Day 18, 19, 20 & 21

Dear Diary,

Photo A Day June Continues...

Monday, June 18th: Something You Don't Know About Me

I have started running regularly (3-4 times a week) and I have to admit that I hate it just as much today as I did the first day I started. That being said, every time I add a half mile to my route or improve my pace, I feel fantastic. My health will thank me someday...

Tuesday, June 19th: Imperfect

I take pride in keeping my house as tidy as possible, ESPECIALLY the playroom. You would probably even find it comical at how many times a day I clean it up or get onto the girls for getting too many toys out at once. Half the time I am putting toys away as they're getting them out. But, some days I just can't keep up, making my clean, tidy, PERFECT playroom pretty imperfect.

Wednesday, June 20th: Favorite Photo Taken

I think this was supposed to be my favorite photo I have EVER taken, which seemed silly to me because that is not really a "Photo-A-Day" category. Not to mention it would be near impossible to pick just one out of EVERY photo I have ever taken. So I decided to put my favorite photo taken this week. Not that it's a great photo itself but the story behind it is. For some reason I have never been able to get my girls on the same napping schedule. Sometimes I can get maybe a 30 minute overlap, but most days one is awake while the other is sleeping. Olivia has taken it upon herself to get revenge on her sister every time she catches her napping. It never fails, Addy falls asleep on the couch and minutes later Liva climbs on up, snuggles in, and pokes, hits, pulls hair or just stares at me with an evil grin as she decides her next plan of attack. Thankfully Addy is a heavy sleeper like her Father and I can usually grab her before the torture becomes too much to endure.

Thursday, June 21st: Where I Slept

Pretty cut and dry. I slept in my bed. A bed that gets made every single morning (huge pet peeve).

Sincerely Yours,

Day 14, 15, 16 & 17

Dear Diary,

I took a break yesterday to post about Father's Day, but today I am back on track with my Photo A Day Challenge.

Thursday, June 14th: Time

Thursday was spent at a new park which always seems to be a workout for me - chasing kids, climbing playground equipment, walking for long periods of time in the heat... but it always results in a guaranteed afternoon of napping. And both girls at the same time, which rarely happens, so it is a nice trade off.

Friday, June 15th: Yellow

Cookout at Ryan and Laura's equals catching yellow butt lightning bugs with a yellow shirt Aunt Chelsea! (Super convenient shirt choice on Chelsea's part because my other "Yellow" picture for Friday wasn't nearly as good)

Saturday, June 16th: Out And About

Chicken Philly Sandwich at yummy Pepperjax's Grill, followed by a family park night.

Sunday, June 17th: In Your Bag

The usual: Keys, wallet, the girl's sunglasses, someones headband and wipes... always wipes.

Sincerely Yours,

"Happy Birthday Balentines, Daddy!" - Addy Borsyfe

Dear Diary,

Last year, on Father's Day, I wrote an entry about my Dad. And while he is still the best Dad a girl could ask for, I think I will spend this Father's Day talking about another awesome Dad, my husband.

I have to be honest and admit that when we were pregnant with Addalyn, I wasn't sure what kind of a Father Garrett would be. We dated for 6 years before we got married and waited another year before getting pregnant and in all those years I can hardly remember a time where I saw Garrett interact with children. It wasn't until my nephew was born (3 months before Addy) when I saw his true colors shine through. I was shocked to see him hold a baby. I was touched to see him tickle and tease when he had a chance. And I was completely taken back to witness how much Garrett Forsythe loved little kids.

On September 10th, 2009 I got to see Daddy Forsythe in full action. Everyone talked about how fast I'd fall in love with my new baby when she was born., but nobody told me that I would fall even more in love with my husband that day, and every day to follow as well.

I can't speak for a wife to a Father of boys, because we don't have boys. I imagine the Father/Son relationship to be the kind where you wrestle when they're toddlers, teach them how to throw a baseball when they are 5, remind them how to treat a lady when they are entering their teens, and spending the remainder of their years showing them how to fix things like cars and broken appliances.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined what it would be like to watch Garrett be a Father of girls but it is the absolute greatest thing to witness each and every day. I get to watch him do things like play in a pink and purple playhouse, hide underneath the covers when they are trying to scare Mom, buy a new dress because it was on sale, master the art of a ponytail, say the word "panties" and not laugh about it, give a million baby girl hugs and kisses a day, bring home princess dolls and hair accessories from business trips and use words like beautiful and pretty and cute to describe just about everything under the sun. And I gotta say, I have never found my husband more attractive than in these situations.

I look forward to how Garrett "The Father of Teenagers," acts, or Garrett "The Father of the Bride," or even what Garrett "The Grandpa" will be like. I have no doubt he will knock my socks off at each bridge we cross and I couldn't be more excited to watch it (especially those teenage years, yowza).

If my words didn't do the man justice, then maybe a visual will. Pictures of my guy with my girls will never get old...

God is Good! I Love My Life!

Sincerely Yours,

Day 11, 12 & 13 (Plus Extras)

Dear Diary,

Photo A Day June... and some "Extras"

Monday, June 11th: Door

We headed to the Library on Monday to return our books and pick out new ones. There seemed to be a ghost trend in Addalyn's picks. She insisted on Casper the Friendly Ghost as her movie of choice and we also snagged a book titled, The Hungry Ghost (Which is not a very good book if I do say so myself. What is hard about writing children's books? I could whip one up in no time, AND it would rhyme).

Tuesday, June 12th: From A Low Angle

During nap time on Tuesday afternoon, Addy opted for a game of Memory instead. She is getting pretty good. And yes, we cheer after each and every match made.

Wednesday, June 13th: Art

This photo gallery of family pictures in my living room was one of the first things I put on the wall after moving in 3 1/2 years ago. The photos inside the frames were taken about the same time - Christmas 2008ish. Since the family has had 2 marriages and 4 kids since then, I decided the photos needed to be updated. And with Baby Coomes on the way, I had to use a filler photo until November when he/she makes their arrival. As mentioned before, I am big on using pictures as art and decor in my house. Who wouldn't want to stop and look at these gorgeous faces? =)

Below are a couple of "extra" photos taken this week. They didn't really fit in with June's Photo A Day criteria but I thought I needed to document them nonetheless.

Garrett was gone for an overnight for work so the girls and I had the house to ourselves. Addy woke up in the middle of the night complaining of monsters which woke Olivia up in return. So I threw Olivia in bed with Addy and climbed on in myself (I admit I didn't mind since I was missing my bed buddy). This is what I woke up to the next morning...

And on Tuesday, the girls were asked to participate in a photo shoot for KNOTS - where we always buy headbands for the girls - taken by photographer Kenny Felt. It was a fun morning and all the kiddos looked really cute modeling their headbands and hats. I snapped a quick photo but I also included one of the edited shots from the photographer...

As for today, I am trying to come up with something to do. The only things we've done this week is errand running so I think the girls are due for a fun afternoon. It may just be a park kind of day, but maybe my mind will think up something new to do instead. You never know what is going to happen around here...

Sincerely Yours,

Day 7, 8, 9, & 10

Dear Diary,

Continuing on with Photo A Day June...

Thursday, June 7th: Drink

Thursday night was our first official Book Club get together. It is obvious I am a big fan of reading and when I realized a couple of my old coworkers were reading several of the books I was, it only made sense to get together once a month and talk books (and of course catch up on each other's lives as well). We met at Starbucks and had a great time! We chose what books to read and decided on when we'd meet next and I hear we even gained a new member for next time! I needed something social to do and even though it is kind of nerdy, Book Club is a perfect fit for me! Thanks girls =)

Friday, June 8th: Six O'clock

Most any night around 6:00 looks like this at our house. When you're a baseball fan you have PLENTY of opportunity to watch games being that they play most every night. I'd be lying if I said we aren't slightly frustrated with our Phills right now, but that will never stop us from watching. As of today I think we are 8 games back... not good. Good thing baseball season is a long one. Hopefully we can turn things around.





Saturday, June 9th: Your View Today

Saturday morning looked like this. We were headed out of town to Newton, KS for a good friend's wedding. Both girls did fantastic on the 3 hour drive, although they are used to those 2 hour trips to Pittsburg so I guess we expected them to do well. Addy informed us that we passed the ocean. When we asked her where it was she said "Oh, you missed it."...  =). As we got into town we drove around searching for a good lunch spot. While we were trying to find D'Angelo's Pizzeria, Addy suggested we take a "detour." Garrett and I are constantly impressed with this kid's vocabulary. Upon inspection, it turns out that Caillou took a detour in one of his adventures. Of course...

Sunday, June 10th: Best Bit Of Your Weekend

As mentioned, we attended our friend's wedding. The bride and groom looked fantastic and the food was delicious, but I have to say the girl's appreciated the scenery the most. We spent more than enough time on the little walking trails and spotted plenty of turtles and fish in the pond. Olivia could have gone across that bridge 85 times and never gotten sick of it. I, on the other hand, could have done it far less times and been good. =)

I have looked ahead to the photos for the upcoming days and it appears I need to get a little more creative. It is not so "cut and dry" on what to take a picture of so we'll see what I come up with.

Sincerely Yours,



Day 4, 5 & 6

Dear Diary,

Here are Day 4, 5 and 6 of the Photo A Day Challenge!

Monday, June 4th: Close-Up

I was dealing with a slight headache on Monday so I was anxious for nap time; 1.) For the quiet and 2.) For a nap of my own. Liva snuggled in with me on the couch and instead of moving her to the floor or to her crib like I normally do, we enjoyed a nap together.

Tuesday, June 5th: Sign

June 5th is Aunt Jordan's Birthday so in my usual fashion I had the girls do a little coloring to celebrate. Since they couldn't see her in person they made her a sign and we sent her a picture message. I mistakenly told Addy it was Aunt Jordan's birthday and got to hear, "I want to go to Jordan's party!" ALL DAY LONG! She thinks everyone who has a birthday has a party (which they should) so it took much convincing that we weren't going to be attending any parties yesterday or having any birthday cake.

Wednesday, June 6th: Hat

I saw this day on the list and wondered what in the world I would take a picture of because no one, besides Garrett, wears a hat around here. This photo wasn't actually taken today, but when I saw the girls sporting these grocery baskets as headgear the other night, I had to snap a photo. I have no idea why she does it, but Addy puts these on her head all the time. She loves it and she has convinced Olivia it is a good idea too (although of course by the time I got my phone to take a picture, Olivia wasn't having it anymore, which resulted in Mommy wearing one).

I haven't looked ahead to my Photo A Day challenge list so I am not sure what I will be taking pictures of, but I can only hope Day 7, 8 and 9 are "Finished Orders," "Happy Children," and "Packed Bags" because that is what the rest of my week needs to be!

Sincerely Yours,

Day 1, 2 & 3

Dear Diary,

As promised, I am keeping up with my "Photo A Day" challenge and instead of posting every day, I plan to clump them together - easier on me and less entries to shuffle through.

The girls and I headed down to Pittsburg on Thursday and Friday last week for some Granna/Papa/Aunts time. We were back to KC by noon on Saturday and spent the remainder of our weekend at home with Daddy.

Friday, June 1st: Morning

I enjoyed the company of these two rascals on Friday morning. Granna took Addy to 6:30 mass with her, explaining her wide awake appearance and joyous whistle blowing while Olivia and I had just meandered out of bed - as you can clearly see from her sleepy eyes and intolerance of her chipper sister.

Saturday, June 2nd: Empty

After spending the entire afternoon being extremely lazy, the Forsythe's headed out for dinner at Chili's. The girls did a number on their meals - creating ALMOST empty plates.

Sunday, June 3rd: On Your Plate

Which brings me to today. After going to church, hitting up the grocery store, getting dinner in the crock pot, cleaning house, running to Costco, debating what book to read next, playing in the playroom, AND getting dinner on the table - this is the answer to the "Day 3" question: Crock Pot Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Oven Roasted Carrots & Salad.

And now, I plan to spend my evening doing NOTHING. It is highly unlikely that will be the case, but I am going to try.

P.S. Finished Nicholas Spark's, Safe Haven. It only took me about 3 days to read which should tell you how good it was. Excellent read and even more excellent is the fact that they are turning it into a movie (shocker that a Nicholas Sparks book would be turned into a movie... hardy har, har) and it stars Jake Gyllenhaal. Sounds like I've got another date to the movies with myself in the future! I. Am. Awesome.

Sincerely Yours,