Harrison collage

Harrison from brand new to now.  He's changed a lot, but still looks the same to me.  His little newborn face is still him.  My sister or maybe my mom...can't remember, gave me some stick on ties for month to month, but I found them again too late! So I never got any pictures with the ties, but for our next baby I already have them! Even if it's a girl, kidding. After a while he wouldn't fit in his white onesie I had.  He was small enough to wear the same little white onesie from birth to about 10 months old! Plus my genius plan of our dark couch being the backdrop worked great until he decided he was too cool to lay still for a picture anymore.  Hence the last ones don't match =) I finally took the time to put them all in a little collage. Here he is! Ta da!

motherhood and illustration

Anyone who knows me will probably know that this last year working was extremely difficult.  I loved working and being fulfilled in that way, but I missed H and wanted myself to be the one to teach him everything.  I tried to be that role when I was with him, but still felt like I was missing out.You moms out there who work are amazing.  It's tough to manage your family when you're not there.  And I only have one kid! People do this with lots of kids!  I'm so fortunate that I can stay home for a while and raise my kids.  I may go back to work sooner than later, but not knowing when right now is grrrreat.  Really I'd love to just be an illustrator and work from home.  I wish I would have thought of that while I was still in school. Phooey.

Like this by Rudolf Koivu, beautiful.
                                     
I love children's illustration! Maybe because I'm looking at children's books all the time with H and got my first illustration job that kind of fell in my lap. But I really enjoy it.  I'm trying to self-educate in terms of general illustration methods and ideas, but I'd really love to go back to school for that.  In the mean time, I'll have to put myself through the Rachel Chinn school of illustration.  It'll be fun =) I'll post some of my new stuff later.  I'm still updating my website, trying to get a feel for the best things to have on there and what I'm all about.  Sticking with something is hard for me because I like everything!


Since my last day of work last week, we've been to Thanksgiving point (a dinosaur museum and country farm), seven peaks water park, I've fixed some of my illustrations for "Bedtime story for Jeffrey," done some illustrating on my own, cleaned our house, and got to spend lots of time with my boys! So far I'm likin' this new job of mommy illustrator.

In the short time I've gotten to be home all day with Harrison, I've seen him do so much!  I'm trying to remember he is growing fast and not to miss any moments with him.  He'll be going on a mission before I know it!  So any computer, blogging, pinteresting, I save for while he's napping so I'm present when he's awake.  I made the mistake of not being truly present for just 5 minutes and he was into daddy's briefcase, pulling out a kershaw knife, gum, and all kinds of other things not approved for children. I'm embarrassed to say that, but I'm glad I learned the lesson to be PRESENT all the time before something worse happened.  The kershaw knife was by far the worst thing he could have found, but thankfully it's folded up and has a latch to release it, but still...not ok. I can't believe some of the things parents let their children do, or DO to their children.  Did you see the article about the baby found in a sewer pipe in china!?!?! I couldn't watch, it made me physically ill.  That someone could do that to an infant, do they have a soul?! Pray for the children out there! I wish I could bring them all to my house.

On a happier note, all the fun things we got to do this week made for great photo ops. You know the whole take pictures of my kid with a cow so he can see he met a cow when he was a baby.  Funny the things we do, but I love pictures.

This was right before he started crying. For some reason he seemed way more afraid of the fake cow than the real cows.

Yes that is a calf sucking on my fingers. Did you know their tongues are all rough? It feels like a cat tongue, weird.

Oh and he wasn't afraid at all of the big fake dinosaur, way less threatening than a soft baby goat.

He likes to crawl into small spaces. Oh this boy warms my heart.

Here's to making memories with children and having fun doing it.

13 months

This kid is 13 months! (and a week).  People usually say, oh is he about 8 months old? Well by his size they're pretty close.  He is kind of a runt, but a smarty pants otherwise.  When I'd hear people say "my son is 13 months old", I used to think, why don't you just say he's a year?  That seemed so specific.  Like I don't say, I'm 27 and 3 weeks old. But now I know. Even in just a month he has learned and grown so much! I'd hate to jip him (how does one spell jip, you know what word I'm talking about) on that one month of extra goodness he's earned!

In this past month he...

-finally got his top 2 teeth! Now he can actually bite food, a whole new world of possibilities has opened!

-says "uh-oh" and "night-night" except it sounds like "na-na"

-plays peekaboo with his blanket

-pushes our clothes hamper everywhere like a walker

-dives from kneeling, he thinks it's hilarious

-claps! he claps for everything

-finally he has learned to do "eat" in sign language and he sort of does more and all done

-will sit still while I read to him, love this!

-waves bye-bye at everything

-will stick his toys in spaces in our entertainment center and then look for them

At every stage I think, this is so fun! I love this age! All his stages have been fun, I can't pick a favorite. But so far this is in the top. He is the happiest sweetest little boy.  I am so lucky.  

I made him a board book with pictures of his family =) it is awesome! he loves it and he came in the mail SUPER fast.  I'm a pretty satisfied customer.  I used this company.

 He pulls out the toys from our bookshelf and climbs in.  

 I bought him a puzzle with the planets.  He mostly just eats them.  To him the puzzle pieces fit right in his mouth, not in the puzzle.

 I love Costco, especially for the samples.  I take Harrison and we go around and try stuff.  Perfect way to see what he'll eat and I don't  have to waste money on it! He loves the chiana masala.  It has chickpeas, onions, and all kinds of spices.  So surprised about that one!

 He always rubs his food in his hair.  I'm thinking there's a market for baby shower caps for mealtimes.

 Practicing with the plate.  So far no dumping.

This is his I just ate mac and cheese face. And hair.

Party like it's your birthday

I had a birthday shout hooray! As always my hubs makes it great. It's sort of become a tradition for him to trick  surprise me all throughout the day. Because this happens so much I should be able to tell when he's fooling me, but he's just so believable! 

He told me he had to go in early to work, no biggie.  Usually happens.  So he kisses me goodbye while I'm sleeping and I hear the door close.  He did go to work but came back before I woke up. When I was in the shower I heard a crash of pots of something downstairs...intruder!! Thankfully he came and scared me again in the bathroom so I would know not to get the gun.  He made me breakfast on kirk family tradition "your the best" plate. 

While I'm eating he says, so I've been really busy and haven't been able to get you anything yet. Totally fine, and totally believable.  But then when I walked back through the living room there was a big box with a nikon camera! D3200! AHHHH!  I have one I bought for my classroom but have to leave it at the end of the year.  I didn't want to part with it.  I was hoping for it as some sort of going away present??! But now I can leave it behind because I have an even better one! Yipeeee!!   Such an amazing quality with this instead of just my point and shoot camera.  I'm kind of obsessed with taking pictures and making photo books.  

He took me to Texas roadhouse where our friends were waiting, didn't expect that either.  He told me we could do that another day.  Got me again David. Got Harrison a side of veggies.  This kid loves broccoli! 

 The boys blowing bubbles on such a lovely spring day. So handsome!

 It wasn't just my birthday. I have a twin. His name is Todd. This face of his below says it all.  Always been a goober.  In all our 27 years together, wow I'm almost 30, he has been such a wonderful friend.  I admit growing up we weren't really friends persay, he was more like my competition that I got joy in beating.  He'd say I couldn't run faster than him, but I could.

When we moved to Lumberton in 9th grade and knew no one, we became insta-friends.  Most people thought he was my boyfriend since we were together all the time, eww.  But I'm so grateful for that move, even though I hated life at the time, it brought me closer to my brother.  Now he and his wife (my best-friend/roommate from college, PERFECT!) are our only family living close by.  I'm so glad they've stuck around.  I sure do love them. As much as I give Todd a hard time about his talking on the phone for hours, talking in general, and many other things... I love him.  Happy birthday baby a.


Because I'm the "family photographer," it's rare I'm actually in the pictures.  David did his best and took one. Thanks babe.

And this picture has nothing to do with anything I've just said, but I think baby butts are the cutest things on the planet. He might hate me one day for this.  But his future wife can admire his cuteness.

Yay for good birthdays.

Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured

I love this picture of my man and my boy so much.  A little peek into life at our house.  David is busy every day of the week.  

Sundays are pretty much all day for meetings, church, counting tithing, and then being with us.  

Mondays he's at school until 7pm.  

Tuesdays work and school, then I'm off to mutual with the young women at 7 and we don't see each other til like 8:30 pm.  

Wednesdays it's school + work and then he goes to bishopric meeting at night.  

Thursdays it's school + work and then a 2ft prosthetics meeting at 6pm. 

 Fridays it's school + work and then hopefully date night! 

Saturdays are all about studying and working in the ceramics lab on projects. 

 I'm busy too, working m-f and taking care of Harrison.  In all of it though, we have fun together in the minutes we get.  When David's home and Harrison isn't in bed, they're playing together and david is making him laugh.  We go on walks (when it isn't freezing), have family prayer together (harrison is working on the sitting still part), watch the office together (we are superfans), enjoy good company with friends and fam, support each other in our church callings, support each other in our school life.  Sure things aren't perfect, there are days I reach a boiling point and lose my patience with everything.

There are plenty of days I have no dinner planned, there are no clean dishes or underwear, I can't find my keys, there is food all over the floor where Harrison played the food drop game, etc.  Those days David is an anchor where I am the crazy waves flailing about. He helps me reminder to laugh about it and just flow with it. I feel like when one person is freaking out, the other is strangely calm.  It's this crazy balance that happens.  Thank goodness for my husband.    He is my best friend and I love him.

I've learned many times over the past few years that you need to enjoy the journey.  That "life is to be enjoyed, not just endured" -Gordon B. Hinckley.  That is on my wall now.  A good reminder each day.  Don't wait to be happy, choose to be now!

Other things that brighten my day, parties! Especially when your guest are willing to participate in games that make me laugh. Harrison's first birthday par-tay didn't go as planned since it SNOWED all day that day! But we still had fun =)  Cue pictures below.

11 months and counting

I can't believe our little man is almost one! This time last year I was massively pregnant and so uncomfortable! This morning I was thinking about what it'd be like to be a baby in a belly, swimming around in there.  I just couldn't comprehend it! Having children is truly incredible.

Update on our funny little guy...
he can walk around furniture, but not on his own
he turns around when we say his name
he has two teeth, no real signs of more any time soon
he crawls at lightning speed
sippy cups are his friend, no more bottles!
he has a little blue blanket that he looooves, he gets so excited when he sees it and wants to snuggle with it
he is not super interested in eating, but he loves french toast and bananas
most of the time he is saying "dadada" "mamam" "rarara" "nanana"
he has a small fear of the bathtub, this was sudden and I don't know why!
his eyes are still big
he finds phones like a dog finds buried bones, he can sniff them out
he has a little orange hot wheels car he "drives" on everything
he likes to push the trash can around, but sometimes pushes it on himself. gross.
he also has a thing for remotes
he laughs and laughs
his thighs are ticklish


In other news, David is in a ceramics class this semester. Suprisingly (to him and me) he is enjoying it.  He's never taken an art class, like ever. So this is way new territory for him! I don't think he would have had the gall to take it if he hadn't married an art teacher.  He's been doing it in our kitchen. It's so cute seeing him be artsy =)

Giving lots of Thanks

Wow I am so bad at posting. Last one Harrison was 7 months, now he is 8. I vow to be better.

It's Thanksgiving. We are stuffed. But I am thankful for so much AWESOME food.  David said if we add presents to this holiday next year, it will definitely be his favorite day.  Todd and Kristi are asleep on our couch. David is watching the Cowboys game. Harrison is napping. I am left to my own devices.

This is the third year we have fried a turkey.  This year's came out THE best.  A variety of things made it awesome: the pulley system David rigged up, perfect oil temperature this year, the right size bird, perfect blend of seasonings for the injection.  It was moist and delish.  Harrison liked it too.  That's pretty good coming from a harsh baby critic.

I put up our Christmas decorations and tree already. David indulged me this year and let me put them up early. I am so excited. Probably because this is Harrison's first.  We aren't going home this year which stinks.  Last year was so hard! We flew home, rented a car, drove to Austin, drove to Waco, drove to Frisco, drove back to Houston, drove to Dallas and flew home. Never doing that again. Sometimes I wish David and I were from different states so we could see one family at a time.  Because our families live relatively close, but not that close, we can't justify going to see one and not the other. Especially because we don't go to Texas very often anymore.  Next year we will have to go home.  Many of our family haven't met Harrison.  He'll be so big by the time we get there!

He has one teeth poking through his gums. It's adorable.

He crawls all over the place.

He really likes playing with the football. David is very pleased about this.
                                        

He says "ba ba ba" all the time, spits with his tongue, and says "da" and "mommmm" sometimes.

 Golden and beautiful

 Todd and Kristi look comfy