moore.love.than.ever

a Jackson quote:

2010-04-24T22:57:00.002-05:00

this is one of the funniest things i have ever heard one of my kids say. Jackson was in the bath by himself and I walked in to check on him. He was lying down on his back, ears under the water. I said something like, "hey buddy, how ya' doing?" He replies, "I'm a diver Mommy". "A diver?, I asked. he says, "yes, just like Jesus dived on the cross". I almost died! He kept asking me what was so funny. "Why you laugh, Mommy?" These kids crack me up. :)

iheartfaces "dramatic black & white"

2010-03-28T23:07:00.002-05:00

Perfect timing on this one. I just took this last week of my beautiful 3 1/2 year old, Isabel. She IS drama and I loved my B&W version so here ya' have it. Head on over to iheartfaces and check out all the amazing entries this week.

Just us

2010-03-27T17:58:00.006-05:00

Last week the kids and I had a day just to ourselves. We hit one of our fav places...the Zoo! We know it so well now that I just let them run. I have recently stopped bringing the dbl wide stroller on our outings. I feel a new sort of freedom without it. I do miss the fact that it did assist in carrying ALL our stuff, bags, juices but now it all goes in my backpack. I have had to really decide what's important. It's a milestone for me. I'm not ready to sell it just yet but soon. Very soon. This 1st pic of Iz is my new favorite. I knew it would be the moment I clicked it. She was being unusually cooperative in front of the camera that day. Jackson not so much but I'm not expecting miracles here. :) I even started high fiving her after a really good shot. It was a really, really great day. I love my kids. How did I exist before these two came into my life???

A beautiful, rainy day.

2010-03-16T20:12:00.012-05:00

We were not going to let a little rain get in our way. We had all been trying for months to get together for a big playdate and something was always getting in our way. All us Mom's had been watching the weather updates and knew our little party could get rained out completely but I stayed optimistic. Scattered showers was the forecast so we decided to take our chances, meet at the Zoo and I'm so glad we did. We did get rained on a little but it was well worth it. We all had a blast.
Our fabulous friends are Daphne & Ben, Diane & Ellie and Ashley & Kennedy.
We had to ride the train first or Jackson and Ben would've driven us nuts. ;)
Next we saw the Sea Lion show which was very cute.
The kids had so much fun playing with each other. Jackson & Iz are the "big kids" of our group, about a year older than the other cutie pies. I get a crazy amount of joy hanging out with these folks. :)
The Zoo closes at 5:00 so around 4:00 we had just finished riding the Train again when it started to rain harder than it had all day. No sign of a break in the clouds so it was time to call it a day. We took cover waiting for a break in the rain so we could make it to the car and during this time the boys did what boys do and started playing in the rain and stomping in the puddles. It didn't take long before Iz and Ellie joined in. They were having so much fun and we were leaving so us Mom's sat back and watched and laughed. So, so cute these kids are!!! Ben, I believe, is going to go on to a career as a supermodel. :)
Enjoy the pics and you can just see how much fun they had!

Meet Ben, the Supermodel. :)

Ellie
Ben & Kennedy

my Iz

just checking out the sea lions

BART the sea lion

a motley crew

i love this shot of Ellie

Seriously, how cute is this kid?!?!?!?!?

TROUBLE :)

He loves his Mommy

I love the look on Kennedy's face.

These kids just take my breath away.

Ben got rain in his ear. :)

Can't you just see the JOY?

Ben & Ellie

He fell asleep in our bed watching tv and that NEVER happens.

Chinese NY, Ellie, & the Zoo

2010-02-24T17:40:00.012-06:00

Last Saturday we went to our cities Chinese New Year Festival and met up with our friends Diane & Ellie. We arrived really early as I wanted to see the Chinese Dragon dance through the park across the street from the indoor festival. I knew there would be few firecrackers going off but I had no idea it would last through the entire dance. My kids had their hands over their ears the entire time and were soon scared of the loud Chinese Dragon. Oh well........I tried.
Because we arrived so early we missed most of the good acts (singing, dancing). The kids became bored so we ended up running through the park across the street. When that got old we loaded up the kids and headed for the Zoo. It was such a beautiful day I didn't want to waste it at home taking a nap. I did later regret this when my 2 did a tag-team tantrum act at the Zoo. It got pretty ugly. I think Isabel screamed for the entire 10 minutes it took me to drag her out. When she stopped to take a breath Jackson would take over. They never act like this, or just not to this extreme. But overall we had a really great time. Tantrum and all. :)

You just can't help but loving them to pieces.

I know I'm his Mommy but have you ever seen a more beautiful little boy? :)

Beautiful Ellie

2/10/10

2010-02-10T11:08:00.002-06:00

Well, so much for me being a better blogger. I wish I could say that I tried but that's not quite true. I am becoming overwhelmed with all that I need to do in order to get my children's photography business up and running. Blog, web-site, logo, i need to trash the Photoshop Elements and get the big kid Photoshop CS4, business cards, copywrite, web hosting, the list is INSANE! I had hoped to have this up and runing by Spring but I don't know that it's going to work out like that. :(
But it WILL work out. I will get it together because I want it so very badly. Now if someone could just throw about 4k my way that would be fabulous! :)

Now for the kids:
They are happy and healthy. Knock on wood, we haven't really had any illness this year other than a virus. I'm pretty lucky with the health of my kids.
They are growing in height and weight. Even Miss Iz has packed on a pound or 2. She is up to 27lbs and Jackson is weighing in at 32lbs. Height I believe is 36" for Iz and 37" for Jackson. She will be able to ride the little kid rides at the Amusement Park this year! Woo hoo!
Jackson has been in what I hope to be a very short-lived phase the last few days. He has been acting pretty nasty. I am a pro dealing with Iz and her tantrums and back talk but I am new at having to deal with my once sweet little boy. He is so sensitive and soft-spoken and has hardly ever had to be placed in time out. Until now. PLease, please let this go away as quickly as it arrived. We were late to school this AM because they were both in time out and J. was screaming at the top of his lungs in protest. His protest lasted a LONG time. Fingers crossed we will have a good day after school. It's crazy cold outside so no park or pictures but I cannot stay home. All J wants to do is drive down to the train tracks and wait on trains to go by. Not much fun for me and Iz so I'll have to see if they can agree on an after school adventure.
I hope everyone has a great week!

Zoo Friday

2010-01-24T16:40:00.006-06:00

Friday afternoon was a bonus day for me and the kids. Kevin's parents are in Las Vegas and obviously couldn't watch the kids so Kevin dropped them off at my work on his way in to work (total tag-team parenting in our house). It was about 2:30 so already an hour or so past nap time so I asked them how they wanted to spend the afternoon. I already knew what they were going to say before I asked - The Zoo. The $100 per year for our family membership is the best $100 we spend all year long. We do still have to buy tickets for the train and carousel but still a great investment. Love it! We had a great time, the kids were very, very good which meant I was a happy Mom. :)

Jack's Pirate Party

2010-01-10T20:12:00.010-06:00

Last Saturday we were invited to a super fun birthday party for an adorable little guy also named Jackson (they call him Jack). He goes to school with my 2 adorable little people so they were very excited. Jackson (mine) wasn't at all interested in wearing any of the pirate garb but Isabel was a different story. My girl was accessorized! She loved it. Isabel was my shy child that day while Jackson just ran inside like he had been to their house before. He was playing Hungry, hungry hippos within minutes (I guess I need to get that game). Jack's Dad had lots of games lined up for the kids to play and Isabel even WON the pin the tail on the donkey game! I'm so proud. :)

Jack the Birthday boy
My "little ray of sunshine"

Is she not the cutest little pirate ever??

I think she's flirting with my baby. :)

My handsome little guy

Happy Birthday Jack!

I think Clotilde liked the cake. :)

Playdate!

2010-01-07T21:46:00.004-06:00

Oh, how we love a playdate! It has been crazy cold in the South so we've been locked up in the house way too much. So last week we had the pleasure of meeting some friends at the Science Museum. There was a train exhibit on the 3rd floor so Jackson was a happy little boy. :)
I especially love to hang around with other Mom's who have adopted internationally. We have all experienced something that words cannot explain. It really does create a bond. And I want the kids to grow up surrounded with other adoptees. Very important to me.
We met Daphne & Ben and Ashley & Kennedy. Both kiddos are a year younger than my 2 so I wanted them to be the "big kids" and help the littles. In the end it was really more of a "every kid for themself" but we all had a really great time.
I was also looking forward to getting some great shots of Kennedy and Ben and all the kids together but let's just say easier said than done. Ben is FAST! Seriously fast. I am so greatful my kids were never that fast. I would have lost one of them by now for sure! ;)

My 2 on our way out the door to meet our friends

Now this look is priceless. :)

Miss Kennedy

Ok, check out Ben the Supermodel. My kid is picking his nose and Ben is totally posing. Love it!

Daphne with the boys

Iz is signing us up to win some Imax tickets.

Daphne carrying BOTH boys. I had to laugh.

Ashley and her beautiful Kennedy

Our friends will be sad to know what they missed out on BUT after they all left we went back inside, bought tickets and the kids rode the train alone. Without me! It was a serious milestone. I had bought a ticket for myself just in case but they did it. My babies are growing up.

Yea, Jackson has become really sensitive to loud noises. I don't get these phases at all. He puts his hands over his ears all the time. Crazy.

So silly.

2010-01-05T22:26:00.002-06:00

I heard the kids laughing and singing so I grabbed my little video camera and hoped they would continue with whatever it was they were doing. They actually ignored me and continued on with whatever crazy song they were making up. I think it's adorable but then I am a little bias. :)

They were both in really good moods and getting along with each other. A priceless moment for me. My little cuties.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T22:04:00.004-06:00

Happy 2010 to everyone! I had a nice, quiet (well, as quiet as it can be with 2 3yr olds running around the house) evening at home. Kevin worked so it was just us. They were really good, played together nicely so I was able to remove all ornaments from the dying tree. I have never had all my decorations up this long after Christmas but between work and the kids.... just too tired. The resolution on top of my list right now is to CLEAN the house. Not just dust and clean the windows but I want to clean out every drawer and closet and cabinet in this place. Get rid of everything! We are going to clean out our unused downstairs area and create a play area for the kids. They are too big and their toys are too numerous to all be upstairs. I am planning on taking my vacation from work around the same time we have carpet laid downstairs. I want to organize everything. The 2 1/2 years we have spent with our kids has been amazing but I have not really been able to do much around the house in that time so I have decided that the time is now. I am crazy excited! My 1st project (after packing away all the decorations) is to tacke our closet. It is no longer a "walk in". It's a mess. A big one.
My next big thing for 2010 is to get my photography business off the ground. I have done a good bit of practice sessions and everyone was really happy with the results. I know I have LOTS to learn but I've got to start somewhere. It is my passion. I must follow that.
The kids are happy and healthy. Jackson has grown an inch in the last 6 mo and Iz has grown a half inch. Last weigh in she was 27lbs and Jackson hit 31. They are growing up! Jackson is my eater. He will try most anything while Iz just covers her mouth with her hand. SHe does, however want to smell everything. Crazy girl. It's her "thing".
Isabel talks all the time while my Jackson is more the strong, silent type. :)
He is the sweetest, kindest, gentlest little boy while Iz is more like a bully in the body of a beautiful, petite little girl. She just can't seem to help herself sometimes. We're working on her though. I told her that Mommy will always win. :)
They have discovered the alphabet and spend all day asking me what letter everything starts with. They can identify most letters (if in the mood or mindset to do so). Writing is a bit of a ways off. Iz is showing interest but Jackson had rather just draw a train track. :)
Potty training is 90-95% complete. Thank goodness!

This will have to do for now as I am exhausted! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas (morning)

2009-12-27T08:59:00.008-06:00

Christmas morning was just perfect! Jackson woke up first (which is totally the opposite of how our mornings usually play out) and we had him just hang out with us in our bed while we waited on "little Missy" to get up. He kept asking if Santa had come. So sweet. Anyway, Iz finally woke up and we went into the Living Room to check it out. They were so excited! Santa does not wrap gifts at our house so everything was already laid out. Most everything was already assembled and put together (we were up until after 1 trying to get the marble race game put together. I do not reccommend this task to anyone.) Jackson got mostly Geotrax trains. We ahve so much Thomas the Train that I decided to go a different route. I think he's pleased! Iz got mostly toys involving Toy Story. She has been in this phase for a long time now. She got new Buzz Lightyear and Woody figures, a big RC Racer, a bucket of toy soldiers and a space alien. Mom got her the microphone and got both kids Smart Cycles (video games they have to pedal to play). I think we are going to take Jacksons back to the store and exchange. He is in a phase right now I will call the "Scared of everything" phase. He got on the cycle and one of the features is that it vibrates. Well, the first feeling of a vibration and he was off that thing and NOT going to get back on. Isabel likes hers (she pedals fine but this steering thing isn't going so well right now. Baby steps.
Anyway, Kevin's parents always spend Christmas morning and day with us, lunch and a little bubbly. We were all spoiled with gifts. I got a Flip video camera which I hope to break out of the box soon and a huge external harddrive and backup system. Mom gave me a new camera bag which i love! We had a wonderful Christmas and I am so thankful for my wonderful family. I have the best 2 kids in the world. I am so blessed.

He has the sweetest little face

What more could a little boy ask?

She loves an audience

Bucket of soldiers....they are Isabel's. :)

Nana giving Iz a kiss

Jackson in "Jackson's World"

My sweet boy

Iz and her new Woody

popcorn for breakfast... only on Christmas. :)

she is giving Jackson her green beans for Christmas. :)

yep, her vampire teeth are her favorite!

Merry Christmas (Eve)

2009-12-26T13:50:00.013-06:00

Bad, bad blogger. Yes, that's me. I have neglected the blog I once took such pride in. Well, I'm back. My NY Resolution is to get it together and start to keep track of all the wonderful things my kids do. My memory seems to be fading and I want to remember all of my crazy life! :)
One of my favorite nights of the year is Christmas Eve at Mom's house. Everyone is there together, Mom always surprises us with a new "costume". The kids were so excited about Christmas this year. We had FUN! Here are the pics from the evening and I've got alot of catching up to do so I'll be back soon.

Todd pulled the winning stocking this year! $$

Funny Faces

2009-12-26T10:06:00.002-06:00

This too funny clip was taken at the Tucker's Christmas Eve-Eve Party. Isabel & AJ were making funny faces for A.J.'s Dad. Makes me laugh! Thanks Ben & Laura for sharing!!

(I promise to get back on the blogging band wagon. I just fell off for a while. :)

AJ and her friend Isabelle making funny faces from Ben Gallitz on Vimeo.

i heart faces sunflare

2009-11-23T20:04:00.002-06:00

This week at i heart faces is all about the sun. I love this shot of newly engaged JJ & Price! Check out all the amazing entries over at i heart faces.

I ♥ Faces - Autumn Beauty

2009-11-16T07:29:00.004-06:00

The theme this week over at I heart Faces is Autumn Beauty. These beautiful yellow leaves of the Gingko tree were breathtaking! (Jackson thought they were pretty cool too.) Check out all the amazing photos at i heart faces!

Hallowen '09

2009-11-08T08:17:00.012-06:00

A roller coaster @ GanGan's house

2009-11-01T20:58:00.005-06:00

Big day today! My Mom finally got the "Extreme Roller Coaster" for the kids. BIG THUMBS UP! You must love anything that makes the kids so happy. I took a buch of little clips but tired of waiting on the uploads so here's 3 for starters....

MIA

2009-10-28T22:41:00.002-05:00

Yes, no blogging in a long time. Sorry. Right now I have Walking Pneumonia if that's any excuse. The kids are doing pretty good, a runny nose here and there and some coughing. No flu though. Either of them. I have a TON of pics to get caught up on but I did get them up on Facebook. I'm just crazy behind in bloggerville. I mean to do better. Soon.

Trains can be very loud.

2009-10-18T08:21:00.011-05:00

Last week while doing a little photo shoot on some old train tracks we heard train whistles in the distance. So, as any good Mommy would have done, we jumped back in the car and drove toward the trains so we could watch. We saw one from the car (which is the way to go) and then we saw one just sitting. The lights were on and Jackson wouldn't let me drive away because he just knew it was going to move (we were actually on our way to the Zoo so I was ready to go). There is a little train platform and some picnic benches so I parked, unloaded the kids and we waited for the train. All was well in the world. For a minute. We watched men getting off and on the trains and they waved at us. Very nice. For a minute. More lights were coming on, the train was going to move. Jackson was so excited he was jumping up and down. So cute. Isabel was getting a little nervous and clingy. Smart girl. The train is moving closer and closer. The engineer waves through his little window as he gets right next to us. The next thing I know he starts to blow the whistle and the horn. It was so freakin' loud my heart jumped. Isabel literally climbed up my body like she was a squirrel and I was a tree. She was crying and freaking out. Then I look at Jackson and he is crying and every time the horn blows he jumps out of his skin. It was awful! I have never seen my kids like this! Sheer terror! I am now carrying them both and RUNNING back to the car. I got them loaded and now we were stuck. We couldn't get back to the main road until the damn train got out of our way. And it was, of course, the longest train in the world. We sat there for 30 minutes waiting. The kids finally calmed down but talked for days about how the "Black Train" scared them and made them cry. I was seriously worried that Jackson's love of trains would be lost but that was silly, huh? :)
(We did eventually make it to the Zoo, btw. Pics on next post)

Very, very loud train!

Her best try yet!

2009-10-10T22:17:00.002-05:00

I believe this is Isabel's 4th ballet class and she finally danced! She participated, followed the teachers lead and I think I saw a couple of "almost" smiles. It was awesome to see her finally loosen up a little. I want her to really enjoy this! Of course I didn't have my camera to document this amazing event so I had to rely on the iPhone. I got a nice, fuzzy image so I played with it a little and I actually like the end result. Oh, happy day!
Today should have also been Jackson's first swim lesson but his teacher called in sick so we'll get back to that next Saturday. I did get to show him where he would be taking lessons and tried to prepare him for what was to come so it wasn't a total loss. I had originally thought that I would be swimming with him but soon learned that was not how things worked. So I was just going to settle for taking a photo-documentary of his swim lessons BUT I learned today that not only was I not swimming with him but I was not even allowed in the pool area! What?! No parents allowed. There is a "Pool Observation Deck" where I will be held. This is so not how I had envisioned this but I'll play by the rules. But no pictures? I don't know about that..... ;)

One Day - Two State Parks

2009-10-01T20:40:00.012-05:00

As I have mentioned before, the weather in the South has really sucked lately. Rain and more rain. And when the rain finally stops and the temperatures cool off and the humidity drops, and you have 2 - 3 year olds, well, you just gotta get outside. So Wednesday I decided to forego my morning of no work and no kids and keep the little angels out of school and head to a nearby State Park. They have a huge barn, petting zoo and pony rides and I have just not ever taken the kids so the time was right. We get there and I mention something to the gate attendant about the pony rides and she informs me that "the barn is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the winter." In the winter. What?! It's October! It just now got below 90 degrees. What? Oh, I was so mad. I didn't have a Plan B. Crap.

It's ok, I breathe and ask the nice lady at the gate what else she recommends for 3 year olds. She suggests the Wildlife Rescue building. I think it only cost like $4 to get in so I decided to give it a try. I was here, right? So I park the car and while we were getting out we heard (and felt) this huge boom. It ended up being a transformer and this thing shook the ground. Isabel was scared to death. Now she didn't want to get out of the car. But out we get and now I really have to pee. So I hurry the kids and walk inside. The first thing we run into is a freakin' real (well, it was alive at one point) black bear. This place was starting to look like a taxidermy museum. There were stuffed birds and squirrels hanging on the walls and again, Isabel is freaked out by all the dead animals. Jackson has a worried look on his face by this time and I still really need to find the restroom. We go through a couple of rooms of dead critters and I find the bathroom. But as I am walking in a lady informs me that the transformer that blew knocked out the power to the part of the building with the restrooms. There are no windows so it's like a dungeon in there. So now I'm about to wet my pants and the kids are crying because they don't want to stand inside a pitch black bathroom. I ask the nice volunteer lady to watch the kids so I can go in and they don't like this idea either. Volunteer lady has an idea and disappears and comes back with a really big rock. She uses the rock to prop the door open allowing enough light to come in so everyone is happy. I am happy to report I did not wet my pants. :)

After this I'm ready to just leave and look for another spot. In the car we go and I start to drive looking for the Beach area. But while I'm driving I glance down and see that not only is my Fuel light on but the dashboard is informing me that I have ZERO miles of gas remaining in my car. My husband can attest that this is a fear of mine. I like to fill up my car at the first sign of low fuel. I got so busy on my "mission of fun" that I didn't get gas. So now I have to turn around and drive out of the park and to the closest gas station. Now I'm freaking out a little bit. Running out of gas in the middle of a State Park with 2 kids in the car is not my idea of a good time. But I must say that Kevin was right (I can do that because he doesn't read my blog). He said I overreacted about the gas meter on the car. There really is still gas in your car when your car tells you there is not. Good to know.

Now I had to decide where to go next. We had not had any fun yet and it was almost 1:00. I knew there was another State Park about 20 more miles away that I have great memories of time with my Grandparents. I called Rhett (my bro) to get directions. Off we go.

We pull into our next State Park and the first thing I see is the Deer Crossing sign you saw at the top. I laughed out loud. Love that reindeer!

Park # 2 was a success. We walked to an old furnace used during the Civil War. I thought the kids would think it was cool. They did not but they did love a pile of dirt they discovered underneath. It turned out to be a great day. I bribed them with candy to take some pictures and everyone was happy. That's all I want. Happy. :)

Good-bye rain. Please stay away.

2009-09-29T22:42:00.009-05:00

I can't believe it but the rain has ceased. I was seriously beginning to wonder if we needed to get started on the Ark. This was Sunday. We got up and dressed and went to church with Mom and then I loaded up the kids and the camera of course, and went to Botanical. If I were a nicer Mommy I probably would have taken them to the Zoo BUT, in my defense, the Zoo would have been packed on a beautiful day and it was one of me and two of them. I do not like to be outnumbered in a crowd. Don't want to lose a kid. :)
They really did have a good time. They got to feed the turtles and the huge koi in the Japanese Garden. I bribed them with Starburst to tolerate the camera so it was a "win-win" situation for us all. Tomorrow is supposed to another GORGEOUS day so I think I'll opt them out of school and go somewhere diferent. A state park I think. Hoping to get to hang out with Diane & Ellie but we'll see. Fingers crossed.

my sweet babies

adore this shot of Jackson

dimple. :)

i love this pouty little face!

Happy Birthday Ben!

2009-09-26T22:36:00.011-05:00

Today Jackson & I had the pleasure of celebrating our friend Ben's 2nd Birthday! We had a blast. It was at "Pump it Up" (one of those "inflatable, jumpy places"). Gotta love those big slides! We met Ben & his mom Daphne at one of our local adoption agency picnics over the summer. A few weeks before the picnic though I had actually met Daphne's best friend Buffy in my photography classes. Small, small world we live in.
I love, love going to birthday parties. There are so many adorable kiddos I can chase with my camera who don't know me well enough to run the other way. :)
We also ran into little Miss Hannah (China), met Miss Kennedy (Vietnam), and our Birthday boy was born in Ethiopia. What beautiful children we all have! Now I want to plan a playdate with everyone. I was really excited to meet Kennedy and her mom, Ashley. I get very happy when I find another Vietnam kiddo and Mommy to play with! :)
Isabel had ballet class today so she was with my Mom and Ella. Missed you Iz! Needless to say, I have no new ballet pics to share. Next week for that.
I want to thank Daphne for inviting us to the Birthday Bash! You threw an awesome party.

Ben & his Mommy (I love this one)

Hannah

My little man

Kennedy

A man and his phone (well, his Mommy's phone)

I think this is a beautiful shot of Kennedy

edit, edit, edit.....

2009-09-23T23:16:00.005-05:00

I ♥ Faces - Week 37 - Completely Candid!

2009-09-22T19:27:00.004-05:00

The theme this week over at i heart faces is "Completely Candid". I immediately thought of this one. It's not the best pic I've ever taken of the kids but it is one of my favorite. Two completely happy kids! Head on over to i heart faces to check out all the entries.

THREE beautiful kiddos!

2009-09-22T17:55:00.013-05:00

So sorry for my leave of absence but this past week-end I experienced my first kidney stone and I was a little under the weather. Well, a lot under the weather! Anyway, maybe I'll get to that story later but this post is all about the kids. Last Wednesday we had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with our friends Diane & her daughter Ellie. Diane & I experience the joy of adoption around the same time and I can't tell you how special it is when we can get together and let our kids play. There aren't too many people in the world I'd rather hang out with. There is a TON of pics of the girls and a few of Jackson. He was only interested in riding the train and eating his bag o cheetos. Oh well....... here goes:

I love this one of Isabel

Here's Miss Ellie!

This totally cracks me up. Monkey see, monkey do!

Wave to the train, Ellie!

Another fav of Iz

This old truck is part of the Vulture Exhibit

Ballet video clip

2009-09-16T22:05:00.007-05:00

I shot a bunch of little video clips through the 2 way mirrors at the dance school on Saturday and I just picked a couple for you. Nothing exciting happened just my adorable little girl trying to figure out what the hell is going on. So, so cute. My sweet Iz. I hope she has more fun next Saturday. Makes me so very happy. :)

Ok, the 2nd upload was taking forever so I've only got 1 clip for you. Probably for the best. :)

The Little Ballerinas

2009-09-16T08:03:00.010-05:00

Saturday was Isabel's first ballet class and I must say that she was the cutest ballerina in the room! :)
Iz's class is from 11-12 and Ella's is from 12-1 so they can watch each other. Fun, fun, fun!!!
She didn't cry but she was very reserved for her. She is not a shy child but she was literally thrown into a mirrored room with 10 other tutu clad 3 year olds, a piano player and a dance teacher she had never met. There are 2 way mirrors so the parents can watch without the kids seeing you and I laughed so hard. It was just so sweet. She let out a couple of good yawns and didn't seem interested in any actual dancing but she was happy with herself. When she came out she said, "I did pretty good for my first time Mommy, didn't I?" We all clapped and "Bravo"'d her sweet self. None of these pics are of her actually dancing but a couple are from the house before we left and then from in and around the dance school. I did get some video through the glass but haven't uploaded to Youtube yet. I'm anxious to see how next week goes!

oh, i love them so!

2009-09-09T21:55:00.012-05:00

The kids and I had a great Wednesday after all. We had plans to hang out at the Zoo with our friends Diane & her daughter Ellie but Diane was still recovering from sinus surgery so we are shooting for next Wednesday. Diane & I met while we were both in the early stages of the adoption process and we have remained good friends. Ellie is a true doll and I hope to share some pics of her sweet self next week. For now you're going to have to settle on my kids once again. It rained all over the map Wed. but Mother Nature smiled upon me and we just missed the showers all day. I picked the kids up from school at 1:00 and we went to get Jackson a hair cut. I am getting a little frustrated with his hair. Well, not so much his hair as the people that can't seem to share my vision of what I want his hair to look like. Anyway, I never let anyone cut too much off because it's just too darn pretty to cut short. But I am actually considering the idea of a different look I just don't know what that is just yet. I am open for suggestions if anyone has any.

After the cut we headed out for some pictures. I literally have withdrawals if I go too long without torturing them into one of my photo shoots. Practice, practice, practice! They actually had a great time and I rewarded them with a trip to Dippin' Dots Ice Cream. Yum! I really love these pics because of how happy they were that day. There's nothing like happy kids to make a happy Mommy.

Check out my beautiful, happy kiddos-

Baby Nicholas & his big sis' Ella

2009-09-08T20:50:00.005-05:00

For once I have a post NOT dedicated to my adorable kids but to my brother's absolutely beautiful children. Baby Nicholas is 4 months old now and Ella turned 4 this summer.
Can you stand how cute this baby is???????

more Sunday morning edit play

2009-09-06T10:13:00.002-05:00

Edit play

2009-09-06T09:31:00.004-05:00

It's a gray Sunday morning and the kids are watching Wow wow Wubzy and I am playing around with Photoshop Elements. This is so crazy hard! The Intermediate Photoshop class starts next Monday night and I am really looking forward to it. I tried to take some pics of the kids in the tub but the lighting was bad and it was just a really soft picture but I kind of liked the image anyway so this is what I have come up with over the last couple of hours. Yes, I have given this way too much time this morning but I am determined! And do I know what all I have done? No. I've been playing with this for so long I don't think I could do it again. Oh well, practice, practice, practice.

Before

and after....

Skipping nap to go to the Zoo!

2009-09-05T07:49:00.014-05:00

I'm getting pretty brave (or stupid). We've been skipping naps lately to go play. Jackson is getting pretty close to ditching his nap and Iz seems to do remarkably well with a little catnap in the car. I can spend up to 2 hours trying to get Jackson to settle down and take a nap in the afternoon and let's just say that it can really wipe out a good mood. So I have been opting to wear them out in the afternoons and hope for a good night!
Wednesday we took our friend Candace to see our Zoo. Candace & her hubby (who is my awesome boss) are new to our city (they are from Chattanooga, TN) and she hasn't gotten a chance to check out all the sites. They are also newlyweds and hoping to have a baby in the near future. Fingers crossed!!!
I think she had a great time checking out the animals with my little animals! :)

Train ride!

My monkey watching the monkeys at the Zoo

Don't look too closely......bad editing job. :)

Riding the Carousel

Hello Mr Owl

A little change of scenery

2009-08-30T09:48:00.010-05:00

Saturday is the perfect picture day. But where to go? Nicole (my sis-in-law) suggested we go to the park but I wanted to go somewhere diferent. We always go to the Botanical Garden closest to our house but I knew there was another about 20 min away. Nicole was up for it so we met up with them around 11. It was nice to go somewhere we've never been. This garden had a lake with a walking trail around and it was great exercise too. Especially when I have to push 2 lazy kids in a stroller. I think next time I just won't bring it and they'll have to walk. But I use the stroller to carry my camera bag, the bag with all the kids stuff (juices, change of clothes, snacks etc.) so I don't have a plan for that yet but.....
Anyway, these are my fav's of the day but without the adorable pics of baby Nicholas because his pics are so darn cute they deserve their own post. I'll get to those later today. They are posted on Facebook (unedited) for those FB Friends out there.

Duck Wednesday :)

2009-08-28T18:52:00.015-05:00

Sooooo much fun! Wednesday we were invited by my friend Michelle to meet her pet ducks. I picked the kids up at school and asked if they had rather go home & take a nap of go feed the ducks. They have never fed ducks before but I know it must have sounded like more fun than nap time. Off we went.
I took lots and lots of pictures. I was looking at them and realized my babies were growing up. They are looking so much older. In some you can almost get a glimpse of what they will look like in 10 or so years. I don't remember telling them it was ok to grow up. :) exhale....
She drove us in their little "golf cart thing" to the pond. The ducks heard her calling them and started swimming toward her and then they all filed out of the water to say "Hi". So darn cute. She had brought crackers and a bowl full of fruit. I had never thought about a duck eating fruit but they loved it. The kids were a little timid at first, especially Isabel. Once they decided they weren't scared anymore it was great. They even got to play with a kitten back at the house. What started as a normal Wednesday turned into a really great day. Thanks Michelle!

Look at this pose!

i love this

In the drivers seat. happy.

i can't decide if she looks more like an airplane or a cheerleader.

a little apple juice on a hot day

i LOVE this. look at Jackson's face. priceless.

Iz loves Michelle

My little ballerina(s)

2009-08-26T18:08:00.010-05:00

I have fallen way behind in my blogging. Between the kids, work, photography classes, Facebook, I'm just tired. Happy, but tired. I have also started to take care of myself. I signed up for Jenny Craig (again) and joined the womens work-out place called "Curves". So now I'm squeezing in 5 workouts to my crazy schedule. Whew! I have lost 5lbs in the first 2 weeks and I feel so much better. Lots more energy and I desperately needed that!
The kids are doing great. They are back in school for the fall and adjusted so well to their new teachers. I will admit, I was very worried about how Jackson was going to deal but he's amazing! Their school is offering gymnastics so I'm going to sign them both up for that, I'm hoping to take Jackson to swimming lessons, and Isabel is starting ballet in a couple of weeks.
Potty training is 90% complete. Really the only issue we have left to conquer is Jackson will NOT sit on an adult sized potty to poop. He will stand to pee but not to poop. He uses his little potty like a pro so I'm just going to hope this passes. I still have to keep a little potty in the car in case he has to poop while we are out and about but compared to changing a million diapers, I'll take it! :)
Mom took the girls (Iz & Ella) to their Dance School os Sat. to get their shoes, tights, tutu's, and leotards and when they got home I just HAD to get a few shots in. There's just not anything in the world cuter than a little girl in a tutu so here, have a good dose of cute to get you through the day!

Let me first state that I did NOT force or encourage Jackson to wear a tutu. He saw Isabel and wanted to play too. I mean, just look at his smile. Could you have told him no? I went and pulled one of Iz's play tutu's out of her closet and let him play too.

This helmet was a birthday gift for Jackson that she has totally taken for herself. It makes siren noises and she loves it!

I do think this may be a favorite of mine. How can you see this and not smile? :)

Black & White

2009-08-16T20:38:00.001-05:00

Much better. These are my 2 initial favorites and I like them much better in b&w. :)

Homework: Natural Light

2009-08-16T19:18:00.005-05:00

My homework this week was to take portraits in natural light. So I put the kids in the windows all day (I had to bribe them with gummy bears towards the end of the day) and kept shooting. I was also supposed to shoot a silouette but didn't have any luck with that today. Maybe next time! With some editing I think I might really like a few of these. What do you think?

Frustration at Botanical

2009-08-15T21:46:00.030-05:00

What a Saturday! It started off going great. I got up, made the kids breakfast, got to go work out and then came home to take the kids to Botanical. I haven't been taking too many pics lately and I wanted a good couple of hours of chasing the kids around the Gardens. I'm craving some beautiful shots of my babes! We were getting a late start and it was getting hot outside so I was in a hurry. Got the kids and all their necessities loaded and off to the Garden we went. What do you think I forgot???? My damn camera. How can I take beautiful pics of my kids without my camera? I can't, so we drove back home and then back to the Gardens. (Isabel used all this driving time for a good car nap). Now it's really late and really hot. But I am not giving up.
Isabel was wearing an absolutely adorable little outfit. I saw it on "Lucy in the Sky" and her Mom, Kelly was nice enough to share how I could get my hands on one for Iz. In my opinion, one of the cutest things ever!!! (When I put it on Iz she said she didn't like it. I told her that she would learn to love it! :) If you are interested you can check out all the adorable hand-made clothes from RaeGun's Etsy Shop. I will be back for more!!
Jackson was not in the best of moods, he wanted to just sit in the stroller and relax. At least in the beginning. By the time I let them play in the water garden he was fine. Anyway, the sun and clouds were not cooperating. Most of the shots from the day are underexposed and many, many are blurry. But I tried and we did have a good time sweating our little butts off. So stay tuned for more pics of Isabel's outfit (called the "Retro Ruffle"). I WILL get a perfect shot of her wearing this. Promise. :)

Trying for the "together shot"

2009-08-13T20:38:00.004-05:00

As anyone who has more than one child knows, it is super hard to get a beautiful shot of both and/or all kids. If one looks cute the other isn't looking at all. Hell, it can be hard to get a shot of just one kid. So anyway, I'm always on the lookout for another great shot of the 2 of them. We were leaving Mom's late one afternoon and they looked soooo cute I decided to give it 5 minutes and see what I could get out of them. And this is what my cutie patooties gave me...

I ♥ Faces - Week 29 - Silly Faces!

2009-08-11T19:18:00.004-05:00

This week at I heart faces is all about silly. Isabel has many, many silly faces. This one falls into the "pouty" side of silly, I believe. Gotta love the Puppy Dog blankie! Head on over to I heart faces and see some more awesome silly faces.

Jackson's "Red Robin" Birthday Dinner!

2009-08-09T09:42:00.008-05:00

Mom (GanGan) took all of us out to Red Robin to celebrate Jackson's birthday. We love Red Robin! Best kids menu ever!! Anywhere that has Noggin on all the t.v.'s including the one in the restroom gets a big thumbs up from this family. The very best part of the night was when all the servers headed over to our table clapping and bearing the Cookie Cake GanGan had decorated with a Choo Choo train. They sang their version of Happy Birthday and Jackson grinned from ear to ear clapping along with them. It was a priceless moment I only wish I had captured on video. Happy Birthday my sweet Jackson!

Poor GanGan, sometimes love can hurt! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Party Day!

2009-08-08T08:47:00.023-05:00

We did it. Survived another birthday party.
And it was great! All the kids had a blast. Loved Spiderman. Success. Mission Accomplished.
One day I'll share all the details of the "train fiasco" with you but right now I'm exhausted and I think I'll just focus on how great the party was instead of the nightmare before. :)
I usually post the pictures in the exact order in which they happened and these are with the exception of the first. I love it and want to see it twice. I think it kinda sums up the day and my kids. I adore the looks on their faces. I love them so much.

ps - this is a lot of pictures!

Happy 3rd Birthday Birthday my beautiful babies. I cannot believe you are 3 years old. You must surely be two of the most loved kiddos in the world. You bring joy and life to everyone you meet. You are the greatest gifts.
I love you more than anything and everything. ....mommy

It was so hot & humid!

Meet Anna June....

Meet our friends Ben & Daphne!!!

What a beautiful face.

So cute!

There's that pout I love so much! ;)

She is so cute I find myself wanting to just squeeze her. :)

Cousins Rowan & Simon

Still here

2009-08-08T00:06:00.002-05:00

We're still here. It's been awhile but I'm still here! Our lives got turned upside down with the kids birthday party (I promise to post the pics tomorrow), the train drama surrounding the party, the joyous arrival of Spiderman, the demise of our A/C in our home, the moving in with my parents or 4 days, Jackson getting sick and finally moving back home. *exhale*
See, I have my reasons for disappearing.
See you Saturday! ;)

I ♥ Faces (at the Beach!)

2009-07-28T20:46:00.004-05:00

This week @ i heart faces is all about the beach. This is definitely one of my fav's. I love her pouty attitude! This is so my child! :)

I'm about out of time to enter so no editing, just straight out of the camera will have to do.

Mommy learns a lesson

2009-07-24T20:46:00.003-05:00

I learned a very valuable lesson in Target tonight. The kids and I went out for a quick bite (Kevin is working) and then to Target to buy Isabel some more "big girl underwear" and some Pop-Tarts. Let me say that she has done a great job this week with the potty training. I am so proud of her. She is like a totally different child. She knows when she needs to go (pee & poop) and climbs up on the potty and VOILA! Yea Iz!!!! Well, when we left the restaurant both kids peed in the potty like little champions. I'm such a proud Mom! Next stop was Target. We were on like aisle 4 and Iz said she needed to potty. The potty was on the other side of the store so I told her to "hold on a minute" because I was looking for the stupid Pop-Tarts. You can imagine where this is going, right? Literally 2 minutes later I had the PopTarts in hand and I heard what sounded like a drink was being spilled on the floor only it was not a beverage. She peed in the middle of the aisle. She was sitting inside the cart and Jackson likes to sit up by me in the actual seat. Anyway, she was wearing a short sundress and her little panties so really all that got wet was her panties and the floor. So as far as an accident goes I think I got off really easy. Target wasn't so lucky but I sure was. I did tell her that it was not her fault. She told me she needed to go and I chose not to listen. Bad Mommy. I apologized to my little girl and promised her it wouldn't happen again. :) Lesson learned.

Gan Gan's day at the Beach!

2009-07-22T21:34:00.009-05:00

No, we didn't get to go back to the beach. I must have been distracted by my real life because I never got finished with all the beach pics from last month. If for no one else, these are for my Mom/Gan Gan. It was the day she spent on the beach and in the pool with the kids. Nicole was on baby Nicholas duty so she's the one MIA from these photos. I do love the beach.

This is totally a favorite Jackson shot!! I love that baby's smile.

Gan Gan & Jackson

I took about 20 shots of this little group and this was the best one. My kids will no longer look at me with a camrea in my hands.

They all love each other so much. Very sweet.

Mom & Jackson

More great weather in the South

2009-07-21T19:15:00.012-05:00

Sunday was another gorgeous day so we tried out a new playground. It's actually at the elementary school where Kevin and my SIL Nicole went as kids. We headed out early and met up with Nicole, Ella & "baby Nicholas". It's always a good idea to try and wear the kids out before their nap. :)

(totally different subject: Iz peed & pooped in the potty today!!!! at school and at home. this is HUGE!)

85 degrees in July

2009-07-18T22:18:00.006-05:00

If you don't live in the South, 85 degrees may seem hot. Well, 85* and zero humidity is a dream day compared to 95+ and crazy humidity. Today was that dream day in July and we're having another tomorrow. I wanted to go to the Zoo because that is one of those places I've been avoiding going in this sweltering heat. The kiddos weren't in the best of moods but they behaved very well. They were a little whiney but still had a good time. I had a great day. It was fabulous to push/chase the kids through the zoo for almost 4 hours and not break a sweat. We got there early (like 9:30) and it didn't start to get packed until we were leaving. It was "Harry Potter Day" at the zoo so by the time we were walking to the car all the kids were in their HP cloakes. The kid that was operating the carousel today had a Harry Potter book in his hand the whole time. He would read it during the ride and then just put it under his arm when the ride was over. Load. Unload. Read. He had a system. :)
Don't have many good photos today. Some though. My battery died on me like an hour into the zoo. Let's just say I was a little frustrated. Must get a back-up battery asap.

Waitin' on the train

Lovin' the Waterpark

2009-07-15T21:19:00.003-05:00

Mom and I took the kids to a Waterpark about 40 minutes away. The park has been there for 5-ish years i guess and we'd never been. I just never really heard anyone talking about it so never thought too much of it. Anyway, our cousin Celia had taken her 3 year old and reported that it was fantastic. Had a great area for toddlers! I had no idea!!!! And it really was great. We had one of our best days ever. We left around 10am and didn't get home until after 4:00. The kids loved the "Lazy River", floating around in their little inner tubes. Adorable. The toddler area had 3 different water slides JUST FOR LITTLE KIDS. It was so much fun. We all loved every minute of it.
What did I not have with me? A camera! It really is rare I have no photographic evidence of a huge fun day. I didn't bring my nice camera, of course, but I brought the old point and shoot. I did bring it. It was left in the car. :(
Before we hit the water side of the park we walked around the amusement park to see what the had for the little ones. They had a lot but Isabel wasn't tall enough. She's 3. She wants to ride. The height requirement was 36" and she's about 35". We did get to all ride the "kiddie roller coaster". The attendant just let us on. Cool. Let me tell you, this was a kid coaster but it was rough. I thought the kids were going to hate it or be scared but they liked it. And I was worried about my Mom getting whiplash. :) Fun though!
Well, this whole "Isabel isn't tall enough" was irritating. So tonight I looked up the "American" growth charts to see where my 2 kiddos were on the charts these days. Is Iz that tiny? yes. She is my "petite flower" and I love her! :)

Here's the kids height/weight percentiles at 3 years:

Jackson
30lbs and 36 inches.
20th % for height
40th % for weight

Isabel
25lbs and 35 inches
5th % for height
<5th % for weight

Amusement Park

2009-07-14T18:28:00.010-05:00

While we were at the beach (no, I'm not done with the beach pics yet) we took the kids to a little amusement park. Almost all the rides were "pre-school" sized. Perfect. My kids are not the adventurous type AT ALL so I was prepared for them to ride nothing. But we had Ella. Thank goodness. She got on everything and my 2 just followed. It was really great to see them do things they've never done before. It was like they were just growing up right in front of me. I was so proud. Well, until the go-carts. Isabel was not going to get on the go-cart with me so we sat and watched (and took pictures). Ho hum......i wanted to ride a go-cart......

They were watching that "bungee swing" thing. I don't know the name but I can tell you that I would never do it. Crazy people!

My beautiful baby

The first ride

Carousel

Swings

Twirl-a-whirl thing

And the go-carts!

He had a scared look on his face the whole time but he liked it.