Overheard

Stepping onto the new scale in my bathroom, Adrie says "I'm not THAT many!"

[pondering] "Mom, am I that many?"

[steps off the scale, pushes a few buttons, steps back on]

then, "That's better."

I've really cracked down on Adrie saying mean things and back-talking me lately. When she gets mad and knows I will follow through on time out or soap, she pulls out the best non-punishable insult she can think of:

"Then I don't love Jesus."

What can I say to that!?

Fall Family Pictures

Because I spend all of my time behind the camera, it is SUCH a JOY to be the *star* in my very own family photos! Raquel did a brilliant job and I have spent hours pouring over her work, choosing favorites, and adding a few of my own touches. Raquel inspired me to begin with and she still inspires me as friend and photographer today. Thank you a million times over my dear!

*Any of you google reader readers ought to mosey on over to the actual blog site to see my new header and new headshots of Adrie & me...*

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A New Favorite

It's well after midnight and I just spent a few hours gathering/editing photos for printing; I will be at Costco first thing tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's my newest fave:

again, Raquel is amazing.

Soooo happy

Raquel takes amazing pictures.

Remember how I've been her fan for years?

What lucky girls we are. Check out her work at Remember When by Raquel.

Morning Conversations

[getting in the car to take off for babysitter/work]

Alaina: "Alright! Shall we listen to Halo?"

Adrie: "No. I don't want that song."

Alaina: [makes exaggerated sad face]

Adrie: [sweetly] "We could listen to 'Dream' though, if you want to. After Dream, we can listen to Halo."

after a litany of girl music in the car

Adrie: "Can we listen to the "Good Morning" song?"

Alaina: "I don't know that one. What song are you talking about?"

Adrie: "It's a boy one."

Alaina: [thinking hard. We play this 'can-you-read-Adrie's-mind' game quite frequently.]

Alaina: "Oh! This one?" [turns on "Still Fighting It"]

Thank you, Ben Folds, for providing a "boy" song my daughter likes.

Here's the playlist of songs she knows and requests (and even says "Louder, Mom.")

Two blogs in one week? I know, I know.

"What might this bizarre picture represent?" you may be asking yourself. Well, an unnamed 3 year-old decided to drop Princess Aurora down a heating vent tonight. Thank you to prince charming for wrigging up a wire hanger to rescue Aurora, her dress, and her head. Yes, somehow she ended up in three separate pieces. That's one creative little girl.

And below we are checking out dorm living. Adrie kicked off her shoes and climbed into the bed she could actually reach before I even knew what had happened. Pictured: pretending to be a dead princess.

Thanks for the fun dinner Mally, we love you lots!

Time for a List

Things I'm obsessed with lately:

"Halo" by Beyonce - especially the music video

"Wait" by Alexi Murdoch

Squeezing Adrie's little waist as she grows taller & thinner

Things I'm loving lately:

Fall weather. Not when it's cold, but those gorgeous semi-crisp days where the sun is still shining. I wish I were trail running right now.

Morning elliptical runs, or treadmill runs - I like to mix it up.

Having only 7 girls on my caseload at work when I'm used to 11.

Conference weekend. It was ideal. Like, the sort of weekend you could live over and over forever.

Adrie's new skinny brown corduroy pants.

How Adrie started sleeping with a blanket entirely covering her face and head so she "won't be scared." I can't tell which way is up under those lumpy blankets.

Things that bother me lately:

A few of my girls having started saying "Loozshy" instead of usually.

A few others (and their parents) say "Fus-trated"

Strange muscle soreness on my right side/top of my hip after a good run.

Adrie saying "Because I love you" as an answer to ev-e-ry-thing. (And when I say "That's not an answer, she says "Yes, it is a good answer!")

I spend most days walking around with an idiotic smile on my face because life is so great on all fronts. Today I skipped - yes, skipped - around campus. Happy to be me.