O' Christmas Tree

Today we took the kids to a really great Christmas Tree farm in Oak Harbor to get our tree! The farm was really beautiful, the people were incredibly friendly, and to Laila's delight, Mrs Claus was there. She marched right up to her and said, "HI Mrs Claus!!!" and proceeded to sit on her lap and show off her lovey. There was also a pony to pet, and a lot of really cute photo props.

Despite these grumpy faces, I swear the kids had fun!

Me, having a pinch me moment with my family :) 

We found the perfect tree, or so we thought until we got it home to discover it is so tall it hits our ceiling! Its crazy how much smaller they look in the field. We made it work ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Giving Thanks this Thanksgiving

Well Hello there! Once again, its been awhile. The days and weeks are flying by way too fast over here and it seems like Halloween was over in the blink of an eye and now it's Thanksgiving this Thursday? How did that happen?! Just wanted to drop in a quick post, because I am feeling so incredibly thankful this week for everything and everyone in our lives. It hasn't been an easy year by any means, and without our amazing family and friends I don't know how we would've made it through. So happy to be feeling positive and looking forward to the future with excitement, and feeling full of happiness.
So what have we been up to lately? We had the best Halloween, Laila was all about trick or treating and it was serious business going door to door asking for candy, "Tick or teeeeeet". She dressed up as Jessie from Toy Story, and Camden dressed as Woody (not really a Woody costume, the closest we could find was a sheriff outfit).
Halloween was soon followed by my 33rd Birthday, and a ridiculously fun evening at Disney's Frozen on Ice the following week. Both kids loved the show, and Laila's jaw was just about scraping the floor as Mickey, Minnie and just about any other big Disney character you can think of came out on the ice before the show. She was waving so hard I thought her little arm was going to fall off. Seeing her face full of excitement and wonderment made me all teary.  Camden loved it too, and sat so content in Nana's lap just taking it all in, grooving to the music.

 Camden is going to be ONE in a couple of weeks! We are knee deep in party planning and teething tempers over here this week. Poor dude is getting ALL FOUR molars. He is pulling himself up on everything, and starting to cruise the furniture. He is a speedy crawler and into EVERYTHING. I'm not even exaggerating. For example, I left him for two seconds as I took Laila her lunch and found him standing at the toilet, splashing in the water, laughing his naughty little head off.  He is sooooo busy and keeps me on my toes. His personality is just so sweet, quirky, and a little mischevious. We are in so love with our little man :)

This big girl is loving her Christmas dress (can ya tell?) or any dress or tutu that's over the top girlie haha. Our sweet big girl is talking in full sentences, sings at the top of her lungs any chance she gets, has a full blown obsession with makeup, and is just the best big sissy. She is loving her little preschool that's once a week, and has gained so much confidence. Her imagination is over the top, and her sense of humor and silliness melt our hearts everyday.

Chris and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! So to those of you who follow along, we love you so much and are so thankful for you!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

The Island Life

Wow its been awhile. We took the last few weeks and have really settled into life here in Anacortes, and we are loving it. We feel home. Its been pretty amazing.

Chris is still working a ton, but we've filled our days with play dates, trips to the zoo, playing at the park, long walks, and feeling blessed to be by our wonderful family and friends. I have jumped back on the "trying to lose the baby weight" train and am thinking about joining the gym. We're still unpacking some boxes and settling in, but life feels good right now. Its been pretty quiet. Quiet is good these days ;)

Camden is growing like a weed, is almost 10 months old, and wears size 18-24 months. He weighs in at 24 lbs and he is solid. He's really developing into his own little person. Camden is quiet, sweet, and the quirkiest little dude you'd ever want to meet. He's shy, reserved and loves his big sister more than anything. He is crawling everywhere, sits up, and is even walking a few steps behind a walker.

Laila has made a big transition and has turned into such a little girl. Goofy as ever, she is confident, sweet, silly, and giggly. She takes a little dance class and goes to preschool once a week. She is starting a little soccer activity with Chris this week that she's super excited about. She is now in a big girl bed, working on potty training, and talking. Non-stop. All day long. She usually needs some translation, but we can understand her for the most part. She is such a little helper. Her favorite thing to do help with is hold the front door open for me as I'm getting Cam or groceries out of the car and I always tell her to watch her fingers. So the other day she was standing on the front porch holding the door open, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Waaaaatch yo PEEEEEEENIS mama!!!!!" Translation? Watch your fingers mama! To the neighbors? OMG.

Laila has decided she loves her little brother (sometimes) and they are actually starting to play together which has been so fun. Watching their relationship develop has been pretty incredible. Laila rarely calls Camden by his name and refers to him mostly as Baby. Or Cambo.

I've really missed this space - more frequent posts to come!
Happy Sunday :)

Yet another monthly update

These once a month updates I promise will be more frequent when things slow down (which hopefully will be soon) but here's an update from the last month or so!

Chris and I left the kiddos for 4 whole days and went to Las Vegas with Chris's family for a little vaycay! It was so relaxing and so incredibly hot there! Besides the fantastic company and the hilarious Terry Fator show was my OMG moment when I met Giada!

Yes, I am that annoying fan who wanted to take a selfie. Chris and I were sitting in the lobby of the Aria waiting for Chris's brother and dad, talking with my mom on the phone getting an update on the kids when in walks Giada. I said to my mom, "OH MY GOSH GIADA JUST WALKED IN!" I promptly hung up and made Chris go do a walk by to make sure it was her. I know...I am that girl and not ashamed to admit it. Once it was confirmed, I made my way over, professed my love for her, and asked to take a picture. She could NOT have been nicer, more gracious, or more humble. I'm such a dork (does anyone even say dork anymore?), I know. Celebrity sightings aside, we had a great trip :)

Camden is almost 8 months old and has officially become the busiest baby on the planet. He is almost just as fast as Laila in his walker, and can literally run all over the house. He rolls up to whatever Laila is playing with to torment her and take her toys, run down the hall to take the nightlight out of the outlets, opens the kitchen cabinets, tries to chew on the garbage can, and chases the dog. I am so in for it when he's officially mobile and am savoring these last few weeks where he's not crawling. 

 That being said, Cam is such a sweetheart, loves his sissy and his doggy, and is humongous. He weighs 23 lbs and wears size 18-24 month clothes.

Laila turned two on August 4th. How in the world do I have a two year old already?

We celebrated the evening of her birthday just our little family, and will have a little lunch party on Saturday with our families. Laila is talking so much! She says 3-4 word sentences, and the things she comes up with is pure comedy. She is silly, sweet, kind, and nurturing. Even when she randomly sticks her feet in her brothers face and says, "Stinky toes!" or has a complete meltdown because Camden is too close to whatever precious toy she is playing with. She insists on "One more kiss" at least 3 times before anyone leaves or goes to bed. She loves minions, anything Toy Story related, playing mommy, and hats. The girls loves her accessories ;)

In the last month we also celebrated our dear friend Allyson at her baby shower (can't wait for baby Rose!) and are getting all the loose ends of moving tied up. We move a week from Sunday. Which means I will once again be buried in boxes, but this time while chasing a crazy driver and laughing at the antics of my big TWO year old baby girl. Even though it'll be crazy, we are beyond excited and are counting down the days like a kid counts down Christmas!

Thanks for being patient for posts and for coming back to check up on our crazy little life!

4th of July Weekend

Hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July! We have been so lucky lately with beautiful weather, and  kicked off the day in Anacortes at the annual parade!

Camden fell asleep shortly before it started and slept through the entire parade!

Laila was a happy girl collecting candy with the big kids. She even got to meet a giant blow up guy.

The highlight of her month however was when an actual real life minion came walking down the street. I'm not even kidding, Laila got so excited and overwhelmed when she saw him that she teared up and didn't even know what to do with herself! She was so flustered we couldn't even get any pictures. She is minion crazy!
Later that afternoon my good friend Melissa threw a fabulous house warming/4th of July BBQ that was a ton of fun. I'm kicking myself that I didn't take any pictures except right before we left when we had a grumpy baby, and a certain little girl who was mad at her little brother for grabbing her arm.

The next day during Camden's nap, Chris, Laila, Paisley and I walked on the Guemas Island Ferry for Laila's first ferry ride and played on the beach for a little bit. Chris and I have been together for 13 years and I've never taken him over there!

In general we just enjoyed the area for the entire weekend, and kept our fingers crossed that we were going to get the rental we had applied for.

We just got word this morning that we got the rental! Which means that we are moving for sure as early as the middle of next month. Yikes! Time to get packing! We are beyond excited to be moving back to Anacortes and start living the island life.

Hello July!

Happy July everyone! This is one of my favorite months, as it sits right smack in the middle of summer. However, its been way too freakin hot up here in Lynden (like almost 90 everyday) and I don't think the temperature inside our house has dipped below 80 in a week...even overnight.
I have been a terrible blogger lately, and waiting way too long between posts! I feel like every time I step away for a few weeks its because something bad of stressful has happened but this time its all happy things to update on!

I've blogged a little in the past about my love for writing children's books and my dream someday of being published. When I started this blog my intention was to make my journey to publishing a main topic - hence the name Chasing Dreams and Catching Life. Well, the Catching Life part has taken a main focus as you know if you follow along but I'm ready to start focusing more on the Chasing Dreams part :)

I have picked up this book several times at Barnes & Noble and absolutely fell in love with the story and the way its written so I purchased it awhile back. I have a very similar writing style, but Caralyn Buhner is a fantastic author with writing that I strive to even come close to. I wrote her a message on her website letting her know how inspirational her writing has been to me and SHE WROTE ME BACK! Not just like a form letter or quick thank you note, but a long, thoughtful encouraging e-mail chocked full of advice for the writing and publishing world. I'm still so star-struck over the whole thing,

That correspondence has propelled me head first into trying to find a literary agent.

Which is waaaaaayyy more complicated than it sounds. You used to be able to send your manuscript to big publishing companies, but now you first have to seek representation which is just as hard to find as a publisher!

I sat down to type up the story I had selected to submit and while I was typing it out, I got another idea for a story. I switched to Microsoft Word and wrote it in about 15 minutes and its my absolute favorite thing I've ever written. So funny how that happens. So that new story is the one I'm trying to publish. I sent out my first 5 query letters yesterday to various literary agencies so we will see what happens! I keep telling myself that JK Rowling got rejected like 50 times before someone took an interest in Harry Potter (not that my writing is anything like Harry Potter, nor am I JK Rowling!).

Next on the list is we are like 99.9% sure we are moving! I know what you're thinking...didn't you just move? Friends of ours bought a home in Anacortes, so we are going to take over their rental! Its nearly impossible to find a house to rent in Anacortes so we are SO EXCITED. Its tricky getting out of our lease, and we just have to submit the rental application but we've spoken with the owners and it sounds like its all a go! We will be moving middle of August. I wish it was tomorrow!

On the home front things are really good! We are actually headed down to Anacortes to beat the heat and spend 4th of July weekend with family, friends and lots of fun. And because so much of Chasing Dreams and Catching Life has been devoted to the kiddos, here's some recent pics of the babes.

Have a wonderful 4th of July Weekend!!!

Laila 22 Months, Camden 6 Months

Its been awhile since I did an update on the kiddos! Today both babes had doctors appointments so I thought it was a good time since we have fresh stats.

Laila

I can't believe our silly girl is going to be two in just a couple of months! I know I've said it before but its shocking how fast the time goes. Chris and I are convinced she is a future cast member of SNL because her favorite thing in the world is to make someone laugh. She is incredibly nurturing to everyone, but especially Camden. My heart melts into a puddle on the floor every time she gives him his paci back, gives him toys, says "Uh oh Mama" when he fusses, wants to include him in everything, the way she says "Cam" and especially when she gives him a big smooch on the lips, and says, "Nigh Nigh Bee Bee, I luuuuuub Uwwww" when its bedtime. She is such a silly little girl and we love her more than words could ever begin to say. She is cautious, VERY finicky about things being a certain way or in a certain place, and will eat just about anything. She has really been talking a lot and has so many words! She loves to cuddle, hold hands, sing, and play outside.

How Old: 22 Months
Height: 35 inches
Weight: 30 lbs
Clothing Size: 4T
Shoe Size: 8
Favorite Foods: Fruit smoothies, green beans, macaroni & cheese, banana bread, tuna & noodle casserole, strawberries, yogurt, graham crackers, bananas, and anything with cheese. Speaking of cheese, a couple of days ago she was sitting in her high chair eating lunch and she kept pointing to her nose saying, "Nose" so I asked if she wanted to blow her nose and she said yes. So she did and I felt something fly out into the tissue...it was 3 PIECES OF CHEESE! I couldn't believe it and we had a very serious talk about not sticking things up her nose but she just thought it was so funny...omg. Chris said he had caught her trying to put cheese up her nose the day before but didn't think she had actually done it. sigh
She Loves: Our golden retriever Paisley,  Minions, Anything Frozen (she calls it Elsa Ana), her babies, books (Especially Llama Llama Red Pajama) blankets, Mrs Potato Head, coloring, Doc McStuffins, anything having to do with farm animals (especially cows and horses), helping me do laundry, bunnies (hop hops), being naked (or nay nake she calls it), the word Ucky, making someone laugh, and looking at pictures and naming who everyone is.
Dislikes: Walking in unfamiliar places (wants to be carried), Camden crying in the car, and coming inside when we've been playing in the backyard.
Milestones: Laila is talking SO MUCH which is so much fun. She is all about singing, especially in the car which is the sweetest sound in the back seat. She knows the colors blue and pink, and can count to three. We are dabbling in potty training a bit and has used her princess potty about 5 times now! I'm not pushing it because I'm not convinces she's truly ready but she's interested (especially since I bought her Frozen underwear...which her stuffed Minnie Mouse is currently wearing).

Laila is hands down the most fun age right now. Chris just said last night after she went to bed that he never ever wants her to get older. This age is just the best. I know I've said it before, but our girl is pure sunshine and we are so lucky we get to call her our daughter.

Camden

I feel like a liar saying Camden is 6 months old because 1. He looks like he's at least 10 months old and 2. Because it seems like he was born just a couple of months ago! Cam is the biggest sweetheart. He's quiet, cuddly, shy, and quirky! He has been finding his voice and has this deep husky little voice that I love. He's such a little dude. He is so quick to smile, and SO HARD to make laugh! We've yet to get big laughs out of him, it just sort of comes out like a squack or scream haha His sissy is his most favorite person in the world and he is always happy if she is near. He is sooo chill and is happy to just hang out. We are so in love with our little man!

How Old: 6 months
Height: 28 inches - 95%
Weight: 20 lbs - 89%
Clothing Size: 18 Months! In know....BIG KID
He Loves: His big sister. He absolutely adores her. Cam loves his jumperoo, baths, his little walker/car, being talked to or sung to, is happiest when he's snuggling in someones arms, and just melts when he gets kisses. He has a little giraffe teether that he's really loving along with a little blue dog lovey.
Dislikes: Being hungry, when he can hear Laila playing and can't see her, being in his car seat too long, and being tired.
Milestones: Rolling all over the place, sits up pretty good, has two bottom teeth, and is currently getting his two front teeth,  has tried baby cereal with prunes and pears (but hasn't been too impressed so far), and laughing (which is more of a chuckle).

Mama Milestones - Our Sleep Schedule: The kids are sleeping like champs!!! Camden gets up like clockwork at 6:30am, full of smiles, and has a bottle. We hang out and watch the Today Show while I have my coffee and pick up the house. Laila gets up around 9am (she's always loved to sleep in) and we make our morning green smoothie for breakfast. Camden goes down for a short nap around 9:30am. Once he wakes up around 10:30am he has another bottle and then the kids and myself get dressed and lately we've been heading right outside to play.
We come in around Noon for Lunch and another bottle and both kids go down for naps by 1pm and sleep until 3:30 or 4pm. I know. Its a miracle with two under two. Once the kids are up, its another bottle for Cam, and a snack for Laila and this is the time we usually run any errands we need to. We eat dinner around 6, bath time for both kids from 7-8pm, then bedtime by 8:30pm for both kids. On busy days bedtime is around 7:30pm and they both sleep right through the night. I am doing everything in my power to keep this routine because its responsible for myself keeping my sanity haha.

I know I've said it before but we pinch ourselves everyday that this is our life, with these two babes. Being their mommy is hands down a dream come true!