Meet the newest member of our family: Bruce von Stehley (don't ask). We saw a sign advertising Shih Tzu puppies on our way home from church today, and adopted this little sweetie just a few short hours later. We are in love with this adorable little ball of fur. He is 10 weeks old. The boys are so excited about having a puppy. I'm not too excited about potty training him, but we'll get through it! Welcome to our family, Brucey boy!
Austin allowed me to take some pictures of him today (I bribed him with the big lollipop). We are making his valentines for school this year. This is the photo I'm going to use to make them. The lollipop didn't last very long once the photo session was done :) Cherry flavor!
My "baby" turned seven yesterday. Last night when I was tucking him into bed, he told me he had a very fun day. Happy Birthday, Little Man!
Austin had his first pinewood derby race for cub scouts yesterday. He didn't win, but he is so proud of his very first trophy (all participants got a small trophy, I thought that was so nice of the leaders!!!!) and ribbon.
We had our traditional pork and sauerkraut for New Year's dinner. I've come to enjoy this meal even more than Thanksgiving. Green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing and mashed potatoes with gravy...YUMMY!
My husband and I just got back from an overnight trip to NYC to see Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway. (Excellent show, by the way. Kevin Kline was born to be on stage! I can't imagine anyone else playing the part of Cyrano as well as he did. Jennifer Garner did a wonderful job as Roxane.) We had a little bit of time to do some touring. My favorite spot was Rockefeller Center. The tree was amazing. NYC is beautiful at Christmas time. We went to Times Square but I didn't have my camera at the time. It's hard to imagine the tons of people that will crowd into that small space in just a few days on New Year's Eve. We passed Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden and of course a trip down Broadway to see all of the marquees. I also snapped this photo of the Empire State Building on our way out of the city today.
Yesterday we had some freezing rain which made our trees look really pretty. Thankfully the roads weren't too bad and the ice wasn't heavy enough to cause power outages. Everything looked so beautiful this morning when the sun started shining through the ice dripping off the trees and plants. These are a few pictures from our yard.
This little snowman sits in my Mom and Dad's front yard. I was outside one night playing with my camera on my tripod and snapped this picture. We're getting some freezing rain right now. I'd rather have snow!
It's become a tradition in our house for me to take a picture of my kids each year and use that to make our Christmas Cards. I used my roll of white seamless paper on my background stand in our garage. Natural lighting, no lights or flash. Camera on tripod.
My nephew did some posing for me at our family Christmas party on Saturday. He shared some of his "faces" for the camera. From left to right: "Evan, show me your silly, mad, scary, happy face."
We spent our weekend decorating for Christmas. This is our new pre-lit tree. I love real trees, but you can't put them up this early and expect them to survive until the day after New Year's Day when I usually take it down. Less mess this way, too. Still, you can't beat the smell of a real, fresh tree. This little angel ornament hung on my grandparents' trees for many years. It was our yearly tradition to decorate their tree on Christmas Eve. We each had our own ceramic ornament that my Mother painted for us. Now that my grandparents are gone, this little angel makes her home on my own tree, along with the ornaments my children hang up beside her. I love Christmas. I love traditions. I love special memories.
I wanted to play with my flash last night, so I used my sleepy cat. He was curled up by the fireplace with his little blue mouse, so I was able to snap a few photos of him.
It's a challenge to photograph a toddler! They are always on the go, so my camera has to stay ready. I was able to capture a few shots of this busy little guy. It was so much fun!
Austin talked to Santa at the elementary school's annual Holiday House yesterday. He did not want to sit on his lap, so he stood beside him and tried to remember what was on his Christmas list for this year. He looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed to be talking to him. I think my baby is getting too old for Santa.
Andrew's class took a field trip to Washington D.C. yesterday. It started out very rainy and yucky, but thankfully the rain was about finished by the time we arrived. We spent the morning in the Natural Science Museum and finished up the afternoon at the Air and Space Museum. Four hours on a school bus was not very pleasant, but we had a good time.
Yesterday I had a cooooooooooold photo shoot! It was cloudy and 43 degrees. These kids were adorable and so well behaved. We took "coat breaks" in between pictures. They were real troopers! Maybe they'll let me take more photos when it's warmer and brighter :) Thanks, "M" Family, for letting me practice on you!
Austin had his first Regatta at Cub Scouts tonight. He had to decorate his boat and then the boys raced each other by blowing on their sails to make the boats float down the rain gutters. He was heartbroken when he didn't win. He was hoping for a special ribbon. Maybe next year!
The rest of our scary crew...Andrew the reaper and Adam the metallic skeleton. Bill carved pumpkins for us this year. We have a Black Widow spider and a spooky tree. They were a hit with our trick-or-treaters! 
What happened to the days when I could get my boys to dress up in cute little lions, puppies, bumblebees or Blue's Clues costumes? Now they all want to be SCARY. Austin had his Cub Scout Halloween party this evening, so I took a couple of pictures before he left. I'll post my "Grim Reapers" over the weekend when we go trick-or-treating.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking family pictures for one of my dearest friends. This is a little sneak peek until I get their proofs to them. Thank you, "E" family, for a very fun afternoon!
