Radom Fact Friday

I can be very random at times. Sometimes I have a lot to say but really no context to say them in. So here we are, a bunch of random things that are going through my head today.

-I have a secret that I am dying to tell. Especially to my kids because I know they will be so happy and excited about my secret.
-No... I'm not pregnant!!
- I really think iPhones should have a lot more notification sound options. How many more times must we be in a room with other people when we hear an iPhone and everyone says "was that your phone or mine?"
-I still love the Dixie Chicks.
- I'm a Pinterest Flunky. I pin and pin and pin but that's really as far as it goes.
- I'm so ready for winter. Like a serious winter. I'm not messing around with mild temperatures and no precipitation. I want it cold and I want snow.
- Maybe I need to just move??
- When I was younger I was just sure that when I was a grown up I would move far away from home. I live 4 1/2 miles from where I grew up.
- My husband lives 0.7 miles from his childhood home. Wow, we've really gone far!
- I'm ready to have lasik done on my eyes. I'm over being freaked out by it and ready to just do it already.
- My bank account isn't quite as ready for it.
- My bank account also is not ready for new furniture, a new car for the hubby, or a swimming pool.
- Stupid bank account.
- It can however afford a small monthly fee for Abby to start gymnastics class. yay!
- I always say I'm going to write down all the funny things my kids say but then I forget and I don't and then I forget what they say that is so funny.
- But they are funny.
- oh.... here's one... The other night my husband was saying goodnight to Alex. They like to roughhouse before bed. I'm not a big fan of disrupting the quiet.. sleepy mood in the house (although I secretly love hearing the giggles and cries of out right laughter coming from his room). Well, once again, they were at it. Alex stops mid-laugh to tell his Daddy (in a super serious voice) "you know mommy can hear us, right? We are both going to get in trouble." My son. He knows me so well. ;)
- I woke up this morning to a little girl in the middle of the bed using my arm as a huggy pillow and I pretty much melted.

What kinds of random things are on your mind today?

A new school year

 My kids started school last week. They are at the same school this year. And they are both so happy about this! (So am I!!!) We were *lucky* enough to win a spot in the one and only all day kindergarten class at our school. Yes... we won a spot. Its craziness really. Our school system is required to "offer" all day kindergarten, but due to space and budget and politics... not all of the kindergarten classes are all day. For this year they did a lottery and drew names for the 20 spots. Our school has 4 half day classes and one all day. We we SO happy to get one of the all day spots because that meant we didn't have to pay to send Abby to a private school that offers all day and she would get the most awesome teacher ever! Seriously, her kindergarten teacher is so cool. I love her already.

 

My happy kids on the first day of school! Alex is in 3rd and Abby is in Kindergarten.

 

 

 

 

Walking to the school and talking.

 

Since Alex is the big kid who has had years and years of experience at this school thing, he happily explained to Abby all the details about school. He told her what is good in the cafeteria and what isn't, what the cool toys are on the playground, who the nice teachers are.... you know...all the important stuff. He really has been great with her. After two days she was a pro and happily talking about her school as if she'd been there a year already.

 

Alex is in 3rd grade this year. Apparently 3rd grade is the year they stop being babies. Its the big kid year. Funny... I thought that wasn't supposed to happen until Freshman year of college. Hmmm... I'm really not ready for this. Lets rewind time and we'll curl up on the couch while I feed you a bottle and play with your toes to make you laugh? No? Whatever.. Go to class and learn your multiplication tables and cursive and nevermind your dear ole mom. I'll be over here in the corner looking at your baby book and wondering how in the world 8 years has gone by so quickly.

 

And while I am sad that they are growing up a little too fast for my taste, I am also very excited for what this school year has to offer. This year I am serving on the PTA Executive Board. I absolutely love being so involved and I know they love it too. I look forward to all the school activites and even the homework (ask me about that again in a month or so!) and I look forward to seeing how they grow as they learn.

 





My kid isn't perfect.... she's exceptional.

I had a Parent/Teacher conference on Monday with Abby's teacher. A few weeks prior, she and the other kids in her class (pre-K) were all tested for Kindergarten readiness and the results would be shared at the conference. I couldn't wait to hear how wonderfully my daughter had excelled at this test, and how amazed the teacher was at all my daughter could do. Well.....
Lets back up.....
Abby's birthday is October 18th, 2006. The summer that she was 3, the school (private church school/daycare) that she went to was moving kids around (just for the summer due to a decrease in kids that attend during the summer). She was placed in the pre-K class. Not because they thought she was just a kid-genius, but because they eliminated the 3yr old class for the summer. So.... when summer ended and kids came back to school, she just stayed in pre-K, even though she technically wasn't old enough. But that was fine by me because she has always seemed a little more mature for her age and her teacher said she was doing just fine and had friends and was happy there. So, 9 months later I questioned her teacher about whether she should repeat pre-K, or move onto kindergarten. The teacher said she was more than ready for kindergarten. Only problem was, she wasn't 5 yet and wouldn't be 5 until after the public school deadline. (Must be 5 by Sept 1 to enroll in kindergarten) So our option was to keep her at the current school (which was a 20 minute commute from our house and 30 minutes from my office) or find a school that would take her. We found a private Christian school very close to our home and the principal told us her age wasn't a problem. We enrolled her in Kindergarten. HOWEVER, the public school still wouldn't take her for 1st grade. The age requirements stay in place for 1st grade too. The child has to be 6 before Sept 1st. We were okay with keeping her at the Christian school for K and 1st. She started school and made friends and was doing wonderfully academically. Her teacher said she was right on track for a kindergartner. Come to find out, the teacher had no clue Abby was only 4.
Unfortunately there were several circumstances (nothing involving the teacher) that made us really question if we wanted our daughter to attend that school. Kids in her class were telling her some highly inappropriate things that they watch at home. I had a gut feeling and pulled her out immediately. It was a quick, rash decision and I'm SO glad I did. But we were back with having to put her in a pre-K class (at a new WONDERFUL school)
She's been at her current school (private church school) since October and has been doing really well, although comments from time-to-time that she gets bored at school. She's the oldest in the class, and in my opinion, the most mature in the class (I'm talking she's probably as mature as a 6 yr old, nothing extreme here).
Abby is reading. And I mean reading, everything. She can breeze through the assigned books that are sent home. She knows all the sounds each letter makes, knows how to write all the letters, knows several blends, etc, etc... So I was surely expecting this readiness test to show just how "advanced" she is.
At the conference the teacher showed me the results of the test. She "aced" it with flying colors, but it was some very simple tasks that she was asked to do and none of it involved reading. Her teacher was not impressed, nor disappointed, but just very matter-of-fact about the whole thing.
I left very disappointed.
Then it hit me.
I'm her mom.
Of course I think she's the most awesome-est superstar to ever have been in pre-Kindergarten.
And I realized something else too.
There are 12 other kids in her class.
They have moms too.
And each one of them believes the same things I do.



And they are right.
And I think I can chill out about how she will do this fall in kindergarten. And stop feeling disappointed that she won't be ahead a grade. Because it will all work out. I just need to let her shine and let her teachers see what she can do. Which they will, that's their job. I don't want to be the pushy parent that keeps telling the teacher how awesome their kid is. Because there's always going to be a class full of awesome kids, each at different levels and teachers know that already.

Freeing up some time..

Lately my children have heard "I'm busy right now" more than I care to admit to. I was so happy that yesterday I was able to put the laundry on hold, fix dinner late, and walk around all the couch pillows that magically find themselves sprawled all over the floor... each and every single day.
My sweet little girl wanted to play store. I often find that my ability to pretend play is almost non-existent. I don't know how this happened. I was an only child, so pretend play and I were buddies. I played for hours at a time with only my imagination and my toys to keep me company. So although I really didn't want to at the time, I played store with Abby. She set up her room like a store, complete with a shopping basket, items to purchase (which included our cat, O'Malley), a cash register and play money for me. We had fun playing pretend and after a few minutes it all came back to me. I'm so glad we got to play.
After we were done playing we all went outside, the whole family. It was beautiful. Abby practice some swings with her new t-ball tee and new bat. (girl can HIT). After awhile I decided I better make use of the nice day and go for a walk. I asked Alex if he'd like to go with me and surprisingly he said yes. I figured he wouldn't make it very far, but we walked around most of the neighborhood and then the neighborhood pond. A total of 1.3 miles. During that walk, we raced each other, we laughed, we joked, and he did an awful lot of talking. I couldn't love my son more, but after our walk together I think I appreciate him more. I appreciate how his mind works. He's ALWAYS thinking. Always wondering, always trying to learn more and more and more. He talked about dinosaurs and how he thinks the Super Croc (Sarcosuchus imperator) was a big factor in the reason why the dinosaurs went extinct. He suggested that we did up the back yard to see if there are any fossils buried. (I veto'd that idea, but said maybe he could look elsewhere). He also talked about how the great mammoths died because the earth got too warm. I'm telling you people, he's going to be some type of zoologist, or scientist, or a museum curator. The way he talks about these things... he's so passionate about it, he's so informative and he makes me want to learn more.
When we got back home I watch Alex play catch with his daddy. Last year he couldn't catch a ball... at all. He caught more than half yesterday. ;)
So to say we had a good day yesterday is an understatement. Its amazing what we can gain when we are able to put our "business" on hold.

Merry Chirstmas

This is my 8th Christmas as a parent. I had good Christmas's growing up and I looked forward to them every year. But now, its so much better. Its so much better to see the joy in my children as they learn about the birth of Christ, celebrate HIS birthday, and participate in the traditions that we've created together as a family. I look forward to many many many more years with them and I just pray that these things we are doing now are things that they will cherish as they are older and pass on to their own children.
May you all have a wonderful Christmas and my you find peace in the birth of our Savior.

iPhone Photo Recap

In no particular order..... here's what we've been up to. 

Bowling Birthday Party. 

Stylin in her new outfit, she's a mini-me for sure....

At the most miserable tball game in the history of tball games. Massive wind gusts. COLD wind gusts and dirt everywhere.  We still had fun. 

Dog walking around the pond in our neighborhood

What's that you're missing boy??

BOOMER!!! 

Now, aren't we cute?! (this was BEFORE we got soaked) 

No, its not getting dark, those are STORM clouds. Boo!! 

OUCHY. Still not sure how this happened, but  he limped around for days. 

Fall Break trip to the zoo!!

Five

My monkey, my little kitten, my sweet sweet pumpkin-cutie-pie:

I love you to pieces. Five years ago today you came into this world and I stared at you with a sense that I knew EXACTLY who you were and yet I knew nothing. We have a connection that I can.not.explain. Its amazing. Its beautiful. I look at you and I see a cuter, spunkier version of myself. I am the luckiest person on this planet to have been chosen to be YOUR mama.
It breaks my heart that I will never again hold you as an infant, hear your toddler giggles, or see a toothless grin. But I have so much joy in being able to watch you grow taller, hear your exaggerated stories, and listen to you sing along to my favorite songs.
I look forward to seeing what year 5 holds for us. Your wit, your beauty, your humor, your compassion, its all growing and you are becoming a little lady that I am proud to say to the world "This is my daughter".

iPhone Photo Recap

A moment of sweetness, big brother helping his sister on the computer. 

Have no fear, the moment was brief.  

Laughing with Daddy @ about 10pm

(do not ask why she was up - girl is a night owl)

He had just come home from a long day of putting out fires

BOOMER!! 

Last swim of the year. 

(outside anyway)

First Cannonball of the year. 

Cannonbaaaaaallllll! 

He prefers the crazy "half jump/half belly flop"

I like his style

The things kids come up with.... 

(technically the rope on the scooter was my idea, they just added the bike)

Official score keeper for the Blue Sox. 

(and he's GOOD at it too!) 

See that PINK in the middle?

That's my girl. 

The only girl on the team.

Her coaches call her "Abbygirl" and I love it. 

Family uhh.. portrait?

For Alex's school project. 

This is probably the 15th try (NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING!)

We had to try 15 times because there was an awful lot of giggling. 

Pretty good reason for so many attempts. 

That's what we've been up to. What about you?? 

2nd Grader

This one... started 2nd grade this morning. 

And remember when I didn't shed a tear when I dropped my baby off at kindergarten? Well that wasn't the situation this morning. The situation this morning was more of a weeping, sobbing mess of a woman who dropped her first born baby off at school only to realize he'd turned into a kid in the blink of an eye. Yah... I was THAT lady walking out of the school... Luckily I held it in until after the hug goodbye and was well on my way out the door.
The thing is.. I feel like his childhood is really starting now. Sure, he's had 7 full years of life experiences. (HA) But it seems like 2nd grade is when I really started making friends, real friends. I remember my 2nd grade teacher and I remember my home life at that age. I don't really have too many concrete memories from earlier in my life.
I suppose, for me, it may only get harder and harder to watch him grow up. It seems like its just happening too soon, too quickly. Because really, wasn't this picture just taken yesterday??

Kindergarten....

My baby started kindergarten today. My baby. My (probably) last born child. And I didn't cry... Usually I'm a sap when it comes to my children and their milestones. For some reason today was different. She is different. 

Look at her! All the confidence in the world!! 

Here she is with my Godson, or Godcousin. Yes, they are both in kindergarten and in the same class! She's happy to have a familiar face at her new school. 

Saying Cheese while her brother takes her picture... 

She's so full of confidence. I like to say she's a lot like me, but in this area, we are very different and I love it. I can't believe she's old enough for real school. Now, time to go pick her up and hear all about her day. May need a few tissues now....

Little Diva

So Abby has become a little obsessed with the show, Toddlers & Tiaras. We saw a commercial for it once while watching Cake Boss (we love that show!) and she was mesmerized. The bling, the dresses, the make up, the .... pageant walk. It was just too much. She said "I have to watch that!". Since they were airing it after her bedtime (with good reason) I told her I would record it and we would watch it together the next day. OIY. I had never seen the show before and boy were we in for a treat. HA!
Now, I must say this.. I'm not against pageants. HOWEVER... I believe these pageants are a little over the top and I could never see myself spending so much money on a poofy dress (which really, I think they are all pretty hideous). Plus it just seems like torture to some of these girls. I'm not really sure that a pageant will teach a child much about self-worth when its pretty much based on looks alone. How could it not be when these kids are 1,2,3,4.. I mean really?! But I digress... If a parent wants to enter their daughter in a pageant that's fine and dandy for them.
So this weekend was a Toddlers & Tiaras marathon. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and I was flipping channels and landed on this crazy show, which is kinda like a train wreck. You can't help but watch. And of course Abby sat and watched in between playing cops and robbers with her brother (she's very diverse, you know).
Yesterday she asked for a make over, Toddlers & Tiaras style. Only, I was not allowed to curl her hair. So of course, I gave in. I always loved to play dress-up as a little girl too. This wasn't me trying to make her an adult or mature too quickly, it was just pure innocent play and great mommy-daughter bonding time. We talked as I fixed her hair and her make up. She put one of her favorite dresses on and borrowed some earrings from me and it was fun. Once she was made up she was back to playing and being a kid.

Edited to note: this post was not stolen from Pioneer Woman. However, I think its pretty hilarious that we were doing the same thing this weekend!

Play Ball!!

This is my little ball player. Except he's no longer a ball player. He's a 7 year old kid. A kid I am so proud of. A kid that some people find hard to understand. But I understand him, for the most part. And I love him. He makes me laugh. He makes me want to pull my hair out. He's mine.
Alex has been on a t-ball team for a full calendar year now. He started last fall with zero experience. And when I say zero experience, I mean the kid had never picked up a bat, never even put a glove on his hand. ZERO. The team we joined had never met each other and we didn't even have a coach. Someone stepped up and we all went from there. It was a fun season!! The kids really enjoyed themselves.
This spring season was a little different. The focus of the coaches shifted from being about teaching the kids how to play to only working on technique that would make them win. WIN. Win. Win. Apparently, the city we live in is very competitive about their baseball. Its a sad thing, really, when I hear that. "Its a competitive league" ... that pretty much, to me, means that the parents will do anything to be number 1.
At 6 and 7 kids are competitive. They do have the want to win, even when it comes to silly little things like say.. . arguments with their kid sister. HOWEVER.... Its my belief that at 6 and 7, playing a sport should be about 1) having fun, getting outside, running around, structured play and 2) LEARNING the proper way to play said sport, the rules, how a point is scored, how to be fair, how to listen to instructions, how to play well with a group of kids.
I do NOT believe that winning should be the goal at this age. It was said at a recent team meeting that kids don't learn anything from losing. I find that to be completely false. When you lose... anything... be it a game, a friend, a toy, whatever, you ALWAYS can learn something from it. You learn what you can do better next time, you can learn that if I do x, y will happen. There's so much to gain if you just realize that there is a lesson in losing! Don't get me wrong, I am all for winning. Its exhilarating! But I don't think that winning should trump learning at this age.
Also, at said team meeting, it was suggested that little league is used to weed out players for jr. high teams. Which, is an insane concept to me. However, if by "weed out" they mean ignoring the kids that need more help with their skills than others, yes... its working. If by "weed out" they mean benching some players more than others giving them less experience on the field (the same experience that they NEED to play better), then yes, its working. If by "weed out" they mean making parents feel like they are inferior because their child is not as naturally gifted as others, because their child is a whole foot smaller than their "all stars", then yes.. its working.

For those reasons, and because Alex is pretty burnt out on playing ball and has expressed that he doesn't want to continue, we quit. I've always heard that quitters never win. I think we are the winners now.

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" ~ Semisonic - Closing Time

Birthday and other goings on

My handsome boy. Today is his birthday. Although he won't turn 7 until 8:51 p.m, and he's quick to remind everyone of that. He's still got a little while to enjoy the ease of being 6....

I can't really comprehend that its been 7 years since this child came into this world with a little "meeep" and that's the quietest he ever has been. He's witty, funny, super goofy, intelligent, stubborn, a rule-follower, a leader, and just an all around happy little boy. Can't imagine a world without this kid.

Blowing bubbles is serious business people. I love how concentrated she gets with things.

Eyeliner Lily

Bloomed about a week earlier than last year. And it lost all the petals after the storms we got last night. Good thing there are still some more blooms left.

Daddy & Alex

Go Rangers!

Random Pics

The castle at Disney World on our trip in July

Abby and Emerson

My lily

O'Malley

Recent Sessions

Its been a long time. Life has been B.U.S.Y. And for some odd reason, it seems to take all afternoon to do a blog post. So I put it off and put it off. But, alas... I'm back. Kinda. See.... I'm kinda on a break from photography. *kinda* Of course, this post looks nothing like a break from photography. But I am really trying to limit my sessions. I have a lot less time these days. I have a full-time job, a kid playing t-ball, a kid in gymnastics, volunteering one night a week at church and still have to come home to cook and clean and be with my family. .

I know I need... eh-hem... would LIKE to have a new camera or at least a new lens. But the pocketbook just doesn't allow for it. (the pocketbook picked a Bahama cruise with the husband over new photography equipment...) So.... I did the next best thing. I rented a lens. www.borrowlens.com. Its awesome. Its easy.

I rented a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens. And I fell IN LOOOOVE!!! I didn't have much time to get acclimated, to learn all the ins and outs, but myohmy. It was simply awesome. The bokeh. The sharpness. (minus some user error on some pics.... shhhh). I had two sessions the weekend I had it, so the day before I took it out to play. First I took the kids to a little nature park. Then to my parents house. The lens did not fail me once.

All of the pics in this post are using the 85mm lens. I didn't have to do much editing at all (LOVE).

This is my little stud. He RARELY lets me take his picture and when he does, his eyes are either squinting, closed, or covered with his hands. So this... is a gem. I still (4 months later) can NOT believe that he's 6. Like, that's a kid. Not a baby. Not a toddler. A kid. My 1st grader! I love it. I love him.

As much as it is rare to get a picture of the boy child, it is even more rare to get a picture of him AND his pesky little sister. Together. Happily. Willingly.

They really do have a great relationship. For a 6 and almost 4 year old. He bothers her, she bothers him. But they love each other. Its one of the best things ever when Alex comes home from school on Fridays and Abby has been with me all day, and gives her a huge "I've missed you" hug. I can only hope they are this close when they are older.

She loves to swing. Take her to a park or throw her outside to play and 99.25% of the time, she will go straight for the swing, asked to be pushed "as high as the sky", and laugh and laugh and laugh.

And what a lucky little girl she is to have a great daddy who is the only one that can push her as high as she wants. Those muscles aren't from working out, they are from pushing a 40lb cutie pie on the swing.

An angle. Aiden. I photographed his big sister when she was this size! He comes from a super family!!! I see him trading in those wings for a baseball jersey in no time.

My 3rd year of photographing this gorgeous family. They stun me with all their cuteness and niceness and well coordinated outfits.