Old, New, & Overdue!

I haven't had very many pictures with my daughter lately, especially here in Indiana. I was severely overdue for some new ones. Side note, I'm also quite overdue for some hair-help! Luckily, I'll get that taken care of tomorrow (yay, Katie!) And my Mom was able to help me out with some new pictures yesterday afternoon:

Me & my Livie-Bug outside Mom & Dad's

The best shot we got with Liv looking towards the camera...

We couldn't really get Liv to look directly at the camera, and certainly not with a smile. I think it was just too bright outside for her. Her and those sensitive, blue eyes... Just like her Momma. How many countless squinty-eyed or no-eyed photos were taken of me over the years?! Oh, but I truly do love Livia's beautiful, blue eyes! Gosh, her eyes are just gorgeous...

With the dress she was wearing, they almost looked teal-blue. That dress was once worn by Liv's Aunt Laura and even by her Momma. I feel so blessed that my Mom saved it over all these years! She also saved the big white bow in Livia's hair. How awesome is my Mom?!

I so love the pics of us looking at each other

My Mom also snapped a few really good photographs of just me:

Love this pic... Just wish my hair wasn't two-toned!

Turning it black & white would help some... But hair aside, it really is a super pic! My Mom is turning into quite the photographer! It's so awesome so get a good picture of yourself; since I'm usually behind the lens, that rarely happens.

I usually do the whole the whole hold-the-camera-in-front-of-me-backwards-and-hope-for-a-decent-shot thing. (Like the one above) So I guess the only reason I like the one above at all is because I can't see [as badly] how much I need that hair appointment tomorrow!
 
Hahahahaha!
 
So glad I can laugh at myself   :oD

Persimmons & Playing

A couple of weeks ago out in the country, Laura & Michael, the triplets, and Liv & I were out at my parents. While Liv was napping, Mom thought we should all go for a walk on such a beautiful day, so we took the triplets (and Michael) to the persimmon tree. We all had lots of fun, and here's just a few photos from our afternoon...

Michael just couldn't resist jumping on the hay bales on the way!

And the kids loved throwing rocks into the creek.

Below:  Everyone looking around for persimmons

I wish I would have actually taken a picture of a persimmon for those out there who don't know what they are... I will try to explain though.

It's a very small fruit roughly the size of a buckeye (sorry, there are no other fruits that I can think of even close to the size of a persimmon!) They grow on persimmon trees and ripen in late fall. The very best tasting fruit will be on the ground. Unless you want to taste the most bitter thing you'll ever put in your mouth, DO NOT pluck them from the branches! The persimmons are loaded with seeds, and the fruit is just a bit stringy -- it almost feels like cooked sweet potato in your mouth.

Most importantly, they remind me of my Granny. The first time I vividly remember trying them was with Granny, out in the field behind the milk house. I remember her telling me that the ugliest ones tasted the best. But being a head-strong little girl, I just had to try a pretty one for myself... Boy did I regret it! But twenty some-odd years later, I still remember that day. Granny helped wash out that bitter taste in my mouth with the sweet persimmons she gathered, and with a glass of milk when we got back to the farmhouse. I miss my Granny so much sometimes... But it would be selfish of me to want her back here on earth; she and Pa are both in Heaven. And we will always keep them close in our memories and hearts.

After the persimmon tree, we headed back towards my parents

Laura hand-in-hand with Sam & Meg

Meg & her best friend

But before our adventure was over...

Michael just had to climb a tree

 So off he went to climb to the sky...

 

Most literally!

He made us all so nervous!

Thankfully he began descending

And finally...

Down...

On solid(ish) ground!

*Whew!*

We would have hated to have to call the fire department to help get him down! Not just because it would most likely take them more than an hour to arrive, but how awful would it have been for a fireman to have to be rescued from such a silly situation!

Michael's escapades didn't come without ramification though. Besides a sore arm shortly after getting down, he also ended up with a raging case of poison ivy all over his legs!

All that mattered for this moment was that my sister's husband had safely made it back to earth...! And as of yesterday, they have already been married for 4 months. I pray for them daily as they've really just begun a long, wonderful journey together!

~Oh, it is Love~

A Quick Thanks...

Thank you! To all of you for your wonderful comments about the sunflower pics! I especially want to thank Elise & Hannah - they both mentioned something about the special memories those photos would hold for years to come, and it made me realize that I forgot to write about why I chose what I did for Liv...

I have below a couple of not-so-greats of Liv, but you can see her outfit & accessories pretty well...Not too happy... but you should see the pre-photoshopped version! Yes, you can actually slightly change peoples' expressions with some of the tools in photoshop. (Wanna see the original version? Click over to my Photo Edit Magic blog! I have the whole scoop over there.)

Anyway, Livia's little Sunflower dress actually came from Megan - my cousin. (One of the triplets - Click here for Tanya's blog) Meggie is now nearly 4, but when she was a little bitty thing, she did have that dress.

Unfortunately, Meg never got to wear it. It never actually fit her in the right season... Which made it even more special that Liv is able to wear it now! And here's the kicker on that sweet little dress: My Mom was the one who got it for Meg!

The sun is just too bright for Livia in this picture!

But you can see her sweet little bracelet & necklace, right? Well, it should come as no surprise that the bracelet was made by the super tallented Tanya. Laura Belle had her make it for Livie's 1st birthday - and got me one to match as well!

And the necklace? Well, that's a pretty special story as well...

My Uncle Von (Tanya's husband) gave the chain to me as a gift when I was just a baby. And every year for my birthday, he would add one pearl to it. I always loved that necklace as a little girl. I only wore it on very special occasions, and I knew that it was a wonderful keepsake even then. And now it's even more so.

Thank you so much again, for reminding me to jot down these wonderful memories! There are so many memories & stories I want Livia to know, but in case I ever forget, they'll forever be saved here.

Picture our Love...

And it would look like this:

Our 1st Valentines Day together

Our 1st year dating... Just spending time together

A special fun & date night

^--Pics we used with our wedding invitations--v

Not your typical engagement shots, I know. But remember - I'm a country girl!

I found all these old pictures of me & Perry on his computer, and figured I'd put them up for a Wordless Wednesday... But then I realized I'd want to say way too much about all of them for it to be a true WW!

I also found some individual pics of Perry & me, and thought I'd share those as well:

One of my favorites of Perry, driving in his old Mustang - great memories riding in that car to all sorts of adventures and fun.

And this one's Perry's fav of himself. I must say that I'm quite partial to it as well!

Here's one Perry took of me down by the river... Photoshop helped with the sun flares, but everything else is the real deal.

A photo that I totally wasn't ready for, and I didn't think would turn out very well at all... Glad I wasn't too hasty in deleting it!

Hope you all enjoyed taking a look at me & my hubby from our early days together. I guess that we're both young enough that neither of us has really changed much! And speaking of much... Much love to you all and God Bless!

Simple Satisfactions

Over at Rocks in My Dryer - one of my favorite faithful reads - she has a wonderful, thought-provoking post: Some Simple Things I Find Very Satisfying. She has a sweet little list of things she loves, and then she simply said: What about you?

Well, this is my little poetic list of some of my favorite things. I should note that I didn't include ALL my favorite things - for one, people may not particularly care to know everything that I love - there are probably too many to even mention! Oh yeah - and I ran out of creativity and rhyming... And before I forget, What about all of you as well? I'd love to know more about you and your favorite simplicities in life :o)

My Simple Satisfactions

Family time and prayer together
Keeping close with friends forever

Photographs and memories
Livia - my lil sweet pea

Hot chocolate when the weather's cool
And summertimes spent by the pool

My Momma's favorite Yankee candles
A walk upon the beach in sandals

Pictures hung upon the walls
Unexpected fun phone calls

The freshness after summer rains
Secluded, shady one-car lanes

Homemade ice cream, sweet iced tea
Vacations spent out by the sea

Grins & giggles, baby's chatter
Fresh baked cakes and cookie batter

Hugs and cuddles, lots of love
Having strength through God above

My parents' garden and their flowers
Spending time with them for hours

Sports and chocolate, classic rock
Collectables, grandfather clocks

Cows and kittens, farmyard fun
Outside in the summer sun

Stories passed down through the years
Smiles and laughter, joy and tears

Photography and editing pics -
My favorite ways to my kicks!

Mothers Day Giveaways

From 5 Minutes for Mom


I think we mothers deserve just a little something for being mommies, don't you? Over at this awesome website I discovered though Marybeth a couple of months ago, they're having awesome giveaways from now through Mothers Day!

The first contest that I found out about is also a really big one - "Your Picture is Worth a Thousand Dollars! " The winner will receive a $1,000 American Express Gift Card – Sponsored by Egg Beaters. And basically, they're looking for photos that tell some sort of story of what motherhood means to each one of us. So, my photograph for this contest is...

This picture of me holding & looking at my daughter just minutes after she was born. Though I can barely even see her through my happy tears!

This picture is worth more than a thousand words - or dollars - to me. It's the epitome of what motherhood means to me. THIS was the moment motherhood became a real and tangible thing!

It's also really important that Perry, my hubby, is in the picture as well. He's always been right by my side through everything. And I would have never become a mother were it not for him! It's one of our very first family photographs with all 3 of us. It will forever be a true treasure in my heart.

Polka Dot Party Extras

I got this idea from Joy - The Dr.'s Wife - hope you don't mind, but it's such a wonderful idea, I just had to copy-cat!

I wanted to show off all the decorations, party favors, & all the 'little bitties' from Livia's First Birthday Party. As you all know, her theme was polka dots - a very simple yet adorable theme! Her dress was the deciding factor on how the decor would go.

From this sweet little Polka Dot Dress, we found so many 'polka dot' things that were just perfect for the party. Like...

Polka dot napkins, and bright green plates and forks to set off those colors in the other decorations. Before I go any further, I must confess that I bought a lot of the supplies from clearance bins at various Party stores! That's definitely the way to go, too! And if I would have seen something that I thought I could use for upcoming years, you can bet I totally would have snatched it all up. Less than $1 is MUCH better than paying $4 or more on a pack of napkins!

I ended up with 2 different kinds of polka dot napkins, but I thought they looked pretty good together.

These picture frames were also in the clearance bins - I was going to make my own, but for this cheep I couldn't pass it up! I improvised a bit on the way the pic was held to the inside though... It came with little sticky tabs, but they didn't really work just right with the pic size (without cutting them all - too much time & work!) So I decided to quickly tape the pics to the inside. Which worked out great, because I was able to get 2 pictures in this way! This was a really great favor for all the 'big kids.' With the pictures inside and everything, they were less than $0.50 each.

For the smaller kiddos, I got balloons (enough for one each) and a coloring book. The balloons were just a few cents each, and I got the coloring books in a pack of 8 for $2! Very inexpensive.

Other favors I had included soap that had polka dots on the outside paper & wallet picture frames that had little jewels around the edges (again, from the dollar bins at Target!), small & medium notepads with polka dots all over the outsides, and candles (from Family Dollar!)

Other Polka Dot decorations I would have made if space would have allowed:
Big circles cut out of construction paper, hung from the ceiling...
Blown up balloons hung from the ceiling...
A big ole' piece of poster board with circles cut out for pictures (a collage of sorts)...

I also would have had this album (from Target) filled with vaious pictures of Liv througout her first year. But I knew that it was going to be so crowded & busy that no one would really get a chance to see it.
So now, I'll just use it as an album for Livia's first Birthday Party!

This is one of the gifts Livie recieved -Pink Polka Dots and everyting! How perfect is it?! It shouldn't come as any surprise that Kendra's Mom actually got it for Liv :o)

There was one more Polka Dot-ty thing I had there at the party...
A little polka dotted book that I had everyone at the party sign & write a little note to Livia on her First Birthday. It's just a little journal from the cheap-o bins from Target - $2.50. But I thought it would be a really great keepsake for Liv.

Here are just a few of my favorite excerpts from the sweet notes to Livia in that little book...

Livia,
You are a beautiful little girl and we wish you a lifetime of love and happiness. You are loved by many people who will help to raise you in faith and love. May your life be full of many magical moments!

Livia,
Happy 1st Birthday! We watched your mommy grow from a spunky, adventurous little girl to a wonderful and proud mother. You remind us so much of your mommy! We hope to watch you grow up just like we did your mommy. Always stay close to your family and God...

Livia,
...You are the cutest little girl and you look so much like your mommy! I hope that your upcoming birthdays are just as wonderful as your first! We love you, Livia!

Livia,
...Happy 1st birthday! You look so cute and I know you're going to have fun with all your presents. I love you & we'll hang out with you're older!

Hi Livia!
...You are really beautiful today... Your Mommy & Daddy put such a pretty dress on you. I can't wait to see how you'll grow & see how beautiful you are going to be!

Livia,
Happy 1st Birthday! I'm so glad I was able to be at your party. You are a precious baby & hope you will continue to visit me... I hope someday you'll stay the night at [my] house whole Mommy gets a break! I love you very much!!

Hey Livie!
Happy Birthday kid-o! You're such a pretty little girl & you'll only get prettier I'm sure! I love getting your big smiles! Now, when you get older & your folks make you mad, you just come to me & we'll hang out & make things all better, OK? :o) I love you Livia. Happy first Birthday

Livia,
You are so sweet and dear to us. We love you bunches.

Livia,
Your Pa-Pa loves you very much and you are very special to me.

Livia,
You are a very special little girl and we love you very much. Maggie, Nolan, and Garrett always enjoy playing with you. Maggie and I love our special girl time with you and your mom. Nolan loves to hold you and loves you very much. Garrett thinks you are so much fun because you are smaller than him! He also loves to eat your "puffs." Hope each birthday is filled with love and happiness just like your first birthday! We love you sweetie

Livia,
Happy birthday to a pretty little girl. You make such a nice addition to our family! We love you

Happy Birthday Livia - you are so beautiful and so loved

Livia,
Happy Birthday for your very 1st Birthday! You are a very special Great Niece. Pretty little girl, how you've grown!... You are loved so very much.


H
A
P
P
Y
~
B
I
R
T
H
D
A
Y
Love Michael
*Note - Michael wrote one letter on each page! His 'note' was by far the longest!

Finally, this took the most time and effort, but was also the funnest!

Livia Trivia!

5 full pages of fun & games dedicated to Livia! There were multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions, 'Spot' Livie (finding how many times various pictures of her were on a page - there were other babies on there too, so it made it hard!), and last but not least, the history of Livia...

Perry wrote all this out for everyone:


Dear All,

Amanda & I decided that we would like to give a little background on where Livia’s name came from, and why we chose it. As soon as I found the name, I showed it to Amanda. We both immediately took a liking to it. And when Livia was born, the name just fit her perfectly! So here’s a bit of history about her name:


Livia has a very old name. It actually pre-dates the birth of Jesus Christ. The name ‘Livia’ actually was derived from the male form of the name Livius. Titus Livius, also known as Livy, was a Roman historian who wrote a history of the city of Rome.

The first female ‘Livia’ that history knows of was Augustus Caesar’s wife. She was respected as the most powerful woman in the Roman Empire. Livia assisted her husband as his trusted advisor, and Augustus himself is widely regarded by modern historians as the greatest ruler the Roman Empire ever had. Note: Long before American politicians in the late 20th century began running on family values as a campaign issue, Augustus used this as a platform in running his empire.

Many of you know the name ‘Olivia.’ This name is actually quite a bit newer than Livia. It is derived from ‘Livia’ and was actually invented by Shakespeare in the early 17th century as a character in one of his plays.

As Christians, we are often taught in Church about the corruption of the Roman citizens, and the fact that they worshiped multiple gods. We are told of how Jesus Christ was crucified under their hands, and that the Romans regularly persecuted Christians. What most people don’t know – and this is important – is that the Roman Empire became a Christian nation early in the 4th century. We may not realize, as Christians, that the Roman Empire probably did more to spread the religion of Christianity than any other people. Their Empire spread over 3 continents, and the spread of Christianity took off soon after it became their official religion. The Roman influence of Christianity still plays a very major role in our western culture to this day.


Again, sorry for this being such a long entry! I've given up on post-dating finally; I figure this isn't really as time-critical to me. I know - I'm silly! Thank you all SO much for 'celebrating' Livia's birthday with us. It has been very special indeed! Much love to you all - take care and God Bless!

Livia's Birth - Day 3

For our final day in the hospital, there wasn't really a whole lot going on... No visitors except for my Mom & Perry, so I took the opportunity to take Livia down to the nursery while I got myself ready and packed up to leave.

Livia looked like she was waving to me - "Bye Mom!"

This was the only time she was in the nursery during the daytime, so I wanted proof that she was actually there!

After I was ready to go, they came in to do Livia's birth pictures. The lady was sweet enough to even let me take a few of my own!

My Little Livie-Angel

So sweet

Mine didn't turn out nearly as good as hers, but I was so happy to have these for the memories!

After that, we dressed Livia in her little going home outfit from K~ and took TONS of pictures before we left...

Itty Bitty Livie holding on to her Daddy's finger

Liv in my arms

I love how her little hands are both grasping mine!
Oh, baby, you'd better not be camera shy with me for your Mommy!

Safe in the arms of Love

Look at that tiny little peanut in her car seat! That's what the nurses called Livia in the hospital - Little Peanut. So cute!

Perry leaning in for a pic - now you can really see how small Livia was!

Just the 3 of us just before we left the hospital

My journey through pregnancy had [finally!] ended, but we had only begun on a whole new path together!

*This is the last post-dated entry, I promise! Thanks for putting up with my slight insanity :o)