Photshop fun

I had some free time today while Suzy was at school (I say free, I should be working on preparing for Ladies Night tonight..). So, I've been playing with some of my new photoshop finds. I modeled this little card after my cousin's thank you card from her little girl, Caroline, born in June. They say copying is the best form of flattery! What do you think of this as a card?

Generic

Do you think Rob and I make generic children? We think so. Suzy got this doll when Andy was born from my friend, Deb, and I thought it looked just like baby Andy. My friend, Jenny, agreed with me.

Then, this photo reminded me of Suzy's doll, Emmy. I just think it's funny how these dolls resemble our kids. I guess we don't have to spend that hundreds of dollars to have the custom made doll that looks just like your child. Good thing, too. I'd never do that. ;)
Special thanks to Vickie for helping me figure out how to photoshop these photos into one. :) I have a new trick to play with now.....

Here's Lookin' at you, Lane

Oh, the concentration...



Lemme think about it.
My friend, Lane, posted his first smile a few days ago. He's a whole two-three weeks younger than me! So, my Mommy has been coaching me. (Just kidding). But, she was very proud when I finally flashed her one of these cutie pies.
It really wasn't that big of a deal. Besides, if it didn't happen soon, Mommy was just going to post a photo of my big sister smiling instead. Funny how much we look alike, huh? It's that whole generic child thing. I'll post on that later.

Dominos

What can you do with a box of dominoes? All kinds of things apparently. You can give Elmo some teeth.


You can make houses, roads, stairs,.... Even a piano.
My favorite part of this playtime, however, was when she made this "piano" and wondered why it "didn't work". Her thought? "I guess it needs new batteries. We'll have to fix it." Yeah, that will surely work, huh Suz.

Yet another "Katie"

When I was a little girl, I remember wanting a cabbage patch kid sooooo bad! My little neighbor friend's mom would stand out in the evenings and do all kinds of things to get her one and she had, like, four before I got my first and only. I still remember my mom taking me to Service Merchandise with our rain check to pick up good ol' Archibald. He wasn't exactly what I would have picked. But, back then, you got what you got. So, when I was pregnant with Suzy, I bought her this doll without even looking at the name. I just had a vision that my little girl would have blonde hair. The curls were just a bonus. ;) Plus, you know me and blue daisies! So, this was her introduction to her very own little Cabbage patch doll named, you guessed it.. Katie. So, we now have "Katie dog", "Katie friend (AKA Katie havaball)", and "Katie doll".

Yes, I do still have Archie. Isn't he just "sooo 80s?" I truly do never throw anything away. My poor husband...

A very funny video

http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2008/09/10/video-no-frills-air-travel-1970s-style/

I have no idea if this link will work. But, I just laughed and laughed when I saw this on one of my travel blogs that I read for work. If it works, I hope you enjoy it! I know I sure did! But, then again, maybe I travel a little more than your average bear... ;)

Spanish lessens

Rob was home from work last week and so he picked Suzy up from Preschool. They had their little Spanish lessen that day. He asked her what words she knew and didn't get much of a response. So, he asked her, "Did you learn the Spanish word for church?" She beamed with pride as she burst out, "Puppet Show!"

When we go to church on Sundays, Suzy gets very excited at the anticipation of the children's ministry puppet show. It truly is a highlight of her week. When I was pregnant, we counted down the weeks by how many puppet shows were left. Rob thought it was funny enough to share. I just love how she comes up with some of the cutest things.

Love in the Contrasts

He's so sweet, she's so spicy. I love both my little ones so differently. It's amazing how God can just multiply your ability to love babies. I am so crazy about Suzy. When pregnant, I would ponder just how I could love another little baby that much. I found my answer quickly. He is such a doll. He looks just like Suzy, but already they are starkly different personalities. Where she wanted to constantly be part of the action and had demands that needed constant attention, he's super laid back and would really prefer sleep to anything else. Well, except a comfy spot on my chest. Suzy liked it loud and intense, he tends to be very quiet and slow. Hmmmm.. who do these two personalities sound like?.... I wonder.....

Even within their own little personalities there are stark differences. Suzy seems very demanding at times, but she has such a gentle and caring spirit. Andy has a "cranky time" every evening but will promplty pass out like a little clock two hours later. It was at this point tonight that I found myself on my neighbor's porch swing after walking, and walking, and walking Andy during this fussy period. I looked down at the sweet, innocent little face on my chest. He's started doing this funny little thing where he smiles and laughs in his sleep. What in the world could he possibly be dreaming about? Was my uterus a comedy show?

So adorable, so unique. Yet, such a reminder of the sweet times with his sister - they really do look like little twins. Do you think that God made babies cranky at times so that we appreciate so much more the times when they are content? Do you think he feels the same way about us sometimes? Either way, I was contemplating how I appreciate the challenges in my life. It makes me appreciate the calm periods so very much more.

Wound Up

My friend, Diana, once said, "You can tell Suzy's mood by how tight her curls are. Well, when I picked her up from her first day of school, they were pretty tight! Granted, she had spent much time on the playground and it was pretty hot out. But, it still fits. One of her favorite sayings right now, is "Wow. I'm really wound up!" You don't say? ... My other favorite, is "I'm still." What she means to say is, "I'm still ________ (blank could be filled in depending on situation)." But the abbreviated version works just as well if you know what she is doing that she doesn't want to quit. I just love the irony of how often she says, "I'm still." as she is wiggling all over the place. Such energy and fun.

Andy's response to Suzy's running around full of excitement after school. "Whoa..."
A little popcorn snack smile that highlights the tightness of her "wound up" curls. A part of me has to giggle sheepishly that I'm happy someone else was directing that boundless energy that morning. ;) Yes, I think preschool will be a good thing for us. It will give me a little break to re-energize to love and appreciate that "wound up" energy.

Suzy's first day of school

I know, I posted lots of pictures when one would have done fine. Please remember I am now using my blog as my annual scrapbook, so I wanted to tell more of a "story".

So, Suzy's first day of Mother's Day Out at Hope Presbyterian Church started last Thursday. She did great. I sobbed more when I enrolled her than the actual first day of school. I shed a few tears when she drove away but recovered quickly. Turns out, after getting almost my entire downstairs cleaned while her little brother slept was distraction enough and I realized, "Hey, this isn't a bad thing!" I did miss my little "buddy" but I'm sure she will have lots of fun and it will give Andy a better chance at good morning naps and some alone time with his Mommy as well. Plus, it's only twice a week for four hours and she's on the playground for probably an hour and a half of that. She gets Music on Tuesdays and Spanish on Thursdays. They have snack, circle time, chapel, crafts, and centers each day. All things I'm sure Suzy will absolutely love.

But, it does mean my baby is growing up. It's bitter sweet. Last night was very cute. She decided "no more diapers for nap and bedtime". She even demonstrated how to put on and take off footed zip-up pajamas all by herself. Even I struggle with those sometimes. Next, she read ME the bedtime story. So precious, yet I know it's a sign of losing that baby dependence....

Here are the contents of her school backpack. Lunch, milk, and a change of clothes. She was very excited about picking out her lunch box that is actually an HEB pencil box. ;)
Daddy helping her get ready.



I had an adorable little outfit picked out for her but she wanted to wear this cow. Big yellow stain and all. So, I guess I'll just get used to this early. Suzy will not be the best dressed in her class. I can still hold onto the hope that she will be one of the sweetest and "spunkiest". :)


There goes my little girl. My world for the past three years....
Blown kisses and a wave good bye.

Lord, please look after my little one as she ventures into the big world.


Gulp, sob... sigh....

The Birds and the Pees

So, today was fun. Rob and I are done having children and today he had the big procedure to make sure we stay unpregnant. ;) So, Suzy and I are waiting in the office of the urologist and the questions begin. "I want to go with Daddy." "No, sweetie, this doctor is just for boys." So, we wait. In the meantime, the waiting room is covered with materials for Cialis, Viagra, etc. Suzy brings me a flip chart of the male anatomy from a Cialis promotional. Oh, boy... here we go.
"What's that?"
"That? Oh, it's just a yellow thing."
"And that?"
"That's a pink thing. Where is your dalmation book?"
"Mommy, what is that?"
"It's a white thing. Hey, let's go outside for a little stroll."

I think what was even funnier, though, was when she brought over the flomax promotional that had yellow liquid inside a bladder that when spun, showed how flomax could improve your "flow".
"I want to watch the water! Where is the water? There it is! Silly Mommy."

Seriously, what about the dalmation book? "How about some goldfish"... anything! She finally ate some teddy grahams from the bottom of the back pack and announces, "Mommy, why aren't these crunchy?" Maybe because they have been open in the bottom of this bag for well over two weeks.... How much longer can this procedure possibly take! ;)

So, I failed to be frank and talk anatomically. Dr. Cavanagh would not be pleased with me. But, does she really need to know the difference between a prostate, urethra, and testicles at this point? When Rob was all done, we told Suzy that Daddy would have a sore on his bum for a few days and that we need to be extra careful around him and let him rest. Her responce? "I want to see his owie."

I'm still holding to the fact that she will maybe go into medicine someday. Human anatomy absolutely fascinates her and she loves to help people feel better. Plus, with my family history, how could she not be interested?

Here's to you, Dr. Suzy.

Andy Smiles

OK, so maybe it's just a gassy dream... but I still think it is cute. Can I just tell you that I'm LOVING my new applications from my lessen yesterday. :)

Lighting Photo Lessens

A friend of our neighbors, Brian Thomas, does professional photography and he has been giving me lessens when I can squeeze the time in. Rob is so sweet to indulge this habit of mine and even took care of Suzy for the majority of the day so that I could get some shots of my precious little Andy before he gets too big! Here are some six week photos that I really liked. The lessen this time started with how to work with natural lighting and was followed by some techniques in photo shop. Needless to say, I had a blast and I hope you think some of these shots are half as good as I do. :)

I love little baby fingers.

Sweet little swirly.
You just gotta love a sleeping baby. I'm anxious to get some more of these if I can get both kids to nap at the same time this week.
I think my favorite part of this photo is that it highlights the cross that my step-dad made for me. He was a dentist and he made this by hand with gold from his dentistry practice. My mother and his mother each got one as well. It is my most treasured piece of jewelry besides my wedding ring.
This was the only shot that I really wanted staged. Rob loves baseball and so I wanted to capture his hopes of one day playing "ball" with Andy in the back yard. He justs rolls his eyes with my requests for posed shots. I'm so glad he loves me enough to indulge me in my hobbies.


I couldnt' decide if I liked the color or black and white better. I tend to favor black and whites in baby photos. Something about the extra dramatic effect. Yet, this photo really spoke more to me in the color.
And of course, who can resist another little foot shot....