boo at the zoo and other fall stuff...

last year , grandma took Brigham to our little zoo's festivities... this year we piled up the car.. and took an elephant and a monkey. we figured they would be in their element...

where a monkey could practice their putting...(the elephant actually got a hole-in-one!!)
and an elephant would be super scared of the mouse that ran across the grass!!!



lots of different games were played.. and it only rained for like 3 minutes so we headed into the butterfly garden , got sprinkled by fairy dust, and saw some scary creepy crawly things.

this cracks me up. as if people staring into the cages of the llama , the goats, and the rabbits.. were not strange enough.. NOW... an elephant and a monkey.. (and lots of other spooky things) peered over the edge to catch a glimpse.

don't worry.. we didn't get 'treats' from these folk

Brigham always likes the "mad scientist" tent.



it was a bit too much for Tatum, but Brigham got to do all kinds of crazy things.. the highlight was making slime. which ended up (supposedly left on our bumper in order to disappear), but instead got shut in our trunk, so that we drove around town for 2 days with a large baggie full of hot pink slime hanging out!! LOL

the end of the night... one pooped out elephant...


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Tatum sporting her new favorite coat... I think this was taken at the rest stop somewhere in Kansas.. lol... and yes.. people.. I know I haven't even blogged about the Colorado trip... I am really losing pts.. (and probably readers too! ) HA! and yes, brig's pumpkin patch field trip was on the 22nd.... I have become the worst bloggin' mom ever !!

um, Heather.. we've got bunny ears too!! LOL
maybe he knows peace out.. don't know how though..

and these are two of Brigham's bus stop buddies Skye and Jaylie

getting into postition to find that perfect gourd....

and he spots it... wanted one with 'a little bit of green".. he kept sayin.. lol

lunch time.. Brigham was so excited that I packed a cooler with lunch for him and I. except one poor kid forgot to bring a lunch so I gave him mine.

well ... dang... didn't have to force down the lunchable... bleck!!!

Brigham with one of his class mates Toby showing off their prize pumpkins...

and his friend Adam, who is in a different class so it was fun for them to play together

success.... after a fun day out! perfect weather, and it didn't start raining until the kids were on the bus, and moms were in their cars.

thank you Lord!
could have made for a muddy, miserable day!

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and so there are a few glimpses into our October outings..

I'll post more pics of our trip to the Children's Museum in costume on Halloween as well as our trick or treat night!

We actually celebrated several days... as the kids went to with grandma trunk or treating at a local church last Wednesday, and then we went to dinner with friends Friday night all in costume. were supposed to do our traditional downtown trick/treating.. but it rained cats and dogs... =(

(seriously, our kids are not lacking in the candy department)

Thank You Lord!!!

And I just realized that I haven't posted the littlest trick or treater...

any guessed on what he was?

3 months!!

my cute little punkin head!!

so, yeah, I am a little behind on posting his 3 month pics. Did two different photo sessions with him. One I did right before we left for Colorado. ... which still have yet to be edited =(... and then while in Denver, met up with my friend Farrah and our visit turned into a mini session for Beck and then she took our family pics too. she rocks.

Isn't this fabulous!! I am so going to blow this one up BIG and put it on canvas up on my wall.
( the wall in my lr that I still can't figure out what images /display collage I want up).. but THIS one will be there...lol

We did some super cute shots of him with baby legs on. Can't wait to see them. and we did a baby parts collage. I had one for Brig and Tatum at 3 months, so I wanted one of him too. I love to create these same types of collages for my clients. In no time at all, you forget how teeny tiny.. their parts really are =)
and though these pictures don't document it.. Beckham is such a happy baby. almost always smiling and he is belly laughing quite a lot. He has just found his *deep* baby man voice, and uses it all the time. He is decided that sleeping thru the night is over rated and about a week ago, has been up 2x a night. joy. He is a big boy, not sure his stats yet.. but as my mentor mom said to me on Tuesday "oh, my kids had big heads too... " !! yep. he does. it is all in proportion, but he does have a perfectly round.. Charlie Brown kinda noggin going on. Beck is wearing some 6 month clothes already, and I am hoping that I didn't miss my window on the tons of 3-6 mos outfits that his older brother wore (at 6-9mos)

This is NOT our family photo that she took. Just one my uncle took after I passed him my camera(set on auto.. lol) at the wedding reception. Notice, I didn't even bother to crop out my daughter's exposed crotch. she'll love me years from now! LOL

So glad I did have our family session finished, because ever since we returned from our trip , it has been a whirlwind of activity around here. Trying to get in as many photo sessions in as we can before the leaves fall off.. and pretty IN becomes , blah. nasty. gray IN.

I just have to get our card design decided soon, so I can forget about that and start working on stuff for clients. That is always more fun for me anyway .. I love new faces =)

Still need to edit the pics from Brigham's first field trip last Thursday. I went with his class to the pumpkin patch and took my little p/s camera (it was calling for major rain, and I was not about to risk rain on my heft lens!) If nothing else I got some great pics to scrap up.

Luckily, the weather was fantastic, and not until we are all in our cars(the parents) and the kids were on the bus, that it started to drizzle. THANK YOU GOD!

Its been so busy, that we have yet to even turn our little pumpkin dudes in to jack. Hoping to get to it tonight.. after the BOO at the ZOO. our local little zoo, puts this thing on and State Farm sponsors it. My mom took Brigham last year and he loved it! full of all kinds of creepy crawly stuff.

She took the kids minus Beck to a local church's trunk or treat last night while we had our lifegroup celebration dinner. They loved it. and I have been enjoying their candy all day today

I . Love. Halloween. (for that reason)

so there is a quick catch up on what we're doing... we're heading into another busy weekend. still need to blog about our trip and I'll put more of Beck's pics and our fall festivities up soon.

enjoy the last few days of October!!

it has made its way to my house....

and I am the only one that got it.

the killer sore throat. splitting headache. chills. cough. aches.. etc.

My amazing husband went to the store at 2am last night to get the essential remedies. I slept in late, while he watched the kids... and now I am trying to figure out the day.

Was supposed to have a play date this morning, and I am really sad to have to miss out.. Brig is off school for fall break today, so I had wanted us to all do something FUN !!

But all I really want to do is cuddle under the heaps of blankets and sip my tea. At least there will be no yelling in my house(by me anyway.. lol) ! that is a good thing!!

On an up note, I did have a great weekend, UNTIL about 10pm last night.. lol

*had a family movie night Friday with pizza and popcorn and Night at the Museum part 2

* had photo sessions on Saturday, while Andrew went to the PU football game (which we won. YAY!)

* had a date night with Andrew Sat, (was supposed to be a double date with our friends Scott and Emily, but we were both late, and missed each other).. so we ended up having separate date nights.. lol.. which was all good !

Andrew and I saw Couples Retreat.. and LOVED it! It was so good. Cute. Funny. and definitely a LOT of eye candy.. for both he and I .. lol

then we went to Kohls, and A got me 3 cute new shirts.. one of them was only $6 !!

and then we went to the Irish Pub for a late dinner. I got my fave chic salad sand.. and splurged on their shamrock pie. DElish..(if you're local.. you must try it! =)

and all three kids were at gmas.. so we finished our date night at home .. lol

*Sunday we drove to Indianapolis for the 2peas IN shoot out! Met at the circle, and then all of us just went nuts shooting various things and each other's models. It was great to meet all of my online friends IRL. can't wait to edit them and post .. but it will be awhile.. as I am getting bombarded with photos from sessions to edit.. (but its a good thing =)

* and then I had a super family session to round out the weekend. Can NOT wait to start in on editing these.. they are so cute!

... and now friends.. back to my sick self.. seriously.. I am just going to go to back to bed. ( and I hate HATE doing that, when I have so much do to.).

I want to be well enough to go to MOPS tomorrow.

so if you read this.. please send your healing vibes to me.. and pray that the sickies stop their infestation with me. I would hate for my kiddos to catch it !!

I am so proud

of this guy.

seriously. more than words. sometimes I wonder if other parents feel as much love and adoration towards their kids as I do. because I can't imagine how they could. I thank God every day(sometimes lots of times a day!) for blessing me to me their mama! I mean I am not very grown up myself sometimes. I don't know history.. or spelling, for that matter very well. I can't make decisions. I can't cook very well. {but I CAN BAKE} I am a bit of a control freak. I lose my temper. I don't have patience. I raise my voice (more than i should). but I am so very, very grateful for the three wonderful gifts I have been given.
and this guy. My first born. My amazing 5 year old is living proof that (just maybe) I(we) am doing something ok with him.
We had his teacher conferences last Thursday evening. The first thing the teacher said.. was " you don't know how lucky you are"....

she proceeded to show us his prepared folder.

page 1- your kindergartner could not recognize the numbers circled. NOTHING circled

page 2-your kindergartner could not recognize the letters circled. NOTHING circled.

page 3-identifying colors- CHECK.

page 4 - identifying shapes-CHECK.

then it came to the DIBELS testing SCORES:

for initial sounds fluency.. the goal was 8.. and he scored a 21

for letter naming fluency... the goal was 8.. and he scored a 46.

and MATH TESTING:

for counting... the goal was 60.. he counted to 72 (and then they stopped him)

number identification... the goal was 20 and he got a 33... (though I don't really remember what that meant! LOL)

quantity discrimination .. the goal was 10... and he got 20.

READING:

reading level was an E... um... the goal was a B.

she said that he is by far the BEST reader that she has in the class. actually she said "he is so quiet, that for the first few weeks I never knew he could read"..
I guess she would ask the class questions about books or things she wrote, and he would never answer.
little stinker was getting it alright.. just not wanting to answer out loud.
so she says she has to go to the library to get books that will challenge him, b/c the class room library doesn't have any.
she also said he has been sent to IDEA class a couple of times, but she is asking that they take him every time they pull students out.
She already was telling us about the 'gifted' class that he would be in next year.
and I start thinking....
(oh.. no!- my kid is a nerd!!! .. well, he takes after his father.... lol) guess I should be proud.. I AM. but we are definitely going to keep him in sports so he is well rounded.
We had to laugh at the comment about him being so quiet! seriously, did she have the same kid in class that we have at home!
he is definitely a social butterfly. and very creative.
in fact while in Colorado, he decided on his career choice aspirations.

to be an artist.

OR

a janitor.

he was so sweet as he asked "mom, could I be both ?"

um, yeah.. honey you'll probably have to be one to support the other ! ha! dream on kid. dream on. never stop dreamin' !!
I *LOVE* it !!

his teacher also raved about what a kind boy he is to his classmates. how much he helps them with their work, and shows them how to do things. he is coming home each day talking up a storm, about what he did..what kid got in trouble... what they had for snack... what he did at recess.. who he played with..who said a bad word..
today, I was waiting for him at the bus stop and when the bus pulled up... he hopped off and full sprinted towards me.. arms held out wide and leaped into my arms.
big ol' kindergartner hug. I * LOVE* it !! and then he grabbed my hand and we walked home.


I am sooo glad that I submitted to my husband and gave up control (in this area) and let Brig go to full day school. and ride the bus.
I know this has been a big lesson in trust. and I trust Him to watch over my baby.

a little mia lately....

we have been busy , busy around here. Home projects(will share when finally finished) and photo sessions(see my photog site as, I update), play dates, life group- RESET, church projects(hope to share more about this soon), hanging out with family ... and a week long trip to Colorado!! have been keeping us busy, so my blog has sorta suffered because of that =(....

but I figured as I recoup from our trip(we got in yesterday evening), and spend the day with unpacking and laundry, and cleaning the house(how does a house get dirty, with nobody in it?)

I'll go ahead and do a quick update of Purdue 's homecoming two weekends ago. this score started out hopeful, but of course, we're talking Boilermakers, so they always manage to screw it up somehow.. lol.. SO of course we lost to a team that we definitely SHOULD have beat.

But we had fun anyway. and looked cute doing it !! It was pretty chilly, but the kids never stopped moving as we went around to various tailgates with our friends. Always love tailgate food. seriously, I think I am going to host a tailgate party like in March... or maybe June. anyone wanna come?

Brigham showing off his (non) coordination skills playing FB with some of the kids !

We have a tradition of going to homecoming with Grandma each year. She always works the booths since she is on the alumni board of CFS(consumer &family sciences), and so we usually meet her at the tent for some yummy food. This year, we stayed at the tailgates, and met up with her at game time. We sat in the end zone and Brigham and Andrew got to use my dad's season tickets at the 30 yrd line about 12 rows up.

It ended up being kinda cold on my behind (didn't have my seat warmer!)and I needed to feed Beck, so I took Tatum back to the van and we sat in the warmness listening to the HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, second half.

Tatum loving the pop-pop(as she calls it)!



see how well, Beckham enjoyed his first college football game?
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and right before we left, I pulled out all my decor, and fall-di-fied my house a bit.

this guy guards our front porch. don't let his smile fool ya!

I got the Pier 1 flyer in the mail as we were leaving town last week(andrew was tired of hearing me oooooh and ahhhh over things)... I will be heading there tomorrow for some fun new additions to my October make over.

and of course, Hobby Lobby, since their stuff is already half off.

pulled out the ol' dishes... this is Brigham's and Tatum has a pumpkin.

Target dollar spot last year.

it makes eating so much more fun!!

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and, so now, I am off to check on the laundry and get something started for dinner .. which will likely be pb and j (oh, wait there is no bread).. so maybe mac n' cheese(thankfully, my mom put a new gallon of milk in the fridge).. since we have nuthin' in the house.

We also have Brigham's parent/teacher conference this afternoon. So interested to see what she has to say about the little booger.

I'll try and get thru our trip pictures and hopefully post some tomorrow. =)

sweet stuff

made these yummy black and gold cupcakes in honor of the Boilers on Sat. this is the most heavenly of cupcakes that I have made lately. the icing is divine.

and we ate way too many of these on Sunday as we sulked in the horrible loss to Notre Dame , Sat night. though being only the 6th night game in Ross Ade history, the crowd was pumped.. until the coach started calling ridiculous plays. nuf said about that. hopefully this week for homecoming, we'll do better =)

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and then since we finally have fall weather, and I am loving it.. made some carmel corn for a surprise after school snack for Brig. I promise he did get to try it. (though mom and dad have had their share too)
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and the sweetest lil man ever? love it when his eyes light up and sparkle like that!

he just melts me. and he'll be 3 months old on Saturday.

.....and for those of you have noticed my sweet tooth.. yes, I have been keeping up with my walking routine. (almost) every day, after the bus pick up, I have been doing 1.5-2 miles. it really helps get my day off to a great start!

(and lets me continue to enjoy the sweetness of the season.. pumpkin spice lattes anyone?)

look WHOOOOOOO surprised me?

is this not the CA-UTEST mug ever??? my friend Nichole sent it to me and just in time for fall. I have already had many cups of joe, but I am looking forward to hot spiced cider and peppermint hot chocolate.

Somehow, even though we're nearing October, I just can't drink hot apple cider when its 80 degrees outside! Thanks friend, you're the best, and I will think of you sweetie, whenever I drink from him =) *******************************************

Don't think I shared this pic of my little guy . So trendy to go out and buy the IKEA doll bed.. however, I had this one and it has character. lol.. it used to be mine when I was a kid, and for Christmas last year, my mom made a new set of sheets, and a blanket and pillow that matched Tatum's room decor. She LOVES it.. and always has to 'put baby in bed' when she wakes up in the morning.. funny that when she awakes, it is time for her doll babies to sleep!!
anyway, I almost waited too long as my little guy is about to bust out of the thing! I am thinking of joining the bandwagon and getting the natural one from IKEA and painting it white.. just because I don't want to paint this one.. but we'll see, b/c I am starting the process of getting Tatum's big girl room ready, and while the garden / shabby chic theme won't change, I will finally be adding the picket fence, since it will fit now that the crib will be gone. I have this idea in my head since before she was born.. so we'll see if I can get it all to play out.. and then I have to tackle the 'boys' room.
so back to the bed.. I have a newborn session next week, and I am excited to try a couple different poses with a teeny tiny babe. =)

and remember when I took Brig's 5 year old pics? Well I put together a collage, so that it will be easy to scrap it up!. always thinking.... (I figure if I can digitally create multi pic collages) then I'll have to stress less about how I will fit the zillion pics I take onto a certain page.
I have created about 10 diff collages in Picasa lately, so hopefully this weekend, I can actually slap those babies down on paper , add a title and my journaling.. and call it done!

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and so it is officially FALL. although the weather has been steamy and miserable. I want to wear my sweaters and jewel tones, and I just don't feel right doing it when it is in the 80's. It is supposed to drop down to the 60's next week. we shall see. I have my garden all ready, and mums planted.. now I have to get the inside done.

totally wanted to do it before we hosted Life group last night, but it wasn't going to happen, and so I gave myself grace to just wait for the weekend. I did pull out all the totes out of the garage. that counts for something right?

look at the punkin head dude! so adorable. swiped it from my friend Heather's blog. I need to find out where it is from. Ballard's maybe? I haven't gotten their new catalog yet. I always let myself buy one or two new things per season. ( and I usually toss a couple as well that I don't use anymore)
this guy may just have to be mine.
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and so of course lots going on... we are trying to plan a trip to CO in about two weeks. We were not sure about it, but finally decided last week, that we would go out for Andrew's brother's wedding. The Miller side has not met Tatum yet, (or Beckham of course) so it will be fun and I am excited for Andrew to spend time with his bio dad. We'll stay at the Hollands so we'll get lots of grandpa and grandma time too. It will be fast trip, and we are driving out which makes me a bit nervous. Flying had advantages in saving us time, but had issues with the logistics of 3 little ones, a vehicle and car seats once we got there, etc.
so we're driving.. and did I say that I was nervous? yep. pray for me on that one =)
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So our Life group started a new 6 week series called RESET and I am so excited. It is really interactive, and thought provoking. Its aim is about us "RESETTING" what we think about who Jesus is.
I shared that I picture him to be the South Park Jesus. ha. ha.
I also shared that I bet Jesus cut it up, and farted in front of the disciple dudes, and then tried to blame it on someone else. ok. well he probably farted, but the passing the blame - that would be sin. and we all know JC didn't sin.
(I hope no one busts me for sharing something from group... I said it. so maybe that is ok, right?)
I would love to be able to share on the blog bits and pieces as we go along. I'll have to figure out how to, without breaking the confidentiality rules. =P. I just know it is going to be very. cool.
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and so along, with the anticipated trip, the changing of T's room, I have also started the process of searching out designs to change our guest bathroom. totally thought I had it figured out yesterday.. (curtain, paint color, etc).. until I went back to read online the reviews. found out that the curtain showed under the 'fabric' listing is actually vinyl. puke.
so I am going to start over. but at least I have a place to go from now. excited to start some little updates around the house.
afterall, we have been here four years!
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and heading into the most beautiful season, I am finding that my photography is picking up, which while I love it.. and love meeting new people and playing with babies, and capturing family moments and etc. etc.
I tend to stress myself out a bit. but I thrive on stress. so (don't hesitate if you want to book a session- I do better under stress )! I am also in the process of coming up with a new website- I think.-
we've got a busy weekend already, and I just keep cramming more stuff onto my plate.
My husband tells me to stop and b-r-e-a-t-h-e.......
(but then I found this on my friend Kelsey's blog)




and I like it ever so much more.
and with that , I am off to eat some ice cream, that Andrew surprised me with last night!
night all !