a day on the town

with rain so often in the forecast here in the pacific northwest, we take our dry days and run with them.

the other day we decided to get our walk on and go downtown.

first stop, the bux. ava's favorite treat are the mini sprinkled donuts, but alas they did not have any on this day. a cupcake sufficed.



next, we walked over to a park. i think the walk was my favorite part.



and then- finally, the park. where we had about 30 mins of playtime before the sun began to set. i look forward to the summer when the days are long.

i am now a college graduate

to say that i am proud of myself would be an understatement.

i have so many people to thank for their love and support, it would be impossible to put into words my true feelings about those people.

First, to my children. You both are my biggest motivation and were also my biggest deterrent. You are the reason I have gotten this far, and the reason I will never give up trying my hardest. I LOVE you both so much. I am sorry for the times that I just couldn't put my textbooks down to give you the snuggles I wanted to give you, but I know that you will understand someday. I know that you will benefit tenfold from my hard work and I am proud to be able to lead by example and will be able to encourage you both to work hard in your futures. Thank you for loving me unconditionally.

To my parents, because I owe my life to you. You gave me the tools to grow. I love you. Thank you for your support.

To my friends, because without your support in times when I wasn't feeling as confident as I should've, you pushed me and reassured me. Thank you. I love you all. Even you.

To my babysitter, because honestly? She is like a second mom to my children. She loves and cares for my children as they were her own and I will never be able to thank her enough for being such an amazing human being. I am SO thankful to have you in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you for this.

a (not so) silent sunday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iL2hTdm6V0

Howie Day- "Ghost/Beams of light (live)"

you may have won the game,

but I got the prize.

wordless wednesday [running enthusiasm edition]

one small step...

Nathan has triumphantly conquered the stair leading from the sunken family room to the kitchen. He can crawl up it now with no problems, and then falls down it. it doesn't seem to bother him much.



and yes, we ARE still die-hard Chicago Bears fans. There is always next year.

as time moves on, i look back

ava and i were quite a team. just her and i, we conquered the world on day at a time. each day was a different adventure, and each adventure taught us so much.



i have many photos of the two of us. she is smiling in every one, as am i. i sincerely look back at those two years of just the two of us and feel proud. i am proud of the moments i was able to turn accidents into lessons, and lessons into fun.

those days certainly aren't over. they are different now. our little twosome turned into a threesome, and a beautiful threesome.

the happy pictures i had grown so comfortable taking turned to two other happy people. my favorite happy people in the world.

while my family has slowly grown, and my collection of photos constantly changing, this evolution is beautiful.

a (not so) silent sunday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r7m_h6-NCA

Band of Horses- "The General Specific"

momma does life - 2011

so, around january 1st there were a crap load of "resolution" posts, and the like. i decided to wait to post anything like that. partly because it was resolution overload, and partly because i needed time to really figure it out. here is my list of things i'd like to do in 2011:

Physical-

• run my first 5k


• run another 5k in a gooddecent time


• run a 10k


• run another 10k in a gooddecent time


• run a 15k


• run another 15k in a gooddecent time


• feel comfortable in my body

Professional/$-

• graduate college


• get hired as a medical assistant


• start paying down debt


• start my 401k/retirement savings


• start saving for my children's college

Personal-

• be a better friend; return calls every time. give back to those who've helped me, in both tangible and intangible ways.


• move into a house. make it a home for my family.


• learn to live with less. less clutter, less materialism, less stress.


• be a better mom, have more patience.


• read more. both for myself, and for my kids; read bedtime stories every night.

this is really a list to remind myself, but i am also sharing to kind of keep myself accountable, in some weird way. also, maybe by throwing these things out into the universe i will be more successful (is that a long shot?)... either way, i don't think any of these things are too far fetched. a few of them are already in the making.

i hope you're doing great with your resolutions/goals/ideas for this year. let's plan to re-evaluate every 3 months, sound good?

BumGenius 4.0 Designer Series WINNER

thank you all who entered the giveaway. there was a great turnout, and i am so happy to announce that the winner is....

 
Lindsay Gibson!



thanks to random.org, for giving me the winning number.

 

i will definitely be doing another giveaway in the coming month. with that said, what would YOU like to win? let me know as a comment on this post!

 

wordless wednesday

 

ALSO- tonight is the closing of the bumgenius giveaway! go enter, now!

 

 

double trouble

ava has gotten really good at helping her little brother get into things he probably shouldn't be into.

for example, red vines.

doing something i've never done before

i have always watched those people running outside in awe. as i sat in the comfort of my home or car, and they- the superhumans- were running relentlessly on the pavement. in the cold. and the rain. i watched and wished that someday i could be that amazing.

then, i found a group of friends on another blog community that actually were those superhumans. and everything changed.

they weren't superhumans anymore. they were normal folk, just like me. they were 200+ pounds, they were moms, they were not moms, they were busy, they had lives, and they worked. and after feeling a bit like a foreigner for quite a while, i finally found it in me to speak up and even do something about it. i ran. and, [gasp] i liked it.

i am no expert. im not even an amateur, really. and, i am definitely not a superhuman. just a mom trying to get active.

sure, i'd sure like to lose some pounds, but the best part since i've been running? the endorphins. i was in a serious rut. like, i didn't want to leave my couch most days. and some days, i barely did. but now- after completing a run i feel like a million bucks. i don't want to stop!

so, i signed up for my first race. nothing big- just a 5k. i figure, first goal is to finish it without stopping. should be a good place to start, right? there will be more races later in the year.

i have almost exactly 2 months until this race. i am a bit nervous, but staying completely optimistic.

this is my year, i can feel it.



one of my biggest inspirations

a (not so) silent sunday

Florence and the Machine - "Howl"

what do you think?

I updated the blog a bit; gave it a facelift of sorts. so, what do you think? i'd love some feedback!
(to those who follow with google reader or RSS feeds, click through and check it out!)

wordless wednesday

BumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper Giveaway! CLOSED

It's no secret that I love fluff. A few of my good friends introduced me to the idea while I was pregnant with Nathan, and I decided to try them out. Well, after going through a handful of different styles and types I can officially declare that I LOVE BumGenius!

I started with their Flip hybrid system. Though I have not used the disposable inserts, I love the covers with the stay-dry inserts, or even just an indian prefold. They are the diapers I use the most, and the diapers I take to the sitter.

After getting antsy (because any cloth addict will agree, it happens) I decided to try out the Elemental All-in-ones and fell in LOVE all over again. Not only are they so super soft, but they are so.flippan.easy! At over $25 a diaper, it's difficult to build a good stash on a budget, so I am still working on that. In the meantime, I was able to try the new pocket style, and again I love them! I seriously do not think cottonbabies will do me wrong.  I am definitely a fan of the BumGenius brand!

I am so excited to bring to you all this amazing giveaway.

I was given a brand-spankin-new BumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper from the new Tony Socialite collection, and want to give it away to a special reader!

These diapers feature:

• NEW! Durable snap closures help keep diapers on older babies.


• NEW! Generous sizing accommodates larger babies.


• NEW! Easily replaceable elastic keeps your diapers fresh.


• 3x3 snap down design* adjusts the sizing to fit small, medium and large sizes (approximately 7-35+ pounds).


• Trim, snug and comfortable stretchy tabs* provide a custom fit.


• Waterproof insert stopper* prevents leaking at the tummy.


• Diapers are bundled with two inserts: a newborn insert for newborns and a one-size insert for your older baby.


• Wide slot opening makes it easy to stuff and remove insert.


• Slot cover* protects your baby from wetness.

I am giving away the Retail Therapy pattern, which is a teal and lavendar. This is definitely gender neutral, in my opinion.



For more information on these particular diapers visit this site.

So, here is what you need to know:

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!

In order to enter you need to simply leave a comment on this entry telling me which of the Chelsea Perry designs is your favorite.

For a bonus entry, Tweet about this giveaway and leave the URL to your tweet as a comment. I will let you be creative about the tweet, but be sure to link back to this post!

For another bonus entry, Like us on Facebook. Let me know you're a fan in a comment on this post.

That's it! Super simple, and a GREAT prize! This contest will end at 10 pm PST, Wednesday January 19, 2010. The winner will be drawn by random.org. The winner will have 24 hours to accept the prize before another winner will be drawn.

While I was given free product from Cottonbabies, I was not asked to do this giveaway and I was not asked to blog about it. This is all my own personal opinion, and Cottonbabies is not responsible for anything I may say or giveaway.

more snow fun

we went up to the mountain for some snow fun and sledding. it was a lot of fun! ava LOVED sledding and is such a daredevil.

we went with my dad, step mom, and sister.













catching snowflakes



 

p.s. 1.11.11 11:11!

winter on mt. hood

it's winter on the mountain. this is about an hour and a half away from where i live.

i love the pacific northwest.

a (not so) silent sunday

Regine Spektor - "Braille"

can you?

give us a vote? it's really simple!



 

welcoming my first niece

i met my niece recently. she is beautiful and so lucky to have been born into a family that is going to spoil her with love.

meet Kalynn Klaire.









i played photographer and took these photos with a Canon point and shoot. it was so much fun! i wish i had the idea with nathan (and ava, for that matter).

wordless wednesday

Nathan and his cousin, Kalynn.

walking in a winter wonderland

while we were in NW Indiana for the holiday vacation, Ava and I had some time to play in the snow. we weren't really prepared; i don't have gloves, snow pants, or even that great of a snow jacket for her- but we had a great time and she absolutely loved it.



luckily, my nephews had some mittens we could borrow!



it was a beautiful day; not a cloud in the sky!





we even made a mini snowman.



i have really started to embrace the time that i can spend one-on-one with Ava. they are so few and far between, that i just really savor the moments.