It's winter...she needs a fuzzy hat

It's winter, so she does indeed need a fuzzy hat.  I know my husband thinks I torture our poor children, but really they don't seem to mind me dressing them up & taking their pics.  Anyway, here's some snapshots of Ella on her way to our only destination lately....the mailbox.  Her face is changing a lot right now & I think she's starting to look a lot more like Jessie, which means she looks less like me or more like dada.....sigh, oh well, at least she has OCD cleaning tendencies like me.  Enjoy & have a great day!

Our little lady

Lately, Ms. Jessica has really decided that she should copy my every action...yikes, right??  She is really into gender modeling & I've tried to allow her to express her femininity in any healthy way she sees fit.  For instance, she got some play lip gloss & I allow her to keep it in my bathroom.  When I do my makeup, she is allowed to do hers.  This past Sunday, I had put on a necklace for church & she just couldn't stand it that she didn't have one also.  I was hesitant at first to give her a real necklace, but I couldn't find her play necklace in the rush to get out the door for church.  This is her birthstone cupcake necklace & despite my initial fears that she would break it, she did great & treated it very gently.  We made it home without breaking it, which was a miracle in my opinion.  She was apparently showing it to everyone in her class at church & was very proud of it!  Here are a few snapshots of her dressed for church & with her necklace.

P.S.  This was originally supposed to be Ella's outfit, but Jessica decided that she wanted to wear it, seeing as how she's still such a skinny little thing, the size 24 month skirt fit her just fine.

A sneak peak....

Well, I had to work on some Valentine's Day pics with Ms. Jessie last week.  Finally, after both of us being sick & tired last week, we gave it a shot.  She actually came up to me on Friday & said, "You want to take my picture Mom."  And I was like, you want to wear your Valentine's outfit & let me take your pics??  She said yes, so a little photo taking took place :)  NO seriously guys, only about 10 min. from this little lady & she's done.  Here are 2 of the pics I took, I'll save the others & the sister shot for Valentine's, but I am thankful that she is feeling/looking so much better & that we got this off our to do list.  I know the Grandparents will love, love the sister shot I got, it's precious & actually already on their Valentine cards, I'll reveal those as the day approaches.  Enjoy a little peak at my pretty girl in her Valentine's outfit!  For those of you that read my blog, you'll note that Ella already had a couple pics taken in her matching outfit, see this post if you want to see Ms. Ella in her Valentine's outfit :)

For my friends that enjoy photography:  I got that piece of white bead board at Home Depot for less than 10 bucks & that white furry rug at Walmart for $13.  It doesn't look totally professional, I grant you, but it makes for a cute & inexpensive "studio" on a cold, snowy day.  When I use a white background, I've found it helpful to overexpose then correct color in lightroom once I have it on my computer, otherwise my skin tones don't look right.  This is another pre-set that I created for lightroom 4, I turned down the clarity on the overall pic, to give it a softer appearance & increased the vibrance.  Then sharpened the eyes.  The white balance has a slight purple hue, but I think it works with the look of the pics.  Once you have your pre-set, you can apply to all the pics you took that need this look & there you go, literally 1-click editing.  For around $70 dollars, Lightroom is the best investment I've made in my little hobby.

Ella in her crib

One thing I've recently realized, is that I don't have that many pics of Ella in her "new" room aka Jessie's old room.  I took a few candids of her in the crib & "reading" in her rocker just for documentation purposes.  She looked pretty cute in that crib, so it may be a bit many, but again, I'm sure the grandparents will get a kick out of it :)  Enjoy & have a  great day!

Silly Cupcakes

We received a cute decorating kit for cupcakes from my mom & dad (Nuna & Pawpaw) for Valentine's.  Because of the cold weather we decided yesterday was the day to do it.  I grant you I'm not feeling that hot, but you gotta keep those kiddos occupied.  So in the spirit of a mommy trying to do her best in the midst of a bad cold, we made strawberry cupcakes from a box.  Used buttercream frosting from a can (a sin almost unheard of at my house :)  & we used the cute decorating kit from Nuna & Pawpaw.  The girls had a blast & both got right in there to help make & decorate them.  When I asked Jessie what kind of cupcakes we were making, she said "silly"....hence the title!  Here are a few snapshots of our silly cupcakes.  Enjoy & have a great day ;)

Big sissy showing her how it's done

Hello Kitty track suit & purple pacifier....that's how everyone should bake :)

This is what they always do in the kitchen, sit on bowls & wait for bake goods to come out of the oven

I wanted some of us at the stove "taste testing" the cooled cupcakes...my behind didn't need to be the focus, but I thought these were funny, look at Ella, she always knows where the camera is....such a diva!  And Jessie decided it was too hot so she stripped down so she could decorate more effectively.

Our decorating & finished products:

This is a really cute set, if anyone is interested

Decorating like a pro...already :)

Decorating her cupcake

Ella's cupcake

Jessie's cupcake

My cupcake

Looks like she's enjoying them

Say "cheese" for the camera

Showing off her handwork...love her--little snot drip & all