Ending the Year

So here we go again!  My goal for Feb. is to post every day!  We will see if that happens!  I have enough back log that I should be able to write a few posts at a time and publish daily. 


I know I told you about Doodle getting a camera for Christmas.  I have decided that if I forget to take a picture I will substitute with something from her portfolio:)


And since you have been warned:

December 29 (161/365 missed)

My little Doodle is always ready to jump!

December 30 (162/365)

We rung in 2012 in a very low key manner.  My Favoritest was on call yet again.  I am grateful he has gotten Thanksgiving and Christmas off every year, but the trade off has been that he has been on call for New Year's Eve every year we have lived in VA.  Join that with the face that we have a kid and well, NYE, not so magical as it once was.  We have adopted the low key tradition of dinner at Landlords and then home for bed and bath and maybe a NYE kiss... usually I'm asleep!  Anyway, that whole story has nothing to do with the pictures, because they are both morning pics:) Doodle and I had the holiday mornings to ourselves... which meant breakfast/tv in bed!

December 31 (163/365)

And this was our first pic of 2012!  I think we sent it to my Favoritest to tell him we were missing him!

January 1 (164/365)

Old is New

Hanukkah came and went while we were traveling the country.  We definitely celebrated each night, either by iPhone app or actual flame.  The problem was that Doodle's big present was too difficult to take along with us to GA.  Sooooo, since she is 3 and had no clue about how long Hanukkah really is, we added a day.  Not exactly right, but it is a minor holiday, so I won't have too much guilt.  The gift was a doll house. But not just any doll house.  It was my doll house from when I was a little girl.  It was built by our landlord in Germany.  My original plan was to paint it and fix it up.  But when I saw it again for the first time, I decided to leave it as it was.  My parent's didn't save a ton of stuff from when we were kids, but what they saved is sentimental and worth keeping.   Being a military brat, I am more attached to things that houses.  I liked things in the same place each time we moved.  To this day, I make Bubbie put lladros in the exact same place they have lived my whole life.  So, maybe that's why I like having the doll house around.  Doodle isn't quite as ready for the doll house as I thought she would be, but I love having it in my house.  I love being able to pass it down to her.I know Doodle will grow into it and enjoy it as much as I did.  Thankfully it doesn't have an expiration date or a cool factor to come and go.

December 28 (160/365)

A South GA Christmas!

We arrived back in VA late on Wednesday night.  While we were gone, we made the decision to travel to GA for Christmas.  We had what I like to refer to as a 36 hour lay over at our house.  Just long enough to do laundry and pack for a warmer climate!  We also had enough time to dig out a menorah and light the candles.  Please remember that we were living in a state of exhaustion and we had not made any efforts to decorate for the season!  So, it took me a few minutes to dig the menorah and candles out.  Doodle was a little leery of the fire (a good thing I guess), but she did enjoy  watching them burn out.  She also really enjoyed the presents.

December 22 (154/365)

What's longer than a twelve hour drive with a toddler?  A 12 hour drive with a toddler, my Favoritest and a preggo lady who had to stop every couple of house.  It turned into a 14 hour trip.  I didn't remember to take any pictures.  I was just hoping to survive the drive.  So here is another picture from Muir Woods.  Look closely and you can see a face.

Decmber 23(155/365 missed)

Christmas Eve we headed to see Aunt Gina, Uncle Lyle, Granny, Jenny & MK.  I was excited for Doodle to spend some quality time with her extended family.  I was also excited for my Favoritest to spend some time with his family.  It is rare these days that he gets to visit home.  I brought along some cookie mix for Doodle to make cookies for Santa.  In the complicated life of an interfaith family, Santa comes with presents.  However, Santa doesn't come to Bubbie and Zayde's house, so he was going to leave Doodle's present at Uncle Lyle and Aunt Gina's house.  I know it is complicated:)  Anywho, I was catching up with my nieces and Doodle got busy making cookies.  I came out and she immediately wanted me to take over, so like a good mom, I left the room.  Then hid and took this picture.

December 24 (156/365)

All Doodle had been talking about was that Santa was going to bring her a camera if she made good choices.  Well, she made good choices and she was delighted to find a camera in her pile of presents.  She looks every bit the part of serious photographer.  Don't worry, the camera has a memory card and when I have the time I will post some of her best shots!  

December 25 (157/365)

We finished off our quick trip to GA with another day of visiting friends and family around South Ga.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner with Bubbie and Zayde, and of course Doodle enjoyed more presents!

December 26 (158/365)

The only thing worse that a 12 hour drive turned into a 14 hour drive is realizing that you have this to deal with the morning after!

December 27 (159/365)

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

Months before we know of Poppy's existence, we planned a trip to San Jose CA to watch my cousin's oldest daughter become a Bat Mitzvah.  The plan was to meet Bubbie and Zayde in San Fran, drive to San Jose and spend the weekend with extended family, head back to San Fran and sightsee for a few days.  This sounded like a fantastic vacay.  Fast forward to the realization that I was going to be barely preggo, addicted to water, constantly yurpee, exhausted, and flying in a  plane for 5+ hours.  Reality was not looking so peachy!  But, I put on my big girl panties, packed our bags, drove to the airport and hoped for the best.  


For being a first time flyer, Doodle did great.  She was happy and content for the first few hours.  Then she fell asleep.  I thought we were lucky.  Then she woke up crying.  She felt hot, but we were on a plane, she could just be warm. At least that's what I told myself for the last 45 minutes of the flight that she slept/cried through.  Once we met Bubbie and Zayde, got our luggage, rented a car, drove to San Jose, and went out for supplies, we realized she was burning up with fever!  We are good parents, I promise:) Here's a picture of her before the fever kicked in!

December 15 (147/365)

Due to the fever, we spent most of Friday cooped up in the hotel.  Lunch was takeout from Arbys!  I know, how special.  As I dipped my curly fry into my ketchup I was greeted with another surprise smile. Between the fever and the time change Doodle slept most of the day.  My Favoritest stayed int he hotel with her so I could visit with my family.

December 16 (148/365)

Lucky for us Doodle was feeling much better by Saturday.  She was able to be at the Bat Mitzvah.  She smiled and cooperated for pictures, and even lasted through most of the service.  She enjoyed meeting her cousins and spending time with all of them.  What she really enjoyed was her first ever grown up party.  She even went shopping with Bubbie to pick out her dress.  She was a real party animal.  She managed to last at the party until after 10:00.  If the m&m's hadn't run out I think we could have made it another 30 minutes or so!  

December 17 (149/365)

So, I am not really sure which time zone I followed for this whole challenge of mine.  I guess the next picture might have been taken before midnight local time, but according to my camera it was taken on the 18th, so I am going with that:)This is our tuckered out party girl.  Clutched in her hand is the prized party favor.  A light up color changing, magic wand type thing.  She loved it!!!  She loved it so much that we had to take the necklace part of so she could sleep with it.

December 18 (150/365)

After a family brunch Sunday, we loaded everyone up and headed to San Francisco.  We spent a lazy afternoon at the hotel and all kind of recuperated from the weekend.  Monday morning we were up and moving early.  We headed to Muir Woods.  Bless Zayde's heart.  He is not the best driver in the world.  Riding in the car with him on a good day can make me sick.  Thirty minutes in the twisty mountains of CA while 10wks preggo was not looking promising.  To his credit, he only made me want to hurl a couple of times.  The weather was cool and damp, but the woods were beautiful.  Doodle, not so interested.  But due to the time change she was also ready for a nap at 10:30 every day:)  I took a ton of beautiful pictures, this is my favorite. My entire family ahead of me walking into the sunrise!

December 19 (151/365)

Following our visit to the giant trees, Doodle and I returned to the hotel to nap.  I needed it as much as she did:)  Bubbie, Zayde and my Favoritest headed out to Alcatraz (I went a few years ago).  Doodle and I met them at the warf where we saw sea lions, rode a carousel, ate dinner, and suckered Bubbie and Zayde into a Count Von Count finger puppet that would be lost (by Bubbie) less than 12 hours later, and replaced within 24 hours!  Tuesday morning we decided to go to a museum that everyone had raved about.  I think that on any other day Doodle would have loved it.  There was a small aquarium, rain forest filled with butterflies, natural science exhibits with stuffed animals.  Lots of cool stuff to explore.  Unfortunately, Doodle had reached her peak of traveling and was not interested in anything besides whining.  After having all I could of that, I took her outside where she had the time of her life chasing pigeons!  Go figure. I did manage to get a cool shot of her with the world though!  Please note, she is not looking at me, so you cannot see the sour look on her face!

December 20 (152/365)

The remainder of our time in SF was a bit of a toddler whining bust.  But not too disappointing since we headed to the airport early Wednesday morning.  

December 21 (153/365)

All in all, it was a great trip.  We saw family and spent time together.  Couldn't ask for a better week!

Perspective!s

I am having a lot of fun playing with perspective in my photos.  It is encouraging me to look at the world from new angles.  This is a balloon Doodle got from another birthday party.  Our kid is the only kid who begs for the balloon to be ready to come off the string.  She doesn't like them until the helium runs out.  She wants to play catch with them.  Anyway, once again necessity is the mother of invention.  I needed a picture, the balloon was there!

December 12 (144/365)

Love/Hate.  That is how I describe my feelings about the item (and its ever multiplying friends) pictured below.  They are squinkies.  But Doodle calls them little friends.  They are tiny.  Can sit on a dime.  They are rubber, as in bounce all over God's green earth (and every restaurant floor).  They are cheep.  And we are constantly looking for a specific one.  This was taken after a long afternoon of searching for "the one I need mommy!"  We seriously need to work on some describing words!

December 13 (145/365)

Just the start of another beautiful day in GA! I love that this picture is so eery and gray.  You can't tell if it's sunrise or sunset.  

December 14 (146/365)

December 5-11

She works hard for the money!  One of the things I am adamant about is making sure Doodle never thinks that being little is an excuse for not doing or not trying things.  People laugh/cut their eyes at me as I make my tiny 3 year old struggle to climb up on a chair or reach for something just beyond her grasp.  My philosophy is that there is always going to be something a little to high or to far back for her to reach.  I should know, it is my life.  So instead of helping her do it, or doing it for her, we tend to sit back and watch her problem solve and figure it out on her own.  So, here is our tiny one emptying the silverware.  Even with a stool she can't reach to back row, but we still make her pull her own weight:)

December 5 (136/365)

Doodle does not talk about school.  She goes 3 days a week.  I know she is learning and having fun, but very rarely does she talk about it.  What I do know is that they must work really hard at staying in line.  That has been her theme when playing with her friends lately.  I will hear her say "now, stay in line.  No falling.  Turn around."  It is pretty funny to listen to!

December 6 (137/365)

In the midst of my newly pregnant haze, I got invited to a cookie exchange.  I love cookies.  I love parties.  I was exhausted. The thought of making 6 dozen cookies was almost too much considering cooking dinner had become exhausting.  But, somehow the promise of cookies was enough motivation to get me baking.  Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies dipped in white chocolate.  Yummy!  And pretty too.  Thanks to a birthday party favor cookie cutter Doodle got at a recent party:)

December 7 (138/365)

Imagine my surprise when I walked in the door to find this....Doodle dancing up a storm in her puppy hat that she "got at the circus.  But I didn't like the circus cause I didn't feel so well, and I sit in the car and wait for Jayburb".  Priceless!

December 8 (139/365)

So due to the previously mentioned complete energy depletion, Curly and the Gang didn't really get into the holiday spirit.  We did manage to start a new tradition by bringing out our Elf on the Shelf for the first time.  We named her Markie. Doodle wasn't too sure about the whole thing to start with.  As for my Favoritest and I, we just tried to remember move the dang thing every night.  Needless to say, we weren't always the most creative, but it did help bring a little holiday spirit to our little home.

December 9 (140/365)

I was upstairs putting Doodle down for her nap ( don't hate me she still naps 4/5 days).  We noticed this on the carpet.  A little sunny smile:)  It was made from the shadow of her playhouse door.

December 10 (141/365)

Since we didn't get into the holiday spirit, the least we could do was enjoy our neighbors decor!  I love the holiday season because you can see into people's homes and and enjoy the twinkling lights of their trees.  This was the view from the back door of our house.

December 11 (142/365)

Show Me The Moon!

When I was pregnant with Doodle, one of the things I really worried about was she and my Favoritest finding quality time to spend together.  Time where I was not involved, and wasn't giving my two cents.  Because my Favoritest and I were both working, this time sort of came about by default.  I had to be at work earlier than him.  So in the mornings I would get up, get ready, feed Doodle and then put her in bed with her daddy.  He had her until he dropped her at Ms. Judy's house.  Most days I skipped out the door (Doodle was not a pleasant infant), but there was a tiny piece of me that wanted to curl up in the bed with them and just stay there.  I am so glad that work made that impossible.  They needed that time.
When we moved to VA, it was really hard for my Favoritest and Doodle to find that time.  The long inconsistent hours of fellowship do not allow for a standing daddy-daughter date.  It bothered me.  I think my Favoritest was too exhausted to really miss it.  I tried to give them time together, but because I was shoving it down their throats, it wasn't the same.  I finally resolved that they would figure it out.  I couldn't be responsible for them having those moments.
Fast forward a couple of years.  As soon as the sun goes down Doodle starts asking "Daddy can take me outside and show me the moon?" It is often the first thing she asks him when he walks in the door.  She doesn't care if it is cold, or rainy, cloudy or clear, she wants to see the moon with her daddy.  I rarely go out with them.  I enjoy the few minutes of quiet.  When my Favoritest doesn't make it home before bed, they talk about the moon while they FaceTime.  She never asks me to take her out to look.  In the morning, Doodle looks for the moon and tells me about daddy taking her out to see it.  I think they both know it is about more than the moon.  Maybe I am being sentimental and sappy, but I think the moon is always there and makes Doodle know that daddy is there even if he's not a home.  It is something they can share no matter where they both are.  Someday my heart will break because she won't care about the moon any more.  When that day comes, I will have my sad attempt at capturing their special moment.

December 4 (135/365)

Black Eyed P, X, & Z

When I started this 365 project, I thought I might work off of a list and had sort of a mission for each day.  Then I decided that was too much structure and wouldn't allow me to tell our story.  But before I scratched the list, one of the things on it was to take a picture of all the letters of the alphabet.  I just so happened upon this "Z" out of sticks on our sidewalk.  Pretty cool!

November 28 (129/365)

Well, it had to happen sometime.  We survived 3 plus years without any major bumps or bruises.  And then came the splat heard round the house.  Doodle fell out of her chair and landed on her face.  Specifically her eye!  And now she is my little black eyed P:)

November 29 (130/365)

So, I know I mention in a previous post about crawling out of the fog that was the first trimester, but here is some proof as to how bad it got.  I was laying in bed at ohhh 10:00 PM and had already woken up once (yes I was asleep well before 8:00 many nights in the last 6 weeks).  I realized I hadn't take a picture.  I went downstair to find something to take a picture of.  I couldn't find anything except the disaster that was our living room.  Then I started to count the shoes.  And I had to laugh.  Don't worry, there are 2 or 3 pairs that I couldn't get in the shot! I counted 6 can you find them all?

November 30 (131/365)

Managed to find 2 letters in the same week:)

December 1 (132/365)

So the day after the splat heard round the house, my Favoritest looked at Doodle's eye and due to bruising and swelling around the entire eye, he thought I might need to check in with the pediatrician.  So I called.  The nurse basically said if she wasn't in pain, it was probably fine.  She said it would be black and blue and purple and yellow for a couple of weeks.  My reply was..."I guess to no holiday card picture for us".  She quickly came back with "or you could go funny!".  And with that an idea began to form.  It involved boxing gloves (borrowed from a neighbor), a girly dress for contrast, and the help of my awesome cousin Barbara:)  Here was the rough draft

December 2 (133/356) 

And the final product after much help from Barbara!

I love the way birthday parties give us all an excuse to be child like.  I could't resist using this picture of our neighbor.  He is always able to get into whatever the kids are doing.  

December 3 (134/365)

Tri-ing To Catch Up!

So Much To Be Thankful For! (November 21-27)

When last I wrote, I was all caught up.  My parents had just left the house following their Thanksgiving visit.  And I was keeping a really big secret.  And here we are 6 weeks later, but I promise I have a really good excuse this time!   We are expecting a baby in the West house.  "Poppy" as we are affectionately calling the baby should make its arrival mid July.  Needless to say, between holiday and the first trimester, my life has been a little blurry.  I will freely admit, I have missed taking pictures a few days.  I will fess up on those days and replace the pic of the day with a fav that didn't make the cut on another day.  I am hoping to give myself some time to blog in the next few days, so hopefully I will get caught up again by the end of next week.  We shall see!  Hope you enjoy seeing the world through the blurry eyes of a pregnant haze:)

November 21 (123/365)

 These were the 2 sweet potatoes we ended up with for our Thanksgiving sweet potato soufle.  I ordered them online and asked for 1 lb.  This is what I got.  Big Giant Potato.  Little Bitty Potato.  We laughed and laughed about them.  

November 22 (123/365)

When we moved from GA to VA, my biggest concern was that Doodle know her grandparents.  Thanks to phone calls, patient grandparents who skyped with a non-verbal kid, and lots of miles in the cars, she does. She loves her Bubbie.  I tease my mom that she has a super power known as Bubbie Magic.  When Doodle wasn't talking, she spent a week with my mom and learned a million words.  She just has magic.  My parents always say there is no greater joy than their grandchild.  I know it can't compare, but sharing her with them and seeing them with her makes my cup run over!  I hope she will always know how lucky she is to have them in her life!

November 23 (124/365)

I love watching the leaves swirl around on a windy day.  I love the sound as they rustle against the sidewalk and pavement.  It's almost like watching a beautiful unchoreographed  dance.  It starts and stops without much warning.  I really wanted to capture it.  Easier said than done!

November 24 (125/365 missed)

Thanksgiving day was not what I had planned, and I have a lack of picture to prove it.  I started having some spotting, and was immediately ordered to bed.  Of course nothing in my life happens at a convenient time.  It was Thursday of a long weekend.  We had to wait until Monday to be reassured that all was well with Poppy.  Of course everything was fine, but it really put Thanksgiving into perspective.  Thanksgiving obviously didn't happen as planned.  I wanted china and tablecloth and cloth napkins.  I ended up eating in my pajamas.  The food was good, but I didn't help cook it.  But, my family was there and that is what was important.  I took this picture the day after Thanksgiving, but it was a repeat performance from Thanksgiving day.  If my Favoritest is eating on the couch, Doodle wants to taste.  It doesn't matter what it is, she wants some.  Thus, our 3 year old has been introduced to the lovely world of Coco Puffs.  We really are good parents we promise!  

November 25 (126/365)

So I titled this make up post "So Much to be Thankful For".  This picture doesn't quit fit the theme!  It's a moving truck.  I was originally going to call this "Thing I Don't Like".  Its a moving truck filled with Sisterwife's worldly possessions.  Sisterwife no longer lives within shouting distance.  She moved up the street.  Still within walking distance, but far far away!  Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled and thankful for their new house.  They needed it desperately.  I am also so very grateful for their friendship, which I know will withstand a move up the street and our departure from VA this summer.  But, it still made me sad to see their stuff loaded into the U-haul!

November 26 (127/365)

Seriously,  That is our kid.  Standing on the edge of a basket.  She loves to climb on the basket.  God forbid she gains too much weight and it won't hold her.  Wait a minute, who am I kidding!  

November 27 (128/365)

So, I wasn't totally happy with my first attempt at capturing the dance of the leaves.  I tried again.  I was a little happier with the results!