I'll take ALL the tips I can get....

my oldest child HATES the camera.
HATES IT.
I think it is because I always have the camera out, and she has slowly figured out that momma is taking pictures.
She will pick up the camera and say cheese, like she is taking a picture, but when you turn it on her...
OH, NO MA'AM.
She is NOT having it.

We went home this weekend and Walt's cousin, who is a fabulous photographer, took some family pictures... {thank you Patrick, for putting up with us!!}
these were meant to be for our annual Christmas card.
BUT, I have a child that has a mind of her own, and she decided against it.
We tried everything.
EVERYTHING... to get her to take that sour puss look off of her face and smile for the camera...
BUT, to no avail, she stood her ground.
So, here's my question...
Mommas... what do you do to get your child to actually look like they are sweet and innocent?
How do you grab their attention?
My child just starts crying like a toddler...
because she is one, but still...
nothing can turn her off...
not the ABC's, the Itsy Bitsy Spider...nothing.
I need help...because I can't NOT have Eloise in our family Christmas picture!!

Here is the best shot we got... I love it,
but...we MUST have one with Miss Gracie!!

I'm afraid next year, this little love will be pulling the same thing

I mean, I know she is a toddler, but she would not cooperate..this is all she wanted to do.

LOVE
this picture of daddy and his baby girl

even with the paci...
she was NOT going to give us a smile.

standing her ground very firmly

ok, fine...i'll just go kiss sweet baby girl, then.

we thought maybe if momma held her..
Nope.

pre-occupied with the darn "titty tat" that was wandering around

now, she's happy

HELP ME!!
Comment!!
Christmas is fast approaching, and I have a little stinker on my hands!!

6 months

what a month.
this month has been crazy packed.
crazy
i had the opportunity to be the floating tutor at my school two days a week, and i started up with that.
who would have ever thought that actually getting ready for just two days would be exhausting?
not me
but, it is.
however, i love it.
the girls love it.
they are able to play all day long with friends, and momma is able to still teach...which will always be a passion of mine.
then it seems as though every other day of the week is jammed pack with things
and the weekends.
oh don't even get me started on the weekends.
thankful that we have season tickets, because football games are fun.
thankful that we have friends who want to spend the weekends with us doing things that we don't always get to do.
i am not in any way griping about my crazy hectic life.
i love it...but then i go back and look at my pictures and think..
is it really possible that i already have a 20 month old and a 6 month old?
where does all the time go?

how is it possible that my babies went from this?

to this?

and how can it be that 6 months ago I had this?

and now this?

and i must say that i think
i could quite possibly have the smilest girl in the whole wide world.


check out the shirt...
all my tulsa mommas that still read my blog
we miss you
like, a lot.

but like i said...
we've been busy
we've been learning how to share with others

we have purchased some pretty red dancing shoes
for a wedding this weekend

we have somewhat gotten over our fear of wearing things on our head.
i really wanted eloise to be a pig for halloween, but she hates
wearing things on her head
so, leave gambi to the rescue
gambi bought her some masks
and now this is what i see every day.
believe me, this is done without any tempting from me
we've even gone to the supermarket like this.
thanks, gambi.

OH, and we've discovered that we have an allergy...to of all things...
PEANUTS
of all allergies to get, right?
we are going to the doctor today to schedule a day so that we can get tested to see
just how bad it is.

we've had some shirts made for thanksgiving
oh em gee
soooo adorable!!

and we even bundled up one day to go for a walk in the COLD!!
{see what i mean about ALWAYS smiling??}

and we were even able to get away and go to our friend's ranch house last weekend.
baylor was playing at A&M (and we lost...eh hum)
it was nice to break away from reality
there's diddy riding a horse

and when you're on a ranch, you break the rules...
since we were driving on their ranch...going 10 mph,
we let E be a little adventurous

oh, and one other thing that Eloise has done.
she has developed her first crush.
I honestly did not think it would come so soon,
but,
it has.
She is IN LOVE with Harrison Walker Burg.
I'm talking, will walk up to his picture and kiss it,
gets all shy the moment he walks into the room and hides
however, her face lights up the moment she sees him
it is extremely hilarious
anytime we were out of the car..
this is what she was doing

and it is always fun when Aunt Poco gets to join us
Emmy C loves Aunt Poco
loves her

and you see that guinea pig?
we have developed quite an infatuation
we don't want to go anywhere without it
not a big deal, right?
Wrong...eloise has discovered that this guinea pig will repeat anything you say
oh my goodness, she talks to mr. guinea ALL DAY LONG

and while at our friend's ranch, Eloise took her first shower
however this shower is meant for their large dog.
oh well, she liked it.

it's always fun to just relax and watch football, right?

and emerson took a bath for the first time in a sink.
she looks so tiny compared to that large sink.

oh and in other news...
i now have a 6 month old.
WHAT?

she is cheering because in 6 months, she'll be eating cake!

mom: "Emerson, what do you want for your 1st birthday?"
Emerson: "hehe, if you only knew how much money i am going to make diddy spend!!"

i can't even wrap my brain around it.
a 20 month old
&
a 6 month old
i think it is safe to say that the second you become a mom your body is programmed to just cry on the spot.
i cry all the time
i cry all the time thinking about these two precious gifts

we go to the doctor today for her 6 month check up
she might weigh as much as eloise did, but she is no where near as tall as her
i might have a 6 month old, but she has 3 month legs.
you love your oatmeal in the mornings
you eat a fruit for lunch and 2 veggies at night
you have been sleeping 8 hours since 2 months...but you just now started going 12 hours at night...HALLELUJAH
you are extremely laid back
you smile, all the time
you love miss gracie...and you have now started to play with her.
you are our sunshine.

baldy

people often mistake my children for boys. why? because of their hair...wait, wait, wait...i mean their LACK of hair. I feel sorry for them. They are NOT the ones to blame. see that picture above...that's me..on the right. yep, sporting NO hair. thank goodness my mother decided to put me in a dress or else, i too, might think that i was, in fact. a male. 

see this little one, emerson, right here...

she's 6 months...i've been looking at her lately thinking that she is extremely bald.

i mean, she is pretty bald here....

smiley...but still bald. 

bow is the only thing that shouts girl.

 so, i went through and looked at eloise's pictures at 6 months...

what was i thinking? she's bald as well.

i don't even think i can decide who has more hair...

they are both BALD. 

neither one of them have really anything that you can call hair.

 goodness, how did they get so bald.

ME.

I AM THE CULPRIT.

now why in the WORLD did my mother put me in a track suit?
heavens to betsy, i resemble a boy here...

and i am just as bald as my two babies. 

i feel sorry for them.

I DID THIS TO THEM.

we have a terrible case of missing hair.
the picture from left to right, momma.eloise.emerson.
i pray that they actually get my hair one day...because now..i have a lot of it.
my precious bald babies

check back this week for 6 & 20 month posts, a trip to the children's museum AND the pumpkin patch!!