luna

Luna.  You were our first baby.  We adopted you, kind of on a whim, right before Christmas, the year we were married.  The SPCA warned us that you may not be good with other pets, or children.  Your name was Glee, and we named you Luna.  You defied your warning label.  You were amazing with Everly from the minute we brought her home.  And you had every reason to despise her, because, well, let's be honest, she took our sole attention away from you.  But you loved her, and were simply the best.  Just this morning you were in bed with us, snuggling up with Everly.  The two of you playing with each other.  Everly quietly asking you to stop biting her, and did so with a smile on her face, because you weren't really biting her, instead, the two of your were playing.  After minutes of playing and laughter, you fell asleep at the foot of our bed.  Today Everly was so sweet as we said goodbye to you.  I asked her to pick out a blanket to wrap you in and she came out of her room with a green and white receiving blanket.  She ran outside and laid the blanket over you, just as peacefully as you appeared.  I cannot get this image out of my head.  It was love in the most basic form.  I wish you didn't love the outdoors so much, because you would still be with us.  But you gave us seven amazing years, and we are so lucky that we rescued you from the shelter.  Thank you Luna, we will not forget you. 

oh hey, I'm ONE [15 months]

well hello again everyone - I'm 15 months old today!

lately I've been...

saying "this" a lot

shhhh-ing everything

thinking everything needs to be cooled off

by me blowing on it, especially my kitty luna

[and every other cat for that fact]

I'm a really good mimicker, whether it be sounds

words, phrases, or actions - you can tell I'm really watching closely

I know how to talk on the phone, even if it isn't a phone

I like nodding "yes" and "no" dramatically
chasing my daddy around the house is one of my favorite games

I can climb any steps with ease

and I'm working on walking up and down them like the big people do

I twirl when I'm happy

and love holding the hands of my favorite people

and leading them to where I want to go

whether it be story time in my nursery

or playing and the big bed in the guest room

[also known as the room I can always find my Luna in]

I dance with Ellen daily

and prefer my meals on the go

even though my parents keep insisting I eat in my high chair

I prefer eating my snack while lounging on the sofa

or while whipping of some imaginary meals

I still am loving all my mom's favorite foods

for example, pretty much every fruit is alright in my book

and I even think her junk food splurges are the best

cheetos & milky way midnights may have been eaten in moderation

size wise I'm still a mini

I'm wearing size four shoes - which apparently is what

6-12 month old babies should wear, so I guess I shouldn't be expecting

to hit 6 feet tall anytime soon

maybe I'll get to be as tall as my mommy, [5'3]

 maybe

I'm starting to move between 12-18 month clothing

and still rocking the size two diapers

my favorite songs currently include

John Newman's "Love Me Again"

and Katy Perry's "Dark Horse"

you can often see me running around the house with these songs

playing on my daddy's phone

and yes, my mom will most likely have me in toddler dance classes

before you know it

I also took my first photo using my mom's phone

and she even posted it to instagram for me

so yeah, I'm into artsy social-media

no big

I'm mean, I was born in 2012 after all

see you again next month

-everly mae

4/52

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

on our little ones

Yes, I have been gone for a bit.  Let's just say, if something was going to happen, it all happened in the last four days.  First off, our little fur baby Luna kept us up all night on Friday night getting sick.  No good, but we assumed she would get over it, so we kept our eyes on her a little closer, and hoped for the best.  I spent Mother's Day in bed sick, fever, the whole nine yards.  I was so sad that I was missing my first Mother's Day, it just wasn't how I planned it, but I tried to keep things in perspective.  Let's just say that Luna and I continued to be sick, I stayed home from work on Monday, and she went to the vet that same day [poor daddy had a sick kitty, sick mommy, and a busy baby all on his own].  When all was said and done, we finally got the green light on Tuesday that she was going to be fine, but man, we have never had anything happen to our first little baby, and it was scary.  I'm on the mend too, no voice still, so good thing this isn't a vlog.  And man, the existence of history documentaries has gotten me through the week.  I don't think my kids mind too much, and let's face it, the year is practically over, so let's just get through what we can.  But bottom line, you cannot teach without your voice, so I do what I can.

Way back in the beginning of January I took these photos of Everly and Luna, and meant to post them, oh, well, probably in the middle of January.  But, seeing as how it is the middle of May, I guess I didn't stick too close to that timetable.  But after our little scare with Luna, I am so glad that I have these photos now to post about our girls.

When the Mr. and I adopted Luna we had just recently been married, and had never had a pet since we had become "grown ups".  So, as many of you know, Luna was really our baby.  When we adopted her the tag at the SPCA said that she was not a good cat with other animals or children.  Well, the other pets wasn't a problem, and I guess I just had a good feeling about Luna, so we adopted her anyways.  And man, did we get lucky.  Luna has really been an amazing kitty.  She is so social and acts more like a dog than a cat sometimes.

 The whole time I was pregnant I could tell that Luna knew something was going on, she just couldn't quite figure it out.  Since we brought Everly home from the hospital Luna has been amazing, very curious at first, but soon she realized that she now had one more person to give her attention.  And man, does Everly love her fur sissy too.  She loves petting her, watching her walk around, and pretty much can't get enough of her.  In fact, the one time Everly threw a little tissy fit was when Luna wouldn't come and give her attention, she's that into her.  She even has a special voice she uses for Luna, I'm serious, when she talks with animals it is a whole different tone.  Love it.

So, with all of that, I am just saying I am so thankful for our little family, fur baby and all.  This scare also made us realize we need to give Luna even more loving these days, it can be so hard with Everly stealing the show sometimes!

-Remember, it is still not too late to enter the Giveaway with Retro Menagerie!  Head over to this post to enter today!-

maternity leave is for...

many things getting checked off the to-do list

and I've been off for a week now and I am amazed how I got anything done before

when working full time

because man, I've been busy, everyday

so here's what maternity leave has been for lately:

-catching up on masters homework

-spending time with Luna who now apparently likes me a lot more

 now that I'm not working

-decorating treat cups for our little halloween get-together tomorrow

-watching Everly move around like crazy

-learning that taking laundry out of the dryer is an art form when 

we are talking baby clothes

[my first attempt left a pretty crazy trail of little things through the house]

-having time to realize that your friends are obsessed with Skittles 

[and actually remembering to stock up for the weekend]

-picking out the perfect pumpkins

-realizing that lunch is now my main meal because by dinner 

there just doesn't seem to be any more room for a "real meal"

-taking mini road trips to see some important people before E arrives

-getting used to people saying "this is the last time I'll see you before baby time"

[which is crazy to me for some reason]

-learning that I am really picky when it comes to buying clothes for Everly

[like super picky]

there has been some resting

there has been a LOT of good sleeping

and a ton of enjoying fall

and getting so excited that our little one is coming during my favorite time of year

ten on ten [september 2012]

oh mondays, especially mondays after a masters weekend

at least I had ten on ten to keep me going through the day

happy ten on ten everyone

tomorrow I'm off to an all-day district training

thankfully it means I get to sleep in a tad

but man, sub plans are exhausting

see all of september's ten on ten posts here

and my other ten on tens here

happy birthday to the mr.

well the husband turned 31 today

and unfortunately he has to work late

so we will be celebrating this weekend

and instead I'm spending the evening with this little one

and yes, Luna is in E's crib

and no she shouldn't be

and yes I probably should be getting her out ASAP and not taking pictures

but she is SO cute, I just couldn't help myself

and the funniest part is she completely ignored the crib for months

still wasn't having it when the mattress was put in

but as soon as we put these cute little sheets on

she found her way in very fast

so we will keep working on it

and no, she is not in there right now, but being a good girl and sitting with me

on the sofa, just like a good fur baby should