blurry baby

Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever get a non-blurry picture again. Yesterday, I discovered that my cold storage (an extra room we use for storage and stuff, it is freezing in there) has fantastic morning light. She didn't care, she just wanted to look around and play. Silly kid, wants to play. So, for now I guess I have to be satisfied with using the automatic settings on my camera and maybe I will get a picture in focus, maybe.
Saw 27 Dresses last night. Cute, predictable, funny, but lots of sailor swearing (really bad words). It would be a great movie to rent and watch on a Clear Play.

winter wonderland

I've lived here most of my life and I can't remember ever having so many snow days! We've had more snow storms in the month of January than we usually have all winter (or several winters combined). Since we live in a retirement community the town goes dead when it snows even 1/2 inch. No one drives, goes to the stores, or keeps their appointments.

first hair cut

I've been considering cutting her hair for some time because I thought the back looked like a mud flap. She's been called ET and Gollum but when my brother said she looked like Peter Boyle (the dad on Everybody Loves Raymond) I knew it was definitely time to cut it.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

and now the fuzzies are gone, it looks perfect!

week in review

1/2 inch the size of screw she handed to my mom after she pulled it out of her mouth
2 the number of molars she is cutting
3 feet the height she fell head first off the counter while in her booster seat
1 the number of minutes she cried after it happened
2 million the amount of stupidity I felt after it happened
the guardian the name of the movie I wouldn't mind seeing again
top gun the name of the movie I wouldn't mind if we never finished watching it the first time (the main couple give me the hebbe gebbies)
2 the number of signs she's good at signing (cracker and more)
4 the number of signs I have a hard time recognizing (food, water, drink, help)
0 the number of recognizable words she says
50,000 the number of words she thinks she's saying
3 million the number of candy bars I wanted to eat this week
0 the number of candy bars I ate

favorite spots

The left and center shelves are two of her favorite places to just hang out. Yesterday, she figured out how get up onto the stool in the pantry and then onto the shelf. I found her tucked away in the shelf and ran to grab my camera. By the time the picture was taken she was annoyed the I wasn't helping her to get off the shelf, hence the sour face.

husband tag

I've been tagged...so, here's the info on my hottie husband!

What is his name? Rumplestilkskin
How long have you been married? 6 years
How long did you date? On and off for 2 years

How old is he? 18 months older than me
Who eats more? oh dear, usually him, but sometimes I eat more than him and then I feel like a complete oinker. He has good self-control
Who said I love you first? He did

Who is taller? He’s only a bit taller, 14 inches

Who can sing better? He has an incredible voice and an amazing ear for music and harmony, but hates to sing in public. So, I guess it depends on where the singing takes place

Who is smarter? Depends on the conversation, but he has the short term memory of a genius and great comprehensive reading. I'm sure he would be a lot more interesting to talk to when the conversation is on dirt bikes and investing

Who does the laundry? Mostly me, but he’s really great about doing it before I can get to it sometimes

Who pays the bills? He does

Who mows the lawn? What lawn? but when we had one, he did

Who sleeps on the right side? In this house, I do. What side of the bed depends on where the door is.

Who cooks dinner? We try to avoid that whenever possible. My mom, his mom, Marie Callander…him, me...

Who drives? He does

Who is more stubborn? I don't think either of us are that stubborn

Who kissed who first? He kissed me (after 17 months of off and on dating)

Who asked who out first? He asked me after we had been hanging out in a group of friends. I think we went to the driving range.

Who proposed? He did, next to a really high cliff

Who has more friends? even steven

Who is more sensitive? to what?

Who has more siblings? tie

Who wears the pants? Sometimes he wears mine when I need them stretched out!

I tag anyone who wants to play!

angles?

I love to look at professional photography. Now that I know a little about SLR cameras and photoshop I realize how much I don't know. I really like it when pictures are cropped at angles. It seems to give the photo even more...dimension or something. But, how the heck to they decide what angle to crop it? Here is my attempt. She looks a little like she's falling backward off the chair, but the other direction didn't feel right.

new hire

We've hired a new girl to help us around the house. I figured if I made doing chores look like fun, she might think they aren't too bad. Who knows, but it's sure worth a try.
She loves to push laundry basket back and forth from our room to the laundry room. Last week while I was finishing up in the laundry room, she pushed the basket back to our bedroom without any help or prompting. She also enjoys putting the clothes into the wash or dryer. Having a little helper doesn't make housework go any fast, but it sure makes it more fun!

great idea

I got this idea from a friend's blog and I think it's terrific. She made beautiful baby blessing outfits from her wedding dress. A girls outfit, a boys outfit, and a blanket. I think this idea is a great alternative to boxing your dress up or "Trashing Your Wedding Dress." Many blessing outfits are passed from generation to generation (more than most wedding dresses). What a neat way to preserve something special. Thanks for the idea!

baby kisses

who can resist a kiss from a little girl who looks like this?
Especially when the kiss comes at you like this!

flash back

While looking for something else, I came upon this picture.
Since the day she was born she's had amazing defined eyebrows. To be funny, my mom decided they needed to be even more defined so she colored them in and then we spiked them upward. I love the look on her face and the glare in her eyes.

14 months

she still loves her blanket yarn

she's insists that she share her foood, drink, and blanket yarn

she loves to dance

she has different dance moves for different songs
she has a mullet (mud flap, whatever you may call it)

she gets so excited when gets the chance to play on our bed
she loves to "find daddy's tummy"

she is one tough cookie and is easily disracted after she gets hurt
she loves to go through my drawers & knows which cupboard are off limits
if she sees a phone, she wants it

I have to check the garbages because she throws things in them

she like anything that makes noises (books, toys, radio)

if it can be climbed, she's on it

she will sometimes trade a kiss for a cracker

need for speed

Her Grandma and Grandpa got her this toy for Christmas. She loves it! Last night she had a blast being pushed across the room over and over and over. Who needs TV when you have a baby? Hurry home Grandpa and Grandma so you can see the look on her face up close, it's priceless! Notice her thermal underware. She looks so cute in it.

new trick

She goes crazy for books. Anything with pages to turn, she wants to turn those pages. About two weeks ago she started this....she sticks her finger in her mouth before she turns the page. I don't know who she learned this from, but I promise it wasn't me. She is so observant! Today at lunch my dad was snapping with the music, so she started copying him. It's been amazing to watch how quickly she catches on to things. She understands so much and is learning so fast. Oh to be a baby and have a memory!

the whole fam

Since 2007 was an odd (like my family) year, everyone made an extra effort to get together on Christmas. The whole family was together for about...1 hour, but at least their was enough time to get a family picture. Usually, when a group picture is taken it's really hard to get the little kids to all look good, well not our family. Everyone (who can be accountable) looks good, expect for one person. Too bad JP. We had this printed 20x30 and hung in both offices. Make sure you click on the picture to get a better look. This is NOT photoshopped.

goodbye 2007

This past year has been my best yet. Usually when I reflect on the past year, I get dissapointed in myself. I don't accomplish what I want, I feel like I've wasted too much time, and I wish that I had been a whole lot "better". When I look back on 2007, by the world's standards I really didn't accomplished much either, but I survived my first whole year of being a mom. It's amazing how rewarding it is. So, goodbye 2007. Hello 2008.

photo shoot

I'm sure these pictures are only for a mother to love, but they were too fun not to share. Taking pictures of our baby used to be a pain because she would purposly hide her face from the camera. Once I showed her the viewer on my camera, her whole attitude changed. Before I took the Christmas decorations down I wanted to get her "traditional" (all two years) picture in front of our Christmas tree. The photo shoot began. She would stand for a few pictures and then come to see. She even figured out how to navigate through the pictures by pressing the correct buttons on my camera. So, for 20 minutes we had a little photo shoot and I now I have another entertaining memory.