foto friday: sock twins.

Aurora has a love for socks. She mainly loves sock because she can put them on and “skate” around the kitchen floor. She picked out two pairs and gave me one of each sock and she put on one of each sock.

sock twins

Aurora's Photo Adventure.

My little three year old, Aurora, drives me crazy and also brings so much joy to my life. Seeing the world through the eyes of a toddler is always an interesting experience. She is amused but the simplest things. We could play hide and seek for hours or pizza parlor tea party and she’ll never get bored with it. Recently she’s become very fond of using my phone to take pictures. She loves flowers and trees and has grown pretty good at working the camera on my phone.


It amazes me how quick she catches on to thing. I think I’ve got a budding photographer on my hands. I love my little artist!

Sorry I haven’t been blogging very much lately (or commenting.) Between blogger being very goofy and my current photography class being extremely difficult I’ve kind of pushed blogging onto the back burner. I promise I will be back in full force next week. There are a lot of wonderful things to come!

Speaking of that; is there anything you could like to see more of from my blog? More blog love? Etsy Finds? Tutorials? Leave a comment and let me know!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

baby bump: 27 weeks

I went for my 27 week check up yesterday. They did a sonogram to check on her growth and she seems to be doing really well. It amazed me how much she looks like Aurora, well, from what I can tell. Her nose and face shape are almost the same. I’m guessing she’s going to have a lot of hair like Aurora did because I’ve been having some pretty nasty heart burn as well. I’m at 172lbs right now. I’m so glad. I thought with all the eating out we have been doing that I would be a giant by now. As long as I stay under 190lbs I’ll be really happy. I’m determined to get down to size after this pregnancy. I didn’t try very hard after I had Aurora and I kind of regret it. I’m not going to go crazy, I’d be happy being 150lbs. I’ve been smaller than that before but I just don’t look right when I weigh less then 140lbs. I feel like a bean pole. I was built to be bulky and I’m happy with that.

Speaking of kids, I was wondering why no one warned me about the terrible threes! I thought I had trouble when she was two, but wow. Aurora turning three has brought a whole new attitude. I struggle to get her to do anything. I never had to really put her in “time out” before and now it’s an everyday event. I’m at a loss for potty training too. Yes, my daughter is three and refusing to use the potty. She knows how. I know she knows because she does it… sometimes… Ugh… I love that little girl but she is really wearing on me. If any other parents have tips on potty training PLEASE let me know. I’ve tried rewards, stickers, charts, and even letting her run around without pull-ups or a diaper. Yeah, I refuse to give up but at this point I’m running out of ideas.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! I’m getting geared up for some things I’m really excited about. I hope I can pull it all together.

We moved to Arizona and had a flood... wait, what?

Yesterday started out pretty normal. It was Aurora’s first time sleeping in her big girl bed and our dog, Piston, woke her up extra early. No big deal, we started our day and I got a lot done. I did some laundry, vacuumed, took care of the dishes, and enjoyed time with Aurora. I was so tired from our first night of big girl bed time. I stayed on her floor until she fell asleep and then stayed up late finishing some homework. I thought a nap would be great and I didn’t want to be up all night again working on projects. So, I decided even though we hadn’t bought a new crate for Piston yet, Aurora and I would take a walk over to McDonalds and she could play while I finished up some work. I took everything out of Aurora’s large bathroom and made Piston a little area. I didn’t think he could get into any trouble, I mean, it’s an empty bathroom right? What could he hurt? I never realized how much water could come out of a toilet…

Yes, that’s right, he attacked the toilet. He lost it when we left and attacked the toilet breaking the line the leads to the water tank. I have no idea for how long. Aurora and I were walking home from being at McDonalds for about two hours when I ran into one of the complex workers near our apartment. When he told me that the downstairs neighbors called complaining about water coming from the ceiling, I lost it. We flew up the stairs and as soon as I opened the door I saw it, water. It was in just about every room of our two bedroom apartment. When I stepped into the hallway my feet, up to my ankles, were completely covered with water. I was in shock. My heart sank into my stomach and I didn’t know what to do. My emotions were high and I just started crying. The poor guys that work in our complex tried to calm me down. They helped scooping water into the tub and I tried to keep Aurora out of the water and get as much stuff into a dry area. I was thankful that our kitchen wasn’t affected. I started pilling everything into there.


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Aurora’s room got it the worst. A lot of her things were completely water logged. The carpet it in room was completely covered in water. I’m so thankful that other than some stuff animals and toys we didn’t have that much damage. It’s a miracle. Somehow our furniture is all intact and the guy who came for the carpets said that they wouldn’t need replaced that they will dry out. I’m so glad it was fresh water that came out. All of my products listed in my Etsy shop somehow escaped the waters that were rushing into our bed room closet. It’s amazing. Other than an aching back from moving everything out of the way, I’m fine and so is everyone else. We’re at a local hotel for the next two days until the guy can cames back to check on the carpets. I hope they are dry so we can get back in and start the cleaning process.

When all this first happened I was completely ready to give up Piston. This had done it for me. He has destroyed a couch, two recliners, a countless number of toys, broken plates, ruined the carpet, destroyed the blinds and so much more. We got him about a year and a half ago when he was only a year old. He was never crate trained and one of his owners was home with him all the time. He’s not used to people leaving, and I get that. I love him to death, but I can’t stop doing things because he’s crazy. I also feel really terrible because I can only image how scared he was when all that water came rushing out at him. I didn’t even think of that until later. Poor guy, I just shoved him out on the patio, I was so angry. He’s at his favorite place right now, the doggie hotel. I’m hoping that we can come up with some kind of solution. With the new baby on the way I’m just completely freaked out on what will happen nest.


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This crazy thing that happened to us made me really think about what’s been going on in America. As I was cleaning I was thinking about all the people in the south affected by the tornados and recent flood waters. The water in our house will dry and in a few days we will be able to get back home again. So many people in our own country won’t be able to do that. I didn’t really lose anything, so many have lost everything. We’re all healthy and fine but how many loved ones have been lost? When I came home and walked in the door and saw all that water I was so hurt. I can only image what it would be like to drive down the street to where my house used to stand and see nothing left but rubble. I want to encourage anyone and everyone who is able to donate what they can to the Salvation Army or other wonderful organizations helping out. So many people need so much more than just food and shelter, they are going to have to start all over again. It’s hard to think when living in our cozy homes, feeling safe, that it could be gone in the blink of an eye. My prayers and good thoughts go out to all the families who have been a part of this weather tragedy that just doesn’t seem to want to let go. God help us put the devastated parts of our country back together.

Wow, and I thought I was lacking in things to blog about this week…

inspiration in unlikely places.

People gather inspirations from just about everywhere. I gather a lot of mine up and stick them on my tumblr, just a bunch of images and ideas I love. I’ve shared a lot of inspirations here on my blog as well. There have been many artists that have inspired me. Since I’ve been back to school I’ve really enjoyed my art history classes and gaining knowledge of the “greats” like Henri Matisse. Of course there is the artist who inspired me to do photography in the first place, Jerry Uelsmann. There is one unlikely artist that keeps me going on a regular basis, my daughter.



I’m so glad she enjoys coloring, painting and crafting so much. She doesn’t like coloring books that much either. Give that girl a piece of blank paper and a pen and she’ll create a work of art. Okay I’m her mother so I have to say that, but I really love to watch her. Our house is covered in the things she’s created. We have her paintings in just about every room of the house. I think it's also very important for young childern to learn to express themselves in creative ways. Even if they don't continue as they get older its something they can always remember and enjoy.



The thing I think I love the best about her “art work” is that she has no fear. She doesn’t care if she messes up or goes off the page, it’s her creation and she’ll make it work. Aurora isn’t afraid of color either. She might decide she only wanted to use one color, or every color available to her. Sometimes I wish I could be more like that. If I didn’t worry so much about my “art” being perfect I’m sure I would create much more than I do.



It’s funny where we learn our lessons from. My lesson and inspiration comes from little Aurora, who isn’t afraid to cover a blank piece paper with beauty!

the other man in my life.

Our poor dog Piston is going to the vet today to have a tooth removed. He's a bit "special" sometimes and chews of weird things like rocks and other hard objects. Him having to have surgery made me think of my very first blog post, which feels like forever ago, which was all about him. When we first adopted him I couldn’t stand him. I thought he was ruining my life and I couldn’t handle it. Marc and Aurora were totally in love with the guy so I decided to give it my best. I cried and whined a lot but Piston and I got through our tough times.

I like to call him "Sir."

He’s two and a half years old now and is finally coming out of his puppy stage. We went through two recliners, one couch, and countless other items due to his crazy behavior; I wouldn’t take him back for the world. It was totally worth it.



Most of the time he lays around all day, I think he probably sleeps about 16 hours, oh to be a dog. He lets Aurora poke, prod him, and sit on him, and he doesn’t even flinch. When we have to take him to the doggie hotel for an overnight stay Aurora cries and cries, she misses “Woofie,” it melts my heart.



He loves hugs and kisses. He just a big cuddle buddy, he really thinks he a lap dog. He well come over and literally sit in your lap. 65 pounds of boxer isn’t small that’s for sure. Piston also loves it when my husband picks him up like a baby and carries him around. It’s one of the funniest things to watch. He absolutely loves Marc. When Marc comes home you would think he brought a t-bone steak with him every day, Piston freaks out! He bounces around trying to chase his non-tail like a crazy person. I really need to get this on video someday.



Piston still has issues. He has some anxiety issues and sometimes relieves himself in the house when he’s stressed out. Sometime when we have visitors he gets a stomach ache and vomits, a lot. He always eats random things. At this point I’ve stopped keeping track of the weird things he’s eaten. His two favorite things are baby wipes (clean or dirty) and dryer sheets, I have no idea why. We try really hard to stop him, but you can’t watch him ever second.



He also HATES other dogs. There are a few dogs in the apartment complex that I think he would be friendly with, but I don’t really want to take that chance. He also adores kids. The only thing I worry about when some kids come up and want to pet him is that he’ll knock them over. He’s not a fan of adults though, mainly man. He’s super protective over Aurora, and honestly, I’m okay with that. I know he would do anything to protect her and our family. Although I never wanted him to be a “guard dog” he makes me feel really safe.

He drive me crazy, but I love the big ding dong!

a little update vlog hello!

I wanted to talk about so many great things that I decided it needed to be a vlog not a blog post. So, last night, Aurora helped me do a little video to say thank you (again) and show off some of the new stuff and what's going on. It ended up being a funnier to me than informative, but that's okay.


Things I mentioned:- My Etsy Shop.- Mr. Carlton Huebert Hopsalot.- Blog Love Weekly.

One thing that I wanted to talk about but got distracted was about my photojournalism class. This quarter I am going to be going a project focused on the oh so wonderful Butter Toast Boutique. Traci has been kind enough to let me come to the shop on a semi weekly basis for the next couple of weeks and take photos for my class. I'm really excited because I'm hoping to also get a great interview with Traci and Jasmine all about them and the boutique to share with you guys. So stay tuned because there is loads more coming in the future!

Have an amazing weekend!

it's a....

It's a GIRL!!!

love.

peace.

I think you could have knocked me over with a feather when the lady said it was a girl! I seriously thought it was going to be a boy. She is SO super low and is completely different from Aurora. I'm so excited though.

Aurora was very excited to go see "bebe in mummy's tummy." She did a very good job through my entire doctor’s visit. I'm so proud. She carried around the sonogram pictures the rest of the night. She doesn't really understand the concept of having a baby sister, she just know a baby is coming. She's excited for now, and I'm excited she's going to have a little sister to play with.

We are still debating on a name. We are pretty sure on the first name, but we're still decided on a middle name. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep that as a surprise or not. I've never been good at keeping secrets about myself. If someone else told me a secret I could take it to the grave, but if it's about me, I blab!

I can't wait to meet our new little addition! She already has super long fingers and limbs. Aurora is pretty tall, but this kid is going to be really long I think. It still kind of feels unreal, but I'm itching to get everything ready!

^_^ Happy Wednesday!

Happy Birthday Little One!

Well, today at 6:37pm my daughter will be turning 3 years old. It seems like it's be forever and yet just yesterday that she came into our lives. I've said this before and I'll say it again, she really saved my life. Everything has changed since Aurora has been around and I couldn't be more pleased. Yes, she drives me CRAZY! Sometimes I get so frustrated that I sit and just cry. The terrible twos have been, well, terrible. She has been getting a lot better recently. I'm so proud of how much she has grown and how much she has learned.

7 months pregnant with my little monster!
Love that face!

This entire month has really been all about her. On Wednesday night her Granny flew in and we've been having fun ever since. Yesterday we went back to Sedona, AZ to show Granny around, and for her big day today we went to the Zoo.

Aurora and Granny made her Birthday Barbie cake this morning! Granny is seriously the best!




PHOENIX ZOO!!!









Happy 3rd Birthday to my beautiful little girl! Soon to be a big sister (yikes!)

weekend recap.

Wow, what a weekend. I am completely beat. We had so much fun, maybe too much fun, where to even begin...

Saturday we went to the Chandler Classic Car Show. I was pretty impressed by the number of cars that were there. They had food and vendors and all kinds of good stuff. There were a ton of dogs walking around too. Sometimes I wish Piston was better behaved so he could come to things like that. I guess that will come with age.







After the Car Show we took a little drive and food the local Margaretville. I wouldn't consider myself a full Parrot Head, but I do really enjoy Jimmy Buffett. It's a really fun place. Aurora was good the entire time we were there! She was totally distracted by all the stuff on the walls and ceilings. It's rare for her to sit still through an entire meal, so that was pretty awesome.



Yesterday the three of us loaded up in the car and headed to the Phoenix International Speedway for the NASCAR race. Yes, NASCAR. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be attending a race I would have slapped you. My husband loves racing, and after watching it for the past several years ever Sunday from February till about November I think, you get sucked in. It's a really difficult sport. It takes a lot of people for those cars to make really fast left turned for 3 or 4 hours. Aurora likes going to the race, not because she likes to watch the cars. The "wace" is very "woud" she says. She likes to watch the people, walk around, and eat the food.

It was a beautiful day for a race. They called for rain, but it never hit us.

Our tail gate par-tay!

The mother of all funnel cakes, and a very bad idea.

This time we went a little overboard on the food. Aurora got really sick on the way home. I felt so bad. The funnel cake really did her in. We only ate a quarter of it but I think it was too much for her little stomach to handle. She got sick again in the middle of the night we were up watching Blue's Clues at 2:00am. I feel so terrible.

It's been a pretty long, but fun, weekend. I didn't get my homework finished last night and I really should be working on that. Plotting graphs for my math class just doesn't seem as fun as writing a blog post though!



Happy Monday... or something...

crafting with a kid: drink thermos

If there is one thing I really love doing with Aurora its crafting. Something that has helped us continue to create new things on a regular basis is the dollar store! I love the dollar store. I can walk into a dollar store with just a few ones in my pocket and I know that I will always find things to keep us entertained for hours! This last trip we scored! We got a fishing set, a cooking set to go with her tea set, bubbles, stamps, and two create your own thermoses.

I thought that it would be fun for Aurora and I to each make one for each other. It didn’t take up that much time or resources, just a few stickers, some crayons, and love.

They aren't very large cups, just perfect for a little girl

Just trace the inside sleeve. They even have little characters you can use to decorate with

My little artist.

She's very into drawing circles right now.

Aurora's before it went into the thermos.

My attempt at a wood pattern.

As always, the place is a wreck after we craft.

Finished Products. We're pretty proud. I had to chase Aurora down with hers so I could take a picture of it! ^_^


It’s the little things really. What have you been busy making?

Valentine's Day Lunch @ In Pockets

WARNING: Photo Overload!

Yesturday we celebrated Valentine's Day together. Marc's office used to be in Historic Downtown Chandler. He used to eat lunch at this little place called In Pockets all the time, and I was super jealous, because he always raved about how good it was! Since we went there I have to tell you, it really is amazing! It's kind of has a bistro feel to it. They make great sandwhich and salads. They also do wedding pastries. It was sooo yummy!!!!!

The outside of In Pockets

Marc being himself.
Aurora playing with my lens cap.
Aurora with her chocolate and raspberry cupcake. She went on a serious sugar high after this.

After lunch I had to do some portait photos for my photography class, and of course who did I call on? My adorable family!

My Daughter, The Ham




My husband, The Man





What have you been up to this weekend?