Sneak Peek {Exchange Students}: Deniz + Sophia

Meet Deniz and Sophia! They have been exchange students of a family from our church for the past school year. Deniz is from Germany, but is actually Turkish, and Sophia is from the Ukraine. I really enjoyed getting to know them better and learning about their countries’ traditions and culture! They were so much fun to photograph! Deniz and Sophia, I’m so glad you had the opportunity to come to America and see our culture and visit lots of cool places, and I hope you both have a safe trip home!

 

Deniz

Sophia

 

 

 

 

 

A Room For Thought

“A room hung with pictures is a room hung with thoughts”

Joshua Reynolds

My room was always my room…from the time I was 2 years old that is.  It’s still my room, even though all my stuff is gone from it. Even though all my parents’ stuff now fills the room and it is not a bedroom but a study, it is still my room.  It is still pink and white, and there are still traces of me there.  I hung posters and pictures.  I stuck stickers.  I painted.  I had carpet put on the floor to cover the paint.  And then I ripped up the carpet because it was stained only to sand (by hand) and restain the floor.  I moved furniture, hung beads, changed the decor probably at least a dozen times.  It was my room.  It always told a story about who I was at any given point during my stay in it.

Neither of our girls can say that about their rooms.  I know they are young and have plenty of time, but I have always wanted them to have a room they can call their own not because they sleep in it but because it has been made theirs.  When we owned our house (or had a mortgage, rather), we never had the money to make Avery’s nursery pretty – nor Anabel’s when she came along.  Avery was a huge surprise and we were just super happy to have nice furniture in her room, much less decorate it.  Soon after Anabel was born we moved to an apartment.  I never want to paint or really decorate in an apartment because it’s not ours…and primarily because I knew I’d be the one to repaint and fix the walls before we left.  So here we are again renting and though we’ve been here a while, I still have not wanted to paint or really decorate the girls’ rooms for the same reasons.  So when I came across this post by a blog friend of mine, I was excited to finally find something cool to do to decorate each of my girls’ rooms (Baby Bel’s room has not been done yet).  Hopefully, we’ll be able to find more ways to make their rooms their own without painting or doing too much damage.  For now, here are some pictures of what’s been done…8 long hours it took me to do those “flowers”!  But I love them, and most importantly, Avery is crazy about them!

Adventures In Potty Training

“A child can go only so far in life without potty training. It is not mere coincidence that six of the last seven presidents were potty trained, not to mention nearly half of the nation’s state legislators.”

-Dave Barry

My girl is using the potty!!!  It’s fantastic!  I don’t have to tell her or remind her or prod her.  I just have to take her diaper off and let her run around au natural, and she’s good to go…both ways (pun intended).  It’s looking like our diaper-free days are fast approaching, at least for a while, and  I am SO SO excited about this! It actually took us a year and a half to potty train Big Sister Avery.  We still have issues with it.  She never used the potty without prodding, reminding, or rewards.  She’s stubborn like that…you know, like her father   My sweet little Baby Bel is doing it all on her own.  And I’ve decided I will let her progress (or not) without pressure and without the need to push.  I have come to the conclusion that, at some point, they both will be fully potty trained for good and forever….well, at least for about 60 years.  Yes, people, it took me 5 years to come to that conclusion.  I’m a put-a-round-peg-in-a-square-hole kind of person.

Without further ado…

Yeah, what’s potty time without a little lip gloss?  A girl’s gotta look good in every situation!  I mean what if there was a photographer around taking pictures of little girls on potties and this one didn’t have any lip gloss on?!  Atrocious

Every little inch of her sweet little body is just delicious!

And since I know you were so thrilled by those pictures of my daughter sitting on a potty, I will add that I finally put a photograph that I took up on our wall yesterday!  The only one in our house that was taken by me!  It and a few others are below

Sneak Peek {Mother and Girls}: Styers Family

When Maria emailed me the other day asking if there was time enough to do a Father’s Day session, I panicked a little. It doesn’t give me much time to edit and get the pictures together for her to order. But when I saw them, my heart was at peace! These pictures were almost perfect just the way they were! And when the kind gentleman who let us use his farm told me I could come back whenever I wanted, I decided against asking him if that meant I could live there This place really is a little bit of heaven! Rolling hills, hay bales, ponds, tall grasses, cows, barns, old tractors….it’s absolutely breathtaking!  This family are members of our church and their love for each other, for other people, and for God is evident. I had so much fun photographing them! Their love and personalities really shone through!  Once again, though, if you know this family, shhhh, don’t tell dad!  It’s a surprise!

Sisters and Sprinklers

“A sister is both your mirror – and your opposite.”

Elizabeth Fishel

“We are sisters. We will always be sisters.Our differences may never go away, but neither, for me, will our song.”

Elizabeth Fishel

I don’t have any siblings, but I am so glad these two have each other!  No matter if we have more children or not, these two will always have one another.  And although they are complete opposites of one another, I know that they will always be close and, because they are so completely different, each of them will be able to shine in their very own way.  We simply adore them!

Another must-have item!  My mom got this for the girls, and, while it will take them time to get used to it, they do love it and it will be so much fun (and something different from the pool) this summer!

On a side note, I was SO excited for them to be able to play in the water because, what does that mean people?!  SUMMER’S coming!!!!  WOO HOO!!!!  YAY!!!!  (whew.  Thanks.  Just had to get that out )

What A Wonderful World!

Not only am I in love with my husband, my children, and my camera (in that order, for those who may doubt ), but I am now absolutely in love with this bubble machine.  I think every family with small children should own one of these!  I had the idea to do this photo shoot with the girls the second my dad showed me what he bought…a machine that not only blows bubbles, but huge bubbles with little bubbles inside!  Fantastic!  Thanks for the bubble machine, dad!  You rock!

On a more serious note, I can’t imagine our world without these two girls.  They so often are responsible for making our world a wonderful world!

Wow, I love this girl!!!

I know that when I’m having a bad day or they’re having a bad day – or both – that I can look at these and fall in love with them all over again.

They Rock My World! They Know They Do!

Yesterday morning I was FINALLY able to do a spring photo shoot with the girls! I was a little apprehensive since every time I plan to do this, they simply do not cooperate and I wind up only a few (at best) good pictures and am usually disappointed. However, they had so much fun at this old building in our town. I think the lollipops kind of helped…oh yeah, and threats that if they didn’t do what mommy wanted, we wouldn’t go to the park afterward. You know, bribery is looking better and better as they get older

Daughters

My daughters have truly been sisters this week. They have fought, argued, hit, pulled, tugged, screamed, thrown tantrums. They have sulked, whined, begged, disobeyed, and generally driven me nuts. I haven’t even really wanted to be around them. I’ve had to keep them separated on more than several occasions.

These kinds of weeks really wear me down as a mother. I wonder if I’m cut out to be a mom or to ever have anymore children. I question what I allow or don’t allow when I discipline and when I don’t. I wonder if I’m completely ruining them or if I’m doing anything right at all. Somehow, though, I came across this song. I’m not sure how since I don’t listen to the singer’s music, but the lyrics make me long for my daughters no matter how horrible they’ve been. They make me stop being angry and start just appreciating each of my precious children even in the midst of their bad (or at the very least questionable) behavior. I’m so passionate about those girls, I don’t guess I could ever feel so strongly about anything or anyone else ever. They touch my heart in ways no man or woman could. They are my daughters. And it doesn’t matter how horrible a week I have had, they love me unconditionally and my love for them grows each day.

In My Daughter’s Eyes

In my daughter’s eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter’s eyes

In my daughter’s eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter’s eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It’s hangin’ on when your heart
has had enough
It’s giving more when you feel like giving up
I’ve seen the light
It’s in my daughter’s eyes

In my daughter’s eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she’ll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I’m gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I’ll be there
In my daughter’s eyes

Lyrics by James Slater