gym floor

The Lutheran High School in San Antonio moved to a new location a little over a year ago and have been in trailer classrooms ever since. But they began to break ground for a new school building at the begining of the school year. They are making lots of progress! This building will hold science labs, music rooms, the gym and locker rooms, cafeteria and lots of other things until they can build even more buildings. They are getting closer and closer to being able to add things inside, so before they have the gym floor laid they invited the students and people from the supporting churches to come and write scripture verses on the floor. These verses will be covered with the flooring but I think it's pretty cool to have their new building built on the foundation of Christ's word.

Greg and I had Jenny come over and play with the kids so we could go write on the floor and then finish the rest of our date night from Friday... we went to The Painted Plate and painted some pottery and we had to finish painting it so that we could get it fired. We'll pick it up this weekend and I'll be sure to share how they turned out!

a new photographer?

Naomi has always been my most photographed subject but she's now getting some behind the lens action as well. I let her take a few shots with my little Kodak camera the other day. It's so funny to watch her try to look through the viewfinder, (she doesn't really get that yet) but the image is on the screen so I was trying to get her to just look there. She did pretty good. I had to help hold the camera a little bit but for the most part she took the pictures herself. Obviously she didn't take the ones that she's in but I still wanted to share them here!

Greg and the pirahna...I mean, Micah!Seriously, when did she get so big?

snuggle time

Some of our favorite moments with the kids are just spent snuggling or laying on the floor and getting climbed on. Most mornings you can find Greg and Naomi snuggling on the couch while she watches cartoons and he gets some much loved snuggle time and more sleep. Micah is not exactly a cuddler but if he's tired enough or in just the right mood he too will snuggle. It's funny to me that one of the ladies in the nursery calls Micah "snuggle bug" because he just doesn't snuggle too much at home. Greg will tell you that Micah takes after me in his "snuggling" or lack there of and Naomi takes after him. Anyway, here are some fun shots of us snuggling with the kiddos!

equality

Naomi is all about equality these days...she wants everything that Micah has and wants to do everything that Micah does (except take two naps). If I carry Micah in a funny way she says, "my turn". If I tickle him while he's lying on the floor she lays down too and says, "my turn". And this goes on countless times throughout our days. So this morning we were talking about how Micah was sick and our conversation went a little like this.

J: Micah has a cold
N: I'm cold too
J: (knowing that she's not really cold, I tried to explain to her what a cold was) he has a runny nose and he's coughing a lot
N: I have a cold too, my eye is running, can you kiss it?

Ahh, the innocence of childhood!

growing up

Well the kids are really growing up...and so are their friends. It's crazy how Naomi can't do something one day and it seems like just the next day she's able to do it. Micah is the same way. I know he'll be walking in a couple of months and while I'm looking forward to it a little bit I am also dreading it! Oh well, it's part of life and I'm excited for the new experiences we're going to have. We had little Joshua over the other day and well, he's not so little anymore. Check out these pictures and then come back and see how much Joshua and Micah have grown. Amy, I'm so glad that Micah has a little buddy and I can't wait to see them grow up together!He looks a lot like his big brother Jake!They have fun playing together and trying new things, like sitting in this diaper box together, so much fun!

fabric swap

I joined my first EVER fabric swap! I've been getting very excited about sewing and need to build my fabric stash. Enter stage left this swap! Yay! We are to find 15 pieces of fabric at least the size of our hand to swap with a partner. I can't wait to see what I receive and to give some goodies away as well. I just hope I have enough fabric in my little stash to make this happen!

laundry room

For those of you who have never been to my house you may think nothing of these photos. But to those of you who have...you may notice a bit of a change. The laundry room (which is right off the kitchen, seperated only by a small pocket door) was our dumping grounds for quite some time...well, since the machines were put in place there by the nice people from Home Depot actually. It wasn't always the same stuff that covered the floor and the top of the dryer but it seemed as if there was always something there. Now, it's clean, and I like it that way and I want to keep it that way. I think that nothing really has a "home" in there it shouldn't be a problem to keep things out of there...we'll see, check back in a month or so and see how I'm doing. Just thought I'd share. I don't mind doing laundry as much any more now that my energy is not drained by looking at piles of stuff!!!

The door on the left goes out to the garage. I finally found a place for the diaper bag. Where does everyone else store their "ready-to-go" diaper bag?

circles

I found a great homeschooling website...in fact, I've found a few that I really like. I was very excited because on these websites are calendars of things to do with your kids and ideas for different projects. That means, I didn't have to do all the work with coming up with a curriculm for N to follow. This was a huge lifesaver and lifted a lot of stress off my back because I've been wanting to be more intentional with her play time lately!

The first thing that we did was glue a bunch of circles onto a piece of cardboard. I think this was the first time that N used a glue bottle. She has used glue sticks before but this was something new. She really loved to squeeze out A LOT of glue and so I had to spread it out over many circles. I had to resist the urge to tell her where to place the circles at some points. But I really just let her be creative and put them wherever she wanted to, and I really like what she came up with. We talked about the colors of the circles and the shape but I don't she really gets those concepts yet. When I asked her what shape it was she said blue. But, that will come. For now, she learned how to glue, I learned how to let her do it all by herself and we both learned how fun it is to do projects together!

Today we took daddy's poker chips and sorted them by color. It took her a minute to understand what she was supposed to do but once she got it she sorted the chips pretty quickly!

miss america

When I was a little girl I always looked forward to the Miss America Pageants. I can't pinpoint exactly what I liked about them, but I think that in some point of almost every little girls life they dream about being Miss America...(am I right?) I was no different. I loved the pageantry, the beautiful dresses, the talents, and what little girl doesn't dream of wearing a HUGE crown!?
The only time I came anywhere close to being in a pageant was when I participated in the Menomonee Falls, Junior Miss program/pageant when I was a (duh) Junior in Highschool. There was no swimsuit competition and the interview questions were handed to us the night before the program but we did have a talent portion, and an exercise/dance portion. I had a great time getting to know some of the girls from my village because I didn't go to high school with them. Plus, just getting to participate in a pageant was really fun!

With every Miss America competition I always root for Miss Wisconsin but she normally doesn't get any air time. I would also root for the woman who was representing whatever state I happened to live in at the time...thus rooting for Miss Missouri, Miss Indiana and now Miss Texas along with Miss Wisconsin (whom we hardly get a glimpse of, why is that?). But tonight I had to root for Miss Indiana as well. You see, Miss Indiana aka Miss America, Katie Stam, is a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seymour, where Greg and I spent his vicarage year. How cool is that? Not only is Miss America a midwest girl, she's from the church where we spent a year doing ministry. Awesome! I never thought I'd know someone who is/was Miss America.

We received an email from Betty about a month ago telling us that Katie was in the Miss America pageant and that we should watch the "countdown to the crown" on TLC during the weeks preceeding the competition...Katie won the first golden sash and was good competition for the other girls (obviously). Anyway, I'm just excited about Katie winning the crown and for what that means for her future. Now I can say that I have something in common with Miss America...and not just the state she's from!

Now, when and if Lost and Found update their "Lutheran" song they can add Miss America 2009, Katie Stam! Congratulations Katie and Immanuel...for a job well done. Here she is...Miss America!

presentation

I feel like the presentation of my final photographs to my clients is almost as important as the photographs themselves. If I were to leave the photographs in the envelopes that they came in from WHCC that might be okay, but if I take the time to wrap things in tissue and put photos in seperate baggies then I am showing the client how important I feel these images are. I care about photographs and I want them to care for them also.

I have been looking online and in stores for the right packaging materials and while I don't think I've found my final packaging I did find something that works for me for now. I got little white gift bags and white tissue paper, I printed a label for the bag and then tied the bag closed with some red ribbon. The last few sessions I had I also had some MOO cards for (see post below) so I was able to attach one of those to the bag as well for an extra punch of personality. This has worked so far because the clients have not ordered to many big prints. I did have to deliver some 8x10s the other day that didn't fit into the white bag but I have a HUGE box full of Rigimailers from a teacher at the Lutheran High School who couldn't use them so I have put the 8x10s in there for now. I guess I'll have to keep looking for my permanent packaging solution but for now this works great!

The wallets that I ordered from WHCC for Meagan and Mikaela turned out great too. I'm so glad to be able to offer these different print options. Pretty soon I'll be ordering my first canvas too...it's for my mom so I guess it doesn't REALLY count, but I can't wait to see how the canvas' look!

multiple blessings

A few of you have asked me about the book "Multiple Blessings" by Jon and Kate Gosselin. I loved it. I have to be honest, I have not read a book from cover to cover in a LONG time! I think I finished the book in about three days...and that's with the kids around all the time. It was an easy read. It's a great story and filled with a great testimony of faith and reliance on Christ. I'm letting a friend borrow it right now and then another one is in line but if you want to borrow it let me know...it's worth the read! It made me feel like it would be okay to have lots more kids...for about two minutes! ha! (only if I knew I could have the help that they did :) )

do you moo?

I'm not sure if I ever shared about the Moo cards that I ordered. I ordered these to use as business cards along with my regular business cards and I also wanted to see what they were like to see if I wanted to offer them to my clients. And, I do! They are awesome. They're made of sturdy paper and about the size of a piece of gum. I was able to put all my information on the back and just love to hand them out. The awesome thing about these cards is they come in packs of 100 for $20, but that's not the best part, you can use 100 different photos if you want to. I didn't use 100 different photos because I wanted to have a few of each to give out and to save for myself. The only bummer is the come from the UK so they take a little while to get here.

I've decided to offer these for my clients with their info on back (then they'd get 100) or I'll just order some with my info on the back after their session. I did that for my last four sessions and used it as a "thank you". They are great. You should order some. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see how you can get 20% off your first order!!! I'm all about saving money! Clockwise: Baby Micah, Baby Earon, Naomi's feet in Greg's hands, Andrew and DaisyClockwise, The M family, The B family, The W family, The H familyLeft to right on top: Peyton, Trey, Sophia and Jake, Bottom: Trey, Sophia, Grant and Jake

Shadow: Steve and Kari. Boat: Clif and Julie. Glasses: Seth and KateSenior Photos: MeaganClockwise: Eric and Rachel, Clif and Julie, Seth and Kate, Candace

If you have never bought from MOO before, you can use this code:VXXBQP to get 20% off any 1 MOO product.

This code is unique to me, so MOO will know if any of you have taken me up on the offer. If you buy something I'll get a FREE FLICKR Pro account as a thank you from MOO ! (and I could really benefit from that)

So if you're in the mood for something fun check them out and at the checkout enter this code and we'll both win! Even if you don't think you'll buy anything go check out what they have to offer...LOTS of fun stuff, (I ordered some stickers too, so much fun!) Oh, and you have to order before Jan 31st!! and could you let me know if you use the code?! Thanks!

amazing

There isn't much in the world that is more amazing and awesome than hearing this, unprompted:

"Jesus loves me, he died on the cross for me, to get rid of my sins"

She will now sing all of her bedtime song with me, pray the Lord's prayer with me, sing Jesus Loves Me, pray the prayer for our family and Now I lay me down to sleep. It's so awesome to hear that sweet little voice praying...Amen! Thank you Lord Jesus for the faith of my child. Help me to have the faith of a child too!

milestones

Warning: Potty talk involved in this post, read with caution.

We've hit a new milestone in our home. We've been talking to Naomi for quite a while about being a big girl and using the potty. She got a potty book and Elmo potty DVD for Christmas. We haven't been pressuring her but just talking lots about it. Two days ago I decided that maybe she needed some incentive. So, I told her that if she went potty like a big girl in the toilet that she could have a special sticker. That's all she talked about yesterday but didn't act on it at all. Today, I watched Joshua for a little bit and when Amy came to pick him up she talked to Naomi about using the potty too (without any prompting from me). Then Naomi took her nap and when she woke up we snuggled for a bit and then she told me she wanted a special sticker so she was ready to use the potty. I took her in there thinking she was just saying that so she could get a sticker but she surprised me and actually went to the bathroom.

About 30 mintues after that she told me she needed to go again and she did so she got another sticker. After dinner she was telling me that she wanted another sticker...and that she had to go potty. So, I took her in there and she asked me to give her some "pivacy" and "close the door". So I did, when I asked if she was okay she just told me, "I not done", so I gave her more pivacy. It took her a while to finish so I figured either she didn't really have to go or it was a big one. She actually used the potty for number 2! How exciting. I hope this continues but if it doesn't it's not the end of the world, at least she knows what it feels like now.

I know that I'm the crazy camera lady but I did NOT take a picture of Naomi's first poop. That's just gross and what would I do with it anyway. It's bad enough that I'm blogging about it. But I just wanted it to be on record so that we know in the future how old she was when she started using the potty. That's our milestone for the day.

wasteful vs. guilty

I've been doing a lot of cleaning an organizing lately. I've cleaned off my countertops and only a few things remain to go through. I cleaned our laundry room and finally have NOTHING on my dryer (it was a collection place ever since we moved in) and I hung some photos in there too. For those of you who've been to my house you know that the door to my laundry room is usually closed and that was for two reasons. I didn't want to look at the mess and I wanted to keep the kids out. Now, if the door is closed it's just to keep the kids out! It feels so good and so freeing to see the clutter gone.

Now, don't be fooled into thinking there is no clutter in the kitchen because our computer is in the kitchen and the scanner/printer/copier is covered in paper...that I need to file. I just have to make myself file the paper work and that will be clean too. I guess I'm just writing this all to ask you to help keep me accountable. It used to be that the piles went away when visitors were coming and often times they just moved to the dryer or my dresser (which is a mess, by the way). But now that the dryer is cleaned off I'd like to keep it that way. And now that the counters are mostly cleaned off I don't want to go back to how it used to be.

If you don't know anything about the FlyLady and her principles you can skip this paragraph because it won't make much sense to you. I have read the Fly Lady stuff but have not actually applied anything other than the shiny sink thing (which I'm doing right now by the way) but what I have read has sort of motivated this new clean and organized me. I don't do the 27 fling boogie but I throw more and more things away, I don't set my timer for 15 minutes but I find one section that needs to be cleaned and do it till it's done. I do make sure nothing is in my sink when I go to bed and I do one load of laundry a day. So, I guess I'm following some of her ideas but I don't have a control journal and I don't put my shoes on every day.

One thing though...I feel wasteful for some of the things I throw away. Like plastic bags, I'm not talking Walmart plastic bags (I have no problem throwing those away), I'm talking sandwich baggies, or freezer bags. My mom always saved these and washed them and reused them. I'm grateful that she did that but when I save them I don't always get to washing them right away and then there's this big pile of sandwich bags that need to be cleaned in order to be re-used. So, after a while, I feel guilty for not doing it, so I just throw them away. Then the guilt is gone, but then I feel wasteful. Catch my drift? The other thing is at Christmas we got LOTS of homemade cookies and other goodies. We didn't eat much of it and today I finally threw it away because it was making my counters feel cluttered and I felt guilty for not eating it. So, now I feel wasteful for throwing away perfectly good (although a little old) cookies. UGH! What is the better option? Any ideas!? Thanks!

I'll leave you with some photos of the kids from yesterday.

All tied up

in control

I just got this email from Julie's dad this morning and thought it was worth sharing here!

WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL ? On Jan. 20, 2009, a new president was inaugurated in our country. Many have questions, hopes and fears of what will happen to us, our children and our country in the future.
But no matter what happens we can be sure of these things.
-1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
-2. Prayer will still work.
-3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
-4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
-5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
-6. There will still be singing of praise of God.
-7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
-8. There will still be room at the Cross.
-9. Jesus will still loveyou.
-10. Jesus will still save the lost.
ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS STILL IN CONTROL?

playdough

I bought this book at Barnes and Noble the other day and today we decided to make playdough. There are many varieties in this book but I thought we'd make the easiest one and the one I had all the ingredients for! Makes sense right?!

1 cup cold water
1 cup salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
tempera paint or food coloring
3 cups flour (I only needed 2.5 cups)
2 tablespoons corn starch (I added this before the flour)

In bowl, mix water, salt, oil, and enough tempera paint or food coloring to make a bright color. Gradually add flour and cornstarch until the mixture reaches the consistency of bread dough. Store covered.N wanted to make yellow playdough so we did. She fell in LOVE with Frosty the snowman this year so she had me make lots of snowmen. She also rolled out some snakes, and just had fun squishing the playdough in her hands. I put it in foil so I hope it's not dried out by tomorrow.Note to self: I need to find a new vinyl tablecloth, those pumpkins are driving me nuts!