Friday Five!

1. My girl!!! This morning, after a particularly hard night, she was just so much fun and so adorable!  We started the morning off by drinking our coffee (well, imaginary coffee for Nelia) and reading books.  We probably read 20 books this morning!  Then we had breakfast together and Nelia ate almost everything off her plate.  Then it was almost as if she sensed that mama needed a break and she played independently for so long!  I just sat there and watched her discover and play with all of her toys.  It was such a heartwarming moment for me. I am just so proud to be her mama! She is such a joy!  Here is a picture I took of her this morning as she was playing:

2. My Pampered Chef deep covered baker.  This is one of the goodies I got from hosting a party a few weeks ago and I LOVE this thing!  It can go in the microwave or the oven.  I have only made one recipe so far, chicken chili, but I have made it twice and it is easy to make, healthy, and delicious!

3. Before I became a mom I had all of these perceptions of what parenting would be like. I had a list of things I would definitely do. And I had a list of things I would never do.  I swore I would not let my child watch TV before she was 2 years old. Well, guess what? Nelia watches TV. I swore that she would never eat sugar. Guess who had a scoop of ice cream last night?  Anyways, my point is that you can have all of these perceptions and ideas, but things change once the little one arrives.  You learn quickly that you do what you need to do in order to survive (of course within reason).  You just never know what type of personality your child will have.  And we all know that every child is different. So, what may work for one parent/child, may not work for another.  So, non-judgemental people make my list today. I am a good mom, I am raising my child to be a respectful, kind, loving, and giving person. And so what if she eats some sugar or watches TV??  I am pretty certain that she is going to be okay.  Thank you to those people in my life who support me and my decisions as a mother.

4. These Under Armour tees for working out.  Love these! I have three of them and alternate them regularly at the gym.  They are comfortable, breathable, and super cute!

5. Our neighborhood/community.  I love that we have several parks close enough to us that we can walk to.  I love that we have a grocery store, a Starbucks, and my gym 5 minutes from my house. I love that I have several mommy friends to hang out with and kiddos for Nelia to play with and I don't even have to leave my neighborhood!  This is a good place to live.

Friday Five!

Five things I am loving this week:

1. My new iPad! Love this thing!  Totally addicted to Words with Friends.  Nelia loves Talking Tom and the Sprout Player.

2. This recipe for coconut chicken fingers from Cooking Light: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000109619
I made this the other night and it was delicious!  You must serve it with the sweet chili sauce though - that is what makes it extra yummy! And only 298 calories to boot!

3. Puma Saba flats! I bought these for my friend for Christmas and I couldn't resist buying a pair for myself. Stylish, sporty, and comfy!  And so versatile - I can wear them with yoga pants, or even jeans.

4. These two little sweeties:)  Nelia loves her friend Hunter (or as she calls him, Hun). The other day I watched Hunter for a few hours so Lindsey could have a break and they were hilarious together. They ran around the house chasing eachother and laughing. Like great big belly laughs. Seriously, music to my heart!:)

5. The BOB stroller - love this thing! Especially now that we have had a few sunny days.  Nelia and I have been going for walks (we have even attempted a few short jogs) and she seems to really enjoy it.  There was a period of time where she didn't like to be in it, but she seems cool with it now (especially if I have some snacks on board!). Of course we have it in Mesa Orange:) I remember Brent thinking that was the coolest thing.

Mobile uploads...

I am constantly using my phone throughout the day to take pictures of Nelia and I rarely post them on the blog.  So, although they aren't the best quality, they really capture a lot of what we are doing throughout the week. Enjoy!:)

Breakfast with friends:)

Many, many trips to the park! She is really into wearing her sunglasses right now....so cute!

Quite the collection of 'necklaces'...I especially love how her sippy cup is hanging off of one of her necklaces:)

Such a diva!:)

Wearing her new rainjacket

Lunch with the Opsahl girls!  Such chaos, but so much fun:)

Modeling some of mama's new Stella and Dot jewelry

Shadows are fun!

Jamba Juice is yummy

Jamba date with Hunter

Wearing her new boots that match mama's Hunter boots:)

Friday Five!

In an attempt to keep up with my blog, every Friday I am going to list five things that I love!  Hope you enjoy:)

1. My Hunter rainboots. I got these for Christmas and I love them!  Not only are they functional (hello Seattle rain), but they are fashionable.

2. My trainer.  Seriously, he kicks my butt every Monday and Wednesday night, but it feels awesome!  The last year has been such a hard, rough journey for me and it feels good to be taking care of myself again.  It also helps to have someone who is so motivating, positive, and inspiring to help me along the way.  He will never know just how much this has meant to me. Thanks, T!

3. Popchips. They aren't fried or even baked. They are almost like rice cakes. They are super yummy, not too bad for you (120 calories for 19 chips), and they are Nelia-approved.  Her favorite flavor is BBQ.  Try them out! Yum!

4. OPI nailpolish Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous. This is my new favorite color. It is a dark grey, but with just a little bit of sparkle.  I have been into wearing greys, purples, and yellows lately and this color always compliments my outfits:) Thanks Denise for my pretty polish, xoxo!

5. Stella and Dot jewelry. Last weekend I hosted a party to support my dear friend Denise as she embarks on a new adventure as a stylist.  Not only did I get to spend time with some of my most favorite ladies, but I scored some pretty jewelry. Here are just a few of my new lovelies...I also got a necklace, a pair of earrings, another bracelet, and a few charms. Oh, and I got Nelia the most darling little bracelet in coral (but it looks kinda orange-ish).

Pictures!!

Do you ever feel so far behind that you don't even know where to begin?? That is how I feel right now.  I have so many pictures to share, so many posts that I have written in my head, so many monthly letters written to Nelia that I need to post, but I just can't find the time! Perhaps it is because my sweet little Nelia is a very energetic, busy, and fun 19 month old that keeps me on my toes all day long:)  At any rate, here are some new pictures! And because you have waited for so long, I have lots to share:)

Nelia and her BFF Roary.  She sure loves her kitty. She chases him around the house all.day.long.  He is so patient, it really amazes me. They are definitely two peas in a pod:)

Nelia and Hunter - these two are absolutely adorable together.  They make eachother laugh and they play together so well. Nelia calls him 'Hun"...it is so cute!

Sitting in her big girl chair at the table for the first time...doesn't she look so proud?!  She also knows how to cheers now and insists we do it at least 3 times every night before we eat dinner:)

Coloring at her table...is she going to be left-handed?? Hmmm....

Helping mama make cookies...that "hat" is actually a basket, but she insisted on wearing it like a chef's hat.

Awww...sweet girl!  I just want to eat her up!

Showing me her teeth

Look at her hair blowing...it's like she is on a modeling shoot:)

Feeding Hunter his oranges

See, aren't they so funny together?!

I adore these pictures!!!  Nelia isn't a huge hugger, the girl definitely likes her space (which hello, is she really my kid because we all know how I like to be in everyones space with hugs, lol:))...anyways, she will usually hug Hunter and I finally captured it on camera.  Such sweeties!