29/365

Not very often is mommy a subject in photos. Gray was extra snuggly after nap today and I was soaking it all in!

28/365

Valentines Day is approaching so I took Veda to the studio hoping to get some cuteness. I got lucky! She cooperated for about 10 minutes.

27/375

Diva?

26/365

Look at what's starting! Potty training! Grayson has been running around the house saying "pooooooop" and then runs to the bathroom to sit on the potty. In most cases he has already gone, but hey it's a step in the right direction! I learned with Veda there is no sense in pushing them into something they are not ready for so this is all lead by Grayson!

Many Blessings

Thankfully, I have had an uneventful, healthy pregnancy thus far. I have been more relaxed, and knowing that this is FOR SURE the last pregnancy I will have the pleasure to carry, I want to make sure to enjoy it and not have my entire existence revolve around fear for 10 months. However, this week was a tough one for me, emotional if you will. The 18 week mark always stings my heart a bit, brings me right back to the very second that I found out that Nathan, our first son no longer had a beating heart. I remember every detail of that day and this week it seems to be haunting me in a way I was hoping wouldn't exist with this pregnancy. Its a reminder that we are guaranteed nothing in life. Every day of life is a precious one. So today I am counting my blessing. I am grateful for every day I remain pregnant with this precious gift and I do not take one. single. kick. for granted.

I am so thankful that I have already been blessed with two beautiful, healthy children whom I cannot imagine my life without and an amazing husband who would do anything for his family. We definitely don't live a perfect, care free life. We have our moments when life is crazy, the kids are crazy, our jobs are crazy, and there are days that we might say "what the heck are we doing"? but I wouldn't change my life for anything. Even the bad parts, they make us who we are today. I feel lucky to have a little angel up in heaven looking out for us. I think the memory of his pregnancy is a good reminder for this mommy to look at all that I have and to slow down and enjoy it. You never know what tomorrow will bring. This doesn't mean that I will walk around with a 24/7 grin by any means, I am me, I get grumpy, my kids sometimes drive me nuts, I argue with my husband, and life goes on, it just means that I will find those moments I enjoy most and hold on to those forever, and find them more often!

25/365

24/365 "Neigh Rides"

Often as soon as daddy gets home the kids request neigh rides...this term made up by Grayson!

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Can't believe my sweet boy will be 2 next week. I asked him how old he is going to be and he eagerly throws up two fingers and shouts TWO!!

22/365

17w 5d

21/365 Snow Day!

It finally snowed a few inches last night. I was eager for the kids to get outside to play. This was Grayson's first real experience with the snow since last year he was still pretty young and didn't enjoy it too much. Veda showed him the ropes on how to construct and throw a snowball. I enjoyed watching them play and I'm looking forward to the next snowfall.

20/365

Perhaps Gray needed a little pick me up? Once in a while I will drink a Cafe Mocha from Tim Hortons and even though it's empty he is enjoying the left over chocolate stuck to the bottom!

19/365

"boops"

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A few of Veda's favorite things......

Kitty and Ellie are very special. Kitty was made at build a bear with her friend Miley years ago. The two of them made each other the same kitty and exchanged them and Veda has been inseparable from Kitty ever since. Ellie came from the zoo on one of our many trips there. She became part of the family very quickly. In fact, just this morning Veda had alligator tears when she woke me up because she said Ellie disappeared. Luckily, mommy found her...underneath the covers by Veda's feet! Silly girl, I love her big heart. Her little blankie aka woobie has been a part of her life since she was born. She isn't as attached as she once was but still wants to know where it is at all times!

She received the Princess story book from Great Grandma Hosmer for her 4th birthday and we have been reading a story from it every night. She looks forward to it and reminds me each night which story we are suppose to read!

Veda spends endless hours playing with her My little Ponies, she is obsessed!

17/365

Miss Veda loves the idea of having her nails painting but doesn't love waiting for them to dry. She rarely will ask me to paint them so I was pleasantly surprised when she asked and of course I was happy to oblige!

Veda is totally over having her picture taken which you can see here. She say's "mommy, I am too tired for this, I need to lay down!" Oh well, I got a cute photo of her piggies anyway!

16/365

The littles were introduced to papa and nana's iPad and now they're hooked!

15/365

My little Princess and errrr prince? Veda loves to play princess and prince with her brother but she still dresses him up with a crown and shoes! Grayson doesn't mind, he plays along!

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Looks like everyone has a thing for photography in this house! Disclaimer: No equipment was injured in the making of this photo! :)

13/365

Veda and I are reading a Disney book filled with princess stories. I was about to leave for work and she ran to me and said "wait mommy, we have to read the 5th story" ummmm, who could resist that? Not me! So we read before I left.

12/365

Perhaps she is tired of me taking endless pictures?

11/365 Book Worm

Grayson has a new love of books! He wants us to read all the time....well more like ask him to point out a certain animal or object. This new love is really helping to develop his language skills. I have noticed him talking more than ever lately! He surprises me everyday with a new word, even if only mommy understands what he is saying, I am so proud!

10/365

Today we enjoyed a play date before dance class with the Uresti clan. It was wonderfully sunny out and a whopping 44 degrees. The kids enjoyed bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and soccer.

9/365

Look who is spelling her name! She has been able to for a couple months now but I never thought to snap a photo of it. Thanks for the idea Tina!

8/365 Birthday Girl

Dear Veda,

I cannot believe four years have passed since I first held you in my arms. My first miracle, my precious daughter. You are a gift I am eternally grateful for. You are such an amazing, bright little girl. Your sweet smile and your silly giggle light up the room. Your personality continues to grow with you. You make mommy and daddy laugh continuously throughout each and every day. I can't imagine my life without you. I am so blessed that I was chosen to be your mommy. You had a busy year being three. We took a family vacation to PA, in which you met some great friends for the first time. You talk about that weekend often and you love sending videos to the Kraft family. I don't think you will ever forget that we drove to an amusement park that wasn't open that day! boy were you MAD! We took another vacation to Northern Michigan during the week of 4th of July. Nana and Papa joined us. We stayed at Boyne Mountain in a condo that you were in love with because there was a pool that we swam in everyday. You went to your first big parade and loved every second of it. When vacation was over and we were pulling away from the condo you started crying and said you didn't want to leave our new house.....apparently we were gone for so long you thought we moved in. So sweet.
You are in your second year of dance and you are performing like a true star. I think you enjoy singing more than dancing when you are on stage. I love watching you shine. You are not afraid to belt out a tune in front of a large audience. I am so proud of you! A huge milestone for you this year was preschool. Mommy was so apprehensive to let you go, but I am glad I did. You enjoy everything about it....well except for the bully of the class! You talk about your teachers everyday, and your bestie in the class, Bailey. I'm looking forward to watching you continue to learn and make friends.
Although I mourn the loss of your toddlerhood, I love to watch you grow into the little lady you are becoming. I can't wait to see what this year brings for you! I love you sweetie!!

Love you to the moon and back,

xoxo Mommy

7/365

Grayson is spending his first night in his big boy bed. Hubby converted the crib to a toddler bed tonight. Grayson was pretty apprehensive at first but eventually decided it was okay.

6/365

Today has been one long day. Rewind to 3am. I was working when I received the phone call that Veda had a fever, leg pain, and was hysterical. I panicked. For good reason. A friend of a friends daughter recently was experiencing lots of leg pain at the age of two. Woke up one morning and couldn't walk, she was soon diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma and was given a 40% chance of survival. Veda has been complaining of leg pain often and having this story be fresh in my mind has sent me over the edge. I am a pessimist, always playing worse case scenario in my mind and I freaked. I came home and snuggled her until we both fell asleep. While laying in bed Veda said to me "mommy, when I wake up and your not here, I'm scared. I'm afraid you won't ever come back" I nearly lost it. She hugged me so tight. She is an amazing kid. I explained that mommy has to work some nights but I'm always going to come home. I have no idea why she would question my return, we have hardly spent any time away from one another. I'm glad I came home early to have that time with her. We went to the doctor today and she has an ear infection and was febrile. I voiced my concerns about her leg pain and the doctor gave her a more thorough exam and said she feels there is no reason for more testing. For now I am satisfied with that. Veda is feeling much better this evening. Here is a photo of her at bed time. She was being silly and said this was her mean grumpy face! Lol

5/365

Here I am 15 weeks 2 days

4/365 Who Needs Toys....

When you have laundry baskets!!

3/365 Sibling Love

Its not often that Veda and Grayson get along, in fact its quite rare. Today was a rare day in this house. I love moments like these. Usually they are fighting over who had the toy first and so on. Trust me, they fought today but I was able to capture a few moments of peace. ( I did however ask them to give each other a hug, that was the only staged picture) lol!

2/365 For the love of a Dog

Here is my sweet Veda and my long time companion (10 yrs) Zoe. Unfortunately, Zoe was born with 3 1/2 legs, which has given her a life with arthritis. Her health is declining. She isn't eating as much as she used to, she no longer joins the family wherever we are in the house, and she is having a difficult time getting around these days. We have some hard decisions to make in the near future. It breaks my heart. Veda is totally in love with Zoe. We have had the heaven talk with her and she seems to understand somewhat. Sometimes out of no where Veda will state that she wants to go to heaven to see Zoe when she is gone. I then explain that we will see Zoe in heaven someday. So sad. Children don't understand the permanence of death, so its a hard topic to try and explain. Especially to a 4 yr old. My hope is a few more months with Zoe before having to let her go to doggy heaven. I want to create as many memories for Veda as I can before then.