Vote for me!!!

Beyond Snapshots is a photography blog written by two amazing photographers that share super tips and also offer weekly "challenges" to encourage photographers to get out of the box a little bit.....I have had lots of fun doing these in 2010 since the blog started....

They are having a contest right now for photos where the photographer gets into the shot, however that may work out. I entered a picture I took of me and Quinn when we first moved into the house and the bathroom mirror was temporarily housed in the living room. And guess what!!! I am in the top 15 that they chose as semifinialists!!! So you can vote for me and if I win, I get a really awesome neckstrap for my camera, which I TOTALLY need. :)

Even better, though, is the thought that these amazing photo-chicas, Peta and Rachel, have actually given one of my photos a thumbs up! :)

So check it out and GO # 10!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.beyond-snapshots.com/blog/

Helping me water my bday blooms....

Quinn helped me get the crocus growing kit I got for my bday all set up. She was really upset I wouldn't let her taste any of the growing medium it comes with. It isn't really dirt, so I didn't think it should go in her mouth. Yuck.

The Movie....

To recap....we went to Corsicana to celebrate Lucy's 3rd birthday. She is the daughter of some friends. In fact, 3 years ago we were all sitting around at her Momma and Daddy's house having a bbq and laughing while her Aunt Lindsey yelled into Lacey's tummy for baby Lucy to come out!! She did listen, in fact, and arrived soon after! We have pictures of Matt and I holding tiny baby Lucy, so it was fun to celebrate a much bigger Lucy this year! :)

They had a weenie roast, hayride to see the cows, and lots of good outside fun with a playground, sandbox and dirt--Q's favorite!

Here's a slideshow:

My favorite one from the weekend.

Love at first sight.....

Mooey the calf was Quinn's favorite part of our whole weekend in Corsicana. She got some slimy cow kisses and lots of chances to pet Mooey's ears and nose. And you better believe that girl had a few cow rides!

Lil' flashback

Last JULY (no kidding, I am just now getting this scanned...) we went to Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a with our friends. We dressed like cows to get free chicken nuggets! I used only stuff we had around the house for our costumes, and we both even had little hooves, which you can't see in the picture, but it's true! :) Quinn had a little obsession with the cow at Chick-fil-a for a while. She wanted to stare and stare at the huge cardboard cutout of it, and moooo was her first animal sound! Anyway, I love how adorable my baby calf is in this picture!

Quinn's week in review...via the p/s.

Story time at the library...her first time to sit on a mat. Big time stuff!

Her first time to lick the beaters after Momma made buttercream icing.

She's a book junkie, there's no way around it. She has books in the bathroom, living room, playroom, car, my studio.....we don't travel too far without her hard-covered friends and a little voice demanding "bookkkkhhh." Some day we'll introduce her to the world of Half Price Books and really blow her mind. :)

She's gone country!

Stay tuned to "lookit them boots".....

Just got back from a fun weekend in Corsicana and here's a little sneak peek of our cowgirl. Lots more photos to edit and get posted soon!

What she's up to these days....

Looking for the doggies behind the fence next door...

Taking care of her baby. She pats her, feeds her "milk" (you know I am oh so proud to see my baby engaging in her first instances of imaginative play, which of course are the roots of reading....) bounces her in the bouncer and shows me baby's hands about 10 times a day. So sweet! And she takes care of her baby in much more style than me...Look at that "neck" (necklace)!

Compost!

I got a new kitchen compost can for an early bday present from my parents. Quinn loves to help me carry it out to the compost heap in the backyard and empty it into the barrel.

Someone found the pen in Mommy's bag....

And added a little artwork to the kitchen floor.

More girls weekend pics

Amy sent me her pictures from last weekend. Here we are doing our favorite activity from the weekend--eating!

Quinn's favorite activity was dragging books over to the girls and having them read to her. I think they both read every book in her immense library at least twice. :) They were good sports, that's why she loves them so much!

This face totally cracks me up. She looks so much like Matt in this photo. :) WAY too close to naptime. It looks like she isn't happy with Heather, but she actually has been very sad since they left. On a few occasions she has gotten upset about something random and started saying, "Amy, Amy, Amy, Amy" in a pathetic voice and then she will also say, "Heber?" and put her hands up like, "Where is she?"

Many of us are lucky enough to have someone in our life who is our stronghold...who cheers for us no matter what...who showers us with love even when we don't deserve it and who redirects us with a gentle touch when necessary. Quinn has already developed such a special bond with her Aunt Lynda and you can literally see the joy on her face when she gets to spend time with Lynda. Here are a few silly iphone shots of them having fun together. Oh and Quinn thinks Uncle Mike is pretty great, too. She actually learned to say "Mike" this weekend!

Girly weekend

We had the best long weekend spent with some of my very favorite friends whom I lived with through undergrad . Heather and Amy flew in from OKC to hang with us for a few days. I loved just relaxing, chatting, doing a little shopping and lots of eating. I especially love that Q can take part in our girly time now and "Heber" and "Ammmmmy" have already taken up a special place in her heart. We will soon have one more to add to our festivities when Baby Girl arrives in April! Today I asked Quinn if she wanted Heather to bring a baby next time she comes to visit and Q said no. I am very confident she will change her mind when she learns to say
"yes" and I look forward to continuing a great friendship on to a second generation!

Sweet baby legs

Beauxy-Beaux is her favorite of everyone in the house, I am pretty sure.....