Fall Fest Pics

I'm rather working backwards here. Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Such is the nature of this blog and it reflects my scattered brain, so hopefully no harm done. This is Alia and me during the Fall Fest photo shoot at her school. I took over 500 pics (3 of each kid, more or less) and could barely walk the next few days. My knees aren't young any more. One of the moms took this for Alia. The school set the backdrop. It was a fundraiser for PTO. This is my fun side - my creative side where I get to work with the kids. This part of photography doesn't make me nervous (no weddings, please), and I really enjoy getting the kids to smile - when I can! As you can see, I love my daughter very much. Just gotta hug her!!

When Grandma Barb was Here - Thanksgiving

Well, this was supposed to be from Thanksgiving, but this pic is from the lights at Flywheeler's in Fort Meade. Scroll down and you'll see Alia and her Grandma Barb who was in Thanksgiving week from Montana. Our first excursion was to WonderWorks in Orlando where we had loads of fun. We took a break to Johnny Rockets (hence the hats) to eat some burgers and then headed back. That night, WonderWorks had a magic show dinner theater that was very, very funny. Alia got to take part in the very last part - helping to open a package. Fun times!

Christmas

Alia and Alivia's first Christmas together. Alia turned 15 months this date. Out in front: Alia's hamster, Shayla, from Mom and Dad. She is holding her Nintendo DS. Alivia doesn't know what to make of the hamster (neither does the cat for that matter). She likes her Elmo's restaurant. The two boxes in the back are from our washer and dryer - we cut in windows and doors and the girls really have enjoyed them. They are big, though, so put them outside today. Next year, I think we will follow the 3 gift rule - these girls needs so little, although we love seeing their faces light up. Many of the gifts you see are from family, too. So, as my friend Ana has always said, if 3 gifts were good enough for Jesus . . . We get way too materialistic. I remember my room being so much sparser in terms of toys than the girls' room will ever be - and I was quite, quite happy. Can you imagine our 7-year-old wanting an iPod for Christmas? At least with the Nintendo, it can grow with her. And, of course, books are always a good bet. And Alivia's favorite toy? The package Alia's tennis balls came in. Go figure....

Making Lemonade

Well, it's sideways - go figure, but here's Alia juicing the sour oranges. Daddy bought the juicer especially for these oranges - yum, yum!

When In Florida - Make Juice

We picked oranges at a friend's house (thanks, Lorraine). They were actually sour oranges and made excellent "lemonade" which we all enjoyed. Alivia, however, preferred the oranges themselves.

Some Action

Alia got a special card from her Grandpa Artherholt and she took it to school, to Curves, to wherever and just loved to sing it. She sang in front of the ladies at Curves and they couldn't help but smile.

Family Photos

We need to do post-adoption updates for Alivia - every 6 months for 3 years. You're in luck - we need to do family photos as well, a definite rarity in our house!! So enjoy these that were taken at Cypress Gardens in November (before they closed down yet AGAIN). My mom took them, I edited, and they managed to turn out A-Ok. Only 3 from many, but we don't want to break all your computers!!