Photography: Maya, 3 Years {almost}

We had sweet Maya over this morning, and I just had to steal some more pics before she and her family moves in a couple weeks!! 

one of my favorite shots...

 my other favorite shot...

And I HAD to take some with Hannah too!  I hardly have any pics of the kids together!

Winter 2011

Snow finally came.  Until it blew away. Sort of.

Perhaps it's time...

... to pack away all those outgrown clothes!  Out. of. control.

I seriously feel like I just did this a couple months ago and here we are again! Not because we've the kids are particularly growing SO fast, but mostly because I've decided I should probably just put away all of Eli's 3T stuff (He's 4.5 now!).  He's been wearing a lot of it again this season, just a little tighter and shorter, but in effort to thin the closet, I decided to just strip it all out of there!  Same with Carter and his 6-9 month stuff--he was still getting by on some of that, but I decided to just pack it away anyway.  So this huge pile of clothes is getting sorted into bins and bins sitting in the hallway.  I actually got most of it done today! WHEW! It's such a big project to go through kids clothes like that!  Do you have a system??

Go read. You need this.

I recently found the blog of someone I knew when we lived in Virginia 6 years ago, and ohmygosh, she's hilarious!  So many fabulous stories, that are fabulous because we moms can relate.  So go read, Navy Beans, and subscribe to her feeds.  It's so refreshing to get a daily dose of humor in our otherwise busy, stressful days!  Enjoy!

6 years...

Today
is our 6-year anniversary.
We spent new year's weekend away
just the two of us.
It wasn't romantic really
But
it was good.
I'm thankful
for this wonderful man in my life.
Really.
I wish I always saw it wonderful
but it's hard.
I wish I was more thankful
but that's hard too.
I wish I didn't have expectations
but I'm a woman,
married to a man
so sometimes
there's a clash
between dream and reality.
I guess
I love him so much
I want more of him.
I want
to talk and laugh and cuddle.
I want to dream.
No stress,
no demands.
But that
isn't real.
Real is...
being together.
Sharing the same memories.
Watching your children be born,
building a family,
going places,
knowing all the details
about a single person
Yet wondering
who he will become.
What is ahead?
Where will we go?
How do we get there?
But knowing all the same
right here
is where I want to be.

Photography: Nora, 1 YEAR

My friend Kathy invited me to come take pictures of her sweet Nora (who's grown up right alongside Carter), and of course, I said YES!  So we arranged a play date and took some pictures while I was there. I knew right away I wanted to use Nora's room since they have the walls painted a beautiful rosy pink!  And Kathy dressed her up in this ADORABLE tutu with a flower hair piece and mama's pearls.

 

 Then I wondered what some of these would look like in a Rosy Black & White.  And I decided to play with erasing the B&W in some areas.  I got excited when I figured out I could erase at only 30% opacity so it was more subtle and bringing in a little color for the tutu, flower, pearls, and even her pretty blue eyes, just a little.

What a sweet pea!! 

Cards for Pattern Blocks

Anyone else have these fun pattern blocks?  Well, I had this great idea this week that maybe I could find free printable cards.  And wu-lah!  A whole bunch!  Cute, simple ones.  Check 'em out! You can also find more here!

I've printed a bunch and will then use my self-laminating paper to make them more durable.  Yippee!

Photography: Isaac, 17 months

I got the privilege of watching sweet Isaac yesterday, and you know me, I just HAD to take some pictures while he was here with us!  When taking pictures of younger ones who are incredibly mobile (like Carter's age to 2yrs), it's sometimes easier to find something to sit them on so they don't crawl/walk away so fast.  I don't really have anything fun in our house, but that's the reason Isaac is just in the chair.  I love how these capture a bit of what toddlerhood is all about--from the expressions to the way they sit to the adorable smile you can eventually get.

I love this face! Makes me laugh!

really sweet

 And then I bundled up the little guy to help me check the mail....

always busy. always on the go.

all bundled! so cute!

thanks for coming to play!  you were great!

Goals for 2011

It's a new year.  A fresh start.  Not pregnant, babies are weaned, and I just feel free to work on things for myself this year.  You know what I mean??  So in no particular order here are a few things I want to do this year...

* Bible study daily.  I was actually gifted with a daily devotional for Christmas, so that already will help me with that goal.

* Establish workout routine.  I still have about 10 lbs to lose from having three babies.  I still don't know what's a good time of day to get all sweaty and nasty and need a shower again.  Winter months are so hard to get up early when it's so cold and dark out.  First thing in the morning, being an example to the kids and then having to find a time to take a quick shower and get dressed?  Probably not ideal, especially on preschool days.  First thing in the evening? Maybe, though that cuts in to hubby time.

* Establish a mentor relationship with one of the ladies from church.

* Invite people to our home more regularly.

* Finish house projects such that we can do so. (particularly the dining room trim and decor)

* Work on marriage.

* Arrange regular dates with Hubby.

* Less time on computer, more time with real people.

* Plan more play dates.

* Get back to letter-writing.  I love snail mail!

* Start couponing!


What are a few of your goals for the rest of the year???