Batteries

Simone got wings, a tutu, and butterfly wand for Christmas. One day after the kids got on the bus we dressed her up and she danced around the playroom.


Hop

hop

twirl

and fall

run

jump.

jump.

jump.



Then she stomps over to me and says, "My wings broken.

I not fly.

This is not magic."

She holds her wand in front of her face.

"This is outta batteries."

I am so so thankful for her. I say all the time that she is my saving grace. (Goodness knows she didn't start out that way!) I love the time we have together each day.

She is really looking forward to her birthday. She is making serious plans! Everyday I hear about the "Diego party" "Butterfly party" Garden party" or "Ladybug party". She has a great guest list. Today the cake went from chocolate with chocolate frostin', to chocolate with pink frostin'. Chocolate sounds more like fawklet when she says it though. Her birthday is in March- two more months of party planning two-year old style!

I have to talk about Diego since I brought him up! Simone loves Go-Diego-Go! She adores him and Baby Jaguar. She watches him on my ipad while I'll sleep next to her in the morning. (I LOVE HER for this.) One day we got a Netflix envelope in the mail. Lincoln and I looked at each other with puzzled expressions. We don't order movies in the mail....we just watch them instantly on the xbox and the ipad. He opened the envelope and started laughing. He turned it around so I could read the title.

"Go Deigo Go, Saves the wolf pups."

Simone! Ordering Diego movies! We both laughed.



One side note about the sleeping in. While I was in Texas last week I SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! Seriously. I haven't done that in THREE YEARS. It was the strangest feeling ever. I woke up at 7 refreshed and ready for the day. Simone wakes up still several times a night, she will go from sound asleep to screaming. I don't know what to do for her. It doesn't take much to calm her down. I say, "Everything is okay, " pat her back and she's back to sleep. If I don't go in there....she comes and finds me. I say the same thing...and she walks back to her bed and goes back to sleep. If she isn't waking me up-- someone else will always step in and make sure I don't sleep.

She gets a gold star for letting me sleep a little longer after the big kids leave for school though!

How long??

Every day Natalia asks, "How long is my hair today?"

I measure my hand underneath the ends on her back and rub so she can feel.

She always gasps....as if it has grown and she can tell. She wants it to be as long as Rapunzel's.

She asked me on Saturday, and instead of measuring like usual...I suggested I take a picture so she could see. Then (because I am a sneaky Mom) I took about 16 more pictures! Here are some favorites.

2010...distracted by blossoms....

I opened my Spring 2010 folder to start pulling out favorites for my 2010 post. I was completely distracted by all the cherry blossoms pictures! Some of these I haven't even looked at before! I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did. I will do the 2010 post when I get back from this!

We have had a really exciting week.

My brother in law got his family here! That makes me cry! He missed them so much! Now they are together in Maryland, and I am so excited to start making memories with them. They all slept here 2 nights....that was 13 people in my house. Crazy and fun.....more fun that crazy though. Wyatt is in heaven to have some boys to play with. (We already have our Halloween costumes planned! No kidding.) Love them.

Two of my photographs were in the Baltimore Sun newspaper. The weekend edition had a big image of my client and a smaller family photo (mine) above the article. Then on Sunday a shooting in Arizona had taken place, so the large football image was removed, and they shrunk my photo a little (rude)....but they added a second HUGE image of mine on page 13 with the rest of the article. I am so glad my clients asked to use my images! What a fun thing to be apart of. (I am doing a dance....it goes like this..."I've been published....I was on the front page...------IN COLOR!" I know I am a dork. It was a great dance though.

Then on Tuesday Lincoln delivered my neighbors baby, while I called out instructions from the 911 operator! Her husband was in England, and her mother was there helping us too. It was so quick and crazy. I am going to photograph the cute little baby boy when I get back from Texas. I'll ask them if I can post a few images here.

Here are the blossom images from last year. I LOVE THEM!

My camera was hanging by the neck strap from the tree. =)

I can still hear this laugh.

The girls and I make these every year. This year Natalia made her own. I can't wait until April so we can do it again!

Simone in her blessing dress.

Didn't that make you excited for spring?
Me too.

Moving forward....

Well- last week was hard. It started with the stomach flu, then the passing out, two sick daughters, then coughing fits (until I threw up), and then Thursday I got the worst migraine headache of my life (which made me throw up...several times.) I am thankful that things are better now.

I am working on a post full of my favorite images of 2010. I loved this year! It was one of the best years of my life. I can only imagine that 2011 will be even better. The first three months are already jam packed with exciting plans and I can't wait.

I'll post soon.......

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas. Santa came...and brought too much stuff. Everyone was happy, and Talia kept saying that her Christmas was "Awesome!". Lincoln spoiled me, and broke the "NO ELECTRONICS" rule i had given him- and got me a new iphone. I love it. My favorite gift from him was a super cute cardigan from J Crew...I just told him I wanted one (he bought two..good man!), and to pick it out himself. It is grey with a little shinny silver thread woven through it, and its longer, no buttons and two side pockets. Dressy, and not dressy at the same time. I had it on- all dressed up and ready to go to the Hansen's for Christmas dinner. Lincoln made the most amazing prime rib! Out of this world amazing...I am getting hungry just trying to describe it. Then Simone threw up.

Poor baby. Lincoln and I sat there and stared at each other. He headed to the Hansen's without Simone and I. =( He left me some prime rib, and some the raspberry dessert I had made.

Oh, all the snowflakes pictures. There was a beautiful little moment after all the presents were opened. We looked outside and the prettiest snowflakes were floating to the ground. I put on my new boots, and my new gloves and headed outside! Quietly I looked for tiny snowflakes on my back deck. I am sure my neighbors think I am nuts! "Why is our neighbor outside in pajamas and a coat-kneeling on the ground taking pictures of snow?"




This is why.

(Click to enlarge...the details are amazing!)

Love me some snowflakes!


The week before Christmas was hard. I got the stomach flu immediately after hitting submit on my last photo order. I am grateful that I didn't get sick one second earlier! I stayed in bed all day. I don't want to share gory details, but I was so sick I broke blood vessels in my eye lids, and on my cheeks, and under my eyes. boo. (They had better HEAL!)
Then the next morning I took a shower (and brought my sick two year old in there with me.) I passed out on her.
Yep.
Fell right on top of her head.
She thought I was being crazy or silly...and laughed at me after I was on the ground.
Luckily Lincoln was home to help us out.


We were healthy for a few days, and then Talia got it, and then Simone. I hope it passes over the boys.

Wow. This is not a very Christmasy post at all!

I am going to go watch a movie with Lincoln. Make guacamole and watch a good movie.
Yum.


Oh.
We're going to Hawaii!
Lincoln was one of the top salesmen for HP in 2010.
They are rewarding 5 people with a trip (with spouses)....he is one of them!!!!
I am so stinking proud of him!
It was his first year in sales....and they LOVE him.
As do I!

I have been swimsuit shopping like crazy!
Just thinking about flip flops and sundresses has me giddy.

Here come the Holidays

I can't believe it's the 23rd of December! I tried really hard to be ready this year. I am not. I just realized an order I was expecting...I didn't ever place it. Oops! Off to the mall I go.

I will also admit that I am a failure this year. I told Lincoln I wouldn't do any photo sessions or photography (editing, ordering, etc.) in December. I DID TONS! I'm sorry babe. I worked so much I haven't been to dance class in FIVE weeks. That makes me cry!...REALLY I'm crying about that. I did FIVE session in December, when it should have been ZERO. Next year will be different. The whole year. I am really changing the way I work.....not taking on new clients....for a whole YEAR. I'll have a wait list for 2012. I am so lucky that my clients KEEP coming back! It is strange and wonderful to see these little families grow, and I feel so honored that I am the one they ask to capture it. There are several clients I have photographed for SIX years. Their homes are covered in my work, and it make my heart sing when I see that!


Back to my family....

I filled my cute advent calendar with fun Christmas activities. A few my friends and I brainstormed together to come up great things to fill our month with the Spirit of Christmas. Here are a few examples of the things they pulled out of each door.....

Cut out snowflakes.
Drink hot cocoa with candy canes.
String popcorn and cranberries.
Go cut down a Christmas tree.
Decorate the Christmas tree.
Sleepover under the Christmas tree.
Christmas stories by candle light.
Put up the Nativity.
Do something nice for somebody else. (Keep it a secret)
Gingerbread house!
Symphony of Lights
The Lights at the Temple. (Go see the Christmas tree with Mom's photos all over it inside the Visitors Center!)
Eat a Candy cane.
Wrap Presents.
Smores in the fireplace.
Electric Trains as the Fire station.
Build a tent fort and listen to/sing 5 Christmas songs in it.
Christmas movie night with popcorn.
Christmas movie night with ice cream!







The Christmas tree farm. It was so so cold, and the wind made it unbearable! It was a fun adventure, and the kids loved it.




This is Wyatt reading about the Ginch, while Talia cuddles as stuffed animal of him.

After Wyatt got done reading I heard Simone in the kitchen, "You a time out. Nose to the WALL!----You in time out."

I looked to see her holding the Ginch, his feet on the floor and his nose on the wall!

That's what you get for stealing Christmas from Whoville I suppose.

My favorite tradition

Last week I took the girls to The Nutcracker! We went out to dinner with some of our favorite friends; Maggie, Ellie, and Sophie...or Fophie as Simone loving calls her. Then we were off to the performance. We got great seats and the girls were so well behaved. We just happened to be there the same night as our dance teacher, Elaine. She is my teacher, Natalia's, and Ellie's. It was a serendipitous meeting. Before the show she sat with the girls and told them about the ballet, then characters, how to behave during a performance, and that it is okay to clap and even the occasional laugh is fine. Simone kept saying, "Blue turtian (curtain) UP! Move this turtain!"

Then the show began. Simone was on my lap and she loved every minute. Except the mice and the mouse king. She took my hands and covered her eyes with them. When I took them down after I thought it was safe...she grabbed them and said, "Your hands....cover my eyes!"

She laughed, she clapped, and when Mother Ginger came out she could see the little feet under her skirt and she said, "they hidin". Simone watched every minute. Now Natalia chose to sit by her little friend and was very far from me. I would peek over every once and a while and she was absolutely smitten! Her eyes never left the stage. I loved looking at my little girl, her face illuminated from the stage lights, thoroughly enjoying one of my favorite holiday traditions.

Afterward our dance teacher took us backstage. The older two girls had picked out a paperback copy of The Nutcracker as a souvenir and they had the dancers autograph the first page. It was a magical moment and such a fantastic way to end our evening.



This is a link to Maggie's blog. She just posted about it too, and she is such a talented writer. (And she brought her camera to the ballet!)

rush rush

Talia tripped and fell down the driveway last Sunday. She slid down the concrete right on her nose. The poor thing.

We were even going to be on time, but we had to rush inside and stop the bleeding. I told her she could stay home with Daddy (sick), but she wanted to come with us.




I have some amazing post and pictures. They are just going to have to wait. I am so busy!! Everyone is busy...but I am so busy that I think my head may explode! Maybe my heart too....I am feeling so so excited about so many things, and I don't have time for them yet. They sit on the back burner and wait.






Oh, Talia lost her first tooth too. A few weeks ago. I bawled like a little baby..er, a....big baby! How can she old enough to lose a tooth? She laughed and hugged me.

She was really excited to get a dollar from the tooth fairy, and woke me up really early to show it to me. =) Man, I love that sweet little ball of fire!



(Mom, go back up and look at the first picture....You can't even see the scar on her collarbone! Okay- you can see it, but it is so small. It has healed so nicely! Hopefully her nose will do the same.)

Gotta post these before Thanksgiving

We went to the pumpkin patch.
It was fun.
I have more to say about this.
I'll do that later.

Talia was sick of being Dorothy, and was seriously jealous of my red glitter make-up that I wore the night before. Here she is in her cousin's red dress as a little devil.
The bee and the ninja posed too.

She looks good in red.


(I couldn't really think of anything sweet to say about my six year old in make-up and devil horns.)

Sneaky Ninja

The bee was naughty, so I'll set up a fake Halloween session and get her again.




There now I can stop worrying about not blogging Halloween.
ps. before the end of 2010 I am going to blog about.....

Easter
The amazing Easter eggs I made with Rileigh
THE CHERRY BLOSSOM PICTURES!
(I took hundreds and had time to edit THREE!!!)
Pictures from the Utah trip.
a bunch of other little posts that I never had time for.

AND...

I won't feel sad if I actually never have time to do it.