Spelling.

I am amazed at how fast Ava has been picking up letters, numbers, spelling, etc.

I have debated sending her to preschool or not, but have decided she is smart enough for me to buy some resources and teach her on my own...for now anyways :)

I was also impressed when Ava sang the song 'I am a Christian' from her new CD from Grandma and got all of the letters right! I guess that 'room time' is really doing her some good!

A few from an engagement session last weekend...

Please Pray...

...that my bile levels will not increase next week. They had risen again this week and my doctor said if it gets too high we'll have to look at inducing before the 22nd. Pray that my excessive itchiness will cease so i can get some sleep at night also (or at least that my sleeping pill will knock me out enough not to notice)! My Doctor prescribed a new medicine to help, but when i called the pharmacy to check on the price of it, they told me the generic brand is $201.00 (they even seemed shocked)!!!! I told them to cancel it and I'll just deal with it-so pray that i can! On a positive note, everything looks A+ with Marin and that's the main concern, so pray that she continues to stay safe until delivery.
*On a side note i learned today that no one under 12 years of age is allowed in any hospital rooms or the Maternity Ward because of the Swine Flu numbers being high in Harvey County. I'm not sure how long that rule will be in tact, but I'm guessing for a while.
Very disappointing for me because Ava can't even see her little sister until we come home:( Better to be safe than sorry though!

New Room.

After a busy weekend/week, Ava & Marin's rooms are finally together.

Ava's room definitely looks more lived in since moving downstairs. She LOVES that all of her toys were moved from the toy room into her bedroom. Of course now, as you can see below, her room is ALWAYS a mess. At this point I really don't much care, but after Marin is born, I'm cracking the whip :)

I LOVED looking through Ava's baby clothes again. So tiny and pink. This is only half of her clothes in case you were thinking she hardly has anything! ;) The rest of them are folded nicely in the drawer below her crib. I love pink on little girls and I can't wait to hold Marin in one of her snuggly little sleepers.

My mom found this cradle before Ava was born at Et Cetera. I love how it rocks a fussy moving baby back to sleep :)

My big purchase this week was a glider from Baby Depot. We never had room for one in our apartment with Ava, so i was excited to actually be able to rock Marin.

I found the wall stickers above the crib at Target. They were a PAIN to put up (just ask Collin), but definitely cute! There are still things i need to do in her room, but for now, this will have to do. I would have loved to paint her room all cutesy, but honestly-i just don't have the patience for that! I'm anxiously awaiting to take Marin's newborn pictures so i can hang those with a big Monogram 'M' on the wall. So many things, so little time! Two weeks from today I will be holding our precious baby girl and I CAN'T WAIT!

My last wedding of the year took place behind Bethel Campus at a small gazebo along the trailway. It was a beautiful day and this wedding was short and sweet...literally.

Started at 5. Ended at 5:10 and were to the reception by 6.

'Easy on the feet' is how i would put it at this point in my pregnancy :)

God's plans are not my own...

...which is what i am learning today.

After having some severe itchiness this past week, i mentioned it to my Dr. at my appointment this morning. She said she would do a blood test to check on things, and it turns out what she thought it wouldn't be-it was. My liver is producing too much bile, which can be very dangerous to the baby, so as of right now, i do not have a choice-Marin will be born by or before Oct. 22nd.

I do have another choice though. I can choose to give God complete control and not worry. That is SO MUCH easier to say when it is someone else's problem or even when its my own personal problem, but when its your child's problem-it becomes all more hard.

So, please pray that Marin will continue to stay healthy until delivery. I will have several sonograms, bloodtests and appointments where they monitor the baby to make sure she is healthy. If anything changes in my bile levels, i could be meeting our baby girl even sooner.

So, that means this weekend we are moving Ava downstairs to a new room and readying the baby room (which we should have done already i'm sure) because Ava's going to be a big sister a little sooner than expected :) thanks for your prayers!

I love Fall...

...and i love decorating for Fall.

Here are a few signs of Fall around our house...

Kirk Cameron is cool...check out this video...

Chore Duty.

We have quite the little helper.

We find that if we have her clean things she is happy.

I'm not sure the driveway really needed to be cleaned...

but who's going to argue? Not us...

A Beautiful Day.

A few weeks ago I had the privilage of shooting a gorgeous wedding in Wichita.

The Church was perfect.

The weather was perfect.

The bride and groom were fun.

It was such a pleasant day...all NINE hours of it!

Yes, it was a long day and i was exhausted when i got home, but i captured so many beautiful pictures that it was well worth it to add to my portfolio.

I had a hard time choosing which to post, so if you really want to see more, you can head to my Facebook business page.

(*pictures are not in order, so i'll go backwards...)

The reception was held at the Crown Uptown.

Let me just say BEAUTIFUL.

Collin and I even had time to sit and relax and enjoy a WONDERFUL buffet of yummy foods, cake and punch. Collin is my 'grip' (photographer's term), which basically means he carries my bag and hands me things, so i think he was more than excited for a BIG meal!

We headed to the Wichita Downtown Park after the wedding.

Can you guess what we rode in to get there? (scroll down)

The Bridesmaids.

The Groomsmen. Aren't they a studly looking bunch? :)

Meet the Groom.

The PARTY BUS! And yes, i got to ride in it...

An interesting experience for a 8 month pregnant woman ;)

St. Thomas Aquinas was the church. Beautiful!

The Bride.

This is one of my favorite pics.

And there you have it. A busy, but rewarding day! I think the best part of being a photographer is seeing the images after they have been finished and knowing what has been accomplished. Today the mother of the bride specifically called me just to say waht a wonderful job I did.

So sweet.

That makes it all worth it :)

Craftshow.

This past Saturday I went with a friend to the Hillsboro Craftshow.

This is officially only my second year to go, but i can guarantee you i will be

going every year from now on if schedules allow!

I think i like the browsing more than the buying.

My favorite booth from last year called 'Vintage Details' was there again, so I bought a couple of items to add to my 'red' collection. Give me a booth that has unique & stylish antiques and the colors black and red and I'm there!

This is actually a framed chalkboard. Love it!!!

Very Cute!

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Encouraging Word.

I came across these verses today in my quiet time. They encouraged me and I hope they encourage you...

"As for God, His way is PERFECT
The word of the Lord is FLAWLESS.
He is a SHIELD for all who take refuge in Him.
For who is GOD besides the Lord?
And who is the ROCK except our God?
It is God who arms me with STRENGTH and makes my way PERFECT"

2 Samuel 22:31-33

Yummy Pizza Crust.

I have been making homemade pizza lately because #1) I always have the ingredients and #2)you get more for your money. I came across this bread machine recipe for Pizza-Hut like pizza crust, and i would have to say it is not far off in taste from the real thing-minus the grease :) So, if you have a breadmachine, you like pizza, and you're willing to make it instead of order in, try this recipe out! I don't know how you couldn't like it!

•1 1/3 cups water
•2 teaspoons sugar
•1 1/4 teaspoons salt
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•2 tablespoons cornmeal
•3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•1/4 teaspoon onion powder
•1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

*put the ingredients into your machine in this order: water, olive oil, sugar, salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, yeast. I also added in some extra basil, italian seasoning and parsley (dried cheap stuff).Set machine to 'dough' setting, which take appox. 1hr and 20min.

*When the dough is finished, spread into two greased 9x13 pans OR a LARGE pizza pan (this is what i do-i love thick crust!). Let set for 10-15 minutes (it will rise a bit).

*Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400. After the dough has set, spread a 'thin' layer of pizza sauce on the dough and stick in the oven for 5 minutes. This helps the baking process along. Then, set your oven back to 360-365. Pull out the half baked crust and spread remaining sauce and desired toppings on and bake for appox. 20 minutes. Another hint: I brush the edges of the dough (crust) with butter after I turn the oven down.It makes for a really soft golden crust.
ENJOY! Because we sure did! Another bonus: This recipe makes enough that there is a whole meal for the next day too-at least in our family :)

Nebraska Wedding.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilage of shooting my cousin's (groom) wedding in Nebraska.
It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful wedding. Here are a few portraits from their day...

Ever Wondered How to...

...Can tomatoes? Well, since I've done SO MUCH of it this summer, i thought i would give you a glimpse into how it's done...in my kitchen anyways :0)

FIRST...
you start with gathering your tomatoes. This picture is random, but shows the comparison in some of our tomatoes this year. The tomato on the left is the regular size of a tomato and the one on the right is a Brandy wine Tomato-they get HUGE! I know this pictures doesn't do it justice...





SECOND...
Score the tomato lightly (cut a small line around one side)and place into boiling water for 30 seconds. When the peel starts to break away from the tomato where the line has been cut, that means they're done. Quickly place the tomato(es)in a container of iced water for a minute or so. This (i don't have a picture) just stops the cooking process of the tomato.





THIRD...
Peel away the skin, cut out the center core, squeeze out some of the seeds and begin chopping. If you're just canning tomatoes, you can leave the pieces fairly large. For salsa or other sauces, cut the pieces smaller.





FOURTH...
Let your cut tomatoes drain in a colander to rid of excess juice. This process is mainly for salsa and sauces so that your end product isn't too runny.





FIFTH...
Pack tomatoes, or cooked salsa (that's a whole other recipe)into jars leaving about one inch at the top. For canning tomatoes, if you have any excess juice, pour that into the jars as well. Place canning lids (which need to set in HOT water for 10 minutes before putting on)on each jar and screw on ring tightly (sorry-forgot pictures of this!).





SIXTH...
Prepare your canner by filling it 1/2 to 3/4 full of HOT water and bring to a consistent boil. This can take up to 30 minutes depending on your burner size and size of your pot. Once the water is boiling, set the jars in the rack and lower it into the boiling water. Let cook for 15-20 minutes.







SEVENTH...
Set your jars on a towel on the counter. You will know they have sealed when you hear a 'popping' sound and the lids don't bounce back when you poke in the middle.





AND that's how you can tomatoes! I'm sure that was a really boring post for some of you, but it gave me something to blog about! :0)