enamored

We recently started talking with Abby and Carter about Santa (I don't think Abby remembers much from last year) and now both of them have become mildly obsessed with him. The movie, The Santa Clause, came on TV the other day and we recorded it, and now that's all they want to watch on TV.

true colors

When we had Abby were were enamored (and still are) by her gregarious charm and her easygoing, happy disposition. She slept through the night at 5 weeks, (I know!) played easily by herself, and was really low maintenance. I loved her like I've never loved anyone before, and I just knew that it would be impossible to ever love another soul as much as her.

But then this kid came along 17 months later and he stole my heart. I never believed it when people said that the relationship between mom and son is different, but it SO is. And maybe it helps that he's cuddly and affectionate by nature, but he makes my heart melt every time I see him. Truth be told, (okay, yeah, I've told you this before) Carter is NOT a happy child. He's grouchy maybe 75% of the day. It took him forever to sleep through the night and he still has problems with that sometimes. And the terrible twos for him have just magnified his grouchiness. He's big into tantrums lately, and when he doesn't get his way, he'll yell and growl like an angry bumblebee.

But despite his grouchiness, he is loving, and sweet, and a really cool kid. I recently read a blog post here and could totally relate. Carter is my best bud, and so grateful that he's still small enough to cuddle up in my lap. I will miss it when he doesn't crawl up on me and lay his head on my shoulder. I will miss it when he one day stops grabbing my legs and howling for me to pick him up. I will miss his littleness. But he will always be my little boy.

the arteeeest of the family

I really don't like bragging about my kids, but because they are behind their peers in speech sometimes I am just grateful that they are excelling in other ways. Like Abby, for example. This girl can draw. She's been drawing people since she turned three. And her drawings have become more intricate as the year has passed.

She did this one back in June. She was watching Charlotte's Web a lot, can you tell?


Here's one from October. Don't you love the flowers on the shirt?

She sketched this one out a long time ago and I was so suprised by the proportion and detail down to the dimention in the ears. This was also during the Charlottes Web era.


She did this one last week at school. Its a girl bear. She colors inside the lines really well.


And then a few weeks ago at church after their Primary program, she drew this in her class (with no guidance by her teacher). Its got a staff, music notes, and people singing. That really blew me away!

baby hungry

I have this problem. I have four photoshoots that I need to edit, and today I did a couple of short shoots with two ADORABLE babies. Problem is, they are SO cute, that I immediately ditch what I should be working on and instead go straight to oohing and ahhing over these beauties. Does that mean I'm baby hungry? Maybe, but I'm beginning to think that if I could do strictly baby and children's photography, I would be one happy girl.

abby likes lipsitck

a LOT.

we had a little scare today

It's benefits open enrollment time at Brian's employer and so we were reading over the details of medical coverage for the coming year. We knew our monthly contribution was going up, but then we noticed that it said hearing aids wouldn't be covered next year! So then we looked at this year's coverage and it ALSO said that hearing aids weren't covered. What the what?

So Brian called HR and had them check on it, and meanwhile he called our insurance company to find out what our current coverage was since we hadn't gotten hearing aids in 2009 and honestly didn't know. Cigna said hearing aids were covered and so we had a hope maybe the sheet was just wrong. So then the HR lady called back and said that we weren't covered for hearing aids and we wouldn't be covered next year either and Brian was like, well Cigna just said we were. So the lady made so more calls and she called back and said that we were in fact going to be covered for hearing aids, and she was "mortified" because she's been telling people for years that our company does not have hearing aid insurance coverage when they really did. Wow.

So no worries, we're still covered 100% for hearing aids and cochlear implants, and all is right with the world.

phew.

last chance

Update: The slot has been filled.

My last set of mini-sessions is this Saturday and I have one remaining slot available at 4:30pm. This will be the VERY last time I offer the 30 for $30 special, which includes a 30 minute photoshoot, 10-15 pictures on CD for $30.

The location will be Maxwell Creek Linear Park in Murphy.

If you're interested, please email me at brianmandie@gmail.com. First come first serve.

To see pictures from my recent mini-sessions, visit http://mandiemcmurdiephotography.blogspot.com/

serenity

Having two opinionated, independent, active pre-schoolers can get pretty hectic sometimes. Especially now since Abby and Carter seem to have made fighting with eachother their favorite past time. But there are moments like this; when they're sitting side by side quietly watching the ducks swim by, when I can breathe deeply, enjoy the moment, and thank God for my beautiful babies.

Halloween

On Friday we went to a Trunk or Treat sponsored by our church. There were TONS of people there and Abby and Carter had lots of fun trick-or-treating at all the cars. Abby was, of course, a princess, and Carter was a pirate. On Saturday we went to the McMurdie's house and had one of our monthly family parties. We carved pumpkins, hit a pinata and then dressed up the kids and had a mass trick-or-treating excursion. Oh, and the kids played on the trampoline. Carter loves the trampoline. Can you tell?



All the "kumpkins" as Abby and Carter call them.


Here's the girly-girl cousins Abby, Maren, Mikayla and Tava. They are great friends and I love seeing them play together.



I put mascara, lipstick, blush and lots of glitter on Abby and she was in heaven. What a cheese.