Photographing Haile Wossen

Haile Wossen is all the rage in Dallas. His flower designs are exquisite. It was a pleasure to meet him and photograph his work for Dallas Brides Magazine.

Second Grade Science Fair

We grow mung bean and alfalfa sprouts at home. My mung beans sprout great, but the texture is a little tougher than store bought sprouts. I've experimented with growing them in the dark, or on the counter where they see a little bit of sun. This turned into Penn's science experiment: Mung Bean Sprouts vs. Light and Dark. He discovered that they grow TWICE as fast in the dark!

He was disappointed that he did not place this year. But I'm glad that's an achievement he desires.

What Love is to Me

What love is to me.
Love is a beatifal thing that everyone can do. You know when you love someone when you are embaressed and you want to wet your pant. [sic] 

--Penn, age 8 

Lucy: Two Months

At Lucy's two month checkup she grew to 24.25 inches and weighed 11.6 pounds. She's above average, as expected. She took her first vaccinations like a champ.

She smiles now. All the time! She smiles first thing in the morning when she sees my face and when her brother pokes his head over her stroller and dances. She smiles when Daniel talks to her before going to work. She smiles at strangers. And she "talks."  She almost laughs. She almost thinks that my gushing over her sweet "rosey tosies" and her "wittle wips" is funny. She knows who we are now. Penn says, "Lucy is going to be silly. Just like me."

I don't know why, but I think I agree.

We are easing into a routine as she becomes more predictable . She has been sleeping through the night since day one. By that, I mean she still wakes every three hours to eat, but she eats briefly and eases right back to sleep.  In the morning we read and this might be both of our favorite things to do.

We are fairly laid back around here. It's a good place to be.

Following my Instagram feed is almost like being here.

Happy Birthday, Mom

This is a photo my brother took of my mom on her birthday today. She is 55 and absolutely beautiful. Please, baby Jesus, let me have inherited her ageless genes. Today we Face Timed while she was eating dinner with the family in Michigan and we were making homemade pizza in Texas.

On a tangent:

I love this point in life (age 33) when you get to know your parents as people. Generally speaking. It's liberating. All of the grudges you held for scoldings turn into funny stories and all the nagging turns into good intentions. All their problems are no longer your problems and all of their gifts become something for you to be proud of. For a change.

I am so thankful for the relationship I have with my mother. I can come to her for a mother and for a friend and she switches between the roles for me as needed with ease. Sometimes she doles out advice and then years later it comes true.

Like the time when I called her in the very early stages of Daniel and I changing our status from just friends to dating.  She said, "Oh honey, you know what will happen. You'll get married and have babies. Don't worry about it. Daniel's a good man."

Thanks, mom. That was some of the best advice ever.

Valentines Day

For Valentines Day we made these cute little super hero Valentines. We got the pattern from here.

Every year Penn asks who his Valentine is or who my Valentine is or who my Valentine would be if it weren't Daniel.  

This year we had that discussion BUT Penn seemed to want his own Valentine. He went down the list of girls in his class.

C. wants me to be hers, but I don't want to.
I think I want it to be K. She has glasses now.
If she doesn't want to be my Valentine, I want you to be Valentine. You are my plan B.

He actually called me his "Plan B." I appreciate that Penn enjoys being friends with girls. There have been two that he's talked a lot about and I was always happy that he hung out with the funny, snarky and smart girls.

Finally he confessed he wrote a Valentine note to F.  The pretty one.

And so it begins. :)

Ethan

Bethany and Deanna have a new baby! Sweet Ethan was born December 13th, 2011 with big baby blues and dimples. I'm so happy for the new family! I'm looking forward to Lucy having a new friend that is so close in age to her. Bethany and I also have really close birth days. Go Decemberites.

Wildcat Basketball

There wasn't enough room on the team for Penn to be a Wildcat basketball player this season. Really that worked out okay since we had the new baby and indoor AND outdoor soccer. But I was asked to take their basketball portraits and couldn't say no. The courts were all full so we used the dirty white wall and the fluorescent light and space that was available. I love them!

This is classic eight year old boys playing basketball at the YMCA. The dads coach. It's been going on for generations and I know these boys will be doing the same with their children. These are somewhat timeless photos to go with a timeless activity and I really like that look about them.

The Wildcats were also champions of the season.

A funny exchange between 8 week olds

This is Lucy and her friend, Ethan. Their lack of balance and head control amuse us. And by "us" I mean grown ups. Lucy was not amused.

Nana and Papa

My dad and my Nana came up for a visit last weekend. My grandmother is 81 years old. She is unintentionally funny.

"I don't know how you make such beautiful babies. Well. Yes I do. You got yourself a good looking husband."

"You know, I didn't plan on being around this long. I guess the good lord still has something planned for me. [Says sarcastically] I can't imagine what it could be."