Day in the Life | May 2015

I always enjoy participating in Ali Edwards' Day in the Life. It's a great excuse to pull out my big camera, snap photos with my iPhone, and jot down details of our day in a notebook.

Here's what Tuesday, May 12, 2015 looked like for us. 

8:00 | Noah (and I) slept in until 8:00 am. I awoke to my 3-year-old bellowing for me, "Mommy!" I'm so grateful for days when he sleeps in since I'm such a night owl!

From there, we put the dogs outside and I made breakfast for Noah and me. Life cereal, 1/2 of a bagel with cream cheese and some blueberries for him; yogurt and Grape-nuts and 1/2 of a bagel for me. (Brian left for work around 6:30 am.) 

Conversation at breakfast:

N: "You are growing down, Mommy." 

Me: "I am?"

N: "Yes, I’m growing up and you’re growing down and Daddy’s growing down.”

After breakfast, I took my vitamins and allergy meds and gave Noah his allergy medicine. (Just hayfever, luckily.)

Our dog, Lucy, barked to come in, so we opened the front door for her, but our other dog, Rudy, is nowhere in sight. Probably wondering the property like he usually does.

8:30 | The alarm on my iPhone goes off, letting me know that it's time to feed our dogs. I call Rudy in to the house and feed them. Lucy burps and Noah happens to be standing right next to her, so he turns to her and says, "Excuse you, Lucy!" Ha! I give Lucy her insulin shot, and Noah says, "Did it hurt, Lucy? Just a little bit. Oh, good. You're a good girl, Lucy." (It's so cute when he "talks" for Lucy.)

9:00 | Rinse breakfast dishes with Noah's help. There is water everywhere, but he's having fun and the dishes are super duper clean. Lucy is barking--at what I have no idea, which is not unusual--and Noah is covering his ears.

We head back to the master bedroom and I turn on Jake and the Neverland Pirates for Noah. He's holding his milk, his sword, and a random Mother's Day card he grabbed off the entertainment center in the family room. I clip his fingernails while he's distracted.

9:15 | I start the shower, check my email, and enter the Chris Young sweepstakes on my phone while waiting for the water to warm up.

9:30 | After a quick shower, I get dressed, blow dry my hair, and apply my makeup. I can tell I'm a little too in my head this morning and worrying about things that are totally out of my control. So, I turn on an affirmation track from this Belleruth Naparstek CD, which in the past has helped bring calm to my mind. It works, thankfully.

9:45 | Get Noah dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans because it's cloudy and windy outside. 

10:00 | Noah and I drive 20 minutes to Music Together. Along the way, we listen to Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure for the 6,392nd time! Noah and I strike a deal: He gets to listen to his book once through, then I get to listen to 2 country songs on the radio, and then he can listen to his book again.

10:30 | Music Together class starts. It's full participation for all, including moms and dads. I rack up a lot of steps in this 45-minute session (woohoo!), and I think I have just as much fun as Noah. I'm definitely in my happy place when I'm singing.

11:15 | Noah and his friend, Alex, play with sticks (ie. swords) and rocks after class while I talk to Alex's mom about adoption stuff. (She and her husband adopted Alex at birth, and she has several friends who are hoping and praying and waiting to adopt.) We chat about how hard it is to wait, especially the first time around, and how discouraging it can be to not be picked by birth mothers.We talk about how important it is to share your feelings with other families who have been there, too. And how you simply must remain hopeful.

11:45 | Off to Target we go for a few items. Noah wants to ride in the super long cart with the two kiddie seats, which means we'll probably hit an end cap or two while I try to successfully maneuver it through the aisles. Watch out, people! Ha!

12:00 | We can't find an eye patch for Noah at Target (he's been asking for one for days), but he seems content with a pirate hat, a lollipop, and a sticker. (Thanks to the two sweet Target employees for showering him with goodies!)

12:30 | On the way home in the car, Noah wears his new pirate hat and sings, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me" over and over again. Can't wait to take him back to Disneyland, so he can experience Pirates of the Caribbean.

1:00 | Put away the Target stuff. Make lunch for Noah and me. Leftover sausage and rice for me; pb+j and fruit for him.

1:30 | I make an eye patch for Noah using construction paper and pipe cleaners. Arrr!

2:00 | Bought Chris Young’s new song, I'm Comin' Over, on iTunes.  

2:15 | Randomly felt inspired to write a country song. This is a first for me. I stood at the kitchen counter and jotted down lyrics in my notebook. It's really only the outline of a song, and let's be honest, it kind of stinks, but I had fun and I hope to flesh it out later.

  

2:30 | Play trains with Noah and listen to kids' music on Pandora. 

2:45 | Brian sent us a few photos from his day. Noah loves seeing photos of Brian's ladder truck, and having seen them, he now wants to go and visit. (Isn't that a cool shot of the moon below?) 

3:00 | Throw a load of sheets into the washer. Pull clean laundry out of the dryer and fold.

3:15 | Head outside. Brush both dogs--they are shedding like crazy right now. Water the grass. Check the step count on my FitBit. I'm only at 5,167 steps, so I make a mental note to walk around as much as I can outside. 

 3:30 | Sail in Noah's pirate ship. Peer through the spyglass. Turn the wheel. Fire the cannon.  Say "Oh, coconuts!" and "Ahoy, matey!" and "Pirate Island straight ahead!" in my best pirate accent. 

4:00 | Check out Brian's fishing boat. After I take a picture of Noah near the boat, he asks if he can take a picture with my camera and I oblige. I keep the camera around my neck and Noah slips in front of me. I show him how to press the shutter release button. He shoots away. Like rapid gunfire. I show him how to gently touch it, so he only takes 1-2 pictures at a time instead of say, 54. 

We view the pictures together, and I tell him they are fuzzy because there is one more step to taking a picture with my camera. I push the * button on the back of my camera (which enables back button focus), and then he presses the shutter release button. He views his photos and he's really excited.

He says, "Mommy, let's take a picture of the trees Daddy cut down!" And off we go on a photo walk of sorts. 

He's clearly hooked. 

And I'm loving it.

4:15 | Noah takes a photo of this fawn walking down to the creek. (I helped him zoom in.) From there, he shoots the canal, the picnic bench, the creek and some dandelions--which he simply calls "lions." Then, he asks to wade into the creek and I say okay, provided we push his pants down into his boots. (To be honest, that didn't really help; he was covered in mud, pretty much from his waist down by the time he was done playing. That happens when you sit down in the creek, silly boy.) While Noah was traipsing through the creek, I shot photos of the flowers and the plants, in and around the water.

Noah joined me near these flowers for a minute, picking one and bringing it over to me. (That's the shot at the very top of this post.) 

I loved the way the light illuminated some of these reeds, creating beautiful texture and depth.

4:45 | Time to take a break from shooting and go inside, so I can start dinner. I strip off all of Noah’s clothes in the garage, and then make a quick trip to the laundry room where I spray his clothes with Oxiclean and throw them in the washing machine.

5:00| Noah watches one more episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates on the DVR while I make dinner.

5:30| We say grace and then eat chicken, rice and broccoli for dinner. Surprisingly, Noah is a big fan of broccoli, especially when we roast it in the oven.

6:00 | I rinse the dishes, load the dishwasher and clean off the counters.  I'm listening to I'm Comin' Over on repeat. Noah is back playing trains at the train table.

6:15 | I pull the sheets out of the dryer and make my bed.

6:30 | Bathtime. Early, I know, but when Noah doesn't take a nap, he's usually ready for bed by 7:00 pm. While Noah was playing with his ship in the bath, I snapped the shot below.

This photo requires some explanation. I took it because it documents growth--both literally and figuratively. It's embarrasing to admit it, but I've been a nail biter for years. I know, I know: Nail biting is a disgusting habit; I've tried to stop several times, but have never been able to go more than a few days without starting up again.

In late April, I decided I really wanted to kick the habit for good. I bought a bottle of Bite It and painted it on my nails. (I've included the Amazon link, but it's super expensive there, so you'd be better off buying it from your local drugstore instead. I bought it at CVS for $6.) Later that day, I made the mistake of accidentally biting one of my nails and I was thoroughly disgusted by the taste. Which is, of course, exactly what it's designed to do. 

When I snapped this photo on May 12, I had gone 14 days without biting my nails. That's a record, folks!

 

7:00 | We read two stories (Pirate Pete, followed by The Itty Bitty Kitty Rescue), and then we said a quick prayer and turn out the lights. Noah is asleep in just a few minutes and I tiptoe out of his room.

7:15 | I change into workout clothes, but because I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, I opt to walk on the treadmill instead of run. I watch the Top 20 Countdown from last Friday while I walk.  My FitBit vibrates halfway through letting me know that I've hit my daily goal of 10,000 steps. Smile.

7:45 | I head into my office, check my email, Facebook and Instagram, and then start writing a Father's Day gift guide for Improve Photography. I've found that when I write on my desktop computer, I MUST close up my email, so it doesn't distract me each time a new message comes in. Same with my iPhone.

8:30 | The alarm goes off on my iPhone, reminding me to feed the dogs and give Lucy her insulin. I send a few text messages while I'm waiting for Lucy to eat her food.  

9:00 | Talk to Brian on the phone. He went on a fire this morning and had a drill this afternoon. He sounds tired. 

9:15 | Back to my desk to continue writing my article.

10:00 | Upload photos from my big camera. Edit photos on my iPhone. Send the photos from my phone to my email account. 

10:30 | Head upstairs earlier than normal because I'm not feeling great. Best to get some extra rest. Take the dogs out one last time and gaze up at the stars. That's one thing I love about living in the country: there are so many stars visible in the night sky. It's pretty magical.

10:45 | Read for 15 minutes and then it's lights out.

All square photos were taken with my iPhone 5S and edited using PicTapGo.

All rectangular photos were taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.

 

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May Sketch Challenge

Brian and I just celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary, so when I was pondering what I wanted to scrapbook for Scrapbook Circle's May sketch challenge, I immediately thought of our weekend getaway in Graeagle.

Here are a few of my thoughts about our getaway, taken from a note I wrote on my iPhone, just after returning home.

It was a relaxing weekend where Brian and I read and talked and dined in several restaurants. Cuccia's, an Italian restaurant and wine bar in Graeagle was my favorite! In fact, I wanted to go back the second night we were there, but they were so busy, the earliest available reservation was at 7:30 pm. (It was 5:45 at the time and we were starving!)

When we ventured out of our hotel room--whether to go hiking or to dinner or to browse the shops--I was amazed at how quickly we were able to get ready. Fifteen minutes, tops!  (That NEVER happens when we're going somewhere with our 2-year-old son, Noah.)

Speaking of hiking, on one of our hikes we encountered large snow drifts, which took us by surprise! We were both wearing shorts and hiking shoes, but no snow boots.  Luckily, the snow had been walked over by previous hikers, leaving a trail of footprints to not only follow, but also help us make our way through the sometimes, deep snow.

The wind was fierce at times, blowing off my hat, bringing out goosebumps on my legs, and causing me to shove my hands deep into the pockets of my fleece jacket. But as we hiked farther and farther around the beautiful mountain lakes, the wind died down, the sun shone bright, and my body warmed up from hiking. 

My camera died toward the end of the hike, which made my heart sink. I was shooting with my Nikon D90, my backup camera, while my D700 was at Nikon being repaired. Turns out, it was just the battery. Phew! 


In addition to hiking, we explored the area by car (it was our first time there), driving through a few neighborhoods looking at vacation rentals. We got lost once--a total Apple Maps fail. We laughed, browsed a few shops in the quaint red buildings along main street in Graeagle, held hands, breathed in the refreshing mountain air, and devoured delicious ice cream (in cones) twice.

On one of the nights, we watched a really good movie called Philomena. Have you seen it yet? I definitely recommend it! I learned the hard way, though, that you probably don't want to watch it, if say, you're away from your child overnight for only the second time in two years (and missing him terribly) and you're an adoptive parent. Holy cow...the. tears. just. wouldn't. stop.


Now back to the scrapbook layout. All supplies are from Scrapbook Circle's May kit. Every month, I look forward to receiving that pizza box with all my goodies inside. The paper.  The stickers. The embellishments.  Even a few clear stamps. And it all coordinates! 

The photos on this layout were taken with my iPhone 5S and my Nikon D90. The image of Brian and me on the bottom left was taken with my phone; the other three with my big camera. I cropped all the photos to 2.5 x 2.5 in Photoshop and placed each one on a 4x6 canvas, so I could send them to be printed at Costco.

After cutting the photos out, I adhered them to white card stock to create the Polaroid look. Underneath the picture of Brian and me is a journaling tag, which easily slides out. On it, I wrote more details about our weekend together.  

Although Brian and I both missed Noah A TON (me more than him, I think, since he's used to being gone a lot), we agreed that it's important for "just us" to get away once in a while and spend some quality time together.

P.S. A big thanks to our parents for watching Noah and our house sitter, Ben, for taking care of the dogs, while we were away. 

Currently

Thinking fondly of our 10th wedding anniversary weekend in Graeagle where I snapped the above photo.

Creating a layout for Scrapbook Circle's May sketch using photos from said weekend.

Listening to B92.5--a new country station that plays 55 minutes of country music every hour. Yeehaw!

Reading The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor. The Kindle edition is only $1.99 here. I'm about halfway through it, and although it's a blend of fact and fiction, I'm really enjoying it. I've pretty much been obsessed with the Titanic since seeing the movie.  (Which, by the way, I saw in the theater, four times, I think. A record for me, for sure.)

Munching on this sea salt popcorn. (We bought a BIG bag of it at Costco.)
 
Watching Call the Midwife and Mr. Selfridge (when I'm running on the treadmill). 

Sneezing. A LOT.  And listening to Noah sneeze, too.  It appears that we both have seasonal allergies.

Taking iPhone pics of a gaggle of geese (including 14 goslings) at our local park.

Catching myself talking in the third person a lot, as in "Noah, Mommy wants you to ________" or "When you __________, Noah, Mommy got hurt."

Delighting in how excited Noah is to go camping tomorrow. Today, he kept saying, "Sleep in the trailer.  With mommy and daddy. Eat in the trailer. Bath in the trailer. "  He's pumped and so am I.

Drafting a summer 2014 list. (Blog post to come.)

Loving how my husband, son, and parents spoiled me on Mother's Day.

Hoping you have a happy day!

Five Favorite Things

 As we say goodbye to May, I want to share my {five} favorite things.  

1. Favorite App: PicTapGo | An awesome photography editing application available for $1.99.

2.  Favorite Dessert: Reese's Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats | It's like a party in your mouth!

3. Favorite Country Song: Hey Pretty Girl by Kip Moore | Such a sweet tune.

4. Favorite Blog:  Photojojo | If you love photography, you'll adore this blog. 

5. Favorite Drink Mix: Crystal Light Peach Tea packets | Yum.

Your turn: What are your {five} favorite things?

Five Favorite Things

Hello there!

This week, Brian is working two overtime shifts, so I am spending lots of time with the baby, grocery shopping, cleaning the house, reading, and doing some writing for my class.  

I'm also in the midst of writing a blog post about traveling with a baby, but today I just want to share my five {favorite} things.  Here they are:

1) This cookbook is awesome!  So far, I've made four dishes, and they've all been super duper delicious.  The copy I'm currently using belongs to our local library, but I hope to have my very own book soon.  

2) I'm loving my herbs and plant markers!  In mid-April, I planted basil, cilantro and oregano in our yard.  While the oregano never materialized, the basil and cilantro (pictured above) are growing strong.  After seeing these Etsy plant markers, I decided to make my own using twigs from our yard, alphabet stamps from Studio G, and Stampin' Up! stamp pads.  The ink color is already fading, though, so if I make a future set for our vegetable garden, I'll be sure to heat set the ink before placing the markers outside.

3) This target is one of my favorite things, too.  I know some of you might be thinking, What in the world?!  You shot a gun?!  Why, yes.  Yes, I did.  Let me explain: Recently, I took a basic pistol course to learn how to safely shoot a handgun.  During the 8-hour course, I learned a ton about revolvers and semi-automatic weapons, and then shot a .22 at an indoor range, along with five other women.  Was I nervous initially?  Heck yes I was!  Did I enjoy it?  Heck yes I did!  The best part: I didn't shoot myself or anyone else.  And my target doesn't look half-bad, considering it was my first time shooting a handgun.  Just call me Calamity Jennie. :-) 

4) Now that Noah is sleeping in his own room, I can again read in bed before nodding off to sleep.  Right now, I'm reading Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and Growing Up Amish. 

5) I've saved the best for last: Noah's leg rolls.  Aren't they just the cutest?!  I absolutely adore our chubby baby boy!

What are your five {favorite} things right now?

J

One Little Word Update

Now that it's 2012, I thought it would be fun to share the second half of my 2011 One Little Word album.  Back in April, I wrote this post about the first half of my album.  As you may remember, my One Little Word for 2011 was FAITH.

In MAY, I documented five actions or goals I was currently working toward or hoped to tackle in the near future.

  

In JUNE, I decided to forgo Ali Edward's assignment and photocopied an article from the book, You Can Adopt.  The piece, written by an adoptive father, really resonated with me and I knew this album would be the perfect place to keep it.   

In JULY, per the prompt, I searched for song lyrics that discussed faith, hope, love or strength.  Ultimately, I chose songs that spoke to me, that encouraged me, that inspired me. 

In AUGUST, I snapped a picture of myself, and then added two paper strips and some writing around the edge using a Sharpie marker.

In SEPTEMBER, I placed this Real Simple magazine article, The Miracle of Faith, in my album.

In OCTOBER, I searched through my recent photographs and selected 10 pictures that I felt represented faith.  Faith in the adoption process, faith in the institution of marriage, faith in the power of scrapbooking, faith in friendship, faith in my students.  

In NOVEMBER, I completed the following prompts: I know, I am, I believe, I love, I am thankful for, This word, and I learned.

I also included a quote I found on Pinterest: "Let your FAITH be bigger than your fear."

In DECEMBER, I spent time reflecting on my faith and writing down some facts and feelings about my One Little Word.     

As I say goodbye to my word this year I want to remember:  

How much I enjoyed this class.  It was such a great experience: The writing, the photography, the reading, the reflecting, the art.  It all helped me to become more faithful. And even though I have chosen a new word for 2012--JOY--my faith necklace will continue to serve as a reminder to have faith in myself, faith in others, and faith in God. 

  

Want to join Ali Edwards for the 2012 One Little Word class?  Click here.   

J