2014 is MY year to...

Oh, the dreaded New Year Resolutions.  With resolutions, the expectations are different. Each day, I try to live up to my resolutions. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail, but every day is a clean slate and a fresh opportunity. I never expect to be done with my resolutions, so I don't get discouraged when they stay challenging. Which they do. 

I always want to lose weight, I always want to budget better, I always want to "live life to the fullest," take more time for the little things in life, drink more water, spend more time at the gym, cook more....blah, blah, blah!  While I am FAR from perfect on the items listed above...these are the items I have worked on for several years and will never be perfect. That's not to say they aren't a part of my every day life, because they are, but this year....this year, I'm trying something different......GOALS!  Something measurable at the end of the year.  Did you see that Modern Family Episode where Phil vowed to walk the distance to Canada on his elliptical?  That could totally be me....I could very well be squeezing all of these in in December of 2014!


Goal 1 - Take more pictures....and DO something with them!  I'm not exactly sure what the "doing" will be, but I will figure it out.  Even if it is just having them digitally organized.  I would love to scrap....scrapping makes me happy.  Maybe a layout a month is a good goal.  OMG!  That would mean my kids would have 4 layouts a piece by the end of the year....I will have a lot of catching up to do when I am an empty nester! 

Goal 2 - End 2014 with at least one blog per month.  Blogging makes me happy.  I should do it more often.  It truly clears the mechanism....

Goal 3 - Go to Disney World.  We talk about it all the time...we just need to DO it!  Some of you might find this hard to believe, but I have a difficult time pulling the trigger on things like this...it really is strange.  Look how little my Malakai was last time we went!!

Goal 4 - Go on a All-Inclusive Getaway with just Josh.  Some place warm, with a pool I can lay in and still hear the ocean, with lots of umbrella filled drinks, a room with a huge bed filled with down pillows and blankets that has an ocean view lanai, and the doors to the lanai can be open 24/7. 

Goal 5 - Pinterest Goals - I stole this cute idea from pinterest......

• A bad habit I'm going to break - Yelling at people while driving
• A new skill I'd like to learn - Sewing....more than just the basics
• A person I hope to be more like - Josh....he is so calm, cool, and collected
• A good deed I am going to do - Donate time to Feed My People
• A place I like to visit - See 3 and 4 above
• A book I'd like to read - "The Power of a Positive No"  I just got it for Christmas
• A letter I'm going to write - A letter to each one of my children
• I'm going to do better at - Delegating...and being okay with it.

Happy New Year Everyone!!  Here is to 2014 being GREAT!

XOXO,

Kar

A Year In Review...

Today marks my first official day of maternity leave!  Nia is scheduled to make her arrival, Thursday, November 1 @ 12:00pm.  People ask me how much time I am taking off work and you better believe I tell them 12 weeks.  That's what I'm entitled to, and that is what I'm taking.  The bets have started taking place, and Josh thinks I will be working from home by December and my staff thinks I'll be in the office (at least part time) by then as well.  We shall see :)

The nesting has kicked in and I FINALLY got the 700 pictures that were on my memory card of my camera transferred to my computer.  This is part of the reason I took such a break from blogging.  My computer crashed, I got it fixed, but I couldn't freaking get my pics from my camera to the computer after the whole debacle.  All it took was me spending some focused time on it, I just haven't had that in a while...focused time.

So, we will start with October 2011...enjoy the pics!

October 2011 was filled with:

• Apple Picking

•  Bonfire with Friends

                                          

• Ice Skating

• And a very cute Ninja and Minnie Mouse

November was filled with:

• Grandparents Day at Leila's school

• Thanksgiving with friends, which sadly I don't have pictures of.  We did not go home and we spent the holiday with our Canadian Friends, the Lavigne's.  We had a fabulous meal, followed by all our other wonderful friends coming over for a "Dessert Party!"  SO MUCH FUN!

December was filled with:

• Christmas Concerts

• Malakai turned 7 and had a joint party with his best buddy Landon

• And of course, Christmas!  You might remember the matching PJ pants I sewed for them :)



January was filled with:

• Malakai bringing his class friend home for the weekend

• Pinewood Derby!!  Malakai came in 2nd place!

• Lots of time spent with friends

February was filled with:

• Silly Valentines

March was filled with:

• Leila turning four!!!



April was filled with:

• Coloring Easter Eggs

• A visit from the Easter Bunny AND the special Poppy and Tutu Bunny

• Easter Brunch

• And the countdown to Baby Nia began...



May was filled with:

• Field Day!  Which marked the last day of school!  Somehow, Josh and I always end up with the water balloon game!

• The Chinese Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens



June was filled with:

• LOTS of Bandits Baseball!!

• Their Pretty Cheerleaders



July was filled with:

• A visit from the Rader family!!



August was filled with:

• Annual Lake Trip which included Malakai's first attempt at skiing...

• The 3rd Annual Rader Family Scavenger Hunt 

• The First Day of School

Last but not least, September was filled with:

• Lots of soccer and very few pictures...

Hope you have enjoyed the photo gallery.  Now I feel like I know longer have to focus on what I have not blogged about, but I can focus more on the NOW!

XOXO,

Miller

35 Weeks and Counting!

I have not blogged this entire pregnancy!  Such a slacker!  So, here it is, an update on my pregnancy.  Let me start by saying, pregnancy in your EARLY 30's is MUCH more difficult than pregnancy in your EARLY 20's!  This could be attributed to many factors, ie. multiple children to chase around.  Whatever it is, I don't like it...though I have tried to enjoy it since I KNOW it will be my last!

Her Size:  The kids, Josh, and I read about Nia every Sunday night.  They REALLY look forward to this, and if I forget, they are quick to remind me.  This week she is a Cantaloupe!!  We have been tracking her since she was a poppyseed.

How Far Along:  35 Weeks!!  What is funny about this, is our Sunday update is the only thing that makes me remember how far along I am.  When I was pregnant with Malakai, I knew till the DAY!!  This one, ummmm, I'd say give or take a week :)

Total Weight Gain:  I think I am at about 40lbs.  I gained 65 with Malakai and about 45 with Leila.  Looks like this one might be in the middle.

Sleep:  Non-existent!!  Poor Josh!  I have multiple fans surrounding our bed, about 100 pillows, and I make awful sounds while sleeping.  The bathroom trips are out of control as well.  I'm a stomach sleeper and the fact I can's sleep on my stomach has bothered me the entire pregnancy.  It is what it is.


Maternity Clothes:  At this point, it is whatever I can fit in.  I wore a lot of non-maternity shirts (thank you belly bands) in the beginning, but at this point, it's hideous maternity ware.  My favorite articles are probably my non-maternity VS Yoga pants...so comfy!

Food Cravings:  I haven't really had many the entire pregnancy.  I am usually starving and nothing sounds good.  Lately though, it has been watermelon.

Food Aversions:  Anything with red-sauce as the Heart Burn is unbearable!

Symptoms I HAVE: Lots of movement from Nia (which I love), massive heartburn, way more pelvic pressure than I remember with the 2, and tolerating a very short fuse.  My poor employees!  I try to make the best of it at work, but the fuse is just way too short.  I have found that taking a walk around the parking lot helps...especially since our weather has been so nice!

Doctor's Appointment:  I go October 5th and start every week after that.  They have been pretty UN-eventful.  For those that haven't heard, we scheduled Nia's c-section for November 1!!!

Activities:  I have been more active with this pregnancy than any of the previous!  Sand Volleyball just wrapped up, had a summer filled of softball, and continue to play indoor Volleyball.  Lots of fun!!  Although, I think I am beginning to make my teammates a little nervous.

What I'm looking forward to:  Lets be honest....drinking.  This doesn't even need an explanation.  The challenge of getting the prego weight off, and a break from work, while I'm home with the precious little one.

What I miss:  Being able to bend over without GRUNTING!

That about wraps it all up in a nutshell!

XOXO,
Kar