You Capture ~ Black & White

This weeks challenge was Black & White. Any subject we choose as long as they are processed in black and white. So here is Arabella's tutorial on How to Hug Your Bubby.

I love these kids!

For more black and white photography visit I Should Be Folding Laundry.

New Nubbin

Two nubbins and now I think we're working on some top teeth. Yay us!

First Hair Cut

My baby is growing up...today marked a sad but fun first, a first hair cut. We went to watch Daddy get his hair cut and Adam asked if I wanted to cut Evan's hair too. I was hesitant like most Moms, and secondly I didn't have my camera on me because I didn't know we were going to get it cut. So, after realizing my phone would take "okay" pictures I asked Jim to take a look at him. Jim said he could clean it up a little and get the longer stuff out of his eyes. So, up in the chair he went and Daddy supported him Mommy took pictures and kept tabs on Sissy.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the buzzing near his ears.

Looking good. The darker area used to have black tips and Jim shortened it so now only the lighter hair is showing.

Three generations of Sharp men have gotten their hair cut by Jim, it is a little sad that Grandpa couldn't be there too, but he was with us in spirit. My men are in good hands with Jim and I don't know what we'll do when he retires.

Shower Time

When Arabella was little I shared some pictures of her in the shower with me, so it's only fair we do the same thing for Evan. Enjoy.

Just for giggles, here's Arabella at one month old taking her shower. I can't believe she was ever that little and chunky.

The Talkative One

Here's a video from early, early this morning of Evan chatting away. Such a sweet talker and of course he was convincing the teether to help with his first tooth. ;)

First Tooth

Sigh, where has the time gone? Evan is a tad later with his first tooth than sissy, but that's fine by me. He has a tendency to pull on the ole feed bags and teeth won't make it any more enjoyable. But really, I no longer have an infant, sniff, sniff.

Where Have I Been?

Well for starters, Arabella keeps getting me sick every time we let her play with other children. Fun times when your immune system isn't in check with everyday germs.

So I've missed out on two very important posts. The first being that Arabella is officially 18 months old. Yes, a year and a half old.  I don't have any stats on her weight and height because I waited too long to make her appointment. So we won't know until the 29th of July which sadly is a few days before she turns 19 months old. She is still talking primarily in todd-latin, but she is picking up new words every day. She loves to say "up" every time she walks down the stairs. She has told me several times this week "piddy" immediately following the soiling of her diaper. So we're getting extremely close to potty training full time. Right now I'm in a fog so I can't remember all of her new words but there are a ton of them. Today she also tried to plug Daddy's cell phone charging cord into my laptops USB port. The child is obsessed with those ports. At least she grasps that there is supposed to be as cord of some kind in there. She is the mechanical thinker. She's also taken a shine to standing on anything and everything to get a higher view. At first it was her chair, now she uses a bucket, wipe case, blocks, the toy tote, anything to be taller. Definite dare devil.

As for Evan he's officially 5 months old. He's such a strong little boy. He is bulldozing his way around the beds and floor like none other. He wants to crawl but hasn't figured out how to get his head up while moving. He is also absolutely in love with his bouncing jumper. Today he fell asleep in it and although he was snoring he continued to randomly bounce. By the time I got my camera, realized that batteries were dead, changed the batteries and tried to get him on video he quit bouncing. But I did get a cute pic of him asleep. My baby just isn't an infant anymore. Sigh.

 

You Capture ~ America

I took a TON of photographs on the 4th and it was really hard to narrow down what America means to me. There were so many great memories with great friends on this day. So here are just a few.

You're probably wondering why on Earth would a Jolly Roger flag have anything to do with America or what it means to me? Well, this flag is the symbol of BBQ in our neighborhood. Our best friend proudly flies this flag whenever we are about to smoke some meat and have wonderful time. So when we see this flag flying in the wind we know good friends and great food are right around the corner.

See what I mean? Our neighbor smoked some awesome ribs, whole chicken and sausages. And what goes great with yummy smoked meat? Nothing like a great American Lager.

Now, when our neighbor smokes we usually smoke a turkey. So here's my honey drizzling the secret basting juice over the turkey and there's nothing better than the awesome smoke ring you'll find inside.

Add to that juice a little bit of the secret seasonings and you've got an All American Smoked Turkey breast.

Follow up some yummy food with a great show of fireworks in the neighborhood, in between down pours, and you've got a decent night, but the night is still young.

This is America to me. A night of great food, great friends, great celebration and relaxation. Sure everyone went home after the fireworks were over and the rains wouldn't let up, but sitting in the driveway, under a tent, having a great time with friends is what is truly America to me. We have the freedom to do this because of those who made sacrifices.

For more America photographs visit Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Lord, Forgive Me

Lord, I ask for your forgiveness, but we couldn't help ourselves.

Adam and I are huge fans of Rodney Carrington. If you don't know who he is, he's an awesome comedian. So out of the blue today we started up with "Titties N Beer." So now, our gorgeous little daughter is running around saying "Ti-Tees....Beeeeeer." Yeah, I'm gonna go hang my head in shame, while doing so I'm really trying to hide my giggles. Mommy & Daddy FAIL.

An Attempted Photoshoot

I don't have any pictures of us as a family, but again we don't have the luxury of extra money to spend on one. So I at least attempt to take pictures of the kids together. That usually doesn't work out well in my favor. For example:

All of that for one semi-decent pose: