monkey hat 2010 vs. 2011.

i just wanted to post a little hello before i sign off for the holiday.  i'm not sure if i'll be on a computer  at all this weekend so i wanted to post a little christmas cheer before we left!

there were a few pictures last christmas that easily ranked as my favorite p-ray pics from the season.  it was his cute chubby little face smiling out from underneath his sock monkey hat handmade for him by chelsey's mom.  otherwise known as these pictures from this post.

so i thought, hey?  let's attempt to recreate them, yes?

i just might attempt annual versions of these pictures until he's 25.  or 30.

anyways, i hope everyone has a very merry christmas & spends lots of quality time with friends & family doing the things they love & relaxing & eating lots of food.  because that's what i'll be doing!

merry christmas, friends.

flashback friday: a year in iPhone pics.

so i mentioned i completed a year in iPhone pics right?  well, i did.  and it's been an awesome year.  my first "week in iPhone pics" was posted november 20, 2010 & had 14 blogs link up.  i've now posted 52 weeks in iPhone pics & have had as many as 62 blogs link up at a time.  

you guys, if you're not taking out your phone to snap those every day moments that seem too minor for a full-on camera, you should probably start now.  i'm so excited to have these snapshots of our life to look back on & remember what life with my little family was like in parker's first year of human-hood.  because it's fun.

so here's a highlight reel of our entire year in iPhone pics.  some of my favorites from november '10 to november '11, in chronological order.  

truth bomb:  you're about to scroll through lots of pictures.  and it was hard to narrow it down to this many!

you've been warned.

every day just gets more & more fun with this little guy.  can't wait to see what the next year in iPhone pics brings!

flashback friday: a year of p-ray in a shopping cart.

so if you've been reading this blog for a while now you know it's not uncommon for me to feel that an impromptu photoshoot in target/fred meyer/costco/the fabric store/insert-any-other-weird-public-place-here is totally necessary.  because duh, it is.

the other day, as i was uploading the most recent batch of parker-in-a-shopping-cart pictures, it dawned on me that dang... i have a whole collection of these bad boys.  i felt the need to revisit some of the earlier ones & that's exactly what today's flashback friday is all about.

here goes.  {almost} a full year of p-ray in a shopping cart.

december 2, 2010 -  target.  my first day out with the new camera.  parker is about 7 months old & can barely sit up in the cart.  squishy, floppy, little chub.
{originally posted here.}

december 11, 2010 - fred meyer.  epic mom fail... nuff said.
{originally posted here.}

february 16, 2011 - target.  just got back from hawaii & needed a pick me up.  obviously this worked.  parker's about ten months & extremely happy about this trip to target.
{originally posted here.}

april 5, 2011 - costco.  another rainy day shopping trip, which was pretty much the highlight of our day.  eleven months & not too sure about the sample lady.
{originally posted here.}

august 22, 2011 - joann fabric.  clearly a bit delirious from the amount of fabric shopping i'd been doing.  sixteen months & chewing with his mouth open.
{originally posted here.}

september 8, 2011 - costco.  he's just here for the samples.
{originally posted here.}

october 3, 2011 - joann fabric.  again... not too pleased with the fabric store.  seventeen months & wearing the same jacket as picture #2.

and there ya have it.  from seven months to seventeen.  this kid puts up with a lot of shopping.

do you think i'll be able to get pictures like these up until he's eighteen & headed to college?  like, "here's parker, sitting in the cart picking out sheets for his dorm at target."  i might... because yes, i am that crazy.

happy friday, yo.

thanks again for your votes.  they reset the numbers at top baby blogs every four months & if you like what you see here from time to time go ahead & click to keep us ranked towards the top-ish.  thanks!

flashback friday: parker - a year in review.

we played p-ray's one year video at his party last saturday & i have watched it at least 384,927 times since then.  i love this little bugger.

in other news, we were nominated to be in the top 25 baby journals over at circle of moms!  yay!  only thing is, i have to earn my spot in the ranks through votes.  you can vote once a day per device & the voting ends may 16.  so if  you like my little bliggity blog, i'd sure love a vote from you to help solidify me a spot in this list.  thanks friends.

{just click the link & then click the little thumbs up sign.  that's it!  thanks again.}



yup, still doing this too.  don't worry, circle of moms ends may 16.  top baby blogs?  maybe forever.

this is the last one.

i just spent the last hour typing up a post that i've decided to save & post another day.  one of those long, deep, reflection type posts.  it didn't seem fitting for the day before p-ray's big party.  so you can look forward to that next week.

you guys, this is me one year ago today.  i was thirty-nine weeks pregnant and freaking out about how the baby in my belly was going to get out.

now i'm freaking out about how 20+ people are going to fit in my house tomorrow to celebrate that baby's first birthday.  both are good types of freaking out, but i definitely like the latter one more.

we have a big day ahead of us.  shopping for food, putting up decorations, cleaning the house, & waiting for the grandparents to arrive {both sets get in tonight!}.

i can't wait to share all the details on the blog, & to see for myself how it all comes together.  i've never planned or thrown a party like this before & i have totally enjoyed the whole process.  a huge part of me is going to be so sad when it's all over.  and also?  i might have to actually start accepting the fact that my baby is actually one year old.  weird.

but in honor of a day full of party prep, here is one last sneak peak into what i'm hoping to accomplish.  behold, my pinterest party-planning-board.  and if you haven't joined pinterest yet, you totally should.  i'm addicted & so should you.

{click to enlarge}

and lastly, i want you to know that i debated a good half hour whether or not i should put my thirty-nine week bare belly shot in this post.  obviously i decided against it, so mom, you can be proud.

did i make the right choice?  what're your guys' thoughts on bare belly prego pics?  let me know.  i could still maybe be convinced.

hey!  we moved into lucky #11!  thanks for the votes guys.

party planning > being 38 weeks pregnant.

{in case you've missed the last couple flashback fridays, we're counting down to p-ray's first birthday.  you can catch up here & here.}

this time last year i was thirty-eight weeks pregnant.  i hurt everywhere & i constantly felt like someone was trying to rip open my ribs.  getting out of bed was a ten minute process & i officially accepted that i waddled rather than walked. although, i cringed every time someone mentioned it.  so actually, maybe i didn't accept it at all.

speaking of cringing... here i am, one year ago today.  yikes.

and now?  instead of counting down to baby boy's arrival, we are counting down to his first birthday.  instead of doing every possible thing i could manage to do before i had a baby, i am now frantically doing party prep & jotting down food lists & last minute party to-dos on the daily.

i know i said i was keeping most the party stuff under wraps until the big day, but again... i am just so excited for how everything is coming along i can't wait another week to share it all.

so here ya go... another sneak peak into what i've been up to in the p-ray party planning department.

oh, & is it too early to start praying for sunshine that day?  because our whole bright, cheery summer theme is gonna be real lame on a rainy seattle day.  and so is the bbq we're planning.  but the cupcakes?  pretty sure they'll be amazing rain or shine.  i.  can't.  wait.

vote vote vote!  please?

flashback friday: april 1, 2010.

one year ago today i was thirty-six weeks pregnant.

yup.

it's april, & that means it's officially time to count-down to p-ray's b-day.  this is me exactly one year ago today.  i don't even know that girl & that girl wouldn't even recognize me.  one year changes a lot.  not only does it change your hair & the way your favorite rolling stones t-shirt fits you {yup, same shirt in both pictures}, it has completely changed who i am.

i no longer lie awake at night wondering what my baby's face will look like.  now i lie awake at night laughing to myself about all the silly looks my baby's face made that day.

i can no longer say i've never changed a diaper.  i can now say i've changed a diaper on airplanes, in the backseat of a car, on my lap, in restrooms, on benches, & countless other places.

i no longer spend an hour & a half getting ready for the day.  i've stopped blowdrying & straightening my hair & have rolled with my natural air-dried curls.  i've learned to be efficient.

i'm no longer the messiest person in my house.  i now spend a good portion of my time cleaning up the mess of toys that are left in the wake of p-ray's path.

i no longer worry about how i will find time to do the things i want to do.  i now worry about filling up my baby's free time with worthwhile activities, play dates, & things that will help him grow & develop.

i no longer worry about how a baby will change the dynamic of my marriage.  i have now fallen in love with sam on a completely different & deeper level.

i no longer wonder why moms complain so much & yet still have kids.  i now understand that sometimes you just gotta vent, but you would never change a minute of any of it for the world.

i no longer go straight from the office to my bedroom at night when going to bed.  ever.  i always stop by parker's room & watch him sleep for a minute.  every.  single.  time.

i no longer think i'll be the mom who can still "do everything" & that having a kid won't change my lifestyle.  i now know what it's like to put someone else's best interests first & change my plans to accommodate a nap.

i no longer wonder if i'll know what to do when my baby cries.  i can now comfort & soothe a crying baby with the sound of my voice but still fear the day that isn't enough.

i no longer worry about how i will be able to love a little person i don't even know.  i now know what it feels like to love someone with every single part of my being.  and then some.

i'm no longer just amy, wife to sam.  i am now amy, wife to sam & mom to parker.  i'm a mom.


vote?

flashback friday - {when i was a kid.}

i remember a few things about being a kid...

• picking up snails & snakes but being terrified of slugs.
• crouching down on the bathroom floor wrapped up in a towel after my bath because i didn't want to leave the warm bathroom & get cold.
• sitting in the back of our old station wagon facing backwards looking at cars behind us.
• making up plays & performing them for my stuffed animals.
• freaking out about a new cabbage patch kid.
• wearing stirrup leggings.
• drinking grape juice out of teeny old olive jars & pretending it was fancy like on movies {obviously now i realize those were shots}.
• riding my scooter that was basically a skateboard with handle bars & flipping over frontwards, scratching up my forehead & nose.
• our old miniature poodle "chewie," who growled & snarled at me when i tried to pick him up.
• wearing one pink & one purple converse high top like punky brewster.
• pressing a washcloth up against my eyes in the bath so soap wouldn't get in them when my mom rinsed the shampoo out of my hair.
• "my little pony" was the coolest thing ever.  ever.  ever.
• eating white bread by rolling it into a smooshed up ball.
• calling bread crusts "bones."
• getting sugar cereal on christmas morning from santa.
• cutting my bangs before picture day so they would "look good."
• tucking my sweatshirts into my jeans.  yeah... i dunno.
• thinking spotlights in the sky were ghosts.
• wanting to eat steak every day of the week.
• being terrified of aliens.

ok, i'm still terrified of aliens & i still want to eat steak every day of the week.  and i still look forward to sugar cereal on christmas morning.  but at least i don't tuck my sweatshirts into my jeans anymore, right?

how about a vote to start off your weekend? yay!

flashback friday: {dominoe}

i've mentioned a few times what an awesome dog i grew up with.  dominoe was my 4H dog {yes, i was awesome & in 4H, thankyouverymuch} & was the best furry little friend a girl coulda had for thirteen years.  i got him as a puppy at twelve & had to put him down just before my 26th birthday.  he was with me through middle school, high school, college, & marriage.

anywho, if you're not a dog person this might be boring to you but if you are, you'll probably understand.  it's interesting to me how even though he's been gone over two years now, i still miss that little guy.  i can still hear the way he would greet us when we got home, the noises he would make when his ear was rubbed, & the smell of his leathery puppy feet.

i'm not sure when we'll be ready for another dog, & when that time does come, i don't think he'll be an indoor dog.  he definitely won't be sleeping on our bed, to say the least.  but i definitely want a dog for parker to grow up with... the bond between a kid & their dog is a very very important thing.

so, here's a little trip down memory lane featuring my bestest furry little friend, dominoe.

circa 1996.  i'm fourteen, he's one.

left: circa 2000.  i'm eighteen, he's five.  right: the college years.

where dominoe slept in my apartment at college.

dominoe put up with a lot from amylee on Vimeo.

dominoe came with me as part of the deal when sam & i got married.  good thing he stole sam's heart too.

circa july 2008.  one month before we had to put dominoe down.

dominoe's paw prints.  taken before we left the vet's office when he was put down.

{read about why we had to put dominoe down HERE}

are you a dog person? show the love by clicking twice to vote!  hey... how about doing it even if you're not?

flashback friday: {a recap of adventures}

so i already posted that wednesday was our fifth wedding anniversary, right?  well, here's a little more on that note that i want to share.  i had to wait til now because this was something i put together for sam, & i wanted him to see it from me first... not my blog, ya know?

anywho, i had a blast putting this together & it really makes me realize how much sam & i have been able to do together & how much fun i've had with this guy.  i'm not joking when i say i've watched this mini-movie hundreds of times already {i'm sure of it} & i love it.  every. single. time.

enjoy.


sam + amy from amylee on Vimeo.


that was fun right? if you answered yes, i'd love a vote! two clicks is all it takes.

flashback friday: camping at the beach

ever heard of a yurt?

i hadn't until sam suggested we go camping in one early april 2007.  almost four years ago.  one of our cheapest, least posh, and closest-to-home getaways yet.  this is only about two hours from where we live.  it was by far one of the most fun trips we've ever taken.

this trip was also the first (& only) time i ever saw a guy get tazered by a cop. different story, different day.

who doesn't love camping?  but in a space heater, open to the sky, wood framed, canvas topped, view of the stars, queen bed, kind of way?  perfection.

plus, we had all the perks of a normal camp trip.  hot dogs, s'mores, sam's bbq ribs over a firepit, donuts, chocolate milk. mmmm yeah, i like camp food.

hiking & our sweet little dog, dominoe.

SAM + AMY = S AM Y = SAMY.  get it?

oh to be young & in love.


i love you when you click twice & vote. seriously. i do.