The Huddlestons

Jackson's Baby Shower - 1.20.12

2012-01-24T14:35:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Baby Brother with all of my Baton Rouge friends at Sarah's house. She had the place decorated with lots of Elephants and lots of Blue. We played a game where we had to match baby pictures to their owners, and we ate lots of good food (including my favorite cake ever: the Hummingbird Cake from Southern Living's dessert cookbook).

Sarah and Natalie threw a great party! I felt SO loved, surrounded by friends and family, all gathered to celebrate this little boy inside of me. They showered me with little boy clothes, bibs, diapers, wipes, socks, onesies, books, Dreft detergent, and an AMAZING diaper bag. I also got several handmade gifts, like a baby-carrier-cover, swaddling blankets, and a compact diaper clutch for diapering on the go. :)

Thanks guys!

Maternity Exchange

2012-01-14T21:02:00.001-06:00

Today I met up with a friend and we took Maternity photos of each other in a vacant field. It was a fun exchange. We brought our daughters with us (who are the best of friends) and just took some fun photos. Amy is waiting patiently for her baby girl (who is PAST DUE) and I'm close to 36 weeks along. I'm thinking I'll print one or two for my Baby Shower next weekend, and then I will hang them in Baby Brother's room.

Mascara

2012-01-12T15:07:00.002-06:00

About a month ago, while I was visiting family in Houston and Jacob was at home studying for law school finals, I went out on a date with my sister Jennifer. We got yummy drinks from Starbucks and then spent an hour browsing Wal-mart for new make-up.

Ironically enough, when I got home that night, Halle was laying on the couch with the rest of my PREVIOUS bottle of mascara on her face. She's a sneaky little thing sometimes and was able to hide from G-Mere long enough to do some creative make-up artistry while no one was looking. Needless to say, a bathtub that night was essential, but she wasn't very happy about losing her new look. She said, "Look at me, mommy! Hah-ee so Prettyyyy! I lub it."

On that same trip (possibly that same night), Halle climbed up onto the bed next to Jennifer and copied every motion/pose Jennifer made. Nothing escapes her notice. She is my little sponge soaking up knowledge and understanding. And she loves her family. Which I love.

And yes, this really happened. No staging. No pleading.

William was reading a book on the couch after school, so Halle also found a book and joined him.

She sat contentedly for several minutes just reading in silence next to her favorite uncle.

Starbucks Date Night

2012-01-12T14:36:00.003-06:00

The new semester has started!

Jacob spends a lot of time in the evenings studying for school. So while I was out running errands with Halle the other night (and I knew that we didn't need to rush home), we decided to stop at Starbucks for cookies and hot chocolate. She thought it was so great that they have comfy couches in their store and that I let her eat an entire red cookie all by herself. She was in heaven. And she charmed the socks off the old lady who reading a novel right next to her on the adjacent couch. With a shy smile, Halle said to her, "Hi, I Hah-ee Girl, on couch."

Frozen Yogurt with Friends

2012-01-12T14:26:00.000-06:00

This past Monday, Halle and I ventured out in the middle of the day to have some lunchtime frozen yogurt with our friends, Julia and Claire. Halle wasn't much interested in the ice cream, but she had a BLAST running around with Claire and playing in the fountain. It is so very nice to have good friends close by.

Christmas 2011 Overview

2012-01-08T22:08:00.002-06:00

Christmas this year was fantastic. I always enjoy this holiday, but this year was especially great because I got to watch my two-year-old experience it and understand it for the first time. We spent about 11 days away from home visiting family in Houston, San Antonio, and Pineville.

In Houston, we baked lots of cookies, got creative with some artsy projects, sang around the table, watched several movies, had a bonfire, went caroling, celebrated Christmas, relaxed, played a few games on the computer and Wii, watched the kids play together, opened presents, took a family portrait, talked to Elder Nick (my brother) on the phone, went shopping, etc.

Cousin EVA watching the boys chop firewood for the Bonfire.

Cousin Eva on Christmas Eve. Cutest dimples ever!

Halle and Eva hanging out at the Piano. They were great friends on this trip.
They're finally about the same size, and can actually share a lot of activities together.
This picture also shows how crazy Halle's hair gets after sleep. It's a daily battle keeping her hair calm.

Me-Mere and Eva sharing the Love.

The yummy Ginger Snap cookies we baked one night.
We sat around the table for about an hour singing Christmas Music (in parts of course)
and sampling from the cookie selection. I found the recipe on Pinterest.

My kid is SO CRAZY and SO FUN sometimes.
She loves color, and this particular day she wanted to wear as much purple as possible.

In San Antonio, we got to explore the Riverwalk, see the Alamo, celebrate cousin Joshua's birthday, have some quality "cousin-time", and play at the park. Anne-Marie is about to have another baby soon (and I only have 6 weeks left), so we were fairly limited in what we could do as a group, but we still had a great time! Halle developed a cough while we were gone and her sleep schedule was CRAZY (which was really hard on me) but it didn't slow her down too much. She enjoyed mimicking everything her older cousin Emily did or said, and she was in heaven playing with their toys in the huge upstairs playroom.

Cousins at the Park, enjoying the swings.

Daddy and Halle across the street from the Alamo.

Touring the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Sweet Baby Joshua, getting ready to meet Little Sister.

In Pineville, we ate lots of good food, slept and read a lot, had more cousin time with the other Huddlestons, watched lots of football, celebrated New Year's Eve with fireworks at a lake house, and just relaxed. Jacob and Halle were both a little under the weather by the end of the trip, so we tried to just take it easy.

Now that we're back, I'm changing focus and trying to prepare for baby! Jacob goes back to school tomorrow. The National Championship game is tomorrow. January is always SLOW in comparison to those weeks surrounding the Holidays, but I'm looking forward to the break from activity so I can change gears and be mentally prepared for next month. Can't wait to meet this little boy.

halle doings & sayings

2012-01-08T22:04:00.002-06:00

Feeding Doritos to baby Jesus from her nativity set:
"eat it baby. it good. yummmm."

Giving baby Jesus a ride on the back of a sheep:
"baaah-baaah. yeehaw!"

After purposefully falling backwards onto the bed:
"I just woah, woah, woah!"

While laying in bed at Grandma's house listening to a cousin crying:
"Oh no! Baby crying. Have bo-bo. Need bandaid. I help!"

Asking for food:
"I huuuunry. need boo-berries. sooooo huuuunry."

After being force-fed some medicine for her cough, and trying to convince us that she doesn't need any more, using her high squeaky voice:
"I feel betterrrrrr! No more meh-sin! I happyyyy!"

Singing Twinkle Star (usually while plunking keys on the piano or strumming a fake guitar):
"Winko winko lih-toe dar! How I wonner what a are. Up above (pause) so high. Like a die-mon (pause) a ky. Winko winko lih-toe dar! How I wonner what (pause) arrrrrrrrrre."

Singing Row Boat:
"Woah woah woah boat (pause), Jeh dow fweem! (pause) Meh meh meh meh, lah buh weem!"

Playing Hide & Seek:
"One, Two, Fwee, He I coooome!"
or "Nebber fine me!" (You'll never find me!)
then "Hi-yi-yam!" (Here I am!)

33 weeks

2012-01-02T13:07:00.001-06:00

I've been terrible at keeping track of pregnancy pictures this time around. I meant to take one every 2-4 weeks starting with the end of the first trimester, but that obviously hasn't happened. Oops! Here I am at 33 weeks. We just got back from Christmas Break and I'm starting to realize how close we are to having baby brother in our lives. Just another 6 weeks to get the house in order and prepare ourselves (mentally, emotionally, financially, etc.) for his arrival. I'm currently shopping for double jogger strollers, accessories for his elephant/jungle animal nursery, a pack'n'play, and some other small items. Halle tells me on daily basis that I have a "BIG BELLY!" (using her low grumbley voice). It's only going to get bigger.

2011 Christmas Update

2011-12-19T21:35:00.003-06:00

This year has brought a lot of changes to our family life. Since Jacob started law school in August, we don't see him nearly as often in the evenings. And even when he's home, he usually has a ton of reading to do to keep up with his classes, so I've had to learn to adjust accordingly. I read a lot more, and usually spend my evenings editing photos while he's studying. Luckily I have Halle Girl around to keep me company. Although she's becoming extremely independent (and sometimes naughty), she is still very loving and will pipe up with, "Gimme HUG!" or "Lub you toooooo, mommy" just when I need it. :)

Recently she started saying, "so happy see you gan!" when she wakes up in the morning. And she particularly enjoys playing hide & seek so she can announce, "Ready not! I coming! Whar you? I coming!"

Jacob is enjoying his classes immensely. We both feel like he picked the perfect program to pursue. Law School has been challenging (to say the least) but he does enjoy the material, his professors, and his new friends. And we've managed to develop a system where we (at least) get to see him at dinner time and Halle's bedtime. Now that he's home for the Christmas break, we've been working feverishly to fix up the extra bedroom for the upcoming arrival of Baby Brother.

Speaking of which, I am about 32 weeks along, and that means we have LESS than 2 months left until he makes his debut. I'm right on track with weight gain and other milestones, and although everything is going well, I definitely feel anxiety sometimes when I realize how close we are to having another little person in our home. I know it's going to be fine, and I have so many supportive friends and family at hand, but I still get a little scared sometimes. BIG changes are coming. HOWEVER, I'm also thrilled when I realize how close we are, because becoming a parent the first time (with Halle) was such an amazing experience. Getting to know her and raising her have been so much FUN overall. We get so much JOY from her, that it can only get better from here right? Having another person around to teach, play with, cuddle, and love can only make life better.

Since we're gearing up for a new member of the family, we've been rearranging some of the bedrooms around the house. We moved the bunk beds into Halle's room and moved her toddler bed to the attic. She was concerned at first when we started emptying all of her things from the walls. She kept picking up hats & toys and told me, "No Momma. No. Hat on wall. My toys. No Momma. My chair. Stop, Momma Stop!" and then she'd ROAR at me like a dinosaur. She roars when she's displeased with us. HOWEVER, despite the changes, I think she's happy with her new bedroom arrangement. She spends a lot more time in there and chooses to play in her own room rather than out in the den. Sometimes she'll especially request that we close the door and leave her alone so she can play undisturbed. It's so strange to see her turning into an opinionated little girl. I miss my polite baby daughter sometimes, but I also really enjoy watching her discover new things and learn new ways to communicate her feelings.

Some of the other changes in our recent family life are our church callings. Back at the end of the summer, I was released as a teacher for the teenage girls in our ward and called as the new Choir Director. It's been a bit overwhelming at times (because I know there are so many other people in our ward who are more qualified), but I have really enjoyed putting together musical numbers for church and organizing beautiful arrangements for our meetings. We just had a big Christmas Activity where I had to put together a short program. It was a little stressful, but it turned out great, and the Christmas Spirit was so strong in the delivery of those songs.

Jacob was recently released as a Ward Missionary and now serves as the Elder's Quorum President. His first reaction was shock and dismay at receiving the call, but he's starting to get the hang of things. We've got an awesome group of young families in our congregation, so Jacob has a lot of support from the other Elders in the ward. It will definitely complicate Jacob's already complicated schedule, but I know we'll figure out a way to handle it.

I'm excited for Christmas. Although life ALWAYS gets so busy during the holidays, I feel a lot closer to God this year than ever before. I feel like there's more room in my heart and my mind for spiritual things. I enjoy teaching my 2-year-old about the baby Jesus. We sing songs together, and make treats, and color pictures of the manger scene. She sings "Twinkle Star" and "Child of God" to our nativity set.

When we brought our tree to the church a few days ago for the Christmas activity, Halle recognized the loss immediately. She walked into the empty living room and said, "Oh no! Chri-mas tree lost! Oh no! Whar you?" and then after we brought it home again, she gave the branches a big hug and said, "I lub you Chri-mas tree. Lub Chri-mas"

That about sums it up. Life is good here in the Huddleston Home. Baby boy is rolling around in my tummy as I type this. Halle is out playing with Daddy while I get some work done. In a few days, I'll get to see my siblings and create more wonderful memories with their families.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Love, Jane

Funny Halle Sayings

2011-11-27T22:33:00.006-06:00

In the past few weeks, Halle's vocabulary has grown in a huge way. She is so much more vocal and creative and hilarious these days now that she's expressing herself through words. Here are a few things that I want to remember.

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Story 1:

We have this little purple LSU tub for holding drinks, etc. It's always full of ice whenever it's not in storage. A few days ago we pulled it out for a party and Halle saw the thing full of icy water. We also have a big silver pot that Jacob used to ice his ankle a few days ago. Well the next day, I had the purple tub and the silver pot sitting on the floor between the kitchen and the laundry room. Halle decided to walk between them to get a snack from the pantry. She said to them,

"Cue me, ice tiger. Cue me, ice bowl. Cue me!" (excuse me)

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Story 2:

I have entered the third trimester of this pregnancy. Last night she saw me with my shirt off and we talked about how big my tummy is getting and how little brother is getting bigger. Anytime we start to talk about babies or about her brother, she ALWAYS (without fail) brings the topic of conversation back around to herself. She says,

"Halle big sister! I big sister! No brudder!"

She also gets very possessive any time I'm holding someone else's child. She runs up to me and cries (with real tears) and says, "Halle mommy! My mommy! No, my mommy!"

Looks like we're going to have some adjustment issues when baby brother comes along.

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Story 3:

Halle is obsessed with the TV show "Go Diego Go". She frequently asks to watch "More Eggo, More Eggo!" and talks about saving the animals. We started making up stories about a little girl named "Super Halle" who sees that the "ammals" are stuck in the mud. She then gets out her "rescue pack" and uses the rope to pull the "ammals" out of the mud. She says,

"Oh no! Ammals stuck! mud. I save you! Rescue pack? Otay. Boat? no. Kate-board? no. Rope? yes! Pull! Pull! Pull! Ammals safe! I save you. Go Super Halle!"

Now Super Halle wears a super woman outfit and her star blanket serves as the official super cape.

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Story 4:
Halle is starting to learn her ABC's. She's getting very good at singing the song, and she can easily recognize at least 10 different letters at any given time. Right now her favorites are H, S, T, O, E, and M. Her favorite words are "Halle" and "Tigers".

The other day I was walking from Ross to Target and she was holding my hand. While looking up at the signs on the outsides of the buildings, she exclaimed,

"T-O-S-T-O-S! Tigers!"
She thinks every word she sees spells either "Halle" or "Tigers". I think it's cute.

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Story 5:
Lately we've been learning about "opposites" at our house. Halle uses a high-pitched squeaky voice for little things and a low, growley, scary voice for big things. A few weeks ago we were in church, reading a book so she would stay well behaved, when she burst out,

"little bubble... BIG BUBBLE!!" in her squeaky and growley voices, respectively. I will have to get these voices on video so you can hear how outrageous she sounds.

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Story 6:
We have a lot of dress-ups at our house. Things have been accumulating for awhile now, and after Halloween we picked up a few more accessories. After the roadshow performance this year, Aunt Natalie gave Halle these wings, a wand, and crown. She's never really been exposed to princesses or fairies at our house, but the exposure is slowly creeping into her life.

Lately, whenever we're having a special moment, I'll say something like, "Halle, you're my little buddy, huh?" To which she'll respond,

"NO BUDDY! I - Halle Girl." or "NO BUDDY! Halle Princess!"

She's very persistent that she is NOT a buddy. Don't know why.

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Story 7:
We have a bedtime routine that involves reading a few books in her chair, singing a few songs in the dark, and then kisses on the forehead before I leave the room. Lately she's been stalling in every way imaginable before I leave for the night. Recently, she started asking for "Desus" and "Dowed-Dod" after song time. At first I thought she was just making up new words to stall me longer, but then I realized she was asking for the "Jesus" and "Child of God" songs.

Melted my heart. Completely.
And made me realize that I am NOT a failure as a mother. I must be doing something right if she remembers and WANTS to hear the "Jesus" and "Child of God" songs at bed time.

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MORE TO COME.

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-23T12:54:00.004-06:00

This year my workplace gave me a FREE TURKEY just for being an employee. And since we aren't hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year, I decided to have some friends over for a Pre-Thanksgiving-Day Feast. We made Turkey and Ham and fresh Dinner Rolls, and then everyone else brought a favorite dish to share. It was VERY informal, but we had fun hanging out and eating good food. And there were 3 separate GREEN BEAN dishes, all of which were completely consumed. ha! I love Thanksgiving.

I decorated with white lights and Thanksgiving bunting from last year's event. The kids had their own table and spent most of their time running around the yard, playing in the leaves, and lounging in the hammock. It was a really fun party and I think we'll have to do it again next year (if not again before Christmas?).

In other news, I am now 28 weeks along in this pregnancy! I had to take the glucose test today, which was AWFUL just like last time, but now it's over. Hopefully I get some good results back. And I've officially gained 20 pounds since I started this pregnancy 6 months ago. Ugh.

On that note, how about some more leftover Pumpkin Pie? Um, yes please!

Little Triker

2011-11-19T17:30:00.000-06:00

Halle got this tricycle for her 2nd Birthday this year, but she couldn't reach the pedals until this past week. This Little Triker Girl loves to go out in the driveway and ride around every day. And she knows to always wear her special helmet. It's fun to see this kid growing up and learning new skills.

Emotions run both very high and very low for this little toddler.

"Hear that? Heh-copper!" (helicopter)

Ward Campout 2011

2011-11-12T23:08:00.001-06:00

Last night was the Ward Campout. We had one planned in the Spring but it was rained out so we rescheduled for this weekend. We got there right before the sun went down and got the tent set up. Halle didn't understand what was going on at first but she soon realized that her friends were there too and that she was free to roam and explore. We had a bonfire. We ate roasted marshmallows. The girls went on mini "hayrides" given by the older kids.

After the kids went to bed, the adults sat around the fire and talked and played Catch Phrase. We had a countdown until 11:11:11 on 11/11/11, and eventually I went to bed. Unfortunately our air mattress has a slow leak and by the time I went to bed it was already deflating. I spent the night tossing & turning, with my shoulders and hips digging into the ground. Didn't get a whole lot of sleep and I'm paying for it today, but it was TOTALLY worth it, because we made a lot of memories and Halle loved every minute.

We woke up to extremely chilly weather and crazy bedhead hair, but the fire was still going, so we went to warm up next to it. The ward provided a delicious breakfast of pancakes & eggs, and then we packed up our things. I thought we would probably leave right away to go home and get some real rest, but instead of departing, we joined in on an impromptu game of Ultimate Frisbee. It was probably a funny sight to see me (6 months pregnant) and my friend Amy (7 months pregnant) running around trying to catch the frisbee and defend against younger teenage opponents. But I had a blast. It reminded me of younger days and made me feel more motivated to get back into shape after this pregnancy.

Despite the lack of sleep last night, I would totally go camping again next week if the opportunity presented itself. What a fun time, and good memories. I really love our ward and the friends that we have here. Halle's lucky to have so many other toddlers her age to play with. We feel very blessed right now. Life is good.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight we went Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood. Our good friends (the Kemps) came along, and we packed up our jogger strollers with steaming thermoses of hot chocolate and apple cider. Although Halle went without a nap (again) this afternoon, her adrenaline and a healthy dose of sugar kept her going as we walked from house to house. Halle was not afraid to grab a whole handful of candy at each stop, and in the beginning she practically ran (with Daddy) to each new home. She'd say, "Cue me, Wick-o-weet! Cue me, Wick-o-weet!" each time and step right up to grab her share. Emily on the other hand was much more polite and well mannered. I guess I need to coach Halle a little better on Halloween etiquette next year.

Either way, this mouse and kitty cat were definitely the cutest pair on the block!

And by 7:45 they were both crashed out in the strollers, strung out on tootsie pops and dum-dums. I think Halle was drooling at one point because when we were finished she complained about being "sticky". Upon further investigation, we discovered that her hair was literally stuck to the sides of her neck and had dried that way. She couldn't move her head to the right or to the left because her hair had crusted in place. EWWWW. Needless to say, she hopped right in the bath as soon as we got home.

But the weather was gorgeous, the neighborhood was busy (but not swarming), our beverages were perfectly hot (but not scalding), and the kids had a BLAST. It's funny to me that toddlers seem to prefer MnM's and suckers while the adults raid all of the chocolate. At least everyone is happy.

Happy Halloween Everyone!
I'm sad that October is over, but we're definitely looking forward to the unofficial National Championship game this weekend. (Geaux Tigers!)

Cousins

2011-10-30T20:59:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, Halle's cousins (Daniel & Olivia) came to town. I took some one-year-old pictures of O, and then at the end of the session Daniel was sitting in some tall grass in PERFECT lighting. So I told Halle to go sit down next to Daniel and THIS is what ensued.

That's what REAL happiness looks like.

NewSong Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-29T22:24:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we met up with our friends at the NewSong Pumpkin Patch in Prairieville. It was super chilly, but we bundled up and had fun exploring the place. Halle had fun transporting the baby pumpkins from one palette to another, over and over. But then she felt like she owned the baby pumpkins and wouldn't let her friend Drew near them. I felt bad cuz she kept pushing him away any time he approached her stockpile. No amount of "nice-coaching" kept her from pushing him away. I chalk it up to an afternoon without a nap though, because they're usually good friends.

After awhile, we walked through the big field toward some tall grass, because, well, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity for some more good pictures. I'm kind of a photo-addict when a great location pops up.
I can't say no.

And then we ended the day with some delicious peppermint hot chocolate. Yum.

I love Autumn.

Trunk or Treat 2011

2011-10-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to our church's Trunk or Treat Halloween Party. We dressed up as the 3 little pigs, complete with Straw, Sticks, & a Brick. Shockingly enough, Jacob agreed to wear pink for one night so he could match the family.

Halle walked around from car-to-car with her little buddies Emily (the kitty cat) and Annie (the peacock). They were so cute with each other, admiring the other's costumes. They said "trick or treat" at every trunk and treasured each handful of candy. Halle treasured her stash so much that she wouldn't let it go when we left at the end of the night. She insisted that it stay on her lap all the way home. And she woke up this morning asking, "Pumpkin, whar you?"

I'm really looking forward to Trick-or-Treating on Monday night.

Giveaway - on the Photo Blog

2011-10-12T23:05:00.002-05:00

If you're interested in entering my current giveaway with Janey Pie Photography, head on over to the Photoblog and check it out. It's a pretty big deal. :) At least, to me.

And here's a photo, since no post is complete without one.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-09T00:14:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch out in Hammond because I had a photo shoot out there. (Check out my Fall Sessions for this month on the photo blog). We drove up a couple hours early and let Halle run around on the play equipment. At first she wasn't so sure about the "jumping pillow" because she had just woken up from a nap, but soon enough she owned that thing. She took charge and by the end of the day she was running up, jumping around, rolling down, and sliding off that pillow. I wasn't feeling great (the pregnancy thing) and so Jacob got to do all of the playing with her. They had some really special time together jumping and running around. Seeing Jacob be such a fun, energetic, playful, charismatic father made me fall completely in love with him again. Even though it was kinda hot out there for early October, he didn't let the heat get in the way of making fun memories with his daughter. They were both covered in sweat and dirt by the end of our time there. I love these two, and again, I can't wait to add our little boy to the mix.

As is typical with Halle, she was on the go until she completely wore herself out. I wanted to get a few last-minute pictures of her before we left for home, but she was too thirsty to put down the milk. And when we took it away from her, she had a little meltdown. She's kind of a mess in these last few pictures, but it just represents her so well. She is such an adventurous, spunky, playful, happy child (just don't take away her sippy-cup!). She's definitely going to be able to show "little brother" how to play hard and play well.

And we will certainly be coming back here for years to come!

Before and After (with painted doors)

2011-10-07T11:57:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to paint the doors in my hallway and living room and Halle's room for almost the last year. I am embarrassed that it's taken me SO long to do such a small project, but somehow I found the motivation last night and finished the job. Now the ugly, orange-brown doors are GONE and it makes our house feel so much better. Every little improvement seems to make a big difference. Here are some before and after pictures of these rooms.

Hallway

Halle's Room

Living Room

Dress Ups and Play Dates

2011-10-06T13:08:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, we had best bud Emily over for the evening. Unfortunately, when she arrived, Halle was in the middle of a VERY deep sleep, and refused to wake up. We kept trying to rouse her, but she just wouldn't budge.

So while Halle finished her nap, Emily and I played Dress-Up.
She made it through 5 different outfits before Halle joined the fun.

I love having a kid who's old enough and interested enough to do this. And we now have a "dress-up drawer" at the bottom of her dresser for easy access. At the moment, Tinkerbell is the favorite costume. But if we had a "Woody" or a "Buzz" costume, those would probably take the top spot.

Little Brother

2011-10-02T21:21:00.002-05:00

On Friday we woke up bright and early for our 20-week ultrasound. We made it to the clinic just in time for the 7:30 appointment. While driving there, to pass the time, I kept telling Halle how excited Mommy was and repeatedly asked her whether she wanted a brother or a sister. Without fail, each time she said "brudder" (brother) so I laughed to myself and thought, "maybe she knows something I don't know," but I didn't give it too much weight.

Well she was right. The ultrasound tech spent most of the time checking out baby's heart, brain, other organs, bone-lengths, etc... but eventually we found out the big news. It is definitely a little boy! No doubt about it. We celebrated with a fist bump, and tried to help Halle understand what we saw on the TV screen. She understood better that it was a baby when we could look at the actual printed photos.

Little Brother is coming this way. We are very excited, and have already spent $30 on new outfits. In fact, Halle and I went to Target and Ross right after the appointment and bought new clothes for the little guy. She picked out a onesie that says, "Daddy's Little Monster" and proudly carried it up to the cashier all by herself. It was so fun to shop in the other section! No more pink & purple baby clothes. Now we're stocking up on blues and greens, monsters and trucks and sports. I love it.

Here is a comparison of Halle and her brother. I think their profiles look pretty similar so far. It will be fun to see the differences when he pops out. I am so looking forward to having that new personality in our home. I can't wait to get to know him.

Halfway there!

Halfway Point

2011-09-29T09:38:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow marks the halfway point of this pregnancy.
I am officially 20 weeks, and we find out the gender of this little baby tomorrow.

ANY GUESSES before we make the big announcement?

End of Summer PlayGroup

2011-09-21T16:01:00.000-05:00

Today I organized a last-minute PlayGroup session at my house. We realized that it's "officially" the end of summer and wanted to play outside in the sprinkler one last time with Halle's friends. Unfortunately, only 2 of the girls could come, but we still had a good time!

I got the sprinkler toy on Clearance at Albie's yesterday. We ate chips, salsa, grapes, oranges, and cookies. The girls got wet and played in the pool. We blew bubbles. It was a lovely morning.

H is for Halle Huddleston

2011-09-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

Can you guess what her favorite letter is?

So, what do you do when the power's out?

2011-09-17T12:42:00.001-05:00

We woke up this morning to a power outage. It was dark inside and the kids were bored, so we went outside to play under the carport in the beautiful weather. I love being able to walk outside and NOT SWEAT. These autumn temperatures are SO AMAZING. And it's fun to have cousins in town. Good times.

Silly Sleepy Girl

2011-09-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

Lately Halle has been resisting naps. She still needs a daily nap though, so some days are rough when she refuses to nap and then crashes around 5pm. However, this toddler routine of resisting sleep and then crashing later on does make for some pretty funny photo opportunities.

My personal favorite. What a doll.

In contrast, she also PRETENDS to be asleep when she's not. Every time I pull into the driveway after running errands, she closes her eyes and leans her head to the side and pretends to snore. I play along and talk aloud about how my little baby is sleeping and I have to carry her all the way to the house. She'll rest her head on my shoulder halfway to the door and then pop up when she sees her outside toys.

Last week we were at the park and it was super hot outside. After 15 minutes, I was done so we walked to the shaded benches for a drink. It was definitely nap time, but I didn't think she would ask for one. She did ask for one. And she wanted to lay down right there on the bench for it.

What a silly kid.

The Great Purge: My Facebook is Gone!

2011-09-13T13:53:00.002-05:00

I don't know if it's the "nesting" instinct kicking in, or something else entirely, but I have felt a great need to get things in order lately. A need to purge unwanted or unneeded items from our household. We took everything out of the attic last week and I spent the day organizing boxes and making decisions on what to keep, what to trash, and what to sell in our garage sale next month. It was a very therapeutic (yet still exhausting) process.

Along the same lines, I've felt the need to get rid of unwanted and unneeded distractions in my life. I want to focus more on important relationships, my spirituality, and keeping my house in order. I want to make more time for the scriptures, for family bonding, and for special friends. So I decided to take the plunge and get rid of a huge distraction in my life.

Facebook.

It's gone. I have had an account since about 2004 and it has been a constant distraction ever since. It wasn't always a nuisance because I've always had other things to occupy my time. I liked having the ready access to friends and the easy way of communicating. I liked keeping up with friends' photos & updates. It was an EASY way to know what was going on in everyone else's lives. But then I started to feel bombarded with useless information and pictures and events. I had to filter through a bunch a junk to see the worthwhile updates. Even when I started to "ignore" some of the more annoying "updaters", I felt like I was only getting on Facebook for entertainment, to pass the time when I felt bored, or to express a fleeting emotion on my wall feed. I started to resent it all.

Then I realized that I actually know a few people who DON'T have FB accounts and they still survive without it! Maybe I could too. Maybe if I took all those wasted minutes and hours that I spent perusing FB and used them toward a more worthy cause, maybe I would feel more satisfied with my life. So I did it. I got rid of my account and I haven't regretted it at all. Not once.

I have to admit that it feels WEIRD sometimes, because over the years Facebook has integrated itself into my daily routine. I would check Gmail, then FB, then the Blogs, then our Family website. It was step #2, and now step #2 is gone. HOWEVER, it feels good to no longer feel OBLIGATED to check up on statuses, to look for messages and photo updates. Now I feel like I'm more aware of my time.

I'm going to use this time to simplify my life, to read the scriptures, to play with my daughter, to focus on the quality of my work and my relationships, to send REAL LETTERS (via snail mail) to the important people in my life.

Does it all sound a little too idealistic? Yeah probably so.

I still have lazy days where I sit all afternoon on the couch watching Disney movies with Halle. I still have my TV Shows that I couldn't live without. I still blog and I still look at other people's blogs. I'm still busy. But a major distraction is gone from my life. And it feels good.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T21:54:00.006-05:00

We had such a good weekend despite the constant "Rainy-ness" of Tropical Storm Lee. My parents drove to town with William and stayed with us for a few days. We celebrated my dad's birthday with yummy food and home-made chocolate cake. We watched football and lounged around the house all day on Saturday. We watched the LSU Tigers destroy the Oregon Ducks. We listened to Halle cheer "T-I-G-E-R-S Tigers!" every time our team scored. We napped. We read books. We ate more delicious food. It was glorious.

Then on Sunday afternoon (after another amazing meal), my mom and I made curtains and pillows for my Den! It looks so much better in there now. More complete. More finished.

And now that the storm has passed, we are enjoying beautiful 70 degree temperatures in Baton Rouge. Don't know how long it will last, but I can't wait to start spending more time outside. I think a run around the neighborhood is in my near future.

Here are some "Before and After" shots of our den. The Before shots are from the day we bought the house and the After shots are from tonight (18 months after we moved in).

In this room, we have ripped out wood paneling, ripped out fake wooden beams, removed the hanging globe lights, added insulation, refinished the parquet flooring, changed the outside door, installed drywall, painted the brick walls (& other walls), installed a ceiling fan, and created custom curtains. I feel like the pictures don't do justice for how much of a difference it is. It feels so much better in this room and we actually enjoy being in there now.

Next up: Halle's Room (before and after)

Tiny Post

2011-08-25T17:53:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's the little milestones that make the most impact on your life. Here are a few little significant milestones that happened to me today. (Beware, one of them is potty-related.)

#1)
Today I am 15 weeks along in this pregnancy and I SWEAR I felt movement for the first time while I was sitting at work. It wasn't gas. It wasn't my pulse. I completely believe that I felt the baby. I almost teared up on the spot. Those tiny little movements are so magical to me. There is a real person growing in my tummy. This is REAL.

#2) (literally #2)
Today when I picked up Halle after work, she grabbed her booty and said "poop!" Usually that means she's already gone and needs a diaper change, but this time there was nothing there. I tried to pick her up and put her on my hip, but she refused to straddle my side so we could go home. So I took her to the bathroom, and she sat on the potty, and after a few minutes she pooped! Ah! This has never happened before! In the past, she would go tinkle if she was already sitting on the pot when the urge hit, but she's never HELD it this long and she's certainly never ASKED to go and then actually PRODUCED anything. I was thrilled. I know most of you think this is TMI and others probably don't see what the big deal is, but let me tell you that potty training is HARD and this was a huge milestone for us. So I'm quite pleased. Woohoo!

The end.

Nemo Party | 8.19.11

2011-08-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we celebrated Halle's 2nd Birthday by having a fishy, splashy "Nemo" party at a nearby splash park. Jacob has been super busy with Law School, so basically I had to put everything together myself. Not a big deal, but I was pretty worn out by the time the party actually started. I spent the morning trying to make homemade cupcakes and frosting, which turned out to be a really annoying experience even though they tasted pretty good. I'm just glad that everything went well and that it's all over now.

We ate Pizza, Watermelon, Popsicles, and Cupcakes and shared the evening with friends. It was 100+ degrees when we got there at 5:00pm, but thankfully it cooled off a bit as the sun went down.

It was fun to watch Halle chase around her older cousin Daniel for the first hour or so. She was so happy to see him that she just wanted to do everything that he did. I love this park. If it were closer to my house we would come here every day.

Halle loved blowing out the candles and opening her presents. She got some really fun things from her friends and LOVED the new Dora backpack we got her. She has been asking for a "Halle Backpack" ever since we went school shopping for Jacob a few weeks ago. Every time we went to the store, she would touch her back and beg for a "Halle Backpack" --- well we came through for her and it has been her daily companion ever since. Now she sings, "backpack - backpack - yeah!" over and over again.

In honor of the movie, I would now like to quote Marlin:

To Halle: "Now go have an adventure!"

Two Years Old

2011-08-22T15:58:00.004-05:00

My baby girl is two today!

What a wild ride this has been. :)

I can't believe that I've been a mom for 2 entire years. Halle is growing up to be such a fun, adventurous, sweet, curious girl. She loves learning. She is full of love, hugs, & kisses. She brings constant entertainment to our family. We adore her.

Here are some of her favorite things:

Foods: Noodles, Cheese, Strawberries, Watermelon, Goldfish Crackers, Juice, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pizza, Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, and Milk.
Toys: Dora Backpack, Nemo fish, Thomas the Choo Choo, Baby (with the pink pajamas), and the arm-less Woody doll.
Movies: Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Juno Baby, Toy Story and Ratatouille
TV Shows: Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues
Activities: Coloring with chalk, Coloring with crayons, Swimming in the kiddie pool ("whimming"), Going on walks around the neighborhood ("momma's troller"), Exploring the yard ("go aw-side"), Reading books ("booooook pease!"), Twirling ("pinning"), Running ("faster faster!"), Pretending to loose her balance and fall on mommy's bed ("whoa, whoa, whoa!"), Taking long baths, Eating popsicles ("yum yums") at Amy's house,
People: Cousin Daniel, Aunt Natalie, Uncle Michael, and best bud Emily
Songs: "Elmo's World" (replacing "elmo" with Daddy), Twinkle Twinkle, and Row Your Boat.
Books: The Wide Mouth Frog (pop-out book), Goodnight Stars, Goodnight Gorilla, and The Going to Bed Book.

She says some hilarious things. We are always cracking up. Her latest thing is picking up an object and (with a grunt), exclaims, "Oh, Heh-bie! Oh, Heh-bie!" even if it's not heavy. And when daddy comes in from working outside, she points and yells, "Work! Daddy, work!" --- And then you know there's trouble when you hear "Hep You!" from the other room. She's usually stuck on top of or underneath something.

Unfortunately, Halle has figured out how to push around the kitchen chairs to climb up on tall surfaces. I frequently find her trying to get into my spice cabinet.

I know I have felt this way about every age, but this has DEFINITELY been my favorite age so far. I might not feel that way in a few months (since we see signs of the Terrible Twos coming on...) but she is so sweet and fun right now. I love walking into her room every morning and receiving a big "Morning Momma!" hug. I love hearing "MommyDaddy" with a knock-knock-knock when she wakes up from her afternoon naps.

She's a great mixture of "Girly-Girl" and "Adventurous Tom-Boy". Some days she just wants to paint her nails, put on make-up, and twirl around in her Sunday dress. Other days, she wants to stay outside until she's soaking wet and covered with sweat and dirt and chalk. I love that she's not really into the princess stage yet. She plays "momma" with her baby dolls and stuffed animals, and then pretends to be a dinosaur at dinnertime.

I love my little two-year old and I can't wait for her to be a big sister. Having such an awesome kid the first time around makes me REALLY excited to have another. I know that every kid is different and every kid comes with their own personality, but I can't wait to get to know this new little person growing inside of me because getting to know Halle has been so fantastic.

We love you Little Kiwi.

Party Planning

2011-08-17T08:05:00.000-05:00

I'm surrounded by blue & orange.
My thoughts all revolve around these colors and these images:

Wish me luck this weekend!
I have a lot of baking & running around to do on Friday.

Popcorn Party

2011-08-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

I went to Houston last weekend for a wedding and LUCKILY got to spend a few precious days with my sister and her daughter. We've seen each other several times over the past year, but this was one of the best visits we've had. One of the reasons (for me) that it was so great is that our kids are finally FRIENDS! They got along so well and played together the whole time. They ate popcorn together, read books together, shared toys, and gave many hugs and kisses. I was so pleased to see them finally on the same level and able to really interact and enjoy each other.

Eva is getting SO grown up! She smiles constantly and loves to shake her booty. She gets shy sometimes, but always has a ready smile (which shows off her adorable dimples). She has bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Despite her petite body, she eats like a champ! I wish I could get Halle to eat so much in one sitting. I can tell Eva has a very feminine, sweet, genuine, loving personality. I loved spending special time with her and her mommy.

One of my favorite moments was watching them eat popcorn together on the stairs using measuring spoons. And the best part is that it just happened. No staging. No persuasion. Just pure spontaneous playtime on the stairs.

In other news, Halle just got 4 new teeth.

Here she is showing off her new additions:

Hot Air Balloons and a Grand Announcement

2011-08-06T09:07:00.004-05:00

We have a family tradition of attending the Pennington Hot Air Balloon Championships every year in August. It's super hot outside, even though we get there by 6:45am, and it means waking up super early to get there on time. This year, we had a late evening the night before because we competed in the Championship Tournament for our sand volleyball team and didn't get home until after 10:00pm. But that was worth it because we WON and we get Championship T-Shirts as recognition. :) But like I said, we got home late and didn't get a ton of sleep. But we got up at 6:15 anyway and made our way to the balloon fields.

I like having a yearly tradition because you can look back on pictures and chart the progress and changes that take place within the family. The first year we went, I was super pregnant and ready for Halle to make her arrival. The second year, we had a one-year-old and were working feverishly to update and fix-up our new home. This year, we are still trying to update the house, but at a less feverish pace. Halle turns 2 in couple of weeks, and Jacob starts Law School. But that's not the ONLY thing that's changed...

2009 Blog Post

August 2009 - Pregnant and about to POP

2010 Blog Post

August 2010 - Enjoying life with our One-Year-Old

August 2011 - Anticipating Baby #2 - Due February 15, 2012

That's right! We have a very special announcement to make. Our family is growing and we are expecting a new member of the family who will arrive mid-February. Halle is going to be a big sister. I can't tell you how excited I am to share this news. I've already told a lot of you in person, but here is our official announcement.

Right now I am 12 weeks along. We had our first ultrasound last week and everything is going well. We got to see and hear the heartbeat. Things are progressing normally. We got to take home a few pictures.

One reason why this is so exciting for us is that we have been waiting since August of last year for this to happen. We had to wait and wait and wait for the pregnancy and I was starting to get really discouraged. Finally after 10 months of waiting, we got the good news right before Father's Day. Let me tell you, that was a REALLY good father's day gift.

So far I have been craving some strange things... like Tacos, Thin-Crust Pizza, Peaches, Noodles, and Chocolate Milk. Things I don't normally buy or look for at the store. In the beginning, I had some really strong aversions to certain smells and foods, but things are starting to taper off now. I still get really tired by the end of the day, and I have been spending more time in bed (whether for naps or early bed-times), but I have more and more energy every day. I am SO looking forward to the autumn, the cooler weather, and having more energy to exercise and spend time outside.

Halle still doesn't really know what's going on, but she will point to my belly (and her belly sometimes) if you ask her where the Baby is. She came with us to the ultrasound, but I think it was more confusing for her than anything. My prediction is that it will become more "real" once my belly grows and starts moving.

We are just thrilled.

Here are a few more photos from this year's Balloon Event.

The Law School Decision

2011-07-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for a LONG LONG time to write about this. As you know, Jacob has been working at Regions Bank for the past 3 years. It's been a really great job for him with many opportunities for growth and leadership and management experience. However, I think we both knew that a career in "banking" wouldn't keep him happy forever.

After a lot of prayer, fasting, and research, Jacob settled on "Law School" as the next step in his life. Preparation started as early as February of last year (2010). He took the LSAT in June of 2010 and we got the results back about a month later. That fall, he started his applications for various schools throughout the Midwest and Southern regions of the US. We got several promising offers & scholarships to some decent schools, but it was hard to make a final decision because we still hadn't heard from LSU by the end of the spring.

LSU was Jacob's first choice for many reasons, but we still hadn't heard back from them. Apparently their admissions office was REALLY backed up with applications and couldn't guarantee when we would hear back. So we very nearly decided on Tulsa as our end destination. We had even accepted their offer, but a few days after we put the deposit down on a spot at TU, the letter came from LSU. He was ACCEPTED, and then the choice was made clear. Jacob would attend LSU starting Fall of 2011.

Like I said, there are so many reasons to stay in Baton Rouge. LSU Football is a big reason. I know we could watch the games from pretty much anywhere, but there's something about being IN Baton Rouge for the games. The atmosphere is INFECTIOUS down here. You can't live here and not be a fan. Also, we have a HOUSE. If we moved somewhere else, we would have to sell our house and would have to rent a home or apt for the next 3 years. On top of that, I would no longer have my job at Lamar and I would have to start over with my photography clientele. We would have to leave the BR 2nd Ward (our church congregation) where we've spent the last 3.5 years building friendships with other families our age. Halle would have to leave her friends. Basically, we would have had to start from scratch in a new location, but here in Baton Rouge we've already got a life established.

So we're staying!

Jacob's last day of work is this Thursday, and he'll start school on the 15th of August. There are already homework assignments for the MOCK class at orientation. He's so excited to start this next chapter of life. It's going to be a tough transition for me to go from having a decent income to living on a meager budget, but now is the time for Jacob to go to school and now is the time for us to bite the bullet and go through these trials. We're ready though. And we're proud to still be Tigers.

I'm looking forward to:

2011-07-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

Spending some vacation time in Houston
Going to the beach with old friends
The annual Balloon Festival near our house
Seeing my sister (Emily)'s family in 2 weeks
Jacob starting Law School mid August
Halle's 2nd Birthday Party (Nemo Theme)
Football season (Geaux Tigers!)
Cooler Weather & BBQ's with friends

I'm SO ready for Summer to be over,

but at least there are a few things to keep me distracted until it ends!

2-Year-Olds

2011-07-23T18:01:00.001-05:00

Last week I babysat the 2-year-old daughters of 2 friends for an afternoon. I was nervous.... a little bit. You never know what to expect from toddlers and it could have been a very chaotic afternoon. HOWEVER, I was very pleasantly surprised by these girls. All three played together very well --- taking turns in the toy cars, sharing Dora fruit snacks, and letting each other on the outdoor toddler slide in turns. Although I know from experience that 2-year-olds can be VERY opinionated (saying NO and STOP without reserve), these girls are to an age where they UNDERSTAND DIRECTION and even take it occasionally. They threw away their trash in the garbage can. They cleaned up the toys when I asked. It was miraculous.

I'm not gonna lie, it was still an exhausting afternoon, but it made me feel like, "Okay, I can handle this. I can have more kids and I will still survive." So that was encouraging. And I'm excited for Halle's birthday next month when we can get together with all of her best friends again. :)

July 4th Weekend

2011-07-11T11:15:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went up to Oklahoma to visit my Johnson family for Independence Day. Jacob, Halle, Natalie, Michael, & I all loaded up in the same car and drove 10 hours north to Bartlesville. Halle loved having someone in the backseat with her the entire trip. Natalie was very entertaining.

It was the perfect trip!
I had 5 shoots spread out over 5 days, mixed in with Family BBQ's, Fireworks, Swimming, More Swimming, Naps, Movies, Board Games, and more Swimming. Jacob & the Brothers-in-Law (Mike & Jeff) made up a game called "Last Man Standing" where they all stand up "Surfer-Style" on a large raft in the middle of the pool. The last man standing wins. Pretty self-explanatory and pretty simple-sounding, but they LOVED it and it provided HOURS of entertainment. I mostly just enjoyed lounging in the shallow end getting a tan & lightening my hair.

One of the highlights of the trip was attending the Vaclaw Family Fireworks show. THEY DO SUCH A GOOD JOB. This family (all of the boys) host an evening of fireworks every year, and every year it just grows larger & larger. It was such a cool experience to lay there on the grass (on blanket of course, no chiggers please!) with my little family and watch the fireworks overhead. The show was set to very patriotic music and we were surrounded my family. Halle was mesmerized. She talked about fireworks for DAYS following the big event. I think we'll make the trip an annual tradition.

It was a great vacation. Didn't have to worry about a thing.
Unfortunately we came home to a stinky house because I left some raw chicken in the fridge. UGH. Not fun. Now I have lots of cleaning to do.
But on a good note, it was fun to realize today that some of my garden vegetables are FINALLY growing. I was beginning to worry. I'm not a very good gardener, but I thought I could at least get SOMETHING to grow this year. It looks like my cucumbers and a watermelon are starting to come in. Yay. :)

Dah-Joe Day

2011-06-23T12:20:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I went to Houston with Halle for a dear friend's wedding. I had a couple of photoshoots (including the wedding) scheduled for Friday & Saturday, so I was pretty swamped the whole time. In fact, I was either in the car or on a shoot the entire time I was there. By the end of Saturday night, I was emotionally and physically and mentally EXHAUSTED and cried the entire way back to my parents house. My plan was to leave the next morning so that I could make it back to Baton Rouge in time for Father's Day celebrations with my husband, but I just couldn't do it. I needed a recovery day in a major way.

So instead of jumping back in the car the next morning, I decided to stay an extra day. I spent the time with my siblings and parents. We relaxed and sang and ate amazing food. We made tributes to "Dah-Joe" (my dad) and watched a movie. I took a nap. Ate more amazing food. Celebrated Eva's first birthday. It was wonderful.

Here's my Dad with his two darling grand-daughters.

Thanks Mark for being a great Daddio. For your support & guidance through the years.

We love you dearly.

Glimpse at Friday's Wedding

2011-06-12T09:53:00.000-05:00

Natalie's Pink & Black Bridal Shower

2011-06-04T09:29:00.001-05:00

Luckily, everything fell into place as I had hoped. I had lots of great cleaning and preparation help from friends, and in the end, we had a great party. And most importantly, Natalie felt special and loved. I can't believe she's getting married in LESS THAN A WEEK! It's going to be a bit stressful this week making sure everything goes smoothly, but I know it's going to be awesome. Here's a rundown of what we did last night.

To start with, we played "celebrity couples". I had found a ton of famous couples from TV, history, and movies, and we played a game where 2 teams had to guess the names of the famous couples based on a brief description. The team with the most correct guesses at the end of the game won a prize.
Next, we dove into the table of food. Basically I just picked out what I would want to eat, and put it all together in one place. We had pulled-pork sandwiches on homemade rolls, fruity spinach salad, watermelon, chips and salsa, cupcakes, and brownie-pops. YUM. And Kharis brought some amazing punch. It was a good spread.
After the eating, we played another game. It was your typical "ask the groom-to-be questions and see how many the bride-to-be can guess correctly" game ... but I had interviewed him with a VIDEO CAMERA, so we all got to watch his answers. It was adorable to see the way Natalie lit up at his sweet responses. She loves him so much, and he obviously feels the same way about her. I'm so excited for them. Here is an excerpt from the video. ("the outtakes")
Then Natalie opened her presents. She got lots of great gifts. I won't go into details.
We ended with exchanging "first kiss" stories and sharing "relationship advice" with Natalie. It was a really great girls night and I know that Natalie felt very loved. I was happy to host the party. It was fun to plan and execute a party like this.

Here's what I used for reference:

BROWNIE-POPS

TISSUE-POMS

FAMOUS COUPLES

DVD VIDEO - Questions Game

DVD VIDEO SOFTWARE

FIRST KISS GAME

My Ramblings of a Thursday

2011-06-02T15:11:00.001-05:00

Well. Today is unusual.

I don't have very much to do at work (which is usually a good thing), but I accidentally left my portable hard drive at home, so I'm stuck here with nothing much to do. Except snack on my sugar-snap peas. Which are delicious.

Here's what I've been doing with my ~~Bored out of my Mind~~ Down Time.

Have you heard of this yet? I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.

Check out my Boards here.

This has been a great way to pass the time.

---

I am also using this time to finalize the details for Natalie's Bridal shower. We're going to have a little party tomorrow night to celebrate her last week with "all the Single Ladies" before she "puts a ring on it".

I have been looking up Game and Decoration ideas, and I think we've got some fun ones in store. I'm very particular about the games when I'm hosting. I don't want them to be like every other shower you've ever been to, and I want people to really get involved and have fun. So hopefully that works out. But I might be less original than I think I am.

I'll show you the pictures by the end of this weekend.

But tomorrow I'm going to spend the entire day cooking, cleaning, and decorating.

Wish me Luck.

And please pray for me that I'll be able to survive

the next 2 more hours at work with absolutely nothing to do.

I might turn into a zombie. Or worse.

Buckaroo Birthday

2011-05-26T15:27:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday was spent with some friends celebrating two special May Birthdays. They threw a "cowboy" themed party, and Halle had the BEST time running around with the kids, riding the miniature ponies, coloring on the paper table coverings, and eating the yummy food. By the end, she was covered in sweat and very red-faced, but thoroughly happy.

Volleyball at Mango's

2011-05-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

We've been playing Volleyball at a private facility here in Baton Rouge with some church friends for the past couple of months. The games are really low key, and we're not amazing or anything, but it's really fun to get out and play. And the girls have a LOT of fun in the sand.

Summer Birthdays

2011-05-16T00:05:00.001-05:00

Halle attended her FIRST real birthday party for a friend this past weekend. Affie turned 2 (which means the rest of our girl-crew is turning 2 in a few months!!!) and they all wore matching tutus. Stacy did such a good job with the decorations and cake, and she made all of those tutus herself! Lindsay won the prize for best present. That little camera never left Afton's grasp. The wagon-rides were a huge attraction until we wanted everyone to sit still for a picture. I think it's just impossible to get a group of 5 or more kids to look at a camera at the same time.

Leeward Park (the sequel)

2011-05-15T23:48:00.001-05:00

Remember this post (from September 2010) and the girls with the dump truck?

Well we decided it was time to re-create this picture. Amy and I met at the park this week and set the girls loose with the dump truck. And they had just as much fun with it this week as they did EIGHT (8) months ago! My, how time flies.

Halle and Emily have a really special friendship. I'm sure it's not all flowers and rainbows every time they see each other, but they get along really well and have similar temperaments. One of my favorite stories about them is that back in November (or there abouts) when they were learning about Animals, Emily knew all the names of the animals and Halle knew all of the sounds. So on walks, Emily would say "Dog" and Halle would bark, "arh-arh". (etc. etc.) I'm glad that they like each other so much because I like hanging out with Emily's mom. They both help keep our lives fun & interesting by accompanying us on trips to the park & zoo. Now Emily & Halle get to spend an extra 2 hours/week together at church because they're both in the "nursery" together. Cute girls. Cute friends.

The Very Busy Spider

2011-05-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

For the past two nights, I've witnessed a very funny and creative story-telling done by none other than my little Halle Jane. She is a riot! Every night before bed, we read between 5-7 books trying to get her to wind down. Most of the time I do the reading and she just points out objects or mimicks words. She loves her books and pleads for them every night.

We have this one book, "the Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle that she especially enjoys. There are animals on every page, and she knows what they are, what sounds they make, and which animal is coming on the next page. She mooooos, and bleets, and barks, and meeeeooows every night as we turn the pages.

Normally.
But then on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, she changed the pattern.

Instead of me reading the story and guiding her along, she held the book in her own two hands and proceeded to "read" the following on each page:

(horse) "OWL?? no."

(cow) "OWL? no."

(sheep) "OWL? no."

(goat) "OWL? no."

(pig) "OWL? no."

(dog) "OWL? no."

(cat) "meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. OWL? no."

(duck) "OWL? no."

(rooster) (OWL? no."

(owl) "whooo whooo whooo. nah-nite."

I WAS CRACKING UP. I have never seen her do anything so creative and silly with a book. It was so hard for me to keep from laughing out loud. I didn't want to disturb her, but it was soooo funny to me. I had tears in my eyes and just prayed she wouldn't notice how funny I thought that moment was. She is a riot.

My little big girl.

Miss Independent

2011-05-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

Halle is no longer a baby.

She hasn't been for awhile now, what with her walking & talking & developing independent streak. But it really became official a few weeks ago when we moved her into a toddler bed. She had started to dread sleeping in the crib and always ran to our bedroom when we mentioned "Nite-Nite" time. She obviously wanted to sleep in a real bed (like we do), so we got out the toddler bed and she's been sleeping in it for several weeks now. So far so good. She sure is happier now that we've made the switch.

She's also started demanding to use a fork at dinnertime and to sit in her own chair. And she always wants to feed herself, no matter what. So our little baby girl has turned into our little BIG girl. And I love it (most of the time). Can't believe she turns 2 in August.

Azaleas

2011-05-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

Every spring we get about 2 weeks where all of the azalea bushes all over town explode with blooms. They're amazing and make me wish we had some bushes planted around our house. Well now that we're somewhat settled in to our house, we've decided to plan some azaleas of our own. Ours are still tiny, but I'm excited for the burst of color that will come next year! I'm also planting a vegetable garden & some herbs in our back yard. I've never really dabbled in gardening before, but so far I love it. And Halle loves to help me water the plants with her mini-watering can (featuring Dora the Explorer on the side).

San Antonio Cousins

2011-05-05T16:26:00.000-05:00

Halle and I took a trip before Easter to see her Texan cousins in San Antonio. We spent nearly every minute on the go... either playing in the back yard and neighborhood or exploring the city and zoo. It was a BLAST but it certainly wore us both out. It was great to see the tourist attractions like the Alamo and Riverwalk, but the best part of the entire trip was watching these kids play together and love eachother. Family is so important. Wish we lived closer to these cousins for sure!

Quite a View

2011-05-05T16:21:00.000-05:00

This is the view from my front yard hammock where

I absorb the sunshine and embrace the beautiful spring weather...

and dread the looming summer heat.

Easter 2011

2011-04-28T16:11:00.003-05:00

Halle really enjoyed Easter Sunday at Grandma's house. She got to:

Dance with the teenage cousins who were rocking out to the wii's Just Dance game. I may or may not have been involved in some of the dancing myself . . . . .
Have an Easter Egg Hunt with older cousin "Dah-nuhl" (who's sorta like her big brother). She knew exactly what to do when she came outside with her green basket and saw all of those brightly colored eggs on the ground.
Eat way more candy than I usually allow. As soon as the great hunt was complete, we sat the kids down for pictures and she ripped into her stash of candy. She went right for the chocolate.
Play outside constantly. She was always asking to be "Aye-Aye" which means "Outside". She was so happy to be outside in the heat, in the sandbox, in the bird bath water, on the sloping driveway, riding toy cars, etc. I realize now that I need to make our backyard more "kid-friendly" so she can have a safe place for Kid-Adventures.

While Halle was enjoying time with cousins, the adults played many many many games of "DOMINION" our new strategy game. (Thanks Emily for sharing). We really enjoy it. If you're into games like "Settlers" and "Ticket to Ride", you'll probably like "Dominion" too.

Easter Sessions and Visitors

2011-04-14T12:53:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we had visitors from Texas. My parents and little brother came to visit and we spent the weekend hanging out here in Baton Rouge. I was pretty busy with Easter photo sessions, but we went out to eat a few times and had lots of fun "political and religious" conversations. It was fun seeing my dad interact with Jacob and Mike. We're so excited that Michael is joining our family. He brings a really fun, creative, relaxed, & comfortable atmosphere to our family. It's like he was always meant to be a brother.

Since we were in "vacation-mode" with family in town, William suggested we get donuts for Breakfast on Saturday morning. Halle really liked that idea. She got her own brightly colored donut and went to town on it. You can see from the pictures below that she REALLY enjoys sugar. But, what kid doesn't?

Luckily she cleans up well. Later that evening, my mom brought her over to the park where we were shooting the Easter Sessions. I got a few of her in the best dress that Target had to offer. Unfortunately it's a 12-month size dress (they were out of her size) so I'll be handing it down to cousin Eva in the next month or two.

April Days

2011-04-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

I'm really excited that it's April. Not to bash the other 3 months that we just went through, but they're not exactly my favorite. I like spring time, flowers, warm weather, trips to the park/zoo, and being outside.

This month is going to be a busy one for me. Pretty much every month/week/day is busy for me these days, but this month will be especially busy. I have the Easter Portrait Sessions on Saturday here in Baton Rouge, with real life bunny rabbits (courtesy of Lauren, one of my YW). Then I'm headed out of town (leaving Jacob behind) for about a week while I go to Houston and San Antonio for Spring Sessions. I'll get home right in time for EASTER weekend, which we will spend painting the outside of our house.

That pretty much takes up the whole month.

Here are some family updates.

Halle is obsessed with Elmo, "choo-choo" movies on youtube, Playing with chalk, Hanging out with our next-door neighbors, Reading "nite-nite" books, Brushing her teeth, and Brushing on make-up. When she wakes up in the morning, her first order of business is climbing in bed next to Daddy and "shhhh-ing" us for "nite-nite". Next she says, "EAT. ee-we-ohl. EAT. ee-we-ohl." which translates to "Eat Cereal" (her favorite breakfast). She also likes to grab her mini pink purse and head for the door, saying, "Buh-bye. ee-yah-aye-oh" (see ya later).

Jane (me) -- I am obsessed with my audible books (working my way through the Wheel of Time series right now) and I'm TRYING to be better about running on a frequent basis and keeping up with my housework. Audible books keep me sane while I do dishes and laundry and other menial chores. I've been super busy with photoshoots lately, and have had lots of design work for upcoming weddings. We've finished the "LOST" series, so now we spend our evenings working on the house, hanging out with Halle before bed, and playing outside.

Jacob is obsessed with... I dunno. Not much. He's pretty good about steering clear of obsessions. He's been busy with work lately (and is hopefully going to bring home a big bonus this quarter! We'll see). He still plays basketball every week and watches American Idol with me. He's almost done sanding our back bedroom's drywall so we'll be painting that soon. He's also busy dreaming up landscaping options for our yard. He's currently looking forward to this weekend's LSU Spring Game.

We're excited because information received in the next few weeks will determine what we do with our lives. We're hoping for a specific set of news, but either way we've got a good fall-back plan. More details to come when we're ready to share it.

Have a good week!

Stake Basketball & Sunday Picnics

2011-03-22T13:31:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was very rejuvenating. It was the first time in weeks that I didn't had a shoot scheduled, so we got to spend it however we wanted! Saturday morning was full of basketball. We both got to play in the adult basketball tournament at the church and that was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures from the boys' game.

Jeff making the layup drive

Jacob shooting (and making) the three pointer. (Look at that form!)

Michael (my soon-to-be-brother-in-law) also shooting the three.

That afternoon we had a barbeque with friends and then watched the BYU game (vs. Gonzaga) at our house. It was so nice to just chill and not worry about running off to a shoot. Obviously Saturdays are the best day for me to take photos since Jacob can be home and babysit Halle, but I guess this past weekend made me realize that sometimes I need a break from work so I can be with my family. I will have to work on scheduling "family-time" weekends once in awhile instead of always packing my weekends full of photo sessions.

Sunday was very uplifting. Our church meetings really hit the spot for me. Later in the afternoon, we had another outing with friends, but this time it was to the levee for a Sunday BBQ picnic. Lovely day and so nice to be with friends.

Shalom walked into a flooded pond and got soaking wet right before we arrived, and she was so cold and shivering from being wet in the wind that her parents decided to create a make-shift subsitute of an outfit by borrowing a green hand cloth from one friend and pants from another. She won the award for "Most-Stylish" and you will be seeing this outfit on the Project Runway soon.

We finished off the weekend by watching the FINAL episode of the FINAL season of LOST. Which was amazing and mind-boggling and for the most part, satisfying. I'm kinda glad that it's over though, so that I don't feel this pull or obligation to watch it every available minute of my spare time. But then again, after all this time I really feel like I'm going to miss those characters. It was an incredible TV show... very thrilling, clever, well-written, and engaging. I'm glad to have seen it.

How did you spend your weekend?

The Mommy Teacher

2011-03-17T16:39:00.000-05:00

I want to tell you about my friend Jessica and her blog.

Jessica used to teach at the early-childhood level. She doesn't formally teach in an elementary school anymore, but she does still influence the lives of young children (ages 2-5) through her weekly preschool classes and through her awesome new blog.

I thought ya'll would like to know about this site because, well, most of my friends who read my blog are young moms with young children, and I know we're always looking for fun, educational activities for our kiddos. Jessica has tons of fun activity ideas on her blog, and she updates it several times a week so there's always something new! Go check it out. She's also on facebook.

Have a great day. :)

Mardi Gras 2011

2011-03-17T16:15:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post about our Mardi Gras holiday for WEEKS now, but haven't been able to find the time until this afternoon. I've been super busy with Photo sessions, Design projects, House-guests, Cleaning, and Training for my 5k (coming up in 3 short weeks).

Anyway, we had a very fun and special Mardi Gras weekend. Our dear friends (the Burkinshaws) drove over from Texas to see us and spend time together. Unfortunately, it RAINED and RAINED all weekend long so we didn't get to spend as much time outside as I would have liked, but we still fit in some fun activites, such as:

Walking on the Levee
Eating Crawfish & other Louisiana specialties (in addition to Cane's Chicken)
Visiting Mike the Tiger at LSU
Hanging out at the Southdowns Parade, Catching beads, and Observing crazy Southern behavior
Sampling some King Cake (courtesy of Albertson's)
Touring downtown from the safety of our car while the rain came pouring down

The highlight of the weekend for me was hanging out with my best friend and watching our two little cuties become quick buds. Here are some pictures.

My phone just threw up on my blog.

2011-03-09T00:45:00.002-06:00

Annie and Halle

Buds sitting on Halle's favorite perch

Kenilworth Park

Loving life on a FREEZING February day.

Emily and Halle

Giving the "Cozy Coupe" a reason for its name

Halle and Emily

Watching a cartoon movie so that the parents can play a board game.

Sunday Buddies walking hand-in-hand down the hallway.

Obsessed with water, drinking, and exploring the church.

Crosses her legs and tucks her hands when watching a movie.

Has a specific style when holding her cell phone.

Halle has a specific spot in the tree where she likes to sit.

She loves her slides and being outside.

Drew and Halle

Exploring the grounds of the state capital.

Sitting outside on one of the first warm days in Louisiana.

Drew and Halle

Sitting on the curb after a full morning at the Farmer's Market.

Baton Rouge Temple

In the last stages of twilight before the sunset on a beautiful Tuesday evening.

Grumpy Girl after the Southdowns Parade in Baton Rouge.

Fell asleep in a chair after a long afternoon with the Teenager Cousins.

Comparison

2011-03-03T12:20:00.000-06:00

My mom has been scanning old photograph negatives this week in attempt to organize all of our family history. She's uncovered a few treasures and sent them to me, and so I thought I would compare them side-by-side with photos of Halle around the same age. I also compared a few of Jacob's old photos next to Halle. She's just a perfect mix of the two of us. It's hard to tell who she looks more like.

Unfortunately, when Jacob was a baby, lots of the Huddleston Family photos were destroyed in a fire... so we don't have a very detailed record of his childhood in photos. But I do have a handful and I'm grateful to have even a few.

Who do you think Halle looks more like?

One and a Half years

2011-02-24T18:32:00.001-06:00

My darling daughter is 18 months old.

I don't know where the time has gone.

In some ways, I feel like she was born just a few months ago, so it surprises me to see this spunky little adventurous child running around my house. But then I wonder how we ever lived or existed without her in our lives. And I wonder how anyone else could fit into our family as perfectly as she does.

Halle is truly a gift from Heaven. Although she's definitely entered the Toddler realm and gives me more grief than she used to, most of the time she's a very sweet and patient child, full of love and hugs and kisses. My favorite moments are when we're cuddled up as a family watching a movie on the couch. She snuggles right in and makes herself comfortable. She smacks when she blows kisses to friends and strangers. She holds up her entire hand with five-fingers outstretched to make the "I love you" sign.

Halle has a few obsessions right now that I want to always remember.
She is definitely our child (see paragraphs below).

Whenever the TV is on, she gets sucked in and turns into a Zombie just like her father. Nothing can distract her from her cartoons or PBS kids. Nothing can distract Jacob from Sports or News or Movies. You just have to turn the TV off if you want to get anything done. She has a favorite spot on the carpet (on top of a big purple pillow) where she chooses to sit. In the mornings she requests, "TeeBeeDoh??" (TV show).

Her favorite foods are cheese, apples, oranges, green beans, Lucky Charms cereal, strawberries, pasta salad, MORE cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, yogurt, and pizza. She always recognizes "PEE-SAH!" as soon as I pull it out of the freezer. All day long she asks for more and more and more cheese. I have to regulate it so that she doesn't get constipated. Surprisingly, she can down half a can of green beans in one sitting. She knows what Cookies are and calls Ice Cream "Yum Yum".

She's obsessed with Books. I love to read too, so this makes me really happy. I always have a book or two or three that I'm reading in my free time. We have a LOT of kid-books on the shelves, but we go through them so quickly that she's already bored of our collection. I'll have to start making weekly trips to the Library soon.

Halle is pretty good about using sign language to communicate her wants. I haven't taught her a whole lot of signs, but the ones she knows she definitely uses. Sometimes she makes up her own signs if she doesn't already know one. Her sign for "book" is the act of rubbing the tips of her fingers together, the same motion you make when you turn the page of a book. Other signs she consistently uses include: Milk, Please, Thank You, Sorry, Food, More, Book, Home, and Good.

She absolutely LOVES being outside. If she's not reading books or watching "Sid the Science Kid" on PBS, then she's asking to go "Aye-Aye" (outside). We have two plastic slides in the backyard which she enjoys immensely. She also likes to explore. Her favorite outside objects are sticks, rocks, and acorns. However, her top favorite outside activity is coloring with chalk. She would color outside for hours if I would let her stay out there that long. The chalk gets all over her clothes and face, but I don't mind. She is my little artist! I hope that she always has the desire to create and beautify in our world.

We love this kid, and can't wait to have more like her. Becoming parents and raising this child have been some of the most satisfying and entertaining endeavors we've ever taken on.

We went to the doctor's office a few days ago for her well-check-up and shots.
Here are her stats:

Weight - 24 lbs - 43rd Percentile
Height - 31.5 inches - 40th Percentile
Head - 18.5 inches - 61st Percentile

She had to get those rotten shots in her legs and it has made her so miserable. Her poor little legs are so sore and she's been so sensitive to her surroundings ever since. All she wants to do is lay on the big purple pillow and watch Alice in Wonderland. Poor thing.

On the upside, this little Kiwi is now old enough for the Nursery Class at church which means Jacob and I will finally be able to enjoy Sunday School for the first time since she was born! Hallelujah!

Addiction to LOST

2011-02-22T18:42:00.000-06:00

So we got a new TV for Christmas. It's bigger than our old one, so we've enjoyed watching TV and movies on it during our evenings and weekend-date-nights at home. A friend recently tuned us in to an AMAZING TV series (also known as LOST), and ever since then we've been hooked. Absolutely addicted. We still make time for all of the important things, but if we have a free evening, we usually start it with the intention of watching one or two episodes, and then it turns into 4 or 5 or 6. It's ridiculous. Really, I'm the one with the problem. Jacob can usually keep it at bay. But I'm the one who's always begging for "just one more".

In a little more than a month of watching, we're already into the fourth season.
Crazy. Believe me, I know.
So we're taking a break.

We've got a couple of house projects that need attention, so we're focusing our energy elsewhere for awhile. Basically, I proposed to Jacob that we should wait to watch any more episodes until our back room (which has been a work-in-progress since Thanksgiving) is finished, primed, and painted. Shocked as he was at my commitment to break away from my beloved TV series, he has agreed, so there we are. Tonight when Halle goes to bed we'll be in the back bedroom finishing the drywall and mud. And every night from now on will be spent in the same fashion... until we are finished.

I'll keep you updated.

Happy Valentine's Day from Halle

2011-02-13T23:44:00.001-06:00

Winter Wonderland in Pineville, LA

2011-02-09T21:11:00.002-06:00

Remember all that crazy cold weather we had last week? The weather that shut down the entire mid-west all the way down to Southern Louisiana? Well it definitely hit us while we were visiting our family for the weekend, and you bet I took pictures of the ICY formations we woke up to on Friday.

It was beautiful. We never see anything like this down South. An LSU birdhouse covered in ICE? No way. Not down here. I loved it. You know that freezing weather like this will never last down here so you've gotta soak it up and enjoy it while you can.

There was even a pool of icy slush on the trampoline that morning. Jacob and Samuel went out to play in it. Halle got jealous of all the fun going on and demanded to hang out with Daddy outside. So even though it was FREEZING out there, she didn't want to go back in. She camped out on Uncle David's hip and watched her daddy jump around with the ice. Good times in Louisiana.

Dandelion Head

2011-02-02T11:56:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about being at "home" with the Grandparents (whether we're visiting Houston or Pineville) is that Halle is constantly entertained. She is fascinated by her older cousins, aunts, uncles, and new toys. William adores her as well, so I can always trust him to show her a good time.

One of her favorite new discoveries is the Trampoline. William & Julianna took her on the trampoline repeatedly, and she LOVED jumping around with them. She loved the play time, and I loved seeing her STATIC-Y hair. What a crazy, wonderful mess it is.

Her other favorite toys from the weekend include Nerf Guns, Bionicles, small cars, and wooden blocks. That's what she gets for being surrounded by BOY cousins & uncles.

The Egan Girls' Girls

2011-02-02T09:43:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I went to Houston to see my family.

My sister Emily (age 23) came to visit with her cutie baby Eva.

Our daughters are exactly 10 months apart, so it's fun to compare their size & progression.

In the photos above, you'll see Halle Jane at 17months & Evangeline at 7months.

Halle has some crazy-cute hair, and Eva has the most amazing eyes in the world.

I've never seen eyes as round and blue as hers.

Halle eats Turkey & Cheese & Apples & Oranges & "Fishies" all day long.

Eva eats Peas & Carrots & her Mommy's Milk.

Halle runs around & climbs over & jumps upon everything in sight.

Eva still sits and observes while everything moves around her.

They may be pretty different now,

but I have a feeling that in another year or so

10 months won't seem like such a big age difference at all.

Don't despair...

2011-01-21T14:59:00.003-06:00

This post is meant to encourage all of you who have piles of projects on your lists.

About 18 months ago, right before Halle was born, I agreed to make a T-shirt quilt for a friend of mine. It was meant to be a wedding present... a composite of her and her fiance's lives all jumbled together into one quilt. She promptly compiled her stack of t-shirts and gave them to me in a big black sack. I had good intentions of making the quilt before Halle was ever born, but it didn't happen. Then things got busy and we decided to buy a house in need of many updates, so it still didn't happen. After the move, at one point I couldn't find the black sack and I searched desperately, worried that it had been thrown out with the trash, but luckily I found it again. So I cut out all of the t-shirt squares and just knew I would finish it before their first anniversary... but, well, that didn't happen either. I don't know where my brain went, but it disappeared for a few months.

Well, after almost 18 months, I've finally finished the quilt topper. It's ready to be quilted. Take this example of mine as encouragement that everybody gets a little behind or distracted sometimes, but you WILL get around those things on your list eventually. Just keep them on your list.

What's on your project list right now?

Six Years Ago in 2005

2011-01-20T17:04:00.000-06:00

In January of 2005, exactly six years ago, I was still free and single and living it up out at BYU. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no desire to return to those semi-stressful "what-am-I-going-to-do-with-the-rest-of-my-life" days, but I do look back on them with some sense of reverence and nostalgia. At this exact moment in time, I was dating a lot and preparing for my summer abroad in London. I was living in the Glennwood apartments and LOVING my ward, LOVING my roommates, and LONGING for someone male to love. It was cold (out in Utah), and my winter classes had just begun.

One weekend, some friends decided to make an impromptu trip SOUTH to beautiful Goblin Valley. I was lucky enough to tag along and enjoy the hike, scenery, and companionship. I remember feeling so free and capable and happy that day. Here are some photos. If you ever have the chance to hike around these marvelous formations, take it. It's on my list of places to take my family someday.

What were you doing in January of 2005?

My Professional Opinion

2011-01-18T15:06:00.005-06:00

Many of you won't care about this information, but I have gotten enough interest lately that I figured it was time for a post. In the next few paragraphs you will find a few of my "favorites" with regards to photography resources.

I used to shoot with Nikon, but now I use the Canon 7D.
Primarily, I shoot in RAW format, so I need a lot of memory cards.

My favorite time of day to shoot is the late afternoon.

I'm always looking for tips and tricks to make my product better.

My favorite photographer/designer is Nicole Hill Gerulat.

Her style is clean and timeless. I aspire to be more like her in my work.

She has a book called "Photo 101" which is a GREAT resource.
There's also a book for Photoshop.

She teaches online classes HERE (full) and HERE (mini).

(I am currently taking her "photo workflow mini course" and LOVE it).

She has great advice about equipment (camera, lenses, etc.)

And she has a gorgeous new baby girl.

I use "photoshop actions" when I edit.

Pioneer Woman has some good actions (which are free!).
So does Jodi at MCP (some are free, some are not).
Allie Hoopes also offers some quality free actions. I use "Best B&W" all the time.

Someday I'm going to purchase actions from TotallyRad. They're totally rad.

Any other questions? Let me know and I'll address them!

From the Cell Phone

2011-01-05T09:12:00.000-06:00

End of the Year Update

2010-12-30T10:56:00.007-06:00

I know this is kinda late, but whatever! I only have access to a computer twice a week until my own gets fixed, so you only get blog posts every Tuesday and Thursday until that happens. Here is our "End of the Year Update" since I didn't include one with our Christmas Cards.

JACOB:
Still works for Regions Bank. He is the Branch Manager out in Gonzales and really enjoys his job. Ever since we bought our first home this past January, he's spent a lot of time thinking about and working on "House Projects". He's figured out Drywall, Framing, Refinishing, Insulating, Trim, etc., and now owns a bunch of manly tools that I never knew existed before. Since we're so busy working on the house, he LIVES for Wednesday nights when the boys get together to play basketball.

JANE:
Still works for Lamar Advertising, but only twice a week. She also does a ton of design and photography on the side, all the while attempting to keep the house in order while watching over a very active toddler. She lives for the next "great new book" to read and has rediscovered how important running is for her mental health.

HALLE:

Has discovered how to climb and LOVES to hang out on the kitchen table. She will find a stray pen and will color for hours on whatever paper she can get ahold of. She also loves to be outside and will "knock knock knock" at the front door until I let her go out to explore the front yard. Halle is also learning lots of words right now. She is obsessed with dogs and monkeys (and the noises they make). Here's a list of current favorite words:

Bathtub (bah-buh) - Daddy - Mommy - Ball (baw) - Dog (daw) (ar ar ar) - Monkey (muh-ee) (oo oo ah ah) - Hungry (huh-ree) - Fishy (fii-bee) - Cat (cah) - Leaf (fff) - Tree (Tee point to the sky) - Juice (ousse) - Cheese (CHss) - Morgan (moh-ah) - Bear (Brrr) - Tiger (Tie-grrrr) - Flower (ow-rrrr) - Car (carrrr) - ByeBye - Hi (Hiiieee) - Shoes (SHhh) - Socks (Ah-k) - Baby (Bae-Beee) - Daniel (ah-yul) - Book (Beu)

________________________________________________________________

Ever since we got married three years ago,

something BIG and life-changing has happened every year.

2007 - Jane Graduates from BYU in April and we get married in November after Thanksgiving

2008 - Jacob Graduates from LSU in May and gets his first real job with Regions Bank

2009 - Jane gives birth to our first (and only) child in August

2010 - Purchased our first home (a real fixer-upper) in January

I wonder what 2011 will bring?!

Cinnamon Christmas Trees

2010-12-28T13:31:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. Christmas is over. Everyone is cleaning up and putting things away. You're probably already counting calories and throwing away the leftover baked goods. HOWEVER, I really want to share this recipe with you and it's SO GOOD that you JUST MIGHT make an exception to your diet plan to try this recipe tonight.

This is one of my mom's original recipes. She made this up several years ago using her bread-maker-dough recipe, and since then we've made these every year on Christmas Eve. We bring them around to our friends, while singing Xmas Carols, trying to spread joy and cheer and calories.

Here's an example of how you make them.

A tutorial if you will.

One of my first tutorials EVER.

Get ready.

First you put all of the ingredients in the bread maker and press "start".

You can probably use any good dough recipe, but I use this one:

5 cups - All Purpose Flour

5 Tbsp - Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Stick - Melted Butter

1.5 cups - Whole Milk

1 (heaping) tsp - Salt

1 (heaping) Tbsp - Yeast

Dough cycles usually last 90 minutes so be prepared for that.

While you're waiting for the cycle to finish, you can do whatever you want. I decided to practice using my tripod (indoors) by taking pictures of Halle putting on her shoes and coloring on paper.

When the cycle completes, dump out your dough ball onto a generously floured flat surface.

Cut into four parts.

Each triangle will become its own Christmas Tree.

Roll out your triangles on the flat surface.

Don't make them too thin or too thick.

After that, spread softened butter on top of each one.

Add generous amounts of cinnamon and sugar.

(I like to pre-mix mine in a bowl).

Place your triangles on a cooking sheet or baking stone.

(I use the pizza stone from pampered chef.)

Then slice your triangles into strips.

Twist each strip and then place it back on the baking sheet.

Shape your strips so that they're very close to each other and shaped into a triangle.

Add some dough to the bottom to make the trunk of the tree.

Let your trees rise for at least 30 minutes so your dough will be nice and fluffy. If you have time, let it rise even longer (up to 2 hours). Preheat your oven to 375.

Bake in the oven for at least 15 minutes. Watch closely so you don't overcook or dry out your trees. Mine took about 20 minutes to cook. Bake until the edges are golden brown and you can smell the yummy cinnamon floating around your kitchen.

The finished product should look like this:

How amazing is that?!

While the bread is baking, you can make your icing.

I just used a recipe I found online.

It called for 1 bag of powedered sugar, 1 stick of butter, and whole milk.

Basically you can make it as runny or thick as you like depending on how much milk you add.

Once your icing is made and your trees are starting to cool, drizzle your icing over the branches of your tree and add your Christmas Decorations. I like to use sprinkles, slivered almonds, cherries, Hershey Kisses, and chocolate chips.

Make sure you involve your kids in the decorating process or they might give you dirty looks like this one:

Also, make sure you decorate your trees WHILE ON THE BAKING SHEETS.

You don't want a big mess all over your gift plates.

For final presenation, I like to gift-wrap pieces of cardboard.

I want it to look like a Christmas Present.

Then I gently place the decorated trees on the wrapped cardboard, and

VOILA!

You are finished.

Take one to your friends, or just keep it all to yourself.

Either way, Enjoy!

Let me know how yours turns out!

Our Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T11:57:00.000-06:00

This year we went up to Pineville to celebrate Christmas with the Huddlestons. We got to see several families from out of town, and Halle loved playing with her cousins... especially Samuel, Emily, and Daniel. She surprised me by remembering her older teenager cousin's name ("Morgan" pronounced "Moe-ah" to Halle) as soon as she first saw her again. I guess they had some bonding time last month while Halle stayed with Grandma and we were on the cruise. She lights up everytime Morgan walks into the room.

My Favorite Highlights from the Trip:

Playing lots of "Blokus" and "Ticket to Ride" with the family. I think Jacob is the reigning champion, but I helped him with one or two of those wins. We like strategic games in this family. Our favorites include "Settlers of Catan" - "Blokus" - "Ticket to Ride" - "The Great Dalmuti" - "Bohnanza" - "Carcasonne" - and - "Killer Bunnies". (Are there any newer games out there we need to try?)

Making Cinnamon Rolls and Dinner Rolls using my mom's special bread recipe in the new Bread Maker that I and my other sisters-in-law bought for Margaret.
Taking photos of candid moments. I do so many formal-ish portrait sessions that sometimes I would prefer to leave my camera in the bag during family get-togethers. It's my job to take photos of other people, and sometimes I just need a break from it all. HOWEVER, this year I did pull it out a few times and I'm really happy that I did. I think I captured some really memorable moments.
Watching Samuel enjoy his special birthday cheesecake. It was sooooo good.

Watching snippets of old Christmas Movies on the big screen TV.
Reading a kindle book on my phone: "Open", the autobiography of Andre Agassi. (LOVING IT.) I definitely recommend it to sports/tennis lovers. Tennis is a huge theme, obviously, but it doesn't overpower the rest of his life story, which is quite interesting.
Watching Halle open her Christmas Presents, which include: a baby laptop, outdoor riding toys, a soft teddy bear, some cute outfits, books, etc. --- Funny side note: When I brought Halle down the hall to open presents, she stood there for a second watching the other kids and then ran off in persuit of the dog. I guess she thought Whiskers was more interesting than whatever else (Christmas) was going on in the living room. I think she changed her mind once she opened the toy car.

Learning that Jacob found a great deal on a new Big Screen TV and Blue-Ray Player which should arrive this week. Very Exciting.
Listening to Grandpa read the Christmas Story from Luke 2. The kids dressed up for a nativity scene, but the nativity never really developed. They still looked pretty cute.

Making and Presenting a Planter Box for Margaret. She loves gardening and flowers. We made this based on a design from Ana White's website (Knock Off Wood). We also made the same planter box for my parents. Notice the LSU flowers?

Watching the boys play with their new Gadgets. See below.

Enjoying the Christmas FEAST that everyone helped to prepare. I contributed two batches of the homemade rolls. I always adore the dressing that Margaret prepares. It's a complicated recipe but it's the best dressing (stuffing) recipe that I have EVER eaten. Anne-Marie made the yummiest "Egg Nog Cheesecake" to celebrate Samuel's Birthday. We decorated it with nutmeg and candied pecans.

Watching Halle interact with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents. She LOVED sitting next to Samuel while he strummed his new guitar. She paid very close attention and clapped her hands constantly to the music. She also did lots of climbing onto tables and got stuck on top of the piano a few times. She followed her grandparents' dog "Whiskers" all over the place. Several times I walked into the room to find her flat on her belly, barking at the dog under the table, trying to get the dog to come out any play with her. Her other favorite thing was sitting in Aunt Anne-Marie's lap while the teenage cousins applied their make-up.

We had a lovely time.

Can't wait to see our out-of-town cousins again!

Hopefully it won't be too long.

guaranteed.

2010-12-21T09:37:00.006-06:00

If you liked the "Hunger Games" series, then you will LOVE James Dashner's new books. I picked up "The Maze Runner" to read on my cruise last month and could not put it down. Then I read its sequal "The Scorch Trials" and loved it even more. There are some elements to these books that definitely remind me of "Hunger Games", but (if it's even possible) I think Dashner does a better job with the storyline. To me, he is an even better author and does an excellent job of keeping the reader interested throughout the book...

I am hooked! I have never been so interested in a series. My husband and I have been debating and theorizing about the plot ever since the cruise 3 weeks ago. I LOVE how you learn about Thomas (the main character)'s world at the same pace that he does. I LOVE how the author gives hints and clues throughout the story that guide you toward the answer Thomas seeks. I LOVE the relationship conflicts (not nearly as sappy or drawn out as Katniss's love problems). And I love the crazy little details that all fit together to make this my favorite series up to this point.

READ it. LOVE it. And then let's CHAT about it.

slacking.

2010-12-20T21:31:00.001-06:00

Just realized I have only posted maybe 4 times in the last 2 months... which is very unlike me. I definitely have cute pictures to post and little stories to share but life has been too busy and I have been way too stressed out. We've been traveling a lot. I've been working a lot. Then my computer broke down and the jeep is having issues, so... yeah. That's life. I wish I could say that it's morning sickness but I don't even have that excuse. Maybe tomorrow while I'm at work I can find a minute to share a picture or two. We shall see.

Caribbean Cruise

2010-12-03T17:21:00.001-06:00

We just got home from our Caribbean Cruise to Mexico. It was a wonderful vacation, free of diaper-changes and midnight wakings since Halle stayed in Pineville with G-ma Huddleston. We spent 5 days away from home and never had a cook a single meal. It took me a few days to let loose and have fun (because I missed Halle so much), but eventually I was able to lose myself in the activities and had a fabulous time.

Highlights include:

Chichen Itza Ruins with our tour guide who has an ever-blinking-right-eye.
Scuba Diving in Cozumel with Jacob, my parents, and my Aunt & Uncle from Utah.
Karaoke three nights in a row. Loved singing "Killing me Softly" and listening to my mom sing "At Last" again.
Chocolate Melting Cake every night after dinner.
Never worrying about what to cook or when to cook or how much to cook.
Sleeping in until 9:00 every day.
Making fun of the scandalously dressed dancers in every on-board show. Seriously. It was annoying how they were NEVER wearing enough clothing.
Playing with our new droid phones during down time. Our new favorite is a Bubble Bursting game. I currently hold the top scores.
Reading TWO fabulous books over the course of 5 days.
(The Maze Runner and The Westing Game).

Great Vacation. I would LOVE to go back to Mexico again for a longer trip someday.

Hello Goodbye

2010-11-17T13:13:00.000-06:00

Hello to my new Canon 7D camera that I'm loving to work with.

Goodbye to my old Nikon D-40 that has officially been sold. (Woo Hoo!)

These are the last photos I took with the old Nikon.

400th Post

2010-11-12T01:06:00.000-06:00

Tonight I got a phone call from my parent's house in Texas. On the other line was William, my youngest brother (age 10), demanding that I post more Halle pictures. You see, he is one of her biggest fans and has watched the "Like a Record Baby" video at least 100 times. So he needs new material. I can't provide another video just yet, but here are some recent photos from our recent trip to Bartlesville, OK.

I went up to Bville for a weekend full of family and holiday photo sessions. I packed 8 sessions into 3 days and have been editing all week to try to stay on top of my current workload. I haven't had much time to even THINK about blogging, but I promised William some Halle pictures.

You may be wondering what Halle was up to while I was off photographing. Or you might not. But here's a little synopsis of HER B'ville Vacation:

Halle did lots of wandering around. She loved looking for the dogs and picking Lori's flowers. She has discovered that flowers are for smelling, so she'll pick it up and sniff it for several seconds before looking for another one. She loved being outside. Either my dad or Jules would follow her around and let her explore the perimeter of the house. She also spent lots of time with her second-cousins (Jake & Brooks). You'll see a photo of Halle and Jake (born 4 days apart) hugging at their first meeting. It was adorable. Halle also got to play at the park with a younger friend, Maci. They didn't actually play much WITH each other, but played very well alongside each other. I think she had a good time being with all of the other kids and all the dogs. She likes to bark at the dogs and crouch down next to them, getting as close as possible without actually touching. I might have to steal one of their dogs next time I'm up there so that Halle can have a play-mate.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T21:54:00.002-05:00

From the Huddleston Family!

Tonight was our Ward "Fall Festival" up at the church. We dressed up as "old people" and Halle looked like an old blind woman. It was great.

Like a Record Baby...

2010-10-29T17:40:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted much lately because I haven't felt like I've had any worthwhile stories to report. This movie, however, is VERY worthwhile. Get out of your chair and groove with Halle.

Geaux Tigers!

2010-10-22T16:21:00.001-05:00

We are very excited to welcome Olivia Grace into the Huddleston Family!

She was born one week ago on October 15th.

As you can see, she is a natural-born Tiger Fan.

I am so excited for Halle to have a girl-cousin closeby to play with.

The end.

Best Friends

2010-10-21T23:43:00.001-05:00

Halle gets to spend every Thursday with her best friend Emily now that Auntie Erin has a brand new beautiful baby girl to care for instead. If you want to see how DAY ONE went with the new sitter, click here.

Back from Branson

2010-10-15T21:10:00.002-05:00

We've been off the radar for about a week now and it's been glorious. We went to Branson for a week with some family and had a wonderful time. One of the highlights of the trip was spending Tuesday morning riding bikes all around the Dogwood Canyon Nature Park (location seen above) while the autumn leaves fell all around us. I loved experiencing the brisk autumn air, observing the perfectly manicured scenery, and also falling in love again with my handsome husband. My mom graciously volunteered to watch Halle so that we could go on this little adventure. It was perfect.

Free Desktop Backdrop

2010-10-05T11:54:00.000-05:00

I've made this photo my desktop backdrop at home.

It makes me happy every time I see it.

I'm making it available to you as well, if you'd like to use it.

Just right click - "Save Picture As" - and Save.

The dimensions are 1500px wide by 1200px tall.

Enjoy!

Christmas is coming...

2010-09-30T14:33:00.002-05:00

and Janey Pie is now offering custom holiday cards!

Click here for more details!

Completely Random Meatloaf Recipe

2010-09-27T11:59:00.001-05:00

Yesterday morning I was making Oatmeal for breakfast. Good, old-fashioned, chewy oatmeal out of the cardboard cylinder. While it was cooking, I glanced down at the label, beneath the stove top directions, and found a "Saucy Meatloaf Recipe." As I read the ingredients, I realized that I had every single one of them in my house so I decided to make it for dinner. I had no idea how it would turn out, but we gave it a try anyway.

Well...
JACOB LOVED IT.
HALLE LOVED IT.
and JANE LOVED IT.

So we're adding the recipe to our collection. Want to add it to yours?

SAUCY MEAT LOAF

1 1/2 LBS ground beef
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup milk
6 Tbsp ketchup
1/4 onion, chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp Packed Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine ground beef, oats, milk, 2 Tbsp ketchup, onion, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and chili powder. Mix well. Shape into loaf. Place in 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake 1 hour. Combine remaining ketchup & brown sugar and spread over meat loaf. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Makes 6 servings.

(NOTE: I made MORE sauce than this recipe calls for to spread over the entire loaf. I used 1/3 cup brown sugar and lots of ketchup. I didn't measure. Probably 1 cup. And it was Gooooood.)