Tuesday, August 30, 2011

cell phone picture goodies!

Sometimes I think our cell phones capture the best moments and memories...even though the quality may not be the best. The memory outweighs the blur! Here are a few from the past few weeks:


In our new/used BOB stroller...he loved it!



Logan was asked last minute to be a ring bearer in a wedding and I couldn't get over how old and HANDSOME he looked! He was so proud of his job and wouldn't put the pillow down once. We were so nervous he might have a freak meltdown during the service because he wasn't sitting by us, but up front. He did fantastic though and behaved incredibly. We were so proud of him:-)


I asked for a nice picture and this is the cross-eyed look I got. Guess the goofiness starts now!



I love how Everett puts his hands on me...so precious



Everett's first time in a high chair in a restaurant! He loved it!




First swing ride! He laughed so hard:-)



The boys climbed a tree and I tried to get a happy picture of them...tried



Smiles!



Austin fell asleep in the car in such a strange position...crazy kid



This past weekend we escaped the danger of Hurricane Irene and went to a friends house in a safe part of NC. We decided to give our friends a break on Saturday and go to their children's museum...the MOST awesome place ever! The boys had a blast going from one room of pretend play to the next. So wonderful to see them have so much fun. Austin at first was obsessed with the Ambulance and all the medical equipment...future doctor perhaps! He kept putting the IV in his mouth though...maybe not


Then we found the best place in the world for him. I will do a whole other post on this, but Austin was in heaven with this kitchen place. Had to wear the apron and hat, and used the knife properly to "cut" the velcro food in half. He was there for over an hour just going to work in the kitchen. I loved every minute watching him:-)


Too cute!


Logan enjoyed building cars and playing marbles. Then Mike decided to build a jail with these huge legos and trapped the boys inside.



Everett sure enjoyed the car ride because he constantly had his hands up in the air like he was on a roller coaster. I am not a crazy driver so I am not sure why he thought it was a such a crazy ride! HA!



The menacing hurricane clouds. These were the outskirts too. The day before it even hit landfall! What a HUGE storm!



God is so marvelous. In such awe of His beauty!


The neighbors in our backyard weren't so lucky. When we got home we had no power and figured out it had been out for over 36 hours, but no damage, Praise God! This tree however, if fell towards our house, would have damaged our house badly. No one lives in this house so in a way, if the tree had to fall, we are glad it fell that way. On the left the top of the tree is on the roof, and on the right the bottom of the tree on the garage.



Got a little bored with an area in our room, so I redecorated it! LOVE IT! Now to just have a quiet morning in my comfy chair with some coffee and the Bible!




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Monday, August 22, 2011

Question for you Photographers!! HELP!

So... this is kinda a vague question, but I need some advice with it ALL! I have had the itch lately to really start up my photography as a business. I have a degree in nursing, but I haven't practiced as an RN in over two years and I know it will be a while till I go back to work (when the kiddos are older). I have really enjoyed photography in all the aspects. From learning about my camera and doing new things, to capturing special moments, having people love the shots of themselves, and even editing! So my question to you is...if you have started up photography as a business what is the one (or more) piece of advice you can give me?!?! I know there is a lot to starting a business with legal things and what not. That actually kinda scares me about it all. Have any of you had any problems with it legally? What about the one piece of equipment you suggest I have...from studio accessories to lenses to business cards? What do I need?

Thanks so much for your help! Not sure when I will take the big leap, but I think sometimes you just gotta do it!

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Friday, August 19, 2011

"A lesson in wrestling" by Austin

The boys had a fun night wrestling and I got a kick out of how Austin narrated his wrestling moves "Punch!" "Kick!" Too funny! These boys can get sweaty with all the wrestling hence the no shirts, or pants in Logan's case. It has been fun watching Logan wrestle lately because he is so serious about it. He has his moves that I swear he practices in his head and then carries them out while we try not to laugh too hard. What fun it is to be a parent! I love it when the boys do something funny or cute and Mike and I both catch each other's eye smiling at one another thinking how wonderful and special they are. I love having my man as their Father and my Best Friend to share these memories with!


PS, sorry about the hunk with no shirt on...:-)

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Cute Story

Just had to share one of these funny moments in being a mom:-)

Tonight it was just Austin, Everett and I since Mike took Logan to a fun work thing. I was going to the bathroom (sorry if TMI) and realized that I was out of toilet paper! So I recruited the next thing that could walk besides the dog, to get me some TP. I asked Austin to get the new bag of TP in the hallway, in the blue bag...he said sure and scurried off to help. It was about 30 seconds and I couldn't hear him getting the bag and actually I couldn't hear him at all! I started to look around looking for something to use (again sorry for TMI) when I hear his fast little feet running back towards my bathroom: "I got it mommy! I got it!" He runs into my bathroom with this small quarter sized piece of TP crumpled up in the palm of his hand. He had gone to the OTHER bathroom upstairs and tore me of a small piece of TP for me to use. I just burst into laughter at how sweet and cute this little man is.

It has been interesting having three boys, and realizing that Everett is our last. Just something about knowing that we won't be going through this baby stage again really tugs at my heart. I feel bad, but I play more with Everett than I ever did the other two boys. Then again, because of that I am cherishing the moments with Austin as a two year old and Logan as a 4 year old. I know that these years fly by and the wonder and awe I have for them at these stages are so special. I am very grateful then, for the way Everett causes me to soak in the older boys. I can't get over the young boy Logan is and how smart he can be, how sweet and passionate Austin is, and how lovely and smiley Everett is. I pray these boys have a bond that is stronger than anything else and continue the love they have for each other now in the future years.

Just for remembering sake...some things the boys enjoy lately

Logan: making guns out of his legos, still wearing his costumes, and his ultimate favorite is playing with Everett "Boo! boo!" is what he says, and constantly spits. We have to remind him that he can't do that in Everett's face.

Austin: he is obsessed with cooking and the movie ratatouille . He helps us cook dinner almost every night and can even get the step stool out himself. He enjoys his books while he uses the potty, and any toy that he can push a button to make noise. Still has his blankie that he cuddles with every night.

Everett: not much that he likes right now besides eating and being held! He loves his exersaucer, rattles, and rolling over and over and over. He never stays on his mat and I think I need to start vacuuming more. He is in size 9 month clothes...yikes! and he is only 5 months old (next week). I think it is partly due to his cloth diapers, but truly, many of the 6 month clothes are just too tight! I think he might be finding his feet soon, so that will be fun...next we are working on sitting up!

Sorry for no pics, I will try and get some up soon!

By the way, my sis had her baby boy Noah! I am SOOOO stoked and that will be a whole other post in itself. Sure makes me want to be in MN!

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Little things going on


Logan will be starting a 3 day preschool program this fall and I am super excited to see how he enjoys it and what else he learns. I feel that he knows many things already, so hopefully it will start the reading process...oh boy is that funny! We have tried to teach him about 911, and the dismal swamp fires going on...he asks so many questions and has an AMAZING memory. He just baffles me at how smart he can be! So...why then when I tell him 5 times to not jump on the couch he does it a 6th time??? God must have thought it would be funny to give me 3 boys. Just the other day, the older boys were playing upstairs and I hear Logan yell out "Lets run into each other!!!" like it is the newest bestest thing....then you hear Austin "yeahhhh!" BAM! Oh boy...my poor house.


Just like coloring for most girls gets them to settle down for a few minutes...little legos and play-dough do that for me. It is so fun to see what they create and their little imaginations go wild.






hhhmmm....been a while since I did a quick post/update. The older boys are doing well...Austin's personality is coming through more and more and it is so interesting just how different Logan and him are. Logan is such a perfectionist and actually tries to control Austin in how he is playing, dressing, where he stands to brush his teeth...etc. Basically Logan just likes me to sigh a lot. Austin tests our patience and discipline more than Logan does, but I feel that he understands his wrong doings earlier than Logan. Austin hates the heat and just mopes around until he begs us enough to go inside. He gets frequent bloody noses which he has been seen about, which led to an blood allergy test, which showed him slightly allergic to eggs and next week will have a skin test done...Who knows...the doc says with his eczema and year round allergy symptoms, he may be allergic to dogs! YIKES! Still potty training off and on. Most of the time he does it on his own (THANK GOD!) but I know in a few months we will need to kick it in to gear and get it done!




Just wanted to share some photos and get some blogging in since it is so rare these days. Hope all of you have a great weekend! Mike and I get a date (yes all three boys are being watched) and we are going to a friends wedding...actually the couple I did a photo shoot/engagement photos for. It should be fun!!!

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Monday, August 8, 2011

Having Abundance


I was driving home from NC yesterday and for some reason I just wanted to eat at every fast food restaurant, get any chocolate shake I wanted, and all the candy and coffee drinks I could find. Of course I didn't, but oh the temptation was there! I having this conversation in my head about how it can be so frustrating to have delicious food (not the fast food stuff...just food!) available BUT if I have too much of it, I will be fat! HA! Of course I am quite food conscious most of the time, since right now I am trying to loose the rest of the baby weight. Anyways, I was contemplating how we have to have self control in almost every situation! I mean...why are our bodies made this way that if we have too much food that we will become unhealthy? Now, I am talking about just eating and eating, even if you aren't hungry but just for the pure pleasure of taste. We have to eat in moderation! Then it dawned on me, and I am sure all of you smarty pants have already realized this, but we have to monitor ALL things in life!

Can you think of one thing in this WORLD that we can have an abundance of, and it NOT have a negative effect on us? Think about it...alcohol...too much and we will be drunk, throwing up, and over time diseased! Money...too much will cause negative effects...like greed, not being satisfied, and idolizing possessions. Even good things like too much husband, or too much of our kids...they will become our idols and all we live for! For me...too much crafting will take up all my time so there is none left for my family or...the most important person of all...GOD!!!


Then another realization...and the obvious thing: the ONE thing in this whole world/heavens that we can NEVER have too much of...is our great Lord Almighty. He gives in abundance: grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, etc and for some reason...we limit it! We say no thank you to Him...we do this when we don't seek after Him first in our problems, when we put other things (money, food, our desires, and even our families) before Him, and when we don't put our trust and faith in His will for our lives. We were created to worship something, to idolize something and with God's perfect plan, we should be worshiping Him in all that we do, putting all the things of this world that we want so much of; behind the Lord.

So that was my realization...quite simple, yet hopefully will help me when I desire too much of something in this crazy world.
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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Chunky Monkey Everett



I thought I would update about my littlest (not so small) man. I recently had his 4 month check up- shots and all:-( He wooed all the nurses and the doctor; laughed and flirted his way through the appointment. But screamed, yes a high pitch scream, during his shots...poor baby!

He weighs 16lbs 3oz, 25 inches long, and not sure about head, but they kept asking me if he was C-section since his head was so perfect. I was like, "heck no!" I had that baby and have been blessed to have a round head! HA!



Other little tid-bits about E. He LOVES to be on his tummy, yes he is still a tummy sleeper, but now that he rolls both ways, he wakes up a bit easier when he rolls onto his back during the night. He never stays on a blanket since he just keeps rolling and rolling; it is quite funny to see where he ends up! He doesn't make much noise when he wakes up at night, but one way I know he is awake (he is in the pack and play) is I will hear this scratching sound. Once he is awake, he scoots to the end of the pack and play and scratches at the siding of it...keeps him entertained, but kind looks like he is trying to get out of jail or something:-)


He is back to pooping normally. No not sleeping through the night and is never consistent at night any more. We started rice cereal once a day now and he is doing pretty good with that! He still LOVES his brothers and is just captivated by them. I have to tell Logan to be gentle still as he plays with Everett as if is a doll...Yikes!

That's it so far! He is still our easiest baby, which is such a blessing!!

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Monday, August 1, 2011

Papa and Grandma Visit Part 2

Long time coming...Part 2!! We had some relaxing time the rest of the days, date night, singing times, black berry picking, and dinning out!


Here is my handsome, strong man, wooeing me in front of the camera...yeah...almost dropped me:-)


My older boys playing in the fountain. Tonight Logan was riding his bike next to the stroller where Austin was sitting and he goes " Austin...you are my favorite Austin". (Cue the melting heart please!)
Some carrots from our garden! With the G-parents here we could garden together outside more. It is nice to observe the growth and change in our enchanted palace and we dream of adding more to our back yard! The carrots were yummy and we have even more now!


We went blackberry picking. We were told there wouldn't be very many, but there were tons! We went to the back of the field and far from the road and found tons of golf-ball size berries. Yum Yum! Mike made a delicious blackberry pie (as he usually makes wonderous pies) and we ate them with cool whip for days afterwards.



Be ware!!! -of looking below! I was about to pick 3 gorgeous blackberries behind a thin spider web (just gonna brush it away) and thank God I looked for the spider because I saw this!!! YIKES! It seriously was as big as my fist. I freaked out beyond freaking out...soooo wish I had a different camera at this point!


Got my macro out:-)


SOOC



14 lbs of Blackberries!




We went out to PF Changs (one of ALL of our favorites) and enjoyed a quick trip to the fountain afterwards. It was sooo hot and humid out that EVerett was falling asleep on Grandma! So sweet...love love this picture:-)


Papa, Grandma and their g-boys! Soon to add another in MN (Jillian is due in 2 weeks!)


Family of 5! I thought the water in the background was kinda cool after I took the photo. Didn't do that on purpose. Next time I should have noticed it and tried to slow the shutter speed!



Almost 10 years after meeting each other, he still gives me butterflies, swoons me, and makes my heart skip a beat when he kisses me!



There wraps up our trip! I SOOO wish I had taken more pictures, next time I won't put the camera down. Thank you Papa and Grandma for coming out here, please come back soon...the boys miss you!
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