10 weeks

i. adore. this. photo.

i had a lil' 10 week photo session with my gal and while i am pretty sure this little smirk is my favorite, i can't resist all the other cute faces she showed me.

love those toes.

and those chubby little cheeks.

oh, and her gorgeous baby blues.

i just think she is so sweet ;)

her smile stretches across her whole face.

and it usually involves that milk-covered tongue....

but when she is truly delighted, she wrinkles up that nose!

she is getting so strong.

we are spending more time on our tummy so we can keep strengthening those neck muscles. 

oh and i love having the christmas tree in the background......aren't the lights just so twinkly?

  i am snuggling this precious sweetie as we speak and praying her cold leaves quickly so she can breathe, eat and sleep again......

happy christmas all! 

SNOW!

last week we got our first snow of the season, which also happened to be the largest snow that hendrix has ever gotten the chance to play in.  last year we only had snow one time and it was only about an inch and didn't even last a whole day.  this year, we got about 8 inches in two days and the whole town shut down with a blizzard warning, giving both mommy and daddy the opportunity to stay home and play all day!  it was great ;)

hendrix had been talking about snow ever since he started watching christmas movies like frosty the snowman and rudolph the red nosed reindeer, and he had told me that he was going to play in the snow, and throw snowballs, and make snow angels. 

 i don't think that he remembered snow at all as he was so fascinated with it.  

he loved throwing it around, swiping off the steps, stomping in the big drifts, and then (with a little help from mommy) throwing snowballs at daddy!

it was windy and really cold.  

we planned to only stay outside for like 10 minutes or so, but he refused to go inside, even when he was freezing.

and then after he did, we had to go back outside several times throughout the day.  he begs and begs to play in the snow all. day. long. 

he spent a good deal of time outside again yesterday with daddy, though it was much warmer and more enjoyable to be out.  they made a little snowman, which hendrix was super proud to show to mommy!

we are thinking that if we are brave enough, and if the weather cooperates, we may go sledding as a family tomorrow.  

hendrix is going to love it!

the mundane

as a photographer, i find myself overthinking taking photos of my kids.  i want to make sure they are dressed perfectly, that it's the right time of day to get nice even lighting without flash, that the background of the photo will not be too distracting.....it goes on and on.  

i also find the hassle of my 'good' camera negates my desire to capture the moment more often than not, so i just leave it in the van, or at home.  

as a mom, i need to throw all these excuses out the window and just capture moments.  

moments of our daily lives.

moments that are truly mundane, but that make our family what it is.

i want to capture blaire's pudgy little cheeks when she is in the mood to smile, not just during a staged photoshoot. 

i want to catch that sneaky little grin that means he is plotting his next mischief.

  

i want to see all those cute little headbands and hair pieces when they are falling down into her eyes and over her ears (that is where they end up more often than not....) lol

i want to capture my family members interacting with each other in a truly natural and unstaged way......hanging out, snuggling, chatting, loving.

i want to remember the chaos and mess of having two little children, even though it can be a tad bit overwhelming at times.....

i want to capture the concentration and deliberation that goes into all of his masterpieces.

i want to remember fun days of jammie wearing til noon....

and the endless hours hendrix has spent begging to watch movies on the iPad, computer, or tv.

i want to capture every cute little outfit that my kids own before they outgrow them (and for miss blaire there are some things that she is barely getting to wear twice before they go in the bin of goods to consign....)

but most of all, i want to remember that in the midst of all the craziness that is currently our life; we have lots of really fun and special moments.  

moments in which time seems to stand still for just a second.

and i take a deep breathe and cherish how truly blessed we are to have two beautiful healthy kids who love life. 

  

so excuse the phone quality photos, and enjoy taking a small trip through the mundane in my life,  

for it is all the little mundane moments that make my life what it is, 

and for that i am truly thankful.

christmas cheer

i finally got our christmas cards mailed out (after sitting on my dining room table for nearly two weeks while i updated my address list to print labels) and i must admit that i am thrilled with how they turned out this year!

designing and sending out christmas cards is one of my favorite parts of this time of year; and while i opted not to use the holiday photos that i took of my kiddos, i still had a tough time narrowing it down to just four photos.  i am in awe of those who can pick just one!  ;)

these are from pear tree greetings, and i love the newsletter feel that my cards have this year.  it seemed like a perfect fit for announcing the arrival of our new little girl without leaving anyone else in our growing family out ;)

(front)

(back)

warm holiday wishes for a very merry christmas from my family to yours!

linking up with:

happy holidays!

the holidays have been exceptionally busy for our little family this year.  i think that having two instead of one is a big part of it, but another part of it is that mommy has really grown her photography business, red wagon design, and so many people wanted to get squeezed into a short time period to get family christmas card photos!

to help accommodate all the interest and my very tight schedule, i did a whole weekend of christmas mini sessions.  i had a few setups in my home, and just scheduled families back to back, shooting in the same spot over and over.  you can check out some of the photos here, though i am still working my way through editing and posting the rest of them.  it was so fun to see all the cute little christmas outfits, and of course, i had to try out my sets with my own very adorable littles ;)

hendrix is starting to get tired of being a little poser for mommy, and he prefers to walk away and let me just photograph blaire.  while i am happy to spend time focusing on her precious little features, it makes trying to get a photo of the two of them a very. large. task.  ;)   

blaire really loves all the lights of the season.  she spends lots of time laying on the floor, just looking at the christmas tree.  she also is bombarded with christmas music, jingle bells, and the classic holiday movies (rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and frosty the snowman have been at our house from the library for the last couple weeks).  her sweet little spirit is such a joy, and i am so thankful for the blessing that she is to our family!

her eyes are so bright, and seem to be staying blue.....we will see!  ;)

i love her sweet little smiles too....when she is really happy there is a little bit of tongue hanging out too!

daddy really gets the best smiles from her, but she is one happy lil' gal.

hendrix is such a great brother.  he loves to talk to her, and asks about her all the time.  when she does have any fussy moments, he sweetly tells her 'blaire, it's okay', and tries to shove her paci back in her mouth for her. sometimes this aggravates her even more, but i really do appreciate the gesture!  ;)  

he wants her to play down in the playroom with him now, and we let her sit in her bouncy seat so she can watch us play with blocks, trains, and other loud obnoxious toys.  hendrix is really getting into pretend play, and he likes to make up stories about what he is doing, or where we are going, or who he is.  it is fun to see his imagination explode, and he has the language to tell me all about it.  ;)  he makes me chuckle on a regular basis!

  

hendrix is really proud of our christmas tree as he was the one who picked it out at the christmas tree farm.  and he loves pointing out all the lights on everyone's houses and in their yards as we drive through town.  he says things like "look, mommy, how pretty" and "wow, look at this one" or "amazing!"  his enthusiasm is contagious, and it is fun to see the christmas excitement through fresh eyes all over again.  i thought that he was at a fun age last year, but this one seems to be topping it!

he also is really getting into santa this year.  perhaps because of the movies and books, he is so familiar with who he is (actually he knows all the reindeer's names just as well), and anytime he sees a santa around town somewhere he says "merry christmas!"

we have been talking alot about snow, and i hope for his sake that we do get some this weekend like they are projecting.  we didn't get enough last year for him to really get to play in, and i am surprised that he even really remembers what it is.  he wants to go sledding and make snow angels he told me.  yesterday when we were driving and it was raining, i told him that when it gets really cold, the rain turns into snow.  his response was "oh, cool".  and then two minutes later he said, "mommy caterpillars, cold, butterflies?".  ummm.....yeah, kind of like that, dude.  nice connection. ;)

well, hopefully that updates you a tiny bit on what our little family is up to right now.......warm holiday wishes to you and yours!  may this season be one of blessings and joy ;)