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...

Love and Respect

I had a great talk with a really good friend this week about the cycle of love and respect in marriage.

Women need to feel loved. Men need to feel respected. Without both elements present, the cycle doesn't exist. If a wife doesn't respect her husband, he won't want to show her love. If a husband doesn't show love to his wife, she won't want to respect him. See where I'm going with this?

My friend ended our conversation about marriage with two important questions to think about daily:

• What does this relationship need from me? (instead of "What do I need from this relationship?")
• Am I always speaking to my husband with respect?

It's crazy how such a simple concept can be so difficult to practice sometimes.

Aaron and I don't pretend to have it all together. We're still pretty new at this marriage thing and sometimes have to work really hard at being loving and respectful to each other.

We're so blessed to have friends and family who are willing to share their experiences and wisdom with us. It's exciting to think that one day we'll be able to share our own little bits of Godly wisdom with newly-married couples who are just beginning their life-long journey together :)

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. -- Ephesians 5:33

Do What You Love

I've had lots of fun being creative lately.

Between entertaining and teaching two boys, practicing photography, learning how to use a new photo-editing program, and baking, I've had lots of opportunities to let my creativity run wild.

We're in the midst of wedding season, and there's waaaaaaay too much work to be done. In an effort to learn more about the photography business than just taking photos (and to take some work off Sean's plate), I conquered the task of making an iPhoto book for one of his clients earlier this week.

Patricia and Chris (who are old high school friends of mine) got married in May and they hired Sean to photograph their wedding. Included in the package they chose was a free softcover iPhoto book. All of the photos (even the background pictures) were taken by either Sean or myself. This is the slideshow version (for some reason, Blogger will only let me upload 1 minute of it...but you'll get the idea of what the book should look like):

The book will be professionally printed by Apple and sent directly to Patricia and Chris in Charleston. iPhoto books make great gifts for the holidays! Check out all of the different iPhoto print products here.

As far as creativity with Sam and Toby goes, we're planning to do lots of fun, seasonal crafts in the next few months! We'll paint pumpkins, color pictures, make Christmas ornaments, and find lots of other fun arts and crafts activities at Michael's (one of my favorite stores of all-time).

After I made a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheescake for Aaron's Supervisor's birthday last week, his co-workers began to inquire about how much I charge for my cakes.

What? Get paid to bake??? What a wonderful idea...

Tonight, I will bake a White Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling for one of Aaron's co-workers to take to a party tomorrow and she will pay me for my time and effort.

It's marvelous to be a Nanny, a baker, and a photographer. It's even more marvolous that I get paid for all three and have many different ways to let my creativity flourish :)

I encourage you to do what you love. There's no feeling in the world like knowing you're purposefully accomplishing what the Lord has put you on this Earth to do each day.