Ava & Soccer

An exciting thing happened Saturday at Ava and Elise's soccer game. Ava scored her first and second ever goals!!
Ava hasn't ever really shown much interest in running as fast as she could or being super aggressive. We were ok with that and figured it was good exercise and that she'd either eventually pick it up and enjoy it a lot or would lose interest. Before the game before this one, I talked to Ava about how to run faster. We've told her lots of times that she's bigger than a lot of the kids and has longer legs and therefore could run faster. Finally, I told her that if she moved her arms faster and said, "ZOOM!", that she'd run faster. I was half-kidding but she tried it anyway. After the game she told me that she tried saying, "ZOOM!" but that it didn't do much but that when she moved her arms faster...."all of the sudden I was passing all these kids!"
Fast forward to yesterday's game and now that she can run past a lot of the kids, she has a tendency to get the ball more often. She was even more aggressive in getting the ball and took it to the goal several times and finally scored 2 goals! I was so proud of her. Amidst my cheering and clapping for her, I admit I teared up a little. GO AVA!!!

Church BBQ Contest

Back in July, our church held the 3rd? annual BBQ Contest. Anyone who wants to can enter a rib and/or chicken contest. The people who do the smoking spend a large chunk of the day at the park tending to their food. Then, the rest of us get to bring a side and enjoy. It was a VERY hot day, in fact there was a heat advisory, but we went anyway. Who can turn down free smoked meat, I mean, really?




The church leaders finally figured out how to get Chris more involved - by eating lots of smoked meat. They asked him to be a judge this year. Who would say no to that?

The Judges Table



Elise was having lots of fun. We didn't stay super long because of the heat but it was just about right.


Here's Jake hanging out. He was about 2 months old in this picture. He didn't seem to mind the heat and stayed very calm. He loved it when I let him drink water out of my cup and didn't seem to care that he dribbled it all over himself.



This was one of those evenings with a newborn where even though it was a little bit of a hastle getting everyone ready to go and be where they needed to be, it was nice to get out of the house for a bit of family time outdoors. The girls were having so much fun playing at the park with friends. There was a big group of kids planted in the sand of the volleyball pit. After the bbq, we went to DQ for some cold refreshment and then home for baths!

Things the Girls Say

If I'm going to make good on my goal to write twice a week I better get going. I just have to remember that I don't have to have pictures in order to post.

The girls have some things that they say that I want to remember.
Each of my girls has had a saying that they've used to express how much they love us. Ava would say, "I'll keep you forever". Elise says, "You're in my heart." Very sweet.

Lately when Elise is sad (like from me saying no, she can't have cookies for breakfast), she'll say, "Mommy, you make my heart sad." yeah...

Today, after Elise pooped in the toiled (we're working on that), she asked if she could have a tootsie roll. I said yes, but got distracted taking care of Jake. Both girls came in while I was changing his diaper and said I forgot to get them a tootsie roll.
Elise says, "Mommy, you make my mouth sad."
Then Ava (who we usually give a treat to too), says, "My teeth are crying!"
I rolled my eyes and laughed at the same time.

In related news, the other day Elise comes out of the bathroom and says, "Mommy, Daddy I pooped in the toilet!" We started to get excited and then she quickly said, "It's invisibile." So now when she really does go she makes sure to say that she went "for real".

Also today, I asked Ava to get me a onesie for Jake because the one he had on was wet from all of his teething drool. I joked, "bring me a onesie - but not a twosie...or a threesie." Ava comes running back to my room with a onesie in one hand and a pair of pants in the other. She holds out the onesie and says seriously, "Is this a twosie or a onesie?"

Other quick things. Elise says mumember for remember, noonicorn for unicorn, calls oranges womens (lemons), banama for banana and furfect for perfect. We've tried to correct her on all of these things but they seem to be unchangeable at the moment and we're kind of ok with that.

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH!

Hi All -
My NEW photography website is now up! Check it out and let me know what you think!




Be sure to follow my site one way or another - via facebook, twitter (yeah, totally new to that), or by subscribing to my blog.

Photography News

Been working on my photography business. Tomorrow, we launch a NEW WEBSITE! Check out my photography blog for more info!
www.lorigeorgephotography.blogspot.com

Labor Day Weekend Stay-cation

On the Saturday before Labor Day, we decided to do something as a family We weren't going out of town so we decided to have a stay-cation and went to the Topeka Zoo. It's a great zoo for family with children because it is small and well shaded (I'm pretty sure I've said this lots of times). The weather was gorgeous! We were trying to decide whether to go on Saturday or Monday (Labor Day). I'm glad we chose Saturday, (a), because of the nicer weather (Monday was hot), and (b), because I was sick on Monday and Chris was suffering from major allergies. Here are some pics (with captions) of our day.
Here's Chris and the girls, oh wait, can't say that anymore! Here's Chris with the kids getting ready to tour the zoo.
Here's Jake first time facing out in his carrier - first time with Daddy carrying him. So cute! Jake did very well. He took a cat nap and seemed content most of the day. I've noticed he likes being outside for the most part.
The girls making silly faces saying, "take a picture!"
I guess we went on a day where they were celebrating an anniversary or something so that had a big to-do with the elephant enclosure. The elephants were "painting" canvases that you could purchase. I have a few thoughts on this. Yes, elephants are wonderful, fascinating animals - really, they are. However, they weren't really "painting" like I've seen on tv. Ok, fine. That's ok. These elephants paint with their snouts? or the end of their trunks. They would pick up the paint from the tray and then paint a little on the canvas (one elephant just wanted to eat the paint and smear it on himself...must have been a toddler-elephant), then the trainers had the "blow" on to the canvas too - a type of splatter-painting I suppose. All I have to say is GROSS! I'm sorry but while I'm happy to support the zoo by purchasing my ticket, I can't make myself purchase a canvas of elephant snot that wasn't really painted as much as it was sneezed on. I'll save my $20 - $100 for something else - like concessions. or not....but enough about elephant "painting"! ;)
"Elephant snot for sale. Get your elephant snot!"
Ava and Elise thought it was cool and walked along the fence to view the artwork or snotwork if you will. Ok. I'll stop.

Looky - here! One of the giraffes wanted to either spy or get in on the action. I thought this was a cute pic of the girls looking at the tall little guy.
One neat thing was that a baby hippo had been born a few weeks prior to our visit. Look closely and you can see him by his mama. We stood and watched for a while so we could catch a glimpse of him between his hiding behind mama and lying on the ground.
We got to see a rather famous little giraffe up close that day. Hope, is a young female giraffe born with a hoof deformity. She has special shoes made every four weeks to help remedy the problem. We got to see them muzzle her and then give her medicine. It was interesting because there was quite a crowd gathering with lots of little children, watching as the corralled the giraffe into the area. We were all admiring this beautiful creature when one of the zookeepers whipped out a muzzle and started wrestling with the giraffe to get it on her. There were definitely some gasps and dropped jaws, especially from children, because it looked like they were hurting her. I explained to my girls what was happening and the Hope didn't like taking medicine just like they sometimes don't.

After the zoo, we went to another favorite spot, Gage Park. We played at the park for a while while Chris and Jake waited in line for the train. We got to ride the train (counter-clockwise this time), and had a lot of fun. After that, we finished off our staycation by eating at The Olive Garden. Sometimes it is hit or miss - this time it was good.

Kickoff to Soccer Season!

Soccer season has begun! Ava has been playing soccer for a few seasons now. Last season, Elise started to show an interest in playing so we decided to cross our fingers and let her try it so this post is about her inaugural game. So far she seems to have a lot of fun, although being only 3 1/2 has its disadvantages. Above Elise is kicking her very first goal kick. She'd never practiced one before but did pretty well (after a couple of tries).

Here is the mom/aunt/kid/baby blanket. Note Jake getting fed by Aunt Kelly so Mommy could photograph.

A few things about Elise at this age:
1. She is SUPER SPUNKY! She's sassy, aggressive, easily excited, FULL of energy, and a fighter...meaning she'll stick up for what she thinks is best. We played a game one time where Mommy was pretending to be the wolf, Ava and Daddy were the sheep, and Elise was supposed to be the shepherd. Instead of trying to get the sheep to follow her away from the wolf, she comes and tries to "fight" the wolf, aka Mommy, and she meant business. She was going to protect those sheep at all costs. She's also been known to try to throw a few punches at a Mommy or Daddy or any other kid who makes her sister Ava cry. We then have to have a sit down talk with her of course.

Well, on the soccer field. Her spunkiness was evident. You could hear me across the field yelling, "Elise, no pushing!", "Elise, no hitting...kicking...". She wasn't very happy with one of the kids in particular and I think she wanted to "fight" him a little. NO matter her size or her age, she's ready to duke it out. While this is all cute and funny for us to watch because we know she doesn't quite get it, the good parent side of us has let her know that is not OK.

2. She has tons of ENERGY and tries very hard. I swear, since the womb, Elise has been an energetic one. Elise being my second, I remember thinking, "Man, this kids moves a LOT!" She continues to be the most wiggly kid we've know and can bounce off the walls at any moment. As a result, she gets tired and it comes on all of the sudden...then the whines and cries start - but we try and understand and try to work with her.

On the field she got worn out pretty quickly but was determined to give it her best. I'm almost embarrassed to say but Elise didn't quite notice or care when the ref would blow the whistle. (I think she didn't quite understand). She saw it as her opportunity to get the ball and start kicking it around. I honestly think she didn't get it. One funny moment was when someone had scored a goal - she ran into the goal and gave the ball a good kick. The ref also knew her name already within 2 minutes of her playing.

3. Elise is EXCITABLE. Elise gets excited so easily and it shows. Last year in gymnastics she hopped up and down for half of the class with a big smile across her face because she loved it so much. Same with certain aspects of soccer. She just grins and grins when she does a good job.

Overall, Elise had fun, did some running, did go after the ball with some aggressiveness, although her shorter legs and size and her lack of experience, meant that the older kids got more touches. Ava had a good time too. She's started to go after the ball more and is one of the bigger kids this year. The point is that they have fun, get some exercise and fresh air and learn some athletic skills.

See Ava in the back? Go, Ava!!

Here she is - our new little soccer player with a huge grin! Stay tuned for a season recap later on.

I'm Back

I've been doing some thinking about how I spend my time and what is really important and what is not. I've decided that blogging IS important - at least for the family history - record keeping aspect of it. I LOVE looking back on past posts and seeing the pics and reading the stories, some of which I've already forgotten! I feel sad that I haven't kept up these last couple of years and I realize that I'm missing out on great opportunities to record the things our little family is doing so that we can look back and remember again. I don't think I'll ever regret spending time updating the family blog. I might regret not doing it though (already do).

SO...Here's my goal. From now until the end of 2010, I'm going to post 2 times a week (even if it's twice in one day).

I'd also like to pose a CHALLENGE to all of my blogging friends or readers of this blog. I CHALLENGE you to do the same. Post 2 NEW BLOG Entries EVERY WEEK left in 2010. I think you'll find that you will enjoy it and will be oh so happy you did it in the years to come.

Any takers?

It's BUMBO Time!

CLICK TO ENLARGE! (I posted this last pic of Ava because I think the first one of her in the bumbo is a little distorted for what she really looked like.)

I did this side by side of Ava and Elise after Elise was born and now I have to add our 3rd little one. So the first pic is of Ava, the 2nd of Elise and the last, of Jake.

So what I want to know is...WHO LOOKS LIKE WHO? I've got to get some baby pics of Chris and I up here too.

2-Months!

I can't believe our little guy is already 2 months old...and then I also can't believe he's only 2 months old. Jake has been a joy to have in our family. He's really a mild mannered baby and is a great night sleeper, often giving us a 8-9 hour stretch at night. Naps are a different story but I really can't complain. We haven't had Jake's 2 month well visit yet but I'm going to guess that he's following the pattern of my first two and will be over 90th percentile in weight and height.

A few things about Jake - His first real smile was a day before he was 4 weeks old and happened at church. Chris had been holding him while I did a few things. I came back, sat down and held him and he looked up at me with a big, big, grin. Of course it melted my heart. I wouldn't officially say that he's had his first real laugh yet but he's been close. He does lots of vocalizing and you'd swear he was talking to you and telling you something really important. I just talk back to him and enjoy the conversation. Jake is also a pretty strong little kid. He's doing a great job holding his head up for the most part. His new favorite thing is to practice standing. I pull him up from lying down to a sitting position and then to a standing position. The girls think it looks like he's dancing because he bobs up and down a bit. He likes to push with his feet when on his tummy as well. He'll also bat at the toys above him when on his play mat. He doesn't love his car seat but we're hoping he'll enjoy it more when it isn't so hot. He likes to be held, swaddled and also likes baths. I like that he also does a good job going to sleep on his own...if you count giving him a pacifier going to sleep on his own. I do. It's so much better than having to rock them to sleep.

Most of all, we love our little guy and the sweet spirit he brings to our home. Each day he grows bigger and starts to do more things. He's already outgrown so many clothes and is mostly wearing 3-6 month items right now.
Love you Jake!

Photography Tip: Notice the difference between the first two and the last photos? The last was taken without a flash. It was a quick effort but you can still see such a difference in shapes, tones, color and shadows. Most cameras have an Av or Aperature Priority Mode (even point and shoot cameras). Try lowering the Aperature (this will allow your camera to collect as much of the available light around) to the lowest your camera will go and snap a photo. Too blury or not what you want? Increase the amount until you get a good balance of what you are looking for. Be sure to make sure your flash is off.

Ava First Day of School

Today was Ava's first day of school. I definitely had a mix of emotions from excitement for her to sadness at the thought of her being gone every day, etc. We walked Ava the two or so blocks to school. After picking her up after school I told her how much I had missed her and she said in her happy Ava voice, "Well, I'm back now. And I had a GGGreat time!" I was happy to hear that. Life has now completely changed - ready or not.

Baby Jacob!

Baby Jacob is here! He was born on Monday, June 21st at 5:15pm. He was 9 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long. More details later (he'll be 4 weeks old tomorrow) but I thought I'd post a few pictures for those who check my blog. FYI-I tend to share a lot more on facebook so if you're not on there yet as my friend - let me know!

Exhale...a little

Thinking about the last few weeks or even months brings quite a few emotions to the surface. The whole process of selling a home and buying a new one, which includes all of the financial considerations, packing & moving logistics, etc. has been quite overwhelming. Now that we have officially moved, the rush to get everything unpacked and settled with me being about two weeks away from my due date is even more overwhelming. I find myself going from being on the verge of tears (or letting them spill over) to trying to think calming, peaceful thoughts (and saying lots of prayers to feel those things) to trying to focus on what is most important and putting those priorities where they should be - top priorities.
Throughout the last week or two we have received SO much help and I am incredibly thankful for it. For those who really know me, they know that I am very determined and fairly independent, used to doing what I want to do and having the strength and energy to do it. (but also going overboard sometimes). Unfortunately I have not been able to "do whatever I want" and have been struggling with back pain, exhaustion and physical weakness.
I wanted to take a minute to write down some of the thoughts I've had as I've reflected on the elements of this trial I am going through. First of all, when thinking clearly, I realize that this trial I am going through could be a lot worse. Many people have to suffer so much more. I'm thankful that the child growing inside of me that will be born into our family oh so soon is thriving. What a blessing. Second, I KNOW that my Heavenly Father is watching out for me. On our next to last house showing, I was home with both girls by myself and had to hurry and get the house clean (again) and with a very hurt back. I remember being almost out of time and trying to dry and clean the shower (things have to be spotless in my mind), I was at my end. As I was wiping the shower down with a towel, my back throbbing, pains shooting down my leg, I burst into tears and pleaded with my Heavenly Father. I told Him I couldn't do it anymore...that "this" (meaning the moving to a new house) was what we wanted...etc and asked that He please let us do this if it be His will. Within two days I believe, we had three offers. I KNOW that Heavenly Father, while giving me this trial for my own good, was looking after me.
Third, this time has really made me rely on others and ask them for help. I had people come and help me pack, I had people help clean, and lots of willing helpers (family, friends and a few I've never met) to physically move our house full of stuff. This experience has taught me to be grateful and to appreciate the sacrifice of others. I now know how it feels to truly be in need, to feel helpless and to rely on others to help me through. Going forward, I think I'll be more aware of the needs of others and will better understand how I can help them when they are tired, weary or in need of help from another.
Fourth, I'm learning patience. I tend to get these lessons often - still working on it. We purchased a home that is twice the size of our old home but is older and needs some cosmetic work to get it where our old house was - but it has so much potential and so much space (and really isn't nearly as bad as I make it sound - the basement is awesome!) I've been hung up on how much stuff I need to do like paint, put tile in, rid ourselves of the atrocious popcorn ceilings, etc. I'm learning (it's still a struggle I admit) that these things really don't matter, especially right now and that in time we'll have the time, energy and money to take care of these things. I'm learning to focus on what is more important.
I'm learning that Heavenly Father is in control and that I need to trust him. This baby wants to be here. I had a scary situation early on in pregnancy that ended with me having to have surgery at 5 weeks pregnant. The baby has been thriving this whole time and will likely be yet another large baby that my body has been known to produce. I'm so thankful for Heavenly Father's hand in this process. I am looking forward to the birth of our third child, our first son. I know things will continue to be challenging, especially in these weeks to come, but I know that I will be able to handle them.
Lastly, I am SO grateful for my loving, hard-working husband. He might be a little hard to get to know because he isn't the type to want to be the center of attention or to impress people (although he's a bit of a joker), etc...but to the few who really know him, they know how much he loves his family and how NOTHING else comes before them, how dependable he is and how he will see what needs to be done (especially around the house) and will do it. He's been keeping the laundry clean, the dishes washed, food in our pantry and so much more. What a blessing he is.
So as I sit and look around at all of the boxes to be unpacked, painting to be done, and things to organize or get ready...and have absolutely no energy or physical strength to do them (and very little time left), barely able to walk, and with giant "cankles", I try to remember the blessings that I do have. I try to remember that things aren't that bad. I try to remember that I have help...that this too will pass...that there is a lesson or lessons in all of this.
I am going to count my blessings. I am going to persevere and continue to pray for strength and to keep thinking positive thoughts.
I am also going to take a deep breath and...exhale.
All is well.

Family Update

Now that I am on facebook, I tend to make my annoucements there and neglect my blog. I know not everyone is a "face-booker" so here's an update:

We sold our home recently. We went several weeks with plenty of showings and then one weekend got three offers with a rumor of a fourth. Even with that many offers we still didn't get quite what we had hoped but were relieved that the process would be nearing an end.

As for a new house, we are purchasing a house around the corner from us actually. It is very similar to our home, (almost the exact same floor plan upstairs) but has a full, finished, walk-out basement. The basement is really what sold us. It is spacious and light-filled, has a huge playroom among other things. The new house is 5 years older and is clean and well-kept but will need some TLC as far as the cosmetic things go. We'll have to wait a while before tackling a lot of that stuff but that is okay. We'll have more important things to worry about - like a new baby.

As far as the timeline goes for us, we close on our new house on June 1st. Then, the baby is due on June 22nd. It'll be quite a crazy period where I know I'll need tons of help since I won't be able to do a lot and won't want to risk going into labor early from over-doing it. But luckily, I have a lot of family and friends who have offered their help. We'll need it for sure.

So that is the update for our family for now. Lots of changes! We are definitley happy though to at least know now what the plan is. The time we spent wondering what was going to happen was a bit stressful...(okay a lot!)

Until next time...wish us luck on the move!

$5 Wall Art Tutorial

As part of our efforts to get our house ready to sell, we took down a lot of our more personal wall art like family pictures and decided to put something else up. One of my favorite things to do was to take ordinary art canvases and wrap them in fabric - wallah - cheap wall art....adds color and interest without being too personal and the best thing - it's quite easy and inexpensive.
If you want to make some inexpensive wall art - it's quite easy. I'm going to show how you can use the popular "freezer paper stencil" method to make your wall art. You can also skip the freezer paper stencil and just use preprinted fabric of your choice.

$5 WALL ART TUTORIAL!
Supplies Needed:
artist canvas (can be a cheapy one since you'll be covering it)
fabric (cut 2 inches larger than your canvas on all sides)
staple gun

if doing a freezer paper stencil design - add these items:
freezer paper (I purchased mine at Walmart by the waxed paper)
a design of your choice (you can find one or draw your own - or cut one from your Cricut - I found that you can cut freezer paper easily on your Cricut)
craft knife
cutting mat or thick cardboard
paint (I use plain acrylic)
iron


Cover your canvas with your pre-ironed fabric by putting the right side of your fabric facing the floor/table with the canvas face down. Make sure to cut your fabric 2" larger on each side. I bought a value pack of 16x20 canvases at the craft store so you would need to cut your fabric to 20x24. For this project, I used 2 16x20 canvases, wrapped separately.

Using a staple gun, start with one side of your canvas and put a staple in the center of that side. Then, pulling tightly (but not overly tight so that you over stretch your fabric) put a staple on the opposite side of the canvas as well, being sure to staple in the middle of the border line. Continue to staple on the two sides you started with until you have done about half of those sides, turning the canvas over every so often to check how things are going and make sure there aren't any ripples. You'll now want to repeat the intial steps with the top and bottom edges, working your way from the middle out until all you have left to staple are the corners.
There are lots of ways to do corners, but this one is my favorite because it seems easy and gives a good result. To do this corner, you basically make a right corner with one edge (like wrapping a present) and then do the same with the 2nd edge as you pull everything towards the center. Staple to secure.
Here is the finished wrapped canvas. I trimmed the excess fabric and it's not perfectly neat - but who cares because you won't see that when you hang it up. If you don't want to do a freezer paper stencil design...you would now be finished! Super Easy!


If you choose to add a freezer paper design:
A note about freezer paper - If you've never used freezer paper before - don't hesistate to try it. You can purchase a roll of freezer paper usually in the same aisle where you'd find waxed paper. Freezer paper is waxy one side and paper on the other. Someone figured out that you can iron the waxy side down to fabric and it sticks very well (but peels off neatly when you are ready), creating a great stencil method with sharper lines than traditional stencils.
Find a design that you would like to use. I did a google image search to find my design. I wanted it to be larger than what I could print on my desktop printer. You can either go to a copy store and have your image enlarged or if you have a Wii, you can access the world wide web and put it on your tv which acts as a projector of sorts. You can see here that I carefully taped my freezer paper to the tv and traced the image I wanted with pencil. (FYI - you want the pencil lines to be on the non-shiny paper side.) Otherwise you would take your print (either from your printer or the one you had enlarged at the copy store) and would trace the image onto your freezer paper. Holding your paper up to a light or window can be extra helpful when tracing. Carefully cut out your design using a craft knife. Be sure to use cardboard or a cutting mat underneath to protect your surface.
Here are my covered canvases that I am using for this project. You'll want to iron (on low-medium setting) your freezer paper to the canvas, waxy side down. It didn't stick as well as it would had I ironed the image onto the fabric first, before I wrapped it to the canvas. You could try doing that - but for me, since I was using two canvases, I wanted to make sure the image lined up the way I wanted. I did carefully go over, with an iron, the important design areas.
A
After you've ironed your freezer paper down, you are now ready to start painting. You can use more than one color of paint (I'd do one at a time and let each color dry before starting a new one) but for this, I'm just using a dark grey. The trick is to use just a little bit of paint to lightly cover the design. You want to avoid gloppy paint that will dry thick and possibly crack later when the fabric is stretched (especially if you or your kid is going to wear it). You can always add another coat. It is also important to work from the edges to the middle so that paint doesn't get underneath the edges, makes your lines less sharp.
After your paint has dried you are now ready to remove the freezer paper. You won't be able to re-use your paper stencil because it will likely come off in sections. But as you remove your paper, it will reveal your design!

Here is the finished design hanging on my wall...inexpensive wall art! Below are some more examples of the wall art using preprinted fabric. This was a great way for me to stage my house with some art and not break the bank.



Here you can see the giant canvas I have over my bed (my first fabric wrapped canvas I did a few years ago), and also a small square in my bathroom.

We're on the Market

BUY OUR HOUSE!

Life has continued its crazy course around here. I keep asking myself why I tend to go from one crisis to the next when I often roll my eyes at people who are "crisis-livers". Might I be a hypocrite??? No, no...Might I be in denial? Of course not! ;-)

Anyway, with the interest rates as low as the are, and with our being qualified for the "repeat home buyers credit", $6,500 tax credit if you buy a new home after being in yours for at least 5 (it'll be 7 in April), we started looking into purchasing a new home. I called a lender and got pre-approved to see what kind of $ we were looking at. Then, we started looking at homes and thinking about how to get our home ready for sale. One other reason to sell now is that there are more first time home buyers out looking, hoping to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit.

Well, the last month has been nothing but getting our house ready for the market. Painting, organizing, going through things, replacing fixtures, cleaning, etc, etc, etc. And as Chris puts it, I'm only at a "30% capacity" with being pregnant and tiring easily, etc. With lots, and I mean LOTS of help from my family, we've been able to meet our goal of having our house on the market by Feb. 1st. It has been incredibly stressful, tiring and overwhelming.

Call us crazy, but we're going to give FSBO a try. That's how we bought our house and it went smoothly. I realize there are quite a few things to think about come contract time so luckily we have at least one offer to help us with our contract. The other overwhelming thing is that we have no idea where we are going. So far, I don't love any of the homes we've looked at so we're putting a lot of faith in this and hoping/praying that everything will work out.

Marketing is the number one thing we have to do since the local MLS is not an option. We've put ads in the paper and online and I've created a blog to direct people to to get more info and to see pictures.

Check out our house blog and let me know what you think! Also, feel free to wish us good luck as we try to get this thing sold. 1808 Goodell Ct

Spilling the beans

October was the busiest/craziest/most painful month I can remember.
Here's what I'm saying:
Since the "cat's out of the bag" I might as well "spill the beans" and let everyone know that we have a "bun in the oven". Come June we'll be a family of 5.

I'm a couple months along but through the course of the last couple weeks of being in and out of the hospital and needed the support of others, the news has trickled out. I might as well share what we're going through. The "in a nutshell" version: Had my gallbladder removed - baby is doing fine.

The longer version:
October - I had tons of photo sessions booked and was doing 2-4 or even 5 sessions a week. Way too much. Then I started getting horrible pains off and on for 3 weeks. In the middle of all of this, we traveled to OKC to visit my Grandma and go to a U2 concert - more "attacks" along the way. We couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Got home, made an appointment with the docter (again). Found out I was pregnany. Had our annual Bunko party the day after that, then lots more stuff to keep us busy that weekend. Two days later, even more horrible pain - went to ER. The admitted me but then the surgeon said he'd rather not operate until further along in pregnancy or even all the way through. He was hoping we could control it. Two days later - the most horrible pain in my entire life - worse than labor, worse than anything I could imagine.
Chris had just left for work. I called him before he even got out of our neighborhood and told him he better come back. Called my sister in law, Gaia, over and we rushed to the hospital but didn't make it. We got a few miles and I couldn't breathe, was in worse pain, vomitting uncontrollably. I called 9-1-1 to ask what they thought we should do and they wanted us to pull over. We stopped at a fire station that happened to be nearby and they had been listening to the radio and were already on their way out. Waited what seemed like forever for the ambulance to get there. Chris said I sounded like a drug addict because I kept begging them to give me something for the pain. I knew which drug I could have during pregnancy and kept asking for that. I even told the paramedics to stop talking to me - they kept asking me questions and stuff and I couldn't take it. What an ordeal! We made it to the hospital, got the pain relieved, consulted with the surgeon and OB and I was admitted and scheduled for surgery the next day. They took extra precautions for me since I was early in my pregnancy. I'm actually very thankful I have the OB I have and also thankful for my great surgeon. He even got teary eyed talking about how he wanted to make sure everything went well in my pregnancy. We really had no other choice but to operate. I couldn't go my whole pregnancy with this pain - and it would actually but my pregnancy and my health at a higher risk of infection, becoming septic, etc. if they didn't do the surgery.
It was horrible being in the hospital but I knew I didn't have to worry about my kids - they were in the good hands of my family. I'm so grateful for that. I had to cancel three photo sessions and felt bad about that - but soon realized it wasn't that important and everything would have to be okay.
Life is starting to get back to a new normal but I have to take things slow for obvious reasons.
I'm so thankful to be blessed with this pregnancy. I know some people wait until much later in pregnancy to let the world know but considering the circumstances I feel I might as well share what we're going through. If something were to happen, why not have support to get through it, right?
Anyway, that is the story for now.

Fall Photography

It's been a few months now since I officially "launched" LGP, aka Lori George Photography. Above is what the front of my business card looks like - printed on a cool pearl paper.

I'm offering a Fall Booking Sale since fall is such a perfect time to take pictures. I've been learning quite and bit and realize that it definitely takes a lot of work - but the payoff in terms of working with great people and families and seeing how happy they are to see their photographs is all worth it!

How am I doing so far? Check out my site if you haven't been there in a while - become a fan if you'd like and I think it will keep you posted on updates.

Labor Day & Butterflies

We spent our Labor Day relaxing (well, actually I think we cleaned the house in the morning - but whatever) and went to a local farm to check out their Butterfly Bio-Villa.
Here's a slideshow -click to make bigger.

Finished Projects & Inspiration

I've finished a few projects in the last few months that I thought I would document. Here's a shirt I made for Ava - it's been sitting almost done for a while now - finally got it completed. Here's the pattern I used: B4176 from Butterick.

The wood block projects below are ones I made recently to take to a Super Saturday or Craft Day planning meeting for church. The date of Super Saturday is going to be later than I thought (mid-Nov) so the "spooky" and "harvest" ones won't really work but the "joy" should be okay. Click on the words to see where I stole my ideas from (thanks to Kathleen for making me aware of them).

Here's a little something I made a few months ago that has already been getting some use. It's a crayon roll. I used this tutorial and made them for our preschool graduating class.

Here's a quilt I made for myself after wanting one for a long time. The backstory: My grandmother in Oklahoma has a super-soft flannel quilt at her home. On one of our trips I discovered it and used it to sleep with. I fell in love with it - so soft and comfortable. I swore I slept better just by having that quilt. I put the idea in the back of my mind to make one. The inspiration: (Ava's all snuggly and cozy after a nice bath).

A couple years later, I finally did it. I've been enjoying it for several months now and it's ALL mine. The kids want it, the dogs want it and even my husband has tried to steal it a few times. Sure, I'll share it sometimes, but really - IT'S MINE!!! ;o)

And if you read my poorly updated blog - you've seen these. Ribbon rings for my girls.
I made these - very cheap, very easy.

Here's the inspiration: rings at the Children's Museum in Denver (although I'm sure others have seen others). My girls loved playing and dancing with them so I snapped a picture and thought, "I could make that"...and I actually followed through (a year+later).

I like working on projects, sure...but I like completing them better. Sometime people like the process...I tend to enjoy the product more. (well, usually) ;)