1. I’ve been feeling totally uninspired lately when it comes to photography.  I’m sick of shooting in my house.  Sick of it.  Green grass, please hurry up!  Thank goodness the weather has warmed up, and I can see the end of winter in sight.  I’m not going to actually say it is over yet, though.  You never know around here!

2.  The thought of spring makes me anxious for spring photo sessions!  If you are thinking about scheduling one, now is the time because, as always, my time is limited and they fill up fast!  Also, I’ve added a “what to wear?” section in the top header with some links to my favorite places to shop for my kids’ clothing.  I always think a big part of the fun of a photo session is seeing what the kids wear, and anyone who knows me knows I LOVE shopping for kids clothes!

3.  Over the weekend, Rory and I did some fun Easter activities.  We made these egg rice krispie treats.  Rory is always up for anything involving sprinkles.

4.  Diet eggs.  I thought it was so funny that she thought that’s what I was saying.  I really didn’t even want to correct her!

5.  I always love pulling up images that are so similar and in the same time frame.  It makes me a little sad, actually, seeing how much she’s changed.  2009 to 2010…

6.  Speaking of change…her forth birthday is just around the corner.  My gosh, it doesn’t seem possible!

7.  Poor Cohen has an ear infection.  He has just not been his normal, laid back self, so I knew something was up.  On the way home from the doctor today, we stopped to pick up his antibiotics.  While waiting for the prescription, we did a little shopping, and he got to ride in the cart for the very first time!  My gosh, he was just so cute sitting in there, checking things out.  And he looks so small.  He was clinging tight to his nose drops.  I just had to snap a photo with my cell phone.  I barely even notice how bad this photo is because that smile is just so great.  How do I get a face like that out of him?  Just by saying, “Mama loves you!”

8.  Remember this couple?  Rory gets to be the flower girl in their wedding!  As of right now, she really doesn’t even know what a flower girl does, thank goodness.  When we got her dress, I was afraid to let her try it on for fear that I would never get it off.  Isn’t it so pretty?  I love it!

ETA:  After a few emails, I thought I should mention that the dress is from CrewCuts.  Link found in my “What to Wear?” section!

9.  I’m pretty sure I’ve been looking forward to this short week/long weekend since Christmas.  Okay, maybe just since New Year’s!

10.  I’m in love with this song and this video.  Amazing harmonies,  locations, and lighting.  I have listened to/watched it no less than ten times just tonight.

It’s been a long while since I’ve done this.  I have so many snapshots of the kids and little things to jot down, so I’m going to try to remember some of it.

1.  First up…the Monster is already 6 months old.  Unbelievable.  Actually, more than 6 months now, but this was taken around the 6 month mark.

2.  At his 6 month checkup, he weighed in at 16 pounds, 9 ounces and 27 3/4 inches.  Such a tall and skinny guy!  And tell me how this works…at both his 4 and 6month appointments, the kid did not cry when he got his shots.  What?!  That cannot be normal. 

3.  Just another display of how Cohen and Emma have yet to learn about personal space.  LOL!  I separate them, and two seconds later they are right on top of each other again.  For two immobile babies, they sure get around quite well.  Oh gosh…I just thought about what it’s going to be like when they ARE mobile!

4.  Miss Jeans and the fancy outfit she picked out for herself.  She’d wear these leggings and that skirt every day if you let her.  That or the darn Christmas pajamas she got this year.  I’ve lost count how many fights we’ve had over when the appropriate time is to wear certain articles of clothing.  I won’t be sad when that phase is over.  If it ever is!

I don’t think I’ve shared before that she got this kitchen from Santa this past Christmas.  It was the one thing she had been asking for, and he pulled through for her.  On Christmas Eve, I was giving her the whole story about how she has to go to bed so that Santa can come.  She looked at me so seriously and said, “Mom.  Just tell Santa to put my kitchen downstairs.”  haha!  I guess she figured since she asked him for it, she’d get it.

5.  One morning last week, we were watching tv before we had to leave, and one of those “adopt a child in Africa” commercials came on.  The music and the photographs caught Rory’s attention right away, and she watched carefully .  Afterward she looked at me and said, “That was sad.”  I told her how there are a lot of kids in the world who don’t have food, or nice clothes, or houses, and some don’t even have a mommy or a daddy.  She started to get tears in her eyes, and she told me, “That girl can have my pretty dresses.”

She can be a stinker, but she sure is sweet sometimes.

6.  We have tried a couple times now to get Cohen to eat a little baby food.  Huge fail on his part, but it was great entertainment for the rest of us!

Really?  You people think this is funny?

This sort of reminds me of another little girl who hated baby food…

Oh, why does that make me laugh so much?

7.  One morning as I was trying to get Rory dressed to head to preschool, she got upset stating that she didn’t want me to go to work, and she just wanted to stay home that day.  As she stood in the middle of her room in nothing but her “Friday” days of the week underwear, she crossed her arms and stomped her foot insisting that she change her undies.  I was getting impatient with her at that point, and I told her I didn’t see anything wrong with the underwear she had on, so get over here and get dressed.  Her reply, “NO!  I want to change to “no work day” undies!”

If only it were that easy…

8.  Of course, there isn’t a shortage of snow around here.  This past weekend we were lucky enough, though, that it warmed up just enough so that Rory could go out and enjoy some of it.

9.  Cohen can now roll over faster than I can blink, so trying to change diapers and get him dressed is a workout.  No more leaving him unattended for long either!  He can sit up on his own for a short period of time now, too.  I didn’t think this would happen so soon!  I’d better get all the pictures of him I can while it lasts because before I know it, he will be running all over our house.

10.  I have been spending every spare moment trying to get some new stuff done for my business.  I have so many ideas and things I want to do.  If only there were more hours in a day.  Be on the look out, though, in the next week for my new website and facebook fan page!

This started off as a ten on tuesday post, but yeah…it’s closer to Thursday now.  So I don’t know what to title it, but I have some random bits on my mind, so here goes.  And I think I will number them just to keep things organized.

1.  First off, my 9 week old baby boy.  I will never get tired of that face!

2.  Speaking of that face, I feel like I just don’t get to see it enough some days.  He has to go to bed so early that I feel like after we get home for the day it is right into bed time routine.  A couple nights ago when we were up for the middle of the night feeding, I actually stayed awake long after he was passed out again just so I could look at him, cuddle him, kiss him, smell him.  So sweet!  Those are the moments I will never forget.   Then, I woke up, still on the couch three hours later with a stiff neck!  Back to reality!

3.  Part of the bed time routine is bath time.  He loves it!

4.  It seems like Josey and I have been going in opposite directions lately.  One of us always needs to be going here or there while the other stays home with the kids.  On Sunday, he decided we should take a day off, so we even skipped church just to lounge around and hang out.  For a special treat, he and Rory went into town to get donuts for breakfast.  Rory was definitely a fan of this!  And they even brought home flowers for mommy.  It was my lucky day, I guess!

So I wonder if  it was the sprinkles or the frosting that she liked?  Goofball!

5.  Last night, Cohen slept 10 hours straight.  What?  That is crazy.  Now I am kicking myself for not going to bed earlier.  Do I think I’m lucky enough for that to continue?  No way.

6.  He had his two month check up on Monday.  The little piglet has more than doubled his birth weight, and came in at a whopping 12 pounds!  He also grew 2.25 inches.  He is starting to get some future muscles {aka chubbies} on his little bod.

7.  I was looking for a picture the other day, and I came across this.  It is from back in June, but I think it’s hilarious.  I’m pretty sure we see this expression on her face about 50% of the time.

The Toddler Mugshot

8.  Rory has an imaginary friend named Daniel.  Nice.  Everywhere she goes she says, “Come on, Daniel,” and holds his hand.  So I wonder where the name Daniel came from?  I hate to admit it, but she heard it on Days of Our Lives.  I have been dvr’ing it since I was pregnant (Hey, I needed something to watch while I was lying on the couch miserable.) and I still watch it some days when I’m sitting nursing Cohen.  LOL!

9.  The Pioneer Woman is coming out with a cookbook.  Holy, am I excited about that!  I already pre-ordered my fair share.  Perfect Christmas gift!

10.  Speaking of cooking, I am really looking forward to fall food.  I love this caramel apple dip.  It is SO good, I can’t wait to make it again this year.  It’s perfect for fall get togethers.  Last year, I brought my apple corer/slicer thing, a basket of apples, and a bowl of this to the pumpkin patch.  Super easy and super yummy!

1.  I didn’t know for sure if we got a day off for the July 4th holiday since it is on Saturday this year.  I checked today, and we do get Friday off!  Do you have any idea how excited that makes me?

2.  This past weekend, I remembered I had purchased a pair of preschool scissors awhile back, so I dug them and the crayons and markers out.  For some reason, it seemed Rory had lost interest in coloring for quite some time, but the scissors changed that.  She spent a lot of the day cutting paper into little tiny pieces, which were really fun picking up off the rug, trust me!  I have been meaning to take a picture of her drawing her name, too.  She has a little trouble with the Y, and she did pretty well with this one, so I grabbed a shot of it! 

3.  I’ve been meaning to share this recipe.  I first spotted it in a magazine my step mom had when we were home for Memorial weekend, and I’ve made them twice already (and I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture).  So yummy!  I think they would be good with any fruit, really, especially peaches.  Nut-Topped Stawberry Rhubarb Muffins.

4.  It is really fun playing with all the baby stuff!  Rory helped me fold an entire basket of teeny tiny newborn clothes the other day.  She gasped, covered her mouth, and said, “OH!  This is SO cute!” at nearly every item she picked up.  You would also be surprised to know just how many times you can fold a baby sock in half!

Sitting in the carseat is especially fun.  (I think she looks so much like her dad in this picture!)

5.  So, when Jason changed his mind, I swore I would never watch the Bachelor again.  And technicallyI haven’t, since this season is the Bachelorette!  Ugh, I just get sucked in by these shows!  I’m cheering for Kiptyn this time around just because I think he’s the cutest!  And Wes?  Ish.  I don’t like that guy one bit.

6.  I bought this dress awhile back with every intention of photographing her in  it against my gray seamless paper.  I can’t wait to edit the rest!

7.  I’m pretty sick of wind.  But that is nothing new.

8.  The new Ice Age movie is coming out this weekend, and Rory and I really want to see it!  I love taking Rory to the movies.  She thinks it is the best thing ever to get her own little popcorn and “pop” and I can’t help but laugh at the sight of her little feet sticking up in the air as her 35 pound self tries to hold down the theater seat.

9.  This video is too cute!  If you can believe it, that is really a four year old boy singing and jamming out on his fly swatter guitar.

10.  After the long winter we had, it is nearly killing me to not be able to get out and do photo shoots in all the green grass and trees and nice weather!  And I always feel like as soon as the 4th of July comes, summer is practically over.  Time just goes by way too quickly!  But fall will be here before we know it, and I’m looking forward to all that has to bring, especially since we will be spending it with our little man.

Okay, so I started this post on Monday and didn’t finish.  So I thought I’d just roll it into ten on Tuesday.  Well, guess what…I didn’t finish that either.  And now today is Wednesday, but it is actually only a couple hours away from Thursday, and I’m not confident I’ll finish tonight either, so that is where my title comes from.

1.  Let’s go all the way back May 30th.  It was the most perfect weekend EVER, and we took full advantage.  We got the boat out and ready for the first time this year, and the Jacobsen’s (minus one) joined us at the river for a couple hours.  I didn’t think the girls would be up for going in the water because it was so cold, but that didn’t stop them.  They were in and out filling up their buckets and playing in the sand.  Joycee took a little bit of convincing, but eventually she warmed up to the idea.  It was so long ago that I don’t remember much else, but I do remember thinking that it was such a relaxing day.  And then the next day I was exhausted and did nothing but lie around and nap! 

2.  Oh yeah, that next day that I was so exhausted, we did go out for a little photo shoot.  I was wanting to get some official three year old shots, and had a special location in mind.  Well, things didn’t work out the way I’d planned, and then by the time we found a different location it was getting dark.  So I guess I will be trying again soon.  Here are a few from that night.  Doesn’t she just look SO grown up in that last one? 

3.  Speaking of photo shoots…I cannot get around like I used to!  There is no more getting my face on the ground for a shot, or lying on my stomach.  Heck, there isn’t even any more running.  I do get a lot of good shots of the back of her head, though.

4.  All of last week was spent on the couch for me.  I came down with an awful cold, and it was miserable.  Thankfully, that is over!

5.  Last Saturday, some of our good friends hosted a little get together and BBQ in celebration of our soon-to-be family member!  It is always so much fun spending time with them, and I thank them all for a great night and for caring about us and our family so much.  It truly means the world to us!  Rory spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s, too, so we got to sleep in the next morning.  That was a bonus!

6.  My baby belly is officially 33 weeks round.  I am starting to realize that the time is coming sooner and sooner, and I’m not sure how I feel about that yet!  I am definitely excited to meet our little man, but I am also nervous.  Excited to see what he will look like, to kiss his sweet cheeks, to see Rory as a big sister.  Nervous about all the logistics about actually birthing a baby and what follows, about how Rory will really respond once it all sets in, hoping that he will be healthy.  Lots of emotions!

7.  Rory has been going through what I think is another three year old phase.  I have been a little down about it because I feel like I can’t win some days with her, and I just worry that it is maybe in response to the anticipation of baby brother coming.  On top of it, she has been having a hard time with me leaving her, and that breaks my heart.  I know it is all normal stuff, but that doesn’t make it any easier.  Hopefully, it will pass soon.

8.  Because of the rough time Rory has been having, today I decided to leave work an hour early and take her to the zoo.  She was so excited when I got there to pick her up!  We had a blast, and at one point she even said to me, “Mom, the zoo is so SO much fun!”  She was most excited to see the bears, and afterward she skipped around singing “Bare Necessities.”  Actually, she was most excited to go down the slide.  The girl loves slides (what three year old doesn’t?), and for awhile I was thinking that I had just paid $10 for us to play on the slide. 

It was a nice evening, but the zoo visit ended when she tripped and fell hands first onto the sidewalk, and scraped her hands up.

9.  Rory got some of this Crayola sidewalk paint for her birthday (thank you, McCloud’s), and the stuff is awesome.  I really dislike sidewalk chalk because of the dusty mess it creates, but this is not messy at all.  I even sat my pregnant self out on the driveway and participated, it was that fun!  I definitely recommend it.

10.  During the course of typing all of this, and editing the photos from the zoo, I’ve managed to stay off of Facebook and haven’t done any blog surfing.  In other words, I have been productive!  And I was able to get it all done before Thursday!

I thought this would be the best way for me to catch up on all the events since I haven’t been blogging much. I’ll see if I can make ten, and my goal is to get this posted before Tuesday is over, but we shall see!

1. Two Sundays ago, so 04.26, it was seriously the nicest day we’ve had forever. Josey and I had big plans to get some stuff done out in the yard. We got started, worked for a little bit, and then I sat down. Once I get going, I should never sit down. We decided it was way too nice to be working, so we rushed in the house, packed up some sandwiches for supper, and then headed to the river to let Rory do some fishing. Does anyone remember the last time we did that?

Same shot. Same girl. One year later.

Rory had a fun time fishing until she realized that mama had brought Cheetos along. Then the pole was forgotten. Actually, I think the same was true for my husband, too! {Just kidding, babe!} I wanted so badly for Josey to catch a fish, though, just so I could see the look on Rory’s face. Maybe next time?

2. I had mentioned before that I was going to participate in an online photography workshop. I spent the month of April doing that, and I can’t tell you how great it was. I learned so much from two photographers who have truly been an inspiration to me for years, met so many other wonderful girls who were some of the sweetest and smartest bunch of ladies I’ve been in company with, thought a lot about the direction my business has taken me and where I want it to go, and I actually gained a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities as a photographer. So for that, I can definitely tell you that the Bloom Workshops are amazing! I wish I had time to do the next one.

Here’s a couple of shots taken for some of my assignments for the workshop.

3. Baby Brother never stops moving. He is just like his sister in that way. As of today, I am officially 29 weeks. I can’t believe how quickly it is passing. We are still on the topic of names at our house, and haven’t agreed on anything yet.

I hate to say it, but I have been feeling great so far. It has been such a different experience than what I had with Rory. By this time with her, I was swelled up beyond the point of recognition, still sick, and unable to do much of anything besides go to work and lay down. I haven’t been sleeping, so I’m tired, but I figure he is just gearing me up for what’s to come in a couple months!

4. Tomorrow I have my first ever newborn session! I hosted a giveaway awhile back, and I have been looking forward to it for a long time. I’m a little nervous about it, too, but it should be a fun experience.

5. It seems my daughter has a bright future ahead of her. Every night before bathtime, she runs out of the bathroom, completely naked, and watches her reflection in the front of the oven door as she shakes her butt and says, “Shake your boot-ay!” Nice; huh?

6. Now that I think of it, I think she is just spending way too much time around boys these days. Her dad rolls his eyes at all of her princess, girly-girl ways, but in the last couple weeks poop, toots, and smelly arm pits have been way more entertaining to her.

At least I’ve found my sure-fire way to get her to smile for the camera.

7. Here’s a couple more photos from our little photo shoot last week. I wish it would have been nicer over the weekend so that we could have gone out again. This weekend doesn’t look promising either.

8. Anyone else watch Real Housewives of NY? I love me some reality drama! The reunion show is tonight, and I can’t wait! Kelly is such a weirdo, and I want to see what everyone says about her now that they’ve seen her “conversations” with Bethany.

9. We’re getting some sort of a thunderstorm right now, and the tv and internet keep cutting in and out. So…

10. I’m cheating and calling this ten. So there!

I haven't blogged forever, mostly because of lack of photos,  so I figured 10 on Tuesday was in order.  Rory has been sick for what seems like the entire last month, and I have been dealing with the pregnancy yuckies, so photo taking has been the last thing on my mind.

1.  This weekend, Rory and I were headed to the mall.  As we were driving down the street, she spotted a guy jogging on the sidewalk.  He eventually stopped to cross the street, and as we drove by I told her to wave at him.  She did, and the guy gave her a big smile and waved back.  She was so excited that he waved to her, and that's all she could talk about!  As we got closer to the mall, I went to make a left turn, and apparently the girl sitting at the stop sign on the street I was turning onto was getting impatient and got mad that I didn't let her turn first.  She obviously isn't aware of how stop signs work.  Anyway, she honked her horn, and flipped me off!  Rory's response:  "MOM!  THAT GIRL WAVE AT ME, TOO!"  She just couldn't believe two people waved at her in one day.  I didn't burst her bubble, but that girl was definitely not waving.

2.  Really?  Does he ever not see that freaking shadow?

3.  I have been finding myself getting really impatient for spring.  I'm just so sick of winter, and as I started thinking about it the other day, I always feel this way come February.  But the one thing I always look forward to at this time of the year…clementines.  I buy a box every year at this time, and they seem a million times better this year thanks to Number 2.  And they are just so pretty.

4.  Rory has been using the "telescope" from her doctor kit to listen to the baby's heartbeat.  Cutest thing ever!

5.  I hesitate to even admit this, for fear of jinxing myself, but I think…I HOPE…that I am getting over the morning/evening/whateveryouwanttocallit sickness.  In the last week, I really haven't been sick once, and I have actually been eating past 4:00.  Let's hope it lasts!  The tiredness on the other hand is here to stay.

6.  I never did mention that we went to Playhouse Disney Live last weekend.  It was a lot of fun.  I didn't think it was as good as Seasame Street, but Rory definitely enjoyed it, and she is still talking about it.

7.  For about the last week, Rory has been wanting to cuddle before bedtime.  Oh my gosh, I could just melt.  It's like she's my little baby again, and I am loving it.

8.  My husband likes to make fun of me.  To those who know him/us, that is no surprise.  Thanks to the fact that IHOP is the official sponsor of Wheel of Fortune, I have been majorly craving pancakes.  I finally got around to making some the other weekend, and was just so excited about it.  Since then, we have had them for all meals of the day more than once.  They are just SO GOOD!  Rather than just compliment me on how good the pancakes I made are, he has decided to pick on me for the fact that a) they are never round, and b) I just made them out of a bag of powder.  Thanks for busting my bubble, babe. )  I guess I will forgive him since he has been eating said pancakes and that's about the only thing I've cooked in…a long time.

9.  Did I mention I'm sick of winter?

10.  I guess I really didn't have as much to talk about as I thought I did.  Or maybe I'm just drawing a blank.

So, I've seen lots of other people do this on their blog, and since I don't have any pictures to post, I thought I'd give it a shot.  Just ten random things on my mind and going on around here.

1.  Rory has been obsessed with shoes lately.  She loves to slip on my flip flops and wear them around.  It doesn't matter if they're on the right feet or not, or even if she has her toes in the right place.  She walks around skidding her feet along so carefully trying hard not to let them fall off.  The other night, she had her purse on her arm and waved to me, "bye!"  I asked her where she was going and she said, "Target."  Oh, okay.  She spent several minutes in the entryway, and then eventually came up the stairs with my shoes on, and said so proudly, "bought em at Target!"  She is such a pretender these days, and I thoroughly enjoy it because it is entertainment to say the least.  And it keeps her busy.

2.  I went on quite the trip to Wyoming today.  The ride home in the plane was so bumpy and rough that I started feeling really sick.  I looked over at the guy across from me, and said, "this is going to be a looong trip home."  He just shook his head and said, "where are the bags?"  Uh oh!  We found him a bag just in time for him to…yeah you know.  Poor guy.  I am just so thankful that it wasn't me.  Then, in order to avoid the bumps, the pilots had us put on the oxygen masks and they took us up to a higher elevation.  It was the most excitement I've had at work in quite awhile!

3.  On that same trip, I finally read Randy Pausch's book, "The Last Lecture."  I had seen the on line video of his lecture several months ago, and later bought his book, but just haven't gotten around to reading it.  What an inspiration.  I definitely encourage everyone to read his book or at least watch the video.  Unfortunately, Randy recently lost his battle with cancer, but it was not before he left behind a huge part of himself and his positive attitude with thousands of people.  There were so many points that I loved in the book.  One that really stuck out to me today was this:

I used to tell anyone who worked in my research group:  "You don't ever have to worry about what I'm thinking.  Good or bad, I'll let you know what's in my head."

This is something I've thought about a lot lately, and I am trying hard to be that way myself.  It is just so much easier if you let people know how you're feeling or what you're thinking so that you can deal with it then, not have to worry about it, and move on.

4.  I have been staying really busy with my new photography business.  Right now, I'm working on some holiday card designs, and will soon be announcing some 20 minute mini sessions, which will be perfect for getting your holiday card photos and gifts.  I also have my first senior photo session tomorrow evening (we had to reschedule at the last minute), and I'm so excited for that so check back in the next few days to see some sneak peeks! 

5.  On a related note with the photography business, there have been lots and lots of hits on my blog lately, so I know there are actually people who are reading my nonsense, but nobody ever comments!  Hello?  If you're reading this, say hi and introduce yourself! )

6.  Uncle Zachie and Katie will be starting school again soon.  Zach came back today, and Rory is super excited!  She showed off and acted silly for about an hour before bedtime tonight for Zach, and she has been saying once in awhile, "Zachie, Katie home soon."

7.  Josey was gone Saturday evening, and I wanted to take a break from the computer, so I used my time to sew Rory this really cute bag.  Perfect for her beloved Dr. Seuss books.  She loved it so much, she didn't want to take the books out to read them.  Goof ball.  (And I guess I lied about the no pictures to post thing.)

8.  I have been in love with that apple fabric I made Rory's bag out of since the line came out.  I expressed my love of it to Jenny at Sweet Birdie, and she is now making a custom designed dress for Rory using all fabrics that I picked out myself, one being the apple fabric.  (Anyone recognize that sweet little girl on the front of her website?)  I cannot wait to get it, and take some photos!

9.  My newest favorite website to visit is www.thepioneerwoman.com.  If you have never read this site, you are missing out.  She is freaking hilarious, and her recipes make me hungry.  Beware, though…I'm pretty sure this lady is related to Paula Deen.  The amount of butter she uses cannot be good for the figure.  I guess that's what makes them so good; right?

10.  Have you all been watching the Olympics?  I haven't watched a lot, but I did turn on the opening ceremony the other night, and Rory laid with me on the couch for a good half an hour and snuggled and watched with me.  She was in awe of the television, and mommy was in heaven with all the cuddling.  There is not much time for that in her life these days, so I will take anything I can get!