Christmas Photo Session

Normally, I spend an hour on the phone just trying to get through to Portrait Innovations, make our appt, and then we sit there forever waiting as they are always running behind.  This year a fellow mom friend, used a local photographer who comes to our house and highly recommended her, so for 1/2 the price I figured we’d give it a try as well!!!

Hmm…let’s just say it was an EPIC FAIL where Middle Child was concerned.  She wanted nothing to do with photo’s and would just cry and run away.  3 shots is what we got of her, and my favorite is actually without her looking, lols. 

Now for some overload of my perhaps biased opinion be-a-ut-i-ful girls!!! 

Thanks for looking at my cuties!!  Do you go somewhere for your photos, hire a photographer on location or take them yourself? 

Happy New Year

Is anyone else feeling like they are in denial that it's New Year's Eve?!  Eeks - where has the time gone?  We finished with our last family Christmas this past Sunday and only 4 days later we're saying goodbye to 2009 and HELLO 2010!

We had a wonderful 4 days of Christmas with our families.  Needless to say by the end there I was dragging.  It was wonderful spending time with family and enjoying the pure Joy on little one's face!

 

Everything is put away in it's new home.  The tree is packed away.  All of the Christmas Decor has been purged and packed away for next year.  We are now in full on getting ready/inpatiently baby waiting mode.  Hubby and me keep saying everyday how many days are left and trying to wrap our brains around it, but it still doesn't seem like we are really at the end.


Dear 2009 - You've definitely been a challenge to my family.  I now know more than ever what family really is and means.  You've tested us with my Dad's fall from a tree accident, the hubs being laid off approx. half of the year total, dealing with Gramma's cancer coming back and her treatments, deaths in the family, the whole house debacle.  I'm so glad that you are leaving and we are welcoming 2010 with open arms because if this past year hasn't broken us then nothing will.  We as an extended family are stronger and I know without a doubt that this has made my marriage stronger and I can honestly say I don't think I've ever been more in love with my Hubby.  I already know 2010 is going to better as we will be welcoming Avalynn Grace into our family and new beginnings. 

I'm in the process of making a personal goal list for 2010 that I'll post in a few days.  I want to put some more thought into it.

I hope you all have a safe New Year's and that this coming year will be better for you and your families.

Christmas Photo's

Well, looks like I got whatever the little one had earlier this week, hardcore yesterday.  Feeling under the weather and not really up to a wordy post, so figured I'd share our pictures we got done last weekend.  Little one, wasn't really cooperating but we did get a few good ones, so I guess that's better than none.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

 

 

 

 

Emma, Ultrasounds, & Baby Names - oh my!

To keep the little one out of trouble - I have her help me with the daily chores.  Now if only I could muster this much enthusiasm for laundry!  Wouldn't life be so much brighter!

She's looking like such a big girl lately - I just can't get over how fast time is flying by!

Here are some ultrasound pictures.  My favorite is the last one as you can see the whole front of her - face, ribs/stomach, and her adorable little legs.

Now on to baby names.  Really - I think this is one of the worse pressures of being pregnant.  Picking just the right name.  All of the decisions!  When naming our oldest daughter I failed to even think of looking at the Top 10 or 100 baby name lists.  If I had I would have picked something entirely different.  As - I hate that her name is so common, has been #1 for the past few years.  But after being at the park and noticing when I call out "Emma", many other Emma's look at me, I vow to definitely look at name lists more closely for our next one. 

In the beginning, we really liked Chloe - but the more I think about it, I keep hearing more and more of them around.  I just can't do that again.  So, I turned to a good internet mommy friend who is really good with coming up with baby name lists.  And she didn't disappoint with a list for me and few that I definitely wouldn't have thought of.  Immediately - I fell in love with one.  Couldn't wait for the hubs to get home - because at that moment I wanted a decision made.  He agreed that he liked it too, so am happy to announce that the decision has finally been made.  Our youngest will be named - Avalynn Grace.  Can't wait for her arrival!!!

Weekend Wrap-UP

What a nice weekend it's been. I swear even though I don't "technically" go to work during the week anymore, there's just something about those weekend's that makes the time even more enjoyable.

Little one has pretty much completely made the transfer to a toddler bed. This is a good transition b/c once in the new house she'll be in a twin bed. Only down side - is she keeps waking me up earlier and earlier - today it was 6:02, the sun wasn't even up yet! - although I think another part of today's was she really wanted to see Landyn b/c the first words out of her mouth were Can I play with him now? I told her tonight that if it's dark she needs to stay in bed, lols, we'll see how tomorrow morning goes.

Want to wish my sister-in-law a Happy 20th Birthday today!

We celebrated today with my cousin and his family on his son's baptism. It's always nice to visit the family - especially since we don't get to see each other very often.

Now for the pictures:

Little one on her first night in the new converted toddler bed.

Gramma with her two Great-Granbabies, she looks so happy!

He is just so adorable!!!

Emma holding him - this just proves to me more that she is going to be a rockin' BIG Sister!

Mom, Sister & the 2 little ones. Something was very funny!

Landyn & me.

Weekend Wrap-UP

For once I feel content as the weekend is coming to an end rapidly. We had a pretty productive weekend. Before christmas we decided to clean out the middle room in our basement, I do not have any before pictures, but the after just makes me so happy! I officially have my own escape room. Below are the pictures:

And yes that is the washer. I do not know why, this is an old house, the washer is in this room and dryer is in the front room.

As everyone is well aware the Superbowl is happening right now. I decided to have some fun finger type foods for dinner. Made some pigs in a blanket with strips of cheese in them. And then found this recipe online, take lit'l smokies, wrap them in 1/3 to 1/2 piece of bacon (I used turkey), stick on skewers or on toothpicks, sprinkly brown sugar over them, and bake @ 350 until brown sugar is all melted. These were a BIG HIT! We also had some chicken fries. And whole wheat tostito's with velveeta. Overall, very much cheated on the diet, but it was all so good!!! :o)

And we all did it. Our voices were heard. CPSIA is proposing a 1 year suspension to their plan. Click here to read more about it.

Well, I'm going to head upstairs now and work out some on the Wii Fit we got this weekend. The hubs just came down to tell me he just finished working out.

ME = Been M.I.A

I feel like it's been forever since a post. I totally went MIA this week b/c my laptop had some major issues going on with it. I still don't have that fixed, but did hook back up the desktop and got that working, so I'm a happy mama again!

I promise the next few days to return the comment love that I've gotten this week.

So, a couple week's ago I called our portrait studio - and to my amazement they were already booked solid until after Christmas. I mean really how did I let the time get away from me that I'm missing out on our yearly family picture and getting Emma's pictures. I swear it's like an addiction I love taking her and looking through all of the great shots they get. But looks like we're doing without our family picture at Christmas this year, perhaps at Easter we'll do one, and the hubs and I decided we could try and take them ourselves. We took about 20 of them and the last shot was the keeper! My little girl is growing up, I mean yes I knew that, but man she just looks so grown up to me in this picture.

Today the hubs and me spent the day cleaning up the house some and baking. Yes, I was actually able to convince him to help me with pretty much all of the baking. We made 4 different cookies, peppermint bark, baklava, and there's still a dough in the fridge being chilled which will just have to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow left to do - make fudge, last cookie batch and gingerbread house. Needless to say, I'm sick and tired of washing dishes, I felt like I was always washing a sink full of dishes. Put away clean one's twice and there's another set out drying now. Bleah! Why can't this old house have a bigger kitchen for me to get a dishwasher?

Some T-Day Pictures

So, we started off the day watching the Macy's Parade and licking some yummy homemade cream cheese icing off of the beaters.










She's my cheese-o-roni and I love her so!




Family Picture! I think we have a future pirate-tess on our hands.

The hubs and the little one.

Aren't we a great looking coule? Mwhahah.

The little sis.

Searching for pine cones.

Weekend in Review

What a crazy weekend. Here's some pictures of it all. And we also jammed packed in the Twilight movie, 3 shopping trips, and wedding. Oh yes it was busy!

Fun times in the snow!



Hmmm...yum, snow tastes good!



Laughing when she fell over.



Flower blooming and there's snow.



Leftover material from her curtains, an apron for a christmas present. I actually did the majority of it, and the hubs finished it.



The hubs sewed the pillows in the middle (cream colored ones) and I did the closing stitches.



Added red glittery spikes and berries.



The far right color is the color we picked up to start our room this weekend!



The little one's finished room. The pretty pink painted stairs.



The curtains the hubs sewed and I spray painted the metal words above the windows.



Other side of the room.



Close up of the material for the curtains.


Pretty new lighting.