Vising Grammy D. today...

Sorry it's blurry, took the pic with my phone b/c of course I forgot my camera today!!

More Halloween pics

She had just woken up from a nap so she still looks dazed in these pictures to me...

And NO! Of course we did not take her trick or treating! I just dressed her up in her outfit and walked her around school and in chapel for Tom and the students to see.

Halloween and other stuff

So, it's been a while since I posted anything...mainly because I have been having issues with her sleep still which basically means I am not sleeping either. She sleeps alright at night but still hasn't been really taking naps during the day. Today I tried swaddling her for her naps and it seemed to help her sleep a little longer without waking up. The other thing I discovered lately is that she has a severe reaction to peanuts. I had been given a container of trail mix with peanuts and chocolate a week ago and I was chomping away on it day after day, all the while wondering why she was projectile vomiting and very fussy. I even took her to the doctor who asked me if I had been eating peanuts lately or if I had been overly consuming dairy! Anyway, hopefully we got this figured out b/c since then, I have given up all dairy and peanuts and she seems to be getting better.

Now, I know there are some that boycott Halloween but we had this little bumblebee outfit for Kira that was just too cute! On Friday I dressed her up in it and walked her up to the office for all of Tom's coworkers to see. I think she was probably wondering, "What am i wearing?! This thing is hot!!"

Sunday I was over Mom's house as usual and we spent a little time making faces at her and trying to take a picture at just the right moment during one of her smiles! HA!

I haven't taken her out in the jogging stroller until recently. Now she seems to be big enough that she doesn't slide down in the seat when I sit her in it. Today was nice enough, I took her out for a walk. Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer so I will probably take the stroller with me to church.

Ummm, she still likes being in the Ergo, boy am I glad that I have this carrier! (Thanks family!) I have been trying to get her to sleep in her crib for her naps but she seems to sleep most soundly if she is in there. But a reassuring talk with Christy this week helped me be okay with this situation. I love this girl! She has brought us so much joy it is more than I imagined it would be! I am very happy to hold her and enjoy every second.

We have had some crazy weather this week...Thursday it got all the way up to 75 so I trekked out to a field near our house where some students were playing flag football and we watched the game and helped keep stats! She seemed to enjoy being outside, she kicked her legs, smiled and just looked around for quite a while.
I just had to include another one of her with her glasses on! She doesn't have the coordination to pull them off yet so we have been throwing them on her a lot lately and watching her just try to look through them. :)

My busy husband

Lately, the blog has been consumed by Kira...not that that is a bad thing, but there are other things going on. Tom has been enjoying his new position at work, the only problem is, he works a full day at the office, comes home and, because he has two jobs right now, often has meetings and work at night as well. Last night was a perfect example of this...he worked all day, came home, made dinner for an event, and ended up dealing with an issue until late last night. Just to give you an idea, when I got up out of bed at midnight to feed Kira, he had just walked in the door. We knew going into this that it would be a difficult year but we made that commitment knowing that it would only be like this for a year.

That is why I encourage him, when he gets a chance, to get away. Surfing is the only outlet for him right now, where no one can reach him with a problem or issue by phone. He can release stress and enjoy himself and come back refreshed.

Monday, he was fortunate enough to have a day off and a friend snapped these pics of him. I believe the water temp is in the fifties right now so it would be insane to try to surf without a wetsuit.

When I come to the shore with Tom to spend time with him and watch him surf, he always asks me, "how was the spray?" When a surfer does a cutback, the larger the spray, the more impressive the move. You can see he has "spray" in this pic!
This picture is a perfect example of what Tom would call "getting tubed." It is when the wave curls over your body while you are surfing through it.
Coming out of the tube....

More spray on a cutback.

Nice right? Make you want to take up surfing? I have to say, Tom is very focused when he has a hobby, and he is a very good surfer.
I love the beach, but mostly the ocean. Watching the waves roll up onto the shore is a constant reminder to me of God's power and strength in creation. The ocean is vast and strong. We are small and weak in comparison and when I look at its vast expanse, there is no denying God's existence. Thinking of the ocean always gives me encouragement knowing how great and mighty God is to have created everything on the earth.

3 generations

another pic from hanging out with the fam. sunday...

Children are a blessing

Children truly are a gift and a blessing from God! These two pictures were taken with my phone so they are a little blurry since she is a little wiggler :)

This first picture, I took one morning this week when I was really tired and feeling a little down. I was holding Kira early in the morning and I looked down at her and she smiled so big back up at me. It made me realize I needed to be grateful for her instead of complaining in my heart over my lack of sleep. Time goes by so fast, I really felt at that moment the importance of enjoying this special time I have with her, and the blessing of being able to be at home with her and watch her grow every day.

Today, after church, I took Kira over to my mom and dad's house while I waited for choir to start. My mom was playing patty cake with her and she was smiling so big, I managed to get one shot with my phone.

Amy also stopped by with her kids as a last minute decision and it was so nice to see her, even if it was only for a little bit. I am so blessed to have such a great family who loves each other!