I'm a BIG BOY Now!

This is Bryce's 2nd week of being diaper FREE!!!! At our house that means NO diapers what-so-ever. Once they come off-there is no turning back, even at naps or night time. Bryce decided on his own that he was ready. One day he ran out of the playroom, announced "mom I gotta go potty!" and booked it into the bathroom while ripping off his pants & diaper. Next thing I knew he was standing on a stool and actually peeing in the pot! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! He even "tapped" off the excess! He was SOOOOOO proud of himself and said "See Mom! Just like Dadda! I DID IT!" Neither Mike or I taught him how to do this process, he just watched & figured it out. CRAZINESS I tell you! CRAZY!

So that started it. We packed up the diapers & started potty training in full force-our tried & true way. No pants & no undies. Yep-you heard me right. As white trash as that sounds, I let the kids go "bottoms" free for 7 days straight (and throw on pants if I MUST go somewhere-other than that we go NOWHERE for 7 days). This way is SOOOOO much faster & easier believe it or not. No potty in the pants to deal with, if he needed to go-he either SAW the pee come out & knew YIKES-or he ran like mad to the bathroom. Worked like a charm for Emma too. We don't believe in Pull-Ups so at night, we put down a couple folded towels under his hiney, a pair of easy off pj pants & cut back on liquids before bed. So far-no accidents #1 or #2 (if you know what I mean)! YAY BRYCE! Week #3 we are ready for you!

This little man even went on a field trip with his preschool class to Pizza Hut today and in the middle of lunch, ran over to me and told me he needed to go potty-and still no pee pee in the pants! I was so proud of him, so he came home and we researched some new chonies together on the internet. He found some that he LOVED and that were only available at Disneystore.uk-ugh go figure-so a quick phone call to Auntie Sue in Scotland and they are on their way via Royal Airmail! Such is the tradition in our house-potty training is a HUGE deal and deserves "disneyland" type treatment! Good for you Brycey Boy! (As I wipe a tear from my eye-my last baby is diaper free)

Un-Birthday Planned

No-she hasn't had her birthday yet-but I wanted you all to know that I haven't forgot to plan a party & it's not that you haven't been invited. So, save the date for Emee's WONDERLAND adventure this summer. (She wants it outside in the "garden" so we'll have to wait to accommodate that :)

A Wedding & Cave B

A few months back, I got a call asking if I photographed weddings-my first instinct was to throw up...lol-that's my nerves taking over. Then I calmed down and did what every girl does when she is freaking out...called my mom. Mom's advice was to "go for it but let them know this is my first rodeo"....so I did. Shock of all shocks, they called me back and wanted to set up an interview and see my portfolio of portraits I have shot in the past! I honestly thought-HOLY MOSES!
So, I put together a cute package, came up with a price and pulled out my portfolio of sample picts I had bound in a little book. After the interview I came home and spent a lot of time in the bathroom (if you know what I mean). The very next day, I got an email asking me if I would send over a contract for them to sign because they LOVED meeting me and very much appreciated my honesty from the get go. That's when it all started-the nerves hit me like a ton of bricks-you'd think I had been called to shoot for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC or something. However, that is how serious I take my hobby-especially when I am being paid a lot of money and for something that people are investing in....you can't reshoot weddings....it's a one time gig! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Sorry-that was my nerves again.
Anywhoo-my cute Poobee has been secretly jealous of this little photography hobby of mine for sometime now and automatically hired himself as "2nd shooter" for this new job I received & interviewed for! :) He has been researching Photoshop elements & filters, etc online, & keeps on pestering me about being able to fiddle with the 35mm lens (that is because I am over-protective with my camera, and never let anyone touch it-sad huh?)
I relented and told him he could be my second shooter (assistant if you will-but made it clear that I was the "mastermind" behind this plan) :) I was going to purchase a 2nd hand D40 for him for the event, but then thought-I'll see what kind of photographs he produces first and THEN I'll invest in some equipment of his own if he decides its something he likes. (Heaven knows I have been BEGGING him to get a hobby since the day we got married-and NO Mike, "watching sports on T.V." does NOT count as a hobby! lol)
The wedding was in Quincy-which is a town about an hour from here-and we were going to be gone ALL DAY. So Mike's parents came over from Bremerton and stayed in Ellensburg with the kids. It was kind of fun to attend a wedding from a totally different angle than I ever thought I would! Here are some samples of what "our team" captured:

More of the shots we got are posted on our website: www.capturedwithanikon.blogspot.com

All that wedding business made Mike & I appreciate our own, which was almost 7 years ago, and we decided to splurge on & treat ourselves to a night in an awesome room, at a beautiful hotel called CAVE B located on the Columbia Gorge (also located in Quincy). This place is nothing short of A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It was nice to have a relaxing night without being sat on by the puppies or being woken up at the crack of dawn to kids smashed in-between us. Pure Bliss! Thank heaven for wonderful inlaws. Couldn't have done it without them-and the kids had a TOTAL blast with us gone :)

The Cliffhouse we stayed in...

The view from our house...

The resident puppy-SO CUTE :) We felt right at home the moment we walked in :)

If you look REEEEEALLLLY close-there is a bunny rabbit on our front porch!

While we were in Quincy-we stopped at this hole in the wall place & picked up a treat for the kids....they got a kick out of it as you can plainly see.

It was a grrrrrreat weekend!

Toy Story Mania

This is Bryce's routine lately.

#1. Dig everything out of his dress up trunk as he searches for his REX costume...

#2. He works hard to get all velcro parts attached...this is serious business...

he did it! twisted & all-but hey-it's on and he did it all by himself!

#3. He pushes the noise maker over & over inside the REX nose-how cute is that little stinkers face!!!

#4. Then he begs to watch Toy Story 3 on his t.v (which is entirely too large for a kids room-but such is the way of things with hand me town electronics :)

#5. No sooner than he has the entire get-up on, he rips it all off to run into the living room where most likely Toy Story 1 or 2 are playing. He grabs his Toy Story blanket, his cup of milk & Buzz Astro Blaster from Disneyland and anxiously awaits the scenes with the Evil Emperor ZURG...

Such a boy-shooting garb on the t.v. with his laser gun! Something my dad would do-not in the video game sense but don't ask him about his "house fly GUN!" (no I am not joking) :)
Em would never do such a thing-only Bryce comes up with these innovative ways to make regular ol' t.v INTERACTIVE! He even yells at the t.v-"YEAH! Take THAT ZURG!"

He's a happy kid-in a world he created all by himself! Oh and in case you are wondering-when he is done with step #5-he starts over again at #1 and we continue in this fashion for most of the day. Fun for me huh? (on a REALLY good day, he mixes in a little Monsters Inc and Incredibles in there too-and boy what fun that is-whipping out all THOSE costumes too....)

Work in Progress....

The Kitchen FACELIFT (no remodels-on this budget!)

Then there is this mess I started a while back-remember the ceiling tear down I was itching over.....

The "plan"

(stop laughing if you already are :)

• beadboard ceiling trimmed in wide white trim (like in the rest of the house)
• no more florescent lights-instead, a single decorative type "track light" in the center-matching the chandelier in the dining room
• that ugly wood covered in time period appropriate chrome (maybe white-depending on how the sample tiles look) ceiling tiles-creating a border between the cupboards & ceiling....

we'll see how this all pans out huh? lol

A Day of Tangled Fun!

Today Emma & I made a girls trek to Portland so Em could be with her cousin Maddy who was celebrating her 5th birthday in Rapunzel fashion! The first part of the party was a special "girls only" dance class-the girls spent the afternoon learning a ballet dance & then performed it for the parents...

Then everyone headed to a local pizza place for dinner & cupcakes. A short 4 hours after we arrived, we were back in the car for another 5 hours home.

Emma told me on the drive  home that she had a "great day". Happy 5th Birthday Maddy!