Jude's 2 Year Photo Shoot

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An Aqua Traincar?!

This morning the kids and I spent a fun few hours at our friend's house. They live about 40 minutes South of us in an area we don't often visit.  There was bracelet making, trampoline jumping and delicious lunch.  We headed home tired and happy. 

On the way home we passed a small train station and THIS was sitting on the tracks.  An aqua train car. An AQUA train car!

I mean, I think I squealed my mini-van tires turning into the gravel lot next to it.  Bianca and I headed straight for it and an impromptu photo shoot (as if I don't have enough photos of her).

Hello. Cutest. Ever.

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Reuniting with my DSLR

It's just SO convenient to have an iPhone with a camera built in.

No lugging around the big Canon DSLR in my purse.

But recently I realized my pictures of life are suffering.

Because an iPhone is no fancy camera.

And while it's good in a pinch, it's not good enough 

for the uncaptured moments that are passing my by this year.

So I made up with my camera.

And I am reminded of all the good things.

Increased aperture, ISO control, white balance.

It came to the playground with me and the kids today.

Reunited and it feels so good.

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ferber is ashamed of me.

i am ALL about the ferber method.
and that's why my kids are freakin' awesome sleepers.
but last night i cracked.
9:43 pm.
wicked baby.
pushover mommy.

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Aleida's Challenge

I never met Aleida Franklin, but I knew she was a wonderful wife and mother and a brilliant artist. I didn't know Aleida personally, but she taught me something I will never forget.

Aleida and I came together through the scrapbooking industry.  She emailed me to tell me she loved my blog and to ask if I like my short hair-cut. This lead to a series of emails which eventually led me to remark that I really loved how often she posted pictures of herself with her children on her blog. And she replied to me, "Have you ever seen a photograph of your own mother and thought to yourself how fat she looked? Or how she wasn't wearing make-up? Or wasn't dressed in a glamorous outfit?" Of course my answer was no.

She then responded with saying that she made it a goal to take a picture of herself with her children at least once every month. And that to use excuses about how we look, as women, is ridiculous, since our children will never care what we looked like, but only that we had physical evidence of the bond between mother and child.  Read her lovely blog post about it here.

On September 8th, 2008 Aleida blogged a photo of herself, smiling, that read "Live today like there is no tomorrow."  Just four days later, on September 12th, Aleida was struck by another car on her way to work and passed away, leaving 2 small children and a grieving husband. She was 41 years old.  After she passed I thought of how those children must feel to have those precious photographs. 

I have made it my personal goal to follow her wise suggestion and I now take photos of myself with my children....double chins, make-up free, bed-head and all.

I invite Mothers everywhere to take Aleida's Challenge. To photograph yourself with your children each and every month. And to post them here or use hashtah #ALEIDASCHALLENGE so that we can see Aleida's legacy unfolding.

<a href="http://pluckymomo.blogspot.com/2013/01/aleidas-challenge.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlr8-bcvuvov7yjLBxpcsfVPShCcStdotVP8YCIchaIPr5iHu9Z9gKDrGn-bfxBCLEJaeXwmi3UNEsNys-SXwNwxQ2om0fnz9KUpyXWgQSf2DptGq2e1fXJ1-FXq-hd7BF1MFu/s1600/Aleida.png" /></a>

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that face...

2

Eva

My friend from the scrapbooking world, Kelly, only has boys. Adorable little boys. So when she has assignments using feminine pares (which is often) she comes to me for photos of little girls. I love it because, with life being so crazy these days, it forces me to stop and take photos of my monkeys.

I got the request today and after lunch, as we were heading home, I pulled over on the on-ramp of the I-283 when I saw this lovely area of wild flowers. I snapped these (and many more) photos of Evangeline while cars and semi's roared by and while Ella and Bianca stayed in the car and Bianca bit Ella's finger, drawing blood.

My life is soooo glamorous.

Those curls!  Am I right?

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wuv

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from this week

Evangeline at Pre-school.

I caught her coloring intently with her tongue stuck out.

1

shattering eternal truths

Here, in the Ahern household, we like to shatter eternal truths. 

Truths like...babies hate things on their heads.

Exhibit A:

Bianca WILL NOT allow us to take off her new winter hat.

Even though it is 72 degrees outside.

1

baby b

got an email recently from a reader who said

there were no recent pics of baby bianca here.

woops!

so, here you go.

how did THIS baby spring from ivory-skinned Irish-gened parents?

she's downright swarthy.

p.s. please no "mailman" jokes...they creep me out.

1

a few recent photos

which i haven't shared here yet.
 

Eva and Mommy

I filled up my gas tank today. And then died a little inside. 
Last week I had one that was over $70.

All day today we had constant Tornado Warnings.
Then, in late afternoon, it became beautiful and sunny. Time to play in the backyard.

May Day arrived on a Sunday so no delivered flowers on doorsteps,
but these tulips decided to flower on this day.  Just as good.

The weather is finally turning warm and today we were early to drop Ella at Kindergarten
so I let the kids play in the grass while we waited for the bus.

Bianca is finally sitting up on her own for long stretches of time.
One of the first steps to inevitable independence.

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baby goodness

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