No words today. Just her. :)
the blog post i've been putting off...
For over a month. (sigh) I guess in my heart I didn't want to admit that it has really happened. That my baby is no longer a baby.
She's a big girl now. Yes, it's true.... Lila Kate has turned ONE! My heart is broken yet joyful. Proud yet disappointed, because you see, she's our last baby. I will never again throw another 1st Birthday Party (hmm, which in itself is a blessing and a curse, lol!).
So I can't put this post off any longer. Why? Because Lila WALKED TODAY. :) Her first steps! She took four big steps toward me before stopping and squatting back down again. Lila, Parker and I had been dancing in the living room (they each love to be swung around on my hip, even Parker ~ as big as he is!), and we were swirling and spinning to Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind". Both kids were laughing hysterically as we twirled, and Daddy was even smiling at us from the couch. (Probably laughing AT us under his breath, as Sinatra really isn't Chris's thing!) I sat Lila down in the floor and plopped down myself, as Parker chattered excitedly to Chris, "She's standing, she's standing all by herself!!" (She's been doing this for quite some time but Parker always acts as if it's her first time ever standing on her own. What a proud big brother he is!) Then without any warning at all, she spread her arms out and stepped once.... "She's WAAAALKING, honey, she's walking!!!" She stepped again, and again, and after the fourth step toward me, she surely must have grown tired so she squatted back down again. ;) She just sat there and smiled the biggest, proudest smile I've ever seen! We all clapped and "yay'ed" and hugged and kissed her all over.
Aaaaaand she didn't take another step the rest of the night. LOL!
These images are all from her birthday party. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED: SNAPSHOT OVERLOAD!! Sorry about that. But I make it a priority to ENJOY my kids' parties instead of obsessing over the photography end of it (hard lesson learned, though). So ignore the horrible lighting and the icky shadows and the boring crops ~ sometimes ya gotta throw the rules out the window and just DOCUMENT. I get plenty of those "good shots" all the other times I photograph them. ;) Anyway, above, Lila is "walking" with Grandma Nancy (Chris's mom). And yelling at her brother, if memory serves!
As I suspected, Lila handled the cake-smashing with dignity and grace. (Translation: She wanted NOTHING to do with this sticky, messy cake. She picked at the icing ever-so-delicately with her thumb and forefinger, but had a hard time understanding WHY IN THE WORLD anyone would want to grab a handful of that chocolate crumbly stuff down underneath.) And I can't say that I blame her, actually. That cake was frosted with pink buttercream icing ~ who needs anything more?! Yum! ;)
Finally, she eased up and started to enjoy the mess-making ceremony, after much encouragement and clapping from Mama, Daddy, and a handful of family and close friends. Hey, the girl knows when and how to play to her audience, that's for sure! (PS, we had a "Circle Party", which was inspired by this article in Cookie Magazine. Polka-dot plates, decorations, even the food was round! Fruit skewers of grapes, banana slices, melon balls, etc. Round crackers and cheese, burgers, etc. A circle-shaped cake for Lila, and carrot-cupcakes for the rest of the kids. Subtle, not too "theme-y", and super easy to put together!)
And then it was bathtime.... which called for kisses on the nose from Nammie (my mom) while waiting for the tub to fill.
Then lots of pink, girly presents to open. (Now, that part she loved. She's a master at tearing things apart and pulling items out of bags and boxes, I can attest to this for certain!) She loved playing with her new pink kitchen, and secretly, so did her Bubby. ;) Shhhh......
Sweet Lila. Her little personality amazes me at times. She's so independent already! She's fed herself for quite some time now, and is doing pretty well now with a fork and spoon. Don't even try to feed her anything mushy or pureed anymore. Bring on the good stuff!
She wants desperately to play with the big kids ~ so much that she's claimed her very own Wii remote, and will sit with the remote in one hand and the nunchuck in the other, as her big brother plays Lego Star Wars. ;) She growls at his dinosaur collection, and "reads" his books to herself.
She's fiercely attached to her Daddy, and will stand at the sidelight by the front door calling, "Dah? Dah?" as he leaves the house. She is the snuggliest little thing ever.
She hates to be clothed, yet one of her favorite pastimes is to open all of our dresser drawers and pull out every single article of clothing we have. One at a time. And then crawl away as if she had never seen such a mess in all her life. She also refuses to wear shoes for more than 10 minutes, a trait that Chris is certain I passed along to her by way of my Kentucky upbringing. Ahem. ;)
She loves to eat, despite her petiteness ~ she's still under 20 lbs! Avocados are her absolute favorite food ever. She also loves cheese, bananas, blackberries, hummus, peas, and tomatoes. (And yes, she's already enjoyed a yummy tomato sandwich or three, just like every good Southern girl should.)
Lila loves her big brother, even if he tries to smother her with kisses and smash her with his hugs. His antics never fail to crack her up, and when she's fussy he simply sings to her... his little lispy voice immediately calms her down. She would follow him anywhere. It's a good thing too, because Parker loves her immensely. Last week, I overheard him telling her gently, "Lila, when you fall down, I will alwayth catch you." SWOON.
Happy Birthday, my sweet LilaCakes. You are loved more than any of us can ever tell you. We can't imagine life without you anymore ~ you've completely changed us ALL this past year. And we are so very proud of you, our Big Big Girl.
Love, Mama
the one that makes my heart BURST.
As soon as I clicked the shutter, I swear I felt my heart flutter just a bit. You see, this sweet boy has been begging me for SURFING LESSONS. He wears a surfboard charm around his neck and he's worn Reefs since before he could even walk. His hair is long, blond, and I'm more than a little jealous of his natural highlights. He is slim and has the perfect build to be a surfer. And here he is on his little skimboard, trying so hard to "hang ten" in the Gulf of Mexico, where, sadly and happily, we are not quite known for our rip-worthy waves. But none of that matters when you're five. It's just you and your board against that little ripple coming at you.
God, how I love this child. So very much. I'm going to enlarge this as big as the sun, and hang it on his wall. On canvas. To show him how important he is. How important his hobbies and loves and interests are. How proud I am that he's himself, all the time. My sweet lil' surfer dude. :)
Umm, anyone know where I can get surfing lessons in the Gulf of Mexico? ;) I promised.
busy as a little bee
Lately I've been busy-busy, hunkered down behind my desk getting my canvas displays ready, finalizing client albums and prints, having the most fun sessions ever, ordering new marketing pieces with my BRAND NEW LOGO, yay! Anyhow, I haven't had much time to be online lately but I wanted to pop in here and let you know that I'll be posting fun sessions again soon! In the meantime, here is the little one who helps me during the day while Bubby is at preschool. Isn't she precious? How could I possibly get anything done without her? (Wait, let me rephrase that.... How could I possibly get anything done without her sitting on my lap?! lol.)
Or sitting at my feet, standing up beside my legs, reaching up into my lap. ;) And no, I didn't do anything special to her eyes, other than focusing on them at a very wide aperture. They got no special sharpening or dodging or anything like that, I just sharpened the whole image for web. She's just plain beautiful, isn't she?! Bedhead, PJs and all.
I can't imagine my workdays without her!
By the way, can y'all believe that I'm scheduling for the fall already?! August is almost full, and September and October are filling up as well. June still has about two or three session dates available, and July is looking busy so far as well. If you'd like to book a session with me this summer, please go ahead and contact me as soon as you can so I can be sure to get you on my schedule. Typically, my autumn months book up backwards due to Christmas deadlines and such. I plan on announcing my Holiday Mini-Sessions just as soon as I get the dates and locations firmed up. So stay tuned for more news on that! I'll be back soon. :)
in the blink of an eye.
It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital, in that carseat that seemed to swallow him whole. Tiny blue onesie. Sleepy blue eyes. Itty-bitty cry.
Today, he turned five. And I am feeling a little bittersweet. So sad to think he'll be starting Kindergarten this fall. Yet so proud to see him accomplish such "big-boy" things. My heart both breaks and swells with pride as I watch him grow up right in front of my eyes.
I crept into his bedroom last night, after he was good and asleep, and I thanked God for giving me the honor of being this child's mother. Thank you, God, for letting me take care of him here on this Earth. Thank you for giving him such a sweet heart, and please guide me in the duty of nurturing that heart and mind as he grows.
We had a rather large celebration for him this weekend. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love him! But since today was his actual birthday, we celebrated quietly at home... with a trip to the ice cream shop, some fun at the playground, and dinner at his favorite restaurant (Skyline Chili, LOL!). Then we baked a cake at home, and laughed and loved until bedtime. I couldn't ask for a more perfect ending to today.
Happy Birthday, my sweet boy. "I wuv you pieces."
Love, Mama. xoxo
from the mouths of babes.
So this sweet little interview has been floating around fellow photographers' blogs, and on Facebook. I took a few minutes the other morning to interview my 4-year-old about me. And I was delighted... horrified... and bursting with pride at his answers to my questions. I challenge you to interview your children about yourselves, do this little exercise at home. Keep it and put it in their baby book. :) You'll find out a whole lot about your kids' perspectives and how they think.
Here's what my Parker had to say about me....
1. How would you describe Mama? huh?? um, i don't know about that.
2. What makes me happy? i do things the way you like 'em.
3. What makes me sad? when i don't do the things that you want me to do.
4. What is something I always say to you? keep on tryin'! (my heart started to melt right here.)
5. What makes me laugh? telling you funny jokes!
6. How old am I? uh, 50?? (aaand my heart got a little shock here. come on... 50?!)
7. How tall am I? 5 miles.
8. What is my favorite thing to do? work on the computer or play with me.
9. What do you think I do when you're not around? work on the computer.
10. If I became famous one day, what do you think it would be for? for daddy. me: for daddy?? why will i be famous for daddy? because he's so handsome.
11. What am I really good at? playing my wii with me. (i am getting pretty darn good at lego star wars, i must say.)
12. What am I not so good at? putting lila to sleep (yeah, nail on the head right there.)
13. What is my job? taking pictures of your customers.
14. What is my favorite food? salad? (i only wish. this baby weight would have come off a lot faster.)
15. What do I do that makes you proud? playing wii extra special with me.
16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? Why? the Cartoon Fixer. because you fix my cartoons on tv for me.
17. What do you love to do with me? go walkin' in the park.
18. How are you and I the same? we have the same noses!
19. How are you and I different? not the same hair. (sadly, parker's hair is WAY better than mine.)
20. How do you know I love you? because you tell me that!
21. What do you think I like most about Daddy? because he's so handsome. (hmm, i think parker must have had a quick chat with daddy before this little interview, don't you?)
22. Where is my favorite place to go? um, Hooters? me: uh, no honey... that's daddy's favorite place. *snort* skyline chili?? no, darlin' that's YOURS. ok.... to the park!
23. What's your favorite thing about me? because i love you. *sweet smile*
24. If you could change one thing about me, what would you change? your lips to my lips... kissing me! (and this is where i forgave him for the Hooters comment and saying i am 50 years old, and my heart just melted into an enormous puddle on the floor.)
25. Do you know how much I love you? thiiiiiiiiiiis much!!!!
interview ended. hugs and kisses were passed out in abundance. :)
Don't forget to share your interviews with me!!! I'd love to read 'em.
our twelve days of christmas...
Santa gave to us: 33 hours of driving, 2,000 miles, 8 traveled-through states, 5 traffic jams, 6 road constructions, 2 tired parents, 2 relieved kiddos, 164 relatives, 194,857 Christmas presents, 3 much-needed gift receipts (wink), 1 spotty internet connection, 2 days of baking (and laughing uncontrollably) with the "girls", 7-degree weather in Kentucky, 1 bout of freezing rain, 4 sniffly noses, 1 stomach virus.... and a partridge in a pear tree. We're back, folks. Our little family took a 12-day Christmas road-trip (a 'la the Griswolds), from Florida to Kentucky (to see my family) then down to North Carolina (Chris' family) and then back down to Florida again. (Yay for Santa bringing Mama her GPS.... FINALLY!!!!) Everyone keeps asking us how the drive went. Um, I wouldn't recommend it! LOL! Two children strapped into car seats for 6-, 12-, and 15-hour trips is not a fantastic idea. Especially when one of the aforementioned children is just getting over a tummy virus. (Total of 8 family members have had it now in the past three days. Watch out.) But sickness aside, we had a really lovely time spending our Christmas with family whom we adore, and who adore us right back. Lila got to meet -- and get her cheeks and rolls pinched by -- all the aunts and uncles and great-grandparents.... and even a great-great-grandmother (photos of that to come later). Parker had a wonderful time with his cousins.... and the Wii. ;) I don't know who liked the Wii more, by the way... Parker, or the "grown-up" boys in Chris's family (including Daddy!), who found the boxing and baseball games so much fun. (I'm still on the lookout for the Wii Fit for myself.... gotta lose that "babyfat" while I can still blame it on Lila!) :)
SWP is still closed for the rest of this week -- just trying to regroup from our trip and nurse the kids back to health. I've got a few galleries to finish up from sessions right before Christmas break, so clients: watch for those this coming week while I'm behind closed doors and can proof-proof-proof away. Shooting resumes January 5! And I have lots of photos to come back and share with you soon as well. Hope y'all had a beautiful Holiday, no matter what you celebrated!
Here's to a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year in 2009! *muah*
**EDITED TO ADD: My email is still really funky -- I can't see my new messages, or if I CAN see them, I can't reply -- so if you're waiting on a response from me, I will try and get this jam-packed inbox plowed through by tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!! :)
Merry Christmas! Come on in...
Okay... so I'm a bit late. But I have a very good reason.... I was finishing designing my Christmas cards. Which will most likely be mailed out to y'all from either Kentucky or North Carolina... or some random town in between here and there! I'll be addressing from the road this year, so I'm warning you now to overlook my sloppy handwriting. Although, you probably won't even notice the handwriting because of the sweeties all over the card itself. :) Guess who.
Anyhow. WELCOME to the Florida portion of the Christmas Tour of Homes 2008. I'm happy to be participating this year! I must tell you the truth though, I haven't taken as much time this year to decorate as I usually do, because this portrait season kept me SUPER BUSY. (THANK YOU, my Sweet Clients. I love y'all, and believe me -- Parker loves you too, because you are indirectly putting a "Wii Box that you put Wiis in" under the Christmas tree for him this year. LOL!) So it's finally festive around here, and we're all lit up, so let's get started!
Aaaand before you make fun of that wimpy little artificial tree at my front door, I will have you know that said tree will forever be a part of my holiday decor. Because when I was 20 years old, living 5 states away from home and B.R.O.K.E, I went and purchased that shabby little pre-decorated tree and it was the only decoration in my whopping 513 sq ft apartment. Besides the dying dracaena plant and the secondhand couch. ;) Every year, when Chris hands it down to me from the attic, I smile and remember that pitiful Christmas when I only had $10 to my name, and I think about how blessed I am today with my amazing family, so many friends, a career that I truly love, all four of my grandparents and one great-grandmother living, my two healthy babies, etc. I could go on forever!! But the point is, I'm proud and oh-so-thankful when that tree comes out. So. The shabby tree stays.
The first little tree (above left) is Chris's tree. I made this for him several years ago, including all the things he likes best: Redskins football, Cincinnati Reds baseball, Tar Heels basketball (blech!), billiards, bowling, cards, etc. So it's become a tradition now: Parker and I choose a new surprise ornament for Daddy's tree every year. I think next year we're going to need a bigger tree!!
The shot above right (and below) is of Parker's little tree in his room. I let him decorate it himself, however he wants, and it's filled with very special ornaments that are going to get broken that are very meaningful to him me. I adore this sweet tree. And P loves having such a big nightlight in his room at Christmastime. :)
I just noticed that all the Sesame Street characters seem to be mooning us. That silly Parker. Not a one is facing out! LOL!
Oh, and for more of Parker's antics... remember this from last year?? Stinker.
All stages of his four little years here on this Earth so far, including the many phases boys go through: Sesame Street (this phase was way too long for my taste and tolerance, I might add), trains (which was way too short for the amount of money I spent on Thomas and Friends), Charlie Brown (a constant favorite!), all kinds of cars and fire trucks, and the Florida Gators. (Since he was actually born here in Florida, he insists that he is an "Alligator Fan". Chomp.) Even Darth Vader is represented on this tree in all his Christmas cheer. ;)
And yeah, I know, you've probably already seen these shots of our main tree (MY TREE, the one that has to be "pretty"), but I like it... so you're going to see it again! :D
I'm in love with mercury glass this year! Love it.
Our New and Unmatching stocking this year. Poor Lila. I had to make it especially girly for her, it was the least I could do. :) The rest of our stockings are cream wool, with jingle bells and our names embroidered on them. Maybe next year we'll be a matching set again!
Oh! And I have to tell you about my new stocking holders.....
They're handbag hooks, similar to these!!! If you're local, you can pick them up at Kookie Krums in Dunedin. Their true intent is to hold your purse from the tabletop when you go to a restaurant, so that you don't have to plop your handbag down on the dirty restaurant floor. (Great idea? I think so! They're really pretty, too!) But that ingenious Janet had stockings hung from her coffee/cookie bar this way, and so four of these little hooks found their way to my um, bookshelf-cum-mantle-for-the-season. :) (Hey, it's Florida! It's been in the 70s most of this past week. Who needs a fireplace?!)
Anyhow, we had those big, tall, clunky metal stocking holders before, and I was absolutely petrified that eventually, they would not be able to bear the weight of the stockings' contents, and tumble down onto the kids' heads. I don't even want to think about it! Well, no more worrying. PROBLEM SOLVED. If these little trinkets can hold a heavy purse, they can surely hold what Santa can stuff into my kids' stockings!
Can you just see the Visions of Sugarplums dancing over his little sleepy head? :) Oh, I turn into mush looking at my sleeping babies..... especially when they're wearing Monster Jammies.
Okay... that's it for now, but I'll be back tomorrow with more photos and more hall-decking! Hope you enjoyed your tour!
And..... last but not least, make sure you take some refreshments on your way out the door!
PUMPKIN BREAD WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS (courtesy of my awesome friend Stephanie - xoxo)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two loaf pans (I use the glass variety) with nonstick cooking spray.
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3-1/2 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup pecans, walnuts, whatever you prefer
1/2 cup (um, I usually double this!!) chocolate chips
Mix sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Mix baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and flour in a separate bowl, then gradually stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. Add water, then stir in nuts and chips. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for one hour. Yields 2 loaves.
***Chef's Note: Every time I make this, someone asks me for the recipe. The bread is not dense like traditional pumpkin bread... rather it's the consistency of banana nut bread! It's extremely moist. (And oh-so-delicious for breakfast with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk!!) And it's always GONE. FAST! Ya might wanna double this whole recipe just in case. Hey just think of it this way to reduce your guilt: it's a serving of vegetables! Hee hee.
ENJOY! And thanks for stopping by to see me! This was fun. And you're welcome anytime. :)
"Thanta, can I pleathe have that?"
Hurray, it's toy-catalog and toy-commercial season again!! Aren't you so glad? ;) Is your mailbox threatening to tip over from the added weight of the bulk mail alone? The catalogs from companies you haven't heard from since last Christmas? Have your children suddenly become little zombies who point and sputter "I want that!!!" after every TV commercial? Parker has circled just about every single toy in the Wish Books (everything that isn't, as he says, "too girly" anyways!). He's trying to make it a little easier on us, I suppose... No guesswork for us this year on what he REALLY REALLLLLY wants under the tree. Why, thank you, thank you son. So this funny kid of mine, who has a severe case of The Gimmees right now, doesn't get the whole concept of "Santa is not made of money, darlin'. He (ahem, Mama and Daddy) can't get you everything you ask for." In Parker's reasoning, Santa doesn't need money to buy toys, he can just MAKE a Wii at his workshop. His elves can just BUILD a Batman Playset or the Lego Star Wars Death Star. That's pretty tough logic to argue with, now isn't it? Especially since he saw the elves, with his very own eyes, make real Etch-A-Sketches in the movie Elf. ;)
So, imagine the TV on, blaring commercial after commercial for noisy and obnoxious toys and we must "collect them all!" of course. He has already learned his lesson and will not ask Mama or Daddy for yet another toy on this particular day. So instead, after seeing a commercial for this or this or this, he whispers in a tiny voice: "Thanta, will you pleathe get me that for Chrithmath?! Thank you!!" (Do you know how much I utterly ADORE his sweet little lisp??? *sigh*) It's as if he's whispering a prayer to dear old St. Nick up in the North Pole. Santa's always watching, you know!! ;)
I even caught him on the potty yesterday, with the Target Toy Catalog lying across his lap.... and he was just browsing away and whispering to Santa Claus as he flipped through the pages. I just smiled and closed the bathroom door. Love his heart.
The festival.
A couple of weekends ago, the kiddos and I hit up the local Pumpkin Festival at Hunsader Farms in Bradenton. We went with some great friends, and met a few more awesome friends there, and we ALL had such a fantastic time! Even on my day off, I couldn't resist bringing along the camera for a few snapshots. ;) (And, well, I knew that if I didn't hurry and blog these, that they wouldn't see the light of day until after Christmas!! LOL!)
Parker and Hunter figuring out the hay maze. (Hunter's little cap pulled way down just makes me smile!)
We checked out the fresh produce stands, and bought some apple butter, pumpkin butter, strawberry preserves, and of course... pumpkin bread. (Which I happily ate for breakfast the next morning, lol!)
One of the kids opened up an ear of corn... and guess who had gotten there first? (Eww....)
Of course we had to stop sliding and bouncing and hay-mazing long enough to grab some lemonade, pumpkin pie, and good old-fashioned funnel cake... you know, just for sustenance. ;) I think Lila desperately wanted some, what do you think?!
Then the face-painting began......
Parker and his pal Tyler. (Chris and I have been friends with Hunter and Tyler's parents for about 10 years.... Tyler was born in FL but they all moved away a few years ago, before Hunter was born... and now they're all back in FL again! It's so sweet to see our kids having the chance to grow up together and be such great friends.) :)
Fresh country air, crafts, yummy fair food, carnival games, lots of friends... and finally, a nap. What a perfect day!
