What it Takes

I have been asked a few times about how many pictures I take versus how many get put on the blog. Well I thought that it would be fun to show you a "blog worthy" picture and then a collage of the pictures I took on the way to getting a usable picture. Now obviously I love Every. Single. Picture of my sweet pea however I don't ever plan to post 50+ pictures in one single post! ha! So this is a nice little way to show some of the outtakes and what it takes to get a "good" picture.

 

Love her. Love smocking. Love bikini bathing suits. 

So of course I love her IN a smocked bikini bathing suit. 

 Row four is my favorite. 

 

Yes we even match our toys to our outfit/bow. Totally kidding...sort of. ;-)

I love that Dixie makes her way into at least one picture every time the camera is out. She is the queen of photo bombing. 

I took Emma Claire's six month portraits today. Yes, she will be seven months in a few days but she's technically still SIX months ;-) ha! I can't wait to show some of the outtakes from today's session! 

 

 

You Asked, I Answered

First of all, thank you to everyone who asked a question! I was so nervous that I wouldn't get any questions! ha! Y'all asked some great ones and I'm excited to answer! I hope that you learn a little bit more about me through this. And you've been warned...it's long. I decided to just answer all questions in one post. So here goes nothing!

 Where did you get her pool? I've looked all over the place for one like it.

I got her pool at Wal-Mart! I LOVE it! I think before the summer season is over I may grab a few more. You just never know what they will have next season! This is also a great little thing to have for little ones who are just learning to sit up! I love letting Emma Claire play inside without any water. I know other people fill pools with balls and make it a ball pit! The ideas are never ending with a blow up pool.

Is your hair red/strawberry blonde? I always think your hair looks so perfect!

Ha thanks, Emily! It is strawberry blonde. When I was younger it was more blonde and as I get older it has been getting darker. Although, in the summer it tends to get a little lighter.

How much does EC weigh/growth %? she looks so petite to me.

I'm not sure about her growth % right now but she is right around 17 pounds! I have had a few people tell me that she looks "so tiny for her age" lately. She hasn't ever gotten those comments before. So she must be going through a growth spurt because she is really long!

How long will y'all be living in the area you do now? will you ever move back to TX? But wait, the hubs family doesn't live in TX do they?

I am from Texas and the hubs is from Georgia. (We met in Texas at Baylor) We would LOVE to move back to Texas someday. My entire family lives there and so do my brother-in-laws. My in-laws also have a house there so Texas would be an ideal place to move! As of right now we are here indefinitely, however our plans could always change and you never know what God has in store ;-)

How do y'all plan to space the babies in your family?

Oh lordy, the question of ALL questions! I think everyone feels that way! We really aren't sure. I would LOVE to have another little girl right now and I'm almost tempted to say that if I was 100% sure I would have a girl now I would be ready for another. That said...we are NOT considering another little one for several years. I really would like to go back to teaching and since I'm certified Pre-School-6th grade I can go "back" when Emma Claire is Pre-School age!

Are you thinking public/private or home school?

I'm pretty sure we will be doing public school. I went to public school for all of my grade school and high school years and then attended a private university. The hubs went to private school his entire school career. I think that all options are great but for us I plan on teaching in public school so Emma Claire will attend where I teach. 

What other names did you consider other than Emma Claire?

We considered the names Charlotte, Caroline, Claire, and Kensington (yes, seriously!)

Are you a teacher?

I was before Miss Emma Claire arrived. Since she was due in October I opted to not search for a job when we moved here.

What kind of work does your husband do?

He works in Law Enforcement. 

 What books are you reading right now?

Oh I wish I was reading more than baby books! I did read the newest Nicholas Sparks book a few months ago but to be honest it was the first book of his I didn't like and I can't even remember the title of it. I do LOVE to read. I "devour" books, as my Mom says. I love romance novels so my fav authors are Nicky Sparks, Jude Deveraux, James Patterson, and of course Nora.

Do you own an iPad, and if so, tell us about the apps that you can't live without.

I don't BUT I have an iPhone and I cannot live without Instagram (Find me: MallorieGayle), the twitter app, redfin is an excellent app for house hunting and we have used it a lot lately, zillow has a great mortgage payment estimator that is so helpful when looking at properties, and I think that's it. I use other apps but those are my favorites. 

What kind of camera do you own? What photo editing program do you recommend?

I have a Canon Rebel Xsi and I LOVE it! I use PicMonkey and it is THE BEST free photo editing app out there. Love, love, love. 

What has been the most challenging thing for you as a parent so far??

Breastfeeding (by far the HARDEST thing I've ever done but SO SO worth it!) and sleep training,

How many kids do you want?

I would like to have at least two,  and we haven't decided if we want more than that. We will just see!

I know you've said you were a teacher, but what grade did you teach before EC? 

Before Miss Emma Claire I was actually an intern and co-taught 3rd/4th grade gifted students and first grade. I still haven't had a classroom of my very own and it's one of my biggest desires. I have been very torn with staying at home and teaching. Right now staying at home is the best decision for our little family but in the future I plan on going back!

 How did your husband propose?

He recreated our first date (dinner, movie, walk around the Baylor campus), then took me to the bridge on campus where we had our first kiss and proposed! After he had a HUGE party planned! My parents drove down and all of our friends were there. It was an amazing night.

What reality tv do you watch?

I'm a weirdo and don't watch "typical" reality TV. I love storage wars, pawn star, s, HGTV/food network shows ;-), intervention, and there are more but I can't really think of anything else now!

If you could take a family trip anywhere, where would you go?

Oh gosh...I would love to go somewhere tropical. I've never been to Hawaii and the hubs hasn't been in years so that would be my first pick! I would also love to go to Italy. I'm not sure if it's the lack of dairy but I would love to experience REAL Italian food!

Can you give us some photography tips? Your pics of EC are the cutest!

Aw thank you! My biggest tip would be to take LOTS of pictures. For every one that is "good" I would be willing to bet I took 10-20 that weren't! Although, if your subject isn't a seven month old wiggle worm you can probably get away with less!

How do you get your photos to look so natural?

I take LOTS! Also it helps that my child is completely used to the camera now. I also shoot "blind" most of the time. I focus the frame on her then poke my head out next to the camera to talk to her/make faces/noises/dance around. I just hope that I get some good ones and don't chop her head off ;-)

How many photos do you think you take for every one that makes it to the blog?

HA. Don't laugh or judge me but probably 100. Like I said I take LOTS of pictures. On my desktop right now I have 1,400 pictures for May. And I have taken over a thousand on my phone. I have to dump my phone about once a week.

Do you have a favorite place for making photo prints? Do you give them special instructions?

I love Costco and shutterfly. No special instructions.

Do people ever ask you to photograph them, their dogs or their kids, since you do such a great job?

I am actually in the process of starting a photography business and am starting by shooting my friends engagement pictures! I have been asked to do a few other things as well. So if you know anyone that needs pictures taken... ;-)

If you could be a fly on a wall, what wall in what room would you like to be in and why?

Um, I would love to be a fly on the wall in the oval office of the White House. I bet there are some pretty interesting conversations that have taken place there over the years! ha!

Do you believe that same sex couples should get the same right as heterosexual couples? If not, why?

Heavy question. I do believe that same sex couples should have legal rights within their union, especially when children are involved. Having said that I do want to say that I believe that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. I am not one to judge, and I am not necessarily against same sex marriage (even though my views are different). Who should I be to judge what works and is best for other families?

What is your favorite kind of day like with EC?

I love days when she is in a good mood all day. AKA not when she's teething! ha! I also love days when the hubs is home. We tend to have WAY more fun when he's around!

What are your favorite hobbies aside from EC? ;)

I love photography, reading, running (need to start that again! ha!), cooking and baking, decorating and looking up decorating ideas,

What do you and hubs do to keep the romance alive after having a baby?

We really try to make his nights at home "date-ish". We like cooking a nice meal, having some wine, and relaxing together. That being said...most nights we end up watching TV and going to sleep early! It's hard with a little one. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! ;-)

Do you have any kind of schedule for yourself as far as grocery buying/cooking/cleaning, etc. goes?

Oh I wish...I had grandiose plans for this but they fell apart miserably when we decided to move. I do clean the kitchen every day. I can't stand a messy kitchen. I also TRY to do laundry each day. Every night after the little one goes to sleep I clean up and straighten everything. I also clean our bathroom every few days, I can't stand a messy/dirty bathroom. When we move I plan on starting an intense cleaning schedule! As for groceries we try so hard to not go to the store often because nothing good comes from that! ha! Again, once we move I want to get a good grocery regimen started.

What grade would you like to teach in the future if you go back?

In my Junior year of college I taught Kindergarten and it was hands down my favorite. I LOVED it. Although I have taught older kids and I loved that as well. My heart says that I need to work with little ones but I also know that if I was hired for a 3rd/4th position I would fall in love with them just as much. 

Where is EC's bathing suit from in this picture? It's adorable!

hehe thank you! it's from Target! Almost all of hers are from there!

Like I said, great questions y'all! I hope you had fun reading..although that was a LOT! If you read it all then I'm impressed! haha

 And in case you were wondering, today was just one of those days... 

 I'm sure you all can relate. I'm exhausted and am about to go to bed. 

Ready for a new day tomorrow.

FINALLY! Emma Claire's First Tooth

Well y'all I have bee talking about this dang tooth for months now and it has FINALLY decided to show it's presence! I have been able to feel it with my finger for the past four or five days but yesterday it finally broke through and we could SEE IT! Needless to say I wanted a picture of the little thing. However Emma Claire decided she didn't want any part in that, so I decided to let her be and would try again in the morning. So today was the day. I was GOING to get a picture of the tooth. Easier said than done, my friends. Here's the proof.

 

At first I decided I would just get her to laugh and open her mouth really wide and I would snap a picture. HA. yeah right. She seemed to be intentionally laughing with her mouth closed. (see bottom left picture) Stinker. 

So then I decided my next tactic would be a combo. I would try to get her to laugh and move in as if I was giving her something to chew on. That ALMOST worked. 

After about 10 minutes of making all sorts of noises/faces/dancing around I scooped her up, plopped her on the couch and just decided to open her mouth myself because I WAS going to get a picture of this tooth. 

FINALLY! I Got it! And for those of you who think I tortured her due to her pitiful faces, I assure you that a.) this photo shoot took all of 60 seconds and b.) she is fine. just dramatic. ha!

So here it is in all of it's glory. THE TOOTH. Which as it turns out should be TEETH. Her second one has broken through as well! So now I don't blame her for all of the fussy days. I would fuss too if I had two teeth working their way through the gums.  

So there you have it. 

Another milestone. 

Another day closer to turning one. 

Another sign she is growing and thriving.

And one more reason I wish I could pause time to enjoy this sweet age even more.

Questions?

Tonight I'm taking a break from blogging about our day, Emma Claire, the pups, the house, food...basically everything I usually blog about. Tonight I'm asking YOU to ask ME any questions you have ever wanted to know! They can be about me, Emma Claire, baby things, pregnancy, marriage, house stuff..you ask it, I'll answer it and do one big post with all of my answers in a few days! I love it when blogs I read do this so I'm hoping you will like this too! Also, I'm hoping that someone asks me at least one question so I don't feel totally lame for posting this!

So, what do YOU want to know about ME? 

 Oh come on, you really didn't think I could do a post without putting a picture of this darling face on it...did you? ;-)

Quickie Recap

Today was our one "weekend" day this week! It started bright and early at 6! Emma Claire woke up and was ready to play! She really felt better today, I think! I noticed that her other bottom tooth is breaking through the gums now too. So within a few days she is going to have both bottom teeth. I hope! ha!

Little missy in her newest yard sale find. Y'all know I love cute outfits. I love them even better when they're $1!

We let Daddy sleep in until nine o'clock this morning! Once Emma Claire went down for her morning nap we got ready to go run errands. Once she woke up we went to run some house-hunting errands first and then headed to Costco and Wal-Mart. I am LOVING taking her places now. She is just a little social butterfly! She will stare down people and scream at them if they don't look at her. And she almost always smiles and coos at anyone who talks to her. This is a welcome change to the baby who used to cry when sweet old ladies would talk to her! ha!

I just love this picture. I took this right before bedtime. Emma Claire was all lotioned and baby powered up and ready for sleep! She usually has a hissy fit when I'm getting her ready for bed, but not when Daddy's home! She was all smiles!

I kid you not, this is how Emma Claire fell asleep tonight. it's moments like these that I really just want a pause button. I am so grateful that we have technology at our fingertips to help preserve precious moments like these.

Well that was a quickie update of our day! We also made the Pioneer Woman's crumbly lemon bars together this afternoon, I'll include those in another post. I will say they are quite divine! Right now the hubs is cooking dinner and I'm enjoying a nice glass of wine, the little chickie is asleep and it's thundering and lightning outside. We plan on watching the Idol finale and having a low key night. I love nights like this.

Half of a Year: Emma Claire SIX Months

 I figure it's better late than never, right? ha! She was technically six months 22 days ago ;-) At least I'm writing her six month update before she's seven months!

Holy smokes, how has this sweet angel been in our lives for HALF OF A YEAR already??? Each day has been a blessing, whether it was struggle or breeze. We have had our fair share of both. In the last six months we have watched Emma Claire's spunky and sweet personality really develop. This month has been so fun, then again I say that every month. As much as I miss my teeny tiny baby I am loving this fun, energetic, daring, and smart baby. There are certain days that I would give anything to pause time. Just to enjoy this sweet stage even more. Then we have days like yesterday when bedtime cannot come fast enough. The hubs and I feel so blessed that God has chosen us to be Emma Claire's parents. He constantly says, "How did we get so lucky to be the parents of the best, most beautiful baby on the planet?" I swear he says that at least once a day. Emma Claire has her daddy wrapped around her tiny little finger already.

 

Such a sweet little face. 

Funny story...before this picture she would NOT sit still for even a second to let us take her picture. The hubs was dancing around behind me, we were holding up dogs, squeaking toys and NOTHING. She was a wiggle worm who was not interested in sitting pretty for a picture. So what did we do? Called Grammy (my mom). Every time we put my mom on speaker phone Emma Claire lights up and smiles SO BIG. It is just the sweetest thing. She loves her Grammy!

 Pre Grammy phone call. See? ha! She is such a little stinker!

 Oh my sassy sassy little girl. Toddler years will be entertaining, I can already tell!

Dear Emma Claire, Here is what you've been up to this month.

  

Eating: You are still loving food! You have now had sweet potato, banana, peas, apples, pears, avocados, grapes, and more I'm sure. I feel like I'm missing a few! You still love nursing and it is one of your favorite past times.

Sleeping: Sleep is getting better, not quite as many nights up in the middle of the night thankfully. You've had several sleep through the night nights in a row.

Firsts: You met the Easter Bunny and we celebrated your first Easter, Daddy FINALLY made it to a Drs appointment, about time! You got your first bookshelf, you also became the proud owner of Sophie the giraffe, you went to the zoo for the first time, on April 18th you sat up for the first time, you got your first high chair a Jenny Lind that Mommy is going to paint for you when we move, 

Clothes: You are now in size 3-6 month and still a size 2 diaper. I think you weigh about 15 pounds. Not sure exactly. 

Mommy Moments: I have just love experiencing things through your eyes this month, Emma Claire. Taking you to the zoo, watching you sit up so proudly for the first time, telling you the story of the resurrection and celebrating Easter together. I can't wait to see what the next month brings us, sweet girl. I love you.

Love, Mommy 

 

Wiped Out

Lately I feel like I am a combination of a hamster on a wheel and a marathon runner. Emma Claire is officially CUTTING her first tooth. I can now feel it and it hurts if she bites me. Also, today it rained. All. Day. Long. So we don't have the park, patio, or pool as a distraction. That equals a rough day teething or not! ha! I feel like each day I am constantly trying to distract Emma Claire from teething. I have read about a hundred books, we have played with every toy, we have played in the living room, play area, our bedroom, her bedroom, downstairs, upstairs, EVERYWHERE! ha! The good news is that today she took an hour and a half morning nap and a two hour afternoon nap. I was so grateful for that! 

The days have just been rough because she is really only happy for the 30 minutes after she wakes up from her nap, or when nursing. And that doesn't equal much happy time in our day. I would just like to say I am NOT complaining. This comes with the job description. I know it's just a phase. It's just a rough phase to be going through on my own. 

Thankfully I video tape for the hubs. Don't want him to feel too left out! Last night I was playing a video I took of our "distraction play". Emma Claire plays with a toy for about 10 seconds before she starts whining again. It's quite entertaining.

 

I just happened to pause the video in this spot and I feel it perfectly describes how Emma Claire feels about teething. Poor baby, she's a hot mess. Look at that hair!

This morning Emma Claire was actually happy and playing...then Dixie rubbed up against her and Emma Claire lost her balance. She fell sideways and bumped her head on a toy. This picture makes it look terrible, it was just red, not purple like this picture makes it seem. 

 And this was AFTER Tylenol. Lord have mercy. 

 A SMILE! I felt like I was capturing an endangered species! ha! She really did smile plenty today but she just wasn't her SUPER smiley self. And it takes a LOT more effort than normal to get her to be happy.

 Want to know what made her smile?! This show! ha! Have y'all seen it? It's actually pretty cute. It comes on Sprout and is about a little girl (with a British accent!) that plays dress up with her friends and they are transported to new places.Oh, and her lovie is a duck named Carrot (she calls him "lovely carrot") and he comes to life when they imagine. Pretty adorable if you ask me.

And the icing on the cake. I just took this. An HOUR after her bedtime. I have a little rule at our house, if she hasn't fallen asleep in an hour..try something new. So after an hour of nursing/rocking/putting her back in her crib I brought her downstairs. Lately she has been trying to crawl and I think sometimes she just needs a little bit more practice before bed. I am happy to report that she played for about thirty minutes and then I put her back down and she fussed for only five minutes and is O-U-T now.

Like I said, this is only a phase. I just want to document it so I can remember. Although if this is how she is with her first teeth I don't even want to think about molars! HA! If you are someone who's child wasn't bothered by teething, I don't want to hear it! ;-)

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

So if you know me or my family personally you may know that we will often stop in the middle of the road to help a turtle cross. I had never actually done this but my mother, grandmother, aunts, and cousins have all made it a point to help turtles. Well the other day I had my chance. It was on Mother's day, actually! Emma Claire and I were headed to Chiptole to pick up a quick dinner (hubs had to work on Mother's Day) when I saw something in the road. I instantly knew it was a turtle and was hoping it wasn't dead. I drove right up to it and saw that it was still alive! We were still in our neighborhood and there was no traffic so I pulled to the side of the road to help the little buddy out. 

It was a red slider, I had one as a pet when I was younger. Any other turtle fans out there?

 I was lucky enough to have an empty clear plastic container in the car! It was actually my cart cover case that I still had laying in the back seat. So I grabbed that and picked up the little guy and put him inside.

 Lucky for us there are two ponds in our neighborhood! (I kind of panicked when I first picked up the turtle and had no idea what to do with it! ha!) I drove to the nearest one and Emma Claire and I walked down to the waters edge to release our new friend.

This is the last we saw of our turtle. I'm sure he will be much happier in the nice pond than in the middle of the road!

Daddy Days

Around here we cherish our Daddy time. I just wanted to share some of our latest EC/Daddy pictures. They just melt my heart. I love what a great Daddy my husband is. Emma Claire adores him and can't get enough of her Daddy.

"Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad." Anne Geddes

Fun In Fredericksburg

Tuesday morning we had a meeting with our realtor and mortgage consultant so loaded up the little lady and were out of the house early.

 

I LOVE this outfit. Adorable. 

After our meeting it was still early and we hadn't made big plans for the day so I threw out the idea of driving to Fredericksburg. It's an adorable town that has a really neat historic district. They also have a SONIC. Y'all, if you have ever lived near a sonic and then moved to a town without one then you will understand my excitement. The closest one to us is an HOUR.

Emma Claire's first time at SONIC!

She was just as happy as Momma about the strawberry lime-aid!

Daddy kisses. I love the face she is making.

After lunch we drove over to the historic part of town. I am in LOVE with this area. The streets are lined with old oak trees, the architecture is exquisite, and there are antique shops at every turn. I could have spent all day meandering the streets. 

This sign was in one of the antique shop windows..so true. 

One of the shops had a great selection of local Virginia wines.

Our dinner. Grilled salmon with lemon, rosemary, and garlic, and we had pasta with fresh beans on the side. The wine the hubs picked was perfect and it's my new favorite.