He did really well for the first few....However, when I got there, they did not have a white background like I was hoping (it was broken or something). Lame. And it was difficult to make sissy want to do it. Finally I got her laughing. So I got good individual shots of the two of them. But, everytime we put Hunter next to her, she would scream and cry for me. Finally I got them both situated and happy, and the lady said, "Oh this session is over, and I have to start a new one. I can't have them both on there. You have to take one off as your freebie, and then put the other back after I take a picture of one." AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGH! So, after that, they never were OK together again, and I never did get a picture of the two of them. The only way I could do it was to hold Ainsley on my lap, so I am in the pictures of them together. Cute, because I made sure I matched just in case (I had a feeling), but annoyed because it would have worked out, but no, the lady couldn't start a new session with the two of them on there. She was pretty good at getting good shots and working with the kids though. At home, I tried again with my white background, and I couldn't get it either. These are my home shots, and the best I got of the two of them, was of them shoving flowers in each other's faces. Awesome. This why Ainsley is one year old and I have yet to get professional pictures of her. I hate picture taking, but I pretended I LOVED it with the kids. Hunter did so great, and I got two adorable pictures of Ainsley. Oh well, at least I got some good shots, which is more than I can say for other times when I have walked out of there with nothing. This why I go to Walmart. It's cheap, you can just walk in whenever the kids decide to be happy that day, and if it doesn't work out, who cares. It's cheap. Plus, I can scan them at home, photoshop them the way I want them and send them to Costco for different prints. Totally illegal, but I am cheap, and pictures are a huge rip-off!

Jun 20, 2008
Professional Pictures
He did really well for the first few....However, when I got there, they did not have a white background like I was hoping (it was broken or something). Lame. And it was difficult to make sissy want to do it. Finally I got her laughing. So I got good individual shots of the two of them. But, everytime we put Hunter next to her, she would scream and cry for me. Finally I got them both situated and happy, and the lady said, "Oh this session is over, and I have to start a new one. I can't have them both on there. You have to take one off as your freebie, and then put the other back after I take a picture of one." AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGH! So, after that, they never were OK together again, and I never did get a picture of the two of them. The only way I could do it was to hold Ainsley on my lap, so I am in the pictures of them together. Cute, because I made sure I matched just in case (I had a feeling), but annoyed because it would have worked out, but no, the lady couldn't start a new session with the two of them on there. She was pretty good at getting good shots and working with the kids though. At home, I tried again with my white background, and I couldn't get it either. These are my home shots, and the best I got of the two of them, was of them shoving flowers in each other's faces. Awesome. This why Ainsley is one year old and I have yet to get professional pictures of her. I hate picture taking, but I pretended I LOVED it with the kids. Hunter did so great, and I got two adorable pictures of Ainsley. Oh well, at least I got some good shots, which is more than I can say for other times when I have walked out of there with nothing. This why I go to Walmart. It's cheap, you can just walk in whenever the kids decide to be happy that day, and if it doesn't work out, who cares. It's cheap. Plus, I can scan them at home, photoshop them the way I want them and send them to Costco for different prints. Totally illegal, but I am cheap, and pictures are a huge rip-off!
Jun 18, 2008
"Dang it" days and yucky peas
Hunter and Ainsley are not having the best day today. He has been disciplined a lot. For that matter, he has not had the best week. We have had a good last two months, but he sorta fell apart recently and has decided not obeying and arguing are a lot better. Today he did not want to nap. He got up every 10 minutes to grin at me around the corner and say "hi Mommy" very hopefully. He got disciplined and sent back to bed amidst much tears. Only to have him sneak back ten minutes later. This went on for about an hour until he decided discipline was no fun so he would just scream "Mommy!" from his room. I just let him scream and when the time came for him to get up, I went in and told him he still had five more minutes just for screaming at me. This sent him over the edge and he cried for a while. Five minutes later, I went to get him and he was almost asleep (figures). He told me he would just lay in there for "about two more hours, Mommy and then I will feel better...but I'm still awefully not sleepy." So about two minutes later, he was fine and got up. I guess minutes and hours are interchangeable. When he got up, he joined me outside and told me, "This is a dang-it day, Mommy." After telling him dang-it was a not a word he could use, I asked him why. "Because I just am having a hard time and keep getting flipped and popped Mommy." These two words are used for a pop on the hand when he needs more than a time-out. I asked him why he wasn't obeying today. "It's just a dang-it day Mommy." I just about laughed out loud when he said "dang-it day", but I had to keep a straight face to let him know that the word was not appropriate. Here is a picture of him pouting on his "dang-it day." He didn't want to show his face. But then of course, Daddy started playing with Ainsley and so jealousy got the better of him and he had to join in.
Yesterday was my "dang-it" day. I was trying to clean the whole house, and they were both crabby and wouldn't sleep at the same time, so there was always one up. I got the kitchen cleaned, the bathrooms scrubbed, and the house dusted and vacuumed. And I worked on it the whole day. You would think I would have gotten more done. The one time I was able to work uninterrupted was because Hunter was hiding evidence. I thought it was great that he was finally playing in his room by himself, until I went back to check on him. He had had an accident and was hiding the evidence and hoping I wouldn't notice. He had chucked the soiled clothes in the corner of the laundry room, "mopped" up his mess on the bathroom floor with one of my bath towels, and was in the process of putting on new ones when he was discovered. I don't know how he thought I wouldn't notice that his shorts were now sweatpants. He told me that he was trying to hide it and get new ones on before I noticed. Ewww! Now because of his "help", there was way more mess to clean up.
Ready for the water park and eating lunch at the water park. We spend about two days a week there.
Outside on our front walk. Ainsley was having fun until I told her "No! Don't pull the petals off all of my flowers," and then she had to suck her thumb and hold on to her ear. Classic Ainsley. Thumb and ear whenever something the tiniest bit traumatic my happen to her.
Helping Daddy wash the car and getting soaked which was the main joy of the whole thing.
At the water park again. Ainsley is covered from head to toe in sunscreen and sunclothes. So is Hunter but I don't think the boy has ever had a sunburn in his life. He just tans really really well. He is really dark this summer, and he's had 50 spf on every day outside.
While I worked on the computer, Ainsley jumped around in this despite an older brother who couldn't leave her alone the whole time. Look at those chicken legs. Hunter tried to get in this "swing" when I told him not to, got stuck and was dangling by his feet upside down when I found him. I guess he learned the hard way.
Jun 11, 2008
One year checkup
Jun 10, 2008
Fun at the Water Park
I finally went to church this last Sunday after not being there for about a month with vacations and the kids being sick and all. I felt so out of the loop. I saw a couple of friends from my Mom's group and we are planning on getting together soon. I really enjoyed my group and met some lovely fun people. This picture is of some of the moms and our kids (there are a couple missing). The mom on the end is holding Hunter's little friend, Anne, and he really enjoys her a lot. Since moving here, it seems that most of Hunter's little friends have been girls, but he doesn't seem to mind.
Jun 7, 2008
Hope
Jun 6, 2008
Family trip to Washington DC




We had a wonderful trip to Washington DC to spend with family. We saw a ton (we were soooo tired of walking by the end) and really enjoyed family. It was good to get away and be distracted right now. I still think about the one we lost everyday, but mostly at night when things get quiet. I loved being with all the siblings because there is such a fun dynamic when we all get together. With four, there is always someone to have fun with. And we are all good friends and really enjoy each other.

