Yeager Family

Melt My Heart

nalapawsphotography — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:50:15 +0000

These eyes melt my heart.

I’ve been having so much fun capturing these shots of my little darling.

I sometimes get caught up in wanting to buy all of these expensive backdrops, props, etc.. for my photos but really a cute baby and some simple sheets and blankets work just as well.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a couple of fun backdrops for my photos (hopefully I’ll be getting a couple soon) but the key ingredient in these photos (and all baby photos) is the cute baby and I think we’ve got that covered from head to toe!

Yep, she definitely melts my heart and…

I think she knows it.

If You’re Happy And You Know It…

nalapawsphotography — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:21:03 +0000

Clap Your Hands!

Joslyn learned to clap on Sunday night and was having quite a fun time delighting us with her new skill.

In between clapping she would belt out a few happy screeches.

Apparently, clapping and screeching is hard work!

Joslyn’s First Claps a video by NalaPaws Photography on Flickr.

Joslyn & the Owl ~ 7 Months

nalapawsphotography — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:23:51 +0000

Joslyn turned 7 months old last Saturday, but we were visiting her grandparents so I’m just now getting to her owl photos.

I’m guessing she’s about 18 lbs. now and maybe around 26 in.!

It sure is fun to see her growth when looking at these pictures and it’s also hard to believe how much she has changed in such a short time.

Below I’ve included a few of the photo outtakes with the owl…

Playdates & Towers

nalapawsphotography — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:39:02 +0000

Joslyn has enjoyed two fun playdates this week. Our friends, Charlene and Ellie, came over to play on Valentine’s Day although I forgot to snap any pictures, and Marilee and Matthew came over yesterday. For those that don’t know, Joslyn can be quite “cautious” around people she doesn’t know well and it takes her some time to warm up to people. Well, the playdate with Ellie went very well although she did get teary-eyed a couple of times like when Ellie was babbling and when she tried to reach out and touch Joslyn, but by the end Ellie was reaching out for Joslyn and she didn’t seem to mind. YAY! My silly girl…she definitely likes to stick close to Momma. I wonder if this will continue once she is able to crawl or if she will decide she would rather go exploring? Time will tell. She’s normally fine with people when she is in the Ergo or stroller but out of that and it’s a different story so even though we have been on plenty of walks with Charlene and Ellie, having them over and playing on the floor was a bit different for Joslyn. She’ll get there though. Anyway, the playdate with Matthew went super well…I think (hope) she is getting used to Marilee and Matthew because we have been getting together for a playdate about once a week. She was quite chatty when they were over and had a major HAPPY squealing fit like I’ve never heard. It is a bit alarming how high her voice can go…hope this isn’t an indication of what may happen during any future tantrums because sista can screech with the best of em’.

Joslyn and Matthew hung out on the floor together.

Joslyn attempted to talk with him and I tried to capture it on video but as soon as I started the video camera she stopped talking. It was very sweet though.

She was also very interested in touching Baby Matthew but I had to play “bad cop” and keep her grabby hands clear of him. She may be a baby too, but she’s got skills when it comes to grabbing and scratching…hehehe! My arms look like I’ve been in a cat fight because she likes to scratch and pinch my arms when she’s nursing. I try to keep her nails cut because of this but they grow way too fast. Long sleeves help too! Maybe I’ll try to give her a stuffed animal to squeeze instead of my arm although I have a feeling the stuffie may not win. Anyway, these two were very cute together yesterday.

As for the rest of the week so far, Miss J has been learning to knock over towers with her hands and

with her feet.

She’s also been very interested in Nala.

Nala was on the floor yesterday and Joslyn kept rolling over to get closer to her and she would just smile so big up at Nala.

She would reach her hand out to touch Nala and Nala would attempt to get a face lick in, but I managed to keep those at bay.

This made me smile! Joslyn has been doing this thing lately where she will look at you and lay her head down to the side…she loves it if you are laying down looking back at her. Well, she did this with Nala and it was just so precious.

Nala responded by showing off for Joslyn. What silly girls we have…love them both so much!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

nalapawsphotography — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:26:55 +0000

Nala preferred biscuits to coins.

Having fun with some photos…love Joslyn’s expression as she’s eyeing the coins.

Yum-O…literally, the O was apparently very YUMMY!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Justin and I are hoping to enjoy a nice salmon dinner and watch Breaking Dawn after our little sweet pea goes to sleep. Hopefully, little sweet pea will cooperate.

LOVE This Girl!

nalapawsphotography — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:36:04 +0000

Super Bowl Weekend

nalapawsphotography — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:23:41 +0000

I remember Super Bowl last year…I was around 3 months pregnant and we were at the home of our friends, Scott & Kate, enjoying the game. This year, we have our little sweet pea with us for the game and Scott & Kate have their own little bundle of joy, Blakely, who was born on January 13th! We haven’t met Blakely yet but we sure are excited to meet the little guy!

Anyway, this year we hung out at home and Joel & Etsuko joined us for the weekend. It was nice having them over and it was SUPER nice having Etsuko’s help in the kitchen. Yes, Nala got some treats too while we were enjoying ours but that didn’t stop her from whining and trying to get ours once hers were all gone.

Not sure what Joslyn thought of the game…I think she preferred her toys.

These pretzel bites with cheddar cheese dipping sauce turned out delicious! It was the first time I made them and I probably would not have completed them had it not been for the help of my sis-in-law, Etsuko. She’s awesome! Anyway, the recipe came from the Two Peas & Their Pod blog. I have enjoyed all of the recipes I have tried from their blog and I’ve tried alot. In fact, we also had Vegetarian Quinoa Chili which is another recipe from their blog. YUM! Anyway, I highly recommend their site if you enjoy cooking.

And brownies from a box…I used to make them from scratch but found that I really love the Ghirardelli ones in the box and they are soooo easy. I jazzed them up with a cream cheese frosting football. I was going to cut individual footballs out but at that point I was done, so I just made one big one on top. I didn’t hear anyone complaining.

This was from yesterday…I ordered a set of 3 little hair bows for Joslyn from Etsy and they are darling on her. I love having a girl to dress up! And I LOVE this toothy smile! It’s so surreal now thinking back to when I was pregnant and before life with Joslyn. She certainly made this year’s Super Bowl much sweeter, and I must say that I enjoyed the sound of her rattle during the game.

Keepin’ It Real: One of Those Days

nalapawsphotography — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:27:46 +0000

Yesterday was one of those days…one of those days where by the end of it you are exhausted, cranky, and ready to crawl into bed and stay there for about 14 hours. My sweet babe was having difficulty napping and staying asleep and she was a bit fussy which was understandable as she was tired. Nala, our dog, was “up in our business” at all the wrong times and I was getting crankier by the minute. I finally decided to go for a walk which usually helps but nope, not even a walk was successful this time. The usually desolate park seemed to be overflowing with people, Joslyn was crying (which she never does anymore in the carrier or stroller) but I couldn’t take her out and carry her because Nala had to be on leash since there were so many people, and Nala was stopping to sniff every freakin’ thing in her path! Ahh yes, one of those days. Could it have been worse? Yes. Was it still hard? Yes. All I wanted to do was get to the car, put Nala in, comfort Joslyn, and then go home.

I mentioned my challenging day to a great group of Moms who were very supportive with words of encouragement and tales of their own hard days. A couple even shared links to some articles, which I found to be very refreshing. I laughed and cried while reading them and will probably reread them when I have another hard day. Luckily, the hard days are few and far between.

Here are the links:

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/to-the-mother-with-only-one-child

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blackberry/p.html?id=1206346

Yesterday wasn’t a total bust though and I definitely had a few Kairos moments (read the 2nd article for clarification) of my own and this picture is proof of that. Joslyn hung out in the Moby wrap, facing out for the first time, while I did some chores around the house. I loved being able to kiss the top of her sweet smelling head while I was vacuuming. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed vacuuming so much! She seemed to enjoy her time in there too.

I LOVE being a Momma, but I also think it’s important to acknowledge how hard it can be. The tricky part is to not focus on the hard times but rather on your own Kairos moments because they are what get you through those tough days.

As for today, we had a wonderful day filled with play, books, time at the library for Baby Bounce class, singing and dancing to Children’s Indie Tunes on Pandora Internet Radio, a coffee date with a good friend, naps, and lots of cuddles!

Happy weekend to everyone! I hope your weekend is filled with plenty of your own Kairos moments.

Wordless Wednesday

nalapawsphotography — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:36:20 +0000

The Gift of Grandparents

nalapawsphotography — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:46:39 +0000

Justin’s parents came to visit this weekend, and we had a great time. It had been since Christmas since we had seem them, and Joslyn has changed quite a bit since then. She now has two teeth and she’s sitting up with just a little support. Have I mentioned that she is saying “Da-da” now too? Well, she is and she LOVES saying it over and over. Although she still doesn’t associate it with her Daddy yet, I have no doubt she will soon. Anyway, she was quite happy and content with her Nanny & Grampi this visit and even reached her arms out for her Nanny.

Joslyn is so fortunate to have at least one set of her grandparents close by. No one can spoil and love you quite like your grandparents. The love of a grandparent is unique and special and one that I’m glad my baby gets to experience at least once a month and sometimes twice. Not that I know about this firsthand or anything. Ok, perhaps I know a little about it. Grandparents are truly a gift, and I treasure the moments I have shared with mine. I want my baby girl to have wonderful memories of her grandparents like I do of mine. With grandparents like hers though it’s pretty much guaranteed. (that includes east coast grandparents too even though she hasn’t met them yet )

It was so great to see her getting comfortable with her Nanny & Grampi this weekend. She’s been fine with them for short periods of time before but has always been happiest when in my arms around people other than Justin and I. She definitely seems to feel more secure when Momma and ”Da-da” are close by. She’s just a cautious girl, I suppose. I guess she has now been around her Nanny & Grampi enough though to feel comfortable with them too, which is great to see. I’m sure we’ll have many more weekends like this in the future but this one was a great one for sure.

In addition to lots of cuddles for Joslyn from Nanny & Grampi, we also went for a walk,

(notice Nala’s tail in front )

and played some seriously competitive Wii. I think these two got a good workout in battling it out. Nala…not so much of a good workout for her. We also made and enjoyed lots of food, got a weekend coffee shop run in, watched a hilarious episode of Modern Family, and Joslyn learned that Grampi carries a pen in his pocket that is fun to grab. She snagged his glasses once too! She’s a grabby girl these days. Gotta watch her!

And this has absolutely nothing to do with our weekend with grandparents, but it was cute. I was trying to make Joslyn laugh by putting on different hats on Friday morning and I decided to try this one on her. I think it will make a nice addition to her future dress-up wardrobe. She can have lots of fun pretending to be a train conductor.

Anyway, I’m a happy girl after a weekend spent with family. It was just the way I wanted to spend it.