:: Family Happenings - sneaky Ava

We call her sneaky for a reason.

And she totally knows what it means.

She'll often refer to herself as being sneaky.

She knows it.

Well, on Sunday I thought we'd do family pictures.

Self-timer  . . . yep, that means me pushing the button, running, and trying

to get into a good position in 10 seconds.

Never doing that again.

But anyway,

so I push the button, run to my spot

and the camera starts shooting away.

10 in a row.

I had positioned Ava behind the hubbs and I.

Big mistake.

Sneaky little Ava was, yet again, being sneaky.

She thought it was hilarious.

And, well, although it was a little bit frustrating, it was pretty funny.

The picture above is when I knew something sneaky was going on.

Maybe that's why a photographer is needed.

So they make sure the kiddos aren't being so sneaky.

:: Christmas - presents for the littles

 I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It was very nice and relaxing day for me.
And believe it or not, the pies turned out great!
{Although I still don't like pecan pie - - I even tried it this time}

Now on to Christmas!

My favorite holiday.

Is your place as messy as mine?

All my Christmas decorations are out,

but only a few are actually where they're supposed to be.

The tree is up and the girls are loving it . . . a little too much.

So, Christmas.

Now a question.

About the presents . . . .

What do you do for your Christmas presents for the little ones?
Or I guess, about how many gifts do you give?
That's always our dilemma.
I don't want to give them a bazillion gifts cause I want them to be thankful for what they receive.

So, I have heard of giving 4 presents.
::  a want
::  a need
::  to wear
::  to read

Which I'll probably do and then
I want to do a gift of love (something handmade).

Source: dandee-designs.com via Amy on Pinterest

I'd love to hear what you do.

:: Family Happenings - happy 1st birthday Reese!

Last Thanksgiving, I woke up with contractions at 6 a.m.

We arrived at the hospital at around 9:10 a.m.

. . . And I had little Reese at 9:48 a.m.

{without an epidural - - no! my worst nightmare!}

We are so thankful for her.

Sounds cliche, I know, but I couldn't imagine my life without her.

She is growing into such a beautiful, intelligent toddler.

She is such a light in my life.

I love that she loves her big sister.  

I love that she's beginning to be attached to her blankee.

I love that when I arrive home from work, 

she runs to me and immediately puts her arms up so I can hold her.

 I love her big brown eyes.

Even though it was rough at times, I love that she started walking at 8 1/2 months.

I love that she jibber jabbers very intently as if she were having a conversation with you.

I love that she loves taking baths. 

 I love that she's addicted to her binky at night.

I love that her tiny, little body can run away from me.

I love that she sleeps through the night 

and that she has the biggest smile on her face when you come to get her in the morning.  

Happy Birthday Reesy!

We love you so much!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I shared this video last year, but I just love it!

Last year I had a very thankful Thanksgiving.
I gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
I got out of doing the dishes, that's for sure.

I am so thankful!

I hope you have a wonderful day and
are able to share this Thanksgiving with the ones you love.

Online Deals.

So we all know that this is the week of great deals!!!

I love going shopping on Black Friday.

Unfortunately I have to work this year,

BUT there are still great deals online.

From Eversave you can get 2 movie tickets for $13!!!

We seem to always go to the movies during the holidays.

So this will definitely save some money.

Get this deal here.

You have 3 days left to buy this.

{can buy up to 3 and expire 01/12/12}

Go here to get this deal on a canvas from Canvas People.

Who doesn't like free stuff?
And this would make the perfect Christmas gift.

Happy shopping!

:: Found on Pinterest - flakiest pie crust

Ya need to make a pie for Thanksgiving

and want to make a homemade pie crust?
{come on, you know you do}

Well, I've found the best recipe.

I tried it on Sunday and it's so flaky!

Yum! 

{but if you're not into flaky, then maybe don't try it}

I GET the opportunity to try to 

make a pecan pie.

I don't think I really even like pecan's that much.
You can tell I'm excited, huh.

Well, there's a first for everything?

Anyway, you can find it here.
Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Amy on Pinterest

Oh and I think I'm gonna make her apple pie, too.
It looks delicious.

What will you be making today?

:: Photography - local location gems

One part I love about photography is the location.
I absolutely love searching for places around me that would
be perfect for a photo shoot.
It's a big part of what makes a photo amazing!

The other day I was on a photography blog (photographer lived nearby)
and saw this awesome music barn.
I had to find it.
So I googled it.
And all I found was a scanned old newspaper clipping (1920s).
But on that newspaper clipping they said the street where they'd just moved to.
So, I googled that street,
and talked my photog friend, Kim, into
helping me find it.
So the other day we headed out.
Just a little detective work, that's all.
But we found it and it's a gem!!!

Of course I brought my cute, little model.
But, she was a little camera shy with my friend snapping away.
She wasn't her cheesy self.

Then we found some old train tracks
 (that of course aren't being used anymore).

What awesome locations have you found lately?