Winter Storm Warning

If we'd been in Denver this would mean alot of inches, near feet of thick, heavy snow...but since we're in Atlanta it meant about 2 inches of snow, lots of freezing rain and ice.

 Kaitlyn was ridiculously excited to go out and play...I could barely get breakfast in her she was jumping at the gun to get into her snow clothes and make angels. Mean Mummy forced her to wait until little brother had a nap and Daddy got up (after working a long weekend and getting home at 3am he was exhausted). Thankfully my little string bean still fit into her 12 month snowsuit...it's a bit big I think, Target brand, and well at 3 and a half she's a bit tiny!

 

The snow, freezing rain mess started about 9pm on Sunday and had stopped before we got up Monday morning, total I think we got maybe 3 inches at our place. The snow was excellent snow ball snow with a layer of thick ice over the top. Kaitlyn made about 15 snow angels...Blake wasn't too sure...

 at first but it didn't take long for him to roll around in it! My little Denver baby in his first snow while living in Atlanta...never thought he'd get to play in the snow this year! Thanks to my friend Courtney and her clothing swap (she got K's clothes I got her eldest sons clothes) we were able to deck him out in snow-appropriate gear!

 This kid is for sure my Denver baby, she loved being in the snow and it took a few tries and a promise of hot chocolate to get her inside. We were mildly amused by our neighbors on their ATVs racing up and down the street and incredibly amused by the fact that the city of Atlanta is shut down, no mail, no delivery trucks, no nothing...the ice is real, the city just doesn't know how to handle it and my goodness the drivers...I'm glad we stayed home for the first two days of it!

Like father, like son

My sweet little cold weather babies enjoying the time together. We're loving this Winter Storm!

Project 365

I'm really enjoying this project and while I'm not sure I'm doing it perfectly or according to the 'rules' I'm making it mine and loving it!
Check it out HERE

oh and 30 mins left to enter my little giveaway...see my 100 Posts post to enter...jeez at this rate I'm feeling neglected and might just have to send one to both  Amanda and Kara! :P

100 posts!

I started this blog ages ago, posted here and there, forgot about it, picked it, then finally commited to writing again last year (okay like 6 months ago) and got into the swing of things...I took a 2 week break from writing for moving and getting settled into our house and now it's a struggle to get back into it.

Plus we currently have crap/slow internet which means my pictures take forever a day to load if and when they even do...making posting an annoying task at times...something I never wanted! I wanted this to be a place to share my views, our life and any other dribble that came to mind.

So here I am at 100 posts and should be excited but kind of having a writers block on what to say...

I'm being lame and doing a Friday 7 (idea borrowed from my friend Kara's blog)

1. Blake has decided sleep is overrated, I used to get two 1 1/2 hour long naps out of him at 10am and 3pm, now I'm lucky if he goes for 45mins and yesterday he wouldn't take a second nap. He's also up every 30mins after his 7:30pm bedtime until midnight then he sleep until about 4am, then 4-6 and 6-8. I'm TIRED and not sure what to do to fix it...

2. Kaitlyn is full of sass, I think she's bored, but when I ask if she'd like to do dance again she says no I just want to stay home with you and go to church...I'm thinking library, MOPS and church next week to get out the house and around other kids...hopefully that will put a lid on some of the sass!

3. Hubby is hopefully on his way home soon, I'm hoping we can go out to eat for lunch...7 Tequilas and a nice margarita sounds really good at the moment (and thats the name of the restaurant not the amount of liquor)

4. I'm so proud of myself in the last week and a half I have saved $120 on our groceries! I'm getting better and better at using coupons and finding the sales to combine with them! I'm determined to conquer the coupon battle! Oh and I watched "Extreme Couponing" on TLC...I kind of get why they do it, it's a thrill but really I'd never buy hundreds of toothbrushes or a wall full of toilet paper...I buy what we'll use, then when we use it up or are close to using it up I'll look for the next sale/coupon deal. 

5. Project 365 is going REALLY well! I'm enjoying it, in fact I'm having a hard time picking just ONE picture a day...look for my additional blog page on Sunday with the week's pictures. I plan to update weekly with my pictures and little inserts.

6. I'm adding two goals to my list for 2011...the first one is to read more books (this goes hand in hand with my watch less TV)  the second is to get better at the layout of my blog and understanding the html codes ect. (going hand in hand with my goal to blog 4 times a week)

7. Quick giveaway...I'm at 100 posts, should do something fun huh?
So to enter you must comment here AND be a follower to win a DVD copy of Despicable Me. We loved this silly movie and hope the winner will too! I'll draw the name on Monday morning (1/10/11) you have until Midnight EST Sunday (1/9/11) to enter.

Have a wonderful Friday, I'm off to enjoy a marg!

She's just like you...

it's funny when people see my kids they always exclaim 'oh they look just like you'...then they meet my husband and quickly change their mind...

I think as K gets older she looks a little like me...baby pictures she is the spitting image of her Daddy...

her behavior on the other hand is a constant battle. Hubby is forever proclaiming she's just like me, I'm certain he's just like her :P

Sassy, strong-willed, stubborn, attitude full 3.5 year old, she's definitely her fathers child right?

it's possible...

but she definitely has a lot of my traits too!  This is a hard age, or maybe she's just a challenging child, but she has figured out how to push each and every button her Dad and I have!

She has her care-free side, the kid LOVES to be outdoors.

If I let her she'd stay outside all day everyday...we never fight about going outside, but it's a challenge to get her in, which I'm sure in a few years I will greatly appreciate! Currently with the weather colder and a determined little brother it's harder to always be out as he's into everything but not old enough to play so it's best to run around with her while he naps.

She loves to bake and help Mummy clean

AA (Auntie Andi) and and arts and crafts are two of her favourites!

And truth be told she's a Daddy's girl...

and she adores books

She loves to dance and really does have a sweet, cuddly side...

People always talk about the terrible twos, but for us, two was PIE! I would love two again. Three has been so challenging and I've heard it's not much better til five.

She's just like me, we butt heads quite a lot and I think a lot of my frustration with her is seeing myself and my own irritations with what I do and then to see my child do them is hard.

We both have a type A personality, wanting to be in charge, knowing we're right, determined individuals and everything I love about her I love about myself.

I don't think the age will change her personality, if anything it will just become stronger...she is who she is, I am who I am and she's just like me!

2011 bring it!

This marks post 98 for me...I wanted to hit 100 in 2010 but with moving and family in town and the holidays getting to blog just wasn't in the cards! Ah well the new year brings new posts with a goal of hitting 300 posts before 2012 which is only 3-4 posts a week, definitely doable.

My New Years Resolutions for 2011:

-Lose 17lbs and hit the mark that I've been aiming for since Blake was born...this will be my lowest weight since Junior year in college.
   
-Walk or get outside and run around with the kids/go to the park or whatever outside exercise at LEAST 3 times a week, preferably 5.

-Find a new church and get involved again, I miss my friends at Trinity in Opelika, AL and hope I can find a place just as wonderful in our new town...the hunt begins on this Sunday!

-Blog 4 times a week

-Complete project 365...this is a big one that I'm nervous about simply because I'm forgetful...but the idea is to take one photo a day to see how things have changed. I'm still working out the logistics but plan to take moments, plus one of me and the kids and hubby on our monthly birthdays...I'm hopefull I can accomplish this and excited about fidling with my camera daily, hoping to get better and better at using it!

-Learn how to coupon and do it WELL! I tried and loved the feeling I got from saving, the sense of accomplishment in seeing just how much I could save...I'm hoping to devote more time to it...meaning less time on Facebook :P and save, save, save!

-Turn off the TV...this shouldn't be hard to do as I'm not a big tv person, but sometimes when I want to clean or cook or blog or just take a moment to myself it's nice to be able to stick Kaitlyn in front of the telly and do just that...she's limited to around 2-3 hrs a day now but I'd love it if we could go days without watching anything!

-Graduate...I'm on par to graduate in October 2011. I can't believe I will have my Masters soon!

-Do more, do good...help out at church, volunteer where I can, donate what I can, make a difference where I can...

So long, farewell...

2010 you have been pretty great to me...

Some of the majors included giving birth to my beautiful son on May 14th 2010 at 12:28am (he didn't want to be a 13th baby like his Daddy). Blake Andrew, named well because we liked Blake and Andrew is one of our best friends, my grandfathers (may he rest in peace) middle name and a slight tribute to my darling youngest sister Andrea, was born 9lbs 0.03 ozs and nope I didn't have GD or any inclination that he was going to be so big! He was 20.25inchs...which I'm still unsure about as hubby and I both heard 21.25 inches but she wrote down 20.25 and when I asked to have him re-measured they asked the same lady and she just said nope it was right...so the forever mystery I guess :)

                                       

Quitting my job and fulfilling my dream of becoming a SAHM
-The best choice I've ever made...I've spent my career life wondering what I really should be doing, researching careers and talking with career and school counsellors trying to figure out what I should be doing with my life. At the end of 2009 I began my journey to a Masters in Teaching and Learning and thought that was a good career move.
When we found out we were pregnant after trying to so long we sat down and decided the best choice would be for me to stay home with the kids for at least a year...I was so excited, nervous and anxious about this journey I was about to embark on. May 7th, 2010 was my last day of work, sigh of relief and a week at home with just one kid...a week later my challenge doubled in the best way.
SAHM-hood is hard but ridiculously rewarding. I have days when I want to scream, days when I want to cry, days when I laugh so hard it hurts, days when my heart is so full of love I can't believe these precious, wonderful kids are mine and I wouldn't change my decision for anything!
The beginning financially was a huge toll on us, we had to rely on WIC and state health care, family to let us stay in their house and had nothing at the end of the month, it was tough and I often questioned returning to work even sent in an application once...but we've come in a full circle in short 7 months and now we can't qualify for WIC because we make too much, state health care is off the books too and we're renting a fabulous new 4bd/2ba house in northwest Georgia.
My heart smiles daily!

Moving across country to Alabama, and moving to Georgia.

-Moving is hard, packing boxes, organizing, physically moving, the logistics are complicated...nevermind the emotional side of it all. I have a hard time being overwhelemed with stuff and trying to move especially 2 weeks postpardum makes it very very hard. My parents are my angels and helped me move...psh helped...they moved us. Without them we'd be, well lets not go there because it'd be a mess!
The second move, a mere 2 hours away, was a bit easier...not alot but a little bit. My in-laws helped us with the aftermath of cleaning and sorting which was so wonderful and without them I fear we may still not have the lake house in order!
Mostly I'm focusing on the we did it, we made it, we have a home again and all is well.

Other things:

I lost weight...just a few pounds in 2011 to hit the goal.

I learned to crochet...and did a stupid amount of fun, fantastic arts and crafts!

I lost a friend...but gained the understanding of what friendship means to me and how I know I should be treated.

I gained a friend back...I lost a friend in 2009 for reasons she and I haven't be able to figure out, a very dear friend who was my best in college and we just seemed to grow apart. We re-kindled and are slowly working on getting to know each other and how to have an adult friendship as opposed to our college one, I hope 2011 brings us close again!

I started going to church again and am working hard on my relationship with God and how I fit into church and how I want my kids to fit into church and learn to know and love Jesus.

2010 was an emotional year for some friends of mine...losing a child, losing parents, divorces, moves, career changes, etc. I wish I could take away all their pain, give them hugs and make the tears go away but I've learned what strength and courage look like and cannot put into words how amazed I am at my friends and how they've met their battles. I truly hope 2011 brings them joy and happiness and helps to disolve some of their tears.

Good-bye 2010, thank you for all you brought me and the lessons I learned!

May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $50 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.

May the problems you had, forget your home address!...

In simple words..May the year 2011 be the best year of your life!!!

Christmas: the before, during and aftermath...

Christmas was different this year...not bad or good per-say just different.

For the last 27 Christmases I have been with my parents and sisters (well not them for 27 but you get the jist)...this year they jet setted off to Paris for the holiday, my youngest sister followed, middle sister is in Australia with her husband and I was in our new home in Georgia.

dude yoghurt puffs are baby crack, thanks Santa!

Kaitlyn was the official helper of the morning :)

Not alone...with two amazingly wonderful children, one so ridiculously excited she couldn't control herself and one slightly overwhelemed with no real idea of what he was supposed to be so happy about! A husband to managed 4 glorious days off to shop last minute and spend time with us! And my in-laws were in town!

We baked, decorated, shopped, explored, relaxed under our Christmas blanket, soaked up the cool weather and talked about how wonderful the day would be.

Kaitlyn and I played a round of football, as much as you can with a 3 yr old who gets mad when you take the ball...running around the backyard like lunatics, watching our warm breath hit the cool air and cheeks turn red and I thought how much fun my Dad would have with us, explaining Aussie football rules, showing how you really kick the ball and tackling us until we almost peed from laughter.

We made sugar cookies for Santa, and wished Mum was there to remember the gingerbread recipe.

We played games and knew Auntie Andi would have been keen to join in.

My in-laws are wonderful, they love my kids immensely and I enjoy their company. They are the snuggle up by the fire place watch a movie, read lots of books and lay low type. My parents are the rough and tumble, hands and knees lets get silly type. A great combination of granparents if you ask me!

It was Blakes first Christmas, not they he cared. It was my first Christmas without my family, and it was hard.

Despite my husband telling me I was a control freak and needed to stop it causing a few tears on the way to his family's Christmas dinner...which is kinda fun to do in the car as people driving by do the double take at this lady sitting in her Christmas outfit tears rolling down her face while going 75mph on the freeway...it was a good Christmas...I just want my kids to have the best memories of Christmas. He logically, as he always is, explained that it's going to be great because we make it great and enjoy each moment, not because it's all planned out and organized.

Next year it can only get better!

Decorations are down, earliest that's ever happened! but we're getting into a new groove in a new town and if feels good to have the house in order.

Toys are being played with...more Blakes than anything bringing quite a few tears from the not wanting to share 3 year old bashing the poor I just wanna play with you 7 month old and then said 3 yr old having to go to her room and think about how we treat others...oh Christmas.

Of course now we gear up for New Years Eve...which when you have two kids under the age of 4 involves the hopes of staying awake until midnight!

I'm working on my resolutions...with a large goal of keeping them this year...which of course means they have to be doable and not the generic lose weight but never do a thing about it goal!

Its such a funny holiday...spend months preparing for this one day, which really is a couple of hours of enjoyment in the morning, wake up at stupid hours of the morning with crazy anticipation, kill a couple of trees with all the paper used, eat some silly amount of junk food, oohh and aahh and fuss over gifts you didn't want or need but still love, all the while trying to remember the true meaning of the holiday...only to wake up on the 26th and go wait it's OVER?!?

I love Christmas, I do, it's just a lot of pressure for one day a year...next year I think we'll work harder on that true meaning and less on the commercialized craziness!