Our Life, Day by Day - Photos & Ramblings

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2009-02-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

We've moved to a different location...

http://theshahfam.wordpress.com/

l o v e

2009-02-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

Seema has a new cousin.

Briana Kay was born on 1/31/2009 just after midnight. Weighing 6lbs, 15oz, and 20 inches long. Lots of hair, and as cute as can be.
Congrats Lizz & Matt!! You can see some of their maternity portraits here.

Briana was just 10 hours old in these photos... click on photos to enlarge them

We just can't get enough of her.

All Is Calm

2009-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

Picture of Seema from this past weekend.
I dress her up so cute in a green mock turtleneck and jeans, then layered on a pink and green hearts sundress. Was trying to get some Valentine's photos... but at last we'll have to try again.

Re-cap from yesterday...
We are excited to have a new President. We are excited to see what change he will be bringing.
Our eyes (along with millions of others) were glued to the tv and computer screens yesterday.

I've been tagged!!

2009-01-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

1. What is your favorite thing to do on a snow day? Watch tv and cuddle up under a blanket

2. What color are your socks right now? Tan and brown striped

3. What are you listening to right now? Me typing on the keyboard

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Not sure, but I drank OJ this morning

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, but it’s been a couple years and I now tend to ride the clutch LOL-Chris!

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Sales person – sent them to voicemail. ha!

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Definitely. J

9. How old are you today? 26.1

10. Favorite drink? Hot chocolate… mmmm…

11. What is your favorite sport? Geez.. IDK

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yeah, lots.

13. Pets? Nada.

14. Favorite food? Anything Mexican or Italian.

15. Last movie you watched? Hmmm… Holes, I think that was the last one. We watch a lot of old movies on tv.

16. Favorite day of the year? Thanksgiving

17. What do you do to vent your anger? Eat

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie

19. What is your favorite, summer, fall, winter or spring? Fall

20. In what outfit do you feel the most like yourself? Depends were I’m at… if at home sweats and a long sleeved shirt (for the winter)

21. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry

22. Kittens or Puppies? Puppies

23. Choir, Band, or other? Other, IDK

24. Facebook or Myspace? Facebook

25. Sleeping arrangements? Queen size bed, and the kiddo comes in to take over the bed mid-night

26.Where you'd most like to visit? Canada, again. Europe, Italy

28. Favorite Youtube video? Jeff Dunham with Peanut - yeah that's pretty funny!

29. Favorite smell? Freshly mowed grass, clothes when they come out of the dryer, fresh squeezed/cut oranges

30. Least favorite sound? Fingernails on the chalkboard… - yeah that!

31. What inspires you? My friends and family.

32. What are your irrational fears? Snakes, drowning, heights

33. Regular hamburger, cheese or spicy hamburger? Regular…. But preferably a veggie or turkey burger.

34. Favorite class ever? HMTL - from college; Bellies & Babies seminar - met some new peeps and learned some good marketing things.

35. Number of keys on your key ring? 1 - car key only!

36. Favorite type of shoe? Slip-ons lol

37. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

38. What do you hate? A bit of everything, depends on what’s going on

39. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes

40. What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey

41. Do you have kids? Little girl

42 If you were another person would you be friends with you? Heck yeah!

43. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Sometimes

44. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

45. Would you bungee jump? No, I don’t like heights.

46. What is your favorite cereal? cheerios

47. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? See above shoe question ^

48. Do you think you are strong? Yes

49. What is your favorite ice cream? Rocky Road or Birthday Cake

50. What is the first thing you notice about people? Eyes

51. Red or pink? pink

52. What is your least favorite thing about you? I get distracted easily

53. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Brown pants, brown shoes - yes, I'm the matchy-matchy type of person

55. Do you exercise? Yes

57. Eye color? Blue

56. Do you wear contacts? No

59. Scary movies or happy endings? Hmm… more action/drama/comedy

60. Favorite interjection?

61. Favorite dessert? Brownies

62. What book are you reading now? Nothing for now

63. What is on your mouse pad? My mouse… lol

64. What did you watch on TV last night? Nothing good was on, so watched a bit of Channel 8’s recap of Bush’s last speech -what a joker, did you guys see how he was acting? WOW

65. Why did you complete this survey? Had the time, lol

Simplify

2009-01-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

I have a few things that I use daily to help me be more organized. Really I don't think I could live without them, even though there was a time that they didn't exist in my life.

1. Ping.FM. I am addicted to social network (facebook, twitter, etc) To be able to update all my statuses at once I use ping.fm. This also updates my LinkedIn and MySpace statuses. Check it out, it's a real time saver.

2. Morning Coffee. I'm not talking about a cuppa coffee that you drink, even though that does help me through the day to get with the program. I'm talking about this nifty little application that works similarly to your browser favorites, but will load all the sites you have in your Morning Coffee with the click of one button. For more information go here. I use Firefox most of the time, and this is an add-on.

3. Android G1 phone. I just got this phone recently but it's already making my life easier. I can get my photography emails delivered to the phone, having a calendar always with me is a godsend, to do list application, OI Shopping list (even lets you cross of the item), Compare Everywhere is also a neat application (it lets you scan an items barcode and will compare the prices with other stores).

4. Household Handbook. Have you heard of this? If not you are so missing out. I just started mine in Oct 2008 and it's the best thing. It's a 3-ringed binder that holds everything needed to run the household. Monthly calendars, weekly calendars for scheduling, weekly meal planners, take-out menus, cleaning matrix (broke down by yearly, monthly, weekly, daily cleaning), and more stuff. It's like central command. I keep it in the kitchen by the phone. There's a section for phone messages too. If my hubby needs to know where we're going to be he can just look in there.

5. Magnetic Clips. These are a lifesaver for me. We have a magnetic door and it's just so handy to stick these clips on there. They hold outgoing mail, money, etc. Pretty much anything I might need to grab on the way out the door but otherwise would forget it if it wasn't in front of me.

I'd love to know what makes your life easier?

New Toys

2008-12-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

Seema loves to color. Actually we all get in on the coloring with her new Aquadoodle that Santa brought her!

New John Deer boots that Uncle Chris gave her.

Christmas celebrated at our house

2008-12-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

This was our first gingerbread house. It was one of those kits. Seema just wanted to eat all the candy she could get her hands on without us knowing.

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This year we decided to host a 2 day event. My main goals was to have the family together. That's really all I cared about this year. We didn't cook the big turkey or go all out on a feast. Instead we had a simple Christmas Eve dinner followed by a couple movies, then Christmas Day brunch with a few more movies and games, then a simple dinner of manicotti and salad. It went pretty much as I had pictured.

Christmas Eve table

Grandma and Seema reading a snowmen book

All the movies we watched these two days

She was too tired from all the morning's excitement of opening gifts.
Napping while waiting for our Christmas guests.

Almost ready for Santa to come

2008-12-22T08:37:00.001-08:00

December To-Do's

Outside Christmas decor.
Check.
The drive way is lined with white lights and the wreath is on the door.
Christmas Tree
Check.
This year's theme is red and white/silver.
Seema has done very good with not touching the ornaments, presents, or nativity
Wrap Presents
Partial Check.
Gingerbread House
Check.
We had a blast making this Sunday. Our first gingerbread house as a family.
Christmas Movies
We love that ABCfamily is having the 25 days of Christmas with Christmas movies galore.
Christmas Cookies
Check.
Made Magic Cookie Bars.
Snow
Check. We got 3 inches the last time. It's snowed twice so far this month.
December Daily Scrapbook Album
Partial Check.
It's started, just a bit behind. I'm still on day 12 and it's already the 22nd. Will be playing catch up this week.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day planned
Check.
Christmas Eve we're hosting dinner, then snacks and movies.
Christmas Day we're hosting brunch, then simple dinner.

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I'm preparing for 2009. Trying to think of my goals for this coming year and what I want this year to be for me and my family. I am fully inspired my Ali Edwards. Ali does a "one little word" that you think about the whole year through. Like it guides you through the year and inspires you daily.

These are the list of words I have so far (trying to narrow it down over the next couple weeks)...
Accept {to regard as normal, suitable, or usual}
Appreciate {to be grateful or thankful for}
Discover {to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or find out; gain sight or knowledge of}
Invest {to use, give, or devote (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something}
Moments {A particular period of importance, influence, or significance in a series of events or developments}

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Pictures coming soon....

Seema with Santa
Making our gingerbread house

The Spirit of Giving

2008-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be able to join in the spirit of giving this year. I am teaming up with Giving is Awesome and 360+ other photographers internationally to offer my photography services to a deserving family. Visit my photography blog for more details and to nominate a deserving family that you know. http://tinyurl.com/5aonp8

The winning family will receive $300 in custom photography from me. The person who nominated the winner will receive $100 print credit from me.

The winner will be announced on December 29th, 2008 on my photography blog.

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

Sarah

Christmas Fun

2008-12-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

Only 8 days until Christmas! I'm no where near as ready as I was suppose to be. The biggie on my list is to still plan out Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch.

Feel free to play along if you want. If you do, post a link to your blog in my comments section. I love to read what everyone puts on these things.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? A little of both. Bags for gifts that I have to deliver. Paper for gifts that sit under my tree.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artifical. We have a pre-lit 6 foot (which no longer is as tall as it used to seem) one. It was a well spent $20 at a Black Friday sale a few years ago. It needs replaced though. I would like it to be a bit taller and more filled out. Plus now the middle section's lights don't work anymore so it looks a bit funny.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually we pull out all the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving but this year I wasn't hosting Thanksgiving so I started putting everything up on Thanksgiving Day before we headed to my parent's house for dinner.

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime in January. I tend to be a slacker in this department. Last year I think everything was packed back up by the 15th.

5. Do you like eggnog? Not really.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Nothing really sticks out to me.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Punit. If he wants something he just goes and buys it. He doesn't let anyone have a chance to get it for him first. ugh.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Seema. Any 18 month old would be easy to shop for!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. I got it for Christmas last year.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I mail out Christmas cards.

11. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? Not sure on this one either. I tend to blank on these "past times" questions. lol

12. Favorite Christmas movie? It's a Wonderful Life we used to watch every year as a family. But now with half of us kids moved out of the house we don't. We really enjoyed Home Alone 3 this year.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I get my gift list together.

14. Have you ever recycled a gift? Only for White Elephant gift exchanges at work.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Peanut Brittle, Peppermint White Chocolate Bark

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, white.

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? If we travel it's only 20 minutes from our house.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Possibly, if you give me enough time. lol

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We open 1 gift on Christmas Eve. It's always the gift that has Christmas pjs in it.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who are in a rush or grumpy.

23. Favorite ornament or theme color? Red and White/Silver

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Cranberry Sauce with real cranberries in it.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Realistically? New backdrop. Some cash. Unrealistically? A new house with the layout that would work for our family.

Wishing you sweetness

2008-12-15T08:03:00.001-08:00

Seema's first candycane.

Few outakes from our Christmas card photos

2008-11-30T13:45:00.001-08:00

I'm not going to show all of them because I want you to be surprised when you get your Christmas card.

Thanksgiving Week

2008-11-26T07:24:00.000-08:00

Seema made some Thanksgiving projects at "school" this week. We'll be taking them to the Grandparent's house tomorrow, as decorations.

Turkey hand card "I gobble til I wobble".
Turkey candle. Glass baby food jar with tissue paper around it, Seema's hand turkey on the back.
Cornucopia she colored the different fruits and veggies.
We'll have to wait and see what she makes today.

Since I have a half day of work I'm planning on putting up the outside Christmas lights.
I have plans to craft this weekend. I'm so excited! Some of these will be used as gifts, some we will keep. I'm going to be making some ornaments and trinket boxes. Plus working on our Christmas cards. Still need to get a good picture of Seema for it. hmm....

Date Night, part 2

2008-11-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

Now since Punit is working a more "regular" shift, 7am-3:30pm, and doesn't have a 2nd job anymore we have a lot more family time and couple time.

Last weekend we planned to go out to dinner (which was yummy) and go to the movies. Ended up instead having to way 40 mins for a table so we missed the movie. But we're going tonight.

We're going to see FireProof. Have you seen this movie? I've heard it's pretty good from both men and women. Plus, the babysitting group at church mentioned it was a great date night movie.

Aunt Colleen is coming over the watch Seema tonight, and she's spending the night. :)

She wasn't having it

2008-11-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

she so did not want to get her picture taken or have her hat on, but I still love this picture.

Gift Ideas for Seema

2008-11-11T09:05:00.001-08:00

View my wish list on Wishpot »

whew

2008-11-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

for now, at least. Punit came home Thursday afternoon with no pink slip. He lucked out on this row of layoffs. There's more coming though.

This means he'll probably be transferred to 2nd shift in 2 weeks. If that happens then Seema will continue to go to the same daycare. All will be nice and smooth.

Seema got a check up on Friday.
17 months old
Height: 20.1 inches
Weight: 22 lbs 8 oz.
No longer goes to sleep with a bottle. (We'll be working on the paci next, though she doesn't have it tonight. Cross your fingers that I get enough sleep.)

We both got our flu shots. We're hoping for no flu this year. Last year we had it really bad and it was horrible!

New Skirt

2008-11-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how "old" Seema is looking lately.

Check out her curls

Don't be fooled like Mom, this is NOT my first sucker. I love these!

Playing outside. Wearing the new skirt Grandma made for me.

Yep, that's right, Seema has a brand new one-of-a-kind skirt. Made especially for her by Grandma. Now she's not one to be all girly and it makes me to happy to see her in a skirt.

Happy Diwali

2008-10-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

from our family to yours!

New Words

2008-10-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Seema's saying a lot of new words lately. She's becoming quite the copy cat too.

Her newest is shh! with the finger up. It's the cutest thing.
We were watching Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures on PBS over the weekend and they were in the library and the librarian kept saying Shh! and now she does it.

She loves popcorn, dried cranberries/raisins/etc, plums, all kinds of soups.

We have been working on going to bed without a bottle. It's been going pretty well, some nights are harder than others though.

Next will be some potty training.

Pumpkin Farm

2008-10-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch and farm Friday mid-day.
Come to find out they weren't actually open to the public at that time, just for schools and groups that had reserved the stop. rofl! Oh well they let us tag along with one of the groups so it worked out. :)

Now that Seema can walk she loves exploring and I love it too.

She pet the goats, the calves, the cows... we saw the chickens.

We played on the playground (they had tire swings that were horses and other fun stuff!)
We went to the pumpkin patch.
We saw the pigs, and smelled them too! phew
Then we got to see how the cows got milked and got to feed one of the calves a bottle. Well we watched. I knew if Seema got to close to that milk bottle she might be the one being feed instead of the calf.

Still on vacation...

2008-10-16T17:10:00.001-07:00

well sorta.

Had lunch with Mom, Dad, Lizz, and Matt today. Jason's deli.. yum!

Then, followed Lizz & Matt to Target and they started the baby registry there.
We had fun!

Enjoying the not-so-sunny-weather

2008-10-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

I am on vacation from the "regular" job and instead I'm doing some much needed catching up on the photography job. :D And this is the week it decides to rain! It has been in the 80s and sunny until this week!

Oh well. Most of what I'm doing has to be done inside, but a little sun would be nice.

I enjoyed (a much needed) massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure this morning. It was just wonderful. ahhh...

She's WALKING!!!

2008-10-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

At 16 months old she figured out how to walk without holding someone's hand or holding the furniture!! YAY We are so proud of you. :)

Week in the Life: Hot Topics... daycare and the weekend

2008-10-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

TGIF!! Switching the format up a bit.

Daycare.
Daycare center or in-home daycare? Which would you choose and why?
With DH's recent job change and soon-to-be shift to 2nd shift we have been thinking about how our daycare needs have changed. We will only need daycare M-F from 2:30-5:30pm.

Most people celebrate this period of time off the clock. Why do we let our jobs rule our lives? Shouldn't we "live to work" not "work to live"?
I like my 8-5 job but I do like my weekend to focus on my family, some r&r, and on my photography business.

The Weekend.
What are you plans for this awesomely beautiful autumn weekend?
Tomorrow late afternoon we are heading to the pumpkin patch for photos and to pick up a pumpkin or two. :)

Week in the Life: Wednesday ::Success::

2008-10-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to report that Seema is back at daycare today. Finally after 10 days of the chicken pox they are gone!

Sorry the past couple of days haven't included photos in the posts. I've been a bit behind with going back to work and then watched the Presidential Debate last night. I'm going to try and add some tonight.

Punit leaves for work at 6:15 every morning. We don't wake up until 6:30 (hopefully S wakes up closer to 7)
Good Morning Seema!
Breakfast of cherrios and dried cranberries on the ride to daycare.
Yummy Pumpkin Spice latte for me.
bye-bye Seema, I love you! Have fun at daycare today. :)
Off to work.
Blog hopping and a bit of facebook checking *blush
Weight Watchers meeting during lunch break. I joined 2 weeks ago and I'm proud to say that I'm down 1.5 lbs as of today. Hoping to shed a major amount of weight.
Grocery shopping after work.
Dinner was a yummy soup.

I can't wait to turn the clocks back! I hate that by the time we get home after daycare and work it's almost dark. No more evening photo sessions with my baby. :( No more playing in the yard after dinner or going to the park. :(

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I am addicted to baby shoes!! They are tiny, but oh so stylish and cute. If I could Seema's whole closet would be filled with them.

Win a free pair of Kai shoes! Just go to this site.
Aren't they so cute?

Week in the Life: Tuesday

2008-10-07T10:20:00.001-07:00

High ho, high ho... back to work I go. :) Seema and I enjoyed 4 weekdays together and now we're trying to get back in the swing of things.
Last night I packed 3 sack lunches, each with names marker on them. Seema still has one, lonely chicken pox on her cheek so she went to Grandma & Grandpa's House today, instead of daycare. I miss her as I sit here at my desk. It feels so weird (and my butt is aching from sitting for so long).

Week in the Life: Monday

2008-10-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Another early morning wake up call, but 5am is a bit better than 4 am. :)
Breakfast: apple slices with peanut butter
Cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes, 1 load of laundry, vacuumed the main areas.. feeling totally productive today
Lunch: mac n' cheese and green beans
Check emails
Check Facebook. Add me?
Choose our family photos outfits. Can't wait! (Seema: cranberry, Mom: burnt orange, Dad: brown)

Week in the Life: Sunday

2008-10-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Why I need a true entry or mud room... so I can fill it with coat racks and shoe racks. I love Ikea, don't you?

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Woke up to Seema crying at 4 this morning! This is the second day in a row. She's actually working on tooth #10 also. So that 2 teeth on top and 1 on bottom all coming in at the same time. You know it's just the start of a "not so good" day.
Breakfast
Bath time for Seema.
Watch Betsy's Kindergarten Class on PBS.
Daddy got home from work.
Morning nap for Seema.
Watched DIY and some Mtv recordings.
Lunchtime. Seema ate great! Grapes, chicken with noodles and veggies.
Afternoon (and much needed) nap for Seema.
Refreshing shower with some refreshing awaken salt. Love this stuff!
Laundry
drink a bunch of water
edit some photos

It it vacation time, yet?

Week in the Life Project

2008-10-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

I like this idea. Ok, so I like reading what people do and I like sharing what I do. lol
I love including photos too!
This idea comes from Ali

We got our first iPod about a month ago. Punit takes it to work to listen to music/podcasts to help the hours fly by. I recently found a TON of podcasts on iTunes that I like.
Here's what I'm subscribed to, tell me what you are listening to?
Baby Time - yet to start listening to, but they are downloaded
fitMusic.com - yet to start listening to
Greys Anatomy Official podcast - I've heard from Carey that these are good, hope to listen before Thurs
Manic Mommies - so far I enjoy this one
Motherhood Uncensored - yet to start listening to
PediaCast: a pediatric podcast - L.O.V.E it!
PregTASTIC - yet to start listening to (downloaded the post-pregnancy one)
The Diva Cast - listened to 1, not sure if it's for me though. Seemed to waste my time some.

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Seema updates...

teeth # 8 & 9 showed up Friday. #9 is her first molar. Ouch!
She loves a game of peek a boo from within the closet. ROFL!
She is starting to walk between 4 and 8 steps, when she wants too.
The chicken pox look like they might be starting to scab over possibly by tomorrow. They look like they were drying out tonight.

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My daughter hasn't "used" a paci since she was 6 months old. Then this week she found one in her toy bin and decided that she loves them. What makes that happen? I'm letting her use it for "comfort" since she's sick and teething right now but then they will be gone. She now groans instead of talking and I don't like that.
I could just sit there and watch her crawl in front of me and still have an amazed look on my face, like I did the first time she did it. I still can't believe that she can crawl!

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If you know someone who's beginning the journey of pregnancy or planning it this would be a great, thoughtful, cheap gift. The Essential Pregnancy Organizer: 40 weeks +
It's free (minus s&h)! You can get it here and it arrives in about 10 days.

...

2008-10-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Seema as the chicken pox! It's no fun! :(
She got the immunization last week and started to break out but I didn't realize it until Tuesday night. She hasn't been back at daycare since. She's a bit on the grouchy side, not eating very much, just wants to cuddle or sleep. The pox look like they might scab over tomorrow or over the weekend. :(

16 months update...
Seema turned 16 months on August 29th.
She says "car" and sometimes "more".

We had a fun, random photo session over the weekend.

Birthday, Updates, and Decorating

2008-09-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Punit! You got a few calls from family with birthday wishes. It was nice to talk. :) We'll really celebrate this week with a family dinner since the weekend usually tend to be used up so fast. We love you!
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Seema had her 15 month appointment this week. She weighs 22lb 2oz and is 29 inches long.
We're reducing her down to 15 oz of milk/day. She loves her milk and chugs it down.
She said "more" this morning for some more strawberry-banana-orange smoothie.

We started Itsy Bitsy Yoga for TOTS today. It's an hour long and a great connecting/bonding time for us. There are 3 other girls and Moms in this class with us. They are all around the same age and it was neat watching them all interact together.
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Well this kitchen wall has been bare as long as we lived in this house (not to mention the white walls). I finally got a frame of this photography. I won a photography contest by ME Photography with this photo. The only requirement was it had to have a spoon in it. The photo is of Seema refusing to use her spoon, but instead pointing at it.

Recently I had a Uppercase Living open house party. The "simple" is one of the decals I got. I had no clue where I was going to put that decal, but then this wall said "stick it on me :D".

(btw who the heck would put a phone jack in the middle of a wall??!)

Back at the blog

2008-09-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

Long time no update!

2 days old with Aunt Colleen

15 months old

At 15 months old Seema ...

can take up to 7 steps by herself, but she will only do it when she thinks you're not looking.
loves to say bye and wave.
again likes taking baths!!
can point out her toes, belly, eyes, nose, and just recently her mouth
loves to eat oranges the best

Today Seema is going over to Grandma's to play!

Have you ever heard of Jack and Lily shoes? These shoes are the cutest and I love that they are soft shoes with a bit of a tough sole, but not to rock hard. You can enter to win a pair of Jack and Lily shoes on this blog, here!

Hit me with your simple and yummy recipes

2008-08-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

We, well I, made chocolate chip cookies today and decided that Seema need to have her first taste of an ice cream sandwich.

Proud to say that once again she is wanting to look at the camera.

All Done! and off to get put in the tub and then in my jammies!

Lately my favorite show on Food Network is Cooking for Real with Sunny. Her recipes are awesomely fast and usually I already have everything in my house.

Tonight's menu included baked chicken, her garlic mash, and some green beans. Pretty basic, but we had fun!

15 months old

2008-08-28T20:06:00.001-07:00

and she has learned how to climb up the stairs! Check out the video here: http://www.viddyou.com/viddstream?videoid=40281

This pretty much sums it up...

2008-08-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Body Parts

2008-08-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

That is Seema's learning how to identify her body parts. She can find her toes and belly now. The belly was pointed out for the first time today! Although, I'm confused whether I should call it a tummy or belly. We have a cow named Bella and she gets confused between Bella and belly. And if we call it tummy then what about the belly button. ROFL!!

We played outside for a while this afternoon.

It's a rare event that she will actually look at the camera anymore. She's so going to hate me by the time she gets to 5 years old and beyond! I'm waiting for a hand to cover her face.

time flies when you're having fun...

2008-07-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a blast so far and it's already almost over. I cannot believe that August starts next week.

Updates:

Seema can say "nite nite" when we go to bed.
She points at her toes when you ask her "Seema, where's your toes?" !! We're working on where her tummy and nose are next.
Believe it or not... she figured out how to drink from a straw on the first try.

WTG Seema!!

Our month in pictures...

Give me a marigold and I will think it's so pretty I will eat it!

Waking up with you is such a treat

Your new "big girl seat" passes the comfy test. You fell asleep in it the first time you rode in it. Now you face the front of the car and you are so small in this seat compared to your old one, you remind us of when we brought you home from the hospital.

Half Asleep

2008-07-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at the computer going through the usual sites, blogs, etc. that I love to visit. And I'm so falling asleep in my chair!

Seema's at daycare 5 days this week. Little Honey is so worn out by the time she gets home from playing. She loves big kids! And has been refusing to nap in the afternoons.
Seema got her bangs trimmed for the first time tonight. She sat so still and I think she enjoyed the scissors touching her hair. We have been working on the word "pretty" when we brush her hair or put bows in so this was a great way to use the word, also.

It has been nice having Punit home in the evenings these past two weeks.
And me, besides trying not to fall asleep... I am bombarded with trainings and meetings and end users all day at work then come home to a hubby that has done a few loads of dishes in the dishwasher, made me dinner, and let me go to the salon in peace. It was so nice! I love it when they massage your head.

How we celebrated Independence Day

2008-07-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July with my family. Mini bbq and fireworks!

Updates

Seema got another tooth on Friday!
She learned how to stand up in her crib. I found her playing with the mobile yesterday afternoon. Looks like we'll have to remove it.

I'll post more later this week. I ran out of time today. :)

A few to hold you...

2008-07-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

for now.

Helping Grandma garden on Monday afternoon.

Riding Bella, the cow!

Up, down, all around...

2008-06-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Oh geez. I forgot to update yesterday and didn't remember until just now.

That is Seema's theme song at the moment. It's all she does. Up, down, all around.

Updates:

Seema is now an expert at pulling up. She does it all day long and can't get enough of it. On the couch, on the exersaucer, on the chairs, in her crib. She's working on the bathtub.
Punit's official last day of work at LSI is tomorrow! Wow how these last few weeks have drug by. He has an interview for a part-time job this afternoon.
I recently accepted a job offer. Starting July 15th I will be the Help Desk Manager here. So excited!
We have been seeing a lot of Grandma and Aunt Lizzie lately. With me being busy with photo session and daycare being on vacation this week it's been nice having people around that can watch you.
Grandma has plans for our yard! It will be looking so much more beautiful soon. The flower garden was weeded and marigolds and bushes were planted. The side of the garage is getting adored with lilies in bright reds, pinks, and oranges. The sides of the driveway are getting flowering bushes.
Plans for a possible patio, redoing a few of the siding panels, and painting the house will be the projects to tackle next summer.

Update coming this weekend

2008-06-26T06:14:00.001-07:00

I will be posting a major update over this weekend, probably Sunday.
I have been taking pictures daily but haven't had anytime to get on the computer while at home this week.

Blog Obsessed

2008-06-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

I created a new blog of things I like/want.

Check it out: http://blueskydreamin.blogspot.com/

An Orange-Kinda Day

2008-06-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

We had all things orange for lunch today.
cantelope. carrots. cheese quesidillas. squash.

Seema ate her popisicle all by herself today. Or atleast she tired! It was just too cold to finish...

010/365

I have more of this series that I'll upload tomorrow.
I'm off to bed.
yawn.

Weekend Madness

2008-06-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

Friday...
I finally got around to de-grassing some of my garden and planted the marigolds. I like them! Going to try and keep them alive for awhile.

Seema and I took a drive to find a new spot for some photos. I put her in one of her new pretty dresses that she got for her birthday and I went in search of a meadow. No such luck and the sun was getting dimmer by the minute so this is where we ended up. I'm still struggling with her looking at the camera. Today she took off in the other direction when I got it out. :(

008/365

Extra Friday pictures just for you...

yum, wild blackberries

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Saturday...
We strolled through the Farmer's Market this morning. Didn't come home with anything from there, instead stopped by Dillon's for their awesomely priced fruit this week!

Filled up Seema's pool this afternoon. It only sat out in the 82 F warmness, filled with water for 1 hour and the water was nice and sun-warmed. She had a blast for the 20 minutes that I let her play before nap time. She loves the slide in it and can't get enough of going down it, she now tries to climb back up it. She also puts her face down in the water to get a drink. It's hilarious!
... pictures to come later this summer.

009/365

Yeah Mom I know I'm not doing what you want me to. Here's your one shot to get it right, today!

Proof!! that she knows how to pull up and get to stuff.

Stay tuned...365 project pictures for Sunday will be posted tomorrow!

She's figuring everything out...

2008-06-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

all at once! Tonight she showed me that she now knows how to pull up on furniture.
Seema you amaze me everyday. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

007/365

We hung out at the fountains tonight with Aunt Lizzie.

You, of course, did not want to look at the camera again. *rolling my eyes!*

Big Announcement

2008-06-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

This is probably the most exciting news in the past 6 months.

SEEMA IS NOW CRAWLING!!!

For now it's just an army crawl, but she's actually able to get around while on her belly, since she figured out how to push off with her feet and legs. YAY!

Bit of Internet Browsing...

2008-06-18T13:57:00.001-07:00

I found these cute little smock dresses that I'd love to see Seema in.

I so want one of these to lounge around in this summer.

006/365

Couldn't get Seema to look at the camera for anything tonight. She so loves watching the "big kids" run around and play.

We did see some ducks by the lake, or um... the big pond.

Dreaming of a green thumb...

2008-06-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

My Mom gave me these marigolds to transplant in my own "garden". Currently my "garden" consists of 1 rose bush (that has lived for 3 years without me watering it), and grass.

004/365

We're thinking some special breed of lilies would look good on the side of the garage too. They apparently can go without frequent watering for a week. Now that's my kind of plant!

Ho, hum... nothing but the usual went on today!

Sitters & Movers

2008-06-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

Long weekend of babysitting and moving!

Saturday I babysat 3 extra kids. A 6 year old, 17 month old, 4 month old, Seema. Colleen came over to help out. WHEW!! The 3 youngest were a handful themselves. lol It was only for 3 hours and after they left Seema and I both took 1 hour naps.

We helped Lizz & Matt move Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Their new 2 bedroom house is cute. The bedrooms are very good in size. Larger than Seema's & guest rooms that we have.

We played outside in the grass for a bit this evening. Had to go back inside before the chiggers came out.

004/365

Updates:

Seema got her 6th tooth yesterday/last night. It's her 4th on the top!
She learned how to high five.

Few extra from the day...

003/365

2008-06-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Early Father's Day gift from me & Seema to Punit yesterday.

(not the best photo of it, it was too dark in the house)

Look at that cute little baby in the window...

2008-06-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

the one with the bottle in her mouth!

Hanging out at the garage sale. I was tempted to put a FOR SALE sign on her to see what people would say.

002/365

And another for the whole "bean bag lounging" effect. ;)

Updates of the day:

Seema had her 1 yr check up today. Stats: weight: 19lbs 11oz, height: 28 inches (stats at birth: weight: 6lbs 14oz, height 19 inches). She only had to get one shot and did very well after the nurse gave her a toy and then while walking out she had to giggle at all the other nurses at the desk so she totally forgot that she was hurting by the time we got to the car.

Love to use my teeth!

2008-06-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right! Seema loves to use her 5 teeth, yes 5!!

001/365

She had her first apples with peanut butter and loved it.

check out the size of that bite!

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Mom there is absolutely no need for forks or spoons when your hands can do the job so well!! Sort of sounds like something Punit would say. hmmm....

This past windy weekend she tried out her brand-spanking new pool that Grandma gave her for her birthday. She absolutely loves it!

Other updates...

Seema now knows how to pull up in her crib, so Punit had to lower it (for the first time!) today. So scary last night when she did that and I had no clue she knew how to.
The countdown had begun, well it started about a year ago when Punit was put on 3rd shift. He officially has 10 days of 3rd shift left!! Of course, they aren't ten days in a row, instead they have to drag it out for another 2 and a half weeks.
Each day I'm falling more in love with my second love... photography. I've been meeting with clients and working on marketing documents.

I am starting a 365 project on this blog! This means that I am committing to picking up my camera and taking pictures every day for a year. I will try to post daily, but we all know that life sometimes takes over...

Fun at the fountains

2008-06-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Seema loves playing in these fountains. Too bad they didn't pop much while we were here this time. More of them to come this summer. :)

Happy Birthday to Seema

2008-06-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

Seema turned ONE on May 29th.

This was taken Friday night.

Her birthday party was yesterday.
The theme was butterfly garden.
the decorations. the guests. the cake. the presents. the favors.
we had a blast!

Five and a half days

2008-05-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

until Seema turns ONE!
Where did the time go? We blinked and now she's all grown up.

I blew up her baby pool last weekend and we used it twice this year so far. I was driving home yesterday and thought to myself... hmm, where did that pool go?... it's no where to be found. I guess with the windy days this week along with the thunderstorms it was too much to take and blew off.
Oh well... it was a good $10 well it lasted!

Seema just started trying to pull up this week. Since she scoots instead of crawling I've been working with her on how to put her legs to be able to pull up. We need a few more weeks.

At dinner the other night she figured out how to put her sippy cup back in the cup holder!! Way to go girl.

This weekend is a holiday weekend. Memorial Day is Monday.
We're planning on trying to hit the zoo on Monday. Punt & I both have off work.

I am so freakin' excited for Seema's birthday party.
The party's theme is Butterfly Garden and it's going to be so cute!
I have been dying to put up all the decorations for 2 weeks already.

Fun-filled Afternoon

2008-05-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at Cowtown with Aunt Lizz & Matt, and Aunt Colleen. Today was Uncle Chris' first day as an employee there. We saw him and he drove us around on the horse wagon. You love it!! The whole time you were staring at the horses. At the farm you loved the cow and it came right over to the fence where we were standing.

It was a fun way to spend at Sunday afternoon.

Afterwards, we went to Grandma's & Grandpa's house for a bbq dinner.
You had some chicken. mmmm, it was good!

Sunny Saturday

2008-05-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

The temperature right now at 8:30pm is 78 F. So yeah it was a hot one!
This coming week is suppose to be near 90 F.

We went to a birthday party this afternoon.
Seema had a blast.
swinging. scooting. talking with the big kids.

She ate her first icie popsicle. It was pineapple (I think).

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

So busy!
brunch. cleaned garage. playtime at the park. cake.
flowers. cards. love.

Oh the smell of May

2008-05-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Every year May seems to be one of the busiest months of the year. 2008 is following suit!

So far we have...
2 birthday parties to attend.
Play dates every week, which we so look forward too!
And, last but definitely not least... Seema's First Birthday and party.

Punit received his pink slip at work last week. We knew it was coming, the waiting was killing us! He will be laid off at the end of June.

Starting in July Seema will only be going to daycare on Mondays and Fridays. Punit will be watching her through the middle of the week.
She's one busy little bee.

More than likely we won't be around this weekend. It's full of fun and we're so looking forward to all the excitement!
- Friday evening we're going to a parade with Grandpa.
- Saturday afternoon we're going to a birthday party.
- Sunday. Mother's Day. Punit's going to be off work. We're going to brunch and then cleaning out the garage.

Raindrops falling on my nose...

2008-05-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

It rained all day today. We definitely needed the water, but geez! We had to make due with playing inside.

Peek-a-boo. The all-time favorite game of infants.

And one extra just because you're so cute!

Gaining More Independence

2008-05-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful, balmy evening last night. I decided we should go check out the outside water fountains. We had never been there before and I figured it would be nice to have a break from the ordinary. Seema loved them!! You loved to walked right between them. There was a smaller one that you stepped on when it went low and laughed at the feeling of the water between your toes. You even let go of one of my hands just to be able to touch the water. You let go... this was your first time standing and only holding one hand. You are becoming so independent.

Sleeping Beauty!

Hey All!

2008-05-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our brand spanking new family blog! I will try to update it daily; some days will include photos, others will just be text. Punit will jump on here every once and a while too.

We are going to use this to keep everyone updated on our busy, busy lives. Anyone is free to comment on our posts. We'd love to hear from you.

Punit, Sarah, and Seema