tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30484398750628428842024-02-19T07:54:37.874-08:00Becerra FamilyKarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-55502458414333869502011-03-14T16:19:00.000-07:002011-03-14T16:22:20.184-07:00New Bloggity BlogHey Friends,<br />I started a new mama blog! Check me out <a href="http://peasandhappiness.com">here</a>. I may not be at Corallis Silly Mama folks, but let me assure you, I am silly as always :). I'll see you there!Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-92128880342684320512011-03-06T20:31:00.000-08:002011-03-06T22:04:12.160-08:00Sunday Morning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2DKud1U8BeFiiaH-yOWIMkmx-DQuttOiWb_vZoeTXhwKuYf62bGXhD5nDguI-yv7Wop5qdQY5wUOmQoaI7hFYFBGtxfTN4oY4IwbV8s8jh3ibusAL6Hns86GwtEZYwFGaUxkSnyiuKU/s1600/family-8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2DKud1U8BeFiiaH-yOWIMkmx-DQuttOiWb_vZoeTXhwKuYf62bGXhD5nDguI-yv7Wop5qdQY5wUOmQoaI7hFYFBGtxfTN4oY4IwbV8s8jh3ibusAL6Hns86GwtEZYwFGaUxkSnyiuKU/s320/family-8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581191887542791922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxW11Cc67sunM9HXIGs42kVTdBNkMwrtkHc73zZl4F8M8GI3VB3G1mPdzrjsvlvIx5-vSzTscdF5iZXec6pKqAk2CKVie8lhJLsUvraz5F6si-XUGGkbNDq_2FnUI_dtrm2NcMSDy5Vo/s1600/family-3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxW11Cc67sunM9HXIGs42kVTdBNkMwrtkHc73zZl4F8M8GI3VB3G1mPdzrjsvlvIx5-vSzTscdF5iZXec6pKqAk2CKVie8lhJLsUvraz5F6si-XUGGkbNDq_2FnUI_dtrm2NcMSDy5Vo/s320/family-3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581191059638043138" /></a><br />I normally would not choose to share a picture of myself right after waking up :), but this picture pretty much sums up my life right now. Lots of chaos and lots of love. Chris is in between jobs right now, so we have been so blessed to have him home a lot lately helping. I have been so spoiled and have been grocery shopping by myself (yes I consider that being spoiled :) and getting breaks as I need them. Miriam is growing so fast. I mean.. with a cloth diaper on, homegirl has a hard time fitting into some of her 3-6 month clothes. I think she is my chunkiest baby yet. She is a happy girl as long as we are holding her. Needless to say, she is a happy girl most of the time :). I will be back soon with more updates.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-61739850396441675162011-01-30T21:59:00.000-08:002011-01-30T22:30:13.412-08:00Living in Slow Motion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-looTgGVGeDa0KS8LrV7cdyVxfv8Oxgr4VVs1Vo6oVLLV2tjHN0odqhRBH_Vy2cbhZ7VkWOd0eFYH2Wj-JE_8PZsJL36R7Ko9pkxmp_iFynPNW9vvqb90p5EI31_RXqCv04_U23Wocrs/s1600/1172766827_corvallis_baby_pictures-211.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-looTgGVGeDa0KS8LrV7cdyVxfv8Oxgr4VVs1Vo6oVLLV2tjHN0odqhRBH_Vy2cbhZ7VkWOd0eFYH2Wj-JE_8PZsJL36R7Ko9pkxmp_iFynPNW9vvqb90p5EI31_RXqCv04_U23Wocrs/s320/1172766827_corvallis_baby_pictures-211.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568228886325591970" /></a><br />Everyone keeps asking who Miriam looks like. I didn't really know at first, but she is really starting to look like Sofia did as a baby. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBGw5S48MdgpMhQRE0KcasHWBSLWQ0_kQ7R22SqTVSehyphenhyphenTnH2xYneiqHguOhVLb_NVTIGgQTR2PB8zYGfG83cO2JLxzmnQP518Kzg2jR4eJHDwTunQxN4fTjV-idN70ZOM2g63DzhYkY/s1600/1172765408_corvallis_baby_pictures-209.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBGw5S48MdgpMhQRE0KcasHWBSLWQ0_kQ7R22SqTVSehyphenhyphenTnH2xYneiqHguOhVLb_NVTIGgQTR2PB8zYGfG83cO2JLxzmnQP518Kzg2jR4eJHDwTunQxN4fTjV-idN70ZOM2g63DzhYkY/s320/1172765408_corvallis_baby_pictures-209.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568228717289835058" /></a><br />Isn't that the sweetest little smile, with just a hint of mischief? <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQNPIuMMqKkGJGItlT4thFGejiNvsUMS3YFmf-cqGYkUbOkz2FrTSl6aJoLHdfFYq3OiiHDJMo6wpwUdey9UOd4mZqtNzMioRfaMtteDR-Z115NSFBR57CQtXBSSlVjc1HhZMy1O2Zlw/s1600/1172764916_corvallis_baby_pictures-208.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQNPIuMMqKkGJGItlT4thFGejiNvsUMS3YFmf-cqGYkUbOkz2FrTSl6aJoLHdfFYq3OiiHDJMo6wpwUdey9UOd4mZqtNzMioRfaMtteDR-Z115NSFBR57CQtXBSSlVjc1HhZMy1O2Zlw/s320/1172764916_corvallis_baby_pictures-208.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568228709081086514" /></a><br />Sofia is our sweet little poser.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Hccl3dTIia3LiYrdEJcRK9zociofQZhXc0e-4E3BkxlK3C-GdiBBVAH_E3WMwvDGxxf-iuD20YHs7XFS0CbM4UQF24lc4Qz7ffNNbHuOej0MgVGSJn4QZhsjLOipk2nwFiAW4JvfI9k/s1600/1172764306_corvallis_baby_pictures-207.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Hccl3dTIia3LiYrdEJcRK9zociofQZhXc0e-4E3BkxlK3C-GdiBBVAH_E3WMwvDGxxf-iuD20YHs7XFS0CbM4UQF24lc4Qz7ffNNbHuOej0MgVGSJn4QZhsjLOipk2nwFiAW4JvfI9k/s320/1172764306_corvallis_baby_pictures-207.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568228406443263234" /></a><br />Don't mind the poochy postpartum belly. I keep reminding myself that it will only get better :).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUEwOh37QU79WdIUlb3wYesRacaC1K1qnXm1FOgBwf2deeBFA2LNaoSRr4ytc2wKFKGA86Is8vn-AA7JsU0JGsKxb6fvDuWc-PYtnmSfhzWFku4MxdC3_gSrzyWJ1MgGmvZujodOFrCM/s1600/1172763598_corvallis_baby_pictures-206.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUEwOh37QU79WdIUlb3wYesRacaC1K1qnXm1FOgBwf2deeBFA2LNaoSRr4ytc2wKFKGA86Is8vn-AA7JsU0JGsKxb6fvDuWc-PYtnmSfhzWFku4MxdC3_gSrzyWJ1MgGmvZujodOFrCM/s320/1172763598_corvallis_baby_pictures-206.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568228396010592450" /></a><br />Miriam is waking up to the world. We were hoping to get some cute sleeping shots of her today, but she was in the mood for a party.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmApjijwUnMudC4CLeiZcMMIIS6XMX444biJoCKPuVSKed918E9j5jkX5MG92FRq5y6N1MgiBacJuri7byX-_G8X1LGS2GR6LZ2PmUSn_Hv-UooO82SMGWvipI4zlxXpEqsRhJrqTJiE/s1600/1172762821_corvallis_baby_pictures-205.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmApjijwUnMudC4CLeiZcMMIIS6XMX444biJoCKPuVSKed918E9j5jkX5MG92FRq5y6N1MgiBacJuri7byX-_G8X1LGS2GR6LZ2PmUSn_Hv-UooO82SMGWvipI4zlxXpEqsRhJrqTJiE/s320/1172762821_corvallis_baby_pictures-205.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568228033970536450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGwO0nvCDsTL77eEND2p_z7MVjNh6SxBLs_Y1hpyhjJe_Pj7VHjz0hLBnhfVlfe7LEwgZaH0LQYZ963_JIL8xSFMnoXPgocsNSxkkc9Rupmqe5NrMpuXlXxOqfqhVj3gnEFqbn5QduXU/s1600/1172762497_corvallis_baby_pictures-204.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGwO0nvCDsTL77eEND2p_z7MVjNh6SxBLs_Y1hpyhjJe_Pj7VHjz0hLBnhfVlfe7LEwgZaH0LQYZ963_JIL8xSFMnoXPgocsNSxkkc9Rupmqe5NrMpuXlXxOqfqhVj3gnEFqbn5QduXU/s320/1172762497_corvallis_baby_pictures-204.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568228027304459154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYCYZo601RbPCUnmB8knWRG6iRAM1A1Vxi_aQDHXqTqrRYx-J3PP6QezK7QOOwAuIq7Zc2bLXhbUGmteuYsAM_Vx73K950eYIIwSMH5Up4pmTzneWMWyf7LLCgr_bRhHsuSyKTIflaEc/s1600/1172762032_corvallis_baby_pictures-203.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYCYZo601RbPCUnmB8knWRG6iRAM1A1Vxi_aQDHXqTqrRYx-J3PP6QezK7QOOwAuIq7Zc2bLXhbUGmteuYsAM_Vx73K950eYIIwSMH5Up4pmTzneWMWyf7LLCgr_bRhHsuSyKTIflaEc/s320/1172762032_corvallis_baby_pictures-203.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568227163524391058" /></a><br />I took these cute pictures of Chris and Miriam. Not too shabby, eh??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp29LziGTMycLzFDN8RuOesQRHaPIx-g4DdtqBUKv-ihin6-EI6GY3pY5LXjPplS42K-q7VjZ_XAte9FJIyvCjutphx__RFs1UdwQ4FObO2hiZGwbJbCySeyHp6u_PzYKC-DH_KCfPbU/s1600/1172761203_corvallis_baby_pictures-200.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp29LziGTMycLzFDN8RuOesQRHaPIx-g4DdtqBUKv-ihin6-EI6GY3pY5LXjPplS42K-q7VjZ_XAte9FJIyvCjutphx__RFs1UdwQ4FObO2hiZGwbJbCySeyHp6u_PzYKC-DH_KCfPbU/s320/1172761203_corvallis_baby_pictures-200.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568227156296163410" /></a><br />Gabe doing what he loves doing most right now.<br /><br />Everyone always says that your kids grow up so fast, but I am definitely feeling like I am living in slow motion right now (which I for the most part am loving). You would think that I would have the newborn thing down with 3 kids, but each kid is so different. Miriam is so sweet. She is pretty chill for the most part, but when she does cry, she is pretty ticked off. I keep meaning to post on different topics and to do some book reviews, but let's face it... I live and breathe kids and a newborn all day right now. We are laying low in the Becerra household, but we like visitors :)!Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-78617361781317617612011-01-21T19:58:00.000-08:002011-01-21T20:23:25.110-08:00The Birth Story---Miriam Sol Becerra<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMGeXW6Aay-7XFok2_WPJEqbUvFxqPcjqtkMD2AFfIU2otKg3VBdX_lk4cCpPwM0xkhTzZaGBA3Q27WiPebKpdnLzdDa3aX1pPayCQcEpQ-OjROpD3IsneRvGd-VBz27ZtcRON0g0btU/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMGeXW6Aay-7XFok2_WPJEqbUvFxqPcjqtkMD2AFfIU2otKg3VBdX_lk4cCpPwM0xkhTzZaGBA3Q27WiPebKpdnLzdDa3aX1pPayCQcEpQ-OjROpD3IsneRvGd-VBz27ZtcRON0g0btU/s320/Picture+7.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564856193013777234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4lRwjMT7UPeDr12ku4XdNwEbjnfa-54YzrzQqQfzQya27LbaG75UuAHJY6-jhxS7rEO1oWcpwlKmovJzCQRKxgkk1f97x2V-UqutkuAFzYxnugfe14cyKoMoE-Rqep63iEB_Xx55Mgs/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4lRwjMT7UPeDr12ku4XdNwEbjnfa-54YzrzQqQfzQya27LbaG75UuAHJY6-jhxS7rEO1oWcpwlKmovJzCQRKxgkk1f97x2V-UqutkuAFzYxnugfe14cyKoMoE-Rqep63iEB_Xx55Mgs/s320/Picture+6.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564856189013505474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIFjlTHqx6ignxtIhfwRvzxC8q9rfQrMLvJWj4TKiF9EtUfH5l8jWljLBJZiKE_yNY63p3FDLJfmGHUg02on3RVNpRIbdSWSN-l-AR0YHLQfQ5gDlgbwuFwkKeyF9OUx37VfO8DWAvCE/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIFjlTHqx6ignxtIhfwRvzxC8q9rfQrMLvJWj4TKiF9EtUfH5l8jWljLBJZiKE_yNY63p3FDLJfmGHUg02on3RVNpRIbdSWSN-l-AR0YHLQfQ5gDlgbwuFwkKeyF9OUx37VfO8DWAvCE/s320/Picture+5.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564856185392454034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUf4-CMO7UxI3SyW4OsPHjh0A9OT2b_OxuUZaittVE0w8OhWuTQD6P0u1pkwHhrtL_OsO9RC9hAjHiHiFRvsP7lrzRFJstmrJ0s1n5EnqHhyphenhyphenlcTDfCBG0UhtiiCc7LraDVjdRoZBi_Lc/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUf4-CMO7UxI3SyW4OsPHjh0A9OT2b_OxuUZaittVE0w8OhWuTQD6P0u1pkwHhrtL_OsO9RC9hAjHiHiFRvsP7lrzRFJstmrJ0s1n5EnqHhyphenhyphenlcTDfCBG0UhtiiCc7LraDVjdRoZBi_Lc/s320/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564856009616577074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XieTgzneXGkh2tAztg8_LNaC-6kKfhR0WF9nk_rUiEZyXA_JqApJWhDpavNuaqBgYvYj9I0KkY9ZZPORN4y4MGgAIZSMC4D_k7l4EsbITr-pUA633rQh81LUcSRhspVRbQDiV_94HtU/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XieTgzneXGkh2tAztg8_LNaC-6kKfhR0WF9nk_rUiEZyXA_JqApJWhDpavNuaqBgYvYj9I0KkY9ZZPORN4y4MGgAIZSMC4D_k7l4EsbITr-pUA633rQh81LUcSRhspVRbQDiV_94HtU/s320/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564856001945549938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-5-jX97QIDCx80doQOqwDkOOJEl0ukbKw1UzoPGfq5oMUj2CKNgi6b1ftYR5q0toBzohe5YuYUSxsUR0u5E5909F2ZlhWUyQvBfCduZgcWGLTBEEX64yqVMG3Ln7i5Bkn24s4g1JWBI/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-5-jX97QIDCx80doQOqwDkOOJEl0ukbKw1UzoPGfq5oMUj2CKNgi6b1ftYR5q0toBzohe5YuYUSxsUR0u5E5909F2ZlhWUyQvBfCduZgcWGLTBEEX64yqVMG3Ln7i5Bkn24s4g1JWBI/s320/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564855993394088482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0epqoKaJ_TjMVQjWZ1WZ7TPpNoGUrkH9g2Jnqjs7gzVrhYHoXiMiOAQnnDtia-d8cJSAYO1GK19-LDWJax2GxmkaVVLc8UZuZwxiB3vrt6buvRr7T9IKr_WmQtnrgNimb9NAM8_HI5s/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0epqoKaJ_TjMVQjWZ1WZ7TPpNoGUrkH9g2Jnqjs7gzVrhYHoXiMiOAQnnDtia-d8cJSAYO1GK19-LDWJax2GxmkaVVLc8UZuZwxiB3vrt6buvRr7T9IKr_WmQtnrgNimb9NAM8_HI5s/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564855986220558434" /></a><br />I thought that I would post a few thoughts/details about Miriam's birth while they are still fresh in my mind (although my mind is not very fresh with about 8 hours of sleep since Tuesday morning). Wowsa are they still fresh in my mind :). I am the worst person in the world about knowing when I am going into labor. My labor's start so gradually that I spend a large portion of time not knowing/denying that I am in labor. Not hard to do when I was having contractions 20 minutes apart for 2 days before hard labor started. Tuesday night around dinner time, I think Chris and I started realizing that this may be the real thing with contractions becoming a lot more painful. When I laid down to sleep at 9:00, I soon knew that there was no way that I would be sleeping that night. <br />When I am in labor, I am obsessed with being in the water. I got into the bath tub at around midnight and stayed for a few hours before we headed off to the hospital around 3:00 a.m. We went to the hospital a little earlier this time than we usually do. Upon arrival to the hospital, I immediately got into the water and stayed for another 4 hours. I think that I am pretty calm for the most part in labor, but I have to say that the couple of hours before I had Miriam were very intense and extremely unpleasant. Around 8:15, I felt the urge to push a little, but when they checked me, they told me I was only at an 8. I think that I psychologically made up my mind that this baby was coming, and at a 9,I started pushing. Pushing was insane. I pushed this baby out in 12 minutes!! Chris said that one second he saw the top of her head, and the next second, she was totally coming out. Like I said, I wanted the baby out :). When Miriam came out, is was so awesome to find out that she was a girl like I had suspected. It is so amazing how one minute I was in the depth of despair freaking out, and the next...I am holding my beautiful baby.<br /> What a rush, and to share this whole experience with my husband was awesome. I can not imagine a better coach/partner in labor than Chris. He is pretty much a stud. He is so attentive during labor, putting chapstick on me or anything else that he thinks may distract me from the pain. Seriously....I am never more in love with my husband than when we go through this experience together (although at this point... I don't really see myself doing it again :). The nurses kept commenting on what a good team we are and I feel pretty blessed to have a great husband to share this experience with. I know that there are a million more details that I could share, but I am exhausted. Life is great. I adore this baby. The kids adore this baby. This recovery is going well.... although a bit harder than my last. Let's see if we can get some sleep tonight.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-18535923709515232832011-01-16T18:38:00.000-08:002011-01-16T18:55:52.796-08:00Cute kids, chore charts, and other business :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9I4hNUeyoFl1XBVXTTzGy6BUlTRu-xBUOFQZE1fysEe7XxVTQC-h4NmsUniTIcuUNPZSaTsI7pfS7cjWEDyFPzcT3wV_qJeD8XIC5j6FTFq_yHIt7_twglETo5ZQjzzZVbkGk-LDqI0/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9I4hNUeyoFl1XBVXTTzGy6BUlTRu-xBUOFQZE1fysEe7XxVTQC-h4NmsUniTIcuUNPZSaTsI7pfS7cjWEDyFPzcT3wV_qJeD8XIC5j6FTFq_yHIt7_twglETo5ZQjzzZVbkGk-LDqI0/s320/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562981258899499826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7DDpr5L9hkfU_Qfpe3OvAjj8C8DCwjXXVstIiqkdRI24F9fmpp9wKcI8G5nUIqT98Fin_YbgCUP4E9SrK-Z1pRAQ7Hktbj5OIvTug3Q_2extpR8evuq-AqyimTTgn2MzN7YFeHnd0SU/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7DDpr5L9hkfU_Qfpe3OvAjj8C8DCwjXXVstIiqkdRI24F9fmpp9wKcI8G5nUIqT98Fin_YbgCUP4E9SrK-Z1pRAQ7Hktbj5OIvTug3Q_2extpR8evuq-AqyimTTgn2MzN7YFeHnd0SU/s320/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562981073605348898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_frhr2lKN5bA7Rb5Icde8WjwosVDxoeidw714rulEbNjvsL3fF-bBO5ddTmwoxW3jHaJEj8f7ZznGVAVuYshe5LZZoeFHnC-nwg1sUgwBsjDRn7K11yFMnkJNQ4eXLT8KLlQbKvyrDY/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_frhr2lKN5bA7Rb5Icde8WjwosVDxoeidw714rulEbNjvsL3fF-bBO5ddTmwoxW3jHaJEj8f7ZznGVAVuYshe5LZZoeFHnC-nwg1sUgwBsjDRn7K11yFMnkJNQ4eXLT8KLlQbKvyrDY/s320/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562981070416196242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeFYiCqgV7SPTaFIO2aMorpz3x9RjXHyrK5TOUiGQz5ccs6LyB1gU3DUgfevyEzrey085ITdr-yCcJcrzFi5V0eMfnxrZQg6CcYIsdG1WHkkaSoRqUvjXhZbAjmJAMvmGkO2_LsZmmug/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeFYiCqgV7SPTaFIO2aMorpz3x9RjXHyrK5TOUiGQz5ccs6LyB1gU3DUgfevyEzrey085ITdr-yCcJcrzFi5V0eMfnxrZQg6CcYIsdG1WHkkaSoRqUvjXhZbAjmJAMvmGkO2_LsZmmug/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562981065147117794" /></a><br />*4 more days until my due date. Lots of contractions happening, so we will see when this little Becerra baby plans to come. Hopefully not right this second, I would love a good night's rest.<br />*I love how peaceful my life is right now. My plan of eliminating stuff from our lives has worked like a charm. I have so enjoyed the last few weeks enjoying my kiddos without major agendas.<br />*It's amazing how much better my kids behave when I am fully present with them (my brain has been in the clouds lately). Sounds like common sense, but I am a slow learner sometimes. <br />*Even though I in theory am not really fond of behavior charts, I thought I would give it a try out of desperation. After a couple of days, it was clear that the kiddo that I was hoping would love the idea... wasn't motivated at all by it, and the kid who didn't really need it as much was eating it up. Hmm.... on to my next plan to see what motivates this little man of mine. <br />*Aren't these kiddos cute? I have been pooped and impatient lately, but I would not trade my time with them for anything.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-73625858875587609942011-01-16T18:24:00.001-08:002011-01-16T18:36:09.011-08:00Christmas 2010We had a great Christmas this year. It was actually the first year in the almost 7 years that we have lived here that we were actually in Corvallis on Christmas. Lots of family came to hang out with us, and here a just a few of the pics (I am not even going to try to get totally caught up).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMeKIcHr5rO7jLW0qLAx_nfXbdieyJmS9BoFzWDcVGg7LA14wGC8ug30ot22QvE40_OSH2CfVnuSavP9TQM8TzAiK1OTlF_i-FNecnOKsU6Gcg1M6Q18TMYOQk5UxROfr8QvOlTZo3HM/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMeKIcHr5rO7jLW0qLAx_nfXbdieyJmS9BoFzWDcVGg7LA14wGC8ug30ot22QvE40_OSH2CfVnuSavP9TQM8TzAiK1OTlF_i-FNecnOKsU6Gcg1M6Q18TMYOQk5UxROfr8QvOlTZo3HM/s320/Picture+7.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562975460377737458" /></a><br />Sofia wanted to wear her fancy Christmas dress for dinner. We had a family talent show that night, and Sofia insisted that Chris paint her face for his talent :). She thinks that her daddy is the most talented at everything that he does.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJgVLAlnZEPBP2aZuGEZKB40bGg7NEBVV8Gdb1mzFDXCP91q7P9Aejt6SGyCCUihdjJkCWIBQ_obs0aELHbQU4qVaswhYJr3LgzKp1EVvMc1re0TTgjgTQrz41aSkYxfcpYHPpUIlJTY/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJgVLAlnZEPBP2aZuGEZKB40bGg7NEBVV8Gdb1mzFDXCP91q7P9Aejt6SGyCCUihdjJkCWIBQ_obs0aELHbQU4qVaswhYJr3LgzKp1EVvMc1re0TTgjgTQrz41aSkYxfcpYHPpUIlJTY/s320/Picture+6.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562975458826384498" /></a><br />Here's Gabe snitching some pumpkin/ginger trifle. I think he had eaten probably 3 servings before we caught him :).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hf0w3BrjecKP_kkf3FeAAsOEd9mmPpC_HuEO5yUUA5zu2yt4tfgOfQ00JcYDFQOWNCPmV6L-AxJe7zZmhTxVlYHRNC5vmvbMCUI_Cy4otD2K11RgXbuHWdp1abeOumZGMkc8zJY_j8w/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hf0w3BrjecKP_kkf3FeAAsOEd9mmPpC_HuEO5yUUA5zu2yt4tfgOfQ00JcYDFQOWNCPmV6L-AxJe7zZmhTxVlYHRNC5vmvbMCUI_Cy4otD2K11RgXbuHWdp1abeOumZGMkc8zJY_j8w/s320/Picture+5.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562975455498665298" /></a><br />My nephew Devin jamming for his talent.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL30TFWdIITpvrtpLvHvcXn6XgnvU5K2DmsLHtH_tw3jf4OZ9jbEIpuBvFj6FY7vgysfXkb8vY5RKJG1z_bVuug0T1zy7ZNEzf2hgwbfTzW7tnXHJduWABHTr5Sg5_9neN2QHWV9H0PeQ/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL30TFWdIITpvrtpLvHvcXn6XgnvU5K2DmsLHtH_tw3jf4OZ9jbEIpuBvFj6FY7vgysfXkb8vY5RKJG1z_bVuug0T1zy7ZNEzf2hgwbfTzW7tnXHJduWABHTr5Sg5_9neN2QHWV9H0PeQ/s320/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562975270672821314" /></a><br />Sofia immediately went to play with new art supplies in the play room.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe02h12PBM1utj-e8vXF-iTENI1q2i3g-roJc4dMEyY7cfbbUOZX2SBrPs8tYxNqFZ0h-yEBsi0N0oEEsfN6ieYa29lfA6dotGy8UVKq4jNac89juuPFVixXn-nKUbZb6iWoRYG94ECmQ/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe02h12PBM1utj-e8vXF-iTENI1q2i3g-roJc4dMEyY7cfbbUOZX2SBrPs8tYxNqFZ0h-yEBsi0N0oEEsfN6ieYa29lfA6dotGy8UVKq4jNac89juuPFVixXn-nKUbZb6iWoRYG94ECmQ/s320/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562975261336944706" /></a><br />This picture cracks me up. Gabe was pretty confused about why Santa Claus would include an orange in his stocking.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_amQcKy1ORjfOfEThORImCtIdIK1YOlPk8ljP2l0RfAKy_2C_vVOFhWG8q7cUn-YaL_GGngmvyRgH6TiFM6Sjy0OmWRN7pRTF2ihZK1goAT97zYNoD3T_JdjgB_qmN3i_mbwo52GdiP4/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_amQcKy1ORjfOfEThORImCtIdIK1YOlPk8ljP2l0RfAKy_2C_vVOFhWG8q7cUn-YaL_GGngmvyRgH6TiFM6Sjy0OmWRN7pRTF2ihZK1goAT97zYNoD3T_JdjgB_qmN3i_mbwo52GdiP4/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562975257749714706" /></a><br />Gabe playing with his new horses. Gabe literally played all day.. only taking breaks to sneak treats :).<br />I love Christmas and New Years. As our family takes time to reflect on the Jesus' birth, it always gives me a renewed desire and energy to be more like him. Too bad nesting and hormones have gotten in my way a little of being the loving wife/friend/mama that I want to be :).Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-60137475437450407032010-11-26T20:41:00.000-08:002010-11-26T22:13:40.648-08:00Thanksgiving and Christmas AwesomenessI hope that everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. We were going to be in California during Thanksgiving, but since Chris wasn't able to finish his Masters degree in time, we instead had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. I cooked a lot on Thanksgiving, but since I wasn't in the mood to deal with fighting a huge raw bird, I bought a cooked turkey from Trader Joes that just had to be throw in the oven an hour before. I won't do that again. It was not very good at all, but I guess I shouldn't have had high hopes. It was still a great Thanksgiving, and I don't ever want to take for granted (although I know that I often do) how much I have to be grateful for in my life.
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<br />Today we headed out to Kings Valley to Sunrise Christmas Tree Farm to look for and cut down the perfect Christmas tree. It was an awesome little farm, and I think that beginning next weekend, they will have a little petting zoo along with a few other things for kids to do. The kids had so much fun decorating the tree and pulling out our Christmas stuff (which I realized I don't really have that much of). The joy of children during the Holiday season is priceless, and I plan on enjoying every moment of this Holiday season.
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<br />Now on to my more random topic of the day. Nesting is in full gear folks. With a little under two months until the arrival of this baby, here are some ways that I know that I am nesting and a hormonal preggo lady:
<br />*I have 90% of my Christmas shopping done. Although I enjoy shopping, I despise it during the Holiday season. I feel like making late night trips to Target, desperately searching for last minute gifts for people who don't really need anything to begin with is big Holiday ruiner for me. By shopping way ahead of time, I was able to put more thought into many of the gifts. I know that I potentially could have saved a lot of money by shopping today, but it is not worth the stress to me. I like the Holidays to be meaningful and low-stress, so having the shopping out of the way lets me put my focus on the more pleasant parts of Christmas.
<br />*I was obsessed with getting a tree as early as possible, and we have already been listening to Christmas music for a week. I love Christmas, but I'm not usually this intense about getting the festivities rolling.
<br />*I got pulled over two days ago and got my first ticket ever (well actually, I got two). I won't tell the whole story, but I would like to mention that I got a $140 ticket for not having my new address on my driver's license. Are you kidding me? Everything is totally current. Did you all know that you can get a ticket for not having your updated address on your driver's license? After being in the middle of a hard day to begin with, I became a sobbing mess after getting my tickets. I sobbed to Chris for a long time, and my sweet kids kept drawing me pictures to cheer me up, but once my raging hormone tears began to fall, there was no stopping them. I felt a little (actually a lot) insane in the membrane for awhile. I can think of a 1,000 ways I would rather spend $300. Hopefully my tickets will be lowered when I go to court.
<br />*Okay, this one is a little weird, but my senses have kicked into high gear, and while at the beginning of pregnancy there are many smells that I can't handle (my kitchen, garlic etc...), at this stage, there are some smells that I love. I love love smelling lavender. I will literally sit and sniff my lavender essential oil bath salts that my friend made me for 5 minutes. I also found this random soap at the grocery outlet that is all natural that was made in Turkey. It is olive oil soap with Laurel, and I have to go smell it every once in awhile. It smells like dirt, and I for some reason am digging earthy smells right now. Okay, so I am admitting too much of my weirdness maybe, but I wasn't into smell as much during my other pregnancies. Are there any other smell obsessed pregnant women out there?
<br />*My friend Adrienne came over the other day to show me how to make homemade yogurt. I am a changed woman, and I can not believe how economical it is to make homemade yogurt. It made me so happy to see my kids eating it up today. For how little patience I feel like I have lately, it is amazing how good I feel when I make things from scratch for my familia.
<br />Okay... enough blabbing for one night. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOxcZtuXKhdmsZKFInxMntfYC3o89IODF3Byt3Bq3isRdzkvva6t3rmxHZrSFxikDBsNkqt8jpAK2FZomnXN9oBndeLaCeitiQuXLBCInbe_ijU-DUGU6owrV9O7PxEDwpUgXykOi3WM/s1600/1105734197_becerraphotography-40-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOxcZtuXKhdmsZKFInxMntfYC3o89IODF3Byt3Bq3isRdzkvva6t3rmxHZrSFxikDBsNkqt8jpAK2FZomnXN9oBndeLaCeitiQuXLBCInbe_ijU-DUGU6owrV9O7PxEDwpUgXykOi3WM/s320/1105734197_becerraphotography-40-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544090188434376418" /></a>
<br />Isn't it beautiful out there?? I suppose there is no better place to get a Christmas tree than Oregon.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"
<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOgH9oqWmZlPWr2pGzswLMgSjWdRxu9fGhNtL56kBY7_fTFiY0iH9_lDrLJ6OQC0lX21kvBrjvcBrx0t4-s9IA-9TdWbI3FP7yEviGoX6gRba7jVd-R3oyWUksn19ZSOOH2u20hOQexI/s320/1105730910_becerraphotography-36.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544089874568721810" /></a>
<br />Gabe is such a big boy carrying the Christmas tree the kids got to decorate in the play room.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTF8JzC8AREcElbyT76uHTDx8UKyBx7X-dEXBsHNeY6ogXZzvOLpTG44AuD8eAXD-Nveg9FXM7uPnNd8DVo9sqZpK_ubXq88O5RE8dB9fo0PkcHsFAfghdUisXXeTEEIt14W4zfpsKPU/s1600/1105719952_becerraphotography-23.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTF8JzC8AREcElbyT76uHTDx8UKyBx7X-dEXBsHNeY6ogXZzvOLpTG44AuD8eAXD-Nveg9FXM7uPnNd8DVo9sqZpK_ubXq88O5RE8dB9fo0PkcHsFAfghdUisXXeTEEIt14W4zfpsKPU/s320/1105719952_becerraphotography-23.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544089448129260674" /></a>
<br />Homeboy Chris busy at work doing his manly duty.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpESKxv73OBuLoQeUj7Fxznr5a78stF8KrbF6811Js0hLpwpzE6Os7gp7EkuU7e85gDJdW_TRk9tWrrs-jyB_y_gba-fb1e1mjK94viZyH7Uttha8L0PI944jmUAs1tCx9F-8TUCrwJjE/s1600/1105716813_becerraphotography-18.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpESKxv73OBuLoQeUj7Fxznr5a78stF8KrbF6811Js0hLpwpzE6Os7gp7EkuU7e85gDJdW_TRk9tWrrs-jyB_y_gba-fb1e1mjK94viZyH7Uttha8L0PI944jmUAs1tCx9F-8TUCrwJjE/s320/1105716813_becerraphotography-18.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544089025341625618" /></a>
<br />On a family walk on Thanksgiving down the street on our way to buy some apples at Twedts. I like my (for the most part) simple life.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGneZTpOGJ2wF60bOt9S-QvLDV2DiBZDsBhYkrP9zUDbWwTKa3oNNmC48iACJaguWxcNwk_TmojYLpEQV0szvf6p7neCP_uSgCbHwKwZw6OsA4Jz8j6lpZ4UkBQL-JSWpJJZONKRFrM8/s1600/1105710770_becerraphotography-10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGneZTpOGJ2wF60bOt9S-QvLDV2DiBZDsBhYkrP9zUDbWwTKa3oNNmC48iACJaguWxcNwk_TmojYLpEQV0szvf6p7neCP_uSgCbHwKwZw6OsA4Jz8j6lpZ4UkBQL-JSWpJJZONKRFrM8/s320/1105710770_becerraphotography-10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544086957301022594" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CfhMDao00WEWr4aaoCRuJcZbcas2rNZrS50bWnfXNT6TN3Y8XEZYly1yFacMRY_rYRK6Ie6F30aERbwNgYn5xfVhczIE13Xwejp7vGKwoYJS5rkWMgyZIsIgrbYeaNflOJGusTsOsGg/s1600/1105708462_becerraphotography-6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CfhMDao00WEWr4aaoCRuJcZbcas2rNZrS50bWnfXNT6TN3Y8XEZYly1yFacMRY_rYRK6Ie6F30aERbwNgYn5xfVhczIE13Xwejp7vGKwoYJS5rkWMgyZIsIgrbYeaNflOJGusTsOsGg/s320/1105708462_becerraphotography-6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544086946471106018" /></a>
<br />You can see a little of my preggo belly. I feel like I am looking and feeling now how I usually feel at the very end of pregnancy, but I'm sure that chasing and lifting two other kids may have something to do with that :).
<br />Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-40879175239868185432010-11-12T08:32:00.000-08:002010-11-12T13:23:34.931-08:00What's on My Mind*I have gotten my feelings hurt over a couple of different incidents in the last couple of days, and I have been trying to follow the advice my friend Tonya gave me (that she received from a good friend). When you want to vent, you can vent 3 different times to 3 different people (which is easy to do considering I have 4 sisters before I even start counting friends), and then you have to drop it and try to get over it...end of story. I found that this is really helpful. Venting is good, but sometimes when I vent too much, I end up getting more worked up reliving the whole scenario again and again. If I get my venting over with and commit to being done, it is much easier to get my head and heart in a more forgiving place. The thing is.... life is too short to waste your precious time and energy on things that don't really matter, because often the things I get hurt over are not that important in the grand scheme of things. I can sometimes make myself physically sick when I worry about something, and that does not help me be a good mom/wife in the present. I so wish that I was a little less sensitive, but while I continue to work on that, I can at least work on letting go of things a little faster. Have you ever noticed people who are always dwelling on the negative and making little things into big drama? I don't want to be one of those people. I also realized that I am not very good often times at taking my feelings to Heavenly Father to help me heal. I need to be better about that. We are not meant to heal on our own. <br /> What do you all do to help shake things off that bother you? I have to say that I think my pregnant hormones automatically put a few strikes against me. I feel a little more negative/tired/cynical when I am hormonal, so I look forward to a more normal Kara (which will happen when..... since I will be nursing for a long time??).<br />*Day lights savings time really sucks. My little guy who used to wake up at 6:00, now consistently wakes up between 5:00-5:30, and sometimes earlier. On the positive side, it definitely makes it less painful to wake up early to go walking with my neighbor when I am already up :). I am in such a better mood when I exercise in the morning, and I come home in a happy mood. That is how I need to start my day. I am not so much of an early morning person, but I am realizing that as life gets busier and busier, I will have to make exercising a priority in the morning or it probably won't happen. <br /><br />*I am happy to say that both of my kids dress themselves almost every day. Sometimes their outfit choices are unique, but most days I don't even fight it, because I want to reinforce the fact that my kids can dress themselves!! Gabe usually ends up with his underwear and pants on backwards, but he doesn't seem to mind, so I guess I shouldn't since I'm not the one with the wedgie :).<br /><br />*We are taking a break from Sofia's preschool in the winter. Sofia loves her preschool, and although it is a great preschool, it involves a ton of work and coordination from the parents (it is a co-op preschool). For awhile I was feeling kind of crappy like, "What of parent am I not to be able to even handle doing preschool?" My mom was here last Friday and saw how hard it is to get Gabe out of the door in the morning after him waking up at 5:00 (he is a homebody who loves playing at home), and the whole process that includes insane parking, walking with both kids, finding something to do with Gabe since there isn't a ton of time to go home, and then dealing with parking and a tantruming Gabe as I try to peel him away from Sofia's classroom, and all of the volunteering in the classroom and childcare swapping I do with other parents when they are volunteering. My mom (the mother of 6 children) asked me how I planned on adding a baby to that chaos in January. It was so good to hear permission and validation from someone who has raised 6 children, that I was maybe trying to do too much with a new baby thrown into the equation. Thanks mom. Sofia loves preschool, but I will take the kids to an art class once a week so she still has something special, and I can do fun stuff with her at home. I also will be taking a break from teaching in the winter, and I am really feeling like it is best for my family right now to simplify as much as possible so we can all make a smooth transition to new baby Becerra.<br /><br />*My kids continue to be as cute as ever. Yesterday, I was mean to Gabe when he was trying to wrestle with me and accidentally kicked me in the face. He ran off to his room to cry (he likes to pout in private). Sofia immediately ran to his room to try to comfort him, and I heard her saying, "Are you okay Gabe? You just made a mistake didn't you? We all make mistakes Gabe, but it's okay Gabe, we can all repent." I sat in the other room laughing and amazed. Whose child is that?? Not that we don't try to teach her good things, but I feel like she is more spiritually in tune than I am half of the time. My kids love each other so much, and that is one of the things that brings me the greatest joy. I hope that even when they fight, that they will always love each other this much.<br />*Speaking of living in the moment, I need to stop this long post, I have a little boy who wants some book reading and snuggling.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-43924017055698445042010-11-09T19:14:00.001-08:002010-11-09T19:45:09.845-08:00Quick Book ReviewsI have read a lot in the last couple of months. Sorry not to share more detail, but with the pregnancy brain and hormones I am experiencing right now, aren't you just impressed that I am reading at all :)??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nVBAtQmE982NwUSKsalubwPcGwA0CSFoFJ4XwzZelmsCDLITtb_5nta4gI16DTfQKhL-_JPvjMYxavzuaqggEvgCDNQuOhQn_9pRX4hc2prr8oXXXTSyk0bLS20NjMVn3hjeoBC83fA/s1600/Room+a+novel+by+Emma+Donghue.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nVBAtQmE982NwUSKsalubwPcGwA0CSFoFJ4XwzZelmsCDLITtb_5nta4gI16DTfQKhL-_JPvjMYxavzuaqggEvgCDNQuOhQn_9pRX4hc2prr8oXXXTSyk0bLS20NjMVn3hjeoBC83fA/s320/Room+a+novel+by+Emma+Donghue.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537760691819803362" /></a><br />-I have mixed feelings about this book. It is definitely a quick read and interesting, but I would say that I prefer a couple of the books below if you were going to choose which to start with. It is about a college student who was kidnapped (fictional), and confined in a small room of a shed for several years. During the years, she bears a child from the kidnapper, and the book is actually told from the voice and perspective of the 5 year old son. I don't want to ruin too much, but the book is mostly about their escape and it speaks to me about the love of a mother. Like I said, it is good (and a bit depressing), but read "The Help" first if you are looking for a good book.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWyO6OMgHKEwDXzeXee_OdMRWwEPjtgN37Alk2iSg4hKN4nXC01QL621eOoJZ-d7E4p9Ur0VaEbQ6KwcLLX95nyjgqkD6FXcUBU3vhV33fAiMVRutcj0ZmB3lrqKAEZeTAzBcWO_Khn8/s1600/the-ndd-book.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWyO6OMgHKEwDXzeXee_OdMRWwEPjtgN37Alk2iSg4hKN4nXC01QL621eOoJZ-d7E4p9Ur0VaEbQ6KwcLLX95nyjgqkD6FXcUBU3vhV33fAiMVRutcj0ZmB3lrqKAEZeTAzBcWO_Khn8/s320/the-ndd-book.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537754476508600722" /></a><br />-Good old Dr. Sears... you gotta love the dude. Although Dr. Sears can be a fairly predictable dude at times (baby wearing, nursing, good nutrition etc...), this book actually had some very good info in it. Obviously we all know that eating a lot of processed crap would logically affect children's behavior negatively, but it was very interesting to read about what processed foods to do the brains of growing kids (and actually change its' composition). We also hear a lot of high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils being no no's in foods, but I wondered more about other additives and preservatives. It was good to get a list of other additives not to feed kids and some of the specific reasons why. I also really liked how Dr. Sears says that before ever prescribing medicine for a kid for disorders like adhd, he insists on a complete diet and lifestyle change to see how much of the problem behavior is caused by poor health. I feel like we are pretty healthy, but we have a ways to go until I am happy with my family's nutrition. For those of you who have "bad eaters" who are used to a lot of junky foods, it may be harder to change bad habits, but it is not too late. A lot of people talk about how eating healthy is more expensive than eating poorly, but Dr. Sears claims that you will save money in the long run not having to deal with the life long Dr. bills that come with bad health. Good nutrition/health is a wonderful gift to give to our children, and I want to do a better job. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqXPfF_rrOuxCWzpJ2kzCpoisF4S2KEV9Zw-lPzG7exkJhq5C12eLxbB0J_KIubmfdnBu6zV8DlTq17m1KSh-hIR5Og5_UmP0rPpK_tA05fBHQNwHylFUhaPHTSnrJ0A5t3Nih7tVS8o/s1600/the-help.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqXPfF_rrOuxCWzpJ2kzCpoisF4S2KEV9Zw-lPzG7exkJhq5C12eLxbB0J_KIubmfdnBu6zV8DlTq17m1KSh-hIR5Og5_UmP0rPpK_tA05fBHQNwHylFUhaPHTSnrJ0A5t3Nih7tVS8o/s320/the-help.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537754465870145266" /></a><br />-This was one of the best books that I have read in a really long time. I was worried at first as it is pretty long, but I wanted to spend every spare second I had reading it. The book explores what the lives were like for different black maids in Alabama in the 60's (the book is fictional but realistic). The author gives the best detail and voices to each character. Please oh please read this book and let me know what you think. Loved it!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiJm0g_m-jx0RTxwu1Hs8PlHKy6Z6nFRAraZTbIOIf9pvAOSZJ3lyO1mv9KGh320huNKarimNhJ8KEgoRkQPmLZbbs0cQCVsy-rzxIkYcdTLBEO1SWcgu1hQYBRaSVMSeeL4AuTFiBjU/s1600/redtent.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiJm0g_m-jx0RTxwu1Hs8PlHKy6Z6nFRAraZTbIOIf9pvAOSZJ3lyO1mv9KGh320huNKarimNhJ8KEgoRkQPmLZbbs0cQCVsy-rzxIkYcdTLBEO1SWcgu1hQYBRaSVMSeeL4AuTFiBjU/s320/redtent.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537754450886338354" /></a><br />-This was another great book. I was skeptical at first wondering if I would like a fiction novel based off of Old Testament characters (Dinah and the wives and posterity of Jacob), but it was actually really interesting. I liked the perspective it gave of what life could possibly be like for the wives of Jacob. I read this one awhile ago, so it is not as fresh in my mind, but it was another stay up late at night read.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-20277766073327331892010-11-09T17:52:00.000-08:002010-11-09T18:35:11.474-08:005 Years Old!!I have a five year old. It's true. Sofia actually just informed me that she is almost 6 now. Why are they so anxious to grow up? I swear being a grown up is not that cool :). Here are some things to remember about Sofia right now:<br />*She is really tall. She is almost always way taller than most of her little friends and playmates.<br />*She is such a nurturing little gal. I know that she is going to be such a big help when the baby is born, and I have a feeling that I am going to need it! She is always mothering Gabe, which is sweet but I'm sure that it will annoy him someday :).<br />*This girl has the kindest heart. The other day Gabe last his one allotted piece of Halloween candy for the day because he wouldn't listen to me. Sofia immediately said, "It's okay Gabe, I'll pick something out that I can share with you." She is constantly doing things like this, and she is concerned about how others are feeling.<br />*Girlfriend has a wonderful zest for life. Yes she is loud and pretty much has no concept of using an indoor voice, but there is no denying that she is a happy girl.<br />*She is destined for great things. I don't know what her future holds, but I know there are great things to come for this girl. <br />We love this girl so much and our family wouldn't be complete without her.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_iqFfmzDfa9WPGfEkYn525h62cq3nWslWZD0u3d52JjHoeZorD2q3VxCuaBV_wVNtQ3XrpdjkIWYb6SufnoOL1uatMCTc1nNOFrw38Vhh7jyjRPV8-_rX4RGbU5V1ns6HP2S7sjDEzs/s1600/1082228365_a46g0365.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_iqFfmzDfa9WPGfEkYn525h62cq3nWslWZD0u3d52JjHoeZorD2q3VxCuaBV_wVNtQ3XrpdjkIWYb6SufnoOL1uatMCTc1nNOFrw38Vhh7jyjRPV8-_rX4RGbU5V1ns6HP2S7sjDEzs/s320/1082228365_a46g0365.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537740113352351970" /></a><br />My brother and his family stopped by for some birthday fun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2IuCiUINFTX7T_FvWVGjkXFMot4bFOYyKJARcEv059t-GynjRKrBUU3XCBLqcXEKReE93Aa4AUjXS7ZatfrNCckamnt1X1cMDNd2DzYF3OjcuqLSKYZxCGDuKQZH8UQCGk-vr8YKRI0/s1600/1082211443_a46g0351-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2IuCiUINFTX7T_FvWVGjkXFMot4bFOYyKJARcEv059t-GynjRKrBUU3XCBLqcXEKReE93Aa4AUjXS7ZatfrNCckamnt1X1cMDNd2DzYF3OjcuqLSKYZxCGDuKQZH8UQCGk-vr8YKRI0/s320/1082211443_a46g0351-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537739750495193010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vQz16sZXGd1PaUvk4Fpyeq5MdUNB7i8K5xcimFjD_w8glJIDyvljNG3KPvyiLI7fk9F-iMgLavyw67LJw4Bteo74w-DjqHhBH6EJJekradJ2Rr1ZhxAc0fFSjIUOiMiCl5EknQ6rbS8/s1600/1082194364_a46g0340.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vQz16sZXGd1PaUvk4Fpyeq5MdUNB7i8K5xcimFjD_w8glJIDyvljNG3KPvyiLI7fk9F-iMgLavyw67LJw4Bteo74w-DjqHhBH6EJJekradJ2Rr1ZhxAc0fFSjIUOiMiCl5EknQ6rbS8/s320/1082194364_a46g0340.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537739439132263650" /></a><br />Most of the girl cousins. I love fall here, The leaves are so beautiful right now. Not so excited about having to rake them all up though :).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlZDKOhJxZZBpDG1Zn_HAo1GD0Nrigf2wOtjwkomgNIIgVCp-vMaNjyu51lEzp58-R9E4PVx1pc-SHA-UtjyonLrixYrKQSdLpelfOOvgCTi_dyGoYXCAtr-KDVI0WjyCJQbLPQzs_ME/s1600/1082160377_a46g0318.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlZDKOhJxZZBpDG1Zn_HAo1GD0Nrigf2wOtjwkomgNIIgVCp-vMaNjyu51lEzp58-R9E4PVx1pc-SHA-UtjyonLrixYrKQSdLpelfOOvgCTi_dyGoYXCAtr-KDVI0WjyCJQbLPQzs_ME/s320/1082160377_a46g0318.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537739095261610402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjl-jSZKmvZLK-5HIz1oDqN_hAU6P15dGuF8fZqD3FF4JpXhk4WAsw8mEjf1iaEznoc0cQqliHgOWosGRPhXBuCOfY_5un0Pidrwps5HuX3uXjErN-HNTJ0JuBj36EUIydPuMp_ASmW3s/s1600/1082130391_a46g0299.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjl-jSZKmvZLK-5HIz1oDqN_hAU6P15dGuF8fZqD3FF4JpXhk4WAsw8mEjf1iaEznoc0cQqliHgOWosGRPhXBuCOfY_5un0Pidrwps5HuX3uXjErN-HNTJ0JuBj36EUIydPuMp_ASmW3s/s320/1082130391_a46g0299.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537738635831120642" /></a><br />Sofia opening this beautiful blanket that Grandma Sharon knit for her. Isn't it amazing??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCt7INV-yRPjQDzA57txl2cm43VCaCVcDwx2wa-VVjqGL1d8q4WZE2X5EcJ6MWjW8QUjXrI1X1IJyKYXhTw5ay0J3MTOtx8oXYn-B4KDFiCSKFfsjEm_5xKMn5-AoFsaSwWSdhFPkr4F4/s1600/1082103563_a46g0280.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCt7INV-yRPjQDzA57txl2cm43VCaCVcDwx2wa-VVjqGL1d8q4WZE2X5EcJ6MWjW8QUjXrI1X1IJyKYXhTw5ay0J3MTOtx8oXYn-B4KDFiCSKFfsjEm_5xKMn5-AoFsaSwWSdhFPkr4F4/s320/1082103563_a46g0280.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537737320309995762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qcLWPWgqb1kHyKIWQiXCzTT-ANLxGOrxECsI87mnx5xDvEHotoD1CbUl8kV4TlGzR4n_E6537I6uYDrG_3jCxJsqgCdvBRXRioOsFbHpr8QVRaYRaVteHoUzjuI0rI4L1OsooXgZVM0/s1600/1082085343_a46g0263.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qcLWPWgqb1kHyKIWQiXCzTT-ANLxGOrxECsI87mnx5xDvEHotoD1CbUl8kV4TlGzR4n_E6537I6uYDrG_3jCxJsqgCdvBRXRioOsFbHpr8QVRaYRaVteHoUzjuI0rI4L1OsooXgZVM0/s320/1082085343_a46g0263.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537736281080802994" /></a><br />Sofia doing an art project with cousins. I made clear gelatin for the kids, and they played with it and shot colors in with medicine droppers. Fun, but a little messier than I thought :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyKkihPdsczyteYoy9uxCFZcjIn_aZZ3ZvLO-Tc_45A1TRAwq1AeXYgKUdo6-4yfcWGY19NaVMeLJWYctwhfNyaB3SCHYng7J9nphpuPV_kr0BbnN_HGr_f_IUIPjfUAKp_R62fhmcIo/s1600/1081989459_a46g0219.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyKkihPdsczyteYoy9uxCFZcjIn_aZZ3ZvLO-Tc_45A1TRAwq1AeXYgKUdo6-4yfcWGY19NaVMeLJWYctwhfNyaB3SCHYng7J9nphpuPV_kr0BbnN_HGr_f_IUIPjfUAKp_R62fhmcIo/s320/1081989459_a46g0219.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537736275454119250" /></a><br />Sofia dressed up as Little Bo Peep for Halloween.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-10864055038838405442010-09-30T20:26:00.000-07:002010-09-30T21:38:49.855-07:00If You're Happy and You Know ItWe did a quick photo shoot with the kiddos today. Sweet little munchkins. Here are some of my favorites:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbKHUq636hCF7YjBReUxUEN2VMX8kUCEXzF3H7Py_3mZews3Gm0KkW0Np_51UsWEg5Y5EdNUerZp8fO0GHv8zu9_2KG53fzP47qILQDbDxRRW-Xeg6OtU31C3PUgPWrWYNzkK_KLNI4k/s1600/1029149123_becerraphotography-26.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbKHUq636hCF7YjBReUxUEN2VMX8kUCEXzF3H7Py_3mZews3Gm0KkW0Np_51UsWEg5Y5EdNUerZp8fO0GHv8zu9_2KG53fzP47qILQDbDxRRW-Xeg6OtU31C3PUgPWrWYNzkK_KLNI4k/s320/1029149123_becerraphotography-26.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522922070311032130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1VR41eLhQcJ_fhGWitHXn9vWOPh2dG145nN_endpIUGmmnalnt93b4uO9hGXu72hmFrgRJUqIG1HIH28v9IVgIjblpbmwOXSZr_pvmrtxc5JZlfZ1_4nqvdSoToSjQJ1d2BvFVwfgjo/s1600/1029144330_becerraphotography-21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1VR41eLhQcJ_fhGWitHXn9vWOPh2dG145nN_endpIUGmmnalnt93b4uO9hGXu72hmFrgRJUqIG1HIH28v9IVgIjblpbmwOXSZr_pvmrtxc5JZlfZ1_4nqvdSoToSjQJ1d2BvFVwfgjo/s320/1029144330_becerraphotography-21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522921695656859698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ia6rWigfD84qQoZ2AsQQWu_aCJaG4UUayoHxRdr1EDg_r-kdlrAUE1LZL1W76f6sjHjzx85rvjqaJNtemufWOgFM6Vzy9wP7DW6TzqeK_d_czPfwlMCcC5U9rbI3aeWaVIzLyIXWENc/s1600/1029143551_becerraphotography-20.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ia6rWigfD84qQoZ2AsQQWu_aCJaG4UUayoHxRdr1EDg_r-kdlrAUE1LZL1W76f6sjHjzx85rvjqaJNtemufWOgFM6Vzy9wP7DW6TzqeK_d_czPfwlMCcC5U9rbI3aeWaVIzLyIXWENc/s320/1029143551_becerraphotography-20.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522919396329021154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbaCksRYNFMok4JJisx7b0zEOCU87tOraELzLz92qXq-QmPw10Eg3RwSVIFi9pXFjUt4Zug8QFgGnX5j1ebQTMTR9sMrlgVwW3JRsZ1g4pX40DoHARv2PRSHUJQlzVPwPHMmv4NmQVzE/s1600/1029142326_becerraphotography-19.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbaCksRYNFMok4JJisx7b0zEOCU87tOraELzLz92qXq-QmPw10Eg3RwSVIFi9pXFjUt4Zug8QFgGnX5j1ebQTMTR9sMrlgVwW3JRsZ1g4pX40DoHARv2PRSHUJQlzVPwPHMmv4NmQVzE/s320/1029142326_becerraphotography-19.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522919385519521202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziP90qO6OgCVGELtxdX0puGiG7_6UMsBnlMva69ykYYQRRMNQsFqnCo4OFa1YXw57bJkCbDjUHk-y1_9CanEAtHoY2ImllrSqhZ_o9_zu-BenSWB4gKT7ZkivR5xWM-hXHC5uFvy7zek/s1600/1029140044_becerraphotography-16.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziP90qO6OgCVGELtxdX0puGiG7_6UMsBnlMva69ykYYQRRMNQsFqnCo4OFa1YXw57bJkCbDjUHk-y1_9CanEAtHoY2ImllrSqhZ_o9_zu-BenSWB4gKT7ZkivR5xWM-hXHC5uFvy7zek/s320/1029140044_becerraphotography-16.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522918830925959314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS76IP0dFqj-KyZbbKVkQMpM3k5lnItTeliKOjwk2U5SK93xoAuhgadqfBvj6AgOZTMCZBhlrlsO7xMJSpZoJ2gPOqN_caJXtTmvKOM29CkBMecVfgab4DWQw_RAVEn1Ggzn76TQcKb-U/s1600/1029138504_becerraphotography-14.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS76IP0dFqj-KyZbbKVkQMpM3k5lnItTeliKOjwk2U5SK93xoAuhgadqfBvj6AgOZTMCZBhlrlsO7xMJSpZoJ2gPOqN_caJXtTmvKOM29CkBMecVfgab4DWQw_RAVEn1Ggzn76TQcKb-U/s320/1029138504_becerraphotography-14.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522918822472077570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xyDn6B_XV8Y-wYQInznJjIsW1yDUednRNwFIAdi9gLs2w7zr-QpJduLTDJ1JK2TyuFbAeLAnG1glezmEyi9rhe_bB9IiSxegHhEqm3_od1fZ7T_P2mWjqpUtLLineCOCLEimP4TOqVs/s1600/1029138230_becerraphotography-13.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xyDn6B_XV8Y-wYQInznJjIsW1yDUednRNwFIAdi9gLs2w7zr-QpJduLTDJ1JK2TyuFbAeLAnG1glezmEyi9rhe_bB9IiSxegHhEqm3_od1fZ7T_P2mWjqpUtLLineCOCLEimP4TOqVs/s320/1029138230_becerraphotography-13.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522918295107331298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEamYMt3Ey9YuAdVB-lzGHfTl6b5v5nuiNCrNpC5drfDaNvsUSBtdNJZXBNP1srUYiQ6ApBNsHrb8svlFwns0_cX1P3qReNwxnIaHomn1MqmHPhZ2EVbTHhlfyfkz0o1GRtjYTXUUpeY/s1600/1029136907_becerraphotography-11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEamYMt3Ey9YuAdVB-lzGHfTl6b5v5nuiNCrNpC5drfDaNvsUSBtdNJZXBNP1srUYiQ6ApBNsHrb8svlFwns0_cX1P3qReNwxnIaHomn1MqmHPhZ2EVbTHhlfyfkz0o1GRtjYTXUUpeY/s320/1029136907_becerraphotography-11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522918285734808114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceoomxFPvFV3ldCbk-QZVgWSLnaPZ35cPhdPoeHnXnWLOG9EwBQSxYhOzALJZpfkYnRVLAZd9VRUVqj2u_XN0BznDQDP_dVhrfHvHDXZrRv4ix_jRs07qzpgfJpqoWkKlogfQzLiSzec/s1600/1029136018_becerraphotography-9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceoomxFPvFV3ldCbk-QZVgWSLnaPZ35cPhdPoeHnXnWLOG9EwBQSxYhOzALJZpfkYnRVLAZd9VRUVqj2u_XN0BznDQDP_dVhrfHvHDXZrRv4ix_jRs07qzpgfJpqoWkKlogfQzLiSzec/s320/1029136018_becerraphotography-9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522916541000976658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkXq9mguOv08AqLFK824TKSYn6zUnnIJyFoKL2PvhdD3v3F6T75mpzYCNCOiaBoiZKvtVSGAtiv7zFTqgPhH0aZtNJntq89nz_2bACUnGJwtXrVWKzursj9hDCoQyXIXeVSBA-zN1pSA/s1600/1029135205_becerraphotography-8-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkXq9mguOv08AqLFK824TKSYn6zUnnIJyFoKL2PvhdD3v3F6T75mpzYCNCOiaBoiZKvtVSGAtiv7zFTqgPhH0aZtNJntq89nz_2bACUnGJwtXrVWKzursj9hDCoQyXIXeVSBA-zN1pSA/s320/1029135205_becerraphotography-8-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522916533922318882" /></a><br />Oh, and on another note, I saw this random article on yahoo, and who knows where all of this "research"/info comes from, but I thought it would be fun to assess how things add up for me in the happy department :) according to this article.<br /><br />1)You were a smiley student<br /><br />Adults with the biggest grins in their college yearbook pictures were up to 5 times less likely to be divorced decades later than those who looked less happy, according to a new DePauw University study. A smiler’s positive disposition may attract other happy people or rub off on a spouse.<br />*I was quite smiley in my year books thank you very much. <br /><br /><br />2)You have a sister<br /><br />People with at least one female sibling report better social support, more optimism, and better coping abilities, according to a study presented at the British Psychological Society’s annual conference. Sisters appear to encourage communication and cohesion in families.<br />*I have 4 sisters. Score..... that must give me extra happiness points. It's true, having sisters is the best.<br /><br /><br />3)You're not glued to the TV<br /><br />The happiest people spend 30% less time parked in front of the tube, according to a University of Maryland study that analyzed 34 years of data from more than 45,000 Americans. They’re more likely to spend time socializing, reading, or attending religious services—habits that are linked to better moods and health.<br />*We have no channels in our house, and I rarely watch t.v. shows online. I do however love me an online episode of "modern family." <br /><br /><br />4)You keep souvenirs on display<br /><br />People who use mementos or photos to remind themselves of good times better appreciate their lives and are happier, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, a professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside. Good memories remind you of your “happiness potential” and promise that soon you can reach it again.<br />*I do have some souvenirs on display, but I am not much of a knick knack collecting kind of person... so maybe minus points for me? Chris has a lot of souvenirs on display, and he is quite the sentimental dude, so I guess he rules the happiness department in this area for our family.<br /><br />5)You make exercise a priority<br /><br />People who exercise more are less likely to be stressed and more likely to be satisfied with life, according to Danish researchers. Compared with sedentary people, joggers are 70% less likely to have high stress levels and life dissatisfaction, the study found. Couch potatoes who start moderate exercise—the equivalent of 17 to 34 minutes a day—experience the greatest happiness lift.<br />*I have been semi lameo this pregnancy in the exercise deparment, but I go walking with a neighbor, and in general, I am a pretty active person I would say.<br /><br /><br />6)You have a healthy love life<br /><br />Physical intimacy is a key contributor to happiness, found a study by Dartmouth economist David Blanchflower, PhD, and Andrew Oswald, PhD, of England's University of Warwick. Married people report 30% more sex than singles, which may be one reason they also report being happier.<br />*I think I am doing pretty well in this department...especially for being 24 weeks pregnant. Enough (or maybe too much) said.<br /><br /><br />7)You hang out with happy people<br /><br />Socializing with a cheerful person in your neighborhood increases the likelihood that you’ll be happy too, according to a new study. How often you get together matters most, say the researchers: People who live within half a mile of a buoyant buddy increase their odds of being happy by 42%. If the friend lives farther away (within a 2-mile radius), the chances drop to 22%—probably due to fewer get-togethers.<br />*I think I hang out with pretty happy people, and I have made a big effort lately to surround myself with positive happy people.<br /><br />8)You stay warm with hot cocoa<br /><br />Clutching a steaming beverage—coffee and tea also do the trick—can elicit a flood of positive feelings, according to a Yale University study. This may be because people associate physical warmth with emotional warmth, say the researchers. Study subjects held cups of either hot or iced coffee; those gripping warm mugs were more appreciative of friendliness in others and also felt more generous and trusting themselves.<br />*I love curling up at night to a cup of Trader Joe's herbal chai. It is soooo good.<br /><br />9)You have two best friends<br /><br />Among 654 married adults, those who said they had at least two “best friends” (not necessarily including one’s spouse) were likelier to have better mental well-being, says a study. But additional friends didn’t lead to any more happiness than just a pair.<br />*I do have at least a couple of best friends. I think that it is really interesting that having more than two good friends doesn't boost happiness. <br />There you have it folks. How did you rate your happiness after seeing these standards?Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-34055990133297906152010-09-23T16:12:00.000-07:002010-09-23T16:20:16.024-07:00It's Cool to Be Corny<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w-8X5H2zI16zlFUQ5qkaoGPBHS7kmy4tSAEG5fQzssLtSSeAwhIYC7j_XzOHS2S0xK8lO4BAohU1fH4odDbx6iH_4k2SyuoIQaXWLMUyZBV0C51w4gri15Wa8TTxSa6R-sNlTv15s7k/s1600/corn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w-8X5H2zI16zlFUQ5qkaoGPBHS7kmy4tSAEG5fQzssLtSSeAwhIYC7j_XzOHS2S0xK8lO4BAohU1fH4odDbx6iH_4k2SyuoIQaXWLMUyZBV0C51w4gri15Wa8TTxSa6R-sNlTv15s7k/s320/corn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520252721553465826" /></a><br />Today the kids and I volunteered at local elementary school for the first time doing "taste tables." The program is sponsored through the Corvallis Environmental Agency, and it is awesome. Basically, once a month, through the help of volunteers, each elementary serves a new produce during lunch grown by a local farmer. The whole idea is to get the kids excited about trying new foods and to teach them about where our food comes from, and I saw today how peer pressure can be a positive thing. Kids who wouldn't try the corn on the cob today eventually came back after they saw that all of their friends were trying and enjoying it. Corn is definitely an easier veggie to get kids to try than some, but I was amazed at how much all of the kids liked it. Kids were eating so much and wanting more and more, so they eventually had to tell the kids no more and that they had to go to recess. The best part is how excited Sofia was about helping. She wanted to make signs and look the part of the veggie and felt so cool when she was complimented on her attire, and she was soooo into helping pass the food out to the big kids. Next months pick is apples, and she is already scheming what she will wear. Gabe was not so into helping, but he just sat on the floor the whole time eating corn and looking at books. We will keep doing this at least until the baby is born, but what a great experience for the whole familia.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-77602332066569477282010-09-21T20:35:00.001-07:002010-09-22T18:34:17.748-07:00Hi, my name is Kara... and I'm a sucky bloggerAmazing how alike my kiddos look with a scowl on their faces. Maybe it is genetic :)??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9HpoKEXo__15zy2DhZZRteLPUD1Dd05kwtfYudbCLsO7TcnIKjGPBKm0R2-rQ1qHL7hwrgPOsktM7mTw42L1UhPj-A08YAIM3uqyPrDmImfyB-hXVyUV2nkU0dz9Kzyb26oJHQY9m-c/s1600/1017510765_becerraphotography-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9HpoKEXo__15zy2DhZZRteLPUD1Dd05kwtfYudbCLsO7TcnIKjGPBKm0R2-rQ1qHL7hwrgPOsktM7mTw42L1UhPj-A08YAIM3uqyPrDmImfyB-hXVyUV2nkU0dz9Kzyb26oJHQY9m-c/s320/1017510765_becerraphotography-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519909314203258818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrrOBHn4uR7n0XuOB8XAyESIrWwlmyLbL62IY5IrcpzOQguGvHoLzD3qddGZMvUmfiyER6LwBwV7hElZProF5t4UiyRRo9PZ7PI-RSRgwMVpviWrenSzw_dw8Up-O9PRIyJ3C74IAznc/s1600/1017540878_becerraphotography-23.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrrOBHn4uR7n0XuOB8XAyESIrWwlmyLbL62IY5IrcpzOQguGvHoLzD3qddGZMvUmfiyER6LwBwV7hElZProF5t4UiyRRo9PZ7PI-RSRgwMVpviWrenSzw_dw8Up-O9PRIyJ3C74IAznc/s320/1017540878_becerraphotography-23.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519909296869937010" /></a><br />Tonya and I at Lilith fair this summer. We got to see Sheryl Crow, Erika Badu, Colbie Callait etc... It was so fun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkdSIYNEA_BU_DgsoDcagBLgblZSFSgMt3-XovyY__Ob2RYpM3zAp-29IM8fvOkURYCpb8Y4em1Rganz4mrI7sJ7LBSds9II5nKpJHjt_3NLMWPgxyiZiG-4CBe4I9zQMjex-t3OoKrk/s1600/1017582638_img_4373.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkdSIYNEA_BU_DgsoDcagBLgblZSFSgMt3-XovyY__Ob2RYpM3zAp-29IM8fvOkURYCpb8Y4em1Rganz4mrI7sJ7LBSds9II5nKpJHjt_3NLMWPgxyiZiG-4CBe4I9zQMjex-t3OoKrk/s320/1017582638_img_4373.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519908864168878802" /></a><br />Tonya's baby shower preparation.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kUCLfZJLd3xU6DAWnNWg3NtE0pOwrdjOSvcobOFDYsdrYEZ53Z6np9LvNnmilBrt9Lm0LJfiAoX7rRtw7gxTprgu57a8VCVf2MIDqD3evsrZCvK4y_lEl9xxwsftTxS4vNHW6LwYoJ4/s1600/1017586983_img_4381.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kUCLfZJLd3xU6DAWnNWg3NtE0pOwrdjOSvcobOFDYsdrYEZ53Z6np9LvNnmilBrt9Lm0LJfiAoX7rRtw7gxTprgu57a8VCVf2MIDqD3evsrZCvK4y_lEl9xxwsftTxS4vNHW6LwYoJ4/s320/1017586983_img_4381.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519908848360417042" /></a><br />One day Chris took the kiddos to the beach and aquarium so I could get stuff done at home all day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ce0lnhyT_kXIUhQVL4eeLxCGdz0rfbbfYDiDNJraHNHGH3f1KAg4x8iu0vV5HaOc_R4M4Lk0SjLXKCYXkeCG8UgIkV-F-jyUxk9dDjQ5xSmQ8anOTbPrPlXrY2gjQinQ_sTpzaOOHV4/s1600/944752330_a46g9956.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ce0lnhyT_kXIUhQVL4eeLxCGdz0rfbbfYDiDNJraHNHGH3f1KAg4x8iu0vV5HaOc_R4M4Lk0SjLXKCYXkeCG8UgIkV-F-jyUxk9dDjQ5xSmQ8anOTbPrPlXrY2gjQinQ_sTpzaOOHV4/s320/944752330_a46g9956.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519907913546791634" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQyr6IINumlKzma1PDr0nyes2VcXZa1Rs3Gty2GZyxIgW3-csNQzaFs1QEBWeSTS8HmuKDmSMNvrx5x8fYkjLx1RCSO3rqy9Pbd1KB8YjE9SRTZXovy1PXpDg6ZWfGeos4UswTERiG7s/s1600/944747198_a46g9900.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQyr6IINumlKzma1PDr0nyes2VcXZa1Rs3Gty2GZyxIgW3-csNQzaFs1QEBWeSTS8HmuKDmSMNvrx5x8fYkjLx1RCSO3rqy9Pbd1KB8YjE9SRTZXovy1PXpDg6ZWfGeos4UswTERiG7s/s320/944747198_a46g9900.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519907906521070274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmsrxuUt368jcZiVOUNzaZMBJIBmWbjzUasuhaWcDNOhxlI_cxzr5R4D4Uu3TbWS27dNKZHwoCPEOpzm0A15UkI9ngiDse64Sn8miv2vZnXjdCpL1iuCzGUgL09q0paEZHTjVznWyQzk/s1600/944745112_a46g9876.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmsrxuUt368jcZiVOUNzaZMBJIBmWbjzUasuhaWcDNOhxlI_cxzr5R4D4Uu3TbWS27dNKZHwoCPEOpzm0A15UkI9ngiDse64Sn8miv2vZnXjdCpL1iuCzGUgL09q0paEZHTjVznWyQzk/s320/944745112_a46g9876.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519907894178510658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYOkm450egctcc_h6bcJgv-oP3-0QL5YkFwM2LCPVbksi9BXluuTVvmzt9wX30SHCAzFg5TuE3ejN26fX3iHG4FyWHTyrWpFKbYfsdQa-277RN_pdV4EHOVC_sRh8HUSlDQVoCJALnOg/s1600/944722068_a46g9661.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYOkm450egctcc_h6bcJgv-oP3-0QL5YkFwM2LCPVbksi9BXluuTVvmzt9wX30SHCAzFg5TuE3ejN26fX3iHG4FyWHTyrWpFKbYfsdQa-277RN_pdV4EHOVC_sRh8HUSlDQVoCJALnOg/s320/944722068_a46g9661.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519907887265101314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEHsfiAc7NXDJb32bqLMjvvgJTUj128a72FFYB8cKU0qAudx0UgRLWg9hITf-yUEzdTJLRTvFS_pNQJAvqVkckqMqbqoQnKtnug1T5X96ydErbWu0lK_dqcp7QdNsUSuGrR3n9HHkSqY/s1600/944710991_a46g9544-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEHsfiAc7NXDJb32bqLMjvvgJTUj128a72FFYB8cKU0qAudx0UgRLWg9hITf-yUEzdTJLRTvFS_pNQJAvqVkckqMqbqoQnKtnug1T5X96ydErbWu0lK_dqcp7QdNsUSuGrR3n9HHkSqY/s320/944710991_a46g9544-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519907880605499826" /></a><br />Hello out there... whoo hoo... anybody there?? After a bit of encouragement, I am ready to come back to the world of blogging. Blogging is kind of like exercising. The more it is habit.. the easier it is, but when you have gone months and months without working out, and you can start to feel your bum jiggle when you run, it is overwhelming to think about getting in shape again. So.. I am not going to even attempt to do detailed catch up. I will just give you a summary, and I will be good to go. Here is what has been going on in our neck of the woods:<br />Chris:<br />-Chris is a busy dude as usual. Finishing up his Maters, tons of photography, back to teaching full time now, and trying to cram in every spare second with us. <br />-Chris was named Oregon Bride Magazine's best photographer south of Portland for the state of Oregon, so that was pretty exciting.<br />-He is struggling trying to find balance in his life..trying to figure out if there are things that he can cut, and he is loving the time he does have in our house.<br />-We appreciate Chris so much, and I am hoping that finishing his masters will lighten his load at least a little. He is a great daddy and husband.<br />Me:<br />-I am now 22 weeks pregnant with baby numero 3. Ultrasound could not determine sex of baby as his/her legs were closed... so it will be a surprise. I am feeling more girlish vibes... so we shall see if I am correct!<br />-I have been quite the tired/crazy hormonal gal this pregnancy. I had my normal sickness like I did with my other pregnancies, and now that I am much better... I am trying harder to take care of myself (aka... no more greasy take out and a little exercise).<br />-I love how with each pregnancy, you can feel baby move earlier and earlier. This little baby is moving all of the time. I was kind of hoping for a more mellow baby this time, but I guess that mellow is not in our gene pool :). I love this little baby so much already, and the kiddos are so excited.<br />*In between trips and visits from family and friends this summer, I worked on gardening and chicken raising. Our chickens are now laying eggs, and I already have plans of things I will do differently in my garden next year. It was a really cold summer (and seems like it will be a cold fall??), so we had lot's of success with some foods in our garden, and not as much with others. Oh, and I didn't know this before... but rats and mice really love the rainy country of Corvallis. We have been at constant war getting rid of rats that try to eat chicken food. If you want to see pregnant Kara get really crazy.... get me talking about my rat phobias.<br />*I have also been chilling at home with the kiddos more and staying home reading most nights (another thing keeping me from blogging). I have read a lot of good books, and it has honestly felt really good to be less social and hyper. <br /><br />Sofia:<br />-Sofia will start preschool next week, and she is so excited. It is a co-op, so I will be helping out a lot in the classroom. I am also very excited, because since I teach for LBCCC, I didn't have to pay anything for her preschool for the term, so that is very nice.<br />-I could get all teary eyed thinking about how much Sofia has grown in the last few months, but she is such a great kid. She has her moments of whininess (sometimes much longer than moments usually), but she is such a sensitive and thoughtful little gal. She is really concerned about justice in the world and she is deeply offended when someone litters or does anything to wrong another person. She is also very perceptive, and never forgets anything.<br />-The other day we were talking about how people used to be really mean to black people and other people who were different from them, and that some people are still like that today. She has been trying so hard to understand this and several times has made comments like: "Mommy, I don't get why people think that they are better than anyone else. I guess that they don't know about Jesus." She is constantly saying things that teach me about the kind of person that I want to be.<br />-Sofia loves the Beavers. Like a lot. She keeps saying that she is going to trick all of our duck friends/family and have them to come to a "duck party", but really it will be a Beaver party.. and then everyone will love the Beavers as much as her. She is very excited to go some games with Chris and Gabe (and I may even be dragged along to a football game).<br /><br />Gabe:<br />-As always, Gabe keeps us on our toes. We are really experimenting with him trying to figure out what to do to get that kiddo to listen more. It is really interesting trying to figure this kiddos personality out.<br />-He will be 3 in a a few weeks. I can't believe that my baby is going to be 3!! I sometimes fee like I try keeping Gabe in a baby roll... because I know that once the new baby is born, he is going to seem even bigger. <br />-Gabe is always telling us that he loves us, and he loves Sofia so much. They are starting to fight a lot, which can be frustrating, but they really do play well together overall.<br />-Gabe is so sweetly sensitive (kind of like his padre). The other day I was talking to him in my mama monster voice, because he refused to help clean up toys, and after running away crying, he immediately asked for a hug and said, "Mama, it makes me sad when you talk in that mean voice." Talking about ripping my heart out.<br />-Gabe has an crazy active imagination. He is in his own world half or the day running around, reading, or playing make believe. It amazes me how crayons or any object all of a sudden comes to life with Gabe with a voice. It is really amusing to sit and watch him play.<br />-Gabe is extremely determined. If I put his shirt on when he wanted to do it himself, he will take everything off and put it all on himself again.<br />-Gabe has been potty trained for a month now.. can I hear an "Hallelujah!!" He is still in a pull up at night, but it feels so luxurious to think that I will have only one kid in diapers when the baby is born. <br />-I am learning patience from this boy daily, and I am trying hard to savor his sweetness, and it will be fun to have some one on one time with him when Sofia is in preschool.<br /><br />----That's about is folks. I wlll be back to report again soon!Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-22824263676987386492010-05-19T10:28:00.001-07:002010-05-19T10:28:54.970-07:00MotherhoodSome of you have probably seen this already, but take the time to watch it. Touching. <br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KHDvxPjsm8E&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KHDvxPjsm8E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-23893356734908536802010-04-26T22:44:00.000-07:002010-04-26T23:22:34.543-07:00Book ReviewsHey Friends,<br />It has been a long time since I have done a book review. I have read many books since my last one, but I have just recently read two books that I really liked, so I thought that I would chat about them for a minute.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJR0Ra60d4Ukq-aN8phi8tjPj0vERpcmmJfFX3_KeIq31qbGKBX-qn6k3fQAsx2DnszdeA9HhLsBP3hu54N9-tQYjZFestzL66kMZRqdoLQkOR9aXJtGXFaJozKCr-eQt6vH4vETumRGg/s1600/mitten+strings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJR0Ra60d4Ukq-aN8phi8tjPj0vERpcmmJfFX3_KeIq31qbGKBX-qn6k3fQAsx2DnszdeA9HhLsBP3hu54N9-tQYjZFestzL66kMZRqdoLQkOR9aXJtGXFaJozKCr-eQt6vH4vETumRGg/s320/mitten+strings.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464690335944843874" /></a><br />Mitten Strings For God-This book should be read by every mom of young children. I was chatting with some friends about how I sometimes commit to too much and overextend myself (like most women). I also sometimes struggle to decide how I want to fill my kid's time and the kinds of experiences I want to share with them. This book is such a sweet reminder to slow down and breathe in the beauty of childhood. The author talks about the many ways that she slowed down with her family and learned to say no to things that weren't best for her family. I so needed to read this book. It really helped recenter me and remind me of the great role I have as a mother. She talks about how taking tv out of the home (or minimizing) is a great gift that we can give to our children. We no longer have channels at our house, so I still have been checking out DVDs from the library. I have become so much more disciplined about how much/when my kids watch tv....and I don't mind if occasionally they watch a little more than usual, but I feel like my kids are way better off when they are engaged in imaginative play. Anyways.. that is just a tangent... that is just a small part of the book. <br /> Seriously ladies... go to half.com and order this (I paid $4.00 for hardcover including shipping). Here is a list of titles of chapters to give you a feel for the book:<br />Dailiness, Morning, Peace, Quiet, Simplicity, TV, Play, Secret Places, Wants and Needs, Stories, One-on-One Time, Surrender, Breathing, Healing, Listening, Nature, Enchantment, Grace, Rhythm, Truth, Helping, Stretching, Nurturing, Sabbath, Spirit, Balance, Choices, and Wingbeats.<br />Read and let me know what you think!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oQWjAeLb_onVlt9WaS0B_HdMRayn0U888dh5m-mhjs7JvmJDKcgmN9tqHvQGLiJgEqFnj-WdMHaP5ckzHLnvdPGqraVLx1_NVg057yMi0aN-mOjHSxLps_j9w7b8ERxgsTyLojlkVQE/s1600/healthychildwholechild.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oQWjAeLb_onVlt9WaS0B_HdMRayn0U888dh5m-mhjs7JvmJDKcgmN9tqHvQGLiJgEqFnj-WdMHaP5ckzHLnvdPGqraVLx1_NVg057yMi0aN-mOjHSxLps_j9w7b8ERxgsTyLojlkVQE/s320/healthychildwholechild.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464690477120189186" /></a><br />I actually read the old version and not the revised version of this book, so I would be very interested to see the new additions. The authors of this book take and practice an integrative approach in how they treat patients. Most MD's have a very narrow point of view based off their training that usually includes very little background in homeopathic or herbal remedies. Most MDs are worried about treating the symptoms more than getting down to the root of problems. For example, a child who has chronic stomach pains, may possibly experiencing stress at home or school, so treating the symptoms is important, but getting down to the root of the cause of the stress is more important. An integrative Dr would be more likely to do preventative work and to start with the least invasive treatment first, but also be willing to use modern medicine as necessary. This book REALLY made me think and thinking is good, right :)? In my happy world, I wish that all Drs were more integrative. Obviously there are amazing MDs and probably some crappy integrative doctors, but it just seems like this philosophy is just has the patients well being in mind more. One other example of something from the book that I found very interesting is the overuse of antibiotics in our country. I think they said that in the Netherlands (or one of those Scandinavian countries), that ear infections in children are rarely treated with antibiotics, and that there are more natural remedies used with antibiotics used only in very severe situations. We all probably know that the more that antibiotics are used, the less they work, and the number of prescriptions written today is insane. <br />Anywho... I could just blab on forever, because now I want to go and do more research on natural remedies. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of modern medicine when it is appropriate, but many times I think that less is more. Okay folks, that is all for now. The next book that I will be reviewing.... "The Wonder of Boys." I really need to start figuring this little wild man of mine out :).Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-38728862551141477852010-04-24T08:04:00.000-07:002010-04-24T08:28:29.904-07:00Random Thoughts-I went to see Nobel Peace Prize Laurette Jody Williams speak. She has done tons of amazing work, but her main work was on getting land mines removed from countries around the world. I am feeling all inspired to think of ways to make the world better. She talked about how in the richest country we make excuses about why we don't have time to help and volunteer, but we have to stop making excuses and start acting. She talked about how the worst kind of people are those who whine about causes or injustices but do nothing to help. I think that I've done some of that in the past, so I'd better make my actions meet my talk.<br />-I'm getting ready to embark with the kids and I on a crazy quick trip next week to visit family in Oregon and then California. I'm really hoping the kids are up for this adventure.<br />-Okay, so this is really bugging me. Sofia wears some 4t, but she can also wear 5t. 5t is the last size sold in the "baby" sections of stores. I've been starting to casually look at stores in the "big girl" section to see what my options will be. I am so bummed. My choices went from sweet innocent dresses/leggings/regular clothes to clothes that look like they should be worn by teenagers. I can't believe that starting at size 6, all of the clothes are starting to look like clothes for pre-teen girls. Seriously. Usually I buy most of her clothes at garage sales, but that gets harder to do as they get older. I know this is totally random, but sorry people, I'm not dressing my sweet little girl in Hannah Montana and sparkly mini skirts at the age of 4. Have any of you had luck finding affordable clothes for bigger girls that are still sweet?<br />-I have a new breakfast discovery that is changing my world :). I always wanted to cook steel cut oats, but found myself too hungry in the morning to make them. Wait no longer my friends. I've starting making them in the crockpot at night and cooking them on low all night. I just add: 1 cup steel cut oats, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon, pinch of salt, a little brown sugar, and I've either added fresh diced apples or pureed pumpkin. You wake up with your house smelling like cinnamon and it is so nice to have something healthy for breakfast that took 2 minutes of work on my part. <br />-I think that I am going to be obsessed with gardening. I can't go to a store without wanting to look at their starts and flowers. My friend and I did a bunch of starts in her greenhouse, so we are anxiously waiting to discover which things are growing best. The weather is going to be great this weekend, so I am excited to hang out and finish our chicken fence!! That's all folks.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-60835718480629602302010-04-14T23:15:00.001-07:002010-04-14T23:21:22.055-07:00Through the eyes of a 4 year oldI thought that since my kids are always saying cute things, that I would start writing things down more! Here is a series of fill in the blank questions that I asked Sofia today: <br />A Home is.... "A place where you live."<br />A family is...."People that stay together."<br />A brother is...."Just a brother."<br />A mother is...."Moms take care of their children."<br />A friend is...... "Somebody that you could play with."<br />What we need to do to be happy.... "Help others."<br />My favorite things to do are: "Play with my friends a lot, play at the park, spend time with my family."<br />My favorite color is: "Pink."<br />My favorite food is: "Strawberries and Celery (not sure how accurate that one is)"<br />When I grow up, I want to be: "A gymnastics teacher/diver/swimming teacher, a baker with my cousin Kira."<br /><br />Her Cousin Kira just won a big writing competition writing about her pet, so when I told Sofia about that, she wanted to dictate to me a story about her pets too:<br /><br />"Chick Supreme" (I thought that was a clever title)<br />Our chicks are the friendliest chicks, but Roosters are really mean to girls. Our chickens are our pets. We get them fresh food and water. Our chicken coop outside is for when our chicks get big. They could have a bigger chicken coop. We fed them worms by digging them in our back yard.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-89451271169982842742010-04-09T20:30:00.001-07:002010-04-09T20:54:14.283-07:00Spring!!Hello Everyone,<br />It has been a busy spring. We have added 8 new additions to our family. I first planned on getting 6 chicks, but when I saw that they ones I ordered all looked very similar, I decided that we needed a little diversity in the coop. The kids have named the chicks, and a few of their names include: Fuzzy Wuzzy, Elizabeth, Rufus, and Orangie. I have a cute video that I will post soon of the kids' first reactions to our new friends :)<br />I just finally uploaded pictures from my camera, so here are some here are some of the things that we have been up to:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAKkbZjX4kKhlX8VzzHqlSNDdB3-KWB8Ww_Pk9_FVF3ER_U7NZoSmJKREbGRQK27rOPg2fVcaEGy8MVK_eg_rPHc8Ezcne1owbq4D4eRHN0SHhl4D4fqwG5XZSqQh7EKoeQRT0ptS5s8/s1600/IMG_4253.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAKkbZjX4kKhlX8VzzHqlSNDdB3-KWB8Ww_Pk9_FVF3ER_U7NZoSmJKREbGRQK27rOPg2fVcaEGy8MVK_eg_rPHc8Ezcne1owbq4D4eRHN0SHhl4D4fqwG5XZSqQh7EKoeQRT0ptS5s8/s320/IMG_4253.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346916679066402" /></a><br />*Here is Sofia with her little friend Tessa at their creative movement dance class. It is a really low key class that she does once a week. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYNcUNTcnR-BIF0GtARV5ut01iYIoqsAGuKlNzinR8WITDE0vU22_lH57OjbXvZq_untzORYcGGPxG6ZpNolI9mbU9ha6MBeYP0fPRSuzkVeNweBy6dIlcZPt_-uemAFq0iv3SHuG2MI/s1600/IMG_4240.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYNcUNTcnR-BIF0GtARV5ut01iYIoqsAGuKlNzinR8WITDE0vU22_lH57OjbXvZq_untzORYcGGPxG6ZpNolI9mbU9ha6MBeYP0fPRSuzkVeNweBy6dIlcZPt_-uemAFq0iv3SHuG2MI/s320/IMG_4240.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346904704777522" /></a><br />Here is Chris chillin' like a villian. He is actually doing so much better now. He is still walking around with a limp, but he is on to physical therapy now.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U-kdlktFRxE6LTms3sEUuKT4B36CQUTom5mcK-uar7lsYvSP7X0M3i0pvKCVDJNOpq4XTz0_m17og6FHV2AM-yHj1JZGp-g99wYUKsPGf49zIYnVPhC8TYSV2GddsvgoCVs_bJO9-jg/s1600/IMG_4247.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U-kdlktFRxE6LTms3sEUuKT4B36CQUTom5mcK-uar7lsYvSP7X0M3i0pvKCVDJNOpq4XTz0_m17og6FHV2AM-yHj1JZGp-g99wYUKsPGf49zIYnVPhC8TYSV2GddsvgoCVs_bJO9-jg/s320/IMG_4247.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346902283763506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwoXXyl-PZ_aWrPKdjQIsGk8w9AN7xd1qIMUiPc1iLVBo3AbIl6HyhNw6PpUsdRxItuqqdHrmtulZtySOJGMDapIV_G9Z4PAg3MPNq6fW1rWuhCCEY8J1vhZGCLtCtn4vTYHvA18iltI/s1600/IMG_4237.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwoXXyl-PZ_aWrPKdjQIsGk8w9AN7xd1qIMUiPc1iLVBo3AbIl6HyhNw6PpUsdRxItuqqdHrmtulZtySOJGMDapIV_G9Z4PAg3MPNq6fW1rWuhCCEY8J1vhZGCLtCtn4vTYHvA18iltI/s320/IMG_4237.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346893587599170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgSrdaeSyU7E1cDcYBh4EORrJX0gpgD_GVYrzGQxYnnXThDj5qlPg5TsH8LuhzYn_Ed0TC5yURaXQxMOerQhUIzJ41AJWiRdQ0fYTrt9rWzCPpRB3RN9fIfTRxrYSCRLKzExWTd2jO0I/s1600/IMG_4233.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgSrdaeSyU7E1cDcYBh4EORrJX0gpgD_GVYrzGQxYnnXThDj5qlPg5TsH8LuhzYn_Ed0TC5yURaXQxMOerQhUIzJ41AJWiRdQ0fYTrt9rWzCPpRB3RN9fIfTRxrYSCRLKzExWTd2jO0I/s320/IMG_4233.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346890754787346" /></a><br />We have been spending lots of time with cousins. All of the cousins but Jackson were here during spring break. One day all of the kids came up to hang out in Corvallis. We went swimming, roasted marshmallows in the yard, had an easter egg hunt, and all went on a walk at Jackson Frazier Wetland. It was so good seeing people!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwz_CNyP9GeWs-S6VB2lYX3-FH0HPrh4Jn3tXoqbJwrpoNuTOsIymhlODEL6sjXoyHw5j4zRG_MBGpZs6A659alRhHd7dLLazInXeJHO7gASss9U-4hHwt_XdoW5DGOX2N7hjD9kHF8I/s1600/IMG_4227.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwz_CNyP9GeWs-S6VB2lYX3-FH0HPrh4Jn3tXoqbJwrpoNuTOsIymhlODEL6sjXoyHw5j4zRG_MBGpZs6A659alRhHd7dLLazInXeJHO7gASss9U-4hHwt_XdoW5DGOX2N7hjD9kHF8I/s320/IMG_4227.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346626288902498" /></a><br />*A nice day in the park with friends.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8X_sopLereUTP3xMU7nLI6Ur6yoibeYLqR7IEcBdvUCYlEeJZj_aOW_V9wDLTGfTXjFw2wqzWIHLVT8Cp5Ac93ufTRTWhyF9PFJuEzVvz-T0AtacmzmCfdRV8kweYkq5_iUQpUoQXKo/s1600/IMG_4215.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8X_sopLereUTP3xMU7nLI6Ur6yoibeYLqR7IEcBdvUCYlEeJZj_aOW_V9wDLTGfTXjFw2wqzWIHLVT8Cp5Ac93ufTRTWhyF9PFJuEzVvz-T0AtacmzmCfdRV8kweYkq5_iUQpUoQXKo/s320/IMG_4215.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346617703668354" /></a><br />*Sofia is obsessed with babies. Here she is with our little friend June. She could seriously sit and hold her for more than 15 minutes if we let her. She is such a sweet nurturing kid. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" <br />href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRqy9UwSbseisqGGXRnOEZM_jQ1Dvrp3yRhrJBW2NWFCi1lv1VcF1jiz6QwoFi7NeBLdJGuNETCAIPVNBllntGblSgyKxN_5selUgIseZYKL2tkNrcsiwd1F6Sdp3xYqlffnKYIqET4E/s1600/IMG_4229.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRqy9UwSbseisqGGXRnOEZM_jQ1Dvrp3yRhrJBW2NWFCi1lv1VcF1jiz6QwoFi7NeBLdJGuNETCAIPVNBllntGblSgyKxN_5selUgIseZYKL2tkNrcsiwd1F6Sdp3xYqlffnKYIqET4E/s320/IMG_4229.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346612863293474" /></a><br />*Here is Grandma Sharon hanging out on the play structure with the kids. That woman is so adored by my little munchkins.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoKaGjEWqzZuogZj6DmV8_spLyU1FLHGP5_AsObG6TdDYt1Lko978pSJp2qMCsqd1ai6Yj4A3kdVtM86OiEy8ej2j1FfZpvx4NPJNWRJcuBEu98EXUNl3GQMQIv3rJDKraVDYPO6c4lU/s1600/IMG_4210.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoKaGjEWqzZuogZj6DmV8_spLyU1FLHGP5_AsObG6TdDYt1Lko978pSJp2qMCsqd1ai6Yj4A3kdVtM86OiEy8ej2j1FfZpvx4NPJNWRJcuBEu98EXUNl3GQMQIv3rJDKraVDYPO6c4lU/s320/IMG_4210.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346605980331906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zrIIXdX_Lvmh_adgloP06cvPD3ceHwWGGLSQD6mzuI_0NKD7RWh1wsspRu7Qi3suPpKYH9aIckLruI06go2QHQHEaNTfGKTNBgd0LKNPxOvz0kepB0lehYWISl7RleBmXfQ4ynETfJk/s1600/IMG_4209.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zrIIXdX_Lvmh_adgloP06cvPD3ceHwWGGLSQD6mzuI_0NKD7RWh1wsspRu7Qi3suPpKYH9aIckLruI06go2QHQHEaNTfGKTNBgd0LKNPxOvz0kepB0lehYWISl7RleBmXfQ4ynETfJk/s320/IMG_4209.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458346602086223938" /></a><br />*Aren't these the sweetest kids ever! I have so much fun with them every day. I would not change a thing about my life right now. I would say that for the most part, it is sweetly simple.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-15401314124286140482010-03-23T23:28:00.000-07:002010-03-23T23:41:22.489-07:00What's on my mind at 11:30 at night.*I just got home from an indigo girl concert with my sister. It was awesome, and I am so busting out my guitar tomorrow.... I am inspired! I know there is a rockstar somewhere deep within me waiting to come out :).<br />*My sister Kris just picked up 3 hens from my neighbors while we were at the concert. I get my chicks in 1 week. <br />*I went to the coast last weekend with my lovely in-laws. Love those people. We went whale watching, and let's just say that there were no whales seen, but plenty of throwing up done by yours truly. It's a long funny/scary story that I am too tired to tell right now. When we got in the van afterward, Gabe said in his most serious voice,"That scary Mama." <br />*Kelsey and Jeremy just welcomed their 3rd baby girl Camia Grace into the family. We are way excited to meet her.<br />*Everyday new flowers are blooming at my house. Few things are a nicer surprise than coming home to a bunch of beautiful blooming tulips. It's the simple things I tell ya.<br />*Every time I hear Nickelback sing, I can't help but cringe my face at the sound and then ultimately laugh at their lameness. I heard them in a store the other day, and I am always amazed with how much that dude's voice bugs me. That one was really random. Time to go to bed. Sometime I will actually post picture. I am looking forward to lot's of time and fun with family this week.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-76092152355163984062010-03-05T17:32:00.000-08:002010-03-05T17:38:30.477-08:00Cutie-ismsHere are a few funny/cute things the kids have said in the last 24 hours:<br />Sofia:(After taking a picture she drew to a sick neighbor girl)"Mom, whenever anyone in the neighborhood is feeling sick, I can make them some thing and BOOM-SHACKA-LACKA! They will feel all better."<br />Gabe: I asked Gabe if we should cut his hair since it is getting so long, his response:"No,scissors are for cutting paper, not little boy hair Mama." It may be hard to convince him to get a haircut, but it sounds like he won't try it on his own hopefully.<br />Sofia: We stopped by the yummiest bakery on the way to Eugene today, and Sofia announced the the lady who works there and everyone else: "Mommy, why are all of the people here soooo old?" Luckily they all thought that it was funny, and when they asked her why they look old, she said," Because everyone here has old grey hair."Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-79140184480688010202010-03-04T07:28:00.000-08:002010-03-04T07:31:40.983-08:00American IdolOkay, so I will say that I am bummed that I don't get to watch American Idol this season, and it is really hard to find online. From what I have heard online, the girls are amazing this year. Seriously, there are finally people that I would go and buy a cd. Lilly,Crystal, and Sioban are amazing from what I've heard so far online. Yeah...for the girls this year!Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-45510882746403067842010-02-27T16:35:00.001-08:002010-02-27T16:45:47.618-08:00The Race I Won (Kind of)This morning I dragged my butt out of bed to go and run a 10k for the parent enhancement program. Seeing how I am not in amazing shape right now, I was especially nervous, but I had committed to do it a long time ago to do the race. I literally got to the starting line 2 minutes before the race started, turned my i-pod on and, and I was off. There was a different race going on at the same time as our race on almost (key word almost) the same course, so there was mass confusion with everyone of where to go. I was going straight through a corner, and was told that I needed to instead turn left for the race I was doing and that 5k people should go straight ahead, which was the exact opposite of what we should have all done. I continued to try to follow the few signs, and I when there was occasionally someone to ask a question to, I would be assured that I was going the right way (although the couple of people never knew how far we had gone). So basically, I finished the 10k in 39 minutes, but obviously as I finished, I realized that I in fact had run the course wrong as there is no way I ran the race in even close to that time. People at the end were apologetic for all of the confusion,and I later found out that I ran closer to 4 to 4 1/2 miles. So, the embarrassing part comes in when during the award ceremony, they call my name as the winner of the women. I immediately yelled out to everyone that I had run the course wrong and was not the winner, but they insisted that I come up and accept a prize (a $20 gift card to a local sport store) as they realized that many people had run the course wrong. So there you have it folks, I "won" my first 10k today :) even though I never ran a full 10k. Someday I will have to tell you about the time I accidentally scored a goal the one year I played soccer in high school :).Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-18898309268980865432010-02-21T17:04:00.000-08:002010-02-21T19:45:55.152-08:00UpdateHere is what has been going on in our neck of the woods:<br />*Chris broke his fibula, chipped his tibia, and may have torn tendons or ligaments in his ankle. Oh, and I was in Utah when he did it. I never leave the kids, so I was quite stressed about them when I first heard the news. My sister Heather bailed us out and picked up the kids for a couple of days. She is a rockstar sister. Thank you so much to the neighbors and friends who help us out during the days that I was gone!!! Seriously. <br />*Despite the stress of everything going down on the home front, I did have a great time in Utah. My main motivation for going was to surprise my friend Amanda for her 30th birthday (which I almost pulled off), but I was able to see my sister Niki (who drove to meet me for less than one day) and a few good friends as well. Here are a few of the awesome things I got to do: Cafe Rio, Avatar, Brazilian Food, and a little shopping with Niki. Running, temple, and hanging out with Elisa's family. Facial, massage, and good ol' hanging out with Amanda and family. I got to see Lyndi briefly on Monday morning as well. I am hoping to be able to do more weekends like this every once in a while, minus the whole broken leg business. <br />*Chris' parents were in town for the weekend, and I am afraid they weren't able to relax a lot. They were helping Chris and Gabe and I are getting over colds as well. Carlos worked on and almost finished a chicken coop for us. He is my hero of the day. Seriously.... I am so excited to get chickens, and I thought that I may not get a coop with Chris not able to build one. I am pretty blessed in the in-law department I must say.<br />*I am not pregnant or trying to get pregnant (sorry if tmi), but I have been contemplating a home birth for our next birth. I am going to call insurance tomorrow. I am guessing there is a good chance that it won't be covered, but I definitely want to look into it to see if it is an option.<br />*This last week has been beyond beautiful here. Since Chris can't really get around, we have enjoyed hanging out in the yard while I try to get some work done. I'm sure it will be back to cold and rain soon, but this break in the weather may be just what I needed to get through a rainy spring. <br />Okay, that's it friends. I really need to be on top of taking more pictures of the kids. I can assure you that they are still both cutie patooties.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-3180067621500825532010-02-10T22:22:00.000-08:002010-02-10T22:25:05.785-08:00Happy Early Valentine's Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NhArU7NqvW9ixqievHuAPF_fN6iFx9M2X_JVAkBpqog1ky_JzqQ6-fv_rqvDGSaOnLicozmL0od9IfQUEmbJChCVhDvE663jB3LLB3cPhssfT5NubdNDplUpgz0TralaMkBQPBsukTw/s1600-h/family.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NhArU7NqvW9ixqievHuAPF_fN6iFx9M2X_JVAkBpqog1ky_JzqQ6-fv_rqvDGSaOnLicozmL0od9IfQUEmbJChCVhDvE663jB3LLB3cPhssfT5NubdNDplUpgz0TralaMkBQPBsukTw/s320/family.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436867622457835650" /></a><br />Happy Early Valentine's day. I am especially feeling the love for my sweet little family this year. Chris is such an amazing father and husband, and my kiddos....well, I am smitten. I seriously think that they are both at the best ages ever right now. I wish I could freeze time and just keep them this young for a long time.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3048439875062842884.post-19140143702192250002010-02-10T20:07:00.000-08:002010-02-10T20:10:37.026-08:00Day 3Okay, so I'm not doing too incredibly wonderful. Valentines' week is a tricky one. So now I know that I am a social eater and a holiday eater. Here's the list:<br />Breakfast-Bagel with cream cheese<br />Lunch-Leftover spaghetti and salad<br />Snack-waaay too much popcorn that we were making popcorn ball valentines with.<br />Dinner-Tacos and homemade pinto beans. Might I add that dinner turned out really gross tonight. <br />Okay... this may be the last time I post now that I am in the habit of writing down what I am eating.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14955230506273447507noreply@blogger.com1