Valentine Photo Shoot Out-Takes

I thought it would be fun to do a Valentine photo shoot with Eli, and make a cute Valentine card with those pictures (yes, I know, it won't be long before Eli will have nothing to do with Valentine photo shoots, so I've got to take advantage while I can!). My dear friend Stacey came along to help with Eli, and to get some fun shots of her two girls as well. I found a paper mache letter "I", a wooden heart with wooden letters "love" that I painted, and a wooden "U" all at Hobby Lobby. I painted them all red (with the "love" in white). We went out to my new favorite place for pictures in old downtown Richmond - but, the really cool corrugated metal wall was gone!! They are renovating that area, darn them. It's still a good place to shoot though. Anyway. Here are some of the out-takes - I can't share the best ones yet, b/c they will go on the card - so after Valentine's I can post those!!

C'mon Eli, please don't throw the "I"! Just hold it for a few seconds....

Thank goodness for a helping hand!

LOVE his expression - except his eyes are closed!! This is a hand me down blazer so it's a tad big - but I don't think he'll have much opportunity to wear it this winter so we wore it today anyway!

Great expression again. This *might* make the card.

Audrey and Sophie getting E to laugh.

We attempted briefly to take some pictures on the train tracks. We kept hearing the whistle and got nervous so didn't stay very long at all on the tracks.

One of the few pictures I snapped on the tracks - I love the overall composition, but not the expression on E's face. oh well. Of course he's still the cutest little thing in the whole world.....

Keep looking for the final Valentine product!

Retreat

This past weekend, I went on a scrapbook retreat at Crier Creek - I've been there 3 years in a row in the past, but had to miss last year since at that time I had a 4 month old baby at home. This time, it wasn't quite the usual group of girls. My sister in law, friend Stacey and friend Lindsay all came for the first time. Old friends Robin and Rita were there (we've all been there together before) and their two friends. Luckily they placed us all together to crop in the same little craft house, so that was awesome! I love being out at Crier Creek - they have horses, tons of land, a lake, nice bunkhouses with porch swings, the food is great - you don't have to clean up after yourself, cook anything, and you get to work on a favorite hobby with fun girlfriends. It was a weekend of just what I in particular needed.

As usual I bring my camera - I didn't take a ton of pictures, but did want to show a few. I never did get a picture of the crop area - I like to see all the mess, showing all the creativity that is going on! I was able to get Eli's first year scrapbook caught up to his first year birthday party in September. I still have a ton of pictures to go in our family album, so that will be focused on next (although it's not going to be as cute of a scrapbook as Eli's, at least the pictures will be SOMEwhere with the story told).

here we go......

Lindsay giving the horse a smooch....

Lindsay telling me to give the horse a smooch, but I was kinda scared to get too close...

Pretty sunlight on the horses.

Get out your sunglasses to view this picture! I wish he would have stayed still so I could have experimented a little more with the sun and his body, but at least got to snap this interesting pic.

This poor minature pony had his hair cut by some kids the previous weekend - I swear it looks like a Dumb and Dumber haircut, or a pony toupee. Poor thing.

Lindsay, me, and Stacey getting ready to go on a trail ride. Laura F was going to come but last minute wasn't able to get over to the barn.

Sweet Stacey and Sassy Lindsay in the background!

I tried to take pictures while on the horse, but whenever I turned around to try to snap a picture, I guess I pulled on the reins funny and my horse would move funky, so I never could get a decent picture of my friends behind me. Except this one, I love it even though it's all crooked - I like putting it in black and white, used a photoshop action to make the black and white more contrast-y. Lindsay took a ton of pictures, I am scared to think of how many invlove my backside on a horse.

Loved the shadow of the rider and horse. And since I was facing forward, could aim a little better!

All in all, it was a great weekend; I was able to complete 31 pages for Eli's book, and emotionally was able to sort though some feelings and such.

Can't wait to go again!

Pardon the Interruption

This is going to be a rather blunt post. I've been wanting to blog about my feelings on the matter, even started a post last week, but couldn't finish it. I want to blog about other topics, but this one just sits over my head like a cloud, waiting to be told so I can move on. Last week on Monday, I was around 8 weeks pregnant; by Tuesday morning, sadly I was no longer pregnant. I've moved through so many emotions over the past week, making myself nauseated on this emotional rollercoaster. It would probably help me to write out my emotions and thoughts, I think about blogging on it all the time, but it's just too hard. And that's a lot of deep dark personal junk to put on a blog that I usually try to keep fun. So, I've got it out there, and now I can move on in blog world to topics that are more fun to read. I went on a scrapbook retreat this past weekend, it was actually wonderful timing to get away; this particular retreat is out on a campground, so being around nature, laughing with girlfriends, and completing a lot of pages for my sweet baby E's book was really quite therapeutic. Thanks for reading this post, and as always would appreciate any prayers directed our way as our little family works though our emotions and such! I am still just as confident that God is in control, He is still on His throne even when crappy stuff happens.

cold cold day

No matter the weather, we have to get outside for a little bit every day! This week we are having a real live cold snap, it's actually kind of nice to have a little bit of "winter." We walked down by the mailboxes for just a little while this afternoon....I can't believe E wore his hat the whole time!

Grandma came over to stay with E while I had a dr's appt this morning. Love how he is snuggling with her on the couch and having fun with the phone!

Dear Doug

I wrote Doug this email today:

so, someone left his toothbrush on the edge of the counter again, so a little someone managed to get ahold of it while the mamma someone was in the shower....
your toothbrush had the following adventures:
it was used as a hairbrush
and a baby toothbrush
dusted the toy firetruck
balanced precariously on top of the dog's crate (I really wanted it to fall in so I could take a picture but it didn't)

and then placed BACK on your counter (I swear I didn't tell him to do that)

Being the nice wife that I am, I figured I would tell you all of this before you used it again.

and, forgot to get a new at the grocery store just now, sorry!

you might want to get one on the way home.


love,

wifey

Accumulators of Crap

Usually this time of year, I get the urge to purge. My closets, that is. It's like once I start, I have a really hard time stopping! Cleaned out our closet in the bedroom - I'm always amazed at clothing items that somehow survived all the previous clean outs. I was more ruthless with myself this time, getting rid of clothes that had sentimental value (i.e., I could wear when I was MUCH thinner). Tossed shoes, purses, a fanny pack. Yep, a fanny pack. Like I need to wear anything that would somehow draw attention to my fanny. Thing is, when I look at the closet even now, there are still things that could go (ahem, about 50% of Doug's t-shirts probably). I moved down to the hall coat closet, and our laundry room next. Check out the haul from just those areas:

See that cool black wire bird cage looking thingy? I had great plans for it I tell you, great plans. I really thought I could somehow make it into a porch light for our front porch. When I bought it two years ago. Yes, I am an ambitious thinker when it comes to my crafts (remember my Advent Calendar made from baby food jars idea that never came to fruition?) Since it's been sitting in the hall closet all this time, and there is absolutely no place to put it in the house - I gave it up. I still need to attack our spare room closet, not looking forward to that one at all. Because, I have to make some hard decisions. I swear I am not a hoarder, but there are certain items I have a hard time parting with and it's easier to just not deal with it, know what I mean? So slowly over the next couple of months, more cleaning out will occur. It IS a good feeling when it's all said and done!

Dot the "i"

We've been playing with chalk in the driveway lately, and as I sat there today doodling, (because really out of the two of us, at this stage in the game, I'm the only one making anything discernable with the chalk), I had this thought. Wouldn't it be a cool picture if I wrote out Eli's name and had him sit where the dot on the "i" should be?

So I had to try it out.

So there I was, hobbling up the step ladder as fast as I could with my camera shouting "stay there! look at mommy! sit down! stay there!" Someone should have gotten a picture of THAT. I had a vision! Just didn't quite work out. Oh well!

And here's my sweet boy, falling asleep in his high chair (again). Still working on one nap a day, so we eat a sorta early lunch and go down for a nap, but past two days he's been falling asleep while eating...we'll get it all figured out soon (or eventually!)

Cool thing I saw today

Saw this on Facebook - it's the mission statement for this company called Holstee, they make environmentally friendly products. I love sayings, words - love inspirational things, and I find this very inspirational! Maybe I should cross-stitch it. Just kidding. Hope you find some inspiration in this too! Thanks, Holstee!

My boy and Maggie...

I love when E climbs the stairs and just loves on maggie!

Zoo Day

Today was Doug's last day off work for the holidays, so we decided on a family adventure to the zoo. Had gorgeous, perfect weather too. I took a lot of pictures of the animals, and plan on making E a little book about his zoo trip. Just something simple, with simple sentences written out such as, "I saw an elephant" and "look at the big bird" kind of thing. Now that I've written down that I'm going to do this, I'd better do it!!!
Here's some pictures for today!

Rode the train (for the first time in MANY years) - it goes for quite a ways, there are even places you can get on and off! Had no idea we had such a nice little train system. And yes, Doug has coffee in that HUGE mug.

Hitting the drums in the new Africa exhibit.

Cool, huh.

Walking over a neat bridge we found.

Brush the goat....

Give the goat a hug....

Now wash those hands!

Someone is looking a little tired in this picture...it was a full day!