halloween 2009

{We'll ignore the fact that this is being posted in December.}

Dylan is currently OBSESSED with Mario Kart Wii. So we found this Luigi costume and he was sooo happy! He even agreed to wear the moustache for a little while. =) Jackson really didn't care what he dressed up as so he was Yoshi {aka dinosaur.} Dylan thought it was hilarious and like I said, Jackson could've cared less. We did the rounds to see the grandparents, did a Trunk or Treat at the soccer fields and went to the Fall Festival at a local church. Dylan LOVED the fall festival. Jackson, however did not. He lasted about 20 minutes and he was done. To his credit, it was VERY cold and past his bedtime. Maybe next year....

Sorry for the overload of pictures but it's too hard to narrow it down between my favorites and the "ones I need to remember what we did." Man, I'm getting old!

Carving the pumpkin...

A picture of the pumpkin goop per Dylan's request.
He always runs from the camera so I have to take them when I can get them. =)
The cutest Luigi ever...
Why he felt the need to have his mouth wide open, I have no idea but he was in hog heaven. A Mario Kart obsessed 5 year old dressed as Luigi riding a motorcycle....he was a happy boy!A very sad attempt to get the two of them together. Why is it sooo hard to get pictures of my two kids together?! =(

The cutest Yoshi ever... {I LOVED his tail.} =)

first day of school (i.e. dylan's lucky day)

My baby had his first day of school yesterday. He was excited about this day coming so it was hard for me to be sad about it. Plus, he'd kinda driven me nuts all summer so I was ready for him to be out of the house. =) He had told me the day before that he would walk in by himself with the "big kids." Of course, that shocked me and made me a little sad. When it came time to drop him off at school he had changed his mind. He wanted me to walk him in. So we spent 15 minutes waiting in the massive line of cars to park so we could walk in. As I was pushing Jackson in the stroller and Dylan was walking next to the stroller, he turned around to Jack and said "I'm going to miss you Jackson." So sweet!!! Well we got to his classroom and his teacher put him to work. I'm pretty sure that was the hint to parents to leave. LOL Only because it's a tactic I used in my teaching days. Well I couldn't help snapping just a couple pictures before I left. =) I gave him a kiss (or two) goodbye and Jack and I left. After he got home yesterday he said his favorite part was lunch. Go figure! Hopefully there was some learning and playing mixed in there somewhere. We did see his teacher last night when we went out to dinner and he thought that was VERY cool! So sweet!!! We let him pick the restaurant for dinner (well, sort of - we refused to eat at "Old McDonalds") and he got to get a special desert since it was the first day of school. As we were loading up in the car after dinner, he proclaimed it to be his "lucky day." He got to go to school, meet new friends, eat out of his lunchbox, go to PE, pick the restaurant for dinner, get a special desert, and see his teacher again. Sounds like the perfect first day of school to me!

Oh one sad note to report - he was very disappointed that his teacher's treasure chest is actually a "basket. Gasp!!! =)

And now for the pictures:
The VERY important lunchbox and lunch. Thank goodness we didn't have to have a mesh lunchbox (their backpacks are required to be mesh or clear). Lightning McQueen had to represented somewhere. =)
On the front step, posing for pictures. He was actually telling me how he wanted to pose. LOL
With his teacher, whom we all love. Thank goodness!!!
Signing his name that he brought his lunch. He was so proud that he wrote neatly. I love that kid!! Notice anything - he's a leftie. I need to do a layout about that!
All packed and ready to go! I saved this for last because I wanted to post it with last year's picture. He's grown so much!!!

two small steps

Yes, I know it's corny but I couldn't think of any other suitable title...

MY BABY JUST TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS!!!

Watch out world, here he comes!! First birthday party, first birthday, first steps...it's been a big week here!

Here's a picture I took today during his one year photoshoot.

one year ago

One year ago today was my laundry day. It was a Sunday and I was 38 weeks pregnant. I spent the morning doing laundry and as I was finishing up, the contractions started. Because it was my 2nd pregnancy I'd had contractions the entire time so this was nothing new and absolutely nothing I was concerned about - annoyed yes but not concerned. Well, I ate my lunch thinking the food would make them stop, laid down thinking that would make them stop but nothing did. It finally dawned that maybe I should be keeping up with these things? After all my doctor had said if they came 5 min. apart for more than an hour to call. So I started watching the clock. The hour came and went and the darn things wouldn't let up so I called the hospital. Now you have to understand, my kid was breech so I knew he wasn't coming on his own no matter how many contractions I had. I was in no hurry. Of course, my doctor wasn't on call so some strange man (he was a doctor but a stranger to me) called me back about 45 minutes later and said if they were that regular to come in and they'd "take a look." Well I packed my bag (remember he wasn't coming on his own - we had a csection scheduled for three days later) and dropped Dylan off with the grandparents. When we got to the hospital we parked in the parking deck driving right past the "labor and delivery" parking - I wasn't in a hurry remember? Well the contractions were still coming and stupid me had to walk the LONG walk from the deck to L&D. Good times! Oh, and at Brookwood L&D is not easy to find coming from the parking deck. Well we finally got to the right place and were given a room so I could be monitored. By this point the contractions had stopped. Crap! I was going to be one of "those" women who shows up, thinks she's in labor and is sent home. They hooked me up to the monitors anyway and wanted me to sit and wait to see what happened. So we sat and we waited....and nothing really happened. I'd have a contraction every now and then but they weren't regular and they weren't painful. After waiting for about an hour thinking we would be sent home shortly, they started again. And this time it HURT! I paged the nurse because I wanted an epidural NOW! I didn't care if they were going to deliver the baby, I just wanted the pain to go away! The contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and lasted about 20 seconds long - not fun. And remember, I was going through this for nothing, he wasn't coming out the "normal" way no matter what my body wanted. The nurse finally walked in and said the doctor was on his way. Thank God!! By now it was about 10:00 and I was running on adrenaline - my bedtime was 2 hours ago. The nice man with the long needle and drugs arrived and I got my epidural. It was a very bittersweet moment for me because I knew it would be the last time I'd ever feel a baby moving in my tummy - but the pain took over and I wanted the drugs! Hubby went to put on his scrubs and they wheeled me into surgery. For anyone who's ever had a csection you'll understand - it was the most surreal experience of my life. You're lying there cut open (sorry if TMI) and they're pulling on you and some voice keeps counting (don't ask what that's for!) and then finally you feel them pull something from your body. When they got Jackson out he was perfectly healthy except for one thing - he never made a sound. Didn't cry, didn't whimper, nothing. I'm still being sewn up so I can't see much of anything except what's on the monitor and I was scared to death. I thought babies were supposed to cry? Well, my kid didn't. He was perfectly healthy though. 6 pounds 11 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long. He was (and still is) the sweetest baby. He has the sweetest disposition and smiles easily to anyone and everyone. He's very easygoing and hardly anything phases him. He has completed our family and made the world a much better place to be in. We love him so very much and can't wait to watch him grow into a toddler and then preschooler! Happy Birthday Jackson!!
I've never actually written down Jack's birth story. I figured his "one year" post was as good a time as any. Sorry for the novel! =)

HUGE sale and 11 month facts

How's that for a strange title to a blog post? LOL

Before I get to posting Jackson's stats for 11 months (yes, my baby is 11 months old! wah!!!) I wanted to direct any scrappy friends to Scrap4Life. The entire store (except for kits and gift certificates) is on sale for 60% off - yes, 60% OFF!!! The sale only lasts until March 15 and stuff is going fast so get over there ASAP! The discount code is march09.

Ok, onto Jackson. He didn't officially have an 11 month birthday since his birthday is on the 30th. Why didn't that ever occur to me before? What do the people who's baby is born on the 31st do? Anyway, here are some of his 11 month stats:
- unofficially weighs 21 lbs.
- is pulling up on anything and everything
- cruising around his bed and his playpen
- chases (crawling) after his brother like there's no tomorrow (this is usually when Dylan has a toy that he wants)
- his favorite foods are baby cereal, pureed bananas, cheerios, and Chick Fil A biscuits
- loves bathtime with big brother; splashing is his favorite activity there
- gets soooo excited when we walk down the steps to get into the car (he jumps up and down and laughs - soooo cute!)
- is about to switch to his big boy car seat (I know he's not a year old yet but his head is up over the top of his baby seat - it's time, people!)
- loves to just play on the floor in his room by himself (he will do this for an hour if you let him)
- enjoys emptying the diaper basket during naptime (it's since been moved far from his reach, the little stinker!)
- his favorite video right now is Baby Galileo
- he hates putting on bibs or having the buttons on his shirts fastened (must be something about his neck being messed with?)
- has very sensitive skin and gets diaper rash easily (poor baby!)
- has his giraffe and a blanket at naptime

I'm sure there's more I could write but that's it for now. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and enjoy the beautiful weather if you're in the South!

2008 in review

Before I look too far into 2009, I wanted to find a way to recap '08. For most people it wasn't that great of a year, heck for us it wasn't that great of a year except for one tiny little dude (who as I type this is looking at me with the sweetest smile on his face). He made all the horrible news stories fade away and showed our little corner of the world that there is good somewhere out there. There's no way a sweet little boy like this can't make you smile just a little.



Now onto the year in review (which I completely stole from Megan by the way).

1. What did you do in 2008 that you've never done before?
become a mom to 2 (TWO) kids...it was a huge change for me

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolution and will you make more next year?
I don't remember what last year's resolution was. LOL I know that I did want to accept the changes that were coming with grace and I think I did that. It wasn't nearly as tough as I thought it would be (thanks to Zoloft, bottle feeding, awesome family and friends).

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Um, me. =) My cousin's wife.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my Aunt Becky lost her battle with cancer. But she put up one heck of a fight!

5. What countries did you visit?
USA =) (We went to Tennessee and Florida - and drove through Georgia.)

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
more time in a day

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched on your memory and why?
March 30 - Jackson was born
April 1 - Becky passed away

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Jackson, having my first professional photoshoot

9. What was your biggest failure?

not being as attentive a wife as I should be

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

does a c-section count?

11. What was the best thing that you bought?

again, Jackson (medical bills count right?); if they don't then I'll say my laptop

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Dylan was amazing in the transition from being the only child to big brother, hubby was (and still is) awesome at helping with the kids so I could get a break and he's been amazingly supportive during my foray into the professional photograhy world

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Um, celebrities, politicians, sports figures.

14. Where did most of your money go?

LOL To Paulette's store. Seriously, gas and food and medical bills.

15. What did you get really really really excited about?

photography!!!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

Love Story by Taylor Swift

17. Compared to this time last year are you?

1. happier or sadder - happier (no longer pregnant!!!)
   
2. thinner or fatter - thinner (again, no pregnancy)
   
3. richer or poorer - richer (I think)
   

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

spent more time with my husband

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

computer/internet - it felt like I lived on it in December

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent Christmas morning at home with our boys and then went to my mom's house for lunch and relaxation that afternoon and then we came back home for the evening. It was a nice, calm day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Twice...once with my husband. Just watching him with our son when we were in the hospital made me swoon. Second, with my newest little guy - he's such a sweet happy baby.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Hmmm....TV really stinks this year for me so it's hard to say. The only show I really look forward to anymore is West Wing reruns. LOL

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No. There are some people I wish I hadn't heard of this year and some people that I wish would grow up but there isn't anyone that I hate.

24. What was the best book you read?

Twilight!!!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I'm so not a music person but my favorite artist right now is Taylor Swift.

26. What did you want and get?

I got a fourth member of our family. =) And I got a laptop. The two don't even compare, though.

27. What did you want and not get?

2009 Honda Odyssey (came really close but it just didn't happen)

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Twilight! (I think the only film I saw at the movie theater. LOL)

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 29 (eek!) and I honestly don't remember what I did on my birthday. Sad, huh?

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If my aunt had beaten her cancer and the economic environment in this country wasn't so unstable.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

"Personal fashion concept?" Does that exist? I'm just happy to be permanently out of maternity clothes!

32. What kept you sane?

Tuesday breakfasts with Lelia (and sometimes Wednesdays and Thursdays too), Zoloft, my kid's smiles, a glass of wine at bedtime, scrapbooking

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy most?

Patrick Dempsey?

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I wasn't so much as stirred but just REALLY annoyed. I got very tired of hearing about the Presidential campaigns and candidates. It annoys me that a war in Iraq and a (could've seen it coming a million miles away) bad economy were used to win an election.

35. Who did you miss?

No one.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Easy. That little man at the top of this post. =)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year?

Appreciate what you've got and how hard you've worked for it.

38. What is one thing you said this year that you never thought you'd say?

"Yes, I'm a professional photographer. Here's my card."

39. What is one thing you heard this year that you never thought you'd hear?
"I might think about having another baby...one day." Said by hubby and has since been completely vetoed by me!

40. What do you anticipate will be the biggest change in your life in 2009?

My baby (the 4 yeard old one) will start Kindergarten!! I'm sooo not ready for him to be gone all day to the "big school."

If you've read this much, you deserve a medal!

looking forward to 2009

I had a fabulous day yesterday! The hubs and I went out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel (yummy french toast!) and went shopping for clearanced Christmas stuff. And then after that I went to a crop at The Scrapbook Princess. If you're local and haven't been to one of Paulette's crops, you must go!! She has the best crops. Lots of yummy food, goodies and shopping - plus all the girl talk you could want. =) I got 7 pages done and got my creative juices flowing again. Yay!!

While I was at Paulette's store, I picked up some new page protectors to use for a 365 album. I tried this last year and pregnancy just got in the way. But I'm determined this year. The page protectors are divided into 6 4x6 sections so that should make it easier, no? We'll see....

BTW, Paulette was the only person who noticed that I titled my Christmas layout 2009 instead of 2008. LOL Guess I am REALLY looking forward to 2009. Can I still blame pregnancy? (And NO I'm not pregnant!!!)

Have a great Monday everyone! On my list today - unpack from yesterday's crop, clean up around the house, Jackson's 9 month photoshoot, take Dylan outside to ride his Power Wheels.

fridays

I love Fridays! These are the days when we don't have to do anything. No school, no appointments, nowhere we have to be. I think Dylan and Jackson cherish these days even more than I do. Dylan arks (that's 'art' for the rest of the world) all day and Jackson takes his regular naps and eats when he's supposed to. Although Dylan got a "ridiculous" puzzle yesterday from his BFF as a Christmas present and I suspect that's what he'll be doing many times today. (Lelia, I told you he'd love it once he figured it out.) Life is always calm and good on Fridays! =)

I'll probably spend most of my day on the computer. I've gotten sucked in to Facebook (thanks also to Lelia) this morning. Like I need one more thing to do on the computer. LOL And I'm hoping to scrap today too. We'll see how that goes. =)

Have a great Friday!!!

santa

This was a fun year to see Santa. Dylan was super excited (even had his list ready) and Jackson was too young to be scared. =) And to top it off, Dylan's BFF was there which made it even better!
Sadly, this is the best picture I got. The lighting was horrible and there wasn't much space to frame my shot. The disadvantages to being a photographer - you overthink these things. LOL

See what I get to work with? A year old who covers his face and a 8 month old who looks away. Thank goodness for an awesome Santa!
A picture of Dylan and Emma together - WOW!!!
And finally, the letter to Santa!! So cute! He wrote the whole thing and I helped him spell the words. =)

8.5 months + other stuff

I totally missed Jack's 8 month post. =( Photography stuff and Christmas craziness just got in the way. Poor little guy! At any rate, here's some info on the little dude at 8.5 months:

- finally sitting up on his own (yay!!!) for a few minutes
- grabs everything in sight (hair, noses, butter, drinks, utensils, hair, toys, books, Lion, hair,...)
- got his first "bigtime" haircut - Mommy wasn't home for that and was VERY unhappy when she came home and found her child almost bald!
- rolls over all over the place and just smiles when he bumps his head on the carpet
- loves his exersaucer
- gets up on his hands and knees, takes one "crawl" forward and then crashes to the floor
- has this weird sitting/laying position he gets in
- takes 3 bottles a day (7 oz. each with cereal) plus some baby food at lunchtime or dinnertime
- HATES 3rd foods but we've found if we mix some 2nd foods in with it he'll lap it up!
- had mashed potatoes and sweet potatoe casserole for his first Thanksgiving dinner
- takes a morning nap (most days) and an afternoon nap
- sleeps from 6:45 at night till 6:45 in the morning
- loves bathtime
- thinks big brother is just the funniest thing ever and loves to watch him and Daddy throw airplanes around the house (which Mommy put a stop to last night because an ornament almost got broken!)
- saw Santa for the first time and could've cared less LOL
- not interested in the Christmas tree or presents (thank goodness!)
- perfectly happy to be left alone in his room on the floor playing with his toys (until he crawls over to the springy doorstop and scares the crap out of himself!)
- hates shopping (I think his Daddy and big brother taught him that!)
- has 8 teeth (yes, 8 - that's not normal is it?)
- sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time (at Chic Fil A)
- hates getting dressed or undressed but loves getting his diaper changed (little stinker!)
- is the most beautiful, sweet baby in the world!

Sorry for the novel there. Guess I need to update more often, huh? =) And now for the pictures so you can see just how beautiful this kid is.
Note the weird laying/sitting position he's in. This isn't mid-roll, this is how he "lays" for several minutes. LOL
And a couple pics of my big baby. This is how we find him most days - thumb in mouth with Lion close by. Apparently, the holidays and Mommy working are pretty stressful to a spoiled 4 year old. LOL
I just happened to snap this pic of Miss E at the Breakfast with Santa the other day. =)
And, finally some photos from our cookie making marathon the other day. Yum!!!

christmas cookies

I love Fridays! That's the one day of the week that we (me + kids) can do what we want. =) Today we're going over to my mom's house for the annual "Cookie Baking Marathon." Yum!!!!

And speaking of baking, this is on my list of things to bake this holiday season. Another YUM!!!

I've finally gotten some wrapped presents under my tree so that's good. I've got to finish putting out some more decorations and then my house will be completely ready for Christmas. The kiddos are going to see Santa tomorrow. Dylan is very excited to show Santa his list that he wrote yesterday. I'll have to scan it in and post it here - it's pretty cute! I love his ginormous 4 year old handwriting. LOL Of course, it will be Jackson's first meeting with Santa. We'll see how that goes. LOL

Here are the layouts I got done last weekend during KariAnn's fabulous cybercrop at S4L. Scrapping had definitely been on the back burner lately and it felt sooo good to scrap again!!! I got one of these babies from my friend Paulette's store and it ROCKS!!! She might have one or two left if you're interested. It's $14.99 and works like a dream!

christmas fun

Ok, I normally don't do these type of posts but I saw this on Gretchen's blog and thought it was cute.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. Although I try to use paper for kid's gifts - they love to tear open the wrapping. =)
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I don't like the smell of a real tree. Plus, the needles everywhere...yuck!
3. When do you put up the tree? A week or two before Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? It depends - sometimes the day after Christmas and sometimes a week or two later. It just depends on how tired I am and when I have time.
5. Do you like eggnog? Ugh, Yack, Nasty....simply put "no".
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmmm.....stereo? I honestly can't remember any specific presents...sorry Mom! I do remember that my Mom was always really awesome at getting presents that we wanted even if we didn't know we wanted them. My favorite gifts from my childhood that I now have are my Christmas ornaments...I have one for each Christmas of my life and I love hanging them on the tree every year. It's a tradition I do with my own kids and Dylan has enjoyed it so far. =)
7. Hardest person to buy for? My mom. She buys everything she wants.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Dylan. The kid wants EVERYTHING!
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. It's very cute!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Both...I'll mail out some of my custom cards and then e-mail out the image the day before Christmas.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmm...can't think of anything.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As soon as I see things on clearance that people might want. Yes, I'm cheap! LOL
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope...I have returned things though. =)
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's christmas cookies!! Yum!!
16. Lights on the tree? Duh! White lights that don't blink although I want to try to get ours to blink this year because I think Jackson would enjoy them.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary, Did you Know? (it always gives me chills!)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? stay home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Vixen, Rudolph, Cupid, Prancer, .... that's all I can remember right now
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Bow on one tree and nothing on the other tree. Guess I need to get on that, huh?
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve and the rest the next morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Entirely too much going on.
23. What theme or color are you using? One tree is decorated in blue and silver and the other tree is red and gree.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? My stepdad's fried turkey, my mom's sweet potato casserole, and above-mentioned chocolate chip cookies.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Well, I've already gotten my present (a new laptop!) but in case anyone's still shopping I'd like some new non-stick skillets (fun, huh?), some new pajama pants (mine are so worn you can see through them!), a card reader for my laptop so I can get pictures onto my new computer easily, this lens (yes, I'm dreaming here!), and a girls' weekend away full of scrapping, shopping and chatting.

computer help, please

You guys are awesome at giving advice on everything from haircuts to organizing so I thought I'd get your opinions on something else. =)

I'm on the hunt for a laptop. The hubs wants me off his (it's really supposed to be for his company and I'm on it WAY more than he is) and I want a portable computer for editing pictures and surfing the web. I'm debating between a Mac and a PC. I know some of you own Macs out there. Is it worth the extra $$? Can a PC and a Mac live together in the same house? LOL

Speaking of editing photos, this is what I've been doing for the past four days. I had sooo much fun this weekend. Do you ever have moments where you feel like you're exactly where you belong? That's how I felt for several hours this weekend while taking pictures of these kiddos. =)

yeah, baby!!

Eight more days until this:

I know it could never live up to the wonderfulness that is this book (impossible!!) but I'm sure excited to see them try! =)

And speaking of being a teenage girl all over again, I bought this yesterday. Wahoo!!!

holiday minisessions

Go here for the details. =)

seven months

My baby turned seven months old last week. We didn't actually do a "seven month photoshoot" because we did Halloween costume pictures instead. This time around I'm posting different pictures from his 7th month that I liked. Before I get to the pics, though, here's the stats on the Little Dude.
- he has 5 teeth (two on bottom and three on top)
- tried real banana mashed up and he didn't like it at all, in fact there was some lovely gagging going on
- likes real applesauce and mashed potatoes
- taking 3-4 bottles a day (we're tying to wean him off the bedtime bottle)
- takes 2-3 naps a day
- "Thomas the Train Trackside Tunes" is his favorite show to watch - he gets the biggest grin on his face when it comes on (thanks, Paulette!!!)
- is learning to scoot around and does it pretty quickly
- his favorite toys are his "keychain" with pictures and music (thanks, Brooke!), any small (but not too small) toy he can chew on, and the "farmer" see-n-say
- sucks his thumb when he's sleepy or mad
- LOVES the bathtub
- can sit up for a few seconds by himself
- finally giving us a good belly laugh (usually when he's being tickled)
- literally smiles his biggest smile when you put him in his bed to go nite-nite
- the spit up is getting better (on most days)
- pulling on other people's noses, ears, cheeks, etc. is a big source of entertainment for him these days
- he likes to watch the cat walking around (she's black, white and brown)
- he was a puppy dog for his first Halloween

I realize that a couple of the pictures look the same but his face is just a little different in each one and that's soooo him. He makes a million different faces!! And now for the pictures:

I just love this pictures of the two of them!
Not the best "photography technique" wise but I love the angle/perspective of it.

And this picture will be hanging somehwere in my house very soon!!! I love it!

it's friday!

Is anyone else sooooo happy it's Friday?! I am!! I'm going to get some housework done this morning, play with my kiddos (we're desperately trying to get the littlest man to sit up!) and then get some challenges done for this. If you've got some time come play with us this weekend!!

Two random things:
Most of you know I'm a photographer and get ideas and inspiration I subscribe to about 100 photographer's blogs around the country. This morning I had these GORGEOUS photos to gaze upon. Seriously, they almost make me want to have another baby (or two.)

And one more thingROLL TIDE!!!!!

favorite songs right now

It's no secret that I love me some country music. I love listening to songs that tell a story and country seems to always do that. Plus, the hot guys in cowboy hats certainly don't hurt. =) Anyway, here are my two favorite songs right now (sorry, no cowboy hats but the guys aren't too painful on the eyes). LOL

Might want to grab a tissue for this first one.
just a dream

love story

(Sorry, apparently I can't embed the videos here. I'm sure it's something crazy like copyright laws. LOL)

six months

Just pretend this was posted 13 days ago. =)

My baby is now 6 months old. Wahh!!!! I just want to make it stop! He's getting so big and developing his own little personality. A few tidbits of info for me to remember:
- he weighs 16lbs and 12ozs
- he's 26 inches long (when does it go from being "long" to "tall"?)
- he has 2 teeth
- he can sit up by himself for a split second but then he topples over (it's actually kinda cute to watch - don't worry he's perfectly safe!)
- he LOVES to hear himself squeal (LOUDLY!)
- whenever someone new comes over to talk to him, he just smiles and has this flirty little look to his face (a small amount of drool, dimples, bright eyes and a big smile are usually his weapons of charm)
- he's still spitting up a lot but we're working on that with soy formula and cereal in his bottles
- he LOVES baby food, in fact I think he'd take a full diet of baby food and perfectly happy w/o formula
- whenever he watches us eat he looks longingly at our food (poor kid!)
- he reaches for toys and gets very mad when they're out of his reach
- he can scoot/roll his way towards something if he wants it bad enough
- "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is his favorite song
- he loves to hear that he's pretty and that he's loved (literally - "you're so pretty" and "i love you" always make him smile and laugh)
- he very rarely does a full-blown belly laugh, mostly it's just a half laugh (only his Daddy can get him to really laugh)
- his favorite toy (and mine!) is his exersaucer, he probably spends more time in it than he should LOL
- big brother is still a favorite source of entertainment and ALWAYS makes him smile
- he's started the "empathy crying" - if Dylan is crying about something you can count on Jackson starting to cry pretty soon afterwards
- he loves to get in the bathtub and he's just learned how to kick the water and make it splash
- he's realized that he's a separate person and loves to play with other people's faces
- he loves to look at shiny things like aluminum cans, jewelry, etc.

Sorry for the novel there. You're welcome to skip over all that to get to the best part - the pictures. He's such a cutie!! But then, I'm biased. =)
The quilt he's laying on was a gift from the fabulously talented Amy Hummel. This girl is Supermom - she quilts, she decorates, she scrapbooks, she's a photographer, she does it all! Thanks so much for the quilt, Amy! We've really enjoyed it.