Catch the Moment: Week 15

A picture a day, for one year.

Again..life got the best of me and I am severely behind in posting my pictures. This week, for whatever reason, I am super mushy and reflective. Here's pictures of my life.

 This is another post in the making, which is regretfully also way behind schedule...but lately I've been partnering with my local women & children's consignment shop and I co-hosted our local Great Cloth Diaper Change event with Grow With Me Boutique. This year I've made it a goal to be present in my community; whether it's as a cloth diaper educator, proponent or encouragement to mothers.

This silly girl of mine. I thought that a 2 year old with a newborn was tough - but I've learned that 3 is even harder. Does it ever actually get "easy"? Probably not. But in the midst of the "no you're not"s and the bazillion questions, she sneaks in one of these silly little smiles and my heart just about bursts out of my heart.

 Lately we have been taking evening family walks, usually keeping the kids in our double stroller so that Adam and I can actually take a brisk walk and focus on conversation between each other rather than making sure that Penny stays safe from the quite steep drop into a creek that's next to the trail. On this evening, Penny gasps with wonder at the field of "bubble flowers," and wanted to pick some. These normally pesky weeds were seen as magical wonder in the eyes of a toddler, who picked each one delicately and presented me with a huge bouquet. She very quickly followed up with "ok, now let's blow them out!" and she blew with all her toddler might, pretending that it was nature's birthday cake. This memory I will treasure close to my heart, forever.

So this day was one where the trenches of motherhood were deep with sticky mud and I was just stuck. I try very hard not to complain about it ever, because in all reality it is such an amazing gift for me to get to spend this time with my children. It is a short season and one day I'll be an old woman who will look fondly back at it. But this day, I just had enough. Somehow my husband knew and he brought home an extremely special treat - a whole pie from our local boutique pie shop - Snohomish Pie Co. It reminded me that even though the days may be hard, my partner will always be at my side and will pull me out of the muck.  

 I guess this week is a very reflective week for me! We were hanging out in the backyard because again, it was an unseasonably warm April day and we had to take advantage of sprinkler time with popsicles. Miss Ruby had finally gotten over her aversion of grass so I was happy to watch her toddle around as she watched her older sister run and shriek through the sprinkler. Adam came home early that day and snapped this picture of Ruby and I. Sometimes it's so hard to come to terms that I am a mama of two, that I've been entrusted in the very important task in raising these girls.

While being a mom of a very opinionated, head and heart strong 3 year old can be hard, it has so many rewarding moments. Sometimes when I am upset with something silly, disobedient and ultimately not important, she stops me and holds my hands and just tells me how beautiful that I am. She compliments my long hair, or my pretty smile and great hugs. She thanks me for making a snack for her earlier that day, and strokes my cheek. Where did she learn this??? It stops me in my tracks and I take a breath to slow down my frustrated heart. On this day she had grabbed my camera and I was showing her how to use it and take pictures. She turns it over to me and says "now you take a picture of me. See how beautiful my shirt is?" This also stopped me and I tried to explain to her that it's not that shirt that makes her beautiful or worthy of a picture. Her sincere heart is just gorgeous to me, and I hope that it teaches me a lesson or two about what is important in life.

On the very rare occasion, Penny wakes up earlier than Ruby. Penny is so much like her dad, and their sleep habits are no exception. They could sleep in until noon if I (and Ruby) let them. This morning she creeped into my bed and whispered "can I give Wooby a kissy-kiss?" and ever so gently gave her little sister a kiss. She silently crept over to the other side of the bed and snuggled in on my other side.

Catch the moment archives

These aren't on Instagram, but most others are!

The Pierogie Babies: Birthday Month! Age 3 and 1

The girls were born 2 years and a week apart in March. It was awfully convenient to be pregnant at the same time because I didn't have to change anything about my maternity wardrobe! I thought that I'd luck out and get to pass on all of Penny's clothes to Ruby, but no such luck. Miss Ruby grows more quickly than Penny did; in fact there are many outfits that they share currently. But the silver lining is that it definitely cuts down on dresser space to not have to have two entirely separate sets of clothes for them!For as different in size they are, their differences in personality are also becoming more evident.

Over the last year we've learned that Penny is very much a little version of my husband, Adam. She has the same complexion, his eyes and definitely his love for sleeping in. She has a very analytical mind and I could see an interest in STEM in her future.

When she was 2 years old she was still very much into all things Elmo. Since then she's moved on to being deeply in love with the princesses. Frozen was the thing in our house for a large part of the year, but her big cousin Ella expanded her horizons (and showed her how fun dress up is) so now she has equal love for the different Disney gals. Closer to her third birthday she started watching the show Dinosaur Train and has quickly learned over two dozen different dinosaur species and is really good at pronouncing the 4-5 syllable names (Argentinasaurus, deinosuchus, troodon, pteranadon, just to name a few). This is what sparked her inspiration for a dinosaur-fairy themed birthday party.

Much of this year was spent at home, keeping quiet and getting a handle on having two kids. We have had many adventures with cousins, friends and have worked on making sure she gets a good social outlet with kids her age too. In this next year I'm looking forward to getting more time to sitting down and doing "school work" with her, because that's definitely slid to the backburner.

She also had her very first hair cut, her bangs were just too far down into her face so I gave them a little trim. If you've seen pictures of Penny through the months, you'll know that this girl took a long time growing these precious hairs. She also potty trained at 30 months.

Some of my favorite Penny posts:

Backyard Chicken and Toddlers

Babywearing on Mount Rainier

The Enchanting Fall Ball

Miss Ruby is definitely going to give me a run for my money. She's definitely a trouble maker! She loves opening drawers, figuring out what's inside, manipulating objects and God help us if she doesn't get her way! For the last couple weeks she's been waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to bonk my head or push her head into my face really hard. I'm not sure why, perhaps it's teething, but when I gently tell her no.. she gets really upset! And she never cries at night! Then there's also the cute-but-not-so-cute times where she flops onto the floor and throws a mini tantrum. Those quickly pass and she's back to her bright-eyed-happy self.

My coping mechanism for transitioning to two kids this year has been mainly that Penny leads what activities we do for the day and Ruby is along for the ride (literally, babywearing has saved my life). Now that she is standing, walking with assistance and taking those precious first steps, Ruby is getting a say in what we do too. Now that spring is here we've been outside more often and she has gotten to be on the ground and she is really not entirely ok with this. I can't say that I blame her, for her entire life until this point she's always been up and away. Now I'm encouraging her to get dirty, play in the bark and dirt, touch the grass and feel all the textures. It's taking some getting used to.

She truly adores her older sister. When she wakes up from her nap, the first person she seems to look for is her. If she wakes up first, I take her to crawl into Penny's room and Ruby always exclaims with such glee when she discovers Penny within the sheets. They both play together (I caught them conspiring not too long ago) and even have those typical sister battles over the same doll or book.

Words are coming along, she's still sticking to "mama," "dada," "Nee-nee" (Penny), "this this" (when she points to something)"tickle tickle"and we're working on "book" and discovering body parts (she is very proud of knowing where other people's noses are). It seems that at the moment she is somewhat afraid of the water, there's some nights where she's really against going in the bath tub and during a recent visit to the pool she was really quite scared.

Some of my favorite Ruby posts:

Sisterhood in pictures

Same outfit, two babies

Ruby in her "snail hat"

Newborn photography

Her birth story

Catch the moment: Week 6

More instagram quality pictures. One day I'll pick up my camera for real ;)

 Miss Ruby had some really wrinkly feet after her bath, and it totally brought me back to that super newborn phase where they are still wrinkly and crinkly. We are on the eve of her first birthday (well, it's next month..) and I don't know about you, but with the first baby everything is so new and fresh that I couldn't wait for the next milestone. With Ruby I am finding myself holding back, because I know that she will never be this little again. With the grace of God she will not be my last baby so I will get to relive all those baby moments again :)

 When I ask Penny to smile for the camera, or to say "cheese," this is the face she makes. Gosh I love this girl. She is just too hilarious! She quite enjoyed her cupcake.

 Miss Ruby is now 11 months old and the girls' joint birthday party is in full planning mode. 

 I am a bandwagon fan. I don't know anything about football, but anyone in Seattle these days needs a bit of Seahawks gear. So the day following the Superbowl (this is going to sound really horrible..) I knew that a lot of Seahawks stuff would be on sale so I headed to my local fabric and craft store to buy remnants.  Along with a thrifted scarf and a bit of lace, I made my own Seahawks infinity scarf. Boom.

My sister in law has gone gluten free and she's pretty stinkin good at making macrons. So naturally I had to go out for a visit to watch her make some and then eat them. :)

 Squirt and Ruby have this strange bond that he never grew with Penny. From the very beginning, he knew that she is something to be protected and cared for. And in the last 6 months, also that this is a source of food. He commonly sits under her high chair and waits. Times when I put her on the floor with a snack, he stays close. Today she taunted (and later shared) him with a piece of french bread. But this dog will never snatch from her, he always waits for her to offer. And she squeals when his tongue licks her hands :)

Until we build a new coop, we still be sticking with the 5 hens that I've had since last year (but don't quote me on that). Since it's chick season, we got our chick-fix by visiting our local Co-Op and took a look at the little chickies that are currently in. Maybe later in the season when they have older chicks that never got bought, I'll pick up a pretty one or two..or three.

Catch up on previous weeks: 

Catch the moment archives

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Catch the Moment Week 5

Our little town had a 12th man flag raising ceremony at noon. I took the girls down to watch the local high school drum squad and cheer on our hawks.

 I taught my first Cloth Diapering class at Grow With Me Boutique, and the owner of Buttons Diapers sat in!

On sunny afternoons I let my girls free range and I love seeing them go bottoms up. Their butts are just so fluffy!

 Penny has requested a "fairy dinosaur" themed birthday party. So each week I'm hitting up the local thrift stores in hopes of finding good deals on these dinosaur models and will start putting together the decorations.. Find all my girly dinosaur pins.

Have you ever seen anything quite so adorable?

 Penny wrote out Valentine's Day cards to the loves in her life, and I made sure that a very special one got sent to Daddy's office (shh it's a surprise!). The first true love a girl has will always be her daddy. No one will ever replace him as the love of her life. 

Since July I've been on hiatus from my contacts because I've got some weird irritation going on in my eyelids that contacts seem to make worse. BOOO. I've been wearing my frames that I've had for ten years and I just needed a new look. Finally - these bad boys. I kind of feel like a mix between Alex Voss and this Tula model mama!

Catch up on previous weeks: 

Catch the moment archives

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Catch the moment: Week 3

Well, this week was all catch up because I didn't spend any time on the computer while on vacation (imagine that?!) and then the rest of the week was a battle between recovering from the explosion of post-vacation and the girls and I got the crud that's been passed around. But I did manage to take my "real" camera out more!

Squirt has come a long way with the kids. When Penny was born he kept his distance because rather than petting him, she preferred to yank his fur. With baby #2, I think he's learned that they're not all so bad and sometimes they make decent companions. Typically when I'm done cooking I lay the bowls, pots or pans on the floor and let him get a taste (and do a little dishwasher prep for me). This evening Ruby came over to check it out too, and he bravely stood his ground and allowed her to peer on while he cleaned up.

I took this picture because it was Ruby's first day of going into childcare at MOPs. Until now she's snuggled with me in the Boba and napped for most of the time. Nowadays she has little tolerance for the Boba if I'm just sitting down so she'd prefer to crawl. I decided that we were both ready for her to be in the care of MOPPETs while I got my mama break time. The girls were so darling that morning; Penny dressed herself (in a dress that I absolutely love and kind of wish they made it in my size) and I ended up putting Ruby into this little tunic dress that I remember Penny wearing a lot. As it turned out, poor Ruby had skipped her 20 minute power nap before MOPs and while she put in a good effort, this time was not meant to be so she returned to spend the rest of the morning with me. 

We finally took the getaway vacation that I have been whining longing for. Adam had a supplier meeting in Vancouver BC scheduled on a Monday, so we drove up the weekend leading up to it to Whistler and stayed at a great condo. It was located right by the Whistler walking trail and it was a less than 5 minute walk to the ski lifts and sledding. No skiing for us this time around, but it was so much fun to get to play in the snow multiple times in one weekend. Read more: Whistler weekend

I am not a football fan. I really can't even convince myself to jump on the Seahawks band wagon...yea, I've got Seattle pride and I understand it's a huge accomplishment. But to step up onto a soapbox for a moment, I *hate* it when teams are called "brave" or "heroes." Really? I'm going to quickly step off the box before I get into too much trouble and instead tell you about how we spent a part of our vacation having a quiet afternoon, warming up from a morning of sledding (and rain) to snuggle and watch the Seahawks win the NFC championship. Maybe it wouldn't have been my choice of what to watch on TV, but I'm blessed that we got to do it together. 

The afternoon that Adam had his meeting in Vancouver, he dropped us off at the Vancouver Aquarium so that the girls and I had something to do. I just love aquariums! I had not been to the Vancouver Aquarium in probably 15 years and much has changed. My favorite animal to photograph is always jellyfish and seeing Penny discover that a beluga whale is in fact a real creature (not just one we sing about) was pure magic. Read more: Vancouver Aquarium

These little hens of mine. I try not to get too gushy and put them up on an honorable pedestal, but really...these girls rock. When you think about what an intense and intricate process it is to create and lay an egg (almost daily), you can't help but be thankful for this seemingly simple gift that they give my family daily. Chickens are easy to keep and will surprise you with all the benefits they provide. I'd like to remember to take a page from their book; because a chicken lays an egg regardless of whether her day was crappy or awesome. Whether she got the extra attention or if she snagged a juicy worm. Without fail she'll still do her job and be sure that the whole world knows about it with her egg-song of triumph after.

This girl's imagination is at full speed. She loves to pretend and this time I caught this little conversation: "Come on little ducklings! Stay with your mama and you will be just fine. The daddies are at work but they will be home soon. Let's go swimming. The water is not too deep, it is just fine. Stay close to your sisters and your brothers."  more: A Penny for your thoughts

Catch up on previous weeks: 

Catch the moment archives

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Catch the moment 365: Week 2

This working out the kinks. Ideally I would love to take these pictures with my dslr, but the phone is just handy to capture the small daily moments that catch my attention. 

So perhaps this year, instead of capturing my day with an artistic eye, 

it'll just be a straight forward / this is my life / unedited glimpse. Follow along with my year.

My favorite Christmas present was my 10" cast iron skillet. I've ditched my non-sticks and have taken the cast iron dive. Totally loving it. I will never bake corn bread any other way, ever again.

This little miss turned 10 months old today! I can't believe how time as flown by.

The one time this week where I was able to grab my camera to take a picture. Even though we have conversations about missing naps = grumpiness, and she agrees that both mama and Penny are no fun when we're grumpy. But some days naps don't happen and after enough sassiness, she was requested to stay on the couch until her attitude improves. "Go away, Mama!" "I'm so tired of you!" "I am so disobedient." "Oh, COME ON mom!" This is a 2 year old. She claps her hands very aggressively when she is upset.  Motherhood is not always fun, easy, and sometimes it is a truly thankless job. Sometimes you get that glare and you feel like the worst person ever.

 The following day was Sunday and I managed to convince Adam to take a break from a shop project to go for a quick family walk. It had been raining and we finally got a sunny break. Penny loves to jump in puddles! It's so funny to see her do it because it wasn't too long ago where she didn't know how to jump yet.

 I'm all about food hacks. We don't go out to eat often and if I can figure out the ingredients, I will try to make my own version at home. Mama Chia pouches are one of my splurges if I'm at the grocery store and hungry. A couple weeks ago I snagged a few bags of organic Chia at Grocery Outlet and started jelling it in the jar. Except I left it on the counter for a couple days and forgot.. so when I opened it up, let's just say that this batch of jelled chia went to the chickens. Trying again this week!

 Today we visited a friend in Bellevue, which was also a 10 minute drive from Adam's work. So after a morning of playtime, we visited him for lunch. Then I realized that it was nap time and it would be less than 30 minutes before we get home. But that's enough time for the kids to fall asleep on the ride home, and they haven't been transferring well. So I took the long way home and enjoyed the sunshine as I drove through our valley.

We watched Cinderella for the first time last week and one of the scenes that stuck out in Penny's mind was when Cinderelly was feeding the barnyard animals by throwing cracked corn. So I picked up a bag at the local farm store and this is Penny's chore after her nap each day.

Catch up on previous weeks: 

Catch the moment archives

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Catch the moment 365: Week 1

Welcome to my first try at a picture challenge! I will be taking a photo a day (well, ideally..) and posting it daily on my instagram account (#pierogie365) and weekly on the blog.

This week I just didn't have it together. I'm working out the kinks. Instead of just finding a random moment of my day and take a picture of it, I'll be starting to look for inspirations and themes. 

We went sledding and off roading! 

Another viewing of Frozen.

The girls have been taking baths together for a couple months now 

and it's so adorable seeing them play together. 

Couldn't help but snap this picture. Matching tutu dresses and fox leggings from DoodlePants (get 15% off with code PIEROGIE15)

Stay tuned for next week and I promise that the photos will be less blurry and more consistent!

Catch up on previous weeks: 

Catch the moment archives

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Joanna Monger Photography: Greater Seattle area Photographer

You know that quiet awkwardness you sometimes see in portraits? How your smile is strained, your eyes are just a little fake and your entire posture is so stiff and unnatural? That's because you're trying to show a very personal side of yourself to a complete stranger. Portraits are hard work! 

Shortly after Ruby was born, I had the pleasure of working with Joanna Monger, of Joanna Monger Photography, to take our family portraits. I was a little worried as I was preparing for this event. To call Penny "shy" in new situations is a severe understatement. She was at a very insecure stage; she would cling to me and completely shut down in new situations.  I knew that it would show in a picture that she's uncomfortable. Her comfort level was extremely important to me, but getting a family picture with our new addition was too. I knew this was going to be a very difficult task.

Joanna and I met in January when she was at the tail end of her pregnancy with her second son and I was in my 3rd trimester with Ruby. We initially started out meeting for coffee but ended up at the local burger joint - what a sight we two pregnant gals must have been! We chatted for a couple hours about our two businesses and how we anticipate the addition of second children would be. Not too long after our meeting, she had her precious little boy and a few months later Ruby followed suit.

Ruby was a fresh 13 days old when we visited Joanna at her home studio. In addition to the challenge of getting my toddler to be at ease for the photo shoot, we asked Joanna for the trifecta of a photography session - newborn, sister and a family portrait session all into one sitting. We approached our appointment with caution and hoped for just one great photo. Just one is all I ask for!

As soon as we arrived I could tell that Penny wasn't completely at ease. Her eyes roamed around Joanna's studio, eagerly searching for something to play with. Joanna quickly brought out necklaces, boas and a toddler sized rocking chair. She got down to Penny's level and simply introduced herself. Imagine my shock at how quickly Penny warmed up to her! Words couldn't describe how much it meant to me that this woman knew exactly what to do. It has to be a mom thing, because within a few minutes Penny saw the environment as comfortable and safe...and as we all know, if the toddler is happy - everyone is happy!

Getting along with Joanna was so easy, and that clearly shows in her photography. You can see the genuine smile on our faces - because even our eyes are happy. She caught so many wonderful moments in our studio session and my entire family was comfortable while she was working with us.  Joanna also made sure that I was getting the breaks that I needed to either sit down or nurse Ruby, and took advantage of the few minutes of just Adam and Penny to take very sweet Father/Daughter portraits too.

When it was time for Ruby's newborn session, we sent Adam and Penny home so that we don't have to worry about keeping the toddler content and quiet. I gave my new little lovebug a nice top off of milk and attempted to get her into that sleepy newborn state that everyone loves for their newborn photography.

...Well, Miss Ruby had other ideas. She wasn't letting me put her down so that we could take adorable swaddled poses! Eeek! After a few attempts with only being able to catch a millisecond of snooze time, Joanna suggested that we try taking some pictures of her nestled in my arms. Those pictures ended up being my favorite...

It's so hard to believe that this tiny little girl is now 4 months old and is rolling around, pulling toys to her mouth and will be sitting up before I know it. Looking back at these precious images reminds me just how fleeting these moments are. Thanks Joanna! 

If you're in the greater Seattle area, don't wait! Joanna offers several styles of photography to fit what you're looking for. She offers maternity, glamour/boudoir, family, studio or in home sessions for newborn portraits, and she's currently booking 2015 seniors (better hurry!). She also has a fun "Baby's First Year" program, which documents their first year with sessions as a newborn, 6 month and 12 month old. 

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