Easter Photoshoot

Mimi bought Easter outfits for the cousins so we wanted to get (or at least hoped to) get a picture of all three of them together. It took all four of us parents to get these priceless poses. We took them in a pretty outside area that happened to be positioned so that Starbucks drive- through patrons had first row seats to our circus. I'm sure that it was pretty entertaining. Even still, Uncle Patrick got some great shots!Steven (18.5 months), Meadow (4.5 months), and Saige (20 months) We were singing "Itzsy Bitsy Spider" to get Steven to sit still; he's singing along and Saige is sitting pretty.Giving kissesI think this picture is so funny...I imagine Saige is saying, "Tell me all your problems, Sissy," and Meadow is thinking, "hmm, let me think...I hate being forced to take pictures."

Pleasures that I don't feel the least bit guilty about:

-Watching Dancing With the Stars (this season's going to be awesome)
-Being addicted to the Food Network
-New appreciation for the great outdoors
-Trying to become a nutrition "expert" and health freak now that I'm a mom
-Only working out once or twice a week (hey, I get a lot of exercise chasing Steven around)
-Watching What Not to Wear
-Steven's 18 months but I'm only up to 5 months in his 1 yr. old scrapbook
-Making peace with my house not being (and that it will never be) clean all at once while we have young kids
-Singing "Itzsy Bitsy Spider" to make Steven laugh in a grocery aisle
-Stocking up on Easter Candy
-Eating at Chick-Fil-A
-Being a list person: to-do lists, grocery lists, house project lists- I like them all!
-I look forward to cleaning out our closets
-Love getting my hair cut
-Sharing every last detail when I tell a story
-Being obsessed with my blog
-Stealing away for a long weekend in New York City with my husband

18 Month "Portraits"

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com


I decided to put my photography skills to the test this last Saturday and take Steven's 18 month pictures myself instead of going to a studio. He's just not the sit-still-and-smile-for-the-camera kind of kid, and we like outside shots so much better. We took Steven to a duck pond-- ducks are one of his favorite animals and he enjoys quacking everyday. It was the hottest it's been this spring in Houston (low 80's) so we changed him into shorts before we hit the playground. His cheeks are a little flushed from all the activity. It's also allergy season here- pollen count is cray high- so excuse his runny nose. The montage is only a little over two minutes and the better shots are more towards the middle with pics of Steven and I at the end. I have so much more respect for professional photographers that will take pictures outside-- the lighting is tricky!

My Brown-Eyed Boy

Steven turned 1 1/2 years on March 2. I personally like and still say 18 months because I just can't believe how old he's gotten and counting his age in years sounds so much older than in months...don't you think? I can probably only get away with that until he's two. Charlton's said the other day something about Steven's birthday not being that far away and that was the first time it hit me that he'll be 2 in less than 6 months.

I'm actually not sad that he's getting older even though it might sound that way; every month is more and more fun and I definitely enjoy him being able to do and talk more. He says about 25 words now and can use a fork or spoon to eat just about everything-- that is when he chooses to eat. I've had a rough time getting him to eat at all this week. Even the safety foods like homemade mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and fruit that I can always fall back on don't work. There is definitely something wrong when Steven refuses fruit. He's getting his last two eye teeth in on top and I'm assuming that's why he refusing food almost completely-- supposedly they are the worst to get in and I think Steven would agree. Guess we'll just have to wait til these come in and we'll be done with teething until he gets his two yr molars. I won't miss teething when he's done!

Steven's still very social and loves playing with other kids. He usually greets each one as they join us at the neighborhood playground. I have noticed that in the last few weeks, he's developed more awareness of others and hangs back a few minutes to evaluate the situation before jumping in. He's still as curious and adventurous as ever though, and he has several battle scars now to prove it. He loves being outside and we have been enjoying the convenience of his sand and water table in the back yard. He gets sand all over him and everything else since he thinks that it's in there to be moved and thrown elsewhere.

We went to Steven's 18 month well-visit last week and he stayed in the same percentile for weight (which reads skinny), but made an impressive jump in height from 50 to 75% percentile in height. Considering Charlton's height, this was not that surprising but Steven's always been in the 50% for height since birth and I have been expecting him to take after Dad at some point. For this reason I look forward to every well visit to see when it will show itself and at this appointment it did.

Weight: 25 lbs, 3 oz. (25-50%)

Height: 33 inches (75%)

Children's Museum

Several weeks ago on a rainy Saturday, we took our first trip to the children's museum. Unfortunately, everyone else in Houston had the same idea, so it was a little packed. We still had fun exploring the different activities as you can see from the pictures. Steven's favorites were the grocery store (he's really into sorting things) and the (live) chicks-- our kid LOVES animals. I don't know if you can tell but he has a look of pure joy on his face and had plastered himself to the glass when he realized there were animals inside the case.


Steven also learned how to milk a (not live- in case you were wondering) cow. Thankfully, there isn't a picture of my face, because I'll admit to being a little weirded-out on this one. I can't help it...I'm a city girl. Who knows when he'll ever have to use that skill set, so we'll just say that our trip was very educational- just a like a museum should be.

Back in the Saddle Again

I've been avoiding my blog lately because I didn't want to fool with uploading my pics to the mac- for fear of deleting them and that I wouldn't be able to figure it out and waste my time. Hey, I'm a busy girl! But since it seems that I'll never get my computer back and Charlton got me an attachment for my memory card, I decided to embark on the adventure. Plus, I really want to learn all the cool stuff you can do with pics and video on a mac-- and I know it's gonna take some time so I guess I'll start now. I took these of Steven last week. He is wearing a t-shirt that use to be Charlton's- check out the back; Popo went to Texas Tech so that explains the front. I guess you could say that Steven's into vintage right now. Doesn't he look cute?

These books were a birthday gift from a friend (thanks, Kathryn) and they are his favorite thing to play with right now. They came in a box and every book has words and pictures to go with each letter of the alphabet- so there are 26 books. We love them! He takes them out one by one, then puts them back in, then back out again...you get the picture. I find them everywhere- under and in his crib, in his laundry basket, in the toy box, behind chairs...and I'll find him in his room looking through them pointing at the pictures. They are so great now that he's really starting to talk- I use them kind of like flash cards while we look at the pictures. One of them he was roaring at the other day which made me curious since it was "U"- I can't think of anything that starts with U that would roar- but sure enough there was a picture of a lion playing a ukulele. Smart kid! Like Father like son...