Bussssssyyyy.

It's been crazy busy around our household. Yesterday was E's squadron picnic, today was our garage sale and tomorrow is church, an Easter egg hunt and brunch. I have an appointment on Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday. Both E and I haven't had a chance to catch our breath and I know when he gets back from his TDY (out of town work assignment) things will begin to move even faster.

I don't have much time to write, but I did want to leave you with one of our film picture's from Hawaii. I hope you all have a blessed Easter weekend!

Straight from the camera...no editing because it's film!!!

Photos of a Newborn.

New life is simply fascinating. I stood at the hospital holding this newborn baby, and  watched my son  and his Golfish-filled fingers dance around my feet. Only one years difference and still the parallel between the two got to me...both of these boys will someday grow up to hopefully know and love God. 

To see more pictures of this sweet boy, visit my photography business blog here. 

Meant to Be.

The other day I received a letter from Ethan's grandmother. As I pulled the letter out, something small fell to the floor. I had to do a double take because the gold, circle-shaped pendent looked all too familiar to me. How did she get ahold of my necklace? As I turned it over to look at the front, I saw a picture of E when he was a little boy. I was astonished because my mom gave me a necklace with the exact same pendent, but with a picture of me instead. I quickly ran to my jewelry box and scrambled to find it. After a little searching, I held the two pictures together and smiled. His Nana's sweet gesture confirmed something I already knew...we were definitely meant to be.

Live Via Instagram

I hope you all have a happy Saturday!

All these pictures were taken within the past month on my cell phone using the Instagram app!

Our 2011.

2011. It's almost history. As I put this post together and pulled some photos from the archives, I realized how long ago some of this seems. I started the year with a baby who was just learning to hold his head up and ended it with a hyper little boy that runs around like crazy. I  laugh when I think about our sleepless nights with a newborn. I get teary eyed when I think of some heartbreaking curveballs God allowed in my life. Blessings came, plans fell through and still, I don't think I could have ever forseen this all. It makes me wonder what 2012 brings, but at the same time it teaches me to live each day, not worrying about tomorrow.

The biggest thing 2011 taught me was to embrace my role as a mother and homemaker. I stubbornly held onto my aspirations and dreams as a photographer and I put my family on the back-burner because of it. I thought that it was only a matter of WHEN my business succeeded that I would have more time for them but I quickly realized, the busier I became, the more I lost sight of my priorities. Thankfully, God's mercies are new every morning and I have a loving husband that is so patient with me! I've learned to balance my home life with my work life, and praise God He's continued to bless me with enough business to keep me creative yet not take away from my real job. I honestly never pictured myself as a stay at home mom and now I don't see it any other way. I'm grateful for the blessing I've been given. I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had. I'm humbled for the lessons I've learned. And I'm ready to take on 2012.

JANUARY. We were going on our second month again still with no sleep.
I still couldn't get over the fact that I was a parent.

JANUARY. This was one of my last projects. Knitting had stopped because of Kaiden and wouldn't
pick up until later this year :)

FEBRUARY. I decided to try something wild and so I chopped my hair and got it dyed. Kaiden
sat on my lap almost the entire time (hence the crooked bangs). This one goes on the regret list.

FEBRUARY. Kaiden started to develop his personality. He loved his bouncer and was a drooling machine.

MARCH. Kaiden started laughing and smiling more. A lot more :)

MARCH. I attended my first photography workshop ever with Zach and Jody Gray.

APRIL. I witnessed my first snowfall in California.

APRIL. We fed Kaiden his first spoonful of  vegetable solids.

MAY. God blessed me with an incredible second shooting position. The job helped me stay creative
while helping me prioritize my role as a mom.

MAY. We celebrated my first mother's day :)

MAY. Kaiden was an expert crawler.

MAY. Kaiden celebrated his six month birthday in Wisconsin.

MAY. We rejoiced in E's best friend's wedding in New Jersey.

MAY. Kaiden met his cousin Avery for the first time!

JUNE. Kaiden played in a pool for the first time!

JUNE. We celebrated E's first Father's Day.

JULY. Kaiden went on several baby dates with his girlfriend Evee.

JULY. We spent a lot of time in our pool swimming around.

AUGUST. We went down to Southern California and Kaiden + I got to see Laguna Beach.

AUGUST. I went surfing for the first time in my life!

AUGUST. We made several trips to the Golden Gate all throughout the year.

SEPTEMBER. Kaiden learned to stand.

SEPTEMBER. It started getting harder and harder to take pictures of him looking into the camera.

OCTOBER. We had our first yard sale :)

OCTOBER. E ran his first race ever, a 10K obstacle course.

OCTOBER. We were a Scooby Doo family for Halloween.

NOVEMBER. We got a new puppy!

NOVEMBER. We celebrated Kaiden's 1st birthday with a party and bounce house.

NOVEMBER. We did a last minute cake smash for Kaiden.

DECEMBER. We put up our tiny, fake tree :)

DECEMBER. Kaiden spent Christmas at DisneyWorld thanks to my parents :)

DECEMBER. Kaiden became attached to the blanket I knitted for him.

Click here for my JAGOFOTO 2011: Year in Review post!

Our Trip to Disney World

My parents decided to take our entire family to DisneyWorld this Christmas. It was definitely an exhausting trip. Now that Kaiden is walking, we weren't sure how Kaiden would do on the long flights. So, in preparation for the trip, we loaded Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes on E's phone and  packed Kaiden's diaper bag full of crackers and puffs. He slept during the first flight and stayed awake for the other 3.5 hour flight. Things weren't going too badly until we landed at our destination. We took the tram to our rental car facility, only to find that they wanted to charge us $450 more than the quoted price. It was back to the airport for us, where we continued to get ridiculous quotes from various car rental places. We decided to book our reservation online through Orbitz, and then proceeded to walk up to the car rental counter where we paid less than half the price they initially quoted us, and for that, I love you Orbitz! After loading up the car, we were about to drive off the lot when they told us that we were in the wrong vehicle... the one we were in was parked in the wrong spot. It was already a hassle to buckle Kaiden's carseat in so E wasn't too happy lol. We re-loaded into another car, drove up to the gate and AGAIN, we were in the wrong car. It was the same color and model, just the wrong number. Soooooo, we negotiated with the rental car people and they let us stay in it and threw in a free tank of gas. That whole ordeal took 3.5 hours until we could finally leave the Orlando airport...not to mention we still had to drive another 3 hours to my grandparent's house. When it was finally time for bed, Kaiden wouldn't sleep. He woke up every 15-30 minutes consistently until 5 am. It was a nightmare and I'm so incredibly glad it's over with now. Just thinking about it all melts my brain.

Thankfully, the rest of the trip was smooth sailing. After having lunch with my grandparents, we headed off to Clearwater (where I went to college years ago. I still can't believe I went to college there... I miss "studying" on the beach haha.) It was a relaxing evening eating seafood and doing some midnight swimming in the pool. The next morning I was off to do a photo session (check out the preview here!) After that was over we hung out at the beach for a bit and then headed off to Orlando.

You can see why they call it Clearwater, Florida

Seaworld offers free tickets to all active duty military members so we spent our evening oohing and ahhing over sharks and fish. On a side note: I can't express how grateful I am for companies that give so freely to their military members. I know they don't have to but it's rare that we get to go on a vacation, (or can afford one for that matter) so free tickets is HUGE to me.

My family met up with us the following day and that's when the real adventures begun. We went three days straight moving from park to park. It was crowded...holiday crowded and I quickly realized how much I don't like lots of people all at once. Despite the shoulder to shoulder walkways, I loved spending time with my family. It pains me to know how much I'm missing out with my brothers and sisters and how much they are missing out on Kaiden. Unfortunately, it's a reality I have to face. I just focused on the fact that we were all together there and we were having a great time! I was nervous that Kaiden would be afraid of Mickey but he loved him! He ran right up to him and started grabbing Mickey's nose. I don't know what it was about Winnie the Pooh but Kaiden actually hit him in the face and the security guard had a fit. I had to laugh. He's only one. What can a one year old really do to a person covered in layers of stuffing? Oh, well. 

We are now safe and sound at home and back to reality. 

I felt like a little kid watching all of my favorite characters dance on stage.

Kaiden's new thing is to start giggling and stick his belly out (like this right picture)...he's a goofy boy!

We couldn't get a picture where everyone was looking :(

And there he is...attacking Pooh.

My brothers and sisters with E on the Teacup ride!

By the way, you should be proud! I actually didn't take many pictures this trip. I made it appoint to leave my camera behind and just enjoy the time instead of worrying about camera settings and people placement and I'm so glad I did. When you're worrying about your kid, your family, the crowds and trying to get on rides, the last thing you want to worry about is your camera :)

December Festivities.

It's amazing how different each stage of a kid's life is. I know I'm only in the first year, but even so, every month has brought change after change. Kaiden is really starting to develop his personality and I can already tell that he is independent, curious, mechanically-minded, sweet, caring, yet sensitive and easily upsetted. If I run an errand or E comes home from work, he immediately runs up to us and wants to cuddle. He has started resting his head on my shoulder and purposefully sitting on my lap. I can tell he is just like E. Both my boys love affection and love to show it. On the other hand, he now fully understands what the word "no" means. He is starting to have tantrums and oh, we will not  be tolerating that. I've seen too many kids become extremely spoiled which leads to acting out in public, becoming  a sore loser and never learning discipline. We have found a perfect method to disciplining Kaiden and it's proven to be quite effective.

I went to the dentist yesterday for my bi-annual checkup. Everything was fine, except I explained to the dentist how my jaw has been popping lately and how lately I clench my teeth when I sleep. The dentist told me that the jaw popping is because of my inflamed jaw muscles...which is a result from the clenching. He asked me if I was under any stress, as that is the common reason for clenching. I know there have been stressful points in my life but at this point there is nothing extra. I've been trying jaw relaxation techniques (which sounds ridiculous) but I think I'm going to have to get a night-guard to help re-align everything. It's going to cost us an arm and a leg but my dentist said the clenching is having an effect on my gum line and jaw, and I'm too young for this occur. Not to mention, I will be having my wisdom teeth removed in a month. Ugh.

On a better note, I'm so excited for this month's festivities! Our December is filled with events. This Thursday is E's work's annual Christmas Party. Friday I'm having a cookie exchange. Monday is my birthday and next Thursday we are going on a last minute vacation to Florida for Christmas! My whole family will be there and I'm so excited to see my brothers and sisters and for them to see Kaiden. Because of this, the entries will be sporadic but once the holiday season settles down and the new year begins, I'm committing to more consistent (and more personal) blogging :)

We bought Kaiden a monkey backpack (the leash is at tail) for DisneyWorld. No getting lost little monkey!

Rambling's

I've been editing and uploading pictures all day long. Things started to pile up with E's family here in town but now that they are gone we are getting right back on schedule. I have my first maternity session tomorrow, which I'm pretty pumped about! We will be taking them near some old redwood growth so I hope the photographs turn out just as perfectly as I'm envisioning them. 

Kaiden has been extremely fussy these past few days. Sometimes I find myself selfishly irritated because he has been waking up by the hour...but the minute I pick him up and rock him back to sleep, I realize how it's only for this short period of time that he needs and wants me. I'm praying that God will give me more compassion in my immediate reactions with Kaiden. I'm sure every parents faces this but I feel guilty for feeling that way sometimes.

I ended up dropping 2 of the 3 college classes I was taking because it was way too much to handle. I was taking 10 credits. I forgot how much work college is and accounting alone was killing me. Praise the Lord, I will be finished with my Intro. to Business class in a few weeks. I have no idea what my future plans are. If I keep taking just one class at a time, it will be forever until I finish my degree. However, even if I finish my degree I won't be able to really use it until the kids are all off to school. I want to stay home for every one of our kids and if, Lord willing, we have a few more, I won't be working for a while. I still have this deep desire to study graphic design. I think I would be good at it and I wish I had the tools to learn more. Courses are so inexpensive here in California but with E working full time and him being gone for job training next year, I have no idea what I would do with Kaiden. There is no way I could go to school even part time because that would require me to rely on sometime to consistently watch Kaiden...or daycare which we don't want to do and can't afford. There's lots to think and pray about...

Taken at Muir Woods. Another piece of vegetation often overlooked.

Kaiden's Birthday Gift from Mommy

I'm pretty excited to post these pictures of the first blanket I've ever knitted. I got the pattern from one of my favorite knitting sites, PurlBee. Instead of using the suggested size 7 needles, I used size 13 because 1) I didn't want to go out and buy another set of circular needles and 2) I wanted the blanket to be a bit bigger so Kaiden could use it when he gets older. It took me about 2 1/2 weeks of constant knitting. I knit while watching movies, in the car, and any place else you can think of. I wanted to get it done by Kaiden's birthday (which I successfully did) but I'm pretty sure it was overkill. It's been a few weeks since I picked up knitting needles and just holding them yesterday hurt my hands. I wanted to make gifts for people this Christmas but I definitely don't think that will be happening anytime soon. In the meantime, I'm learning how to crochet since it's quicker and (at least I feel...) requires less movement in the hands. 

Materials used:

Size 13 24" in circular needles

6 skeins of Vanna White's Yarn (On sale for $1.99 each at Michaels!)

If you are new to knitting, this is probably the easiest pattern you could ever do. You just do the knit stitch over and over and over.

I can tell Kaiden loves it and I know years from now I won't have a problem if he's still attached to it :)

Kaiden's Cowboy-Themed First Birthday Party!

 Kaiden's 1st birthday party was a success! My goal was to make it as stress-free as possible, but despite my efforts I found that hosting a party is a lot of work...especially when you are on a budget! E and I talked about how easy it is for entertaining to take away from the focus of the event. We wanted to make sure that this was all about Kaiden and that he had the time of his life (even if he won't be able to remember it!) I closed all the doors in the party room and let Kaiden roam free. It melted my heart to see him running around the room with a train of kids behind him. Every step and every turn greeted our guests with a giggle and a smile. Of course, he enjoyed his very first taste of sugar which left him energized for the rest of the night. After all was said and done, I was glad the planning was over. I don't think I'll have this big of a party until he can actually remember it! :)

Sadly, I didn't get many shots of him in his full cowboy getup. Now that he can walk it's so hard to take a picture of him without motion blur...

We love you SOOOOOOO much Kaiden and hope that you can at least appreciate the pictures someday :)

For those interested in decoration info...

I wanted to do a theme that would provide inexpensive food, easy decorations and keep a unique theme. Cowboy was definitely the way to go, as Pinterest provided me with TONS of ideas. I made the barn (below) out of a tri-fold project board from Michaels, white duct tape and some paint. All of the centerpieces were Ikea planter pails (.79/each!) filled with styrofoam and topped with peanuts. The red table-clothes, balloons, gingham plates, silverware and clothespins were from the dollar store. I scored a helium tank from Wal-mart for $20 as well. Helium filled balloons cost about a $1 each so this helped save some money. The candy-filled gold bars, sheriff's badges, cowboy platter and cow table clothes were all purchased from various stores online. The adorable horse in our photo booth is actually from Ukraine, believe it or not! It was a gift from my uncle's friend and came in handy for all of the kids. The cut-out props were free printables from an amazing blog (I highly recommend you follow), Oh Happy Day. His month-by-month timeline pictures were made in Photoshop and printed at Office Max since I didn't have enough time to order them through my lab. His birthday letter guestbook was typed on Word and printed on brown paper from Michaels. The s'mores pops were handmade by my sister in law, me and my best friend...AND my best friend also made the cowboy boot smash cake (with an adorable mini cupcake as the spur! -- she's a genius). Lastly, his real birthday cake was made by Safeway and was their strawberry filled, white, and buttercream icing cake -- it was a HIT!!!! So tasty.