Comparison Shot of Daisy and Bruin

It's not really a comparison shot but, it was my attempt at one.  Bruin is 8 months old here and Daisy was 6 months.  I had wanted to take this picture with Bruin when he was six months but, it just never worked out.  It was September in Daisy's pic and August for Bruins.  I still have the same jammy pants...which is cool for a comparison shot but, maybe that also means that I really need to invest in some new pj's? hehe.  I also have a similar haircut...five.five years later...maybe another area that a little change is in order?  Nah...it's a functional mom cut and super easy to throw into a ponytail so it stays for now. 

Anyways, you all keep saying that my children look so much alike.  I just don't see it so I took these pictures to prove just how different they look.  That was total sarcasm.   Yes, folks they look alike...I know, I know, I KNOW.  Bwahaha.  After all the same two people did make both of them...;)

This was a fun activity and I'm hoping to snap a couple more comparison shots of the kiddos before Bruin gets too much bigger.  

Catching Up

So, I think I've decided that one of my new year's resolutions will be to try and get one blog post up a week and since I tend to "break" resolutions by about mid-February...I thought I should start now so that I might get a couple of extra weeks in. lol.    

I seldom make resolutions at the start of the new year but, I do enjoy the fresh perspective that a brand new year gives me and it often motivates me to take a little more action in the areas of my life that I had been neglecting.  Do you like to make new year's resolutions? 

On that note, I am going back in time just a wee bit because if I don't post these priceless images now they will soon fade away in the land of digital file space. 

Daisy wanted to be Belle for Halloween.  She has been a princess every day for the past 2.5 years and then some and I mean that she literally dresses up like a princess almost everyday.  Soooo...I was a little bummed that I couldn't convince her to be Supergirl or Shirley Temple or ANYTHING besides a princess again.  I kept my opinion to myself and made my 3 year old's dreams come true by sprinkling her hair with sparkles and dusting her cheeks with blush.  She was the sweetest princess in the land.  We went to a trunk or treat at my friend's church a week before Halloween and she had a blast!!

A few days later I happened upon a Minnie Mouse costume at a consignment shop.  It was her size and I just couldn't pass it up.  I showed it to Daisy and she said, "it's princess Minnie's dress!"  For that reason alone, she was willing to wear it and I didn't bother to explain to her that Minnie is in fact not a princess.  This way we both win. 

This year we went out a little later to trick or treat.  I think we got out close to 7 and stayed out until close to 9. We had our traditional Martinez/Bailey burritos before hand with Granddad and Beej (Daisy's great grandparents) and then Granddad passed out candy and the rest of us headed out. We treated with a group of neighbors and it was so fun to watch the kiddos go door to door together.  My little girl is getting so much more independent and well, she's growing up. tear. tear. 

 Look how small my baby girl and her friend look sitting up front together.  Sometimes they seem so big until you see them from far away and then you are reminded that they are still so little...I need those reminders from time to time:)

You can't tell by looking at her facial expression but, Daisy really enjoyed the puppet show.  It was her very first puppet show as a matter a fact.  The church did such a great job creating a fun, family friendly Halloween even for the community. 

 this is a terrible night shot on my phone but, I had to post it because it's the only one we got of our neighborhood crew before we set off on our trick or treat adventure.  

We got done trick or' treating around 9 and I put Daisy to bed shortly after.  She couldn't wait to dump all the contents of her bucket out first thing in the morning.  She immediately organized (yes she loves to organize just like her Mommy) the candies and picked her favorites.  Lolipops are always a top fave and her chocolate bars went really quick too.  This kiddo loves chocolate and she didn't get that from me:).

Fall on the east coast is gorgeous.  Growing up in Southern California we didn't experience much change in seasons.  Even after living on the East coast for six years the gorgeous fall colors never cease to take my breath away.  This pretty red leaf came off of the tree in our front yard.  SO red and lovely.

 Daddy and Daisy carved pumpkins together.  I was glad to take a year off.  Carving pumpkins is fun and all but, it's a lot of work and if I recall my hand felt like it was going to fall off after three hours of sawing pumpkins, with a tiny toothbrush sized saw last year.  It was nice to stay inside where it was warm and take pictures while sipping coffee this year. hehe.   

Last year Daisy was not impressed with the goop inside a pumpkin.  This year she was all about it.  I was so proud:).

I have to say that I was really impressed with my hub's pumpkin carvings this year and I thought it was really sweet that he carved the pumpkins with Ariel and Minnie Mouse just to make his little girl happy.  What a Dad:)  See for yourself. Pretty impressive huh.

And She loved throwing leaves around this year.  

 

I got to visit her at her fall school party.  She was so happy to have me there and it melted me to see my little girl in her class acting so big.

she was pretty tuckered out after her party as you can tell:).  Kids look so angelic when they sleep doncha think.  Lately I've been letting Daisy take her nap in my bed to make it more worth her while and more often than not I take a little nap with her and then quietly sneak out when she has fallen asleep.  She may be almost four years old but, she still looks like my little baby when she is napping:).

Now off I go to watch Walking Dead, sip tea, snuggle under a blanket, and work on my photography website.  Good night all. 

Thankful

I just dropped my kiddo off at preschool and she didn't even look back to say goodbye.  It's a good thing that I'm not terribly sensitive! lol  I'm just so thankful that she is loving her school experience.

I can't believe that we are already a week into November and that the holidays are upon us once again.  I also can't believe that my little girl will be four years old in just a few short months. I guess I will never get used to the fact that time goes by much faster than I'd like but, I am so thankful for every day that I get to be alive and soak up this wild life.   

I'm thankful for sunshine, warm fires on chilly nights, coffee in the morning, unexpected phone calls and text messages from friends and loved ones (thanks Anna:)!, Pandora...free music is awesome!, Uggs-the best invention ever, my Jesus Calling daily devotional - seriously amazing, the cheery bright green chairs in my living room that I am currently staring at -happiness, my glasses - it's nice to be able to see clearly, my home -it's so cozy!, my health - arms to hug my loved ones and legs to run and greet them, my neighbors - they are all  freaking awesome, Netflixs - cuz we use it UH-LOT, my camera - the memories it allows me to capture are priceless, my husband - he works so hard for our family, my daughter - she is such a happy kid -such a ray of sunshine, my laptop - so I can sit here like a lazy sloth on the couch instead of at a desk, being able to hear - the laughter of my little girl and the sweet melodies of worship...okay, I will stop there for now...so hard to stop!

What are you thankful for today? 

I hope that you all have a blessed November. xo

I'm sure you already knew this but, Daisy adores her Daddy. They have a special bond. A silly one.  She is more wild with him.  They wrestle, they fish, they play corn hole, they smash faces, they tickle...it's funny to watch the two of them.  I'm very thankful that my little girl has a great relationship with her Daddy.  I can tell that these two will always be buddies. 

A photographer's view...also, a mom's view.  Daisy has super wavy, fine hair and it still has a slight strawberry tint to it.  So pretty. Oh hey, see my blue TOMS...I'm thankful for the friend who gave them to me:)...you know who you are.  I had never owed a pair before and now I'm hooked and trendy like the rest of 'Merica.  Yeah!

She's laughing...just in case you weren't sure and she is loving it:). She is quite ticklish unlike her Momma.  I'm thankful that I am not (really) ticklish...it's like having a super power to remain calm in the midst of a tickle.  It might come in handy some day...you never know!

And here we are singing her favorite song, Overcomer by Mandisa. We created hand motions that we do together and she asks us to sing it over and over and over again. It's a great song so I don't mind. I hope she always holds tightly to the truth.  She will always be an over-comer with Jesus in her heart!  I am thankful that my little girl gets so excited when we talk about Jesus!

and then came the best part...feeding the ducks and geese. We came with an entire loaf of bread and left with nothing. Fat, thankful ducks. Happy Daisy.

Sometimes I like to stand back and observe my family from afar and get a different perspective.  It's sweet to see the two of them enjoying a moment together in the great outdoors.  Life is beautiful. 

Summer Memories Part 2

The next couple of posts are going to be a bunch or random summer memories captured while my Momma was visiting so bear with me:).  I'm still printing this blog and I am trying oh so hard to keep it up for my kiddo.  I think she will appreciate it someday...and if not, I know that I will because my memory is already so terrible that the chances of me remembering any of this in ten years are slim to none!  haha.  

Speaking of my kiddo.  She has been cracking me up lately.  Three is oh so exhausting but, oh so hilarious.  I mean HILARIOUS.  I LOVE asking little kids questions just to hear what their answers will be.  My favorite!! This morning Daisy woke up at around at 6:30 when the trash truck came barreling down the street.  Thanks a lot guys.  Fortunately, she fell back to sleep.  Then I heard her chatting on the monitor around 7:30 so I picked up the walkie talkie monitor and said, "hey darling. Are you gonna come in here and snuggle with me," to which she replied slowly, "uhhh, noooo. I'm not ready yet."  Then she proceeded to sleep for another hour.  Cracked me up!! 

She has been watching a new Curious George Movie and evidently the Man with the yellow hat regularly refers to his paper work as his priorities.  Daisy must have really liked the sound of that word because yesterday she started calling everything, "my bootifuwl pwiorwities."  It was so freaking adorable I could hardly stand it.  Fortunately I got a quick video of it on Instagram. 

And the last funny Daisy special that I want to share is that she is really into referring to all of her features as big.  I think in her mind this means that she wants to feel like a big girl but, it ends up being really funny.  It goes something like this,  "Mom, wook at my teef.  Dey are weally big!  Mom, wook at my hands.  Dey are weally big!  And wook at my bottom.  It is weally weally big.  Isn't it mommy?"  Oh my gosh, the stuff that kids come up with just kills me.  I just LOVE they things that little people say.

Anyways, on to random summer memories....

And Daisy started taking an interest in setting the table while my mom was here.  It was pretty adorable and I'm so impressed that she just decided to do it all on her own.

And she fell asleep in my arms even after a long nap so you know that we were keeping her really busy:)

We went on a LOT of walks in the evening while my mom was here.  We are just a walking / outdoor kind of family.  It could be the pool, bike riding or walking.  It's how we prefer to spend that witching hour right before bedtime.  lol

Daisy definitely worked the Lulu system.  She pretty much asked my mom to hold her 24/7 and just about always got her request..little stinker:)

  And we hit up Trader Joe's one night while my mom was here which happens to be one of our favorite places to grocery shop.  Doesn't Daisy look adorable!!  My baby is getting so big!!! boohoo!

My hubby and I have had the same couch since we got married over 9 years ago.  It was oh so comfortable but, not at all pleasing to the eye.  It's been through several cats, a dog, a messy toddler and it was becoming quite thread bare in some spots. I've been looking for a new couch for over 2 years now.  I am ridiculously slow about getting things done if a long term comittment is involved like a couch for example.  What if I don't like it? I can't afford restocking fees so I think I feel like I am stuck with it so I better be sure I like it!  You could say that I am indecisive and making large decisions.  hehe While my mom was out visiting in March this year we started couch shopping together and she really helped me to pin down the style of couch.  Thank you Mom!  I ordered the couch in May and during my Mom's June visit the couch was finally delivered!  It was a treat to have her help and company thorugh out the couch hunting process. And in case you are curious, I LOVE our new couch.  So happy with it! I'm sure you will see more pictures of us sitting on it in the future.  lol

The funny thing is that Daisy was devastated when my mom and I moved our old couch out and the movers brought in our new couch.  I mean she was DEVASTATED and would not stop crying.  She though (for some bizarre reason) that our new couch was going to be a pink couch or at least have pink pillows and she could not let it go when it did not.  I tried my best to help her work through her sadness because she was a wreck.  I think parting with the old couch was like losing a dear friend in her 3 year old mind.  So of course my mom went out and bought Daisy a big, fluffy, pink pillow to use on the couch (or floor in this case) and all was well in the world...hehe...Grandmas are the best!

Anyways, back to our Summer while my Momma was here.  We had a few musical jam sessions...Daisy loves to perform for family and friends if she is comfortable enough.  I wonder if someday she will be a singer or musician?  Time will tell:).

 I finally got to introduce my mom to my favorite antique shop.  I've been telling her about it for years.  Nice to check it off the list:).  There are a lot of colorful rocks lying around on the ground and Daisy can spend a good hour searching for them and sticking them in random pots and bowls laying around the antique yard.  I asked the owner and she said that was what the rocks were for.  Yeah for shop owners who understand that little activities for the customer kids goes a long way!

My mom treated me to a unique necklace with a D on it.  I've always wanted a parent necklace and I love things that are unique.  Perfect for me....unique and personal.  Thanks so much Momma!

I thought these earrings were pretty adorable too!  Maybe it is the writer in me and the fact that they are type writer keys...:)

 I loved all the cute signs around the shop.  I recently saw a tutorial on Pinterest on how to make one of these signs with a little more detail.  I realize it's pretty basic but, I need all the tips I can get. hehe.  What kind of stencils should I use?  How do I give it an aged look? How do I hang it? How do I fasten the boards together?  Yah, that kind of stuff just doesn't come easily to me but, thanks to Pinterest I don't have to strain my brain anymore. haha  When I get around to making my first one I'll be sure to post it here:)l  Wish me luck. 

Daisy and my mom had a few dance sessions.  Basically Daisy told my mom how to dance and then told her she was doing it wrong and showed her how to do it right...over and over again  Crack up:).

And one night my mom threw together this rather simple but, so freaking delicious salad with a yummy Trader Joe's dressing and seasoned chicken. I think I ate half the bowl by myself. I'm not kidding.