Surprised? No, not really...

homemade Valentines

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Pinterest, we whipped up some simple and cheap homemade Valentines for Lake's daycare buddies.

By "we" I mean, me. by myself. while Lakin napped. I am finding glitter everywhere, including someone's diaper.

can you blame me?

2012-02-13T17:25:00.000-06:00

This swimming suit made it's way into my cart yesterday. Never mind that it's negative temps and snowing right now. How could I pass this gem up? I mean, really.

I'm glad you see my predicament.

Thank you, Target, for making adorable things affordable.

so true

2012-02-13T16:55:00.000-06:00

Who are these people raising Colin?

2012-02-12T13:15:00.001-06:00

So funny. We've been enjoying clips from Portlandia recently.

a sweet surprise

2012-02-10T17:00:00.001-06:00

Lake's the proud new owners of these sweet kicks. They were a gift from Miss Cathy- early Valentine's. She's pretty over the moon about it. Took a nap in them. She keeps rediscovering the surprise too each time she catches a glimpse of her feet.

Lakin Lately

2012-02-09T06:51:00.003-06:00

A few fun facts about our 19 month old:

- Big fan of wearing pretties to school. Just the other day she picked out a necklace to go with her outfit before we left the house.

- Constantly inquiring, "Doing?" when she wants to know what you're up to. For example, when I'm cleaning the poop from her carpet she leans down in my ear and asks, "Momma, doing?" (true story from the other night- too much naked time after bath resulted in some ill-fated poop on the carpet). Or when I'm pouring cereal, clipping my finger nails, cooking dinner, checking email, and the list goes on.

- She imitates my every move. When I clear my throat in the car, there a small echo that can be heard from the back seat.

- Her favorite phrase right now is "hereyago." She says it every time I hand her something or vice versa.

- She is still crazy obsessed with Dora and Boots (to be pronounced with extra emphasis on the ooo in the middle and t at the end). Our car ride in the mornings is usually spent talking about these two characters even though they are nowhere in site.

- She prefers walking when we're out in public and is not into holding mom or dad's hand, thankyouverymuch.

- Disappointment of any kind typically results in an ostrich-like posture and some tears.

- She's been reading to herself in the crib each morning. I don't know why we didn't put books in her crib earlier. It extends her morning get up time by thirty minutes easily.

- She often asks for her nap and has been known to drag a pair of pajamas from her drawer into the living room when she's beat from the day and wants an early bedtime. Sleep habits like her momma!

- She's very into coloring, although, she cannot be trusted with a crayon without close supervision. Let's just say red was the unfortunate casualty this weekend.

- She's working on her colors right now. When you ask her the color of something, her answer is always preceded with an "um...." and then she just names a color. Every once and a while she gets it right but it's just luck at this point.

- She gives the best kisses and hugs.

Here's some photos of her loving on her Dora baby from my grandma. Thanks grandma for sending this doll her way. She loves it!

picture appetizer

2012-02-07T07:01:00.006-06:00

in case you needed a fix...

Guest Post

2012-02-03T19:29:00.001-06:00

Hop on over to Thriving Home. They featured a small post by me earlier today. Enjoy, friends!

- S

writer's block

2012-02-02T16:12:00.004-06:00

I have thought of you, dear blog, often. I have meant to sit down and write. I have filed ideas away of posts I wanted to share. But when it came down to doing it, I didn't. I've been a wee bit lazy around here these days. Chris and I started watching Mad Men and it has consumed much of our free time together. Chris has been home more lately since his current rotation is lighter which means I have missed the last several Pretty Little Liars episodes (which might be for the best, you decide) and I have let simple tasks go out the window.

So here we are. Reunited.

Cricket, cricket.

I guess it's best to just jump right in. We have been up to quite a few things.

Last weekend I shot a wedding with Midwest LifeShots. It was a total blast, I learned a ton technically about the camera, and I can feel myself improving. I certainly have more ideas these days when we shoot and Scott is able to explain to me how to set the camera to achieve the vision. Weddings are probably my favorite kind of photography, but man, they are a marathon day. Luckily we were able recharge with some Micky D's between the wedding and the reception. I fully believe that double cheeseburger carried me through the reception. I hope to put some images up from the day because we got some really awesome stuff.

Lakin is a talking fool. I can't even tell you the amount of words in her vocabulary but she's soaking up words like a sponge. We're taking a spin at potty training because I'm crazy like that. So far, only one tinkle in the toilet but the girl LOVES to sit on the potty. She requests drinks and reading materials and I figure the longer she camps out there the more likely she is to go in the potty. There's a box of Dora fruit snacks sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter reminding her that a Dora snack could be hers if she makes some boo boo in the potty. Naturally she's learning potty words, like stinky, boo boo, and pee pees. I still giggle when she tells me boo boo and points to her diaper. I need to grow up. Yes, Chris and I rarely get to use the restroom in private without Lakin wanting to come in and announce to others that mommy and daddy are "go potty". Her grammar needs work but we've got time to iron that out.

I got my new camera and I've barely had time to experiment. I'm hoping to do some investigating with it this weekend. I ended up with the Canon Rebel T3i and a 50mm lens. I'm still saving for my fancy, one day lens but until then, I am eager to get my feet wet with what I've got.

I'll leave you with some photos of Miss Congeniality, herself. After all, that's why you visit this blog anyway, right?

Puffy Vest OR a completely random post about nothing

2012-01-23T12:56:00.000-06:00

Today is a snow day in Rochester. Icy rain. Trust me, it has to be bad for this town to cancel. Lakin and I are hiding out at home and taking it easy. I even cleared our driveway using the snow blower. Until today, the piece of machinery kind of intimidated me. But the snow was thick and heavy and after a few shovels worth, I though it time I big my big girls pants on and fire up the blower. It was not as difficult as I thought but it was pretty tough to push up the drive. Still beats shoveling the entire driveway.

Lakin's been very into dress up. She likes to put my clothes on when its laundry day and the clean clothes make it up the stairs in their baskets. As you can see she found my puffy vest and around her neck is my sports bra. All fair game for lady. Oh, her sweatshirt does fit her, it just tends to roll up over her belly and look like a little half shirt. She is not wearing pants and she does have a tutu on. Why not, right?

If you're wondering what's captured my daughter's attention it was some Saturday morning cartoon. Stopped her dead in her tracks.

This is What Co-Dependency Looks Like

2012-01-14T08:35:00.000-06:00

They say the first step to overcoming addiction is to admit you have a problem.

In our house, we have a problem.

The addiction comes in the form of a pint-sized, Spanish-speaking, doe-eyed, little cartoon character named Dora. You might be familiar with this reference. Or perhaps you're not (in which case, consider yourself lucky).

Dora has captured the heart of our one year old and serious Dora fever has begun to set in.

It started innocently enough. 10 minute YouTube clips of Dora saving the birthday Wizzle so mom or dad could cook dinner, start laundry, use the restroom in peace.

Short YouTube clips turned into entire episodes via the dealer, Netflix.

Dora was desired day and night. Often asked about in the first moments of the day and as Lakin would lay her head down at night. "Dora?"

We've tried to cut back on the Dora consumption and have been met with resistance. When the tv is turned off and the screen goes black her first response is, "oh no." Then comes the anger. The shakes. The uncontrollable emotion.

Dora's ghost haunts Lakin throughout the day. She points at inanimate objects and proclaims, "Dora!" I have to gently break it to her that the coffee pot is not Dora.

For Christmas she received Dora socks and backpack from my parents. She's pretty insistent that the socks always be worn and the backpack never leave her side. She eats breakfast holding the backpack, drags it behind her as she runs around the house, and hates to leave for school without the thing.

We are beginning to save for rehab. It will be a long road to recovery, we just hope our daughter is not too far gone.

On living your dreams

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-06:00

There has always been this part of my heart that has hoped to create for a living. I started out in college majoring in environmental design so I could create interiors. Unfortunately, a lack of drawing skills and the risk of an F on my official transcript caused me to reevaluate my dreams and move to another major. I still sometimes wonder if I gave up too fast on that one.

As a teacher there was a lot of creative thinking. I was designing lesson plans, creating a learning environment and putting together my students' assignments. It doesn't sound terribly creative to someone who's never worked in a classroom but teachers are some of the most creative people you'll meet. A lot of thought went into the way my classroom looked, how I set up our routines and the way my students learned. Teaching definitely scratched my creative itch.

Since having left teaching I have missed being an "artist." My current job is more administrative. From time to time I get to help plan special events (which I do love a lot) and I had the opportunity to do some creating when it came to our summer camp. But overall, it was not a position where my heart felt free to dream, design and create. Since I started helping out at Midwest LifeShots I have been reminded just how much I need to create for things to be right in the world. I love photographing people, capturing emotion and thinking about how to tell their story in a way that is honoring, artistic, and beautiful. I love the design element of piecing together an album or designing a product that clients will fall in love with. I have felt my heart come alive as I fall deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of photography and design.

I have been encouraged by friends who are doing what they love. Every. Single. Day. My friend, Emily, just began her own photography studio in Jeff City, MO and blows me away with her creativity and talent. My dear friend, Polly, is working to start a blog for profit and is loving every moment. Several years ago, my college friend, Camille, began an event planning business in Austin, TX, which is super fly and professional. She's been featured in all sorts of publications and even done some videos for HGTV (she's kind of a BIG deal). What I love about these ambitious friends of mine is that they're living their dream.

I am excited to announce that I too am moving into a more creative field. I will be ending my time at my current job to join Jen and Scott and the team at Midwest LifeShots. I will be doing photography, editing images, creating albums and exercising my need to create. I have loved my time as a staff coordinator and summer camp director but I am so excited to be a part of the Midwest LifeShots team and learn more about this growing passion of mine. I didn't expect a job change while we lived in Rochester but God has opened the door and I'm stepping through.

The new position allows for more time with this girl since I will be working some from home and some from the studio.

I can't lie, the thought of extra snuggles in the morning, new adventures in the afternoon and more time together is a incredible perk to my new job.

I am excited to begin a new adventure. I'm eager to work more part time and have a more flexible schedule and I am thrilled to continue to learn this craft. I feel so lucky to get to live out a dream. Thanks for being along for the ride!

Like a Lady

2012-01-07T06:57:00.000-06:00

I have been in major clean out mode lately. I went through closets, my jewelry, the over crowded crawl space and begun the process of purging and cleaning our home. A new year always motivates me to get my stuff together and this year that meant getting rid of the things our family just does not use. When Lakin discovered the discarded jewelry that I planned to take to work to see if there were any takers she was all about putting every piece on and wearing it throughout the house. She would walk around with all her bling and say, "pretty, pretty." I guess I won't be getting rid of the jewelery just yet. Perhaps someone needs it for dress up time.

Speaking of dressing up, we have worn our Halloween costume around the house almost every day the last week and we put our tutu on as soon as we get home from school and don't remove it until bedtime. Why not?

the many emotions of a meal with Lakin

2012-01-04T18:10:00.001-06:00

wowie

2012-01-02T18:34:00.001-06:00

no matter how many times she opened that door and cookie monster popped out it never got old.

wowie!

such joy, such awe.

Chipotle, we love you.

2012-01-01T13:45:00.003-06:00

like mother, like daughter

Chipotle is our new Christmas Eve tradition. It's also our Halloween, Valentine's Day, and birthday tradition. We also like to go there on Sundays. Or really, anytime.

merry christmas

2011-12-25T07:05:00.000-06:00

cookie party

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

cookies, icing, sprinkles and giggles

waiting

2011-12-24T09:41:00.002-06:00

sure is hard for a little girl...

sneaky

2011-12-24T07:23:00.000-06:00

you know you work for a wicked awesome company when...

2011-12-23T07:30:00.001-06:00

this is the Christmas card they send out to their clients.

can you find me?

yee haw

2011-12-23T07:22:00.002-06:00

how? why?

2011-12-23T07:12:00.003-06:00

How does my daughter know who Elmo is? Why is she more excited to see his picture than she is when she sees me? What in the world?

so good and I'm not just talking about the boyz II Men Christmas album

2011-12-19T07:00:00.001-06:00

This weekend was so good.

Christmas brunch with our favorite Rochester family
Pink horse rides
Shot a winter wedding of a beautiful bride and groom
Christmas choir music Sunday morning
Drove through the country to a very impressive homemade light display
Crock pot Macaroni and Stefon videos with friends

Some photos from our Christmas brunch...

Lakin is full of wonder these days. She almost came out of her car seat at the sight of the "Peetee li-hts." When she's really in awe she will say "oh boy." When she successfully mounts or dismounts her horse she yells "I did ittttttt!" She brings so much joy to our lives.

Hope your week is blessed with advent wonder as we prepare for the coming of the newborn King! O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Boyz II Men version- you're welcome.)

Changing My Life

2011-12-15T06:58:00.001-06:00

Despite the "balmy" weather we're currently having here in Rochester, I thought I'd take a moment and tell you about a product that has CHANGED MY LIFE. I live is a pretty chilly state. People in Minnesota believe I'm a Missouri girl, from "the South" (which technically Missouri is a state located south of Minnesota) but we Missouri folk are hard core Midwest. We dip our pizza in ranch dressing, we own dress sweats and we know the extremes of four hard seasons.

But I have to say winters here are a new beast. Last Christmas I was gifted this from my in-laws.

I lovingly refer to it as my sleeping bag coat. It is a glorious piece of warmth in the harsh winters of the North. My friend, Mary Kate, a Chicago girl, also sports this life-changing coat because girl knows what's up at winter time. She even walks in the subzero weather. Me, I move quickly from garage to house and parking lot to building. Even so, I don't know if I could do it without the warmth and aid of my North Face Metropolis Down Parka.

This coat is changing my life one below zero day after another. Winning. Thank you Dennis and Geri, thank you.

snow diva

2011-12-12T19:43:00.001-06:00

We had our "first" snowfall a small bit ago. While Chris cleared the drive Lakin and I did some snow exploring. A few observations from our brief stint outside.

1. Lakin can barely move in all her snow gear. For those of you not from the Northern snowy states, snow pants are MANDATORY up in this place. Like you must send them with your kids to go to school. As in, they go outside when there is snow on the ground. People will judge you if you don't pack snow boots, snow pants, hats, mittens, and a fleece lined coat. That's quite the production when outdoor playtime rolls around. I remember wearing snow pants like a total of five times. It must have been one winter in Elementary school when I was actually interested in playing outside in the snow.

2. She's not a fan of gloves. Straight up refuses to put those babies on. Is frostbite a natural consequence I can allow to teach her a lesson? Probably not.

3. When it came time to touch and play with the snow it was incredibly upsetting. There were tears running down her freezing little face. First snow play was an epic fail. At least I snapped some photos before she came completely unglued.

4. Lakin would rather put snow gear on and play with pretend snow from the warmth of indoors. She's also would rather wear her PJs slightly unzipped. That's just how she rolls.

She's such a cute little Bohemian babe in that head wrap.

Finally

2011-12-11T15:03:00.001-06:00

joy is getting your baby girl's hair into teeny tiny pigtails.

tubbin'

2011-12-08T18:38:00.001-06:00

things to bring up at her wedding

2011-12-01T19:54:00.001-06:00

Can't wait until this little gem of a photo resurfaces at just the right time.

What happens when it's silent for a few minutes with no buggie in sight? Eight pairs of underwear worn around the neck like bling, that's what. I love this girl. So much.

cookie monster

2011-11-30T17:25:00.001-06:00

spritz cookies + one excited girl = lots of sprinkles all over the floor.

still finding them

totally worth it

great joy this Christmas!

step one: put pantless wonder in Bumbo on counter and give her the "tools"

step two: let pantless wonder make it rain sprinkles

step three: remind pantsless wonder that sprinkles should ultimately land on cookies

step four: observe pantsless wonder discover the edible nature of cookies

step five: watch in horror as she demolishes multiple cookies in a matter of seconds.

step six: put pantsless wonder in bed for afternoon nap and clean up sprinkles from your floor

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-11-28T19:31:00.001-06:00

Being a young family we get to form our family traditions which is especially fun around the holidays. I love decorating for Christmas and thought the best possible time to put up the tree had to be the instant Thanksgiving was over. So the morning after T-giving, we got out the tree and put it up along with our humble collection of Christmas decs. The stash grows each year but is pretty meager in it's beginnings.

I thought Lakin would be pretty interested in the tree but she was very content to play with Gigi while I put the tree together and strung the lights. Her interest did peak when the ornaments came out in all their shiny, colorful glory. It was game on from there.

a brief pause for a belly button poke

When the tree was finished Lake was pooped. She chilled out in her elf costume (made by my mom last Christmas) and watched some Dora.

pack it up, pack it in, let me begin

2011-11-27T16:03:00.001-06:00

Anyone get that House of Pain reference?

We had a thankful holiday, despite our little temper tantrum running a bit of a muck. BTW, things are much better. I think maybe the lingering ear infection was to blame, but now we know just how much fury is in that little lady. I fear the teen years.

We spent the day at our friends, Casey and Daniel's, house. Chris' parents came in town to celebrate with us. It was a wonderful afternoon with friends and some delicious food. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. Completely about being thankful. Pausing to share a meal with those you love. Very few things can taint or distort the day. This is our second Thanksgiving in Rochester and we have much to be thankful for.

Here is Lakin getting a little pre-turkey nap in on the toilet.

She was wearing a fancy little dress from Miss Cathy but after being stripped down for lunch we decided something more casual was the way to go since someone has been known to use her shirt as a bib.

Here she is sneaking cracker #456. Little hands would sneak up on the counter, snatch a cracker and disappear.

Reading a few books to help someone from coming unglued. It's a miracle she was sitting still for this photo.

Lakin helped me crush cornflakes for the party potatoes. It was a task she was extremely excited about

until she realized

she couldn't just help herself to the cornflakes.

Lakin with her dad, what a good guy, wand and all.

Fiji laying low.

cracker # 513

and #514

Our hearts and bellies were full by the time we left that evening. Hope your Thanksgiving was filled with the joy too!

underqualified

2011-11-23T13:29:00.001-06:00

The first year of a kid's life is pretty amazing. I remember running errands with a car seat-bound infant and thinking, this parenting thing is not hard at all. Sure, there's tons of uncertainty about when to take baby in to the doctor, why she won't take quality naps, and how to soothe her teething gums but for the most part, your bundle of joy thinks you are amazing, likes to snuggle, and is willing to follow your lead.

Now that Lakin's almost 16 months (gulp, where has time gone) I'm in a whole new phase of uncertainty and this one is a real challenge. I hinted that things at our house have gotten a bit more difficult as our intelligent and fiercely independent toddler finds her voice and her own opinions. Lately everything has become a battle.

For example, breakfast the other day was berries and bananas- a favorite for BG and she refused them. No polite, "no thank you, mom, I'd rather have something else"- it was a snarly, "no!" and a shove to the floor. I kept my composure and placed the food back onto her high chair and did my best to ignore her chorus of whiny refusal. I unloaded the dishwasher, turned up the Pandora play list and acted like the world was just peachy. You know what? After five minutes of ugly she finally devoured her breakfast and then asked for more.

When we got out to run a few errands things continued to be difficult. The first battle was getting her strapped into her car seat. She's not only strong willed, she's physically strong and I have to hold her down to keep her in her seat long enough to buckle up. She cried through the grocery store as I stoically picked up my last minute Thanksgiving items and place them in our cart. Onlookers were staring and I know they were wondering what was wrong with my kid, or better yet, the mother who was allowing her to act this way in public.

Allow me to insert a disclaimer, something to make me feel better about her atrocious behavior:

She has been sick with an ear infection lately and the last two weeks have been touch and go in the mood department. Maybe her ear is still bothering her? Maybe she's under the weather, who knows? Either way, the 'tude is unbearable.

I hesitated writing this because I can't bear to have readers think my sweet little girl does anything other than fart rainbows but I wanted to be real. Being a mom is hard work. It's a lot of guessing and hoping you get it right. When do I walk away and let the fit happen, when do I intervene and offer the comfort that she's begging for? Will any of my actions cost her thousands of dollars worth of therapy down the road? Will I unknowingly enable my kid to a new level of brathood by coddling too much? How is a mother supposed to know? Why don't these kids come with a user manual?

As a kid I thought my parents had it all figured out. They kept their cool in all situations, seemed to know how to lovingly put the fear in me so that I behaved in all circumstances. Thing is, I was their first, their only, their guinea pig. They had never handled any of these parenting situations before I came along but they parented with ease and grace and a wisdom that I pray for.

Parenting does make me depend on God in a whole new way. He created Lakin. He knows her heart and what she needs. Only His Spirit can change her. She's sinful. We all are. But God is bigger than our sin. I pray He will guide and lead as we navigate these uncharted waters of parenthood. No user manual but He did give us His Word and His Holy Spirit. I suppose those blow user manuals out of the water.

I leave you with a scene from Thanksgiving. This was right before Lakin was sent to bed with no dinner. The picture says it all. (Don't worry, she filled up on crackers before the meal so she went down for a nap on a full, carb-loaded stomach.)

Despite her epic fit before dinner, it was a wonderful holiday with so much to be thankful for. We spent it with Chris' parents and our Rochester "family." We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such love. I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with laughter and joy, like ours.

the diva's BACK

2011-11-15T06:15:00.001-06:00

If you recently started reading this blog you don't know that my lovely, sweet, friendly daughter spent the first four months of her life scowling and refusing to nap. She was strong-willed and I prayed that God would give me the wisdom and strength to stand my ground with her. Then, like light peeking from behind a cloud, the heavens opened and she began giggling, smiling, and seemed much more willing to rest and comply with my requests. She was a changed kid and I sighed a breath of relief. We'd seemed to have dodged a bullet and entered a sweet spot of parenting.

THEN... she learned two words, "no," and "mine." With the advance in vocabulary has come all the 'tude and will that first plagued my newborn baby. Only now, she can walk, shake her head, and knows to run from me when she's not interested in what I have to say.

The above picture is from her buddy, Annie's, first birthday party this last weekend. I wish I could show you a photo of sweet Annie investigating her cake but my camera battery was dead, unbeknownst to me. Lakin was pretty well-behaved but she did want to take Annie's new toys, and she did think she needed to be right there next to Annie the entire time she opened presents, and she did feel the need to take the shape sorter from the littlest baby in the room and screech, "no," as she did it.

Ah, this is when the real parenting starts. Seeing your own child's sin is a bit heartbreaking. It's in us all, but you like to think your kid might be immune.

But she's not. So we begin the process of teaching her right from wrong and how to treat others. Character building. It's a life long process. I have a feeling God's going to build our own character as we attempt to shape and influence our daughter's.

us: lately

2011-11-12T06:53:00.001-06:00

can I just say there are so many times where I think, this needs to be recorded on the blog. then days pass and the urgency wanes and I figure its not worth recording.

but life is full of tiny moments that are worth recording.

if I could have a camera in my hand at all times to capture these moments I would.

speaking of cameras, I love my job taking photos. I am now working part time with Midwest LifeShots. they hired me on. they're teaching me tons and overlooking my blurry, over exposed photos, to see my potential.

my heart thrives when I take pictures. I spend way too much time on pintrest admiring the art form. I try to figure out lighting, angles, what the photographer must have said (or not said) the moment before the photo was snapped. tiny moments are what we work to create and capture as photographers.

tiny moments around here include:

bg's ear infection that was discovered yesterday morning. she is loving that antibiotic, acts like it's candy. the second she sees the oral syringe, she starts smacking her lips and repeating, "me." Yes, baby girl, this medicine is for you.

while my prescription was filled, I got a chance to talk to my sweet friend, Ashley, who's expecting her first little boy in March. We chatted about strollers and baby photography. I'm so excited for them. every time someone asks me questions about baby stuff I realize I'm getting rusty. once you're out of the phase it's hard to remember what it was like to be in it.

Lakin and I raided Hobby Lobby a few nights ago. we got the makings of a few homemade Christmas gifts and some glitter to glitterize our Christmas decorations. also found our family Christmas stockings at a crazy discount (considering it's early November). we've been having fun crafting and playing together downstairs lately.

Chris has been working his tail off. we don't see the guy until well into the night and he's gone before we wake in the morning. i'm so proud of him. he never complains. me, not so much, but Chris, he always has the best attitude. he's so grateful for the learning opportunities. he's pretty dang amazing. still wish he could join us for dinner some nights. but in due time. the best moment of my day is when Lakin's eyes light up as she hears the garage door close and Chris come in from a day at work. the world stops. she smiles. my heart melts.

Lakin wore the most ridiculously ruffly, pink outfit the other day. each time I would look at her in it I would just die a little. SO precious.

disregard the insane hair, we're working on something fantastic there. trust me.

this morning we're making some breakfast for some of my favorite Rochester ladies. yummers!

lazy Saturday

2011-11-06T19:01:00.004-06:00

Woke up with a "hey!" and some play time with Daddy. Nothing beats milk, wearing Mom's headband, and sitting in Dad's lap.

For my second breakfast I enjoyed some biscuits with Mom and Dad. Never heard of second breakfast? How do you think I keep this figure girlish?

I was really wishing someone would open the freaking fridge and get me some grapes. If only I was strong enough to pull that door open myself.

"Who me? I am quite certain I had nothing to do with whatever you're insinuating."

Stomping those leaves with all my might.

Checking out the view from my Cozy Coupe.

Showcasing the fine mullet I am growing.

If sitting is fun, imagine how fun standing must be.

Hanging out the back like I just don't care.

My license plate should read CRZY COUP because I'm pretty wild.

Say, "Cheese!" I just did. This is my cheesy, fake smile.

Iconic Fall Picture: Me in the leaves, so kindly raked up recently by Dad.

Dive bombing the leaves.

Things we're loving right now:

- Daddy's weekends off
- No coats in November!
- Big Butter Tastin' Biscuits
- Raising a ruckus

truly amazing footage

2011-11-06T18:11:00.000-06:00

This raw footage was shot in Lakin's natural habitat. She was not provoked or encouraged in any way to do this... well, maybe a little. Click and be amazed.

We're you expecting an Eminem impersonation based on the still picture of the video? Hopefully I didn't disappoint too much.

Now That's What I Call Halloween: Volume II

2011-11-03T16:24:00.001-05:00

Let's be honest, these are the pics you been pining for. Better late than never. I know you already have your Christmas tree up and your holiday music play, but humor me on one last blast from the Halloween past.

We took Lakin trick or treating and I was actually impressed with how involved she was. Of course, the first house we went to she climbed up to the front door and then turned around and climbed down without waiting for the home owner to come to the door. Once she figured out we were waiting for candy, it was game on.

Lakin had three friends to do the night with: Caleb, Audrey, and Lauren.

Audrey had already started the candy eating party. She's the pumpkin to the far left.

Eating a stick... sigh.

Trying to convince others to join her in eating the stick... sigh.

Our little troopers were happy to stay out late and even visited the scariest house in town with the promise of a king size candy bar. Here are a few action shots from the evening.

Notice, there was no snow. Holding strong, Rochester. Proud of that.

Now That's What I Call Halloween: Volume I

2011-10-31T19:54:00.002-05:00

Dora the Explorer

Dora and, er, mullet-sporting tee ball coach

Janet Snakehole, Gypsy Woman, Dora

What's One to Do?

2011-10-31T16:50:00.001-05:00

What's a mom to do when she picks her child up from daycare and she can hear from the hallway, "No, no, Lakin, we leave our shirts on here." Apparently my sweet girl was stripping her shirt off every chance she got this afternoon. What goes on in her mind? I wish I knew.

Here are some scenes from around our house lately.

cheap trick

2011-10-30T18:36:00.002-05:00

This video is the ONLY way I can clip Lakin's fingernails or put cute ponies in her hair. Guilty.

Can you see the glow of the computer screen putting her in a trance?

A BOO Preview

2011-10-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

Thursday evening we met Jess and Kristin and downtown for some spooky fun. Our public school district was hosting a fundraising event at the Grand Kahler Hotel. The Kahler is one of Rochester's oldest hotels and it's hallways would put Jack Nicholson's Overlook Hotel to shame. They're twisty with low ceilings and for real creepy. There were three levels at the Hunted Hallways. Since all our babes were under two we only dabbled in the "Hallway of Fun."

This was one of those moments where you, the parent, endure something awful for the sake of your kid. We waited in line to enter the hall, I was pushing my stroller (rookie move) because I wasn't sure what to expect and Lakin's a darter. Tons of small kids were wrangled into a tight, single file line to wait for their tootsie rolls and chance to put the eyeballs into the bucket. Which at the young age of one and a half, you just don't get standing back and letting the kid dressed as a monkey in front of you play the game. As we inched through the tiny space, I quickly regretted the fleece jacket combo I'd worn. The hallways were blazing hot with all the Halloween lights and the traffic jam of people. My strollers wheels kept getting turned the wrong way and Lakin freaked at the end when she saw the life-size Dalmatian fire dog. Not to mention someone pooped early on in the hallway. I prayed it wasn't Lakin and pretended not to smell the fierce odor. If we'd wanted to escape, it would not have been possible.

So we walked away with about eight tootsie rolls and a memory. Good times. Will we go again? I'm certain of it.

our chevy sonic adventure

2011-10-23T19:43:00.002-05:00

You know me, I'm always up for a freebie. So, when I heard about the Chevy Sonic Adventure scavenger hunt I was game. With Chris on call all weekend, I knew I was going to have to go at this challenge with Lakin on board. I found my partner and together we psyched ourselves up to win a car.

The premise was simple, show up downtown at 11:00 am, ready to move on foot from clue to clue. Each location had a challenge to complete, some were riddles, others simple mathematical equations- all completely doable with a little effort and thought. There were 49 locations and two hours to complete as many challenges as possible. Each challenge had its own point value. Clues came through your phone via text or the scavenger app. Thankfully, Jen has an iPhone. Unfortunately, we lost battery about half way through the race. No problem though, we parked ourselves in Jen's car, plugged the phone in, and while it charged Jen would feed me locations and I'd run to complete the challenge and report back the answers. Not ideal, but not bad.

My partner, Jen, was nine months pregnant. Together, with her baby bump and my twenty-five pound kid riding side saddle in her stroller, we were quite the pair. If an award would have been given for courage and heart, we would have won it.

Despite an embarrassing amount of trash talk, we did not walk away the proud new owners of a Chevy Sonic. We are, however, so thankful we made the trek out to compete. It was a blast and we make a killer team. All I have to say is, "next year." Below is the video of the winners. They took the two finalists and gave them both a set of keys, one worked, the other didn't. Oh, the suspense!!!

We did decide that if it came down to a dance contest in the end that Jen should be the one competing. You know, nothing beats a very pregnant woman dancing. See below for evidence.

throw some glitter, make it rain

2011-10-17T21:48:00.002-05:00

And that's just what we did. Metaphorically speaking. Since there was no actual glitter present at our pumpkin par-tay. But if glitter would have been present it would have been raining crazy, shiny glitter.

It was the annual Uro pumpkin carving party at the Shimko family abode. I'd like to do some comparison shots for you so you can see just how much has changed in the last year.

First, a shot of Bug right before the party last year.

Bugs this year. T-shirt courtesy my talented mom.

A little more hair. a little less chub, a whole lot more 'tude. Look at her sitting in that chair A.C. Slater style. You can't teach that kind of coolness, people.

Chris' pumpkin design from last year.

And this year. Hint, his is not the Dora one or the cute pumpkin colored with magic marker. What can I say, the guy bleeds red and yellow.

We had a great time, it's been a sweet tradition here to gather together for the great pumpkin carving. Here are some more pics from the weekend event.

Erin and Caitlin working on precision, Dora's not going to carve her own face into the front of that pumpkin, now is she?

Baby Asher, the skunk, was tipping pumpkins and raising a stink. Not really, he's a mild-mannered little guy. Lakin was really interested in all things Asher all day.

Scarlett and her juice box. Do juice boxes contain liquid magic? Lakin had her first taste of apple juice and she could. not. get. enough. I think she personally ripped the straw from three separate boxes after experiencing the bliss of juice. If only she had the hand/eye coordination to punch that skinny straw in the tiny hole all by herself...

Pumpkin decorating is serious bid-ness. Not comfortable with your three year old wielding a knife? Give them a magic marker and let them go to town. Genius.

Experienced surgeons at work. By experienced I mean one year of experience. Brian and Chris perfect their art.

My pumpkin. Whipped this J out free-handed after a hand off of Lakin to Chris. Took turns actually participating in the party. Tag team parenting is a must when your kids starts running. Lakin was busy playing with all the other kids and since she can't be trusted alone. with anything. one of us was on Bug duty at all times. The J is for Jaeger. As in our family name. It was my "Martha moment."

Pumpkins lined up for judging. Sweet prizes were given. Fun was had by all. Bring it on, Halloween.

bruiser

2011-10-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

Can you see that small cut above Lakin's left eye? I wish I could say it was a result of her crazy exploration but unfortunately, I did that. I was trying to stop a heavy door from falling on her and my finger nail cut her eyelid. Talk about feeling like a bad mommy. I guess a small cut was better than a door in the face.

Daddy is off work this weekend so we did some extended PJ time yesterday morning. This is Lakin's favorite spot in the house, besides behind the toilet but we are really discouraging that one these days. It's a tiny corner in our kitchen. She was taking a short break from running from one end of the house to another.

I'm missing bowls, Tupperware, and cooking utensils. The above picture is my explanation. Where do these items go to die? Only Lakin knows, and she's not telling.

She's a snuggler. Big hugs and kisses are given freely around here and lately her affection has turned to her soft toys. All you have to do is encourage her to "love the baby" and she wraps her arms around that thing for dear life and hugs with all her might. It's sweet but when a real baby is involved, there might be a bit too much love, and little blockage of airflow. Something to work on, or through, I guess.

randomly thinking

2011-10-12T06:58:00.003-05:00

I miss teaching. I miss my corner of the world (it was a mobile trailer corner, but it was perfect, nonetheless) where I could reign supreme. I miss encouraging young minds to think for themselves and to dream big. I miss reading juicy young adult literature and having meaningful conversations with my students as they sorted through some of the more complicated issues of life.

I don't know if I'll ever get to be queen of a classroom again. I don't know if I want to. But I do miss it.

I am fortunate to get to do this with my own children someday. For now, we will read Whose Baby Am I? for the umpteenth time and work on pointing to our belly buttons and mouths. We all start somewhere, right?

weekend update with sara j

2011-10-11T21:11:00.002-05:00

As promised, I wanted to give you a run down of our fabulous and fun weekend in Columbia. Like I mentioned, we visited our friends, Polly and Austin, and were in town so Chris could be an usher for his friend, Dave, from medical school.

Dave gave his ushers the dress code a few months in advance but Chris, with his hectic schedule, started thinking about it about a week before we left- such a boy thing to do. He needed a black suit and bow tie for the affair, neither of which did he own. So Thursday night, the evening before we left, he went to borrow a suit from a friend. The suit turned into a tuxedo jacket, one that was a little too large for him, and suddenly became the topic of conversation for every available moment leading up to the wedding.

Despite looking like a Chippendale's dancer, no one noticed, cared, commented on the fact that Chris' jacket was satin lined and appeared a little out of sorts. To Chris' relief and wardrobe insecurity, some serious crisis was averted.

I also had a bit of wardrobe malfunction. By malfunction I mean the top I intended to wear to the wedding was also part of my rehearsal ensemble (travel light, right?) and I may or may not have dribbled chocolate custard down the front of it while eating ice cream in the dark. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Since chocolate custard is fatal to a white blouse, I was stuck with a skirt and no top which is higly inappropriate for a wedding- or so I hear. So, I did what any fashion forward, quick thinking girl would do; I threw together something with what I had left over. Hello skirt and blue tee, you look nice.

At least Lakin looked sharp at the rehearsal. Someone needed to represent for this family.

Lakin practiced her robot moves at the Conner's. Not really, I think this was an action shot of her chasing Sophie around the living room. Sophie is a just-the-right-size dog for Lakin. She loved her kisses and wanted to be near her whenever possible. Sophie was a good sport. Adelyn's a lucky girl.

Here's Lakin and Riley. They had never met before this moment but they shared a sort of kindred bond. Their first five minutes together was a long, drawn out hug. The following day, Riley's mom told me to watch out for some pink eye that might be in our future. Luckily, Lakin has super human immunity so despite their love fest, she came our unscathed. Gotta love little kid germs.

While Chris practiced the art of ushering folks down the aisle, Lakin ran around like a wild woman. She would just go up to different guests and strike up a nonsense conversation with them. Everyone was amused, despite the fact that they had no idea what she was trying to say. Too bad she's a shy one.

This is where I began to covet my friend, Ashley's, boots. They were just as beautiful in person as they were on pintrest. Definitely worth their own picture.

Ashley is bumping a baby boy in there. She's due in March. First kid. Isn't she stinking cute as a preggo?

Lakin's social hour.

What's a visit to Columbia without Shakespeare's pizza? Sad, that's what. We met my folks at Shakespeare's Saturday. Lake is now a fan of pepper jack and pepperoni pizza.

Ladies, he's taken. My husband the usher/milkman/Chippendale's dancer.

Our prom pic. Some observations: my legs have not seen the light of day for a while, holy white skin. The blue tee doesn't look too bad after all. My hair was large and in charge.

Here's the beautiful altar. Gorgeous ceremony next to the lake.

Chris and the groom, David. They were friends in undergrad and medical school. David now lives in Lexington and is a plastics resident.

Riley ready to be a flower girl.

The two flower girls did a bang up job making it down the aisle. Mom was waiting to greet them. These girls outlasted Chris and I on the dance floor. PARTY animals.

David and Megan Atashroo

Final shot of the night. Beautiful October evening.

So thankful for a weekend away with the family. My parents took care of Lakin for us during the wedding because she likes them a whole lot and she's a bit of party pooper once the clock strikes 7pm. Thanks mom and dad for making the trip to watch the little girl.

the many faces of Adelyn

2011-10-11T20:30:00.003-05:00

While in Columbia this weekend we stayed with one of my best friends, Polly. Polly is mom to a beautiful little four-month-old. Here are a couple of shots I was able to capture. She was working it on the play mat. Talk about expressive!

Adelyn, thanks for sharing your crib with us. I know a certain someone was a little loud and in your face at times, that's just how she shows her love.

so my dad makes short films sometimes

2011-10-10T21:05:00.003-05:00

It's worth a view. I promise it's not fifty seconds of a failed attempt to get my daughter to do something for the camera like most home movies.

...and we got our groove thing on

2011-10-09T19:04:00.002-05:00

Exhibit A.

Just returned from a trip to Columbia, MO. Good times. Great memories. Sick dance moves. More to come.

really?

2011-10-05T06:53:00.002-05:00

Why didn't I go into children's literature? Last night I read Whose Baby Am I? about fourteen thousand times. The premise is simple really, just show a picture of a baby animal, ask the title question, turn the page and see the larger, more grown up version of said animal.

Mr. John Butler, I'll bet you are laughing all the way to the bank.

tagged under: why didn't I think of that?

getting gussied up

2011-09-24T10:17:00.000-05:00

Last night Chris and I got dressed up and went to dinner with the Urology department. Lakin stayed with a friend and we had a blast catching up with the folks in the department. The dinner was at the Byron Country Club and the view was pretty spectacular.

Before we headed out I had Chris take some photos of Lakin and I. I've been a smidge lazy when it comes to breaking out the camera and I was feeling jazzed about my new top from T.J. Maxx so I thought it was worth documenting.

Dinner was quite tasty and indulgent (steak and chicken, why thank you!) followed by not one, not two, but four dessert choices. Don't worry, I took a little of each.

Highlights of the dinner included the discussion of Taco Bell's fourth meal. There was grand talk of Chalupas and crunch wrap supremes but in the end we were all stuffed from the meal. Another time, another time.

Here are my lovely, lady friends.

who need shaper sorters?

2011-09-24T10:03:00.001-05:00

Alternately titled: the girl with the Don King hair, TMI, horribly embarrassing things to bring up later in life, we're cheap

Why buy new toys when the world around us has so many exciting, and imaginative things to play with? For example, a box full of tampons can entertain a 14 month old for forty minutes. See proof below.

chatter

2011-09-22T20:44:00.000-05:00

little noises
constant conversation
inflection that suggests urgency
love
love
love
to hear you talk to me
snuggles tonight before bed
chatter in my ear
of wishes and dreams
sweet girl
this momma is smitten

please keep talking

i am listening

quarantined

2011-09-20T09:25:00.001-05:00

I finally decided to get the ladies "button" checked out. Lakin's belly button has been red and scabbed and she plays with it all the time. I informed Chris about my concerns that something fungal was making a home in there but he assured me it would clear up and that we should just "watch it." The man's a urologist, not a pediatrician, so he was as puzzled as I was.

After weeks of watching, and Lakin poking and prodding every chance she got, I decided it was high time we got the button looked at by her doctor. Monday morning I made an appointment and took her in. As we amused ourselves waiting for the professional to come take a look, we did some coloring. Lakin was haphazardly scribbling away on Frankenstein's face when I noticed some little wart-like bumps on her fingers that were definitely not there when I took her to school that morning.

I work at a preschool and we've had a minor outbreak of Hand, Foot, and Mouth among our population and I was certain this was probably what the bug had. Sure enough, the doctor confirmed that my lady was contagious, needed to be quarantined for 48 hours, and that she indeed had gone viral. While I hate that she's sick, I am thankful for a few days of snuggling at home. She doesn't seem sick, is not in any pain, and is going about life as usual, so the way I see it, we just got a four day weekend.

Wednesday morning we'll return to life as normal but for now, we're enjoying our day at home.

A few goals for my time at home with the wee one:

- I will not be showering, under any circumstances.

- We will most definitely watch Toy Story 3 this afternoon underneath a pile of blankets with rain falling outside the window.

- While someone gets her beauty rest, I will scrub our bathroom and kitchen floor until they shine like the sun and are clean enough to eat off of. Because, Lakin does... eat off of them. Clean or not.

Oh, as for the belly button mystery, we're applying some hydro cortisone and continuing to watch. I think if someone would just let it be for a few days, it would probably heal up. Hmmm...

Before I get back to a jammie-wearing babe, I'll leave you with some pics from yesterday's trip to the park.

caught eating off the ground

plumber pants

getting tall

riding the airplane

for your viewing pleasure

2011-09-13T18:57:00.003-05:00

I have no words.

A Jaeger Family Weekend

2011-09-12T20:20:00.001-05:00

tap. tap. tap.

Is this thing on?

Sorry for the delay in posts. I've been meaning to write millions of posts between the Michael's debacle and now but I somehow never could get the words out. For those of you who frequent this blog, you know that means I'm about to unleash a crazy string of random photos on you.

Chris was on call this weekend and that dang pager was hot. Every time he sat down to enjoy himself, the thing would buzz. I woke up both Saturday and Sunday in the middle of the night to catch him as he headed off to the hospital. Lucky for me I can sleep through pages, long winded conversations to patients, and the light turning on and off. Poor guy. Oh, well, he signed up for this craziness, right?

When Chris is on call he takes it at home, which means we get to see the doctor side of him on a regular basis. It's pretty interesting to hear him in a more clinical sort of way and it's my personal favorite when he dictates notes via the phone. He talks so fast and the jargon flies; the medical world has their own language, you know.

So this weekend Lakin and I entertained ourselves between Chris' rounds and unexpected trips to the hospital.

Lakin loves milk time. She's taken to carrying her milk all around the house. Can you say, "Hello little drops of milk all over the carpet?" So this weekend a new rule was instituted, milk is only for when we're seated in our high chair. Like usual, I'm met with some resistance with this new boundary. No worries, this momma can hold out.

Terrible photo of my constantly moving subject but I wanted to share this because in this picture Lakin has her two most beloved items: bear head hat and big stick for the slider. I think I put bear head hat away fifty times a day only to find it lying in the middle of the hallway minutes later. She's not so much into wearing the hat as she is to carrying it around and leaving it in unsuspecting places such as the fridge, with the pots and pans, and atop the toilet. Lovely. Big stick just gets carried throughout the house. Not sure the draw there. Would she be my child if she weren't a little strange?

Despite an adorable outfit worn by Miss BG, the Chiefs were not able to bring home the W. Oh, well, I'll consider it a win that Lakin left that hair clip in her hair for the few minutes it took to snap this photo.

"Hey look Mom, my pants zip!"

When skyping with my folks we decided to take the Halloween costume for a spin. It was a good fifteen minutes worth of fun. I can't wait until this one can go Trick or Treating.

What's underneath that pumpkin exterior? An undying love for a ~~mediocre~~ fantastic football team.

Lakin's third favorite toy is the family Mac. She loves to press as many buttons as possible at once. She can usually be found sitting on the keyboard if it's left within reach.

I know, more of the same. Actually, this picture shows our child's giving spirit. She is a sharer. She likes to feed you food from her plate, she offers all her toys to her Dad and friends and thinks that if she enjoys something then you must too. I'm proud of my little giver. I just hope she stays that way when the concept of "mine" works it's way into her brain.

Final pic of the weekend, Lakin and Dad were headed downstairs to watch some football. Lakin likes to open the gate and close it when we get upstairs. She's helpful like that. Actually, she follows me in the kitchen and closes things behind me. Putting groceries away the other day she would close the fridge each time I put something in. She closes cabinets and drawers as I pull items out. She's a little OCD about the whole thing. She gets that need for order from her father.

Another good weekend.

A trip to Michael's OR Oh No She Didn't

2011-09-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

Why aren't all weekends three days long? Don't we all feel a bit happier and rested having enjoyed three days instead of our traditional two? Thank you Labor Day weekend. This weekend was a nice mix of relaxation and productivity for the Jaeger household. I shot another wedding. Yes, yes I did. Me loves the photography. Chris was on BG duty on Saturday since I was MIA. She's got a constant drip from the nose and it's making her a hot mess most afternoons and evenings so they had some good fun together as she refused to nap. Sunday and Monday we did some things around the house that we've been meaning to do all summer. You know, things like cleaning out the freezer and pantry and planting the last of our spring plants. Never too late I guess. We also traveled to Lanesboro, MN, to walk the beautiful trails and explore the quaint town. Next time we plan to rent some bikes and a trailer and spend the day. Maybe we'll also find the sock Lakin left behind on the trail.

Chris and I were in a crafty mood so we decided to get some materials for a project we've been thinking about for a while. We're planning some artwork for our dining area and we went together as a family to Michael's. Lakin was on the verge of an exhaustion meltdown but we thought we could push it with just enough time to get in and get out. While we searched for just the right hue of navy, Lakin busied herself taking paint containers off the shelf and placing them on the floor. She's pretty helpful like that. When it came time to leave and pay for our purchase all hell broke lose. Paint was flying across the aisle, legs we're kicking and she was making quite the scene with her screams. Avoiding eye contact with patrons, I took lady to the car while Chris paid.

My face was red and I was embarrassed by my daughter's misbehavior. When I strapped her into the car seat she arched her back and continued the meltdown. I sat, ashamed, in the front seat while I waited for Chris to join us as people walked past the car with the screaming baby. When did my sweet little angel get such a nasty temper? Hmmmm????

Sure enough, no sooner did Chris put the car in reverse was baby girl asleep, head back, mouth open, and our moment of shame was over.

Lesson learned, when your child is tired, don't push them to the limit. Just go home. Where you can sit calmly and ignore their rampage should they unleash their rage in an act of extreme exhaustion.

It's all good. Someday soon it will be my turn to embarrass her.

Poo Face

2011-08-30T07:27:00.001-05:00

You know it once you see it.

I love the unabashed way my daughter bears down and does a number two.

filed under: things only a mom can appreciate

(pardon the unrelated photo. btw doesn't she look so grown up in big girl shoes? )

What's better than one baby?

2011-08-29T07:14:00.002-05:00

TWO!

No, I'm not expecting a second child anytime too soon. However, my friend, Carly, is about to pop with twins! Chris and I traveled to St. Louis this last weekend to visit friends and shower Carly with love and gifts for her twin girls. Due any day now!

Carly practices the two-hand hold with Everett. I think that expression is priceless.

We co-hosted the shower with some lovely ladies from St. Louis that lead Young Life with Carly. Their home was amazing. Seriously, MTV could do an episode of Cribs for this house. They put so many special loving touches into the decor. Here's the diaper cake made by the St. Louis hosts.

Our spread was pretty tasty. I'm the proud purchaser of that grocery-made spinach and seven layer bean dip. I do cater events if anyone is interested. (I'm booked through 2012 though.)

What do you get when you combine hot glue, cupcake paper holders and a Styrofoam ball? Something absolutely adorable. See above photo.

We had a Milkaholic themed shower and served milk out of glass bottles. Those fancy straws were purchased from Esty and the glass bottles for chocolate milk were recycled frappe bottles. Fantastic and reasonable.

This is the hairbow making station. These hairbows might help Matt and Carly keep their identical twins straight. I thought the reflection from this lamp made for an interesting composition.

And it does get cuter. These are the guest favors, filled with candy bars. Aren't those little milk cartons sweet?

Kayla with Adelyn. She was a sleepy girl for most of the shower. I was one of the fortunate ones who got to snuggle up with her that day.

Meet Promise. She's eight and she wailed on the other guests in the shower game. Each guest started with a tootsie pop. If you were caught saying the word "baby"you had to give it up. Promise would sneak around, eavesdrop and snatch those pops up. She won. By a landslide. It was a fantastic showing if I've ever seen one.

Carly modeling a hair bow made for the girls.

Sweet Adelyn. Love the frilly party attire. She's so stinking cute!

Me and Everett. I was um... enjoying the sweet newborn baby snuggle.

Carly, 36 weeks preggie with twins. Beautiful.

See what I mean, this girl did some napping! Kathleen and Adelyn.

We all got a little baby fix with Everett and Adelyn at the shower. Here's Mary Kate with E.

Where's Lakin? Oh, she stayed home with her dad while he prepped for his Fantasty Football draft. Let's just say her new exploratory habits got her a one way ticket to hang with the boys that afternoon.

So great to be with friends and to celebrate the anticipated arrival of the Roach girls!!!

Meet Everett

2011-08-24T17:13:00.001-05:00

Some snuggly, sweet photos of one of the most handsome little men I know. His name is Everett. He's really special. He is the offspring of my dear friends, Bonnie and Tom. She will be whisking him away to Korea soon. That's where they live. They love Hello Kitty.

So I brought my camera and my photo-taking game face and we documented the heck out of our day together. I will be printing these pictures out and placing them around the house within Lakin's view. You know, subliminally putting the message in her head that this is a future relationship that could be blessed.

Pardon the Silence

2011-08-23T22:27:00.000-05:00

Things have been quiet on the blog front. Writer's block? Fear that you guys were tired of baby girl stories? Laziness? Not sure.

I will now present to you some pics, which is what readers really want anyway. I know you probably scan about 30% of what I write and just let the pictures do the talking. It's cool, that's how I like to read blogs too. So here you go.

As of recent...

And So It Begins

2011-08-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

BG (baby girl) has purchased herself a pair of naughty pants. In the last month, parenting just stepped it up a notch as someone has been perfecting her Frankenstein wobble. Lots of whines and cries can be heard through our open windows as we attempt to keep her out of the bathroom, off of the wine cabinet, out of the trashcan, from climbing into the dishwasher, and the list goes on. This girl knows how to find a really cool activity that is neither safe nor beneficial.

Exhibit A: The Wine Cabinet.

Who wouldn't love the melody and tinkle a bunch of hanging wine glasses can make when uncoordinated hands run their little fingers over them? When we move her from the scene she just walks right back. In fact, she often makes sure we're making eye contact as she reaches out and unsteadily touches those tempting glasses.

Exhibit B: The Closed Bathroom Door

Apparently the bathroom is a room of endless possibilities. There is a roll of toilet paper that quietly chants Lakin's name as she walks by, begging her to stop and play, like the One ring calls for Bilbo in The Lord of the Rings. Heaven forbid her parents might like to use the bathroom without inviting her to the party. Many a moments have been spent wailing on the outside of that door or sneaking around to enter through the second door in Mom and Dad's room.

Exhibit C: The Cry of Desperation When Someone, Who Shall Remain Nameless, Refuses to Pick Her Up that Very Instant.

When people do not pick up on her obvious cues that she would like to be held thankyourverymuch, Lady lets out piercing screams and wails that make everyone in a 10 mile radius want to put on their earmuffs. She's not above clinging to your legs and holding on until you either pick her up or trip over her presence. Forget the raw chicken on your hands, the steaming hot mug of coffee you are carrying, or that you're taking an overflowing load of laundry downstairs for wash, BG wants love and she wants it NOW.

Ah, discipline, you are a full time job. Lord help us.

Shame

2011-08-09T06:30:00.002-05:00

I can neither confirm nor deny that I may or may not have been sucked into the black hole that is Bachelor Pad last night. I'm not proud of it.

Monster Brings Down the House

2011-07-31T08:10:00.001-05:00

It was birthday party time for Miss Lakin yesterday afternoon. In fact, in all her excitement she refused an afternoon nap, but our little social butterfly did not let that keep her from having the time of her life at the party. Two cupcakes, a splash in the pool, and a bottomless monster pinata later, she was ready to wind down and hit the sack. Lot of excitement for a toddler.

Now, for more pictures than you care to see.

David preps the monster pinata. Sadly, hours later, its contents would fall out the bottom and lay in the grass melting.

Lakin loved playing in the balloons beforehand. I have a series of about twenty shots of her bouncing and playing in the balloons. You have to be related to her to want to see them all. So, for now, I leave you with this single picture that barely does justice to the fun and excitement the little girl had. But you get the idea.

Birthday shirt, made by my ridiculously talented mother.

Monster masks for our kid guests and the pinata awaiting his fate.

I know you won't believe me because I cleverly disguised it, but we did the party in our garage. I know, never would have guessed, would you? Above is the party spread. The sign reads "Monster's One" not "Monsters On." Just clarifying.

Monster juice, aka blue Kool-aid and lemonade. Wiggly Eye cups, thank you hot glue gun!

We ordered simple chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and I made a few eyeballs to put on top.

Our special Monster Munch blend consisted of Goldfish crackers, popcorn, and almond bark dipped pretzels.

Lakin modeling her monster mask. She was less than amused. Turns out little kids are not so into wearing masks.

This is Caleb, Lakin's little buddy, who also moved to Rochester from Missouri last summer too.

Lakin scheming a plan of attack for that cupcake.

Mission accomplished.

Present opening time was very exciting. The presents were almost as exciting as all the wrapping paper.

Lakin gave Miss Cathy a BIG hug after she opened her present. They are basically best friends. Miss Cathy is a Lakin Whisperer. We love her.

When all else fails, take your shirt off and tie your ribbon round your head.

There was a lot of naked babies at this party. The pool was a motivating factor. Hence, the reason for so many topless toddlers roaming around. Here's Audrey giving a big swing at the pinata.

Miss Caitlin was the big girl party animal. She showed the other kids just how to bust a pinata.

Scarlett just waiting for that candy to spill.

Ninja birthday girl was really interested in breaking in her new toys. Forget pinatas.

Best. Uncle. Ever.

My mom made a stuffed monster for Lakin. It been a hit and even went to bed with her last night.

Daddy and Lakin finally mortally wounded the pinata after lots of nail bitting and waiting.

Busted pinata, baby drinking and driving. Somber scene. Time for party to end.

Our friends, Bill and Steph, made it toward the end of the party. They brought their son, Charlie, and their twin girls, Claire and Ellie. They made a grand entrance with one of the most impressive parallel park jobs I have ever seen.

So the Monster bash was a hit. We are so thankful for our parents who made the trip and for all the great friends who were able to help us celebrate.

Reason #456 Why Chipotle Rocks Our Socks Off

2011-07-27T18:51:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about Chipotle's awesome kids' menu? Cheese quesadilla, single taco, taco making kit? Yes! Yes! Yes! For a humble fee kids can eat a relatively healthy meal at Chipotle. Each menu item comes with a side of rice and beans, the most adorable mini bag of chips, and an organic milk. That's where we took Miss Lakin for her birthday celebration. What can I say, burritos are in our blood. She chose the cheese quesadilla and savored every. last. bite. Thank you, Chipotle, for yet another satisfying dining experience.

In case you were wondering, I am not compensated by Chipotle for this rave review of their products and service. However, I am not above compensation and would gladly be a blog bragger for the corporation. You hear that, Chipotle? Do you?

Party like it's 1999.

2011-07-27T06:05:00.000-05:00

It was baby girl's birthday. She's not a baby anymore. She's a little girl. Gulp. This year just flew by. Words can't express the love and joy this little lady brings into my life. She makes me laugh every moment. I'm amazed when I take a look back at the last year.

Happy Birthday sweet girl. Momma is so proud!

That's a First

2011-07-23T07:14:00.000-05:00

Someone took her diaper off and threw it out of the crib this morning. Time for potty training?

Patrick and Amanda e-session

2011-07-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

Ooooh, doesn't that sound all professional and legit?

Sunday evening I shot some pics of my friends, Patrick and Amanda, for their engagement session. I was still on a photog high from the day before and was jazzed up and full of ideas for this fun-loving duo. It's pretty easy to get some fancy photos when you're subjects are so darn good-looking.

Amanda, is the daughter of Lakin's best friend and day caregiver, Miss Cathy. She also works for me at Camp this summer. It was a delight to get a chance to get these two in front of my camera.

I warned them before we started that I was simply experimenting and practicing, read: not a professional. They were cool letting me try new things and I have to say, I am super pleased with the end results. Here a re a few of my favorites from our session.

album titles

2011-07-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

Do you enjoy naming iPhoto albums? I do. The following have been some of my album titles:

Nakie and Meat Beard

That's where this little gem lives.

In my album entitled: Buggin, you'll find photos like this.

And lastly, my personal fave, meet a pic from the album formerly know as Easterese.

on being a photographer

2011-07-11T06:16:00.000-05:00

This weekend I shot another wedding with the amazing and talented, Midwest LifeShots. This time I took a turn behind the lens with Scott. The wedding was in downtown Rochester at Peace Plaza and the Kahler Grand Hotel. Mayo provided the beautiful background for many of our bridal party and ceremony pictures. You can't do much better than granite, slate, and reflective surfaces. Goosebumps, people. Goosebumps.

The couple was sweet, cooperative, and willing to get a little creative. You know you've got a willing bridal party when they follow you into a back alley and trust that the garbage and random employee on his smoke break won't be a part of their picture-perfect day.

As I learn more and more about this art, I realize light is the key. Position your subject right, get the lighting to illuminate what you want and you're money. Scott created some glowing images that day all with some diffused window light. But, then again, he is a photography genius.

We used a snoot. Not familiar? Neither was I. The snoot was a jazzy photog tool that allows you to shoot a couple during the day and create awesome night-like effects. Totally beats, shooting at night. We all know how those photos can turn out. Dare I even say, it was snoot-tacular?

I loved Scott's energy and enthusiasm. If I'd known him 4 years ago I would have hired him to shoot our wedding. He's bouncing all around, excited by each photo. "Yes, yes, yes. Good, good, good." Praise always comes in threes and you know that means it really is breathtaking. That, or Scott's got a mild form of OCD. (But then again, don't we all?)

I even got to hold and shoot with the big Cannons. I've been using my seriously nice, but nothing compared to their equipment, Nikon, and was doing okay. But the bigger and nicer the camera, the better the shot. Or so you would think. In my few moments behind the Cannon I managed to get a few blurry reception shots and a demon-eyed pic of the Maid of Honor. So I will probably need some more practice with those fancy, nice cameras. Do you hear that Scott?

The verdict: I love shooting weddings. I love working with Midwest LifeShots. I love creating. Me thinks, me wants more practice! I'll let you know when some of the pics are up so you can see how we did.

this is what happens when Dad's in charge . . .

2011-07-10T17:55:00.000-05:00

Invites? Check!

2011-07-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, the invitations have been sent out for Lakin's first birthday party. I'm quite proud of them. I used a photo Liz took while we were in Seattle and with the help of Picnik was able to add the details for the party. As you know, Lakin has been our "little monster" this first year and we mean that in the most endearing way. We figured a monster themed party was the only way to go. Check 'em out!

Sure do wish. . .

2011-07-07T06:54:00.000-05:00

I could find those baby nail clippers. People are starting to talk.

AS of Lately. . .

2011-07-06T21:12:00.000-05:00

I have been swamped at work. The good kind of swamped where you feel challenged and engaged and alive, but where you come home too tired to do much of anything and you just want steal kisses from your baby's sweet, fat cheeks until it's time for her to go to bed. Oh, you don't know that kind of swamped?

Lakin is becoming a little girl. Before my very eyes. It started in California and only continues to amaze me. She's saying something new each day. She's cruising all over the house, leaving a warpath in her midst. I just chase after her and try to pick up all that she's strewn about. I'm finding sippy cups under my bathroom sink, my headband wound up in Lakin's tub of too-small-clothes, I pulled a plastic baby spoon from my purse today when reaching to pay for stamps. Crazy. Nonsense. Mess. Yes, yes, yes.

Words Lake can say:
Uh oh
yesh (yes)
no
hey
hi
mama
dada
pretty
bear
baby
bi-bi-b (B. I. B. L.E. from the kid's worship song)

We got our family photos done by Midwest LifeShots. You can view them here. We love them. They are fantastic. Our friends are muy talented. So happy!

I'm in the process of planning our birthday party for Lakin. It will have a monster theme and I've got some fun ideas up my sleeve. I just got invites ready to go. A post will come with more party details soon.

Lastly, Lakin is getting a full head of hair. It's luscious and taking on a nice mullet-like shape. Only fitting since I too was a mullet-wearing fool as a young child. I rocked that and a bowl cut for most of my childhood. Mullet was followed by bangs that started halfway back on my head that I made sure to gel and comb in a rainbow-like fashion on one side of my head. Oh, the horror. Add a wind suit and I was a hot mess. Memories. I know you want a visual. I'll have to see what my mom can drum up.

And that is about all.

No Longer an Intern

2011-07-01T06:31:00.000-05:00

Today is Chris' last day of general surgery. He will no longer be an intern when he wakes up tomorrow. It's been a good year, but he's ready to begin in the Urology department. Three cheers for entering second year!

Kansas City, Here We Come

2011-06-27T20:26:00.000-05:00

Lakin and I flew to Kansas City for a quick weekend. My mom and I took her to the soft playground at Zona Rosa. Lady was in fine form, chasing after the two big boys playing nearby and climbing into the bear's honey pot. Busy. Busy. Busy.

In case you're wondering and I'm sure you are, that is snot running down her face. It was a steady stream all weekend and she was quite upset when we tried to clean her up. Someone has a definite short fuse these days. Not worth the battle. Judge if you want.

Lakin with her grandma. My mom (you might remember her as "the craft monster" from this post) sewed this beautiful dress for Lakin. We were trying to figure out where the hemline should be. Isn't the fabric outstanding? My mom is amazingly talented.

Saturday my dearest friends got together to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Bonnie's baby boy. Polly, who recently had baby Adelyn, made an appearance and I got my hands on sweet, tiny Adelyn. Me thinks me needs another one of these sometime soon!

The theme for the shower was "Little Man" and we had each guest wear a bowtie for the duration of the shower. Carly and Mary Kate show off their man ties.

Le Guest of Honor: Bonnie. Bonnie is due July 28th and such a radiant mom-to-be. We are so thankful that she's home for a while to have the baby and enjoy the summer.

Lake came to the party in her dress gifted to her by Miss Cathy. She looked lovely and stylish. She left kicking and screaming. You can't win em all.

Carly: 28 weeks with Twinkies. Bonnie at 35 weeks

Polly and her daughter, Adelyn. Oh, how I miss the days when they sleep all the time. Such a sweetheart. Can we talk about the fact that Polly had a baby two weeks ago? You wouldn't know it looking at her and her tiny little figure. Crazytown.

The weekend was too fast. Always is when we go home. The flight was thankfully pretty uneventful. Flying alone with child is an experience to say the least. I trekked through the airport with a diaper bag on my back, purse on my shoulder, pushing Lakin in her stroller and rolling a carry on suitcase from behind. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers.

To Tide You Over

2011-06-22T06:42:00.000-05:00

Some people get pretty uppity when there's not a new post on here at a regular interval. I hope these photos can hold you over until I get a chance to write a real post.

Lakin is cruising. She also surfs the web and does my online shopping for me. She's been pounding sippy cups full of water lately. You give her a cup and she throws it back and drinks the whole thing in a matter of minutes. Impressive.

Below you will find a video of Lakin playing. DO NOT click on the link if you are easily annoyed by home videos of children that really are not that exciting and/or do not capture them actually doing anything. This video is intended for family or people who are just curious what Lakin looks like in her natural habitat. There is nothing special about anything that will occur in this overly long video. I repeat, nothing happens in this video. Click at your own risk. Don't say I didn't warn you. BTW, does my voice sound incredibly deep in the video?

To my Dad on Father's Day

2011-06-19T06:53:00.000-05:00

fjv;vnvnavgobn'bv //////////
lvfb cBS'ef ' dvjcms,,,,,,,,,,,,
b jnnnnnnghfhfffffffffffjkz.cm . m.z/,dsnv m.svzx ,zfgdssssssss

Translation:

Dad,

You rock my face off. I think you are the best. Happy Father's Day.

Love,
Lakin

Trouble

2011-06-18T19:13:00.001-05:00

Someone learned how to stand up in the crib. This is how I find her in the middle of her afternoon nap. Sneaky.

Auntie Kristen Makes a Visit

2011-06-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

My friend, Kristen, has been visiting the last week and I started my crazy summer job so things have been a wee bit hectic (to say the least). This is the reason for absence on la blog.

We did, however, get a chance to head out to Rochester's Thursdays on First last night. It's a cute little street festival in downtown Rochester with live music, vendors and food trucks! We ventured out on a beautiful summer night, ate bar-b-q nachos and gyros and watched good friends almost adopt a dog at the humane society tent. Good times.

Fedora. Check. Tongue sticking out. Check.

With Aunt Kristen, chewing her thumb to ease the ache of her molars that are trying to peek through.

Typical scene these days. Meet Needy McNeederson.

Jen, Kelly, Sara, Chris, Lakin, Lindy, Brian, Alonso, Daniel, Casey

The last photo is of Chris' class of Urology Interns and their significant others. We plan on taking a "family" photo each year to document how much we change from year to year. Imagine the babies that will be added and the possible spouses that will be present by the end of five years. Original plan for our first annual picture was denim button downs and jeans. Next winter we'll all put on white turtlenecks and khaki pants and take a picture in the snow. You know, capture a true family photo where everyone dresses alike and the background's blurred. For now, this impromptu photo in front of Mac's cafe will do.

Thanks Aunt Kristen for spending one quick and crazy week with us. We miss you!

Never Say Never

2011-06-12T21:05:00.000-05:00

Highlights from the weekend include:

Shooting a wedding with the talented Jen Elder of Midwest Life Shots. Just jumping in and trying to learn a little about photography. Things I learned: 1. Wear better shoes. 2. Have pants with pockets. 3. Be prepared for anything. I hope to shoot many more weddings with Jen and Scott. Check out their website or like them on Facebook. They are the bomb diggity. Coming up soon: a link to see pictures of the Monst in all her glory taken by none other than. . . Midwest Life Shots!

Attending a fancy-pants dinner with the husband (who had the weekend off, what, what) at the Mayo Foundation House. Typical fare includes rare beef, but this meal was actually melt-in-your-mouth good. Scallops, fruity salad, beef, sweet potato hash, lemon sorbet and berries. Yummers.

Casey, me, Kelly (not pictured: Lindy who had the unfortunate fate of being designated to sit at a different table. Don't they know these birds of a feather flock together?)

Saturday night we attended the urology chief party thrown as a farewell to the graduating class of residents. Free food, drinks, and plenty of hilarious costumes. Theme: Hollywood / Celebrity / Celeb Couple / Free For All. Chris dressed as Bieber and I went as Selena Gomez. I often get mistaken for a Latin hottie so I thought it seemed like a logical choice.

My friend, Lindy, yes, the one who was stuck at the other table the night before, went all out as Katy Perry. She's super committed like that. Lindy is the girl you want to invite to your themed party. Just FYI. Those are Easter Eggs and fabric glue people.

her original inspiration

All in all, great weekend. Tomorrow summer camp begins and my friend, Kristen, arrives. CELEBRATION. To that, Lakin says, "high five!"

gangsta crawl

2011-06-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

Anticlimactic video of someone moving about the room unconventionally. Enjoy.

To answer your question, the bottom of her sleeper is not snapped. She is a tad uncooperative these days when it comes to putting PJs on and it's time to buy a larger size.

Dad came home in the middle of the video. If you listen closely you can hear the whisper "hi" for which Lakin is becoming famous.

That Time We Didn't Make Any Friends

2011-06-04T22:37:00.000-05:00

Prepare yourself, this post is a doozy.

Second plane ride = not so smooth for the Jaeger family. With a total of five hours in the air plus a two hour delay while sitting on the plane, we had one hot, irritated, cranky baby on our hands. Lakin was a little ticked at our means of travel and did not hold back one bit showing her disgust for her confinement to my lap on the plane. She rattled the seat in front of her, wrestled herself from my grip, and cried her way from Colorado to California. When did my always drowsy baby turn into a full-fledged, opinionated toddler?

Let's just say we were not the only ones who were relieved when we exited the plane. A year ago I would have given these parents of the loud baby the stink eye and wondered why they couldn't get that baby under control. Now, with my new found shame and horror, I realize that if baby ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. End of Story. No amount of Cheerios, love kisses from toy giraffes or distractions were gonna keep Little Miss from throwing a fit. Heaven help us for the teen years.

I will next time bring treats to share with my friends who sit next to me and my mild-mannered daughter on the plane. Oh, and if you happened to catch a flight last Saturday afternoon from Denver to Oakland, I am sorry. Really, I am.

Now, onto happier memories. . .

We spent the last week in California. A week of vacation was just what the doctor ordered. There were no pagers beeping, there were no alarm clocks (although someone seemed to think 5am was a suitable time for her to take her breakfast in bed, thankyouverymuch- darn you West Coast time change), and lots of good food, time with family, and walking in some of the most beautiful places I've visited.

Allow me to recap:

Plane ride from hell, followed by Rich and Katrina's wedding reception. The plane malfunction kept us from attending the actual wedding but we were able to jump in with the festivities once we arrived.

Don't we clean up well? Dennis, Geri, Chris, Me, Joe, Jackie, and David

Katrina and Rich- The Newlyweds

Crazy enough, our dear friends from Missouri, Matt and Carly, were in California for a different wedding and were close enough to drive down and spend the afternoon and evening with us. We picked up a bottle of wine, some hard salami, cheese, and a baguette and sat at a winery and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Napa.

Der be two babies in that sweet little tummy.

best. smile. ever. David Jaeger

testing out the baby SPF with that super white, ultra pure, baby skin of hers

a common scene: Lake tearing glasses off people's faces, snatching earrings right off lobes, and generally causing a ruckus where ever she be

just floating

Photo taken right before they were asked to get off the professional golf course when wearing non-golfing attire. Excuse me, I left my cardigan and khakis back at the room.

Don't mind the naked baby. She hates clothes. Shoes. Socks. "The Man."

After hitting up the factory outlet stores and confirming that they were not actually giving anything away at these so called "outlet" stores, we hit the road and made our way to San Francisco. Guess who thought riding the trolley was out of this world fun?

squealing with delight over the trolley

waiting in the rain for a ride

hatching a plan to steal some bread off the table

The remainder of our time was spent in Monterey and Carmel. This might have been the most beautiful place I've visited (and I've been to Branson, Missouri, and several parts of Illinois). I'm losing steam recapping the trip and if you're still reading you're probably my mom so this last part will be a bit pic heavy and lacking in substance (like the majority of this post).

"My two dads" photo shoot

Did you see the fedora? Well, I bought that on the trip, wore it every single day, and deemed it the least regrettable purchase I made while in California. Fedora with the caged chameleon a close second.

Three full batches of cookies and eight avocados worth of guac later. . .

So there you have it. Our trip to California was pretty awesome. If you made it to the end of this post, thanks. You must be a true friend.

Yeah, it's been 4 years.

2011-05-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Chris and I celebrated four years of marriage yesterday.

By putting on a tux and my wedding dress and posing for the above impromptu photo. Okay, not true.

But we did enjoy a late dinner of . . . wait for it . . .

CHIPOTLE.

Chris answered pages from the hospital intermittently and I fell asleep listening to him discuss lab results with an ER doc.

No worries, my friends. We soon will celebrate in style with California sun. More to come on that development soon.

I am thankful for this man. I could go into a very gushy and thought felt list of reasons why he is the greatest husband in the whole world, however, Chris hates it when I
a. drag him into blog posts
b. get unnecessarily sentimental about him in front of others
c. over share

So in light of that I will say he is literally the best husband I've ever had. That is all.

Someone Special Has a Birthday Today

2011-05-25T06:22:00.000-05:00

And it's this guy!

May your day be filled with minimal work, inside jokes, and time spent devouring delicious hospital food. I wish you a million Chipotle burritos this birthday! Keeping my fingers crossed that it's buffalo chicken salad day in the cafeteria.

Love,
Your Wife

Correction

2011-05-25T06:17:00.000-05:00

It's Pintrest. Not Pin Interest.

That was kind of like calling Panera Paneras or mispronouncing Chipotle.

My bad.

. . . and I'm OBSESSED

2011-05-24T06:54:00.000-05:00

What's that? You were wondering how to piddle away several productive hours of your day?

Check out Pin Interest. Start pinning. You will be sucked in so fast you're head might spin right off your body.

Last night I was up unreasonably late pinning items to my boards. I just couldn't stop following the rabbit down the hole.

If you're like me, and you probably are, otherwise you wouldn't find this blog all that interesting, you probably see wonderful ideas everywhere you look. Magazines, blogs, books, all provide oodles of inspiration but when the time comes to actually find that source and recreate that fantastic idea, you can't find the tutorial, picture, or original inspiration to save your life.

I used to tear pages out of magazines only to leave them scattered about the house and throw them away before I could get them in a binder.

Well, friends, binders are so 2010. Pin Interest is an online place to store all those great ideas. You create boards, or categories, that you can pin images, articles, and links to so that you can easily sort and locate them later on down the road.

Like the DIY fabric chandelier but your day job is keeping you from hopping to it that moment? Pin it, and come back. Want the yummy J.Crew pencil skirt that costs an arm and two legs? Wish you could find something similar elsewhere? Pin it and start hunting.

Pin Interest is very exclusive. It involves an invite (which you yourself can initiate by visiting the site and requesting one) and a wait period of a few days until you're finally in. I'm not sure if they're checking you out to see if you're worthy of pinning or what.

Once you get started it will be very hard to focus on anything else. I'm just warning.

Oh, and you can follow your Facebook friends, twitter pals, and gmail chums. They will even search your connections for you and let you know who else is pinning. From there you can creep and find out what beautiful things your friends are viewing and repin anything that looks super duper awesome to your own boards as well.

Let me know if you join, I'll want to follow!

Pagers. Who needs them?

2011-05-23T06:53:00.000-05:00

Last night Chris' pager was going off like Rebecca Black's cell on a Friday night. I felt for the guy. He missed dinner with friends, spent the evening at the hospital and then fielded phone calls for a few hours after he got home. As he would answer one page, another would go off.

I realized, I could never be a doctor. (You've probably already come to that conclusion but last night I ruled out any chance of going to medical school in my future.) I would have grown really frustrated and probably thrown the pager across the room the umpteenth time it buzzed. Several passive aggressive comments would have been made when I called back the hospital staff and I'd feel silly and foolish the next morning. That's kind of how I roll under pressure.

Chris keeps his cool. He does what needs to be done. He never complains. He is calm and collected when talking to frustrated consultants, harried nurses, and worried patients. He's on call every other night this week. But, then, the pager will be silent for an entire seven days. Ahhhhh! Freedom.

You have no idea what the buzz of a pager can do to kill the party when a bunch of medical families get together.

Filed under: Pagers are lame.

UP!

2011-05-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

Dinner FAIL

2011-05-20T16:41:00.000-05:00

These are Chicken Lettuce Wraps. They were my new meal last week. They look okay. In reality, they left much to be desired. I will not even post the recipe because I'm certain there is something better out there. You win some. You lose some.

Here's what Lakin was doing while I cooked. Thank you Hulu.com. We've seen the same missing Birthday Wizzle clip I don't know how many times. Never gets old.

This one's for Miss Cathy

2011-05-20T16:35:00.000-05:00

Miss Cathy is on vacation. I think the expression says it all.

Overalls. Too much?

Whoopsie

2011-05-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

Lakin is pseudo crawling. She's moving from Point A to Point B but it's anything less than conventional. Her latest predicament is getting stuck under everything: the Leap Frog table, the kitchen chairs, the couch, her crib. She just backs herself in and then can't quite get the momentum to move herself out.

Don't mind the serious bed head. That's pretty normal these days.

We had our 9 month appointment this week. Our "biggie smalls" is weighing in at a healthy twenty-one pounds. She charmed the doctor with her high pitched squeals and crazy nonsense talk and we left with little to report.

Someone has a birthday just around the corner. We're working on some minor details to celebrate the big day. More to come. . .

in case you were wondering

2011-05-18T06:10:00.000-05:00

I celebrated my birthday with a McDonalds' cheeseburger extra value meal.

I spent all my birthday money on summer clothes from Target.

I fully suspect Target will take over the world.

I am no longer allowed to grocery shop at Target due to lack of control and unnecessary purchases.

If they were good for you, I would eat a McDonalds' cheeseburger a day.

They're not. So I will refrain.

Target and/or McDonalds did not pay me to write this sad attempt at a blog post. But, if they wanted to be my corporate sponsors I would gladly take their offer and find a way to mention both companies in my posts from now on.

That is all.

Best of 30: Week #2

2011-05-16T18:16:00.000-05:00

I spy my dad outside mowing the lawn!

Oooh, I found something I'm not supposed to touch!

It's cool to wear a meat beard.

If we could tap into the mind of Monstie, it might be something like this.

On another note: only three quality pics from thirty! Really?

Four!

2011-05-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

Four new teeth make someone very needy and sleepy.

Good thing I don't mind extra snuggles.

let your toes breathe in style

2011-05-11T19:39:00.000-05:00

It's time. Time to bust out the sandals and walk around like you just don't care. It's been in the eighties here the last couple of days and this heat wave has me busting out some of my favorite sandals.

Wore my pair to work today and got a whole slew of comments.

These are no ordinary sandals. These babies have straps that are interchangeable, you know, to suit your mood or complete your outfit.

They can also be tied in a multitude of ways, oh, the versatility.

The best thing about these sandals is that they are making a difference. That's right. These sandals are made by some incredibly special Ugandan women who are working for a future, working to make some money for university.

These shoes are a product of Sseko designs. My friend, Liz, and her husband, Ben, started the company and have grown it from the ground up.

"Sseko Designs is a not-just-for-profit enterprise that recognizes the power of business and responsible consumerism to support sustainable economic development, which in turn affects a country's educational, justice, and health care systems. The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda."

There you have it, Sseko sandals not only make your feet happy but your heart too. Check out their website and grab yourself a pair today!

Best of 30: Week #1

2011-05-09T18:58:00.000-05:00

In an effort to grow as a budding photographer, I've decided to take at least 30 photos a week. I guess to get better at something one must do it t~~hirty times a week~~ a lot. No surprise, these pics are mostly of Lakin. I'm learning to use natural light to bring out the beauty of my subject. I'm trying out new angles and throwing out photos if they're out of focus- no matter how cute they could have been.

One of the middle pictures might not be great by photography standards but it is evidence of a fantastic evening spent with friends and their family. Steph and Bill were great company and their sweet twin girls were a joy to watch sleep throughout the visit. Charlie and Lakin had quite the mouth fart competition going. Giggles were heard round the night.

Can I Get a "Hey, yeah" for All the Moms Out There?

2011-05-07T07:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! (a day early)

On this special day we celebrate two women who have played a great role in shaping us into the people we've become today. Through their tears, prayers, sweat and toil these women have sacrificed a lot to give their kids the very best.

Allow me to introduce you to the Moms I love.

Geraldine Jaeger (but you should probably call her Geri)

- Raised two boys that were 15 months apart!
- Played Michael Jackson and let them run out their energy in the basement.
- Been known to laugh and play games while on family vacation.
- Dealt with a toddler who "gave up naps" at an early age.
- Left a promising career to be home with her boys.
- Endured the "middle years" filled with all the awkwardness that only two middle school boys can muster.
- Taught her boys the joys of cooking with Yummers and Octopus Juice.
- Received the classic stuffed animal inside of the balloon for every gift-giving holiday and did so with joy and feigned excitement.

Barbara "the Craft Monster" Lakin (okay, I added "the craft monster" but I thought it was a nice touch)
- Likes to take photos with her eyes closed.
- Has the most patience of anyone I know.
- Dealt with some fierce hormonal years known as middle school-and lived to tell about it.
- Just about the most sacrificial person in the world, second to maybe Gandhi and Jesus.
- Introduced me to the world of soap operas and picnic dinners at a young age. (We no longer dabble in the world of daytime drama but enjoyed a few years of Days together thanks to a week of being home sick with pneumonia in third grade.)
- Can make something pretty fierce on the sewing machine (with or without a pattern).
- Hands down, one of the world's best Sudoku players
- Willing to visit 20 stores and spend three entire weekends in order to return to the first place we looked so that I found the perfect school dance dress.
- Can pack a stocking or an Easter basket with the most perfect and personalized gifts.
- Juggled Momhood and full-time work with so much grace and poise; in fact, my mom is the one behind my desire to be a working mom.

There's not enough flowers in the world to tell these women just what they mean to us! Happy Mother's Day. You da best.

currently

2011-05-06T07:22:00.000-05:00

eating as much as my mom and dad at any given meal time

looking like an adorable little sausage when wearing my swimsuit

pooping in the bathtub . . . every. single. time.

greeting friends with a hello, or a "hesho"

choosing the most inefficient way to move about the room rather than crawling on my hands and knees

totally uninterested in being fed, but rather, looking to hold the fork myself, thankyouverymuch

considering starring in a music video in the near future