One Year Pics are Up!

Well, it took two sessions and lots of patience, but we finally got Brianna's one year pictures done the weekend before last. Nicole was so patient with her since she had to check out the camera (including leaving a fingerprint on the lens!), check out the lights, open all the doors and generally spend 30 minutes getting familiar with the studio before she would relax enough to take a picture. Many thanks to Nicole for not only allowing us the two sessions but for being willing to work up a sweat, literally, keeping up with Bree. To say I have an active, inquisitive child is definitely an understatement.

If you want, you can check out Nicole's website and see the proof gallery. I wish there were a few more to choose from, but we got some adorable shots! A few need a little cropping but overall, they're adorable.

To see the proof gallery, click here and once you're on Nicole's site, click on Galleries. The password is "Nesbitt". Enjoy! Think you can guess my favorite one?

A Very Big Girl Day

As you can see from the previous post today, Brianna started today with deciding to feed herself oatmeal like a big girl.  It ended with another very big girl event ... deciding that she's going to walk most everywhere instead of crawl!  That's right, she decided tonight that she no longer wanted to hold my finger to walk everywhere, but instead decided that she could do it on her own.  Unfortunately, that also means she has her first walking related ouchie and I'm sure there will be more to come.  She's got a small bruise on her cheekbone, which you can see in the first video how she got it.

She's not too sure about walking on her own on the tile, but she cruised the living room after dinner on two feet instead of all fours, with Mommy following close behind to set her back on her feet occasionally.

First Ouchie

Toddling Along

Today was also the second attempt at her one year pictures.  At first, I thought it was going to be a no go like last time as she went into meltdown mode as soon as we took the first picture.  Apparently, the flash of the lights scared her and after 20 minutes of more than a few tears, closely examining Nicole's very expensive camera and adding a few fingerprints to the lens (so sorry about that!) and just generally allowing her to crawl around and check everything out, she decided that she would allow us to take her picture.  And "allow" really does seem to fit how the photo session went.  To say I have an active child is an understatement.  Nicole and I were both sweating by the time we were done just from trying to keep up with her and wrangle her somewhat into position for a picture.  We should have a link to the proofs in a little over a week and I can't wait to see them.  Once she settled down and decided to be happy, she was all smiles and giggles, despite the fact that she wanted to get into anything and everything she could!

On another note....Its the first day of Spring and snowing outside.  It should not be snowing in Dallas in the middle of March.  And its not just a few dry flakes.  Their big, fat, wet, fluffy snow flakes like what I'm used to seeing in Minneapolis in January.  They simply do not belong in Dallas in March but its beautiful nonetheless.

I Do It Mommy!

I didn't realize Brianna could feed herself quite so well until she took the spoon away from me this morning and started feeding herself!

Book Review: Two Rivers by T. Greenwood

 

I have to say, I finished this book Tuesday night (I think...the days have run together) and have not been able to stop thinking about it.  That alone tells me its a book worth sharing with all of you!  At its heart, its a love story but it plays out against a backdrop of racial tension, redemption and guilt.  Its also a mystery.  We know from the beginning a few things about Harper Montgomery.  We know he participated in the killing of a black man 12 years before the start of this novel.  We know that his wife died the night their daughter was born.  We know that Maggie, the teenage black girl who appears in Harper's life after a train wreck in Two Rivers, is not necessarily what she seems to be.  But what we don't know is the why behind any of it, nor how its all related.

Between the story of Harper's current situation, where he finds himself unwillingly caring for Maggie while simultaneously attempting to raise his own daughter, Shelly, we see flashbacks to Harper's life as a child, teenager and young adult.  We learn how he meets Betsy, his wife.  We learn of his relationships with his friends, one of which ultimately commits the murder that has haunted Harper for so long.  We see how his mother's choice to follow her own heart during the Civil Rights Movement ultimately alters Harper's life in a way it seems he cannot recover from.  And while, at times, you wanted to reach through the pages and strangle Harper Montgomery for his selfishness and small town ways, by the end of the novel, you've forgiven him.  You relate to him.  You have hope for him to find happiness again.  Altogether, its a great novel that will stay with you long after you put it down.  The nuances of the story stay with you in a way that few other books, for me at least, have.

Mommy's Musical Make-Up

Hmm, what's behind this door?

Mommy's pretty stuff!

What can I do with this?

DRUMS!!!

Oh what fun I have playing with Mommy's Musical Make-up!

Walking Videos

Please ignore the slightly annoying but encouraging tone of voice I seem to have. I didn't realize that's quite what I sounded like ;)

Politics I Agree With ... from an unlikely source

Let me state this caveat ... I don't agree with California Senator Ashburn's lifestyle but I'm also not going to judge him.  His choices, decisions and behaviors are between him and God.  I don't throw stones.  But, that's not what this post is about.

I normally don't comment on political news since 1) I rarely am informed enough to do so and 2) its usually not something I think people who read this blog want to hear about from me.  But, there is a statement in this article that really caught my attention.

Ashburn said his votes reflected the way constituents in his district wanted him to vote, not necessarily his own views.

"I felt my duty — and I still feel this way — is to represent my constituents, not my own point of view, not my own internal conflict," he told Barks.

Ashburn said he planned to continue voting on behalf of what he sees as the majority viewpoint in his district, which includes parts of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino counties.

Ashburn's referring to the fact that he voted against several gay rights measures based on his belief that this is the majority opinion of the people who elected him to office.  That's politics I can agree with, even if its from an unlikely source.