Believe that you are Beautiful

After placing a princess crown on the birthday girl's head this morning, we realized that the two sisters were dressed alike!  Aubrey, of course, was just thrilled.

The two pink princesses

Aubrey turns six today.  Like every other mother, I ask "Where does the time go?!"  Wasn't it just yesterday that I held her as an infant?  Wasn't it just yesterday that Dean would tell everybody that he'd give them $50 if they could make her, at 6 months old, smile? (nobody ever earned a cent!) 

Elaina 1 month, Aubrey 6 years

Ahh, my dear Aubrey... 

you have a beautiful smile.  I'm glad that we see your sunny smile and hear your infectious laughter often.  

You are a beautiful girl.  

I want you to believe that with your whole being.

No matter what the other girls around you look like, 

or what size jeans you are wearing,
or what brand the tag of your shirt reads,

or what the number on the scale says, 

or how many friends you have,

or how perfect your teeth are, 

or what you wear,

or how your hair is styled,

you are beautiful.

I want you to know that being beautiful means believing in yourself.  It means standing up for who you are and what you believe in, especially when no one else will.  It means always putting forth your best effort.  It means trying hard.  It means thinking, and asking questions, and learning.  It means thinking of and encouraging others.  It means being comfortable with who you are.  It means respecting yourself first so you can respect those around you.

Being beautiful means being you.

Happy Birthday sweet Aubrey.

There will never be another girl quite like you. Ever.

You are special.

You are loved.

Believe this.

Today...

I'm loving life

because last night was ladies night

and it was wonderful to laugh with girlfriends

rather than remind the kids for the fiftieth time to brush their teeth

and put on their pajamas.

Today I love my cradle swing.

Actually, I love it every day.

It looks like the perfect, cozy place to be on a cold day.

And check out my new floor!  

I love it! I dare to walk barefoot once again.

Today, I love the cool fall weather.

I'm usually a sunshine kind of girl.

But today the gray skies and low temps can't get me down.

I'm getting excited for the Holidays.

Today, I love the reminders of summer in the form of side-walk chalk.

If you walk up to my front door, this is what will greet you...

pumpkins,

and two-stick figures among the leaves.

and perhaps some wet little footprints.

because my kids think that its always barefoot weather.

They also think that its planting season.

Carrots, strawberries, and grapes.  hmmm. 

I think I'll go bake some Harvest Loaf Muffins instead.

I love fall. Don't you?

Idio's

I'm drowning in a paperwork and dragging my feet about knocking it out, so I decided to come up for a breath of fresh air and blog instead.  If I could apply it, I'd add 'hit the books' and 'I smell a rat' to that sentence.
What are these little expressions called?  Idioms? Idiosyncrasies?
(yes, I now know they are idioms, thanks to google. Idiosyncrasies is a cooler word though.)
Which reminds me, and still makes me chuckle at my very literal four year old - Last week, after a night of little sleep, I was telling the kids to "please be quiet, you are making my head spin!"
Brant studied me carefully then exclaimed, "You're head's not spinning!"

We are still trying to figure out what to do in our dining/family room.  I decided our old computer desk had to go.  Our new desk fits in a little corner and does not hide my paperwork at all.  Hence my need for a life jacket.  How long has it been since I sorted, filed, and tossed papers?  Or cleaned off the computer desk? I think I am in need of some baskets or something with lids to hide all our CD's, USB cables, and other computer junk.

The bills need to be left in plain sight. How else will I remember to sit down every now and then and pay them?

By the way, did you know that it costs about $9,000 to have a baby naturally in a Hospital?  For heaven's sake, all I did was show up, push the baby out 45 minutes later, and occupy a room for two days! And I gladly would have gone home to sleep in my own bed a lot sooner had they let me.  I am too scared of the amount to decipher my bill for how much the Motrin cost.
(okay, maybe I should gripe about something else. When will insurance companies cover midwifery? And since I don't know if I'm brave enough - when will hospitals allow midwives to deliver?)

Perhaps I could say that this is just one of the idiosyncrasies of the hospital system.

Turning a Corner

Here is a boy after my own heart.

Can it get any better than soaking up the sun's rays while reading a good book (or comic)?

Somehow the warmth of the sun feels even more luxurious when you know that winter is creeping ever closer.  I'm noticing the changes in my own backyard.

Overnight, the colors seemed to change.  Or maybe I just finally stepped outside and took a look.  Either way, I had an itch to find more fall colors, so on Sunday morning we headed up Snowbowl Road.

It seemed that everybody else had the same idea.  The road was lined with parked cars at every little aspen grove along the way.
We joined the crowd- the best colors were here at Aspen Corner.

For a few hours, we were enveloped in the magic of the place.
While round goldenrod leaves rained on us, I sat and soaked up the sun.

Fallen logs became boats, and sticks became cannons.

The baby slept well, allowing the two-year old to claim  his mommy again.
He was even allowed to eat just grapes for lunch.

Then we had to return home.

But I have these two brilliantly orange trees in my back yard that allow me to hang onto some of the magic.

I am willing the trees to hang onto their leaves a little longer.
I want to hang on to fall as long as I can.

semi-conscious

We had a very fun weekend that involved tackling some projects around here and company each of the last three days.  It was so nice to have loved ones and family over, pitching in to help out and just sitting and visiting and cuddling the newest family member.

Our dining room is now less one ugly rock wall, as well as some drywall, 

and I am now thinking about paint colors. 

If my brain can wrap around the idea fully.

Somewhere, somehow, I have lost some brain cells.  It just might have something to do with my sweet little Elaina. As cute as she is, I think she is to blame for my state of semi-consciousness.

I have called her a 'he' nine times.

I have mixed up my sentences every hour of the day.

I have started to say something, only to realize I can't get the word out that I want.

And I have made a complete fool of myself out in public.

It was Dean's birthday last week, and I happened to be out for Elaina's Doctor appointment.  I decided to bring Dean a drink from one of his favorite Thai restaurants downtown. I walked in and asked for an italian soda to go. The guy looked at my funny and asked what it was I wanted?  "An italian soda" I repeated.  He proceeded to show me all these different drinks that they offered, obviously none of which were italian sodas.  "Can I look at a menu?" I finally asked, frustrated that it was taking longer than I expected.

Upon reading their drink selections, I realized what I dolt I was.  I was supposed to be ordering a Thai Iced Tea!!  No wonder he was looking at me like I had three horns! I was in a Thai restaurant, asking for an Italian drink!

I felt like holding up the carseat, holding up my five day old baby to prove that I really was still sane.

Then again, I wonder if the guy would have just run the other direction.  How could I expect this college kid to understand that a new baby means you function with half of your brain the first few weeks as you feed, change, and burp around the clock?

Maybe I'm safest housed in my hole. I mean housed up.  I mean holed up in my house.

At least I have the sweetest little munchkins to keep me company.

Announcing...Photo(shop) Fun

So yesterday I said I was going to go learn more about my camera.
I have to admit that I didn't get too far.
I took some pictures, then raced to the computer and proceeded to eat way too many cookies while playing in Photoshop Elements instead.

Its rather addicting.  Perhaps it was a waste of my time, seeing as how I don't know if I like this layout.  The pictures are kind of small - on a 5x7 print, each photo is only 1 1/2 inches tall.


Shucks! I guess its back to the drawing board! Good thing newborns sleep so much ;)
I wonder how many versions of a birth announcement I will come up with for Elaina?

(Totally random thought - do pictures of a baby's hands creep anybody else out?  I can't decide if the picture looks mortal or not).

The most priceless expression

I enjoy writing.  I enjoy blogging.  As long as its on my time, when I have the inspiration.
Thank goodness this blog is exactly that.
Between moving and welcoming baby number five, I am surprised that I have the ideas in my head and the desire to take pen to paper.  What I am lacking is the inspiration to pick up my camera.

I am frustrated with my inability to capture the images I want.  I need to get more familiar with my camera and its capabilities so I can get the lighting I want in my pictures.  I have gotten in the bad habit of leaving the settings on auto, then taking 20 pictures waiting for the meters to read what I want them to.
What I would love is a new camera, a digital SLR.  Then I could manually focus, take a quicker series of photos, and I would be forced to learn what I currently cheat on by using the auto setting.  I know, I know, I am only cheating myself with auto settings.

Take, for example, my images from the hospital.  I had no energy to get up and open the blinds, and I do not like to use flash.  My pictures are dim and grainy, and the quality of a series of pictures are not consistent.
Oh - but look at the subjects!

Is this not the most priceless expression!?

And he was so gentle, content to sit and hold his new little sister for over half an hour.

I am glad that I had my camera ready for their first views of their new sister. I feel though like I am missing out on something by not getting the best pictures I can.  Like I am cheating this time in our family's life.
I have to get better images.

I'm off to learn more about my camera, and I think that my sleeping little loves is a good place to start.
Who can resist that newness and perfection?

Welcome Little Loves

Elaina Roxanne born September 28th, 2011
8 lbs of wondrous joy

Could you be more perfect?

Could you be more loved?

Oh and please, do not lose your newborn smell. Ever.