Marvelly at 18 mos.

(I'm behind, she's presently 19mos.)

~21lbs

~31 inches tall
~(cute, and as petite, as a button!)
~rambles up a storm, I've lost track of all the new words she can say, but a few more are-
~hooray!, stop please, duck, baby, Mommy (instead of ma-ma), wing (swing), teeth, juice, and owie (which refers to anything from an actual owie, to an airplane, to something scary on the tv)
~She's taken up saying, "no-no!" (rather than just 'no') while waving and pointing her finger at you
~has taken a sudden attachment to her pink blanket. She tries to carry it with her everywhere. :)
~prefers Belle and the Beast
~actually, she prefers to play with any toy that Sydaleigh is holding
~is way more physical than Sydaleigh
~and by physical I mean she thinks it's soooo funny when she hits, or throws toys, or bonks you on the head....because everything's a game, and games are fun!
~Virtually no discipline works on her right now. And once again this is because everything's a game, so when I tap her mouth or pat her booty she just runs away smilin' and laughing, and will look back at you, and then run away real fast! to get you to chase her.
~she is full of joy
~still only has 8 teeth
~we hoping the rest grow in before it's time for them to fall out
~has wilder and crazier hair than ever (it's pretty light right now)
~picks the ice cream out of her cone with her finger (as well as oreos with creme in the center)
~loves candy
~scared of airplanes (result of the Blue Angels this summer)
~has a very cute pointy upper lip
~can finally get some air when she jumps
~is wearing a size 3 1/2 shoe
~has learned to pick her nose and examine it with great interest
~loves to suck and chew on her toothbrush which she interprets as brushing her teeth
~makes the spitting noise, without actually spitting when "brushing" her teeth
~independently goes down the slides all by herself, no matter the height.
~is extremely fun loving, adventurous, soft spoken, fast for being so small, squiggly, snuggly, and once again, oozing with joy.

* my dress and shoes from when I was Marvelly's age. I love that my Mom saved some of my old clothes for my girls to wear!

Screwed

I got my order for the most recent Portrait Project in the mail yesterday and wouldn't ya know the printing company messed up my order. They gave my a glossy finish when I asked for matte.
And the printer printed some sort of grid on the face and arms of one of the girls.
Crap.
When I call to complain I can only talk to someone living in a different country rather than someone who can actually help me. I'm told all I can do is return the order and ask for a reprint.
That would be fine and dandy except the ODM's graduation is next Saturday, twelve days from now. It's going to take a couple days at best for them to receive my order, then another day to reprint it, then another couple days to send it back out which leaves me pretty much screwed.
Not sure what to do at the moment.
But I needed to vent to prevent blowing a gasket.
Off to think of a solution....

Finding balance...

...when I have no free time.
This has been a bit tricky.
Sydaleigh is in a transitional time right now where she no longer needs a nap everyday.
That in itself is not tricky.
It gets tricky when she uses her now quiet time to talk to me from the top of the stairs begging for me to come and play with her.
And then crying when I don't play long enough.
For two hours.
Tricky.
Also tricky now that my quiet times (when I get them) are devoted to photography.
I have very little time left over for things like, oh, my beloved Bible study time.
And things like laundry and other non-important house hold chores. :)
I've been watching these past few weeks as my quiet time as literally dwindled away, leaving no time left over for what I need to do to sustain me.
But, I talked it out.
Came up with a new plan.
And now we are back on track.
Oh yeah!
Sydaleigh has mandatory quiet time on her bed for 45 minutes with special toys, while I eat lunch and do my Bible Study.
Then I go get her and let her play quietly in the play room for 90 minutes where she gets a snack to help sustain her.
It's working fabulous.
And I'm back.
I love being back.

A new level of lazy

I was unloading the dishwasher this afternoon and came across a tupperware container on the top rack to put away.
However, I couldn't put it away, because it was still dirty.
(It sat in the fridge one too many weeks :) and had pieces of white/blackish mold stuck to it in various places.)
So, naturally I chucked it in the dishwasher.
But, sadly,the dishwasher that is suppose to wash my dishes for me, did not wash this dish.
Every piece of white/blackish mold was still stuck in the same various positions they were before my dishwasher (that blasts scalding hot water!) failed to wash it thoroughly.
I looked at the tupperware, not at all surprised to find mold still stuck to it,
contemplated cleaning it myself,
but decided to go with my better judgment and just leave it where it was in the dishwasher.
But as I went with my better judgment I started questioning myself,
thinking that if I just took 2 SECONDS, picked up a green scrubbie, and wiped it real fast, the mold would be gone, and it would be clean.
I actually started thinking that.
That type of thinking is outside my better judgment though.
So I pushed that crazy idea out of my mind because I don't even know where it came from....
I mean, a dishwasher's sole purpose is to clean dishes.
Not kind of clean them, and leave little pieces of mold still attached, but really clean them, as in no more moldly tupperware.
So, I put it back.
Did not pick up the green scrubbie.
And told myself that is going to be the last time I likely ever used that piece of tupperware as the dishwasher is never going to clean it,
and apparently, neither am I.

Portrait Project -ODM 10/09 Graduates

This past Saturday me and my team of girls headed back to the Open Door Mission for another round of the Portrait Project.

"Wow"...I've been saying that a lot to myself this week.

As always, God showed up in cool unexpected ways. But, He does that quite frequently so you'd think I'd be used to it by now....
...but, I'm not.
Every time I surrender myself to His greater plan I'm left floored and speechless at the results which can only be described as divine intervention...
or what I like to call, "a total God-thing."
You can't sum it up as anything else.
It's all God. Every time. No exceptions.

This time around I photographed...
one man.
two single women.
a single mom and her son.
a single woman with her two teenagers.
a married mom with her daughter, and one on the way.
a mom and dad with their 5 kids, and one on the way.

The day was filled with incredibleness. And every moment is noteworthy....
I loved seeing Carla, a single mom we met in April, back again, but this time as a graduate and ready for her moment in the spotlight.
I loved seeing two sisters that I previously photographed this summer at Royal Family Kids Camp reunited with their family. When we met them in June they were living in foster care. Now, they are a testimony of God's ability to restore brokenness, as both parents are graduating from the program and have regained all parental rights. Amen. Amen. Amen.
I loved touching the softest skin I've ever felt on an African refugee and seeing her laugh and smile and goof around even though she felt awkward.
I loved telling the single man how handsome and distinguished he looks after he tried to tell me he was un-photogenic. (he had the whole mission swooning)
I loved giving another single woman her "princess moment" as she described it.
I loved that the five girls that came along, Holly, Amy, Kara, Liz, and Nicole,.. I was the one with the most down time.
I loved that God used them to pamper women, teenagers, and little girls who didn't know what it was like to have their hair and make-up done.

I loved that God used their hands to be His hands.

I love that God used their words to speak His words.

I love that God used their love to show His love.


Every face we met told a story. Every face left a mark. And every face is uniquely beautiful.

I just wish they knew how uniquely beautiful they are.

Sadly, most, if not all of them don't. They have no idea. It doesn't even cross their mind that they possess beauty. Quite the opposite actually. Most of the men, women, and children living in a homeless shelter, struggling with poverty and addiction hold themselves in the lowest regard imaginable.
And as much as I thought I "got" this aspect of their lives, God brought it face to face with me on Saturday. Here is my most standout moment from the day....
...I was suppose to photograph a third single woman that day, but on Friday evening she decided she just couldn't muster up the confidence to go through with the shoot. So I asked Ronda (the assistant director of Lydia House) if she would try talking to her one more time, and if the answer was still "no" if she would come down to the chapel just to talk with me for a minute.
I honestly wasn't expecting her to come talk to me at all.
It was one of those things you say and don't really expect the person to take you up on.
Well, I was wrong.
I had about ten minutes of down time while the next girl was finishing up her pampering so I went into the cafeteria and she was in there waiting to talk to me. We stepped back in the chapel just the two of us...and we started to talk...
She told me how her family doesn't know she's graduating from a rehab program.
She told me how she doesn't want to look back on these pictures and be reminded of this dark time in her life.
She told me she doesn't want me to waste my time on her.
She told me she didn't want to be photographed looking the way she does.

Then I told her some things....
I told her she is worthy of our time.
I told her these pictures are to remind her of her promising future.
I told her that she is beautiful.
I told her more importantly God thinks she's beautiful.
I told her when she's ready to stand in front of a camera, to let Ronda know, and I will come back to take her picture.

I needed this moment.
I loved talking with her even more than I would have loved photographing her.
And so now I pray. I'm praying that day will come. I'm praying that one day she will see her unique God given beauty and have the confidence to be photographed in celebration of her.

"Lord, may every face you placed in our lives that day come to know your perfect unfailing love for them. May they no longer see their past reflected in the image they see in the mirror. May they stand in confidence of the person you created them to be. You are the creator of beauty and I pray that through your unrelenting love that they would be able to see themselves through your eyes, and in turn be able to share the good news of your love with others who need it."

"How you made me is amazing and wonderful"- Psalm 139:14

(for more photographs of the graduates you can visit my website at www.mjsphotoshoppe.com)

Up up and away

Me and the girls are flying solo this weekend. Isaak is participating in a huge inspection which requires him to work 14hr shifts, carry a gun, and pretend to fight off terrorists. How my dental assisting husband ever got tasked as leader of security during all exercises I will never know. Still scratching my head on that one...anyways, like I was saying before...we're flying solo. Naturally on the weekends Isaak has to work are the weekends that I have to work, want to take the girls to cool activities, need to work in the church...but, we roll with it. We always make it out alive and kickin' even when we're a man down.

So Saturday evening after I got back from The Portrait Project I took the girls over to Iowa for this awesome hot air balloon festival. Talk about bringing back memories! My mom used to take me and my brothers to see hot air balloons in Kalamazoo while we were growing up. Geesh, I haven't been to one of these since I was a kid, and I was so excited, like crazy happy excited! We got there a few minutes late and as we were pulling up to the orchard to park the balloons started ascending into the sky. Oh my gosh I totally freaked! Hot air balloons make me so happy, I was pointing and clapping and acting way more bonkers over them than even the girls were.
I know, that sounds really weird, but it's just one of those things. I luv em.

The orchard the festival was held at was nestled nicely in Iowas 'gently' rolling hills. And I say gently lightly...they are only gentle rolling hills if you are driving in the car and have power to get you up their gentle slopes. They are treacherous if you have to climb them in a double stroller!
Thankfully two nice men took pitty on me and loaded Sydaleigh, Marvelly, myself, the double stroller, my beast of a bag, and our two lawn chairs onto the back of a tracker hitch thingy and pulled us to the top of the hill. They had a couple of other trackers driving people back and forth, but just people...no luggage. The way down to the car after the festival was a breeze, literally a breeze, a miracle I didn't loose control and send us flying into a careen the hill was so steep and soft thanks to all the rain yesterday. But like I said, we always seem to make it out alive and kicken' even when we're down a daddy. :) Here's a few pictures from our adventure last night.

Happy birthday to ME!

(I should clarify it's not actually my birthday today...it just came early in the form of the best gift ever, so I'm celebrating early, hence the WAHOOOOO!!!! )

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!!!!
Doing a little dance
breakin' it down
oh yeah!!!!!
WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Conversation on the way home....

.....went something like this....
( we were driving past the hospital being built down the street from our home)

Sydaleigh says, "Mommy, I don't want the sky to break."

Me, "Why do you think the sky will break?"

Syd, "I don't want the hospital to break the sky."

Syd, "Mommy, is the sky glued on?"

(Tee hee, she was trying to figure out if the hospital was going to get so high that it would touch the sky and break it. She was slightly concerned about this potential incident actually happening. What a little dear! I love watching her brain work.)

Calls it like she sees it.

This morning I was handing out snacks to the girls before we settled in for some learning time and Sydaleigh interjects,
"Marvelly always throws her food on the floor."
To which I replied,
"Yeah, I know, I need to keep teaching her that that is a 'no-no'"
Slightly puzzled Sydaleigh responds,
"Who's the teacher?"
"Well, I am. I teach you guys." I said.
Apparently that made no sense to her at all because she piped back,
"You are just our Mommy, you are not our teacher."
Well....okay then I guess!
Thank you Sydaleigh for keepin' it real.

FireProof

Me and Isaak finally succumbed to watching FireProof last night.
We had heard good enough reviews concerning the movie,
but lets face it,
a low low low budget movie staring Kirk Cameron....
how good could it really be? Mmm kay?
Before the flick began we new it was going to be full of bad acting,
korney lines,
and just full blown cheese....
and sure enough....it was!!!
However! However! It was still good!
The more the movie went on the more into it you got.
Granted, the acting never got better, and the cheese never went away,
but you found yourself so engaged in the couples lives by the end you couldn't help but like it!
(Isaak even liked the movie...he's a sucker for happy endings.) :)

Shoes anyone?

Four day weekend for Labor Day.
Beautiful weather.
I was thinking we needed to have a BBQ...so we did.
Good time with friends.
Good food.
All the kids got along.
We had the biggest bag of popcorn in the world (yes, the world).
Everyone had a good time.



Me and Isaak are inside cleaning up after everyone leaves...
and low and behold...
someone left with out their shoes.
?????
This really isn't a big deal, because we (we meaning the girls) leave their shoes everywhere and never think twice about it....but adults don't usually do that. I just find it funny that you can walk out of a house, to your car, drive home, and not realize you aren't wearing shoes that you had when you came. Tee hee hee, if you're missing these shoes, we have them, if you're brave enough to claim them. :)

NE State Fair

We took the girls to the State Fair on Friday with some other friends because all the Daddy's were off from work. This is the last year it's going to be held in Lincoln before it moves three hours away to Grand Island so we went one last time because there is no way I'm driving that far for a fair that's only 'so-so'.
We did the usual touring of the animals...Sydaleigh particularly loved the pen with nearly a dozen baby pigs. Marvelly liked them too, especially when she could throw shredded hay on them.


But her love for the pigs quickly vanished when one got out of its pen and started wondering
around....wondering around by her....



We explored some more animals


and some more


and some more....(I love the sign in the picture with Marvelly-seriously, who would literally feed their fingers to an animal?)


We watched a pig race, ate terrible but impossible to resist fair food, and then watched a high dive act. Now that was entertaining! A bunch of guys jumping from ridiculous heights into less than 10 feet of water....in speedos.






It was fun. We always go in the morning so unfortunately we miss out on the evening rides and entertainment, and all the carnie action...but maybe next year we'll take them on a ferris wheel.

Gymnastics!

Sydaleigh and Marvelly started gymnastics again for the Fall! This is Marvelly's first year and she loves it! Let the summersaults and kart wheels begin!