so its hard to get 6 kids to look at the camera at the same time!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
big meal around the kid table
as we decided at the party... check out all my mom's grandkids around nathaniel's mom's table! :) (and of coarse, 1/3 of them are her grandkids too!)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
holly's first birthday, dec. 22nd party!
here are some pictures from holly's BIRTHDAY birthday party. (to be followed by her just plain birthday party... ha! what's better than celebrating twice???)
first we opened a couple of presents from mom and dad... we gave holly a little purse and a pair of footed PJs. kendal got some puzzles for holly's birthday. :)
next was a lot of yummy food. not much to show with that except that we had a table full of children. the joke was that it was all my mom's grandchildren sitting around nathaniel's mom's table! ha! it was a full table...
and last came cupcakes. since the anna and jackson's birthday party a couple of weeks ago, we've been priming her for cake. she loves it (naturally, she loves everything).
and now to wash it down with milk! yum! happy birthday holly!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
happy birthday baby girl!
a year ago i was in labor.
a year ago i was still wondering if i could love another child as much as i already loved the one i had.
a year ago i was wondering if i'd be home in time for christmas, and when they'd let me eat, and if my head would ever stop hurting (i.e. if i'd puke or have a baby first). i was thinking about kendal and how he was doing with mom and dad and the fairel clan, and missing him so much.
i've learned since then that kinda like when you overfill yourself with a wonderful meal, you always have room for dessert: no matter how much you love your first child, you love the second one just as much. and, i dare say in a different way because my two children are SO different in every way (but looks and xx xy chromosome pairs... ha!) melissa says that no matter how many you have, you love them all as much. i'm not gonna test that theory, i just believe her. i really do believe her. because i know if i had a third, i would definitely not worry about loving it as much as #1 and #2.
well, gotta cut this short. kendal decided to wake up poor holly - who had 5 shots today. she was 30-1/4 in long and 23 lb 2.25 oz. that is 85 & 80th percentile for the baby girl charts (for what that matters). i can tell you she's a big one because she's been wearing 18m clothes for 3 months now! :)
a year ago i was still wondering if i could love another child as much as i already loved the one i had.
a year ago i was wondering if i'd be home in time for christmas, and when they'd let me eat, and if my head would ever stop hurting (i.e. if i'd puke or have a baby first). i was thinking about kendal and how he was doing with mom and dad and the fairel clan, and missing him so much.
i've learned since then that kinda like when you overfill yourself with a wonderful meal, you always have room for dessert: no matter how much you love your first child, you love the second one just as much. and, i dare say in a different way because my two children are SO different in every way (but looks and xx xy chromosome pairs... ha!) melissa says that no matter how many you have, you love them all as much. i'm not gonna test that theory, i just believe her. i really do believe her. because i know if i had a third, i would definitely not worry about loving it as much as #1 and #2.
well, gotta cut this short. kendal decided to wake up poor holly - who had 5 shots today. she was 30-1/4 in long and 23 lb 2.25 oz. that is 85 & 80th percentile for the baby girl charts (for what that matters). i can tell you she's a big one because she's been wearing 18m clothes for 3 months now! :)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
an odd one for xm43
this one doesn't really fit with the typical genre on xm 43 - in my opinion. however, it has grown on me and now i really like it.
i must disclaim here, though, that the radio version is MUCH better. or, maybe it is my speakers that make it sound better. too much treble on the computer. it has a lot of bass in it that is really sweet. this is a rockin' song. even the kids dance to it. :)
i must disclaim here, though, that the radio version is MUCH better. or, maybe it is my speakers that make it sound better. too much treble on the computer. it has a lot of bass in it that is really sweet. this is a rockin' song. even the kids dance to it. :)
another great song discovery on XMchannel43
when the acts of man cause the ground to break open...
seems like this would be a great song to go with the movie for "the road" if it had any music.
seems like this would be a great song to go with the movie for "the road" if it had any music.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
the kitties
recurring nightmare
don't know why it keeps coming.
don't know if it is something i eat, something i drink, something i do during the day.
years ago nathaniel gave me a lifehammer which worked like a tums for heartburn. now it is back eating away at my night.
back with a vengeance.
its no secret that i lost my job. and, with the loss of a job, was the loss of any hopes for a #3. simply stated, it just isn't affordable. and in so many ways i know it is great to have just 2. i love the 2 i have. they couldn't be any more perfect.
2 nights ago, the night after nathaniel's birthday, i kept dreaming it. i crashed into the water and we were sinking. i had to save them both, at the same time. no way could i only take one and come back for the other. what if i couldn't find the car? what if i were too exhausted? they both were going with me or none of us were going at all.
the lifehammer broke the window easy as pie. the water was already filling the car, we were mostly submerged. the kids were unhooked, glaring at me but not afraid. i was moving fast, the water was cold and dark and muddy. it was night. i took one last breath and grabbed one with each arm, holding them tighter than a runningback that just caught a pass during the last 2 seconds of the superbowl. i pushed my legs out the window and then wedged each child out next. i kicked as hard as i could but my breath was nearly out. we surfaced and i awoke with a dreadful feeling of "what if there were 3? which one would i leave?"
i've already started getting rid ofur baby stuff. giving it away, selling it, passing it on... i just can't keep it. to keep it leaves room for more.
in 3 weeks kendal will move up to a hand-me-down toddler bed. that means his crib and crib set - that i shopped high and low for - will have to go.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
indie rock lover in training!
kendal is typically indifferent to my music. ("my" music being indie rock.)
yesterday, i saw him dancing in his car seat to rough steez.
thename of the band is obscene so i won't write it, but, i'm sure i'll show up on this youtube video. don't be mad at me for posting it though, i didn't name the band. and there aren't any words in the song, it is just music/beat. kendal loved it!
yesterday, i saw him dancing in his car seat to rough steez.
thename of the band is obscene so i won't write it, but, i'm sure i'll show up on this youtube video. don't be mad at me for posting it though, i didn't name the band. and there aren't any words in the song, it is just music/beat. kendal loved it!
Monday, December 7, 2009
sad to see this in the news
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4907655/
saw this story on the news tonight and immediately had to to find it on wral.com.
i used to work with this fellow when i worked with DOT. way back in 'the day' - back before his apparent crooked days. back when i met him and worked with him, he was one of the nicest guys in the office. he was always helpful and went out of his way to get me what i needed. he had a daughter and, since i was the only female who went in the field (and then there was only one other female - the administrative assistant), he really looked after me. he never gave me a hard time and tried to teach me all he knew about drilling. for example... you know how, as a woman who knows little about cars... if your car was making a noise and you didn't know why it was doing it, you'd call a mechanic and say "my car is going blebhhhh blebhhh" - well, he'd take my description and tell me what to tell my (usually stumped) drilling crew to do to fix it. in that, i learned a lot about drilling and engines and motors and moving parts in general. and i know that it is he that i have to thank for that knowledge. he really was a super guy.
but unfortunately, things change for people. rather, a series of both misunderstood and unfortunate events can happen around a person that can affect said person so much that it changes the core of who they are. and, i guess that is just what happened to him. and it is SO SO sad to know that i was near him when it happened. (and when i say near, i mean i was close enough to hear stories. unfortunate events + small town = gossip. and i don't particularly like gossip, but, those things did change him. because he pled guilty. and the man i knew would never do things like that.)
this brings me to one of the "worst case scenario" i can think of, and it happened to my sister's old neighbor. they were a family of 5, and now a family of 4. they lost the baby at about age 3 to brain cancer. sarah parker was her name. well, those parents (and her brothers), well they clearly have experienced a series of unfortunate events. those type events can change a person (and a family). i suppose there is a fork in the road in a situation like that and you can choose to take the angry road or you can keep on praying and, although you may still not understand, stay on the holy road.
i hope that none of my friends or family or myself ever reach that fork. and if you or i do, i hope we choose the right path. and, i hope it isn't too late for my old friend. i know he was a good man. i hope he can remember how great being that way felt like.
saw this story on the news tonight and immediately had to to find it on wral.com.
i used to work with this fellow when i worked with DOT. way back in 'the day' - back before his apparent crooked days. back when i met him and worked with him, he was one of the nicest guys in the office. he was always helpful and went out of his way to get me what i needed. he had a daughter and, since i was the only female who went in the field (and then there was only one other female - the administrative assistant), he really looked after me. he never gave me a hard time and tried to teach me all he knew about drilling. for example... you know how, as a woman who knows little about cars... if your car was making a noise and you didn't know why it was doing it, you'd call a mechanic and say "my car is going blebhhhh blebhhh" - well, he'd take my description and tell me what to tell my (usually stumped) drilling crew to do to fix it. in that, i learned a lot about drilling and engines and motors and moving parts in general. and i know that it is he that i have to thank for that knowledge. he really was a super guy.
but unfortunately, things change for people. rather, a series of both misunderstood and unfortunate events can happen around a person that can affect said person so much that it changes the core of who they are. and, i guess that is just what happened to him. and it is SO SO sad to know that i was near him when it happened. (and when i say near, i mean i was close enough to hear stories. unfortunate events + small town = gossip. and i don't particularly like gossip, but, those things did change him. because he pled guilty. and the man i knew would never do things like that.)
this brings me to one of the "worst case scenario" i can think of, and it happened to my sister's old neighbor. they were a family of 5, and now a family of 4. they lost the baby at about age 3 to brain cancer. sarah parker was her name. well, those parents (and her brothers), well they clearly have experienced a series of unfortunate events. those type events can change a person (and a family). i suppose there is a fork in the road in a situation like that and you can choose to take the angry road or you can keep on praying and, although you may still not understand, stay on the holy road.
i hope that none of my friends or family or myself ever reach that fork. and if you or i do, i hope we choose the right path. and, i hope it isn't too late for my old friend. i know he was a good man. i hope he can remember how great being that way felt like.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
a few photos of the tree...
for obvious reasons this year, we had to put away my numerous breakable (glass) ornaments and thus our tree is very sparsely decorated with the few plastic ones i've gathered through the years.
however, i did still put kendal and holly's special ornaments from mark and amy (at the top of the tree). here is holly's (this is its first year on a tree!)
and kendal's ornament (it is his third year! it does have his name on it, you just can't see it from this angle)
and, here are holly and kendal at the tree the morning after nathaniel put it up!
(they are still in PJs AND they had a cold, thus holly had on a shirt/bib. oh, and did i mention these pictures were with my phone? which is why they are bad. my camera was mia for a while when we got back from KY.)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
dear friends and family,
dear friends and family,
where oh where have my blogging friends gone?
has facebook and twitter become their new home?
where one sentence statements posting four times a day
are substituting for your blogs, which have been vacant since may?
are you out of ideas, or just have no time?
even the pages i lurked no longer give me a dime!
i miss the stories about funny things in your lives:
your thank yous, accomplishments, or your husband's butt hives.
or even the sad things, your hardships, and so very much more
please return to blogging because it i adore!
love,
analee
(p.s. this excludes amy because she still blogs)
Monday, November 30, 2009
lacy and princess kitty princess
and just for the record, nathaniel named her princess kitty princess.
lacy was already named (actually lacy simone, they called her simone, but kendal likes lacy because it sounds a lot like lucy. and lucy, for those of you who don't know, is his dog-cousin. he loves to "look at" lucy (scared to death to get near her).)
so, here is [mamacat] lacy in the front. the kitten [PKP] is in the background.
lacy was already named (actually lacy simone, they called her simone, but kendal likes lacy because it sounds a lot like lucy. and lucy, for those of you who don't know, is his dog-cousin. he loves to "look at" lucy (scared to death to get near her).)
so, here is [mamacat] lacy in the front. the kitten [PKP] is in the background.
here is the kitten [pkp] - she was born the weekend before labor day.
and, here is our resident cat whisperer:
kentucky trip
we visited melissa for pre-thanksgiving. if i had known everyone else around her left town for thanksgiving, we would have stayed. seems that every other year there are lots of folks around! oh well, next year i'll know to ask that question!
we drove up on saturday and came back wednesday afternoon. the trip took a little over 10 hours each way, but that included 2 pee/walk stops and 1 dinner that lasted an hour. not so bad. the kids did great. they watched trucks during the day - kendal even kept saying "look hottie, truck!" and at night we opened the DVD player and watched wonder pets (on the way there) and thomas the train (on the way back - borrowed this one from melissa). in all, the kids napped at their normal time, and then sacked out at their normal time. its funny how when we are at home, bedtime (and nap for holly) is a fight!
so anyway, without further introduction, our pictures!
we drove up on saturday and came back wednesday afternoon. the trip took a little over 10 hours each way, but that included 2 pee/walk stops and 1 dinner that lasted an hour. not so bad. the kids did great. they watched trucks during the day - kendal even kept saying "look hottie, truck!" and at night we opened the DVD player and watched wonder pets (on the way there) and thomas the train (on the way back - borrowed this one from melissa). in all, the kids napped at their normal time, and then sacked out at their normal time. its funny how when we are at home, bedtime (and nap for holly) is a fight!
so anyway, without further introduction, our pictures!
grace and faith walked holly around everywhere!
josh in motion...
what is funny here is the expression on their faces as a reaction to holly's crying/screaming!
holly with her sista' from anotha' motha'
have you ever wondered what an angel looks like when she sleeps? well, this is it:
holly and sam had a great time emptying melissa's tupperware cabinets! thick as thieves i tell ya!
and then... hurricane holly got a hold of the dvd storage area (beneath the fish tank). oh yea. mass destruction. (however, we did find the thomas movie!)
raleigh christmas parade
ah, that time of year already! you know... the weekend before thanksgiving when raleigh has its christmas parade! at least this year it wasn't cold. last year it was too cold for us to even go.
kendal LOVES parades. my biggest beef with raleigh's is the fact they didn't have many rescue vehicles in it (i.e., police cars, ambulances, fire trucks...). those are kendal's favorites. he likes the bands and the motorcycles ok, but nothing beats a firetruck really!
well, unless a train went by. then, that may have topped it all.
so anyway, here are a few pics from that. katelyn met us there. we left for kentucky right after the parade was over (well, after we ate at village deli, anyway...)
kendal LOVES parades. my biggest beef with raleigh's is the fact they didn't have many rescue vehicles in it (i.e., police cars, ambulances, fire trucks...). those are kendal's favorites. he likes the bands and the motorcycles ok, but nothing beats a firetruck really!
well, unless a train went by. then, that may have topped it all.
so anyway, here are a few pics from that. katelyn met us there. we left for kentucky right after the parade was over (well, after we ate at village deli, anyway...)
'canes game vs toronto in which they actually won!
chris treated us to a hockey game last-last thursday - he had an extra ticket so we took kendal. he LOVED LOVED LOVED it!
here are some pictures...
here are some pictures...
kendal smiling at chris...
mommy and kendal
"uncle" chris
the cutest close up shot i've ever taken of kendal
nathaniel had to hold his seat down because he wasn't big enough to keep it down with his own weight:
kendal discovering all the pretty young ladies sitting behind us. he flirted, and so did they!
lunch date at jason's deli
i have some blogging/picture posting to catch up on!
'twas out on the town last friday (before thanksgiving) and i decided to go out to lunch. i had the kids with me. i thought nathaniel would be able to meet me there (i didn't ask him in advance and he was really busy at work). so, i took them anyway. here are some photos from that! they did great!
(holly enjoying an ice cream cone sans ice cream)
(kendal drinking juice from a big boy cup!)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
new shoes!
ordered kendal and holly each a pair of squeaker shoes from sophie's chic boutique (they had the best prices... plus shipping...). i got both pairs of shoes for a little over $30. i ordered them on friday... and i got them today! talk about FAST shipping! even better... the shop takes paypal, so i could use our "profits" from the ebay sales to buy them! not a dime was drained (directly) from our banking account! :)
so holly was still sleeping when i put kendal's on him. she woke right up... the squeak is louder than i thought it'd be! but, i'm already used to it. it is nice to know where he is without having to follow him around all morning. (honestly, everywhere in our house is safe for them to be alone, but, i still like "knowing" where he is.)
i put holly's shoes on her after i got her up from nap. they are a little big still, i got her size 4 which is her size right now - the shoes obviously run big - but they'll last her through the winter (won't they be cute for valentine's day?). a 3-1/2 would have been a better size, but they don't come in half sizes. she'll grow into them. she also isn't quite heavy enough to squeak yet. every few steps she'll let out a squeak and she loves it! she hasn't been on the floor (sitting) since i put them on her. she's cruising all around.
both pair are really soft and flexible. i'm surprised at that, seems that when i buy "cheap" shoes that they usually are hard, thus why i usually spend way too much on their shoes at stride rite (at least $50 per pair!). i do like these though. i will definitely keep them in mind for holly as her feet get bigger and the weather warms with spring! kendal, unfortunately, is wearing the largest size they make. so, this is it for him. :(
i'll post a video later of them squeaking. i need an extra set of hands to help holly walk... can't video and get her at the same time (walking).
kendal's shoes
so holly was still sleeping when i put kendal's on him. she woke right up... the squeak is louder than i thought it'd be! but, i'm already used to it. it is nice to know where he is without having to follow him around all morning. (honestly, everywhere in our house is safe for them to be alone, but, i still like "knowing" where he is.)
holly's shoes
i put holly's shoes on her after i got her up from nap. they are a little big still, i got her size 4 which is her size right now - the shoes obviously run big - but they'll last her through the winter (won't they be cute for valentine's day?). a 3-1/2 would have been a better size, but they don't come in half sizes. she'll grow into them. she also isn't quite heavy enough to squeak yet. every few steps she'll let out a squeak and she loves it! she hasn't been on the floor (sitting) since i put them on her. she's cruising all around.
both pair are really soft and flexible. i'm surprised at that, seems that when i buy "cheap" shoes that they usually are hard, thus why i usually spend way too much on their shoes at stride rite (at least $50 per pair!). i do like these though. i will definitely keep them in mind for holly as her feet get bigger and the weather warms with spring! kendal, unfortunately, is wearing the largest size they make. so, this is it for him. :(
i'll post a video later of them squeaking. i need an extra set of hands to help holly walk... can't video and get her at the same time (walking).
Saturday, November 14, 2009
grammy's photos
last friday (over a week ago...) we spent the day with grammy and grandpa. unfortunately, my camera battery was dead - for the most part. i did happen to snap a few good pictures of grammy sharing pictures of our wedding with kendal and holly.
kendal and holly LOVE to look at pictures. and, i do believe this is the first time they've seen any of our wedding!
kendal and holly LOVE to look at pictures. and, i do believe this is the first time they've seen any of our wedding!
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