Toddle Along Tuesday | 07/31/12

These are the only photos I have of Michael with any kind of furry animal. Not because he's scared of animals and I've never had the opportunity. Far from it. Its actually because of my fears. You see, Michael isn't afraid of anything. Animals included. But I am. And instead of taking photos of him with all sorts of animals, I'm the mom that hovers over him, repeating "Careful" hundreds of times. I'm watching him like a hawk, therefore, my camera never gets picked up. It doesn't matter if you're a teacup kind-of-dog or a jelly fish or lizard. Even ants. Michael shows no fear.

I vividly remember my husband's Spring party which was held at his boss' house earlier this year. His boss owns a pitbull, which they just adopted the day before. Mommy alarm obviously goes off and I kept repeating to myself and to my husband "Do not let him in the backyard." Of course, the party was being held in the backyard. Where else would it be? And despite the pool, the unbelievable play area with two swings and a slide, all the open grass space, there was only one thing on Michael's radar- the dog. Which he ran to and gave the biggest hug. I can tell you that my heart stopped beating for a second.

Thankfully the dog was a really mellow dog who loved hugs and just laying in the shade. His boss assured us that he wouldn't have gotten a dog that was "dangerous" since he himself has 3 young daughters. But my goodness, Michael.

~Kristina

Mom's Monday Mingle | 07/30/12

One more Disneyland picture because I miss the weekend already.

~Kristina

Steppin' Out Saturdays | 07/28/12

 

Crossroads of the West Gun Show

Michael:

shirt- Old Navy

shorts- Target

shoes- Native

~Kristina

Reflection | Time

Three people living off of one income is hard. It's no joke. But amidst the monthly budgeting, sacrificing of the latest trends in fashion I spotted on Pinterest, and choosing the Mac & Cheese instead of that In-N-Out burger...again, I, a former shopaholic, have just one lesson that I want to share with you today:

Money doesn't buy you time.

Nor can you substitute it.

The other day, some friends of ours told us about their plans for their day off. Plans that didn't involve their kid.

Now granted, I cherish these friends. And I know parents need their "me" time or a "date night" or just need to time to grocery shop without worrying that their toddler will drop the can of spaghetti sauce on aisle 7. And I know, I don't know every part of their lives or see how their lives unfold day in and day out.

But their comment left a sour taste in my mouth. And made my heart hurt a little for their kid.

Maybe it was the delivery of it all. Or maybe it was my jealousy.

Because time is precious. Time is sacred. Time is a blessing. And time is not promised.

There have been so many things I wish I had the money for to buy Michael. Or I would stress out about being able to provide the best for him, being able to pay the tuition for future school and (gasp) college, to be able to allow him to join all the sports leagues his heart desires, or to simply pay for next year's Disneyland Annual Pass.

But just looking back at his two years of life, I don't wish I had money to buy those things. I actually wish I had more time. To cherish those special moments. I wish my husband could experience what I see everyday. How Michael grows and changes every second. I wish my Dad had more time to meet Michael. I wish my Mother-in-law had more time to see how he's really counting now. I wish my Mom had more time to not have to work, but to spend it with her 2 growing grand kids.

But our friends have that time. And I judged them.

I judged them because I wouldn't say that. Because I wish I had more time like they do.


~Kristina

Disneyland | 07/27/12

 

1. Birthday Boy Pin

2. Flo's V8 Cafe

3. Chillin' w/ Red

4. Patiently Waiting

5. Favorite Photo

6. it's a small world

7. Lemme In

8. Kissies Mommy

9. Typical Shoe Pic

10. No Glasses

11. Pluto

~Kristina

Happy Birthday Daddy! :)

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”  -Bob Marley

Looking Back Reflection | Blog Name

I know. I've been super slacking here. I convinced myself that this 365 Day Photo Challenge was sufficient enough to keep this blog going. But it's not. And this time, I care about the well being of my blog. So I'm saving the excuses (for another time, just kidding) and am going to write. Cause if I just wanted to post photos, there are other platforms for that. Here is where I write.

"Cute blog name." That's the one comment Yo Michael Michael! always gets. No exaggeration. So today, why not tell you about why & how I got to this place?

My husband and I have our own passions. And these passions often come out in the form of collecting. When I was younger, I loved (and still do) sports. I collected trading cards, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, mini posters, etc. and organized them all in my 3 inch ring binder.

One of the things that ran through my mind when I was pregnant was what Michael's passions would be. Would he be the same and collect sports memorabilia? Would he love music and collect guitar picks? I even had a quirky friend who loved art so much, she collected color pencils as a child.

Yo Gabba Gabba! was the first indication of interest that Michael ever showed. We actually recorded the Jack Black episode for ourselves, since we heard it was just that funny. Long story short, he watched it too. And enjoyed it as much as we did. He even sat through an entire Yo Gabba Gabba! live show with no problems. Remember?

Books were an acquired taste. We introduced him to different toys but they never kept his attention for more than a minute. And Baby Einstein was just a phase, thank goodness. Yo Gabba Gabba! Michael loved. And still does.

Yo Michael Michael! sounded like such a cute blog name. So I went for it & even bought a domain. But at the renewal period this year, I thought that it would be the perfect time for change. Maybe a Cars name since its his new thing? Or how about something for me since this is partly my blog. Or what about a family centered name? Too cliche?

I opted to save the name as a remembrance of how and when Michael's personality started. And how it's developed so much already.

Sure, he doesn't watch Yo Gabba Gabba! as much as Toy Story, Super Why!, or Cars. He doesn't grab his Muno toy as fast as the football. He doesn't choose the Yo Gabba Gabba! iPhone videos as quick as the Numbers app. A Yo Gabba Gabba! themed party doesn't seem to be a plan in the future. But this was his beginning.

And its my blogging beginning too.


~Kristina

Balloon Smiles

 

76/365

6:50a

A lesson to be learned- We must all wake up this happy everyday.

Daddy's iPhone

Napping w/ Daddy & Mommy

74/365

3:50p

75/365

3:50p

Masa

73/365

12p

Masa

InstaFriday | 07/20/12

71/365
1:45p
Michael, Thanks for changing my username, deleting my profile pic of you, unfollowing some people, & blocking some others.




72/365
9a
Daddy's Birthday Breakfast Celebration @ Work
Daddy's iPhone

~Kristina

A Visitor

70/365

7p

Mrs. Nelson's

69/365

10a

Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop

No End In Sight...

 

 68/365

7:30a

..To His Obsession

How He Sleeps With the Pacifier

67/365

2p

What He'd Rather Do

 

66/365

11:15a

Forget the playground. Michael would rather play with the leaves at the park.

Farrell's

 

 65/365

11a

Daddy's iPhone

Cow Appreciation Day

 

64/365

11a

What was left of our costumes from Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day, better known as dress like a cow & get a free meal day.

Blogger App

63/365
10:45a
First post using the Blogger app

Thematic Attic

 

 62/365

10:45a

Thematic Attic

FaceTime

 

 60/365

61/365

 

62/365

Stingray

59/365

10:15a

Daddy's iPhone (Because I forgot our Lumix Smh)

Looking Back Reflection | The Cry

I can remember it as if it happened just yesterday. The sound, the look, & the feel of her cry truly traumatized me. I sometimes laugh at it the memory of it, but moreso, feel sorry, pity even, for her mom. And a part of me just wants to yell to the masses, "I told you so!" which explains why I'm here today. Here's the backstory-

When our families & friends found out about our decision for me to stay at home with Michael, we received a lot of "You'll hate it", "You'll want to go back to work", and "You'll create a spoiled brat".
But the one unsolicited opinion we got the most was "He'll get too attached."

The first thing that came to mind was, "Why wouldn't I want him to be attached to me? Is it really that wrong for a parent to have a healthy, loving relationship with their child?"

Speaking of unsolicited opinions, I have never given mine to another parent.

Back to a month ago. We were at a family function and an aunt of ours (that aunt who gave me her opinion on her working parenting expertise) had to get something from her car. Her car that was parked in the driveway. She left for no more than 5 minutes. And her daughter (the one that wasn't the attached one because she was the perfect parent and worked and had her adult interaction time and allowed for her daughter to have her own child interaction time) cried, yelled, stood in front of the door, kicked and screamed, ignored our Grandma despite her pleads to stop, until. her. mom. came. back.

An uncle of ours even said under his breath, "She always gets like that when she leaves."

I thought to myself, Michael has never done that. Sure, he has thrown tantrums, but nothing of that caliber. Even when I run errands, or go for a run, or when we have our date nights. He has never thrown a fit when we would leave. He might actually be excited that we're leaving. :\

We've never even had to bust out some ninja moves to escape his line of sight so that he wouldn't throw a fit.

Maybe her definition of attachment is different from ours. Every parent's definition of attachment can be different. Again, I view attachment as a healthy, loving relationship whether or not you work or stay at home. For us, we have been blessed with the opportunity for me to stay at home with him, but we too, similar to any working parent, still have our own challenges. Like I always say, whatever works for your family. Just don't put another parent down for their choices. Unless, you know, you physically see them putting their child in some real danger.

If I was creating a "spoiled brat" or child that was too attached, I would definitely not contribute it to me staying at home. Because this case just proves that you can still work and have an "attached" child.

Now take that to the bank.


~Kristina

Foodie Friday | 07/06/12

58/365

2p

Red, White, & Blueberry Trifle (Recipe here)
Daddy's iPhone

~Kristina

Thankful Thursdays | 07/05/12

57/3651pThankful Thursdays



~Kristina

Wordless Wednesdays | 07/04/12

56/3657pAttempt# 457275089243657265 Lighting 1 Sparkler

~Kristina

Toddle Along Tuesdays | 07/03/12

55/36511aSummer Fun

~Kristina

Mommy & Me Mondays | 07/02/12

Radiator Springs
54/36510:30aLumix

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?