Casting Call!

**Edited**

Casting call closed to boys.  Sorry if you have a cutie, but I have two already and I'm now looking for one more little girl.  Any girls 6-10 months out there?

Ok, I need models :)

I'm looking for babies between 6 and 10 months (or so) to practice on.  If you know anyone that lives in my area, send them my way!  These babies must be sitting up on their own.  I'd also like a baby who is on the verge of crawling (or even beginning to crawl).  For your time and participation, you will receive a free photo session plus a few prints.  I'd expect it to take about an hour give or take.  I'd like to shoot outdoors (if weather permits) or in your home.  I'm hoping to get 2-3 babies.

You must be willing to allow me to use these images in any promotional materials (including my soon to be coming website).

Please either leave a comment if you are interested or get in touch with me via email.

Hopefully someone out there can hook me up!

10 Today

Happy Wednesday!  So I'm a day late....what else is new.  It's about 1 p.m. now and I still don't have my 52 weeks shot.  Way to wait until the last minute!

1.  Today is J's birthday!  Happy Birthday!  He's the big 3-0.  Yes, I married a younger man.  People always seem to think that is so amusing.  But they aren't going to be laughing when we are older and I have the hot 80 year old coming home to me at night :)

2.  Little J has his friend B over for a play date last Friday (before I had to leave to go photograph the birth of B's little sister).  They always have such a great time together.  The boys always play so well.  We took a little break for some snacks and some camera practice time.  I'm working on my focus and getting those sharp eyes.  Little J won't ever sit still.

But B was a little more willing.  Plus B has these great big eyes with great big eyelashes.  Why do boys always get the great eyelashes?

3.  We rearranged Miss C's room this past weekend.  We moved the bed to the corner to make more room in there.  I was a little nervous that she would freak out and refuse to go to bed on us.  So we involved her in the whole process.  She loves it!  She keeps saying she has a new bed and will tell anybody that listens.  We also took the black out shades down and now there is a lot more light.  Naps are just about the thing of the past, so I'm not too concerned that there is so much more light during the day.  But I'm a little worried when day lights savings comes.  I hope she still goes to bed at her normal time (7 p.m.).  I guess we'll see.  My prediction is that those shades will be back up come mid-March.

4.  Little J started soccer today.  He's in a class with about 7 other little boys.  All of them are about 2 (or just shy of it) and it was so much fun for him.  I think he is going to be so athletic.  He can already dribble the soccer ball and will shoot it into the net (and yells "goal!" after he does it).  He also dribbles the ball down the field and then will turn around (on his own) after he's gone too far and come back.  I was pretty proud today.  I didn't expect him to do so well.  He loved building a tower out of cones and then kicking it over.  Each time he did it, he shouted "kick it!".  Some of the other parents got a kick out of him.  He was definitely one of the more animated kids.  It did take him a few minutes to warm up though.  But once he did, he had a ball.

5.  On the athletic note, Little J has been playing "basketball hoops" lately.  He's obsessed.  We brought the little basketball hoop in the house and he plays non-stop.  He's getting quite good.  He will back up 3-4 feet and shoot it (and make it).  Sometimes he gets fancy and actually does a jump shot.  Now this might be normal for a 22 month old, but Miss C was never able to do this at that age.  It's kind of funny because J and I are not athletically inclined.  Here's my little guy during a jump shot

And swoooooosh.  Nothing but net.

I tell you, I'm quite proud.

6.  Miss C has decided she no longer needs a stool to use the bathroom.  That's for babies.  She's such a big girl.  In fact, I don't even really need to help her anymore.

7.  Here's a pic of J with the kids today for his birthday.  Miss C has been waiting all day for him to come home so she can help him open presents (i.e. she can open the presents for him).  She helped me decorate and wrap those presents.  It takes 10x as long to wrap presents when a certain toddler is involved.  Of course she had to do everything.  I had to keep the fact that we even got J presents from her a secret.  She's a blabber mouth.  J was prodding her this morning too.  Thank goodness I didn't tell her anything.  And yes, I did get him a present even though he got that nice car a week ago.  I know, he has a good wife :).   Thanks to CG and her great hubby for hooking us up with the wine.  It's nice to have connections!

8.  Here's the sign Miss C made for daddy.  It says Happy Birthday Daddy.  The letters are a little jumbled, but she did it all on her own.

9.  Here's a pic of the fam tonight.  

10.  Finally my 52 Weeks pic.  It's only me and Miss C, but it's at least one of my kids!  Little J didn't want to be involved.  Little stinker.

And because I didn't make it by Tuesday, here is a bonus pic.  

I have an excuse

Really I do.  I'm not going to be able to make 10 on Tuesday today, but I promise I will do it tomorrow.  Besides, tomorrow is J's b-day so at least I have #1 done :)

This is my excuse.  I got a chance to photograph the birth of little Miss R on Friday night.  It was such an amazing experience and I've been buried under a mountain of photos.  I hope to photograph more births in the future.

I just love this one.  She was so long (21 inches) that she kept kicking the side of the bassinet.  I'm sure her mama would appreciate that one since Miss R probably spent the last several months kicking her :)

It's just Wednesday

I'm not even going to pretend I'm going to get to 10 today.  Little J was up early and decided to nap at 9:15 this morning.  That means this mama doesn't get a chance to nap this afternoon.  But I did want to blog to get my weekly 52 Weeks pic in plus a few random bonus tidbits along the way.

1.  Little J has got me confused.  He's been calling me Mee Maw for the past couple of weeks.  It's getting a little better since he interjects Mommy every once in awhile now.  He's been calling Mee Maw "Mommy" too.  Funny that he has the names mixed up.  He also calls Llama's "Mee Maw".  We pass by a little farm with a llama when we drop Miss C off at school.  He points and shouts Mee Maw.  I don't know if I should laugh or be offended.

2.  J brought the kids lollipops home on Friday for Valentine's day.  He decided to show them the lollipops at 5:30 and then turns to me and says, "should we give these to them now before dinner?"  Even now, five days later, it still makes me laugh.  I should have told him "no" and let him figure out the consequences of his actions.  Please people!  You can't dangle candy in front of a toddler and then tell them they can't have it.  Here's Little J ruining his dinner that night.

3.  Miss C is practicing spelling her name.  She has just about every letter but two (an "n" and an "r").  It's funny to see her practicing.  A couple of months ago we taught her the capital "A".  Our mistake was to draw three dots (in a triangle) and show her how to connect the dots to draw the "A".  Now she must do that for every "A" she writes.  Even the one in her name.  

4.  Little J is getting to be more and more verbal.  His favorite phrases, "is tractor working" and "pick sissy up".  He's also getting pretty good at singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  

5.  Ok, so I'm calling it at 5.  Here's my 52 Weeks My Kids and I.  

Yes, it's our feet.  Can you guess who the three year old is?  She constantly puts her shoes on backwards.  She knows its wrong, she just prefers it that way.  And notice my less than cooperative 22 month old.  I took this pic because he constantly wants his (or anyones) shoes on.  That kids loves him some shoes.  Preferably my high heels or sissy's "tap shoes" (i.e. her pink and frilly dress up shoes).  Funny kids.

Never again....

I know you are expecting 10 on Tuesday....but I just couldn't get to it today.  I think this little story sums it all up :)

So last week J and I took the kids to Target to get a few essentials.  I literally had zero diapers in the house and needed to pick some up.  Now, for the last 3 1/2 years I have bought nothing but Pampers.  I love Pampers.  I know when I put those suckers on, I'm never going to have a problem.  Not a leak.  Nada.  For some odd reason (could it be a recent jump in our car payment?), I decide for the first time in 3 1/2 years that I'm going to try generic.  Yes folks, I bought the Target brand.  These babies cost $6 less a box and I figured how much different could they really be?  Ever hear of the phrase, "you get what you pay for?"  Well, I got paid that $6 back and a whole lot more.

First of all, those dang Target brand diapers have leaked every night for the last week.  Poor Little J has been waking up soaked.  Poor mom has had to wash PJ's and sheets for the last week straight.  All for six dollars.  Six dollars!  There went my $6 savings.  I probably spent that in water and electricity doing extra loads of laundry.  In addition, he's been waking up early because he was wet.  So I decide screw this, I'll buy my beloved Pampers and just be done with this.  

But cheap-o me decides the Pampers are for at night and I'll keep using the Target brand during the day until we use them all up.  I wasn't about to waste a $19 box of diapers.  We've been doing fine for the last couple of days on this plan until today.  I take the kids to the grocery store at 5 p.m. to pick up something for dinner.  Of course Miss C has to use the bathroom.  Three year olds always have to use the bathroom when you are in a hurry and carrying groceries in your arms while trying to keep two kids in tow.  So in we head to the bathroom.  On the way out the door, I hear Little J say "uh oh."  So I turn around an notice a wet puddle under him.  Not comprehending how this could possibly be, I'm stood there for a few seconds just frozen.  I actually thought maybe he was bleeding or something like that (even though it didn't look like blood).  The thought that he had just wet the floor never crossed my mind.

So of course I'm feeling him up looking for the source and sure enough that d*mn diaper had come undone and he peed right through his clothes.  He must have been saving up because it was everywhere.  I quickly unsnapped his bottoms, ripped the diaper off and threw it away in the trash because I had just had enough.  As I'm frantically searching my diaper bag, I realize that I didn't have any diapers in there.  So here I am with poor Little J and no diaper (and really wet clothes).

You should have seen my face.  Little J wouldn't let me snap his clothes back up because they were wet.  So I had to put him back in the cart with the legs of his pants wide open and hanging there.  Yes, my boy was free ballin' around the store.  I tried so hard to position the pant legs so things were "covered" but he wasn't exactly sitting still.  I get out quickly and put him in the car wearing nothing but socks and shoes.  Thankfully he was good to me and didn't have another accident on the way home.

I know J is going to kill me for this pic, but this is how I feel about generics

Never again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!

XOXO

The C Family

10 on Tuesday

Ok, let's get this show on the road.  I started this post again last night hoping I would get it done on time.  The kids are upstairs resting, so if I don't get it done in the next hour it's just not gonna happen :)

1.  We have had beautiful weather here.  It couldn't have been more perfect this past weekend.  J and I decided to take a drive on Sunday with the kiddos and I was hoping for an opportunity to give my camera a workout.  Double bonus was that I was going to try to get cute Valentine's Day pics of the kids.  I even had props and was totally prepared.  I think you should know by now where this is going.  I should have known better.  Of course the kids were not going to participate.  I don't think I got one stinkin' picture with the both of them even looking at the camera.  I wasn't even going to hope for a smile.  Talk about low expectations.  Oh well.  I'll share what I got on Valentine's Day.  I wouldn't want to share these gems early.  You're just going to have to wait.

But in the meantime, here is one of Miss C.  She is at least willing to smile if you promise candy.  But she kind of gets this goofy forced look while shouting "cheese" about a million times.  I managed to get this one in-between.

2.  I promised pics of our first "real snow" last week.  It snowed last Tuesday about 2 inches and everyone around here dubbed it a winter blizzard.  I think the town shut down for at least 2 days.  Even J stayed home.  Heaven forbid driving in those conditions with his new car.  

We headed to a friend's house to play.  Miss C was ok with the snow for about 5 minutes.  Then she got wet and the world ended.  Apparently it was too cold.  Little J didn't even want to attempt it.  I tried to just stand him in the snow and he freaked.  So my two little ones were content sitting on the back porch eating their snacks.  Here's a pic of Miss C before things went downhill (and I don't mean the sled).

Here is Little J safely inside after enjoying hot chocolate....er.....marshmallows

3.  Here's a flashback for you.....Snoopy Snowcone Machine!  Anybody in their 30's (heck maybe even older) will remember this beloved toy.  I remember having one of these as a kid.  Miss C got one for her birthday and we broke it out for the first time this past week.  

Look at that excitement.  That quickly faded when I apparently took too long to put it together and crush the ice.  So Miss C decided to just skip the ice part and go right to the sugar goodness.

You know, in all my memories of this thing I certainly don't remember having any issues crushing the ice.  But as a mom with an impatient 3 year old, it's a lot harder than I remember.  But just look at that smile when we were all done.

4.  This is how my little buddy loves to play with his cars

That kid just loves his cars, trucks and tractors.  He'll sit for hours and play with them.  He just loves to study the wheels and watch how they move.  After he's done examining them, he loves to push them off something and watch them crash to the ground.

5.  I took Miss C to her very first dentist appointment this morning.  How do you think it went?Did you guess that I had to hold her arms and legs down while the dentist just counted her teeth?  You would be right!  She actually did really well for the "pre exam" showing of the tools.

She cried and was upset when the hygienist brushed and examined her teeth.  

Forget the polishing, we didn't even go there.  But she wailed and carried on when the dentist came in.  I think it really scared her to have to lay down.  I couldn't even get pictures of it because she had a death grip over me.  I don't love the dentist either, so I guess I can't blame here.  I did take her to target afterwards and let her pick out a prize.  She picked a pink jump rope that lights up.  We also got a little Lightning McQueen flashlight.  Girly prizes, but not too girly :)

6.  Here's little J.  He still uses the binky quite a bit.  A lot more than I would like.  I'm trying really hard to eliminate it during the day.  But somehow he always manages to find one.  Doesn't help that his sister is trying to shove one in his mouth every time he fusses.  Just look at that wild hair too.  I'm not going to point out which half of the gene pool that mop takes after.

7.  This is Miss C wearing one of Nana's creations.  A cute little jumper.  Did I mention that I love to see her smile?

8.  Here is J with the kids.  Just look at Little J.  You can almost see him saying, "What are you doing sissy?  Stop kissing up to daddy!"  But it worked.  J ate it up.  Later we found out that she was "painting" his cheek.  I guess the lollipop she was eating was all over her lips and left a red and white print where she kissed him.

9.  Pay no attention to the fact that I skipped #9.

10.  Here is this weeks 52 Weeks:  My kids and I.  Hey, at least they are both looking :)

I'm a slacker

I started this on Monday night hoping to make it for Tuesday.  But that didn't happen.  I still don't have a pic of me with the kids this week.  And this isn't going to be 10.  But I'll try to post again.

1.  Miss C and Little J are loving their new ride.  When the weather is nice, we take it out in the backyard for a spin.  They are pretty good about taking turns.  Although Little J doesn't really drive it anywhere.  He just likes to sit in the drivers seat and turn the wheel.  He's a crazy man when he does it.  It's so funny.  Look at Little J chillin' there.  Arm up on the window with the other arm resting on Miss C's seat.  Too cute.

2.  Even their friends come over and take it for a spin.  I swear I love our backyard!

3.  We did have a little fender bender the a couple of days ago.  Miss C drove it right into our deck.  Damn women drivers :)

4.  Right now this is my favorite pic of Miss C.  She will now gladly ham it up for the camera if you bribe her.  I love 3 year olds!

5.  Little J had a friend come over the other day.  They had a blast together.

6.  We took Little J off the gluten free diet.  It's been about 5 days and he seems to be doing ok.  That boy has really missed his grilled cheese sandwiches.  I hope he doesn't crash and burn soon.  He's also working on the bottom right canine tooth.  So far he hasn't been too fussy, but he's putting everything in his mouth.  During cold and flu season, that's just plain gross.  So I'm constantly disinfecting everything.

Ok, that's all I got.  It snowed yesterday so I'll work on those pics for the next edition :)

I thought this day would never come

It's February!!  That means the mandatory gluten free "lifestyle" is o-v-e-r!  Dang January for having 31 days.  I will say that J and I were faithful the entire month.  Not one bit of gluten or dairy.  Not.  One.  Bit.  Let's just say I had to do a lot of cooking around here and I have a whole new appreciation for those with food allergies.  You know how hard it is to go to a restaurant and order?  Everything has to be specially made.  Needless to say, January was the first month J and I didn't blow our "eating out" budget.  

The results?  Well, we both feel better, are less fatigued, better digestion, and a bit of weight loss.  J actually lost 12 pounds!  Not that he needed it.  Me?  I lost a whopping 2 pounds.  Not fair.  But I noticed that it took a full 3 weeks for me to feel "results".  If I stay on it longer, I bet I would have more success.  J was so skeptical in the beginning.  Now he is Joe poster boy for the gluten free lifestyle.  He wants to continue it for the foreseeable future.  I think we are going to have to make modifications though.  It's a little too restrictive (especially the dairy part).  Regardless, I'm glad we did it.

So J has been driving me crazy talking about new cars.  His lease is up in a couple of months and let's just say I hate this more than anything.  For me, a car is to get you from point A to point B.  I could care less about all the bells and whistles.  In fact, I could care less if it even had a radio.  That actually would be heaven for me.  Who are we kidding.  I don't get to listen to the radio station I want to anyway.  It's all about the kids and their CD's.  No radio = no kids music.  I would love it.  And who cares about having leather and a nice interior.  The kids just trash it.  I think my new car was "nice" for about 5 minutes.  Now I don't even remember what the interior looks like anymore.

J has a different opinion.  Cars are his thing.  So this week he's been putting on the full court press trying to convince me that buying a certain type of car is necessary.  After I shot him down, he moped around for 2 days.  Until this morning.  I pulled the master of all secrets and bought him the car he was hoping for.

The before:  waiting for the car to be delivered.  Talking with his dad.

The face:  Realizing the car that drove by and he gawked over is his

The goods: