Favorite Photos of 2007 Part 2

That girl loves her food. I just love the pure joy in this picture.

We had a fabulous trip to Italy in April. I fell in love with Tuscany. Kiran was about 7 months and did great on the trip. She seemed to really appreciate the Colosseum
.This was one of the photos I took on Kiran's 8 month birthday and it just makes me smile.

This is my precious friend Alicia. My time in India would have been far different without a heart friend like her to share it with. This picture is from my first Mother's Day. J arranged for Alicia & I to hang out at a local pool and enjoy dinner by ourselves. It was a very memorable day.

This is our birthing class...one year later. We had a precious group of Indians, Italians and Americans in our class and we all really bonded through the births of our first children (all between Sept 4 and Nov 6). I look forward to reuniting our kids one day!

Consignment Shop

Last week I visited my favorite consignment shop again. Its called Jordin's Closet and its on East Butler almost to Mauldin. I love this place because the prices are good (nothing over $6.95 -even for whole outfits) and the quality is good.
I got this cute dress, 2 spring/summer dresses, and a pair of jeans for $16. But the best was this outfit
This whole outfit was $7. It still had the tags on it. Its for next Christmas. It has a dress and a hat....but the part I fell in love with is the long coat. It seems so turn of the century to me.

ADDED: The owner of the consignment shop told me that there is going to be a coupon in this week's Clipper magazine (the one you get in the mail every month or so). It might be a good excuse to check it out! And if any of you Greenville people aren't going to use yours, save it for me! We only get the Spartanburg edition and I doubt the coupon will be in that one!

For you Em- I was playing on Kiran's rocking horse last week. I think I was around 16 weeks here. Its so true that you show earlier with your second!

Favorite Photos of 2007 Part 1

I thought about doing a Year in Review post like Merritt did. Or a pictorial collage like A&A&A did. But instead I decided to kinda combine them. I picked my absolute favorite pictures from all pictures taken in 2007. I ended up with 16. And it was REALLY hard to get it down to 16. Some pictures I picked because of something they represented; some I picked because it was a great picture. I'm not going to overwhelm you all at one so here are the first 5 (in chronological order) fave pics of 2007.

I love this picture because it shows how little Kiran was starting off 2007! We had just rung in the new year in Thailand and then flown to see our friends the Hagens in the Philippines. They took us to a beautiful beach resort on an island. Both days for lunch we ate this barbeque on a stick at the restaurant this picture was taken in. It was delicious and ranks as one of my favorite foods of all time.

Of course the Taj Mahal! I wish Kiran wasn't crying in it but what to do??? Brett and Merritt had come to India to visit and the Taj kicked off a trip to Agra and Jaipur that was truly one of the highlights of traveling within India for me. Someone asked me the other day if the Taj was as spectacular in person as it looks and I have to say yes, yes it is.

Dress up! My helper taught Merritt & I how to tie our saris and we felt like princesses! It makes me want to go dig mine out and put it on just for fun!

Anant & Parul (top of picture) were our closest Indian friends. They invited us to come with them to Anant's hometown for their son's naming ceremony. What a cultural experience! From train rides to protests to leaky hotel rooms to pundits and hundreds of Indian relatives, this was the most stretching experience and yet most dear. I will always remember this day.


We saw many funny signs but this one was our favorite! It was for a men's bathroom in Bangkok, Thailand. I mean if you got to go.....

Kiran's Language

Kiran talks all the time. Unfortunately, no one can understand her. Jonathan & I can understand many things she says just by context or because she says the same random syllables every time. For instance, she says "Doe-ju" for jacket, "doe-jus" for cheerios , and "DOE-ju" for puzzle. Anyhow, she is trying to say everything and is getting better at it.

Today we asked her if she wanted a baby brother or a baby sister. Evidently we should have given a third option: neither.



When you asked Kiran what the color is of anything, she replies "Purple." That's my girl. She is 100% right when you ask her about things that are purple.

When we pick Kiran up from church nursery, we'll ask her if she had fun. She says, "Yeah." We ask her if she played with her friends and she says "Yeah." Its precious. It is almost like having a real conversation with her.

Friday Facts

Well...I don't know if these all qualify as facts but I liked the alliteration.

1. Yesterday my mom, sister and I hit up my favorite consignment shop again. I'll take some pictures and blog about it soon.
2. For some reason, I get really excited when I catch Ace of Base on the radio.
3.We found a great direct flight to DC so Kiran & I are going to see Brett & Merritt while Jonathan trudges through the horrible task of going to many many basketball games in Charleston of all places.
4. Jordan & Beth found out they are having a little boy! Yea for nephews!
5. We are having friends over for dinner tonight. Real friends. The wife used to work with J but she doesn't work there anymore so they can't even be considered coworkers. Just friends.
6. We finally found a church we want to explore deeper. Its been a hard path since returning from overseas.
7. Today *might* be the whiniest day in Kiran's history.

Overalls

I cannot RESIST a kid in overalls!!!

OH MY

Heath Ledger is dead!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Merritt and I watched 10 Things I Hate About You at least once a week during college. Merritt even named her car Heath. I made her a great collage of Heath while I lived in Australia. There aren't many details yet.

Off to watch 10 Things and mourn.

Olan Mills Pictures

I found a link to the pictures so I decided to put that up since some of you can't download large email attachments.

Click here for Olan Mills pictures.
(A few of the captions are a little risque- consider yourself warned- the email version didn't have those in it!)

Then come back and tell me your favorite. My fave is the animal carcass one. HAHAHAHAHHA.

Edited to add* and hat tip to Emily for this link

Whew my sides hurt from laughing

I Will NEVER Be Able to Look at Hand Dryers the Same

This really helps me laugh instead of being annoyed that the restroom doesn't have paper towels...




And if you haven't seen the Olan Mills pictures yet, let me know and I'll email them to you. I was crying over some of them; they were that funny.

Read Read Read

I realized that since I quit nursing Kiran in September, my reading has dropped to nearly nothing. I love reading and I miss it so I'm wanting to read more. Of course come July I'll have a built in reading time while I bond with my new baby. Until then I'm trying to squeeze in reading during nap time, right before bed and when Kiran is outside playing. (I'm outside too- I didn't want that to sound like I send her outside then curl up with a book on the couch.)
I've read many books that are ho-hum and I've decided life is too short. So my new rule is to only read something recommended by someone else. I also want to start keeping track of the books I've read. I'd love to have a widget on the side of my blog that I could use to keep track. Does anyone know of one?

So far in 2008 I've read

1. The Everything Guide to Raising a One-year-old: From Personality And Behavior to Nutrition And Health--a Complete Handbook by BrianOrr & Donna Raskin -given to me by my MIL
2. Love Walked In by Marissa De Los Santos- sent to me by Merritt
3. A Perfect Day by Richard Paul Evans- found on my MIL's bookshelf

In the middle of:
1. Getting Things Done by David Allen- recommended by PF blogger The Simple Dollar
2. Cracking the Communication Code by Emerson Eggerichs- recommended by a lady at MOPS

On my bedside table
1. From One Child to Two by Judy Dunn-sent to me by my insurance company
2. Atlas Shrugged- recommended by ???

I have an excel spreadsheet (I am married to Jonathan) listing books that have been recommended to me by people. I keep it and then when I'm finishing my books, I look up books on my library's website and have them sent to my local library where I go pick them up. I *heart* my library!

If you have any recommendations of great books to read, I'll add them to my list.

Snow Day

We've been out playing in the snow!!!! I swear I am not a bad mom. I actually reached to grab her and forgot the camera was on. So you can see I'm just a natural in documentary film work.

And she was fine. Honestly.

Bedding Set

I have a bedding set that was given to us that we aren't going to use. Its in good condition, primary colors. I'd like to pass it on to someone who really needs it/can't afford to get a cute bedding set. What is the best way to do this? I thought about contacting local crisis pregnancy centers and seeing if any of them had any use or could give it away for me. Any ideas?

Household Help

Since I haven't been feeling up to par lately and Jonathan is now working full time and going to school, we've had to rely on Kiran to help keep the house.

Guru Kelley

Your Aura is Green

You're very driven, competitive, and even a bit jealous. However, you seek out balance in your life - and you usually achieve it! The purpose of your life: inspiring others to be better Famous greens include: Tony Robbins, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart Careers for you to try: Guru, CEO, Talk Show Host

What Color Is Your Aura?

So I don't usually do these quizzes...no that's not true. I usually do them but I don't usually post them. However, this one made me laugh so I wanted to share. Evidently I should be a Guru????? Really. J & I had a brainstorming session about what I could be the guru of....

I could be the Guru of Procrastination through Internet Surfing
the Guru of Do As I Say Not As I Do
the Guru of How Do You Manage To Mess Up Minute Rice Every Time
the Guru of Just Pass Me My Label Maker And No One Will Get Hurt

What do you think? Any ideas of what I could be the guru of?

Flower

In college, my roommates and I learned from Merritt that she earns a flower every day.

Well today I earned a dozen roses.

(And Jonathan said "Since our house is cooler than 93 degrees, these should last more than 6 hours!")

No Fun

You people are no fun.

I know because I have my ways that 59 people have visited this blog in the last 22 hours and the only lurkers who came out were our dads (Thanks Dads!) and Bren (I'm glad you told me you still read.... I didn't know if you did or not).

Delurking Week Party Poopers.

Delurking Week!

My BFF Merritt informed me that this week is the annual Delurking Week in the blogosphere! I've never participated in delurking week before because my blog used to be password protected so I thought I had an idea of who was reading.
So....if you are reading this blog and you never comment, you are a lurker! And this is your week to come on out, leave a comment, and let me know you are reading. And the best part is you don't have to comment again until next January when annual delurking week comes around again.

Don't make me start calling names.

New Year's Resolutions

I haven't ever really made new year's resolutions before. Maybe its a fear of commitment or a fear of failure or maybe I'm just lazy and don't get around to it.

So this year I am making a New Year's Resolution. My resolution is:

To keep my car clean............................................. by paying the nice people at the BS Car Wash to wash it for me!

They have ladies' day on Tuesday so Kiran & I decided to get started on this new year's resolution. It was so nice to have a clean car! ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE CAR WASH, Kiran sticks her fingers down her throat and makes herself throw up IN MY CLEAN CAR!!! My nice, clean, fresh car now smells like Toddler Throw Up (yes she is def a toddler Mert). And it would not bug me so much if she was truly sick and hadn't done this to herself.

Has anyone dealt with a bulimic toddler before? The past few days she has been sticking her fingers down her throat and gagging herself but today was the first time she actually threw up. I hope this is a one time thing but I'm scared its not.

And of course this happens on the very first day that Jonathan started his night classes for his MBA. Its going to be a long 2 and 1/2 years.

You Can Stop Your Begging (Erin G)

Here is the recipe for Thick Potato Soup (I think I called it something else the other day). Its not like I made it up; I got it from the Busy Woman's Slow Cooker Cookbook that I borrowed from Lauren Peters since she doesn't use her crockpot because her cat likes to chew through electrical wires while she is at work. This has been my fave cookbook lately. I've made this soup, bbq chicken, best bow tie pasta ever, and salsa chicken and have been pleased with both the ease and taste of every recipe.

Thick Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sliced green onions
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk

In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, soup, green onions, and red pepper. Mix well. Cover. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours or high 4 hours. Add cheese, sour cream, and milk. Mix until cheese melts. Cover. Cook 15 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

I thought it was quite tasty. I even liked it the next day reheated on the stove. So did Kiran, who is a picky toddler.

Baby Appt

I have my 14 week appt today and I kid you not I was in and out in 18 minutes. 18 minutes. Including check in, blood pressure (118/66), weight (you think I'm telling??? Just kidding +7 so far), finding the heart beat (160bpm), seeing the dr (you taking baby aspirin? yep. Ok keep taking it. See you in 4 weeks), going to the dr's office to see a picture of his friend that he swore I was the spitting image of, setting my next appt (Feb 4) and the BIG ultrasound (feb 19).

While the nurse was trying to find the baby's heart beat (isn't that the most nerve wracking thing ever?), she kept finding it and losing it. She chuckled and said, "This baby is moving around." Oh good. Kiran was very active in the womb (all the ultrasound techs would say, "You have a very active baby" when trying to get measurements) and hasn't really stopped since she was born. I told the nurse today that sometimes I catch myself wishing I could feel the baby move and kick, but then I remember that I'll have 20 weeks to enjoy those lovely bumps, hiccups and esp kicks to the ribs. I'm trying to enjoy the last few weeks of peace.

Since J's parents drove half an hour to watch Kiran for me and she was sleeping when they arrived, I thought that would be awfully unfair for me to show back up just 40 minutes after I left. So I went to Target. And spent all of my Christmas gift cards. Plus five dollars and one cent.

Big Lots

I didn't know there were so many things in Big Lots I need.

I went to Big Lots for only the second time in my life last week. The first time was when KT took me in Boone a few years ago. Anyhow, I heard they had good prices on storage containers and I'm getting to ready to make a hefty storage container purchase to get us or-gan-ized. But I digress. I walked in and the employees were rearranging the furniture and I thought, "People actually buy furniture at Big Lots?"

I got suckered in to the Christmas half-off sale. For the record, I got 9 rolls of Christmas wrapping paper for $5 and a welcome mat for the door. That was it. For the Christmas sale. While we were in there, Kiran wanted to put everything in her mouth. I kept telling her that we were past the oral stage but that didn't seem to stop her. Finally I stuck my finger in her mouth and discovered her top two molars had just broken through and her bottom two were bulging. That explains a lot about the last few days.

AND I found this nifty sponge holder for my kitchen sink that I was drolling over at the container store website the night before. I came home and did all these hand wash only dishes we had stacked by the sink. I think it was due to my energy returning.....Nah it was totally due to how much I enjoyed putting the sponge back in the sponge holder after washing every dish.

anyone hungry? for potatoes?

Is she my daughter or what?

Blood Draws

We had Kiran's blood drawn today for hopefully the last time for a while. She had taken iron for a couple of months so we were checking her hemoglobin and riticulitis (sp?) counts. Everything went well at the hospital and it was less than two hours later when her pediatrician's office called to tell us the results were normal and that no further testing or intervention is needed at this time.

Am I Allowed Back Here?

Hi.

Whew. Its been a while. I have a lot of things to blame my absence on..... but truthfully, it was just the first trimester energy drain. I just haven't had energy to blog or take pictures (I took a total of 5 pictures during our 4 Christmases and honestly, I handed the camera to J so he could take them). You know its bad when I'm not up for taking pictures.

Anyhow, last Saturday I rounded up all of Kiran's toys and separated them into three bins to rotate through on a weekly basis. Sometime during that I realized that I felt pretty good; I didn't need to lay down for a minute (or twenty) and I was thrilled. Since then my energy is slowly reappearing. I've made dinner two days in a row (both in the crockpot but hey it counts- creamy potato soup is in my brand new huge crockpot RIGHT NOW!) and Jonathan is estastic about that.

Speaking of Jonathan, he rocks. He's cooked and cleaned for the last 8 weeks plus taken care of both Kiran & me when we had the stomach virus at the same time and run to CVS for _________ multiple times. So props to you Jonathan. Taking a cue from Jill's dad, I'd say I have good taste in men.

So I have a lot to blog about- I think going back to um how embarrassing is this? THANKSGIVING. But I'm up for it. Let's just start with the present- our photo shoot today. Actually Kiran was begging to play outside and taking my camera was the only way I could forget about the cold for 15 minutes (this child was laughing in the cold wind on our way into Ingles yesterday- it was a wind chill of like 20??? She is so not an Indian baby).

I love love love the big red poofy jacket my mom found at our fave consignment shop (have I blogged about that? Maybe I shouldn't- then you can't run down there and buy all the good stuff). And I love love love that we found matching red/pink hat and mittens at Old Navy. It makes me really happy. Even if it is 34 degrees outside.