short and sweet

Posted on January 14, 2014 by tara

The weeks go by so quickly… and the weekends seem to pass by even faster! I only wish we had more time to rest and enjoy time with family and friends.

This weekend was filled with TONS of baking- these muffins (with some health-conscious modifications), this bread, and these cookies!

Jax got busted for eating crayons… again. He does have a pretty cute “I’m sorry” face, though 🙂

I was asked to take some newborn pictures of a friend’s sweet new baby boy. It’s so easy to forget how tiny and helpless they are before they turn into laughing-dancing-climbing-on-everything toddlers.On Sunday morning, I received a suprise text from my dad-in-law.

“What’s for dinner?”

They live five hours away, so it’s not like they randomly come over and eat our food. They were coming to visit! We ended up having delicious Chinese fake-out and playing games at Jeff and Lelia’s place. It was a short, but sweet visit. I love spending time with family.

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(and yeah, that’s Jax trying to wrestle Dad, because that’s pretty much what went on the whole time they were here)!

five on friday: lollipops and arctic temperatures

Posted on January 10, 2014 by tara

ONE. Kaya had her first lollipop ever this week. Cotton candy flavor is a big hit! (Also, I had no idea how messy a lollipop could be. She definitely should’ve worn a bib for this…)

TWO. I can’t even believe that this was our weather from Monday night into Tuesday morning. I know that some northern states had it way worse than this… but still! We survived (and obviously I missed a run because I was not going outside in it)! I’m grateful that we had power and hot water, because I know that some people across town did not. One of the pipes at our church actually burst and flooded half the building.

THREE. Does it get any cuter than babies in winter hats? Kaya was such a trooper this week and was well-behaved for a meeting I had that lasted almost three hours. I just won’t tell you how many cheese crackers she ate.

FOUR. This dog… I love him to bits. But Jax, here’s a newsflash: crayons are NOT food.

FIVE. I love her happy morning smiles.

Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

goodbye, scrappy

Posted on January 9, 2014 by tara

Today, Michael’s childhood dog had to be put to sleep.Scrappy was almost 14 years old (which is such a long life for such a big dog)! The whole family loved him so much, especially all the boys. They always counted him as their fourth “brother”.

I don’t have a whole lot to write, other than that he was a good boy. And to a dog, that is the very best thing you can say.

I’m sorry we couldn’t be there to say goodbye, Scrappy, but I thought of you all day long. I’m so glad we got to see you just a couple weeks ago at Christmastime.We’ll miss your excited, wagging tail next time we come home to visit, but we will see you again someday.

We love you, Scrappadoodledoo.

project 365: 14/365

Posted on December 7, 2013 by tara

November 8: I’m thankful for my talents that allow me to create things for other people… November 9: …for a Daddy to help with bath time… November 10: …for Daddy cuddles when she isn’t feeling well… November 10: … for all the silly things she does (like putting “makeup” on Michael here)! November 12: I’m thankful for date-nights in and Pillsbury cinnamon rolls… November 13: … for this goofy dog who will snuggle with anything. November 14: … for this mess, because it means we have someone to make it (and toys for her to play with).

my dog might be more popular than me

Posted on September 30, 2013 by tara

We went for a 6-mile run on Saturday, and six distinct sets of people said hello… to my dog. That’s more greetings than I probably get in a whole week while out exercising (although a cute, cuddly puppy is a little more inviting than a sweaty girl wearing her hair like she just took a ride through a clothes dryer…)

I’ve been thinking about Greek food for weeks now and we FINALLY went out for some on Saturday night. Mmmm gyros. Of course, Kitty had to come along. Lelia and I spent some time planning out all the details of our Halloween party. Halloween festiveness got the best of me, so I went out and bought burlap that very night to make a special craft (hopefully I’ll have it completed and on the blog soon). Check out those candy corns!

My baby has also realized that she can walk without holding on to furniture, walls, or my pants… so she made it all the way down the hallway yesterday while carrying Kitty and her music radio. She just keeps practicing since then, but I never seem to have the camera right at those exact moments. Mom fail.

And just because… a shameless selfie (with Michael’s computer in the background, of course). I love my best friend (and I love that he let me sleep in two days in a row. If there were an Ultimate Husband award, he’d win, hands down.)

fried chicken, bike rides, and a dog who thinks he’s a baby

Posted on September 10, 2013 by tara

Lately…

We’ve enjoyed date nights as a family of three. We used some of Michael’s birthday money to go out to eat one night (hello chocolate oreo milkshake)! Kaya enjoyed her usual favorite thing- graham crackers (but we do let her have a few bites of our dessert).
Michael acquired a bike trailer from one of his co-workers last week, so we just had to try it out! We biked to our institute class, and then to a Hokie soccer game! Kaya really seemed to enjoy it (if only because she could laugh at how goofy her mama looks on a bike…) We’ve had play dates and a church chili cook-off (I brought the cornbread).A certain someone has been a little feverish and taking extra long naps (I’m blaming the new molar…) And someone else only wishes he could be a human baby and steals Kaya’s things any chance he gets.

friday favorites

Posted on August 9, 2013 by tara

It’s Friday, but since we came home in the middle of the week, it feels more like Tuesday (and because Michael has meetings this weekend, tomorrow will probably feel like any other weekday, too. But that’s okay). Mostly we have just been enjoying being at home again (I’m not sure coming home has ever felt this good, but I don’t know why it’s so invigorating this time). We’re back to the laundry, the dishes, the cooking, and a million other messes, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We’re back to peanut butter sandwiches…… and puppy cuddles at the end of a long day. Our carpet is back to (almost) new because I finally steam cleaned it yesterday! I didn’t even think it was that disgusting until I saw what it looked like after I finished!And now we’re off to play with friends! Happy Friday everyone!

insta-jam #11 (may 2013)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by tara

Now that we’re more than halfway through June… Yep. I’m a slowpoke, but that’s okay. Better late than never! I won’t write captions for all of them since they are pretty self-explanatory (aka my baby is CUTE and I take lots of pictures of her. Haha).

Baking too much; a bath in the sink at Grandma’s; playing with some plastic cups; and one of the last photos I have of my sweet Maggie just two days before we said goodbye. Smiles; frozen keys for sore gums; waiting at the pond for a photoshoot; giggles.

She loves panda; I love these “Wendy’s fakeout” homemade chicken sandwiches; being cute; big beautiful eyes.
Juni (in motion!)
One of the few “fun” baths we’ve ever had. Rolling over on the changing table; grabbing toes; eating some yogurt for the first time; and cuddles.

The night we brought Jax home (look at that tail wagging); less-than-perfect mint chocolate cupcakes I made for a barbecue; chocolate chip cookies with my buddy; and Jax always trying to sit in my lap.

Beautiful; sleeping all crunched up in the corner of her crib; making her laugh is so easy; and letting Jax cuddle in our bed when Daddy isn’t looking.

Sheep that didn’t run when we walked up to them; my first walk with a baby AND a dog; enjoying the swings; and a hot, tired puppy.

facts about jax

Posted on May 29, 2013 by tara

It was already a week ago today that we drove about an hour and twenty minutes to go meet Jax. We were about 95% sure that we would be bringing him home that same night, so we had his collar, leash, and crate along for the ride (and several toys and bags of dog food waiting for him at home)!

He has adjusted so well thus far. He’s definitely a happy boy!
He loves destroying his toys. This raccoon toy had two squeakers in it… and now it has none. He also has a squeaky bear that has no ears and only one limb left.
This ball was gone in a few hours!

He is a fantastic running partner. I’ve taken him as far as 4.5 miles so far and he handles it like a pro! Usually, he isn’t even interested in other dogs, squirrels, birds, or people. He runs by my side. I love seeing him tired out after his exercise! He has mostly stopped jumping on people, and he knows to stay out of the kitchen when we’re cooking. He also knows he’s not allowed in Kaya’s room. He even goes in his crate immediately when we ask. Such a good boy!

He generally follows me around anywhere I go. When I sit on the floor, he climbs in my lap to be petted. I think it’s safe to say that we are already pals 🙂Everyone always asks, “So how is he with Kaya?” They definitely like each other… a lot! He kisses her (maybe too much sometimes) and she giggles. She crawls toward him, and he is patient when she grabs onto him. The only struggle they have is learning which toys belong to whom!
He wouldn’t sit still for a photo outside… clearly he is already tired of having his picture taken!

jumping jax

Posted on May 23, 2013 by tara

(Excited doesn’t nearly begin to describe how I feel about writing this post!)

We finally got a PUPPY! And isn’t he cute? (this is where I’m about to overload you with photos. But really, can you have too many puppy pictures?)

I’ve been dreaming about the day we’d get a dog ever since we got married. In a way, I still can’t believe he’s ours!

He’s even smarter than he is cute (if you can believe that)! I hope we can put all those brains to good use with some tricks and maybe even an agility or flyball class.

He’s an 8-month-old Border Collie mix, which was exactly the breed I wanted. The dog my family adopted when I was in high school (Socks!) is part Border Collie, and I’ve always loved his vast amount of energy for playing and running. We’ve already gone on one run together, and I think he’s going to be an excellent partner. His name at his foster home was “Jax”. I searched through a bunch of dog names online, but nothing really seemed more suitable. He likes to jump on people (we’re working on it), so I think it’s even more fun to say “Jumping Jax!” He already knows “sit”, “down”, “kiss” and of course “no!”. He loves frisbee and tug-of-war, but he is afraid of going up stairs. If you get on the floor with him, he tries to cuddle with you!So there he is… the perfect dog! 🙂

Michael and Tara

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