Did you see that last post? No? Good. Onto - potty training!

Yeah, that last post? The one I deleted? Lame. Nothing seriously wrong with it, it just seemed lame and boring and so, after a few hours of deliberation, I deleted it. If you read via a reader, it is probably still there. Feel free to hit the "mark as read" and move on.

Not that I have much more interesting to yap about. It is just me, or are things quiet around here in blogland? Usually my reader fills up so fast that I can't keep up, lately, I have been able to clear it all without much problem. Or maybe I just have way too much time on my hands. Not that I honestly have a lot of time, but I just haven't felt like doing much of anything this week.

Yesterday was crazy cold and SNOWY. And Kallie and I spent some time outside building a snowman!? Isn't that nutty? In October????

So, anyway...potty training..

I know, I know. You may have thought this subject was closed and resolved. Kallie has been using the potty without any problem since the summer.

So what is the problem? Well, she only uses the potty for #1. If she needs to do #2, she wants a diaper. She has a little corner of the house designated for this purpose, so she dons a diaper, gets together her essentials (blanket, dolls, books, brushes) and goes to this place to do her business.

At first when she started using the potty, she didn't ask for a diaper, she just didn't go. For days. And then she was crying because her stomach hurt. So, to prevent any further physical distress, we just put on one of Caroline's diapers and told her to use it.

But now we have the problem that she REFUSES to use the potty for that purpose. We have bribed her, we have pleaded, we have tried not doing anything and hoping she would just grow out of it.

But months and months later, she still asks for the diaper. She is almost 3 1/2! I can't tell her we don't have diapers because, with Caroline here, there will always be diapers. I am a little afraid to just refuse because I don't want to cause any physical problems. I seriously have no idea what to do.

If, by any chance, there is someone out there with some good advice and suggestions, please speak now or forever hold your peace.

We need help.

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Things to think about...

It never ceases to amaze me how a child's mind works. They naturally have the most amazing imagination. I don't know what happens, but as we get older, that sparkle often dies and we struggle to regain just a bit of that wonder we once had.

But, if you have kids, you get to enjoy that wonder all over again. I read to Christina from a children's bible many nights before bed. She loves this book and loves talking about God and Jesus. I always stress with her that God is capable of anything and everything. That is a hard concept for us as adults to grasp because we live with the "that is not possible" rules of this world. But to a little girl, she is still filled with the ability to imagine the impossible.

Many many months ago, I wrote a post about how Christina was hoping that God would turn her into a mermaid. I mean, he is capable of anything, right? Why not a mermaid? I tried not to laugh, as I agreed that yes, he could do that if he wanted to (not quite sure he will, but I won't stop her from believing).

The other day she said to me, with all seriousness:

"Mom do you know why the sky is blue?"

"Do you?" I asked. (Expecting that she was going to tell what she learned in school today.)

"Yeah, I think it is God's favorite color."

I just nodded - well, maybe she is right? I know there are concrete scientific reasons for why the sky is blue, but, honestly, my 7 year old may have the REAL reason - God just likes the color blue. Why not?

And then last night, we were again reading from her bible. I was telling her, again, about how wonderful heaven will be. And how we all need to be as good as possible so, hopefully, someday, we can live with God in heaven.

Christina thought for a second and then said:

"Yeah, I bet there is a hot tub."

"Why not?" I replied.

"And make-up! And headbands!"

"Probably."

"I think there is a store there. And I can go there all by myself, or with Carson (cousin)."

"Sure!"

And I think, that she probably has a more accurate view of heaven than many of us old people. We dread leaving this world more than anything, and we fight it every step of the way. But hey, if there are hot tubs, make-up and headbands, I can't wait!

(I posted a similar photo a week or so ago, but have recently been going back into my archives to process some of the photos I missed the first time. I just love her expression in this shot so I had to include it.)

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Saturday recap..

The Halloween festivities started this weekend with trick or treating at my SIL's. The girls, as expected, had a great time...with only a few minor incidents.

One cousin tripped and fell and claimed "severe and debilitating back injury". We debated life-flighting him to the our local hospital...but decided against it. (Don't fret, he made an amazing recovery and joined in a crazy game of hide and seek about 10 minutes later...phew!).

And Kallie Wallie continued to defend her title as "most difficult" when she refused to use the bathroom for most of the day, only to kindly have a little accident in the middle of my SIL's living room rug.

But, other than that, my princess and my angel were pretty good and quite the happy campers!

And oh-so-cute (and that is not just because they are mine!)

Well, maybe I am just a little partial..

We were all going to go to another party today, but since Kallie Wallie has had about 1,456 meltdowns since she woke up 2 hrs ago, we are now re-thinking this possibility. It may be a little less painful for all concerned if said 3 year old retired into her bed for a few hours instead.

In case you are interested...the current meltdown (as I am typing) is because she wants her little Ariel doll but refuses to go find it.

"NO YOU FIND IT!" she exclaims when we tell her to get it.

And she has been crying about this travesty for about 30 solid minutes.

Difficult I tell you.

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Friday!!!

Happy Friday! I am so looking forward to the weekend! Even though the weather sounds like it will be yucky - cold and rainy. But not as wonderful as the weather predicted for early next week - SNOW!

Well, this morning I was greeted by an amazing sunrise!

Although you know what they say...Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning....or something like that.

This weekend is the start of the crazy Halloween festivities. Halloween has become nutso! Tomorrow we are going my SIL's to trick or treat (their township has afternoon hours), then Sunday we are off to a friend's for pumpkin carving and hayrides. And then on Halloween, my SIL and her crazy crew and some friends are coming here for a little party. I am in the process of trying to think of some fun Halloween things to do and eat and drink. Of course, the first thing I decided I would do were Halloween Margaritas! Pretty much just good ole margaritas that I will add a touch of green food coloring and throw in some gummy worms in the glass!

My kids are beside themselves with excitement. And I can't wait to get some pictures...wait until you see Kallie! I love her costume this year!!!!

Other than that, Kallie has been sick and now is complaining about her ear. And my ankle is not getting better as quickly as I had hoped. I think I am not resting it enough. Patience is NOT one of my best virtues...

OK, lastly I will throw in some photos, of course!

Christina has always been such a good model. Seriously, since she was a little toddler, she would always strike the best poses, with absolutely no direction, as soon as the camera is pointed at her.

Unlike her sister, Kallie, who I am lucky if I even get one glance in my direction. The only reason I got her eyes open in this photo is that I tricked her and asked her if anyone was coming in our driveway (the window was behind me).

Have a great one!!!!

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Comment problem??

I think there was a problem with the comment function on my blog. I changed the settings a bit and now it seems to work (does it??). Just curious as to whether anyone else had this problem and if it was just a Blogger problem.

Anyone?

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Special Exposure Wednesday - things to think about

I often like to talk about the more positive things life with a very special needs child can bring because there ARE a lot of positive things. And I don't think a lot of people really realize that. They just hear the doom and gloom and sadness and pity. And that is NOT all there is.

There are amazing things about Caroline. Things like her complete innocence, her unconditional love, her infectious giggles, and her ability to teach us a tolerance and understanding for all those people out there who are considered "different".

But today, I thought I would touch upon some of the less fun things. Things that make - or will make - life a little less "fun" for us.

1. Potty training

Caroline will never be potty trained. Never. I can hope and I can pray, but I am sincerely doubtful she will ever advance to the point where she can recognize the need to use the bathroom and get there all by herself.

Now this isn't a real big issue right now. But, as she gets bigger, it will bring up issues that you often may not think about. Where do you change a bigger person's diaper in public? You can't use changing rooms in public bathrooms. Changing in the car is extremely hard, even now. What will we do when she is even bigger? Sadly, I think it just means public outings with Caroline will become less frequent. Now we can get some respite care so we do often have the option of leaving her home. But it is a bit sad because I think it is nice for her to be included with us as much as possible.

2. Non-verbal

Caroline will probably never speak. She may, someday, be able to learn how to use a simple communication device, but it is extremely doubtful that she will ever have her "first word", or a "vocabulary explosion".

This is probably the toughest issue of them all. There is nothing more frustrating than a miserable, crying child who has no way of telling you what is wrong. Everything is a guess. Sometimes you can easily figure out the problem, sometimes you are reduced to tears of frustration yourself. It is such a hard thing. Is she hungry? Tired? Sick? Bored? Mad? Hot? Cold? WHAT!???

And, of course, no speaking means never hearing "Mommy" or "Daddy" or even "I love you!".

Hard.

3. Non-mobile:

So Caroline will probably never crawl or walk. Not a big issue now, when she is barely 30 pounds and Eric and I are fairly young and healthy. But what will we do when she is heavier? What about when we are older?

Our home is filled with stairs. Our driveway is gravel (for now). Nothing is conducive for pushing a wheelchair around. So, do we eventually modify our home or move? Tough question. I don't know the answer.

And not only do we have questions about where we will live, we have questions on how will we care for Caroline as we get older or, God forbid, if we became disabled ourselves. My little ankle incident last week made me think. What if that happened when I had no one to help me care for Caroline? What would I do?

An acquaintance from an email group I am part of recently suffered a bad back injury. Her non-mobile, disabled daughter is 34. She had to call 911 for someone to help with her daughter. She eventually made the tough decision to move her daughter into a home.

So hard.

4. Just different...

Caroline has qualities that just make her "different". Other than the obvious things I have already mentioned, she just acts differently.

She yells, a lot. Sometimes because she is tired, sometimes for reasons beyond us. And sometimes, the yelling, can drive us batty. And taking her out in public, when she is in a yelling mood can be a little hard. You draw a lot of attention from people who pretend they really aren't noticing you. Like during Christina's Kindergarten orientation, when her teacher was speaking to all the parents and Caroline started just yelling at the top of her lungs. I tried to keep her quiet, it was hard, I was embarrassed.

Caroline doesn't sleep well. She will often wake at night and just hum or yell or sort of talk to herself. We just let her be. Except sometimes she spins herself around in bed and starts kicking the wall, hard. We go in, adjust her, tuck her back in, and try to go back to sleep. Not too much of a big deal now. But what about when she is bigger and heavier? We have developed our own way of closing doors and using a bit of white noise to muffle her sounds to the point where we hear her, but we can still get some sleep. But staying somewhere other than home is another story. Caroline needs her own room, close to us, but not too close - not always a feasible request when you are on vacation or visiting family.

Hard.

But if I have learned anything from my experiences so far with Caroline, it is that you can't really worry too much about what is to come. We just take it day by day and slowly learn to adapt to each new phase. And, hopefully, everything will work out just fine in the end.

Have a good one!

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Engagement session - part deux

As you will recall, I was a little bummed about my first attempt at photographing someone other than my family when I took engagement photos for a friend.

I really wanted my photos to be natural and a little creative as I never liked the traditional "posed" portrait shots. And I did get some very nice shots. But, even though I didn't want it to be a portrait session, I still needed to get some nice, close-up portrait shots. Those are the shots that are used for their wedding announcement. And, if I was actually a real photographer and was actually selling photos, the traditional, close-up, shots are the ones that most family members would want to pay for.

And those were the shots that I messed up, big time, the first time - blown highlights, shadows across the faces, dark eyes, poor focusing... I was SO not happy with myself.

Luckily, our friends were more than willing to meet me again solely for the purpose of close-up shots. We met at a local park. The scene was gorgeous. I almost felt like doing a completely new session! It was a perfect, small town, fall scene:

And, I think, I hope, I finally got some shots I am a little more proud of. I am almost hesitant to ask for honest feedback, but obviously, I want it and I need it. Don't be shy...what do you think???

The first session was a tremendous learning experience. I knew what I did wrong, and I was so much more careful not to repeat my mistakes. And, hopefully, I will have many more opportunities to try my hand, make mistakes, and continue to improve myself.

Have a good one!!!

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A Thank You from a 7 year old

Christina has always been very good at getting thank you cards out to friends and family. It is probably a combination of a habit we got into right from the start, and the fact that she LOVES writing cards and addressing envelopes. If she can't thank someone for a gift in person, she is often the first person to announce "I need to write them a thank you card!"

This year, for her 7th birthday, she got a few gifts in the mail. And over the weekend, she happily sat down and wrote out her cards, complete with stickers and drawings.

Since she is now 7, you know, she can pretty much do the whole thing without much help. So I just let her go for it, although I did want to review them before sealing them and sending them out.

The first few she did a tremendous job. She decided what she wanted to say, and spelled everything out herself.


Pretty good! It even included a pattern - heart, star, star - heart, star, star...

The only comment I had was that the gift was a birthday gift for her, so she didn't necessarily need to sign her sisters' names, but that is OK and it was very nice of her to include them.

Then she wrote out one that I initially considered asking her to revise, but it is hilarious. I am just not sure her Aunt and Uncle will quite get it:

What she is actually trying to say is (they gave her money) "The money you gave me makes me have $38! And that is a LOT of money!! Thank you so much!" She's a rich girl now, you know!

Don't you just love the complete and total honesty of a little kid? I debated having her rewrite it, but then I thought, the "thank you" is there, and they will definitely know that this thank you came straight from the heart of a seven year old!

Which, I think, makes it absolutely perfect!

I also wanted to add:

My ankle is doing MUCH better. Don't ask me how and don't ask me why. It looks awful, I have a semi-permanent purple sock on, but there is not much pain at all and I can walk around just fine. Now, I am not sure if I am ready to get back to running, but I think I will be hauling my butt around the block much sooner than expected! And the way I have been eating and lying around lately, I am going to need to do something soon! Yikes!!!

Have a good one!!!

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Well, I am officially on the disabled list

Don't you hate how life can throw you a curve ball when you absolutely least expect it? Yeah, me too. And yesterday I caught a doozy.

My hubby came home from work and took the two girls outside for a little fresh air. I decided to take a quick drive with my camera to check out the remaining fall foliage. But, before I did that, I decided that Caroline should also join her sisters outside. So carried her out into the garage. And then it happened.

I fell. Hard. While holding Caroline. Thank God, my motherly instinct kicked in and Caroline barely knew anything happened.

But I am another story.

I twisted my ankle BIG time. I think it literally put me into a bit of shock because, afterwards, I was absolutely freezing and shaking uncontrollably. It was weird. And now I am pretty much unable to walk and am out of commission for a while. And by the time I am able to hobble around again, most of the gorgeous fall foliage I was on my way to see, will only be a dim memory.

Now, I do have to mention that said accident was completely my fault. And my hubby, although feeling a bit sorry for me, also was able to throw in a little "I told you so", because the cause of the fall were the shoes I left at the door. Shoes that I always leave right by the door that my husband has been complaining about for YEARS.

So I guess I deserved this.

My husband had to stay home from work today because there was no way I could get 2 kids off to school this morning and take care of Kallie-Wallie's demands all day. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I can hobble enough to let him go. And, at 41 years old, I still need my mom. She is coming down to help me out tomorrow.

But you know, it wouldn't be a blog post without any lovely photos now would it? Just remember, these photos look bad, but actually are nowhere as bad as I will look in about a week after the bruise has a chance to darken, and spread and just look oh-so-lovely!

Isn't it just a gorgeously huge and purple?


And just for a little comparison's sake:

But the good new is, I have set up a pretty nice little station here at my computer so I can elevate my foot while blogging, or working on photos, or just surfing around. And no one can make me feel guilty!

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Help me find the pink thing!!!!

And I am not even kidding.

My little Kallie Wallie appears to have a bit of obsessive compulsiveness - or something in that same vein. She finds some little toy and becomes completely obsessed with it. She carries it everywhere. And I mean everywhere - to dinner, to bed, to the grocery store, outside, inside, upstairs, downstairs. You can even check on her in the middle of the night and find said object clutched firmly in her little fist.

Now what object she is obsessed with changes over time. One object she is currently obsessed with her polly pocket little mermaid doll.

Before that, there were a few weeks where a little orange whistle was always by her side.

She carried around a phone recently that she dubbed her "make-up" (I think she was comparing it to my compact make-up).

And there was a time where she carried around a red straw that she called (can you guess??) - the "red thing".

Well, right now, in addition to the Little Mermaid doll, she has become obsessed with a pink paintbrush that came in one of Christina's birthday gifts. She got a hold of that brush on Sunday, after the gift was opened, and has been "painting" everything around the house. And, as expected, she carries it everywhere and anywhere.

Except now it is missing.

She went outside with it last night, and now I have no bloody idea where it went! I am not sure if she left it in the pile of leaves, or in her playground, or at the neighbors. And it could be inside this house.

All I know is that she has asked me for the "pink thing" about 1045 times since she woke up. And I am going NUTSO. I tried offering her other brushes. I tried offering her other toys. Nope. Sorry. Only the "pink thing" will do.

Somebody? Anybody? Help.

On an unrelated note....

Thank you all for your feedback on my photo shoot! I got a note from the bride-to-be telling me she was "blown away" by my shots. And I feel so much better. I know there are technical imperfections, but she is happy that we got some very nice, very natural looking shots and she is not nearly as critical as I.

We are also going to get together again so I can try to get some better close-ups. Since I will just be focusing (no pun intended) on getting close-up shots, I should have a bit of better luck as I have only a few pose ideas and I can work on getting sharp eyes, no blown highlights and no harsh shadows. I am not going to worry about nice scenery, or huggy-kissy shots, just portraits. I know the bride likes black and white too so I will work on getting a few shots that will convert nicely to BW.

And on another unrelated note...

I am so lax in getting this mentioned, but I was lucky enough to win a PIF contest through Michelle's blog! She customized her gift to the recipient which was SO nice! She included a couple books and some note cards for me and some Strawberry Shortcake gel pens and a Dora cup for my girls! How nice! And my girls LOVED the stuff. Christina quickly packed the pens in her new purse that she got for her birthday. Now the funny thing is, I didn't actually know I was entering a contest when I commented on her post. So I don't know a lot about these PIF contests. But I do know it means I need to hold a contest too. So, once I can decide what I want to do, I will let you know. Hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.


I know this photo isn't the best, but Kallie "helping" me by showing one of the books. And, if you will duly note, the Little Mermaid is also tightly clenched in her fist. Which allows me to bring this post full circle and back to my original topic, as I get busy...

Looking for the damn pink thing!!

Have a good one!

STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!

I was just about to hit the publish button when I took Caroline upstairs for her nap. I glanced in the bathroom and there, half hidden under a towel, was the elusive "pink thing". Phew. Crisis over. I may now resume normal programming. (Thank God)

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A little bit of bummed....

As you may know, I was trying my hand at taking some engagement photos over the weekend. I know it was my first time, I know I have done NOTHING like this before, I know I really am still very much a newbie to photography as compared to most more "professional" photographers. And I know I am not professional in any shape or form.

But I am still bummed. It just didn't go as well as I hoped. And the photos weren't as good as I hoped. And the thing that bums me out the most is that I knew better. The mistakes I made were simple things that I knew and I should have been more conscious of.

At first, I was pretty excited about the shots. I thought some were going to look pretty cool, but after I downloaded them, looked them over, tried some adjustments in Photoshop, I found many were filled with technical imperfections.

I had too many shadows across their faces, I had too many blown-out highlights, I chopped off a part of the groom-to-be's head, the couple's feet, the bride-to-be's arm. And that stuff is not fixable.

So I will share a few photos - but I share them with big reservations.

In some of the shots, I was actually trying to get some sunflare around the couple, so the "blown-out" areas are not an accident.

But the other stuff? It is the stuff that shows me how much of an amateur I really am. But, I know, I shouldn't be too hard on myself. That the only way I am ever going to be good is if I keep trying and keep making these mistakes.

Sometimes though, it is a very tough pill to swallow. They are such a cute couple, the bride-to-be is so beautiful and photogenic, and I wish I could have delivered a little more "professionalism" - even if it was my first time.

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Good Morning!!!

It is the start of a very crazy weekend! My oldest is turning 7 tomorrow! SEVEN!! Yikes! Didn't I just write the other day that she turned 6? Yeah, I thought so. Crazy.

And you know, in the world of an almost 7 year old, birthdays are a HUGE deal. She brought cookies on Friday to school. We are meeting grandparents for dinner tonight. And we are taking Christina and her cousins to the giant rat hole tomorrow! (a.k.a. Chuck E. Cheese!).

Sadly, I have only purchased one small gift so far. So I need to get out and get some stuff for her to open for tomorrow morning. And I actually have almost no idea what I am going to get her! Which, to me, means that she needs NOTHING. Kids have too much stuff nowadays. But I will probably get her some small stuff like books or craft stuff. The thrill at her age is just having something to open. She is happy with whatever we get her.

I am also going to try my hand at photographing someone other than my family today as I take some engagement photos for a friend. They weather is going to be perfect and we are going to our local park.

So I better go! But I will leave you with some nice fall photos!!

Have a good one!

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Special Exposure Wednesday - No, I am not special

Many many years ago, when I was single, in the midst of my 20's, and enjoying life to its fullest, the very thought of me, as a stay at home mom could bring a few of my closest friends and relatives to their knees in laughter. They just absolutely could NOT imagine it. It just was not my style. I was truly not the "mom" type.

So the thought of me as not only a stay at home mom, but a stay at home mom with a severely disabled child, was pretty much unbelievable.

When I got the diagnosis after my amnio, and learned Caroline, if she survived, would be severely disabled, I was numb. I was standing in my kitchen, in the midst of buttering a bagel for my toddler, Christina, when the phone rang and I went numb.

And all I could think was - not me. I cannot handle it. No, sorry, you see, I can't do this. Other people may be able to handle this, but not me. I am 100% positive that I cannot handle this and I cannot do this. NO WAY. I have never ever been around a special needs person of any shape or form. They made me so uncomfortable. And I have a toddler! A little, not yet 2 year old, toddler who needs me and who doesn't understand why Mommy is crying so much. What will this do to her?

Nope, sorry, please make it all go away. Please God. Please.

I literally did not want this child. Horrible as that sounds, I almost hoped the doctors were right, and she wouldn't make it to term. I went to each appointment thinking that this was it. I rarely, if ever, felt her move. I knew she wasn't growing. I knew her chances were slim. And I thought, this time, they wouldn't hear a heartbeat. I was terrified, yet almost hopeful.

But then, late in the pregnancy, something happened that made me think.

First, a couple weeks before my due date, we got a surprise call from one of the cardiologists stating that her "fatal" heart condition may actually be a misdiagnosis. Wonderful doctor that he is, he did not want to 100% trust his own opinion, so he forwarded her echo to one of his most respected friends/cardiologists. The friend had another opinion. And our doctor agreed. Her heart, while looking a little different, may actually be not-so-bad, and probably isn't a fatal condition.

And then, a few days later after getting this bombshell, I felt her move. Really move. I was standing our garage, mere days from my scheduled delivery date, talking to my hubby, when I started to really feel my baby moving around. I said to my husband "Wow, I think she is trying to tell us something. I think she is saying - Don't give up on me". Yes, those were my exact words.

Now, the reason I was feeling her was that my amniotic fluid was getting low, so she had very little padding around her. But I also truly feel it was a sign. A sign that she is a fighter and a sign that I should fight for her.

I thought, maybe, just maybe, I can do this. I can be a mom, a mom to a disabled child, a mom who has good days and bad, a mom who is NOT special, just a mom. I am the last person in the world anyone would have EVER thought could handle such a child and I would have been the first person to completely agree.

But then I found that life throws things at you that you "absolutely knew" you could never ever handle. But you do. You just take it day by day, minute by minute, and very very slowly, try to figure it out and get through it. And then l you realize that you really truly are capable of handling so much more than think.

And sometimes, these scary, horrible, dreaded events, can someday, one day, result in one of your biggest blessings.

Yeah, things didn't turn out so terrible after all.

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Amazing morning photoshoot!

Early yesterday morning, as I drove out to my 5K run I was seriously tempted to stop the car, go back for my camera (no, believe it or not, it was not with me) and spend the morning taking photos rather than joining 500 other kooks and running through town.

Why you ask? Well, it was very cold and frost was covering the ground, the sun was gloriously shining, there were pockets of fog in the valleys and over the ponds, rivers and lakes and the resulting scenery was literally breathtaking.

So, this morning, luckily, the weather was exactly the same. I woke, grabbed my coffee and camera and was off! Some of my shots were cool, some were OK, and some were pretty amazing!

I loved how the sun shone through the fog in this field:

And the sunrays!!

Everywhere I looked there were glorious sunrays!

Wow. It was seriously cool (and seriously cold). Have a great one!

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It's a " Whoo-Hoo" Weekend!!!!!

So far so good! It has been a great and beautiful first weekend in October! Today is one of those absolutely perfect fall days - bright skies, cool temps and gorgeous leaves.

And, today I did it! I ran our local annual 5K (3.1 miles). My typical run is about 3 miles, so the distance isn't really a stretch for me. However, I have in NO way been training for this race so my time was a bit slower than I hoped. I did it in about 28.4 minutes - a little bit over a 9 minute mile pace. OK, but not great. Two years ago, when I last ran this race, I trained a lot more and was able to finish it in 24.5 - just a tad over an 8 minute mile pace. Oh well, what can I expect.

But I am so glad I did it. Eric and the girls came down and cheered me on. It was very nice.

As I mentioned in a prior post, I am going to try my hand at some engagement shots in a week or so. Our local park has some very nice areas that I thought may make for a great backdrop. So, late yesterday afternoon, I loaded up my hubby and kids snapped some practice shots of them to get a better idea of what I will do when the real couple is there. The late afternoon light was perfect and I actually got a few really nice shots of my crew!

I played around with sunflare - not sure if I am completely happy with these shots, but they aren't bad.

And I tried some close-up shots:

I thought some close up shots with the couple in the background and out of focus may look kinda cool:

And I snapped Christina as she climbed a tree. I probably won't stick the couple up in a tree, but I LOVE these colors and this shot!

But my favorite shots by far were the ones I got in a little field off the side of the road:

And this was probably my most favorite shot of the day:

I would have included Kallie in some of these shots but she, as usual, was....difficult.

And, as I was trying to show my hubby some of my fun and goofier ideas for the bride and groom, he started snapping away.

Have a great weekend!!!!

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Special Exposure Wednesday! Happy girl

Caroline is usually a very happy little girl. She is easily amused and has the most contagious belly laugh ever.

She didn't really smile or laugh at all during her first 6 months or so. It was so hard.

However, when she was about 8 months old, she was just sitting among us one Saturday night, when she started giggling like crazy. We all stopped and looked at this tiny little peanut in amazement. We really weren't sure if she was actually laughing or just making some goofy noises.

Over time though, we have found that she was definitely giggling and was definitely just happy. And she does that, a LOT.

Just go on up to her and talk to her about nothing, or tickle her a bit, or give her kisses, and she will start laughing and giggling uncontrollably. And it is very hard not start giggling right along with her.

Another way to tell if Caroline is happy is if she sticks her tongue out. It is a sure sign that all is right in her world. I distinctly remember at the end of one of her hospital stays, talking to my husband when he was with her and I was home with the other kids. He said:

"She is doing much better, she is sticking her tongue out again."

And I knew she would be A-OK.

A couple weeks ago we went on a bike ride with the kiddos. Caroline was so happy when we stopped and took pictures of her with her two sisters by her side. When the girls left her side, she just sat there and continued to just be happy to be alive.

And all was right in her world.

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