7 year anniversary

We just recently celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. That really seems like such a short time...probably because we dated for 5 years before we got married. So, we have actually been together for 12 years now. It is fun to look back at all the changes that have taken place in that time. We have moved 4 times, bought our first house, popped out two kiddos, and changed jobs about 8 times between the two of us. It is even funny to think about how much technology has changed in that time. I remember our first Christmas together after we got married, someone got us a DVD for Christmas...but, we didn't own a dvd player yet since they had just come out!

But, I honestly like to remember the things that haven't changed at all in 7 years. Like how I can be my complete-crazy-goofball self around him...and he likes it; how his smile affects me; his sweet romantic side; how handsome he is; and how crazy in love with him I am. I am so blessed.

I remember when I was pregnant with Dawson, I was worried about having to 'share' Derek...I kind of envisioned that we would almost be separated for the next 20+ years until the kids went off to college...and then we would finally reconnect after all that time. Now, I know some of those feelings were pregnant hormones, but they were also real fears. I honestly LOVED just being us & was afraid to mess with something that worked. Four years later, those thoughts I had seem very humorous to me. It has been so amazing to watch our marriage grow, and in only ways that becoming parents could have grown it. Sure, we are crazy busy & have our hands full...but I would not change a thing. Tonight, I was giving Dawson a bath & Derek was snuggling on the couch with Andi, and I hear him whisper to her from the other room "I love you baby girl." Sharing children with someone takes your love for them to another level. So, as much as I love remembering the things that have NOT changed in 7 years, I sure do love the changes too.

Here are a few photos from 7 years ago...

Engagement photo
One of my fav wedding photos

Another one of my favorite wedding photos
And, us at dinner this year celebrating!

Derek's 30th Birthday

Okay...here are some pics from Derek's birthday. The first two pics are from when we went out to dinner with his family to Ichibon in Kemah (which the kids love.) The last four pics are when we celebrated at home with the kids. Dawson completely picked out what Dada's cake would look like & say! So cute...

Happy 30th Birthday Babe!

Dawson...again.

Here are a couple more funny stories about the crazy things Dawson says:

1. Dawson & Andi were fighting over Andi's baby doll & doll stroller the other evening. A would not share, so D went into the other room to pout. He then yelled at her "That's not FAIR...I AM THAT BABY'S DADDY!" It was like a Jerry Springer episode in the kids playroom.

2. The other day Granna was telling me how they were battling racoons in their attic & how they had to set traps to catch them. D was listening to the whole conversation & then asked with a perplexed face "Granna...the racoons pulled down the string in the hallway to get in the attic?"

3. We go to a restaurant called Rancho Mexican Restaurant a lot, and the kids love it cause they serve free ice cream. Well, the other day I asked D what was his favorite restaurant & he said "Rancheerios."

4. D & I were talking about fruits & vegetables the other day & I was having him give me examples of each. He listed several veggies & then all he could come up with for fruit was 'fruit snacks."

5. When we went camping, Derek stepped inside the visitor center to pay for our stay at the park. Dawson said "They are going to give Dada one heck of a fight."

6. This was our conversation last night:
D: 'Mom, I don't like my room. Why is there Thomas on my walls?'
me: 'Well, when we decorated your room in Thomas, you really liked it.'
D: 'I want a Spiderman room."
me: 'Can we decorate it with all the superheros that you like? That would be cool too.'
D: 'Yea...but, not the bad guys. Only the guys that save the day."

7. I was occupied with Andi a moment ago & D was yelling at me to come do something. He was getting more & more frustrated that I was not coming immediately...then I heard him say "Okay mom...JOKE'S OVER."

The 'Good' Easter pics...aka 'non-crying ones'

The NIGHTMARE photo session.

Last Friday, I took my kids up to the studio for Easter pictures with the live bunnies. Now, as a photographer, these are my ABSOLUTE least fave pics to take, because live bunnies make for INSANE sessions. Photographing children is hard enough without adding live animals into the mix. As soon as you get the kids posed, the crazy bunny is hopping off...or peeing/pooping on a child, eating their expensive easter clothes, or my personal favorite... humping a baby's head. And yes...these have all happened to me while photographing bunny pics.

This year, we had three bunnies. The first day, one of the bunnies could not stop humping everything...so we left him at home the second day. The second day, one of our remaining two bunnies had some diahrea issues. We even had to hold up sessions for about 15 minutes at one point to scrub the diahrea off his belly & feet in the sink, and blowdry him with the hairdryer...talk about FUN.

So, with that preface, here is what happened when my kids came in. Of all the sessions I have ever photographed in my 10 years as a photographer...this session was the worst by a mile...no, by 100 miles. Seriously, who raised these kids?????

So, I bring my kids in, pose them...and hand Dawson a bunny. I reach for the next bunny to hand Andi...and of course there is diahrea EVERYWHERE. So now, my kids are going to have to share a bunny...great, they don't share. In this pic, I just told Andi she couldn't hold the bunny in the cage.

Now, Andi is about to whack Dawson on the head for touching 'her' bunny.

Dawson is now trying to keep the bunny away from Andi.

Andi is now pinching Dawson's arm & twisting it behind him for taking 'her' bunny.

So, I took the bunny away. Dawson is pouting...Andi is running away.

We took the bunny & Dawson out of the picture...this is what I got from her.

Then of course, the allergic reaction began. She began sneezing about 20 times in a row, broke out in hives on her face & arms, her eyes turned blood shot & started to swell shut, and her lips swoll really big.

Needless to say, there will NEVER be another bunny session for my kids. We did get some really great shots of them & I will post those later. For now, I am just enjoying the 'real life' photos.

A few Easter pics...

Here are a few pics from Easter. I photographed the kids at the studio for their official easter pics with bunnies...it was a COMPLETE nightmare! I will post those after I load them...you will see what I mean by nightmare. These are just a few candids in Hettie's backyard after church.

Dawson's latest

1. The other day he ran up to me, hugged me & said "Happy Valentations Mom!" I am assuming that is a combo of 'Happy Valentines' & 'Congratulations.' Sort of like when he told everyone 'Happy Goodnight Christmas' at Christmastime.

2. I overheard him talking to the cat the other day while he was turning the bathtub faucet on for her, he said "How's that for reality Sadie?"

3. Yesterday, he asked me "Mom, is this my future?"

4. I got my hair cut really short yesterday. I was really surprised that Dawson didn't immediately say anything about it because he is soooooo observant. So, I finally asked him if my hair looked different. He said "Yeah, your hair looks kind of crazy mom. Like a girl from Hettie's church. You should change it to your mommy hair because it will look better." Later that day, he was hugging on me & said "MOM...I LOVE your new haircut!" Apparently he needed a little time to adjust. Derek informed him that when a girl gets her haircut, you ALWAYS say you love it. After Derek told him that, Dawson told me he loved it about 20 more times before going to bed.

My FAVORITE Idol...

Okay...so I am a total Idol-junkie...I admit it. Last season, I fell in love with David Cook & I did not think I would ever fall for another idol again...sigh. Then, along comes Adam Lambert. All I can say is WOW! I LOVE his voice because it totally reminds me of an 80's rocker, which happens to be my most favorite music. He is just soooo different & original & sexy in strange ways. He really is just an amazing performer. Here is a video of my favorite performance of his from Michael Jackson night, singing Black or White.

When the house is quiet...

You should immediately be VERY afraid. Actually, the kids were supposedly watching a video in the front living room, while Derek & I were watching tv in the back living room. The kids however, must have been bored of their video...I am still trying to get the permanent marker our of their clothes!

The Token Box

Dawson has been very difficult to 'finalize' in the potty training department...I won't go into details, but we had tried just about everything & I was about to resign to having a diaper budget until the kids went to college. Then, my pediatrician told me about this idea. You have the kids make a token box & every time they poop on the pot, they get to put a token in it. Dawson had a blast decorating his box...he told me exactly what colors he wanted & what he wanted it to say, and that he wanted pink bows on the top! Then, the second he finished his box...he went straight to the potty & did his business! Every time he gets 10 tokens in his box, he gets to pick out another toy. (We found it helpful for him to pick it out previously & use it as motivation) Tonight, he got his 10th token for the second time & Derek took him straight to Toys R Us to get the gray iron man toy he wanted. These pics are of him with his box, and the first iron man toy he got. GO DAWSON!!!

He really just wanted to make faces.

This is his serious iron-man face. Iron man is sitting on the box.

And, here a two really cute ones of him! What a handsome boy!

The SUPERHERO'S visit to HEB

Last week, Derek took Dawson with him to HEB. Well, Dawson REALLY likes to dress up when he goes to HEB & he loves for Dada to dress up with him. In fact, anytime he gets a reward for good behavior he asks me if his reward can be a spiderman costume for Dad. Here are some pics. This is a very special superhero. We call it the Batman-Superman-Spiderman-Lightning McQueen-Starwars-Dawson. (he has his light saber hanging from his shorts)
The heros take a quick pic before heading to the car.

Derek's cape was blowing very dramatically when he was putting Dawson in his car seat.

So....if you are curious if Derek really wore his get-up into HEB, the answer is no. He managed to convince Dawson that superheros have to keep their identity & they should leave their masks & capes in the car. I knew he would chicken out!

MONSTERS!!!!

The kids new favorite game is to hide under Dawson's covers & wait for the monster (me) to come find them & tickle them. So, anytime they get really quiet for a change, I know they are probably waiting for me to come & 'scare' them. This day, I took my camera under the sheets with them & pretended another monster was coming to get ALL of us. The funny part was how difficult it was to take the pics. To keep the sheet from covering the camera, I had to lay down on my back...hold the sheet up with my feet (legs spread)...and take pics between my legs! Now, that would have been a funny picture!

Flowers

Dawson loves to bring me flowers...and since Andi follows Dawson & loves to do whatever he does...she loves to bring me flowers too. They spend a big portion of their 'backyard time' everyday bringing me every single wildflower they can find. In fact, when they run out of flowers, they start bringing me blades of grass! Well, Andi does not quite grasp the concept of bringing the ENTIRE flower. She just grabs & pulls & brings me whatever happened to come off when she grabbed. The other day, Dawson brought me a flower...then Andi brought me half of a petal. Dawson stared at it for the longest time with a completely disgusted look on his face. I was already trying not to laugh when he said, "MOM...Andi only brought you a...(10 second pause)...a flower CRUMB!" Now, I thought that was a pretty darn good way to describe it.

Conversations with Andi

Lately, it has been very difficult to get Andi to say "please." She used to say it. I am not sure if this is in defiance or her just not understanding how conversation works yet. Either way...here is a sample of conversation from this evening....pretty funny.

Andi: "MAMa....need juice!"
Me: "Say please..."
Andi: "Okay Mama."
Me: "No, say juice PLEASE."
Andi: "Okay Mama."
Me: "Andi...can you say JUICE PLEASE?"
Andi: "Okay."
Me: "Andi...look at me...can you say PLEASE?"
Andi: "Okay."

Round & round we go with the same results...what else can you do?!?

Radio/ Rodeo

Derek, Hettie & I took Dawson to the rodeo this year...funniest part is that Dawson keeps telling everyone he went to the radio. Here are some of the cutest pics from that day. All he wanted was a red cowboy rope...well, we found an orange one so he was pretty happy!

Christmas!?!

Looking back at my blog, I realized that I never posted any of the kiddos Christmas pics...most of you guys got my Christmas card, but if you did not...here it is. These are just too cute not to put up here, even if they are 3 months late. At least I posted them before Easter pics.

My Two Comedians

Here are the funniest of the funnies that my kiddos have said/ done recently. Enjoy.

ANDI:

1. (Pretext: We have a squirrell in our backyard that hangs out with us every day...and Dawson named him 'Jingles the squirrell'...and Andi thinks squirrells are cats...& this story will only make sense to those who have watched mickey mouse clubhouse.)

The other day the kids were chasing Jingles when he ran up the tree. Andi said "Uh oh...ki ki cat toooo high. Need MOUSEKATOOLS! (cupping her hands around her face like mickey mouse) OOOHHH TOODLES!" She even looked around for him to show up, and then called out for him several more times...too funny.

2. We are at the stage with Andi where she notices shapes everywhere & she gets so excited when she notices them. Well, the other night after bath time, she did her usual pointing to her chest & said "Boobies". Then, her face lit up & she screamed "Circles!!!"

DAWSON:

1. I was in the middle of something the other day & Dawson kept telling me to come do something...and I kept telling him "JUST A MINUTE". I heard him say under his breath "Mom, you are NOT listening & following directions."

2. The other night at dinner, Dawson had Derek & I laughing hysterically. I told him "Dawson, I think you are SUPER cool." Dawson gave me this sly little smile & replied "I thought so."

3. He told me recently "Mom, me & Andi make a great team."

4. The other day he was congested & coughing. He told me that when he coughed, he got boogers in his mouth.

5. And, my favorite story. Derek was relaxing on the back patio one afternoon when Dawson asked to go outside with him. (Side note: we had been hanging out together all day) Dawson proceeded to sit in a chair next to Dada & copy the exact way Derek was sitting. Then, Dawson said "Soooooo Dada, What did you do this morning?" Derek said "Well, I cooked you some breakfast." Dawson said "Yea...it was good wasn't it?" Derek "Yea it was" Then there was a minute of ackward silence & then Dawson realized I was still standing there by the door. Dawson said "Mom, you can go back inside now, me & Dad just need to have a little talk."