Love is...

February just flew by. Really, it did. I hardly got a chance to think about this month's 12 for 2012 challenge. I could make up a few excuses.... but really, I just should have been more on top of it. To make up for it, I am really excited for March's challenge, and I plan to get a head start. I will NOT procrastinate this time ;)

Lucky for me, I had some photos that I took this month that kinda fit for this month's challenge. Well for the theme at least... but not the technique. In that area I failed. The technique was: creative angles... and this is definitely not a photo with a creative angle. Though the cuteness of it makes up for that.

Anyway, February's theme: Love is...

As I sat and thought, on the last day of the month, about what I should post (I am sooo on top of things, I know...) I stopped and thought about these two. The love they have for each other was something I decided that would be perfect for this theme. And then I remembered the photos that I used for this project. The photos show their love so well. It's a fun, sweet, caring love that I just adore. They are best friends. I can't imagine one without the other. They are so lucky to have each other, and I am so lucky to have them.

today.

Today is movie day, lay down and relax day, sit and read a book day... whatever you want to call it. We are taking it easy because Evan is sick. Ugh. He was coughing up a storm at church yesterday, so we left early. Now he is running a fever and skipping school. Oh well, it's nice to have a day at home. It is kind of giving me a chance to catch up on here since I haven't blogged in awhile. Here is what's going on....

Daphne is now rolling over from her belly to her back. She has done it a handful of times, but not a lot or even everyday. But she is learning!

Daphne decided that sleeping though the night isn't the popular thing to do, only being 3 months old and all. She figures she should conform to what all the other babies are doing during the night... waking up their mom!

I got a new camera :) Though you would never know by how many photos I've been posting on here. I'll have to take some more, and start posting more often too.

I've been reading the Tiger's Curse books. I like them more and more as I read them. The first book was good, but it reminded me so much of Twilight that I wasn't sure how much I'd like the rest of the books (I like the Twilight books... I guess I just didn't like the idea of a book that was so similar). But I am finding that they really are unique and not so much like Twilight as I thought. I really liked the second book and I am excited to find out what happens in the third.

We have been looking for a van, finally. Stuffing three car seats into a sedan isn't very fun and we are SO excited to have something bigger.

Everyday when I wake up I think, today I am going to clean up this place! It hasn't really happened yet. Oh well. I did get rid of my "junk drawer" in my kitchen today. Hopefully that will eliminate some clutter.

I am incredibly excited for spring, and even more so for summer. Maybe then I will have more interesting things to post about.

Here is a movie of Daphne, I thought grandma's and grandpa's might enjoy :) Please ignore my "talking to a baby" voice...

Goodbye

Fish. 

Fun right?

Ummmm.

I got kinda sick of them. Yeah, I know... I am no fun.

I told Dallas that I wouldn't be cleaning out the bowl... that's his job.

So every time it got dirty... I threatened to dump them out in the pond. Yeah, I know... I am no fun.

After a year of threatening to dump them into the pond, I asked the kids if we could give them away and they said yes!

So I gave them away. 

And Makiah cried.

We are over it now. 

I think. 

They were good little fish. 

Dallas and the kids will miss them... and I probably won't. 

But that is ok.

If I had my choice in a pet, it would not be anything in a tank. I think I would choose a bird :) A love bird to be exact. Maybe I will get my way next time...

Daph

Then...

Now...

Big girl, huh? Babies change SO fast, it's crazy. I can't believe she was so tiny.

According to Makiah, she and Daph are the same "old" (age). They are both 3. Which is kinda true. Daphne is 3 months old now.

The name Daph is officially stuck. Dallas is the only one who doesn't call her that around here. Before she was born I specifically told Dallas that I didn't want her to be called Daffy or Daph. Then I let it slip once or twice and the kids caught on and call her Daph. Oh well, I kinda like it now. But no Daffy. Nope.

Daphne got her first cough this week, and she sounds awful. I hope it goes away soon.

Daphne is holding her head up really well now. When she lays on her belly she can hold up her head and look around. She likes to sit in her high chair, even though she doesn't eat solids yet. She likes to be up high with the family during dinner.

Daphne still isn't laughing, but sometimes she lets out a small giggle. She isn't really ticklish and so we are trying to find other ways to get her to laugh :)

She started sleeping through the night at 2 months (my other babies didn't sleep through the night at that age... this is wonderful!!), and now she is starting to get to bed a little bit earlier. The past two nights she has been down at 8:30 (usually 10) and she sleeps till 7 or 8. Ahhh. I love this girl :)

I was really scared that during the first two months, I was just really lucky. I thought for sure after that after two months Daphne would get harder and everything would change. But that hasn't happened yet (knock on wood), She is still calm, content, and really... such an angel. She has such a good temperament. But believe me, it's not perfect around here. We have our days, and Daphne has her days too. Some are great and others are hard. Some evenings she cries from about 6-9 or even 10 if she is not held. Evenings are the hardest for her. But if she keeps up this 8:30 bedtime that would be great.

I really don't know what I would have done if Daphne would have been a harder baby. I probably would've gone crazy. My dear little Makiah has been quite the challenge lately. I am up with her during the night almost every night, instead of the baby. She cries over almost everything, and thinks she can always have her way. Whenever she cries, she has an accident. So I try everything I can to keep her from crying... that or I stick her on the potty :) Almost every evening during dinner she throws a fit, and ends up in her bed while the rest of us *try* to eat our dinner in peace. I love the girl, but at the same time I hope this is just a stage.

Because of sweet Daphne, I try not to complain. I am blessed to have her. I really am grateful to have such great kids. This too shall pass... right? Some days are better than others.

Photo Booth

This project went from something small... and exploded into something big. All I wanted was 6 photos for my frame that's above my computer. I wanted some simple photos of my kids, making cute expressions. So I decided on this photo booth look. We had WAY too much fun doing this.

 On Friday, I showed Dallas these photos of Evan and Makiah and I started putting them into a slide show. We LOVED the photos and couldn't stop looking at them. Then I thought... wouldn't this be better with all five of us? So on Saturday we went to work.

And with a lot of patience, and Dallas' help, this is what we came up with...
(If it makes you type in a password (I hope it doesn't, but it might), here it is: 022012)

 

I love that this shows all of our personalities. It shows a side of us that we don't usually show others. This is how we are at home, with each other. Loving life :)