"Chex"

Me:
"Oh no, you guys are dirty and are making a mess on that clean blanket.
What are you doing?"

Isaac:
"We are playing Chex Mix"

Pictures to go with the smiley day

12/2/11
Isaac and Noah made sugar cookies. 

 They got pretty dark because the mail lady brought our first Christmas gifts!!! 

 Isaac is watching his big brother.

 "What, I get a present too?!?!"

 "He he, they theyink I can read!"

"Here it is, my first Christmas card!" 

 We got Dylan and Malia (long car lines) then Dylan opened his matching PJs.

 All 6

 frosting the sugar cookies - outside, and with pink frosting.  I'm still a cook mom even if I didn't make and get out Christmas colors and sprinkles. 

 Another tradition that isn't really working: Reading a story about Jesus each night by candle light.  The first night, our power was out when we got home from work.  On December 1st.  I was excited because it was perfect!  We could read by candle light, do homework by candle light, and even cut snow flakes while talking about traditions and Christmas etc.  Instead we went to Andre and Barbie's house and did homework, helped move a fridge, and cut snowflakes.  They're so hospitable but I felt bad for imposing our big family of 5 on them unanounced.  And I felt dirty and tired from after work and just felt so bad.  Anyway, we did read on Dec 5th as well. 

This morning, Isaac asked me what we were going to do this evening.  I wasn't sure what he was talking about and he said "You said we would do something Christmassy every night, what are we going to do tonight?"  So cute.  I went visiting teaching after dinner, so Steven read them the "please tell the children" story about the symbols of Christmas.  We have a bag of tiny items that goes with it.  I'd like to do the simple hot chocolate one night, but it's not cold.  We keep putting our A/C on. 

We were going to go ice skating, but Steven pointed out that he doesn't like that as much as roller skating and the kids should start there first.  So I took the boys roller skating.  They were brave.  So we checked that off of our list. 

Santa Baby

Here's a hat by Rachael.  She uses the $ to buy supplies to make these hats for the kids staying at the Ronald McDonald house.  I sent her a link to a hat on etsy.com to see if she could do it.  She made it differently than the picture, but it works and I love the pom pom at the end.  I was trying a twinkle lights picture b/c I just bought a 50mm lense w/ a 1.4 appeture.  This is all the way open at 1.4 here.  He's not too wiggly, so I could get the focus even though I'm way low doing a sit up to get this from the floor.  I wish I had set the lights up lower so I wouldn't get an up the nose shot to get the lights.  Oh well, this is still cute and once I buy more lights ona white strand this time, I'll do retakes.  Steven and I need new desktop background pictures at work. 

a smile w/ me post

Instead of having to listen to 'Poker After Dark' at 2am and changing the channel, the day's noon Today Show is on.  Much better.

Post Edit:
It's 2:38. Hoda and Kathy Lee have a guest on from Prevention Magazine about "secrets of happy women" and just said that we should post about good feelings and happy things.  I just did this!  How applicable.

Another post edit:
Dude, it's 4am.  This photography gig is a full time job - I just sat in one place for 6 hours doing the 2nd half of a family's session.  After working an 8 hour day at my day job.  And I'm pretending this Facebook-like updating is "blogging."  I don't even look at my own pictures any more it seems.  But that's ok.  B/c instead of infomercials after Hoda and Kathy Lee, I'm watching a Jay Leno that I missed.  And I think I'll get a nap tomorrow:)  I love naps.  Do you think Tyler will sleep through the night tonight?  He hasn't waken up yet.  What a good baby boy.  He's such a baby.  You should see and hold and smell him and burry your lips in his cheeks.  You're missing out if you don't get to do that every day like I do:)  He's so wiggly/wobbly too now - like a surfer on my legs.  I miss him.  G'night!

a Smile With Me update

Today, while checking the tracking of my new lense, the doorbell rang!  There it was, along with a print order!

Then the FedEx guy came with a gift for somebody. 

Then the mail lady came with gifts for the kids - they get to open those presents early because I knew what Lacey gets them every year. 

So while taking pictures of Tyler opening his FIRST Christmas present, with my NEW lense, our sugar cookies got a little over toasty.  But that's ok because it's a good day!  The only odd thing - no Christmas cards in the mailbox.  That's ok, we JUST ordered ours 2 days ago (along with image cubes for myself) and I still have one client's images to process for their cards.  It'll be a busy night tonight. 
Gotta go, Ivy is stirring.