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February is Heart Disease Awareness Month, and what better way to end the month devoted to love than with an engagement session that will really get your pulse racing? 
If love is the best medicene, these two will have a long and healthy life… together!
The sun is shining, my computer is humming away, busily processing pictures, and my children have been cured from this miserable flu virus. Hooray for Monday!
No long words of wisdom today, too much work to catch up on! Just a few more peeks from some of our Valentine’s little love minis to brighten your Monday morning…
We are sick. Everyone. My apologies to my sweet, patient clients. Emails and phone calls are not being returned. Pictures are not being edited. Orders are not being packaged in cute boxes and marked for delivery. Instead, chicken soup is being made. Noses are being wiped. And warm baths are being drawn for the hot flashes and cold chills that are disturbing the normally peaceful slumber of my sweet girls as this flu runs its course.
In the meantime, a guest blog from them, as they enter the 10th day of their unintended early spring break vacation, much to everyone’s chagrin:
hi this is Libby we are all sick Emily has an ear infecshen an i have a virice ,Ellie Kate has a fever but she says she fells fine we have been watching tv for a long time we are all redy to go back to school. the medisin we take is bad but it makes us feel better. now mommy is sick too so we have a house foul of sickness and Daddy is going to buy a hotel so he does not get sick. my sister ellie kate took pictures of us sick but no pictures of my MOM. thanks for reding my story and I hope I see you next time or maybe not becase i relly just want to go back to school and not be sick ever again. love libby.
Quick sneak peek from one of yesterday’s minis… before I head out the door for more today! Hope you all have a day filled with lots of hugs & kisses!
Today’s guest is Stacy, a SAHM in Mansfield with two kiddos, ages 12 and almost 2! As busy as they keep her she still manages to find time to create some incredible scrapbooks and craft projects, one of which she is sharing with us today, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Thanks Stacy!!
Materials needed:
Sharp Scissors
Glue Gun
Pipe Cleaner
FeltTake out Box (optional, I purchased this one from Micheal’s)
1. Cut a 4 1/2-inch-diameter circle from a piece of felt. Cut a piece of matching pipe cleaner slightly shorter than 4 1/2 inches.
2. Using your glue gun, affix the pipe cleaner to the middle of the felt circle. Let dry .
3. Fold the felt circle in half, using the wire as a guide, so ribbon is inside cookie. Next, angle the sides toward each other, bending the wire at its halfway point and forming a fortune-cookie shape, as shown
4. Assemble the fortune cookies. Carefully peel back one flap of the felt cookie, and insert a paper fortune and a few candies. Fold the flap back over to close cookie around contents.
Stacy said she made these for her son’s teachers.. I can only imagine what a hit they will be! You can see more crafty tips from Stacy on her blog,http://scrappinpals.blogspot.com.
As always, let us know what you think about our guest bloggers and if you would like to participate! Happy Wednesday!
Guess who just turned ONE?
The same sweet little cherub who has grown up on this blog, known to all of you most fittingly as The. Most. Photographed. Baby. Ever. (as evidenced here, here, here, here, here and here) had his first birthday on Friday… and I am as in disbelief as when I look at my own babies and marvel at how fast it’s gone.
We tried to squeeze in a one year old session for him last week but the timing just wasn’t there. I got a few snaps.. a few funny expressions of mock disgust, but nothing like the perfect images in my head, which we will be sure to work on in the next few weeks!
More to come on that end as they develop.. but in the meantime.. Happy Birthday Baby Boy!
p.s. don’t forget, tomorrow is My Turn Day! What are YOU doing?
I met this wonderful family over the Christmas break, and am just now getting around to sharing!
People always ask me when the best time to have family portraits is… and my answer is always the same.. right now! There is no bad time.. there is no perfect time… every stage in your family’s life deserves cherishing for what it is. Even if the baby doesn’t have any hair yet, or your kindergartener has a mouth full of missing teeth, your daughter hits the akward tween years, or your son is almost graduating from high school. There will always be 10 pounds to lose and haircuts to grow out, but by the time that stage passes you will never have it again, and the memories from that point in your life will fade all too fast.
And so I introduce this amazingly loving family, with one son in college and a daughter in junior high.. inconveient schedules and certainly not any “landmark” ages to be captured. But this was the first family session they’d had as a family of four.. having missed the first 13 years waiting for just the right moment.. so mom had finally decided that moment was now. And I am so glad they did.
Welcome to the launch of our new feature.. Wednesday Guest Bloggers! I’ve got lots of fun, informative, helpful, and silly posts lined up from an amazing group of women from across the North Texas area! Each Wednesday we’ll post a new one, so stay tuned for more in the coming weeks. And of course, if you’re interested in participating and have something to say about… well… anything! just let us know! Until then.. welcome Rachel!
I’m a mom of 4 kids in Forney TX. I love cooking, crafts, blogging, decorating, 
reading, photography and in general, just trying to be the coolest wife and mom on the block!
Over the past years life has taught me many valuable lessons. But the most poignant have been the ones that I have learned while raising 4 children. And after answering many new-parents questions I thought maybe it’s time to start documenting these valuable tid-bits..
“Baby Bombshells #1-3″
#1. Many times babies cry through their first baths and many o’ diaper changes. We have found that with putting a little extra warmth on their abdomen areas, it will totally change their dispositions. In baths, we wet a thick wash cloth and continually add more warm water over it with a cup. And when we are changing their diapers we will lay an extra blanket over them to keep them feeling secure. (note: they will soon learn to love baths and not need this warmth, especially after they put on some extra weight)
#2. Having many diaper blowouts? Try different brands of diapers until you find the one that fits your baby the best. I have had many friends rave about expensive brands and others that have found the cheap labels worked better. I figure, all babies are built differently and not all diapers are shaped the same. At times things will be going well with a specific diaper but then suddenly the explosions are no longer staying contained and many times in the morning pee is leaking through. This is the major hint that it’s time to go up a size. (note: spray stains with a stain fighter and then soak in hot water and oxy for at least 1 hour)
#3. Swaddling. It’s a beautiful thing. Do it. And do it every time they go to sleep. Even if they are already asleep. Do it. They’ll fall right back to sleep after they are all warm and cozy. Baby’s love it. And if you don’t have enough blankets to swaddle them daily, call me I’ll whip you up a few! I have found that around 1 month (if not premature) the babies tend to like their arms out. And they will wiggle them out through the night, this is fine. And as they get bigger and fussy when their arms are confined. Try swaddling with their arms out (over the chest and under the armpits)
But here’s the biggest oops we all make. Do Not Swaddle Before Putting Them In the Car Seat. Unless you’ve already got a whole cut out in your blanket, there ain’t no way you’re getting a seat belt buckled between their legs with a swaddled kid!
Thanks for the insight Rachel! If you’d like to hear more from Rachel, you can visit her family blog at www.momtherapy101.blogspot.com.
And of course, if you liked what you heard… let me know! We’ll be bringning your favorites back for more guest spots in the coming weeks.. so we want to know what you think!
Our image of the month comes to us from the painfully adorable family who I was honored to spend a day with in mid-January. This little pixie is the baby of the family, and nothing if not sure of herself. That confidence led her to select this outfit for taking her babies for a walk.. because who doesn’t find themselves out with the kids and in need of your spare tutu?
So big brother and sister rode thier two wheelers (all by themselves! hooray!) bravely around the driveway and little miss just marched to her own beat.. happy as a clam.
But my favorite picture from this series was later, in her room.. when I finally got a quiet moment alone with her and got a glimpse of the real beauty within… a diamond wrapped in a tornado.. just waiting for the right time to shine!
Happy Monday!
