Look fast.......

We had our family photographs taken a few weeks ago. The photographer will remove our slideshow soon so if you want to check them out...............


1) http://www.jlinephotography.com/
2) enter the site
3) open the menu
4) slideshows
5) Reuter

If it is slow, you can click on the 4 squares at the bottom and browse through one by one.

A few comments on them......

1) I am very proud of my family.
2) Jillian was SO proud of her skirt, I think that is why she FINALLY cooperated in pictures.
3) Mia needs no instruction from a photographer, she just poses like that, and cried when the pictures were over. She loves to be photographed, oops.
4) Brad always looks good.
5) Brown eyed team= good pictures
Blue eyed team= bad hair, big arms, crazy smiles.................

Obsess Much?

I am going to say that it started about a month ago, and has progressively intensified. What is the obsession? Jillian touching other people's ears. First it started with just mine and she did my nose as well. Whenever I was holding her she would just stroke my nose and kind of squeeze/stroke my ear. It is usually my right ear, and I usually hold her on my left, so the rubbing requires her arm to go across my face. She has dropped the nose and just goes for the ears now. She doesn't talk, she just rubs it? Yes, it is weird.

I am not really concerned just curious as to what the deal is, it is getting really obsessive for her. So much that when you tuck her in she rubs it, then she wants you to come back in "5 minutes" so she can rub it again. This morning she was laying in my bed watching cartoons and was rubbing my ear for a good 15 minutes, finally I just said "Will you please stop!" Brad overheard and reminded me "One of these days you will complain that she is too big and won't do it anymore."

Then later today we were shopping and she started reaching for my ears from the front of the cart, like I was supposed to walk around the store hunched over pushing a cart so she could rub my ear? Brad and Mia have started to comply with her ear rubbing fetish as well. After dinner I noticed her going for Brad's ear as he was holding her. Before bedtime we told the girls to go to Jilli's room and get ready for prayers. We walk in and saw Mia kneeling quietly and Jilli was standing there rubbing away on Mia's left one. Brad said "Staci, did you just see what she was doing?" Mia just smiled and Jilli ran to me and sat on my lap. We started to pray and that little hand shot up to my ear. I pulled it down and tried with all of my strength to hold her hands together, but she was insistent on pulling away and went straight back to the ear. Yes, it is weird, I guess it is a security thing for her? Not sure, I googled it, but couldn't find an answer.....

A Birthday Blessing

This day marks another year in the life of Bradley

We thank you Lord, for the joy and pleasure

he has brought to our lives.

Bless him with health and wisdom and happiness

during this coming year,

and give him the strength that he needs

to face life head on, squarely,

courageously,

and joyfully,

accepting all that it brings,

the bad as well as the good

and the difficult as well as the easy.

Help him meet the trials of life with courage,

the struggles of life with perseverance,

the fears with confidence,

the labors with enthusiasm,

and the joys with gratitude.

May his dreams be fulfilled,

his hopes remain strong,

his determination be unshakable,

his goals attainable,

and may his capacity to give and receive love

increase with each passing year.

Dear Lord, grant that he may lead a life

that is filled with an abundance of laughter,

a limitless measure of love and contentment,

and a deep and abiding faith in You.

To add to last year........

32. He doesn't care if you serve him semi-frozen Frankenstein cupcakes instead of a new cake. In fact, he thinks it is quite budget friendly AND isn't wasteful.

Birthday Blessing can be found in Prayers for Married Couples by Renee Bartowski.

Halloween

We had a great Halloween! I ended up not working the entire week before Halloween, the sitter's kids were ill on Monday and we were off on Friday. MK was off school on Thursday, therefore, we had some extra time to add more festive decorations and make more junk.

Like a Frankenstein Cupcake extravaganza. Brad did not do this, I completed my own cake decorating.


Nutter Butter ghosts, or one eyed monsters. Mia Kate was in charge of the eyes.



The Great Pumpkin made a delivery.

Ready to go, the weather was perfect!


Ended the evening with a cupcake and Hot "Toms."

Brad pulling the girls towards the end.

Family photo.


By the way, I like Halloween on a weekend!

Laughing

I love, love, love when Brad laughs so hard. This video did it for him and I am still laughing thinking about it and him laughing. We didn't see it live, but saw it on The Soup.

What has television come to?

Not often do I put down a book before I go to bed and watch something that Brad is watching. But this beauty, did it. We were laughing so hard at the stupidity of this show. Jillian woke up coughing loudly, so I gave her some honey. I put her back down and she started crying/coughing and so she came in our bed. After stroking Brad's ears and nose, she fell back asleep (a future post). Brad then fell asleep, but I stayed there glued to this stupid show. After putting Jilli back in bed and crawling in my bed I whispered "Brad, you are missing it. Give me a sign if you are awake." No sign.

This morning he appeared back in our room after his morning workout and I said "You missed it." He was laughing and said " I knew you were going to talk about it." Hmmm, where was his sign? Faker. So we laughed about the show and then he said "Go ahead and blog about it."




p.s. Cut your bangs.

Little Lady, Little Lady, Little Lady J

This kid is killin' me, she is just flat out funny. She causes me to laugh, that really good, deep down in your gut, laugh. Today we were at US Toy, which is by a bbq restaurant, we walk out and she says "MMMM, smells like hot dogs." What? I have never cooked hot dogs and she has never even eaten one. Who knows where she came up with this!

She really wants to wear skirts and often asks to wear one. This outfit she completely dressed herself, tights and all. I was in my bathroom getting ready and she came in fully dressed.
Notice her even shorter hair? Yes, I tried to modify what the hairdresser did, oops, don't try that at home. Brad noticed it and he then had to fix it. We weren't going to tell, but I think it is kind of funny, so I am telling.

She is 100% proud of her Trick or Treating. She will take you by the hand and says "Let me show you my candy." Then she proceeds to take each piece out and name it. Don't try to take any, she knows it all!

She will be 2 1/2 on the 18th of this month, so so so sad that she will be closer to 3 than 2!