I Love This Girl

Sure, she can't wipe her own bottom or use a tissue by herself, but she sure does bring a smile to my face with her silly ways and sweet smile. 

Holding her "camera" and taking my picture

She's like a little wizard training at Hogwarts!

Baby Anderson...

...is due to arrive in January 2015!

3 + 1 = 4

We are excited for our newest addition to join the family, and we hope know Grace is going to make a great big sister!

#14weeks

Cravings: Anything spicy + decaf iced mochas

Feeling: Sleepy and nauseous, but pretty good most of the time. 

Looking Forward to 2014

Here it is January, 9th, so that seems like the perfect time to finish my new year's resolutions. Last year I I really tried to Push It and go outside of my comfort zone. It was an amazing year, spending time with family, watching our little girl grow up and dreaming about our future.

Here are some of my favorite memories from 2013:

Getting certified to teach Stroller Strides

Running the Zombie Mud Run

Grace's first day of "school"

Easter Breakfast with the Bunny and egg hunt with my mom

Family trip to Myrtle Beach for the Diva Half Marathon

Music Together class with Grace

Taking Grace to the zoo on Father's Day

We celebrated our nine year anniversary 

Cole ran the Army Ten Miler really fast 

Playing in the kiddy pool and the sprinkler with Grace and Cole

Visiting Jennifer in Maryland and taking Grace to the Discovery Museum

Playing volleyball with The Lovely Lady Bumps

Family trip to the lake house during the summer

Grace's second birthday party at Gillis Hill Farm

Cole getting accepted into the masters program at Penn State

Trips to the pumpkin patch and corn maze

I had an extra-special 28th birthday

Trick-or-treating with my little wonder woman on Halloween

Thanksgiving kickball and the Bobcat's game in Charlotte

Flying to California to see my parents and their new house

Playing in the snow

Christmas was so fun with a 2 year old

It really was an amazing year. I feel so lucky for all of the opportunities I had to stay healthy, spend time with friends and family and watch sweet Grace grow up. I am thankful for a supportive, funny husband who is leading us on a new adventure this year. Big things are in the works…

My 2014 Vision Board: 

 

When I Grow Up

What do you want to be when you grow up?

During my teenage years, my answer was always, "An anchor woman, like Katie Couric. Except, of course, they would say, ...and now back to Allison Remillard in the studio." (Remillard is my maiden name.)

That career goal steered my choices in college as I settled into a journalism major. Then I started hearing that broadcast journalism was a tough road, and the jobs of the future (the real money-makers) were in advertising and PR. So I changed my emphasis and explored a different field of journalism through internships, classes and eventually my first official job at an agency.

Fast forward three years from then, and I'm a stay-at-home mom and a military spouse living on the other side of the country. Is this what I wanted to be when I grew up? 

Trick question.

Maybe I'm not grown up yet? Hmmm, when you pay all of your own bills, use your car blinkers religiously and dust your ceiling fans you're probably a grown up.

I think the real answer is that you don't have to be any one thing. You can be one thing and then another or a lot of different things at once. For now I'm feeling lucky to be Grace's mom, but I still like learning and exploring things that make me excited.

This month, in addition to studying for my AFAA Group Fitness Certification, I also enrolled in an online digital photography class. The Groupon was a great deal (aren't they all), and I really want to learn how to take better pictures with my camera (not in auto).

The first week was all about learning White Balance and ISO.

ISO is one of the ways you help your camera understand the lighting conditions you are shooting in. The higher the number, the less light you're shooting in.
(100, 200, 400, 800, 1600) 

White Balance is how your camera balances the colors in your photo by pinpointing the white color.
(Sunny, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten light, White Fluorescent light, Flash)

My week 1 assignment was to practice shooting in Program Mode (P) and setting my ISO and White Balance correctly. I also got to submit one photo.

Week 1 Photography Assignment

I choose this photo because I really liked the soft light and the sun reflecting in Grace's hair.  I like that with photography, you decide what is a "good picture" and there is room for different interpretations.

Honestly though, I don't know what's harder, learning to use my camera or trying to photograph a toddler. Thank goodness I'm not shooting with film! Delete, delete, delete. 

Maybe when I grow up I'll be a professional hobbyist/arts and crafter? Or a full-time student of cool things?

For now, I'm perfectly happy being a mom and a wife. I have important work to do, and ceiling fans to clean. Wink, wink!

For Grace's Dad

For the past month I've been preparing a care package for Cole in celebration of Father's Day. He really doesn't need anything, nor does he have much space for storing things where he is stationed. Grace and I had to get him something, though- it's his VERY FIRST FATHER'S DAY!

So, I decided to to make a mini accordion book and dry erase calendar through MPix with the photos from our session with Skye Snyder Photography. I am really happy with the way they turned out! I can't wait for Cole to receive them along with his mouthwash, protein bars, weightlifting gloves and baby wipes. (Yeah, I know, I went all out! Protein bars and baby wipes? Cole is one lucky guy!)

I thought this calendar would be a great way for him to mark off the days until the end of his deployment while enjoying some pictures of his favorite girls. 

Grace is such a thoughtful baby. 

This mini accordion book is perfectly pocket-sized, so we will never be far from his heart. 

I also threw in a little something from me:

"52 Reasons I Love You" Cards

This is a thoughtful and easy craft that I've seen multiple times on Pinterest. (Check out these cute ones for more inspiration here and here). 

Basically, I wrote down 52 reasons why I love my husband- one for each card in the deck. I typed up the reasons and printed them out onto clear labels. Then I attached one label to each card, punched 2 holes in the entire deck and attached them using 2 binder rings. I used photo paper and Sharpies to create the cover and a back page. 

I hope he'll have fun reading each of the 52 reasons he'll always have my heart! 

Supplies:

• A deck of playing cards
• Labels 
• Hole punch
• 2 binder rings
• Photo paper (trace one of the cards for the cover)
• Sharpies

Capturing Time

A while back I entered a contest hosted by Skye Snyder Photography. The challenge called for a photo showing my interpretation of {Soul}. 

This is the photo I submitted with Cole and baby Grace sleeping.

My loves. My soul.

...and with the help of friends and family voting...

I WON!

Honestly, I have never won anything in my life! I was/am sooo excited! 

I won a photo session, so Monday Jennifer, Grace and I drove up to Reno (Verdi) for the shoot.

Skye was amazing! 

She is a sweet, patient, passionate and talented photographer! I had a blast even though Grace spit up and refused to smile the entire time we were there! (I swear my baby is better behaved than that!)

Super duper thanks go out to Jennifer and Joanna for their extra sets of hands! (Jennifer seriously might have a future as a stage mother!) 

  I am dying to see the pictures, and send them to Cole for his birthday later this month. Skye took a couple with Gracie holding his Army dog tags, so I hope they turn out! He doesn't know anything about the photo shoot... Shhhhhh! Don't tell.

Stay tuned for the finished product, and check out Skye Snyder Photography on Facebook and her blog. She does a fabulous job, and is always running fun contests and things.