Pretty..

I just don't have time to blog. We are good. Simone is army crawling now...and I forgot to mention she has two teeth!

The kids made Christmas lists, and we put them in a metal tube (it says "Letters to Santa" on it) and put it outside on the front porch. I had them yell out, "Santa, our letters are ready!" into the night air. A dog howled off in the distance, and their eyes got really wide. They stared at each other. "A WOLF?"

Wyatt was practical and picked 5 things. Natalia choose everything in the catalog. Really. EVERYTHING.

I hear Simone calling....=)

Good night.

Clean....

proppy

I am not a prop photographer, but I had to do it! I had to! Lincoln bought Simone this "Little Darlin" onesie in Nashville and I found this hat on sale.

Here she is, our Little Darlin.

Simone is 8 months old now. She is rolling all over the place. She loves rice cereal now, and squash and sweet potato are favorites. She is really just a happy baby now. I am so glad. Two days ago SHE CUDDLED WITH ME! My other two would not cuddle as babies. Simone would lay her head on my shoulder, then lift it to look me in the face, pat my cheek, and then lay her head down again! I loved every second of it, and it even made me cry. Then I heard Natalia scream, "MOMMY....I'M DONE!", and the bliss was over. Talia was in the shower. =) What a good day to remember.

Darling Baby

I have a giant to do list. This time of year is so crazy! I have 3 sessions this week, two orders to deliver, one order to package, FOUR huge orders to send to the lab, and two sessions to proof. The primary program is Sunday, and we practice on Saturday. I have MY family pictures on Saturday...I did a trade with another photographer about a year ago, and now it is my turn. Getting the clothes together is the craziest part! Now I know how my clients feel! We are going to wear teal, brown, cream, and dark denim....I THINK!

Even with a huge to do list --I still found time to take a quick snap of Simone! Hello Darling Baby! She was busy spinning around like the hands on a clock.

Halloween

Natalia has worn this Snow White costume for three weeks. I didn't get a picture of her in it by the pumpkins, but this one has to be shown. Thankfully we didn't have to wait for a prince to wake her up.

Wyatt at the costume parade at school.

A little chick.

Visit

My Parents came to visit a few weeks ago, and we had them here for 7 whole days! It was wonderful! We were getting the siding on our house replaced so we stayed close to home the first few days. (Our house looks so good btw.) We also were taking it easy because I passed another kidney stone the day before they came. It was BY FAR the worst one yet. I was so sick and hurting. Funny thing though....my Dad passed one a few days before me, so we both need a little rest. Rest is not what he did though! He always says, "make a list for me." He loves to do little odd jobs to help me out. I have new shelves in several places in my house now, in the closets, bathroom, and the laundry room. The list of things he did is so long, and the mountain of laundry my Mom did was so big. I was so embarrassed! I had hoped to get it done before they arrived, but my body had other plans. She said "I love to be here to catch you up!" I loved it too!

We got to go to my favorite u-pick farm. We picked pumpkins, beets, and apples and had such a wonderful time doing so. The weather was perfect! The sky was so blue, and it wasn't cold....it was a gorgeous autumn day.








We spent the day at the inner harbor in Baltimore. We got to go on board the USS Constellation
and the USCGC Taney. Lincoln and the kids went on the submarine. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch, and then drove out to Sandy Point to see the Chesapeake Bay. After driving over the bay bridge we went our all time favorite crab restaurant...The Crab Deck. We went the Crab Deck our first few days in Maryland, a second time with four day old baby Natalia, and a few other times though out the last 4 years. This was Simone's first visit there.

While on the Constellation Lincoln and my Dad got to help fire off a gun. If it is on a ship they call it a gun, if it is on the ground it is called a cannon. (just a bit of trivia.)

See the Crab Deck is RIGHT on the water.

I stepped outside to take a picture of the sunset. On my way back into the restaurant I saw six people I love dearly sitting at a table...I had to take a picture. =)


We went to Fort McHenry. Another gorgeous fall day. We had a picnic on a table RIGHT on the water. Talia threw a piece of a big pickle at a seagull. He carried it, dropped it, and then flew to the water so he could rinse out his mouth. Silly bird.

Then we went in to watch a short film, and watch the American Flag wave from the top of the fort as a choir sang the Star Spangled Banner. It was a very memorable and beautiful experience, and a special thank you goes to Simone for sleeping through it.

View of the Chesapeake Bay from the Fort.

Look at those lashes!
Simone was such a good baby the whole day!

A good place for a conversation.

Me and Simone.

I told her to HOLD STILL for a second! She did! =)

My children in jail!

We ate like kings while they were here. I made lots of yummy breakfasts, and delicious salads for lunch. Lincoln smoked a brisket that was perfect! We ate at a few of our favorite restaurants too. We watched a few good movies (Indians Jones, and Son of Rambow) and drank quite a few Fruitistas.

The best part of the visit was when we picked them up from the airport. We were walking toward my Mom and Dad. We were quite far off when Wyatt started to run to them. My Mom set her purse and jacket on the ground as Wyatt was getting near her. He got about 4 feet away and decided to close that gap quick....he jumped to her and she caught him! Then they proceeded to hug and give a big kiss on the cheek. Then we all caught up to them and hugged for a long time. I handed Simone to my Mom and we walked to the car with big smiles on our faces.

We love you Grandma and Grandpa! We loved having you here, and we hope you enjoyed your visit to Maryland as much as we did!