Summersault

Ggggrrrr!!!

All I have to say is that stabbing yourself in the gums with your toothbrush while brushing your teeth really stinks. I did this. Twice. Two days in a row. And the healing process hurts more than the stabbing. My gums are throbbing and it feels like I have a gaping wound in my mouth, but you can't even see anything. I should at least have a battle wound for all the misery I'm going through!

The Wisdom of a Sister

I have been having a really hard time with Anslie lately, specifically when it comes to needing to divert her attention while I do something constructive around the house and usually around dinner time. Anslie never really went through a period of separation anxiety around 18 months of age like most kids do but she is making up for it now! And she has this obsession with controlling my hands. Needless to say, it's really hard to cook when you have an almost-two-year old using you for a life size hand puppet.

Today I remembered a trick my sister uses to keep her 3 year old busy while she needs to get something done. She puts a chair up to the kitchen sink, gives her daughter some kitchen utensils, and turns the water on for her to play in. I tried that with Anslie today. It was a miracle! Silence for almost an hour. Good trick, sister of mine. After four kids you have some great tricks up your sleeve!

Getting Ready for Halloween!

We are really excited for Halloween!

Why is Halloween so great, you ask? Besides it being the day that Kevin and I started dating back in 2001 and the day Kevin proposed to me in 2002, it was also the day my sweet little girl was born in 2007! So, mix all that with the ability to wear crazy costumes and you have one of the best days of the year!

Because Anslie can actully participate in her party this year, we wanted to do something special...and I wanted to tie her costume into her party so that she got more use out of it than just for trick or treating. So, this year Anslie will be Alice from Alice in Wonderland and we will be having a Mad Hatter's Tea Party for her and all of her little friends. Keep an eye out for pictures from her fun party!

Ignore the tears. She was just upset that I made her stand still for these pictures.

Yup, I bribed her with cheetos!

Don't worry...we'll iron her dress before the big day. I just wanted to try it on her before the packaging got thrown away and I couldn't return it if it didn't fit.

New Photos

Just in case you haven't been to my photography blog in a while, here are a couple samples of what I have been up to lately. Check it out! www.shillawnaruffnerphotography.com

Anslie's First Shiner

Anslie did NOT want to ride in the cart on our shopping trip to Sam's Club. So badly that she smacked her eye against the handle bar while throwing an epic tantrum in the store. I promise...I don't beat my child! This terrible twos thing is going to be fun.....

Dancing and Kisses

Just a couple video clips of Anslie dancing around in her diaper. Forgive the awful singing!

It's Our Turn!

I spend a lot of my time taking pictures of other people and their families. A lot. But I absolutely LOVE what I do. Ask Kevin...he knows that if there is a quiet moment between us, I am thinking about photography. If I am moody, it's because I am frustrated in my craft. If we have extra spending money, I want to spend it on upgraded equipment. But except for the occasional snapshot, our family doesn't get much of my time behind the lens. We haven't done family pictures since Easter, so we decided to head to downtown Roswell and remedy the situation. The coolest part of these pictures is that I obviously didn't take the ones with me in them. (I set up the camera, but...) Kevin took them! I loved seeing his artistic point of view and let me tell you, he got some great stuff!










We also did a shoot just of Kevin. He's so cute so I couldn't help myself! Click Here if you would like to check out Kevin's Collection.

LDW Post #4

Labor Day itself was spent up the the beautiful mountains. It was Lauren's (my niece) birthday so we had a little BBQ and birthday party at one of the camp sights and then headed up the mountain for a hike. It was so gorgeous! After hiking we spent the rest of the day fishing...and we actually caught some fish! Well, Kevin and Tera did. I had about 5 different hits on my line, but nothing would hook. It was Tera's first time catching a fish! The kids all had a great time enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. Anslie even patiently spent the entire day in a hiking back pack. That was really nice because then we didn't have to worry about her falling off a cliff or into the lake. All in all it was a wonderful vacation and we had a wonderful time!

LDW Post #3

Sunday was spent at Denver's Water World...it was my first time to a water park! Sooo much fun! It wasn't very busy so we got on all the rides we wanted to and didn't really have to wait in line. That's how I like it!!! I left my camera where it wouldn't get wet, so these are the only pictures I have from that fun day.






The worst part of the trip was the last ride Tera and I went on. The water at the bottom of the slide decided to get forcefully "friendly" and we both ended up with enemas. Unfortunately mine included some tearing so needless to say, we went home after that. It was time anyway because the clouds rolled in and it was starting to rain and get cold. We had a great time!

Labor Day Weekend, Post #2

After the "Girl's Party" we cleaned up, fed the kids dinner, and then left all 5 of them with a baby sitter and headed out on (mine and Kevin's first since Anslie was born) a double date. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then played a game of bowling.

Me and Tera acting nerdy (that was kinda the theme that night!)

Kevin's hooooot footwear

We had such a great time!

I don't think Tera hit a single pin that night!

I, on the other hand, bowled the best game I have ever played!

What a gentelman!

I am the luckiest girl in the world! Check out that stud muffin!

After bowling we went to a roller skating rink and skated the night away! I forgot my camera in the car otherwise we would have gotten some awesome pictures! I fell once, we all tried "dancing" on our skates to fit in with the other roller skaters, Tera and I dedicated probably one of the most explicit songs ever to our hubbies while old people were on the floor, and we all shared nachos, rootbeer floats, and icees. It was one of the best nights I have had in a long time!