Baby Love

Elaina Beth LOVES baby dolls. Last week we walked into the American Doll store while mom was in town, since it was right by the hotel she was staying at for work. I knew Elyssa would be excited, but I never imagined how much Lainy would enjoy it. She took in everything, looking around at each new baby and squealing with delight. I wish I would have had a video camera. She has discovered Elyssa's doll and will work to get to it and then hold it and pat it. I decided to give her one of Elyssa's old baby dolls and she loves it, too. Miss B clings to it. Her daddy loved watching her snug the dolly up tight as he tried to pry it out of her hands. She definitly has a strong grip! Here is a quick shot I snapped of Elyssa holding Lainy holding the baby. Too sweet :)

State Fair of Texas

Do you ever wonder about the choices you make as a parent? Things you never would have considered before are now acceptable, simply because you crave that look of joy your child gets on that beautiful face! It sounds sweet, but in the end we stood in line for over an hour just so that Lys could get her face painted and be handed an inflatable balloon made into the shape of her choosing. Consindering that there were only about 5 families in front of us, I thought, why not? I sent her to wait in the face painting line and I stood in the balloon line and we would do whatever happened first. Who knew that Mr. Balloon man told a story as he expertly created each child's (and 2 adults') requests. It was definitely a sight to behold. He was great, but SO SLOW! By the time her face was painted, we were only 1 family away fron the treasured balloon. Tony caved and told her we could do that, too. (Did I mention how slow the balloon guy was and the fact that two adults in that last family in front of us requested he make THEM a balloon?) The trully sad part was that it was the last stop of the night, so we walked out of the vendor building and straight towards the car. The beautiful butterfly that graced Elyssa's face was only a car ride away from being washed down the drain... Lucky for us, the digital age made it possible for me to capture that butterfly and put it up on the web for all to see. :)

Other than that, we had a wonderful time at the fair. We saw real butterflies in each stage of their lifecycle. Visited a make believe farm. Watched a bagpipe band. Fed baby animals. Looked at the latest cars headed for the dealers. Ate a candied apple and a turkey leg. And even watched both girls pick a duck for a prize. It was a perfect way to spend a gorgeous afternoon!

It's been awhile!

Do you ever stop and wonder where a week (or month) has gone? There seems to be an "a-ha" moment nearly every day that I desperately want to blog, but just as quickly that moment passes and I continue with the daily grind...

That said, life is good right now. My photography business is growing exponentially, as are my girls! Parent teacher conferences were today and I am proud to say that Elyssa is doing wonderfully in school both academically and socially. Did I mention that her kindergarten teacher asked her and Abby (her best friend) to be flower girls in her wedding? They are SO excited! Lainy finally has a tooth peeking through her gums. I will try and get a picture of it soon. She is also grasping the concept of chewing and can pick up puffs and feed herself. It is a little sad, but her diet mostly consists of momma's milk, gerber puffs, and cheerios:)