Recommended Reading

For anyone out there that loves a great book, I highly recommend My Sister's Keeper (click title for details). I have found reading while I'm pumping at work to be very relaxing. I had come across this book a while back but never had time to read. I just finished during my lunch break today and all I can say is WOW. In summary, it's about a girl who was genetically conceived to be a "match" for her older sister who has some rare form of cancer. The idea was the cord blood would be used to save the older sister. Well, as time progresses, the sister's health deterioarates and various procedures are needed, requiring the younger sister to be the doner. So, where do you draw the line?

We are gearing up for another big weekend. Mackie has her first bday party that only she was invited to, not her big sis as well. This will give her something special since so many times it's the reverse. And, it's for her best friend Shainey. Schuyler has her dance recital on Sunday. Can't wait to see her all dolled up. Eli will be baptized on Sunday. Every child has something special this weekend.

I'm hoping tonight I will get my mother's day present. I wanted Mark to take some pics of me and the kids. Just playing and goofing off like we normally do. Cross your fingers that time permits this as well as happy kids!


Here are some pics of some handsome 'lil men. The one is obviously mine and the other is one of my best friend's boys. He was so delightful to work with. Thank you Miss A for letting me capture him. Hope you are enjoying them!

Our BIG baby boy!

Eli had his 4 month Dr. appt on Tuesday. He is a BIG baby boy. Eli weighed in at 17lbs 5 oz and is 27 1/4 in long. This is 90 -95 % for weight and 97% for height. They measured his length twice b/c they couldn't believe it. He is one healthy little boy and also doing well developmentally. If he continues on this curve, he would be 6'4'' or 6'5'' when he is an adult. We'll see if he continues. He is the size of an average 7 month old. This would explain why he is in 6 - 12 mo clothing!

Any fellow Lincolnites here of a van stalled at 48th and O yesterday. That was me! Went to leave work yesterday around 3:30 and the van would not start. Nothing. I was able to get a gentleman from our maintenance dept to jump it for me. Let it run for 4-5 minutes in the parking lot and off I went. Well, I got to 48th and O and it went dead. For those of you not familiar with Lincoln, I work at approx 57th and O, so I didn't make it far. And, these are extremely busy streets. Luckily, I have my cell phone AND it's charged (this is rare for me). A police offer stops to assist. Mark was able to adjust his schedule since I was picking up the girls for Schuyler's dentist appt. Russwood Chrysler has informed us it is the battery only. Yeah!

In spite of all this drama, I was still able to make it to Mother's Night at the Montessori. Both girls had selected work to show me. I was astonished to find out Schuyler can spell!! Pig, pan, and cup! McKenzie can peel and cut a carrot on her own, better known as carrot cutting work! They were so proud to share with their mom. It was a struggle to leave the school.

Schuyler continues to have good teeth. Plenty of spacing and a good bite. I hope she continues to take good care of them.

Does anybody have big mother's day plans? I want to go to TJ Maxx and find a new top and or shirt. Some of my clothes fit and some don't. I know eventually they will all fit again, but until that time, I'm in need of something new.

Here are a few recent snap shots of the kiddos. Mack and Eli hanging out in the backyard and Schuyler in part of her dance costume. Doesn't it look like Eli is pointing at the camera = )

Alot in 1 week!

Seems like I should be updating this blog more often as there is so much that happens in a week’s time. Our kids had “no TV” week last week. This really is not a huge deal to them as they rarely watch any TV anyway. Schuyler does enjoy American Idol but, thanks to modern technology we just DVR’d it for her. Mark is more of a TV person than I am, and I must say he reduced his TV greatly, too!

So, I’ve had many people ask about the wedding and one of my friends has very patiently been awaiting pictures. So, my dear friend H, without further ado, here you go. How gorgeous are they!!!




Check this one out. Beautifully backlit with a little sun flare right between them.

It was a LOT of work but I had my faithful husband be my assistant. He actually had some good posing ideas for the groom and was great at calming my nerves.

Schuyler had a great violin recital Sunday. She played “flower song”. Eli was such a good little man, he sat and listened on daddy’s lap through the whole recital. Afterwards, we celebrated her birthday with the grandparents. You grandparents do spoil our kids = ) Friday, was Schuyler’s actual bday and we met daddy at Red Robin for lunch and a trip to the zoo afterwards. Mark and I got her a new bike and she loves her new “big girl” bike.

Here is the Lightning McQueen cake I cooked for her friends’ bday, which was the week before. Must have been good b/c there was none left!


And, here is a pic of the 5 year old herself!


There is something special about turning 5. She seems older and more independent. I observed her Friday at her school and sitting in the dimly lit room, my eyes filled with tears as I watched her work on a complex problem involving math and beads with her best friend, Alexi. I sat there wondering about her future, what roads it will lead her down. My thoughts didn’t last long as Mackie spied me and I went and hid in the closet while Ms. Ann peeked at her through the blinds. Schuyler eventually spotted me too and I could read her lips saying “Mommy”. After that, it was time for Mommy to leave = )

Schuyler had dance pictures on Tuesday. I went and picked both girls up. If you do one up, you have to do the other up too! So, Mackie through on tights and a leotard and I did her make-up as well. Both of my girls looked just darling!

Tonight is parent-teacher conferences. I hope for positive reports on both girls. Tomorrow is my aunt and uncle’s 30th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary Aunt E and Uncle S!

Busy Lives

Wow. Life is busy! Here is a weekend recap:

Saturday - Mark over-seeded the lawn. The water heater went out. I had a walk thru for the wedding I'm shooting Saturday. Made cupcakes for dad's bday and enjoyed dinner with him.

Sunday - Bake and decorate a Lightning McQueen. Host a party for 10 kiddos at Pioneer Gymnastics. They had a BLAST! Oh, Eli only slept probably a total of 5 hours off and on. Long night for mommy! Dad let us shower over at his place. It felt great! Mark stayed home Monday and we got a new water heater. Yeah!!!

I'm trying to proof pictures with any spare time I have. I promise, within the next month, for some bday pics. Schuyler was a great hostess. She greeted everybody with a hug. And, she said thank you, in a small, quiet voice after every gift. She is my very well mannered child = ) Such a sweetie. Mackie was right there with the big kids enjoying all the activities. Oh, how sweet is this. Schuyler wanted to sit next to her best friend Alexi and her sister!

I'm taking tomorrow off. Will use the a.m. to proof pics, do housework, and parent observation at the Montessori. I'll pick the girls' up for lunch and Schuyler will get to choose what she would like to do since it's her bday. Most likely zoo or children's museum.

This weekend is the wedding I'm shooting. Send positive vibes my way! Schuyler has a violin recital Sunday at 1:30 and afterwards is cookies with the family!

Oh, one more thing. Eli is already working on sitting. He is really working on physical development skills. Also, trying to hold his bottle and he hangs on to my shirt for dear life when he's nursing.

Here are a few of Reagan from the twins' 6 month pics. How angelic is she!!

Cutie Patootie 1 yr old

Look at this handsome little man! I got the pleasure of shooting him this past weekend. He goes to the same infant only provider as Eli. I had a lot of fun with him and, thanks to him and his beautiful mama, I have a new favorite pic. Check out the one of them together. How stinkin' cute is that !!





I'm on photo shoot overload but loving every minute of it. I got to shoot my aunt and family at a GORGEOUS home. It was a fun time! Can't wait to proof those and share. Thanks aunt E! Tonight, I'm off to shoot my friend's twins at 6 month. I'm sure it will be a busy time! I'm doing a walk thru at the Captital this weekend for my friend's wedding. Getting a bit nervous about that one! Schuyler is having her "friends" bday party this Sunday at Pioneer Gymnastics. She is very excited and I think Mackie is equally excited! In other words, I'll be having lots of pics to share once I get to actually proof them = )

We had the Mack Attack this week. McKenzie occasionally finds trouble. She decided to climb up and get the metal tip darts and poke them in our workout bench. I will never figure out what possess her to do some of the things she does?

This weekend we went to my mom's for some karoake (sp?). Schuyler loves the microphone while McKenzie will not go near it. It was pretty entertaining = )

Eli has started scratching his head? So hard, he has little scabs. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing. I am keeping his nails short but they grow so fast! He has found his tongue and likes to make silly faces. He is also trying hard to roll back to tummy. He gets up on that side and is very close!

Mark's best bud is getting married in Savannah, GA this fall and we are trying to figure out who is going. Mark is going for sure. Tickets just went down so we need to make a decision. I would really like to go, and, if I do, I'll shoot their wedding. On the other hand, I know I can't leave Eli. So, do I take him with us, and feel bad b/c I'm leaving the girls? Do we take the whole family, which will be expensive? Or, do I stay home with the kiddos? I can be so indecisive!

Wow. I guess I had a lot to say. If you made it this far, you're a true blog reader!

Oh, almost forgot. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! (a day early)!

Our "Butterball"

Look at him. Now 3 months old. He is a "big" baby and getting those fun little rolls all over. I like to refer to him as my little butterball! So fun to cuddle and love him up! He is really starting to use his extremeties...putting his hands in his mouth, sometimes a little too far that he gags.

I hope everybody had a good Easter. Ours was relatively laid back. I enjoyed my Friday afternoon off with the girls and managed to get a little "mommy" playtime in with my camera and the kids (hence the new picture of Eli). Schuyler had a violin lesson on Saturday as we prepare for another recital at the end of the month. Brian and Meghan were able to visit some, too. Brian has completely analyzed our son and has determined all his reflexes are working. That's what you get when your bro is a physical therapist = ) We also managed to have him change his first ever diaper, a poopy one no less! The girls' were without naps and extremely tired by the end of the day. Sunday, the girls awoke to an Easter Egg hunt which was a big hit. We had dinner with Papa and Grandma S came to visit in the afternoon. Grandma R came down on Monday to watch the girls since they did not have school. She also folded ALL my laundry (hugs)!

I have a 1yr old shoot this weekend. Should be fun as he is a cutie patootie! I also have a wedding shower for a friend. It's sure to be a fun time!

Bad Habits

Let's talk bad habits for a few moments, or other irritants. Schuyler has gotten into a terrible habit of chewing her hair. We have been in the process of groing it out now for about 9 months. She has now discovered she can put it in her mouth. Yuck. Her hair is already so fine and fragile that she is bound to get split ends. I'm ready to chop it in the cute little bob but she is insistant that we keep groing it out. Poor girl. She just wants pony tails and braids like the other girls. I feel like I have doomed her to bad hair. Darn DNA!

On another note, daddy returned last Friday and we were all glad to have him home! Sunday was a beautiful day and we managed to get outside. Daddy has a new golf mat so he can "practice" in the backyard. The girls have a new interest in golf and it was so cute to see daddy taking turns teaching his girls' how to swing a club.

Easter has snuck up on me and I'm not ready yet. I hope the Easter bunny finds time to get some stuff for the baskets = )

And, of course, here are some pics. My little E man is getting so big. I keep saying this over and over, but he is such a GOOD baby. He is laughing and giggling so much. I know he is enjoying his daycare b/c he smiles at Linda every morning. Also, some pics of one of my best friend and her twins from the baptism. Reagan is our godchild.