fun, Fun and more FUN!!!

Last week I had the privilege of spending time with my friend Elise (you've seen her photography work with my family in the past). She's in the process of expanding her business with her photo shoots by offering "in studio" shoots, something that she's never done before. All of her work up until this point has been outdoors with natural lighting. She (and hubby) have made a tough but beneficial decision of turning their master bedroom into her portrait studio, moving their own bedroom into one of the smaller rooms in the house.

So, she invited Abigail and I to come over and test out the studio. Mind you it isn't finished yet - painting is down, carpet is torn out and new flooring is in the near future. Nonetheless, she was able to take some amazing photos of Abigail - here is just a peek ~ A Blast with Bubbles

As I've posted previously, I have decided to let my hair do naturally what it would like to do...which is turn grey! Has been for quite some time now and I've gone back and forth in the coloring process. Nonetheless, grey hairs, as many of you know, are stubborn little buggers. Minds of their own they have and they don't take very kindly to one 'messing around' with their agenda. So...the other day after blow drying my hair, this little 'bad girl' wreaked her lovely will and lets just say I literally told Brian I was having a "Dr. Seuss" kind of day...just call me a 'who' right?!?

Ruthie-Loo-Whoo...at your service

So...I realize I do not post often enough about my dear sweet boys! AND...for the record...the OFFICIAL record...I LOVE my daughter! BUT...she is SO very different than my boys ~ and frankly I will honestly admit I'm not sure that I was (or even still am) completely prepared for it too. With that said, this face warms my heart more than words can say! Noah is consistently my'hug when I need it (and even when I don't think I do)' son!
I love you Noah!!!

When she wasn't looking I grabbed my camera to capture this moment. Only part about having a daughter who is a 'glamour girl'? She knows the tone the camera makes when I turn it on. She literally sat with her head in her hand eating her breakfast cereal this particular morning.

"Little Miss Muffet" with curls!!! Can I say what an adorably cute little princess she is with curlies (as she calls it) in her hair. I need to also preface that she 'hates' to have curlies in her hair, so capturing this on film is truly a monumental moment.

Mommy and ME!!!

Measuring up, and the survey says...

{Sorry T, I just couldn't resist this incredibly funny picture of you that I snapped when you were goofing off!}

Well Princess Abigail...what do you think?

Have you got Tanner beat???

Ok, how about Noah, are you measuring up to him yet??

Well, if Princess Abigail isn't the one, then who is it?

The evidence is clear, the youngest male in the house has officially passed up his 'older' brother. It's one thing when the boys began passing me up, but when they begin to pass up their siblings...well that's almost cause for WAR!

So, all fun and games Tanner decided that if Noah was going to be taller then he must certainly be able to give him a piggy back - oh yeah, why don't you also pick up the baby sister too! 

"I am just filled with GLEE!"

"Okay, this is my serious face."

Seriously though, whenever I take the camera out, Babycakes wants to pose...and in all kinds of poses too. Most of them require laying on the floor and if you are upside down, then even better!

These two just look pixy together! I will have to admit, my kids definitely 'inherited' the photogenic gene as they sure look good on the other side of the camera! 

All right all ready, so I'm a little bias :0)

Sharing the Love! I managed to snap this one of all smiles (well technically Noah is getting smooshed, but oh well) just after Babycakes had a crying meltdown ~ probably cause I wouldn't take her photo the way she wanted.

Once again...not disappointed with this one! I absolutely LOVE the expression of pure joy on Babycakes face {okay you too T, for the record}.

1,825 days...it's worth mentioning

One thousand eight hundred twenty-five days!!!

No seriously...1,825 days ~ it's totally worth mentioning.
For those 'math savvy' individuals you've already figured out that 1, 825 days is equivalent of 5 years. Now what's so special about 5 years, you ask?? {Long gone are the days of living life with days/weeks/months through the excruciating long wait}

Today, marks the anniversary of my very first blog post and dude...that's A LOT of words!
Nothing really pretty...just an adoption timeline blog post { you can find it here: Life with Abigail, March 2006 }.

SHE ...

{Princess Abigail}

was the inspiration for blogging. A chance to record the lessons we were learning along the way; a chance to journal thoughts, feelings, frustrations. IF it were not for our journey to adopt Abigail I truly do not believe I would have ever started a blog in the first place. So, I guess I need to give credit where it is due...

"Princess Abigail, thank you so much, for not only blessing our family with the sheer joy of you, but thank you for giving me reason to document the 'who' we are as a family!"

And what's a post without pictures, right? So here's a little taste of what we (the fam) looked like back then. Boy oh boy have the boys changed.

{l-r back, the mommy, the daddy, Mr. Jim

l-r front, Dalton, Tanner}

{l-r back, Mr. Jim, the daddy, the mommy

l-r front, Dalton, Noah}

{l-r back, Tanner, Noah

l-r front, the daddy holding Miss L, the mommy}

{l-r back, the mommy, the daddy, Noah

l-r front, Dalton, Tanner}

Thinking back over the past 5 years, oh my word, so much has happened! We lived through 20 changes in season ~ a few snow storms, a few scorching hot summers, even a wind storm knocking out our power for a week. We've lived through puppies, vacations, school, holidays, driver's ed, sports just to name a few. We adopted and changed our family forever. And...for the record, menopause bites! I mean seriously...sitting down at your computer desk with so much to say only to realize you have no idea what you were going to say = walking into a room forgetting why you were there- 100-fold!

But that's a story for another day.

Here's to the past 5 years on record...and to the next ___ years to come.

Spring oh Spring, where are you!

Seriously...it feels like I spend more time posting 'catch-up' posts than original pieces. Sheesh...whatever is my problem! I suppose I will have to get my head in the game and get on it!

So...yeah...the sad reality is as I sit here on March 1st trying to recall the events of the past couple of weeks I come up _______(blank)!

Over the weekend we had to say good-bye to a very 'NOT' so special automobile as we were given the bad news that hubby's car is dead, not as in battery died, but as is bury it...its dead. Engine gone, Kah-put, finished, to worky no more. UGH!!! I hate car problems. So, we have now down graded to a family of 2 cars (with 3 drivers - Dalton has

his own car PTL), sorry T. We now get to juggle schedules and figure out who's got the car when, where, etc you get the picture. 2003 Saturn Vue, RIP!!!

Ahh, yes the cheesy 'mom's never in front of the camera' look! Sportin' a new do (6 inches gone) and my new glasses.

Okay, I admit, not the best shot of Dalton (with his tongue hangin' out) but I rarely get to capture their current look. This one happens to be before his 30 hour famine Junior High event where if the kids raised a certain amount of money, he would shave his head to a mohawk!

Did they make it?

You bet they did...somewhere over $4000 for WorldVision~You go kids!

The girl LOVES her popcorn!

'Jamaica-mon!' Princess sat long enough for me to braid her hair. It's so stinkin' fine and thin which makes it difficult to do anything with it.

Not only does she LOVE her popcorn, but her CHOCOLATE TOO~

Finally...Princess Abigail is in her very own big girl bed! Tanner, Noah and I took an afternoon up at G-pa's shop and slapped some wood together and 'badabing...look she's got a toddler bed'. I figure I was not going to spend any money buying a bed that she'd soon be out of and into a twin. Plus, I love to be creative!

"YUM, Chocolate Moose Tracks Ice Cream for dessert"

Girl after my own heart...licking the bottom to get every last drop!

So...here's to March and hopefully a delightful spring on the horizon! This crazy snow and cold weather is literally for the birds!