Photo-outing Fail.

The colors are so pretty right now.  Looking outside is like looking into a box of fruit loops.  I decided I better take advantage and get some pictures of the kids while it's still fairly warm and the trees are spattered with color.  Things definitely didn't go as planned ha.  I got a REALLY good picture of Lindsey though, so not all was a fail.

Bren can't cooperate with the camera.  Even if I offered him a bunch of legos.  He still wouldn't ha.

 I think maybe if Daddy would have been there he could have made this happen...

 Now this one is pretty.  I don't get that many good pictures of Lindsey.  She is easily distracted and either looks away from the camera or squints ha.  This one turned out perfect!

 Ah.  Still no real smile, but good enough.

 It was so bright and sunny.  Still a pretty site out there.  Beautiful yellows this year.

 ... and on the way home, I took this one.  Welcome Fall.  You were missed and will be missed when you are gone again.  3 months for this season is just too short.

Hope that EVERYONE has had a wonderful Sunday.  I know I did.

Avery is 10 months old!

I have finally gotten around to taking Avery's 10 month pictures.  I have been so crazy busy, and I am actually cutting into some homework time to do this.  I really wanted to get her pictures outside because the colors are getting so pretty right now.  I'm thinking that I will likely take all the kids out to take pictures and maybe bring along the tri-pod to get some "family" shots.

Here is what Avery is up to right now:

• She is in the 97% in all measurements.
• She is standing up and cruising around furniture.
• She is saying "ma ma ma" and "Da da da"
• She loves those little fruit squeeze pouches.
• She STILL loves Mumford and Sons.  
• She is in size 18 month clothes
• She is beginning to cut some molars
• She clicks her tongue... SO CUTE 

Now for the photobomb:

The Birthdays

I am just now getting around to posting some pictures.  It's been a nightmare, really, this picture thing.  To explain, I used to have Photoshop CS4.  I obtained it through my brother, who is now in Texas.  It was on my desktop, which I gave to a friend who really needed a computer.  I really didn't think about how much I used the program until I let go of it.  I thought it would be fairly simple to find a replacement editor as long as I shot in jpeg.  I am not doing this for hire anymore, so RAW wasn't necessary.  Long story shortened.  I forgot to switch my settings to jpeg for the party, and all my photos were in a RAW format.  I have been scouring the webs for free RAW converters.  Pardon my french, but all were CRAP.  So, I began the search for an affordable software.  Lightroom 4 was recommended, BUT, I blog... I create graphics for my blog.  Lightroom is purely a photos editing software.  A good one, but really limited.  It looks like Elements is where I will likely end up.  I downloaded the 30 day trial from the Adobe site and I am temporarily back in business.  It has a RAW editor similar to the one in CS4 (Adobe Camera RAW - ACR), minus a few bells and whistles.  Overall, elements is PERFECT for the hobbyist that I am.

ON TO THE PARTY!  Here are some photos from the birthday festivities.  It started out with me taking the kids to get donuts in the morning.  Nothing says happy birthday like fried carbohydrates coated in more carbohydrates.

Then I spent the morning baking cupcakes

Then after I picked the kids up from school we went home, ate dinner, then headed off to their favorite park... Nathanael Greene.  None of their friends that they invited came.  It was sad, but they had fun anyway.  We had WAY too many cupcakes, but they were good.  We had way too much soda, but that's okay too ha.  Daddy let Avery have her first ever cupcake before her 1st birthday ha.  She was a mess!  She obviously likes cupcakes though.  Overall, it was a great time.  The kids had fun and got some fun presents.

  ... and that's all... bye bye!

My Bren-Man turned SIX Today

This kid.  I don't know what it is about the bond between a mom and her son, but this little guy is my joy and happiness.  He can brighten the darkest spot.  His heart is so huge and he has a smile on his face probably 80% of the time.  He is so crazy, happy, loving, and wonderful.  He is always doing something to make his dad and I laugh.  He is full of surprises and he has such a clever mind.  Happy Sixth birthday to my awesome little man.

My First Baby Turns 9

Today has been INSANE.  Seriously and Really.  This happens to be the birthday of my oldest "baby."  She turned 9 years old today.  My sweet little girl showed her true colors at a young age.  Everyone would watch her and tell me what an easy baby she was.  She still is one of my easiest children.  Independent and self assured.  She is smart and passionate about her interests.  This past year I have seen her go from loving La La Loopseys to loving bigger girl things like "Ant Farm" and "Gravity Falls."  She loves going to church and being a Jesus Nerd.  Matter of fact.  She has been called a "nerd" by school kids, and she doesn't mind.  She knows that the deeper meaning of that is that she is smart and not as concerned with superficial things.  I'm so proud of my first Princess Baby Girl.  She makes me so proud with each passing year.

Today is also Avery's 10 month birthday.  I usually do a photobomb, but I think I will put that off until I have some time.  Today I baked cupcakes with homemade icing for the birthday bash.

 I am actually stealing some of my "get myself ready" time to post this.
Tomorrow is my awesome little man's birthday... so more goodness to come.

Lunch Dates and a Well Baby

I am likely going to start a feature called Thursday Lunch Date.  My husband and I have started this tradition of having a lunch date every Thursday.  It's become something I really look forward to.  Yesterday we went to a small little sandwich place on the square in Springfield called "The Sub Shop"... It was pretty good.  The bread was super soft, but the meat wasn't deli sliced and the only vegetable on the sandwich was lettuce.  It was a cute little place, but for the price, there are better subs to be eaten.

So, in these features, we will try to visit new places and I'll let you know here what they are like. :)

Avery had her well baby check.

She is in the 97% in EVERYTHING!  Weight, height, and head circumference.  She's healthy.  She is on track with her development.  I'll be doing a 10 month post here in a few days.  TEN MONTHS!  What in the heck happened to the time.

Well. Happy Weekend folks.

Beautiful Days Ahead

October is a great month.  I'd have to say these last 3 months of the year are my absolute favorite.  The crisp morning air, the green leaving the leaves, the leaves leaving the trees, the pumpkins, the cider, the coffee, the candy, the costumes, the sweaters, the scarves, the hats, the smells, the holidays...(gasp for breath)... I could go on longer, but you get the point.  It's the happiest time of the year for me.  I realize a lot of people claim to love this time of year too, and I am not selfish enough to believe that this time of year is more special for me than anyone else.  However, I can say truthfully that I HATE the summer with a passion.  I can handle spring alright.  I LOVE Fall and Winter.  Now you know my feelings about the seasons. ha.

You will notice that I have a list of "blog friends" on my left side bar of my blog.  These are all blogs of people that I interact with or have interacted with outside of the blogiverse and find them to be great, interesting, and lovely people with pretty awesome blogs.  If I talk to you outside of the blogiverse and your blog link isn't up there, then PLEASE, kindly let me know via email, facebook message, or whatever way you can.  It took me a while to get links and blog names organized, so it's quite possible that I missed one or two.  Don't feel left out if your blog isn't up there... these are just the bloggers that I have a personal connection to and I want others to see their awesomeness as well.

Have a great day!
Enjoy FALL TIME!