Miss Kalaya gets more grown up and independent every day. She keeps changing and I'm amazed how many new words and sentences come out of her mouth. I have lost track of all the new words she has learned, because there are so many new ones each day. We're definitely at the point where she'll repeat back almost any word you ask of her.
One new word that we tried SO HARD not to teach her (and didn't) has finally been learned. :::sigh::: And with that words comes a more independent attitude. You guessed it, the word is no.
It's very frustrating for us, because we have avoided using the word her entire life. And then, one week of living with my dad.....and she's saying it. I asked and asked him not to say it around her, to her, etc and he thought I was crazy. Next thing you know, she's saying it all the time. Grrr.... (incase you're wondering, we didn't tell her not to do things, we just had a different sound for no and for redirection. It's hard to say over a blog, but we would say 'ah ah ah, we don't do that' or something similar)
We've tried different approaches to handling it. For extreme nos, such as saying it after being asked to or not to do something, there have been timeouts. And believe me, she knows that it's not nice to say no to someone asking you to do something. More recently though, we've switched to just ignoring it. She reacted a lot more negatively when she got a reaction from us. So, we're focusing on praise and not giving the opportunity to answer no. And when she does, we mostly ignore it and act as though she didn't say it. As she gets older, we'll get more specific. The nice thing is that she really seems to be saying it, just because she can. It's very funny sometimes, especially when she's telling the dogs no when they're doing something they're not supposed to. I'm okay with that one. : )
It's such a minor thing now, because she's learned so many other nice words. She's saying love you, please and thank you, all of which warm my heart every time. She says them in the sweetest ways at the sweetest times. She will roll over in the morning, kiss me to wake me up and say nurse? mama? pease? She says other things that crack us up. A couple of days ago, I opened her diaper and said, "Did you go poop?" and she answered, "I poop" which was hilarious. And hey, it's one step closer to potty training! Another favorite new word is 'yuck' because she always says it when we're eating some kind of dessert. Well trained! (and no, we're not going to outlaw sweets her whole life. We know that we'll just make them taboo and make her want them more. But, we're going to avoid them as long as we can....)
Her favorite thing to do during the day is play with the 3 crazy dogs at our house. Yup, THREE! My parents' dog, our dog and my brother's dog. And yes, they're all dachshunds! They're all really good with her and gentle and play so well with her and each other. She throws the tennis balls all over the place (she's got a heck of an arm for 20 months!) and they chase it and she laughs and laughs. She is very insistent on their walk every day. About 3:30 every day, she starts dragging their leashes around, talking about coats and shoes and asking where Oma is so we can go. She can say all their names and loves the 'doggies'.
She plays so independently so well, it just amazes me. Of course, our playroom full of Christmas presents may be a big help. She LOVES to play with all her babies and stuffed animals. She puts them in the Bumbo and feeds them and gives them cups. She puts them 'nigh nigh' over and over again. She cooks in her kitchen and shops with her grocery cart. One of her favorite games is to take her shopping cart to the pantry and kitchen drawers and fill it up. Poor Oma and Grandpa, they're so tolerant of all the things around their house! Another thing she likes is to play with recyclables. (is that a word?) My mom has a large bag with (washed) plastic containers and cardboard stuff for her 'invention center' in her kindergarten class and Kalaya loves to play with those too.
Another favorite activity that she wants to do over and over is look at pictures of people she knows and loves. We look at mommy, daddy, auntie, unkah, gampa, oma, gamma, alla (her cousin), lena (her best friend), mara (another cousin) and emmm (another cousin) over and over again.
Eating is so different from even a couple of months ago! I had decided I had a picky eater, even though I had done everything 'right' to avoid that situation. (nothing like better than becoming a parent to find out you know nothing!!) She is eating so many foods now and her tastes are expanding. She eats anything dairy, any kind of grain, lots of vegetables and some fruits. She does well with beans and rice. She is not a big meat eater. I've tried different forms, but it usually has to be a puree hidden in something else. I am a BIG fan of Deceptively Delicious, not because I think you should always make sure your kids like the food they eat, but because it's a great way to always add nutrition to your kids' meals. I've frozen veggies, meats and fruits in muffin tin and ice cube sizes, so I can always add more nutrition or food groups to a meal. For example, if I know we're going out to dinner at a place (like Red Robin) where we can get her something with a sauce (aka spaghetti or mac and cheese) I bring a couple of 'food cubes' to mix in, such as pureed carrot for the marinara sauce or pureed squash for the cheese sauce. She will eat almost any combination mixed in with cheese, spread on bread or over pasta. I still make a lot of toddler snacks, crackers, etc, which I get either online or in the book Baby Super Food. She likes so many plain things that surprise me: plain yogurt, plain oatmeal, (bit size) shredded wheat, crackers, cottage cheese, water and veggies without anything added to them. She has recently discovered hummus and gobbles it up!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas!!
Christmas Eve at churchWe were very blessed with lots of family and enjoyed a very busy, merry Christmas! Not quite as crazy as last year, since we didn't have to rush around because of a trip out of state on the airplane, but busy just the same.
We started out with our first of 2 trips down to Salem, to celebrate Christmas with Theo, Yvette and Amara. (my brother in law, his girlfriend and their 3 month old) We had a nice time opening some gifts, playing Wii and going out to dinner. Kalaya loves her baby cousin and got some good practice in for handing out presents and opening wrapping paper for Christmas.
Kisses for cousin
Playing Just Dance 2 for the Wii
Handing out presents
Getting in some opening practice
A princess piano!We had family staying with us at my parents' house. My brother (Colin) and niece (Allie) arrived a week before Christmas to stay for a couple of weeks. This was a very special visit, because my brother is about to leave for his second deployment to Afghanistan. We were glad we got such a long visit with Colin and Allie. Kalaya loooved having Allie to play with every day and there was only a little bit of rivalry for toys. My aunt arrived on Christmas day to spend a few days with all of us, which was a nice edition to the holiday cheer. I was in charge of the turkey dinner on Christmas and managed to make enough food and more for all 8 of us. We went to church as a family on Christmas Eve and woke up to open presents on Christmas Day. It was really fun actually doing Santa this year, even though Kalaya still doesn't totally get it. Allie, who is 2 1/2 totally got it and Kalaya had fun following her around as we put out cookies for Santa and opened presents.
Putting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer
"We'll wait for Santa right here!"
Kalaya got a LOT of toys. Holy smokes!! Our playroom is crammed. Her big present from Santa was a play kitchen, which was hilarious to watch Nelson put together on Christmas Eve. She and Allie enjoyed playing with it on Christmas, as well as the other toys. She got: the kitchen, a doctor kit, a tool kit, cars, a bubble blower, 2 baby dolls, a shopping cart, a stuffed Elmo, a big girl potty with Elmo big girl underwear, clothes, Mega Blocks, stuffed animals, puzzles, ornaments, play food, and a doll bed, to name a few. We have put some away to bring out over the next couple of months. She is loving it all!
Ridiculous kitchen: granite counters, stainless steel appliances, play food, dishes, pots and pans, a seat...and all for super cheap on Black Friday!
Lots of Elmo stuff
On the 26th, we went down to Salem to do Christmas with Nelson's family and have another turkey/ham/roast dinner. Kalaya got plenty of gifts and attention and had fun playing with her other cousins. She pigged out on another Christmas dinner.
Now it's New Year's Eve and things have calmed down. It's a relief to be getting back into our normal routine, but definitely sad to say good bye to family. Kalaya keeps asking, "Uncle? Allie? Auntie?" and trying to explain it to her is impossible. It's hard knowing that it will be a long time until we see my brother again, but we have a lot of people praying for him and all we can do is pray he will be safe during his deployment.
Our New Year's Eve is not going to be anything fancy at all. Just Nelson and I, if I can make it until midnight. (it's been a long day of goodbyes, I'm wiped) We have 2 new games for the Wii and we'll probably just be lazy and play those together. We are not 'going out' type of people and this is going to be perfect for the two of us. We're getting together with our friends tomorrow afternoon for a VERY laid back time of relaxing and catching up. Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!!
Putting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer
"We'll wait for Santa right here!"Kalaya got a LOT of toys. Holy smokes!! Our playroom is crammed. Her big present from Santa was a play kitchen, which was hilarious to watch Nelson put together on Christmas Eve. She and Allie enjoyed playing with it on Christmas, as well as the other toys. She got: the kitchen, a doctor kit, a tool kit, cars, a bubble blower, 2 baby dolls, a shopping cart, a stuffed Elmo, a big girl potty with Elmo big girl underwear, clothes, Mega Blocks, stuffed animals, puzzles, ornaments, play food, and a doll bed, to name a few. We have put some away to bring out over the next couple of months. She is loving it all!
Ridiculous kitchen: granite counters, stainless steel appliances, play food, dishes, pots and pans, a seat...and all for super cheap on Black Friday!
Lots of Elmo stuffOn the 26th, we went down to Salem to do Christmas with Nelson's family and have another turkey/ham/roast dinner. Kalaya got plenty of gifts and attention and had fun playing with her other cousins. She pigged out on another Christmas dinner.
Now it's New Year's Eve and things have calmed down. It's a relief to be getting back into our normal routine, but definitely sad to say good bye to family. Kalaya keeps asking, "Uncle? Allie? Auntie?" and trying to explain it to her is impossible. It's hard knowing that it will be a long time until we see my brother again, but we have a lot of people praying for him and all we can do is pray he will be safe during his deployment.
Our New Year's Eve is not going to be anything fancy at all. Just Nelson and I, if I can make it until midnight. (it's been a long day of goodbyes, I'm wiped) We have 2 new games for the Wii and we'll probably just be lazy and play those together. We are not 'going out' type of people and this is going to be perfect for the two of us. We're getting together with our friends tomorrow afternoon for a VERY laid back time of relaxing and catching up. Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Santa 2010
I wish I could post last year's Santa picture, but it is in a box with the rest of our stuff in storage. Some how I never got around to scanning the one hard copy we had. Just picture a giant screaming mouth on a little girl in a Santa hat and Christmas dress....
This year went much better. She didn't go to people at all last year (and I mean ANYONE, not even grandparents), but this year she says hi to everyone and gives high fives and fist bumps. We've been practicing saying Santa. So, we started out walking up quietly to Santa and saying hi. We, of course, went downtown to Macy's because that is the REAL Santa, and it's where we used to go when Colin and I were little. They have a really cute set up with moving elves and reindeer, which she LOVED.
We went up to Santa and he was really sweet with her and gentle and didn't rush her. We said, "Hi Santa!" and she said, 'anta?' Then offered him her hand. Then she gave him a high five and a fist bump. So, I got brave and said, "Do you want to hug Santa?" Much to my surprise, she went right to him and just held onto him for about a minute and a half!! It was so sweet, I totally cried.
They took a picture and then she figured out what was happening and started to get skeptical when we started trying to get her to smile....
And it ended in tears, but only for a minute. Then she kept asking about him the rest of the time we were there, 'anta? 'anta? and looking around for him. Maybe next year she will have a smiling picture. : )
This year went much better. She didn't go to people at all last year (and I mean ANYONE, not even grandparents), but this year she says hi to everyone and gives high fives and fist bumps. We've been practicing saying Santa. So, we started out walking up quietly to Santa and saying hi. We, of course, went downtown to Macy's because that is the REAL Santa, and it's where we used to go when Colin and I were little. They have a really cute set up with moving elves and reindeer, which she LOVED.
We went up to Santa and he was really sweet with her and gentle and didn't rush her. We said, "Hi Santa!" and she said, 'anta?' Then offered him her hand. Then she gave him a high five and a fist bump. So, I got brave and said, "Do you want to hug Santa?" Much to my surprise, she went right to him and just held onto him for about a minute and a half!! It was so sweet, I totally cried.
They took a picture and then she figured out what was happening and started to get skeptical when we started trying to get her to smile....
And it ended in tears, but only for a minute. Then she kept asking about him the rest of the time we were there, 'anta? 'anta? and looking around for him. Maybe next year she will have a smiling picture. : )
Monday, December 6, 2010
19 Months
Well, Kalaya is officially closer to two than one! (insert generic 'I can't believe how fast it's going!' comment, because it's still true!) She is a busy, active toddler, but is such a pleasure. I hear stories over and over again about how challenging this age can be and I feel just the opposite. (well, about 90% of the time I do) She is so easy going and does such a great job of entertaining herself. She is a curious kid, but not to the point where she is mischievous and devious. She listens so well when we ask her not to do something or to do something.
Her list of words grows every day, it just amazes me! Some recent new words are: house, home, Pippy, milk, Elena (her BFF), circle, baby, Elmo, orange, eyes, nose, apple, banana, mouth, auntie, pillow, down, coat, hat, lunch, breakfast, potty, thank you (sometimes), horse, fish, and more that I can't think of right now. She knows where many body parts are, including; eyes, ear, mouth, hair, nose, feet, tummy, hand, teeth and tongue. She knows different animal sounds, including; duck, bear, cow, cat, snake, horse and Elmo. (he says 'la la la', incase you didn't know. Look up 'Elmo's Song' on YouTube for proof) She will say almost anything back to you that you model for her, so we have to be VERY careful of the words we choose these days! : )
I think she's going through a growth spurt. She's eating and sleeping really well and her 18 month clothes are getting smaller and shorter. She has (finally) turned into a pretty good eater and is eating most of the things that we eat and put in front of her. She has started eating some fruit (it only took 18 months!!!), but still in small amounts. The nice thing is that if she doesn't want to eat something, 9 times out of 10 I can just blend it in the magic bullet and she'll down it, especially if it's spread on bread. She does a really good job of feeding herself these days, even with a fork and spoon. She's fairly neat about it, as far as toddlers go. : )
People keep telling me what a handful this age is, and I totally disagree. Yes, she's mobile and learning to be independent, but she is very easy going. Maybe it's because she was a high needs infant/newborn, but this seems really, really easy. (aaaand, I just jinxed myself : ) She listens so well, unless she is super hungry or tired, but even then, does better than most toddlers. We tend to only have to redirect her once or twice when we don't want her to do something and then the behavior changes. And, I just don't mean once or twice in that situation. I mean at all. For example, when she first became mobile, she was very interested in my parent's stairs. We had to tell her not to climb them a couple of times and had to do a few time outs, but it was only in the very beginning. Now, she knows not to go over there, even without baby gates, and without redirecting. (it's been several months now) Same with drawers and cupboards she's not supposed to get into and things she's not supposed to touch, such as breakables and the TV.
If redirecting doesn't work, a time out solves the problem. I'm convinced that toddler nursing is a contributing factor to her behavior. It calms, soothes and redirects her if she is frustrated, sad, mad, hurt, tired, hungry, etc. It's so convenient and such an easy way to solve any situation.
But, honestly, most of the time she just plays and explores calmly. She loves to sit and read her board books, try on dress ups, push her baby in the stroller, go for walks with the dogs, look through kitchen drawers, play with her trucks and hang out. We have very relaxed days together, sleeping in a bit, eating breakfast almost all on her own, usually a shower together (which she LOVES), play time, lunch, nap, playtime, walk the dogs, dinner, play time, bath (if she didn't join me in the morning), and bedtime. She really only throws fits if she's overly tired or hungry and those are fairly easy to prevent. Signing is still really helpful, since it helps distinguish between words that sound the same.
Her nighttime sleep habits are so pleasant now. She goes down for bed pretty easily and quickly, usually around 8 and sleeps all night until around 7 or 8. She often wakes up just to have a morning nurse and then will sleep another hour or so. Very nice for mom! She takes an afternoon nap of usually just over an hour or so, which she is starting to fall asleep for on her own, which wasn't planned, but has been a nice change, even if only temporary.
We are so blessed to be coming into our 2nd holiday season with our beautiful 19 month old girl!
Her list of words grows every day, it just amazes me! Some recent new words are: house, home, Pippy, milk, Elena (her BFF), circle, baby, Elmo, orange, eyes, nose, apple, banana, mouth, auntie, pillow, down, coat, hat, lunch, breakfast, potty, thank you (sometimes), horse, fish, and more that I can't think of right now. She knows where many body parts are, including; eyes, ear, mouth, hair, nose, feet, tummy, hand, teeth and tongue. She knows different animal sounds, including; duck, bear, cow, cat, snake, horse and Elmo. (he says 'la la la', incase you didn't know. Look up 'Elmo's Song' on YouTube for proof) She will say almost anything back to you that you model for her, so we have to be VERY careful of the words we choose these days! : )
I think she's going through a growth spurt. She's eating and sleeping really well and her 18 month clothes are getting smaller and shorter. She has (finally) turned into a pretty good eater and is eating most of the things that we eat and put in front of her. She has started eating some fruit (it only took 18 months!!!), but still in small amounts. The nice thing is that if she doesn't want to eat something, 9 times out of 10 I can just blend it in the magic bullet and she'll down it, especially if it's spread on bread. She does a really good job of feeding herself these days, even with a fork and spoon. She's fairly neat about it, as far as toddlers go. : )
People keep telling me what a handful this age is, and I totally disagree. Yes, she's mobile and learning to be independent, but she is very easy going. Maybe it's because she was a high needs infant/newborn, but this seems really, really easy. (aaaand, I just jinxed myself : ) She listens so well, unless she is super hungry or tired, but even then, does better than most toddlers. We tend to only have to redirect her once or twice when we don't want her to do something and then the behavior changes. And, I just don't mean once or twice in that situation. I mean at all. For example, when she first became mobile, she was very interested in my parent's stairs. We had to tell her not to climb them a couple of times and had to do a few time outs, but it was only in the very beginning. Now, she knows not to go over there, even without baby gates, and without redirecting. (it's been several months now) Same with drawers and cupboards she's not supposed to get into and things she's not supposed to touch, such as breakables and the TV.
If redirecting doesn't work, a time out solves the problem. I'm convinced that toddler nursing is a contributing factor to her behavior. It calms, soothes and redirects her if she is frustrated, sad, mad, hurt, tired, hungry, etc. It's so convenient and such an easy way to solve any situation.
But, honestly, most of the time she just plays and explores calmly. She loves to sit and read her board books, try on dress ups, push her baby in the stroller, go for walks with the dogs, look through kitchen drawers, play with her trucks and hang out. We have very relaxed days together, sleeping in a bit, eating breakfast almost all on her own, usually a shower together (which she LOVES), play time, lunch, nap, playtime, walk the dogs, dinner, play time, bath (if she didn't join me in the morning), and bedtime. She really only throws fits if she's overly tired or hungry and those are fairly easy to prevent. Signing is still really helpful, since it helps distinguish between words that sound the same.
Her nighttime sleep habits are so pleasant now. She goes down for bed pretty easily and quickly, usually around 8 and sleeps all night until around 7 or 8. She often wakes up just to have a morning nurse and then will sleep another hour or so. Very nice for mom! She takes an afternoon nap of usually just over an hour or so, which she is starting to fall asleep for on her own, which wasn't planned, but has been a nice change, even if only temporary.
We are so blessed to be coming into our 2nd holiday season with our beautiful 19 month old girl!
Friday, December 3, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness Day 30....a few days late.
For the last of the 30 days, I have to say the thing I am more thankful for than anything else. I am thankful for my beautiful, wonderful daughter who is the center and joy of my life.
I always knew I was going to be a mother. I have always said that if I could have, I would have majored in motherhood in college. I had always planned to be a stay at home mom. I love every single part of being Kalaya's mother. It is amazing to watch her grow and change into her own little person, even on the days when that means being stubborn, screaming and arching her back to attempt to get her way. (it doesn't work) I love watching her interact with others, learn new words, discover new joys and to cuddle and kiss her when life doesn't go her way. I am so proud to be Kalaya's mommy and I cannot wait to add more babies to our family some day. Each day of motherhood is more wonderful than I had ever imagined that it could be and I never knew how much I could love another human being.
I always knew I was going to be a mother. I have always said that if I could have, I would have majored in motherhood in college. I had always planned to be a stay at home mom. I love every single part of being Kalaya's mother. It is amazing to watch her grow and change into her own little person, even on the days when that means being stubborn, screaming and arching her back to attempt to get her way. (it doesn't work) I love watching her interact with others, learn new words, discover new joys and to cuddle and kiss her when life doesn't go her way. I am so proud to be Kalaya's mommy and I cannot wait to add more babies to our family some day. Each day of motherhood is more wonderful than I had ever imagined that it could be and I never knew how much I could love another human being.
Monday, November 29, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness Day 29
Today I am thankful that some people are already possibly interested in our house so our lease may get taken over soon!!! Keep your fingers crossed! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but it happened really fast, which means others may follow. HOORAY!!!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness Day 25-28
Oh, who am I kidding? This has been way too crazy a month to actually blog each day! Here we go:
Day 25: Today is Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my husband. I can never say enough about how amazing this man is. When we were dating and decided to get engaged and married, I thought I knew how wonderful he was/is and that we were perfect together. But, you know, the longer we're married and the more time that passes, the more I realize that it was God who knew we should be together and created us to be a family together. He was intervening the day that we met. Little did we know.... Nelson is a fantastic father and an amazing husband. I love being married to him and I love raising a child with him. He is the most understanding husband of a mother. He has never resented any time that I spend with Kalaya vs him. He is always willing to let me get some time to myself if I need it. He has been so supportive and understanding on all of the decisions we made about parenting. HE was the one who suggested co-sleeping and exclusively nursing, never forcing her to cry it out and always felt that we have years and years alone, so why waste time away from our kids now?? We totally understand each other as parents and were meant to be parents together. He is romantic and thoughtful, kind and considerate and there are so many things about him that other wives would be incredibly jealous of and probably not believe. : )
Day 26: Today I am thankful it is Black Friday!!! I have never done this before, this was my first year. I have several friends who do this every year, so I decided to start. I was really organized. The ads get leaked several days in advance, so I was able to plan my shopping very precisely. (thank you internet!!) I narrowed it down to Toys R Us, Target, Kohl's, Burlington Coat Factory, and K Mart. Toys R Us actually opened on Thanksgiving at 10pm this year, which my friend Sarah and I attempted to visit at opening. YIKES!! We decided to go back at 1 instead and we walked right in. They had the items we wanted (play kitchens for our girls) and a couple of extras. My husband and most of the other people I know think we were/are crazy, because it took 2 1/2 hours of waiting in line at just one store. But, I was with a friend that I can talk to for hours, so it went really fast actually and we got GREAT deals. By the time we were done at Toys R Us, Kohl's and Target had opened, so we went there. I finished off with K Mart, but she didn't need to go there. I got almost all of my shopping done for Christmas and I saved SOOOOO much money. I am totally doing it again next year, it's addicting!!
Day 27: Today I am thankful for moving day!!! We loaded up the truck, moved some stuff to mom and dad's and put the rest in storage. The move actually went really quickly and easily. I felt like I had planned and packed really well. Now as soon as we get that lease taken care of, we can start saving for that down payment!!!
Day 28: Today I am thankful for my extended family. It's so nice that all of Kalaya's grandparents are nearby and that she gets to see them often. Today we drove down to see Nelson's family to have Thanksgiving dinner. It's always a big group and lots of people, which is neat, because my side of the family is just my parents here in town. Everyone loves Kalaya and she gets lots of attention and affection.
Day 25: Today is Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my husband. I can never say enough about how amazing this man is. When we were dating and decided to get engaged and married, I thought I knew how wonderful he was/is and that we were perfect together. But, you know, the longer we're married and the more time that passes, the more I realize that it was God who knew we should be together and created us to be a family together. He was intervening the day that we met. Little did we know.... Nelson is a fantastic father and an amazing husband. I love being married to him and I love raising a child with him. He is the most understanding husband of a mother. He has never resented any time that I spend with Kalaya vs him. He is always willing to let me get some time to myself if I need it. He has been so supportive and understanding on all of the decisions we made about parenting. HE was the one who suggested co-sleeping and exclusively nursing, never forcing her to cry it out and always felt that we have years and years alone, so why waste time away from our kids now?? We totally understand each other as parents and were meant to be parents together. He is romantic and thoughtful, kind and considerate and there are so many things about him that other wives would be incredibly jealous of and probably not believe. : )
Day 26: Today I am thankful it is Black Friday!!! I have never done this before, this was my first year. I have several friends who do this every year, so I decided to start. I was really organized. The ads get leaked several days in advance, so I was able to plan my shopping very precisely. (thank you internet!!) I narrowed it down to Toys R Us, Target, Kohl's, Burlington Coat Factory, and K Mart. Toys R Us actually opened on Thanksgiving at 10pm this year, which my friend Sarah and I attempted to visit at opening. YIKES!! We decided to go back at 1 instead and we walked right in. They had the items we wanted (play kitchens for our girls) and a couple of extras. My husband and most of the other people I know think we were/are crazy, because it took 2 1/2 hours of waiting in line at just one store. But, I was with a friend that I can talk to for hours, so it went really fast actually and we got GREAT deals. By the time we were done at Toys R Us, Kohl's and Target had opened, so we went there. I finished off with K Mart, but she didn't need to go there. I got almost all of my shopping done for Christmas and I saved SOOOOO much money. I am totally doing it again next year, it's addicting!!
Day 27: Today I am thankful for moving day!!! We loaded up the truck, moved some stuff to mom and dad's and put the rest in storage. The move actually went really quickly and easily. I felt like I had planned and packed really well. Now as soon as we get that lease taken care of, we can start saving for that down payment!!!
Day 28: Today I am thankful for my extended family. It's so nice that all of Kalaya's grandparents are nearby and that she gets to see them often. Today we drove down to see Nelson's family to have Thanksgiving dinner. It's always a big group and lots of people, which is neat, because my side of the family is just my parents here in town. Everyone loves Kalaya and she gets lots of attention and affection.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness Day 24
Today I am thankful for an income. Actually 3, though the 2 that I get are not large. I find myself focusing so much on how much money that I wish we had. I need to take more time to realize just how blessed we are. We are lucky to have an income from Nelson's job that can support our family with me as a stay at home mom. We always have more than enough and can get extras when we want them. I am able to earn an income from our church and from being a nanny which allows me to be with my daughter at home. We have always been able to pay our bills on time and we have good credit to rely on for unexpected things, like car repairs or doctor's visits. Luckily, we've never had anything too major.
Today is payday and even though we complain that most of it goes right to bills, especially rent, we are lucky to be able to pay for all of those things. They provide us with a nice house, a car, insurance (car and health), food, clothes, and plenty of extras like cable, phones and internet. Hopefully, someone else will want our nice home soon, so that they can take over our lease. : ) Not a complaint, just hope.
We are rich in so many ways and have never truly needed anything. And, we are even MORE blessed, since Nelson's new job means an increase in pay and relocating to my parent's house, which allows us to pay off the (small) credit card debt we have started to accumulate (moving costs, etc) really quickly and allows us to save up to buy a house. We are blessed!!
Today is payday and even though we complain that most of it goes right to bills, especially rent, we are lucky to be able to pay for all of those things. They provide us with a nice house, a car, insurance (car and health), food, clothes, and plenty of extras like cable, phones and internet. Hopefully, someone else will want our nice home soon, so that they can take over our lease. : ) Not a complaint, just hope.
We are rich in so many ways and have never truly needed anything. And, we are even MORE blessed, since Nelson's new job means an increase in pay and relocating to my parent's house, which allows us to pay off the (small) credit card debt we have started to accumulate (moving costs, etc) really quickly and allows us to save up to buy a house. We are blessed!!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness Day 23
Today I am thankful for the SNOW! It's so pretty and magical. Of course, it's easy for me to say that, I don't have to drive in it or worry about the ice. And now the sun is out and the temperature is still below freezing, but I get to enjoy it from inside my house with heating. I brought a snow ball into the house for Kalaya to see and we'll go out in it for a little while today. She liked the snow ball and didn't act like it was cold at all. She carried it all over the house and kept rubbing it on her face. Silly girl!
Monday, November 22, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness Day 18-22
Wow, blogging every day is more of a commitment than I realized! I take that back. Blogging every day while packing for a move in only a couple of weeks is harder than I thought. There are boxes all over my house and we've taken several loads over to our newly acquired storage unit. The truck is reserved for this Saturday, so this week is full of last minute packing. We are supposed to have everything gone and clean by the 6th, so I am not worrying about cleaning. AT ALL actually. It's really hard to motivate myself to clean regular things, because I know I have to do a giant deep clean soon, so why bother?? No one can come to my house, the bathrooms and floors are disgusting. Anyway, here goes on 30 days....
Day 18: Today I am thankful for Kalaya's increasing vocabulary. I can't believe how many words she has picked up! Every day she says more and more. I can't even list them all, but some recent ones are: all done, there he is!, church, circle, apple, uncle and baby. She is such a talker!
Day 19: Today I am thankful for my Mom. My mom is truly amazing and I have nothing but respect for her. I love her so much! In the time since I left for college, our relationship has especially grown. Probably because we have so much in common now; teachers, education majors, mothers, and stay at home moms. We've had some amazing experiences to get to know each other even better, especially our 2 week tour of Europe in 2005 and teaching at the same school together in 2008. And, now we're going to be living together again, which I'm looking forward to, because we get to spend time together and walk our dogs together again. When we're together, we talk non-stop and no one else can get a word in. One amazing thing (of many) about my mom is how she has overcome, no CONQUERED cancer. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and it didn't seem to phase her in the least. (though, I know it did) She did all of her chemo treatments on Fridays and was back teaching Kindergarten every Monday morning. When her white blood cell count dropped, she continued teaching with a surgical mask on every day. She never complained and has been cancer free for so long know that I honestly forget she had it. People I haven't seen in a while ask me 'how's your mom?' with that look of sympathy and I get so confused, until I remember, oh right!! She's doing fantastic. I always remember my mom at every sporting event, every recital, every play or parent's night. My mom is the kind of woman I've tried not to be (as a teenager), but am so glad that I have become so much like her. I love our relationship and I love her!
Day 20: Today I am thankful for my brother, because today is his birthday! He is turning 26. I love my brother. He will always be my little brother, even though he is now 6' 6". We don't always agree on everything and we've had some good fights over the years, but overall, we have definitely had a great relationship our whole lives. I have so many memories of us over the years. We would never have admitted we were best friends as kids, but we always were able to get along and play together. We had some great experiences that we experienced together throughout childhood; camping in the redwoods, going to the lake and on the boat at Ma Ma and Pa Pa's house, making haunted houses in the bathroom, playing crossing guard, SPUD, pretending to pack and play 'going on the airplane', Tang sales, bike riding, playing Home Alone, and so many more. As we got older, we got closer and our activities got were a bit different; shopping together, late night talks in the hot tub, cheering for each other at sporting events, brudda and sista everything! Even though he is a grown man serving in the Army and who has a 2 1/2 year old daughter, he is still my little brother that I feel protective of. It's (very) hard knowing that he makes his own decisions and that he no longer comes to me for advice for everything from girls to clothes. I've had to let him go and know that he will do the right things and that everything will work out for the best. But, he will always be that little boy with the big glasses and the 3 cowlicks. Or the awkward middle schooler with glasses, acne and braces. (sheesh, we never stood a change, I had the same traits) Or sometimes I think of him as the uber-Christian track star who started gaining confidence in himself as he overcame those glasses and acne and got those braces off and started to reinvent himself with piano and singing. I'm really proud of the man he's become and I hope he knows that I love him.
Day 21: Today I am thankful for my Daddy. Growing up, I always called myself a daddy's girl. I have always had a very good relationship with my dad, even as I've grown older and we don't always see eye to eye on things in this world. : ) We've always been able to talk openly and honestly about almost any thing together. My dad has been a wonderful provider for our family and has accomplished a lot. He worked so that my mom could be home with my brother and I, which we are all very thankful for. He taught me so many things over the years; from how to throw a softball and shoot a basket to different lessons of the Bible and help with math homework. He always worked a fair distance away from home, but he made it to so many sporting events and other activities we participated in. He exposed us to music through his participation in church choirs (and still does). He instilled the trait in me that it didn't matter what others think, maybe too much some times, since both of us get in trouble for our mouths and tempers. But, I know that my inner strength and confidence in myself was from my dad and his positive words over the years. I'm incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities both of my parents have provided for me and I love them both very much.
Day 22: Today I am thankful for Elmo and Sesame Street, both of which allow me to get 45 minutes (not in a row, but it's better than nothing) of packing and cleaning. I hate that I'm using the TV as a babysitter, but it's not as though I'm ignoring her. And, it's Sesame Street, at least it's educational!! This habit will change after the move. : )
Day 18: Today I am thankful for Kalaya's increasing vocabulary. I can't believe how many words she has picked up! Every day she says more and more. I can't even list them all, but some recent ones are: all done, there he is!, church, circle, apple, uncle and baby. She is such a talker!
Day 19: Today I am thankful for my Mom. My mom is truly amazing and I have nothing but respect for her. I love her so much! In the time since I left for college, our relationship has especially grown. Probably because we have so much in common now; teachers, education majors, mothers, and stay at home moms. We've had some amazing experiences to get to know each other even better, especially our 2 week tour of Europe in 2005 and teaching at the same school together in 2008. And, now we're going to be living together again, which I'm looking forward to, because we get to spend time together and walk our dogs together again. When we're together, we talk non-stop and no one else can get a word in. One amazing thing (of many) about my mom is how she has overcome, no CONQUERED cancer. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and it didn't seem to phase her in the least. (though, I know it did) She did all of her chemo treatments on Fridays and was back teaching Kindergarten every Monday morning. When her white blood cell count dropped, she continued teaching with a surgical mask on every day. She never complained and has been cancer free for so long know that I honestly forget she had it. People I haven't seen in a while ask me 'how's your mom?' with that look of sympathy and I get so confused, until I remember, oh right!! She's doing fantastic. I always remember my mom at every sporting event, every recital, every play or parent's night. My mom is the kind of woman I've tried not to be (as a teenager), but am so glad that I have become so much like her. I love our relationship and I love her!
Day 20: Today I am thankful for my brother, because today is his birthday! He is turning 26. I love my brother. He will always be my little brother, even though he is now 6' 6". We don't always agree on everything and we've had some good fights over the years, but overall, we have definitely had a great relationship our whole lives. I have so many memories of us over the years. We would never have admitted we were best friends as kids, but we always were able to get along and play together. We had some great experiences that we experienced together throughout childhood; camping in the redwoods, going to the lake and on the boat at Ma Ma and Pa Pa's house, making haunted houses in the bathroom, playing crossing guard, SPUD, pretending to pack and play 'going on the airplane', Tang sales, bike riding, playing Home Alone, and so many more. As we got older, we got closer and our activities got were a bit different; shopping together, late night talks in the hot tub, cheering for each other at sporting events, brudda and sista everything! Even though he is a grown man serving in the Army and who has a 2 1/2 year old daughter, he is still my little brother that I feel protective of. It's (very) hard knowing that he makes his own decisions and that he no longer comes to me for advice for everything from girls to clothes. I've had to let him go and know that he will do the right things and that everything will work out for the best. But, he will always be that little boy with the big glasses and the 3 cowlicks. Or the awkward middle schooler with glasses, acne and braces. (sheesh, we never stood a change, I had the same traits) Or sometimes I think of him as the uber-Christian track star who started gaining confidence in himself as he overcame those glasses and acne and got those braces off and started to reinvent himself with piano and singing. I'm really proud of the man he's become and I hope he knows that I love him.
Day 21: Today I am thankful for my Daddy. Growing up, I always called myself a daddy's girl. I have always had a very good relationship with my dad, even as I've grown older and we don't always see eye to eye on things in this world. : ) We've always been able to talk openly and honestly about almost any thing together. My dad has been a wonderful provider for our family and has accomplished a lot. He worked so that my mom could be home with my brother and I, which we are all very thankful for. He taught me so many things over the years; from how to throw a softball and shoot a basket to different lessons of the Bible and help with math homework. He always worked a fair distance away from home, but he made it to so many sporting events and other activities we participated in. He exposed us to music through his participation in church choirs (and still does). He instilled the trait in me that it didn't matter what others think, maybe too much some times, since both of us get in trouble for our mouths and tempers. But, I know that my inner strength and confidence in myself was from my dad and his positive words over the years. I'm incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities both of my parents have provided for me and I love them both very much.
Day 22: Today I am thankful for Elmo and Sesame Street, both of which allow me to get 45 minutes (not in a row, but it's better than nothing) of packing and cleaning. I hate that I'm using the TV as a babysitter, but it's not as though I'm ignoring her. And, it's Sesame Street, at least it's educational!! This habit will change after the move. : )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
