The Great Costume Debate

It's hard to believe that I'm already thinking about Halloween costumes for my kiddos.  Bailey is having a tough time deciding on a costume.  One minute she wants to be a cowgirl, then the next she wants to be Foofa from Yo Gabba Gabba.  Just in the last week she's also mentioned possibly being a kitty cat, Tinkerbell, or a robot ninja. Decisions, decisions!

In the past, she's been a ballerina, a bumblebee, a cheerleader, and Ming-Ming the duck from the Wonderpets.

 

Jake, on the other hand, is still at the mercy of his Mama.  Last year he was only 3 months old, so he wore a little cow print jumper and matching hat.  This year, I have so many ideas for his costume (a gnome, Yoda, Dwight from The Office, DJ Lance from Yo Gabba Gabba), but I have a feeling he will veto anything that involves glasses or a beard.  He'll most likely be the bumblebee, just like Bailey was at the same age.  Whatever he dresses up as, it'll be adorable!

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I've added a few Halloween themed bib and burp cloth sets to my Etsy shop!   

 

Photography Challenge - Week 7 & 8

It's time for another update in the Photography Challenge at A Step in the Journey.  Last week I posted my photo to Flickr, but never got around to blogging about it.  Last week's topic was "what are you wearing today?"

On the particular day this photo was snapped, I was ready for some football!  Even though I live in the heart of Cowboys country, I am a Colts fan.  I truly believe that Peyton Manning is the smartest quarterback to ever play the game.  Hopefully he'll recover quickly and get back into the game this season.  Go Colts!

This week of the challenge focused on black and white photography.  Now this is where I decided that the guidelines of the challenge are pretty flexible.  I didn't actually take this week's photos, but instead decided to use Picnik to edit two of my favorite family photos.  Both were taken in 1977, three years before I was born. My mom will probably want to strangle me for putting these on my blog for all of the world to see, but they are so great that I can't resist sharing them.  Sorry mom!

This is my mom.  Back in the day, she was a bullrider, and she's got the trophies and belt buckles to prove it.  I believe she was 17 when this photo was taken in 1977.  I have always been fascinated by this photo.  The original was in color and a bit larger, so I cropped it, switched it to black and white, and adjusted the exposure, sharpness, and clarity.  I think I love it even more now.

This is one of my all-time favorite photos.  Also taken in 1977, this photo shows my mom and dad at the rodeo.  Such a cute couple!  This one was already black and white, but I adjusted the sharpness and clarity just to make it a little crisper.  Don't you love the clothes?

Next week's theme...a mess.  With two small kids, a husband, and dog, that one should be easy!  :)

Fun in the Sun

Destin, Florida is a beautiful place.  I just wish I didn't have to drive 12+ hours to get there.  The kiddos actually tolerated the road trip better than I had anticipated.  Bailey was armed with a new Magic Noodle (a.k.a. MagnaDoodle), a View Master, and a few books.  In between naps, Jake was happy just looking out the window at the scenery go by.

I'm a huge history nerd, so we made a little detour through the Vicksburg National Military Park before stopping for the night in Jackson, Mississippi.  

After another full day on the road, we finally got our first glimpse of the beach.  It was so white it looked like snow!  But that was nothing compared to the view from our room at the Hilton Sandestin Resort...

We spent the next three days swimming in the sea (but mostly in the pool), digging in the sand, and soaking up the sun.

The beach was amazing!  The sand was so fine and soft, it was almost like walking on sugar!  Jake didn't care for the sand at all.  He is definitely not a beach baby.  But Bailey loved digging in the sand and searching for sea shells.  She said she wants to live at the beach and be a dolphin trainer when she grows up.

On our way back to Texas, we stopped again in Jackson, MS to spend the night.  The Mississippi Braves minor league ballpark was right across the street from our hotel, so we decided to walk over and catch the game.  Both kiddos loved their first baseball game!

In the end, we traveled over 1600 miles across 5 states.  We all had a great time and ended the trip with a much needed nap.

Florida was fantastic, but are very glad to be back in Texas, home sweet home.  :)