Family Photos

We decided to try a new photographer for our family photos 2011 since DH doesn't work at Hills anymore. We went to Southern Belle Portraiture and we absolutely LOVE our pictures! The best part is, you get the copyright to all the photos and it gives me the freedom to retouch them or add special effects. Here is an example - I didn't like Macyn's diaper showing in this picture, so I pretty much photoshopped it out.

Before                                                                  After

With the copyright release, I also used them to update the blog banner on top. I LOVE all the other pictures too. If you want to see them all, go here to an online album where I have uploaded them. I love the colors and how high of quality they are. I am thinking of getting this picture on a canvas for our home. I have already ordered our Christmas cards and they arrived on Friday! The best part is, they were running a special - 75 5x7 cards (front and back) with envelopes for $29. Shipping included! We bought them from Mixbook and are very satisfied. High quality printing and the ability to edit and add whatever you want to your card. If you want a sneak peek to our card, click here. And if you want it to be a surprise in the mail, don't click :)  But the cover was a stock card and the back I redesigned and added text with pictures. I love them!

Sunday Best

All dressed up for cousin Sarah's baptism! Sweater dress, pink tights, and shiny brown Mary Janes!

BOGO

I have come to the realization that when I like something, I must like it. Case and point: we recently went to Payless to get some new shoes. Mine are now 5 years old and after my feet growing after being pregnant, I am tired of curled toes and the fear that they would somehow "break free" through the ends of my shoes. It was time for some new ones...and better yet, its Buy one, get one 1/2 off! First, I found some brown ones I really loved.

 

After I found the brown ones, I though - hey, I should get some black shoes too because they would only be 1/2 price. So I went back to the aisle, scoured the shoes for some black ones I liked and found a pair! It wasn't until I put both of them side-by-side and thought to myself, "wait a minute..."

Yup. Same shoe. I didn't even realize it. So guess what? I bought both, and I am okay with having the same shoe in 2 colors. The best part is, you don't get blisters from switching back and forth. However, I am dreading the day I go to work and realize I have one brown and one black one on. Mark my words people, I am pretty sure this will happen!

Ear Tube Update

Here is a little update referring to Macyn's tubes that were put in on Friday. Everything went well, except she is always super crabby waking up from anesthesia. She was crying so hard that she was gasping for air. Poor thing! Anyways, I am more confident in our decision now to give her tubes again. She still had a tube in one of her ears so the plan was to remove that one, patch it, and give her a new tube. That is exactly what they did, except her ear drum was starting to grow around the tube that was still in her ear. The Dr. said that is very bad when that happens and was happy that we caught it early. They simply shaved down the part that was growing and patched it like normal. They then put a new tube in her ear in a different spot. She has quite a bit of "ooze" buildup (I'll spare you the more yucky description) but it will be taken care of through the use of drops. If there is any excess, they will remove it it next week at her check up. So far everything is going well. Just keeping our finger's crossed this is the last time she will need them!

Baptism Present

DH's cousin gets baptized on Sunday (yes, his cousin is 2 years younger than our child). So I was trying to come up with a gift we could give her, and I found these name crosses on the internet. I decided to create one myself, print it out, and frame it. I think it turned out pretty cool, and I might just have to make one for Macyn. It says her name, along with God's Precious Gift with the date on the bottom. This was an inexpensive, unique gift to give. I can't wait for them to open it on Sunday!

Bug Jar

Since it was such a nice day out today, we decided once again to go outside. Instead of playing in the leaves we do every other time, we had a different agenda today. We were going to collect bugs in a jar. We caught about 6 Asian Beetles and 1 Box Elder Bug. We let Macyn put some leaves, sticks, and grass in the jar too. She likes to watch them crawl around in the jar. They are pretty active I must say. It was a fun activity for outside and fun to watch her bugs crawl around. She was pretty proud of them!

Taco Pizza

I was really hungry for some Casey's taco pizza for lunch today, but since our "eat out" budget is getting a little small, we decided to make our own homemade pizza instead. It turned out really good, despite my picture not looking so pretty! I completely forgot to take pictures of it until there was only 1 piece left. Oopsies! Anyways, here is how you make it. First, get a pizza crust. We used a pre made one. Then top the crust with salsa (we used taco bell, medium), taco meat (make according to package - we also used taco bell). Then, add some mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese. Then cook it according to directions on the pizza crust. Top with Doritos and you are finished! It was yummy and super easy to make. You could also add other things like beans, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. We like ours plain with chips and topped with sour cream. M m m m mmmmmm!