Baby all grown up

Over the past 4 years blogging has been my outlet... and my journal in a lot of ways. But then I just... stopped?

I just don't have the time anymore. I have found that Instagram and Facebook are just quicker and easier ways to stay connected and to keep everyone updated.

But I want to blog. I want to keep this journal of mine going.

So now the question... do I catch up on the past 6-7 months of life (I blogged a little in between...) that I missed? Or do I just move on? I have never liked the idea of catching up, unless I have something I really want to blog about, so I think I'll just take it day to day. You may see something from the past week... or from several months back.

So hear goes nothing... 

I'll start with Daphne. She turned one in November... I only briefly blogged a bit about her that day. We had a small party for her with a couple of friends. Maybe I'll actually post some photos :) Anyway. Starting when I was pregnant with Daphne I started a maternity photo series. Dallas was so happy when we took that 40 week photo and he was officially done playing photographer. Thennnnn... well, I started a new photo series :) This time of Daphne every 3 months, with her momma. Dallas was *thrilled* to be the photog once again. Now he is really happy because that photo series is done too! Here is Daphne, newborn through 12 months :) 

Newborn

3 months

6 months

9 months

12 months!!

I'm so glad I have these photos with my baby :) Even though I might not love the way I look in each photo... that doesn't matter. My baby is perfectly beautiful in every way and that is what matters. I will always love these.

Blogger storage space tips... Updated

I updated this post after finding some new information :) The changes are in bold.

I have seen several Facebook posts lately with people explaining that blogger wants them to start paying for storage space because they have used up all of their free space (you get 1 GB of photo storage when you upload your photos through blogger. Your photos are then saved online on Picasa web albums). So many people are really frustrated with this (and I can't blame them, I didn't know for a long time that there was even a limit), and a lot of people didn't even know they could run out of storage space. I thought I'd post a few tips on how to save storage space and also what to do when you have used up your free space. Some of these tips are my own, some I found on Google and some are tips that I have seen other people suggest on Facebook.

1. Size down your photos before you upload them to blogger. Photos sized 800x800 and smaller will not count toward your 1 GB of free storage.  This is how I blog my photos and I am so glad that I do, it's the reason why I have never had to deal with running out of free storage space.

I typically have my original photos saved on my computer along with a COPY (don't re-size the original!!) that is web sized in a separate file. When you upload a smaller resolution this won't count towards your free space (as I said before) and it will speed up the uploading process as well. I would not suggest this if you want to use blogger as your online photo backup. With the photos sized down they are only good for online sharing... not printing.

In the above link I also learned that if you max out on your free space, and don't pay the fee then anything uploaded later will be automatically resized to 800 pixels by blogger. So if you don't pay the fee and continue to load photos, be aware that they will not be at their full resolution.

2. You could always just pay the cost of the photo storage. It is always nice to have your photos backed up online and this may be a good option for you.

3. Start a new blog with a new account after you max out on storage space that way you can continue to load photos at their full size without having to pay.

4. Open a new Google account and then add it as a second admin to your original blog. Someone posted this idea on Facebook and I thought it was brilliant. This is so much better then having to start a whole new blog.

5. Use a different photo host rather than uploading your photos through blogger (Photobucket or Flickr for example). Upload your photos to their site, then copy and paste the URL and use the photos on your blog. Just be aware that these sites will also have a limit to your free storage. If you aren't worried about backing up the photos that you blog, I would suggest just to size down your photos and continue to upload through blogger for free (#1).

If you have any questions on how to do any of these things I can help you out, just let me know. I am crazy busy this month, but after the holidays I will have more time on my hands. You can also use Google and YouTube to find tutorials on how to do some of these things.

Just a couple more things I want to add in...

Do not delete the photos from Picasa web albums if you still want them on your blog. If you delete them from Picasa web albums, they will also be deleted from your blog. I also wouldn't suggest deleting posts or pictures from your blog just to save money. First try one of the above tips before deleting anything. You may later regret not saving those blog posts and pictures.

I hope that this wasn't a crazy boring post... and that it helps at least one person!

Our first home...

Dallas and I celebrated our 7th year anniversary last week :) Within those 7 years we have lived in 6 different homes and within two weeks from now we'll be in our 7th! 7 different homes in 7 years... craziness. I am sooo excited that this one will ours... our first home :) It's all becoming very real now that we started packing, and now that we finally have a moving date. We cannot wait!

Bitter Sweet

One year ago today I blogged this post. I just had one of the most memorable experiences. A very emotional day that's for sure. I am so lucky to have it all recorded and the photos that Kim took. It certainly is a day I won't ever forget. I think birthdays are just as much (if not more) for mom... a day to look back and remember that day I held my sweet baby in my arms for the first time.

Daphne is now a "big girl" walking, trying to talk, playing with the big kids, carrying around a purse, "talking" on the phone, eating just about anything we give her, communicating her wants, throwing tantrums, giving high fives, playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake, giving hugs and kisses...

I really can't get enough of this girl. She is happy, easy going and she fits right in with our little family. We all love her more than anything. Really, I could just look at that cute face allll day.

Happy Halloween!

I love getting photos done... it's exhausting, but they are so fun to look at!

It was very nice not worrying about taking photos of my kids this year! Thanks Kim!

Dallas and me.

Let's face it. We are starving for attention... the kids get it all. So what do we do? We leave on a date, take random pictures of ourselves, and then post them all over the blog :) 

On Saturday we went to see Brian Regan. It was the best date ever. An hour and a half in the car alone, a FUNNY show and then another hour and a half in the car alone. Ahhh. We sure needed a night out and it was great. Over 5 hours of being kid free... we love the kids, but it's sure nice to get some Dallas and me time. Brian Regan is HILARIOUS. We just about died laughing that night, it was great. We have been wanting to see one of his shows for a few years now and it was totally worth it. Loved it. 

It's about time... update on Daphne...

I have been taking photos of Daphne each month... but I am not sure if they will ever make it to the blog :( I am behind and I don't like playing the catch up game. But I thought I would at least try to go back and remember some of the things that she did at each month... before I forget!

8 months:

• She could crawl like a pro
• She started cruising on furniture
• She could reach for someone when she wanted held
• She was a little stranger-shy but our trip to Utah fixed that...
• She started baby food once a day (it was about time!)
• She would take two naps a day
• She loved grandpa's dog, Carly, and would say "dada" every time she saw her
• Got her first two bottom teeth

9 months:

• Plays peek-a-boo with a blanket
• She tries to say Dad (Dat) and Dog (DaDa)
• She could stand on her own (no steps yet)
• She would eat baby food 2-3 times a day
• Learned to eat finger foods
• Got her first two top teeth and later two more on top (she got her "fangs" first and then her two front teeth)

10 months:

• She took her first step at about 10 1/2 months
• She went from taking two long naps to just one nap by the end of the month
• She thought it was fun to hand me things and every time I would say thank you. She started trying to say something that sounded like thank you... but she can't quite say it yet
• She loves to eat pears, go gurts, black beans, and corn. She eats other things too... but these seem to be her favorites
• She likes people, she will go up to my friends and reach for them... she doesn't seem to be shy
• Although she isn't too shy, she is a mamma's girl :)

11 months:

• Pretends to talk on phone
• Plays peek-a-boo with her hand on her forehead
• Walking almost exclusively, she still crawls from time to time
• She throws a fit if someone takes something away from her. But she loves to give things to people 
• She gets into everything!! Drawers, cabinets, garbage (if I am not paying attention), the bookshelf... anything she can get her little hands on. 
• She can sign "more" and "all done"
• She is learning to turn pages in a book
• She loves to play with dolls and stuffed animals
• She likes pushing dolls and toys in the stroller

If I remember anything I will just add it to the list later :) If you by chance remember anything about Daphne comment and remind me! I don't want to forget these things :)

All I wanted was one photo on my phone, but then I pulled out my camera and did a mini photo shoot...  

I was aiming for a toe shot in this one, but I wish I got her whole face. She was doing peek-a-boo with her hand on her head instead of covering her eyes...

Here's a better shot but her face is out of focus. I can't win.

And here is her surprised "Here I am!" look...

She really does throw tantrums... here is the proof:

And she's done.

She is certainly getting an expressive personality. She isn't as quiet and mellow as she was when she was a baby, but she still has a pleasant temperament. We love our baby girl!

I made those leggings yesterday in about 5 minutes. I used this tutorial. I might make these as well. All I needed was a pair of adult socks and a sewing machine. I love pinterest and everyone's brilliant ideas :) 

My next update on Daphne will be when she is ONE. Holy cow. Last year at this time I was ready to pop and hoping she would come early. CRAZY.

2-9

Dallas and I usually keep our birthday's pretty low key... stay at home with the kids, eat dessert together, watch a movie. This year at the last minute we decided to invite some neighbors over to roast marshmallows and just hang out. It ended up being so much fun, I am so glad we did it! It might have to be a new tradition for Dallas' birthday. 

Dallas thought he was so tough being the only one not wearing a jacket... crazy. 

It was such a fun night! The weather was perfect for a fire, we got rained on at the end but it turned out great.  (Excuse the blurry photos... I was being a stubborn photographer and didn't want to use the flash.) 

Dallas now has one year left to enjoy his 20's. We are going to start it off by going to see Brian Regan at the end of the month. Dallas was pretty surprised to see that he got tickets and not just some boring socks that he needed (I am so sneaky!)...