a week or so in iPhotos & some truths.

per the uge, i miss you, my bloggy friends.  i keep saying i'm gonna get back into a regular post schedule & for some reason it has been so hard!  ugh, i really REALLY miss regular blogging.  you guys, it'll happen eventually... i promise.  life with these two kiddos is starting to feel routine.  we're settling into a daily schedule, elliot is finally starting to take decent day time naps & night time sleep is somewhat improved.

parker, however, has decided naps are for babies & when put in his room for "quiet time" always manages to wake up e.  so daytime free time is rare around here & nights have been used for running the photo biz.  that leaves little time for blogging!  did i mention i miss you, my friends??

elliot is coming up on six months {maybe i should start thinking about his five month post?} and is becoming such a funny little dude.  his giggles, his chunky legs & his giant smile melt me.  parker will be three in just a couple months & every. single. day. i cannot believe what a big kid he is.  he is starting to take a huge interest in letters & counting & can spell his name.  it's crazy!  i love this life with my two little boys.  and i swear in just the last couple weeks parker has taken a huge interest in elliot & everything he does makes elliot laugh.  ugh, it's the cutest!

i've had some pretty sweet photo shoots in the last couple weeks & some pretty cool stuff coming up on the horizon too.  my little business is going in a really fun direction & i am so excited about what this year might bring!

anywho, life with two has its ups & downs.  honestly, it has taken me much, much longer to start coming out of the new-mom fog this time around.  but i feel like we're in a pretty good place right now.  my boys are starting to interact & this whole "siblings" thing is so much fun!  i find myself in disbelief that these two little humans came out of my belly & belong to me.  how does that happen??  well, i mean, i know how that happens, but you know what i mean.  the fact that sam & i have created this little family of four & are now expected to be big grown up responsible adults is just nuts.  we are a legit little family.  it's nuts!!  and so exciting to just all grow up together now.

they exhaust me, they make me laugh & they make me wonder how this is all even possible.  i love my little family.

late night haps.

i haven't taken pictures with my big camera of my own kiddos in a lonnng time.  that equals like, a month.  what better time than late at night with like no good light to crank up the iso & take pics of my boys?  done & done.

 

last week in iPhotos

i really am trying to take more iPhone pics... we recently upgraded our phones & the camera on this one is soooo much better & i really should be taking advantage of that.  so i'm gonna try!

here's what the last week looked like through the lens of my iPhone.

bloggy friend playdates, ginormous mud puddle running, mall date with friends, peeking at parker in nursery (looks more like prison), a bathroom selfie, a 2.5 year old who looks waaaay too much like a teenager & brotherly wrestles.

it was a pretty good week.

elliot - four months!

he's four months!  well, he was four months like three weeks ago... but hey!  here we are.  squishy, giggly & melting my heart on the daily.

all growed up to four months.
{compare previous p-ray & elliot monthly pics here!}

we had elliot's four month check up a few weeks ago.  he's 18 pounds & 24 inches... double 90%-tiles. he's a big boy!  he is soooo squishy, have i mentioned that?  i just want to eat him.  munch on his cheeks, his belly, his baby leg rolls.  i just looooove this baby.

in this last month, elliot has become so interactive & aware.  he swats at the toys in his bouncer & play mat, he shrieks & squawks & makes the funniest noises.  he can self entertain for longer stretches which is allowing me to get more done around the house & even curl my hair now & then.  he's got a pretty predictable routine of eating 6x a day & napping twice for 1-3 hours.  he's getting good at falling asleep from awake & is swaddled with one arm out for sucking purposes.  he got his 2nd cold this last month which made for some long & tiring nights but we came out the other end just fine.  elliot's hands are always in his mouth... sucking on his fingers, sucking his thumb {cutest thumb sucker!} or pulling whatever he can get his hands on in his mouth.  he prefers his sofie the giraffe over most things.

parker made elliot laugh this last month.  he rubbed his nose on elliot's belly & there were giggles.  from both babies.  oh mylanta, i understand why people do this... best thing in the world ever! elliot loves to rub his feet together {as shown in all three top pictures} and it's so cute.  when he's in the bath in his infant tub we pour water on his feet & he sticks them straight up in the air in the water stream.  it's only ridiculously adorable.

he goes to bed between seven & eight & usually sleeps a good seven to eight hour block, eats & then goes back to sleep a few more hours.  he seems to almost always wake up around one or two am but i soothe him & let him fuss a few minutes & he usually goes back to sleep.  any fussing over ten minutes & he gets fed, but this almost never happens.  all this sleep?  making me feel gooooood.

he is so sweet you guys.  he is such a little miracle & i feel so blessed every single day to get to be his mama.  he looks at you like you are the whole world & all i want to do is eat his face.  he is so snuggly & sweet & gives everyone a smile who looks at him.

love him, so much.

iPhotos! because imma get better.

it's been awhile since i've iphoto dumped!  and actually?  i've been not so good about taking pictures on my phone lately.  naughty amy!  back when i was doing my week in iPhotos, i looked for creative ways to take at least three pictures that showed what we did in our day.  since i haven't really been doing that lately, i'm finding that the photos i do take are less creative & few & far in between.  SO. i'm gonna get better.

i'm not necessarily gonna be doing week in iPhotos again, but i will try to get better.  that's all i can commit to at this time.

that being said, i do have some real resolutions for my year... i think 2013 is gonna be a good one.  i can't wait to share them on the ol' blog!  until then, here's my iPhoto dump.  some christmas stuff, some new year's, a whole lotta p-ray & elliot.

yes.  that is parker saying his prayers on the church pew.  i die.

christmas catch up!

oh my poor little blog!  is anyone still out there?

in case you haven't noticed, i took a bloggy breather.  christmas with my little family was spent just the four of us at home & takin it easy & just being together.  it was perfect!

and oh man, now 2012 is over?  what the heck.  the fact that it's 2013 hasn't hit yet... that usually takes a while.  i'd love to sit & write out a reflective 2012 post, you know, all the highlights & wonderful things that happened in the last year?  but i dont have it in me at the moment, mostly because i'm sitting here typing this while watching LOTR return of the king.  or, "geeking out" as sam likes to call it.  ha!  i am a sucker for some lord of the rings.  i've been watching the movies while i stay up late editing & it's like i'm seeing them for the first time all over again because it's been so long.  i'm getting all excited to go see the hobbit one of these days. anyone seen it?  can't wait!

but seriously, i'm sure you'll all forgive me if i don't take a trip down memory lane at the moment... i suppose most the highlights are here in the blog anyway, right?  but i will give a shout out to the biggest event of the year, little elliot oliver's birth.  basically the best part of 2012 in my book.  that little boy has made my whole year.

2012 was good to us.  p-ray turned two, i had my big 3-0 & elliot made his big debut.  and sam & i just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary last weekend!  we celebrated by going out on our first date in seven months & stuffing our faces at ruth's chris steakhouse & eating the best meal of my life.    it's the stuff dreams are made of.

i have a feeling 2013 is gonna be a good one.  i'm gonna spend the year not being pregnant & we have some pretty exciting family goals.  i hope to continue to grow my business & take it to the next level.  good things friends, good things.

anywho, i hope everyone had a good holiday & got some rest & are ready to make 2013 a good one. i really do hope to find some more time to blog & get back into a regular posting routine.  i love this little corner of the internet of mine!

and in closing, a few scenes from our christmas morning.  freaking love my boys.