blast from the past

snow in NYC w/ Carter

Theo's 1st birthday

Caught in a snowstorm, Theo sleeping in the stroller NYC

Carter as a toddler

Carter was not a fan of Santa

Disney World!

Carter's 4th birthday, pregnant with Theo.

Theo Halloween in NYC!

The great thing about making photo books is that you get to go through a bunch of old photos and all the sweet memories come flooding back, it's been a blast.  Love my kids.  Love my husband. Love my life and love the reminder that past pictures show of a blessed life.

livingsocial

This deal dropped yesterday on Livingsocial and if I wasn't married to the diamond dealer account manager (his "real" title)for that company I might have been inclined to buy the deal because this and this are on my Christmas list!

my sentiments exactly!

I saw this in a magazine and had to rip it out and post in on my refrigerator.  It's no joke I love coffee and Coffee mate creamer but this pic just about sums up what a nice piping hot cup of coffee can do on a sometimes stressful or busy day.  It's my calm.

zzzzzzzz

Today, I am super thankful for good little sleepers who had no problem being put to bed at 6:30pm last night.  Theo was out cold in 5 minutes and Carter read for a bit but was sound asleep by 8.  They woke up at 7:30. Sleep in our house equals lovely temperaments, so I am a BIG fan of 13 hour sleep sessions and basically early bedtimes in general.  It's such a fantastic way to start the week!

5 things

I saw this on a few other blogs and thought it was interesting/fun, first 5 things that pop in your head that you like (besides the obvious i.e. kids, husband etc.) and dislike, Go!

LIKE:
coffee
newborn babies
salads
Christmas cards
maple bar donuts

DISLIKE:
eating in bed (gross)
pumping my own gas (also gross and smelly)
messes
hesitant drivers
Halloween

on Thanksgiving we did a lot of this...

chillin' (Jer with my big brother Justin & little brother Trevor)

tight hugs (maybe too tight!)

pie eating (my nephew James)

napping (niece Sunrise)

game playing!

laughing

posing (me, Kendra, my mom and SIL Shyrah)

sister in laws are fun!

we are both really goofy, absolutely love it!

here we go...

I always look back at old pictures of our last Thanksgiving in heaven New York, the parade pics never get old. I am so thankful for those beautiful 11 years in that glorious city where Jeremy and I got married and two beautiful babies were born.  The truth is no matter where I am (and seriously, I have been loving Seattle the past few months), I have amazing friends.  I have a fantastic husband.  I have the coolest dad.  I have the sweetest, most supportive mom.  I have two very crazy/fun/handsome brothers. I have the best kids.  I have very cute nieces and nephews (and one on the way).  I have AMAZING friends, did I mention that already?  I. do. they rock.  I have so much and for that and more I am so very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

whooping it up, cheesy pictures and all!

funky posing all around, why on earth the bending down in the front?
it must be a holiday party with an open bar, cheers!

We can cleanup it up if we need too!
 (vintage dress, Capitol Hill, $8, no joke, love it!)
I am also sporting the classic Carissa smirk/pre-smile what-not.

did someone say "smile"  Jeremy takes the cake on the cheese factor in this pic!

Thankful

Today, I am super thankful for financial stability.  I just got done reading a few blogs and most of them were about job loss, empty bank accounts and straight up hard times.  We may not drive a fancy car, wear lots of designer clothes or even eat gourmet meals but we are secure.  My husband is a financial genius. We will never be without.  We have a safety net.  We know the value of money and hard work, we don't spend money that we don't have.  We don't rely on others for our bread and butter, we do it on our own. We are frugal but we also have fun and dress nice and eat out (occasionally).  We are blessed, I am thankful.

Sunday:leaves, love and lots of naps!

We had Jeremy's holiday work party Saturday night (pictures to come) and we didn't get home until 2AM, uh what?!!! Yes, it really was that fun, seriously.  There is no question that I adore my husband and think the world of him but it's nice to know that people at Blue.Nile think the same, everyone who I met mentioned that they think Jeremy is the greatest, ridiculously smart and a fantastic addition to the BN team, I am super proud of him.  However, staying out until 2AM does have some repercussions, like extreme fatigue.  The kids were at my moms until Sunday afternoon and despite our attempts to sleep in we just could not but we did enjoy a lovely brunch and a little Christmas shopping.  We came home and took a mini nap. Then the kids showed up just in time to get in on helping with blowing and raking leaves.  A fantastic Sunday all around!

I love this pic, happy kids, so great!

I helped too there just are not any pictures of me lugging leaves to the compost pile.

why hello there

I was quite pleased with this colorful (and yummy) dinner last night.  Leave it to Trader Joe's to help make a super easy meal with this rice, oh so yummy. Along with a quick easy salad and some spicy pork cutlets and voila, Thursday night dinner.  Somewhere between the time of 7pm and 8pm I got a little craving for some cheesecake not just any cheesecake but Cheesecake Factory cheesecake and in less than an hour I was out the door, with kids snug in bed, a husband doing some at home work and my dear friend in my car!



why hello there Reese's chocolate cake cheesecake!

Deirdre and I shared this and we couldn't even finish the last few bites, it's that rich and indulgent but oh so worth it.  I heart Thursdays!

look...

what I just got in the mail?! Holiday heels, 5 inches of oh la la. Let the festivities begin!

Carter!

also, this little cutie got some new pumped up kicks yesterday. She picked some Pumas, I feel like we just entered a whole new world of bigger kid footwear, she's such a hipster!

Theo!

It's always fun to wake up and see this cutie, his pajama combo's are out of this world, I love it!

I heart this person (pun intended) so much!

hoarding



Carters dresser full of special junk treasures.




Carters bookshelf


I am not sure how I got a hoarding daughter, as I am notorious for being a purger, as a matter of fact I hate clutter so much I often get rid of perfectly goods things that I actually need.  The Goodwill and I have a fantastic relationship.  The only thing I hoard or collect is jeans. I really do feel that you can never have too many pairs of jeans, never.  Often around this time of year I get the clean-out bug, just in time for new things from Christmas.  My kids know the drill.  Out with the old in with the new.  Carter recently decided that she no longer wants or needs her mini My Little Pony figures so we posted on Craigslist and she hopes to make $20 to buy some Christmas presents for her family and friends.  She has been eyeing this card making kit and has quite the list of recipients.  I absolutely love the Christmas season, all the giving and sharing.  However, I had a conversation with my mother in law yesterday about what my kids need or want for Christmas and I was really stumped, we honestly have SO much, so many blessings and so many toys.  Obviously, you can see from Carters pile of stuff that she likes to collect and that she needs nothing. I certainly do not want spoiled kids but I also know the joy that grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and Jeremy and I have when seeing our children's faces light up on Christmas morning.  It's a fine balance that we are continually working on.  As Carter gets older I know that she won't want silly little toys anymore, especially after getting rid of a huge pile of silly little mini My Little ponies, but she is 8 and still little after all.  I had to resist the urge to make her to purge all her little treasures.  They mean something to her.  I like clean, tidy and orderly.  She likes a little mess and lots of stuff.  I like that she is making her own decisions about what to get rid of and I like that she is selling to buy stuff to make and give to others.  She might have a little bit of hoarding in her but she also has a big heart and a really creative mind. Some of the greatest and smartest people were also some of the messiest.

Snappy

I am so very thankful for a little online company called snapfish.  I made our family Christmas cards in less than 10 minutes and I also got 50% off,  80 cards for way under $40 is something to be thankful for! I love the picture this year, it's of our whole family in a beautiful setting.  I am a bit notorious for sending pics out that don't show my kids faces, I prefer action shots instead of the super posed family pics but this year we got a somewhat posed shot but it's fantastic.  I can't wait to get them in a few days and get addressing, yay to Christmas cards!

Spokane with the Tharps!

About 6 months after we moved back here from NY my brother got a job transfer to Spokane, it was a major bummer for us as we basically hung out non-stop the first 6 months we lived here.  Luckily, Spokane isn't too far away and they come visit often but my kids really do miss their kids. So, needless to say we took advantage of Carter and Theo not having school last Thursday and Friday by having Jeremy take some days off and we headed over for a 4 day weekend.  We even managed to leave Wednesday afternoon.  We had a blast!  I really had not spent much time in Spokane since I was in high school, and that's been awhile. I was amazed at all the stuff I had memories about, the downtown stores, Riverfront Park, and my all time favorite kid memory of Spokane was and still is The White Elephant.  I actually got a bit teary eyed when we went there (because I am a sap like that) remembering my parents surprising us with trips there.  I distinctly remember my mom and dad waking us up after having fallen asleep in the car and saying "surprise" and seeing that we were in The White Elephant parking lot, good times indeed!  I was excited to take my kids there and it did not disappoint.  The Playmobil prices are by far the best I have ever seen and we know our Playmobil prices!  The rest of our trip was hanging out at Cabelas where I tried a buffalo burger which was so gamy and not good that I think I might need to take a break from all red meat for a few months.  Jeremy however, was like a kid in a candy shop looking at guns and I am sure without a doubt he was wishing his guns were not at his Grandparents house in Grangeville.  It's time for my husband to get back into the wild and get a hobby, he used to rock climb, ski and hunt and then he followed some girl (wink wink) all the way to NYC and never looked backed, the city might run in our veins but I think our Spokane trip made Jeremy want to get back in the swing of things.  Our kids of course have a blast with their cousins and even just hanging at their house is fun.

wrestling with Uncle Jeremy

puzzling with Grandpa Dave and Sharon

Apples to Apples our favorite game, our dog likes it too apparently!

more wrestling!

one of favorite pictures : )

The White Elephant has the same ride-on toy from when I was a kid only $.10 cents too!

Cabelas

maybe Jeremy's dream come true?!

Sunrise, Theo, Saphyre, Carter and James, the cousins in order by age

Riverfront park, super cold

the whole gang

fun stuff in Spokane... although this was technically in Idaho so really this is what you see in Idaho folks, gotta love that!

My brother Justin and I



Jer and I, very cold



busy

I can't possibly be the only one who is so busy that I hardly have time to come up for air?  Quite frankly, I am not even sure what we are so busy doing as my kids are not in a various array of activities other than Girlscouts and swim but nonetheless we are busy busy busy, just slightly more busy than I like.  I can't wait to slow it down this weekend while hanging with the Tharp's, although come to think of it we will probably be a whirlwind of activity there as well.  I am thinking 4 hour nap on the drive over!

hair today gone tomorrow?

circa 2006  (pre-Theo)

I was thinking of growing my hair back out to this but after looking through some online pictures I am really drawn to the below look....how fantastic is Katie's hair?  The BIG question is will I actually have this hair and be able to style it? and will I regret cutting it once it's actually cut? what to do, what to do?  Thoughts?