Life as a Lewis

Brian took the kids to Gram and Gramp's house for a cupcake and treats and then did a quick swing by a local church for Trunk or Treat. Unfortunately, Rory was scared out of her mind and hated it, although Brian and I are both inclined to believe it's because I was unable to go with them. In fact, Brian said she was begging to come home as soon as they left the house despite the fact she'd been looking forward to it all day. She said the clowns (which she HATED) just made her miss mommy. And the obligatory pics. Sorry there are none of them in action, but Brian is allergic to my camera these days. :) Plus, I guess he did have both kids to keep his hands full. By the way, anyone remember this from last year (you have to scroll down to see the picture - you'll know which one when you get there)? The smooshed face in the helmet seems to be a theme for him. And I also find it totally funny that I said last year we don't really do Halloween. Apparently, we change ou...

I realize this is a strange choice for a blog photo, but it cracked me up when I ran across it tonight. Rory had a major cold while we were in Illinois, and I somehow caught her mid-sniff. She and Camden were hulling beans (is that even how you spell that?) with my mom, and they thought it was the best job ever. Funny, I don't really remember snapping beans as the best job ever. And I decided it deserved a little creative photo action (Retro Lollipop by Florabella if you're interested).

Brian and Becky both say all is right in their world now that I'm blogging regularly again. Funny, since I live with Brian, and talk to Becky  nearly every day sometimes more than once. :) So Camden's front tooth has been loose for literally 6 months. It started sticking out, overlapping his other front tooth, created a big gap between the teeth, etc. And, last night, after merely an hour of pulling (LOL), it finally came out. He was so excited. And there were a few tears. Rory completely cracked me up as she sat next to him, kissing his arm and telling him to be brave. Of course, she also really wanted a turn at the pulling. Then he decided to try it himself, and he tried hard despite a few tears rolling down his cheeks. We pulled out an apple (which he was completely unable to eat at this point). Brian took over again, and right before this picture Camden asked me, "Do you think God knew before I was ever born how this was all going to turn out?"  ...

I'm not really one of those people who doesn't have time to blog. Not that I'm not busy, but daily blogging has been part of my schedule for over 3 years now. However, I think I've blogged less (and at all times of the day) in the last 3 weeks than ever before, including the time right after Rory came home! I'm really loving my little photography business, but it's keeping me b.u.s.y. (and that is not a complaint, just a fact!) Busy enough that I haven't told the stories from our trip to St. Louis and Illinois. And there were some good ones! I've decided I can't go back, but will instead try to move forward and just keep up for now. So on today's blog agenda is asking you to vote for Rory. She is a finalist in the Reader's Choice Photo Contest at Adoptive Family Magazines (she was one of the winner's in this category last year). You can vote for her here if you're so inclined. And side note: it cracked me up when I saw this picture....

I'm happy to report I managed to knock off a thing or two from my "to do" list, and Camden had a good first day back at school. He cracked me up at breakfast yesterday when he said, "Hey, you know how my eyes are usually all squinty during breakfast? Well, not today because I am WIDE awake!" Rory and I made a quick, early trip to the grocery store. We're having crazy 80 degree, tornado weather so I'm happy to be home the rest of the day. It feels like it's taken me forever, but I finally got a peek up  from my session in St. Louis. They're my nephews and extra cute. :) And, finally, a quick group picture from our family gathering in St. Louis. Micah (Becky's husband) is the only one missing from the picture, but when you're in medical school, there is no fall break!

After being out of routine for 2 weeks and out of town for 10 days, the goal of this week is definitely all about routine. It should be a slow week as far as extra activities, which is good because the house is trashed, laundry has piled up, I have 3.5 photo sessions to edit, bills to pay, groceries to buy, unpacking to do, and the list goes on. I'm going to start at the top of the list and move from there. And because it's a rainy, dreary day outside, Rory and I just might stay in our p.j.'s all day as we start to work through the list. And I'm definitely having an extra cup of coffee. And for all of you waiting with bated breath to see if my camera is okay, it is. :) Although I seriously felt like I was going to be sick as I pulled it out of the box and realized that UPS had not even packaged it with bubble wrap. It appears to have no effects from it's overnight camping trip and subsequent trip on a UPS truck.

It's been a fairly eventful 48 hours around here. Let's see . . . One wiener roast (or a roasting as Rory calls it) One photo shoot (the second in a 24-hour period with the same 16 month old) One photo shoot with Rory that was a bust One photo shoot with my parents that was not a bust One photo shoot in which Camden proclaimed, "these are the best pictures you've ever taken" and "thanks for letting picture day be so fun." Locked out of my mom's car alone with Rory in a strange park, no phone, keys, or watch; did I mention no phone keys, or watch? And the only person to call was my mom who literally never answers her cell phone. Thank heavens she answered it for the first time all week and was able to come get us before it got too dark or cold. Realized why there are few pictures of photographer's children on their sites. I've taken so many pictures of other people's children in the last 2 weeks that I feel little inclination to cap...

Based on the blog and facebook comments yesterday, I am nearly the last person to use a Mac! Here's a question for all of my Mac experts, why is my EHD showing up as read only? Considering I have more than 500G of pictures/scrap pages on that EHD, it's fairly important to be able to use it. Rory has developed a cold and woke up running a 101 fever so we're staying at home while Grandma and Camden make a trip to the library. Unfortunately, the river trip involving feeding the ducks is on hold until she feels better. Camden's trip to the woods to deer hunt with Grandma is still on (bow and arrows only), but I think it's safe to say Camden will be unable to stay quiet enough to see any deer. I forgot my camera cord so no pictures of Camden climbing the fence, feeding the horses, or Rory hulling beans from yesterday, but here are a couple of us at The Magic House on Friday with some serious static in our hair. We went to The Magic House when we were small children ...

My sister Becky just bought a new laptop and gifted me with their iMac desktop, so I'm popping in from Illinois to post a few pictures from our trip to St. Louis. I'm amazed by two things: first, that the new computer is so much better than my old one; second, how different a Mac is from a PC. I feel a little deaf, dumb, and blind on this thing, but am sure that I will love it once I get it figured out. You have no idea how long it took to get these uploaded to the right place, and then I couldn't find them once I uploaded them, so there are only three lonely pics. Uncle Michael gave rides to Xavier through most of the zoo, and I just laughed out loud when I uploaded this picture. The four munchkins Camden and William I'd like to say I'll be back with more updates or actual stories from our time in St. Louis and Illinois, but I'm doubting my computer skills at this point. Before this weekend, I would have considered myself more than a little computer savvy,...

We're trying to help Camden's front tooth along so they ate whole apples for snack time Monday. And Brian found me 3 of these cute little chairs to use on photoshoots. I have grand plans to paint them each a different color: white, red, and eggshell blue. And by "I", I clearly mean Brian. We're headed to St. Louis for a brief 48 hour family trip tomorrow morning and then Camden, Rory, and I are spending the week with my parents in Illinois while Brian manages alone back at home. I have no idea how my computer/internet access will be for the next 10 day, and I am SURE that I will be in withdrawal. I had grand plans to write some blog posts and schedule them for while I'm out of town, but Fall Break has been b.u.s.y. so the blog may be quiet for the next 7-10 days. Who knows! P.S. I have a sneak peek up on the photography blog this morning. Kim (the mom) said she cried when she saw them, which is perfect because I just might have shed a few tears myself ...

Project Basement and Project DeClutter were a success yesterday, and today we have Project Date. :) And check out these old Halloween pics!

We've had unseasonably warm temperatures the last week or so (today is supposed to be 89) and so we tried to take advantage of it this weekend. Friday night we went to a park and let the kids play. There just might be a picture up here from that outing. Saturday we had some errands to run in Nashville, but stopped for an impromptu picnic. I have lots of cute pictures, but as usual not enough time to go through all of them and post, but here are just a couple that tell a little story. :) Since Camden has long outgrown his little Diego bike, we've been looking for a new one but have balked at big boy bike prices. We lucked out Saturday and made a random stop at a garage sale and found a really nice one (for cheap). He LOVES it. Saturday night we took the kids to a little country road so they could both ride their new bikes. It started out well.     Unfortunately, the new bike has hand brakes, and he's having just a little bit of trouble adjusting. Camden became a li...

I had to laugh when I uploaded my sd card last night and saw these two pictures, taken within a few minutes of each other. And while I was trying to take pics from the same angle, I was most definitely not trying to demonstrate their different personalities. Camden is moodiness personified and in full big kid attitude phase. To ask him to do simple things like brush his teeth, wash his hands, or blow his nose is to be pulled into a meltdown of feet stomping, heavy sighs, and crumpling to the floor. It's a battle we fight multiple times each day. I'd like to blame it on his crazy allergies or all the time he's been missing with his daddy lately, but we've fought these same simple battles for well over a year. I am fearful that he might keep this attitude until sometime after his 20th birthday. Heaven help us all. And then there's Rory, who is quite possibly the world's easiest child. Although, I should keep in mind that there was a time I said that about Ca...

I feel as if I should explain that Rory did not escape the house on her own. There was a little aiding and abetting by her brother who took it upon himself to give her permission to play outside and then opened the door for her. Thank you, Camden. I've spent the last 36 hours with a little stomach bug, but am hoping to be better today. Rory and I are running a few errands that I've been putting off for weeks and we're also meeting Brian at school for lunch although whether or not I actually eat lunch remains to be seen. Brian's been gone until bedtime nearly every night this week because of parent/teacher conferences, and the kids aren't taking it well. Thus, lunch in a 4th grade school room today.   Lauren Grier/Shawna Clingerman: Happy Happy Joy Joy

I was sitting at my computer finishing up Monday's blog post when Rory streaked by my window wearing her Snow White costume (the fact that she was outside and I didn't know it is a whole other issue!). Naturally, I had to follow her around with the camera.

One morning last week I was blow drying my hair while Rory took her bath, and she looked like she was up to something. I stopped to ask her what was going on, and she said with a smirk, "destroying the earth." Rory tagged along with me to the doctor yesterday, and as soon as the doctor stepped out, Rory turned to me and said, "Mama, you were such a good girl!" Brian left little treats and a note to each of the kids one morning, and Camden said, "Oh, Daddy is just so loving." Seriously, what 7 year old says loving? And speaking of 7, it's quickly becoming my least favorite age to date. Only one example why: one night last week Camden had a bloody nose and decided to see what might happen when you blow your bloody nose. Without. A. Kleenex. I walked in to find the mirror, counter, sink covered in blood and when I came to find Camden (about ready to explode) and asked him about the mess he said, "What do you mean?" Yep, 7 is proving to be ...

Yesterday was Rural Heritage Day at church (a.k.a. Farmer's Day). It involved lots of things you don't normally see at church. For example: There were goats. There were sheep. And there was a sheep getting his poor ears inspected. Tthere were sack races (and, yes, our grass really is just about that brown everywhere). There were horses and cowboys; love the look on Camden's face. . . . . . . . . . . especially compared to the look on Rory's face here There was face painting; and, yes, she was totally falling asleep here. In fact, Rory and I headed home a little early. She laid down on the floor with her blanket and promptly fell asleep. There was also fried chicken, lots and lots of people, and this bluegrass band. And while I would typically enjoy listening to blue grass about as much as I'd enjoy running a marathon, I have to admit they were quite excellent. And my favorite picture of the day: Rory sure loves her Aunt Liz. And now that ...

All the designers I create pages for had fall kits come out this weekend so I spent alot of time working in fall colors (which happen to be my favorite). Here's my week's worth of work. :) Dani Mogstad: Pumpkin Spiced Latte Sahlin Studio: Art & Soul   Leora Sanford: Sweet Pea elements and papers   Gina Miller: Autumn Symphony elements and papers