Mama / Graecyn Special Treat Day

Daddy had training all day today, so we had a Mama / Graecyn "special treat" day.

After I explained to you that a "special treat" did not mean having a cookie for breakfast (special treat = cookie to you), we headed to McDonald's for breakfast where you sat like a big girl in the booth (no booster or high chair).  I sat right next to you and only had to remind you once or twice to sit on your bottom.

McDonald's was followed by another special treat...playtime at the library. Our library has an awesome children's area with toys and activities that is completely separate from the main library so we didn't have to worry about being quiet.  You loved walking up and down the aisles of books.  You played with the trains, kitchen, blocks, colored, and more.  You weren't too interested in reading any books, but we did check out a few to read at bedtime (we'll be having lots of talks about being careful not to rip the pages of these books!). When we went to the main area to get Mama a new book, I had to remind you about being quiet and you reminded me that it was just like Mrs. Rabbit in Spot Goes to the Library (one of your favorite books).

Then it was time to go to Gymboree. You had a blast playing on the new obstacle courses they had set up. Today's focus was on trains, which you are starting to grow quite fond of, so it was perfect.  You bounced, played with the bubbles, got parachute tickles and danced with Gymbo.

I thnk your favorite thing is to get Gymbo stamps on your hands, feet and belly!  You are always the first to sit down on the mat to get your stamps...you wait so patiently for it to be your turn.

Finally, it was home for lunch, a little Toy Story (your new favorite to watch...you refer to it as your movie), and then a nice long nap.

You were such a good girl all day...I only had to ask you to turn your listening ears on one time (which is about 10 times less than normal).

I had so much fun today and can't wait until our next Mama / Graecyn special treat day!

Love you Monkey!!

Photography - My Hobby, My Love

I love photography and am spending a lot of time learning as much as I can about it.  I spend a lot of time searching Pinterest, Flickr, and various blogs for inspiration and taking pictures of everything and anything I can (I think Eric and Graecyn get a little tired of me always taking pictures and I do my best to be in the moment with them, but sometimes, you just have to stop and capture that moment!).

I recently posted a picture on Instagram (follow me @brookejtaylor) and did my first ever hashtags to a few of the photography groups I follow.  This was a big moment for me - this would mean that people other than my close friends and family would see my pictures.  I was so nervous and deleted and retyped the hashtags a few times before finally taking a deep breath and hitting submit.  And then waited and secretly prayed for someone, a stranger, to "like" my photo…and they did! :-)

Any opportunity I have to do a photo shoot with Graecyn, I do.  It's getting harder and harder to do with her because she only "cooperates" for about 3 minutes (if that) and it usually takes a miracle (or Eric making silly faces behind my head) to get a photo of her actually looking at the camera.  With it being so cold and snowy outside, I have to get extra creative with our indoor photo shoots and try to think of new backdrop ideas.

A friend of mine, who just so happens to be an AMAZING photographer, recently asked me to share how I make some of my backdrops, so Libba, this post is for you. :-)

For Graecyn's Valentine's pictures, I knew I wanted to have a heart garland.  Last year, I made my own garland by cutting various sized hearts out of scrapbook paper and sewing them together with my sewing machine.  This year, I added another garland made from paper heart doilies (purchased at Party City), a hole punch, and thick string that I already had on hand.  Our house is not the best for taking indoor photos (I don't always have access to the best natural light at times when I know Graecyn will be most cooperative), so I finally settled on using our guest room.  I had some "weathered wood" bulletin board paper on hand from a photo shoot I did with Graecyn when she was 10 months (you can find a roll of this paper at Michaels or Amazon for around $8) and decided to use it as my backdrop.  I taped it up using painter's tape (so that I wouldn't damage the paint) and let the  extra paper roll underneath the white featherbed that I layed out on the floor to hide the carpet (that way I didn't have to cut the paper and can use it again in the future).  A few pillows to hide the seam between the featherbed and paper and a heart-shaped sucker to keep my model happy (good timing and luck help too) and you've got yourself a photo.

Before editing - see the blue painter's tape?

After editing

Shooting Range

About a year ago, Eric joined the Macomb County Sheriff's Department as a volunteer in the Marine division.  He went through a long training, was issued a uniform, a badge and had to buy a gun (!).  I have always been uncomfortable around guns, but told Eric that I would go with him to the shooting range sometime.  We attempted to go once in September for his birthday, but the range was closed for cleaning.  So, when I decided to take Valentine's Day off from work and when we realized that Graecyn would also be at daycare, we decided that it would be a good time to try out the shooting range.

Growing up on a farm, I've had the opportunity to shoot guns before…usually small rifles.  I've never gone to a shooting range and had never shot a hand gun before…especially a police issued hand gun (one, as Eric described it, is designed to kill).  Holy freak me out!  Eric spent a lot of time going through all of the gun safety with me - teaching me how to safely load, unload, and hold the gun.  I was getting more and more nervous as I listened.  Finally, it was time for me to take my first shot…and it scared the ever living crap out of me!  I knew it was a powerful gun, but did not expect to be so overwhelmed by it.  So overwhelmed that I may (or may not) have started to cry a little!  Eric helped me calm down (don't worry, the gun was no where near me at this point) and worked with me on getting a comfortable grip plus understand that while powerful and designed to kill, it is safe (!*?*!).

I did end up shooting a full magazine and started to get a better feel for it, but must say that I have a long way to go if I am ever going to be "comfortable" with this gun (Eric's goal).  I am proud of myself for trying it but don't think I will be rushing to the gun range anytime soon.

Not bad for my first time. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, Monkey!  You, Daddy, and I all had a great Valentine's Day.  You had a fun party at day care…all you would talk about was the cupcakes and cookies you got to eat!  I took the day off from work, so Daddy and I got to have an all-day date while you were at day care - we went to the shooting range (more for Daddy), had a quiet lunch with adult conversation, and strolled around Pottery Barn (more for me).  To top off the night, we had a special supper of heart pancakes with sprinkles and strawberries cut into hearts.

your "heart" valentine you made for Daddy

the Valentine's you made for your day care friends

cookies for your day care party

your Valentine from Mama & Daddy

going through your day care Valentine's

yummy Valentine's pancakes

 Happy Valentine's Day!!

Winter Wonderland

We have had so much snow this winter (we have already reached our average annual snowfall and it's only 1 month into the year!).  Along with the snow, we've also had a lot of below average temperatures (many days below 0), so we haven't exactly been able to enjoy all of this snow.

Today, we finally had a chance to get outside and play in the snow.  With 6" of new, wet snow and temperatures in the upper 20s, it was perfect!  If only you actually enjoy the snow…it's too deep to sled and too deep for you to walk in, so you pretty much just sit and eat (and eat and eat and eat) the snow.

nooooo…..I don't wanna sit in the snow

Daddy does all the work while you sit and eat snow

You thought the snowman was sleeping (sshhh…snowman sleeping)

Daddy made a baseball cap for the snowman

My Do It My Self

"My do it my self, Mama" comes out of your mouth at least a hundred times a day.  Here are a few of the things you like to do all by yourself now.

turning off your speaker all by yourself

putting toothpaste on your toothbrush all by yourself

putting the lid on the toothpaste all by yourself

your new favorite pose…legs crossed

reading your books all by yourself

blowing bubbles all by yourself

Sesame Street Live

We went to Sesame Street Live the other day and you loved it.  You were a little nervous in the beginning and kept fidgeting and pinching my arm, but soon relaxed and enjoyed the show.

The show was in the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit; the city may have a bad reputation for its crime and urban decay, but I must say that it has some beautiful architecture (sorry for the bad iPhone pictures).

Fox Theatre

Fox Theatre

You also got to sit forward-facing in your car seat!  Since you're so tiny, we decided to wait as long as possible before switching your seat.  I think you like the new view.