Peanuts & Lyla don't mix!!!!!

Oh my....we had such a scare! My poor little baby is allergic to peanuts! During lunch last week Tate was eating a peanut butter sandwich & I decided to share some with Lyla. After a couple tiny pinches of it, we went upstairs for nap time.....alittle over a hour later we wake up & Lyla's face was alittle red, I just thought it was from sleeping....well within 5 minutes she started to break out in tiny hives on her face, they started moving to her neck & chest. I called Rob & decided to take her to the Dr. once I remembered her having the peanut butter.....well by the time I drove 20 minutes to Canton, she was soooo swollen. Her ears were HUGE! She didn't have the bumpy hives anymore, because her complete face & chest were now red & covered her body. The Doctor kinda flipped when we got there, but was able to give her a shot to counter act everything her body was doing...he told me that it normally took 5 minutes, but he would give her no longer than 10 minutes before she would be transported to the ER. I was so frightened. The shot was amazing....she started clearing up within minutes & was playing again like nothing happened. By the time I arrived home to her worried Daddy & brother, her face almost clear & her body was barely red. These are a few of the pics once we were home. You can tell her ears are still alittle swollen, but nothing like they were & her poor lil chest was still somewhat red. These pictures really don't do the story justice....it was bad! But we have an awesome peditrician & he ordered blood work to find out the severity of the recation she'll have to peanuts & all prescribed an epipen...which is a shot of us to give until she can get to the ER. Wish us luck with everything, as I am educating myself on foods made with peanut oil, etc. Hopefully this will never happen again, as it was defently a scary situation. To all you who are close to our family, please remember this allergy she has & please do not have peanuts around my sweet baby girl!

Shrinking Hippo Update!

2 weeks old....






1 month...... 8lbs. 7oz




2 Months.......12lb. 4oz



3 months....(with her new pierced ears)



4 months.....she's smiling and oh so so sweet!



5 Months
It is so cool how with each photo I am able to see Lyla change......each photo holds a new milestone! This month Lyla found her feet! They are her new best friend, (next to Tate). She weighs around 18lbs. I will take her next month for her "well baby check up" and we'll see exactly what she weighs. Oh & check out her new hoop ear rings ♥







6 months
Oh my goodness! Lyla is already 6 months old!!!!! That is half of a year, already gone~ just flew by! She is growing and learning so much. She can sit alone now and she has also gained two teeth! With the hustle and bustle of Christmas I was late posting this but the photo is on the 15th of December when she turned 6 months. She broke her first bottom tooth on the 17th (my Bday) and then the second one came in on Christmas morning....those were her gifts to me, the breast~feeding mother! lol Nah, only playing...I am really thrilled they popped out, cause gosh she looks cute with them~ Lyla is such a happy baby, she loves people and is already rooting for their attention. This month she has changed alot. She cries alittle when I leave the room & she will grab for me to hold her~ she is totally lovin' Mom! Her favorite food is bananas & she loves drinking water from a sippy cup. I can't believe how fast she is growing...so here is the pic, can't you just squeeze those legs!




She is 7 Months!
Oh wow! What a change one month can make...she is so curious & notices everything! The changes have defently happened this month~ Lyla is in l♥ve with Mommy. If I walk out of the room...she cries, if I hand her off....she cries, I know it all stems from love so it's okay. She was so much fun for this month's photoshoot~ (even if I did have my camera in landscape & the pics are green!!!) I redid the shoot & the color look great, but they were missing the story...So I'm going with the green one~ because during the session she finally realized there was a little hippo beside her...she would look at me with a serious look then look at the hippo, then back to me & cry. Then she'd do it all over again. She was just not so sure about the little hippo! So here it is.....my green picture! LOL







Yes, believe it or not I'm finally posting~ I have been so busy with just everyday life & photography that I've totally fallen short on my blog....sorry to all my faithful readers :)

So Lyla is now 10 months old & so full of love. She has changed so much in the last few months. She now has 5 teethers & loves to bite me everytime I brush them ;) She has started clapping in her own little way....by balling up one fist & clapping her other hand on top of it! She l♥ves to play peek-a-boo~ it is something she does all the time! She is so funny....she'll find the smallest little thing to hide behind, thinking we can't see her. I grabbed a pic of her hiding behind a granola bar...it was raised on top of her head & she was looking straight at the camera, yet she was hiding! I just love the stage she is at, she is full of high pitched screams & that big belly laughter! She is defently different then Tate was as a baby. She doesn't like to be touched, as in snuggling (unless she is nursing & laying down for nap) other than that, she will push our hands off of her~ Tate was a love bug & attached to his paci & blankie by her age. Not Lyla~ she gave up her paci on her own...everytime we tried to pop it in, she'd spit it out directly! She also rejects a blankie or snuggly bear. I guess it's a good thing, cause it's one less thing to break later..but I just wanted a few great pics of a little toddler with her worn out bear dragging behind her~crazy i know :)
Lyla has a new nickname this month...we slowly started calling her Lyleeeeee. It has stuck & we call her that almost more than her name~ she responds well to it & I think it's just the cutest thing to hear Tate say. Lyla is saying a few words...her first word was Da-Da, (just like Tater) Then she picked up Bye-Bye with a wave. Her wave is cute, cause she just throws her hand up in the air...like she already too cool for school! Then finally she said Ma-Ma. Just melted my heart! Now she is saying Daw for Dog. And I think she's say Bru for Brubby (which is what we call Tate)

It has been amazing to see all the changes that happen so fast. I remember thinking during my last week of pregnancy, how sad it was for Tate that he would never be the only child again. That he would forever have to share my love, my time, and things would never be the same.....well that was defently true! But I have come to realize now that I love both of my children with no end in sight & that Tate would not trade his sister for the world.

So here is her 10 month pic...I still need to post 8 & 9 months, but I have to search through my tower of discs to find them....not something I want to do right this moment! So here she is~ our little Lyleeeeee.

The highest paying photoshoot ♥

Today I was paid for my work with something far better than money. I spent a couple hours at the local nursing home donating my time and ended up leaving a rich woman. A few of the things I saw will live with me forever. I saw couples who had been married for over 60 years and still in love...... I talked with a man who was 97 and seemed to be living his last years to the fullest. He joked with me telling me "he has this bucket.......and that he was about to kick it" Then he'd laugh a big belly laugh~ he was so full of life & it showed in every word he spoke.





Some people view our elders as "old people" well they are......but that doesn't mean that they weren't once young, that they weren't full of dreams just like you and I. All of the old souls I met today, had a story.....not all of them shared their story with me, but I could read it in the lines of their faces & in the wear in their hands.



I will be posting pictures soon of my favorite photoshoot to date~ the Grandview Nursing home in Jasper, Ga. I hope that some of you reading this will take time to give your self to others~ cause in the end it is the best thing you can do for yourself. I was paid with love, smiles, stories, music & flowers. That to me is far better than money. Another reward for me is knowing that these people will have heartfelt photos for their loved ones to hold dear once they are gone. I feel as if today was a wonderful day for not only the residence of Grandview, but for myself.

Just remember when you give love, you get love! To me there is nothing on earth as great & wonderful as love.

My sweet Kerri Kiker~ you will forever live in my heart

This past week has been on of the hardest weeks ever! My sweet, beautiful friend Kerri was killed in a car wreck on the 19th of January. She was a wonderful girl, a girl so full of life~ a girl who taught me so much about life. At a time when most of us are making huge choices in life (teenage years) I was led by her. She taught me how to put on my makeup, she taught me how to straight iron my hair, how to drive a car, how to smoke~(I didn't say it was all good :), she took me muddin' she took me to the beach, she helped me get a job @ cowboys, she she taught me how to be a good friend, a friend for life!

A couple of my favorite memories of Kerri......My favorite time with her was on night on our way back from Cowboys. We were tired from work and I was dozzing off in the passenger seat when she scream for me to wake up that she saw two shooting stars~ I naturally made fun of her & said "Whatever?!?!" I snuggled back into place, when she screamed again~ she had seen another one! That was how she was~ just always so happy & excited over the smallest things. Well I sat up and watched and sure enough there were several shooting stars shooting across the sky. We didn't know until we turned the radio on that there was a meteor shower that night...so once we got to Ellijay we pulled up to Talona Mtn. and sat by the cross, watching the shower of shooting stars. She was in amazement~ we hung our heads out of her sunroof & puffed on our NASTY cigarettes~ just young and without care....we normally got home around 3am from work, but on this night we rolled in after day light~ we must have sat there for 4 or more hours just talking and soaking up our time together. It is nights like this that I'll treasure forever.....now my sweet friend is among those stars!

Another of my favorite times with Kerri was our "girly nights" We would make our boyfriends leave the cabin and we would get in our pj's (which if you know Kerri that consisted of OVER SIZED GUY PAJAMA PANTS & A SWEAT SHIRT) then we would turn on the Golden Girls and do our facials. The first night we decided to do it, she taught me how to do the whole facial thing...she directed me not to smile or it would crack once it was dried. Again if you know Kerri, that was impossible....so as she came back from he kitchen I took her picture then she took mine~ once she sat down we looked at each other & started to laugh~ we laughed and laughed! Our faces cracked all to pieces. :) She was such a good friend, with such a happy soul.

I'll post our pics from the night of facials once they are scanned.


I'm so thankful to have known Kerri. I will never forget the wonderful moments we spent together~ as for the friends I have with me still. I love you all.

♥ The Hippo update ♥

2 weeks old....






1 month...... 8lbs. 7oz




2 Months.......12lb. 4oz



3 months....(with her new pierced ears)



4 months.....she's smiling and oh so so sweet!



5 Months
It is so cool how with each photo I am able to see Lyla change......each photo holds a new milestone! This month Lyla found her feet! They are her new best friend, (next to Tate). She weighs around 18lbs. I will take her next month for her "well baby check up" and we'll see exactly what she weighs. Oh & check out her new hoop ear rings ♥







6 months
Oh my goodness! Lyla is already 6 months old!!!!! That is half of a year, already gone~ just flew by! She is growing and learning so much. She can sit alone now and she has also gained two teeth! With the hustle and bustle of Christmas I was late posting this but the photo is on the 15th of December when she turned 6 months. She broke her first bottom tooth on the 17th (my Bday) and then the second one came in on Christmas morning....those were her gifts to me, the breast~feeding mother! lol Nah, only playing...I am really thrilled they popped out, cause gosh she looks cute with them~ Lyla is such a happy baby, she loves people and is already rooting for their attention. This month she has changed alot. She cries alittle when I leave the room & she will grab for me to hold her~ she is totally lovin' Mom! Her favorite food is bananas & she loves drinking water from a sippy cup. I can't believe how fast she is growing...so here is the pic, can't you just squeeze those legs!




She is 7 Months!
Oh wow! What a change one month can make...she is so curious & notices everything! The changes have defently happened this month~ Lyla is in l♥ve with Mommy. If I walk out of the room...she cries, if I hand her off....she cries, I know it all stems from love so it's okay. She was so much fun for this month's photoshoot~ (even if I did have my camera in landscape & the pics are green!!!) I redid the shoot & the color look great, but they were missing the story...So I'm going with the green one~ because during the session she finally realized there was a little hippo beside her...she would look at me with a serious look then look at the hippo, then back to me & cry. Then she'd do it all over again. She was just not so sure about the little hippo! So here it is.....my green picture! LOL

♥ My most recent projects ♥

I've been doing a few projects around the house & have really enjoyed the time I've spent doing them! It felt good to have "me time". Rob has been giving me alot of time to myself lately to work on projects and boy did I need it! Jen and I finished up the window pane coat rack. It was a great time spent with her & reminded me just why we are best buds!




The other project I've been working on is my mantle & my prints.....I was just so lucky to see a friend's mantle (Nacole) and loved it....so there I went and brought out the black paint! I've painted just about everything in my house now! lol I still have to hang the prints & get some new cool stuff for the mantle...but here is a little peak at what my work in progress looks like~ I love it! They also look better in person as there are not as many reflection as in the picture.



Well that is it for now....but I'm sure there is more to come~ Jen and I are getting together again tonight for creative fun!!!!! I'm so excited!

Ms. Lyla Grace

A day stored in my memory....

It's a day I hope to never forget & one I hope to relive every year!






The day after Thanksgiving~ we went out to the Jone's Christmas Tree Farm in Ellijay. I love everything about getting our tree there...I love the beautiful drive through the country road that I used to travel daily on the way to my parents house; I love the memory of going there yearly with my parents to pick the PERFECT tree; I love the smell of the tall green trees; I love the cold crisp breeze that lets me know winter is upon us. I just love it all!




Tate had alot of fun meeting Mr. George (owner of farm) he was alittle afraid of his old saw mill~ but in the end he thought it was all pretty neat! He ran and played in ALL the rows of trees....to him the place must have seemed endless! He helped pick out our tree, but orignally wanted every HUGE 15ft. tree & didn't understand that we had to get one to fit in our house...which was also hard for me to understand! I also wanted all the large ones & was constantly reminded by Rob that they just wouldn't fit!







The photo below is one of my favorites from the ride~ I love the fact that it captured so much in one simple shot....notice the bright blue skies in the mirror, the beautiful pasture filled with cows, and me snapping the picture~

The shrinkin hippo update......

2 weeks old....






1 month...... 8lbs. 7oz




2 Months.......12lb. 4oz



3 months....(with her new pierced ears)



4 months.....she's smiling and oh so so sweet!



5 Months
It is so cool how with each photo I am able to see Lyla change......each photo holds a new milestone! This month Lyla found her feet! They are her new best friend, (next to Tate). She weighs around 18lbs. I will take her next month for her "well baby check up" and we'll see exactly what she weighs. Oh & check out her new hoop ear rings ♥







6 months
Oh my goodness! Lyla is already 6 months old!!!!! That is half of a year, already gone~ just flew by! She is growing and learning so much. She can sit alone now and she has also gained two teeth! With the hustle and bustle of Christmas I was late posting this but the photo is on the 15th of December when she turned 6 months. She broke her first bottom tooth on the 17th (my Bday) and then the second one came in on Christmas morning....those were her gifts to me, the breast~feeding mother! lol Nah, only playing...I am really thrilled they popped out, cause gosh she looks cute with them~ Lyla is such a happy baby, she loves people and is already rooting for their attention. This month she has changed alot. She cries alittle when I leave the room & she will grab for me to hold her~ she is totally lovin' Mom! Her favorite food is bananas & she loves drinking water from a sippy cup. I can't believe how fast she is growing...so here is the pic, can't you just squeeze those legs!

We are here by the grace of God.

It is my biggest fear~ something I have thought about time and time again....loosing a child or my husband. It is something I don't think anyone should have to go through, but at the same time it is in God's plan why things happen as they do & for me I was spared the heart ache and pain on December the 16th around 12pm. I have never felt such a helpless feeling, nor do I ever want to again.

We started the day as we do everyday....normal everyday things~it was cold outside so Tate had to play inside & was pulling every string I had, as I was getting dressed & tending to Lyla. I talked to Rob and had him play/wrestle with Tate on our bed~ which happens to be one of their favorite things to do (or was one of them). As they played I continued to put on my makeup & dress myself until I heard a huge thud & Tate crying! (He had fallen off the bed backwards onto the crown of his head, something I found out later.) So I come running out of the bathroom to find Tate crying and Rob consoling him. Which was really nothing new, as he gets hurt often & really throws a big fit over the smallest things~ so I just went to hold him as I normally would. I noticed before pulling him into my chest, that his lips were alittle purple~ something that sometimes happens when he cries really hard..... well this time was different! As I held him against my chest I could feel the life gone out of him...his chest felt so thin & lifeless~ I will never forget the feeling I felt when I realized he wasn't breathing~ I held his body out from me to see his face & it was completely colorless, his lips were completely purple/blue and his skin had lost all color. I yelled at Rob that he wasn't breathing and he also thought it was just him crying really hard and needing his breath, but once Rob saw his face he too started to scream. We both looked at one another in terror, unsure what to do. Although Rob was a cop for years his training totally left him. I started shaking Tate and yelling his name, but he didn't respond~ it was then that Rob realized I should not be shaking him & he responded to the situation as his training taught him. He instructed me to call 911 and he would do CPR. As I set Tate on the bed his body fell lemp, I couldn't help but pause there and look helplessly at Rob as he yelled at me to call 911!! So I ran down stairs looking for the phone....I glanced at every table then at the kitchen counter~ no phone, I seemed to be in a fog~ as if I couldn't do anything to help! I finally found the phone then called I was back upstairs by the time the woman answered and Tate was breathing again! Rob had compressed his chest 4 to 5 times and then he took a breath...he directly started to cry and it was he sweetest sound I have ever heard. Once the paramedics left the house I sat on the couch with my family and I cried, and cried, and cried and cried! During the rush of it all I didn't REALLY understand what had happened~ it was like I said before more of a foggy type thing. Once it all went away & we were sitting together, doing what we normally do ~ that is when it hit me...I almost lost my son, I held my son when there was no air in his body, I could have spent the rest of my life with out seeing his smiling face....it hit me & I realized more than I've ever realized before just how imporant my family is & just how easily they can be taken from me. I felt helpless in the time of need, although we had all the help we needed. As I ran down the hallway to get the phone I was yelling "Keep him alive, Keep him alive" After replaying it all back with Rob, he said he could hear me yelling that...and that he would've felt so quilty if he wouldn't have kept him alive. My answer to him was "I wasn't talking to you........"