Chocolate Pretzels!

Hey everybody! How ya been? Good? Good. Remember the chocolate bear from Barrett's smash cake in my last post? Well, I had leftover melted chocolate and about a million pretzels so I decided to cover those babies with the liquified deliciousness! It wasn't hard at all and, of course, I had a little help!

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More of Bloom!

We love our Bloom Headwraps so much! When I took photos for the product review, I basically got a MILLION shots that I just love, but decided not to overload you in that first post. So here are some more, just because my kids look sooooooo cute in these Pom Pom Headwraps from Bloom Headwraps, and be sure to stop by and use the discount code SUSAN25 to receive 25% off of your order!

I cannot get enough of this laughing, graham cracker face, and I love how she thinks everything is "FUH-NEE!"

Before we came out to take pictures, I explained to Chelsea that it was important to take really pretty pictures so that everyone could see how beautiful these Bloom Headwraps are. I think she took me seriously.

Maybe a little TOO seriously.

There we go!

I love these Stange Sisters! They fight, they sometimes won't share, but I'll never get over listening to them playing and giggling with each other. We can learn a lot about forgiveness and relationships from our children who don't always get along, but love each other anyway!

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Photos with Barrett – Sisters

 We love our baby Bed-det (as Alexa calls him)

All the heart eyes!

P H O T O S   B Y   M A R I A S H A   R O W L A N D   P H O T O G R A P H Y 

Here are some cute-isms about my kids and their relationships with each other:

Chelsea is such a great helper! As hard as she was when Alexa was born, she is making up for it this time around! She is always getting me diapers, burp rags, pacifiers, holding Barrett, bouncing him in his bouncy chair, telling me when he's hungry. Seriously. She's the best. The only concern I have from her involving Barrett is that she is a little too confident in her abilities. Haha! I caught her lying on her back once holding Barrett up in the air above her. I'm surprised her little arms were strong enough to do it! I had to remind her that she is three years old at that point.

Alexa just loves giving Barrett hugs and kisses and impromptu snuggles. Sometimes when he's crying, she'll put her hand on his mouth (gently) and say "stop cwy-ing." Haha! She really does amaze me with the breadth of her vocabulary. She's also a great share-er. Every time Chelsea goes to her with her sweet little self (she's only ever sweet with Alexa when she wants something *insert rolling eyes emoji) and asks Alexa for a bite of whatever she's eating, Alexa shares.

Barrett loves them both, I'm sure. He smiles for me the most, but Dad gets plenty of smiles, too. He takes nice long naps during the day so we all really try to take advantage of the times he's awake! He slept so well throughout this shoot! We were picking him up, handing him to new people, turning him over, scootching him this way and that way and he hardly even flinched! Haha! I love sleepy babes, don't you?

So that's how it's goin' over here! I feel like the transition from 2-3 kids is going so much better than the transitioin from 1-2, but I hear a lot of different opinions from other moms. What do you mama's out there think? Which transition was easier for you?

P.S. Happy National Sibling Day!!!!

photos with barrett - dad and details

photos with barrett - sisters

photos with barrett - mom

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Susan is a birth photographer/videographer serving Mesa, Arizona and surrounding cities including Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, and Tempe. Considering a photographer for your birth? Contact Susan for EDD availability.

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Barrett's Birth Story: Part II - Stange Sisters meet baby brother

There is nothing like finally meeting the little person you've carried for nine months and holding their little warm bodies against your skin for the very first time. I looked into the face of my beautiful baby boy, absolutely beaming inside.

And then he peed on me.

Haha! I didn't care.

He looked so much like Chelsea to me, but with his own little flair! I think it was mainly the big lips.

Breastfeeding Barrett was a little tricky at first. I tried for a solid 45 minutes or so before he finally latched on. My nurse suggested later that it might have been because of the bruising he sustained on his face from such a speedy delivery. Just about the only thing bad about quick deliveries.

By the time we got into the recovery room, it was past nine, so the girls definitely wouldn't be meeting their new baby brother until the next day.

The meeting between Chelsea, Alexa, and Barrett was one of the sweetest experiences of my life. It was also a little stressful trying to keep Alexa from loving on baby brother too much, but regardless, Andrew and I couldn't stop smiling.

Chelsea wanted to hold Barrett right away and was so sweet with him. "Awwww! Look at his cute wittle toes!" "Isn't he adowable?"

Alexa wanted to kiss his head over and over again, hold him, hug him, poke him, and name all of his body parts as she poked. "NOSE!"

Barrett is so lucky to have two older sisters who love him so much!

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Let it snow, let it snow, let is snow!

There's a picture of me when I'm 11 in my bathrobe and boots, out in the backyard shoveling snow off of our lawn. That's how desperate I was to get the snow and cold out of my life and back to the warmth! I haven't kept it much of a secret that I'm a sunshine person.

So I'm not sure if it's the lack of snow that came our way in Utah last year or just being a mom and wanting to create beautiful memories for my children with snow, but I don't approach snow with the same kind of animosity that I used to.

The snow that has been dumped on my house has really aided my efforts to create these memories for my kiddos and we have been soaking it all in, despite the cough and runny-nose of a certain 3-year-old who insists on being out there anyway, sometimes thrice in one day! Yesterday morning when she woke up and saw that it had snowed, she came upstairs to my room with her panties, pants, and shirt so that I could help her get dressed. She then proceeded to put on her boots and gloves and informed me, very matter-of-factly, that it had snowed. Later that day, when it was too dark to play outside, she made multiple trips outside to get more snow for her and Alexa to eat together. They. love it.

I've gotta give credit to my bestie Amy, too, for being so gosh darn festive each year! Well, really all year every year.

And one last thing; Andrew is amazing. He woke up at 5:00 AM yesterday morning to shovel our driveway and sidewalk. 5. A. M. Have I ever mentioned what a thoughtful person he is? Seriously. He's the best.

LET IT SNOW!!!!

Susan is a birth photographer/videographer serving Mesa, Arizona and surrounding cities including Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, and Tempe. Considering a photographer for your birth? Contact Susan for EDD availability.

Chelsea's dance class

On November 11, Chelsea concluded her little dance class at the local rec center. The whole experience was... educational. Haha! The first two weeks, Chelsea would not participate. I don't know if she was scared or what, but she simply would not! I was almost ready to let her quit, but instead, I talked to her before her third class. I told her, very firmly, that today, she would have fun, that she would not sit by me and be shy the entire time, that she would follow her teacher, and I may have told her that if she didn't participate, I'd make her sit in the corner by herself (I was desperate!) Something I said must have clicked because after that she did really well!

 "And snapped that monkey right out of that tree!"

Watching Chelsea dance was really entertaining! While some of the other girls were dancing with grace and fluid movements, Chelsea was twirling, twirling, twirling, trying to stick the most difficult pose possible, or pretend to be a cheetah, and yet, she was very attentive in listening to her teacher when it was time.

All in all, this was a really good experience and Chelsea enjoyed it, but not enough to repeat it anytime soon. When I asked her if she wanted to do it again or try something else, she was pretty quick in her response. I think that maybe soccer would suit her better. We'll try dance again in a couple years.

Chelsea and her dance buddy, Kaisley.

Chelsea came up with this pose all on her own! I'm so glad I caught the tongue sticking out! Haha!

Alexa, on the other hand, participated more than Chelsea! She loved to follow the teacher and the other students and was absolutely adorable. She wasn't really old enough to be a part of the class, but Miss Angie always let her roam free and do what she could do with the class, including stamps and stickers after class. It was so fun to watch both of my girls express themselves!

As a side note, I just want to say that being a mom is tough. Being a mom while pregnant is even tougher. These girls wear me out and I lose my patience more than I want to admit. I often feel badly for how I react to their misdemeanors. Chelsea is strong-willed, stubborn, only likes to obey when you give her a good reason (I think we need to have a lesson about faith), and only likes an idea if it's hers. Amazing how these difficulties that I have with her are really her greatest strengths. I know that *someday* they are the things that I will be most proud of her for. And also, she loves snow. We went out and played in the snow for the first time this year yesterday and she was rolling in it, eating it, kissing it, licking it, making piles of it, running in it, and making snow angels in it. She couldn't get enough of the stuff!

Alexa wasn't quite as enthusiastic.

Alexa has attitude. She is mischievous, very talkative, opinionated, and sensitive. She's still a petite little thing and really does throw people off because of her literacy, despite her youthful appearance. Haha! I call her my snuggle bug and love that I can ask her for a snuggle and she'll give it to me. Recently, she's discovered the word, "stop," and that when she puts her hand to my mouth and says "stop, Mommy," it will get me to stop singing. hashtag nobody appreciates me. Haha! Maybe this baby boy will like my singing better.

Baby boy is doing just fine! He's kicking a lot and today at my doc. appointment, we saw that he's turned upside-down on his head! He's a prepare-er, but let's not jump the gun, little man! As for a name, we can't really decide. Ian has always been an option, but Andrew really wants a German name, so Barrett's an option, too. I like Barrett because then I can call him Barry. Andrew likes it so that he can call him "Bear." We'll see...

I hope Thanksgiving was really good for all of you! We spent it with my family this year and it was a blast! We got to my sister Becky's house, and I hardly saw Chelsea again until we left hours later! How lucky we are to live so close to family! Sorry, no pictures, because I get so caught up in the fun that I forget!

Thanks for stopping by today! Good luck getting ready for Christmas and I'll see you again soon, because I really want to share the pillows I've made with you! Here's a sneak peek!

Happy Holidays!

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Halloween 2015

Halloween was a blast this year! I decided to make a Halloween photo booth on my garage which was super fun, but unfortunately, had little use by fellow trick-or-treaters. Oh well! We used it!

We also had our favorite Aunt Debbie come by for pizza and trick-or-treating! It was so fun to have Debbie with us this year! She carried Alexa practically the entire time from house to house to collect candy in her cute little bag and Chelsea made sure to say "Trick-or-Treat" and "Thank you" at every door. Both little girls got quite the haul that they were only too willing to share (really!) The only thing I was disappointed in was the lack of Butterfingers. Oh well. better luck next year!

Alexa was petting the pumpkin and Chelsea thought she was hilarious riding her broomstick backwards.

This picture was before all the candy, so you can understand why the kids faces are vacant of smiles at this point.
Striped background - wrapping paper from Hobby Lobby
Pink Streamers - Hobby Lobby
Broomstick - tutorial here
Witch skirt, cape, and hat - tutorials here, here, and here

Hope you had a fabulous Halloween!

Susan is a birth photographer/videographer serving Mesa, Arizona and surrounding cities including Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, and Tempe. Considering a photographer for your birth? Contact Susan for EDD availability.

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