Fabulous Christmas!

Our Christmas was great. Along with the grandparents and Aunt Ros, we spoiled the kids. My tree was comfortably full of gifts when my Dad brought a load over. Then, it looked as though the tree threw up paper and bows all over my living room. The kids had a great time tearing into them Christmas morning.

Ayden was the first to grab the clue that Santa left behind.

It's been fun watching the kids play together with their toys the past few days. Ayden & Ayv were setting up security in their bedrooms to prevent each other from robbing their piggy banks. Protected by Nerf gear, they succeeded keeping each other away. Santa brought Ayvarie an mp3 player, which makes our car rides pleasant. Ayden will probably object since Ayv tends to sing along with the songs. Fortunate for him, he has an mp3 player to shove in his ears, too. Ayla has been pacified with her dolls and kitty. Mr. Potato Head gets random attention, the poor guy. It's sad to think the excitement is all over now.


We'll bring in the new year with the girls as Ayden is in Morning Sun spending time with his friends. I'm looking forward to another long weekend.

As I rewind the year's stash of pics and work through them again, it's fun to see all that we accomplished and how big the kids have grown.

Ayla sleeping in the warm November sun.

If I don't get the chance to post again in 2008, I wish you the best for 2009!

-Rox

Santa Baby

Last weekend, we visited Santa, and one of us acted like a baby. And, no, it was not me!
Ayla will now tell you that she "cried on Santa's lap". She keeps telling us that she wants to ask Santa for baby bottles this Christmas. I'm thankful she's not asking for an iPod, yet!

We were lucky enough to be entertained by these goofballs while there, too!

My sis with Ayla. She always throws these crazy looks with her eyes.I hope to post more this month. Currently, I am finishing up Christmas cards for clients and fulfilling orders. Then, I'll take some time to go through my personal pictures this year and hopefully post some more!

Isn't Florida supposed to be warmer than IA?

It must have been all in my mind, but the 60's in Florida felt nearly the same as walking off of the plane last night to the 30's of Iowa. Windy days and nights made the 60's feel much cooler. Unfortunately, I only packed one sweater and my poor co-workers were subjected to it all week. It will be stored in the closet indefinitely at this point!

Here is an evening reflection at the Coronado Springs Resort. You can see the point of the Dolphin resort in the background, which is where the PRIM&R Conference that I attended was held.Steam rolled off the pond in the mornings since the water was warm and the air was so cool.

Most nights were spent at Downtown Disney. I had a great time acquiring some Christmas gifts for the kids while there. A few of us managed to get to a Disney park on Monday night. What is the point of staying at a Disney resort if you don't take advantage of the awesome transportation to and from the attractions? Magic Kingdom happened to be open for extra "magical hours" to those staying at the resorts on Monday. So, it seemed worthwhile to actually invest the money and go.

Cinderella's castle was beautiful! I loved the fireworks!I can't decide which color(s) with sparkles I like best. Which one would you choose?...with Mickey and Minnie.I am just happy that the colors were so vibrant SOOC that I didn't need to edit!

I'll be back...

I'm heading out in the morning for Orlando. If you need to get a hold of me, I'm hoping to access email from somewhere while I'm away - if only for a minute or two. I will return to my normal programming next Thursday!

Stay warm!

Ugh! Snow!

We woke up to snow on the ground this morning. It melted, only to allow more to fall and accumulate this afternoon. Only a week ago (not even, really), I was able to snap these shots...as well as the ones above in my new header.
I'm so glad Ayvarie wanted to "model" for her 6-year pics. I just wish Ayla would have been cooperative that day. It was gorgeous outside!

Can Santa vote?

That was the question Ayvarie asked me on our way home from gymnastics and dance tonight. We proceeded to discuss our rights and the voting laws. At only six years old, I'm glad that she's interested! Another inquiry she made was, "Is Obama the one that is going to raise taxis?" Well I don't know of anyone raising taxis except Superman, but who knows. It seems anything can happen. Although I'm ready for this election to be over, I look forward to my kids' continued attention to our government and hope that they keep asking questions and seeking answers.

I just had to document Ayv's comments from today just as I did when Ayden was less than 3 years old. We drove by Applebee's and I mentioned to Levi that it looked like we couldn't get in (meaning it was very busy). Ayden replied, "They don't have any doors?" Kids' comments are wonderful!

November. Really???

Well, the hustle and bustle of October is over (sort of). I have two photo shoots this weekend, lots of edits, you know the usual stuff. We signed Ayvarie up for a gymnastics meet at the beginning of December, so she'll be practicing all this month for it.

Last night, we took the kids out trick-or-treating. And by "we", I mean Levi & I!!! It was the first year that I remember taking the kids out since Ayden's first year of trick-or-treating. I was stuck home on two different occasions tending to wee little babies while handing out candy. The reamining of the past many years was simply being home to give treats to the ghosts, goblins, and Hannah Montanas in the neighborhood. Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for sticking around our house to hand out the goods this year!

My little ballerina.

My pop star.My robot.


Happy (belated) Halloween!

A special moment for me!

The little one wanted to sit for me and get her picture taken this afternoon! I was NOT prepared for it, so we did an impromptu mini-shoot on one of the stray desk chairs in my "office". It would be wonderful if she gets this bug again...this weekend, maybe?

(I'm pretty sure Grandma & Grandpa will love these!)

Consecutive Birthdays

Here is the today's birthday girl in self-assembled piggy tails! Today added another full year to Ayvarie's age. She is now 6! With Ayla turning 2 yesterday and Ayvarie's birthday today, we had to have some sort of celebration, so the grandparents and Ayvarie's "Rossie" came over.

I've never claimed to be Betty Crocker or the like, so Papa Murphy's supplied supper for us. I intended on making a wonderful chocolate castle cake. However, I either didn't let it sit long enough to cool or it was simply too moist. It crumbled out of the cake pan into a heap on the plate. We improvised and had crumbled cake with melted fudge frosting topped with a dollop of ice cream for dessert. I gave up on the candles, but did sing a crazy rendition of "Happy Birthday" to Ayv. We'll have a more elaborate celebration this weekend with hopefully a few friends and family. Nothing like planning at the last minute!

And here is Ayla enjoying her new birthday present last night. She loves it!!!And a sweet kiss goodnight...

My baby is 2 today.

Isn't she just precious (or sassy)? On the way home from daycare, I sang "Happy Birthday" to her...the whole way! She kept saying, "again", after each serenade. For some reason, she preferred the version that contained a phrase about a monkey.

When the kids arrived home from school, Ayvarie asked her whose birthday it was. Ayla's response was, "Ayla's birthday" (in her cutest of cute toddler voice). When asked, "How old are you?", she replied, "two". Smart girl.

It just started raining here. Argh! I was looking forward to a dry night for our last round of football games. I can only hope it stops raining in the next half hour.

To Ayla: Happy Birthday to you, my little bean!

Soccer Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Grandpa, Grandma, Rossie...

Lately we've been supporters of soccer (some of us, anyway). Ayvarie really enjoys it! Since they didn't do sports pics this fall, I took a few of my own. Not sure which I like best.Ayv in action. Although her leg is cut off in the picture - I still love the action! On the sidelines and a big smile from Ayla (not directed at me and the camera, of course).I'm posting a few from today's session on the Imaging Rox blog. Be sure to check them out!!!

Breathe...breathe

I can breathe regularly now that I have another session posted. I've neglected posting personal pics because of it. Here's a picture of Ayvarie that I took about a week ago. Sweet and simple. I have been very busy this past week...and weekend. Isn't that my usual post? We had to go grocery shopping Sunday morning of all times! I had multiple photography sessions this weekend, the kids' sporting events (as usual), and I have spent a lot of time on the computer - but not for personal use. No, I'm not complaining at all. Having photography biz to fill my time is pretty darn rewarding.

Ayla is testing us with bits and pieces of the terrible twos. I sure hope it doesn't linger. Not sure that I remember the other two ever acting like this - screaming, hitting, throwing, (thankfully no biting), etc. The one thing that will bring her down off of her throne is putting in some Hannah Montana. We get to listen to it in ultra stereo via the speakers, Ayvarie, and Ayla, too! She loves to sing. It's no wonder considering all Ayvarie does is sing, dance, and jump around throughout the house.

I'd better join the family in the land of slumber.

It's all about action.

I LOVE this shot.

A bit grungy.
Ayla followed Ayvarie around with interest in being photographed, but chickened out when it came to her turn. I'm not sure how I'm going to capture her 2 year pics in less than a month (I can't believe it).

As you can see, I messed around today (for the short bit of time I had) with some new actions. I LOVE them. A couple of them have been worked up before (see Ayden and windmills below). I prefer my new windmill pic for sure. Not sure which of Ayden's edits I like better.

During the rest of my day, I tried to get some housework done, did some birthday shopping for a party Ayvarie is invited to this weekend, took Ayv to dance, played with Ayla during that time, and took time to meet up with my sister for supper. Our schedule for the rest of the week/weekend is just as busy...but with scheduled things such as get-togethers, meetings, Clover Kids, ball games, and practices. Whew! And I'm supposed to find time to edit pictures? No doubt I will.

Rock Star.

The kids must be lacking attention because they asked to have their pictures taken. Who am I to deny them?

He is sure growing up!Look at that hair.Here's my Rock Star!I absolutely love this one!