Well, I promised in my last post to write more.  That was in January, it’s March now…  Not such a good job there I guess!  A lot has been going on lately.  So much that I want to write about, but I just haven’t been able to sort my thoughts out enough to figure out how to get them down coherently.  I was working on a post for work today, writing, deleting, writing, and deleting over and over again.  I decided to take a break and come over here to just brain dump a bit.  If you’re reading this, I apologize.  There probably won’t be a whole lot of consistence, as my thoughts aren’t well organized right now.

Okay, where was I?  Lately.  January was a good month.  Busy as ever, but not much to complain about. February started out amazingly, and ended with a lot of sadness and broken hearts in both my family and my circle of people who matter most to me.  Let’s start with the good, shall we?

Hawaii.  A work/fun trip that was just simply wonderful.  Alaina and the pups spent the week with Nana while Adam and I headed to Oahu for 8 days of wonderful.  We started the trip staying at Waikiki for Pubcon Paradise -which I was fortunate enough to attend with my boss Andy and his wife.  During the conference, I learned tons and got to spend time with a bunch of brilliant people.  Adam and I spent the late afternoons and evenings enjoying the craziness that Waikiki had to offer.  We shopped, ate wonderful food, strolled along the beach, took tons of photos, and relaxed to the sounds of Adam playing his new ukulele with the ocean providing an amazing backdrop.

When the conference ended, we hopped in a Jeep and traveled to the North Shore, where we spent the remainder of our trip at Turtle Bay.  More on that later.  I’ve been fortunate to have been asked by Andy’s wife Sheila to write about my trip on her site, Go Visit Hawaii.  (If you’re ever travelling to the islands, be sure to check it out.  She’s got great info, totally unbiased and from the voice of a fellow vacationer, not a local.  She’s sweet and smart, and will not steer you wrong!)  Where was I?  Oh, Turtle Bay.  I could live there.  After spending a few days in busy Waikiki, we couldn’t have asked for a better place to unwind.  Gorgeous scenery, friendly staff, and a free upgrade to the Presidential suite!  That will be a post on it’s own, however, as I have about 600 photos to sort through before I put that one up  The trip was nothing short of amazing, my only complaint was that  it had to end.  I can’t wait to get back to Turtle Bay, hopefully next time with the baby.

My mom picked us up from the airport at 9am on a Sunday morning.  Adam went straight to bed and I hopped in the shower to get rid of the airport grime.  I came out of the shower to find my mom in tears.  She’d just gotten word that my dad’s father had passed away.  We lost my Grandma in October, and five short months later, had to say goodbye to Grandpa.  It didn’t seem fair, especially on the heels of such an indulgent vacation.  After a quick trip to Macy’s to get some cold weather clothing (all I had with me were my things from Hawaii – we didn’t even have time to drive the three hours home to unpack and repack before heading to Wisconsin), my mom, Alaina, and I were back in the airport.  After a 3+ hour delay and the customer service agent from hell, we were in the air.  Fortunately, a rental car employee with a kind heart took pity on us and gave us a free upgrade to make up for our trouble and make our tough week a little more fun.  It was great to have some unplanned time with family, but so so sad to be there for the reason we were there.  I know my Grandpa was hanging on for all of us, he’d been miserable for so long.  I’m glad that he’s not hurting any more, and that he’s back with many of the people he had to say goodbye to so long ago.  I’m also heartbroken and devastated.  In less than six months, my dad lost both of his parents with little to no warning.  Gone, they’re both just… Gone.  I can’t get my brain around it.  Alaina won’t remember some of the people that were most important to me in my life.  She won’t get to go to the farm and feed the baby cows, or take her first tractor ride in Grandpa’s lap.  She won’t get to taste fresh fruit and veggies from their garden, or know the characters that were my grandparents.  My poor mom had to attend two funerals in two days.  Our time with family was far too short, and our trip home was horrible.  We got home to some more bad news.  I was starting to feel like things were falling apart.  Surgeries, more loss, injuries, accidents, and sad stories.  What on earth was going on with the Universe in February?  I begged, pleaded, prayed, and wished for things to be better in March.

I’m happy to report, so far, so good.  

Now that I’ve dumped all that out here, I’ll try to get my thoughts together to go into a bit more detail on what’s going on around here in the next few weeks.  Alaina is growing in leaps and bounds, and continues to amaze us every day.  We’ve got lots of exciting things coming up, and I can’t wait for Spring.  The rest of this year is going to be good.  It has to.

A Remarkable Book from Wiley-Finance

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"An excellent book!"   — Paul Wilmott Want to break into the lucrative world of trading and quantitative finance? You need this book!

Well, I might as well join everyone else in the blogosphere and put up my “I’m going to be better in 2012!” post.  For those of you that know me, stop laughing.  We’re going to do this, but with some Jones style.

First, to catch you up a bit, Prince Charming and I took part in a four day juice fast between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The inlaws introduced us to juicing and the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” and it really hit home with us.  We’d been juicing once or twice a day before we tried the fast, and figured we’d give it a go.  Alaina was even asking for juice several times a day.  I think the fact that we’d never given her store bought “juice” made it much easier to enjoy the fruit and vegetable concoctions that we were serving her.  Anyways, back to the fast.  Here are my unedited notes from the fast detailing how it went:

Day 1-ish

Started fast last night for dinner.  Figured we’d get a head start on this.

Still feeling pretty good at lunch time.  Started the day with a fruit/veggie combo, moved on to mainly veggies for lunch.

Craving tater tots.

Adam swears baby is hungry.  For jalapeño poppers.

Stepped on scale at doctor appointment.  Did NOT like what I saw.   Reinvigorated to do this juice fast!

Craving chicken and couscous.

Baby gets pasta for dinner. We glare at her while we drink our juice.  Adam has a headache.  Tempted to take baby out and jack her noodles.

We are both pretty tired. Went to bed early.

Day 2

Made juice that was almost all fruit for breakfast. Felt like a rebel.  Delicious.

Baby is having turkey and cottage cheese for lunch.  It looks like a gourmet feast next to this greenish concoction that I’m drinking.  Very excitedly planning Friday night dinner.

Failed with dinner juice.  It included a whole beet and grapefruit.  Adam almost threw up. Won’t be doing that again…

Wishing for popcorn.  With butter.  And salt.  Did I mention butter?

Day 3

Feeling pretty tired, I guess this is normal of a juice fast.  Getting very excited about a yummy dinner tomorrow night!

Would kill for some popcorn or a salad.  Or even a grape.  JUST GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN CHEW!!

Day 4

Tired, but not as agitated as yesterday.  Noticed that cravings morphed from tater tots and cheeseburgers to salads and raw veggies.  Hmm…  Maybe there’s something to this.  Decided to give it one more day so that we can end on a positive note.

Day 5

Weigh in!  Down 8.5 pounds!  There really is something to this healthy living.  Who knew?  Much less interested in processed food and caffeine, very excited about this.

Adam made homemade spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  We’ve died and gone to heaven.  Can only finish half a serving, but it is MAGICAL.

A month later, after two family Christmases and New Years Eve the weight is still off!  We are sold on the health benefits of juicing.  We typically juice once or twice a day and have “real” food for the remaining meal(s).  I don’t feel deprived, and unlike other “diets” we’re actually getting healthier and trying new things instead of depriving ourselves.  It’s a win that we hope to carry through 2012.  (especially since we invested in a (HUGE) post-holiday sale on this big boy…  A beautiful appliance to round out my collection, don’t you think?)

Moving on.

2012 is also bringing us a trip to Hawaii, compliments of my amazing employer.  I can’t wait!  A photography workshop, conference, and tropical vacation all in one!  My new job has brought so many amazing opportunities and blessings.  I am forever grateful!

As for the obligatory “here’s how we’re getting fit as a family!” resolution-y notes…  I’ll be continuing with Physical Therapy to continue strengthening my jerk of a back, Alaina will be starting tumbling classes this month, and we plan on getting out much more as a family to enjoy the beautiful area that we live in.  I’ve also started selling Wildtree (more for fun than for profit.  Everything I earn goes back into ordering more food to try.) It’s a great supplement to the lack of healthy, organic food available to us here, and the food is DELICIOUS!  It’s been a big hit with friends and family, and has been so fun to share!

Images courtesy AH Photography

Alaina is about to be 18 months old, and seeing as I missed a few big posts in the past 6 or 8 months, I figured I would post a quick update.  Things have been crazy as ever around here, and since Alaina’s first birthday she’s turned from an adorable little baby to an amazing little toddler!  She walks, talks, and is full of attitude.  (not sure where she got that, definitely not from her mama!)  She has lots of adorable little friends, loves her puppies, and is always down for an adventure.  This kid has more miles under her belt than most adults I know, and she takes it all in stride.  She loves going new places, as long as Mommy, Dada, and her puppies are along for the ride.

Alaina’s ever expanding vocabulary has been cause for concern around here.  For those of you that know us, well…  We don’t always censor our use of colorful metaphors around here.  It’s going to be a problem…

We’ve had lots of celebrations, and several unimaginable hardships in the past year.  We’re very thankful to have this little ray of sunshine here – she makes the good times better, and the sad times a little easier to get through.  She greets us every morning with a smile and a smooch, no matter how often she had us up the night before.  We may never get this kid to sleep through the night, but her sweet hugs and hilarious personality somehow make it all okay the next day.

Turns out, she makes an adorable flower girl too.  She’s got all of her aunties and uncles (and even her cousins) wrapped around her finger.  Don’t even ask about her grandparents, this kid is a pro.

Alaina’s sense of adventure is inspiring, and I hope it will take her far in life.  She loves people and pets, and is just as happy reading stories at home as she is at the park with friends.  We totally hit the baby jackpot with this one

Thank you for the last 18 months, Baby Girl.  You’ve changed our lives more than you’ll ever know!

 Photos courtesy AH Photography

Some friends of ours had a baby in March, and I finally got a chance to get my camera on him.  Isn’t he a cutie?

Alaina and I are spending a bit of time at my mom’s house while Prince Charming works on some long overdue construction projects at our house.  Now that Alaina is mobile, it didn’t seem like a great idea to have her and a tile saw sharing space.  While we’ve been here, we’ve had lots of great time with Nana, Alaina’s adopted aunties, and her buddy Evan.  One of our favorite evenings involved a long overdue Christmas gift exchange and some playtime with Alaina and Evan in matching jammies.  Here are a few of my favorite moments:

She’s heading right for him..  Watch out, Evan!

“Oh look, a camera!”

Evan has no idea what’s coming, as he’s still being adorable for the camera…

Almost there!

Surprise!  The wrestling match begins..

Evan sneaks in with a chomp to the arm…

Alaina tosses him, but he manages a hair pull on the way down!

So cute!  Hard to believe there’s a 3 month age difference between these two!

Evan has had enough.  Soak up the victory, Alaina, this kid is going to be twice your size in no time, and he’ll get his revenge!

Playing nicely again.

Alaina’s first Christmas was so much fun.  As expected, she had an overwhelming amount of gifts to open between the two family Christmases.  In addition, her Aunt Anissa gave me one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten -some great photos to remember Alaina’s first Christmas by!  We are so lucky to have such a talented photographer there for all of our big moments, and so grateful that she’s willing to take some time to work during her family vacations -I can’t thank you enough Anissa!

Here are a few (yes, I could only narrow it down so far!) of my favorites:

The past eight months have been a whirlwind of fun, exhaustion, laughter, tears, wonder, and amazement.  Here’s the abbreviated version:

Alaina now has her first two teeth, is scooting around on the floor, can wave and say hi, does a whole lot of babbling, and loves trying new foods.  She just started a music class, and got a membership to the pool in Glenwood.  She loves music, her dogs, and anyone who smiles at her!  As you very well know, we have MANY more photos, but Animoto only let me use a few, and I haven’t quite figured out how to create videos in Lightroom yet.  It’s on the list.

I was so excited for Alaina’s first Halloween.  The costume options were endless.  So endless, in fact, that I nearly didn’t decide in time!  Luckily, we found this great (warm AND comfy!) ladybug costume at Macy’s and Nana got us an even greater discount on it!

Alaina is too little to enjoy the payoff of trick or treating, but we went along with her friend Teagan for fun.  She LOVED seeing all of the kids all over the neighborhood, and I loved getting a chance to show off our little bug!

Here are the highlights:

24 weeks, six months, 168 days, half a year.  However you look at it, it seems like a fairly decent stretch of time.  Somehow, the past six months have flown by at record speed for Team Jones.  24 weeks ago, Alaina was born.  Everything has changed.

In six months, I’ve learned that I love this little person more than I ever thought possible.  I’ve learned how to see things with new eyes, and take joy in the smallest things.  All of my joys (and all of my fears) have been multiplied by a thousand times, and I’m constantly amazed by how big of a difference one little tiny person can make on a family.  Not just on our little family, but on our whole family.  Alaina has grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins -all of whom she adores, and expects to adore her right back.  She has gotten to meet great grandparents, great aunts and uncles, second cousins, and “aunties” and “uncles” that she’s not related to, but treat her as she is.  She is a very lucky little girl.  We’re even luckier though.

In just 168 days, I’ve learned that Prince Charming isn’t just a great husband, he is also an amazing daddy.  He took care of both of us when I couldn’t, after Alaina’s very adventurous entrance into this world.  He works hard every day to give us everything we need, and  to allow me to cut my work back significantly in order to not have to put Alaina into daycare.  She lights up when she sees him, and loves spending time with her dad.  He is her hero.  He is my hero too.

In just half a year, I understand my mom more than I did in all of my previous 30 years.  I’ve taken over 2 thousand photos.  And shared most of them.  Thanks for humoring me, Facebook friends   I know now, that while not perfect, my body is amazing.  I’m so thankful to have such a happy, healthy little girl.  My once spotless house  (…haha, kidding! My house has never been spotless, just wanted to see if you were still paying attention.  I know a  few of you who know me choked on your cappuccinos when you read that last one!)  I’ve learned that sleep is not as important as I once thought.  I’ve become an expert at decoding cries and grunts.  I have learned to not say things like “I would NEVER…” with regards to parenting.  You never know what you’ll be willing to try at 3am.

In 24 weeks, my whole world has changed.  I’m lucky to be able to be home with Alaina.  I get to see her meet every stage and milestone.  My favorites -cooing, babbling, smiling, sitting up, and laughing.  Even my not-so-favorites -teething, growing out of diaper sizes (figured that out the hard way!), and three month sleep regression -I love being here to see this amazing little person grow.

24 amazing weeks have flown by.  I can’t wait to see what the next 24 have in store.  We love you, little one.

The Pink Pirates have done it again!  Racing to “Save Second Base” in this year’s Denver Race For The Cure in honor of friends, family, and strangers suffering from breast cancer.  This year was a special year for us, as we welcomed two new pirates to our crew:

Alaina, snoozing all the way to the start line

Evan, decked out in his pirate garb

Navigating a crowd of over fifty thousand people is a bit different when you’ve got a stroller, but once we got going, the day couldn’t have gone better.  Gorgeous weather, happy babies, and an amazing group of people with a common goal made for a perfect morning!  (Brunch afterward at McCormick’s didn’t hurt either!)  It is a great feeling to bring my new baby in on a tradition that I’ve shared with my mom and some of our closest friends in celebration of so many amazing people.  My grandmother is a survivor, with over 36 years cancer free.  Her strength is an inspiration, and something that I plan to celebrate with my daughter and her grandma for years to come!

I don’t have all of the photos from everyone yet, but here are a few of my favorites: