Lost Camera... have you seen it??

From left to right: Layla - 17 months, Brielle - 19 months, Levi almost 2, and Gracee - 15 months.


This picture cracks me up. Layla and Brielle in a stare down, comparing shoes. If these two get into as much trouble together as their mamas did, we are all IN FOR IT.


Here's a snap of all the kids that were there for the visit that day... even Levi's new little sister June made the shot. Nicole's perplexed look was due to her concern over how many goldfish Brielle was smashing into her mouth at once. I don't think you need to worry Nicole. Looks like the girl's got your metabolism!

Well, first let me start by saying my lack in posting is due to the fact that my sneaky little girl has been taking out things and hiding them. Our camera was her latest victim and we cannot find it to save our life. We'll probably end up finding it like 10 years from now and laughing at how old school the thing is once we do find it.

These pics were taken back in January, at my friend Kelly's in Madison. Can you believe that all these kids are ours... my friends from high school!? The funny part is that of the kids in these pics, Layla is the only "only child". The rest have at least one other sibling. Dang! It was awesome to get all the kids together and see how each one resembles their parents (in looks and personality).

Grandpa and G'ma Sherman -- sledding pics to come soon. We borrowed our neighbor's camera on Saturday to take Layla out sledding in the custom built sled that Grandpa ("Papa") built for Bean, and she wore her new snow pants from them too! She was so cute and had sooo much fun! The pictures are hilarious. Now, I just need to get my neighbor to send them to me.

17 Months

Layla Bean,

On Friday, you turned 17 months old. It's mind boggling how fast you've grown since Christmas. When you first got your kitchen set from Santa, you couldn't reach the top of it. Now, you look down at it. And when Grandpa Roger brought you your play car, you couldn't reach the pedals. Now, you hammer on the gas and break pedals like you're in a speed race!

Your hair is now long enough to put in a "high pony" and your size 3T pants fit you length wise instead of just "width" wise. ;) You're leaning out and growing tall. You still have your adorable little belly and yummy little thighs and arms, but you're no longer a butterball. Just a sweet little girl with a butt you get from your mama.

You have become more chatty than EVER. You are ALWAYS talking. All the time, chat chat chatting away about who knows what. I sure would like to know what you're talking about, because it always seems very important. There are quite a few words you can say very clearly now that we can understand. Including: puppy, mama, dada, NO, MINE, bye, hi, stinky, uh oh and duddy (hudson). you can also say, "get down!" and you say that all the time to Hudson.

One of the cutest things I've noticed about you lately is that when I put my makeup on in the morning, you like to go through my makeup bag and pull out my blush brush and eye shadow brush. Then, you go get your baby and put makeup on her! Awe. My little girly girl.

Bean, you light up our lives and brighten even the darkest, gloomiest winter days. We love you!!!

My "little" Girl

She's just chillin'... havin' art time w/ daddy on the floor.

I had to take this picture of her hair. Look at those curls!!

This morning before school. I know, she sort of looks like a boy here, but look how BIG she is!

Yeah, yeah, mom. I'm big, I'm tall, but I still need my nuk. Get off my back already, would ya?

Is it possible that I now all of a sudden have a little girl? Not an infant, not a baby, but a little girl. I know, techincally, she's a "toddler", but seriously... look at these pictures. She's a little girl. A precious little girl who is innocent and happy and free. I just love her so much and cannot express how fulfilling it is to be a mama who wakes up every day to such a happy little girl. She honestly wakes up every morning with a smile on her face, or, at least with a funny little Layla laugh. Jake and I try to get up early each day to have our coffee together before the madness starts, and our favorite part of the day is hearing her first giggle. Think about it. Wouldn't it be great to wake up that happy, that excited, every day?? Try it once. I'll try it, but I think it might start as a fake laugh and end as a tired groan. ;) Not because I'm not happy, simply because I'm flippin' tired. You'd think this little one would be too, but she's not. She's our little girl, our little energizer bunny, our little sunshine.

Videos... and lots more... just keep scrollin'. Start with "First Haircut"...

Layla ... hangin' out w/ Hudson, playin' w/ her Christmas present from Nonnie, and Layla on the run with mama's camera!

Scroll down, start with "First Haircut" and work your way up...

Alright... here we go... long overdue. Pictures of Layla from mid December til now. Very random events, mostly Christmas and a few other things, take a look and see how big our "baby" is getting! SO big, so fast. Hard to believe she'll be 17 months old in only two weeks!!!


Bundled up to meet June.



Layla and mama, dinkin' around.



Whoah!! Falling backwards in Layla's first cardboard box fort.



Baby June Olivia Hamilton, who's now home safe and healthy with her mama and daddy and brother Levi.



More presents... this one from Grandpa Degnan.



Bean and daddy with Mr. Anferni Pernelli while home from Alaska and before he left to learn to be an organic farmer in Equador.



Layla touching the very button I told her NOT to touch.



It's not going in our yard Russ.



Layla Bean playin' with her Christmas present from Nonnie.



She loved her Christmas shoes.



Mid December on the redneck riviera... winter wonderland.



The fam at our first Christmas as hosts!


Best of friends.


Layla in her Christmas dress.


Wait a tick... this isn't string cheese!!

First Hair Cut

Layla Bean had her very first hair cut today!! Nonnie came last night to babysit for Bean while Jake and I went to a wedding and today Nonnie cut Layla's bangs. Really, she only took about three snips of hair so that her orphan looking bangs wouldn't hang in her face anymore, but that's technically a hair cut, right? She was a little freaked out by the whole thing but I reassured her that Nonnie was only trying to make her look a little more put together and that we'd leave her lovely curly locks alone so we can continue to put it in pig tails!!

Burning it at both ends

2009 is off to a "blast your face off" start for the Sherman's. As always, we're burning the candle at both ends and to be honest, I've come to realize that I'm not sure Jake or I know how to do it any other way. At this point, the only thing that's going to get us into "slow mode" is a vacation and the way things are going for me at work I don't see that happening for a while. I think our next "vacation" will be sometime in March, after I've gotten the new projects at work launched, things under control w/ half our team MIA (maternity leave, travel, etc) and for the simple fact that it's just been far too long since we've gone on any sort of retreat. I think we'll be hooking up with the Meyer's in the Dells, which will be a blast for us all.

Yesterday, I decided that if there was one thing I accomplished for this family this weekend, it would be cleaning our piece of crap refrigerator before it dies (if any of you have been over for a visit lasting more than 20 min, you know the retched sound the thing makes at sporadic intervals. It sounds like an emphysema patient smoking a crack pipe and then choking up a giant loogy). I am embarrassed to say that the fridge was so dirty that it was probably breeding highly infectious diseases. I do not have the slightest clue as what some of the things I found in there actually were and actually almost BARFED. No joke. It was sick and I am wondering how I let it get so bad, and, how I managed to turn a blind eye for so long. Our poor parents... God knows they've been in that refrigerator for one thing or another on family visits and have done everything in their power not to say, "For the love of God clean that God forsaken germ infested refrigerator." Now, it's shiny and new and it's amazing how empty it is. I filled an entire garbage bag of old food. Sick dude. How does that happen? Purple house flash back I tell ya.

Other minuscule items accomplished this weekend... Layla's laundry. The bonus -- I didn't have to fold it. Lori, our wonderful neighbor and friend did it for us. She was over for a few hours last night babysitting Layla while Jake and I went to see Marley and Me and somehow managed to also fold all of Layla's laundry. Thanks Lori!!! Marley and Me... what an amazing movie. If you haven't seen it yet, and, if you haven't read the book, read the book first. It's better and will prepare you for the movie. But, they did an amazing job with the movie and we LOVED it. Let's just say this, my eyes still burn, I was crying uncontrollably, cried all the way home and promised Hudson I wouldn't take him for granted anymore and wouldn't be so mean to him anymore. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

On a different note... a message to my dear friends who've been so patient with me over the recent weeks. Kelly M., Gobbz, Theresa (phone tag has been crazy), and anyone else that I may be forgetting at this moment due to mommy brain -- work should never take over the most important things in life like family and friends. Unfortunately, it has for me and I'm doing my best to just get things back on track and leave the rest behind. I think about you all very often and my top priority is to get something locked in on the calender for a long overdue visit.

Off to clean up duty on the house, then prep for travel today to visit some friends who are in from Oregon (the Nimm's). Then, home, work (I know, I know), and sleep.

I WILL be posting some long overdue pictures and videos today. TODAY.

Peace and Love. PEACE being the key word here.