Small Obsession...

Most people know about Shutterfly. I have a small obsession with it.

You probably know I’m quite a methodical gal and love a good routine and nice order in my day/week/month/year. You can call me Type A, anal, or simply crazy. I call it order.

You also may know (since you read this blog) that I love to take pictures. In fact, I probably take several hundred photos a month. Yep, it’s borderline obsessive. But that just goes hand-in-hand with my Type A personality stated above. Since I take so many photos I have to keep them organized and what better way to do that than Shutterfly?
My Shutterfly obsession started back in 2004 and has continued ever since. I upload my photos at the end of each month and place an order at the end of each month for prints to catalog in our family photo albums. I know, I know, why keep a photo album when I have an online album at Shutterfly and this Blog you ask? Because I’ve had an ongoing love affair with photo albums since I was a small child. I’d look through my family pictures at my mom’s house, my dad’s house, my friends’ houses and I STILL do this whenever I walk into someone’s house: I head straight for their mantel and peruse their photos. Simply said, I love pictures.

So since it’s December and the month for the annual Holiday-card-in-the-mail time, I am finding myself shopping on Shutterfly for this year’s card. I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

Shutterfly sends me weekly coupon codes and FREE cards, calendars, or photo books…so I suppose you can say I’ve been holding out for the next best coupon. Low and behold, I found the perfect one; if you are a blogger you can get 50 FREE Holiday Cards. No joke (really, I would never joke about a coupon, especially at Shutterfly). So here goes…I’m ready to order but just haven’t yet decided what I want this year’s card to look like. Take a look for yourself:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Oh, and if you’re a blogger…why don’t you go here http://bit.ly/sfly2010 to get YOUR free 50 Holiday cards. Go ahead, start the obsession. I promise it won’t disappoint!

Thanksgiving 2010

We packed up and headed north to Ft. Wayne on Wednesday afternoon. Everyone in our house was on the upswing of the stomach bug and so were all the families we'd be meeting up with at Bob & Laura's...we were ready for some quality family time. Mike and I headed out on Thanksgiving morning for the Ft. Wayne Galloping Gobbler 4 mile run through St. Francis College's cemetery. This was the first Tgivs (dubbed from Corey) race I'd ever attended and it was comical to see all the festive hats and costumes. I rather enjoyed being a spectator (foot is still on the mend) especially on this day and race. There were entire families running together. Loved watching them start and finish. Made me inspired to watch the first female finish in about 26 minutes. Phew...that's fast. But it sill makes me want to lace up my shoes (as soon as these stitches come out) and hit the pavement.

I'm assuming this is the Galloping Gobbler
Was a very foggy day...Mike finished in about 32 minutes
We then headed home to get ready for the festivities. I tried my hand at my Nana's apple pie recipe, making the crust from scratch. Thank goodness my sister was on call to help me with it...I had to dump the first batch of crust out, as she kept a few of the instructions to herself and therefore the crust was too dry to roll out to the necessary proportions. Anyway, I was darn proud of myself and had to take a before and after shot (just in case the after was dreadful) to prove that I did it!

I must say, it came out perfectly!!! Everyone loved it and I believe I would have made Nana proud with my domestic skills.

Izzy's cousins Jake & Gabe arrived on Thursday and she was just so tickled to have buddies to play with. She so desperately wants to play WITH them but they are about 6 years older than her and really could care less. She is happy just to play next to them.

Family pic of the girls in their new Hanna Andersson dresses

We spent a few hours with Mike's mom on Friday. Don't the girls look so darling? I think Laney is in shock that her sister is touching her without hitting her!

Laney is still quite the snuggle bug with mommy

Chubby feet in patent leather shoes...so cute!

Friday night we drove downtown to take in a few exhibits: Christmas tree show, local dancers (ages 3 and up) perform their holiday show, the Botannical gardens and a visit with Santa.

Laney and Grandpa Bob

Izzy & Grandma Laura

Laney with Santa. I believe my first 5 years of life I look like this on Santa's lap. Comical.

Izzy warmed up to Santa once he told her he had a candy cane for her.

The atrium of the theatre

Laney & Iz as gingerbread people

Mike had to jump in...can you tell where the girls get their silly side? Love it.

We headed home Sunday morning and tonight we put up the tree. Izzy helped put up ornaments and she got a kick out of it. Love that she always looks in the big bulbs and says she sees herself. She's always been a big fan of the lights on the tree, starting from when she was 3 months old looking up the tree from underneath!

Helping

Other than the tree...the stockings and a small mantel piece is the ONLY decor I'm putting up. Just too tired and unmotivated to decorate. Thought it was funny that Izzy's stocking still had gifts in it from last year (as we didn't do a xmas morning celebration at home...by the time we got home we decided she had received more than enough and didn't need to have the stocking. Plus, we didn't want to confuse her.). We'll have to figure out a way to do a morning celebration at our house this year.

Decor

It was a fun holiday weekend and I can't say I'm super fired up about going back to work for a 5 day workweek. However, I have one more thing I want to do around the house for the girls; starting a new holiday tradition in our house. I'll post about that soon!!! Have to get it all ready!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Delaney is 15 months old!

Friday morning we took the girls to Delaney's 15 month pediatrician appointment (Izzy needed to get her flu mist so I hobbled my way in to help). Laney is growing and healthy and we were told she has advanced language skills. Here are a few of her stats:

Height: 30 inches (25-50%)

Weight: 20 lbs 10 oz (10-25%)

Head: 47.25 cm (75-90%)

Seems she continues to remain petite with a large head. Healthy, nonetheless.

(This picture is THE VERY reason I am getting a new camera...my girls are too quick for me to snap anything close to a good picture on my point-and-shoot.)

Also, Laney has about 8 teeth right now and she's getting more molars as we I write this. The other day at the dinner table I discovered a new molar and I got excited and told Izzy that her sister is getting more teeth. To which Izzy replied, "When is she getting more hair?!" I laughed so hard at this. It's true. Laney has a fuzzy head. No real hair to speak of. My mom says I was this way (bald) until I was two. I suppose Delaney has gotten her mommy's hair. Girl, I'm so sorry for that! Here's to getting more hair in the upcoming months!

Girls Night and Mike the Nurse...

Thursday afternoon I had a minor procedure on my foot (which put me off my feet for the entire weekend, on crutches for almost a week, and not running for several more weeks) and then went to my girlfriend, Allyson's, house for a girls night. Below is a pic of a few of the Finish Line gals. We had SO much fun, per our usual, and love getting together with these girls outside of the shoe business.

Friday I had off (flexin' it out) and spent the entire day reading, catching up on DVR'd shows, icing my foot and snoozing. My foot was fine all Thursday night (at GNO) until the middle of the night when the numbness wore off. Had to start the pain meds. And haven't let those lapse but for a few times on accident. Who knew that 6 stitches would hurt so much? Saturday Mike had his first set of Butler basketball tickets (he and some guys went in on season tix) and since I was laid out, he decided to take Izzy. She was pumped for a daddy/daughter date!!!
Iz couldn't wait to see Butler Blue (the bulldog mascot) and the cheerleaders and eat popcorn with daddy. I got a call an hour after they left and Mike said they hadn't even gotten to their seats...they were in line waiting to get popcorn when Izzy started projectile vomitting (sorry for TMI). And she didn't stop. Both Mike & Iz were covered in it. Gross. As soon they got home Izzy went down for about 3 hours. Izzy had two more bouts of said vomitting and Mike was gracious enough to spare me from the clean-up duties. Poor Mikey...he nursed me AND the girls back to health the entire weekend. What a trooper.


We knew the stomach bug had been going around their school and were hoping it would pass us by. Laney came home from school on Friday with a high fever, which continued into Saturday. So both girls had the bug. Boo.

While Izzy was snoozing Saturday away, Delaney took advantage of the free time she had with all of Izzy's tutus.

She had on all three of her sister's tutus at the same time. Rebel.

And Sunday both the girls are back to feeling better. They so desperately wanted to play with our neighbor Sammy, but I didn't want to pass this bug along to anyone else. Quarantined ourselves. Oh, we did leave the house ONE time today so Izzy could get her hair cut (we no longer go to the dreadful Coo.kie Cutt.ers btw) and a McDonald's treat for the girls.

Izzy's current favorite thing to play these days is tea party / birthday parties. Does anyone see anything in this picture that doesn't belong?

This squirt bottle somehow made its way into the play kitchen several months ago and I just think it's hilarious that they love to play with it. Corey...this picture is for you! What they don't know can't hurt them :)

Here's to a fun holiday week approaching...the girls are pumped to go to BoBo's house!!!

Family Run, Dress up & the Library

The girls have adjusted to the time change and both sleep in until almost 8am...thank goodness! Waking up on the weekends on my own, not to an alarm or cries from the girls, is simply wonderful. Saturday morning we went for our first family run since the Spring (we've both taken a girl in the single jogger here and there throughout the summer) and it felt great! All week we've had mild temps (in the 70's!!!) and we knew this was the last weekend we'd have to get out with the girls. Izzy came prepared with a purse full of entertainment for us: sunnies, DJ Lance glasses, goggles, headbands, etc. She had us cracking up the entire time. Girl likes an audience...and she LOVES to be silly, which we (of course) foster.

I'm sorry to say she had the goggles off before we completed our run...but you'll see more of those soon.
We had Funsters Saturday night and got a sitter for the girls while we met out the group for a yummy dinner (2 of the 4 of us Funsters are prego so it was low key and we also had a shower during the day!). Sunday morning we went out for our weekly breakfast and Izzy insisted on wearing her tutu, tiara (she calls it her crown), purse and magic wand. Izzy got lots of oohs and ahhs at the restaurant and she LOVED every minute of it. Wonder where she gets that from?!?!? Mike said I did the same at Halloween in my leotard. Like mother like daughter!

Iz rocked her goggles on the way home.

The tutu did NOT come off all day. It went with us to the library as well.

Buggy is really letting her personality come out; she's quite the comic relief in the house. We thought Izzy liked to be the center of attention...well Laney just loves to make us laugh!

Smooshed face
Just as Izzy has her signature "W" sit, Laney has her signature squat.
Nice look.
We spent a few hours this afternoon with Katie & Christopher with an impromptu playdate.
And finally, Izzy found her birthday tutu and wings and hasn't taken them off for a few hours. I just love that she has such a creative imagination and is so into dress up these days. So much fun.

Swimming, Bouncing & Sammy

So this weekend we had ZERO plans on our calendar. Love. That. I've been trying to let go of my calendar, of my scheduling, of my routine (with the help of my dear friend MC) and weekends like this are helping do just that. It's ok to not have a race to run (even though it was hard to not be a part of the Monument Marathon this weekend when my bestie was - and earned herself a PR!). It's ok not to have a date or an event to go to. Just living in the moment and enjoying my family is top on my priority list. And that we did this weekend.

We went out for a late breakfast (Izzy has been sleeping past 8am all week!) and later in the day we hit up the indoor pool. The last few times I've been there alone so having Mike with me was much welcome! Laney is absolutey fearless in the water (I hear this is true of most non-firstborn kids) and has zero problems jumping in from the side (and underwater). Izzy wears her lifevest fulltime and is a swimming and jumping-from-the-side fool.

Laney's faces are just so animated...she's even started doing Izzy's infamous "excited face" recently!
Swimming to mommy from daddy
Izzy swimming on her own

Buggy swimming

Counting 1-2-3 and then jumping...

...into daddy's arms!

After the pool Mike stayed to workout while the girls and I returned home so they could get in a LATE snoozer (clocks changing tonight so I wanted to keep the girls up as late as possible) and I got some good reading time in (I'm reading two books right now: Little Bee by Chris Cleave and Freedom by Jonathan Frazer). After naps we ventured across the street to our neighbors, Jill, Matt & Sam's house to bounce. Sammy is just a few weeks older than Izzy and they have been riding their bikes together all summer while Jill and I get to know each other. We trick-or-treated with them last weekend and we continue to connect with them whenever we see they are home (Izzy sometimes wants to ride her bike by their house and ring her bell until Sammy comes out to play!). Anyway, Sammy got home from the pool while we were bouncing and after a while of giggles and bouncing, we were invited in for some wine and playtime. Um, OK!!! We wanted to keep the girls up at least an hour past their bedtime to make them sleep in with the upcoming time change tonight. We adults enjoyed several glasses of wine while the girls played with Sammy until it was an hour past Laney's bedtime and we walked home. So. Much. Fun. Can't believe we've lived here for 6+ years and we've just made our first true friends. It's about time, I tell ya.

Izzy...

...getting her sillies out

Laney loves bouncing, too

Sam is so quick that I couldn't get an in-focus shot of him!

Resting

Buggy

Buddies!

Sissies!

What a gentleman, Sam walked Izzy girl home

Jill & Matt have told us that Sam has been in this costume pretty much all of October and now most of November, too!