Fall Fun

Being inspired by the talented people around me, I tried my hand at a little photography. It's exhausting! I think I need an assistant next time. Thank goodness Beckham was cool with hanging out in his stroller for a couple hours. Here's what my efforts turned out.

I asked Creed to lay in the leaves and this was the pose he gave me. I think we have a male model on our hands.

This was the coolest wall! I got to meet one of my neighbors when I asked him if I could take pictures of my kids by his front yard fence. It was a little embarrassing but he was nice enough about the crazy lady and all her kids taking pictures in his front yard.

They sure do look like they get along don't they. I would say it was my exceptional photography skills but really I think they are just good actors.

Our little miss blue eyes

This is my absolute favorite picture!!!

So just in case you thought this was all fun and games, here is just a taste of our bloopers.

Oh, you think Easton has spotted a UFO! No. . . there was a fly on my watch.

Oops, Makay fell and got a bloody hand. At least this was a genuine expression. She learned how to say "cheese" for the camera and most of her pictures came out looking very pained.

Is it too much to ask to have at least one real smile for a picture with four people in it?

A Beautiful Moment

Between the hours of 3 to 7 pm my house is chaos. Makay (who will be 2 in December) no longer takes naps, but really still needs them. By that time of day the boys are home and the stimulation that they bring just about sends her over the edge. Beckham is particular about being held, he doesn't really like much else. He can eat, sleep and poop being held and would prefer it that way.

With this information you can understand why my house is a disaster and the act of cooking is basically extinct. With all of this swirling around me, along with the joyful screams of four playing children I sat in our "papa chair" and was caught up in the beauty of a baby.

The miracle swept over me as I looked at my little boys' perfect face and acknowledged that not too long ago he was in the presence of our Father in Heaven. My body was designed to provide for him. He grew inside me and birth, though so incredibly painful, is a miracle. My body can still provide for his needs and when he sleeps in my arms it's like we fit together so perfectly, like we did when he was in my tummy.

Maybe this is too much information for some and way too sappy for others. I get so caught up in the chaos of my life that I don't have beautiful moments like this one very often. Thank you Heavenly Father for letting me be a women that can have children. They are my joy and my trial. How can you know love until your a parent?

Horrors in the Check-Out Line

Beckham, already learned in the ways of men by his brothers, doesn't like to shop. Therefore he protests. Crying is of course his only form of rebellion for now so that is what he does. He is very good at it too. Unless, by chance, he forgets his need to make a point and enjoys himself. He occasionally does this when the grocery cart is moving fast enough. But if I stop to compare prices or make sure I'm getting everything on my list, he quickly remembers that he is a man and must protest the shopping experience. The crying soon follows.

Makay, already learned in the ways of women by her sister, loves to shop. She is too young to be a proficient shopper. She is impulsive, a quality any professional shopper would look down on. She goes for the first thing that catches her eye and snatches it up. Another cardinal mistake is to shop without a budget. Luckily Makay has someone who is now very good at putting back on the shelves half the things that go into the cart right there with her.

I, being a women, should love to shop and think that one day I might enjoy it again (if I make it till then). For now, making it home safely and with food is an exhausting success. Take for instance the check-out line. The cart isn't moving so Beckham must protest and I have to stay in one place so Makay must try to go and find more things for me to buy. Just two days ago I was in this very situation. . .

I had a cart heaped with food, over $250 worth! Beckham was screaming so I was rocking the cart back and forth, back and forth. People in Pittsburgh don't know what to do with kids in a grocery store let alone one that's crying, it really makes you feel the pressure. Makay was surprisingly staying close to my legs. While I was checking my watch I felt a bump on the cart. I look down to find Makay with a very red face clutching her right hand. I realized the silence was from the enormous intake of air to support the howl that followed. The ring finger that just four weeks ago received many stitches was red, wet and dripping. She had her hand on the floor, I clipped it with the cart wheel and popped open half of what was once "healing nicely".

The next 15 minutes entailed both Beckham and Makay "protesting", Makay and me with bloody hands (mine from squeezing hers until the blood stopped flowing), a new cashier who didn't know what to do with my 4 WIC checks, me sweating profusely from holding Makay in one arm while loading my cart with bagged food, signing checks and trying to keep Beckhams pacifier in to stifle the sobs, and a man with makeup and a headband on running and getting band aids for us. So you see, when I say making it home safely and with food from the store is a success, I really mean it!!

School Boys

Easton and Creed are in the same preschool class.
This was their first day of school. We have had
several comments about Creed, most of them
from strangers, saying that they aren't sure
which is bigger, him or his backpack.