the monkeys have moved

come check out our new blog @

Two Little Monkeys

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Thanks Blogger, but you just couldn't cut it! Come leave me a comment on the new site so I know you are all still alive and well :) 

Thanks for all the blogging fun!!!!

here's the deal

this is now the second night where I have tried to upload some fun pics from my day and continue my blog challenge BUT for some reason nothing is uploading. I'm off to leave a nasty help note to the blogger people!!

Blog Challenge

Here's the scoop: one post each day for 30 days! 

For me, this blog is a way to scrapbook our lives in a more modern and convenient way. 
To remember the everyday details like giving Kor is first "big boy" camera and seeing the world through his eyes.
or how my daughter likes to do everything with a phone to her ear...huh I wonder where she get's that from???
this is what I want to remember....so for the next month my goal is to post something. Anything really, just tidbits from the day. I want to read my Blurb book in 10 years and remember just what I was doing and what my daily life was like. So here I go! 

Here's to the last weekend in September! See you Monday when I start my own personal blogging challenge of post everyday for 30 days! 

sometimes we get bored. 

it's that time again, 10 random thoughts for this Tuesday:

1. Yesterday was the first day of fall and man was it a cold one. We went for a walk around 6:30pm last night and everyone was bundled in their full winter gear. Traeger was the only one who didn't seem to notice the freezing wind.
2. I'm slowly starting to come out of my editing fog and start replying to some very old emails. Justin & I are so completely different in this aspect as he refuses to leave the office before replying to every last email. I know that is probably the way to be but he doesn't have to fight off a three year old and a one year old who rather despise me being on the computer.
3. Yesterday was rather stressful for me so I decided to close the kitchen down for dinner. We headed out to Red Robin where we ran into the Hunter family who was celebrating Matthews big THIRD birthday. Happy birthday Matt!
4. I just remembered that I need to call Save Mart and get someone to the house to fix our oven! It's only two years old and should be working at 1oo percent, but it's not!
5. It's officially baby season. All of my maternity clients are now having their babies and it seems like they are doing it together! Congrats to everyones new additions!
6. I am now the proud owner of a Canon 5D! Yes, i'm going to brag just a little but I deserve it! I have worked very hard this summer and my sweet sweet husband has helped me out with it. Thanks babe, you truly are the best!
7. We also just reserved our spot at Big White again this winter. Looking forward to taking both kids this time around and really enjoying some family ski time! I was super bummed about not bringing K last year, he's already talking about going sledding and who's he's going to "bump".
8. Speaking of ski season, this morning I peaked in to the Alrberg and got excited about all the winter gear and winter clothing. I'm thinking that a new jacket is in order this year.
9. This week is great as far as t.v. programs go. Everything is finally new again and now that it's getting darker earlier Koren is asleep so we can actually watch something besides Thomas the Train!
10. Wow I made it to ten without a pause. I guess it's been a pretty exciting week ;) I need to get some new photos on here I feel like it's been forever since i've actually taken this kids out for their own photo session.

Coming soon to a Halloween near you. 

10.

well some how it's already Tuesday which means it's time for ten:

1. This may be a bit random but sometimes i'm just a bit random. I have come to enjoy posting 10 non-related bits and pieces as it's a fun reminder of what my life has been full of latley. If you have a blog, give it a try!


2. Back to waaaay back last weekend we made the fun trip to the Chelan County Fair in Cashmere where Koren got to enjoy Marie's (amir) company and have a blast riding all the rides and visting the animals. It's great that K is finally tall enough to reach the mark as this has been the first even where he has been taller than the standard 36 inch requirement. If you wanna check out a few fun photos hop on over to my Flickr page.


3. I met with my trainer Darcy this morning who absoultey worked my butt over today. I'm not sure if it's because I had a lazy last week or if I just wasn't really in the mood but now I feel so engergized. There really is something great about working out first thing in the morning!


4. Last night we had a little get together over at our around-the-corner-friends John & Anne's place and let's just say it proved to be definant birth control for any future Collier children. Teag's decided to projectile barf just as we were sitting down for a wonderul salmon dinner. It all went downhill from there! I'm sure the whole thing was pretty funny but it really reminded me that a WHOLE weekend without my darlings is needed SOON! Anyone interested in a one & three year old?????


5. Traeger is adjusting very well and showing his true colors more and more each day. He is a very happy little guy who loves to play and be loved on. He still is a champ in his kennel and crate and hasn't cried, whined, or barked yet!


6. It is officially the busiest photo month yet! I love it but at the same time am already looking forward to my month off this December. If you are a photo client reading this blog I promise I will have your session up soon :) :) :)


7. Last week was the downtown fashion show which I commentated due to Pauline have little Miss Gracie a few days early. It really was a good time and I have to say that the little girlies, Teags & Mia, stole the show! They were just way too adorable and i'm hoping Becca will send me some photos of the event.
8. hmm..well now i'm strugging for two more entries I think i'm going to leave it at that! 

love this guy

I would like to introduce the newest member of the Collier Clan, Traeger. More officially 

Red Skye's K.T. Traeger

He is an 11 week old Brittany Spaniel with a wonderful personality and already eager to learn. 

Koren is more than excited about his new puppy and Justin is even more excited for a new hunting buddy.  

Trager & I attemped to go for a run this morning but he wasn't too sure about the leash yet. I'm sure with time him & I will be great running buddies. 


one of my favorite traits about Trae is his little notch of coloring on his forehead and the freckles on his nose. 

Thanks to Red Skye Farms for parting with this little guy, we will provide a very happy and healthy home for him! 

We all have fun when YaYa comes to town!! 

Sara made a surprise visit this week before she starts her second year of grad school in Philadelphia. 
I'm not sure who had more fun today. Thanks again Sara for all your help with these little monkeys. I think Christmas is waaaay to long and you should find some sort of way to teleport yourself more often, wink wink :) 

If you look closely you will see that T-Bear had a visit to Sara's mom today, Dr. Bates. Here are the little miss's stats: 

weight: 25.12 pounds...YES you read that correctly she is almost TWENTY SIX POUNDS! Her big brother is only 30 pounds!!! 

height:31 inches

head: 19 inches

Let's just say that overall Teags is a very HEALTHY little girl with smile as big as her belly :) 

love ya T!~ 

10 REASONS WHY EVERYONE NEEDS AN ASHLEY: 

1. good friends are hard to find, great friends are even harder. 
2. to be inspired by in so many ways, too many to list on this silly blog
3. to run with, after a loooong stint on bedrest Ash went on to join the Spokane Mom's In Motion group and ran a 1/2 marathon!!! She convinced me that running was fun (ha!) and has since proven to be a great running partner! 
4. to shop with, we can do some serious damage together. I'm sure Justin loves how well Ash's and my tastes are alike and our love for high end children's clothing. Although, she is a fabulous bargain hunter and has helped me score some great deals along the way. 
5. to talk photography with, I would not be doing what I am today with a little convincing way back in the day. Ashley is a great photographer who has a gift for capturing  emotion in kids like no other! 
6. to blog with, it all started with Bedrest Boutique and again inspired me to start my own blog. 
7. to dine with, the first great meal I remember having with A is when she had us over for her signature Cuban Pork Dinner with rice & beans and LOTS of lime! YUMMO! It doesn't stop there either. If you are looking for a great restaurant pretty much anywhere in the state of Washington she knows about it. 
8. to scrapbook with, when we lived in Spokane we would frequent the classes together at Apropos where I was able to preserve a few memories on paper. Too bad I don't have an Apropos in Wenatchee, or better yet an Ashley in Wenatchee :(
9. to be informed by, Ash is an incredible speech therapist with a special gift for working with children who have autism. When I was worried about Teag's development I shared all my frets and fears and she helped put those aside. If I ever were to have a child who needed any kind of "extra help" she would be the person I would run to. On top of that, Ash is a self proclaimed resource junkie! BOOKS galore!!!
10. to be a mommy with, Ash is an incredible mom to Holland & Dylan who are also great buddies to Koren & Teags. Dylan & Teagan share a birthday and all I can hope is that our kids grow up knowing what special friendships can be formed even though we live 3 hours away. We can have some seriously fun playdates, trips to the park, Mobius, photo sessions, backyard pool parties and sleepovers! 

Thanks Ashley for being you! 

Iron Girl I am!

time: 1:00:26

next stop Leavenworth 10/4 my goal will be to brake the hour mark! 

Thanks to my wonderful friends who I could not call myself a runner without, Ashley & Katie, you guys are the best!!!!! 

more firsts

Today marked Koren's first day of pre-school and let's just say the last thing he wanted to to was smile for me. He wanted to run in so fast that he didn't even say goodbye to his dear ol' mom! What happened to the little boy who clung on to my leg for dear life and would scream bloody murder anytime I would leave the room. I'm a sap, yes I know, but still he is only 3 for goodness sakes and he's off to school. C.R.A.Z.Y. He had a blast and i'm sure this year at Seeds will be a great one. 

firsts

first pig bear cakes. 
first baby doll kisses
first steps...well almost firsts. T has been toddling now for a few weeks.
first birthday gifts always bring smiles.
first birthday cakes and T asking for more. 

one.

happy birthday sweet girl. 

fall style

Thanks Libby for the fun link! 

This is me, in all my fashion glory :) I would have a fun/funky outfit for pretending to be cool, a go-out-to-dinner look, a work-at-the-store set, and a photo shoot outfit. This pretty much sums me up, and after my upcoming weekend in Seattle with Ashley I just might own a few of these pieces! 

t - one day

until the T-Bear is ONE! Can you believe it, because I sure can't. For some reason this is a big birthday for me and i'm not sure why. Koren's first birthday came and went without too much emotional toll but for some reason Teags' is hitting me hard. Mainly because nobody knew where exactly she would be developmentally and for the fact that she has surpassed BY FAR everyone's expectations. I also think it's hard knowing or not knowing if she will be our last little monkey having this big milestone in our home. 

Well like all birthdays around here i've gotta post some stats: 

Teagan at ONE : 

weight- heavy! (her check-up isn't until next week so will stick with that) 

height- pretty average (again, will know more soon)

nicknames: t-bear, teagers, Teags the tank (haha, I think this is a house fave right now-poor girl) T

favorite foods: well pretty much everything!! Yogurt, french fries, grilled cheese, avacado

what makes her smile: Walking, her brother,changing the channels on the tv, drinking from a cup with a straw, waking up from a long nap, taking her brother's toys, oscar

what makes her cry: not feeding her fast enough if everyone else is already eating, leaving her with strangers, mom walking out of site, poop...

stay tuned for complete birthday coverage tomorrow then I promise to change the subject :}

some recent Etsy faves!

Etsy Buy Handmade marykf20 ~~two posts in one night, i'm on a roll~~

DMB

has come and gone....and thanks to the overwhelming amount of "special" smoke blowing through the amphitheater i'm sporting a few less brain cells...good times were had by all at the Dave Matthews Band concert! Thanks Katie & Adam, John & Anne, and Ivy for a great night!!

5

sometimes you just need a break

from the car that is. 
can you guess who this is trying to get into a bag of cheese crackers???
we spent the day in the tri-cities and took our sweet time coming home. our stop for ice cream and an impromptu photo shoot was much needed and these little monkeys couldn't have been happier.

So I was finally able to get some pics posted from my big 10k race I completed this past weekend. Katie & I finished the 10k, my time being 1:04, and my mom walked the 5k with Teags. This is whole race was basically for Teagan as almost a year ago while she was at Children's Hospital Seattle I remember wandering through the hospital reading the hospitals' most recent newsletter. It had pictures and results of the 10k race and then there were pictures of patients and their families and at the time I told Justin that next year I would be completing this race for T. I did it! 

I know this sounds all corny and sappy like but as I was running all I could think about is how almost a year ago we could have lost our sweet T bear. When the status of her life was on an hour-t0-hour basis and we had no clue what her outcome would be. As my legs were getting tired I had visions of almost every single little detail of her hospital stay including the lame almost year old magazines in the pumping rooms, or the pomegranate tea I would get from the cafeteria, or the smell of the soap in her NICU room, it was like it was yesterday that we were there... So as I set out to complete more races I hope those memories stay fresh and in my head as they served as fuel for my fire and helped me cross that finish line. 

My goal for the next 10k in September will be to complete it in under 1 hour. After that I'm on to the Leavenworth half marathon and help me God on that one! 

Thanks again Ash for all your encouragement! 

more details about this past weekend's events in the morning as right now i'm off to bed.

love this site!~

10

recent events that have made me happy

1. I joined the brand new Golds Gym in East Wenatchee. I may be a gym snob but after working out in such a cool environment I DONT CARE! It's fabulous, high tech, clean, close to my house, on the way home, and each piece of cardio equipment has it's own ipod docking station!!! 
2. I also bought myself 3 months of personal training! I am finally going to get my butt in gear (with the help of W.) I have three upcoming runs in the next few months as well as a 20lb weight loss goal. I'm sure i'll be bloggin' all about it because for me the more people who know the more accountable I am. 
3. Justin, Koren, and I had such a great time boating this past Sunday. A bunch of our friends met up down at one of the beaches along the river where we all took turns watching the kiddos and partaking in various watersports! I had fun showing off a bit but Monday morning I was paying for it! 
4. BOTH KIDS HAVE BEEN SLEEPING NOW FOR TWO HOURS!!!!!!! 
5. I'm slowly but surely getting caught up on my editing. I only have FIVE sessions to go, well six after a belly session tonight. It makes me happy to see my business growing but also a little hesitant as this was always going to be such a part-time venture for me. 
6. The whole family is heading to Seattle Friday afternoon and I get to make a stop at IKEA. 
7. I am re-styling Teag's room and her new sheets came yesterday from Babystyle....I wish I would have used these colors from the beginning but such is life and they are now making me happy! 
8. I have ran a total of 8 miles this week and it's only Tuesday. My goal for the week is 20, not including the 7 I'll be running Saturday morning. 
9. T took a couple of steps on her own last night. Very quick and unstable, but still it's a big moment. 
10. Koren is such an amazing big brother. It makes me the most happiest mom ever to see him playing with his baby sister and actually enjoying her company. He has really been into showing her around the house lately and all the fun (trouble) they can get in to! 

just another day in with two silly little monkeys

(click on collage to view full image, silly blogger cut's off my sweet cheeks)

baby motrin or a margarita

up till now T has been sporting only her bottom two teeth. well today the top two are breaking the gum line and life is plain miserable! she is normally such a happy baby and a wonderful sleeper and i think for the first time in almost 8 months i had to rock her to sleep tonight. does anyone have any great tips for teething because if we have another day like today i'm going to be making margaritas for breakfast! 

what should i blog about next?

siblings

this makes me happy. 

meal planning

it's my new thing! 

well not really new, i've dabbled with it seriously a few times before but now i'm really trying to incorporate it into our lives! It is so difficult for us to all be together at home in the summer due to various sporting activities but i'm hoping that we can at least manage three meals this week. 

to include: 

Pizza! My favorite 'take and bake' has to be California Pizza Kitchen and pretty much any toppings they offer. Runner up would be Papa Murphy's Artichoke & Bacon. yummm. 

Turkey burgers with gruyere cheese and a few other sides. I'm thinking salad with pecans and cranberries or a fresh fruit bowl. 

I bought some super-rich whole grain pasta at Trader Joes awhile back and i'm hoping that when I add yummy pasta sauce and turkey meatballs Justin & Koren wont know it's good for them. For desert is a scoop (or two) of Blood Orange gelato...i've actually already had a few scoops of this and it's pretty tasty. I really just liked the packaging and I think next time i'll go for a flavor that's not quite so sweet like maybe a pistachio or mint. 

Well wish me luck with feeding this family because more often than not I put my menu aside for a chicken soft taco at Taco Time and call it good :) 

Just wanted to wish everyone a fantastic weekend!