me and the boys

picture a day

2012-02-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

week two of february's picture a day!

day 8: sun. we had no sun. i wasn't creative. hence, no picture.

day 9: front door

day 10: self portrait (oops!)

day 11: makes you happy

day 12: your closet

day 13: blue

day 14: your heart

i love etsy | on a farm

2012-02-15T21:32:00.001-08:00

1. antique rolling pin from PineandMain

2. abandoned barn print by LANDofLIV

3. harvest in france print by PhotographyDream

4. peaches in a colander by MissMPhotography

playing with dada

2012-02-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

i love the way landon looks laying on our bed. love it. he looks so small and precious. not many things make him look small anymore. it's hard to believe that tomorrow he will be ten months old. crazy, right? i may have forgotten to mention that at his nine month check-up he weighed in at 20lbs, 14oz and 31 inches long. see, i'm not crazy when i say it's hard to see him as a small baby these days, because he's not. he's actually above the 95th percentile for his height. we're shooting for 6'4" (but we'll really take any height!).

at this very moment, landon is crawling around our loft space, banging on doors, empty boxes and walls. he's playing with the spring-y doorstop and climbing up on our entertainment system (that was finally fastened to the wall after only a year of having it partially completed). he's jabbering away, saying lots of 'mama' and 'dada' and blowing spit bubbles non-stop. he's carrying his little teething toys and his little wooden snake all over the upstairs. he's trying to climb up on the chair and pull down all of the blankets on the footstool.

he's being my sweet little boy. and i wouldn't want it any other way.

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a few pictures of him playing with dada on our bed.

a video

2012-02-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

i'm a tiny bit obsessed with the following video. i watched it without sound, as i didn't want to wake up my sweet sleeping babe, but i loved it nonetheless. it makes me want to have a letterpress. c:

Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

nanette lepore

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

after being completely discouraged because my target chose to not carry the jason wu line, i decided to hit up the internet for some other lovely designer that i could swoon over yet never be able to afford in this lifetime. (although, i'll keep my fingers crossed, just in case.)

well, i stumbled upon a new fave of mine: nanette lepore. can you say gorge?

i love her use of bright colors for her spring 2012 line (the two on the bottom right are from her fall 2011 line but i just HAD to add them because i love the styling and the fit). everything just seems so happy and laid back and bright! it's like a highlighter exploded on her fabric and i love it.

also, can we talk about those pink bags for a second? how adorable is that front one? i love how simple it is and so girly, all at the same time!

ok, there you have it, a new favorite designer. you can thank me later. c;

oh and did i mention that i read nanette just might have inked a deal with jcpenney? no? well she did. and i couldn't be more excited. (so long as my jcpenney carries her stuff, that is)

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image(s)

hello, from landon

2012-02-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

"hey! it's me, landon!

you want to know something? i can say dada now. and stand on my own for about two seconds. you know what else? i've got amazing hair. my mama's jealous.

love,

landon

ps. dada thinks i look like an old man in the last pic. you know what i say to that? pssshhh. i've been crawling around all day dad, what do you expect?!"

photo a day

2012-02-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

well, since i failed miserably at the january photo a day challenge on instagram, i decided to try my hand at february's, naturally. here is week one of #febphotoaday

day 1: your view today

day 2: words

day 3: hands

day 4: a stranger

day 5: 10am

day 6: dinner

day 7: button

i love etsy | paper edition

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

1. valentine card from letterhappy

2. 'i love you' letterpress valentine card from seabornpress

3. custom stationary set, also by seabornpress

4. letterpress recipe cards and box set from 1canoe2

28

2012-02-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

brother,

28 years ago today you came into this world.

in march, it will be nine years ago that you left it.

it's still so fresh in my mind that it seems like it could have been yesterday. oversleeping, thinking i was going to be late to school again and mom telling me that i probably wouldn't want to go to school. waiting. waiting to hear from your dad. waiting to hear if you were going to make it. waiting to hear if you would come back to us. waiting and waiting and waiting. i remember it feeling like days passed before we got word and at the same time, feeling like only an hour. hearing those words broke my heart. i can't even begin to describe the aching i felt in my heart; the longing for one more hug from your arms, the need to hear your voice one last time, for you to hear me say 'i love you'. those would never come.

today i celebrate your life. i celebrate your joy for everything dallas cowboys and deion sanders. i celebrate your love of tupac and mya. i celebrate your smile and the way you could always make me smile back. i celebrate your silly sayings: "after a while, crocodile"; "that's what i'm about, brussel sprout". i celebrate your strong will and your determination. i celebrate your overcoming of your struggles. i celebrate your southern accent. i celebrate your willingness to play dolls with your little sister, no matter how uncool that really was. i celebrate your ability to make up games on the fly. i celebrate your pride and how you couldn't let anyone know you were afraid of 'scream'. i celebrate your coloring capabilities. i celebrate your love of kool-aid. i celebrate your artistic eye and your paint splatter design on your bedroom walls. i celebrate your big brother presence and watching over me in middle school.

i celebrate you.

sometimes i wonder: what would you be doing if you were still here? would you be married and have children? would you be living in oregon, or florida? or maybe texas, or alabama? or somewhere really ritzy like new york? would you be an architect? a hard laborer? a sports coach? a restaurateur? would you be living in a big house or a small cottage? would you be enjoying life?

would you and justin get along? would you love landon? would we still be as close as we used to be? i tell myself yes, of course. i see so many similarities between you and justin, it's crazy. you both love with your entire hearts, you both laugh at silly, silly things, you both have a love for mexican food that i will never understand. you know what's even crazier? i have some pictures of landon where i swear, i swear, it looks just like you. how can this be?! there is no blood relation and yet, the resemblance is uncanny. it must be God's way of letting me know that you're still here; you're still with me and you're never, ever leaving.

i love you, brother. that will never change.

love,

lace

ps. you know what? we had taco salads for dinner tonight. it's funny, i seem to never eat a taco salad during the rest of the year; i save it for february 6. and i wouldn't have it any other way. c;

links for your week

2012-02-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

i'm really enjoying this pretty picture; it's so simple and yet so pretty, all at the same time. it even looks like something i could make at home, if i had a sewing machine that is.

anyway, on to some lovely little links that i have found interesting this past week, and hope you do too! enjoy!

i'm pretty sure i need this. it would make my life so much easier. forget that icky GB (as rachael ray would call it) taking up space on my counter OR ripley trying to get into the garbage can sitting out from under the sink!

isn't this wedding theme perfect? it's so cute and fun! i especially love the photo booth - too cute.

i am a big ansel adams fan and these pictures are great. not the typical ansel adams photos and i love it.

this lamp looks like something my husband would enjoy. or any guy for that matter. c:

these apps look like they might be worth checking out. although, i'd be surprised if anything came up on them for me and my little city.

oooh! can this be true? if so, it can't come soon enough! phones are so expensive these days and don't get me wrong, i LOVE my phone and everything it can do, it's just so darn spendy. plus, it'll definitely help out when justin upgrades to a better phone.

i couldn't help but smile as i read this article on pinterest. it's so true!

are you really big on privacy while on the internet? well, Google has decided to change their privacy practices and if you are interested in how to prevent them from tracking you, i suggest you read this article.

yep, i really like these lamps. if only they were a tad bit cheaper. and by tad, i mean a lot.

oh vimeo, how i love thee. and your new look!

this digital photo blog is so neat! it's got lots and lots of slow exposure photos of fireflies. i can't read anything from the site because it's all in japanese but the pictures sure are pretty.

if you like karim rashid and BoConcept, then you're sure to like that they're partnering up! (for a time, at least.) oh, how i wish we had a BoConcept around here, if only for this desk.

came across this post while visiting the lovely bleubirdvintage blog. well, it made me click on a link that took me to this site, which i am now positively in love with. yep, you know you want to check it out.

i am obsessed with pinterest. care to see? then click!

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image via

saturday happenings

2012-02-04T22:55:00.000-08:00

oh saturday, how i wish there were multiples of you. it seems like as soon as you begin, you end.

...

we had a good little day today, our family. we started our morning right: landon waking us up with a big grin on his face and giggles galore. it's so nice to wake up to him happy, especially since he tends to wake up unhappy more often than not from alarm clocks and such.

from there, our day just kept getting better! it was a beautiful morning out so justin decided to take landon and ripley on a little walk. so after landon had his breakfast of strawberry yogurt (which he loves, by the way), off they went! i, on the other hand, decided to hang back and get ready for the day, ie. shower, eat, pay bills, etc.

when they returned, we tried to put landon down for a nap, to no avail. we chalked it up to him not being able to crawl around as much as usual because he was in a stroller for most of the morning and was unable to tire himself out. so what do you do? you pack up his diaper bag, walk ripley outside one last time, and hop in the car to grandpa dave's! and what did landon decide to do? promptly fall asleep on the car ride over there. yep, i guess he was tired after all.

we spent a good portion of time at my dad's house where i filed our taxes and justin, landon and my dad played and played and played. when i was FINALLY done with taxes we packed our stuff back up and headed back into town where we stopped at walmart. yep, walmart. it's the go-to place in town now, ya know.

i've jumped on the bandwagon and started meal-planning our months out. yep, i'm one of those ladies now. and you know what? i love it. it makes everything so much easier. you can bet there'll be a blog post about that in the near future. anyway, we got almost all of our grocery shopping done for the month there, in addition to a couple more non-grocery related items. so this is the part of the story where i go on a tangent. have you seen the snl target lady? well, i've seen the real-life target lady, except at walmart. i swear the snl writers based their character off of her. she was great. so great in fact, as we were leaving the store justin and i looked at each other and both started talking about snl's target lady! it was priceless.

and then? we stopped at hasty freez and got ourselves some slush. strawberry for the hubs, cherry for me.

after a long afternoon/early evening nap for landon we made ourselves some dinner: lemon pepper chicken, herb & butter rice and broccoli. i think sitting at the dinner table with my boys is probably one of my favorite parts of any day. i love it. the tv is off, no other distractions, just my boys and me. lovely.

after a last-minute decision to go visit another set of grandparents, we came home and put our sleepy, teething (yep, he's got a seventh tooth coming in!), somewhat cranky boy to bed.

and with that, i leave you with a few pictures of our day. night y'all!

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(for those of you that don't know the snl target lady, enjoy!)

phone dump

2012-02-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

some photos taken recently(ish) with my iPhone.

this might just be one of my faves. ever.

it snowed! (last month)

landon can wear his romeo's!

minestrone soup. yep, i'll be devoting a post to this at some point.

livin' it up playing nba jam with the family.

sleeping in mama & daddy's bed.

a new way to eat dinner.

after his hair cut.

fun times with mama on her lunch break!

peach-y

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

for today's fashion choice, i am loving this light and flowy look. i love the knit sweater; not too heavy but just enough texture that it pairs nicely with the long maxi skirt, which i LOVE. oh how i love the peach color of it and that it's pleated! and silk-crepe. yep, i'm in love. especially when you add those beautiful Tom Binns earrings. they seem so art-deco to me and the colors are perfect. and then! you can't go wrong with a gorgeous pair of Louboutin's. i mean, just look at them! i love the ankle strap and the open round toe. and they're just high enough that they would be perfect with this skirt (or a nice pair of pants).

now if only i could afford all of these items..

clockwise from left: Proenza Schouler top,

Tibi pleated maxi skirt,

Tom Binns pastelle earrings,
and Christian Louboutin viola 120 leather sandals

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skirt and earrings found through this site where i clicked through and ended up on net-a-porter for the sweater and shoes.

i love etsy | art edition

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

1. wonderland trees canopy by slightcutter

2. fence railings by lballardphoto

3. rustic train tracks by LisaRussoPhotography

4. sheep shed by seeufly

friends

2012-01-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

when we first found out we were pregnant, we were super excited. and as time went on, we got even more excited and at the same time, we were nervous. not only nervous for all of the typical things you are nervous for, but nervous because we had a puppy. a puppy that wasn't even a year old yet (and wouldn't be until landon's due date!). a puppy that was super excitable and jumped up and down all the time. a puppy that had tons and tons of energy, almost too much. a puppy that we loved and were nervous we weren't going to be able to give him as much attention as he deserved.

while i was pregnant, i was sick. a lot. i spent a lot of time at home with ripley. there were some days where i couldn't stand his usual doggy smell and it would make me sick to my stomach. and there were some days when all i wanted was for him to snuggle up on the couch with me while all i could do was lay there, willing my sickness to go away. those days, he was the best puppy in the world. it just seemed like he knew when i didn't have the energy to play with him. he knew when he had to wait until justin got home before he could be let outside. he knew when i needed to go lay down upstairs and he would be required to lay down in his crate and be a "good boy".

we were nervous how he would act around a new baby though. was he going to try and jump on the baby? was he going to lick him all over? was he going to bark at him? would he be the jealous type? what if he did all of those things? and then! we had to stay nine days in the hospital. we had never spent a night away from ripley; we took him everywhere with us. luckily, my sister or brother stayed with him at the house and checked on him throughout the day so we never had to take him to a pet hotel or have him stay with anyone else.

and when we came home? ripley was great. yes, he sniffed landon over, and over, and over, and over, again. yes, he licked him all over (or, at least tried to). no, he didn't try to jump on him. he did however, start a bad barking habit. yes, he showed a little bit of jealousy. did he ever snap at landon? nope. even when landon grew up and wouldn't allow him to be left alone for a few minutes? nope. even when landon followed him everywhere and pulled on his collar? nope. even when landon grabbed his tail and yanked on it? nope.

and as you can tell from the pictures below, they're best buds. well, at least landon thinks so. maybe ripley is just playing along. whatever the case, i'm just happy ripley seems to be okay with landon. even if it does mean the neighbors have to deal with a barking dog now.

recent

2012-01-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

weekend recap & a recipe

2012-01-30T20:41:00.000-08:00

i posted in saturday's links for your week what we did on friday but i have yet to fill you in on what we did the rest of the weekend! like i said before, it was most likely going to involve hanging out at home, just soaking up the little time we get to spend together. it was lovely.

we did get out of the house on two occasions however. saturday night we went over to justin's parent's house and visited with them, as well as justin's brother and his wife Ashley (and their new little guy, jackson). on sunday, we ventured out once again and decided to check out the newly opened walmart. it's huge. and so clean! i don't think i've ever seen a walmart that clean (and non-cluttered) before.

the time we spent in the house was filled with chasing landon all over which is a daily occurance, long naps (for all of us!), little bits of tv-viewing here and there, a movie for justin, making dinner and baking bread (and cookies!).

baking bread?! yep. we haven't bought a loaf of bread in over a month and you know why? because i've been making two loaves every weekend. i'm so proud of myself! and you know the crazy part? it's super easy. i haven't even been using a bread maker, believe it or not, it's all been by hand. for those of you that are interested (and even if you aren't!), here's the recipe i use. i highly encourage you to make it yourself, or find another bread recipe, because nothing beats good 'ole homemade bread.

Excellent Introductory Recipe for New or Young Bakers*

Makes 2 Loaves

5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 envelopes Fleischmann's® Active Dry Yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

(to make whole wheat bread, substitue 2 cups whole wheat flour for part of all-purpose flour)
Place 1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°F) in a large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar; stir. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy on top. Add remaining water, milk, butter, sugar, salt and 4 cups flour. Mix well using the medium speed of an electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

(i don't have a picture at this point for two reasons: one, i didn't want to get my camera all icky with bread-covered hands and two, i just forgot.)
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.

Cover; let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Punch dough down. Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Beginning at short end of each rectangle, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place, seam sides down, in greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pans.

Cover; let rise in warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; cool on wire rack.

*recipe taken from this site.

links for your week!

2012-01-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

with the past week finally over, and i put a lot of emphasis on finally because it seemed like it took forever for the weekend to get here, we have spent the majority of this weekend (and will spend the rest of it the same way, i'm sure) by relaxing at home.

last night was spent at dinner with my dad watching landon smile at his new highchair buddy (darn me for not having my camera easily accessible during dinner!) and stuffing our faces with cornbread and good 'ole bbq. yum! we then came home to an overexcited puppy dog biding his time until justin pulled out the laser pointer and both he and landon went after that little red dot like it was the last thing on earth. (again! darn me for being too entertained to grab my camera!) this morning my wonderful husband let me catch a few extra z's after landon decided to wake up at 6am, again, and took landon downstairs to feed him his breakfast of apples & mangoes in rice cereal, yum. ever since i woke up (at 9am, thank you), landon's had two naps (one of which he is still taking), we made lunch from some leftovers (i had a burrito, justin had pulled chicken & potato salad and landon had peas, avocado, bread & sweet potato puffs), we've watched a tiny bit of the telly and i've spent way too much time scouring the internet (and using my new app, flipboard). oh! and landon had another bath and another haircut, given by yours truly (with the help of j).

so, i'll leave you with some links for you to check out the rest of this weekend (and next week, too!).

has anyone else tried the new app, mattebox? i'm trying to decide if i want to spend $4 on another camera app or stick with the ones i'm currently using.

i love the look of ital caffe's new coffee tins. so simple.

oh, these cookies look so tasty, and cute to boot! i may just have to check out her etsy shop and order myself some for a little treat.

i am a huge liv tyler fan and i have to agree, these pics of her are probably the cutest ones i have ever seen of her. she just looks so, happy.

i am going to have to get this little print laminated. it's just so handy! now, if i can only find the perfect chair to upholster. thrifting, anyone?

i saw this and wasn't sure what i thought of it. on one hand, it sure would be neat to see your little baby whenever you wanted and on the other hand, don't doctors recommend not having multiple ultrasounds? hm, i do like it for a baby monitor though.

yes, another photojojo link. this would be great for me when taking videos, especially since it seems like i turn into an 80-year-old woman when i need to be steady!

i love this idea for a phone charger! it would look so great on my nightstand.

if you're into the whole juxtaposition thing of living in an old house/apartment with modern decor, then this radiator is for you!

i loved reading this article. not only because i am just as obsessed with instagram as the author is but because it just rings true! i don't have time to sit and watch an entire movie anymore and yet i can check instagram multiple times instead and still keep myself occupied. brilliantly written.

i think i need to get landon a little-boy version of this. he would look so handsome in it. easter, maybe?

isn't this a clever idea? if i get my ever-so-wishing-someone-gets-it-for-me macbook pro or my if-i-don't-get-the-macbook-i'll-take-the-hp mini for my birthday, i just might (maybe) have to do this.

i wish i would've known of this diy while my tree was still up. oh well.

and last but not least, one of the first blogs i ever started following: here.

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image via, one of my favorite places in oregon. wish i was there now, actually.

happy weekend!

2012-01-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

more pics of landon from our nine month photo sesh.

isn't he just handsome?

Dear Landon

2012-01-28T12:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Landon,

This month, you have officially turned nine months old. Wow, I almost can’t believe that nine months ago we welcomed you into this world. What a wonderful nine months it has been.

As I sit here typing this letter to you, I can’t help but picture your smiling face, your joyous laughter, your excitement when dinner time comes around, everything that makes you, you.

Last month you had your first Christmas and that meant your daddy and I got to enjoy watching you open your first gifts and take pleasure in seeing your big grins as you ripped off wrapping paper and tore tissue paper out of bags. It was such a wonderful experience for us. I can only hope you felt the same way.

We have had so many wonderful experiences with you this month. You have really started to eat ‘mama and daddy foods’ with us. I make a special point to make you some potatoes if we’re having potatoes, boil you some peas if we’re having peas, give you bites of my bread when I’m eating a sandwich, chop up bananas and oranges so you can have some fruit with your oatmeal in the morning, give you some avocado when we’re eating our salads and the list goes on and on. This coming Monday, we get to go to your nine month check-up and ask Dr. Sherman when we can start introducing some cheese and eggs and other dairy-like items to you, as well as berries and a few other things. I enjoy watching your face as we place ‘finger foods’ on your highchair tray and you so carefully pick up the foods, one by one, with your tiny fingers and every so gently place them in your mouth. And then, watching you as you discover if you actually like or don’t like that particular food choice. And then, when you determine that you do actually like it, you can’t get the food into your mouth quick enough. And after a few (or twenty!) minutes of feeding yourself (and some help from mama or daddy) you tire of dinner, watching you squeal in delight as you bang your tray with your little hands and watch all the food bits bounce up and down until they fall off and ripley gets to them as fast as he can. You can make as much of a mess as you want, little one, because as long as you are happy and you’re eating your dinner, that’s all that matters. (Yes, I say this now when there actually isn’t a mess to clean up, I know.)

You also really enjoy bath-time. It’s a blast watching you smack the water as hard and fast as your little hands will let you and see the excitement on your face as you splash the walls, yourself and mama and daddy. Then wrapping you up in a big, blue towel to dry you off and hold you close makes it even better. You know what else is super fun? Watching you crawl all over your bedroom without any clothes (or a diaper). Yep, embarrassing, I know.

I am also super impressed with how much you like to ‘talk’ to us these days. Hardly a few minutes go by without you jabbering away to us, or Ripley, and pointing at whatever is catching your attention. It does make it particularly difficult when daddy and I are trying to have a conversation and you keep interrupting us but it’s worth it, listening to the pitch of your voice and the mamamamamama’s and the squeals and laughs and everything in between.

You make every day better. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Love,
Your Mama

fashion!

2012-01-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

i'm the kind of girl that loves herself a good fashion magazine (elle is my go-to mag), show (project runway!!), book and site (glamour). i'm also the kind of girl that lives in a fairly small town and even if i had the means to purchase the fashionable clothes that i love i would not be able to find them within a 60 mile radius. nor would i have the guts to actually wear some of said fashion because i'm a chicken and worry too much about how i would stand out in my little town. so, i've decided to live vicariously through my blog!

without further adieu, here is my goal for fridays: fashionable friday! on fridays, i plan to post a picture (and hopefully a link) of something i love but am either a. too poor to go out and buy it; b. too chicken to wear it; c. nowhere near a store that sells it and/or; d. all of the above.

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ok so i'm going to start with jason wu. who doesn't love jason wu? if you don't, you're just crazy. crazy, i tell ya! he is amazing at creating modern femininity and making it look quite lovely. see for yourself:

i absoluately love the high neckline on the first and third. it's kind of hard to tell from this picture but i really love the sheerness of the top of the yellow pieces. i also adore the flowing, effortless feel of the fabric he chose for the first three looks. and hello!? can someone please find me an event to wear that last look to? k, thanks.

now if only there was a way for me to afford his clothes. oh, wait! jason wu for target? you're probably thinking i'm joking with you, but i'm not! it's true! you know how there have been times when a designer has partnered with target and the looks are just never quite what you expect (i won't name any names)? well, jason wu's collection is so not like that. i love it. take a look:

it's got everything from his 2012 spring runway collection, just in a way more affordable collection for the rest of us that can't afford off-the-runway. isn't that blue print super cute paired with that red shirt? i especially love the blue print in the dress form with the sheer top. and the styling? super cute. i'm in love with the hair and the little nylon socks with heels. yep, i know where i'm gonna be spending my next target gift cards. c:

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pictures via & via

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feelings of guilt

2012-01-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

as i sit here with my legs propped up on my computer desk, keyboard on my shins and chair pressed up against the wall, my brain tells me to go to bed. and yet, i can't pull myself away from the screen. i can hear landon's humidifier misting away in his room while he sleeps the night away and my brain says to me "lacey, hit save and go to sleep. you're tired."

i don't though. and you know why? because this is the only time that i can take for myself and not feel guilty about doing so. it's the only time of day that i can sit at the desk, happily typing away about whatever crosses my mind and not feel guilty for not spending it with my boys.

you see, being a full-time mama is tough. being a full-time mama that ALSO works at a full-time desk job is even harder. the hardest part? being completely drained from working all day long and then coming home and wanting nothing more than to love on your baby and realizing that yes, you can still love on your baby you just don't have as much energy as you had say, 4 hours ago when you could have REALLY loved on your baby. so what do you do? you muster up as much energy as your body will allow and give him hugs and kisses and squeezes and tickles and chase him around the room and change his stinky diapers and make his dinner (a combination of breast-feeding then good 'ole food, food) and clean him up after his dinner and chase him around some more and read him a story (or two) and fit in a learning lesson (tonight was turning the lights on and off) and then you give him more hugs and kisses and squeezes and tickles and then it's bed time. and bed time? bed time is thankfully done by my loving husband. don't get me wrong, i love me some landon bed time. landon is such a fighter though. and he's strong. he's too strong for me, that's for darn sure. and i have a really difficult time putting him down in his crib without basically dropping him in there because it's one of those that really sits off of the ground and has high sides and i'm not a very tall gal so it's basically impossible for me to put him to bed. and i'm okay with that. plus, justin loves bed time with landon. it's probably one of his most favorite times of the day, right up there with bath time and dinner. heck, every time of the day is a favorite time of the day when landon is involved.

what happens after landon goes to bed, you ask? well, i usually follow shortly after. and justin usually stays up and plays video games or watches tv. then there are the rare occasions where i stay up with him and we both watch tv and catch up on glee or modern family or the office or fringe. and the nights when i'm not in bed or watching tv with my hubby? that's right, i'm on the computer (or my phone), scouring the internet for good finds or typing away or organizing photos from the week.

all of that tv-watching and internet-scouring and sleeping is great and all but for me, i try to save the majority of it for after landon goes to bed. sure, i've been known to have the tv on downstairs while we are all eating our dinner or when crawling on the floor with landon (gasp! i know!). and i've also been known to be checking out my new app, flipboard, while my husband so dutifully chases landon so that he doesn't end up grabbing a handful of ripley's dog food and try to eat it (what kind of wife am i?). and i've also been known to upload some pics or write up a new post while landon and justin are playing on the floor beside me with landon repeatedly trying to climb up the computer desk chair and sit in my lap and bang on the keyboard. but do i feel guilty doing all of these things when landon is awake? heck yes i do.

i feel guilty because i should be spending every single second that i can with my family. i feel guilty because all of my attention should be focused on them since i only have a few short hours left in the day after i come home from work. i feel guilty because it's not fair to my family.

maybe one of these days i'll get to be a stay at home mama. and if that day ever comes, maybe i'll feel less guilty.

and with that, and a little boy stirring in his bed and a cramp in my left foot, i bid you adieu.

i love etsy

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

1. these antique pharmacy bottles from dentwood would look lovely in my bathroom
2. yep, i want these wooden hearts from OldNewAgain
3. i love that this bowl from atstuart holds exactly 12 eggs
4. aren't these napkin holders from OceanSwept super cute?

links for your week

2012-01-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

our weekend has been pretty uneventful. we've spent a lot of time at home because of the massive amount of rain we've received here in oregon. so much so that multiple areas in and around our town have flooded, which is kind of scary since that doesn't happen here very often. if you're interested in seeing some pictures taken of the flooding, go here. we live up high so we don't have any concerns about our neighborhood flooding but the main way into town and really the onlly way into town might be of some concern if the rain continues like it has.

for now, i leave you with some links to enjoy for the coming week!

for many years i have wanted an upholstered headboard and have never been able to convince myself to purchase one since they are so spendy. i've had this page favorited for quite a while now in hopes to someday upholster my own headboard. as of late, i still haven't done so but i am quite certain it will happen this year...maybe.

i am in love with these earrings from foxy originals. aren't the bronze ones super cute?

i mentioned this lovely lady's blog last week regarding inspiration. this week i'm linking you to her book. i can't wait until this comes out. yes, it is available for pre-order but still, april can't get here soon enough (unless we're talking about landon's birthday and yes, it can definitely wait)

i love how these girls of the violet did their new year's goals for 2012. too cute.

don't these brownies look just to die for? yum! i wish we had all the ingredients here at the moment to make them but unfortunately, i'm out of luck.

i love how miss james takes pictures of her children's food and posts them on her blog. her pictures of her little girl's food, birdie, make me want to take pictures of landon's food once he is eating more whole food and not so much smashed food. (he did have broccoli, bread, brown rice and bananas last night though. progress!)

from miss james' blog i found goodbyn, which i am now obsessed with, thank you very much! i can't wait until i can purchase a few of these.

this site has so many fun things for camera lovers! i think the little lenses to attach on to the iPhones are super cute.

if i drank coffee on a regular basis, or had any need for cream really, i would definitely buy these creamers. or really anything from PigeonToeCeramics' shop.

really? a sliding door that you don't have to lock and unlock, it does it for you? crazy!

i really want this or this for my year. even if january is almost over. c;

here's a new blog (or two!) that i have recently found and can't get enough of: one and two.

here's to having a great (hopefully less rainy) week! enjoy.

squeaky-clean

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

"i love baths. i really do. i think mama and daddy enjoy them just as much as i do though. well, i don't know if they enjoy baths themselves but i think they enjoy giving me one. how could you not? for one, i'm naked and aren't naked babies always the cutest? two, i just stand (or sit) there when the tub is being filled with water and that is not a very common occurance for me these days. three, i never get tired of smacking the water with my hands and splashing myself (and mama or daddy on occasion) and i squeal with delight every time. and four, when i'm done in the bath i'm naked again and i usually squirm my way out of their arms before they can get me dressed, so for a minute (or two!) i'm crawling around bare-butted. yep, baths are the best. you should really take the time to have one yourself next time you're thinking about getting all squeaky-clean!

love, landon"

month nine

2012-01-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

my little boy is almost in the double digits when it comes to age (in months, of course!) and it seems like it was only last week when we were coming home from the hospital. boy, it's been the best nine months i've ever experienced, that's for darn sure.

here's a few pictures from our impromptu photo session from last night right before bed.

ps. he's getting SO big!

i love etsy

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

1. a lovely yellow handbag from Adeleshop. 2. antique leather gold-leafed photo album from TheNewtonLabel. 3. i would love this chevron printed yellow pillow in my bedroom from WillaSkyeHome. 4. aren't these books just to die for from jaysworldatetsy?

television

2012-01-17T22:58:00.000-08:00

i watch* a lot of tv. a lot. so much so i'm almost embarrassed. almost. tonight i watched teen mom 2 and glee. (and of course young and the restless but that's a daily occurrence, when i can find the time.)

i can just hear you all saying "teen mom 2? why oh why would you watch that show?" and i'll tell you: drama. i love it. i soak it up. my heart breaks for these little girls that are having to go through what they are going through. poor chelsea with her pathetic boyfriend. poor kailynn struggling to make ends meet with school, work, her own apartment, totaling her car, and finally deciding to file for child support. poor leah with twins and not knowing what is causing one of her precious little girls to have skeletal problems. and poor jenelle for struggling with her drug addiction, a leech of a boyfriend and a tumultuous relationship with her own mother. i feel for these girls and their babies. i truly do.

on a brighter note? glee! i fell in love the moment it first came on the air. i know it's cheesy and that's the best part. the spats between coach sylvester and the glee club, the love stories intertwined, the very real problems that many teenagers are dealing with in their own highschools and the music. oh, the music. i can't get enough! i even went so far as to purchase a cd of the warbler's from glee. it's heavenly. did you watch tonight's episode? precious. from singing a song from 'grease' to singing a current new favorite of mine 'we found love', (although i'm not a fan of the rihanna version -- i like the boyce avenue version MUCH better) it was just perfection in my eyes. and the ending?! if you haven't watched it yet, i'll be sure to keep it under wraps as i don't want to spoil it for any of you but oh.my.goodness!

*sidenote: all of my tv watching (besides glee which i watched after he went to bed) took place while landon had a plastic toy star in each hand as he slid all over our downstairs floor. and then he proceeded to power crawl, head down, determined to make it to ripley's food and water dishes before i could catch him. he's a sly one, that boy. little does he know although it may look like i'm totally focused on the telly, i'm really watching him and only listening to the noise in the background. you see, you put the tv on the back burner when you've got a little boy trying to get into anything he can all the while holding the socks he was wearing for the day in his mouth.

a couple of pictures

2012-01-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

from our week.

i swear, landon is growing up much too fast.

links for your week

2012-01-16T23:13:00.000-08:00

i follow many blogs. i scour many internet sites. i spend way too much time on pinterest. here are just a few things i have found over this past week that you might be interested in as well. take a gander!

this mama gets me. we're on the same page. discipline. i know, i know, landon isn't two yet and he doesn't need disciplining but what i do know is that i'm going to blink and he'll be walking around trying to put his finger in light sockets or drawing on the walls with sharpies or eating ripley's dog food and those will be times when he will need discipline. justin and i aren't there yet but when we do get there, i'm pretty sure we'll both be flying by the seat of our pants, just like her.

a diy teepee? yes, please! who needs a tent when you can have a teepee? landon's getting one of these for sure.

need some inspiration to do some good? head on over to enjoying the small things and pay it forward.

i love my new phone. i love all of the apps it has. i just came across this one today. super excited to try it out!

for all those people wondering if i want another child -- this is how i feel right now. c:

came across this today and got a big smile on my face. watch the video, it's too cute!

mike + erin sure make me wish i had a cabin in the middle of the woods somewhere.

i decided to commit to writing three people snail mail this week after danielle prompting me. won't you partake too?

stumbled upon this blog and i can't get enough of icklie and lardee.

not the typical wedding video that most of us expect but the love they have for each other is beautiful. plus, the wedding and party just seems like it would have been a blast!

oh my! this lady is so inspiring. she lost 135lb and she swears by walking. just walking. i can do that!

blogs i'm following: one, two and three.

happy clicking!

photo a day

2012-01-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

i follow many people on instagram. one of which is danielle from the sometimes sweet blog. i just LOVE her. anyways, she is also on instagram. towards the end of last month she posted a picture stating that she was going to take part in a picture a day for the month of january and then post them on instagram. each day you are given a prompt and i decided that i would also partake.

here are my pictures thus far:

day 1: you

i missed day 2. (breakfast)

day 3: something you adore (landon)

day 4: letterbox

day 5: something you wore (earrings)

day 6: makes you smile

day 7: favorite

day 8: your sky

day 9: daily routine (driving home at lunch to be with my boys)

day 10: childhood

days 11 and 12 accidentally got erased from my phone. :c they were: where you sleep (picture of my bed) and close-up (picture of landon's new car seat)

day 13: in your bag

i have yet to take my picture for day 14 but i still have a couple of hours.

phone dump!

2012-01-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

life lately, according to my phone.

(yes, landon takes up the majority of my phone, for sure!)

we were very happy about this as we are NOT tebow fans in this house. c:

i love etsy

2012-01-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

1. ceramic owl from claylicious 2. black and teal lovebirds pill box from Mmim 3. elk card set from Noble Earth 4. teddy bear necklace from Beauty Spot

family pictures

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

in september, we were lucky enough for katie and josh of Katie Shroy Photography to take our family pictures. landon was about five months old and almost sitting on his own by that time so we decided to do some outdoor pics here in town.

both katie and josh were a pleasure to work with. it's always great to feel comfortable, especially when you are getting your pictures taken, and katie and josh were so easy-going it was awesome!

i love the light in all of these pictures; katie really makes the colors pop! isn't it crazy how a field of dried up grass and weeds can look so hum-dum until you actually take a picture of it with a good camera and good lighting and then all of a sudden, it looks beautiful?

one bad thing about the day? the heat. boy, was it hot! my hair did NOT like the humidity in the air and neither did i.

here are a few of our faves!

2011, in review

2012-01-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

the stockings and tree have been put away, along with the rest of our christmas decor, and i am just now getting around to posting my 'farewell 2011' post. well, i guess it's better late than never! be warned -- it's a long one!

in january, i was 28 weeks pregnant, ate at korner kitchen and started to decorate the nursery. not much happened that month!

in february, we celebrated my grandma's 90th birthday, had our baby shower, started childbirth preparation classes and i turned 25! and i was still pregnant, so i didn't really post anything that month, unfortunately.

in march, i was still pregnant so posting was scarce. (c:) i posted pictures of ripley, since he was soon to not be the only little guy in our lives, i made a shoofly pie and we decorated the nursery some more.

april was the best month, ever! landon was born! after 30 hours of labor and nine days in the hospital (4 of those spent in nicu), we were finally able to go home.

in may, i celebrated my first mother's day, landon turned one month old, then six weeks old, he got his first real bath (!!), and we enjoyed every single second of being parents.

june was a busy month. justin celebrated his first father's day (while also celebrating kaiden's first birthday and meeting little baby logan for the first time!), my little brother graduated from high school, landon turned two months old and started smiling! we celebrated my dad's birthday with a trip to jake's crawfish in portland and our little family had our first trip to the oregon coast. i blogged about the best swaddles EVER, justin's phone broke for about a minute so we had to scurry and upload all of it's picture contents onto the computer, AND landon started to smile (!!!).

in july, we celebrated fourth of july in style, landon turned three months old, we had a smile session, justin started an after-hours position with the county crisis team and applied for a full-time position with them as well, we made plans to get our family portraits done by katie , and squealed in excitement when harry potter came to theatres!

in august, landon turned four months old, i was inspired to blog about this, landon continued with his 'what landon would say' series by talking about eating cereal for the first time (!!), and we all got haircuts (particularly landon).

in september we got enchanted at enchanted forest with our friends, got our family pictures taken, went to a park, ripley got vaccinated, i got my nails done and we got a tree in our backyard. also this month? landon turned five months old! he continued his teething, got his high chair from ikea (best $25 spent ever), met taylor and jessica for the first time, visited with uncle stu and met io and peaches, too. we also bought a new camera, to document all of the wonderful experiences we have with landon. also this month, my dad took us to the coast for a day. it was probably one of the most beautiful days i have ever experienced there.

october was the month of landon's first halloween! it took us a while but we finally decided on a costume. october also meant landon turned six months old and he could REALLY start eating solid foods. i finally got around to making birth announcements, though i never sent any of them out (i'm really bad about actually giving people things like that; thank you cards, announcements.) landon continued his 'what landon would say' series with updating everyone one his progress. we found out just how much landon loves bath time and i got an iPhone. oh! and we got our family pictures back.

in november, we celebrated thanksgiving. we took landon across the street and tried out our photography skills on him and his pumpkin from great-grandma jenni and great-grandpa jack. i blogged about how grateful i was for this year and also started a 'dear landon' series. landon learned to crawl this month and he also turned seven months old!

december meant christmas!! traditions that were continued and new traditions that were started. i posted A LOT of pictures taken with my new iPhone here, and here. landon got to wear his santa pants multiple times throughout the month, even once on christmas eve! (i'm only a little obsessed with instagram) landon turned eight months old and is crawling everywhere. he's got a mouth full of teeth (ok, not really a full mouth). we spent a lot of time with family, celebrated my little sister's 23rd birthday and uncle charlie's 23rd birthday, too. our christmas was a lot of fun, even though landon and justin ended up with a cold after. we rang in the new year at home, keeping it low key; just the way we like it.

2011 had a lot of highs. some lows, yes, but more highs. getting to spend the last eight (almost nine!) months with landon has been amazing. seeing everything through his eyes as he experiences it for the first time is really eye-opening and a blast. i can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!

christmas 2011 (eve and day)

2012-01-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

this year, christmas was wonderful. getting to experience it with my little boy made it the best christmas i have probably ever had. and that's saying something.

i thought it might be difficult this year seeing as how all of the grandparents were going to want to spend time with us and landon this year but fortunately for us, it worked out great! justin's family always gets together and celebrates on christmas eve, and my family always celebrates on christmas so it was perfect.

christmas eve morning we (justin, landon and myself) all opened up one gift -- our new jammies. this is a tradition that justin and i have been doing for a while now and we are going to continue it every year with landon. landon's jammies were by far the cutest ones of all; red with black stripes and a cute little reindeer on them! we felt bad since we don't get clothes for ripley so we let him open up his gift from landon, a couple of doggie cookies shaped into decorated bones. they were so cute. he gobbled them right up.

later that afternoon/evening, we trekked the two long miles to grandpa and grandma thomas' house.

so many gifts he just couldn't wait!

waiting patiently to eat dinner.

first gift of the year -- a santa cap from uncle chris and auntie ashley.

books from great-grandma.

grandpa delmer opening up the gift from landon -- a handprint ornament.

landon was super excited to open up his new walker toy from grandpa and grandma!

after all the festivities were done, it was time to get our little guy home and to bed. opening up all of those presents is pretty tiring for a little eight-month-old (and his parents!). plus, we had to go to bed so santa could come and fill our stockings!

the next morning, grandpa dave came over for christmas morning breakfast and to spend the morning with us. we had eggs, bacon and justin's fried potatoes; yum! we then settled in the living room to open up our presents from santa (and each other, of course).

first present of christmas!

grandpa dave got him some pretty cool gear -- carhaart hat, socks, overalls and shirt. he also got some romeo's!!

after a very quick morning nap, we got ready and headed over to see great-grandma goldie for a short visit. landon crawled and crawled and crawled all over her tiny apartment. then a quick stop to get our stockings from justin's parent's house and over to my step-dad's parent's house. (my mom was really sick with some sort of stomach-bug so she wasn't able to spend christmas with us, :c)

amidst his presents.

trying to climb on auntie courtney's box.

helping auntie unwrap a bow.

when the day was all said and done, we were tired. and landon came down with a cold. all in all, i think christmas 2011 was a success.

month eight!

2012-01-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

landon is now eight months old and has been for quite some time! he is constantly on the move, cutting his two top front teeth, eating all sorts of foods, starting to attempt to stand up on his own, talking all the time, giving kisses, this close to waving bye-bye and giggling, giggling, giggling.

he is the friendliest little person i know, albeit i might be a tad bias. he is comfortable with just about anybody and i wouldn't want it any other way. i guess there are some upsides to being a full-time working mom, huh? he's had multiple baby-sitters since he was born and i believe that's the main reason he hasn't had any separation anxiety, as of yet.

his favorite foods are definitely sweet potatoes, squash and green beans. he tried avocado for the first time a few nights ago and really liked that. i can't help but feed him off of my plate; he looks too cute taking tiny bites off of my fork. he's also tried mashed potatoes and those were a big hit as well.

his little cousin was born this month and although he doesn't seem that interested yet, i'm sure once jackson is more interactive they'll be best friends. it's going to be wonderful having them grow up together.

without further ado, here are a few pictures from his eight month photo session, right before bed time.

doesn't he look like he's getting big? he's wearing 12-month clothing now and he has to be over 20lbs. he's basically outgrown his infant car seat (any recommendations for a convertible?) too. we've got his nine month doctor appointment this month and i can't wait to see how much he's grown!

oh! he's had a total of five hair cuts now. we've done three of them ourselves. we think it looks pretty good, don't you?

life lately

2011-12-31T15:50:00.000-08:00

according to my iphone pictures!

christmas goodies

newest member of the family, jackson henry makana thomas

all photos thanks to the instagram app.

**official Christmas post will be up on the blog soon.
**landon's eight month pictures to come soon, as well.

merry christmas eve!

2011-12-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

merry christmas eve, from us to you.

we can't get enough of landon's santa pants.

month seven

2011-12-19T15:49:00.000-08:00

this is my attempt at trying to take a seven month picture of landon. notice how he has a couple little teeth showing in that first picture? well, he's got a total of five now. that's right, five! and each one accompanies a little fuss-pot attitude. that's ok though, because his little smiles and laughter make all the fussiness worth it. also take notice in the second picture how he is very unhappy with me. i was trying very hard to force him to lay still long enough for me to take a picture of him on this blanket. it didn't last long, as you can tell in the last picture. since he's crawling away from me.

there you have it. my little boy is growing up. faster than i'm willing to admit.

happy saturday!

2011-12-10T12:49:00.001-08:00

we hope your weekend is relaxing and full of good times!

tradition (cont.)

2011-12-08T21:01:00.001-08:00

in keeping with tradition, we decided to get landon an ornament this year. we didn't want to go with the typical "baby's first christmas" ornament as we both feel they can be a bit tacky and too baby-ish. so, we found this cute little tiger in another $2 bin at target! you just about can't beat target, can ya? (by the way, i think this might just be my most favorite christmas picture yet!)

and before you ask, no. we did not leave ripley out. last year, we got him the cute little frosted "r" ornament for the tree. we even wrote his name and the year on the back of it. he won't be joining in the tradition every year though seeing as how he won't be moving out and getting his own tree someday so he will have no need for them. it's purely for us. c:

tradition

2011-12-08T20:47:00.001-08:00

every year since we were married, j and i get a new christmas ornament. it's fun for us to shop around and decide on what kind of ornament we want to add to our tree and keep for years to come. we only have a few requirements: it needs to be something we both agree on and; we need to be able to write the year on it, somewhere.

here are the ornaments over the years, starting with 2008. enjoy!

where or where did we find these beautiful ornaments, you ask? well, i'll tell you. the reindeer was found at fred meyer and the year is written on her underbelly. the owl was purchased at macy's home store and the year is written on the bottom of her little tailfeather. the presents were picked up at kohl's and each present represents one of us in our little family last year (me, j and ripley if you couldn't figure it out) and the year, i believe, is written on one of the bows. last but not least, the spring tree was hiding at target, in a $2 bin no less! you can't tell very well from this picture but there is a little green jingle bell dangling from the trunk and that is where we wrote the year.

better late than never...

2011-12-04T20:13:00.001-08:00

...right?

in september of this year, my dad took landon, justin and i to the coast for a day. mainly we went there to eat at the chowder bowl. now, i'm not one to eat clam chowder because i don't care for clams but justin and my dad love it and apparently this place has the best. so, we went and we ate. i had fish & chips, which are also very tasty.

after filling our bellies, we decided to hit the beach. now i've got to tell you, if you haven't visited the oregon coast, there's a very good chance it's going to be blustery and cold and rainy. this day? this day was perfection. yes, it was a little breezy. i can handle breezy. it was warm. so warm that i went on the beach in only jeans and a t-shirt. that is practically unheard of. it was gorgeous.

oh, and we're all wearing our oregon ducks gear because there was a duck game. we went to some friends of ours house after we got back to watch the game. unfortunately, we lost. and it's because we waited to start the game until we got back, instead of watching it live. yeah, our friend is superstitious like that. but we love him anyway. c:

phone dump

2011-12-02T20:53:00.001-08:00

i still haven't gotten caught up on my blogging, and i am very sorry for that. to make matters even worse, i have found pinterest and have become obsessed. i haven't pinned that much yet, but i've spent a great deal of time just browsing. it's highly addictive. i suggest you check it out.

but i digress. i am posting pictures today. pictures from my phone. pictures that you will love. i mean, how can you not when you see the cutie pie munchkin that is in most of them?

i can't get enough of some of the faces he makes. oh, and did i mention that he gives kisses now? and says "mamamama"? well, he does. and it's the most precious thing, ever. i should probably branch out and take pictures of more than just my little boy and my dog. however, in my defense, they are very cuteworthy subjects. and everyone seems to enjoy seeing them. am i right?

happy friday!

2011-12-02T16:53:00.001-08:00

do i not have the cutest babe on this planet?c:

i hope you have a wonderful friday! enjoy.

dear landon

2011-11-25T23:08:00.001-08:00

dear landon,

from the moment i saw that little “yes+” sign on that so very well known stick, i was in love. i knew immediately that you were going to be the best thing that ever happened to me; you were making me a mommy.

being your mommy is the best job i could have ever asked for. waking up at all hours of the night to comfort you back to sleep, laying on the floor with you encouraging you to lift your head up on your own, tickling your belly so i can hear those ever so lovely laughs of yours, spending an hour in the kitchen making homemade baby food just so you can gag as soon as i spoon some into your mouth, watching you learn how to pull yourself up and the joy on your face when you actually succeed in doing so; these are some of the little moments that make my job so enjoyable.

you make even the sometimes trying parts of mamahood wonderful. i remember how before i even became pregnant, i was certain that i did not want to breastfeed. i thought it was weird. how wrong i was. it just might be one of my favorite experiences with you, thus far. i love the closeness it gives me and how it comforts you when nothing else will. even when you start crying at 2 o’clock in the morning and i am exhausted, i love that as soon as i bring you into bed with me, you stop crying almost immediately because you know that i’m there. you know that your belly will soon be full and that you will get to fall asleep next to me.

every morning that i wake up to your smiling face, i thank God that He gave me you. you make every day more enjoyable than the last. every day brings a new experience and i couldn’t be happier.

love,

your mama

( idea taken from one of my very favorite blogs. you really should check her out.)

grateful

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

there are many things in life that i have to be grateful for and yet, i often forget to actually voice my gratitude towards said things. here are ten (inspired by this lovely lady and her blog). c:

one: my small family. God has blessed me with the most amazing man for my husband. he is my rock. i am so lucky. he is the best daddy to landon, whom i am also grateful for. landon brings joy to my life every single day. he makes me smile and laugh when i didn't think i could have any more in me. i have enjoyed watching him grow these past few months and look forward to the many, many years ahead. no ripley, i didn't forget you. even when you are barking as loud as your little lungs will let you, or you're chewing on one of landon's toys, or you've decided you're not going to come inside even though it's pouring buckets outside and you're getting all muddy, i couldn't have asked for a better pup to call my own.

two: the rest of my family. you have all shaped me into the person i am today. thank you.

three: a place to call home, running water, food in our pantry, clothes to keep warm, clean drinking water, heat, reliable transportation, a stable good-paying job, health insurance. the necessities. i am very blessed to be able to say i have all of these things and thank God every day that i do.

four: my camera. without it, how would i document all of landon's milestones, anniversaries with j, celebrations with family, and a myriad of other things? i wouldn't.

five: books. i love to read. fiction, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, memoir, you name it. books open my mind to a new way of thinking, imagining, dreaming. landon makes it difficult to read my typical books but that's okay. now i'm just reading a new kind of book, and i love it the same.

six: friends. i have been lucky enough to have a close group of friends since high school. we may not see each other as often as before, but when we get together, it still feels the same. i enjoy seeing each of us 'grow up' in our own way and become our own people; it's a wonderful thing. i have also been lucky enough to acquire a few friends since then and i'm sorry i hadn't met them sooner. i don't know what i'd do without you.

seven: pop-tarts. silly, i know, but oh so true. my husband would tell you i'm obsessed with them and he's right; i am. i eat pop-tarts almost every single day. and i absolutely can't get enough of them. in fact, i've been known to have them for breakfast and for dessert. yum!

eight: blogs. not only my blog but multiple others. in fact, i should add to my blog a list of ones that i frequent. blogs are almost as good as books, to me. i love everything about them. sometimes when i'm reading a blog or two i think to myself "hey, i think if i were to meet this person, we'd be good friends" and i can't help but smile. blogs can be such a personal thing, a journal of sorts, and it's almost like you get to know the author on a personal level. i love it.

nine: reality tv. another silly one. i love the entertainment i get from it. i love the competition my husband and i have when a new season starts of amazing race or design star and we each pick a contestant and agree to disagree on who is going to win. it allows me to forget about the stress in my life and focus on the drama of someone else's. pure entertainment and i'm so grateful that someone thought of it.

ten: my faith in God. without Him i wouldn't have any of these things i have already listed. He makes everything possible.

halloween '11

2011-11-23T21:49:00.001-08:00

so it's a little bit late. at least it's getting posted, right?

this year, halloween was the best. probably, in part, due to the fact that we had a little one to dress up. can you guess how excited i was about that? if you guessed super excited, you'd be right. i immediately thought i wanted to dress him up as a pumpkin. i basically got veto'd on that right away. j didn't want landon to be the stereotypical pumpkin for his first halloween. i wanted to savor the fact that he was still a baby and put him in something cute.

we decided he was going to be a koala.

we did some research and found the costume on this site. we were for sure going to purchase it. well, we had decided this a couple months in advance so when the time came to actually click "add to cart", my finger hesitated above the mouse. i couldn't fathom spending $50 on a costume that he will only wear this one time, no matter how cute it is. (why was i so blinded to this before? i ask myself the same question.)

back to square one.

well, we looked at the local costume shop and didn't see anything worth getting. we looked around online some more...nothing. and yet, halloween wasn't getting here any slower. what did we have laying around the house that we could fashion into a costume? hmm...then we had an idea!

landon has hair! LOTS of hair! what could we do with his hair that could make an outfit? and so became our little greaser!

visiting daddy at work

one of j's co-workers let us borrow her son's jacket. isn't it the cutest?

by the end of the day, his hair was messy and he was tired. heck, we were all tired. but that didn't stop us from giving the cutest greaser millions of little kisses all over his chubby cheeks. i'd even say he's got danny zuko beat. c;

2011-11-23T10:37:00.001-08:00

in day-to-day life, I find time to be passing too quickly.

case in point: I have not updated my blog since BEFORE Halloween. not because I haven't wanted to, mind you; because I just can't seem to find the time. especially when my bouncy seven-month-old decides he wants to stay up until 9 o'clock or so and then I'm too tired to try and put together a blog post or even unload my camera's memory card. when a moment like that comes available, I find myself saying (to myself), "oh, I can do that tomorrow. there will be more time tomorrow." then tomorrow comes and goes and I find that I still haven't done anything and I kick myself in the bum. I mean, I haven't even taken the time to take Landon's seven-month-old pictures yet!! how hard is it to pull a blanket out, lay him down and snap a few? apparently, pretty difficult. especially when said child rolls over and starts to crawl in any direction his little body will take him as soon as I lay him down, or he decides that he doesn't want to be put down at all because he's experiencing a little separation anxiety and only wants to be held all the time.

all that is beside the point. the point, if you can't already tell, is I'm a mama who can't get enough of her sweet pea. maybe if I wasn't a full-time working mama I'd be more willing to spend some of that precious time I have with him on other things, like blogging. maybe.

(ps. I promise I will post more pictures, soon. hopefully I'll get back to updating on a regular basis even.)

Month 6

2011-10-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

landon is six months old.
it seems like only yesterday he was wearing size one diapers.
now he's crawling and eating solid foods.

it has been the most incredible six months of my life.
c:

recent

2011-10-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

when i was younger, my grandparents used to scratch my name into a pumpkin while the pumpkin was still attached to the vine. then, as it got bigger, the name would scar over and grow with the pumpkin. this year, they did that for landon. we took the opportunity of a rain-less day to get some shots of landon with his pumpkin. c:

phone dump

2011-10-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

some photos recently taken with my phone.

yum yum...green beans!

almost crawling.

bath time

2011-10-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

landon really loves bath time.

we probably enjoy it just as much.

month six

2011-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

"being six months old brings lots of fun things to my life.
case in point:
i have eaten squash, peas, carrots, green beans, oatmeal and rice rusks.
the carrots are by far my favorite.
i can now sit up in the seats of the carts at grocery stores, buckled in, of course!
i sit up all by myself on the floor, or on the sofa, or in mom's lap. basically anywhere i can.
i wear nine-month-old clothes. (it makes mom just a teeny bit sad)
i have definitely found my voice. i talk and talk and talk, and sometimes throw a scream in there too.
dad calls me "baby tarzan". get it?
i can hold myself up on my arms and knees now. still no crawling forward but i can sure scoot backwards and in circles, that's for darn-tootin' sure.
i am VERY interested in shiny things like mom's necklaces and earrings, and the remote control.
i have my first tooth! it isn't fully in yet, but it's almost there.
i weighed in at 18lbs, 5oz and measured at 28 and 1/4in long at my six month check-up.
mom and dad are SUPER proud of me.

here's some recent pics of me to prove just how big i'm getting!

i know, i've been trying to tell mom and dad just how badly i need a haircut and they don't seem to be listening.
they think it's crazy how this would be my THIRD haircut.

well, have a great rest of your weekend.

love, landon"

Stationery card

2011-10-05T23:10:00.001-07:00

Announcing Baby Boy Birth Announcement

To see Shutterfly's birth announcement designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

pics from the week

2011-10-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

landon and i have been sick this past week.

it has NOT been fun.

luckily, we were able to take a few good pics from last saturday thru today.

enjoy!

at grandpa dave's, trying to eat rice cereal.

eating squash for the first time! yum!

playing with daddy and ripley.

hanging out in the new toy from alicia. (thanks alicia!)

sleeping on daddy.

more yummy squash!

have a GREAT weekend!

fun purchase

2011-09-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

a little bit ago, we bought a new camera.

a nikon d3100, to be exact.

i know what you're thinking.

that's expensive! BUT we got a REALLY good deal on it.

and we did need one.

you see, we have a FIVE month old son now.

it's imperative that we take good pictures.

our little 'point and shoot' wasn't doing the work desired.

now? justin's obsessed.

he's decided our loft is going to be sport themed.

and i'm actually okay with it.

he took this picture with our camera.

he then changed it to look like this.

we have a couple of accent walls in our loft that are a burnt orange color.

justin is VERY excited to take close up pictures of baseball stuff and change the look of them with our camera.

i'm just happy i've convinced him to hang his basketball jerseys in the garage.

and his video game maps out there as well.

five months!

2011-09-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

i'm having a hard time accepting the fact that my little boy is already five months old.

i also don't want to believe that he'll be crawling any day now. i'm not ready for him to be mobile.

no longer can i leave him alone on the floor. he rolls over immediately.

we bought him his high chair last weekend. i'm not quite sure what he thinks of it.
this week he's decided that he doesn't want to eat from a bottle anymore, nor does he want rice cereal.
we think it's because he's teething. he'll still breastfeed though, so i'm not too worried about it.

so, the high chair is kind of pointless for the time being.

he looks super cute in it though! (thanks mom and donny!)

his favorite thing to do right now is bang on the table.

or my face. or anything in front of him, really.

it's cute. loud, but cute. c:

he also loves to chew on anything.

but especially his own fingers.

update on our life

2011-09-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

boy, have we been busy.

at least, it feels that way. whether we really have is another story. c;

our weekends lately have been filled with spending as much time with our little boy as possible. well, every day is like that really. and we're okay with that. you see, life is just too darn short. so, we're soaking it ALL up. c:

this past weekend was fun for us.

friday after work we had dinner with some dear friends of ours, fred, emily and hannah. i've talked about them here. this dinner we had was in honor of celebrating emily's VERY belated 29th birthday. we had some really great, tender chicken cooked on their traeger (yum!), potatoes and corn on the cob. we also brought over some of the best brownies i have ever tasted. j & i happen to get them at ray's, a lot. we chatted and had a good 'ole time watching the kiddos check each other out. hannah sure seems to love playing in landon's car seat while we're there. c: after dinner, we popped in 'the bourne identity' and watched that because who can get enough of jason bourne? not i.

saturday was a relaxing day for us at home. well, as relaxing as it can get when your 5-month-old (5 months!) won't let you sleep in past 5am (poor justin). we had to take ripley to the vet for his annual vaccination and that took all of 15 minutes. i had a mani/pedi appointment later in the morning so to waste some time, we went over to the park and justin walked ripley around while i fed landon. it was beautiful out. justin dropped me off at the salon for my mani/pedi (thanks parents-in-law! i'm finally using my gift card!) and i enjoyed every second of it. i've actually decided it will have to be a monthly recurrence. well, i'd like it to be, we'll see if that actually happens. c;

sunday entailed us getting up early with landon (again!) but this time it was for family fun! we got our first family photos taken. both katie and josh from Katie Shroy Photography are super nice and really easy to work with. we couldn't have asked for better photographers. we CAN'T wait for our pictures! they've been so busy lately that we may have to wait an entire month! they're just that good that everyone has to have them. c: we're okay with waiting; it'll be totally worth it.

after pictures, we went home and hung out for a bit. i was feeling really restless so we decided to see if fred, emily and hannah wanted to meet us at a park by their house for a bit. we met up over there and watched hannah go down the slide a hundred times. she was all smiles each time. c: too cute. landon just enjoyed being outside and being held by mom. (i'm perfectly content with that.) afterwards, j and i and landon walked around downtown for a nice leisurely stroll in the cooling weather. it was gorgeous.

too bad the weekend had to end, eh?

here's some pictures, not necessarily of our weekend, but i had to post something.

the tree in our backyard!
(the tall grassy parts are where ripley pees. apparently, he is great fertilizer. if only he could pee over the ENTIRE yard.)

we hope you all had a great weekend too!

cutie pie

2011-09-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

i don't think you could find a sweeter boy in the world than mine.

well, i may be a tad bias.

at any rate, i don't think i could.

ps. we've got our first family photo shoot tomorrow and i couldn't be more excited.

the lovely katie shroy of Katie Shroy Photography is our photographer.

yay!!

pps. i was finally able to use my gift certificate for a mani/pedi today.

and i was reminded of how much i love them

i may just have to make them a monthly treat to myself. c;

enchanting

2011-09-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

one week ago saturday, we packed up our little family (sans ripley) and headed up to enchanted forest.

we met our friends fred, emily and hannah there and boy! it sure left me feeling enchanted. c;

we got there late afternoon, so hannah could have her afternoon nap, and so we could bypass the saturday rush.

well, hannah had her nap, and there seemed to still be quite a few people there, but it was doable.

we strolled through the castle, visited hansel & gretel, walked through the crooked house, saw the dwarve's mine and climbed in the old witch's mouth. we passed on the shoe slide, seeing as how landon is still quite small, but hannah sure seemed to enjoy it. c:

we visited the old western town where fred dominated justin in a shooting game (c:) and watched hannah and emily ride on the train.
we made our way to the old (english, is it?) village and watched the water show set to music. landon took a little nap throughout but all in all, he did very well for a 5-month-old babe visiting his first theme park, if you can call it that.

hair

2011-08-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

we love landon's hair, have since he was born.

you see, he was born with a lot of it. a lot.

and i'm not kidding you.

most babies would kill for his hair (& when i say babies, i mean their parents).

here's some more proof of his gorgeous locks:

well, suffice it to say his hair was getting too long for it's own good.

it was in his eyes.

it was past his collar.

it was getting to be on the verge of 'girl hair'.

it had to go.

at first, he wasn't super happy with us.

i had to let him suck (chew) on my finger while sue was cutting it.

that made him content.

once she chopped off a bit in the front and i no longer had to hold his head still, he was a happy camper.

now, he can see again.

i'm sure he's very happy about it.

news!

2011-08-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

"i went to the doctor yesterday and he gave me a clean bill of health!! i weighed in right over 17lbs, i'm 23 inches long (above the 95th percentile, thank you very much) and the doctor said mom is doing good by me! he also said that i can start trying solid foods. we did that tonight. i'm pretty sure it's going to be an every night kind of thing, as evidenced by the following picture.

night, y'all.

love,

landon"

"p.s. i get my first hair cut tomorrow!"

inspiration

2011-08-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

landon inspires me to take joy in the little things in life.

in the above pic, he is smiling and laughing at our pup, ripley.
ripley wasn't doing anything spectacular, or funny for that matter, but landon was still all giggles.

lately, in my life, i have struggled to remain happy.

sure, i have my good days and my bad days; my days have been more 'ho-hum' than anything.

'ho-hum' because i want to stay home with my son all day,

because i want to go on a vacation with my little family,

because i can't do either of those things.

and then i happen to check a blog (that i follow religiously) the other day
and i stumble upon this.

i am reminded that life is too short to be 'ho-hum' all the time.

i need to embrace life, hug my loved ones, and smile.

in rememberance of dear ruby jane,

hug your loved ones, kiss their cheeks, smile with them, and say a little prayer.
a prayer for those that have lost.

a prayer for those that will.

and a prayer for yourself, that God will help remind you every day how precious life is,

and how we are all on loan from Him, until He decides to take you back, however short (or long) that may be.

image via

2011-08-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

i love how he is looking right at me.

it melts my heart.

love these.

2011-08-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

they aren't the most recent of pics and yet i love them.
i just had to share. c:

some more four month pics

2011-08-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

(please forgive the bluriness and/or graininess; i'm not the best photographer. c;)

geez

2011-08-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

"mom and dad took naked baby pictures of me last night. don't they realize how embarassing that is for a 4-month-old? it's bad enough that they gave me a bath; you'd think they'd be a little more understanding and not make me do that too! i even heard dad tell mom that they'll have to show these to my future girlfriend. hannah, close your eyes and turn away! oh well, at least i got a bedtime story and bedtime snack right after. c;

love, landon"

four months.

2011-08-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

can you believe it?
we sure can't.

until we see this pic, that is.

c:

(more to come, i promise.)

weekend. (in short)

2011-08-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

we have taken to going on walks in the evening, when it gets a little cooler out. this past weekend, we did just that. one walk saturday evening and two walks on sunday (one morning & one evening). not only did we (j & i) get good exercise out of it, ripley also seemed to enjoy it. landon didn't seem to care either way, as he was asleep each time. nonetheless, it was very refreshing.

we were also able to spend some time with one of j's friends who lives in seattle; we went to a nursery for some badly needed tree-shopping (where we decided on a pacific sunset maple); had dinner with j's family; saw the final harry potter (!!!) and spent some time with my family.

the weekend seemed to be packed full of things. now that we have a child and are forced to be up early with him, we now find more time in our days to get things done. we love it. c:

update.

2011-07-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

i realize it's been a while since i've posted anything other than pictures of landon. or ripley, for that matter.
so, here's a bit of info on our life lately.

- we have grass in our backyard. finally! justin's mowed it once and he plans on doing so again tomorrow. yeah, we're excited.

- i have started working again, full-time. it's difficult, but it's what needs to happen. for now.

- justin has a second job. he has joined the mental health on-call crisis team for the county. so, one weeknight every other week and one weekend every two months, he is given a pager. if he gets called, he gets to head over to one of the nearby emergency rooms, county jail or juvenile center to assess someone in need. did i mention it's from 5pm until 8am that he's on-call for? no? well, he is. c:

- he has also applied for a full-time day shift position for the crisis team. he has a second interview on monday. if he gets it, no more dinners alone for me! i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

- ripley has taken it upon himself to get attention from us by barking. at no apparent thing. it's really annoying. we'll take barking over aggression towards landon any day though.

- our favorites on so you think you can dance are melanie and marco.

- we watched the women's fifa world cup finals. and a lot of matches leading up to that. we are now soccer, excuse me, football fans.

- we really enjoy taking family walks in the evening.

- we spent the evening (tonight) with my dad, aunt susan, cousin chad and grandma goldie. we ate pizza and had fun chatting.
- we are planning on getting some family portraits taken in september by katie shroy photography. (!!!) we can't wait.
- i'm closing another scentsy party tomorrow. i'm so thankful that people order from me.

- we both can't wait to see harry potter and the deathly hallows, part 2. i think we're the only harry potter fans left that haven't seen it yet.

i think that about sums us up for the past few weeks.

other than the fact that we LOVE being mommy and daddy to landon.
he is our entire world.
and we wouldn't have it any other way. c;

hey.

2011-07-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

wouldn't you kill to have this hair?
admit it. you know you would.

love, landon

smile session.

2011-07-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

yes, i do know they're all real similar.
and no, i don't care.
i'm a sucker for the smiles of a babe.

especially when that babe is mine.

to brighten your day!

2011-07-20T11:17:00.001-07:00

(if the sun hasn't already done so)

two of the three boys

2011-07-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

is this not the most precious thing?
a boy and his dog.
a very grown up looking boy, i might add.

struggling

2011-07-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

i need to stop regretting, and start rejoicing.
as hard as it may be.

everything happens for a reason, right?

could he be?

2011-07-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

why yes. i do believe so.

he just might be the cutest dog in the entire world.

and he's ours.

we love you.
even when you are being a drama queen.