Rehearsal Dinner

Nothing exciting, really, just a few pictures of the rehearsal dinner at Star Pizza!

The infection-spreading begins...
I love these....Lorelai's reaction to the necklace Leslie and Chris gave her for being their flowergirl...

Love the green lighting in the place, don't you?

These were, of course, before all of the REAL fun...

My New Obsession...

Okay, so I stumbled upon this new website the other day while too weak to walk but too awake to sleep and yet not vomiting. and- I LOVE IT. I am desperate to start feeling better just so that I can get started! I think this will be my first project:

http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com/2009/12/plan-you-asked-pottery-barn-kids.html

Just the drawers- hoping I can scale them to fit under my current coffee table.

I haven't mentioned this new obsession to Shawn, I'm curious to see what he'll say. My guess is something to the tune of "You are too clumsy! You'll lose a finger the first week!"

My genius plan is to ask him to show me how to work the power tools.

Get him involved...make him feel like he's in control....

MUAH HA HA.

A post on the wedding massacre of 2010 to follow shortly.

"Tot School" or something like that.....

Lorelai is 25 months, 3 weeks

So in my effort to post on this blog once a week, I've decided this would be a good place to help me track my progress in what I am loosely referring to as "Tot School." (I am going to put her age at the top to help me track when I did what...) I found this blog http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/ and thought that it would be fun to start implementing some type of learning activities each week. My ultimate goal is to be able to convince Shawn (and, in doing so, convince myself) to let me homeschool Lorelai- atleast her first few years, and then maybe private school if we feel it isn't right for her/us. I was homeschooled for a couple of years (sixth, seventh, and half of eighth grade) and while I personally hated it, I'm hoping that if we start early enough and have some friends that jump on the bandwagon, we can create our own little co-op. SO, on that note, we started a new sensory activity last week that Lorelai looooooooooves!

It is just a large mixing bowl, 2 lbs of pinto beans, and two measuring cups.

Simple things in life, my friends.

I showed her how to scoop with one hand, and pour the beans into the cup that was in the other hand. We sat there for about thirty minutes and she thought it was so much fun.

As she was playing with it, I would make comments like "You are scooping with your right hand!" or "You are holding the bowl with your left hand!"

And guess what? She now knows her right from left.

Thanks to cousin Daniel, we are now teaching her to apply right and left to things other than her hands (ears, legs, eyes, etc) and I'm pretty convinced she is off the charts smart.

Sorry, I had to say it.

Full scholarship to Rice, anyone?

This week we are getting familiar with the letter A. I figure this year we will learn a letter a week and just become comfortable recognizing it. We will work on what sounds the letters make and more advanced things next year. I think we will also start to incorporate shapes and colors, although she already knows ALL of her colors and a few shapes (square, triangle, circle).

We are also getting ready for Auntie L and Chris's big day which is rapidly approaching. This Saturday seems to be racing towards us, and amazingly enough, I think we are pretty prepared! We only have a few things left to do to get ready, but nothing huge or stressful.

Which is just weird. Weddings are suppose to be stressful, right?

Am I the only one that had three full-on nervous breakdowns while wedding planning?

Of course, I'm a pretty good wedding planner and had I been able to be the bride at my own wedding and have an extra one of me to help me plan, I think I would've been much better off.

Well, that's it for this weeks post. I need to go wake up the little baby monster and get started with our day!

Okay, Aunt Peggy.....

Here's a new post for you! :) And everyone else out there who doesn't have a Facebook page to see our constant updates. The pictures aren't exactly in order because I'm trying to do this quickly, so bear with me....

The past few months have been a busy time around our household. My photography business is taking off, especially around the Christmas when everyone wants family pictures, and because SHAWN GRADUATED! We couldn't be more happy/proud/excited! We feel so free and can only imagine the extra time we'll have as a family. Here are a TON pictures of the happy occasion:

Waiting on Daddy to graduate at Holfeinz....
"Proud of My Daddy" with her own little graduation cap.
Our first glimpse of him...
I see him!

The secret for getting a two year old through a college graduation ceremony: skittles.

(and lots of family there to get up and let her run through the halls every 30 minutes.)

Where's Daddy? We would yell "Shawwwwwwwn!" and Lorelai would repeat us. Too cute!
Walking across the stage.....SO PROUD!

We also had lorelai's Christmas Party at her Mother's Day Out! Her two-year-old class got on stage and sang Jingle Bells with the Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack while shaking bells- TOO CUTE! Lorelai really just sat back and chilled most of the song, but I'm pretty shocked she even sat there at all! Here are some pics of the cutie-pie:
Lorelai and her friend Bella getting ready to decorate and eat cookies!
Santa anyone? NO THANK YOU!
Recovering, yet forever scarred.
Well, maybe not....
December was a long month full of fun!
I am going to try to make a conscious effort to post on this blog once a week from here on out. This post alone took me about an hour, which I am reminded exactly why I never have time to do this, but I got up extra early and did this while Lorelai is still alseep! Woohoo! Shawn is home from work this week so we are going to try to clean and re-organize EVERY room in our house! Wish us luck!

Forgive me?

.....for taking so long to put up a new post? We have been SO super busy lately. Shawn finished all of his finals and will be GRADUATING December 18th. I am still in shock. I am having to rethink the way we have been living life for the past....well, quite literally, since we first met! No more staying up late to study, missing Shawn a few nights a week, no more paper deadlines, registering for classes, hoping he passes. NO MORE! We will only be subjected to the normal amount of stress life offers while raising a two year old. *sigh* Sweet relief my friends, sweet relief.
My photography business is going very well, also! If you don't keep up with that blog, go check it out, also!

I am just as busy as I want to be and am having so much fun! I am working on getting a logo and business cards so that I can keep growing. I am so blessed!
Little Miss is talking our ears off lately and repeating the phrases we use daily....but it's SO much cuter coming from her! Things we hear daily:
"Let's go, guys!"
"I'm proud of you, Momma!"
"Excuse me!" (she will repeat this until we move)
"Oh dear!"
"Oh My Goodness!"
and many, many more!
Just is just so precious to us. She constantly tells us how much she loves us and gives kisses like crazy.
and, since I can't blog without a photo, here's one to warm your hearts.

Too precious for words...

So, it's taken me two months to edit these pictures. There were literally so many good ones, I felt completely overwhelmed to even get started. But they are literally the most precious pictures I have of Lorelai. We headed out to the strand this day because Shawn had to work on the beach house, so Lorelai and I had a girls day... we even had a caramel apple. (yummmmmmm.) Then we headed to the beach for a photo session that ended with me getting Shawn's truck stuck in the sand and getting lectured by many islanders about where is "okay" and "not okay" to park. Now I know. (um hello, I don't normally have to park in the sand. It's what parking lots are for.)
Without further delay....the lovely Lorelai.
















Grandparents- no need to copy pictures from the blog. I've made a cd of them for you!
Love,
us

Craft Project!

Yesterday and today I spent most of the day sewing a new nap mat for Lorelai! She started Mother's Day Out yesterday at Fwd Church of Christ and needed something to sleep on besides the sticky floor mat they provide, so instead of dropping big bucks on one of these bad boys, I made one! YAY! It has alot of crooked lines and I would've done a couple of things different, but overall I think it came out very well. I picked a really fun fabric and am glad b/c I think it's hides some of the messiness. Here it is!







Lorelai looooooooves her new "night night!" I keep catching her laying on it watching t.v. and she screamed when i took it away to take pictures of it. Makes it completely worth it!
I've decided that I really do not enjoy the process of sewing...a little too slow for me, but I really like having something to show for it! This was what I would call more of a beginner project (I would consider myself an EARLY beginner) but it was ALOT of fabric, so it was time consuming.
Here's where I found the instructions:
http://jennygarland.typepad.com/jenny_garland/2008/09/not-your-everyd.html