Z and C + TWO

i like dirt. i like it. i like it. i like it.

2011-08-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

this afternoon we were playing on the deck - gotta get outside even though its a million degrees - and i got a cute little video of porter scooping dirt from a pot into his dump truck... but now it wont let me upload it because its like 3 seconds too long or something. boo blogger. boo. at the end of the video i ask him if he likes dirt and he just says 'i like dirt. i like it. i like it. i like it.' i think that about sums the boy up.

and here is mary mae proving to us that we always hold on too long to certain phases. i think its time to pack up the snuggle nest. don't worry, she was still breathing. last night was her first night in her crib... that's because she wouldnt go to sleep until 230am, so i laid with her in the guest bed (in her room) until i was finally able to take her to her crib. wowzah. coffee never tasted so good.

is summer over yet?

8 weeks!

2011-07-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

mary mae at 8 weeks... looking an awful lot like her brother . that post was when he was 3 months... so a little older, but i really think their faces look so much alike. she's much girlier, of course. shes a champ- just being carted around here and there following her brother to the park in the 105 degree heat and never being bothered. as long as she's in the sling, she's happy... so she lives in the sling.

pummus!

2011-07-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

no idea why he pronounces his 'h' with a 'p'... but this kid loves hummus! we make it a lot, but today we made it a little different with some roasted red peppers. loved it. if you don't have a magic bullet, you need one. (thanks, rhoda!)

also, here is a link to some adorable pics of porter and one of his lady friends, sarah. she has been a doll to play with lately!

life is good.

Success!!

2011-07-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

All this getting out and about might be catching up with him - yesterday he took almost a FOUR HOUR nap. That's right. He slept from 1:30-5:15. I finally walked in and turned off his noise maker and that is what woke him up. I hope we are getting over this sleeping hump and he is realizing that this is a napping house. Momma doesn't nap, but all children in this house must nap, so momma can do all the things she wants to do sans children.

Thank you.

(naps are also good for development, yes... that is also why we take them.)

Here are 2 cell phone pics from today. Mary Mae hangin out while brother runs all about the 'my gym' and brother bear holding his ears while she screamed in the car on the way home fighting her nap. (Do we see a pattern here?) She finally gave in...

This picture makes me laugh so hard though - If that child only knew how terrible he was in the car for the 18 months of his life he would not be holding his ears looking at her - he would be grovelling at my feet, apologizing for doing the same thing for almost two years.

Motherhood. Its awesome.

update

2011-07-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

He did take a nap yesterday - from 330-5. Not what I would call ideal, but Ill take it. Last night he asked to go to sleep in his big boy bed - and then cried at 9:00 (well over an hour after we put him down). I went to check on him and he was in the pack n play with all his things except one (the reason he was crying) He needed me to get it for him.... and he went back to snoozing.

Let me be clear - this means he put himself in the pack n play... and gathered all his things to make his little nest. Amazing.

Today we went to a party at a splash park and played hard - He is sleeping like an angel right now.

I know no one cares about these details, but I think someday I will want to remember how hilarious this time was. Fighting the sleep in the pack n play so much that we take our clothes off one day and throw everything we know and love as far away as possible... and not 3 hours later, get out of bed, put everything we know and love into the pack n play and climb in to sleep all night long. Two year olds are the most interesting humans.

Here is a cell phone pic from the party today. Fun in the sun!

complete refusal.

2011-07-13T13:20:00.001-07:00

So, this is a true story from the front lines. Porter has always loved his naps. He has hardly cried for them - and once he's down he's usually out for quite a while. Well, he has recently started an all out protest of them. Is this normal? My goal this week was to get us out and about everyday before 10 - do something fun and tiring - and be back by nap time. Well, this seems to be backfiring. He has completely refused his hap. I have heard people say that before and thought, refused? Who refuses a nap? You leave them in there long enough and they go to sleep.

Well...

Monday, I walked him back and disciplined him again and again for an hour and half, until finally I realized we was going to keep getting up no matter what. What did I do? I set up the pack n play and put him in it - much like a cage, I suppose. He cried for 30 minutes and fell asleep.

Since that day, he has waned his pack n play more than his 'big boy bed' for each sleep. He still fights it, doesn't want to go, cries a while - but eventually gives in.

Today is another story.

Today, it is 3:23. He is still not asleep. I put him in his pack n play at 1:15 where he seemed to settle in without too much fuss. Then I heard banging (feet perhaps? I really need a video monitor) and he started to amp up to a yell. I went in a few different times with reasoning strategies. This is why we nap - you have to get strong - are your teeth hurting? - you need some tylenol? We rocked, we sang, we snuggled, we tucked in. Each time I left he would scream but I thought we were getting closer.

10 minutes ago, I walked in and what I saw astounded me. Porter had folded up the pad that goes in the bottom of the pack n play (the only thing that gives it a floor and keeps you from standing on a flimsy sheet of canvas). He had removed the sheet and thrown it. All of his bedtime cuddly things were thrown about (there are quite a few these days). Blanket was half way across the room. Monkey, beloved monkey, was no where to be seen. Here's the real kicker - his clothes were off. Shirt on one side of the room, shorts on the other. And diaper dangling by one tiny hook of velcro. His man parts were slightly exposed and he was shouting 'My diaper is off!!!!' (like he was surprised). I wish I had taken a picture, but I didn't want to make him think it was funny... I calmly re dressed him, gave him a fresh diaper, got the pack n play all fresh and ready with all his comforts, rocked him, and put his sorry butt back in there.

Am I crazy?

My child is disrobing himself and starting to destroy things, but I REALLY don't want to give in and let him know that that behavior means no nap. This might be one of those moments where most moms would be like, well, I guess he doesn't want to nap today... I am not there yet.

I just wanted to document this. Still standing strong at 3:30 - about to go see if he's fallen asleep. Updates to come.

baby steps

2011-07-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

We got out today and met Sam and Davis at 'my gym' for some morning indoor activity and I overall felt like today was a much greater success than previous days. We will take each daily victory and celebrate it! The Star Wars LEGO sticker book was a great success as well today. Really, we will celebrate anything. Does he maybe look a little like Anakin? Im realizing no matter how inconvenient it may be to nurse a 5 week old in public, its easier than dealing with a bored two year old at home who feels left out. Lets party. The Ryans are out and about, people.

the challenge

2011-07-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

here's the truth about these last few weeks... mary mae has been a dream. porter has been ROUGH. i love him no different, but i suppose it needs to be documented that he is having a tough time loving this new addition to our family.

when she is snoozing, or swinging he loves her.

when she is nursing, or being burped, or being swaddled or rocked... he HATES her. and me.

we are working on it. trying different approaches, but still trying to find some consistency.

this has been our biggest challenge - willing and ready to hear all mom's ideas.

here she is.

2011-06-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

miss mary mae ryan

remind anyone of anything? like brother, like sister.

that might be my favorite picture ive ever taken. he was just gazing in at her... a brief moment of him not wanting to hit her head with a hammer - he asks me at least a couple times a day if he can bang baby sister on the head with his hammer, wrench, blocks, books... you name it.

and here he is. this is what we do while she sleeps.

finding our new normal...

Fathers Day hiking

2011-06-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

i took the little guy to the greenbelt to go hiking on fathers fay. needless to say the boy was totally overwhelmed by the number of rocks and sticks. literally millions. he loved it so much i took him again this morning. he is great at walking in and down the trail, getting back to the car is another story. carrying 30 lbs on your shoulders for a mile or so is the best. kid loves hiking.

Mary Mae Ryan

2011-06-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

June 1, 10:28 am. 9 lbs. 20 1/4 inches.

She's here. She's actually been here for almost 2 weeks. Somehow the time is already going by so fast and I'm just wanting so badly to slow it all down. How is Porter already 2? Didn't I just find out I was pregnant with him? Or did I just find out I was pregnant with her? Or, wait, did I just actually have a second child? I'm not old enough for this. That is my thought every time I look at my life. I am just not old enough for this. Somehow I feel way too immature and not nearly responsible enough to be in charge of other lives.

Then I stop and re think it and CAN NOT believe I have been given such a gift. Thank you, Lord, for the chance to be a mom. I do not take this challenge lightly. I promise to give them all I have.

So much has changed for me in the last months. I resigned from teaching - I gave it 5 good years and my heart was never there. I wasn't sure where my heart was... but it wasn't in teaching. Every day that I went to work, I wanted to be somewhere else. That is no way to live - and that isn't fair to the kids. We are taking a HUGE leap of faith and I will be staying home next year. I will be a full time mom and small business owner - trying to let Sweet Louise go where it will and let my heart settle into really loving my kids well. I felt like the last 2 years has been a battle of trying to do everything sort of well... and nothing to my fullest. I am praying that this is the beginning of being able to give fully to the things I love - my husband, my kids, my home, my business. I want to stop feeling like I am doing everything half way. Jack of all trades, master of none. I am so overwhelmed when I let myself think about next year - I am so thankful and also so fearful. It will be wonderful, right? I know it will.

I haven't really had a chance to take pictures yet of Mary Mae. She has been a perfect baby so far. Eating and sleeping well - the only things that parents worry about in the early days. I plan to take some pictures soon - but so far, while she is sleeping I am trying to soak up some time with my boy. He has certainly had a hard time with this transition - he loves his momma. It breaks my heart to see him sad or confused when I'm feeding her. He just says over and over 'Hold you. Hold you.' I know its a normal part of life, but man I really want him to feel loved through this process and never pushed out.

Here is my man. Porter, don't worry, you still have my heart... too.

Excited about what is to come.

he's TWO!

2011-05-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

i know everyone says it, but i can't believe he turned 2 on april 29th. i can't believe its been 2 years since that insane week long stay in the hospital. what an amazing couple of years this has been.

we had a little celebration at his school with muffins (they have a no frosted cupcake rule... weird i know... have a little fun people.) but he loved his muffins and having his friends sing him a song and having me stop in at an unexpected time during the day. he didn't love wearing the crown they tried to put on him... but i at least got one picture. i can't believe im at the point in life where i get to bring my child cupcakes - or muffins - to celebrate his birthday. im not sure why that was a big deal to me, but for some reason as i was on my way over there i really felt like a mom. its a wonderful feeling.

yep, really pregnant. 35 weeks.

on saturday we had a little party at central market. really, we just can't believe how fast the time has flown and that we are about to start this over again, with a new family member. some favorite gifts were the wooden train from jen and russell, the chair and broom from bebe and ace, and the drum from aunt meg and uncle chris. thanks guys! there were so many fun toys shared - and we can't wait to partake in the swim lessons from honey and papaw. we are constantly amazed at the community that surrounds us and how much support we feel as we are building our family. thank you all so much! enjoy the pics... its been way too long.

we love you more than you'll ever know, p.

March/April Catch Ups

2011-04-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

We have had a significant number of fun afternoons without an pics to prove it, so here we go. please note the change of sweaters to playing in water fountains all occurred in about 6 weeks, thanks for nothing spring.

turns out the triangle has a water fountain

this guy loves drinking it like a fire hose, gross

on the deck smashing sticks and coloring with chalk, his favorite color is yellow and sometimes every color is actually yellow

off roading with pops

i can climb now. hopefully no 127 hours events are in my future.

my mom.

i love swinging with all of my being.

seriously i love it so much

dont embarrass me mom, there are girls over there.

mmm, phils burgers

very handsome.

Smoothie!

2011-03-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

The owner of Porter's little school just emailed me this picture and the title was '3rd serving of smoothie!'... guess he likes them! YUM.

the chicken wing... porter's favorite move

2011-03-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

lots of grainy cell phone pics

2011-03-09T13:08:00.001-08:00

if i can't bring myself to take real photos of my son and talk about what we are doing - i can at least post random cell phone pics so you can all remember how cute he is.

really.

a quick recap: zach is now working 3-4 days a week in houston, while im single mommin' it. seriously - single moms - so much respect. i am so proud of zach an his efforts at work and how he has been noticed for his brainz and skillz... i just want him back in austin :). we both miss him lots. our house is on the market for the second time. the first time it was only on the market for 24 hours, had 2 showing and got 2 offers over asking price... then one bailed, we called the other back, they were in, then they bailed last night 5 hours before their option period ended. so we are back on the market. that was fun! we are busy busy busy and porter is so close to being 2. baby sister still has no name... although we might be getting closer. springtime weather is upon us and feels so great... i love spring. its my favorite.

say cheese

2011-03-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

2011-02-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

so many things happening at our house - sweet louise is booming (ha, that might be an exaggeration...) but it seems like everyday i get another lead or book another session... total confirmation that im walking in the right direction with this little biz. if you know me at all, youve probably heard me say more than once that my dream is to walk my kids to kindergarten. i want the freedom - whatever that means - to be able to be a part of my kids lives in a real way. like walking them to school. and having ants on a log ready when they get home. im a dreamer... but it seems like my dreams might be forming slowly into reality. i want to be able to be creative and work and find satisfaction and joy in my work... and also be a mom in a real, hands on way. this is what ive been praying for and it seems like doors keep opening instead of shutting. thank you, lord! ive been slow on the draw with the blog because it is panning out to be the busiest spring of all time for us. we did take some fun pics of porter in the snow... and then porter this weekend at the park in the 70 degree beautiful springtime weather... and those will be posted at some point. this week im 24 weeks pregnant with baby girl. she's healthy and strong and growing fast. here is p man on the way home from church yesterday - happy as can be. he has been such a joy lately - amazing us with with his speech and what he notices and figures out. he loves dancing, reading, eating (some things) and telling us whose turn it is to do things. (like when im brushing his teeth and mid way through he stops and says 'daddys turn' and will no longer let the toothbrush enter his mouth until i get daddy. because its daddys turn. or sometimes its porter's turn... for a really long time- which is neat). these last few weeks have made us so excited about doing this again. being a parent is truly the hardest and most amazing thing at the same time. i know everyone says that but it really is the most beautiful dichotomy - beautiful and ugly, overwhelming and peaceful, fun and not so fun... im so thankful to have been given this lot.

my dear friend ali gave me the sylish blogger award... which makes me laugh because i am the worst blogger of all time. ali, i promise to get around to acting on the 'award' soon... well, i half way promise. in the meantime i would like to say that ali stated in her award that if there was one person she would want to live next door to, it was me... and i feel the same. we dreamed all through college of living next door to eachother - filling our house with children and good food and paint... butcher paper art adventures in the driveway - sharing healthy recipes- dance parties. it would be awesome. for now, we are both still doing art in different ways, im on baby #2, she's on baby #1, we talk about food all the time via the ol' computer, and we live far far away. she is my virtual next door neighbor and that will have to do for now... love you ali! you are going to be the best mom.

its a ...

2011-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

girl

we are so excited!

and, of course, i went straight to the mall and got a dress.

static

2011-01-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas and what we've been up to around here...

2010-12-30T11:34:00.001-08:00

Things have been busy busy around here - Porter had surgery (minor), Zach and I both had strep throat, Porter had his first ear infection (and ruptured ear drum!), I finished out the semester of teaching, Zach has been studying and looking into new fun options for his career... and I am pregnant again (18 weeks)! Wowzah - so that's why there has been no blogging.

I can't really even begin to say how wonderfully fun and relaxing this Christmas was - We were home and just rested, cooked, played and enjoyed each other's company. It has been a sweet time that is coming to a close all too quick... but I don't think we will ever forget this Christmas. It was a real joy. I am thankful for so so many things.

Enough words. Here are some pics. Love you all and hope to be back to more regular posts in the new year.

jumping bean

2010-11-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

somebody loves trying to jump. he did this for about 10 minutes... kept falling down... laughing... getting distracted by other toys... and then back to more jumping. when we got the camera, we were on the tail end of jumpalooza, but we at least caught a little of it.

row row row your boat

2010-11-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

p has always loved row row row your boat... the book and just singing the song in general. here he is a couple days ago singing to himself in the back seat. the first verse is the one everyone knows... the second verse is 'rock rock rock your boat, gently to the shore... if you see a lion, don't forget to ROAR.'

he loves to roar.

little cheeseburger

2010-11-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

porter had a great time trick or treating. he wasn't totally sure of the concept... he tried to go into a couple of houses and mostly just liked walking down the street and riding in the wagon... but all in all it was a huge success. he was holding a package of m&m's and i (so naive) thought 'gosh, he's never had one of those - he probably won't try to eat one.' ha! wrong. i turned around, he had ripped into the bag and was downing those m&m's as fast as he could. apparently porter loves chocolate :) who deosn't? the last picture shows that little bit of blue drool... the proof. a mouth full of the good stuff.

Sawyer Sneak

2010-10-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

We love Jeremy and Meagan and are so so happy they moved to Austin along with their growing 6 month old boy, Sawyer. He is quite a ham - learning to sit up - chewing on most anything (including park benches) - and giving lots of smiles and laughs. Man, Porter being 6 months doesn't seem that long ago - but it was a year ago! It all happens so fast - so glad to be able to freeze a little snippet for you guys.

i love a good stink eye. its one of porter's signature moves.

just lounging.

this might be one of my favorite pictures of all time - he means business.

So sweet! Thanks for sharing your man with me!

He's getting big!

2010-10-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Mr. independent likes to come home from school and go immediately outside and play in the backyard. Apparently being inside is for losers - He only likes to be outside these days and gets quite upset when its time call it a night. He loves blowing bubbles, putting spoons in bowls - and anywhere else in the house he can find to put them - taking on and off lids, carrying bags around the house and saying 'bye bye' like he's leaving the house, and is amazing us everyday as he tries to repeat all our words. And, his hair is getting quite long - and no, im not planning on cutting it... yet. He has 3 new teeth and a few more making their way. He loves doing things on his own - walking and not being carried - using his own spoon - and has just, for the first time in his life, started hating his bath. He's turning into a real BOY. Stinky and always ready for an adventure. One funny thing about the bath - when we can get him to take one - is that when the water is draining out he immediately lays down in the water (I know, it scared the life out of me the first time he did it)... And we realized it because he likes to listen to the water drain down - while his ear is under. He will lay on his back and listen if both ears can be under and as soon as the water is too low, he slips onto his side and listens with the one ear. He really amazes me with the things he notices and the kinds of things he likes... almost everyday I find myself saying -can you believe he just did that? Curious little boy. We love him.

P man

2010-09-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

So few pics of the man on here lately... here are a few from the last time we were home in Houston. Yes, he scraped his head - again! He is all over the place - lovin life.

madeline mini

2010-09-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend I met one of my fellow LISD art teachers at Mayfield Park for a mini session of her darling 9 month old. Her name is Madeline, she has red hair, and she's not afraid to stand up in a bucket or dig her knees into the wet grass. Aja, thanks so much for sharing your little one with me. She was a delight!

Cole Philip Thompson

2010-09-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Holly, my best friend's sister, had a baby. An amazingly perfect - sleepy - quiet - dainty - little baby boy - named Cole, after their brother. Meeting this little man felt like meeting family. Holly already looked like she'd been doing this for years and it brought such joy to my heart to be around a room full of Hortons - watching the family grow. Here are a few of my initial faves - Holly and Phil, thank you so much for letting me into your home to see some of these precious first moments.

so happy

2010-09-01T16:12:00.001-07:00

so, this is still not perfect. and if you know me you know i like things {especially my art pursuit things} perfect ...to whateaver degree i can control. BUT... i know myself and if i wait for perfection this will never happen.

all that to say, i now have a website for my photographs. still working on getting a photo centered blog, but until then here is my site.

yea.

www.sweetlouisephotography.com

first day back

2010-08-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

We have really come a long way since last year this time. Last year I was a total wreck the entire way to school, and for quite some time... But today seemed a little different. I have spent a lot of time praying about where I am right now and what I need to do and I felt considerable peace starting back to school this time. I was so sad to see it end, but I am hopeful for what is to come this year. We didn't get a chance to take and first day pictures this morning so I snapped a few at dinner. Porter was in a great mood and appeared to have had a wonderful time playing with his friends at the farm all day. God knows I needed to see that its a great place for him and that he really enjoys himself while he is there.

At almost 16 months old, I am not totally sure if this is normal, but Porter is FULL of personality. His expressions are constantly changing. He is always trying to trick me or play or be as goofy as he can and I love it so much. I never want to forget this time - his playful spirit, his joy, his funny faces, his cuddly ways. Pure joy.

This is a peak into a typical dinner for the P with added captions...(well typical when he likes what he's eating. The other typical is not really something we want to document.)

Hey mom, you think its ok if I turn this plate over?

Are you sure?

But what if I just peak...there might be something awesome underneath like more ketchup to smash around.

Oh gosh this is amazing! Mom, you're so funny!

Like really funny.

You think Im funny too, right? And cute?

Good. Can I touch your camera, please?

I LOVE MY LIFE.

Hi.

a little peak for Miss Fay Joyner

2010-08-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

She is so pretty, so girlie, and so sweet. There couldn't be a more polar opposite for Porter to play with :) She was busy holding her hands up like a lady and doing delicate things, while Porter tore through their beautiful home like a tornado. The Llano river and the Wallace's ranch house made the most amazing back drop for pictures and I had so much fun doing it! I took quite a few more pics than I normally do since we were there all night, so this is just a quick sample. Haven't had time to go through them all yet. These were just some that I loved right at first glance. Thanks so much for sharing your Fay with me!

he smiles

2010-08-05T13:15:00.001-07:00

this is just to prove that this kid smiles - like REALLY smiles. double chin, smiles.

and yes, that was his first bandaid worthy bobo on his head. he can't be stopped.

Summer is winding down...

2010-08-05T12:04:00.001-07:00

and Im in complete denial. I want this to last forever! We have had so much fun swimming and running and playing and just hanging out. There were so many moments this summer where I thought -man, I hope I never forget that. Lots of moments when P would look up at me and say hi or give me a hug or bring me something delightful that he found in the trash. It really is the small things...

Here are a few pics from today in the backyard. I swear the child does smile and he loves being outside. Right when we went outside he was totally fascinated by the new next door neighbor's dog... Like so fascinated he couldn't do anything besides stand at the fence and yell 'doggie' (dooooiiiieee)... and then he always follows that up with a 'ruufff' (but it only comes out as 'ffffffffff' -cutest thing he does) I was trying so hard to get him to be interested in smiling for the camera, but to no avail. He just kept looking at me like 'Seriously, stop taking pictures there is a DOG over there!' and then some of the 'Mom, why don't we have a dog?' looks. Someday when he realizes how much I hate dog hair and how much Zach hates dogs jumping the fence (we loved you, Lily), he'll understand why we don't have a dog. Of course, as soon as I put the camera away he gave up on the dog and was totally mesmerized with the hose. At that point, I was to wet to get it back out.

Here are a few of porter's serious summer faces and one of him starting to get interested in the water fun.

spotted the dog and wants the hat off...

puhleaaase can we have a dog?

finally giving the water a go.

great day at the ryan house.

Sneak peak for Denise!

2010-07-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

Denise and I have been friends from birth... Our mom's were pregnant so close to the same time and live (still) as back door neighbors. What an honor to get to photograph Denise's two beautiful children... Abigail and Luke. Luke is so new to this world and was such a sweet sweet guy. These are certainly not in the right order and they are just a sampling... but I knew D would want to see a few.

Sneak Peak for Sam, Davis and Davis!

2010-07-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

This post is for Sam... because I know she is dying to see some of these. There are more to come, but this is some initial shots that caught my eye. You guys are the dearest, some of our closest friends, so glad you let me shoot you. Um, there has to be a better way to say that. Some are funny, some are serious...I think this sums this family up quite well.

pool time

2010-07-15T09:22:00.001-07:00

here are some cell phone pics of our afternoon yesterday... we met my friend, susie, and her cute kids, bobby and molly, for an afternoon dip. somehow i forgot to email the pics of all three of them and my phone is in the other room...so, you just get p :)

loves his pirates bootie.

getting a little wind blown... you'll see the effects of that as you scroll down.

taking a rest after lots of swimming (porter darting across the baby pool and me trying to keep up with him, porter climbing out of the baby pool and me trying to keep up with him, porter climbing back in the baby pool... you get the picture) we were both tired.

sun hat.

wind blown and tired on the way home.

eating dinner and showing off his new do!

Box Wedding

2010-07-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

So, I shot my first wedding a couple weeks ago and thought I would share a sampling of the night. I know that the bride and groom and their families are hankering to see a few so I am sharing them here... Ben and Jennifer were both so chill the entire day of the wedding and their families were a joy to be around. Jennifer did so much of the decor herself and created such an inviting and beautiful space. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect couple to allow me to learn by just jumping in head first. I still have so much to learn and desperately wish I had a photo site and blog up already so I could share these in a more interesting and organized way... but until then, here is the ol' family blog :)

July and the best news ever!

2010-07-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Yikes, so bad at posting during these summer days. I wish I could say its because I just don't have time, but that probably isn't true. I'm just loving life... hanging out with friends, having play dates, swimming, taking pictures for friends, and watching P grow so fast. We are really having such a fun summer so far.

Things he's currently doing:
-saying lots of new words and phrases... his newest addition being 'up'. he comes and looks at you wherever you are sitting and just holds out his arms and says 'up'...with a really hard p. so hard that he actually usually spits a little. so its probably spelled 'uppppppp' or even 'uuuuuuuuppppppppuuhh'. its so cute.
-getting into EVERYTHING. cabinets are now rubber banded closed, all doors except his stay closed during the day, living room decor has been moved upppppppp.
-having minor toddler tantrums. ha, those are neat.
-started going to time out. yikes! its so sad, but something's gotta give, right? and I don't think its supposed to be mom :)
-loves swimming in the baby pool. we discovered this today! runs, jumps, splashes, drops in head first. its actually really scary. we tried it today thinking he would care about as much about the baby pool as he did the big pool... WRONG. new flotation devices are in order. this kid is fearless in the shallow water.
-nodding 'YES' with his whole body. this is hard to explain... trying to catch it on video.
-loving to DANCE! he has one dance with his arms and another with fast...really fast... feet.

here are some pics from today - these are as recent as they get.

and ... drum roll please... the best news ever is that Porter does NOT have VonWillebrand's Disease. we had him tested last week knowing there was a 50% chance he would have it and the results are in. He is normal! (well, maybe his blood is normal;) We are just elated that he isn't going to have to deal with this annoying disease. Thank you, Lord!

summer!

2010-06-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

we are back from a week in new mexico and ready to start summer... and begin blogging again. the end of the school year just about killed me... but im back. so excited about hanging out with p all summer and having some free time to focus on what's important. i have been taking lots of pictures... some for myself and lots for friends and co workers... in the process of creating a website so i can post those kinds of pics there and keep this blog full of the only thing any of you want to see, p.

here are some pics from new mexico on the deck and at the horse races. p loved looking at the huge horses and just kept saying what he loves to say these days "wooow."

waving and blowing kisses

2010-05-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

yowzah - so much to say and so little time. zach has been out of town for work and im doing the single mom thing - no idea how people do this for a lifetime. it makes me so thankful for the team we have created. on other news, i got a new camera for my birthday - totally intimidated by its awesomeness and can't bring myself to post pics yet. ha, soon. in the meantime here are a couple of cheesy videos from our morning commute while we were stopped at a stoplight.

rah rah rah your boat

2010-05-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

porter has started bringing me books and i think he wants me to read them, but then i start reading and he walks away and gets another one. so... i thought this was more a game of just getting the book and bringing it to me. i had no idea he knew which book was which or that he even listened to a word i said while i was reading.

(here's where the 'my kid is a genius' bragging comes in...)

he walked over to his stack, picked up the book that has the song 'row row row your boat' in it... and started yelling 'rah rah rah rah rah rah'! i had never heard that syllable before... so i knew he knew what he was saying! it was the cutest thing - then he actually sat there and let me sing/read the whole thing to him and he sort of tried to sing along. so many 'rah rah rah's' and lots of clapping.

i decided to test it last night while zach and i were sitting in his room playing. porter was banging away at something and i said 'hey porter, go get the 'row row row your boat book and bring it to mama.' he dropped his toy, walked over to the stack of books, threw the top 2 books off... and grabbed the correct book! he held it over his head and walked over to me. we couldn't believe it! he was shouting 'rah rah rah' the whole time.

kids are amazing.

things he is saying right now:

mama
dada
all done - 'ahh da'
down - 'dow' (emphasis on the ow)
bottle - 'bah ble'
apple - 'aaah ple'
cracker - 'creker' (says it really fast)
yea - 'yah yah yah yah'
no - 'na na na na' shaking or turning his head the whole time
and i swear yesterday when i was putting on his shoe he said shoe - 'sue'!

and... he just learned to blow a kiss. it looks more like a slap to his own face with a smile afterward... but it still melts my heart :)

party!

2010-05-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Porter's Birthday Party was a blast! We all went out to the park and grilled hotdogs, drank root beer floats, ate cupcakes, and chased toddlers around and tried (unsuccessfully) to keep them from eating dirt. I couldn't have asked for better company to celebrate our baby's first year of life. We were so blessed by the friends and family that came out to root for our guy and thank God for his life. So thankful... I did hate that I didn't get pictures of everyone and never got any group pictures but I guess that's just how it is. Here are a few of what I got... If you came to the party and have more, please send them to me!

and if you didn't notice... yes, porter got a super 'p' cape for his birthday... is there anything cuter?

birthday cake

2010-04-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

mmm, cake. definitely liked smashing it more than he liked eating it. maybe he will be like his dad and not really like cake. not sure why that would surprise me... he is zach's tiny twin. we had a great day celebrating our little man and can't wait for his party saturday!

happy birthday!

2010-04-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

just a phone pic from our car ride to school this morning. i know everyone says it - and i know it really has been a year - but i can't believe it. it has flown by and been more amazing than we ever could have imagined. so blessed.

walking at the park

2010-04-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

just thought id show off some of his walking skills... big boy turns one on thursday!

p at the park

2010-04-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

this was our first weekend to feel like a normal family in months... zach has spent every waking moment over the last few months studying for his professional engineer's test and Friday it was finally here. we have loved having him back...and we are so proud of all the hours of work he put in!

p loved this little peep hole at the park... so fun to see his eyes light up when he looked through and realized he could see us. man we love that little 4 tooth grin.

so pretty!

2010-04-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

oh and also, can anyone believe this sweet face is 8 years old?

total debacle

2010-04-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

I did the unthinkable. I rented a nice lens to go take pictures of my dear friend's daughter (because my lens is broken)- I went all the way out for a shoot - took 300 shots - and got home to realize that my camera was on Medium resolution. WHAT?!! I shoot on RAW... so MEDIUM is literally the worst, i guess beyond SMALL, thing that it could be set on. Got a few nice pictures of her sweet face... but so little color information to work with. Im fairly sure no one cares about this - but I will never forget the day I drove to Leander and left my camera on Medium. I suppose this is something I will never do again. Thankfully she is quite gracious...

hunter

2010-04-11T09:09:00.001-07:00

this is sweet 2 year old hunter. i can't believe in one more year our guy is going to be this big! what fun i was to shoot hunter cruising around, looking for airplanes and 'smelling' bluebonnets. he was quite the charmer...

don't worry mom and bebe - more pictures coming soon of out favorite guy. my lens actually broke and has been sent back... i am currently without a camera.

frazers black and white

2010-04-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

sweet louise photography

2010-04-05T20:10:00.001-07:00

this hobby is slowly becoming a real thing. more about that when the 'real things' finally happen. i have a lot to learn, but im loving all the practice friends are giving me. these are the frazer kids - bobby and molly. bobby spent his time in our backyard conning his sweet mom into giving him 'gummy gums' if he smiled and molly just cruised around asking kindly to not be disturbed. these are the sweetest kids and susie, their wonder mom, has become my dear friend at school. thanks for letting me chase your kids around my backyard... ill do it again any day.

more bath

2010-04-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

i couldnt resist adding 2 more bath pics... he LOVES that wash cloth.

new COVERED deck!

2010-03-30T09:12:00.001-07:00

z and my dear uncle david have been working hard on building a cover for our deck... its not completely finished and there is a little cleaning up and re decorating to do... but here is the work in progress. so thankful for all their hard work and can't wait to enjoy the benefits of being outside this spring and summer. i love it.

bath time

2010-03-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

this has always been porter's favorite time of day...

and he has always loved shoot the stink eye.

the top 2

2010-03-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

finally got a glimpse of the top 2 ... and the perfectly endearing gap between them.

melt my heart.

the face

2010-03-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to make sure this was documented...

kite festival

2010-03-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

porter and i met some friends today at the kite festival... so fun. it was a gorgeous day and p loved seeing all the crazy stuff flying in the sky. i didn't take my camera -- sometimes you just have to soak something up and not worry about taking a million photos.

these are all from this morning before we went. one of our friends who also loves photography let me borrow his fancy lens for a couple days to try it out. of course now i really feel like i need an upgrade ...

this is what p looks like when its time for a nap - everytime. he hold his monkey and sucks his thumb and looks at you with this 'i want my bed' look. so sweet.

look mom, no hands!

there is always a better toy at the very bottom of the bucket. thats why you have to take every last item out ... to find the best one.

2010-02-28T14:43:00.000-08:00

I have taken about a million pictures of p in this same spot on our living room floor -- and i am always amazed when i look at the pictures at how blue his eyes really are. no editing, no tweaking - just the bluest eyes i have ever seen. so sweet. maybe im always in awe because i have brown eyes - or maybe because im his mom. whatever the reason... i can't stop taking pictures of them.

and this is just making the blog because its always cute to see babies without pants...

we are having a great weekend - weeded the flower beds, planted 2 trees, mulched the flower beds, realized many (most) of the plants in our flower beds that we thought were dormant are in fact very dead, got over it... and tonight aunt meg and uncle chris are coming over so we can go on hot anniversary date. hope everyone else is having a great weekend too. this weather is so good.

early release for snow!

2010-02-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

this is the best part of teaching - by far. we are home now all snuggled up watching the snow from the window and enjoying the afternoon.

and seriously -- who wants to go to school when you are having this kind of hair day anyway?

on a side note - i documented a small part of a little game i like to play with p. i put the tennis ball in his shirt and see how long it takes him to get it out. just helping him develop problem solving skills...and maybe also entertaining myself :)

fun with honey

2010-02-21T14:29:00.001-08:00

z was out of town this weekend at a preparation class for the professional engineer's test... and so my mom came to town to hang out with p and me. we had so much fun. the songs i sing and the games i play are never as cool...

and of course, honey decided to put my headband on p to make him look like an 80's work out queen -- king? whatever the case... these pictures will probably come in handy someday.

thanks for coming to hang with us, mom!

new toy

2010-02-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

we got a new little toy -- its a little car thing and it converts into this thing he can push like a walker -- how's that for technical child toy vocabulary? well... he looked at it for about 3 seconds and then decided that he LOVES it. he was riding the car part and when we switched modes he was pushing it all over the living room. success.

engagement pics - ben and jennifer

2010-02-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

ive been busy taking lots of pictures of little people... and this weekend i had my first shot at engagement pics. much harder. kids are either non moving, so you walk around and tweak things to get it right - OR - you do everything you possibly can (including make strange noises and jump around like a clown) to make them laugh... and then shoot away. couples are a whole other thing... i feel like it was much more organic and there was just a lot more to it. i had a great time and out of 275 pictures, i feel like i got 3 that i really like. probably not a great ratio. but i am certainly a beginner. a first timer. really hoping to get to try this again soon... thanks for being great romantical sports ben and jennifer :)

here are few that i thought turned out nice.

all boy

2010-01-30T08:06:00.000-08:00

this kid is a beast... in the most lovable way. he is afraid of nothing...and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. look at the fire in those eyes. 9 months and ready to take on the world.

swinging on sunday

2010-01-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

and loving to feed himself...

our saturday...

2010-01-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

this morning we embarked on our first weekend home in a while and we have been trying to soak it up... here are a few of my favorites from the day (minus the ones i already shared from breakfast). the spring like weather really did something good for our souls...

breakfast

2010-01-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

good faces

2010-01-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

it was sad to go back to school after enjoying our little man full time for a couple of weeks... but I think he enjoyed seeing his friends again. monday when we got home i was able to capture a few of his many faces, a fashion show with his new hat, and his experimentation with the sippy cup. what a ham.

oh, and yes, his hair is sticking up. his school sprays a lavender oil and water mist on their hair when they wake up as a way of soothing them... and then they proceed to style his hair in new fun ways as a way of entertaining themselves. monday's style was standing straight up.

tiny davis came to play

2009-12-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

little davis came to play today and porter was so nice to him...

and then he accidentally smashed his face. oh no. i assume this won't be the last play date that i get a little embarrassed of p's manners.

the rest of the afternoon he has been all smiles. 8 months is more fun than i ever thought it could be. i feel like this all just keeps getting better and better.

showing his serious side...

and here are a few pics i took of this littlest bennett.

so handsome.

2 teeth!

2009-12-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

those things are hidden so much of the time and when you try to look at them he always sticks his tongue out... so i was so pleased to see i finally captured them! porter had an awesome time with his friend davis today... more pics to come, but i just couldn't wait to share his pearly whites.

just a few from the holiday.

2009-12-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

merry christmas!

our little animal

2009-12-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

thanks for the outfit, honey.

a couple thanksgiving pics

2009-12-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

got my mom's pics in the mail today from thanksgiving in dallas. here are a few.

as of late

2009-12-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

i dont have any of the pictures from thanksgiving trip to dallas yet -- for some reason i completely forgot to even get my camera out of the bag the entire 4 days we were there -- so im waiting on mom's copies. until then, here is what p has been up to lately.

big grin

2009-11-20T12:04:00.001-08:00

not sure why all my pictures have been so serious... so i felt i needed to prove that he does smile.

home sick

2009-11-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

p had a fever at school yesterday and i had to go pick him up early and we are home today... what an answer to prayer :) i just needed a little time. today he has no fever and we are enjoying a sweet day inside.

thanks for faking, p. i needed this.

one day at a time

2009-11-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

some days are easier than others to take him to 'school' and know that he is cared for... today it was hard to leave him and hard to pick him up. i just feel like im missing this sweet time that i will never get back. today im wishing there was another way...

2009-11-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

little boy sitting up

2009-11-14T13:14:00.001-08:00

and letting me play with my new lens. 2 things that made this saturday perfect.

to little z

2009-11-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

our sweet nephew, little z -- who is turning into a big z right before our eyes -- found his momma had gone to be with jesus this past friday morning.

he is the strongest, most courageous, resilient 6th grade boy i have ever known. i dont think i will ever have half the courage he has.

while debating writing anything about such a tragedy, i remembered that people who read this will pray.

so please, please join us in praying for this sweet 6th grade boy who has lost his mom. he needs the loving sweet grace of god to surround him... the road ahead is long, but he will not be alone.

I present, the deck.

2009-10-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

Husband/Dad writing this time. Sorry ladies, pics of Porter will have to come later. For now we focus on man things, such as decks and the stain that is applied to them. I spent the better part of 5 hours staining the deck yesterday afternoon and the whole block still smells of stain and i think i am still a tad dizzy. I completed the task though and think it turned out ok. It is a tad more red than we(Carrie) wanted but hey, better than run down gray. I want to send a special thank you out to Jim who without his forcing me to stain his 2,000 sq ft of deck this summer, I would not have been able complete this. Thanks for the training Jim! Anyway, more pictures of Porter to come next time.

Before Photos

Amazing After shots of perhaps the best deck in the 78723 zip code:

half a year

2009-10-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

i can't believe he is 6 months old today.

new life

2009-10-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

i love my new life as a mom.

i have been thinking about how anxious i was that somehow i would lose a part of myself in this dreadful momland where everyone wears high waisted jeans and wants to homeschool their kids and sanitize everything and suddenly boogers and poop aren't gross and your hair is always in a ponytail and your mascara is somewhere deep inside the bottom of a giant diaper bag and you sometimes forget to put it on and you are so tired at the end of each night that you hardly make it to 10pm before you fall alseep on the couch watching a show and you wake up before the sun to start it all again.

well, all of those things... minus the part about high waisted jeans and homeschooling my kids... have happened. and i love it.

i feel more fulfilled helping this little man to grow than i ever have felt doing anything else. i still am who i was created to be and now i am just all those things i was working towards AND a mom.

its perfect.

living so thankful today...

hangin out.

2009-10-26T12:13:00.001-07:00

someone stole my baby

2009-10-26T12:06:00.001-07:00

and replaced him with a giant kid who eats solid food, tries to sit up... and CRAWLS.

yep, this guy was scooting all over the floor this weekend. he doesn't fully pull his knees under for a real crawl, but he has mastered the army crawl. there is nothing he can not get a this point. 6 months on thursday and already fully mobile.

we don't know what to do.

ralphie

2009-10-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

aunt meg has been saying that porter looks like someone and she couldn't put her finger on it...

and she finally had a revelation.

ralphie from a christmas story.

just give him a couple years and some glasses.

isn't this just a family of famous faces. molly ringwald, the greatest american hero and ralphie. what a motley crew.

greatest american hero

2009-10-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

the owner of porter's school had the chance to meet z for the first time a while back when he and bebe picked p up from school a little early to play. ever since that day she has been telling me that she thought zach looked just like the greatest american hero. i had no idea what she was talking about until this morning when she sent me an email with his picture.

i haven't stopped laughing all day.

zach. he is MY greatest american hero.

learning to read

2009-10-22T11:24:00.001-07:00

jumparoo!

2009-10-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

we visited jen and russell this weekend in waco and they passed an amazing jumparoo along to us... and p is LOVING it. thanks, harwells! we had so much fun letting the boys drool on eachother and practice being best friends. can't wait for our next visit.

these are from this morning. he is so sweet in the morning... cute and ready to cuddle. full of smiles. this morning his little arm was dangling.

i got caught...

happy to see me.

mmm, rice cereal

2009-10-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

video to come...

5 months yesterday

2009-09-30T11:19:00.001-07:00

i cant ever seem to blog on the actual day of the important event... but here's to one day late. i promise more pics to be coming soon... but for now, here is what porter is loving to do these days, at 5 months and one day old.

1. suck his toes. all the time... even with socks on.
2. roll over and over and over. he is like a sidewinder -- except instead of slithering he rolls to get whatever he wants. his school has noted on his check out sheets several times that they think he will be an early crawler...
3. smile and giggle. its amazing.
4. make gurgling sounds every time i put him on the changing table. every time.
5. move all the time. seriously, he is constantly wiggling, reaching or rolling.

i think because he is always moving, i am starting to view the night time wake ups a little differently. he occasionally sleeps through the night, and when he doesn't, i am starting to cherish the sweet times of feeding and rocking him back to sleep in the quiet of the night. i know someday i will wish he was tiny and wanted to be rocked and cuddled. trying to soak up this stage without wishing it away.

5 months is so fun.

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss.

2009-09-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

he slept through the night. went to bed at 7:30pm and woke up at 7am... with only a little chirp at 4:30am that was quickly quieted with a pacifier.

i could get really used to this.

doesn't he look rested?

celebrating with a little 'airplane'.

airing out.

2009-09-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

there is truly nothing cuter than a naked baby butt.

uncle jc, aunt rhoda and cousin charis

2009-09-15T09:41:00.001-07:00

isn't she a doll?

sorry jc, it was too tempting... :)

p with aunt meg and uncle chris.

2009-09-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

new things

2009-09-14T12:16:00.001-07:00

i started another little blog. not because i can't talk about anything on this one... but because somehow i felt like if i started a new blog that was solely devoted to my desire to get in shape, it will become more attainable and real.

more pics and fun p stories to come... but for now, a link to the new goals.

25poundsbyjanuary.blogspot.com

just more p and some of his faces

2009-09-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

play by play

2009-09-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

this is p totally manhandling his toy on his bumbo seat. he loves it.

eyeing the prize...

action shot...

more athleticism...

the follow through...

had to take a breather and do a little hand sucking.

that was hard work.

guilty pumper

2009-08-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

amazing story from today. if you know me, you know that i pump. (if you need further explanation, you don't know me.) and today was one of many amazing pumping blunders i have had along the way.

i took a half day at school so i could take porter to get his 4 month shots. i left school at noon and knew i needed to pump before i picked him up because otherwise it would be way too long before i got home. one would think i should have just stayed in my classroom and pumped like i always do during my conference period but i just knew the sub, who would have a key, would surely walk in the moment i hooked up. i couldn't bare the thought of being 'caught.'

so the solution was to pump in my car. this is not a first. i have even pumped while i was driving... several times. i love to multi-task. there is a place near the high school football field that has a little path back behind some trees... i have pumped there several times so i thought it to be a good spot. it is surely where the high school kids go to smoke. seemed safe enough.

well, about 5 minutes into the process, something terrible happened.

a cop pulled up behind me.

i just knew he was going to come to my window and ask me if i was huffing paint or something and why i was 'hiding' my suv behind the trees next to the football field.

when the cop got out i realized it was the officer that is stationed at my school... gary...and i was a little relieved and TOTALLY mortified at the same time.

panic came over me. all i could think was that i had 2 options: a.) wait until he comes to the window and play it cool with the sweater draped over me. or b.) abruptly roll down my window and shout out what is going on.

yep. i opted for plan b.

i rolled down my window and flailed my arm out and shouted "gary! gary! its carrie! you have to STOP. don't come over here! i can't tell you what im doing!"

gary: "hey carrie... you what?" (he partly couldn't hear me... and partly was probably thinking...did she just say that she can't tell me what she's doing?'

me: "ok fine. please dont come to the window... IM PUMPING. you know. pumping."

gary: "oh, god. seriously? i was just coming to take a smoke break. you just keep on pumping. i am NOT coming to your window."

awesome.

so not only was he NOT planning on coming to the window...he did NOT need or want to know what i was doing.

these are the times i think about how lucy thinks im just like bridget jones... and i think she might be right. so awkward.

on to other news. thanks so much for all the concern for p -- his fever is gone and turns out it was just a little cold (that he ended up giving me)... oh, daycare.

he did great today at his 4 month visit. 14 lbs. and 25 1/2 inches long. long and lean.

home sick

2009-08-28T08:59:00.001-07:00

my mom tried to prepare me for this... that now that we are in 'school', p would inevitably face some illness from all the added germs. we aren't quite sure what's wrong, but he had a fever last night and was up almost all night so we are headed to the dr. this afternoon. sad he doesn't feel good, but happy to get to spend some extra time with him.