santa baby! and other christmasings.

our christmas check list is coming along.  with christmas less than a week away, time is ticking!  a couple highlights in our last week's festivities?  seeing santa & decorating cookies to deliver to our local firemen.

i've really been talking santa up this year.  not so much in the whole "he knows if you're naughty or nice" way but more just like, hey parker, this guy is nice & brings you presents, he says "ho, ho, ho!" and has a sleigh with reindeer... that much parker gets.

so i hoped with his new love for santa, sitting for pictures might go better than last year's... classic crying santa fail.  and you know what?  he did great.  despite the fact that he told me beforehand he was going to cry & ask to go home... and about ten minutes before we got to the mall he told me we were all done with santa pictures.  oh, & that "we need to go to target first." yes, he was pulling out all the best excuses.

anywho, once he saw snowmen & christmas trees he got excited... but then at the sight of santa?  he freaked his freak.  i thought elliot would be flying solo in the santa pics this year & then one of santa's elves pulled out a rocking horse!  and parker was in.

he wasn't quite happy to be there but he was putting his best brave face on & i love it.

and you saw elliot's bow tie + cardigan number, right?  because let me tell you what, my baby can rock a bow tie.

and cookie decorating with friends?  pretty awesome.  thanks for hosting linds!

maybe next year, elliot.  maybe next year.

oh baby. a random post.

four months has gone by since my littlest bug was born & life is starting to get good.  he's starting to sleep some solid hours & i'm starting to feel human again.  i'm ready to hit the road running as soon as these holidays are over... and here's what is randomly on my mind.

-->  how can i not mention newtown, connecticut?  i can't.  but there really are no words.  here's what i've taken away from this.  it's time for change.  whether you think the focus ought to be stricter gun laws or a focus on better treatment for the mentally ill, for heavens sake let's do something.  and you know what?  the answer is not keeping your kids locked in your closet & to never leave the house.  we have to keep on living... because while no one knows what tomorrow brings, the chances are greatly in your favor that everything will be fine. so why waste your time thinking it won't be?  and also?  go out of your way to be nice to people.  give 'em a break.  smile at strangers.  you never know what someone is going through & maybe a kind face could turn a day around.  my heart is broken for the grieving families who have presents under their trees & 6 to 7 year old babies who will never open them.  i can't imagine.  it's every parents' worst nightmare.  their lives while on this earth will never, ever feel complete again & i hope they can find some comfort in knowing that at least their babies are not suffering at all.  and i really don't know what else to say.

-->  i love the holidays, don't get me wrong.  LOVE christmas-time.  but i always tend to overindulge in all the goodies & it's right about now every year that i am just ready for january 1st.  ready to set some new year's resolutions, kick the sugar addiction & rededicate myself to my fitness.  that's where i'm at right now.  eager to go cold turkey no-sugar for a week at a time & see how long i can go.  i'm gonna do it... who's with me?

-->  so elliot has started sleeping like a rockstar.  we're talking 8-9 hours at a time before needing to eat. he's still waking up at least once in that block but usually fusses just a minute or two & then is back out.  i've been getting the best sleep i've gotten since probably around five months pregnant.  glorious.  and i tell ya what, that kid has never been cuter.  his coos, his giggles & his dimply little smiles just melt me.  his four month check up is today & i can't wait to see the stats.  this kid has rolls on top of rolls... he is so squishy & scrumptious!  four month update coming soon.

-->  i'm also overdo to write a post on parker lately.  he's over 2.5 now & growing up into a big kid.  he loves puzzles, trains & the alphabet.  unfortunately he doesn't get much face time on the blog because one thing he doesn't like?  having his picture taken.  aaaarrrrgh.

-->  sam & i are going on a date this weekend!  i can hardly wait.  wanna know how long it's been?  since MAY, people.  when we traveled to st. louis alone.  we'll be in portland & doing some sort of fancy-pants dinner.  i'm thinking maybe melting pot?  if anyone knows the portland area & has a favorite restaurant that is best visited without kiddos, let me know.  i wanna feel like an adult for a couple hours!

and i think that's about all i have to say about any of that.  happy one more week til christmas-day!

let's do this, christmas.

ok, so we still may not have our christmas tree up {we will by the weekend!} and maybe i have a few loose ends to wrap up with my christmas shopping but i actually think i'm doing pretty dang good so far this year with all the christmas stuff.  considering i'm doing good to brush my teeth on a daily basis, put on mascara from time to time & maybe even sneak in a shower once in a while {you don't want to know just how "once in a while" that really is}.  i mean as a new mom, you're given a pass on a bunch of this stuff for like, the first year right??  hope so.

anywho, i've had our christmas stuff up around the house for a couple weeks now & christmas music is basically the only thing we've been listening to around the house & in the car so in my opinion?  we're winning at christmas this year.  oh!  and my christmas cards were mailed a week ago.  i'm awesome.  {hey, you gotta recognize your wins where you can, right??}

so here are the rest of my essential christmas celebratory items.  these are a few things that i have to do each year in order to feel like i really got into the christmas spirit... i mean what is the holiday season without a glass of eggnog or new christmas pj's, am i right?

a few are already crossed off.  and if i could cross them off multiple times to show that we've done them more than once, i would.  in which case you'd see "charlie brown christmas" crossed off about eleven-billionty times because parker wants to watch it at least twice a day.  which i don't really mind.  super cute classic cartoon, great message regarding the true meaning of christmas.

it's so fun sharing these traditions with parker this year.  he actually gets it.  he runs through the stores pointing out every christmas tree, santa, reindeer & baby jesus he sees.  i told sam it was like he's seeing christmas for the first time... i LOVE it.

we had our third annual gingerfest with friends last monday & parker was so into decorating his gingerbread house.  he picked out where the wreath should go, where the snowman went & giggled as he placed candy carefully on the roof.  ugh, why do the holidays ever have to end??  christmas is 13 days away & i want it to slow down!!

it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

a couple weeks in iPhotos

per the uge, i'm a little behind in the iPhoto dump.  these last couple of weeks have been crazy... thanksgiving followed by another road trip to the eastside of the state for my 98 year old grandma's funeral.

and while you may be inclined to say "i'm sorry for your loss," there really is no need to be sorry.  she was 98, she had lived an amazing life & died peacefully in her sleep while snuggling my grandpa, her husband of 66 years.  we all knew she would be going soon & are so happy she went exactly as she would have planned it.  the funeral was a great reunion of family & friends & while i am sad she is gone, i know she is in a better place, has her eyesight back & no longer needs her walker.

and bonus!  all of my sisters who live in utah & hadn't met elliot yet were there & got to see him!  that's the good news.  bad news is that somewhere along all of our holiday & funeral travels, elliot & parker both picked up colds.  lame.  'tis the season, right?  so that's resulted in some {what feels like} sleepless nights & rough days.  and a relapse in my cookie dough habit.

anywho, here's what all those travels {and everything in between} looked like in iPhotos.

wordless{ish} wednesday: like brother, like brother.

elliot - circa yesterday, three months old.

parker - circa july 2010, three months old.

baby smiles are kinda the best thing ever.  am i right or am i right?

elliot - three months!

oh no!  i'm already behind on the monthly posts.  elliot is technically a couple weeks past three months & here we are.  oops!  second child syndrome i guess.

despite the late post, this boy has me wrapped around his little finger.  he has a smile that makes my heart turn to mush, his giggles give me butterflies & that fuzzy little head of hair?  i could rub it all day. he really is the sweetest little baby.

and that's what i feel he turned into this month.  a legit baby.  he's no longer a floppy newborn who does nothing but eat, sleep & poop.  this baby does stuff.

here he is all growed up to three months.

{compare previous monthly pics here}

elliot weighs 17 pounds 1 ounce, which puts him in the 95%-tile.  he giggles & he smiles when he sees faces smiling at him & he's ticklish under his armpits.  he's still waking up 2-3x a night but we had a good run of 1-2x.  that was nice.  elliot's favorite pastime is blowing bubbles & when you hold him against your shoulder you're bound to have a wet spot left behind from them.

he loves watching his brother & parker loves terrorizing him.  if parker's in the room, elliot's eyes are on him.  parker loves tickling his little brother while saying "tickle tickle baby ett!" seeing these two begin to interact makes all the hard parts worth it.

oh my gosh.  his squishiness!  this baby kills me.

love him.

late night randoms.

it's late, i'm tired... but i want to blog.  sounds like the perfect setting for a random post with bullets, no?

--> so i asked about "the walking dead" on my facebook page & you guys spoke up loud, saying it was definitely a must watch.  so i watched.  and watched & watched.  i just have a couple more episodes to go til i'm all caught up & holy crap it's intense!  i am crappy at suspense so i may or may not have read ahead to see what happened with some episodes before watching them.  a girl has to prepare herself for some of that stuff, am i right??  let's just say, when babies/kids/moms are involved?  i'm a puddle of sappy uncontrollable mush.

--> guess who's winning at the holidays already?  this girl!  my christmas cards are ordered, the decorations are up, i've already worked halfway through a bag of peppermint bark, parker asks for christmas stories before every nap & we've watched elf three times already.  totally winning.

--> i decided i can no longer be trusted with cookie dough.  i was making a half-batch & then portioning it out to last a week.  so, in other words, i was eating a half batch of cookies, by myself, every week.  ugh, why is cookie dough so freaking good??  it's not fair.

--> elliot has decided sleep is no longer something he's into.  last night he was up four times between midnight & five am.  my sanity is definitely suffering.  i can't tell you how many times i've told him he's lucky he's cute.

--> this is the first picture i've shot that is half way decent of my boys together.  i really should attempt it more often because it's really not that hard to get parker to cooperate, you just have to promise candy.  but that's totally worth it, right??

--> fact:  i could stare at this picture all day.  these boys make me so, so happy.  and that's really easy to say right now since they're both currently sleeping.  it's dreamy.

--> i'm gonna put together a holiday bucket list.  it will involve lots of hot chocolate, lots of crafts... including making paper-link-countdown-chains, christmas cookies & homemade ornaments, lots of christmas lights-looking, playing secret santa for someone in need, an advent calendar, lots of classic christmas movie watching & lots lots more.  what's your favorite christmas tradition?

elliot in the sink.

i'm happy to report this squishy little baby is in the 95%-tile for weight.  to celebrate?  i bring you squishy baby sink-bath pics.

family pictures.

what do i even say to introduce these pics?  i'm slightly obsessed with them.  my homie stacy from stacy jacobsen photography did these for us & i'm convinced she's some kind of wizard.  i was sure that due to the rain & wind & two wiggly kiddos we were gonna experience family picture fail.  but uh, no... i LOVE them.  

i so rarely get to be in front of the camera with all three of my boys, in a shot that is further out than arm's length.  i think it is so important to capture "mom" in the picture every now & then so my boys have something to look back at years from now to know i was there.  that's why these pictures make me so happy.  because now i have something that immortalizes this time in our lives... when parker was a squirmy goofball & elliot was a ball of squish, when we lived in seattle & braved family pictures in the rain, when i was an exhausted overwhelmed mom of a 2.5 year old & three month old & sam was doing more than his fair share to keep it all together.  this is our life right now.  it's not always glamorous but when i look back at these pictures i might think it was.  we look happy.  we are happy.  and now i have these pictures to remember this time forever.

and bonus?  i showered and curled my hair that morning... it may have been the first time that's happened since elliot was born.  but let's just pretend i look like this everyday, mmmk?

iPhone photo dump... because i'm still here!

dudes, it's been a while & it's time to unload some halloweeny-baby-cuteness-fall-time-goodness.  it's a real thing.  per the uge, we been busy.  these two boys keep me busy & when i'm not playing mom or wife, i'm playing photographer.  it's family picture season, yo!  but busy is good.

what's new this last week?  elliot is a couple days short of three months & p-ray is a busy crazy two & a half year old.  i absolutely love these two little monsters.  it's still so weird to me that i have two kids!  that they are MY kids, i made them in my wombs & they are my offspring.  so weird, right?  i mean who thought i should be trusted with TWO of these things?  it's crazy talk.

well that's about all i have at this time.  my brain is tired & my pillow is calling out sweet nothings to me down the hall all the way from my room.  i mean, i shoulda gone to bed an hour or so ago but i just got done watching two episodes of "the walking dead" and anyone who watches that show knows you don't just flip off the tv afterwards & jump into bed.  no, you gotta watch a little late night comedy after that to erase images of zombie from running around all night in your head.

and now i have to think of something else to talk about so i don't sit here & continue to think about zombies.  oops.

how about the two adorable kiddos that fill up 90% of the pictures below?  i like them.

i miss blogging.

dang, i used to be a really good blogger.  like, i was creative & my posts were topical & thought out & more than just "here's my chaotic life."  i miss that!  i miss doing crafts & steppin' out posts & recipes & silly little random posts that were about me & not necessarily even mom related.

and you know what?  i think this stuff is all on the horizon.  life with two kids is mellowing... elliot is sleeping more & i'm finding this newborn-new-mom-fog is lifting a little.  i'm feeling a little more like myself these days & i'm chomping at the bit to start doing stuff.  to start getting in shape {for reals!}, to start cooking new things, to start diy-ing again & to start dressing in things other than yoga pants & hoodies {maybe}.  i'm excited about what the future holds.  i'm feeling like i'm the most inspired at this time in my life than i have ever been!  with photography, with decorating & what i want in my home, with healthy-living & fitness, with my wardrobe & of course with the life i want to live with sam & our two little boys.

good things are on the horizon, i can just feel it & i am so, SO excited.

plus?  i get to hang out with this guy all day... and that makes everything pretty awesome.

it's Halloween! let's iPhoto dump.

happy halloween friends!

and to all my east coast readers, i really hope you're somewhere safe & dry & you weathered the storm alright.  i am completely hooked on watching sandy coverage & cannot believe the devastation over there... thoughts & prayers your way!

so yeah, it's halloween & this will not be a halloween themed post.  that will come after i take hoards of pictures of my babies in their costumes, which i JUST finalized yesterday.  yeah, i'm that mom this year.  we didn't even carve pumpkins!  you guys, i'm doing good to fold the laundry & shower occasionally, carving pumpkins just wasn't on the agenda this year.  but next year?  for sure.

don't get me wrong, things are going great these days.  elliot is sleeping a 6-8 hour stretch each night, waking up once to eat & then back down til 7 or 8.  it's GLORIOUS!!!  yes, i think the heavens just opened up & sang hallelujahs.  i heard it, i swear.  and?  oh my gosh, i fall in love with him more & more every. day.  he is just so sweet & happy & he smiles & coos & has my heart wrapped around his little finger.  i just want to eat him up!  i love my little baby.

i've been keeping busy with the ol' photog business.  i kinda just sat on it for a bit the last year due to the pregnancy/baby, but now it's time to hit it hard.  so i've been busy rebuilding some of my branding & advertising & working on editing from my latest sessions.  so that's been fun.  seriously, i LOVE all things related to photography & my photography business & would be happy sitting in my office all day doing business things & editing & shooting sessions too, obviously.  so that's been keeping me happy busy in those times when kiddos are sleeping.

pictures of me working on photography stuff just really isn't that exciting though, so you'll find that 99% of my iPhoto pictures are of p-ray & elliot because they're basically the cutest.

happy halloween!!

scenes from bath time.

oh my goodness i love these two.  this picture cracks me up.

{also, i pinky swear no babies were hurt during the taking of this picture.  elliot actually loves the bath but had just scooted down a little & needed to be readjusted.  that took place promptly after i immortalized parker's goofy bath-time grin by snapping this picture.}

ok, and now?  photo dump because i can't help myself.

i am one lucky mama.