The last two weeks have been unbelievably sickly around here. Avery and I have been through a virus, an ear infection, a sinus infection, and sunburns. The last few days have had me feeling decidedly more human and Avery seemed to be checking out okay too so we finally made a trip to visit my sister in the hospital (on her birthday!) and while there my mom pointed out that Avery felt warm. I thought so too which is why I'd checked before we left and she had 98.4...so now she's got 101.8 and I couldn't be more ready for the sick days to be behind us. I think I'm done with February.My aunt came to visit this weekend (and do my laundry) and she brought a stack of old family photos to be scanned. I could hardly contain my excitement when I found the little gem of brotherly love below. 
Those are my dad's two younger brothers, circa 1984. The one on the right was 20, the one on the left was 14. So many things strike me as funny in that picture, but what's weird is I'm still trying to figure out why my 20 year old uncle was at my 14 year old uncle's 8th grade dance. Was he a chaperon? Dropping him off and hopped in a picture? I just don't know! But I do know that it reminds me so much of this movie. Also, I'm really glad T & S do NOT read my blog!
But his talented momma did put one on his overalls! I got to spend some time with an adorable baby boy on Sunday afternoon and get some photos just in time for his first birthday. I really appreciate all the work his mom and grandparents put in behind the scenes. There were numerous rounds of pat-a-cake going on just above me, behind me...everywhere! :)I find it especially fun to photograph children younger than Avery because it always takes me back. Little C is on the verge of becoming a full-fledged walker, so the days of being able to sit him down and have him stay still for a minute will be soon be gone! Not that he always wanted to sit still for a minute...Doesn't that picture just make you say, "Awwww!" No worries, after making him cry he got cake!
C is having a barnyard birthday party and just listening to his momma talk about the plans, it's a party not to be missed! Thanks so much P for letting me photograph this special time for your cute baby boy!
Late last Thursday night I started running fever and Avery followed on Saturday. Thankfully the fever only lasted a few days but unfortunately I've been hit with a second round of stuffy nose and congestion. Boo! Avery has moved on to an ear infection so if we can ever actually get the antibiotics in her mouth, she should start to feel better. All of the sick talk to say that I haven't taken my camera out once this week. There have been several great moments to document so a list is in order!1. Avery tried to ride a regular sized My Little Pony like she does her big rocking horse. Totally hilarious because you couldn't even see the pony and she kept saying, "Neigh! Neigh!"2. Avery tried to ride Oscar like she rides her big rocking horse. Also totally hilarious but I'm not sure Oscar's back appreciates the added weight.3. I put her puppy dog hat on when we left to run errands so her ears would be covered and she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. So I backed up and stood in front of the mirror and she laughed and laughed at herself with that dog hat on. Totally cute!4. Her sense of humor is really developing. I was asking her to point out certain animals in a book and she would point at the wrong one and say, "Noooooooo," then look up and smile before pointing to the right one. She's been doing the same thing with placing blocks on colored paper. Like she's tricking me or something. Silly girl!5. Avery threw up in Deran's belly button. That one isn't something that really needs to be documented as it's happened before, it's just really really gross. She was sitting on his lap and managed to get rid of eeeeevvvverrrything she had to eat during the day. And that's what happens when we try to give her medicine. It all comes up!6. She now correctly identifies green, yellow, purple, pink, blue, black, orange, red, and brown. She and Deran were going over the colors of various bath toys the other night and he said I should get her started on letters. And I agree, but she's just not that interested right now. The color activities are things she's interested in, letters not so much. If anybody has suggestions for introducing letters to capture a toddler's interest, feel free to email me!7. Avery has started repeating almost everything. I will miss her baby voice and the way she pronounces words now. It will be strange to actually hear her say "monkey" instead of "mutmuh" or "Oscar" instead of "dada." I love listening to her repeat words because it's so cute to hear what she thinks sounds like what we're saying. This week she added doctor, gross, messy, hearts, and she changed the way she says move from "moo" to "moose." I really think she just likes saying the s.8. We've been a crafty duo this week, whipping up some valentines, coloring, painting, and gluing.See, some of those things couldn't really be photographed anyway! I'm hoping we both feel better soon! I've got a couple of days to rest up for a session this weekend. And I do have a picture of a heart to share.Deran was taking care of things outside and noticed this old wasp nest. Is it called a nest?! Anyway, it looked like a heart to me so of course I grabbed my camera!
I'm shooting a wedding in April and I'm excited to photograph such a special day in such a beautiful sanctuary! The stained glass windows along the left side depict the stories of the Old Testament while the windows on the right tell the story of Christ, ending at the front with the Resurrection. Such a gorgeous place, I doubt I can do it justice!
I have so many shots of the two of them together, one or both sleeping on the sofa. It's a common way to nap around here on the weekend. As always, it's amazing to see her growth!
So it didn't snow here at all. It was really cold and there was definitely ice, but no snow. I should've known there wouldn't be when we were watching the weather on Thursday and Avery smirked during the forecast.
I was actually trying to get a picture of Oscar sleeping but Avery kept getting in my way. It's a good thing I like looking at the back of her head.
Hope everyone has a great weekend and a safe Super Bowl Sunday! I'm hoping to get some sewing done while Avery naps and D watches the game. Exciting times at the Schilling house!
Yesterday's topic for The Joy of Love was "Then and Now." I took a picture of Oscar napping on the couch and in my search for a puppy picture, came across several others in the 2003 folder that made me smile.This was the day after I bought Oscar. He used to sit on his bum like that all the time and it was so cute!Taken on a trip to visit family in Massachusetts, this nephew wasn't even a year old. He just turned EIGHT last September. He was an adorable baby and now he's a pretty cool kid.Me sitting in a park, looking at someone thoughtfully...maybe? Really I'd just like to point out how much more defined my chin/neck area used to be. I was a senior in college wearing a t-shirt commemorating my high school senior trip. Cool. I was walking Oscar down by the river and looking a little sour. Oscar was about 12 weeks old, and hadn't yet been discovered by the landlord.
Deran and I in New York. And honestly, this one didn't make me smile so much as it made me laugh! We both look really young, I look rough, and Deran just looks ticked. A beautiful way to remember the trip, yes?
This one is actually from 2004, but I saw a folder titled "pictures so wife doesn't kill me" and had to look inside. I'd just been complaining that Deran moved our photos around and I couldn't find our wedding photos anymore, and somehow that folder showed up on the shared drive shortly after. Me & my dad at our wedding reception. I imagine wedding days to be emotional for parents anyway, but my dad was just days away from losing his own dad to cancer after a tough year of caring for him. Family emotions were high, but my dad was there for me that day. I remember starting to tear up and maybe freak out just a little right before my girls started walking down the aisle and my dad taking me in the bathroom, telling me it was all okay and then blowing in my face while I tried to frantically fan the tears away and calm down. And what do you know, it did all turn out okay. :)
And last but not least, my heart photo for the day. Avery's playhouse. She LOVES her house. She'll just go to the back door and repeat "house" until we go outside to play. It was an early Christmas present from Nana & Pop and I hope we're still playing with it next Christmas!
I'm getting this heart shot out of the way first. It's Avery's cup for the day. She loves dogs and I love her. Avery is now officially one point five years old. Well technically it's not official until 6:45 p.m. but still. Whoa. She's almost over the one year hump, tomorrow she'll be closer to two than one and my heart will hurt a little bit because my baby is very much a toddler now. So many strangers in the last month have made the comment to "enjoy her now" because time passes so fast. And it does, it really really does. I don't long for the past and I can wait for the future, I really do just want to focus on right now while it's happening. Besides, as her momma, I'll always think of Avery as my baby!It seems like she's learning something new every single day. I still answer in months when people ask how old she is because I feel like it's not fair to say she's one. Avery at 12 months and Avery at 18 months are two completely different tots.She's picking up new words daily and has added a few new signs. She mostly signs and speaks the word at the same time so it's really cute to watch. She'll look through the baby signs books and then try to copy them on her own which always impresses me. "More" is still her most commonly used sign and not only does she use it when she actually wants more of something, but she uses it when she wants something and doesn't know the name. Like chewing gum, candy, etc. If I have something she wants she's likely to say, "more," and basically that means she wants whatever I have. She gets frustrated easily when we take something away or don't understand and she'll scream. But if I tell her to please ask nicely she bends her head to her shoulder and says, "Peeaasssse?" It's really really cute, I don't know where she got the shoulder shrug thing but it makes it very hard to resist anything. Her current favorite songs are No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and a counting fish song. She'll get in my lap and start bouncing up and down saying, "Mut-me!" which is Avery for "monkey" and means she wants me to sing. It's cute because when she jumps up and down her feet don't actually leave the floor, it's more like she goes on tip-toes. She's got the doctor's part down, not surprising given her joy over saying NO. When I get to that part, I always ask what the doctor says and she shakes her finger and says, "No no no no." Itsy Bitsy has been a favorite for a while. Her little spider hand motions are very cute! And the counting fish song is really short and I don't think it has a name, but Avery loooooves her some fish these days. Sometime over the last month we watched an episode of Elmo's world that was about fish and it spurred days of fish crafts, reading books about fish, playing games about fish, watching her fish in her faux aquarium. She's very excited about "dissssh!"We've been spending time on colors and sorting lately. I do believe her favorite color is blue or "booo." She can say the names of purple, yellow, blue, pink, & red. I think she can actually recognize blue for blue. She picks blue items the most, while saying blue. She always wants to get her "boo marma (marker)." And let me just say that washable markers are not always so washable! In the tub she'll pick the blue cup and tell me it's "boooooo!" then she'll point to all the other buckets & toys asking, "Dis? (this)" so I'll tell her the color. We use different colors of construction paper to sort items. Right now we're mainly working on red, green, yellow, and blue. I know I've said it before, but it really is amazing to watch a child learn. And not just colors or shapes, but to see the motor skills developing too - it's just all really neat!!Avery is becoming an excellent copier so we've been working on emotions and opposites. We own lots of good books that go over both. One of my favorite visuals is a set Baby Einstein flash cards. There's a mirror on the back for your baby to watch herself expressing the emotion. She does excited, happy, surprised, sad, & scared like a pro. She'll hold on to the scared card and just keep pointing at the spider that she calls a bug, and then acting scared like Bard. And speaking of being scared, one day last week I put her in her crib to wear her down for a nap and after several minutes of listening to her talk, I peeked in to see her facing her crib piano. She roared like the lion on the piano and then said, "No no!" and clutched her chest like she was scared. It was so funny because, while she's never liked looking at lions, she's the one who roared in the first place! I laughed and of course her nap was forgotten in favor of playing. She's just too cute sometimes. :) Opposites are fun too and we've been fans of Quiet LOUD for a long time. Avery has mastered screaming when asked, but her whisper is a work in progress. She loves plurals and possessives. She's always telling us what's Mommy's, Daddy's, Baby's, etc. I think maybe she just likes to say the S sound. She often talks about books, paints, snacks, and the list could go on. Definitely likes the S.She is so fun and loving and just the best girl around! When I asked Deran what his favorite thing about Avery is right now, he said it's how fast she learns, that it's pretty amazing. And I think that kind of sums up our girl right now - amazing. I'm listening to all the strangers and I'm enjoying right now, every day.
Happy 18 month birthday baby girl, we love you lots!!
Yesterday afternoon while Avery was coloring and I was taking a picture for this, I noticed her sunglasses were sitting on the table. Hearts, they're everywhere! I've tried (unsuccessfully) to get Avery to wear them. I've put them on myself, her baby, etc. to show her how cool they are. But of course since Deran recently told me how uncool I really am, I should've known better. However, Harper happened to be hanging out with us in the playroom and I couldn't resist.
And yes Aunt BB, that pink harness does indeed have magical calming powers. I put it on her because I knew that was the only way I'd get her to sit still, it's like once the harness is on Harper experiences sudden paralysis. Seriously. Yea for the pink harness!But because Harper doesn't have much of a nose, the glasses quickly fell off and looking into her crazy eyes I didn't have the heart to put them back on. Plus Avery thought it was kind of funny but it in no way encouraged her to put them on. She did chew on them for a minute, but then decided to drop the shades and sit with her favorite pug.
I wish Harper appreciated how sweet Avery is to her. Avery will push Oscar away and save her snacks for "Barper!" She's always calling and searching for Harper and wants to love on her but Harper is so ornery. She doesn't handle the love as well as Oscar. And how about that for coincidence, Avery's wearing the same top!
I don't exactly blame Harper for being a little cantankerous...you never know when the mood will change. But oh, does my Avery ever love that cranky pug!
And I think deep down, Harper loves her a little too.
I think it may be my new favorite photo. It seems I love a good picture of my girl and her dogs. It's a little gross, but so sweet to me.
It's February, time to get slammed with all kinds of love/romance/kissy related things! I've been seeing lots of hearts lately and the shape never fails to make me think of love. I love to love! And being loved is pretty nice too. So in honor of February and St. Valentine, I'm going to dedicate the month to pictures of hearts...and probably some of my baby and a couple of clients too. :)To get the month started, I'm sharing this picture of my friend T. We met ten years ago in college. You have no idea how it pains me to have just typed TEN years ago in COLLEGE. It's cool though, I like being 29. 
Anyway, my friend T. She's actually got a lot in common with both Deran and me. She and Deran do similar work (insert complicated computer terminology), but the best part is that she's also a crafty gal and an amazing artist. And we read similar literature. Is Twilight considered liter...what about Nora Ro...we both like books. So really, she's like two friends all wrapped up in one!She stayed with us a few weeks ago to attend a charity challenge computer website weekend with Deran. Ambiguous enough?! So after the event was over on Sunday, they returned to our house to sleep for several hours and then T & I got our craft on. And mostly she just tried to teach me how to crochet. Unfortunately, I had bad yarn. Bad yarn makes a difference! Not only can she crochet, she can knit. Which is actually what she was doing to the blanket in the photo. She had thread holders (I'm very technical today!) in her pouch of supplies and I noticed it was TADA! shaped like a heart.That's a lot of back-story for one picture, but I felt it must be shared. I love crafting but even more than that, I love my friend. Throughout the last ten years we've made a lot of memories over shared vacations, delicious meals, weddings, funerals, bizarre acrobatic performances, board games, and just living life. I don't know what the difference is exactly, I've lost touch with several friends I had in high school and met in college. But despite different states, different ages, stages of life, despite all that could cause our friendship to drift apart - it's been decided. She's a keeper.
And now you know T, you were always going to be a blog superstar. I was just waiting for the right time. Even if you can't actually see your face!
