An Easter Photoshoot (and a Handmade Quilt)

I know, I know. I already posted an Easter picture, but when I got these photos edited, I just couldn't resist sharing them with you. I grew up taking family pictures in front of my Mamaw's massive azaleas, so when they started blooming around here, I knew they would be the perfect backdrop for a quick photoshoot with the girls.

Micah was happy because the flowers happened to be pink. Kendall was happy to be outside. And I was happy that they were both looking in the general direction of the camera at the same time. That doesn't always happen, you know.

I love the quilt they're sitting on. I ordered it from Karmen's Quilts for Kendall's first birthday. She was great to work with, her prices are reasonable, and the quilt is gorgeous. If you're in the market for a handmade quilt, I can't recommend her highly enough.

I snapped away happily for about 10 minutes, and then my camera did the strangest thing. In between one photo and the next, everything turned pink.

So strange. Adjusting the settings didn't help, and I couldn't figure out what happened. Eventually, I gave up and came inside. The next day, the camera worked just fine again. These things only happen to me.

According to Google, it might be the image sensor (yikes), but I haven't heard back from Canon yet. We shall see.

Hope you're all doing well! Things may be kind of quiet around here for the next few weeks. Minted's annual holiday challenge is in full swing, and I'm busy trying to get some designs ready for submission, but I'll be popping in from time to time to check in with you.

Until next time, grace and peace.

My Girls and Me

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a good picture of a 3-year-old who can't be still and an 11-month-old who's easily distracted?

Exceedingly difficult.

That's why I settled for this as the best photo of me and my girls on Mother's Day. It's not perfect. For one, Dennis is lurking in the background. In addition to Dennis' inadvertent cameo, both Micah and Kendall seem determined to look at anything but the camera. And finally, it's glaringly obvious that I need to get my hair colored.

Despite all of that, I love this picture.

I'm usually behind the lens, so even if the photo isn't perfect, I'll take it, because I'm in it, and one day, my girls will appreciate it. It's also a perfect portrait of this stage of our lives. Both of my girls are just being themselves, and as much as I would love a snapshot of us all smiling at the camera, I really do want to remember what they were like at this point in time.

I used to think that a picture wasn't worth keeping if it wasn't perfect, but sometimes, perfect isn't possible. Real life is crazy and messy, and it's not always picture perfect. Our life is crazy and messy, and it's far from perfect, but it is beautiful.

Here's to keeping it real, y'all. That's what this blog is all about. If you're looking for perfection, you should go somewhere else. Now go post your less than perfect photos and link back to them here. I want to see your messy life, in all of its glory :)

Until next time, grace and peace.

Adventures in Toddlerhood: 18 Months

More and more lately, I find myself realizing that I'm the mother of a little girl, not a baby. Every time I blink, it seems, more of the baby falls off of Micah. At 18.9 months old, my little girl is in full-blown toddlerhood. She loves to talk on the phone (or any rectangular shaped object that she can make into a phone), and she babbles all day long. Her favorite word is bow, but she's also very fond of plo, which can mean plate or pillow, because obviously, they're the same thing. If I tried to list all the words she says, I'm sure that I'd miss some, but she's getting really good at matching animals with the sounds they make. "Micah, what's the dog say?" is sure to draw a dog sound from her, and just yesterday, she learned that sheep say baaa.

She's a mess, that one is, but I wouldn't trade her for the world. At her 18-month checkup, the doctor was amazed at how much she's grown in the past six months, and honestly, so am I. At 12 months, Micah still wore 9-month clothes, but she's grown so quickly that she now wears a 2T in some things. She went from being too tiny to even register on the growth chart to reaching {almost} the 75th percentile in height and the 60th percentile in weight. Now that's a growth spurt, people.

She sleeps for 12 hours at night and takes one nap a day, and on Sunday, she pooped in the potty for the first time. That same night, we ditched the paci and haven't looked back. Of course, after she used the potty Sunday, she pooped in her diaper four times on Monday, so we obviously have a long way to go, but still, babies don't use the potty. Big girls do. I'm telling you people, the baby is disappearing and being replaced by a sassy little lady. And she is definitely sassy. She loves shoes {pronounced shooos}, and she knows where to find them in her room. She demands a hairbow and likes to carry her "purse" around.

At the same time, she is her father's child. She was intrigued when Dennis changed the oil last week, and she's certainly not afraid to play in the dirt. If you know Dennis at all, you know that at his core, he's a hard worker. He can make or fix anything, and Micah's following in her daddy's footsteps. At least she knows how to swing a hammer.

Like Father, Like...Daughter from Leslie Ann Jones on Vimeo.

Hope you're all doing well. I'm sure there will be more tales of Micah's hijinks in the future.

Until next time, grace and peace.