Troop Tofslie

SLEDDING!

2012-01-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

A solid sheet of ice, a dusting of snow=a super good time sledding down the driveway!

Christmas Medley, Ashley Style

2012-01-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

We hope you had a great Christmas! Here is our card from this year of our favorite Christmas family activity...ZOO LIGHTS! Lacy OH so sweetly and boldly sang a solo verse from 'Away in a manger' this year while caroling at a few different locations. I will never forget propping her up on the piano stool in the large assisted living center cafeteria and her projecting her verse, boldly, yet SO sweetly all by herself. What joy she spread that night...it was so touching to watch. So proud of the little girl Lacy is becoming...such a heart for Jesus. Looking for ways to be kind and show love to others. And, here is a little video of a glimpse into the constant music that filled our home this year for Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2011-12-11T19:37:00.001-08:00

Spreading some joy singing a Christmas special with my buddies Rachel and Julie. My mic is definitely not loud enough, fyi. Don't give up on us...we needed a little time at the beginning to get in the groove;) Check out Selah's version....it's our favorite family Christmas song this year. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

Lacy rocks the studio like a PRO!

2011-09-07T12:40:00.001-07:00

A studio recording of Lacy singing Annie's Tomorrow! This is a video made for posting on social sites, since you can't upload a song. We had Lacy sing along to the finished product for the video(and it doesn't always line up exactly). To all our family, let me know if you would like a copy of the recording with a spiffy label and I'll drop one in the mail for you. Some of you are automatically getting one

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." Romans 12:6-8

Tidbits:
*The video is of Lacy singing along to the recording we already did, just for the purpose of posting on FB and other social sites…It was hard to line of the video and the recording.
*There is no auto-tuning in this recording….it's 100% Lacy and her pipes, and her adorable speech impediments. Just the way God made her:)
*Lacy heard this arrangement the morning we started recording…it's completely different phrasing and it had a key change
*We just recorded this over Labor Day weekend.
*If you have never experienced recording before…it is not forgiving like singing live. It hears EVERYTHING. Lacy was extremely focus to not let any wiggling, looking the wrong way affect her pitch.
*I will also be post a "Making of/Behind the scenes" video because there were loads of adorable moments that could not be included in this video.
*This is not Lacy's first time in the studio, she helped my brother end a song he recorded. You can listen to that HERE

First I need to say the world's largest thank you to my brother(cory robertson) for recording and producing this for us. He left his entire weekend open to tackle the recording and then also spent more time working on all the techie stuff. This frozen moment in Lacy's life will always be priceless to me and I feel so blessed to have such a devoted brother and uncle to Lacy(and Ashley too!) And then a big thanks to my mom for watching Ashley and keeping her far away from the recording in session and making and having meals ready at our break times! And, my dad for putting up with the strict, "QUIET ON THE SET" rule;)

This all started about 6 months ago when I heard Lacy belt out Tomorrow along with the Annie she was listening to on my computer. She held the huge, high note that lasts about 4(or more) measures, ALL the way and COMPLETELY on pitch. I knew she was musical and has an ear for music, but that shocked me. My four year old was belting out a big song.

This wasn't any 'ol song either. It was my ALL TIME favorite song from my childhood. Um, just ask Cory. I FORCED him into watching the movie with me….over and over and over. And, he was not a fan. He was a good little brother though, and would humor me and watch (and even sing along). I loved the movie and really loved the music.

After that morning Lacy belted out the song, I called Cory and asked if he would record Lacy with his studio. It was so moving to have Cory record this on many levels. 1) He was there first hand when I was little and my love affair for the musical began, 2) We all are musical on my side of the family and it's exciting that Cory is able to watch/be a part of the next generation of musicians emerging, 3) Maybe, just maybe with Lacy's help, Cory may now be a fan of the music…at least when his super adorable niece is doing the lead vocals;) (hmm, I may be pushing it with this one) 4)Plus, it's so fun do do this project with family and have an UNFORGETTABLE memory to share together.

The only disappointment for me was we couldn't get the project done before her birthday. She was doing this at 4 years old and I wanted to have it documented in the milestone category at FOUR. But, summer was BUSY. And it was really hard to find an accompaniment track in a decent key, that was not extremely tacky. We started recording earlier in the summer with a different track. It was SO much higher than the original version Lacy had learned. We knew we needed to switch gears.

A couple of tries later, and the NIGHT before leaving for my parents, I found a track I thought might work. Only problem, it was a much different arrangement with very different phrasing and had sections that sounded like key changes. Could my 5 year old nail a key change without any real rehearsal??? Yikes, it was risky, but we ran with it.

Lacy, not only nailed it, she tackled the recording like a PRO! She worked HARD all day Saturday. As much as I will always cherish the finished product, I will not forget Lacy's focus and willingness to get this done. I hope to encourage and develop that character…it will definitely take her far in life.

Only the Lord knows where this love of music will take Lacy, but for now I will treasure this special recording of my musical little one singing an all time favorite song of mine and rejoice that we enjoy music together! That is answered prayer, friends:)

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." Romans 12:6-8

No biggie, just a KING COBRA!!!!

2011-08-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is no joke, but a real king cobra that Lacy is so happy to snuggle. Her buddy Gabe was surprised with The Reptile Man for his birthday and Lacy totally enjoyed all the interesting creatures he brought with him. The Reptile Man does remove all venom from his animals, but those fangs are still strongly attached! Lacy asked to see a picture of a snake's fangs yesterday...we'll see if she's so brave the next time(I think she will be!). If you live in the area and haven't seen his show...DO! I have seen him 2 times now and love it even more than the first. He is super fun for all ages. I have a bunch of photos almost ready to go...that might be more persuasive! Thanks Rogers for the great night!

WE GOT PHOTOS, WE GOT PHOTOS!!!

2011-08-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

For the first time EVER, my side of the family had professional portraits taken last night. We always had cameras around growing up, but this was the first time(minus our cruise photo) that we did portraits. And Eddy and I haven't had them yet either. Man...it was totally worth the wait. My dear friend took our photos, but I wish I didn't have to type this...they are moving in less than one week to Minnesota. I am so sad, I can't even say anymore about that. She sent us a preview and I thought I would share it with you all. Also, here is bb&co's blog if you want to check them out. (they are on facebook as well)

First backyard pool of the season!

2011-07-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

FINALLY. We had to wait until July to pull out the good 'ol plastic pool. Yesterday in the morning the girls helped me scrub down the pool and get it all sparkling clean. They were quite enthusiastic helpers to put it lightly! So, after the water had some time to heat up and Ashley's nap, the girls went to town. My brother and I spent HOURS in our pool as kids and it's one of my favorite memories, blasting Beach Boys and splashing all day in the pool. Seeing how the girls had so much fun together obviously tugged at my heartstrings. Watching the girls, I was thinking about you Cory! Here is a quite look into our afternoon.

Blessings?

2011-06-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

I believe all of the Bible to be God's word and ALL of it's scripture true. Not some, not part. 100% perfect and true to the last period. However, there are many aspects of scripture that I am unable to fully understand. That can be for a handful of reasons. However, I believe all of God's word in faith when I am not 100% certain of the reasoning behind parts here and there. One example was Romans 8:28, which states, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose." From first glance, that sounds wonderful. Who doesn't want good to come their way? Right? We all like to be blessed. Once we read it again, God tells us in ALL things he works for good of those who love him. Wait....ALL? This is where I pondered. God is telling us that in everything, the good, the bad, the hard, the easy times, God works for good.

Can this really be true for good to come out of massive tragedy? I have heard personal testimonies that shared of this very thing happening in their lives. Thankfully, in my 31 years I had not been through a devastatingly difficult time in my life. Don't get me wrong, I had my fair share of trails and hardship...just not unexpected, gut-wrenching tragedy.

Until March. My brother's best childhood friend of about 10 years took his own life. This smiley little red-headed boy was so much a part of my family's life and his passing just made me crumble. My heart just ached for him, for his family, my family, my brother and just for my own personal grief. My brother and Sean were attached at the hip for so long, sharing such amazing memories. No one will forget his amazing smile, and for me...HIS LAUGH. And just days later the horrific tragedies in Japan struck. In the midst of feeling the loss of a life, in front of my very eyes, I saw many people swept away. Lives lost, souls gone. I knew that pain, and here, families, entire cities were washed away. All that combined, and I was in physical pain from the deep, deep grieving.

I was devastated. And for a while I stayed sad, crying often...without losing hope, but just so sad. However, I dug in the Word and into prayer and guess what? God DID work this out for good in my life. God showered me with His perfect comfort and love during this time, on top of using some amazing friends around me to heal the hurt. I'll always miss Sean and be thankful for the great gift of friendship he brought to my brother, but I am at a deeper love and understanding of my Lord through that tragedy. And that, my friend, is a MASSIVE blessing to me.

At this time, my dear friend Rachel sent me an iTunes song gift before it was being played on the radio. As if He sent it through Rachel, JUST FOR ME. It's so wonderful how the Lord orchestrates His perfect timing. This amazing song by Laura Story was a PERFECT way to express how I was feeling. The lyrics were powerfully accurate as to what I was feeling and when I heard these words, I honestly stopped breathing for a moment....

"When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home...
...What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise"

It still gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.

Since this song was such a comfort and a way to sing praises, I had the song on repeat for a while. Before I knew it, BOTH my girls had learned parts of the song. Lacy knows most of it and Ashley would BELT out the bridge of the song. Lacy is really showing a love for music, dancing, art, and performing. We have been talking about how God makes everyone special and that He asks us to share the things that are special with others. She has been asking to sing with me sometime, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. There is just something that resinates to the soul when a little child sings...

Thank for the all your brought into our lives Sean. And thank you Lord for never allowing our pain to be in vain.

Here is the video and the lyrics are below:

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Today is oh, so very special...

2011-06-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready...

2011-05-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready for the big 2 from tofslie on Vimeo.

Just a smile, in color please...

2011-05-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

I will admit there is absolutely NOTHING on Ashley's plain vanilla walls in her bedroom. And...she's almost two! I can't stand it a moment more and am tackling her room in hopes of finishing it by the time she has her big birthday. WHICH, being that it is May, the big day is next month. I have a few ideas in mind and a couple project in the works, but I was in need of a vertical photo to add to a wall collage. Ashley's smile just makes me melt and brings me such wonderful joy. Capturing that in a photo...not an easy task! Being that Ashley's walls are a boring vanilla and we don't have the time to take on a painting project, I thought a color photo would work best. That meant I needed good lighting, direct eye contact and a REAL smile. I took my best photography assistant(Lacy) and she was jumping behind my back, making funny faces and all sorts of other funny tricks. Ashley did laugh, just would turn away almost every time! I decided to call it good, knowing I had enough "sweet, pretty" photos and I guess that would have to do.

We arrive home and the whole neighborhood and all the kids were out playing and my little neighbor girl manage to get Ashley to crack a smile...but she is not looking at the camera and...the photo just worked better in black and white. If only I could squish the two together! Not sure which one I will choose...

Cherishing every moment...

2011-04-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

It's hitting me a quite hard that my baby is nearing her 2nd birthday. Yesterday, was one of THOSE days. Ashley is battling a little cold and with church, she was down late for her nap, didn't sleep long enough..and she let us KNOW. I have never had a grocery shopping trip with a screaming kid...until yesterday. Sigh....it was UGLY. And, let's just get it out there that I do not tolerate that kind of behavior, but there was not much I could do about it there-she was NOT stopping, so I literally grabbed 3 things and was OUT of there. I was frazzled, worn down, and frustrated. But, we continued on to a new park to test the location for photos. My camera went click and my heart melted. A fantastic way to end the day. Even after a hard day, it does not change how happy and blessed I am to be home with these munchkins. I just wish it did not have to whiz by so darn quickly. Even if that means enduring grocery store screaming melt downs. It. Is. All. Worth. It.

Monkey see, Monkey do. Ashley does and says everything that her big sis does and says and most times they end up in full-on belly laughs. It is absolutely precious. Well, most of it. She also picked up some of the 'not-so-polite' phrases that Lacy has spoken to her and Ashley will pull them out whenever she can. Ashley will furrow her brow and say, "Sush Yay-cee" or "STOP it yay-cee", and then mommy says, "Ashley use manners". Then, that little one will droop her shoulders and say, "Peez quiet yay-cee" or "No tank you yay-see" She KNOWS what she needs to say:) That aside, they play quite well together and have SO much fun...it just makes my cup runneth over.

This last one is of my big girl 4 year old. She is SO proud of how 'big' she is and that she is FOUR YEARS OLD.

Glorious SPRING!

2011-04-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Oh gooooodness. That little giggle just gets me. My munchkin is 22 months today. That means her birthday is just around the corner. How can she seriously be almost two YEARS old. This little one fills our home with loads of laughs and is such a little lover.

It feels like the warm weather and sun is so very late to arrive this year. Finally, today the trees are blooming, the sun is shining, and the girls actually took their coats off! Yes...it is quite comfortable today in the sun.

We are enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and hope you all have a fantastic weekend:)

3rd Generation Rider Has Arrived!

2011-03-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

If you know our family, you know that my mom, my brother, and myself are HUGE riders. The bigger, faster, crazier the better! My dad? Um....let's just say, it's NOT his thing.

We have so many fantastic memories from Disney, Six Flags, Knotts Berry Farms, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, and so many more. We LOVE rides. One of my favorite memories is when we all went to Six Flags and went on Superman and a crazy girl screamed like mad all the way up, stopping just to catch her breath at the top, and then screaming non-stop, high-pitched all the way down. OH WAIT. That wasn't a girl...that was my BROTHER sitting next to me. It still makes me laugh out loud to this day. Some of the others included when we bamboozled my dad on to an intense ride and watching him panic all through the line and then get a crazy hysterical photo once his torturing was done. Awesome:)

During spring break my parents and I took the girls to our local amusement park. My physically cautious Lacy was dominating the kiddie rides and really wanted to try out some bigger rides. And, I should mention that my little 1 year was crying at the end of every ride, begging for more as well:)

I have lots of video and a handful of cute photos, but I wanted to post this video of Lacy who clearly showed us she will be the next generation of riders in the family. This was the second time on the tilt-a-whirl. The first time was a joke, spinning once or twice really fast, then to only rock back and forth the rest of the ride. She begged to go again as soon as we got off and we agreed to go ONE more time, as the rain that was forecasted was beginning to make it's appearance. And man, oh man, did we go out with a BANG! And the icing on the cake is that my mom was there too! And thanks dad for watching Ashley so us three could experience this together:)

I have a hard time choosing to watch Lacy's reaction or the background whizzing by. Here it is! Enjoy!

Our little thrill-seeker!! from tofslie on Vimeo.

My mom's debut leading role on TV!!

2011-03-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

All thanks to my brother for torturing, videoing, editing and submitting the video. My mom is an awesome sport and totally adorable! And...Cory has always kept the family laughing with his antics since the day he was born:) This was totally fun and unforgettable. We had not been home more than 15 minutes and Eddy already had the video downloaded and edited. Yes...he is the internet king:) Enjoy the the segment from the show!

My Mom the TV Star! from tofslie on Vimeo.

Yeah...it should have been top three!!! I'm not biased or anything:) Can you say, "Ooh!"

8 Years

2011-03-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Those would be my anniversary flowers from Eddy. Do you see what he had put in them? I was laughing so hard when the florist delivered these and hardly could say, "There are Hostess cupcakes in my flowers!" She said, "yes, there are 8. Happy 8th Anniversary!" After 8 years, Eddy knows how I can't resist those darn cupcakes and eat them ALL the time. He KNOWS me. Even better, he really loves me 8 years later.

I could pass along more fun memories, but I think I will leave that to the slideshow below. Instead, I would like to reminisce about the second song that closes the slide show. I sang and had it recorded for a surprise at our wedding. As most of you know I LOVE to sing. When Eddy and I got engaged it was not long before everyone kept asking me if I was going to sing at our wedding. Uh...come on...we all know me and emotions equal gallons of tears;) NO way I could get through an emotional song on one of the most happiest days of my life.

However, I DID want to sing. So, then I started brainstorming how I could get a recording. A real, professional recording. Yeah...that takes a decent amount of money. We already were using every spare penny for the wedding and did not have a budget for a recording.

I got it! The song I wanted to sing was a country song and I had been a loyal listener to a Portland morning radio show(99.5 the wolf) for years. I composed a letter sharing our love story and how I was desperately wanting to record and wondering if they could help. And guess what...THEY SAID YES! I could not believe it! The producer called me and we set up a session and off my mom and I(and Fritz) went to the station.

Of course I was nervous sitting in the lobby waiting to be called back. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. It was just me, my mom, little Fritz and the receptionist in the OH, so quiet room. That's when Fritz, failing to be quiet said, "Panette, I passed gas." That did it. Tension eased...in more ways than one:) We all, receptionist included, were in hysterics.

So...we were called back to the studio, tackled the song, and then were given a tour of the station. WOW! I could not believe that happened! However, when we got home, I was less than thrilled with the recording. In fact...it was terrible. The levels were off and my voice sounded like I was singing with my hand in front of my face. Now what?

I did have another idea, but I REALLY did not want to ask. I felt by asking, it was taking advantage of my brother's friendship. His friend had already recorded me once before for free and since then, his studio had started to take off. But...I did not know what else to do, so I asked. I told him about the radio station bomb and was hoping he could help me out. HE SAID YES! And it turned out fantastic. And...all of this went down with only a FEW people knowing. I wanted it to be a surprise to everyone during the ceremony. And...it was:) Right before Eddy's dad pronounced us as 'husband and wife', the song came on. And, I don't think I am exaggerating when I say there was not a dry eye in the church.

Now, eight years later, I am SO happy I recorded it instead of singing it live. We still are able to listen to it! Blake...thank you so much for giving me and Eddy this AMAZING gift. If anyone is in need of a professional recording in the Portland area, check out Clarity Recording, you will love the end product.

So there is the back-story to my song for Eddy and the one to close out the following slide show. Happy 8th Anniversary Eddy....I love you.

8 Years from tofslie on Vimeo.

Wait spring! I haven't posted on winter yet!

2011-03-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Wow...is it really March already?! What an super charged, full speed ahead winter we had! These first photos were from November 2010 and the last two were just last week...oh yes...March snow! Spring snow is fun. HUGE and wet snowflakes, perfect for molding and shaping. Finally, we made our first snowman of the season...phew! We nearly missed that boat. We are well and as always, I hope to get caught up on here with photos, but I am not sure if that will end up happening! I have been booking more photography sessions and working on my web site and on top of getting repeatedly hit by the sick bug this winter. Oh yeah...and just the full, everyday life of being the mom of two beautiful daughters who are getting SO big. Whether I get to post the winter photos or just move forward, I am so happy to be posting again!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.tofslie.com/merrychristmas

Small Town Christmas

2010-12-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

What a fun event for the Christmas season. On Friday night we took the girls to our local parade and tree lighting ceremony. The girls each got a glow stick and LOVED running around in the closed streets. The parade was short and sweet(it was super chilly!), but there were lots of lights, big inflatable balloon figures, dogs, horses, the GRINCH!(someone in a very believable costume) and of course Santa! OH! And Lacy's buddy Gerrit marched in the parade with his preschool. He is a celebrity now:) Ashley was completely wide-eyed in awe of all the commotion of the parade.

A couple highlights..of course a horse decides to do his thing right in front of us for all of us to watch it steam away in the street. Lovely. Then, the next entry in the parade, on foot, here the crowd all gasp as a man was headed RIGHT toward the giant mound, and then...steps right in it. Then the crowd just yells and groans in disgust, but the guy, having NO clue and thinking we were cheering them on, turns to the crowd and starts waving his fist in the air all excited. The lady next to me and I had a GOOD laugh over than one.

Then, when santa was approaching(I believe it was our fire department that hosted this float), a fireman walks over to the crowd of kids Lacy was sitting with and says to Lacy "what's your name?" So, she tells him, and he yells VERY loud, for everyone to hear, "HEY SANTA, Lacy came out to see you tonight." And santa turns around, looks at Lacy and leans and waves right to her. OH. MY. WORD. I lean over to see her face and the excitement, surprise, and glee that was written all over her face just about had me in tears!

Then off we went to watch the tree sparkle with all the pretty lights. Yikes, it was cold, and off we went back home.(after Eddy finally met back up with us!!) What a blessed night it was. This Christmas has started to be a great one with Lacy really beginning to understand the reason of the season, celebrating the birth of Jesus!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy the weeks to come!

Piggies!

2010-11-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

That's right, today I attempted piggies for the first time in Ashley's hair. Her reaction did not disappoint, man does she make us laugh! I tried to recreate what happened when she walked into our closet to see her hair for the first time...

At first glance...

And then...

This is where I was dying of laughter. Lacy is standing next to Ashley SQUEALING with delight "Ashley you look GREAT! Your hair is SO pretty!" And Ashley...just stood there with that face. Awesome.

Ashley has the most hilarious and adorable super bouncy "run". Basically, she thinks if she bounces up and down completely crazy that must mean she's running. Ah..totally not, but super comical. Add flopping pigtails...hysterical.
By the way, our little munchkin is 17 months today...

Ballet Visitation Day October 2010

2010-10-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

I can't speak highly enough about Lacy's ballet class. Teacher Nancy uses very creative and inventive ways to teach the girls the fundamentals of ballet, whether learning a position or an imaginative dance. The best part is Lacy wore a smile just about the entire time. This is so special for Lacy and ME! If you are local and have a little one, check the studio HERE.

This video just makes me smile.

Side note: The video is bumpy quite often because I would be holding on tightly to Ashley with one arm or she would be climbing over my back while attempting to shoot:) Enjoy.

Ballet Visitation Day October 2010 from tofslie on Vimeo.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-10-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I know it's NOT Father's Day and that is why this has been eating me alive. We spent Father's Day this year in Montana while Eddy's dad under went quadruple bypass surgery. I still managed to have to girls get a Father's Day gift made for Eddy. I even was taking photos before our unexpected trip, but none of them really worked. MAN ALIVE has it been hard to get a VERTICAL photo that is decent of BOTH girls. This photo definitely has it's issues and is not technically great, but it's pretty cute of both girls...so DONE.

Today I was hoping to take some family portraits for our friends, but I could not get the girls taken care of. SO, we pushed back the shoot to next week and I decided to go out and snap away since that was the plan anyway. I have been struggling getting a decent shot of our little Smashley lately:) I was so happy I got one! Then, I got a similar one of Lacy. All these photos will head to Eddy's office, so he can have a little collage for one of his walls...and hopefully, I'll get that "great" photo to replace the top one eventually!

Preschool Field Trip #2!

2010-10-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

On this crisp, but beautiful fall morning, Lacy's preschool class went to the "local" pumpkin patch. We went there earlier this season where I took PHOTOS of the girls with their fairy wings. This time since daddy was not along for the trip, Ashley was confined to the backpack...mom had to free up her hands so she could snap a few photos:) And, I only did get a few. We also ran into our friends who were also on their preschool field trip. Lacy thought that was SO cool they were there as well!

Ok, so I am sure those of you that have kids in school or in preschool know how it can get a little loud and hectic corralling all these little people, their parents and a lot of siblings during these outings. Teacher Angela does a great job(and her great assistant Amanda) at organizing it all, but when it came time for the class photo, it all happened fast. It was hard for me not to interrupt and suggesting moving to a different spot and adding a second row to get the kids closer, but it's hard enough just getting everyone together, so I just bit my tongue. SO, I could not step back enough to get all the kids in my frame AND it was in FULL sun-directly in there eyes. Nothing I can with that, need some more practice in that area-TRICKY:) SO, I just took a snap-shot for memory sake and I think come spring there will be a better class photo. I put two because 3 little tykes from my mommy group were not in one of them. It was a fun morning, but I sure did need my coffee after this! :)

Jumping for joy!

2010-10-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Why? BECAUSE I HAVE MY CAMERA BACK!!!!

Man alive was that separation hard. If you did not hear, right after I did the Providence billboard shoot, my camera stopped detecting the battery even though it was fully charged. It was quite the hassle to get to a store(NOT local) to determine that the problem was, in fact, internal and NOT a battery. Sigh. I knew that meant my less than 3 month old camera was headed back to Canonland. Although it was SO difficult to be without my camera, Canon was SUPER fast getting my camera back to me. Of course, all free of charge. The problem? The power supply assembly had shorted and needed to be replaced. No clue why or how, but that was the problem and it's now fixed! Of course when my camera came back, I got sick and so just yesterday I was able to bring my camera along to the park and take photos again. Ahhhh, and all is well with the world. :)-

BILLBOARD!

2010-10-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

It's up! My photo is on a billboard for a Providence Hospital ad! And two of the cutest little models are the stars! So, when the billboard first came into play, it was going to be a billboard downtown Hood River, but things were changed and now the location is in Troutdale, off Interstate 84. It is a MUCH bigger billboard, off a very busy highway leading into the gorge. Of course once the billboard went up, I came down with a nasty chest cold and could not go to see it. Todd(the boys' dad) went and took some photos and passed them on to me...THANKS FOR THE PHOTOS TODD!

For those who would like to see the billboard, here are a little more specifics on where the billboard can be seen. As you are leaving Portland, heading east on I-84 you come to Troutdale(exit 17). Right after you pass the exit, continuing on I-84, the billboard will be on the left-hand side, across the west bound lane. Enjoy Todd's photos if you can't see it in person!

So for the special occasion, Todd presented me with the coolest gift. He had a mini-billboard made!! There are a couple items in the photo so will have a better idea it's size. It's sitting by my computer right now! Love it!

Fire Safety 101

2010-10-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Here is Lacy sporting her fire hat from her first preschool field trip! I was a helping parent and Ashley and I went along on the field trip and also took one of Lacy's classmates in our car. The girls were so excited to go together in our van. It was so cute! The field trip was fun for all and the men at the station had a lot more prepared for the preschoolers than I thought they would. They learned a lot about fire safety and really enjoyed themselves! On our way back to preschool, the little girl we took said "knock, knock" So...I replied "who's there?" And she said "fire station" Me: "fire station who?" And that sweet little thing said "fire station...YAY!!" Cute:) OH..and Thanks Jenn for loaning me your camera!!!

Below a fireman was asking the girls what they were supposed to do when they reached a door. Lacy just sat there with that glazed smile, hoping that could be the answer. Of course at home she rambles on and on and on about it, just froze in the moment!

Below, a daddy from our mommy group was so sweetly helping all the kids out of the fire engine. Lacy freaks out in Lacy fashion and I could hear her yell from across the room "NO!"(Teacher Amanda scooped her down after that and yes, we had a chat about that later! Sorry Andy!)

Yes, even Ashley was along for the field trip. She enjoyed it, but it made it VERY hard for mommy to take photos with a new and bold walker on the lose:)

I really wanted to get a photo of each child in class taking their turn shooting the fire hose, but there were a lot us parents attempting to snap away AND Ashley was all over the place. I eventually had her sit down next to me. All of the sudden I hear this sound and I knew it was not a sound that I should be hearing...SPLASH, SPLASH. Yeah, all that water from the hose had drained down right to us and with my face in the camera I did not notice it. Ashley did and was happily splashing away in the MASSIVE stream of water. Yep....soaked! :) Click on the photo to see it larger, in the top row, the kids watching are quite cute!

New boots and Mommy's necklace:)

2010-10-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Still without my camera and using my phone:( Anyway, the girls just came home after a weekend with my parents right before Ashley's nap. When she woke up, she was feeling all sorts of awful due to her cold. She was just crying and crying. So, I had her try on some new clothes, boots, and put on Mommy's necklace she LOVES and TA-DA! All better:) She LOVES her boots(Thanks Mammie!) Big sis saw the action and wanted in one as well. I ask them to smile. Lacy does fantastic as usual. Ashley? Well, what do you think?

Oh MAN. Tell me, does that little face just make you crack up or what?! Love it.

Preschool Skills!

2010-10-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how fast kids can acquire new skills. Being a stay at home mom, I have barley missed a thing that my girls begin to do. After preschool today, Lacy was just DYING to show me what she learned to do. Adjusting to your child mastering skills while at school is bittersweet. It's so exciting to see your child bursting with pride when they accomplish something that you both know took a lot of work, but at the same time it's so hard to be missing their 'journey' to conquering their new skill. None-the-less, I was excited with Lacy at her new preschool skill. This is a BIg deal, as Lacy has been extremely physically cautious and to see her blossoming is just a massive blessing. Whether I was along for the journey this time or not...WAY TO GO LACY!

Preschool Skills from tofslie on Vimeo.

Mom's Birthday!

2010-10-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

My mom's great boss gives her birthday off(PAID!) and man did we have fun! On top of giving my mom the day off, Suzann also gave my mom their season tickets for the Blazer game the night before her birthday. And uh, they are ON the floor, SECOND row. AMAZING. Well, my dad and brother surprised me saying that they would watch the girls so mom and I could go! They all have been once or twice(yes, Suzann has passed them off before!) and I have never been to a game. I was so excited!! And it was great fun; the Blazers creamed the Clippers. Then, the next morning, my mom's actual birthday, we all went to the Washington Park playground and then out to lunch at Red Robin. Because, you know, when a 4 year old hears there is a birthday, there HAS to be a party:) Red Robin does the loud chant for birthdays and gives a complimentary ice cream sunday. This was satisfactory with Lacy :) Of course being in Portland, I had to grab the opportunity to hit some amazing sales. Only bummer, with my camera in the shop at Canonland, I only had my iPhone to snap some photos. Better than nothing, right?

Red Robin Birthday from tofslie on Vimeo.

Yes, those are the dancers sitting right in front of us and that shoulder you see on the right-hand side of the photo would be ex-Blazer Terry Porter! Ah...I think I am spoiled. How am I going to go again sitting in "regular" seats? :)

115 Blazers. 86 Clippers.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Forward, ho!

2010-10-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, our little munchkin is now facing forward in the van! I feel like we had to wait forever. Our little one is JUST 20 pounds. Being that she is almost 16 months, around she went. You know, there are many places in the world that keep littles rear-facing MUCH longer than we do in the states. In fact, I think it's until around 30 lbs! Lacy JUST hit that marker at 4 years old. While rear-facing, the kids just sit criss-crossed as they get bigger. It does haunt me a little, but at the end of the day, we went with forward facing at 20 lbs.

I told Lacy when we woke up, there was something new in the van. Immediately she said, "well, I got a new car seat, maybe Ashley has a new one." Wow, she was right! We also bought a new seat from a co-worker of Eddy's and it's really nice. Ashley's current one was definitely needing to retire.

All of us were leaving at the same time yesterday morning. All us girls were headed with Lacy's preschool class on their field trip to the fire station. So, eddy was able to watch as Ashley sat in her seat for the first time. Her response?

A slow and drawn out "WOW" and big smiles. Then, while driving, she kept repeating 'HI!', since she could see me in the driver seat:)

Brothers

2010-09-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

These two cuties are our next door neighbors. First, I will say that we love them SO much! Then, seriously how cute are they?! We were planning on hitting my usually spot for kiddo portraits, when we hit a bump in the road. The sprinklers were malfunctioning and they would not be fixed for possibly hours. Man, am I SO glad that happened! Much better location. If you are local, we took these at the Apple Valley Country Store. If you are ever in town, definitely check them out and you must NOT leave without buying one of their amazing pies. Seriously, it is a MUST. And, these boys were SUPER fun to photograph. Well...just look, you'll see why! I am booking sessions now, so if interested drop a comment here with your email, or email if you already have it and I will fill you in on pricing.

First official paycheck!

2010-09-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Exciting day for me...I received my first paycheck for taking photos! I just wanted to take a moment and document this:) We'll see if this 'getting paid' for taking photos turns out to be more of a regular and professional thing, but none-the-less, I am so excited for each little step forward I am taking in this photography journey. This unforgettable check is for second shooting with our friends and fantastic photographers on a recent wedding. I am hoping to post which photos they used of mine and maybe just some more of mine after I check with Brenda. So, yay for this momma and HER milestone reached today!

Summer Portraits

2010-09-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well, fall is right around the corner and I did not get all my summer portraits in, but we'll get there...I hope! Adjusting from completely a stay-at-home mom to juggling a hobby is something I am still tweaking, but I LOVE this. Here is a hand full from the summer sessions so far. And most of these, i think I was really quite crazy attempting to have a photo shoot while still a novice at my new camera. I definitely missed a lot fumbling around, but it forced me to learn...and quick! :) I had the opportunity to be a second shooter for a wedding for the first time a couple weekends ago with friends who are photographers. WOW. I have lots to learn, but man, I am sure enjoying the journey!

I have lot scheduled in the next few weeks, should be interesting!

My baby's first day of Preschool

2010-09-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

I mean really, wasn't she just a baby the other day? Ok, maybe be not, but there's no denying it's here. The big first day of preschool!! Let me just say, I am THRILLED with her school. I can't speak highly enough of her teacher Angela(and the sweet assistant as well!) and the facility is fantastic. Day one is case and point why it's awesome. They headed outside to the giant playground, when it started to, ack, RAIN. No problem, they just head back inside to the gym, where they have a giant play structure IN THE GYM! Then, the kids can ride bikes around the perimeter of the structure.

Here is Lacy with teacher Angela. Can you tell how much she likes her and how comfortable she is with her? :) Eddy has been swamped with work(yeah, I know, BIG surprise, huh:) and he was unable to make the open house and I was so excited he was able to come and see Lacy off on her first day and meet Angela.

So, Eddy and I stayed for just a couple minutes and then, out the door we went! Lacy has NEVER had separation anxiety and today wasn't any different.

I LOVE getting the chance to peek in on Lacy whenever she is in church or ballet and they don't know you are watching. So fun to observe how they are. Teacher Angela let the parents sneak in the back while they were finishing their group time. She was watching and following the assistant Amanda and eventually she spotted me. When were were on the way home, Lacy told me,

"Mom, I think teacher Angela should come pick me up and take me back to preschool."

I guess that means she likes it:) Lacy greeted me with a bracelet that she made and said it was for me(yes, i am sporting it now), she LOVES to give, precious. I asked her what her favorite part of preschool was...snack! Haha, that was not a surprise either. Lacy told me she tried pouring her drink, but spilled. Then said, "It's ok, teacher Angela helped clean it up." Another bonus is Lacy has five of her friends from my mommy group in class with her! One mom invited us all over after drop off to relish in the day and celebrate the big occasion. All-in-all great day!

Labor Day at the Farm

2010-09-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

After a mix-up, we changed our plans and headed off to the local farm, Rasmussen, for Labor Day. My mom had purchased a pair of "butterfly" wings for each girl and of COURSE they came along as well:) The corn maze was open and so was the u-pick flowers. a nice afternoon together in the beautiful Hood River Valley. I think you will notice something in a few photos of Ashley, need I give the hint of 'major milestone'??? Crap. Now I have both girls going through major milestones at once. Yes...it makes me weepy! I am one blessed momma. Now to catch a couple hours sleep to then take my oldest to her first day of preschool....

This last photo kills me. Learning to walk is a tricky stuff:) Yep, our Ashley is just about a full-time walker. She took her time, letting this momma cherish the baby phase until she is just days away from 15 months.

Rainbow Cupcakes

2010-08-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here they are! Lacy just LOVED these. And, how bright and fun are they? Since I have no talent at baking(or cooking for that matter), these made me feel a WEE bit domesticated;) They did not turn out quite as I was hoping, but they were still fun and a big hit with Lacy. Mission accomplished.

We handed them out with the wrapper on. I debated on whether I should keep them on or take them off. I had reasons for both ways. Turns out being crunched for time, the wrapper stayed on. Our friend Brenda said it was a really fun surprise when you unwrapped them. I think the adults enjoyed them just as much as the kids:)

I asked Lacy what was her favorite part of her party and she said...

"Eating the rainbow cupcakes and giving them away to all my friends"

As Lacy is getting older, I am over-joyed at her wonderful generosity. Whenever Lacy gets a SUPER special treat of any kind, she jumps to sharing it. More about this on her birthday post:) So, of course one of her favorite parts was SHARING her special cupcakes. Yikes, that will tug at a momma's heartstrings!

Here is Lacy enjoying her rainbow cupcake at her party!

How to make rainbow cupcakes...

Simply make your cake batter(we used french vanilla box mix!). Decide how many colors you would like. We chose 6(red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple), so I had six bowls. Since we made 2 boxes, it worked out to about 1 1/2 cups in each bowl. Then, use gel food coloring for each color. We got Wilton colors and added, I think 1/2 teaspoon to each bowl and they were VERY bright and vivid. Then, I tested how much of each color we could put in each cupcake with water and measuring spoons. A tad less than a dessert spoon seemed to work for me. I scooped out a dessert spoon of red in every cupcake, rinsed off the spoon and then went on to the next color until I did all six. It did take me forever...fyi.

Now..I first made them so the red was on top. However, the color did bleed a little, so I switched and had the purple(with some blue) on the tops and they looked a little better...in my opinion. I did see another recipe that added sour cream(really? I have heard of CREAM cheese, but sour cream??) to the batter. They mentioned that the batter was very thick...that might help prevent the colors bleeding. Not sure! Let me know if you try.

So, we made cupcakes twice and frosting three times during Lacy's birthday week. It took a long time to get the cupcakes done and I did not eat one at the party. After it was all over and after dinner, I finally had one.....YUCK! I was shocked. I tested a cupcake right after the first batched cooled and it was yummy. My parents and brother were in town for the party and we all figured out it was the frosting. GO FIGURE, all that work and they tasted terrible. We have some left over and I will be scraping off all the frosting and putting better on top! We thought it may be the food coloring, but it was the frosting. WHO KNOWS. But, the cupcakes are good:)

We will definitely be doing colored cake again in all different ways. Very fun and colorful, which is great for little ones who love color!

Four whole years...

2010-08-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Oh sweet Lacy girl, we wish you a very happy birthday. You are four years old today, how can that be? My heart rejoices in the girl you are becoming. Your daddy and I are so blessed to raise you, thank you Lord for our first sweet girl. We love you so, so much Lacy!!

I am hoping to post loads and loads of photos asap. I think I may call in some back-up and ship the girls off to Mammie and Papa, since they have not seen them in while and dig in:) This photo is one from our Montana trip and was taken at Clydehurst Christian Ranch during our fantastic week there.

Karaoke Queen

2010-07-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

We were invited to our neighbor's sister's house the other night for a BBQ and karaoke! They have some friends that have a full-blown karaoke set-up and it was SOOO fun. I have not done karaoke in forever...man, I miss it!! It was hard to remember what songs to sing. Why do I always forget which songs I like to sing when I get the chance to??

Well, turns out, it was not just the grown-ups that were enjoying the karaoke...

Karaoke Queen from tofslie on Vimeo.

How do you like that?! :) I sure did. Just when my mommy tears where beginning to fall, Lacy pulls a move that had me dying of laughter. Love it.

Portrait Crasher

2010-07-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had my very first senior photo session! I adore Emily and although I am excited to take her senior pictures, I am super sad because that means she is a SENIOR. What are we going to do when our fabulous babysitter goes away to college?! SO, we only did a portion of her photos tonight and I will not be posting them anytime soon, but I had to share these outtake photos! Take a look at our portrait crasher! (click on the photo to see it larger)

My awesome friends were letting us use their gorgeous field FULL of daisies. However, you can see we were clearly not alone! About 20 minutes after we arrived, Toby came over to tie this hilarious mule to a post, so we could finish the session. Granted, the mule makes for many laughs and acts like a dog, following you all over, but, it was not exactly the look we were going for:) If our evening is a good indicator of all senior portrait sessions. Sign me up, I'm definitely up for more of this! Can't wait till next time Emily!

Summer Portraits

2010-07-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is finally starting to act like summer, I have been taking the girls out and practicing more on portraits. It's really been up and down. I am toying with the idea of pursuing it further, maybe a part-time gig? But, there is SO much to it and I am NO where near good enough to be at that level. I really do love it, so we'll see how it goes. I have and will be taking photos of other cuties besides mine this summer. That should be interesting. Below are some photos from when I took our neighbor buddies out and practiced on them.

I am trying to tell myself, one day at a time. There is only so much I can do on top of keeping up with the house and 2 little girls! Eddy and I have our eye on a new camera, that would help immensely! We have an ancient Nikon D70s and a new body would be awesome! So, I guess I will just keep plugging along.

Baby's First Words???

2010-07-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, here is a clip of a few of Ashley's first words. I was thinking and should have gotten Ashley to say all of her words, but here is a glimpse at a few:) It cracks me up! We are not short of laughter at our house.

Baby's First Words? from tofslie on Vimeo.

Quotable

2010-06-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Rachel posts the "quotable" things her adorable 3 girls will say on her blog. I have to snag her idea and begin on ours. Thanks Rachel for the great idea!

Lacy recently learned when you draw a heart, it can substitute the word 'love'. So, at lunch Lacy tells me...

"Mom, I love you LOTS and LOTS of hearts." (while drawing them in the air)

We made it home

2010-06-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your prayers and support! We arrived home Monday night, safe and sound. Arlen did have quadruple bypass surgery while we were in Montana and is home beginning his long recovery. He is not able to even have visitors for a week. Just talking wears him out. Definitely a long recovery. We were so thankful we were able to be there with him and the family.

I can't wait to update this blog, as I have posts dating back to April! We do not having anything major on the calendar for a while, so hopefully all those posts will get done. For now, here is a photo of Lacy being one big, completely messy goof in my parents backyard. That gem of a dog is her boxer buddy, Niki. My mom was dog sitting for the family she nannies. Lacy LOVES Niki, and the feeling is mutual.

Please Pray for Eddy's Dad...

2010-06-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Eddy's dad is going in for quintuple bypass surgery on Thursday morning. Please pray for Arlen, the doctors, and family for us!!

More information when we can get to computers.

Thank you for your support.

Lacy's First Ballet Recital!

2010-06-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Oh man, this did NOT disappoint. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was the perfect way to end such a fantastic first year of ballet. I am sad that this class can't continue on together-great girls and great parents. However, we will have teacher Nancy again next year! I think she is genius for going on stage with the 3/4yr olds during their performances. They can do so much more during a performance with a little help and direction from their teacher!

I want to add a HUGE thanks to my parents, brother, and Maria for coming and watching Lacy dance in her "big recital". It meant the world to her that the people she loves SO dearly came to watch! Thanks Cory for taking off work and Maria for dashing across the bridge after Gabe's t-ball game! And mom...for helping every waking second the entire weekend! What a blessed little girl.

Two viewing options. Full video: total running time 5:14. THE BEST PART OF THE VIDEO BEGINS AT 2 MINUTES 45 SECONDS. Short version below:total 2:25 Turn up volume:)

Lacy's First Ballet Recital! from tofslie on Vimeo.

SHORT VERSION

Lacy's First Ballet Recital-SHORT version from tofslie on Vimeo.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!

2010-06-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

The day has finally arrived. My sweet baby was born one year ago today. Really, I am at a loss for words, so overcome with emotion. Ashley's big bday bash was cancelled due to rain(and man did it rain), but we still had a small indoor party with some family and friends to celebrate over the weekend. I am nearing completion of a slideshow of Ashley's first year in photos, but it is in the mix of a couple projects all going on at the same time. Hopefully by next week it will get posted. I'll save old photo viewing for the slideshow. SO, for today, the BIG birthday, here is Miss Ashley in her special birthday shirt! And one more photo, just for fun:)

Ashley's hair had a party that night. The honeymoon for perfect hair after her hair cut is now over.

ASHLEY CRAWLS!

2010-05-22T01:50:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! A little more than 2 weeks before her first birthday, Miss Ashley decides to crawl! So exciting:) You will have to excuse my shirtless wonder. She had on a dress and got caught in it her first crawling attempt. I had my camera right there and did not want to miss out on the big moment to get her dressed. She literally only took 4 crawl wiggles before I got her ready for take 2.

I had so many emotions. Obviously, the first is FINALLY...YAY! Then, my heart was just over-flowing with joy. I have a heathy, happy baby girl...who, will not be a baby much longer.

Enjoy the video.

Ashley Crawls! from tofslie on Vimeo.

Funny Face #2

2010-05-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is Ashley's new funny face. If you make this face...most of the time she'll jump on board and make it too. Sometimes...she also screams. Yep. Hilarious.

If you have not seen Ashley's first funny face, check it out HERE.

First New Do

2010-05-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is a before photo. Ashley's hair was driving me CRAZY. I am not the parent that loves, cherishes, and waits till as long as possible to cut that baby hair. I like a clean, neat look and will cut it as soon as it's needed:) I wanted to leave the top alone, but clean up the sides and the back. I asked for a 'pixie' type cut and even after just a couple days, still fresh, I think it looks so much better. I bet after a week, it will be looking even better. Best part, I literally scoop her out of the crib and she is looking this darn cute. Perfectly neat hair. Ahhhhhhh;)

What do you like to do with the baby hair? Wait or cut it?

The new do. What do you think?

The cute side by her ears.

Fun in the Kitchen

2010-05-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

We got Lacy a little kitchen for her second birthday and she has loved it and played with it daily since. Now, Ashley has found it a great play to explore and play. I love it as it entertains them for for the longest time!

Doesn't everyone dress like this when they cook in the kitchen? :)

Ballet Visitation Day

2010-05-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so parent visitation day was all the way back in March! Yikes. It was SUPER fun to see the progress. Lacy definitely seemed to do best when they lined up and followed teacher Nancy. Less distractions and she was not worried about bumping into anyone. I love watching Lacy's arm movements. She does them so gracefully. Her end of the year recital is coming up in a couple weeks and we just got her costume. I CAN'T WAIT! It's pretty funny the crazy amount of rehearsals and prep that will come with a couple minute performance. Her class is doing a number called 'Dancing Dolls'. Lacy has already been showing me moves from the number. Yes, it's adorable:)

Teacher Nancy is so great:)

You'll have to excuse some of this video. I had Ashley in my lap and at times I could not watch over her AND video at the same time. And when I wiggled the most, it was one of Lacy's favorites from class, so I had to include it anyway.

The end routine is adorable with great timing on Teacher Nancy's part...so if you can last 3:30 minutes, the next minute will be worth it:) If you did not see the video from Lacy's first day of ballet, I really think you should watch it HERE!!!

Ballet Visitation Day from tofslie on Vimeo.

YAY FOR SUNSHINE!!

2010-05-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

FINALLY. We had some warm sun that made an appearance for more than one day this week. Little miss Lacy asked for a summer dress and braids; that made for one happy girl! Unfortunately, it seems like we have an entire week of rain coming. Sigh...I hope this is not what our summer is going to be like!!

Ashley Shenanigans...

2010-05-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

While Ashley is approaching her first birthday, she is still not technically crawling. However, she is definitely getting around. Here are some photos of our little turkey on the move:)

Silly girl loves to push herself backwards into the chair and then collapse down, scooting under the chair!

Taking a break to play with some peas...

Ta-da! Look momma, I did it!:) She kept pushing until she popped out and flashed this smile.

Yep, she's taking the bumper off just about every sleep time.

OH! You caught me! (Ok, momma put her in there to occupy her while the laundry was folded)

Now, with ALL these toys and space to play, where do you think Ashley chose to go?

Yep, that's right, ALL THE WAY UNDER THE CHAIR. I couldn't keep the camera still I was laughing so hard, so I had to place it on the floor to keep it steady. And, you can see, she thought she was pretty funny as well. Oh Ashley, we love you silly girl!

Little Pink Car

2010-05-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

When my parents gave this car to Lacy last Easter and I was pregnant, mom passed on the insert, and i was already excited for when that baby girl would be able to put it to good use. Well....

It was a HUGE hit! Ashley LOVED riding in it. We let Lacy push and they both LOVED it. Man, look at those smiles as they pass by.

Now, it was time for big sis to have a turn, so Ashley had to get out. This is how she took it....

Haha, I think she still has a ways to go until she masters the skill of 'taking turns'. In the meantime, she is providing her momma with fantastic comedy.

I don't know what happened to the last two photos, but I am too tired to fix them now!

For now..

2010-05-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am dying to post on here! So much has gone on, my grandpa's scare, family visits, first time illnesses, and more! I just love this photo of my Lacy. Today I am turing in her registration for PRESCHOOL. Wow. More about that later, well, lots later. Enjoy this for now. AND, if you have not heard my brother's cover song, check out the previous post and have a listen FOR SURE!

MY BROTHER'S LATEST SONG!!!!

2010-04-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

Oh man...I am so excited I really can't even start. I have so many posts to make on here, but first, my brother's latest project. He is so talented it amazes me. He can pick up an instrument and somehow he masters them all by his own doing. Crazy. With that he can do his own songs completely...music and vocals. A one man band! Awesome.

He recorded this cover song to learn his new recording software and the family got to join in on the fun!! My mom, dad, and even LACY all make an appearance in this song. If you are not musical, let me explain all that went into this song. My brother played each instrument and recorded each. Then, he recorded the lead vocals. Then, he recorded all back-up vocals(until 3 mins:). THEN, he recorded my mom, dad, me AND Lacy. As he put it, 3 months of work all rolled into 4 mins:) I think you are going to need to listen to this a couple times! First, enjoy my brother and his pipes. Then, a second time at minute 3, my mom, dad and myself make up the background chorus! Lacy also adds her cuteness to that chorus. Then, the last chorus around minute 3:30 Lacy takes her turn at improv. Yup...makes me cry every time. My brother is so talented in so many ways and I am so proud of him! I love this recording and icing on the cake, our family who has ALWAYS enjoyed music together now made a recording "ALL together" and passed it on to the next generation. THANK YOU CORY!!

I'm Yours from tofslie on Vimeo.

10 months

2010-04-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. Miss Ashley is already 10 months. Her communication and interaction seem to advance daily. She obviously is a visual learner and continues to love baby-signing and is picking up more and more and using them in their proper context, really communicating! She has told me "all-done" since she began eating solids at 6 months. I love that! Now, she also uses 'eat' and 'more' a lot and is working on please. She also made up her own sign for music. It's quite similar to the baby-sign for music, but she just uses one arm. She also loves to clap and ADORES dancing! She often dances so hard and so big, she falls right over! Kills me every time.

Her newest and favorite word is 'uh-oh' and says it all the time, so adorable! She still loves to say 'da-da'. Although she can say 'ma-ma', about 95% of the time when you ask her to say it, she responds 'da-da'! To which Lacy erupts in hysterics. It's funny all around.

Ashley seems to be following in her sister's footsteps and is still not crawling as of yet. She does get around, and still is a massive roller. Just recently she is able to sit and spin all the way around 360 while playing on the floor. With that, she often scoots a little. Today Lacy and I played with her on the floor, crawling around her and me propping her up in the crawl position. She will hold the position, even more her arms, but her legs eventually just scoot back to flat. Neither the doctor or myself are remotely concerned about the lack of crawling, she is doing PLENTY in other areas and still is physically active. Her fine motor skills are quite good, so crawling will come at some point:)

With Ashley turning 6 months right around Christmas time, I skipped that well-baby doctor appointment and we actually just went last week. So, at almost 10 months, Ashley weighed 16.2 pounds. That puts her in about the 10-15% and I can't remember how long she was, but it was around the 50%. All was great! She has been super healthy and what a blessing that was with all the nasty flus that were going around this season.

Unfortunately, I only have these snapshots, as we just got back from an unexpected trip to Salem last week. My grandpa organized a family reunion, but unfortunately that entailed him collapsing with a heart attack and emphysema complications. It was really sketchy if he was even going to make it, but the Lord blessed us with a great Easter together with the entire family (even our Alaska clan) and he is now back at home!! Post on that later, but obviously I did not have time for a proper portrait.

Now, if I can only figure out HOW Ashley's AWESOME hair day occurred!! Seriously, look how adorable it looks! It is laying so perfectly-NOT the usual sticking straight out of the side of her head. That is the only reason I took this snapshot. Of course she didn't have the good hair day while we were visiting with all our family! Oh well, her hair is coming in great and she already has a little more than Lacy did at this time...now if we can only get more of these great hair days!!

Yard work surprise!

2010-04-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

My mom is always doing for others despite what it will cost her. She gives all of herself. What an example of selflessness! We were visiting my parents after my mom has first been up to our house to help clean with me(and for me!), then taking Lacy back with her for a few days to give me more free time to continue the cleaning progress. During that time, she got her worst case of gout-a form of arthritis. We did not quite know what it was at first. She assured me that it was just some swelling, not that painful. Ah...I don't want to say my mom lied to me, but will give her the benefit of the doubt and say she is SUPER tough(which she is by the way). It IS very painful, but she wanted to help and pushed through.

With her helping me, some items on her to-do list got shoved back. So, my brother and I decided to tackle a physical job for her since she needs to rest her foot, instead of tackling yard work. So, my brother and I finished laying garden mulch down in the front yard. It was quite the feat, but we both were determined! For me, juggling both girls and then the weather was TERRIBLE that day. However, we managed to get a great break in the weather while we worked.

I told Lacy we were going to surprise Mammie and work in the yard for her. She was SO thrilled to help. Seeing her little heart shape before my eyes is such a gift. I think this first photo sums it up. A proud little smile, hard at work. And really, she DID work hard. She carried a lot of loads, dumped, and spread her bark! I was not planning on this when I came and was just thankful I had my rain coat. I was able to cinch the waist and fold up the sleeves and Lacy was able to stay dry!

She watched uncle Cory so closely and cheered him on in the SWEETEST way. "Good job uncle Cory!" Then, after she had watched long enough, she went to work, JUST like uncle Cory. I was so impressed at how she would even empty her wheel barrow just like uncle Cory, by lifting it up! Lacy was using Cory's old wheel barrow from when he was little and let me tell you, it is old-school quality and heavy!

Well done, kid!

Balloon Play!

2010-04-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ok Grandpa Tofslie, I am posting ALL of these with you in mind:) Ashley LOVES playing with balloons(closely monitored by mommy and daddy of course!). I am amazed with the coordination she uses to retrieve the balloon and bring it down. She uses a two-handed, slide technique! Maybe you can see how by the photos. Once Ashley has the balloon down at her level...she goes bananas! VERY cute! So Grandpa, since you are having withdrawals from Lacy and Ashley photos, I am posting LOTS for you, even though not all of them are quality photos, they still are cute.

Big sis joins in to help and play

Sweet Sisters

Ashley LOVES balloons:)

Seven years ago today....

2010-03-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

see THAT look...that's how I knew;)

Portrait Practice!...FINALLY!

2010-03-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

I would like you to meet Ashley's little buddy! This little charmer has a big sister in Lacy's ballet class and 'E' and Ashley get some baby time while the siblings dance. I have struggled scheduling 'appointments' with friends and I thought why not use my time while at ballet?! His mom was up for it, and man did I hit the jackpot or what?! He is such a cutie! We just stepped outside and I danced around like a crazy lady, as this little guy doesn't stay still for long! I also made very loud animal sounds that other people all heard while walking into the studio. Told you I was a crazy lady! Turns out, I really like the dance studio for photos. It has a large covered patio for shade, brick wall, simple landscaping and neutral colors. Only bummer, I suffered from baby brain and forgot my ISO was set quite high and the photos are grainy. Darn. Oh well, that's what practicing is for, right?

Yes, this gave me the bug. I have been ready to start snapping away on others and now I REALLY want to! I have gotten some offers for more practice and I can't wait! Now that we have warmer and drier weather starting, more opportunities will begin. So, let me know if you want your kiddos to join the list!

Thanks again Ashley! He is a dream to photograph. Next up, his big sis:)

Nine Months...

2010-03-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

I am not really sure HOW she is already nine months, but I can't deny or change that Ashley is already 9 months. I snapped this photo right on the 8th when she hit 9 months.

I know I have posted a lot of 'portraits' lately and have some other 'everyday' photos I hope to post in the next week or so. We have some plans coming, one including this momma wearing a dress! And HAPPY DAY...it FITS! ;)

Bonus-today, and for no real reason or occasion, I opened the door to a lady holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers...FOR ME! Thanks hon...I love you too and appreciate all the hard work you do for us, so I am able to stay at home! (no matter how hard that may be at times;)

It's stationary

2010-03-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

It was time. However, with the change comes another sign that your baby is growing and getting bigger and bigger...of course, faster than you want:) Yes, that's right, Ashley is no longer in her infant car seat. At 8.5 months, she was getting big for it and with a coat, she seemed uncomfortable and being on a schedule she does not fall asleep in the seat. And as you all know from the unexpectedly cute photos from the grocery store, she is sitting in the cart. Taking her in and out of the infant seat while it was latched in is a lot more awkward and cramped than a stationary, rear-facing seat. So, the infant car seat has been retired and the stationary rear-facing car seat is now installed. Both Ashley and Lacy enjoy the new change. It was ridiculous how long it took me to remember how to install it, but in my defense, it was the first time installing a rear-facing car seat in our ROCKIN mini-van. I can't believe Ashley will be 9 months in a week.

Spring Fever!

2010-02-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

What a BEAUTIFUL day! This afternoon our thermometer hit 55 without wind! Lacy spent just about all afternoon outside with her daddy and mommy brought Ashley out to enjoy sitting out in the grass for the first time. However, the ground was pretty damp, so we will enjoy the real grass experience later this spring. Ashley enjoyed watching her sister run around the cul-de-sac and even found some strands of 'grass' off our plant. After today, I can't WAIT for more sunshine and simple, but wonderful days of just stepping out your front door and enjoying the fresh air, beautiful sun shine, and great friends! Miss Ashley you brighten our lives every day.

More Practice with the camera

2010-02-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

I am really looking forward to spring and the better weather that will come along with it! With a few new photography skills learned, I am dying to find some good locations and start playing around with portraits! Lacy and I tried a couple places this last week and man, she LOVES modeling. I have to get her to be a little silly as sometimes, she is too 'posed' for what I am wanting, but on the flip-side she gives me time to fiddle with my camera. Sigh...I love this girl.

Anyone local interested in helping me out and letting me practice on you or your kids, let me know!

My Vday, Bday

2010-02-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

Well, the day finally arrived. Officially entered my thirties! With both Eddy and I being quite busy lately, we opted for just a family party, no big bday bash. The day was full enough as it was! Started off with Valentine's gifts for the girls in the morning, followed by church, then our family party, and finishing it off with a Vday/Bday date night with eddy. A nice way to welcome in the next decade:)

Bright and early and about to open their gifts!

Lacy and Mommy with some of her gifts

Mommy with her girls

I also snapped a few photos of Ashley and was thrilled when I got a good one of her making her crinkled nose face. Love it.

Everyday Blessings

2010-02-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

On a day to day basis, my life is filled with more blessings than I deserve. Even trips to the grocery store can bring me such joy. With my now EIGHT month old baby, I HAD to capture that itty bitty girl who can now sit up in the shopping cart. I really wish I had a photo of Lacy when she started the shopping cart phase, so I was not going to miss out on Ashley! Plus, Lacy is enjoying riding the shopping cart in a new way as well. Two new phases. So, that's right, I took my camera to the grocery store! We had a mini photo-shoot right in the aisle.

Tell me the cuteness in that shopping cart just does not kill you!

Big sis protecting and Ashley with her silly, scrunchy nose smile.

And Ashley's signature-curled up tongue. LOVE it.

Lacy's new fav! Hopping on the end of the cart to ride!

My happy helper. She makes grocery shopping so fun for ME. I mean, how could you not smile with that little face looking at you;)

Ok, I am sad this one is not in focus, but I love that Ashley is flashing a sweet smile while showing off her two chompers. Yep, I am so glad the camera tagged along for the trip today.

Playgroup Preschool

2010-02-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

Lacy and I are not able to attend our awesome playgroup preschool as often as we would like(many times are traveling home Monday mornings from Portland), but we always have such a great time when we do!

Today I brought my camera because I thought it would be cute to see all the kiddos in their Jammies. Today at playgroup preschool the kids were focusing on the letter J! I am the lame-o mommy that has not contributed yet, but the other moms pooled together and had stories, songs, crafts, toy exchanges, and even theme-related snacks! Not too mention the impromptu tumbling session:) Hopefully they all will enjoy the photos, so I won't feel completely worthless! Thanks for hosting Leah!

Mommy Leah holding her daughter Gretchen and Ashley.

Silly Gretchen

Buddies

Yes, that would be my Lacy pouting and glaring right at me, being ungrateful for the provided snack. She did well and changed her attitude quite quickly. Still...this photo cracks me up!

Can rough-housing be left out when boys get together? ;) Charis obviously loves to join in with the boys as well!

Will in mid-somersault.

There is always room for a friend.

Printable copies HERE

Pump-E-Up round 2!

2010-02-08T23:35:00.000-08:00

Lacy had such a great time at Pump-E-Up(aka Pump It Up Jr.) with Sophia, I decided to take Lacy again while we were in town. We needed to take advantage of Portland's great indoor activities while we could! This time, Uncle Cory joined in the fun. Also, it was completely less crowded, which made it a lot more fun AND easier to communicate! Another perk, I was able to take more photos...and I did take a LOT. I know, I know...big surprise;) And, in all following photos, you will spot that Ashley even got in on the fun!! And in case you can't tell how fast we are going, click on the photo to enlarge and check out her hair! Cracks me up. Good times at Pump-It-Up.

THIS ONE. check out Ashley's hair...awesome.

FYI-looking that cool while going down the slide does cause rug-burn!

So much fun!!!

Pump-It-Up first visit...

2010-02-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

A little over 2 weeks ago and while in Portland, I met my friend Shannon and her daughter Sophia, at Pump It Up Jr. Honestly, I love this place. And by that, I mean, this mommy completely loves to go screaming down the slides too! I had to laugh when Shannon said she wants her 30th birthday party at Pump It Up...I'm not the only grown up that really loves it! The only reason I was able to take the few photos I did was because Shannon's mom and sister also came to watch and they took turns with Ashley. So nice! Shannon's sister is also a Lacey! My Lacy still is talking about 'lady Lacey'(aka grown-up Lacey). I also stole a photo from Shannon's blog..it was just so cute:) I think my favorite part was when they turned off the lights in one room and Shannon comes to tell me the girls were climbing and sliding down the massive slide IN THE DARK! Shocked me that Lacy was SO brave.

Photo from Shannon-how much fun are they having?!

Lacey, Susie, and Ashley. Lacey just came from the gym...wouldn't be great to look that great AFTER a gym workout?

Lacy and Lacey. How sweet is that look?!

The girls played forever at the drinking fountain. Sophia told Lacy, "Let's drink together, Lacy" cute:)

OFFICIAL TRICYCLE RIDER!!!

2010-02-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

What a milestone Lacy achieved today! Look at my little girl whizzing by in the photo on her tricycle! I am so excited and proud of Lacy. If you know Lacy, you are aware of how incredibly physically timid she is and, in addition, so easily overwhelmed and quick to panic(for all things gross motor). I honestly don't know the average age of when little ones begin to ride tricycles, especially as many of our neighbor kids are older and then some of the younger ones have older siblings, which I know speeds up the learning curve! It just seems that all the kids are SO far beyond the trike days, even Lacy's little buddy who is only 2 months older is riding a TWO-WHEELER with training wheels! Granted, he is boy number 3 and is keeping up with his brothers. So, I think you can see why it may seem like it's taken Lacy so long to accomplish this milestone. But, now, I don't think she is that far behind the curve. It used to be my running joke that Lacy would not ride a trike until she was 5. However, three and a 1/2 is really not too bad for peddling and steering at the same time...right?

She was so excited and proud of herself, we had to call Daddy at work and then each grandma to tell them she was riding her trike around and around the cul-de-sac! Then when our neighbor Chris came out, she yelled to her telling her the big accomplishment and demanded that Chris "look at me!!" :)

Lacy has 2 tricycles(and HOT WHEELS!), and I prefer she uses the other one, that is smaller, lower to the ground and has a little wider frame. BUT, as soon as she realized this trike had a bell...DONE DEAL, the new fav.

Lacy had to work VERY hard to fight back tears when it was time to come inside. She was happy to run upstairs and jump in Ashley's crib and tell her sister all about her new achievement. Yes...precious.

Curly Temple

2010-01-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to me that THREE generations of my family have fallen in love with Shirley Temple. My mom loved her, I LOVED her, and now Lacy has been bitten by the Shirley bug. A couple years ago, Eddy bought me a massive set of DVDs, with tons of Shirley movies. You name, I probably have it;) Just over the last year has Lacy gotten old enough to begin watching, some keep her interest more than others.

So, Lacy has been asking to have REALLY curly hair 'JUST like Shirley Temple'. I was thinking on a nice rainy day, we would tackle that big job. Well, I was crunched for time one morning, but really wanted to give Lacy some curls when she asked. This first photo is from doing spiral curls with a curling iron. She LOVED it, but wanted to try the styrofoam ones I had told her about a long time ago.

One weekend morning, we went for it. We grabbed the curlers, popped in Bright Eyes and started rolling! I don't even know where to start, the day was just packed with special memories!

First, I had given Lacy the nickname 'Curly Temple' and she insisted that I call her that for the entire day...EVEN if she was getting scolded! haha.

Once the rollers were in-she REFUSED to allow me to take them out! She kept dashing to the bathroom and smiling at her reflection of roller-head. Lacy tried to lay down on the couch with her roller-head while watching the movie and said that it was not comfortable. I got this brilliant idea-tell her about how 'little girls had to sleep that way and we should take out your rollers so you don't have to be uncomfortable sleeping with your rollers.' She LIGHTS up and asks oh, so excitedly, 'MOMMY! May I sleep with my rollers too?!' DOH! Backfire.

Then, she decides that she is NOT pretending anymore and she IS Shirley Temple, NOT Curly Temple, and I must refer to her as SHIRLEY. She was VERY serious about this!

FINALLY at 3:30, I convinced her to let me take out her rollers. Let me tell you that for 10 minutes, she literally kept going back and forth on her decision and I was walking on egg shells trying to convince her that she had made the right decision to take the rollers out! The minute she looked in the mirror, she BEAMED and immediately started jumping, loving how her hair bounced. I need to buy more rollers and do her entire head in small rollers next time, but mission accomplished. We both had a very fun and memorable day...next time we'll have better curls;)

Multitasking gone awry

2010-01-31T20:30:00.000-08:00

I was feeding Ashley, cooking Lacy's dinner, and Eddy came to the door with groceries. I go to help and was about to go back to feed Ashley a couple more bites when I see....

Yes, that's right. I left the cereal bowl on the tray! I jumped up to help Eddy and the cereal did not even cross my mind! Since the damage was done, we just took a few photos and let her enjoy and explore. She was headed up for a bath after this anyway;) She got a big kick out of the spoon as well! Oh, Ashley.

ALL DONE!

2010-01-28T22:48:00.000-08:00

I should not have been surprised by this as Ashley is proving to be quite the little visual learner, but here she is at dinner time, doing the baby sign for 'all done'. I only had my phone, which takes TERRIBLE video, but I think you can at least see enough to make her out. So fun! (Ashley 7 months)

ALL DONE! from tofslie on Vimeo.

Christmas Card 2009!

2010-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

Here it is! Ok, so I still have a massive pile that has not been mailed yet! My thoughts are, if I do not send them, all of them would just go to waste. So, although WAY late and SO beyond the Christmas season, I am still going to send them:) But, I need to get caught up on the blog and although I can't stand a surprise ruined(and I am extremely serious about that!!) I need to post it anyway:) We had fun making this one and I love how Eddy and I team up for this(even if Eddy gets ticked off during the process when I gives a gentle thumbs down for a draft or two) and think we are a great team. You can click on the photo to enlarge it and get a better look at all the poses that create the letters.

We did have a JOY-filled Christmas and were blessed with enjoying lots of fun activities with family and teaching Lacy about our Savior that was born on that special morning. There are 5 posts to follow from our highlights of our fun and special times. My favorite is the Zoo Lights video:) All of these posts are before Christmas and I will post the few photos we have from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the next week or so.

We hope you all had a great Christmas and are off to a great start for 2010!!

We would love a comment if you enjoyed your visit:)

ZOO LIGHTS!

2010-01-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

SO, while in Portland after Thanksgiving and after seeing the Singing Christmas tree, I thought we needed to take advantage of the dry weather and go to Zoo Lights at the Oregon Zoo. I was SO torn to go. I knew Lacy would love it(and she did), but Eddy was in Hood River working. We all wanted to go. But, we decided that we did not know when or IF we would be back into Portland before Christmas AND IF we made it, the chances of having dry weather were so slim. Knowing that, Eddy graciously bowed out, and everyone else(my dad, mom, and Uncle Cory) joined us three girls and went to Zoo Lights.

This is my favorite video from Christmas. With Lacy being 3, she was so excited and so enjoyed all joy that comes with Christmas. A couple things are so special in this photo camera video. First, I love the smile she flashes at me while looking at the fish, I love how she mis-pronounced(and actually misidentified) the Hallelujah song, and also that I captured Lacy's cute way of saying "sure", and just her little kid joy. What a blessed Christmas! With the frigid cold and juggling everything, I just wanted to say again, that although you can't tell from the video and photos, Uncle Cory and Papa were in fact there! We all just got freezing and left in quite a hurry after we met up again. I hope you enjoy the video and photos to follow. (OH, and side note, I took the video and some photos on eddy's little point and shoot...)

Zoo Lights from tofslie on Vimeo.

Ashley and Mommy on the train

Lacy and Mammie snuggling and staying warm on the train

The warmest member of our group:)

Not only was Lacy not dressed warm enough-since I was not planning on us being out in the cold when I packed AND after her hot chocolate over flowed, spilling all over her mitten and coat, everyone juggled gloves and Uncle Cory went without so Lacy could be warm wearing adult gloves:)

Just too hard to stay awake when you are so warm and it's hours past your bedtime.

All time favorite photo of Mammie and Lacy.

And another favorite of Mommy and Lacy.

I so wish I could have adjusted better for this photo, but grain and all, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this photo of my Lacy girl.

Santa Land!

2010-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Another moment unplanned, but seized in our Portland trip after Thanksgiving. As a child, Meier and Frank(now Macy's) downtown would convert the entire top floor into a magical childhood fantasty Santa Land, including a train ride AT THE CEILING! It was fantastic. Sadly, they moved Santa Land down to the basement and do not have the train ride anymore. They still have fun decorations and a wonderful Santa with a real beard(just ask Ashley she grabbed ahold, tugged, and didn't let go!), and a toy train in a display area. They do have some of the old train cars for the kids to climb on as parents wait for their photos to print. I am SO glad my dad ended up coming along. With his help I was able to document the day like would prefer and it was actually FUN, no stress involved. THANKS DAD! For your help and your company. I did sacrifice my Nikon and just took the point and shoot, but with it, was able to get the video. I guess it evens out, right?

November 30th, 2009

Santa Land from tofslie on Vimeo.

Notice Ashley's firm grasp on that beard? Hilarious.

Christmas Cookies

2010-01-18T14:40:00.000-08:00

I knew we really should bake some sugar cookies this year since Lacy so enjoys helping in the kitchen. However, trying to get ready for Christmas with a 3 year old AND a baby, I knew finishing the entire process would just be too much for me, especially since we had been SO busy having loads of fun during the Christmas season. SO, I opted out to buy the pre-made dough and just have fun rolling, cutting, baking, and decorating the cookies. Eddy picked up a bunch of dough for us and what I thought would be a couple hour project during nap time turned into a half-day cookie extravaganza! And...Lacy absolutely LOVED it. Definitely worth the unexpected turn of the day! Oh...and the massive mess that was created:)
December 20 & 21, 2009

Yes, I did some of these cookies, but I was impressed with how well Lacy did at hers...and all by herself. See if you can spot them out:)

"Mommy, is this too many sprinkles?" :)

THE MESS:

Portland's Singing Christmas Tree

2010-01-18T14:38:00.001-08:00

November 28th, 2009

I have for SO long wanted to go to Portland's Singing Christmas Tree. And this year, after clearing a few technical difficulties, I bought tickets for Lacy and I! Before I did, I showed Lacy the website with photos and one audio clip of the choir to test and see if she would be interested. She left me with tears in my eyes. She LOVED it and for the remainder of that morning, I had to repeat the choir's song and she even attempted to sing along with them! Obviously, I love music, but I have the most precious memories of me and MY mom getting to attend a musical function and absolutely LOVING it. I can't believe that I am able to share in that same special love and memories with my OWN daughter.

They do not recommend kids under 6 attending the event, as it is a formal one and 2 hours long. I knew that Lacy sat through the Nutcracker at age 2 and being that she is a year older, the show is constant music and lights, it should be no problem. In all honesty, this momma was more excited than her 3 year old, although she was pretty excited as well! It was a special day I will not forget.

Portland's Singing Christmas Tree from tofslie on Vimeo.

If you know Lacy, then you know the only potential problem I was worried about was refraining from using the bathroom. So, I cut her off from liquids early, took her RIGHT before the show, but wouldn't you know, 15 minutes in, the potty dance began and out we went. I did not know if they allowed people to go back in and voiced my concern out loud once we left the auditorium, Lacy BURST into tears, desperate to get back in. Poor girl. I was able to quickly convince her all was ok, and thank goodness...it was! After that, (and again at intermission) we were in the clear and SO enjoyed the show. I could not believe at age 3, how much she loved the choral music. Even the slow songs. She was also in awe of the lighting effects( like snow flakes), SNOW falling on the stage, and an angel that flew across the stage. She did begin to get tired near the end and just snuggled up on my lap. Great show and great memory.

Thanks Mammie for taking such wonderful care of Ashley so Lacy and I could go!

Scenes from The Nutcracker!

2010-01-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

For the second year, Lacy and I attended the Columbia Gorge Dance Academy's, Scenes from The Nutcracker. Last year as a tiny 2 year old, Lacy enjoyed the show and SILENTLY sat through the entire 2 acts. This year...she LOVED it! I mean, really LOVED it. She also got to see teacher Nancy on stage with the 4 year olds and watch what she will get to do next year! The production also welcomed an actual professional ballet husband and wife duo that did an act in the show. It was AWESOME. Lacy (and me for that matter) was in awe of all the lift and leaps the couple did. Not to mention, their costumes too!

And to top it off, Lacy was thrilled to walk outside after the show to find it was snowing! If you look closely you will see the white flecks in the photos. And, the auditorium was just too dark and especially to crowded and crazy for indoor photos.

I will cherish the memory of Lacy on my lap, turning and smiling and pointing in awe and especially, Lacy appalled at two girls who were...gasp..TALKING during the performance and were NOT being quiet like they were supposed too:) That's my girl!

December 12, 2009

Take THAT!

2010-01-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

So while December photos and videos are being worked on, I thought this would be an enjoyed post in the meantime. Expression on both girls kill me, but I think Ashley takes the prize on this one, despite Lacy's BIG one. That soft little grin, is perfectly subtle, like perfect satisfaction and is ridiculously hilarious. And yes, this was Eddy's doing, after he saw the photo:)

**Disclaimer. This photo is NOT what it appears. Ashley is just having a jerky baby motion and Lacy is in FULL-belly laugh at her sister's silly movement near her face. But, it's fun to think otherwise;)