I mentioned earlier that I’ve never had experience with newborn twins until this past weekend when I met two sets!  These little snuggle bugs are Neve & Owen.  I find it just so neat how babies come out of the womb with definite, distinct personalities.  Owen & Neve are no exception.  I only spent about 2 hours with them, but I witnessed their little individual selves almost immediately.  Owen is a little more laid back, & Neve isn’t afraid to tell you when she doesn’t like something.  And once I thought we got them both sleepy at the same time, they’d flip flop on me, double team me, and get a little fussy.  Ahhh, but isn’t that the very thing we expect with babies.  And I absolutely loved how mom & dad were as cool as cucumbers.  Crying faces in photos didn’t bother them, they weren’t uptight about certain outfits, they just went with the flow.

Here are Neve & Owen….

*Oh, and if you’re wondering where their mom got their sweet knit hats & diaper covers, I’m told they were purchased on Etsy.  I’ll try to get the specific seller from her so you can take a look.

Thanks for having me Owen & Neve.  I hope you slept well after I left…I know I did!

*pssst – can you believe it’s been 50 days since the New Year?!?!?  Me either!

Occasionally things can get a little crazy in our house.  I don’t know about you, but after dinner, things start to go down hill.  People get tired, little ones who’ve given up naps too early become cranky, and I’ve almost come to the end of my rope.  Then, I spot a bright beacon of light named Play-Doh!  Hallelujah!  Once your kids can stop eating play-doh and start playing with it, you may have up to 45 minutes of pure quiet!  It’s true!  If I pop this stuff out, give out a few plastic knives, a rolling pin or two, I’ve got time to basically clean my whole main floor!  My girls are enamored with play-doh & they love creating with it.  And the teacher in me knows it’s good for their fine motor development, as well as their imagination.  Opening up a can of Play-doh is like opening a window to receive a cool breath of fresh air in a stuffy house…ahhhhh!

During tonight’s picture I took time to have some play-doh therapy myself.  After trying my hand at video blogging, trying to pick up the tornado that has become my living room, and figuring out what to make for dinner, I was a little drained.  Taking this time to just create & listen to Brooke was priceless.  It’s rare that she gets time with me without her older sister & you’d be amazed at how much she blossoms when it’s just her.  Thanks for letting me play with you, Brookie-boo.  Mommy needed that play-doh time.

What do you do to relax?

Photos:  Homeshade Photography.  I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned Tasha before, but she’s just really fantastic.  I am “friends” with her on Facebook & I love seeing the little sneak peeks she puts up for her clients.  I think she may be the queen of the mini session in my book.  I think what I love best about her photographs is the props she uses.  And I’m not talking about the ABC blocks they use at Picture People.  I am talking hand-made goods from Etsy, tattered yard sale chairs, headbands, clothing, and other cool accessories.  The girl knows how to get her clients to work it!

Don’t you just love handmade gifts?  Especially when it’s little hands that made them?  These are 2 candles my “big girl” Emma made me for Christmas.  The candle on the left she made in her preschool class.  They mod podged little images on the outside & sprinkled it with sparkly glitter.  The candle on the left features three white snowmen made from three of her fingers.  She made that one at our MOPS group.  They are just so sweet & I remember when she gave them to me for Christmas she was so excited to be able to give me something all on her own.  So teachers, childcare workers, caretakers of children everywhere – these little things that you help our dear ones make warm my mommy’s heart in these cold winter months.  Thank you!  And keep ‘em coming!  I’ll gladly fill my entire house with knick knacks if they come from the hands of my girls.

Oh, and I love the title of this post because it reminds me of my mother-in-law’s former store:  Handmade with Love.  She no longer runs a brick & mortar store, but if you like jewelry, love unique things, or love shrinky dinks, you should check out her latest endeavors over at Fun Jewelry on eBay & Create Happiness on etsy.  She’s quite talented!

Well, I better get to bed.  We need to get in some active time tomorrow before the next big snow hits!

Well, I’ve been a busy little bee lately.  And very happy about it, too!  A smile always comes to my face when I get an e-mail from Kelly about taking Clara’s next set of photos.  I just love love love seeing her grow & change each time I visit…and she’s not even mine!  This is why I love my job:  I get to meet new people, invest in their lives, capture meaningful moments for them, & in the end, come out with friends!

You might remember Clara from her Halloween/6-month photos.  Well, she’s gotten even bigger & cuter!  It’s almost Christmas & Clara is as well dressed as ever, plus she is crawling, babbling, saying “uh-oh”, and she smiles at me! (a little)  Besides Clara’s uber cute & stylish outfits, what I really enjoyed this visit was a book she had.  It’s “T’was the Night Before Christmas” and upon turning each page Clara is read the story by her grandpa on a recording!  How cool is that?  So whenever she wants to hear his voice she just opens this book & he’s there, reading to her!  I want one for my girls when I’m away this coming March in Ethiopia.

Thank you again, Kelly, for inviting me in to your home.  And it was good to see you again “Grammy” and wonderful to meet Clara’s daddy too.  The smiles she gave when you came ’round were priceless!  Enjoy Clara’s first Christmas…