Sweet Cheeks

We just got our proofs back from a photo shoot with Laura Kemp of Sweet Cheeks Photography - I've been in love with her work for a couple of years now, so it was fun to see what she would capture! I really wanted to capture the girls at this age, with their sweet personalities, funny giggles & laughs, desire to jump & twirl, and little smiles & looks that make them who they are. And I really think she did just that. :)

If you're interested in viewing the slideshow, go ahead and click here:

Sweet Cheeks Photography

Once you enter her site, go to the bottom right corner, and click on "proofing".

Then type in "Macy" (case sensitive) and click on "submit".

Oh, and make sure that you have your speakers on, the music is key for me. :)

I believe the slideshow will be up for another 5 days or so.

Enjoy! :)

Our Little Morgan

With all of the "firsts" going on for Macy over the past few weeks, I thought Morgan deserved a little update of her own. Morgan is now 21-months, growing faster than we can believe, and is just emerging from a very challenging 4-6 week teething phase, consisting of a lot of screaming, frustration, and hitting. But, just this past week, our sweet, funny, happy little girl has returned....thank GOODNESS.

Here are a few things that come to mind about our little Mo-Mo (her nickname):
-She is so funny...one of her favorite games still involves hiding and playing peek-a-boo, and running around with a blanket or towel over her head.
-She is all about accessories...no day is complete with a few hats, clothing changes, variety of shoes, necklaces, headbands, a variety of hair pretties, and usually a ballet tutu of some sort.
-She is all about baby dolls right now...holding, rocking, feeding, loving, pushing...but, if she becomes frustrated about something, the once-loved baby doll may be flung against the wall. Watch out.
-On that note, Morgan is a pretty strong-willed little girl, often demanding to be heard above Macy's frequent chatter and trying to stand her ground. Interesting differences between our timid first-born, and it will be very interesting to watch her personality develop over the next few years. Birth order is oh so interesting to me...
-She is busy, busy, busy. If we're not holding her, she is on the go - walking, running, climbing, or jumping - and definitely keeps us on our toes. Well, quite frankly, she exhausts us most of the time... :)
-Because she is so busy, I really cherish the times when she slows down and lays her head down on my shoulder for a cuddle. This afternoon, she was particulary exhausted and finally just said "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!.....Hug." and layed her head on my shoulder and collapsed. Love that.
-She is saying new words faster than I can keep up or share right now...some of our current favorites: Starbucks, I stuck, Macy, Mel-Mel, I stinky, soccer, there it is!, airplane and several more that escape me at the moment. Recently, she will pretty much repeat anything we say, pretty much like a little parrot, which definitely keeps one on their toes regarding their vocabulary, as many of you already know. :)

Here is a little video that I took of her earlier this week. Definitely not the best quality, with Morgan wanting to always "see? see?" what is showing on the screen on the camera, which reminds me why I can rarely crouch down to take video. I was trying to capture a few of her recent words, and she was able to share that she is "one....see?" :)

What a difference a year makes!

Today was Macy's first day of her pre-K preschool class. This time, last year, Macy walked through the door to her 3's preschool class with tears in her eyes, and was desperately clinging to my leg. This year? She announced the following: "Now Mom, I don't want you to stay too long this morning, okay?" and sat down to paint with her dear friend Audrey, gave me a hug, waved good-bye, and we left. No tears, no drama....just total delight in the fact that she got to go to a new classroom, with a new teacher, and happily squealed after realizing that tonight that "Wait, so you mean I get to go EVERY day??"

Seriously, could I ask for anything more?? I was thrilled. I realized that this is the only "first day" of anything that Macy has done in her young life, that hasn't involved fear and tears. My little girl is gaining confidence and growing up! Morgan was the only one shedding tears this morning, as she desperately wanted to stay at school to play with Macy and her friends. Here is Morgan hoping that, if she held on tight enough to the backpack, that she would get to go with her big sister!

The Wedding!

I'm far too tired to form complete sentences this afternoon, but wanted to share the one and only photo that I have of the girls together in their flower girls dresses. (and no, those shoes were not worn during the ceremony :)
A quick synopsis:
-Survived drive over to Orondo on Friday
-Macy made it through rehearsal while Morgan only went 1 for 3
-Morgan started to get sick on Friday, by Saturday she was a wreck
-Macy got to go the salon with the "big girls" to get her nails/toenails done on Saturday morning- and was beyond excited about this.
-Last minute decision to pull the above-mentioned "wreck" from the wedding party, in order for the vows to be heard without screaming. Good call.
-Macy made it down the aisle by herself, with a little hesitation, and stood in front of the bridesmaids for the entire ceremony.
-It was a beautiful ceremony at a beautiful location with the most perfect lighting!
-The new couple was gorgeous...and a fun time was had by all at the reception!
-Macy was first in the line for cake, and got the very first piece. I got the second. :)
-Both girls were full blown sick by midnight, and Morgan slept on my chest for part of the night so she could breathe.
-We're all exhausted.
-We drove 3 hours home, and nobody slept. How does that happen??

That's all I have for now. FYI that I added a link in the upper right hand corner to our Picasa Web Albums, which has all of the pics from the wedding, as well as others that I'll be adding and updating over time. Enjoy!

Camping!

There was so much excitement in our household leading up to our recent camping trip. I think Macy had been counting down for two weeks straight, and during those last few days, asked me “when are we leaving to go camping?” just about every hour. She could seriously hardly contain herself during that last 24 hours, and wanted me to tell everyone we saw that morning that we were leaving to go camping…her swim instructor, her friends in her class, and even our favorite barista knew that “we are going camping!”

Aaah….the joys of being a child….excitement over the change in routine, the adventure of the open road, and the anticipation of all of the fun to be had once we got there! But as a parent, it’s somehow no longer quite that simple. Sure, you’re definitely ready for a “getaway” and excited to spend time as a family, but the thoughts that go through your mind as a parent are a tad different…..all you’re thinking is – “Did I get all the groceries?... Do I have enough diapers?... Do I have enough wipes?... Do I have enough caffeine packed in the cooler?... Do I have enough snack packs to throw into the backseat over a 2.5 hour period?... Did we really just spend $200 on gas???”

But, once we finally hit the road….and left the rain behind (for awhile anyways)….the excitement set in for mom and dad too. We were all excited that Aunt Tina was joining us too, and the girls were so excited to have her in the car with us. When we got there, it was a wonderful 91 degrees – and we all jumped out and quickly set up camp and made plans to head down to the beach ASAP! But after about 2 hours of playing & getting all settled in, we started to notice the dark skies to the southwest….and before we knew it, it was a torrential downpour, and we were all diving into the tent for cover! But with snacks and drinks in hand, we actually had a very fun picnic inside the tent, and listened to the storm all around us. Listening to the rain, and knowing that you’re dry & warm, is a fun adventure in itself!

And that was definitely the theme of our trip – crazy weather. It was 91 degrees, then the wind was blowing like crazy, then no wind and calm, then crazy wind & rain, then calm again. It was all over the place! But we managed to have fun no matter what – playing baseball, soccer, riding bikes/scooters around the loop, floating in the raft and with the inflatable duck – and Morgan’s favorite – jumping on the inflatable mattress in the tent! The only thing that finally stopped her was a face plant onto the tent floor. Poor pumpkin. But as you can guess, she made a quick recovery and quickly made her way out of the tent to find something else to play with.


We finally put the boat in the second day, after we spotted some smooth water to the north. Gregg, Tina and I were all able to wakeboard, despite a little rough water, but as Tina was boarding, we started to notice some very ominous looking clouds behind her. Once she was done, we quickly loaded things in the boat and decided that we’d better start heading back to the launch area, and the water became increasingly rough. A VERY large patch of dark clouds was heading over us, and once you start seeing white caps on the river, it’s definitely time to head in. This was a picture I took of the sky, which really doesn't do it justice:

It got SO rough at one point, that Macy actually broke into tears and no longer wanted to help Daddy drive the boat – it was “way too rough!” But she made a quick recovery, and a few prayers were said as we attempted to get the boat back on to the trailer in near hurricane conditions. However, we made it back to the campsite safe and sound, and wouldn't you know it - this is what it looked like an hour later:

But all said & done, we had a great time. The girls had so much running around the campsite, making 100+ trips to the bathrooms, walking up & down the path in the sand and playing on the beach - and we all enjoyed breaking up the daily routine & getting away on a little adventure! Thank you for going with us Aunt Tina - we had so much fun!