50mm

My 50mm lens came yesterday and I was able to take Eden out and get some great pictures of her this afternoon. She was all to willing to go outside to play. It was such a beautiful afternoon. Who would of thought it would be 70 degrees 3 days after Christmas?

I love this lens. It wasn't expensive, but it takes great pictures. I'm so glad I got it :) I need to practice with it some more. It's not as fast as Eden is, but few lenses in my price range are :) I look forward to the pictures of Eden and Josiah I'm going to be able to take with this lens.

Mom, the last picture is just for you :) I knew you would love her expression and her tongue.

Piano Girl

Uncle Timmy gave Eden a keyboard for Christmas. She loves playing the piano at church, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time before this will be her favorite toy. Thanks Uncle Timmy!

kitty kitty

Delilah

Sampson

Our kittens are getting big. They've past the awkward teenage looking stage and have grown into sweet cats (that are also great mice killers :)

Friday Funny

Yesterday, I looked at Eden and realized just how much she has grown in the past year. All traces of babyhood are gone. Now she seems like such a big girl. So independent!!! Larry and I talk about it and he laughed as I got choked up imagining our little girl as a teenager.

A few minutes later, Eden was playing in her room and shut the door. Then she locked herself in. I heard the door lock and thought Oh No!!! I went and pulled on the door to no avail. So I ran into our room and got Larry. He's the smart and ration one of the two of us.

So there we sat in the hallway, taking the lock off the door. Laughing and talking to her. She thought it was just so funny, an extended version of hind and seek. A few minutes later with the lock on the floor we ran in her room. She had the biggest smile on her face. She danced she was so excited that we made it in her room. I know she was thinking, hey Mom what took you and Daddy so long! I checked her over and she was fine. She ran into the living room and played with her toys. Never thinking or realizing the panic she put Mommy and Daddy in. Larry said she was just practicing for when she's a teenager.

Needless to say, The lock on her room and Josiah's room have been turned lock side out. We're still deciding if we need to turn the bathroom lock around or not. It would be bad if Eden locked us in while we (or a guest) was using the bathroom. We will have to keep screwdriver near the door.

Oh the joys of parenthood!!! :)

Christmas Day

Gift overload!
Eden liked the bag more than what was in it.

Eden wanted to climb this big gift from Uncle Timmy.

This is a baby doll stroller that Eden decided that she wanted to sit in and open her gifts.

Christmas morning was overwhelming for Eden. She received so many gifts from our church members and family. We didn't give her all of them so she could have more to open later today and enjoy each gift. Christmas through a child's eyes seems so special.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Daddy watching over Eden as she checks out the Christmas Tree at Church
Eden thought, this looks like a neat ornament, I'll think I'll take it :)

A Christmas picture

Grandma and Granddaddy with Eden

Last night we had our First Christmas Eve service at Reddicks Grove. We had a nice turnout and a great service. Everyone loved playing with Eden. She so much fun at this age. She not real sure of what the holiday means, but has enjoyed the Christmas Trees and gifts.

Things that go bump in the night

Last night as usual I woke up to go potty around 4:30 am. I heard Eden on the monitor talking to herself, and playing in her crib and decided that she would go back to sleep ( she does this often). A few minutes later I heard a THUD! Then Eden started to Cry Hard. I knew before my feet hit the floor she had fallen out of her crib. In the few seconds it took to get to her room, I prayed she would be ok. I scooped her up and looked for blood, and comforted her. Larry came in and started to evaluate the situation, asking how she landed and took one limb at a time and checked her over. She was fine, in fact she wanted to get down and play. I'm sure she thought, "hey since we're all up lets play :)."

We turned her bed around to the back (which is 6-8 inches taller than the front) so it would be harder for her to get out. The short side is now against the wall. We talked over converting it to a toddler bed, but just don't think she's ready for that yet. We'll see how this works.

Afterwards, I was thanking Larry for his cool headed thinking though the situation. He does great job at being a Daddy. He thought I did great with comforting her and calming her. He took her at one point to check her over and she cried so hard for me to hold her. So he did the rest of checking her out on my lap. We both agreed that God knew what he was doing when he created marriage and families. I couldn't imagine raising Eden and Josiah without Larry. He is so good at being level headed and thinking through things. I'm the comforter and nurturer. We were made for these roles and Thank God for it. We laughed and prayed and went back to sleep.

A few pictures

Here are a few more shots from yesterday. Andrea's editing really sets them off.

Learning.....

Today I took one of our church's youth out and took some photos of her for Christmas pictures. We had a great time and I got some awesome pictures of her. I was a little worried about the lighting, but most of the pictures were fine, only a few in the barn were to dark. Overall, I was really happy with how the pictures turned out. :)

Then I took my pictures over to Andrea's to get some input on what she thought. Andrea's a great photographer that has awesome editing skills. She liked the pictures and gave me some feedback and showed me how to edit with layers. She showed me how you can make good pictures great. She's been encouraging me for a while to edit my pictures. She even gave me a copy of Adobe Elements. We spent a few minutes editing and 3 or 4 of the pictures. They looked even better after Andrea was done.

I hate editing. I know it's one of the area's I need to work on to get my pictures into the professional league. The pictures on top is the unedited version, below is an edited copy that Andrea walked me through this afternoon. After seeing the benefit of the editing I figure it's time to learn. If I'm going to turn my hobby into something more professional I'm going to have to bite the bullet and learn to edit. Not sure when I'll find the time to learn with Josiah on the way and Eden to look after, but I

I 'll post a few more edited pictures tomorrow. I'm having techincal difficulity with the CD and our internet tonight.

Sleigh Bells Ring

One of the awesome benefits of country living is giving Eden experience like today. The town of Williamston hosted an old fashioned country day at the Expo Center. One of our church members, Roger, brought his draft horses and took Eden, Larry and I for a ride in his sleigh.

Eden didn't know what to think of the horses. They are gigantic, (the size of a Clydesdale) but they are very gentle and well trained. Roger's a big Andy Griffin fan and named them Helen and Andy.

The sleigh was decorated for Christmas and the horses wore bells that Eden loved. She clapped at the end. Thanks Meme and Roger for taking special time to give us a ride. We really enjoyed it and hope to do it again soon.

Ready to go home.

We've had a blast at Yaya and PawPaw's house this week, but I think Eden is ready to go home :) I know she misses her Daddy as much as I do.

As I started to pack tonight, and talked about going home she jumped in the suitcase. I guess she didn't want me to leave without her. Don't worry she gets to ride in the plane with Mommy.

Please pray for us. We're flying home from Jacksonville to Greenville via Charlotte. The flights aren't long, but neither is Eden's ability to sit still. I'm praying for safe travel, good weather, nice attendants and passengers, a happy baby and extra energy to keep up with everything.

Playing at Yaya'a and PawPaw's House

Eden was able to run and play outside with Yaya and PawPaw today. She loves being outside and there is lots to explore here. She never lacks for attention as long as they are around.

Abbey and Brian's Engagement

Finally after 10 years of dating Abbey and Brian are going to tie the knot, and we're going to Jamaica to do it!!! WhoooHooooo. Today Yaya watched Eden and I went to Tallahassee to take Abbey and Brian's engagement pictures at MaClay Gardens. It was the first time I had ever been there. It was so beautiful! The morning light was nice. These are a few of my favorite shots. There are a bunch more that I can't wait to get home to edit and send them back to her. I wanted to give her a little taste of what's to come.

Visiting the Great Grands

Eden an I got to spend Wednesday with her Great Granny and Great Grandpa. She really got a kick out of Granny. She loved their house and especially their great big fenced in yard. I loved the yard because I could just let her run, run run!

Granny and Grandpa have been married 62 years. They have 4 children, 9 grandchildren, 5 great grand children and 3 more great grands due by February. :)

Danley Side

This is Mama's side of the family :)