Updates

Wow! Again, I have gotten very, very behind on keeping up with my blog but I'm sure none of you are surprised. Here's a little rundown on what's been happening with us lately.





Sawyer Dawn: "Sawyer!?! Who's that?" Is that a question you are asking yourself? Sawyer is our baby GIRL due March 13th. Well, our tech wouldn't confirm that it is a girl but we sure didn't see any boy bits. Here are a few ultrasound photos of our beautiful blessing.





Lainee: Well, what can I say? She is as FEISTY as ever. Our little princess has gotten a little attitude that's for sure and I'm really not quite sure where she gets it. I do like to call her a mini-Nicole because some of her behavior reminds me a lot of my youngest sister. Despite her orneriness, she can also be the sweetest little thing, my little cuddle bug. She has really gotten into wrestling around with her big brother and we have started to realize how TOUGH she really is. She can throw down with the best of them, at least fellow 1 year olds, I'm sure. She's starting to say more words, she's really good at "N-N-N-n-n-OOO" and "thank you" which sounds a little like "tank yew" Her little voice is SO adorable. What a little cutie we've got on our hands. I'm pretty sure poor Chad is already dreading teenage years. haha





KJ: My little man! It's amazing to watch this little guy, to have conversations with him and to hear how his mind works. He has SUCH an imagination. He will say things that completely blow me away, crack me up or make me say "Whaaaaa---?" I've said it before and I'll say it again, he's such a smart kid. Sadly, I've fallen off the bandwagon with trying to do pre-school with him so I hope to get a curriculum set and really dig in after the new year. He really enjoys learning and he loves to write, color and do crafts. He's also a good little singer AND lip syncher. He really gets into music. He's also our little bum at times, I think he could lay on the couch watching The Disney Channel all day long if we let him. He's a wonderful big brother to his little sister and they really have a lot of fun together. I'm such a lucky mommy to have the babies that I do. :)





Daddy: Chad had quite an experience when he went to JAPAN at the beginning of November for work. It has been his first time out of the country (other than Canada) and he got to explore a little bit of Kobe and Tokyo. It was hard, him being away, but I know it was good for him. He also got to experience more of the "business" side of his job as he is usually working away in the lab while at work. Despite his big trip, he has been busy being a WONDERFUL father. KJ & Lainee absolutely adore their daddy. He will get home after a day at work and still find the time and energy to wrestle around with them on the floor, give them horsey rides around the house and spend his downtime cuddling them on the couch. He is such a great, great man and we are lucky to have him!



Mommy: What have I been up to besides growing a 3rd little cutie? Well, at the end of October, I, with the help of many wonderful people, ran a "Cookes For Kids' Cancer" Bakesale in which we were able to raise over $800. I really enjoyed working for such a GREAT cause and I highly encourage anyone interested to check it out and give it a shot! Glad also matched what we raise which was really wonderful.

http://www.cookiesforkidscancer.org/default.asp

I also have been busy with my photography business. I've got to work with some really wonderful people and I've really been enjoying it. I'm currently taking time off for the holidays but plan on starting back up after the new year (at least for a couple months until Sawyer arrives).

http://jessicagreenfieldphotography.com/

Mostly, I've been busy being a mommy. Although, like I said, I have not been as dedicated with learning activities and plan on changing that soon. I enjoy playing around with the kiddos, being silly and just being a mom to the two most wonderful kids I know. I couldn't be more blessed. God has given me so, so much to be thankful for!

Happy Fall!

Once again it has been a long time since I've posted. Since my last post, KJ has turned 3 YEARS OLD! I can't even believe it. It seems like I just had the little guy. We had two really great birthday parties for him, Phineas & Ferb themed, of course. It's fun to watch how excited they get as they get older and know more of what's going on. We had fun with family and friends and it was great to spend time with everyone. Here are a few pictures from his parties in Shelton and here at home.







KJ is such a smart little boy. I need to get on the ball and start doing more pre-school activities with him, he loves to learn and I really need to take advantage of that! He's such a wonderful son and he sure loves his little sister who loves him right back! Love that little guy!

Little Miss Lainee is growing, growing! She is our feisty kid, for sure. She has started throwing fits, fits where she throws herself down on the ground and just cries and cries or she will get angry and want to hit whatever is in sight. Luckily, they seem to be getting better and I hope it's something she grows out of REALLY soon. She, like her brother, is also very smart. She's started to understand everything we tell her or ask her do and she likes to "talk" more and more. She still doesn't say many words but just the fact that she is becoming more vocal is pretty exciting. I'm sure she will be a chatterbox soon enough. Despite her orneriness, she can be the sweetest little thing at times and we just love her to pieces! We are so blessed to have two adorable, healthy, awesome children with another on the way!

As for #3, this pregnancy has been going really well. We should be able to find out what the little squirt is in the next few weeks. We are getting a lot of boy guesses, so we will see who is right when the time comes. Feel free to make a guess on our guessing game:

http://expectnet.com/games/babygreenfield3

Chad has been keeping really busy at work and is only about to get busier. He is going to be working a night shift for a little while as they have a big order they are working on and then once they are done with that, he will be heading off to Japan for about a week on business. It's going to be strange not having him here for that long. We've only spent one night apart since we were married, it will be an adjustment, but at least it's only for a week.

I've been working on my photography business. I have a few shoots coming up and I've been trying to get some holiday cards done in hopes I might get some orders of those. I'm enjoying it. It doesn't keep me too busy, but I don't want it to be a full-time job. I'm a mom first, and that is what I want to be the busiest with! :)

Well, I think that has kind of caught me up for now. Happy Fall!!

4 years & #3

4 years ago today I married my best friend! I'm such a lucky girl, I can't even put into words how completely in love I am with my hubby. He's such an incredible husband, father and man in general. 4 years down and hopefully MANY, MANY, MANY more to go!

AND...

It looks like we will be welcoming baby #3 in March. My due date, by ultrasound, is March 1th! We are really excited and I'm REALLY excited to get over these rough weeks of nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, etc... I've been so pathetic the last couple weeks. I have no energy or motivation to do ANYTHING. Thank goodness Chad is so awesome and lets me lay down and rest when I need to. He's even picked up extra chores around the house.

SLACKER

I'm referring to msyelf in this title. Where I have been in the blogging world? I'm not even sure. I decided to nix the challenge. I think I did too many in a row and I just grew kind of sick of them. So... I'm not even finishing my own challenge. ha Here is what has been going on in our world.

First of all, our Lainee bug turned ONE! I know, where has the time gone? Seems like it was just yesterday I was blogging about having her and here we are one year later with a walking, (kind of) talking, adorable (practically a) toddler! What a fun year it has been. She is such a wonderful girl and we are so blessed that she is our daughter. She keeps us laughing, smiling and I know I just love her more and more everyday. We celebrated her birthday twice, once in Shelton and once here at home. Here are some pictures of the birthday fun that was had!

Pictures from her birthday here:

We also went to Ocean Shores while we were on the west side. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the sand with their daddy and I had a lot of fun taking pictures! :)

I've also been busy with trying to get my photography business up and running. I now have a website, woohoo!

http://jessicagreenfieldphotography.com/

Please contact me if you are interested or would like some info!! :)

Other than that, we've been hanging out and enjoying the summer sun (when it's out and around)! Happy July!!

Day 8: What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?

Easy- Becoming a mommy!

Day 7: Are you in a successful relationship?

I have been seriously SLACKING with my blog. I can't even keep up with MY OWN challenge! I've been working on getting my FB photography page up and trying to work out all of the details for that. I hope to start charging next week (and HOPEFULLY) I'll have people who are interested!

Now... on to the challenge.

I am in a very successful relationship! I seriously couldn't have found a better man. I've already gushed about him in past posts so I don't think I really need to go into detail there. He is truly my better half. He knows just what to say to make me feel better and also knows when to push my buttons (always deserved). He is an excellent father and he does such an excellent job taking care of us.

He was my best friend before we were married and I think that is an excellent foundation for any marriage. It didn't take me long at all to fall for him and once I did I knew he was the one for me and here we are almost 6 years later, still going strong! :)

Day 6: Did you go to college? Where?

Yes 2 places, actually.

WSU



and CWU

I miss college.

Day 5: Best day of your life

Ok, I have three that fit this description. I can't choose one over the other because all three were equally special and wonderful.

1. The day Chad and I got married!
2. The day I had KJ.
3. The day I had Lainee.

I don't think I even really need to go into detail about why these would be the best days of my life... pretty sure it's obvious.

Day 4: Tips for successful budgeting

So, I got behind a couple days... we've had family over and I just forgot. Also, this is my least favorite topic to write about but I kept it because it is helpful.

I can only tell you what works for us. We try not to overspend and we definitely try to save. I created a budget once but we only used it for a month or so and then forgot. Maybe I should try that again. As you can see, I'm really struggling with what to even write here. :) So, if I think of some helpful tips I will definitely post them!

Day 3: Describe your dream house, are you living in it?

I am NOT currently living in my dream house. My dream house would have the following things:

• A wrap-around porch
• At least 4 bedrooms
• A photography studio
• A craft room for artsy fartsy stuff
• LOTS AND LOTS of storage space
• A theater
• Chad's own space for whatever he would like in it
• A playroom for the kiddos where ALL of the toys would stay (yeah right!)
• A library
• Open floorplan with plenty of light throughout the house
• It would sit in the middle of a really big, fun yard
• and LOTS AND LOTS of LOVE (insert collective "aaawwwww" here"

That is quite a wish list I know but I am describing my dream house. I'm sure there are other things I would add to that but I can't think of them right now. Chad and I have found a house plan that we both really like and are hoping to build a house in the next 5 years or so. It doesn't have everything I mentioned above but it's still pretty great and it will still be a "dream" house for me.

Day 2: Describe your dream job, are you doing it now?

I think I am doing my dream job. Sure, growing up I wanted to be an actress or a singer (yeah right!) but I'm currently doing what I love... MOMMYHOOD! When I thought about this topic, I instantly remembered witting in my Panama City, FL room talking to one of my best friends about how we would love to be able to one day stay home with our children. Luckily, I'm blessed to be able to do just that. I couldn't imagine anything else... However,...

I recently, as you know, started getting more into photography. If I could do this as a side job, that would be PERFECT. I really enjoy photography and would love to do it as a small business.

Day 1: Describe your current lifestyle in some detail.

I have a FABULOUS life!

• A wonderful husband!
• 2 healthy, adorable, loving, entertaining, precious children!
• A fantastic FAMILY!!
• A faith in my Lord and Savior that can get me through anything!

Because of those four things above, I am SO, COMPLETELY BLESSED! I have so much to be thankful for and my life basically revolves around those four things I mentioned. So... to describe my lifestyle...

I am married to Chad who is an amazing hubby, father and friend. Together we have two of the best darn kids anyone kid over ask for and we spend our time teaching them, loving them, sometimes scolding them and well, parenting them. My lifestyle? I'm a MOM, that is what I do. I take care of my babies, I cook for them, I (sometimes) clean for them. ;) I try to be the best mom I can be for THEM. I know that there are many times when I spend way too much time playing around on this computer when I should be interacting with them more but I also know that free play is good for them too. I know that I make mistakes but I hope they are in no way detrimental to their growing up. (I'm pretty darn sure they are not.) I love them (and their daddy and the rest of my family) with all of my heart and I hope to be the best person I can be for each and everyone of them.

Ok... so I'm not sure if that is really going into detail about my "lifestyle" but that's my life (in a very, very small nutshell).

10, No make that 11 Day Challenge About Life

Ok, so I realized I'm much better at blogging when I already have a topic in place. So here is my next 10 Day Challenge and it's about... LIFE! I just made it 11 days because I thought of another topic. So here is the 11 Day Challenge about LIFE!

Day 1: Describe your current lifestyle in some detail.
Day 2: Describe your dream job, are you doing it now?
Day 3: Describe your dream house, are you living in it?
Day 4: Tips for successful budgeting
Day 5: Best day of your life
Day 6: Did you go to college? Where?
Day 7: Are you in a successful relationship?
Day 8: What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
Day 9: If someone told you 10 years ago that this is where you would be today, would you have believed them?
Day 10: What is the most important thing in your life right now?
Day 11: If you had ONE day to do ANYTHING you wanted, what would you do?

Ready for summer!

Lainee and I are currently fighting colds and it makes me want summer even more. Why? Well, it seems like colds decrease dramatically and I don't remember ever getting sick during the summer (let's hope I just didn't jinx myself). I'm also ready for summer so we can bring out the kiddie pools and let the kids play in the water. And then there are BBQs, relaxing evenings outside enjoying peace and quiet, smell of suntan lotion, popsicles & ice cream, etc... I could go on and on. The weather has been so crazy around here and it's time for it to just figure it out and get consistent!

We did have some nice days last weekend and the kids had fun playing with KJ's new sprinkler ball and we had a pretty sweet squirtgun fight.

So, I've really started getting into photography. I'm constantly checking out a new photography group I joined, always looking for volunteers who will allow me to take their pictures and continuing to practice to improve upon my skills. I really love doing it and I want to be good enough so that I can photograph others and potentially have my own small business doing so. Jessica Greenfield Photography-I already have my name and logo! Just have to continue to portfolio build and hopefully make something of this hobby of mine.

Wow, where have I been?

Oh, I know! Spending all of my computer time getting my shop up and running!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sillyfacedesigns

Check it out if you have the time. :)


Other things I've been doing? Well, I just started KJ on a new preschool curriculum a couple of weeks ago, here is the link:
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/Preparatory.html
I'm thinking about changing it up though. I feel that the theme of the week should begin with the letter of the week that he is learning about and that everything should just fit together better... so, I think I'm going to create my own curriculum using peices from that website and maybe others.

We spent this last weekend in Shelton for Chad's grandpa's memorial. It was sad to "officially" say goodbye but it was nice to see family, as always. We already have a few trips planned back to the west side this summer, should be lots of fun!!

So, I'm still working out but my diet has not been so great. I'm hoping to get myself back into it and get back to losing weight. The good: I havn't gained any, the bad: I havn't lost anymore... so, it's definitely time to get back to eating better. Also, I'm going to be an aunt soon!! Ashley is due in a few weeks and I have to say that I'm pretty darn excited. I'm also working on getting better with my photography so that others may let me practice on their children, that would be groovy.

Chad is keeping busy with work and always finding new jobs that we need to do around here. KJ is cracking me up daily with some of the things he's saying or doing. He is such a funny kid. And Lainee, well she is everywhere!! She's such a good walker and she's also my little clingon. :) Speaking of, she needs up now.

So, I'm cutting this short. I know it was kind of strangly written and pretty random but there it is.

Ode to Chad

(over a week late, but it's here)

I married an incredible man.

Had I had a checklist before we got together, I'm pretty sure he would have met everyone of the qualifications I was looking for, here are some characteristics that I may have put on it, had I had one.

Christian... Check

Sweet... Check
Funny... Check

Handsome, Hot, Nice butt... Check, Check, Check ... ;)

Sarcastic... Check

Loves me for me... Check

Honest... Check

Great Daddy... Check (Ok, so this isn't something I could have checked off after meeting him, but it's something I could have guessed. Does that make sense?)

There are many more traits that Chad has that I love but it could take a while for me to think of a bunch of more adjectives to describe him. So, let's just go into detail about some of those that I mentioned.

Sweet

Chad can be so incredibly sweet. Whenever I'm going crazy and worrying about stuff he knows just what to do to make me feel better and relax (a little). He also tries to think of ways to surprise me or do really neat things for me. Even if he doesn't always to do them, it's the thought that counts.

A Good Daddy

He is such a GREAT, GREAT, GREAT dad. I don't think I can emphasize enough how great of a father he is and how lucky KJ and Lainee are to have him as their dad. They both just adore him and KJ is such a "Daddy's boy". Once Chad is home, KJ wants to be where he is, he loves helping him with projects and watching "PTI" with his Daddy. And Lainee, well, she completely lights up when Daddy walks in the door. Her eyes get so big and a huge smile covers her face as she starts shaking her arms, wanting to jump into her daddy's arms. So incredible.

Loves me for Me

Im a dork, a big one and I'm still not sure how Chad fell for me. I remember when we first met and the first few times we hung out, I wanted so badly for him to like me but I figured I most likely wasn't going to win him over. Luckily, I was wrong! I'm so lucky to be loved the way Chad loves me. It's pretty amazing. The way he looks at me sometimes... how did I get so lucky to be looked at like that? It's one look and I know how much he loves me.

He puts up with me. When I'm crazy, in a bad mood, being a butthead... he's just patient and lets me throw a tantrum or whatever it is I need to do and he's there for me when I bounce back. Again, I'm so lucky!

Sarcastic/Funny

Some people may have a problem with his sarcasm, but it's one of the things I love most. He's so, so funny and I'm often the butt of his sarcasm/jokes. Luckily, I've never had a problem with it and it's most likely because I grew up with a pretty sarcastic Dad who also made me the butt of a lot of his jokes. I like to think that I'm pretty sarcastic too and that is one of the reasons Chad and I first found interest in one another.

So again, I really did with the lottery when it came to finding the man to spend the rest of my life with. I'm so thankful and so very, very blessed to have a loving husband who just loves to spend time with me and our children. I could spend every minute with him and I still wouldn't get tired of him.

Chad, if you read this... I LOVE YOU VERY, VERY MUCH and I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with you. saltrocks.

NEW CAMERA, NEW CAMERA, NEW CAAAAAAAAAAAAAMERA!!!

**I know this should be an "Ode to Chad" post but I had to post about this.

I finally got it! My NEW camera. We went to Costco yesterday and Chad got me the Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i w/ 2 lens kit. I am so excited and I'm hoping that I can possibly get good enough to take photos of others. I've already started reading articles and I've been practicing on the kids... the picture is just SO, SO, SO much better than on my point and shoot. Here are some of the photos I got this morning. I was experimenting with natural light in Lainee's room (as you can see, I still need A LOT of practice). :)

So... if you are looking for someone to take pictures (for free), I would love to practice!