Freaked

Wilson had a hard day today. Really, I had a hard day today. It included me having a break-down in front of Wilson's crib manifested by bawling on the floor. That's a different story though, not what I came to write about.

So tonight we put him down for bed and I was watching TV out in the front room. A while later I started hearing scratching from somewhere. Ryan was gone walking the dogs so I was all alone. I thought it was the neighbors at first doing something in their back yard. Then it kept happening. Then I started hearing knocking. It sounded like it was coming from the back wall in our house so I started to get a little freaked out.

Another backstory: When Wilson was just barely born I had my own Mitchell from Modern Family experience where I thought I heard someone out in the front room and then go into his room on the baby monitor. Well, I was so freaked out that I didn't even get out of bed to save my son. I was too freaking scared to GET OUT OF BED and save my son. I know, WOW. To be fair, I was sleep deprived and had convinced myself that I was hallucinating the sounds... But let's just say that I was relieved when (after I had gone back to sleep) he woke up crying and hungry a few hours later.

And we're back. recap: I was home alone, scared that someone was in my backyard/house and going to kill me... The knocking continued, then I realized it was coming from the baby monitor. Well, I didn't want to have another Mitchell moment so I got up the courage to open the door to Wilson's room and check on him even though he had been quiet for an hour. Well, apparently (although he had not made a sound for the last hour) he had gotten bored in the dark and had stuck his foot out of the back side of the crib and was kicking the wall.... I walked over to him and he just smiled, eyes wide open. What a brat.

Conversations Between Parents

Let me set the scene:

I'm doing the dishes at the sink with the dishwasher open next to me. Ryan is at the stove. Wilson is at the open dishwasher taking out the silverware and dropping it on the floor. He then takes out a knife and drops it on my foot.

Lacee: "Ow! Ryan!!"

He rushes over and gets Wilson before he has any more accidents.

Lacee: "This is Ryan's parenting technique, (said with zero conviction) 'Wilson. Don't. Stop'."

Ryan: "Well your parenting technique goes, 'Ryan! Come and get him!'"

Nice. I'm a horrible parent.

Adventures in Humility

I'm a fairly athletic person. Was. I was a fairly athletic person. But since I've had Wilson I've put on a "few" extra pounds and haven't really worked out hard. I've gone running, and walking, and played volleyball a few times, but those are pretty easy sports to pick up. I grossly underestimated the difficulty of soccer.

A friend I used to work with at Home Depot put on Facebook that she was looking for some more girls to play soccer in her co-ed team. I played  in 4th grade... seems like a good fit, right? She assured me that she hadn't played soccer in about as long, and she was also really out of shape so I would still be welcome.

I had my first game yesterday. I assure you, I was amazing. But not really. The part that I keep thinking about and just laughing is: As soon as I got in I would start running and not kidding... my upper body would get ahead of me and I would fall over. This happened FIVE times.... in about two minutes. It was quite embarrassing. Let me reiterate that NO ONE was near me... I just started running towards the ball, and I would fall over. This left my knees pretty scraped up.

I somewhat got the hang of it after those first few minutes. Running I mean. But soccer really isn't a sport that you can be good at without practice. Plus it was probably the most athletic activity I could have tried to start with since having Wilson.

Although I'm not very good, and I can't run fast anymore, and I can barely stay on my feet, I had a lot of fun. And I look forward to my games every Monday night from her on out.

Handyman

My miserable, horrific house was broken again. And neither or I are very handy. I like to pretend like I am, but Ryan would much rather just call someone to fix it. Our dead bolt broke the other day and I couldn't open the door. It was pretty ghetto for a bit there. People that came over had to come in through the garage. Classy. I really didn't want to call a lock smith to come fix it because I really thought dead bolts would be a pretty easy change out. 

So with the help of the one Jones (but really James) who showed me how to take the old one out, I went to Lowes and bought me a new dead bolt! And installed it myself!! 

Is it weird how happy things like this make me?

First Halloween

Wilson was a gorilla for his very first Halloween. Grandma bought him this adorable suit, and we planned to make him carry around a Barbie and be King Kong... but he wouldn't hold on to the doll, and then Joan got a hold of it and chewed it apart and made the hair a teased mess.

We put him in the suit a couple of times during the month so make sure that he wouldn't freak out. He was totally fine, just went about his business looking like a gorilla. Adorable. 

Our ward had a Halloween Carnival on the 22nd so we dressed Wilson up and took him. He lasted about 10 minutes because he was VERY fussy that night and the building was ridiculously hot so he was just sweating in the suit. Ryan's parents had a Trunk-or-Treat on Friday so we dressed him up again and took him up there. It was freezing that night so he was totally fine. He was terrified of Grandpa in his inflatable cowboy hat and would NOT look at him. And Grandma's car was decorated with a ghost in the trunk, and that made him cry. Courtney pointed out that he might have his dad's affinity for Halloween. Super.

Last night (the Mormon Halloween), We didn't dress Wilson up because we weren't going Trick-or-Treating. Ryan and I won't/can't eat candy... and Wilson is far to young so we figured there was no point. Same as last year and the year before, we BARELY had anyone come to our door. For living in such a young neighborhood I find this utterly ridiculous. When we did have trick-or-treaters, Wilson just looked at the door very quizzically and continued playing. 

Part of me feels bad that we didn't make his "First Halloween" a big deal... but he really had no reason to enjoy it anyway. 

Dis-Ney-Land

Lets start with a blurry family picture.

Three full days at the wonderful Disneyland with the Jones family.... It was pretty fantastic, I won't lie. This was Ryan's first airplane trip with the little man. We started out with a lovely 2 hour flight delay in the SLC airport. I was hoping Wilson would sleep during the flight, but the bump messed up that plan pretty bad. He basically didn't have a nap all day and only fell asleep 30 minutes before we landed.

The first thing we did once getting to the hotel was eat. We were with the Jones family after all. Once getting some sustenance, then we headed over to California Adventure. Wilson's very first ride was Flicks Flyers (pictured below), which we headed to after we found out that babies aren't even allowed in Tower of Terror. What? Then Ryan's parents offered to watch Wilson so we could enjoy Tower of Terror. Well, I forgot to fill Wilson's bottle up with water before we left (which sadly happens quite often) so I text Audree that if Wilson got fussy he'd need one so they might need to find some water. Well when we got out of the ride Audree was giggling and was very hesitant to tell us that the vendors had run out of water and Wilson kept coughing and coughing so Audree had bought some orange Fanta.... and put it in his bottle... Apparently he guzzled it down and then let out the loudest burp she's ever heard.

Back in the Hotel we realized that Wilson didn't really have his own space to sleep because there wasn't really a door to the bathroom. But The Grand Californian did provide us with a pack N play that fit perfectly in the closet. Unfortunately, Wilson still had A LOT of trouble sleeping.

Monday, Disneyland was ridiculously packed. We went on Haunted Mansion which is decorated for Nightmare Before Christmas. Wilson was VERY nervous in there. It also broke down in the middle of it. Then we thought we'd freak out Wilson a little more so we got in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. It was right in the middle of Wilson's nap and he was hungry (once again had no water) so he was screaming from the time we got on the ride to the point right before the first drop with the talking skeleton. Then he stopped and we didn't hear him for the rest of the ride. When it was light again we noticed that he was asleep.... so basically he was so terrified of the talking skeleton that he passed out from fear. Great parenting. That night we were right behind the castle for the fireworks, so we didn't understand the storyline, but the show was cool. Wilson was once again unresponsive.

Tuesday was the wonderful "Magic Morning" when we got to enter the park before the general public and ride Ghost Galaxy (Space Mountain) then headed to Fantasyland for Wilson to experience Pinocchio (which is terrifying) and Dumbo... they give you a feather... ha ha. Growing up I always remember Thunder Mountain being AWESOME, sitting in the front row I gotta say that ride was L.A.M.E.  Then we met Britney, Mike, Zoey, and Felix and rode some other rides... blah blah... THEN we went to The Bayou to eat.... EXPENSIVE. The menu they have online I believe is an old one, so I was not prepared to pay that much for Lunch. I was cheap, and ordered a kids meal to share with Wilson and Ryan ended up ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. Typical. Britney let me try her Monte Christo and it really was delicious. They kicked us out of the park early on Tuesday because they were having a trick-or-treating night. World of Color at California Adventure (night picture with Wilson at the fence) was fun... but we didn't realize they had a projection on the water so we missed the point.

We were leaving on Wednesday, but we spent the morning in both parks. We wend on Small World again with the whole family. Mostly because the day before when I had gone with Wilson and Ryan I had to go to the bathroom SO BAD that I couldn't enjoy it at all. 

Summary - 

Favorite things: being in the park at night and riding The Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, Eating foooooood.

New things: Despite having been to Disneyland quite a few times, I never remember Small World, The train around the park, OR Tom Sayer Island.

All-in-all it was a good time. Wilson was too young to understand what was going on so he really had no reaction to any of the rides. His face stayed exactly the same on every ride as in that first picture with he and ryan. We also realized that a stroller is a waste of time because you constantly have to take them in and out of it because you can't take it in any lines. We wore him in the Bjiorn almost the entire time, and Wilson REALLY enjoys being on dads shoulders. 

*** I'm too lazy to edit this so you can all just deal with the typos***

9 Months

What's new with this guy?? He's still fantastic. He has two bottom teeth. When I get him out of his crib he always cuddles up to me. He sleeps to Enya every night. He's started chewing his crib. He can say 'ba' and 'da' and he LOVES to growl. He's started to crawl for real now, although he'll still drop down and army crawl if he's in a hurry. He can pull himself up really well. He likes to try to share by sticking things in your face, but he never actually lets go of the item and will yank it back if you try to take it. He loves to open and shut doors. 

It's been really fun watching him grow up. How he tries to figure things out, the concentration he puts into it. He's eating like a champ, and he LOVES fruit. Peaches and bananas especially. People keep saying he entering the hard stage, but I love him being mobile! I love how he follows us around the house, and he loves to play "peek-a-boo" with us. He's even crawled to the dog bowls a couple of times and managed to get their food into his mouth. Gross. 

Blog Worthy

Ryan becomes obsessed with places to eat all the time. I'd been trying to get him to go to Mo' Bettah Stakes, but he also doesn't try new places willingly. One day his mom and sister were picking up dinner and asked him what he wanted from Mo Bettah so he was forced to eat it if he wanted dinner. Well, it's become his new obsession.... 

He came home from grabbing food today and showed me the carton. Notice the large mound of rice? He asked if I wanted to know why it was so large... Sure, why not.

Apparently they know him when he walks in the door... usually there is quite a wait to get your food while they grill it in the back. As soon as he ordered tonight they called his name and he was a little confused so he asked why it was so fast. Well, when they see him walk in they start grilling. Awesome. 

Look at This Kid

Notice anything in these pictures? This guy is cutting some teeth! He's got two coming in on the bottom and he's been pretty okay. I mean, he's a little whiney but it hasn't been too bad. Ryan is pretty upset that he's losing his 'Muppet Mouth'... 

New Lows

Ryan is always asking me when certain events are during any given month. I always direct him to the chalkboard that is on the wall ask you walk in from the garage. He keeps saying that he doesn't ever look at it because it's not in a convenient place. He walks by it every day. At least twice... but it's not in a convenient place. So this month I decided to bring him to it when I was done and map the whole thing our for him. I didn't anticipate him wanting to contribute...

It just about killed me to let him write "October DisneyL.A.nd" It doesn't match anywhere and I'm not particularly fond of his handwriting. Why did he capitalize LA? Because it's in Los Angeles.  AND THEN he proceeded to write SePtEmBeR just to annoy me. He was going to write more, so I had to tell him that this was a 'read only' document. Then he gave himself a reminder... 

I wish I wasn't so OCD

While I Can't Sleep

While I"m waiting for some diapers to wash (so Wilson has clean 'undies' in the morning) I'm sitting in my dark house early thinking... HEY! I could blog! Joan/Karl is in the crate next to me, and one of them must be having a dream because they are faintly barking in a distressed manner. It's kind of funny.

Anyway... Ryan and I went shopping last night at Old Navy, and I guess I was taking too long because Ryan decided he wanted to go next door to Toys R Us. Next thing I know I get this picture begging me to let Ryan buy it for him...

It was a little jet ski on wheels. I'll admit, it was adorable... I mean, look how happy that kid is! But the sensible part of me realized that Wilson is way to young for it.... and we don't need it. So we put it back on the shelf and walked away. Wilson started whining pretty bad when we were walking out... but after about 20 seconds he forgot why and was his happy self again. It's a good thing babies have the memory of a goldfish. I now just have these images to haunt me.

He's Mobile!! (kind of)

First, Wilson REALLY likes this brightly colored water bottle I bought this month. Anytime it's around him he's always reaching out for it or freaking out if he can't get to it. I thought using it would be a good test of his mobility and I was right. He's figuring out the 'crawling' and I bet he'll be a full fledged mover by the end of next week! I'm still not sure if that's a good or a bad thing....

Holy Awesome

Quote from the Artist:

"I recycle old unwanted paintings or drawings and make them new again! Imagine a 70’s painting with dull trees, lack luster stream and horribly faded pinkish mountains in the background. Nobody wants that unless the real Bob Ross comes with it! 
Now imagine that same painting but with a slew of bloody zombies coming right at you. Who wouldn’t want to keep these old relics out of the landfill and onto their walls? All my painting and drawings are inspired by creepy mythological (and some I am certain are real) creatures."

http://www.katsmurals.com/creepy-art.php

So I'm pretty excited for the upcoming Craft Lake City, and I'm looking for volunteers to accompany me!?!?

Hipsta Pictures of Mowgli

He eats his feet

He looks real cute

He can grow a mustache and look like a Cuban

Unfortunately he likes dogs

He looks real cute

He can sit up on his own

He eats tomatoes

He's pensive (thanks 10 Things I Hate About You)

He has real blue eyes

He sleeps real cute

Lunch

Wilson had a wonderful time munching on spinach and tomatoes for lunch. He pretty much immediately pushed the cheese off the tray... Well, really he pushed pretty much everything off the tray except one tomato slice and one spinach leaf. This morning he did the same thing with the eggs and most of the toast I gave him. He's a champ.

Awesome Mother Award

So imagine you have your baby nestled into his carseat sitting on the top basket of this little baby....

Got it? Okay... then imagine you are pushing it through the parking lot back to the cart return. So "this women I know" was doing this and not paying attention to where she was going, when lo and behold the front wheel goes into a HUGE crack in the pavement tipping the cart forward and shooting the carseat WITH baby out onto the pavement where it rolls a couple of times... To top it off there were about six people that witnessed this and came running to make sure the baby was okay. 

Luckly Wilson, (well of course it was me) was sound asleep and strapped in very snug and slept through the whole thing. 

I'm Back

I was gone for two and a half weeks if you didn't notice. I went on a SUPER vacation with Wilson back to Arizona. I stayed with my sister for a few days in Glendale and then we drove up to the Steele Family cabin for the annual two week extravaganza... (which is usually three weeks, but oh well). This is the first year that I'm not working so I actually got to stay the whole time with the family rather than the lame weekend that I stayed the other years...

So what happened?

- My nephew Gavin got baptized
- Hiked Escudilla
- Walked to Tin Star
- Went grocery shopping with Tripp
- Hiked to the lakes behind the cabin
- Took pictures
- Got the flu for the first time since I can't even remember
- Watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Funny)
- Remembered how amazing the first Willy Wonka is (Hilarious)
- Fell in love with the game Canasta (group anyone???)

- Turned my body to mush with a too soft bed that I shouldn't have convinced my family to let me have

- Almost won Settlers of Catan
- Watched Tripp drop trou and pee right in front of me (really, at me)
- Looked at the stars
- Counted down the hours until Ryan got there
- Drove to St. George
- Took Wilson swimming for the first time

And now I'm home... Which I'm pretty happy about, my bed is amazing. Maybe I'll post pictures. Maybe I won't. I'm too tired right now and need to just go to sleep.

So Stinkin' Cute

Thought I'd do a little comparison. The first picture was taken January 8th (one month)

This picture was taken June 27th. (6 1/2 months)

He as definitely filled out. He has much more personality, and he is STILL stinking adorable.

Unfortunately he has lost his red hair... sad day.

Happy Guy

This is how this guy wakes up from his naps... which is wonderful. This morning I even heard him awake and just jabbering away by himself until Ryan decided he wanted to bring him in our bed and cuddle. He's still pretty easy to get to sleep, it's just staying asleep that's the problem. He'll  wake up every 3-5 hours during the night to eat. This is when I wish I was still nursing, because waking up and making a bottle is just annoying.  And he DOES NOT wake up this happy when he's hungry....

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hey look!! That Hipstamatic camera is back!

Ryan insists on buzzing his head these days, and I figured spending $14 on a 'haircut' that I could probably do was a total waste. So I decided to take the plunge and buy some clippers. I was nervous at first, but really with the guards the clipper comes with it's pretty foolproof. Minus the weird bumps Ryan has on his noggin' it turned out just great.

So one haircut down and the clippers have almost paid for themselves. Sweet.

Oh, and it was quite fun... so if anyone else would like their head shaved for free... call me up.

Raspberries

He does tricks now. Like a circus animal...

One Lengthy Boy

Wilson guy is 6 months today!!!! I know everyone says it, but it has gone by SO fast. He's way more interactive these days. He can officially roll over, make spitting noises, and squawk very loudly when he want's to be heard. He's also started reaching out for things that are in front of him, and he can hold his own bottle. Which is amazingly convenient. The doctor pointed out at this visit that when she was checking him he looked to me for reassurance. Which means he knows that if I'm calm he can be too, AND that he trusts me. YEA!

For the past couple of days he's even been going to sleep on his own with just a fuzzy blanket to hold and the noise machine. LOVE IT.

16.7 LBS 7 OZ (36%)

27 IN (72%)

As you can see he's now much longer than the hippo... and we actually caught a smile! It didn't hurt that Ryan was there to help with the photo this time.

The other night when Courtney was here making cupcakes, we (I really blame it all on Courtney) put a cut marshmellow on his nose. I love that he saw us all laughing so he started smiling really big too. Silly boy. Then it progressed to me drawing a pig nose on him. I'm a pretty awesome mom, I know.

Creepiest Book Ever...

It's not so much the book... it's the illustrations that creep my out. I can't help but laugh out loud at the picture of the mother driving over to her sons house with a ladder on the roof of her car so she can climb in his window at night.

They Lied

Courtney came over tonight with the above book, and had high hopes to make some adorable little chick cupcakes. The book made it seem so easy! But let me assure you, they were not. Maybe if I had all of the tools they suggested it would have worked better, but he had to just make due.

A lot of them turned out horrible. And the one pictured was the very last attempt out of 12 cupcakes. Yeah, it took us a while to figure things out.

All-in-all it was still a fun activity. It just wasn't as easy as the book would lead you to believe.

Le Weasel

I broke out the mustaches again and had a 'lil photo shoot with the man. I love him.

I also wanted to document the pink shirt he's wearing. I bought it at H&M when Ryan and I were in San Jose. It's probably been one of my favorite shirt purchases. I don't care that he's a boy. I got a little guff from my family about it, but it was worth it.

And one more thing... A friend of mine let me borrow a jumper for Wilson instead of having to buy and new one, and can I just say that I LOVE IT! It's been such a lifesaver with being able to get things done around the house and not have him laying on his back. I'm already worried about him having a dented head, but it's kinda hidden under his hair. Thanks BreAnna for letting me mooch it off you for a while!!

Tumatakbo

I 'ran' a 5K with the ladies at THE office last weekend. I feel a little bit bad because I promised Maria that I would walk it with her... and then I ran. A little bit. It was pretty gross. I can't believe how sore I was the next two days.

**bountifulortho.com**

Here is a shot of the whole group that I ran with. Don't be fooled. Dr. Feller did NOT run with us. But his wife did!

I've been struggling with the motivation to lose the baby weight for months now. I though that I would have time to exercise once I stopped working, but I find a hundred other things to do instead. Most of them include watching TV. Another friend of mine is doing a Biggest Loser contest starting on June 5th, but I didn't want to sign up and pay $50 unless I was really going to do it this time. (I say "this time" because my family did one and about the only way I participated was by sending the money. Whoops!) So I told Ryan that I would only sign up if I worked out every day until then. (I haven't, Whoops again.) He jokingly suggested that I should bet him a third dog as punishment. I laughed and walked away.

Well now I'm actually considering it. I absolutely DO NOT want a third dog. I don't really even want the two that we have already. So maybe it's just the motivation that I need. Is that crazy or a good idea?

**Did you notice that plug for the doctor?? Yeah?? Niiiiiice.**

Physical Fitness Fun

This is what it's supposed to look like...

This was my attempt...

I'm pretty much in the worst physical shape I've ever been in. I'd like to think that I could have done this 4 years ago. At least my attempt wasn't as bad as my sister, Kim.

What to do when you're OCD

I've been up since three this morning... It's now 6:10am. Why you ask? Well, mostly because Wilson woke up to eat. But then when I tried to go back to bed my mind wouldn't shut off. Now that I'm not working I've been struggling to get my days organized and together. I've spent most of my time just sitting on the couch watching TV and playing with Wilson. This is less than conducive to a clean, tidy house. My mind just kept going over and over all the crap that I need to get done. So what do you do when your mind won't shut off? Make lists. So that's just what I've been doing for the last couple of hours.

I LOVE excel spreadsheets. I love making them, I love looking at them, I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I've completed one. Because I make REALLY good ones. I promise. I also love checking things off lists... I'm OCD in the strangest ways because it's only in certain aspects of my life. Certainly not cleanliness. Just ask my family.

The above is a sample of my latest and greatest feat. I love it. Now I just need to live it. I divided the chores up by things I need to get done on a daily/weekly/quarterly basis. Each day only has two chores on it so I don't get overwhelmed. The yellow days are my days of rest, and the green days are those that I have to go into work. (I know I said I was done, but they still need me occasionally. Okay, even that's a lie. They need me everyday for some little thing.) So today is the Wednesday of week 20 so all I have to do is one load of laundry and clean the 'guest' bathroom. The goal is to get the chores done before 10am so I can go do other things the rest of the day.

And now I hear Wilson stirring in his room, so I'm going to go cuddle with him. I'm creating a monster and I don't even care...

Stories with Pictures

On Saturday I was trying to get the house clean but Wilson was being especially clingy so I had to put him in the Bjiorn. I found it exceptionally difficult to do the dishes while he was strapped on to me so Ryan offered to take him while he mowed the lawn. So while still in his PJ's and a unmatching hat, Wilson enjoyed the outdoors with Dad....

Ryan has really pretty green eyes. Apparently I'd never told him that in 4 years of knowing him so one day he came home from work and said that a co-worker of his told him they were gorgeous. I guess he was really sad that I hadn't recognized that fact. Another side note.... after being married a year Ryan decided to test me and asked what color eyes he had. I had no idea. I guessed blue. I was wrong. In my defense, I look at mouths when I'm talking to people not eyes. So you can all now be self conscious of your teeth.

I have control issues. One reason their are very few pictures of me is because I don't trust people (read: Ryan) to take good ones. They always fill the frame too much with crap and basically don't compose the picture in a pleasing way to me. I decided to relinquish control and get at least one photo of me with my baby. This is the result:

Wilson looks drunk. I think it's adorable.

The End of an Era and the Start of a New One

Well... It happened. I had to stop breastfeeding the little man. My goal was to make it until he was a year old. Not because of any health benefits (mostly) it was because I'm extremely cheap. The thought of having to buy formula makes my wallet cringe. I was really suprised with how easy it was when Wilson first was born. We went through some rough patches but I continued to pump when he wouldn't nurse and we got through them. But then I started drying up my last couple of weeks of working because I was so stressed out, and Wilson wasn't getting much milk so he was always fussy and hungry. There are only so many late night breakdowns before it just wasn't worth it anymore.

I feel guilty about it. I feel REALLY guilty because part of me thinks that if I would have just tried a little harder and pumped more often I could have gotten it back. But those last couple of weeks at the office and then an immediate trip out to DC made it not worth the stress. I thought about taking my pump with me on the vacation, but how awkward would that have been.

"I'm just going to go behind the Lincoln Memorial to pump real quick. Don't wait up"

I also feel really guilty making Wilson a formula bottle out in public. Mainly because I feel like people are judging me like I was judging them. (I never said I was particularly proud of it).

This whole thing was inevitable though. I was so judgmental about the whole nursing/formula thing that this is Gods way of teaching me a lesson. I got it... lessoned learned.... Kind of. Hopefully my next kid will latch just as easily and because I'm not working I'll last longer.

AND - The beginning of the new one:

I have entered into the realm of cloth diapering. Who guessed it would ever happen? Certainly not me or my family. I bought a complete set two weeks ago but I've just started using them because (1) you have to wash them SIX times before they start absorbing properly (wha?), and (2) I didn't want to start this endeavor while I was in DC.

So It's been one day. I haven't cleaned poop yet, but I'm confident that it won't be that big of a deal and that I can handle it. yes?

Grand ole' Flag

I took the trek to Washington DC this last week to see my dear brother graduate from dental school. It was... an adventure. Wilson didn't like the fact that there was no down time so he was pretty fussy the first couple of days. The first day we explored the Mall and went to a couple of museums. Day two consisted of going to Howard and watching Dallas walk and receive his diploma. The third day was Mount Vernon and the last day was spent at Arlington Cemetery.

I didn't feel like taking my 'real' camera so I just took pictures with my supa cool Hipstamatic. These pictures turned out way cooler than any I could have taken with the Canon so I'll count my lucky iPhone stars.

Phoblography

A friend of mine knows that I love taking pictures so she asked me to take some of her daughter that's graduating this year. I was a little intimidated, I admit. I've never taken portraits before, but I knew the perfect place for some great shots. I've been wanting to take pictures at this abandoned house by my neighborhood for a while. Thanks for giving me an excuse Amy!!

This was my favorite shot of them all... although I doubt it will work for what Amy wants it for. I just love the colors and composition. And especially the sun rays that show up in the pictures.

Love, Love, Love.

I didn't want to overload the blog with pictures, so I had to choose a couple that I really liked as options for Peyton to send in her graduation announcements....

And these last two were just some editing that I did. I don't have a fancy program to do it with so my options are limited.

I gotta say, the whole process was pretty awkward. I had no idea how to ask Peyton to pose or stand. She was asking me for direction and all I could say was "uhh, sit over there?" I'm glad I had my friend Maria there to point out some great spots for pictures!!