at 15 months

max is in a new phase. a new phase that has a few not so fun aspects to it. but let's talk about 15 month maxson!


he is a gentle giant. 95% of the time he is pretty dang sweet to the people around him, those smaller especially. that doesn't mean he doesn't fight (read yell) over toys with other little kids in a battle for the toy but he's still doing pretty well regarding that whole area.

he uses the fork/spoon really well now, it's amazing to watch him develop and actually get the concept.

eating and sleeping are hit and miss in both categories. you win some, you lose some. but there is lots of winning going on so i can't complain too much.

he loves to play peek a boo, and i mean playing peek a boo when he's hiding his eyes from you, it's so darling.

we play outside as much as possible, exploring is a favorite for sure.

favorite items include phones, computers, ipads, books, and specific foods. balls are definitely making a new push for top of the toy chain.

yelling, he loves to yell, yell in frustration, yell to be funny, yell in madness, yell in happiness, yell to get your attention. lots of yelling…waiting on those words to appear…

loves reading books/flipping through them.

church is getting hard. this is the 4th sunday in a row where after sacrament reading we are both exhausted looking at each other like "how can we keep doing this?" ha, i know it will get better, but it is beginning to get more difficult that it was before!

he's climbing on everything. nothing is safe from his reach, seriously. a con to having tall children is they can reach things so much more easily, ha.

15 month stats:
height: 32 1/2 in, 87%ile
weight: 26# 13 oz, 93%ile
head 18 3/4 in, 75-90%ile

i think we are beginning to see a small glimpse of what temper tantrums with this boy will look like, and they're not pretty. but he's worth all the tears, sleepless nights, prayers, and frustrations. love him so darn much. every day i just kiss on his little face as much as i can and he's so patient at allowing me to do so! we love you mr maximus.

in the picture

in the picture

PS if you haven't seen my photo blog lately, go take a looky! i've updated it recently and will continue to do so this week with my indiana photoshoots!

fyi- i'll be coming to the utah area middle of may and arizona in the dead heat of the summer in august, ha. thinking about doing some (indoor?) kid sessions while there...

books

books and food* are maxson's love languages as of lately.
*food other people are eating
but for now we'll focus on books.

all day long maxson does which?

a. take all the books off the shelf/out of the basket
b. flips through books on the ground
c. brings me books to read to him
d. forces me to sit down so he can sit on my lap so i will read a book to him
e. all the above

e is the correct answer my friends.
it's a fun new stage. he's been interested in flipping through the books for a few months now, but it's only been the last couple weeks that he's been insistent on sitting on my lap to read him a book.
he can only get all the way through a handful of books: moo, baa, la la la; where the wild things are; goodnight moon; the going to bed book.
usually after 2-3 pages he gets up to find another book, runs back to me with a big grin, and situates himself on my lap to begin again.
we go through about 12 books in this process.

it's pretty cute…

2013 photo album

TA-DA!!

our 2013 album was shipped last week and i'm thrilled how it turned out!

i decided to go with blurb again this year since
a) i can do over 100 pages
b) i can do a 12x12 and fit more pictures/page

here's some samples of a few pages this year.
this was the first year i added writing to it, and even then, only a little.
for the most part it was small bits and pieces copy and pasted from the blog to the book and i only did that if a) there was something that needed explaining b) there was an empty picture spot that could make writing work

referring back to my blog makes making the photo book 1000x easier, all of my (good) iPhone pictures are already organized into sets of 4 because of the blog so i just plug them into big square settings, it gets a little picture heavy, but, eh, whatever.

the main thing i did different this year was put more pictures per page and have less photo layouts where it was 1 giniormous picture taking up 1 or 2 pages. i didn't put any picture on a full 2 page spread this year because the picture just becomes overly ginormous, think 1 ft/2 ft, that's got to be a crazy good/meaningful picture (maybe one year i'll do it again). the only pictures i made huge and put on its own full 1 page layout was big family pictures or my ultimate favorite family of 3 pics. even when there's 2-4 picture per page, those pictures are still BIG.

i always tape our christmas card to the back of the photo album

and here's a comparison of all the years.
2010/2011 are mypublisher. super great quality. 8x11's, 100 pages each.
2012/2013 are blurb. good quality (granted i could order a higher quality paper/printing on these book, but i just go with the cheapest option with any company usually) 12x12's, close to 200 pages each.

when maxson was like 7 months old he got to the 2012 album (my first blurb one) and easily ripped out 2 pages, they came out easily and seamlessly sadly enough, but i just push them back in. i think that might come with the nature of a 200 page book and how the binding is, that's been my only complaint.

in the end, i think the price comparisons are about the same for the 2 books, with coupons for each company, my blurb books have twice as many pages and more picture space per page and the cost reflects that: more than twice as much per album, but that ay ok with me


i got a mailer with a coupon from blurb for a 30% off your next order of $75 or more, but i don't have another book i need to make at this point really. so any of you can use it!
it expires march 31.
the code is YOURGIFT.
now hurry and go make a book!!!!
btw 30% off is a BIG coupon for blurb, the best i could find was 20% for this book i think.

if you have any questions on some of the details of my book while making yours, just let me know, and i'd be more than happy to help!

ALSO there is a referral program with blurb, you and i both can get $20 off our next books if i send you a referral link and you buy a book (you could probably add it to you 30% coupon above!)
so if you want to start a book, shoot me an email at kimberwo (@) gmail dot com so i can refer you ;)

lately

Excuse my absence of regular postings! Jeeze! Every night I think about blogging but between a bunch of dilemmas it hasn't been happening! So I give you to you, reasons I haven't blogged lately aka: what i've been up to.

1. we be loving the tonight show with jimmy fallon. curses to that show for keeping us up so late therefor making us tired every morning but props to making us laugh every night. i sincerely would like to be that man's friend.

2. reading the book i am a mother. FRIENDS: read this book. it's a super duper quick read (i'm not into reading books usually, listening to them is my thing) but this is a fast, enticing, uplifting book on motherhood that i promise promise promise  you will love and love that i told you to read it. don't put this suggestion to the wayside. and it's a short read, so no huge commitment.

3. playing outside and with friends. for two days it got up to 70+ degrees around here and i was the happiest person ever. i was rolling my windows down when it got up to 39 so 70 was HOT for me, i was literally sweating while at the park with maxson but my body and soul loved the warmth of the sun. maxson loves to run away from me run everywhere. no but really he is adorable to watch outside, his curiosity of this new world not restricted by coats, boots, gloves, and snow pants is off the charts. i love it dearly and it makes my heart smile. tonight we had dinner outside with the missionaries and after we ate maxson was just running around, we watched him play in the dirt by our garden boxes. i'm all up for letting him get dirty (especially in the evenings) but then we watched him stick a mouthful of dirt in his mouth. we all laughed at it. then he did it again and we all laughed again but called to him to not do it (he was about 2-3 car lengths way from us). cue more dirt shoved in mouth followed more laughter and more fervent pleas in not putting dirt in your mouth. this followed by at least 3 more mouthfuls of dirt being frantically shoved in his mouth as i jumped off the bench to get him to physically stop. why child why? of course i didn't completely stop him, i went in to get my camera…

4. being a lot more diligent at food planning, food prepping, and house clean up lately. i still go in my waves of good and bad of this and usually for two days a week i lose it all and then find renewed energy to pick up the pieces and begin again.

5. my computer is on its deathbed. it is getting pretty slow, even with me taking all my pictures off onto back up hard drives. AND it is crazy finicky at charging lately. only casey can get the blasted thing to charge and he has to work with it awhile before it acknowledges that it's being charged, mmeh, don't die computer!!! i need you to last me 2 1/2 more years!!!!

6. speaking of computers, maxson kinda wrecked casey's. the screen part is all wobbly and half of it is disconnected from the keyboard...

7. my "in the picture" project. the past few days when i've thought to blog i also think, mmeh, but i should update those pictures, ha

and there we have it

#banbossy

i learned of the ban bossy campaign going on and it struck true to my heart.

uniforms make you feel in charge. from byu library security days

When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a "leader.” Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded “bossy.” Words like bossy send a message: don't raise your hand or speak up. By middle school, girls are less interested in leading than boys—a trend that continues into adulthood. Together we can encourage girls to lead.

family reunion pic circa 2010

i've definitely been labeled as bossy in my life, and it may be true that i tend to portray  a quality as such.

but i've also been lucky to have been shown and told by others that i have leadership qualities, and so that's usually how i acknowledge this trait of mine. 

i think what makes the difference between bossy and leaderly is the character behind those words/actions. example:

#1 it's time to go to the park everyone, let's go.

#2 i think we're going to head to the park if anyone wants to join.

those are probably really stupid examples but get what i mean? 

i was once in a situation where a guy yelled out "too many chiefs! not enough indians!"

it made us all laugh out loud.

i love that phrase.

sometimes you just gotta step back and let someone else lead, and do so kindly without interjecting your own thoughts on the situation, just follow along, it will all be ok in the end.

this post was mostly for bossy kimber to remind herself what to work on,

because i imagine all my readers/friends have already perfected this trait ;)

am i the only one who struggles with this quality

in the picture

here's the updates on my "in the picture" challenge

so friends, have you been doing it?
leave me a link to your blog if you have!


***

in other news, i just must share another recipe with you.
it's FOOL PROOF bread machine rolls.
they are from my friend megan.
they seriously turn out so amazing EVERY TIME.
i dare say their fluffiness is akin to that of a krispy kreme doughnut,
enticed?

Put in bread machine in this order:

1 c water

1 egg

2 T butter softened

2 T oil

3 1/4 c flour

1/4 c sugar

1 t salt

3 T dry milk

1 1/2 t yeast

roll out with light flour. butter the top (i skip this), cut like pizza, roll up like crescent. let rise double about 30 min. cook at 400 for 10 min or 350 for 13 min. makes 12 large rolls.

after making these rolls pretty darn often since thanksgiving i can finally say i'm good at them and that they don't feel like a ton of effort anymore.

my friend's bread machine can handle a double batch of this stuff, mine cannot.

so start with just a single and see where it goes.

i love my friends

2 items of business before i begin with my "i love my friends post"

1. i guest posted on my friend's blog, the girlfriend letters about body image this week. you read it here. thank you danielle for having me!

2. this month i'm challenging myself to be in a picture everyday of the month. mom always tends to be behind the camera and not in the pictures very much lately. i'm definitely in an it's-ok-i'll-just-take-the-picture-of-everyone-because-i-do-it-best rut. i also haven't been that  good at asking casey to take pictures with me in it. it's not his first thought to take a picture of small motherhood moments like it is for me with cute fatherhood moments or maxson moments but i want to be remember in maxson's life to! want to do it with me?! who cares about quality or how good/not good you look, just capture real life. cell phone, point and shoot, dslr, photo booth, self-timer. i don't care. GET IN THE PICTURE!  you can post the photos everyday or once a week on whatever platform you wish (or don't post them at all, just do it…) but be creative and have fun with it! i'm excited to challenge myself! will you do it with me? here's my picture of march 1:

side note: this self timer picture took 10 pictures, of the 10, 8 had maxson staring at the camera, haha.

onto regular scheduled programming:

i am so incredibly blessed. the past 2 days i have been surrounded by incredible women/friends of mine. i am seriously 1 lucky gal to have happened to live by these great ladies. friday day one of my best friends who used to live here in lincoln came and visited for the day and we had a freaking blast with her. she makes us all laugh so much so we (the remaining lincoln friends) were so happy to have her here.

we played at the mall play place for a little while and then headed over to honest abe's for lunch. you guys. if you ever come visit lincoln GO TO HONEST ABE'S. it has some crazy yummo burgers. this time i got the rainbow dash burger: crunchy peanut butter sauce, grapes, bacon, and cabbage. sounds incredibly too strange to try but i had confidence in honest abe's choices and boy was i correct. i love that place, i don't think you can go wrong with any of their burger concoctions. we totally took over the place with our 5 women and 6 kids (small ratio come to think of it!). the floor was a disaster of fries when we left, but we loved it so much.

after lunch we headed back to my place to let the kids play and hang out with each other. we swapped one mom and boy for a different mom and 2 kids. it was so fun to just hang out together and talk. i love my friends so very much! i once heard someone say that the currency of life is the relationships we make and gosh darn it i am getting richer by the day. 

thank you jocelyn and henry for coming to town to visit us!!!!!!

THEN that night i organized a "motherhood retreat." in reality it was just a glorified sleepover with way better stuff than just jr high girl sleepover things. 

we began the night with a mini pampered chef party with the theme of chocolate. one day, i want to have a kitchen full of pampered chef products. but right now is not the day. we then went downstairs to begin painting nails and discuss some motherhood/family topics. 2 of my friends listened to some podcasts from power of moms website (super awesome site fyi!) to help facilitate discussions which was so great. i love learning from these great women all around me. again, gosh darn it i am one lucky girl.

we moved into a mini craft where we decorated jars and put nice notes in them to encourage each other on hard days. a couple of us did facial masks, and beyond that we just sat around and laughed, learned, and laughed with one another. most of the women left at 1:30ish and 4 of us still remained at 2:40. we decided to opt out on the sleeping over part since it was only going to be one other girl and me, ha. i creeped into bed without casey waking up (great home protector, ha) with ideas running through my mind. i was so inspired by the women around me to do/be better, i was rejuvenated and motivated as a mother to do better, i was reminded of my purpose on earth and god's love for me and the rest of His children. i feel so lucky to be a mother on this earth, i would be lost without the love of my savior throughout all this. the gospel puts everything into perspective and provides foundations for our families to grow on. how i love the gospel of Jesus Christ!

to any of my friends in lincoln that couldn't come: we missed you! to my friends who don't live in lincoln: i wish i could do this with you! to my friends in other states/areas: organize this with your friends, you won't be disappointed!