Five on Friday

1.  I don’t know how many times I hugged and kissed my boys yesterday, but I think I set some sort of record.  (See yesterday’s post) I couldn’t get enough of their warm skin, silly comments, and contagious laughter…

2.  … until 8:30pm when Cooper came out of his room for the third time with some made up goofy excuse for why he had to come talk to us.  Then, I was ready for his day to be done. The first time – to go potty, again.  The second time – to put his water cup outside his door so he didn’t drink too much.  The third time -  to put his cardboard paper airplane outside the door because he decided he didn’t want it in is room, on his floor anymore, making a mess.  Hmm.  He’s been doing this more and more and it totally reminds me of my brother, Bart.  When we were kids, we had rooms across the hall from each other and EVERYNIGHT, about 10 minutes after saying prayers and goodnight to my mom, he’d have to get up, walk down the hall and call upstairs “Goodnight, Daddy… Goodnight, Mommy…” “Goodnight, Barty” they’d say.  EVERYNIGHT. 

3. In case I didn’t mention it, Matt did end up having a successful bow hunt this year for deer.  He actually got one on Thanksgiving, about 45 minutes before we were to have dinner.  It was awfully convenient timing and right after my in-laws left from dinner Matt went out and found it exactly where he’d expected to.  :)  To make the kill even sweeter, he shot the buck with a longbow that he made.  How’s that for self-sufficiency? 

4.  I feel like I’m cheating on this blog… I’m in the process of creating a new one.  A brand spankin’ new blog… but more to come on that later. 

5.  Do you watch The Sing Off??? I should have posted about it weeks ago because the finale is this coming Monday.  This show (in my opinion) is the BEST reality talent show on TV.  I say that lightly, though, because other than So You Think You Can Dance is the only other one I watch.  But seriously, The Sing Off is amazing.  And it helps that Matt enjoys watching it, too. 

6.  I can’t leave without a photo of my almost-one-year-old.    YUM!  Don’t you just wanna kiss that cheek???

Have a joyous weekend! 

Five on Friday

1.  You HAVE to check this out.  I came across this video on Erin Cobb’s blog and I was in tears.  LOVE it.  If you’re at work, you may want to turn the volume down at first.  THEN, the Spirit may move you to invite others to gather around your desk, and turn up the volume.  LOUD. 

 

2.  I’m excited that I figured out how to post videos on here!  I’d better figure out how to take video on my camera before Kaden starts walking, so I can share THAT video on here. 

3.  This may be the third time I’ve been pictured on this blog… see me?  In the ornaments?  These would be WAY better if I was starting with a non-scratched ornament, but those are in short supply (meaning we have none) in our house. 

(This photo was ALL Gage’s idea.  He’s coming around to be quite the poser!)

4.  THANK YOU, Kristin, for pointing out the typo I made in my Dipped Gingerbread cookie recipe from the other day.  It is one and a half cups of vegetable oil… not 1/12.  That would have been interesting, though.  The typo has been fixed and I hope you’ll try out that recipe. 

5.  You may be noticing more watermarks appearing on my photos.  Its not necessarily because I deem that particular photo amazing and worry that someone will copy/steal it. But the sad truth is, that people aren’t always looking for a technically great photo to steal… they are looking for a photo of a little kid showing some skin.  Well, in case you haven’t noticed, my kids prefer their undies to any other clothing.  I could decide to not share those images, but let’s be honest… you’d never see photos of my kids, OR I’d have some serious battles getting them clothed each day.

So, if skin is showing, its getting watermarked. 

Because unless you’re given permission to take a photo from a blog/site, it is illegal.  You’ll notice that if you right-click an image on my site, it reminds of this copyright. 

And it is ALWAYS illegal to post those pictures as your own or to alter them in anyway.  Believe it or not, some people do this, and it sicks me out.  Just, FYI. 

6.  I can’t leave it on that note… so, here’s my sweet-boy Tado. 

  Have a delightful weekend! 

Five on Friday

1.  I am shocked that I am awake right now to be posting this.  Kaden is almost a year old and he’s decided to start waking up during the night again.  But, then again, Cooper is almost 4 and he’s deciding to do the same.  12:30 – Kaden.  1:30 – Cooper.  4:15 – Kaden. 5:15 – Matt leaving for work.  6:15 – Kaden.  Now its 6:30am and I’m blogging.  How’s that for dedication??  :)  And the boys will be up in a half hour to start our day.  Oiy. 

2. I am so happy to have my camera back.  The report that came back with it said they had to replace the circuit board, which was malfunctioning causing the camera to freeze up and prevent the Auto Focus system from working properly.  I have to say I’m relieved that there WAS a problem with it so I know it wasn’t just my inadequacies… but now I have NO excuse but to totally rock this camera.  Eek.

3. Did I tell you that I picked my logo?  Or, logos?  Annie Bananie, of Bananie Designs did a wonderful job (in my totally unbiased opinion).  She was so patient with me and very encouraging with ideas.  At first I wanted just brown, blue and green, but the ‘melon’ color really added life to the design, which is what I want my photography to be about.  Life.  real life.       

Now, I need to put myself out there as a photographer.  Yikes. 

4.  Does a bare baby bum ever get old"??  

I don’t think so.  Sweet. 

5.  More photos of Kaden, taken while practicing with my Speedlite.  He’s doing this thing with his bottom lip now.  Not too long ago he ALWAYS had his tongue sticking out. Now, he’s sucking his lip in.  I love documenting these little phases they go through – they seems so trivial and unimportant in the big scheme of things, but its part of Kaden’s story, so I want to remember it.  Sigh.  

 

 

6… I can never stick to just 5! 

7.  Cooper is so emotional lately.  Everything makes him cry.  Wearing a pull-up.  Christmas.  The raccoon on the side of the road.  Gage pushing his chair in.  Wow.  I hope this is just a side-effect of being sick for so long and not an indication that I do in fact have a pre-teen girl on my hands, rather than a 3 year-old-tough-guy.  Ug. 

8.  I was able to run errands with JUST Kaden yesterday and actually meet up with Matt for lunch!  My dear mother-in-law welcomed G&C over to her house so my outing would be much easier.  And because she loves them.  But wow,  what a difference minus 2 makes!  Kaden and I zipped all over the place and I left COSTCO smiling!  Crazy.

9.  And now, it is 7 o’clock and soon I’ll hear bickering enter my cozy, quiet little corner of the house.  Let the day begin. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Five on Friday

1.  First, I want to thank everyone for your comments on my blog posts.  I receive an email each time a comment is made, but unless a specific question is asked I’ve barely ever popped in to acknowledge your acknowledgment.  I’m not sure what proper blog etiquette is regarding comments, but I actually feel rude for having yet to even say ‘thanks’.  So, thank you.  I usually type my posts as if I’m journaling in my scrapbooks – not directed at anyone in particular.  So, when I get comments {let alone comments from people around the country!} I get pretty stoked.  Oh, but this isn’t to say you HAVE to comment!  I follow lots {lots!} of blogs and RARELY comment.  But, I just wanted to say thank you to those who have, and yes, I read and appreciate, every one of them. 

2.  Speaking of comments… my sister-in-law, Marilee asked about that green chair you may have seen HERE.  It isn’t a chair from my childhood, but rather one I purchased from my friend, Kathleen.  You can check out her blog, Faded Charm Cottage, and one of her adorable daughters HERE and HERE.  When I need a prop, I’ve been trying to use items I have around the house {blankets, baskets, chairs, etc.} and SO much of my home decor has come from Kathleen.  The majority of my dining room, I’d say.  But I’m already feeling the itch to collect more props, specifically for photography.  More specifically, NEWBORN stuff!  More baskets, blankets, hats, bowls, and the like.  I think I need to get a job to fund my photography. I can justify a few new baskets to hold things around the house, and blankets to keep us warm, but I don’t think Matt will go for me strategically placing knit beanies and headbands around our house for decoration.  

3.  Gage is still sick.  You can check out how this week began for us HERE. Not to be a downer on your Friday, but he’s still doing breathing treatments and although I thought he was doing better yesterday he had a fever of 100.2 in the afternoon.  His nurse Pam {‘Ham’, if you’re Cooper} told me that yesterday should have been a turn-around day and the antibiotics should have been working.  Since my fear is that they are NOT, I’m taking him back in this morning for his pediatrician’s evaluation.  Poor little guy is scrawny as all get-out.  I made him eat pizza last night for dinner (he managed only one piece) and a cookie during the day – hoping some of the calories would stick.  He’s scheming about designing and building a wooden airplane with Matt this weekend, so maybe he’s starting to feel better.  I’ll post an update tomorrow in case you’re curious.  And thank you for your continued prayers for him.

4.  It goes without saying that it is hard to have a sick child.  It is terrible to see that child ill… but what is also very difficult is caring for the other children who aren’t sick.  By God’s grace, Cooper is holding strong {yet, much to his disappointment… he desperately wants to try the nebulizer}.  He’s coughing and has a snotty nose, but compared to Gage, he’s golden.  However, since I am preoccupied {literally and emotionally} by Gage’s condition, it is apparent that little Cooper is struggling for attention. In addition, Kaden is not feeling well + teething + experiencing separation anxiety, so I’m caring for Gage while carrying Kaden and Cooper just sits around watching or picking fights or doing things on his own.  OR, climbing up the banister, hoping I’ll see him.  {really, he did that yesterday}.  I recognized this earlier in the week and have been trying to compensate as much as possible.  But I think this is why he wants to be sick, too… just to get more attention.  :(

5.  On a brighter note, I watched a buck pursuing a few does in our backyard the other day!  Not to be insensitive to the situation discussed above, but this was pretty exciting!  Especially considering Matt’s hunting season opens back up TOMORROW.  I immediately called Matt to tell him and he says this: “I’ve been in those woods 30 years and I’ve never seen that! You’re looking out your scrapbook room window and see it in broad daylight! And you don’t even have your camera!**”  I struggled to decipher humor vs. true annoyance in his voice.  I didn’t have to remind him that he missed out on seeing the cougar, bear, and numerous herds of elk, too.  FORTUNATELY, the buck was in hot pursuit, and once Matt got home he and the ladies made 2 more passes by our back yard.  This could {praying!} be an exciting weekend…

6. {A bonus!} *** You may have noticed the above comment of “you don’t even have your camera”… I sent it to Irvine, California on Monday for servicing.  The focus system is struggling and it keeps freezing up during shoots which is SO frustrating when the pose is finally perfect… the kids hold it for 1/1000 of a second… and the camera DOESN’T WORK! There have been countless moments this week when I’ve gone to reach for it, and miss it.  But its a good break and I seriously hope it comes back fixed. 

7. {Another bonus!}  I may have mentioned that I’m in the process of having my logo done for a possible photography business.  If anyone cares to check out the designs I’ve narrowed it down to, you can go HERE.  I’m 90% sure those are the colors I’m going with, but we’ll see!

Have a great weekend… 

Five on Friday

1.  Guess who’s here??

My mom surprised us by coming down yesterday!  You should have seen the look on Cooper’s face when she popped out from around the corner!  Priceless! 

2.  Kaden is thinking  the stairs are the place to be lately.  He heads toward them, and as soon as he knows we’re on to him, he crawls faster and starts laughing. 

3.  I received proofs of a logo designs for my future photography business.  I have a ways to go until I am where I want to be with photography, but I have learned that “branding” myself is an important early step to take.  I am working with Annie of Annie Bananie Design and she is so sweet to put up with all my questions, concerns and visions.  And she’s patient, which is exactly what I need. 

4.  Do your kids like to spend time in laundry baskets?  Mine do.

5.  Last Sunday we were woken at 4:30am by Bosley (our golden retriever) barking.  I was thankful for the wake-up call and got up to work in my scrapbook room.  His persistent barking didn’t, therefore bother me (and I couldn’t really hear it over my lovely little space-heater) but after several attempts to shush him through the window Matt headed outside to rectify the situation at 6:30.  Oh, I just realized I was about to put this on the internet… and I’m not sure I should.  Sometimes I forget that I’m not just writing to myself.  OOh… and I just realized I made it sound like Matt was “taking care” of Bosley. No, but he did make a country-boy decision about how to make the barking stop.  And then left the evidence of that decision right by where I was holding a shoot the next day. Nice. 

Confused??  Haha.  Me too. It was actually a pretty funny story but I suppose I’m still getting a feel for what’s okay to post and what’s not.  :) 

6. (An bonus!)  Gager’s slowly getting well.  He’s mostly bummed this means we won’t be going to church on Sunday.  Bless his little heart.  He’s still got quite a cough and every time I tell him to go get a cough drop Cooper’s eyes light up, he lets out his best attempt at an impromptu cough, and then looks right at me.  So far, I’ve caved and let him have cough-drops, too.  Is that bad??

Have a great weekend!      

Five on Friday

1.  My mood is much better today than it was last Friday… Matt is back from his hunting trip and because of that I feel like I can breath again.  His presence in my day just gives me such a sense of stability and by the end of his week of being gone, I was feeling a little unstable.  :)

2.  Speaking of the elk hunting, a few asked if anyone was successful this year.  Sounds like the trip was fun for all of them and they had a great time as usual, but Jon was the only one to kill one.  Generously, he shared the meet and we’ve dined twice now on this 6x6 bull.  And made 21-pounds of perfectly lean burger from him, too. 

I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing this photo on here… but that big guy is too cool not to show off.  The elk is pretty cool, too.  HA!  Nice job, Jon! 

3.  I thought of a few more words to add to this post:  “puckleberries” for huckleberries, “con-tatch” for “attach”, “chopper-chopper” for helicopter.  Ug.  I know there is more but as soon as I start typing, they escape me!  I need to make myself a note to start writing these things down.  :) 

4.  Speaking of helicopters, Christmas tree harvesting season has begun… every year around the beginning of November we start hearing helicopters during the day.  And we see them hovering and dipping down to the tree fields to pick up bunches of cut trees, to quickly move them to the baling and loading area of the field.  And boy oh boy, do I get a rush of excitement when I see these choppers in action – not only is it pretty neat to watch, but it means my FAVORITE time of year is just around the corner.

5.  But no winter-time weather for us yet.  I jumped the gun last Friday when I commented on the rain (thankfully).  This past week has been BEAUTIFUL.  So nice, in fact, that they boys decided it was warm enough to play in the water and make mud in their sandbox.  Cooper started off fully clothed and then claimed he got too hot and stripped down to his scoots (a word we use for underwear)…

… which led to an 11am bath time in Mom and Dad’s tub, which they LOVE.   

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Five on Friday

1. With the rain setting in, I can already tell it is going to be a LONGGG time until summer.  That thought took me back to this post. 

2.  Looking back at that post, it floors me how quickly these little guys can change!

3.  It also makes me happy to see that there is some improvement in my photography.  Even though lately it seems as if I am hitting a wall and want to throw my camera against that wall, as well. 

4.  Most parts of everyday life have become more challenging with 3 kids, but with a few things have stayed nicely the same.  Like bath-time.  Now that Kaden can join G&C in the tub, bath-time is a perfect time-filler and perfect entertainment for ALL of us! 

5.  The above photo is not an example of my improvement in photography.  HA.  I took it with my speedlite, which now in looking at the photo, I don’t think it even fired.  Oh well.  It is one of those images that I suppose I like despite its imperfection (I seem to be saying that a lot lately, which isn’t probably the best thing considering I am going to try to make a go at doing this professionally.)

This isn’t the most chipper post… I’m sorry.  :(  All will be on the UP and UP Monday!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Five on Friday

1.  Did you look at catalogs when you were little, in preparation for Christmas or your birthday?  I don’t think I did.  But thanks to these boys’ Mimi, they do.  :)  It is only the beginning of October and Gage already knows exactly which Playmobile set he wants.  And the benefit of doing this so early is that we have 2 months to prepare him for the fact that he will not receive every. single. set in the catalog.  2.  Some dogs bring their owners the newspaper.  Others bring their slippers.  Mine?  Brings me a deer skull.  Nice.  Bet that’s not something you see everyday.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a fresh one. 

3.  Kaden now has 4 teeth and is still sleeping all night long.  Halleluiah. 

4.  This sweet boy learned how to make his own instant oatmeal the other morning.  He can also get Kaden out of his crib and provide him with Cheerios… I wonder if I now have permission to sleep in and have them fend for themselves? No.  I know.  I’m kidding… kind of.  

5.  Those scratches on his fore-head?  In a word:  Cooper.  Gosh, Déjà Vu.  Did I already explain those scratches in another post?  Anyway, amidst their struggles to sometimes get along, the other night we had a moment that made me tear up and hug them a little tighter.  We were reading a bed-time story when Cooper quickly got up from my lap to go do something else (he’s easily distracted).  So, Gage seized the opportunity and slid himself onto my lap for a snuggle, which resulted in Cooper throwing a fit.  Thoughtfully, Gage slid back onto the floor and encouraged Cooper to sit back down with me because he’d “rather Cooper be happy than himself”.  And we proceeded to read the rest of the story with Cooper’s arm draped around Gage’s shoulders.  Oh, how I live for those moments!

Happy Friday! 

Five on Friday

1.  I got my hair cut this week and um, hello, short.  It is to my chin and I’m trying to get a grip on it.  But that’s hard when I can’t even put it in a pony-tail… 

2.  Kaden turned 9-months-old last Friday and had his check-up a few days go… he now weighs 19 pounds 11 ounces, has 3 teeth and is everywhere.  He’s in the 40th percentile for both weight and height, which is SMALL for my babies!  But if we’re comparing him to his brothers, he is beyond where they were at this point in several developmental categories. 

3.  I did a photo-shoot last night for the little girl Gage says he’s going to marry… Miss Em.  She’s turning 6 today and we wish her a VERY happy birthday… here’s a sneak peek at one of the images…

4.  After I did Miss Em’s photos, we raced down to her grandparents’ house and took some photos of her entire family… let’s just say, I learned A LOT.  And am praying I got some images they will like! I came home with such an adrenalin rush from the evening that my eyes felt like they could shut forever, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing.  I guess that means I enjoyed myself…  

5.  My boy Cooper hit his head REALLY hard the other night while playing in his room and we had our first head-gushing blood situation.  I was on the phone, at the time, planning the above photo-shoot when I heard it happen. Then I heard Matt saying, “Gage, tell your mom to get off the phone.”  Not good.  Matt stayed so calm, that Cooper never even knew he was bleeding.  Bag of frozen veggies applied, hair washed in the sink “salon style” and Coop was good to go.  I asked him lots of questions, watched his pupils and prayed over him, a lot.  I knew he was fine when I asked how old he is and he told me ‘Five’.  He always tells me his ‘Five’.    

… it is by the Lord’s hand that we have not had to go to the ER yet with one of these boys…

Happy Friday!

Five on Friday…

I think I’m going to start doing this regularly… each Friday sharing five random things that have been on my mind, but that haven’t made it into their own individual blog post.  Or maybe they have and I have something new to add… or maybe its a little thought that will later be expanded on in a later post.  Plus, probably some pictures that I like, but haven’t shared yet…

I have no problem admitting that I got this idea from Erin Cobb’s blog, but hers is Ten on Tuesday.  I’m just not sure I can come up with 10 random things, so I’ll start modestly at five…

1) I posted yesterday about Kaden getting stuck places in our ever-growing-more-cluttered-by-the-day-house, but sometimes, he CHOSES to get stuck.  Like here…  … he didn’t want to be IN the excersaucer, but immediately when I let him out, he climbed under it and was content for awhile, but soon regretted the tight quarters.

2.  Did you watch Modern Family on Wednesday night?  So. Funny. and it is one of the 2 weeknight shows we are committed to watching.  I’m a little anxious for the show, now, though, since they won Best Comedy at the Emmy’s.  The Office (our other favorite) went down hill after they did (and after their writers quit) because they may feel the pressure now to keep up the funnies.  If the first episode of this new season is any indication, though, I think they are going to be just fine. 

3.  Below you see a few examples of how I had to exercise my new attempt at HOW to get a picture of my boys actually looking at me and smiling nicely… funny-face picture, first…

… then supposedly a nice-smiling picture… but Cooper looks like he smelled something really bad. 

4.  Did you know that even though potatoes (like apples) can be stored in a cool, dark place for a long time, ONE BAD POTATO CAN QUICKLY RUIN THE WHOLE BATCH.  I learned this the hard way, and inquired in the Safeway produce department about it.  Sure enough, because they are so sugary, if one of the potatoes in the bag has a slight ‘problem’ it will ooz and mold and soon the rest will follow suit.  And to quote both the produce guy and my unsuspecting-husband, “IT SMELLS LIKE DEATH.”  So check your ‘tatoes before you store them… 

5.  Speaking of ‘tatoes… this little tater-tot is still giving me heck in the sleep department.  He doesn’t know it yet, but the countdown has begun till we make him ‘Cry It Out’.  When we get back from our next trip to Seattle, its game on.  By then he’ll be 9 months old and will have had his check-up and if he’s healthy and I get his pediatricians go ahead (for the 3rd time) I WiLL go with this method.  Last night I was up with him every other hour until I finally brought him into bed with me at 4:30am.  And then proceeded to wake up with him, still, every hour or so when he’d wake with a startled cry.  Finally, at 7am, I woke up to him sucking on my face, as happy as could be.

Have a GREAT weekend!