instagram 2014

As 2014 comes to an end, I find myself getting sentimental, and sappy, and really into flipping through my instagram photos from the past twelve months.  Figured I would share a few of my favorites from this year.  And sure, she may still be able to wear last year's "famous sweater", but she sure has grown!

and the mister celebrated a birthday too

This past weekend was a good one.  Busy, and good.  I felt like we mostly celebrated with food, but that wasn't making anyone in our family complain, well except for maybe Everly.  A few dinners out, and of course, brunch for the birthday boy, made for a nice low key way to celebrate thirty-three.

Thanks to all of our friends who helped us celebrate!  

I swear, we really did celebrate with others, but these photos sure wouldn't confirm that statement!
Well, this last one kind of proves it just wasn't the three of us, almost.

Here's to our year of thirty & thirty-three.

disneyland babies

Things have been pretty quiet around here, because we have been too busy having a blast in Disneyland!  Our annual passes expired today, so we had to get in one more quick trip before they did.  And, because the stars were aligned, our great friends were ready to take their son on his first trip to the happiest place on earth, and came with us too!  You should have seen Everly's face when we first saw Lennon in the park, you could tell the wheels were spinning, trying to figure out how her best friend from home ended up in Mickey's home too!  I have SO many photos to go through, but for now, I'll just share my favorite phone shot.

Oh, and one more thing - I entered a photo of Everly in the Parents Magazine Cover Contest - so it would be great if you would go and vote for our little lady!
Here is the photo I entered:

Here's the link to vote - VOTE HERE

And to all my WCMS kids who love Everly too - go and vote, and spread the word, because we all know that you are the true masters of social media!  Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to vote!  Voting ends in just a couple of days, and I've been too busy with Minnie Mouse to spread the word, so I guess I need to get going on it!

17/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

piggie tails and artsy afternoons

Now that the weather is gorgeous, and the days are longer, we are taking advantage of spring by getting our art on.  When we were kids, my sister and I were always doing some type of art, and I hope that Everly will enjoy creating as much as we did, and still do today.  Now that we are moving past eating everything, and starting to listen when I ask her not to eat something other than food, crayons and paints are becoming a fun way to spend the afternoon.

Painting went surprisingly well.  I was picturing her covered head to toe in paint, but after I showed her where to put the paint, she did pretty well of keeping her painting on the paper.  And while we are on the conversation of some firsts, check out those piggie tails!  After three tries, I finally found the right little hair ties for her baby locks.  Now mind you, she still cries when I'm taking the 30 seconds to put in her piggie tails,  but she left them in for the rest of the night.  So now we just need to have daddy practice of the art "doing hair". 

mom blogger note: completed this post before work - turns out being out of the classroom for a district training is practically like a Saturday - work from 8:30 to 3:00 with an hour lunch, this is the life!

it only took 13 months and 3 weeks...

but Everly finally figured out how to drink from a straw

tonight at dinner

and besides drinking half of my water

she also ate from my dinner plate

because the food directly on my plate tastes much better

eating from a plate and drinking from a straw

too much big girl, too much

and to top it all off,  Everly tried to show off

by using a fork to poke some food

guess I have some goodies to buy Everly tomorrow

ten on ten [december 2013]

I cannot believe that it is already the last ten on ten of 2013

it has been one amazing year

and I am so glad that I have been able to be a little part of this project

each and every month of 2013!

now for those of you who only drop by on the tenth

you may be feeling a tad confused

yes, same cute baby as last month, new blog

I am excited to be posting my first official ten on ten

here at Olive Everly!

the day was a good one

here's a look, and sorry, this is an iPhone type of month
[except for that one little cutie of Hazel]

it just kind of happened that way,
because it turns out you do need to charge your camera battery...

 as always - thank you to Rebekah of A Bit of Sunshine for hosting this project!

See the rest of 2013's ten on ten's here:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

our black friday

So way before there was something called black friday, there was the day after Thanksgiving, and in my family, that was called "decorate for Christmas day".  We have always gotten our family Christmas tree on this day, and so, the tradition continued this year.  Last year I had a tiny little babe in my arms, and this year I had a walking and talking babe who was having fun pointing out which tree we should get for Grammie.  Mom and I were good this year and got an appropriately sized tree, one the two of us could handle on our own.

^it took a second for little miss to wake up from the car ride^

^2013^

^2012^

I look forward to so many more years of tree hunting with these ladies!

oh, and do you like the lady photo bombing us - and clearly mimicking my daughter :)

instant gratification

Weddings these days are attacked by technology every which way.  I am so conflicted, because yes, you have hired an amazing professional to document the day, but I just can't seem to put my phone down.  Yes, just five years ago when the Mr. and I were married, the iPhone was not what it is today.  It was the time before social media took over the world, and in some ways, that is pretty great.  But today, I'm going to share one part of social media & weddings that I love, personalized hash tags.  Yes, the good ole' hash tag has made its way into even the world of weddings, and I'm very okay with it.  Last weekend [was that just last weekend, it already feels like it was a month ago, at least] our awesome friends got married, and had an equally awesome wedding celebration.  And I'm not just saying it because we love the couple, their wedding rocked.  When I saw the little instagram hash tag cards Jaymee designed in the boxes we were packing up for the reception I literally squealed with delight.

So, suggestions for rocking a personalized hash tag at your wedding, here you go:

-Check in advance for just the right hash tag that will not be shared by others.  If you have a unique spelling to your name as our Jaymee does, then, you will have an easy time with this one.
-Make sure to share with your guests the hash tag to use.  Even though Jaymee did this, some guests still weren't sure which hash tag to use, so they made up their own variations, which was pretty entertaining in itself.
-If you are participating in the hash tagging, STAY OUT OF THE WAY of the professional photographer.  Thankfully, we happened to know the photographer at this wedding, because she has also shot every important moment of our lives.  So when we were being obnoxious with our phones at the end of the night, we could all have a good laugh about it, but I wouldn't suggest this with a professional you do not know.  Thanks Sarah for not punching me in the face when I smacked your oh so expensive camera with my iPhone!

I think the reason why I love this idea so much is the instant gratification that comes with it. Every person who took a shot of your wedding can share it immediately where you the bride, and all your family, can enjoy them together.  I loved when Jaymee and I were enjoying some quiet time at the "after party" skimming through their hash tag, because at that point, that was all the energy we had left!  Back when I was married I remember I had only one picture taken of my wedding ceremony that I got to see before our professional ones were ready, and that one just wasn't enough.  I also love that you can catch the moments that your professional photographer may not be present for.  For example, who knew the lighting in the stark white waiting room with funky botanical prints hanging on the walls at the venue was going to yield some of my favorite photos of Everly and I?!?  I also love that you can instantly see parts of the wedding you weren't physically a part of, because who can be everywhere all at once?  Not this mama!  Oh, and sometimes you get a photo like this one that instantly becomes the lock screen on your phone...

Thanks to the following wedding guests for sharing your photos with my via #drewandjaymee - 

@megacatz  @carriekeyes   @jsrp     @qwelli   

chewbeads [mommy approved]

I'm not a designer purse girl, or into name brand clothing.  But guess what?  This girl likes her some mommy goods.  With that being said, my jewelry has survived pretty well the first nine months of being a mom, but let's just say the beads have hit the floor lately, literally.  My babe is strong, and teething, and playful, and I needed to find a better option, because my super old forever 21 necklaces just weren't cutting it anymore.  I had seen some of the teething necklaces before in those yuppie mommy boutiques, and never really paid too much attention to them.  However, last week I decided to do a little online search, stumbled onto Chewbeads, and made an order.  The Mr. and I still had some Amazon gift card money from our Easter egg change loot, so I made the big purchase.  The necklace isn't a bargain, but manageable, and when it came in the mail today, I was pretty excited.  And guess who else is pretty happy with this purchase...

Everly and I were having fun with these beads today.  They are great for gnawing on and they have a really pleasant scent to them [the scent I wish our Sophie giraffe had!].  I really loved when I would start chewing on a bead with Everly and she would give me the silliest look, and take the beads from me, like, mom, these are for me.  So, bottom line, I totally recommend this necklace.  It comes in a ton of colors, and a couple of styles, and I kind of want another one.  [See, mom product obsessed, guilty as charged].  

getting all techy in the classroom

Well, not really, but kind of.  This week I began doing an online based assessment system with my students to replace our outdated, not useful, benchmark tests we have been using for far too many years.  Our district is ramping up for our state standardized testing that will be computer based here in the near future, and wanting to make sure our students were becoming "digitally literate" when it comes to assessment.  I have always been the youngest person on staff, at every single school I've worked at.  Not always the newest, but always the youngest.  And guess what, being born in the 80's means when there is an opening on a tech based committee at school, you are probably going to be asked to take charge.  Besides having to be out of my class one day this week for the training, I had no problem getting on board.  And after today's successful staff training that I led with another teacher, it feels good to be getting back into the swing of being a teacher.  Last year was a blur.  I swear no one even knew I existed, so today, getting to teach teachers felt pretty great.

However, the past two days I've been using the fancy new Chrome Books we got for this testing, and I hurt my back.  No, it wasn't the ounce that these slim little devices weigh, but I clearly twisted and jumped around my classroom trying to help students with connection issues one too many times.  Oh, and I wasn't wearing orthopedic shoes.  This morning I woke up feeling like an old lady, which I find ironic, because tomorrow I turn twenty-nine.  Not old.  In fact, I get to celebrate the last year of my twenties.  The decade that anything goes and you don't have to act too grown up.  Well, clearly I'm ready for thirty, when the time comes, because I technically fit all of the adult criteria, even though I don't quite feel like I do.  I think I'll milk this back issue of mine for one more day so I can get another ride to work in the morning [even though I am really enjoying my bike rides, it does a nightmare to my hair, and I would like to not look like a hot mess on my birthday, just saying].  And for one more year, I'll pretend to be young and crazy, because next year, I'll just be young, and a little less crazy.

oh hey, I'm 41 weeks old today

life lately has included working on two more teeth

pretty soon I'll have eight

which is craziness, because many babies my age have none

so there you go

I do find them oh so useful when eating

since I've written last I've enjoyed a few new foods

including yellow squash, peach yogurt, and pears

I've mastered picking up anything little

even the squishy things like avocado

I'm officially turning into a blueberry from the amount of them I eat daily

I also love corn and colby jack cheese

no longer am I eating a bite or two

and throwing the rest on the floor

no sir, in a day I'll eat a whole yogurt

whole cheese stick, many fruits and veggies

and some purees my mom is trying out too

not to mention boobie snacks

so let's just say mom is expecting some weight gain at my next doctor appointment

I'm not walking yet, but I am standing from time to time for a few seconds

and cruising all around the house as long as I have something to hold on to

and I can crawl crazy fast [and loud]

lately I'm wearing 6 & 9 month clothing

but most of my newborn onesies still fit

[those things are SO roomy]

I'm talking up a storm still

lots of dadadada sounds and an array of hi-yahs

my newest game is throwing all of my toy's out of my crib

and the best part is when someone throws them back at me

dad also lowered my crib all the way down 

because I'm such a big girl

[and mom didn't want me to fall out]

speaking of mom, she's now back to work at school

and I'm having a hard time adjusting to the early wake-up calls

I've also starting my newest trick of tongue clicking

and kissy faces

and a combination of the two

this past week I also took my first trip to donner lake

for my grammie's company picnic

the weather was beautiful

the lake literally shimmered with gold [fool's gold particles?]

and it was overall a great way to spend the day

except mom wouldn't let me jump into the lake like I really wanted to

but I got over it

until next week...

-everly mae

ten on ten [august - 2013]

ten photos over ten hours on the tenth of each month

hosted by Rebekah of A Bit of Sunshine

^my happy way to start the day^

^we'll get around to re-painting the door, but for now, enjoy the rustic country thing we've got going^

^hanging succulents, the newest addition to the family^

^lunch at jack's with four generations, we do this every week^

^afternoon snack in great gram's backyard^

^did a little makeover on some of my grandma's outdated mix-mash of frames^

^found this little guy, my dad and his first car^

^tidying up & putting away my farmer's market haul, babe in one hand, produce in the other^

^late night porch snack, and no, my baby doesn't get her tan from her mama^

 ^good night^