Saturday, December 14, 2013
The Blue Dress
So we totally did this months ago, but I couldn't pass up this chance. Emma could be the only girl I ever have! You just never know. Also, I'm a creature that enjoys tradition. So when every girl that has been born into our family for the past 30+ years has taken a picture in this dress, you just have to have a photo shoot! So I dragged out a black sheet, threw it over the couch and shined a lamp on Emma. A million pictures and a ton of clapping and funny faces later we ended up with something close to mine. :) So, really what we can see here is that this looks like a picture of Kallam, as a baby, in a blue dress. LOL
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Family Pictures 2013
Just in case we didn't get to send out Christmas cards this year or if you don't get to see them on our wall, I wanted to post these for our friends and family far away. A co-worker of mine who takes AMAZING pictures asked us if we wanted some shots up on the mountain. Yay! I was so pleased, we got some great ones! Emma was a trooper, even though it was freezing! I don't know what it is about taking a picture with someone to remind you every reason why you love getting to be in the same picture forever. We had such a blast! WARNING: I left a couple pictures in the middle for your laughing pleasure, we were dying. ENJOY!!
Are you ready to wet your pants from laughing so hard???
FAIL!!! SO FUNNY!!!
Monday, September 23, 2013
6 months old
Even though they were taken a month ago, I realized I never posted these pictures a friend took. Emma is crawling now and creeping on furniture. It was definitely not in the plan for her to get into things this early on. Makes me miss those blob days where they just sit there. You put em down, come back, still sitting there like a blob. Maybe early crawling will lead to other early things...potty training, getting a job, etc. Just kidding! Sorta....
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Top 7 Things You Should NEVER Say To a Working Mom
I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now, not that I have more than like 5 followers, but the other day I heard another one of these comments and thought maybe a little blog venting would prevent me from burning down their house next time I think about them. :) I know there are probably worse things you could actually say to a working mom, but surprisingly enough these are things that I have heard myself from friends, family members, people in our ward, and of course strangers who always seem to think they have a right to weigh in on the situation. I'll also be counting backwards, like a late night show. Ready....
#7 "Don't you think you're abandoning your child?"
I have never left my child in a dumpster or in the wilderness to fend for herself. Talk to the two girls that watch her part time or my husband that watches her till I get home and they'll tell you that I'm constantly trying to get off even ten mins early to minimize the time she is away from me as much as possible. I also text them....constantly.
#6 "I wish I could work, I could really use a break from my kids every now and then"
Maybe you're not understanding that I only get to see my daughter two hours on some days when I work. When those two hours are full of getting dinner ready or running errands then it doesn't feel like much at all. Its actually not even a break, because I feel pulled in a different direction and am constantly stressing about whats happening wherever she is.
#5 "You think work is work? Try staying home with your kids, now that's work"
Why cant they both be work? Just because I only got three months with my little girl before going back does not mean that I don't know what its like. Many women combat boredom, depression and anxiety when staying home. I know its tough, but isn't every stage of life? Lets not play the victim for getting to be a mom when so many out there will never get to. Its definitely hard work, but its a privilege denied to many.
#4 "I take three naps a day"
You should never under any circumstance tell someone that has to wake up and go to work all day after a rough restless night that you get to take three naps a day. I am so happy for the girl in my ward who sleeps through the night, AND gets three naps while her child is napping, but sometimes you just don't want to be reminded that someone out there is sleeping double what you are able to.
#3 "It must be so nice not to have to clean and cook all day"
Surprisingly lots and LOTS of people seem to think that if you have someone to watch your kid, you also have a magical maid who comes at night to clean EVERYTHING and wash EVERYTHING and place frozen meals in your freezer for you to pop out at a moments notice. That's my kind of fairy tale. The truth is that when I get home from getting criticized by my boss and lifting 300lb broken people out of bed that don't want to(I'm a PTA in a nursing home), I too get to cook dinner, do dishes, clean the house, do the laundry etc., And i'm also expected by society to lose more than my baby weight. And I have half the time to do it as most moms that I know. It rocks. I'm actually updating my FB post today to warn people that since the semester has started, they can from this point on EXPECT my house to be dirty.
#2 "You're child wont remember you're her mom if you work full time"
Never NEVER say this. Ever since someone very close to us said this, it has been a constant worry of mine, which I know isn't right, because its dumb and should NEVER have been said. Its absolutely ridiculous to think that my little one won't know who I am when I come home. If that were the case, every child in america would say "Who's this dude?" when daddy came home. That doesn't happen.
#1 "I thought about going back to work, but I just love my child too much."
OUCH! Burn. This is the number one thing to me because it has been said SO OFTEN! I wish people would just think before they said it because it is stating that because I returned to work I must NOT love my child, which is so far from the truth. I returned to work BECAUSE I love her, THAT much. And if those girls ever had to choose between their little one going hungry or going to work, I think I know what they would choose. Luckily and hopefully they will never have to make that choice because of our credit system in this country that lets your husband go to school now and pay it back later.. In fact, I would probably be taking that same route of 50-100 thousand dollars of debt for my husband to finish school because its easier if God hadn't specifically told us not to. Heavenly Father told me(more like shouted) early into high school and for years to follow that I would need to finish college fast and stay out of debt as much as possible. But its also been talked about by MANY prophets and apostles to get a GOOD education( I'm talking to you Harry Potter degrees of Durham University) and stay out of debt if its right and possible. I believe someday we will be thanking our lucky stars that we listened.
I know i'm preaching to the choir and that most of the people that said those things will never get the kick in the pants that they deserve, but it makes me feel a little better that I do have friends and family that believe me when I say that working is hard but its necessary, and that Emma is a happy baby and will not be left abandoned anywhere.
#7 "Don't you think you're abandoning your child?"
I have never left my child in a dumpster or in the wilderness to fend for herself. Talk to the two girls that watch her part time or my husband that watches her till I get home and they'll tell you that I'm constantly trying to get off even ten mins early to minimize the time she is away from me as much as possible. I also text them....constantly.
#6 "I wish I could work, I could really use a break from my kids every now and then"
Maybe you're not understanding that I only get to see my daughter two hours on some days when I work. When those two hours are full of getting dinner ready or running errands then it doesn't feel like much at all. Its actually not even a break, because I feel pulled in a different direction and am constantly stressing about whats happening wherever she is.
#5 "You think work is work? Try staying home with your kids, now that's work"
Why cant they both be work? Just because I only got three months with my little girl before going back does not mean that I don't know what its like. Many women combat boredom, depression and anxiety when staying home. I know its tough, but isn't every stage of life? Lets not play the victim for getting to be a mom when so many out there will never get to. Its definitely hard work, but its a privilege denied to many.
#4 "I take three naps a day"
You should never under any circumstance tell someone that has to wake up and go to work all day after a rough restless night that you get to take three naps a day. I am so happy for the girl in my ward who sleeps through the night, AND gets three naps while her child is napping, but sometimes you just don't want to be reminded that someone out there is sleeping double what you are able to.
#3 "It must be so nice not to have to clean and cook all day"
Surprisingly lots and LOTS of people seem to think that if you have someone to watch your kid, you also have a magical maid who comes at night to clean EVERYTHING and wash EVERYTHING and place frozen meals in your freezer for you to pop out at a moments notice. That's my kind of fairy tale. The truth is that when I get home from getting criticized by my boss and lifting 300lb broken people out of bed that don't want to(I'm a PTA in a nursing home), I too get to cook dinner, do dishes, clean the house, do the laundry etc., And i'm also expected by society to lose more than my baby weight. And I have half the time to do it as most moms that I know. It rocks. I'm actually updating my FB post today to warn people that since the semester has started, they can from this point on EXPECT my house to be dirty.
#2 "You're child wont remember you're her mom if you work full time"
Never NEVER say this. Ever since someone very close to us said this, it has been a constant worry of mine, which I know isn't right, because its dumb and should NEVER have been said. Its absolutely ridiculous to think that my little one won't know who I am when I come home. If that were the case, every child in america would say "Who's this dude?" when daddy came home. That doesn't happen.
#1 "I thought about going back to work, but I just love my child too much."
OUCH! Burn. This is the number one thing to me because it has been said SO OFTEN! I wish people would just think before they said it because it is stating that because I returned to work I must NOT love my child, which is so far from the truth. I returned to work BECAUSE I love her, THAT much. And if those girls ever had to choose between their little one going hungry or going to work, I think I know what they would choose. Luckily and hopefully they will never have to make that choice because of our credit system in this country that lets your husband go to school now and pay it back later.. In fact, I would probably be taking that same route of 50-100 thousand dollars of debt for my husband to finish school because its easier if God hadn't specifically told us not to. Heavenly Father told me(more like shouted) early into high school and for years to follow that I would need to finish college fast and stay out of debt as much as possible. But its also been talked about by MANY prophets and apostles to get a GOOD education( I'm talking to you Harry Potter degrees of Durham University) and stay out of debt if its right and possible. I believe someday we will be thanking our lucky stars that we listened.
I know i'm preaching to the choir and that most of the people that said those things will never get the kick in the pants that they deserve, but it makes me feel a little better that I do have friends and family that believe me when I say that working is hard but its necessary, and that Emma is a happy baby and will not be left abandoned anywhere.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
5
Five. FIVE! That's right people, five awesome years of marriage is what we got to celebrate last month. I remember when we were newly weds and I asked someone in our ward I was serving with what it was like to have been married for 5 years(they had just had their anniversary). It seemed so far in the distant future, and it was not. :) For our anniversary we tried to do something we both would enjoy. So we went and hiked the lava tubes here in flagstaff(for Kallam), and then we went and had dinner and a fancy dessert at two separate places(for me!) And it was fabulous!
We took turns carrying her in our bjorn (the bests thing ever)
Luckily Kallam had the brightest flashlight in the world so we could actually enjoy the cave instead of only having to aim it at our feet.
It gets pretty big and most of it felt like we were in a subway tunnel or something.
It was a cool 37 degrees down there(perfect hike for a hot day) but Emma stayed nice and warm snuggled up to Kallam
Its about a mile in and a mile out, just right for an afternoon
It was lots of fun, and I'm sure we'll do it again to get out of the summer heat. Can you imagine how cold it is down there in the winter??? Brrr...
We had smores pizza and chocolate hazelnut calzone for dessert! Can you believe that? Kallam let me get TWO desserts!!
I tell Kallam all the time that if the first five years are supposedly the hardest, he can sign me up for the next five because I loved it! We have been through some hard things but always seem to come out happy and satisfied with our wonderful, crazy adventure together. Love you Kallam!
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