More Utter Randomness.

Well, this week's challenge at I Heart Faces is "At the Beach". That would have been a fun challenge to participate in. Yep. Wudda' been - except our summer has been so cold and so wet that we have not been able to fit in a trip to the beach yet. And it's the end of July. Sad. Next summer I'll be back to working every weekend and I won't be able to go on family trips to the beach. Thanks weather.

Speaking of the weather. Yesterday afternoon we had yet another one of our torrential downpours. Glad I wasn't out in that one! Oh, wait, I was! Turns out a couple of neighbourhood kids had taken shelter by my front door. I didn't know they were there until I noticed my daughter had the front door open. When I went to tell her to close the door - I noticed the kids. One was hysterical. He was completely freaked out about the weather and screaming for his mom. I would have brought him inside, but it was pretty clear there was no talking to him at that point. So, I took his hand and the two of us ran through the monsoon back over to his house. Then I had to run back home. Mind you...I was wearing a little white t-shirt during all of this. Yes. Breastfeeding mom running around the neighbourhood in a wet t-shirt. Nice.

But, the weekend wasn't all bad. We did get a couple new toys for the baby. We got her an Exersaucer-thingy and a Jolly Jumper (not the kind that goes in the doorway...those scare me...but the kind that has it's own stand). She is loving her new toys!! So cute. And, for the first time in 6 months she is happy to not be held by me every second of the day! It's so nice watching her having a little baby-sized blast with her toys! We did have an activity mat for her, too, but she never cared for it. So, this is great.

The bad weather also gave me time for a couple other projects. I jazzed up my photoblog a bit. It was very dark before and I wanted it to be a bit brighter and more cheery. I "created" the background and the header for it by myself {grin}. Dave liked it. He liked it so much he started telling everyone about it. That was kind of embarrassing because I'm just starting out. It really isn't ready for all my family to see yet. It's okay for strangers to watch me struggle and be pitiful...but my own family. That's different. LOL.

Also, I spent so much time looking for cute photo props on the internet (hats and things for babies) that I then started considering making them myself {why would I think that - considering I can't knit? I don't know}, but I got a book on knitting baby hats, I got some stuff, and I started creating my first masterpiece last night. We'll see how it turns out.

Maybe I'll get it done before the sun comes out again. That should give me plenty of time.

And that was my weekend. Thanks for askin', Shan.

How was your weekend?

Which Feet?

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is feet...but my problem is I don't know which of these two photos to enter. I really love them both. Can you please help me to decide?

Thanks!

You Capture - Shapes!

For the last few weeks my buddy Shan has been participating in some cool photo challenges over at I Should Be Folding Laundry (boy, that could very well be the title of my blog). I've been really wanting to start playing along but, as luck has it, I've been really busy taking pictures of my friend's babies lately (check out my Photo Blog to see more of those...coming soon). Yet, when I was checking out Shan's creative post with all her great circle captures it made me think of this circle capture I got with my "Pony Girl" (this is the new pet name by which she would like me to address her), Maddie.

And, little Pony Girl made a few other cool shapes for me, too.

A couple of the shapes she even did backwards for me so that I could create the ultimate picture that I had in mind.

I love my Pony Girl.

The Baby is Trying To SLEEP!!!

Little Nicole is almost 6 months old now and despite that fact, big sisters Maddie and Jamie still tend to forget she is around - at least they forget that when it comes time for her to try and have a nap. It (almost) never fails. She will just be getting sleepy and I'll put her down to fall asleep and.................... "AAAhhhh!!! Mad-DEEE!!!" or "Heeeeyyyy! Jayyy-Meeee!!!"

So, this past week when this happened Mommy here just about lost it.

"Get into your room right now! And, while you are in there the two of you can come up with 5 Good Rules for Behaviour in this house!"

Of course, we already have our rules of behaviour, but I just wanted to see what they could come up with. Plus, it kept them in their room long enough for me to calm down.

Once they were done I made them present the rules to me - just as if they were doing a presentation for class. They did quite well, actually. Here is what they came up with:

1. No Fighting


2. No Being Mean


3. No Making Noise


4. Keep Your Hands and Your Feet To Yourself


5. Don't Make Fun {of others}

Not bad. Not bad, at all. And that little interlude enabled them to get all the rules nice and fresh in their minds...and gave me the time to remember how cute they really are...again.

Ya' just can't stay mad at those faces for long.

It's Hard Letting Go..

We have always had a plan when it came to the sleeping arrangements of our babies. Well, I always have had a plan and Dave has always gone along with it. From the time the babies are born they sleep in the bed with me. Even at the hospital. That made for very little sleep for me (read: none) as I held them tight against me in the little, narrow, hospital bed. But, once we get home it is much better and even easier to grab some sleep. When the baby needs to be fed, I just have to sit up and feed her, then go back to sleep. No need to even get up. But, that was never the real reason for it. SIDS was the real reason for it. I have always been terrified of SIDS (what mother isn't?) and I would never, ever, ever, get any sleep if the baby was in a different room from me. As it was, I needed to wake up and put a hand on the baby several times per night to make sure she was still breathing. And, in my mind, if the baby was right there with us - hearing us breathing - that would help her little body and mind remember to breathe, too. No exactly scientific, but just something I believe somewhere inside my bones.

At 4 months the odds of loosing a baby to SIDS goes down. So, at that point, we have always moved the baby to a crib right beside our bed. She is still in the room, right beside me, but she (and we) have a little more room and she can start getting used to being on her own a little bit. Then, at 6 months, the baby makes the big move to her own room. That's how it was for Maddie and that's how it was for Jamie.

Colie is now almost 6 months herself, but she had yet to leave our bed. There are many excuses, I mean reasons, for this: her crib is all set up in her room and won't come through the doors unless we take it apart again, her portable crib is at her Grandma's house and we keep `forgetting' to get it, and she just seems so happy in the bed with us. How can we boot the poor little kiddo out?

Well, this past Saturday - we gave it a shot. The baby fell asleep on our bed. In her spot. All comfy-cozy smack dab in the middle. But, we gently picked her up and brought her to her crib. Shockingly enough - she slept through the whole night! Not a peep from her! In fact, it was Dave who woke her up (bright and early in the morning).

Wow. That was much easier than we thought. She didn't seem to mind sleeping in her crib at all.

The next night, Dave brought her back to our bed. Yep, that's right. Dave.

And she has been there every night since.

Sometimes it's hard letting go...

Hi Again!

Hey! Well, it's that time again. The time at which I become over-come with guilt for having neglected my blog so badly. Not that anyone (except for maybe my two loyal blogging-buddies) really cares. I mean, life goes on whether I blog or not. ;-)

But, still...I feel guilty. What can I say? I was raised Irish-Catholic. We are riddled with guilt for the rest of our lives...

So, anyway...
I just thought I'd do a (hopefully) quick little wrap-up of why I have been so absent...

For one, I've been the mad photographer as of late. I have a few friends who have recently had babies (some within days, others within the year...and another who is expecting...) and they have been so incredibly kind as to let my practice my photography with their kids. And, I need the practice. There is so much to learn. The more I read about photography, the more I learn how little I know. I mean, I have studied photography in the past but a) most of that education came before the age of digital and 2) I never studied flash photography. Everything was available light. Flash photography is a whole other ballgame, I'm learning.

But, I love it. Love it, love it, love it. The babies, the pregnant girls, the camera, the flash, the cuteness, the joy, the love...all of it. Love it! Can you tell I'm excited?

So, I've been taking pictures, and processing pictures, and reading books, and reading forums and setting up photo sessions, and getting pictures developed...and all the while I've got two little kiddos home from school and one baby-one on my hip. This means, ironically, that despite the fact that I now (once again...as always happens) have lots of fun stuff to talk about and lots of cute pictures to share...I have no time!! As I sit and type this the baby is having her nap. That usually only lasts half an hour. I just got out of the tub and I haven't even combed out my hair! I'm sure she will be awake any moment...so you see what I mean.

Plus, there have been lots of fun social engagements lately. My friend's wedding shower, another (dear, dear, dear...love ya' Vic!) friend's surprise 40th birthday party, going to check out another friend's new house complete with new baby chicks and turkeys! Lots going on.

And now...I hear the baby.
So, I must get goin! Just wanted to say "hi" and play a little catch-up!!

Hopefully, I'll be able to post more and include a few pictures soon. But, if not...that means I'm still taking photos and having fun. So, that's not too bad.

;-)

Knowing Me, Knowing You - July Editions.

It's that time once again...The Fairy Blogmother's Monthly Interview Project. Here we go...

1. What household chore do you dislike the most?
Oh. Easy. Folding and putting away the laundry. Hate it.

2. Do you have any travel plans this year?
No. With new baby-one here and Dave hard at work during the summers, I think we will need to make do with day-trips every now and again.

3. Ever met a bloggy friend in real life.
Just the Fairy Blogmother and what a great addition to my life she became. Love ya', B.

4. Seen anything good lately?
Yes. Denis Leary playing Tommy Gavin on "Rescue Me". Rahr. I'm so glad my favourite show in the whole, wide, world is on again. Movie-wise, I just saw "Step-Brothers" and killed myself laughing.

5. What is your favourite kitchen appliance?
Just to look at and admire her sheer beauty, I'd have to say my Kitchen Aid mixer. Aren't they so pretty and nostalgic? But, in my quest to fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes...she hasn't gotten much of a work-out herself lately (Pie of the Week plan had to be shelved, too). So, truth be told, my true favourite is my Cuisinart Coffee Maker. It makes great, hot, coffee...it has a timer so I can wake up to the smell of coffee in the morning...and it saves me from having to drive 14 km's to get one from Timmies.

Now it's your turn! Let's get to know you a little better and then post a link to your post on Shan's site.