Still Shooting . . .

I'm still managing to work a little bit here and there . . . still shooting a bit on the weekends, every now and then.

Last weekend, I worked with a family that has been faithful to HD Portraits throughout their son's first year. Many families are like that . . . I do the 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 2 yr portraits . . . and then another baby comes along, and I do all those pictures, too. With loyalty like that, it's easy to keep my client base small and my business busy enough for me.

A few shots of little Shaw, who just heard "Happy Birthday" sung to him for the very first time last week.

Bunco

I feel like I've arrived. The ladies in my neighborhood have been inviting me to Bunco for 3 months now, and it seems that I've become quite a 'regular' to a very established group. I'm in. I feel like a teenager saying that, and I am giddy like a teenager that I can say it.

You see, our neighborhood is pretty 'clique-y'. I think many neighborhoods are . . . especially ones like mine, that are about 10 years old and many of the families have lived here nearly all of those 10 years. They've watched each other have kids and send them off to elementary school. Their kids share teachers and soccer coaches. They've all been friends a long, long time. Being the newcomer to this area, I totally have felt like the new kid in school. I've had to break in, to reach out, and to really make an effort to meet my neighbors.

Don't get me wrong -- everyone is super friendly. They just all know each other . . . so it's kinda tough for the newbies. We've been in our house 3 years at the end of the summer, and I finally feel like I'm a part of the group.

It's a good feeling, being accepted. I'm 32 years old, and that first invitation to Bunco made me feel exactly the same way that I felt when I was a 13-yr old new kid at school and Katie Ferguson (a popular girl in my 8th grade class) called me up to invite me for a sleep over. When I got that phone call years ago, I remember vividly flying from our kitchen to our family room, (corded) phone in hand, to ask my dad for permission. I said something like, "Dad! You HAVE to let me go to Katie's house -- she's so cool and everyone likes her! You have to let me go!" He agreed, and I returned to the phone and heard the sound of laughter. Katie had heard the whole exchange, and she thought I was so funny.

Anyway, when I got the Bunco invite, I called Jim. "I'm in," I said. "They invited me to Bunco." Same sentiment, 19 years later.

Bunco itself is a fun game, but I'm really enjoying getting to know more people that share my streets. I like hearing about what I can expect on the school bus rides, which community activities I should look out for, and what its like to live in a house with older children. I'm younger than many of the ladies by about 5 years, so they like to clue me in on what parenting challenges they are facing -- or they remind me of how easy thing can be when kids are so young. Some of the ladies work, some of them don't. I hear about juggling schedules, I laugh at the funny stories everyone tells about their goofy kids. It's nice to be in a room full of intelligent women, wives, moms . . . makes me feel normal.

The Bunco group has opened our doors to other neighborhood activities, such as the St Patty's Party we were invited to (and attended) last weekend. Jim's getting to know some guys, and now he has a standing invitation to join them on Friday nights at the restaurant bar across the street from our neighborhood. I got invited to the Oscar Party . . . Meg and Kate are making friends with more and more kids at the neighborhood park . . . it's going well for the Dahlbys.

And hey -- we are nice people. These neighbors are lucky to have us!

Anway, I just can't get over how much I enjoy feeling like we are a part of the group here in the 'Hampton. It sounds silly, but it's true. I might be all grown up outside, but inside I'm still that 13 yr old girl, giddy as hell that I've been invited for a sleep over.

Meg's Questions

Recently, my little three-yr-old has become quite inquisitive. Honestly, she's always been inquisitive . . . her questions and requests can sometimes be overwhelming. But recently, the questions have gotten so . . . well, good.

For example . . .

"Mommy, how does the water get to our sink?"








"Where do the garbage men take our trash when they drive away in their truck?"








"Where is California?"

"What makes the clouds move through the sky?"

And . . .

After discussing the fact that on our upcoming DisneyWorld vacation we will be driving -- not flying in an airplane -- to Orlando, Meg responded with, "Oh! Really? We are driving there this time?"

(thoughtful pause)

"Mommy -- did they move Disney World?"

Favorite Photo Friday

Kate Allison, February 27, 2010, Flowery Branch, GA

Just because it made me laugh out loud when I saw it.

Taken while eating cake at Aunt JuJu & Uncle Greg's recent wedding shower.

What can I say? The kid loves cake.

Let's Eat

This is probably not a big deal to anyone but me . . . but I'm happy to announce that we got new dining room furniture at Casa de Dahlby.




I've been wanting a new table in our dining room since the day we moved here nearly 3 years ago. Really, I've wanted a really awesome dining set as long as we've been married . . . but we had a functional/appropriate/pretty nice dining table that Jim had purchased as a bachelor, so we had not seen fit to spend the money on a new set. I wanted a NICE set . . . somewhere to put my mom's china, 8 chairs so we have plenty of seating, and a warm colored stain to match the decor in the rest of our house.




It was a want, not a need. So, I've waited. I had to wait until the timing was right and we could justify the money spent on something that we actually did not need . . . but that I wanted terribly.




Two years ago, Jim (our family money man) gave me the green light on new dining room furniture, and off we went in search of the perfect set. We searched and searched, and we figured out what we did/did not like in dining rooms. Then some family things happened, and the money set aside for the table had to used for something else. Bummer.




Another year went by, and we started our search again . . . this time, we knew more about what we wanted, but we still had a hard time finding 'THE" set for our family. Then my mom suddenly died, and our dining room money again was used for other, family emergency-type things. Double Bummer.




Now here we are, nearly another year later, and Jim once again thought we had the funding for my long-desired new furniture. This furniture was not un-Godly expensive -- I act like we had to save and save for it -- but it was an fairly large expense that had to come after everything else financial was reasonably taken care of because we DID have a functioning table and a small cabinet in our dining room (though not coordinating OR pleasing to the eye). Jim and I try so hard to be smart with money . . . the dining room was not at the top of our list, and there is only so much money to be spent . . . but finally, finally the time had come where we could snag ourselves a new table.



And here it is . . .




BEFORE --

AFTER --

The picture does not do it justice. It's dark-ish wood (they say 'cherry', but I don't think it's exactly cherry), farmhouse style table, ladder back chairs, upholstered seats (I will take the plastic off eventually), and a lovely cabinet to go with it.

We love it.

Like I said . . . probably not a big deal to others, but I cannot WAIT to host myself a dinner party in my new dining room. Now I need curtains and linens to go with it . . . oh, and a new light fixture for SURE . . . but all in time. For now, I'm just happy the furniture is here and making itself home in my home.

Hooray! New Dining Room Furniture!

Tuesday

6:30 am -- wake and shower. make coffee.
7:15 am -- girls wake. dress, make their breakfast, feed breakfast, clean up breakfast, load the car for school.
8:45am -- leave for school.
9:05 am -- leave carpool at Meg's preschool and head directly to Tot Gymnastics with Kate.
9:30am -- play with Kate -- and only Kate! -- at Tot Gymnastics. leave smiling.
10:15 am -- leave tot gymnastics and run one quick errand. (ie -- stop at Publix.)
11:30 am -- return home to unload shopping and quickly regroup.
12:00 pm -- pick up Meg.
12:15 pm -- arrive home. make lunch, feed lunch, clean up lunch.
1:00 pm -- Kate down for a nap. Meg either (a) naps too (b) convinces me to let her skip a nap -- and I oblige if she seems like she can handle it OR (c) we have a friend over for an hour or two after lunch. Mom recharges with about 30 minutes of down time at this point in the day.
3:00 pm -- everyone is up, friends are gone, naps are complete. regroup. snack.
3:15 pm -- dress for Meg's dance class.
3:30 pm -- load up and head to dance.
4:30 pm -- leave dance class after having enjoyed 45 minutes of adult conversation with the other dance moms.
5:00 pm -- regroup and keep Meg from having any pre dinner snacks. make dinner. check email. return phone calls. go through the mail.
6:00pm -- eat dinner, clean up dinner. clean up the living room (with the help of my big girl Meg). load everyone up and go upstairs for the bedtime routine.
6:15 pm -- bath. jammies.
6:45 pm -- a little pre-bed playtime upstairs while mommy puts away laundry, changes sheets, works on getting some kind of stain out of some piece of clothing, or tidy's up the day's mess.
7:00 pm -- stories. rocking. goodnight, Kate.
7:25 pm -- more stories. chatting. goodnight Meg.
8:00 pm -- mom returns downstairs and writes a blog about how exhausting her day was.


Whew. Goodnight Mommy.

And the Winner Is . . .

I know you have been waiting to see how I dressed for the Oscar Party on Sunday . . . and here it is.

Julia Child :)

Technically, I'm Meryl Streep AS Julia Child from "Julie & Julia" -- a 2010 Oscar nominee. I was so proud of myself. Below is the photo I used to model my outfit . . . white on white on white, and all I purchased was the $6 white apron to make my outfit complete.

When I showed up for the party, I was all excited about my creativity. Jim boosted my confidence by saying I'd have one of the best costumes there.

Well, it might have been a good idea . . . but I'm sad to report that I was NOT very original. Behold me -- and the two OTHER Julia's at the event:

That's OK. It wasn't original, but it worked. And I had a great time at the party -- so that's all that matters, anyway :)

In other news: we bought a new car and had new dining room furniture delivered -- all in the past 5 days. I'll post more about those tomorrow or later in the week . . . Tuesday is my busiest day each week, and I'm pooped right now. I must go muster up the strength to feed my girls, bathe them, and get them in bed.

Thanks for the help with the costume!

It will have to wait

I have several stories I would like to post about today . . . but they will all be much better told with pictures. Unfortunately, I left my camera at that fabulous Oscar's Party I attended last night, so I can't download any pics from the weekend. And -- trust me -- there are a lot of good pictures to share!

Really, I can't tell you about what's been going on without pictures.

So, I guess it will have to wait.

Favorite Photo Friday

Kate Allison, Marietta GA, February 4, 2010

What's that saying? When the cat's away, the mice will play . . .

This is what I let Kate get into one morning while Meg was away at preschool . . . the precious, carefully guarded Pez candy collection. Once Kate zipped open the bag, there was no stopping her. She tore through each and every dispenser until she found just a morsel or two of left-over, forgotten Pez candies. And then she gobbled them up quickly, lest her big sister appear from nowhere and snatch it from her.

Hey, what Meg does not know does not hurt her, right? That's what Kate would say, I'm sure.

Gotta love the little sister.

More Random Compliments in Publix

Today, Kate and I visited a Publix grocery located in an area of town that we don't often frequent. I'd been to this Publix many times before, being as it is located near our old house -- but these days, we rarely make it over that way. Our morning errands had us in the area, so I stopped in to my old Publix for a quick run through.

I remember well this elderly woman that was always working a cash register from the days when we used to visit this store . . . and when we entered today, there she was, scanning away with her lovely, sweet smile. I made a mental note as we entered that I would be sure to check-out in her lane when our shopping was complete.

Suna is the woman's name. She is originally from somewhere in Europe -- her accent is, I don't know, German/Swedish/Scandinavian. Probably about 65 years old, tiny build, blonde hair and BRIGHT pink lipstick. I remember Suna because she was always so complimentary of Meg . . . how cute is was, how smiley she was. Whenever I took my Baby Meg to Publix, Suna always showered her with attention. It made me feel good -- and I think that Suna enjoyed fawning over little Meg. It was a treat to see the friendly woman again this morning.

Today, naturally, Suna had the same complimentary reaction to Kate. She talked about how cute she is, and Kate totally hammed it up for Suna. They had a good time 'flirting' with one another as my groceries made their way into their bags.

And then -- AGAIN, unsolicited and in public -- the compliments turned to me.

"How much she is talking! Not even two years old yet? You are a smart mommy to teach her so many things! Oh, she is lucky to have you."

"She is so happy! Oh -- I see she has a snack -- what a smart mom you are. I always see moms in here with screaming babies, and I think 'Give the baby a snack!' Your baby is happy because you take such good care of her."

She said a few other things -- we talked about preschool and how it's so important for kids to get their true education at home, from parents. She said that she knew I was a good mom because Kate was so happy and seemed to be such a easy-going baby. What a kind-hearted woman Suna is. I know she is genuine in her compliments because I've overheard her many times saying kind things to the other customers. She is someone that loves her job and loves meeting so many people each day. I like Suna. I wish I could be more like Suna.

Please understand: I'm not bragging -- I mean, honestly, the lady is calling me a good mom, and all she knows is that I buy apple slices, bread, waffles, and Gogurt for my kids. She has no idea if I'm truly a good mom.

But I know I'm a good mom. And when someone points it out to me, I have an opportunity to take a moment and think about it. Yes, in fact, I do think I am a good mom. My girls ARE lucky to have me.

Thanks, Suna, for the reminder.

Help Wanted

So, I need some help. I'm going to an "Oscar Party" on Sunday evening . . . a bunch of ladies getting together to gab and eat fun snacks while the Academy Awards are on some TV in the background. Should be a lot of fun . . . except for one, fairly large hang-up.

I have to attend dressed as my 'favorite' actor/actress/character from a movie.

Does not have to be a 2010 nominee or anything . . . it can be pretty much anyone. Any actress, any famous person. And for some reason, I can't think of one, single person.

I take that back -- I can think of a few -- but the costumes are too elaborate or the actress has signature long hair that my short 'do can't mimic.

Any ideas? Any thoughts on who I could dress as for this party? I want to look cute -- to fit the theme -- but I don't really want to go all out. Keep it simple.

Any help is much appreciated. Please, please . . . throw anything my way. ANY help is welcomed!!

Friday's Ego Boost

With my Father-in-law in town for a visit last Friday, we were looking for a quick little mid-day activity to get us out of the house and let the girls run wild for a few minutes. When I asked Meg, "What do you want to do today?" she quickly responded with, "Go to Chickfila!" Kate chimed in with, "Nuggets!!" -- and it was settled. We packed up and headed to the local Chickfila for lunch. The perfect solution to a mid-morning slump, in my opinion . . . quick lunch that I don't have to make OR clean up, a few minutes at the playground, then I could bring 2 tired kids back home and straight down for nap.

As any mom knows, the act of taking your kids to a fast-food establishment like Chickfila can be a bit overwhelming for the first 10-15 minutes of your visit. There is the wrangling of kids while you order the food, followed by the awkward attempt at getting your food on it's tiny, overflowing tray to your table without creating a big catastrophic scene. And then you have to find a way to keep everyone calm while you poke holes in juice boxes, dish out nuggets and fries, and try to squeeze some ketchup somewhere that isn't going to create a huge mess for you to have to clean up later. By the time it's actually time to eat, I often find that I've broken a sweat and nearly lost my appetite.

Anyway . . . that's not what this story is about.

On Friday, as I was in the 3rd stage of the fast-food meal -- already at the table with everyone, prepping the food and kids for their meal -- when someone came up behind me and starting talking to me. It was a woman's voice, and she was standing right behind me, leaning in -- so I figured that it must be someone I knew. I was very surprised when I turned around and found a stranger staring at me.

"Your kids are so cute -- oh! Look at those girls. They are just precious!" she was saying.

I looked at my girls. They were in play clothes, hair tousled, and Meg was already chomping on her nuggets with her mouth wide open. But yeah, I'd agree . . . they are pretty cute. And, I'll admit, I've heard it before. Any mom relishes in the compliments bestowed upon their children by random strangers in public. We've all been there. (But it never, ever gets old:) )

But the lady went on.

"And YOU! Look at you -- you are so cute, too. Your hair cut, your glasses, your outfit -- love the boots. You have a great look. You look so cute, too! What a cute family you are. Just precious," she said. She was so enthusiastic in her speech. She meant what she was saying.

I was totally, completely caught off guard. I mean, I was wearing jeans and a white, cable knit sweater with my new-ish boots I'd gotten for Christmas. I had managed to shower that morning -- but I was in no way looking my 'best' for the occasion. I looked like a SAHM, honestly. I didn't feel cute, and I certainly didn't leave the house thinking one single person would even notice me . . . let alone get up out of their chair and come to say something so kind.

I thanked the lady -- several times. I smiled and probably blushed. Then she said how adorable we all were one more time, and she returned to her companion and her chicken sandwich about 1/2 way across the restaurant.

That little 1 minute encounter was the biggest ego boost I've had in a long, long time.

It came at the end of a really rough week. A week in which I'd been trying to figure out what I am doing, why I'm doing it, and how happy/unhappy I am with the way I am doing things. I mentioned before it was a bad week for me, personally. But then this little angel came out of nowhere and showered me with kind words . . . and made me feel so good about myself. I still can't believe it even happened.

I don't really believe in coincidences. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe in Devine Intervention. I think God is working in our lives all the time, and sometimes he takes a moment to put someone in our lives so that we know He is there. He knew what I needed on Friday . . . some stranger to let me know that, even if I'm falling apart inside, at least I look like I have myself together when out in public. As the girls went off to play in the playground and my father-in-law went along to supervise, I sat back and stared out the restaurant window thinking just that . . . how good God is. How much I needed to hear those kind words. How my lunch at Chickfila was certainly and without a doubt NOT a coincidence.

It also reminded me that we all have our issues. I'm not the only one dealing with . . . well, for lack of a better word, life. That woman that spoke to me had no idea what kind of week I'd had. I have no idea what kind of week she had. We all have our own issues . . . nobody's life is easy. But in one short minute with just a few kind words, we can change someone's mood. I was left thinking about how we are all dealing with something, so we should be nice to each other whenever we can. You never, ever know when just one minute of compliments at a Chickfila can really change someone's mood or brighten their day.

After reflecting on my experience, I've decided to pay it forward -- I want to provide someone else with the same good feeling I got on Friday. And the next time the opportunity arises, I most certainly will. I urge you all to do the same. Give someone you know -- or don't know -- an ego boost sometime this week. Just say something nice to someone -- something out of the blue or unsolicited. I bet you will feel as good as the person who receives the compliment.

Friday's ego boost. Sure did kick my weekend off the right way.

Favorite Photo Friday

Meg, February 18, 2010, Marietta GA

Here is what happens around here when I let Meg convince me she should be able to skip a nap.

She never makes it. She crashes and burns by about 4:30pm . . . snoozes for 30 minutes or so, then wakes up and thinks she never even fell asleep. It's a cute little pattern we've gotten into around here.

I'd say that we are transitioning to a 'no nap' lifestyle . . . but I still think that's a little premature. Meg needs her nap, even at 3.75 yrs old. She is not ready to give up that afternoon sleep. Sure, she can make it without a nap every now and then, but she needs to sleep for a few hours at least 5 afternoons a week. And with Kate around -- who needs a nap every day -- it's certainly no problem.

I like that Meg still naps. We might be starting to miss out on a few afternoon playdates or activities -- but I don't care. I'm hanging on to this last think that still makes Meg feel a little, tiny bit like my baby.

My baby Meg still needs her sleep.

Cyber Stalkers

While Kate was playing at the indoor playground at our local mall last week, I noticed a cute little boy enter the play area, riding on the hip of a casually dressed young woman. Normally, this would not be worth noting. After all, I spend my days taking my girls here and there to experience kid friendly environments. The fact that mall was filled with young kids and their sweat-pants laden mothers on a cold February morning in not unusual. But after I noticed this particular mom and her little one, I did a double take.


The mom was attractive. Young and cute, wearing a cute little army-green hat and jeans with sneakers . . . but she was not what made me look twice. The young boy with her was not of the same ethnicity she was . . . she was white, he was black. THAT was not what made me do a double take (though, if she noticed my second glances, she probably thinks it was).




Once I looked a few times at the mom, her son, and her older daughter standing at her side, I realized why the were so familiar and intriguing to me.




I read her blog. The mom -- someone just like me -- I read the blog she writes daily. And I don't even know her.




She is a friend-of-a-friend . . . way down the line, someone I probably would have no occasion to ever meet in person. Once upon a time, when I started this blog, my friend showed me the blog that the mall-mom writes, and I used some of her formatting and ideas to start my own blog. I used to check back in to her site every now and then to see what she was doing with her blog as I started working on my own . . . and I quickly got sucked into the stories and daily events about which she was writing.




The mom -- we will call her Ms. C -- has two beautiful daughters. They are just about a year ahead of my girls, and they are as darling as they could be. Mrs. C is married and very much in love with her high-school-sweetheart husband. When I began eavesdropping into their cyber lives, I learned that Mrs. C is a talented amateur photographer like myself. And I also learned that their family was beginning the journey to adopt a young child from Vietnam. Aside from the adoption story line, she and I seemed to have a lot in common. So I kept reading, long after I needed to for research and blog-creating purposes.




Like I said, the stories had me hooked. I found myself checking in a few times a week to see the faces of those pretty little girls and to hear about their adventures in adoption. When they switched from the Vietnam adoption path to the Ethiopia path, I secretly said a little prayer in hopes that they would find the child that they so wanted in their loving family. When their old bloggers site moved to a different location (and format -- I lost all my inspiration!) -- I re-bookmarked them and kept reading. When middle sister was sick one morning and big sister was so caring, I couldn't help but hope that I would have girls so in love with each other some day (and I do!). And when the family brought home that beautiful baby boy, Silas, last summer, I CRIED when I saw the pictures and read the full-length account of what they had been through.



So, as I stood there and looked at the REAL Mrs. C, little boy Silas, and her middle daughter (I knew big sister must be at Kindergarten because I read the blogs about her first days of school back in the fall) . . . I could not help but feel like I was looking at a celebrity.


I'm totally weird. And, apparently, I'm a cyber stalker.


I know that Mrs. C thought I stared because her child is African American. I know with certainly she gets that a lot. As a matter of fact, my first thought when trying to figure out why she looked so familiar was that she must be a nanny . . . maybe I had met her in my neighborhood or at a friend's house. After I realized (a) that I must be staring and (b) that the woman I was looking at was someone I have kinda cyber-stalked for about 3 years now . . . I quickly turned away. I sat there and tried to pretend I was all into Kate sliding down the slide and crawling through the tunnels of the playground. Really, all I was thinking was, "Stop staring!" and "Should I go and talk to her? Is that really her?! Should I tell her how I love her blog, her photography . . . and I kinda love her family, too?" I'm just glad Kate managed to enjoy the playground and not hurt herself while her totally distracted mother oogled over someone she does not even know.





In the end, I didn't go speak to her. I couldn't muster up the courage. It would just be too weird. I've actually had a few people come up to me in public and mention that they read my blog . . . and it usually freaks me out slightly. It's always a similar situation -- a friend-of-a-friend or something, totally harmless -- except the one time that this grandmotherly lady came up to my grocery cart in Publix and called Meg by name. THAT was strange. Turns out she was the MIL of a friend and had seen pictures of Meg a few times . . . but still. I didn't want to be that creepy lady calling Silas (and Addison, the older sister) by name and scaring Mrs. C to death. I decided just to keep my distance and not speak to to Mrs. C.





It was a surreal experience, for some strange reason. For pete's sake -- this was no celebrity, but I still left the play area feeling a rush, like I had just met someone famous. Someone I admired from afar, someone I respected . . . kinda like a celebrity, really. I wondered if I had ever been someone's Mrs. C . . . has someone ever seen me in public, known me from this blog, but NOT addressed me and mentioned that they are a reader? Do I have cyber-stalkers?



Hmm.



I'm weird, I know. I'll be sure to keep you up to date on my cyber-stalker activities in the future. And if you are out there Cyber Stalking me, at least take a minute to post a comment and let me know you are out there! I might be surprised to find how many friends-of-friends are reading my blog.

Beach Weekend

It's Wednesday, and I'm finally getting around to posting about our fun beach getaway last weekend. Suffice it to say . . . we've had a bad week around here. But enough about that. Let's remember what fun we had last weekend, visiting friends in Destin, Fl.

The weekend was really relaxed and wonderful. It was quick -- down Friday, home Sunday -- but enough time to get out to the beach and soak up some sun. We hung out with our friends, The Klines, for the weekend, and took it easy. Had yummy breakfasts, went out to dinner, played Candy Land, put together puzzles, and had a great time. It was perfect.

When packing for our trip, I almost did not throw in swim suits for Meg and Kate . . . figuring that (a) it wasn't THAT warm in the panhandle in February -- especially this cold year and (b) the water would be WAY to too cold for the girls, anyway. I wasn't sure if the family pool was heated . . . but there certainly was no way would we be swimming in the ocean.

Glad I packed the suits because . . . man, I was wrong.

Our Saturday beach adventure started out as a fully-clothed picnic lunch, and ended up with ALL four girls (ours and the darling girls that belong to our very kind friends/hosts) full on swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.

Like I said, it was a take-it-easy kinda trip. Thanks again to Will and Gina -- they always take SUCH good care of us and our girls. We are lucky to have them as friends . . . not only because they live by the beach, but because they are so easy and great to be around. They love our girls, we love theirs, and it just makes everything so easy. I can only hope WE are as good of hosts when people come to stay with us.

Of course, we returned Sunday night around 8:30 pm . . . and for some reason Kate was up puking for 3 hours later that night. Meg was so ornery on Tuesday afternoon that I couldn't even fight with her when she refused to go to dance class. Jim left for work, his family arrives for a visit tomorrow . . . and I've just had a bad week, personally.

But -- again -- I'm choosing not to think about that right now. Instead, I want to think about what a great Florida vacation our family just enjoyed. That puts me in a MUCH better mood!

I think the pictures tell it all.

I love me some Florida sunshine. I cannot WAIT to get back. Lucky for me, Julie (my SIL) is hosting her bacelorette party in Watersound, FL, in just a few weeks. 'Til then, I'll just soak up the sun from these photos and remember why I hope we buy a beach house someday :)

Favorite Photo Friday

Our Girls, February 13, 2010, Marietta GA

I finally got my camera out and took some good shots of my girls last weekend. I'd been wanting to for weeks, but I needed to find the motivation.

Last Saturday was a lazy day, and I convinced Jim to help me drag out the gear and warm up the camera . . . which, around here, is a BIG request. I often get flustered and snippy when shooting the girls . . . I have to ask Jim if he is in the mood to help me. He was. Hey -- at least I know I'm difficult.

I have more to edit -- but these were a couple of initial favorites.

Snow, Love, and the Circus

February has blown into our house with all the force of the crazy winter storms we've been hearing so much about. Today is already the 16th, and we've had several big events happen in just the past 2 weeks. Really, just in the past few days.

First . . . snow. Yes, lots of snow. About 3-ish inches over the course of an afternoon in our unprepared city of Marietta at the end of last week, and it was enough to really count it as our 'snow' for 2010.

It was enough snow to make an entire snowman family . . . Daddy, Mommy, Meg, and Kate, all represented in balls of ice on our front lawn. Meg was very proud of our snowman family, and we had fun watching them get skinnier and skinner (and eventually topple over) as the weather warmed the day following the snow. It may have only lasted about 24 hours, but it was great fun while it was here.

Second . . . love. Lots of love for Valentine's Day.

I will be the first to admit: I used to really dislike Valentine's Day. In high school, if you didn't have a boyfriend/girlfriend, the February holiday in which everyone you knew was getting flowers and candy sent to school totally stunk. I was on both ends in high school -- getting AND not getting flowers, depending on the year -- so I grew to really not look forward to the pressure of Valentine's. As a married woman, I didn't see the point in Valentine's Day . . . I mean, Jim and I know we love one another, we exchange little treats of affection all year long . . . so why did I (again) have to deal with the pressure of Valentine's Day? It also does not help that the holiday comes about 2 weeks after Jim's birthday . . . and I never know what to get him for any occasion. Two gift-giving holidays back-to-back was too much for me to take. Jim and I decided long ago that Valentine's Day was 'low profile' at our house . . . a card in acknowledgement of the occasion, and that was about it.

Then we had kids. That totally changed the holiday for me. It became less about romantic love and more about love in general. And let's not forget the fact that kids seem to make a lot of holidays more fun . . . there are parties, treats, and (of course!) cute clothing to go along with the celebration.

Now, Valentine's Day has a whole new meaning. I get it now. For me, it now means one day in the year when you can shower those you love with your affection. One day set aside for just that . . . and nothing else. There is no pressure any more for me. . . I've found my true loves, and I get to spend the 14th of February telling them just how much I adore them all. I've also discovered that Valentine's Day is a great time to reach out to some other 'loves' in my life and remind them of how much I care about them. In my busy-busy SAHM scheduled lifestyle, I totally enjoy taking advantage of Valentine's Day as a time to stop, love, and be loved.

Speaking of the 'be loved' part . . . Jim went out of his way this year to do something extra sweet for his Valentine (me, I mean). He planned a secret date. He got a babysitter (on his own!!) and took me to Dialog in the Dark (http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com/about/idea-concept/) , which was something I'd been wanting to do for a long time. We also had a nice, quiet dinner in which I did not have to cut up anybody's food or get my baby wipes out of my purse for any reason, and for that I was very grateful. Valentine's usually is low profile at our house, but Jim did a fantastic job of dressing it up for me this year. :)

And third . . . the circus. Totally unrelated to the snow or the festival of love around here, our most recent big event was our trip just yesterday to The Greatest Show on Earth: Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Since Meg was born, my dad has been wanting to take his granddaughter(s) to the circus. Each February it comes to the big arena here in Atlanta, and each year since 2007 my dad has told me how much he is looking forward to a day when he can watch the girls ooh and ahhh over the elephants, clowns, and acrobats that the circus exhibits. Finally -- in 2010 -- his day came.

The tickets were purchased about 3 weeks ago (a late birthday present for me -- thanks dad!), and we started a countdown on our fridge when we got within 10 days of the show. Meg has been beyond excited . . . she knows enough about what a circus is to know that it's something super cool and worth looking forward to. Kate -- well, of course she had no idea what she was in for -- but she totally learned how to say "Circus!" and "Elephants!" in the days leading up to the adventure. More snow and icy weather threatened to interrupt our carefully made circus plans . . . but on the morning of the show there was no snow or ice to be found, so we were able to trek down to Atlanta with big grins and wide eyes, ready to take it all in.

The girls had a blast. I wasn't sure how they would handle it -- Meg can be a little withdrawn when she is overwhelmed, and I just don't know Kate well enough quite yet to anticipate her reactions in new situations -- but they both jumped right into their seats and loved every minute of the show. Kate was screaming -- literally -- "Elephants!" when she saw the line of pachyderms enter the arena. It is an impressive site. Eleven elephants in a row, all hopping up on each other's back to makes for quite a spectacle . . . and it was, by far, my favorite part of the show. Meg turned to me at one point and said, "Mommy! Those ladies are flying through the air!" -- so I know she was eating it up. Not to mention that the show had an intermission . . . which, for some reason, Meg has remembered from our "Annie" experience and thinks is something pretty stinkin' awesome. If you go to a show that is long enough for an intermission . . . well, to Meg, that is the cat's meow.

It's been a busy month here at Casa de Dahlby. And it's not letting up . . . we are headed south this Friday to see some Floridian friends, and we are hosting Nana and Papa for a weekend visit at the end of the month. Then, all of the sudden, I'm turning my calendar to March . . . as they say, time flies when you are having fun.