Happy {Easter} Sunday!

Happy Easter Sunday friends!

Growing up Easter Sunday meant Church, a new dress, hunting Easter eggs, candy, and a delicious meal.

This year Easter means:

A new dress for Bailey

Maybe hunting an egg or two (because I think that's all that she'll be interested in)

A family meal together

 Checking off a big project on our to do list (update later this week)

Thanks to my Sister-in-law, I saw this on Pinterest and decided to attempt it on my own.

Bailey was the perfect model! She actually loves the bunny ears and had fun playing with the carrot and eggs.

We took Bailey to see the Easter Bunny last week. We thought she might be a little apprehensive, since she has become a little wary of other people lately. But as you can see, she enjoyed herself! (I think this was the second picture they took!) We are blessed with such a happy girl!

We had fun putting together our Easter card, thanks Shutterfly!

I hope that you all are having a wonderful, happy {Easter} Sunday!

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday dear friends! Here I am with something else that is making me happy today!

We spent a glorious eight days in Tahiti on our honeymoon {which I thought I posted about, but didn't really. I may have to do a look back post about it} While there we drank mostly fruity, blended, island drinks but we also enjoyed the beer of Tahiti, Hinano. I'm not a big beer drinker, but this was nice and light...just my style.

Last week, I went to Bevmo and discovered they had Hinano in stock!

It tasted just as good as I remembered and it brought a smile to my face, thinking of us drinking it in paradise. Now we can have more of our honeymoon in our own home.

Do you have any foods or drinks that evoke a special memory for you? I hope you have a week full of happy moments!

{9 months}

9 months have gone by since this sweet, silly, funny, loving girl entered our world!

She now eats:

Peas (unlike before)

Bananas

Carrots

Pears

Blueberries

Chicken

Rice

Sweet Potatoes

Green Beans

Zucchini

Beets

Puffs

Yogurt

Baby rice cakes

Baby Mum-mum

She definitely knows what food is and wants to eat whatever we are eating. We eat dinner together as a family at the dining room table and she seems to enjoy it, especially when Daddy feeds her off of his fork.

Despite what this picture shows, she is still a happy, smiley, funny girl. She now gives kisses...opened mouthed, french kisses that turn into her biting your lip. She has the sweetest smile and is constantly changing her facial expression, her eyebrows are very expressive!  

She has two bottom teeth and is starting to get some top teeth (a struggle this week with a fever spiking to 106.5 degrees). She likes to pick up her food and feed herself, often grinning to show you she is chewing.

She now weighs 20 pounds and is 29 inches long (95% for both).

She is a great crawler and loves to be chased. She is able to stand on her own, often staying up for thirty seconds or more, always pulling herself up on everything she can. She walks between things, but doesn't take steps without a firm grasp on something. She's started clapping and loves to grab our hands to make them clap.

She is back to waking up once a night, usually wanting to cuddle before going back to sleep.

She is definitely a Mommy's girl but she gets really excited when she's around someone she loves or hears their voice.

She loves books (yay!!), swinging, being outside, and talking. It is so fun to hear her babbling and she makes the sweetest noise when falling asleep. 

While every day isn't always easy with this girl, {she has a lot of energy!} the good moments definitely outweigh the trying times! I wouldn't change it for the world, I am definitely the luckiest!! 

Happy Sunday!

Hello out there Lovelies! It's Sunday {right??} and here I am with another Happy Sunday post.

If you're new around here I started this because I have so much that makes me happy, I want to remember the little things along with the big things that make me smile throughout the week. Go ahead and share what is making you happy this week!

Here is my sweet girl playing with her sweet Nana a few weeks ago. We were joking about the zoo and some stampeding penguins {you had to be there} earlier in the day and the fun just continued.

I have this video on my phone and it never fails to crack me up! {I also have a youtube channel of all the videos I take of Bailey. If you want to watch our silly girl in action check them out here}

Happy Sunday dear friends and don't forget to share what's making you happy today!

ABC's of me

I don't have any good topics floating around in my head, so I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of me! Here are some get to know me ABC's. {I don't know where I found these, they've been in a folder on my computer for awhile}

Age: 29

Bed size: California King

Chore you hate: Mopping. I tend to drop something onto the floor immediately after!

Dogs: Not a fan. I've never had one, but Chris really wants one so I'm sure someday we will get one.

Essential start of your day: Waking up?

Favorite color: Blue

Gold or silver: Silver!

Height: 5'7"

Instruments I play (or have played): I pretended to play the flute in 6th grade, I have no clue how to read music. {Sorry Mom for all the early mornings taking me to band!!}

Job title: Public Safety Dispatcher II

Kids: My little love, Bailey Joan

Live: In Ventura County, CA

Mom's name: Laurie

Nickname: Pringlay's, Val, Mal...?

Overnight hospital stays: To have my gallbladder removed and having Bailey

Pet peeve: People flossing their teeth and when people use your, you're and there, they're, their incorrectly

Quote from a movie: {Sleepless in Seattle}
Sam Baldwin: What is "tiramisu"?
Jay: You'll find out.
Sam Baldwin: Well, what is it?
Jay: You'll see!
Sam Baldwin: Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her and I'm not gonna know what it is!
{Cracks me up!}


Right or left handed: Righty
Siblings: One older brother

Time you wake up: For work: 5:45am, or whenever Bailey gets up, usually around 7am

Underwear: usually worn

Vegetables you dislike: Beets! I just tried them because I made them for Bailey and I think they taste like dirt. She likes them though...

What makes you run late: Bailey or Chris. I'm usually ready 15 minutes early...

X-rays you've had done: So many! Mouth, arms, back, clavicle, ankles.

Yummy food you make: I think I'm a pretty good cook, most of my recipes on the blog can be found somewhere in here.

Zoo animal: We just went to the LA Zoo with Chris' sister, her husband and their daughter, Ella. It was the first time going to the zoo for Bailey and Ella and it was a wonderful day. With out planning on it, the girls showed up in the same zebra pants! So we had to get a picture of them with the zebras.



I know, nothing earth shattering but a little bit more about me nonetheless. Go ahead and share some ABC's of you, let me know so I can get to know you better!

Happy Sun....oh, Monday!

Yep....I completely lost track of what day it was! I'm going to blame the time change...even though it was just my foggy, mothering brain.

So instead of Sunday, you get a happy Monday post.

Chris grew up playing ice hockey. I think his Dad put him on the ice at 5 years old and he has played ever since. He was asked to fly back East to try out for some college teams, but in his senior year, he injured his back and that was the end of his potential college ice hockey career.

He has remained friends with many of his teammates. When you are a young guy, travelling around the country and Canada, you become a family with those guys and I've heard many, many stories (some I didn't need to hear) about their road trips.

This Sunday they played in their first alumni game, in honor of one of the Dad's (Wayne) who was a big part of their organization. It was wonderful to see them all together and hear more stories and watch the parents come together to watch their boys play together again.

Here they are taking a picture before the game started, with a jersey dedicated to Wayne, that hangs in the rink.

Here is Chris (on the left) with his two "brothers" Mike (Wayne's son) and Todd.

 

It was definitely a Happy Sunday and something these guys will remember for a long time to come.

Some loveliness

Here are some of my current loves:

This is Bailey's old man face. She just started doing it and it crack us up every time!

My new ring.

I saw it on Pinterest and bought from here.

She has become my little shadow lately, sometimes frustrating but mostly lovely, like when we took a nap together!

Sitting in our small laundry room, watching the clothes spin around in our new washing machine. Ahhh...the simple pleasures in life!

Chris got me a Clarisonic Mia 2 for Christmas and it is A.MA.ZING!! My skin feels so refreshed and clean after using it. I notice a HUGE difference after I use it and it makes me want to wash my face.

{nope, no one paid me to say the above, but I wouldn't mind if they did!}

My wonderful husband.

I was going to work on a project last week (a version of this one) and thought it would take me an hour. Well, a friend showed up and Chris took it over. And my measurements were completely off and he spent over two hours working on it, getting frustrated, and feeling overwhelmed.

So once my friend left, I saw how hard he was being on himself, so I told him we could go fishing. He looked at me like "You're kidding, right?" But I wasn't and it ended up being a relaxing afternoon out on the pond, even if we didn't catch any fish.



Another Pinterest recipe:

Root Beer Tri Tip

It was delicious! I'm not a huge crock pot fan because everything seems to come out mushy, but this came out wonderfully! We could have sliced it and eaten it in pieces, but we added some BBQ sauce and hamburger buns.

I know I have much more to share, but I'm tired and I'm learning how to let myself relax a bit, so that's all you get for now.

What are you loving today?

Guilt

The subject of guilt has been on my mind so often lately. Actually, feeling guilty has been surrounding me for the past while.

I have pretty low self-esteem most days. Fortunately, most mornings I have the mind set of "Fake it 'till you make it." and I'm able to get through the day with a positive attitude {and what a huge difference attitude makes, a whole nother post for sure!}. I tend to be really hard on myself for everything: how I look, how I am as a Mom, how I am as a wife, personal standards for my job, how/what I cook, what I do with my "days off", how much sleep I get, how slow our house projects get done, how our house is kept up, etc., etc., etc.

Something that is constantly in the back of my head {or right there in the front} is that no matter the choice that is made, I usually feel guilty.

In regards to Bailey: Am I away from her too much? Am I too quick to pick her up when she cries? Am I being too strict with only giving her organic/homemade food? Did I do her harm by only being able to breastfeed for six months? (which was my body's decision not my choice) Am I being crazy by not letting her watch tv?  

As a wife: Am I doing everything I can to support Chris and make sure he is happy? Am I a source of stress relief for him or do I add more stress into his life? Do I ask him to do too many projects and not let him relax on his days off? Do I expect too much of him as a father and husband? Am I saying no to things that he wants because I am selfish?

As a person: Am I taking time to be Mallory, not Mom, not wife, not dispatcher; but Mallory? Am I balancing chores (laundry, cooking, cleaning) with downtime?  Do I put everyone else above myself? Am I too stubborn/embarrassed/afraid of the reaction to ask for help? Why am I not better at being consistent at working out? Am I living my life on caffeine to make it though the day getting things done {yes}? Do I feel guilty for feeling guilty when I have so much?

Life is all about balance, not so much on the day-to-day things I don't think; but on the overall picture. Did I do my best in dividing my time between family, work, myself? Yes, some days, work takes priority because everything else is running smoothly, while other days, I am so engrossed in my family that I don't even think about my job or the fact that my house hasn't been dusted in weeks.

I am a work in progress. I am trying to not fret about things that aren't getting done when I am spending my time doing something else. I am going to try to look in the mirror and not see my frizzy, always up in a ponytail hair, but look past that and see what I've accomplished (and maybe take some time to go get my haircut for the first time in a year). Look around and not see our dirty house, but see toys that Bailey loves playing with and dishes in the sink from a meal enjoyed together.

Guilt is a strange thing. It can be all consuming, self-imposed and something that is hard to change.

But I'm working on it.

{and maybe I'll go take that nap I've been needing.}

{8 Months}

Ah,yes...another month has passed by too quickly!

We've had 8 months with our Bailey Boo!

Let's start out with some of her loves:

* swinging *

* pulling herself up to standing *

* being outside *

* her family *

* the park *

* any kind of animals, but especially ducks *

* the "fur" in her touch and feel books *

She is still the most smiley baby I have ever known (despite what these pictures depict)! She has the sweetest giggle and is very ticklish. She does have a temper and knows what she wants. Fortunately, she is quick to get out of a bad mood and will smile again soon.

She is still an amazing eater. We've been making almost all of her food (she loves organic puffs and yogurt drops that we buy) and her favorites are:

* chicken

* carrots

* pears 

* sweet potatoes

* zucchini 

* yams 

This girl really is the light of our lives. Even when she is fussy, we feel so lucky to have her. It is amazing all that she has learned in 8 months, it's hard to imagine what she will accomplish in her life, but we will support her and do all that we can to get her where she wants to be!

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday lovelies!

I will admit that I haven't been doing that great at exercising this week, but when I have been able to get out (or into the gym) I remember this:

I figure, that even if the only energy I have is to get out and walk, that's better than nothing!

Keep up the good work friends, the goal is to be HEALTHY, not skinny {although that's a nice perk}!