My friend Lizzy invited me to her "First Annual Bloggy Friends V-Day E-Party". She had the fantastic idea that we should all bake some V-Day treats, take pictures, and post them on the blog. She has promised to post all the treat photos on her blog for the big day. This was super fun!

I have become obsessed with my new cookbook Hello, Cupcake! This book has SO many adorable cupcake ideas, I thought I'd give them a shot for the Bloggy Friends party. Before you go thinking I have too much time on my hands, let me tell you that these cupcakes are so easy. The decorating only took an hour. Based on most of my past baking projects, this one was as easy as (or, I should say easier than) pie. Ha ha!

Mommyhood: The First 6 Months


Alex is turning 7 months old this week. It's hard to believe that those first newborn months are already gone. Since it seems like the latest thing is to tag 25 things (on Facebook), I thought I'd jot down 25 reflections on Mommyhood on my blog...

1. I honestly don't know how I survived for the first 3 months of Alex's life on 5-ish hours of sleep every night. For anyone I tried to carry on rational conversation with during that time, sorry. I know it didn't make sense.
2. I now consider a successful day as shower=success.
3. I'm grateful for 2 hour naps. Mine and Alex's.
4. I'm glad Jason is such a good Daddy. I knew he would be, but it's sweet to see it.
5. I am thankful for our Connection Group who has been such a great parenting resource to us. They are godly people with a collective wealth of wisdom.
6. I will think twice before I gain 60 lbs. in pregnancy again.
7. The 2 a.m. "Crazy Talk" where I wake up panicked thinking Alex is trapped in my bed is still here. Alex grew out of night waking long ago. For me, however, it remains.
8. I never get tired of washing and folding baby pajamas and socks.
9. We still love the cloth diapers. I'm not sure I'll ever use disposables on future babies.
10. God has given me a precious gift in providing me the ability to feed my baby. I think breastfeeding is such a marvel of God's wonderful human design.
11. I love to watch Alex wake up.
12. I love to watch him suck his thumb to sleep.
13. Heck, I even love changing his diapers!
14. It's important to me to read, sing, and pray with Alex before bed.
15. I have learned not to brag about Alex's latest accomplishments because I think it sows early seeds of "My kid is smarter than your kid" among parents.
16. I probably say to Alex, "You are the sweetest baby in the whole wide world" about a hundred times a day.
17. I often think of how I would deal with it if Alex was really sick. Parents like these and these inspire me to trust God with all things.
18. I remember the day Alex first smiled at me. My heart beamed with pride!
19. Sometimes I worry that we will mess him up. I'm learning that loving and caring for him to the best of our ability means we aren't messing up.
20. I truly believe that Jesus is the giver of patience and grace in parenting.
21. I like to peek at Alex while he's sleeping.
22. When Alex first pooped in the bath tub, we laughed and caught it on video. It is less and less funny every time.
23. I've noticed that people can't help but smile at babies.
24. I've learned to comment little on other people's parenting tactics unless someone asks my opinion.
25. My goals in life have changed a bit. I remember that I used to think about pursuing a PhD. Yesterday I caught myself thinking that I needed to memorize the words to "Three Blind Mice".

Arrangement.

This is assignment #2 in Studio Photography. We were supposed to create an image of similar objects to form an overall pattern.
This photo was inspired by my grandmother, who is the most amazing seamstress ever. At 81, she can still crank out beautiful stuff with a needle and thread. Once I tried to learn the skill from her. She was so patient teaching me over and over how to thread the machine and feed the material through. I wish I could say that my finished product was a masterpiece, but it wasn't. I'm not sure that pillowcase will ever come out of my linen closet except to prove to someone that I actually did sew something once. Nonetheless, I loved spending the time with her in her sewing room and hearing her stories. She has lived a full life and is a wonderful storyteller. I think probably when I was younger I passed off her stories as boring and irrelevant. Now I hang on ever word thinking, "I hope I can remember every detail" as she tells me about her courtship with my grandfather. They have been married 63 years and are still a very happy couple. What an inspiration to know that the grace of God sustains love and makes marriage work forever.

And did I mention that my grandmother was a snow skier until she was 79? Yeah, seriously, I could go on and on about her coolness... But for this post I'll stick mainly to her awesome sewing abilities and my arrangement photo that is dedicated to her.

Studio Photography.

This semester I am taking a Studio Photography course. While I was initially disappointed to learn that most all of our assignments are still life and not people, I think I'm going to enjoy the class. My ultimate goal in photography is to be good at people pictures but I guess practice of all kinds is valuable. I'm planning to blog about my progress since it seems to make for interesting blog material. Probably most of you are thinking that it sure beats the poop in the bath tub stories...

The first assignment was to photograph an ordinary object on a black background, using one color of dominance. This was only the second time I've been in the studio, so I'm still learning how to use the lights etc. Studio lighting produces a whole new realm of possibilities. Overall I am pleased with the results on this assignment. Any votes for a favorite?

The official shoes of Iowa...
This is a picture of the only two pairs of footwear that are getting any action this winter. Goodbye cute high-heeled boots, winter ballet flats, and leather wedge heels. And you too, stilettos. Sadly none of them can keep my feet dry in the five or more inches of snow between me and my garage. So all the cutie shoes are packed up in the basement and these boots only ones getting any wear in Des Moines. *sigh* I guess I should look on the bright side of serious winter living... I am saving a ton on pedicures!

Mommy-like.

Last night when I went to change into my pajamas, I discovered that my shirt (which I slept in the night before...because, well, just because that's how it is sometimes) was on backwards. I texted my husband and said, "I just discovered that my shirt is on backwards - and has been for 24 hours!". He responded, "that's so cute and mommy-like"

Other Mommy-like moments from the week:
* Alex has pooped in the bathtub 3 times in the past week. I seriously hope he grows out of this soon. We only have one bathroom and I take my baths in there too...needless to say, I have skipped my nightly bath three times this week.

* Today Jason offered to watch Alex for a couple of hours so I could go out and do something fun. You know what I came home with? Organic baby food and a bottle of wine. Guess you might call that Yuppie Mommy-like.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry...for tomorrow we diet.

Happy New Year!

It's Christmas, Baby!


It's hard to believe that the holiday season is in full swing already. We have had so much fun with Alex and preparing for Christmas as a family. Alex has been a good sport for all of Mommy's holiday photo shoots, enjoyed gazing at the tree, and "helped" me shop. (...meaning...he didn't scream bloody murder when I carted him around the stores.) I'm telling you that I am also loving the "find it at a store" link on Target.com. It's so comforting to know that when I go to the store in search of something, I know it will be there. I have a precious 2-hour window each day between naps, feeds, poops, etc when errands are a possibility and that link is a lifeline. How did we shop before the internet? I guess the hard core shopping types probably really enjoy the hunt for the requested gifts. But I'm not a hard core shopper. I'm a get-it-done shopper, so thanks Target.com.

We are really excited about going to Texas next week to spend the holidays with our family. I am so anxious for everyone to see Alex. He's changed a lot in the past week or two. He rolled over, started giggling without prompting from us, started eating cereal, and even slept through the night (10 hours!) a couple of times. These are really fun days for us as a family.

This year we have really purposed to cherish this season. We have much to be thankful for - marriage, our son, a home, and wonderful friends and family. Each day we try to remind ourselves that this season really is not about get-it-done shopping, but about the ultimate gift of Jesus. Celebrating His birth, remembering His sacrifice, and enjoying relationship with Him is what it's all about.

We pray you and yours also enjoy celebrating the true meaning of Christmas this year...May you be truly blessed as you give and receive. May you remember that family and friends are precious. May you organize your time so that true worth is placed on people and not things. May you practice hospitality and charity. May you focus on Christ as the center of this wonderful holiday.

With much love from our family to yours,
Nicole, Jason, & Alex

Final Exam.

For my final in Photography, we had to turn in a portfolio of all our assignments including a final print. The final print qualifications were to shoot a photo of something we hadn't photographed before and to use an alternative angle or crop. I chose this photo I took of the mural on the wall of the Blues on Grand in Des Moines. Blues is right down the street from us and I walk past it a lot. I've always liked this guitar. So I decided to lay down on the ground and get a picture of it. Hope I get an "A" on this one.


Thank you for keeping up with my photography journey this semester - I'm slowly learning more and more about capturing good photos. Stay tuned for next semester: Studio Photography.

Cars at Night.

This assignment was to photograph moving objects (cars) at night using a slow shutter speed. I took these photos before I invested in a tripod, so they aren't wonderful. I've learned that there are lots of shots that need a tripod! Anyways, the neat thing about these photos is that you only see the lights moving on the cars and not the cars. The streak in the photos are car lights. I am hoping to get out and take some more of these at night sometime because I think they are really cool. I'll let you know if I decide to venture out in the 14 degree weather with my tripod...

We are Groupies.

Tonight we hosted our Connection Group for a little holiday dinner and family fun. This group has been a tremendous blessing to us in Iowa. When we moved to Des Moines, we never would have imagined that less than a year into it we would have such a precious group of friends. This year we've had a sort of Baby Explosion - 7 of 8 couples have had a baby or been pregnant since we joined the group in January! We seriously love these friends and their babies. (Chris and Mary: we also love your yet-to-be babies =)

Here are a couple of pics of the Groupie Babies from tonight...We are still waiting on the arrival of 2 Groupie Babies any day now!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, we celebrated our traditional Thanksgiving meal a bit early. The Ramsey's, Sage's and us hosted a group of Indian students from Iowa State for Thanksgiving dinner on Monday. We loved the opportunity to visit with the students and share dinner. In my opinion, a shared holiday dinner is always better. The Ramsey's are wonderful hosts - even though Erin is 9 months pregnant! And Michelle rocked the turkey. I contributed the sweets and our new friends contributed the wine. It reminded me of holidays when I lived overseas...they were always shared with friends instead of family. This year we thoroughly enjoyed sharing our Thanksgiving with friends in Iowa.

Pinocchio

This was a portrait assignment.  The task was to shoot the same person for two photos.  One should be flat and plain and the second should show a characteristic of the subject not shown previously ("bring it to life like Pinocchio").  Erin was my model for this...isn't she the most beautiful pregnant woman you've ever seen?

This assignment was to shoot three things: A type of vehicle, a stone residential structure, and an urban sculpture.  I found all three items in my neighborhood.  I like all of them except the creepy thinking rabbit...but it is an "urban sculpture" so I guess it's supposed to look like city art.  City art is my least favorite.  Jason likes to call it "crap that taxpayers probably pay for". If I was going to pay for a city art sculpture, I'm not sure I would have chosen the rabbit.  But they didn't ask me.  I'm sure there are some artsy people who love it though!

Studio Photography.  

This assignment was to shoot photos in the studio at school.  The difference in studio work is the lighting.  We had a choice of three categories for this assignment: food/beverage, type (something with writing on it), or fire & ice (contrast two things using color or arrangement).  I chose to do my own little category - Fire & Icing. =)

Neon Sign.

The Seven Deadly Sins

Weeks ago, my photography instructor gave us the assignment called The Seven Deadly Sins.  Since I have a constant photography subject in my house, I decided to use him for all of my photos.  This was a really fun (albeit time-consuming) photo shoot.  It took a couple of weeks to get all the photos, but I am really happy with the final product.  Enjoy!

p.s.  In case you need a reminder the Seven Deadly Sins are (in order of appearance):  Gluttony, Pride, Greed, Anger, Sloth, Lust, & Envy

Real Progress.

So many of you have offered your encouragement and prayers of healing for my face. I am finally recovering from the Bell's Palsy! I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of the progress...

Here's my face in the resting position - it's hard to even tell the Bell's is still there.


My smile and eye have almost fully recovered.


Compared to this picture taken the week after Alex was born...

Thank you for praying for me. I am on the road to healing. On a side note, I found out that a few celebrities have also suffered from Bell's Palsy. George Clooney is one of them!