9

 you have a baby

 and you look at this helpless little person that knows nothing about the world around them.

 it's a little intimidating to think YOU are responsible for teaching them.

 and then you sit there and you think how am I going to do that exactly?

I admit I was not the smartest in the class

but

anyone that meets my girls will tell you they are WAY advanced for their ages.

so that makes me feel better about my teaching skills;)

Stella now waves, makes Indian noises and claps! 

I know these skills seem like minor things to some but for me it just makes me beam with pride for my girl!

 

9 months old and still takes my breath away!

beautiful

surprise trip to the zoo

"Mom can walk to the park with my friends?"

it was 5:00 pm and dinner was about ten minutes left on the stove.

"no."

"But mom we.."

"I am taking you to the zoo."

"what?! no your not!"

I like to keep her on her toes :P

My awesome cousin hooked us up with some free tickets to the zoo. it was all kind of last minute and I figured why not.

 

 

 side note:

Big thanks to everyone that is voting for Zane!

Keep them coming the contest ends soon!!!!!!

here is the link to his story and where to vote.

Zane

I love sharing stories about my life and my photography through this blog but when I get the chance to share someone else story in order to help in a small way it just makes this blog that much more important to me!

Meet Zane, I met him at a wedding I shot last year. He had the biggest smile that night! I remember him dancing and dancing all night long!

       

When Zane was only 6 weeks old he was involved in a car accident that forever changed his life.

  He is diagnosed with quadriparesis cerebral palsy, cortical visual impairment and epilepsy.

 Zane is unable to sit or walk unassisted and is non-verbal. He must be fed and changed, similar to a 6-month-old and he cannot  chew or swallow properly. All four limbs are spastic and he receives up to 16 Botox shots in his legs to help with this.

Zane is being raised of by his Grandmother.  who puts all his needs ahead of her despite her own health issuse. you see she has been fighting cancer! 

This family needs our help! big time! you see with all the doctors appointments and the fact that Zane is getting older and his Grandma is getting weaker the number one thing on their wish list would be a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle!

Well it just so happens that this month is national Mobility Awareness Month.

Chrysler, Toyota, BraunAbility, SanTan Honda superstore, and VMI have teamed together to give away 2013 Custom Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles!!!! 

it's pretty simple

 just go to this link and fill out your name (so they know you are a real person) and vote for Zane!

because he deserves to finally feel safe in a vehicle.

 

just in case the link doesn't work here is the address web address: http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/zane-dudley-florence-ky/

Dance team

Little girls and Dance class kind of go hand in hand.

here are some of the pictures I took for their teams right before the year recitals.

We had so much fun

 

These girls are so talented and really have grown into a little family. 

Good luck girls!

break a leg but not really :P

training wheels

"Mom! Tyler called me a baby!"

Julia said running into the house. I just rolled my eyes. The Julia is a tattle tale. and every time she plays outside with the neighbor kids she runs back inside to tell on them. It drives me nuts because 9 times out of 10 she's doing something to provoke her friends into whatever it is she is tattling on. I try every tactic out there to get her to not be this way.

"Julia, are you a baby?" 

"I think so!"

"what?" obviously this tactic backfired.

"Yea Tyler said I still have baby wheels on my bike so that means I am a baby."

yep! we are horrible parents! 

she's almost 8 years old!!!!

and still has training wheels.

it was always something we kept meaning to get around but just never did.

Maybe it's because once the training wheels are off she has officially graduated into older kid phase of childhood. you know that age that the baby fat is gone but she's not in the preteen stage? 

she can pretty much get ready for school on her own but can't walk there by herself.

she would never kiss a boy but wants her room decorated in Justin Bieber posters.

she's growing up and I am not ready to face it

so I left the training wheels on to hold on to every little bit of little kid she has.

until that darn Tyler had to rub it in my face!!!!!!

 

 

 She's becoming such a wonderful strong independent beautiful stubborn little tattle tail that i love more than life itself.

 she doesn't need training wheels but she still needs her momma and maybe a bigger bike......

p.s. shes faking in the last picture :)

First Holy Communion

First Holy Communion is such a huge special event in the Catholic religoin. 

It is the first time these children will receive Christ through the body and blood.

I was asked to take pictures so that the families would be able to just be present during the moments and not worry about getting their camera ready.

 

 It was such an honor to be there. 

Julia will be preparing for her first holy communion next year and I couldn't help but vision her in a beautiful white dress and vail. 

 Then I saw this family through my camera.

 a family with 5 little girls.

 It made me smile.

o that poor man

o my poor husband

:P

trying to be positive

Not to be all down and negative

but my family is on another roller coaster ride.

we are all fine and for the most part happy. 

it's just life

and 

things change in life.

lol

I just relized I am going to get a bunch of phone calls after I post this from frantic family and friends

I promise we are fine!

just pray that the choices and paths God gives us that we take the right one.

again we are all good. just asking for prayers that God continues to bless us :) and if the prayers get answered I will come clean about what this is all about. or if you have my phone number and REALLY REALLY want to know i guess you can call lol

movie review.

As many of you know I traveled to Uganda on a mission trip 

and some might know my dream of adopting

My husband and I agree that adoption will be a few years from now

But whenever I see any sort of adoption story, blog or program I have to make sure I look into it. 

Last night I watched a documentary called "The Art Star & The Sudanese Twins"

It fallows an artist named Vanessa Beecroft that took a trip to Sudan and while on her trip at an orphanage was introduced to very ill twins. she revealed that she was still breast feeding her baby at home and offered to feed the babies. from that moment on she was on a mission to adopt these little ones. the problem was they still had a father that was alive and a family willing to take care of them, Sudan did not allow international adoptions, and her husband was not in agreement that bring the twins into their home was the best thing for anyone. But she tried anyway. and ultimately failed and gave up. Not really a story book happy ending but in my opinion after watching the whole movie it was the right ending. 

God took Vanessa Beecroft on this journey for a reason. I am not sure what that reason was. she doesn't really go to much into that except that it brought out a new level in her art. which is one thing that I did appreciate in this whole movie. well honestly some of it was a little out there too.. (it's A LOT of nudity) but this one picture is just in my opinion beautiful! it might be the whole breast feeding or the sweet African babies or the virgin Mary feel but whatever it is I seriously want to purchase this picture and hang it up somewhere in my house. except I don't think my husband or three little girls would approve.......

Ron and Lisa

all day long Lisa was trying her hardest to hold it together, but every time someone said how the perfect the weather was, how beautiful she looked or just well wishes, you could see the tears welling up in her eyes. she was the HAPPIEST bride I have ever met! she laughed and truly enjoyed every event that came her way even the occasional wedding day crisis that I warn all my brides about.

Ron was a perfect groom to be. He arrived at the house for pictures on time and made sure he didn't forget anything on this honey-do list. Then after his pictures he did what most men do on their wedding day he fished!

Even though they both were getting ready in the same house we managed to make sure they didn't see each other until the ceremony. and then the happiest Bride was completely glowing and the calm, relaxed groom was ecstatic to finally be marring the love of his life. 

Personalize a digital slideshow

Have I ever told you how much I love weddings? well make no mistake they are the best! and for me the icing on my piece of wedding cake was that my family was invited too! It was so nice not to have to miss my kids all day and sneak in a little slow dance with miss Belle and my husband.

CONGRATS Ron and Lisa!

Spring Break

O I could hurt my husband sometimes 

 tonight he confessed to me that he accidentally deleted all my pictures from the past week on my phone!!!

to top it off this past week was spring break and I had TONS of cute pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO right now all I can think of is all the ways I could get back at him for it 

but 

there is this thing called marriage 

that kind of means a lot to me 

 and since you can't have marriage without having forgiveness

I guess I will have to just let it go.

So instead of showing you ALL the fun we had 

I will just have to tell you about it and your going to have to use your imagination.

make sure you insert super cute girls that always looked put together with perfect hair styles and matching clothes. never a juice mustache or miss match socks (my kids never do that!)

anyway 

 first Friday of Spring Break: Julia had her first sleep over at our house.

stayed up late watching movies, eating pizza and ice cream it was a success. and I was voted best mommy ever!

Saturday:family reunion/Easter at my mom's

Sunday: Easter egg hunts at Grandma's and Easter Dinner at another Grandma's

Monday: Red's opening Day parade

(this is from my good camera)

 Tuesday:Kids eat free at IKEA and the girls played pretend in all the display rooms.

Wednesday:I HAD to get some house work done so we just hung out here.

Thursday: We played at an indoor playground with wonderful friends. the best part it was only a dollar a family to play and all the money went to help children in foster care! win win! then we headed over to the park and had a picnic and fed the ducks. probably Miss Belle's highlight of her life! :)

Friday: we hung out with Mr. Korben and painted rocks. Thanks Lisanne for the books! they loved it!

Belle said she made Dumbo. I kind of see it................maybe......

Then later in the evening we headed down to a friends house and visited the bunnies.

again probably another huge highlight to her life. I swear she's an animal whisper.

Saturday: a friend of ours got married. more on that later

Sunday: recovery day! we did a whole lot of nothing! it was perfect!

I say it was a really good spring break. and I am actually sort of looking forward to summer break now. and started looking up things to do but if my husband deletes any more pictures he might not be joining us :P

8

 I know I have said this a million times but 

This little girl

she has me completely smitten

I can't get enough of her!

she's crawling and is so curious about everything. but not in a bad way.

she likes to craw right up to something and just stares at it

her little mind is just working away as she figures out what she's looking at.

but the only other thing new that she's doing is faces! I love her silly little smile and her big blue eyes.

 the blanket is a gift from Stephanie for taking her pictures for the Kendell's warmth organization.

I love it so much!!!! she is so talented.

and one more picture for the on going series I am making for her birthday, which will be here way to soon!

sisters

I love how well all my girls play together.

sure some of them have their moments of jealousy or want nothing to do with the other sister. 

and I am sure those moments will become magnitude as the years come and the issues go from crayons to clothes to (lord help me) boys!

But I pray that they always cherish this special bond they have as sisters.

I recently herd a quote by  Pope John Paul II

"The greatest gift you can give your child is another sibling."

and I feel it is so true.

 when I see moments of togetherness and bonding and just pure sisterly love I have to grab my camera and document it :)

 

and for a moment everyone was at peace playing nicely and having a good time.

but just for a moment 

then it was right back to

 "Mom! Belle keeps coping me!"

"no! Stella don't eat my book!"

"Sissy weave me awone!"

I am blessed :)