our little almanac. {Oakden Fam}

Happy 1st Birthday, Evelyn Rae!

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:21:00 +0000

Mother. I can't believe I have had that glorious title for one whole year today. That six letter word has forever changed every fiber of my being. When I held Evelyn for the first time, a surge of love deeper than anything I can describe penetrated my veins and burst through my heart. Looking at this tiny soul, I understood completely for the first time the supreme gift and unbelievable power that is harnessed inside us women to bear children. It felt divine. I was never more sure that there was a God than at that moment. And God has continued to manifest himself through her as I watch her grow. Nothing could be this perfect and feel so innately right unless it was heaven sent.

Evelyn, your birth day will always be my greatest gift. You are the gift that keeps on giving. You have completely changed everything about me - the way I view the world, the way I understand life, my ability to love deeper and stronger without bounds, my excitement for learning, the magnitude of your father and I's relationship, the time I get up in the morning and how I manage my day, how excited I get when I see a dog because I am anticipating your joy when you see that furball - you have changed EVERYTHING about me. And I love you all the more for it.

One year ago today you came in to this world completely dependent on me for life. I could cradle all 7 lbs 8 oz of you in my arms and you would sleep peacefully. Now you are walking, eating kiwi and throwing green beans on the floor, splashing in the tub, sucking on my headphones, tearing apart my wallet, squealing for your giraffe, "reading" books, and addicted to water. While times have definitely gotten more challenging as you've grown older, it has equally become more fun and engaging.

It's been one lovely year, my dear. My heart hurts on one side because you are no longer a baby, but the other half flutters in excitement to see you come into your own.

Happy 1st Birthday, Evelyn Rae!

Your daddy and I love you eternally.

You can watch Evelyn's birth day video here.

Evelyn tells a story

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

The other day when we were waiting in the parking lot to pick Jared up from the metro, Evelyn gave me my very own story time. Dr. Seuss has never brought such a smile to my face :)

I love how when I ask her if the story is done, she gathers her thoughts after being swept away in a daydream and looks at the book as if to say "ah yes, where was I..."

*** if you are wondering if I video everything Evelyn does, then the answer is yes. I have to restrain myself from posting about 5 videos a day.

two things that have never happened before happened

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:40:00 +0000

thing #1. If I did believe in such a thing as reincarnation, I would take a wager that I was a dog in a previous life. I have such a keen sense of smell. I can pick up on an-e-thang. Sunday morning I was up with Evelyn when I walked by the kitchen and smelt smoke. It was pretty strong and caused me to panic. I thought maybe I had left a candle burning all night or something. After surveying our apartment and not finding a source, I laid back down on the couch to cuddle with Evy Rae. Then massive sirens went off throughout the whole courtyard of our complex. I leaped up off the couch, galloped down the hallway screaming " I knew it! I KNEW it! There's a fire!" I was so proud of myself for detecting such a threat before the smoke detectors even went off but then I realized "hey, you've never been in a fire evacuation before. Your teacher isn't leading you to your class' spot on the blacktop. what do we do?" So we kinda took our time. I mean, we were rushed, but I definitely took the time to pack Ev some snacks and a bottle because we had no clue when we were going to get back in. Ev loved the excitement. It's a good thing that while we were waiting out on the snow covered ground that all the dogs were out as well. That girl gets overly enthusiastic when she sees a furry creature. I'm sure Jared was just as thrilled to claim me in public as his wife whilst in my evacuation gear - dress boots + pajama pants + sweatshirt + peacoat + make-up less and craz-ay hair = one smokin' wife. Hello, first fire evacuation. I'd like for that never to happen again. {Note: fire not in our apt, but 3 doors down}

thing #2. So I thought that once January hit I would be ignited by the spark of new year resolutions to be better and quit my addiction, to sweets that is. I am a treat-a-holic. I grew up with ice cream every night before bed with a galore of toppings. I kinda carried that on through college but once Jared and I married and I started working for a nutritionist I actually kicked all that stuff aside. I was totally 100% on the healthy train. Then we moved to Virginia and I discovered that I could indeed make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world, so there they have nestled in to my tummy about three times a week. That's in between donut and cupcake runs :) So when this Sunday rolled around and I realized I needed an intervention, I joined my friend's healthy 12 week challenge. For the first time I will be restricting myself to sweets only on Sundays. Bah! Good thing I stuffed my face sick with 3 cupcakes and warm cookies from Friday-Sunday. Thinking about sugar right now makes me gag. And drinking 64 oz of water a day is a lot harder than you might think.

p.s. if you've seen this floating around pinterest, my friend and I decided to try it this weekend. Frosting a cupcake is a lot harder than it looks. It's a true art.

Featured Post: The Shine Project + Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Charity is not one of my strong points, folks. That's not to say that I'm not kind, supportive, and attentive to the needs of others but I think I lack the COURAGE to go outside my comfort zone and do service for those who need it most. For that reason, I so admire those who are brave enough to reach out and make a difference in this world. Ashley is one of those brave ones.

Have you heard about the The Shine Project? Ashley is the leader behind this endeavor, focusing on motivating people to do hard things, accomplish their dreams and spread light to those around them through service. I was so inspired after watching her project in action here. I couldn't believe someone so young and beautiful could be just as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. She truly shines.

This year Ashley is taking The Shine Project on the road, stopping in many cities around the West like San Diego, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and even my old hometown Los Angeles to promote community service and inspire people to be the change. Her first stop is February 25th, where she is teaming up with blogger Casey Leigh in Dallas. How exciting!

Ashley also sells SHINE shirts and necklaces, and proceeds benefit the shine scholarship project which raises scholarship money for inner city high school students. I know, this girl is simply amazing!

Today Ashley is giving away one of these BEAUTIFUL necklaces to a lucky reader.

Entry opens today and closes Friday, January 27th.

To enter, please visit Ashley's blog and leave a comment below about how you are going to shine this week. Good luck!

Funny Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Miss Evelyn is one funny gal. She has sooo many -isms that leave Jared and I saying "that is SO Ev." One of those -isms is her inability to eat her meals in silence. She is the loudest eater. EVER. This was rather embarrassing when she was younger and I would nurse her in public. Have you tried having a conversation with someone when there's a loud baby chugging happily away on you? Sorry, tmi, but it made for some awkward circumstances. To say the least, this lovely little lady of mine is still a grunty eater.

Her insistence on voicing her pleasure {or in most cases displeasure} over her food reminded me of this lovely film. Oh how I wish could invite Bob over to my house and have him sing accolades of my meals!

"Ahoy! I sail! I'm a sailor! I SAIL!"

Let's all take Dr. Leo Marvin's advice and take a vacation from our problems this weekend!

Happy Friday!

you are my sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:38:00 +0000

I love winter time for all that it brings - snow, coziness, twisty naked branches, brisk air. But one thing I wish winter had more of was sunshine. Although it might not brighten the temperature outside, it atleast brightens my mood. So last week when some rays decided to burst through Evelyn's room window I grabbed my camera to hopefully capture the warmth.

I heard this quote a while back:

"You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in."

It pretty much echoes what my grandma said to me on the phone the other day - that you have to have the downs in life so that you can know and better appreciate when you are on the up and up. I am grateful for those in my life who are my sunshine when skies are gray.

spontaneous donut date

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:36:00 +0000

When you add the word "spontaneous" to anything it automatically adds a bit of fun flare to whatever you're about to say next. It implies that you are confident, a risk-taker, and most importantly a big ball of fun. So yesterday when we were out and about doing errands we just happened to be in the same shopping center as this grocery store that makes the most AMAZING colossal donuts for only 57 cents, yo! Here's how the spontaneous date ensued:

Me: Soo... I think a sprinkled donut sounds mighty tasty right about now.
Jared: You ready to hop out?
Me: You kidding? I'm always ready! [action: quickly unharnessed my seatbelt, rolled out of the moving car, tucked between oncoming traffic, jumped over the curb and bolted full speed for the bakery! Or maybe I just unbuckled my seat belt, casually walked across the street and stood infront of the automatic door that read "EXIT" and wondered frustratedly why the door wasn't opening until a man kindly pointed out to me that I could be admitted in through the "ENTER" door.]

However it went down, I courageously went into that grocery store, took what was rightfully ours and presented Jared with his chocolate frosted sprinkle adorned donut. {Notice Evelyn giving us the one evil eye, glaring at us in envy}

And the girl who cried "I don't have a donut! You just gave me hand santizier to play with!"

I hope we have more impromptu dessert dates coming up shortly :)

3 cheers for 4 years!

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Jared brought up this past weekend that January 9th has come and gone. While for most of you this is just another day, for the two of us it is monumental. 4 years ago on January 9th Jared returned home from serving a two year church mission in Mexico. That same day I began my journey living 4 months abroad in London. I don't think either of us could have fathomed at the time how much these two countries would influence us then and now.

There is nothing like traveling outside your comfort zone. You find a person inside of you that you didn't know existed; this person that yearns for a deeper understanding of humanity, or in my case maybe just tall men with british accents {good thing Jared can spew out a good tally-ho and cheers every now and then}. I also found that my love for gelato at Harrod's and a good starbar could puff out my cheeks real quick, but the weight gain was all worth it to experience that country at it's finest. And atleast I pretended to work it all off during runs in Hyde Park.

oh, and here's this tan stud of a missionary

We'll be back, Mexico and UK! Just you wait!

Funny Friday- Modern Family Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:39:00 +0000

I can't think of a more charming show than Modern Family. It bundles everything in to one - comedy, life lessons, positivity and always ends with the importance of family. And it's all so believable that you want to jump through the screen and squeeze each one of them because they are so endearing. Seriously the best show in TV history in my opinion - well, maybe second to "Boy Meets World."
Happy Friday!
Now go watch all 3 seasons!

Have you tried cooking dinner while someone is tugging your leg and screaming their head off?

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

No, you haven't? Let me tell you it makes for one heck of a ~~party~~ headache. For the most part, this motherhood thing is pretty dandy. And "the most part" is 99% of the time {ok may be slightly less. let's go with 98%}. But man alive, these past three days Evelyn has been in tantrum mode, SEVERELY. That makes it very difficult to accomplish anything, in particular cooking dinner for a husband who has been at work all day and would probably appreciate a nice warm meal when he gets home.

Yesterday we decided that maybe she needed to get out and stretch her legs. So we went to Costco for lunch, of course, and headed to the mall where we let our child risk her life by exposing her to thousands of germs in that playpen thing. It was worth it so she could do this:

SHE'S A BIG GIRL NOW!

But not big enough for that play place rudeness. Some little boy full on pushed Ev down and I was NOT having that. Mean kids.

See walking part 1 here.

Kendra the Explorer

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

I have always had a passion for absorbing my surroundings. I think this started way back when I was two years old and my parents took me to Monticello. There was a changing of the guard and I guess I wanted to get a better view, so I stuck my head between two bars. Well, as my parents tell the tale, my head was so big it got stuck and they had to get security to cut the iron bars to free my noggin. That's how much of an adventurer I am! Gotta get in on the action. Every city I have lived in I have tried to take advantage of all the place has to offer. Even my small hometown of Clovis, Ca has quirks that no other place in the world has. So you can imagine how giddy my adventurist soul got when we found out we would be moving to DC - the home of National Treasure!

Lucky for me, my friend Julianne works in the Capitol. Evelyn and I had a double mommy/daughter date with two of our friends and Julianne gave us a private tour. It was stunning! Being a history major, this building was eye candy for me.

I love it when you start to feel like you "own" a city because you have explored the nooks and crannies, ya know what I mean?

What's your favorite thing about your hometown?

a hidden treasure

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:36:00 +0000

I hardly ever use my point and shoot camera any more. Like, Nuh-Ever. So on Saturday when I pulled it out to take some quick snappies of our junk to sell on Craigslist I was so surprised when I saw some photos of our last week in Santa Monica before we moved back in July. It was like opening a treasure chest! It's great how the things in life aren't things but people and places and the memories you make with them, right? And it's so fantastic that those memories can be captured by film {or now a days pixels} for the heart to reminisce with. When I get to heaven I am going to walk straight up to that camera inventor man and give him a big hug, supposing he made it to heaven and all {... or supposing I do...}

FYI - last year at this time I was on maternity leave and me and my pregnant belly laid out at the beach every day until I was induced. That made for some mean green fightin machine tan lines, my friends, IN JANUARY!! I disagree with you, Dorothy - there's no place like Los Angeles!

Funny Friday is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000

You know, I like to laugh. A LOT. There are so many things out there in this world that are so darn hilarious and I think that's what I like most about YouTube. Just the random funny things out there. Last week Jared and I spent an hour - AN HOUR - watching news bloopers. They got so good that we both had tears rolling down our cheeks and cramps in our abdomen. You know the feeling, right? It's the best in the world! They say that "laughter is the best medicine" and so I thought I'd try and cure the world every Friday for the year of 2012 by ending the week with a comedic spectacle of some sort. Just anything that might cause you to break out in a smile and chuckle a bit. Capiche?

So as I was thinking about funny friday, two thoughts collided and this revolutionary idea was born. So we all know I love Ellen, right? I should say so and I think a good majority of you do too! Well, I would totally give anything to be there for her 12 Days of Giveaways come Christmas. When I saw what the Letter 4 sisters did to get on the Martha Stewart show that gave me an idea. The first Friday of every month I will post my favorite Ellen clip. Then come October I'll send it in to her crew and they'll totally judge me as her most supreme fan and give me tickets to the giveaway days in December!! I'm a dreamer, what can I say? Regardless of how improbable my plot is, I'm going to post a video of hers anyway today. This was brought to my attention by Bridget. I don't know how I had never seen this before! Ellen and Dennis at their finest.

Happy Friday!
May all your wildest weekend plans come true!

it's finally happened!

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:05:00 +0000

The other night Jared was taking a shower and I was on the computer. It was awfully quiet and I noticed that there wasn't any stirring around me so I turned to find Ev. There she was, sitting down the dark hallway facing the bathroom door. Her fingers were in her mouth and she was patiently waiting for dad to come out. I yelled to Jared to open the door because it was too darn cute. From where I was sitting I heard the creak of a door, saw a burst of light fill the hallway and a smile appear on a little girl's face. She lion leaped to dad and giddily laughed as they wrestled.

I knew there had to be truth to the statement "she's a daddy's girl" but for the past 10 months Ev's been more team Mom. That's not to say that she and Jared didn't get along, of course they did! But the past month there has been an evolution in their relationship that I can't get enough of. She lunges out of my arms for dad now, will stand begging at his feet rather than mine. They have their own games, even! It adds a whole new dimension and enlarges the appreciation I have for the two of them, if that is even possible. On Monday Jared came home from work and said he thought about Evelyn all day and how marvelous she is. Aren't they cute together?! I am so anxious to see them grow in the years to come. Jared wears fatherhood very well. It makes him all the more charming.

my new year ambitions + surprise giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:14:00 +0000

That image above? Yes, those are handmade dolls by moi. I'll get back to them in a sec but I just want to keep you in suspense for a bit while I drag you through my insignificant fun goals for 2012! I know, I'm a sly one.

1. Take more bathes. Hold up, hold up. This doesn't mean I don't wash myself regularly! I take a shower every day. But I never ever take a bath. It seems grimy to me. And although I still can't shake that thought, I also can't resist this aromatherapy bath gel a friend gave me for Christmas that makes me feel all Marilyn Monroe-esque when I dip in the bubbles. Sexy and soothing in one bundle? yes, this mama will take it!

2. Leave Evelyn with a babysitter. Still unsure about that one. My heart is weak when it comes to this and I don't know why. She always goes down at 7pm and 99% of the time stays down but I'm afraid there will be some freak time where she wakes up screaming with the sitter, she cries and cries all the while I'm tucked away in a movie theatre, I see my phone ring and it's our babysitter, I tell Jared I want to leave immediately, he might get a bit flustered, there will be terrible traffic on the way home, I'll cry, our once nice sitter will be at the end of her whits when we get home and we'll never leave the home again. I have a psycho brain.

3. Wear lipstick. First off, I am no make-up person. I don't own foundation. Anything beyond blush, mascara and eyeliner are beyond me. I buy NYC, Wet'nWild and if i'm feeling like a superstar maybe Almay. It's not that I wouldn't like to doll myself up more but I'm too thrifty to indulge myself in that department. Also, I'm 25 - shouldn't I know how to do makeup already? Confession - I don't. So it's my goal to go to Sephora and get did up and buy one thing. And I want that thing to be lipstick. I don't think red is my thing so maybe a darker maroon.

4. Stop nailbiting. Uh, this was totally on my list for last year and I did it!.... for about 3 months. This is such an ugly habit and I shouldn't be a quarter-of-a-century-old-mom and still doing it. Gotta kick it.

5. Grow my etsy shop, I think. I'm on the fence with this to be honest. While I like what's in my shop, there's this insurmountable pressure inside of me that makes me hesitant about spreading it's news. I feel like when someone pays for something that I made it has to be prestine, top quality. And while I try my best to make it look immaculate, the truth is that sometimes you will see the glue and threads might show. So I'm afraid of my working appearing as, well, shoddy, when in fact I worked hours on it.

But I think I still like doing it when it is all said and done. That's why I graced my shop with the presence of something new yesterday. Remember that doll I made for Evelyn for Christmas? Well, here's a New Year surprise. This week you could WIN one over HERE! Make sure to visit Bridget, she's a doll herself. You'll love her! Good luck!

on the eve of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:06:00 +0000

Boy, I'll tell ya something. Celebrating New Years at 7pm with an 11 month old is better than any layered bean dip, buffalo wings, overdosage of sugar, belly bloated midnight shenanigans combined. When we were at the store earlier on Saturday and walked by some blow horns we picked them up on a whim, totally anticipating that Evelyn would not want any part of annoying loud noises. But we stood corrected! We had never seen her laugh so hard. Here's the evidence.

The evening began with us three at Cafe Rio. I will sing praises to that chicken taco salad for as long as I live. Then came on the party hats accompanied by blowers, lots of tickles and laughs. After Ev went to bed Jared and I pulled out the big guns and loaded ourselves up on a homemade pazookie. Have you ever had one of these sweet things? They are TO. DIE. FOR. Yes, that would be a 9" pan cookie topped with peanut butter sundae ice cream. We couldn't even finish it.

We weren't planning on staying up til midnight but somehow we did {??? still trying to figure out the how and why on that one}. We're ready for ya 2012! We like the looks of you so far.

New York! New York!

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Here is our adventure in the Big Apple brought to you in storyboard form.

I have to break here and say how amazed we were with the city at this point. I mean, completely struck with how foreign it seemed to us in comparison to LA. It was so crowded, tall, bustling, stressful, and magical at the same time. And I can't tell you how elated we both were when we looked down and saw Ev asleep in the umbrella stroller {thanks Jessica for letting us borrow it!}. She most certainly is not a napper on the go-er and that was tickling my nerves the whole afternoon of how I was going to get her to nap but bless her, she eased my worry and slept away for a whole hour and a half!

All other storyboards here.

a Christmas of Firsts

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Our household has been one big pajama fest the past 3 days. It's been amazing! I would live in pj's my whole life if I could. or knit sweater tights. those are pretty comfy too. This whole holiday season has been a bit different for us and has been one that has led to many firsts. Sometimes trying out new things can be scary but luckily all of our first attempts at things have been a success:

1. Evelyn's first Christmas! She didn't enjoy ripping paper as much as we thought she would have. That was a bit perplexing, seeing that she loves to rip any book she can get her hands on but the one thing we WANT her to tear at she refuses. She better practice her unwrapping skills because she hits the big O-N-E in 32 days!

2. Our first Christmas being away from family since being married. Thanks goodness for Skype!

3. First time playing Santa Claus. Loved every minute of it!

4. First time sleeping in until 8am Christmas morn.

5. First time Evelyn has had both parents sick at the same time and her being healthy {cross our fingers it stays that way! I don't know if I could handle her having her 7th cold of the season!}

6. First time roasting a chicken.

7. Evelyn's first ride in her new...dare I say it... TODDLER car seat! Ahh!

8. First time I have ever made a doll. I thought it would be special for her to have something homemade from her momma but when she opened the box she quickly cast the doll aside. It gave us a good laugh.

9. First time seeing a house this decked out for Christmas. I had never seen a house sync its lights to music before. It was probably better than the fountain outside the Bellagio.

We're excited to welcome in the New Year and see what 2012 has in store!

Merry Christmas! Love, Us. 2011.

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:53:00 +0000

No words nor one single photo could do justice to the joy and events that have taken place in our lives during this past year. I felt then it was necessary to send out an audiovisual card this year to best recognize all of our many, many blessings.

Merry Christmas!!

We're back + Twas the night

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:34:00 +0000

Holy smokes! What a whirlwind the past two days have been! Thank you all for wishing us a very merry anniversary! It was fantastic. I have so much to say, so much to show! Unfortunately I have a house to get in order. Oh, I hate the doomsday that follows a vacation where your time is spent unpacking a suitcase, doing loads of laundry, vacuuming out the car, and grocery shopping to re-stock the barren shelves. Ahhh! If only I were Snow White and could summon woodland creatures to do the work for me.

I will take the time to answer the question that I know has been egging you: Did we get on the today show?! Lest the picture above deceives you, no we did not... I woke up yesterday morning with a wretched cold and a flaming sore throat which caused me to lag in getting up for the day and we arrived at Rock Center at 9am. Too late for the Roker man to give us tidings of great joy. I seriously pouted. And almost cried. Oh well! I'll make a storyboard of our adventures later. In the mean time, here's to a Merry Christmas from some of us ladies in the blogging world!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

{blog style}

Twas the night before Christmas, while scheduling posts on the blog Not a child was stirring, they were bumps on a log. Facebook was quiet no updates to see, I sure hope Santa remembers presents for me!
{Michelle @ the Momma Bird}

Oliver was chewing his bone by the fire, his eyes were heavy, he was so very tired. I had on my onesie covered with penguins you see, hoping that under the mistletoe Mike would meet me.

{Ashley @ The Shine Project}

When out on the web there arose such a clatter, from the Duggars &cloth diapering, to family matters. Away to my laptop I started typing away, 25 blog posts to schedule before Christmas day!
{Lacy @ Living on Love}

The room was a mess and life was on hold, as the luster of my screen showed I had one more post to go. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

{Melanie @ Catelmo Family Blog}

With a plump red belly and a white beard to boot, I knew it was Santa Clause delivering his loot, With a voice that sounded much like Tom Hanks, He shouted out to his flying ranks:

{Kendra @ Our Little Almanac}

Can you hear that baby?! Happy, now sad, now laughing, now crying! Little girl don’t you know, tonight’s the night in which I am flying! From the boppy to the bed, all in one fell swoop. Let’s scurry off to bed, for your mommy is pooped!

{Alexandra @ My Blog Kip}

As the wind picks up and the snow is falling, We are met with deadlines and emails are calling. So up to the house the laptop now closes, With a sleigh full of Giveaways and cheeks all a rosey.

{Beth @ Through the Eyes of the Mrs.}

And then as I took a sip of my tea I heard, on the roof, someone louder than me. I quickly grabbed my flask to spike my large cup. Oh phew, it's just Santa, here to make my pageviews go up.

{Niki @ NoVa Mom Blog}

He was dressed all in red, it was a nice little look, And a noticed in his bag, a little silver Macbook. He took out his Mac, took a seat in a chair, Then connected to the web, and said, "I like to share what I wear."

{Lacey @ Little Miss Nerd Girl}

His Iphone did twinkle! His Ipad did glow. His fingers like ice cubes, his pointer like snow. He looked for his warmers, they went on with a pop, he could text and browse thanks, to the Hollie Rogue Shop!
{Andi @ The Hollie Rogue}

The click of the mouse beneath His forefinger, As upon another blog post his eyes did linger. But alas he grimaced in pure consternation As he saw that dreaded prompt “Word Verification”

{Misty @ Through A Photographers Eyes}

He was savvy and smart, a solo Geek Squad in red, And I followed each detailed instruction he said. And my blog design problems were through, I could tell, For Santa, it seems, sure knows html.

{Cat @ Stuff I Love}

I sat at my desk, typing away with a smirk, choosing words and pics to display all my quirks. Each word and sentence slowly turns into prose, the night ticks away, as the bright screen still glows.

{Mary @ Lily White}

I sprang to my laptop, not a moment to lose, and feverishly typed while G continued to snooze. I looked out the window, as he disappeared into the night, wishing Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”

{Jac @ BabEblessings}

Merry 'early' Christmas Everyone!!!

Love, The Momma Bird, The Shine Project, Living on Love, Cantelmo Family Blog, Our Little Almanac, My Blog Kip, Through the Eyes of the Mrs., NoVa Mom Blog, Little Miss Nerd Girl, The Hollie Rogue, Through a Photographers Eyes, Stuff I Love, Lily White, BabEblessings

not a tear was shed. that brave gal!

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I always wondered what it would feel like to be that proud parent watching your child do something so courageous. I thought maybe those feelings would first surface on the first day of kindergarten, when Evelyn scored her first soccer goal, or when she pulled out her first tooth. I had no idea I would find that feeling of pride when placing her on the lap of a jolly man with a fake beard and plump red suit. But when I let go of her, stepped back 5 feet and anticipated the cry and a reach out for me and it didn't happen... I felt like she was no longer my baby. She looked at Santa in the eyes, studied him, looked back at me and sat there content. Not a whine to be heard.

In that moment my brain was on fire! My thoughts immediately jumped to her future - how independent and confident she would be! She would go on to star in school plays and run for class president with no hesitation. She would try her hand at the piano, and tap her feet in dance class with no shame. She would be a polite young lady, reach out to others and accept everyone no matter if they had a scary beard or not. But wait, that means she would have to give up being a baby to be all those things! Quick, grab her off that red man's lap before it's too late! Don't let her be courageous anymore! Atleast not yet... I'm not quite ready for her to take on the world without me... So on I dashed to sweep her away back in to my arms as the next child filed on to St. Nick.

The hormonal brain of a mother is a wonderous thing. It can be so boastfully proud and obnoxiously scared at the same time. It takes a lot of courage to be a mother!

Speaking of courage, we're off BRAVING the streets of NYC today! We're probably on the road as we speak. The #1 on the hit list is to get on the TODAY SHOW tomorrow! So be on the look out for us on the plaza. The ultimate goal is to get Al Roker to wish us a happy 3rd anniversary! HAPPY 3 YEARS TO US TODAY! Couldn't have picked a better man to be a husband and father.

group date.

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:25:00 +0000

We had big plans on Saturday to join the holiday masses and throw an ugly sweater party complete with photobooth, prizes, and all but we were stinkers and cancelled the shindig. After a week of two christmas parties and a cookie exchange I had had my fill of christmas joy. So instead we got a group of friends together and satisfied our itching for some bbq.

Things I learned at dinner:

:: there are many types of bbq and apparently they all taste significantly different. we inhaled north carolina pork but I guess there's such a thing as Louisiana bbq and that tastes more vinegary? I think I would like that.
:: two baby front teeth can puncture through a small container of butter. my friend had to tell me that my baby's mouth was oozing with the sticky cream, all the while I failed to notice because I was too busy stuffing my face with mashed potatoes
:: there are three foods in this world I love: grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese and pulled pork. that's it.
:: even if I have had way too many cookies for my own good and shouldn't order dessert I will never EVER pass up key lime pie. even if husband gives me the look that says "are you sure you really want to do that?" yes, i'm sure! even if I gain back the 5 lbs I worked off, yes I'm SURE!
:: group dates are fun! and I think Evelyn behaves much better when others are around.

oh, ellen.

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +0000

When 3 pm rolls around in this household, I grab a handful of cheerios, take a seat on the floor, nestle Evy Rae in to my lap and turn the tele to channel 4. Ellen is on and it is my happy hour. That lady, i'm tellin ya! She gets me every gosh darn time! The show is hil-AR-ious! And it's the only program that keeps Ev interested for 20 whole minutes. Little Einsteins can't even do that.

I'm sure you've seen these a million times, but they never get old. Never.

Here's to ending the week with a good laugh!

everything's peachy

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

A couple nights ago Ev was asleep and Jared was writing a term paper and I found myself bored. So naturally I decided to fill my time by making something to fill my tummy. I found this recipe for peach cobbler a couple weeks ago and it seemed simplistic so I gave it a whirl. Only, I eyeballed the ingredient portions to make 2 small ramekin sizes instead of a whole cobbler. It was mighty tasty.

Ingredients:
1/2 of a 15 oz can peaches
1/2 cup yellow cake mix
1/4 cup butter cut into thin slices
1/8 brown sugar for sprinkling
handful of walnuts

Directions:

divide 1/2 can of peaches between two ramekins. top each ramekin with 1/8 cup cake mix. place thinly sliced butter over each dish. sprinkle brown sugar and walnuts. bake for 25 min at 350*. Pile on your fav ice cream. dig your spoon into the gooey center and give your tastebuds a warm hello!

On the other hand, this is what happens when you give a 10 month old a small dosage of sugar and let her stay up til 7:10pm. I know, we're crazy parents! Her lean back gets me everytime!

sometimes plans go awry

noreply@blogger.com (Kendra) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:39:00 +0000

What happens when a baby, 30* weather, crowds, traffic, and grad school finals are involved? Getting gypped out of your evening plans, that's what. We had intentions this Saturday night to zip by the National Christmas Tree, then head to Ben's Chili Bowl and if we were ever so lucky stop by the Zoo Lights. I kinda figured that the zoo lights would be pushing it but we didn't make it past #1 on our list, people! The Tree was so darn packed with visitors and the roads so congested that we threw our hands up in the air and decided it would be best to calm our nerves with a peppermint cupcake and pick up Pizza Hut on the way home. Part of me was sad because we weren't finishing out the rest of our night's plans but all that melted away as soon as that stuffed crust slice with crushed red pepper dipped in ranch sauce touched my lips. Cheap pizza never tasted so good.