A New Mommy...

It finally happened to me… I guess I always knew it was coming, I said it to my mom…and I always said to myself "my kids will say it to me."
Today (after getting in trouble) Riley said "I don't like you mommy…Tater and I want a NEW mommy!"  At first it took my breath away and I could feel the tears welling up.  But then I thought... " I made that little brat french toast this morning!" So I said " Come here riley…what did you say to me?"  Riley replied much less confident this time, "Tater and I want a new mommy!"  {Notice how he was throwing Tate under the bus with him.}
I then said:
"You mean you want a mommy that lets you throw your Captain America shield in the house?"
…Riley said "YES!"
"You want a mommy that lets you eat cookies all day long?"
Riley responded "YES!"
" You want a mommy that lets you pee in the middle of the yard and push Tater over and lets you watch movies all day long?"
Riley excitedly said "YES!!!!"
"Well too bad your stuck with me!  You don't have to like me…you just have to do what your told!"

Weekend Photographer

I am a mom during the week, but when Mr. Mom takes the kids to grandma Deb's {or gets locked upstairs with the kids} this is how I spend my weekends…

An average weekend is 1-3 appointments at 1-3 hours each, plus another 2-5 hours of editing per session.  And I have to get it all done in the weekend cuz my kids H-A-T-E me on the computer…they won't allow it, especially Tate.  Then during the week I am answering customer emails on my blackberry, customizing pictures, sorting orders, sending in lab orders and finally packaging and mailing.  

I take maternity, newborns, babes and kids…no weddings, no seniors…I am already to my limit with my current clients…just ask Ryan.  

I have a simple studio, a simple lens and simple lighting…

I lay, climb, crawl, squat, kneel…you name it I'll do it to get the right camera angle…

( I am totally wiped out after an appointment)

 It's not about the length of your lens or how much your fancy equipment cost, it's about capturing moments like this…

The secret to taking pictures of babies and children is to think of it like fishing, if you are very patient and set the right bait…you will catch something special...

31 weeks 4 days: appointment

 Okay, so I did not copy and paste this post from my 28 weeks blog! but….. I AM OVER BEING PREGNANT!  I am done soaking in the moments…the only moments soaking in are showing up on the scale.  Now I feel like a biggest loser contestant when I go to the doctor…"really?  how does a person gain that much weight in a day?!"  I mean, maybe chuggin a whole 2 liter of root beer in less than 5 hours MIGHT put on the pounds…but I was in the zone.
Seriously, does anyone remember a time when I wasn't pregnant or had a baby attached to me????   Cuz I don't!  (ryan is going to read this and shake his head cuz he hears it everyday)

So if you missed the slight hint above, I haven't had a great last couple of weeks.  I thought being pregnant for the 3rd time would mean it was easier…I am a seasoned pro at this baby making thing.  But I really feel horrible.  I have a constant headache, my eye twitches, chest pains, vomiting, joint pain and swelling. I made sure to tell my doctor what was going on and she was concerned about the headaches and vomiting.

The twitching eye apparently is common in pregnancy…the chest pains are my ribs expanding to make room form babe, the joint pain is me doing too much moving and my joints relaxing.

The vomiting and headaches were concerning so she took some blood and wants to see me back in a week, or if I start to feel worse come in asap.  She told me to drink some tea for the head aches and to cut back on sugar and salt (I guess no more root beer)   and to make sure to stay hydrated.


Here is a picture of the bump…no face, my eye was twitching while I took the pic, so I looked a little weird.

Negative Nancy: I feel sick and tired: vomiting and headaches

Positive Polly: really do I have to???  I suppose the weather has been nice and I have a fabulous tan.

Waistline:  I offically feel like a cow, my feet, legs and ankles have reached the point of no return

Cravings: ROOT BEER {!WUTWUT!}  

What I miss: I miss feeling comfortable and having energy, the way I use to look, you know when I am not pregnant.

What I am looking foreword to: the day the doctor says "let's just induce you today"  cuz I know it's going to happen!

Ryan: He is currently going with the flow, trying to keep me happy.   

Riley and Tate- Riley decided he wants to draw pictures of our family with only 4 people in it.  He says "I don't want a baby" ALL OF A SUDDEN, he wants to move his bunk bed into Blakely's blue room.  I am going to paint his room soon, so hopefully that will change his mind. Tate still uses my belly as a drum

Riley's "Friend"

Meet Thor the Snake

This is the child that is scared of flies?  

Junk in the Trunk

Isn't he cute?

Notice how his swim outfit fits him, not too small, not too big…

wait for it…

Recently we have noticed that Tate's backend is significantly larger than Riley's, in fact Tate's caboose is almost the same size as Riley's derriere RIGHT NOW.  This could mean one of two things…Riley has an extremely small keister or Tate is the youngest member of the BBC.  

 These shorts fit him…but nothing can contain those buns

Riley keeps trying to yank them up for him and I tie the waist band tight, but that fanny crack is way too long!

Mother's Day Weekend

 This isn't quite hillbilly and it's not high class fun either…it's somewhere in between…maybe that's what makes it so fun!

 Riley is scowling at Tater for pushing the button

Tate loved these rain boots

Jesse looks thrilled to be at a park FULL of loud children on a hot day, but at least he found a place to sit :)

Riley ringing the bell of the train

Sharing a chip with sophie

A VERY rare moment between brothers

Charlotte

Another grand baby was born on my side of the family…and she won't be the last.  Charlotte Ryan Schaller {3weeks here}.  I took these pictures over Mother's Day weekend, I made a make-shift studio in my mom's dining room in front of the window.   Such a cutie and once she went to sleep, cooperated so well!  I was also able to try some new head bands I made!

Smoke Alarms

What I have learned about being a mom...

-to have eyes in the back of my head
-know every sound of the house
-to catch a liar, set traps
-to know that my kids may not like me now, but they'll thank me later
-make even the littlest moments special

-go on adventures with my kids, {like removing a picnic table from a raging river or go opossum hunting with a bebe gun}

-eat dinner as a family (with NO TV)
-the dishes can wait, sit and spend time with your kids…laugh with them, listen to them and talk with them
-spending time with family is more important than "going out"

-no matter how weird your kid dresses, just go with it…and know it's just a phase.
-clean ears are something I will check on a daily basis
-hire your kids, no mater how bad they are at the job (just give them the minimum hours)
-and most importantly:  no matter how old my kids get, I will always worry, always lose sleep, always want to keep them safe

DAMN YOU PILLOW PETS!

A couple weeks ago, the boys got a very nice gift from their very loving, caring, beautiful, intelligent grandmother (did I mention how beautiful she is?)

The gift... Pillow Pets Dream Lites

I'm sure you have seen the commercials for these adorable little stuffed beasts of burden.  They have a button on their backs and a projection lights up the ceiling…what completely backfires is your child will keep pushing the button over and over all night long and do anything but sleep.

Tate got a giraffe and Riley got a penguin and they LOVE THEM!  The first night Ryan and I made the mistake of giving them both their pets, the shrieks of giggles were so cute…at first, but then 45 minutes later, a very irritated daddy and mommy had to make the call to take the pets away and the shrieks of cries were not so cute.
So the second night we decided to put the pets on the floor (instead of in bed with them) so they couldn't keep pushing the button, besides the 20 minutes of arguing with Riley over why he couldn't have it in bed, that night went much better.

But like the good parents we are, we sought opportunity in these fluffy glow devils.

-Thou shalt giveth and thou shalt taketh AWAY!-

What a wonderful new way to have good little boy at bed time.  Riley's reward for being good at bed time (picking up toys, brushing teeth, putting on pjs…)  is, he gets his pillow pet IN BED!  And now he knows if he is loud or naughty with the pillow pet while in bed, it gets taken away.  The other night, after the boys were already in bed,  Ryan went in to check on Tate (who was fussing).  Ryan said, Riley laid stiff as a board and stashed his pillow pet under the blankets.  Ryan said "No worries Riley, I'm just checking on Tate, your being a good boy"

So I guess we have figured out a system for the pillow pets, Riley gets his at night time and Tate get his at nap time.  Of coarse, we do have the occasionally night of this…


You can see both the boys here on the video monitor, wrestling with their pillow pets in Tate's crib…

More Corn?

The other night we had our first {of many} suppers with corn on the cob.  Riley loves to help shuck the corn and he loves to eat it even more.  He will eat 2-3 cobs.  

Notice the butter dripping from his chin, you know it's good when you just let it all drip on your favorite shirt

Finish off with some peach cobbler

To Avenge…or not to Avenge?

The other day Riley came barreling down the stairs…huffing and puffing and said…
"mama…we hafta go to Wal Mart…NOW!"
"why!?"
"You havfta get mes a Captain America shield!"

Last Friday we rented Captain America and it got Riley all jacked up!  He loved it!

So I thought, alright, I will make him a shield

So Riley and I found some cardboard and cut a large circle.  Then we colored it and put a handle on the back and BAM! homemade shield.  Along with the only shirt we could find that had a star on it.

And there you have it a makeshift Captain America.

HOWEVER!
I found that crayon doesn't take well to cardboard, I found marks of red and blue on furniture and carpet.  As I was scrubbing the crayon off of the couch, I knew what I had to do {take the shield away} well now I've gotten myself into a pickle.  I just made this devilishly cute kid a super awesome Captain America shield and now I am going to have to take it away.

So I caved and we bought the damn $10 shield from Wal Mart…

...with matching shirt and Riley JUST KNEW daddy would want a captain America shirt too (he was right)

UPGRADE!
So now we have Captain Daddy America and Captain Mini Me America!

Let the Avenging begin!

Senior Discount

Last night Ryan said "isn't tomorrow your Dad's birthday!"  My first thought was "how in the hell did Ryan remember that!" my second thought was "how in the hell did I not realize it was MAY!"  

Next to Thanksgiving, my Dad's birthday may be one of Ryan's favorite food holidays…

 Every year, for the past 12 years, everyone in the family, no matter where they are in the world, eats McDonalds on my Dad's birthday (May 7th)  he would have been 55 this year, which technically would have qualified him for the senior discount and that would have been dangerous to give that man a discount at McDonalds.
We try to stick to the Rick Collins menu (Ryan tries to eat everything my dad would have eaten)  This year he got: Big Mac, 2 Cheese Burger Meal,  Fries, Coke, Large Chocolate Shake and Apple Pie (that would have been what my dad ordered, only super sized)

The total cost for our family meal: $25

Ryan got done with his and said..."God bless your Dad and his eating habits!"

Toes in the Water...

There is nothing like a cool pool on a hot day and a Mr. Freezie to top it off!

Concrete Evidence.

In the Last 2 weeks:

6 visits to the Dr. Mom's Countertop Clinic
1 Tube of Neosporin
2 boxes of Band-Aids
A few "well, don't do that"  "walk it off" and "your fine" from dad
Lots of hugs and head rubs from mom (when my kids get hurt or tired, they rub their head on my legs or my hands)



What we have learned…

Riley clearly can't run on concrete…

My Favorite Things…right now {Men be warned this will not interest you!}

From the time we started getting Christmas stockings from my Grandma Collins, she has been stuffing them with new products, from Avon to Ziploc.  I thought it was fun to try products that I normally wouldn't buy, to find out if they worked better than what I was currently using.  I still buy the NEW! products, just to fulfill my curiosity {and lets face it, being a stay at home mom…it's the little things in life}  I also like to find out from others what they use and get their product reviews.  

So here are my recent purchases that I love!

Jergen's Natural Glow-

Ryan just gave me the skin cancer lecture (it was very reminiscent of a Pamela lecture, hmmm…?)

But, lets face it, it's no fun being pasty…and my skin doesn't take to self tanners well, but I really like Jergens Natural Glow.   Especially the face lotion, which has spf.  I wash my face in the morning and apply like I would a daily moisturizer.  perfect!

Wisk Detergent-

pit stains, pee accidents, chocolate pudding, bloody noses, deodorant…anything!  This detergent was sold out at my walmart and for a good reason.  Someone (riley) got a bloody nose and wiped it all over our comforter-no pretreating, this stuff got it out!  

Yo Baby 3in1 Meals-

On days when I am on the go, when baby doesn't feel great or just deicides to be picky.  I can give this for lunch and not feel bad!  

Honey Maid Lil' Squares

These crackers are great!  They are about 1/2 x 1/2 inch and can be broken in half.  I keep them whole for Riley and break them in half for Tate.  They aren't as messy as the original sized crackers and are much easier to take along in a travel snack case.  And for an extra special snack I make them into peanut butter sandwiches.  

Gloria Jean's Coffee Singles

A lot of the K-Cups make coffee too strong (especially if you don't have the extra elite maker with 3-4 coffee size settings)  So for the rest of us with 2 cup settings, I found a coffee that has a hint of flavor and a very mild taste.  

Garnier Shampoo/Conditioner-

For those of us who can't  afford or rather refuse! to pay for salon products, I like this shampoo/ conditioner combo.  I always play with my hair…up in a pony tail or down…which means I get a pile of stray hairs on my shoulders, but not since I have used this shampoo!  I pair it with long and strong…conditioners for dry damaged hair are too heavy and conditioners for fine/thin/normal hair aren't enough.  This conditioner is the right amount and it's great when you want to grow your hair out.

Garnier BB Cream-

I HATE foundation…but I love this stuff.  It's light, feels like a moisturizer with a light tint and it looks even better with my fake tan courtesy of Jergens

Cascade Complete Dishwasher Detergent-

This is the only detergent I have tried (and trust me I have tried them all) that actually cleans our dishes…period.  Our dish washer is no top of the line machine, so it needs a little help from the detergent.  

BenneBell Eye Shadow-

Now a days, eye shadows are WAY.TO.BOLD for me…I saw yellow eye shadow…really kids?

I think I have bought a million different eye shadows and I only love this one…I have worn it since high school (I know, I know…I shouldn't do that)  but I don't like anything ostentatious and it's a very subtle and versatile shadow.  For everyday, I use the bottom 2 colors and for going on the town with the Hubs, I use all 4 (bottom color all over, shiny biege on my lid, dark color (which isn't that dark) in the crease and light to highlight brow).  All in one shadow! Double Bonus, it actually gives enough applicators for all the colors!

 So for someone who doesn't want to look like a street hooking high schooler …I recommend this shadow.  

Maybelline Illegal Lengths Mascara-

Okay so I know I said I didn't like anything ostentatious…but long lashes are my one bold statement.  I have fair features and I get the BLACKEST BLACK :)  I just got this mascara and I love it.  Some heavy or thickening mascaras don't curl well or flake and clump.  This stuff stayed curled all day and didn't flake on me.  

Bath and Body: Carried Away

I normally don't like Bath and Body Works, the scents are too harsh for my skin and nostrils.  But I had a gift card and thought I would browse.  I found this mist spray and I love it!  I don't wear perfumes, but of coarse I am a girl and I like to smell good, so I spray this on my clothes (not my skin) and unlike perfumes, it doesn't leave stains.  YAY!

So there you have it my product reviews!  

Told you men you wouldn't care :)