Playdate
Sam spent the day with Gram and Pops and Evie and I enjoyed our time together. It gave us a chance to play, just the two of us. We made some block towers, fed her dolly pretend soup, and listened to music. It was a good day...
Advent Week 2
Advent fun continued in spite of the ice storm - so glad I bought that gingerbread house ahead of time. This was our third year to decorate a gingerbread house. They're kind of a pain in the toosh, but Sam loves doing it every year and they do make a cool table centerpiece.
Thanks to Brian for snapping some pics of me and the kids. You did a good job.
Mommy was crafted-out the next day, so a couple rounds of Christmas Memory it was!
I must say, Sam's pretty good.
Needing more indoor activities for this last and final day of being stuck inside, I designated this our day to make peppermint play-doh. But having not been to the store in five days, I had not had the chance to pick up one important play-doh making ingredient - cream of tartar. Our awesome neighbor Joyce came to the rescue
and
brought over three movies, some candy and some popcorn. She knew just what we needed to get through the day.
Finally our day to venture outside arrived! It was flu-mist day! What a way to start getting back to normal. Brian had been thoughful enough to get the ice off of my windshield after the storm stopped the second day, but neither one of us realized what five days of sitting in the cold would do to my roof and front hood. We knew it was ice - at least three inches of it - but not how solid and compacted it would be. It took me twenty minutes to chop it all off and brush it away, but after that it was smooth-sailing.
The roads were pretty good all the way to the doctor's office and on down to the Galleria Dallas, where we spent the rest of the afternoon, rewarding ourselves for surviving the ice storm and our flu shots. That is one BIG tree they've got there. This was the first time we'd visited the Galleria that the ice skating didn't look fun to me. I'd seen enough ice at this point. Sam thought the tree was so cool and Evie was just happy to be out of the house!
Sam's preschool put on a Christmas pagent again this year. Sam was chosen to be one of the shepard boys and he did a fantastic job. Brian and I had to hang out by the door in the back, so I was only able to get a shot of him on the screen, but as you can see he was pretty darn cute as he sang every word to every song.
After an exciting couple of days we needed something low-key. It was still cold outside which made it the perfect day for a story. I had worked on these felt board pieces for the past week while Brian and I watched tv at night. I found the perfect nativity story online that was written as a rebus. Sam and I were able to read the story together - I read the words and he filled in the words for the rebus pictures. Perfect!
Gram and Pops had been promising Sam a sleepover for a long time and this ended up being the perfect weekend for it. Brian and I wanted to go out for a belated anniversary dinner, so Gram and Pops watched Sam and Evie while we ate and then Sam got to stay the night and Brian and I took Evie home. She and I had a girls' day the next day and it was very relaxing!
Advent Week 1
Sam's at the perfect age to really enjoy the buildup to the holidays. Last year our holiday activities were minimal since we were all adjusting to life with a newborn. This year I decided to do an advent calendar with Sam with a different Christmas activity each day. Some were big things, some were small, all of them were fun, and it made December fly by!
On the first day we painted the numbers for our calendar and hung it up over the tv along with one of our garlands.
Gram gave us a stack of books to read in December - one each night - so our other activity was to unwrap the first book. The one Sam chose was called
Snowball Soup
.
The next day Sam wrote his letter to Santa. He asked Santa for a kickball, a MagnaDoodle and some Legos. He also asked him how Rudolph's nose was doing. I included the picture of what he got right before Christmas which was a letter
from
Santa. So cool!
We built a fort and watched Christmas movies after school. Sam chose a Charlie Brown Christmas movie and we popped popcorn. Evie was asleep, thank goodness, or this would not have been as relaxing as it was.
I picked up some crafts at Hobby Lobby for Sam to choose from. On this day he chose the Santa door hanger.
Evie had fun just being in Sam's room.
The activity for the day the ice storm came was to hang wreaths and the rest of the garland. I love that I chose the coldest, ice-peltiest day to have the door swung wide open. We hussled and we got it done. Sam did the berries on the garland. He made a great berry-boy.
The ice storm was still going the next morning. Good thing we had crafts planned!
We made a handprint wreath for Sam to decorate and hang on his door.
By this time it was clear we weren't going anywhere for a few days, so it was time to rearrange activities. We had to postpone the outside stuff and bump up the crafts. Sam chose to decorate some ornaments to hang on his tree.
A pretty fun first week of Christmas!
Because I Was There, Too
Some photography friends and I decided to take five photos of ourselves with our kids and share them this week. It's hard to remember to get on the other side of the camera. But it's important that our kids know we were there, too.
(All photos taken with tripod and remote)
Evie at Twelve Months
Evelyn Mae you are twelve months today! I only have one chair photo this time (and your collages) because that was all I needed for your party. We might take more later, but for several days on either side of your birthday the weather was either very cloudy, rainy or icy and that made your room kind of dark and dreary. In addition to that, you were very,
very
wiggly in your chair trying to get the one picture I needed. I would position you and take a few steps back to photograph you and by the time I got to where I needed to be, you had ripped off your 12 sticker and were on your knees about to topple off the chair. Oh my, you keep me busy little girl!
This was a big month of growth for you. Something changed in you in the last two weeks - all of a sudden you are becoming more like a little toddler and leaving your babbling, waddling baby-ness behind. You are a fast walker with a giant stride. You can point to things that you want to hold or want to know more about and you are trying so, so hard to talk. It's complete jibberish, but it has the flow and intonation of a real conversation and it's hilarious to listen to. When you don't want something you shake your head "no" and an excited grunting noise means "yes!". You are growing out of some of your baby toys and finding new ways to play with others. You can build some wicked block towers - always six blocks high (because all we have are six blocks!) and you can open and close lots of different doors and compartments on other toys. You are very strong and have great fine-motor skills already. Just like big brother!
While I have to say you are a very flexible, go-with-the-flow kid, you have created several routines and patterns you love to follow. Every morning you wake up, hand me your binkie (buh-buh), your blankie and Miss Bunny and then lift your arms up for me to get you out of your crib. You give me some hugs, then peek around the corner of your room to see if Sam's up. Then you get down and play with Sam for a minute. After that you go straight to your room, unplug your nightlight, bring it to me and mutter something, which I assume means, "Here, Mommy". Plug protectors are useless with you, by the way, you can pick them out with your chubby little fingers in no time flat. You still take a morning nap, and we know you're ready when we see you laying on the living room floor with blankie and bunny. When you hear Daddy gets home from work and you hear him at the back door, you start squealing and talking and you all but run right for the door. At night, when you're ready for bed, you lay back down on the floor with your blankie, and after kissing Daddy goodnight you wave bye-bye to him all the way back to your room. You've even started waving goodbye to me while laying in your crib before I shut the doors. So sweet. You wake up around 5:30 for a morning feeding then go back down for another couple hours of sleep. Then we repeat it all again!
We've had fun playing games with you lately. You still love Peek-a-Boo, This is the Way the Lady Rides and Horsey, Horsey but we've made up our own game recently, too. After Sam goes to bed, when you're supposed to be calming down for night-night you try to get Mommy to chase you in your room. Because I can't resist playing the game with you, I chase you and say "I'm gonna get you!", then you fall down, I tickle you, you giggle uncontrollably and then we wave bye-bye to each other. Mommy leaves the room and you peek around the corner to see if I'm coming back. Of course I am, and we do it all again! It gets ridiculously loud for a before-bed game and Sam usually watches and laughs from his bed. Daddy and I think you're going to have a great sense of humor. I see it in your eyes, the way you look at me when we're playing a game or doing something funny. It's like you completely understand what's going on and what's funny about it. Daddy says you're going to have to have a good sense of humor to survive in this family. I think you're going to fit in just fine!
Fall was a busy time for us this year. We visited the pumpkin farm and you fussed the whole hay ride, just like Sam did the first time he rode it. You enjoyed a couple other Lens Baby playdates and had fun just being outdoors, practicing your walking. We took Sam to his t-ball clinic Saturday mornings and we spent his practice time finding leaves to crush. A couple of weeks ago we had our family photos taken by our sweet friend, Carrie, and you were a very good girl as long as we kept the Cheerios coming. You love to drop off and pick up Sam at school, and Mommy has to take you in strapped in your stroller because you want so badly to walk around and check out all the kids' cubbies.
You are getting into things like crazy - rooms, drawers, closets. We had a feeling you would do this and we knew it would be tough because Sam never did for some reason. Your favorite place to be is Sam's room. We can tell you think it's some kind of forbidden wonderland, full of colorful little toys that are dangerous yet oh so fun to chew on. And there's always lots of paper on the floor to crinkle and rip. Your eyes get so big and you make your excited noises when we catch you in there. You also love to get in the pantry and play with the boxes in the recycling and, of course, the dishwasher is still a favorite place to hangout. You'll take anything out of the bottom rack (and sometimes sippy lids from the top rack) while Mommy is filling or emptying the dishwasher. As I said before, you keep me very busy.
Sam is your very best friend and everything he does is hilarious (to you, that is). You follow him everywhere he goes and it's not unusual to find you two rolling around on the floor like puppies. He likes to run around the house with your push toys or kick the sweater ball right past your head and you're happy just cackling right in the midst of it all because you think you're playing, too.
You're still an awesome eater. I know it's probably not going to last so I'm enjoying it now. You eat everything Mommy and Daddy eat and lots of it. After we see Dr. G next week we'll get the go-ahead for cow's milk and possibly peanut butter, too. You love to feed Mommy Cheerios off your tray. You pick them up and offer them to me, all while saying "Ahhh!" Such a thoughtful girl!
Measurements: I'll come back and add these in after your appointment next week...
weight - 22.6 lb. - 85%
length - 31 in. - 95%
head - 18.8 in. - 98%
We're very proud of you, Evie. Look how you've grown this year!
You're so sweet and fun you've made the past year fly by! Happy Birthday, Evelyn.
Today
Today, she turns one.
Happy Birthday, Evelyn.
A Day in the Life - Fall 2013
A popular personal photography project right now is to record one entire day of your life in photographs - one whole day, even the most (especially the most) mundane aspects of your life at the time. Things change so quickly when you're a parent of two young children. Routines that seem like they will be a part of your life forever really only stick around for a while and then *poof*, you're into new patterns, some good, some bad, with children who are just a little bit older, who do things just a little bit differently than before. I can already see this happening with these two. I took these photos back in October, and I'm just now finished with editing and getting them posted. In those few short months both Sam and Evie have changed - their looks, their hair, what they eat, the toys they play with. This project will be a nice way to remember the little things that made up our ordinary days. I hope to start another one soon - it will be fun to observe the changes. For now, here is a somewhat-typical fall day for us. I say somewhat-typical only because we don't go out for pizza everyday and we don't drive to Denton to play everyday, but if we're itching to get out of the house during the week for a special treat, this is one of our top go-to places.
Missing from this photo story are some of the more difficult parts of our day. I don't have any pictures of Evie fussing during the night while her teeth are coming in. Nothing showing Sam throwing a fit about his dinner. No photos of Brian and I curled up on the couch after putting the kids to bed, watching Cheers re-runs while nodding in and out of sleep because, well, I was too tired to take a picture of that! Recording the smoother moments while still being "Mom" was challenging enough for this first attempt. But teary faces, temper-tantrums and tired parents are a regular occurance in our house, and maybe next time I'll do a little bit better job of capturing those images. Otherwise, I tried to "keep it real" - Sam's messy room, the challenge of getting everyone dressed and ready before noon, and doing last night's dishes right before I start cooking the next dinner are all very real-life right now. And years from now I think that's what we'll enjoy remembering most of all.
"When you become a mother, routines kick in hard and strong. Although it may feel that you live in a world where chaos reigns supreme, the inevitable daily grind becomes so much a part of your family life that you will likely depend on it like oxygen."
-Tracey Clark,
Good morning! It was a beautiful day on Franklin Street.
Our fall landscaping looked pretty in the morning sun, especially behind Daddy's butterfly plant.
First things first - get the hot water going for Sam's oatmeal and Mommy's coffee!
A little morning reading while I sip my coffee....
Then it's time to feed Evie. It's cherries with baby cereal this morning, along with buttered toast sticks.
After breakfast - we play! Sam put together an awesome space puzzle (outer space is a popular topic in our house right now) and then moved on to put the "active" in activity by chasing Evie around the house and showing me some cool ninja moves.
Two hours after waking up, Evie's ready for her morning nap. Eating breakfast and playing with Brother is hard work.
While Evie sleeps, Mommy showers and Sam gets dressed. It's important to note this whole series of photos was not planned - I just sat back and snapped. Sam really does struggle getting shirts on over that 98th percentile-sized noggin'. We just say there's a lot of brains in there! Of course, that's contradictory to his other problem, which is consistantly putting his shirt on backward. See how he's checking the tag - which is right under his chin? Everyday it's backward.
Every. Day
. "We'll get there", Brian always says. We'll get there....
Time to feed the baby again, play with Big Brother on the bed for a bit, then it's off to get her dressed.
Today Evie's wearing a little dress I got for her before she was born. It's seems like I bought it so long ago and I love to see her wear it! I had to include this photo of our day because shoes are a very important part of Evie's world. She loves shoes. She loves to play with them, talk about them and put them on each day. She especially likes these brown flower slip-ons. Such a girl!
Time to pile into the car! Getting out the door with everything we need and buckling into the car can be a major time-suck. I'll think we're leaving the house right on schedule then by them time we're all buckled-in, I'll look at the clock and we're ten minutes late. Where did the time go? Why does this take so long? At least they both look happy to be getting on the road! They really are good little car-riders.
Our beautiful Denton courthouse, and on such a pretty day, too. Sam loves to climb up and down the steps and hang out on the concrete railing. Sometimes we'll get a snack and eat on the courthouse steps, but not today - today we're going to get pizza!
J & J's pizza is a little hole-in-wall pizza joint right on the Denton square. It's old and has lots of fun stuff on the wall to look at. And has the
best
pizza. We love it!
Denton is a college town, home to Texas Women's University and the University of North Texas. UNT is known for their excellent jazz program, so there are several music stores on and around the square. Looks like we have a Halloween friend modeling this drum set today.
Today we played for a while in Quakertown Park, a park and playground area we discovered when we took Sam to the jazz festival here several years ago.
Another one of our favorite things to do in Denton is visit one of their libraries. This is the Emily Fowler branch, and while we love Frisco's library and check out all of our books there, we like Denton's library because of their cool computers (with touch-screens!) and their buckets and buckets of toys. Puzzles, blocks and plastic animals - it's fun to go to the library and play. This was Evie's first visit!
Fun time's over - got to get groceries for dinner. At this point in our lives, going to the grocery store, all three of us together, can be quite a beating. Evie wants down, Sam wants to go and Mommy needs to concentrate so I don't forget something. Of course, I always do.
Today was a fairly warm October day and we crammed a lot of activities in. Evie's exhausted and goes down easily for a second nap. Just look at those sweet baby foots.
Second naps are usually shorter - Evie's back up and ready to help me with dishes. And by "help" I mean take out all the dirty silverware and play with it. We do a lot of dishes these days. Four people, three meals a day, and oodles of sippie cups make for many loads.
Dishes are done, so it's time to dirty-up some more! On the menu tonight is soup - a sausage, red lentil, and kale recipe. Brian and I love fall weather foods and we eat lots and lots of soup throughout the season. We pulled some sausage out of the soup for Sam and added some baby cereal to Evie's bowl to help thicken it up. Evie was thrilled. Sam was not.
Typical dinner.
Bath time! Evie loves the bath until I wash her hair. Then she's done and wants out. Immediately.
Sam used to be the same way. Now he thinks it's fun to pour water on his head and, inevitably, all over the bathroom floor.
We've been doing "books on Mommy's bed" for years now, and I think this is the first time I've photographed it. We started when he was about one; he thought it was special to read on Mommy's bed at night. Here we're reading about opposites with the help of Maisy, our favorite British mouse!
After books and brushing teeth, Daddy takes over for prayers and cuddles while I get Evie ready for bed. Sam was wild and couldn't calm down, you can see it in his eyes. Brian just kept on praying. It's a team effort, this gettting kids to bed thing.
Up until about eight o'clock I always have big plans for what I'm going to do with my free time in the evening - finish cleaning, fold laundry, sew, crochet, edit. The cleaning
never
happens; the sewing and editing only sometimes. Usually, once our little people are down for the night, I just melt into a puddle on the couch and attempt to watch some TV with Brian. But really, that's just what I need to recharge and find the strength to do it all again the next day!
Good night. Sleep tight.
Evie at Eleven Months
Evelyn Mae you are eleven months today! (Actually, I'm post-dating this by almost two weeks. You and Sam have kept me very busy lately!) We can't believe you are almost one year old!
You were even more difficult to photograph this month. You moved all around your chair and started tearing your 11 sticker off your shirt the minute I put it on. I got one picture with it, then we chucked it and just took some photos in your onesie. As you can see from your photos, you are an active little person!
You started walking this and you are really good at it, too, for being such a little thing. Even strangers have noticed how strong and sturdy you are when you're walking around. You climb the stairs at Gram and Pops' house like nobody's business (with someone right behind you, of course) and you love to go up and down the front steps at home.
The next four pictures show you playing Pat-a-Cake and Peek-a-Boo, two of your favorite games. When I say, "Where's Evie?" you put your hands on top of your head if you don't have a blankie handy to hide behind. I guess you think we can't see you!
This past month wasn't super busy. The weather is getting nicer and we've been taking lots of walks in the morning with Sam and going to the playground. You like to swing, but if Mommy pushes you too high you get a very frightened look on your face. You've also been down a couple of baby slides, too, but really you just want to do whatever Sam is doing. Your most favorite thing to do is play with leaves. You like to stomp on them, crush them, tear them, and carry them around in your little fist. You kind of talk to them, too - it's not a babble, more like an excited "ooh! ooh!" I've already started planning your first birthday party and we're going to have an autumn theme. I'm going to make sure there are lots of leaf decorations for you.
Measurements:
weight - 22 lbs
length - tall girl!
head - still like a perfectly round McIntosh apple!
Clothes - You're wearing your 12-18 month outfits and a few 18-24 month things. You look adorable in just about anything you wear, especially your jammies. You don't like bows and headbands, but you love, love, love shoes. You love wearing them, holding them, walking around with them, even putting them on. Mommy got you a pair of white walkers, black patent leather Mary Janes and some brown MJs with flowers on them. You like to bring me your shoes, put them in my face and then you say "ahhh". Silly girl
Diapers
- You're still in a size 3!
Feedings - You're still eating about three to four times a day for a total of about twenty minutes a day. This month you also started eating more table food. I love when I can just mush up whatever Daddy and I are eating. You like pretty much everything so far, especially little bites of chicken. You also love the portable food pouches that we take with us when we're running errands at lunchtime. You get so excited when you see the pouches with the little plastic circle tops - you kick your legs, clench your fists and your eyes get really big. You can feed yourself with those, too, a bonus for Mommy!
Sleeping - You're still sleeping pretty well. I feed you around 10:30 and again between 4:30 and 5:30, either right before or while Daddy showers for work. You usually go back to sleep after that, sometimes until 7, sometimes only until Sam gets up at 6:30 or so. You usually need a binkie re-plug once or twice, which you used to let Daddy do, but lately, Mommy's had to go in and do it, plus pick you up for a little snuggle. That's okay. I don't mind.
Talking - You still like to "talk" although you haven't said Mama or Bubba yet. Other than those two babbles, any sound or noise we make, like Dada or blowing zerberts, you can mimic. You copy Brother when he's blowing on his morning oatmeal and you mimic Mommy when I make kissy noises at you.
He Catched It
"I finally catched it!" he said. And he got the game ball for it, too - last game of the season. Go Sam!
Embrace the Rain - Clickin Walk 2013
A couple of weeks ago I got together with some photographer friends for a photo walk on the SMU campus. We were out shooting as part of Clickin Moms' 3rd annual photo walk. I chose not to go last year because I was ginormously pregnant with Evelyn, but I went the first year when we walked Dallas' Bishop Arts District and it's a tradition I hope I can be a part of each year.
Last year it rained really hard on the participants and we all thought surely, here in Dallas, it wouldn't rain on the photo walk two years in a row. Wrong we were. It was tough, no doubt. It felt very strange to have the camera out in this kind of weather. I had picked up a rain sleeve from the camera shop on my way down to campus, but I was still uneasy. The sky was dark and the trees were drippy. My arms were twisted and crampy trying to steady the camera with just one hand, while holding the umbrella in the other.
But I have to say...I kind of liked shooting in the rain. It made me look at things differently - lots of reflections, lines, puddles and droplets. The gloominess lent itself well to processing in black and white, which I always need to work on. Most importantly, rain or shine, I had an excuse to photograph something other than the kids for a change!
After our walk we all enjoyed dinner at Torchy's Tacos and had lots of uninterruped, grown-up conversations! My only regret is that I didn't shoot more. I think the rain threw me off? I just didn't bring that many shots home and then culled that down to just these four. Although, that is four more than I thought I had when I left that night, so I guess that's good!
This is the view that greeted me as I walked out of the parking garage, camera in-hand. Lots of raindrops!
A cobblestone sidewalk under a canopy of trees. We were making our way to The Boulevard where we enjoyed a little break in the rain and a second or two of sun. That's my friend Liesl taking pictures under her umbrella!
My last shot of the day turned out to be my favorite. A great way to end our walk. Already looking forward to next year!
Patio
Pretty girl, playing on the patio. Silly girl, sticking out her tongue!
Walking Shoes
Well...there's no stopping her now. She's walking! It was hard to decide what day to offically mark as the day, but I think yesterday, October 2nd is going to be it. She's been taking steps now for a while and showing a great interest in walking, but yesterday was the first day when she just couldn't stay off her feet. She walked from one end of the kitchen to the other, walked around her room, even walked in her crib last night when she was supposed to be going to sleep. Walking somewhere was always her first choice over crawling.
So, off we went shoe shopping this morning, just us girls! We found a pair of Stride Rites from the resale shop that are pretty cute, although they make her look like such a big girl. Afterward we headed to downtown Denton to try them out. The first time her feet hit the pavement in her shoes she wouldn't move. She didn't cry, she just stood there and looked at her shoes, then looked at me, then looked at her shoes, then looked back at me again. She didn't know what to do with them! It took just a few minutes for her to start moving, though, and then she was off. I was imagining a whole storyboard of walking images today, but she was too busy exploring and, of course, turning her back to me and walking away - just like big brother! Hopefully I'll get some video soon. It's so fun to watch her toddle around on those chubby little legs. Our big girl!
Little Sister
Wherever he is, I find you, too...
Peek-a-Boo
I see you!
DishwasHer
You and this dishwasher! Why do we buy you toys? You could keep busy for hours with this thing if we'd let you...
Evie at Ten Months
Evelyn Mae you are ten months today! Double digits little girl! Looks like you're pretty happy about turning ten months. This monthly chair sessions was next to impossible as you are very, very mobile now. You are just days away from full-on-walking and you had no desire to sit in your rocker for long. In fact, you figured out pretty quickly that if you lean back and try to stand up at the same time, the rocker will go back all the way to the wall which allows you to simultaneously bop up and down and give Mommy a heart attack. Lots of fun for everyone!
Measurements -
weight - 22 lbs
length - too tall to stand up under the table, now!
head - time for Mommy to make new headbands!
Clothes - You're wearing both your 6-12 month and some 12-18 month outfits. We're still in summer clothes, but the cooler weather is upon us. You wore your first pair of jeans the other day and my did you look cute.
Diapers
- You're still in a size 3. Mommy's not going to put you in a size 4 until I have to - the smaller the size, the more diapers in each pack!
Feedings - You're now eating about three times a day for a total of about twenty minutes a day. This month you continued eating the last batch of food Mommy made you: lentils, broccoli, spinach, peas and various fruits. You like toast sticks (just like Brother did), and little bits of pasta. Anything you can pick up with your chubby little fingers.
Sleeping - You're sleeping pretty well and you dropped that mid-night feeding without any problems. Any waking up you do is when you can't find your binkie or your teeth bother you as they push their way up through your gums. Daddy says that when he goes in to help you find your binkie, you look around him and down the hallway to see if Mommy's coming, too. You like Mommy to rock you now more than you ever did before, day or night, whenever you're feeling sad or you need a little help calming down.
Talking - You're still ruh-ruh-ruhing, and yah-yah-yahing, but you've definitely added a new favorite, da-da-da-da. You don't say no-no yet, but you shake your head "no" anytime you hear it. You've tried to pull down the lamp on the living room end table so many times that when Mommy went to turn it on the other night, you shook your head "no-no" at me. Smart girl!
This month was a fairly quiet one. We were busy getting Sam ready to start his last year of preschool and we had several t-ball practices and games. There's a boy there - the big brother of one of Sam's teammates - who loves to play with you and keep you entertained during those hot evening practices. We went to a playdate with our friends at the McKinney fire station and there was one firefighter there who was pretty smitten with you, too. You started taking a few steps, but we're not calling it "walking" yet, because you are very wobbley and you fall a lot. It won't be long though, that's for sure. You are very determined.
You love Sam and anything he does. You're his biggest fan and he always gets a laugh from you, even when he doesn't get one from Mommy and Daddy. You still like to watch him at the window while he plays in the backyard, and it won't be long before you'll be able to go out there with him. We went swimming several times this past month and you did great floating in your raft. You like to get out, too, and play in the shallow end. And it was fun to watch Sam go underwater and *pop* back up!
Your favorite place to hang out with Mommy is the dishwasher. Maybe this is because Mommy spends so much time
at
the dishwasher, I don't know. But the minute I put the door down and start loading or unloading, you make a beeline for the dishwasher and start pulling things out, silverware being a particular favorite. Even though grabbing things out of your hand makes that boring chore take that much longer, I like having you with me while I work!
I took these pictures of you practicing your walking after we did your chair photos. Right after I took the last picture your legs gave out and you plopped to the ground. Good thing you have lots of padding on that toosh! You love playing in your room, pulling clothes out of your bottom drawer and pulling anything and everything off your shelves. I now have two children who know how to mess up their rooms in the blink of an eye.
10 months down, 2 to go...oh boy!
Brother's 10 month chair photo
Fall Planting
I was itching to photograph something this weekend, but couldn't bear to snap another photo of the back of my child's head as he/she ran/crawled away from me.
The weather was perfect both Saturday and Sunday and we had lots of mums and pansies and sweet potato vines to plant, so out to the yard I went, macro lens in hand. I really need to play with this lens more. It's quite a challenge to shoot macro, especially after drinking a big cup of coffee (*shakes*), but lots of fun to see the final product, blurry water droplets and all.
Sam "helped" me with some of the fall planting and porch cleaning, and in his underpants, no less. After I cleaned up all his messes and mine, the front and back yards both looked really nice. I can't wait to see everything filled in. So glad autumn is finally here.
