Magic Moments Monday #5

It's Monday again!!! (Well, it's actually almost Tuesday!) I didn't take any pictures this past weekend. I spent each and every minute just living in it and soaking up the sunshine and family time!

Here's your Magic Moment from tonight!

Several times in the past week, we have heard the music of the ice cream truck, we waited in the drive way and he never came down our street. Well, we got him tonight!!! And Alistair was so thrilled to finally have his Bugs Bunny Ice Cream that we had a "backwards dinner!" That's right, we ate dessert first!!!

You Capture-Youth

"I love you forever-

I like you for always.

As long as I'm living-

My baby, you'll be."

~From Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Nothing fancy-dancy here. I took this with the Instagram app for iPhone and just LOVE LOVE LOVE it more than anything else I shot this week. He seems so big and yet, I need to remind myself that he is still my baby. He is still little. And he still needs his Mommy.

Magic Moments Monday #3

Standing on the sandbar
(taken by Noah w/ Pano app for iPhone)

Practicing Casting!
*Note* the object above his head is his practice weight! Great timing, huh?!
(taken by Noah w/ iPhone)

Nothing is more fun than worms in a cup!
(I used my "real" camera...haha)

Helping Daddy work on Mama's car!
(taken by Noah w/ iPhone)

Magic Moments Monday....err....Wednesday

We traveled this weekend....and my kids were sick. Not fun. Never even took out my camera! {GASP!}
So, I'm sorry that it's 2 days late (and rather boring), but here's your Magic Moments Monday courtesy of my iPhone!  Ok, so they're not so "magical."

Mama Fuel!

Almost there.....NOT!!!

Poor Sicky boy :(

You Capture-Doorways

*Note: This is NOT a very creative post.

When I first saw the topic for this week's You Capture, I immediately thought of Herman Melville's quote, “The eyes are the gateway to the soul.” I knew I wanted to get some shots of my boys because they seriously have THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EYES! They captivate me!

Take this picture of Alistair at 10 months:

Gorgeous eyes, right?! 2 1/2 years later one glance can still make his Mommy melt!

Well, I decided that the eyes topic was just a little too obvious and began to think about doorways, literally. I didn't want to submit just any doorways. I wanted to post something about doorways that I actually had feelings about. So here are those doorways:

My back door!

I LOATHE these curtains that were left by the previous owner and I'm not really sure why I haven't replaced them yet. But, now that I have a sewing machine, I will MAKE some!

The only thing worse about this door is the color of the outside!

Pink/peach/salmon? Our siding is beige, our shutters are dark green. This door sticks out like a sore thumb!

Okay, the back door is bad. But, what about the front? Well, this is what you see as soon as you walk through the front doorway:

Another door...or lack thereof! The hinges broke on the closet door and Noah finally got so frustrated with fixing them, he broke the door!!! (Still makes me laugh)

Now, for a doorway I like! The boy's room! Not only did Alistair pick the color that I painted the walls, but I FINALLY got their names hung up this morning (after a year on the "in-progress" list) AND I just love how it looks as you look out at the blue walls in the hallway! I honestly, stand in the hallway a lot and look through the different doors and admire the colors we have chosen to use in our house!

Catch more You Capture at ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com

Top 10 (15) of 2010

The You Capture assignment this week is "Top 10 of 2010."

I was having a hard time, so I picked 15!

Hey, it was a BIG year!

All pictures were taken with my Canon PowerShot A640 point-and-shoot unless noted.

Also, none of these pictures were edited (beyond cropping) except the one I "adjusted" in iPhoto.

(In order ONLY by the date they were taken)

Snowmagedon

I had to dig the sand table out of 2 feet of snow

to get enough sand to put on the icy steps.

Chopsticks

Alistair did an AWESOME job eating Thai food with chopsticks!

He was already such a good big brother!

*Photo taken by Krista Centric

w/ Noah's 35mm Rebel

9 (what would turn out to be 7) weeks from our

Family of 4!

*Photo taken by Krista Centric

w/ Noah's 35mm Rebel

I just LOVE this!

Shot on an old 35mm Canon Rebel, no editing, just skill!

*Taken by Noah Brackbill

Playgroup at the park turned into Jake, Sadie and Alistair in the water!

It was fine with me! Let 'em be kids!

(I used this pic for Noah's Father's Day gift)

 I snapped this with my iPhone 3g right after Ronan was born.

I just love the proud look on Noah's face!

 And I love Love LOVE how perfect my hair looks even

after being in a hospital bed for almost 24 hours!!!

(This was taken in L&D less than an hour after Ronan's birth.

My left leg was still numb and Alistair was sitting on it.)

Snapped this one with the iPhone, too!

I just LOVE the "evidence" of summer fun on Alistair's face!

Playing in the sprinkler at Uncle Steve and Aunt Krista's house!

Qualifies as one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITES!

Early morning snuggles!!!

Even got a smirk from the 3 month-old

This picture is cute, but it's even cuter with Alistair's quote:

"It's ok, Ronan. The doctor takes care of little kids, not peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!"

These three will ALWAYS be my "babies!"

Just walking around the yard with Mommy!

 *Color adjusted in iPhoto

Story time with Grandma!

Linked up at ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com

What a week!

Noah called last Friday night to tell me that he had to work Saturday afternoon and wouldn't be able to come home for the weekend. So, when a friend of mine (whom I haven't seen in 3 years) offered us a place to stay, I packed up the kids and headed to VA! It was a wild and crazy weekend and I SO enjoyed catching up with the WONDERFUL Eichenlaub family! THANK YOU, DEANNA AND MARK!

While we were there, we managed to have brunch at the oceanfront with Aunt Megan, Uncle Skinny and Aunt Jen! After a DELICIOUS meal, we went out to the beach where Aunt Jen got some nice shots of us! THANK YOU, JENNIFER!!!!!

(those photos will get their own post!)

From the oceanfront, we returned to The Eichenlaub's house for a cookie decorating party! FUN FUN FUN!!!! It was so nice to be together with these folks! Anya and Alistair played so well together and were both very sad when we had to leave. (These two were born 6 weeks apart and last saw each other in November 2007!) 

I was kind of bad about taking pictures while we were there, but I got a few.

Anya and Alistair are ready to bake cookies!

SWEETNESS!

Ronan and Aunt Jen

Monday night I worked late then grocery shopped on the way home, so it was dinner and bed as soon as we got home.

Tuesday night we went to the "Holiday Surprise" Storytime at the library and Alistair saw Santa! 

"Mommy, take a picture of me upside-down."

Merry Christmas!!

Snuggly baby sat through it all!

Alistair was 1st in line for Santa!

"I want Woody and Jessie and the Buzz Lightyear with wings!"

Wednesday night I had to stop at the store again after work.

Thursday morning we got a snow storm, so all of SoMd was shut down and by that night I was ready to just come straight home and not move!

PHEW!

No, You Don't Need a Head!

I always see these photos, They're everywhere. Anyone who has a photography blog has one. "The feet only shot." You know what I'm talking about. You've seen them, too. Courtney recently wrote a post about them HERE. Up until the past few weeks, I've wondered what the deal was with those. I mean, I bought my camera to take pictures of my kids; To remember how the were, not what shoes they wore. When I actually worded it like that, I FINALLY realized what the big deal is!

I was over come with emotion.

The same one that drove me to take this with my iPhone over a year ago:

Jake, Sadie and Alistair
3 small pairs of shoes. My 3 biggest reason to get out of bed!

The same emotion that drove me to tears when I was organizing Alistair's old clothes and shoes to be available for Ronan.

The flood of memories. Who bought what outfits for him. How much I loved the baby Robeez shoes with the soccer balls on them because they prevented him from pulling his socks off. How those low-top "Chucks" were his 1st walking shoes. How much I LOVE (and his daddy HATES) those tiny green Crocs.

Then, the flood of tears.....He will never wear these shoes again. He will NEVER be that little again. Those days are gone. He's not a baby anymore. Where did the time go? Did I enjoy it enough while it was here?....

But almost immediately, I felt a calm come over me.

God has given me a precious gift. TWO precious gifts. And part of the gift is the change. The grow, they learn, they become their own people and in the process, I grow, I learn, I help lead them on their path as people.

I LOVE those little shoes. I LOVE the boys who wore (and will wear) them. I LOVE these blessings and this life.

So, when I was having some calm time in the yard yesterday and Alistair ran out to join me wearing his fireman boots. I couldn't help but smile and I couldn't help but take this photo.

Now, this day will be a memory attached to these boots.


I recently read this post by Jess at Not You Average Mommy and she put into words what I have been feeling:

"Everyday is profound. Everyday is a gift. Every little shoe that comes in your house is a treasure from God. 

Somehow these meager words and descriptions only scratch the surface of what this little shoe caused me to feel. It was as if the miracle of that first moment when they were born happened all over again, only in my kitchen, because of a shoe."

Here are a few more shots from our walk around the yard:

Such a beautiful day!

Ralphy and Frank!

Our Japanese Maple

I walked past this bush at just the right moment!