Fantabulous Faby Family Blog

To my daughter's mother

2012-01-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Stepmoms and biomoms across the nation hate each other. There are entire chat rooms and forums aimed at bashing one or the other. And just a few that are focusing on becoming a team. With the growing number of separated and remarried families, I am so glad to see that starting to change and more people are taking the "no ones the bitch" approach.

This is a photo of me on the right (the step mother) and Tyler on the left my stepdaughters biological mother (often referred to biomom or bm for short in online groups) at my house a few weeks ago. She came and stayed from out of town so Katelyn could attend her brother's 4th birthday.

I realize how many kids will never have this or even dream of days where there two worlds can come together without fighting and tears and I am so grateful Katelyn has this.

So to my daughter's mother....

Dear Tyler,

I am SO proud of us. That after 6 years of being in each others lives we can call each other a friend. That we realize we are actually more then friends. We are family.I think the example we are setting for Katelyn is something she may not recognize now but will be so proud of in the future. And realize how lucky she is. I hear from so many friends of divorced parents that they hated having to have two completely separate lives because their parents couldn't be in the same room. As a wedding photographer I see it all the time brides worrying on their special day about their mom and step mom or mom and dad causing some kind of scene. I hear quite often how great people think it is. I realize that it also freaks people out a bit when they find out I have spent the night at your house or how often we text/email/talk etc. That how could we possible trust one another? Or be friendly? This is a sign of how special we are. How much all the hard work we have put into building this relationship has paid off. And it's all for Kate, so it doesn't really matter if people don't understand it. Because we do.

There will be fights in the future. Between you and my husband or you and I. I know this. Just like anyone raising children with others we all argue with husbands, boyfriends, moms, dads, inlaws etc. about how a child should be raised! We will disagree on how she should be disciplined, who she should spend her time with, or when she can pierce her ears (hee hee). But I know we will get through it all. Because slowly we have learned to communicate with respect. To realize in the end we are all just trying to do what's best for OUR daughter. That while we may not always agree, all of us deserve to be at least heard. To provide a united front. And never let her know when we disagree. We continue like this and we can't go wrong. And the arguments wont last long. And the past will be the past and we should look only to the future.

As a biological mother of two myself.I also realize how hard it must be at times to have someone like me around. Who wants to be so involved and loves your daughter like my own children! So thank you. I don't say it enough. But thank you for allowing her to love me. Thank you for expecting her to respect me. Thank you for confiding in me. For trusting me. Thank you for respecting my opinion.Thank you for realizing I'm not trying to take your "place". I'm simply trying to find my own. I appreciate it and I respect you for it.

“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” Let's continue to be the best mom team ever:)

Love Always,

Nicole

Feel free to leave a comment!

Luke's 4th Birthday

2012-01-17T09:35:00.001-08:00

Sunday January 15 was Luke's 4th birthday and birthday party! We were lucky to have some great out of town guests come in town to celebrate! Thanks mom, dad, Mike, Devon, Amy, Wasiu, Tyler, and Chris! Luke really felt special!

I started the birthday up very early. 4 am to be exact, because I had bought a helium tank and 100 balloons. I wanted you to wake up to a roomfull of birthday love. And what kid doesn't love balloons? Well after blowing up 30 I ran out of helium so as I went to your room to deliver them at 5:36. I am not sure why I was surprised to find you sitting up in bed already awake. So I asked you to close your eyes and you were still pretty excited. Not quite as excited as Katelyn though who awoke from the top bunk!

Holding up your new age! It's still weird to me!

By 6:30 we were enjoying a nice dunkin donut breakfast and hot chocolate! I enjoyed the alone time with my two big kids! Both always opt for the strawberry frosted with sprinkles. I am a big fan of their cheddar bagel twist. Yum.

As the sun rose we played a few games of Chutes and Ladders and candy land!

We spent the next few hours getting ready for the party at noon! Judging by a few remarks I got, I did an awful job of inviting people! If you didn't have kids and didn't get an invite... I was trying to be nice! If you did have kids and didn't get an invite! I'm sorry!! The party was only for 15 kids and it was a lot more money for 20!! We had to invite the whole class which had 16 kids +Kate of course so we only invited a few extra and just kind of hoped we weren't over by too much!! We ended up with 16 so it worked out perfect! For more bday photos check them out on facebook!

Happy Birthday Luke! can't believe you are FOUR already!!

Letter to Lucas.

2012-01-13T08:47:00.002-08:00

Dear Lucas,

Happy 4th birthday my sweet love. I can not believe how fast four years have gone. You are truly an amazing little boy and words can not describe how much I love you. You make me laugh on a daily basis and sometimes I am shocked by how smart you are already!! (and slightly scared for what is in store)

You are currently obsessed with bakugans, beyblades, transformers, and hotwheels. Oh and the iPad of course. You would spend literally ALL day on that thing if we let you. Once you realized you could make Sloan laugh you have been quite obsessed with doing anything for a little giggle. It is adorable. It is exactly how Katelyn was with you.

Unfortunately your current dislikes still include eating and sleeping. I am still hoping at some point you grow out of this as I am not a fan of attempting to feed you an hour a meal or 5 am wake up calls. If I could bottle up the energy you have and eat as little as you I would be a very skinny millionaire.

You are such a little lover these days. Always wanting lots of kisses and hugs (big squeezes as you like to call them) . I know someday I will be begging for a hug so I do my best to enjoy them as much as possible. As much as some days I wish you would hurry up and get a little more self sufficient; I tear up thinking that you already grew from a little baby to a toddler and from a toddler to a little boy who is well on his way to becoming a big boy.

I love you sweet Lucas,

mommy

2012-01-13T08:47:00.001-08:00

The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed. - unknown

popcorn!

2012-01-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Good to know.. thought I would pass on this article!

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/microwave-popcorn-minus-the-ripoff/

Wordless Wednesday...

2012-01-11T05:09:00.001-08:00

July 2011

Out with the old and in with the new...

2012-01-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

The Bad News... in 4.5 months Sloan has grown out of so many CUTE clothes already!! I spent almost 3 hours last night cleaning out her closet and drawers! Another two bins of clothes in my basement!

The good news... I got to break out a whole new closet full of cuteness!! She is currently wearing 6-9 month closing already thanks to her height and puffy cloth diapers ;)

I swear my children are dressed a million times better then me. I totally should go shopping so they don't get embarrassed of me! Right? ;)

Wordless Wednesday...

2012-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

August 2011

December 2011

Most random blog ever

2011-12-22T10:40:00.001-08:00

Dear Everyone,

A compilation of randomness. Because as a mother of three this is my life! too much work, too much stress, and not enough sleep so bits and pieces and incomplete thoughts is the best I can do these days!!

Hey America.. I'm just curious but why are the cars getting bigger but the parking spaces are getting smaller?

If my daughter is wearing a giant bow chances are she is not a "he" so don't ask. It only makes you look stupid.

If you haven't seen a cloth diaper in the last decade then don't look so horrified when I mention we use them. Seriously this ain't your mama's cloth diaper.

Strangers refer to my baby as Sparkle. Awesomesauce.

This morning Luke and I had a twenty minute conversation about which socks he should wear. After going through 4 pairs to find the "right" ones, we arrived at monkey joes (Socks required for play) only to find out he took off the socks when I was looking and had on none. Had to walk to the dollar store and buy some. I wanted to scream!!

Dear Miranda Lambert. I am totally disappointed in your last CD. You can do better then that. I did however enjoy your mama's heartbreak song.

Confession. I like Justin Bieber more then a 28 year old woman should.

An undisclosed company I used to work for give's their employees laptops and cell phones but wont pay them work from home after surgery? How much sense does that make?

My baby is four months old already!! Ahhhh WTH???

I NEED THIS but it's sold out. FML. really?? Story of my life lately!!

There are 89 days and 5 hours until spring.

That is all.

2 months! Already??

2011-10-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

When you have a baby everything gets slower except for time!! I can not believe that we have a two month old already.. next week she will be graduating from college (tear)!! So just a little Sloan update:

At 3 weeks she was diagnosed with Laryngomalacia (look it up sounds worse then it is, she was having spells 8-10 times a day having difficulting breathing, basically we have to keep her in our room a little longer, she sleeps propped up on her back, and most babies grow out of it within 6 months. Our Fantastic ENT Douglas Holmes said if she doesn't he would e able to do a quick and easy surgery to fix it.) and the episodes have GREATLY improved only 2-3 times a day so it is promising that it will be gone within the next few months!

She had her check up yesterday and she is right on track for everything! 40th percentile for weight and height 75th percentile for head circumference. She is 11 pounds and 22 inches long! She is reacting more and more everyday and is a very sleepy and smiley baby! She has a fussy period in the evenings but other then that she is great! Already sleeping mostly from the night.. 5-6 hour stretches!

And just for fun! Here is Sloan at two months...

And here is Luke at two months...

Overall we are doing great I think Dave is finally snapping out of his post partum ;) hee hee and I am finally adjusting to pumping every 4 hours and everything else! Katelyn is totally Sloan obsessed and Luke like's her well enough (mostly ignores her which i am happy about, sweet when he does pay attention to her!)

Thats all for now! Have a great weekend! I will be working 6 sessions and a wedding! Wish me luck!

Full hands= Full Heart

2011-10-16T20:01:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog and readers,

I havent forgotten you!! I want to update you on our life but I am too busy living in them moment and enjoying our sweet new addition! I will be back I promise.. Things have to slow down eventually right? Most days things are great but there have been moments I wonder what we have got ourselves into with a family of five?! Thankfully those moments are few and far between.

Work is crazy and I am not complaining because I know so many are not sharing my luck. I feel very blessed! The next few weekends are INSANELY busy and my editing is schedule requires more hours in the day! So if I seem like I disappear off the planet its only me lost in my work! Pray for my husband as his adjustment to an extra little person seems to be a little slower process and my work filled weekends are just as hard on him as they are on me!

So to sum it up. My hands are full but so it my heart... Love these guys more then anything!

Paint it Pink

2011-09-26T18:53:00.001-07:00

Hey Friends and Family! Check out Paint it Pink www.paintitpinkgala.org! It's coming up on Thursday, October 6th - downtown Raleigh! Paint it Pink is a cancer benefit that my dear friend Jamie Ferguson is hosting for Kim Sibbach, who passed away this year of breast cancer. The benefit is a great way to honor our friend and many other's who have battled cancer.

You can purchase tickets online or make a donation. Please try to attend and help us paint the town PINK! Thanks ~ Nicole

Paint It Pink Gala, Raleigh, NC

www.paintitpinkgala.org

4 weeks

2011-09-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

My sweet girl is 4 weeks old today. I can't believe it! It seems like we just brought her home! I don't want to curse myself but she is a really good baby!! We had a 36 hour span of fussy baby due to stomach problems but all in all she is easier then Luke ever was! (Thank goodness!) She is starting to be a little more alert and awake during the day! I am holding on to these days and memories a little tighter because now I understand how fast they will be gone and how quickly you forget the little newborn things! Speaking of holding on... she's requesting my presence!

Faby family update!

2011-09-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

Wow I can't believe it's been 3 weeks already! Time goes so fast these days. We have been settling in great and we have been blessed with such a good little baby girl! I get pretty much the SAME questions from everyone on how we are doing so I thought I would share a little update!

How is she sleeping?

Awesome! She wakes up 2 times a night usually like 12/3/6am. Dave givers her a bottle while I pump for 20 minutes. By the time I am done she is back in her little bed next to mine and fast asleep

So is she easier then Luke?

Um yes. But thats not too hard to do lol. Sorry Luke my little high maintenance child!

How is Luke doing with her?

Great he actually is not that interested in her. Which is good. He likes her and is not too annoyed by the time required to feed and pump like I thought it would be.

How is she eating?

You may have seen my frustration the first 1st week on facebook. She was losing too much weight and I was having a really hard time with nursing. They had me add formula while I was getting my milk supply up and it really messes her tummy up then she projectile vomits it! I was having to go to the pediatrician's office every day and have her weight checked and that was wearing on me! The doctor and lactation consultant suggested I just switch to pumping since that's what worked best last time (I pumped for 6 months 8 times a day with Luke) Oh the things we do for our kids! Now that she is more alert and stronger and gaining weight we have tried nursing a few times this week with success, so who knows maybe I wont have to spend the next bit of my life attached to a machiene. Oh cows how I empathize with you!!

You are loving having a little girl and dressing her up aren't you?

Duh. This is no surprise to anyone! I am officially obsessed with bows. OBSESSED!

How is Dave adjusting?

He is even more of a help this time around and I really really really appreciate his support! Especially at night! He loves his little girl (even though he is still wishing she were a boy named Mason!) and enjoys taking Luke out for boy time!

How do you feel?

Pretty darn good, tired late afternoon but thats more from Luke and all his activities and energy requirements! Mentally- Totally in love with the peanut and really happy not to be pregnant anymore. I had one really bad day where I broke down at the baby doctor who I am pretty sure is not totally convinced I don't have post partum (I do not I swear!!) It was just a really bad day! Physically- Still not totally healed from delivery and my back is KILLING me from pumping.

How did Kate like her new school?

I have only been able to talk to her a few minutes :( But she said she liked it and her teacher was nice and she even knew a few kids from her preschool in her class! Hopefully we can skype her soon and find out more. We wont have her again until October 14th and we miss her a lot. Especially Luke who talks about sissy ALL the time!

How is Luke doing at his school?

He loves it. Drop off was only an issue the first day and he loves his new teachers and coming home and teaching me his new songs. The teacher has even told me multiple times what a sweet kind boy he is (ya I know I double checked to make sure she knew which kid was mine... awful huh?) He is sweet when he wants to be but also a bit on the wild side :)

When do you start working again?

I did a newborn session last week and have done a few product designs this week so I guess I am technically already working again?! I have had 5 consults for 2012 weddings in the past 2 weeks so that is looking up too! My next wedding is in Emerald Isle 9/24 and Dave and the kids are coming with me and I only have to shoot for 6 hours. The couple is really sweet and cute so I am actually looking forward to it a lot! And of course October is always my busiest month of the year my weekends are full of sessions and weddings and fall family fun activities!

I think thats about it for the update overall we are doing awesome and enjoying our baby!! We had a fantastic labor day weekend with lots of friends and family and are starting feel "normal" again!!

On a totally different note save the dates:

Kids halloween Costume Party October 15th

Adults halloween Party October 29th (yes there will be jello shots!!)

Sloan's Birth Story Slide Show!

2011-08-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Scroll down and turn off the playlist before playing video! To view full screen click HERE!

I finally got around to putting together the photos from Sloan's birth day! It took all day to edit the photos and put this together but I love how it turned out :) Let me know what you think!!

Thanks again Carrie for helping preserve those special moments at Sloan's birth!! I will cherish these photos forever!!

You can read the entry about her birth HERE

Post baby weight

2011-08-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Before having a baby I was always curious what your body looks like after having a baby. Pregnancy does a number on your body for sure and after seeing it stretch out beyond what I ever could have thought it would stretch it is hard to believe I can ever look normal again. With Luke I was lucky to lose all the weight in 7 days with NO effort. Not as luck this time, but still luckier then some.

So this is me the day I delivered. Hello HUGEness!

Here I am 7 days post baby... See the yucky baby fat pooch... ugh GOT TO GO!! I look 4 months preggo still!

Pre baby weight: 125

Current weight (7 days post baby 132) +7

Goal Weight 120 (By November 1st!)

Gone are the days I care to stay under 115 and I think 120 should be easily attainable with some discipline! I am all about accountability so if I publicly announce I am for the first time ever actually going to TRY and lose weight I may actually stick to it and be successful!! Truth be told I dont have the time and money for the gym and I have never been a great dieter. SO we will see how this goes! The plan is eat better and walk with the stroller as much as possible. I am not technically allowed to work out for 6 weeks while I am healing but I figure that should be safe! With Luke heading back to school next week and my crazy season not starting until October I have a chance of actually getting into a routine with this!

Sloan's birth story!

2011-08-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

As you know I was to be induced on August 17th, 2011 because of my heart/breathing issues! We were told we would get a call in morning and the phone rang at 6 am telling us to head on over! Thankfully Andrea was staying at the house helping out for the day! So we packed up the rest of the car kissed the big kids goodbye and headed our way! They were all so excited waving goodbye! I grabbed this shot with my cell as we pulled out the driveway!

We got to the hospital around 7 and were ready to go!

And thats when the nerves started in! I totally teared up when we were checked in the room. Even though I had been through it before birthing a baby still freaks me out. And I hate pain. And needles. But the excitement to meet my princess kicked in and within two hours they had me checked in and hooked up to the pitocin drip...

I was actually already contracting on my own when I came in (had been for two weeks!! So annoying) They increase the pitocin very slowly (too slowly in my opinion) And every 30 minutes they came in checked my pain level on a scale of 1-10 and then increased the amount in being dripped into my IV.

Dave keeping himself busy! Thank goodness for cell phone with internet.. Lots of waiting at this point. 4 hours later I was still only 2cm dilated and very frustrated by the slow progress. The doctor mentioned this may be 16+ hours. Um yeah. I cried. Seriously??
I was SO hungry but not allowed to eat anything but popsicles. Confession: I snuck a cereal bar around 2pm and I still survived!

Still hanging in there! Feeling more but nothing I couldn't handle!

I had grabbed our latest red box arrival to watch while we waited.. SO I got to breath through contractions and watched people get eaten by warewolves!

The contractions were bearable for most of the morning. But early afternoon they started to get pretty intense. And super close together! I attempted to use the birthing ball, breathing techniques etc. but I was over the pain pretty quickly being exhausted and hungry and gave into the epideral around 4:15. I was 4cm dilated at that point.

Now with Luke I didn't even feel the second shot. This time it hurt like HELL. The pressure was insane. Like a small bus was pounding my back. And guess what? It didn't work. My feet went numb but the contractions were stronger then ever.The pictures stop after this one! Until her birth! The next 30 minutes were not fun as I clung to the bed asking them to help me but of course there was nothing the nurses or Dave could do. At first they kept saying it will kick in give it a few more minutes.. another ten minutes it will work. They tried increasing the amount but it wasn't helping. The nurse checked me again and realized I was ready to push. Dammit I should have saved 837 bucks and skipped the epideral with all this pain!! With Luke I pushed for over 2 hours. But this time I only had to push for 14 minutes! Sloan arrived at 4:56 and Carrie arrived about 4:57 to capture the moments afterwards!! I am working on the photo slideshow and will get that up soon :)

Tie dye hospital baby shirt!

2011-08-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I decided to tie dye the shirt that big brother Luke wore in the hospital when he was born for Sloan to have! The little t-shirts just fit them so perfect and the built in gloves are so handy!

SO when I did it I didn't think much of it. But when I brought it to the hosipital and put it on her the nurses and everyone went gaga over it.. they sent in other nurses just to see it. And I guess it is pretty special and certainly much cuter!! She was the most stylin baby in the nursery!

SHE IS HERE!!

2011-08-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's almost been a week!

Princess Sparkle (aka Sloan Mackenzie Faby) Arrived Wednesday August 17th, 2011 at 4:56 pm. Weighing in at 8 pounds 3 ounces and 21 inches long! I will share her birth story soon but for now I am busy loving on my littlest lovebug! You can keep up with us on facebook!!

Induction Update... I'm nervous!!

2011-08-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

So this morning around 4 am it hit me. I have to BIRTH this baby on Wednesday. I mean I knew eventually it was going to happen, but I kinda avoid thinking about the hospitals/needles/sickness that goes along with it. But with it right around the corner, thinking about it is slightly unavoidable! Hello Anxiety. Ugh. I am a little bit nervous about the whole induction. I am totally ready and the idea of them letting me go up to another 3 weeks of pregnancy makes me sick! And depending on how far a long I am (last week I was 2cm dilated and not effaced at all) what they will do first break the water and see what happens or go ahead and start the pitocin. Those who know me well know I like to KNOW things and being induced is unknown to me. I hear the contractions come quicker and stronger and sometimes the drugs can make you sick. It could take 8 hours or 2 to get the process started. So she could be born on the 17th or the 18th. Being induced does increase your chances of a c section which I am scared of the recovery with two kids at home! And I want to spend as little time at the hospital as possible.

Oh and for those who are asking, they are inducing me based on my heart condition, which should go away when I have the baby and lose the weight. I am up 27 pounds. Kate informed me she thinks I might be a size 20 right now!! My husband also told me I look a lot bigger today then yesterday! I am not feeling so hot! So lets hope the weight loss journey is not too hard! I just can't imagine having it as easy as I did last time (all my weight gone within 7 day.. back in my jeans with 5 days!) I am prepared to have to work a little bit! I would actually like to lose a few extra from my pre pregnancy weight before we go to Mexico!

So here is what I know so far. Wednesday the 17th I will get a call between 5am-7am. And they will let me know when I should come in. It could be an hour or it could be later that afternoon. I have to be ready to get there within in an hour. Andrea is on call for day duty with the kids (they are SO excited and I am soooooo grateful! She is the best!) My mom will head up from Charlotte once we update her! I should be released Friday at the earliest and Sunday at the latest (If I have a c-section).I am guessing I won't get much sleep with worry, but thats really nothing new! And it helps prepare me for the next few months with a newborn right?!

Thanks for allt he prayers, support, and offers of help :) We can not wait to introduce our new baby girl to all of you!! I will keep you posted!

XOXO

August Goals!

2011-08-15T01:24:00.000-07:00

Is it too late to make August goals? I think not. Besides I am 9 months pregnant I get to make my own rules at this point! I will keep it short and sweet since I am not sure I will be able to do much the second half of the month

Home Goals

Paint Hallway (done!)

Hang Vinyl Calendar (done!)

Hang File Organizer (done!)

Organize Basement clutter/frames

Make a trip to goodwill (done!)

Personal Goals

Spend the next two days spoiling the big kids until Sloan arrives

Find time to get a pedicure today or tomorrow?! (done! yayyyy!)

Pack the car for the hospital

Prepare some food for Dave and Family for the week (done!)

Birth a baby

Have the kids make Sloan birthday cards (done!)

Take LOTS of newborn photos of Sloan

Work Goals

Update Blog header (done!)

Blog a few recent weddings and sessions (done!)

Update website slideshow

Finish editing Saturday's wedding

5 days or less...

2011-08-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

This morning we spent a few minutes for a little mini session with the kids! I can't believe how old they both look! Especially Kate! She picked out that new outfit and has been asking all week for me to do photos of her in it (Heart=Happy). She has a new obsession called Abercrombie Kids and this shirt was part of her "big sister" gift. The jeans, shoes, and t shirt were all less then $4 each brand new! Making it a super cute $30 outfit. She mentioned wanting to wear the shirt for the first day of school! :)

And when Luke heard Kate was getting pictures he had to copy sissy and get his own! I will post more later! These are his new school shoes he has been dying to wear.

The last time it will be just the two of them! :) Trying to enjoy the last few days of being parents of only two! In 5 days or less we will have baby girl Sloan in our arms. It's hard to believe the end (and beginning) is finally near! Tomorrow is my last work day with a mini session in the morning and a wedding from 12-6 :) (Don't worry I have back up coming with me who is more then capable of taking over for me at the wedding, if I need it! Thanks to the fabulous Carrie Richardson Fry!!) Since she waited this long I hope Sloan holds off until at least 6 pm tomorrow!

Favorite Quotes

2011-08-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right.
Love the ones who don't just because you can.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
......If it changes your life, let it.
Kiss Slowly.
Forgive quickly.
God never said life would be easy.
He just promised it would be worth it."

If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.

There are 5 things in life you cannot recover: A stone...after it's thrown. A word...after it is said. An occasion...after it's missed. The time...after it's gone. A person...after they die. Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably & never regret anything that made you smile. Enjoy Life!!

Give, and it shall be given to you. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return. Luke 6:38

Isnt it ironic that when you are pregnant you have to order virgin drinks?

I'm cute enough to make you look twice, sweet enough but not too nice, a little crazy, but not too wild...the kind of girl that will make you smile

If God brings you to it, He will get you through it

GIVING UP DOESNT ALWAYS MEAN YOU ARE WEAK; SOMETIMES IT MEANS YOU WERE STRONG ENOUGH TO LET GO

How I saved my TWC bill!

2011-08-11T05:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I posted (bragged- I admit it!) on facebook how after HOURS on the phone with Timewarner cable I am going to save $648 a year on our bill. I got a lot of comments and messages and even texts wanting to know the how! It was a little bit of a process so I figured it would be easier to post here.

I will say a huge part of it was just being extremely determined to get my way. I believe that when fighting with logic and patience you will eventually be able to get SOMETHING. And I think the most valuable life lesson I learned from my old boss... If you don't ask you wont get. I am constantly amazed at things I get just for asking. What's the worst that can happen? They tell you no.

So after being annoyed with Time Warner Cable for hiking up our rates every year for the SAME services and autorenewing contracts we hated I decided to do something about it and give them a call.

I think the most important part of getting what you want is to do your research and know what you are up against. Anticipate their argument and be ready and informed!

Information I had on hand for the first call:

How long I have been a customer (7 years)

When my contract ended (the 26th of last month, wrote it on the calendar last year)

What I was paying ($161.78 for cable, internet, phone, and dvr)

Current promotions they are running on line and on the TV for the same products and cost per month ($99-$130 per month with taxes, depending on the promo)

In the first call I learned that they had given me the wrong contract end date when I called last year. It actually ended in July 2010 not July 2011. Issue number one that got me fired up. They had auto renewed me into another year BUT they raised the prices $34 a month. REALLY?? I don't know anyone who actually LIKES twc however there isn't a whole lot of options.

At this point the customer service rep I was talking to didn't really have the ability to help me so I asked for his supervisor. I explained calmly and politely that I had a major problem with my prices being increased by $408 a year for no reason. Why was I paying more for the same services I already had? Of course he apologized blah blah blah. How about 3 months of free DVR? he asked me. SURE but I am not done with you guys. But I will take that in the mean time. Savings $36. He fills out the paper work and I get off the phone. But I call back right away knowing would never end up talking to the same person.

I called this time and told them I was interested in canceling my services based on my bad experience. I was transferred to the retention team. After filling them in The problem was even though they had better deals now, my contract had auto renewed for two years and there was a $200 fee to change. (If you do the math paying this $200 to save $648 a year was still worth it BUT I wasn't about to pay it because I had been given the wrong information.

So thats when I stated what I wanted:

No contract

No termination fee ($200)

Same services less cost

I had the retention guy go over all my options for better deals and he found one for $107 a month for all the same services and it included taxes and fees. I got the name of the promotion and made sure to write it down for future reference. Next step was to talk to someone in billing about having the $200 early termination fee waived. This took two conversation with two supervisors and I was told it had to be submitted up the chair and i would hear back within 10 business days.

Of course I didn't hear back but since I wrote on the calendar the day I should have heard I called them back and spoke to two more people (i think by this point I had talked to 8 people?) in the billing department. The second guy approved the fee to be waived!! Now I had to talk to someone on the retention team again to get the new deal in place! Which of course took another hour on the phone with 2 people, (The first guy was a total idiot who couldn't even find any record of our account) I got off with him and called back for another guy. He told me the best deal he could offer me was $130 a month. Of course I had the name and date and the promo of the $107 deal I had talked about with the the first retention team member and he was able to find the notes and apply the deal. FINALLY (4+ hours on the phone and 10 people later)... I win :)

So long story short:

Know what you want before you call

Be willing to spend a LONG time on the phone

Write down the names and title of everyone you talk to and promo names mentioned

Be persistent but polite (the guy on the phone is not the one making the decisions!!)

Keep asking for higher ups until you get to the person who can help

All in all I saved

$36 in free DVR

$200 termination fee

$648 a year (Bill went from 161 to 107 a month with taxes)

Total: $884

I am going to tackle the Verizon cell phone bill next!! I will let you know how that goes!!

GOOD LUCK!

Dear Lucas....

2011-08-09T17:18:00.001-07:00

Dear Lucas,

As I know your days as the baby of the family are about to soon end I have been reflecting a lot on how much you have grown in 3.5 years and how much I love you. You are so big now and needing my help a little less every day which is both wonderful and sad at the same time. You can dress and feed yourself. Take a shower on your own. Say the ABCs, spell your name, recognize letters and numbers, sing songs, and I will never remember all the names of the transformers/pokemon/bakugan like you! You are so full of love, laughs, and energy.

Thank you for being a constant source of entertainment, for always keeping me on my toes, and making me proud to be your mom. You challenge me on a daily basis to be a better role model, to think of new ways to keep you happy, and to be the best version of myself. I may not always succeed and I know I am far from perfect, but I can see in your eyes that you don't mind. I can never get enough of your hugs and kisses and I know one day they will start to fade away but for now your begging for extra hugs and kisses all day long and every night when I tuck you is the best thing ever.

Sloan is already so lucky to have you as a big brother. I know she is going to adore you and she will be your new obsession. As all moms do, I worry how you will react to such a change in your life.. you are a mamas boy and I admit to spoiling you with lots of attention so I don't expect you to love every minute as a big brother but I promise to do my best to make it as easy of an adjustment as possible!

I am counting down the days and dreading your return to school. 5 days a week for 4 hours a day I will miss you. Just thinking about it makes me tear up. Even though I know you and I both need the break and you are sure to excel. You will always be my baby boy. I love your more then you will ever know and more then words could ever express.

Love,

Mommy

38 weeks

2011-08-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I go to the doctor and will hopefully get my induction date set for next week! Assuming she doesn't come before then! I have got to the point where it is hard just to get through daily activities. Specifically sleeping and bending over. And those of you with kids know how often you have to bend over! Thanks to the heart issues and extra weight I have a hard time breathing lying down. The doctors solution? Sleep sitting up. Yeah right. SO needless to say we are more then ready for her to make her entrance! I realize I dont have much longer but the days are going so slow... FEELS like forever!!

On the positive side it is quite entertaining to watch my belly go crazy bumping and moving when she gets going. The kids and I have had fun guessing what she's going to look like. Will she be blonde? Chubby? Bald? Kate wants the baby to look like like her and Luke wants her to look like Skelator! Sorry little dude, I am going to have to side with sissy on this one.. All though I am still hoping to one day have a blue eyed dark haired baby! Here are my official predictions

Bald (but dark hair)

9 pounds

21.5 inches

Slate blue eyes that will turn brown

Giant head just like her brothers!

And I am pretty sure she will be a night owl like her mommy based on current active times!!

Soon enough we will know!!

Rainbow strawberry lemonhead cakes!

2011-08-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Dave's 31st Birthday! The kids and I decided to make these adorable rainbow cakes in Mason Jars! They were a little harder then we thought and the kids weren't able to help as much as I would have liked but we were all happy with the end results!

Dave wasn't sure what to think at first but he loved them!

The kids were excited to see what he thought!

Make a wish!!

Here's how we did it! First we made a list of things dave liked to try and narrow down what kind of cake to make! Among many things we listed we chose to use these three:

Lemonheads

Fruit

TieDye

After a little research I found a picture of colorful cakes in mason jars and I decided to change it up a little and use homemade strawberry cream cheese frosting, lemon cake, and topped them with lemonhead candies!

We started with lemon cake!

Then we divided the batter into 4 equal parts in separate bowls

We used neon food coloring to get the bright colors!

Then came the hard part... dividing the colors and layering into the mason jars. I used too much on each layer and ended up not being able to use all 4 colors in all the jars. It was also pretty hard getting them into the jars without having it splatter on the sides of the glass inside! But I think by the end I figured it out and it would be much easier next time!!

Then we put them in the oven for 40 minutes (poured a cup of water in the bottom of the large pan)

The finished product! I think I could have used a little less or maybe even had one more jar.

So I scooped off the tops to make room for the frosting!

All in all it was fun and different. Both of which the Faby's look for in all our projects!

And last photo... two silly children happy to help mom bake!!! (check out the UNC vs NC State outfits... they dressed themselves and had no idea why I thought it was so funny!)

Project Clean Up: The Garage

2011-08-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

I admit it. For the most part my house is very clean and organized. But we have a dirty secret. The worlds least organized garage. Between my props and the kid's toys and the normal garage stuff like mowers and tools we were over capacity. SEE:

So embarrassing I know! But cut me some slack I am 8.5 months pregnant and we needed to figure out how to organize it all without getting rid of anything! The bikes, ride on toys, pool stuff, and props are all used year around and we needed to be able to access everything quickly and easily!

We invested in some super large metal shelves and got to work. Of course it was 100 degrees and it took 5 hours to clear everything out build the shelves and put everything back in! Here is the view from the house afterwards.

My props and the kids little picnic table and Dave's punching bag!!

It's still not as clean and pretty as I would like but I think I will have to wait for the kids to grow out of all the toys for that too happen!

How old and boring do I feel that this makes me so happy?! lol

2011-08-02T14:29:00.001-07:00

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets.

So love the people who treat you right.

Love the ones who don't just because you can.

Believe everything happens for a reason.

If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.

......If it changes your life, let it.

Kiss Slowly.

Forgive quickly.

God never said life would be easy.

He just promised it would be worth it."

2011-07-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Husband,

Thank you for supporting my crazy need to decorate and spoil our children :)

Love you for all you PROVIDE :)

Glad you like your gift.

That is all.

Wifey

xoxo

Living Room Plans

2011-07-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Nesting has kicked in full force in the Faby house.. I have a million little projects going on and a million big ideas in my head!

I recently started working on our living room.. It needed some updating. Dave has talked about getting the TV hung over the fireplace for a long time. I wanted to do something really special for his birthday/fathers day/anniversary this year. Because we have a finished basement it made the job more difficult. Finding an electrician was a bit of a disaster (thats a story for another day) Finally found one that worked and coucld run the cables and add the outlets and mount everything... Sung to the tune of $600.. yikes! Which is why much of this room will have to be taken very slowly while I put away some $$$ for it!! Taking donations at all times ;)

The Before Picture

***Double Click on Photos to Enlarge!!***

Some of the updates and the blueprint for the future room

The wallpaper was shipped today and I can't wait to get that up I think it will add SO much to the room!! Those book shelves are sooooo awkward but the quotes I have gotten to fill in the space are more then I think its worth so I am trying to make it work! Also ordered the custom subway art which will be a lot of fun :)

Stay tuned for more updates and if you have any ideas or suggestions of where to find some of the above mentioned items please let me know!! I love to talk decorating :)

Mini hallway makeover coming soon too!!

New addiction

2011-07-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

If you love inspiration boards and have a million favorites bookmarked on your computer this site is for you.

It's addicting. Its time sucking. It makes you want to spend money.

Don't say I didn't warn you!

Island

2011-07-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

4 more weeks. Somedays it feels like it's just around the corner but most of the time it feels like forever. As much as I wanted to GET pregnant I hate actually BEING pregnant! It's hard on my body, my life, and I just dont feel like myself. I feel like everyone treats pregnant women differently. They make assumptions about what you may or may not want to do. Or worse what you are capable of! I am pregnant not dying people!! It makes me insane.

What is it about pregnancy that makes you feel so alone? No matter how many people are around me I feel like I am stuck on an island. In reality I am stuck in my head, over sensitive and overanalyzing. It's weird, with Luke I cared very little about anything or anyone. I guess I was just so sick nothing bothered me. But this time.... it's very different. I feel like the stereotypical needy and emotional pregnant woman. I am pretty sure I haven't felt this akward in life since 7th grade! Granted some people have done some really crappy selfish things and I am not stupid enough to rationalize me overreacting to everything. But there is definitely some stuff I normally wouldn't take so personally if I were not pregnant. I realize I do expect everyone to think like me and that is just not the case! I realize my life is very different then most I hang out with. I am the only step mom and most have little babies or no children at all and very little experience with kids in general. The people who do have older kids like the moms at Luke's school, are like 10 years older then me and I have a hard time connecting. Of course the friends I have more in common with live farther away and its harder to get together with them. Then there is the fact I am the only one who works full time (nights weekends and in free moment in between) Yet I also stay at home full time to take care of the kids. Kind of always stuck somewhere in the middle!!

Wow I am totally whining. Moving on.. lets be positive... Had a check up yesterday and baby girl is still growing good. I am at 20 pounds of weight gain (YIKES) She is measuring at 81% percentile for size . So not as big as before but still a little bigger then average. Dave and I actually got to go on a date last night. The first in a long time and probably the last for a long time! And even though he was ready for bed at 7:45, it was much needed and we had a good time!

Anyways bottom line is I just want to feel like ME again. Come on out baby girl, get mama off this Island!!

The kids exchange!

2011-07-18T14:40:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to once again sing the praises of consignment show shopping! Friday I hit up the fall/winter consignment show! I had a list in hand of needs:
Soccer cleats for luke (I got two like new in his next two sizes for ten bucks!)
A travel swing for sloan (bought the same one for 25 they still sell at babies r us for 70! It looks brand new and works perfect!)
Some practical good brand school and play clothes for luke( stocked up on athletic pants and bottoms mostly polo and the childrens place! All 3 dollars or less a piece and in fantastic condition!)
An ncstate cheerleaders outfit for sloan size 3-6 months to match the one kate got at another consignment store last week (this was ten bucks and the highest priced item I bought other then the swing!) Kate wants to wear them for the kids halloween party we will throw this year!
Some practical 6-12 month baby clothes for sloan (I did so good at not going overboard on this! Girl stuff is so cute and so much was like brand new and great priced!
Some practical fall and winter school clothes and cute church dresses for katelyn! (This was the hardest part because her aisle was packed and very overwhelming to us both! But we did manage to get some like new long sleeve shirts from old navy and childrens place and two dresses one of them rl and two pairs of shoes!)
I also got 5 newborn hats and 8 headbands with removable bows, all adorable, handmade, and brand new!

I didn't even make it to the toys or books part! I spent 178 on it all the swing alone would have been 90 with shipping and tax!

As intimidating as these huge consignment shows can be the first time around they are sooo worth it for the deals :) not to mention its totally green in the use and reuse, motto! I will probably write an advice post on it before the next show but that's all for now :)

My friend is keeping luke for his first ever sleepover tonight (tear.. when did he get so big?) and I am sitting here getting a pedicure before dave gets home and we head to the brazilian steak house brasa for a dinner date. The first and last in a long time! Yay

I uploaded this from my phone and its upside down but its a small glimpse of one of the two buildings at the fair grounds!

Again from my phone but this is what Kate picked out!

And this is Luke and Sloan's stuff!

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Seven O'clock special!!

2011-07-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

(Click on Photo to enlarge!)

Mini Sessions only available for a limited time at a limited quantity!! Email me if you want to set yours up!! nicolesloanfaby@gmail.com

Perfect for holiday gifts and cards!

ONLY time mini sessions will be available this year! I expect them to book fast!

33 weeks

2011-07-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I did one of these!

How far along? 33 weeks as of yesterday!

Total weight gain/loss: not sure... i think around 15 honestly I haven't been paying too much attention

Maternity clothes? Oh yes! But still havent bought any!! thanks Kara!
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Don't even go there. I am one of the people who gets more sleep with a newborn then being pregnant. And I am a bit over it.
Best moment this week: Taking the kids to visit the hospital so they know what to expect when they come visit me after the baby is born. Someone asked me if they were going to be in the room... UM NO. Thought never even crossed my mind!! All though if Kate was a few years older it may be an extremely effective way to horrify her into not having sex for a very long time!!
Movement: All the time!
Food cravings: This week.. Swiss Miss Chocolate rolls lol
Gender: Baby girl Sloan Mackenzie!!
Labor Signs: None yet!
Belly Button in or out? half out.. boo
What I miss: Laying on my stomach, moving as quick as I would like. Making plans (hard to do in the last trimester with so much based around when she comes!) emotional stability lol.
What I am looking forward to: Delivery!! Holding my baby girl!
Milestones: I never know what to write for this one! Nothing "big" happened.

This photo was taken last weekend while on vacation in Maryland to visit Dave's family!

Happy 4th of July and updates!

2011-07-04T02:12:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July from Maryland!! We are visiting Dave's parents and the kids are having a blast with their granparents, aunts, uncles, second cousins, and pool! We go back home on Tuesday morning! I must admit I lvoe visiting family but with all these weekends out of town I am really getting homesick. It's hard to sleep in my own bed this pregnant let alone other beds :( This morning we are headed to the harbour with the kids to walk around and get some lunch then its back to his parent's house for dinner a parade and fireworks!

Kids update:
We are having the best summer so far. Staying busy with lots of fun stuff and spending good quality time with family. 90% of the time they LOVE eachother but that sibling fighting the other 10% is NO JOKE! It gets old pretty quick especially since they tendto fight over the most pointless stuff.
Luke: Is doing awesome at swimming. I am so proud of him the progress he has made over the past two months is outstanding!!
Kate: Has been a great big sister and helper to me! She loves to helpmake dinner, water the plants and check off the chore chart to earn her stars for the week!
Sloan: Everyone keeps asking me if I am ready for her. Yes and No. There is still a list a mile long of things that need to be done (just a few clean out basement, go through lukes babystuff, organize garage, install carseat, sterilize pump and bottle, pack my hospital bag) etc etc . And a smaller list of things I need to get before she arrives (ceiling fan, light switch dimmer, box fan/heater for noise, itsbeen timer, a few more cloth diapers, and lots of wipes) As for Luke I am a bit worried about him willing to share mommy but I would be a whole lot more worried if I hadn't had baby Ash for a while and he was totally fine!

Work Update:
Still staying busy and booking! I have TWO weddings this weekend Friday in the OBX and Saturday in Raleigh :) Both beautiful girls and I am excited to shoot them! Maternity session Sunday morning also on Sunday I will be seeing my massage therapist and Monday my prenatal chiropractor after that crazy work out!! Just booked another 2011 wedding for November and looks like I have a good chance at getting another contract for a December wedding! I need to do another contest soon I have a great organic bloom frame to giveaway just wondering how!! Any good ideas out there?

Pregnancy update:
I feel huge and strechted to the max. It is pretty hillarious to watch her move though because you can see every ripple in my belly. You can even grab her foot/ankle! It is the weirdest thing. Katelyn is quite intrigued by it all and Luke seems to be a little creeped out! Baby girl has gotten crazy active at night and all the jabbing is really uncomfortable. And don't even get me started on my back!! The prenatal chiropractor and massage therepy helps on the days I go but I cant afford to do them every day!! The doctor agreed to at least induce me at 39 weeks which means at most I have 6.5 weeks left and I am SO ready to meet her! I am still hoping she makes her appearence the first week of August! Especially since it looks like Katelyn will not be allowed to stay to meet her which means she will have to wait until November and Sloan will be 4 months already. Sad/Angry for her. But trying not to dwell.

Court update:
Obvioiusly based on my last scentence there are still somethings we all need to work out. Thankfully the biomom and I are speaking again and may even have a chance at getting back to the way things were. She and Dave are attempting to work things out but lack of communication and priority seems to be hindering that. The custody case is still in place for October should things not be settled. I guess things seem to be going in the right direction but only time will tell , I have learned not to get my hopes up with this stuff. The good news is that Katelyn seems to be doing fine despite the many changes in her life lately and we are doing out best to provide stabilithy and support to her so that doesn't change! I pray and I pray ... it's all I can do. I can never thank people enough for their kind words and support throughout all this I would not wish this frustration and stress on anyone.

Nursery contest update:
I am still in second place... I dont want to bug people to vote too much but if you have a second vote every day!! Tell your friends too!!
http://projectnursery.com/2011/06/vote-room-project-of-the-month-finalists-june/
I was featured on another baby website! Check it out:
http://www.bluebirdkisses.com/pregnancy/nursery/real-nursery-bright-modern-nursery/
And a National parenting magazine reached out to me in interest of featuring her room in print too!! I don't have an official design background though so it may not pan out :( PS I would like to point out that I wanted to major in interior design and my father forbid me!! Oh well guess I didn't need a class anyways ;) Next up on the decorating list is my living room. Still in the throught process phase. But I am getting there. Need to start with getting the TV on the wall over the fire place!! I also need to do some work in the basement in our little guest nook and bedroom :) Oh money why dont you grow on trees??

Dave update:
Someone pointed out I rarely talk about my husband on here so here is an update on him. Truthfully he doesn't have a whole lot going on! He quit wrestling 6 months ago, he is staying busy at work, and he has another blood clot in his leg. He is worried that I worry about how much I am eating and is convinced me being so sick and not eating a lot when I was pregnant with Luke is why he is a terrible eater and fears of another one like him. Oh and he recently became addicted to his crackberry and is apparently very annoyed by whatever is going on with the NFL lockout.

Me update:
I totally respect having a positive attitude and looking on the bright side of things but I can't stand people who act like their lives are perfect so I confess... I am no where near as "together" as people seem to think I am. I feel like there are a million loose ends in my life right now. So much unsetteled and uncertain. And its starting to make me a little bonkers. Somedays I find myself in tears over the littlest things. My MIL told me I worry too much. I think she may be right. I worry I am not a good enough mom. I worry I am not eating healthy enough for baby girl. I worry about deicisons I made in the past. I worry about how the kids are going tgo turn out. I worry I am going to forget the sweetness is my little boys voice at age 3. I worry my husband is going to suddenly die (morbid I know but if you know anything about the dangers of blood clots and my husbands personality you would understand), I worry about court and Katelyn's stability, I worry worry worry. And I no matter how I try I can't seem to get out of my own head. Thankfully I do function pretty well under stress and with little sleep :) But I have my bad days... And more often then I would like.

Random:
Isn't it ironic I stressed all day about the kids keeping a semi normal schedule yesterday and going to bed at a decent hour so they wouldn't be crabby and tired yet I have been up since 2:30 am (thanks Luke...) and it's now 6:30 am? Hope no one minds if I am crabby and tired!! lol the kids will be up any minute now!

Video

2011-06-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post the longer better video of Kate's lesson! Her next lesson is next week and she keeps counting down the days!!

VOTE PLEASE!!

2011-06-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

We are in the running for the June project of the month on Project Nursery... YAY!

Please take 5 seconds to vote (NO REGISTRATION OR ANYTHING REQUIRED!!) JUST ONE CLICK next to Sloan's nursery!

(you can vote every 24 hours through thursday) :)

We are really close with another room!

http://projectnursery.com/2011/06/vote-room-project-of-the-month-finalists-june/

Anyone else who wants to forward the link (or post it on their twitter or facebook!) would rock!

Wave Jumping

2011-06-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a video of the kids playing in the waves on Fathers day!!

Kate's first riding lesson!

2011-06-21T02:37:00.001-07:00

We try and keep the kids trying new and different activities all the time! Especially things I always wanted to try as a kid! Horseback riding was always one of them! Last night Kate had her very first horseback riding lesson! She was super excited about it :) Triton Stables did a great job with her and she learned how to direct the horse and even got started with trotting! She got a little nervous when the horse was swatting at a LARGE horsefly shortly after she got on and got the giggles when the horse took a gigantic pee break while she was riding but other then that all went smoothly! She was a great listener and they said she had great balance! She goes back in two weeks after our next two trips out of time and she is already looking forward to it! Here is a short video of her trotting! I have another longer video but it's too large to upload right now!

Bedtime stories

2011-06-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

The best part of this video is watching Luke copy Kates's every move as she tells her story! Poor Kate and her little wannabe! Thankful she has patience with him... well MOST of the time ;)

I need to capture one of the stories when she doesn't know I am taping. They are much sillier!!

2011-06-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

From the Mountains... (photo by Dave Faby)

To the Sea.... (Photo by Kate Faby)

We have been a busy bunch! I promise some new posts soon but this week I have a tiny bit more catching up to do and then it's time to enjoy summer break with the kids!! We have so much fun stuff coming up! Amusement parks, Pool time, Weekend getaways, Art projects, and good old fashioned family time! :)

I LOVE making memories!!

photo test

2011-06-12T03:23:00.001-07:00

View from lastnights wedding!

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testing

2011-06-12T03:21:00.001-07:00

I had to get a new phone and upload all my apps again! In the mountains and can't sleep (way too common problem these days!) Just testing out this blogger app!

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29 week ultrasound

2011-06-09T09:35:00.001-07:00

I feel so much better... We had our ultrasound this morning and baby girl is doing good :) The tech confirmed she is still a girl (Sorry David!). Heartbeat is 161. Measuring at 29 weeks and 3 days, and 3.5 pounds! And no more placenta previa worry! Doctor said she is measuring a big baby in the 91st percentile already! Yikes

Next time we see her it will be for real! Sooooo ready for her to be here!!

A mothers worry

2011-06-09T03:22:00.000-07:00

It's 29 week ultrasound day :)

I can't wait to see baby girl Sloan!

Play say a few prayers that everything looks good with her and I do not have placenta previa!!

I have always heard my friends say they worried the whole time about their baby's health and their babies birth. Not sure what it is this time but I have worried more this pregnancy then I ever did with Luke. With Luke I just knew he was going to be born perfect. Maybe because I was so sick last time I couldn't even fathom him not coming out perfect. Maybe it's because I was a first time naive mother. Maybe it's because as a mom every time I see a baby with a health problem my heart is changed forever and I thank God for Luke's health. Maybe I am scared I won't be this lucky again. I hope it's paranoia, I hope it's not mother's intuition.

Anyways. I have laid awake worrying a lot this pregnancy and I am praying that everything is OK with her, so if you don't mind sending good vibes our way I would appreciate it!!

Stay at home/ work from home moms

2011-06-09T03:16:00.000-07:00

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?' She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day?' 'Yes,' was his incredulous reply. She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.

by Jennifer Johnson

THANK GOODNESS my husband is smart enough not to ask me this out loud but some days I feel his pondering. There are so many days I run around doing things no one knows about.. Organizing, cleaning, and arranging things no one will ever notice! This little story made me laugh out loud!

2011-06-05T01:41:00.000-07:00

Dear baby girl,

Tonight I lay awake wondering what you will look like.... what you will be like.. Will you have my eyes? Your father's jawline? Your brothers energy? Your sisters smile?

I can't wait to meet you. 11 weeks (or hopefully a little less!) Today we are going to celebrate you. We are all eagerly awaiting your arrival!

Love,

Mommy

Thank you God for giving me the gift of motherhood. Even though at times I feel like I am failing them or drowning it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done!

boat day!

2011-06-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took the kids to Jordan Lake Sunday and Monday. Monday T + A took us out on the boat and it was just a great day for all of us! the kids loved jumping off the boat and playing in the water with daddy!

We can't keep these kids out of the water!

Flying through the air!

Todd and Andrea chilled while the faby kids were playing! Love them!

More Jumping!

And a video!

It's going to be a great summer! :)

28 weeks!

2011-06-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Kate requested she get to do a chalk board picture like Luke's a few weeks back :) Monday I was 28 weeks so it worked out perfect :)

You sick of the belly photos yet?!! Only getting bigger!! 12 ore weeks and the average woman gains 11 pounds in their last trimester! Yikes!

Still feeling pretty good. Tired but thats to be expected and mainly due to Luke still not sleeping great and me waking up at crazy early hours! I REALLY hope I don't have the same thing happen this time as it did with Luke (I couldn't sleep more then 20 minutes at a time!) I was up alllll the time! I need some energy for Luke especially since he is not in school!

Next Thursday is my ultrasound! We haven't seen her in a long time and she wasn't real easy the first time so I am excited :)

This Sunday is my baby shower! I can't wait to celebrate our little girl with family and friends! Only one thing will be missing...

Luke is begging to go to the pool so I am off to hopefully wear him out for a good nap so I can finish up editing a wedding before my inlaws get here tonight!!

2011-06-03T08:16:00.001-07:00

Luke just asked me for a cell phone. I asked him why and he said so he can call people and play games. I told him no and he whined mommy you aren't fair!!! When did 3 become the new 13??

Tie Dye Project!!

2011-05-31T04:35:00.000-07:00

We wanted a fun family project to do over the weekend and decided on tie dye shirts! We got 2 kits (6 just add water dye colors, gloves rubber bands, and ) from Michael's and 5 Hanes T shirts (we already had Luke's and Sloan's was a hand me down of his as well!) for around $29 (bad planning, I had no coupons... boo) We made 7 items and used all the dye! !

Step One: Rubber band your shirts! There is no wrong way to do this! I recommend doing this for your children. They will most likely lose patience!!

Step two: Soak in Soda ash... Have water fight with hose and water guns while waiting.

Step two: Use gloves (we rubberbanded them to Luke's wrists for a better fit) and dye shirts between bands!

No matter how hard we tried the dye ended up everywhere! check out their faces, ankles, and feet! Thank you Uncle Toff and Aunt Andrea for letting us borrow your yard :)

Step three: Let the dye soak 24 hours!!

Step four: Rinse shirts until water runs clear! (Keep rubberbands on) We used the bath tub and it took a long time to get through our 5 shirts!

Step five: Wash and dry alone the first time

Step six: Wear and Enjoy!! Kate has requested two sets of family photos in these shirts lol. One now when she comes back in two weeks and one when the baby is born!!

She also requested we do this project again! She wants to do a dress next and some more of Luke's old onesies for Sloan! Which is fine by me!

mini bakers

2011-05-31T03:13:00.000-07:00

I love that they love to cook with me! Making a big dinner, little snacks, or even easy bake oven they want to be involved! Sure it makes it it take 4 times longer to make and even longer to clean but I sure love them being involved!

This was a microwave baking kit we got Kate a while back.

We made mini cakes with fondant decorations!

Luke thought it was like playdough...

Things I love: Lilys

2011-05-27T04:13:00.000-07:00

My lilys... I love that they come back every year! I love that they take care of them selves. I love that they bloom in my birthday month!! They are SO pretty and make me happy when I pull up to the house!! I just wish they lasted all year long! but then I probably wouldn't appreciate them as much?! These are not great pictures and certainly don't do them justice but you get the point!!

Cheater.

2011-05-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

Is it bad to cheat and look at your registry before your shower?!! Or just bad to admit to it?! lol. I can't help it! (In all fairness my MIL did tell me she got some of the stuff on the target registry!) My shower is next weeked!! YAY!

Received her first cloth diaper in the mail yesterday :) So excited! Thanks Renee!! I can't wait to have a cute little baby bum to put in it!!

Luke jump and swim video

2011-05-26T03:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a little video of Luke jumping and swimming again at the pool :) He can actually go farther then this shows but I had the camera sitting on a chair and this was as far as I could see :) I am one proud mama! He will be a fish by the end of the summer! Back to the pool this afternoon (even though I got a little bit burnt on the belly and chest yesterday! Whoops! Need a higher spf then usual I think!)

Reasons I love my waterproof camera!!

2011-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Luke and I spent my birthday at the pool jumping and practicing swim :) We had a blast and he was WORE out!

He is doing SO good with his swimming! I am so proud!

I got him to do some mid air posing for me! this makes me laugh! He is SO his daddy in these photos! :)

OMG Someone feed this kid!!! FOR REAL. He can still wear 18 month shorts. yikes.

Mothers day/birthday present!

2011-05-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

These are the frames that I have been so excited about :) I am a certified reseller of them now! They are all custom and I love the statement they make :) Andrea was kind enough to help me get them hung up! And Dave helped put the couch together!

The finished project! Thanks to my mom, Dave's mom, and Dave for contributing to my special project! It is very "me" and makes me SO happy :)

Couch Urban Outfitters

Family photos by Rachel Barker! Photos of the kids by me :)

Home stretch......

2011-05-25T04:41:00.001-07:00

When I woke up this morning and realized I was 28 years old I got a little sad... When did I get so old!? And man I set a lot of goals I wanted to complete before thirty and I still have quite a few to go!!

But then I remembered it was also my 27th week of pregnancy! Hello third trimester I am so happy you are finally here!! Home stretch!! 12 weeks to go! (hopefully a liiiiitttttle bit less!!) I am hoping it all goes by quickly I can't wait to meet her!!

Supraventricular Tachycardia

2011-05-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying don't be alarmed by this post!! I really am fine. It sounds a whole lot more serious then it really is. And I actually had the same issues with Luke. I am currently sporting this awesome heart monitor...

Its a pain in the rear end, hard to hide, and seems to really freak people out. My cardiologist believes I have supraventricular tachycardia... Say that 3 times fast! Basically its more of an annoyance then anything else and my symptoms seem to only be pregnancy induced. It can be a bit scary when it happens (all the sudden it feels like I ran 10 miles uphill, but I am actually sitting on the couch editing for hours) but knowing its not really dangerous makes me feel a whole lot better! I can actually work through it and kind of ignore it until it passes without anyone noticing now! At first it kind of made me panic!

Now it's a little more concerning that the weight gain seems to trigger it. I can never gain ten pounds?!! lol. Great!

What is supraventricular tachycardia?

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) means that from time to time your heart beats very fast for a reason other than exercise, high fever, or stress.

You can read more about it HERE!

I have to wear the monitor for around 3 weeks and I am at day 12. I actually took a day off yesterday because I think the electrode thingys are like burning me or irritating my skin, they are going to send me ones for sensitive skin! I have to sleep in it which is super annoying, I did convince my doctor to let me take it off while I work. Because I don't want to freak out my clients and their guests! Being pregnant seems to do that already!! Im debating on taking it off for today too since it is my birthday... lol. I am not sure my doctor would agree to that!!

In the mean time I am thinking that this thing does NOT go with my summer attire :)

I took it off for a few minutes so I could enjoy the water and Luke decided to use them... LOL. He told me he put them on his hearts... Think we should tell him nipples are not hearts?

Man I love that child!! :)

Never a dull moment in this house!!

2011-05-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Why does my child do this stuff to me?! Sitting right next to me he managed to get gum in his freshly cut hair....

I took the easy route.. pulled out as much as I could and cut the rest out! Thankfully he sports a crazy hair most days anyways but you can still see the little bald spot!

Doctors orders..

2011-05-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

The doctor suggested I lower the stress in my life.

As a mom, stepmom, wife, business owner, and friend I ask.. How the heck am I supposed to do that?? Every ounce of my life provides me some level of stress right now and when you are pregnant everything is amplified!

I remind myself daily...

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

But those of you who know me know that is easier said to done! I tend to think I can make a difference in places I cant and people who won't. But I am making the effort!

I think the key will always be balance. After working non stop for 3 days I took it easy yesterday and went to bed at 7:30. I woke up feeling a lot better and was able to cull some sessions and finish up 4 previews by 6:30! My birthday is on Wednesday and I am looking forward to a little girl time and a long weekend with Dave!

I also took the time to give the family blog a little makeover (like?!)

2011-05-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

Me: I love you Luke

Luke: Thats good, I love bakugan

Nice.

Hair.. Opinions please!!

2011-05-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

I have a hair appointment next week and I just can't decide what to do! Brunette? or Blonde?

I think I prefer blonde but I HATE the upkeep and the cost.

I like the dark but its faded a bit and my roots are still coming in a little darker and I want it to be my natural shade! So either way I am getting color. Just which one!?

Or maybe both? Keep it dark with just a few blonde chunks? Still requires the upkeep but wont take as long to do?!

Is it silly I actually thought about waiting to make the decision until the baby is born?! If she was blonde then I would go blonde... lol.

Sometimes it kind of creeps me out...

2011-05-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

That I can grow people. I mean seriously I know it's the super natural thing woman have been doing forever and I am supposed to feel all mushy and ooohhh and ahhhh at every little kick but I must admit from time to time I am a little bit creeped out that there is a little person growing INSIDE me. And sometimes it feels like she is trying to get out. Or she is just very angry at my ribcage.

Don't get me wrong I do have those quiet moments where I sit there and enjoy being pregnant and marvel at the wonders that God gives us. But in general it's more of the I can't believe this is happening!

Sometimes I look at Luke and still can't believe that he is here. That we created him! That he grew inside of me. And I actually delivered him from my body! Cool right? But still a little weird!

Sorry totally random post but I hope other moms can relate!!

I guess thats why they cal it the Miracle of life.

26 weeks

2011-05-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

How far along: 26 weeks today!

Total weight gain/loss: 10 pounds but I swear it looks like 20!!

Maternity clothes? Yes for the bottom half :)
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Not too bad
Best moment this week: Finishing up the nursery and hearing all the kind comments on it :)
Movement: She is moving a LOT more. Sometimes so hard its uncomfortable!
Food cravings: Everything! Never been so into food before!! Still loving Panera tomato soup!
Gender: Baby girl Sloan Mackenzie!!
Labor Signs: Not yet!
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: I have to have another ultrasound in a few weeks to check on my Placenta and make sure it hasn't moved into Placenta Previa (I was diagnosed as borderline/low lying a few months ago)
Milestones: LAST WEEK OF THE SECOND TRIMESTER!!

Baby can see :) http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/calendar/week26

Here is a photo from last week:

2011-05-17T07:33:00.001-07:00

Every challenge we take on has the power to shake us-- to knock us to our knees. And yet what's even more disconcerting than the jolt itself is our fear we won't withstand it. When we feel the ground beneath us shifting, we panic... What I know for sure is that the only way to endure the quake is to shift your stance. ~ Oprah

Court tomorrow

2011-05-16T16:41:00.001-07:00

At the end of the day its not about us vs her. It's about being a team and getting on the same page. It's about doing what's in the best interest of a child.

Which is why are confident about going into court tomorrow. We are confident that what Dave is asking is in the best interest of the child.

This is just the beginning of what looks to be a long road ahead of us. It's so sad how quickly things went downhill and where we were 6 months ago and where we are today. All I can do is pray. And hope that at some point people will realize things are a whole let better when we all work together!

We really appreciate all the supportive emails, calls, and texts through out this process.

Thanks for the prayers and kind words!

Just add Sloan...

2011-05-16T09:40:00.001-07:00

There are a few finishing touches to be added but the nursery is pretty much done! Just need sweet baby girl to make her entrance!! All we need is the baby :)

Click on photos to view full size!

I can't decide on the branches?? Stay or go?? Help me decide. They are from pottery barn and I kept the tags and the reciepts because I am just not sure if it makes it look "too much" I know I know. The whole room is A LOT and I am worried about some flower branches?!! ! But I love it. :)

View from the doorway... I love how the ceiling turned out :)

Using one my maternity shots as a placeholder until she gets here :) I also LOVE how the bedding turned out!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL MY VENDORS:

Curtains and yellow damask pillow: This Little Home

(http://www.etsy.com/shop/thislittlehome?ref=pr_shop_more)

Pink and teal flower pillow and Owl Pillow: Perfect Chance Memories

(http://www.etsy.com/shop/pcmemories?ref=pr_shop_more)

Custom Crib Bedding: PLJ Design

(http://www.etsy.com/shop/PLJdesign)

Vinyl Flowers I used on the ceiling: Urban Walls

(http://www.etsy.com/shop/urbanwalls)

Frame: The Organic Bloom

(I sell them through my photography business. email me nicolesloanfaby@gmail.com)

Jewelry holder used for pacifiers: Urban Outfitters

Swing Shelves: DIY my own idea

Soda Crate/Shutter/books: Vintage Flea Market Finds

Mirror/trashcan: homegoods

Rug: Ikea

Lukeisms about my pregnancy

2011-05-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted any Lukeisms about my pregnancy lately so I thought I would share!

Luke was checking out my baby belly when he looked in my belly button and exclaimed "mommy I see a baby toe!"

He asked me when the baby was going to "fall out" (oh if only it were that easy!)

He also swears every time he touches me that the baby kicks him.

When Cassie asked him what he thought the baby was going to look like he answered "skelator" he also thinks we should name her Sloan Skelator. Sorry buddy not going to happen!!

***100 days until my due date!***

And on a random note. I can't believe I have been blogging for almost 3 years. Not sure why this surprises me but I just realized it and I did.

2011-05-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

I promise some real updates soon! I have lots to share just wanted to get ahead of some work first :) Daddy was out of town for a few days so Luke and I got to spend some fun time together! ended the long weekend with a mini session this morning! We needed some new photos for the new frames I have been talking about for two months! We finally got them up on the wall! (Thanks for your help A!) But waiting on the photos to be printed so I can share :) It is ADORABLE! Here is a shot from this morning!

2011-05-15T16:09:00.001-07:00

"The hardest thing in the world seems to be to just let go . . . to not clench your fists . . . to release yourself from the things that bother you most . . . the funny thing is that when you do, the universe is actually predictable and you just know what you need will come to you."

2011-05-09T04:11:00.000-07:00

It has been an emotional struggle lately just dealing with some people. It's funny how pregnancy heightens your emotions and puts things into perspective. I dwell on little things that should not bother me as much. I am less accepting of selfish behavior and expect that people will follow the golden rule and treat me the way that they would want to be treated. I think people actually care how I feel. All of which I have learned is untrue and I have some unrealistic expectations. And thats OK I ran across this today and it has some good reminders.

Words from Mother Teresa:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

News letter excerpt about Mother's day

2011-05-06T04:44:00.000-07:00

News letter excerpt from : The Blended and Step Family Resource Center

Celebrating Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is this weekend and some of you are wondering who you should honor on this special day. The answer is- anyone who is caring for your child in the mother’s position in your home. This could be a biological mom, a stepmom, a fiancée, a grandparent or friend that is helping. You should especially include those stepmoms who are not biological moms. It’s easy to remember to honor the “real” mom, but the stepmoms are the ones who care for children all throughout the year, make sacrifices, rearrange their schedules, and do what’s best for your children, and rarely hear a “thank you” from those kids.

Being a stepmom can be a thankless job. Stepmoms are compared to the biological mom, at all times. If they try too hard, the kids may resent them for doing more than their bio mom. If they don’t try hard enough, then the kids dislike them for that too. Stepmoms are in a lose/lose situation, unless you support them. Mother’s Day is a great way to support your spouse and remind the kids to honor her. If you don’t have the kids on Mother’s Day- celebrate the next time they are with you.

Ways to honor a stepmom: a card with a sincere note written inside describing what you appreciate about your stepmom. (You can write for the little ones.) Gifts could include a small bouquet of flowers, preparing a special meal, or a couple of hand-written IOU’s with a note agreeing to do extra chores.

Another tough subject- remind your kids to honor their biological mom too. Part of successful co-parenting, is to remind the kids to honor Mom on Mother’s Day and her birthday, and Dad on Father’s Day and his birthday (and by the way- that includes stepparents, too- on their birthday.) Being a good co-parent means reminding the kids to honor both mom and stepmom this Sunday. Your entire blended family will benefit from this.

24 weeks

2011-05-06T04:17:00.000-07:00

How far along? 24 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:I think I am still at about 8 pounds. Honestly I am avoiding the scale. Doctor swears I am normal I however feel like a giant over stretched cow and have no idea how I am going to make it another 3 months!!
Maternity clothes? Yes for the bottom half :)
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: No more sleeping flat on my stomach.... sad sad sad. Sleep deprived but only because of work and Lucas!
Best moment this week: Updating my REGISTRYwith Luke!
Movement: She is moving a lot more. I think she must be a long baby too based on the feeling I can get on both sides at the same time!
Food cravings: This week.. Pasta Salad :)
Gender: Baby girl Sloan Mackenzie!!
Labor Signs: Had an episode of Braxton hicks which doesn't mean anything but I do find them annoying
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Regular massages (made me switch to prenatal which I hate!) And laying on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: I have to have another ultrasound in a few weeks to check on my Placenta and make sure it hasn't moved into Placenta Previa (I was diagnosed as borderline/low lying a few months ago)
Milestones: I never know what to write for this one! Nothing "big" happened.

I got some great feed back from these photos last week :) This is me at 23 weeks.

I am getting super excited for my shower in 4 weeks :) Anyone want to go dress shopping with me!?

Registry Fun!

2011-05-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today was a crappy day. And if you read my fb then you know why. But I want to focus on the high light of the day :) With a baby shower exactly one month away I decided it was time to take a serious look at the registries! I had started them on line. But ended up with 90% of the items listed were online only. And while I don't mind (both target and babies r us offer free shipping!) I do realize that not all people shop far enough in advance to take advantage of that!

It absolutely amazes me how much stuff can change in 3.5 years!! There was a lot of stuff of Luke's that was over used and needed to be replaced (bottles, pacifiers, etc.) And there was stuff we never got, but wished we had. Then there is stuff we had we learned quickly we didn't like. Thankfully we were able to share a lot of our stuff with friends who are now sharing their stuff with us. Baby stuff is so gently used!

Top things on my list?! Cloth Diapers (online only), Bottle warmer/chiller, boppy lounger cover (online only), green to grow bottles (online only), and pacifiers!!

It was a lot fun looking at all the pink and it really hit home she is going to be here in 3 months! Scary, crazy, and excited! You can check out my registries here:

TARGET

Babies R Us

Did I forget anything?!

PS Nursery is 98% done ... share pics soon

The first of many

2011-05-05T08:34:00.001-07:00

Luke passed his gymnastics test and received a medal. His first of many i am sure! Daddy was so proud! I am pretty sure he is ready to build a trophy room in the basement!

2011-05-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

5 days until mother's day

12 days until court

21 days until my 28th birthday

22 days until Luke's last day of school

23 days until Kate's memorial day weekend visit

32 days until my Baby Shower!!

But whose counting?! ;)

Sad week...

2011-04-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

Holding my loved ones a little closer today as two great people were taken to be with God this week. One much too young, yet experienced so much more then one young woman should... and one who lived a full life he and his family could be proud of. I have been very blessed with little experience with death. But to watch some of my very good friends in pain has reminded me that life is short and you just never know when someone can be taken from you. SO love hard, forgive quickly, and live fully. Don't sweat the small stuff. And live each day like it could be your last.

My heart goes out very much to Lauren, Jamie and Christine. xoxo (My bestfriend Lauren's sweet Papaw who has been in hospice for a week, And the long time bestfriend and bridesmaid of Jamie and Christine lost her fight to Breast Cancer)

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

Happy Easter!

2011-04-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hope you and yours had a fabulous Easter! We had a great day of church, easter egg hunts, play, and yummy non traditional homemade meal cooked by Kate and I!

Mass

The kids started the day at 6 am! yikes. They were happy and surprised to see the Easter bunny came. (I had a wedding the night before and Dave forgot to remind them the next day was Easter before bed!)

Checking out the scooby doo silly bands with daddy!

She loves to wear my perfume... now has her own to choose from :)

no words... just laugh

Kate's loot.. her favorite items were the $1 K notebook and cards from Michaels and the $4 braclet from Mexico... :)

Luke's stuff! His favorite? The candy of course!!

Sour candy...

Cole Bros. Circus

2011-04-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Not going to lie this is the poor mans circus and we totally had a blast! If you remember the last time we went to the Circus we ended up leaving early. Luke may have been a little too young and our seats were so high Dave was uncomfortable (afraid of heights) and the show was so far away it was not keeping Luke's attention. This was very different it was an actual tent circus from like back in the day! I had never seen anything like that but we had good coupons so the kids were free and we figured why not check it out! I really had no idea what to expect! Thankfully I dressed the kids right because I did not know it was not inside! But it reallytoo bad despite the rain and dreary night it was! Andrea and Todd came along and the kids wasn't talked them into getting them extra candy and light up swords. Poor them!! Thanks guys. We owe you! We got there early and I recommend doing so because they had ponies, camels, and elephants for the kids to ride!! Face painting and balloons too! Of course our kids rode the elephant! Seriously how cool is that?

I am too tired to add photos and blogger is going to slow for me right now! Go to facebook to check them out :)

2011-04-26T05:32:00.001-07:00

‎~ "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have" ~

check them out!!

2011-04-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

Have you checked out our fabulous Family Photos from last week!? Rachel did an awesome job at capturing my sweet family chaos just as we are! I can't wait to see them all!!

http://milliehollomanblog.com/index.cfm?postID=1293

Hint Hint...

2011-04-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

For the past 11 days Kate and I have been working on a special project... Can you guess?? No cheating if she or I told you. ;) Here is a hint...

I love Lucas

2011-04-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

He may keep me on my toes, drive me crazy, and exhausted but man I love him.

With a face this cute... how can you not?

Earth Day!

2011-04-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Earth day by planting baby trees :) The kids are so excited to water them... Luke says his already "growed bigger and taller"

I think it's so important to install values of taking care of the earth while they are young. Make it a habit and a routine! So we talked a lot about planting things, recycling, and reusing to save the earth! They were excited to share with daddy when he came home! Even though he thinks its silly we celebrate every little holiday!

In the hood...

2011-04-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

I know I say it all the time but I really love our neighborhood, and more specific I really love our street. Not just because we are one of the few neighborhoods with basements in this area, or because we have amazing friends, but also the benefits our kids will have growing up here! We live on a street that doesn't get too much traffic (and those who live on the street know to go slow!) and on any given day from around 3-7 it's filled with kids on bikes, balls, soccer practice, and side walk chalk. Nice, clean, good kids! All the parents hang out and chat too! We have an open field the kids get to play on and a swing set our neighbors so kindly allow all the kids access on all the time! There are kids of all ages out and interacting and they all know each other and play pretty well! A few new girls Katelyn's age just moved in last week and they want to spend all their time outside running around! I am so glad she has friends here! Which I am more then OK with. I set up my chair where I can observe it all and laugh at their silly games. Remembering when I did the same thing in my neighborhood. We rode bikes, we built forts, and ramps and played all kinds of games. It still makes me smile when I drive through my old neighborhood to visit my parents during the summer. I hope Katelyn, Luke, and Sloan will feel that someday about visiting good ol Longlake!

Popsicles! (I think I am going to have to keep the freezer stocked with these at all times now the kids know where to find them!)

Luke and Kate's Jeep is a big hit!

Sara, Luke, and Katelyn sliding!!

Chalk and bubbles in the driveway!

Here is a video of them chasing each other around on the Jeep... Luke is big pimpin it with all the girls!!

Too Cute.

2011-04-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Kate was playing school with our neighbor and they picked fake names and Kate chose hers to be Nicole ♥

Love her.

Beware of vampires!

2011-04-22T10:00:00.001-07:00

Don't ever let this child tell you she doesn't like pictures! It's all she wants to do! Lol

Earthfare

2011-04-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning before the storms we took the kids downtown to go to the Planetfare and Natural Science Museum! Gotta love FREE kids activities! The kids had a blast and we were able to have some fun before the weather went south! The kids loved collecting all the free stickers and learning ways to be green :)

There was a giant cardboard box castle with puppets at the windows! Pretty cool and our kids loved running around!

Luke had fun bowling with the giant recycled bag ball and water jug pins. He did good too! :)

After all that learning about taking care of the planet we had the urge to take care and pamper ourselves with a little pedicure while the boys napped before dinner! Manicures on Tuesday :) Love girl time!

Lake Benson Park Easter Egg Hun

2011-04-18T02:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we headed to the Lake Benson Park Easter Egg Hunt in Garner. It was a pretty nice free kids event with bounce houses, the park, art projects, entertainment, and of course 3 age group separated Easter Egg Hunts. If you get a chance check it out next year!

Would you believe the poor kid did not get ONE egg?! He did however manage 3 pez dispensers based on mommy's advice to go for them first! Forgot to tell him to get some eggs too!! Katelyn's age group was directly afterwards and she did pretty well and we let Luke grab two eggs right when it started!

Being a great big sister Kate shared some more of her eggs with Luke and they were able to get sugar high together!

We have another Easter egg hunt on Saturday and possibly another on Sunday so we can consider this practice?! I think next year I am going to work on coordinating one for all the kids on the street!

Prayers for Raleigh!!

2011-04-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Prayers for those affected by yesterdays tornadoes and storms that hit so close to home yesterday. Thankfully we were blissfully ignorant to the seriousness of the situation (we had not been on the computer or turned on the TV in 4 hours... I just knew there was a 90% chance of rain and we had already rescheduled my Saturday morning session and ended up getting Kate the day before so had no reason to keep up with it and gave the kids our undivided attention!) We were busy preparing for the Easter dinner we were hosting for friends! We got some heavy rain and strong wins and a very odd 3 minute hail storm then the sun came out and we had the doors and windows open in the house! But after numerous calls from family out of state hearing of the damage on the news we were surprised to hear of the deaths and the damage done so close to home. An elementary school has to be closed for the rest of the year. This morning on our drive to Garner we saw buildings with their roofs torn off, broken sign, and trees everywhere! It was very serious! Many people are still without power! It is very sad and we are gratful to have stayed out of harms way.

South Saunders Street is ten minutes from the house, holly springs is 5 minutes from Dave's work.

Check out video HERE

Prayers for Raleigh and all those affected by the NC storms!!

21 weeks

2011-04-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

21 weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: still 7 pounds total!
Maternity clothes? Yes for jeans and dressier clothes. But still working out the 50/50 non maternity
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: No more sleeping flat on my stomach.... sad sad sad. Sleep deprived but only because of work and Lucas!
Best moment this week: Lots more movement (starts about 10/11pm, another night owl!) Oh and the bedding shipped out :) Can't wait to see it!!
Movement: Whoops I guess I just answered that!
Food cravings: None this week... Hungry more then usual but having a hard time to figure out what I want!
Gender: Baby girl Sloan!!
Labor Signs: None!!
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Regular massages (made me switch to prenatal which I hate!) And laying on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: Another check up tomorrow hearing sweet girls heart beat!
Milestones: Getting a plan for my maternity shoot coming up in a few weeks!

And for all you who keep telling me how "small" I am... Check out this baby bump!!

hello!

2011-04-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

It is definitely the start of crazy season for me... So I will try to keep up with blogging but i see a bit of a break in the future! Katelyn's spring break is next week and Luke's is the week after so I am trying to get ahead as much as possible so I can spend the rest of the month spoiling them with attention!! Nothing too exciting to report here anyways other then lots and lots of work now that spring has sprung! Had a great wedding this weekend and babies are being born left and right! I am in over my head in house organization and decorating projects. Certainly plenty to keep me busy! I have lots to look forward to.. Completing the nursery, hosting Easter with friends at our house, my sister and brother are both visiting this weekend :) Oh and Dave and I booked our post baby Mexico trip with friends for November. :) I love being able to cross that off the April goals!!

I promise updates on the nursery and pregnancy sometime soon :)

"mad football player monster"

2011-04-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

Conversations with three year olds are interesting. I need to remember to video them more often. Last night while enjoying dinner on the deck with my boys luke was explaining to us about the "mad football player monster" who lives in his closet. It just makes me laugh. Thankfully he is not actually scared of this monster and goes to bed just fine.. But I really though the monster under my bed/in my closet was something only kids in book said :) Dont forget to scroll down the right side and turn the music off to hear the video!

Who lives in your closet Luke? from Nicole Faby on Vimeo.

New addition

2011-04-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Remember my mother's day present from two years ago I bought for myself from Sissy's Pretties?! It shows the year we got married N+D for Dave and I and the kids names!

I emailed her last month to have her add on to my necklace :) I obviously need to clean the rest of it as Sloan is a little more sparkly then the rest but I liked how it shows I have worn and loved it so much already... And now all my blessings are accounted for :)

2011-04-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

11 days...

Happiness is NOT the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.... ♥!!!

Photo by Luke.

Lilly Baby

2011-04-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Baby's first Lily swimsuit deserves it's own blog post right? How adorable right?!! And only $15 :) I looooovvvveee it!!

I totally have a bikini in the same print! lol

April Goals!

2011-04-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

Probably about time to get back on the goal train!! Keeping it short and simple :)

Business Goals!

*Update newborn gallery on website

* Finish Draft Project... (oooohhh don't ya wanna know!) (DONE)

* Blog every April session and both April weddings

* Update About me on website

Personal Goals!

*Hang up shelf, mirror, and light in nursery (DONE!)

*Paint the accent wall in the guest room in the basement (DONE!)

* Get another 31 party on the calendar

* Family Photos( 4/20) (DONE!)

* Schedule maternity photos (DONE!)

* Re-do wall in dining room with new frames (got notice they are shipped!!)

* Hang new light in dining room (returned and decided to hold off so DONE!)

* Book another trip for Dave and I for after the baby comes ;) (DONE!)

* Get together baby shower invite list!! Yay!! (June 5th DONE!)