New Sialia Photography Fan Page

I just created a new Sialia Photography Fan Page, check it out and become a fan! I decided to create this because I am finding it hard to find the time to update new pictures to my Sialia Photography blog and updating pictures to Face book is so quick and easy. Anyways, I would love you to check it out and become a fan *grin*!

Thank you for all your support for my photography!

End of Summer

The end of summer is fast approaching and it makes me sad.

I don't want to go back to school in two weeks,

I don't want my kids to go back to daycare,

I don't want to be a teacher at this point in my life.

I don't want to do my photography just on a part-time basis

I want to be home with my kids,

I want to pursue my photography on a full-time basis,

I want to be able to put me and my family first.

I want to be happy and being here makes me happy!

I just simply do not want to go back to work.

Wordless Wednesday

Stepping Stones With Lady Bug Girl and Bumble Bee Boy!

Last week the kids and I went to Stepping Stones Children's Museum with my friend Melissa and her two kids and her daughters friend. Have I mentioned yet this summer how much I love this place *grin*! Well, I do! and so do Allie and Jack, or should I call them Lady Bug Girl and Bumble Bee Boy! You know like the children's book?!

We They also played in the rain while I snapped some pictures! I was really amazed that no other parents would let their kids play in the rain! The kids had so much fun and I loved watching them *grin*!

These pictures of Allison say it all, she enjoyed LOVED playing in the rain, can you tell?

Here are a couple more of my favorites from the day.

Random Weekend Thoughts ~ Potty Training Edition

*** UPDATED***

1. I am spending lots of time so far sitting in bathrooms and cleaning up accidents, but we are keeping it positive.

2. The upside of spending all this time in the bathroom is that my bathrooms are going to be the cleanest ones around! I might as well clean it if I am gonna be in there *grin*!

3. Potty training a boy is definitely uncharted territory! In some ways things were easier with Allie, but I am going to "shape" Jack into a potty pro, little by little!

4. I am wishing that I had started this earlier this summer, that way I could have him farther along before school starts.

5. Sometimes I think that he holds it while he is on the potty just to pee in his underwear. LOL!!!
6. I am definitely glade that this is my last time going through this *grin*!

7. So I thought that it would be easier on me and the floors if we did some of this potty training outside. So out we went, with Jack in a t-shirt and bare bottomed and can you believe that he managed to find the one carpet outside under my parents screen house and POOPED! Yup, and then walked through it a couple of times in his crocks before anyone noticed! Awesome, huh! So I still managed to end up needing to clean up a yucky mess, even outside!


8. So I still haven't actually seen anything in a potty but I am hopeful that I will soon! I hope! The book that I read said to watch for your child's signs that they are getting ready to go or going and I just haven't seen them yet! I think I will or maybe I will just get LUCKY and get him to go in the potty and then he will kinda get what we're working for *grin*!

9. So incase you are wondering I am going with no Pull-Ups, we are going with thick training pants (that are so cute) and rubber covers (when we are out!) I did the whole Pull-Up thing with Allie and I just think that they are a waste of time, they are just pull up diapers. Finding the training pants isn't easy though, I thought for sure Carter's or maybe even OshKosh would sell them, but nope! I have only been able to find them at Walmart by Gerber. Thank goodness someone still makes them! I do think I need to get another pack or two, or I am going to be living in my laundry room and bathroom *grin*!


10. So I think this next week we are going to be spending a lot of time at home, outside, away from carpet and furniture, with training pants or bare bottoms and living a la natural!


P.S. I really wanted to put a couple of cute pictures of Jack in this post but they are on my camera and my card reader is at home, so I won't be able to put them on until later, so if you want to see the little cutie check back later *grin*!

Potty Training

Well, I have decided to try and start potty training with Jack and I am looking for suggestions. I have obviously already been through this with Allie, but I am looking for tips, especially with boys! After training with Allie I have vowed to myself to not use pull-ups, so tonight I went to Walmart and got training pants and a little box of goodies for rewards. What have you done? Any tips are appreciated *grin*!

Cross your fingers, tomorrow is the day that I am going to try starting. I think we will be spending a LOT of time outside, if you know what I mean!

Allie's Day at American Girl ~ NYC

For Allie's first Christmas my mom got her a Bitty Baby and that's where the story starts. Since then we have taken Allie into the story for short little visits 3 times. Each time she has loved it, but she hadn't been old enough to do much more than just walk through the store with us, mainly just the 3rd floor where Bitty is.

Well, now that she is a BIG girl, my mom and I decided that it would be fun to have a girls day out and take just Allie into the city and go to American Girl and have lunch a the American Girl Cafe!

So last Tuesday morning at 5:30! Yup, 5:30 Allie woke up raring to go and so our day started. We got ready and dropped Jack off at school (so that he could have play time with his friends that he hasn't seen *grin*!) and headed for the 8:13 train to the city. We even had time to stop and get some Dunkin' Donuts coffee (mommy runs on dunkin') and made our train with time to spare!

Once we were on the train Allie couldn't stop asking how long till we would get there. My mom told her that we were on a "milk train", meaning that the train needed to stop at each stop and drop off the milk. This is something that her aunt used to say to her, when they would take the train to the city! This pacified Allie for a few minutes and then it was back to the same old same old, are we there yet?!?!

Then, my mom tried telling her the old saying that she and my grandmother used to say to us, Quakers meeting has begun. No more laughing, no more fun, if you show your teeth or tongue you shall pay a forfeit." This used to work on me like a charm, but not my Allie Grace!

So once we go to Grand Central, it's fair to say that she was ready to jump out of her skin, she was so excited! We made our way upstairs and got our barrings and then headed out to our destination!

Once we arrived at American Girl she was SO excited! We made our way around the first floor and then headed upstairs to put our names on the list for the first lunch sitting and good thing we did, because the second sitting was so busy that they had to turn people away!



Once we had lunch which you can tell from the pictures was a HUGE hit! We visited the Bitty Baby section. Allie and Grammy picked out a cute pair of PJ's for Allie and Bitty (which she is wearing in the above picture. Then Allie and I picked out a leotard for her for when she starts dance this fall. I have to say there were SO many other outfits that I would have gotten for the both of them, but I exercised self control *grin*!

Once we did our damage in the Bitty department we headed to check out the rest of the store. Let me just tell you that it was really cool, even for a 3o something mom. They have just about anything that you can imagine for these dolls. I was really tempted to get Allie a full sized doll, but again, I demonstrated some self control! I think that we are going to wait to get her one when she is turning 6, that way she can appreciate it more and enjoy the books that go with the dolls. Plus she LOVES her Bitty so much, I'm not really in a rush *grin*!

After we finished up we headed to the World of Disney Store, to see the princesses that we had seen last Christmas, just to find out that they don't have the princesses there anymore. Luckily, Allie took this really well and wasn't TOO upset. Then we wandered our way back to Grand Central and on our way Allie fell asleep (thank goodness I brought the stroller!)

This was such a great day! I can't wait to take another girls day out with my little girl!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jack!!!

Jack, my little man, it's so hard to believe that it was two years ago that this is what you looked like and that we called you Baby Jack.

There is no calling you Baby Jack anymore, you are all little boy now! You love ALL things boy; trucks, balls, bikes, cars, watching x-games with daddy, basically anything that moves or is sports related *grin*!

There is so much that I love about you...

*How you pat my back when I am patting yours when we are rocking at night.

*How you now say love you Mommy. (It was well worth the wait!)

*How you love to cuddle in the morning, because you are usually the first one up, other than maybe daddy.

*How when you haven't seen me in a while you get all excited to see me and run up and give big hugs! I love that, it melts my heart!

*That you LOVE your sister! During the day you will randomly go up to her and give her big hugs.

*That you are a little daredevil, well right now I love that, we'll see how I feel about it next year *grin* but, for now it is so cute!

Even though you are getting too big for us to still call you Baby Jack you will always be my baby!

Love,

Mama

Random Weekend Thoughts

1. What a crazy week, that summer cold I got kicked my butt!

2. I had such a great time last Saturday at little Miss Addy's birthday! It is really different to be at a birthday party as a photographer, but defenintly fun! I met a bunch of great new people and Allie and Jack had fun (I don't usually take them with me!)

3. I can't believe that it is August 1st! Summer is going by SO fast!

4. On Tuesday my mom and I took Allie in to the city which was so much fun! I am working on a post with some pictures!

5. We're having Jack's birthday party tomorrow, on his birthday! It's going to be low key, just family.

6. I am getting some momma time for the second Saturday in a row! Getting my hair colored and highlighted. I just love having someone play with my hair, so relaxing!

7. I am thinking about driving 2+ hours to take the kids to the sunflowers like we did last year!

8. Indigo Girls is playing on the radio at the hair salon, what a blast from the past! I used to listen to them ALL the time. Think I might add them to my iPod *grin*!

9. I am wondering do you read my tweets, or am I talking to myself *grin*?

10. Have a great weekend!