Mommy and Me Outtakes: Selfie with a baby

Taking a selfie with a baby? It is a challenge amidst plenty of giggles.

Mommy and Me! 

 

Beyond the flashes,

Beyond the countless clicks,

They are windows unto the past,

A tour unto our own heart.

-from 'Who Can Forget These Windows' by Ravi Panamanna

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Linking up to Really, Are You Serious for another Mommy and Me Monday!

So, she got a new passport photo...

Amelia isn't going to find out for a while, but she will be joining us at Beaches Turks and Caicos in the fall for an amazing #BeachesMoms long weekend! Her passport is expired; the photo on it was taken when she was nine months old for our extended family trip to Europe. I guess it's a good thing that children's passports only last five years - how silly would it be to have a baby photo for a now walking, talking, reading little girl?

Last weekend, we took the kids to Walgreens for passport photos. We want to renew both kids on the same year moving forward, so we got Andrew a passport pic as well (this calls cruising in our future, I think!). Amelia was not very interested in this process. She was tired from a busy summer day, hungry, and totally disheveled. She wanted to go home to play. Her hair was a bit crazy, she had a black pen mark on her face a' la fake Cindy Crawford (I failed at removing it), and she flat out refused to smile.

So now the child has a new passport photo. For the next five years, this is the one she will live with. And if the cops ever need a good mug shot of my kid? Well, here you go.

 

On the bright side? This is going to make me laugh for the next five years.

I love this kid.

#WW: A healthy fruit dessert

I have been calorie tracking for many months now. I lost eleven pounds in the first few months, and now I am tracking to ensure I keep it off.

I have a major sweet tooth, so desserts are my weakness. Lately I have been adding some gooey caramel goodness to fresh fruit - this week it's raspberries and banana with Smucker's fat free caramel topping. (If you have a batch of pretty tart raspberries, I suggest a sprinkle of Splenda as well.) Depending on my caloric intake for the day, I also add a few Vanilla Wafer cookies for the perfect sweet and crunchy compliment. 

Chocolate sauce over strawberries is another favorite - atop angel food cake if I'm a really good girl. Mmmm.

Mommy & Me: Fun family photo idea!

Do you like fun "personality shots" of your family? We got this one by accident, but what a great idea for a portrait photographer! Take the family to the playground. Get Mom and Dad involved in the play. Smile at each other.

Boom... adorable photo!

Bright & cheerful

(Original post from Dec 2011) 

Chaotic holiday glory

Our upstairs guest room is transformed the few weeks prior to Christmas.

First, it is cluttered with shopping bags and purchases.

Next, it becomes bright and cheerful, with festively-wrapped gifts all over the bed. The joyful paper and bows detract from the giant a pile of bags, paper scraps, and packaging cluttered on the floor.

#WW: Coooookies!

One more photo of our Stone Mountain Christmas fun.

My little cookie monster, hungry for a sweet snack after tubing excitement. She decorated it herself, then shoved it in her face. Yum!

#WW: Escalators

Amelia loves escalators! This one, in a Westin hotel, is steep and fun. We had no idea that our nice Thanksgiving dinner out would include a ride!





Happy Wednesday!

#WW: A cabinet of memories

I have a china cabinet, mostly to hold the wedding stuff we got (that we, sadly, never use). I was looking at it the other day and noticed this little corner; the items tell a tale of a decade past.

Crystal wedding gifts.

A small token from a deceased grandparent's home.

A silver baby spoon from my lovely OB's office.

Time... in a china cabinet.



WW: Flip Flop

The floor space near the door this week. Full house! (And loving it)

Happy Independence Day!

I hope you are enjoying a fun summer day.

WW: When vacation ends

Here's a vacation photo I did not expect.

This is what it looks like when you have been gone for a week, took an insanely early flight, didn't bother with hair and makeup, and finally landed near home...

Only to find out your car battery is dead.

And when you have a handy dandy keyfob which uses, ahem, the battery? You cannot even open the doors (or likewise, the hood) to get a jump.

One hour wait in the sun for AAA.

Thank goodness we had some Pringles to feed the child.

I love that Steve thought to grab the camera when I was talking to AAA for the third time.

This vacation pic will surely be a classic.

A photo of me

One of Mama Kat's prompts this week: Share a photo that was taken of you, that you really think captures who you are

I answered a similar question for Write On Edge a few weeks ago, showing off my husband's favorite photo of me. I dug into the digital photo library once again to find another.

I live my life from one vacation to the next. As one vacation ends, I begin to plan then next one. Whether it be via a 9-day special trip or simply a long weekend down the road, seeing the world and experiencing new things is truly a joy in my life. I am happiest when I am away from the pressures of home and work, sharing heartwarming and adrenaline-pumping moments with my family.

This photo was taken in Hawaii, several years before Amelia came into our lives. Steve and I cruised the islands aboard Norwegian's Aloha of the Seas. We bicycled down a volcano, took a fast and bumpy ride into some sea caves, traversed a black lava field, and learned how to pronounce the name of the colorful Hawaii state fish (the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a). After the cruise adventure, we spent a couple nights on Maui to relax by the beach... but not before taking a helicopter tour!

Steve snapped this photo of me on the pilot's monitor. I'm all buckled in with sunglasses at the ready and headphones positioned - not to mention a giddy grin on my face. Another encounter with excitement was about to "take flight"!

Good morning, sunshine

This is the time of day she seems so little. Tousled bed-head, blankets cuddled in each arm, cozy, cuddling on the couch. Moments before, Mommy dragged her from her butterfly-adorned big girl bed, helped her sleepy little body into clothes, and escorted her by the hand to where she assumed a resting position once again. The bright colors of the Disney Channel flicker on the television - usually Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, maybe Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Groggy child. Peaceful moments... off to preschool in a few minutes.

I ponder the breakfast choices; she is most picky at this time of day. Strawberry milk? Or maybe chocolate today? If she refuses milk (this has been happening too often lately), perhaps some V8 Splash? Some days she loves pancakes. Other days, a peanut butter chocolate chip granola bar does the trick. Trix yogurt, with it's super-sugary flavors and child-friendly colors, is always a winner. If we are lucky enough to have bananas on hand before they've turned dark brown and mushy, I offer one of those. But I must do so carefully; sometimes she wants a big banana, other times she wants it cut up in a bowl.

For this particular meal each day, I cater a little extra to her demands. I prepare to send her off to preschool, and I want to wave goodbye knowing she has a full and happy tummy.

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Linked up to Mama Kat's Pretty Much World-Famous Writer's Workshop today! Prompt: Describe the scene at breakfast.

WW: That grin

Gotta love this little lady's silly grin.

Feeling a bit sentimental today; surgery on those little eyes tomorrow morning. But on an exciting note? Her first dance class is this afternoon! Can't wait to see my superstar do her thing.

"A smile from a child is packaged sunshine & rainbows"

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Gift wrap HQ

Our upstairs guest room is transformed the few weeks prior to Christmas.

First, it is cluttered with shopping bags and purchases.

Next, it becomes bright and cheerful, with festively-wrapped gifts all over the bed. The joyful paper and bows detract from the giant a pile of bags, paper scraps, and packaging cluttered on the floor.

Finally, a day or so before Christmas, the room clears out. Gifts are placed downstairs under the glittering tree or packaged carefully in boxes ready for travel. The trash is gathered and hauled to the garage. The room is silent once again. Weeks later, I may find a shimmering surprise under the bed, when a toe brushes a bow left behind.

Right now, this room is in all its chaotic holiday glory.

I like it this way.

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One lucky girl

My daughter is one lucky girl. I am not just talking about her comfortable home, masses of toys, never-ending attention, or her incredibly fabulous parents. She has all that and more.

She also has…

Gorgeous hair.

Her locks are the color of golden wheat, darkened by the sun’s warmth. It is soft like down with a shine as bright as gold. And the waves! Oh, those soft, flowing waves full of bounce… they seem to have a life all their own. Dancing, twirling, joyful.

We went through a fanatical period of crazy hair. It took a few sessions at the salon with much pleading and hoping, but we finally learned how to tame those tresses.

WW: Jingle Bells

Welcome to our holiday house!
I love the whimsy and sparkle of Christmas decorations.

Happy Holidays!

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This is who I am

This is my husband’s favorite photo of me. He says it typifies the essence of who I am, of everything he loves about me.

The wedding took place in a quaint, creaky, simple chapel originally built in the 1880s. I cannot bring into memory where anyone was sitting, nor what the pastor said. I can only see the smile from my groom’s face. I can only hear the quiet conversation we had amongst ourselves when we were supposed to be listening.

January 2003. Forty-something degrees, only two days after one of the coldest temperatures ever experienced in Atlanta. I had just transformed from a Miss to a Mrs. I was the princess of the hour.

And I was hungry.

Spinach dip!!!

Some say a photograph steals the soul. This week, show us yours: take us into the moment that photograph was taken.

WW: Costumed Camaraderie

Daddy-Daughter pumpkin time

A beautiful princess (today & every day!)

The pumpkin menagerie

Duh... I'm Dopey!

Best. Neighbors. Ever.

Candy SCORE!

Link up with @BelleBeanDog and @TamingInsanity for  
iPhone Photo Phun today!

Also linked up to:

You can never have enough sparkle

I love observing my child as she develops and nurtures her interests. Early on, she displayed a true love for the arts. At age 3 1/2, she sings, dances, acts, colors, paints, and creates.

Our county offers a monthly weekend art class, and I recently signed her up. She made a gorgeous fall tree in September. Today, she decorated a pumpkin. A table full of glitter, glue, stickers, feathers, buttons, shapes, and paints was at her disposal as she released her creativity.

We had a hunch what was coming the moment she selected her paint:

In true Amelia style, we ended up with this:

It is proudly sparkling in the sun by our front door right now.

I am quite certain, no neighbor will have one like it.

If Picasso made an autumn tree...

Art class! Celebrating the arrival of Fall.

(By the way, did you know you can color on coffee filters with markers, then spray lightly with water and the colors bleed? A very cool project for kids! Will be trying this again at home soon.)