It’s with a bittersweet taste in my mouth, and a certain heaviness in my heart that I type this post.

Just yesterday it feels like I was pregnant with my sweet baby, Ariana. In the blink of an eye she was rolling, smiling, crawling, even cooing.

The next moment she was standing, walking on her own, giggling. How soon following she started saying “dada” then “mama” and then “uh-oh.” Now she says “bite,” “budder” (brother), “GO!,” “Tink eww,” (thank you) and so much more!!

Now, she can almost run, and really tries her hardest to jump. She dances, sings (which is more of a hum), and has her own personality.  She even drinks from a grown-up cup sometimes!

Falling at about the 70th percentile for both her height and weight, I imagine she will be tall and lean. This, no doubt, has been the

genes on her father’s side of the pool. As a matter of fact, most of her physical features have come from her father, aside from her deep blue eyes which are a very dominant trait on my side of the family.  Oh yes, and the size of her head is for sure inherited from me, since she is in the 95th percentile there.

What I’m trying to get at is that my daughter…. my baby…… is growing up.  She is a toddler.  As

overwhelming as all of this is for a Mommy like me, it also opens new doors and opportunities.  She can run and giggle and play with her big brother, who adores her so much.

They are pretty much amazing together.

I hate that she isn’t a baby anymore, but I love and adore the toddler she has become!

This McDonalds play structure was, I kid you not, in someone’s backyard!!  I am truly and utterly JEALOUS!!!!!!  Yes, I do want one for my very own!

You can find more WW at 5 Minutes for Mom, My Organized Chaos, Mrs. Cox Slice of Heaven, and WW home !!

Me, at about 3 years old

That was the line my mom started off our conversation with earlier this summer.  She was begging me to go get a pedicure with her that day, but when we got to our favorite place to have them done, they were closed.  It was a Sunday.  Neither of us had realized they may close early.  So in the parking lot, she told me there was something we needed to talk about.

Oh god, what did I do this time, I thought desperately to myself.  I mean really, your mom says that you need to talk… Isn’t that the first thing that pops into your head, too? No?  Well, okay.  Palms sweaty, heart racing, and knees weak, I waited for her to speak

To make this long conversation short, when I was about 3 years old, my mom had another baby.  A little girl, who she gave up for adoption because at the time, my “father” (I use that term lightly, when in fact he is now more of a Sperm Donor to me) and my Mother were in an on again, off again sort of relationship.  For whatever reason, my parents decided it would be best to give the baby (my 100% biological sister) to a family that could give her the best in life.  To give her everything she would need, and more.

Now, at first I thought this whole thing was a sick joke.  I mean, all my life I had fantasized, or played make believe that somewhere I had a long lost sister or brother.  Someone who was separated from our family at birth, that would some day walk back into our lives.  Maybe it’s normal, or maybe in my sub-conscious mind I really did remember my mom being pregnant and having another baby.

Alas, mom told me that my sister had contacted her on Facebook.  That she wanted to meet her – meet us.  Meet the family that she had that she never got to be a part of.

This was sooo exciting and so scary at the same time!

After running it by my mom and getting her okay, I friend-ed my sister on Facebook.  I didn’t think she looked much like me at first.  I look more like my father.  My sister, on the other hand, has more of my mom’s dominant features.  Either way, we started messaging each other and really seemed to just hit it off.  We talked about this and about that, and I came to realize that she sooooooo fits into our family, in more than one way!

Up to this point, we have met, and hung out a few times.  She only lives a couple hours from us, which is the best part about it!  We can literally drive to one another or meet in the middle for a day trip to hang out.

I am also an AUNTIE but I will leave that update for another post.

Me (ew), Cydney, Mom, William, Dalton, and Amanda!

She’s at it again!  Speedy (aka 80MPHmom) has come up with yet another completely FABULOUS weekly meme!

This time, we are taking photography and exercise and family time and combining all into one.

Let me present to you, my first week of “In My Neighborhood Tuesday!!”  While I am being a bit of a cheater, this was still family time and exercise.  Just it didn’t happen recently.  These pics were taken a couple years ago at the Peter Iredale Shipwreck along the Oregon Coast.  It ran ashore in October of 1906, and has been sitting there ever since.

What I love most about this new meme is that not only can I share with others my passion for photography, but I plan on having Konnor and Ariana help me each week with what we “choose” to use for our assignment.

That’s the other great thing about this new meme.  You have a weekly assignment so everybody’s site you visit will have the same theme.  I will absolutely love seeing the creativity of others!

So really, click on the “In My Neighborhood Tuesday” button to be directed over to Speedy’s site and check out the rules/assignments.

Holy macaroni, people!!!! It’s been like halfway to forever since I’ve blogged, right?  So it feels!

Well, I have been here and there and really not anywhere outside of my own bubble in this world.  Summer just kind of took me and the fam and whooshed us away into a land of fun!  :)  Oh yes, we have had lots of fun.  I guess I had a summer vacation away from the blogging world.

I suppose losing the computer and access to my blog for a while doesn’t completely constitute as fun, but I have really enjoyed just being able to enjoy my kids and friends and…. life!

Oh and my mom dropped a bombshell………….

Another sister.  She is 20.  But that is a post all in it’s own.

I promise to fill you all in on my fantastic summer with tons of pictures soon!

You can always find me on Twitter if you need me:  www.twitter.com/theJAKAmommy — if you follow me, make sure you @ me, so I know you are a real person!

My baby had to have 5 (yes FIVE) shots on Monday.  One on each arm, one on her left leg, and two on her right.

Yet, she seems unfazed, doesn’t she?

You can find more WW at 5 Minutes for Mom, J. Leigh Designz, Mrs. Cox Slice of Heaven, and WW home !!

It has been 13 years since I saw my best friend.   The person that I spent countless days and nights with, laughing, giggling, and doing what typical 10 year old girls do.  That was back when Kitchen Little was cool.  Back when we could play with Barbies.  Back when we tortured our little brothers.  When we were in Girl Scouts together.

13 years and 1 day ago I found out the inevitable was upon us.  Then, 12 years and 364 days ago I lost that best friend. The one person that I really truly trusted and loved. Overcome by a disease that she was born with and had no control over.  Every one of the days in her 10 year life she fought.  Fought for her life, fought against the disease that was consuming her, and fought for her right to have fun.

Cystic Fibrosis took my best friend from me 12 years and 364 days ago.  To this day, the pain is still there.  While most days it is buried in some part of my heart or the other, I am almost unaffected.  There are other days, however, where the pain of losing her hits like it was just yesterday I found out.

My mom told me one day that Becky was extremely sick, in the hospital, and ultimately, wouldn’t be coming home.  As a mother, how do you explain death to a 10 year old child?  How do you, as a 10 year old little girl, grasp the concept of death?  Really, how does anyone grasp the concept of death?  You don’t.  At least I didn’t.  Not at 10.  All that can really be grasped is that soon, that best friend will no longer be able to play with you, laugh with you, or have sleepovers with you.  I cried for a long while on the couch with my mom that night after she told me, because really, that’s all that I could do.

The pain for me as a 10 year old must not be anything compared to that of her mother.  As a mother myself now, I couldn’t imagine what the pain of losing a child is like.  Everything that is associated with death and the arrangements that have to be made is all too much to comprehend.  Plus, this same mourning mother had to explain to her  toddler son why his sister wasn’t coming home.

As of the year 2000, (just 3 years after she passed away) the median predicted age of survival (or life expectancy) for a person with Cystic Fibrosis was 32 years old.  Still very much too young to lose your life.  You see, Cystic Fibrosis has no cure.  It is said that with certain treatments or therapies, and proper nutrition, can lengthen and improve the quality of life for those with CF.  Lung transplants are often an option for CF patients, and while Becky was on the list, she never received her new lungs.

Becky watches over me, my family, and everyone else she ever loved.  She will forever be in my heart, and I find myself sometimes talking to her.  There are times where I wonder what she’d be like today.  In my mind, I imagine she looks the same, though a bit more mature.  Would she have babies of her own?  Would she be married?  Would we still be friends?  She was too good for this world, and was meant to watch over us all from Heaven.

Rest In Peace, my friend.  I love you.

If you want to read another post I wrote for her a few years ago, you may find it here.

This is one of my “formal” attempts at trying silhouette photography. 

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Tips?  Anything helps!  I think silhouette photographs are spectacular and really want to sharpen my skills.

So pure.
Unaffected.
Passionate.
Innocent.
Breath-taking.

The way her arms wrap around my neck when I pick her up.
When I walk in the door & her sweet little voice says “Hiiii.”
Those sweet little kisses.
How she hugs that baby so tight.

Nothing compares to that of a child’s love.

Summertime is finally here!  I’m so excited! 

Here is a pic of the first bout of warm weather we had (couple weeks ago). 

You can find more WW at 5 Minutes for Mom, J. Leigh Designz, and WW home !! 

I am forever trying to find healthier, more affordable snacks for myself and my children.  Konnor has always been huge on fruits and veggies (I know I’m one lucky mama), but it isn’t always convenient when you are going to the park to slice up an apple or peel an orange, and then find a plastic container (don’t throw it away on accident – those are spendy) to store it in until the kids are ready to eat.  Or you could put it into a sandwich baggie and hope it doesn’t get squished and spill all over everything else in your bag.

With Dole, these problems are a thing of the past!  Each individual serving of their fruit bowls come in a little plastic containers with a peel off lid, which is not only disposable, but easy to open.  Konnor has no problems opening their fruit cups and digging right in, with or without utensils!  Seriously.  The fruit inside are bite size, and great finger foods too!

Ariana can pick up the mandarin oranges bites (which are her favorite) and put them into her mouth with little effort.  Teaching her independence and helping to develop her hand/eye coordination, these are a great snack for her age.

What I love about Dole’s Fruit Bowls is that they come in 7 different flavors:  diced apples, diced pears, mixed fruit, tropical fruit, diced peaches, mandarin oranges, and pineapple tidbits.  My children are not at all picky, but if you have a picky child, they are sure to enjoy at least one of these delicious fruit bowls.

Dole was also sweet enough to send both Ariana and Konnor a Marty (from Madagascar) Snack Pack (shown on the right), which is an insulated pouch that easily fits one of the fruit bowls in.  There is a key chain clip, so you can clip it onto the diaper bag, purse, or, like Konnor does, right onto a belt loop.

Three(3) lucky winners will receive a Marty Snack Pack along with a coupon for a pack of Dole Fruit Bowls.

Mandatory Entry:

Head on over to Dole’s website and tell me what other product from them you like or would like to try.

Extra Entries:

Additional entries (each are worth one extra entry, unless stated otherwise. please please leave your email so I can find you if you win):

• Follow Dole on Twitter
• “Like” Dole on Facebook
• Follow theJAKAfiles on Twitter
• “Like” theJAKAfiles on Facebook
• Become a google friend follower (publicly)
• Grab my button and put it on your blog
• Grab Ariana’s Birthday Celebration button & put it on your blog (2 extra entries)
• Subscribe via RSS
• Blog about this giveaway (3 extra entries)
• Tweet about this giveaway once per day (leave the link in a comment & make sure you use @theJAKAmommy in your tweet)
• Enter Kristin or Jackie’s Dole giveaway. (one extra entry for entering each for a total of two extra entries)

This giveaway will end 7/3 at 8pm PST

Anyone who has been to my house knows that I am a clothing fa-na-tic! Seriously, I don’t know why I buy so many clothes for my children when I know that I am going to have to wash them, dry them, and put them away! It’s probably a problem that I am this addicted to buying the kids clothes – really.

Zutano was kind enough to get me hooked on their clothes by sending Ariana their Annika Short Sleve Dress with pants to match. All I can say is… WOW!! As soon as I pulled the outfit out, I was absolutely shocked. The fabric is extremely soft and just makes me want to snuggle my daughter every time she wears this outfit. No matter how many times I wash it, it stays really soft.

Zutano makes bright, colorful patterns for their clothes so you and your child can enjoy them.

Compliments? Oh boy do I get those. Every time Ariana is out in her Zutano outfit, people comment on it. It’s just so bright and fun!

Jackie, Kristin, and I are giving away one $75 gift certificate to Zutano’s Itzy Bitzy line (which is for 0-9mos). This is one giveaway you want to enter! (please note: due to unfortunate events, the gift card must be used AFTER Sept. 1st, 2010.)

Mandatory Entry:

Fill out this form.
 

Extra Entries:

Additional entries (each are worth one extra entry, unless stated otherwise.  please please leave your email so I can find you if you win):

• Follow Zutano on Twitter
• “Like” Zutano on Facebook
• Follow theJAKAfiles on Twitter
• “Like” theJAKAfiles on Facebook
• Become a google friend follower (publicly)
• Grab my button and put it on your blog
• Grab Ariana’s Birthday Celebration button & put it on your blog (2 extra entries)
• Subscribe via RSS
• Blog about this giveaway (3 extra entries)
• Tweet about this giveaway once per day (leave the link in a comment & make sure you use @theJAKAmommy in your tweet):
  
• Enter Kristin or Jackie’s Zutano giveaway. (one extra entry for entering each for a total of two extra entries)

This giveaway will end 7/3 at 8pm PST

Yayyyyy for Monday Mingle!!!!!!!!!

Between Konnor’s “white patches” and Ariana’s sensitive baby skin, I am a worry wart when it comes to the sun.  It would be wrong and unfair of me to not protect them from the harmful UV rays, which is why I spend a ton of time, every year, in the sunscreen isle.

I have two distinct issues with most sunscreens that I have purchased since Konnor was born (and I have bought a LOT of sunscreen):

1. the smell
2. the consistency

Hawaiian Tropic’s sunscreen isn’t like normal sunscreen.  What do I mean by that?  You don’t have that nasty coconut smell that most sunscreens posses.  It’s more of a…. well, tropical smell, which is exactly what drew me in.  Before I could apply this to my kids, before we even had sun here in Oregon, I knew I was going to love this sunscreen.  Yes, because it smelled good.

Now, when you are talking sunscreen and babies, or sunscreen and toddlers, you might cringe.  For one reason.  Applying it to the face, right?  Yes! This is probably the worst part of using the stuff.  Sure, you can use the regular sunscreen, which is runny, and the chances of getting it in their eyes or mouth is pretty high.  Or, you could try the spray sunscreen which you have to end up rubbing in anyways because if you are like me, you have to be sure there is enough on your child to avoid sunburn.

The Baby & Kids Protection line of sunscreen is thick.  Not so thick that you have a hard time getting it to come out, but thicker than normal sunscreen.  It is more of a creme, making it easier to apply, easier to rub in, and that must mean it’s less likely to come off in the water, yeah?  This makes face application a heck of a lot easier, let me tell you!

Plus!  Hawaiian Tropic has come out with a Baby Stick Sunscreen for the easy to miss places on the face, such as nose, under and around the eyes, and even the ears.  It literally is like applying deodorant – super easy and super safe!

Here are some of the features and benefits of Hawaiian Tropic Baby Crème Lotion straight from their website:

• NEW indulgent crème form!
• NEW very light, tropical scent!
• Formulated with our patented SunSure® Technology
- Tested in the natural sunlight!
- Less chemical sunscreens
- Advanced UVA Protection
• Pediatrician & Dermatologist tested
• Gentle & mild
• Won’t run into eyes
• Water resistant
• Island botanicals

Thanks to Hawaiian Tropic, one of my readers will win away one 6oz bottle of Hawaiian Tropic Baby Crème Lotion and one 0.5oz tube of Hawaiian Tropic Baby Stick Sunscreen to one lucky.  Trust me, you want to try this amazing sunscreen!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Hawaiian Tropic’s website and tell me which other product you are most likely to try (they have stuff for Mommy’s too).
Extra Entries:
Additional entries (each are worth one extra entry, unless stated otherwise):

• “Like” Hawaiian Tropic on Facebook
• Follow theJAKAfiles on Twitter
• “Like” theJAKAfiles on Facebook
• Become a google friend follower (publicly)
• Grab my button and put it on your blog
• Grab Ariana’s Birthday Celebration button & put it on your blog (2 extra entries)
• Subscribe via RSS
• Blog about this giveaway (3 extra entries)
• Tweet about this giveaway once per day (leave the link in a comment & make sure you use @theJAKAmommy in your tweet):: ”
  
• Enter Kristin or Jackie’sHawaiian Tropic Sunscreen Giveaway (one extra entry for entering each for a total of two extra entries)

This giveaway will end 7/3 at 9pm PST

“Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.”
– Anne Geddes

When you came into my life, not so long ago, I didn’t know what to expect. You had said you weren’t sure about having children, yet you knew Konnor was my life. You not only accepted Konnor, but took to him. Even if you never said it, you could just tell that you adored him. He may not have been yours but since you walked into our lives, you have been like a dad to him.

It wasn’t long after we began our journey in life that we found out we were expecting. Scared at first, I could tell you weren’t ready for a baby of your own. That’s okay, who really is 100% ready until their brand new baby is placed into their arms? That’s how it went, too. Up until she was born, I’m not sure it really sank in that we were going to have a baby.

June of 2009 came far too quick, and when you held our little princess in your arms for the first time, you were scared. But you were also so very happy.  It was then I knew you were cut out to be a Daddy, you just needed to be there before you could fully take on the role.

From diapers to tears, spit up and giggles, you have done it all.  In the last year you have grown and learned so much from Ariana.  Not only are you cut out for this Daddy business but you rock it, babe!  You interact with her and Konnor and adore them both so much.

You are an amazing father, Justin. You love your baby girl so much, and love Konnor too. It really does take someone special to be a Daddy, and you are indeed someone special.

I love you! Happy Father’s Day!

Love,
Me