Jake and Izzy...

My sister told me about a show she found on Disney, and I still can't believe it. It's called Jake and the Never Land Pirates, and Jake's sidekick on the show is Izzy!!  I got right on Tivo and got a season pass. I can't wait to see it.

I found one more shot of Izzy from last Tuesday that I really loved. I decided it was screaming for a little something extra.

We finally had a swimming lesson without tears last week...week 4!!!  He was close, but he didn't cry. I was so relieved. It will be time to take my big camera next week. I got this shot on the iPhone.

There is something weird going on with my t-shirts and maybe one of you can help me figure it out. Most of my t-shirts...especially those that are a little thin...have one or two tiny holes right in the middle near the bottom of the shirt. How crazy is that?  I thought maybe it was from my laptop...or my seat belt. Yesterday I wore a new shirt that I just got from Target.

I love it. It's super soft and not too clingy. Now it has holes in it!!
I have no idea what I'm doing to my shirts. I didn't use my laptop yesterday, and my seat belt feels smooth. I have no idea what else it could be. 

Jake helped me work in the studio last night. We were testing a new backdrop that I ordered and getting ready for the cake smash session that I have today. 

Have a great weekend!

Izzy on Polka Dots

Izzy came over today in the cutest Valentine's shirt. I still had the pink polka dot background up and was able to coax her into the studio for a few shots.

The Little Helper...

I forgot to post this the other day...the little man in action.

Jake's teacher took him out of the car this past week and told me that he was one of the sweetest little boys she's ever met. That sure made this Mommy happy!

I got a few new things for the studio including this fun pink polka dot background and a new floor.

I was setting up when Jake noticed this outside.

 I decided this would be a fun way to keep him occupied while I worked in the studio. So...I went outside, climbed on a chair, and started picking icicles.  Jake had a blast with them in the bathroom sink.

We made it through week 3 of swimming lessons. I thought we were past the crying until his instructor pulled out the goggles. She thought they would be helpful since he was rubbing his eyes so frequently. He wasn't a fan. I got this shot on my iPhone.

He wore them for about 5 minutes. The instructor is hoping to increase the time each week until he is use to them.

Jake has been talking about this Nerf gun since we spent the evening at Dan and Kathy's house last weekend.

He tried to earn it during Church last Sunday, but that didn't happen. Kate decided to come home this weekend. She hasn't seen us in 2 weeks because she was in Miami last weekend. She mentioned to him over the phone that she had presents from her trip. He told me he thought one was the Nerf gun. When she came in the door last night, I handed her the gun to give to him.

He was a happy boy. Unfortunately the gun is on top of the refrigerator right now. Daddy took it away this morning. Jake wasn't listening and continued to fire it at our 2-story foyer chandelier. One dart got stuck in the light fixture, and Daddy had to drag the ladder in to retrieve it. Tomorrow is another day. :) 

We are headed to the mall for new shoes for Jake and then taking both kids out to dinner tonight. Have a great weekend!

Older and Wiser

I am this time...with this child. If Kate had produced some of the artwork that Jake produces, I would have been worried.  I would have compared her to other kids. I would have consulted professionals. This time around I laugh. His teacher handed me this stack of work at his conference. The conference went well. Other than attention span problems during circle time, he seems to be right on track.  He'll get it eventually. He's on Jake time.

Actually the bear isn't too bad. They get more interesting. This next one is a beginning of the school year self portrait. I'm just trying to figure out which body part he was drawing.

 He apparently likes to stack body parts.

He said something that struck me as so funny yesterday. I wore a necklace most of the day. Later in the afternoon, I took it off. He was sitting in my lap and touched my neck. He said, "Hey...what happened to that ring around your head?"

Saturday's swimming lesson was an improvement over the first one. We had some tears at home before we left, but he pulled himself together. However when he noticed his teacher in the locker room, he started screaming and tried to lock himself in a stall. I reminded him that Daddy was waiting for him to come out of the locker room, and he was able to pull himself together again. He knows Daddy doesn't have much patience for that silliness.  The lesson was perfect! Not a single tear! I knew he would work hard to impress Daddy.

In the afternoon, we made cookies to take to Dan and Kathy's house. I turned around to wash something in the sink, and this is what I see when I turn back. This boy is fast. Of course, I let him stay on the counter while I grabbed my camera.

Dan and Kathy, I promise that I was done mixing before his tongue made it to the mixer. Dan...I promise the mixer was unplugged.

It was great to hang out with Dan and Kathy, drink some wine, eat some great food, and let the boys play.

 Jake was so interested in the real fire in the fireplace. It definitely sounds different than a gas fire.

 Sam was interested in Uncle Dan!

Will Work for Suckers...

Thanks for the post title, Shanah! ;)

Yesterday was our third day in the house together thanks to the freezing rain/sleet/snow. I needed to break up the day, because I was really getting stir crazy. We needed a little bit of what Mommy wanted to do and a little less of what Jake wanted. All it took was a little bribe.

Aunt Sue encouraged me to take pictures of Jake with his ball collection. Jake seems to think you have to buy a ball whenever you go to Target. Aunt Sue seems to encourage this addiction. ;)  Well...I tried.  The sucker was a better bribe.

The funniest part of all of us...he had peanut butter all over his mouth during this shoot, and I never noticed.  Well...I eventually noticed...when I edited these pictures!  Only the photographer's kid would have a dirty face during his photo shoot!

BTW...the swim lesson was postponed because the pool wasn't warm enough and temps have been bitterly cold. The makeup lesson is Saturday...cross your fingers.

Brrrrr.....

It's cold, baby!!!  We didn't get the massive storm that was predicted, but it sure wasn't fun shoveling the freezing rain, 4 inches of sleet, and 2 inches of snow that we got. I am going stir crazy in this house with Jake. I believe swimming lesson is on for tomorrow, and we are going. I don't care that the temp will be below zero overnight and in the single digits in the morning. He needs the consistency, and I need to get out of this house. 

I took my macro lens out for a little walk in the yard.

Since I was bored and stir crazy and trapped in this house, I decided today was the perfect day for a studio shoot with Jake. He was willing...I promised a Valentine sucker. I got 12 adorable shots and will probably be finished editing them tomorrow. So...I'll be back then. You better believe Karen will hold me to it!