Please Pray for Us

Because I haven't taken a new picture in weeks, and because I just now decided to charge the battery that has been dead for weeks on my camera, and because I love to see old pictures of my now huge child, this is what I'm posting these days.

She was so cute when her cheeks were so chubby.

It has been pretty rough around here lately.

This morning I was at the ER having IV fluids and medication to try and stop the vomiting that seems to accompany pregnancy for me.

We are pretty wore out, but we are chugging along.

And though I know that all of you are already doing so, I want to ask again....

Please keep us in your prayers.

We are finding it (understandably) difficult to navigate life with a very sick Momma, a busy toddler and a husband who is getting worn down.

Pray for strength for both of us, especially Tim, who all this falls down on. And for me and the new baby, that we can reach an agreement that involves both of us thriving. And for little VeeVee, who is doing alright, but is growing weary of seeing me lay around.

We know that this situation is temporary, but gosh darn it, is it trying.

Thanks for all your well wishes that have been coming in, and we hope you and yours are all doing well!!

Old Video, New News

This video of Violet is from early this winter. I am a little behind here, bear with me.

I am now 9 weeks into this new pregnancy and 10 pounds down on the scale.

My OB has me trying 3 different meds to keep the vomiting under control, and so far it has been successful. As with any medicines, there are side effects, but at least I can pick and choose which flavor of discomfort to have any given day. Strange that it makes me feel better to have a little control over it, but hey....

We had our first ultrasound and saw the tiny blur that is Baby 2, and more importantly(to us) heard the little heart hammering away at 180 BPM.

It is a comfort to know that a life is forming when I feel like mine is withering.

Despite my illness, we are very excited for this new arrival, and we are expecting November 25.

That is Thanksgiving Day this year, so of course I have nicknamed this one "Turkey"

Please, don't be alarmed at my originality.

Sisters N Showers

Me and my sisters.

I love them.

This is us at Kimmy's Bridal Shower. Kimmy had a great time, as did we all.

In case you don't know these faces yet, Kimmy is on left(looking radiant as ever), Amber is next to her(she will wed my brother John on October 9th), and between Amber and myself is Tammy. She is my brother Jeff's wife. They are like the Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell couple in our family.

Violet liked getting dressed up for the party. And by that I mean, she likes to be the center of attention.

But mostly she liked to sample all the grub.

Baby like-y yum yums.

Is It Spring Yet?

I see a little bud!!!

The Thoughts They Think

"I love beads, Twizzlers and Sesame Street! This is the best day of my life!!!"

"Seriously, when can we stop hamming it up, and chow down!?!?"

"My Momma said I'm sitting on Kimmy. I thought she was in Phoenix, and human...My Momma has issues."

"Round and round goes the train, everyday it's just the same."

"Oh boy, time for train ride number two!! Let's run, but catch me if I wipe out please, but hurry up about it."

"THE PUBLIC IS TERRIFYING!"

"I love you Mimi, now give me your earrings, and sneak me some chocolate, and let me rule the universe. Is that too much to ask for at Christmas?"

"Won't you be so glad when we are no longer the "it" couple in this family? Yeah, me too!"

"I'm sick of posing for cheesy pictures, it is so 1987."

"I'm going to marry this person someday."

I guess now is a good time to tell you John and Amber got engaged over the weekend!

"It" couple number 2!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go charge the battery on my camera.

Confessions of a Lazy Photographer

Miss VeeVee likes her stuffed toys.

That really doesn't pertain to my revelation to you, but I thought in case this picture didn't get that message across, you should know that.

I have been trying to teach myself depth of field with my camera.

I could read many thousands of books, online articles, and the like, but I chose to speed read a post from a website that is written by a cattle ranchers wife. Who was also on GMA last week.

Anyhow....

The greater majority of my research was to simply look at other people's work, then go for it trial and error style. Mostly error.

The first thing I had to do was get test subject #1, also called daughter, to hold kinda still.

If you know my daughter, you are undoubtedly in hysterical laughter at the idea, so I'll give you a minute to compose yourself.......

Time's up. Moving on.

She loves to color after lunch and the light is good so I pounced.

I thought I did pretty good, that is until I went back to look at the work I studied only to find, I'm still draggin' fanny behind the pack. But I have a theory.

Most all aspiring photographers own some sort of high end camera, usually a digital SLR, and Photoshop. They read the manual to their camera, joined an online forum, and learned how to use Photoshop. I stopped at step one. I don't have time to read, unless it's a colorful book about shapes, numbers or colors. And God Bless Photoshop and all it's wonderful things. I have only opened the program twice, and it was so much I just bailed.


SOOOO....nearly every single picture on this entire blog is a straight out of camera shot. And that goes double for all of these. Every so often when I'm hanging out with Stella, my tough as nails alter ego, I will do tiny bits of editing in Picasa. But Photoshop, she remains a nearly untouched icon on my desktop. I wonder if she gets lonely. All those gifts, and no photos to lavish them on.
Now you all know I'm a lazy photographer, and feel better for telling you.
Now if you want to see some real, super cute photography go here
I really like her stuff, and not just cuz it's babies and cuteness. It has a flavor.
And, yeah, most of you know her. But I do love to promote others.
If you need me, I'll be sorting through and deleting the remaining 7,573 pictures that didn't turn out. Because I'm sure that takes less time than a Photoshop tutorial.

Why I Like to Eat Crow Pie

I remember being a child free woman of the world. I remember being able to go and do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I also remember that while I was out doing all of that I would inevitably run into Mom's with kids who were a total mess, strung across the aisle of a store, dropping things, kid screaming, and I would think, "When I'm a mom, I will never be that way."

Let me run you down my checklist for today:

Awake with huge headache-check

Pull "cranky" card off of toddler mood stack-check

Run out of medicine for both myself and baby-check
Realize you forgot to put bills in the mail-check

Come to conclusion you will just have to fix messes next week-check

The last 2 weeks have been the same or worse than today. Don't misunderstand me, I am not complaining. My husband has been working 12+ hour days for 2 weeks because of a deadline, and Bless his soul, if he gets home before the baby has had a bath, he takes over when he hits the door. Violet has also managed to sleep through the night, every night, since coming down with croup. Plus, I get to be home with her every single day, and that is priceless.

But my point is this:

For these last couple of weeks, I have been that Mom I would see out and about. And I would love to go back in time and slap myself silly for being such a judgemental snob.

I wish I would have stopped and realized that the Mom I was so harshly judging had a sick kid, or was sick herself, and was probably out because she ran out of groceries and medicine and had no choice but to take her kids to the store. Maybe, just like me, both of the Grandma's were also sick, and her husband was at work, and all her friends with healthy kids were understandably avoiding her like the plague.

I had to run to Target the other day, and I was stopped in an aisle digging through my coupons and Violet was babbling away at me. She was getting a little loud, so I shushed her. Just then a very nice older gentleman approached us with Violet's hat in his hand and said, "You dropped this, I think that's what she was trying to tell you." I thanked him and he gave me a sweet, sympathetic smile and went back to his shopping.

That was my serving of crow pie.

I was so glad I was around him, instead of myself from the past. Old me would have given me and dirty look, or worse, just left the hat laying there.

So, today instead of feeling sorry for myself and my current conditions, I will repent for having been such a creep. And thank God, in all of His infinite wisdom, that he gave me a chance to see how wrong I was, and go forward with a changed heart.