k+a

2014

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 20:44:00 +0000

here it is. the obligatory new year blog post. where you talk about how good or bad last year was and how you hope this one is even better. where you post your resolutions in hopes that it will force you to follow through. my head spins at the new year with all the bad habits i want to break. this is the year i will finally drop those extra pounds. this is the year i will finally take a photo a day. this is the year i will try new recipes. this is the year i will wake up early every morning and go to bed early every night. this is the year that i will blog consistently. that i will eat more fruits and veggies. that i will cut out candy.
with everything spinning around, there was one thought that kept surfacing: journaling. i've kept a journal for as long as i can remember. but i've been so hit and miss. i was reading through prior journal entries today when i came across something that i had completely forgotten about. when i read it i couldn't help but smile and cry.

02/21/12
last night i had this dream. i dreamt i was pregnant with the most beautiful baby girl. i felt such an intense love for her. i woke up incredibly sad when i realized it was just a dream. and yet that feeling, that love, still felt so strong and so real.

02/25/12
dear baby, yesterday two pink lines told me you existed.

so that is why i'm choosing to focus on journaling and documenting life this year. do you know how happy i am that i had that written down?! i had completely forgotten about that. and that was only two years ago. how many happy moments from years ago have i forgotten about?

a camera + a broken tripod + family

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 05:40:00 +0000

this was a spur of the moment idea. this idea of family pictures. we had a sick baby, i had just gotten off work. we were racing the sun and trying to find a good spot. actually fighting for a good spot amidst everyone else who had the same brilliant idea. but, considering all, i think it turned out rather well. family is the best.

how to smash a cake

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 05:46:00 +0000

this little beauty turned one last week. i can't even believe it!
she currently has five teeth, with two more working their way through. she loves getting into everything she shouldn't and she'd choose measuring cups and empty boxes over toys any day. she loves fruits, ice cream, and spaghetti. no walking here yet, but i figure we better enjoy it while it lasts!

a big huge thank you to my mom for helping me with everything, to jamie for the delicious cake and to everyone who took control of my camera and took pictures for me to enjoy!

bodega bay

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 04:19:00 +0000

our last day was spent hanging out in santa rosa with the fam. andy and spencer went golfing while jacey, the kids and i went to a couple of estate sales. that afternoon we packed a picnic lunch and headed to bodega bay. i wanted to catch one last sunset at the beach. the wind was vicious but the view was spectacular. why, oh why can't i live by the ocean?

san fran

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 04:14:00 +0000

^^alcatraz^^

^^i got my first left-handed hand shake here. it was weird. also, i learned just about everything i'd ever need to know about left handedness. the cashier was very knowledgeable :)^^

^^pier 39^^

^^fishermans wharf^^

okay, okay, so i like LOVE san francisco. we only spent a day here but easily could've spent a couple more. we got a lot done, thanks to jacey (andy's sister-in-law and best hostess in the world!) and fam for watching daphne for the day. the only thing we had actually planned out for this entire california trip was our tour of alcatraz so that was the first thing we did when we arrived in san francisco. loved it. it was so interesting. my main goal this trip was biking the golden gate bridge. so we did. and, you guys, it was incredible! andy and i have decided that this was our most favorite part of the whole trip! andy's brother and sister-in-law let us borrow their bikes. we started the trek at fishermans wharf. the hills about killed us, but we made it. we ended the night at ghiradelli square with an $11 sundae (eek!) that we shared. it was such a good day!

muir woods

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 03:34:00 +0000

we stopped at muir woods on our way up to santa rosa. although they weren't quite as spectacular as the ones up north in the humboldt area, they satisfied my redwoods craving and we quite enjoyed the walk.

point lobos

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 05:37:00 +0000

ahhh point lobos! we loved you! and we didn't get to spend near enough time with you!
if anyone ventures this way and enjoys hiking, leave more than a couple of hours on the itinerary. as the sunset started approaching we were in a rush to make it to our destination. even though we had a map, we still got lost. but we chased that sun. the trail we ended up on was NOT stroller-friendly so andy and i carried the stroller up the rugged path. and it was so worth it. we enjoyed that sunset together. alone. just the three of us.

garrapata state park

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 04:21:00 +0000

this day was rough. but it was one of my favorites. we followed a trail that went along the cliffs above the coast. the view was spectacular. if you ever need to be reminded how incredibly small you and all your problems are, go to the ocean. the waves at this beach were enormous. daph and i had quite the time chasing and running from the waves.

mcway falls

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 04:03:00 +0000

so in all honesty, our trip was based off of this guy's instagram. lame? maybe. but let me tell you, if you want to see pretty photos of pretty places, you MUST follow his feed. incredible. so yeah, basically i made a list of every pretty place he went and then we planned our trip around it (and i still have plenty of places on that list). without him, we would've missed out on a lot, i think. the beach is inaccessible here, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

monterey bay aquarium

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 23:25:00 +0000

while in monterey we went to the aquarium. this place was recommended to us multiple times and it did not disappoint. daph loved it! especially when she got to touch the sea cucumber and starfish. as for andy and i, we loved the jellies. obviously.

monterey//carmel//big sur

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 18:51:00 +0000

okay, so i'm apologizing in advance for the travel log that is going to follow, but i seriously took a ton of pictures on our recent trip to northern california so i'm going to share them in groups. we drove to monterey/carmel/big sur area and stayed there for a few days before heading north to the san francisco area.

^^cannery row^^

^^seventeen mile drive^^

^^pebble beach^^

^^carmel^^

^^big sur^^

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 05:15:00 +0000

we've had a rough go around here. three weeks of sick. it started with me getting bronchitis four days before we were supposed to leave on our "summer" vacation to california. which turned into daphne getting a double ear infection. plus the poor girl had three teeth working their way through. it was a tough first vacation as a family of three. when we got back, the ear infection had cleared up but then the stomach flu took over. for five days she hardly ate or drank. and when she would, it came right back up. i cried. andy dry-heaved. this is our first bout with baby sickness and we have no idea what we are doing! anyway, daphne got her appetite back yesterday (and its back bigger than ever!) and it only takes me a couple hours each morning to get my lungs cleared out, so i think we're in the clear!

and no summer is complete without a picnic!

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 17:30:00 +0000

i'm ashamed to say we only had two picnics this summer. but hey, at least we got two in.
daphne seems to love them as much as i do.

first fourth of july

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 16:25:00 +0000

again, another first for daphne. and can i just say how much i absolutely love all of these firsts! i worked on the fourth but not before we had a quick barbecue at my parents and took some pictures.

that ONE time we took daphne boating...

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 16:04:00 +0000

daph wasn't really a fan of the boat. well, okay, it was more like she wasn't a fan of the life jacket. so we didn't take her again. maybe next year!

bear lake weekend

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000

um, yeah, so about those summer posts...here is the first!
every july andy's family has a reunion at a cabin in bear lake. this was daphne's first year (as long as you don't count being in the womb the year before) and she LOVED it. especially the raspberry shake!

goodbye summer

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 03:54:00 +0000

more like good riddance. okay, okay, kidding. summer was good. but autumn is always so much better. it is my favorite, in case you didn't know.
anyway, i'm attempting to breathe a little life into this virtual space of mine. be expecting an overview of our summer adventures in the next few days!

i'm gonna miss that big toothless grin!

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:30:00 +0000

don't let that smile fool you. this girl was pretty cranky and didn't sleep for a good week while that tooth worked its way through. i don't know who i feel worse for...andy and i or daphne? just kidding daph. one down, how many to go??!

our memorial day weekend

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:53:00 +0000

...through photos. lots and lots of photos.

daph's special day

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:13:00 +0000

daphne's blessing day was the first sunday in march. it was a wonderful day except for the fact that the star of the party was pretty cranky. she almost made it through the whole blessing without screaming. almost. then she sat with dad outside the chapel for the rest of the church meeting :)
we love this little girl, cranky or not.

my mother is the best!

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:16:00 +0000

i meant to share this picture on mothers day. as you can tell, i never got around to it. hey, i'm just proud i'm only two days late instead of two months.
anyway, it is a photo taken moments after i became a mother and moments after my mother became a grandmother. its very special to me. my mother is seriously the greatest and i don't know what i would do without her. love you mom!

okay, time for a happy dance!

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Sat, 04 May 2013 17:10:00 +0000

so i finally got my computer up and running again. i just got it back from the shop last week. you see, it had 60+ viruses on it, some of which scared the $^#% out of me. no programs would be running and yet this creepy circus music would be coming out of my speakers. or sometimes it was gunshots. or someone breathing heavily. or, on the not so scary side, movie clips or trailers. when i was home alone it definitely about gave me a heart attack. anyway, i'm super happy that it's fixed. wahoo!
now if anyone has recommendations on good antivirus software it would be much appreciated.

before i go, i just want to share a ~~picture~~ video. just for you mom!
daphne just learned this new trick a week or so ago. she is pretty much the cutest!

daph's new trick from Kristen Davis on Vimeo.

wow. where to begin...

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:18:00 +0000

goodness, i don't even know where to start.

so i'll start with these photos.
daph is now 4 months old, grabbing things and rolling over.
i've gone back to work. yes, unfortunately all good things must come to an end. it was hard the first few days. very hard. like crying-myself-to-sleep hard. but its better now. i mean, i still miss my little daphne bug, but it is nice to get out and have adult conversations.
andy has started physical therapy. for those of you that didn't know, he had his shoulder scoped in december for a labral tear. its been hard for both of us in separate ways. hard for andy because of the pain and restriction in movement. hard for me because he wasn't able to help with the baby. anyway, andy is on the mend. slowly but surely.
i'm on the mend as well. i'd been having issues with my kidneys since december. i thought it was just an infection but was proven wrong when i landed in the ER on a wednesday morning in february with a 10mm stone in my right kidney. they told me it was too big to pass and i was wheeled back to the OR that night. i'm working on increasing my water intake. i will do anything to have that never happen again.
i hesitate to say things can only go up from here because i had said those exact words to a friend only hours before i found out i was going to have surgery. but really, we are doing well now. we are happy and thats all that really matters.

ps kelli, this was for you! i'll try to be better at keeping this thing updated :)

two months

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:25:00 +0000

tried to take daphne's two month old photos a couple weeks ago.
and she just wasn't having it.

hello 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (kristen davis) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:13:00 +0000

happy new year from our family to yours!
(a little late, i know)

2012 was a big year for us. big but good.
we moved into our first home.
andy graduated.
we got a dog.
we bought a car.
we went to europe.
and, most importantly, we became parents.

unfortunately, i ended 2012 on a bad note and in a bad mood. a colicky baby. lots of medical bills. and car problems/expenses. you know what they say: when it rains, it pours.
needless to say, 2013 started out with a pity party. a couple days ago i finally snapped out of it and decided to end that pity party. i don't know what 2013 has in store for us, but we're excited and ready for it!