anatomy of a photo shoot

I decided to photograph the boys the other day. They were looking so cute in their little polo shirts and jeans. However, getting two little boys to sit still in the same chair is no small feat.

1. Drinking their milk. Benjamin DOES have his arm around his brother, but no one is looking at the camera.

2. I convince them to give their cups to me, Benjamin decided NOT to put his arm around his brother anymore, but they're both looking at me AND smiling!

3. Aaaaaannnnnd Benjamin is leaving the chair.

4. Now Noah's leaving the chair, and I completely overexposed this one.

5. I get Noah back into the chair, make ridiculous sounds to make them laugh and stay put. OH! I got a good one!

6. Hahaha, this one just makes me laugh.

7. I don't really know what's happening here.

8. Or here.

9-11. Adorable. I could hug them.

12. He was certain that a bug was going to fly into his ear. LOOK AT THOSE EYES! Seriously.

bubbles.

It was a beautiful morning yesterday, so we played outside. Benjamin loves blowing bubbles. Thankfully it rained today so all the bubble soap on the patio was washed off! :)

19 months!

I realize that I forgot to post when Noah turned 18 months old, and since he's now 19 months and just had his doctor's appointment I thought I'd post all about our sweet little boy!
Our little man is now 23 lb 15 oz and 34.5 inches tall! He loves to climb and run. He has about 12 words and 11 signs. His favorite foods are peaches, peas, and crackers. Pizza and spaghetti are also high on the list. Noah loves to give hugs and dance. He's still such a sweetie pie!

2010 National Champions!!

I held my breath a minimum of 23 times during last night's game.

It was a good one, that's for sure. Nail-biter to the end!

Butler, you are a force! Tim, Benjamin and I jumped up and down when Duke won, and promptly bought 2010 national champions shirts online. :)

The four of us wore our Duke shirts all day. I made brownies for the math students.

And I stole this photo from Renee, who went to welcome the champs back to Duke today!

Good sportsmanship = fantastic, which is why I like this clip.

And Coach K, you are classy. Thank you for that.

Easter fun

Yesterday we went to church, played with all four grandparents, got some little gifts, and hunted for eggs...All before lunch! :) We had a lot of fun with friends and family, and are so very thankful for the reason for Easter and how we can rejoice because of this day.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

I made this centerpiece with cadbury mini eggs, 10 bunny peeps, and on-sale flowers from Michael's! (I already had the vase). See the instructions here. (I modified them for a round vase since I couldn't find my square one for the life of me, and used the chocolate eggs since vons didn't have any single-color jelly beans.)

And here are pictures of Benjamin and Noah. Because they're adorable. Yes, Benjamin arranged those dominoes by what the two sides add up to. Seriously. And Noah really likes to play with the kitchen. :)

Also, I've been posting a lot on my photography blog. Hop on over, check it out, and tell me what you think!

mom and her boys take a road trip!

On Thursday the boys and I headed out for a little road trip to the b's house. We left at naptime, since I figured that Noah would fall asleep and that it was my best chance for Benjamin to fall asleep. Instead of that, Noah never fell asleep, ended up crying so hard that he threw up. Poor kid. I cleaned him up and he zonked right out (of course). Benjamin was a trooper: only one stop for a bathroom break! We got to the B's house around 6:30 that night and they ate dinner and went to bed.

Friday Benjamin and grandpa explored Newark, fed the ducks, and had a special lunch together. Grandma, Noah and I went shopping, where Noah lost a shoe and had to get new ones (thanks grandma!) We also cheered for Duke!

And there were lots of silly grandpa hugs.
Saturday was an Easter egg hunt! Benjamin enjoying one of his finds:
Noah, hunting eggs.
Alyssa, hunting eggs. Or making trouble. :)
I'm pretty sure it take about 241 shots to get a photo where all three children are looking at the camera and smiling at once. Since I didn't take that many, only one of them is looking at the camera and happy in this one.
Krista (my friend from high school!) and our boys.
Amanda and I and the kiddos.
Annnnnd, they would all like to escape.
Benjamin spent time in the bounce house - he loved it!
The boys and I went to a bbq at Amanda and John's. I like her tiki man.
Noah likes to give hugs that are sneak attacks.
Laura brought Micah over for lunch on Sunday.
Leah came to visit too.

It rained this morning, so Benjamin and Gramp (his new name for Grandpa B) collected snails.

I like their shoes.

Snail!