"k" is for KALEB

Kaleb: the most handsome, sweetest, craziest boy I know (my definition)

We had Kaleb's parent-teacher conference today and, of course,

Kaleb is doing FANTASTIC in school. He is so

smart and is in the enrichment program in school, which proves

how smart he really is. 

Also, the teacher told us that Kaleb is so grown-up

for his age. As a mom, I am over the moon proud, but at the

same time, sad. He is growing up so fast and there is NOTHING that 

I can do to stop it! I was feelin a little sentimental when I got home

and decided to do a special tribute to Kaleb.

On the way to the hospital

1st Thanksgiving (2 months old)

Having fun with Auntie Amber

right after eating a lemon

At the lake with dad

at a baseball game 2009

best big brother in the world

We LOVE you Kaleb Hunter Blessing!

 

~~~

"j" is for JAPAN

Japan: a country of Asia

I wasn't sure what do do for the letter "j", 

until I read Amber's (my sis) blog. 

My heart goes out to the victim's of this devastating

situation. I cannot imagine what anyone over there 

is going through. 

According to a website that I follow, the death toll 

is near 13,000 and rising.

My sister found a unique way to help the victims, hop

on over to her blog and check it out! Or go here and

make a donation directly to the American Red Cross.

Please keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers!

~~~

"i" is for INSPIRATION

Inspiration: an agency (i.e. a person or work of art), that moves the intellect

or emotions or prompts action or invention

While Kaleb was at school and Adelynn was taking her afternoon nap, I was sitting on the couch and began reflecting on my life. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE my life, but have been struggling for awhile. I do not know what has been wrong with me, but I cannot seem to get it together. You would think that after getting married and  having kids, I would feel a strong sense of fulfillment, but that feeling has never overcome me. There are so many things that I want to change, but am doing nothing to make it happen.

I want to lose weight...but have NO motivation to do so. I have struggled with this since I had Kaleb...so for a total of 6 years. Whenever I complain to Mike, he just tells me "then do something about it". When he tells me that, I get so irritated - but he is right...if you do not like something about yourself - then you should do something about it instead of complaining! WELL.....I am going to do something about it! (Thank you honey for putting up with all of my complaints)

A big part of my struggle is not knowing who I am outside of being a wife and mother. I seemed to have lost sight of that. In the car tonight, Kaleb asked what I did for work and I said that my job is taking care of him and Adelynn. You know what he said to me? He said: "MoM, you really need to get a hobby"! My eyes got a little moist when he said that because it is SO true. There is 1 hobby that I have kinda started, but haven't given it my all, because of being afraid to fail. BUT....no more!!! (Tara - get ready to make some REAL progress) I will fill you all in at a later date!

A "light bulb" went off in my head today on the couch. If I want to be happy and feel good about myself and my life...then I need to make it happen!!! I am sooo excited to make some changes in my life and cannot wait to see how much better life becomes. Sharing this new journey with all of you makes it that much better! 

 Today's post is about inspiration. Here is my inspiration: 

What/Who inspires you???

~~~

"h" is for HORSE & HULK

Horse & Hulk: adelynn's new favorite toys (my definition)

When Kaleb was a baby, we bought him a little rocking horse.
I knew that we would have more kids, so we saved it.
Now, Adelynn has the little rocking horse!
She LOVES it!

Kaleb decided that he wanted to donate his Hulk
action figure...but Adelynn had other ideas. : )
She wanted it!
She carries it EVERYWHERE...

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

~~~

"g" is for GROCERIES

Groceries: commodities sold by a grocer

I went grocery shopping tonight with Adelynn...

it usually isn't too bad bringing her, but tonight was a different story.

She kept trying to eat the grapes and get to the bananas that I had in 

the cart...and when she couldn't get them, she got my purse.

At least I didn't lose anything - so that is a positive! 

This might sound silly - but I love the feeling of having a

 full freezer, refrigerator and pantry. I usually do 2 big grocery 

trips a month (1 @ Costco and 1 @ Fred Meyer). 

Tonight was my big Fred Meyer trip...after tonight,

grocery shopping will be my "alone" time! : )

my full freezer/fridge

my full and organized pantry

To try and salvage a bad trip to the grocery store with Adelynn, 

I cruised through the Eater aisles in search of Cadbury Eggs...

but of course, they only had the mini ones (not the same)

So, all-in-all, this was not a good grocery shopping trip.

Maybe next time?!

~~~

"f" is for FIFTEEN

 Fifteen: how old Adelynn is in months (this is my definition)

Adelynn had her 15 month check-up yesterday!!!Time has been

going WAY toooo fast. It feels like just yesterday I was bringing

her home from the hospital.

Here are her measurements:

-Head Circumference: 47 cm (80th percentile)

-Weight: 23lbs 5.5oz (55th percentile)

-Height: 31.5 inches (80th percentile)

Adelynn is growing right before my eyes, it seems as 

though she learns something new everyday! She is such a climber- 

she can almost climb onto the couch by herself. She has been 

practicing walking backwards, which is a hoot! You would think

that after running into several things - she would look behind her - but nope.

This age is SO much fun - I love watching her learn and become

more and more independent. However, time goes by WAY to fast -

sometimes I wish it would slow down...just a little!

The day we brought her home from the hospital

My 15 month old

~~~

"e" is for EXCITEMENT

Excitement: a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness

My mom called me today and told me that she had just

got the tickets for the kids and I to come visit this summer!!!

We will be leaving on June 11 @ 6:45 a.m. (yes - that is A.M.)

and we get home on July 4 @ 4:20 p.m.

I do not know what Mike will do without us for so long...

I am sure he will figure something out...

Anyway...I am super excited to go see my family!!! 

I will be counting down the days.

~~~

all about handwriting

Amanda tagged me in her post about handwriting, so I decided

to participate! What a good sport. lol

Here it is:

Even if you haven't been tagged but you want to play along, here are the questions:

1. your name & your blog name.

2. your blog url.

3. write: "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog!"

4. your favorite quote.

5. your favorite song.

6. favorite musical artist/band.

7. say something... anything.

8. tag three other people to do this.

 

~~~

"d" is for DOGS

Well...so much for posting twice yesterday.  We were out until late again and after we put the kids to bed, Mike and I decided to watch a movie.   So - new plan: I will do "d" and a special post that Amanda tagged me in today.  Tomorrow, I will do "e" and "f" - then I will be caught up! :)

Dog: a domesticated carnivorous mammal related to the foxes/wolves and 

raised in a wide variety of breeds

We have 2 dogs, Kaya and Cinnamon, who are chocolate labs and sisters. 

They were born on December 24,2006 and we got them in March 2007.

So, we have had them since they were about 12 weeks old. I do not know

what we were thinking getting 2 puppies when we were both in school 

and when Kaleb was just 2...we were CRAZY.

I love dogs, but sometimes they can be the BIGGEST pain in the butt!

There have been times when I have tried to get rid of one/both of our dogs...

but, in reality, I could never really get rid of them.

Dogs can teach kids responsibility, which is exactly what we are going

to take advantage of. Kaleb is responsible for feeding the dogs, 

both morning and night. When he complains about his "job",

I tell him that we could sell the dogs (mean, huh?), but he LOVES 

the dogs...so I know how the situation will ultimately end...with Kaleb

feeding the dogs. 

They are a part of our family - and boy do they

have it GREAT with us. They are spoiled dogs...

-kaya as a puppy-

-cinnamon as a pup-

-passed out-

-kaya today-

-cinnamon today-

~~~

"c" is for CLOTHES

*Sorry about not posting last night, but I got home late and by the time I had the kids to bed...I was done and went to bed also. So - I will be posting "c" and "d" today and then "e" and a special post that Amanda tagged me in tomorrow.*

Clothes: garments for the body; articles of dress; wearing apparel

We went to Old Navy last night and did some shopping. Mike needed

some work clothes and he wanted them from Old Navy.

While he was trying on some clothes, I went and looked in the

kids' section...BIG MISTAKE!

I ended up getting stuff for both Kaleb and Adelynn. 

I LOVE Old Navy - although, I was disappointed in the big boys section.
 If anyone loves Old Navy like I do, they are having a great sale. 

-Mike's new work clothes-

-Kaleb's new shorts-

-Adelynn's new clothes-

I didn't even walk through the women's section...since I am
trying to lose weight, I am holding off on buying any new clothes.
When I lose weight (13lbs), I will reward myself with some new clothes!

~~~

"b" is for BLOGGING

Blogging: to write entries in, add material to, or maintain a weblog

To me, blogging is my "escape" from everything. I want this blog to be an outlet to let my thoughts flow freely and without worry. This is a place where I can share my life and maybe help someone along the way. Granted it is a short "escape", it also gives me time to reflect on my day - maybe rewrite it a bit??? I mean, who would ever know? I would.

As I write type this, Kaleb just came out of his room and gave me another good-night hug! : )  He can really be sweet when he wants to. 

Anyways, I look at my blog as my outlet. A way to share my story, wherever it may lead and whatever it may be.

What does your blog mean/do for you/your life???

"a" is for AUTHENTICITY

I am going to change it up a bit. I will start at "a" and end with "z". I will have a new post everyday for the next 26 days. Also - I am going to start being completely honest in everything I write. I will share the good, the bad and the ugly about parenting and/or my life. I will also share regrets, hopes and dreams for me and my family.

***NOTE:  I LOVE MY HUSBAND. I LOVE MY KIDS. I LOVE MY DOGS. THEY ARE MY LIFE AND I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR THEM. ALTHOUGH I MAY SAY THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE YOU DOUBT IT - PLEASE REMEMBER THE ABOVE STATEMENTS!!! 
 

Authentic: genuine and original, as opposed to being a fake or reproduction.

Being authentic is, in my opinion, one of the greatest qualities a person can have. 

I hope that Kaleb and Adelynn grow up to be THEIR own person, not followers. 

There are several things that I read that reiterates how very important it is to 

let your children express themselves (with obvious limits). 

If your interested check this article, I came across

it when i was trying to learn new/better ways to parent. 

This has been a recent goal of mine and I intend to do everything I can 

to help/teach my children to ALWAYS be their authentic self. This can also

apply to a family unit - which is just as important. 

our family

~~~