through with more photo sharing and memory keeping…like books, cards, printing for frames, etc. (This one’s for you, Mom!)

Because we wouldn’t want to be missing out on moments like this: