Christian's 1 Year Photo Shoot

I took some pictures of Christian the other day to celebrate his 1 year birthday. The weather is finally nice enough to shoot outside so I took advantage of the day and chased him around the yard. He is so much fun to take pictures of. He smiles at the camera whenever it is pointed at him and loves to cheese it up for the camera. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

 my favorite

I love this little boy so much. He is growing up way too fast.

Happy Grandparent's Day and a Photo Shoot

Roots author Alex Haley once said: “In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage- to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning…emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness.”

For those of you that don't know, this Sunday is National Grandparent's Day. I look forward to this day all year because I have a dear relationship with all of my grandparents. As a young child I formed a bond with my Grandmother over pies. Sometimes I feel like I am her twin 60 years later because we have so much in common. She is the mother of 12 children and for most of those year she was home alone with them because my Grandfather was a pilot in the Air Force. She ran a loving but structured home, and always knew where her children were. She also made sure that every night the family sat down at the table and ate dinner together. She loved to sew and bake. My mom said her sewing machine had a permanent location on the dinning room table (just like me, hehe). Unfortunately she died a few years ago and I miss her dearly. I also have a great relationship with my other Grandmother who bore 5 children and was a proud mother. She always stood up for her children. I really admired that about her. She loved sports especially tennis (my favorite). I grew close to her through letters. We were pen pals all through my college years and beyond. There is something to say for old fashioned hand written letters. So much can be expressed and cherished in a letter. She too has passed away only about a year ago. Since the passings of my grandmothers I have built a strong relationship with both my grandfathers. Both of them turned 90 this year! Unfortunately they both live in Washington state and I only get to see them once a year. So in order to build a better relationship with them I have found ways to let them know how much I love them and miss them. Letters, packages, pictures, gifts, and phone calls. These are just a few ways to keep in touch. As the world grows and our children grow their family relationships may falter. I have been so blessed in my life to have a relationship with all of my grandparents. We lived close growing up and stayed close after I had grown. I have gained so much wisdom from their experiences and now that I am older I can really appreciate their lives and all they had to overcome. We are generations apart but we still have so much in common and so much to share. Life is short, we only have moments to learn from each other. This grandparent's day take some time to share your thoughts and love with your dear family members. Whether it is visiting your own grandparents or helping your children learn more about their own grandparents. Here are some great ideas for kids to create something wonderful for their grandparents found on spoonful.com.

Photo Collage Tray

Pop Culture Photo Card

Life Sized Thank You Note

 

Mail a Hug

 

If your grandparents have passed there are still many ways to get to know them. Search for old photos, share stories you have heard, make a family tree, and for older children there are some amazing ancestry websites where they can learn about genealogy and where they come from. Here is a list of the sites that are easy for searching for your family members. FamilySearch.org ancestry.com I truly cherish my relationships with my grandparents and I hope my own children can develop similar relationships with theirs.

We has a little family photo shoot to send some pictures to the grandparents. The kids had fun playing in the the racquetball court, I on the other hand was just trying to get them to sit still for a few moments.

Elizabeth's 4th Birthday

Elizabeth turned 4 this year. She has grown into a little diva. We celebrated with a family party and a flower pinata. She was so excited for her birthday, unfortunately there was a small hiccup in the perfect birthday. She went to the dentist the day before and had some cavities filled. While her mouth was numb she bit the inside of her cheeks which caused her to get an infection. She was swollen for a week and had to take antibiotics for 10 days. I warned her not to bit her cheeks but anyone who knows her will tell you that she is one stubborn little girl.

Here are some other things we love about our little Lizzy bug.

-She is so smart. She is already sounding out words and writing letter.
-She still loves pink. Everything is pink.
-She loves all her activities including karate, soccer, and ballet.
-She loves Barbies. Obsessed with playing in her doll house and dressing them all up. I love to sit and listen to her play with them, giving all the Barbies very interesting names like Selina, Vanessa, and Marina. I notice she uses a lot of phrases I use when I speak to her like, "I love you sweetheart" and "I told you to be careful." A little sponge that's all I'm saying.
-She loves purses, makeup, jewelry, and painting her nails.
-She still wears dresses almost every day.
-She loves playing outside especially in the sandbox or swimming in the pool. She can dive, and do flips into the pool.
-Her favorite books are the Pink Princess, The Very Fairy Princess, and Shoe-la-la
-Her favorite movies are Sophia the First, Mulan, and Sleeping Beauty

She is our little princess and we love her sweetness and her firey personality. My sour patch girl (first she's sour, than she's sweet).