Family Photos....Take 1

I LOVE pictures! I take a ton, want a ton taken of us, (especially my boys), and love looking through them over the years. So when we schedule family photos.....it causes me stress. I want them perfect, I want my hair right, the boys to coordinate, the littles to be smile, the big to grin and I want that perfect, Pinterest worthy shot.....so when we pulled up onto the site where we were going to do our family pictures, I knew it was going to be a bust....

20 mins late for a sunset photo shoot. Crud, there goes the lighting....over the horizon!!!! 

With a cranky big who had a long day at school......

Two littles who wrinkled and crinkled their shirts.....

A hubby who hadn't tried on his shirt in so long it had shrunk.....

Outfits that were picked because we had just had a cold snap.....then on picture night the temp rose 10 degrees! 

Big one who saw friends inside the house and wanted to go play....

Rogue neighbor dog who tackled the littlest and caused screaming and more tears....

Tears.....coming unglued....disaster! Thank goodness we have an amazing photographer who smiled, laughed, and gave me hug....and was still able to shoot some beautiful pictures.....and said to me, we will try again next month :)

Pinterest worthy pictures just aren't my life....my life is messy, and stinky, and crinkled up with tears running down cheeks and sweat on brows. And snapping one perfect photo doesn't capture this idea of a perfect family that I want to have.....we are so far from perfect. Unless you include a perfect mess :) 

We're complicated, and late, and messy, and all over the place.....but we're real, and together, and what makes us perfect for each other isn't that we can take a picture together and frame it up for people to ohh over....we're perfect for each other because we're all we've got. God put us together and we've got to make it through this messy life together. One day at a time...one moment at a time....one picture at a time.....cause every single shot matters....perfect or not.

Last one may be my favorite......

Some things that make me :)

I'm learning to slow down and process moments. 

Not just run through my day and check things off a list. 

But to sit a little longer, hug a little tighter, and smile at the moments the boys give me. 

They grow up a lot faster than I realize and while my days sometimes seem endlessly long.....the years are flying by way to quickly.

Brothers playing in the hallway

"sleeping" in the shopping carts

Learning on his own....

Trying without training wheels....

So tired yet not wanting to let go!

Silence during a shopping trip!

Potty with the Middle

When we potty trained MJD I was in Costa Rica for 2 weeks. With my parents, husband and a maid full time for assistance......I also didn't have to worry about schedules, pick up, drop off, homework, crawling babe, etc.....

Yesterday I decided, enough was enough and it was time to potty train our middle one. Ugh, what was I thinking?!?!? About 15 minutes into the decision, just after I had spoken it out loud, put the kid in undies, I realized perhaps I am in over my head. But alas, I said it, we must commit, it really is time and I just need to get through it.

Day one....went as expected....accident after accident. Bean keeps asking for a diaper. He refused to poop. Morning was rough. He peed on potty post nap, was excited, ate M&M's and then had accidents the rest of the night. Ugh....we have a long way to go.

Day two....I just want to cry! :( One success....we have officially gone through our stockpile of undies and I have done two loads of laundry already. I am working hard to count my gifts today!

Day three.....fewer accidents.....struggling with poop, but I actually haven't been home for most of those situations. (Yet, I am still the one cleaning them up :( ) He is starting to understand the whole, stop the pee, call mama and sit on the potty. Now the goal is to get him to tell me he has to pee before he actually starts peeing! Oi vey! 


Updates will continue......If you read this before the week is over....PRAY FOR ME! I need it!

We have some moderately wonderful success! We are 95% mastered with pee....and about 2% mastered with poo....I will take what I can get! 

Thank The Lord for mini M&Ms :)

Blasting off into ONE!

It is crazy to believe that we have seen our last 1st birthday party in this family?!??! How is it possible that our littest has finally turned one??????

CRAZY! 

So for Lincoln's birthday we had a Rocket Theme party :) I loved it. This time around it was so low key, super easy, and just fun. Kinda like Lincoln, super low key, easy and fun!

We kept the guest list simple and focused on our family, closest friends, and Lincoln's baby buddies.

He loved the excitement of everyone in the house.

Cake smashing took a little warming up to, but once he figured it out he had a blast!

Then add to the fun the excitement of presents and finding toys and snacks buried under tissue paper and he was in heaven!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!! We love you, Lincoln!!!

Just past midnight

The clock just creeped past midnight and we are officially on Nov 2, 2013.....your first birthday! 

Crazy how a year has come and gone since the day you were born. Lincoln, I wish there were words this side of heaven to express how much I love you! 

     

  Happy Birthday Little One!!!!