photos update

ok, remember I said they might be pricey??? I had NO idea. The pictures did, in fact, turn out great. The cost, this is the baffling part. Who, in their right mind, would pay $400 for pictures?? I could buy a backdrop and lighting equipment for that. Would be fun to do if we had the money, I simply couldnt believe the cost, I was in shock. And they wouldnt sell me just one picture. So after all the headache and hassle...I got absolutely no pictures, just very sad I couldnt get any! So now I dont have 18 month photos after all. Didnt feel like robbing a bank. I'm still in shock for what they wanted. But JCPenneys still has the 3.99 a sheet or 7.99 for a package. Not 399 with no decimal!

Emily's Days

My baby girl is getting so big! She is a lot of fun these days. She loves wearing her pretty dresses, playing in the mud, and can do lots of simple things you ask her to do. Notice I said she can do not that she will. She has a stubborn streak and if she gets something in her head, that is what she intends to do. For instance last night she was doing a puzzle (ok, so it is a 24 piece puzzle, she wasn't really doing it) but was determined and whenever all the kiddos went home she piled on the pieces on it and started trying to take it upstairs. Luckily she didnt fall!

Anyway, everyday there is something new. And our professional pictures we got last week...they are coming to try to sell them to me this afternoon. Neal has said he will come look too and I really dont want to see them because I think they will be good and will make me sad not to have all of them!

And here are a few pics of recent activities.
Planting flowers in the backyard. Notice that there is a 4 year old and three one year olds. What are the odds we'll actually have flowers??

There was a rock in the bucket, stick in hand. Not sure what she was planning on doing, but she knew:)
She has figured out how to swing herself and spin on the big swing. And evidently every time you spin you have to say "whee" while going in circles.
Emily and her puzzle she likes to try to do but can't quite get done (we have some 4 piece puzzles she can actually do, but what fun are those??)
Riding on her spider man truck....sorry its a little blurry.
More determination with whatever she was up to outside.
And one of her favorite things. Sit on a pile of books and read:)

Photos Attempt #2

Ok, so when they called I did decide to let them come back to take Emily's picture again. I must admit I love playing dress up with her and getting her all cute and posing for pictures. And I do get a free 8x10 after all. Soooo....today, ah nice and peaceful rainy Saturday. A great day for sleeping in. Well, that's what I thought but Emily decided to get up at 530 anyway. So mommy did too. Then after breakfast, about 815 she laid down and went to sleep for a couple hours. This was good, push naptime back so we wouldn't be cranky for pictures and we might actually make it to a birthday party. So I fed her lunch got her dressed, gathered up a bucket of her favorite toys, a few blankets and had everything ready for the photographer to arrive. He got here right when I was expecting him and while he was setting up, Emily got comfortable enough to get down and play and then the moment of truth arrived, how would she do? The first couple pictures she just sort of stared at him, then he started pulling toys out of her bucket and magic...she turned into a show-off. Grins and giggles, and hugs for her penguin and oh, she was so cute! This lasted the entire time, it went way too fast, except of course for the fact that I simply won't get to keep the pictures, because the photographer didn't know how much the pictures cost. Hmmm....that can't be good. In about a week a "photo artist" will call me and then they will bring out a laptop with the pictures and all the enhancements/collages and such that they create and I'll get to choose my "free" photo and anything else I wish to purchase. At least she wasnt crying, but I could somewhat see the pictures on the camera as he was taking them and I think there are probably 25 or more good pictures! I just need a couple backdrops, a light set up and hey, I could do this myself! Since I can't really afford to buy any more.

I also realized today that I have an addiction. Neal said its ok though because I come home with bags bulging full of little girl clothes and typically have spent $5 or less. But her closet is about to get full. It was raining all day today but it stopped for a few minutes and I was able to go to a couple garage sales and found some good bargains and cute things. I'm busy teh next 2 or 3 weekends....which is good, we dont really need any more clothes-but I would still like a couple pairs of girly shorts!

Embarrassing

Have you ever had one of those moments, those little things you are really looking forward to, turn into a horrifically embarrassing, not-as-all-as-youd-planned, moments? Ok, so it wasn't a big deal, but you all know how much I love pictures, especially pictures of a little curly headed girl. So about a month ago whenever the company that took the hospital pictures called up and said that I had paid for an 18month picture with my hospital pics (they said it would be in the paper if I'd read it...I'm guessing NONE of you read that paper either) and that they bring a portable studio to your house and take the picture, I was all ready for it. Problem was they could com teh day after they called, which happened to be when Emily had an ear infection. If I was going to go through the hassle, I wanted her to at least feel good to get good pictures. The next option...we were going ot be at Petit Jean. So they said they would call back. I'd almost given up on them calling when, Monday afternoon, my phone rang. A photographer would be in my area on Tuesday, would 2-3 work for me....well, Emily is usually asleep then, but so are the other kids, she can wake up (I actually said all this to the person on the phone after explaining I do in home daycare and there would be other kids present. They assured me this would be no problem...guess they had never met the kids I watch!) and so it was scheduled. They said I could use multiple outifits, her favorite toys, whatever I wanted. Well, I'm getting one 8x10, they said there would be no pressure to buy additional pictures, so I thought, one outfit should be sufficient. If she wears 2 I'll want at least 2 pictures:) So I pick out a dress (luckily I'd found an adorable one on clearance for $3 Saturday) and all its accessories. The only "toy" we chose was her little purse. I didnt take her favorite blankie or anything, didn't figure it was necessary for one picture. Ok, so Tuesday....not exactly an ideal day, I'm maxed out on the number of kids I can keep, and for some reason they all decided this was the day they werent going to sleep and instead they would scream and run wild. So, this is what the photographer showed up to. I shoudl have just bit my pride there and told her it wouldnt work and apologized for her comign all the way over to our house becuase that would have saved me the horrific experience that followed. The kids were wild, the photographer wanted blankets, toys and such so I took three fo the kids (the mobile ones not in playpens) with me upstairs to get a baby, stuffed animal and her favorite blankie. Photographer is pleased with what I bring down. So we get ready to do pictures. I try making the older kids sit on the couch adn watch, while trying to get the babies to sleep (none of this is working I might add). I use bribery...limited success when about this time Emily decides that she doesnt want to pose, she is not going to smile and if we got her favorite blankie she's going to hold on to it and suck her thumb, not sit on it and smile pretty. Finally I just pick Emily up and the photgrapher says she will write it down as 1/2 shot and they'll come back adn finish, and unlike the lady on the phone told me I could tell them I would like a time that Emily isn't normally sleeping and that is on a Saturday or Sunday. Information that would have been nice ahead of time but oh well. The concept is good. Just not while doing daycare with a kid that is usually napping and wanting a snack if she couldnt sleep. I'm pretty sure if they actually call back, I may jsut tell them to forget it. I feel so bad for the photographer having to deal with that and not being able to get any good pictures and I must admit, I was embarrassed beyond belief for the way everyone was acting. An experience I NEVER wish to repeat. and I can't afford to buy any additional pictures anyway so it will save me the agony of having to pick just one if they actually got good ones. I'm fairly certain that even though she took several there wasnt a single good photo in the lot.

Ok, so that was just a rundown of yesterday. At the end of they day I bbq steak, corn and beans and ate some chocolate. That was good.

Weekends

Our weekends have been busy lately (reason for no posts...that's typically when I have time!) We went to Grandma and Grandpas last weekend, which was fine, fun and all, but Emily refuses to sleep there...not just at naptime, that goes for 2 am as well. And if we put her in bed with us, none of us get any sleep, including Kendall! (who gets displaced from her position right between us and is forced to lay at our feet...oh the mistreatment of our dog) But here are a few pictures to catch up. Neal was out back shooting and Kendall was scared so Emiliy was loving on her. Doesn't she look comforted? :)

Her cousins came over the weekend before and she had her hat, purse, baby, and her toenails painted....Rebecca is going to make her a girly girl:)