Thursday, February 28, 2008

THE SWEETEST THING


Is there anything sweeter in the world than when your kids show love toward each other? I was just sitting here going through my e-mails while Hannah made herself and her little sister a bowl of ice cream. I heard a sweet little "Thank you" from Emily and then an "Emily, you make my ice cream even sweeter, just with your love". Priceless moments....

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

LETS DANCE!






This is kind of a long story, it begins with Emily and I out shopping today. She "chose" her own Easter dress when I was grocery shopping at BJ's. It's kinda funny. She just hopped off the cart, grabbed the dress and threw it in the cart, and hopped right back on.. I just giggled and got it and hung it right back up. She then hopped off the cart again, and grabbed the dress, threw it back in the cart and said "No, Mommy, Boo take it home!" So apparently, she is going to have much more of an opinion when it comes to clothing than her big sisters have. I have had it pretty easy so far in that department. So, I gave in and let her get the dress for Easter, and even got a matching one for Hannah. Of course when we came home, she thought she could wear it the rest of the day. She couldn't WAIT to show her daddy. But, I drew the line and wouldn't let her wear it to play and dance in. So she settled for an older dress and wore it the rest of the day. She always wants to listen to music and dance. She has even figured out how to work the stereo, and her favorite song lately is of course Steven Curtis Chapman's "Cinderella" (I can't imagine why!). So, all the girls got up from the dinner table and danced and danced with Boo to "Cinderella". They danced until the rest of "my daughters" came in for bible study/small group - they gave quite a show!




A DECEPTIVE UPDATE!

So, I deleted my last post after rethinking that whole thing, so that it doesn't get detected by anyone crucial (you know what I mean). All the important people in my life have already seen it and commented (of course, other than my wonderful family!) - I was so excited to share it! Just an update - it was a screaming success!! I can't go into much more detail in case of being uncovered, but lets just say we are off to a very HEALTHY start!! Here is a picture of our after school snack of fruit smoothies, being terribly enjoyed by all!! If they only knew........ :)

Saturday, February 23, 2008

DADDY DAUGHTER DANCE PICTURES ON MY SITE

If you would like to see more of the pictures from the dance last night, you can visit www.timelessandtreasured.com and enter the code "dance" under the client section. Enjoy!

Friday, February 22, 2008

DADDY DAUGHTER DANCE











Hannah and Daddy attended the annual Daddy Daughter Dance this evening. They had an absolutely wonderful time - and this time Mommy was able to attend and catch every moment on camera! (Mom's are NEVER allowed in to the dance!) It was such a special time for all the dads and daughters. The girls look forward to this night all year long. We were keeping our fingers crossed that the night wouldn't get cancelled because of the ice storm, but God is good, and the event went off and was absolutely amazing!




Wednesday, February 20, 2008

WARNING!! FUNNY BOO FACE!!!







SHE FINALLY ALLOWED IT!

Here she is!! Isn't she cutie-patootie!!?? She finally caved in and allowed me to post a picture after everyone keeps asking for it!! She is finally getting used to the braces, and they stopped hurting. I can't believe how much her teeth have changed in just a few days! It's incredible. I guess that explains her terrible crabiness, she was in alot of pain for those first few days. But my sweet Punkin is back now!!

Monday, February 18, 2008

WOW WOW WOW!!!!




Tonight we had the most UNBELIEVABLE sunset I have ever seen. Every few minutes it kept changing - we were all just standing at the front door watching it. These were taken right from our front door! Isn't this amazing? God is quite the artist.......


CHERISHING THE HANDPRINTS

This article was in my "inbox" this morning I am a member of our local MOPS community (Mothers of Preschoolers). I read this article and I felt like it was something I could have written myself. Every now and then in the midst of the chaos, I have these same exact feelings.
My husband found me sitting on the stairs today, holding a paintbrush slick with fresh paint on it. He noticed there was no new paint on the walls and then saw tears running down my cheeks toward a silly grin.“Honey, is something wrong?” he inquired tenderly. “Oh, everything is so great!” I honestly told him. Moments earlier, when I went to the stairs to begin the painstaking task of painting around the handrail, I saw a landscape of handprints and messy smears – ranging from peanut butter to cheese cracker residue, dirt to other unrecognizable substances.They sneak up on me from – a doll left tucked under my pillow, a soggy cracker found in a coat pocket – reminders that my children are HERE! During years of repeated miscarriages, I wondered if I would ever have the indescribable blessing of waking up at 2 a.m. (and again at 3 a.m.) to soothe a child. Would my refrigerator ever become an overflowing gallery of precious childhood art? What about play-dates and sick days and parent-teacher meetings? God later answered the cries of my heart and gave me not just one, but two children. And my children make their presence well-known in their waking hours. The house is abuzz with laughing and crying, bickering and playing. But it’s in the quiet of nap-time or the still of the late evening hours when I feel my children’s presence most strongly. My living room floor is littered with toys, something is stuck on the ceiling fan, and I can see that my daughter has found my lipstick. Again.It’s in those discoveries when I close my eyes, push aside the grumbling housekeeper in my head, and thank God for my precious little ones and cherish the mess!

B-DAY!!!

The count down has been on around here - how many days until B-DAY??? No, not a birthday, BRACES day for Kirsten. The day was Saturday, and I documented every part of it with my camera. The before shots, the during shots, and the after shots. HOWEVER, I have been strictly forbidden to blog any of them. ANY OF THEM. Ahh, well. She can't hide them away forever, surely you will get a peek at them soon. Let's just say, it's been interesting.... sigh.....

Saturday, February 16, 2008

FROM MY HUBBY

My sweetie gave me the nicest card on Valentines Day - I'll keep the inside a secret!! He also gave me a WONDERFUL custom-built brand new computer for my new business! I love ya babe!!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

SCHOOLS CLOSED, DAY TWO

Another day off school - I'm certainly not complaining. Maryland is one of those states that you just never know! It's always just hovering at the freezing mark, so one minute the roads are fine, the next minute it's an ice skating rink. Everyone is sick around here, so having two days for the germs to die down at school is certainly a blessing. This is a picture of our table on the deck.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

FROM MY HEART

I just had to share this e-mail that I received today from one of my favorite 13 year-old girls. It was titled "From my Heart", and it was just exactly what I needed to hear today! It just doesn't get any better than this!!!

Mrs. Heather this email is right from my heart.
You are truly an amazing photographer and God has blessed you with an awesome talent. I was just looking at your web site today and I thought to myself 'wow, what amazing pictures, Mrs.Heather is really great at this'. So I hope you take this seriously and no I'm not kidding it's just that today is a day to praise the Lord as everyday is for the many talents He has given us that we do not deserve. I would also like to thank you for all you do for me like take me home every Wednesday, feed me on Wednesdays, teach me in Bible Study, and so much more. I would officially like to call you my second mother because of how much you care for me. Please don't take this as a bribe or something or other, think of it as a really long email for one word, thanks.


Your fourth daughter,
Sydney

Sunday, February 10, 2008

HAPPY VALENTINES WEEK!


MY MOODY GIRL


Saturday, February 9, 2008

FEELING CREATIVE


Emily had fun this evening letting her creative juices flow! She apparently was loving the color blue tonight. Pretty much the entire page was covered in blue before long. Although, very carefully thought out and meticulously placed "blue". She was really concentrating hard! Gotta love the half-naked approach as well.

Friday, February 8, 2008

AN AWESOME GUY







I had so much fun today hanging out with Doug. He has to be one of the most awesome 7th graders on the planet. He is incredibly talented as a musician and an artist. He has an amazing heart for God, and is one of the most respectful young men you will ever meet, not to mention GORGEOUS!!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

"MY DAY", AS SUNG BY "EMILY"

Today was one of those days. I had a gazillion things to do this morning. I felt like I was going non-stop at 100 mph. After getting everyone delivered to where they needed to be, the van loaded down with groceries and such, several calls on the cell phone, I finally stopped, and listened. It was the most precious thing I had ever heard. Emily was buckled into her car seat watching a Veggie Tales Sing-Along DVD with her little headphones on, and she was just singing away. Of course, she is only two, so she was singing pretty much every other word. But, the words that were coming out were so very precious. It was such a nice reminder to 1) slow down and realize what a precious time this is, and to savor every minute of it and 2) that it matters so much what is going into my kids ears, eyes, heads, and hearts. What better thing could she be singing about at such an early age? The song was "My Day" as sung by Junior Asparagus. For those of you who haven't heard Junior Asparagus sing, he has the cutest little tiny kid voice ever. (Almost as cute as Emily's). The song is all about how hard he tries to be good all day but he messes up, and God loves him anyway. What a great reminder of God's amazing grace that he so freely gives. For big kids (that would be us), and little kids, and especially two-year-olds! This song is just so very fitting for Emily. I know she tries really hard, but she has lots of trouble remembering to be good. This song helps me remember to show her the grace that her heavenly Father shows her every day. Read the words to the song, and you just might get a little misty-eyed!
(Or am I the only one who gets choked up listening to Veggie-Tales? Probably.)My Day As sung by: “Junior Asparagus”

In my bed I start to pray And tell God all about my day
I woke up in my little bed And put my hat upon my head
Cleaned my room And cleared my dishes
Told mom breakfast was delicious
I went to school, learned something new
And tried to follow every rule
I studied my vocabulary Had some fun with Bob and Larry

And so it’s good to know How much you love me
It’s true, the bible says you do You really love me
Your love was with me all throughout my day

I somehow overlooked my bed It seems my dog is underfed
Forgot to change my underclothes Watched one too many T.V. shows
I had some trouble sharing toys And during rest time, made some noise
The walls are not for coloring Sometimes I’m off-key, when I sing
And so it’s really good to know How much you love me
It’s true, the bible says you do You really love me
Your love was with me all throughout my day
In my bed so quietly I rest in knowing: God loves me!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

GOD'S PAINTING

This evening we were blessed with a beautiful sun set. The whole sky looked like this from east to west, it was so beautiful. It only lasted about five minutes though. We had the craziest weather today, it reached 70 degrees! It felt just like late spring in Maryland. Tomorrow will be highs in the 40's again, so we soaked up all the outside time that we could today.

A GIFT FROM GOD

This is my best friend Kimberly's little girl in FL. Her eyes absolutely mesmerize me. Are they completely amazing or what? I promise, nothing was done to "enhance" her eyes, all natural! Kimberly is an aspiring photographer (you go girl!). She took this amazing picture, and I simply helped her make it look a little more WOW! But the coolest part of this picture is that there is an absolutely incredible story behind her. She was part of God's mighty plan that we simple humans can't even begin to comprehend. She is a miracle, placed in my friends hands by divine intervention. She was adopted, even came home from the hospital with her, but the story goes way beyond that. Simply put, SHE is a little package sent directly from heaven, in God's perfect time, and in His perfect way.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

FUZZY FINGERS

Today's image is of my girls in their mittens from Grandma Marion. She actually hand-knitted these. She is amazing, isn't she? She knitted one of Emily's mittens in the time it took us to drive from Gainesville, FL to Tampa, FL. Astonishing.

HEAR NO, SPEAK NO, SEE NO!


Sunday, February 3, 2008

FORMAL PICTURES ARE READY!

The Winter Formal pictures are ready! You should have received a card last night with your code to enter the client section of my site to view your proofs. The codes are as follows:


7th grade code - newcov7
8th grade code - newcov8
9th grade code - newcov9
candid shots - newcov
Prices are:
2.50 for 5x7
5.00 for 8x10
5.00 for 8 wallets
10.00 for 11x13
The Student Government held this Formal as a way to raise money for "Kupenda for the Children" in Kenya, Africa. All proceeds from the evening, including pictures, will go to this mission.
MY DISCLAIMER!! After last night, I now know that middle school girls LOVE to have their picture taken and are always posing for the camera. Middle school boys DO NOT like to have their picture taken and will hide behind each other. Hopefully I got everyone, but I apologize if anyone was left out. Those boys were hiding from me.
You can purchase your pictures directly through the site using PayPal. You do not have to have a PayPal account to use this option. You can also order now and pay later. This gallery will be up until February 22, so please make any purchases before then.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

A SNEAK PEAK







The Winter Formal last night was a huge success! Everyone had a great time. My new Speedlites proved to be a great investment. I'm now sifting through hundreds of pictures... it's so much fun! :)