OVERLOAD

Today I am overloaded with things! Things to do and things that need done. I decided to forget it all and just relax tonight. My dishes need done, my laundry is still being done from the flea incident, and I have some much needed editing to do on pictures. It is not absolutely necessary for that but I really want to do it and I know when I do it I will love the outcome but instead I am going to curl up on the couch with my hubby and relax tonight. I could not help editing a couple so here are two from our day's adventures. We had some fun today. It was out of the ordinary but the kids loved it. How could I be so overloaded when I have this to look at every day.....................

6 Month Photos

I finally got all of Lilliana's six month photos edited. So here she is in all her girly glory:) I loved how they turned out.




I have the rest planned to do today. It is cloudy out so hopefully there will be enough light inside to do this. We will have to wait and see.

The Calm Before the Storm

Wow it has been an interesting and crazy last few days. 
Friday afternoon was spent doing the lawn.

Eli then played in the rocks and filled his truck with them. We also spent some time outside just enjoying ourselves. Lilliana loves the dogs so she just enjoyed sitting with them.....



Friday evening we spent the night enjoying our favorite food places. We went to our favorite pizza place for dinner.


It is a family owned Italian place but they make wonderful pizza. I had a salad with my dinner so Lilliana got to enjoy a pretzal and pickle from it. This girl has taste! She loved both a lot and thoroughly enjoyed her first outting eating big food! She also got to try some pizza and loved that.


Eli enjoyed coloring as usual and eating his pizza.



We then made a trip to King Kone to eat ice cream. I had just given the kids a bath so I made Eli put a trash bag over himself so he would not get dirty. He was not thrilled about that but it worked well! I thought of the idea after watching Hurricane Irene coverage and them saying trash bags should be in every survival kit because they have endless possibilieties.


He loved his ice cream. Anthony asked him, "was it good?" Eli told him, "I ate it all!" That said it all.


We spent some snuggle time together that night.


Saturday we ran errands. Lilliana sported her first pair of Jelly Shoes. Its not summer without Jellies. She also enjoyed lounging in the cart.


That night we went to Uncle Todd's house so I could do some of Lilliana's six month photos. They are not complete but should be this week. Aunt Toni takes Eli to Uncle Todd's house frequently. He has baby pigs and cows. Eli spent time feeding them.


He picked apples........


......but the highlight of the night was riding around on the three wheeler and motorcyle with Dad and Uncle Todd. He loved that. They raced and just had all around boy fun....


Lilliana even went for a little ride.



Sunday the real fun started..............I say that in complete sarcasm. I decided to groom Jack on Sunday. He really needed it and the dogs both needed baths. I found FLEAS on him. It was not many but enough to just make me thoroughly annoyed. It probably would have only taken one. I love our dogs but oh they cause a lot of work and just plain frustration sometimes!! Kenya had already gotten out the night before. Thats ok though because she has a nice new shock collar for getting out now. Needless to say the house was bombed and everything that could be washed has been or is still being washed. I swear I have done 20 loads of laundry.  The house is very clean now. I know Jack got them the day we mowed the lawn and we have yet to see one in the house so that is good. It messed up a lot of our plans for the weekend but that is ok. We spent Sunday and yesterday cleaning. I still am doing laundry and we are vacuuming twice a day just to make sure we are getting anything that could possibly be there. I am not taking any chances!! I did do a photoshoot last night. I just finished editing and will post those later as she has not seen them. Lilliana's pictures are going to be finished this week. I also have a Senior to do and possibly a 2 year old. Its a busy week for pictures but I am loving it!! We may have had a rough weekend but I have a house and a beautiful family and who could be mad when you see this face..............

First Shoes

There is something about little tiny baby shoes. I can't quit put my hands on it. They melt your heart and just make you smile inside! Its like those little tiny newborn socks you don't think will ever fit your baby when they are born but usually are too big! Yesterday Lilliana wore her first pair of shoes. Now of course these are bigger than newborn socks but still are so little and cute!


Thanks to her older cousin Chloe she has way more shoes than Eli ever had. That is ok though because girls need shoes! It has been cooler in the mornings so I dressed her in a fall outfit as we were going to go to the park but our plans changed last minute. I got some adorable fall clothes from a dear friend for her so I had fun dressing her in some pink and brown. I love pink and brown together. We completed the outfit with her adorable first pair of shoes.



Every girl needs a closet full of shoes and she already has it started! I still remember Eli's first pair of shoes he wore! Sadly, I was not as good at photographing things then and I thought I was keeping good track of things. I got the date and a picture but they are not nearly as neat and showcased as Lillianas. Oh well, I have learned and I am sure when we have our last kid their pictures will be way more amazing than Lillianas........or I can hope I will have improved even more!


Eli was about 3 months when he wore these. They were from his Uncle Pat and Aunt Amanda and so cute!! Such a bald baby he was. Its hard to believe my little boy use to be that small!

Now he loves to play cars, trains, hide and seek, sing, wait for the Box Man, get the mail and open it..........


Play with a huge roll of tape mom gave him.....................



For the record I did let him do both of these things. For the second time in a row I have bought shipping tape and it has not stuck!! Sooo frustrating so I let Eli go to town and he gets to open all junk mail.

Lilliana is now starting to play with his toys and well he is not taking to that very well but we are working on sharing.


She loves his cars.

The past couple of days have not been too exciting but that is ok. Eli and I both got a much needed hair cut yesterday. I also got rid of two big tubs of boy clothes. A friend in our church is having a boy in a couple months so I gave her clothes. She is going through them to see what she wants. It was hard going through them but I really hate storing them when others can use them. We are waiting a while for anymore children so let them get used. Many friends have sent me stuff  to use for Lilliana so I did not have to buy so I want to be able to help others too.

I did have a Creative Memories meeting last night and so many new and great products coming out. Our scrapbooking software is getting an upgrade. I am so excited about that. Tomorrow Lilliana has her six month check up. I am curious to see how big she is. We will have a fun day in town.

4 years later..............

Four the past 4 years, between now and the beginning of October there is a beautiful view that just unveils as you come up over the the rolling hills in your car on the way to a  town called Owosso.  Every year I proclaim this is the year I am going to take pictures. Every year I am inspired to do great things with this view! Every year I promise myself to do it! BUT every year I fail. That is until this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drum Roll Please.........................................................................................................................






































.....................................Yes I know its a field. Its just a yellow field but wait for it.......................................





























OH GLORIOUS SUNFLOWERS!!!!!!!!!!!! How could it not make you want to just smile?! I finally did it. Imagine me directing Anthony where to pull over for these photos. I purposely kept my really short lens on today but I hope to take my telephoto out in a few days for some up close ones. I took the first two on the way to go grocery shopping. The next two are on the way home about 2 hours later. It is amazing what a couple hours will do.






I have grand plans for these beautiful flowers in the next week so stay tuned for that!

In a Fog

For two weeks straight I have had a severe headache on and off. This weekend it seemed to hit its plateua. It was making me just sick so we had a very laid back weekend. I actually enjoy these weekends. Although I really felt like I was walking through fog with a pounding headache and being dizzy. Anthony was such a great help and pretty much took care of the kids. That was a nice break. He spent a lot of time cuddling with them.



I did work on Lilliana's room a little bit by hanging some things to get them up. I need to paint. Yes, I do everything backwards but oh well!! I have more stuff to do and hang but I needed places for these so what a  better place than where they will go when the room is complete.

Creative Memories Display board................. www.mycmsite.com/alexisreuther1

I love my display boards!!! I have like 5. This is her birth certificate, newborn hats specially made for her, the tape measure that measured my belly every prenatal visit and then measured her when she was born.

The girl has style with all her clips and bows:)

Lilliana may have style with all her bows but we soon discovered she does not enjoy peas!!!


She also will do anything for a toy that does not involve laying on the ground to get it. She was stretched oh so flat to get this little lego guy. I am in trouble because she would rather play with Eli's toys at this point than dolls. She moved the doll to get the man.


She also has taken to playing with her bows and destroying whenever possible. Lucky for me I can always repair them.




So proud of herself that she got her bow off.

My grandma Gloria sent her this dress and I just adore it. It makes her eyes pop and is just so pretty. I put it on her and Anthony looked at her then looked at her again and said wow she is just beautiful

Her new favorite toy to sleep with...the big bunny and it has to be on her.

Eli spent his lazy weekend playing in big boxes. He loves boxes. He has claimed this one as his and only his nobody else is allowed in it............



He was getting his creativity time in this weekend too. He likes crafts like his mom and I love it. Such a creative little boy. He wanted to color a lot.


And of course he spent the majority of the time playing with his trains. It would not be a day without them. They are one thing that never gets lost.



He also informed me this weekend he would like his room decorated in trains. I already considered doing this so I guess I can start planning it although it is not going to happen until this winter when it is cold and I am stuck inside. I will also finish Lilliana's room then too.

I love lazy weekends and it was enjoyable to spend them together cuddling and relaxing.