Day 59 of Project 365

 

I got to spend the afternoon photographing this adorable baby boy! His name is Christopher George and he was born only 7 days ago. I love taking pictures of babies and was so excited when Jessica asked me if I would come photograph her family. It was a pleasure, Jessica! Thank you for letting me practice my newborn photography on your most precious little bundle! This is my picture of the day, but speaking of bundles, I'll give you a sneak peak of another one of my favorites from the shoot.

Day 58 of Project 365

 

This beautiful hand made hat arrived in the mail today. What a fun surprise to come home to after a long day at work. Jenica wanted to try it on immediately and was actually pretty good at getting it on her head all by herself. Here she is modeling it for us. So adorable! Thank you Emelye!

Day 57 of Project 365

 

Yay! KK made it into my Project 365 blog! This is Jenica's babysitter, and this picture is a great portrayal of how much fun she is and how much Jenica loves her. This picture was taken at our house while I helped Kristen with her taxes. Thanks for being my picture of the day, and for taking such good care of my baby!

Day 56 of Project 365

 

Having a little fun with photo editing...

Day 55 of Project 365

 

Jenica made this Valentine holder with her babysitter and although I'm totally not going to be of those mom's that saves everything her kids make in a box to hand off to them when they're older, I did want to remember this (she picked out the stickers herself) so I thought I would take a picture of it before it gets recycled. She also got little Valentines from all her friends at daycare. Thanks Kristen for being so fun and creative with our kiddo's. I'm gonna have to get a picture of you one of these days so everyone can have a face to go with the name.

Day 54 of Project 354

One last picture of my beautiful birthday roses before it's time to throw them away... mostly just because I didn't take a picture of anything else today and it was all I could think of at 10:00 at night.

Day 53 of Project 365

 

I'm sure some of you were starting to wonder when my dear old dog would be pictured here. I kept holding off, thinking I would do it as soon as I gave him a bath and he was all pretty and clean, but so far that hasn't happened. Maybe after tax season? 

Kylo will be 13 this year and his age is definitely starting to show. He has a hard time getting up after naps and just doesn't have that usual spring in his step anymore. He tolerates Jenica, who loves her "goggy", as she calls him, very much. So don't worry folks, he is still part of our family. I know he didn't make the Christmas card this year but he hasn't been forgotten. 

Day 52 of Project 365

 

It was our Sunday to be in the church nursery again this week. All the kids seemed extra cuddly today for some reason. I'm pretty sure they all would have climbed up in Rob's lap if they could fit :)

Day 51 of Project 365

 

Fun couples date night with (from left to right) Brandi, Emily, Ray, Tim, Emelye, Shay, Rob, & Tom. Since my birthday is the day before Valentine's Day our date nights usually get combined into one, but this year Rob was so thoughtful! He took me out for my birthday, then planned this fun get together with some of my closest friends to celebrate Valentine's Day a week later. It was fun to spread out the festivities and I had a great time enjoying delicious Italian food at Buggatti's Restaurant in Oregon City, then an evening of laughs at Comedy Sportz in Portland. 

Day 50 of Project 365

Day 49 of Project 365

 

Some much needed couch time with the hubby. Survivor and then some womens half pipe since The Office wasn't on tonight. Good times :)

Day 48 of Project 365

Day 47 of Project 365

Day 46 of Project 365

 

I'm a day behind... these pictures are from Monday. I'm having a hard time choosing just one these days, aren't I? We had another delicious dinner cooked by the lovely Kelly Hernandez and I planned to use a cute picture of Hayden and Jenica as my picture of the day, but the one of us two (well, three if you count baby Elijah) turned out so good I wanted to include it as well.

Day 45 of Project 365

Pizza and Pop-a-shot at Jimmy O's Pizzeria in Oregon City.

Day 44 of Project 365

 

I had to work on my birthday but I had lots of fun surprises. Jenica showed up with chocolate covered strawberries and Rob brought me a dozen roses. Emelye stopped by with a fun gift, black and white themed to go with the hat she made me for Christmas and after work Rob had a delicious dinner already made for me including king crab legs (my favorite!) and then a fun date at the movies watching "Valentine's Day." My work got me a gift card to get my nails done and Rob got me a gift card for a facial (something I've been wanting to try for a while now) so I see a day of pampering in the future... probably after tax season is over! Thanks everyone! Besides finding 2 gray hairs this morning while getting ready for church, my 31st year has started out fabulously!

Day 43 of Project 365

 

So for those of you who might be curious what was in the package from Joi that was pictured here earlier this week, here you go! And for those of you who were a part of making  it so special, thank you! I will treasure your words forever. Some brought laughter, others brought tears, and all brought back memories of good times and reminded me of what amazing friends I have. The theme of my gift was surviving my 31st year, and the package came complete with the following items:

A candle, for when I need some comfort

A brown paper bad, for when I need to be invisible

A "Best Mom" coupon book, for when I need to be pampered

A new scarf, for when I need to look super chic

A reflective buff, for when I need to be seen

A framed scripture (Psalms 36:6), for when I feel lost

A picture of Russell from Survivor, for when I need to feel like a good person

Red lipstick, for when I need to be dangerous or risky

And finally, a compilation of letters and pictures from my closest friends, for when I need a few kind words! 

I am still in awe and amazement at the amount of thought and time that was put into this gift. And to add to the fun of it all, Joi got a webcam for her computer a few weeks ago and has kept it a secret this whole time so we could skype while I opened the package. It was so much fun and the perfect start to my 31st year here on earth. I feel so incredibly blessed! Thank you to everyone who played a part in making this birthday one I will remember forever!

Day 42 of Project 365

 

Almost a month into tax season and I've still managed to maintain my weight! Tax season is usually notorious for at least a 5 or 10 pound weight gain since I spend most of my waking hours sitting and usually end up giving in to the midday fast food runs, but I'm happy to report that hasn't happened yet... maybe this year will be different! I think being a lifetime member of Weight Watchers really helps keep me accountable. I have to weigh in at least once a month and be within 2 pounds of my goal weight. As long as I do that, it's free! Thanks Brandi, for taking such a great picture of me and our lovely leader Floss! And for giving me the idea for my picture of the day!

Day 41 of Project 365

 

Homemade Valentine's cupcakes. Don't they look pretty!

Day 40 of Project 365

 

Today my diet consisted of lots of coffee, some candy and a fair amount of chocolate. Don't worry, I did eat a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner... these were just my snacks! But I did make it to the gym, so it's all good, right? (And yes Dad, I'll make sure to brush my teeth extra tonight:)

Day 39 of Project 365

 

I received a fun birthday package in the mail today from my bff....

Can you help me solve the puzzle. I can't open it until I figure out what Vanna has here:

Day 38 of Project 365

 

Day 37 of Project 365

Just another day at the office... only today I had extra special visitors. Husband and baby came by to say hello, and after a few snuggles from Mom, Jenica was off to play in the paper recycling. Oh the joy of childhood! Thanks for the visit. I sure miss you guys!

Day 36 of Project 365

Friday was a great day... busy, but great! I worked in the morning and got done in time to run errands and pick Jenica up from daycare early. It was 62 degrees out! I came home and put on capris and a t-shirt and met up with Brandi and Judah for a walk. I had time for a quick tax return while Jenica took her afternoon nap, then Rob came home and we headed over to a friends house for dinner. There is just something about good company (and not having to cook) that can really make an evening wonderful! The food was delicious, and we learned a new game, Apples to Apples. It's really fun! You should try it sometime if you've never played it. It had us cracking up quite a few times. I took quite a few pictures today, but this one of Jenica and Judah looking at a picture that Brandi just took is my favorite. Jenica has just recently learned that after her picture is taken, she can see the picture on the back of the camera. I thought it would be fitting to include the picture they were looking at as well (thanks Brandi). Oh, and Judica is just our little nickname for the kids. Brandi said it once by accident and it's just kind of stuck.

Day 35 of Project 365

 

This is the wallpaper on my work computer. I really need to update my pictures. All my clients keep thinking I have a 5 month old instead of a 17 month old. It sure is a cute picture though! 

I only got to see baby girl in person for less than an hour today :( I sure miss her! I think this season of work will make me appreciate being home with her a lot more come April.

Day 34 of Project 365

 

I got my picture of the day out of the way early today. This was on my way to work after I dropped Jenica off at daycare. The tree looked so pretty against the morning sky, I couldn't resist pulling over for a quick shot.

Day 33 of Project 365

Day 32 of Project 365

Well, I made it through the whole first month taking a picture every day and even finding time to post it here. It is unlikely that trend will continue this month, as this is traditionally the busiest month of "tax season" but I will try :) Today's picture is of my hardworking man doing some organizing in the garage tonight. Being back to work full time makes me appreciate all the long hours he puts in to support our family. This morning I said, "Mondays aren't nearly as much fun when you have to go to work!" and he just kind of looked at me and rolled his eyes. Anyway, I just wanted to take a minute to say thanks honey for all you do for our family! We truly are blessed to have you as a husband and father.