Hi. I'm a mac.

Santa left a huge surprise under the tree for me this year in the form of a new 15 inch MacBook Pro. I was hoping for a MacBook, but had no expectation of receiving the literal "Macdaddy" of them all. I've only had a few minutes to play with my new toy, and already I'm smitten. Rob loaded this bad-boy up today with tons of cool software, and I can't wait to get some photos loaded on here and really start messing around. I guess this answered the question of whether or not I've been a good girl all year long.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

From our family to yours, we hope that you have a safe, healthy, and very merry Christmas.

Dancing Aldermans

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Mothering From the Floor

Our family was hit with the dreaded stomach flu this week, and I've spent the morning mothering from the kitchen floor. You'd be amazed at how well you can care for children while laying on the kitchen floor, as long as milk refills and snacks are limited to 1 per hour, and as long as your 4-yr old cooperates by bringing diapers and wipes for the little ones to you. This has been a particularly nasty strain of the virus, striking Casey first last Friday and then slowly making its way through the rest of us. Thanks to a few doses of Zofran and ginger ale, I've kept down some toast and crackers and feel like I'm on the mend, and praying that everyone else is too.
And it has made me realize that no matter how old you are or how many of your own children you have, when you're sick you still want your Mommy. I would have hated for mine to be here and risk catching the bug with us, however I would have given anything last night for her to sit by my bed, push my hair behind my ear, and bring me chicken soup and a Cherry-Limeaide from Sonic (Why? Dunno, just sounds good. I don't even know where a Sonic is in this God-forsaken city). Oh well, I'm headed back to the floor to do some mothering of my own, to push hair behind some little ears and tell them everything will be alright.

The Perfect Shot

Now that our Christmas cards have gone in the mail, I can share some of the outtakes. I've lamented before how much easier it is to take pictures of other people's kids, and it was especially true this year with 3 kids at these ages. I basically set the camera on the tripod and danced around the room singing "Jingle Bells" in a silly voice while clicking the shutter with my remote control. They cooperated by smiling and laughing, just not all at the same time or while looking at the camera. I feel like I got some great shots, but that I might be perpetually in search for the perfect Christmas card shot because every year I feel like I fall short of getting exactly what I want.

Going to Great Lengths

Over the weekend I bit the bullet and had 9.5 inches of my hair chopped off. I had decided this spring to grow it out long enough that I could make a donation to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program, which makes & donates wigs to patients who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. I just figured if I was going to cut off 6 inches, I might as well grow it out for a few more months and cut off 8 so it could be of use to someone else. I enjoyed having it long, but I was ready for a change. It was hard to take care of and took forever to dry. Tangles were a daily battle, especially if I went for a run and forgot to braid my ponytail. And the worst thing about really long hair and 3 small kids is that there seemed to be a chunk of something - food, spit-up, pirate swords, etc - constantly caught in my hair. So I was over it, but found myself surprisingly nervous as the stylist cut my ponytail off. I like the new 'do, and it has been clear of all foreign matter all weekend, and so I think it's a change for the better. And hopefully my donation will make someone else feel better. And yes, I did make sure the ponytail was chunk-free before mailing it in.

Santa's Missing Elf

Happy Thanksgiving

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas?

Perhaps it's beginning to look a little bit like Christmas. Rob's mom sent the kids this adorable Little People nativity set from Fisher Price, and I've had multiple discussions with the boys about how we really shouldn't be playing with the nativity people and pirates together. About how having Spiderman and Captain Hook capture Mary & Baby Jesus and force them aboard the pirate ship really isn't in the true spirit of Christmas. I've read them the Christmas Story from their picture book Bible several times, but somehow the temptation of having the the First Family walk the plank overwhelms the desire to simply set the nativity up according to the picture on the box and then play nicely with it.

Anyway, Christmas preparations are underway around here, and I'm really excited. Since I had to spend the bulk of the last Christmas season laying on my left side because of pregnancy complications, I think I feel like I need to make up for all the things I wanted to do last year but didn't get to. I have at least a half-dozen gift projects started or in the works and I'm so anxious to get decorations out that I may start on that the day after Thanksgiving (I've seen several houses in the neighborhood with Christmas lights already up, so I'm taking some comfort in not being the only one around here ready to go). And if I can get the local pirates to quit raiding the manger looking for booty, then we'll really be ready for Christmas.

Wash with Joe

As much as I love drinking coffee, I'm debating about whether or not I would love bathing in it. This coffee-infused foaming body wash from http://www.washwithjoe.com/ purports to repair damage from UV rays, reduce cellulite, and absorb odor. Sorta' like taking a shower in Starbucks, which is strangely appealing to me.

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has an "Incredible" Halloween!

Fall Babies

As I mentioned in the previous post, I've had the opportunity lately to photograph some really beautiful children, and I couldn't help sharing this one of gorgeous Kinsey. That red hair, blue eyes, and lovely skin - she's going to be a heartbreaker for sure! And if you think she's cute, you should see her older brother and sister.

All of the families I have had the pleasure of working with this month have been fantastic, and each session has been completely unique & reflective of the personalities of each family. That makes me feel like I'm on the right track with my work, and I want to say thanks to everyone who has hired me for giving me the chance to do what I love!

3 Kids

I've been pretty busy lately taking photos of other people's kids, and I realized that I hadn't taken any of my own 3 in a while. Yesterday we attempted a little photo shoot in the backyard, and I even put the camera on the tripod and took some of all 5 of us. Those weren't quite as successful as the ones above but I'm still working on them. I had hoped for a great Christmas card shot, but I may just have to settle for some cute fall pics of my little pumpkins.

Early Learning

Just wondering if I should be proud or embarrassed that my 2-yr old son exclaims, "Mommy Coppee!!" whenever we drive by a Starbucks. Just wondering.

Political Games

I am fighting the urge to download the free patterns from Lion Brand and crochet these little candidate finger puppets. Because then I could hold my own debate, and there would be no mention of hatchets, scalpels, or plumbers.

Bye, Bye Binky

Staying true to his dental professional roots, Rob has been persistent in reminding me that now that Connor is 2, it is time to say goodbye to The Binky.So for months I've been trying to determine the best way to separate boy from binky. I imagined us all sitting in a circle like an episode of "Intervention", with someone starting by saying, "Connor, your family is here because they love you, and they think you might have a problem with the binky...". I researched the "Binky Fairy" story on the web, which is basically the Tooth Fairy for pacifiers, and bought a new toy car and had an elaborate "binky gathering" ceremony all planned. But on Saturday night Rob suggested as we were putting Connor down that we just put him to bed without it and see what happened. I hadn't considered going cold turkey with the binky, and I had doubts about the success of that strategy, but I went with it anyway. And with the exception of a few plaintive, "Where da' binky go?" questions, he did great. There have been some tough moments since then, like last night when he cried for 10 minutes at bedtime, saying over and over, "Wanna' my biiiiiiinkyyyyyy!!!". It was one of those moments as a parent you dread, because you know you're doing the right think for your kid in the long run, but in the short term all you know is he's crying and all it would take to stop him is to pop that little plastic peacemaker in his mouth. And he's been dragging his favorite stuffed dog & giraffe with him everywhere, which makes me wonder is he's afraid if he lets them out of his sight we'll take those away too. I know that he'll forget about Binky by next week, and that we're doing the right thing by taking it away now, but I have to admit it makes me a little sad to give up the binky. Its just more evidence that he is getting bigger everyday, a little closer to being a boy and a little further away from being a baby.
So, fairwell to Binky, we hardly knew ya'.

Christmas Boots

I recently became obsessed with the crocheted boots made by Ugg, to the point that I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the internet researching how I could make my own pair (why spend $150 on boots when you could crochet your own for a third of that?!). I guess making your own boots isn't that common of a hobby, because it was pretty difficult to find any information on shoe making or boot making, however I did find a company who sells the heavy rubber Ugg-type soles that you can stitch your handmade boots into. And crazy as it sounds, I was thinking of ordering a pair...until these landed in my inbox via Nine West. These look way more cozy than their Ugg counterparts, and at this price I don't feel guilty for adding them to my Christmas wish list.

Welcome, Fall

The high here today was 60, so whether I am ready or not, the weather is changing. I love the fall, but I hate saying goodbye to summer. Goodbye, flip-flops and tank tops. Welcome, fall.

3 Birthday Wishes

Sometimes, when you close your eyes and blow out the candles, you get exactly what you wished for.

Tutorial: Baby Jeans

One of my favorite things to do when I should be doing something else (i.e. cleaning, etc) is to surf around on the Internet looking at tutorials on other blogs for instructions and inspiration for crafty things. I very rarely attempt any of the tutorials I see - I mainly just read them for the entertainment value, I guess in the same way you watch "This Old House" with no intention of ever restoring a beautiful old Victorian in Boston.

Anyway, I got a little crafty myself this week and thought I would try my hand at writing a tutorial. The weather here is supposed to get cool next week, and I realized that Riley doesn't own a pair of jeans. The ones I've found in stores are either too big or too expensive, and my rule is to never spend more on baby clothes than I would spend on my own, and I think $40 is a little high for baby jeans! I realized that I had an old pair that didn't fit anymore, and with nothing to lose I decided to try and make her a pair out of my old jeans. They were really easy to make and turned out pretty cute, so I thought I'd share the how-to in case anyone else wanted to give it a shot.

A quick disclaimer: I am by no means a master tailor, and I'm sure if I were a contestant on "Project Runway" Nina Garcia would give me a hard time about the jeans not being perfectly executed, but the upside of sewing for someone who doesn't walk upright is that the fit doesn't have to be perfect!

Step 1: Trace one leg of a pair of your baby's pants on a piece of tissue paper to make a pattern. Add about a 1/4 in for a seam allowance in the leg and crotch and about 1.25 in on the waist to make the drawstring waist:

Step 2: Lay your pattern on the leg of a pair of jeans with the outside edge even with the outside seam of the jeans and the bottom even with the bottom hem. Cut out 1 pattern piece from each leg :

Step 3: Pin the 2 pieces right sides together and stitch the front & back crotch seams.

Step 4: Match the front & back crotch seams and pin together. Pin the legs together and stitch the leg seam:Step 5: Press open the crotch & leg seams. Fold the waist down 1/4 in, and then over again 1 in. Stitch around waist close to folded edge.

Step 6: Turn the jeans right side out. Using a seam ripper, open up the middle seam on the front of the jeans in the casing you just sewed:

Step 7: Insert a ribbon or cord into the waistband and pull it through. A tip I learned from my grandfather - attach a safety pin to the end of the ribbon to use as an anchor in guiding the ribbon through the waistband.

Step 8: Put the jeans on a very cute and happy model!

P.S. You could sew in an elastic waist instead, but I like the versatility of the drawstring for fit & to change with her outfits.