Photo shoot, a sort of surprise, family time and that reno

I think this will be the only shot of me this time around and considering this batch of pictures spans four weeks it is kinda sad. I should really pass over the camera every once in a while or at least step in front of a mirror.

So, it has been a while. Again. I know.

And yes I totally have an excuse. I am soooo tired.

Why?

Well.....this kinda crazy and unplanned and surprising thing happened.

We found out I am pregnant again. 8 weeks along now. Still the early iffy stages.

I know crazy. Kaitlyn and Ethan are 12 month apart and then there is three years and then there is Hudson. Now the next one is due in the summer and should be about 14 months from Hudson. I am now rather ill feeling and tired. Everything stinks!! Seriously grossly!

Anyway, that is my excuse for now. So on with the last month. Kinda late but we did get out and enjoy some festive stuff like a horse draw wagon ride and hot chocolate and then there was this little stable scene that you could get dressed up and get you photo taken in. Kinda silly but Kaitlyn was quite excited so I obliged.

And after our shot I got one of her with a friend. Much better!

And then I did my first photo shoot that was not of my own children. I am not a photographer. I tool around and I take a lot of pictures and would love to get more education than the roughly 5 hours that I have gotten but I am not the real deal.

However I have a friend who is and she invited me to come and shoot them. They would set up and all I had to do was shoot.

It was interesting. I realize now how much actually goes into a shoot with a pro, they actually check hair wisps and shadows and poses and I am sure a whack load of other stuff.

I just took pictures.

Thank goodness they are an adorable family!

Here are a few from that day.

They are fun and forgiving, I love that! And then she took the RAW files and edited them herself (I don't have those ones) and they look way better. When I saw one of them I didn't even recognize it as the shot I had taken! She has some mad editing skills!

And what a cool experience for me, wooooo.....

And now on with some Christmas photos.

It was a beautiful and very cold day, perfect conditions for sun dogs.

And ah, I got a new lens for Christmas. Look at the crispness!

Cheese cake made by my sister in law, she rocks them out!

Back to the lens. Sorry.

The focus, and color, mmmm.

I am liking this lens, really really liking it!

My sister and Hudson. Love.

Desert, this one made by my sister.

My brother loves his wife's baking.

Another brother who eats it all up too.

Emily. Cookie brain girl.

At six months Hudson started the hands and knees rock though he has only gone backwards so far.

After Christmas we ventured out to meet a relatives new (3 months and nearly the same size as Hudson!) baby.

Levi.

(Not his parents here, grandparents)

I am sooo saving this one!

With his mom and dad. Adorable.

Hudson.

Such a flirt.

Sweet friends.

Christmas at the Ledge.

Taylor. (a friends little one) His eyes are amazing and lashes, ahhhh!

Ethan getting a ride from his bud Hayden.

A rare moment where they are actually playing together and not scaring or not sharing.

I hope there are a lot more moments like this one.

I love this girl. She is so creative and whimsical. Not the gentler of my children but I am fine with this. She is endlessly entertaining and thoughtful.

Oh, I didn't mention something. We were also all sick over Christmas. It started with the kids Dave and I got colds the week before Christmas and kept them right over the holidays.

By new years we were all feeling back to normal-ish and then Hudson suddenly got sick.

New years day Daves dad and stepmom were coming to visit and from early that morning he had developed a bit of a cough and a fever and just seemed to go downhill from there.

By the time Daves parents came in the early afternoon Hudsons breathing was off and he was choke coughing. I bundled him up and left for the clinic.

They were all closed for the holiday and I ended up at the hospital. Joy.

The lineup started at the door and took 20-30 minutes just to get to the triage nurse. The waiting room was full, extremely full and that scared me.

However Hudson seemed to know when to cough and not breath right and they rushed us right in and got him hooked up on steroids to open his airways. His fever had spiked to 40 while there too and so they treated that and gave him an atibiotic.

Poor child he was overloaded with the drugs, though it did make him happy.

The first drugs of any kind to ever enter his little body.

We ended up spending the night, getting blood work done and x-rays. But by the next day the cough was broken up and they let us go.

He is still on the mend a week later now but very much back to his normal self.

Sometimes I am really thankful for modern medicine and the wonderful staff at the General.

I will not say a word about that other hospital in town though, remember that time I did?

Ya.

And that kind of sums up what I have been up to lately, well minus this crazy spiritual ride I have been on but I cannot even explain that roller coaster right now, I don't every really understand what is going on there.

We'll just leave that.

And then there is this other project that Dave has been working on.

Our cottage reno. The reno that is supposed to turn the cottage into our new house.

He has gutted it. Created temporary support walls while he makes the bulkheads and beams and posts (or something like that, this is not my area) to open up the space and give us a panoramic lake view. Eventually.

And you know how renos go. Especially when they involve old places with two additions already done to em. There are a lot of interesting snags.

Like multiple layers of carpets and lino and carpet and pots in the walls and hidden windows and doors and stucco and cement under half the floors on top of the subfloors and then goofy sloping floors and, ya, I am sure there is more but Dave is out there not I.

Why didn't we just demo and build?

Oh ya, cause we live on a cable guy and artist income. Riiiight.

We are 'those' folks. And yes it should be very interesting and quirky once it is done.

I am so excited about that!

Can't you just see all the potential!!

I am giddy!

Hudsy

Six and a half months old.

And totally delicious.

All 20 + lbs of him. And he looks exactly like the photo of my husband I have here, well, minus the curly red hair.

Mmmmm, I love me some chubby baby!

Night!

Joy in little things.

Once again I am full of randomness. If I could just get on here more often it might help but I think I am finally catching up. This should mean that if I am able to post again any time soon I can start telling you about some of the other things going on here, like in my head, however that is heavy and not all sorted out yet.

That can wait though because I just want to get the photos updated and share the fun stuff!

We will skip the daily struggles and little fights and mess and just focus on the joys right now.

So....

A few weeks ago we got to meet a little friend and his mama (also a blogger).

This guy is almost a month younger than Hudson and bigger. Well taller anyway and a bigger head too, though Hudson has all the plumpness going on!

We stuck them on the floor and watched them roll around and giggle as they checked each other out. Little people are soooo cute, I am just in love with them!

And then there was a birthday or 5, but this birthday was for my cousins little guy and she was going to be in town from Idaho for it.

My Aunt called and wondered if I could make a cake, cowboy theme. Oooo, I love to make cakes so I started to come up with ideas.

Of course they all involved fondant and lots of color and little detail and well .... I had never worked with fondant before and wasn't even sure where to get it. I had watched quite a few cake competitions and cake making shows though on Food TV, how hard could it be?

Ha, ha, not as easy as it looked!

For my first attempt I think it turned out fine, but I know what I would do differently next time, there is a learning curve for sure!

I was a little nervous about it, I could just see the imperfections and seams and yikes, how would it even taste?! I am soooo not a professional!

And then I remembered that there had to be something messy for Tucker to dig into and get all iced up and covered in cake, this was his first birthday after all and his first cake experience!

He wasn't so sure of the whole thing once he saw it.

And then wouldn't have anything to do with digging in and getting messy. He wanted to be fork fed! It was a hoot watching my cousin beg him to just dig in already!

And then there are paintings. A few more completed and this time dropped off at the store.

They are up for grabs still if anyone is interested....and they are over here for more info.

And Hudson. He cut another tooth yesterday and has had a few whiny days this week. Not what we are used to at all but totally understandable once I stuck my finger in his mouth and felt that second sharp little tooth.

Explains all the drool too.

However this does not explain why suddenly he doesn't like his car seat so much anymore.

Hmmm......

"Cheeeeese!"

Ha, ha, Ethan. This is his painting face. Kaitlyn has her thing where she opens and closes her mouth with ever chomp of the scissors on paper, but Ethan, he has a painting lip that he flaps as he paints.

I seriously cannot get enough of it!

And Em. Don't you love catching people off guard with crazy shots that you can use at their wadding, I mean wedding?

And then she tries to redeem herself.

First snow day! We went over to a friends parents place to play on a fresh snow hill.

For a cold day it was still worth it.

There is no better way to take advantage of the white stuff!

Now skipping on to the next thing and I cannot think of a graceful way to get to this.

Ever take a shot like the one above. Where your colour is all off?

I used to always plop photos into photo shop to fix but over the last two years have been doing the easy stuff in iphoto.

Before-above.

After-below.

Edited in iphoto.

Princess.

And over a week ago now we headed out to another relatives place...my second cousins, who is only 10 days older than Kaitlyn! I know, weird, but we have some generation gaps here.

Her mom, (my friend) made them edible peanut butter play dough to play with and eat. It was funny to watch because my kids just could not grasp the idea of eating play dough.

In other news around here we have been getting ready for Christmas still. Slowly.

It has been a bit of an experience, even the whole idea of the celebration and the decor and the stories. I understand why some families do not celebrate at all, I also understand those that do and the whole range in between. What a lot to think about and sort out mentally....or just not think about and have fun!!

So we got to work with polymer clay building teeny tiny little animals and people and a manger, which had the star broken off of it right away before it was even cooled completely and snatched up by little hands.

I had the idea of giving the children one each day leading up to Christmas as an advent type of adventure instead of chocolate.

The idea lasted one day and they were swooped away before all the faces or eyes could even get painted on.

They are just too much fun to play with every day as a set.

The tree got set up and decorated.

Hot chocolate and stories by the fire soaked up.

And of course there have been a few tragedies including collectible ornaments. At first we were upset but quickly realized that they are only little material possessions and although we find them pretty and fun they really do not mean much. So the playing ensued. And that is so much more worth it! Getting to play with special things that you only get to see once a year is well, special!

The rooms have been decked out with lights.

And sleepovers have been....interesting.

A few nights ago Dave ended up in Ethan's bed and all three children were in bed with me. Every time I woke up I was between different children. It was kind of strange and not so fun and I had a very stiff neck but it was snuggly and I won't complain about that!

The manger scene has had many interesting and colourful visitors.

And Hudson again, look at those legs. Munchable!

Village painting with a lot of help.

I have yet to complete one piece since having children, but have about 20 started ones with very colourful splatters all over them in an box.

Another painting completed and delivered.

A few favourite ornaments.

And the seasonal sewing has begun. Last year I was on an owl theme and this year for some reason we have ended up with monsters instead.

And they are going over well.

And that is it. We are into the seasonal swing of things. Not sure exactly what I think of all the aspects of these holidays but for now am focusing on the fun things we can do and making memories with the children. Right now it is all about them and being at home....and I am loving that!

Happy season folks. Whether you celebrate in one way or another or avoid the whole thing and just relax, enjoying the Lord and thinking of His birth and life and death and what it means. However the children keep reminding us that Santa is going to come out the "fire pit" and Ethan asks every other day or so if he came yet, because "he will!''

Ahhh, and then I just want to have fun with the whole thing and watch their little faces!

So I think I will.

Now I am going to light a fire, my fingers are numb and the children have finished rearanging the newly set up village, time for hot chocolate and some snuggles!