Five-Year-Old Photography

My wonderful friend Tonia had the best idea for a play date today:

Give Cooper and Sam one disposable camera each, teach them how to take their own photographs, drop the cameras at a one-hour developing center, and let them each make a poster with their printed photos.

Great idea, huh?

I gave each of the boys a 27-exposure Fuji Film camera and taught them how wind the film, look through the viewfinder, and press the shutter button. After Sam and Cooper took their first photos, they immediately asked to see their photographs. I tried to explain that the cameras were film instead of digital, but I'm not sure they really understood. They don't remember the days before digital cameras...and that makes me feel really old :(

Anyway...we walked down to a little lake at the Arboretum and the boys snapped away. Tonia and I taught them basic photography skills (framing the subject, landscape versus portrait photographs, foreground and background, shooting from different angles, etc.) and encouraged them to photograph lots of different objects.

Film has always been my favorite form of photography and I couldn't wait to see what the boys came up with. Because you can't peek at the photos until they're developed, there's a sense of mystery and excitement that goes along with shooting film.

What do the boys see through their viewfinders? Do they have an "eye" for photography? Do they enjoy photography enough to learn how to use a real camera one day?

The boys' photos did not disappoint. Both Sam and Cooper got some great shots! Here are three of my favorites that Sam took:



Pretty good for a five-year-old! I think he might have "the eye"... :)

No Jink!

I really missed the boys over Christmas break! Aaron pointed out a few days ago that I talk about them all the time - but especially when I'm on vacation :)

Monday is a bath day for the boys and also the day I do their laundry. While they're playing with millions of bath toys in the tub, I take advantage of the fact that they are both entertained and contained to a 2-foot-by-4 foot space by folding and putting away their laundry.

While I was in the hallway outside the bathroom putting the boys' shirts on hangers, I heard Toby start to cough.

Toby: (coughing) Sa-ssin? (The newest form of "Mrs. Allison" - although "Sin" is still used quite often...)
Me: Yes, Toby?
Toby: No jink! (No drink!)
Me: Did you drink some bath water?
Toby: (long pause...) Ummmmmmm. Yes.
Me: Are you supposed to drink bath water?
Toby: No! Yucky!
Me: That's right. Please don't drink any more bath water, okay?
Toby: Okay.
---- 2 minutes later ----
Toby: (coughing) Sa-ssin?
Me: Yes, Toby?
Toby: No jink! No jink!

Ugh. If he only understood how gross that water is...

Christmas 2008

Wow.

This Christmas has been the best one in a really long time.

The best gift I could receive is time with my family for the holidays...and we got a lot of family time in the past week!

In addition to lots of family time, Aaron and I were blessed with many thoughtful, useful, and generous gifts. I'll post more about those later when we get them in the house and I can take a few photos :)

I hope you all had a fun, safe, and blessed holiday season!

It's Official...

Sean's spare Nikon D200 camera body is offically ours! After putting aside the money from shooting two weddings with Sean plus some babysitting in-between, the camera I have borrowed all year long and grown to love is mine forever :)

In honor of the new addition to our family, I posed for some photos with her in Sean's makeshift "studio" as he set up a place to take Christmas photos of the boys.

I'd like to introduce you to...

Me and our beautiful new camera :)

Now, she just needs a name...

Busy Week

By the end of this week, I will have:

• spent 65 hours working
  
• been to one of the best concerts of the year
• baked a ridiculous amount of Christmas goodies
  
• finished my Christmas shopping
• wrapped too many Christmas presents
  
• opened a few gifts with Aaron on our very own "Christmas Morning" (Sunday!)
  
• worked enough for this guy to officially own his spare Nikon D200 camera body (seriously!)
  

Oh, what a wonderful week it's been. And next week will be even better! Can't wait :)

The Music Genome Project

If you've never heard of Pandora Radio, you should check it out now. These people are geniuses.

So...let's say you fall in love with the music of Robbie Seay while on vacation in Oregon a few months ago. You have his CDs, but your husband is tired of listening to Robbie Seay and won't stay in the room (or car) with you if his music is playing. I...I mean you...obviously need some new music but don't know where to find artists with a similar sound.

Enter: Pandora.com.

Type in "Robbie Seay." Pandora creates a free radio station for you with other artists' songs that have a similar sound to his (like Passion, Hillsong, Tree63, Jeremy Camp, and the David Crowder Band among many others).

When you feel like listening to rap music while cleaning your house, type your favorite rapper's name into the seach bar and enjoy the selection of music that the geniuses at Pandora put together for you.

Come across a song you never want to hear again? Give it a "thumbs down" and Pandora will remember to never play it on your station again.

Read more about the Music Genome Project here. And get a free Pandora account. You'll love it.

The Blanket Sleeper

While searching for the perfect birthday present for Sam, I browsed through the boys' section at Target. Hoping to find a Spiderman, Superman, or Batman t-shirt, I happened upon a big rack of these:

The Blanket Sleeper

There were Sam- and Toby-sized blanket sleepers...and then there were Mrs. Allison-sized blanket sleepers. No kidding.

I don't know why, but it gives me the heebie jeebies to think about anyone over the age of 5 in a blanket sleeper. When I went to the Target website, my suspicions were confirmed. Go here, click on "guest reviews," and scroll down to read the first and last reviews.

The last review sounds like something my crazy brother would write just to mess with people, but it's creepy nonetheless.

Yikes.

I Love This Boy...

Me and Littlest Lyon :)

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Sam is 5-years-old today! Can you believe it?!

I've been sick all week, so I owe the birthday boy a photo shoot and some home-made cupcakes next week. Stay tuned for new photos...

Happy Birthday, big guy! Mr. Aaron and I love you very much :)

Ugh.

Sorry for the lack of new blog entries this week.

I caught a nasty stomach virus on Monday and have been trying to recover ever since.

I'll be back in the swing of things soon. I hope.

Rock-A-Bye Baby

Rocking babies to sleep is one of my favorite activities.

There's nothing like that little head lying on my chest and those tiny hands clinging to my arms as we rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. So peaceful. So relaxing. So safe.

Toby doesn't need me to rock him anymore. Soon, Asher won't need me to rock him anymore, either.

I often find myself anticipating the next big step or accomplishment in the lives of the many children in my life.

Tonight, as I rocked Asher to sleep, I was reminded that always anticipating the future causes me to miss out on the present.

Live for today. Enjoy what's in front of you. Invest time in meaningful relationships today and stop putting it off until tomorrow. Rock a baby to sleep because one day he'll be bigger than you :)

Brett and Nicholas

When my friend Brett approached me about taking some photos of him and his brother as a Christmas gift for his mom, he openly admitted that he knew nothing about photography.

"We want to frame a huge photo for my mom," he told me. "How will you make the prints? In a dark room?"

Oh, boy.

After giving him a brief overview of the wonders of digital photography and online photo services, we scheduled a photo shoot for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Too bad the forecast called for rain...ALL DAY.

Instead of sticking to our original plan for a sunset shoot, I convinced them to be ready to take photos at 8am.

Somehow, the rain held off just long enough for me to get a few usable shots for their Mom's Christmas gift. This is the photo they chose to have enlarged to 24"x36" canvas print:

Here are some individual photos that I thought their mom might like, as well:

Nicholas

Brett

I'm learning a lot about photography these days. Although I'm used to shooting with a photographer who knows a lot more than I do and is always there to answer my questions, it's important for me to get experience shooting on my own.

It's good for me to make my own mistakes and learn from them.

It's good for me to learn how to make the most of gray skies and wet weather.

It's good for me to tackle obstacles on my own every now and then.

It's never fun being pushed out of my comfort zone, but it's necessary for growth and maturity.

In what areas of your life are you becoming comfortable yet stagnant? Push through your complacency into unknown territory and see how much you'll grow. I dare you :)

When It Rains, It Pours

Isn't it so true? When one thing goes wrong, new problems seem to come out of the woodwork and fall in one right behind the other. It's been that way over the past few weeks for Aaron and me.

My car has been having problems for the past few weeks. It still runs, but not very smoothly. We had it tested at AutoZone and found out that either two oxygen sensors are bad (a problem that Aaron can easily fix) or the mass air flow sensor is bad (a problem that will take big money to fix). When we have time, we'll take it to a shop and have the exact problem diagnosed. In the meantime, Aaron and I have switched cars (he only drives 5 miles each day).

Aaron has been sick for more than a week with congestion and a crazy cough. No matter how much NyQuil he takes, his cough intensifies at night and neither of us gets much sleep. It's not easy for either of us to do our best at work if we're tired and cranky.

Hobbes is sick with what we think is a urinary tract infection. He has always been the most laid-back, easygoing cat...but for the past two days he has been in a lot of pain, unable to use the litter box, and extremely grumpy. Hobbes has never been sick before, so I called my mom in tears this morning, hoping that she would be able to comfort me from 300 miles away. She has three cats of her own, so she knows how it feels to drop one of your animals off in a strange place with strange people. I got teary-eyed when I handed Hobbes over to the Vet and she assured me they would take good care of him. We're still waiting to hear exactly what's wrong with him.

When trying times like these overwhelm me, all I can do is look to the Lord and trust Him to take care of me and my family. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of us.

"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always."
-- 1 Chronicles 16:11

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

I had the best Thanksgiving vacation with my sweet husband!

We've been insanely busy for the past few months...so it was nice to spend a weekend at our house, decorate for Christmas, and have lots of time to just relax.

Aaron and I bought our Christmas tree on Saturday! This is our first Christmas in the new house, so we've anticipated decorating our home for Christmas since we moved in January. We're big supporters of our local farmer's market, so we drove by on Saturday afternoon to view their selection of trees. After walking around for 10 minutes, Aaron and I saw the perfect tree at the same time:

Isn't it cute?!

Putting lights on the Christmas tree is our least favorite part of decorating.


All done :)

Aaron and I spent the entire year collecting unique ornaments from every place we vacationed or visited. Our families also gave us lots of memorable ornaments that we can tell our kids about someday. Here are a few of our favorites:

These angels (there's another one on the reverse side) are made from oyster shells and moss. My parents gave it to us as a gift last Christmas and every time I look at it, I'm reminded of Charleston.

We brought this cute little moose back from Crater Lake, Oregon. One day, I'll tell my kids that the day we visited Crater Lake, we were too tired to walk around because we spent 10 hours climbing Mt. Thielsen the day before :)


This little beaver is Aaron's favorite Christmas ornament ever. Aaron's parents bought it from Hallmark when he was a little boy we can't find another one like it anywhere. Mom and Dad Fowler gave us the beaver ornament a few months ago for Aaron's birthday.


And here is our cute little mantle! I love Hobbes' stocking. It says "MEOW" on the top :)

There's nothing like listening to Christmas music, eating sugar cookies, drinking eggnog, sitting by the fire, gazing at our beautifully decorated tree, and remembering why we celebrate this time of year. Through all of the hustle and bustle of the next few weeks, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season :)

It Won't Work

Every single morning while the boys and I are eating breakfast, Sam tells me, "Mrs. Allison, you're beautiful today! Then, Toby chimes in and says, "Bu-ful day, Sin! You bu-ful day!"

After Toby and I dropped Sam off at school this morning, we stopped by somewhere special to pick up something special for someone special :) After telling Toby twice that he needed to keep his hands in the cart and not touch anything, his sticky little fingers snuck out of the cart and onto something breakable once more. I lowered my eyes to his, scolded him for not listening, and told him there would be a consequence if he disobeyed again.

The child looked straight at me with those big blue eyes, sighed a sigh of surrender, and said, "Bu-ful day, Sin! You bu-ful day!"

He just turned two-years-old and he's already attempting to manipulate me. Very cute, but it won't work :)

Priscilla and Chase: Slide Show

After each wedding we shoot, Sean compiles some of our best photos and puts them into a slide show to send to the bride and groom.

I'm really proud of our work from Priscilla and Chase's wedding. Check it out:

(Oh, and make sure your volume is turned up so you can hear the song.)

Toby Loves Aaron

Every time my phone rings, Toby says, "A-nen! A-nen!"

Translation: Aaron.

When Toby is alone in the back seat of my car, he'll usually have this same dialogue every day:

"Hi A-nen! Ha you? Dood. Bye bye." (Hi Aaron! How are you? Good. Bye bye.) I have no idea why, but he repeats those four phrases over and over and over.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:



It's a good thing that Toby likes Aaron so much because we're spending this entire weekend with the boys while Mike and Liz go out of town. I'm sure I'll have lots of interesting stories to share on Monday!

Fire Safety

I talked to my dad on the phone earlier. He's a Batallion Chief at Mount Pleasant Fire Department in Charleston, SC.

In the middle of our conversation, the tones went off at the fire house and we had to say "goodbye" abruptly.

He called me back a little while later and said he had just returned from a chimney fire.

Just in case you aren't able read the instructions on the Duraflame starter log wrapper, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BURN 5 AT A TIME!

Don't be ignorant this winter. Check out these Winter and Holiday Fire Safety Tips from the United States Fire Administration. They might just save your house. And your life.

A Beautiful Wedding in the Valley...

The Bride

The Groom

Knockout couple, gorgeous wedding, beautiful hearts.

Congratulations, Priscilla and Chase!

(Photos by Sean Lyon)

Escaping to the Mountains

Aaron and I are escaping to the mountains of North Carolina this weekend to do a little vacationing...and a little bit of work.

Tomorrow, we're helping Sean shoot the wedding of this gorgeous couple. I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to photograph such beautiful people...

The weather is supposed to be crazy in Boone this weekend. Forecasted rain for today and tomorrow and SNOW on Sunday! What a perfect weekend to visit the mountains :)

Aaron and I took today off from work so we could enjoy the mountain drive, explore any hiking trails we might find, and maybe even journey down the Blue Ridge Parkway a bit.

Look out! I think this weekend's adventures might just fuel another "Fowler Family Photo Contest!" Stay tuned...

Hallelujah!

It's no secret that I love to bake. You may not know, however, that I'm not a big fan of searching for obscure tools or ingredients needed to bake certain desserts.

Enter: the "Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate."

It has been my foe for many years now, that Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate. I can never find one and it hinders my ability to make many beautiful, delicious, magnificent pies. I'm making a Praline Pumpkin pie for tomorrow night's dessert with friends...and guess what kind of pie plate it requires? That's right...

So...I made a trip to Wal-Mart this evening to buy a few ingredients AND a Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate. Would it surprise you to hear that Wal-Mart doesn't sell Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plates?

After walking around the baking section of Wal-Mart for 20 minutes hoping that I had just overlooked the section of glass bake ware containing the Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate, I surrendered and started thinking about what else I could use instead. A cake pan? A spring form pan? Two regular-sized 9-inch pies instead of one deep-dish? Oh, the frustration...

I mosied on over to the freezer section to pick up some pre-made pie crust. And then I saw it:

Mrs. Smith's 9-Inch DEEP DISH Pie Crusts already in an oven-safe (and reusable) pan!

No sooner than I read "Deep Dish" and dove for the freezer door, I heard it. The "Hallelujah Chorus" over the intercom.

Seriously. I'm creative, but not that creative. I could never make this stuff up, people.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! As the "Hallelujahs" kept coming, I held the Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Crusts in my hands and laughed to myself. The weirdest things happen to me...

I'm going to bake my first Deep Dish 9-Inch Praline Pumpkin pie now.

HALLELUJAH!

When I'm All Grown-Up...

If I had a dime for every time Sam has said something funny in my car on the way to school, I'd be rich. The "oh, man...that's going on the blog" moments are very frequent around here.

This morning's on-the-way-to-school conversation:

Sam: You know, Mrs. Allison...you're beautiful today.
Toby: Bu-ful day, Sin! Bu-ful day!!!
Me: Ahh...thank you boys! You never miss a day of telling me I'm beautiful.
Sam: Yeah. You know, Mrs. Allison...when I'm all grown up and I don't need you anymore, I'll have kids of my own. And maybe you could come babysit them for me while I go to work.
Me: Oh, I would LOVE that!
Sam: I'm glad...because you're a lot of fun. I want my kids to have a lot of fun with you like me and Toby do. And...Mrs. Allison?
Me: Yes?
Sam: Make sure you remember to give me your phone number when I'm a grown-up so I can call you, OK?
Me: Sure thing.

If that doesn't make your heart smile, I don't know what will :)

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

With Fall settling in and Winter on its way, I thought I'd share one of my absolute favorite soup recipes with you. Believe me - this stuff is yummy and so easy to make.


Broccoli and Cheese Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup yellow onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese

In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender. (Alternatively, in batches, puree in a blender or food processor and return to the pot.)

Add the cream and bring to bare simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.

Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls.

Here are a few tricks I learned along the way while making this soup:

• Instead of buying 87 cans of chicken broth to fuel my soup-making for the Fall and Winter months, I buy a few jars of chicken and beef bouillon granules (found in any grocery store next to the canned or boxed broths). Add one teaspoon of bouillon granules to one cup of water and - VIOLA! - you have instant broth without spending a ton of money or taking up half of the space in your pantry.
• If you're trying to cut fat, only add half of the cream (or omit it altogether). The cream does add a lot of richness to the soup, but it still tastes good without those extra calories.
• The easiest way I've found to puree the soup is to put it into a blender and hit the "puree" button. So easy. I've also been known to eat this soup without pureeing it. It's chunky, but still very yummy.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Bryn and Tiffany

My awesome brother and his sweet girlfriend:

Aren't they precious? Aaron and I love you two!

Crazy

Life has been so crazy lately (hence very few blogs in the past couple of weeks).

Not much time for anything but the boys, Aaron, photography, family, friends, and baking.

If those people and activities are what continue to fill my time through the holidays, I can definitely deal with "crazy" :)

I'll try to fit blogging in somewhere...

Family Photos

This past weekend, Aaron and I went to Charleston to celebrate my parents' birthdays. While we were there, I took some photos of my cousin Hayes, Aunt Krystle, and her fiance Brian.

Here are a few of my favorites:






You can view the rest of the photos from this past weekend at my new SmugMug website.

GO VOTE!

I just voted!

I waited in line at our local fire station for 3 hours in the cold wind and drizzle.
I now have a fever, the sniffles, and am chilled to the bone...

But it was worth it.

GO VOTE!

Hangin' with Batman and Superman...

Happy Halloween!

Sweet Silence

I used to hate silence. I used to turn the TV or radio on just to have some background noise. Somehow, the noise prevented me from feeling lonely and thinking too much.

And then Toby turned 2.

I thought that child would never learn to talk...but, boy, was I wrong.

Toby learns new words every day (and pronounces most of them wrong...which makes him extra-cute). He says the cutest little three-word-sentences. He repeats everything anyone says to him. He talks constantly (just like his brother). He spells everything. He's never quiet. Ever.

Now I treasure my quiet time each day while the boys nap. Sometimes it's the only time I have to myself all day. Sometimes it's the only time I get to think clearly all day.

Ahhh...sweet silence...

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Recognize this little guy?

That's right. It's Aaron...almost 25 years ago :) I just wanna kiss that cute little face!

Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you!

Flying Solo...

Aaron is leaving today to go backpacking with our friends Mani and Robert for a good ol' fashioned guys' weekend...

I'm staying behind to work a 14-hour Saturday doing two separate photo gigs with this guy. I know you think I'm crazy, but I'm looking forward to the long day. I think I'm addicted to photography...

I love that Aaron and I can be apart for a weekend, participate in separate activities that we each love, reunite after a few days, and share our experiences with each other.

Sure, we'll miss each other like crazy...but it's good for our relationship when we do our own things every once in a while. Sometimes it's easy for us to forget what we love about each other when we spend all of our free time together.

I'm looking forward to a weekend of learning, growing, and missing my hubby :)

T-Rex

AT&T may not have "more bars in more places" like they claim, but they do make great commericals.

Sam's 5th birthday party is coming up soon, and I could see myself in a situation like this one:



That little girl's face at the 19 second mark cracks me up every time. Good thing there won't be any pre-historic animals at Sam's birthday party.

So Perfect Together

On most mornings, the boys have a little time to watch TV before it's time to take Sam to school. This morning, Toby climbed up into Sam's lap, laid his head back against Sam's chest, and watched Clifford quitely.

I was sitting with next to them, checking my e-mail, when Sam said one of the sweetest things I've ever heard...

Sam: You know, Toby...me and you are so perfect together. God musta known that you would be my favorite little brother ever. Am I your favorite big brother ever?
Toby: Yeah... (turns toward Sam for a kiss)

I love those boys :)

Weekend Outlook

Homemade Broccoli and Cheese Soup with best friends tonight.
A visit from the wonderful In-Laws on Saturday.
Elevation Church, the Renaissance Festival, and a free date to Macaroni Grill with my hubby on Sunday.
Doesn't get much better than that...

Just Thought You Might Need A Good Laugh...

My brother does a flawless impression of the guy in the middle. Seriously.

New Snacks

The boys and I have a few new favorite foods from, of course, Trader Joe's! I'll share just a few of them with you:

• Whole Grain Strawberry-filled Cereal Bites. The first box was polished off in 3 days. We're working on box number 2 at the moment. The boys love to eat them for breakfast, but these handy little fruit-filled squares double as a travel-friendly snack for the park, picnic storytime, or, well, anywhere you can imagine. Beware - Trader Joe's also makes a chocolate-filled version of these all-natural, crunchy, addictive little cereal bites!
• Tandoori Garlic Naan (Indian style flatbread). Nann looks sort of like a pita but is softer and doesn't have a pocket. I like to put a slice of Naan in the toaster oven, heat it until it's warm all the way through, and spread butter over the top. Toby likes his Naan with provolone cheese melted on top and cut into small pieces (he calls it "pizza"). Aaron likes to eat Naan warm with butter and parmesean cheese on top with maranara sauce to dip it in. It's easy to create lots of different meals with naan as the base. Naan has no saturated fat and 8 grams of protein per serving!
• Cinnamon Schoolbook Cookies. Not only do these alphabet-shaped cookies have no preservatives or artificial flavors and colors, but they taste good, too! Toby and I practiced his letters with cinnamon cookies today. How cool is that?!

Because I love baking and cooking (and food in general!), it's fun for me to come up with fresh new meal ideas for Aaron and the boys. Not every new meal idea is a winner, but it's fun to mix it up every once in a while and let my creativity run wild in the kitchen.

Take a chance and try new foods. Shop at a new grocery store. Take some time and actually explore what's on each aisle of the grocery store instead of just running through. I bet you'll come up with some new meal ideas your family will love!

Welcome to the Neighborhood, Trader Joe!

Today is Opening Day for the new Trader Joe's in uptown Charlotte!

There's another Trader Joe's grocery store in Charlotte (on Rea Road) but it's not very close to my home or work. I pass by the new store four times a day when I take Sam to and from school!
Aaron and I fell in love with Trader Joe's when we went on vacation to Oregon. I'll give you just a few reasons why we love shopping there so much:

• Trader Joe's sells healthful, tasty, high quality foods at the lowest prices. They eliminate the middle-man and buy from the producer whenever possible (along with lots of other price-reducing tactics), enabling them to sell their products at lower prices.
• The buyers for Trader Joe's travel the world in search of the most interesting, unique, and tasty foods and beverages. Whether it's wine (or beer) from Oregon, cheese from Europe, or pizza from Italy, Trader Joe's has researched and taste-tested everything they sell (and even guarantee you'll like what you buy or give you your money back!). Shopping at Trader Joe's is truly a culinary adventure!
• Trader Joe's supports local organizations and communities. All requests for donations are handled in-store. Each store even has it's own Donations Coordinator, making it easier for Trader Joe's to be involved in the community.
• All of the employees at Trader Joe's are incredibly nice and helpful. No matter what you need help with or have a question about, someone will be able to help you find the answer you're looking for.

Today I walked out of the store with Whole Grain Strawberry-filled Cereal bites (made with real fruit), Honey Whole Wheat Pretzel Sticks, one pound of Tempting Trail Mix (made with unsalted mixed nuts, dried fruit, Belgian chocolate pieces, and peanut butter bits), Jasmine Rice with Tom Yum Sauce and Vegetables, Kung Pao Noodles and Sauce, and a bottle of Pinot Noir from Black Mountain Vineyard in California. Good stuff!

I'll leave you with a funny story from our adventure to Trader Joe's today.

As I was browsing the Pinot Noir section of the wines in search of a new find, Sam began talking to a Trader Joe's employee. The nice guy was stacking cans of foreign beer on a nearby display and this is the conversation that followed:

Sam (to nice employee guy): Oh, that soda looks so yummy!
Nice employee guy: (laughs...) Well, this soda is very yummy...but it's for big kids like me.
Sam: Well...I'm a big kid...right, Mrs. Allison?
Me (still looking for a Pinot Noir I haven't tried before...): (grinning) Yes, you are a big kid...but you have to be a bigger kid to drink that soda. Like Mr. Aaron's age...
Sam: Oh. Well can I have some of that grape juice you're holding?
Me (deciding on a Pinot Noir I've tasted before and love): You have to be older to drink this, too.
Sam: Well, what can I have to drink from this place?!

Sam is so funny! He made friends with 5 different Trader Joe's employees today who made the mistake of asking him his name. He proceeded to unload his life story on them and talked until I told him it was time to let them go back to work. He hesitantly agreed, and told them we'd be seeing them again soon.

We'll be seeing them again soon, for sure! Go check out Trader Joe's. You'll love it!

Toby is Two!

Oh. My. Goodness.

Those photos don't even begin to show how funny it was to watch Toby eat the birthday cupcake I make for him! I laughed so hard that it was difficult to keep the camera steady enough to take pictures (because I was practically rolling around in the grass).

I laughed so hard that I cried. It was the "make-your-mascara-run" kind of funny. I walked around the house for 30 minutes before I realized I had a full eye's-worth of mascara under my right eye.

Toby went from picking at the sides of the cupcake to picking at the icing to trying to brush the icing off his fingers to holding to cupcake in both hands to smashing his face into it. And I didn't even mind the mess (for once).

Happy Birthday, Toby! You're such a sweet boy and I love you to pieces! I can't wait to keep watching you grow and learn!

P.S. - No, I did NOT feed Toby a cupcake for breakfast (because I'm not that cool...or crazy). We did his birthday photo shoot on Tuesday afternoon :)

Talkin' Toby

Going to get Toby out of his crib in the mornings or after nap is one of my favorite times of the day. He's rested, happy, and ready for new adventures. I love it!

Since Toby seems to have conquered the task of learning all the letters of the alphabet before his second birthday, I figured it was time to teach him how to spell his name. We've been working on it when we ride in the car...and he's almost got the hang of it!

P.S. - I'm still known as "Sin" and Toby calls himself "B."

Here's a little video to show you what I'm talking about:

Happy Birthday, Asher!

This little monkey turns 1 year old today! We love you, Little Man!

(Watch Asher grow!)

Burn Out Brighter

Earlier tonight.
Just me and the 4-Runner.
Windows down, moon roof open.
Cruising down I-77.
Brand new Anberlin album in the CD player.
The lyrics on track 8 stirring in my heart:

Live
I wanna live inspired
Die
I wanna die for something

Racing towards the heavens,
I fell into a pitch black
I'm moments from landing,
and I'm shaking like a heart attack

Lose no time, cannot survive
I made mistakes in the past
Need a chance, can't take it back
Wish I could set things right tonight

Live
I wanna live inspired
Die
I wanna die for something higher than myself
Live and die for anyone else
The more I live I see, this life's not about me

All I know spins out of control
Wonder what's next for heart and soul
Nothing I have can save me now
Here in what maybe my final hour

It's my time, cannot survive
I made mistakes in the past
Need a chance, can't say goodbye
Wish I could set things right tonight

Live
I wanna live inspired
Die
I wanna die for something higher than myself
Live and die for anyone else
The more I live I see, this life's not about me

Don't wanna leave this world
knowing I've lived in vain
No time for myself
so sorry, so ashamed

Don't wanna leave this life
knowing I've barely tried
Chase down all my dreams
that I've hid away on the inside

Live
I wanna live on fire
Die
I wanna burn out brighter
Brighter than the Northern Lights
Wanna live to feel the daylight
The more I live I see, this life's not about me

Wow.

I want to live on fire, burn out brighter, live inspired, chase my dreams, and live for something higher than myself.
How about you?

No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. - Luke 8:16

Painting Punk-ins!

Last year, I started the tradition of painting a pumpkin with Sam at the beginning of Fall. This year, Toby was big enough to join in the fun! Here are a few photos:

Here are a few more photos of the boys taken either before or after our pumpkin-painting session [you can tell by a) the amount of paint on their bodies or b) the expressions on their faces]. I love how these photographs show the boys' personalities so perfectly...