Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Pumpkin Baby

Our local fire department sells pumpkins every year, so we opted for the parking lot photo op instead of the pumpkin patch :)


My friend Kim commented that she looks like a 'grumpy granny' - hahaha
New use for the brace?


My snuggly baby

Monday, October 29, 2012

House Hate

Ever have that feeling where you hate everything in your house?  I'm having that feeling these days. I wish I could just get rid of it all, make the walls white again, and start from scratch with no preconceived notions. 

Our house feels closed off and dysfunctional. Nothing seems to have a place and it seems perpetually dirty. It feels monotone and impersonal.  I can't seem to think outside of the "usual."  

Perhaps because I spend so much time here these days or perhaps it is the new-found presence of baby gear - bouncy seats and burp clothes and bibs that are ever-present. Perhaps it's the lack of money available to do projects or buy new furniture and the lack of energy to do free fix ups. It feels heavy.

----------------------------

So now that that is off my chest - what are you going to do about it, Claire? (Third person is required for self motivation blog posts). For starters, you need to stop the self pity. If you don't like it, do something about it.

So here's my plan:


  • Make a cleaning plan - for real this time:  I've talked about doing this for forever, but it's never happened.  I totally have cleaning ADD - I will start in one room and then end up in another.  The result is many unfinished tasks and general chaos.  I need a list to go by and stick to.  I want to do a one-room-per-day type of plan - bathrooms on Monday, kitchen on Tuesday, etc, but I also need a "do daily" list.  We are bad about doing dishes right away, and I can never seem to put laundry away in a timely fashion.  This kind of laziness allows simple cleaning to become overwhelming.  Also, things like dusting and mopping get done too infrequently. 
I vow to make this plan and print it on fancy paper in a fancy font and post it so I will actually do it...
  • Make a project list:  I feel like I never do any house projects any more - partly from practicality (time, money, energy) and partly from laziness.  There are many things I want done - so I'm going to make a list of all the projects I'd like to do - big and small.  If I have a moment, I can peruse the list and take action.  For the big projects, Tony and I can choose one together to save up for or tackle slowly.
  • Think creatively:  Maybe it will require literally taking everything off the shelves and off the walls in order to rethink and change perspective.  So be it.  A simple and free change up could go a long way.
  • Get organized!: I have to say, that our closets and home in general are fairly organized, especially after I did a crazy pregnant nesting clean out a few months ago.  But I still feel like a lot of our house clutter is due to items not having a functional place to go.  I want to tackle each room and get it truly organized.
I'll share my progress as I go.  It starts today.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Beach: 2012 Edition


Tony recently commented that 90% of the internet is now pictures of Harper.  I am somewhat embarrassed...  but ya know, not enough to stop posting endless pictures of her cuteness.  I honestly have to resist the urge to take pictures of her all day long.  And yes, I know, I'm the only parent in the world who has ever felt this way.... 

On that note:  Harper pictures!  At the beach!  Being adorable!


We went on our annual trip to Anna Maria Island, FL this past week.  We usually go in July, but considering I was gigantically pregnant then, we pushed the trip back to October.  The water was slightly chilly, but it was still like 90* outside, so we couldn't complain.  It was certainly different being there with a baby - I spent a lot more time feeding/pumping/washing bottles (or any combination thereof) than I have in years past (strange!), but we did get in some quality time walking on the beach with the stroller, lounging, and frolicking in the ocean.  Harper even took a few dips during free piggy time.  Fun was had by all!

She continued to frown, but seemed to like it

Lyla was super cute - it made me excited for next year when Harper will be toddling around





Mean mugging, like always



Matching cousins - ha!



bahahahaha


The whole gang

The pacifier is not cute - but otherwise we were facing a meltdown! 
Oh yeah, I'm just chilling - in my bathing suit and hat.  What of it?
Um... a little sand never hurt a two month old, right?


It had to be done



 


Monday, October 22, 2012

A Southern Wedding


This past weekend, one of my good friends got married.  I got to be in the wedding, and it was fun watching her ideas come together on a beautifully crisp fall day in Athens, Georgia. 

Josie was one of my college roommates at UGA - along with Kirsty and Gina.  I know I have talked about them many times on here before.  

Freshman year, I was assigned as a random roommate with Kirsty; Gina and Josie were randomly assigned together as well.  We all ended up on the same hall in the dingy-yet-lovable Creswell Hall, where the walls were cinder block and the rest was some form of magnetic.  Luckily, I loved Kirsty right away - especially since we were sharing a sardine can.  Also luckily, we became friends with Josie and Gina, with whom we often shared a slowpoke elevator, shoes-required community showers, and a narrow hall where sounds of their laughter carried easily down to our room.  We went on to live together for the rest of our college years, and I am so glad we have all remained such close friends.

Josie and Brian live in and got married in our college town, so it was fun to come back and reminisce on such a happy occasion.

Isn't she lovely??


Such a wonderful day!

The hair's a bit poofy...


Harper is not amused.



She got chilly.


It's so funny to look back at all of us through the years at each others' weddings.  We were so little!!  How has it been nearly a decade since we first met??  And my, how our cameras have improved!

At Kirsty's wedding

At Gina's shower



At our wedding
And Josie's

 :)



Friday, October 12, 2012

Reset

Oh, my poor, poor blog.  So neglected.

Not that you lovely readers would notice anyway, since it's practically crickets around here, but I'm taking my annual technology break this upcoming week.  I like to do this at least once a year to reset - especially when I feel like I've become extra addicted to checking my phone or sitting down at the computer.  Especially when it feels like there's been more screen time than face time.  It's so nice to take a break - not caring about status updates or instagram photos.  Sure, there's much happiness to be found in these, but sometimes, it's refreshing to hit reset.  Metaphorically, that is.  :)


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Wedding Travels

Last weekend, we took our first trip back to my hometown with Harper.  My family was quite excited to see her again (and us, I suppose...probably not...) and many of my friends were able to meet her for the first time.  It was a pain to travel with all of her gear, but she was such a trooper (as always).  

Look how grown up Lyla is!!





I love this one - ha!



Most excitingly, my friend Justina got married!  The wedding was a beautiful blend of American and Indian traditions, set in the most gorgeous location in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.  There were some tears, some dancing, and lots of eating.  I just love weddings.

My parents, looking adorable.






Friends!

Her bridesmaids




Love these girls:


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