Keri Noble - Imperfect

Discombobulated...ness?

We have been busy and gulping life at warp speed.  There was a trip to Corn Dawgs again this year which was a HUGE success.  I love finding things that I know will be a part of the girls childhood memories and traditions. For those who live in our area and haven't been there...google it.  Serious fun!  I could explain how wonderful it was to play out there all evening.  I could use all sorts of great adjectives and describe the fun with lots of detail.....but I just don't think I could do it justice.  So enjoy the peek into the day.

Her first amusement park type "ride" awwwww

The blow up maze...





See?  I do exist. HA!

Can't pass up an educational/therapy moment ;)

Sandboxes are SOOOO last week...

 I am still picking up corn kernals from all sorts of crevices around the house.  (You didn't think I was going to say house there did you?...dirty minds!)

 
She worked up an appetite...and actually ate that entire piece by herself.  I am so proud. HAHA!

Alyssa and I ventured over to our friend Juanita's son's second birthday party.  This was a neat birthday party for me to be at b/c I am a sentimental, sappy, dork because Juanita was my very first paying client.  I did her maternity photos when she was pregnant with Dawson, then did his newborn photos.  Juanita now does photography too and it is so "full circle" I can't even take it. haha  

 

All right, all right, back to the party.  

There was a bounce house, cupcakes, hotdogs....what more could a toddler ever need?  Alyssa ate her very first in the bun hot dog.  I never thought I would be that mom getting all misty about my kid eating a hot dog but SERIOUSLY, how cute is she??!!  

 

 

I am so used to having to teach Natalie how to do things that others take for granted that I forget to...well...take them for granted. ;) It is kind of fun to be amazed by every little thing my children do.  It's like I live in Christmas morning.

That brings us to the fact that I reached the point in the year that I couldn't put off taking the girls annual photos any longer.  Have I mentioned how much I dislike taking my own childrens posed photos?  It is SO impossible to be mom AND photographer and I rely on both to get great photos of children. It is usually a HORRID experience ending in the girls in tears (and sometimes myself) and me pissed off like my world is ending.  I got into photography to have wonderful photos of my family to treasure.  Turns out I am really great at getting YOUR awesome family moments but pretty much dread doing the annual "sit and smile" photos of my own little darlings.  

With that said....this year actually didn't cause me to want to duct tape them into place and throw candy at them until they smiled.  I took mini 1 out to the park just to play and brought along my camera just in case.... Evidently that is how to get photos of her.  She was like a little angel and we had so much fun!  Fun and photos of Alyssa don't normally go hand in hand.  Such a nice change of pace.  I didn't even need to come home and drink afterward. haha!  Here is one of the many fun ones.  

Natalie's also came out uncharacteristically good.  Cliff helped me yet again but this year he figured out the secret to getting the million dollar smile and twinkly eyes that we love so much.  It is so hard to love this girl so much and see her smile the most magnetic, gorgeous smile only to NEVER be able to catch it on camera.  NOT THIS YEAR!!!  This year I get to share the magic that is her with all of you who don't know her in person.  Ahhhh.....

Yes I know some of you have seen this on crackbook, but I can't share the very best one on here b/c it is on our holiday card.  Tee hee

So, ta daaaaa!  I managed to get a blog post out of my overfilled, underorganized brain.  (that also describes my house....coincidence? I think not.) I am not sure how I can have so many fun things going on yet not be able to find the "story" in it all.  Stay tuned.....

....Smell my feet...

Give me something good to eat!


Halloween is this amazing day when you can be whomever?...whoever?..grr whatever you desire to be.  I have so many fun memories from Halloween going all the way until I was a teenager and Kristi and I used to plan our costumes for MONTHS. I remember being a pink carebear one year and my mom bought me one of those store bought cheap plastic costumes that we all wore in the 80's.  I got two houses in to trick or treating, fell and ripped the legs.  HALLOWEEN FAIL!  Sorry, no pic to go with that gem of a memory.  Don't worry, I still managed to get tons of candy.  ;)  I also remember being Strawberry shortcake and we had the most ADORABLE costume.  Real dress, tights, hat, makeup.... what did the stubborn little me do?  REFUSED to wear the hat so I was just a dressed up blond kid.  Now that I am raising a mini me who would have done the EXACT same thing I just have to say.... sorry mom. hahahaha! 

All of my other memories are of me making my own costume.  (gee, I wonder why?) I was a punk rocker one year, a princess, a cat... there are so many.  Then that weird thing happened where you go out one year and just feel like you have overstayed your welcome.  I got too old to trick or treat on the outside but still loved it on the inside.  I still got to pick out and carve a pumpkin (WOOT!) but there would be no more dressing up unless there was a party.  No more pillowcases full of candy. No more school parades. No more planning costumes.... I was a officially a big kid and had to sit it out.

...Then I had kids....








I love being able to decorate for their little faces which light up every time they catch a glimpse of something festive.  







I love that I know exactly what they are feeling and just want to bottle it up so that they never have to outgrow it.  I couldn't wait to have children so I could bring back the fun of all the holidays.  When we got pregnant with Natalie I could hardly wait! There are SO MANY wonderful things about Natalie that make her just perfect.  She will hopefully enjoy the magic of holidays a little longer (even if she doesn't, I am just going to pretend).  

One of the things that I wasn't prepared for though was how long it would take for her to comprehend the difference between any old day and Halloween.  I expected the first year to go by like any child's first Halloween.  We continued to dress her up each year and do all the fun things but she just didn't seem to understand why we made her look like a bug for a day. haha  

Well, this year....

...this was THE year!  I nearly cried when Cliff's mom got her a Tinkerbell costume and she seemed to really get that it would be something amazing to wear.  I put it on her for school on Friday for their celebrations and she *gasp* LOVED IT!  MY GIRL HAS ARRIVED!  Like everything in our life with her.... it was oh so worth the wait.





Sunday evening we pulled it out again and off we went to do a little trick or treating. Alyssa was jazzed beyond belief that we were not only going to let her wear that bunny costume again but that she would get to parade all over the neighborhood in it.  It was so hot out but that girl would not take the hood off to save her life.  


She was excited to say the least...I might have been a teeny bit excited myself.  

Before you ask, I was an orange m&m thank you very much.  ;)  If you knew me in college then you have seen that costume before.
 






Natalie had school the next day so she went home all pooped out and ready for bed.  Alyssa and I headed over to Kelly's house for a little extra time out with friends.

This year was amazing! They got it, they felt it...and Halloween has come alive once again.  We went from two girls last year who had no idea what was going on, to two girls this year who LOVED it all!  Life is good.  

We may not be rich or drive the best cars.  We may not go on lavish vacations or dress to the nine's but for us that's not really what this journey is all about.  We live for this...





....and that is all we have ever wanted.