30/365

January 30, 2009

Willow loves to play fetch. This afternoon, the girls played in the sandbox while I threw the ball for the dogs (and snapped a few pictures.) Willow was getting excited about the camera me holding the camera up close to her face, so she would sit right up next to me and wait for another shot. I noticed our shadows on the ground and thought it looked really cool. So I kept yelling "SIT!" while I captured this one!

29/365

January 29, 2009

This beautiful baby girl is our friend, Emily. She has the most gorgeous brown eyes. We are so lucky that she (and her mama and papa) live right across the street from us. We get to play together all the time. Isabella and Ione think she is their other sister. Her very talented mama made this adorable little strawberry hat that she's wearing. I say she's talented, because she just bought a book a week ago so she could learn how to knit. And this is the second hat that she's made. She's an incredible lady and a wonderful friend! Love ya, Pamela!

28/365

January 28, 2009

Ever have one of those days where you just stand around wondering what to cook for dinner? :)

27/365

January 27, 2009

One of the joys of having little girls is that you get to dress them up occasionally just for the heck of it. This morning I picked out this adorable little pink, ballerina-style dress for Ione. I fixed her hair with a lovely pink bow that our friend Pamela made for her. While I was combing her hair, she pulled on her pink heart necklace (hanging on a hook above her changing table) and said "ON!" I was shocked that she not only asked to wear it, but she actually kept it on for 3 hours! Here she is, coloring with her aqua-doodle, just looking adorable.

26/365

January 26, 2009

Boot Parade. That's what it looked like in our house today. Isabella and Ione have tons of boots and they love to wear them. Isabella wears he purple and black cowgirl boots to school at least once a week (even though they make black marks on the gym floor!) Her baby sister is certainly following in her footsteps. The only thing Ione asked for for Christmas was boots. When she would look at catalogs, that's the only thing she would point out. So here they are...

25/365

January 25, 2009

So I decided today that I will only post my 365 photos once or twice a week. I need to manage my time more effectively, and I think this is the best way to do it. I miss spending time with Kevin in the evenings, and I think he misses my attention!

So, today I was washing dishes after breakfast and I noticed the sticker on the bottom of my pancake warmer, "Visual imperfections will not affect performance." It really struck me when I read it. I'm not sure why, but I really liked the statement. I immediately applied it to my self-image. I know I've got a quite a way to go before I will be content with my outward appearance, but that hasn't affected my performance as a wife, mother, daughter, grand-daughter, friend... My goal this year is to make the "appearance" equal the image I imagine. One huge benefit to all the exercise that I am doing is that it's given me the energy to perform daily tasks and add a couple of hobbies into my life. It's a great bonus!

24/365

January 24, 2009

Today a friend and I took our first digital SLR class. I feel like we learned a lot for just 6 hours of instruction. We were able to practice changing settings in different lighting conditions without using a flash. I was really excited to be able to take a decent photo in natural light. Julie and I practiced using some of the aperture and shutter speed settings while taking photos of each other.

23/365

January 23, 2009

So, I have a little bit of guilt about this chair. It originally belonged to my great-great grandmother, and was passed down through the generations and given to me before Isabella was born. I love that it's an old wooden rocker. The arm rests are aged and worn, but smooth at the same time. It's got a great old-fashioned shape. But it just isn't as comfortable as I'd like it to be. We replaced the springs and cushions and recovered it with a fabric that I bought many years ago. And when you rock, it makes an awful creaking noise that would wake any baby that you might want to rock to sleep. Sadly, the rocker is now sitting in the garage, waiting until Kevin has time to put it up in the attic. When Ione noticed the chair in the garage tonight, she hopped right up onto it. Since she's very possessive right now, she gave me a very firm, "Mine!" and slouched down with a pout.

22/365

January 22, 2009

After Ione and I dropped Isabella off at MDO this morning, we went to "Cool Cuts 4 Kids" so she could get a haircut. Unfortunately, were got there about a half hour before they opened. I almost stuck her back in the carseat and headed home, but changed my mind when I noticed the Starbuck's next door. She was so excited to walk into the coffee shop on her own (holding Mommy's hand) and choose a "nummy" from the glass case. I ordered her a "kids' hot chocolate" (warm, not hot) and a big, thick wedge of blueberry bread. She was delighted to sit at the table in a big chair and eat her treat. She was not as excited about the drink as I had hoped she would be. Anything that isn't cold, Ione calls "hot." So the warm milk wasn't appealing to her. I finally convinced her that it was chocolate, one of her favorite things, and she gave it a try. She didn't love it, but she humored me through several drinks before handing it back to me telling me to drink it.
When she finished her snack, we made our way next door. Ione picked out an Elmo movie to watch and the yellow taxi to sit in for her hair cut. After Ione and I dropped Isabella off at MDO this morning, we went to "Cute Cuts 4 Kids" so she could get a haircut. Unfortunately, were got there about a half hour before they opened. I almost stuck her back in the carseat and headed home, but changed my mind when I noticed the Starbuck's next door. She was so excited to walk into the coffee shop on her own (holding Mommy's hand) and choose a "nummy" from the glass case. I ordered her a "kids' hot chocolate" (warm, not hot) and a big, thick wedge of blueberry bread. She was delighted to sit at the table in a big chair and eat her treat. She was not as excited about the drink as I had hoped she would be. Anything that isn't cold, Ione calls "hot." So the warm milk wasn't appealing to her. I finally convinced her that it was chocolate, one of her favorite things, and she gave it a try. She didn't love it, but she humored me through several drinks before handing it back to me telling me to drink it.
When she finished her snack, we made our way next door. Ione picked out an Elmo movie to watch and the yellow taxi to sit in for her hair cut.

21/365

January 21, 2009

I took the girls to LaCenterra yesterday to try and get some good shots for 365. Ione was more than happy to go window shopping with me and run back and forth across the brick sidewalks. She really liked the jewelry she saw in Claire's. I liked how she was interested in everything; the light pole, the "river" that runs through the middle of the shopping center, the events calendar, leaves, the drain on the ground... All the while, Isabella sat in the back of the Tribeca, drawing on her art desk. She told me she was taking a break from having her picture taken. :)

20/365

January 20, 2009

Today I didn't take very many photos. The weather was beautiful, but the wind made it really cold outside. After the girls and I got back from the Y, we walked to the park down the street. Since it was getting late, the temperature was dropping, and it felt like the wind was picking up. We literally stayed 5 minutes before Ione was crying to go back home. This shot is of her walking cautiously down the little hill behind the pond. The few shots I got of her from the front were pitiful...you could see her red, runny nose and big fat tears running down her cheeks.

19/365

January 19, 2009

We finally got our new floor finished today! After a crazy weekend and a full house of company, we can finally relax and enjoy a nice quiet house! Isabella was worn out after the whirlwind of a week we've had, so she was happy to lay down for a little rest.

18/365

January 18, 2009

We've had a very busy week. After Nonni, Poppi, Laci, Jake, Baine, Alysse, and Gavin left... (whew!) Pop came for a visit! He only stayed one night, but the girls had a great time visiting with him. He took us out to dinner then played with the girls before bedtime.

17/365

January 17, 2009

Kevin's parents just came home from a trip to the Mediterranean. They brought us all t-shirts with our names embroidered in hieroglyphics. Here, Kevin decided to model his Egyptian head-wrap thing-y.

16/365

January 16, 2009

My mom came with us to our friends' house for a playdate today. The girls had a lot of fun and were happy to be able to introduce Nonni to their buddies. I'm glad that my mom loves to get down on the floor and play with the kids. Their faces really light up when she's around.

15/365

January 15, 2009

I am so happy that my mom is in town for a visit. One of the things I asked her to bring from home was a bag of Satsumas from her tree in her back yard. They are the best ever! They're so sweet and juicy, they peel with almost no effort and rarely have a seed. The girls devour them, so I know this little display won't last long!!

14/365

January 14, 2009

Today we went to the park with our friends. The weather was perfect! It was in the mid 60's and sunny. You never would have guessed it was freezing last night. The girls had a picnic, played on the swingset and slides, ran around and enjoyed the beautiful day. Ione was incredibly adventurous and she went down the big, spiral slide by herself...over, and over again. The best part is that they took nice long naps afterwards!

13/365

January 13, 2009

Today the only photos I took had reflections. Some friends and I took a challenge called the Photo Shootout. We were given a secret "ingredient" that the photo needed to contain. The ingredient was a reflection. So, I went to the mall with a friend and found this ad with a reflection on the floor.

12/365

January 12, 2009

Today we went to a birthday party playdate for a friend of ours. We had tons of fun! Someone brought a fun jump,we ate homemade cookie cake, played baby dolls and visited with friends. The girls each got a bottle of bubbles on the way out and as a party favor. To keep them from crying on the way out the door, I promised that we would blow bubbles before we got in the car. It worked out great, and it was such a gorgeous day, I didn't mind spending a few extra minutes outside. :)

11/365

January 11, 2009

This evening the girls were having fun playing in the living room. Isabella was hanging upside down on the ottoman and Ione kept crawling all over her and tickling her. It was so cute watching them laugh and play together. They are irresistible when they're getting along!

10/365

January 10, 2009

Ione said she wanted to take a bubble bath, but once she was covered in suds, she said she was dirty and wanted them off!

9/365

January 9, 2009

Isabella has been asking for the "Tag" reader for a while. Daddy found a deal on it and bought it for her yesterday. Tonight she finally got to open it up and "read" by herself. She was so excited and she concentrated so hard on placing the pen correctly to read the words.

8/365

January 8, 2009

I didn't do anything exciting today. But I did work out. So, I decided to take a picture of my new companion. I've been logging everything in my "BodyMinder" journal. Surprisingly, the journaling has been the best tool (next to my pedometer) to help me stick to my healthy habits and lose weight.

7/365

January 7, 2009

Today I had a hard time choosing a photo because I liked a couple of different ones of Isabella. I love how blue her eyes are here. The past few days she has been camera shy, so I haven't gotten a good shot of her. But when she noticed how many pictures I have of Ione on the blog, she changed her mind about letting me take her picture! Too bad you can't see her entire outfit. She's sporting a lavender shirt with red and white pants, bright pink socks and black dress shoes (with a heel.) And of course, the visor. It was quite the ensemble!

6/365

January 6, 2009

Ione helped me take down the Christmas lights this morning. When I say "helped," I mean she drank a juicebox and pointed at the mess (or "maesh", as she says) that I was making with all the cords. The weather was pretty bad; rainy and cold, so Ione was wearing her new pink raincoat (which she is very proud of!)

5/365

January 5, 2009

This is Zoe. She is a 9-year-old Black Lab/Boxer mix. She is the best dog ever! We got her on our first anniversary from a family in Baton Rouge. They had two female dogs, a Boxer and a Golden Retriever, that were visited by the neighbor (the Black Lab!) Zoe 's mother rejected her, so she was adopted by the Golden mama. When Kevin picked her up, she was hiding under a storage building and had "puppy fungus" on her tail. She was so pitiful! We got her all fixed up and now she's perfect. :) She's gotten quite a bit of gray hairs over the years. I'm sure two little munchkins and a little sister-dog helped that along!

4/365

January 4, 2009

Ione was waiting patiently for her Daddy on the front porch. After a couple of minutes, she started running down the driveway towards the street. She was anxious to leave with him to run errands, but he was taking forever to get ready! So, she took a few minutes to dance in the street before they left.

3/365

January 3, 2009

I love this picture! Ione was so happy to be riding in Karli's pink Jeep wih her buddy, Will. And Will was so extra-careful. He is the most cautious driver ever! Every time a car would come, he would jump out of the Jeep and run to the driveway.

2/365

January 2, 2009

Isabella was on her way to visit our friends, (and neighbors) Pamela and Emily. I love how she is always so prepared! She buckled 2 baby dolls into the stroller and packed an extra diaper for her baby sister in the basket under the stroller. These boots are one of her favorite pairs. And I must say, they do look great with her new faux fur wrap and pink leotard/skirt!

1/365

January 1, 2009

The one thing Ione asked for this year for Christmas was boots. She hit the jackpot and got 4 pairs! Here she is sporting her super-cool brown ones. She wore them proudly all day.