Monday, January 19, 2015

Dear Calvin // Nine Months



Dear Calvin,

Seriously, where are the months going? This month feels particularly special because I carried you for nine months and now you have been with us on the outside for the same amount of time. Not to mention it's now 2015, which means your first birthday is just a few months away... *cue the tears*

Let's see, what happened this month...
  • You celebrated your first Christmas + New Years! --- both which were exciting, but will only get better with the years to come. We spent Christmas day with grandma Cyndi & uncle Dan, then New Years day with the Grables. I also took you to see Santa for the first time and you smiled your way through the visit (confession: I kind of hoped for a crying baby photo).
  • You got two more teeth! --- these two [the top ones] didn't feel like they took as long as your first two, but they seem to be giving you as much trouble. It breaks my heart to see you in pain, but I know it's just part of growing up.
  • You got a puppy! (kind of...) --- your dad's cousin & his wife (uncle Ben + aunt Jocelyn) moved in with us and they brought their little pup, Tucker, which you love! We're working on being gentle & not pulling his fur, but you definitely light up when he is in the room.
  • We are working on sleep training... again --- Yes, we tried started this when you were four months old, but I think you regressed a bit this last month so we're working on it again and hope that with all the holidays & major changes behind us, we'll all start sleeping a little more...
love,
mama

[two months]
[three months]
[four months]
[five months]

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

A (belated) Christmas Recap


Yes, this is a couple weeks late, but in our defense, we didn't have our last Christmas celebration until New Years Day (which I didn't get any pictures of...).  Regardless, this Christmas was particularly special as it was Calvin's first! 

There were presents (so! many! presents!), no shortage of lights + ornaments to grab, and lots of memories to be had.  It's true what they say - the holidays are more fun with kids!

Our community group at our church Christmas party

 
mama had a lot of fun with the Christmas outfits

 Calvin was quite interested his (second) cousin Gus

Calvin's first Christmas at grandma Cyndi's house 
(don't worry about the tears, it was a long day!)

One of our favorite gifts from uncle Dan --- a Portland Trail Blazer hat!

Merry Christmas from the Grables!

Monday, January 5, 2015

January Goals




Hello 2015!

Since starting these monthly posts, I've found that these goals actually get thought of, instead of going by the wayside like most resolutions.  Sure, they don't always get accomplished, but that's where grace comes in.  As Lara Casey says, "done is better than perfect".

December Goals: 

1. Research advertising avenues for Sam Grable Photo and decide on what we're going to do starting in January 2015. --- I found some reviews for what worked for other photographers, but we are still deciding which ones we're going to try this year.

2. Hide my phone from 4-7pm. --- this one was HARD! I am going to continue to work on this...

3. Post on Grable Tales at least 2x/week. --- thanks to our precious Charlotte, I was able to complete this goal. I hope I can continue this in the coming months...

4. Find a (free/inexpensive) holiday outing/tradition to do as a family each week - go look at Christmas lights, visit a live nativity, find snow!, etc.
--- we talked about doing a number of things throughout the month, but life got busy.


For the new year, I'm going to start simple & small.  I'm a little burnt out from the holidays and some changes will be happening at home, so I am giving myself a lot of grace up front to get back into the swing of things.

January Goals:

1. Hide my phone from 4-7pm. Literally hide it!

2. Post on Grable Tales at least 2x/week.

3. Go on a hike as a family.

Linking up with The Tiny Twig // Goals with Grace