Playing With Dolls

'We mothers are learning to mark our mothering success by our daughters' lengthening flight" ~ Letty Cottin I thought she would never play with her girly toys. We have a room full of dolls and dress up for Libbie. Thus far she would rather play with Legos, Star Wars, and ANY Action Figure Hoot fancies. I know this comes with having an older brother she idolizes... (he likes her to play with him too even when he doesn't admit it). Last night she asked me to come in HER room and play dolls... She wanted me to be the mom and she would be the daddy. And she called me "Darling" and asked me to dance... We must be doing a good job parenting... however Lambert has never called me "Darling"... So we played dolls for a LONG time... she didn't want to stop and when her daddy came in to the room.... she asked him to leave!!! Girls only DAD!! (Her words). I cherished EVERY moment of play time... Girls only!! Maybe there is hope. So this morning I found her in her room... playing dolls AGAIN!!! Dixie is ALWAYS nearby... "Protecting" She loves Libbie Libbie has always been the organizer... Everything is in it's place in her room... She even did this in China... She would line things up very orderly. I had to go check on the laundry and when I came back into her room.... I found this!!! At least she's playing with dolls!!!

Hazy Day on the Dock

Libbie has become quite the cooperative subject these days. She loves to be photographed. I'm taking full advantage of it while it lasts. I'm certain this will be a short season. She enjoys looking at herself and I often find her in her room looking in the mirror and talking. I remember when Hoot did this. Hoot was selected to be in his shcool play, South Pacific, so he is busy in the afternoons with rehersal. I've had a few opportunities to take Libbie out for sessions. I'm still in awe of her deep dark eyes. She is such a beauty and a silly silly little girl all the same. “For finding your mother, there's one certain test. You must look for the creature who loves you the best.” —David Kirk, and just to demonstrate the silly....

Over Achiever

It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.- Anonymous Look at me go!!! Two days in a row... Don't get used to this;) I can't post about one without posting the other. These two are the loves of my life. It was such a beautiful day and we don't get many beautiful skies like we had today in Houston... the clouds were amazing. Hoot wanted to play on the tire swing so I took full advantage of the day. We had a great time capturing the moment and he didn't seem to mind the camera! "You have to love your children unselfishly. That is hard. But it is the only way." Barbara Bush

Time

Where does it go and how does it slip by so quickly? Time, indeed, passes quickly and if were not careful we just miss it. I have missed the blog world, but I had to make some choices... with all the editing I'm doing after the kids are in bed there is no time to post or stalk in the blog world. I'd rather spend time with my kiddos when they get home from school than stalk/post... (most of the time). I'm loving every minute God gives me with my beautiful children and husband and realize that I can't do it all... so I've taken a step back, taken a deep breath and only doing what I can do... and trying to do it to the best of my ability. I'm not going to obsess any more over how long it's been since my last post... even when Lambert asks me why I'm such a slacker... I took these pics of Libbie waking up from her nap and wanted to share. She is so happy when she gets in a good nap. She wakes up refreshed and ready to hit the floor running. It's the rare (very brief) time that she lets me cuddle with her and just be still together. Once the feet hit the floor she is wide open until it's time for bed. I love these moments in her room. Now Hoot will cuddle with me at the drop of the hat. He has no shame... when he catches me at school he snuggles right up to me, even with an audience.. not sure how much longer that will last, but I will take it all day long. Libbie has those deep eyes and I often wonder what's going on inside that little mind of hers. I loved these moments she allowed me to capture. (if it's not on her terms... it's not happening)

Sweet Libbie

There is no stopping our little Libbie. In many (most) ways this is a huge blessing ,but in other ways it's a curse! Since we've been home from China the poor girl has spent most of her time in a cast/casts. We finally got her orthotics worked out and tweaked and she was just rocking along... then at Hoot's birthday she managed to get in the bounce house with some bigger kiddos and she fractured her left tibia. It was considered a buckle fracture and not a compound. She walked on it for a week because the ER didn't detect the break. However at the end of a week of limping along, I called her WONDERFUL doctor at Shriners and sure enough it was broken. We just got the cast off a little over a week ago. Her Doctor told me she probably wouldn't walk on it for a few weeks. He wanted her to use her walker and his words were to "Keep her out of harms way!". With The Doll, this is much easier said than done. She is quick and stubborn. She wouldn't have anything to do with that walker... So day before yesterday she was on the play ground at school and was hit by a kickball in the left leg... she took a fall and cried but acted like she was okay. I noticed right away that she wasn't walking the same as she had been during the week. I am praying we haven't re-fractured her poor little leg. She has no muscle or fat on her left leg so there isn't much to soften a blow. I started having a pity party tonight and just feel so tired. Tired of dealing with casts, and trips to the hospital. Tired of the falls. It's emotionally draining to have a hurt child. When she falls its BIG and takes a long time to rebound. She is so fragile, but so independent and determined to do EVERYTHING on her own. She doesn't know that she has physical limitations.. which, like I said is a blessing most of the time. So were headed back to Shriners tomorrow for x-rays and I am PRAYING that it isn't broken. As I wallowed in my pitty I think God lead me to my friend Kim's blog.. 3Peanuts. I haven't had time to read blogs over the past month so I hadn't kept up with what was going on with little Ivy. My party is over and I'm asking that you join me in prayer tonight for Ivy and her family. I never link it right so just copy and paste. http://sammonsfamily7.blogspot.com/2012/10/is-there-cause-for-concern.html

More Than A Month

I think this may be the longest dry blog spell I've had! It's been more than a month and I have been MIA! Between, school, homework, part time job, and photography sessions... I have zero time! After Libbie broke her leg on Hoot's birthday I just haven't seemed to catch up. My house looks like a zoo, I basically live in my car and I stay up until weeeee hours of the night editing photos! I think this is a very busy time for photographers in general and then after the holidays it slows... I'm taking family photos now for Christmas cards and I've done homecomings and newborn sessions. I did a session in Houston this week for a mom entering her baby in a photo contest for Children's Place or Gap (I can't remember). He was a doll and it was a lot of fun. But my busy busy season won't start until November when I start decorating houses. I took on two new clients recently and may be flying to Dallas for another client (friends with my mom). We will see! I think I'm going to take December off after I finish decorating trees and not take any photography sessions until January. I need a break and I want to enjoy the season with my family. I am truly blessed and God has provided in ways I could not imagine. I never ever expected for my photography hobby to take off the way it has. I still feel very much an amateur, but I am learning so much along the way. Every time I shoot, I figure something out about my camera or my lens or what I could tweek to make things better. I struggle with sharp crisp images so I've been working on that a lot. I like the softness that a lot of my images have, but I really want to be able to create sharp images. My husband is a saint and my in laws have helped me so many times when I need the kids picked up or I need to drop off so I can shoot a session. Without them I would not be able to pursue this passion. Lambert helps with laundry and shuffling kids. I am beyond blessed. I miss my blog friends. I haven't posted nor have I stalked. There just hasn't been time. I do post on FB at http://www.facebook.com/illuminate.lambert. thought I would share some of my work! Enjoy First Maternity Session Brothers Baby Boston An American Family!

Super 8

Hootser turned 8 and we celebrated with a super doooper party. No party is complete unless we spend the night in the ER... we can check that off our list this year. All went well until Super WaWa (aka Libbie) had a POWERFUL collision in the moonwalk with Wonder Woman (aka cousin BB). WW landed on SW's leg and we were almost certain it was broken. After a long night and an x-ray we learned the bone was not broken, but badly bruised. We can handle that PRAISE THE LORD!! I was praying that we wouldn't need surgery. We'll head in to Shriners tomorrow so her doctor can take another look. She can't bear weight on it at this point, but thankfully it isn't broken. Hoot had a FANTASTIC time and at one point during the party he told me he had the best parents ever and he loved his life... how great is that?? I can't beleive he is eight years old. It really does seem like yesterday we were racing to the hospital to deliver him. He is still the sweetest and kindest little soul that he was the first time I held him. When I tell him he's getting too big, he always says, "but not too big to snuggle with you mom." I hope he says that forever... I know he won't, but oh I hope those days are in the far far future... Happy Birthday Hoot! Mom and Dad love you to the moon and back!!