Oh, Girls!

Our Weekend

We spent the weekend at Pop and Grammy's house.

Yes, she's shaving Pop's head. And yes, she's enjoying it.

Look at how she moved his ear :)



a little cookie with her icing...

Calais

Isn't she so sweet? We're excited about our new niece and cousin!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What do you think?

I'm getting closer to revealing the project I've been working on for the past month with TF Photography. I need opinions. Which one do you like best?

authentic life. captured.


your authentic life. captured.


authentic. life. captured.

DNA

"Mike, look! That looks just like me."
"It is you."
"Oh yeah. I mean, I look just like Lydia! Uh, I mean, Lydia looks just like me!"

a little update

My daughter is developing a personality. It's oozing from her these days.

Here's how Lydia has made me smile this week:
1. She wants to read books constantly. She makes up the stories. They are very involved. My favorite so far is when she was reading "Sleeping Beauty" saying something like, "And then Wendy and Jon went and said, 'Christ is Lord!'..."
2. She's fascinated with her baby right now. She's named her "Rocka." I finally figured out that it probably came from the song "Rock a Bye Baby." We change Rocka's diaper, feed her cheerios, give her toys, and tuck her in at night. She actually sleeps in Mommy and Daddy's room because it's quiet. Last night Lydia interrupted her bedtime story and nervously exclaimed, "I forgot to put Rocka to sleep!" I told her I'd do it for her but laughed when Mike and I were getting ready for bed, and I was covering up Rocka in my room with her blanket and toy just the way Lydia would want it to be.
3. She had a playdate with a friend from preschool yesterday. She'd never been to her house and didn't know her mom. I told her I'd stay if she felt uncomfortable. After 10 minutes she called down from the top of their stairs, "Mom!" (yes, I'm "mom" now) "You can go now," she said.

And to think she used to be "quiet."

hottie

lessons to be learned

We wore the same underwear for 48 hours. It could have been worse.

We've been in the market for a new car for the past couple of months. Our van needed major repairs, and we were feeling uneasy about continuing to dump money in a family vehicle that wasn't reliable. Mike had been agonizing over the decision for a while. I, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with life and figured the best way to cure the problem was to ignore it!

But we decided that a trip to the car dealer on New Year's Day would be appropriate. We gathered some snacks for the car since we were leaving right before lunch and travelled to Indy. The kids and I hung out in the car for the afternoon while Mike talked to the salesman.

We left the dealership so we could crunch numbers and talk about our options. After letting the kids burn some energy at an indoor playground, we came back with our offer. The dealer didn't budge and neither did Mike. We left. It was 3:30; they were closing at 4.

We called back right before closing to see if they would split the difference. They agreed, but they were closing in five minutes. We would have to return tomorrow.

Fine. We were going to be proud owners of a 2007 Honda Odyssey. We were happy.

We ate dinner and decided it would be fun to spontaneously spend the night in Indy. But we had nothing. NOTHING. No pjs for the kids. No camera. No swimsuits. No FACE SOAP. HOW WOULD I SURVIVE????

I called my friend, Molly. She had dinner guests but gave us a bag of swimsuits, pjs for the kids, one toothbrush, and a small bottle of facial moisturizer.

We proudly walked into the beautiful Embassy Suites lobby with our plastic grocery bags. (I guess I need practice taking good pictures with my cell phone :)



Let the adventure begin.

Jonah told us he loved us and thanked us no less than 9 times. In the pool this morning I asked him about his favorite part of Christmas break. Was it Christmas morning or time at the hotel? I bet you can guess what he said.

We made lasting memories and came home with a new mini-van. Who cares if we wore our underwear a bit too long.

Family

A tradition in the Falder family was to dine at Ruths Chris on the 23rd of December. We decided to honor that tradition again this year for a night out.... without kids!!

Merry Christmas!

Troy and Ashley joined us via Skype from Seattle. We won't mention that it was 3:30 a.m. their time! We're looking forward to Baby Tiberi joining us in one month!

A Russian gas mask from Uncle T & Auntie A :)

"Lydia, show me your excited face."

A special present from Pop and Grammy: season tickets to Kings Island for Mike and Jonah!


And now I sit. It's quiet. I needed to relax.

I'm always asking the kids, "So what was your favorite gift this year? What gift are you most excited about?" I got a new camera from my husband. That makes me smile.

"But [He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father!"

Thank you, Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Let it Snow!

friends

I'm working on some friends' pictures tonight-- the pictures I haven't had enough time to edit during the busy fall season! My friend, Jana, is pregnant with her first child. This shot just made me smile:

Silent Night

What a fun night on campus!

boys.

Lynn and I became friends when we were 14. I wrote about her and our friend Leann here. After all the history, we entered the world of motherhood within 11 days of each other.


Although they're getting older and developing their own interests and personalities, it's fun to see them enjoy one another. Okay, perhaps Jonah enjoys Aidan a little too much!

Lydia's First Christmas Program

Adorable.

TF Photography

Wow. I'm ready to be done with this photo season. I feel like a definite business owner and am ready for a break! I have three more sessions before Christmas and then I'll be relaxing without my laptop in front of me!!!!

I'll be taking the month of January to work on marketing, advertising, imaging, pricing, etc.

I thought you could help me get a boost on a few of my January goals:
1. I want to make better use of Facebook as an advertising tool.
2. I want a tagline.

Are you my "fan" on FB yet? Do you have any ideas for a tagline?

Thanks, friends!

Our Thanksgiving

a few more halloween pictures...

cousins:

Do I know these people?